TEXT: By Owen K. C. Stephens
  A Short d20 Modern Adventure for Four 14th-Level Characters
  ANYTHING
  GOES
  “The evil that men do lives after them.” That saying is
  often used to explain family curses and people’s
  enduring fascination with famous crimes. But some
  acts are so vile that they release evil as a palpable
  force—one that can infest the very land on which it
  arises. Even though the deeds that spawned it may be
  long forgotten, the evil remains, twisting and cor-
  rupting all who come into contact with it.
  Such an ancient evil is at the heart of the events in
  Anything Goes. Centuries ago, vile acts of treachery
  combined with the necromantic arts to create an
  enduring evil force on the island called Remorte, Ever
  since, it has brought death and worse to those who
  dared to visit. Can the heroes cleanse the island of its
  malady before it claims even more lives?
  LEVELS
  Anything Goes is a site-based adventure for four 14th-
  level characters. Though not designed for any specific
  d20 MODERN campaign setting, Anything Goes fea-
  tures aliens, undead, psionics, magic, and high tech, so
  it isn’t appropriate for campaigns that exclude these
  elements. However, it’s a handy vehicle for introduc-
  ing one of these elements to a game that previously
  excluded it. For example, a d20 MODERN game that
  previously included undead and magic, but not psion-
  ics or aliens, could put ghost-hunters face-to-face
  with creatures from another planet via this adventure.
  You, the Game Master (GM), need a copy of the d20
  MODERN Roleplaying Game to run this adventure. A
  copy of the d20 MODERN Menace Manual would also be
  helpful, but it is not required, since full statistics for all
  the creatures taken from it are provided with the
  adventure. To get started, print out the adventure
  (including the map of Remorte Island) and read it
  through. Specific maps for the various locations on the
  island aren’t necessary, since each is a simple open area
  described in the text of the adventure. You can add as
  much or as little detail about each site as you wish.
  
  d20 MODERN
  2
  Familiarize yourself with the general history of the situation,
  the layout of the island, its denizens and their plans, and the
  descriptions of etoile, fraal, ghouls, sand slaves, bodaks, and
  revenants from the d20 MODERN Menace Manual. Then make
  sure you are familiar with the rules for combat, movement, and
  cover from Chapter 5 of the d20 MODERN Roleplaying Game.
  The text that appears in shaded boxes should be read
  aloud or paraphrased for the players. Unshaded boxes con-
  tain important information for the GM, including special
  instructions. Opponents’ statistics are provided in abbrevi-
  ated form.
  BACKGROUND
  The island of Remorte is a small, isolated rock somewhere off
  the northeastern coast of the United States. The events cur-
  rently taking place there stem from a centuries-old evil.
  Though it’s not necessary for the heroes to understand every
  step leading from that ancient evil to the horrors the island
  currently contains, the entire history of the place is pre-
  sented here so that you as GM can become familiar with it.
  Remorte has no native inhabitants and precious little local
  fauna. It functioned as a pirate haven in the age of sail, and a
  horrendous massacre occurred here when the crews of two
  pirate ships fell to blows over the division of a cargo ship’s
  spoils. One of the ships’ captains knew a bit of voodoo
  necromancy, and he tried to raise his crew from the dead to
  continue fighting, but he made an error. The botched ritual
  turned all the dead pirates into zombies, which then slew all
  the remaining pirates and destroyed both ships. Local legend
  marked the island as accursed, and no one visited it for well
  over a century.
  In the late 1950s, a developer decided that Remorte would
  be a fine site for a small resort. Construction began and went
  well at first, but the dead came back to life during a sudden
  storm, angry at the disturbance of their last resting place. A
  rescue ship eventually arrived to save the construction crew
  from the storm, but the rescue team could find no trace of
  the stranded workers. The resort plan was abandoned, and
  construction materials and machines were left to rust on the
  island beside the unfinished main building. The slain con-
  struction workers fell victim to the same black magic as the
  pirates had and eventually returned to unlife as ghouls. The
  locals once again decided that Remorte was cursed—or at
  least unlucky—and studiously avoided all contact with it.
  During the 1980s and 1990s, many strange tales were told
  of Remorte, some of which were picked up by internet sites
  and small-press news agencies. Amateur hunters of the para-
  normal visited the island regularly, along with a few daring
  college students and young party-goers. Some disappeared,
  but others managed to get crude video of the undead on the
  island. While authorities and professionals dismissed the
  tapes as fakes, a few diehard believers pointed out that one
  of the ragged, dirty men caught on videotape by a 1999 expe-
  dition strongly resembled a picture of one of the lost work-
  ers from the resort construction crew. The man was
  unwashed but seemed spry, strong, and healthy—an impres-
  sive feat for a man who would be in his nineties.
  Though Earth’s scientific community ignored these
  reports, the alien fraal assigned to study our planet did not.
  In conjunction with their ongoing efforts to understand
  humans, the fraal often captured specimens with unusual
  traits for study. A small group of fraal heard about the “long-
  lived” denizens of Remorte and assumed that they must be
  humans with unusual psionic powers. So the fraal came to
  Remorte, intending to capture and experiment on a few of
  these humans. They chose a stormy night to land their ship
  so as to minimize the chances of observation. But Remorte’s
  undead are particularly active during storms, and the fraal
  were wholly unprepared for the vicious power of the ghouls
  that set upon them. Immune to the knockout gas the fraal
  used against them, the ghouls tore most of the alien landing
  party apart. None of the fraal survived, but four were so dis-
  turbed by their contact with true evil that they became
  undead known as bodaks. Unable to escape Remorte, the
  bodaks began capturing ghouls during the night and vivisect-
  ing them in the basement of the incomplete resort manor.
  Another group of aliens, the etoile, are always watching
  the movements of other aliens on Earth—especially the fraal,
  who seem determined to help humanity resist the influence
  of aliens in general. Such interference angers the conquest-
  minded etoile, so whenever they detect a fraal operation,
  they send one or more of their own kind, usually with a com-
  plement of sand slaves, to put a stop to it. Thus, when word
  reached the etoile that a group of fraal were performing
  experiments on Remorte, an etoile agent went to investigate.
  But it was captured by the bodaks and tortured to death
  before it could make a report.
  The evil energy that suffuses Remorte transformed the
  dead etoile into a revenant. The undead alien escaped the
  bodak and quickly re-established control over its sand slaves,
  which had been transformed into ghouls by the island’s evil
  energy. Then, driven by hatred and a need to gain its revenge
  by destroying all fraal and all humanity, the undead etoile set
  about building an unholy army to serve its cause. It began by
  trying to buy the loyalty of the island’s ghouls, but it quickly
  realized that such creatures could not effectively threaten
  two entire species.
  Previously unaware of magic, the etoile revenant decided
  that its race had overlooked a vast source of power. So the
  creature sent its sand slave ghouls to locate and capture a
  worker of magic. The mage they found was soon subdued
  and turned into yet another sand slave ghoul. This sand
  mage, aided by the undead etoile, set about building a device
  powered by both technology and magic. This abyssal
  machine drew in the pure essence of evil from the island,
  congealing it into the sentient sludge of satanic ichor.
  Though it has taken the etoile revenant and its sand mage
  weeks to get the abyssal machine operational, they have at
  last succeeded. Unless it is stopped, the machine will turn
  out an army of satanic ichors and become a major threat to
  all living creatures.
  SYNOPSIS
  The heroes are called to investigate the rumors surrounding
  the island of Remorte. Upon arrival, they must defeat the
  demonic machines awaiting them at the island’s sole docking
  point. After fighting their way past the pirate zombies, the
  sand slave ghouls, and the bodaks, they must face the etoile
  ANYTHING GOES
  
  d20 MODERN
  3
  revenant and its sand slave mage. (At that point, they’re play-
  ing against a clock without knowing it. If they don’t deal with
  both the sand mage and the etoile within a day or so, those
  two villains move their abyssal machine and set up shop
  somewhere else.) Finally, the heroes must slay the satanic
  ichor that the two undead have created and destroy the
  abyssal machine that manufactured it.
  Character Hooks
  As GM, you know best how to involve your players and their
  characters in an adventure. You can use the following adven-
  ture hooks to spur your imagination, modifying them as nec-
  essary to make them appropriate for the characters’
  interests.
