⚠ Requires the Operator Tactics Core Rulebook -- This document is a complete setting supplement, not a standalone game. Core mechanics (resolution, the wound track, turn sequence, squad building, and campaign structure) live in the OT Core Rulebook. Everything in this document layers on top of those rules.

How to use this document: This is a setting supplement for the Operator Tactics Core Rulebook. All core mechanics -- resolution, the wound track, turn sequence, squad building, and campaign structure -- live in the OT Core Rulebook. This document contains everything else: the world, the operators, the factions, the enemies, and a complete first operation. When a rule isn't mentioned here, the OT rulebook governs.

Table of Contents

• Part One: The World -- Setting overview, tone, the central conflict
• Part Two: Your Operators -- How to start play, attributes, six classes, The Turned, equipment
• Part Three: The Battlefield -- Blighted Ground, hazardous terrain rules
• Part Four: The Factions -- Five powers, five agendas, five pressure tracks
• Part Five: The Enemy -- Combat-ready profiles for every named threat
• Part Six: The Mission -- Random tables, GM guidance, faction pressure escalation
• Operation: The Gala Accord -- Complete starter scenario
• Appendix A: Operator Roster -- Print-and-fill character and squad sheets
• Appendix B: GM Quick Reference -- One-page table aid

PART ONE: THE WORLD

Setting Overview

Kormor Kirak. 1793.

A city-state sitting at the crease between two exhausted empires -- Albion and Terrassia -- that have been grinding each other down for a hundred years. Both sides want peace. Neither trusts the other enough to stop arming. Neutral Kormor Kirak was chosen as the venue for negotiations because it is ruled by neither: it answers to the Eternal Court, the ancient vampire nobility presided over by Queen Kiraline, who has watched empires rise and collapse since before anyone now living was born.

This is not a heroic setting. The two empires are not good and evil. They are tired. Albion builds machines that kill; Terrassia shapes magic that kills; and the vampires who rule this city have grown accustomed to watching humans destroy one another while feeding on the aftermath. The players are operatives -- agents of one faction or free contractors -- navigating the peace summit while a conspiracy to unravel it grows inside the city walls.

The central threat: Lord Barron Whitehallow, a dying Albion diplomat, is midway through a lich ritual. His goal is to possess the Albion Crown Prince during the summit, derail peace, and install himself as an immortal power behind the throne. The ritual is advancing. The clock is real.

Tone: Gothic exhaustion. Trust is a weapon. Information is currency. The supernatural is mundane -- vampires sit on the city council; clockwork constructs walk the market; undead labor in the fields outside the walls. Horror comes from implication, from what you almost see in the fog, from what you find after the fact. Not from jump scares.

Core tension at the table: Every mission either advances or delays the five Faction Pressure tracks. The peace summit will succeed, collapse, or transform into something worse depending entirely on what your operators do between sessions.

The Two Empires

Albion is the empire of industry. Factories, coal, steam, and the systematic application of engineering to every problem including war. Their clockwork constructs -- Automatic Assassins, Clockwork Scouts -- are the most visible expression of their military philosophy: remove the human element, remove the failure point. The Albion delegation arrived at the summit with a full complement of "diplomatic security staff" that looks, sounds, and behaves exactly like a weapons platform.

Terrassia is the empire of deep magic. Their necromancers treat death as a technical discipline -- careful, precise, iterative work rather than theatrical horror. Their blood-mages have been quietly mapping the magical topology of Kormor Kirak since the delegation arrived, and what they've found in the Hallaset Fields cemetery has made their senior attachés go very quiet.

The Eternal Court is neither. It predates both empires. Queen Kiraline has been watching from Torony Piros castle for longer than the concept of Albion has existed, and she did not ask for the peace summit to happen in her city. She has opinions about it that she keeps carefully concealed.

The Campaign Clock

The Lich Cult Pressure Track is the game's central clock. When it reaches 5, Whitehallow completes his transformation. The campaign doesn't end -- but it changes shape dramatically. Everything else -- the Red Court's surveillance tightening, the Albion Assassins expanding their patrol radius, the Terrassian blood-mages mapping your routes -- is pressure that makes stopping it harder. Manage it well enough that when the moment comes, you have the position and the resources to act.

PART TWO: YOUR OPERATORS

How to Start Play

What You Need

• The Operator Tactics Core Rulebook (resolution, wounds, turn sequence, squad building, solo tools, advancement)
• This document
• An Operator Roster sheet per player (see Appendix A)
• A full polyhedral dice set, or d6s with simple conversions for d3, d4, and d8 results

Build Your Squad

Use the standard OT squad building rules. Eternal Court uses the Squad format: 250 points, 4–5 operators.

Each operator costs:

• 30 points base
• +5 points for a Specialization
• +15 points to be The Turned (opt-in; select one Augment Tag)

Recommended first-session squad: One Ironclad, one Shadow, one Physick, and one Artificer or Sharpshooter. The Ironclad and Shadow handle most mission scenarios; the Physick keeps everyone alive; the Artificer covers clockwork threats.

Gear: Each operator selects from the equipment list in this document. At Squad Supply State (Restricted, first mission default), each operator gets their primary weapon, one secondary, armor up to AR 2, and up to 2 field gear items.

One Turned operator is recommended for a first session. PREDATOR'S EYE is the most useful for a new group -- never being surprised is a significant advantage when learning the Alert Level dynamics.

