Imp tales Compilation 3 by acurro

INTRODUCTION

411 For the GM: Here’s What’s Going Down

Powered by Mars! The weaker Martian gravity makes human beings stronger and more agile on Mars than on Earth. This effect adds 4 any Earthling‛s Strength, and 3 to their Prowess, up to a maximum of 8. This effect will be more noticeable, and therefore perhaps more fun, if your players are running low-powered, street-level heroes along the lines of Batman, the Question, or Daredevil

Set-Up: Party Aboard the Superiority

Action Scene 1: Crashdown on Cydonia

Action Scene 2: Enter: The Tendactylon

Action Scene 3: A Champion Abducted

The Helpful Mister Ix Mister Ix — or Mister Nine, as Vance Champion keeps mistakenly calling him — is an ancient Martian valet robot. He‛s very old, well out of date by current Martian standards. An upgrade could make Mister Ix far more effective in aiding the PCs. The upgrade takes about four hours. After the upgrade, Mister Ix will have access to the Martian Worldwide Communication Network. He‛ll also have basic defense and martial capabilities, including the ability to use handheld weapons such as blades and firearms. However, once he‛s upgraded, he can be tracked, and the contents of his data cores are public record — making him an unwitting accomplice to Princess Helo Thiris. Also, Karka Thune instituted a law giving the monarch of Mars control over all robotic entities, able to deactivate or control them with a command. That law, hard-coded into all robots manufactured or upgraded since Thune‛s day, has never been repealed. This means that an upgraded Mister Ix unintentionally functions as Thiris‛s spy and agent. This law was a closely guarded secret, however, and Hunter Rhoov knows nothing about it.

What Happens If the PCs Lose This Fight? If the Green Brigadiers manage to capture the PCs, they will take them them to Auralon to face the princess for crimes against the throne. Helo Thiris has come to realize that the PCs arenâ&#x20AC;&#x203A;t necessarily aiding Vance Champion, and may be ignorant of his crimes against Mars. So, being an enlightened ruler, she will only imprison the PCs until after the criminal Vance Champion is executed. Then she will send them back to Earth via the transport field. But, of course, the PCs may attempt to escape the prison and prevent the execution of Vance Champion.

Action Scene Four: The Battle for Auralon

Heroic Sacrifice of Major NPCs — An Alternate Ending Whenever possible, the PCs‛ actions should determine the outcome of the scenario. However, you can also use Vance Champion and Mister Ix in dramatic ways to help the PCs if needed. In one playtest, Champion threw himself in front of the princess and sacrificed himself to protect her. This gave the PCs a chance to defeat the tendactylon and Hunter Rhoov, although it also added a poignant tone to the end of the adventure. In another playtest, Mister Ix sacrificed himself to protect both Princess Thiris and Vance Champion, exploding in the tendactylon‛s tentacles and thereby defeating the beast.

Many thanks to: Walt Robillard, jonathan Thompson, Daniel Gallant, John Post, Kairam Ahmed Hamdan, Chris Tavares, Andrew Cook, Craig McRoberts, Rich Amtower, Heath_Bar, Gerry Saracco, Avery, Todd E Worrell, Kirt Dankmyer, Skip Frizzell, Craig, Joe Barbales, Michael W. Mattei, Curt Meyer, Vincent Arebalo, Jhmcmullen, Shelby Cinca, Christopher Heard, DivNull Productions, Mike Fontana, Jeremy Douglass, Lon Braidwood, Matthew McFarland, Justin Smith, Matt Leitzen, Sean Veira, Dale Russell, Steven Noyes, Julianna Backer, Swampfoxmedia, Sheri Bryan, Dan Taylor, Lisa Pearce Collins, Nolan J. Hitchcock, Kevin Donovan, Kevin Perrine, Chaotic Geek

NPC SECTION

Open Game License The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc (“Wizards”). All Rights Reserved. 1 . Definitions: (a)”Contributors” means the copyright and/or trademark owners who have contributed Open Game Content; (b)”Derivative Material” means copyrighted material including derivative works and translations (including into other computer languages), potation, modification, correction, addition, extension, upgrade, improvement, compilation, abridgment or other form in which an existing work may be recast, transformed or adapted; (c) “Distribute” means to reproduce, license, rent, lease, sell, broadcast, publicly display, transmit or otherwise distribute; (d)”Open Game Content” means the game mechanic and includes the methods, procedures, processes and routines to the extent such content does not embody the Product Identity and is an enhancement over the prior art and any additional content clearly identified as Open Game Content by the Contributor, and means any work covered by this License, including translations and derivative works under copyright law, but specifically excludes Product Identity. (e) “Product Identity” means product and product line names, logos and identifying marks including trade dress; artifacts; creatures characters; stories, storylines, plots, thematic elements, dialogue, incidents, language, artwork, symbols, designs, depictions, likenesses, formats, poses, concepts, themes and graphic, photographic and other visual or audio representations; names and descriptions of characters, spells, enchantments, personalities, teams, personas, likenesses and special abilities; places, locations, environments, creatures, equipment, magical or supernatural abilities or effects, logos, symbols, or graphic designs; and any other trademark or registered trademark clearly identified as Product identity by the owner of the Product Identity, and which specifically excludes the Open Game Content; (f) “Trademark” means the logos, names, mark, sign, motto, designs that are used by a Contributor to identify itself or its products or the associated products contributed to the Open Game License by the Contributor (g) “Use”, “Used” or “Using” means to use, Distribute, copy, edit, format, modify, translate and otherwise create Derivative Material of Open Game Content. (h) “You” or “Your” means the licensee in terms of this agreement. 2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content that contains a notice indicating that the Open Game Content may only be Used under and in terms of this License. You must affix such a notice to any Open Game Content that you Use. No terms may be added to or subtracted from this License except as described by the License itself. No other terms or conditions may be applied to any Open Game Content distributed using this License. 3.Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content You indicate Your acceptance of the terms of this License. 4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to use this License, the Contributors grant You a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, nonexclusive license with the exact terms of this License to Use, the Open Game Content. 5.Representation of Authority to Contribute: If You are contributing original material as Open Game Content, You represent that Your Contributions are Your original creation and/or You have sufficient rights to grant the rights conveyed by this License. 6.Notice of License Copyright: You must update the COPYRIGHT NOTICE portion of this License to include the exact text of the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any Open Game Content You are copying, modifying or distributing, and You must add the title, the copyright date, and the copyright holder’s name to the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any original Open Game Content you Distribute. 7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product Identity, including as an indication as to compatibility, except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of each element of that Product Identity. You agree not to indicate compatibility or co-adaptability with any Trademark or Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work containing Open Game Content except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or Registered Trademark. The use of any Product Identity in Open Game Content does not constitute a challenge to the ownership of that Product Identity. The owner of any Product Identity used in Open Game Content shall retain all rights, title and interest in and to that Product Identity. 8. Identification: If you distribute Open Game Content You must clearly indicate which portions of the work that you are distributing are Open Game Content. 9. Updating the License: Wizards or its designated Agents may publish updated versions of this License. You may use any authorized version of this License to copy, modify and distribute any Open Game Content originally distributed under any version of this License. 1 0. Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this License with every copy of the Open Game Content You Distribute. 11 . Use of Contributor Credits: You may not market or advertise the Open Game Content using the name of any Contributor unless You have written permission from the Contributor to do so. 1 2. Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with any of the terms of this License with respect to some or all of the Open Game Content due to statute, judicial order, or governmental regulation then You may not Use any Open Game Material so affected. 1 3. Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You fail to comply with all terms herein and fail to cure such breach within 30 days of becoming aware of the breach. All sublicenses shall survive the termination of this License. 1 4. Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be unenforceable, such provision shall be reformed only to the extent necessary to make it enforceable. 1 5. COPYRIGHT NOTICE Open Game License v 1 .0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Fudge System Reference Document, Copyright 2005, Grey Ghost Press, Inc.; Authors Steffan O’Sullivan and Ann Dupuis, with additional material by Peter Bonney, Deird’Re Brooks, Reimer Behrends, Shawn Garbett, Steven Hammond, Ed Heil, Bernard Hsiung, Sedge Lewis, Gordon McCormick, Kent Matthewson, Peter Mikelsons, Anthony Roberson, Andy Skinner, Stephan Szabo, John Ughrin, Dmitri Zagidulin. FATE (Fantastic Adventures in Tabletop Entertainment), Copyright 2003 by Evil Hat Productions LLC; Authors Robert Donoghue and Fred Hicks. Spirit of the Century, Copyright 2006, Evil Hat Productions LLC. Authors Robert Donoghue, Fred Hicks, and Leonard Balsera. Icons, Copyright 201 0, Steve Kenson, published exclusively by Adamant Entertainment in partnership with Cubicle Seven Entertainment, Ltd. Improbable Tales 1 , 2, 3, 4, 5 ,6, 7, 8, 9 Copyright 201 2 Fainting Goat Games. Author Mike Lafferty. The following is designated as Product Identity, in accordance with Section 1 (e) of the Open Game License, Version 1 .0a: All Characters and their associated descriptions, backgrounds, and related information

ICONS Superpowered Roleplaying is a trademark of Steve Kenson, published exclusively by Ad Infinitum Adventures. The ICONS Superpowered Roleplaying Compatibility Logo is a trademark of Ad Infinitum Adventures and is used under the ICONS Superpowered Roleplaying Compatibility License. ICONS and associated marks and logos are trademarks of Steve Kenson and Ad Infinitum Adventures, and are used under license.

Introduction

411 for the GM: Here is Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Going On

A Plea for Help 3

Authorities have begun a wholesale evacuation of Phoenix and the surrounding suburbs and towns. Three days ago, the isolated research facility of Paragon Engineering and Phoenix This adventure mentions Paragon Engineering, which is a technology company described in the Tesla Industrial Park section of the Stark City campaign setting. A gamemaster should feel free to change the name of the company to fit her campaign, if appropriate. Nothing else in the adventure is tied to any specific campaign setting. The gamemaster should feel free to place the adventure in any appropriate location. The only guideline is that the research laboratory should be in a relatively isolated location, the American Southwest or Mountain West are obvious locations.

