Gains

## BRIEFING

An asset noticed bizarre physiological changes among the patrons of the fitness center they attend. There’s also been a spike in missing persons. Agents are to investigate and take appropriate action to eliminate threats.

## THE TRUTH

*Inuussuseq*, a Greenlandic company ran a crowdfunding scam selling sparkling water machines that use ‘glacier mineral pods’ to make health drinks. Their extraction site was close to Ubbo-Sathla’s cavern under Mount Voormithadreth. Traces of the Unbegotten Source leached into the groundwater and survived being refined into the pods.
Calvin Sommers, owner of the Hardbodies Fitness Center, donated an exorbitant amount to get an office model early, along with a year’s supply of pods. Six of the gym’s regulars have been changed by repeatedly ingesting miniscule droplets of Ubbo-Sathla. They’re at different stages in their transition from humanity into ‘Swoles,’ muscular children of Ubbo-Sathla. Three are still human, two teeter on the edge, and one has gone full eldritch.

## THE GYM

An impressive set of facilities. There’s cross-circuit, powerlifting, and weight training equipment as well as a racquetball court, pool, and sauna. It’s strangely empty.

The Associate Coordinator, Nevaeh Paige, greets newcomers. She’s a lean and friendly woman in a tracksuit who doesn’t push the hard sell too much. If the Agents have credentials, she’ll cooperate with an investigation. She’s happy to see them, the Swoles scared off most of the patrons as well as the staff, who’ve quit or called in sick.

Only a few non-Swoles are left: general weirdos, and stubborn senior citizens. Most have tried the sparkling mineral water but found it too disgusting (read: the Agents can safely drink it).

Physicians recommend around an hour of vigorous physical activity a day. For the Swoles, their workout routine might as well be their job. They’re there *all day*. Other gym regulars can tell the Agents that the Swoles have been doing this since last month, back when they looked normal.

This level of growth usually means steroids. But **Medicine** and **Science (Biology)** can’t spot any of the telltale signs. They should also be crippled by overuse injuries given their workout routines. **Biology** suggests advanced regenerative abilities, allowing them to repair microtears and build muscle faster. **Medicine** notes that their musculature is wrong. They’ve got structures in places they shouldn’t, places that help them with the specific exercises they’re doing.

## FIRST-STAGE SWOLES

**Seongwon Lee**: Retired Army translator. Self aggrandizing jokester, *“Watch this, I can make my tits dance!*” Carries an icebox brimming with barbeque, kimchi, and gochujang for sustenance.

**Bextewar Oz**: Aspiring US citizen and humble muslim. Thanks Allah for his swiftly improving physique. Carries biryani and KFC chicken in a sagging briefcase stuffed with ice-packs.

**Lori Bruce**: A muscular Angela Lansbury, *“I got fit when my sons got fat.”* The roots of her gray hair are growing out blonde. She eats a massive slab of olive-loaf cold cuts for lunch.

## SECOND-STAGE SWOLES

**Paul Jedd**: A dark-skinned sumo wrestler of pure muscle. Carries a rucksack filled with raw organ meat, whole salmon, blueberries, and kale. Ruthlessly motivational, *“You OWE your potential self to become them, fam!”*

**Kermit English**: Formerly white, now the color of Thanksgiving turkey in March. Has been wearing the same sweat-stained exercise equipment for days, now extremely stretched out. A gatekeeper, but self conscious, still thinks he’s skinny.

**Adrian Gálvez**, a Third-Stage Swole, has progressed past all of them.

## THE SPARKLING WATER DISPENSERS

The machines are shiny and obviously newly installed. The safe behind the counter has a bunch of pods, the rest are downstairs in the employees only area. The Swoles buy pods before their workouts. The Second-Stagers buy a dozen and swallow them whole.

The water’s a bit gritty with an aftertaste like licking rocks. Those who drink suffer hunger pangs at dramatic moments. Ignoring them costs 1D6 **WP** and 0/1D4 **SAN** from helplessness (0/1 from unnatural if adapted). Chowing down costs 0/1 **SAN** from unnatural as Agents surprise themselves with how ferociously they eat and the intensity of the satiation. Failing the **SAN** test increases their **STR** by 1.

## THE FRONT DESK

Nevaeh is stressed. Her counterpart on yesterday’s shift, Henry Wilde, sold almost all of the remaining pods to one client, Adrian Gálvez. She’s worried about how Paul and Kermit will take the news. Henry hasn’t shown up for work today, and Nevaeh can’t get in touch with him or her boss, Sommers. Nevaeh can be heard angrily calling Henry’s roommate, who says Henry just drove off last night to *“deliver some stuff to a guy”* [the rest of the pods] and never came back. Unbeknownst to anyone, Adrian ate him. Sommers is hungover and sleeping in, as usual.