Choose Faction Allegiance

Each operator declares a faction allegiance before play begins. This is a starting relationship, not a loyalty oath. Allegiances can shift.

The Bastion Inn -- Day One

The squad's safe house is the Bastion Inn, in the old quarter near the southern gate. Run by Hepsabeth Dour, a woman of indeterminate age and absolute discretion.

On the first session, before the brief: Hepsabeth shows the team to the back room she keeps for "people who require privacy." It smells like old wood and lamp oil. There are four beds, a locked cabinet, and a table with a city map that someone has left strategic marks on -- a previous occupant, she says. She does not know who. She offers a meal, introductions to the bar's regulars, and one contact name relevant to whatever allegiance they've declared who "sometimes comes in on Thursdays."

The Bastion is neutral ground. No weapons drawn inside, no faction business conducted loudly. Don't burn it.

First Session Structure

What Players Should Know

The setting is not heroic. Neither side is right. The vampires who run this city are ancient and opaque. Your operators are competent professionals working in a city full of competent professionals trying to do incompatible things.

The mission is almost never the whole story. Every objective connects to the faction pressure tracks. When you pull someone out of a building, you're moving a piece on a board you can't fully see yet.

Alert Level is real. Blowing your cover early doesn't just make the current mission harder -- it changes the Pressure Tracks and makes the next operation worse.

Whitehallow is dying. He has weeks. Every mission that ends without disrupting his ritual moves his clock forward. You don't have to sprint, but you can't stop.

Six Attributes

These are the same six OT attributes in new names. All mechanical functions are unchanged.

Stat block shorthand: MK / ST / SC / CP / IR / SD

Six Classes

The Ironclad

OT Equivalent: Commando

The close-quarters enforcer. Ironclads end fights before they become gun battles. They are the first through the door, the last to leave a hallway, and the reason a contract gets completed when everything has gone sideways.

Signature -- Iron Breach: Once per mission, when the Ironclad charges into contact, all enemies within 1 zone who can see the charge make an immediate IRON check at difficulty 5+. Those who fail are Suppressed for one round.

Doctrine -- Controlled Aggression: The Ironclad may spend 1 Operator Edge to move through a zone containing 1 or more enemies without triggering Overwatch, provided they end their movement in melee contact.

Specializations (choose 1):

• Red Guard Training: +1 STEEL. Opponents in melee contact cannot benefit from cover bonuses against the Ironclad's attacks.
• Clockwork Brace: +1 IRON. Once per mission, negate one Flesh Wound by spending 1 Edge.
• Menace: Enemies who fail IRON checks caused by the Ironclad remain Suppressed for an additional round.

Stat Block: MK 2 / ST 5 / SC 3 / CP 2 / IR 4 / SD 4

The Sharpshooter

OT Equivalent: Marksman

One shot. One outcome. The Sharpshooter operates at range, removes high-value targets, and repositions before anyone traces the origin. They are patient and precise and deeply uncomfortable when the enemy closes the distance.

Signature -- Still Hand: When the Sharpshooter does not move during their activation, their next ranged attack gains +2 to the die roll. Does not stack across turns.

Doctrine -- Patience Pays: The Sharpshooter may delay their action until any point in the round, including after an enemy has declared a move. When they fire from delay, they cannot be targeted by Overwatch that turn.

Specializations (choose 1):

• Long Glass: +1 MARK. May target enemies 1 zone beyond the weapon's listed range at difficulty 6.
• Clockwork Sights: When using a Clockwork Repeater, ignore the Loud property on the first shot each round if not previously engaged.
• Clean Lines: Ignore soft cover bonuses on ranged attacks.

Stat Block: MK 5 / ST 2 / SC 3 / CP 3 / IR 3 / SD 4

The Shadow

OT Equivalent: Infiltrator

Information before the operation. Access where there is no access. The Shadow moves through Kormor Kirak's layered social architecture -- court functions, guild halls, consulate receptions -- as easily as through rooftops and maintenance corridors. Their CIPHER covers both physical infiltration and social manipulation.

Signature -- Ghost in the Room: Once per mission, the Shadow may declare that they were already present in a location at the start of an encounter, provided no enemy specifically stated they checked that location. They begin in full concealment.

Doctrine -- Leverage: When the Shadow successfully extracts information from an NPC (via social check or document theft), they gain 1 Leverage token. Each token provides +1 to a future CIPHER roll, used any time during the mission.

Specializations (choose 1):

• Diplomatic Papers: +1 CIPHER. The Shadow may pass through one Red Guard checkpoint per mission without a roll.
• Poison Trade: The Shadow may apply a contact poison to a weapon during setup. On a melee hit, the target makes an IRON check at 5+; failure causes 1 Flesh Wound at the start of each of their next two turns.
• Second Exit: Once per mission, when an extraction route is blocked, the Shadow automatically identifies an alternate route requiring 1 fewer move action to reach the board edge.

Stat Block: MK 3 / ST 3 / SC 3 / CP 5 / IR 3 / SD 5

The Wrecker

OT Equivalent: Breacher

When a door needs to not exist, when a machine needs to stop running, when a ritual site needs to be rubble -- the Wrecker makes it happen. They carry breach charges, alchemical accelerants, and the specific knowledge required to make a structure fail catastrophically without killing the people you need alive.

Signature -- Precision Collapse: When the Wrecker places a Breach Charge, they may specify up to 2 structural features to destroy. The charge destroys exactly those features, no others, regardless of adjacency.

