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[Campaign Log..kinda]Small Wonders


Hermit

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At the request of another poster who voiced some interest, I'm going to try a campaign log of sorts for my "Small Wonders" Campaign. This maybe a bit long, and I can't promise it will be entertaining to read, but I'll try not to bore anyone ;)

 

 

The Setting: Marsellies, Mississippi lays on the banks of the River of the same name. Pronounced 'MAR-Sel-Us' by all but the most pretentious locals who wish they were in the real one, Marsellies is a fair sized city, though smaller and less populated than Memphis to the north. This fictional city is set in the modern Champions Universe (5th Ed version) and has not had a superhero of its own since 1973 or so (But more of that later).

 

Our game begins at Samuel Clemens High School, where Gloria Steele is about to give her speech, as she is Valedictorian and this IS graduation. Her three friends are hoping she doesn't screw it up, while trying to be supportive.

 

Which means it is probably a good idea to introduce the main characters in this campaign.

 

Our Heroes...to be:

Gloria Steele- Gloria has always been intelligent. She aced her classes, particularly science, and truth to tell should already be in college wowing her professors. Without her help, some of her friends wouldn't have graduated. Gloria's father is a cop, and between this and her love of science, it is only natural that she should dream of being a CSI. In addition to being a science wiz, she has probably seen every crime or mystery show ever aired in her life time and some that weren't (KS: Crime/Mystery Shows 14-). She also knows the difference between shows and the real things. Gloria's not just a genius, she's a focused genius.

 

Physically, and socially, however, Gloria is a lot worse off. Somewhat plump in all the wrong areas, with bad complexion and thick glasses, she looks plain at best, and FEELS ugly. A tendency to hide herself under baggy clothes is somewhat understandable. Her friends, particularly Charlotte, have tried to help her out. The guys in the group think she's a great friend, and protect her like... well, kind of like a sister, which is probably annoying.

 

Charlotte "Lottie" Fair-Speaking of Charlotte ("Lottie" to her friends), she's the school princess, but in a good way. Her father, the formidable Albert Hans Fair, is a noted Civic Leader as well as old money. Mister Fair has never made things easy for his daughters, insisting that they give something back to the city, and making them attend public schools rather than private ones. For this reason, Charlotte is very civic minded, almost noblisse Oblige in outlook, though she'd never word it that way. She's perky and positive, a real inspiration to the group, and the most socially skilled.

 

She's also a bit naive. She hasn't quite figured out that a positive attitude and effort, while going along way, can't solve EVERYTHING. Especially for folks who don't have quite the same resources. She's also a bit blind to the fact her older sister has learned different lessons than she did. Physically, Charlotte is pretty, though not (yet) a knock out.

 

Micheal- I forgot his darn last name. Micheal (He prefers it to Mike it seems) is the quiet musical type. In his case, a composer. While he's an alright musician on his own merits, it is the construction of the song that makes him happiest and that he excels at. He's made some budding connections in the musical scene, and is going to college as a music major.

 

Micheal is loyal to his friends, but he has two problems that often hinder him. One, his lack of assertiveness means he is often overlooked, or pushed along by more agressive/insistent types. He doesn't work up the gumption to ask girls he likes out. That sort of thing.

He also suffers from Pyrophobia thanks to a childhood incident. Not a major problem...

unless you are destined to become a superhero who might have to save someone from a burning building.

 

Bo Dupree- Bo is our GMPC (or "NPC who gets more attention than he deserves") used to round out the small group. If one had to take an archetype from Teen Champions for Bo, it would definitely be EX Burnout, albeit with a heavy cultural twist. Bo used to do drugs, skip classes, commit crimes, and get into fights in his early years of school. His life is one of stereotype. He lived in a dysfunctional trailer home with an abusive father and a codependent mother (Who had her own means of tearing him down). Bo has been told all his life he's no good, at least, until his last two years in high school. Charlotte, Gloria, and Micheal befriended him, believed in him, and helped pull him out of the downward spiral is in. He still drinks, but has shaken the drugs, and the others won't let him smoke around them so he's trying to break that too.

