TEXT: STEVEN S. LONG
  CURSE OF THE
  VULTURE-GOD
  
  Author: Steven S. Long
  Editing & Development:  Steven S. Long
  Layout & Graphic Design:  Steven S. Long 
  (well, OK, using tools and templates devel-
  oped by Andy Mathews, and with some sug-
  gestions by Andy Mathews...)
  Illustrations:  Steven S. Long using Campaign 
  Cartographer 2 Pro from ProFantasy Soft ware 
  (try it! It’s great!)
  Everything Else:  Stev... you get the picture
  Hero SystemTM ® is DOJ, Inc.’s trademark for its roleplaying system.
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  reserved.
  Champions © 1984, 1989, 2002 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved.
  Fantasy Hero © 2003 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved.
  Dark Champions © 2004 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved.
  Pulp Hero and Curse Of The Vulture-God © 2005 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. 
  All rights reserved.
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  Printed in the U.S.A. First printing November 2005
  Produced and distributed by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games.
  Stock Number:  DOJHERO-HPA13
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  A Hero Plus Adventure for
  TABLE OF
  CONTENTS
  Background 
   
  4
  Adventure Summary 
  4
  Part One:  Journey To Egypt 5
  Part Two:  The Pharaoh’s
       Tomb  
   
  6
  Part Three:  Takhat-nakht
       Risen  
   
  8
  Conclusion 
   
  9
  Takhat-nakht 
   
  9
  10¢
  30 x
  CURSE OF THE
  VULTURE-GOD
  
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  4  Curse Of The Vulture-God
  Hero System 5th Edition
  When a colleague of theirs uncovers a new clue 
  leading to the undisturbed tomb of a pharaoh, the 
  heroes ﬁ nd themselves plunged into the middle of a 
  millennia-old scheme to unleash an ancient, impris-
  oned evil. When their eﬀ orts to resolve the crisis only 
  make things worse, they have to race against time to 
  destroy the newly-arisen priest of the evil vulture-god, 
  Ehbek-Reme!
  Curse Of Th e Vulture-God is a Pulp Hero adven-
  ture designed for characters built on a total of 150 
  Character Points or less. Th e optimal number of PCs 
  is four to six, but you can scale it up or down based on 
  the number of opponents you pit against the heroes in 
  various encounters.
  BACKGROUND
  In the days of ancient Egypt, a few dark and 
  evil-minded Egyptians worshipped Ehbek-Reme, 
  the vulture-god, son of Set and god of darkness and 
  cruelty. Th eir cult was a shadow upon the land, a force 
  for chaos and destruction. In time a mighty pharaoh, 
  Amen-ta-hetep, destroyed the cult and executed 
  its leader, the high priest Takhat-nakht. As he died, 
  Takhat-nakht cursed all of Egypt, and prophesied that 
  he would not truly die, but one day would return to 
  make Ehbek-Reme supreme among all the gods.
  Fearing this might be true, Amen-ta-hetep 
  and the priests of Horus took steps to prevent the 
  prophecy from coming to pass. Aft er Takhat-nakht 
  was slain, they mummiﬁ ed him and buried him 
  in a deep, unmarked tomb which they protected 
  with many wards and seals. Some years later, when 
  Amen-ta-hetep died, he was buried in a tomb directly 
  Takhat-nakht’s, that he might guard him and keep him 
  imprisoned for eternity. Th e priests cast special spells 
  over the mummiﬁ ed pharaoh, giving him the power to 
  rise from his sarcophagus to ﬁ ght any who would try 
  to despoil the tombs or free Takhat-nakht.
  Despite Amen-ta-hetep’s eﬀ orts, the cult of 
  Ehbek-Reme did not truly die. It survived by lurking 
  in the shadows, its few members passing the wor-
  ship of the vulture-god from father to son, mother to 
  daughter, right down to the present day. Th e cult’s goal, 