Doctrine -- Shock and Awe: Once per mission, immediately after a Breach Charge detonates, all enemies within 2 zones not in full cover make an IRON check at 4+. Failure: Suppressed for one full round.

Specializations (choose 1):

• Hardened Primer: +1 IRON. Breach Charges the Wrecker plants cannot be disarmed by enemies with fewer than 3 CIPHER.
• Field Improvisation: Once per mission, the Wrecker improvises a Breach Charge from environmental materials (1 full action; GM confirms materials are present).
• Structural Reading: The Wrecker always knows whether a wall, floor, or object is structural before committing to demolition.

Stat Block: MK 3 / ST 4 / SC 3 / CP 2 / IR 5 / SD 3

The Physick

OT Equivalent: Medic

The reason operators walk out of missions they shouldn't survive. Physicks combine conventional field medicine with alchemical knowledge that neither Albion nor Terrassia publishes openly. They know how to treat a gunshot wound alongside a necromantic contamination and will have opinions about which is more dangerous.

Signature -- Field Tincture: Once per mission, the Physick prepares a tincture during the Approach phase. Administered as 1 action (adjacent), it removes 1 Flesh Wound in addition to standard healing actions.

Doctrine -- Stabilize First: When adjacent to an operator with a Mortal Wound, the Physick may spend 1 Operator Edge to prevent that Mortal Wound from progressing this turn -- without spending an action. The wound remains; deterioration is halted.

Specializations (choose 1):

• Alchemical Kit: +1 CIPHER. The Physick carries compounds that neutralize Blighted Ground contamination for one operator per mission (immune to Blighted Ground effects for the rest of the mission; one use). In addition, the Physick may spend an action adjacent to an operator to restore 1 Morale; this Morale-restoration use is not limited.
• Triage Priority: The Physick may move and perform a healing action in the same activation once per round without penalty.
• Bonesaw Confidence: The Physick may attempt to remove a Mortal Wound in the field (normally between-mission only) with a CIPHER check at 5+. Success removes one Mortal Wound. Failure converts it to two Flesh Wounds.

Stat Block: MK 2 / ST 3 / SC 3 / CP 5 / IR 4 / SD 4

The Artificer

OT Equivalent: Tech Specialist

Albion's machines are impressive. Terrassia's enchantments are elegant. The Artificer has studied both and is unimpressed by either. They maintain, bypass, reprogram, and occasionally turn against their operators the clockwork and aetheric technology that defines 1793.

Signature -- Override: Once per mission, the Artificer spends a full action adjacent to an Automatic Assassin or clockwork construct to attempt CIPHER at 4+. Success neutralizes it for the mission without triggering an alert. Failure: unit acts immediately on highest-threat priority.

Doctrine -- Field Modification: Once per mission, the Artificer permanently modifies one weapon before deployment. Choose one: add Silent, add Rapid, or remove Unreliable. Lasts for this mission only.

Specializations (choose 1):

• Aetheric Tap: +1 CIPHER. Once per mission, drain power from clockwork to restore 1 use to a Limited item.
• Construct Reading: The Artificer always knows the patrol route and STRIDE value of any clockwork unit before the mission (provided during Brief).
• Counter-Ritual: CIPHER checks to bypass Terrassian magical security gain +1.

Stat Block: MK 3 / ST 2 / SC 4 / CP 5 / IR 3 / SD 4

The Turned

Cost: 15 points at squad creation. Opt-in. Any class can be The Turned.

The Turned are operatives who have accepted a partial transformation -- either vampiric gift from a member of the Eternal Court's inner circle, or deep clockwork augmentation beyond what Albion officially sanctions. They are not monsters. They are not fully human. They operate in the space between, which makes them extraordinarily effective and extremely complicated.

A Turned operator is always identifiable. There is no passing for baseline human in a city full of vampires who can smell the difference.

Select one Augment Tag:

Universal Complication: At the start of each activation in a Blighted Ground zone, make an IRON check at 4+. On a failure, you may only take 1 action this turn instead of the standard 2.

Faction attitudes toward The Turned:

Equipment

Weapons

New Properties (Eternal Court)

Armor

Field Gear

Specialization Gear (Class-Locked)

PART THREE: THE BATTLEFIELD

Blighted Ground

The Hallaset Fields stretch north of the city walls -- an ancient cemetery that has absorbed two centuries of necromantic runoff from Terrassian burial practices, informal blood-magic disposal, and whatever the Eternal Court does with its own dead in the lower crypts. The contamination has seeped outward.

Blighted Ground is not confined to the Fields anymore. It appears wherever sustained necromantic work has occurred: the lower levels of Torony Piros castle, Lich Cult ritual sites (which can be anywhere), former Terrassian magical research spaces, and anywhere that a significant number of dead have been ritually interred or animated.

Identifying Blighted Ground

Zones are designated before deployment. A CIPHER check at 3+ during the Approach phase identifies Blighted Ground in adjacent zones. The Turned with PREDATOR'S EYE always detect it automatically.

Effects on Standard Operators

Morale: Each operator's Morale equals their IRON score at mission start (track it on the Operator Roster next to IRON). It resets to the full IRON value at end of mission. A Physick with the Alchemical Kit specialization can restore 1 Morale to an adjacent operator as an action; this is separate from the kit's once-per-mission Blighted Ground immunity.

