The Dog

The Dog

By Lalonde.

Inspired in part by John Carpenter’s The Thing.

---

The Agents are handed a large Dog. What’s wrong with the Dog?

The Call

A player Agent is called off-the-books by another agent in the middle of the night. The other agent asks fearfully to meet them at a gas station. There, they hand the Agent a big kennel covered by a blanket, and tell that Agent to transport the kennel to a set of coordinates many miles away. The exact location does not matter, adapt it to your game. For an example length, use St. Louis to NYC, for a total of 950 miles of highway. Ideally the trip lasts a few days.

Looking inside the kennel reveals a large German Shepherd, staring back.

What’s The Dog?

The Dog is the main focus of this operation, but it can be many things. One thing is always for certain though: it is not a normal dog.

1. The Worm: the Dog is being used as a warm, wet, “transport container” for a large Spawn of Mordiggian. The Spawn looks like a fat, wingless coffin-fly around 6 inches in length. The Spawn resides in the Dog’s abdominal cavity, and eats it from the inside out, causing the Dog constant, considerable pain. Fortunately for the Dog, its touch leeches WP (1D4/turn), so the Dog is often unconscious when it is not howling in pain. The Spawn can escape out of the Dog’s mouth or anus, with considerable damage to its host (1D8 ignore armor), if it is discovered and/or harmed. As the scenario progresses, the Spawn will consume more and more of the Dog, as its host lashes out and writhes from the pain. Eventually, close to the end of the scenario, the Dog will die, and the Spawn will eat out of the Dog’s belly, warbling as it laps the blood. Soon after, the Spawn will begin to seek out other flesh to consume. The Spawn’s touch is burning cold, slimy, and may give a WP-drained Agent strange, chthonic dreams. The Recipient will want the Spawn alive.
2. The Black Thing: The Dog is not a Dog at all, but a lesser child of Shub-Nigurath. Its true form is more akin to a massive, shapeshifting bacterium, with cilia lining its mass. The Dog’s blood runs black and soupy, its eyes appear goatlike under a bright light, and it lactates a sticky milk that dries into a foul, puttylike substance and appears to contain sperm cells when analyzed under a microscope. Each part of the Dog (leg, tail, snout, eye, etc.) can split off and act as its own organism, seeking life to consume and increase the size of the whole. The Dog will get larger steadily throughout the scenario, if given enough opportunities to feed, and eventually perform mitosis, splitting into two identical Dogs. These new Dogs’ goals are the same. The Recipient will want a Dog alive.
3. The Corpse: The Dog is host to a splinter of Tulzscha, the Green Flame. It flows cold green fire through its system, and a caustic smoke emanates from the Dog’s eyes and mouth. Unfortunately for the Agents, this means that the Dog is dead. They may smell the Dog rotting, or see maggots drip from its grey, bloodless belly. The Dog does not appear to care. It does not sound or act like a Dog, either. The only sounds it makes are a low drone and a yelping, rapid-fire “giggle.” The Dog will attempt to seek out fuel for the Fire within it. Gasoline, charcoal, seed oils, natural gas, and even human blood are all possible options. It does not have HP, but its WP acts as the “HP” of the Fire in the Dog. These fuels add WP to the Dog (1 WP per 1 oz. solid/1 cup liquid/1 ft3 or 1000 BTUs gas). If it runs out of WP, the Fire will slowly flow out of the Dog into unseen aether or, possibly, into another host. The Dog can also spend WP to use subtle telekinetic powers. The Recipient will want the Flame intact, within the Dog or not.

The Scenario

This scenario is meant to take place over a few days in-game. If the Agents make the trip, the scenes will take place at truck stops, roadside greasy spoons, gas stations, motels, and, occasionally, while driving on the road (for maximum effect, dramatic and/or dangerous scenes should occur while driving).

If Agents decide not to trust the handoff, and secure the Dog somewhere while they wait for a verdict from A Cell/their higher-ups, scenes happen in moments where they least expect, and when they turn their back. Hiding the Dog in a dockyard warehouse, for example, may lead to a terrifying search through the entire yard when the Dog escapes, where the Agents don’t know if they are predators or prey. A Cell can provide some information, if the Agents live long enough to hear it (1D4 days after calling):

• The handoff was made by an agent codenamed “Orson.” Other agents are currently seeking him for elimination. He is a threat to Delta Green.
• The Dog is unknown, but should clearly be eliminated based on Agent description.
• If possible, seek the final recipient of the handoff and eliminate them, using the Dog or a decoy. If they use the Dog, make sure to kill the Dog as well.

The Recipient

The Recipient of the package is, like the Dog, an unknown variable. He can be any dangerous enemy in your campaign, from Alzis to Galt to Roger G. Ash. For the purposes of play, the example character is an Argentinian, ex-Karotechia sorcerer and occult items dealer named Ira Paolucci. He has access to Argentinian and Italian criminal connections, which he can optionally use to hunt the Dog down if it doesn’t reach the destination in time. If the Dog is not in the condition he desires (specifics listed in “What’s The Dog?”), he will retaliate with extreme force on the Agents.

Stats

A Normal Dog

STR 12 CON 13 DEX 13 POW 10

HP 13 WP 10

Armor: 1 point.

Skills: Alertness 70%, Track By Smell 80%

Attacks: Bite 30%, damage 1D6.

Knock Down 50%, damage special (see Knock Down).

