Spidey88 Posted August 29, 2006 Report Share Posted August 29, 2006 Hey, folks! I'm in the middle of running a Champions game, and while I'm not totally tapped out for ideas at this point, I'd figured I'd pick all of your magnificent brains for some ideas as to what to do - somehow my own plot ideas feel a little flat... Okay, here's the story so far in a nutshell... Campaign world: Straight-up CU in Millenium City. No real curveballs, save one: Mentalla is reformed, and spends a great deal of time looking for the spark of human decency in supervillains and trying to bring it out (by hook or by crook - mind control is great that way...) PC #1: Really the focus of the campaign so far. He's a former supervillan (a real nasty one, too) who was given a choice by a powerful psionicist (Mentalla): develop the tiny vestige of good still within you and fight on the side of the angels, or get your butt whomped. He reluctantly chose option one. Generally does the right thing, but is a real jerk in the process - his personality is based largely on TV's "House". Powerset: basically a jedi. TK, energy blades, danger sense, etc. Noone knows his former villain ID - which is good. I'll put it this way - his old name was "Bloodbath". Eeep. NPC #1: Straight man to PC #1. Has the attitude of your typical Silver Age hero - saving cats in trees, waving to the kiddies and telling them to eat their vegetables, chivalric, etc. As he was raised/created by VIPER (though his conscience kept him from doing anything really nasty) and has a somewhat inhuman appearance, he's very concerned with the public's perception of him (he's extremely worried about being percieved as anything other than a true-blue hero). Gets very frustrated by PC #1's snarky comments and dismissive attitude towards civilians, and I play him as being on edge most of the time. Powerset: a very obvious Spidey homage with extra arms. Yeah, cheesy, I know... While NPC #1 is having fits, it's actually been a lot of fun to play the interaction between these two. PC #2 and #3: two graduate students who gained powers in a freak accident involving the creation of a artificial black hole - #2 became a density-altering brick, #3 became a flying energy projector. Both decided to use their new powers to fight injustice and protect the innocent. Not too much else to say about them yet - they've only just joined in, and aren't even "on the team yet", though they did help stop a GRAB heist with PC #1 and NPC #1 (by virtue of being in the right place at the right time), at which point they were given a communicator "in case they ever needed help". Story at the moment: PC #1 and NPC #1 go out for munchies, and (having taken a page from one of the plot seeds in one of the books) intercept a black-clad adventurer with a bird motif fleeing a bevy of VIPER agents. Obviously Nighthawk, he nearly escapes, but is gunned down as our characters arrive. After some bait-and switch action and a spontaneous trip to the dump by PC # 1 (an escape in a garbage truck after covering the others' escape), Nighthawk is tended to at the secret underground base. After regaining consciousness, it seems that he managed to escape an ambush, and the rest of the Champions are in VIPER's clutches (at the very least!) My dilemma is this: I can't really come up with an interesting plan for the next session. I definitely want to do something more inspired than "bust into local VIPER base and free captured heroes" (though that'd be okay as a part of the plan). Basically, I'm not stuck, but I can't come up with a cool hook at the moment. This is VIPER's first appearance in my game, and I want the PC's to take them seriously! I'll gladly provide more detail if needed, but I figured this was long-winded enough. Any suggestions would be great - thanks in advance for your time! (Be gentle - it's my first thread started! ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted August 29, 2006 Report Share Posted August 29, 2006 Re: Looking for story input... Hmm... I'll need more time to cogitate the possibilities, but one possible hook has occurred to me. VIPER is particularly interested in the superhuman Champions, intending to use samples of their genetic material to create similarly-powered "homegrown" supervillains to serve them. When your PC heroes break up the plot and free the hostages, they can discover that this experiment is a revival of an earlier VIPER project which resulted in the creation of NPC #1. Moreover, the records of the project reveal that NPC #1 was himself derived from a superhero who has been missing for years. The records don't show what his final fate was, though. This development could lead to a quest by the PCs to uncover the fate of their fellow hero, and to rescue him if he's still being held captive. The players will also have to deal with what this will do to their NPC colleague's sense of identity, which could provide interesting roleplaying opportunities for PC #1. Depending on what this missing hero brings to the table, your heroes could come out of this with useful resources and contacts, as well as (unfortunately) a higher profile in VIPER's sights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robyn Posted August 29, 2006 Report Share Posted August 29, 2006 Re: Looking for story input... My dilemma is this: I can't really come up with an interesting