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Adventure: Baba Yaga and the Pharaoh of Egypt


archer

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I come up with ideas. Sometimes I flesh them out, other times I don't. I can proofread and edit for clarity when I can hold myself together mentally. I never attempt to publish anything because, among other things, I know nothing about layout or art. I'm also not experienced in building things in 6e and have lost access to my daughter's copy of 5e.

 

Anyway, people have been talking about how there's few published adventures for Champions and how that makes it tougher for a GM. I came up with the bare bones of an idea. I'm doing the "migraine and no sense of balance" thing today so I've stalled out creatively about how to tie everything together.

 

I thought I'd throw the idea out there for people to mull over or maybe freely contribute some ideas. And if someone wants to clean it up some and publish it, they could just do the old "created by and used with the permission of" in the credits. (Again, let me be clear, if you contribute to this particular conversation, you're giving permission for your contribution to be used if someone chooses to do something with publishing this one adventure for profit or as a non-profit. And if someone who is a published author wants to call dibs on this project and commits to publishing it within the next year, the first one to call dibs gets dibs for a year.  I think that caveat will work legally and keep anyone from suing to get their fifteen cents in royalties. :slap:

 

Anyway...

 

 

The GM is encouraged to introduce Baba Yaga, the immortal female Russian mystic/witch, as a friendly, meddlesome, and helpful character hopefully in some earlier adventure. Do the best thick Russian accent and broken English that you can manage.

 

A few sessions later, Baba Yaga shows up at the PC's headquarters insisting the world is in danger. In order to save it, she needs the PC's to get the Pharaoh of Egypt and bring it back to her so she can cast a spell. She insists only the Pharaoh of Egypt has the magic needed.

 

She tried to rush the PC's to stand in a circle without further explanation. If they try to slow her down with questions, she answers them in her typical cryptic manner.

 

Q: How do we get there?

A: That is why you stand in circle. Baba Yaga send you there. You catch Pharaoh. I bring you back. You boys stand in circle now. Save world and I make you soup. Soup good for you, very heathy.

 

Q: Will we change history?

A: Everything you do changes history. But Pharaoh, not so much. Some will not be born who would be born. Some be born who might not have been born. They make new Pharaoh next season. All work out in end. Baba Yaga show you. Stand in circle now.

 

Q: Where will we find the Pharaoh? 

A: Pharaoh in the stagnant water of the Nile where I send you. Not hard to find if you know where to look.

 

Q: How will we recognize the Pharaoh?

A: Pharaoh only thing in water that glows. How many things you think glow in water? Easy to find if go to right place. I send you. Stand in circle now. 

 

Q: Why do you keep referring to us as "boys"? I'm definitely a woman.

A: Of course you're woman. Nice broad hips. Come home with me after and I find you nice Russian peasant boy. Raise up a new generation of heroes. Russian boy be good for you.

 

Baba Yaga pulls out what looks like minnow nets with very long handles out of her very small bag and hands one each to the PC's telling them that this is what they need to catch the Pharaoh. The basket of the netting is very small, obviously too small to fit a human.  If asked she says the netting will expand to fit what is needed.

 

 

Sorry, my head is about to explode so shortcutting a lot rather than laying out thing in detail.

 

The action take place in several places: Egypt at the Nile, a quick trip back to the HQ, then Egypt at the Great Pyramid to face the initial invasion. After completing the mission there, the PC's are sent to the Devil's Tower for a fight scene then to Uluru for the final confrontation.

 

Nile:

PC's appear at night in a blinding flash of light. There's a river with fast flowing water in the main channel. Closer is stagnant water in and eddy with plentiful rushes. No sign of people or human habitation. The PC's have just enough time to glance around before they hear an eerily familiar sound which would be completely out of place in the past: a boat motor.

 

Approaching on the water is a man in a flat-bottom aluminum boat with an outboard motor. After a couple of moments the PC's are able to make out that he's dressed much like Indiana Jones, complete with a whip. Give them a moment to talk to the man who introduces himself as Salah Aden, an American archaeologist of Egyptian descent. He saw the flash of light from their arrival and there was a wave that nearly swamped his boat so he came to investigate.

