A Gift?

[Blue]

Just to see the level of paranoia or overt trust, not to mention the vileness of your campaign's villains, here's the scenario...

 

 

It's a couple days from Christmas. While patrolling an area you are known to patrol, your character hears an alarm and shows up on the scene, only to find there's a box wrapped in holiday wrapping paper and adorned with a card that says "Happy Holidays" and promises that there is nothing untoward inside the box.

 

What does your character do? Open it? Flee?

 

What has your arch-enemy put in the box? Real gift? A trap? Other?

[Kal'El Wayne]

Re: A Gift?

 

We play a game on the really idealistic side of the sliding scale of idealism to realism. So my most 'normal' kind of character, an Iron Man rip-off, regularly gets christmas gifts from his rogue's gallery, even the ones who are currently off-duty. He also leaves gifts with those in jail and things. It's that sort of game.

[Houston GM]

Re: A Gift?

 

Multi-Man is the only one with a major arch-nemesis (his ex-wife, a heroine turned villainess).

 

His ex might bend the definition of "untoward", but she's probably not bending it by much. Multi-Man would probably send an expendable duplicate to open the package and examine its contents, just in case his ex included knock-out gas or a tracking device in the package.

 

Since Multi-Man's ex is trying to subvert him into joining her, the package most likely contains some sort of temptation.

[lemming]

Re: A Gift?

 

Ice Pirate : "Yay! A gift!" Would open immediately.

Calico : Gets Ice Pirate to open it up for her.

[sinanju]

Re: A Gift?

 

Just to see the level of paranoia or overt trust, not to mention the vileness of your campaign's villains, here's the scenario...

 

 

It's a couple days from Christmas. While patrolling an area you are known to patrol, your character hears an alarm and shows up on the scene, only to find there's a box wrapped in holiday wrapping paper and adorned with a card that says "Happy Holidays" and promises that there is nothing untoward inside the box.

 

What does your character do? Open it? Flee?

 

What has your arch-enemy put in the box? Real gift? A trap? Other?

 

Iron Maiden would open it. She's practically invulnerable. Besides, her "arch enemies" consist of Blackguard and Doctor Otaku.

 

Blackguard is a superhuman brawler, neither as strong nor as tough as she is, but far more skilled at brawling. Their fights tend to drag on interminably because he can't really hurt her and she can't lay hands on him long enough to drag him to jail, usually ending when he gives her the slip or she gets called away by a more serious threat.

 

Doctor Otaku is an obsessive fan of manga, anime...and Iron Maiden. He's also an utter genius when it comes to building robots, so all of his villainy occurs via the use of robots and androids.

 

Blackguard's gift would probably consist of some expensive naughty lingerie, jewelry, and a bottle of very good booze (all stolen, of course) and a note suggesting how they could best make use of the items together. Not that he has any delusions on that score--he just likes to push her buttons.

 

Doctor Otaku's gift would be a trap. He's constantly setting traps for her, convinced that if only he can find her One Weakness (she's just gotta have one!), he can capture her, replace her with an Iron Maiden android, and turn her into his willing love slave.

[Chuckg]

Re: A Gift?

 

Starguard: If she's enthused and in the Christmas mood, open it. If she's actually remembered her safety lectures from Horus, scan it with her Cosmic Awareness, then put up her force field, then open it.

 

Dr. Pain: Pick up the box. If it doesn't explode, ooze contact poison, or zap him, carry it back to HQ and have the team techie do his thing on it.

 

Kaian: [muttering curses under his breath] "It's bad enough I've got the holiday shift, but now I get yet another idiot who watches too many horror movies." *radios the bomb squad, stat*

 

Of course, given his Hunted list, its entirely possible that the package contains a tactical nuclear warhead. To be fair, most of his Hunteds who play in that league are also experienced enough to know there's no way he'd open the box, but some of them are chain-yanking jackasses.

[Zed-F]

Re: A Gift?

 

Soulbarb: Doesn't really do the whole 'patrol' thing. Soulbarb generally prefers to keep a low profile, and her usual modus operandi when it comes to finding out what's going on around the city is to probe her network of contacts for interesting information. Currently the only person who knows where she is and who might be able to put a Christmas present where she could be reasonably expected to find it, is her boyfriend Nocturne. While he's another heroic type, and not normally a huge joker, she wouldn't put sounding a (false) alarm as a Christmas prank past him. Nevertheless, she's not sufficiently trusting to assume that out of hand, and will scrutinize the package as carefully as she is able to (with her Soulsight and whatever magical or mundane techniques are reasonably available) before considering opening it.

 

Sylph: Doesn't have a regular rogues gallery per se, so if anyone is doing this it's likely either her boyfriend Psyche Out (her girlfriend Magnesia isn't the type to do this) or it's a trap. Of course Sylph, being the trusting sort, will assume it's the former (or perhaps a secret admirer, how exciting!), and open it.

[bubba smith]

Re: A Gift?

 

tuff-man openit VERY CAREFULLY

[hfergus]

Re: A Gift?

 

Volt - Takes it somewhere far away from people, has a healing hero nearby, and opens it.

 

Olorin - T-ports it far away. Scans it magically. Neutralize if necessary. Opens it.

 

Black Tiger - Clears the area. Blows it up.

