101 Splicer Adventure Ideas

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Sun Jan 16, 2011 3:27 pm

#60 Jumping Jack Flash is a Gas, Gas, Gas!
NEXUS has determined that it might be more efficient to harken back to its rat extermination days and poison the troublesome humans in their burrows, and is manufacturing enough nerve agent to wipe out a good number of the Houses on the continent. The Resistance has learned of the plot(possibly leaked by one of NEXUS's more ecofriendly personalities) and figures that even with anti-gas measures, atropine injectors, and filtration gear issued to the Houses, the gas plan just might do some serious daamge to the Resistance, and lower already poor morale among the human populace.
Fortunately the Librarians have concocted a chemical catalyst that reacts voilently with the nerve agent, and have come up with a plan to introduce it via the feed pipes leading into the industrial complex(es) where the stuff is being manufactured. There, the escaping catalytic agent will leak in, combine with the nerve agent, and the resulting fuel-air explosive will level the complex and the bots waiting to be armed with it. The gaser will get hoist on its own fumes!
Naturally, it's not that easy...the PCs have to find the appropriate chemical (or cooling) pipes, dig in, open up the pipes(they're mostly made of compsite materials, but discoevring they're metal could be a hurtle in the plan), and pump in the agent...before the Machine discovers the intrusion, disruption in flow, and before the nerve agent gets distributed to the robotic troops. But if it succeeds, well, there should be real pretty fireworks.

Premier · Unread post by **Premier** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 5:56 pm

The Galactus Kid wrote:
Shawn Merrow wrote:Everyone would have to sign a contract and the Manhunter one would have to be removed.

This.

True, though we could always devise SPLICERS versions similar concepts to manhunters to get around this part.

Guy_LeDouche · Unread post by **Guy_LeDouche** » Wed Feb 02, 2011 3:17 pm

#61 The Last, Best Hope?
“In the final days of the Great Purging, humanity was forced to make a last, desperate stand and the Bastion was created. Guess we all know how it turned out.”
According to the few known historical records, The Bastion was intended to house and protect the greatest military and civilian minds from the forces of N.E.X.U.S. while a winning strategy was designed and implemented. Outfitted with state of the art equipment and enough provisions to last for years, the Bastion was designed to withstand any siege and provide safe haven for mankind’s best and brightest. Beyond this scant information, the Resistance hasn’t been able to find any other information or records regarding the project or its inhabitants.

On the surface, the Bastion appears to be a collection of low, square, buildings resembling large warehouses. The buildings have been heavily damaged, and, at a quick glance, would appear to be devoid of any worth. However, early records indicate that the majority of the Bastion is located underground. Many in the Resistance feel that if explored properly, the Bastion could be a treasure trove of stockpiled weapons, lost technology, and desperately needed supplies. Unfortunately, with the advent of the nanoplague, the actual worth of the items is questionable. However, the lure of the unknown is enough to appeal to many determined treasure hunters and Techno Jackers.

To complicate any scavengers’ plans, N.E.X.U.S. forces have the buildings of the Bastion surrounded and seem to be locked in a long term siege. The areas around the Bastion have been completely decimated and are little more than impact craters, ravaged foliage, spent ammunition casings, and other signs of intense combat. Much of the land has been nearly flattened from long term firefights. The debris of Machine forces are scattered across the entire area; in some places, piles of destroyed Machine troops reach over 10ft. high. Numerous unconfirmed accounts report of beings attacking N.E.X.U.S. forces with advanced technological weapons, military grade vehicles, and even robotic troops. Who this faction is or where they originate from is unknown; thus far, no one has been successful in making contact of any kind and no House claims to have troops in the Bastion. An even greater mystery is, if these forces are human, how are they able to negate the effects of the nanovirus?

At this point, no one knows what secrets could be gained from the Bastion forces. However, a few of the Houses are now making serious plans and strategies to make contact (and possibly ally with) the forces of the Bastion. And volunteers are needed.

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Thu Feb 03, 2011 4:59 pm

Oh yeah....#61 has POSSIBILITIES....

Guy_LeDouche · Fri Feb 04, 2011 11:15 am

taalismn wrote:Oh yeah....#61 has POSSIBILITIES....

Indeed. Expound away; I'd love to see what comes up.

Lord Z · Unread post by **Lord Z** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 3:21 pm

I would be tempted to combine The Last Best Hope (#61) with one of the earlier adventures about a rogue A.I. It could be the rogue A.I. which claims to be trapped inside Bastion and directs the Resistance there.

Or, the entire Bastion organization could be a set up colony of Technojackers by one of the personas. I am thinking Lilith. She set them up to be her own secret army to use in her play for dominance after the Human Resistance has been stamped out.

Quick note guys -- we are still accepting new articles for Rifter 0.1 through February. Splicers is one of the lines for which we have not received any contributions yet.

Lord Z · Unread post by **Lord Z** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 5:03 pm

#62. Cuddlewhumpas

This scenario is more for laughs than drama or action.

The P.C.s are Splicers who participate in a larger group's raid against a supply convoy of the Machine. During the ambush, the Resistance soldiers witness their gorehounds and warmounts panicing. They actually turn and run. After the battle, the cause of the panicing is revealed to be a small fuzzy animal being carried at the lead of the convoy. The animals won't go anywhere near this thing.

