Official Advanced Game Adventure

Night LifeBy Anthony Herring

Table of Contents

Introduction ..................………………………………….. 2The Player Characters .........…………………………….. 3Non-Player Character Factions ..……………………….. 7The Spirit Bombs ..............………………………………. 9Chapter 1: Museum Robbed! ....………………………... 10Chapter 2: At the Scene ........……………………………. 10Chapter 3: The Evening News ...………………………... 12Chapter 4: Mongoose Wants Blood …………………….. 13Chapter 5: The House of Pasta ..………………………... 15Chapter 6: Cameron Come Home ……………………… 16Chapter 7: Trouble at Sammy's ..………………………. 17Chapter 8: Roxxon Oil .........…………………………….. 18Chapter 9: Mayhem in Midtown .………………………. 20Chapter 10: Some Time Off .....…………………………. 21Chapter 11: The Dead Shall Rise .……………………… 22Chapter 12: A Hot Tip ..........……………………………. 23

Credits

Design: Anthony HerringEditing: Newton EwellCover Art: Jeff ButlerInterior Art: Jeff Butler with Mike MachlinCartography: Dennis KauthProduction: Paul HanchetteTypography: Tracey Zamagne

TSR, Inc.POB 756Lake Geneva,WI 53147 U.S.A.

Chapter 13: Rumble in the Jungle ……………………... 24Chapter 14: Strange Headlines .………………………… 26Chapter 15: The Wildboys .....…………………………... 27Chapter 16: Hiram Blows a Fuse ………………………. 28Chapter 17: Into the Nether Realm …………………….. 31Chapter 18: The Persuader ....…………………………... 33Chapter 19: An Invitation ......…………………………... 34Chapter 20: A Meeting of Minds ……………………….. 35Chapter 21: Dancing Manikins ..………………………... 37Chapter 22: A Barrel of Monkeys ……………………… 40Chapter 23: Gator Lays an Egg .………………………... 41Chapter 24: A Test of Strength ..………………………... 42Chapter 25: Give Me Liberty ....………………………… 44Chapter 26: A Giant Walks! .....………………………… 45Epilogue: The War is Over .....………………………….. 48Non-Player Character Roster ...………………………… 50

The Fine Print

This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United Statesof America. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of thematerial or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the expresswritten consent of TSR, Inc. and Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc.Distributed to the book trade in the United States by Random House,Inc., and in Canada by Random House of Canada, Ltd. Distributed tothe toy and hobby trade by regional distributors.

MARVEL SUPER HEROES is a trademark of the MarvelEntertainment Group, Inc. All Marvel characters, character names,and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of the MarvelEntertainment Group, Inc. Marvel Entertainment Group Inc. AllRights Reserved.

The TSR logo and PRODUCTS OF YOUR IMAGINATION aretrademarks owned by TSR, Inc. Game Design ®1990 TSR, Inc. AllRights Reserved. Printed in U.S.A.

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Welcome, true believers, to thedramatic final chapter of the excitingGang Wars Trilogy. Within these pagesheart-stopping action awaits the daringheroes on the mean streets ofManhattan. So, let's get going! If you missed Part 1 (MLA1, AfterMidnight) and Part 2 (MLA2, NightMoves), and don't want to buy them, donot despair. All three adventures aredesigned to be self-contained, so theymay be played individually or as aseries.

Night Life contains:

— a 64 page adventure book (you'rereading it now) which details the playercharacters, the non-player characters,and the story itself. — a pull-out map sheet that depictsseveral important locations. — a cover that features various mapsdesigned to help play run smoothly.

As Judge, you should read through theentire adventure book at least oncebefore play commences. If you are aninexperienced Judge, you may also wishto review the MARVEL SUPERHEROES rule books. Night Life is compatible with eitherthe Basic or Advanced rules, and reliesheavily on material published in theDeluxe City Campaign Set. However,you do not have to own the campaignset to play the Gang Wars Trilogy.

Intensity and FEATs

For those of you who own theAdvanced Set, this is nothing new—youmay skip it if you wish. Judges stillusing the Basic Set rules should readthis section carefully. In the Basic Set rules, a player has tomake a green FEAT roll for hischaracter to succeed at any action,limited only by the Judge's discretion.The idea of Intensity has been added inthe Advanced Set rules in order todetermine whether certain FEATs arefeasible, and the color result needed forthe FEAT to succeed.

Intensity is set as a rank (Feeble,Monstrous, and so on). Compare therequisite Ability against the Intensity todetermine the color of the FEATrequired for success, as follows:

— If the Intensity rank is greater thanthe Ability rank, only a red result issuccessful. — If the two are equal, a yellow or redresult succeeds. — If the Ability rank is greater thanthe Intensity rank, then any coloredFEAT (except white, of course) isnecessary for success. — If a FEAT does not have a statedIntensity, assume that any color resultmeans success. Alternatively, you maydeclare the Intensity to be Typical.

Automatic FEATs. In order to reducethe number of dice rolls during thegame, certain simple or unimportantactions can be considered automatic. Ifthe Intensity for the action is three ormore ranks lower than the hero'sAbility, the FEAT is automatic — noroll is necessary. The final decision as to whether aFEAT is automatic is left to the Judge.If a simple action is crucial to the story,the Judge has every right to call for aFEAT roll. In some cases, as with theeffects of poisons, a FEAT roll isrequired regardless of the Intensity.

Impossible FEATs. As with AutomaticFEATs, the Judge must decide when aFEAT is impossible. Generally, anyaction with an Intensity more than onerank above the hero's Ability may beconsidered impossible. If the action is important for thesuccessful completion of the adventure,the Judge may rule that a red resultachieves success for an otherwiseimpossible FEAT.

Karma Points

Some chapters of the adventure arefollowed by a section about Karma,which present suggested Karma awardsand reductions. All heroes who activelyparticipate in the

events of the chapter should split thepoints evenly among themselves (or addthem to a Karma Pool, if the heroeshave one). However, the Judge maygive a larger portion of the KarmaPoints to characters who do most of thework.

The Premise

The Fixer and Mentallo joined forcesto form a criminal organization, placingthemselves as its leaders. Calling theirgang the Faces of Fear, they decided tobring about the downfall ofHammerhead's branch of the Maggia.They stole a priceless, magical bookfrom the Metropolitan Museum of Art,and tried to pin the crime onHammerhead. Seeking revenge, Hammerheadattacked the Faces of Fear inChinatown, where the Fixer andMentallo had joined forces with theremnants of the nefarious Si Fanorganization. In exchange for the arcanebook, the Si Fan promised to help theFaces of Fear in their war against theMaggia. The Si Fan used the book toraise their deceased leader, the evil FuManchu, from the dead. Now that he is reborn, Fu Manchu hasdrawn together the hidden forces of hisworld-spanning criminal empire. Alliedwith the Fixer and Mentallo, Fu Manchuplans to escalate the Gang War as thefirst step toward world domination.

Getting Started

The majority of Night Life takes placeon Manhattan Island. If you are a proudowner of the Deluxe City Campaign Set,you will find it very helpful.Nevertheless, you can run Night Lifewithout this set. If the super heroes in your campaigndid not play through Part 1, getting theminvolved in the Gang War is noproblem. Begin with Chapter 1. If the characters survived Parts 1 and2, and are continuing the Gang WarsTrilogy, begin Night Life with Chapter3.

INTRODUCTION

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The three adventures in the GangWars Trilogy are designed for use withcharacters of the players' own creation.However, should your players not haveoriginal characters (and they don't wantto take the time to create some), allowthem to choose from those describedbelow.

Daredevil

Real Name: Matthew Murdock

F IN 40 Health: 110A IN 40S GD 10 Karma: 91E EX 20R TY 6 Resources: PR (4)I MN 75P GD 10 Popularity: 6

KNOWN POWERS:Enhanced Senses: Daredevil's senses oftouch, taste, hearing and smell havebeen enhanced to Monstrous rank. Hecan identify substances by taste, readprint on a page by touch, or track byscent. Overloading his senses reducesDaredevil's Enhanced Senses toIncredible rank. This occurs whenDaredevil experiences excessive noiseor numerous rapidly moving objects, forexample. Daredevil can use his enhancedhearing in a Power Stunt to determine ifa person is lying with Amazing ability.(He listens for an erratic heartbeat.)

Radar Sense: Daredevil has developedan omnidirectional sense that operatesas primitive radar. He can "see" three-dimensional images up to 3 areas away,regardless of light conditions. Rapidmovements and chaotic conditionsreduce this Power and his Intuition toIncredible rank. Daredevil cannot beblindsided.

Billy Club: Daredevil carries a BillyClub made of Incredible strengthmaterial. He may wield it or throw it forExcellent Blunt damage. Daredevil canthrow it up to 1 area away and ricochetit off multiple targets or hard surfaceswith a Power Stunt. By

firing a line from the club to anyadjacent area, Daredevil can use it toswing up to 3 areas per turn.

Blindness: Because he is blind,Daredevil is unaffected by any light-based attacks, illusions, or hypnosis.

Talents: Daredevil is a master ofAcrobatics and possesses Martial ArtsA, B and E. He is a Weapons Specialistwith his Billy Club, receiving a +2CS tohit. Although he has been disbarred,Murdock retains his legal training.