  • The company that owns Remorte is once again entertain-
  ing the idea of a resort on the island, but its executives fear
  another disaster. Mindful of the rumors that have always
  surrounded the place, they hire the heroes to investigate
  the location and ensure that no real threat exists.
  • A retired ghost hunter or alien investigator has found
  excellent evidence that undead or aliens are present on
  the island, but he has been wrong so often that no serious
  authority believes him anymore. He’s too old to try to cap-
  ture a ghost or alien himself, but he is quite certain that an
  experienced team could make some real discoveries on
  Remorte. This person may be one of the heroes’ old con-
  tacts, or he might simply have heard of their exploits.
  Either way, he contacts them and asks for their help.
  • Heroes who are on friendly terms with the fraal (or any
  government agency that knows about them) are sent to
  investigate the disappearance of the fraal party from
  Remorte.
  • The family of a reporter who disappeared while exploring
  Remorte contacts the heroes and asks for their help finding her.
  • While exploring a different area of the Atlantic, the heroes’
  plane or boat suffers a system failure just as a storm moves
  in. The only possible refuge is Remorte.
  • The etoile revenant lures the characters to Remorte
  because it needs one of them (probably either a psionic
  character or a spellcaster) to power the abyssal machine
  and generate more satanic ichor. Alternatively, it might
  need a mechanic to fix some purely technical problem that
  has arisen with the machine.
  BEGINNING THE ADVENTURE
  Anything Goes is designed to be either a site-based adven-
  ture that the characters simply stumble into or the final, cli-
  mactic confrontation with the etoile revenant if that
  creature has been a recurring villain in your campaign.
  Though it is set on a small Atlantic island, you can easily
  move it to any relatively isolated area that might have been
  visited by pirates. Isolation is the key factor because a group
  that can quickly and easily access a civilized area for support
  misses much of the feel of the adventure, and may miss its
  climax as well.
  The adventure begins when the heroes decide to visit
  Remorte. If they wish to do some research on the place
  before departure, go to the Character Preparation sec-
  tion below. When they arrive on the island, go to
  Remorte.
  Character Preparation
  If the heroes have the time and inclination to research
  Remorte and the reports of strange goings-on there, they can
  dig up a fair amount of information. Unless you want to cre-
  ate a major GM character for this purpose, they won’t be
  able to find an eyewitness who can swear to the presence of
  either aliens or undead on the island. But rumors and crack-
  pot websites abound, and underground newspapers may also
  reveal important facts.
  Anyone who asks the people living on the mainland about
  Remorte discovers that it’s considered an unlucky island and
  that no one wants to talk about it (no check required). A
  Gather Information or Research check can unearth more spe-
  cific information, as detailed on the tables below. The hero
  gains all the information for check results equal to or lower
  than his own.
  GATHER
  INFORMATION DC
  INFORMATION GGAINED
  10
  The island of Remorte has been a place of
  rumor and legend for centuries, and not
  everyone who goes there returns.
  15
  The island was once a pirate haven, but a
  band of pirates led by a voodoo priest
  died there under mysterious circum-
  stances centuries ago. No pirate ever vis-
  ited the island after that.
  20
  A developer started building a resort on
  Remorte in the 1950s, but the plans
  were put on hold after a construction
  crew disappeared one stormy night. The
  crew of the rescue ship that went out
  to save the workers reported that
  “something felt terribly wrong.” The
  owner of the construction company
  feared this assessment might mean that
  the construction materials were dis-
  eased somehow, so he abandoned the
  machines and materials there and sim-
  ply wrote off the loss.
  23
  College students sometimes go to a
  spot just off the coast of Remorte to
  party, then dump their trash on the
  island in the morning. Even these young
  daredevils don’t land on the island at
  night, though.
  25
  Strange lights were seen in the sky a few
  weeks ago during a particularly bad
  storm. The crew of a fishing boat that was
  blown near Remorte’s shore claimed to
  have heard a plane landing there, fol-
  lowed by some odd, high-pitched
  screams, like those of a cat.
  ANYTHING GOES
  
  d20 MODERN
  4
  RESEARCH DC
  INFORMATION GAINED
  10
  Someone skilled with computer technol-
  ogy has recently begun systematically
  removing information about the island
  from internet sites. (In fact, both the fraal
  and etoile have been engaged in such
  efforts because they wish to hide their
  involvement with the events on the
  island.)
  15
  Most of the disappearances that have
  occurred on Remorte have happened on
  or just after stormy nights.
  20
  The company that tried to build a resort
  on Remorte consulted a psychic after its
  construction crew disappeared. The psy-
  chic warned that a great evil had been
  awakened there, and that the island
  should be abandoned.
  23
  Most of the investigators who returned
  safely to the mainland after spotting
  “something” on the island were carrying
  obvious holy symbols. Others who lacked
  these symbols generally disappeared.
  25
  On the night of the most recent storm,
  military radar installations detected a
  small vessel from outside the atmos-
  phere. It landed on the island but did not
  leave it. The military is treating this
  report as a system glitch or a computer
  virus rather than an actual event.
  Getting to the Island
  Remorte is accessible by boat or plane. Hiring either is diffi-
  cult but possible. No local commercial boater or seaplane
  operator wants to get near the island, and enough ships dis-
  appear nearby that anyone outside the immediate area is
  concerned about uncharted reefs or shallow rocks. A few
  college students think it’s fun to make runs to the “forbid-
  den” island, but they don’t advertise. A professional can be
  convinced to go there only with a successful DC 18 Bluff,
  Diplomacy, or Intimidate check. In no case is anyone willing
  to sit and wait for the heroes on the island. Anyone who
  agrees to take the heroes to Remorte insists on dropping
  them off and picking them up a set number of hours or days
  later, but only in daylight.
  REMORTE
  The island measures 8 miles from north to south and 6-1/2
  miles from east to west at its widest points. Its surface is
  completely covered in light woods and dominated by three
  large hills. High cliffs and dangerous reefs ring the island,
  making only one approach safe—the Junkyard (area 1). No
  native fauna larger than insects exist on the island, though
  birds sometimes roost here.
  Random Encounters
  Remorte is quiet during the day, but it can be quite danger-
  ous at night and during storms. Roll 1d20 for each hour char-
  acters are on the island and consult the table below to see
  whether they have a random encounter. Add 10 to the die roll
  during night hours and 10 if it’s stormy (a 10% chance each 24-
  hour period). These adjustments are cumulative. Once a par-
  ticular random encounter has occurred, ignore the same
  result for subsequent checks during the same 24 hour period.
  D20 ROLL
  ENCOUNTER
  1–15
  No encounter.
  16–19
  Young Adult Partygoers: Four slightly
  drunk college students came over on a
  small speedboat that is currently
  anchored at area 1. Use the statistics for
  the low-level Fast/Dedicated Dilettante
  provided in the Supporting Characters
  section of the d20 Modern Roleplaying
  Game. If encountered at night, the stu-
  dents are running from something they
  saw an hour ago.
  20–24
  Independent Internet Reporter: Armed
  with a video camera, this eager young
  reporter plans to record some of the
  strange events rumored to happen here.
  He was dropped off by a boat that, unbe-
  knownst to him, isn’t coming back. So far,
  he hasn’t seen anything worthwhile. Use
  statistics for the mid-level private eye
  provided in the Supporting Characters
  section of the d20 Modern Roleplaying
  Game for this character.
  25–26
  Pack of 20 Pirate Zombies: The pirate
  zombies wander the island aimlessly in
  search of prey (see area 2 for statistics).
  27–28
  Advanced Demonic Machine: A bulldozer
  with its lights on is roaming the island
  (see area 1 for statistics).
  29+
  Pack of eight ghouls: These undead were
  once construction workers (see area 3 for
  statistics).
  1. The Junkyard
  The junkyard is the only safe landing point on Remorte for
  either a boat or a plane. Everywhere else, the island drops
  into the ocean in a sheer cliff 20 to 40 feet high, topped by
  trees.
  This area is the best harbor on Remorte and the only spot
  where a boat can safely put in to shore. Largely for that
  reason, it has been used as a dumping ground by those
  brave enough to approach the island. While the resort was
  under construction, the workers piled broken equipment
  here for pickup. The fish died from the pollution in the
  water nearby. 