 

Leadman - Clears the area. Grumbles. Has healing hero nearby and opens it.

 

Futurian "OOO! Goodies!" Takes it somewhere private and opens it.

[drunkonduty]

Re: A Gift?

 

Knight Rider, power armoured UNTIL cop - Hasn't been played enough to have a rogues gallery. :-(

 

But some day I hope she's on VIPER's most wanted list. And in that case: scan the package with everything she's got. She has a pretty good sensor array. Assuming it scans clear take it somewhere where damage will be minimal then open it. (She would probably not spot conventional explosives.)

 

Just like to say: Temptation is an BRILLIANT thing to put in a present. Am imagining a plot line in which the Devil (or similar) starts making moves on some hero at Christmas.

[Tigereye]

Re: A Gift?

 

Deuce hates the holidays (his parents died on Christmas Eve, 1933). With the level of evil around, and his natural sense of ex-spies' suspicion, he'd probably have the package X-rayed. With luck, it would explode in the x-ray machine. He'd be exceptionally suspicious if the box turned out clean. Who would send him a Christmas gift when they know he hates it?

 

With the level of supervillains in this game, it probably is some toy-based villain like the Dark Harlequin or something sending a toy car that gives off toxic gas.

 

Casey would have someone else open the package - if not his mage-mechanic, probably his friend Golden Justice. Not that he's paranoid or anything - he's actually a bit guileless - but being an anthropomorphic car, he doesn't have hands. (Golden Justice is the closest we have in the game to a superhero, invulnerability-wise.)

 

With this universe, it's probably the new 5-speed transmission he ordered from the dwarf mechanic! (He's been saving up the XP for more ground movement.) Either that, or a set of fuzzy dice.

[Metaphysician]

Re: A Gift?

 

Hermes: The package would be from Darius, and even presuming Hermes was explained the social context of a few millenia later. . . well, Hermes would only open it via steampunk remote gadget. While standing behind an extremely strong barrier. Miles away. In a nice safely isolated spot. Like the moon.

 

( Darius *REALLY REALLY REALLY* hates Hermes, and with pretty damn good reason. Hermes wouldn't believe in a million years that this is anything but a revenge plot of some kind. )

[Badger]

Re: A Gift?

 

First off, this thread is making me hear Brad Pitt from Seven saying

 

"What's in the box, what's in the box"

 

 

 

Badger- Ignore it. enemies are enemies, allie or allies (at least for the moment), and he tries not to blur lines.

 

 

Frosty Bob- (villain) Ignore it. (villainness) Yeah, he's gonna open it, the more dominatrix the villainess's outfit the more likely he'll open it.

[Blue]

Re: A Gift?

 

Anthem's closest thing to an arch-nemesis would be her father, who is in jail and on medication that puts him back in a proper state of mind. She wouldn't even open it. She'd tell the authorities where it was and carry it herself to a bomb enclosure to blow it up. Ironically she has what I call "empathic danger sense". She can sense if something is a danger to others but not to herself.

 

If he's on his medication then the gift was probably something sentimental and an attempt to reach out to her and apologize. If he's unmedicated then he's likely bitten off someone's finger and sent it.

 

Uncle Slam would think nothing of having a box from Dr. Destroyer analyzed with portable equipment. He'd never haul it to a facility since last time that happened Mechanon's head was unleashed in the base in a trojan horse effect.

 

Dr. Destroyer would indeed send him something insidious. I'm guessing a virus or some kind of tiny nuke.

 

Audra Blue would cringe in fear. Her arch enemey is supposed to be dead, though she's long supsected otherwise. She'd not go near it and a shrink would need to be called in. If she could be convinced it was a hoax, she'd have someone open it.

 

Her arch enemy, like all villains, is still alive in some capacity. He'd send her a paper flower, like the ones they sell at street fairs in her home village; it would be strongly scented to smell like a real orchid. It's a not only sent to creep her out but to imply that she's artificial, not to mention to remind her of the orchids that grew around the encampment where she was captive for her formative years.

[Nothere]

Re: A Gift?

 

Scardeycat would take the box to a construction site. He'd then attach a knife to a really long pole, and while hiding behind a wall cut it open.

 

As to what's in the box, well from his most important enimies

 

Crimestar would send a noose or simalar objectwith a note that reads. Try it on for size, you'll be wearing one permanatly soon.

 

KillKat wouldn't do anything like this so nothing.

 

Zeos Holder of the Light would send pamplets promoting his cult, and the next day a video sent by a concerned citizen of Scardey cat removeing evidence from a crime secene would hit the news. Promtly followed by Zeos warning people that to save their souls from Scardey's evil they should kill him, and join the cult of light.

[Deadborder]

Re: A Gift?

 

Skadi would simply open it; she's so convinced of her indestructability that if it was a bomb.trap/whatever, she wouldn't care and figure ashe can survive it anyway. She also knows that two of her three arch-enemies aren't the type to leave clever traps (one would see it as beneath him and the other's a buttmunky) while the third wants her alive anyway.

 

Knight Watch would stand well back and set up a datalink with his home base systems, and wait as his wife's remotes scan it. If they come up all clear, then he opens it. If not, well, he'll call in more remotes to dispose of it. Then, if it is a failed trap, he'll tell the sender how obvious it was next time they meet. Repeatedlty.