Background: One day, young MattMurdock saw a truck about to hit a blindman. Hurling himself in front of thevehicle, Murdock was able to keep theman from being struck. However, a canister of radioactivewaste the truck was carrying burst open,and Murdock was bombarded withradiation which blinded him, but alsoheightened his other senses. Matt Murdock later met a blindmartial arts master known as Stick, whotaught him how to use his augmentedsenses and trained him as a fighter. In order to finance his son's collegeeducation, Murdock's father, Jack (whowas a boxer past his prime), agreed tofix a fight. But because Matt watchedthe bout, his father could not humiliatehimself in front of his son and decidednot to throw the match. Jack was latergunned down in retaliation. The grief-stricken Matt Murdockfinished his studies at ColumbiaUniversity, then opened a law officewith his partner, Franklin "Foggy"Nelson. Murdock was determined to bring hisfather's killers to justice, but he couldsee no legal way of doing so. Hence, hedecided to adopt the guise of a costumedvigilante and called himself Daredevil.He was successful in avenging hisfather. Daredevil has had numerousviolent encounters with Kingpin, whorobbed Murdock of the woman heloved, his fortune, and his legalstanding.

Hawkeye

Real Name: Clint Barton

F GD 10 Health: 70A RM 30S GD 10 Karma: 22E EX 20R TY 6 Resources: GD (10)I GD 10P TY 6 Popularity: 45

KNOWN POWERS:Enhanced Vision: Hawkeye's eyesight isRemarkable.

Bow: His special bow enables him tofire 3 arrows per round at a range of 7areas.

Quiver: It has a 36-shaft capacity.

Harness: His costume holds 36arrowheads in quick-release cases.

Arrowheads: All have a range of 7areas, except where noted below. Eacharrowhead can be removed from its caseand mounted on a shaft in 2 seconds. — Acid: Inflicts Monstrous damage toa range of 3 areas. — Bola: A Remarkable entanglingattack. — Boomerang: A computerized, self-returning arrowhead, which may beadded to other arrowheads. — Cable: It contains a 2 area longcable of Incredible material strength. — Electrical: Inflicts Amazingdamage to a range of 5 areas. — Explosive: Inflicts Amazingdamage. — Flare: Causes Amazing damage totarget and gives Good Intensity light ina 2-area radius. — Magnetic: May carry cable oranother arrowhead, causing it to adherewith Incredible Intensity. — Net: An Incredible entanglementattack. — Putty: Adheres to rough surfaceswith Remarkable Intensity, and may beused to stop exposed machinery. — Rocket: May be added to otherarrowheads in order to boost their

THE PLAYER CHARACTERS

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range by 1 area. — Siren: Excellent Intensity noise intarget area. Endurance FEAT or beStunned for 1-10 turns. — Smoke: Fills 1 area. — Suction Cup: Remarkableadherence to smooth surfaces. — Tear Gas: Fills 1 area. — Thermal: Inflicts Remarkable heatdamage. — Vibration: Causes Excellentdamage.

Talents: Hawkeye's Archery skill isIncredible. He has Excellent Reason indesigning and building new arrowheads.He is knowledgeable in circus lore.

Background: Clinton Barton was theyounger of two sons born to a smallbusiness proprietor and his wife. Whenhis parents were killed in an automobileaccident when he was eight, Barton andhis brother were placed in the stateorphanage. At fourteen, Clint and Barney Bartonran away from the institute to join atraveling carnival. There, Clintapprenticed himself to the carnival's starattraction, the mysterious rogue knownonly as the Swordsman. Recognizingdint's natural flair for archery, theSwordsman agreed to tutor him in theart. (Barney was relegated to menialwork.) One day Clint witnessed Iron Man inaction, and decided to emulate him bydonning a colorful costume and usinghis archery skills to battle crime. IronMan eventually sponsored Hawkeye forAvengers membership. Hawkeye met and eloped with fellowcrimefighter Mockingbird during aleave of absence from the Avengers.Upon his return, he was appointed thechairman of a second team of Avengersbased on the West Coast. Recently, Hawkeye and Mockingbirdleft the Avengers. Although theirmarriage has been through rough times,the duo still work together as acrimefighting team.

Mockingbird

Real Name: Barbara "Bobbi" MorseBarton

F EX 20 Health: 56A EX 20S TY 6 Karma: 32E GD 10R EX 20 Resources: TY (6)I TY 6P TY 6 Popularity: 50

KNOWN POWERS:Body Armor: Mockingbird's costumegives her Remarkable protection fromphysical attacks and Excellentprotection against fire.

Battle Staves: She employs a pair ofspecial battle staves in combat thatallow her to do the following things: — Javelins: They inflict Remarkabledamage to any target up to 4 areas away. — Missiles: Spring-loaded holstersfire the staves up to 3 areas to causeExcellent damage. She can catch themwhen they rebound by making anAgility FEAT. — Vaulting Pole: When joinedtogether, the staves form an 8-foot-longvaulting pole.

Talents: Mockingbird has trainedextensively for combat. As such, shegains a +1CS with her staves and a+1CS to her Agility when Dodging. Shealso has Remarkable Reason in thefields of Biology, Law Enforcement,Detection, and Espionage.

Background: Barbara Morse graduatedfrom Georgia Institute of Technologywith a Ph.D. in biology, and passed herCivil Service examination so she couldwork with her biology professor on thegovernment-sponsored project todiscover the Super-Soldier formula thatcreated Captain America. While in the government's employ,Morse's exemplary record came to theattention of SHIELD, and she wasinvited to undertake training in her sparetime. A champion gymnast in highschool, Morse excelled at

both the physical regimen and arts ofespionage taught to all SHIELD agents. Her investigation of CrossTechnological Enterprises brought herinto conflict with Hawkeye, who wasthen employed as CTE's securitydirector. She and Hawkeye soon learnedthat CTE was knowingly manufacturingthe components for a machine designedto brainwash superhuman beings.Antagonistic at first, the two joinedforces to thwart the machine'scontractor, Crossfire, and his hirelings,Oddball and Bombshell. Mockingbird proposed to Hawkeye atthe successful conclusion of the caseand the two eloped. When Hawkeye wasappointed chairman of the Avengersnew West Coast team, Mockingbirdagreed to join her husband as anAvenger. Recently, Hawkeye and Mockingbirdleft the Avengers. Although theirmarriage has been through rough times,the duo still work together as acrimefighting team.

Moon Knight

Real Name: Marc Spector

F RM 30 Health: 80A EX 20S GD 10 Karma: 60E EX 20R GD 10 Resources: RM (30)I EX 20P RM 30 Popularity: 10

KNOWN POWERS:Nunchakus: Moon Knight carries a pairof steel nunchakus in a holster strappedto his right calf. He inflicts RemarkableBlunt damage with them.

Scarab Darts: With a range of 3 areas,these weapons cause Good EdgedThrowing damage. They are shaped likecrescent moons. As a called shot, MoonKnight can use them to pin a target to awall.

Talents: Moon Knight has acquired theskills of a Soldier, Driver and Financialspecialist. He also has the

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weapon skills of Guns, ThrownWeapons, and Bows.

Background: After rejecting his father'sscholarly way of life, Marc Spectorpursued a very materialistic existence.He became a liaison to the CIA, butsoon resigned to become a mercenarysoldier. As a soldier of fortune, Marc Spectorworked as second-in-command toRonald Bushman, a terrorist for hirewhose face was tattooed as a deathmask. While Bushman's forces werefighting rebels in the Sudan, Spectorlearned that Bushman planned to loot anearby archeological dig. This was allSpector needed to finally realize that hewas fighting on the wrong side. Hedecided to leave Bushman that night. Unfortunately, Dr. Peter Alraune, anAmerican archeologist working topreserve the treasures at the site, tried tostab Bushman. Spector instinctivelystopped him, and Bushman killed thearcheologist. Spector warned thearcheologist's daughter, Marlene, to getto safety and then challenged Bushman.Spector lost and was left in the desert todie. Adherents of an Egyptian religionfound Spector, but it was too late to savehis life. They took him before the statueof Khonshu, the Egyptian god of themoon. Miraculously, Spector's heartbegan beating again. In a delirium, heattributed his revival to Khonshu, anddeclared himself the moon's knight ofvengeance. Spector destroyed Bushman'sorganization in that part of the world,then returned to America. He decided toadopt the costumed identity of the MoonKnight in order to use his acquiredwealth and resources to wage waragainst criminals. Moon Knight joined the West CoastAvengers for a time, but has recentlyquit the team and returned to New YorkCity. While with the Avengers, he lostthe supernatural powers granted to himby Khonshu.

Shang-Chi

Real Name: Shang-Chi

F AM 50 Health: 130A RM 30S EX 20 Karma: 80E RM 30R GD 10 Resources: TY (6)I RM 30P IN 40 Popularity: 20

KNOWN POWERS:Ki-Powers: Shang-Chi can utilize his Ki(or life force), and has developed atleast one power stunt; he is able to grabblades (such as knives) out of the airand throw them back. This requires asuccessful Psyche FEAT roll forconcentration and an Agility FEAT forthe maneuver.

Talents: Shang-Chi is skilled in allforms of Martial Arts. He also gains a+1CS with all thrown weapons. He hasan Excellent reason regarding OrientalPhilosophy, and enjoys Fishing.

Background: Shang-Chi is a calm,stoic individual, who dislikes the life ofan adventurer. He speaks with a slightBritish accent. Shang-Chi is the son of theinternationally powerful criminalmastermind named Fu Manchu. Until hewas nineteen, Shang-Chi was trained byhis father and other instructors tobecome a master of the mental andmartial arts. Fu Manchu had raised his son tobelieve his father was a greathumanitarian. When Shang-Chi learnedthe truth about his father's evil nature,the young warrior declared himself hisfather's mortal enemy. Shang-Chi ultimately contributed tohis father's death. Fu Manchu's elixirvitae was no longer sufficient tomaintain his youth. Rapidly aging, FuManchu needed his son's blood torestore his physical vitality. Shang-Chiwrested away the blood-filled test tubeand spilled it on the ground. A franticFu Manchu was licking it up when anexplosion rocked the building. Shang-Chi escaped, but Fu Manchu was killed.

