Christopher

I appreciate the warnings and thoughts expressed, and can understand your concern.
 
I'll also say up front that I don't want to derail a mainly fun thread, so if this is going to mutate into a discussion about how to do / not do something, we should take it to another thread.
 
However, to address the main points (and hopefully put your concerns to rest):
 
I don't see anything disallowing Defenses with UOO.  If there is, please let me know where to find it.
 
The Healing power was allowed with the understanding that it would be mainly for use on civilians / noncombatants.  Its repeated use on the heroes, essentially allowing them to shrug off anything but an immediately lethal attack, has been making them rather cavalier about taking BODY damage.  As soon as combat ends, Malarky erases all their damage instantly.  Which makes sense - why have a power if you're not going to use it? 
 
Reasonably common and obvious defense is possessing magical powers.  That immediately excludes two of the heroes (1/3 of the team).  And though not mentioned in Christopher's post, the way to stop the Continuing Charge is a magical ritual, which one of the magical heroes (Nexus) has in her dad's magical library at home and the other (Malarky) can get by asking his mentor.  So a little research will end the threat very quickly for even the non-magical heroes.
 
The long Continuing Charge was put on to make them think twice after it doesn't just disappear in a few minutes (which is what they expected - just wait it out, then go take on Muerte and the rest of his minions).
 
As I said, I understand and appreciate your concern.  Rest assured, it's not as bad as you think.  It's just giving the players an adventure where the threat is real.

D&D : Surrounded by Shadows - Edgy!
On Lamech dual-wielding magical staffs.

GM: All you need are skis and cold weather and you can pole yourself around.

Lamech: Halfling barbarians aren't THAT hard to find - you just need to hang around the pubs on a Saturday night, after the soccer game finishes.

GM: People laughed when you announced your (invented) prophecy, but when you got to Tribor there were corroborative details.
Lamech: Funny how that works out.

GM: I hope there's nobody with a fear of heights in the party - because you'll be crossing a very high viaduct that doesn't have any safety rails. Because Dwarves.
Kavorog: Fuck OSHA
Lamech: Yes, all those 'unfortunate industrial accidents' whenever the elves are visiting.

Kerak: So, Lamech, is your riding dog a corgi?
Lamech: Himalayan Mastiff.
Kerak: .... Alrighty then.



Kerak: If you take the Sword of Vengeance, Urlon, you should be fine. Unless you get hit by friendly fire, anyway.
Lamech: Well, Elethandiel isn't here so that's unlikely to happen.

GM: And somewhere around here is the green dragon Claughmatir.
Kerak: Old Gnaw-bones?
Lamech: And probably Venomfang's mum. How much you want to bet he's gone back to complain to her?
GM: Depends on how independent he actually is
Kerak: 'They keep killing my minions!'
Lamech: 'And I've brought a bag of laundry'

Lamech: *looking at the viaduct* You know, this would be an excellent place to be ambushed.
Kerak: Can we camp ON the bridge?
Lamech: Sure, if you're suicidal.

Happily there's a fortified waystation. We get attacked anyway.

GM: It's the middle of the night and there's a slow heavy knock on the gate.
Lamech: No salesmen!

The figure, in full plate, has no horse and doesn't answer when asked if he needs help. Lamech deliberately fails a paranoia check, for reasons of drama.

Lamech: Hmm - if he's off his horse and can't speak, he clearly needs help. Let him in and break out the healing pack.

The figure actually HAS been wounded, and isn't some kind of lurching undead. However, he does have prominent canines, he can't speak anything intelligible, and draws a half-circle, pointing to himself, dotted lines, crossed swords, etc. Lamech eventually figures out that he must have got here through the Shadowfell, which means he could have come from ANYWHERE.

Lamech OoC: It's Kaldor Draigo!
Kerak OoC: With prominent canines?
Lamech OoC: Well, it's not Leman Russ, obviously - he hasn't started drinking yet.

We eventually determine he had been trying to get to the Shadowgate under the Phandalin manor - the one we had filled up with rocks. Lamech hands him a shovel and mimes digging it out. The probable werewolf looks very tempted into using the shovel in an unaccustomed manner.

Lamech: Beat us to death with it - fair enough.

He's also completely unsurprised by the presence of two dragonborn in the party, despite dragonborn being so rare on this planet.

Lamech OoC: He's from the Mary Sue dimension! Maybe he really is Kaldor Draigo.

Still, all this indicates that there's a Shadowgate somewhere in the Redlarch valley - and it's still open.

GM: And every Australian farmer is screaming 'SHUT THE DAMN GATE'

Random Travelling God-botherer: Did you know that Shadows are derived from Paladins? They suppress all their inner evil until it manifests in the Shadowfell as a monster.
Lamech: What, and not as a goatee?

Aaaaaaand just like a pessimist would predict, a peek over the waystation's palisade reveals multiple Shadows.

Lamech: Gentlemen.... Trollstop Inn is now a Base Under Siege.

Kerak uses Sacred Flame on one, and it goes up like magnesium tape. The rest react by spreading out and retreating into cover further from the inn.

Lamech: I was going to suggest that somebody go out there as bait, and when they all pile on, I Fireball you.

Probably just as well nobody did go out, since the Fireball doesn't actually kill them.

GM: You could do this great Rock Opera by casting Thunderwave and Lightning and whatnot.

Lamech: Even with the risk of more stuff coming through the gate between now and dawn, there are SO MANY things that could go wrong if we try to go cross-country, surrounded by Shadows, at night.
GM: Chasing after Shadows...

And then we turn around to find that the wolfman has climbed the waystation's tower and has unfurled a pennant and is howling a challenge at the sky and lurking Shadows.

GM: It's always darkest before the dawn, so everyone is expecting a massed assault around 5 in the morning.
Lamech: That's OK, I have a plan! We set the palisade on fire.

To save more cartoons in the dirt of cartoon adventurers, crescent moons, and Pac-Man ghosts, Lamech gets one of the NPC wizards to cast Comprehend Languages as a ritual. Pity the GM's mind went blank halfway through the backstory. But then, it has been a 40+ heatwave over here.

Lamech: OK, time for more miming. I get the wolfman over, point at the wizard, make 'Ooogly-boogly' motions, point to the wolf man and mine 'yapyapyap', and point back at the wizard and cup my ears.

Wolfman: I am General Kralgar. I am the Marshal of (to be added later)

He's here seeking support against the threats to resurgent civilisation on his world.

Lamech: I'm sure the forces of civilisation here on Toril will be interested in an alliance - most of them are dedicated to opposing the forces of destruction.
GM: You still can't talk to him - only the wizard can understand him.
Lamech: True. In that case - *two thumbs up and a big grin*

Instead, Lamech sets up the gates of the Inn as a deathtrap - only letting a few Shadows in at a time, into an area surrounded by wagons, barricades, and righteous God-botherers. Still, 15 rush through on the first attempt - they can squeeze through gaps an inch wide.

Lamech: Just as well I set up a 20ft square as the kill box. Fun fact - Fireballs are square.

GM: Kavorog, what do you do?
Kavorog: RAAAAAAGE, KIIIILLL, ATTAAAACK - I'm a simple, simple guy.

Somebody stealing bodies, of only grow up people. No ghosts present. Unsklilled labor.
Anybody else smell some necromancy in the air?

Ran my players against a revived Terror Incorporado over the past two weeks, though I started them off with a 4-day weekend at Sanctuary.  It's the first time any of these heroes have been there, and the first time two of the players (Circe and Pops) have even heard of it.
 