  then as now, has been to free Takhat-nakht that he 
  might return to life and lead them... but the spells and 
  traps placed upon his tomb, and the fearful presence 
  of the phraoh’s mummy, has always thwarted them.
  Recently the cult’s current leader, a devilish little 
  man named Aboosh, devised a plan to achieve the 
  cult’s long-held goals. Rather than try to penetrate 
  the tombs by themselves, the cultists would use cat’s-
  paws — a famous archaeologist or two. Someone who 
  doesn’t worship the vulture-god can get through some 
  of the wards easily... and then, while they’re ﬁ ghting 
  (and hopefully destroying) the pharaoh’s mummy, the 
  cultists can sneak down into Takhat-nakht’s tomb, free 
  him, and escape by a tunnel the cult dug centuries ago 
  in a failed eﬀ ort to get to him. Th en Ehbek-Reme will 
  reign supreme!
  But Amen-ta-hetep’s mummy isn’t the only thing 
  protecting his (and Takhat-nakht’s) tomb. Th e priests 
  who interred him gave the responsibility to watch over 
  the tombs to their sons, and their son’s sons, and so on 
  through the centuries. Today this group, the Brother-
  hood of the Western Ankh, continues to monitor and 
  defend Amen-ta-hetep’s burial-place.
  ADVENTURE SUMMARY
  Th e adventure begins when Sir Robert Munson, 
  an old friend of one or more PCs, wires them that 
  he’s found a lead to the long-sought tomb of Pharoah 
  Amen-ta-hetep. He claims to have bought it in the 
  Cairo marketplace (though in fact that’s not the truth, 
  as described below). He asks the heroes to come help 
  him open, excavate, and catalog the tomb — a price-
  less opportunity that could make them all as famous 
  as Howard Carter!
  While sailing to Egypt, the heroes are attacked 
  by a mysterious group of marauders! Th e  Brothers of 
  the Western Ankh have gotten wind of what’s going 
  on, and, suspecting the heroes of being vulture-god 
  cultists (or, at best, woefully ignorant), they’ve decided 
  to cut the problem oﬀ  at the source by killing them. 
  Th e heroes win the ﬁ ght, but are left  wondering who 
  attacked them, and why.
  Aft er landing in Egypt, the heroes and Munson 
  head out to the tomb, which is located beneath what 
  seems to be a hill in a rocky valley not far from the 
  Valley of the Kings. Th eir bearers and servants, unbe-
  knownst to them, are all vulture-god cultists! Th e 
  expedition ﬁ nds the tomb and starts digging without 
  major mishap, and soon uncovers the entrance to the 
  tomb.
  Th e heroes enter the tomb, marveling at the won-
  ders they see before them, untouched for thousands 
  of years. But then the pharaoh’s mummy awakens 
  and attacks them! Th e Brothers of the Western Ankh 
  arrive to help him, putting the heroes in the middle of 
  a swirling melee. During the ensuing ﬁ ght, the bearers 
  and servants sneak away, enter Takhat-nakht’s tomb 
  by a secret staircase, and escape with the high priest’s 
  mummiﬁ ed body, leaving the heroes to die.
  Aft er they realize what’s happened, the heroes 
  and the Brothers have to team up to track the cult 
  CURSE OF THE
  VULTURE-GOD
  HERO PLUS 
  ADVENTURES
  Curse Of Th e Vulture-
  God is one of Hero 
  Games’s Hero Plus 
  Adventures, a series of 
  short, no-frills, inex-
  pensive adventures in 
  PDF format. Hero Plus 
  Adventures are designed 
  to provide roughly one 
  game session’s worth of 
  entertainment, though 
  they include suggestions 
  on how to lengthen or 
  expand the scenario 
  if you want to. Th ey’re 
  written with simplicity 
  and ease of use in mind 
  so you can run them 
  with a minimum of 
  preparation.
  PRINTING
  Th e general statement 
  on the credits page not-
  withstanding, DOJ, Inc. 
  grants each purchaser 
  of Curse Of Th e Vulture-
  God permission to make 
  one (1) printed copy of 
  this adventure.
  
