The Plot / Adventure Idea Game [for Gms]

[arcady]

-bump-

[Striker]

The Imp of the Perverse

Joey Hart loved all things occult. He was into crystals and rituals, ghosts and psychics, werewolves and vampires, Joey wanted to know it all. He would often frequent old bookstores, magic shops, and the occasional occult store in order to find things he didn't have yet. But for all his knowledge, Joey had no power. He couldn't use any magic, no matter how many books on it he read. He couldn't hex someone enough to even make them sneeze. So one day, feeling down on his luck, and gennerally miserable, he went to one of his favorite stores and saw a new book. It was entitled, "Demons for Dummies" which should have been his first clue that something wasn't right about this book, but Joey bought it anyway. That night, he read the entire book, front to back, and made a decision. If he had to be miserable, he was going to make everyone else that way too. So he set up the circle, dug out his supplies, and performed his first piece of real magic. He summoned it....

The Imp of the Perverse.
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About a week ago, things just started going bad in the campaign city. Absolutly anything that could go wrong, did. Not just for the heroes either. Even the badguys were having very bad days. The mystic or occultist character (or an NPC if there isn't one in the group) has recently detected demonic activity in the city. After a few twarted attempts to find the sorce, the PCs manage to discover exactly what the demon is. The fabled Imp of the Perverse, in the flesh. The PCs need to find a way to put the demon back where it came from, but neither the Imp, nor it's summoner are going to co-operate. They both like the Imp right where he is.

So how do you catch Merphy's Law incarnate?

Next up:
Brightly Burning
Take a Theif
Exile's Honor

[Gamskee]

Freaky Friday

The heroes are in the midst of a very routine, easy outcome battle, such as a bank heist, one low level super thug, etc. Suddenly, circumstances change that make the fight more dramatic- one the heroes powers suddenly change in nature entirely (a good pick would be anyone with problematic or very plain powers) perhaps gaining an extra or two along with some flaw, or possibly an entirely different power suite.

While they take the time for this revelation to set in, one of the players finds a horde of NPC's from his background showing up, with revelations and emergencies.

A new, powerful superhero asks to join the team after helping fight a horde of monsters.

What is actually happening is that Quirk, the nigh omnipotent pest, has decided that the team has become to boring and decides to take to the script like a revisionist author with complete control. Characters, powers, backgrounds, etc. change to things he finds more interesting. This allows for an unlimited amount of wackiness.

Quirk will reveal himself when someone reacts innappropriately to one of his edits, ie. he has a fit if you mess with his plot. Upon encountering him, he tries to convince them that the changes he has made were a good thing. To end the game, players must play alkong with his plot and beat his "really cool supervillain" called General Quirkstrom, who can control fire AND ice, and does neat matrix moves, cause it's cool.

This adventure allows a GM to retcon and test run changes he may have wanted to make without any permanency unless he wants it. OR it could be just a whole bunch of excuse to make the most wacked out version of the team you could see for a single game.

"You should have been a robot, you need to be from an alternate dimension, you should be grittier, you should be female, and you all need a pet monkey!"



Truly Extreme Sports
Metropolitan Desert
Meta-Virus: The Power Plague

[mgg]

Brightly Burning

Background: A super villain group moved into town and is trying to muscle out the non-super criminal gangs. One of the super powered villains (A fire using super villain which I will call 'Firebug' for convenience) is a bit out of control.

Start this with a throwaway story in the news about a fire at an unoccupied warehouse on the docks. Unless your game is dark, no one was hurt. Perhaps the characters choose to investigate or perhaps they have other adventures to worry about them.

Scene 1: Brightly Burning. The characters, either through earlier investigation or through blind luck are on scene to help fight a 4-alarm fire in an industrial part of town. This time there are a lot of people, employees mostly, at risk. Plenty of opportunity for heroic rescues follow.
The characters find out from the fire fighters that there are clear signs of arson.

At this point characters may investigate. Good contacts or smart investigation reveals the gang war aspect and may allow the characters advantages in later scenes.

An anonymous tip leads to scene 2. The source of the tip claims that there is something going down at a warehouse on the docks.

The Firebug is angry at the characters for interfering with his handywork so decides to kill two birds with one stone and has provided the tip.

