What would your character do #11

[Blue]

THIS is an actual scenario playing out right now in my campaign. It's the final scene and wraps up the current plotline. It's a fun little moral dillemma that I have no idea how the characters will handle it.

 

For a while now you've been stocking the local super-prison with local baddies, and since it is the best holding facility of its kind, there have been some sent in from other states to be held there. At that very same facility, at the end of the month, they are holding the execution of a notorious and vicious criminal. Problem is this: It seems his crimes are a sham. It's likley the guy never did anything wrong and is some kind of patsy! The local government may be in on it. The police may be in on it. The feds won't listen to you. The prison is pretty much impervious unless the power is somehow shut down. Now you have a means to kill the power and get in... but if you kill the power, the many, many, many bad guys inside will have the opportunity to free themselves.

 

You've got only a couple days to plan. Do you save the guy?

 

(There are further complications but if I include them this question becomes way too long)

[Chuckg]

Well, none of the characters I have would shut down the prison to save the guy, but all of them would try to save the guy:

 

Not to set him free, natch, but to keep him safe until his guilt or innocence could be confirmed.

 

 

Starguard -- she's got an 80-point Cosmic Power Pool. (And in the campaign I'm currently in, she's got 4-5 friends who are Avengers-class metahumans, with some bordering on JLA class.) If she can't figure out a way to save this guy without having to crash the entire prison, she's just not trying.

 

Of course, she *is* a character in a 750-point campaign where the characters are *supposed* to be the CU's equivalent of the JLA...

 

Dr. Pain -- is a 350-point brick. He's a 350-point *celebrity* brick, however, and he'd be lobbying the governor's mansion with everything he had, and bringing a crowd with him. If necessary, he'd spent a few millions of his own cash through his agent to hire PR firms and rent-a-mobs.

 

If that fails, he'll get a ticket to the execution (actually, he'll already have arranged for a ticket before he started his PR blitz), and then crash through the viewing window and rip apart the electric chair.

 

Baron von Darien -- in the Baron's POV, if he can't figure out a way to get this guy sprung without having to do it the unsubtle way, he's just not trying. Then again, he is pretty much Batman with fangs...

[Ghost Archer]

Ghost Archer wouldn't think twice about popping in on the President, which he has done in the past, much to the chargin of the Secret Service. So, he would collect the evidence and present it to the Prez late one night, probably as he's taking a shower or some such thing. He wouldn't ask for anything more then a "Stay" and that the AG at least take a look before snuffing the guy. If this proved fruitless, Archer would possibly take it to the media and lay out everything. Should the guy still be executed, Archer would do everything in his power to get to the bottom of the situation and make sure the right perp ended up in the same chair.

 

Icehawk would use his money and buy the guy a "Stay" through the media until an investigation could be lauched, that is, if he noticed what was going on. He would never even consider a break out.

[Chuckg]

Granted, in the campaign Starguard is currently in, the breakout is the idea she'd come up with (she's got 'Novice Heroine' as a Psych Lim).

 

The team's leader, Horus-Re (who's pretty much our campaign world's equivalent of Superman) would most likely simply walk straight into the Oval Office and politely request an appointment... and between his 45 PRE and his +6/+6d6 Reputation as "Earth's Mightiest Hero", he'd get one.

 

(Horus is also the resident team member in charge of tempering Starguard's innocent enthusiasm.)

[JeffreyWKramer]

I was actually in a campaign long ago with a situation much like this - there was someone innocent in Stronghold that had special knowledge that was needed to foil a VIPER plot. The solution we came up with was to get one of our team members put *in* Stronghold. The way we did this was to sneak the shapeshifting member of the group into the Federal holding facility where another villain (someone with ice powers - it may have been Freon, I can't recall) was being held. We spirited that crook out from custody then the shapeshifter took his place, posing as this villain and wearing the anti-power device that was set against ice powers (and thus did nothing vs. this character's own form-change powers). Once he was transported to Stronghold, he dropped the power-shackles, turned liquid and oozed out of his heated cell (calibrated against ice powers, again), then used Stealth, Security Systems and his Shapeshifting to get into the desired cell, shut it down and get far enough with the innocent for the rest of the team to help him out.

 

The whole adventure was fun. Along the way, the cold villain escaped from the rest of the team and had to be recaptured, then the whole team ended up being hunted by the government for awhile for the break-out, until we managed to squash the VIPER plot and obtained proof along the way to clear the guy we'd rescued.