GM:  Gerald Donner, CEO of Donner Technologies, is paying for an all-expense vacation on Sanctuary for Just Cause as thanks for freeing him and the other former missionaries from their possession by the Corrupted spirits.
Maker:  Who was Donner?
GM:  He was the Anti-Pope.
Honey Badger:  The important question is, does he want his hat back?
GM:  He did say he'd like to take a look at it.  He's an engineer in his own right, and is interested in the teleportation technology the Corrupted put in there.
Circe:  Probably not a good idea.  That's just a supervillian origin waiting to happen.
 
GM:  So other than sunning yourselves on the beach, what would you like to do?
Nexus:  Can we rent a boat and do some deep-sea fishing?
GM:  Sure, you can rent a boat and run it yourself, or charter a boat and crew.
Nexus:  I don't know how to drive a boat, so probably best to charter one with a crew.
GM:  Anyone else going along?
Malarky:  With all the C'thulhu stuff we've been dealing with lately, count me out.  I'll just watch from the beach as the Kraken attacks the boat.
 
The heroes interact socially with their peers, both heroes and villains.
 
Circe:  Don't you feel a bit... exposed, walking around without your costumes? 
Black Diamond:  Well, I still wear a domino mask.  But that's why I've got the string bikini on.  Most of the guys here probably can't tell you if I even have a face, let alone what it looks like.
 
The heroes run into members of A-Team, some of whom just got freed from Stronghold thanks to the Corrupted.  Agrippa (the A-Team mage) takes Malarky (the Just Cause mage) aside to chat.
 
Agrippa:  I wanted to let you know that DEMON tried to hire the A-Team to retrieve something from Isla Muerte.  Ankylosaur said no, since they hunt me on occasion.
Malarky:  (OOC)  Isla Muerte - what's that?
GM:  It's the former base of Terror Inc., off the coast of Peru.  It's been pretty much deserted since Profesor Muerte got killed by Scorpia and Feur and his organization broke up.  About, what, 15 years ago.  Maybe more.
Malarky:  (IC)  So why are you telling me this?
Agrippa:  DEMON's not nice people, and as I said, they hunt me.  It serves them right if they get some hero attention. 
 
This gets filed under "nice to know, but we really don't care enough to investigate"... until they get their week's Heronet Herald news sheet and see an article about a Peruvian superhero (Libertador) who disappeared while investigating the murders of several current and past Peruvian ministers (basically, cabinet-level people).
 
Malarky:  Apparently, someone at Heronet wants us to look into this.
 
Pops:  I'm noticing - for a Boston hero group, we've been spending a lot of time outside Boston lately.
 
The heroes peruse UNTIL's dossier on Isla Muerte.  (Unfortunately, their contact couldn't locate a map of the facility found underneath Muerte's hacienda.)
 
Honey Badger:  This says that there are rumors the island is haunted by the ghosts of dead villagers and Terror agents.
Circe:  Hey, Nexus, this is right up your alley!
 
Tapping various sources, the heroes learn that the deceased ministers all had revealed info about Profesor Muerte's activities, in exchange for freedom for prosecution about past ties to Muerte, shortly after his death.
 
Malarky:  Corrupt government officials.  Imagine that.
GM:  And now you know why Peru kept UNTIL from just wiping out Muerte.  He had enough people in his pocket.
 
Most superheroes in Peru are pretty local -- the only two that seem to operate throughout the country are Libertador and Kina Dinamita.
 
GM:  Kina is an actual person, a female Peruvian boxer who's fairly famous down there.  Someone created a comic book character based on her, so I just had to run with it.
 
Circe calls Kina to compare notes, and learns that Kina actually went to Isla Muete at the Peruvian military's invitation about 5 years ago.
 
Circe:  I don't suppose you'd let me read your mind and see what you saw there.
Kina:  I've never had my mind read - at least, that I know of.    I guess that would be okay.
Circe:  (incredulous)  Really?!  Um, I mean, you're sure don't mind?
Kina:  As long as you restrict it to only looking at the memories of what I saw that day.
Circe:  I'll agree to that. 
 
Through the Mind Link, the heroes of Just Cause see the mass graves, the devastated village of San Muerte, the hacienda of Muerte that has been pulverized by the Peruvian military after Muerte's death.  They also see as Kina cleared some fallen stone blocking an elevator shaft, and the soldiers and Kina explored the underground facility beneath the hacienda.  (It was pretty completely stripped by the Peruvian government prior to inviting UNTIL in.)
 
GM:  After you're done with that, are you going to do any other rooting around inside her head?
Circe:  Tempted, but no, I'll stick to what we agreed.
 
With Pops' help the heroes teleport down to the island, where Nexus is nervous she's going to run into way too many ghosts, especially when they check out the mass graves.  Strangely, there is a distinct lack of ghosts in that area.  However, they notice signs that someone had dug up the grave at some point relatively recently (several months ago).  Honey Badger volunteers to use his tunneling to check out the contents of the mass grave.
 
GM:  Really?  You want to dig around in a mass grave?
HB:  (shrug) Honey Badger don't care.
 
He finds a number of empty body bags that had been ripped open.  The only bodies still in the mass grave seem to be children or elderly.
 
Circe:  Ripped open, like from the inside?  Dead rising from the grave?
GM:  Looks like they were dug up, ripped open, some bodies removed, and the empty and unwanted body bags tossed back into the hole before they refilled it.
HB:  But ripped open?  Those things have zippers, you know.
GM:  Could be whoever's behind it didn't have very skilled labor.  "Open that."  (riiiip)  (sigh)  "You could have unzipped it." 
 
(more to follow)

Man Ejected from Somali Plane After Explosion was Suicide Bomber

Finally, a terrorist attack with a happy ending...

It's always good to know a shapeshifter when your boss thinks you're a superhero.

Has Duracell switched the Robot/Bunny example to a Marsrover yet?

A short video I just found.
 

Started a new Roleplaying group, hoping for some quoteworthy comments to come out of it in the long run. I also hope most of the jokes can be carried over the translation barrier (german to english).
 
Note regarding Initiative in SR5E: You have a fixed number based on stats plus 1-5D6. For every 10 you get, you get an extra action that turn.
 
Setting: Shadowrun 5th Edition, Seatle 2050. The players are part of the GoGang "405 Hellhounds" in Seatles Redmond Barrens (the worst, most deprecated slum district of Seatle in 2050). For most of them it is the first contact with Shadowrun setting and Rulesystem. I at least got some 4E/2070 and computergame experience beforehand.
 
Character call:
The Medicine Man(Me; TMM): Human amerindian doctor from with incredible luck and stats, who just wanted to get away from his father. Noticeably displeased with the state of cleanlyness in the barrens/the Hellhound clubhous, firearms and pointless violence.
 
Dr. Feelgood (DrF): A dwarven mage and drug dealer, who has morals regarding selling to children or hurting women.
 
Eddy Zero(E0): A human adept focussed on range combat, prefering Rifles. Also writes japanese Haiku as a hobby.
 
GM: So we got a drugdealing mage that won't sell to children, a studied doctor from the middle class and a guy writing Haiku. You guys sure you are properly placed in a GoGang?
 
 
The Medicineman is fresh in the gang, does not fit in and thus is only a probatory member
E0: Somehow I picture his bike having a drawing of snoopy on it...
TMM: ???
DrF: Or maybe a cute little puppy...
GM: Okay now I am confused too
TMM/E0: Because he is a probatory member of the Hellhounds
 
The player are on the way to a stripclub (Danny's Inferno), when the first combat strikes:
A car stops 20 meter in front of them, 4 people come out and randomly open fire onto anyone nearby.
 
The first phase of the combat is every player seeking cover. The first attacks don't exactly go smooth either:
E0 (OOC): I got 6 sucesses on my 14 the hit roll.
GM (OOC): I don't believe it myself, but the ganger just rolled rolled 6 sucesses with his 8 dodge dice...
 