The creature is like a fat little mammal about the size of a medium dog or large cat. It has large eyes, big ears, and looks like a cross between a chinchilla, and rabbit with a long bushy tail. It has no mega-damage weapons nor carries any tonixs nor biological weapons. It feeds like an omnivore and displays no fear of the soldiers unless they harm it.

If the critter is reutnrned to a Great House or if a description is given, the Librarians will identify it as a cuddlewhumpas. Although harmless to humans, cuddlewhumpasses are the natural preditors of the creatures whose DNA is the basis of all Splicer technology. Anything which has Splicer DNA in it, including Biotics, will experience a deep instinctual fear at the sight of the cuddlewhumpas. Human characters like Biotics experience a Horror Factor of 17. Multiple cuddlewhumpasses increase this HF by +1 per critter present. Spliced animals get no saving throws. Even Gene Pools and Librarians will not tolerate the critter anywhere. Near them.

The Warlord explains that he has recently received reports of the Machine uncovering a facility where endangered animals had been held in status before the war. There must be a colony of cuddlewhumpasses there. This colony must be wiped out before the Machine can weaponize its discovery.

Shawn Merrow · Unread post by **Shawn Merrow** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 8:24 pm

#62

Very funny one.

Guy_LeDouche · Unread post by **Guy_LeDouche** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 9:33 pm

#62 reeks of awesome! An excellent idea!

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Mon Feb 07, 2011 8:23 pm

So, what's the monetary bounty on Cuddlewhumpas spines(seeing as it's not bloody likely bringing in the hide nor head is going to be tolerated)? :twisted:

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Tue Feb 08, 2011 10:27 pm

#63 Eye of the Storm

Prior to the Fall, Humanity had been experimenting with large scale weather control, and had managed to start construction of a network of weather modification facilities when NEXUS made its move. Since then, N.E.X.U.S. has kept the network going, using its capabilities to its limits to make local conditions amenable to its forces. The network hasn’t faced attack as yet, largely because there are more important and tempting targets for the Resistance, but the weather control system has had a subtle effect on the War, allowing for optimal food growing conditions for the Resistance, and for good campaigning weather for the Machine.
Recently, however, something has apparently gone wrong with one of the weather control stations. The Resistance has learned that something has caused one of the facilities to go heywire, resulting in an expanding zone of apparently permanent bad weather. This is of interest for a number of reasons; one is that while the storm makes for miserable conditions on the ground and in the air(it’s dank, dark, and dismal, and aerial warmounts find flying in the stuff difficult), it’s even more so for the forces of the Machine; N.E.X.U.S.’s robots are stuck in the mud and its air units can’t fly(and those that can, can only do so at a speed that makes them sitting ducks for surface-to-air attacks). Second, the storm is expanding over a region of strategic importance to the Resistance, but which it hasn’t been able to hold/move through because of the Machine’s overwhelming air superiority in the area.
The PCs have been tasked with a special mission; escort a team of Technojackers to the malfunctioning weather control complex and find out what happened; why N.E.X.U.S. hasn’t immediately repaired or shut down the facility, and what’s causing the storm turbulence. The team is to discern whether or not the effect could duplicated at the other stations(useful knowledge for future operations against the Machine).
Finally, the team is to keep the malfunctioning(?) station as operational in its current ‘storm-maker’ mode for as long as possible, creating an area of aerial denial to the Machine while the Resistance seizes the opportunity to seize the affected region, move as many forces as possible through it, and hit N.E.X.U.S. units while they’re hampered by the weather.
Inevitably, N.E.X.U.S. will be able to march enough robots through the storm or get enough artillery through the bad weather to threaten the complex with re-capture, at which point the Resistance will have to abandon the weather control station(orders are to destroy it in retreat), but until then the team is to keep the rain falling and winds howling as long as possible.

Lord Z · Unread post by **Lord Z** » Wed Feb 09, 2011 3:44 am

I like #63 because it gives Techno-jacker characters a rare chance to shine while still functioning as actual team members among a group of Splicers. That, and I think extreme weather scenes are fun in RPGs.

Shawn Merrow · Unread post by **Shawn Merrow** » Wed Feb 09, 2011 5:28 am

As a GM love to use weather to.

Lord Z · Unread post by **Lord Z** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 12:34 am

The last campaign I ran had a blizzard, a triple-funnel-cloud tornado, and a radiotive cloud bank. That sort of thing happens in Senzar.

Shawn Merrow · Thu Feb 10, 2011 12:55 am

Sounds like a fun place for a vacation. :clown:

Guy_LeDouche · Unread post by **Guy_LeDouche** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 9:52 am

Lord Z wrote:The last campaign I ran had a blizzard, a triple-funnel-cloud tornado, and a radiotive cloud bank. That sort of thing happens in Senzar.

It also happens in Sci-Fi channel original movies.

Lord Z · Unread post by **Lord Z** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 2:10 pm

Oops -- that was supposed to be a radioactive fog bank, not radiotive fog bank. It was not a fog composed of radios.

Shawn Merrow · Unread post by **Shawn Merrow** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 2:12 pm

Been on the net so long I have typo as an extra language.

