true20 - shadows of cthulhu (oef)

8/13/2019 True20 - Shadows of Cthulhu (Oef)

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CCREDITSDesign

Russell Brown

Contributions byGary Wheres the jock? Phillips

Playtesting Alex Brown, Paul Drees, Darryl Van Minnen

Editing

Ed Healy, roy E. aylor

Art Jason Walton

LayoutRobert Stefko

Product ManagerDavid Jarvis

Special ThanksLou Agresta, ed Reed

LEGALDeclaration of Open Gaming Content: Te following is designatedas Product Identity, in accordance with Section 1(e) of the OpenGame License, Version 1.0a: all character and place names and de-scriptions, all art and images. All references to Mythos Creaturesincluding Creature names, place names and descriptions of all El-der Gods, Old Ones, Greater races, and Lesser races are IntellectualProperty of Chasoium Inc. Used with permission.

Te following text is Open Gaming Content: all text not previouslydeclared Product Identity.

Copyright Information: Tis PDF utilizes and expands on OpenGaming Content found in the System Reference Document. RealityDeviant Publications andShadows of Cthulhu are copyright 2008 Re-ality Deviant Publications. All rights reserved. Intellectual propertiesof Chaosium Inc are reprinted under license f rom Chaosium Inc. andin no way constitutes a challenge to their copyrighted materials.

Produced under license from Green Ronin Publishing LLC. Refer-ence to other copyrighted material in no way constitutes a challengeto the respective copyright holders of that material. Green Ronin,

rue20 Companion, rue20 Adventure Role-playing, and their as-sociated logos are trademarks of Green Ronin Publishing, LLC.

Te WereCabbage logo is Edward Reed and used with permis-sion.

I NTRODUCTION ......................................................2C HAPTER 1: H ERO CREATION ..................................4

Backgrounds .......................................................... 4New Roles ............................................................. 6Sanity Save .......................................................... 10Mythos raits ...................................................... 10 rue20 Core Roles .............................................. 10 Archetypes .......................................................... 11New & Modied Skills ....................................... 17New & Modied Feats ....................................... 19Sample Heroes .................................................... 20

C HAPTER 2: T HE 1920S .........................................23

Daily Life ............................................................ 23Factions ............................................................... 25Equipment & Services ........................................ 26

C HAPTER 3: N ARRATING SHADOWS OF C THULHU .....32 Te Cthulhu Mythos Setting .............................. 32Insanity & Other Impairments ........................... 36Exposure & Awareness ....................................... 37 Adventure Ideas .................................................. 38

C HAPTER 4: INSANITY & O THER D ISORDERS ...........42Disorder Descriptions ......................................... 42Random Disorder ables..................................... 49

C HAPTER 5: M YTHOS SKILLS , F EATS , & P OWERS .....51Mythos Skills ...................................................... 51Mythos Feats ....................................................... 52Mythos Powers .................................................... 54

C HAPTER 6: M YTHOS BESTIARY .............................65 Te Gods ............................................................. 65Creature Descriptions ......................................... 68

C HAPTER 7: TERRIBLE T HINGS ...............................94 Ancient Places ..................................................... 94Forbidden Books ................................................. 99Mythos Artifacts ............................................... 107

C HAPTER 8: A DVERSARIES & A LLIES .....................110

Cults & Adepts ................................................. 110Narrator Characters .......................................... 113Ordinaries ......................................................... 114

C HAPTER 9: T HE V ILLAGE OF D UNWICH ...............116History .............................................................. 116Places of Interest ............................................... 117

A PPENDIX : A LTERNATE S ANITY S YSTEM ................120 Te Sanity Save ................................................. 120Recovering Mental Damage.............................. 121Disorders ........................................................... 121

CONTENTS


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ITere are black zones of shadow close to our daily paths,and now and then some evil soul breaks a passage through.When that happens, the man who knows must strike beforereckoning the consequences.

- H.P Lovecraft, Te Ting on the Doorstep

In 1981, Chaosium released its groundbreaking horrorroleplaying game,Call of Cthulhu.

I was a student at the University of Wisconsin atthe time, and I remember visiting the Call of Cthulhu boxed set day after day at Pegasus Games. I remem-ber the great Gene Day illustration of Cthulhu onthe back of the box, and the mysterious lure of a new,shrink-wrapped roleplaying game. I had no idea whoH.P. Lovecraft or Cthulhu were, or what the game wasabout, but somehow I knew it was different and impor-tant. I nally convinced myself that it was more impor-tant than food and bought it. I was right.

Call of Cthulhu did something no other roleplayinggame had done up until that point. It made it all right tobe afraid. By assuring that you were probably going todie or go insane, it eliminated the desperate need to develop your characters abilities. But it replaced the drivefor power and increasing numbers on a piece of paper with a true drive for character development and story.It made bad character traits and debilitating insanitiesfun.

After nearly thirty years of publication, the worldof Call of Cthulhu is now bolstered by hundreds of set-ting books, monographs, adventures, and pieces of in-teresting paraphernalia. It has stood the test of time andtaken its place among the ageless tomes of theCthulhu Mythos . It is canon.

So why develop the Cthulhu Mythos setting forrue20 Adventure Roleplaying ? Te simple answer is

that there are lots of roleplayers who know and really

love the rue20 system. Te longer answer has to do with the way the mechanics of rue20 add to the fun ofroleplaying in theCthulhu Mythos .

Te Conviction point system opens up opportuni-ties for heroes to use Mythos spells and abilities with-out having to wait until they level up to learn them.Conviction points also provide the model for the new

Awareness points, which give the Narrator a way tocontrol the level of insanity and Mythos power in theiradventures.

rue20 also has a very clean, discrete feel to it. Manyof the calculations have been simplied, at least whencompared with other d20 systems, and it deals with

wounds, spells, roles and combat in larger chunks. InShadows of Cthulhu, this translates to quick play and nosanity points. Te interesting details in rue20 comefrom the adventure, not the rule system.

So here it is. I hope you use it in the spirit in whichit was written as a tool for terrifying your friends anddriving them insane. Lead them into the midst of a cultof insane cab drivers trying to bring a spawn of Yog-Sothoth into downtown Boston, or introduce them to arural postman who has swapped minds with a memberof the Great Race of Yith. Send them on expeditions tothe Antarctic, or ransylvania, or hidden Mayan ruinsin the Yucatan.

Give them the chance to develop their charactersand create a great story. Tis is still Cthulhu, after all, soin the end, the story may be all they have left.

INTRODUCTION Warning: Contents may have mind-shatteringproperties. Reality Deviant Publications assumesno responsibility for lost or stolen sanity. Read at

your own peril.


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1 Tis chapter presents everything you need beyond ba-sic rue20 Adventure Roleplaying to create your hero forShadows of Cthulhu. Te backgrounds, roles, feats, andskills presented here are additions or modications to

those already available in rue20 Adventure Roleplaying . Your Narrator may make other traits available to you as your hero digs deeper and deeper into the mysteries ofthe Cthulhu Mythos .

BACKGROUNDS Te Human background f rom rue20 Adventure Role- playing is available to heroes inShadows of Cthulhu, as well as the backgrounds described below. Each reectsa specic upbringing or profession that has heavily in-uenced the heros development before play begins. Afew of these backgrounds are specic to the traditional1920s setting for Lovecraftian adventure, but most work just as well in modern time periods, or even thenear future.

ANCIENT BLOODLINESomewhere back in your family tree is a branch thatisnt completely human. Tere may be hints in familydiaries of strange interactions with creatures from thesea or with white apes from the deep jungles of Africa. Te ancient bloodline has manifested itself in you, cre-ating an ominous resemblance to your more eccentricancestors.

Ability Adjustments: +1 Con, -1ChaBonus Feats: Endurance, Low ProleBonus Skills: Disguise and either Climb or SwimFavored Feats: Defensive Roll, Rage

ATHLETE You have developed your natural talents in one or moresports such as football, baseball, or basketball. Yournatural talents make you a hot commodity.

Bonus Feats: Connected, Wealthy Bonus Skills: Choice of two chosen from Acrobat-

ics, Climb, Concentration, Diplomacy (an athlete hasto know how to give a good interview), Jump, Knowl-edge (Current Events - with an emphasis on sports andsports trivia), or Swim

Favored Feats: Fascinate, Master Plan

BIG BUSINESS You come from the world of big business and big deals,and youre on your way up the corporate ladder. Youspend your days worrying about growth curves andprot margins and the competition. Tough youve sac-

riced much of your non-work life, its been worth it toget you where you are.

Bonus Feats: Wealthy, LeadershipBonus Skills: Knowledge (business), Bluff

Favored Feats: Master Plan, Seize Initiative

BIG CITY You grew up in the big city, learning to navigate thecomplex geography and social interactions of the streets.

You met people from all over the world and youvelearned to take care of yourself.

Bonus Feats: Connected, ContactsBonus Skills: Knowledge (streetwise), StealthFavored Feats: Hide in Plain Sight, Weapon Bind

CULTIST You have spent your life among the rituals and trappingsof a cult. You and your fellow cultists may worship oneof the Old Ones, or you may follow prophets who haveheard whispers of the destruction of the world fromstrange minds across the universe. Tis background isntavailable without special permission from the Narrator.

Bonus Feats: Dedicated, Iron WillBonus Skills: Mythos Knowledge (theology and

philosophy), StealthFavored Feats: Channeler, Mythos Language

(choose one)

DEGENERATE You come from an area where lack of communication with the outside world, interbreeding, or something inthe water has created a mentally and morally degener-ate group of humans. Youre uncomfortable in normalsociety, but not much shocks you.

Ability Adjustments: +1 Str, -1 ChaBonus Feats: Jaded, Improved GrabBonus Skills: Language, Knowledge (supernatural)Favored Feats: Jack-of-All- rades, ough

H IGH SOCIETY Youve grown up among the rich and powerful, so youknow how to move in social circles and you know in-uential people.

