Charm City Campaign: Mutants &
Masterminds
Charm City Overview:
So that you don’t start reading the
campaign logs from my Mutants & Masterminds campaign totally blind I am
offering a little information to help set the tone and give readers a feel for
the world and the characters.
THE PCs: All PL10
Alchemy – Alec Holgate. A scientist and mutant.
Transmutation due to nanotech infusion combined with absorption and some other
talents.
Themis – Helen Troya. Named for a Greek titan.
Powers of flight, super strength, and the ability to temporarily steal the
powers of others.
Shield – Peter Evans. Wealthy sponsor of the team’s
financial needs. A speedster and powerful empathic healer. Able to regenerate.
Dr. Prometheus – The real Prometheus of myth. An immortal,
and a wielder of cosmic power.
Pagan – Aya Cade. Precognitive/Postcognitive,
telepath.
At some later point I will post
character sheets for the PCs. I gave the players the first 3 or 4 sessions to
solidify their character information since we’re all getting used to the new
system. We’ve only played three sessions so far and I’m only halfway done
writing up session #1.
The group is still debating a team
name.
THE WORLD
The Charm City campaign takes place in
an alternate universe from our own in what in our world would be Baltimore
City. Things are a bit different, not just because of the existence of super
powered beings, but in other not so obvious ways.
The campaign style is somewhere
between 4-color comic and grim & gritty with elements of each extreme mixed
in at the appropriate times. Heroes are expected to act the part and not
indiscriminately butcher foes or disregard the property of others … but with
all things nobody and nothing is perfect.
In the universe of Charm City there
are some important setting elements at play in shaping the present world. Those
will be detailed below with a discussion of how they affect past and current
events. A brief timeline is included to help explain how some events came
about.
Metahumans have been around for a long
time in many forms. How they get their powers is always a debate, but it is now
accepted that these strange abilities have many sources, not a single definable
event.
TIMELINE:
1977 – There had been long debate in
the United Nations about the involvement of metahumans in the national
militaries and thus international conflicts for several years after the end of
the Vietnam War. Several incidents involving powered individuals serving in
national militaries in numerous locations around the globe were seen as nearly
igniting World War III. Over the course of several months the U.N. created and
passed a measure designed to defuse the tension.
1978 - The Metahuman
Non-Militarization Resolution went into full effect, banning the use of powered
individuals in national militaries and authorized heavy economic and potential
military sanctions against nations found to be in violation. Use of metahumans
in civil law enforcement was left as an exception to the rule. The purpose of
the measure was to prevent a metahuman arms race that would rival and maybe
exceed the dangers of the nuclear arms race already threatening the globe. A
side effect of this measure was that few nations would be willing to authorize
a U.N. sponsored team of metahumans, citing national sovereignty issues, thus
to date, no sanctioned U.N. team exists.
1980 – An attempt to rescue hostages
held in Iran failed. Although never publicly acknowledged, there was some
speculation that a metahuman among the ranks of Muslim extremists was to blame.
This has mostly been discounted.
1985 – World famous scientist Alburt
Tesling put forward his theory that this universe was one of many along strands
of universes, much like strands of DNA, issuing from junction universes. The
theory postulates that this world is approximately the 19th along a branch
strand possibly 24 universes long. Using the Greek alphabet he labeled this
universe Tau, and thus this planet Earth Tau or Earth-T.
Later that year he was presumed dead
when an implosion occurred at his lab. His lab was permanently sealed by the
government and his body was never recovered.
1986 – Public outcry and increasing
amounts of litigation in the United States lead to Federal and State
governments requiring insurance companies to devise and offer some form of
Metahuman Disaster insurance.
The protection is often in the form of
additional coverage offered along with home, business, car, and medical
insurance. Also insurance is offered to government agencies. A form of
liability insurance is offered for metahumans to buy if they choose to cover
for their own actions. Only a few are known to have purchased the liability
coverage, but there are very active advertising campaigns trying to encourage
more powered individuals to do so “for the good of their neighbors and the
country”.
Any metahuman organization with an
operating headquarters may be required by law to carry liability coverage
depending on the laws in the municipality or state in which they operate. Some
zoning laws also include clauses concerning such requirements.