 

Obviously, despite his now walking the straight and narrow, he has some issues and insecurities. He still thinks he's stupid, and carries a lot of guilt for past behavior. At the same time, he can be a prankster, and is definitely the most streetwise of the group.

 

 

(Well, this post is already too long, so I'll start another post after this and get to the origin story)

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Re: [Campaign Log..kinda]Small Wonders

 

(BTW, I borrowed liberally from sources such as "Hero By Night", Silver Age Atom stories, and so on)

The origin...

Where were we? Oh yes, Gloria was giving her speech. With chants of "Goria" from some faceless NPCs taunting her in the background (before her friends glare them into submission) at first, eventually polite applause follows and Gloria joins her friends. Parents and family come to congratulate most of them, and Gloria is especially the center of everyone's attention. Even Mister Fair, Charlotte's father, congratulates her saying he wishes his own daughter had made similar grades (Shades of Norman congratulating Peter in front of Harry, except Lottie is a lot more stable, thank god). Lottie, Micheal, and Gloria all explain to their families they're going out together to celebrate "hope you don't mind". While filled with distrust for Bo, the parents agree...and off our 'instant adults' (Hey, they graduated, right) go... Bo seems extra insistent on moving on though he can't stop lollygogging to see the fruits of his work.

 

That's probably because he pulled a prank (read vandalized) the School Principal's car. When the others find out, the reactions are very much in the "Are you crazy, how could you? Oh that's not right... Snicker Snicker let's get the hell out of here.." vein. They get into Charlotte's convertible, and head out for their own private party. Bo picked the location as a surprise. It turns out to be some observatory on the outskirts of the city, closed because light pollution has rendered it useless. The building is city owned, but the land it is on is private property.

 

The floor is rather nice, a seal on it with latin. The gang breaks out the liquor (yes, they're under 21, no one said they were perfect law abiding citizens) . Bo brought the Beer and some whiskey, Charlotte brought a bottle of champagne. It's Lottie who gets a bit drunk, so when the secret passage opens in the floor, leading to a spiral stair case down, her intoxication, combined with Gloria's curiosity, is what leads them down below.

 

Once there, they discover a chamber with an old computer (We're talking huge compared to today's dinky PCs), lots of science stuff, and two side rooms. One is a study with some books and a desk, and the other appears like a shower or sauna room sealed off by a glass door...well, the glass is broken.

 

Our heroes to be have stumbled onto the once lair of Minute Man (As in Small, not as in 60 seconds), a Silver Age Hero. They barely get time to go through some old clips and such when they also manage to reactivate the computer, which is heavily damaged. "Helper" as it calls itself (No relation to certain robots of that name) clicks and whirs

 

"G-g-good Evening, Mister Breckenridge."

 

So damaged is the machine, that every voice it hears, it assumes Mr Breckenridge is speaking. It's audio recognition files are not connecting properly, you see. It also has the wrong time. When the PCs ask for details, it informs them that it is Oct 13, 1973. They try to correct the time, telling Helper he needs to reset and restart.

 

Helper misunderstands. "Welcome Mister Breckenridge. We're ready to begin." and a sparkling green gas begins to fill into the small shower like room...only, as mentioned, the glass is broken to the door that would seal it. It begins to fill both chambers. What's more, the friends are locked in... the entire lair being locked down for security reasons. As the others struggle to explain to Helper that it needs to stop because the experiment is wrong, Helper continues to misunderstand, and increases gas intensity (For some reason its broken sensors can't detect, it is taking a lot more gas ti fill the small chamber than it was told it would). Helper is 'reliving' the day Mister Breckenridge first gave himself those powers.

 

All four are engulfed by the mutagenic gas, and begin to shrink. However, they are NOT Mister Breckenridge. They have varying DNA... so the effects will vary as well, the only constant will be the ability to shrink. So shrink they do, dwindling into their own clothes. And they dream.

 

(more later)

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Re: [Campaign Log..kinda]Small Wonders

 

The origin continued

Where was I?

I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot...

