Dome City

[Duke Bushido]

1 hour ago, Hugh Neilson said:

 

Minor attack one hit wonders works for a huge crowd scene of enemies.  This is also nice for the novice coming from the movies, where we often see hordes of mooks not really worthy of the hero's time.  One attack from a Super - down.  This may also be a good place for a sidebar on speeding up combats like this one - for example, not tracking robot BOD, just assuming one Super hit takes it down.  A normal hit by one takes, say, 5d6 normal damage - probably Stunned, and a bit bloodied, but we should end up with lots of injuries and no fatalities.  No real threat to the Supers, whose job is to protect the civilians.

 

That's sort of how I saw it, save I saw them as two-hit wonders, being as how they take no STUN and may still be able to flail a club even if badly battered.  SFX can change this:  Set it on fire?  Okay; one hit's enough: the wiring and motors and such will fry / melt before they have another turn (SPD2 okay with everyone?)

 

 

1 hour ago, Hugh Neilson said:

 

 

So why was it such a pain to dig them in the first time?  

 

It wasn't a pain; it's just that the average gang banger doesn't sign on because he loves manual labor.     What I was _thinking_-- and anyone with better ideas, jump in-- that there were initially "cornerstone" batteries that had to be laid every X far apart to create the initial field; other batteries were simply concealed at points between these "cornerstones."  For whatever reason, the cornerstone batteries-- maybe 30?  Doesn't really matter) had to be buried at "just the right depth"-- perhaps as little as a foot in some places and as much as three or four in others.  Make it inches; it straight-up doesn't matter, since the whole "this is where the Skull had us dig all them damned holes" is intended more as a clue than a physics lesson anyway.  Once the initial ring was active, those batteries that were simply scattered between these cornerstone locations would -- oh, Hell, _why_ does it matter?   There's batteries in the ground; bad guys put them there; they power the dome.   At any rate, once the first batteries resonated and brought the others on line and in "line," so to speak, there was energy enough to create the dome, modulate the "destructive pressure" and sink the batteries to their current depth of however far the PCs are determined to dig.  (should they decide to dig).  We're edging dangerously close to killing HERO all over again with unnecessarily stating out pointless shcrap.

 

Eh-- sorry about that.  I'm having an off day.  You have solid questions, but in the overall scheme of things, why does it matter why the bad guy didn't like digging holes?  Hell, I'm a good guy and I don't like doing it.  

 

Bear with the mood; details when I've hit everything I wanted to hit, and I'll try to be better-minded.  My heart's not in this at the moment, but it _is_ important to me.

 

1 hour ago, Hugh Neilson said:

If the death is to resonate with the players, it needs to be a character they have come to know, which is only viable through the events of Chapter 1.  I don't see this as "wow, they are serious", I see it as needless gore.  One of the Skull's hired henchmen, and one who is not very loyal at that, killing a guy for no apparent reason does not give me any feeling that the Skull is a greater threat.

 

The first dead guy _is_ important.  Possibly even a second one.  We can regulate and debate, but for any RPG scenario to go well, they players are obligated to invest a little bit in the story just as we the GMs are obligated to provide them with a reasonable adventure.  As many of the comments I've quoted have pointed out, movies and comics have lots and lots of ways to make death almost tasteful; almost antiseptic, and even leave room to wonder if death actually happened at all.  We need a dead guy or two just to drive home "people are currently dying."  We don't need a million of them; we don't need oozing wounds and dissented features and bits of circuit jammed through cracked-open craniums and into brain tissue or wires shooting through eyeballs to tie into the nervous system or anything like that, but we need a dead guy for the base line story.  In this case, it's not a matter of making the Skull a serious threat; it's a matter of making the entire situation a serious threat.  We can certainly dedicate some space in the GMing this Adventure section on how to sanitize out all the dead people; frankly, I think that will be easier than a section on "how to add dead guys in," and certainly more enjoyable to both write and read.  I am certainly open to doing that.

 

 

1 hour ago, Hugh Neilson said:

 

How does a dead guy in one of many mobile animatronics further the Skull's plot?

 

If we stuck on a rail with the Skull and his plot, period, would you not be asking us why there is no other activity or life anywhere in this world, or how other characters may have aligned themselves and what they're doing?  This shallow jog is an answer to that:

 

The mayor is attempting to raise moral; the heroes go along with it, both because they agree the city needs a morale boost and because it seems right that a large gathering would have a higher potential of being targeted in some way (again, assuming the players have decided their characters are actually heroic and are concerned about the welfare of the citizens).  The Skull understands the danger of morale, and turns it instead into a chance to add more fear to the citizens.  

 

1 hour ago, Hugh Neilson said:

Why should I (player or PC) care about some random NPC? 

 

Because not all the players will be heartless dicks Batman.  As mentioned, there is some small requirement upon the players to invest in the story.  Granted, we _could_ write a novel instead of an adventure, but the idea here was originally to demonstrate that HERO doesn't mandate complex, complicated, overthought anything.

 

 

1 hour ago, Hugh Neilson said:

Without answers to both questions, it's just gore and violence for no reason.

 

It's not without reason, anymore than any other demonstration is without reason.  Alternatively, we can not kill, not maim, or inconvenience anyone.  The Skull could put up a dome and say "this comes down when you all agree to make me your master.  E-mail me when you decide."  Then do absolutely nothing for the next several years.

 

1 hour ago, Hugh Neilson said:

Does the Skull pick someone specific to send a message?  Does the dead NPC provide an opportunity for investigation to advance the plot?  Was he chosen deliberately by the Skull to make a statement, or randomly by CyberJack just to add some mindless gore?

 

 

This makes some sense, making him a crime boss as well as a nutjob supervillain.

 

Ah!

 

I think I see the problem now.  You haven't actually been reading this since the beginning on the "perceptions" thread, or you would already have these answers.  To recap:

 

No; the Skull didn't say kill anyone specific.  More of a "terrorize as you will" order, though given his general nonchalance about killing, he may instead say "kill as many as you can" just to make sure the point is driven home to the public.

 

The dead NPC is a clue to the personality of CJ. He wasn't chosen by the Skull at all.  He wasn't selected at random.

 

He has been a crime boss after the first revision, I think.  Perhaps the second.  Granted, we may not have spelled it out in as many words, having ascertained that we were all more or less on the same page, so if you did happen to miss that, well that one's on us.

 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, Hugh Neilson said:

Why "off the others" if they are not disloyal?  Killing the leadership (with maybe one or two on the run) and co-opting their muscle makes a lot more sense than randomly killing goons for the sake of killing goons

 

Combination intelligence and paranoia.  He's paranoid about them being disloyal, which is almost practical given the recruitment add was "join me or end up like the two guys on your left."  Self-preservation in the heat of the moment doesn't necessarily mean loyalty, and he knows that.  He's also extremely paranoid that he may actually have some disloyal spies (like the guys smuggling in toilet paper--

 

NOTE ON THAT:   That's really only going to be viable if we decide the siege of the city will last several weeks.  Just sayin'.   Perhaps another note for the GM bin:  "If your players are having a _seriously_ hard time bringing the dome down, then a black market will develop."  In all seriousness, though, I think we may have to lose that.      )

 

He's also smart enough to know that he is, for all intents and purposes, surrounded.  The city can hold out for a while, but it will eventually need an influx of goods, even if it's just _soap_.  He also knows that the suits that signed up with him may well have signed up with him as self-preservation, and in all likelihood will sell him down the river for the same reasons.  Dead witnesses, dead informants, dead anyone-with-any-possibility-of-knowing-anything is the much more intelligent way to preserve his own self, at least as far as his paranoia allows him to take things.

 

1 hour ago, Hugh Neilson said:

If, with investigation, our PCs can track down one of the surviving gang leadership, he may be able to tell them how the Skull took down most of the leaders in one night, which his new powers, leaving the few lucky enough to escape with no choice but to hide until they could get out of Hepzibah - no mean feat with all their old muscle looking for them - and a fat bonus for delivering an enemy of the Skull.  Maybe the heroes even have to protect these mobsters from the Skull's thugs.

 

I may be misremembering this (I am a bit distracted), but didn't you shoot down "gang informant" just a couple days ago?

 

1 hour ago, Hugh Neilson said:

 

 

Have to say I am a bigger fan of him telling them nothing, just arranging for them to be in the right place where their powers develop almost immediately, throwing them into conflict with the PCs.  Perhaps the same genetics that make them prone to super-powers makes them prone to mental instability (the Skull finds similar genetic markers to his own), which is why they have banded together - they are similarly unstable, and work poorly with others outside their little clique.

 

That does ring nicely.  However, the Skull's megalomania would want them to know that he has "gifted" them with their powers, and the position prior to the powers would simply be the carrot to ensure their loyalty (at least until he is done with them).

 

1 hour ago, Hugh Neilson said:

 

It also feels like we are doing a lot of work to make the Skull a genius chemist when he's mainly using physics (skull blasters and grenades; the Dome) to carry out his plans.  Just having him take over current drug distribution seems like it would work fine (and the mundane chemistry required for a meth lab is child's play for him - he would have at least 'basic' (university level) skills in all sciences.

 

Agreed.  However, it's a far cry from "meth lab" to "mind-enhancement drugs" (real ones, that is).  In all honesty, I don't have a problem, given the hyper-intelligence angle, with him being a genius in eighty different fields.  What I _do_ have a problem with is breaking that into a hundred and sixty different skills when "Chemisty," "Physics", "genetics," and _possibly_ "Pharmacology"  will do.  I have a personal hatred of the ever-shattering Skills system in HERO, and if we're trying to demonstrate that "HERO isn't everything you've head it was," then I think "broad skills" is an excellent example of that.  