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 3:59 pm

Shawn Merrow wrote:Been on the net so long I have typo as an extra language.

Whether you want to or not!
I have a Technical proficiency in Absent-Mindedness and a minor secondary skill in Technical: Fumble-Fingered Typist as well.

TechnoGothic · Unread post by **TechnoGothic** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 7:37 pm

#64 Strangers in a Strange World Pt.1

The characters stare into an unstable RIFT. They turn around to see an army of Demonic beings race towards them. They leap into the RIFT ...

... When they emerge from the RIFT they find themselves somewhere else other than where they had hoping to arrive. So of course everyone turns to the Shifter or curse the shifter they hired.

Any Supernatural, Magic, or Psychic characters are going to notice this place is not Fun for them within seconds, they can feel it in their bones. This world is PPE Dead or near dead.

----

What the Group does not realize yet, is they RIFTED into the Splicer World on accidient.
Now they must survive as best they can in this strange world.

-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------

#65 Strangers in a Strange World Pt.2
The Group has spent YEARS in Splicers.
Some are likely Dead, others changed OCCs to fit into the Splicer world.

Now they have found themselves thrust into a Random RIFT again along with a few Splicer allies. But this time they find themselves in another World, another World they are not familiar with.

Enter the World of HEROES ...
Yes, the World of Heroes Unlimited this time.

Does the group become Heroes ?
Does the group become Mercs ?
Does the group become Villians ?

Lord Z · Unread post by **Lord Z** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 11:44 pm

Concerning #65 Strangers in a Strange World, Part 2...

As carriers of the nano-bot virus, wouldn't these characters simply destroy Heroes Unlimited Earth?

Shark_Force · Unread post by **Shark_Force** » Thu Feb 17, 2011 1:08 am

Lord Z wrote:Concerning #65 Strangers in a Strange World, Part 2...

As carriers of the nano-bot virus, wouldn't these characters simply destroy Heroes Unlimited Earth?

there are factories all over the world in the splicers setting that continue to produce nanobot plague stuff. this would not be necessary if the plague nanobots could craft more of themselves. worst case scenario, there'd be a dangerous spot for a little while. then, eventually the nanobots run out of power, break down due to fights with creature's immune systems, etc, and that would be the end of it.

edit: to put it another way, the human body is full of natural biological 'nanobots', and many of them have the sole purpose of beating the crud out of other (generally natural and biological) nanobots or really pretty much anything they decide doesn't belong. the biological ones in your body can produce more essentially indefinitely, the ones brought along from the splicers universe can't. therefore, eventually the immune system wins. though it may very well kill a few humans and other creatures along the way.

Lord Z · Unread post by **Lord Z** » Thu Feb 17, 2011 2:12 pm

Okay, I'll buy that explanation.

Premier · Unread post by **Premier** » Sat Feb 19, 2011 6:20 pm

Lord Z wrote:Concerning #65 Strangers in a Strange World, Part 2...

As carriers of the nano-bot virus, wouldn't these characters simply destroy Heroes Unlimited Earth?

Actually, LZ Pg 13 of the Splicers sourcebook indicates that:

Splicers characters brought to Rifts Earth carry the plague inside of them, so any metal they handle or carry for more than a minute will see the nanobot plague invade it and elicit the same Hostile Response. Thankfully, the nanpobots of the plague are not self-replicating and can not be spread to the world visited by Splicer characters. In addition, the nanobots within the characters are likely to attack only metal weapons and items carried or worn by the infected individuals, and not passed to the vehicles they may ride in, nor to robots, power armor, cyborgs, machines, doors, etc., that they touch or lean against.

Now "if" NEXUS were rifted into HU or Rifts then I speculate that it would be a different ball game, as they could build nanobot processors, minions, who knows what they would be capable of via being exposed to techno-wizardy, etc., and wage a nasty massacre on many beings in either setting.

Lord Z · Unread post by **Lord Z** » Sat Feb 19, 2011 10:18 pm

Thanks Big P, my copy is loned out.

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Mon Jun 06, 2011 5:51 pm

#66 Scout's Honor?
The Machine has a new factory/fortress/communications facility that promises to make the Resistance's lives even more hellish and human survival in a given area even more precarious. The complex is heavily fortified, but word has it, there's a way in that can bypass the entire defense network and go straight to the heart of the mechanical Beast.
Problem is, the way's known only to one particular Scout, the only survivor of a team that went in and vanished. One scout returned, with clear(but not definitive) proof that his group had managed to penetrate deep inside the area currently held by the Machine. Upon his return, the survivor got accused of heinous crimes(cowardice, perhaps, by the families of the missing team members), and in a rage, killed one of his accusers and ran off into the wilderness. At the time, the House guards didn't bother to go after him, but he's been declared outlaw.
Unless the PCs want to blunder around the NEXUS fortress, testing its defenses and looking for their own way in, their best bet is to find the scout, and convince him to lead their party in to destroy the fortress, or at least draw them a map of the defenses. The PCs may or may not have a pardon from the House Lord to persuade the man.
If the PCs do find the scout, he's surly, embittered, distrustful, paranoid, and unwilling to talk about what happened to the rest of his team. He also apparently suffers from some form of mental illness...seizures, headaches, and lapses out of lucidity.
Even if the PCs convince him to lead them. there should be all sorts of problems associated with the mission...missed turns, precarious navigation, close calls, the scout's own ascerbic personality and mounting personal problems, questions of what REALLY happened on the mission, and what's really ahead. Can the PCs really trust this guy?

