Monday, May 23, 2016

Necessary Evil Recap 14


#NecessaryEvil Recap 14, May 15, 2016 @ 1:00-7:00 P.M.


<<WARNING spoilers for Necessary Evil. >>

Character Bios

Character Name: Ruin
Player Name: Kevin
Race: Human
Archetype: Archaeologist with magical katana (Striker), fire (Blaster), earth (Brick), and wind (Speedster) alternate forms.
Hindrances: Delusional, Loyal, Gloater, Vengeful
Powers: Attack Melee (Katana, Device), Fire Form (Damage Field, Attack Ranged, Super Skill (Throwing), Earth Form (Super Attribute Vigor/Strength, Earthquake), Wind Form (Super Speed (Whirlwind), Super Attribute Spirit)
Background: After gaining his associate degree in Archaeology, he started two years of field work by going to Japan for an archaeological dig with his father. He traveled deep into the dig site and found a beautiful but dead woman impaled by a katana surrounded by a pentagram with five murals painted on the pentagonal walls of the room. He removed the rusted katana and suddenly three of the murals disappeared and the woman crumbled to dust.

     He showed his father the blade but he was not impressed by a rusty katana as he was in search of much older artifacts at the old dig site. He told his son to keep the sword as a memento of his first archeological find.

     The next day, he left the facility to retrieve some archaeological tools for his father when the K’tharen fins attacked for the first time. Lasers rained down on the dig site leaving a mile wide crater as the force of the impact caused earthquakes and aftershocks to rock the island. Ruin was the only survivor of the archeological dig site.

     The katana said to him, “You aren’t worthy…not yet. But you will be.” Thus Ruin began to believe that his father’s soul had become trapped in the sword. The sword whispered that it wanted the destruction of everything, especially the K’tharen. Ruin started talking to his sword as “his father” who wanted revenge on his killers.

     Ruin was badly injured and took months to recover from his injuries. After he was healed he returned to the United States. After the V’sori invasion, he joined a New York State Resistance Cell and fought the V’sori and K’tharen in a guerilla war. However, after one botched mission he was hunted and pursued relentlessly. He had nowhere to turn to and returned to his mother’s house to hide out. Inside his mother was being brutally tortured by the V’sori for Ruin’s whereabouts. His mother collapsed dead from the pain.

     With no more mortal connections to family left, the sword whispered to him, “You are ready.” The sword changed from rusty to a finely honed edge. Then it shattered into wisps of fire that coalesced into an aura of fire that surrounded him. Ruin used the aura of fire to hurl bolts of flame at the V’sori and his drones, killing them all. His house was left a charred and smoking ruin and Ruin left for Star City to begin a swath of destruction aimed at the V’sori and gain the attention of Dr. Destruction as an Omegan.

     The katana can be shattered to create three elemental forms of fire, earth, and wind (the same patterns as the murals on the walls of the facility). In the hands of those it considers unworthy it is a rusted katana with Str +d4-1

Languages Known: English/Japanese



Omega Cell 107 Report 14

Tuesday, July 27, 2004
Southpoint, Colonel Clone’s secret underground lab.

     The trapdoor led into Colonel Clone’s secret lab. As the Omegans entered the lab, they saw a large group of clones of the original Colonel Clone that had been awakened to defend the lab…



     Bubbles ran away due to her Claustrophobia Hindrance and used her super speed to return to the Atlantean Seahorse at Warehouse 21. Setsuna ditched the mission to visit her brothel in Southpoint and returned to the Atlantean Seahorse after observing her business.

[Chessie and Bobbie both missed the session.]

     Five clones awakened to meet Micro, Mongo, Das Übermensch, Das Kinderwaffen, and Baron de Villain.
       
     Mongo leaped and pounced on one of the clones.

     Das Übermensch grabbed one clone and threw him at another clone. The second clone ducked out of the way, but the original clone smashed into a clone chamber behind him.

     The clones fired their clone guns at the group but missed.

     Micro punched two of the clones unconscious.

     Baron de Villain used his Illusion power from Invent to create an image on Colonel Clone.  ‘Colonel Clone’ ordered his clone to move further inside the facility.

[With a Smarts trick he tricked the remaining clone into following the image (as the extra rolled a 1 opposing his Smarts trick, I allowed it even though the voice didn't match but new what would trigger the clone's inevitable betrayal.]
     On the second floor of the facility, the Omegans saw clones of themselves and a clone of The Verde Ranger. The clones were ready to kill their ‘fakes’ and take their place while clone of The Verde Ranger wanted to kill all the intruders into Colonel Clone's lab equally.

 

[Here I grabbed the characters’ clone wild cards at 0 XP/Novice and gave them to the PCs with an adventure card and extra effort chip each.] 