 

 

 

1 hour ago, Hugh Neilson said:

#4 - old henchmen will know about the mines, but only those with him after the startup know about his new location.  I think I would keep his main base in the mines - too much hassle to move everything, and too little patience to delay his vengeance to do so.

 

This seems reasonable, but let's revisit it in a bit.

 

1 hour ago, Hugh Neilson said:

Ummmm...what did they mine in Hepzibah?

 

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1apJUODa7wzi7hyYsUe-XWRUYo-BofZj55Tt0hNqKvUs

 

First gold, then later coal.  If we want to have active mines still (I don't, as I don't think it will add more than places for the players to get lost), we might consider radioactives.  And now I'm pretty sure you've either got a really stressful day job, or joined in about mid-ways.  

 

nothing wrong with that, of course.  Frankly, I wish a few more would join in.  

 

 

 

1 hour ago, Hugh Neilson said:

 

 

Are we distracting from the game with a dozen or so puns?

 

That's going to be up to the GM.  Personally, I saw it as rather grim-- almost creepy, but not out-of-supers creepy: people desperately pretending to be upbeat in the hopes that their cheered neighbors will then be able to cheer them back, nervous and shallow smiles and forced laughs in front of smiling plastic faces repetitively spouting the same canned greetings and joyous tidings through crappy-sounding speakers.

 

And then the killing started (or the attempted killing started).

 

 

Now as to their necessity:

 

No.  They are not necessary.  The exact population of Hepzibah is not necessary.  Why it's bothersome to dig a freakin' hole in rocky ground is, again, _not_ necessary.  But if we answer all those questions, we might as well finish out the campaign setting sourcebook and just include a sample adventure with it-- maybe something were the city gets put under a giant dome.  That's got potential.

 

1 hour ago, Hugh Neilson said:

 

 

  Will the GM and players care to track a dozen (or two, or three, dozen - one set on each of a few floors) "slightly different-looking but all playing the same" kiddie characters? 

 

He will be tracking a dozen or so two-hit (one hit?) automatons.  I don't think it's going to be too terribly difficult, but again, the likely scenario is going to play as "the cackling plastic knight raises his right arm, and as his ridiculously-grinning head turns back and two, he again attempts to crush you beneath his fiberglass sword."  Like any other detail in any adventure ever, he'll use what he wants and not use what he doesn't want.  For what it's worth, I rather like the surreal moment of the "survivor's party"-- desperate to try to restore a sense of confidence, taking place in a goofy mini theme park.  We can include GM notes about possibly holding it at Bennigans instead.  At least there would be alcohol there.

 

1 hour ago, Hugh Neilson said:

 

 

Twelve+ descriptions makes for a big sidebar.

 

While you make a very good point, I am compelled to take a moment to add:

F a sidebar.

 

A small section describing the set-up of the encounter is, of course, mandatory, and it's just as good a place as any to introduce these characters.  Twelve sentences:  There are twelve trademarked animatronic characters used to entertain guests and delight children.  Sir Fastention can be found between tables 4 and 5.  Sir Reil can be found on the left of the stage, near the steps;  Sir Tifyable stands on the opposite side. 

 

That's three guys with two sentences.  It doesn't seem insurmountable.    Personally, I'd like to a have perhaps a full page or maybe even two devoted to this establishment and its details, if only because the GM may wish to rip this out and use it in a city he eventually designs for himself.  Who knows?  When you get down to it, we are attempting to write an adventure for a book that's completely out of print (check the store on the web site.  I did a couple nights ago and was quite surprised to find that the few hundred listed a month or so back are now just gone.  So much for a boxed set.  

 

 

Realistically though, a lot of things may get dropped or brought to the forefront as the writing progresses.  Still, all ideas on the table is the best way to start.

 

1 hour ago, Hugh Neilson said:

 

Why does CJ stick around once the chaos starts?  Maybe, if the heroes are not fast enough to realize there should be a control room, and get there, he has already bolted, having set events in motion.

 

Good question.  I was going on the assumption that his power had a definite range or something, and that he would have to maintain the power to keep the chaos rolling.  I could be wrong, but as I was thinking through the finer points of making sure his actions demonstrated to the astute player that he seemed to change tactics depending on the nearness of children to his target, it occurred to me that if he _doesn't_ have to stick around, then this clue-- recall at the time-- and possible even now-- there was waffling about the dead kid in the Skull suit, but to make that a significant clue, it would first have to be possible to see CJ in action around children, etc, etc.  The thing that makes the most sense is that his power has a limiting factor that keeps him around while he's using it.

 

1 hour ago, Hugh Neilson said:

A final "maybe" - the Skull is a super-genius.  Couldn't he set up his own robots of chaos, pre-programmed, and slip away (perhaps leaving a couple of non-Super techies behind who would try to flee once the action starts - charged with installing the tech they don't fully understand)?

 

That's a hard one, but it's because of a very particular set of circumstances:  as you have already shot down the exoskeleton as a push too close to power armor, I'm inclined to go the next logical step and move with "robots aren't his thing."   Can he figure them out?  Probably.  It's just not this thing.

 

Further, it's _not_ that the Skull said "Hey; I'd like to unleash some low-quality robots on this crowd; I certainly hope they end up hosting a pep rally near the only set in town that aren't on the Digger Dinosaur Dinsosaur Digger's Experience."  It's more "Oh-Ho!  They think that can just throw a little party and make themselves feel more secure?  Ha!  You, there!  Yes, henchman Next-in-line!  What's your name?  I see.  Well then, CyberJack, I think this morale-building session should be more a morale breaking experience.  See to it that their party is most...   unnerving.  Let them understand that nothing happens in my domain without my permission, and that they do not have it!  There are penalties for doing things without permission.  Severe penalties.  Go!  Penalize them!  Severely!"  Then maybe some chuckling over the accidental "DOME-main pun....

 

The animatronics just happen to play to CJ's strengths, and playing to your strengths is just good strategy.

 

 

1 hour ago, Hugh Neilson said:

 

 

  That would reduce the Supers in Hepzibah to the self-created Skull, MuckMan (a side effect of the plot), Chaos (creations of the Skull), our non-Super retired crimefighter and the PCs, tightening up on there not being a Super on every corner.

 

And Captain Cluebat  the Raven.  Or was that the "retired crime fighter" you referred to?

 

1 hour ago, steriaca said:

And yes, let's plan for the Skull's capture.

 

Double-check me here so I can be sure:

 

Is this definitive?  Is this more or less the "predicted" outcome?  If so, we can lose the dead kid  / robot duplicate all together.  I'd prefer it anyway-- not out of squeamishness, but more out of "it doesn't say 'superhero storyline' to me."  That, and while I have no qualm with deaths that reinforce the ideas of "this is dangerous" and "you did badly," I'm rather concerned that players may find a dead kid to be almost a punishment of sorts.

 

 

1 hour ago, steriaca said:

Heck someone else can wear the dang helmet if needed.

 

Funny.  I was thinking about that a couple of nights ago; the old "psychic imprint" schtick.  

 

 

 

1 hour ago, steriaca said:

Actually, we should plan for all endings, BUT NOT PUSH ANY ONE ENDING. The game master might like an option. We shouldn't push him twords or away any option.

 

 

Agreed in _theory_, with the following caveats:

 

We can't reasonably plan for more than two endings; we can unreasonably plan for possibly four endings.  

 

 

_However_.....

 

If we're anywhere near sincere about making this a serial adventure, then we have to both plan and push for one ending.  Sorry about that, but it's hard to pick up a story and continue it based on four possible endings, or eight, or ever-how-many.

 

 

1 hour ago, steriaca said:

Just call them "Midevil Pizza Robot 1" etc.

 

 

Okay, Mediaeval Pizza Robot 1 is _definitely_ Sir Cumference.  I so decree!  

 

1 hour ago, Scott Ruggels said:

 

True. The MCU heroes prioritize saving innocents, unlike the DC hero movies. This should be emphasized to the GM, but not yet for the players. Having the hero’s make the choice in play is going to define them. 

 

Agreed.  It's why I rather like a dead guy in front of them:  it's decision time.  Who is your character?  What does this mean to him?  How does he react?  Does this galvanize him, or does he even care?

 

1 hour ago, Scott Ruggels said:

 

It may stall forward motion. I think we are losing the goals do direction with all the minutiae.

 

Agreed, and not just with the pizza joint.

 

1 hour ago, Scott Ruggels said:

The Skull should have a very, direct and methodical M. O. This animatronic stack feels like a distraction.

 

To an extent, it is.  I don't know who else is going to volunteer to write, but go back through this thread (when you have a moment).  I have a _crap ton_ of thoughts and opinions to take in and to grind and filter into something coherent and relatively smooth.  Frankly, the humor of the distraction has been rather helpful.  

 

 

1 hour ago, Scott Ruggels said:

 

 

Threaten the innocents, while another operation is occurring elsewhere.

 

I see one potential use of this purpose-serving distraction (remember that no matter what distraction it may be, it's also serving to further demoralize the people) is the possibility of "moving house" to his "more suitable quarters."  Though, like Hugh et al, I expect him to leave the bulk of his operation in the mines, at least "for now."  (yes; we know that "for now" will never come, because the heroes will trounce his evil plans, etc, etc...  )

 

1 hour ago, Scott Ruggels said:

 

I can see the The Skull following an A plot and a B plot.  A

plot operations are anything involving his main goals to kill the mob bosses and CEOs. The B plot is to mis-direct and bamboozle the authorities and heroes and keep them on the back foot. It may take a capture of a suit or a mercenary to figure out the true A plot.  B plots are carried out by expendable assets. A plot will be The Skull and lieutenants.   Those guys?