 

Oh yes, the characters dreamed...even as they changed. I can't recall the details over everyone, so I'll just give you the one that seemed to get the most chuckles.

 

Gloria dreamed that she was strapped down in a monochromatic world, a sheet over her. In a lab coat, Charlotte cackled claiming that she that she would bring new life from this lump. Telling the hunchbacked Bo-Gor to throw the switch, "I shall create fashion from fashionlessness!" Meanwhile, a half masked Micheal pounds away on a pipe organ. Lightning strikes the helpless Gloria, and then suddenly she's free... and changed. The maniacal "Doctor Lottie" cackles "She's FASHIONABLE! MWAHAHAHAHA FASHIONABLE!" The sheet fell, and Gloria didn't even recognize the figure underneath.

 

At this point, Gloria woke up in a panic.

 

Each of the other characters awakens, many trying to figure out why they are buried in these strange tarps of cloth. Charlotte flies out , wings fluttering behind her trailing sparkling mist looking for the others. Micheal rips his way out of the cloth easily... Bo rises up, head hurting, but the headache is quickly forgotten as he (and everyone else) discovers Lottie is a 'true blonde'. Gloria refused to believe any of this was real, figured she was still dreaming and curled up again.

 

Of course, she had reason to believe it was a dream, besides everyone being very small, she herself was now a total babe. They all looked better than ever, as the mutations, while varied, were entirely beneficial and they've all gone up some Com points (in Gloria's case, very much so). Hilarity ensues as modesty and wakefulness kick into gear. Including Bo getting gassed by a totally embarrassed Lottie, and Michael breaks a few more things and discovers he can fly. The 'tarps' are, of course, their former clothes.

Gloria even gets pinched by Lottie to prove it isn't a dream.

 

Eventually, they all sort things out and discover (Though some discoveries do not come right away).

1) They all shrink, to varying degrees, but CAN turn back (Thank goodness)

2) Gloria's shrinking creates an odd electrical by product. She can throw some truly massive bolts of power, teleport by turning into electricity, generate electric fields for protection and to shock the hands of anyone who touches her.In short, she's an energy projector. Her powers do not require her shrinking at the same time.

3) Charlotte grows wings, but only when she's small. She also exudes a sort of sparkling gas (Similar to the mutagen in Appearance, though not gene altering) that can choke, blind, build up some pressure to knock folks back a fair piece, and even intoxicate. Color her "odd attack girl" power wise, though she also has some odd defenses; including the lack of a need to breathe. Her lungs now produce a variant of their own gas that contains oxygen. The gas powers at least, remain at any size.

4) Micheal is superstrong, can fly (Without wings, no less), and is incredibly durable. In short, he's a brick. His shrinking is unique in that he doesn't lose mass ( a handy advantage found in the Ultimate Metamorph) so takes no exta KB. His powers do not rely on his shrinking, but his small size actually makes his punches even more devastating (Armor Piercing as a Naked Advantage on his Str linked to Shrinking) because the pressure is on a more limited area. Oh, he also finds a really cool set of polorized shades (Used by the original Minute Man).

5) Bo becomes a mentalist (And boy is Charlotte annoyed with him when he first stumbles into her head) with a typical array of mind control, ego attack, and so on. Device wise, he stumbles onto bracers with swing line tendrils on it.

 

Further research will reveal that Michael is the one who's powers are closest to the original Minute Man (Because his DNA was the closest match), but right now, they have to get home and hope their loved ones don't discover just how MUCH they've changed. CHarlotte is already talking excitedly about superheroing (Civic Minded, remember) and calling herself Pixie to which Bo points out he thinks she's nuts.Gloria does mention that her dad and the other police have had a devil of a time dealing with VIPER in the city (Which just lays low whenever UNTIL or PRIMUS comes into town until said organizations leave again) and could probably use the help. Micheal wants to practice with his powers first as this superstrength is alarming him and he's worried about hurting someone.

 

It being nearly dawn, they all sneak into their rooms at their varied homes, and collapse.