Line: The evidence should point towards the scout being a willing/unwilling pawn of the Machine, with the deal-breaker only happening AFTER the PCs are in too deep to turn around and retreat.

Sinker: The scout's perfectly innocent; but other members of the original party were sympathizers who tried betraying the group to the Machine. The scout had to kill them and that act, even though it was in self-defense, together with the accuations of cowardice and treason when he returned, have snapped the scout's trust. The guy's a mess, with a 50/50% chance of either kamikazing if he comes to truly trust the group, or going catatonic under any more sudden pressure.

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 6:23 pm

#67 "Sink the Machine!"
The Machine has a new weapon to take the war to the Human Resistance at sea: a massive mobile base complex that is part mobile drilling platform, part battleship, part aircraft carrier, and all bad news for the resistance. With its complement of robotic aircraft, and presumably specialized surface-skimming and submersible robots, the Iron Island can serve as a mobile communications relay post(using blue-green communications lasers and Ultra-High Frequency Radar and Sonar) to direct the war on and under the waters more effectively.
One good piece of good news; the platform isn't ready yet, and a landborne House's attacks on land have threatened NEXUS's shipyard complex sufficiently that while the Machine is moving in reinforcements to shellack the land Resistance, the robots are moving the partially-completed mobile base to a more secure anchorage, hugging the shore, but occasionally having to make high speed runs across deeper water.
It's time for the PCs to crank in some naval strategy to find a way to sink this thing and take it offline permanently before it comes fully online and NEXUS starts cranking out more of the damn things to crowd the oceans, and Humanity out.

Lord Z · Unread post by **Lord Z** » Mon Jun 20, 2011 3:53 pm

Regarding # 66: Scout's Honor? I like how this is an action adventure with a large component of roleplay and personality study which drives the action. As it happens, Technomancer recently started a thread about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and how it could apply to Palladium characters. The PTSD thread is in the Beyond the Supernatural forum.

Lord Z · Unread post by **Lord Z** » Mon Jun 20, 2011 4:07 pm

#68 Murder of Crows. This adventure exploits the natural tendency of players to distrust Scarecrows and Librarians. It takes place in and around a major Great House with a few retro villages nearby. The house must be large enough to have at least two Librarians. Hook: Times are not good in the Great House of... Murders have been occuring, probably assassinations. Contraband is being smuggled around, and deals are being cut with outsider mervhants like Technojackers. The suspicion by the Warlord is that one of his Librarians is going meglomanical and setting up a coup de ta. The Warlord sends the PCc to investigate a facility that a Scarecrow scientist has established in a recently annexed retro-village. Line: The village is a medieval town (Asian or European by preference) with its own castle. The villagers are completely loyal to this Scarecrow who has set himself up as a feudal lord and carried out unsupervised experiments for months. During a masquerade ball, the lord of the manor reveals his creations and tests them by unleashing his monsters on the guests.

Lord Z · Unread post by **Lord Z** » Mon Jun 20, 2011 4:24 pm

#68 Continued. If the PCs are guests, they will have to evade monsters and torch_weilding villagers until they can recover their gear. If the PCs are simply sneaking around, they may feel obligated to save the guests. The monsters are animals which have been mutated by new derivatives of the Elixir, Scarehounds and Scaremares (similar stats to Gorehounds and Megahorses) and other fiendess creations abound. After the Scarecrow is beaten and almost certainly killed, the Warlord will arrive with a platoon of Skinjobs and take over, executing the Scarecrow if he is not already dead. Sinker: There is a meglomanical alien, but it wasn't the Librarian. An Engineer was behind the assassinations and conspiracy. The Librarians were trying to stop it. This one Scarecrow went too far, but his targets were all conspirators and assassins who were working against the Warlord and preparing a revolt to place the Engineer ion the throne. This will become more clear in the next few days as the Engineer becomes more confident and transparent. One of the Librarians has been executed already, and the remaining Librarians is under house arrest and medival supervision. Scarecrows loyal to the remaining Librarian will approach the PCs after suspicions have been raised and ask for help to acquire evideence of the conspiracy, present it to the Warlord, and free the surviving Librarian.

Shawn Merrow · Unread post by **Shawn Merrow** » Mon Jun 20, 2011 4:31 pm

Lord Z wrote:#77 Continued. If the PCs are guests, they will have to evade monsters and torch_weilding villagers until they can recover their gear. If the PCs are simply sneaking around, they may feel obligated to save the guests. The monsters are animals which have been mutated by new derivatives of the Elixir, Scarehounds and Scaremares (similar stats to Gorehounds and Megahorses) and other fiendess creations abound. After the Scarecrow is beaten and almost certainly killed, the Warlord will arrive with a platoon of Skinjobs and take over, executing the Scarecrow if he is not already dead. Sinker: There is a meglomanical alien, but it wasn't the Librarian. An Engineer was behind the assassinations and conspiracy. The Librarians were trying to stop it. This one Scarecrow went too far, but his targets were all conspirators and assassins who were working against the Warlord and preparing a revolt to place the Engineer ion the throne. This will become more clear in the next few days as the Engineer becomes more confident and transparent. One of the Librarians has been executed already, and the remaining Librarians is under house arrest and medival supervision. Scarecrows loyal to the remaining Librarian will approach the PCs after suspicions have been raised and ask for help to acquire evideence of the conspiracy, present it to the Warlord, and free the surviving Librarian.