 

56 minutes ago, steriaca said:

Ok then. The automatronic attack is still on as a B plot. A plot the heroes have to go to anyways. But maybe not all of them.

 

So, to mention something, what is the A plot going on while this is going on? What is the thing the Skull wants no heroes at?

 

43 minutes ago, Scott Ruggels said:

 I would  think that it might be something like  moving equipment around ,

 

Ha!  So, Scott; 

 

is this great minds thinking alike or soft minds running together?  

 

 

43 minutes ago, Scott Ruggels said:

or a brief opening of a hole in the dome large enough to move trucks full of weapons, or  specilized equipment.  They will be competently guarded, but it would be something that the heroes find out later through witnesses, or by facing military grade weapons head on. Something like that would work.  this might be where the black market stuff starts.

 

This can go somewhere.

 

Now, 

 

if we're doing the black market, etc, can we agree on a rough time frame for this adventure?  If we do black market, I'd say at least a month.  

 

Opinions?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And now the rest:

 

I haven't read back through my post here (I generally try to do that at least once before I post), but as it is, there have been numerous replies as I typed, and honestly, my heart's not in it and my mood is black.  My Brunswick group will be disbanding, at least for the foreseeable future, owing to the deaths yesterday of two players.  They are two of my oldest friends: we have gamed together even since before they began the dating relationship that led to their marriage, and their loss makes me the last survivor of the original "Jim's House Gang."   I plowed through this thread this evening partly as a distraction, and partly to stay focused on something else until bed time (not to mention that we've seen more activity in this one day than any other day thus far, and I need to know where we're heading).

 

I will likely _not_ be back to this thread until sometime next week.  It's not that I don't want to; it's simply that I don't think I'll have the focus to glean anything useful for the next few days.  Please continue to contribute thoughts and ideas, and I will be back when I am up to it.

 

 

 

Duke

 

[Duke Bushido]

52 minutes ago, Hugh Neilson said:

So how does a fellow with all of these problems manage to build a trained army of agents who carry out the initial stages of his plans so perfectly?  He is:

 

 - A megalomaniac -  why does he need all this help?

 

Because megalomania is not solipsism, nor is it a belief in godlike infallibility.   You can believe you are the greatest; you can believe you are unstoppable, and still accept that you can't be in two places at once.  Fortunately, you're the greatest, so it's nothing for you to direct a platoon of lesser beings to take care of your "light work."

 

 

52 minutes ago, Hugh Neilson said:

 

 - Paranoid - why would he believe these numerous agents would be in any way loyal?

 

Let's back up a minute, because I just replied a few minutes ago to you asking a similar-but-opposite question.

 

 

These issues start small.  They get more intense as the Skull relies more and more on his mind-enhacing device.   Further, remember the scenarios I suggested with him offing the "spies and traitors" and such?  It's pretty damned clear he does have issues trusting a large number of them.  One he has "dealt with the spies" to his satisfaction, he's fine with the guys that are left-- assuming they pulled the trigger on cue, as demanded.

 

 

52 minutes ago, Hugh Neilson said:

 

 - Enraged, combined with lack of regard for life - how has he managed to go this long without killing agents often enough for others to question their allegiances?

 

I refer you back to the first part of the previous answer.  Not flippantly, because I understand that you were asking all these questions at once.

 

52 minutes ago, Hugh Neilson said:

 

He was stable enough to create this intricate plot, requiring many moving parts and a lot of activity by his agents.  How did his limitations not affect these preliminary stages?

 

Same.

 

52 minutes ago, Hugh Neilson said:

 

It feels like we have a master planner initially, who descends into madness, with that descent, much more than the efforts of the PCs, foiling his plans.  All we need is a PC prepared to taunt his poor planning (true or not) and his Enraged should take out all of the equipment around him. 

 

Yep.  Lots of ways for a novice player to emerge victorious, as was promised.

 

If you like, when this is all over, we'll try to write one for the experienced, methodical, well-practiced player.

 

52 minutes ago, Hugh Neilson said:

 

 

Rare, valuable scientific equipment that he took rather a long time to assemble, and which he relies upon to carry out his plans.  Just put it on the radio/TV/the newspapers - becoming Enraged does not require the target of that rage be present. 

 

What do his agents get that would motivate them to risk their lives daily just being near him?

 

Not having everyone they know put to death?  Just a theory, mind you.  We've been so busy answering statistics questions that actual relevant details had to be put on the back burner.  

 

52 minutes ago, Hugh Neilson said:

 

 

  I could see them doing his bidding when they are being well-paid (but he first needed agents when he had no rep, and no resources to pay them), and not horribly treated, but once he starts killing his own agents in cold blood for minor failings, it seems much less likely that he can maintain a loyal cadre of agents,

 

First me, the you, suggest "defectors" as a plot point / source of clues.  Now you have a problem with the conditions that lead to defectors.  Dude.

 

52 minutes ago, Hugh Neilson said:

 

 

especially when we have established that, once he has been angered, he holds that grudge - keeping out of The Boss's sight for a day or two so he can cool down isn't an option when he will never cool down.

 

It seems like one early target for his wrath should be Chaos, as we have established they do not follow instructions well, if at all.  Using that by arranging for them to obtain super-powers loosed on the Skull's enemies seems like a master planner who can control his impulses easily for long-term benefit.  The basket case suggested by those complications seems unlikely to have suffered Chaos to live long enough to see the Dome rise.

 

 

 

For what it's worth, I agree with the disadvantages given; I am not so sure I agree with the values suggested.  I also think, working within the story, that they don't all "come online" at once.  

 

 

And I'm done for the next few days.  I'm feeling to damned pissy right now.   Apologies to all.

 

 

Duke

 

[steriaca]

I agree upon the idea that they creep up over time. Many of them should be moderate to strong, but become strong when the entire story ends. Remember, strong is only a -10 to EGO roll, moderate is a simple EGO roll, and Total has no EGO roll. And as part of the parcel of 40 INT is 40 EGO. I know...a limitation which is not limiting is worth no points (or less points).

 

I might of messed that up. Is Total -10 less EGO roll, Strong a straight EGO roll, and Moderate, um...+10 EGO roll?

[steriaca]

And Duke, you have my prayers.

[steriaca]

Just to be clear, the reason CyberJack picked the guy to put into Big Bubba is because the guy, THE SECURITY CHIEF of the place, IS A CHILD MOLESTER using his position to MOLEST CHILDREN. If the heroes investgate, they find kiddy porn on the security chief's laptop.

 

Ok, originally there was no reason, but I decided that this is the reason. It is obvious only upon investgation. And the heroes could easily pass on it. Also, the GM might not want to mention the details. And I don't want to write the details. It is ok to say "after opening a folder, his laptop screen explodes in pictures of naked children" and leave it at that.

 

It is up to the player to decide if what was done to him by CyberJack worth it or not.

 

Do we have another reason lined up in case GMs don't like this reason? Well, then give a reason.

[steriaca]

Set pieces:

 

Bank (for opening bank robbery).

 

Prince A. Pal's Happy Court (prehaps a bit too much developed).

 

The Dome Edge.

 

The Streets Of The City.

 

The Park (an alternative place to hold the party).

 

The MaGuffin Building Roof (where the projector is).

 

The Mined Out Coal Mine (The Skull's main base).

 

The Police Headquarters (location of temporary jail cells...after a while they might have to use a huge area near by the courthouse to become a temporary jail).

[Hugh Neilson]

12 hours ago, steriaca said:

Ok. What would his psy. lims look like? It is a Champions staple that if he can overpower you, a careful push on his psychological limitations is all it takes to get him to defeat himself. If meglo doesn't work, and paranoia doesn't fit, what does? And yes, using his psychological limitations ID a tactic the heroes can use. But what is there to use? Vengeful?

 

It's the combination that seems problematic.  Is it consistent with what he has achieved to set up the dome?  It doesn't feel like it.  The Joker has, on occasion, a very few henchmen, and his crimes tend to generate cash, which can reward those henchmen prepared to risk working with a maniac for a brief period of time.  And those worst/most extreme portrayals of the Joker are still widely criticized.  It seems like we are making the Skull even more over the top.

 

11 hours ago, Duke Bushido said:

That's sort of how I saw it, save I saw them as two-hit wonders, being as how they take no STUN and may still be able to flail a club even if badly battered.  SFX can change this:  Set it on fire?  Okay; one hit's enough: the wiring and motors and such will fry / melt before they have another turn (SPD2 okay with everyone?)

 

One or two hits makes sense.  One hit is less work for the GM, as there is no need to track who took a hit earlier.

 

11 hours ago, Duke Bushido said:

It wasn't a pain; it's just that the average gang banger doesn't sign on because he loves manual labor.     What I was _thinking_-- and anyone with better ideas, jump in-- that there were initially "cornerstone" batteries that had to be laid every X far apart to create the initial field; other batteries were simply concealed at points between these "cornerstones."  For whatever reason, the cornerstone batteries-- maybe 30?  Doesn't really matter) had to be buried at "just the right depth"-- perhaps as little as a foot in some places and as much as three or four in others.  Make it inches; it straight-up doesn't matter, since the whole "this is where the Skull had us dig all them damned holes" is intended more as a clue than a physics lesson anyway.  Once the initial ring was active, those batteries that were simply scattered between these cornerstone locations would -- oh, Hell, _why_ does it matter?   There's batteries in the ground; bad guys put them there; they power the dome.   At any rate, once the first batteries resonated and brought the others on line and in "line," so to speak, there was energy enough to create the dome, modulate the "destructive pressure" and sink the batteries to their current depth of however far the PCs are determined to dig.  (should they decide to dig).  We're edging dangerously close to killing HERO all over again with unnecessarily stating out pointless shcrap.

