Call Of Cthulhu: Investigator Handbook: A Core Game Book for Players

283 Pages·2015·26.13 MB·English

by  Chaosium Inc.

Originally written by

Keith Herber

This revised 7th Edition is a collaboration between

Mike Mason and Paul Fricker

Editorial: Scott Dorward, Paul Fricker, Charlie Krank, and Mike Mason

Design Format: Badger McInnes and Mike Mason

Layout: Badger McInnes, Meghan Mclean, Nicholas Nacario, and Charlie Krank

Art Direction: Mike Mason and Meghan McLean

Cover Illustration: Sam Lamont

Chapter Illustrations: Jonathan Wyke, Paul Carrick, François Launet, Victor Leza,
Charles Wong, Mike Perry, Mariusz Gandzel, Cyril van der Haegen, and Linda Jones

Interior Illustrations: Rachel Kahn, Grilla, Chris Huth, Paul Carrick,
Jonathan Wyke, Robert Hack, Francois Launet, John T. Snyder, Nathan Rosario, and Earl Geier

Cristoforo Font created by: Thomas Phinney

6

investigator's handbook

The Call of Cthulhu Investigator’s Handbook

The authors would like to thank the following people for
their ongoing support and assistance: Charlie Krank, Keary
Birch, Alan Bligh, John French, Matt Anderson, Scott Dor-
ward, Dean Engelhardt, Matthew Sanderson, Tim Vincent,
Garrie Hall, Dan Kramer, and of course Sandy Petersen,
without whom none of this would have happened!

Clear Credit

This book was developed and written by Mike Mason and
Paul Fricker. Mike Mason wrote and revised the Occupa-
tions and Investigator Organizations, with development and
additional material from Paul Fricker. Life as an Investigator
and The Roaring Twenties revised with additional material
by Mike Mason. Paul Fricker and Mike Mason wrote Advice
for Players. The Equipment Lists were revised and updated
by Mike Mason with assistance from Dan Kramer. Paul
Fricker revised the Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition rules with
development and additional material from Mike Mason.
7th Edition investigator sheets designed by Dean Engel-
hardt. Updated equipment costs were provided by Mike
Mason and Dan Kramer. Joe Schillizzi also helped with the
revised weapon tables. This book additionally draws from
earlier publications, including The Investigator’s Companion
Vol. 1 & 2, as well as previous editions of the Call of Cthulhu
rules. The following authors’ work has been used or revised
in this current edition: Sandy Petersen, Lynn Willis, Keith
Herber, Kevin Ross, Mark Morrison, William Hamblin,
Scott David Aniolowski, Michael Tice, Shannon Appel, Eric
Rowe, Bruce Ballon, William G. Dunn, Sam Johnson, Brian
M. Sammons, Jan Engan, Bill Barton, Les Brooks, Gregory
Rucka, Gary O’Connell, John Crowe, Kenneth Faig Jr., Jus-
tin Hynes, Andrew Leman, Paul McConnell, Ann Merritt,
Lucya Szachnowski, and friends. Tony Williams assisted
with Cristoforo font typesetting.

Period photographs taken from Wiki Commons or Flickr
Commons are in public domain.

Investigator's Handbook is published by Chaosium Inc.

Investigator's Handbook is copyright © 1993, 1994, 1997,
2015 by Chaosium Inc.; all rights reserved.

Call of Cthulhu® is the registered trademark
of Chaosium Inc.

Similarities between characters in Call of Cthulhu and
persons living or dead are strictly coincidental.

The reproduction of material from within this book for the
purposes of personal or corporate profi t, by photographic,
optical, electronic, or other media or methods of storage
and retrieval, is prohibited.

Address questions and comments by mail to:

Chaosium Inc.
22568 Mission Blvd. #423
Hayward CA 94541 U.S.A.

Please do not phone in game questions; the quickest answer
may not be the best answer. Our web site www.chaosium.
com always contains latest release information and current
prices.