Is that supposed to be alien or angle? I was wondering since alien does not seem to fit.

krispy · Unread post by **krispy** » Mon Jun 20, 2011 9:26 pm

scarehound & scaremare, they sound awesome

Shark_Force · Unread post by **Shark_Force** » Tue Jun 21, 2011 4:52 pm

Shawn Merrow wrote:Is that supposed to be alien or angle? I was wondering since alien does not seem to fit.

why not? 99% certain the organism that bonds with the saint (and which matures into an engineer or librarian) is described as alien.

Lord Z · Unread post by **Lord Z** » Thu Jun 23, 2011 4:11 pm

As Shark_force deduced, I did mean 'alien', either an Engineer or a Librarian specifically. The plethera of other typos are my own. I have limited online access with my computer, and I am none too fond of this Opera Mini webrowser that I am using currently to post in the Forums of the Megaverse. If a post is longer than sixty words or so, I end up typing blindly.

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Thu Jun 23, 2011 6:05 pm

#69 SkyFall
The PCs encounter a TechnoJacker who claims the Machine is hunting him because he has a secret; he knows how to affect some of the Machine's systems. He can't affect any of the Machine's terrestrial systems any more than any other TJ, true, but he DOES know hoe to hack the network of old satellites still orbiting the planet. In specific, he knows how to upload commands to their navigational and attitude control systems via backdoors that NEXUS hasn't, or can't, secure(little is known of the Machine's space capabilities, but the TJ community feels 'it isn't much'). More specifically, the TJ claims to know how to direct WHERE THE SATELLITES WILL COME DOWN. While most satellites are small, easily destroyed affairs, some of the larger satellite structures have the potential of hitting like the Fist of God.
There's little the Machine can do to stop this....NEXUS can't upgrade the software defenses on the older satellites, doesn't dare turn them off until it can replace their function, and has no interception capabilities to stop the plummeting satellites...if what the TJ claims is true.
As if to prove the TJ's point, a large force of machines will approach, zeroing in on the TJ's position.
If the PCs manage to escape with the TJ, both he and the Warlords will hatch a plan...to drop a massive satellite/abandoned space station on a major NEXUS stronghold, to coincide with a massive Resistance attack. The multi-ton modules of the station should hit like God's Own Shotgun. In order to do so, however, the TechnoJacker will need access to a powerful transmitter...either one built by other TJs or hijacked from the Machine...so he can send the commands and finalize the terminal approach.
Either way, when Station Skyfall goes on line, its radio emissions are going to pull in the Machine forces. The PCs are obliged to protect the TJ(and his crew) again.
But if they succeed, they'll be helping the Resistance deliver some heavenly smiting on the Machine.

Post-script Twist: Even if Skyfall succeeds, the Machine will simply rebuild a new complex elsewhere and step up its efforts to replace the old satellites and their antiquated computer systems.

Guy_LeDouche · Unread post by **Guy_LeDouche** » Thu Jun 23, 2011 8:11 pm

I think we skipped about 10 numbers. Somehow, we went from #66 to #78.

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Thu Jun 23, 2011 8:31 pm

Guy_LeDouche wrote:I think we skipped about 10 numbers. Somehow, we went from #66 to #78.

Fixed on my end. Thanks for seeing what at least two of us couldn't. :wink:

krispy · Unread post by **krispy** » Thu Jun 23, 2011 9:29 pm

#68 is pretty cool Taalismn

Lord Z · Unread post by **Lord Z** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 9:32 am

That seems to have been my mistake. Thank you for catching it. I correcting the numbering in my own entries. Skyfall should be #69, and the next entry should be #70.

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Wed Jun 29, 2011 8:39 pm

#70 The Edge
The PCs are recruited as mercenaries for (or are temporarily attached to) a small House depserately in need of warriors to fight off the aggressive NEXUS forces moving in on them. The House needs manpower, but can pay and feed the extra troops coming in to support them.
The battles should be brutal, pulse-pounding, high-energy fights, broken only by the reflief of being able to slump back to shelter-bunkers and the hot meals prepared for them by the House. The Machine smells blood and wants to stomp this House and the puny humans in it, so the odds don't look good. The combat is high-dice, with lots of unexpected bonuses, and the players should be feeling like bloody gods in combat after a few days of this, but come down hard afterwards, and get irritable and grouchy after the adrenaline high of combat.
TOO grouchy and irritable..and increasingly crazy(start rolling for random insanities)...and it's not the wear and tear of combat. At some point the PCs should realize that they're acting TOO uber-fast, strong, reflexively in battle, and too irrational afterwards. Some investigation will reveal that the House, desperate to win, has been dosing the warriors with increasingly powerful 'combat enhancement' drugs in the food and water provided the troops, the better to psych them for combat. Problem is, the drugs' side-effects. Before long, the short-term benefits will be outweighed by insane and addicted warriors going on suicidal ramapages against the Machine, or turning on their fellow soldiers in paranoid rages.
The House Librarian, the one behind the scheme, feels that the drugs are the only 'edge' saving the House from immediate extinction, by getting the most out of the soldiers, and isn't about to stop adulterating the food and water, because it's showing results for the Resistance. What will the PCs do? Attempt to reveal the tampering? Play it through to defeat the Machine? Attempt to salvage the troops AND the House somehow(despite the massive NEXUS forces being thrown at the House), or cut and run? And don't forget the side effects and withdrawl symptoms coming off the drugs...can the PCs survive that, with the Machine looking to pick off Resistance in the area?