[Hermit]

For a while now you've been stocking the local super-prison with local baddies, and since it is the best holding facility of its kind, there have been some sent in from other states to be held there. At that very same facility, at the end of the month, they are holding the execution of a notorious and vicious criminal. Problem is this: It seems his crimes are a sham. It's likley the guy never did anything wrong and is some kind of patsy! The local government may be in on it. The police may be in on it. The feds won't listen to you. The prison is pretty much impervious unless the power is somehow shut down. Now you have a means to kill the power and get in... but if you kill the power, the many, many, many bad guys inside will have the opportunity to free themselves.

 

You've got only a couple days to plan. Do you save the guy?

[/b]

 

Apex: He'd try to talk to the authorities, assuredly. If/When that failed, he'd turn ot the press. If they shrugged it off, despite whatever evidence he could present... he'd start to look into that 'imprevious' theory. His secret ID is an archetict, and very few buildings are perfect. While tempted to 'break him out' he'd see if he could find any crimes that were beign pinned on this guy tha t DID happen, and find who's behind it. Since he can't help the guy directly, maybe he can get to the heart of the matter.

 

Lone Star: Texas' most beloved hero ? (Well, he's beloved, maybe not most) He'd put his good rep to good use and see if he could get a stay from the Governor. Should he experience some sort of shut out... well, it's amazing what flying to a city's public square and growing to super size to get the people's on the street's attention can do. Who are you going to believe? A bunch of politicians, or the super hero who risks his life for you daily?

 

Recluse: Let's see, a shrinking mystical spider-man type should be able to slip into the imprevious place by hitching a ride on a guard if nothing else. Recluse would try to free him without playing with electricty.

 

Slammer: Public ID Celebrity hero, he'd put his fame to work campaigning for a stay for the guy. He's a bit overconfident, so he might try the power down trusting he could have the element of surprise.

 

Surge: First, make sure he's SURE. Too many slick guys manipulate heroes, so make sure he' snot the catspaw here. After that, he'd take a technological approach. With the skills he and Jessica possess, they might be able to create just a localized one cell block only black out.

 

Wildcard: An escape artist, trying to open what is essentially a puzzle box? Heck yes. What's more, even before that, if he discovered the cops and politicians KNEW the guy was innocent, but was going to let him fry anyways... well, he might take them for a moonlight swing, dangle them over the docks and play 'Cut with the deck', sort of like cut the deck, but instead slicing the cord that's holding them...

 

"Want to tell me WHY You're letting this guy fry when he's innocent Mr Mayor? *nick cord* Ooo, darn, no spades yet..."

 

He'd also have a recorder hidden to take any confessions, he's crazy, not stupid.

[Speedball]

I'm not sure it would even occur to Speedball to go to the media with the information he has. In RDUNeil's game, Speedball's team, The Mavericks, have been forced to operate underground for some time now.

 

I think that Speedball would certainly feel obligated to try and spring the guy long eough for us to find the real culprit and if that means incidental freedom for other guilty parties, then so be it. That said, Perhaps The Mavericks could form up into teams, one dedicated to springing the unjustly accused person and the other assigned to containing the true evil-doers until the power comes back up.

 

This actually sounds a lot like something RDUNeil would come up with. I sure hope he doesn't read this post....

[phydaux]

Well, my character Quasar has the Governor as a contact, along with the Mayor, the police chief, the National Guard commander, the local UNTIL commander... Several heros in his super group are reporters "in real life." Also, Quasar has the Psyk Lim "Truthful and Honest" as well as the Reputation "Truthful and Honest." With just a few phone calls he could get a lot of powerful people to listen, including newspaper and TV reporters.

 

Mind Maiden is another of those "Huge VPP" characters. She could spring the guy with out even trying. However, because of her MANY Psyk Lims, she probibly wouldn't care enough to try.

 

Shadowhunter would laugh at the idea of springing a costumed villain, even if he WAS mostly innocent, and would UPS the villain a big ol' jar of popcorn to hold while he was in the chair.

 

However he would research the background of all the crimes and make sure EVERYONE involved got the SAME treatment. He isn't above holding his own, private, electrocution of a local Mob boss or corrupt elected official.

 

And before the execution Shadowhunter would make sure EVERYONE involved knew that if the guy in prison died, so would everyone else that was involved "behind the sceans."