Spider-Man

Real Name: Peter Parker

F RM 30 Health: 160A AM 50S IN 40 Karma: 70E IN 40R EX 20 Resources: TY (6)I GD 10P IN 40 Popularity: 30/6

KNOWN POWERS:Wall-Crawling: Spider-Man can adhereto vertical and upside-down surfaceswith Amazing ability.

Spider-Sense: Spider-Man possesses aCombat Sense of Amazing at all times.This sense warns him of potentiallydangerous situations, alerting him by amental "buzzing." The higher the degree of the danger,the greater is the intensity of thebuzzing. Spider-Man cannot beblindsided while his Spider-Sense is ineffect, and may perform defensiveactions if he succeeds at an IntuitionFEAT roll. If this sense is denied him,his Intuition is as listed, and all AgilityFEATs are at -1CS.

Web-Shooters: From devices on hiswrists, Spider-Man can fire a web-likechemical formula. The webbing hasIncredible material strength the round itis fired, and hardens to Monstrousstrength in the following turn. Thewebbing dissolves in one hour. Spider-Man employs his webbing torestrain foes, to make swing lines(traveling 3 areas/turn), to createmissiles that inflict Excellent Bluntdamage (range: 3 areas), and to createshields of Monstrous material strength.

Spider-Tracer: Spider-Man carriesseveral small homing devices shapedlike spiders that are tuned to his Spider-Sense. He can track them with Amazingaccuracy up to 1 mile away.

Talents: Peter Parker is a graduatestudent in chemistry with a backgroundin physics. He works as a photographerat the Daily Bugle.

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Background: One evening Peter Parkerattended a public demonstration on thesafe handling of nuclear wastematerials. During the exhibition, acommon house spider wandered into thepath of a particle beam accelerator. Thespider fell on Parker's hand, and bit him.

On the way home, Peter was attackedby a gang of thugs, and found that hecould toss them around like rag dolls.Dazed and confused, he ran into thepath of a car, and jumped to safety byclinging to a wall. Parker quicklyassociated these superhuman powerswith the bite from the radioactive spider.

After his Uncle Ben was slain by aburglar that Peter could haveapprehended on a previous occasion, herealized that with power comesresponsibility. In the costumed identityof Spider-Man, Peter Parker began touse his abilities to fight crime.

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The super heroes encounter manynon-player characters (NPCs) during theadventure. For ease of reference, theyhave been divided into four factions (orgroups):

— the Faces of Fear — the Maggia — the Si Fan — the Wildboys

These groups and their typicalmembers are described below. Statisticsfor individual NPCs may be found in theNon-Player Character Roster at the endof this module.

The Faces of Fear

This gang of villains was secretlybrought together by the Fixer andMentallo. Should the fledglingorganization crumble, Mentallo and theFixer are relying on their anonymity toavoid retribution. Not even the membersof the Faces of Fear have any idea whothe Big Boss is. At the lowest level of the organizationare the former members of a street gangcalled the Batboys. They serve as a vitalconnection between the Faces of Fearand the streets, gathering informationand breaking legs. At one time, the Batboys operated onthe Lower East Side of Manhattan nearYancy Street. They profited mainly byselling drugs. However, they were alsoinvolved in a number of crimes, frommuggings to auto theft. Currently, they have beenincorporated into the Faces of Fear; theyare looking forward to much biggercrimes. To disguise themselves, theywear cheap Halloween masks, like thosefound in any novelty store.

Typical Batboy

F TY 6 Health: 32A GD 10S TY 6 Karma: 14E GD 10R PR 4 Resources: TY (6)I TY 6P PR 4 Popularity: 0

Talents: None.

Weaponry: The Big Boss has armedthem with handguns. As the Batboys,they used to carry baseball bats.

Since opening shop on the streets ofNew York, the Faces of Fear havebegun to terrorize merchants by forcingthem to pay "protection" money. Byselling drugs, they destroy families andlives as well. Operating mainly on the Lower EastSide of Manhattan and in Chinatown,the Faces of Fear are in direct conflictwith the Maggia.

The Maggia

This criminal organization is the mostpowerful in the world. Besides havingan iron grip upon most drug traffic,illicit gambling, and other prohibitedactivities, it also influences politicalofficials and labor unions. The Maggia is broken down into ahierarchy of independent groups called"families." Each family controls aspecific territory. Each is forbidden tooperate in another family's territorywithout permission. The Hammerhead family claims mostof Lower Manhattan, GreenwichVillage, and the Lower East Side as itsterritory. The Faces of Fear haveinfringed upon Hammerhead's turf,which causes a terrible gang war unlessthe heroes can intervene.

Typical Maggia Thug

F GD 10 Health: 32A TY 6S TY 6 Karma: 16E GD 10R TY 6 Resources: GD (10)I PR 4P TY 6 Popularity: 0

Talents: They are trained in MartialArts B.

Weaponry: Wearing pin-striped

suits. Hammerhead's thugs carryrevolvers and brass knuckles.

The Si Fan

Several years ago, the nefarious FuManchu built a secret criminal empirethat spanned the globe. The organizationis called the Si Fan. With their leader'sdemise, members of the Si Fan wentinto seclusion. They awaited what theycalled the Golden Empire — the daywhen Fu Manchu would arise from thegrave. That day was not far off. The Si Fanacquired an arcane book from the Facesof Fear. With it they resurrected FuManchu. In return for the book, the Si Fanpromised to aid Mentallo and the Fixerin their war with the Maggia. The highlyskilled long (i.e. ninjas) of the Si Fan,who are also known as the Warriors ofthe Golden Empire, joined forces withthe Faces of Fear.

Typical Si Fan Assassin

F EX 20 Health: 60A EX 20S GD 10 Karma: 32E GD 10R TY 6 Resources: PR (4)I TY 6P EX 20 Popularity: 0

Talents: The assassins are trained to useOriental Weapons and Martial Arts Aand E.

Weaponry: They carry six shuriken(throwing stars) and a dagger concealedin their long costumes.

Mental Barrier: Every Si Fan assassinhas had a Monstrous Intensity barrierplaced in his mind. If the mental blockis breached, the tong immediately diesfrom an embolism (blood clot). Anyone using Mental Powers toextract information from a tong's mindrealizes that a strong barrier is present.The character also knows that if he triesto penetrate the mental block and fails,the assassin will die.

NON-PLAYER CHARACTER FACTIONS

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Only Mental Powers of Amazing rankor better have a chance to break thebarrier. Even if the mentalist issuccessful, the tong may attempt aPsyche FEAT roll to resist the probing.

The Wildboys

This gang of street toughs is organizedand led by the criminal called Ammo.On numerous occasions, Ammo and hisWildboys have done "jobs" for theKingpin of Crime, Wilson Fisk. Ammohas also been an associate of TyphoidMary.

The main goal of the Wildboys is toincrease their territory and theirinfluence on the streets. With the help ofthe Kingpin, their goal is well withinreach.

Typical Wildboy

F GD 10 Health: 36A GD 10S TY 6 Karma: 18E GD 10R TY 6 Resources: TY (6)I TY 6P TY 6 Popularity: -2

Talents: Ammo has trained his "troops"in Martial Arts B and E.

Weaponry: Wildboys carry anassortment of weapons, includinglengths of chain, switchblade knives,and nunchakus. Every one-in-five ofthem is armed with a handgun.

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A 15-year-old genius named CameronSeaver was kidnapped by Fu Fanchu,who forced the boy to help him buildfive of these powerful devices. Out of acombination of Cameron's technologicalknow how and Fu Manchu's mysticalmight, the “techno-magical" SpiritBombs were born. They are shaped like shiny metaldiscs, about one foot in diameter andthree inches thick. They look like giantcoins. On one side of each Spirit Bomb is atiny flashing red light. Except for thelights, the devices are totally featureless,having no apparent seams or openings.Actually, the top half can be removed,but the seam is so small as to beinvisible to the naked eye.

Defusing a Spirit Bomb. This is atricky endeavor, which can result in theimmediate detonation of the device. The character must first open thebomb's metal shell (Remarkablematerial strength). To do so, the heropresses firmly on the flashing red lightand twists. This causes the top side toscrew off, revealing the inner workingsof the bomb. If the player cannot figure out how toopen the device, allow his character toattempt a Good Intensity Reason FEAT.If the roll is made, the hero suddenlyunderstands how to unscrew the bomb.If the roll is failed, the hero is baffled.Allow the player to keep trying until hegives up or figures it out. Inside the bomb is a confusion ofcolored wires, blinking lights, and tinyglass bubbles filled with strange gasesand liquids. The workings of the bombare bewildering and seem to disobey thecommon laws of physics. In order to understand exactly how todefuse the Spirit Bomb, the hero mustsucceed at an Incredible IntensityReason FEAT. Allow a character withthe Electronics, Engineering, orRepair/Tinkering Talent a +1CS on theroll. Even if the player character wasshown how to defuse the bombs byCameron Seaver (in Chapter 21), thehero must still attempt the Reason

FEAT. However, give the costumedadventurer a +3CS bonus. The Judge should make the roll insecret! The player may still spendKarma on the roll if he wishes. If the roll succeeds, the hero cansafely deactivate the device. This doesnot mean the character can defuse everySpirit Bomb he encounters. A newReason FEAT must be attempted eachtime because the internal workings ofthe bombs are laid out differently,making them confusing enough tobefuddle even the smartest character. If the Reason FEAT is failed, the herotruly believes he can defuse the bomb.However, the character has come to awrong conclusion. The Spirit Bombdetonates!