  Creatures: Several of the demonic machines created by
  the etoile revenant out of abandoned construction
  The natural harbor opens onto a beach covered with
  gray sand and brown, dead grass. Piles of trash and flot-
  sam, including toasters, beer cans, and junk food wrap-
  pers, stretch out a hundred feet in all directions. Broken
  tools and rusting tractors and forklifts give mute evi-
  dence of a long-abandoned construction site. Pools of
  stagnant water or oil occupy every nook and crevice,
  giving the beech an unwholesome smell. A small, dead
  fish floats at the edge of the water.
  ANYTHING GOES
  
  d20 MODERN
  5
  equipment lair here. Others have wandered off to seek other
  lairs on the island. 
  Demonic Machines (4; forklift, piledriver, riding
  mower, wood chipper): CR 5; Large construct; HD 5d10+15;
  hp 42; Mas —; Init +3; Spd 30 ft.; Defense 13, touch 8, flat-
  footed 13 (–1 size, –1 Dex, +5 natural); BAB +3; Grap +12; Atk +7
  melee (1d6+5, claw); Full Atk +7 melee (1d6+5, 2 claws); FS 10 ft.
  by 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.; SQ construct, damage reduction 10/+1,
  grind 2d6+5, improved grab; AL evil; SV Fort +1, Ref +0, Will +1,
  AP 0; Rep +0; Str 20, Dex 8, Con —, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 5.
  Skills: Bluff +5, Listen +10, Sense Motive +8, Spot +10.
  Feats: Alertness, Improved Initiative.
  Grind (Ex): A demonic machine may make a grind attack
  at its normal attack bonus against a grappled creature, deal-
  ing 2d6+5 points of damage.
  Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the demonic
  machine must hit an opponent at least one size category
  smaller than itself with its claw attack. If it gets a hold, it
  automatically deals claw damage each round that the hold is
  maintained, and it can grind in the next round.
  Advanced Demonic Machines (4; CAT, crane, pickup
  truck, tractor): CR 8; Huge construct; HD 8d10+20; hp 64;
  Mas —; Init +1; Spd 30 ft.; Defense 14, touch 6, flat-footed 14
  (–2 size, –2 Dex, +8 natural); BAB +6; Grap +23; Atk +13 melee
  ANYTHING GOES
  
  d20 MODERN
  6
  (2d4+9, claw); Full Atk +13 melee (2d4+9, 2 claws); FS 15 ft. by
  15 ft.; Reach 10 ft.; SQ construct, damage reduction 10/+1,
  grind 4d4+9, improved grab; AL evil; SV Fort +2, Ref +0, Will
  +2, AP 0; Rep +0; Str 28, Dex 6, Con —, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 5.
  Skills: Bluff +8, Intimidate +2, Listen +13, Search +1, Sense
  Motive +11, Spot +13.
  Feats: Alertness, Improved Initiative.
  Grind (Ex): An advanced demonic machine may make a
  grind attack at its normal attack bonus against a grappled
  creature, dealing 4d4+9 points of damage.
  Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the advanced
  demonic machine must hit an opponent at least one size cat-
  egory smaller than itself with its claw attack. If it gets a hold,
  it automatically deals claw damage each round that the hold
  is maintained, and it can grind in the next round.
  Tactics: These machines attack in large numbers only to
  defend one of their number or if the opponents have no vis-
  ible means of escape (such as a waiting boat). Because they
  were created by the etoile revenant, these demonic
  machines cannot use the machine possession ability that
  most such creatures have (see Demonic Machine in the d20
  MODERN Menace Manual). Once their host bodies are
  wrecked, the animating forces are destroyed forever.
  If the heroes arrive in their own boat or plane, only the
  tractor attacks. It waits for a target to come within 30 feet,
  then pops into gear and charges with its shovel. If it hits, it
  uses its improved grab ability to pin its target and deal dam-
  age each round until its hold is broken. If reduced to less than
  half its original hit points, the tractor flees. Otherwise, it
  does not pursue anyone or attack any other target at this
  point, preferring to let its initial attack be brushed off as a
  freak accident.
  Heroes who are dropped off on the island or who clearly
  see the demonic machines for what they are rouse the full
  fury of the junkyard. All the demonic machines attack and
  keep fighting until dead. They use the same basic tactics as
  the tractor, pinning foes whenever possible. They also charge
  or use flanking when appropriate to increase their attack
  bonuses against hard-to-hit foes.
  Development: Buried under the other junk and machin-
  ery in the junkyard is the shuttle (Large vehicle) in which the
  fraal arrived. The etoile revenant ordered its sand slave
  ghouls to smash the craft and conceal its remains. Not
  enough of it is left to make any technological discoveries,
  since the few bits of non-Earth technology self-destructed
  when it was disabled. However, a few scattered bits of the
  control panels and door hatches (Search DC 35) are adorned
  with fraal writing. These pieces may prove useful against the
  bodaks lurking in the manor basement (area 5), since they
  fear fraal writing. A successful DC 25 Investigate check
  reveals that the pieces of the fraal ship were buried to con-
  ceal them, and they were added to the pile far more recently
  than the junk piled atop them.
  2. The Pirate Caves
  The cave system that houses the pirate zombies is long
  but not complex. A single, 30-foot-wide cavern opens on
  the side of a hill and extends 200 feet into the island’s
  interior. 
  This cavern fills with water to a depth of 4 feet at high tide,
  but it never completely floods. Fish occasionally get caught
  in tide pools here, and their rotting corpses add to the scent
  of decay. Land animals and birds avoid this place because of
  its lingering aura of necromancy.
  Creatures: The pirate captain performed his voodoo in
  this very cave, and the pirate zombies he inadvertently cre-
  ated still use it as their lair. They look like skeletons tied
  together with leathery cords of skin, wearing a few rags. They
  don’t venture out of the caves except in storms, but intrud-
  ers anger them.
  Pirate Zombies (40): CR 1/2; Medium-size undead; HD
  2d12+3; hp 16; Mas —; Init -1; Spd 30 ft.; Defense 11, touch 9,
  flat-footed 11 (–1 Dex, +2 natural); BAB +1; Grap +2; Atk +2
  melee (1d6+1, slam); Full Atk +2 melee (1d6+1, slam); FS 5 ft. by
  5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.; SQ move or attack action only, undead; AL
  evil; SV Fort +0, Ref –1, Will +3, AP 0; Rep +0; Str 13, Dex 8, 
  Con —, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 1.
  Skills: None.
  Feats: Toughness.
  Move or Attack Action Only (Ex): A pirate zombie has
  poor reflexes and can perform only a single move action or
  attack action on its turn. It can move and attack only if it
  charges.
  Tactics: The zombies gather just outside the range of any
  light source (and just out of darkvision range) until a target
  moves at least 120 feet into the cave. They then attack in a
  mob, pummeling anything alive.
  The pirate zombies are old-fashioned undead with an old-
  fashioned weakness—an aversion to holy symbols. A zombie
  must make a DC 15 Will save to come within 1d4[TS]10 feet of
  a visible symbol. If within that range and unable to flee, it
  takes a –2 morale penalty on attack rolls, damage rolls, and
  skill checks.
  Development: The remains of a pirate zombie offer few
  clues to its origins, but a successful DC 30 Investigate check
  reveals enough clues to suggest a pirate from the age of sail.
  A few also wear hard hats or carry rusted wrenches—spoils
  from the battle in which they set upon and killed the con-
  struction workers.
  Treasure: At the very back of the cavern lies the treasure
  that the zombies killed each other over. Most of the goods
  have long since rotted away, so the pile at first appears to be
  nothing more than a collection of spoiled wine, broken casks,
  moldering silks, and ruined, waterlogged art and wood. But a
  careful inspection (Search DC 20) reveals a few metal treas-
  ures that time has not ruined, including a pair of silver can-
  dlesticks, numerous gold coins, and some jewelry. These
  items represent a wealth award of +12.
  This damp cavern stretches far into the darkness. The
  dank smell of stale water and rotting fish fills the air, but
  another foul odor underlies that. The slightest sound
  seems magnified by the acoustics of the cave, including
  something that sounds like . . . footsteps. Up ahead,
  something seems to be moving in the darkness.
  ANYTHING GOES
  
  d20 MODERN
  7
  3. The Shed
  This building was the vehicle shed and storage area for
  the construction crew. It was set up far from the manor so
  that the heavy traffic to and from it would not tear up the
  garden area. 
