ANTEDILUVIAN JACKANAPE

*An introductory Moss Covered Arrowhead Cave Painting.*

## **INTRODUCTION**

It is around 8000 BC, and you're playing a bunch of cavemen. Something's attacking other tribe members, and it *definitely* isn't any normal animal.

The Player Grugs are not yet a part of Moss Covered Arrowhead; instead, they are members of a wandering hunter-gatherer group, Leaf Tribe, inhabiting Doggerland, the area that once connected Great Britain to the rest of continental Europe.

## **DOGGERLAND INFORMATION**

Doggerland was, as mentioned in the introduction, the land bridge that once connected Great Britain to the rest of continental Europe, lasting until it was finally submerged by the rising seas around 6500-6200 BC. It was rich in human habitation throughout the Mesolithic period, thanks to its abundant natural resources to hunt and gather. The environment of Doggerland was made up primarily of wooded valleys, marshes, and small hills.

## **LEAF TRIBE**

Leaf Tribe live in big forest by water. Hunt animal, gather berry, catch fish. Some smart grug tie branch together to float on water, catch more fish. Live in hut made of wood, grass, hide. As many grugs in tribe as legs on many-leg long bug.

## **BRIEFING**

Player Grugs called into big hut by elder grugs of tribe. Very important.

Something kill two Grugs last two nights. Bigger than cave lion, faster. Find it, club it.

## **THE VICTIMS**

First Grug gone, carried off by monster. Second Grug have arms pulled off, big cut and bruise on chest. Cost 0/1 SAN from violence to see. Grugs with **First Aid** find second grug chest look like big animal kick it hard.

## **WITNESSES**

Few Grug in village see monster last night, but too dark for good look. Big as cave bear, walk on legs like man but on front of foot. Have pale skin like slimy cave lizard. Call it Big Pale Grug.

## **THE TRACK**

Grug who have **Search** or **Survival** find big footprint in small mud puddle outside of village; look like mix between hoof and grug foot, size of head. Grug with Friend Wolf can use it to pick up scent, track Big Pale Grug (see **TRACKING IT DOWN**).

## **STAKEOUT**

Grug may wait in village until night come, wait for monster come back. Make **Luck** roll; if roll succeed, Big Pale Grug try attack Leaf Tribe huts at night. Player Grugs hear grug scream; if act fast, they catch Big Pale Grug standing over injured grug on ground, about to kill. Big Pale Grug fight until lose half HP, then run away to **THE CAVE**.

## **TRACKING IT DOWN**

Player Grug trying to track down Big Pale Grug use **Survival** or Friend Wolf **Track by Scent**, gain +20% bonus if chasing it after **STAKEOUT**. Find **THE CAVE** on success; lose trail if check fail, become lost for D6 hour. At Handler discretion, if Grugs searching at night, Big Pale Grug sneak up on Grugs, attack them for short time, and run away.

## **THE CAVE**

Big crack in ground lead down through long tunnel to cave where Big Pale Grug live. Dark inside, need torch (**Craft (Fire)** useful) to see; smell like blood and rotten meat. Grug with torch see why: animal and Grug pieces scattered all over cave, some just bones, but all chewed on. Cost 1/D4 SAN from violence to see. If look for long enough, Grug find piece of Grug from village. Cave tall as mammoth shoulder, twice as wide.

If grug come during day or chasing Big Pale Grug away from village, Big Pale Grug is here. If Grug come at night, the monster only here on successful **Luck** roll; otherwise, Big Pale Grug out hunting, come back in D4 hour. At Leaf Tribe village on fumble.

## **BIG PALE GRUG**

Big Pale Grug fight like animal in corner if grugs fight it in cave. Kick most dangerous looking grug first, then use **GRAB AND TEAR** to kill. Big Pale Grug not like fire; try to knock torch out of hands of any Grug carrying one (Disarm attack), then stomp on it to make fire die.

If player grugs fighting in cave at night, Big Pale Grug try to escape through entrance tunnel, attack any Grug in the way.

## **OPTIONAL DIFFICULTY BUNGA**

Player Grug group have many Grug or very strong? Think will club Big Pale Grug too easy? Here is option for harder cave painting: there are two Big Pale Grugs, mated pair. One always stay in cave while other is out hunting.

## **EPILOGUE - MOSS COVERED ARROWHEAD**

After as many day as finger on hand, player Grugs are told by elder Grugs of tribe to wait by big water. Somegrug from other tribe want talk, say it important.

There Grug waiting by water with two other Grugs. All have spear or club, one have paddle for reed boat nearby. First Grug wearing hide covered with moss, is Moss Grug. Ask player grugs if they good at keep secret.

