Ladies of Darkness - Lady Luck & The Lady In Red Super Heroines For Troll Lord Games Victorious Rpg & Wretched Époque (The Red Room)

 Created by Will Eisner (and later written/drawn by artists like Nick Cardy and Klaus Nordling), Lady Luck (Brenda Banks) debuted in The Spirit Section (June 1940). A wealthy, emerald-clad socialite, Brenda tires of her boring debutante life and uses her elite martial arts, acrobatics, and incredible luck to fight crime as a masked vigilante—frequently leaving a lucky shamrock card as her calling card.

Here is how to adapt Lady Luck for both Troll Lord Games’ Victorious (d20 SIEGE Engine) and The Red Room’s Wretched Époque (d10/d6 system).

1. Lady Luck for Victorious (Troll Lord Games)

In Victorious, Brenda Banks is a classic Infiltrator / Investigator (Hero). Her powers are centered around probability manipulation, high agility, and social camouflage.

Profile & Attributes

• Class/Archetype: Infiltrator / Investigator

• Hit Dice: 6d8 (32 Hit Points)

• Prime Attributes: Dexterity, Charisma, Wisdom

• Attributes:

  • STR: 12 (+0)

  • DEX: 18 (+3) [Prime]

  • CON: 13 (+1)

  • INT: 15 (+1)

  • WIS: 16 (+2) [Prime]

  • CHA: 18 (+3) [Prime]

Superpowers, Devices & Skills

• Probability Alteration / Super-Luck (Rank 4):

  • Lady Luck’s Grace: Three times per session, Brenda can force a reroll on any d20 roll (her own or an attacker's) and take the better result.

  • Critical Evasion: When an enemy scores a critical hit against her, she can spend a luck point to turn it into a standard miss as an environmental coincidence intervenes (e.g., a ricochet hits a gas lamp, blinding the shooter).

• High-Society Camouflage (Rank 3 Skill): As a rich heiress, Brenda suffers no penalties when gathering intel or sneaking gadgets into elite balls, galas, and private clubs.

• Acrobatic Combatant: Adds a +3 bonus to Armor Class when unencumbered and wearing her green silk costume and veil.

Shortcoming

• Calling Card Obsession: Brenda must leave her signature green shamrock card at every crime scene or on neutralized villains. This leaves a trail that clever detectives or villains can track back to her social circle.

2. Lady Luck for Wretched Époque (The Red Room)

In the gritty, decadent Belle Époque setting, Brenda is reframed as an aristocrat using her fortune and uncanny luck to dismantle human trafficking, corrupt politicians, and occult secret societies hiding in Parisian or London high society.

Profile Stats

• Archetype: Wealthy Vigilante / Socialite

• Hit Points: 18

• Sanity: 70

• Attributes:

  • Strength: 11

  • Dexterity: 17

  • Constitution: 13

  • Intelligence: 14

  • Wisdom: 15

  • Charisma: 18

Skills & Competencies

• Acrobatics & Martial Arts: 75%

• Etiquette & High Society: 85%

• Stealth & Lockpicking: 70%

• Perception & Intuition: 65%

• Sleight of Hand (Shamrock Placement): 80%

Special Abilities (Wretched Engine)

• Stroke of Luck: Once per combat or major skill scene, Brenda can automatically turn a failed check into a Success, or turn a standard Success into a Critical Success, described as an miraculous twist of fate.

• Uncanny Dodge: Attacking Brenda from surprise or stealth grants enemies no tactical advantages; her passive luck warns her a split second before a strike lands.

• Emerald Veil: When disguised in her signature green veil and dress, she receives Advantage on all Stealth and Acrobatics tests made to escape capture or slip through police cordons.

Scenario Hook: "The Emerald Shamrock at the Ambassador's Ball"

A corrupt diplomat is hosting an exclusive auction featuring stolen military intelligence hidden inside a famous emerald necklace. Brenda Banks attends the gala in an expensive evening gown, while her alter-ego, Lady Luck, plans to steal the necklace right out from under the guards' noses.

