Dr. Hercules Posted November 18, 2009 Report Share Posted November 18, 2009 Awhile ago I found The Shadow radio dramas at my local library. While listening to them I read a little booklet that came with it wich talked about the history of the program and such. It also had a listing of each episode with a little "TV Guide" blurb about each episode. It came to me how these blurbs were perfect little plot hooks for a campaign. Some could be used as just side treks but others could be develpoped into full adventures by GMs with a little creativity. So, naturally I wrote them down. They have been sitting on my computer for almost a year now so I thought I would pull them out, dust them off, and post them here for your use. Note: When writing these I kept the title to the original Shadow episode, and pretty much kept the blurb as written. The only thing i really changed was when the Shadow, his alter ego or Margo Lane was mentioned I replaced it with PCs, PC, or DNPC. I give you 60 of The Shadow Radio Drama Plot Hooks: “The Death House Rescue”: The PCs use their abilities to search for the evidence needed to prevent the execution of an innocent man “The Circle of Death”: A crowd-hating terrorist sets off bombs in densely populated areas---but how? “The Death Triangle”: Death follows a trio of escapees from Devil’s Island “The Society of the Living Dead”: A suicide sets the PCs on the trail of an organization supplying fake identities to criminals “ The Plot Murder”: An innocent officer is court-martialed for sabotage, but the frame-up conceals a plot to assassinate the president and vice-president “The White Legion”: The White Legion avenges injustice but the vigilantes also have a darker hidden agenda “The Hypnotized Audience”: A mentalist kidnaps the governor to delay the execution of his brother “Message from the Hills”: The PCs learns of a diamond mine robbery via mental telepathy “Traffic in Death”: Sanitarium patients die at the hands of a human vampire “Night Without End”: The City is paralyzed with fear as it is enveloped by a mysterious black fog controlled by an extortionist “Appointment With Death”: A convict escapes from prison and leaves a trail of corpses to lure the PCs to an island death trap “Can the Dead Talk”: A mentalists discovery of one of the PCs true Identity results in the apparent death of the PC “Mansion of Madness”: The PCs encounter a strange family when they’re forced to take refuge in an old castle “The Shadow Returns”: The PCs investigates malady that claims the limbs and lives of seamen “The Sandhog Murders”: Tunnel workers are being killed, PCs are trapped in a tunnel of death “The Voice of Death”: A deranged scientist attempts to transplant a DNPCs vocal cords into his pet cat “ Joey’s Christmas Story”: The PCs bring Christmas cheer to a newsboy and his impoverished family “The Shadow Challenged”: A murderous PC imposter uses his abilities for evil and sets a death trap for the rest of the PCs “ The Chess Club Murders”: A feuding chess club’s membership is reduced by a series of murders “The Ghost Walks Again”: An assassinated mob boss is resuscitated by a scientific experiment, and sets out for revenge “The Case of the Three Frightened Policemen”: The PCs are drawn into a case of parole violation and murder “The Ring of Light”: A magical ring sought by murderous crooks brings death to those who try to despoil it “The Wailing Corpse”: A man orders a special glass coffin outfitted with a telephone before his mysterious death. Does he intend to place calls from beyond the grave? “ The Gibbering Things”: The PCs investigates the mystery of the haunted woods while visiting a PCs relative “Death to The Shadow”: A television camera enables a master criminal to tune in to anything….even the PCs “The Living Head”: Extortionists threaten their victims with the prospect of becoming living decapitated heads “The Valley of the Living Terror”: The PCs search for a missing scientist in the jungles of South America “Blood Money”: The Murder of an engraver sets the PCs on the trail of a counterfeit racket “Gang Doctor”: A crook with an altered face sends the PCs in pursuit of a child killer “The Devil Takes A Wife”: A swamp curse claims the members and servants of a bayou family “The Scent of Death”: An empty perfume bottle sets the PCs on the trail of a serial killer “Spider Boy”: A deranged weaver obsessed with spiders spins a deadly web to ensnare DNPC “The Phantom of the Lighthouse”: The dying vow of a pirate captain brings death to those who inhabit an ancient lighthouse “The Curse of the Gypsies”: A mentally ill heiress is frightened by a gypsy who appears to have returned from the grave “Murder of the Medium”: The PCs investigates a spiritualist’s connection to a recent murder “The Chill of Death”: An Eccentric couple murders their maids for the insurance money “The Bones of the Dragon”: Chinatown’s New Year celebration provides the backdrop for one of the PCs strangest cases “Death and the Black Fedora”: An emotionally disturbed man believes he’s guilty of murder “One Dead and Two to Go”: A captured criminal pleads guilty but the PCs suspects there is more to the story “ Preview of Terror”: A thunderstorm, an old house and its strange inhabitants add up to a