But how to cover up the changes? For Charlotte, it's easy. Out of all the others, she has the least apparent physical changes when not shrunk (She was already good looking), but Gloria has nothing to wear, and feels entirely self concious about her sudden babeosity. Will folks actually believe her when she says she's been hiding this under baggy clothes all this time? Micheal returns home, crashes, and wakes, finding out his little sister heard about someone wanting to hire him, but she can't remember WHO. (All three of the PCs have some obnoxious siblings). He tries to figure that out, while at the same time looks for a place to test his powers. When he calls Bo for suggestions , Bo reccomends an old junk yard he knows where they can work in private. Lottie is the only one who didn't sleep, her new biology produces more of its own oxygen and she doesn't need as much rest. She calls up Gloria, and decides to use her PS Current Trends/Fashions to save her friend from clotheslesses. Shades of prophetic dreaming it seems.

 

At this point, the game is still into full jabber mode. The guys discuss their powers, what to do with them, and test them out on each other in the junk yard. Gloria is VERY unsure about the clothes Lottie is suggesting.

 

At least, until she spots hated rival Lillian Remington, who has always rubbed treated her like #$#$. Lillian is with two boys, one she's dating, but they spot Gloria and Charlotte, and flirt lightly... their jaws drop to the floor at the sight of new Gloria. Suddenly, it kind of hits Gloria that being so altered to stand out might not be so bad, and gains confidence. Indeed, she rather starts to like the attention (especially since it drives Lillian nuts!). Emboldened by this, and encouraged by Charlotte, she tries more formfitting clothes.

 

Undaunted by Bo's stubornness and Micheal's earlier uncertainty, Charlotte also arranges to purchase some materials that will make fine costumes. As the four have practiced, they've each learned that they can NOW Shrink the clothes they wear with them, and grow them back (The name of the Campaign is "Small Wonders" after all, not "Suffering Shrinkage" :D ). They return later to the lair of the former Minute Man, to muss things out.

 

By now, they've learned that Mr. Breckenridge, the former Minute Man, left a log entry where he planned to sacrifice himself to stop a villain listed only as 'Macabre' from detonating a destructive device that could have ravaged the city. It would require flushing the hero, villain, AND his device into the Microverse reducing the explosion to nothing, and even IF they survived, no doubt, they'd never be able to return.

Minute Man notes with irony that because Macabre's plot isn't known by any but a very few, no one will even know they were ever in danger. "No one will ever know they were in danger, nor really think I've done anything beyond stop a few robberies or pounded some colorfully costumed thugs. That's okay. I didn't do this for fame. I did it to protect the city I love. It's only fitting that Minute Man go out the way he came in-small."

 

There's every indication that that is exactly what happened, and the four young adults are humbled by it. Earlier that day, another VIPER attack had occured, and Gloria says they have to do something about that. Cops are getitng hurt. Charlotte lays down a threat to the boys, "Fine, if you boys aren't in, then Gloria and I will just fight crime ourselves." Both gents can't have that, so Lottie talks them into at least trying on costumes. And Gloria, who is discovering she rather enjoys flaunting it now that she's got it, gets a skimpier one on than she'd ever wear before. Micheal's more impressive physique fights fine into the garment provided, Bo feels a bit silly, but tinkers with an outfit's mask, getting an idea.

 

Well, you know how it goes, eventually, VIPER DOES come up again, and this time our young heroes are ready. Bo and Micheal are not going to let the girls face it alone, and Charlotte's mind is made up. A bank is being robbed, and Gloria goes on her way in her new costume because her father is on location; it gets personal, when her dad nearly gets run over by a VIPER tank!

 

Soon all four are there, and springing into action.

Gloria teleports her wounded father out of the tanks way, then blasts the tank with a mighty 15d6, which surprises even her! Micheal flies up, and rips a weapon off. Charlotte flutters to the gap, and gasses the men inside. The poor VIPER agents don't know what's hitting them because the heroes are shrunk at this time

"I can't see anything...."

"Well something just tore the top off..."*Cough Cough*

and so on. Bo is making his way into the bank to clear out the VIPER ground troops that are holding hostages, the others follow shortly.