Bonus Feats: Connected, Wealthy Bonus Skills: Bluff, and one of Craft (art), Knowl-

edge (art), Perform or RideFavored Feats: Weapon Bind, Inspire

CHAPTER 1: HERO CREATION


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MARITIME You grew up in a coastal town where the sea providedboth recreation and livelihood. Your rst memories areof townspeople returning from the sea or lost foreverbeneath its waves. Te ocean is freedom to you, whileland presents only dened paths and restrictions.

Bonus Feats: Light Sleeper, Lightning Reexes

Bonus Skills: Drive, Craft (boatbuilding)Favored Feats: Slow Fall, ough

OLD WORLD Youre not native to this country, and its customs aresometimes a mystery. But you still have your traditionalknowledge of things the western world has forgotten.

Bonus Feats: Connected, Great FortitudeBonus Skills: Knowledge (supernatural), Language

(choose one)Favored Feats: Jack-of-All- rades, ough

ORGANIZED CRIME Whether through family ties or your own initiative, youve managed to nd a place among the criminalgangs. People know your allegiance by how you dressand how you talk, and they respect it.

Bonus Feats: Connected, auntBonus Skills: Intimidate, StealthFavored Feats: Master Plan, Favored Opponent

PRIMITIVE You are from a more primitive culture that is more at-

tuned to nature and not very familiar with technology. Te exact circumstances may vary depending on thetime period of play.

Bonus Feats: Animal Empathy, Weapon raining

Bonus Skills: Handle Animal, SurvivalFavored Feats: Sneak Attack, ough

RELIGIOUS You grew up in a strict religious community or a highlyreligious household, and youve attended regular reli-gious services all you life. Whether or not you still have

your faith, the religious foundation will stay with you.Bonus Feats: Iron Will, Skill Focus (Knowledge(theology and philosophy))

Bonus Skills: Knowledge (theology and philoso-phy) plus Perform or Intimidate

Favored Feats: Favored Opponent, Mind overBody

SECRET SOCIETY As you grew up you were indoctrinated into the mys-teries of an ancient, secret society. Te society may bededicated to gaining power and eventually changing,

ruling, or destroying the Earthor it may exist only toguard something or destroy another group. Tis back-ground isnt available without special permission fromthe Narrator.

Bonus Feats: Connected, DedicatedBonus Skills: Bluff, StealthFavored Feats: Favored Opponent, Master Plan

SMALL TOWN You grew up in a very small, rural town. Your education was pretty basic and the styles of the big city are foreignto you. But youre tough and you know your way aroundthe wilderness.

Bonus Feats: Firearms raining, rack Bonus Skills: Ride, SurvivalFavored Feats: Chokehold, Jack-of-All- rades


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1 W ILD WEST Youve spent considerable time on the range out west,rustling cattle and xing fences. You are not comfort-able without a good pair of boots, a tall hat, and a lot ofdust on your hands.

Bonus Feats: Animal Empathy, irelessBonus Skills: Handle Animal, Ride

Favored Feats: Improvised ools, Chokehold

NEW ROLESIn addition to the expert and warrior roles presentedin rue20 Adventure Roleplaying , Shadows of Cthulhu heroes may be academics dedicated to learning and cre-ating knowledge, investigators specializing in ndinginformation and connecting clues, or reverents totallydedicated to a cause or belief system. Although heroescannot start as adepts at rst level, they may acquireadept levels later on.

ACADEMIC Academics spend their time in the pursuit of knowl-edge for knowledges sake. Tey astound others with theesoteric facts they offer up at just the right time, andtheir ability to study and learn new areas of knowledgeis unsurpassed. Academics are truly at home in dusty

libraries, dim studies, and formaldehyde-tainted biol-ogy labs. Outside of these erudite environments, how-ever, academics may be uncomfortable. Tey often leavethe practical application of their knowledge to othersand remain at their studies to uncover more. Even so,archaeologists might visit remote dig sites, oceanog-raphers may descend into the oceans depths in divingcapsules, and linguists might travel the world in searchof new material.

ABILITIESUpon gaining any level divisible by 5 (5th, 10th, 15th,20th), an academics Intelligence score increases by 1.

Tis is in addition to the bonus ability point gained atlevels divisible by 6. Academics crave knowledge, andthat means they need strong Intelligence scores. Mod-est score in the other abilities will help the academicsurvive in the cruel world beyond blackboards andnotebooks, but they are not as valued as Intelligence.

GENIUS (CORE ABILITY ) An academic can spend a point of Conviction to treatany Intelligence-based ability or skill check as a 20.Note this is not considered a natural 20, but in all oth-er ways works as a die result of 20. Te academic mustspend the Conviction point to improve a roll before the


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Narrator announces the result. In addition, an academiccan use any Knowledge skill specialty untrained.

SKILLSChoose 8 + Intelligence score starting skills (minimumof 1), plus 4 additional Knowledge skill specialties. Aca-demics gain 8 + Int skill ranks (minimum of 1) plus 4additional Knowledge skill ranks per additional level.

Besides Knowledge, important skills for academicsmight include Craft, Gather Information and Lan-guage. In a modern setting, the Computer skill couldalso be very useful.

FEATSChoose 4 starting feats from the general or expert cat-egories. You gain an additional general or expert feat foreach level beyond 1st.

Levels of academic are treated as levels of expert fordetermining the effectiveness of expert feats.

INVESTIGATORInvestigators are very good at nding information in areal-world setting. Tey excel at tracking down factsand connecting them to develop new theories. Becausegetting information may mean undertaking covert op-erations or going into dangerous situations, an Investi-

gator must be tough as well as smart. Tey are handy incombat and specialize in stealth and reexes, and theyare always watching and gathering information. Inves-tigators may be journalists, genealogical researchers, po-

lice detectives, lawyers, FBI Investigators, spies, or justthe town gossip. Tey have contacts in the right placesand they usually have access to a venue for making theircase, whether its a courtroom, a daily newspaper col-umn, a secret government conference room, or a gather-ing of neighbors at the back fence.

ABILITIESInvestigators gather their information by actively en-gaging the world. While they must have reasonableIntelligence to piece everything together, in the end, itstheir Charisma that allows them to gain sources and

their Dexterity that helps them get information that noone will give up willingly.

INSIGHT (CORE ABILITY ) An investigator can spend a point of Conviction to treatany Bluff, Gather Information, Notice, Search, SenseMotive or Stealth skill check or any Reex save as a20. Note this is not considered a natural 20, but in allother ways works as a die result of 20. You must spendthe Conviction point to improve a roll before the Nar-rator announces the result of your roll.


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SKILLSChoose 6 + Intelligence score starting skills (minimumof 1). Investigators gain 6 + Int skill ranks per additionallevel (minimum of 1).

Important skills for Investigators include Bluff, Di-plomacy, Disable Device, Disguise, Gather Informa-tion, Intimidate, Notice, Search, Sense Motive, Sleightof Hand and Stealth.

FEATSChoose 4 starting feats from the general, expert or war-rior categories. You gain an additional general, expert or warrior feat for each level beyond 1st.

Levels of investigator are treated as levels of expertfor determining the effectiveness of expert feats and as warrior levels for determining the effectiveness of war-rior feats.

REVERENTReverents rely on faith in a cause, deity, ideal, or code ofconduct as a guide for life. When faced with a horrify-ing or tempting situation, reverents can focus on theirfaith and resist more effectively. Reverents are also ca-pable of sudden insights that can save them and theircompanions from destruction. Tey are the worlds reli-gious leaders, nationalists and activists. Tey build their

life around their deity or ideal and can sometimes beintolerant of those who dont. Reverents may be asceticmonks, spending their entire lives within the connesof a monastery, but they are just as likely to be out inthe world, acting on their faith. Tey may be teachers,motivational speakers, counselors, butlers, missionaries,politicians or ecoterrorists. Tey may spew damnationfrom a pulpit, dish out soup and bread in a homelessshelter, or visit ancient religious sites to gain some sparkof divine insight.

ABILITIESReverents rely on their Wisdom most of all, to leadthem to the right answer and to protect them from theunknown dangers and terrible realities of the world. Be-cause many reverents express their faith through inter-action with other people, a good Charisma score is also very important. Physical abilities, especially Constitu-tion, will help reverents survive and succeed when theytake their message out into the world, but they are not

as important as mental abilities.

FAITH (CORE ABILITY ) A reverent can spend a point of Conviction to treat any Will save or Wisdom-based ability or skill check as a20. Note this is not considered a natural 20, but inall other ways works as a die result of 20. Te reverent


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1must spend the Conviction point to improve a roll be-fore the Narrator announces the result.

SKILLSChoose 8 + Intelligence score additional starting skills.Reverents gain 8 + Int skill ranks per additional level(minimum of 1).

Besides Knowledge about their particular faith orcause, important skills for reverents include Diplomacy,Medicine and Sense Motive. If a reverent intends totake their message to the more remote corners of the world, Language and Survival skills might also be use-ful.

FEATSChoose 4 starting feats from the general or expert cat-egories. You gain an additional general or expert feat foreach level beyond 1st. In addition, you gain Dedicatedas a bonus feat at 1st level, and a bonus reverent feat ev-

ery two levels beginning at 3rd level. Tese bonus featsmust be chosen from the list below. Note that manyrequire specializations, so they may be chosen multipletimes. If you already have the Dedicated feat becauseof your background, you may choose a bonus feat at 1stlevel instead.

Levels of reverent are treated as levels of expert fordetermining the effectiveness of expert feats.

Bonus Reverent FeatsEndurance, Fascinate, Fearless, Inspire, Iron Will,Leadership, Mass Suggestion, Mind Over Body, Sec-ond Chance, Suggestion, ireless, Vow of Poverty.