  The shed is completely unlit, and the inside is pitch black
  even in noontime light. The metal walls and roof are rusted
  and thin (hardness 5, 10 hit points). The roof is too weak to
  support more than about 100 pounds, and anyone weighing
  more than that who climbs atop it falls through after 2
  rounds, smack into the pack of ghouls waiting inside. The
  constant presence of the ghouls has infected the whole shed
  with disease, so anyone who touches the structure (even just
  by listening closely at the door or a wall) is infected with dis-
  ease as if bitten by a ghoul.
  Creatures: The construction worker ghouls make their
  home here. Because the bodaks occasionally capture and tor-
  ture some of them, they have learned to stay indoors most
  of the time. They make no effort to venture out unless dis-
  turbed or riled by bad weather, which reminds them of the
  night they died. 
  Construction Worker Ghouls (20, Human Strong
  Ordinary 1/Tough Ordinary 1): CR 3; Medium-size undead;
  HD 2d12; hp 13; Mas —; Init +2; Spd 30 ft.; Defense 16, touch 14,
  flat-footed 14 (+2 Dex, +2 class, +2 natural); BAB +1; Grap +4;
  Atk +3 ranged (2d8, revolver) or +4 melee (1d3+3, claw); Full
  Atk +3 ranged (2d8, revolver) or +4 melee (1d3+3, 2 claws) and
  +2 melee (1d6+1 plus disease, bite); FS 5 ft. by 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.;
  SQ create spawn, darkvision 60 ft., disease, scent, undead; AL
  chaos, evil; SV Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +0, AP 0; Rep +0; Str 16,
  Dex 14, Con —, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 8.
  Occupation: Blue collar (class skills: Craft [mechanical],
  Drive, Intimidate).
  Skills: Craft (mechanical) +5, Drive +6, Intimidate +3,
  Knowledge (popular culture) +2, Knowledge (streetwise) +2,
  Profession +4, Read/Write English, Repair +2, Speak English,
  Swim +4.
  Feats: Brawl, Multiattack, Personal Firearms Proficiency,
  Simple Weapon Proficiency.
  Create Spawn (Su): If a ghoul’s prey contracts advanced
  necrotizing faciitis from the wounds it has sustained and dies
  from the disease, it rises 1d3 days later as a ghoul. A remove
  disease spell cast on the corpse can prevent it from rising.
  Disease (Su): A ghoul’s bite infects the victim with a
  supernatural version of streptococcal gangrene (injury, Fort
  DC 14, incubation period 1d3 days, initial damage 1d3 Con,
  secondary damage 1d3 Con). If Con damage is sustained, a
  second saving throw at the same DC is required; failure
  indicates that 1 point of the Con damage becomes Con drain
  instead. This disease, known as advanced necrotizing faciitis,
  first manifests as an area of redness on the skin near the
  wound. Over the course of a few days, the redness becomes
  severe inflammation. The skin gradually turns dark purple and
  forms bloody blisters as the disease devours more and more
  of the victim’s flesh. The disease can be arrested completely
  through amputation of the affected limb, but most doctors
  prefer to combat it by surgical removal of all the affected tis-
  sue as well as some nearby healthy tissue. A remove disease
  spell or a successful Treat Injury check (surgery, DC 25) halts
  the disease. The GM should roll the check secretly; if it fails,
  the disease returns again in 1d3 days.
  Possessions: S&W M29 revolver, 6 rounds ammunition,
  rags, hard hat.
  Tactics: Each ghoul is armed with a .44 magnum revolver.
  They have yet to use the weapons, but they are happy to use
  intruders as target practice. When the heroes come within
  melee range, they switch to claws and teeth.
  Development: The ghouls are savage, brutal killers inter-
  ested only in causing pain, but they also have a sense of self-
  preservation. If they are clearly overmatched, they scatter,
  running to the sea and swimming underwater to escape. 
  If promised its freedom, a captured ghoul can describe
  the events on Remorte since its arrival, as it understands
  them. Such a history includes the arrival and death of the
  fraal and the creation of the bodaks. If possible, the ghoul
  avoids mentioning the etoile, but if asked about the guns, it
  simply admits that the ghouls received them from a “flying
  can of rust.”
  The etoile revenant doesn’t think of the ghouls as human,
  and it knows they fear the bodaks, so it has begun trying to
  bring them under its control. So far it hasn’t tried making
  them sand slaves, but it did instruct its agents to offer them
  the one thing they seem to crave—weapons. 
  4. The Grounds
  The manor and grounds can be seen from atop any of the
  three hills.
  The bushes are all that remains of a sculptured hedge maze
  planted by the landscapers. Anyone can navigate the simple
  maze with a successful DC 10 Intelligence check. Pushing
  through the maze is more difficult. A character must push
  through twelve bushes to reach the manor, and each takes 1
  round and a DC 15 Strength check to get past. Furthermore,
  A large building stands in the center of the island,
  framed by the three hills. The structure has the outline
  of an attractive manor, but it looks as though it was
  never completed and has suffered years of neglect.
  Doorways and window frames sit empty, tattered tarps
  flutter from multiple openings in the walls and roof, and
  a few exposed beams are visible—most of them cracked.
  A few lights gleam from the manor’s roof, but since they
  face outward, they actually make it more difficult to see
  what lies within. A maze of dead bushes surrounds the
  building, its pattern obscured by years of overgrowth
  and the remains of construction materials.
  A lonely, prefabricated building made of rusted, corru-
  gated metal sits on a cleared patch of dull earth sur-
  rounded by dead grasses and scraggly bushes. Built like
  an oversized shed, it measures about 30 feet to a side
  and has a flat roof. A few scraps of junk—including a
  broken hammer and a half-buried hard hat—litter the
  earthen clearing. A single light once illuminated the slid-
  ing double doors, but the bulb has long since burned
  out. A faint wisp of a sickly odor lingers on the air, like
  the smell of an infected wound.
  ANYTHING GOES
  
  d20 MODERN
  8
  each bush makes an attack (+7 melee, 1d4, thorns) on anyone
  attempting to push through it. Regardless of the method
  used to reach the manor, the attempt draws the notice of the
  guardians surrounding the building.
  Creatures: Four sand slave ghoul Telepaths patrol the
  grounds day and night. These creatures were the agents that
  the etoile revenant selected to capture its occultist. They
  make excellent guards, since as undead creatures they have
  darkvision and require no sleep. Since these creatures have
  no Constitution scores, they cannot use the fugue, hot run-
  ning, and stasis powers that sand slaves normally have.
  Sand Slave Ghoul Charismatic Hero 3/Telepath 5 (4):
  CR 12; Medium undead (human); HD 8d12; hp 52; Mas —; Init +3;
  Spd 40 ft.; Defense 18, touch 16, flat-footed 15 (+3 Dex, +3 class,
  +2 natural); BAB +3; Grap +4; Atk +4 melee (1d3+1, claw); Full Atk
  +4 melee (1d3+1, 2 claws) and +2 melee (1d6 plus disease, bite);
  FS 5 ft. by 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.; SQ create spawn, darkvision 60 ft.,
  disease, electricity resistance 10, fast ability healing 1, fast
  healing 3, fortification, immunities (disease, poison), network
  mind, power crystal, psionic powers, psionic skills, scent, self-
  destruct, telepathy 200 ft., trigger power (charm person, levi-
  tate), undead; AL chaos, etoile, evil; SV Fort +3, Ref +6, Will +7;
  AP 4; Rep +4; Str 12, Dex 17, Con —, Int 12, Wis 11, Cha 17.
  Occupation: Academic (class skills: Gather Information,
  Read/Write Latin, Speak Latin).
  Skills: Autohypnosis +6, Bluff +16, Concentration +12,
  Diplomacy +15, Disguise +11, Gather Information +16,
  Intimidate +9, Knowledge (current events) +7, Knowledge
  (popular culture) +7, Listen +2, Profession +6, Psicraft +7,
  Read/Write English, Read/Write Latin, Speak English, Speak
  Latin, Spot +2.
  Feats: Alertness, Deceptive, Iron Will, Multiattack,
  Personal Firearms Proficiency, Simple Weapons Proficiency,
  Trustworthy, Wild Talent (far hand).
  Talents: Coordinate, inspiration.
  Power Points per Day: 15.
  Create Spawn (Su): If a sand slave ghoul’s prey contracts
  advanced necrotizing faciitis from the wounds it has sus-
  tained and dies from the disease, it rises 1d3 days later as a
  ghoul. A remove disease spell cast on the corpse can prevent
  it from rising.