 

With any luck at this point the PC's are completely confused as to what's going on and may be speculating among themselves as to what is going on (including whether Salah was somehow transported into the past with them). When the PC's begin to settle on any course of action, the fae attack because they realize someone is after their roe (fae roe).

 

The PC's will be compelled to rescue the civilian because he's threatened by the water fae and tries to race off in his boat. Their roe is in the water close to the shore in shallow pits and sure enough, it glows.

 

When the PC's manage to rescue the civilian and scoop up at least some roe, the return teleportation spell is activated. Ideally at least one PC or two will be in the boat and the boat is teleported in at speed, to crash into the HQ interior. Salah has been teleported back with them. 

 

Baba Yaga takes the roe to begin a ritual but insists first that everyone sit down and eat her soup. She's built a smokeless wood fire on the floor and there's a bubbling pot of soup above it. She produces bowls and spoons from her pouch. She'll insist in vague Baba Yaga speech that the soup is good for them and that they should eat it.

 

I've lost some details that were in my mind earlier. But the soup gives some kind of aid or advantage for subsequent encounters.

 

Honestly, I don't have the identity of the invaders nailed down yet. That's a large part of what's needed. So exactly what the soup does is up in the air at this point. It could be time invaders with Nazis at one place, dinosaurs in another, etc. Or extra-dimensional invaders. Or high-tech invaders from the stars. Or maybe just a team of high-end supervillains from another realm.

 

Baba Yaga completes the ritual. She announces that there's an invasion coming but rather than the whole world being hit all at once, the ritual ensures it will come in waves and only at certain sacred places where previous magics have made a complete warding impossible.

 

The first wave will be at the Great Pyramid. And it's essential that the roe remains which have been empowered gets to the King's Chamber inside the pyramid. Salah volunteers to join the group since he knows how to get there quickly.

 

When they teleport in, absolute mayhem is happening as the fae have been drawn from the river to the pyramid just as the bad guys arrive. Thankfully its still night so tourists are at a minimum. As the PC's shield Salah and get to the entrance of the pyramid, time stops, literally, as Thoth himself emerges from the pyramid. (Thoth is the Egyptian god of knowledge and the dead. He has the head of an ibis, which is a variety of bird. He's known for imparting knowledge to humankind.)

 

Thoth gestures and Salah rises from the ground and floats forward. Thoth congratulates him both on his pursuit of knowledge and his dedication to protecting the relics of Egypt from tomb raiders. Thoth has decided to give Salah the power to match his dedication, probes Salah's mind, and proclaims him to now be Sarcopha-Guy, defender of the ancient sacred crypts of Egypt.

 

 

Background: Salah Aden, American archaeologist of Egyptian descent, anti-Tomb Raider activist with an Indiana Jones fetish, prone to terrible puns "grave situation" when near crypts, telling how people were dying to get into the pyramids. Thoth in reading Salah's mind decided that Sarcopha-Guy would be the perfect name for Salah as a hero. And Salah loves it and will really lean into it.

 

 Brick, a far-reaching Danger Sense, minor Tunneling, superleap, whip, Flying but only over desert or water as he summons a whirlwind or a waterspout, Life Support vs heat and no need to eat or drink. After making a few busts, he'll get Interpol badge, contacts or Contacts, travel assistance, and the ability to call in investigative teams. GM choice on whether UNTIL will be interested in the same kinds of activities he's interested in and Sarcopha-Guy makes a relationship with them. His relations with the various Egyptian authorities will vary depending on whether a particular person in government is interested in stopping archeological looting or in personally benefitting from it. Salah can guide the PC's to the appropriate chamber in the Great Pyramid.

 

He's going to spend most of his time in Egypt or the rest of the Middle East. But he might make future appearances following the trail of stolen artifacts to other countries.

 

Appearance: Looks to be a golden statue loosely wrapped in linen like a mummy and wearing a fedora (the "linen" never degrades as it is part of his body rather than clothing). Pointy golden chin beard like you see on some sarcophagi. Strongly looks like some ancient Pharaoh come to life. Eventually Salah will be able to figure out how to transform back and forth to his human form.