SANITY SAVEShadows of Cthulhu adds a new saving throw, the San-ity save, which is used to resist the effects of mentallydisturbing events. Heroes will make Sanity save checks when they encounter terrifying and horrically un-real knowledge, powers and creatures. If they fail theircheck, they will acquire one or more of a wide range ofmental disorders.

A Sanity save is d20 + the heros Charisma score andlevel-dependent save bonus, along with any bonusesfrom feats or special abilities. Unlike other saves, Sanitysaves do not depend on the heros role. Every hero has agood Sanity save bonus, meaning the bonus starts at +2at level one and advances at the same rate as an expertsgood save. Note that Sanity is a Charisma-based save,so the benets of the Lucky feat do not apply.

MYTHOS TRAITSEvery hero in rue20 has the ability to learn and useMythos skills, feats and powers, which are not normally

accessible to characters. During play, the Narrator willgrant each hero Awareness points. A hero who has beenexposed to a specic Mythos trait may spend an Aware-ness point to unlock it, after which they can acquire it

just like any other trait. An exposed Mythos trait canalso be used at any time by spending a Conviction pointin a manner similar to the adept and expert core abili-ties. More details about Exposure and Awareness areprovided in Chapter 3.

TRUE20CORE ROLES

Te core roles of expert and warrior from rue20 Ad-venture Roleplaying are available to heroes inShadows ofCthulhu. Although this chapter presents three interest-ing new roles, the two original roles are very exible and

will probably be chosen for many heroes in theShadowsof Cthulhu setting. Players should give the original rolesdue consideration when creating their characters. Teadept role is not available for 1st-level heroes, as ex-plained below.

ADEPTIn Shadows of Cthulhu, adepts represent those rare indi-

viduals who delve into supernatural knowledge general-ly hidden from the human race. A hero may not chooseadept as their starting role, though they may add levelsof adept later, advancing as a mixed-role hero. Note thateven if mixed-role heroes advance a level in adept to ob-tain a power, they may only choose from those powersthey have been exposed to and have unlocked by spend-ing Awareness points. Exposure and Awareness are ex-plained in Chapter 3. All adepts inShadows of Cthulhu use Charisma as the key ability for their powers.

E XPERTExperts are the most general role, representing those

who study and practice in a particular eld and becomeextremely competent in it. Tey are the worlds engi-neers, mechanics, nurses, doctors, accountants, thieves,entertainers, businessmen, bankers and remen.

WARRIOR Warriors are trained to defend themselves and holdtheir own in violent confrontations. Tey have more

weapons training than the rest of the population andare less affected by the unique stresses of combat. InShadows of Cthulhu, warriors might be beat cops, sol-diers, FBI agents, mob enforcers, professional boxers,bodyguards, or big-game hunters.


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ARCHETYPESLovecraft and other horror authors and screenwrit-ers provide a large cast of characters as archetypes forShadows of Cthulhu heroes. Te most frightening hor-ror starts with ordinary people and things anyone canrelate to, then takes terrifying twists and turns into theabyss of fear. Not all heroes need to start as paranormal

investigators, or professors of archeology and ancientlanguages. Playing the preacher or the movie star or theschoolteacher or even the hairdresser from the beautyshop on Main Street can be just as fun.

Te following archetypes are designed to help youdene your character by providing suggested feats andskills. Tese are just suggestions, not restrictions, and you should feel free to mix and match these ideas as yousee t. Sometimes a hero that doesnt t the archetypecan be even more interesting.

ACADEMIC ARCHETYPES Tere are many good examples of academic heroesthroughout Mythos literature. Professor Rice and hisfriends confronted the colossal Dunwich horror. Sci-entists from Miskatonic University explored Antarcticaand the mountains of madness. Te strange tales of ru-ral folk convinced a literature instructor from that sameuniversity to search for alien creatures in the hills ofVermont. Te quest for knowledge led Herbert West tohis terrible discoveries about death and re-animation.

ARCHAEOLOGIST Archaeologists visit the old, dead and buried places of

civilization to reconstruct the past. Tey may spendtheir time searching the poorly-cataloged archives ofmuseums, or traveling the world to dig sites, hoping forthat one great discovery.

Archaeologists may discover the evidence of civili-zations and creatures beyond the sane understanding ofthe human race, and they may uncover very real dangersthat arent as dead as they might seem.

Feats: Contacts, Endurance, Skill Focus(Knowledge(history))

Skills: Climb, Knowledge (art), Knowledge (earthscience), Knowledge (history), Language, Notice,Search, Survival

LINGUIST Te linguist specializes in translating modern languag-es and deciphering dead ancient languages. Linguists work as translators for international travelers, as writ-ers reproducing foreign works in a local language, or asarchaeologists visiting dusty museums and ancient digsites to study inscriptions.

Linguists may be needed to translate obscure mark-ings found on old tablets and pottery shards. Tey may

even nd a way to decode unknown hieroglyphs foundon impossibly old monoliths and blasphemous statu-ettes.

Feats: Skill Focus (multiple Languages), Linguist,Low Prole

Skills: Diplomacy, Gather Information, Knowledge(history), Language, Sense Motive

P ROFESSORProfessors generally have secure positions at universi-ties, from which they are free to follow lines of studythat may appear impractical to the world outside theivy-webbed college quadrangles. Tey have access toimpressive libraries, and they know how to use them.Living in the university setting has exposed them tomay different elds of knowledge, not just their spe-cialty. Professors generally concentrate on developingnew knowledge, teaching, and providing peer criticismon the works of other professors.

Professors are sometimes called upon to give expert

opinions on objects or events that the world at largedoesnt understand. Tese invasive encounters with themysteries of the world might draw a professor from be-hind the lectern out into adventure.

Feats: Eidetic Memory, Fascinate, Skill Focus (mainKnowledge specialty)

Skills: Craft (writing), Knowledge, Language, Per-form (Oratory)

SCIENTISTScientists work in laboratories and out in the eld, gath-ering data to develop and support theories about how

the world works. Tey may also apply that knowledge tocreate new materials, processes or technology.Science is always on the edge of the supernatural

and is sometimes indistinguishable from it. Scientistsare often the ones that draw the unknown horrors ofthe Mythos into the world of humanity.

Feats: Eidetic Memory, Skill Focus (Knowledge(any science)), Skill Mastery

Skills: Craft (science), Knowledge (earth science),Knowledge (life sciences), Knowledge (physical sci-ences), Knowledge (technology), Notice

E XPERT ARCHETYPESExperts come from a variety of backgrounds and theirtalents are the engine that keeps modern civilizationrunning. Tey are well represented in Mythos stories bydozens of medical doctors and alienists who investigat-ed strange stories and directly confronted the unknown.Experts also include Richard Upton Pickman, whosefascination with painting the supernatural put him intouch with a terrible reality, and the great magician who visited Egypt and was imprisoned with the pharaohs.Experts are the pilots for expeditions to remote regions


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of the Earth, and the mechanics that take care of theirplanes. Tey are the miners who discover hidden cavesystems and the shopkeepers who nd mysterious arti-facts among their common wares.

ANTIQUITIES DEALERHeroes who make their living buying and selling rareantiquities will need a good understanding of archaeo-logical periods and locations so they can identify thetruly rare items. Tey may also be good at convincingcustomers that mediocre items are truly precious.

Antiquities dealers may provide the link betweensupernatural events and archaeological nds. Tey haveseen so many strange and ancient items that they maybe able to make connections others cant.

Feats: Connected, Haggler, Hide in Plain Sight,Low Prole, Wealthy

Skills: Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information,Knowledge (art), Knowledge (history), Language, SenseMotive, Sleight of Hand, Stealth

ARTIST Artists see the world in a unique way, measuring it andabsorbing it so they can reproduce it in pen, paint, stoneor clay. Tey often lead meager, nearly destitute lives

until they are discovered, and that almostnever happens.

Artists are able to express the horrortheyve seen in real life or in dreams and vi-

sions. Teir artistic creations may be nearlyas frightening to the general populace as the

events that inspired them were for the art-ists.

Feats: Skill Focus (Craft (painting)), ireless.

Skills: Craft (painting), Craft (sculpting),Knowledge (art), Knowledge (life sciences),Knowledge (popular culture), Notice, Search

BOOTLEGGERDuring prohibition in the United States,bootleggers continued to produce alco-holic drinks. Tey sold them through

rumrunners, directly to consumers or tothe many speakeasy clubs that formed in ur-

ban areas. While not hardened criminals like mobsters,

bootleggers do have valuable covert skills andhelpful underground contacts.

Feats: Contacts, Hide in Plain Sight, Ve-hicular CombatSkills: Bluff, Craft (brewing), Craft (scientic

equipment), Disguise, Drive, Knowledge (business),Knowledge (physical sciences), Slight of Hand,Stealth

DOCTORMedical doctors help heal the sick through medicationand other treatments. Tey can set broken bones, aid re-covery f rom disease, and treat wounds. Tey are usually

well-respected in their community and fairly well-off nancially.

Doctors may treat wounds inicted by human cult-ists or terrifying creatures, or diagnose and treat bizarrediseases carried to earth from beyond the stars.

Feats: Challenge (Medicine: Heal Tyself), Notice,Skill Focus (Medicine), Wealthy

Skills: Gather Information, Knowledge (life sci-ences), Medicine, Surgery

E XPLORERExplorers travel the unknown areas of the world, whichoften means the sparsely-populated wilderness. Teyare hardy and self-sufficient, and they know how to de-fend themselves. Tey may map out uncharted regions,make trade deals with indigenous populations, or evensearch for oil.

Explorers may come across inhuman, timeless ar-chitecture or disturbing aboriginal rituals passed downamong primitive people through dark millennia. Tey


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explore the fringes of known geography, and what theynd sometimes pushes human knowledge beyond thebounds of whats considered sane.