Chaosium Publication #23136
ISBN10: 1568824319
ISBN13: 9781568824314

Published in January 2015

Printed in China

Follow Chaosium on Twitter @Chaosium_Inc

Find Chaosium on Facebook

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7

investigator's handbook

For Lynn Willis

8

investigator's handbook

Chapter One: Introduction
10

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Example of Play . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
What You Need to Play Call of Cthulhu . 15

Chapter Two: The Dunwich
Horror
18

Chapter Three: Creating
Investigators
40

The Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
What the Numbers Mean . . . . . . . 46
Example of Investigator Creation . . . 47
Period Names. . . . . . . . . . . . 5 -55
Other Ways of Creating Investigators
(Optional Rules) . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Quick Reference Chart for Half and
Fifth Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Quick Reference: Investigator Generation . 6

Chapter Four: Occupations 66

List of Occupations. . . . . . . . . 68-69

Chapter Five: Skills
94

Skill List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Living Standards . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Becoming a Believer . . . . . . . . . 103
Optional Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Chapter Six: Investigator
Organizations
122

Sample Investigators . . . . . . 130-141
Members of The Society for the
Exploration of the Unexplained 142-145

Chapter Seven: Life As An
Investigator 146
Monster Size Comparison Charts. . 158

Chapter Eight: The Roaring
Twenties
160

Chronology of the Roaring Twenties166-167
Useful Information for 1920s Investigators
1920s Biographies . . . . . . . . . . 168
Notable Libraries and Museums . . 202

Chapter Nine: Advice For
Players
208

Setting the Scene . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Rules Advice . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216

Chapter Ten: Reference
224

A Hundred Years and More . . . . . 226
Speeds and Distances . . . . . . . . 236
Equipment, Travel and Weapons: 1920s 238
Equipment, Travel and Weapons:
Modern Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Weapons Table . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Converting from Previous Editions . . .256

Map of Arkham . . . . . . . . . . 260

Map of Lovecraft Country . . . . 261

Index
262

Investigator Sheet

1920s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266

Modern-Day . . . . . . . . . . . 268

Acknowledgements

Playtesters. . . . . . . . . . . . . 270

Kickstarter Backers . . . . . . . . 271

Contents

4

4

9

chapter 1: introduction

12

investigator's handbook

Introduction

elcome to the Call of Cthulhu Investigator’s
Handbook!
Call of Cthulhu is a game ƒull of se-
crets, mysteries, and horror. Playing the
role of a steadfast investigator, you will
travel to strange and dangerous places,
uncover foul plots, and stand against
the terrors of the night. You will encounter sanity-blasting
entities, monsters, and insane cultists. Within strange and
forgotten tomes of lore you will find secrets that man was
not meant to know.
You and your companions may very well decide the fate
of the world…
Call of Cthulhu is a horror roleplaying game based on
the writings of Howard Phillips Lovecraft. Lovecraft penned
a tremendous body of work during the 1920s and 1930s
concerning both horrors from beyond and from within.
Following his death in 1937, Lovecraft’s stories of cosmic
horror have grown in reputation and stature, and today he
is recognized as a major American horror story writer of
the twentieth century, influencing numerous authors, film
directors, and amassing a huge following of devoted fans.
Indeed Lovecraft himself could now be considered a cult fig-
ure in his own right. Lovecraft’s fiction ranges from science
fiction to gothic horror and into nihilistic cosmic terror—
perfect material on which to base a roleplaying game.
Lovecraft’s most famous invention has become known
as the Cthulhu Mythos, a series of stories sharing common
plot elements such as certain mythical books of arcane lore
and alien godlike entities. The Cthulhu Mythos fired the
imagination of other authors, mostly protégés and friends
of Lovecraft, and soon they were adding to this complex

mythology, further advancing its concepts and constituent
parts. Today "Cthulhu" stories are still being written (and
filmed) by the heirs to Lovecraft’s literary legacy.
Do not be concerned if you’ve never read one of Love-
craft’s stories or don't know anything about the Cthulhu
Mythos; such information will unfold during the game. A
lot of the fun is to be found in discovering secrets and un-
raveling the mysteries set up by the Keeper of Arcane Lore,
who "referees" the game.