plan for the next session. I definitely want to do something more inspired than "bust into local VIPER base and free captured heroes" (though that'd be okay as a part of the plan). Basically' date=' I'm not stuck, but I can't come up with a cool hook at the moment. This is VIPER's first appearance in my game, and I want the PC's to take them seriously![/quote'] Failing that, don't let VIPER be taken seriously by the PC's. Have the rescue mission be such a cakewalk that NPC #1 (who used to work for VIPER) is surprised and comments on how bad they've gotten since he left. It's a setup; PC's #2 and #3 meet up with a nice-seeming girl who's also being imprisoned by VIPER, and she's only the patsy. Higher-ups in VIPER instructed her to infiltrate the group as a spy, but they expect her to get caught - the information they gave her (on her mission, and their plans) is false and misleading, meant to distract whoever may try to interrogate her and use her against VIPER. The real plot is to implant or inject PC #2 and/or #3 with tracking devices, or better yet, eavesdropping equipment. A tiny bomb in or adjacent to the brain probably wouldn't hurt, either. Of course, you'll want to give them (VIPER) a limited budget point-wise, limited room to work in the hero's body (if they want to have a decent chance at Concealment), and possibly even a Skill Roll to pull off the appropriate surgery in time. Let the heroes get away thinking they've won free of any complications, or having caught VIPER's trick, then let the truth slowly creep up on them later into the storyline. VIPER is a recurring villain group, after all; knowing exactly what the heroes are doing and where will help with this, giving them motivation and opportunity to step in and take a hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spidey88 Posted August 29, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2006 Re: Looking for story input... Great stuff so far! Lord Liaden: While I actually had a backstory for NPC #1 involving Hornet (with some slightly boosted science skills and stats), in a King Cobra-like situation where he was creating his own cadre of arthropod-based superagents under VIPER's supervision, this would really add a lot of depth - I'm definitely going to try to work some of that in! Robyn: Ooooohoohooo... That's downright insidious! The whole cortex bomb thing is a little too serious for my style (at the moment, maybe later ) but the rest is gold! Keep 'em comin! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prodigyduck Posted August 29, 2006 Report Share Posted August 29, 2006 Re: Looking for story input... If you want the Champions to be missing for a while, so that your PC team can become famous, have them fight the "Champions". For the idea I have to give you, don't have the PCs fight mind-controlled Champions (this idea has been done to death, I'm sure). Give VIPER a new villain who can steal powers from one super-being and give them to others. As such, this new villain can take the captured Champions' powers and give them to VIPER agents. This can be an on-going thing for a while in your campaign until your PCs finally manage to rescue the Champions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robyn Posted August 29, 2006 Report Share Posted August 29, 2006 Re: Looking for story input... The whole cortex bomb thing is a little too serious for my style (at the moment' date=' maybe later )[/quote'] You might go with something that could whisper subliminal hints into their brain, as a long-term Mind Control; or something that could directly pipe info to their ears, not just for the stalker effects of being able to appear to be speaking from nearby when invisible, or the momentary confusion of having conflicting/misleading orders shouted in battle, but the whole "phone call" thing: the device wouldn't block incoming sound, so a dial tone would give the whole game away, but imagine the hero is stepping into a deserted building. They hear the phone ring. They pick it up, and hear a familiar voice (of a superhero they trust) saying things that, eventually, will breed distrust or lead to dissension in the ranks. After hanging up, they or someone else can try the phone later, but it's dead (ooh, spooky). There is SO much fun you can have with Images (sound group) this way. Lastly, you could always go with a modified version of the cranial bomb; it only replaces certain key elements of the hero's brain, enabling them to work better if anything (EGO rolls, Mental Defense), but at a predetermined signal from VIPER it can start listening only to the incoming transmissions instead of passing on the brain's normal signals. Effectively a powerful NND Mind Control, that can be undone by capturing the hero and reprogramming the item inside (whereupon its benefits can still be received; in fact, if removed, the hapless hero may find that thinking is rather difficult when you are missing a piece of your brain! ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robyn Posted August 29, 2006 Report Share Posted August 29, 2006 Re: Looking for story input... If you want the Champions to be missing for a while' date=' so that your PC team can become famous, have them fight the "Champions".[/quote'] Wait . . . light bulb effect kicking in. This can be an on-going thing for a while in your campaign until your PCs finally manage to rescue the Champions. Silly me, I was thinking the PC's were trapped in that VIPER base (#2 and #3, anyway), with PC #1 and NPC #1 needing to rescue them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