The PCs—whether hired as security, attending as guests, or trailing the same diplomat—get caught in the crossfire when an assassination attempt breaks out. Lady Luck uses the chaos to leap from the chandelier, grab the evidence, and flip out the window, leaving the PCs to decide whether to hunt the green-clad thief or team up with her to stop the conspirators.

Debuting in Thrilling Comics #11 (1940), The Lady in Red (Margaret Tyler) is a high-society debutante who dons a red mask, cape, and evening gown to fight crime, corruption, and Axis spies. Using her extreme agility, dual snub-nosed revolvers, and high-society connections, she operates as a phantom vigilante of the night.

Here is how to adapt The Lady in Red for both Troll Lord Games’ Victorious (d20 SIEGE Engine) and The Red Room’s Wretched Époque (d10/d6 system).

1. The Lady in Red for Victorious (Troll Lord Games)

In the SIEGE Engine of Victorious, Margaret Tyler translates into a classic Infiltrator / Investigator (Hero). She combines high mobility, precise marksmanship, and lethal martial arts while operating out of the shadows.

Profile & Attributes

• Class/Archetype: Infiltrator / Investigator

• Hit Dice: 6d8 (30 Hit Points)

• Prime Attributes: Dexterity, Intelligence, Charisma

• Attributes:

  • STR: 11 (+0)

  • DEX: 18 (+3) [Prime]

  • CON: 12 (+0)

  • INT: 16 (+2) [Prime]

  • WIS: 14 (+1)

  • CHA: 17 (+2) [Prime]

Superpowers, Devices & Skills

• Dual-Pistol Mastery (Rank 3 Skill): Can fire two snub-nosed revolvers in a single round without suffering standard multi-weapon penalties (+3 to hit with both hands).

• Acrobatic Shadow (Rank 3 Movement/Stealth): Adds a +3 bonus to AC when wearing light armor or her crimson cape. Gains a +4 bonus on Dexterity checks for leaping, roof-running, and vanishing into dark alleys.

• Social Infiltration (Rank 2 Skill): Receives a +3 bonus to Charisma-based checks when extracting secrets or undercover intel in high-society galas and private clubs.

Shortcoming

• Striking Crimson: Her vivid red outfit makes blending into daytime or lit environments nearly impossible, giving her a -3 penalty to stealth checks in illuminated areas.

2. The Lady in Red for Wretched Époque (The Red Room)

In the gritty Belle Époque setting, Margaret is reframed as an American ex-pat living in Paris, using her wealth to hunt corrupt diplomats, human traffickers, and secret occult cabals hiding behind high-class masquerades.

Profile Stats

• Archetype: Crimson Vigilante / Society Spy

• Hit Points: 16

• Sanity: 65

• Attributes:

  • Strength: 11

  • Dexterity: 17

  • Constitution: 12

  • Intelligence: 15

  • Wisdom: 14

  • Charisma: 17

Skills & Competencies

• Firearms (Revolvers): 80%

• Acrobatics & Hand-to-Hand: 75%

• Stealth & Lockpicking: 70%

• Etiquette / High Society: 80%

• Insight & Interrogation: 65%

Special Abilities (Wretched Engine)

• Crimson Phantom: When striking from surprise or shadows, she rolls her first pistol attack with Advantage (keep the highest d10/d6 rolls). A hit inflicts maximum base damage.

• Societal Shield: In her civilian identity as a wealthy socialite, law enforcement and high-society NPCs automatically treat her with trust and deference, granting a +20% bonus to diplomatic tests.

• Point-Blank Retaliation: If an enemy misses a melee attack against her in close combat, she can spend 1 Willpower point to instantly make an immediate counter-attack with a concealed snub-nosed pistol or martial kick.

Scenario Hook: "The Blood-Red Masquerade"

A series of prominent Parisian aristocrats are being blackmailed by a mysterious ring of foreign spies. At an exclusive costume ball, the PCs spot a figure in a flowing crimson cape sliding out of a second-story window carrying a heavy iron safe.

The PCs must decide whether to chase the Lady in Red down the rain-slick rooftops or follow up on the evidence she left behind—which exposes a dangerous treason plot deep within the Ministry of War.