  5 
  Hero Plus Adventure #13
  down and stop it from reviving Takhat-nakht. Th ey 
  arrive when he’s just begun to awaken and his powers 
  are weak, giving them a chance to defeat him. If not, 
  the world is surely doomed....
  PART ONE:
  JOURNEY TO EGYPT
  Th e adventure begins when the heroes receive 
  a telegram from their old friend, noted archaeologist 
  and Egyptologist Sir Robert Munson. It reads:
  Have discovered new lead tomb 
  Amen-ta-hetep. Come to Cairo soon-
  est to join expedition! Wire with 
  travel plans.
  —Munson
  (As a fun prop, create a telegram and “deliver” it 
  to the players.)
  No true Pulp hero could resist an invitation like 
  that! As any hero with an appropriate Background 
  Skill (SS: Archaeology, KS: Egypt, KS: Ancient History, 
  or the like) can tell the group, if Munson has found a 
  way to locate the never-uncovered tomb of the power-
  ful pharaoh Amen-ta-hetep, it’s a discovery that will 
  make the tomb of Tutankhamen pale in signiﬁ cance.
  To give you the chance to stage an initial encoun-
  ter with the Brothers of the Western Ankh — thus 
  injecting an early bit of action and clueing the heroes 
  in to the fact that there’s more going on than a simple 
  archaeological expedition — try to arrange it so the 
  heroes have to get to Egypt via ocean liner. Don’t start 
  the adventure until they’re far enough from Egypt that 
  they can’t get there easily. If they have access to a plane 
  or prefer to ﬂ y, try to ﬁ nd a way to stop them from 
  doing so, or make an ocean voyage more attractive 
  somehow. If you absolutely can’t get them on a ship, 
  stage the ﬁ rst encounter with the Brotherhood of the 
  Western Ankh at the airﬁ eld when they land, at their 
  hotel in Cairo, or the like.
  SHIPBOARD BATTLE
  One night while the heroes are relaxing (eating, 
  playing cards, dancing, or engaging in some other 
  form of entertainment that the ocean liner has to 
  oﬀ er), a group of Arabic-looking men swarms into the 
  room and attacks them! Since the heroes aren’t expect-
  ing trouble, they shouldn’t be armed; they’ll have to 
  deal with these attackers using their ﬁ sts, their wits, 
  and whatever they can ﬁ nd in the way of impromptu 
  weapons. See the accompanying sidebar for a charac-
  ter sheet for the Brothers.
  If possible, draw this ﬁ ght out a bit. Make it 
  a running battle around the ship as the heroes try 
  to stop their attackers, who will retreat, take hos-
  tages, and do whatever they must to win the battle 
  (remember, they’re fanatics!). Give the heroes plenty 
  of interesting scenery to swing from, jump over, and 
  hit people with. If you need ﬂ oorplans for the ship, try 
  these websites, which have maps of the Queen Mary:
  http://www.paper-dragon.com/1939/images/
  queenmarydeckplan.jpg
  http://www.queenmary.com/factsandhistory.
  php?page=deckplans
  Th e ﬁ ght should be tough, exciting, and oﬀ er 
  plenty of opportunities for heroic action and daring-
  do. In the end, the heroes should win... and if pos-
  sible, all the Brothers should be dead or beyond their 
  reach (e.g., thrown overboard) when it ends. Th e rest 
  of the adventure works better if the heroes think the 
  Brotherhood is inimical — if the heroes don’t yet 
  know exactly what’s going on. If necessary, assume 