When the characters arrive at the warehouse they will find several members of local criminal gangs in a meeting. Technically there is nothing illegal going on (well, maybe some conspiracy toward some crime, but with plenty of deniability.) How this plays out depends on the characters approach. This could turn into a gun battle, a tense meeting, or the characters might observe and not get directly involved. In any case, half way through the scene several explosions rock the warehouse. The characters find themselves having to rescue themselves as well as the crooks.

If the characters are alert and act fast they might even spot the Firebug, and an exciting battle ensues. The Firebug is outmatched but has an ace in the hole. If cornered he presses a button and several more explosions are seen in a nearby residential building. Do the heroes abandon the villain to save innocent lives?

There are several possible paths to scene 3. Investigation could pay off, the captured Firebug could confess, or perhaps the local criminals are the ones who provide the information to the heroes.

Scene 3: This is the final showdown. Following some lead the characters find the secret base of the criminal group. Battle ensues, perhaps even a threeway fight with armed gunmen sent by the local criminal groups. If the Firebug wasn't captured in scene two he may trigger several more explosives to escape. Allow intelligent and prepared characters to locate these bombs before the fight, particularly if they faced him at the end of scene 2.

Next (courtesy of a Batman compendium):
Half an Evil
Death Strikes at Midnight and Three
To Kill a Legend

[palehorse]

Meta-Virus: The Power Plague

The heroes are called in to stop a group of super-villains; they're not involved in any directed activity (like robbing a bank), but are simply destroying everything in their path.

When the heroes arrive on scene, they find an uncomfortably large group of low-powered crazies; none of them are villains anyone has heard of, and they're all dressed in a mix of business suits, in medical scrubs, and a couple are in now-tattered biocontainment uniforms. (Roughly, there should be twice as many of them as PC's, but at least 2 or 3 PL's lower. It should be a large enough group for someone to ask, 'Where did all of these guys come from all of a sudden?') As indicated, they're not after anything in particular, and they aren't working as a team, so the heroes should be able to take them down.

With the looks of them, it doesn't take long for someone to call the CDC; by the time the heroes have taken down all the baddies, a rapid-response team is on site trying to quarantine the area til something can be discovered, but by then its too late.

If the heroes wish to investigate further, it doesn't take much effort to track the trail of destruction the crazies left in their wake, back to a small medical research lab in the industrial part of town. They were working on a retrovirus, under government contract, which could be used to shut down the powers of metahumans. The chief researcher and a small cadre of consipirators had twisted the research, however, to try and give themselves power instead. And it worked; unfortunately, it also made them completely insane.

And the BAD news is, their contagious. Within 24 hours, more crazies begin popping up; the Power Plague is only able to effect about half of those infected by it, while the other half suffer severe flu-like symptoms. (Those who already have super-powers are immune.)

At this point, the characters can aid in the containment efforts by rounding up as many of the crazies as possible (without hurting them too much, in the hopes that their condition is reversible). The longer it takes, the more powerful the crazies get; after about 24 hours, the first of the infected (those with powers AND those without) begin to die.

The cure presents itself: they need blood samples of the original infected team, who have grown more and more powerful while escaping the 24 hour death timer. And, of course, once this is discovered, the PC's learn that all of the original carriers have broken free of their confinement and are running rampant, only now they are far more powerful...

The PC's will have to track them down, singly and in small groups, until finally they can take on the original mad scientist who started it all in a final, massive battle.

Next:
Memetic Theories
The Butterfly Effect
Heat and Light

[Gamskee]

The Coming of Nebulos

The heroes are called on scene when an NPC they know was found in an alley, curled up in a ball muttering over and over again "He is coming...he is coming...". When questioned, the NPC will end up screaming "Nebulos! He will destroy us all!".

Looking around for any clues of who or what Nebulos is turns up a few things.

1) None of the space based characters(aliens, cosmic beings, etc.), have ever heard of him.

2) No scanners, magical premonitions, or cosmic consciousness checks bring him up.

3) More and more normal everyday people are found muttering about it, worldwide.

At one point, one of the gibbering NPC's gives a time to Nebulos' arrival. Before he arrives, an alien craft crashes into Earth, saying roughly the same in their own language- except for their Robot pilot. He does not understand why everyone was so worried about Nebulos.