Guy_LeDouche · Unread post by **Guy_LeDouche** » Thu Jun 30, 2011 8:48 am

#70 Thumbs WAY up for this one. A great idea and a really sneakily clever way to introduce all sorts of things. Really good work.

krispy · Unread post by **krispy** » Thu Jun 30, 2011 10:04 am

Guy_LeDouche wrote:#70 Thumbs WAY up for this one. A great idea and a really sneakily clever way to introduce all sorts of things. Really good work.

2nd, great idea mate

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Thu Jun 30, 2011 3:56 pm

#71 The Earth's Flow...
While traveling through the wastelands, the PCs are surprised to run across an ancient stone structure in the middle of nowhere. Even more surprising is that around this ancient complex of monoliths and crude stone pillars is a small community(no more than a comple dozen) of rather ecccentric, and mostly old, folks.
Despite being outgunned, these eccentrics will be very defensive about trespassers, and don't take too kindly to strangers who try to muscle in on their turf. They'll fight to the death if attacked(they actually have a few ceramic weapons and maybe an old Roughneck or Dreadguard among them), but if approached with respect and friendship, they'll be warily welcoming. If they can come to trust the PCs, they'll welcome them into their village, share what little they have(and it becomes readily apparent they don't have much; it's pretty subsistance-farming all the way), and after a few belts of the local stomach lining remover they call moonshine, may even reveal what they're doing all the way out here.
The villagers claim to be the 'protectors of the place of the Earth's life-flow' and that the ancient stone structure is an ancient temple hailing back to the days 'when magic was in the air'. Nowadays, the old folks will enthusiastically explain, the flows are slow and uncertain, but sacred places like this serve to accumulate what little there is. So these oldsters hold to old traditions and rituals at the appointed times, passing the ancient lore down family lines and what few outsiders can be trusted to take up the Ole Ways, against a future time when enough of the Earth's Flow has been gathered, to work 'miracles'.
The oldsters will also relate that they'll be holding one of their rituals in a few days time. As long as the PCs don't make trouble, they'll be welcome to stay and watch(the villagers kinda hope they might get some converts). Anybody who has a knowledge of the calender will note that there's a seasonal solstice coming up on that day. The villagers promise that the signs and portents point towards the 'Flow' being particularly high, and hint that 'something big' might happen. Indeed, anybody wandering close to the old stones may sense SOMETHING at the edges of their awareness. Not tangible, but still there, definitely there.

Obviously this is a potential Rift event; the slow accumulation of PPE may just elect to let go at the ceremony, and catch the PCs up in it.
This could be the moment for something to come through from somewhere else(allies, new enemies), or for the PCs to be drawn through and deposited in another universe...
Or perhaps another time! The PCs are astonished to find themselves transported hundreds of years into the past of their world(or is it?) to a time before NEXUS rebelled. The PCs, with all their biotech and knowledge may have the opportunity to prevent a NEXUS-style holocaust from taking place in this time, on this world...or perhaps unleash a totally different sort of screwup altogether.

Lord Z · Unread post by **Lord Z** » Sat Jul 02, 2011 10:40 pm

Regarding #69 and #70: These adventures seem good to me but not great. They both invoke aspects of the setting that are often overlooked like near-space technology and drug technology. In Skyfall, the PCs get a chance to be involved in some really cool events like directing orbital bombardments, but the hero of the story is really the NPC Technojackers while the PCs are limited to the roles of sidekicks or observers. The High does place the PCs more in center-stage, but I am not sure how the roleplaying is supposed to unfold. Do the players have meta-game knowledge of what is happening or not. If not, how are they supposed to roleplay the scenes back at the House? If they are given instructions, it will undermine a lot of the surprise and fun inherent in the story.

Regarding #71: Earthflow: This is just a good story all around. I would be interested in seeing if the PCs embrace the old beliefs as a new hope or reject it and return to the proven reliability of their bio-technology.

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 7:22 pm

Lord Z wrote:Regarding #69 and #70: These adventures seem good to me but not great. They both invoke aspects of the setting that are often overlooked like near-space technology and drug technology. In Skyfall, the PCs get a chance to be involved in some really cool events like directing orbital bombardments, but the hero of the story is really the NPC Technojackers while the PCs are limited to the roles of sidekicks or observers. The High does place the PCs more in center-stage, but I am not sure how the roleplaying is supposed to unfold. Do the players have meta-game knowledge of what is happening or not. If not, how are they supposed to roleplay the scenes back at the House? If they are given instructions, it will undermine a lot of the surprise and fun inherent in the story.

