cturnitsa Posted June 18, 2006 Report Share Posted June 18, 2006 Okay, so I've been running an on-again/off-again space campaign for about 2 years now, and there have been some great plots. The Heroes have rescued a Sky City from being destroyed and plummeting to earth; they have stopped a plot to awaken a berserker weapon from an earlier version of the universe; hostages in an undersea terrorist attack on one of Saturn's oceanic moons have been rescued; most recently a plot to turn some of the Gas Giants in the solar system into gigantic star gates was foiled. I've got some ideas for new stories, and I have some loose ends to tie up (which I won't elaborate on here because I know that White Knight and Monolith are reading), but I am always looking for good ideas. Here is my request: given a Champions game set in 2756AD, where Earth is a powerful member of a multi-species galactic federation, and there are superheroes sworn to protect each of about a dozen major homeworlds, what might be a good plot idea to build a story arc around? Thanks, Chuck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheTemplar Posted June 18, 2006 Report Share Posted June 18, 2006 Re: Champions Space Campaign Plot Ideas Nothing like a great Intergalactic War to light up a GC game. Mix in some political intrigues, maybe some behind-the-scenes villain trying to manipulate the ages-long feud between two prominent races on the Galactic Federation to spark some infighting and line his/her/its pockets w/ credits (like the Ithorians and the...err... other guys whose names I embarassingly am drawing a blank on in some of the expanded universe SW books.) Or, maybe a group of dissident systems decide to secede from the Federation igniting a civil war. Space provides endless opportunities for gratuitous violence, after all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spence Posted June 18, 2006 Report Share Posted June 18, 2006 Re: Champions Space Campaign Plot Ideas Or an impending/happening invasion along the line of the Vang, Beserkers, or Posleen. There is no way that the normal fleets and can stop them. But the aid of the mighty {insert group name here}, Galactic civilization will be saved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egyptoid Posted June 18, 2006 Report Share Posted June 18, 2006 Re: Champions Space Campaign Plot Ideas Start rolling everyone's hunteds. Now, why are all these hunters "in bed" together ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sketchpad Posted June 18, 2006 Report Share Posted June 18, 2006 Re: Champions Space Campaign Plot Ideas Common threat imposes itself on the galaxy ... if you have Galactic Champions, I would recommend using Mechanon 3000. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cturnitsa Posted June 19, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2006 Re: Champions Space Campaign Plot Ideas Or an impending/happening invasion along the line of the Vang, Beserkers, or Posleen. There is no way that the normal fleets and can stop them. But the aid of the mighty {insert group name here}, Galactic civilization will be saved. Thinking of some classic "space" oriented comic books - do you think it should be a "normal" (i.e. - organic) race invading, or should it be something weirder - energy creatures, polymorphs, extra-dimensional beings, etc . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted June 19, 2006 Report Share Posted June 19, 2006 Re: Champions Space Campaign Plot Ideas Test of the Cosmic Entity: The heroes have attracted the attention of a near-omnipotent being who wants to determine their worthiness and that of the civilization they defend. He captures or lures in the heroes to his testing venue. This could be a world where they are forced to battle various menaces, possibly including former foes, either en masse or in individual gladiatorial matches. Or, the heroes might have to race across the galaxy to find and recover various artifacts or data-clues, perhaps with competition from one or more villainous parties. The incentive for this is either something that the cosmic entity offers the winner that the heroes or their sponsors really, really want; or the threat from the entity of something really, really bad happening if the heroes fail. Cracks in the Foundation: The stability of the galactic federation is rocked by political upheaval. Relations have soured between member worlds, and there are even threats of revolution or civil war. The heroes' loyalties are torn between the federation and their team, and their individual homeworlds. If you want this situation to be solvable by team action, the heroes could discover that a particular agency is responsible for the rising tensions, but will have to confront and defeat that agency to prove it - and may be opposed by the duped forces of some of the federation worlds. I'll give it some more thought and get back to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted June 19, 2006 Report Share Posted June 19, 2006 Re: Champions Space Campaign Plot Ideas Thinking of some classic "space" oriented comic books - do you think it should be a "normal" (i.e. - organic) race invading' date=' or should it be something weirder - energy creatures, polymorphs, extra-dimensional beings, etc . . .