Pulp Horror

PULP HORROR – Hidden Underworld

To create an organization you need to pick a genre or style and then allocate out your points into the various categories. You get 25 points to dole out between the eight categories. The first four categories are more fluff oriented and are aimed at helping to define your organization though they could very well have an effect on gameplay. The second four categories are more practical and will certainly have an effect on gameplay. The points are limited to reflect that no one can be good at everything, there will be areas where your organization is weak or below average. Each play will play a major branch of their organization located in a major city, perhaps Chicago. The last four questions are oriented towards a branch and not the full organization.

After that all you need to do is write up a basic background for your group, but please keep it within the bounds of common sense. Also you might want to give some information on your basic soldiers, your mages, your special agents, etc. What are your foot troops called? How are they equipped? It doesn't have to be a full essay unless you want it to be, but try to give enough information that others could reasonably interact with your group.

Genre:

Your organization's genre is it's style or way of dealing with the supernatural, as well as a general framework for what kind of organization you have. You can pick up to two different Genres for your organization if necessary. For example a group that works for the Japanese government might use science alongside Shinto and Buddhist beliefs and powers, and would be Science/Faith.

Magic: Magic based organizations rely on the power of magic to combat magic and other supernatural influences. An order of mages would fall into this genre, as would a secret organizations like the Freemasons are sometimes accused of being.

Science: A lot of government run or supported groups fall into the science category. These groups scientifically study the supernatural and depend on heavy firepower, hi tech weaponry and gadgets, and similar things. That does not prevent them from having a few mages or priests on their payroll though, not at all.

Faith: Faith based groups depend on their religious faith to defend and aid them against the supernatural. They often make use of what is sometimes termed 'holy magic' or powers they believe are granted to them by their deity or deities. These groups are sometimes part of larger organizations that are much more public, such as the paladins and exorcists of the Roman Catholic Church. An order of druids would probably be part of this group, as would an order of Christian knights/paladins, or even a group dedicated to one of the old gods.

Supernatural: A supernatural organization is either made up of supernatural non-human creatures, or makes extensive use of them. A group of youkai or weres would fall in this group, as would an organization that used bound ghouls or other lesser supernaturals as foot troops.

Your Organization

Contacts:

This stat covers your contacts within powerful groups such as the government, law enforcement, the church, the media, the military, and other such groups. You could also view this stat as how well you have infiltrated these organizations with your own people. At low levels you might have a few contacts in various fields who can pass information on to you, cover things up, or pull a few strings. At higher levels you probably have a great deal of influence and pull.

1)You don't really have many contacts to be truthful. You do have a few people in various locations but they are not that highly placed and probably can't or won't do much to help you out.
2)At this level you have a few, mostly minor, contacts in the most important or powerful areas and groups. They can pass information on to you but they can not pull many strings for me.
3)You now have significant contacts in most groups, and they are high enough ranking to help you out somewhat by pulling strings as well as passing on information.
4)Your organization has high ranking contacts across the board, as well as a host of minor ones. At this level you might be a part or heavily supported by an important group such as the Catholic Church or the US military.
5)At this point you have one or more major contacts supporting you. Your organization's leader might have a phone line directly to the White House or similar location. But at the same time if your organization is on this level then it is extremely likely that they work for a powerful group such as a government or a church.

Supernatural Knowledge/Occult:

Supernatural Knowledge is a measure of just how much your organization knows about the underworld. At a low level you are working off of myths and legends that often twist things or are outright wrong. While at a higher level you have a database full of facts about the supernatural underworld such as information about the various non-human species.

1)Your organization is aware that the supernatural exists and might know a few things about the more common types of supernatural creatures and occurrences, but past that all you have to work with is the old legends and myths.
2)Your organization now has a sold library or database with information on the common and some of the uncommon aspects of the supernatural world. You might have some rumors of the rarer aspects and species as well. Also your organization probably has one or two researchers/scientists studying the supernatural and devising countermeasures.
3)At this point your organization has a very solid database/library of information about the supernatural. You probably have some skilled researchers on your payroll in a small facility.
4)Your organization has a lot of knowledge about the supernatural, from the common to the rare. You also have a full blown research lab or facility with several research and development teams.
5)At this point your organization is knowledgeable about nearly every aspect of the supernatural underworld and has at least heard rumors about all but the most hidden and secretive. Most organizations with this level of knowledge are ancient and have been around for centuries at the least.

Stealth:

Stealth represents just how hidden and secretive your organization is. A higher stealth rating will help to keep your facilities, agents, and operations hidden from your enemies and other groups. A high stealth rating also helps to keep your organization out of the crosshairs of law enforcement and other governmental groups like the FBI who could otherwise cause a great deal of problems for you.

