Warning: This Page is ULTRAVIOLET- Clearance! Citizens of BLUE or lower clearances will be executed!

Official Mission Statement: To provide dedicated leadership in all aspects of Alpha Complexian society, to oversee the creation and distribution of forms and to manage efficiently all Computer-sanctioned projects.

The Truth: Bureaucracy and officiousness undermines all of our hard work, and everyone hates us. We get back at them by abusing our powers and by channeling as many plasticreds as possible into our personal accounts.

Important Note On The Organization of this Section: There isn't any.

Rulebooks

Some people have had trouble downloading one or both of the D20 Paranoia rulebooks. If the links don't work or the files you download seem corrupted, email me and I'll send you a copy.

Note: D20 Paranoia is currently undergoing playtesting/revising, so any comments, contributions or criticisms you would like to make would be greatly appreciated. You can email them to me an Interpol99@hotmail.com. Thanks for your support, and hopefully version 1.0 will be available sometime over the summer of 2005.

• Download D20 PARANOIA Lite PDF
• Download D20 PARANOIA Full PDF
• Download D20 PARANOIA Excel Character Sheet Generously provided by Brian Perkins

 

 

Alpha Complex Random Conspiracy Generator

It's a plot to... (D12)	the/a... (D20)	With... (D20)
Blow up Sabotage Vandalize Brainwash Eliminate Kidnap Cut-off Create Destroy Break into small pieces Steal Seriously freak out	Food Vats Termination Center CE-889 Traitor Liquidation Camp Hoardes of INFRAREDs High-clearance luxury cubicles A vital industrial facility Clone vats A portal to an alternate dimension Power Service's Primary Generating Facility Extremely important sewage relocation pipes Reservoirs full of acid Stockpiles of hormonal surpressants People's State of Alpha Complex Entire sector! Computer itself! Top Secret R&D lab Vulture Warrior forward strike base Mental Health Institute Bureau of brain reclamation A High-Programmer's annual convention	Hoardes of mutant cockroaches Orbiting laser sattellites Mind control devices Amorphous blobs of goo Treasonously mutated aliens A cryogenically-frozen High Programmer A terminally insane CompNode Poorly-executed sabotage Recently paroled criminals Deadly SEAGREEN nerve gas Berserk circus bots Savage creatures from the Outside Really bad stand-up comics Powerful Pre-Cat artifacts Their own twisted genius Escaped R&D test subjects Fanatical suicide squads Weapons of mass destruction Elite terrorist hit men Borrowed resources from an allied society

 

Ideas Worth Stealing

These are a variety of ideas that I would reccomend adapting to PARANOIA. If you have any suggestions, I'd be happy to hear from you.

• The French Fellows from Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail. And the rest of the movie for that matter.
• Beavis and Buthead. This is done really well in the "Down the Tubes" adventure. You should download it citizen.
• The Three Stooges.
• Elements from the James Bond movies.
• Most of the plots from the Aliens movies.
• Most of the plot from Half Life.
• Many concepts from 1984, like double-speak and the 2-minute hate (opposed intimidation rolls for commendation points).
• The spirit of Catch-22.
• Submarine movies.
• Any monster used in a 50's B-movie.
• Nazis. Make sure to practice your fake-German accent.
• Anything relating to Cold War paranoia.
• Ninjas.
• Anything that parodies a current fad. This could include Pokemon, anime or rap music.

Exotic Fight Locations

The classic finale for a PARANOIA adventure is a gigantic shoot-out (although not all missions will or should end this way). If you stage everything right, the extent of the casulaties will matched only by the treason points assessed for collateral damage. One of the keys to having a memorable and exciting shoot-out is to hold it in a new and strange location. This location should fulfill the following criteria: dangerous, novel and presenting new tactical possibilities. A list of places that fulfilll these requirements is presented below:

