Module Zero: Library Heist in Three Clocks
System: SRD 5.2 | Level: 1–3 | Playtime: 3–4 hours | Prep: 30 minutes
Cast
Archivist Meral (contract giver): nervous, ink‑stained, pragmatic.
Ghost Librarian Sera (optional ally): protective of names; trades help for a remembrance.
Rival Crew (2–4 NPCs suited to party level): assert rights, prefer speed to bloodshed.
Clocks & Terrain
Guard Patrol — 4 steps: each step escalates presence: notice → approach → challenge → arrest.
Arcane Wards — 6 steps: miscast sparks → audible hum → shelf shift → force‑glyphs → animated hazards → alarm.
Lockdown — 4 steps (exit only): shutters drop → exits barred → ward field → city watch arrival. Vertical terrain: ladders, rolling ladders, narrow catwalks above 20‑foot shelves; falling is a risk.
Scenes
Arrival at the Gala Approaches: forged pass, social engineering, service corridor. Complications: seating chart mismatch, officious usher, coat‑check ticket swap. Success: reach the Stacks unseen or accepted; Patrol clock starts at 1/4.
Stacks Labyrinth Obstacles: sliding shelves on rails, whisper‑only zone, catalog pedestal that changes shelf numbers. Test ideas: group Stealth; Insight to read clerk routines; Investigation to follow marginalia clues. Non‑combat: win over a junior clerk with empathy, or earn the ghost’s favor by re‑shelving a misfiled memorial.
Vault Door Three inputs in any order: Key (lifted from head clerk or found on a book cart), Phrase (“As recorded, so remembered”), Weight (two bodies worth; a loaded cart also works). Failure costs: Wards clock advances; traces of force energy sting fingertips. Inside: the Grimoire of Names plus a rolled Vault Twist (see d12 table).
Rival Interference Intent: they want the same item or a different shelf treasure. Options: parley to share copies, contest via chase on ladders, or sabotage each other’s exits. Morale: they break at half strength or if presented with a credible legal threat.
Exit Under Pressure Pick two exit complications: crowd surge, smoke from a ward flare, shutter descent, rain on slippery steps. Endings: any PC exits with the objective → Success; rivals escape with it → Mixed; all caught → Downbeat with future hooks.
d12 Vault Twists
Duplicate grimoire with one wrong chapter.
The book whispers a random PC’s true name, quietly.
Page edges leave visible frost.
Map insert to a forgotten annex appears.
A spectral stamp approves your theft for “research.”
Rival’s employer note tucked inside (new hook).
Book reshelves itself unless spoken to.
The objective is a keyring of catalog tags instead of a book.
Shelf rat swarm nests in the spine; harmless but noisy.
The cover changes title each hour.
Ink that reveals concealed names in moonlight only.
An IOU from the Archivist, dated years in the future.
Rewards
Research Boon: 1 free research downtime in city libraries.
Favor: archivist contact who can smuggle one letter or permit.
Clue: the annex map or rival employer points to your next module.
Safety & Content Notes
Crowd panic, asphyxiation hazards, memory tampering. Ask before running those themes; provide opt‑outs.
Attribution: “This work may include references to SRD 5.2 rules (CC BY 4.0).”