 

Time unfreezes, the combatants seem to be puzzled or stunned for a moment then resume the fight. Sarcopha-Guy joins in and the invasion (and/or fae) are beaten back. Salah will volunteer to see the adventure through to the end, joking that if nothing else, the PC's still have his boat. PC's choice on whether Salah comes along. He's somewhat irritating and it's obvious that he's going to be overconfident at least while he's new to his powers. 

 

Auto-teleport but straight to Devil's Tower for another fight. This one will be short. At the end, the master villain shows up, makes a speech about how he's taken the measure of Earth's defenders and finds them wanting, and that the next round will go to him.

 

Auto-teleport back to HQ. Baba Yaga says the final confrontation will be at Uluru. She's made more of a mess of their home, almost like a not-quite beloved aunt who's trying to gradually move in. PC's have a short time to prepare. The TV has news coverage at Uluru with an unearthly light show and people speculating on the cause.

 

Teleport in, this time shortly before the invasion. The new Australian hero Zerohawk is there.

 

Zerohawk Background: The constant question is "Why be a superhero in Australia when there are zero supervillains here?" Duh, because it's really cool to be a superhero!

 

Pinpoint precision flying with wing harness. Goggles. Sap gloves. Utility Belt. Acrobatics. Not a detective or an intellectual, wants to be an adventurer. Lightly Armored costume. 1m Flying triggered whenever becomes unconscious, only to stop momentum and/or hover in place. Always looks for something to give him an edge. Martial Arts. Martial Throw. Flying Dodge. 

 

Final battle

 

Epilogue Zerohawk decides to come to America but has to wrap up some things at home first. Baba Yaga leaves but also leaves a lot of her clutter behind. Dealers choice if any of the clutter happens to be dangerous in future episodes.

 

The big need is obviously an identity for the main bad guys.

Write-ups for the fae.

I can work on Zerohawk and Sarcopha-Guy after I get about 20 hours of sleep. But if someone wants to take a crack at it, be my guest.

 

The adventure obviously needs to be trimmed in many places and fleshed out in others. But for a migraine idea that's trying to force it's way out of my head, not completely unamusing.

 

 

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In his original concept, Sarcopha-Guy became not only a celebrity but more than a celebrity as he became the embodiment for many people of a renewal of worship of the Egyptian pantheon. That caused a large variety of problems, including assassination attempts on Sarcopha-Guy and oppression of the pantheon-worshipping minority in Egypt and abroad.

 

Not sure if anything like that should be hinted at in this adventure. But an allusion to pantheon-worship could be worked into Thoth's speech without much effort. 

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42 minutes ago, steriaca said:

The invaders are the forces of an alien pharaoh named Rot Ton (if we ARE going toughen in check here). Rot Ton acts like your typical Saterday Morning Cartoon head bad guy type. He is not into making his invasion hidden or stealthy, but loud and in your face.

 

Not really sure how tongue-in-cheek it really is.

 

Baba Yaga miscommunicates with fae roe because she can't speak English well. Or because she has seen the future and wants to both stop the invasion and create a new incarnation of the Pharaohs in Sarcopha-Guy. Since she obviously has power, why isn't she stopping the invasion herself? I don't know. But the easy conclusion to draw is that she prefers to manipulate events. And casting magics which get a god directly involved and creates a new superhero is very significant.

 

Sure Sarcopha-Guy is quirky. But he grew up being inspired by Indian Jones plus stuff like The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mine. And he really like Dad jokes. But he's very serious about his job and as a new hero, his mission. Being prone to jokes and puns doesn't take away from that.

 

Zerohawk is inexperienced but very serious about wanting to be a hero.

 

Yeah it's superficially tongue-in-cheek. But things can be done with Baba Yaga off-screen that the heroes see when they get back to HQ which show she's taking things seriously and is a valuable ally, despite the difficulty in getting a straight answer out of her.

 

The level of seriousness is probably something which needs to be discussed. I kind of envisioned an adventure where the PC's are confused and bewildered, in a good way, but things come together in the end which demonstrate that there was a method to the madness...rather than just madness.

 

But maybe it just needs to be all madness and no hints that Baba Yaga manipulated Thoth to get involved, deliberately created a new hero to protect the Middle East, and created the situation to motivate Zerohawk to leave his home and come to the US?