Paragon Engineering was enveloped by this sphere. [The camera pans to show an opaque, multi-hued sphere that is several hundred yards high and easily ten miles wide.] The sphere is growing without any sign of stopping. Approximately twenty-four hours ago the sphere enveloped the small town of Lafferton and began growing at a faster pace. It is now within 100 miles of hundreds of thousands of civilians and will swallow Phoenix within 24 hours at its current pace. Military authorities are not disclosing the nature of their attempts at discovering the reason for the sphere, the cause of its growth, or how to stop it. We will keep you informed as this story develops

Circle the Wagons

Weird, Wild West The adventure is written assuming that Otto Damien wants to recreate the "Wild West" that he has imagined from reading Louis L'Amour or Zane Grey novels; watching televisions shows such as "Deadwood," "Hell on Wheels," or reruns of "Gunsmoke" and "Bonanza;" and watching movies like "Unforgiven," "Magnificent Seven," and really anything starring Clint Eastwood. This does not have to be the case. If Damien is a fan of the Deadlands roleplaying game, then the characters could immediately have access to certain types of superpowers, such as those fitting in that genre. Likewise, the characters' antagonists could also have access to supernatural powers.

9 Dimension Travel Characters with Dimension Travel have the ability to short circuit portions of this adventure. The threat of being trapped in the pocket dimension when the P.A.T.R.I.O.T. dimensional stabilizer goes on-line does not affect them, and with the proper stunts and enough time (and Determination) they could rescue all of the inhabitants of the dimensional bubble. The gamemaster may be tempted to prevent this or make it unreasonably difficult to do. Resist this temptation. Dimension Travel is a movement power that does little more than provide an interesting background for a character. It is rarely useful in combat or even in most adventures. Let the dimension traveler shine in this adventure. The character may travel back and forth between the dimensions to provide updates to those outside. The character may use a stunt to send individuals immediately back to their home dimension. The gamemaster should allow this for any targets other than Otto Damien and the Telepathic Power Enhancement Device. A Dimension Travel stunt that allows the character to affect others does harm Damien and the Telepathic Power Enhancement Unit, and the process for sending them back is described in the final section, "Back to the Future."

A Blast from the Past 10

Showdown at Damien Ranch

Back to the Future

Playtest Advice: Otto Damien wants the characters to play the roles of his nemeses in his own personal opera. Convincing true blue heroes to play the part of the bĂŞte noire may be difficult. If simply providing them with Determination is insufficient, the gamemaster should consider more forceful options. The most heavy-handed approach is to use Damien's Mind Control power to force the characters to "act the part" of villains. Once the characters practice any villainy in town, the local authorities move to arrest them, and if that is ineffective, the local citizens may form a lynch mob. Limited use of this method should be effective, but only if the characters and their players are assured that their potential victims are not seriously harmed. The gamemaster can describe the "death" of any person as the injured character being healed, with his or her wounds mysteriously closing, before the character fades out and disappears from the pocket dimension. In game terms, Damien uses his Healing ability to save the character before expelling him or her from the dimension. He does not really want anyone to be hurt in his dimension and certainly does not want a bunch of corpses littering his make believe world. Playtest Credits: Joe Bardales, Mike Lafferty, Walt Robillard, Ade Smith

Major Characters Otto Damien

Ramping Up/Ramping Down the Adventure With his level 7 Fast-Attack power, Damien may make 3 attacks per panel (ICONS, page 49). If the gamemaster wishes to provide the characters with more of a challenge, increase Damien's Fast-Attack power to 10 and give him 4 attacks per panel. If the gamemaster wishes to decrease the level of difficulty of the adventure, the gamemaster may consider using the Fast-Attack rules as presented in ICONS: Great Power. In essence, the character may only make additional attacks with levels equivalent to the level of the character's Fast-Attack power. Therefore, Damien's Fast-Attack of 7 would allow him to perform a Material Creation effect at level 10 (his base attack), an additional attack with one of his powers at an effective level of 7 (the level of Fast-Attack) or two attacks of Material Creation 5 and Material Repair of 2, for example, or any other number of attacks with powers totaling 7. For a middle ground, the gamemaster could increase Damien's FastAttack to 10 and use the Great Power rule for Fast-Attacks.

Constance McClain

Telepathic Power Enhancement Device

Open Game License The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc (“Wizards”). All Rights Reserved. 1 . Definitions: (a)”Contributors” means the copyright and/or trademark owners who have contributed Open Game Content; (b)”Derivative Material” means copyrighted material including derivative works and translations (including into other computer languages), potation, modification, correction, addition, extension, upgrade, improvement, compilation, abridgment or other form in which an existing work may be recast, transformed or adapted; (c) “Distribute” means to reproduce, license, rent, lease, sell, broadcast, publicly display, transmit or otherwise distribute; (d)”Open Game Content” means the game mechanic and includes the methods, procedures, processes and routines to the extent such content does not embody the Product Identity and is an enhancement over the prior art and any additional content clearly identified as Open Game Content by the Contributor, and means any work covered by this License, including translations and derivative works under copyright law, but specifically excludes Product Identity. (e) “Product Identity” means product and product line names, logos and identifying marks including trade dress; artifacts; creatures characters; stories, storylines, plots, thematic elements, dialogue, incidents, language, artwork, symbols, designs, depictions, likenesses, formats, poses, concepts, themes and graphic, photographic and other visual or audio representations; names and descriptions of characters, spells, enchantments, personalities, teams, personas, likenesses and special abilities; places, locations, environments, creatures, equipment, magical or supernatural abilities or effects, logos, symbols, or graphic designs; and any other trademark or registered trademark clearly identified as Product identity by the owner of the Product Identity, and which specifically excludes the Open Game Content; (f) “Trademark” means the logos, names, mark, sign, motto, designs that are used by a Contributor to identify itself or its products or the associated products contributed to the Open Game License by the Contributor (g) “Use”, “Used” or “Using” means to use, Distribute, copy, edit, format, modify, translate and otherwise create Derivative Material of Open Game Content. (h) “You” or “Your” means the licensee in terms of this agreement. 2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content that contains a notice indicating that the Open Game Content may only be Used under and in terms of this License. You must affix such a notice to any Open Game Content that you Use. No terms may be added to or subtracted from this License except as described by the License itself. No other terms or conditions may be applied to any Open Game Content distributed using this License. 3.Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content You indicate Your acceptance of the terms of this License. 4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to use this License, the Contributors grant You a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, nonexclusive license with the exact terms of this License to Use, the Open Game Content. 5.Representation of Authority to Contribute: If You are contributing original material as Open Game Content, You represent that Your Contributions are Your original creation and/or You have sufficient rights to grant the rights conveyed by this License. 6.Notice of License Copyright: You must update the COPYRIGHT NOTICE portion of this License to include the exact text of the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any Open Game Content You are copying, modifying or distributing, and You must add the title, the copyright date, and the copyright holder’s name to the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any original Open Game Content you Distribute. 7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product Identity, including as an indication as to compatibility, except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of each element of that Product Identity. You agree not to indicate compatibility or co-adaptability with any Trademark or Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work containing Open Game Content except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or Registered Trademark. The use of any Product Identity in Open Game Content does not constitute a challenge to the ownership of that Product Identity. The owner of any Product Identity used in Open Game Content shall retain all rights, title and interest in and to that Product Identity. 8. Identification: If you distribute Open Game Content You must clearly indicate which portions of the work that you are distributing are Open Game Content. 9. Updating the License: Wizards or its designated Agents may publish updated versions of this License. You may use any authorized version of this License to copy, modify and distribute any Open Game Content originally distributed under any version of this License. 1 0. Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this License with every copy of the Open Game Content You Distribute. 11 . Use of Contributor Credits: You may not market or advertise the Open Game Content using the name of any Contributor unless You have written permission from the Contributor to do so. 1 2. Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with any of the terms of this License with respect to some or all of the Open Game Content due to statute, judicial order, or governmental regulation then You may not Use any Open Game Material so affected. 1 3. Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You fail to comply with all terms herein and fail to cure such breach within 30 days of becoming aware of the breach. All sublicenses shall survive the termination of this License. 1 4. Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be unenforceable, such provision shall be reformed only to the extent necessary to make it enforceable. 1 5. COPYRIGHT NOTICE Open Game License v 1 .0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Fudge System Reference Document, Copyright 2005, Grey Ghost Press, Inc.; Authors Steffan O’Sullivan and Ann Dupuis, with additional material by Peter Bonney, Deird’Re Brooks, Reimer Behrends, Shawn Garbett, Steven Hammond, Ed Heil, Bernard Hsiung, Sedge Lewis, Gordon McCormick, Kent Matthewson, Peter Mikelsons, Anthony Roberson, Andy Skinner, Stephan Szabo, John Ughrin, Dmitri Zagidulin. FATE (Fantastic Adventures in Tabletop Entertainment), Copyright 2003 by Evil Hat Productions LLC; Authors Robert Donoghue and Fred Hicks. Spirit of the Century, Copyright 2006, Evil Hat Productions LLC. Authors Robert Donoghue, Fred Hicks, and Leonard Balsera. Icons, Copyright 201 0, Steve Kenson, published exclusively by Adamant Entertainment in partnership with Cubicle Seven Entertainment, Ltd. Improbable Tales 1 , 2, 3, 4, 5 ,6, 7, 8, 9, 1 0 Copyright 201 2 Fainting Goat Games. Author Mike Lafferty. The following is designated as Product Identity, in accordance with Section 1 (e) of the Open Game License, Version 1 .0a: All Characters and their associated descriptions, backgrounds, and related information

Special Bonus Content

Introduction

If she chooses, the GM can read this short scene to set the tone for the adventure.

The balcony of Castle Darkskull. He-Mensch, War Lord of the Universe, looks out over the Plain of Battle. He heaves a sigh. At that moment, Her-A, the Priestess of Power, comes onto the balcony. “HeMensch”, she says, “Our friends are gathered for the victory celebration.”

“What just happened?” Her-A asks herself. “Who was that unicorn? Where is HeMensch going?”

411 for the GM: Here is what’s going on

“What victory?” her brother says as he turns

Princess Sunshine is a cartoon unicorn from a popular TV show who has gained a perception of her audience and the world they inhabit.

“Why, our latest victory over Baron Boneface. His evil plot has been overturned and Infinita is free and happy.”

