Adventure for UNITY II in Vienna - Any Ideas?

[Brick]

Today I had the idea of GMing an adventure for my group in Vienna. The characters are UNITY II, UNTILs newest team of superhumans. Vienna sounds like a nice place to me, but don't know what should happen there.
So I'm crying for help. Does anybody have an idea what kind of adventure could happen there? The scenario should somehow incorporate some of the city's unique features or famous place - or stereotypes, like Voodoo in Haiti etc. Also, if you have an idea for a cool Austrian character/villain, answer me (but not something like the Napoleon of Crime from European Enemies for France... Ugh... Still having nightmares from that one).

Thanks in advance,

Brick the Plot Vampire

[Storn]

Mozart?

Home of Gustav Klimt? Stealing one of his paintings? The Kiss might be in the Louvre... not sure.

Vienna Boy's Choir... duplication villain with a penchance for singing replaces them all? I dunno....

As for villains... Austria has a lot former East block influences.

but I would get on Google and do 20 minutes of browsing... I'm sure something will come to you.

[Siberian Tiger]

A few brief thoughts off the top of my head

1) Hitler was Austrian
2) Austria recently elected as prime minister or president (don't recollect which) a politician on an extreme right-wing, almost neo-nazi political platform (Jorge Haider)
3) Freud was Austrian
4) The Alps - have the heroes battling on the edge of a mountain
5) Whilst Austria wasn't part of the Eastern Bloc / Warsaw Pact - it was located next door so many legacies of Cold War espionage - might want to think about the film The Third Man
6) Bond movie "The Living Daylights" began in Austria - Vienna

Enjoy !

[Hermit]

I don't know where I saw it, but there was a study that revealed that the SECOND proudest (patriotism wise) Nation was Austria. I hope I remember that right.

That being the case, Austria might have a few "Patriot" Archetypes of its own running around super hero wise.

EDIT: I found the article if folks are interested
http://www-news.uchicago.edu/release...triotism.shtml

[Lord Liaden]

Like Siberian Tiger, I'll just throw a few things out for consideration:

Vienna has many historical and art treasures ripe for looting. The city is located on the Danube River; some villain might plan to flood the city as a cover for robbery or another attack. In fact, the name "Danube" would be suitable for a villain with water-control powers. Similarly, Vienna is an important passage between the Alps and the Carpathian Mountains, either of which could be used as names for villainous "bricks."

The city's musical heritage is legendary: at various times it was home to Mozart, Strauss, Brahms, Beethoven, Mahler and others. A mind-controlling villain with a musical theme (pun intended) woul be quite appropriate, using one of these names or an appropriate musical term like "Maestro".

Vienna was the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a major political power in Europe until WW I. Perhaps some megalomaniacal descendant of the old Habsburg dynasty would like to restore the nation's former prominence. And as Siberian Tiger pointed out, Austria has an unfortunate Nazi connection.

There are a suprising number of important international institutions in the "United Nations City" on the left bank of the Danube which could be terrorist targets: the headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, and perhaps most provocative, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

St. Stephen's Cathedral has a 113-meter (370-ft) steeple visible from all parts of the city. That would be a spectacular site for the location of a villain's "doomsday device", particularly since any super battle would risk damaging the cathedral.

Finally, if you're looking for other names for local superheroes or villains, I'd suggest the names Ringstrasse, which is the major boulevard surrounding the city; Hofburg, the name of the former imperial palace; or The Gurtel, the now-dismantled fortified wall surrounding the city.

Hope that helps.

[Redmenace]

1.) Austria has a long history of occupation. Stone age tribes lived in the general area. They may have worshipped Elder worms or some other awful things, the sites of power or artifacts could still be around. Demon, or any other supernatural villain, could easily be involved in excavating them.

The Romans also occupied the area and had a history of absorbing regional religions into their own. Perhaps a cult has managed to survive intact from anchient times and now the stars are right for ascendancy.


2.) As mentioned above, there is World War two and the Cold War to consider. The Nazis hid much of the spoils of war in the form of artwork and Gold, etc. in various places and there might be a major cache in the area. Neo nazis could be trying to find it to finace their operations. In a comic book world it could easily be WW2 super pulp technology thats hidden, death rays, cryogenically suspended fanatic, superhuman agents, the remnants of the Nazi A-bomb project, etc.

3.) The Russians captured many nazis at the end of the war. Maybe some KGB officer who "debriefed" some enemy officers discovered the cache of whatever and kept his mouth shut, planning to claim it for himself someday. Maybe it's Col. Vaslov from Red Doom. (One of your characters has history with him, I think?)

4.) The Spear of Destiny,(the Spear of Longinus, allegedly the spear used to dispatch Christ and reputed to have the magical ability to grant victory to the side that holds it), could be hidden there. At one time "a spear of Longinus" was owned by the Hapsburgh family and very likely it atleast passed through Vienna. There were many versions passsed as the real thing and who knows which is which. If the Nazis or Russians could want it to reverse their historical fortunes, Demon would love to have it, (maybe its the most powerful unholy artifact on Earth), and the Vatican would prize it as perhaps the greatest surviving relic short of the Holy Grail.