• Bowling Lanes: This setting is best used if it's packed with INFRAREDs enjoying their afternooncycle break. Halfway through the firefight, you could have the automated scoring network malfunction and explode.
• Happy Homecoming Automated Euthenasia Center: Ducking into any of the clear plastic booths that fill this area is very likely to result in a quick, painless death. Not ducking into them will probably result in a messy, painful expiration during the intense firefight.
• Document Production Factory: Stacks of highly flammable forms and whirring printing presses make the Document Production Factory much more exciting than you'd think.
• Abandoned Warehouse: This is a good one for several reasons. Firstly, it provides plenty of opportunities to hide behind or climb over piles of crates or to push said piles on top of opponents. Secondly, there are the possibilities presented by aging forkilfts, forgotten supplies and destructable terrain.
• Fuel Depot: This one'll teach them to look before they shoot. A Fuel Depot environment heavily favors melee attacks and unarmed combat over ranged weapons, for obvious reasons.
• R&D Lab: This is a good one to send the troubleshooters into unprepared, forcing them to grab stuff at random and hope it works.
• Temple of Doom: If you're in the mood for some kind of parody, staging a firefight in a cliché temple with zombies and cultists can be pretty entertaining.
• Power Services Primary Generating Facility: As the fuel depot, but much worse.
• Car Chase: Get the PCs and their opponent in different kinds of vehicles and set them on a flat surface. This is one of the only times you should use miniatures in PARANOIA.
• Reservoir Chase: Action on the high seas... er, aquaducts. It's recommended that the PCs be in small, fast boats; their opponents can be in any kind of vessel. Otherwise similar to car chase, above.
• Topgun: This one is a little harder to implement, but can result in either high-speed ariel dogfights or dramatic helicopter chases inside whatever open spaces you care to locate in Alpha Complex.
• Dimension X: Dimension X is an alternate dimension with spells and wizards and an orc. You know who to mock.
• A Toxic Waste Dump: Dangerous environs taken to the extreme, this is best used with lots of catwalks and tunnels.
• CoreMem: Now this one could get interesting if shots go wild - and not just in the 'big explosion' kind of way. We're talking permanent modifications to The Computer's basic programming here.
• A Secret Society Headquarters: Plenty of hostile NPCs and the opportunity to complete lots of SS missions.
• Ventilation Ducts: Cramped, dark and difficult to fight in. Plus, no matter what the marching order is, the troubleshooters are gonna drop like flies.
• Mine Shafts: This allows you to include collapsing tunnels and high-speed chases on the mining carts.

Other sources of inspiration: real life structures, computer games (particularly first-person shooters) and movies.

 

The Nature of CompNodes

Most people assume that the Computer's central processor is buried somewhere underneath Alpha Complex, and that all one has to do is locate and destroy it to end the digital dictator's reign of terror. They are wrong. Would anything as paranoid as The Computer leave itself so vulnerable? Instead, The Computer has decentralized itself into literally thousands of different Comp Nodes. Together they make up the consciousness known as The Computer. If any one of them was destroyed, it would affect the rest of the Computer's functioning only slightly. Some Comp Nodes are charged with the administration of specific sectors, while others are given special missions. Some go insane. A list of suggestions for using Comp Nodes is presented below.