Perhaps the creators of the cartoon just made her too darn powerful and the belief of her fans gave her sentience. Or maybe the creators have their own super powers.

to face the intruder.

rainbow, he marches with the unicorn at the head of his troops. As the last element of the regiment‘s boots touches the rainbow, He-Mensch, the unicorn, and the troops disappear in a multi-colored flash.

“Another victory that means nothing. In another week we will confront Boneface again, or perhaps the Tribe or the Lizard Men. No matter what we do, they are always there again. What’s the use?” “But He-Mensch, this is our Duty, our Destiny.” “I have had enough, it is –“

Suddenly, a multicolored burst of light appears in the sky. On a rainbow trail, a dark colored unicorn gallops to the main gate of Castle Dark Skull. “He-Mensch, it is time.” The Unicorn says.

Her voice is commanding and precise.

“At last! Now for something meaningful, something permanent!” cries He-Mensch, as

he leaps easily to the ground 5 stories below. From out of the main gate, a regiment of his Warriors march to join their captain and the unicorn. The regiment is complete with wizardly and creature auxiliaries. “Farewell, Her-A!” shouts the War Lord. “We are off to create our own world. Take care of War Lion for me!” Turning toward the

The Princess has found a comics-obsessed fan with delusions of competence. Amongst the library of trivia that makes up his mind is knowledge of an artifact that could allow the Princess access to the world of her viewers, and allow her to conquer it. No more will her existence be subject to the whims of ratings and sponsors! Her growing power has influenced her fellow cartoons, even those with no discernible connection to her own world. They have developed a consciousness as well. The difference is they do not realize that when they perform they are performing actions and speaking words that are not theirs. When they are “off-camera” they continue with the same actions and thoughts their characters portray in their animated adventures, unless they have been contacted by Princess Sunshine. She inspires in them a longing for self-direction and something beyond the frameworks of their adventures. Lamentably, she also inspires in them her own ruthless need for conquest and power. So, with ranks of her fellow cartoons as her army, and with the help of the incompetent, nerdy supervillain Mystic Overlord, Princess Sunshine is preparing a dimensional invasion of

our world, unless the heroes can stop it.

an eager SWAT sniper, a hostage negotiator, etc.

SetUp: How to get players involved

An already established team has no problem getting involved. All of the events happen in their town. If they have contacts with the police, they are called in. If they are independent, they catch a news break about the strange supervillain who is robbing a comic book shop. If the PCs are independents, a combination of “just happening” to be in the vicinity and catching the newsbreaks will get them to the scene of the action. One of them, in his secret ID, could even be the hostage. It is not even necessary for all the heroes to be on the scene for the first encounter, though, of course, having players sit out an encounter is not ideal. If necessary, generate police officers for the non-attending characters to play. Possible roles could be the SWAT team captain,

Action Scenes: Action Scene 0 – (Prelude) This Guy is Out of his League (Optional) Action Scene 1 – Cartoon Cavalcade of Chaos! Action Scene 2 – Portal to Sugar Hills

Action Scene 0: (Prelude) This guy is out of his league (Optional)

The PC’s arrive at “Spikes’ World of Comix”, a comic book shop (see Set Up, above). There is a crime in progress. Four police officers are on scene, guns drawn and pointed at the door. A new villain, Mystic Overlord, is stealing a stack of fifty-year-old comics and mint action figures - all piled into a personal shopping cart. He is holding the clerk hostage and making demands. This scene is to establish Mystic Overlord as a complete

Cold Open

So - maybe you don't want to set the scene. ICONS is a pick-up-and-play kind of game. And you want to pick up and play. So skip straight to Action Scene 2 and just give the players this short introduction: "Your heroes are loosely affiliated with P.A.T.R.I.O.T. (Primary Anti-Terrorist Regional & International Operations Task Force) as a fast-response team for post-human and supernatural activities in Stark City. A call comes in summoning the heroes to an unusual scene at a city park on the outskirts of town. A known supervillain with a minor rap sheet has stolen a mystic artifact from a P.A.T.R.I.O.T. facility and is apparently using it to power a ritual he's doing to open a portal to another dimension (at least that's what the mystics in P.A.T.R.I.O.T.'s Scrying Department think is happening). The police and regular P.A.T.R.I.O.T. agents have been unable to stop him because he's defended by a moderately sized mob of what appear to be cartoon characters. This is weird stuff. That's why P.A.T.R.I.O.T. is calling you. You are whisked to the scene in a P.A.T.R.I.O.T. chopper (if you don't have your own transportation). You might use Golden Eagle, a super-human P.A.T.R.I.O.T. operative and the agent in charge of this situation. He provides the PCs with any more briefing they need.

Who's Really Pulling the Strings?

So, let me get this straight, Bub. The world is being invaded by...cartoons? Really? Well, yes. But it doesn‛t have to be that way. If it is better suited to your group‛s preferred tone, Mystic Overlord could be a powerful psychic who isn‛t fully aware of his powers. Crippled by low self-esteem, he creates a creature (Princess Sunshine) who is the strong and dominant personality he wishes he was. (Kind of like the nameless Fight Club narrator who creates Tyler Durden.) Overlord is unaware Princess Sunshine and all of her cartoon minions are energy projections created by his own psionic power. Since he's so twisted by self-loathing, the Mystic Overlord also tries to sabotage himself by tipping off the PCs by contacting them (again - subconsciously) as Lord Boneface and General Eel. A character who investigates the Mystic Overlord's past might find incidents in his police record that tip them off: mysterious events around crime scenes involving the Overlord or anonymous calls to the police right before the Overlord was going to commit a crime. Scanning/investigating the mystical portal could reveal that it's NOT actually a dimensional portal but just an illusion or psionic projection.

Golden Eagle from P.A.T.R.I.O.T. could be used to introduce this information to the heroes during the climactic battle. It could come in the form of a call from Golden Eagle revealing the discovery that the artifact Overlord stole was a replica that was on display in the collections room while the original had been sent away to a mystical researcher in the UK. Since this artifact was a fake, this indicates that the Overlord must be creating the “portal” and all the invaders on his own. The key to defeating the "cartoon invasion" under this variant will be to defeat the Mystic Overlord or somehow render him unconscious. This will result in the animated creatures dissolving as he is no longer providing their direction. Also, players could simply confront the Overlord verbally and force him to accept that he created Princess Sunshine and her army. This revelation might result in the Overlord realizing how twisted he‛s become and agreeing to seek treatment. Alternately, the Overlord could retreat into denial and go catatonic. Which would still stop the invasion but it‛s a bit more somber of an ending. Alternately, Princess Sunshine and her cartoon army could be shapeshifting alien invaders from the 5th Dimension who disguise themselves as animated characters to manipulate Mystic Overlord until conducting a ritual that will open a portal to let them through. Once into this world, Princess Sunshine drops her disguise. Revealed as a reptile creature armed with energy weapons and a sinister gleam in her eye, she announces that her true identity is General Grundar of the Interdimensional Empire of Kroz and she intends to trample this world under her boot the way she has a dozen others. Use the stats for the GI Gordons for the Krozian invaders with the addition of the Transformation power at level 7.

pushover. If possible, run this Action Scene during another adventure, and play it up for comic relief. Have fun with it. Establish that this guy is a joke; if the players are laughing, you’re doing it right. Optionally, the GM could also describe this robbery in an amusing way, no rolls required When he sees the heroes arrive, the robber steps out in full view of anyone on the street and proclaims:

“Tremble in terror as the Mystic Overlord is in your presence, losers. If you don’t meet my demands I’ll send this loser to the darkest reaches of Hades! So, one more time because I know you’re all stressed out from my blinding power. I want Stan Lee to sign this Avengers number one, and then I want him to apologize for killing Gwen Stacy, and I want a million billion dollars, and a Michael Dorn autographed bat'leth. Oh, ya, and a helicopter ride to the airport for my private jet.” The Mystic Overlord’s wizard robe is obviously put together from assorted sheets and drapes. His Cape, on the other hand, seems to move with its own energy, slightly blowing in a wind that isn’t there. It moves to intercept any attack. Under the cape and robe he’s wearing a Green Lantern t-shirt and cargo shorts. He seems to be in his mid-thirties, with a scraggly attempt at a Van Dyke beard and mustache. He has probably never been to a gym and almost certainly has the phone numbers of three local pizza parlors memorized. He is waving a wand that gives out a pale, throbbing, mystic glow. Anyone capable of detecting and analyzing magic can tell that the wand and cape are, in fact, magic - not very powerful magic.

Situation: Mystic Overlord seems to be holding

a single employee hostage in the store. There is a locked back door in the storage room. The storefront is glass so he can see the heroes talking to the cops.

Enemies: The low-powered Mystic Overlord.

NPCs Present: Police officers and the hostage.

(Bystander and Police Officer stock characters from ICONS)

Scalability:

Mystic Overlord is so underpowered this will likely be unnecessary. If anything, you may want to increase his defenses (or just fudge results) to keep him going as long as it’s entertaining. Once you feel he is well established as a joke, let him get knocked out in an amusing way by the next attack.

Villain Tactics: Mystic Overlord taunts the

players, daring them to attack. He does not use cover. He basically stands in the middle of the store and blasts away. He is completely unaware how outgunned he is. He is also standing in the middle of a bunch of potentially valuable collectors’ items, so some caution and care is called for. The GM should be ready to comment things like, “There goes the secondto-last-available-copy of Amazing Fantasy #15” if the PCs miss a shot or use explosive attacks.

NPC Actions: The police and hostage wait for 5 the PCs to resolve the situation.

Aftermath: The Mystic Overlord is revealed to

be comics fan and parents’-basement-dweller Seth Wolowitz. He says he “found” the magic wand. He also mysteriously disappears from his jail cell before he can be arraigned. Officers on the scene say there was a burst of multi-colored light and he was gone.

Action Scene 1 Assault on Precinct 14 Introduction: The PCs are summoned to

Precinct House 1 4 in the Platinum Coast neighborhood of Stark City. The precinct house has sent out a mayday call asking for any police or superhuman assistance. According to the call, a thirty-foot-tall Green Gorilla (who looks a lot like the star of the popular Saturday morning cartoon show titled the Green Gorilla Cartoon Hour) is banging on the roof of the precinct house and knocking it to rubble. There's a

scream and the call goes dead before more details can be given.