E0 player rolls 'low' on a Initiative test:
E0 (OOC): *looking displeased at his 21 Initiative result*This time I did not roll so high.
GM (OOC): It is still pretty high
TMM (OOC): *looks at E0's 14+4D6 score* *looks at his own 9+1d6 score* Your minimum is still 3 points higher then my maximum.
 
At the end of the second turn however, 3 arrows, 5 Rilfe bullets, 1 lightningbolt and a pistol round have utterly annihilated the 4 man gang. So utterly only one even had time to bleed to death (we kinda forgot to stabilize him). Time to loot and look for the wounded civilians.
 
TMM: I try First Aid on anyone bystander that was not killed.
GM: So the scary amerindian ganger with a bow over the shoulder that just killed a bunch of armed men using said bow tries to help the wounded civilians? I am going to say they run from you. Those that don't propably need your help or no help at all.

Started a new Roleplaying group, hoping for some quoteworthy comments to come out of it in the long run. I also hope most of the jokes can be carried over the translation barrier (german to english).
 
Note regarding Initiative in SR5E: You have a fixed number based on stats plus 1-5D6. For every 10 you get, you get an extra action that turn.
 
Setting: Shadowrun 5th Edition, Seatle 2050. The players are part of the GoGang "405 Hellhounds" in Seatles Redmond Barrens (the worst, most deprecated slum district of Seatle in 2050). For most of them it is the first contact with Shadowrun setting and Rulesystem. I at least got some 4E/2070 and computergame experience beforehand.
 
Character call:
The Medicine Man(Me; TMM): Human amerindian doctor from with incredible luck and stats, who just wanted to get away from his father. Noticeably displeased with the state of cleanlyness in the barrens/the Hellhound clubhous, firearms and pointless violence.
 
Dr. Feelgood (DrF): A dwarven mage and drug dealer, who has morals regarding selling to children or hurting women.
 
Eddy Zero(E0): A human adept focussed on range combat, prefering Rifles. Also writes japanese Haiku as a hobby.
 
GM: So we got a drugdealing mage that won't sell to children, a studied doctor from the middle class and a guy writing Haiku. You guys sure you are properly placed in a GoGang?
 
 
The Medicineman is fresh in the gang, does not fit in and thus is only a probatory member
E0: Somehow I picture his bike having a drawing of snoopy on it...
TMM: ???
DrF: Or maybe a cute little puppy...
GM: Okay now I am confused too
TMM/E0: Because he is a probatory member of the Hellhounds
 
The player are on the way to a stripclub (Danny's Inferno), when the first combat strikes:
A car stops 20 meter in front of them, 4 people come out and randomly open fire onto anyone nearby.
 
The first phase of the combat is every player seeking cover. The first attacks don't exactly go smooth either:
E0 (OOC): I got 6 sucesses on my 14 the hit roll.
GM (OOC): I don't believe it myself, but the ganger just rolled rolled 6 sucesses with his 8 dodge dice...
 
E0 player rolls 'low' on a Initiative test:
E0 (OOC): *looking displeased at his 21 Initiative result*This time I did not roll so high.
GM (OOC): It is still pretty high
TMM (OOC): *looks at E0's 14+4D6 score* *looks at his own 9+1d6 score* Your minimum is still 3 points higher then my maximum.
 
At the end of the second turn however, 3 arrows, 5 Rilfe bullets, 1 lightningbolt and a pistol round have utterly annihilated the 4 man gang. So utterly only one even had time to bleed to death (we kinda forgot to stabilize him). Time to loot and look for the wounded civilians.
 
TMM: I try First Aid on anyone bystander that was not killed.
GM: So the scary amerindian ganger with a bow over the shoulder that just killed a bunch of armed men using said bow tries to help the wounded civilians? I am going to say they run from you. Those that don't propably need your help or no help at all.

He needs to re-tire from the world and contemplate the car-ma he has to work out.
 
Lucius Alexander
 
The palindromedary suggests he can do that in custody

Despite the thickness of the concrete walls, the booming of Russian artillery could still be heard.  In fact, for several minutes it was the only sound in the bunker as Hitler stared the small glass ball resting on a wire stand in the middle of the table.  Embedded deep inside the glass ball was a tiny blue shape, somewhat like a pyramid with its five separate points nearly touching the outside of the globe.
 
[This was found outside Giza, just before the war?]* the Fuhrer asked.     (*Translated from German)
 
The army officer standing to the left side of the table nodded.  [Yes, sir.  A perceptive soldier saw it drop from the satchel of a brash American archeologist while running away from our troops.  You recall that unfortunate business with the Ark.  We believe he may have found it in one of the buried temples.]
 
The supreme commander of Germany nodded and turned to the other, smaller man standing to the right side of the table.  [Describe the workings of the globe.]
 
The scientist swallowed nervously.  [Herr Reichert believes that the inner crystalline structure acts as a very powerful and efficient battery, storing the electrical impulses that make up the human mind.]  He shrugged one shoulder.  [i theorize that it goes beyond that, storing the very soul and even some physical essence of a person.  Else, why would Herr Bruner's face have altered to mimic that of the one already trapped inside the globe, when Bruner unwittingly activated it?]
 
[it stores this safely?  For how long?]
 
[From our questioning of this supposed Egyptian pharaoh who took over Herr Bruner's body, the mind inside does not appear to appreciably degrade.  We do not have an exact date, but he went into the globe at least four millennia ago.]  The scientist tried a smile, but his terror made it look more like a rictus.  [so I do not believe long-term storage should be an issue.]  He dropped the smile when he saw no answering smile on Hitler's face.
 
[And how does it work?]
 
The scientist looked confused.  [i just explained that, my fuhrer.  The inner crystalline structure...]
 
[No, you fool.  How does one get... stored inside?  And then get back out later?]
 
[Ah, activation.  Yes, well, you can see that the points of the structure are each close to the outer surface of the globe.  If you place a thumb or finger at each point, the nerves at your fingertips apparently complete a circuit.  The transfer of mind and... essence begins immediately and takes but a few seconds.  Once complete, the crystalline structure will glow slightly, a light blue.  The body falls into a coma, though it can be revived by re-establishing the circuit the same way and transferring the person back out.]  He paused.  [Really, it is a miracle that Herr Bruner accidentally activated it.  It is not a natural way to hold the globe.]
 
[And the person inside can be then put into the body of another?]
 
[Yes, sir.  That is exactly what happened to Herr Bruner.  Unfortunately, Bruner's mind was... purged or overwritten by the one inside the globe.]
 
The booming of artillery stopped momentarily, but hope that it was at an end was fleeting.  More likely, the Russians were advancing and the shelling of the city would begin anew, closer and louder.
 
[Very good work, herr doctor.  You are dismissed.]  The scientist nearly ran from the room in relief, his two SS escorts following behind.  Hitler nodded once at one of the SS men, who smiled back grimly before exiting the room.  The door had just closed when a gunshot on the other side rang out, followed closely by two more.  [We cannot have loose lips, can we gentlemen?]  He reached for the globe.  [Now, you all have your orders.  We had best get this done before the Russians or Americans get too close.]  One by one, he placed his fingers at the points of the pyramid...
 
- - - -
 
The globe was smuggled out of Berlin and onto a U-boat bound for South America.  There, a Nazi loyalist was the first of many to serve as host for the Reichmaster, as he is now known.  Thus far, he has had 5 new host bodies (transferring out as one becomes badly injured or deathly ill, and into a new healthy body), thanks to his faithful agents. 
 