Feats: Endurance, Firearms raining, Inspire (cour-age), Jack-of-All rades, Leadership, Steady, railblazer, Weapon raining

Skills: Climb, Handle Animal, Knowledge (earthscience), Knowledge (life sciences), Language, Notice,Ride, Sense Motive, Survival

FARMERFarmers and ranchers are the salt of the earth and amongthe most practical and self-sufficient archetypes. Teyknow the land and the weather, and they have a specialunderstanding of animals. Tey are accustomed to hard work and seem to know a little bit about everything.

Farmers may be the owners of the remote piece ofland where mysterious artifacts or alien creatures appear. Tey may also be among the rst to notice that animalsare acting strangely or plants are being destroyed by a

strange purple blight.Feats: Great Fortitude, Jack-of-All- rades, Chal-

lenge (Craft (mechanics)/fast craft), Night Vision, ireless

Skills: Craft (buildings), Craft (mechanics), Handle Animal, Knowledge (earth sciences), Knowledge (lifesciences), Notice, Drive, Pilot

FORTUNE TELLERIn western civilizations, fortune tellers are relegatedto dingy, back-alley storefronts and circus sideshows,but in the east they are often respected as true oracles

and guides. Tey make vague predictions about the fu-ture and offer cryptic interpretations using tarot cards,bones, or astrology.

Even though starting heroes in Shadows of Cthulhu have no true psychic or supernatural abilities, the pow-erful creatures of the Mythos may nd fortune tellersmore open subjects for their mental contact or physi-cal omens. Fortune tellers may also go in search of truedivination powers.

Feats: Fascinate, Inspire (complacency), Inspire(fear), Skill Focus (Perform (oratory)), Suggestion, Well-informed

Skills: Bluff, Diplomacy, Knowledge (behavioralsciences), Knowledge (supernatural), Perform (oratory),Sense Motive, Slight of Hand

M ECHANICMechanics keep the worlds machines running andsometimes come up with new and interesting machinesof their own. Tey know their way around electric mo-tors and internal combustion engines.

Mechanics may get the farmers old tractor to startafter some monstrous rural creature crushes the heroes

car, or draw a little more power out of an ocean linersengine to escape pursuing sea monsters.

Feats: alented (Craft (mechanics), Disable De- vice), Skill Mastery (Craft (mechanics), Disable Device,Drive, Pilot)

Skills: Craft (mechanics), Disable Device, Drive,Knowledge (physical sciences), Knowledge (technol-ogy), Pilot

M OVIE STARMovie stars, even relatively unknown ones, are the idolsof popular culture. Tey look, love and live in a way ev-eryone else envies. Successful movie stars can be veryrich and most inuential.

Movie stars may nd themselves shooting in trulyhorrifying real-life locations, or they may discover thatthe lines they have been asked to memorize are actuallyan ancient spell or a signal that will set off a dreadfulsequence of events.

Feats: Attractive, Fascinate, Inspire (awe), Wealthy

Skills: Bluff, Disguise, Knowledge (art), Language,Perform (acting), Perform (singing), Perform (dance)

P SYCHIATRIST /A LIENISTPsychiatrists, also known as alienists, are experts in hu-man psychology and mental disorders. Tey are trainedto treat patients with mental disorders through counsel-ing, therapy, and medication.

Te support of a good psychologist may be vital tothe mental health of the heroes. Te unthinkable truthsof the Cthulhu Mythos can damage the untested mind.

Feats: Challenge (Psychiatry/dig deeper), Fascinate

(Perform (oratory)), Skill Focus (Psychiatry), Inspire(competence)Skills: Diplomacy, Gather Information, Knowledge

(behavioral sciences), Medicine, Perform (oratory), Psy-chiatry, Sense Motive

STAGE PERFORMERStage performers are magicians, sideshow acts, vaude- ville comedians, or serious stage actors. Tey are gener-ally well-traveled, streetwise and charismatic, and theyoften have unsuspected and unusual skills.

In Shadows of Cthulhu, stage performers have seen

the underside of major cities, studied ancient plays, andperformed spectacles as close to real magic as a sane andunenlightened human can get.

Feats: Animal Empathy, Exotic Weapon raining,Fascinate, Skill Focus (Perform)

Skills: Acrobatics, Bluff, Climb, Disguise, Escape Artist, Handle Animal, Jump, Perform, Ride, Sleight ofHand


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1SURGEONSurgeons treat physical disorders that will not heal ontheir own, even under a doctors care. Surgeons may becall upon to repair a mangled arm, stop internal bleed-ing, or x a damaged eye.

Surgeons can repair many of the permanent physicalinjuries inicted on the heroes during their adventures.

Feats: Challenge (Surgery/radical procedure), Im-provised ools, Skill Focus (Surgery), Sneak Attack, Wealthy

Skills: Knowledge (life sciences), Medicine

WEALTHY H EIR Te truly wealthy and privileged are at leisure to study whatever interests them, and to do just about anything within reasonable economic means. Tey are often pa-trons of favorite artists, writers, or academics, and theyare usually have helpful contacts.

Te independently wealthy furnish other heroes withthe freedom to investigate strange events without risk-ing nancial ruin. Wealthy heirs also provide contacts,signicantly better equipment, and esoteric knowledgeand skills that arent practical for anyone who has toearn a living.

Feats: Connected, Inspire (awe), Lucky, Wealthy Skills: Bluff, Drive, Knowledge (art), Knowledge

(popular culture), Language, Perform, Ride

INVESTIGATOR A RCHETYPESInvestigators are a curious class of characters that are notcontent until they understand every aspect of a mysteryand have reduced it to hard facts and irrefutable deduc-tions. Tey include Inspector Legrasse, who disrupted acult ritual in the Louisiana swamps, and Detective Ma-lone, who discovered things he would never reveal inthe tunnels below the Red Hook district of Brooklyn.

JOURNALIST Journalists go for the story, and some of them are notabove embellishing the truth a little to make thingsmore interesting. Journalists may be freelancers sellingstories to whichever editor will pay the most or staff reporters working for a specic publication or broadcaststation.

Journalists may nd that the supernatural spin ofcertain events make them more interesting, even thoughthe supernatural angle is certainly bogus. Some readersbelieve that sort of thing.

Feats: Benet (press pass), Contacts, Skill Focus(Gather Information), Fascinate (Diplomacy), Well-Informed

Skills: Craft (writing), Diplomacy, Gather Informa-tion, Knowledge (current events), Notice, Search, SenseMotive

PARANORMAL I NVESTIGATORParanormal investigators openly profess their belief inpsychic powers and the supernatural, and theyre will-ing to help people explain unexplainable events. Teyare essentially private eyes who deal in the world of thesupernatural.

Supernatural investigators may nd themselvesface-to-face with real supernatural events, possibly forthe rst time in their careers. Tey may be the hook thatleads all the heroes into adventure.

Feats: Contacts, Jaded, Night Vision, Steady, al-ented (Gather Information, Knowledge (supernatural)),

rack Skills: Bluff, Disguise, Gather Information, Knowl-

edge (supernatural), Language, Stealth, Survival

POLICE DETECTIVEPolice detectives investigate potential crimes to deter-mine if a crime actually occurred and to identify thecriminals. Tey investigate crimes ranging from pettytheft to mass murder, and they have the authority andresources of the police to back them up.

Police detectives may be called upon to investigatecriminal activity by Mythos creatures or cults.

Feats: Benet (legal enforcement powers), Con-nected, Firearms raining, alented (Gather Informa-tion, Intimidate)

Skills: Gather Information, Intimidate, Knowledge(streetwise), Knowledge (civics), Notice, Search, SenseMotive

P RIVATE E YEPrivate eyes are investigators for hire. Tey track spous-es suspected of cheating, search for missing persons thatmay not want to be found, and sometimes solve murdercases that the police have given up on.

Private eyes may nd that their cases lead them tohorric discoveries of twisted cults and otherworldlycreatures.

Feats: Skill Focus (Gather Information), Skill Focus(Drive), Stunning Attack, ough,

Skills: Disable Device, Disguise, Drive, Gather In-formation, Intimidate, Knowledge (streetwise), Notice,Search, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Stealth

SPYSpies gather information for foreign governments. Teymay come from the country theyre loyal to, or some-one may have recruited them from the local population.Spies keep a low prole and often have elaborate coveridentities.

Spies may wonder if strange Mythos events areactually part of a government project worth knowingabout.


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Feats: Benet (alternate identity), Challenge (Gath-er Information/discretion), Low Prole, Master Plan,Skill Focus (Stealth)

Skills: Bluff, Diplomacy, Disable Device, Disguise,Gather Information, Language, Notice, Search, SenseMotive, Stealth

TOWN GOSSIP own gossips usually play some key role that gives themaccess to all kinds of juicy personal information. Teymight be the local hairdresser or barber, or the tele-phone operator, or the organist at the local church.

own gossips will latch onto any mystery like a bull-dog and wont let go until they know whats going onand can spread the news.

Feats: Contacts, Fascinate, Inspire (awe), LightSleeper

Skills: Diplomacy, Gather Information, Perform(oratory), Notice, Search, Sense Motive, Stealth

REVERENT ARCHETYPES A reverent can be the heart and soul of a group of inves-tigators. Tey provide strength of will when confront-ing the mind-twisting reality of the Mythos, and in-spiration when the will to go on fades into despair. Although the faith and trappings of mainstreamhuman convictions and religions seem to provideno direct counter to the horrors of the Mythos,they can be of great indirect benet to the hu-mans themselves.

ACTIVIST You re so dedicated to a particular cause that youve focused your entire life around it. Youmight be trying to save a species of animal,keep alcohol illegal, establish female suffrage,preserve the gold standard, or unionize work-ers.

An activist may nd the object of their ded-ication threatened by Mythos activities, andthey will certainly take action to preserve it.

Feats: Dedicated, Fascinate, Perform (ora-tory), Inspire (fury), Iron Will, Leadership

Skills: Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowledge

(civics), Perform (oratory), Sense Motive

BUTLER /CHAUFFEURButlers are dedicated and seless servants who anticipate their masters needs and pro-tect them from unwanted interruptions. But-lers often understand more of the world ingeneral, and society in particular, than theirmasters.