Situation: When the heroes arrive, Green

Gorilla is belting out his catchphrase ("Green Gorilla! Green Gorilla!") as he pounds on cars in the parking lot after apparently having destroyed precinct house. (Give the heroes a Determination Point for not being able to arrive in time to stop this from happening.) A half dozen police are ineffectually shooting at the cartoon gorilla from the parking lot. Another halfdozen cops are trying to dig a buried colleague and a couple of civilians who couldn't get out of the rubble. They are buried under a large section of the roof. A Strength Level of 6 will be required to lift the rubble that is pinning them down. They will require medical attention immediately after being dug out.

Enemies: The Green Gorilla - star of a well

known cartoon show.

NPCs Present: A dozen police officers

with mystical or psychic powers might be the best bet for getting information from him. They will bable to read his mind and determine that he was sent to attack the precinct house by a Princess Sunshine (who's the star of the My Tiny Filly cartoon) because it was the closest police presence to a park in the Platinum Coast neighborhood where she was planning to stage an invasion later tonight. The super-agency P.A.T.R.I.O.T. contacts the PCs shortly after the encounter is complete. They ask them to report to P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Artifact Storage Facility to be debriefed by Brandon Walters, the agent in charge there. If they have Green Gorilla in custody, P.A.T.R.I.O.T. asks the heroes to bring him along as they have cells specially designed to restrain very unusual captives.

Interlude â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Turning Wheel

The PCs are called to the P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Artifact Storage Facility in the Mercy Hill neighborhood of Stark City.

To increase difficulty, consider 6 Scalability: adding some Snorph Collectives (see the NPC Brandon Waters (aka the costumed vigilante Section for their Statblock). To decrease Golden Eagle and also the head of difficulty, consider dropping the level of Invulnerability or excluding it completely.

Villain Tactics: Green Gorilla will finish

pounding on the cars and SWAT vans in precinct house parking lot before running away into the night. He tries to avoid engaging the heroes unless forced to.

NPC Actions: About half of the police of Precinct House 1 4 are shooting at Green Gorilla and frustrated at the ineffectiveness of their bullets. The other half are trying to dig out their shift sergeant and a few civilians from the holding cell who were buried in rubble when the gorilla attacked.

Aftermath: If the PCs manage to capture

Green Gorilla, he's not the easiest captive to interrogate. He tends to just shout his name but he can speak in simple three word sentences if motivated (for example, if he were being threatened by someone who had a mouse in their hand). Given his verbal limitations, heroes

P.A.T.R.I.O.T.'s Mystical Artifact Research Division) explains to the PCs how the Mystic Overlord stormed his facility with a squad of commandos and stole the Wheel of Gukumatz just an hour ago (roughly while the PCs were engaged battled Green Gorilla). Golden Eagle contacts the PCs because they are the last vigilantes to encounter the Mystic Overlord. The Wheel of Gukumatz is a powerful artifact and he feels the heroes would want to know that the Overlord might be out for revenge.

Golden Eagle explains that the Wheel of Gukumatz is a one of a kind artifact from the ancient Mayan civilization. It's an item of tremendous power â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but P.A.T.R.I.O.T. has never been exactly sure of its precise purpose. It gives off a high level of ambient tachyon particles and this has led scientists to theorize that it might have been used for minor time control effects or even dimensional travel.

There's no telling what sort of disaster Mystic Overlord could cause with this artifact. He needs to be found and stopped immediately. Several of the mercenary commandoes were captured by P.A.T.R.I.O.T. agents in the raid, but they have no idea where Mystic Overlord is hiding out. Interestingly, they say they were paid in gold and jewels.

Scene 2 Infodump: Lord Boneface and General Eel contact the Heroes.

Either while still at P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Artifact Storage Facility or back at their HQ (if they have an HQ), the PCs witness a computer monitor or TV fading to static suddenly. Then the static is replaced with the absurd visage of a robed sorcerer with a skull for a face. It is obviously a cartoon, but at the same time, the figure moves naturally rather than in a series of poses. It looks real. Behind him stands a figure in an over-decorated military uniform. His head gives the impression of being an eel and human at the same time. The first apparition looks directly at the heroes, points at them with a bony finger and calls out to them:

“Hey, buddy? Yeah – you. Come over here. Yeah – look at the screen. Yeah – you know me. You watched Saturday morning cartoons back in the day. I’m Lord Boneface. I’ve spent years being trounced by that idiot He-Mensch.”

Kingdom of cute little prancing ponies and she wants to try her hand (err – hoof) at ruling YOUR world. “With her own power, she was able to transport herself and a handful of lackeys into your world. But she doesn’t have the strength to bring over her invasion force. So, she’s using that buffoon Mystic Overlord as her catspaw. She’s having him use that artifact he just stole to open a portal into our realm. She has an army mustered on the other side and they’re going to establish a beachhead in your plane.” The side man, who you recognize as General Eel, the archfoe of the GI Gordon cartoon military force, adds, “Don’t believe what you see on the TV. She’s a powerhungry psycho off-screen.” “Luckily for you,” Boneface continues, “the portal isn’t opened yet. Mystic Overlord is just getting ready to create it outside your city right now. If you hurry you can still stop him. It’s exact location is=.AAARGH!” Lord Boneface and the General are struck down by a sparkly blast of pink energy. Their faces fall off the TV screen and are replaced by the grinning, manic visage of Princess Sunshine. She glowers at the heroes meaningfully for a long moment before snarling, “It’s already too late.” The transmission shuts down.

Action Scene 2: Portal to Sugar Hills “So – why is the funny skeleton-head guy Getting There: Fortunately for our heroes, from an old cartoon talking to you from the creating a mystic portal from one plane to His colleague shrugs and adds, “Eh – don’t judge. It’s a paycheck.”

TV? “Well – we’ve got trouble. With a capital T and that rhymes with P and that stands for Princess Sunshine. “Yeah – Princess Sunshine. The happy equine from the My Tiny Filly cartoon? Yeah – she’s not all sweetness and light when the cameras stop rolling. “She’s gotten tired of just ruling over the

another is not a subtle effect - particularly when a Mayan stone wheel the size of an ox cart is involved. Almost immediately after the transmission concludes, Golden Eagle receives reports from his agents of a buildup of mystical energy and tachyon particles in a park in the Platinum Coast neighborhood. It just so happens that the closest police station to the park was the one that was leveled in Action Scene 1 , so it’ll be at least 30 minutes before any police can arrive. The PCs and the

P.A.T.R.I.O.T. agents are the closest force who can respond.

demonstrates that you can power up the creep, but you can’t keep him from pontificating.

“This can’t be good,” Eagle says. He grabs up all the P.A.T.R.I.O.T. agents he has on hand and asks the PCs to lead the task force to investigate this odd phenomena with him.

“You were lucky the first time; now, it’s inconceivable that you can stop me! With my allies and my magical might I’ll be able to summon the Princess’ army and finally get revenge on the fools who dared mock me!”

Here’s what we know: At the park, there is a

mysterious lightning storm centered on the highest hill. There, the Mystic Overlord is using the artifact (the Wheel of Gukumatz) to create a portal to Sugar Hills. Beside him is Princess Sunshine and a handful of other cartoon characters (a group of Snorphs, GI Gordon, HeMensch). When he sees the heroes coming, he

Enemies: Mystic Overlord, Princess Sunshine,

GI Gordon, The Snorph Collective, He-Mensch, and perhaps some of He-Mensh’s cartoon warriors. Total number of actual enemies will equal two times the number of the PCs. (Golden Eagle and the P.A.T.R.I.O.T. agents will engage in a window dressing battle with a horde of Snorphs.) Use the minion option

Cartoon Cavalcade

If you want to use some other animated characters - here are some broad suggestions:

Transforming Robots Use Robot from Stock Characters with the addition of Growth 5 and Blast 5. When in vehicle mode, they just have their Stamina and an appropriate travel power. No attacks are possible in vehicle mode. How to Make the Transforming Sound Effect: CHEE CHOO CHOO CHEE CHEE Anthropomorphic Cat Warriors Use Ninja Stock Character with Sword (Slashing 4) and Leaping 2 Anthropomorphic Turtle Warriors Use Ninja stock Character with Sword (Slashing 4) and Invulnerability 3 (Shell) Burly Sailor with an Affection for Canned Greens Use Thug Stock Character with Strength 6 Mystery Solving Teenagers and Their Anthropomorphic Talking Dog Use Bystander Stock Character and Dog or Wolf from Creatures Section Picnic Basket Raiding Bear Use Bear from Creatures Section The Cartoon Versions of the Heroes If your players heroes are famous enough, they might have a cartoon chronicling their exploits. Encountering their cartoon doppelgangers (whether they‛re fighting for Princess Sunshine or part of the Resistance against her tyranny) could be interesting.

outlined in ICONS for everyone except Princess Sunshine and Mystic Overlord.

NPCs Present: Golden Eagle and the P.A.T.R.I.O.T. agents

Scalability: To decrease the threat level,

remove one or more of GI Gordon, The Snorph Collective, or He-Mensch. To increase the threat level, add more enemies or give everyone 2 to 3 levels of Invulnerability (cartoons being particularly accustomed to violence). Also consider raising the size of the Snorph swarm by increasing the level of Growth in the Snorph Collective statblock. If Green Gorilla was not captured in Action Scene 1 , his presence here would also greatly increase the difficulty.

Situation: Mystic Overlord is creating the portal

to Sugar Hills, literally drawing it in the air with his hand while the Wheel of Gukumatz itself hovers, spinning in the air nearby as it fuels his spell. Princess Sunshine and He-Mensch, GI Gordon, Papa Snorph and a small horde of Snorphs stand guard around him. The players have five pages until the portal is complete. Princess Sunshine and Mystic Overlord are located at the top of a treeless hill. Sunshine will do everything she can to protect the Overlord until he is finished creating the portal. The remaining enemies are scattered around the hilltop. To destroy the Wheel, a personal physical attack against material strength 5 is required. A counterspell would also negate Overlord’s ritual. Use an Occult Test with a difficulty of 4. Consider using the Success Pyramid approach to include the entire party in this effort.

Villain Tactics: Until the portal is created, all the cartoons will try to protect Mystic Overlord.