1993 – The Libertarian, a powered
individual known for his fervent anti-war protesting and espousing of
free-love/free drugs in the late 1960’s, gave his life absorbing most of the blast
damage from the truck bomb used by terrorists to attack the World Trade Center
in New York. He saved thousands of lives with his last heroic act and despite
never having been fondly thought of by “the establishment”, was given a funeral
with national honors and international television coverage.
He was age 49 and a stock broker at
the time of the event.
2001 – September 11th, terrorists
hijacked planes and flew them into both towers of the World Trade Center and
into the Pentagon. A 4th plane was downed in Pennsylvania before it could
strike any buildings. None of the known precognitive metahumans has admitted to
pre-knowledge of the event, and no post-cognitive seems to have learned much
from any of the debris at the sites.
2002 – October 31st, After two years
of work a six story hexagonal black glass tower was completed atop the site of
Fort Carroll in the harbor. The property of wealthy industrialist Nathan
Alexander Black, this was not only the new headquarters for his businesses, but
his home as well. The top floor holds his penthouse. Below the main six floors,
in what used to be the fort are 4 more floors below the surface. Tunnels that
had been below the fort since before the Civil War have been renovated and a
tram-shuttle put in place to move workers to and from the shorelines. At the
outset of the project, a number of organizations favoring historical
preservation over development had protested and engaged Mr. Black in court
battles. He won handily after the primary movers & shakers in the protest
group were discovered to be part of a child pornography ring. Support for
blocking development evaporated and the project began. To show his
understanding for the concern of those whose interest was preserving history,
Mr. Black had the first above-ground floor, and his reception lobby arranged as
a museum dedicated to the history of Fort Carroll and its builders. Some still
scoff at the project referring to it by several derogatory names (Tower of
Doom, Dark Tower, Black Fortress, etc).
Nathan Alexander Black is owner and
CEO of Modern Idea Company, Inc. which is a conglomerate of smaller companies
in numerous fields.
2003 – January 5th, Work is completed
on the new headquarters building on Pier 5. The newly formed and as yet unnamed
team of heroes begins preparing it for use. Peter Evans the financial sponsor
of the new team begins paying liability insurance for all homes, and private
businesses within an 8 block radius of the building.
Starting Game Play Date: January 24th
2003
Issue #1: Testing Grounds Part 1
January 24, 2003 9:15am. The morning
air was a frigid 9 degrees with winds making it feel near zero. Reports were
beginning to pour in over radio and television news sources that a hostage
situation was in progress. A two car Light Rail train had been taken over at
the Hunt Valley rail stop.
---------------------------------------------------
BREAKING NEWS:
“This is Olivia Earhardt of Channel 12
News reporting live from Hunt Valley. Fifteen minutes ago an unknown number of
armed men took control of two Light Rail cars. Police have cordoned off and
begun evacuations in the area surrounding the Hunt Valley Light Rail stop.
Reports indicate that the train was occupied primarily by elementary school
children from York, Pennsylvania on a field trip to visit the National Aquarium
in downtown Charm City. Information is limited, but we do have confirmation
that paramedics have taken the train’s engineer, identified as Martin Wells, to
Shock/Trauma after he was shot and thrown from the lead car. Mr. Wells is
reported to be unconscious and in critical condition.”
------------------------------------------------------
Work at the construction site near
North Avenue was progressing well despite the deep cold and biting wind. No
high work was being done, but Calvert & Son’s Construction Company always
made some kind of progress even if it was just preparing for the next part of
the job or restocking supplies. Mr. Calvert would have it no other way.
Helen Troya was taking a 100lb crate
of rivets from the back of the foreman’s pick-up truck when she heard the radio
report through the open truck door. If she flew she could be there in minutes.
She knew it wouldn’t take long for her new-found teammates to converge so she
excused herself claiming she wasn’t feeling well.