About this Book

This book has been written for people who will be playing
the roles of investigators in Call of Cthulhu games, and
contains rules for creating investigator characters and a
guide to playing, which includes information for games set
in the era of H.P. Lovecraft’s stories—the 1920s—as well as
contemporary settings.
As well as this book, you will need gaming dice, pencils,
notepaper, and some friends—one person must have the
Call of Cthulhu Keeper Rulebook and act as the Keeper of
Arcane Lore for the game.

Purpose of the Game

The aim of playing Call of Cthulhu is to have fun with your
friends as you explore and create a Lovecraftian story. Play-
ers take the role of intrepid investigators of the unknown
("investigators"), attempting to seek out, understand and
eventually destroy the horrors, mysteries, and secrets of the
Cthulhu Mythos. A game moderator, known as the Keeper
of Arcane Lore ("Keeper"), is necessary for this game, and
his or her role is, within the rules of the game, to set up
situations for the players to confront.
The investigators need not be anything at all like the
people who play them. Indeed, it is often more rewarding
and enjoyable for players to create characters entirely unlike
themselves: tough private eyes, rude taxi drivers, or sinister-
ly genteel occultists.
Most of the play is a verbal exchange. The Keeper sets the
scene, describing the environment, the individuals and en-
counters to the players. The players tell the Keeper what they
intend their investigators to do. The Keeper then tells them
whether they can do it, and, if not, what happens instead. In
play the game takes the form of a group conversation with
many twists and turns and fun on the way.
The game rules use dice to determine if an action suc-
ceeds or fails when a dramatic conflict presents itself; for
example, whether your investigators are able to leap out of
the way of giant statue that is about to crash down upon
their heads! The rules describe how to decide the outcome
of such conflicts.

Read Me First—
How to Use this Book

If you are new to Call of Cthulhu, we recommend
you read this Introduction all the way through
(especially the Example of Play on pages 13—
15), followed by the Dunwich Horror story by
H.P. Lovecraft (page 18), before reading through
the rest of the book. However, if you are already
familiar with H.P. Lovecraft and previous versions
of the Call of Cthulhu game, you will probably
want to jump straight in at Chapter 3: Creating
Investigators and read on from there.

13

chapter 1: introduction

Cooperation
and Competition

Gaming is a social pastime. If you want to use your imag-
ination alone, you could simply read a book. However, be
warned! When a number of people get together coopera-
tively, they build a communal fantasy far more interesting
and imaginative than a single person could—and the joint
effort results in an extremely fun and satisfying experience
for all involved. Together you create and develop a story in
which each of your investigators plays a leading role!
Whether or not investigators cooperate, the players
should. Investigators may be played as nice people, as
devious brutes, or however the players wish. Most of the
entertainment of the game can be found in the ingenuity of
players’ roleplaying and in-character conversations.
Working cooperatively together, along with the Keeper,
builds an enjoyable and understandable game world within
which to play. The rewards of cooperation are great. Re-
member, the object of all of this is to have fun!

Winners and Losers

In Call of Cthulhu, there are no winners and losers in the
standard competitive sense. Play is usually cooperative,
the participants working together to attain a common
goal—usually to discover and foil some nefarious plot being
perpetrated by the minions of some dark cult or secret soci-
ety. The opposition that the investigators face will often be
alien or hostile—controlled by an impartial Keeper. It’s the
Keeper’s job to run the game and they will have prepared a
scenario (either a published adventure or one written by the
Keeper) for you and the other players to play through.
Winning in such a situation depends on whether the
investigators succeed in their goal. Losing
is what happens if they fail to achieve their
goal (though they may be able to try again
later). During the game investigators may
become injured, suffer sanity-shattering
experiences or even die! However, some-
one has to make a stand against the cosmic
horrors of the universe, and the death of a
single investigator matters little if it means
repulsing Cthulhu’s master plan to enslave
the Earth!
Investigators who survive will gain
power from arcane volumes of forgotten
lore, knowledge of horrendous monsters
and advancement in their skills as they be-
come more experienced. Thus the players’
investigators will continue to progress, un-
til their demise or retirement—whichever
comes first.