At the end of any activation spent in a Blighted Ground zone, make an IRON check at 3+. On a failure, the operator loses 1 Morale. At 0 Morale, they withdraw to the nearest non-Blighted zone and will not voluntarily re-enter until Morale recovers (end of mission, or Physick action).

Effects on The Turned

At the start of each activation in a Blighted Ground zone, make an IRON check at 4+. Failure: only 1 action this turn. The Augment Tag bonus is also suppressed per its specific note.

Escalation

If a Lich Cult ritual completes within a zone, all zones within 2 of the ritual site become Blighted Ground for the remainder of the mission. The Wrecker's Breach Charge can destroy a ritual site before completion. The Physick's Alchemical Kit can immunize one operator for the mission.

Placement by Mission Type

The deeper contamination -- Castle lower levels so dense that all IRON checks for Blighted Ground effects are at 5+ for everyone, and The Turned make the check twice (once for Universal Complication, once for tag suppression separately).

PART FOUR: THE FACTIONS

The Red Court

Queen Kiraline's enforcers -- the vampiric nobility and the Red Guards who serve them

The oldest power in Kormor Kirak. Queen Kiraline has ruled for long enough that her actual age is a matter of educated speculation rather than record. She did not ask for the peace summit to happen in her city and has opinions about it that she keeps carefully concealed. The Red Guards -- her mortal enforcers -- are disciplined, well-equipped, and everywhere.

Doctrine: Coordinated Pressure Red Court units act as a coordinated force. When 2+ Red Guards can see the same operator, one of them may use the other's activation to reposition into flanking position without spending their own action. Treat all Guards in a zone as aware of each other's positions at all times.

Running it: Position first, then attack. These enemies care about geometry. They communicate constantly. If one Guard sees something, act as though all Guards in the zone know within one round.

The Albion Delegation

Empire of industry -- diplomats, officers, and the Automatic Assassins they brought as "security staff"

Albion ran out of things to say in the war about ten years ago but has kept fighting because stopping requires admitting that three generations of conscripts died for a line on a map that moved back and forth. Their delegation is exhausted and fully armed. The Automatic Assassins were officially classified as "diplomatic protection staff." Nobody believes this.

Doctrine: Attrition Protocol Albion units do not retreat and do not surrender. When an Albion unit reaches its first Mortal Wound, it continues acting normally. Automatic Assassins specifically ignore all wound state penalties -- they feel no pain; their behavioral parameters do not include self-preservation.

Running it: Resource pressure. Feed units into the problem. Do not flinch at the cost.

The Terrassian Consulate

Empire of deep magic -- necromancers, blood-mages, and the Koss dynasty's chosen agents

Terrassia's magic is old and meticulous. Their necromancers don't raise armies of screaming shambles -- they do careful, precise work with the dead, treating it as a technical discipline. Their blood-mage attachés have been mapping the magical topology of Kormor Kirak since the delegation arrived, and what they've found in the Hallaset Fields has made their senior attachés very quiet.

Doctrine: Calculated Risk Terrassian units never overextend. When a Terrassian unit is alone in a zone, it will not act until it can call for support (1 round delay minimum). When 2+ units are present, they fight efficiently and without waste. Terrassian necromancers always know the Blighted Ground status of all zones within their line of sight.

Running it: Patience before aggression. Spend a turn positioning. This is unsettling to players who expect immediate action.

The Lich Cult

Whitehallow's conspiracy -- fanatics, desperate scholars, and the dying Lord Barron himself

Lord Barron Whitehallow has perhaps eight weeks before the disease takes him. He has arranged a ritual that will prevent this by converting him to a lich and then possessing the body of Crown Prince Aldric during the summit signing ceremony. His inner circle believes in this plan with the conviction of people who have already crossed lines they cannot uncross.

Doctrine: Opportunist The Lich Cult does not hold terrain and does not fight pitched battles. They insert themselves into situations already in chaos -- during an alarm, during a faction confrontation, when the operators are occupied elsewhere. When the Alert Level is 2 or higher, Lich Cult units may enter from any table edge on their first activation rather than from designated deployment zones.

Running it: The Cult is racing a deadline. They will sacrifice members to maintain the ritual timeline. Captured Cult members provide false information before surrendering any real intel -- CIPHER check at 5+ to identify a lie.

The Merchant Web

Rozito's Guild and the city's criminal infrastructure -- information brokers, smugglers, and neutral parties with very expensive neutrality

Rozito is the head of the Merchant Guild and also, by all available evidence, the head of Kormor Kirak's criminal underground. He sells information to every faction and has a studied policy of non-escalation. He does not take sides, which means that when a side needs something badly enough, they pay his prices.

Doctrine: Calculated Risk Merchant Web operatives never fight when they can talk. When a Web operative is caught, their first action is always an attempt to negotiate -- they name a price for non-violence. They will fight competently if negotiation fails; they're not soft, they're pragmatic.

Running it: The Web wants the summit to produce any stable outcome. Instability is bad for business. They are the most willing faction to assist operators working toward stability, and the most reliable source of accurate intelligence -- for a price.

Faction Pressure Tracks

Each faction has a Pressure Track running 0–5. At 5, the faction achieves a major objective. Tracks advance 1 step per mission by default; mission outcomes adjust this.