Finally, Nebulos and his ship arrive. He sends a message to the world leaders that he demands an immediate surrender. All of them agree, but none of the heroes of the world are going to just let it happen right? When they arrive to stop him, by whatever means, things are revealed to not be what they seem.

Nebulos has a Super Charisma Atribute and Telepathy, but no true offensive capabilities- he is a cosmic con-man. He already has an Empire under his control by way of trickery and hoped to add Earth to this list. He has conmvinced several weakwilled, foolish, but fairly powerful aliens to do his dirty work and uses them as a shield from getting to him. He will use his social skills and telepathy to taunt, intimidate, and lie to the players when his minions are in combat. The same goes for out of combat- he may even be able to convince them that his absolute power is real.

Once backed into a corner, with no tricks or thugs to protect him, he will pleed for his life and offer the characters almost anything to let him go. He will surrender immdeiately if he feels that he will be physically hurt as he knows his ability to manipulate people will get him out of jail in a short matter of time.

Princes of the Universe
Psychic War
The Seventh Sea

[Gamskee]

bump

[Revenant]

Psychic War

A psychic villain that the heroes have faced before just hit the big time, with the aid of a band of mercenaries, a sackfull of regurgitant gas, and a space capable cohort, he's staged a raid on Farside city and stolen the moonstone (note: freedom city universe reference...a tibetan/chinese monestary or any lost hi-tech psychic civilization anyones got handy can also serve).
Escaping from Farside just in front of the guards, he's gone to ground in the players city until he can attune the moonstone sufficiently to control it. Unbenownst to him, his mercenary buddies have cut a deal with the farsiders where they find him and place the stone into a return capsule, and in return the farsiders won't make their brains explode.

Episode 1: Theres a flash of light in a local park as 8 heavily armed people in camos appear, one steals a newspaper while another asks any passers by if they've seen any news about the psychic (describing him). If any heroes get in the way, they throw a couple of stun grenades at the parkgoers and dissappear. Over the next day or so, the mercs go through the local underworld using 45 caliber diplomacy looking for the psychic.

Episode 2: A couple of mercenaries are captured as the Heroes lay a trap for them (they were being very systematic). During the escape, they fight strangly, first using their military weapons, and acting like your typical soldiers, then if that fails standing stock still and lashing about them with mental powers. Just as they are captured they fall down dead of cerabal hemmorages. Autopsies show that they've had implants that caused the hemmorages and if someone has the right skills, they can tell that teh implant is super-tech, and allows someone to channel their mental powers through the implanted subject. Meanwhile, a street person, hearing the news, contacts the Heroes and tells them where the Psychic villain is.

Episode 3: The big fight, the heroes arrive to catch the psycic villain, now with lots of new powers courtesy of the moonstone, the mercenaries arrive after finally tracking down where he is, Lady Lunar shows up becasue it's her best chance to get it back and the farsiders are channelling through any NPC's present to tell everybody that tehy'd much rather blow the city apart with a particle beam and get teh stone back from the crater than let it get away.
For bonus points, add in any other psychic villains you think would be unable to resist the lure of more power they can dream about and are too stupid to run away (like most of the wise psychics).

Ok..other titles
A tale of two Crypts
Is this a dagger I see before me?
Subway shennanigans

[Crackerjack]

