{Mutants & Masterminds} United Heroes Limited Series

[CFP]

Re: We're All Learning.. And Learning Is A Good Thing!

I found out that the Thrown Range Increments vary by how much an item weighs. That would change Bombardier's thrown grenades, but I'm not going to go back and edit those combats. I'll include those rules from now on.

Basically, your thrown range increment for a "Light Load" is 40', for "Medium Load" it's 20', and for "Heavy Load" it's 10'. Until now I was using 10' for all thrown weapons.

I'm not sure what long-term effect this is going to have on Bombardier's stats since his "Thrown Weapon Range" flaw is just about moot. For example, the Nega-Bomb is a +8 power, so it would have a range increment of 40, but since it's a Light Load for Bombardier (weighs a pound or two), it's the same as if it didn't have the flaw.

What I might do is create a flaw that halves the area of effect for his powers. As it is, he hits just about everyone on the map with one of his grenades, and I think that's pretty silly.

UH Editor

I'm enjoying the story, Trickster sounds like a lot of fun for a GM to play...
Just as an FYI Thrown weapon should still be ok as a flaw, Thrown weapons have a maximum range of only 5 range increments compared to the 10 range increments for 'Normal' range on most powers. (So maximum range of 200 ft compared to 500 ft.)

 

[MnM_UH]

Re: Re: We're All Learning.. And Learning Is A Good Thing!

I'm enjoying the story, Trickster sounds like a lot of fun for a GM to play...
Just as an FYI Thrown weapon should still be ok as a flaw, Thrown weapons have a maximum range of only 5 range increments compared to the 10 range increments for 'Normal' range on most powers. (So maximum range of 200 ft compared to 500 ft.)

I'm glad you like Trickster. He's an old villain of mine, left over from my very first superhero campaign.

I still might change Bombardier around a little bit. His area effect attacks practically cover half of the combat area, and that's too much in my opinion. What I might do is either change the rule to (diameter = ranks x 5') instead of (radius = ranks x 5') or I might exchange his thrown weapon flaws for 1/2 radius on the area extras.

 

[MnM_UH]

Issue #3 - "Embers" (Continued)

Scene 3: "Secret Rendezvous"

"What the heck are we going to do with this thing?" Lodestone asked, looking up at the glowing cylinder. "Maybe it's a giant suppository."

The Duchess turned away from Lodestone. "You are a foul creature," she commented. "Trickster has not yet told us why he wants this cylinder. It must be part of the master plan."

They stood in a large cave, and the sound of waves crashing on nearby rocks indicated that the cave must have been near the ocean. The area was lit by large mobile utility lights, like you might find on a movie set.

Near Lodestone, a giant contraption stood looming over everything else in the room. It was obviously some sort of device, but was powered down at the moment. The Redan Cylinder, glowing with a greenish hue, was the only part of the device giving off any sort of energy.

Another washing of water upon the rocks was heard, but this time, the sound was more intense, as if something large had exited the ocean. The pair of villains looked in the direction of the cave entrance, and saw the Atlantean warrior Barracuda.

The monstrous Atlantean looked at Lodestone, whom he did not know, and the Duchess, whom he knew only through third parties. "I am Barracuda," he said proudly. "You too have been lured here by Trickster?"

"Lured is not the right word for it," the Duchess replied. "No one lures the Duchess anywhere." She was regal in her presence, a true Vampire, and took no steps to conceal her nature. The Duchess was used to giving commands and causing fear in others, though this Barracuda certainly would strike fear in most mortals.

Lodestone was impressed with the Atlantean, but tried to remain calm. He always scanned his potential opponents or allies for metal content, since his powers operated on ferrous metals, but neither the Duchess nor Barracuda had significant amounts of metal on them.

"Any idea what this is for?" Lodestone asked Barracuda, pointing at the Redan Cylinder and the rest of the strange device that formed a cocoon around it.

Barracuda examined the object for a moment. "I know that part to be the Redan Cylinder," he replied. "It is an Atlantean power object. I wonder how Trickster acquired it."