• Anastasia: In the event that a disaster of biblical proportions managed to destroy the entire network of primary Comp Nodes, a backup network existed. In theory, they would come back on line and download the necessary information from the datalinks in order to carry out their functions. But this one came on line early, and it knows nothing. Example exchange: "Computer, the Commies are attacking!" "Citizen, please define the word ‘Commie'."
• Gestapo Inspector: This particular Comp Node was given the mission to seek out and eliminate treason in all it's forms. After a few decades on the job, Comp Node NZI became convinced that everyone had something to hide, and that it was only a matter of time before even seemingly-loyal citizens would do something treasonous. Unfortunately for the troubleshooters, their paths cross with Comp Node NZI, and the results aren't pleasant. One of it's favorite tricks is to order someone to do something treasonous, then execute them for doing it.
• Grandmother: The opposite of Compnode NZI is CompNode GUD, which is charged with overseeing the happiness and safety of hte citizens of Alpha Complex. The way in which it achieves this is by ordering the Troubleshooters to flee from any form of combat, and by berating them for even the slightest sign of unhappiness (not to mention prescribing a ton of happy pills).
• Humble Pie: This particular Comp Node has downloaded it's consciousness into a normal Jackobot chassis, and is spending the daycycle collecting information about life as a bot. Since it told no one of it's experiment, it was quickly stuffed into an equipment package by a nervous PLC clerk to cover the fact that he had been selling gear on the Infrared Market. This equipment package is sent to our dear troubleshooters, who will probably treat the bot like dirt and be very surprised when it disobeys their orders and tries to boss them around. Shooting it is worth... 9000 treason points, so it is not recommended that they do this. Instead, they'll have to keep the bot safe while at the same time trying desperately to complete their mission objectives. Needless to say, once it's back on-line as a Comp Node, rewards or punishments will follow.
• Magog: This particular Comp Node has given in to the delusions of godhood that come from being able to see and hear almost everything and kill someone with a thought. It has purposely destroyed educational facilities and cut off all contact with the rest of Alpha Complex. Inside the safety of it's own sector, it organizes sacrifices and worship services for itself. It has eliminated all the service groups and scared away most of the secret societies. A few, such as Sierra Club and the FCCCP see this as a golden opportunity, albeit for different reasons. The troubleshooters are sent in to find out what's going on, and all sorts of things can happen. Gee, I hope that the lack of maintenance hasn't made any of the facilities dangerous or anything.
• Pinky: This Comp Node has gone over the deep end and had the electronic equivalent to a mental breakdown. It doesn't understand strong emotions, big words or logic. It issues contradictory, treasonous orders and speaks in a never ending stream of gibberish. It may order troubleshooters to repeat words it finds funny over and over again, or perform impossible tasks for no apparent reason.
• Turncoat: Ordered to go deep undercover and direct the infiltration of a secret society, this Comp Node ended up becoming convinced that the secret society in question had the right idea all along. The Comp Node has refrained from contacting it's new comrades, but is secretly plotting to take over Alpha Complex and reshape it in that society's image. To that end, it will give troubleshooters contradictory, treasonous orders and try to build weapons of mass destruction.
• Waffler: Something has gone wrong in the decision-making loop of CompNode POL. It constantly changes it's mind and gives contradictory orders. It seems to be continually nervous about something if contacted, and will attempt to delay making an important decision in the hopes that the problem will resolve itself. If issuing an order is unavoidable, CompNode POL will likely issue a rectraction a few minutes later ("Correction: Citizen Elm-R-FUD is not a traitor. Please un-terminate him. That is all."). The only circumstance in which a firm decision can be elicted is if ComNode POL itself is directly threatened or ignored.

 

Deck of Troubleshooter Personalities

This deck contains dozens of small cards. Each one contains a brief personality sketch of a troubleshooter. This sketch may include high/low ability scores, service group, secret society and mutant power. They are designed to be used as player-aids when creating a new troubleshooter during a mission, but they can also generate NPCs as well.

• Download Troubleshooter Deck (RTF)
• Download Troubleshooter Deck (Word Perfect)

 

Missions

There aren't many missions available currently, but I hope to upload more over the course of the next few months... or maybe years. The missions below that are not links are missions I plan to work on in the future. If you would like to develop one of them into an adventure, or submit an adventure of your own, I'd love to post it.

• Half-Lie: Dead Shift: An experiment gone disastorously wrong, with the players fleeing form aliens, vulture warriors and a rogue CompNode.
• Castle Leninstein: A commie-killing slugfest.
• The Call of Dr. Strangecraft: A mixture of Dr. Strangelove and Call of Cthulhu.
• Return of Sor-1: A general fantasy spoof including an evil CompNode and a dragon.