     Clone Das Übermensch flew at his 'fake' but didn't quite have the distance to reach him. The real Das Übermensch used his own momentum against him, punching him so hard in the stomach that the fake flew into a nearby clone chamber, killing the clone Das Übermensch and another clone inside. 

[Joshua used the Deadly Blow card and it ended up as 98 damage off this punch.]   

     Das Kinderwaffen attacked The Verde Ranger but he flipped out of the way of his powered suit's claws. The Verde Ranger responded with a slash of his Blastblade that sliced through his armor and gave Das Kinderwaffen a slash across the chest.

     "You obviously fake. Mongo green, not ugly green gray!"--Clone Mongo

     Mongo punched his clone once in the chest, cracking multiple ribs, and knocking him out.

     Clone Baron de Villain fired a CS Mega-Taser at Mongo but he wasn't fazed by the shock. The real Baron de Villain walked into his illusion of Colonel Clone and commanded the clones stop, but he didn't convince them to stop fighting. Instead the clone of Colonel Clone realized Baron de Villain was lying to him without the proper voice of his master and shot Baron de Villain in the back with his Clone Gun for no effect.

      Micro shrank and punched his clone. Only the clone's Z-belt protected him from being knocked out by the first punch, but the second punch knocked him out. 

      Then two clone chambers opened up and the Omegans saw a clone villain they recognized, Dr. Steel, and one they did not, a beautiful Japanese woman covered in white robes with a white veil concealing all her facial features except her lovely, almondine eyes.  



      Clone Dr. Steel opened up with a barrage of laser attacks on Mongo. The first one hit the fake Mongo on the ground and his body was left smoking from the impact and yet somehow he still lived.  The second hit struck Mongo square in the chest and he was left smoking from the hit on the chest as well but still standing. Dr. Steel breathed heavily after the exertion of so much energy.

[This was awesome for me.  I got the Joker and drew Omega Strike with this new clone. So I got a double damage turn with Dr. Steel and his two blaster actions. But Randall countered with a Perfect Timing into Better You Than Me to avoid my first 50 damage and managed to soak most of the second attack of 36 damage after I bribed Joshua to not play Villainous Verbosity to negate 100% of my turn with a Bennie. Should he have held out for more? Probably. My next offer would have been an adventure card or extra effort chip, his choice. And last ditch effort would have been a GM Bennie as a bribe.]

     Das Kinderwaffen left his armored suit and primed for an explosion. The Verde Ranger slashed across his chest leaving a second wound in an X pattern with the first wound as he countered.

      Mongo got his revenge by jumping over and punching the clone of Dr. Steel twice to knock him out before leaping back near Das Kinderwaffen and clone of The Verde Ranger. 

     Then White Veil touched the downed clone of Mongo and his broken body healed except for one wound on the back from the laser blast. 

     [I used Ace with White Veil to bring back clone Mongo.]
       



 

     The clone of Mongo leaped into the air and came down on Mongo with a vicious punch that cracked his ribs and finally felled the monstrous Mongo. 

     [Randall succeeded his Vigor roll by a mile and Mongo escaped a plot twist from this.]


     Micro jumped on top of a clone chamber and looked for more activating clone chambers. He saw that there was fifteen minutes to the release of the next batch of clones. He jumped next to Baron de Villain and relayed the information to him.

     Baron de Villain used his Mega Taser to shock the clone of Colonel Clone to death. 

    Das Übermensch grabbed Mongo and dragged him back from the potential explosion of Das Kinderwaffen to the lower floor of the clone chamber near the entry door.



     Clone Dr. Steel bled to death in his frail, elderly human form.

     White Veil touched clone Micro to restore him to consciousness, but seemed to get weaker from the second healing attempt. 

     Micro countered by punching his clone and then leaping and punching White Veil in the gut, leaving her bleeding out from her abdomen on the floor.

      Baron de Villain reloaded his Mega Taser with another cartridge. 

      Clone The Verde Ranger tried to attack Das Kinderwaffen with an acrobatic kick but his ankle twisted on the steel guardrail and he fell down to the lower level of the clone chamber.

      Das Kinderwaffen exploded causing wounds to Mongo and The Verde Ranger. He reformed and was punched by an angered the clone of Mongo. Das Kinderwaffen screamed in pain as his explosion triggered a second time leaving nothing but ash behind. 

[First death of a super villain or sidekick.]

      Enraged, Das Übermensch charged at the clone of Mongo, knocking him out a second time with a punch to the gut. 


     Clone White Veil bled to death from her abdominal wound. 

     The Verde Ranger tried to flip up a wall and shoot Das Übermensch. He barely cleared a few feet, but the maneuver allowed him to get a line of sight to get his shot off. The Blastblade device switched from a sword to a gun and the surprised Das Übermensch looked down at his smoking stomach before he dropped unconscious. 

