[M&M] New Orleans / Bayou villains needed for Monday night game

[MetalBard]

Hey, I'm starting a bit of an odd M&M game on Monday. It's kind of a one-shot that may go for a few sessions and we might come back to it if we like the feel.

Anyway, the setting is a 1930s Carnivale-like world. I'm starting people out in New Orleans. One character has the headquarters feat as a traveling carnival that he runs. He's sort of a charismatic telepath. Another character is a telekinetic midget who's part of the side-show and the last one is an "imported" Masai warrior type who is a sideshow item as well (strong-man) that turns into solid ebony when threatened or angry. They are all PL 7.

What I need are some good ideas (with a few game mechanics) for a PL 10 villain, or a couple of PL 7 ones. I've already got some bible-thumping opposition planned for the carnival coming into town just outside of New Orleans and some creepy voodoo threats, but I need a villain to cap-off the evening. The voodoo threats are coming from people who think the carnival is stealing their business (real deal voodoo magic people who make a living by doing "show" voodoo).

Any good ideas?

(Note: I also posted this on the M&M boards, but it looks like it might not be four-color enough for that crowd. I'm hoping the folks here at ENWorld might warm up to the Carnivale idea a little more.)

 

[takyris]

The fields lie quiet. The fields wait for the farmer, for the farmer's thoughts, the farmer's dreams. The fields hear the dreams of animals, the heat of the farmer's heart, and it is enough. Sometimes couples sneak into the fields to escape their elders and embrace under the cover of the waving grains. Their passion drives the fields mad, and sometimes the couples do not return. The people say that the fields are haunted. They do not know how truly their words are spoken.

Maize

Thousands of years ago, a tribe of Indians was cut down and killed by another tribe. It was a dark and angry day, and other tribes whispered that the tribe that did the killing used foul magic. The names have disappeared, but the spirits of the dead tribe have not. They are no longer Indians, no longer even ghosts. By now, their rotted bodies have fertilized the cornfield that grows above, and they are one entity, one entity that can be driven mad by the hearts and minds of too many sentient beings too close.

The fields are said to be unlucky -- every harvest, the farmer brings in help, and every harvest, at least one man dies in some freak accident. When the farmer tends the crops himself, though, with just a few hired men, the crops almost seem to harvest themselves. And the corn from the fields is so delicious that it has won contests all throughout the state.

When the Carnival arrives, and everyone flocks to the grassy field near the cornfield, it is too much for the being that now calls itself Maize. It tries to drive the carnival away, first by scaring and then by killing.

Powers:

- Plant Control, with Snare (plants twining around people) and Create Attacks (plant-monsters clubbing people)
- ESP, limited to the cornfield (can see anything going on in the field)
- Mind Control, limited to people who have eaten the corn from the field since the last harvest (most of the town, but not the heroes)
- Alternate Form:Semisolid, as a collection of stalks and leaves and that rakes in an attack when Maize forms a solid body, and Power-Stunt: Explosion, when Maize falls to pieces in a violent frenzy of magical energy and then waits inside the fields for his foes to leave

 

[MetalBard]

Wow, thanks Takyris, that's awesome!

I may have to change the crop to sugar cane, given that the Carnival is right outside of New Orleans, but that shouldn't be too hard. Maybe I could change the name to the Canewight.

I'd hate to be the carnival that sets up shop next to that cane field...

It also gives me some good ideas on how to use the voodoo people as red-herrings.

 

[takyris]

Hey, glad I could help! And duh, yeah, of course it's not gonna be corn. Totally spaced on the New Orleans part.

 

[Keeper of Secrets]

Rebel Yell (A southern Civil War solider who is either a Zombie or some resurrected nut)

Southern Comfort (a Daisy Dukes wearing bumkinette who has emotion control)

Bayou Bill (Some kind of mountain man with snake leather boots and a really creepy swamp thing going on.)

Voodoo Doll (Someone with the ability to perform voodoo magic on her victims)

 

[Aristotle]

I think it's a neat idea. You are already using voodoo as a smaller threat, so using it as your primary threat may be too much. I love the idea of a Legion (X men) type character only instead of being insane and each of his personalities having a power he is a powerful Houngan who can call upon various Loa to mount him. Each one has a different power (and enormous ability with that power), but it takes time for him to change from one Loa to another. Details to be hashed out by the GM of course.

 

[DnDChick]

How about some Mardi-Gras themed villains?

Rex ... Mind Control, etc.

Flambeau ... fire powers, obviously

Bead ... female mutant, can generate small bead-like projectiles and shoot them with great force and accuracy

Masque ... shape changing powers

... you get the idea.

 

[Aristotle]

Heh, how about a side quest where they have to save a popular author who lives in the area from a group of low power vampires (to be used only for this encounter and not as a constant presence in the game) who are trying to "silence" her because she has gotten to close to the truth in her well known gothic horror novels revolving around vampire culture.

Okay, it's cheesy, but my group would probably appreciate it. Although they might not realize that Anne Rice has a home there.

 

[MetalBard]

Hmm... I'm trying for a little more subtlety than Mardi Gras themes, but they could work well in another type of New Orleans supers game. The masque idea sounds kind of cool though...

I'm not sure what houngans and loas are. I've been to New Orleans, but I haven't delved into voodoo... I was just planning on them being the stereotypical evil, vengeful voodoo people.

As for Bayou Bill, I like the idea of a Cajun creepy dude from the bayou (or should I say OF the bayou). I can't think of a good power for a cajun bayou guy. Animal control might be cool, maybe he could control alligators... maybe his name could be Cottonmouth, for the deadly snake down there. I'm still not certain about this guy yet. Anybody have any ideas on how to make this one come to life?

 

[DnDChick]

I'm not sure what houngans and loas are.

A houngan is a "good" voodoo priest, as opposed to a boucorps or bokor, whic are the "bad" guys. Of course, "good" and "bad" are relative terms in voodoo.

A loa is a voodoo "god". The voodoo gods are actually west African deities clad in the trappings Catholic saints. Caribbean-area slaves disguised their native practices with Christian themes to avoid persecution.

Note that these are VERY general descriptions from one who is not a practitioner of the religion. I mean no offense to actual practices of Santaria and voodoo with these descriptions.

(I like to tread lightly when discussing real religions ... matters of faith are important to many people, and I respect that.)