  Disease (Su): A sand slave ghoul’s bite infects the victim
  with a supernatural version of streptococcal gangrene
  (injury, Fort DC 14, incubation period 1d3 days, initial damage
  1d3 Con, secondary damage 1d3 Con). If Con damage is sus-
  tained, a second saving throw at the same DC is required;
  failure indicates that 1 point of the Con damage becomes
  Con drain instead. This disease, known as advanced necro-
  tizing faciitis, first manifests as an area of redness on the
  skin near the wound. Over the course of a few days, the red-
  ness becomes severe inflammation. The skin gradually turns
  dark purple and forms bloody blisters as the disease devours
  more and more of the victim’s flesh. Advanced necrotizing
  faciitis can be arrested completely through amputation of
  the affected limb, but most doctors prefer to combat it by
  surgical removal of all the affected tissue as well as some
  nearby healthy tissue. A remove disease spell or a success-
  ful Treat Injury check (surgery, DC 25) halts the disease. The
  GM should roll the check secretly; if it fails, the disease
  returns in 1d3 days.
  Fast Ability Healing 1 (Ex): A sand slave ghoul heals abil-
  ity damage at the rate of 1 ability score point per damaged
  ability per round.
  Fast Healing 3 (Ex): A sand slave ghoul heals 3 points of
  damage per round unless it is reduced to –10 or fewer hit
  points. This ability does not enable the sand slave ghoul to
  regrow or reattach severed body parts.
  Fortification (Ex): A sand slave ghoul has a 50% chance to
  ignore the extra damage from a critical hit.
  Network Mind (Ex): A sand slave ghoul is automatically
  aware of the position and general emotional status of any
  other sand slaves within 200 feet. All sand slaves within that
  range that can see one another are in constant telepathic
  communication. If one is aware of a particular threat, they all
  are. If one sand slave ghoul in a particular group is not flat-
  footed, none of them are. No sand slave ghoul in such a
  group is considered flanked unless they all are.
  Self-Destruct (Ex): When reduced to –10 hit points or
  below, a sand slave ghoul’s body immediately turns into a
  pile of dust.
  Telepathy (Ex): A sand slave ghoul can communicate its
  thoughts and desires to any etoile or sand slave within 200
  feet that it can see, regardless of intervening matter such as
  glass. The target creature “hears” the sand slave ghoul’s
  thoughts in whatever language it can most easily understand.
  However, it cannot communicate thoughts back to the sand
  slave ghoul unless it also has telepathy.
  Telepath Powers Known (4/3/2): 0—daze (DC 13), detect
  psionics, lesser natural armor, telempathic projection (DC 13);
  1st—charm person (DC 14), lesser metaphysical weapon,
  object reading; 2nd—inflict pain (DC 15), levitate.
  Tactics: The sand slave ghouls approach any heroes they
  spot and attempt to charm them. Using the Bluff skill, they
  then try to convince the intruders that the manor is private
  property and no one is allowed within. Meanwhile, since the
  guards are all in telepathic contact with each other, they all
  move toward the party in case combat should ensue. If
  peaceful tactics fail to turn aside the intruders, the guards
  resort to psionic attacks, then to claws and teeth if pressed.
  The sand slave ghouls can attack even a flying target by levi-
  tating to engage it in melee or using psionic ranged attacks.
  Development: Unless the sand slave ghouls are somehow
  lured away from the manor before they encounter the
  heroes, their telepathy reveals the nature and abilities of
  their attackers to the sand mage and etoile revenant watch-
  ing from the windows of the manor. The two don’t flee
  because they cannot take the abyssal machine with them
  unless they have a few days to move it. They do, however, lay
  ambushes, move to positions of tactical advantage, and get
  ready to attack the intruders when they arrive.
  5. The Basement
  On the west side of the manor is a set of double doors that
  leads down into the basement. The doors were once locked,
  but the island’s various inhabitants long ago prevailed over it,
  as evidenced by the broken chain dangling from one door
  and the deep scratches that cover the surfaces of both. The
  doors open to reveal cracked wooden stairs leading down
  into the darkness. Read or paraphrase the following when
  the heroes reach the foot of the stairs.
  ANYTHING GOES
  
  d20 MODERN
  9
  ANYTHING GOES
  This area is 50 feet wide and 80 feet long.
  Creatures: The bodaks lair in the back of this room, hid-
  ing from the light of day and dissecting any captured ghouls
  they have available. (The hand at the bottom of the stairs
  once belonged to a ghoul.) 
  Advanced Bodaks (4): CR 11; Medium-size undead; HD
  12d12; hp 78; Mas —; Init +5; Spd 20 ft.; Defense 14, touch 11,
  flat-footed 13 (+1 Dex, +3 natural); BAB +6; Grap +9; Atk +9
  melee (1d6+4, slam); Full Atk +9 melee (1d6+4, slam); FS 5 ft.
  by 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.; SQ damage reduction 15/+1, death gaze
  (DC 17), electricity immunity, flashbacks (fraal writing weak-
  ness), resistances (acid 20, fire 20), sunlight vulnerability,
  undead; AL evil; SV Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +9; AP 0; Rep +0; Str
  17, Dex 13, Con —, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 12.
  Skills: Hide +11, Listen +11, Move Silently +11, Spot +11.
  Feats: Dodge, Improved Initiative, Mobility.
  Death Gaze (Su): Any creature within 30 feet of a bodak
  that meets its gaze must succeed on a DC 17 Fortitude save
  or die instantly. This ability is usable at will.
  Flashbacks (Ex): These bodaks have a weakness for fraal
  writing. If shown any fraal script (such as that on the pieces
  of the fraal ship in the junkyard), they take no actions for 1
  round, though they can defend themselves normally.
  Thereafter, each advanced bodak takes a -2 morale penalty
  on all attack rolls directed at that opponent for the remain-
  der of the combat. 
  Sunlight Vulnerability (Ex): The merest touch of sunlight
  sears an advanced bodak’s tainted alien flesh. Each round of
  exposure to the direct rays of the sun deals 1 point of dam-
  age to the creature.
  Tactics: Unless attacked, the bodaks don’t move near
  the door in the daytime, or if the heroes have a bright light.
  The size of the basement allows the bodaks to initially stay
  out of any illumination the heroes have. When the intrud-
  ers move deeper into the room, the bodaks attack regard-
  less of light conditions and follow any fleeing opponents
  into daylight if necessary, even though doing so may
  destroy them.
  Development: Using random bits of metal, the bodaks
  have scrawled pictograms on all the walls of the basement,
  from just inside the only door all the way back to their lair.
  These crude carvings depict big-headed stick figures (the
  fraal), short, wide stick figures (the ghouls), and a great deal
  of violence and blood, as well as a small flying saucer. A suc-
  cessful DC 20 Decipher Script check translates the images,
  revealing that aliens landed here and were killed by crea-
  tures immune to their weapons. The story also reveals that
  four of these aliens survived but discovered that both the
  sun and their own saucer hurt them, so they fled into the
  darkness. A DC 35 Decipher Script check reveals that the
  four fraal didn’t survive, but they continued to move and
  function even after death.
  This room contains no fraal writing. Any character who has
  translated the pictograms may attempt a DC 30 Investigate
  check to realize that the bodaks tried to write words but
  kept scratching them out and eventually resorted to pic-
  tograms. A DC 25 Research check made while investigating
  alien lore on the internet also reveals this weakness.
  6. The Main Floor
  The 80-foot-wide main floor of the manor is a sorry shell of
  what might have become a grand hotel lobby.
  The etoile revenant and its sand mage servant spend most of
  their time here, waiting for the abyssal machine to produce
  more of the ooze known as satanic ichor. They dare not sit
  too near the ichor, for fear that it may use them to get out of
  its container. Though the ichor is a means to their end, they
  are well aware that it hates them as much as it hates every-
  thing and everyone else. 
  The revenant is a hateful creature that wishes to destroy
  humans and fraal alike, but it’s also an intelligent schemer.
  If it hears a commotion outside the manor, it sends a robot
  to investigate and keeps track of any fight its sand slave
  ghouls have through telepathy. Thus, it probably has
  advance warning of the heroes’ approach and their abilities.
  Unless the etoile revenant has a use in mind for the intrud-
  ers (such as sacrifices or repair personnel for the abyssal
  machine), the two monsters attack them as soon as soon as
  they reach this area.