  each Brother has a hidden cyanide tooth and uses it to 
  commit suicide if he has no other option.
  When they search the bodies of their defeated 
  adversaries, the heroes note several interesting facts:
  1. Based on appearance and clothing, each of them 
  seems to be Egyptian.
  2. Each of them has, somewhere on his person, a 
  tattoo of a blue ankh (crux ansata) turned on its 
  side, with the loop pointing to his right (the view-
  er’s left ). (See the sidebar for an example.) Most of 
  the time the tattoo’s on the center of the chest, but 
  some have it on the back or the upper arm.
  IN CAIRO
  Th ankfully, the rest of the journey passes without 
  incident and the heroes arrive in Cairo. Sir Robert 
  meets them at the docks with a group of native Egyp-
  tian porters to carry their luggage. Two of the laborers, 
  Baktiar and Wasim, are his personal servants. Th ey 
  seem very solicitous of him — they protect him from 
  the sun with an umbrella, carry things so he doesn’t 
  have to, and see to his every need. Nevertheless, have 
  any hero with Acting make a roll. If he succeeds by 3 
  or more, something about Baktiar and Wasim doesn’t 
  seem quite right to him — they “rub him the wrong 
  way,” so to speak, though he can’t put his ﬁ nger on 
  why. (If no hero has Acting, use PER Rolls instead.)
  Sir Robert, an Englishman in his late 40s, is 
  friendly, eﬀ usive, and glad to see the heroes. He’s 
  excited at the prospect of discovering and opening the 
  pharaoh’s tomb and is eager to get started. He suggests 
  that he see the heroes to their hotel, and in the morn-
  ing he can explain the situation and they can ﬁ nish 
  outﬁ tting the expedition and set forth into the desert.
  Th e heroes are now free to enjoy Cairo’s night life. 
  If you want to extend the adventure a little, roleplay 
  the evening a bit, or even throw in some encounters 
  while they’re on the town. Perhaps the Brotherhood 
  of the Western Ankh attacks them again, or they run 
  afoul of pickpockets, encounter a femme fatale, or get 
  swept up into some sort of short, simple murder plot 
  that has nothing to do with Sir Robert’s expedition.
  Th e Map
  When they meet the next day, Sir Robert shows 
  the heroes the cornerstone of his expedition:  an ancient 
  papyrus map. He unrolls it with great care so as not to 
  damage it, and carries it with him in a sturdy leather 
  tube. Any hero with an appropriate Background Skill or 
  Forgery (Art Objects or Documents) can make a roll to 
  determine that it’s authentic — and it is.
  Th e map shows a valley, with the pharaoh’s tomb 
  marked on it and various lines of hieroglyphics in the 
  margins. According to Sir Robert, the hieroglyphics 
  BROTHER
  OF THE
  WESTERN 
  ANKH
   11 STR 
  14 DEX
   13 CON 10 BODY
   10 INT 
  8 EGO
   13 PRE 
  8 COM
   5 PD 
  3 ED
   3 SPD 
  6 REC
   26 END 20 STUN
  Weapons:  
  Dagger (HKA 1d6-1, 
  STR Min 6, Can Be 
  Th rown)
  Pistol (RKA 1d6, 6 
  shots)
  Abilities:  Concealment 
  11-, KS: Egyptian His-
  tory And Civilization 
  11-, KS: Brotherhood 
  Lore 11-, Stealth 11-, 
  WF: Common Melee 
  Weapons, Small Arms
  25+ Disadvantages:  Psy-
  chological Limitation:  
  Fanatically Devoted To 
  Preventing Th e Rise Of 
  Ehbek-Reme
  