Detonation. When a Spirit Bombexplodes, it initially releases a wave offorce, causing all people and objectswithin 1 area to suffer an ExcellentIntensity Force attack. On the following turn, a black portal 1area in diameter forms on the spotwhere the bomb detonated. Each turnthe portal doubles in size (2 areas thesecond turn, 4 areas the third, and soon). The growing black portal is a techno-magical gateway between the earth'sdimension and the Nether Realm, aworld where the souls of horribly evilbeings suffer eternal torment. Any sentient beings who have a souland come into contact with the portalare immediately transported to theNether Realm. The gateway does notaffect animals, robots, or objects. If a Spirit Bomb were exploded on acity street, for example, any cars orbuildings within the black portal wouldnot be sucked into the gateway. Theywould simply appear to be standing in ashifting area of darkness. Any people inthe cars or buildings would be drawnthrough the gate to the Nether Realm,however.

A Flawed Theory. What CameronSeaver theorizes, and what Fu Manchuhopes, is that the infinite mysticalenergies of the Nether Realm will

swirl through the portal and swiftlyconsume the earth, making it a spiritworld exactly like the Nether Realm.When the earth is altered, Fu Manchuplans to place himself as its eldritchking—the Celestial One. Unfortunately for him, Fu Manchucannot test Cameron's theory, for if hecould he would discover the onevariable he forgot to include in theequation— the Rulers of the NetherRealm. These awesomely powerful beings donot take kindly to intrusions ordisturbances in their domain. AlthoughFu Manchu is certainly aware of theirexistence (they caused him greatsuffering for many years while he wastrapped in the Nether Realm), heunderestimated their abilities. They havethe power to close the techno-magicalgateways as soon as they are opened.They do not want the earth destroyed,for it is a prime source of evil souls. Tothem the planet is like a valuablebreeding farm. What the Rulers do want is the soul ofFu Manchu. Whenever a Spirit Bombdetonates, the Rulers send an extensionof their combined Psyches, an energycreature called Vortex, through theblack portal. With its glitteringtentacles, it tries to grasp Fu Manchuand any other souls within reach.Characters who cannot break free arepulled through the gateway to theNether Realm. See Vortex's statistics in the Non-Player Character Roster at the end ofthis module.

Closing a Portal. There are a couple ofways to shut a gateway: 1. Defeat Vortex. If the creature isreduced to zero or fewer Health Points,it is quickly drawn back to the NetherRealm by the Rulers and the portalvanishes. 2. Cameron's Device. In Chapter 21,the heroes may be given a football-shaped device. If it is thrown into aportal, the gateway quickly shrinks andwinks out of existence. If Vortex ispresent, he is forced to return to theNether Realm. Cameron's device canonly be used once.

THE SPIRIT BOMBS

10

SUMMARY: This chapter is for heroeswho did not play through Parts 1 and 2of the Gang Wars Trilogy. They learnabout the theft of the artifact and aredrawn into the adventure.

STARTING: When everyone is readyto begin, read the following boxed textto the players:

While flipping through your localMonday morning paper, you noticean interesting article on the frontpage.

"PRICELESS MUSEUM PIECESTOLEN!

Sometime after midnight last night,a priceless book was stolen from theMetropolitan Museum of Art in NewYork City. Police have no suspectsand are continuing theirinvestigation. The book, oddly titled A Madman'sMutterings, is several hundred yearsold and deals with

topics pertaining to the supernatural. Because specific details of thecrime are being withheld by theauthorities, the museum's curator,Mr. Maximilian Pride, refused tocomment to reporters."

AFTERMATH: The theft of anythingfrom the Met is a major media event.Not only is the crime detailed on thefront page of every newspaper in thecountry, but it is also on nationaltelevision all day Monday. During the day, the heroes witnesstelevision interviews with celebrities ofthe art community, all of whom areappalled that the security of the museumhas been breached. If one artifact hasbeen taken, what is to keep the thievesfrom stealing other art treasures? Be sure the players realize the theft isreceiving a lot of public attention. Arobbery at the Met should be enough toentice the heroes. By solving thisimportant crime, the costumedcharacters can expect some

good publicity (and possibly a monetaryreward). However, should they be reluctant,have each of the player charactersreceive a message from the curatorthrough contacts they had establishedprior to the adventure. If a hero has nocontacts, the curator simply places an adin all of the major newspapers in theUnited States (he is a very determinedman!). Assume the ads are seen by thecharacters. The notes (or ads) implore the superheroes to meet with Mr. Pride at themuseum five minutes prior to closing(4:55 p.m.) on Tuesday (the Met isclosed on Mondays; this gives thecharacters one full day to travel toManhattan, if they are in another city).A night watchman will be waiting forthem at the door. When the heroes decide to visit theMet, proceed with Chapter 2.

KARMA:Deciding to investigate withoutrequiring a note from the curator: +5

SUMMARY: The heroes visit theMetropolitan Museum of Art to look forclues, either on their own initiative or atthe request of the curator.

STARTING: When you are ready tobegin, read the following text to theplayers:

It's nearly five o'clock—closingtime at the Met. An elderlywatchman named Harry meets you atthe entrance to the famous museum,just as the last visitors are leaving. Unfortunately, your guided tour isshort, for your destination is nearby.Harry leads you through

the Great Hall, which is currentlydecorated with medieval tapestriesand weaponry, and into the library. Sitting in a comfortable chair is anelderly man wearing a fine suit. He isreading today's issue of the DailyBugle. "Hello, I'm Maximilian Pride, thecurator."

ENCOUNTER: Mr. Pride asks theheroes to be seated at an old oak table inthe library. Although he has been askedby the police to remain silent, recentevents have caused Mr. Pride to believethe police are going to need all of thehelp they can get. He is prepared toanswer the heroes' questions, and he is

willing to reveal some useful informa-tion. Some of the most importantquestions and answers are the followingones:

1. How was the book stolen? The thefttook place in the library — the sameroom the heroes are sitting in. The bookwas kept in a locked case, which wassmashed to bits. There were no signs offorced entry into the museum. Duringthe robbery, alarms mysteriouslymalfunctioned and security camerasrecorded only static. (The truth of the matter is that theFixer used his gadgets to scramble themuseum's security systems. Then, hesmashed the case with a nearby chair,took the book, and made a cleangetaway.)

CHAPTER 1: MUSEUM ROBBED!

CHAPTER 2: AT THE SCENE

11

2. Was anything else stolen? Severalother valuable texts on display with thebook in question were left untouched.When the guards discovered the theft,they found no sign of any intruders,except for one incriminating clue.

3. What is the evidence? Nestled uponthe ruins of the display case was a hat,similar in style to that made famous bythe gangsters of the 1920s — a wide-brimmed fedora with the crown creasedlengthwise. Stuck into a black bandaround the hat was a note that read:

"Hammerhead's puttin' the hammerdown!"

The police took the hat and note, butthe watchman (Harry) had read it, andlater told the curator.

4. Who is Hammerhead? Mr. Prideknows that Hammerhead is thenotorious godfather of a Maggia"family." He explains that the Maggia isa powerful international crime cartelcomposed of many smaller families. Ofimportance in the Manhattan area arethe Silvermane family, headed by SilvioManfredi, the Hammerhead family,headed by the super-criminalHammerhead, and the Nefaria family,headed by Whitney Frost.

5. What is the name of the book? Thebook is titled A Madman's Mutterings. Itwas written in 1690 by a man namedBartholomew Jacobs, who was burnedas a witch in 1692. Because of the fragile nature of thebook, Mr. Pride has never endeavored toread it, nor has he allowed anyone elseto handle it. However, he knows thewriting consists of a hodgepodge ofmyths and speculations about thesupernatural. The book is thought to beconfusing and tedious to read. The curator is aware of a legendconcerning the book (which is often toldduring tours of the museum). Accordingto the tale, A Madman's Mutterings waswritten in a secret code, which whendeciphered, re-

veals how to create an assortment ofgruesome monsters. Apparently,Bartholomew Jacobs was burnedbecause he summoned such creaturesfrom the spirit world. Originally, Mr. Pride put littlecredence in the legend, considering it anamusing anecdote. He has recentlychanged his opinion, however.

Recent Weird Happenings. Read thefollowing to the players:

Mr. Pride opens today's DailyBugle, lays it on the table, and pointsto one of the headlines:

"ROXXON WHIZ KIDKIDNAPPED BY PHANTOMS

"A bizarre incident occurred latelast night at the Upper East Sidehome of Cameron Seaver, a fifteen-year-old genius employed by RoxxonOil. The youth wassupposedly kidnapped by 'horribleghostly ninjas who could walkthrough walls.' "According to police, the Seavers'home was entered by unknownassailants shortly after midnight. Asno valuables were taken, policespeculate that the 'phantom ninjas'came only to capture CameronSeaver. "The boy's parents, who witnessedthe entire episode, were unharmed.Currently, they remain sequestered intheir home and refuse to speak withreporters. "Representatives from Roxxonhave no comment."