[Vondy]

Anthem - well, he is the federal government's super-hero team director, but assuming he wasn't: investigate it independently, get solid proof, and file an injunction for a new hearing in federal court based on new evidence (it pays to have a law degree).

 

Nightwing - he'd investigate the matter and go to the media.

 

Pinstripe - cut a blood red swath through the ranks of those involved until he found the correct evidence, and then, if the guy was innocent of any crimes, he'd go to the media. If the guy was guilty of another capitol crime he'd sit on the evidence.

 

Doc Micro - investigate and go to the media.

[McCoy]

Millennium: Request the prisoner's cooperation, telepathically probe him to determine, in his own mind, guilt or innocence. If the prisoner is innocent, do whatever it takes to save his life. (Millennium realizes he's not that good a telepath, and could be fooled by implanted/false memories, so geting this confirmed by another telepath is definitely on his "to do" list.Contact Govenor and President about a stay. Go to press with announcement that he believes him innocent, and is requesting time to further investigate. Put all30 PRE, 30 CHA and reputation on the line. If all else fails, arrange to fake prisoner's death on eve of execution and smuggle him out that way.

 

Dolphin: Pure blackmail. If they execute this one, and it turns out he was innocent, he is NEVER again bringing in a criminal charged with a capital offense.

 

Cheeta, Iron Will, & Snow Lepoard: C'est la vie.

[Mayday]

Mayday would have no choice but to hold off the execution. What evidence we have goes to the Big League superteam out East with a plea that they look into it, especially their mentalist. Contact the guy and ask him to permit a mind probe from wherever she is at and use what info she gets from it to investigate as fast as she can. Some of her squeamishness will be overridden because of the urgency. Unfortunately due to politics, my Governor would not be willing to do a Stay of Execution but there are many interest groups and conspiracy theorists who live for this kind of thing especially if he is not a white male. Amnesty International etcetera will take the evidence and see that it gets to every news outlet.

 

Any other prominent heroes she would privately ask for their public support also. She'd admit that she could be wrong but how can you take the chance without knowing?

 

Would she turn off the power? No. At least not facility wide. She would, if time ran out, rewire the facility so that only his cell was opened, and get him out of there and out of the state. Heck. Out of the country. Pursue legal avenues from Canada, and also pursue the leads that hint at police and local corruption to force a new trial in a new jurisdiction perhaps, as well as to expose and get rid of it.

 

Might lose her career as a hero but would be at peace with herself and she does have a real life that needs her attention.

 

Would she go to prison, voluntarily? Maybe, but she is french and beloved there. Almost their national heroine in a mascot kind of way. A few months ok. Years no. Only if superheroes started showing up on her doorstep insisting that she really does have to. Out of respect for them she'd go peacefully, but not out of respect for our legal system after seeing how corrupt it is.

 

I think she'd even work with her arch enemies of P.S.I. if she thought it could help result in Justice for that guy.

[Guest WhammeWhamme]

Flip... I hope he's allowed his *2 mass on EDM... (currently being revised...)

 

Given that: Bust him out - into another dimension. One without capital punishment.

 

Investigate, come back for him later if he's innocent.

 

 

Then again, his powers are best defined as 'anything that gets bast barriers....' .

[zornwil]

Blazing Arrow wouldn't be able to shut down the prison security unless through mystical means (very unlikely for him). But he would participate in such unless the spirits advised him otherwise.

[The Watcher]

Originally posted by phydaux

Shadowhunter would laugh at the idea of springing a costumed villain, even if he WAS mostly innocent, and would UPS the villain a big ol' jar of popcorn to hold while he was in the chair.

Would he be so blase' if the man in question was entirely innocent? The first post did say all the crimes were in fact shams that he didn't perpetrate at all.

 

Imagine the old remote controlled power armor with the patsy trapped inside. Armor gets damaged, patsy cut out of it, and he takes the fall, while the real mastermind who pulled all the crimes gets away scott free with no one even suspecting his existence.

 

Now imagine Shadowhunter knowing the truth about what happened. Would he still laugh and have the popcorn delivered?

[The Watcher]

As for my characters

 

Warp: In his Secret ID he's a billionaire playboy, investor, and philanthropist who has both Mayor Calvin Bisselle and Congresswoman Shanna Armbruster as contacts with good relations. I think he might be able to finagle a stay by talking to one of them.

 

And if for some reason that didn't work, he could always swallow his pride and ask his father for a favor. Who happens to be ACI founder and CEO Franklin Stone. He definitely would have the contacts and influence to probably get a stay.