Some in the international intelligence community think the Reichmaster is a mere boogeyman; after all, they have proof that Hitler died in the bunker (although nobody really believes the suicide bit).  Tests on that body were conclusive.  So the sightings over the decades in Buenos Aires, or Jakarta, or Dallas, or elsewhere, must all be either near look-alikes, or products of plastic surgery.  Right?

Astrophysicist have speculated about Hyper-nova.  They usually result from Super-massive stars sometimes called a Hyper Star that burn for less than a million years before going boom.  But these Hyper Stars are through to have existed in the early universe, like the first couple of billions of years.
 
I have not heard of astronomers actually observing a Hyper-Star or a Hyper-nova and 3 billion light years is too close for one. 
 
The wiki on hyper-nova suggests that a hyper-nova could be from something else.

Stronghold Corrupted, Part 3:
 
The lift lowers, but Honey Badger snatches the now-freed warden away so it goes down empty.  After a few moments, they hear:

Anti-Pope:  Does Just Cause want to come down and plaaaaay?
Honey Badger:  I should totally put on the hat I took from him last time before jumping down.
GM:  Did you bring it with you?
Honey Badger:  (pout)  Probably not.
GM:  Tell you what, I'll give you an INT roll to think about bringing it beforehand.  (HB succeeds in roll)  Okay, now you should realize that you took that hat before PRIMUS arrived, so they never got a chance to check it out.  So they thought the Anti-Pope's powers were intrinsic.  As you put his hat on your head, you realize that you're hearing the thoughts of all of the Corrupted members down below.
Honey Badger:  Does that mean I can teleport, too?
GM:  Maybe.  You've never tried it before, but sure, go ahead.  What's the worst that could happen?  (evil grin; pause)  Oh, and it might occur to you that if you're Mind Linked to them, they're all Mind Linked to you.  And through Circe's Mind Link to the rest of your team.
Honey Badger:  (quickly takes off hat)
 
Still, the brief connection allowed Honey Badger to know where the various Corrupted members are positioned.  Their front-line fighters (Triptych, Father Hook, Shadow Paladin, and Unholy Warrior) are positioned around the lift itself, with Inquisition, Archbishop Licheus, and the Anti-Pope farther away.  The heroes drop down the hole (except for Pops, who stays on the rooftop as his AP Teleport will allow him to get inside if they close the hatch) and engage the Corrupted. 
 
Father Hook takes on Honey Badger.
 
Father Hook:  Thou shouldst prepare to die, mortal.
Honey Badger:  (defiantly) Who are you calling mortal?
 
Unholy Warrior is ripping into several heroes at a time with his enchanted weighted blades on chains (2m Reach, with 1d6 RKA Damage Shield, 2x Penetrating), causing BODY damage to several heroes, so Pops decides to take care of him.
 
Pops:  I look inside, and teleport him outside and off the rooftop as far as I can.  I'm hoping the guards in the Zap Towers are paying attention and want to do a little skeet shooting.
 
On the guards' next Phase, two of them take shots at Unholy Warrior as he's falling.  One hits.
Honey Badger:  What are they shooting?  Other than Unholy Warrior, I mean.
GM:  They're pulson cannons.  Remotely operated, so there aren't actually any guards in the towers.
HB:  Pulsons?
GM:  In game terms, a 24d6 energy blast.  Pops, would you like to roll 24 dice for me?
Pops:  92 STUN.
GM:  Ouch.  Please count BODY too, since he only has 20 total PD.  (realized I forgot to roll Unholy Warrior's armor activation -- and get an 18)  Um, never mind.  It doesn't look like he's going to need an exorcism after all.
 
One problem with Father Hook -- he gets a STR boost from a potion, which also makes his possibly go berserk in combat.  Unfortunately for the Corrupted, he does go berserk, and the closest target is Shadow Paladin.
 
Honey Badger:  I was going to attack Hook, but I think I'll just let him have some fun for now.
 
After taking a good poke from Hook, Shadow Paladin runs to the other side of Nexus.
Shadowboxer:  He doesn't have to turn fast, he just has to run faster than you.
 
The Archbishop hits Honey Badger with a Ray of Enfeeblement (9d6 STR Drain), taking him down 22 STR (after Power Defense).  After letting him suffer for a Phase or two, the GM has a moment of weakness himself.
 
Honey Badger:  That's it.  I'm useless.
GM:  (to Honey Badger) It's too bad your team doesn't have anybody who can make something on the fly to restore your strength.
Honey Badger:  You mean, like, a Gadget Pool?  (looks at Maker pointedly)
Maker:  Wait... I can do that?
GM:  (shrug)  With a half Phase and a Gadgeteering roll, anything's possible.  You'll have to drop your radar to make an Enervation Ray without losing your magnetic field generators, but it's do-able.
 
Meanwhile, Shadowboxer notices that Anti-Pope's defensive teleport (additional DCV) is off, so he grabs the leader of the Corrupted.  The Anti-Pope responds by not only teleporting himself away, but also uses Aportation to teleport Father Hook right in front of Shadowboxer.
Shadowboxer:  Ooo.  Didn't see that coming.
Pops:  Yeah, us teleporters can be a pain, can't we?
 
Inquisition is giving the heroes headaches (literally), so Pops opens a teleport gate next to Honey Badger, with the other end directly behind Inquisition.
 
Honey Badger:  (to Archbishop, who he's been fighting)  Wait here, I'll be right back.
 
It was a long fight, but eventually the heroes took down all of the Corrupted that were there.  Leaving the incoming prisoner transport with War Nun and Mother Supreme, plus Ripper, Rad, and Major Justice.
 
Maker:  It's almost 11:00.  Are we going to run that tonight, or next week?
GM:  Tell you what.  Circe hasn't been doing anything this whole fight.  No reason she can't have been Mind Scaning to lock onto Ripper, and then start piling on the cumulative Mind Control.  As soon as Mother Supreme releases Ripper's restraints, he punches her in the face.  Repeat until unconscious.  Meanwhile, Rad and Major Justice can make short work of War Nun, then put Ripper back nighty-night. 
Malarky:  Stronghold's going to need a new prisoner transport when they're done...
 
I was a little sad that the heroes never got to face Mother Supreme, though.
GM:  I had a lot of fun naming her powers.  Her defenses were A Hard Habit to Break.  Her movement was Flying Nun.  Nothing Gets Past Mother:  +2 with all PER.  Enhanced senses for Mother Sees All.  Then there's her Multipower:  Mother's Encouragement for an Aid, Mother's Loving Touch for Healing, Mother's Curse for an AP Mental Blast, Mother Says STOP for her Mental Entangle, and of course her Mind Control was Do As Mother Says.

Stronghold Corrupted, part 2:
 
About 5 days after Necroma's exorcism, the hero team gets a call from the Stronghold warden's secretary (Deborah Torres), informing them that UNTIL agents in Nicaragua have located an item they believe had belonged to Tomas Guevara, the missionary possessed to become Inquisition.  The item is due to arrive at Stronghold that night, and they'd like to perform the exorcism the next day at 2 pm.  Since Circe doesn't know about such an item being found, they get paranoid and call Warden Wildman directly for confirmation.
 
Their paranoia assuaged, they agree to travel to Stronghold the next day at 2 pm for Inquisition's exorcism.  The next morning at 10:30 am, they get another call from Torres verifying they will be coming for the exorcism, and also letting them know that a prisoner transfer is en route to the Boston PRIMUS base with four of their past foes -- Abyss and Augur from A-Team, Stinger from Deathstroke, and Fat Cat from the Corporate Raiders.  All are scheduled for trial within the next few days.
 