Nevaeh is right to worry. The Swoles will return for more pods towards the end of the day, but supplies are dwindling. Handlers should use this to manage the scenario’s pacing. Maybe the Swoles already took the gym’s last pods, maybe there’s another day’s worth. When Hardbodies runs out, the First-Stagers are annoyed, like nicotine-craving smokers. The Second-Stagers are *murderous*. If placated somehow, they simply start another workout.

## DEALING WITH THE SWOLES

Pointing the Second-Stagers at another target, like Gálvez or Innusseq’s warehouse, buys the Agents some time. The First-Stagers are still human enough to be bargained with and can be turned against their brethren. The cops can back up the Agents too. At the end of the day, Paul and Kermit are just bullies, going down if faced with tear gas, pepper spray, or tasers.

## ADRIAN’S HOME

Adrian lives alone in a two-story townhome with a patio and one-car garage in a complex with a shared barbeque/play area. There are multiple parked delivery service cars with parking tickets, along with Henry’s car. Adrian has been ordering food and eating the delivery-people for the past week. He entertains visitors, but eventually his hunger gets the better of him. People just smell so tasty. Agents can delay the inevitable by complimenting his physique and discussing fitness. Adrian spends all of time exercising in a home gym, cooking protein-rich meals, eating, and sleeping. He keeps his pods in a cheap safe.

There’s a police investigation into the disappearances. Adrian has terrible tradecraft, but so far the cops have only figured out that *someone* in the complex is responsible. Agents exploring the city will find lots of missing persons posters.

Adrian’s frustrated he can’t seem to get any bigger. Every time he eats someone or gorges himself on normal food, a ‘Swoleling’ erupts from his flesh. They’re six-inch-tall Adrians sculpted from hamburger patties. They look and smell delicious. Eating them costs 1/1D4 **SAN** and raises **STR** by 1 point. Three of them are running around and Adrian has been trying and failing to reabsorb them. If they escaped and found a food source, they could grow into more Adrians, but will more likely be run over by a car or eaten by a dog before then.

## INVESTIGATING INUUSSUSEQ

The company is just a scam, there’s no secret mythos cult. Most orders are stuck in warehouses across the globe. The rest are still in transit. Sommers was the only backer who paid for the early delivery reward.

## INVESTIGATING THE PODS

The bits of Ubbo-Sathla look like cancerous stem cells. The higher an Agent’s **Medicine**, **Science (Biology)**, or **Unnatural** (or the more tests they perform) the more certain they are that it’s benign, even beneficial, only ‘improving’ the natural growth and development of ‘infected’ organisms, 0/1 **SAN**.

## HOME

If the Agents eat Swolelings or ingest pods, stat improvement Home scenes for **STR** or **CON** cost 0/1D4 **SAN** but are more rewarding and can exceed the normal maximum of 18. Successful **STR**/**CONx5** tests still add 1 point to the stat while failures add 1D4. With a supply of the pods, Agents get a -20% penalty to those STR/CONx5 tests. Above 18 **STR**, Agents add +3 damage to all hand-to-hand attacks.

## STAY ON THE CASE

**Rehabilitation**: Adrian, Kermit, and Paul are too far gone, but the others can be saved. Agents can make **Medicine** or **Psychotherapy** tests for each of the First-Stagers. On a success, their cravings subside and they can be recruited as an asset.

**Cleanup**: The Agents can make a case for any skill to cure the Swoles or confiscate any remaining mineral pods. Failure means limited success: the Swoles may become a problem later or some shipments vanish into private hands. Still, the Agent gains +1 **SAN**. Success means the Swoles make a full recovery to an 18 **STR**/**CON** state or every mineral pod is found, +2 **SAN**.

## STUDY THE UNNATURAL

**The Swoles/Pods**: The Agent gains **Unnatural** equal to the Bond points lost and can learn the rituals Unbegotten Source (Healing Balm) and Shield of Life (Exaltation of the Flesh), albeit with fleshier and fattier descriptions and as invocations to Ubbo-Sathla instead of Shub-Niggurath.

**Innuussuseq**: The Agent learns **THE TRUTH** of the scenario, increasing their **Unnatural** skill by twice the number of Bond points lost.

