Tedology Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 Hello all, So I settled on having my campaign be zodiac-based. I thought I would have each week having the heroes face a different foe, one whom is represented by a different astrological sign. The problem is...I'd like to have the 12th (13th?) mission/episode/issue be a culminating mission. I'd like all the stories be tied together somehow. This is where I'm stuck. I thought about a crown or such that has 12 stones and that a MAJOR mega-villain wants for world domination (very cliche', etc.) But blah...been there, done that. I'm coming to you good folks seeking ideas/brainstorming. Also, should you wish to contribute ideas for the enemies themselves, I wouldn't be opposed to that. I've already worked on Aries as being a shield-wielding foe (the shield would have a ram emblazoned on it, and he would use the shield quite forcefully. ) Taurus will most likely be a minotaur, etc. But again...I'm not married to the ideas and open for creative alternatives. Thanks for any input...it's greatly appreciated. Ted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nothere Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 Well off the top of my head if you want to pass on the Megavillian crown thing you could go the Mortal Combat route. The reason powerful supervilllians based on the Zodiac are suddenly all appearing at the same time isn't that their working together. Cosmic forces are preparing for a giant battle to determine which aspect will have dominance over the universe. Not knowing whats going on the villain being evil get up to various evil schemes. And as the heroes have interefered with all of them, at the time of the final battle they are brought along. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba smith Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 why not let the HEROES have the zodiac powers for a change? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedology Posted April 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 Well off the top of my head if you want to pass on the Megavillian crown thing you could go the Mortal Combat route. The reason powerful supervilllians based on the Zodiac are suddenly all appearing at the same time isn't that their working together. Cosmic forces are preparing for a giant battle to determine which aspect will have dominance over the universe. Not knowing whats going on the villain being evil get up to various evil schemes. And as the heroes have interefered with all of them, at the time of the final battle they are brought along. Hmm, I like this idea, Nothere. I could have it so that the villains really are clueless that they are part of a larger scheme...and perhaps are in the "wrong place at the wrong time"? (Not sure if that was what your idea was). why not let the HEROES have the zodiac powers for a change? I'd have no problem with this, Bubba. However, the players have already created their characters and none appear to have zodiac-themed powersets. That being said, there may not be a reason that one of them isn't the "personage" of a certain sign, and thereby drawn into the scheme (mentioned above)? Thank you both for contributing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba smith Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 you are welcome tedology Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheQuestionMan Posted April 26, 2014 Report Share Posted April 26, 2014 Zodiac http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zodiac Zodiac http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zodiac_(comics) Zodiac Crsytals - DC Comics Database http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Zodiac_Crystals Zodiac Teams - Marvel Comics Database http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Zodiac The Zodiac Conspiracy - Doug Shuler (Hero Games Adventure) http://index.rpg.net/display-entry.phtml?mainid=5526 The Zodiac Conspiracy Debugged - Derek Hiemforth (aka Rhiniobunny) http://rhinobunny.com/derek/hero/zodiac.html Cheers QM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucius Posted April 26, 2014 Report Share Posted April 26, 2014 Introduce Aquarius first. Then go retrograde (backward) in the order of the Precession of the Equinox. Each person empowered as a villain represents the archetypal power of that Sign in a negative way. The climax will be an event that has the potential to change the way Humans relate to the universe in some fundamental way - First Contact with a spacefaring species, our own first starship, discovery of a way to travel between parallel universes, or some transformation of the global collective unconscious - such as by a super telepath awakening and briefly being in contact with all minds on Earth, or a mad scientist attempting to use a mind control device on the entire planet and triggering a universal resistance and rejection of that control, or a ritual of cosmic significance - that gives everyone 2 pts of Mental and Power Defense as "Everyman Powers" in the same way everyone already gets 2 free points of Physical and Energy Defense. This will probably barely impact Mentalist or Magical characters - but is enough to block the subtle influences by which the Signs shape the character and destiny of individuals and of peoples. If the player characters lose, the Age of Aquarius dawns for better and for worse and the ideas and forces associated with that sign become ascendant for 2,500 years to come. The cycle of the Zodiac continues. If they win, then the Human race becomes, individually and collectively, that much more the masters of their own destinies, For the 13th adventure, you may consider using a whole group of villains corresponding not to the Signs but the Astrological Planets, and perhaps make It clear that these are the "big bads" responsible for empowering the twelve zodiacal villains - after all, it is their influence mediated by the Signs which is at stake. Lucius Alexander The Sign of the Palindromedary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedology Posted April 26, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 26, 2014 Wow, Lucius! How do I go about being a player in one of your campaigns?! Love the thought you've put into this...thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csyphrett Posted April 26, 2014 Report Share Posted April 26, 2014 Quick villain ideas can probably be found in the create a villain and hero threads. I know we have done at least one zodiac team and some mythological teams. Also other constellations could be used other than the zodiac. No one wants to be beat down by a swan gone wild. CES Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucius Posted April 26, 2014 Report Share Posted April 26, 2014 Tedology: That depends, where are you geographically? I'm in Indianapolis Lucius Alexander The palindromedary