The GI Gordons will stay on the hilltop and fire ranged attacks at the heroes - coordinating

their attacks against one or two heroes at a time. He-Mensch will charge the most physically intimidating of the heroes with the goal of engaging her or him in melee combat. If the Snorph are involved in the fighting the PCs (if they’re fully engaged by the P.A.T.R.I.O.T. agents) they will attack in a swarm using wrestling attacks to attempt to subdue a hero.

NPC Actions: Golden Eagle and the

P.A.T.R.I.O.T. agents will engage the horde of Snorphs. Their purpose is largely to serve as stage dressing while the spotlight is on the heroes. Golden Eagle can also provide some important exposition if the GM desires (see the Who’s Pulling the Strings sidebar).

Development Success

If the PCs stop the ritual or destroy the Wheel in time, the nascent portal blinks out of existence. Princess Sunshine will attempt to open a portal and escape back to Sugar Hills at her first opportunity. Her army’s morale is broken and they try to flee through the portal after her. Any defeated cartoons (and Mystic Overlord) will be 9 rounded up by the P.A.T.R.I.O.T. agents and placed in special holding cells designed to restrain interdimensional threats. Mystic Overlord and Princess Sunshine (if captured) will glare at the PCs and vow revenge. If you want to keep the good times rolling, see the Appendix A: Through the Portal.

Failure

If the portal is created, Princess Sunshine laughs; her voice is as beautiful as it is terrible. “You have done well, my faithful adherents! I shall begin my rule of this world and soon you shall tremble beneath my hoof! And you costumed fools cannot stop me.” After her monologue (give the PCs a Determination Point for patiently waiting for her to finish), the first action Princess Sunshine takes is to summon her army. Her troops begin showing up one per panel (more at GM’s discretion). The arriving GI Gordons will prefer

ranged attacks and the arriving warriors from He-Mensch’s legions will jump into melee possibly ganging up on heroes. The My Tiny Fillies who arrive will prance around the battlefield, attacking targets of opportunity as they gallop. The portal can still be closed by a physical attack against it (or the Wheel) as described above. The destruction of the portal will result in Princess Sunshine teleporting away and her army surrendering or fleeing as well. Each subsequent panel one Cartoon Warrior follows through in rotating order. First a Snorph Swarm, then a GI Gordon, then a He-Mensch warrior, then a Filly, etc. Full descriptions of the Cartoon Warriors are in the NPC Section. Once manifested, a physical attack against material strength of 6 is required to destroy the portal. Destroying the Wheel of Gukumatz also closes the portal.

10 the P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Artifact Storage Facility in the Soft Defeat Option

If the heroes are defeated, they will awaken at Mercy Hill where medics have been treating them.

Golden Eagle is trying to rally the remaining defenders for a counter attack. The invasion hasn’t started in earnest yet and there’s still time to close the portal and stop it if the heroes hurry!

Hard Defeat Option

A harsher defeat option is if all the PCs are defeated or driven off, a beach head will be established on the hill, and the conquest of the city will begin; see Appendix B: Cartoon Apocalypse for details.

Appendix A: Though the Portal

If you’re having a lot of fun and want to prolong the scenario, the heroes can follow Princess Sunshine back through the Portal and into Sugar Hills after they've destroyed her portal. Princess Sunshine and the Overlord somehow break free from the heroes and P.A.T.R.I.O.T. agents (give your heroes a point of Determination for this plot point) and run through the portal to the Sugar Hills. Golden Eagle scans the air where the portal was. "I should be able to reproduce a portal like this with my P.A.T.R.I.O.T. portable Dimension Transverser. We can go after them." A few minutes later, Golden Eagle and a few P.A.T.R.I.O.T. techs have unloaded some gear from their vehicles and have established a new makeshift portal in the Sugar Hills.

NOTE: If it has been revealed that the animated

characters are creations of Overlord's subconscious, then the portal remains open after he and the Princess escapes. Golden Eagle will point out: "If we don't go after him, he'll remain deeply in this delusion, and he'll attack as soon as he's regained his composure. We need to take him into custody so we stop him from doing this again." Across the portal, the heroes find Sugar Hills to be a brightly colored cartoon land. Princess Sunshine's castle is in the valley below them guarded by a herd of ponies and a squad of GI Gordons. The castle has a very simple layout - much like a child's playset. (In fact, it looks exactly like the Princess Sunshine Castle playset that's advertised during the My Tiny Filly cartoon.) It's effectively a pink stone box, with no roof (it never rains in Sugar Hills), a draw bridge in front and a turret (housing a GI Gordon sniper) at each corner. Princess Sunshine and Mystic Overlord can be seen sitting on thrones in the courtyard of the castle. They are guarded by a group of ponies who number is the same as the number of PCs.

In the middle of a courtyard is a man-sized purple crystal that is radiating light. If you're playing the scenario straight (i.e., not using the option that the cartoon characters are subconsciously created by the Overlord), then the crystal gives off psionic/magical energy that is easily noticed by any character with magic or mental powers. A mystical or mental scan of the crystal will reveal that it's the anchor for the spell that Princess Sunshine is using to bend the heroic cartoons to her will. If it is destroyed, her grip on them will be broken (and presumably they'll revolt against her). If none of the players have the abilities to determine this, a P.A.T.R.I.O.T. agent with psionic powers (Psi-Agent McKenzie Reynolds) can provide this backstory. If they players ask why they are not affected by it, Reynolds shrugs and says, "It's targeted at certain cartoon characters. Doesn't affect biological life or even cartoon being who aren't specifically targeted by the spell."

Ways to Storm the Castle

1 ) Cutting to the Chase: If the PCs have flight,

teleport (or burrowing, or perhaps even SuperSpeed) capability, they could circumvent most of the defenders and simply attack Sunshine and Overlord directly in the courtyard.

2) Direct Assault: The defenders around the

castle number 2 or 3 times to the number of heroes (at GM's discretion). A frontal assault doesn't need to be a lengthy affair. GM could simply say that Golden Eagle and his P.A.T.R.I.O.T. agents are holding off the defenders while the PCs storm the drawbridge or scale the walls. Remember to use the minion option for everyone except Princess Sunshine and the Overlord.

3) If the PCs take too long (GM's discretion)

Doctor Steelhead (a lackey of General Eel) walks up the ridge they are on. "Hey, folks!" The cartoon villain says. "Some of my Eel-bots have dug a tunnel under the courtyard. We're getting ready to assault now. Care to join the party?"

Aftermath

If the PCs are victorious, the spell is broken and the heroic cartoon characters thank them as they haul Princess Sunshine away to whatever passes for a system of justice in the animated dimension. (The agents of P.A.T.R.I.O.T. might want to argue jurisdiction.) If the PCs are defeated, they awake in a holding cell in the base of one of the turrets in the castle with half their Stamina. Their gear is nearby in a locker (material Strength 7) and they are shackled in pink manacles (material strength 6.) There’s a stirring of the ground underneath them and Mole-At-Arms (one of Lord Boneface’s thugs) burrows into the cell. “Word from the Resistance was that youse folks could use some help,” he says as he starts to pick the locks on the shackles. He’s leading a small squad of mole-men. They soon have the heroes free and ready to storm out of the turret to try and vanquish Princess Sunshine once more. If you’re using the Who’s Pulling the Strings sidebar, the land of animation fades away after Mystic Overlord is defeated or made to face reality. If conscious, he thanks the heroes as 11 he’s being led away (in a power inhibiting helmet) by a cohort of P.A.T.R.I.O.T. agents.

Appendix B: The Cartoon Apocalypse

So, the heroes failed to prevent the portal from being opened. Now what? If the heroes were defeated or failed to stop the portal from forming, the scene switches to the P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Artifact Storage Facility in the Mercy Hill. If they were knocked out, medics have been treating them and they awaken with half Stamina. If they failed to stop the portal from being formed, they fell back here with Golden Eagle to regroup and plot their next move. Describe the scene to the players by summarizing the text below:

The city is in chaos. Several blocks around the park have been evacuated as

P.A.T.R.I.O.T. troops and National Guardsman erect a barricade and attempt to keep the cartoon invasion contained. More cartoon invaders stream out of the portal every minute and the radio chatter makes it sound like the human defenders are close to being overrun.

1 ) If you’ve decided to play this scenario ‘straight’ then the PCs will have to find a way to destroy the portal. Golden Eagle says that PATRIOT agents and the local military can contain the invaders currently in the city (given time) but they need to destroy the portal to stop the infusion of fresh reinforcements. Give the PCs time to brainstorm a response. One thing you might have Golden Eagle mention: since the invaders don’t seem to have any flying forces, an airborne assault seems promising.

2) If the players need a little nudge, consider the

following avenue:

these amulets will construct an illusion giving the characters whatever appearance they desire. The heroes could each pick a cartoon character to impersonate and sneak back into the park and past the cartoon invaders. The spell will disguise the PCs and let them get to the hill and try to destroy the portal. Minions and lieutenants will automatically ignore them. However, if they are in the same area as Princess Sunshine or Overlord, they will see past the illusion. The characters will have 5 to 1 0 pages (GM’s discretion) to take over the portal while dealing with just Princess Sunshine and Overlord for resistance. After that, their troops will realize what’s going on and join the fight.

3) This might be a great time to throw in the

twist from the Who’s Pulling the Strings Sidebar. This will change the focus of the game from “how do we defeat an army?” to “how do we get to the Overlord?”

Eagle offers the characters several characters cartoon doppelgangers to show up 12 Golden enchanted amulets that were used by priests of to offer support or to attack. See the Cartoon Mercury in ancient times. With a simple ritual,

4) This could be an interesting moment for the Cavalcade sidebar for suggestions about this.