Alec Holgate’s morning started much
like any other. He sat scanning the web from a seat in the back of BagelDotCom,
a cozy internet café near his small apartment. He put down his still warm
coffee and took a long drag on his cigarette. He could feel the tingle in his
lungs and throat as the nanotech infusing his body attacked the smoke changing
it to oxygen. “All the benefits of nicotine, none of the harmful side effects”
he thought. The itching used to drive him to distraction, but now it was second
nature, no more scratching at his chest till it bled. Exhaling a puff of fine
white smoke with the scent of fresh spring grass, he reached for the marmalade.
That’s when he got the news report and knew his day was about to change.
Quickly wrapping the last of his bagel
Alec headed out the door. If he was quick he might reach the construction site
down the street where he knew Themis worked in her civilian identity.
Thirty students sat wide-eyed and
attentive in the lecture hall listening to their unusual philosophy professor
talk as if he personally knew Socrates. In fact, Dr. Prometheus did personally
know Socrates. When you’re immortal these things are possible.
This would be a day of interruptions
of schedule. An excited student burst through the lecture hall door and
breathily announced the breaking news to the class, obviously meaning the
information for Dr. Prometheus. Class was ending so the Doctor dismissed
everyone and made for his office to check the police scanner he kept there. His
thoughts were interrupted when he discovered his office wasn’t empty.
Aya Cade sat perched atop the small
desk in the good Doctor’s office in Hopkins University. She had skipped class
this morning. Her visions had indicated something important about to happen and
she knew better than to ignore her feelings. She had taken a couple of buses to
get here from Towson University where she attended school. She would need his
abilities to get the team into place to deal with whatever it was that was
coming.
“We need to get Themis and Alchemy.
They’ll be waiting a block away from the construction site on North Avenue.”
She said as his door opened admitting Dr. Prometheus’ silvery clad form.
Moments later they were airborne and preparing to teleport. “For someone so
young”, Prometheus remarked, “You certainly know how to make an entrance,
Pagan.”
9:28am
-------------------------------------------------------------
BREAKING NEWS:
We now return you to Marshal Stuart of
Channel 7 Action News live from the scene of the hostage crisis in Hunt Valley.
“The latest information indicates that
numerous demands have been issued by the hostage takers. Among the demands is a
request for a new engineer to drive the train uninterrupted to the airport. At
that juncture a shuttle bus is expected to be waiting which will transfer the
hostages and their captors to a fueled and ready Boeing 747 with only a pilot
and co-pilot. Threats have been issued that any deviation from this plan and
any interference from authorities or metahumans will result in the death of
many of the children being held hostage. Their goal seems to be securing the
release of nearly two dozen of the terrorists being held in Cuba by the U.S.
military.”
--------------------------------------------------------------
9:29am
Four heroes have assembled atop the
Lifecare Insurance building near the Hunt Valley Light Rail stop where the
train sits waiting. Peering cautiously over the edge trying to see into the
train without being noticed, the heroes spot a multi-colored rainbow of
parasols being pressed against the windows, blocking the interior from clear
view.
A lone figure in the uniform of a Mass
Transit engineer nervously approaches the lead car along the boarding platform,
his hands held above his head.
Pagan reaches out and touches his mind
telepathically and reassures him that things will be fine. “I need you to
actively think about what you see as you board the train. I’ll be in your mind
listening to your thoughts.” She learns his name “Charles Branch” and again
assures him things will be okay.
The doors open and a pistol can be
seen pointing at the frightened engineer’s head and a voice is heard urging him
to get on. Whispering to her teammates Pagan conveys Charles Branch’s thoughts.
“Being told to wear blindfold, not to look around. Gun in my face, oh God.
Children crying. Please don’t shoot me. Okay, I’m going, can’t see, must be
control cabin. Being shoved into chair, told to take off blindfold and get
ready to drive. No, I won’t look around I’ll do what you say. Oh God, please
don’t shoot me.”
“How many criminals did he notice?”
Dr. Prometheus was already weighing plans, but the information didn’t seem
promising. Perhaps, he thought, we should wait for the transfer to the shuttle
bus at the airport when fewer hostages will be around them.
“One, but he was hustled up front
quickly and he’s very scared. I’ll try to slip into the terrorist’s mind” she
trailed off as Themis pointed out the terrorist crouching low in the cabin to
avoid detection by snipers.