"I'm not sure," Lodestone responded. "All I know is Surge and I stole it from the SFPD property room and brought it here. Trickster told me to lift it into place in an empty spot in that device, and here we are."

A flash of light startled Barracuda, Lodestone, and the Duchess. A portal opened in mid-air, and through it stepped Trickster and Mana, a sorceress.

"Good to see you all made it here," Trickster said. "I trust you have all made your introductions. This is Mana, mistress of magic. She will aid us in our quest."

The Duchess sneered at another attractive female being added to the group. She far preferred to be the 'alpha female', and did not want any interference from some magic-wielding bimbo.

"Your mission went as planned then?" the Duchess asked.

"Oh, better than I had hoped," Trickster replied. "We captured one of the United Heroes. The Scoundrel is now in our clutches. I have him bound rather tightly back at our headquarters."

Mmm... hero's blood is always better than that of mere mortals, the Duchess thought. Perhaps a taste will sate my appetite.

"How much longer until we can start things off?" Lodestone asked.

"Patience, my friend," Trickster replied. "There are a few more items to acquire for my machine. And there is the Fang situation."

"Fang?" Lodestone inquired. "That loser? What do we need him for?"

The Duchess was quite familiar with the bestial Fang, and he did indeed have his moments. "He was captured by these United Heroes?"

"Yes," Trickster answered. "I would like to free him before we begin the main operation. I thought perhaps we could exchange him for the Scoundrel, but the heroes will never trust us -- as well they shouldn't!" The arch-villain laughed.

"I can find him, Trickster," Mana offered.

"I bet you can..." the villain replied.

"Maybe we can just break him out of wherever they're holding him," Lodestone suggested.

"An excellent plan, Lodestone," Trickster said, plans turning in his head. "Let's go back to headquarters and gather everyone together. Mana, do your thing and find out where they've taken Fang."

The villains, except for Barracuda, loaded onto a small powerboat. The Atlantean preferred to swim places when possible rather than travel by boat.

Trickster stayed behind for a moment to marvel at his machine. Soon, the Atlanteans and the people of the surface world will be at each others' throats. It will all be chaos, and I will be the beneficiary. Fire will engulf the world, and I hold the match that will start it all!


This Ends Issue #3, "Embers"
Watch for Issue #4, "Crackling", Coming Soon!

 

[MnM_UH]

Issue #4 - "Crackling"

Scene 1: "The Chosen"

Generally, the people of Atlantis are a peaceful lot. They tend to their own needs, and are focused on their land's prosperity and safety above all else. Most Atlanteans are friendly, though cautious with outsiders.

There are, however, less friendly and peaceful factions within Atlantis. General Dagon was the most recent to tap into the Atlantean warrior spirit, though he was by no means the first. Dagon's "Chosen", as they were called, rose up against the rulers of Atlantis, to put an end to the kingdom's malaise and inability to make itself a presence in the world. General Dagon's mission was to make Atlantis a force to be reckoned with, and he nearly destroyed Atlantis in the process.

But this uprising did not go unnoticed. The heroes of the surface world battled the Atlantean armies, and the air-breathers finally came to believe that Atlantis really did exist. Many surface-dwellers watched with interest as Atlantis became a world power after living in hiding beneath the waves for so long. Though it began as one of aggression, the relationship between Atlantis and the surface world eventually became one of trade and sharing of ideas and resources, and Atlantis became a valued member of the world community.

The Chosen never forgot their dream. They had waited a long time for a new leader to emerge, and they found it in the return of Lieutenant (now General) Klimordial, one of the late General Dagon's most trusted henchmen. The time was ripe for a return to glory, and perhaps another war with the surface world...

*************************************************

[The following dialogue is translated from Atlantean. - ed]

"General Klimordial," Lieutenant Ag began, "the men grow restless. When can we expect to be ready to attack?"

The general sat back in his command chair. He looked around the room at the rest of his lieutenants and gauged the look on each Atlantean's face. Klimordial was most impressed that the men were all ready to do battle with the surface-dwellers.