  oﬀ er directions and descriptions that allowed him to 
  narrow the search and, eventually, ﬁ nd the right valley.
  If questioned above the provenance of the map, 
  Sir Robert explains that he bought it from an old 
  bookseller in the souq (marketplace) of Cairo. He 
  didn’t realize what it was at ﬁ rst, exactly — he just 
  liked the look of it and thought it was worth the 
  minor price the man asked. Later, aft er he examined 
  it and discovered what it was, he tried to ﬁ nd the old 
  bookseller again, but to no avail.
  Unfortunately for the heroes, Sir Robert is lying. 
  Th e truth is that his servants told him they found the 
  map one morning on his doorstep in the same leather 
  tube he carries it in. He assumes someone who knows 
  his reputation as an Egyptologist left  it for him as a 
  present, but he doesn’t want to sully the whole story 
  by admitting he doesn’t know anything about it. He’s 
  also afraid no one will take his expedition seriously 
  if he tells the truth. His persuasive servants, Baktiar 
  and Wasim, convinced him to keep the facts about the 
  map secret. Th ey’re vulture-god cultists, and the ones 
  who “left  it on the doorstep.” It’s an actual relic the 
  cult’s using as part of the overall scheme.
  In any event, there’s no question of the map’s 
  authenticity as a relic, and Sir Robert’s convinced that 
  it’s shown him the way to Amen-ta-hetep’s tomb. Now 
  he just has to lead the expedition there and prove it.
  Th e Expedition
  Th e heroes can now help Sir Robert ﬁ nish outﬁ t-
  ting his expedition. He’s got the necessary permits taken 
  care of, and can aﬀ ord to fund the expedition himself, so 
  all they have to do is let him know what they think the 
  group needs. With the help of Baktiar and Wasim, he’s 
  already arranged for porters, bearers, and laborers... who, 
  unknown to him, are all vulture-god cultists!
  If you want to expand on the adventure, this is 
  another excellent opportunity. Th e Brotherhood of the 
  Western Ankh could attack the heroes while they’re in 
  the marketplace buying the supplies. It’s a rollicking, 
  two-ﬁ sted brawl through the stalls and dustry streets 
  as the heroes try to defeat their enemies and get away 
  with the supplies!
  PART TWO:
  THE PHARAOH’S TOMB
  Th e trip across the desert to the valley where the 
  tomb’s located is simple and uneventful... unless you 
  prefer otherwise. Th e Brothers might attack again, a 
  sandstorm might strike, or the heroes might meet an 
  ancient old man who utters a cryptic warning and 
  then falls dead — whatever you want to do that ﬁ ts the 
  tone of the adventure.
  Once the expedition arrives, the laborers set up 
  camp. According to Sir Robert’s research, the low, ﬂ at 
  hill on the eastern side of the valley is actually the 
  tomb. Th e workers start digging in the locations the 
  heroes and Sir Robert think are most likely to contain 
  the entrance to the tomb. Th is being a Pulp adventure, 
  they PCs ﬁ nd what they’re looking for in just a couple 
  of days:  a large, ﬂ at capstone on the top of the tomb 
  sealing the entrance to a tunnel. A ladder leads down 
  into the structure itself.
  An hour or so later, the capstone’s been fully 
  cleared and the workers are ready to lever it up out 
  of place. Feel free to ratchet up the tension a bit by 
  describing the scene and implying that something 
  may come out of the tomb when it’s opened... but as 
  the capstone’s lift ed, nothing unusual occurs.
  Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the heroes or each 
  other, two groups are sneaking around nearby. First, a 
  group of vulture-cultists is in the rocky hills around 
  the valley, making its way down a tunnel the cult dug 
  to Takhat-nakht’s tomb years ago. When the diggers 
  reached the tomb’s walls, the protective magics on it 
  killed them, and the cult abandoned the project. But 
  the cultists believe that once they gain entrance to the 
  tomb from the inside, they can safely smash down the 
  wall and use the tunnel to escape with Takhat-nakht’s 
  body. Second, a group of Brothers of the Western 
  Ankh, commanded by their leader Bahram al-Mutaba, 
  is getting ready to raid the campsite to help Amen-ta-
  hetep protect the tomb and keep Takhat-nakht from 
  returning to life.
  IN THE TOMB
  Th e heroes, Sir Robert, and a contingent of 
  laborers climb down the ladder into the tomb. (If the 
  heroes forbid the laborers to enter, they’ll sneak down 
  later while the heroes are occupied.) Th e walls of the 
  antechamber are decorated with beautiful Egyptian 
  paintings... and the doors leading into the next room 
  are still sealed!
  Th ey’re also protected by a trap. If the heroes 
  don’t make a Security Systems roll at -2 to detect the 
  trap, and another at -4 to disarm it, when they try to 
  open the doors anyone within 12 feet (2”) of them 
  falls into a 30 meter (100 feet, or 15”) deep pit! Half a 
  minute (3 Turns) later a block of stone falls from the 
  ceiling into the pit, crushing anyone inside.
  Th e accompanying map shows the tomb. Th e 
  main part is a squarish room, 8” x 10”, with 1”-wide 
  columns down either side and the pharaoh’s sarcopha-
  gus along the center of the western wall. Th e room is 
  lavishly decorated with wall-paintings and ﬁ lled with 
  rich grave-goods... but if the heroes (or, if necessary, 
  Sir Robert) make an appropriate KS or SS roll, they 
  realize there aren’t nearly as many grave-goods as 
  one would expect for a pharaoh of Amen-ta-hetep’s 
  prominent and importance. One conclusion is that he 
  was moved here from an earlier, safer location... but 
  that just doesn’t seem right. For some reason Amen-
  ta-hetep wasn’t given many goods. It’s almost as if his 
  burial here served another purpose than just honoring 
  and protecting him in the aft erlife....
  As noted on the map, one of the columns con-
  ceals a hidden staircase. Th e cultists know about this, 
  and how to open the secret door. When the ﬁ ght 
  begins, as many of them as they can get away with it 
  sneak over there and head down to Takhat-nakht’s 
  burial chamber. Do your best to arrange things so 
  this can occur without straining verisimilitude too 
  much. If you absolutely can’t get away with it, assume 
  the cultists smash into Takhat-nakht’s tomb through 
  their old tunnel — now that the heroes have opened 
  the pharaoh’s tomb, the protective magics that once 
  stopped them from doing this have stopped working.
  6   Curse Of The Vulture-God
  Hero System 5th Edition
  