Pacing note: The Eternal Court is designed for a 5–8 mission campaign. With 5 factions advancing simultaneously, most tracks will hit 5 around sessions 4–6. That's intentional -- the campaign builds to a convergence of crises, not a clean resolution. The Lich Cult track is the one to manage most carefully; it is the campaign clock. If a mission directly disrupts a Whitehallow operation, hold that track. If the team ignores it for two missions in a row, advance it twice. For all other factions: advance by default, reduce only for specific mission outcomes listed under each faction's pressure table. A track at 5 does not end the campaign -- it changes what the campaign is fighting against. Manage the Lich Cult clock; let the others escalate.

Red Court -- "The Queen's Patience"

Reduce pressure by: Operations that demonstrably benefit the city's stability, or that remove threats Kiraline has also been tracking.

Albion Delegation -- "Crown's Investment"

Reduce pressure by: Demonstrating the threat is internal to the Albion delegation, removing illegally deployed Assassins, or providing leverage that makes the delegation more cooperative.

Terrassian Consulate -- "The Koss Calculation"

Reduce pressure by: Providing the consulate with accurate intelligence that redirects their suspicion toward the Lich Cult.

Lich Cult -- "Whitehallow's Hour"

This track is a progress clock, not just a threat escalation.

Reduce pressure by: Destroying ritual components, eliminating senior Cult members, disrupting the Field connection, or exposing the conspiracy to a faction with power to act.

Merchant Web -- "Rozito's Ledger"

Reduce pressure by: Paying Rozito directly and repeatedly, completing operations that benefit the Web's long-term commercial stability, or providing information valuable enough that the team is worth more as clients than as product.

PART FIVE: THE ENEMY

Stat blocks use EC shorthand: MK / ST / SC / CP / IR / SD

Red Court

Red Guard -- Patrol

Grunt Tier -- 40 pts

MK 3 / ST 3 / SC 3 / CP 2 / IR 3 / SD 4 Wounds: 2 Flesh | IRON die: 3 | Doctrine: Coordinated Pressure | Keyword: Entrenched (at post) Equipment: Flintlock Pistol, Sabre, Reinforced Coat (AR 1) | Motivation: Professional

Running them: Hold position and call for support before engaging. When 2+ Guards can see the same operator, one repositions for free. Do not pursue outside patrol zone without orders.

Red Guard -- Sergeant

Elite Standard Tier -- 55 pts

MK 4 / ST 4 / SC 4 / CP 3 / IR 4 / SD 4 Wounds: 3 Flesh / 1 Mortal | IRON die: 4 | Doctrine: Coordinated Pressure | Keyword: Flanker Equipment: Clockwork Repeater, Sabre, Armored Plate Vest (AR 2) | Motivation: Professional

Command the Line: Once per round, spend 1 action to Suppress an operator at Short or Long range (no attack roll -- target suffers –1 to all rolls until their next activation).

Running them: Sergeants lead. Position them at the back. They move to cover the best angle, not the most dangerous one.

Vampire Spawn

Elite Hardened Tier -- 85 pts

MK 2 / ST 6 / SC 4 / CP 4 / IR 6 / SD 5 Wounds: 3 Flesh / 2 Mortal | IRON die: immune | Doctrine: Opportunist | Keyword: Aggressive Equipment: None -- natural weapons | Motivation: True Believer (loyal to Kiraline)

UNDYING: End of each activation, remove 1 Flesh Wound. Suppressed in Blighted Ground. Cannot Be Suppressed by standard firearms -- only melee, fire (Burn property), or silver weapons suppress normally. Predator's Patience: Spawn never attack on the first round they detect operators. They observe and raise Alert Level +1. They move to contact on round two.

Running them: Extensions of Kiraline's will -- precise, not hungry. They close only when they have position. The UNDYING ability makes extended fights terrifying; players should feel the clock.

Albion Delegation

Automatic Assassin

Elite Hardened Tier -- 85 pts

MK 4 / ST 4 / SC 2 / CP 1 / IR 6 / SD 4 Wounds: 3 Flesh / 2 Mortal | IRON die: immune | Doctrine: Attrition Protocol | Keyword: Relentless Equipment: Integrated Clockwork Repeater (built-in, Short/Long range), Clockwork Chassis (AR 2) | Motivation: None

No Wound Penalties: Ignores all wound state penalties until final Mortal Wound. Cannot be Suppressed. Loud Constant: Every activation it fires, raises Alert Level +1 (unless already at max). Override Target: Artificer Override (CIPHER 4+, adjacent, full action). Failure: acts immediately outside normal sequence. Data Link: When it spots an operator, all Albion units in the mission zone are treated as having also spotted that operator on their next activation.

Running them: Inexorable. They don't cover, retreat, or panic. They move toward the target and fire. The only options are Override, fire, or run.

Clockwork Scout

Grunt Tier -- 40 pts

MK 3 / ST 2 / SC 2 / CP 5 / IR 4 / SD 6 Wounds: 2 Flesh | IRON die: 4 | Doctrine: Opportunist | Keyword: Flanker Equipment: Integrated short-range pistol arm (Short range only), AR 1 chassis | Motivation: None

Reconnaissance Transmit: When it spots a concealed operator (instead of attacking), it transmits their position -- raises Alert Level +1 without a body or alarm. Override Target: Same as Automatic Assassin. Small Profile: –1 to all attacks targeting the Scout.

Running them: The Albion delegation's eyes. When a Scout spots the team, telegraph it -- players have 1 round before the Assassins know.