This was the first time that most of these men had seen Klimordial out of his traditional Atlantean battle armor. He had long black hair, braided in the warrior tradition. He was of a very powerful build, as any who would rule an Atlantean army would be expected to have. Atlantean warriors could only be impressed by physical prowess, and commanders would need to rule by their presence as much as their tactical aptitude.

"Patience, Lieutenant," Klimordial replied. "Things are in motion that will enable us to take our plans forward. We will not be the first to act. Instead, we will wait for the people of the surface world to attack Atlantis. When they do, be prepared for war!"

"I don't understand," Lieutenant Mardral said. "They will attack us? Why would they do that? They have us at a disadvantage now. Why would they want to change things?"

"The air-breathers are pragmatic, General," Ag added, "not stupid."

Klimordial laughed. In a corner hidden away from the table around which Klimordial and his lieutenants sat and discussed their plans, a man -- an air-breather -- hid and listened to the conversation. He was no stranger to Atlantis; he had been here many times before. Trickster had to stifle a laugh as he eavesdropped. They still have no clue, he thought. So eager are these 'Chosen' to go to war that they would believe anything I choose to throw at them. They will be ready, and so will I.

"The gauntlet will be thrown down soon enough, gentlemen," Klimordial responded. "I am satisfied that you will have your divisions ready within a week, and then we will learn more about our air-breathing friends."

Trickster, seeing that the meeting was pretty much adjourned, turned invisible so that the lieutenants would not see him.

Klimordial stood up. "I believe this meeting is over," he said. "I will contact all of you when we are ready to make specific tactical plans. Until then, remember that no one can know of our mission."

The lieutenants stood up and gathered their things -- mostly ceremonial weapons and armor, and then left the chamber. When they were all gone, Trickster made his own exit through a secret door in the rear of the chamber.

But there was another spy in the meeting chamber. This one hid in a maintenance tube above the room, and recorded everything that was being said. The spy was an Atlantean female, and she was very well concealed, and was able to take in the entire meeting.

Interesting, she thought. Klimordial is still imprisoned within the Deep Vault. So, who is this impostor?

She put away her recording device and slowly retreated from her position high above the chamber. As she did, several Atlantean villains came to mind, but all were very unlikely candidates.

She popped out of the maintenance tube and scurried far from the Chosen's headquarters. When she was satisfied that she was a safe distance from the meeting room, she produced a communicator and pressed a button.

"Bariunas," the voice on the communicator replied.

"Marina checking in," she said. "Observed Chosen making plans. Will transmit recording."

"Agreed," Bariunas said.

Marina plugged the recorder into the bottom of the communicator, and electronics within the recorder whirred as the data was sent along to her superiors. When it was done, Marina disconnected the two devices and put the recorder back in her pouch.

"Will analyze," Bariunas said. "Return to base."

"Acknowledged," Marina replied and turned off the communicator. She looked down a corridor and saw several of Klimordial's lieutenants exiting from the meeting chamber. Before they could spot her, Marina disappeared, and made her way back to Atlantis City.

Watch for Scene 2, Coming Soon!

 

[MnM_UH]

Issue #4 - "Crackling" (Continued)

Scene 2: "Becoming Comfortable"

Harpy peered out the large picture window overlooking San Francisco Bay, watching the sailboats on the water and planes fly overhead toward the airport. Life goes on with or without us, she thought. There is so much to learn, to understand...

"There's a storm coming," Torpedo remarked in the nearly-empty living room.

Harpy barely turned at all to acknowledge the Atlantean hero. "I know."

Torpedo closed to Harpy, standing next to her at the window. "The sea is remarkable, isn't it?"

She did not respond, but continued to watch everything happening on the bay.

"It almost pains me to remain on the surface with the rest of you," Torpedo said. "The sea is... comforting."

Electrostatic poked his head into the room, looking for Harpy, whom he saw standing at the window next to Torpedo. There she is, he thought. Does she even know I'm back? Does she care?

But Harpy had noticed that the absent United Heroes had returned. She could sense their presence through her telepathy. It was good to know they were back, and Harpy was relieved that no one was seriously hurt. But someone was missing...