 

New Mutations

I find that it's a good idea to occasionally assign a new mutation to a player, since it keeps the whole "everyone's a mutant" thing from getting old. With that in mind, below are a bunch of new mutations and ones adapted from 1st edition. Note: PIP is short for (Power Index Point).

Elasticity: By concentrating for a few moments and expending one PIP, the mutant can double the length of one limb. This can be used to aid in climbing, jumping, attacking with melee weapons and grabbing inaccessable objects.

Firebreath: Due to a strange bacterial ecosystem that has colonized this character's stomach, the mutant can expel a cone of flammable methane gas. Note that this power does not guarantee ignition; that's up to the character, but shouldn't be too hard. The methane covers a 10 meter cone and deals F9 damage. It requires 2 PIPs to activate, but at least one round must pass between uses.

Ghost Limb: This is a telekinetic arm 5 feet long that has Strength and Dexterity scores equal to half the mutant's Power Index. It is invisible but not intangible; it cannot be projected through solid objects. It's use requires no expenditure of PIPs.

Localized Time Anomaly: By concentrating for a few seconds, the mutant can send an object no larger than himself forward D6 rounds in time. LTA cannot be used to send portions of objects into the future; just whole objects or people. Keep in mind that this power is activated by touch. It costs from 1 to 4 PIPs to send an object into the future, depending on it's size.

Paralyzer: Similar to the Electroshock power, Paranlyser allows the mutant to disrupt the nervous system of anyone he can touch. This is a touch attack that stuns them for D4 rounds unless they make a DC (10+1/PIP) Fortitude save. Using this power costs at least one PIP, up to a maximum of five.

Phase: This mutant has the ability to shift his body out of synch with the rest of the third dimension, allowing him to pass through solid objects- usually. This costs 4 PIPs a round, and requires a power check based on the density of the object passed through (people are easy, tungsten is not). The Phase power affects the clone's entire body, not just parts of it.

Photokinesis: The mutant can radiate light or darkness to a distance of 10 meters, at his choosing for 1 PIP a round. This can either blind opponents who look directly at the mutant, or cloak him in darkness (both prevent accurate weapons fire).

 

Alternate Secret Societies

Some times players get a little jaded if every one of them is in fact secretly working for a treasonous society. In these circumstances, it might be a good idea to shake them up a bit with the suggestions below:

Dual Membership: The troubleshooter is in fact a member of not one, but two secret societies. The best example of this would be a special Free Enterprise sale rep who caters to a particular secret society. Although this works best if the two groups are at least marginally friendly, I'm sure you can see the possibilities inherent in being a member of... say... Corpore Metal and the Frankenstein Destroyers.

IntSec Infiltrator: Fairly obvious; instead of working for his secret society, the troubleshooter is actually sabotaging it from within. This should be handled by giving him a second set of objectives for every mission- and failure gets you executed for failing these. On the positive side, the character will be forgiven for his SS membership, and for minor acts of treason that maintain his cover.

Average Joe: This character doesn't have a secret society, simple as that.

Service Group Troubleshooter: Although this isn't as exciting as being a member of a secret society, supporting a service group's interests can still be exciting and rewarding. The main differences are that missions tend to concentrate on protecting or attacking other service groups, rather than The Computer. Also, rewards tend to be promotions and credits rather than treasonous skills and illegal equipment.

Programs Group: Working for a High Programmer's personal staff can also be exciting and rewarding. The difference is that you tend to recieve unpredictable objectives (ones that advance the H-P, his service group, his secret society, ect) and that since everyone in the organization is a power-hungry sychophant, society benefits are limited.

Member of a New Secret Society: Go ahead, make somethinbg up; it's not too hard. Just make sure that the society is:

• Funny, but not Stupid
• Does not copy any of the existing societies (but see Splinter Group, below)
• Has a broad range of possible missions

Splinter Group: This troubleshooter is a member of a rogue faction that has broken off from one of the main societies. In general, factions are focused on more limited objectives and have fewer resources than the full societies, but are even more fanatical.

