Emperor Forgive Us

Introduction

To kick off my Heresies Without Number game with my home group, I was casting about for an adventure I could run with fairly minimal adaptation. I ended up settling on a D&D adventure that I've been wanting to run since I got it last year: Forgive Us from Lamentations of the Flame Princess. 

As I went through, I discovered it took surprisingly little modification to get it ready for 40k, but since I didn't want to mess up my book for future use as-is, I decided to type up my 40k specific notes. While I was at it, I decided to give Courtney Campbell's set design method a go. So, what we have in this post is my notes for a remix of the adventure for a sci-fi investigative adventure set in the 40k universe, intended for Dark Heresy style play.

To use these notes, you'll need a copy of Forgive Us, especially the wonderfully detailed maps. Just pretend they have sci-fi details - metal and plasteel instead of wood and stone. You'll probably want to read the adventure as-is first, as Kelvin's wonderfully conversational style imparts a lot of the flavor of the adventure that the super-terse set design notes do not. Also, the original adventure purposely leaves a few things open for ease of slotting into your own campaign, and I've gone ahead and made those decisions here for my own game. So the original adventure might give you some ideas on where to depart. If you do want to use these notes as-is, you could print them out and tape/sticky note them to pages opposite the relevant maps in the original book- that's what I plan to do, assuming they fit (which it looks like they should).

Oh, and to make sense of the treasures, which are at the end of the post, you'll want to take a look at the rules on Factions, Reputation, and Acquisitions I posted a few days ago. The word after the treasure indicates what faction is interested in the item, and the number represents how much reputation can be gained with that faction by giving it to them.

The first few sets of notes are for the overall setting of the adventure, and some of the factions involved, and roughly correspond to the introductory material on Norwich in the original adventure. Everything after "The Complex" should map to the adventure directly - some of the names have just been changed to fit my particular milieu.

Places

Planet Arimatheon

|  Hive Epimetheus | Grand Cathedral → Massive Crowds → Saint Reliquaries → Archives | Great Hospital | Dragon Hall → Hive-wide Merchant Guild | Middle Hive | Blue Quadrant Parish → Tenebrous Hand Complex | Uptown → Uriah Frastus House → Brotherhood of the Fecund Belly Temple

Factions

The Tenebrous Hand	Criminal Gang → Powerful & Wealthy | Threaten, Bribe, Blackmail → Hive Officials, Arbitrators | Friendly & Generous → Local Parish & Community | Raided → Merchant Uriah Frastus’s home → Brotherhood of the Fecund Belly | Opened → Cannister → Horrible Mutations & Death | Based → Tenebrous Hand Complex
Brotherhood of the Fecund Belly	Rich Merchants → Secret Society → Cult → Demon of Nurgle | Leader → Uriah Frastus | Lost → Exotic & Expensive Curio → Stolen by Tenebrous Hand → Cannister → Hyper Genestealer DNA | Based → Frastus’ House → Chaos Temple
Inquisitor Zek	Ordo Xenos → Radical | Leader → Inquisitor Zek | Sent → Investigation/kill team | Aggarwal →  Analytical & Tactical, taste for victory →  Instructions → Allies → +2 bonus to all rolls (AC 8, MV 120’, 4 HD (22hp), Las Pistol 1d6/Dagger 1d4, LD 10) Flak Vest, daggers (2), Las Pistol, crowbar, rope (50’) | Mordecai → Tired → Drinks Alcohol →  Swig of alcoholic drink →  Cure Light Wounds → restore 1d6+4 HP → Fight one round past death (AC 8, MV 120’, 4 HD (21hp), Shotgun 3d4, LD 8) Flak Vest, Carapace Chest plate, dagger, fine Shotgun, bottled rum (3), glowlamp, charges (3) | Orl → Amiable → Artist & Actor known for female roles →  Psyker →  2 Power Dice → Telekinesis (2), Torch AC 12, MV 120’, 4 HD (11hp), Las Pistol 1d6, LD 9. Colourful coat w/ hood, dagger, Las Pistol, paint tubes | Krak → Combat Servitor → Noxious fumes → toughness check →  Engage (AC 8, MV 120’, 2 HD (12hp), Buzzsaw Arm 1d8, LD 12) Rags, cybernetics