 

They come in to see Charlotte's sister (one of the hostages it seems) stumble and throw off a security guard, ruining a stand off the VIPER agents and bank guards had in VIPER's favor, who wound one of the guards. Another of the VIPER agents freaks when he's shot by his buddy (Mind controlled by Bo). Gloria comes in and takes several out, reveling in the raw power she has almost as much as she enjoys her new looks. She's about decided being "Bad Ass" is fun! Charlotte toys with a few herself, giggling (Becoming a human pixie may have made that 'Perky' psych lim a little more pronounced) ,and Micheal? Mike is still grinning that he just ripped the top off a freaking tank. Bo, well, embarrased by his accent, he'd put a voice synthizier on his metalic drama like mask, and it certainly seemed to add a spooky element.

 

VIPER doesn't stand a chance.

 

Soon all the baddies in green are down. The press comes up hungrily, but the media has a devil of a time getting a bead on them, though Charlotte does tease a camera man by landing on his camera then sticking her masked face over the lens.

 

Each gives a brief intro and flees...

Gloria dubs herself Current

Charlotte stays by her earlier call and calls herself Pixie

Micheal goes by Pitch (As in, high or low pitch, he's musical)

and Bo adopts the nome de garbe Shadow Puppet

 

yet it is the press that will name the team of the first superheroes to call Marsellies home since the Silver Age. While ones like 'Minute Men' 'Action Figures' and so on were throw on, eventually, the press and public decide to call the diminative do-gooders The Small Wonders

 

And the world...err... state... okay, a city, may never be the same.

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Re: [Campaign Log..kinda]Small Wonders

 

It varies. Some weeks we have two nights in a row, and other times we struggle to arrange a meeting a month. We run various campaigns so one can go without use for quite awhile if we get into a different groove.

 

Oh, talk like a pirate day. I mean:

It varies. Some tides we be havin' two nights in a row, an' other times we struggle t' arrange a meetin' a moon. We run various campaigns so one can go without use fer quite awhile if we get into a different groove.

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Re: [Campaign Log..kinda]Small Wonders

 

As a matter of fact, yes, though the details were blurry so I wasn't sure how much I have to post...

 

A lot has happened to Gloria...she had a brief solo moment where, after having attention lavished on her by several perfectly nice guys over the week, she ran into one of 'those @#@#' who make the rest of the male species look bad. A guy who seemed charming, but then slipped a roofie/date rape drug, into her drink. She made a few rolls, managed to stay focused, and escaped, fortunately (Luck Roll) into the arms of friendly NPC who dragged her from the night club to a coffee hutch and helped her out. Gloria finds out it isn't the first time this guy has been pulling this.

 

When that shook off, Gloria tracked down the guy, 'tasered' him (At shrunk size) while he was driving causing him to crash (Though she timed it while he was still slowish), before teleporting out. She then called the police (remember dad's a cop) with a 'tip' that someone had roofies on him and possibly other drugs, and might have just been ingesting them and he sure was drinking a lot.

 

Someone is getting DUI and more... but at least a rapist is off the streets.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Re: [Campaign Log..kinda]Small Wonders

 

Sorry, I've been caught up in some things lately, planning participation in a contest of sorts, ect.

 

In our last game session with this group (And it was actually a few weeks ago so details are, again, likely to be blurry, the Small Wonders have continued their crime fighting. Some alone, and indeed, when ShadowPuppet goes out to take out a superpowered serial killer hiding out at some docks, the others go to his aid. He won, but was hurt.

 

Pixie is furious with him for going solo (And concerned about his wounds) her lecture injures his pride and so on. In the mean time, the local cops are struggling to deal with the blaster weapons and such VIPER has been bringing into town, the kevlar the cops use is not very effective against it. Current in particular, seeing as her dad is a cop and has already been endangered by these guys, is starting to take it personal.

 

All four of them make contact with an old friend of Minute Man, in part because he has influence over the base they use and hope to claim. A cranky old cuss, they win him over, and Pixie goes as far to share her secret ID (And for good reason, she wants to buy the property to keep them safe). The gent, a lawyer (Who says you can't trust em?) has her pay exactly one dollar for confidentially ;) and then hashes price out on how to help make the transition legal.