Regarding #71: Earthflow: This is just a good story all around. I would be interested in seeing if the PCs embrace the old beliefs as a new hope or reject it and return to the proven reliability of their bio-technology.

Thanks. Regarding #70....The GM should start adding bonuses when the PCs are in combat, then conspiciously asking the players afterwards to roll versus M.E., or something akin to that, and have failures result in something that are borderline out of character for the PCs..."You really want to punch out that RoughRider...I mean REALLY want to take a swing at the jerk right now", or, "You suddenly realize you've finished your ration-fruit, and are currently now chewing on its inedible rind...".
Most PCs would/should start getting suspicious of how controlling on such an -intimate- level the GM is getting, and about the suspicious extra bonuses...something's up, right? Then start looking around at other people for similar behavior, then for a cause. At some point it might occur to them that something's being slipped to them by inference(like new recruits aren't showing the same effects for a few days after they join, or the TechnoJackers or other characters who for some reason or other haven't been eating from the same supplies as the rest of the troops, aren't getting the 'mad dice' or being asked to roll against their M.E. or I.Q. or P.E.). Besides being warriors, they'll have to do a little detective work. At some point they'll actually SEE the resident Scarecrow or other high House official personally overseeing the food stocks and adulterating them.
If that sounds a little over-controlling for the GM, well, yeah, because the PCs ARE being controlled, by the drugs. They don't want to be pumped up and afterwards controlled by GM fiat and hamstrung by self-control rolls, they they're going to have to figure out a way OUT of this situation(think of it as another take on the prison-break adventure, with the PCs hampered by chains or Splugorth parasites...only in this case it's a chemical monkey on their backs).

#71....Yeah, if the GM so desires, the guardians of the stones could know a few showy, but useful, low-energy spells, but the available PPE reserves are VERY low, except in the immediate vicinity of the stones. It's the problem with the Splicers' planet; magic could be a very useful thing, perhaps a game-changer, except that there's not enough juice to power it all over the planet.
Of course, the Old Believers could be trying to change that, but such an event(flooding the planet with PPE) would seriously change the world, perhaps not for the better as hoped(see the earlier Adventure where Rifts break out all over the planet along with demonic hordes).

Lord Z · Unread post by **Lord Z** » Tue Jul 05, 2011 11:56 am

Regarding #70 The High: That would be a very good way for the GM to handle it.

Regarding #71 Earthflow: Here is what I would do. Have a copy of Victor Lazlo's Worlds Within Worlds laying around in the hippie commune. Either Uncle Victor was right or he was wrong. If he was wrong, nothing will happen. If he was right, a rift will open up. I would let the players know that even I as the GM don't know which will happen. So, I would let the action build to that climatic moment. Then, I would make a die roll. Evens --> he was wrong. Odds --> he was right.

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Tue Jul 05, 2011 9:26 pm

Lord Z wrote:Regarding #70 The High: That would be a very good way for the GM to handle it.

Regarding #71 Earthflow: Here is what I would do. Have a copy of Victor Lazlo's Worlds Within Worlds laying around in the hippie commune. Either Uncle Victor was right or he was wrong. If he was wrong, nothing will happen. If he was right, a rift will open up. I would let the players know that even I as the GM don't know which will happen. So, I would let the action build to that climatic moment. Then, I would make a die roll. Evens --> he was wrong. Odds --> he was right.

Play 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra' to build up the tension to see what happens. Have a stand-in Monolith for extra snickers and giggles...

Lord Z · Unread post by **Lord Z** » Mon Jul 11, 2011 1:05 am

I recently heard this on a podcast. A host described the typical adventure scenario in an RPG as being five strangers sitting in a bar when they all agree to quest to find the princess' missing garter belt. I thought the concept was so funny, that I would try to adapt it to some other RPGs.

The Garter Belt
During another adventure or during some downtime between investigations, one of the player-characters receives a curious gift. While having dinner in the mess hall, a woman's garter belt shows up on his dinner plate, right on top of the vegetable. Alternatively, it could be found in stuffed in a saddle bag or almost any other way to anonymously get the item to the PCs. Any investigations into the origin of the belt quickly lead to dead ends. It could be deduced that the belt is made from very high quality silks, but the belt should be treated as just an amusing event which occurs during a time when the PCs have more important worries.

One or two game sessions later, a stern older woman appears out of the blue, seeking the undergarment. She explains that she is a diplomat from the Kingdom of Albenistan and securing the garter belt is a matter of nation security for her country. She has been tracking the garter belt, and has determined that the PCs were the last people to see it.

The Kingdom of Albenistan is not a Great House because it lacks its own Engineer. Instead, it is a large collection of retro-villages and technojacker settlements which have united. Although it can not generate its own war machines, Albenistan is wealthy from trade and salvage. It has been able to trade for some bio-equipment to equip a basic militia, and several Splicers from other Great Houses have defected (or been exiled) and ended up in the Albenistan villages. They remain too little of a threat for the Machine to make any serious attempt to wipe them out, at least while the true Great Houses are alive. The Albenistanis have adopted the practice of granting authority to a warlord as determined by combat. Without a central city, however, the kingdom is in a constant state of chaos as competing warlords in different towns claim they are each the legitimate leader. The current warlord has managed to gather nearly all of the communities under his banner, and he has a plan for stabilizing his nation by establishing a royal bloodline.

