So, after a long time, I'm finally getting my friends excited about Pulp Heroes from Polyhedron (the first version, not d20 Modern). I jumped on writing the plot but I've hit a brick wall. I know I want the campaign to end with the PCs fighting Nazis (probably in a castle) while a beam or gate or something starts bringing martian warriors to the Earth to help the Nazis fight. A Nazi Martian tag-team if you will. I like what I have so far but am not sure where to take it from here. Any suggestions? The plot so far is as follows:
Mission 1: The King of the Underworld
Synopsis: The PCs are all attending an anthropological exhibition at Ivyport University where wonders from around the world are being displayed at the behest of Dr. Henry Crawsley, famed explorer and anthropologist recently returned from an expedition to the Ivory Coast of Western Africa. After the PCs mingle and establish their characters, Dr. Crawsley stands to make a speech. He is cut off but a powerful voice from the rafters: Hades, the masked vigilante and underworld kingpin. After a brief dramatic speech Hades men open up the wall with a few sticks of dynamite and chaos ensues. The PCs wade through the tide of his mobster goons and eventually the smoke clears, revealing several pieces missing and Hades nowhere to be found.
Dr. Crawsley approaches the players begging for the return of a very important African amulet which was taken. The players are also approached by a doe-eyed coffee heiress named Delilah Harker; Delilah asks the players to return a pearl ring of Chinese origin that was also taken in the scuffle. The PCs only have time to track down one item before they are contacted by Sergeant Dashiel Godfrey, the police chief of Ivyport who wants their help in capturing Hades and bringing him to justice, as he has made of with the Amazon Heart, a Brazilian emerald of strange powers and immense value.
Mission 1.5: A Slight Detour
Synopsis: The PCs are asked by both Dr. Crawsley and Delilah Harker to recover certain objects that were stolen: the Dr. would like an African amulet, which he acquired on his most recent travel, returned to him while Delilah asks for a pearl ring recovered on an expedition, funded by her father, to the coast of China. The PCs have only time enough to help one of them, and this sets up a minor villain for the rest of the campaign.
Helping the Dr. eventually brings the PCs to a strange ritual being performed in the Ivyport Botanical Gardens that night. A group of dark-skinned men and women are gathered around the sundial, chanting strange verses in an unknown African tongue. The PCs most likely shoot first and ask questions later, mortally wounding some of the priests and recovering the amulet, though the high priest escapes. If the PCs stop to talk with the cultists, they learn that the amulet belonged to a terrible African prince rumored to be a vampire, and that these men stowed away on a ship to reach the USA in the hopes of destroying it. The truth is that the amulet has cursed Dr. Crawsley, making him obsessed with it and slowly turning him into a vampire, called a sasabonsam, the longer he and it are separated. If the PCs aid in the amulet’s destruction the leader, an elderly priest named Gathee, asks them to remain in contact with him. He and his men are masquerading as dockworkers and his alias is George Goodman.
Helping Ms. Harker is a much longer investigation which eventually takes the PCs to China town, which is in the full swing of Chinese New Year (it is the year of the tiger). After getting through several obstacles the PCs are alerted to a small temple where a secret passage reveals a trapped room containing the pearl ring. After retrieving it, the PCs wander out into the streets and most likely partake in the festival; they are ambushed by a pair of monks dressed in blue and black robes. The monks fight with the mantis style, very dexterous and accurate, and try everything in their power to steal the ring back from the PCs. They will not use lethal force unless they are damaged by it themselves, and mainly rely on stunning and non-lethal strikes. They hound the PCs mercilessly through the streets of Chinatown, possibly through the parades, but after a while will simply disappear. If reasoned with they will explain that they were transporting the ring from Shanghai to Northern China when they were ambushed and it was stolen. They have never heard of the Harker family but promise to remain in contact with the PCs incase of anymore disturbances; their names are Bai Zhao kuo, the older of the two brothers with a shaven head and a no-nonsense attitude, and Zhang Kong she, the younger of the two with scruffy black hair and a sunny disposition. If the PCs manage to escape China town with the ring and deliver it to Delilah Harker at the Harker Estate, she is overjoyed and gives them a windfall as well as future employment, though the PCs should be only guessing at her many criminal ties and seedy dealings.
Mission 2: Toppling the King
Synopsis: The PCs must go on a chase around the city trying to locate Hades’ hidden base of operations. They talk to various other underworld kingpins in the hopes of forming an alliance. Finally, they discover the base hidden among the other buildings of the docks and have several ways of entering it: disguise, stealth, or a frontal assault. If they choose disguise they must dress as criminals and gain the trust of Hades and his mobsters. If they choose stealth then they must sneak past various groups of guards to get to Hades’ inner sanctum. If they choose a frontal assault there is a good chance they will be in over their heads unless they recruited allies (i.e. other mobs, police, or Pinkertons). The PCs finally confront Hades while he is engaged with a mysterious German woman who displays magical powers. After combat break out, Hades either escapes on a speed boat while swearing his revenge or is killed or captured by the PCs. The Amazon Heart is recovered, but not for long.
Break for a Level and a Windfall!
Mission 3: The Distant Shore
Synopsis: The PCs have now acquired somewhat of a reputation around town and a month or so after the affair with Hades, they receive letters asking them to join an expedition to Africa led by the famed British explorer Sir Hugo Munroe. He promises them great treasure and notoriety if they join aboard his crew which has discovered a massive cave system on the Ivory Coast which is teeming with crystals and rare metals. Any explorers would give anything to go on just one expedition with Sir Hugo and the PCs would be fools to turn him down. Other NPC allies greatly encourage the PCs to travel with Sir Hugo; Delilah Harker may ask a PC to serve as a representative of her family on the expedition and Dr. Crawsley has already returned to Africa to continue his research, most likely asking for the help of some PCs. The PCs are introduced to the crew and the ship, The Queen Erica, sets sail two days later. The journey to Dabou takes approximately 2 weeks.