[/quote'] To some extent that depends on how you want the invasion to be resolved. Invaders with recognizable motivations - seizing territory or resources, achieving glory in battle, following a political or religious ideology, or believing that they are threatened and have to strike first to protect themselves - can often be brought to a peaceful conclusion if their leaders can be reasoned or negotiated with, or if the heroes earn their respect. They (and any of their own superheroes) can remain as potential rivals to your galactic federation, or may eventually become allies. If they do have superheroes of their own, the interactions between them and your own PCs can spawn other plots. OTOH truly alien invaders typically cannot be understood or negotiated with; their drive is generally destruction and extermination of their enemies. Against such a foe the only response is a fight to the finish. This gives the heroes an enemy they can truly take their gloves off against without qualms over the ethicality of the conflict. Galactic Champions includes a good example of such an enemy, the Nibu Gemani: a hive-mind race with tremendous collective psionic power but no respect or empathy for other races, driven to breed and colonize, destroying and supplanting any other sentient inhabitants of the worlds they covet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egyptoid Posted June 19, 2006 Report Share Posted June 19, 2006 Re: Champions Space Campaign Plot Ideas ...Invaders with recognizable motivations . . . . I HUNGER ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cturnitsa Posted June 19, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2006 Re: Champions Space Campaign Plot Ideas An idea based on a couple generate so far . . . "The Hlung, a curious race of extra-galactic beings, have just suffered a massive civil war, lasting nearly a thousand years, that wracked their galaxy. Now the sorceror-queen of the losing faction has teleported the remaining warriors and drones loyal to her all the way to the Milky Way, and have stopped in the outskirts of the Solar System. You see, the sorceror-queen now hungers, and she must feed on psi-energy that is only produced in this quarter of the Milky Way by human beings . . ." Given this, what do you think a Hlung warrior would look like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted June 19, 2006 Report Share Posted June 19, 2006 Re: Champions Space Campaign Plot Ideas I would expect him to be well Hlung. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egyptoid Posted June 19, 2006 Report Share Posted June 19, 2006 Re: Champions Space Campaign Plot Ideas I would expect him to be well Hlung. and have a powerful grasp of the Schwarz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted June 19, 2006 Report Share Posted June 19, 2006 Re: Champions Space Campaign Plot Ideas But seriously, folks: if the psi-energy that the queen needs to feed on is produced by humans, it would make the most sense for her to be essentially humanoid herself. Now, whether that would carry through to the Hlung warriors would, IMHO, again depend on whether you want the warriors and the heroes to be able to identify with each other and interact, or whether you want them to just be characterless "monsters" for the heroes to defeat. There are pros and cons to each approach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheTemplar Posted June 19, 2006 Report Share Posted June 19, 2006 Re: Champions Space Campaign Plot Ideas An idea based on a couple generate so far . . . "The Hlung, a curious race of extra-galactic beings, have just suffered a massive civil war, lasting nearly a thousand years, that wracked their galaxy. Now the sorceror-queen of the losing faction has teleported the remaining warriors and drones loyal to her all the way to the Milky Way, and have stopped in the outskirts of the Solar System. You see, the sorceror-queen now hungers, and she must feed on psi-energy that is only produced in this quarter of the Milky Way by human beings . . ." Given this, what do you think a Hlung warrior would look like? When I think of Psi-powered alien warriors, the first things that pop into mind are the Protoss of Starcraft. Finding images of them on the internet should be a snap if you don't know what they look like. You might be able to draw some inspiration from them. Their tech (ships, tanks, etc.) are pretty cool too. I've used their designs for a lot of stuff in my Champs campaign plans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cturnitsa Posted June 19, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2006 Re: Champions Space Campaign Plot Ideas Here is a Hlung Drone. This is a wee beasty that would be dispatched by one of the Hlung Queen-Sorceror's many hives, and would serve the purpose of drawing the Psi energy (defined as EGO) out of humans. These guys would be escorted by a couple of warriors and maybe a hive leader. [b]Hlung Drone - Energy Collection Servitor[/b] [b][u]VAL[/u] [u]CHA[/u] [u]Cost[/u] [u]Total[/u] [u]Roll[/u] [u]Notes[/u][/b] 5 STR -5 5 10- HTH Damage 1d6 END [1] 13 DEX 9 13 12- OCV 4 DCV 4 13 CON 6 13 12- 5 BODY -10 5 10- 8 INT -2 8 11- PER Roll 11- 18 EGO 16 18 13- ECV: 6 5 PRE -5 5 10- PRE Attack: 1d6 0 COM -5 0 9- 6 PD 5 6/16 6/16 PD (0/10 rPD) 6 ED 3 6/16 6/16 ED (0/10 rED) 4 SPD 17 4 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12 6 REC 4 6 30 END 2 30 30 STUN 15 30 8 RUN 4 8" END [2] 0 SWIM -2 0" END [0] 1 LEAP 0 1" 1" forward, 0 1/2" upward [b]CHA Cost: 52[/b] [b][u]Cost[/u] [u]POWERS[/u][/b] 30 [b][i]Chitinous Hide[/i][/b]: Armor (10 PD/10 ED) - END=0 20 [b][i]Mental Link to the Hlung [/i][/b]: Mind Link , Alien class of minds, Specific Group of Minds, Any distance, Psychic Bond - END=0 32 [b][i]Molecular Level Awareness[/i][/b]: Spatial Awareness (Mental Group), Discriminatory, Analyze [Notes: Huge mass of feelers coming out of where the Hlung drone's face would normally be, give it an ability to sense the molecules of the local area and what is around them.] - END=0 35 [b][i]Sense Human Psi Patterns[/i][/b]: Detect A Large Class Of Things 14- (Mental Group), Discriminatory, Increased Arc Of Perception (360 Degrees), Sense, Targeting [Notes: Used to sense human beings with an EGO score greater than 0] - END=0 13 [b][i]Climbing Claws[/i][/b]: Clinging (15 STR) - END=0 - END= 45 [b][i]Tiny Sized Alien[/i][/b]: Shrinking (0.125 m tall, 0.0156 kg mass, -4 PER Rolls to perceive character, +4 DCV, takes +6" KB), Inherent (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (45 Active Points) - END=0 - END= 30 [b][i]Hlung Drone Powers[/i][/b]: Elemental Control, 60-point powers - END= 30 1) [b][i]Adhesive Excretia[/i][/b]: Entangle 6d6, 6 DEF (60 Active Points) - END=6 30 2) [b][i]Psi Drain[/i][/b]: Transfer 4d6 (EGO to END) (60 Active Points) - END=6 30 3) [b][i]Psi-Nest Lining Production[/i][/b]: Force Wall (10 PD/10 ED), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (75 Active Points); Limited Power Power loses about a third of its effectiveness (Provides no protection vs. heat and heat based attacks; -1/2) - END=0 [b]POWERS Cost: 295[/b] [b][u]Cost[/u] [u]SKILLS[/u][/b] 3 Climbing 12- [b]SKILLS Cost: 3[/b] [b][u]Value[/u] [u]DISADVANTAGES[/u][/b] 25 Physical Limitation: Fully Blind (All the Time, Fully Impairing) 25 Physical Limitation: No Hands (All the Time, Fully Impairing) 20 Psychological Limitation: Completely Alien Lifeform, view Humans as husks full of psi-food (Very Common, Strong) 25 Social Limitation: Incapable of understanding Earth culture (Very Frequently, Severe) 20 Hunted: Hlung Sorceror-Queen 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, PC has a Public ID or is otherwise very easy to find, Watching) 15 Psychological Limitation: Must follow orders of Hive Leader (Very Common, Moderate) 20 Hunted: Hive Leader 14- (Mo Pow, PC has a Public ID or is otherwise very easy to find, Watching) [b]DISADVANTAGES Points: 150[/b] Base Pts: 200 Exp Required: 0 Total Exp Available: 0 Exp Unspent: 0 Total Character Cost: 350 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cturnitsa Posted June 21, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2006 Re: Champions Space Campaign Plot Ideas Plan for Dimensional Invaders. A rip in space occurs somewhere out near one of the gas giants, and a very large hive ship appears - an organic ship that carries hundereds of thousands of Hlung. Waves of Hlung warriors are sent to the nearest human bases to deactivate the defenses. Once the defenses are weakened, the drones arrive to begin draining the psi energy of the human beings that are left. The sorceror-queen is located safely within the hive ship, and directs the effort, and grants sorcerous aid. If there are any hardpoints that the warriors can not deal with, then the hive leaders will be sent to deal with it. If there are any hardpoints that the hive leaders cannot deal with, then the super hlung are dispatched (super villain level). At some point the heroes become involved and have to try to disrupt this process. The interesting part occurs when the sorceror-queen begins spawning new hiveships, each of which are equipped with proto-queens whose only job is to spawn new drones, warriors, and hive leaders. Super hlung can only be created by a sorceror-queen (of which there are only one in our galaxy - yet). Could be interesting. Any comments? Chuck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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