In a series I'm fondly calling Agents, Supply Caches, and Resonant Artifacts, we (patreon subscribers) will take a look at some upcoming content I've written for The Bureau Remastered and Case Files 02. These will show up in some form or fashion in those upcoming publication. For the next few Patreon Member Posts I'll be sharing a few entries of Agents that can be used in your Bureau modules (or in any other module for that matter). I will also sprinkle in a handful new Resonant Artifacts and an example Supply Cache as a sneak preview thank you to patrons.
AGENT
Agents are the Bureau’s backbone. Field investigators, desk workers, scientists, intelligence, and counter-intelligence. Agents perform all the necessary investigative work to achieve the Bureau’s prime objectives.
STR: 10 DEX: 12 CTRL: 14 HP: 4 Armor: 1
Service Pistol (d6) or Taser (d6, non-lethal)
Requisition: While in the field, an Agent can request the necessary supplies to complete their objective. Requires access to cell service, the internet, or a field office and an hour to complete the paperwork. Basic goods arrive within 1d6 hours. More complex or specialized goods arrive within 1d12 hours or more.
Reinforce: With a radio call, an Agent can summon 1d4 Operators if any are in the vicinity. They arrive in 1d10 minutes.
Undercover: Agents operating in the field are trained to act independently of direct oversight. While they may openly conduct investigations like any other law officers, they are also capable of going deep undercover when the situation calls for it. This is most commonly done in places where frequent paranatural activity occurs to monitor the situation and alert Bureau management when new situations arise.
KNOWN BUREAU AGENTS
Agent Tsuda. Must be close to retirement. Large claw marks across face. Never passes up a moment to sneak a drink. Grumpy. Extremely dangerous.
Agent Thompson. Prone to pessimism rebranded as being pragmatic. Refuses to take on a new partner. Has been dubbed the “Eternal Sole Survivor."
Agent Taggert. Always wearing sunglasses and headphones. Reason is classified, but Taggert’s brain cannot forget. Uses drugs to dampen senses.
Agent Williams. Monolithic in stature, always donning tailored items, since off the rack doesn’t fit. Prioritizes being prepared. Showcases genuine interest when asking questions.
BUREAU SUPPLY CACHES
Unmarked storage locations used by Factions (primarily the Bureau) as assets to store equipment, clues, research, and Resonant Artifacts. Due to their decentralized nature their locations are obfuscated even from other employees from the same Faction.
Location: Trunk of an abandoned Lincoln Town car in longterm parking.
A folder containing a series of handwritten poems scrawled in a twisting pattern. Reading one of these causes a piece of oneself to twist and break off, becoming lost (a memory, a feeling, a sense).
A gun made of flesh. It uses human teeth for ammunition. 1d8 damage. Comes with a ziplock back of 23 teeth.
A large piece of amber with an embryo inside. Examining it over a long period of time shows that it is still developing.
A well worn credit card that is accepted at most establishments. Unclear where the card's charges are sent to.
Well maintained combat knife.
Backpack full of tranquilizers.
RESONANT ARTIFACTS
Resonant Artifacts are objects imbued with the weird. An Investigator can use the power of a Resonant Artifact as part of their normal action, provided the activation trigger can be completed within a few seconds.
A stone of perfect proportion. Exceptionally smooth, fits perfectly into one's palm.
Activation: Destroy the stone.
Effect: The earth will weep, causing a 1d10 magnitude earthquake.
Silver Whistle. Hangs on a black necklace, much like those found at recess and sporting events.
Activation: Blow the whistle.
Effect: A thick, unnatural fog rolls in. Sounds not of this world can be heard moving within.
Berserker's Blade. A blood stained kitchen knife.
Activation: The knife touches bare skin.
Effect: The being that makes physical contact with the knife is overcome with a bloodthirsty rage, attempting to kill anyone in the vicinity. If there is no one left to kill, they will turn to themselves, purging the area of all life.
Porcelain Doll. Of unknown origin, the unglazed, matte-finish is reminiscent of human skin.
Activation: Set the doll If left beside someone who is sleeping
Effect: The doll will animate and attempt to kill the sleeper. If successful, a second doll will be there in the morning, resembling the now disappeared victim.
13 Severed and Dried Fingers. Twisted and mangled, with impossibly sharp fingernails.
Activation: Swallow one of the fingers.
Effect: Each finger contains a fraction of their original vessel’s Resonant Energy. Consuming one of the fingers increases STR, DEX, CTRL, or HP by one. Followers of the original vessel will attempt to retrieve the fingers, going so far as to cut them out if consumed. Reuniting all 13 will bring about the Vessel’s rebirth.
Hunger. Typically a blade, but most recently a revolver. Hunger’s Resonant essence has shifted between items through history.
Activation: Hold Hunger in your hand.
Effect: Deals Enhanced damage, but the wielder takes 1d6 damage (ignore HP) when you put the weapon away, as it craves bloodshed.
Headphones. A pair of supra-aural headphones that sit on one’s ear.
Activation: Wear the headphones.
Effect: The user’s mind is filled with the thoughts of all those within a mile of them. Make a CTRL save to sort through them. Unbeknownst to the wielder, some of the thoughts are fabricated by the Resonant Artifact itself. Whenever the wearer fails a CTRL save, their thoughts are broadcast out.
Smooth Stone. A perfectly spherical stone.
Activation: Take the stone into one’s inventory.
Effect: The stone fills up an inventory slot. It increases the weight of the owner by 2x. Any mundane attempt to dispose of the stone (throwing, destroying) only results in it returning to the users inventory, this time taking up an additional slot.