Butlers may be the silent problem solvers, alwaysthere to provide aid when needed or to gently steer theother heroes in the right direction. Tey may also be thebest drivers in the group.

Feats: Dedicated, Inspire (competence), Low Pro-le, Skill Focus (Diplomacy), Skill Mastery (Diploma-cy, Drive, Sense Motive, Stealth)

Skills: Diplomacy, Drive, Knowledge (behavioralscience), Knowledge (current events), Notice, SenseMotive, Stealth

N UNNuns dedicate their lives to service within the church. Tey are the teachers at parochial schools and the medi-cal caregivers at church hospitals.

Nuns may get involved in Mythos mysteries becauseof their extensive knowledge of religion, or because thechildren or patients under their care are threatened.

Feats: Dedicated, Inspire (courage), Iron Will,Leadership, Vow of Poverty

Skills: Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowledge (history),Knowledge (theology and philosophy), Medicine, Per-form (singing), Sense Motive


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1P REACHERPreachers spread their faith through inspiring sermonsand one-on-one interaction. Tey may preach withinan established church and congregation, or they mayhit the road, bringing brief tent revivals to small townsacross the country.

Preachers may be among the rst to recognize trueevil in a situation where others just see more of the gen-eral failings of society.

Feats: Dedicated, Fascinate (Perform (oratory)), In-spire (courage), Suggestion (Perform (oratory)), MassSuggestion (Perform (oratory))

Skills: Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowledge (behav-ioral sciences), Knowledge (theology and philosophy),Perform (oratory), Sense Motive

BUDDHIST M ONKBuddhist monks live contemplative lives in ancient,incense-tainted monasteries set apart from the world. Tey are masters of their own emotions, and ironically,extremely wise about the ways of the world.

Buddhist monks may make good use of their basiccombat training. Tey may also be able to resist more ofthe effects of insanity than other heroes, since they havedenied much of the reality of the world already.

Feats: Dedicated, Dodge Focus, Improved Defense,Improved Disarm, Skill Focus (Sense Motive), SlowFall, Steady

Skills: Acrobatics, Concentration, Jaded, Knowl-edge (theology and philosophy), Notice, Sense Motive,Stealth

M ISSIONARYMissionaries take the message of their faith to the worldand are often among the rst to visit remote areas. Teyare hardy, seless individuals who have given up thecomforts of civilization to bring the truth to those whohave not yet heard it.

Missionaries will be exposed to the strangest surviv-ing religions and rituals, including many that predatehuman civilization.

Feats: Dedicated, Inspire (awe), Endurance, Fas-cinate (Diplomacy), Iron Will, alented (Diplomacy,Sense Motive)

Skills: Diplomacy, Knowledge (earth sciences),Knowledge (theology and philosophy), Language, Ride,Sense Motive, Survival

WARRIOR ARCHETYPES Although confronting the worst horrors of the Cthul-hu Mythos directly with weapons is certain to lead todisaster, there have been many times when organizedforce was enough to disrupt the activities of human cultmembers and weak supernatural minions. Te warriorsof the Cthulhu Mythos include the countless police who

joined raids on cult gatherings, the Marines who ex-plored newly-risen islands in the Pacic, and the Na-tional Guard soldiers called in to clear out degeneratetowns like Innsmouth.

BEAT COPBeat cops protect the people within their jurisdiction.

Tey might completely ignore the battles between orga-nized crime and the FBI, let one or two bootleggers goabout their business, and take bribes from any numberof sources, but in general they do their best to stay aliveand protect the safety of the people.

Feats: Attack Specialization (club), Benet (legalenforcement powers), Contacts, Firearms raining, Im-proved Grab, Weapons raining

Skills: Diplomacy, Gather Information, Knowledge(civics), Knowledge (streetwise), Notice, Sense Motive

BIG GAME H UNTERBig game hunters travel to the remote wilderness areasof the world to hunt the largest animals they can nd,and then hang parts of them on their walls or sell themto museums. Big game hunters may be wealthy indi-

viduals funding the expeditions themselves, or talentedguides hired by aspiring hunters.

Big game hunters are experts at surviving in areas ofthe globe where the Mythos still thrives, and their skill

with rearms may come in handy when the heroes arefaced with mad cultists or raging beasts.

Feats: Assessment, Far Shot, Firearms raining,Improved Critical (elephant gun), Steady, rack, rail-blazer

Skills: Climb, Knowledge (earth sciences), Lan-guage, Notice, Ride, Survival

BODYGUARDBodyguards are trained to protect their employer fromharm, even if it means putting themselves in danger.

Tey are trained to identify threats and neutralize them with lethal force if necessary.

Bodyguards might protect other heroes from en-emies, both natural and supernatural. Tey can providephysical protection while the other heroes do most ofthe thinking and social interaction.

Feats: Attack Specialization, Dedicated, Firearms raining, Improved Disarm, Seize Initiative, Skill Fo-cus (Notice), Weapons raining

Skills: Concentration, Disable Device, Drive, No-tice, Search, Sense Motive, Stealth

FBI A GENTFBI Agents are the foot soldiers in the battle against or-ganized crime. Tey are trained to track suspects and toassault criminal strongholds. Tey have the latest weap-onry and the best support personnel at their disposal.


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FBI Agents may be called in when Mythos activitygets so out of hand that it draws the attention of theauthorities.

Feats: Benet (legal enforcement powers), FavoredOpponent, Firearms raining, Improved Precise Shot,Knowledge (tactics), Precise Shot, Weapons raining

Skills: Disable Device, Drive, Knowledge (civics),Intimidate, Notice, Stealth

M OBSTERMobsters enforce the order of organized crime. Teyprotect the businesses from the police, collect protec-tion money, rough up those who wont pay, and carryout raids on other mobs competing for territory.

Mobsters may be the prime suspects for the horriblecrimes perpetrated by cults or Mythos creatures.

Feats: Connected, Dedicated, Firearms raining,Inspire (fear), Jaded, Skill Focus (Intimidate), ough, Wealthy

Skills: Drive, Intimidate, Search, Stealth

SOLDIERSoldiers are trained for intense mass combat, and manyof them have seen it rst-hand. Tey might be in the Army, the Marines or the National Guard. Tey are ex-perts at rearms, have hand-to-hand training, and un-derstand the basics of tactics.

A group of soldiers may be called in when a ghtis too much for the police to handle, or a single sol-dier could provide extra combat force to a group of lessphysical heroes.

Feats: Armor raining, Attack Specialization (ri-

e), Firearms raining, Leadership, Point Blank Shot, Weapons rainingSkills: Climb, Intimidate, Knowledge (tactics),

Stealth, Survival

NEW &MODIFIED SKILLS All of the Skills in rue20 Adventure Roleplaying areavailable to heroes inShadows of Cthulhu. A few newskills are also available, as well as some new tasks andspecialties for existing skills. Any skill that is not de-

tailed here works just as described in rue20 AdventureRoleplaying .

CRAFT (SCIENCE ) Intelligence, rained Only, Requires Specialization, Re-quires ools Te Craft skill in Shadows of Cthulhu includes the newspecialty of science. Craft (science) skill give a hero theability to make and repair scientic equipment, includ-ing equipment used with scientic powers (see Chapter5). o determine the Difficulty and cost of creating sci-entic equipment, consult able 1-4: Craft (Science),

starting with the Wealth Difficulty of purchasing theequipment and reading across. Each entry lists the Dif-culty for the Craft (science) check to complete theitem, Te Craft Wealth Difficulty, which is the Wealthcheck you must make every time you attempt to makethe item, and the time it takes for each attempt.

KNOWLEDGE Intelligence, rained Only, Requires Specialization Te Knowledge (supernatural) specialty is availablein Shadows of Cthulhu, but it covers only the commonsupernatural folklore available through normal educa-

tion and research. A hero with good Knowledge (su-pernatural) skill would know all about vampires andmight sense hints that there is more to witchcraft thanthe simple mind of man can comprehend, but that hero would know nothing about Mythos creatures or loca-tions.


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1Knowledge specic to theCthulhu Mythos is only

available to heroes with the Mythos Knowledge skilldescribed in Chapter 5.

All of the basic Knowledge skills have one addition-al task, as follows:

Gain Familiarity (Difficulty varies): If you have ac-cess to the proper research materials and an appropriateKnowledge skill, you can study details about a particu-lar creature, item or place to become casually familiarity with it, reducing the Difficulty of powers that requiredfamiliarity. For instance, a hero with Knowledge (streetwise) could talk to a few people and get a pretty gooddescription of a particular warehouse or a specic crimelord. Te Difficulty depends on how powerful and se-cret the creature, place or item is. In general, the Diffi-culty of becoming casually familiar with a non-Mythoscreature is 20. Common, well-documented places areDifficulty 20. Very remote and secret places on Earthare Difficulty 30.

LANGUAGE Intelligence, rained Only, Requires SpecializationLanguages are extremely important in Mythos adven-tures, especially the ancient and secret languages. Tere-fore, this skill is handled differently in theShadows ofCthulhu than in other rue20 settings. Each language istreated as a specialty of the Language skill, and any lan-guage task requires a skill check. Te same applies to theMythos Language skill described in Chapter 5. Heroes,and most intelligent creatures, automatically receive 8bonus ranks in their native language.

Check: Intelligence is the key ability for the Lan-guage skill. Difficulties apply to any attempt to speak,listen, read, or write in any know language based on theguidelines in able 1-5: Language.

PSYCHIATRYWisdom, rained Only, Requires ools You are trained to understand how the mind works,both psychologically and physiologically, and you cantreat mental disorders using counseling, drugs, and vari-ous types of therapy.

Check: Te Difficulty and the effect depend on thetask attempted.