death tribble Posted August 29, 2006 Report Share Posted August 29, 2006 Re: Looking for story input... Bloodbath is still being hunted. And some people can be very nasty hunters cf the Vampire Hunter in Angel season 3. Have them turn up or foreshadow it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OzMike Posted August 29, 2006 Report Share Posted August 29, 2006 Re: Looking for story input... Maybe it's not Nighthawk. Maybe Viper wants the heroes to "bust into [the] local VIPER base and free [the] captured heroes" and the whole thing is a trap to get the heroes in the base. So once they fight their way in, facing some reasonable resistance, 'Nighthawk' turns on them, revealing himself to be 'X', and the blast doors drop. There could be a cool moment where the two new PC's discover that THEY are the target, not PC #1, because VIPER engineered the accident that gave them their powers and now wants to claim its 'property'. And the Dangersense? Why not have some sort of experimental Invisibility to Dangersense (or supression) device that Viper Agent X is field testing. Oh, and now the PCs have to fight their way out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robyn Posted August 29, 2006 Report Share Posted August 29, 2006 Re: Looking for story input... NPC #1: Straight man to PC #1. Has the attitude of your typical Silver Age hero - saving cats in trees' date=' waving to the kiddies and telling them to eat their vegetables, chivalric, etc. As he was raised/created by VIPER (though his conscience kept him from doing anything really nasty)[/quote'] To complicate matters, an organization opposed to VIPER (but allied to the Champions who were abducted - note that they don't need to be friendly towards the PC's or the local government, they could just owe a favor to the Champions or something) is already on the move to rescue them, through a prisoner exchange of sorts. The arrangements were made and a meeting had been scheduled, but their representatives had to "come alone, no tricks" or the whole deal was off. They were on their way to the rendezvous when they spotted the PC's walking in, and had to pull back before the whole operation was ruined. Their problem now is that VIPER has seen the PC's first, and obviously thinks that the PC's are from this organization! Nor can they show up and try to explain anything without VIPER leaping to the obvious conclusions, so their only hope is to watch from afar and hope the PC's don't screw everything up. VIPER may recognize NPC #1, of course, and assume him to be the intended exchange . . . a clue would be "Hey, we asked for So-and-So, what's the big idea!", maybe with a little more to reveal that they were expecting someone of higher value to their own organization in return for the Champions that were valued so highly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spidey88 Posted August 29, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2006 Re: Looking for story input... Death Tribble: Actually, the former "Bloodbath" is being hunted by his old supervillain team - though I figured he covered his tracks well enough that it'll be a few sessions before we have to deal with them. Being presumed dead and changing his look and style helped that rationalization, and they may not know it's him at first. Gotta make PC #1 sweat a bit, and give the other players the chance to get all buddy-buddy with him before they find out he is/was a cold-blooded killer... Robyn: Man! Your players must be mighty paranoid by now! Seriously, though - that's a fair bit of fuel for the future. All sorts of things to keep the players on their toes later! prodigyduck: Actually, that would work out well. I'm trying hard to make sure that all the other heroes in town don't overshadow the PCs, even if I'm just dropping names from time to time. Your suggestion would be a great way to put some bounce in their stride (and a bit of fear), knowing they are the big guns for the time being... Ozmike: A great idea to get PC #2 and #3 involved, I must say - and very good incentive to want to join up with PC #1 and NPC #1. Safety in numbers (not to mention that it's safer with a pair who know something about the enemy and have a secret, fortified underground base). Thanks to everybody - these really have been some useful ideas you've thrown my way. (that doesn't mean stop! If anyone else has any cool ideas, I'm more than happy to hear them!) I'll need to figure out how to rep the lot of you (assuming I'm able, it doesn't look like it just yet...) Wait! Never mind, the noob's got it now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robyn Posted August 30, 2006 Report Share Posted August 30, 2006 Re: Looking for story input... I'm trying hard to make sure that all the other heroes in town don't overshadow the PCs' date=' even if I'm just dropping names from time to time.[/quote'] Ominous name-dropping is half the presentation. Take a few pages from Simon R. Green's novels to help with this (his Nightside series has the best concentration of that sort of thing, and the lowest page count ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.