 

Spectrum: He's a national hero with important contacts such as the Head of DOSPA and the Secretary of Defense. He should be able to arrange a stay pretty easy.

 

Mystic (Dropped the Mr.): As a canidate for the office of Archmage, he probably has enough mojo to spirit the innocent away and leave a simulcrum in his place.

 

Proteus: If contacts and politicing doesn't work, he could always get the Governor out of the way temporarily and impersonate him to issue a stay himself.

[Mayday]

The local government may be in on it. The police may be in on it.

 

Alot of you are relying on your local Contacts, but what if those Contacts really are guilty? Will you turn them in? Hope none of them know your Secret ID.

[Chuckg]

Don't have any, wouldn't share my secret ID with them if I did have any, and would turn them in in a heartbeat... none of my heroes are friends with people who are murderers.

[Blue]

Re: What would your character do #11

 

Just dug this thread back up in order to metnion how it went.

 

I managed, through NPCs and a "discovered information campaign", convince the heroes to go in and save the 'innocent' man.

 

Their plan: Audra Blue, hacker extraordinaire, would knock out the power grid to certain parts of the super-prison (Called THE KEEP). The heroes used an NPC teleporter (who can take up to 16x mass) into the place. They took Audra with them, so that she could hack their systems and manipulate all of the doors and energy fields (she has an outrageous SPD when jacked into their systems).

 

The heroes located the captive man, and while one team protected Audra, the others teleported to the captive. Problem is, their teleporter got knocked out by a brutal hit. So that lead to a long fight between the heroes and the villains (who were running the asylum, so to speak). The heroes fought them off in the halls, trying to get back to the original part of the team, until finally they revived the teleporter, who reunited the team and beamed everyone out.

 

Why did all this happen?.. Because an NPC magician, Eldritch, needed them to knock down the defenses of the keep so that he could enter and get his revenge on multiple villains who were captive there, forever banishing them to the hell they richly deserve. He was unapologetic about all the manipulation and put he world at risk because of a time-paradox he caused during the whole thing. But in the end, the innocent man was saved, The Keep was again recaptured, and everyone lived.

 

And Eldritch got his smug revenge on men who destroyed his life 1400 years in the past. Now that's a vendetta!

 

Originally posted by Blue

THIS is an actual scenario playing out right now in my campaign. It's the final scene and wraps up the current plotline. It's a fun little moral dillemma that I have no idea how the characters will handle it.

 

For a while now you've been stocking the local super-prison with local baddies, and since it is the best holding facility of its kind, there have been some sent in from other states to be held there. At that very same facility, at the end of the month, they are holding the execution of a notorious and vicious criminal. Problem is this: It seems his crimes are a sham. It's likley the guy never did anything wrong and is some kind of patsy! The local government may be in on it. The police may be in on it. The feds won't listen to you. The prison is pretty much impervious unless the power is somehow shut down. Now you have a means to kill the power and get in... but if you kill the power, the many, many, many bad guys inside will have the opportunity to free themselves.

 

You've got only a couple days to plan. Do you save the guy?

 

(There are further complications but if I include them this question becomes way too long)

[The Watcher]

Originally posted by Mayday

Alot of you are relying on your local Contacts, but what if those Contacts really are guilty? Will you turn them in? Hope none of them know your Secret ID.

For Warp, all the contacts I've mentioned only know him by his Secret ID, Daniel Stone, multibillionaire playboy/philanthropist/investing wunderkind.

 

And if the mayor is actually guilty, not only would he turn him in, but would devote major resources to destroying his poltical career as well. Whether he's found guilty or not in a court of law, he'd do my best to make sure he won't be able to be elected dog catcher.

 

For Spectrum, he's got a Public ID, and has major pull with the Federal government. And also happens to be one of the most powerful energy manipulating heroes on the planet. The locals try to move against him and they'll find themsevles in a world of hurt.

[The Watcher]

Just Remebered

 

Mystic doesn't have to stop the execution. He could just ressurect the man afterward.

[farik]

It might takes days of research to do it but Kenneth would figure out a way to teleport the prisoner to safety for interrogation without releasing the other prisoners.

 

If time was shorter then Kenneth would plan on having Husky bust/sneak in and liberate the prisoner with an ingenius complex plan. Husky however would disregard the plan and liberate the villain the fastest most direct way availiable to him intending to subdue the other escapeees later.