Mr. Pride explains that he believesHammerhead deciphered the book andused it to kidnap the whiz kid. He warnsthe heroes that more supernatural crimesare imminent. The curator told the police of his fears,but they laughed at him. He begs theheroes to recover the book, "before theMaggia unleashes an army of ghostsupon the city!" If your players are heavily motivatedby money, Mr. Pride is willing to offer

up to $50,000 for the return of the book.

Another Clue. Choose one of the playercharacters at random and secretlyattempt a Typical Intensity IntuitionFEAT for that hero. If the roll issuccessful, read the following aloud foreveryone to hear:

When the curator read the newspaperarticle, a different headline caught(enter chosen hero's name) attention.This other article says:

"CAR BOMB KILLS THREE,INJURES SEVEN

"Last evening a bomb explodedinside a car parked in front ofAntonio's House of Pasta, arestaurant frequented by members ofNew York City's criminalunderworld. Three patrons died onthe scene, while seven others weregravely injured. "The authorities have no suspectsand are continuing theirinvestigation. Responding toreporters, Lieutenant Angus Lamontof the NYPD blamed the incident ona feud between rival factions of theMaggia. One of the dead, Mr. LuigiCappuccino, is a reputed Maggiaboss."

The curator asks the characters toleave a telephone number or an addresswhere they can be reached. If they donot (because of secret IDs or whatever),Mr. Pride states that he will take out adsin the Daily Bugle in order to contactthem.

AFTERMATH: If the heroes want tospeak with Lieutenant Lament, go toChapter 4. If they choose to investigate the sceneat Antonio's House of Pasta, turn toChapter 5. If the heroes decide to visit CameronSeaver's parents in order to learn moreabout the phantom ninjas, turn toChapter 6. If they choose to investigate RoxxonOil, go to Chapter 8.

12

SUMMARY: This chapter is for heroeswho played the first two modules andare continuing the Gang Wars Trilogy.They learn that the street war isescalating and that an employee ofRoxxon Oil was kidnapped byphantoms.

STARTING: In Part 1, the heroesdefeated Mister Fear and several othercostumed villains. They also discoveredthe bizarre hypnoporter machine.However, they did not recover the stolenbook. In Part 2 they find out that Mentalloand the Fixer are really the mysteriousBoss. They also witnessed the rebirth ofthe nefarious Fu Manchu, whose globe-spanning criminal empire, the Si Fan,threatens to takeover the world. After the characters have tied up anyloose ends (and recovered lost HealthPoints), it is time to bring the Gang Warto a dramatic conclusion. When you are ready to begin Part 3,read the following to the players:

While flipping through today'sDaily Bugle, two articles grab yourattention:

"CAR BOMB KILLS THREE,INJURES SEVEN "Last evening a bomb explodedinside a car parked in front ofAntonio's House of Pasta, arestaurant frequented by members ofNew York City's criminalunderworld. Three patrons died onthe scene, while seven others weregravely injured. "The authorities have no suspectsand are continuing theirinvestigation. Responding toreporters, Lieutenant Angus Lamontof the NYPD blamed the incident ona feud between rival factions of theMaggia. One of the dead, Mr. LuigiCappuccino, is a reputed Maggiaboss."

The second article says:

"ROXXON WHIZ KIDKIDNAPPED BY PHANTOMS "A bizarre incident occurred latelast night at the Upper East Sidehome of Cameron Seaver, a 15-year-old genius employed by Roxxon Oil.The youth was supposedly kidnappedby 'horrible ghostly ninjas who couldwalk through walls.'

"According to police, the Seavers'home was entered by unknownassailants shortly after midnight. Asno valuables were taken, policespeculate that the 'phantom ninjas'came only to capture CameronSeaver. "The boy's parents, who witnessedthe entire episode, were unharmed.Currently, they remain sequestered intheir home and refuse to speak withreporters. "Representatives from Roxxonhave no comment."

The heroes will probably realize that the"ninjas" are in fact tong, the Chineseassassins they met in the previousadventure.

AFTERMATH: If the heroes want tomeet with Lieutenant Lament, go toChapter 4. Should they choose to investigate thescene at Antonio's House of Pasta, turnto Chapter 5. If the heroes decide to pay the Seaversa visit, turn to Chapter 6. If they want to go to the RoxxonBuilding, proceed with Chapter 8.

CHAPTER 3: THE EVENING NEWS

13

SUMMARY: The heroes visit policeheadquarters to speak with LieutenantLament, who is in charge ofinvestigating the Gang War. They alsoprevent a breakout by Mongoose.

STARTING: Use any of the city mapsthat came with either the Advanced Setor Basic Set game. Pick any suitablebuilding to be police headquarters. Placea marker in front of the building torepresent the armored car. When everyone is ready, read thefollowing boxed text aloud:

As you approach police head-quarters, you see a commotion on thestreet outside the building. Anarmored van is parked there, and acrowd of reporters and civilians hasformed a ring around the vehicle. Standing in front of a camera is avery attractive newswoman. Youhear her speak into a microphone."Just moments ago, this heavilyarmored truck arrived on the scene.Inside is a vicious criminal knownonly as the Mongoose. He issuspected of numerous murders inthe Manhattan area. I have learnedthat he has been brought here to beinterrogated by Lieutenant Lament,who is in charge of investigating thegrowing Gang War. Is it possible thatMongoose is involved? That is thequestion everyone here wants to ask... I see that the doors of the armoredtruck are opening ... The Mongooseis stepping out... Oh my God!"

ENCOUNTER: Five of the spectatorsin the crowd are Mongoose's henchmen.They are armed with machine pistols.For their statistics, use those given for a"Typical Maggia Thug" in the Non-Player Character Factions section. When Mongoose steps out of thearmored truck, he is escorted by twoGuardsmen. He is restrained byinhibitor bands. While wearing them, hesuffers a -5CS on all physical abilities(FASE) and a -7CS on the use of all

Powers. However, Mongoose does nothave them on for long. As soon as they see their boss, the fivehenchmen go to work. During the firstround of action, each of them covers hisnose and mouth with a small gas maskand draws his machine pistol. One ofthem fires a burst into the air and orderseveryone to "kiss the pavement!" At the same moment, Mongoosereleases Stunning Gas from his gauntlets(the Guardsmen were unaware of thissecret weapon) which fills the areaaround the villain and knocks out theGuardsmen. Any heroes in the smoke-filled area must succeed at an UnearthlyIntensity Endurance FEAT or fallunconscious for 1-10 turns. Most of thecivilians succumb to the gas. Othersstumble away from the armored van,coughing and choking. Unless the heroes stop them all, one ofthe five thugs frees Mongoose on thefollowing turn. If his goons fail,Mongoose tries to break his restraints.This requires a red FEAT result on theFeeble column of the Universal Table.The super villain spends all of his 36Karma points in the attempt. If Mongoose is freed, he savagelyattacks the nearest hero. Any thugs whowere not incapacitated shoot at theplayer characters, and might even try totake hostages. This continues until Mongoose haslost over half of his Health Points, atwhich time the villain's desire forfreedom overcomes his lust for blood.Mongoose uses his Hyper-Speed to tryand escape from the heroes. Hishenchmen try to escape in theGuardsmen's truck.

Armored Truck

Control Speed Body ProtectionTY TY RM RM

For those of you unfamiliar with theAdvanced Rules, Protection is a newattribute for vehicles that represents theequivalent amount of Body Armor thevehicle provides those within. Thus, the

armored truck protects the driver andany passengers as if they were wearingRemarkable Body Armor.

The Guardsmen. If the playercharacters are about to lose the fight,allow the two Guardsmen to recoverfrom the knockout gas and help theheroes. They are security officers fromthe Vault, a prison for super-poweredcriminals, and wear armor produced byStane International. They are highlytrained professionals. Their statisticsmay be found in the Non-PlayerCharacter Roster section of thisadventure.

The Police. After the battle has ragedfor 1-5 turns, 1-10 officers storm out ofpolice headquarters. They help theheroes and try to keep civilians frombeing hurt.

Typical Policeman

F GD 10 Health: 36A GD 10S TY 6 Karma: 18E GD 10R TY 6I TY 6P TY 6

Talents: Law Enforcement skill.

Weaponry: Billy club and handgun.

Lieutenant Lamont. After the situationwith Mongoose is under control, theheroes enter the building and meet thelieutenant. The way that LieutenantLamont reacts to them depends upontheir Popularity and their actions in theprevious battle. When the player characters beginasking the lieutenant questions, allowthe hero with the highest Popularity toattempt a Popularity FEAT. If the roll isfailed, Lieutenant Lamont refuses tospeak with the heroes and demands thatthey leave the building. If the result is green, the officeranswers only one or two of theirquestions before asking them to leave.

CHAPTER 4: MONGOOSE WANTS BLOOD

14

If the result is yellow or red, thelieutenant freely answers all of theheroes' questions. Allow the characters a +2CS on thePopularity FEAT roll if they capturedMongoose. Give them a -4CS penalty ifMongoose escaped. Some of the most important questionsand answers are the following ones:

1. What do you know about the GangWar? Lieutenant Lamont's preliminaryinvestigation has revealed there is astruggle for control of the Lower EastSide between Hammerhead's branch ofthe Maggia and a new gang called theFaces of Fear. He does not know whothe leader of the Faces of Fear is, or thatFu Manchu and the Si Fan are alsoinvolved.

2. What do you know about a bookstolen from the Met? He is not directlyinvolved in that investigation, but he isaware that Hammerhead is a primesuspect. The lieutenant

doubts there is any connection betweenthe stolen book and the increase in gangviolence.