Unfortunately, the heroes were never informed of any such trials.  Cue more paranoia.  They call the warden, who confirms what Torres said and lets them know who contacted Stronghold in the first place (Charles Bowen, a court clerk in Boston).  The heroes then contact the Boston PRIMUS base for confirmation, reaching Lt. Det. Daniel Williams (not exactly the heroes' greatest friend). 
 
GM:  Who's talking to Det. Williams?  (the players all shake their heads and point at each other) 
Det. Williams:  Hello?  Who is this?
Shadowboxer:  All Williams hears is a bunch of whispered 'You talk to him,' 'Not me,' 'I talked to him last time, it's your turn!'
 
Williams confirms the prisoner transfer and gives them Bowen's name as well, along with the case numbers for the trials.
 
Shadowboxer:  I call the court to confirm the case numbers.
GM:  You ask for Bowen?
Shadowboxer:  No, I want to talk to anybody but Bowen.
GM:  That's okay.  He's not in today.  But the clerk you talk to confirms the cases.  'Yep, case 9024836-B, Phillips, public indecency.  Case 9033428-A, the Powells, disturbing the peace..."
 
The heroes also learn that Bowen's body was found yesterday evening in his garage.  Preliminary coroner findings are a heart attack five days ago.  However, Bowen's coworkers confirm that he was in to work, hale and hearty, three days ago. They call the warden back to let him know the prisoner transfer was bogus.
 
Malarky:  Unless Fat Cat exposed himself during the battle at the mall and I just blocked it out, the case numbers don't match to those supervillains.
 
The prisoner transport is already en route, so the warden puts them in touch with the pilot, who confirms all is peachy.  Nonetheless, the heroes convince the warden to divert the transport vehicle to Fort Riley and arrange for PRIMUS agents to meet them there.  The heroes teleport there and, once the transport lands, Honey Badger steps inside.
 
Pilot:  (opens cockpit door and looks out at Honey Badger)  What's the deal?  The prisoners are all behaving themselves.  I even had Stephanie check on them just before we landed.  (looks over at the cockpit seat)  Tell him what you saw when you checked on 'em.  (long silence, then pilot looks at Honey Badger)  Okay?
Honey Badger:  Who are you talking to?
Pilot:  My copilot.  (gestures at the empty copilot seat, sighs heavily)  C'mon.  (opens door to prisoner section, which is completely devoid of people)  See?  All okay.  (walks back and checks on the restraints on an empty chair)  Power suppression all in order.  (looks at empty seat)  Yeah, whatever, Stinger.  You're not going anywhere but to trial, and then back to your cell in Stronghold.
 
The heroes review video from the cameras in the transport vehicle.  They see four prisoners and seven guards board the vehicle. 
 
Malarky:  I'll bet those weren't guards with them.  They were other prisoners.
 
After taking off and reaching cruising speed/altitude, the guards remove their helmets and relax.
 
GM:  (pulls out map of transport vehicle and points to various seats, starting with the copilot and working back)  Scatterbrain.  Union.  Agrippa.  Requiem.  Chiller.  Shockwave.  Daytrader. 
 
Over Amarillo, the transport slowed and dropped in altitude (supposedly due to turbulence), where Agrippa teleports away with the other villains. The heroes are convinced the Corrupted are involved in some way, since this is happening the same day as Inquisition's upcoming exorcism.
 
Malarky:  Have any of them worked with the Corrupted before?
GM:  Not that you know of.  The only mystical one is Agrippa, and you know that he's Hunted by DEMON.  Since the Corrupted have worked with DEMON, it's not likely they'd be chums.
Honey Badger:  (considering the villains who escaped)  Are we the only heroes putting anyone into Stronghold?
GM:  No.  In fact, during your tour of Stronghold after Necroma's exorcism, you saw a decent number of villains you've never met before.  (pause)  Odd, isn't it, how the the only villains to escape are ones that Just Cause captured?  It's almost like someone arranged it just to piss you off.
 
As the heroes prepare to teleport to Stronghold, Circe contacts them via the Mind Link.
 
Circe:  I just got the weirdest phone call from Rad [formerly A-Bomb of the A-Team but convinced by Circe to become a hero instead].  He's all geeked because he and Major Justice are accompanying Ripper to Stronghold.  They stopped him from trashing a cathedral in Los Angeles last week.  Anyway, Rad says that the church sent a couple of nuns to bless the transport, and they're on the flight too.
Honey Badger:  Crap.  That'd be War Nun and... who's the one we haven't met yet?
GM:  Mother Supreme.
Honey Badger:  The gang's all here.
 
Just Cause opts to head to Stronghold before the transport can arrive.
 
Honey Badger:  Do we really want to be fighting all of the Corrupted, plus Ripper?  I don't think so.
GM:  The only Corrupted member they're bringing up for the exorcism is Inquisition.
Honey Badger:  Riiiight.  All of them will be there.
 
One problem:  Stronghold has power negation systems.  When the heroes toured the prison, they were given special magnetic field generators to wear that allowed them to retain their powers.
 
Maker:  Can I build one with my gadget pool?
GM:  Oddly enough, my notes do include a writeup for a "Maker Magnetic Field Generator".  Change Environment, Personal Surface, Usable Simultaneously by up to 8 people...
 
The heroes arrive on the rooftop of Main Security.  The iris valve hatch opens and the lift raises with Warden Wildman.  As they fill him in on the escaped prisoners, Nexus notices that he's not alone.
 
GM:  (to Nexus)  You can see that the Warden currently has a spirit riding along with him.  (Nexus makes a roll to recognize the spirit possessing him)  It's.. that b**ch!
Nexus:  What b**ch?
GM:  The spirit who led you into that apartment to Charles Aching.  The one who possessed the DA's wife to force him to throw the trail for Wight.  Lamia.
Nexus:  Oh, that b**ch!
 
Maker quickly builds a gadget to contain her, but due to the limits of her gadget pool and the fact that it has to affect Desolid, it's only a 3d6 Entangle.
 
Pops:  You know she's going to escape while we're inside dealing with the Corrupted.
GM:  Not necessarily.  Lamia only has a 10 STR.
Pops:  So she pushes her strength.
GM:  Only if she makes her EGO roll.  (rolls 3d6)  Okay, she made it, but only just, so she can only push it 5 points, giving her 3d6 versus the Entangles 3 PD.
Pops:  She could still whittle it down.
GM:  (rolls 3d6, getting two 6's and a 4, doing 2 BODY to the 3 BODY Entangle)
Maker:  (to Pops)  Shut up!  You're NOT HELPING!
 
(to be concluded)

Body Snachers/Swappers Adventure

GM (Hands Out Character Sheets to Players. Modified Versions of their Archnemesis's. Keeping only their Skills)

Players as a Groups: Noooooooooo!

GM (Evil Grin): You all awaken in a strange place, in your nemesis's body. Standing up you look down from a control room window where you see a death trap holding "You" and your teammates over a pool of lava.

Doing a double take you realize your surounded by the your teammates arch nemesis's.

Phase 12

Quotes (Part 1) from my Champions campaign, Stronghold Corrupted adventure:
 
The news for the week had an article about members of Just Cause going to Stronghold to observe and assist in the exorcism of Necroma, one of the Corrupted supervillain group.  (This was originally a group of a dozen missionaries in Nicaragua who had been kidnapped by cultists who then summoned evil spirits to possess the missionaries' bodies.  The heroes know this.)  I didn't actually run the exorcism before giving them the news sheets.
 
Malarky:  Did I miss something?
GM:  No, I'm going to start with the exorcism itself.
Malarky:  Well, at least we know up front that it worked.
 