The Complex

Tenebrous Hand Complex

| City Block |→ Signal Beacon → Not Safe to Enter |→ Windows → Awareness(9) or Security(9) or Profession/Criminal(Auto) → Bars |→ Doors → Locked or barred → Security(7) |→ Shops → Legitimate → Workers Paid to keep quiet |→Keycards → Individual Shop keycodes | Day → Quiet → Last Few Days | Night → Dark & Quiet → Last Few Days | Surrounding Businesses → Normal Activity

A: The Dog and Bastard

B: The Hab on Rat Hill

C: The Warehouse

D: The Scribe

E: The Potter

F: The Butcher

G: The Distiller

H: The Hab on Ventilator Avenue

I: The Courtyard

The Secret Cellar

The Vaults

A: The Dog & Bastard

Common Room	Front Door → Metal → Locked → Master Keycode → Barred Back Door → Metal → Locked → Master Keycode → Barred Bar → Back Room → Trap Door → Steep Ladder → Cellar |→ Search →  2 Keycards per Room Eli Shanks (AC 7, MV 120’, 2HD (8hp), Baseball bat 1d6, LD 12, Sneak Attack 2, Stealth 2.) |→ Parley → Crazy → Cellar Bad Place → Stop anyone going in |→ Fight → Crazed frontal assault | → Flak Jacket, Baseball bat | → Pocket → Master Keycard
Cellar	Nasty smell → Pool of thick, acrid black goo |→ Search →  Barrels & Crates → Food & Drink → Spoiled |→ False Panel → Secret Door → Locked → Master Keycode
Upstairs	Doors → Wooden → Locked → Individual Room Keycards or Master Keycode | S Room → Wardrobe → False Back → Locked → Master Keycode | SW Room → Trashed | NW Room → Trashed → Locked Chest → Copper Rat Sculpture (Merchants 1/Criminals 1) | N Room → Trashed | NE Room → Behind bed→ Secret Door → Locked → Master Keycode

B: The Hab on Rat Hill

Ground Floor

| Front Door → locked → Master Keycode | Back Door  → locked → Master Keycode | Rotten Stink → Abandoned meal being prepared → Worse Smell from Upstairs | Stairs → Upstairs | Table → Book → Small, leather bound → Fifty Shades of Ultramarine → Poor erotic space marine fiction (Simpletons 1)

Upstairs

Strong smell of decay → From front (N) of building | N  Room → Door → Locked → Gang Leader Keycode, | Body → Bashed in own head on console → Gang Leader Snake Barbarossa | Wall Above Desk → Map → city → various marked locations | Desk → Letter → Rough map → meeting place of the Brotherhood of the Fecund Belly | Bed → Keycard → Room Keycode, Treasurer Office Keycode, Safe Keycode, Master Keycode, Vaults Keycode

C: The Warehouse

Ground Floor	| Double doors → heavy chain & padlock → Foreman Keycode or Master Keycode | Back doors --> thick wooden bar | Crates and Containers → Legal Goods (Merchants 3/Criminals 2)
Walkway	| Walkway → wooden → 10’ up | Body → Hanging from noose → Gang member → Zuriel Varn | Search → Belt | Master Keycard | Scabbard → Dagger | Ladder → roof → signal beacon

D: The Scribe

Shop

| Front Door → Locked → Scribe Keycode or Master Keycode | Back Door → Locked → Scribe Keycode or Master Keycode | Tables → Ink, Paper, Quills →

Upstairs

| Door → Locked → Gang Leader Keycode or Treasurer Keycode | Office → Safe → Locked → Gang Leader Keycode or Treasurer Keycode → Trapped → Poison Save → Unconscious 2d4 hours | Bag → Credits (merchants 1/criminals 1) |→ Local Business Floor Plans → Legitimate & Criminal Ledgers → Vaults Keycode | Icon of Saint → False Panel → S Secret Door → Locked → Master Keycode | False Panel → Secret Door → Locked → Master Keycode