 

From the perspective of the player, I was told that these gang bangers had to go out and bury these batteries at very specific locations.  But when we want the dome to move, suddenly they can move independently and burrow themselves into the ground.  Which is it?  Did the Skull dog each one up again to enhance them?

 

11 hours ago, Duke Bushido said:

The first dead guy _is_ important.  Possibly even a second one.  We can regulate and debate, but for any RPG scenario to go well, they players are obligated to invest a little bit in the story just as we the GMs are obligated to provide them with a reasonable adventure.  As many of the comments I've quoted have pointed out, movies and comics have lots and lots of ways to make death almost tasteful; almost antiseptic, and even leave room to wonder if death actually happened at all.  We need a dead guy or two just to drive home "people are currently dying."  We don't need a million of them; we don't need oozing wounds and dissented features and bits of circuit jammed through cracked-open craniums and into brain tissue or wires shooting through eyeballs to tie into the nervous system or anything like that, but we need a dead guy for the base line story.  In this case, it's not a matter of making the Skull a serious threat; it's a matter of making the entire situation a serious threat.  We can certainly dedicate some space in the GMing this Adventure section on how to sanitize out all the dead people; frankly, I think that will be easier than a section on "how to add dead guys in," and certainly more enjoyable to both write and read.  I am certainly open to doing that.

 

So why did that particular guy die?  It had nothing to do with the dome, or even with the Skull.  He had no connection to the PCs.  The threat of people dying because the Dome is cutting off access to essential supplies feels more meaningful (at least to me) then some random corpse stuffed in a robot for no apparent reason, by someone not germane to the main plot,  If we have a pool of NPCs who are prepared to resist the Skull, and our PCs can work with one or more of them, having this character they have come to know struck down by the Skull could have some meaning.  A random corpse they don't identify with?  Not so much.

 

11 hours ago, Duke Bushido said:

The mayor is attempting to raise moral; the heroes go along with it, both because they agree the city needs a morale boost and because it seems right that a large gathering would have a higher potential of being targeted in some way (again, assuming the players have decided their characters are actually heroic and are concerned about the welfare of the citizens).  The Skull understands the danger of morale, and turns it instead into a chance to add more fear to the citizens. 

 

The morale booster I can buy into, as well as the Skull demonstrating his power.  What I don't buy into is a need for a pile of civilian corpses accumulating while the PC's slowly battle the robots, feeling less and less "super" all the time, or an offscreen killing so we can leave a gory surprise at the end of the battle.  Seeing that mayor, or city councilor, or media mogul, or rich guy, or whoever has been working with the PCs, or even just a little old grandma who refuses to negotiate with terrorists, struck down as a target (even if the heroes save him, before or after he is wounded) would be much more meaningful.

 

11 hours ago, Duke Bushido said:

Combination intelligence and paranoia.  He's paranoid about them being disloyal, which is almost practical given the recruitment add was "join me or end up like the two guys on your left."  Self-preservation in the heat of the moment doesn't necessarily mean loyalty, and he knows that.  He's also extremely paranoid that he may actually have some disloyal spies (like the guys smuggling in toilet paper--

 

NOTE ON THAT:   That's really only going to be viable if we decide the siege of the city will last several weeks.  Just sayin'.   Perhaps another note for the GM bin:  "If your players are having a _seriously_ hard time bringing the dome down, then a black market will develop."  In all seriousness, though, I think we may have to lose that.      )

 

Agreed.  Having the siege drag on for weeks begs the question what the Supers are doing in all of those days.  If the recruitment was "join me or die", that has a pretty limited lifespan.  I'd see the Skull being smart enough to know the minions have to perceive something in it for them - like the ability to loot the city - to maintain their loyalty until they are no longer needed.  But, if we do cut them loose when they are no longer needed, that should make it impractical for the Skull to recruit in the future - he'll have to rely on resources he can create.  That's actually a motivator for him to be, or become, a robotics genius.

 

11 hours ago, Duke Bushido said:

I may be misremembering this (I am a bit distracted), but didn't you shoot down "gang informant" just a couple days ago?

 

I believe I shot down "the heroes flail about, their investigations leading nowhere, until a gang member comes forward of his own volition".  "The heroes investigate, finding useful info which they can use to defeat the Skull" is what I am looking for.  Their own investigations locating a survivor that the Skull has so far failed to eliminate?  That feels like the PCs are accomplishing something.

 

11 hours ago, Duke Bushido said:

That does ring nicely.  However, the Skull's megalomania would want them to know that he has "gifted" them with their powers, and the position prior to the powers would simply be the carrot to ensure their loyalty (at least until he is done with them).

 

So broadcast it.  But how did someone who is enraged when his plans are not followed to the letter allow these cretins to live long enough to get their powers?  That combination of  complications does not suggest they would still be alive.

 

11 hours ago, Duke Bushido said:

Agreed.  However, it's a far cry from "meth lab" to "mind-enhancement drugs" (real ones, that is).  In all honesty, I don't have a problem, given the hyper-intelligence angle, with him being a genius in eighty different fields.  What I _do_ have a problem with is breaking that into a hundred and sixty different skills when "Chemisty," "Physics", "genetics," and _possibly_ "Pharmacology"  will do.  I have a personal hatred of the ever-shattering Skills system in HERO, and if we're trying to demonstrate that "HERO isn't everything you've head it was," then I think "broad skills" is an excellent example of that. 

 

Broad skills are fine.  What sciences does he use in his plots?  Do we want him to be a generic Mad Scientist, or have specific sciences he uses?    It feels like he is all over physics, with nothing else really coming to the forefront.  Clearly psychology is not his forte , as he is doing all he can to drive his minions away.

 

11 hours ago, Duke Bushido said:

No.  They are not necessary.  The exact population of Hepzibah is not necessary.  Why it's bothersome to dig a freakin' hole in rocky ground is, again, _not_ necessary.  But if we answer all those questions, we might as well finish out the campaign setting sourcebook and just include a sample adventure with it-- maybe something were the city gets put under a giant dome.  That's got potential.

 

If we don't have the slightest idea how big the city is, how does the GM set the stage?  It needs to be pretty large to support several high tech firms.  Do we need a full population count?  No.  But we need a decent idea of how big the city is, what resources it contains, etc. as that impacts the game.  As one simple example, can the heroes mobilize the police force?  Well, if it's a sherriff and Deputy Barney Fife,  probably not.  If it's a metropolitan force with a SWAT team, maybe they can leverage that.  Who are the city leadership?  Is there one guy calling all the shots, or do the heroes need to deal with a dithering council?  The setting is part of the scenario.  We've set pretty high stakes, and everyone in the city is affected  Do we have looting in the street?  Do we have a group organizing a town militia?  The longer the siege lasts (long enough to plan this theme park morale party is quite a while), the more activity should be seen in the city.

 

11 hours ago, Duke Bushido said:

He will be tracking a dozen or so two-hit (one hit?) automatons.  I don't think it's going to be too terribly difficult, but again, the likely scenario is going to play as "the cackling plastic knight raises his right arm, and as his ridiculously-grinning head turns back and two, he again attempts to crush you beneath his fiberglass sword."  Like any other detail in any adventure ever, he'll use what he wants and not use what he doesn't want.  For what it's worth, I rather like the surreal moment of the "survivor's party"-- desperate to try to restore a sense of confidence, taking place in a goofy mini theme park.  We can include GM notes about possibly holding it at Bennigans instead.  At least there would be alcohol there.

 

He is tracking a couple dozen generic one hit robots, or he is tracking two or three of each of a dozen different punny characters.  The former is a lot less work than the latter.

 

On the one hand, you see the details of the city as unnecessary fluff.  But naming a dozen animatronic knights so the GM can present these kiddie puns in the adventure is a good use of space, perhaps even essential, when they will all be identical in gameplay?  It's like naming each thug in the bank robbery, giving them a couple of personality traits and describing what they are wearing.

 

11 hours ago, Duke Bushido said:

Good question.  I was going on the assumption that his power had a definite range or something, and that he would have to maintain the power to keep the chaos rolling.  I could be wrong, but as I was thinking through the finer points of making sure his actions demonstrated to the astute player that he seemed to change tactics depending on the nearness of children to his target, it occurred to me that if he _doesn't_ have to stick around, then this clue-- recall at the time-- and possible even now-- there was waffling about the dead kid in the Skull suit, but to make that a significant clue, it would first have to be possible to see CJ in action around children, etc, etc.  The thing that makes the most sense is that his power has a limiting factor that keeps him around while he's using it.

 

I'm seeing CJ more and more as a distraction from the Skull.  Let the Skull (and his techies) modify the animatronics, and let  him use it as an opportunity to kill one or two of the real thorns in his side, ideally NPCs who have resisted, and who have become known to, and allied with, the PCs.  That keeps the Skull as the real power guiding events, rather than having another superpowered criminal who just happened to be in town and hooked up with the Skull.

 

11 hours ago, Duke Bushido said:

And Captain Cluebat  the Raven.  Or was that the "retired crime fighter" you referred to?