Discussing travel plans:
 
GM:  (to Pops)  So, you're going to teleport everyone to Stronghold?
Malarky:  Even Maker?
Pops:  That's right.  She keeps messing with the teleport.
Maker:  What?  No, I'm not!  That was some villain doing it.
Pops:  No, I can tell it's coming from you.  You'll have to take a bus to New Mexico.
Malarky:  Yeah, you've got Teleport Herpes.
 
Since they have a few days beforehand, Pops and Maker decide to first try tracking down what is causing Maker to misdirect Pops' long distance teleport.  Maker builds a device to scan for energy effects that occur during teleportation, and they test it out.
 
GM:  How far are you teleporting?
Pops:  Just a few kilometers.
GM:  Okay.  (has Maker roll 3d6)  Pops, you end up where you targeted.  Maker, you have to kick on her flight so you don't fall into the Charles River.
 
Another test.
 
GM:  Again, Pops ends up where he targeted.  Maker finds herself inside a self-storage unit in Cambridge.
Shadowboxer:  The important question is, did you pay your monthly rental fee?
Maker:  It's not my storage unit!
Pops:  I think next time I'll try teleporting across the country, see which state she ends up in.
 
The particular energy signatures pinned down, Maker learns that not only is she kicking out this energy -- so is her costume, gadgets, even her entire lab.
 
Maker:  Is there anything I can do to get rid of this energy?
GM:  You can build something to remove the taint, as it were.  It'll take about five minutes to scrub you and your costume clean.  However, you notice that a little while after doing so, you begin accumulating that energy again, slow but sure.
Pops:  All I know is, when I leave her lab, I'm taking a long, hot shower.
 
After a few days fruitless searching (and some really bad skill rolls), Maker finally determines that the broadcast energy from the bots she stole liberated from VIPER is causing the energy taint.
 
Malarky:  Looks like someone got pissed that you keep stealing their stuff.
Maker:  What?  I only have two!
GM:  More like five.
Maker:  No, I have one old flyer bot, and one new one.  Remember, the other new flyer bot got trashed by DEMON agents at the mall.
GM:  And the flyer bot you sent to the Cross-Rip dimension that never came back.
Shadowboxer:  Plus the Johnny Five [roller bot].
GM:  And however many lab bots you took from that raid on the VIPER lab.
Maker:  (sulks)
 
After shutting down the broadcast energy and complete scrubbing, they try another teleport test.
 
GM:  (to Maker)  Okay, make another 3d6 roll.
Maker:  You've got to be kidding me!
GM:  Yep.  Just messing with you.  The teleport works fine.
 
The heroes travel to Stronghold, and I hand them some printed info about the superprison as well as maps copied from the Stronghold sourcebook.
 
Nexus:  (sarcastic)  Yeah, nothing's going to go wrong here. 
GM:  What?  The article says everything went fine!  (pause)  Should I pull out the hexmap of the area where they're doing the exorcism?
Nexus:  Did you make one?
GM:  Maaaaaybe.  (grins)  So, the deputy warden says that they'll either need to shut off the power negation systems there or do this on the rooftop, since they're not sure if the power suppression would interfere with the exorcism.
Malarky:  Shut off power negation throughout the prison?!
GM:  No, just on Level 6 of Main Security.
Malarky:  Well, that's okay then.
 
Circe's player wasn't there yesterday, so there's some discussion on what the team mentalist will be doing.
 
GM:  Would Circe be using telepathy on Necroma during the exorcism?  Y'know, to make sure the spirit really does leave her?
Malarky:  (heavy sarcasm)  Yeah, be mentally linked to the possessed person when the evil spirit is forced out of that body, with nowhere to go.  Can't see how that could go bad.
Shadowboxer:  That's the price you pay for not coming to the game.
 
Despite that, we decide she will only establish telepathy after the exorcism is done.  They're introduced to the priest, Father Joseph Bainbridge, who will perform the exorcism.
 
Maker:  Wait, Bainbridge?  Don't we know him?
GM:  If so, it's a complete coincidence, because when I typed my notes for the game earlier today I just opened this random name generator booklet you gave me and (closes eyes, opens booklet to a random page, jabs finger at the page, and opens eyes)  ...Joseph... (closes eyes again, jabs finger elsewhere on another page) ... Bainbridge!
 
Malarky watches the exorcism (ceremony?  ritual?  not sure what term to use) from the POV of the student of magic he is.
 
GM:  The exorcism itself takes about 20-30 minutes, lots of prayers and statements in Latin, use of holy water and blessed incense, what have you.    Malarky notes the various places throughout where he recognizes actual magical elements, with a fair amount of strictly religious elements that he's not sure are absolutely necessary.
Malarky:  Could I trim it down if necessary?
GM:  You could maybe do a short version in 3-4 minutes. 
Honey Badger:  (quoting from Spaceballs)  Right!  The short, SHORT version!  Do you?  Yes!  Do you?  Yes!  Good, you're married!  Kiss her!
 
Contrary to the players' paranoid expectations, the exorcism goes off without a hitch and is successful.  Circe telepathically confirms that the former missionary (Lydia Chavez) is free from possession.  However, all is not sunshine and roses...
Circe:  (through Mind Link to teammates)  That girl is seriously messed up.  All the things she was forced to witness and remembers doing while she was possessed...  she's extremely depressed, borderline suicidal.
Lydia:  (to Circe) Please, is there anything you can do, take away those memories?  I'd rather not remember any of that, ever.
Circe:  I'm sorry, dear, that's not in my wheelhouse.  Yet.
Pops:  But she's working on it.
 
The heroes are discussing finding the other items to allow them to exorcise the rest of the Corrupted, and the staff psychologist at Stronghold has a suggestion.
 
Dr. Crawford:  (to Circe) Is it possible Lydia could provide you information, from her memories of the time she was possessed, to tell you where the items were hidden?  Or failing that, info that could help you locate the cultists, so they can tell you where to find the items?  Having her actively helping free her fellow missionaries might help her get past the things she did while possessed.  And you could telepathically help her come to grips with things along the way.  (OOC)  This is the GM's heavy-handed way of having Circe not be a direct part of this adventure, but still helping move the plot along.
Pops:  Circe, going down to Nicaragua by herself?
GM:  Well, the two UNTIL agents that brought the tainted first aid kit needed for Necroma's exorcism will agree to accompany her.
Malarky:  Two random UNTIL agents? 
GM:  No, Lt. Truxillo and Sgt. Ishada.  [note:  these were GM-supplied characters played by Shadowboxer's and Maker's players the week before].
Malarky:  Oh, that's okay then.  They're good.
GM:  Plus, she'll maintain the Mind Link with the other Just Cause members.  If she gets into trouble, you can always "Pops" down there and lend a hand.
Pops:  If I'm not too busy with that cellular regeneration project.
 
After arriving in Nicaragua, Circe reports on her progress.
 
Circe:  We've located where the initial possession ritual was done.  (pause)  The Nicaraguan federales have a refreshingly accepting view of using mental powers on suspected cultists.
 
(to be continued)

Her design reminds me of the Starcraft Protoss (those spehrical things on the armor. Those things comming out of her head reminds me of the Khala connection) so I guess I roll with that idea.
 
The Eidolons are not your typical alien species, mainly because they are not a single species at all but still quite easy to identify. The original species early on developed a technique to connect the subconsciousness of Individuums via cybernetic implants - the antenna comming out of thier brains/heads. This resulted in them becomming a semi-collective: Shared subconscious, but still individuals. Able to understand each other instrictively, yet not loose themself.
The have peacefully existed for centuries. They allowed any person of any species to join thier ranks, resulting in them becomming not quite a single species anymore. Them allowing the smartest and the outcast of every race into thier fold allowed thier scientific knowledge to skyrocket. However such knowledge breeds envy and they had to maintain a strong Military to halt invasions of thier few colonised planets. They never had any ambition besides existing and not getting disturbed in thier entire history. Until now.
 