Knock Down: If this attack hits, the Dog attempts an opposed STR5 test against the target. If the Dog succeeds, the target is knocked prone.

SAN Loss: 0/1 to see harmed.

Spawn Of Mordiggian

STR 4 CON 7 DEX 10 POW 9

HP 5 WP 9

Skills: Alertness 28%, Dodge 42%, Track 38%

Attacks: Burrowing Bite 35%, damage 1D6 and see Burrow.

Burrow: Once the Spawn succeeds this attack, they remain on the target every turn after, dealing an additional 1D4 damage per turn. The target can make an opposed STR5 roll to get the Spawn off of them.

Dream-Suck: When the Spawn is on flesh, it feels burning cold and consumes 1D4 WP every turn. Those who go to 0 WP because of the Spawn go into dreams of things beneath the earth.

Child Of Rot: The Spawn flees from light and is damaged 1 HP per turn in the cold.

SAN Loss: 1/1D4

The Shub-Nigurath Dog

STR 15 CON 15 DEX 13 POW 10

HP 15 WP 10

Armor: See Unnatural Flesh.

Skills: Alertness 40%, Athletics 35%, Dodge 35%

Attacks: Bite 30%, damage 1D6.

Knock Down 50%, damage special (see Knock Down).

Tendril Strangle 35%, damage 1D6 and pins target (see Amoebic Lifeform).

Knock Down: If this attack hits, the Dog attempts an opposed STR5 test against the target. If the Dog succeeds, the target is knocked prone.Amoebic Lifeform: Once a target is pinned by the Dog, it tries to consume the target. The target can make an opposed STR5 roll to get out, receiving a penalty of -10% for each subsequent turn pinned. The Dog will do 1D4+1 damage per round to the pinned target. The Dog gains 1 point of STR for every 5 damage done, as it consumes the flesh.

Unnatural Flesh: The Dog takes only 1 HP damage from all unarmed, melee, firearm, or explosive with a Lethality rating under 25%, and no damage from fire, corrosives, electricity, and toxins. It takes full damage from hypergeometry.

Mitosis I: Each body part of the Dog can function independent of the whole, splitting off to eat on their own. These are listed in their own stat block.

Mitosis II: When the Dog has gained 7 or more new STR points, it can split into two new Dogs with the same stats. This takes three turns, and costs 1/1D6 SAN to see.

SAN Loss: 1/1D6

Shub-Nigurath Organelles

STR 9 CON 9 DEX 15 POW 5

HP 9 WP 5

Armor: See Unnatural Flesh.

Skills: Alertness 40%, Athletics 35%, Dodge 40%

Attacks: Tendril Strangle 35%, damage 1D6 and pins target (see Amoebic Lifeform).

Amoebic Lifeform: Once a target is pinned by the organelle, it tries to consume the target. The target can make an opposed STR5 roll to get out. The organelle will do 1D4+1 damage per round to the pinned target. The organelle gains 1 point of STR for every 5 damage done, as it consumes the flesh and grows.

Unnatural Flesh: The organelle takes only 1 HP damage from all unarmed, melee, firearm, or explosive with a Lethality rating under 25%, and no damage from fire, corrosives, electricity, and toxins. It takes full damage from hypergeometry.

Size Does Matter: This stat block assumes the organelle is in the form of a leg, liver, large intestine, head, etc. For smaller parts, reduce STR and CON by 2-4, depending on how small the thing is.

Part Of A Whole: If the organelle returns to the whole Dog, every point of STR it gained is added to the STR of the Dog.

SAN Loss: 1/1D4

The Dead Dog

STR 13 CON 5 DEX 13 POW 14

HP? WP 14 and special (see Fuel-Eater)

Armor: See Non-Terrene Possessor.

Skills: Alertness 80%

Attacks: Bite 30%, damage 1D6.

Knock Down 50%, damage special (see Knock Down).

Telekinetic Slam 35%, damage 1D4+1 (see Telekinetic Effects).

Knock Down: If this attack hits, the Dog attempts an opposed STR5 test against the target. If the Dog succeeds, the target is knocked prone.

Fuel-Eater: The Flame needs fuel. Gasoline, charcoal, seed oils, natural gas, and even human blood are all possible options. These fuels add WP to the Dog (1 WP per 1 oz. solid/1 cup liquid/1 ft3 or 1000 BTUs gas). If it runs out of WP, the Fire will leave the Dog, possibly into another host.

Non-Terrene Possessor: Regular fire and cold hurts the Flame’s WP (fire 1D4/turn, cold 1D6/turn), as well as hypergeometry. Everything else does effectively 0 damage, but will still damage the solid body of the Dog.

Rotten: Every time anyone is in close quarters with the Dog, they must make a CON5 roll or suffer -20% to any tests.Break For It: If the Dog reaches 0 WP, the Flame can make an opposed POW5 test with any living thing in a meter radius. If it succeeds, that creature is now possessed by it.

Telekinetic Effects: The Dog can move matter with telekinesis. Little things cost 1-2 WP, bigger actions cost 3-7 WP, and nigh-impossible actions cost 10 or more WP. It can also throw things hard for 4 WP (Telekinetic Slam).

SAN Loss: 0/1D6

Credits

The Dog was written by Lalonde for the 2025 Shotgun Scenario contest.
Source: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BEUiHHAxGpHsa91Nei3IiZpKK-GpPEU0noRI585cgcg/edit