# Message in a Bottle — SWADE stat blocks Optional, unplaytested module additions for four Seasoned heroes. Requires the Savage Worlds Adventure Edition core rules. These profiles do not establish original campaign canon. ## Mark, returning hero — Wild Card Sessions: 0, 1, 6, 7. Glad to be home, frightened of the outside, and unwilling to abandon displaced people. Use this supporting build only when Mark is an NPC; a player keeps control of their own character. **Attributes:** Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6 **Skills:** Athletics d6, Common Knowledge d6, Electronics d8, Fighting d4, Notice d6, Persuasion d6, Repair d6, Shooting d6, Stealth d4 **Pace:** 6. **Parry:** 4. **Toughness:** 5 **Edges:** None. **Hindrances:** Loyal (Minor). **Gear & attacks:** Insulated tools, scorched coat, pocket notebook. Tool attack: Strength+d4, melee. **Ability:** Optional arc discharge — custom NPC ability: use Shooting for a ranged attack, Range 12/24/48, damage 2d6. Use ordinary ranged modifiers and the normal damage bonus for a raised attack. Each shot consumes one of three charges; ten uninterrupted minutes of rest restore all three. No Power Points or Arcane Background are used. This is a simple adventure ability, not a recovered player build or a substitute for building a powered PC with your chosen rules. **At the table:** Support the heroes with Electronics or Repair. His current can power a compatible navigation device, but operating it still requires the appropriate roll. He does not automatically solve the portal, accelerator or voyage. If a player controls Mark, discard this entire NPC profile. **Clue:** He remembers a three-pulse passage window and the feeling of being watched from outside. **Provenance:** Existing module build, with a new optional electrical attack. ## Calder, fictional mayor — Wild Card Sessions: 3, 4. A contractor turned mayor who speaks of manufactured disasters as opportunities to serve. He wants status, profit and a way out of his own bargain. **Attributes:** Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6 **Skills:** Athletics d4, Common Knowledge d8, Electronics d6, Fighting d4, Intimidation d6, Notice d6, Persuasion d8, Repair d6, Research d6, Stealth d4 **Pace:** 6. **Parry:** 4. **Toughness:** 5 **Edges:** None. **Hindrances:** Greedy (Major). **Gear & attacks:** Auction key, procurement book, radio. Briefcase: Strength+d4, melee; custom improvised weapon, −2 to Fighting when used as a weapon. **Ability:** No special combat powers. His purchased political outcome is a story fact, not a bonus he can apply to every roll. **At the table:** Offer contracts, bargain, then flee behind contractors. Surrender when escape is blocked. Capturing him preserves the investigation: his key and procurement book still point to the Thompson Center. **Clue:** The book pairs repair payments with disturbances; the key matches a dimensional checkpoint. **Provenance:** Existing module addition; this name was not fixed in the campaign bible. ## The repossessor — Wild Card Sessions: 4, 7. Courteous, precise, and convinced that residents are inventory. It would rather reclaim an asset than destroy it. **Attributes:** Agility d8, Smarts d10, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d8 **Skills:** Athletics d6, Common Knowledge d8, Electronics d8, Fighting d8, Intimidation d8, Notice d8, Persuasion d8, Repair d6, Research d8, Stealth d6 **Pace:** 6. **Parry:** 6. **Toughness:** 8 (2) **Edges:** None. **Hindrances:** None; its inventory worldview is roleplaying guidance. **Gear & attacks:** Boundary coat: Armor 2 on torso. Tuning rod: Strength+d6, melee. Portable jurisdiction stamp. **Ability:** Jurisdiction anchor — custom encounter device: a visible tether prevents the vessel from entering a slide. One adjacent hero can disconnect its exposed terminal with an Electronics or Repair action at −2, destroy the terminal (Toughness 6; any attack dealing at least 6 damage breaks it; no Wounds or Soak), or persuade the agent to release it. Announce all three options. Disabling this tether ends its effect; no further tethers appear in this encounter. **At the table:** Guard the terminal and