Hypnosis (Difficulty 20): You can put willing subjects

into a trance and draw information from their subcon-scious or repressed memories. Te subjects will not re-member the conversation, but you could use hypnosisto help get information they have forgotten because of Amnesia, or to question them about dreams they cantremember.

Provide Psychiatric Care (Difficulty 15 + level of dis-order): Providing care means maintaining daily contact with patients and providing whatever personal care ormedication they need for recovery. If a patient is al-

lowed regular recovery checks for their disorder, theymay add your Psychiatry skill ranks to their recoverycheck if you succeed on your skill check. If you fail on

your skill check, they instead suffer a -2 penalty on theirrecovery check. You may provide psychiatric care for upto your skill rank in patients at any given time.

reat Mental Disorder (Difficulty 15 + level of disor-der): If a patients disorder is treatable with psychiatriccare, you may make a psychiatry check once per week toremove one level of the disorder. You must have contact

with the patient every day during the week. If you fail your psychiatry check by 5 or more, you make things worse and the patient gains one additional level of thedisorder. You may treat up to your skill rank in indi-

vidual disorders at any given time.reat Mental Episode (Difficulty 15 + level of disor-

der): With a medical kit, you can tend to a character who has failed a save to avoid the situational effects ofa mental disorder, like a Compulsive Gambler stuck ata blackjack table or a hero with Explosive Disorder inthe middle of a rage. If you succeed on your check, thepatient may re-roll their save, adding your Psychiatryskill ranks as a bonus. If you know ahead of time thata patient is entering a situation that might trigger anepisode, you can treat them in advance to improve theirinitial save, possibly preventing the episode altogether.

reating a mental episode is a standard action. You mayonly make one attempt to treat each mental episode.

Challenges: You can take the following challenges with Psychiatry.Heal Tyself: You can provide psychiatric care for

yourself, or treat your own mental disorder with a +5increase in the difficulty of your check. You cannot treat

your own mental episode.Dig Deeper: For each +5 increase in the Difficulty

of your Psychiatry check while treating a mental disor-der, you can remove one additional level of that disorder

with a successful check.


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SURGERYDexterity, Prerequisite: Medicine Rank 4, rained Only,Requires ools You are trained to perform surgery to repair debilitat-ing or life-threatening physical conditions. With a suc-cessful Surgery check, you can cure one level of anothercharacters injury disorder, if it is treatable by surgery.

Te Difficulty for this check is 15 + the level of theinjury disorder, and the surgery takes one hour. If youfail your check by 5 or more, you make things worse and your patient gains one additional level of the injury dis-order. One long multi-hour surgery can cure multiplelevels of an injury disorder, but you must make Surgerychecks every hour. You cannot perform surgery on your-self, though you can aid another character operating on you.

Surgery is traumatic for the patient. Whenever youmake a Surgery check, your patient must also make aDifficulty 18 oughness save to avoid damage, as if theyhad been successfully attacked by a lethal weapon. Ar-

mor modiers, including natural armor, do not apply tothis save.Surgery requires the use of a modern operating

room, or all checks suffer a -4 penalty. Pre-modern set-tings may offer substandard operating rooms that im-pose a -1 or -2 penalty. Note that the Improvised oolsfeat cannot reduce the Surgery penalty to less than thatof the standard operating room of the setting.

Challenges: You can take the following challenges with Surgery.

Radical Procedure: For each +5 increase in the dif-culty of your Surgery check while treating an injurydisorder, you can remove one additional level of thatdisorder with a single successful check.

NEW &MODIFIED FEATS A few new feats are available to heroes inShadows ofCthulhu. Most are related to investigating the unknownor to the modications in the way Language skills work.Note that the benets of the Jack-of-All- rades featfrom rue20 Adventure Roleplaying have been modi-ed.

BENEFIT (GENERAL ) Te following additional Benets are available inShad-ows of Cthulhu. Te Narrator should avoid grantingthese privileges to heroes that dont have these Benetsunless they succeed on a Bluff or Craft (forgery) checkto convince others that they do have them.

Legal Enforcement Powers: You have the right,under the law, to arrest those suspected of committing acrime and to use force to protect law-abiding citizens.

Press Pass: Your press credentials can get you intoplaces where the general public cant go, as long assomeone there is interested in the publicity.

Alternate Identity: You have worked hard on aconvincing alternate identity, building up a collection ofpaperwork, contacts, and correspondence as that identi-ty. You gain a +4 bonus on any Disguise or Bluff checkssupported by your alternate identity.

JACK-OF-ALL-TRADES (E XPERT ) You can use any skill untrained, even skills that nor-mally cannot be used untrained, but this does not applyto Mythos skills or the Language skill. You must stillhave the proper tools if a skill requires them.

JADED (GENERAL ) Youve seen so much violence and degradation that the

truly horrifying doesnt affect you as much anymore. You gain a +2 bonus on all Sanity saving throws.

LINGUIST (E XPERT ) You are an expert at deciphering and learning new lan-guages. You can use any Language specialty untrained. Tis does not apply to the Mythos Language skill.

H AGGLER (GENERAL ) You are an expert at negotiating for the best price onitems. Subtract one from the cost of any items you

purchase before you make a wealth check to purchasethem.

STEADY (GENERAL ) You are disciplined and in control of your own emotions when faced with difficult or frightening situations. Youget a +3 bonus on all saving throws to avoid the effectsof fear auras, Calm, Heart Shaping, or any other powersthat manipulate emotions. Tis bonus does not apply toSanity saves.

VOW

OF

POVERTY

(GENERAL ) You have taken a vow to remain poor and give any wealth you do obtain to those who need it more. If your Wealth bonus is at least +1, you may donate wealth toa cause, reducing your Wealth bonus by 1. Whenever you do this you recover one Conviction point, but yourConviction point total cannot exceed the maximum for your level. If your Wealth bonus ever exceeds +5, youmust donate to the cause until your bonus is reduced to


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1+5. In addition, you may never purchase or accept as agift any item with cost higher than 14.

SAMPLE HEROESIt can be difficult to create a new character for a role-playing setting youve never played before. How do youknow which skills will be important for which situations,or what type of character youll really enjoy playing? If you want to start playingShadows of Cthulhu right away, you can use one of the sample heroes provided here andlearn the basics before you make your own hero.

Even if youre not going to use these heroes, you may want to review them to help your understand hero cre-ation.

Skills and feats marked with a B are bonuses fromthe characters background or role. None of the back-grounds chosen for these heroes affect their base abilityscores. Each starting skill begins with 4 ranks.

DR. CLARENCE ALLEN ROCHE Associate Professor of Arabic and Classics at Brown Uni-versity Doctor Roche grew up in the seaside Massachusettstown of Danvers, earned his degrees at Harvard, andonly recently joined the faculty at Brown. Althoughstill quite young, he has earned some respect from oldercolleagues for two papers he presented at the Harvard Archaeological Society regarding the ancient traditionsof tribes of the Sinai.

Doctor Roche is very precise in his work, never jumping to conclusions without sufficient evidence,careful to credit others when credit is due, and meticu-lous in his writing. He expects the same level of exac-titude from everyone else, from his housekeeper all the way up to the president of the United States, and he canbe very disparaging when he nds their work lacking.

Background: MaritimeRole/Level: Academic/1 Abilities: Str -1, Dex +1, Con +0, Int +4, Wis +2,

Cha +0Initiative: +1 (Dex +1)Combat Bonus: +0Melee/Ranged Attack Bonus: +1/+1Damage: +1 (walking cane)Dodge/Parry: +1/-1Saving Trows: oughness +0 (+0 Con), Fortitude

+0 (+0 base, +0 Con), Reex +4 (+1 base, +1 Dex, +2Lightning Reexes), Will +3 (+1 base, +2 Wis), Sanity+2 (+2 base, +0 Cha)

Virtue/Vice: professional pride/highly critical Wealth/Reputation: +4 (5 + 0 Cha, reduced by

camera purchase)/+1

Skills: (8 +4 Int starting skills, +4 bonus Knowledgeskills) Bluff 4 (+4), Craft (boatbuilding)B 4 (+8), DriveB 4 (+5), Gather Information 4 (+4), Knowledge (art)B 4(+8), Knowledge (earth sciences)B 4 (+8), Knowledge(history)B 4 (+8), Knowledge (supernatural)B 4 (+8),Knowledge (theology and philosophy) 4 (+8), Language(Akkadian) 4 (+10) (+2 alented), Language (AncientEgyptian) 4 (+8), Language (Arabic) 4 (+10) (+2 al-ented), Language (French) 4 (+8), Language (Greek) 4(+8), Language (Latin) 4 (+8), Perform (oratory) 4 (+4),Sense Motive 4 (+6), Swim 4 (+3)

Feats: (4 starting feats) Fascinate (Perform(oratory)),Light SleeperB, Lightning ReexesB, Linguist, NightVision, alented (Language (Arabic and Akkadian))

Equipment: backpack, bedroll, camera, ashlight, walking cane (treat as club)

Conviction/Awareness: 3/0

RAYMOND H ARDINGLead Actor at the Barker Playhouse Mr. Harding is a trained Shakespearean actor trying tohide his small town upbringing behind British accentsand proper diction. He is currently appearing in twoproductions at the strange little Barker Playhouse onBenet Street, Providence. He has had reasonable re-

views in the Providence Journal, but nothing that couldlaunch a respectable career in New York.

o supplement his means, Mr. Harding leaves theplayhouse in the evenings and goes directly to the Houseof Correction on Howard Avenue, where he serves asa night guard and orderly. He has spent many nightsstudying the nocturnal activities of the most peculiar ofthe inmates, hoping exposure to a wide range of humanconditions might improve his acting.