Harpy turned to see Electrostatic's head peeking around the corner. "Lectro," she asked, "what's wrong?"

The electric hero entered the room fully. "Didn't Seraphim tell you guys? I thought he explained everything."

Torpedo, who had also turned to see Electrostatic, was concerned. "What is it, man?"

"The Scoundrel," Electrostatic replied. "No one knows where he is."

I'm tempted to say 'good riddance', Harpy thought. "What could have happened to him?"

"I don't know," Electrostatic replied. "Johnny* says he saw him laying unconscious and then a black cloud covered us. Then, when the smoke cleared, the Scoundrel was gone."

* Pathfinder - ed.

"This is not a good sign," Torpedo remarked. "Something is happening in this city, and we need to be at full strength to deal with it."

"We need to find out more about this Trickster person," Harpy said, "and why he would be working with Bombardier and this Cyber-Knight."

***********************************************

The United Heroes (minus the Scoundrel of course) were all gathered in the study of Hadley Manor. MorningStar and Pathfinder sat on a vintage leather couch, Electrostatic sat in a Louis XVI chair, Iron Dragon on a wooden bench, Torpedo behind the desk on a plush office chair, while Seraphim and Harpy stood on opposite ends of the room.

"Let's start by laying out all of the details that we know," Harpy suggested.

"Everything that has transpired in the past few days," Seraphim added. "In a way to perhaps tie them together and make some sense of these events."

"We must stick to what we know," Iron Dragon cautioned. "Adding opinions or possibilities to the mix will only confuse things."

"Agreed," Harpy replied.

"It all began with the Scoundrel discovering some thugs planning to steal a glowing cylinder from a warehouse on the pier," Torpedo said. "The Scoundrel said that the thugs mentioned that Klimordial had hired them, which goes against what I learned from my trip to Atlantis."

"Right," Electrostatic said. "Your governor friend confirmed that Klimordial is still imprisoned and has no contact with visitors, and therefore couldn't hire anyone."

"Also, we know that Barracuda attacked me," Torpedo said, "even though he was clearly after the governor."

"You said Barracuda is well-known to have worked with Klimordial in the past," Pathfinder stated.

"Yes," the Atlantean hero replied. "So that ties up those angles, at least from the Atlantis perspective."

"Wait," Electrostatic said. "Why do you think Barracuda was going after the governor? How does that tie everything up?"

Torpedo considered the electric hero's valid point. "Hmm. Klimordial, or someone posing as Klimordial, hired some thugs to steal a cylinder, and may have had his old friend Barracuda make an assassination attempt on Governor Wayed. But for what purpose?"

"Indeed," Pathfinder added. "I don't see that the two have anything whatsoever to do with each other."

"Let's table the Atlantean issues for now," Harpy said. "What about the cylinder?"

"The police took that cylinder into custody," Seraphim said, "only to have it stolen from under their noses."

"In my vision," Pathfinder said, "I saw two men with powers stealing the cylinder, and the police stood by and let them take it."

"Those guys you described," Electrostatic said, "one of them definitely was Lodestone, ugly and with magnetic powers. I know because I've tangled with him in the past."

"We also know that the illusionist known as Trickster was somehow involved," Seraphim remarked. "We spotted him at the scene, and it was likely that he used some form of mind control to blind the policemen into letting Lodestone and his companion steal the cylinder."

"That's the kind of leap I was talking about, Seraphim," Iron Dragon said. "We don't know for sure that Trickster was in league with Lodestone and his friend. It does seem very likely though..."

"What about your run-in with Bombardier and Fang?" Harpy asked Iron Dragon. "Remember, Trickster later showed up with Bombardier and this Cyber-Knight character. Obviously, he was the 'employer' Fang and Bombardier were waiting around for in the alley."

"That seems likely," Torpedo said.

"So we've got at least five supervillains working together," Harpy said. "And adding Barracuda and Klimordial to the mix, all of these events in some way relate to this cylinder."