As Pagan began concentrating on
plunging into the mind of the terrorist, the rest of the team began planning an
assault strategy. Children were at risk and they felt they couldn’t wait for a
transfer. Dr. Prometheus had spotted an area just behind the control cabin door
where he could teleport the entire team inside to begin the assault.
Hatred, pure unfiltered hatred
bolstered by a zealous faith that no matter what, the rewards of Heaven would
be his for his devotion and for doing this deed. Pagan felt overwhelmed and in
merely an instant, though she felt sure she had reached his subconscious mind,
she was pushed out as if a door had been rudely slammed in her face.
[The terrorist made his roll by one to
eject her from his mind.]
Gathering their wits the team prepared
to teleport just as the train beneath them began to move away from the platform.
SURPRISE ROUND: (note: in the
excitement of our first combat, I neglected to hold the surprise round to half
actions thus making this a full round for our heroes. There was a slight chance
had it been done right that a terrorist might have gotten off a shot in the
next full round, but not much chance as you will soon see.)
The slight lurch as the train began
forward covered nicely for the entrance of the four heroes. The terrorists,
their attention elsewhere, took no notice of the sudden appearance of the
costumed individuals.
Alchemy enacted his part of the plan
immediately, transmuting a section of the thin control cabin wall from in front
of him and rebuilding it in an instant between the engineer and the gun
wielding target.
Within a moment Dr. Prometheus had
visually identified his next location and teleported into the second car, never
seeing the startled look of the would-be martyr who could now see the back of
the Doctor’s silvered, billowing cape through the door window that separated
the two cars. Nor would he see the look of shock grow as Prometheus blasted
another terrorist that he was face to face with whose look of surprise could
have served as a mirror image of the thug at his back.
Having stunned his first target,
Prometheus took stock of his surroundings. “Two more unengaged, one with a
child in his lap, one crouched between benches at the other end of car two!” he
loudly exclaimed to his teammates.
Themis wasted no time on the thug in
the first car and behind Dr. Prometheus. She leapt into flight, accelerating
along the ceiling down the center of the car and burst through into the second
car, rushing along to position herself hovering in front of a crouching enemy
form.
[She double moved and took a hit of
bruising damage when breaking through the walls between the two cars.]
“He has a rifle” she hollered.
Noticing the AK-74 on the bench beside him and also noticing another figure, in
a trench-coat and hat, hunched and quivering on the end bench nearby.
Pagan reached into the mind of the
thug staring wide-eyed at the back of Prometheus, and sent synapses firing
wildly. Pain wracked him for an instant until his mind’s reflexive defenses
shut everything down. His eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed,
unconscious to the floor.
Stepping around Alchemy she looked at
her next target, who, a moment ago had been training a pistol on a frightened
engineer, but now stared unbelieving at a wall that had not been there.
“Stop the train!” Charles Branch heard
the familiar voice say, this time with his ears and not in his mind.
FIRST FULL ROUND:
Not wanting to risk a missed shot
striking any of the children behind him, Alchemy focused on the semi-automatic
pistol before him. Nanotech emitted a high pitched, nearly inaudible buzz as it
turned the metal of the gun to water in seconds and the terrorist’s pants grew
wet twice as fast.
Realizing the desperate need to
protect the children, Dr. Prometheus drew on his ties to the Power Cosmic and
pulled bands of energy around the seated thug to restrain him. To insure no
harm came to the child on the man’s lap, Prometheus reached deep within,
redoubling his efforts, completely encasing his target in the binding energy.
[ Heroic Surge and two successful
snares. ]
The crouching terrorist raised the Ak-74
to take aim at the children along the other side of the car …
__________________________________________
FLASHBACK:
7:32 am Friday January 24th
Aya giggled slightly at the pentagram
smiley-face she had drawn on the steamed mirror of her dorm-room shower. “Not
enough caffeine yet to make things less than silly” she thought as she went to
her closet to dress for a day of classes. She had chosen a very casual look for
the day, layered to keep out the cold and to play down her looks. “No need
getting hit on this early in the semester.”