 

That's our boy - I don't believe we've seen any indication he is super-powered, which works fine.

 

11 hours ago, Duke Bushido said:

Is this definitive?  Is this more or less the "predicted" outcome?  If so, we can lose the dead kid  / robot duplicate all together.  I'd prefer it anyway-- not out of squeamishness, but more out of "it doesn't say 'superhero storyline' to me."  That, and while I have no qualm with deaths that reinforce the ideas of "this is dangerous" and "you did badly," I'm rather concerned that players may find a dead kid to be almost a punishment of sorts.

 

I prefer the Skull either gets captured or slips away.  Given his supreme confidence that he can outsmart the heroes, or anyone else, an elaborate escape route seems like something he would not invest a lot of resources in.  It seems more like he would be confident of his ability to escape any facility to which those lesser beings might seek to hold him in.

 

11 hours ago, Duke Bushido said:

if we're doing the black market, etc, can we agree on a rough time frame for this adventure?  If we do black market, I'd say at least a month.  

 

Opinions?

 

I agree the black market requires a long-term siege.  I don't see how we then occupy our Supers for weeks on end.  Gamers tend not to like "several weeks pass" when they are trying to achieve a goal.  The Skull also seems unlikely to want a protracted siege.

 

Sympathies on your loss, Duke - our thoughts and prayers are with you.

 

11 hours ago, Duke Bushido said:

Not having everyone they know put to death?  Just a theory, mind you.  We've been so busy answering statistics questions that actual relevant details had to be put on the back burner.  

 

First me, the you, suggest "defectors" as a plot point / source of clues.  Now you have a problem with the conditions that lead to defectors.  Dude.

 

I see a more likely structure where the Skull has offered real rewards to his minions - a whole city to loot provides a lot of potential for reward - without letting them in on the real plan, which is that there is not likely to be a city to loot when he is done.  Maybe he really expects to rule the city, and reward his loyal minions, at the outset, or maybe they just believe he does.

 

As time goes on, and it becomes clear that those rewards are not going to materialize, and that "loyal minions" really means "obedient cannon fodder", we could see some defections from his ranks.  I could also see him evacuating his more loyal and valued minions so he will have a team when he is ready to start anew (because, of course, he is going to destroy Hepzibah, those who betrayed him, annoying superheroes, muckmen and all, then start up elsewhere and achieve his due).  But the cannon fodder?  They can die with the city they failed to subjugate on his behalf.

 

And make the heroes work for it - the Skull's minions don't remain implacable against all reason until one suddenly decides to defect.  The PCs should be able to exercise their interaction skills, and impress one or more minions with the lack of substance behind the Skull's promises, and turn them, not just have them roll over because hey, it's the Third Act, time to use a defecting Skull agent to grab the ring in the PC's noses and lead them to the next scene.

 

11 hours ago, steriaca said:

I agree upon the idea that they creep up over time. Many of them should be moderate to strong, but become strong when the entire story ends. Remember, strong is only a -10 to EGO roll, moderate is a simple EGO roll, and Total has no EGO roll. And as part of the parcel of 40 INT is 40 EGO. I know...a limitation which is not limiting is worth no points (or less points).

 

I might of messed that up. Is Total -10 less EGO roll, Strong a straight EGO roll, and Moderate, um...+10 EGO roll?

 

"I'll make an ego roll to resist my personality every time it arises" is not the type of role playing I want to set as an example.  If the Skull has these flaws, they should be portrayed as consistent personality traits.  I don't expect the PCs to only manifest a Code vs Killing as the story progresses, nor do I expect a demand for an Ego roll every time it becomes inconvenient to play within.  The Skull has as many points as he needs - only give him the complications we are serious about portraying in-game.

 

10 hours ago, steriaca said:

Just to be clear, the reason CyberJack picked the guy to put into Big Bubba is because the guy, THE SECURITY CHIEF of the place, IS A CHILD MOLESTER using his position to MOLEST CHILDREN. If the heroes investgate, they find kiddy porn on the security chief's laptop.

 

Ok, originally there was no reason, but I decided that this is the reason. It is obvious only upon investgation. And the heroes could easily pass on it. Also, the GM might not want to mention the details. And I don't want to write the details. It is ok to say "after opening a folder, his laptop screen explodes in pictures of naked children" and leave it at that.

 

It is up to the player to decide if what was done to him by CyberJack worth it or not.

 

Do we have another reason lined up in case GMs don't like this reason? Well, then give a reason.

 

How many different reasons do I have to dislike this...

 

First, we are moving into very dark territory that many readers may not be comfortable with.

 

Second, we are moving the spotlight off of the Skull and onto CyberJack, which I think defocuses the scenario.

 

Third, we are moving away from SuperHeroes to action/vigilante heroes, who may very well have shot the security chief themselves.

 

Overall, this is a complete sideline from the actual adventure.  Will it galvanize the heroes against the Skull?  Why should it?  Even if they don't accept it as "he deserved it", it wasn't like the Skull had anything to do with his murder.

 

Now, if we want to show the remorselessness of the Skull, perhaps he should very publicly and very visibly cause the death of CyberJack, for failure to ruthlessly kill the partygoers as the Skull had ordered.  "Had you carried out my wishes, you would have been richly rewarded, as will all my loyal followers.  Instead, you played childish games, inflicting no more than a few bruises on those who would defy me.  Now, you will suffer the fate of all who would seek to defy the Skull."  We need a means for the Skull to kill him from a distance - perhaps Skull can trigger modifications to his cybernetics (he has cybernetics, right?) from a distance.  If our heroes have the skills, and act quickly, perhaps they can save CJ's life, leaving him with horrific injuries, removed from the scenario at a minimum.  That, of course, would place the PCs squarely in the "those who would defy my wishes" camp.

[Hugh Neilson]

1 hour ago, steriaca said:

Set pieces:

 

Bank (for opening bank robbery).

 

Prince A. Pal's Happy Court (prehaps a bit too much developed).

 

The Dome Edge.

 

The Streets Of The City.

 

The Park (an alternative place to hold the party).

 

The MaGuffin Building Roof (where the projector is).

 

The Mined Out Coal Mine (The Skull's main base).

 

The Police Headquarters (location of temporary jail cells...after a while they might have to use a huge area near by the courthouse to become a temporary jail).

 

It's probably worth revisiting the adventure's encounters dovetailed with this.  We had a sequence of events quite a while back.  Revisiting that with the characters likely to appear, and the locations needed, would probably be handy.

[steriaca]

Killing off CyberJack. I'm all for that. It fits The Skull. He would punish CyberJack severely, so it is ok for him to hog the spotlight just for The Skull to wench it back with an audible voice over and an exploding head.

 

The Skull wouldn't care about punishing some pervert because of his henchman he hiered has a tragic past the heroes wouldn't really know about. Instead, he would really punish him for messing up and hijacking his plan. After the heroes break open Big Bubba, CyberJack should start to explain, then be interupted by The Skull over an intercom or radio. Then CyberJack's head explodes from a bomb in his helmet.

 

CyberJack is a mutant. His mutation makes him able to link up to machines. To control them with a thought. The Skull gives him a helmet, telling him that it can enhance his powers. Instead, he learned about his past, and perdicted that he would probably need to punish him lethality because he would screw up royally.

 

So why assign him in the first place? Because he needed a sacrifice as an example to his agents. "I don't care about your personal problems. Take care of them on your own time. But if your problems affect your work or my plans, then you'll dig your own grave."

[steriaca]

What does an gang banger or Skull Agent gets out of this?

 

Gang banger: the promise of being "kings of the city". As long as they are available for whatever plans he needs them for, he doesn't care what they do in there off time. In there off time, they act like normal gang bangers. 

 

Skull Agents: They are either hiered help or mobsters who joined up because they like breathing. They are a part of something big, and are promise a huge payday.

 

Chaos: See gang bangers. They are basically evolved bangers.

 

CyberJack: He came with the mob once he eliminated the don. Seems that Jack is not just a mutant, but a cousin of the don who's mental problems keep him from normal employment. He was taken in by the don as a favor, and used his powers for the benifit of the don. Once he was killed, Jack didn't care who was minding him, just that he was minded by someone.

 

Jack never thought he was being set up for a sacrifice.

[Hugh Neilson]

2 hours ago, steriaca said:

Killing off CyberJack. I'm all for that. It fits The Skull. He would punish CyberJack severely, so it is ok for him to hog the spotlight just for The Skull to wench it back with an audible voice over and an exploding head.

 

The Skull wouldn't care about punishing some pervert because of his henchman he hiered has a tragic past the heroes wouldn't really know about. Instead, he would really punish him for messing up and hijacking his plan. After the heroes break open Big Bubba, CyberJack should start to explain, then be interupted by The Skull over an intercom or radio. Then CyberJack's head explodes from a bomb in his helmet.

 

CyberJack is a mutant. His mutation makes him able to link up to machines. To control them with a thought. The Skull gives him a helmet, telling him that it can enhance his powers. Instead, he learned about his past, and perdicted that he would probably need to punish him lethality because he would screw up royally.

 

So why assign him in the first place? Because he needed a sacrifice as an example to his agents. "I don't care about your personal problems. Take care of them on your own time. But if your problems affect your work or my plans, then you'll dig your own grave."

 

We don't need the security chief at all.  He's just a distraction.  Cyber Jack was ordered to cause mayhem, injury and death to make it clear there was no refuge from the Skull.  Did he do that?  No.  He had some animatronics run around inflicting a few bruises, and they didn't go near the children, when harm to the kids would really punctuate the Skull's message.  I'd eliminate the phony power-enhancing helmet (or make it a real power enhancer, and still probably less obvious than a helmet - what if the heroes remove it to prevent further attacks?  Maybe a headband, or something even less obvious.