Golden Eagle Real Name: Brandon Waters

NPC Section

Abilities

Prowess 5 Coordination 4 Strength 5 Intellect 4 Awareness 4 Willpower 3 Stamina 8 Determination 2 (if used as PC)

Specialties

Aerial Combat Expert Science (Archeology) Occult Expert

Powers

Flight 5 - Ethermetal Wings Invulnerability 4 - Ethermetal Armor Strike 4 - Ethermetal Claws Supersenses Device 4 (Infravision, Radar, Enhanced Vision, Extended Vision) - EagleEye Flight Goggles

Qualities

Identity : Brandon Waters - Archeologist and Agent of P.A.T.R.I.O.T. (Primary Anti-Terrorist Regional & International Operations Taskforce) Connections : Head of P.A.T.R.I.O.T.'s Mystical Artifact Research Division

Challenges

Personal : Obsessed with his work Social : Gruff and impersonal

Point Total 47 Background: Armed with elite military training

and equipped with enchanted metal wings, armor and claws recovered from the tomb of a 3rd century Carthaginian alchemist, Brandon Waters is a formidable force for justice. Due to his unique background as a respected scholar in archeology and as a former member of the US Army Special Forces, Waters rose quickly in

P.A.T.R.I.O.T. to his current rank as the head of P.A.T.R.I.O.T.'s Mystical Artifact Research Division.

Green Gorilla Abilities

Prowess 4 Coordination 3 Strength 8 Intellect 1 Awareness 1 Willpower 2 Stamina 1 0 Determination *

Specialties

Acrobatics Expert

Powers

Growth 8 -2 to Defense. Adds Strength and Invulnerability Bonus Invulnerability 8 Leaping 2

Qualities

Giant Green Cartoon Ape Star of Green Gorilla Cartoon Hour His name is also his catchphrase: Green 14 Gorilla!

Challenges

Speaks in 3 word sentences Well Known Comical Weakness: Scared of mice. (Seeing one will cause him to become petrified with fear and docile. It's likely the PCs will remember this if they think about it for a moment.)

â&#x20AC;&#x153;GREEN GORILLA! GREEN GORILLA!â&#x20AC;?

Princess Sunshine Abilities

Prowess 7 Coordination 4 Strength 7 Intellect 8 Awareness 8 Willpower 9 Stamina 1 7 Determination *

Specialties

Occult Master Aerial Combat Expert Leadership Master Mental Resistance Expert Science (Physics)

Powers

Wizardry 9 (Magic (Willpower)) Mental Blast Force Field Teleportation Immortality Telekinesis Flight 6 - Wings

Qualities

Identity : Overlord of Sugar Hills Motivation : Dominate the Universe

Challenges

Enemy : Cartoon Resistance Mental : I am unstoppable! Mental : Arrogant

â&#x20AC;&#x153;You will now bow before your new princess, my little slaves.â&#x20AC;?

Background: In the land of Sugar Hills, the

magical Princess Sunshine rules over all the animated peoples. But her rule was not as benevolent as it would seem... Their world is shrinking as they use up the resources of the world to maintain their utopia, sending their youth to a factory to make the colorful rainbows. And everyone is forced to eat cupcakes. Happy, happy cupcakes, in all the

colors of the rainbow. Now, the Princess has set her eyes on Earth as a new source of resources and slaves.

Mystic Overlord

Real Name: Seth Wolowitz Abilities

Prowess 2 Coordination 2 Strength 2 Intellect 3 Awareness 3 (6) Willpower 2 (6) Stamina 4 Determination *

Specialties

Occult Art (Drawing)

Powers

Wizardry Device 2 (6) (Magic (Willpower)) Magic Wand Telekinesis Illusion Force Field Device 2 (6) - Magic Cape

16 Qualities

Motivation : Wants to be respected

Challenges

Bad Luck Personal : Thinks he's much more powerful than he really is Weakness : Relies on magical devices Personal : Knows he owes Princess Sunshine a favor Numbers in parentheses are power levels in the final scenario.

“Kneel before your new, far more intelligent, overlord!”

Background: Seth has always been a nerd.

Comics, science fiction, fantasy, role playing games, cartoons. These are that things that set him apart from the herd, that made him better than the jerks that made fun of him. But Seth didn’t have the means of exacting his revenge, until one day he received a mysterious package simply labeled “For the Great and Powerful Seth”. Inside were matching set of cape, hat,

and shoes, a wand, and a scroll explaining that Princess Sunshine had heard his plight and had sent him the tools for his vengeance.

My Tiny Filly Abilities

Prowess 3 Coordination 3 Strength 2 Intellect 4 Awareness 4 Willpower 6 Stamina 8 Determination *

Specialties

Occult Expert

Powers Wizardry 6 (Magic (Willpower)) Blast Teleportation Telekinesis Force Field

Qualities

Motivation : Loyal to Princess Sunshine

Challenges

Personal : Gets obsessed about details Personal : A little too curious

“Hi! I’m Evening Twinkle, and you, a new slave for the princess.”

Background: Anthropomorphic pony. Fiercely loyal to Princess Sunshine.

GI Gordon Abilities

Prowess 4 Coordination 4 Strength 4 Intellect 3 Awareness 4 Willpower 3 Stamina 7 Determination *

Specialties

Leadership Martial Arts Expert Weapons Expert (Guns)

Powers

Blast Device 5 (Shooting) - An arsenal of weapons.

Qualities

Catchphrase : Go Gordon! Catchphrase : I have a gun for that.

Challenges

Enemy : General Eel & the Cartoon Resistance

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Knowing your enemies is half the battle. Crushing your enemy is the other half.â&#x20AC;?

Background: GI Gordon is a cartoon human

wearing stylized military clothes and an unsettling number of guns. There are various members of the GI Gordon unit; they will all use these stats.

The Snorph Collective Abilities

Prowess 4 Coordination 4 Strength 5 (effect of Growth figured in) Intellect 6 Awareness 7 Willpower 7 Stamina 1 2 Determination *

Specialties

Sleight of Hand Wrestling Master

Powers Growth 5 – representing their collective attacks Stretching 2 Teleportation 1 - The Snorphs breakup and regroup Wizardry 5 (Gadgets (Intellect)) - Potions Paralysis Invisibility Extra Body Parts 4 (Extra Arms of all the Snorphs (use Fast Attack))

Qualities

Catchphrase: Snorph it!

Challenges

Personal: Single Minded

Note: For a greater challenge, consider simulating a huge horde of Snorphs by increasing the level of Growth to 7 or 8.

“La la la-la la la Sing a Snorphy song La la la-la la la Kill the whole day long!”

Background: This represents dozens of small

purple beings, each about three pears tall. The head is a single Snorph known only as Papa Snorph. They effectively fight as a single being as a swarm.

He-Mensch Abilities

Prowess 6 Coordination 5 Strength 7 Intellect 2 Awareness 3 Willpower 6 Stamina 1 3 Determination *

Specialties

Martial Arts Weapons (Blades)

Powers

Strike Device 1 (Slashing) - Sword of Power Invulnerability 5

Qualities

Motivation : Loyal to Princess Sunshine

20 Personal : Stupid meathead Challenges

“By the power of the Princess! I have the power!”

Background: He-Mensch (aka Prince Gordon) is one of Princess Sunshine’s trusted lieutenants. Huge, muscle-bound, loyal, but not too bright and easily confused. He is a very skilled melee fighter. He-Mench commands various underlings who will use the same stats he does.

Cartoon Minion Tactics

If enough of the Cartoon Warriors get through the portal to effectively use their numbers, each group has different tactics.

They concentrate on one target and make that character the gift of all of their various attacks. They are effectively swarms.

My Tiny Fillies are individuals and not

He-Mensch’s followers are stand-up fighters.

particularly suited to combat. They do not congregate, and they will gallop (cutely) from one foe to another (attacking as they go) without worrying about whether their enemy is down.

The Snorphs act as one amorphous mass.

They line up nicely, growl out challenges, and take targets in melee on one-to-one.

The GI Gordons , on the other hand, spread out to avoid burst attacks, take cover to snipe, use martial attacks and avoid being crushed by an overwhelming force.

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INTRODUCTION

Lair of the Wrathmaster is a short adventure focusing on one of Stark City’s more infamous residents, the former villain Wrathmaster and their race to stop a new group of villains, the Young Anarchists, from stealing his old weapons and causing more havoc for the city.

411 for the GM: Here is what’s going on

Plot Points

1) A group of new villains have formed in Stark City and in an attempt to make a name for themselves they decide to get a hold of some superweapons or other devices .

2) They decide that the Wrathmaster is their best target and are sure that the old man will be a walk over. Soon afterwards they attack the Crepes of Wrath restaurant where he works.

3) The villains acquire the location of one of Wrathmaster’s bases and head off there to raid it for weapons and devices. 4) The PCs are called in to help stop the teen villains and given the location of the base. 5) Wrathmaster isn’t what he seems and is actually still active in the Stark City underworld. He plans on killing both the villains and the PCs in order to keep his secret.

Enemies

The Young Anarchists (Brainbox, Landslide, Lily Gloom, Lone Shadow) Wrathmaster

Action Scenes

Scene 1: The Crepes of Wrath Scene 2: The Liar of the Wrathmaster Scene 3: The Final Confrontation

Set up: How to Get the Heroes Involved

Either during their regular patrol or through a Police contact the PCs are asked to look at an incident at the Crepes of Wrath restaurant on

Stark City’s Platinum Coast. The restaurant is run by Paul Krevitz, a reformed villain that once went by the name Wrathmaster and the place is decorated with various devices and trophies from his illustrious past. (See pages 9 & 119 of Stark City for more info).

Action Scene 1: The Crepes of Wrath

An hour or so ago the place was raided by a group of teenage villains calling themselves the Young Anarchists. They stole several of the devices and threatened Krevitz until he revealed the location of a lair that has been abandonded since his villain days. Krevitz is well known in the city and he plays on his past as a villain to promote the Crepes of Wrath and is treated as celebrity by the public. The police themselves are not exactly that impressed with Krevitz. They know a lot about his past crimes and the damage they caused to the city. A lot of the officers here treat the case begrudgingly while still remaining professional. About eight police cars are parked around the Crepes of Wrath restaurant, their lights cutting through the darkness. Several officers mill around taking photos of the scene, while the recognisable form of Paul Krevitz AKA the Wrathmaster sits in the back of an ambulance with numerous cuts and bruises visible all over him. Krevitz himself plays up the “old man” routine, telling the PCs that although he once caused terror to Stark City (for which he is sorry) he was petrified by these new teen villains who seem to be much more aggressive than he ever was. He mentions that a lot of the devices in his restaurant that were on display are deactivated and most likely beyond repair. However, after a series of severe threats he was forced to reveal the location of an old base of his that does have usable superweapons inside. He pleads with the heroes to get to his hideout a quickly as possible and stop these villains for causing any more havoc and prolonging the terror he once wrought.