## **YES**

Moss Grug tell player grugs about Moss Covered Arrowhead tribe. Moss Covered Arrowhead is secret tribe, have grugs from many other tribe. Moss Covered Arrowhead find bad spirit, hit bad spirit with club. Moss Grug want player grugs to join.

Grugs who join Moss Covered Arrowhead tribe get Cave Scene after cave painting is over, get Special Bunga in Moss Covered Arrowhead cave paintings and hunting signs (**INT×5** or **Survival**). Learn call and response to identify other Moss Covered Arrowhead Grug:

**C:** What do when cave filled with bug? **R:** Make fire.

Grugs who don't join Moss Covered Arrowhead get special reward: not being in Moss Covered Arrowhead.

## **NO**

Moss Grug hand the player grugs big bag of berries, tell them that meeting never happened and not to talk about the monster ever again. Leave with other Moss Covered Arrowheads in reed boat.

## **YOUR GRUGS TRY CLUB MOSS COVERED ARROWHEAD GRUGS**

(God forbid)

"Moss Grug" throw eye-hurt bag at attacking Grugs, try stun Player Grugs before escape in reed boat with other Moss Covered Arrowhead Grugs.

## **STAT BLOCKS**

### **BIG PALE GRUG** **- A Free-Range Wandering Ghast.**

**STR** 25 **CON** 30 **DEX** 13 **INT** 4 **POW** 10

**HP** 27 **WP** 10

**ARMOR:** 1 point of pale, translucent hide (see **RESILIENT**).

**SKILLS:** Alertness 65%, Athletics 99%, Stealth 50%, Track (by scent) 70%.

**ATTACKS:**

Claw or Bite (50%, D8+2, AP 3)

Grab (50%, see **GRAB AND TEAR**)

Savage Kick (50%, D10 and see **KNOCKDOWN**)

**GRAB AND TEAR:** A successful grab attack pins the target. If the Ghast hits a pinned target with another grab attack, the target takes 15% Lethality damage from being torn apart by the Ghast's immense strength.

**INHUMAN MOVEMENT**: A Ghast can leap six meters in any direction from a standing position or scale almost any vertical surface. At top speed, a Ghast can sprint and gallop at nearly 65 kph.

**KNOCKDOWN:** A Ghast can kick with more than enough force to knock a grug off their feet. Grugs struck by this attack must make a STR×5 check to avoid being knocked prone.

**LIGHT SENSITIVITY:** Ghasts shun and fear bright light, as it irritates their sensitive eyes and skin. They take a -20% penalty to all attacks and skill tests when exposed to daylight or anything of equivalent brightness.

**RESILIENT:** A successful Lethality roll does not destroy a Ghast, but inflicts HP damage equal to the Lethality rating.

**SAN LOSS:** 1/1D6

### **"MOSS GRUG" - Moss Covered Arrowhead Recruiter, Real Name Clam Grug**

**STR** 12 **CON** 11 **DEX** 11 **INT** 13 **POW** 13 **CHA** 12

**HP** 12 **WP** 13 **SAN** 57

**SKILLS:** Alertness 50%, Athletics 50%, Craft (Reed Boat) 40%, Navigate 40%, Melee Weapons 50%, Occult 20%, Search 40%, Stealth 40%, Survival 40%, Swim 50%, Unnatural 3%.

**ATTACKS:** Spear (50%, D8, AP 3)

Flint Knife (50%, D6, 3 AP)

Eye-hurt Bags (50%, see **POCKET SAND**)

**POCKET SAND:** "Moss Grug" carries five small hide bags filled with sand and irritating herbal powders, designed to burst open when thrown. Targets struck by an eye-hurt bag must make a CON×5 test or be stunned and suffer a -20% penalty to all actions for thirty minutes. If the CON×5 roll succeeds, the target is not stunned and suffers half the usual penalty.

### **MOSS COVERED ARROWHEAD GRUGS - A Duo of Generic Rockbangers.**

**STR** 12, **CON** 12, **DEX** 10, **INT** 8, **POW** 10, **CHA** 10

**HP** 12, **WP** 10, **SAN** 50

**SKILLS:** Alertness 40%, Athletics 40%, Bow 40%, Navigate 40%, Search 40%, Stealth 40%, Swim 40%, Survival 40%

**ATTACKS:** Club (40%, D10) or Spear (40%, D8, 3 AP)

Flint Knife (40%, D6, 3 AP)

Bow (40%, D6, 3 AP)

## Credits

ANTEDILUVIAN JACKANAPE was written by Aqualung for the 2020  shotgun scenario contest.

Published by arrangement with the Delta Green Partnership. The intellectual property known as Delta Green is a trademark and copyright owned by the Delta Green Partnership, who has licensed its use here. The contents of this document are © Aqualung, excepting those elements that are components of the Delta Green intellectual property.

ANTEDILUVIAN JACKANAPE is not available here under CC-BY-SA.