E: The Welder

Shop	| Front Door → locked → Master Keycode | Back door → locked → Master Keycode | Signs of a struggle → Smashed Welding → Intact Welding (Merchants 1) | Stairs → Cupboard → Locked → Master Keycode → Tunnel → Secret Cellar
Upstairs	| Window → Butcher roof | Search → hidden footholds → Window → Distiller Upstairs | False Panel → Secret door → Locked →  Master Keycode | Main room → Abandoned in a hurry | Search → 2 Flak Jackets (AC 8), a sword | Beds → Blanket → Fine Sword (Merchants 1/Criminals 1)→ Gold Thread, gems in hilt

F: The Butcher

Shop

| Front Door → Locked → Butcher Key or Master Keycode | Back Door → Locked → Butcher Key or Master Keycode | Rotting Stench & Flies Buzzing → cheese and meat → Poison Save → puke | Mutant Dog (AC 8, MV 180’, 2HD, Blood-Red Tentacle 1d4 plus infection, LD 12) Tentacle → Poison Save → Infected | Targets → Mindless Attack | No targets → A Few Hours → Hibernation

G: The Distiller

Workshop

| Front Doors → Chained & padlocked → Distiller Key or Master Keycode | Back Doors → Barred | Bottles and Kegs of Booze → Some smashed, some intact | Complete Bottles and Kegs (Merchants 2/Criminals 2) | Woodworking Tools → Improvised Weapons | Side door → Locked → Master Keycode

Upstairs

| Whiff of decay → Body → Gang Member → “Emperor Forgive Us” → Blood → Half Mutated → Rotting→ Slit Throat → Bones Havelock | Chests → Locked → Empty → Training | Weapons rack → swords, clubs, daggers --> blunted | Table → Card Game → 38 creds→ fourth player winning | Ladder → Near Window → Reaches H: Hab on Ventilator Avenue | E Window → Butcher Roof | Search →  hidden footholds →  E: Welder Upstairs

H: The Hab on Ventilator Avenue

Ground Floor

| Front Door → Locked → Master Keycode | Back Door → Locked → Master Keycode | Faint, Bitter Smell → Burned Hair → Dark Stain on Ceiling | Drips Thick, Black Substance →  Taste → Poison Save → 1d6 Damage

Upstairs

| Stronger Smell →  Eyes Watering | Signs of Struggle | S Door → Smashed off Hinges | Front room → Mess | Bunks → Smashed → Bed Clothes Strewn |→ Cannister (Ordo Xenos 2/Mechanicus Biologis 3) | Metal, Hollow, Glyphs, Display Screens | Tech-Priests → Level or Under on D20 →  Recognize as Ordo Biologis | Opens → Tech-Use (7) or Security (9) → Empty | Puddle Noxious Black Stuff →  Half-Dissolved Human Bones | Back room → Disturbed | False Panel →  Secret Door → Locked → Master Keycode | Corner → Ladder → Cross Alley → G: Distiller

J: The Courtyard

Courtyard

| Ventilator Avenue → Alley → Double Doors → Corrugated Steel → Chain & Padlock → Foreman Keycode, Distiller Key, or Master Keycode | Guard Dogs → Large → Five (AC 8, MV 180’, 2HD, Bite 1d4, LD 9) | Feeds → Friendly, will not attack | Flees → Try to catch the slowest | Fights → Will try to eat any fallen enemies, stop attacking | Gnawed Dog Remains

The Secret Cellar

Secret Cellar

| Stench → Weeping → Poison Save → Hilarious Vomit Montage | Mess → Signs of Frantic, Bitter Combat → Severed body parts, blood stains, & broken Weaponry | W Tunnel → Dog & Bastard | SE Tunnel → Ladder →  E: Welder | NW, NE, & SW Tunnels →  Portcullis → Underhive → Other Parts of the City → Thievery | Winches → Open Portcullis | Pit Trap → S Door → Steel Plates→ Sturdy → Locked | Pit Trap → 10’ Deep → Polished Walls | Door → Two Key Slots → Simultaneous Unlock → Voice Recognition | Simultaneous Unlock | Unlocks → Gang Leader Keycode and Treasurer Keycode | Unlocks → Security (7) or Tech-Use (9) Rolls | Unlocks → Psychic Powers | Voice Recognition | Speaks → “Mercia” | Hacks → Security(10)

