d20 Devil's Workshop Iron Horse of Pulp Destruction.pdf
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If the bastard thought that climbing out on top of the train was
going to stop me, he had another thing coming to him.
Of course, only a mad man would go up on top of a
speeding train in a rainstorm, something that came
to me as I pulled my self up the rain slick roof to
the competing applause of thunder, wind, and
train.
I made it to my feet, barely, and
lacking other handholds I gripped
my gun for cold comfort. With
every lightning flash I knew I
was set out like a perfect target for any crazy
with a gun. Fortunately, this crazy did not
like guns. No, the Devil loves only fire. And
knives. And little girls.
LPJ9883
Oh, it was going to be hard not to kill him
up here in the dark and the wet and the
wind, but I had sworn to a little angel
that this Devil was going to fry.
The train rounded a curve and I barely
kept my feet. The Devil, apparently,
did not. An almost unheard thud
and a curse and a flash revealed him
clutching a vent on the next car, the
lightning drawing sinister shadows
across his face from the weird half
mask he wore to hide the scars as he
clung to rain slick life.
I leveled my gun at him.
“I won’t go to prison! He said so!
He promised!” The Devil yelled, or
pleaded, over the roar of the train and
the rain and the beating of my heart.
“Yeah!” I replied in anger. “What
makes you believe that?”
Iron Horse of
Pulp Destruction
Requires the use of the d20 Modern Roleplaying Game, published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
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IRON HORSE OF PULP DESTRUCTION
“Well,” he said with a laugh, “for one thing, I’m not the guy
with his back to the tunnel!”
Failure to jump on board a train results in falling damage as
described below.
The thunder went off again. This time behind my eyes.
INSIDE A MOVING TRAIN
Movement:
Action that takes place inside a moving train,
whether in a freight car or passenger car, is much the same
as action that takes place inside any building. However, the
train is a dynamic environment, and the GM should occasion-
ally call for DC 10 Balance checks to deal with changes in
the train’s motion, or DC 15 checks if the motion is unusu-
ally severe. Failure is treated as normal, although if there is
no danger in falling a GM may want to inflict 1d4 points of
damage from contact with objects in the confined spaces of a
railway car on a critical failure.
Prior to the proliferation of affordable cars and flights after
World War II, the most common mode of cross-country travel
in the US was the train. Trains had their own culture and a
mystique that survives even into the modern era due to their
profound impact on American culture and lifestyle. More
than mere conveyances, they were places to be. Whether
playing cards in the club car with a sultry dame and shifty
eyed stranger or hiding out from the railroad bulls in the back
of a boxcar or the dramatic chase across the roof of a moving
train, they are classic elements of pulp fiction and as such are
inevitable components of any pulp campaign.
Combat:
Fighting someone who is also inside the train is
dealt with as normal. Ranged attacks made on targets that are
not on the train do incur some penalties.
TRAIN PULP ACTION
GETTING ON BOARD
The easiest and most common way to board a train is to
buy a ticket. Sometimes, however, buying a ticket is not
always an option for a character, in which case he or she
must attempt to hop on board illegally. The difficulties of
boarding a stopped train are entirely circumstantial, as they
mainly involve avoiding detection. Boarding a freight train
is typically easiest, as such trains are often left unattended in
freight yards, but it does have its own hazards. Most railroad
companies employ detectives and other forms of security to
patrol yards and cars that are not moving. Some of these can
be talked, or bribed, into turning a blind eye, while others are
zealous in prosecuting trespassers. Transients, or “hoboes,”
can also be found traveling freight cars. These people have
their own community and network of support, but can be
vicious to outsiders. Slipping on board a passenger train
undetected by anyone is difficult, due to the large numbers of
people around. Once on board the main task is avoiding the
conductor if the character does not want to pay the fare.
COMBAT PENALTIES
ON TRAINS
Ranged
Target/Train
Attack Penalty
Stationary/Slow
0
Stationary/moving 15-35 mph
-2
Stationary/moving 35 mph+
-4
Target and train moving similar speeds
0
Target and train moving +/- 10 mph
-2
Target and train moving +/- 20 mph
-4
This table is for firing on a target in the open without cover
or concealment. If other objects or persons obscure the target
apply penalties as normal.
FX Abilities:
Trains moving faster than 15 mph are consid-
ered vigorous motion for the purposes of Concentration
checks. A train can be considered violent motion only if
engaged in unusual maneuvers at high speeds.
Boarding a moving train requires more effort. It is best to
do this when the train is moving very slowly, either having
just left the yard or station or when the train slows to round a
sharp curve. First a character must get parallel to and match
speeds with an available and open car. A character jumping
on to a barely moving train from foot can do so with a DC 10
Jump check, or onto a slow moving train (
less than 15 mph
)
with a DC 15 check. A character can jump from a moving
vehicle or mount onto a train with a DC 10 Jump check, +5
for each 10 mph difference between the speed of the train and
the character.
