The Company Bloodhound

The Hunter  

Hendrick “Bloodhound” Van Daalen works indirectly for the Dutch West India Company. He is not technically an employee of the company, rather he is a licensed Recovery Agent, hired through Company officials tied to the States General of the Netherlands. In practice he is a bounty hunter specializing in stolen cargo.

Among sailors he is known as “De Bloedhond” the Bloodhound, because he is famous for tracking deserters across colonies, recovering stolen cargo, and bringing thieves back alive for trial. He has recovered stolen goods from smugglers in Barbados, pirates operating near Tortuga, and deserters hiding in New Netherland.

The Bloodhound and His Team 

Tall, lean, and weathered, Van Daalen is calm, disciplined, and pragmatic. He speaks English with a heavy Dutch accent. Van Daalen is not cruel, but he believes thieves deserve punishment. His real loyalty is to his 10% recovery fee. He travels with a clerk, two Iroquois scouts, and a light riding horse.

Hendrick Van Daalen: Armor 16 (leather + Dex), Move 120’, 4th Level Specialist, 20hp, Rapier 1d8, Dagger 1d4, Pistol 1d8, Morale 11.
Skills: Bushcraft 4, Languages 4, Search 5
Languages: Dutch, English, German, Iroquois 

Equipment: Leather armor, rapier, 2x daggers, 2x pistols, shot bag, powder horn, manacles, lock & key, Investigator’s Tools, journal, wide-brimmed hat, cloak, maps (Maryland, New Netherlands, New Sweden), whistle, candle, soap, chalk, ink

Josie, gray riding horse: AC 12, Move 240′, 2 Hit Dice, 6hp, Hooves 1d6, Morale 5. 

Equipage: Riding gear, 2x saddlebags, mancatcher, manacles, 50 ft. rope, waterskin, tinderbox, crowbar, grappling hook, 4sp.

Paulsen Klopstock, Clerk: Armor 14 (leather), Move 120’, 4th Level Magic-User, 14hp, rapier 1d8, dagger, 1d4, pistol 1d8, Morale 7. 

Skills: Languages 2 

Languages: Dutch, English, German, Welsh 

Equipment: Leather armor, rapier, dagger, pistol, shot bag, powder horn, spellbook, blank book, 2x lamp oil, lantern, ink & quill, 6x candles, wooden cross, maps (Maryland, New Netherlands, New Sweden), 5x paper, pipe, whistle, soap, wolfsbane, 2x empty vials 

Spells: 2/1st, 2/2nd

Iroquois Scout (2): Armor 14, Move 120’, 3rd Level Fighter, 11/22hp, musket 1d8, tomahawk 1d6, short bow 1d6, Morale 10/5 (not willing to die for a Dutchmen). 

Skills: Bushcraft 3, Wilderness Stealth 5 

Languages: Algonquin, Dutch, Iroquois 

Equipment: Leather armor, musket, tomahawk, short bow, shot bag, powder horn, 20x arrows, hunting knife, pouch.

 

 

 

Overland Pursuit in the Colony of Death

For tracking parties across the Colony of Death. A simple overland chase system for use with any old school or traditional RPG.  

 

Use 10-mile hexes to cross the Maryland frontier. 

  

 

Travel speed is determined by terrain. This table assumes travel by horse or canoe.

Terrain	Travel Speed
Road/Trail/Waterway	5 hexes/day
Forest/Hills	3 hexes/day
Swamp/Mountains	2 hexes/day

There are few roads in the colony except for in or around one of the major settlements (St. Mary's, Kent Fort, or Providence). 

Forest hexes are Green, Hill hexes are light brown, Mountain hexes are brown. Any hex between rivers (blue lines) may be considered Swamp hexes.  

Tracking Roll

At the end of each day the pursuer makes a tracking roll. The base chance for this roll is 4-in-6. Possible modifiers might include:

+1         if the PCs left obvious evidence behind
+1         if locals saw or spoke to them
-1         if it has rained
-2         if the PCs deliberately covered their tracks

If successful, the pursuer moves 1 hex closer.

 

Closing the Distance

With each day of pursuit, the pursuer will get closer. Consult the table below to close in and trigger a confrontation. 

 

Distance Categories

Far	10+ hexes
Trailing	5-9 hexes
Closing In	1-4 hexes
Contact	Same hex

 

Confrontation

Once the distance is at Contact, a confrontation will occur. When the hunter finally catches up, roll or choose how to handle the confrontation. 

 

1	Night Ambush
2	Parley
3	Attempt Capture
4	Shadow the Party

 

 

 

The Time Bandits

Six boisterous dwarves, who, until recently, were employed by the Supreme Being to fix holes in the space-time continuum. Then they had a brainstorm: Why mend the holes when they could slip through them to any destination where loot might be found, with the Supreme Being’s Map of Creation,

 

Randall, the leader

Cha 14 +1  Con 12 +1  Dex 13 +1   Int 17 +2   Str 11 +0    Wis 11 +0

Para 10         Poison 9        Breath 12      Device 10      Magic 11

Armor 15 (leather), Move 120’, 5th Level Dwarf Specialist, 27hp, revolver 1d8, dagger 1d4

Architecture 4, Languages 3, Search 2, Sleight of Hand 2, Stealth 3, Sneak Attack 3

Leather, aviator hat & goggles, bandolier, monocle, pistol, bullets (80), dagger, Map of Creation

 

 

Og, the dumb one

Cha 12 +0   Con 16 +3   Dex 11 +0   Int 11 +0     Str 14 +1    Wis 11 +0

Para 10         Poison 8        Breath 13,     Device 9        Magic 12

Armor 15 (leather and helmet), Move 120’, 2nd Level Dwarf, 22hp, cutlass 1d8

Architecture 3, Open Doors 2

Leather, horned helm, sword

 

Fidgit, the silly one

Cha 14 +1   Con 13 +2   Dex 13 +1   Int 10 +0    Str 10 +0    Wis 10 +0

Para 10         Poison 8        Breath 13      Device 9        Magic 12

Armor 16 (leather and helm), Move 120’, 2nd Level Dwarf, 20hp, dagger 1d4, handaxe 1d6

Architecture 3

Leather, strainer helm, dagger, handaxe

 

 

Strutter, the serious one

Cha 12 +0   Con 18 +4    Dex 13 +1   Int 14 +1   Str 11 +0    Wis 14 +1

Para 10         Poison 9        Breath 12      Device 10      Magic 11

Armor 15 (leather), Move 120’, 3rd Level Dwarf, 28hp, club 1d4, cutlass 1d8

Architecture 3, Languages 2

Leather, bowler hat, spectacles, club, short sword

 

Wally, the grumpy one

Cha 7 -1     Con 10 +1   Dex 10 +0   Int 13 +1     Str 13 +1    Wis 11 +0

Para 8           Poison 6        Breath 10      Device 7        Magic 10

Armor 14, Move 120’, 4th Level Dwarf, 23hp, arquebus 1d8, dagger 1d4

Architecture 3, Languages 2, Open Doors 2

Leather, pirate hat, arquebus, bandolier, dagger, powder & shot

 

Vermin, the quiet one

Cha 9 +0   Con 14 +2   Dex 13 +1   Int 11 +0    Str 8 -1     Wis 14 +1

Para 10         Poison 8        Breath 13      Device 9        Magic 12

Armor 15 (leather), Move 120’, 2nd Level Dwarf, 17hp, dagger 1d4, club 1d4

Architecture 3

Leather, confederate hat, club, dagger