use Intimidation Tests to distract the navigator. Its ordinary body can be attacked, Shaken and wounded. Once the tether is broken, it retreats rather than secretly undoing the heroes’ success. **Clue:** Its manifest explicitly identifies shaking rights as compensation, separate from the mayor’s purchased outcome. **Provenance:** Existing module field agent and tether mechanic. ## Sable, slide pilot — Wild Card Sessions: 6, 7. A patient salvage pilot who ties a bright rope around every promise. They want their stranded crew brought home, not another owner to serve. **Attributes:** Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d8 **Skills:** Athletics d8, Boating d8, Common Knowledge d6, Fighting d6, Notice d8, Persuasion d6, Repair d6, Stealth d6, Survival d8 **Pace:** 6. **Parry:** 5. **Toughness:** 6 **Edges:** None. **Hindrances:** Loyal (Minor). **Gear & attacks:** Rope, signal lamp, salvage tools. Boat hook: Strength+d4, melee; no Reach bonus. Spare passage chart. **Ability:** No automatic route knowledge. Boating handles a conventional salvage vessel; if your party uses a different vessel, exchange Boating for its appropriate operating skill at d8 before play. **At the table:** Show the departure window and offer one Support action when asked. Let a hero lead navigation. Sable stops attacking when someone is overboard and prioritizes rescue. **Clue:** The chart offers a route home, not ownership over the destination. A missed window means finding another passage. **Provenance:** New supporting character for this stat-block edition. ## Contractor, security operative — Extra Sessions: 2, 3, 5. A worker under an emergency contract. Not automatically a murderer; abandoned crews may surrender or help. **Attributes:** Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6 **Skills:** Athletics d6, Fighting d6, Notice d6, Persuasion d4, Repair d6, Shooting d6, Stealth d4 **Pace:** 6. **Parry:** 5. **Toughness:** 6 (1) **Edges:** None. **Hindrances:** None. **Gear & attacks:** Protective vest: Armor 1 on torso. Tool baton: Strength+d4, melee. Rope and radio; no firearm required. **Ability:** No special abilities. Use ordinary grappling if they attempt to restrain someone; ropes do not automatically entangle a target. **At the table:** Protect equipment, block access and call the supervisor. Withdraw when half the crew is out of action, or when offered a credible safe exit. Do not fight to the death for an invoice. **Clue:** Their work order names Calder’s firm and a disturbance site. **Provenance:** Existing module profile. ## Custodian, dimensional security — Extra Sessions: 4, 7. A checkpoint employee paid to guard a jurisdiction they only partly understand. They want a valid authorization and an exit route. **Attributes:** Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d4, Strength d8, Vigor d8 **Skills:** Athletics d6, Common Knowledge d6, Fighting d6, Intimidation d6, Notice d6, Persuasion d4, Repair d4 **Pace:** 6. **Parry:** 5. **Toughness:** 8 (2) **Edges:** None. **Hindrances:** None. **Gear & attacks:** Protective coat: Armor 2 on torso. Heavy baton: Strength+d4, melee. Transit badge. **Ability:** No special abilities or immunity. A convincing order or successful social approach can open the checkpoint without combat; essential records remain available if the guard refuses. **At the table:** Warn once, guard the exit, then retreat when their contract is visibly cancelled or their escape becomes unsafe. **Clue:** The transit badge and posted compensation clause connect the buyer to the shaking rights. **Provenance:** Existing module profile. ## Rift leech — Extra Sessions: 0, 5, 6. A wasp-shaped tangle of electrical insulation, Size 0. It feeds on current and can be drawn away by a spare battery. **Attributes:** Agility d8, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, Strength d4, Vigor d4 **Skills:** Athletics d8, Fighting d6, Notice d6, Stealth d8 **Pace:** 6 flying; 2 crawling. **Parry:** 5. **Toughness:** 4 **Edges:** None. **Hindrances:** None; animal intelligence. **Gear & attacks:** Bite: Strength+d4, melee. No equipment. **Ability:** Cable feeding — custom ability: as an action beside a