 

Let CJ keel over slowly, in obvious agony, trickles of blood from his ears/nose.  Make it, say, a 1d6 per phase Continuous Mental Killing Attack.  Unless the Heros are somehow able to shut down the device (appropriate skills with a significant penalty; rip it off his head; target it with attacks - and let's give it 8 Defenses, 12 BOD, so they have to hit it hard, and repeatedly, with CJ taking the same damage absent careful targeting), he will die.  If they save him, he's in no shape to share any info for a while, but when he recovers, he might have some intel he'll share with them.

 

The Skull doesn't have to have expected trouble from CJ.  He accounts for the possibility, and is ruthless in enforcing it.  And, either way, he shows the citizens of Hepzibah that he is serious, and their lives are in his hands.  In fact, if a bunch of kids die, that may actually galvanize the citizens.  We don't want a bunch of grieving, angry parents with nothing left to lose - better to have plenty of scared parents knowing exactly what they risk losing if the city does not fall into line.
 

1 hour ago, steriaca said:

What does an gang banger or Skull Agent gets out of this?

 

Gang banger: the promise of being "kings of the city". As long as they are available for whatever plans he needs them for, he doesn't care what they do in there off time. In there off time, they act like normal gang bangers. 

 

Skull Agents: They are either hiered help or mobsters who joined up because they like breathing. They are a part of something big, and are promise a huge payday.

 

Chaos: See gang bangers. They are basically evolved bangers.

 

CyberJack: He came with the mob once he eliminated the don. Seems that Jack is not just a mutant, but a cousin of the don who's mental problems keep him from normal employment. He was taken in by the don as a favor, and used his powers for the benifit of the don. Once he was killed, Jack didn't care who was minding him, just that he was minded by someone.

 

Jack never thought he was being set up for a sacrifice.

 

This makes sense - the promise of living like kings when the Skull takes the city/state/nation/whatever.  Once they are in, they are definitely in, and the potential for the Big Score, coupled with their willingness to take orders, means they expect to be there to take their eventual reward.  But, as we enter the closing act, at least some of them start to realize that they're not getting that score from a demolished city, nor are they going to be able to slip past the troops by now stationed around Hepzibah. 

 

As for CJ, he doesn't need to be anyone's relative - he's clearly useful, and willing to be useful to whoever takes him in.  Only the Skull would think so little of the value of his abilities to waste them in the field like that!

 

Even the higher-up agents (probably mob enforcers with better equipment), who would be OK abandoning the low-level gang members to their fate, start to figure out how easy it would be for  them to be the next ones the Skull cuts loose to serve his own agenda.  And that easy sacrifice of CJ makes it pretty clear the Skull is not in this for the bucks.  Now, maybe the Skull takes steps to get his most trusted lieutenants (not Chaos - it's about smarts, skills and apparent loyalty, not superpowers) out of Hepzibah before the fall.  The Skull may not be loyal, but he isn't stupid either, and he knows he'll need his lieutenants wherever he goes next.  Their instructions may be as simple as go to this city (perhaps he sends small groups to multiple cities), establish themselves in the criminal hierarchy there, and await his orders.  Even if he is captured and imprisoned, rest assured that he will be back, and they would do well to be positioned to provide the greatest possible resources for his next plan.  That doesn't even have to be visible in the scenario - it's food for the next appearance of the Skull.

Will those agents believe him?  Well, this plan would have gone off without a hitch, if it hadn't been for those blasted Supers.  Who could have figured a half dozen opponents of that caliber (counting Raven and Muckman, that means 4 or more PCs) would crawl out of the woodwork all at once?  Plus, they have to go somewhere - working their way up another criminal organization is good for them even if the Skull never returns.

 

My inclination is to dial back the paranoia and rage - his vengeance falls on those who have earned it, but those who respect his orders will be rewarded - and focus on his genius and planning ability.  Now there's a carrot and a stick for "Team Skull".  That doesn't leave him less vengeful or megalomaniacal, or add any respect for life, but it does leave him able to build some loyalty in agents willing to serve, and looking for that big score.

[steriaca]

18 minutes ago, Hugh Neilson said:

 

We don't need the security chief at all.  He's just a distraction.  Cyber Jack was ordered to cause mayhem, injury and death to make it clear there was no refuge from the Skull.  Did he do that?  No.  He had some animatronics run around inflicting a few bruises, and they didn't go near the children, when harm to the kids would really punctuate the Skull's message.  I'd eliminate the phony power-enhancing helmet (or make it a real power enhancer, and still probably less obvious than a helmet - what if the heroes remove it to prevent further attacks?  Maybe a headband, or something even less obvious.

 

Let CJ keel over slowly, in obvious agony, trickles of blood from his ears/nose.  Make it, say, a 1d6 per phase Continuous Mental Killing Attack.  Unless the Heros are somehow able to shut down the device (appropriate skills with a significant penalty; rip it off his head; target it with attacks - and let's give it 8 Defenses, 12 BOD, so they have to hit it hard, and repeatedly, with CJ taking the same damage absent careful targeting), he will die.  If they save him, he's in no shape to share any info for a while, but when he recovers, he might have some intel he'll share with them.

 

The Skull doesn't have to have expected trouble from CJ.  He accounts for the possibility, and is ruthless in enforcing it.  And, either way, he shows the citizens of Hepzibah that he is serious, and their lives are in his hands.  In fact, if a bunch of kids die, that may actually galvanize the citizens.  We don't want a bunch of grieving, angry parents with nothing left to lose - better to have plenty of scared parents knowing exactly what they risk losing if the city does not fall into line.
 

 

This makes sense - the promise of living like kings when the Skull takes the city/state/nation/whatever.  Once they are in, they are definitely in, and the potential for the Big Score, coupled with their willingness to take orders, means they expect to be there to take their eventual reward.  But, as we enter the closing act, at least some of them start to realize that they're not getting that score from a demolished city, nor are they going to be able to slip past the troops by now stationed around Hepzibah. 

 

As for CJ, he doesn't need to be anyone's relative - he's clearly useful, and willing to be useful to whoever takes him in.  Only the Skull would think so little of the value of his abilities to waste them in the field like that!

 

Even the higher-up agents (probably mob enforcers with better equipment), who would be OK abandoning the low-level gang members to their fate, start to figure out how easy it would be for  them to be the next ones the Skull cuts loose to serve his own agenda.  And that easy sacrifice of CJ makes it pretty clear the Skull is not in this for the bucks.  Now, maybe the Skull takes steps to get his most trusted lieutenants (not Chaos - it's about smarts, skills and apparent loyalty, not superpowers) out of Hepzibah before the fall.  The Skull may not be loyal, but he isn't stupid either, and he knows he'll need his lieutenants wherever he goes next.  Their instructions may be as simple as go to this city (perhaps he sends small groups to multiple cities), establish themselves in the criminal hierarchy there, and await his orders.  Even if he is captured and imprisoned, rest assured that he will be back, and they would do well to be positioned to provide the greatest possible resources for his next plan.  That doesn't even have to be visible in the scenario - it's food for the next appearance of the Skull.

Will those agents believe him?  Well, this plan would have gone off without a hitch, if it hadn't been for those blasted Supers.  Who could have figured a half dozen opponents of that caliber (counting Raven and Muckman, that means 4 or more PCs) would crawl out of the woodwork all at once?  Plus, they have to go somewhere - working their way up another criminal organization is good for them even if the Skull never returns.

 

My inclination is to dial back the paranoia and rage - his vengeance falls on those who have earned it, but those who respect his orders will be rewarded - and focus on his genius and planning ability.  Now there's a carrot and a stick for "Team Skull".  That doesn't leave him less vengeful or megalomaniacal, or add any respect for life, but it does leave him able to build some loyalty in agents willing to serve, and looking for that big score.

Ok. So Jack is merely a henchman with problems. Understood. Great save.

 

We don't need the gory surprise if we are going to ice Jack. Of course he needs not bloody-horror die, but even if they save him, he won't be talking soon.

[Hugh Neilson]

26 minutes ago, steriaca said:

Ok. So Jack is merely a henchman with problems. Understood. Great save.

 

We don't need the gory surprise if we are going to ice Jack. Of course he needs not bloody-horror die, but even if they save him, he won't be talking soon.

 

I like the idea that they can save Jack, and the tie-in of the trap to his mental powers provides an excuse for him to be comatose.  If the best efforts of the heroes fail to reveal the Skull's whereabouts in Act 3, CJ could be a fallback, recovering just enough to provide the intel the PCs need.  He could also be a Third Act maguffin capable of holding the dome in place for a brief period of time, if we want to add some more time pressure.  However, the heroes' success should not depend on his survival.

[Duke Bushido]

Hey, folks.

 

Just checked in to sort of drift through new stuff.  Heart's still not in it (Funeral is Saturday, to give some family a couple days to get there).  I expect to be better-focused next week.  Thanks, Steriaca, Hugh, et all.

 

Hugh, after this, I may have to do a six-hundred page sourcebook on Hepzibah.    I'll even go into great detail as to how the "h'' was lost from Hephzibah.    Sadly, I won't have time for such a project until shortly after _I'm_ dead and gone, but it's nice to dream.....

 

Looks like we have a reasonable story coming together.