Recently there has been a drastical change in ther behavior:
They have grown more a lot more agressive and imperialistic. They have not yet resorted to forcefully integrating anybody (as far as is known), but species near them feel more uneasy every day with thier actions. It is unknown what brought on this change, but many asume they might have allowed to many of an agressive species into thier fold, resulting in thier shared mind becomming "tainted" with agressive emotions. Or maybe thier subconsciousness fell under the sway of a telepath.
In either case they are now a menace to be looked out for.
 
Silium was an advanced scout of the Eidolons send to earth, to scout out potential for invasion. However due to the super population she quickly got "stuck" on this backwater planet: Earth can't be easily invaded and might even be an issue for further expansion. She was active as a villainess for some time until something happened:
The antenna comming out of her head - the connection to the shared subconsciousness - were damaged, reducing the influence of the semi-collective on her personality drastically. And she suddenly realised that something was definitely not right with her people.
 
Since then she renamed herself to Salvation and joined the hero side of the Superpopulation, to make up for previous misdeeds. However her true focus remains on saving th Eidolons from whatever has taken hold of them. But she is not yet sure how to go about it:
She can't approach thier planets or even fleets, without risk of becomming affected again.
Enemies of the Eidolons hunt her.
Even the Eidolons themself hunt her, seeing her as traitor and security risk.
And there is the whole thing that she used to be a villainess.
 
But Sillium/Salvation won't give up. She knows that deep in thier heart, her people depend on her to cut out whatever has affected her people. The future of the Eidolons depends on her, one of the few remaining free members unaffected by the taint.

Her design reminds me of the Starcraft Protoss (those spehrical things on the armor. Those things comming out of her head reminds me of the Khala connection) so I guess I roll with that idea.
 
The Eidolons are not your typical alien species, mainly because they are not a single species at all but still quite easy to identify. The original species early on developed a technique to connect the subconsciousness of Individuums via cybernetic implants - the antenna comming out of thier brains/heads. This resulted in them becomming a semi-collective: Shared subconscious, but still individuals. Able to understand each other instrictively, yet not loose themself.
The have peacefully existed for centuries. They allowed any person of any species to join thier ranks, resulting in them becomming not quite a single species anymore. Them allowing the smartest and the outcast of every race into thier fold allowed thier scientific knowledge to skyrocket. However such knowledge breeds envy and they had to maintain a strong Military to halt invasions of thier few colonised planets. They never had any ambition besides existing and not getting disturbed in thier entire history. Until now.
 
Recently there has been a drastical change in ther behavior:
They have grown more a lot more agressive and imperialistic. They have not yet resorted to forcefully integrating anybody (as far as is known), but species near them feel more uneasy every day with thier actions. It is unknown what brought on this change, but many asume they might have allowed to many of an agressive species into thier fold, resulting in thier shared mind becomming "tainted" with agressive emotions. Or maybe thier subconsciousness fell under the sway of a telepath.
In either case they are now a menace to be looked out for.
 
Silium was an advanced scout of the Eidolons send to earth, to scout out potential for invasion. However due to the super population she quickly got "stuck" on this backwater planet: Earth can't be easily invaded and might even be an issue for further expansion. She was active as a villainess for some time until something happened:
The antenna comming out of her head - the connection to the shared subconsciousness - were damaged, reducing the influence of the semi-collective on her personality drastically. And she suddenly realised that something was definitely not right with her people.
 
Since then she renamed herself to Salvation and joined the hero side of the Superpopulation, to make up for previous misdeeds. However her true focus remains on saving th Eidolons from whatever has taken hold of them. But she is not yet sure how to go about it:
She can't approach thier planets or even fleets, without risk of becomming affected again.
Enemies of the Eidolons hunt her.
Even the Eidolons themself hunt her, seeing her as traitor and security risk.
And there is the whole thing that she used to be a villainess.
 
But Sillium/Salvation won't give up. She knows that deep in thier heart, her people depend on her to cut out whatever has affected her people. The future of the Eidolons depends on her, one of the few remaining free members unaffected by the taint.

Continuing "A Village Corrupted"
 
The group has figured out that some cultists must have summoned the demon hound to kill the villager, but why?  When they figure out that another demon hound has been keeping watch on the clinic, and also find out that the dead man had reported seeing a demon hound near the clinic, some of them want to check the place out.  Pedro asks Doreen to make a donation to the clinic in exchange for him getting some supplies for his first aid kit.
 
GM:  As a Red Cross worker, you have a pretty good field kit already.
Pedro:  Shhhh!  No I don't!  I'll need to pick up a few things, preferably while Doreen keeps the volunteer nurse busy so I can look around.
 
Det. Fuentes doesn't trust Pedro and is following him around inside the clinic, pointedly flipping his handcuffs on his index finger.  Pedro fails all of his Concealment rolls.
 
Pedro:  It's the handcuff thing.  It's throwing off my concentration.
 
The group decides to stay the night in the village.  Sgt. Ishada, Det. Artega, and Sgt. Chamaro decide to "rough it" on the hill overlooking the clinic, while Lt. Truxillo, Doreen, and Pedro convince one of the local ranchers to let them stay in a bunkhouse on their property.  Leaving Det. Fuentes to stay in his car overnight, parked within sight of both the bunkhouse and the clinic.
 
Pedro:  (to Det. Fuentes)  You know, all alone like that, if this was a horror movie you'd be the one they go after first. 
 
But the detective isn't worried about getting attacked.  Probably because, unbeknownst to everybody else, he is in league with the cultists (using his position as a fed to sidetrack or bury investigations into cult-related crimes).  He also has use of an invisible spirit to do his bidding (TK, Flight, and deflect attacks ala Resistant Protection).  And he knows an item is hidden in the wall of the clinic -- a stolen Mexican Red Cross first aid kit used in the summoning ritual that created the Corrupted.  Thus, everybody's interest in the clinic, along with Pedro asking about Red Cross first aid kits, has Fuentes rather concerned.  He sneaks away to arrange for the cultists in town to summon another demon hound to attack the group watching the clinic, while the cultists themselves set fire to the bunkhouse.
 
Too bad Fuentes doesn't know about Pedro's precognitive dreams.
 
Pedro:  Doreen!  Lieutenant!  You must wake up!  I think we are in danger!
Lt. Truxillo:  What?  In danger?  How do you know that?
Pedro:  Um... I heard something... outside... (mumble mumble)
Doreen:  Did you have a vision of something happening?
Pedro:  You really suck at keeping a secret.  You know that, right?
 
Truxillo radios Sgt. Ishada to warn her they're about to be attacked, and she spots a demon hound sneaking up to the rear of their position.  Soon, the night's silence is broken by automatic gunfire and magical fire blasts as the battle is joined.  Or two battles, as one group fights a demon hound while the other group fights cultists.  The forces of good have taken down the demon hound and most of the cultists when Det. Fuentes notices something.
 
GM:  (taking player aside)  You see a second demon hound heading toward the clinic.
Det. Fuentes:  What?  Why?  That wasn't part of the plan!
GM:  It looks like  De la Cruz thought he'd be clever.  Probably summoned a second hound and sent it to get the hidden first aid kit before the good guys find it.
Fuentes:  #&**@&^!*&^@!!  Okay, if I see an opportunity, I'll use my TK to mess with the good guys' aim or whatever.
 
Sgt. Ishada had hidden some micro cameras and bugs in the clinic earlier, so she sees the demon hound crash through a side window and head for the supply closet, just as they KO the first demon hound. 
 