Example of Play

If you’ve never played a roleplaying game before, you might
still be wondering just how it all works. The following ex-
ample of play provides an illustration of a typical gaming
session. Don't worry about some of the terms used, as you’ll
become better acquainted with them as you as you begin to
play the game..
Paula, Joe, Cathy, and Arnold are the players, each of
them controlling an investigator. Garrie is in the role of
Keeper and is running the game (leading the story and
controlling the non-player characters and monsters in the
game). Notice that though the players have different ways of
referring to their characters, Garrie the Keeper easily sorts
out their statements and feels no need for consistency.

We join the game in mid-session…

(GARRIE) KEEPER: You have arrived just before closing
time at the library. There’s hardly anyone around. In fact
everyone seems to be leaving. You notice that a female li-
brarian is sitting behind the checking desk. Well guys, what’s
your plan?

PAULA: I want to speak to the librarian. I think the rest of
you should wait here.

All the investigators agree to Paula’s plan.

(GARRIE) KEEPER: You make your way to the desk. The
woman behind it appears to be stamping a pile of books.
She is middle-aged, wears large spectacles, and has an an-
noyed look on her face.

PAULA: Err, ahem. I clear my throat to get her attention and
give her a winning smile.

(GARRIE) KEEPER: She looks up at you with an even
more annoyed look on her face. She stares at you and says,
“It's closing time you know.”

PAULA: “I’m very sorry, but I wonder if you can help me,”
Paula asks in a polite tone, with smile on her
lips. “Can you direct me to the local history
section? It really is most urgent.”

JOE: Okay, while Paula's investigator is
talking to the woman at the desk, I’m going
to look for the section on occult books.

(GARRIE) KEEPER: Just hang on a mo-
ment Joe; I’ll get to you in a second. Paula,
she winces and points her hand to the big
stack of shelves two rows down. She then
says, “Down there. You’ve got ten minutes
and then I’m locking up for the night.”

Right Joe, you look about at the signs and
see that there is a section called "Mysteries
and the Supernatural" down the aisle. You
want to go look?

JOE: Sure I do!

In Call of Cthulhu, the
players play investigators

14

investigator's handbook

CATHY: My private eye, Jake, is going to wait near the main
entrance and keep an eye out.

ARNOLD: I’m going with Joe.

(GARRIE) KEEPER: Paula, you get to the local history
section. What do you want to look for?

PAULA: I want to see if I can find anything on the Cult of
the Green Flame, and also if there’s a history of incidents at
the local graveyard.

(GARRIE) KEEPER: Okay. Can you give me a Library Use
roll?

PAULA: Right. Paula rolls two ten-sided dice. I rolled 34,
under my Library Use skill of 40. What did I find?

(GARRIE) KEEPER: Cool. You search over the shelves and
come across a book called "Local Legends and Ghosts." It
looks like it has a whole chapter on Burke’s Cemetery. You’ll
need to check it out soon as your ten minutes are nearly up.

JOE: So have me and Arnold found anything? Shall we make
rolls?

(GARRIE) KEEPER: Well, just as you arrive at the
mysteries section you see a strange-looking man in a
trench coat. He appears to be examining an old

book. He suddenly notices you and quickly disappears down
the end of the stack.

ARNOLD: He’s up to something! Did I recognize him from
the bar we visited last night?

(GARRIE) KEEPER: It’s hard to say as you didn’t get a
good look at him. However you probably think there’s some
resemblance.

ARNOLD: Right, I’m sure it’s the guy that’s been following
us! I’m running after him!

JOE: Yes! Off we go!

(GARRIE) KEEPER: Okay. I’m going to cut to Paula and
then back to you guys. Paula, are you heading to the check-
out desk?

PAULA: Yes I want the librarian to issue me the book.

(GARRIE) KEEPER: Fine. Arnold and Joe, you run round
the back of the shelves and the man is waiting for you. He’s
holding the old book and there’s a twinkle in his eye and a
sort of grin on his face.

ARNOLD: I didn’t expect that. I hold up and look at the
man. What’s he doing with the book?