Terrassian Consulate

Terrassian Attaché Guard

Grunt Tier -- 40 pts

MK 3 / ST 3 / SC 3 / CP 2 / IR 3 / SD 3 Wounds: 2 Flesh | IRON die: 3 | Doctrine: Calculated Risk | Keyword: Shielded (blood ward, AR +1 while in cover) Equipment: Blood-Iron Crossbow, Street Clothes | Motivation: Professional

Running them: Never fight alone. If isolated, fall back to the Necromancer. Fight from prepared positions. Don't pursue aggressively.

Terrassian Necromancer

Elite Standard Tier -- 55 pts

MK 2 / ST 2 / SC 4 / CP 6 / IR 3 / SD 3 Wounds: 3 Flesh / 1 Mortal | IRON die: 4 | Doctrine: Calculated Risk | Keyword: Shielded (ritual circle, AR 1) Equipment: Blood-Iron Crossbow, Ritual Components | Motivation: Professional

Blood Ward Zone: The zone the Necromancer occupies counts as Blighted Ground for all non-Terrassian operators while they remain in it. Moves with the Necromancer. Raise Dead (once per mission): 1 full action adjacent to a deceased enemy -- that unit rises as an Undead Shambler under the Necromancer's control on their next activation. Surveillance Sight: Always knows Blighted Ground status of all zones in line of sight.

Running them: Keep them back. Their Blood Ward Zone makes pushing toward them costly. Players should want to isolate them -- and isolation is exactly what Calculated Risk makes difficult.

Lich Cult

Cult Acolyte

Grunt Tier -- 40 pts

MK 2 / ST 2 / SC 2 / CP 2 / IR 3 / SD 3 Wounds: 2 Flesh | IRON die: 3 | Doctrine: Opportunist | Keyword: Unaware (unless ritual active) Equipment: Trench Knife, Street Clothes (often disguised as civilians) | Motivation: Roll d6 -- 1–3 Zealot, 4–6 Paid

Ritual Participant: If an Acolyte is not neutralized within 3 rounds of a ritual beginning, the ritual advances one step on the Lich Cult Pressure Track.

Running them: Not fighters. They scatter, hide, and delay -- buying time for Whitehallow's ritual. Paid Acolytes surrender when wounded; Zealots do not.

Cult Enforcer

Elite Standard Tier -- 55 pts

MK 3 / ST 4 / SC 3 / CP 2 / IR 5 / SD 3 Wounds: 3 Flesh / 1 Mortal | IRON die: 5 | Doctrine: Opportunist | Keyword: Aggressive Equipment: Flintlock Pistol, Sabre, Reinforced Coat (AR 1) | Motivation: True Believer -- never surrenders

Fanatic: On first Mortal Wound, instead of taking cover, moves toward the nearest operator. False Intel: If captured, provides plausible false information. CIPHER check at 5+ to identify a lie.

Lord Barron Whitehallow

HVT -- 120 pts

MK 3 / ST 3 / SC 5 / CP 6 / IR 6 / SD 2 Wounds: 3 Flesh / 2 Mortal + Lich Wards | IRON die: immune | Doctrine: Calculated Risk → Attrition Protocol (post-transformation) Equipment: Ritual Armament, Lich Wards | Motivation: True Believer

Lich Wards (2 tokens): Each Ward token reduces one wound by one step (Mortal → Flesh, Flesh → no effect). Broken by Breach Charges at his ritual space, the Artificer's Counter-Ritual specialization, or the Physick's Alchemical Kit against the ritual site. Dying Man: Before transformation, STRIDE 2. After transformation (Track 5), STRIDE 4 + UNDYING. Possession Sequence: When his track reaches 5, the campaign enters a milestone scene. This is not a standard combat.

Running him: Whitehallow is not a boss fight -- he's a clock. When operators finally face him, the question isn't whether they can defeat him. It's whether they can stop what he's already set in motion.

Undead

Undead Shambler

Grunt Tier -- 40 pts

MK 1 / ST 4 / SC 1 / CP 1 / IR 6 / SD 2 Wounds: 3 Flesh (special) | IRON die: immune | Doctrine: Attrition Protocol | Keyword: Aggressive Equipment: None | Motivation: None -- mindless

Mindless: Immune to morale, Suppression, and all IRON-based abilities. Slow: STRIDE 2. Cannot Sprint. Rises: In Blighted Ground, a Shambler at 3 Flesh Wounds keeps acting at –2 to all rolls. Only fire (Burn property), prepared weapons, or physical destruction of the head/motive core drops them permanently. Outside Blighted Ground, 3 Flesh Wounds is a normal down. Mass: For every 3 Shamblers in a zone, standard operators suffer –1 to all rolls.

Running them: Environmental hazard as much as enemy. Threatening in numbers in Blighted Ground. Players should find exits, not just fight.

Necrotic Bulk

Elite Hardened Tier -- 85 pts

MK 1 / ST 6 / SC 1 / CP 1 / IR 6 / SD 2 Wounds: 3 Flesh / 2 Mortal | IRON die: immune | Doctrine: Attrition Protocol | Keywords: Aggressive Equipment: None | Motivation: None -- mindless

Mindless: Same as Shambler. Blight Aura: The zone containing a Necrotic Bulk is always Blighted Ground, regardless of designation. Slam: On a melee hit resulting in a Flesh Wound or worse, target is moved 1 zone and Suppressed until their next activation. Slow: STRIDE 2. Cannot Sprint.