ON TOP OF A MOVING TRAIN
A classic pulp scene is the showdown on top of a moving
train.
Getting up there:
Most train cars have ladders to access the
roof. Accessing the roof requires a DC 10 Climb check with
a ladder. Climbing on top without a ladder from the end of
a car is a DC 15 check. Climbing on top of a car from the
sides, by exiting through a window or similar aperture, is a
DC 20 climb check.
Characters can also jump onto a more rapidly moving train
from an elevated stationary platform, such as a water tower,
cliff, bridge, or tree. The Jump DC for such a check is 15,
but if the train is moving faster than 15 mph the distance is
treated as 10ft higher than it actually is.
Movement:
Movement depends on the speed and type of
train in question. Passenger cars have vaulted roofs not
conveniently walked across, whereas freight cars are more
level and therefore less precarious. Speeds can range from a
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IRON HORSE OF PULP DESTRUCTION
slow crawl, around 15 mph through sharp curves or on steep
inclines, to top speeds in excess of 55 mph, with most trains
reaching an average cruising speed of 35 mph.
Concentration check a moving train is considered vigorous
motion at speeds below 35 mph and violent motion at speeds
in excess of 35 mph.
Each turn a character must make a Balance check to move
on top of the train. A successful balance check allows the
character to move one half his normal speed. The character
can move his or her full speed, but the character takes a –5
penalty on his or her Balance check. Moving twice the char-
acter’s speed in a round requires two checks, one for each
move action. Any time the train changes speeds significantly,
begins rapid acceleration or brakes, all characters on top of a
train should make a DC 15 balance check. A character who is
not in active combat can take 10, but not 20, to move atop a
train.
WEATHER
Rain and wind can adversely effect movement on the outside
of a moving train. In inclement weather, rain or snow, the
DCs for all checks to board a moving train or actions taken
on top of a moving train are increased by +3 in moderate
precipitation and +5 in heavy precipitation. In winds in
excess of 20 mph increase the penalties for being on top of a
moving train by one speed category. If wind speed increases
to 50 mph or more, treat the penalty as if it were two speed
categories higher. Other environmental modifiers, such as
temperature or ice, apply as normal.
Failing a balance check on top of a train can be dangerous.
The faster the train is moving the worse it can be.
GETTING HIT BY A TRAIN
A moving train does 12d2 points of damage to a struck object
or person when moving slower than 15 mph, 12d4 when
moving between 16 and 35 mph, 12d8 points of damage
when moving in excess of 35 mph, and 12d12 when moving
in excess of 55 mph. The type of damage varies. People or
things that are tied to the tracks or otherwise fall beneath the
train take slashing and bludgeoning damage. Objects and
structures that are struck by a train take bludgeoning damage.
Stationary to Slow (
15 mph
):
Balance DC 10 flat roof, DC
15 vaulted roof. Failure by 5 or less results in the character
being unable to move, while failure by more than 5 results in
the character falling prone. A new balance check and a move
action are required on the next round to stand up.
Slow to Average (
35 mph
):
Balance DC 15 flat roof, DC 20
vaulted roof. Failure of 5 or less results in a character falling
prone as at slower speed, whereas a failure of more than 5
puts the character in danger of falling.
UNCOUPLING A CAR
Uncoupling a car from a train requires removing a rod from
between the two cars. Doing so requires a DC 10 check on
Disable Device or Profession (
conductor or railroad engi-
neer
), or may be done with a DC 15 Intelligence check.
Uncoupling a car while the train is underway is more diffi-
cult. This requires a DC 15 skill check or a DC 20 ability
check.
Average and above:
Normal movement across the top of
a train at these speeds is virtually impossible due to wind
forces alone. Crawling along the top of the train at one-half
the character’s speed is possible as a move action on a DC 20
Climb check.
Combat:
Combat on the roof of a moving train can be tricky.
A character with less than 5 ranks in Balance, regardless
of the results of a Balance check, loses his or her dexterity
modifier to Defense and is considered flat-footed on the top
of a moving train.
While each car is equipped with an emergency brake that
may be applied if it is uncoupled, an unattended car sheds
momentum at the rate of 10 mph per minute. This effect
is increased by +5 MPH for each additional uncoupled car
attached to the first.
Full Attack Actions:
A character can make a full attack on
top of train by first making a DC 15 Balance check. The
character cannot, however, take the normal 5-foot step.
Failing this check does not cause the character to risk falling,
but prevents an attack this turn.
FALLING
Any time a character is in danger of falling from a moving
train they should be allowed a DC 15 Reflex save. Success
means that the character has scrambled to find a hand- or
foothold successfully, and is now hanging precariously from
the train. A DC 15 Climb check can be made as a move
action to regain the train.