JOE: Can I make a Psychology roll to see if I under-
stand his intent?

(GARRIE) KEEPER: Yes, make the roll. Arnold, he’s
just holding the book firmly in both hands.

JOE: I made it; I rolled under half my Psychology skill.

(GARRIE) KEEPER: Well he looks like he wants to
say something to you. He gestures with the book for
you to come closer.

JOE: Okay, I move towards him, “How can I help you?”

ARNOLD: I’m waiting back to see what happens.

(GARRIE) KEEPER: Cut to Paula. The librarian
checks out your book and pointedly asks you and your
friends to leave as she’s locking up now.

PAULA: Fine. I go to look for Joe and Arnold.

CATHY: Is Jake aware of what’s going on with Arnold
and Joe?

(GARRIE) KEEPER: Not really. You do see Paula's inves-
tigator go off in the direction they went.

CATHY: I’m going to follow Paula.

(GARRIE) KEEPER: Right, Joe. As you edge closer to the
man you begin to notice a fishy smell. He looks at you
with his big watery eyes and says, (the Keeper drops his
voice here) “I saw you last night asking questions that don't
concern you. I advise you to stop poking your noses into
places they don’t belong.”

JOE: “Urgh! I’m not scared by you! What’s it to you who
we talk to anyway?”

What are you doing in the restricted section!?

15

chapter 1: introduction

ARNOLD: Careful!

(GARRIE) KEEPER: He smiles again and says, “Oh, I’m not
important, but there’s some who take a very dim view of
nosey people.”

JOE: I want to find out what he knows. I grab his coat lapels
and lean into his face saying, “Tell me what you know, old
man.”

(GARRIE) KEEPER: Sounds like you are trying to intimi-
date him. Make an Intimidate roll.

JOE: I failed it. Can I push the roll? I stare into his eyes and
go nose to nose with him, telling him that I’ll hurt him if he
doesn’t start talking.

(GARRIE) KEEPER: Sure you can. Of course, if you fail the
pushed roll something bad is going to happen…

JOE: Heck, I did fail the pushed roll! Oh no…

ARNOLD: I told you to be careful!

(GARRIE) KEEPER: You stare into his eyes and threaten
him, when suddenly he throws his head violently forward,
head-butting you. You reel back and blood begins to pour
from your nose. He throws the book up into air and runs.
Mark off two hit points damage.

Paula and Cathy, you arrive at this moment. Arnold
what are you doing?

ALL (in confusion): I’m running after him! I’m
trying to catch the book! What’s going on?! I’m
shouting for help!

Do they catch up to the strange, fishy smelling man?
What was in the book that he was holding? What’s
going on at Burke’s Cemetery? Who doesn’t want
more questions asked?

What this Game Covers

Likewise are there dread survivals of things
older and more potent than man; things that have
blasphemously straggled down through the aeons
to ages never meant for them; monstrous entities
that have lain sleeping endlessly in incredible crypts
and remote caverns, outside the laws of reason and
causation, and ready to be waked by such blasphem-
ers as shall know their dark forbidden signs and
furtive passwords.
—H.P. Lovecraft and William Lumley,
The Diary of Alonzo Typer

Many Call of Cthulhu scenarios are set in the United
States in the 1920s—called the Classic Era—in which
most of Lovecraft’s tales were set. To Lovecraft the
1920s were modern-day and so this book uses both
the Classic Era and our own Modern-Day as period settings.
Many supplements and published scenarios exist for different
eras, including Gaslight Victorian, and the Dark Ages. The
Cthulhu Mythos transcends all time and space, and the un-
fathomable machinations of the mysterious Old Ones could
spill into any conceivable setting or historical period.

What You Need to
Play Call of Cthulhu

When you are ready to begin playing Call of Cthulhu, you
only need a few things to start:
G
The Call of Cthulhu Rulebook—only needed by the
Keeper.

G
Roleplaying dice.

G
Paper.

G
Pencils and an eraser.

G
Two or more people to game with—one person
must play the role of Keeper.

G
A quiet place (the kitchen table is a good place to start).

G
Three or four hours in which to play the game.

What lurks within?