3. What do you know about the boywho was kidnapped? He is notinvestigating this case either. All heknows is that the kid was taken by tong.Lieutenant Lamont suspects it may be acase of industrial terrorism on the partof one of Roxxon's foreign competitors.He has no idea which corporation woulddo such a thing. (Actually, CameronSeaver was kidnapped by the Si Fan.)

4. How is Mongoose involved? Thedetective believes that Mongoose hascarried out several assassinations for theMaggia, and he wants to interrogate thevillain before he is taken to the Vault.The lieutenant does not yet know forcertain if his suspicions aboutMongoose are correct. (The truth is thatMongoose is a hired killer, but he is notinvolved in the Gang War.)

The lieutenant requests that the heroescontact him if they get any newinformation. He gives them his officetelephone number.

AFTERMATH: If the heroes want tolook for clues at Antonio's House ofPasta, continue with Chapter 5. If they decide to visit the Seavers'home, turn to Chapter 6. Should they choose to investigateRoxxon Oil, go to Chapter 8. If the heroes want to take a day off,proceed with Chapter 10.

KARMA:Capturing Mongoose: +100Allowing Mongoose to escape: -40Capturing the five thugs: +45For each thug who escapes: -15The Guardsmen must come tothe rescue: -20For each bystander who isinjured: -20If anyone is killed: -ALL

15

SUMMARY: The heroes investigatethe scene of the car-bombing, and find amemorial service for the dead gangsterin progress. The ceremony is interruptedby a robot duplicate of Hammerhead.

STARTING: Use any of the city mapsincluded with either the Advanced Setor Basic Set. Pick a building to be thelocation of Antonio's House of Pasta.Place a marker in front of the restaurantto represent the limousine. Because the action takes place on thestreet, an interior map is not necessary. When everyone is ready to begin, readthe boxed text aloud:

Down the street from you isAntonio's House of Pasta. The carbomb nearly destroyed the front ofthe restaurant. The bricks of the frontwall are scorched. The brokenwindows have been covered withsheets of plywood. Nailed to the dooris a big sign which says, "CLOSEDFOR RENOVATION." Hanging on the front wall andlittering the sidewalk are wreaths offlowers. On a wooden stand in frontof the door is a large photograph of amiddle-aged man. Written on a signbeneath the picture are the words,"IN MEMORY OF LUIGICAPPUCCINO." A group of about 12 well-dressedpeople stands around the photograph.Their heads are bowed. One of themis a priest. Suddenly, a long black limousinehurtles around the corner and squealsto a stop in front of the restaurant.The door opens and out steps a manwearing a black hat and trench coat.He is carrying a wreath of flowers. From your vantage point down thestreet, you hear one of the mournerscry out, "Boss, what are ya doin'here?! The cops are lookin' all overfor ya!"

ENCOUNTER: The man in the trenchcoat looks exactly like Hammerhead.However, it is actually a robot duplicate

with a nasty surprise. It was built by theFixer with the express purpose ofwiping out Maggia thugs. Concealed beneath the wreath offlowers and its long coat, the robot iscarrying a sub-machine gun. The heroeshave one round to react before it opensfire on the crowd of mourners.

Hammerhead Robot

F EX 20 Health: 120A RM 30S RM 30 Karma: 0E IN 40R TY 6I S0 0P S0 0

KNOWN POWERS:Body Armor: The robot is constructed ofRemarkable Strength materials, grantingit the equivalent of Remarkable BodyArmor.

There are six Maggia henchmen in thecrowd. If the robot attacks them, they allrun for cover. If the heroes attack therobot before it shoots into the crowd, thethugs believe the machine is reallyHammerhead and help it battle theplayer characters. During the commotion, the limospeeds away. The driver is one of theFaces of Fear. If the heroes catch him,the goon refuses to answer theirquestions.

Limousine

Control Speed Body ProtectionPR GD EX GD

For an explanation of the Protectionattribute, see Chapter 4.

Some Answers. After the battle, theheroes might want to ask the Maggiahenchmen some questions. The thugsgive up some information if one of theheroes gets a yellow or better result on aPopularity FEAT roll. Because the gangsters realize theplayer characters saved them from a

killer robot, give the heroes a +1CS onthe FEAT roll. If the roll is missed, the Maggiacronies refuse to speak to the playercharacters. A few of the most important questionsand answers are listed below:

1. Who sent the robot? They guess itwas sent by a new gang called the Facesof Fear. (They are correct.)

2. Who is the leader of the Faces ofFear? Someone known only as theBoss. (In truth, the Fixer and Mentalloare both leaders of the Faces of Fear.)

3. Is the Boss responsible for the carbomb? The thugs believe so. (They arecorrect.)

4. Where is Hammerhead? He ishiding out. They don't know exactlywhere (and wouldn't tell if they did).

5. Did Hammerhead steal a book fromthe Met? They don't know anythingabout A Madman's Mutterings. (Thetruth of the matter is that the Fixer stolethe book and gave it to Fu Manchu.)

6. Do you know anything about theboy who was kidnapped? They heard arumor that Cameron was taken by theFaces of Fear, who plan to hold him fora big ransom. They supposedly want themoney to finance the Gang War.(Actually, the Si Fan took him.)

AFTERMATH: If the heroes want tospeak to Lieutenant Lamont, turn backto Chapter 4. If they decide to visit the Seavers'home, continue with Chapter 6. Should they choose to investigateRoxxon Oil, go to Chapter 8. If the heroes want to take a day off,proceed with Chapter 9.

KARMA:Defeating the robot: +40For each bystander who isinjured: -20If anyone is killed: -ALL

CHAPTER 5: THE HOUSE OF PASTA

16

SUMMARY: The heroes visit CameronSeaver's parents in order to uncoverclues concerning the boy's kidnapping.

STARTING: The Seavers' home islocated in a well-to-do neighborhood onthe Upper East Side of Manhattan. Amap of the house is not required. When you are ready to proceed, readthe following text aloud:

You are standing on the sidewalkoutside the Seavers' home. It is avery nice house surrounded by a highstone wall. The gate is closed. From its position at the top of thewall, a video camera watches youimpassively. A man's voice cracklesfrom an intercom on the wall nearby,"My name is Officer Hanlon. What isyour business here?"

ENCOUNTER: Officer Hanlon hasbeen assigned as a bodyguard forCameron's parents. If the heroes wish tospeak with the Seavers, they must firstpersuade the policeman to let theminside. Any hero who tries to talk his wayinside may attempt a Popularity FEATroll. A yellow or red result is requiredfor success. If the roll is failed, OfficerHanlon asks all of the heroes to leave.Should they refuse, he immediately callsfor backup (which arrives in 1-10minutes). If the heroes captured Mongoose (inChapter 4), grant them a +2CS to theroll (news of the battle has spreadthroughout the police department). If theplayer characters allowed Mongoose toescape, give them a -2CS penalty. If the adventurers have failed topersuade Officer Hanlon to let theminside, they have another alternative -they can call Lieutenant Lament and askhim to intercede on their behalf. If theheroes are on good terms with thedetective (i.e., they succeeded at aPopularity FEAT in Chapter 4), hephones Officer Hanlon and orders himto let the heroes speak with the Seavers.

The Seavers. Once inside the house, theheroes find Mr. Seaver pacing the floorof his library. Mrs. Seaver sits in a high-backed leather chair nearby, ner-

vously drinking a cup of coffee. Fromthe tired look on their faces, it appearsthey have not slept since the kidnapping. The Seavers are happy to see theheroes. "Please, come in," says Mr.Seaver. "Have you found our son yet?"asks Mrs. Seaver. The following are some importantquestions the heroes should askCameron's parents:

1. What happened? Mr. Seaver tellsthe story: "It was just after midnight,and everyone was in bed, when I heardmy son scream. My wife Helen and Irushed to see what was wrong. We flungopen the door to Cameron's bedroom.Inside, we saw him being taken out thewindow by a man wearing a dark greenninja costume. Standing like statues inthe shadows of the room were severalother ninjas, but they were different.They were like ghosts. We could seeright through them! "The one who seemed to be the leaderpulled off his hood and spoke to Helenand me. I'll never forget what he said.He said, 'Behold the parents of theSacred Child! Do not fear for your son.He is as my own son now, for throughhis genius the Golden Empire shall rise!' "The one who spoke suddenly reachedout and touched Helen and me. Hisghostly hand went right into us! Weboth screamed and collapsed to thefloor. That's all we remember. Ourbutler called an ambulance, but weawoke before it arrived ... You've got tosave our son from that madman!"

2. What did the leader look like? Hewas a tall middle-aged Chinese man.His eyes were piercing and evil. Hisblack mustache was long, and it hungdown below his chin. (The man was FuManchu.)

3. What is the Golden Empire? Theyhave never heard of it before, and haveno idea what it might be.

4. Do you know anything about a bookstolen from the Met? No, but thequestion causes them to remember thatCameron had received a phone call thenight he was abducted. The call dis-

turbed him so much that he went to bedearly. When his parents asked about it,Cameron only mumbled something like,"They want me to read that book, but Idon't want anything to do with that stuff.They can't make me read it!" Mr. and Mrs. Seaver assumed thatRoxxon wanted their son to take anotheruniversity course, and didn't pursue thematter further.

5. What does Cameron do at Roxxon?They have no idea. The project he isworking on is top secret. Cameron can'teven tell his folks about it. The onlything they know about his job, otherthan he is very well paid, is thatCameron has an assistant whom hecares for very much.