Melee Attacks:
Melee attacks may be made normally during
any round in which the character has already succeeded in a
Balance check.
Failure, however, results in the character falling from the
train. Damage depends on the speed of the train. A char-
acter falling from the top of a train moving less than 15 mph
is treated as falling a distance of 20 feet + 10 feet for every
additional 10 mph. Characters falling from the interior of
the train, or a flatcar level with the floor of the interior of the
Ranged Attacks:
Ranged attacks suffer a –2 penalty on trains
moving between 15 and 35 mph and a –4 penalty at greater
speeds.
FX and Special Attacks:
Making attacks or taking other
actions on top of a moving train that may require a
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IRON HORSE OF PULP DESTRUCTION
train, take less damage. Treating the fall as if it was 10 feet
from a slow moving train, moving less than 15 mph, + 10
feet for every additional 20 mph.
moving section of track to join with another rail line. An
observant engineer would normally stop a train if he realized
he was on the wrong track. Often rail lines have spurs, dead
ends that come off of the main track typically used to load
and unload trains, and a train on such a line would be forced
to stop. Alternatively, a train could be trapped on a section
of rail by moving two switches in conjunction. In each case,
the stop would only be long enough to allow a member of the
crew to disembark and reset the switch.
DRIVING THAT TRAIN
Most trains of the era are steam powered and quite unlike
any other vehicles with which the average character will be
familiar. The engineer’s compartment in the average train is
a mass of pipes, gauges, knobs, and levers. To truly operate
an engine takes years of experience, typically represented by
ranks in Profession (
railroad engineer
); however, untrained
characters may occasionally find themselves in situations
where they need to operate a train. While the Disable Device
skill is typically used to circumvent locks or other barriers,
characters with ranks in this skill can be presumed to have an
insight into the working of most mechanical devices and as
such may make a DC 20 skill check to affect the operation of
the engine. A Craft (
mechanical
) or Knowledge (
technology
)
skill check can produce the same results. A character with no
ranks in these skills may also attempt a DC 25 Intelligence
check. In each of these cases a successful check would
allow a character to do one of the following: use the throttle
to accelerate or decelerate, apply the air-brakes to slow the
train, apply an independent brake, or read a gauge. Stopping
a train from the engine requires two such checks, one to
operate the throttle and one to operate the brakes. The train
whistle is also located in the engineer’s compartment and
requires no skill check to use.
Disrupting the tracks:
The most violent but surest way to
stop a train from the outside is to disrupt the tracks. Placing
explosives under the tracks or on a bridge, Demolitions check
required, is the most obvious method, but runs the risk of
derailing the train. A derailed train careens out of control,
doing damage to the landscape and itself. Such an event
would likely kill or damage anything on the train that was
of value. To avoid the danger of derailing the train, if such
is a character’s desire, explosives should be detonated well
in advance of a speeding train, giving it ample time to stop.
Another method of disrupting the tracks is to obstruct them
with some object or objects. In all cases the best, most reli-
able
and safest way to stop a speeding train is to make the
engineer want to stop.
TRAIN PULP PEOPLE AND
PLACES
THE STATION
Railroad stations are exchange points for passengers and
freight. They include platforms for passengers to access
trains, as well as other services depending on the size of the
station. As most stations were built in the nineteenth century,
they reflect the building styles of the time.
STOPPING A TRAIN
Bringing a locomotive to a halt from somewhere other than
the engine can be accomplished in several ways.
Signaling from inside the train:
Passenger trains have a
signal cord that runs the length of the train. The crew uses
this cord to communicate with the engineer. When a train is
in motion, two short pulls calls for an emergency stop, three
short pulls requests a stop at the next station, and four shorts,
reduce speed. Most passengers aboard a train would likely be
aware of the signal cord, although a DC 20 Intelligence check
may be needed to know how to use it. Freight cars rely on
hand, flag, and lantern signals to communicate between crew
and engineer. A character may observe these signals and
make a DC 20 Decipher Script check to figure out the code
and later employ it to signal the engineer.
Tickets are purchased from ticket agents at stations, or from
the conductor on board the train. Train schedules and fares
are found in the timetable published by each railroad.
URBAN
The urban station is often a union station, jointly used by
several railroads, or a terminal station, where a railroad
line ends. Urban stations are grand in style, with immense
rotundas, vistas of architectural space and sumptuous decora-
tion. Luxurious chairs provide comfortable seating for the
waiting passengers, who also have access to restaurants,
newsstands and even a barbershop. Freight traffic is often
handled in an adjoining building to the passenger station.
Ticket offices in an urban station are open all night for
passenger convenience.
Signaling from outside the train:
Railroads of the era rely on
signalmen at various points along the route to raise and lower
flags, light signals, and operate the mechanisms to switch a
train from one line to another. The simplest of signals is the
waving red lantern, a universal sign for danger that indicates
a train should stop.