 

And Hugh: don't sweat the over-developed stuff.  I'm not a numbers guy, and I'd become violently dangerous if I was chained to one of these screens all day, so I'm not much of a programmer, either.   This is how I create:  I dump it _all_ on the table, then pick out the parts that go together, then tear out the parts of that I don't like, and repeat.  Over-developing an idea in the early stages is _fine_.  Ultimately, it may be one of those details that makes it to the final round, affixed to an entirely different construct.  

 

As for the Raven, Sir: you are correct.  He has some talents and a couple of nifty gadgets, but no actual super-powers.  In fact, he is disabled (the lung and eye damage) to the point that, without his skills and gadgets, he might well qualify as incompetent.  Good things he's super-competent.    I hold as one of the cornerstones of GM'ing that a helpful NPC should in way _ever_ outshine a PC, period.  To that end, I think Muckman should actually be quite powerful, but "in his own way."  Give him some serious stretching, some movement, some kind of damage sponge abilities, perhaps even a limited Desolid-- but don't give him any breadth of Skill, and certainly don't make him particularly competent as a combatant.    Again: make him impressive, possibly even dangerous (lowered INT, maybe? SPD 2?  Psych Lims?), but when it comes to figuring out clues or belting the bad guy, he must _not_ outshine the PCs.

 

I think I'll try to get something started next week.  In the meantime, you good folks keep plopping down things you do and don't like.

 

 

 

Duke

 

[Hugh Neilson]

17 minutes ago, Duke Bushido said:

Hey, folks.

 

Just checked in to sort of drift through new stuff.  Heart's still not in it (Funeral is Saturday, to give some family a couple days to get there).  I expect to be better-focused next week.  Thanks, Steriaca, Hugh, et all.

 

Hugh, after this, I may have to do a six-hundred page sourcebook on Hepzibah.    I'll even go into great detail as to how the "h'' was lost from Hephzibah.    Sadly, I won't have time for such a project until shortly after _I'm_ dead and gone, but it's nice to dream.....

 

I think we are at a point where we could prepare an outline of the adventure, which includes the locations that need to be included, and therefore need to be in Hepzibah.  That includes both locations where the adventure will take place (the old mines, for example) and locations needed due to backgrounds (the Raven doubtless has at least one old base; there must be some area out of town where MuckMan investigated illegal dumping; we know there are several tech development companies) and plans for the adventure (we know there is the Prince A Pal theme park, and both solar and wind power infrastructure). 

 

From there, we can reasonably question "if I were a player, what more would I want to know?", and answer those questions as they arise.  No, they don't have a prison for superpowered enemies (which suggests superpowers are not so common that every large city is prepared to deal with them) - they will have to repurpose existing resources to hold large numbers of Skull agents.  But they are too big not to have a decent police force, and some holding areas, courthouses, hospitals, civic buildings, probably state and maybe even some federal government offices.  Let's rule out any Federal law enforcement on-site presence.  Do they have an airport?  Let's say yes, but a small one which is a feeder to a more significant hub, so limited direct flights.  Too new to be on the railway system, and no major waterways.  Media?  Surely at least one local paper, a few radio and TV stations.

 

We can also start developing some encounters, and the areas of investigation (together with any notable non-combat NPCs we want to introduce).  All of this could end up in an "about Hepzibah" section,  or could simply be introduced as the need arises.  I favour a mix - the GM should have a convenient reference point if asked about some issue related to the town before we expected it to come up in play, but that could reference the main descriptions where it comes up in-game.

 

When in doubt, I would err on the side of "what makes Hepzibah a better setting for a long-term game".  Does it have a nearby ancient First Nations graveyard, or a large First Nations population?  Does it have a huge auto sales district, or an outlet mall?  I don't care today, because we don't need one for our scenario, and there's no reason anyone would look for one in the course of dealing with our scenario.  If a player wants one for his back story, then for sure it has one.  Maybe we will learn that it has one in Book 3, when we use it in our story, or perhaps that it does not (our wealthy villain wants to level some housing to build the one and only outlet mall) but until it becomes game-relevant, we don't have to answer those questions.

 

17 minutes ago, Duke Bushido said:

And Hugh: don't sweat the over-developed stuff.  I'm not a numbers guy, and I'd become violently dangerous if I was chained to one of these screens all day, so I'm not much of a programmer, either.   This is how I create:  I dump it _all_ on the table, then pick out the parts that go together, then tear out the parts of that I don't like, and repeat.  Over-developing an idea in the early stages is _fine_.  Ultimately, it may be one of those details that makes it to the final round, affixed to an entirely different construct. 

 

I'd say, as we put our framework together, we'll know better what has enough, and what needs more, development.

 

17 minutes ago, Duke Bushido said:

As for the Raven, Sir: you are correct.  He has some talents and a couple of nifty gadgets, but no actual super-powers.  In fact, he is disabled (the lung and eye damage) to the point that, without his skills and gadgets, he might well qualify as incompetent.  Good things he's super-competent.    I hold as one of the cornerstones of GM'ing that a helpful NPC should in way _ever_ outshine a PC, period.  To that end, I think Muckman should actually be quite powerful, but "in his own way."  Give him some serious stretching, some movement, some kind of damage sponge abilities, perhaps even a limited Desolid-- but don't give him any breadth of Skill, and certainly don't make him particularly competent as a combatant.    Again: make him impressive, possibly even dangerous (lowered INT, maybe? SPD 2?  Psych Lims?), but when it comes to figuring out clues or belting the bad guy, he must _not_ outshine the PCs.

 

I think what we have for Supers NPCs should work well.  Give the Raven an array of ranged weaponry which he can't target well due to his fading eyesight.  He has martial arts skills, but he also has a 2d6 Susceptibility - loss of END - in any phase where he engages in strenuous activity (say, makes an attack action, moves faster than 6 meters or spends more than 2 END).  But he knows a lot, and he has resources he will let the heroes use as needed.  He's their access to non-combat resources they may lack.  He also has contacts with notables in the city, so he may be able to get them in front of important people their own backgrounds and contacts would not (and let the PC's know they may want yo drop an xp or 2 on their own contacts with these notable citizens).  Now, let the Heroes leverage this.  Raven does not come to them, but when they wonder about something where their own investigations fall sort, they can contact him and maybe he can nudge them in the right direction. 

 

Muckman is the opposite - largely useless in investigations (with the possible exception of things he has directly observed, largely related to his backstory), perhaps he has low offensive abilities (competent Super, but not near the PCs), but solid defenses (he can stand in the way while a PC catches his breath), good movement abilities (he can slip in and out, to be where the PCs really need a small assist), Stretching (maybe not great for attacking, but perfect for pulling a downed Good Guy out of the way, or distracting/disrupting a shot on a Stunned PC.  But no attention span, and those neat movement abilities let him disappear just as fast as he appears.  He's tougher to leverage, as they really don't know exactly where he is at any given time.  Perhaps they should encounter him fairly early on, and have the choice of "attacking the monster" or "approaching peacefully".  If they treat him well, he responds, will not attack them, and may appear in the nick of time, when really needed (blocking an attack on some poor civilian the heroes could not get to at Prince A Pals; warding off a KO when Chaos Stuns a PC, or just distracting the opposition with his big, scary PRE attack when the heroes really need a chance to regroup.  He's the GM's wild card, but he should only appear when truly needed (barring the PCs seeking him out), only act enough to buy the heroes a bit of time or take the edge off an unlucky situation, and probably appear no more than once or twice in each of our three Acts.  That still lets us include "Possible MuckMan sightings" in many encounters, with the caution he should only show up when truly needed, and only provide some minor benefit to the PCs.

 

Adding Chaos, CyberJack and the Skull, I'd say we have quite enough Supers and near-Supers. 

 

We really need some non-hostile NPCs but they are likely best developed as we go through the stages of the scenario, especially the non-combat sections where they can interact with these NPCs.  And let's consider that they could have existing relationships with the PCs - maybe the GM will see one or two who could fit into back stories, or even make decent contacts or DNPCs for characters developing on those lines.

 

[steriaca]

Some notable people in the city of Hepzibah.

 

Feal free to change names to anything better, cause I pulled them out of my a$$.

 

Mayor Marvin Mercer: The current mayor of the town. He is honestly worried about the town.

 

Mary Davis: She owns the local paper, The Hepzibah Cryer, and was the lover of The Raven.

 

Father Patrick Pargoon: Catholic priest who runs the city's anti-gang initive. He knows a few members of Chaos, and there families.

 

Crazy Dan: The city's notable homeless preacher guy, always ranting that god is watching. He never panhandles, prefering eating from garbage cans if he needs it. Unlike most homeless, he avoids alcohol and drugs. (Yes, I know, but that is why he is "crazy".)

 

Melvin Vansher: The CEO of Hepzibah Battery Company (the HBC). He is working on his version of the said batteries, reducing the price but also introducing flaws so that it doesn't last a lifetime and beyond. Has mob ties.

 

Rodrick "Sawed Off" Runtmire ("Sawed Off Runt"): The former underboss of Don Manfreddie, once the Skull is gone, he plans to clame the Donhood of Hepzibah's underworld and rebuild.

 

Don Fredrick Manfreddie: Before being murdered by The Skull, was the top crime boss in the five countie area. His underboss was "Sawed Off Runt".

 

Bruno Ballkin, "the Ball": An idealistic young man and mobster who also plans on ruling Hepzibah's underworld, turning it to a more kinder mob by abandoning drug sales and concentrating on solving the problems of people (and gambling, loan sharking, and prostitution).

 

(And yes, I was inspired by Pasione from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind.)