 

It also needs to make sense, as she's sure this purchase will attract attention from her daddy and others. So, Lottie uses the excuse of turning the place into a coffee shop/tea room, using the part with the secret passage as the "office area". She hires a fancy designer to handle the buildings additions, the works. Her sister even gets curious and offers to find her a suitable manager, which Lottie agrees to.

 

Meanwhile, the hunt for the source of those VIPER weapons continues on...and the small wonders soon come find a warehouse by the docks where a shipment is going on. VIPER seems to be there in force, expecting a raid from hero and authority alike...just not so soon. While some of the others deal with agents on the outside, Current uses her teleportation to slip on INside...where she spots various Agents outfitting near some sort of weapons locker and crate, talking about taking her friends out. The fight outside starts to come inside, and the agents get ready to go out in full force. Having already been hit by flash grenades at least once, and assuming that's what's in there when she hears the phrase "Everyone grab some grenades" ... she decides to target the ammo.

 

Only it is not just flash grenades, it is a variety of types and more ammo besides, a bit of unluck a 4d6RKA, and there is a massive explosion... One VIPER agent has the ammo blow a hole through him, another person is hit with superheated adhesive, others are badly injured. What started as an attack on VIPER to keep them from using these weapons on the hapless police force soon turns around to the heroes having to SAVE the VIPER agents from a burning building that is collapsing all around. The heroes believe only one, maybe two died (They lost the body with adhesives so can not be sure), that's still a death caused indirectly by one of them. Current is severely shaken by the ramifications, and mutters , when she finally can afford to collapse "All my fault..."

 

She leaves before the group can console her.

 

While the others worry about where she is, they do not find her at her old haunts. Instead, she is wandering aimlessly...distraught, until she gets asked for some help by a guy cleaning up the roadside near some churches. The old man claims to be a sort of custodian of the area, and doesn't seem startled by her costume. He talks about churches playing that annoying music, you know, the sort that seems timed to hit you when you're hurting... and Current opens up to him, as it is easier to share her guilt with a stranger than her friends who she doesn't feel worthy to face right now. The police seem ready to let her off the hook (Keeping ammo in the open during a firefight is not VIPER's brightest move) but she can't let herself off the hook.

 

The custodian nods, and talks about redemption, and how somethings can't be undone, but it doesn't help to just curl up and quit either. The only thing you can do is hope to make amends, and be a better person. He stresses he figures just about everyone has done something rotten accidentally or otherwise in their lives, but if they acted like that's when their life ended, well, it was a halfassed way to make it a better world, taking yourself out of the world after a bad deed didn't just make sure you couldn't do any more bad, it also meant you couldn't do any more good... and that, he points out, is cheating the universe, and more importantly, those that love you.

 

Then a hymn plays as the church in the distance begins practice, it is indeed, striking a cord with her, and the custodian looks at her "See what I mean? It's like they time that stuff. Look, I don't claim to know much, but I do know that you have a group of people who love you and are concerned, that team of yours. Go to them, tell them what you told me, I think you'd be surprised how much they will be there for you.. though if they're old friends you shouldn't be surprised at all. Then you go on, and be better for this. Make yourself better, Really, what other choices do you have? Is your quitting really going to help anyone? Help them?" The custodian shoos her off with a smile, and Current , while still feeling very guilty about taking a life, is more confident about what she wants to do. She resolves to treasure life more carefully, and to use her power more cautiously.

 

Once she is gone, the Custodian glances over at the church, sighs, looks upward at the clouds and says "You know, no offense, but I thought I was handling that just fine." Then, sprouting wings of light, he flies off to his next assignment. His custodian duties of cleaning up here done for the moment.

 

 

A bit sappy, perhaps, but when Current was made, the player had put CVK down because she wanted it, but she wasn't sure how it would be rationalized...she requested some GM help and hence the side issue. She now has an active Code VS killing that makes some sense given her expanding story.

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