live cable, attach to it. That feed cannot contribute to a task until freed. An adjacent hero can remove the leech with an Athletics or Repair action at TN 4. Presenting another live power source within 2 inches lures it away without a roll. One action, one feed; attaching causes no additional automatic damage. **At the table:** Feed first; bite only when cornered. A freed leech pursues the new power source rather than revenge. **Clue:** It reacts to the same energy signature as the auction equipment. **Provenance:** Existing module creature and cable mechanic. ## Inez, records clerk — Extra Sessions: 1, 3, 4. A meticulous clerk who dates everything twice because the city’s records have started disagreeing. She wants the evidence preserved. **Attributes:** Agility d4, Smarts d8, Spirit d6, Strength d4, Vigor d6 **Skills:** Athletics d4, Common Knowledge d8, Fighting d4, Notice d6, Persuasion d6, Research d8, Stealth d4 **Pace:** 6. **Parry:** 4. **Toughness:** 5 **Edges:** None. **Hindrances:** Cautious (Minor). **Gear & attacks:** Duplicate records, camera, municipal badge. Unarmed: Strength damage, melee; use the core Unarmed Defender rule. **Ability:** No special abilities. Her records supply the essential clue without a Research gate; Research can add context or a useful copy. **At the table:** Find cover and preserve the files. If asked, Support a hero’s investigation with Research rather than resolving the entire mystery herself. **Clue:** Repairs were commissioned before the corresponding damage, and procurement signatures lead to Calder. **Provenance:** Existing module name; new complete profile. ## Pip, cartoon resident — Extra Sessions: 1, 2, 6. A displaced courier who insists that being drawn does not make their home less real. They want stranded neighbors reunited. **Attributes:** Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d4, Vigor d6 **Skills:** Athletics d8, Common Knowledge d6, Fighting d4, Notice d6, Persuasion d6, Stealth d8 **Pace:** 6. **Parry:** 4. **Toughness:** 5 **Edges:** None. **Hindrances:** Loyal (Minor). **Gear & attacks:** Courier bag, chalk, street map. Unarmed: Strength damage, melee; use the core Unarmed Defender rule. **Ability:** Accordion escape — custom ability, once per scene: as an action, flatten through a narrow nonsealed gap at least as wide as their bag. This grants passage, not extra movement or immunity to attacks. It cannot cross the bottle’s boundary or a locked dimensional seal. **At the table:** Evacuate neighbors, distract pursuers with an Athletics Test, and escape rather than attack. Ordinary damage still matters; cartoon appearance is not invulnerability. **Clue:** Their route map places the overlap beside the same municipal equipment seen at another disturbance. **Provenance:** Existing module name; new complete profile and cartoon ability. ## Dr. Vale, accelerator engineer — Extra Sessions: 3, 5. An engineer who labels every cable and refuses to call an earthquake an acceptable error bar. They want the installation safely shut down. **Attributes:** Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d6, Strength d4, Vigor d6 **Skills:** Athletics d4, Common Knowledge d6, Electronics d8, Fighting d4, Notice d6, Persuasion d6, Repair d8, Science d8, Stealth d4 **Pace:** 6. **Parry:** 4. **Toughness:** 6 (1) **Edges:** None. **Hindrances:** Cautious (Minor). **Gear & attacks:** Protective vest: Armor 1 on torso; tools, safety radio, calibration notebook. Unarmed: Strength damage, melee; use the core Unarmed Defender rule. **Ability:** No special abilities. Explain the beam, seam and earthquake risk plainly before any task begins. Vale can Support one hero; their expertise does not replace the group’s task. **At the table:** Work behind cover, maintain containment and evacuate civilians. Call out a worsening fault before it becomes a hidden consequence. **Clue:** A deliberate resonance setting targets a dimensional seam; simply increasing power threatens the physical fault. **Provenance:** Existing module name; new complete profile. ## Animated ink spill — Extra Sessions: 2, 6. A Size 0 knot of runaway drawing physics. It imitates road markings and chases