Here is what is happening in Albenistan. The king has only two living children, a son and a daughter. The elder sibling, the prince, is expected to be given the crown soon. If the prince were to become king and if he were to die before having an heir himself, the royal bloodline would flow through the princess and her children. For that reason, protecting the princess' virtue has become a major priority. The stern woman is the the royal family's Minister of Chastity. While the royal family was making a diplomatic journey to the PCs' home, the princess did have an illicit relationship with a cook. Her conspirator, suddenly afraid that he was about to be caught by the king, got rid of the belt.

As the king has aged, he has grown obsessive about his daughter’s chastity. The Department of Chastity keeps all of her clothing on record. This would not normally be a problem, but the king has ordered a thorough and public inventory be performed. If it is found that the garter belt is missing, the king might just order his daughter's execution rather than risk civil war. The Minister understands that she has failed in her duty, but she is willing to do whatever she must to prevent the king from learning it. A wealthy prince and a lovely princess are also anxious to resolve the situation as quickly and subtly as possible. Can the PCs leverage the situation to introduce political reforms in Albenistan or simply to make bank? Is the princess really this slutty? This is a scenario in which the GM is likely to find a carrot more fun than a stick.

So where is the garter belt? The odds are that the PC who received it either did something goofy with it or forgot it. Was it used as a sling shot to shoot acid grenades? Was it left behind at the last campsite?

If it was not written down on the character sheet with all of the character's other gear, than it was lost. Where was it seen last (meaning where was it mentioned last in-character)? Was it in the firebase of the rival Great House? Was it in that subway tunnel that was overrun with sewer crawlers? Somebody will have to go back there to find it.

If the garter belt is on the equipment list, then the Minister will thank the PCs, pay them a generous reward, and leave with the prize. The next day, the real Minister of Chastity arrives. The real Minister is an older man and the guy who is having a secret relationship with the princess. He did ditch the garter belt, but the stern woman is a thief who is blackmailing him. Because of the role that the PCs played in aiding the blackmailer – and possibly in causing a diplomatic incident – they should be shamed into the helping the Minister retrieve the lost garter belt.

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Mon Jul 11, 2011 7:47 pm

Yep...that last one...
Be immediately suspicious of pieces of female underclothing found in unusual places. Such a discovery is usually associated almost immediately with the discovery of a dead female nearby(especially bad if body is found in the quarters of the finder of the undergarment).
If said body is NOT found, you're not out of the woods just yet; merely delayed the discovery of an embarassing scandal or awkward social situation*, with the finder caught in the middle.

The Lesson: Sex may kill, but lingerie can make you wish you were dead.

(*This includes the late discovery that the whole lingerie-in-your-eggroll was an elaborate come-hither either accidentally, or worse yet, DELIBERATELY, directed at the finder...Yep, if you hadn't been so paranoid, you might have really scored...)

krispy · Unread post by **krispy** » Sun Jul 31, 2011 12:36 am

Here are some Optional Story Plots for Splicers... i know they are a bit rusty and have a few holes

The Enemy Within: A secret United Nations/ World Government Organization masquerading as a think tank called Future Directions International (FDI) (I thought of that name but there is an actual organization with that name) or Future Global Direction (FGD) had the role of attempting to predict the path humanity and the planet would take

One of their extremely talented software engineers foresaw the NEXUS crisis. The organizations goal was not for the survival of one government or people to survive, but the species to survive

So they took steps. Deep in the heart of the Programming CPU they installed code (or created another system linked to a series of small manufacturing plants) that would sporadically spawn a new personality that would be downloaded into bodies that would be opposed to their sisters

...........................................................................................................................................................

Steel Moon: having eyes in the sky is extremely important for an advanced culture, mainly for communication & weather. But sending up satellites one at a time is quite expensive; not to mention the growing debris field around the planet making it highly probable that anything being sent up would get damaged beyond repair

So to solve the problem of a minefield of debris in space cluttering up the space lanes around the planet whilst also being able to manufacture satellites in space (extremely cost effective) a 2nd generation NEXUS style program was created. A more sophisticates AI compared to its older sister

The AI was implemented into a sophisticated Orbital Manufacturing Platform (OMP) called the SRSMP (Salvage Recovery & Satellite Manufacturing Platform) …. (A possible crew of astronauts could be a part of this)

It was given only a few objectives and never really tampered with as it was not responsible for the welfare of the humans on the planet

Objectives:
*clean up the debris field
*Salvage & recycle derelict satellites (& any other possible systems e.g old space stations, Hubble)
*manufacture new satellite
* Mine Helium3 as a fuel source from the dark side of the moon (the movie Moon is awesome…if you haven’t seen it I highly recommend it)
…

The OMP has a sophisticated sensory system and monitored the near annihilation of the human race and decided to oppose its older sister (if a crew was on the platform there could more to the story)

So it took steps (potentially it has used space junk to grow & increase its size)
It also creates new AIs and puts them into robots & release them to the planet calling them Fallen Angels or ‘The Fallen’ to fight along side the human resistance