Subway Shenannigans

This is best introduced during your existing campaign as several minor news stories in the background about increased reports of incidents in the city metro system. It should culminate with the breif radio clip about local psychics sensing things amiss from the routes that also have the highest concentration of rider complaints issued in the last month, by 30% more than any other routes.
If all else fails, they didnt connect the reports, and end up chasing a supervillain quarry in civilian guise onto a crowded subway train, having to follow in their civilian (or nonsuperhero alias) identities as well.
Either way, the PC's are on the subway train on Route B-6, sometime around 6:00 pm in the evening.
If the PC's are chasing a supervillain in civilian guise, they lose him at the next stop, and the doors slam shut before theyre able to go out and get him. If theyre investigating, superhero guise or otherwise, everyone gets off the train except the driver, to let them do their job.
Within 4 minutes out of the 10 to the next stop, the train breaks down right there in the tunnel. The lights flicker and go out. If this is option A, the civilians are probably panicking and making life hard for the disguised supers. If this is option B, the coustumed PC's most likely suspect an attack.
Within a minute the train begins going again and the lights flicker back to life. A munching can be heard in the car directly in front or behind of the one the PC's are in. Investigating, probably suspecting the worst... they find the car totally empty except for The Subway King, who is happily munching on cheap bagged snackfood.
Dressed in wellworn but trendy clothing, unshaven but charming in an eccentric way, the young man called the Subway King has the unique metahuman ability to command the metro trains of the city.
When comfronted with any questions the happy go lucky King will simply order the train to open its doors as another passes, opening its doors as well and simply hopping from one to the other. The PC's may follow, but will cause a panic among the next train's occupants, thus hindering their following. The Subway King is cunning and inventive, and can go on subway hopping for hours on end.
If the PC's keep following out of attricion, or use their powers to forcefully stop him, the Subway King will simply whistle for a metro train to come along and hop aboard, or if more desperate, try to get one to run over the heroes! He doenst want to fight, but is very desperate for escape.
The best way to catch him is to force him off a train onto one of the stops, and get between him and the tracks. At this point the real battle begins.
What they thought was just an annoyance that needed explaining turns to be lethal when the carefree Subway King summons a giant larval creature that bursts through the cement of the underground metro stop. The King commands it, but with glazed eyes and without speaking at all, as if he were under the thrall of something.

Now the PC's must stop the creature from escaping or hurting bystanders at the stop, which can also be done by knocking out the King, which sends the larval creature into a catatonic state.
Regardless, when the supers have finished the battle, the scientists wth the police supers unit or supporting lab organization will discover and extract an alien creature from within the brain of the Subway King. The now confused King, identified by police as Shaun Patterson, has been under the control of an alien parasite, moving around and acting with his usual mannerisms, but totally not in controll of his thoughts.
The giant larval creature has been using Shaun as a homing point to follow the underground metro tracks, tunnelling beneath them. Within a month, the entire subway would of been ready to collapse, falling into the mouths of awaiting parasite larvaes. With the defeat of the creature by the PC's, national superhero groups move in and remove the rest of the alien manifestation, and the PC's get their names in a front page/top story on the local news.

Next-
Battle Royale
Escape From Monster Island
Freedom City 90210

[Gamskee]

Escape from Monster Island

The evil Doctor Kaiju(or other appropriate mad scientist for campaign) has been experimenting with size manipulation for years after being picked on for being short. Using some of a size changing heroes research and/or genetics, he has come up with a specialized serum. It gives a character size, up to any level the doctor wishes. However:

1) It only works on metahumans- usually.
2) It causes strange mutations that make the character more monstrous ala' King Kong/Godzilla style.
3) The character is rendered unable to speak.
4) It is permanent without a cure.

The characters become involved upon fighting a giant monster in their city. The monster is revealed to have come from monster(Kaiju) island, though a telepathic character could likely calm down the 'monster', who is actually a transformed meta, a low level energy projector.

This info the Doctor has given purposely to the unwitting dupe he has freed. The superheroes of the world are the only ones who could possibly stop his gang of gargantuan sized supervillains. So luring them to monster island, he begins a fight with the characters using a few super thugs to even the odds. In combat, he completely ignores trying to damage opponents, instead using his transform serum on them with railgun propelled darts.

After successfully hitting each character, he flees as they transform.

Each of the characters takes on an appropriately monstrous form. Non-meta heroes may not change at your discretion. Now the real problem begins.

The doctot lured the characters, and other supers if you so desire, to the island as a way of containing them. The native creatures of Kaiju island don't like new monsters in town and will start a fight at the drop of a hat. Several monsters come, and start to duke it out with the transformed heroes.

While this happens, Dr. Kaiju has begun his world assault using the super thugs he hired to attack major cities in their now gargantuan forms. Their power has been increased dramatically and the untransformed superheroes seem to be losing against their onslaught. The players must get their monstrous tails in gear and save the world, with the untransformed player likely confronting Dr. Kaiju in an effort to retrieve the cure.

Option: After defeating the monster criminals and the characters receive the cure, Dr. Kaiju reveals his last trump card- his perfected transformation serum. It allows him to turn into a monster more powerful than any the players have fought yet, while they are in their likely weaker normal hero forms. Think King Ghidorah, Godzilla, or some other super monster you like.


Cape, Cowl, and Straight Jackets
Smoke and Mirrors
The Devil You Know...