Running them: Zone-denial unit. Place in open spaces where players have to decide whether to engage or route around.

Enemy Summary Table

F = Flesh Wound, M = Mortal Wound. Shambler\ = Rises rule applies in Blighted Ground.*

PART SIX: THE MISSION

Callsign Generator (d20 × 2)

Roll once in each column. Combine.

Operational Liabilities (d12)

Roll once during the Brief phase.

Mission Types (d8)

Scenario Seeds (d6 × 4 Columns)

OPERATION: THE GALA ACCORD

A Complete First Mission

The Situation

Three days before the peace summit formally opens, a Terrassian diplomatic attaché named Serava Koss-Tindal reaches out through a Merchant Web intermediary. She has seen something in the Hallaset Fields -- the senior Terrassian necromancer met privately with Lord Barron Whitehallow's aide near the old cemetery gate, late, when no one was supposed to be watching. She photographed documents she wasn't supposed to see.

She wants out. She will trade what she has for safe passage to neutral ground.

The meeting is tonight, at Rozito's seasonal gala -- invitation only, masks required. Getting her out is the team's problem.

Complication (Operational Liability #4): The Albion Crown Prince's security detail has flagged Serava as a potential intelligence asset. An Automatic Assassin has been dispatched with standing orders to neutralize her before she can speak to anyone.

Objectives

Primary: Extract Serava Koss-Tindal alive.

Secondary: Secure the documents she's carrying. She'll hand them over if she trusts the team -- SC check at 4+ during extraction. On a failure she keeps them; a second attempt is possible if the team demonstrates competence under pressure.

Hidden (bonus): The Automatic Assassin carries encrypted Albion operational orders in its chest compartment proving the Crown Prince's security detail is acting outside the summit's agreed terms. Requires Override (CIPHER 4+) or physical extraction from a deactivated unit.

Mission Timer: 8 rounds from first contact with Serava. After 8 rounds, Terrassian response force arrives in force.

Zone Map

[5: ALLEY / EXTRACTION]
        ↑ service door
[4: SERVANT STAIRS]
   ↑ east       ↑ west
[3: UPPER SALON]   [3a: BALCONY]
        ↓ main stairs
[2: GALA FLOOR]
        ↓
[1: SERVICE ENTRANCE]

Zone 1 -- Service Entrance

Insertion. Alert Level 0.

A side alley and service door. Two kitchen staff moving in and out. One bored Red Guard stationed here -- he's here because Rozito pays the Red Court to provide a presence, not because he expects trouble.

Contents: 1 Red Guard Patrol (stationary), 2 civilian kitchen staff (scatter on any violence).

Tactical notes: The Guard can be avoided, bribed (CP check 3+, cost 5 credits), or neutralized quietly. Kitchen staff who witness violence will run toward Zone 2 -- GM secretly rolls d6 on 4–6 Alert Level +1.

Zone 2 -- The Gala Floor

Approach. Alert Level 0.

The ground floor of Rozito's hall. Fifty guests in formal attire and masks. Two Red Guard Sergeants flank the main stairs to the upper salon.

Contents: 2 Red Guard Sergeants (at stairs, won't leave unless Alert 2+), ~50 civilian guests (scatter and panic if violence erupts -- immediately Alert 3), Rozito (non-combatant), 1 Merchant Web Informant (the team's contact, dressed as a waiter).

Rozito: He knows something is happening tonight. He always does. He'll confirm the Automatic Assassin entered through the front -- "full diplomatic escort credentials." He finds this darkly amusing.

The Informant gives the team one piece of intel before contact: "Serava's in the upper salon. She has her attaché escort -- one man, armed. He doesn't know she's leaving."

The stairs: The two Sergeants challenge anyone without an upper-salon invitation -- SC check 3+ with credible cover. Visible weapons trigger a detailed search (SC 5+ to conceal weapon).

Zone 3 -- The Upper Salon

Objective Zone. Alert Level rises to 1 when the team enters.

Fifteen guests, mostly senior diplomats and merchants. Serava is in the northeast corner with her escort, Davin Tark, pretending to study a painting.

The Automatic Assassin entered twenty minutes ago. It is standing in the southwest corner, dressed in Albion diplomatic formal wear. It has identified Serava. It is waiting for a moment without witnesses.

Contents: Serava Koss-Tindal (extraction target), Davin Tark (Terrassian Attaché Guard -- will fight to bring her back), 1 Automatic Assassin (acts on Round 2 after the team enters Zone 3 unless they intervene), ~15 civilian guests.

Zone 3a -- The Balcony: Empty. Excellent position for the Sharpshooter. Also an alternate extraction route -- grapple line to alley, reaches Zone 5 directly (skip Zone 4).

Serava: When a team member makes contact (SC check 2+ to establish trust without alerting Davin), she says: "I have the documents." "There's a machine in the corner that's going to kill me." "Get me out of here and you can have everything."

Davin Tark: Does not know Serava is leaving. When he realizes she's being extracted, he acts. He will not fight in the salon -- he talks, delays, signals. On the move to Zone 4, he goes hostile. If captured: Motivation d6 -- on 5+, Conflicted. He'll cooperate for protection.

The Automatic Assassin: On Round 2 after the team enters Zone 3, it moves to Serava and acts on highest-threat priority. (It is patient -- it waited this long, it can wait until witnesses are briefly sparse. The pressure is on the team to reach Serava before Round 2 concludes, not before they reach the room.) When it fires, Alert immediately goes to 3 and every clock accelerates.