Chamaro:  Go to the clinic, I'll finish this one off.  (pulls out grenade and sticks it into the creature's mouth)
Ishada:  At least wait until I'm outside the blast radius!
 
Ishada, in her stealth suit, runs to the clinic and dives through another side window.
 
GM:  The creature turns to you and hisses.
Ishada:  How does it know I'm there?  I'm invisible!
GM:  Maybe the window shattering inward was its first clue.
 
Fuentes has climbed in the window broken by the demon hound and is looking through the doorway as Chamaro leans in the other window and takes  aim at the creature with his assault carbine.
 
GM:  (rolls dice)  As Sgt. Chamaro takes aim, he hears a "thunk" as his weapon magazine drops to the floor.  You still have a round in the chamber, but that's all you have right now:  one shot.
 
He takes the shot, and Ishara jumps on the creature's back to try a Choke Hold, while Det. Artega runs to the front door to kick it open.  However, (after the GM receives and quickly checks a text on his cell phone) Chamaro then notices something more worrisome:  the pin from one of his grenades, floating away from him.
 
Chamaro:  What the... (BOOM!)
 
Luckily, neither he nor Ishara take a lot of damage, though Fuentes gets hit with some shrapnel.  But then Artega charges in and has remarkable luck with his pistol, taking the second demon hound down. 
 
Ishada:  Be aware, there is someone around here using Mage Hand.  Possibly invisible.
Doreen:  (to Pedro) Can you scan for minds?
Pedro:  I can try.  (He uses his Mind Scan)
GM:  You only find the villagers, none nearby, plus the KO'd cultists and of course all of you.  Of course, that only detects human minds...
 
The good guys collect the hidden first aid kit (covered with magical sygils painted in blood) and call in backup to cart off the cultists to the nearest jail cells. They also search the vicinity, including using Doreen's Detect Magic spell, all without success.  Unfortunately, before they can question the cultists the next morning, the three men are found dead in their cells.
 
GM:  It looks like cyanide.
Fuentes:  Heh.  Serves 'em right. 
Truxillo:  I searched them!  Even their mouths!  I wouldn't miss a poison pill in a tooth!
GM:  I know  In fact, you're certain they didn't have anything on them when they were locked up, and checking them now, you don't see a fake tooth or anything.   An autopsy later reveals the remains of a capsule in each cultist's stomach. 
Truxillo:  So someone must have slipped them poison capsules when they were in the cells.  Crap.
 
I don't think the other players ever did figure out Fuentes' duplicitous nature.  Should be interesting when the superheroes arrive...

60 years of space pollution summarized in one minute

Her design reminds me of the Starcraft Protoss (those spehrical things on the armor. Those things comming out of her head reminds me of the Khala connection) so I guess I roll with that idea.
 
The Eidolons are not your typical alien species, mainly because they are not a single species at all but still quite easy to identify. The original species early on developed a technique to connect the subconsciousness of Individuums via cybernetic implants - the antenna comming out of thier brains/heads. This resulted in them becomming a semi-collective: Shared subconscious, but still individuals. Able to understand each other instrictively, yet not loose themself.
The have peacefully existed for centuries. They allowed any person of any species to join thier ranks, resulting in them becomming not quite a single species anymore. Them allowing the smartest and the outcast of every race into thier fold allowed thier scientific knowledge to skyrocket. However such knowledge breeds envy and they had to maintain a strong Military to halt invasions of thier few colonised planets. They never had any ambition besides existing and not getting disturbed in thier entire history. Until now.
 
Recently there has been a drastical change in ther behavior:
They have grown more a lot more agressive and imperialistic. They have not yet resorted to forcefully integrating anybody (as far as is known), but species near them feel more uneasy every day with thier actions. It is unknown what brought on this change, but many asume they might have allowed to many of an agressive species into thier fold, resulting in thier shared mind becomming "tainted" with agressive emotions. Or maybe thier subconsciousness fell under the sway of a telepath.
In either case they are now a menace to be looked out for.
 
Silium was an advanced scout of the Eidolons send to earth, to scout out potential for invasion. However due to the super population she quickly got "stuck" on this backwater planet: Earth can't be easily invaded and might even be an issue for further expansion. She was active as a villainess for some time until something happened:
The antenna comming out of her head - the connection to the shared subconsciousness - were damaged, reducing the influence of the semi-collective on her personality drastically. And she suddenly realised that something was definitely not right with her people.
 
Since then she renamed herself to Salvation and joined the hero side of the Superpopulation, to make up for previous misdeeds. However her true focus remains on saving th Eidolons from whatever has taken hold of them. But she is not yet sure how to go about it:
She can't approach thier planets or even fleets, without risk of becomming affected again.
Enemies of the Eidolons hunt her.
Even the Eidolons themself hunt her, seeing her as traitor and security risk.
And there is the whole thing that she used to be a villainess.
 
But Sillium/Salvation won't give up. She knows that deep in thier heart, her people depend on her to cut out whatever has affected her people. The future of the Eidolons depends on her, one of the few remaining free members unaffected by the taint.

Her design reminds me of the Starcraft Protoss (those spehrical things on the armor. Those things comming out of her head reminds me of the Khala connection) so I guess I roll with that idea.
 
The Eidolons are not your typical alien species, mainly because they are not a single species at all but still quite easy to identify. The original species early on developed a technique to connect the subconsciousness of Individuums via cybernetic implants - the antenna comming out of thier brains/heads. This resulted in them becomming a semi-collective: Shared subconscious, but still individuals. Able to understand each other instrictively, yet not loose themself.
The have peacefully existed for centuries. They allowed any person of any species to join thier ranks, resulting in them becomming not quite a single species anymore. Them allowing the smartest and the outcast of every race into thier fold allowed thier scientific knowledge to skyrocket. However such knowledge breeds envy and they had to maintain a strong Military to halt invasions of thier few colonised planets. They never had any ambition besides existing and not getting disturbed in thier entire history. Until now.
 
Recently there has been a drastical change in ther behavior:
They have grown more a lot more agressive and imperialistic. They have not yet resorted to forcefully integrating anybody (as far as is known), but species near them feel more uneasy every day with thier actions. It is unknown what brought on this change, but many asume they might have allowed to many of an agressive species into thier fold, resulting in thier shared mind becomming "tainted" with agressive emotions. Or maybe thier subconsciousness fell under the sway of a telepath.
In either case they are now a menace to be looked out for.
 
Silium was an advanced scout of the Eidolons send to earth, to scout out potential for invasion. However due to the super population she quickly got "stuck" on this backwater planet: Earth can't be easily invaded and might even be an issue for further expansion. She was active as a villainess for some time until something happened:
The antenna comming out of her head - the connection to the shared subconsciousness - were damaged, reducing the influence of the semi-collective on her personality drastically. And she suddenly realised that something was definitely not right with her people.
 
Since then she renamed herself to Salvation and joined the hero side of the Superpopulation, to make up for previous misdeeds. However her true focus remains on saving th Eidolons from whatever has taken hold of them. But she is not yet sure how to go about it:
She can't approach thier planets or even fleets, without risk of becomming affected again.
Enemies of the Eidolons hunt her.
Even the Eidolons themself hunt her, seeing her as traitor and security risk.
And there is the whole thing that she used to be a villainess.
 
But Sillium/Salvation won't give up. She knows that deep in thier heart, her people depend on her to cut out whatever has affected her people. The future of the Eidolons depends on her, one of the few remaining free members unaffected by the taint.

Smoke grenades, darkness field, et. al. may be *your* best friend; but if the rest of your team doesn't have your Enhanced Senses, throwing too many around may not make you *their* best friend.

When 'heros' become dark 'murder-hobos', vilains must become even darker to tell them apart.