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Classic Baba Yaga is seriously funny. She is deadly serious, but comes across as funny. She seems a bit evil and amoral, but is also a believer of justice. Remember that she is not "just a witch", but a Goddess. And everyone around her are lesser beings she is trying to save, but don't need to understand what is happening. 

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11 minutes ago, steriaca said:

Classic Baba Yaga is seriously funny. She is deadly serious, but comes across as funny. She seems a bit evil and amoral, but is also a believer of justice. Remember that she is not "just a witch", but a Goddess. And everyone around her are lesser beings she is trying to save, but don't need to understand what is happening. 

 

That description makes me think that Sarcopha-Guy definitely needs to make it to Uluru for the final confrontation. Maybe his mystical god-created metal body is needed to short out the invasion's portal and the PC's have to get him there. And Baba Yaga nods her head wisely at the end and tells the PC's that she told them that the magic of the Pharaoh was needed....

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You have a strange and wonderful imagination, archer. :hail:

 

Okay. You make reference to UNTIL and Uluru, so I'm guessing this adventure is intended to be set either in the official Champions Universe or some adapted variation thereof. My suggestions will be colored by that assumption, but if it's otherwise please correct me. If it is set in the CU, that would simplify the stats issue, as you could use characters from Champs publications. As you're NPC patron is Baba Yaga, and the target areas of the invasion are all sites of mystic significance, it would be most logical for the threat to be magical in nature, with the final confrontation at Uluru implying that it's from another dimension.

 

If you don't mind my saying, it kind of sounds like you're shooting your whole wad at the Egyptian encounter. ;) You have the main threat, the intervention of the angry fae, a major Egyptian god, and an NPC who becomes a new superhero. The fae roe, in addition to the spell staggering the encounters, has to be carried to the king's chamber in the Great Pyramid. My suggestion would be to spread these elements out a bit more. Stealing the roe and fighting the fae can be one encounter. I'd recommend leaving the fae out of the pyramid fight, unless you want them to show up wherever in the world the PCs go next, which I admit could be amusing. I'd also leave the emergence of Thoth and the creation of Sarcopha-Guy until the Pyramid fight is done, otherwise you have to justify the god just showing up in the middle of a major mystic invasion, then leaving and doing nothing to stop it. I'd also leave the roe as either key to staggering the encounters, or to preventing the invasion event. In the latter case it could be carried to the other sites, i.e. reaching the summit of the Devil's Tower or penetrating to the heart of Uluru.

 

For the fae I'll make reference to the Hero System Bestiary for ease of reference, although if you don't have access to the 6E version my suggestion would be in Monsters, Minions, And Marauders for 5E. These fae are clearly aquatic in nature. If you want them to provide a straight-up fight for the heroes, and particularly if you want them to follow the heroes to other drier parts of the world, I'd use the "water" version of the Troll from HSB. They're tough without being overwhelming but can be upgraded, with several customizing options to give them a variety of abilities and appearances. I have a couple of other suggestions in mind if that wouldn't work for you.

 

The sites you chose for the fight don't have any mythic connection, so I wouldn't pick an Earthly god as the "big bad." My recommendation would be Tyrannon the Conqueror, from Champion Villains Volume One. Invading and conquering other dimensions is his main deal. The range of physical qualities, power levels, and appearances of his many forms means you can easily scale the level of immediate threat to each encounter of the adventure, and every one can look and feel different from the others even though they're all part of the same megavillain.

 

If none of this is helpful to you, please specify your concerns and I can try again. :)

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On 4/4/2021 at 1:23 AM, Lord Liaden said:

You have a strange and wonderful imagination, archer. :hail:

 

Okay. You make reference to UNTIL and Uluru, so I'm guessing this adventure is intended to be set either in the official Champions Universe or some adapted variation thereof. My suggestions will be colored by that assumption, but if it's otherwise please correct me. If it is set in the CU, that would simplify the stats issue, as you could use characters from Champs publications. As you're NPC patron is Baba Yaga, and the target areas of the invasion are all sites of mystic significance, it would be most logical for the threat to be magical in nature, with the final confrontation at Uluru implying that it's from another dimension.