Background: Small ownRole/Level: Expert/1 Abilities: Str +0, Dex +1, Con +1, Int +1, Wis +0,

Cha +3Initiative: +1 (Dex +1)Combat Bonus: +0Melee/Ranged Attack Bonus: +1/+1Damage: +2 (Derringer)Dodge/Parry: +1/+0Saving Trows: oughness +1 (+1 Con), Fortitude

+4 (+0 base, +1 Con, +3 Lucky), Reex +6 (+2 base, +1

Dex, +3 Lucky), Will +3 (+0 base, +0 Wis, +3 Lucky),Sanity +5 (+2 base, +3 Cha) Virtue/Vice: friendly/self-centered Wealth/Reputation: +6 (5 +3 Char, reduced by

purchase of Derringer pistol and ne clothing)/+1Skills: (8 +1 Int starting skills) Bluff 4 (+7), Diplo-

macy 4 (+7), Disguise 4 (+7), Handle Animal 4 (+7),Intimidate 4 (+7), Knowledge (behavioral science) 4(+5), Language (French) 4 (+5), Perform (acting) 4 (+7),RideB 4 (+5), Slight of Hand 4 (+5), SurvivalB 4 (+4)


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Feats: (4 starting feats) Attractive, Firearms rainingB, Inspire (awe), Lucky, rack B, Skill Focus(Perform(acting))

Equipment: disguise kit, ne clothing, ashlight,hooded lantern, hold-out pistol


LILLIAN BRODIE JAMESHeiress and Gossip Columnist for the Providence Journal Lillian is the daughter of Emmet James, the powerfulProvidence shipping magnate, and Madeline Brodie, asardonic fashion critic of the late 19th century. Despiteher high society upbringing, Lillian detests most of thetrappings of the wealthy and lives, mostly by her ownmeans, in a modest apartment building for single ladieson Dexter Street.

Lillian writes the gossip column for the Providence Journal and takes great joy in rooting out the most sor-did details of the lives of the rich and famous. Her con-nections and inborn tenacity make her very effective ather job. Although she is respected by most local jour-nalists, her profession is a great embarrassment to herfamily, and they seldom mention her. Her parents havemost likely taken her out of their will.

Background: High Society Role/Level: Investigator/1 Abilities: Str +0, Dex -1, Con +0, Int +3, Wis +2,

Cha +2Initiative: -1 (Dex -1)Combat Bonus: +0Melee/Ranged Attack Bonus: -1/-1Damage: +1 (knife)Dodge/Parry: -1/+1Saving Trows: oughness +0 (+0 Con), Fortitude

+0 (+0 base, +0 Con), Reex +1 (+2 base, -1 Dex), Will+2 (+0 base, +2 Wis), Sanity +4 (+2 base, +2 Cha)

Virtue/Vice: generous/ruthless Wealth/Reputation: +7 (5 +2 Cha, +4 Wealthy, re-

duced by Packard roadster purchase)/+0Skills: (6 + 3 Int starting skills) Bluff B 4 (+6), Di-

plomacy 4 (+6), Gather Information 4 (+6), Knowledge(business) 4 (+7), Knowledge (civics) 4 (+7), Knowledge(current events) 4 (+7), Language (French) 4 (+7), No-tice 4 (+6), RideB 4 (+3), Search 4 (+7), Sense Motive4 (+6)

Feats: (4 starting feats) Attractive, Benet (presspass), ConnectedB, Contacts, Wealthy B, Well-InformedEquipment: knife, poodle, Packard roadsterConviction/Awareness: 3/0

SISTER BERNADETTE GRACERoman Catholic Nun of Sisters of Mercy Sister Bernadette grew up as Abigail Sweeney in one ofthe roughest and poorest neighborhoods in Brooklyn.Her mother died when she was very young, and she and

ve of her brothers and sisters were raised by their oldersister, Grace. Abigail was drawn to the convent by hercompassion for the poor she saw all around her, and byher indignation at the young lives she saw wasted onthe streets.

Abigail took her nal vows as Sister BernadetteGrace with the Sisters of Mercy. She now serves inthe Rhode Island Catholic Orphan Asylum on Prairie Avenue in Providence. When the orphanage requiressomeone to go out into the world, it often sends SisterBernadette because of her tough upbringing, streetwisemanners and keen intuition about others.

Background: Big City Role/Level: Reverent/1 Abilities: Str +1, Dex +0, Con +1, Int +0, Wis +3,

Cha +1Initiative: +0 (Dex +0)Combat Bonus: +0Melee/Ranged Attack Bonus: +0/+0Damage: +3 (sap)Dodge/Parry: +0/+1Saving Trows: oughness +1 (+1 Con), Fortitude

+3 (+2 base, +1 Con), Reex +0 (+0 base, +0 Dex), Will+5 (+2 base, +3 Wis), Sanity +3 (+2 base, +1 Cha)

Virtue/Vice: loyal/intolerant Wealth/Reputation: +4 (5 +1 Cha, reduced by Vow

of Poverty and purchase of medical kit) /+1Skills: (8 +0 Int starting skills) Diplomacy 4 (+5),

Intimidate 4 (+5), Knowledge (streetwise)B 4 (+4),Knowledge (theology and philosophy) 4 (+4), Language(Latin) 4 (+4), Medicine 4 (+7), Notice 4 (+7), Perform(stringed instruments) 4 (+5), Sense Motive 4 (+10) (+3Skill Focus), StealthB 4 (+4)

Feats: (4 starting feats) ContactsB

, ConnectedB

,Dedicated (children)B, Inspire (competence), Jack-of- All- rades, Skill Focus (Sense Motive), Vow of Pov-erty

Equipment: candles, medical kit, sap, wineConviction/Awareness: 3/0

FRANK H EATHBodyguard of Lillian Brodie James Frank is a large, muscular man who dropped out of highschool to help with the family business, which just hap-pened to be distilling and smuggling alcohol. After his

brother was killed during a run-in with the FBI, so hisfather sold the business to a local mobster, and Frankbegan working as a bodyguard.

Frank is currently employed by Emmet James toprotect his daughter, Lillian Brodie James, as she movesin dangerous circles trying to nd gossip about the citysmost powerful citizens. Its an uncomfortable arrange-ment for Frank, since Lillian doesnt want his protec-tion. She knows her father has hired him more as ananny or a spy than a bodyguard. Frank is there to makesure Lillian doesnt further embarrass the family.


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1Background: Organized CrimeRole/Level: Warrior/1 Abilities: Str +2, Dex +2, Con +2, Int -1, Wis +1,

Cha +0Initiative: +2 (Dex +2)Combat Bonus: +1Melee/Ranged Attack Bonus: +3/+3Damage: +3 (brass knuckles) or +3 (M&P .38 re-

volver)Dodge/Parry: +3/+3Saving Trows: oughness +2 (+2 Con), Fortitude

+4 (+2 base, +2 Con), Reex +2 (+0 base, +2 Dex), Will+1 (+0 base, +1 Wis), Sanity +2 (+2 base, +0 Cha)

Virtue/Vice: dependable/rude Wealth/Reputation: +2 (5 +0 Cha, reduced by pur-

chase of revolver)/+0Skills: (4 -1 Int starting Skills) Bluff 4 (+4), Drive 4

(+6), IntimidateB 4 (+4), Notice 4 (+5), StealthB 4 (+6)Feats: (4 starting feats) ConnectedB, Favored Op-

ponent (federal agents), Firearms rainingB, ImprovedGrab, Point Blank Shot, Seize Initiative, auntB

Equipment: brass knuckles, ashlight, M&P .38revolver


DR. FRIEDRICH VON E SSENPsychologist at Te Providence House of Corrections Doctor von Essen is a psychologist, sometimes knownas an alienist, who works with the patients at the Houseof Corrections on Howard Avenue, in Providence.Friedrich grew up in Frankfurt, Germany, and movedto the United States when he was still a boy. He earnedhis psychiatry degree at Brown University and has spent very little time outside of Rhode Island, except for oc-casional trips back to Germany.

During the Great War, Dr. von Essen kept a verylow prole, spending most of his time at the House ofCorrections and only returning to his modest apart-ment to sleep and study. Much of his life has passed by

without any interesting events and with no real friends.He thinks it may be time to change that.

Background: Old WorldRole/Level: Expert/1 Abilities: Str -1, Dex +0, Con +1, Int +2, Wis +3,

Cha +1Initiative: +0 (Dex +0)Combat Bonus: +1Melee/Ranged Attack Bonus: +0/+0Damage: +1 (sap)Dodge/Parry: +0/-1Saving Trows: oughness +1 (+1 Con), Fortitude

+3 (+0 base, +1 Con, +2 Great Fortitude), Reex +0 (+0base, +0 Dex), Will +5 (+2 base, +3 Wis), Sanity +3 (+2base, +1 Cha)

Virtue/Vice: compassionate/pessimistic Wealth/Reputation: +6 (5 +1 Cha)/+1Skills: (8 +2 Int starting skills) Diplomacy 4 (+5),

Knowledge (behavioral sciences) 4 (+6), Knowledge(civics) 4 (+6), Knowledge (life sciences) 4 (+6), Knowl-edge (supernatural)B 4 (+6), Language (English)B 4 (+9)(+3 Skill Focus), Language (German) 12 (+14), Medi-cine 4 (+7), Notice 4 (+7), Psychiatry 4 (+10) (+3 SkillFocus), Sense Motive 4 (+7), Slight of Hand 4 (+5)

Feats: (4 starting feats) Challenge (Psychiatry/digdeeper), ConnectedB, Great FortitudeB, Inspire (com-petence), Skill Focus (Language (English)), Skill Focus(Psychiatry)

Equipment: ashlight, notebook, sap, psychiatry

kit Conviction/Awareness: 3/0


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2H. P. Lovecraft wrote his stories in the 1920s and1930s, and most of them took place in that time pe-riod or shortly before. So the 1920s have become thetraditional setting for mostCthulhu Mythos roleplaying.

Shadows of Cthulhu follows this tradition by using theUnited States of the 1920s as its default setting. Futurebooks will provide information about other interestingsettings.