  7 
  Hero Plus Adventure #13
  THE TOMB OF
  AMEN-TA-HETEP
  10" long
  8" long
  s
  To secret cave in the
  rocks overlooking the
  valley
  Takhat-nakht's
  Burial Chamber
  
  Th e Mummy Awakens!
  Th e sarcophagus, as the centerpiece of the room 
  and the pharaoh’s resting-place, is sure to attract the 
  attention of the heroes. As they examine it, they hear a 
  muﬄ  ed BOOM from inside — almost as if something 
  struck the sarcophagus. Th en, suddenly, the lid ﬂ ies 
  oﬀ  and the mummy emerges! Treat this as a Presence 
  Attack 10d6, which will hopefully be enough to make 
  the heroes hesitate for the rest of Segment 12.
  For Amen-ta-hetep’s mummy, use the character 
  sheet on page 122 of Th e HERO System Bestiary. If 
  necessary, beef it up or add optional powers so it can 
  go toe-to-wrappings with the heroes for at least a 
  couple of Phases.
  Th e Brotherhood Arrives
  Aft er a couple of Phases, a group of yelling, 
  shooting, rampaging Brothers of the Western Ankh 
  descends on the chamber and begins ﬁ ghting the 
  heroes! Now trapped between an angry mummy and 
  an angry mob, the heroes may be in real trouble.
  Aft er a couple of Phases of ﬁ ghting, let the heroes 
  make PER Rolls. If any of them succeed, they notice 
  something that makes them suspicious — the open 
  secret door in the column, a cultists slipping into the 
  column, the sudden complete absence of the laborers 
  who entered the tomb with them, or the Brotherhood’s 
  sideways-ankh symbol on the mummy. Th ey might 
  even hear the muﬄ  ed detonation of the dynamite the 
  cult uses to blast through the wall of Takhat-nakht’s 
  tomb to get to the tunnel. Alternately, maybe Bahram 
  al-Mutaba realizes something’s amiss and tries to call 
  a temporary truce. (As leader of the Brotherhood, he 
  can command the mummy to stop ﬁ ghting.)
  However you do it, get the heroes and the Broth-
  ers to stop ﬁ ghting and realize they’re basically on the 
  same side. With that realization they should ﬁ gure 
  out that they’ve been tricked. If they haven’t noticed it 
  already, now they should spot the secret door. Rush-
  ing down to the lower level and Takhat-nakht’s burial 
  chamber, they discover that his tomb’s empty... and 
  there’s a tunnel leading up toward the surface!
  Trapped!
  As they charge up the tunnel, have the heroes 
  make PER Rolls. Any PC who succeeds sees the 
  bundle of dynamite left  in the tunnel by the ﬂ eeing 
  cultists! Any hero who tries to proceed gets caught in 
  an RKA 4d6 Explosion that collapses the tunnel. Th e 
  only way to remain safe is to dive back into Takhat-
  nakht’s tomb. If appropriate, you might have Bahram 
  al-Mutaba throw one of the heroes out of the way and 
  take the blast himself... and then, with his last dying 
  breath, beg them to stop the cult once and for all.
  Th e heroes return to Amen-ta-hetep’s tomb... 
  only to discover the cult’s sealed them in by putting 
  the capstone back in place! Th ey can’t last long down 
  here — there’s only a little air and a few light sources 
  — so they’d better think of a way out fast. If nothing 
  else, you can have several strong PCs and Brothers 