1)At this point your organization has gone public. You have a website detailing your mission statement and your headquarters are on Google Earth. This is NOT a good thing! Every opposing group, and probably groups who just want to keep the underworld the underworld, are now gunning for you. Expect to either have to abandon everything and go to ground, or get wiped out, before the end of the week.
2)People know you exist but no one is really sure just what you actually do. Like Delta Force your name is widely known among the public. Your enemies know quite a lot more and you can expect fairly regular harassment from them.
3)The intelligence community and people who do a lot of fact-finding know you exist, but most people have no clue. Your enemies still have enough data to launch strikes at you once in a while.
4)The only people who know you exist are those involved in the supernatural underworld, those outside the underworld have no knowledge you even exist. You still face minor raids and skirmishes but they are limited in scope.
5)Your organization is as hidden as such an organization can get. Even closely allied groups have no clue about the true size, strength, etc of your organization.

Front:

Your organization is supposed to be a hidden one, so you need some sort of front to help hide your gatherings and operations. This stat covers the kind of legal front you present to the public, and it can sometimes be a good source of funds and recruits. Your front is also generally the cover for your headquarters/main base.

1)Your organization doesn't really have a front to be fully honest, and your organization is exposed by this. Your headquarters are probably an abandoned warehouse or similar location that you might not even own.
2)At this level your organization has a small front, though it can't cover everything. It might be a small business, a grass roots or not for profit organization, etc etc. Regardless you probably a small but fully equipped base.
3)You have a full and legal business as your front, though most of the upper management is made up of your people. Most of your personnel are hidden within the business' ranks and your headquarters or base is probably hidden somewhere in your business's proprieties.
4)Your organization's front is a fairly major regional/local business. It makes enough money and has enough property that you can hide more facilities in it's budget, finances, and other reports. At this point the rank and file, and even most of the management, has no idea about the true nature of the company. Your also have a network of safehouses and similar facilities in the area.
5)Your organization's front is a major corporation or a branch of a such an business, or something else similarly large and probably well off. You have an extensive network of facilities and a solid infrastructure in the area, and it's probably a major hub or base for the organization as a whole.

Your Personnel:

Foot Troops:

Your foot troops are your basic everyday soldiers or enforcers. To be frank they are your nameless, background, cannon fodder forces. Despite being cannon fodder they are trained soldiers, and are easily the equal of any elite infantry man in a First World military. At lower levels you get a small handful of trained men, while higher levels you might have the equivalent of a military company or two.

1)You have a handful of men, basically a squad or two. Enough to protect your base though you don't have much power projection capabilities. (8 to 14 men)
2)Your branch has a full platoon of soldiers on it's payroll. (~50 men)
3)Your branch of the organization has a full company of soldiers. (~100 men)
4)Your branch has a company and a half of soldiers (~150 men)
5)Your branch of the organization has a company to a company and a half of foot troops drawn from the elite soldiers of your organization. They are not as good as special agents but they are better then your regular foot troops.

Mages:

You might have wizards, you might have shamans, you might have priests or exorcists, but even the most scientific organization is going to have a magic user or psychic on staff. At least if they want to survive for very long once they start playing in the big leagues. At lower levels you probably have one or two average mages, and at higher levels you might have a powerful coven or equivalent working for you. Psychics are also accounted for under this stat if you want to use them or both mages and psychics. Special Agents can be mages or psychics but they do not fall under this stat.

1)You have one or two mages of average power working for you.
2)You have several mages of average power working for you.
3)You have one or two mages of above average power working for you, along with several mages of average power.
4)Your branch of the organization has an order of mages or a coven (or something similar) working for it.
5)Your branch of the organization has a powerful order or equivalent working for you. You probably have an arch-mage, a high priestess, a exorcist bishop, or similar powerful mage working for you as well, probably as the leader of your other mages.

Special Agents:

Special Agents are your elite personnel, your named protagonists. They are your powerful fighters and mages, your elite, your best of the best. It is much harder to replace them then it is to replace your foot troops or mages. Any truly powerful supernatural creatures that work for your organization, such as Abrahamic angels or demons, should go in this category.

1)You have one special agent, who is probably your branch's leader or it's best operative.
2)You have two special agents.
3)You have three special agents.
4)You have four special agents.
5)You have five special agents.

General Equipment:

This stat measures the quality of the equipment your troops and other personnel are equipped with. These can be guns and kelvar body armor or it could be blessed swords and mail armor, just use the info below as general guidelines. A foot soldier could easily have a blessed sword without having to purchase level 4 or 5, as long it is just a regular blessed sword that hasn't been blessed by the pope for example.

1)Your organization has access to the equipment a typical US city police department would have. Most of your people are armed with sidearms, rifles, and shotguns though you do have a small group with heavier weaponry.
2)Your organization has access to AK-47s, RPGs, and other pieces of military grade weaponry that are common on the black market.
3)Your organization has access to the public equipment of a first world military, within reason.
4)Your organization uses a lot of weapons with powerful enchantments or hi-tech weaponry and gadgets.
5)Your organization has access to pretty much anything they need, within reason, as long as they have time to arrange it. You could probably get your hands on some tanks if you wanted, though it probably wouldn't be the smartest idea as it would draw a lot of attention.