  Tactics: You as GM must decide what tactics make the
  most sense for these villains, based on what they know of
  the heroes’ abilities. Their base tactics are as follows, though
  you can make any changes that seem appropriate based on
  the action thus far.
  The sand mage begins by turning invisible, then casting
  mage armor, displacement, and shield as quickly as possible
  using his Heroic Surge feat. He then attacks, targeting the
  toughest-looking character with bestow curse and hitting as
  many targets as possible with lightning bolt (again, using
  Heroic Surge to cast these spells quickly). Thereafter, he ties
  up targets with a web and picks off individuals with magic
  missiles. If an opponent is clearly enhanced with spells, the
  sand mage uses dispel magic before casting offensive spells
  The unfinished manor has fallen into ruin. Tarps hang
  from empty window frames, and no doors fill the door-
  ways. Piles of decaying drywall sit in damp heaps just
  outside the door, and mud and refuse litter the floor
  inside. No interior walls are finished, and the only archi-
  tectural feature gracing the first floor is a single stairway
  in the center of the room, supported by numerous
  posts. A greenish glow illuminates the stairs from above
  and leaks through cracks in the ceiling. Behind the stairs
  sits a barely visible figure, apparently lost in thought.
  Hovering next to it is a floating object that looks for all
  the world like a broken, rusty Christmas tree ornament
  with wiggling wires hanging from it.
  The stale air is thick with the smells of dust and rotting
  timber. A severed human hand, long dead and gray, lies
  at the foot of the stairs. Ahead lies what seems to be a
  single, huge room buttressed with support braces but
  lacking interior walls. The inside of the cement outer
  wall is covered with crude images that have been
  scratched into the surface with something sharp and
  hard. Scraping noises come from the deep darkness
  ahead, slowly moving closer.
  
  d20 MODERN
  10
  against that target. If he runs out of offensive spells, he
  resorts to fragmentation grenades. Since he has evasion, he
  doesn’t worry about catching himself in the grenade’s blast,
  trusting his reflexes to save him from damage. If the sand
  mage is clearly going to lose the fight, he throws a grenade
  onto the second floor to free the satanic ichor from its hold-
  ing cell. Since the sand mage has no Constitution score, he
  cannot use the fugue, hot running, and stasis powers that
  sand slaves normally have.
  After 3 rounds of combat, the satanic ichor (see area 7)
  becomes aware of the heroes and attempts to lure one
  upstairs telepathically, claiming to be a bound Telepath who
  is about to be turned into an undead. If a hero approaches
  the ichor, it attacks with its corrupt the mind attack, hoping
  to free itself.
  The etoile revenant stays near the sand mage and helps in
  a fight as long as some hope of victory remains, but it but
  flees if the battle turns against it. If defeated but not
  destroyed, the revenant flees at the earliest opportunity and
  begins building another abyssal machine elsewhere.
  If the heroes break off combat and move to rest some-
  where, the sand mage and etoile revenant press the attack
  rather than allow their foes to recover.
  Sand Slave Ghoul Fast Hero 4/Smart Hero 1/Mage 7:
  CR 16; Medium undead (human); HD 12d12; hp 78; Mas —; Init
  +8; Spd 40 ft.; Defense 25, touch 23, flat-footed 25 (+4 Dex, +9
  class, +2 natural); BAB +6; Grap +10; Atk +10 melee (1d3+4,
  claw) or +10 ranged (4d6, fragmentation grenade); Full Atk +10
  melee (1d3+4, 2 claws) and +8 melee (1d6+2 plus disease, bite)
  or +10 ranged (4d6, fragmentation grenade); FS 5 ft. by 5 ft.;
  Reach 5 ft.; SQ arcane skills, arcane spells, brew potions, com-
  bat casting, create spawn, darkvision 60 ft., disease (DC 14),
  electricity resistance 10, familiar (none), fast ability healing 1,
  fast healing 3, fortification, immunities (disease, poison), net-
  work mind, scent, scribe scrolls, scribe tattoo, self-destruct,
  spell mastery (dispel magic, invisibility, magic missile),
  telepathy 200 ft., undead; AL chaos, etoile, evil; SV Fort +3,
  Ref +8, Will +8; AP 5; Rep +4; Str 18, Dex 18, Con —, Int 16, 
  Wis 12, Cha 10.
  Occupation: Academic (class skills: Decipher Script,
  Knowledge [arcane lore], Research).
  Skills: Bluff +4, Computer Use +10, Concentration +15,
  Craft (chemical) +10, Craft (mechanical) +7, Decipher Script
  +13, Drive +8, Knowledge (arcane lore) +10, Knowledge (tech-
  nology) +10, Listen +10, Read/Write English, Read/Write
  Japanese, Read/Write Latin, Research +21, Sense Motive +3,
  Speak Language English, Speak Language Japanese, Speak
  Language Latin, Spellcraft +17, Spot +10, Tumble +12.
  Feats: Alertness, Combat Expertise, Defensive Martial
  Arts, Dodge, Elusive Target, Heroic Surge, Improved Initiative,
  Multiattack, Simple Weapon Proficiency, Studious.
  Talents (Fast Hero): Evasion, uncanny dodge I.
  Talents (Smart Hero): Savant (Research).
  Create Spawn (Su): If the sand mage’s prey contracts
  advanced necrotizing faciitis from the wounds it has sus-
  tained and dies from the disease, it rises 1d3 days later as a
  ghoul. A remove disease spell cast on the corpse can prevent
  it from rising.
  Disease (Su): The sand mage’s bite infects the victim with
  a supernatural version of streptococcal gangrene (injury, Fort
  DC 14, incubation period 1d3 days, initial damage 1d3 Con, sec-
  ondary damage 1d3 Con). If Con damage is sustained, a second
  saving throw at the same DC is required; failure indicates that
  1 point of the Con damage becomes Con drain instead. This
  disease, known as advanced necrotizing faciitis, first manifests
  as an area of redness on the skin near the wound. Over the
  course of a few days, the redness becomes severe inflamma-
  tion. The skin gradually turns dark purple and forms bloody
  blisters as the disease devours more and more of the victim’s
  flesh. Advanced necrotizing faciitis can be arrested com-
  pletely through amputation of the affected limb, but most
  doctors prefer to combat it by surgical removal of all the
  affected tissue as well as some nearby healthy tissue. A
  remove disease spell or a successful Treat Injury check (sur-
  gery, DC 25) halts the disease. The GM should roll the check
  secretly; if it fails, the disease returns in 1d3 days.
  Fast Ability Healing 1 (Ex): The sand mage heals ability
  damage at the rate of 1 ability score point per damaged abil-
  ity per round.
  Fast Healing 3 (Ex): The sand mage heals 3 points of dam-
  age per round unless it is reduced to –10 or fewer hit points.
  This ability does not enable the sand mage to regrow or reat-
  tach severed body parts.
  Fortification (Ex): A sand mage has a 50% chance to
  ignore the extra damage from a critical hit.
  Network Mind (Ex): The sand mage is automatically
  aware of the position and general emotional status of any
  other sand slaves within 200 feet. All sand slaves within that
  range that can see one another are in constant telepathic
  communication. If one is aware of a particular threat, they all
  are. If one sand slave in a particular group is not flat-footed,
  none of them are. No sand slave in such a group is considered
  flanked unless they all are.
  Self-Destruct (Ex): When reduced to –10 hit points or
  below, the sand mage’s body immediately turns into a pile of
  dust.
  Telepathy (Ex): A sand mage can communicate its
  thoughts and desires to any etoile or sand slave within 200
  feet that it can see, regardless of intervening matter such as
  glass. The target creature “hears” the sand mage’s thoughts in
  whatever language it can most easily understand. However, it
  cannot communicate thoughts back to the sand mage unless
  it also has telepathy.
  Mage Spells Prepared (4/5/4/3/1; save DC 13 + spell
  level) 0—detect magic, light, mage hand, read magic; 1st—
  mage armor, magic missile (3), shield; 2nd—invisibility, resist
  energy, spider climb, web; 3rd—dispel magic, displacement,
  lightning bolt; 4th—bestow curse.
  Possessions: Notebook computer (contains electronic
  spellbook*), casual outfit, overcoat, electrical tool kit, 6 frag-
  mentation grenades.