DAILY LIFE Te 1920s began with a post-war recession, then ex-ploded into one of the largest economic booms theUnites States has ever seen, only to come tumblingdown again with the stock market crash of 1929. Tisdecade saw the beginnings of many aspects of todayssociety. elephones and automobiles became common-place, women moved into the workforce, and mass ad- vertising teemed up with radio broadcasters and creditbanks to jump start the consumer economy.

WORK As more and more laborers moved from farms to thegrowing number of factories in the cities, the modern work week began. Henry Fords assembly line ideas hadbeen adopted by many other industries, which now re-quired every worker to show up on schedule and main-tain output. A strong middle class emerged which couldafford their own homes and automobiles. Tey couldntalways afford to live where they worked, so morningcommutes began, as well as traffic jams.

Labor shortages and mandatory schooling duringthe First World War had created more opportunities for women to work outside the home, and millions of themdid. Some of them kept their wartime jobs in factoriesand other professions that were traditionally reservedfor men. Te image of an independent working womandeveloped. She lived on her own, outed old behavioralcodes, and probably smoked ltered cigarettes to showhow far she had come.

ypical wages ranged from $1,000 a year for fac-tory and office workers to $5,000 or more for middlemanagement. Wealthy businessmen, celebrities, andmob bosses could make millions. Pensions and unionsbecame more common, but were often accused of beingcommunist. Servants, who were once common amongthe middle class, became a luxury of the rich as themiddle class made do with new labor-saving deviceslike washing machines, vacuum cleaners and electricmixers.

TRANSPORTATIONBy the end of the 19th century, the railways had openedup travel between major cities across the country and were the primary means of long-distance travel. Just aquarter century later, half of America had access to a car,and they traveled ve times as far in them as they didby train. Regular bus services ran through major cities,and short hop airline services were in place across theentire country.

Most of the cars on the roads were still the simple,slow models produced by Ford in the previous decade,and most of the roads were still the unpaved dirt pathsbuilt for horses and carts. But car models and technol-ogy were changing rapidly, and the Federal Highway Act of 1921 created decent two-lane roads betweenmost major cities. Tese well-traveled highways were

lined with traffic signs, electric traffic lights, and therst franchised lling stations. Air travel was a novelty in 1920, but by the end of

the decade it was commonplace. Some of the largestairlines, like United and PanAm, were just getting offthe ground with ights between major cities. Coast-to-coast airmail service reduced the time to send lettersand packages from New York to San Francisco from weeks to just days. In 1927, Charles Lindbergh provedthat nonstop ights across the Atlantic were possible,and interest in air travel increased dramatically.

With no commercial ights between America andEurope, ocean liners were going strong and still the only

way to cross the Atlantic, but their days were numbered. Te transatlantic ships were grand affairs, oating pal-aces with ballrooms, live entertainment and expensivefurnishings. Most ships also had small, cramped steer-age rooms on the lower decks for immigrants and tour-ists on a budget.

COMMUNICATIONBefore the 1920s, Americans got their news from thelocal newspaper. Tey communicated with friends andfamily in person or by letter, and listened to live music,or maybe a Victrola. By 1930, about half the homes in

the country had telephones and most of the rest wereeager to be connected. Pay phones were available onmost busy city streets and a call cost only a few cents.Local newspapers still thrived, as did tabloid Jazz Jour-nalism, but the new national radio networks, like theNational Broadcasting Company and the ColumbiaBroadcasting System, began broadcasting across thecountry. Te iconic scene of the family gathered to lis-ten to their favorite music or entertainment programhad arrived. Hand-held radios were still decades away,

CHAPTER 2: THE 1920S


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2so military units and anyone who needed point-to-point communication used portable telephone unitsconnected by wires.

FASHIONFashions, especially young womans fashions, changeddramatically during the 1920s. Te condent, carefree

appers established the major trends with their simple,lightweight dresses, basic hosiery, smaller hats and shorthaircuts. Before the 1920s, women who wore makeup were assumed to be of questionable morals, but massmarketing and a deliberate rejection of old restrictionschanged those attitudes almost completely by the endof the decade. Of course, wearing pants, which many women began to do, was still inexcusable. Te youngmen who accompanied the appers were called sheiks,

and they maintained their own fash-ion gap with their three-piece-

suit elders. Tey slicked theirhair and parted it down

the middle, wore

knickers or baggy Oxford pants, argyle socks, andsweater vests.

While the younger generation experimented withnew, lighter fashions, more traditional Americans fellin line behind the etiquette advice of Emily Post. Inher books, she laid down rm rules like you must never

wear an evening dress and a hat! And never wear a daydress without one.

PASTTIMES Te booming economy, regular work hours, and easiertravel of the 1920s opened up a wide range of new lei-sure activities. Americans went to the cinema more thanever before, saw more shows on Broadway, and boughtmore magazines. Tey took road vacations, increasedthe national obsessions with baseball and football, anddiscovered dieting and exercise with the help of Charles

Atlas.Movies were silent and people packed huge movie

palaces that could seat thousands. Tey got news fromthe newsreels before the main show and got to see theirrst talkie in 1927. Movie idols like Rudolph Valen-tino drew them in and showed them how to be fashion-able.

Music got a boost from new radio programs andcorporate sponsors. Jazz was everywhere, and Ameri-cans polarized over whether they loved it or saw it as

the moral downfall of the country. Tey even tooka brief, but enthusiastic interest in hillbilly mu-sic.

People took vacations by car, and within a few years the highways were lined with diners, bill-boards, campgrounds, and the new automobile-

friendly hotels called motels. rain travel de-creased dramatically and car repair became a bigbusiness.

PROHIBITIONBesides jazz, appers, and economicgood times, the 1920s is most re-membered for the crime and corrup-tion that seeped into society throughthe nancial doorways opened byprohibition. Te Eighteenth Amend-ment of 1917 and the Volstead Act of1919 severely restricted the manufac-ture and public sale of alcohol. Exist-ing criminal organizations that hadsurvived on drug trade, prostitution,

protection rackets and imaginative consfound bootlegging and rum-running tobe very protable, low-risk ventures.

Raids on speakeasies were rare, andgenerally resulted in only modest nesfor the patrons. Te speakeasy was usu-


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2ally shut down, but often opened again in a month ortwo under a different name. Some speakeasy owners gotaround prohibition by calling their establishments private drinking clubs and handing out membership cardsto customers.

FACTIONS Te 1920s was a decade of relative peace abroad, butintense, formative conict at home. Dozens of factionsand organized groups vied for power and a piece of thegrowing economic pie.

BIG BUSINESSLegitimate businesses thrived in the heady atmosphereof the mid-1920s. Banks and investment companiesappeared and for the rst time had ordinary working-class customers. Local retailers expanded and stockednew personal items like deodorant, as well as an ever-increasing variety of dry and canned goods f rom the gi-ant, well-established food companies like Kelloggs andGeneral Mills.

Consumer credit combined with new advertisingopportunities on the radio, billboards, and in the grow-ing selection of magazines created a marketing and salesbonanza. Americans shopped in record numbers at de-partment stores like Gimbels, Marshal Fields, and Ma-cys. Dozens of companies copied Sears Roebuck andbegan producing illustrated catalogs for consumers.

Te stock market crash of 1929 erased much of theaccumulated prots of these businesses, but many ofthe companies themselves survived and led the world ofcommerce throughout the 20th century.

BOOTLEGGERSNot everyone who deed the prohibition laws was agangster. Before the big gangs got into the business,small-time, enterprising bootleggers began distillingalcohol and employing rum-runners to smuggle thegoods to the speakeasies. Tough they were generallyless sophisticated and less violent than their gangstercounterparts, they usually beneted from extensive lo-cal knowledge and long-time connections in their com-munities. Since they werent involved in other criminalactivities, bootleggers often avoided the attention of thepolice and federal agents.

BUREAU OF INVESTIGATIONIn 1924, J. Edgar Hoover became the head of the JusticeDepartments Bureau of Investigation, which wouldeventually become the FBI. Initially only comprising afew hundred special agents, the bureau grew as it tookon prostitution and interstate crimes, becoming theprimary arm of the government opposing organizedcriminal gangs.

Te bureaus agents were generally better trained andbetter equipped to confront the gangs, and they couldconcentrate a larger force for investigations and raids. As members of a federal agency, the bureaus agentssometimes ignored local sensibilities, but they were se-rious about process and new what it took to convict acriminal in federal court.

FRATERNITIES & SORORITIES Attendance at American colleges doubled during the1920s, but college graduates still represented only anelite fraction of the entire population. Te young menand women who formed social networks on collegecampuses and in the growing number of national fra-ternities and sororities would go on to run the coun-trys government and its most powerful businesses. Teyformed secret societies, like Skull and Bones, whosemembers favored each other for employment and busi-ness deals. Tey came off of the college campus withuntested, high-minded ideas about change and the fu-ture, and they made many of them work.

GANGSOrganized crime gangs, led by members of the maafamilies from Italy and Sicily, had established them-selves in America long before the 1920s. Tey mademoney through prostitution and protection rackets, butprohibition fueled their growth into powerful, unchal-lengeable tyrannies. Tese gangs supplied the thousandsof illegal speakeasies and semi-legal drinking clubs withalcohol, and money poured in. Local police generallydidnt interfere, because they received little or no fund-ing from the Federal Government for enforcementof prohibition and were usually underpaid and opento bribes. By the end of the decade, mobsters like AlCapone in Chicago and Lucky Luciano in New York were among the richest and most powerful men in thecountry.

THE GOVERNMENTDuring the early 1900s, the people developed a generaldistrust of the U.S. government, and the government, inturn, seemed to develop a distrust of the people. Amer-icans were swept up in the Red Scare of 1917, fear-ing that a copycat Bolshevik revolution was imminentin the U.S. Teir fears were encouraged by a series ofanarchist bombings aimed at prominent governmentofficials and institutions, including the office charged with anti-Bolshevik investigations. President Hard-ings administration was rife with corruption, includ-ing a number of

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