6. Who is the assistant? Her name isSammy Sung. She lives in Chinatown.The Seavers give the heroes the address.

The Aspirator. Before the heroes leave,Mrs. Seaver explains that Cameronoccasionally suffers from asthmaattacks. His aspirator (which issometimes known as an inhaler) injectsa medicinal mist into his lungs thatprovides quick relief from an asthmaattack. Mrs. Seaver knows Cameron does nothave his aspirator with him. She takes itout of her pocket and gives it to one ofthe heroes (chosen at random). "If hehas an attack, he might die without hisaspirator. Please, take this to my boy,"she pleads.

AFTERMATH: If the heroes choose tovisit Lieutenant Lament for the firsttime, turn back to Chapter 4. If they are going to Antonio's Houseof Pasta for the first time, go to Chapter5. Should they decide to visit SammySung in Chinatown, proceed withChapter 7. Finally, if they are going directly toRoxxon Oil, move ahead to Chapter 8.

KARMA:Promising to find Cameron: +10Taking the aspirator: +10Failing to get inside the house: -40

CHAPTER 6: CAMERON COME HOME

17

SUMMARY: The heroes meet SammySung in Chinatown, just in time tothwart an attack by Si Fan assassins. From Sammy, the player characterslearn that Hiram Jones is a projectcoordinator at Roxxon who wasworking with Cameron Seaver.

STARTING: Use a 10-area-tallbuilding on whatever map you areusing. Because the action takes place on theroof, an interior map of the apartment isnot required. When the heroes arrive at Sammy's,they find a note taped to the front door.It says, "Tommy, I'm on the roof withthe pigeons. Come on up. Love,Sammy." When the heroes step onto the roof,read the boxed text aloud:

From your vantage point on theroof of Sammy's apartment building,you can see the hustle and bustle ofChinatown on the streets below. Theneon spectacle is quite beautiful. However, your reverie isinterrupted by the clattering andflapping of a flock of pigeons. Thefrightened birds are flying out of awooden pen at the other end of theroof. Running among them is aterrified Chinese woman. She ispursued by a group of green-cladtong!

ENCOUNTER: Sammy runs scream-ing toward the exit, where the heroes arestanding. The tong do not hesitate toattack the player characters. Five ofthem are "Typical Si Fan Assassins,"while the sixth is a Phantom Tong asdescribed in the Non-Player CharacterRoster section of this module.

Battling on the Roof. The tong usetheir martial arts talents to try and knockthe heroes off the roof. Because of theirskill, the assassins can Stun or Slamopponents regardless of theircomparative Strengths and Endurances.Anyone who is Slammed one or moreareas goes over the side.

The building is 10 areas tall. A fallingcharacter plummets 3 areas on the firstround, 6 areas on the second, and theremaining 1 area on the third turn.Anyone who smacks the pavement takesdamage as if he made a Charging attackagainst the street's Excellent materialstrength.

Stopping a Fall. Trying to catch aflagpole, light post, or ledge whilefalling is an Agility FEAT of intensityequal to the speed of the fall (PoorIntensity on the first round, Typical onthe second, and Good on the third turn). A character on the ground or one whocan fly might try to catch a falling hero.Use either the Advanced Set or BasicSet rules to resolve the situation.

Sammy Sung. During the battle, sheflees down the stairs to her apartmentand calls the police. Three squad carsarrive outside the building in 3-30minutes. After the fight, the heroes find Sammylocked in her apartment. They mustsucceed at a green Popularity FEAT tobe allowed inside. If the roll is missed,she refuses to let them in until the policehave arrived. In either case, the heroes caneventually ask Sammy some questions.No Popularity FEAT roll is required toget the answers. The heroes will mostlikely ask the following questions:

1. Why are the tong after you? Shebelieves it has something to do withCameron's disappearance. Sammy isvery worried about Cameron. Althoughshe is merely his assistant, she feelsresponsible for Cameron because he isso young.

2. What do you know about thekidnapping? She knows only what wasin the newspapers. However, while shewas with the pigeons, she found a notefrom Cameron. The note says: "Sammy, I'm in bigtrouble. They say they'll hurt Mom andPop if I don't help them. I think HiramJones is involved. They may

want you, too. Be careful, Sammy.Love, Cameron."

3. Who are "they"? Sammy doesn'tknow who Cameron is talking about orwhy they want him.

4. Who is Hiram Jones? He is theproject coordinator at Roxxon who isworking with Sammy and Cameron. Shedoesn't believe he could be involved inkidnapping Cameron. "Hiram's such anice man," she says.

5. Where can we find Hiram? Sammydoesn't know his home address. She tellsthe heroes that Hiram is almost alwaysat Roxxon Plaza in Midtown Manhattan.

6. What is the project Cameron wasworking on? She refuses to talk aboutthe project. Sammy could lose her job ifshe gives away top secret information."Hiram Jones is the only personauthorized to speak about it," she says."You'll have to talk to him."

Questioning the Tong. Because of theMental Barriers placed in the tong'sminds, using Mental Powers to extractinformation from them is virtuallyimpossible. For details about MentalBarriers, see the description of a"Typical Si Fan Assassin" in the Non-Player Character Factions section.

AFTERMATH: If the heroes decide tomeet with Lieutenant Lamont for thefirst time, turn back to Chapter 4. If they are going to Antonio's Houseof Pasta for the first time, turn back toChapter 5. If the characters plan to visit HiramJones at Roxxon Oil, proceed withChapter 8.

KARMA:Capturing the Phantom Tong: +30Capturing the Si Fan assassins: +15Preventing Sammy from beingkidnapped: +30Allowing Sammy to bekidnapped: -30Sammy is injured: -20

CHAPTER 7: TROUBLE AT SAMMY’S

18

SUMMARY: On their way to meetHiram Jones at Roxxon Oil, the heroesbecome involved in an anti-pollutiondemonstration.

STARTING: Roxxon Plaza is locatedin Rockefeller Center, a complex of 21skyscrapers. The enormous RoxxonPlaza tower is 56 stories tall, and isheadquarters of the world's largest oilcompany. If you are a proud owner of theDeluxe City Campaign Set, you can findRoxxon Plaza on the map of westMidtown. If you do not own the campaign set,but have the map included with theAdvanced Set rules, consider "PublicSchool #507" on the corner of 8thAvenue and Buchanan Street to beRoxxon Plaza. Tell the players thebuilding is actually 56 stories tall andnot 4 stories, as it is marked on the map. If you only have the map found withthe Basic Set rules, consider the "KruppBuilding" on 7th Avenue and ClevelandStreet to be Roxxon Plaza. Inform theplayers that the structure is 56 storiestall. When the heroes approach thebuilding, read the boxed text aloud:

You are outside Roxxon Plaza. Theimmense structure towers into the air. Walking in a circle near theentrance is a group of about 20civilians. They are carrying signs andchanting very loudly, "Roxxon kills!... Roxxon kills!" Several news stations are filmingthe demonstration. Police are begin-ning to arrive on the scene. A man wearing mirrored sunglas-ses and a very expensive businesssuit exits the building carrying amegaphone. His amplified voiceyells above the crowd, "Roxxon isspending millions of dollars tocleanup the oil spill. We are doingthe best we can. Your demonstrationis only making things worse. If youdo not disperse immediately, I amauthorized to have you all arrested!"

From the crowd someone yells,"Go ahead and try! (Enter a playercharacter's name) will protect ourrights!" Someone else screams out,"Yeah! And (enter name of anotherhero) is here, too!" The man with the megaphone looksat you. "Is that right?" he says. "Haveyou heroes come here to protestagainst Roxxon's right of free trade?Don't you realize that Roxxonsupplies this great country with theenergy it needs to survive? I'll askyou only once before I have youarrested with the rest of this riffraff.Are you heroes loyal Americans, orare you law-breaking demon-strators?"

ENCOUNTER: The man with themegaphone is Roxxon's security chief.In the lobby behind him are 10 heavilyarmed guards, who come to the chief'said at the slightest threat of trouble.They have the attributes of "TypicalMaggia Thugs." Allow the heroes to make a speech.Do they support the anti-pollutiondemonstrators, or do they argue in favorof the rights of the oil company? At some point during the heateddebate, read the following aloud:

Suddenly, one of the protestorspoints into the sky and screams,"Look! That guy's gonna jump!" Standing on the ledge of theRoxxon building at about the 40thfloor is a man wearing a bluejumpsuit and a red cap. The windblows fiercely. It seems that the mancan barely stand on the ledge. The man with the megaphoneshouts up to him, "Hey you! Comedown from there this instant! I don'tknow what kinda stunt you're tryingto pull, but it won't work!" News cameras pan up to get a goodshot of the man. You hear a reportersay, "We have an exciting

development here at Roxxon Plaza. Itappears that one of the demon-strators... Oh, no!" As you watch in horror, the manleaps out from the building andplummets toward the pavement!

Allow the player characters one turnto react. If the heroes don't get to himfirst, the man falls three floors, thenpulls a cord and opens the parachutestrapped to his back. Written in big redletters across the chute are the words,"ROXXON KILLS." Unless the heroes have alreadyrescued him, the protestor glides downthree more stories to the 34th floor. Atthis point, his parachute snags a flagpoleprotruding from the wall. The man isnow in serious danger. The chute beginsto rip. The heroes have two turns to getto him before his parachute tears. If theydon't, the demonstrator falls again-thistime for real. During the first turn of his fall, theman descends three stories to the 31stfloor. On the second turn, he plummetssix stories to the 25th floor. He drops 10more stories on the third round, and theremaining 15 floors on the fourth andfinal round. If he hits the pavement, hedies immediately.