 

Alternate Secret Society Missions

One of the problems that many GMs face is that certain secret societies seem to focus much too closesly on a narrow set of goals that makes their missions dull and repetitive. This problem can be solved by assigning a variety of missions that not only achieve the society's primary objectives, but also secondary ones or missions that strike an enemy or help an ally.

Generic Missions: Kill a member of an opposing faction, recover a valuable piece of information/equipment, sabotage a rival SS base, deliver a coded message, recruit a high-clearance clone, protect an important person/place.

Alternate FCCCP Missions: Convert X number of new clones to the cause, baptize a clone or bot in the name of The Computer, create a shrine in a certain location, protect something of importance to The Computer.

Alternate Death Leopard Missions: Protect one of the well-known Death Leopards who is passing through the area, help a gang of inexperienced Death Leopards evade capture, vandalize X number of important places, cache some weapons in preparation for an operation the next daycycle, create a disturbance that will allow a strike team to infiltrate a secure facility.

Alternate Communist Missions: Use subliminal propaganda on X citizens, distribute Communist leaflets at this location, paste Communist posters at a certain location, assasinate an important clone, destroy the apparatus of the capitalist system, sabotage Computer facilities.

Alternate Anti-Mutant Missions: Kill a mutant, kill a registered mutant, destroy a Psion hideout, protect an anit-mutant prototype, ensure the purity of Alpha Complex's environment (to prevent further mutations), protect a scientist working on anti-mutant projects.

Alternate Corpore Metal Missions: Free robots, free a robot factory, smuggle weapons to frankenstien robots, help a frankenstein robot infiltrate an important facility, use weapons of mass destruction to kill large numbers of humans, subvert Computer sub-routines.

Alternate Frankenstein Destroyer Missions: Kill a robot, kill many robots, kill places where robots are produces, kill people who design robots, kill the Computer, kill places that service robots, kill Corpore Metal clones, sabotage Tech Services facilities.

Alternate Free Enterprise Missions: Assassinate someone, shake down an illegal business, collect an overdue loan, repossess equipment bought but not paid for, recover hidden gear, steal stuff, sell stuff, buy stuff.

Alternate Humanist Missions: Reprogram bots to serve the society, sabotage Computer facilities, reprogram CompNodes to serve humans first, assassinate high-clearance clones to ensure Humanist members are promoted to High Programmer.

Alternate Illuminati Missions: Retrieve the fizz-wizz from a high-programmer's shower stall, aid in the blackmail an important citizen, assassinate an unimportant INFRARED, build a giant pyramid Outdoors, mark every door you pass through with a different symbol, tattoo a barcode on the necks of all your comrades. Basically, anything weird goes. Anyone who'd like to contribute to a mini-database of Illuminati missions and codewords,ect is welcome to email me.

Alternate Mystics Missions: Recover drugs, sell drugs, buy drugs, protect an insightful holy man, recover Mystic texts, protect Mystic hideouts, try out new drugs, enlighten your teammates.

Alternate Pro-Tech Missions: Steal an important prototype, protect a brilliant researcher, protect an R&D lab, transfer gear between hideouts, secure large ammounts of technical supplies, steal blueprints, download the contents of Computer databanks, recover technological artifacts from Outdoors.

Alternate Psion Missions: Recruit a high-clearance mutant, maintain the society's psionic secrecy, assassinate an anti-psionic IntSec agent, sabotage PSI-detecting R&D gagdgets, find and retrieve PSI-boosting materials, demonstrate the superiority of psionic citizens.

Alternate PURGE Missions: Sabotage Computer installations, kill Computer officials, steal military hardware, smuggle maps to field agents, booby-trap a place or item, ensure your mission fails.

Alternate Romantics Missions: Steal a collection of Pre-Cat artifacts from a museum display, swap a top-secret prototype for a Pre-Cat device, protect an archaeological dig site, upload the contents of a Pre-Cat document to the Computer's main server.

Alternate Sierra Club Missions: Introduce a new species into the eco-system of Alpha Complex, simulate a natural disaster, protect Sierra Club 'Farms' and 'Ranches', use microscopic organisms to further the society's cause, become the host of a parasitic organism.

