Inciting Incident:
A week ago at the Sapling Paper Company offices, Matt Schmidt, IT, attacked his boss with a X-Acto Knife. As police enter the building, Schmidt attempts to slit his own throat. Schmidt is in critical condition with no sign of recovery.
Three days later his coworker, Charlotte Gainsville, commits suicide and is found in her apartment.
Yesterday, a NSA sniffer program flagged a search made on the company server for Hypergeometric signifiers.
Orders : Discover if there is an inclusion, and if so, contain the threat.
THE TRUTH:
Schmidt just wanted to skip a long commute. With an aberrant copy of People of the Monolith, he built a Dimensional Gateway near his home, with an exit a block from work.
Coworkers inquired, and Schidt began charging to use the Gate. Schmidt’s mind slowly went, his personal relationships collapsing until he snapped. With the rest of the carpool, the erosion has already begun.
They have begun lashing out at their friends and families.
Each believes other factors in their life are at fault for their mental decline: Schmidt's girlfriend, Charlotte’s guilt, Gladys’ loneliness, Ralston's heavy debts, Lindsey's insecurity & Sarah's anxiety. They are lethargic at work, and give people the creeps.
Agents arrive at 2PM on a Thursday, work ends at 4:30.
THE OFFICE
Sapling Paper Company is on the 2nd floor of a 5 floor office complex, the other floors rented out. The Sapling offices haven't been updated since the mid 90s and still have white paint, gray fabric cubicle walls and fluorescent lighting. The front desk is also Lindsey’s HR “office”: an open cubicle facing the door. The atmosphere is one of uncertainty, unease and continual discomfort.
The IT closet is to the right, Maxine’s office at the opposite side of the office, past a sea of cubicles.
The First Floor is Storage & Break Room.
Clues
- Talking to coworkers, they describe the slow decline of Schmidt before his inevitable collapse.
- Indications that his energy decreased significantly a little over a month ago, and every other week following he got worse. No one was surprised, his girlfriend had left him, and his parents had kicked him out of the house. Similar symptoms are noticeable in any of the members of the Carpool.
- Hidden Note in Schmit's office which lists the names of everyone in the carpool with amounts due from each.
- An SMS group chat on the Carpool’s phones. Messages obliquely referencing a "door” and payments to Schmidt. A few comments about "seeing something" "on the drive home".
- The miles counter on their cars is too low for their average Commute.
The CARPOOL
KEY: A number, Ex: [2] implies this will be the next disorder developed hitting their breaking point.
CONSEQUENCE : What happens if the Agents fail to remove the Gate and leave.
Mark Schmidt, IT [critical condition]
Charlotte Gainesville, [Deceased] - Sales Associate
Mid 40s, Japanophile. Her suicide note mentions "Undying Things between the stars" and "a bubbling plasma sea…" and "Fires Fires Fires".
Thomas Ralston III (“What would you say you DO Here?”) - " Sales "
Pathological Liar, Balding, wears old sweaters and Boot Crocs to work. Obsessed with Ancient Rome & Greece. Talks like he’s rolling something in the back of his throat.
Disorders : Addiction (Alcoholism), [2] Ligyrophobia, [3] Obsession: The Gate
CONSEQUENCE : In two weeks walks through the portal, one hand clutching the side of the archway. The Hand stays. The rest exits a week later, unidentifiable and still moving.
Gladys Eberly - Mailroom / Shipping
60s, Glasses, kind smile but savvy & sharp tongue. Believes what she's doing may be illegal. Has the desk closest to Maxine’s Office, and overheard the attack.
Disorders : Sleep Disorder, Paranoia, [3] Conversion Disorder : Blindness
CONSEQUENCE : See (The Crash)
Lindsay Greene - HR
24, Overconfident Gym Rat, Blonde, American Psycho, ass kisser.
Disorders: Amnesia, Megalomania, [3] Fugues,
CONSEQUENCE : Attempts a business using the Gate ritual, destroying himself mind and body. Requires the Agents return and deal with him.
Sarah Macarthur - Runs Social Media, The Quiet one, Mousey, budding pyromaniac.
Sniffles a lot, grunts. Antisocial.
Disorder: DID, [2] Obsession: Starting Fires
CONSEQUENCE : At the start of the next week, Sarah sets fire to the building, killing several floors of people, including Maxine.
THE GATE : Commuting through the Gate costs 1 SAN and 2 WP. If the operation takes more than a day, subtract this cost each time they commute.
IT Closet
Contains Schmidt’s servers, desk and PC.
Maxine went in earlier, pulling wires and trying to "fix" things. CompSci (Computer Science) ≥ 30% can fix the servers, but requires a 0/0 SAN test upon entering and seeing the chaos.
Afterwards, searching the server (takes hours) connects Lindsey's computer to the flagged search. Occult ≥ 50% connects these Dho-Na phrases to maintaining the bindings between worlds.