RURAL
In contrast to the urban stations, rural stations, often called
depots, are modest little buildings with few of the ameni-
Switching tracks:
The direction of a train can be altered at
switches. These are fairly simple mechanisms that push a
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IRON HORSE OF PULP DESTRUCTION
ties the big city has to offer. Passengers wait for their trains
on wooden benches beside immense fireplaces. Freight is
usually loaded on at the same place. Ticket offices close for
several hours at night.
PASSENGER CARS
These cars are easily identifiable from the outside by the row
of windows on both sides and the squared-off ridged roof.
Doors at the front and rear of the car allow entry and exit.
Some trains provide flexible walkways that allow easy and
safe movement between cars.
REFUELING
A refueling stop or halt along the tracks allows the locomo-
tive to take on water and coal. It has no passenger amenities,
as it is not intended for anyone but railroad employees. The
coaling tower is a tall structure built over a sidetrack from
which coal is loaded into the tender. The water tank has a
spout allowing the fireman to replenish the locomotive’s
water supply.
Some named passenger trains became famous, the embodi-
ment of the style, romance and excitement of train travel,
particularly during the pulp era. A few examples are the
Challenger, operating between Chicago and Los Angeles
beginning in the mid-1930s; the Columbian, traveling from
Chicago to Jersey City; the Chicago to Seattle train called the
Empire Builder; the Pioneer Zephyr, running between Kansas
City and Omaha; the Twentieth Century Limited, running
between New York and Chicago; and the Sunset Limited,
traveling from Los Angeles to New Orleans beginning in
1926.
The fireman and engineer carefully monitor water levels in
the boiler. Should the water level drop too low, the crown
sheet becomes overheated as the fire directly attacks the
metal. When the water is replenished, steam quickly forms
and causes the boiler to explode, often propelling the huge
metal object at the heart of the engine some distance away.
While such an explosion rarely causes serious injuries to the
passengers, the result is usually fatal to the crew and cata-
strophic to the locomotive.
BAGGAGE CAR
The passenger baggage car is a storage car, about 9 feet wide
and about 50 ½ feet long. It carries trunks, hand luggage,
even pets brought on board by passengers, as well as express
packages. The large doors of the car (
hardness 10, 120 hit
points, break DC 35
) are secured with DC 25 Disable Device
locks.
THE LOCOMOTIVE
The locomotive is the powered vehicle that pulls the train.
In the pulp era, locomotives were primarily steam driven,
although some diesel and electric models were coming into
use. Locomotives are classified by the number of wheels
and their configurations. Common types used in the pulp era
include the Atlantic (
4-4-2
), the K4 (
4-6-2
), the Mikado (
2-
8-2
) and the immense Mallet (
2-10-10-2
), used for hauling
freight over mountain passes.
COACH
The coach is the primary passenger car, entered from a door
at either end and reached by railed steps. The seating arrange-
ment typically consists of a 2 ½ foot wide central aisle
flanked by rows of one to three seats on either side, either
all facing forward or arranged in pairs with two rows facing
each other. The coach accommodates approximately 50 to 80
passengers, depending on the configuration. Individual seats
provide half cover for a standing person, three-quarters for
a crouching person. The windows that line the sides of the
car are about 18 inches wide and 22 to 26 inches high. Toilet
facilities are available in each coach, one for ladies and one
for gentlemen.
Steam locomotives are huge and powerful. The Atlantic stood
about 15 feet high (
including its 3 foot smokestack
) and 68 ½
feet long including the tender. The K4, the same height but
with a shorter smokestack, was 80 feet long with tender. The
Mikado, manufactured in America originally for the Japanese
market, was about 5 feet longer than the K4, while the Mallet
was over 99 feet long with tender.
Prices varied according to seasonal specials and distance trav-
eled. A passenger traveling from New York to Chicago on the
Broadway Limited would pay $52.88 for the basic fare, while
the trip from Philadelphia to Memphis, Tenn. cost $38.47.
Attached to the rear of the locomotive, the tender stores the
water and coal that power the train. When full, the tender
contains about 15,000 gallons of water and 24 tons of coal.
The average weight of a locomotive without tender is about
240,000-325,000 pounds.
DINING CAR
Long-distance passenger trains are equipped with a dining
car in which meals are served. Tables and chairs bolted
to the floor replace the rows of seats found in the coach.
Service and meals in first-class dining cars are often excel-
lent, accompanied by white table cloths, sparkling china
and crystal and gourmet menus prepared by a highly skilled
chef. Passengers with less money to spend may purchase box
lunches.
THE TRAIN
Behind the locomotive and tender are the cars that, coupled
together, make up the train. The three types of cars are
passenger, freight and non-revenue cars.
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