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The Vaults

Vaults

| Tables →  Treasure | Crates → Treasure | Barrels → Treasure | Stacked Items → Treasure | Searches → Treasure Table | Searches Again → Treasure Table and Mutant Free Attack | Search for Specific Item → Treat as two searches | Mutant Things → Hibernating (AC 8, MV 120’, 4HD, Grab or Blood-Red Tentacles 1d4/1d4/1d4 plus infection, LD 12) | Searches 2 Rounds → Wake Up and Attack

The Brotherhood of the Fecund Belly - Uriah Frastus House

Ground Floor

| Crooke → Thug and Cultist (AC 8, MV 120’, 2HD (8hp), Club 1d4, LD 9) Flak Jacket, Club | Bundles Herbs & Burning Incense → Strong, Pungent Smell | Faint Smell → Awareness(9) or Heightened Smell → Organic, Foetid Smell →  Ground Floor | Tapestry → Secret Door → Locked → Cult Key → Cult temple | Cult Temple | Altar → Stone → Fire Blackened → Unknown Liquid Stained | Pits → Barred → 10’ Deep → Victims of Diseases Victims → Some alive, some not; some volunteers, some not → Pustulent yellow blisters, weeping sores, blood dribbling from places it shouldn’t, horrible wet coughing and so on | Glass Jars → Blood, bodily fluids, body parts and parasites floating in a greenish liquid, and air captured at plague sites | Blasphemous Idols →  Lining Walls

Upstairs

| Library → Good Quality → Focus on Medicine → “Modern” and Folkloric | Bedroom → Chest → 100 creds (Merchants 1) | Rest of Hab → Art, Furs, Textiles (Merchants 1)

Treasure (from the Vaults)

Roll	Item	Encumber?	Value
1	A green porcelain mask depicting the face of a terrifying and malevolent devil		Inquisition(1)/Chaos Cult(3)
2	An ancient medallion from a lost planet, carved with strange piscine images		Inquisition(2)/Rogue Trader(3)
3	An archeotech ring. When worn, the wearer is rendered Invisibile. The wearer is also placed in a coma		Inquisition(2)/Mechanicus(4)
4	A disk full of documents detailing the various secret shames of prominent members of the Hive Nobility.		Hive Nobles(3)/Criminals(3)
5	A small leather satchel containing four doses of Spook, a drug that enhances psychic ability		Inquisition(1)/Telepaths(3)
6	A carved wooden box containing ten small ampoules of exotic incense		Ecclesiarchy(2)/Merchants(1)
7	A polished skull with a hinged top. Rattling around inside is a black data-pearl		Inquisition(3)/Criminals(2)
8	A large viewscreen, preloaded with images of beautiful landscapes	Yes	Merchants(2)/Mechanicus(1)
9	A blue velvet bag containing the fingerbones of a saint		Inquisition(1)/Ecclesiarchy(3)
10	An amethyst data crystal containing a hidden route through warp storms to an isolated planet		Rogue Trader(3)/Imperial Navy(2)
11	A silver victor's laurel crown		Imperial Guard(3)/Merchants(2)
12	A fine Alien jade statue of a lithe, masked figure		Ordo Xenos(2)/Merchants(2)
13	Two small, intricate xenos devices		Ordo Xenos(3)/Mechanicus(3)
14	A steel lockbox containing stacks of credits	Yes	Merchants(2)/Criminals(2)
15	A brass statue of the imperial eagle; It is an effective psychic focus		Telepaths(3)/Ecclesiarchy(2)
16	A syringe full of Space Marine Apothecary cure-all (one use, will cure any disease non-warp in nature)		Space Marines(3)/Healers(2)
17	A map file showing the location of an STC Database		Inquistion(3)/Mechanicus(4)
18	A plasteel crate containing ingots of ore	Yes	Merchants(2)/Mechanicus(1)
19	Two ornate Space Marine Insignia		Inquisition(1)/Space Marines(2)
20	A bronze keycard with “#99” on the display		Inquistion(1)/Criminals(2)