     Micro jumped down to the lower level and finished off the badly wounded clone of the Verde Ranger.  

     Micro told Baron de Villain to head for the control room. Micro tried to patch up Mongo and Das Übermensch but they were both a mess after the battle and barely alive. Micro took no prisoners, killing the clone Mongo and clone Micro that were still breathing after the battle before he headed back to check on Baron de Villain after seeing the timers end their count down with but a second to spare. 



     Baron de Villain headed to the control room and fought off the last awakening clone of Colonel Clone of the first clone cycle. Baron de Villain shut down the timer of the second clone cycle and obtained three cylinders of green clone goo that could be used to regenerate up to three clones with the appropriate DNA. He copied the data but couldn't make heads or tails of the genetic and biological data with his own specialty being engineering and machines. Looks like you'll need me and my secret lab after all, Baron. Micro finally caught up to him. Baron de Villain gave him one of the clone goo cylinders and Hydra's DNA to give to me. He kept the other two clone goo cylinders. I'm sure he will give them to me when the time is right to get clones of fallen Omegans. He can keep them for now. 



    Mongo woke up after an hour from his regeneration. He saw the fallen Das Übermensch on the floor and decided to 'sire' him. Das Übermensch turned pale and gray as whatever infection Mongo gained to stay alive coursed through his veins. 

    Micro and Baron de Villain entered the room just as Das Übermensch rose from his slumber to look down upon mottled, gray hands. He raged about becoming an impure abomination. 

    Micro shrunk and bounded off, his mission to clone Hydra of primary importance to us all. 

    Baron de Villain attempted to stun Mongo with his Mega Taser. Mongo reacted by crushing his Mega Taser and bounding off. 

    Das Übermensch tackled Mongo from behind, knocking him out from the force of the blow. In a fit of rage he stomped on Mongo's head until it was little but a bloody stump.

    Baron de Villain armed an explosive device setting it for 60 minutes. However, the timer didn't work. 

    Baron de Villain and Das Übermensch entered the stolen van and drove back to Warehouse 21. The Baron navigated the Atlantean Seahorse back to Lemuria with the four remaining super villains. 

    At Lemuria, Das Übermensch checked in and was ordered to return to a secret Nazi base in Argentina for implantation of an explosive device. He acquiesced and began flying southward...



    Micro met with me and I got the clone goo cylinder and Hydra's DNA. With these ingredients and the proper clone chamber, I can create a replica of Hydra with slight imperfections.  Micro said he was done with this team of misfit idiots. I can't blame him. Besides Baron de Villain, Omega Cell 107 has proven an unreliable, if effective Omega Cell. I told him to find like minds to create his own Omega Cell. He wanted contacts from me, but the less he knows about other Omega Cells the better. I need new cells more than cross contacts between them anyway. 


 
 [Meanwhile...]

     One hour later after being stomped nearly to death by Das Übermensch, Mongo woke up from his regeneration, seeing a demolition charge flashing 60 out of his one remaining eye. He staggered out of Colonel Clone's secret lab onto the streets. He tried to call me but couldn't work the puny cell phone with his massive hands. He looked for a safe spot but disorientated by now having only one eye instead found a patrol of six drones rather than a safe house.  



[Randall critically failed a Streetwise test looking for shelter.]  

     "Wanted, extremely dangerous, super villain Mongo detected. Invulnerable to standard attack. Search for wooden stakes." --Drones


 
     The drones entered a local cafe in Southpoint and shattered chairs and tables to use as makeshift wooden stakes to stab Mongo through the heart. The barista screamed in terror and dropped a pot of coffee to the floor. The owner yelled at the drones for property damage to his establishment with expletives as customers tried to run away, at least those not knocked to the ground by the drones' actions as the chair literally was taken out from under them.  Unfortunately for the drones and innocent bystanders alike, this angered a cafe patron called Ruin who screamed about the drones spilling his coffee cup and then raised his katana, assuming his fire form. In his fire form, his fiery aura burned through the drone's circuits and their human spine and brains were fried. The fiery aura also started a massive conflagration that burned down the cafe after he stepped out the front door.
  
 
    "You save Mongo! You friend!"--Mongo
    
    Having saved his life, the distraught Mongo befriended Ruin and told his tale of him helping his friend by biting him and turning him into a vampire and his friend returning the favor by attacking him from behind and stomping him to unconsciousness and near death.

    "I bite him to save him though!"--Mongo

    Ruin was a bit skeptical at first, but then used Mongo's cell phone to call me. I told Ruin to take Mongo to Warehouse 23 and take an Atlantean Seahorse to Lemuria. Surprisingly, they didn't steal a van and simply walked to The Docks luckily without running into further V'sori patrols. At The Docks, Ruin managed to successfully operate the submarine and get to the GPS coordinates of the Lemuria Secret Base.