Override window: The Artificer has Round 1 to attempt Override while the Assassin is stationary. CIPHER 4+, adjacent. Success neutralizes it and opens the Hidden Objective. Failure: Data Link triggers, it acts immediately.

Zone 4 -- Servant Stairs

Kill Zone. Enemies redirect here when extraction begins.

Narrow. Two abreast. When the team begins moving Serava toward extraction, the mission timer starts if it hasn't already.

Kill Zone activation: On round 5 from timer start, if Alert 3+, roll d4 -- that many Red Guard Patrol units arrive from Zone 2.

Choke point: The Ironclad's Iron Breach is extremely effective here. So is a smoke canister.

Zone 5 -- The Alley

Extraction. Variable difficulty.

The team's exit. A carriage at the north end, waiting, driven by a Merchant Web contact.

Extraction complication: The carriage driver spotted the Assassin and has moved 2 blocks north. If the Assassin is deactivated, the driver returns immediately. If not, operators must reach the carriage on foot (2 additional move actions through a public street).

If Alert 4: A Red Guard patrol of 2 has sealed the south end. North end (toward the carriage) is still open -- one round before they close the distance.

Opposition by Alert Level

Key NPCs

Serava Koss-Tindal -- Terrassian diplomatic attaché, late 30s, composed under pressure. She speaks four languages and has been lying to her own delegation for six weeks. Not a combatant. Will do what she's told if she trusts the team.

Davin Tark -- Serava's escort, 40s, professional soldier in diplomatic clothes. Follows orders. Suspects something is wrong in the delegation but hasn't acted. Motivation d6 on capture: 5+ Conflicted.

Rozito -- Present throughout the gala. Neutral. Finds the situation commercially interesting. Will present a very large invoice to whichever faction broke his gala.

After the Mission

Intel & Leverage Table

Roll d8 twice -- once on each column. Apply both results.

APPENDIX A: OPERATOR ROSTER

OPERATOR RECORD

Callsign: _________________________________ Class: _______________________________

Faction Allegiance: _________________________ The Turned: [ ] Yes -- Tag: _____________

Attributes

MK=MARK / ST=STEEL / SC=SCHEME / CP=CIPHER / IR=IRON / SD=STRIDE (never rolled)

Morale

Starting Morale: ______ (= IRON score at mission start)

Current: [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]

Morale resets to full IRON value at end of mission. Loss: fail IRON 3+ check in Blighted Ground. Restore: Physick action.

Wound Track

[ ] Flesh 1       No penalty
[ ] Flesh 2       –1 to all rolls
[ ] Flesh 3       –2 to all rolls; next Flesh Wound becomes Mortal

[ ] Mortal 1      IRON 4+ at activation start or lose 1 action
[ ] Mortal 2      Down. Bleeds out in d3 rounds without stabilization.

Permanent Scars: ___________________________________________________________________

Specialization

Selected: _____________________________ Notes: ________________________________

The Turned

Tag: [ ] UNDYING [ ] IRONSHELL [ ] GHOST-STEP [ ] PREDATOR'S EYE

Universal Complication: IRON 4+ at start of activation in Blighted Ground or lose 1 action. Tag bonus also suppressed.

Gear Loadout

Specialization Gear: ______________________________________________

Battlefield Evolutions & XP

[ ] _______________________________________
[ ] _______________________________________
[ ] _______________________________________

XP: Earned ___ / Spent ___ / Available ___

SQUAD RECORD

Squad Callsign: _________________________________ Safe House: The Bastion Inn

Operator's Edge Pool

Starting Edge: ______ | Current: [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]

Earn Edge: Primary obj complete (+1), Stealth obj complete (+1), Natural 6 on critical roll (+1, GM awards once per mission)

Supply State

[ ] Abundant [ ] Restricted [ ] Depleted [ ] Critical

Faction Pressure Tracks

RED COURT ............. 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- [5]    Current: [ ]
ALBION DELEGATION ..... 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- [5]    Current: [ ]
TERRASSIAN CONSULATE .. 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- [5]    Current: [ ]
LICH CULT ............. 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- [5]    Current: [ ]
MERCHANT WEB .......... 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- [5]    Current: [ ]

Between-Mission Sequence

[ ] 1. Wound Recovery     [ ] 2. Downtime     [ ] 3. Supply State
[ ] 4. Field Requisitions [ ] 5. Evolutions   [ ] 6. Advance Factions   [ ] 7. Brief

APPENDIX B: GM QUICK REFERENCE

Vocabulary Map

Resolution (OT Core)

Roll 1d6. Modifiers shift the die, not the threshold.

Wound Track

Alert Level

Raises +1: Loud weapon, body found, operator spotted and not neutralized within 1 round, alarm triggered, enemy escapes.

Blighted Ground

Morale: Starts at IRON score. Tracked per operator on roster.

Standard operators: End of activation → IRON 3+. Fail: –1 Morale. At 0: withdraw, won't re-enter.

The Turned: Start of activation → IRON 4+. Fail: 1 action only. Tag bonus also suppressed.

Escalation: Active ritual completing → +2 zones Blighted Ground.

Faction Doctrines

New Properties

The Turned -- Quick Reference

Good luck. Hepsabeth says to be back by curfew.