movement; it is a hazard rather than a displaced person. **Attributes:** Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d4, Strength d6, Vigor d6 **Skills:** Athletics d6, Fighting d6, Notice d4, Stealth d6 **Pace:** 4. **Parry:** 5. **Toughness:** 5 **Edges:** None. **Hindrances:** None; animal intelligence. **Gear & attacks:** Ink lash: Strength+d4, melee. No equipment. **Ability:** Solvent weakness — custom ability: a successful Athletics ranged attack with a bucket of soapy water (Range 2/4/8, using ordinary ranged modifiers) disperses it regardless of Toughness. No damage roll. A missed splash has no effect. The bucket must be refilled before another attempt. Point out a usable tap and bucket before the encounter. **At the table:** Chase fast movement. A hero can lure it away from civilians; do not secretly redirect it toward a helpless bystander after a successful distraction. **Clue:** Its trails collect along the unstable overlap, revealing the edge of the affected area. **Provenance:** New encounter creature, not a cartoon resident. ## Encounter roster ### 0 · Bring Mark Back Mark; 2 rift leeches. Keep the leeches on cables, not civilians. Put a spare battery in view. Removing them keeps portal work available; Mark still arrives if the portal goes badly. ### 1 · Chicago Is Safe Mark, Inez and Pip; no required fight. Let each supply a different anomaly or memory. Establish Pip as a person before asking the heroes to protect them. ### 2 · Ink and Paint Pip; 2 animated ink spills; 2 contractors. The spills endanger the rescue route. Contractors are holding a cordon, not automatically attacking. Helping residents and calming the crew are valid solutions. ### 3 · Shake the Snow Globe Inez, Calder and 3 contractors. Calder flees or bargains. His files and key survive capture, surrender or escape; the next clue is not locked behind keeping him alive. ### 4 · The Thompson Center Maze Inez; 2 custodians; the repossessor. Use the custodians at one checkpoint. Introduce the repossessor in a separate negotiation scene; combining all three enemies is an optional escalation, not the default. ### 5 · Crack the Bottle Dr. Vale; 2 contractors; 2 rift leeches. Split pressures across guarding, calibration and feeding cables. These adversaries supplement the campaign’s Dramatic Task; they do not replace its success conditions or earthquake clock. ### 6 · Adrift in the Universe Sable and Mark; either 2 leeches or 2 ink spills. Choose one short salvage complication. Show the departure window first. Avoid another long fight if the voyage is already behind schedule. ### 7 · Message in a Bottle Sable and Mark; the repossessor plus 2 custodians. Make the tether visible and reachable. Severing it or winning its release opens the last passage; killing every opponent is unnecessary. Preserve the intended freedom and homecoming. ## Rules and limits Wild Cards roll a d6 Wild Die on Trait rolls and can sustain three Wounds; NPC Wild Cards have two personal Bennies. Extras normally leave the fight on a Wound. Use the core damage, Shaken and Soak rules. Armor is included in Toughness; all profiles are Size 0. Unlisted skills use the core unskilled procedure. Ranges use tabletop inches (2 yards). Custom abilities are adventure additions. Up is dead; the remote Keeper acts through the repossessor, shakes and contracts. Neither requires a separate combat profile. For fewer/Novice heroes reduce Extras and separate Wild Card encounters. For more heroes add Extras before increasing damage. These suggestions need playtesting. Rules reference: https://peg-swade.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/SW_Test_Drive_2020.pdf Human-directed AI tools assisted development, writing and production. ## Savage Worlds Fan notice This game references the Savage Worlds game system, available from Pinnacle Entertainment Group at www.peginc.com. Savage Worlds and all associated logos and trademarks are copyrights of Pinnacle Entertainment Group. Used with permission. Pinnacle makes no representation or warranty as to the quality, viability, or suitability for purpose of this product. Pinnacle Fan License terms: https://shop.peginc.com/pages/licensing