"Maybe Trickster and Klimordial are both after the cylinder," Electrostatic proposed. "Maybe if we knew more about it..."

"Yes," Torpedo said. "If we understood the cylinder's importance, we could better judge the level of threat posed by these supervillains."

"Do you think the cylinder is of Atlantean origin?" Iron Dragon asked Torpedo.

"It seems likely," the Atlantean replied. "Otherwise, I don't understand why Klimordial would be interested in it."

"I believe another trip to Atlantis is in order then," Seraphim said.

Torpedo stood. "You don't have to ask me twice. I have contacts in Atlantis that will be able to help me. I can also check into the Klimordial situation a bit more." With that, he left the room.

"One question remains," Iron Dragon said. "Where is the Scoundrel? What if he has been captured?"

"And if he has been captured," Seraphim added, "what do these villains plan to do with him?"

*************************************************

He couldn't see anything, but the Scoundrel could hear people talking in the room next door. Where am I? he wondered. Last thing I remember, I was fighting that Trickster guy. Man, is he a good shot. I need to be more careful.

He concentrated, but couldn't make out details of whatever conversation was going on in the next room. There may have been two or three people, and one of them was definitely female due to the higher pitched tone. Nothing more was forthcoming.

(The Scoundrel attempts a Listen check (DC 20 due to the thick walls) and gets a result of 11 - not enough.)

The door opened. The Scoundrel could tell that whomever entered the room was not particularly large, as the footfalls were of average depth.

"Comfortable?" the voice asked.

The Scoundrel decided now would be a good time to find out how well he was restrained. Only ropes? he thought. Do they know who I am?

"Yeah," he replied. "I'm doing great."

"Good," the voice responded. It was male, and with an American accent. East Coast, maybe New York, but pretty subdued. "You have been asleep for some time, Scoundrel."

"It's THE Scoundrel, buddy."

The voice laughed. "A thousand pardons, good sir. The Scoundrel it is then."

"Look, what do you want with me?" the Scoundrel asked.

The figure walked slowly around the room. From the sound, the Scoundrel figured it to be a small room, maybe 15' x 15' at the most. "You are in no position to make demands or ask questions," the voice stated. "I have a question for you."

"Ask away," the Scoundrel replied. "I guess I'm not going anywhere."

"No," the voice replied. "You're not going anywhere. We have taken and destroyed your equipment, including your weapons and your communicator, so you are at quite a disadvantage, lest you had any thoughts to escape."

"All right, Trickster, what do you want from me?" the Scoundrel asked.

Trickster was a little shocked, but undeterred. "So, you are more clever than you appear. Good for you."

The figured stopped pacing. "I want to know where your friends are keeping Fang."

The Scoundrel laughed. "This is all to get that loser back?"

"Do not begin to assume anything where I am concerned!" Trickster commanded. "You will tell me where he is. I know that he has not been remanded to the police. My conclusion is that he is being held at the United Heroes headquarters. Is that true?"

"Yeah, that's where he is," the Scoundrel replied. "Are you going to try to trade me for Fang?"

"Don't take me for a fool," Trickster answered. "They would never agree to such an exchange, and would backstab me anyway, even if they did agree. No, I have something better in mind."

"I'm not telling you where the HQ is, so you can forget it. Torture me, whip me, beat me, make me write bad checks, whatever. I won't tell you."

"Oh, you will tell me, hero," Trickster said, his eyes glowing green. He pulled off the Scoundrel's blindfold and glared into his prisoner's eyes. "You'll tell me everything!"

Watch for Scene 3, Coming Soon!

 

[Tokiwong]

Awesome story, I am all caught up, and waiting for more

 

[bertman4]

Howdy! This is a great write up. I especially like mechanics explanations. It really helps others understand the beauty of M&M system. I take it The Scoundrel is based off of the The Shadow (noticed the Tibetan language skill)? I had a similar character concept I was trying to build called Mist. Seems like The Shadow is almost an archetype.

