Doing a two shot adventure, need some help.

[Gandalf970]

I am running a two shot adventure for two players.  I picked Dark Champions set in 1980's looking for a spy feel.  I did this exercise a few times and made for some great adventures.  I will do the opening scene and some background.  The next poster will advance to the next scene and so on.  Please only post one at a time, don't post back to back, but you can post more then once to advance the story.  I would like to see where we can go with this.  

 

The story cannot get too deep, lot's of action and adventure should ensue if you want to help.

The two recruits wake up hung over in a bar.  They stumble out into the tavern and see fifteen people dead.  All have been beaten to death and many have their throats cut.  After searching around a bit, the back door opens and a man enters.  He tells the players that they have to leave with him now or the FBI will be all over this place in five minutes.  I will be timing the players to see how long they wait, what happens when they leave the bar?

[Ninja-Bear]

Not quite sure but Ninjas! There should be Ninjas! 😁

[Gandalf970]

So Ninja's show up and challenge the party as they leave the bar.  After dealing with them, either killing or running they find a clue that takes them to an old chapel in the suburbs.  Under the alter they find?  Who's next, what do they find?

[Duke Bushido]

A body. 

 

They recognize the man as the deacon that had tipped them off to unusual traffic in and out of the church's private cemetery-- particularly near the turn-of-the-century mausoleums--  just a few days ago.  There is a throwing dagger in his carotid artery.  The blood is still just a bit sticky. 

[Thia Halmades]

Unbeknownst to the players, the assassin is still lurking in the rafters of the church, clad in black body armor with twin katanas on her back. She moves with Olympic level agility, capable of clinging and swinging in near silence. She killed the deacon, but she has her reasons — that tip he gave the players wasn’t exactly out of the goodness of his heart. As she evaluates the situation, the screech of tires and the yammering of voices shouting orders come from outside, and bullets start blasting holes of light through the front doors along with the chatter of uzi and AK fire. 

[Gandalf970]

As the players fight off or run from the gunfire they remember the mausoleum and find a secret door.  There is a computer panel that opens and it leads to?  Where does it lead to?

[Ninja-Bear]

It leads to a drug lab and distribution center.

[Gandalf970]

Deep under the mausoleum they find the drug lab and distribution center.  They fight the enemy agents and find the stockpile of drugs.  What are the drugs and where are they going?

[Duke Bushido]

They appear to be legal prescription drugs, in typical bulk packaging.  If opened to examine the contents directly, all drugs bear the appropriate color, shape, and marking of the brands and medications they claim to be.  

[Thia Halmades]

However, hidden in every bottle, are two tablets of a new designer drug, which you wouldn’t know just by looking; only after exposing them to black light do the highlighted drugs pop. While this may seem exceptionally complex and obtuse, it’s at the height of the war on drugs. It’s critical that the odds of them being caught mid-shipment are minimized and that they can pass muster by all except the most dedicated investigator. They want to use standard routes then get them into the hands of local pharmacists with whom they have their network. From pharmacist to street pharmacist.

[Thia Halmades]

Oh, oh. Got it. The drugs are completely normal except they are part of a unique trial that’s being given to soldiers through the VA. This thing goes all the way... TO THE TOP!! The two abnormal ones will only work when both are taken, one is a primer and one is an activator — the order they’re taken is irrelevant, and the timing is irrelevant, it can be active for up to 3 months (because science). When BOTH hit the system, it turns people into... what?

 

What’s the actual effect of having both of these things in your system at once?

[Ninja-Bear]

It turns you into a Rage Monster!

[Thia Halmades]

11 minutes ago, Ninja-Bear said:

It turns you into a Rage Monster!

 

...c’mon. You can do better. Edit that.

[Amorkca]

On 10/5/2020 at 8:36 PM, Thia Halmades said:

 

...c’mon. You can do better. Edit that.

 

<-- Not Ninja Bear, but...

 

The drug makes the next task you attempt a guaranteed success, use it wisely

[Thia Halmades]

That is MUCH more interesting! Let’s go with that, or close to it; variations of “perfect talent” — whether INT, PRE, DEX, etc. That’s got story potential. @Gandalf970 You’re up.