  climb up the ladder and lift  the capstone, but if the 
  PCs can think up a cleverer solution, let them.
  PART THREE:
   TAKHAT-NAKHT RISEN
  Either based on the horriﬁ c paintings on the 
  walls of Takhat-nakht’s burial chamber or because the 
  Brothers tell them, the heroes now realize the mummy 
  taken from the second chamber by the cultists was 
  that of the high priest of Ehbek-Reme, the evil vul-
  ture-god. Th e Brothers can also explain that the cult 
  intends to resurrect him so it can rule the world with 
  the power of Ehbek-Reme (if there are no Brothers 
  left  alive to tell them this, let the heroes make Deduc-
  tion or appropriate KS/SS rolls to ﬁ gure it out). It’s up 
  to the heroes to prevent the cult from performing the 
  Ritual of Rebirth and save the day!
  Th e question is:  where has the cult taken the 
  priest’s mummy? A spell of such power can only be 
  cast in certain places, and as any character who makes 
  an appropriate KS or SS roll can discern, the most 
  likely one based on importance and proximity is the 
  Oasis of al-Arnabah, located in the desert far west of 
  the Valley of the Kings. And sure enough, if the heroes 
  head that way they’ll soon see tracks indicating some-
  one else passed that way recently....
  Th e heroes arrive at the Oasis — a pond sur-
  rounded by luxurious growths of palm trees and 
  similar plants — some hours later. (If possible, arrange 
  events so this takes place at night.) Th e cult had set up 
  for the ritual in advance in a clearing near the water 
  — there’s an altar (on which Takhat-nakht’s mummy 
  now lies), ﬁ re-ﬁ lled braziers, and other accouterments. 
  Dozens of robed cultists watch as their leader, Aboosh, 
  ﬁ nishes casting the spell. As the heroes watch, he steps 
  back from the mummy and makes one last gesture. 
  Th ey’re too late!
  With a jerk, accompanied by a peal of thunder 
  and ﬂ ash of lightning, Takhat-nakht sits up. If the 
  heroes keep watching, he unwraps his bandages to 
  show himself hale and hearty once more — a living, 
  breathing, evilly handsome man of obvious power. If 
  the heroes attack immediately, he removes his ban-
  dages with a ﬂ ash of magical ﬁ re.
  Now it’s time for the big, climactic ﬁ ght pitting 
  the heroes and the Brotherhood against the cult and 
  the newly-arisen Takhat-nakht. You’ll ﬁ nd a character 
  sheet for Takhat-nakht at the end of this adventure; 
  for the cultists use the Brother character sheet from 
  earlier in this adventure.
  Since Takhat-nakht possesses great mystical 
  power, he should give the heroes a hard time in the 
  ﬁ ght, especially if they don’t have any mystics of their 
  own to oppose him. If necessary, diminish his powers 
  a bit, or give one of the Brothers enough protective 
  magics to shield the heroes a little. Th is should be 
  a tough ﬁ ght, not necessarily one the heroes win. If 
  they lose, Takhat-nakht heads to Giza to found his 
  new Egyptian Empire, and the heroes have to follow 
  him there to get another crack at him (perhaps with 
  a detour to the Egyptian Museum to pick up an 
  enchanted weapon they can use against him).
  8    Curse Of The Vulture-God
  Hero System 5th Edition
  