## FIRST-STAGE SWOLE – Touched by Ubbo-Sathla

STR 19, CON 14, DEX 12, INT 10, POW 8, CHA 9

HP 17, WP 9, SAN 40

**ARMOR**: see **MEATY**

**SKILLS**: Alertness 40%, Athletics 50%, Dodge 50%, First Aid 30%, Unarmed Combat 40%

**ATTACKS**: Clobber (50%, 1D6 or grappling)

Improvised Weapon (30%, 2D4)

Thrown Object (50%, 1D6)

**MEATY**: A Swole takes half damage from all attacks except from fire, magic, and other Swoles.

**SAN Loss**: 0/1 if you spend a long time with them

## SECOND-STAGE SWOLE – Overgrown Gym Bros

STR 22, CON 16, DEX 11, INT 8, POW 7, CHA 7

HP 19, WP 6, SAN 35, Addiction (Mineral Pods)

**ARMOR**: see MEATY

**SKILLS**: Alertness 30%, Athletics 50%, Dodge 40%, First Aid 20%, Smell Mineral Pods 30%, Unarmed Combat 45%

**ATTACKS**: Bodyslam (45%, 1D10, see **BODYSLAM**)

Clobber (45%, 1D8 or grappling)

Thrown Object (50%, 1D8)

**BODYSLAM**: This attack requires a running start and cannot be fought back against, but targets get a +20% to their Dodge roll. If hit, targets must pass a STR test or be knocked down.

**MEATY**: A Swole takes half damage from all attacks except from fire, magic, and other Swoles.

**METAMORPHOSIS**: If Paul or Kermit kill any other Swole, they instinctively gorge themselves on them for 1 turn before transforming into **Spawns of Ubbo-Sathla**.

**SAN Loss**: 0/1D4

## SWOLELING – Spawn of Adrian Gálvez

STR 5, CON 5, DEX 17, INT 4, POW 4

HP 5, WP 2

**ARMOR**: see **MEATY**

**SKILLS**: Alertness 70%, Athletics 70%, Dodge 50%, Grapple 50%

**ATTACKS**: Anklebite (50%, 1D4)

**ITTY BITTY**: All attacks against a Swoleling are at -40% due to their size and speed. If their opponent is trying to catch them with a net, pot, or full-body pounce, it’s just a -20% penalty.

**MEATY**: Swolelings take half damage from all attacks except from fire, magic, and Swoles.

**SAN Loss**: 0/1

## ADRIAN GÁLVEZ – Third Stage Swole

STR 23, CON 19, DEX 10, INT 6, POW 6, CHA 5

HP 21, WP 4, SAN 30, Addiction (Mineral Pods), Megalomania

**ARMOR**: see **MEATY**

**SKILLS**: Alertness 20%, Athletics 50%, Dodge 30%, Unarmed Combat 50%

**ATTACKS**: Clobber (50%, 1D10)

Grapple (50%, Pin see **HUNGER**)

Thrown Object (60%, 1D10)

**HUNGER**: After pinning a target, Adrian tears into his victim with a mass of newly born tongues and teeth, dealing 2D6 damage. For each HP the target loses, Adrian regains 1 HP. Seeing Adrian open up like Norris in The Thing costs 1/1D6 **SAN**.

**MEATY**: Adrian takes half damage from all attacks except from fire, magic, and other Swoles.

**METAMORPHOSIS**: If Adrian inflicts any damage on another Swole with **Hunger**, the biological feedback loop triggers his transformation into a **Spawn of Ubbo-Sathla** after 1 turn.

**SAN Loss**: 0/1D4

## SPAWN OF UBBO-SATHLA – Fragment of the Unbegotten Source

STR 25, CON 25, DEX 10, POW 6

HP 25, WP 6

**ARMOR**: see **GODLINGS**

**SKILLS**: Alertness 70%, Roll 80%

**ATTACKS**: Barbed Tentacle (40%, 1D6, 5 AP)

Engulf (55%, 1D8, see **Absorb Nutrients**)

Smash (40%, 2D6, see **Smash**)

**ABSORB NUTRIENTS**: After a Spawn engulfs a victim, they lose 1D8 HP every round and the Spawn regains that much. The victim can attempt a STRx5 test each round to struggle free.

**GODLINGS**: Regular attacks inflict half damage and Lethality rolls automatically fail. Any attack using explosions, fire, or magic inflicts harm normally and does full damage.

**MULTIFORM**: The Spawns can move, change, extrude, extend, and alter their bodies as needed. Each change only takes one turn. A Spawn could extrude more limbs to hold a pinned target, open a cavity to hold an item, turn into a blob for speedy pursuit, etc.

**SMASH**: The spawn gathers up a collection of tentacles and brings them down. It can’t be fought back against and has a 1 meter Kill Radius, but any Dodge attempts get a +20% bonus.

**SAN Loss**: 1/1D6

## Credits

Gains was written by David Tormsen and magnificentophat for the 2022  Shotgun Scenario contest. Source: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1raVjBwHyJ5FOa9IvjTgcZNl\_h2noqkqYTNPDPmg1BCo/edit.

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 © David Tormsen and magnificentophat, excepting those elements that are components of the Delta Green intellectual property.

Gains is not available here under CC-BY-SA.

For preservation purposes, an exported PDF of the original submission can be found here.