After fixing the server, Maxine storms out of her office, Cheeto dust on her chin and pantsuit, proclaiming “WEBSITE’S FIXED!!!”
MAXINE
Maxine is the worst kind of boss, one who enjoys using her power to pressure people, feigning smiles and thoroughly out of touch with realistic expectations.
She is wearing an oversized neck bandage, hiding tiny cuts on her neck she received in the attack before hiding under her desk. Maxine hides in her office most of the day, playing solitaire or facebook games and occasionally taking calls or pestering employees.
THE ARGUMENT: Maxine says she and Schmidt were arguing about his performance at work (CompSci ≥ 20% knows she has no grasp of computers and is trying to sound reasonable). Around the end Schmidt suggested "work from home", and complained about the commute, personal time, “Black Stars”, unpaid overtime, wage theft etc. Maxine laughed, and Schmidt lunged at her with a box cutter from her desk.
Risk: Maxine will ask Agents to leave on minor offenses, if they return, or don't pay enough attention to her. She threatens to call the cops, and will actually call the cops. It’ll be fun to explain why you are here.
Gainsville's Apartment:
Gainsville's apartment contains a draft of her suicide note. If checked, her van's mileage is significantly too low for her regular commute.
Grains of Orange Sand which fall upward (0/1 SAN) stick between her tires.
The Crash
At 4:38PM, Gladys will undergo Conversion Disorder immediately upon exiting the gate, slamming her car into a barrier, she is killed on impact. Agents leaving hear this on their car radio or receive a call that night from their Handler.
Gladys left the office minutes ago. The commute should have taken over an hour.
The Opportunist
Earlier, Schmidt went on vacation, leaving Lindsey the instructions for the Opening ritual. At 6PM, or when the Agents get there, Lindsey attempts to burglarize Schmit's apartment and steal the book.
Cameras : If your agents think to check traffic cameras, a Bureaucracy test at -20% is required for access as the unfriendly Officer drags his feet. Sifting through the footage takes hours, but discovers the location of the Gate.
THE GATE
The Entrance is a block from the office building in a dark parking lot, out of view of the road. Cast across a supporting wall of the highway, the Gate appears as a blank stone wall 4 meters across with faint, intricate stone etchings (filled with dried blood) on the top and sides of the entrance. Side borders are marked by two brightly colored trash cans, one knocked over. Schmidt left the gate open rather than keep opening and closing it, which hurt his head.
The Gateway looks like a solid surface, but any object or creature moved through it disappears.
Example: A thrown rock vanishes.
USING THE GATEs
Using the gate costs 2 WP and 1 SAN. As they attempt to enter, a voice asks "Will you Pay?". If yes, they feel stretched and pulled like a rubber band, see strange lights, a brief vision of other dimensions and are spat back out at the other end.
Example visions:
- Bubbling glowing pits in an underground grotto from where formless things crawl from the pits of Ubbo-Sathla.
- A distant, massive emaciated screaming black form with a head like a bloody bone ridged tongue.
- Alien Landscape, an eye opens in the purple breathing sky.
CLOSING THE GATEWAY
An Agent with Occult 60% or Unnatural 10% (or a Success with either) recognizes the Gate ritual from the Tome, and allows an attempt to create a ritual to end the gate.
However, the caster knows if the ritual fails, anything could come through.
Sealing the Gate requires a successful test of Occult, (or Unnatural +20% if it is ≥ 10%). Destruction requires a Kill Radius of 8m or higher, and collapses part of the active highway on a failed Demolitions test.
On any failed attempt to close the gate (failed ritual/damaging the gate) there is a 50% chance something comes through.
First it's an Ubbo Sathla spawn the " Hand ", then " The Wheel " and finally a Dimensional Shambler1 .
CONCLUSION
Rewards:
+1 SAN for permanently closing the Gate.
+1 SAN For no media exposure or Casualties.
NPCs / Stats
Maxine Triviero
38, Office Manager, “Boss Bitch", wearing an ill-fitting blue suit and extensive jewelry. Red hair that’s obviously been dyed. Flattery makes her blind.
INT 9 CHA 7 POW 14
SAN Worst BP Boss
Armor: Ever
Skills: Alertness 45% Persuade 45% HUMINT 55%
Mark Schmidt - Amateur Magician, Young, Unassuming, Black Hair, Opportunist…
Tried to slit his boss's throat with a paper cutter.
Disorders Anxiety, Agoraphobia, Intermittent Explosive Disorder, Paranoia
HP 1 SAN 5
Thomas Ralston III - “Sales” associate
INT 8
HP: 10 WP 10
SAN 45 BP 40
Skills: Persuade 28%
Disorders : Addiction (Alcoholism), [2] Ligyrophobia, [3] Obsession: The Gate
Attacks : Trunk Gladius 30% 1d8
Gladys Eberly - Mailroom/shipping
STR 8 DEX 11 POW 10
HP 9 SAN 21 BP 20
Skills: HUMINT 65% Persuade 40%
Disorders: Sleep Disorder, Paranoia, [3] Conversion Disorder : Blindness
Attacks : Pepper Spray 55% Range 1m, Use 1, Radius 1 Target, Victim’s Penalty -20%
Sarah Macarthur - Social Media Manager,
SAN : 38 BP: 30
Disorders: DID, [2] Obsession: Starting Fires
Lindsey Greene
24, He, Overconfident, desperate Gym Rat, Blonde, American Psycho, ass kisser.