OSR Classic B Movie Monster - Night of The Creeps - Complete Adventures and More For Cepheus Engine rpg

 Adapting the 1986 B-movie classic Night of the Creeps into the Cepheus Engine RPG frames the scenario as a bio-hazard or alien parasite outbreak on a low-tech frontier world, an isolated starport, or an orbital station. 

The core threat revolves around Alien Parasitic Slugs: extradimensional or bio-engineered organisms delivered via impact canisters (cryo-pods or meteorites) that reanimate deceased hosts to spread their population.

Parasite Mechanics: The Extra-Terrestrial Slug

These slithering organisms move quickly and attempt to enter a living host through any orifice (mouth, ears, open wounds).

Attribute / Stat	Cepheus Engine Value
Traits	Small (Size 0), Fast Swimmer/Crawler, Parasite
Movement	9m (Running/Slithering)
Armor	0
Attacks	Bite/Infest (Melee skill +1, 1d6-2 damage plus Infestation risk)
Hit Dice / Wounds	1 Wound (Destroyed instantly by any hit that deals damage)

Infestation Rule

When a slug hits a living target, the target must make an immediate END check (DM-2).

• Success: The character manages to pull or stomp the slug before it penetrates deep tissue.

• Failure: The slug enters the body. Within 1d6 minutes, the victim suffers fatal brain trauma as the organism incubates in the brainstem, transitioning the host into a Slug-Controlled Zombie.

Host Mechanics: Slug Zombie

Once the parasite takes over, it turns the host into a shambling corpse that retains crude physical memory (opening doors, basic tool use) but loses higher cognition.

Stat Block	Rating
STR	10 (+1)
DEX	4 (-1)
END	12 (+2)
INT	1 (-2)
EDU	0 (-3)
SOC	0 (-3)

• Armor: None (Unfeeling: ignores non-head/non-fire damage conditions; does not suffer DM penalties from fatigue or pain).

• Melee (Unarmed): +1 (1d6+1 Bludgeoning/Grabs)

• Special Defense: Headshots Only. Body shots suffer a DM-2 to damage rolls because the host is already dead. A attack aimed specifically at the head (-2 DM to hit) that deals 6+ damage kills the host and forces the slugs out.

• Rupture Event: Upon host destruction (or when the skull splits), 2d6 active Alien Slugs burst from the body, immediately initiating new attacks on nearby targets in Short range.

Key Equipment & Countermeasures

Item	Tech Level	Tactical Effect
Flamethrower	TL 6	Ideal Countermeasure. Deals 3d6 thermal damage in a cone. Instantly destroys free slugs and prevents host rupture by incinerating the parasites inside.
Shotgun	TL 4	High close-range lethality against hosts. Standard buckshot deals 4d6 damage at Point Blank range.
Cryo-Canister / Containment	TL 9	Can freeze parasites in a 3-meter radius on a successful Heavy Weapons or Athletics roll.

Campaign Integration Scenarios

1. The Cryo-Vault Incident (Modern / Near-Future): A fraternity or research crew on a remote colony world breaks into a classified cryo-storage facility to steal an experimental pod, releasing a frozen 1950s astronaut who carries the original parasite.

2. Station Quarantine (Sci-Fi / Far Future): An uncatalogued probe impacts a deep-space refinery. The crew begins acting strangely before full zombie outbreaks occur in the residential quarters.

NIGHT OF THE CREEPS: STATION DELTA-9

A Sci-Fi Horror One-Shot Module for the Cepheus Engine

1. Scenario Overview

• Setting: Outpost Delta-9, a low-budget orbital research and fuel station orbiting a gas giant on the galactic fringe.

• Premise: A rogue planetary probe from an unknown system was salvaged by station scavengers. Inside was a cryogenic containment capsule containing alien parasitic organisms. The pod has thawed, releasing slithering parasitic slugs that convert living tissue into shambling, slug-bursting hosts.

• Tone: 1980s creature-feature B-movie horror combined with sci-fi isolation.