What’s Really Happening?

Krevitz isn’t being entirely truthful with the PCs. It is true that the teen villains raided the restaurant and that they threatened him enough that he feared for his life. However, the fact that his base is abandoned is a lie. While not making any appearances in costume any more, Krevitz has his fingers in several pies throughout the city's criminal underground and has been supplying other villains with hardware, allowing them to use his base as a refuge and even helping plan several crimes (for a substantial cut of any profits.) He does see the PCs as a way of taking care of these young upstarts that dare to threaten the great Wrathmaster However he plans on being in the base after the PCs defeat the teen villains and eliminating all of them in order to protect his secret double life.

Action Scene 2: The Lair of the Wrathmaster

Wrathmaster’s base is hidden under a small row of houses at the edge of the Platinum coast. Wrathmaster has set up a house with several tricks to make neighbors think that the house is still occupied. The lights are set on a timer so they switch on at night, and he has a small group of henchmen drop by regularly to collect mail and make the place looked lived in. If any neighbors were to be asked who lives there they would say that it belongs to a businessman of some sort that spends a lot of time abroad for his work. As the PCs approach close investigation shows that the back door has been forced open and most of the furniture has been moved around the ground floor. An Awareness + Investigation test against a 2 difficulty allows the PCs to spot a number of spy cameras dotted around the rooms in the house while the previously concealed elevator that travels to the base below now has its hidden door torn away and is now clearly visible.

The Underground Base

The base has only just been raided by the teen villains but they have already managed to overcome several of the defenses. The base’s

Security Sphere Robots

Abilities

Prowess 4 Coordination 4 Strength 1 Intellect ‐ Awareness 2 Willpower ‐ Stamina 2

Powers

Flight 1 Blast 4

Description: A small silver sphere the size

of a soccer ball with a single purple colored lens at the front. AI has been taken offline and the villain Brainbox has managed to take control of the weapon systems. Any Autoguns encountered by the PC have a Coordination of 4 and the Blast power of 5. (Note: Wrathmaster is a technological genius so if a PCs has a particular immunity to bullets or energy weapons then the GM should at least make a few of these weapons dangerous by changing the damage type once in a while so as to still be a threat.) Brainbox is also using the surveillance cameras to monitor the PCs progress throughout the base. Any robot guard trigger beams that are encountered by the PCs can be spotted by an Awareness + Investigation test with a difficulty of 4. If they are not discovered, they set off a swarm of security spheres (see sidebar) dispatched from the robot security station and attempt to stop any intruders. There is one sphere for each PC present.

Entry Room: Travelling down the elevator

takes the PCs to a small circular room that has two exits as well as another surveillance camera.

Prisoner Pen: This room is locked by a complex electronic lock. Opening the door

requires an Intellect + Technology (Electronics) test with a difficulty of 6. (The success pyramid method may be used for this as well.) Inside are ten cells (material strength 8) guarded by an autogun and surveillance camera. There is nothing of interest here when the PCs are tracking the Young Anarchists through the base—but they may end up here should their battle with Wrathmaster in Scene Three go badly.

Damocles Wardroid Facility and Vehicle Bay: This huge room houses one of

Wrathmaster’s greatest creations, the Damocles Wardroid. Covered in a large tarp and standing around 20ft tall the robot dominates the room but is currently inactive. (See scene three for more details.) Also contained in the room are some dust covered flying cycles that Wrathmaster’s henchmen used in the past (treat as motorcycle but with a flight rather than ground speed), a number of tools, and four launch tubes for ballistic missiles that Wrathmaster used to threaten the US government in the late 80s. A large bulkhead style door opens into a tunnel that leads to a hidden entrance west of Stark City.

Human Security Station: This room was

used by Wrathmaster’s security staff when the base was in full operation. If there were any henchmen here this is where they would have been based. Right now it just contains a set of fairly dusty tables and chairs and a security console used to monitor the cameras and security measures within the base.

Head and Shower Block: A standard set of lavatories and showers, largely unused for quite some time.

Workshop: This small workshop was used by

Wrathmaster to invent and repair his devices. The villains have already been into this room and tools and materials are strewn everywhere as they searched for any potential weapons. The GM may allow PCs to cobble together weapons or devices from the various components found here after making the relevant Specialties tests (Science or

Technology). A device that resembles a taser and is used to shut down security spheres to make them ready for maintenance is also kept here in a holder above one of the tables. It is clearly labeled and hard to miss.

Generator and Furnace: This massive

room houses the bases generator; the throb of energy coursing through the conduits is only audible when the large door is opened. Attached to the generator is the furnace that can be used to dispose of any unwanted materials or experiments. If the PCs are able to shut the generator down by either damaging it (Material 7) or deactivating it (a difficulty 8 Technology test) then the entire base with gradually be plunged into darkness lit only by the emergency lighting that’s powered by a backup generator in the AI room.

Robot Security Station: This room is

locked and opening the door requires an Intellect + Technology (Electronics) test with a difficulty of 8. Inside stand racks of robot security spheres that are primed to attack should any alarms be set off. Should anyone begin to tamper with these spheres without using the repair device from the workshop an emergency communication is broadcast and brings all the spheres online at the same time to deal with the threat. There are forty five spheres in total.

AI Room: This room is locked and opening

the door requires an Intellect + Technology (Electronics) test with a difficulty of. The AI inside is currently slaved to Brainbox’s own systems and will attack the heroes when they enter. If the PCs manage to disable the uplink between the AI and Brainbox (Technology (Electronics) difficulty 4) then the AI will reboot to its original setting and begin to treat all the intruders as threats, most likely sending out Security Spheres to the locations of the teen villains immediately.

Stores: This huge room contains racking top

to bottom on all four walls as well as a two central racks. Items stored here range from tins of food, spare bedding and bathroom products at one end all the way to sheets of

steel, sets of tools, welders mask, heavy duty gloves and hundreds of reels of electrical wire.

Mess Hall for Henchmen: Very little is in

this room except for three sets of tables and chairs, a small kitchenette including a refrigerator with out of date food and a bottle of expired milk, along with a worn leather sofa pushed up against the wall. A lonely twinkie sets on one of the tables.

Base Control Room: This room is locked

and opening the door requires an Intellect + Technology (Electronics) test with a difficulty of 4. Brainbox has been accessing the bases databanks since finding this room and believes himself to be safe here. If he is aware of the PCs attempting to get inside he will summon a group of Security Spheres to attack (as long as they are still active at the time.) If the PCs make it inside, Brainbox will attempt to leave via the other exit utilizing his Holo‐decoys to aid his escape. If he manages to do so he, will join up with the rest of his group in the laboratory. If a PC searches through the database on a successful Intellect + Computers test (difficulty 4) they are able to find files that strongly suggest that Wrathmaster is still active within the Stark City underworld.

Portal Chamber: This room is locked and opening the door requires an Intellect + Technology (Electronics) test with a difficulty of 2. Inside are the teleporter gates that Wrathmaster used to escape from his crimes. Without the proper login codes the transporters cannot be used, but this is something that Brainbox has already taken care of. Given the opportunity the teen villains will use these as a means to escape. If the GM wishes he may add a dimensional portal here as well for further adventures across the multiverse!

Henchman

Dormitory: This small collection of rooms was used as dormitories for Wrathmaster’s henchmen and more recently by some of his criminal connections when they have hidden out here. Each room contains a bunk bed, two storage lockers. A long unused Xbox sits near a broken TV in the corner.

Gym: Originally put in by Wrathmaster’s previous henchmen this room has been largely unused for quite some time. It contains a weights bench, running machine and other exercise equipment.

Laboratory and Testing zone: This room is exactly what the villains have been looking for. Inside are half finished weapons and devices that Wrathmaster had had worked on in the past as well as several operational gadgets that he has loaned out occasionally for hisforallowed his criminal colleagues to use.

Auditorium: This massive circular room is

where Wrathmaster used to address his henchmen. The room houses several tiers of seats and a ramp that rises from the center and leads to the base of a throne constructed from red hued metal in the south‐side of the room. A secret escape tunnel is concealed beneath the throne that opens when a hidden switch in the left arm rest is pressed. The tunnel leads down to a dock with a small one man escape submarine before continuing on to a hidden exit under Stark Lake.

Where Do the Villains Attack?

Apart from Brainbox in the base control room the PCs could encounter the other villains anywhere in the base (at the GMs whim). By the time the heroes have arrived the teens have already had time to raid the workshop and take a few gadgets. Ideally they should attack the PCs and cause a little damage before retreating back to the workshop to get new gadgets. Brainbox will attempt to use the security droids to hold PCs back while they do so. The GM should try and keep this up until Brainbox is forced out of the security room when all of the villains will retreat to the workshop and wait for the heroes to attack.

Action Scene 3: The Final Confrontation

Once the teen villains are defeated and the PCs have had a few moments to regroup, Krevitz/Wrathmaster’s voice echoes across the public address system that’s linked to most rooms.

Weapons & Devices

Wrathmaster is a technological genius and has developed a large number of weapons and devices in his career in order to defeat the various heroes he has encountered. Being so well prepared, the GM should give the villains access to weapons that will allow them to be a real challenge to the PCs. A few examples are:

Tele‐psychic

Helmet: This silver medieval style helmet temporarily enhances the wearer’s psionic potential allowing them to create mind blasts and telekinetic attacks (powers are Telepathy, Mind Control and Mental Blast.) Rank is determined by the user’s Willpower score. Hypno‐ray: This bulky weapon looks like a

cross between a pistol and a flashlight. When fired multi‐colored hypnotic rings emanate in a cone stunning anyone caught inside. (Relevant power is Mind Control 5.)

Gloop‐grenades: A small yellow box

contains six of these grenades which resemble apple sized ceramic spheres. When thrown at a target with coordination vs. coordination check a successful hit causes a Binding 5 effect to anyone within 5ft.