  *The spellbook contains all of the spells the sand mage
  has prepared, plus arcane lock, burning hands, change self,
  detect magical aura, dimension door, light, power device,
  prestidigitation, protection from arrows/bullets, and
  tongues. The spellbook files are protected by an exceptional
  security system requiring a successful DC 35 Computer Use
  check to defeat.
  Etoile Revenant Techie 5: CR 9; Tiny undead (air, earth);
  HD 8d12; hp 52; Mas —; Init +10; Spd fly 50 ft. (perfect);
  ANYTHING GOES
  
  d20 MODERN
  11
  ANYTHING GOES
  Defense 33, touch 21, flat-footed 27 (+2 size, +6 Dex, +3 class,
  +12 natural); BAB +4; Grap -3; Atk +12 melee (1d3+1 plus 1d6
  electricity, pincer); Full Atk +12 melee (1d3+1 plus 1d6 electric-
  ity, pincer); FS 2-1/2 ft. by 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 5 ft.; SQ build
  robot, create demonic machine, darkvision 60 ft., device
  operation, electric shock, extreme machine, immunity to
  electricity, jury-rig +2, mastercraft, mechanical healing, nan-
  nite infection (DC 19), revenant regeneration, special vulnera-
  bility (bludgeoning), telepathy, turn resistance, undead,
  vulnerability fear (bodak hand); AL etoile, evil; SV Fort +4, 
  Ref +12, Will +6; AP 2; Rep +2; Str 13, Dex 22, Con —, Int 20, 
  Wis 13, Cha 15.
  Skills: Balance +14, Climb +9, Computer Use +18, Craft
  (electronic) +18, Craft (mechanical) +18, Demolitions +14,
  Disable Device +18, Escape Artist +12, Hide +22, Intimidate
  +10, Jump +9, Knowledge (earth and life sciences) +10,
  Knowledge (physical sciences) +11, Knowledge (technology)
  +17, Listen +9, Move Silently +14, Read/Write English,
  Read/Write Japanese, Research +16, Repair +18, Sense Motive
  +9, Spot +9, Treat Injury +7, Tumble +14.
  Feats: Builder, Cautious, Combat Reflexes, Defensive
  Martial Arts, Educated (Knowledge [physical sciences],
  Knowledge [technology]), Gearhead, Improved Initiative,
  Lightning Reflexes, Quick Draw, Quick Reload, Run, Surgery,
  Weapon Finesse (pincer).
  Device Operation (Ex): At will as an attack action, the
  etoile revenant can turn on any machine powered by elec-
  tricity with a touch, even if the device usually requires a key,
  a passcode, or other security bypass to activate. If the object
  lacks a power source, it operates for only 1 round after acti-
  vation. If desired, the etoile revenant can supply continuous
  power to operate an unpowered device. To do so, it must
  keep all three pincers in contact with the device, and it can
  do nothing else except move (assuming it can lift the device).
  It generates enough power to continuously operate a desk-
  top computer. 
  Create Demonic Machine (Su): Unlike other etoiles and
  revenants, this creature can summon demonic spirits to ani-
  mate long-abandoned machines once per week. The resulting
  demonic machines may have up to 8 HD and be Huge or
  smaller. The demonic machines are in no way loyal to the
  etoile revenant; they simply wander off on their own to
  cause as much pain and havoc as possible. The etoile creates
  them only to obtain guards for a particular area and to draw
  attention away from its other machinations.
  Electric Shock (Ex): When an etoile revenant hits with a
  melee or melee touch attack, it can choose to shock its foe for
  an additional 1d6 points of electricity damage as a free action.
  Mechanical Healing (Ex): The etoile revenant cannot
  heal normally. To regain hit points lost to damage, it must
  either be repaired like a mechanical device or devour the
  corpse of another etoile. 
  All the normal rules for healing via the Treat Injury skill can
  be applied to an etoile revenant, but a Repair check rather
  than a Treat Injury check is required. Any creature (including
  an etoile) without a mechanical repair kit takes a penalty on
  Repair checks, just as a character lacking a first aid kit would
  when making treat Injury checks.
  Alternatively, the etoile revenant can consume the body
  of a dead etoile to heal itself. This process requires an
  available etoile corpse and three full-round actions. As soon
  as consumption is complete, the etoile revenant regains all
  lost hit points and heals all ability damage.
  Nannite Infection (Ex): Through a process as yet
  unknown, an etoile revenant naturally produces microscopic
  machines known as nannites within its body. Once per day as
  a free action, it can inject these nannites into a foe it has
  damaged with a pincer. The nannites function as a disease,
  attacking the host creature’s DNA and transforming its struc-
  ture and psychology over time.
  A creature injected with nannites must immediately make
  a DC 16 Fortitude save. On a successful save, the creature’s
  body fights off the infection, destroying the nannites in the
  process. On a failed save, the creature immediately takes 1
  point of Dexterity damage and 1 point of Wisdom damage.
  Each day thereafter, the creature must succeed on a new
  Fortitude save at the same DC or take 1d3 points of Dexterity
  damage and 1d3 points of Wisdom damage. Two successful
  saving throws in a row indicate that the creature has fought
  off the nannite infection, but any damage already taken must
  heal normally. If an infected creature has an Intelligence
  score of at least 6 and either its Dexterity or its Wisdom
  score is reduced to 0 by the disease, it is transformed into a
  sand slave. Such a creature immediately gains the sand slave
  template (see page 79 in the d20 MODERN Menace Manual),
  and all ability damage previously dealt by the disease is
  healed. Thereafter, the new sand slave is a servant of all
  etoile and can no longer be cured of the nannite infection.
  Nannite infection has no visible symptoms, and many con-
  fuse its debilitating effects with drunkenness or drug use.
  However, microscopic study of an infected creature’s blood
  or high-resolution x-rays can reveal the nannites and the
  alterations they have created in its body structure.
  A creature other than an etoile using the Treat Injury skill
  to treat the disease takes a –10 penalty on Treat Injury checks
  unless it also has at least 5 ranks in both Knowledge (tech-
  nology) and Knowledge (physical sciences), or 5 ranks in
  Disable Device.
  Telepathy (Ex): Though it cannot produce sounds, the
  etoile revenant can communicate its thoughts and desires to
  any creature within 200 feet that it can see, regardless of
  intervening matter such as glass. The target creature “hears”
  the etoile revenant’s thoughts in whatever language it can
  most easily understand. However, it cannot communicate
  thoughts back to the etoile revenant unless it also has
  telepathy. 
  Revenant Regeneration (Ex): Only bludgeoning damage
  actually reduces the etoile revenant’s hit points. However,
  damage of other sorts does have an effect. Track the
  revenant’s nonvulnerability damage separate from its hit
  points. When that damage equals or exceeds its current hit
  point total, it falls prone and is immobile and helpless for
  2d6 rounds. During this time, any further damage dealt to it
  heals instantly. When this time elapses, the etoile revenant
  arises to fight again, and its nonvulnerability damage tally is
  wiped clean. Bludgeoning damage reduces the creature’s
  revenant regeneration damage threshold by reducing its
  actual hit points.
  Special Vulnerability (Ex): Since the etoile died from
  bludgeoning damage, only bludgeoning attacks deal damage
  
  d20 MODERN
  12
  to the revenant normally. Should it reach 0 hit points from
  such damage, it is destroyed. 
  Turn Resistance (Ex): The etoile revenant is treated as an
  11-HD undead for the purpose of turn or rebuke attempts.
  This turn resistance increases by an additional +2 when it sees
  a creature upon whom it wishes to take revenge and
  decreases by –2 while it is within sight of a bodak’s hand.
  These modifiers stack.
  Possessions: Tiny robot (wheeled, 10 ranks in Disable
  Device), Diminutive robot (wheeled, 10 ranks in Demolitions).
  7. The Second Floor
  The sand mage and etoile revenant have been using the sec-
  ond floor to house the abyssal machine and the single
  satanic ichor that it has already created. 
  Creatures: The abyssal machine and its first satanic ichor are
  in this room. The machine is a horrendous combination of
  arcana and technology—a demonic spirit bound to rusting
  gears and enchanted tubes. It can create one satanic ichor for
  every week of continuous operation, but one living, sentient
  creature must be sacrificed to it each month to keep it func-
  tional. Despite its demonic spirit, the machine is an object
  rather than a creature for combat purposes. Thus, it cannot
  attack.
  The satanic ichor is the slime filling the first 6-foot glass
  tube. The arcane symbols and wax that seal the tube secure
  its prison.