night of mystery and mayhem for the PCs “The Temple Bells of Neban”: While Investigating a drug ring, a PC encounters somebody from their mysterious past who possesses the ancient magic that can destroy his main power “The Phantom Voice”: An honest politician is being framed. Who is behind it and how did they get a recording of his voice confessing to the crime? “The Bride of Death”: A religious cult led by “The Prophet” prepares a minister’s daughter for human sacrifice “The Black Abbot”: A Black Abbot seemingly returns from the grave to kill the workers restoring an ancient church “Prelude to Terror”: Gangsters create a reign of terror, using a murdered scientist’s invention to turn light bulbs into deadly instruments of destruction “The Man Who Murdered Time”: An embittered scientist attempts to prevent his own death using a time machine that causes the entire world to relive the same day in perpetuity “Dead Men Talk”: What is the connection between the disappearnce of a derelict’s corpse and the reported death of a political boss? “The Phantom Fingerprints”: Fingerprints indicate that the murder of the city’s veteran medical examiner is the work of a killer executed eight years earlier “The Curse of Shiva”: The PCs attend a séance of death “The Leopard Strikes”: A series of murders in the zoo sets the PCs on the trail of a leopard cult “Death Gives an Encore”: The Hands of an Executed Killer mysteriously disappear. Is there a connection with a scientist who claims to perform “living transplants”? “The Little Man Who Wasn’t There”: A series of robberies by an “Invisible man” gives the PCs no end of trouble “The Curse of the Cat”: A Young Woman suspects she is becoming a cat woman following her mother’s death “Etched with Acid”: Mobsters use the threat of disfiguring acid attacks to extort money from socialites “Death in a Minor Key”: A young friend of one of the PCs insists that his uncle and a physician are plotting to defraud him of his inheritance---and killing sanitarium patients “Murders on the Main Stem”: The PCs investigate a series of murders in the Broadway theater community “The Fine Art of Murder”: A mad artist searches for the perfect model to paint at the moment of death “The Shadows Revenge”: An escaped convict is determined to exact revenge on the PCs “Reflection of Death”: A newlywed purchases an ancient mirror that reveals the images of those about to die “Firebug” A serial arsonist terrorizes the city. Is his targets truly random or is there another motive to his madness? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kahuna's bro Posted November 18, 2009 Report Share Posted November 18, 2009 Re: Pulpy Plot Hooks good work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kahuna's bro Posted November 18, 2009 Report Share Posted November 18, 2009 Re: Pulpy Plot Hooks edit double post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DusterBoy Posted November 18, 2009 Report Share Posted November 18, 2009 Re: Pulpy Plot Hooks That's a whole lot of imagination at work there, Dr Hercules and it's all good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narratio Posted November 19, 2009 Report Share Posted November 19, 2009 Re: Pulpy Plot Hooks The nice thing here is that the titles can be used to advertise low level super human involvement if you want to use these for 1940's superhuman "Golden Age" games. Some just scream it! The Society of the Living Dead Cries out for a low level 'Demon' type group. The White Legion Oh yeah, a Broederbund Nazi Arayan group The Hypnotized Audience Can you say "The Ringmaster and his Circus of Crime"? The Chess Club Murders A gadgeteer with chess themed weapons - The Flashes Rogues would love him... Firebug Enter a Human Torch wannabe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kahuna's bro Posted November 19, 2009 Report Share Posted November 19, 2009 Re: Pulpy Plot Hooks THE LEAOPARD STRIKES thepc could track down what the THINK is a villian but find out he's a new mystery-man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nothere Posted December 6, 2009 Report Share Posted December 6, 2009 Re: Pulpy Plot Hooks A few other titles, sorry only know the plot for two. The Ruby of Karaval- A jewel thief disguises himself as the member of a household so he and his aide can Steal a ruby with a death curse. The heroes arrive just in time for the first murder victim to give a cryptic clue to it's location. Society of the Living Dead- A criminal ring sells new identities to criminals who need to disappear. Titles whoes plots I don't know so make your own:) The League of Terror Sabotage Murder on Approval Murder Underground The Lady in Black The Laughing Corpse The Man who Murdered Time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Hercules Posted December 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2009 Re: Pulpy Plot Hooks I don't know about the rest of these titles but that last one is posted up top with the rest of them. The Man Who Murdered Time”: An embittered scientist attempts to prevent his own death using a time machine that causes the entire world to relive the same day in perpetuity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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