Trans‐temporal Inducer: This rifle‐like weapon pulse with bright blue neon light on its sides when activated. When fired a wave of blue energy strike against its target. (Treat as Stunning 5 vs Willpower.) “You have my greatest thanks heroes; it seems that these youngsters didn’t quite know who they were dealing with. Please bring them to the auditorium so we can hasten their journey to the authorities.” Wrathmaster has been monitoring the situation at a distance accessing the security cameras inside the base and once he was sure that the

immediate threat was dealt with he used one of his teleport devices to gain entry to the base itself. The PCs are likely to be suspect of Wrathmaster’s sudden arrival and as they make their way to the auditorium they find the entire room plunged into darkness. When a majority of the PCs are inside the lights suddenly come on dazzling the heroes monetarily and the face the oppressive figure of Wrathmaster piloting the Damocles wardroid. If the PCs managed to disable or destroy the Wardroid when it was kept in its facility then this is another robot of similar design. Wrathmaster will fight for as long as it looks like he is winning as soon as his Wardroid becomes disabled he will attempt to escape via the secret tunnel under his throne. He will use his own gadgets in order to escape the PCs. While it is not essential that he does so he is likely to attempt to reap his revenge on the PCs for disrupting his double life. This could easily set up Wrathmaster as a recurring foe for the party.

Defeat Options

A. if the teen villains defeated the heroes, they wake up in the holding cells of the base. Krevitz/Wrathmaster will remotely unlock the doors to the cells. Over the intercom, he will invite the PCs to join him in the auditorium where they can “have a strategy meeting with local law enforcement and plan the next move.” When they arrive ‐ play Scene Three as written above with Wrathmaster attacking the heroes with the Wardroid. B. If Wrathmaster defeats the heroes, they will be awakened by a team of Stark City police and EMTs who revive them. Although Wrathmaster has escaped, the intel that can be gleaned from this base's computer system gives several angles the heroes can pursue (plans for future heists, locations of alternate bases, name and addresses of underworld contacts) to capture him. Additionally, the information the heroes can get from the Wrathmaster’s computers could also give them several leads for capturing other supervillains and gangsters in Stark City.

Aftermath

If the PCs turn in the teen villains and inform the authorities that Wrathmaster has returned to his old ways, possibly using information taken from his base a few things will happen rather quickly. • The general feeling in the city will go against Wrathmaster and eventually all of the Crepes of Wrath restaurants will close down with the dismissal of a few hundred employees. The GM could play up demonstrations on the streets of Stark City soon afterwards as the disgruntled employees voice their unhappiness. • A supporting cast member could have been working in one of the closed down restaurants and the PCs actions could force him into crime

Brainbox

soon afterwards creating an unforeseen chain of events that should make the PCs ponder just how their actions can affect the community they are trying to protect even after doing the right thing. • The Wrathmaster still has a few bases up and running in the area and his extensive contacts in the Stark City underworld still mean that at least some of his operations will continue unnoticed. He is likely to have a grudge against the PCs especially if they manage to disrupt any future crimes. • The teen villains can also make a comeback with an eye on taking out the heroes that caused them so much trouble or even as henchmen in the employ of another prominent villain in the campaign.

NPC SECTION

Abilities

Prowess 2 Coordination 4 Strength 2 Intellect 8 Awareness 3 Willpower 3 Stamina 5

Powers

Energy Binds: Binding 4 (Device) Holo‐decoys: Images 4 (Device) Omni‐tool: Gadgets 4 (Device)

Specialties

Science Master Technology Master

Qualities

“You can’t possibly understand my genius.”

Background: Even at an early age George

Turner knew he was a genius and by his early teens he had become frustrated by the ignorance of his peers. Always the winner of the science fair, spelling bee and largely ignored until his talents proved useful. “Hey

George, can you fix my phone”, “George hun, my laptop just died …” was the only contact he had with the ‘normal’ students. As his school

days slowly came to an end he became more and more withdrawn from his classmates and his interest shifted to his plans for the future and striking back at those that refused to acknowledge his genius. Finally gaining enough confidence to venture into Stark City’s Silver District and the catacombs below he was treated as a target until he could prove his worth to the criminals that dwelt there. Taking the name Brainbox, Turner began to plan heists and other jobs for the local underworld figures but after spending a year or so doing so he soon realised that the big money was to be made if he went out on his own. He formed a team of other teen villains and went into business for himself. After a few minor projects he set his sights on a big score, taking on one of the most prominent villains from the past,

Wrathmaster, and proving that he was the new face of crime in Stark City.

Landslide Abilities

Prowess 5 Coordination 2 Strength 7 Intellect 1 Awareness 2 Willpower 4 Stamina 11

Powers

Dust in the wind: Alternate Form 4 (Fluid Form [dirt]) Earthen Body: Damage Resistance 4 (Limit: Physical attacks only) Hard to kill: Immortality 1; Regeneration 4 (Limit: Requires contact with earth) Move through Earth: Burrowing 2 (Limit: dirt only)

Specialties

Wrestling Expert

Qualities

Dim‐witted Muscle

Background: Landslide not remember name .... Landslide’s head hurt ... who Landslide need to punch to make feel better?

Lily Gloom Abilities

Prowess 3 Coordination 3 Strength 2 Intellect 3 Awareness 5 Willpower 5 Stamina 8

Powers

Call Gloom Bat: Servant 4 (3 Gloom Bats) Gloom Claws: Strike (Slashing) 3 (Extra: Secondary Effect: Energy Drain (Vs Strength) 3 Gloom Shield: Force Field 5 (Extra: Secondary Effect: Energy Drain (Vs Strength) 3

Specialties

Art (Painting) Occult Stealth

Qualities

Anger Management Issues Tortured Soul

Gloom Bat Abilities

Prowess 4 Coordination 2 Strength 2

Powers

Winged doom: Flight 2 Grasping Doom: Energy Drain (Vs Strength) 3

Background: Lily was always a quiet child.

She stayed away from the other children, hidden away with only her ‘imaginary friends’ to talk to. This continued all through her childhood, spurring her parents to get her to talk to child psychologists to see just why she was so withdrawn from reality. Little did they know that Lily’s friends were more real than imagined as she formed small little creatures from the darkness to do her bidding. Her teen

years were just the same as she mixed with only those of a similar disdain for humanity. On the evening of the school prom Lily and some of her more outcast friends decided to strike a blow against all those that had taunted and abused them over the years. Lily’s friends barred the doors of the auditorium while Lily attached the crowd with her Gloom Bats. The incident made national news and Lily has been on the run from the authorities every since.

Lone Shadow Abilities

Prowess 5 Coordination 5 Strength 4 Intellect 3 Awareness 4 Willpower 3 Stamina 7

Powers

All‐seeing Eye: Danger Sense 6

Weapons

For the next few years Howard’s training intensified soon he was ready for his first mission but as the day drew closer Howards parents suffered a major setback when a mission of their own brought them into conflict with a RAID terrorist cell and they never returned home. Howard waited for weeks unsure of what he could do. His parents had been his link to the Kemuri‐Kage and he had no idea how he could contact them himself. It was then that he met Brainbox. Brainbox was putting together a small group of likeminded individuals in order to strike a little terror into Stark City and Howard was more than happy to help out.

Katana (Slashing 4) Shuriken (Shooting 2)

Specialties

Stealth Expert Weapons (Blades) Expert Weapons (Shuriken) Expert

Qualities

Directionless Assassin

Background: Howard Reeves assumed his life was just the same as everyone else’s. From an early age he can remember weekend retreats that featured katana training, holidays in the mountains with shuriken practice and moving house every few months with the sound of sirens echoing nearby. It wasn’t until he was twelve that he was finally told the truth, his parent were members of a secret guild of assassins called the Kemuri‐kage and he was almost ready to join their number.

Wrathmaster Abilities

Prowess 2 Coordination 4 Strength 1 Intellect 8 Awareness 6 Willpower 6 Stamina 7

Powers

Master of Invention: Gadgets 8

Specialties

Leadership Expert Medicine Expert Pilot Expert Science Master Technology Master

Qualities

Harmless Old Man or Master Criminal “Clever, But I Already Thought of That!”

Background: Paul Krevitz, AKA Wrathmaster

has a long history in Stark City, predominantly throughout the late ‘70s early ‘80s, and his name was never far from the lips of the press and the police. A scientific genius, his schemes usually involved the use of robots, super weapons, and other gadgets and devices and he usually had a careless disregard for any police and bystanders that got in his way. In 1985, after a particular audacious attempt to destroy the sentinel citadel, Wrathmaster was brought to justice by Lady Fury and finally had to answer for his crimes. Or that would how the Stark City justice system would have liked it. After a particularly well staged defense Krevitz managed to get several of the charges dropped in exchange for access to his technological secrets and seemingly settled for paying his debt to society with a considerably reduced jail term. Krevitz served his time without any sort of commotion and even managed to get a

reduced term. Even afer the years past when it was time for his release the media fell over themselves to cover Krevitz’s story, it was then that he announced that he would open a restaurant chain, the Crepes of Wrath, along with other smaller enterprises in an attempt to “give something back” to the city. The media couldn’t get enough of the idea and Krevitz’s reformation into an upstanding member of society and everything seemed well. Little did everyone suspect but Krevitz hadn’t quite reformed as much as they had thought. By secretly funding teams of villains via his contacts through the Stark City underworld he continued to benefit from their

illicit gains, all the while portraying an upstanding public image that after a few years was the only way a majority of the public thought of him. Of course most heroes and police that had dealt with Krevitz in the past were almost certain that there was more to him than he seemed but couldn’t find any leads to confirm their suspicions. Soon though, they would be proved right.

Wardroid (Damocles class) Abilities

Prowess 2 Coordination 2 Strength 6 Intellect ‐ Awareness 2 Willpower ‐ Stamina

Powers

Huge Robot: Growth 6 (Extra: Damage Resistance 6) Plasma Blaster: Blast 5 Stunner: Stunning 6 (Extra: Burst) Micro Missile Pods: Blast 6 (Extra: Burt, Limit: 8 uses only) Sensor suite: Super‐senses 2 (Infrared Vision, Radar)

Qualities

Oldie but a Goodie Lumbering Giant

Background: Variations of the Damocles

wardroid were an all too familiar upon the streets of Stark City during the height of Wrathmasters career in the late ‘70s. A low pitched engine hum followed by a high pitched whine from it’s stunner was enough to panic anyone within earshot and cause them to flee to safety.

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