 

"Wild Jeff" Jeffrey Osborne: Morning Disk Jockey for WHBA 93.9. WHBA 93.9 ("The Hep") is the city's classic rock station.

 

"DJ Street Beat": The city's local rap superstar. Not affiliated with the gang bangers, othoe he has many fans with them.

 

Police Chief Pedro Rodriguez: He fought hard to rise into the top cop position of the city. He was forced to be in the pocket of Don Manfreddie, but now that The Skull done away with him, he has developed a backbone.

 

Stanley Smith: The owner and developer of Prince A. Pal's Happy Court. He has dreams of franchising it as a chain all across the country. He is also a gamer, running an exclent DnD campaign which predates the restaurant (and may of been the inspiration for it in the first place).

[steriaca]

Getting the heroes there. Assuming all (or most) of the heroes are not from Hepzibah, why would they be here in the first place? Well, rumor can be a powerful thing. And thugs are going to talk. Having heard through the underworld grapevine that something big is going to happen around Hepzibah, the heroes come in to investgate. And once there and unable to leave...

[Scott Ruggels]

Easy. Junior College classes in tech, because it’s the best opportunity for high paying tech jobs in Colorado, for cheap. 

 

Company weekend at the local ski resort, off season. It’s pretty, and cheap, and within driving distance to Denver to get cheap air fare. 

[steriaca]

22 minutes ago, Scott Ruggels said:

Easy. Junior College classes in tech, because it’s the best opportunity for high paying tech jobs in Colorado, for cheap. 

 

Company weekend at the local ski resort, off season. It’s pretty, and cheap, and within driving distance to Denver to get cheap air fare. 

Yes. We should mention the stuff.

 

What do you think of my list of NPCs?

[Hugh Neilson]

6 hours ago, steriaca said:

Getting the heroes there. Assuming all (or most) of the heroes are not from Hepzibah, why would they be here in the first place? Well, rumor can be a powerful thing. And thugs are going to talk. Having heard through the underworld grapevine that something big is going to happen around Hepzibah, the heroes come in to investgate. And once there and unable to leave...y

 

I thought the early stages were kept well under wraps by the Skull.  How many Supers are tapped into the "underworld grapevine"?  I would probably start with the premise that the campaign is centered in the city of Hepzibah, and characters should be constructed with this in mind.  Another reason for a decent description of the locale so players can see  where their characters might live and work.

[steriaca]

21 minutes ago, Hugh Neilson said:

 

I thought the early stages were kept well under wraps by the Skull.  How many Supers are tapped into the "underworld grapevine"?  I would probably start with the premise that the campaign is centered in the city of Hepzibah, and characters should be constructed with this in mind.  Another reason for a decent description of the locale so players can see  where their characters might live and work.

We have to support GMs who decide that the place is more a "cool place to visit". No offence to thoes who actually want to use the setting as a periment place.

[Scott Ruggels]

One of the things I am noticing is there is still a lot of comic-book thinking, rather than Superhero movie thinking, especially in terms of The Skull. What is scary in comics is Silly in movies. I am noticing it a lot with the Skull of making him this scenery chewing, twitchy, hair trigger mad man, genius, where in a movie like this he would almost be underplayed. For him, I imagine a young, skeletal actor similar to a younger Jeffrey Combs. I see him as very focused and intense. Keeping a tight lid on everything, because intellect supersedes emotion for him. The only outward sign of his anger would be a relaxed, glassy, calm. Because at that point the source of his anger is now marked for destruction and he has already planning for it. The drug

use  I would thing would result in detachment and maybe a chemical sociopathy.  I could see him dressing in a minimalistic style with a hint of his thwarted corporate ambitions. Light Turtle necks and gray slacks with a black blazer and leather Nike’s. 

 

Id see him as planning his great opus like spy books he read, in planning for his exit(s) first, then his goals, then how to achieve it, so that if his plans work out, he is out of the country while the state and Federal authorities are busy with clean up and rescue. He planned for Chaos, but what he didn’t plan for was the player characters. 

 

This is is why he needs a hole in the dome, so his goons can rob a National Guard armory for heavy weapons and escape back under the dome before they are caught. His own weapons were Fine against groups of normals, nut he may need rocket launchers to deal with bricks and fliers. The flaw In that plan is the gang bangers lack of training with said weapons. Poorly aimed shots and neglecting to arm the seeker heads give the heroes a good chance.

 

Rather than imagining cartoony art, imagine an actor in the roles. Don’t think Costumes, yet, but actor, and equipment first. I am imagining the art as looking like a marvel movie, with good lighting, but little to no Spandex at first n

[steriaca]

Ok. No spadex.

 

The only "costume" for The Skull is his helmet, which resembles his namesake. The energy which is unleashed when he uses it, should it come from the eyes of his mask or prehaps a gem in the center of the mask's forehead area? The controls for his forcefield should be attached to his belt, along with the battery which powers everything (helmet and forcefield).

 

No comic book craziness. I do see one of his flaws being the inability to modify his plans. If something he has not planned for happens, he has a hard time copeing with it. It is not impossible for him to overcome this, but he would have a worse time than other masterminds.

[Duke Bushido]

2 hours ago, Hugh Neilson said:

 

I thought the early stages were kept well under wraps by the Skull.  How many Supers are tapped into the "underworld grapevine"?  I would probably start with the premise that the campaign is centered in the city of Hepzibah, and characters should be constructed with this in mind.  Another reason for a decent description of the locale so players can see  where their characters might live and work.

 

2 hours ago, steriaca said:

We have to support GMs who decide that the place is more a "cool place to visit". No offence to thoes who actually want to use the setting as a periment place.

 

 

Not really reading tonight; just here-- well, more out of habit, at this point, but I did skim a bit.

 

To both of you:

 

a lot of "set your campaign here" type info, I feel, flies in the face of the original idea of this entire thing.  As for "what would a new player ask," that's hard to say.  I've got an entire group of new players since the start of the summer that has played at least weekly and a couple of "bonus" sessions while I was out on the summer break at my job (can't turn down a mandatory vacation now, can we?    ).  To date, they know almost nothing about Campaign City, not even where it might actually be located in the US.   More than that, from our very first group (of which I seem to be the last surviving member  ), that question didn't come up for _years_-- real ones; not game ones-- .  It only came up when someone built a speedster and wondered how long it would take him to run to New York.  At that point, we had to know how far away that was.  

 

But I digress.  They want to know their immediate surroundings-- and that's about it.  As before, I am _not_ at all opposed to making a setting book.  However, the realist in me compares the work (which would add to the real world work I already have on my plate) versus the fact that there is _no_ market for this information: Champions is a dead game.  No; I don't say that lightly, and were it not for recent events, probably wouldn't say it at all, but let's face it:  it's a dead game.  Even the company store has zero CC books-- zero _any_ actual books, save a few random sourcebooks (the majority of which aren't for the current edition), which shoots the "boxed set" idea in butt right off.  Don't think I'm begging off.  I really don't mind doing this, and tend to rather enjoy it-- and, as noted in another thread, I am well out of practice for larger audiences, and look forward to the opportunity to practice a bit.

 

But doing an in-depth sourcebook for a dead game?  That's likely going to be back-burnered for a long, long time.  (I have to level with you: I can't figure out why the San Angelos guy wants to to a new book, given the current market conditions; I have to assume it's a "personal satisfaction" thing, which I can totally get behind)

 

I think all we really need are the "action locations" in detail, a rough overview of the town, and maybe-- _maybe_ a city map with _lots_ of white space that we can fill in as the need arrises.

 

In the meanwhile, If you really must have a real-world location, I'm thinking this valley would make a great place, replacing Grand Junction , Orchard Mesa, Clifton, and possibly running so far as Fruita.  Though we don't have to eat up Fruita.  We could duplicate the valley I like at the point of that scenic loop in the second picture and let the city grow south just a bit instead.   (perhaps making Grand Junction a bedroom community, and adding a "split" to the river that carries water through the valley and down into Hepzibah.  That way, we can get a neat view of the city as it grows up through this scenic area here (which is actually near Fruita, but we can either incorporate Fuita, or duplicate the valley.  I'd rather duplicate the valley, personally, but it's not a strong opinion.  I like the idea of looking down the valley and seeing the city rise, wind farms creeping up through the valley, and solar farms (and regular farms) out on the flats.

 

Enjoy it, but I'm totally willing to bet very few new players will give a rip.  Still, it could be done with a small page count, so long as we stay details-lite  (Does anyone remember where Viper's Nest was located?  Did anyone ever ask?  To this day, does anyone actually _care_? )

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 hours ago, Scott Ruggels said:

One of the things I am noticing is there is still a lot of comic-book thinking, rather than Superhero movie thinking, especially in terms of The Skull.

 

 

I'm kind of seeing that, too.  I think I can tame that a bit.

 

 

2 hours ago, Scott Ruggels said:

 

Rather than imagining cartoony art, imagine an actor in the roles. Don’t think Costumes, yet, but actor, and equipment first. I am imagining the art as looking like a marvel movie, with good lighting, but little to no Spandex at first n

 

 

With you there, sort of.  I mean, I don't disagree with you, I just can't figure out what defines a "Marvel Movie" other than superheroes, good lighting, and Samuel Jackson.

 

 

Gotta run.  I'll do something with this soon, I promise.  I'm just trying to get my mind off tomorrow's ceremonies.  

 

 

 

 

 

Duke

 

[steriaca]

We don't really need any set in stone location beyond where we said it was already. While we might actually do a sourcebook, but really?

 

As for if anyone would want the adventure for a dead system? Honesty I don't know.