Wednesday July 28, 2004
Lemuria Secret Base

     I told Baron de Villain to expect an Atlantean Seahorse with Ruin and Mongo. I had supplied additional fuel to the second submarine. My last two subs being used, but hopefully they are smart enough to return both subs on their next visit to Star City. Otherwise I will have to use less reliable Flying Cars as couriers. 

     I'm not sure what Baron de Villain wants to do with Mongo. Like Bubbles, Mongo is an unpredictable but powerful ally. It is his team; he needs to decide to put Mongo down if that is what needs to be done. 

     Mongo returned to Lemuria and had a snack of a Japanese deer. They are rather low in deer supplies, only a couple left alive. 

     Das Übermensch had flown south only to be struck by hunger pains. He headed west and tried to get a snack on Virginia Beach. Unfortunately, he didn't find anyone to consume. In a weakened state he was crawling on the beach when a V'sori patrol captured him and took him to a detention camp in Norfolk, Virginia. 

    I alerted Omega Cell 107 that Das Übermensch had been captured by the V'sori... 

 --Dr. Destruction, personal journal records.

[End of Session]

XP: 3, Missed= 2 XP, Minimum XP =23.

Loot: 3 Colonel Clone gels.

Pictures:

     I used DramaScape’s Cryo Room for Colonel Clone’s Secret Lab. This map works perfect for this Necessary Evil Savage Tale as the cryo rooms make perfect clone chambers. I used DramaScape’s CityScape Volume 1 POD 6 x 6 “Tiles with a quick layout for a battle with six drones that was decided very quickly by Ruin.

Figures used are HeroClix by WizKids and Necessary Evil Figure Flats by Pinnacle Entertainment Group.

Cryo Room


GM Section:

     Kind of disappointed with the Colonel Clones. Fun concept but very low Parry/Toughness (equal Drones) and less damage than Drones with the 2d6 damage clone gun. In retrospect, if I ran the scenario again I would have given the Colonel Clones the Duplicate power with a 50% chance of hitting the real one (So that every single clone is an extra with two wounds from two bodies on the board). I would have upped the clone gun to 3d6 damage and added the following: On a hit with a Wound, the Clone Gun creates an exact duplicate of the struck target as an extra next to the wounded character. Just some ideas for other GMs running the same Savage Tale in Necessary Evil to think about.

     When I had the Wild Card clones of the PCs appear I handed them the 0 XP Novice character sheet, an adventure card and an extra effort chip. I also had a GM Bennie per wild card approximately to spend. This made for a rough combat with the death of Das Kinderwaffen. However, everyone agreed it was probably their favorite combat of Necessary Evil so far, especially once I revealed White Veil (aka Sonsa, Setsuna’s sister) and started reviving downed clones with her healing touch. 

     Then the PCs made it a bit worse with Mongo biting and killing Das Übermensch turning him into an Undead [Vampire] with the Anemia [Major] Hindrance (-4 against Fatigue checks which is actually somewhat mitigated by the Undead Immunity to Disease/Poisons)  and now ‘Count’ Übermensch returning the favor by stomping his head into oblivion. Baron de Villain could have killed Mongo for good if his explosives actually worked with Colonel Clone’s facility collapsing and exploding thus crushing and burning Mongo’s body to death, but then the Baron rolled a Knowledge [Demolitions] check of 1 and 2, so the countdown timer never counted a second down from 60 minutes. So Mongo’s regeneration kicked into overdrive temporarily and he grew back his head. However, Mongo lost an eye in the process gaining the One-Eye Hindrance.

     As to why I changed the order of encounter, I thought that the Necessary Evil book did the sequence out of order. The Colonel Clones are a nice surprise, but their own clones are a much bigger reveal to the group with higher stakes. I added Sonsa because her Healing power on the heavy hitters allowed me to return them to the fight and I added The Verde Ranger and Doctor Steel as PCs the group has only seen a couple of times.

     Kevin retired Micro. He was tired of playing the character as it was essentially a one-two punch killer on top of Das Übermensch and Mongo. In short it wasn’t enough variety for Kevin, especially after playing Salden Goldpick with a ton of character options like leadership, rogue, Chosen of the Horn, and dabbler abilities to use in Shaintar. We introduced his new character Ruin at the end of the session, a former archaeologist turned super villain with a delusion that the katana he holds is his father and wants him to destroy the world. The katana can be shattered to create three alternate forms of flame, stone and wind, with a possible expansion to water with more power points by expanding switchable to allow for the different forms. This isn’t technically allowed by switchable, with a power suite rather than one power switched from the base power, but I allowed it for the concept to work.
 

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