The United States government employed the Pinkerton Detective Agency to explore the strange supernatural phenomena that occurred after the Battle of Gettysburg. Before
he was assassinated in April 1865, President Lincoln decided the government needed tighter control of these strange affairs and issued Executive Order 347, creating the new Special Services Agency. Allan Pinkerton himself was retained to run it. Since then, the Agency has become the Union’s elite secret investigations arm with jurisdiction in all
37 states. Officially, they’re responsible for rooting out sedition, corruption, and other activities that might lead to another devastating civil war, and many in the Agency do just that. Behind the scenes, this means investigating and dealing with supernatural evil.
WHAT THEY KNOW
All Agents know something called the Reckoning either created or empowered the rise of supernatural creatures. They know magic is real and generally where it comes from, the Harrowed are possessed by demons, and that an ancient order called the Twilight Legion has been hunting such creatures for millennium.
RANK & ADVANCEMENT
New Agents are given a Gatling pistol upon
completion of their training course (free
of charge) and credentials showing their
employment as an official Agent. Most
operatives like to keep their job private,
however, so as to better infiltrate all levels of
the communities they work in.
Agents are ranked as Grade 0 through
6. Player character Agents start as Grade 0
and are limited to Grade 3 in regular play.
Promotions come from taking the Agency
Promotion Edge (see page 54).
Agents of Grade 0 through 3 know the
basics of the Reckoning, who the four
Servitors are (or were), what Harrowed
and hucksters are, and that some critters
are invulnerable until you find their
specific weakness.
Grades 4–5 are regional directors or
reserved for very special Agents in high
places or sensitive locals. Grade 6 is reserved
for the “Big Boss,” Allan Pinkerton himself.
They know much more about the Reckoning
and the sinister forces behind it.
Agents are paid each month depending
on their grade, wired to most any legitimate
bank in the country.
By executive order, men, women, and
persons of all backgrounds may be Agents.
The only real requirement is allegiance to the
United States of America.
FAVORS
Favors are requests an Agent can use to get
a little help from the Agency itself. Of course
the operative has to be able to contact them
somehow—he can’t just ask for a cleaner
team in the middle of the wilderness with no
one around. But generally, if he can get word
to a known contact or a major city, he’ll get
what he asks for.
Every Agent starts play with one Favor,
and gains another each time he helps lower
the Fear Level (see page 84).
The maximum number of Favors an Agent
can spend on a single request is based on his
Grade, as shown below (along with the pay
for his particular grade).
AGENCY RANK
| Grade |
Pay |
Max. Value of Favor |
| 0 |
$40 |
1 |
| 1 |
$60 |
2 |
| 2 |
$80 |
3 |
| 3 |
$120 |
4 |
FAVORS
| Favor |
Cost |
| Clean/cover up a small operation
with fewer than dozen witnesses. |
1 |
| Strong-arm a newspaper into printing
a particular version of a story. |
1 |
| Clean/cover up a large operation
with more than a dozen witnesses. |
2 |
| Request specific information about a
sensitive topic, such as the Reckoning
or the corruption of a federal official. |
2 |
| Quietly remove a county or local
official. |
2 |
| Quietly remove a state or minor
federal official, evacuate a town,
declare a disaster area, temporarily
close down a rail line. |
3 |
THE MNEMOMIZER
When an Agent reaches Security Grade 2,
he’s issued an infernal device called—by
those who can pronounce it—a mnemomizer.
This palm-sized silver globe opens when the
user presses certain panels in the correct
sequence (to prevent others from using it or
it going off in an Agent’s pocket) and makes
a Science roll.
With success, pockets of ghost rock vapor
ignite in a mesmerizing sequence. Everyone
in the front half of a Large Blast Template
centered on the Agent, who isn’t consciously
closing their eyes, must make a Smarts roll.
Those who fail are incredibly susceptible
to suggestion for the next 10 seconds or so.
Treat this as a successful casting of the mind
wipe power with a raise.
Unfortunately, the devices aren’t
perfect and are subject to Infernal Device
Malfunction as usual (see page 33). Minor
and Major Malfunctions work as usual, but
a Catastrophic Malfunction means everyone
affected must make a Vigor roll. Those who
fail find their eyeballs scorched from their
sockets and are permanently blinded!
AGENT EDGES
AGENCY PROMOTION
REQUIREMENTS: Seasoned, Agent
This Edge reflects a promotion by the
Agency for your hero’s devotion, loyalty,
and effectiveness. The first time it’s taken he
becomes a Grade 1 Agent. This grants him a
slight pay raise, the ability to spend higher
Favors, and a light armored vest (or corset) if
he chooses (see page 35).
The second time he takes this Edge he
becomes a Grade 2 Agent. He gets another
pay raise, the ability to call for greater Favors,
and his mnemomizer.
A player character can take this Edge one
final time at Heroic Rank. This makes him
a Grade 3 Agent and allows him to ask for
4-point Favors.
MAN OF A THOUSAND FACES
REQUIREMENTS: Seasoned, Agent, Performance
d8+
This Edge helps Agents infiltrate their
foes, given some supplies and the ability
to study the enemy. The Agent adds +2
to his Performance rolls when trying to
impersonate a general “type” of roughly
similar build. There’s a −2 penalty for
impersonating someone the target has
heard of, a −4 for someone the target has
seen before, or −6 for a specific individual
or someone the target is familiar with. Use
of this Edge requires clothing appropriate
for the role. A disguise kit (see page 27)
removes 2 points of penalties.