 

If you don't mind my saying, it kind of sounds like you're shooting your whole wad at the Egyptian encounter. ;)You have the main threat, the intervention of the angry fae, a major Egyptian god, and an NPC who becomes a new superhero. The fae roe, in addition to the spell staggering the encounters, has to be carried to the king's chamber in the Great Pyramid. My suggestion would be to spread these elements out a bit more. Stealing the roe and fighting the fae can be one encounter. I'd recommend leaving the fae out of the pyramid fight, unless you want them to show up wherever in the world the PCs go next, which I admit could be amusing. I'd also leave the emergence of Thoth and the creation of Sarcopha-Guy until the Pyramid fight is done, otherwise you have to justify the god just showing up in the middle of a major mystic invasion, then leaving and doing nothing to stop it. I'd also leave the roe as either key to staggering the encounters,or to preventing the invasion event. In the latter case it could be carried to the other sites, i.e. reaching the summit of the Devil's Tower or penetrating to the heart of Uluru.

 

For the fae I'll make reference to the Hero System Bestiary for ease of reference, although if you don't have access to the 6E version my suggestion would be in Monsters, Minions, And Marauders for 5E. These fae are clearly aquatic in nature. If you want them to provide a straight-up fight for the heroes, and particularly if you want them to follow the heroes to other drier parts of the world, I'd use the "water" version of the Troll from HSB. They're tough without being overwhelming but can be upgraded, with several customizing options to give them a variety of abilities and appearances. I have a couple of other suggestions in mind if that wouldn't work for you.

 

The sites you chose for the fight don't have any mythic connection, so I wouldn't pick an Earthly god as the "big bad." My recommendation would be Tyrannon the Conqueror, from Champion Villains Volume One. Invading and conquering other dimensions is his main deal. The range of physical qualities, power levels, and appearances of his many forms means you can easily scale the level of immediate threat to each encounter of the adventure, and every one can look and feel different from the others even though they're all part of the same megavillain.

 

If none of this is helpful to you, please specify your concerns and I can try again. :)

 

Sorry to take some time to get back to you. Lot of real-life problems combined with pain is causing a creative drought.

 

Tyrannon passed through my mind as the main villain. But he passes through my mind as the main villain in every mystical situation so I wanted to see if someone had a different idea and my first instinct was one of those "I think it's just me" kind of things. So Tyrannon it is.

 

I'd envisioned it adventure to take place in either the Champions Universe or to be closely compatible. It's been a few years since I've read the CU book so if there's any special significance to Uluru in-universe, I no longer remember it. I also don't have the back strength to dig through my closet to find the CU book.

 

Trying to take things in order.

 

Most published adventures seem to be in three major parts. This seems to have four with Nile, Great Pyramid, Devil's Tower, and Uluru. 

 

Nile

 

I'd initially expected the Nile part to be faster and fairly minor but decided to introduce Salah here rather than later. I definitely want him in the story somewhere and for his transformation to happen. If I introduce him first at the Great Pyramid, the heroes don't get to know Salah at all before his transformation and Salah doesn't get a chance to meet Baba Yaga before his transformation (which makes it less intuitive that she set it up to happen).

 

I also fell in love with the scene of the boat being teleported back to the HQ and skidding at high speed across the floor.

 

Salah al-Din was a historical hero of Islam. It also happened to be the forum name of a friend at a place I used to frequent. So the NPC's name of Salah Aden is a callback to both. And if you're last name is Aden and you're of Egyptian descent, naming your kid "Salah" would be pretty natural (that last name of Aden is likely a westernized version of al-Din). In his original concept, his name also became more problematic for him after he become the focal point of a resurgence of worship of the Egyptian pantheon but with his real name is linked to Islam.

 

 

Great Pyamid

 

The whole "have to take the roe to the King's Chamber" is only there as an excuse to force the PC's to take Salah along with them to the next part of the adventure. If they only have to show up at the Great Pyramid, there's no reason to have a tag-along normal with them.

 

I supposed Baba Yaga could send him along without the PC's intending it. But that seems a little forced and not the "indirect manipulation, mysterious vibe" I was looking for. However, I'm completely open to suggestion.

 

My initial idea with the Baba Yaga ritual, the soup, then the correct person taking the roe to the Great Pyramid was THAT was the confluence of forces which summoned an Old God such as Thoth. The intent was that Thoth would show up before Salah and the PC's entered the pyramid. That keeps the GM from staging a superhero fight in a long narrow stone corridor which would collapse as any moment and destroys one of the wonders of the world. And saves from having to include a fairly accurate map of the interior of the Great Pyramid.