Mission 1: The King of the Underworld
Synopsis: The PCs are all attending an anthropological exhibition at Ivyport University where wonders from around the world are being displayed at the behest of Dr. Henry Crawsley, famed explorer and anthropologist recently returned from an expedition to the Ivory Coast of Western Africa. After the PCs mingle and establish their characters, Dr. Crawsley stands to make a speech. He is cut off but a powerful voice from the rafters: Hades, the masked vigilante and underworld kingpin. After a brief dramatic speech Hades men open up the wall with a few sticks of dynamite and chaos ensues. The PCs wade through the tide of his mobster goons and eventually the smoke clears, revealing several pieces missing and Hades nowhere to be found.
Dr. Crawsley approaches the players begging for the return of a very important African amulet which was taken. The players are also approached by a doe-eyed coffee heiress named Delilah Harker; Delilah asks the players to return a pearl ring of Chinese origin that was also taken in the scuffle. The PCs only have time to track down one item before they are contacted by Sergeant Dashiel Godfrey, the police chief of Ivyport who wants their help in capturing Hades and bringing him to justice, as he has made of with the Amazon Heart, a Brazilian emerald of strange powers and immense value.
Mission 1.5: A Slight Detour
Synopsis: The PCs are asked by both Dr. Crawsley and Delilah Harker to recover certain objects that were stolen: the Dr. would like an African amulet, which he acquired on his most recent travel, returned to him while Delilah asks for a pearl ring recovered on an expedition, funded by her father, to the coast of China. The PCs have only time enough to help one of them, and this sets up a minor villain for the rest of the campaign.
Helping the Dr. eventually brings the PCs to a strange ritual being performed in the Ivyport Botanical Gardens that night. A group of dark-skinned men and women are gathered around the sundial, chanting strange verses in an unknown African tongue. The PCs most likely shoot first and ask questions later, mortally wounding some of the priests and recovering the amulet, though the high priest escapes. If the PCs stop to talk with the cultists, they learn that the amulet belonged to a terrible African prince rumored to be a vampire, and that these men stowed away on a ship to reach the USA in the hopes of destroying it. The truth is that the amulet has cursed Dr. Crawsley, making him obsessed with it and slowly turning him into a vampire, called a sasabonsam, the longer he and it are separated. If the PCs aid in the amulet’s destruction the leader, an elderly priest named Gathee, asks them to remain in contact with him. He and his men are masquerading as dockworkers and his alias is George Goodman.
Helping Ms. Harker is a much longer investigation which eventually takes the PCs to China town, which is in the full swing of Chinese New Year (it is the year of the tiger). After getting through several obstacles the PCs are alerted to a small temple where a secret passage reveals a trapped room containing the pearl ring. After retrieving it, the PCs wander out into the streets and most likely partake in the festival; they are ambushed by a pair of monks dressed in blue and black robes. The monks fight with the mantis style, very dexterous and accurate, and try everything in their power to steal the ring back from the PCs. They will not use lethal force unless they are damaged by it themselves, and mainly rely on stunning and non-lethal strikes. They hound the PCs mercilessly through the streets of Chinatown, possibly through the parades, but after a while will simply disappear. If reasoned with they will explain that they were transporting the ring from Shanghai to Northern China when they were ambushed and it was stolen. They have never heard of the Harker family but promise to remain in contact with the PCs incase of anymore disturbances; their names are Bai Zhao kuo, the older of the two brothers with a shaven head and a no-nonsense attitude, and Zhang Kong she, the younger of the two with scruffy black hair and a sunny disposition. If the PCs manage to escape China town with the ring and deliver it to Delilah Harker at the Harker Estate, she is overjoyed and gives them a windfall as well as future employment, though the PCs should be only guessing at her many criminal ties and seedy dealings.
Mission 2: Toppling the King
Synopsis: The PCs must go on a chase around the city trying to locate Hades’ hidden base of operations. They talk to various other underworld kingpins in the hopes of forming an alliance. Finally, they discover the base hidden among the other buildings of the docks and have several ways of entering it: disguise, stealth, or a frontal assault. If they choose disguise they must dress as criminals and gain the trust of Hades and his mobsters. If they choose stealth then they must sneak past various groups of guards to get to Hades’ inner sanctum. If they choose a frontal assault there is a good chance they will be in over their heads unless they recruited allies (i.e. other mobs, police, or Pinkertons). The PCs finally confront Hades while he is engaged with a mysterious German woman who displays magical powers. After combat break out, Hades either escapes on a speed boat while swearing his revenge or is killed or captured by the PCs. The Amazon Heart is recovered, but not for long.
Break for a Level and a Windfall!
Mission 3: The Distant Shore
Synopsis: The PCs have now acquired somewhat of a reputation around town and a month or so after the affair with Hades, they receive letters asking them to join an expedition to Africa led by the famed British explorer Sir Hugo Munroe. He promises them great treasure and notoriety if they join aboard his crew which has discovered a massive cave system on the Ivory Coast which is teeming with crystals and rare metals. Any explorers would give anything to go on just one expedition with Sir Hugo and the PCs would be fools to turn him down. Other NPC allies greatly encourage the PCs to travel with Sir Hugo; Delilah Harker may ask a PC to serve as a representative of her family on the expedition and Dr. Crawsley has already returned to Africa to continue his research, most likely asking for the help of some PCs. The PCs are introduced to the crew and the ship, The Queen Erica, sets sail two days later. The journey to Dabou takes approximately 2 weeks.