would have Leda bet that encountering a swan-themed character would cignify something Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedology Posted April 26, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 26, 2014 Lucius, I'm in California...a bit of a commute from you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted April 26, 2014 Report Share Posted April 26, 2014 The Zodiac Conspiracy - Doug Shuler (Hero Games Adventure) http://index.rpg.net/display-entry.phtml?mainid=5526 The Zodiac Conspiracy Debugged - Derek Hiemforth (aka Rhiniobunny) http://rhinobunny.com/derek/hero/zodiac.html One of our forum colleagues, Ghost-Archer, developed a version of Doug Shuler's Zodiac for use in his own "Wild Hunt" campaign world, but modified Doug's characters, or replaced them with original villains whose personalities and powers more closely matched their zodiacal sun signs. GA has Fifth Edition character sheets, backgrounds, and illustrations for his Zodiac on his website: http://the-wild-hunt.org/villains/zodiac/index.html EDIT: the address in the link to the write-up for Scorpio on that page is wrong. Here's the correct link: http://the-wild-hunt.org/villains/zodiac/scorpio.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedology Posted April 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2014 Thanks for the resources, Liaden! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassandra Posted May 2, 2014 Report Share Posted May 2, 2014 A year has twelve months. A jury has twelve members. The Year of Trial. The villain is called the Calendar, and he tells the world in one year he's going to destroy humanity, and defies anyone to stop him. 12 unlikely heroes, all who were on the same jury and were exposed to a weird device during a trial and gained superpowers, are the only ones who can stop the Calendar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedology Posted May 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2014 Cassandra! I really like the idea of "Year of Trial" and Calendar (as the mega-villain person). Thank you! I even like his motivation/plan. I'll incorporate it! Any idea of Calendar's powersets? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebar Posted May 2, 2014 Report Share Posted May 2, 2014 There are 13 zodiacal signs. Didn't know that? Neither will your players! http://the-red-thread.net/ophiuchus2.html Tired of being put in the corner like Baby, Ophiuchus raises an army of supervillians, all of whom will fall before the heroes - until they face their ultimate defeat at the hands of the mightiest of all - the mighty Ophiuchus! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedology Posted May 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2014 Very cool, Rebar! Something definitely to consider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russell Posted May 3, 2014 Report Share Posted May 3, 2014 I have just recently made Gemini, I think they make a pretty good super. Posted in downloads... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucius Posted April 2, 2015 Report Share Posted April 2, 2015 Introduce Aquarius first. Then go retrograde (backward) in the order of the Precession of the Equinox. Each person empowered as a villain represents the archetypal power of that Sign in a negative way. The climax will be an event that has the potential to change the way Humans relate to the universe in some fundamental way - First Contact with a spacefaring species, our own first starship, discovery of a way to travel between parallel universes, or some transformation of the global collective unconscious - such as by a super telepath awakening and briefly being in contact with all minds on Earth, or a mad scientist attempting to use a mind control device on the entire planet and triggering a universal resistance and rejection of that control, or a ritual of cosmic significance - that gives everyone 2 pts of Mental and Power Defense as "Everyman Powers" in the same way everyone already gets 2 free points of Physical and Energy Defense. This will probably barely impact Mentalist or Magical characters - but is enough to block the subtle influences by which the Signs shape the character and destiny of individuals and of peoples. If the player characters lose, the Age of Aquarius dawns for better and for worse and the ideas and forces associated with that sign become ascendant for 2,500 years to come. The cycle of the Zodiac continues. If they win, then the Human race becomes, individually and collectively, that much more the masters of their own destinies, For the 13th adventure, you may consider using a whole group of villains corresponding not to the Signs but the Astrological Planets, and perhaps make It clear that these are the "big bads" responsible for empowering the twelve zodiacal villains - after all, it is their influence mediated by the Signs which is at stake. Lucius Alexander The Sign of the Palindromedary I can't believe it took me so long to think of this, but... Earth (Gaia, Terra, Erda, Demeter, whatever Name you use) could also appear at the climax, either as an ally of the player characters or maybe an ally of the other Planets. Lucius Alexander The Sign of the Palindromedary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher R Taylor Posted April 2, 2015 Report Share Posted April 2, 2015 The Zodiac adventure is a pretty good one, if you want bad guys; I did 6th edition rebuilds in this thread (along with many others). I got to NPC rebuilds nobody cared about and gave it up as too much work heh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freakboy6117 Posted April 3, 2015 Report Share Posted April 3, 2015 One idea that i had thinking about it was a competition between two rival zodiac themed teams both trying to acquire 12 or 13 items of power one is based on the western monthly starsigns the other based on the asian annual ones so you have a competition between Rat, Ox, tiger, Rabbit, Dragon,Snake, Horse, Goat / Sheep ,Monkey, Rooster, Dog &,Pig versus there opposite numbers Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo,Libra,Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius & Pisces. each time its a fight to acquire an artifact in a different location you can mix it up with different size teams different specialties etc `the villains that survive without being captured or defeated by there rivals all arrive at the end for a battle royal every man for him self for ultimate power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comic Posted April 3, 2015 Report Share Posted April 3, 2015 You could be raided by the Chinese Zodiac. Oh, and there are at least two sometimes candidates for the 13th (and 14th) spot place in the Zodiac; Ophidius being the most common. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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