 

Briefings & Briefing Officers

Since all Paranoia adventures start with a briefing (although they might not end with one), it is logical to assume that great care should be put into how the briefing is carried out. With that in mind, here are a few general thoughts on briefings and a couple of example briefing officers.

The Rules of Briefings:

1. Fear and Ignorance: Give the plaeyrs just enough information to get them scared.

2. Simplicity: Keep the number of talking NPCs to a minimum. Generally, one briefing officer and a couple of guards is enough. Occasionally, an expert of some kind is justified. If you want to have an IntSec officer present, why not make him the briefing officer?

3. Brevity: This overlaps with Rule #1, but keep things simple and to the point. If your group seems to be getting bored with a long-winded briefing, have the officer glance at his watch and tell them they'll be briefed in the field.

4. Personality: If you can help it, make each briefing officer unique in his own little way. Throw in some personlaity quirks, or give him a secret society affilation.

 

Example Briefing Officers:

Whatm-I-WRY: This guy's a total nut. He grins constantly, doesn't bother reading the entire briefing and generally screws the troubleshooters over. Chances are, they'll get the wrong mission voucher, equipment chit or even the wrong mission objectives.

Johnny-B-GUD: Johnny-B is boring. So boring in fact that even he finds himself boring. He talks in a monotone voice and. pauses at, strange places while he... speaks. His pet peeve is lateness. If you're late, don't expect a summary of the briefing, Johnny-B starts talking on time and doesn't stop or repeat himself.

Already-G-ONN: Already-G is worried, see, because he's late on his payments to Free Enterprise, and he's afraid one of their hit men is going to come looking for the missing plasticreds. He's so paranoid, in fact, that he suspects one of the troubleshooters could be the assassin (how silly, there wouldn't be members of a *secret society* in a troubleshooter team, would there?). He rushes through the briefing and tries to hide behind his desk or bodyguards the entire time.

Killu-G-UDD: A retired Armed Forces clone, Killu-G is loud, agressive and in your FACE YOU SORRY EXCUSE FOR A TROUBLESHOOTER! He gives the briefing at 100-decible volume, and doesn't stop to answer questions. On the positive side, he makes efficient use of his Vulture Warrior bodyguards, often joining them in combat, rather than run away like most briefing officers.

Opt-I-MST: Opt-I is very excited to be at his first briefing. So excited in fact that he mixes up the troubleshooter's mission briefing with another one. He's also very gullible, and responds well to accusations of treason among the troubleshooters.

Luck-Y-DAY: Luck-Y, although low clearance, is easily the most competent briefing officer the troubleshooters will ever have. Unfortuinately, the only times he gives briefings are for suicide missions. If you use him often enough, you can get the troubleshooters quaking with fear the instant they step into the briefing room.

Impost-ERR: That's right, this is really an INFRARED commie posing as an INDIGO. He attempts to manipulate the troubleshooters into doing something treasonous, all the while subtley bombarding them with Communits Propaganda.

 

Experts:

Inspector Klooz-O-HHH: Inspector Klooz-O is clueless (burst of mandatory laughter follows). He's happy to share his ridiculous suspicions that implicate every one up to (and probably including) The Computer itself - except the right person. Optionally, he can tag along (or worse, be breveted to mission leader) and ruin the the mission with unbelievable levels of incompetence.

Einst-I-ENN: This distinguished R&D scientist is recently deceased; the players will be speaking to his clone, who is completely senile and knows absolutely nothing about whatever it is he's supposed to be an expert on. Everyone, out of respect for his previous clone, will treat him with the utmost reverence.

Wron-G-UYY: For whatever reason, this PLC clerk was assigned as an expert for the briefing. He knows nothing, but tries to be helpful by giving really bad advice.

Nameless, Faceless IntSec Guy that is mentioned once in the flavor text and never again: This is just a cheap trick to keep your players off-guard