5.) Eurostar, probably only a part of the whole team unless your PCs are very powerful, could do their banking here, have a hideout or be planning a destabilizing attack. The UN's third largest conference center is here, one of Europes finest schools- The Technical University is there as are numerous well funded banks. Any of the aformentioned could make a grand target for Eurostar, Russian Mobsters, Viper etc.


Possible villain:

From my home campaign, Voltaiac, Kurt Hayder, an immensely powerful mutant with extensive electrical abilities and defenses. He draws extra power from the local power grid which acts like a constantly topped off endurance battery. The Key to stopping him is to cause a black out then whittle him down when he has to use his own endurance.

Personality: Voltaiac is a commoner who'd like very much to be a modern Napolean. He has a very deep and real appreciation of classic European culture and indeed considers it the apex of human achievment in the arts. He also holds himself as an elite and the rightful ruler of the lessers around by virtue of his powers and innate superiority. He particularly disdains the Americans for the popularity and influence their "sub barbaric" culture has had on his beloved Europe.

Enemies: Until, naturally, would see him as a dangerous and violent super criminal which in fact he is. He views the people in the street as his rightful subjects to do with as he pleases, that includes manipulation or sacrafice as he sees fit. This has lead to bloody confrontations in the past.

Eurostar, Fiacho is kind of a Political version of the would be Monarchist Voltaiac. Too much alike to share a single continent, a armed confrontation is inevitable. In the end, (Fiacho's goal is unification of Europe into a new, borderless super state. Voltaiac would oppose this as homogenization of the greatness and individuality of his rightful kingdom.)

Neo Nazis or remnants of the Reich, As bad as Voltaiac is, he holds the Nazis as little more than trash. He might even work with the authorities to fight their resurgence.

Psycho handles: Just in case you have a mentalist, Voltaiac is very overconfident and egotistical but this is a facade. He was raised in near poverty in a small town in Germany. Small for his size and easily victimized, his early life was a portrait in suffering. A mental illusionist could make him relive any number of beatings or traumatic events possibly taking the form of a particular tormenter from his past.

Nobles Oblige, He is an awful Euro-supremacist but with that comes a sense of responsability. If his actions would endanger cultural artifacts, artworks etc. Voltaiac would voluntarily retreat from the battlefield rather than endanger them.

Visuals, Voltaiac is a tall, well muscled male. He wears a jet black costume with metallic gold trim and mask. When using his powes he is surrounded by small electrical arcs which jump towrds any conductive material within a few feet of him. he normally levitates 6-12 feet above the ground to better demonstrate his superiority. Attacks that do extra knockback can really take him down a peg in this situation but he is an egomaniac afterall. His powers are flashy in an electrical phenomina way. becouse of the symbolic similarity to certain deities, he is very fond of casting lightning bolts.

Hope this gives you something to work with and feel free to disect or discard as fits your campaign

[Brick]

Several cool ideas here, guys. Thanks a lot.

[Trebuchet]

I recently ran a scenario in Vienna where Neo-Nazis attempted an armed coup using several hundred shock troops and a dozen giant mech-like vehicles (The light ones were 40 tonnes, the single heavy one was 500 tonnes.). Flying shocktroopers like in The Rocketeer were also on the agenda if our main flying character had been there; but since he didn't make it I left them out. Everybody loves to clobber Nazis.

Vienna is full of broad avenues and historic landmarks, so it's a cool place for an adventure. Get a tour guide or map of the city and I'm sure you'll get lots of ideas.

[Highwayman]

Originally posted by Redmenace
4.) The Spear of Destiny,(the Spear of Longinus, allegedly the spear used to dispatch Christ and reputed to have the magical ability to grant victory to the side that holds it), could be hidden there. At one time "a spear of Longinus" was owned by the Hapsburgh family and very likely it atleast passed through Vienna. There were many versions passsed as the real thing and who knows which is which. If the Nazis or Russians could want it to reverse their historical fortunes, Demon would love to have it, (maybe its the most powerful unholy artifact on Earth), and the Vatican would prize it as perhaps the greatest surviving relic short of the Holy Grail.

Actually, I think it's been publicly displayed in a museum there since the end of WWII. If it is the real deal and has all the power it's supposed to have, you'll have to come up with a reason someone hasn't stolen it already...

[Bunyip]

Just a couple of ideas off the top of my head:

Locations - the iconography of The Third Man almost demands the Prater amusement park (and the ferris wheel therein); if you like something more historic, perhaps the palace at Schoenbrunn?

Characters - if I recall rightly, Pretty Poison (from Enemies: the International File) was an Austrian, described as one of the world's hottest fashion models; done for 3rd Ed, I think - kind of a cross between Claudia Schiffer and the space vampire from Lifeforce.