STR 16 CON 14 DEX 15 POW 9
HP 15
SAN 25 BP 18
Skills: Stealth 28% Athletics 45%, Dodge 40%, Unarmed Combat 50% HUMINT 40%
Disorders : Amnesia, Megalomania, [3] Fugues,
Attacks:
Crowbar 30% 1d6+1
Can of Bear Mace 75% Range 6m, Uses 1, Radius: 2 Targets, Victim’s Penalty 0%
Rituals : Open (and Close, but not Seal) Gate.
SPAWN OF UbboSathalla - “ Hand”
A foul smelling greenish thing made of what looks like five human hands in a malformed centipede shape ending in a head sized ribbed veiny ball with two bat wings on its sides. Constantly mutating.
STR 10 CON 20 DEX 14 INT 5 POW 19
HP 15 Armor : None, Regenerates 1d6-1 HP per round.
Skills : Alertness 45% Stealth 35% Dodge 25%
Attacks: Leap/Grab 60% - Leaps up to 20 meters and latches onto the target, slimy tentacles from its interior wrapping around its target to keep hold. Attempts to crush them the following round. Shaking free requires a successful opposed DEX or STR test.
Crush 100% 1d6 Damage Per turn until removed. Ignores Armor.
Temperamental: Upon death, dissolves into a foul smelling gas which quickly evaporates into the air. Cannot be stunned except with electricity.
SAN LOSS - 0/1d4
SPAWN OF Ubbo-Sathalla - “ Wheel”
A walking wheel of hairy Rabbit-like legs with no discernible head, eyes or ass. In the center of the ring, which expands and contracts, is a large semi-transparent membrane “mouth” which opens and closes like a sphincter. Resembles a headless demon Buer from Ars Goetia.
STR 15 CON 12 DEX 15 INT 5 POW 5
HP 14
Armor : 1 Armor (See Unnatural Biology)
Skills : Alertness 30% Athletics 70% Stealth 40% Dodge 45%
Attacks: Grapple (80%, see GRAB and Crush)
Razor Spin-kick 40%, Damage 1D6, 3 AP, Kill Radius: 3 Meters (see SPIN-KICK)
Unnatural Biology : Can turn on its side to roll at a high speed. Making a called shot for increased damage does normal damage. Spends 1d4 turns regaining 1d4 health as it dissolves and consumes a corpse. Upon death, it dissolves into a foul smelling gas which evaporates into the air. Cannot be stunned except with electricity.
HOSTAGE : Using a ranged attack on the wheel while it has an Agent grappled is like shooting into a crowd: requiring a Luck roll to see if a successful attack hits the wheel thing or its victim.
A called shot (-20%) can be made to specifically target the Wheel. If the attacker accepts an additional -20% penalty, they do not shoot the hostage on a fumble. Melee only strikes the hostage on a Fumble.
GRAB & Crush — On a successful grapple, t he wheel wraps itself around the target like a cross between a boa-constrictor and an inner tube with legs, constricting on the following turn. This " Hostage " is held in place but may still take actions. The hostage takes 1d6 damage per turn as the wheel attempts to crush them. Succeeding a STR vs STR test to Escape reduces that damage to 1 point. Two successful consecutive opposed strength tests are required to escape. Any who assists the hostage may roll STR to try to grant an additional success. Crushing damage ignores armor.
SPIN-KICK: The Wheel thing spins and expands, clawed feet stretching out for any target in range. A successful hit deals 1d6 damage to all within a 3 meter radius from the wheel. Deals no damage to its HOSTAGE, if it has one. This attack can only be Dodged, but may fight back.
SAN LOSS 1/1d6
Debased People of the Monolith
In English Study Time: Days. Unnatural +3% SAN Loss 1d4
(if skimmed quickly, 1 SAN loss and gain 1% Unnatural. Does not stack with above value beyond +3% Unnatural gained.)
A slim black volume of Poetry with an odd symbol carved into the spine with a pocket knife. The last 10 pages should be blank, but contain a series of bewildering, intricate drawings and diagrams done in blue ballpoint pen. Forensics ≥ 20% dates the handwriting to the 90s.
These pages contain the following Rituals: Create Gate(Variant)2 , Open Gate [ Study time: Hours ]
Special thanks to TopHat for helping clean up some stat blocks.
Credits
Office Space was written by Chris DiBella for the 2023 Shotgun Scenario contest.
Source: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XCNRn06C_NvaSru67d8ZkGfbXYAp3VE5kzIZfOHDUL0/edit