“Nine a.m., Hunt Valley Light Rail,
Shield, last seat, second car, trouble”. The vision hit her in a flash and was
gone like a bolt of lightning. She hated the unreliability, unpredictability,
and frequently unexplainable images and flashes of the future she received. She
couldn’t always make things turn out for the best, her mother’s death being
proof of that.
She grabbed her phone book and a
handful of change and made her way to the payphone at the end of the dorm
hallway. Nobody was around as she dialed the number.
It had been another long day of
meetings that had dragged on into the early hours. Managing his parent’s
financial empire was something he had never really given a thought, but here he
was fresh from burying both of his parents and already neck-deep into the dirty
business of being Chairman of the Board. He loathed it, but his days of
irresponsibility had come to a crashing halt and now he was growing up fast.
Looking at his watch, all Peter Evans
could think of was a warm shower and a good long day of sleep. He was entitled
to it after finalizing the contracts, and besides, Dante could handle anything
that didn’t specifically need him this morning. That’s when the cell phone
rang. “Worthless, useless, a waste of time” he mumbled, about to toss the phone
into the closet and ignore it. Instead, he answered it and found that sleep
would have to wait.
“You have to be there, I saw it in a
vision.” said the excited female voice from the phone.
“Slow down, I’ve been awake almost 24
hours and I’m not quite fully aware” he replied. “I have to be where, when, and
why?”
__________________________________________
ROUND 1 CONTINUED:
The world moved in slow motion as the
alcohol scented trench-coat and hat, Shield had traded his good parka and $50
to a homeless man for, gave way to black body suit with silver stripes. What
had previously appeared to be a cowering passive drunk was replaced with a blur
of motion. Shield reached over the bench seat and struck downward at the terrorist’s
head. The impact of the high speed punch slammed the target’s chin against the
rifle stock hard, setting it spinning freely in the air as another zealot
crumbled to the floor. Catching the rifle effortlessly he smiled at Themis and
glanced at the stunned individual standing next to Prometheus.
[ Used a held action. ]
The task was obvious and mop-up would
be quick. “One to go in car two” she thought. Themis flew up to the remaining
target and punched him hard. Still reeling from the opening blast Dr.
Prometheus used to stun him, the thug was knocked off his feet and halfway
through the wall of the train car, squarely through what had been a poster
encouraging people to “STOP VIOLENT CRIME”.
Looking at the remaining target, Pagan
nearly hesitated at the thought that “this one forced me out of his mind”.
Instead she poured on the power. The mental blast hammered his synapses and he,
like his partners in crime, was now out of the combat. She breathed a sigh of
relief as the train halted and Themis called out “Car 2 clear!”
After the hostage takers were securely
bound, the team began making last minute checks in preparation for leaving.
Shield made a quick sweep for any hidden bombs or weapons, Alchemy went around
using his transmutation powers to repair as much of the damage they had done as
possible, Dr. Prometheus assured the police the train was secure over the
train’s radio, and Themis double-checked the well being of the passengers.
Pagan paused and delved into the mind
of another unconscious prisoner. What she found was disturbing and informative.
These men had experienced what they thought to be a glimpse and a taste of
heaven. A voice and a vision, clouded by the heady smoke of hashish and
incense, in a room, surrounded by luxury. Soft cushions, bounteous food, and
many young, beautiful women awaiting the whim of command to serve. Brainwashed,
but not mind controlled, not in the sense Pagan expected. These zealots were
heavily conditioned, using their beliefs to goad them into actions of violence and
hatred.
With the police, federal agents, and
media converging on the scene, the group made a hasty departure, leaving the
spotlight for the real heroes … the average person, doing what it takes to
survive.
Two hours later the group met back at
their Pier 5 headquarters to debrief over lunch.
Pagan looked out the west terrace
windows at the National Aquarium situated on the next two piers. She thought
about the school children whose world took a dark turn 3 hours earlier who
instead should have been enjoying the wonders of the aquarium, not dealing with
fears of armed hate-mongers.
The murmur of conversation behind her
was interrupted by the ringing of the phone. She heard snippets of the exchange
between Dr. Prometheus and someone she guessed was from the local police
department. Obviously it was about the earlier incident.