  Abyssal Machine: Hardness 10, 180 hp. The machine can
  be disabled with a successful dispel magic against the sand
  mage’s caster level (7th).
  Advanced Satanic Ichor: CR 10; Medium-size ooze; HD
  8d10+36; hp 80; Mas —; Init –1; Spd 10 ft., climb 10 ft., fly 20
  ft. (average); Defense 11, touch 9, flat-footed 11 (-1 Dex, +2 nat-
  ural); BAB +6; Grap +9; Atk +9 melee (1d6+3 plus special, slam);
  Full Atk +9 melee (1d6+3 plus special, 2 slams); FS 10 ft. by 10
  ft.; Reach 10 ft.; SQ blindsight 120 ft., corrupt the mind (DC
  18), immunity to weapon damage (except energy), ooze,
  telepathy 100 ft., vessel of flesh (DC 18); AL evil; SV Fort +4,
  Ref +1, Will +5, AP 0; Rep +0; Str 17, Dex 9, Con 15, Int 18, 
  Wis 17, Cha 18.
  Skills: None.
  Feats: None.
  Blindsight (Ex): Satanic ichor is blind but can ascertain all
  creatures and objects within 120 feet by nonvisual means.
  Beyond that range, all targets have total concealment with
  respect to it.
  Corrupt the Mind (Su): As an attack action, a satanic
  ichor can dominate any creature it can contact telepathically
  (as the domination psionic power manifested by a 10th-level
  Telepath). A successful DC 18 Will save negates the effect and
  protects the creature against further domination attempts by
  the same satanic ichor for 24 hours. Satanic ichor trapped
  within a container typically uses a dominated creature as a
  vessel (see below) or thrall to attract other potential thralls.
  Telepathy (Su): A satanic ichor can communicate with
  any creature within 100 feet that has a language.
  Vessel of Flesh (Su): If it succeeds on an attack roll
  against a living creature, a satanic ichor can enter the target’s
  body through one or more orifices (usually the mouth, nos-
  trils, or ears) or an open wound. The target gets a DC 18 Will
  save to keep the satanic ichor from entering and taking con-
  trol of its body. If the save fails, the satanic ichor seizes con-
  trol of the creature’s body, using it as a vessel to commit
  murder and other atrocities. A remove curse spell can expel
  satanic ichor from a creature’s body, but the caster must suc-
  ceed on a level check (1d20 + caster level) or the spell fails.
  The creature possessed by satanic ichor has no memory of
  the possession once the satanic ichor is expelled. If the host
  drops to 0 or fewer hit points, the satanic ichor inside spills
  out through the mouth, ears, and nostrils and tries to com-
  mandeer a new “vessel” as quickly as possible.
  While possessing a creature, a satanic ichor cannot be
  attacked directly.
  A living creature possessed by satanic ichor takes 1d2
  points of Constitution damage per day, or 1d6 points per day
  if the satanic ichor’s size category is larger than its host’s. The
  Constitution damage cannot be healed until the satanic ichor
  is expelled.
  Tactics: The ichor uses every means at its disposal to gain
  its independence. It first tries to use its corrupt the mind
  ability to force a hero to free it (by breaking the tube or the
  wax seal). If that tactic fails, it speaks to the heroes via
  telepathy and tries to trick them into releasing it. Once freed,
  it attacks everything and anything it can reach, including the
  undead that created it.
  Anyone attempting to destroy the abyssal machine draws
  the wrath of the etoile revenant. The creature arrives in a
  rage (if regenerated or not yet defeated) and summons any
  sand slaves left on the island as backup.
  Development: Once the heroes have destroyed the
  abyssal machine and the satanic ichor and defeated all the
  undead on the island, the evil force dissipates, leaving
  Remorte cleansed.
  REWARDS
  The heroes gain the standard experience and wealth awards
  associated with these encounters. In addition, you may wish
  to award bonus experience for any investigative work they
  did at the beginning of the adventure. Depending on how
  well they were able to piece the clues together themselves,
  investigation can be the equivalent of up to a CR 12 obstacle.
  The second floor is in worse repair than the first, but it
  has obviously been more heavily used. In the center of
  the single large chamber, about 20 feet from the stairs,
  stand twelve tall glass cylinders, each big enough to
  contain a standing man. The nearest of these is filled
  with a dark, swirling, greenish slime that seems to be the
  source of the greenish glow.
  Beyond the cylinders is a device made of whirling
  gears and Jacob’s ladders. Liquids burble within it, and
  vents leak foul vapors into the air. The contraption has
  no obvious power source, but it is covered in glowing
  runes, and cerulean energy arcs from one part of it to
  another. The device is about the size of a small car, and
  its form suggests that it was designed to crush or slice
  heavy materials. A long tube from one end of the
  machine connects to an empty glass cylinder.
  ANYTHING GOES
  
  d20 MODERN
  13
  ANYTHING GOES
  CONTINUING THE ADVENTURE
  If the etoile and its sand mage escape with their machine,
  they leave behind arcane formulas on the walls and several
  machine pieces on the floor. Based on this evidence, investi-
  gators can piece together what was in the manor, or at least
  realize that some form of infernal device was built there. 
  If the heroes try to hunt down the escaped villains, you
  can re-use areas 6–8 in whatever new location they set up.
  Even if the characters don’t manage to locate the etoile and
  its minion on their own, they may be drawn to the new locale
  when reports of satanic ichors begin appearing in some new
  place. If even that fails to draw them in, new sand slave
  ghouls and/or demonic machines may come and attack
  them, since the etoile revenant sees them as a threat.
  If the heroes manage to clear Remorte of its undead and
  destroy the abyssal machine, they become local heroes. The
  resort company offers them free bungalows, and folks in
  nearby towns consider them trustworthy. Remorte can
  become their base of operations in this part of the world,
  and the purchase DC for anything they wish to buy in nearby
  towns is reduced by one.
  The heroes also attract the attention of the fraal and
  etoile, though neither group makes its presence known to
  them. They are simply added to the list of humans that the
  aliens keep an eye on, though the fraal might consider asking
  them for help if they encounter another undead alien or
  mystic problem. The etoile see the heroes as major defend-
  ers of humanity and make plans to neutralize them when the
  time to conquer the Earth comes.
  ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  Owen Kirker Clifford Stephens was born in 1970 in Norman,
  Oklahoma. He attended the TSR Writer’s Workshop held at
  the Wizards of the Coast Game Center in 1997 and moved to
  the Seattle area in 2000, after accepting a job as a game
  designer at Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Fourteen months later,
  he returned to Oklahoma with his wife and three cats to pick
  up his freelance writer/developer career. His credits include
  author and coauthor credits on numerous Star Wars and
  EverQuest projects, as well as Bastards and Bloodlines from
  Green Ronin. He also has producer credits for various IDA
  products, including the Stand-Ins printable figures.
  Credits
  Design:
  Owen K. C. Stephens
  Editing:
  Penny Williams
  Typesetting:
  Nancy Walker
  Cartography:
  Rob Lazzaretti
  Creative Direction:
  Christopher Perkins
  Web Production: 
  Julia Martin
  Web Development: 
  Mark A. Jindra
  Graphic Design:
  Cynthia Fliege, Sean Glenn 
  This d20™System game uses mechanics developed for the new DUNGEONS & DRAGONS®
  game by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Rich Baker, and Peter Adkison.
  This game also uses mechanics developed for the Psionics Handbook by Bruce R.
  Cordell, the Call of Cthulhu® Roleplaying Game by Monte Cook and John Tynes, and
  the Star Wars® Roleplaying Game by Bill Slavicsek, Andy Collins, and JD Wiker.
  d20 MODERN, D&D and DUNGEONS & DRAGONS are registered trademarks, and d20 and
  the d20 System logo are trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coast, Inc., a subsidiary
  of Hasbro, Inc. All Wizards characters, character names, and the distinctive likenesses
  thereof are trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
  This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America.
  Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is
  prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
  This product is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual people, organizations,
  places, or events is purely coincidental.
  This Wizards of the Coast game product contains no Open Game Content. No
  portion of this work may be reproduced in any form without written permission. To
  learn more about the Open Gaming License and the d20 System License, please visit 
  <www.wizards.com/d20>.
  ©2004 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. 
  All rights reserved.  Made in the U.S.A.
  Visit our website at
  <www.wizards.com/d20modern>
  
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