  9 
  Hero Plus Adventure #13
  CONCLUSION
  Assuming the ﬁ ght goes the heroes’ way, the 
  threat of Takhat-nakht and the cult of the vulture-god 
  Ehbek-Reme has been ended... for now. No doubt 
  other cultists remain elsewhere in Egypt, and the day 
  will come when they’re ready for another attempt to 
  take over Egypt, and then the world — and, of course, 
  get revenge on the heroes.
  TAKHATNAKHT RISEN
  Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
  20 
  STR 
  10 
  13- 
  Lift  400 kg; 4d6 [4]
  20 
  DEX 
  30 
  13- 
  OCV:  7/DCV:  7
  20 
  CON 
  20 
  13-
  15 
  BODY 10 
  12-
  18 
  INT 
  8 
  13- 
  PER Roll 13-
  20 
  EGO 
  20 
  13- 
  ECV:  7
  25 
  PRE 
  20 
  14- 
  PRE Attack:  5d6
  14 
  COM 
  2 
  12-
  8  
  PD 
  4 
   
  Total:  11 PD (3 rPD)
  8  
  ED 
  4 
   
  Total:  11 ED (3 rED)
  4  
  SPD 
  10 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
  10 
  REC 
  4
  40 
  END 
  0
  40 
  STUN 
  5 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  147
  Movement: 
  Running: 
  6”/12”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  45 
  Th e Gift s Of Ehbek-Reme:  Multipower,
  45-point reserve
  5u 
   1)  Fire Of Th e Gods:  Energy Blast 8d6, 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  2
  4u 
   2)  Hand Of Th e Gods:  Telekinesis
  (20 STR), Reduced Endurance (½
  END; +¼) 
  1
  3u 
   3)  Curse Of Scorpions:  RKA ½d6, NND 
  (defense is Life Support [appropriate
  Immunity]; +1), Does BODY (+1), Con-
  tinuous (+1), Reduced Endurance (½
  END; +¼); Limited Range (10”; -¼) 
  2
  4u 
   4)  Curse Of Weakness:  Drain STR and
  DEX 2½d6, two Characteristics simul-
   
  taneously (+½), Limited Range (10”; +¼) 4
  100 
   Armies Of Th e Dead:  Summon four
  395-point mummies (see HERO System
  Bestiary, page 122), Slavishly Devoted
  (+1), Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼); 
  Arrives Under Own Power (-½), Sum-
  moned Being Must Inhabit Locale (-½) 
  9
   
  Talents
  6 
  Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED)
   
  Skills
  2 
  AK: Ancient Egypt 11-
  2 
  KS: Egyptian History 11-
  5 
  KS: Egyptian Myth And Legend 15-
  3 
  Stealth 13-
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  179
  Total Cost:  326
  75+ Disadvantages
  10 
  Distinctive Features:  Mystic Aura (Not Con-
  cealable; Always Noticed; Detectable Only 
  With Unusual Senses)
  15 
  Hunted:  Brotherhood Of Th e Western Ankh 
  14- (Less Pow, Destroy)
  25 
  Psychological Limitation:  Must Fulﬁ ll Th e 
  Will Of Ehbek-Reme (Very Common, Total)
  10 
  Vulnerability:  2 x STUN from Life/Holy 
  Magics (Uncommon)
  10 
  Vulnerability:  2 x BODY from Life/Holy 
  Magics (Uncommon)
  181 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  326
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Hero Games/5th Edition/Pulp Hero - Curse of the Vulture God.pdf