2. Station Map & Key Locations

   [ Docking Bay 1 ] ─── [ Cargo Hold ] ─── [ Cryo-Lab ]
           │                    │                 │
   [ Habitation Ring ] ── [ Station Core ] ── [ Maintenance ]
           │                    │                 │
   [ Station Bar ] ──── [ Hydroponics ] ── [ Command Bridge ]

• Docking Bay 1: Home to the PCs' ship and the scavengers' damaged vessel The Junkyard Dog.

• Cryo-Lab: Containment site of the alien capsule. Floor is slick with thawing bio-sludge and broken glass.

• Station Bar ("The Rust Bucket"): Location of the initial crew party when the infestation starts.

• Station Core: Houses the main reactor and life support. Overriding controls requires Computer (1D6 min) or Engineer (2D6 min).

• Command Bridge: Allows station-wide quarantine locks and communication broadcasting.

3. Timeline of Events

Elapsed Time	Event
00:00	The Break-In: Scavenger deckhands force open the alien pod in the Cryo-Lab. Slugs escape and infect the scavengers.
00:30	Party Crashers: A reanimated scavenger wanders into the Station Bar during off-duty hours, collapsing and bursting open with 3D6 slugs.
01:00	Quarantine Failure: Infected station crew members flood the Habitation Ring. Automated bulkheads drop, trapping survivors in isolated zones.
01:30	Reactor Overheat: The slug-controlled corpses cluster around the Station Core, triggering a critical thermal buildup.
02:00	Self-Destruct Threshold: Station core reaches total meltdown unless vented or cooled.

4. Cast of Characters (NPCs)

• Detective Ray Cameron (Station Security Chief): Cynical, tired, wields a pump-action shotgun. Sarcastic under pressure ("I got good news and bad news, girls...").

• Dr. Christopher Landis (Lead Xenobiologist): Fascinated by the organisms; tries to prevent total eradication until infected himself.

• Cynthia "Cyn" Cronenberg (Station Deckhand): Resourceful survivor equipped with an industrial flamethrower.

5. Threat Mechanics & Stat Blocks

Alien Parasite (Slug)

• Stats: STR 1, DEX 12, END 2, INT 0, EDU 0, SOC 0

• Traits: Size 0 (Small), Fast Crawler, Parasite

• Movement: 9m

• Attacks: Bite/Infest (+1 Melee, 1d6-2 damage)

• Special Rule (Infestation): Upon a successful hit, target must succeed on an END Check (DM-2) or the slug enters the body. Death and host transformation occur in 1D6 minutes.

Slug-Controlled Host (Zombie)

• Stats: STR 10 (+1), DEX 4 (-1), END 12 (+2), INT 1 (-2), EDU 0, SOC 0

• Attacks: Unarmed Claws/Bite (+1 Melee, 1d6+1 damage)

• Special Rule (Headshot Vulnerability): Body attacks deal half damage (non-functional organs). Headshots (-2 DM to hit) dealing 6+ damage kill the host instantly.

• Special Rule (Rupture Event): When a host dies from non-fire damage, 2D6 active Slugs burst out within Short range.

6. Three-Act Walkthrough

Act I: The Salvage Call

The PCs arrive at Station Delta-9 to offload cargo or refuel. Upon arrival, the station is eerily quiet except for loud music echoing from "The Rust Bucket" bar.

• Investigating the Cryo-Lab: A Recon or Investigate check reveals the ruptured Alien Pod, a dead scientist with a shattered skull, and slime trails leading toward the ventilation ducts.

Act II: Outbreak in the Ring

While PCs meet Chief Cameron or explore the bar, an infected scavenger bursts through the doors. The host collapses, its head splits open, and active slugs flood the floor.

• Tactical Challenge: PCs must use improvised weapons, shotguns, or fire to clear the room before slugs reach uninfected bar patrons.

Act III: Fire and Flight

The station core initiates a meltdown countdown due to hosts jamming the cooling pumps. PCs must navigate infected corridors to reach Docking Bay 1.

• Climax: The bridge is sealed. PCs must decide whether to dump the infected station section into the gas giant or use heavy flame weapons to purge Docking Bay 1 to reach their ship before the station reactor detonates.