 

Thoth shows up at the entryway, grants Salah his powers, and indicates there's no need to continue to the King's Chamber. I was also thinking that if Sarcopha-Guy could use his powers in this fight scene, it'd demonstrate his powers, give him some exposure/publicity in Egypt, plus show the PC's that he's a bit over-enthusiastic and needs an eye kept on him.

 

Now Thoth could instead show up at the end but then the "why did Thoth show up at all" question gets a little murky to me. Salah could certainly do something heroic during the battle which would show his worthiness, but guaranteeing that would happen is tricky if there's several PC's around to do the heroic things instead. Thoth showing up at the beginning and doing the whole "go forth, be my champion, defeat my enemies, and show the people that the gods of Egypt are indeed worthy of worship" routine is an easier sell, for me. And it's easier to link, even if just in retrospect, the appearance of Thoth to the manipulations of Yaga Baba.

 

Come to think of it, Thoth being the god of knowledge could name-drop Tyrannon as being the identity of the main bad guy. That'd up the "oops, we're in deep crap sensation" from any players who are familiar with the CU and keep from having to find a way for the minions to reveal it. I suppose Baba Yaga could tell them but giving out free information in an understandable form isn't the vibe I'm going for. Good idea? Bad idea?

 

Also if there's a different sequencing which works better, that's fine, I'm all ears.

 

I'm thinking that Thoth refuses the gift of the roe, telling the heroes that they will need it in the future.

 

I think you're right that adding the fae into this fight is too much. I was thinking of just the additional chaos factor for the players to wrap their minds around which would help to keep them off balance and reacting rather than scheming and planning. But adding the fae is more work for a GM and they make it difficult to up the stakes in the later confrontations.

 

Devil's Tower

 

Honestly thought about cutting this scene. I don't have an instinctive feel for how long the adventure will be in print or for whether it's going to be keeping the GM or players engaged and interested, especially if it come across as filler.

 

Going with Tyrannon as the bad guy, he would up the power level of the next wave of goons. The PC's will have ample motivation to bring Sarcopha-Guy along (and incidentally he will figure out he can't fly except in certain environments). But any players who are familiar with Tyrannon will be expecting a next wave of goons with an increased power level. So I was thinking about a slight curve ball 

 

After the Great Pyramid, do a quick teleport back to the HQ rather than directly to the Tower. Baba Yaga looks at the roe and says, "Good, Thoth let you keep it. I thought He might." That line shows Baba Yaga's manipulation of major events. "That makes next part easier. Quick, quick, things already happening." She indicates Sarcopha-Guy. "You get there, you smear roe here, here, here, and here (as she indicates his forehead, cheeks, and each arm). Then raise each arm and chant...." Then gives him some mystic words to chant.

 

"This is too much for you boys. Well, maybe not too much. Maybe you okay. But take too long. This (waving toward Sarcopa-Guy) make thing shorter, easier. Much easier. You boys stand in circle now."

 

The PC's arrive at the top of Devil's Tower as a flood of goons have already arrived and are on their way over the edge, down the sides (on all sides), and are dispersing in all directions as fast as their various forms of locomotion will take them.

 

The nearest goons turn toward the PC's, looking for a fight, while the ones further away continue their escape into the world. Sarcopha-Guy needs a certain number of phases to pull off his part so the PC's will need to protect him from interruption. Ideally there would be some tourists with camera to record the event to build the legend of Sarcopha-Guy but ignoring innocent bystanders usually isn't the goon's M.O. so dealer's choice on that one.

 

Anyway the PC's fight. Salah chants. At the end of his ritual, there's a roaring sound and a rush of wind which catches up all the goons (dead, alive, fighting, and running off out of sight) and pulls them in an instant to a point over the edge of the cliff.

 

That wind stops but the roaring gets louder...and more animalistic. The Tower shakes as if hit with an earthquake and there's a rending noise as if the world's largest gravel crusher was in overdrive.

 

Looking over the edge of the cliff, the goons have been combined and transformed into a giant glowing bear (of a species appropriate to the area.