[Duke Bushido]

The as-yet-undiscovered side effects are risky, however. 

 

To revisit "rage monster:" 

 

The drug works by opening the user's psche, tuning him in to cosmic probabilities, which he can unconsciously manipulate to stack the most minute of details in his favor (hence "instant success").  The effects are most intense about ten minutes after the second drug is ingested and least about sixty seconds. 

 

The side-effects, however, last up to one hour.  As the mind slips away from its unconscious cosmic awareness, it fights to retain it.  The psychic backlash feeds desperation and panic into any unguarded consciousness nearby, easily up to a thousand meters. 

 

The end result is the creation of blind berserker rage within the minds of all who are affected (failed EGO check).  This (murderous?) fury will last (amount by which roll was failed) d6 in minutes?  Hours?  Days? 

 

The drug user collapses and suffers 4d6 Con drain

 

---------------------- (break for merged stuff) - - - - - - 

 

 

Sorry, Thia: 

 

Looks like we cross-posted.  I was intrigued by the idea of alternate interpretations for "rage monster," and had not realized there was a turn-based system in play. 

 

I will see my way out.  (I work 12-14 hours a day; six days a week.  "turn based" means I probably won't be available when my turn comes around). 

 

Still, I will keep watching! 

 

And my replies have been merged, so let me go back up there and break them.   

[Gandalf970]

One of the things they find in the search of the drug factory is a log of people who have signed into the drug factory testing lab.  Two names are significant?  Who are these people and what are they doing on this list?

[Greywind]

Can I suggest letting them have more than 2 shots in their guns? More than 2 shots in the bar?

[Gandalf970]

2 minutes ago, Greywind said:

Can I suggest letting them have more than 2 shots in their guns? More than 2 shots in the bar?

Not sure what your talking about in this post @Greywind

[Duke Bushido]

10 hours ago, Gandalf970 said:

Not sure what your talking about in this post @Greywind

 

 

You started the thread with "doing a one shot...."

 

 

 

 

10 hours ago, Gandalf970 said:

One of the things they find in the search of the drug factory is a log of people who have signed into the drug factory testing lab.  Two names are significant?  Who are these people and what are they doing on this list?

One name belongs to one of the player characters.

 

The other belongs to whoever their next-most-senior boss is.

 

 

[Thia Halmades]

12 hours ago, Duke Bushido said:

Sorry, Thia: 

 

Looks like we cross-posted.  I was intrigued by the idea of alternate interpretations for "rage monster," and had not realized there was a turn-based system in play. 

 

I will see my way out.  (I work 12-14 hours a day; six days a week.  "turn based" means I probably won't be available when my turn comes around). 

 

Still, I will keep watching! 

 

And my replies have been merged, so let me go back up there and break them.   

 

Never apologize for sincere participation! Gandalf has been “GM by post” so we go scene to scene, that’s why I kicked it back to him. Please continue to post, love having you onboard, Duke.

[Ninja-Bear]

On 10/5/2020 at 10:36 PM, Thia Halmades said:

 

...c’mon. You can do better. Edit that.

Well I don’t know how “realistic” he was doing this Dark Champions and it is the ‘80’s so......

 

The two pills put together makes the person a “zombie” for the Soviets to control and use for their nefarious schemes!

[Thia Halmades]

/facepalm

 

That’s pretty close to “rage monster,” but I believe we landed on “both pills give you a perfect result for about a Turn,” but there be side effects.

[Thia Halmades]

14 hours ago, Gandalf970 said:

One of the things they find in the search of the drug factory is a log of people who have signed into the drug factory testing lab.  Two names are significant?  Who are these people and what are they doing on this list?

 

One of the people on the list is the lead police investigator. The other is the local Congress(person). (The 80s were pretty male dominated except for women who were all T&A; I’m voting for a more late-stage Erin Grey as the local villainous politician, who has leverage against the investigator, kind of ‘we know your [secret], and we’re [not afraid to use it] so you will [investigate but never find it].” Said another way, the Congresswoman is the villain, and the investigator can be flipped from being an accomplice to being an ally who may die heroically at the end of the arc.

[Ninja-Bear]

Well at least one on the list should be a DNPC if possible.