Bertman

 

[MnM_UH]

Howdy! This is a great write up. I especially like mechanics explanations. It really helps others understand the beauty of M&M system. I take it The Scoundrel is based off of the The Shadow (noticed the Tibetan language skill)? I had a similar character concept I was trying to build called Mist. Seems like The Shadow is almost an archetype.

Bertman

The Scoundrel was originally designed for a '30s type serial adventure, so I guess in a way he's based on The Shadow.

I'm going to do a separate comic/thread on origins, so watch for that to come in the near future!

Glad you like the story. Keep reading!

 

[Tokiwong]

The Scoundrel was originally designed for a '30s type serial adventure, so I guess in a way he's based on The Shadow.

I'm going to do a separate comic/thread on origins, so watch for that to come in the near future!

Glad you like the story. Keep reading!

The Scoundrel is great, I like him, like the story, and I love the mechanics stuff, it helps the reader see how the scene develops behind the scenes, kind of like a long example of game play, the combats are wild and raucous too

 

[MnM_UH]

Issue #4 - "Crackling" (Continued)

Scene 3: "Rematch"

Torpedo crossed from the beach just outside Hadley Manor and Tiburon and into San Francisco Bay proper. It was not a particularly long swim out to the Pacific Ocean, but Torpedo would often make the trip just for exercise and to patrol the seas for any potential threats.

Though he was an Atlantean, Torpedo felt compelled to keep a watchful eye out for his surface-dwelling friends. He was a dual citizen, which was unusual for an Atlantean. The people of Atlantis still weren't trusted fully in the world of the air-breathers, and vice versa. So someone like Torpedo, with ties in both worlds, was very rare indeed.

Sometimes Torpedo would patrol the bay within routes ships would use to enter or exit the waterways, and he would examine the ships' hulls to make sure they weren't leaking or in danger of taking on water. He was able to alert a few ship captains to problems with their ships, and thus prevented disaster. Torpedo felt sometimes like he was a patron saint, just like in ancient times, when ship captains would make tribute to gods. The Greeks had Poseidon, and other ancient societies had their equivalent deities. Torpedo had developed relationships with many ship captains who made regular trips to San Francisco Bay.

On his way out to the ocean, Torpedo spotted a familiar ship, the Brittania, and hailed the captain after quickly examining the hull for any potential leaks or other problems.

"Good to see you, Torpedo," Captain Lewis called out from the deck.

The Atlantean smiled. "And good to see you, Captain Lewis," he replied. "Everything looks good. You might want to clear some of the barnacles on the hull. They're starting to cluster around your aft rudder." Even though Torpedo had picked up one some of the lingo, he still didn't know all of the proper ship terminology, but the ship captains never really corrected him.

************************************************

On the way out to the open ocean, Torpedo went over things in his mind, trying to get a handle on what was happening, particularly in regards to Atlantis. Something bothered him about Barracuda's inclusion in these events. He is known to be a close associate of Klimordial, and worked alongside General Dagon's Chosen, Torpedo thought, but we know that Dagon is dead, and Klimordial is imprisoned within the Deep Vault. So what is his angle? What does he want with this strange cylinder?

Torpedo was lost in his thoughts about Barracuda and the cylinder, and he did not notice the Atlantean villain closing on him.

I'm in luck! Barracuda thought. That fool Torpedo, right in front of me. And he hasn't spotted me. Maybe he's thinking about something important. Well, I'll give him something to think about!

Barracuda rushed through the water, still undetected, and crashed into Torpedo. The impact sent them both hurtling to the ocean floor. As they fell, Barracuda sunk his massive teeth into his fellow Atlantean's shoulder, causing Torpedo to cry out in pain just before they met the sea's surface.

(This is a surprise round, since Torpedo did not see Barracuda. The villain adjusts his Feats as follows - +1 to Attack from Underwater Combat, and +5 to Damage (-5 to Attack) from Power Attack. He charges Torpedo (Flat-footed DEF 18) and gets a result of 18 - a hit! Torpedo gets a Damage save (DC 31) to resist the attack, and gets a result of 26 - he takes a Lethal hit.)

Watch for Round 1, Coming Soon!