 

In native legend, Devil's Tower was formed when a maiden fled a bear to the top of the plateau. The unique formation of the sides of the Tower are claw marks made from the bear as it tried to follow her to the top. There's more to that story but you get the idea.

 

So instead of the PC's having to catch a large number of very tough goons who are scattering, they're in a fight with a mystical Tyrannon-loving kaiju. I guess from Baba Yaga's point of view, that's easier.

 

If the heroes stay on top of the Tower, the bear will follow them up and fight them there. If they stay in close contact with him, the bear will follow the PC's. If they let up, the bear will tear up any human constructions in the area then head straight for the nearest town.

 

The bear has the mystical symbol denoting Tyrannon "painted" on its forehead fur. Like a golem from folktales, if the symbol is obliterated, the bear is defeated. So there is an actual shortcut to ending the fight.

 

Uluru

If there's some CU reason I shouldn't use this place, it could easily be elsewhere. Could also flip the order and do Uluru first and Devil's Tower last. Or just cut the Uluru scene completely.

 

Haven't worked out the actual scene yet. Every help or suggestion appreciated at this point.

 

I'm wanting to introduce at least one other new character writeup in the adventure. I like adventures fine as a customer. But if all the characters and villains are retreads that I've seen elsewhere, I don't feel as good about it as getting someone new to look at. Thus the introduction of Zerohawk.

 

Zerohawk is the forum name of another friend. I thought his name was neat, a couple of decades ago asked for his permission to work it into print, and he was delighted with the idea. I think he was from Australia. But in any case, there's not enough Australian heroes.

 

The original concept was not a pure adrenaline junkie and not a pure gadgeteer but rather a blend of both.

 

My original thought was that this would be his first adventure against real superpowered opponents but I'm now thinking that isn't a good angle. Probably better if he's got some experience but just not used to working with teams and his gear not being optimized to work with teams or against demonic incursions.

 

I'm fatigued and have rambled enough so I'll end this comment before I do something unfortunate like accidentally erasing it. :D 

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No concerns about prompt responses from me. Life notoriously gets in the way of fun. ;)

 

Okay, here's what you need to know about Uluru in the CU to decide whether you want to use it, summarized from the more detailed background given in Hidden Lands. Deep within the great stone is the Well of Worlds, a portal leading to countless other dimensions. Sometimes things from elsewhere emerge from the Well, some of them very nasty. That would make it a logical location for Tyrannon to launch his invasion from. The Well of Worlds has a guardian, an aged (and probably much older than he looks) Anangu shaman called the Wanambi Man. The WM isn't a powerful combatant, more accustomed to alerting mystical heroes to threats from the Well. In this scenario it would make sense for BY and the WM to know each other and be collaborating. :sneaky:

 

In Egypt I'd change the sequence of events a little. Salah does carry the fae roe into the pyramid, which unleashes magic to draw the invaders back where they came from. Said magic can have an additional effect. It could transform Salah directly into Sarcopha-Guy. Or, if you really want to use Thoth, the magic draws the god's attention, and he empowers Salah. Or, it could create Sarcopha-Guy and also attract Thoth, who gives him his mission. However it plays out, naturally Baba Yaga would have anticipated it. Also keep in mind that the heroes may not have to use up all the roe in this one encounter. BY may still have enough to go around.

 

The Devil's Tower scenario seems a bit problematic to me, in that there's nothing about Tyrannon connected to bears, or a reason why his minions should have that form. I can offer two suggestions. One is to change to another mystic location -- I could suggest alternative sites. But if you really like the Tower and the bear legend, my recommendation would be to drop Tyrannon and used Skarn as the invader. Given his appearance, transformative powers, and mercurial nature, he could easily have changed his soldiers on this mission to look like bears, and give them the "combining" capability. Perhaps he's aware of the myth of the Tower and it appeals to him, or its similarity to him strengthens his connection to that spot. The Devil's Tower might even have been the location of a previous invasion attempt by Skarn, of which the folk tale is a distorted echo -- he has been around for two millennia.

 

You'd have enough justification to make Skarn's minions transform just as you want. Alternatively you could bolster the invaders by bringing in some of Skarn's lieutenants, particularly his sons Arthon and/or Torvost, who of course also look like bears.

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