“Captain Crowley of the Charm City
Police Department sends his thanks for our assistance. He said that the
investigation and the prisoners are now in the hands of Federal agents.” Prometheus
hung up the phone and returned to the table. “The good captain has no questions
for us presently, but the Federal investigators might be contacting us later.
And of course the media are waiting outside this building hoping to speak to
us. I prefer we limit such contact whenever possible.”
“No argument from me.” Alchemy’s years
of hiding to avoid notice by the Vigilare organization had made him cautious,
paranoid at times. Vigilare were the people responsible for the death of his
wife and perhaps even his children. It was during his escape from their labs
that he gained his ability to transmute. The injection of nano-tech as a
last-ditch effort to protect him and the other escaping scientists had been
miraculous for him and some of the others, but even that didn’t save his wife
from being gunned down in cold blood. He wanted to know what happened to his
children, but his fear held him back. Perhaps building a relationship with
these other metahumans would give him the resources and confidence to try to find
his children. Meanwhile he preferred to remain as low profile as the situation
would allow.
Themis and Shield nodded agreement
from across the table as the phone rang again.
Doctor Prometheus answered the call in
his usual calm manner using only his name. “Prometheus.”
“We need a team name.” The others at
the table turned to face the terrace window where the youngest of them stood
outlined by a hazy nimbus of sunlight and dust motes. Pagan could see their
facial expressions, their smiles and subtle grins of agreement. “Let’s think on
it and see what we can come up with.”
“Anything’s better than having
everyone think we’re his lackeys.” Themis thought to herself as she stood up.
Excusing herself she remarked “Half a day of work lost with the excuse of not
feeling well. That excuse won’t hold up long so I need to get back.”
“One moment please everyone. It seems
we’re needed again.” Prometheus put down the phone and looked at the assembled
heroes. “The military has lost control of one of their toys and are afraid it
might be headed for civilization. They’re afraid of using explosives to stop it
and want us to help minimize collateral damage. They’ve dispatched a helicopter
from a base in the western part of the state to pick up those of us unable to
travel quickly. It should be here in minutes.”
It wasn’t difficult to figure out that
even the fastest military chopper would require some time to cover the couple
hundred miles of distance from the western reaches of the state to downtown
Charm City.
Shield looked up from his coffee.
“Nice of them to ask.” His sarcasm wasn’t missed by anyone.
-
- - - - - - - - -
-
Further
escapades included:
- Stopping the
Army’s 30’ tall renegade Killbot.
-
Stopping a
chameleon art thief at the museum, learning that he was working with someone in
an abandoned art studio, exploring the location and discovering an old
co-worker of Alchemy creating almost exact duplicates of the originals (using
nanobot abilities) to be returned to museums while the originals were being
sold to a mysterious German buyer. The buyer turned out to be the super villain
Refractor (aka the Living Diamond). Defeated him and returned the stolen
originals.
-
Stopping a bank
robbery being perpetrated by what appeared to be the John Dillinger gang. They
were animate wax recreations armed with working Tommy Guns. After defeating the
wax minions they investigated and eventually discovered Professor Paraffin (aka
the Wax Master) and turned him over to the authorities.
-
Their first real
challenge: Facing a previously unknown group of more powerful super villains
that outnumbered the group. They not only defeated the villains, they
humiliated them. The villains escaped to an alternate earth dimension, but left
enough clues for the heroes to discover a connection (Pagan’s post cognitive
ability) to the missing and presumed dead, Dr. Alburt Tesling. Breaking into
the scientists sealed lab they discovered a dimensional rift and through it
they discovered the villains and a living Dr. Alburt Tesling. Tesling was
attempting to force a merging of all 24 Earths and through a Wizard of Oz style
con job had tricked these otherworld supers into working for him. Revealing the
fraud to their previous enemies, they then went after Tesling unopposed. They
caught up to him just in time to prevent the merging of worlds and brought the
scientist back to their Earth for psychiatric rehabilitation.
Another
request from the army to test out a full company of miniaturized 1’ tall
killbots. The heroes surprised the military with an incredible display of power
quickly eradicating the contingent of machines with only one hero being
incapacitated.