The Demonstration. The police begincarting off the protestors. They do notstruggle, but must be physically pickedup and put into police vans. If the heroes spoke in favor of RoxxonOil, the Roxxon security chief allowsthem to enter the building unmolested.Once inside, they meet Hiram Jones (seebelow). If the player characters took the sideof the protestors, the security chiefdemands that the police arrest them.Determine which hero has the highestPopularity and use his score to attempt aPopularity FEAT for the group. Allowthe characters to spend Karma on theroll. If the characters saved theparachutist,

CHAPTER 8: ROXXON OIL

19

give them a +2CS on the roll. If the mandied, give them a -4CS penalty. If the result is yellow or red, the policedo not arrest them. The heroes may thenenter Roxxon Plaza. If the result is white or green, theauthorities ask the heroes to come downto the station. Because they aresupposed to be heroes, they should notresist the police. If the characters attackthe cops, the results are left to the Judge.The heroes should suffer serious Karmaand Popularity losses (at least – 60Karma and half of all Popularity). Theybecome hunted criminals if they are notcaptured. If they surrender, the heroes are takento police headquarters and held forquestioning. After a short while, theydiscover that all charges against themhave been dropped by the president ofRoxxon Oil.

Hiram Jones. When the heroes finallyenter the building, they find the securitychief and three guards sitting behind ahuge information desk. When the player characters ask tospeak with Hiram Jones, the securitychief calls Hiram on the telephone, theninforms the heroes that Mr. Jones willbe down shortly. The guard instructs thecharacters to wait in a nearbyconference room. After several minutes, Hiram entersthe conference room and introduceshimself to the heroes. He is a frazzledmiddle-aged man, who appears near thepoint of a breakdown. He has worn thesame suit for several days, and hasn'tshowered for the same amount of time. After asking the heroes what theywant with him, Hiram wearily answerstheir questions as follows:

1. What do you know about Cameron'sdisappearance? He claims to know onlywhat was revealed in the newspapers.(He is lying. Hiram knows that someonecalled the Celestial One has Cameron,but he doesn't know where the boy isbeing kept. Hiram would like to tell theheroes the truth, but he is being

blackmailed. Unless he continues tosmuggle information and equipment outof Roxxon for the Celestial One to use,Hiram's family will be killed.)

2. What project was Cameron workingon? He can only tell the heroes that itinvolves developing a source oflimitless energy. Without Cameron'sgenius, Hiram is struggling to keep theproject alive. This is why he isoverworked. (The project is calledProject: TODE. The name is anacronym for Tapping OtherDimensional Energies.)

3. Why were protestors outside? Lastweek a Roxxon tanker was involved in aminor oil spill off the coast of LongIsland. Although the incident wasquickly and efficiently taken care of, theprotestors continue to use the accidentto discredit Roxxon. (That is Hiram'spoint of view. Actually, the spill ismuch larger than reported, and thecleanup efforts have been minimal.)

4. Do you know anything about thestolen book or the Gang War? Hedoesn't know anything useful abouteither one.

The Watcher. At some point duringtheir conversation with Hiram, pick oneof the heroes at random and allow himor her to attempt an Excellent IntensityIntuition FEAT. If the roll is successful,the hero gets the feeling they are allbeing watched. The lens of a video camera isdisguised as a black dot on the face of aclock hanging on the wall. If thecharacters actively search forsurveillance equipment, they find thecamera if they succeed at a RemarkableIntensity Intuition FEAT. If the camera is found, Hiramapologizes and explains that security isvery tight at Roxxon because ofindustrial espionage. "It has nothing todo with you specifically," he says."Please, do not be insulted. I did noteven know this room was monitored."

The security chief is monitoring theheroes' conversation. He is being paidby Fu Manchu to keep an eye on HiramJones. While the characters are speakingto Hiram, the security chief calls threesuper villains and offers them a job —to kill the heroes!

AFTERMATH: When the heroes leaveRoxxon Plaza, proceed immediatelywith Chapter 9.

KARMA:Saving the parachutist: +20Allowing him to die: -ALLSurrendering to the police: +5Resisting arrest: -60

POPULARITY: Because the media isreporting the events at Roxxon Plazalive, the heroes' Popularity is at stake.

Speaking in favor ofprotestors: +1Speaking in favor ofRoxxon: -2Saving the parachutist: +2Allowing him to die: -5Arrested by police: -1/2 total

20

SUMMARY: After exiting RoxxonPlaza, the heroes discover Mad-Dog, theFly, and Rhino causing mass destructionnearby.

STARTING: Use the same map youused in the last chapter. The action takesplace on any street two or three blocksaway from Roxxon Plaza. Simply pick asuitable location. When you are ready to proceed, readthe boxed text aloud:

As you step out of Roxxon Plaza, apolice car flies past with its sirenblaring. Looking in the direction thesquad car is headed, you see a pillarof smoke rise into the air a couple ofblocks away. Without warning, the city seems toshudder from a thunderingKABOOM! Another pillar of fire andsmoke spirals into the sky. You hearmore sirens coming. It sounds likedisaster has struck MidtownManhattan!

When the heroes arrive at the scene ofthe battle, place two markersrepresenting the destroyed police cars toone side of the road. Put a third markerrepresenting the squad car that is aboutto be destroyed across the street.Finally, place a marker representing thegasoline truck in the same area as theburning cars. When you are ready to proceed, readthe following boxed text to the players:

Two burning police cars are thesource of the smoke and flames.They are lying in a jumbled heap toone side of the road. Near them is along tanker truck with the name"ROXXON" written on the side inbig black letters. People and cars are fleeing the areain a panicked mob. The traffic jam ispreventing other police cars and firetrucks from getting close to thescene.

Clinging to the wall of a skyscraperacross the street from the burningcars is a super villain you know asthe Fly. His wings blur into a frenzy,creating a windblast that sendsanother car tumbling through the airto crash and burn on the pile ofdestroyed police vehicles! The Fly shouts above the mayhem,"Bring (enter name of a playercharacter) to me! Tell (enter name ofanother hero) that I am here to fight!I'll destroy them all!"

ENCOUNTER: Mad-Dog and Rhinoare each lurking in nearby buildings.They are watching and waiting for theheroes to be lured into battle with theFly. When he gets the opportunity, Rhinohurtles through the front wall of thebuilding and Blindsides a hero with hisdevastating Charge attack. Mad-Doguses this distraction to Blindside adifferent hero. During the titanic struggle, theauthorities concentrate upon aiding thepanicked citizens and putting out thefire, and leave the fighting to the superheroes. If the player characters are losing thebattle, the police begin shooting at thethree villains. Their bullets can hurt theFly and Mad-Dog, but have no chanceof harming Rhino — the heroes musttake him out themselves!

The Roxxon Truck. The tanker is filledwith gasoline, and it is very close to theblazing police cars. Firemen cannot getclose enough to spray the fire or thetruck with their hoses. The authorities frantically try to getthe heroes' attention in order to explainthe situation. The truck has beendamaged and cannot be driven. A herois needed to physically move it awayfrom the fire. Once they are aware of the situation,the heroes have two turns to act beforethe vehicle explodes. Pushing, pulling orlifting the truck is an Amazing IntensityStrength FEAT. If successful, the tanker

is moved 1 area away from the fire anddoes not explode. The heroes may try to put out the fire.It is burning with Incredible Intensity,and inflicts Good damage to anyone upto 1 area away from the fire and Feebledamage to anyone up to 2 areas away. If the heroes fail to move the truck orput out the fire, the gasoline ignitescreating a massive fireball. The blast isMonstrous Intensity, and causesMonstrous damage to anyone in thesame area as the truck. Everyone inadjacent areas suffers Remarkabledamage, while anyone within 2 areasaway takes Typical damage.

Avengers Assemble! If Rhino, Mad-Dog, and the Fly have defeated theplayer characters, the heroes are in bigtrouble. The villains want blood! Theybegin hammering unconscious heroeswith their powerful fists. Before the villains kill anyone,however, Iron Man and Thor arrive onthe scene. They eventually defeat thesuper-powered criminals. Injured heroes are immediately treatedby medical professionals who arewaiting at the fringe of the battle.

More Questions Than Answers. Afterthe battle, the heroes can interrogate thethree villains. The bad guys only admitthat they were hired to kill the playercharacters. They will not reveal theidentity of their employer. The Avengers have no information forthe heroes. They are here only to pullthe characters' fat out of the fire.

AFTERMATH: At this point, theheroes should need some time torecuperate. Go to Chapter 10.

KARMA:Defeating the Fly: +75Defeating Mad-Dog: +40Defeating Rhino: +75The Avengers must help: -20Saving the Roxxon truck: +20Allowing the truck to explode: -20If anyone is killed: -ALL

CHAPTER 9: MAYHEM IN MIDTOWN

21

SUMMARY: The heroes decide toeither spend the day resting, searchingfor clues, or performing the duties oftheir civilian identities (if they havesecret IDs).

STARTING: Heroes with secret IDsoften have day-to-day responsibilities intheir civilian lives (families, jobs, and soon). Because this adventure takes placeover several days, such heroes must seeto their obligations between encounters.Karma awards for making and breakingcommitments can be found on page 23of the Basic Set Campaign Book, and onpage 37 of the Advanced Set Players'Book. In this chapter the heroes discoverhow their actions (and those of thevillains) are being viewed by the public.The following newscast concerns theevents that took place during the heroes'battle with the Fly, Mad-Dog, andRhino. The Judge should feel free to addmore details, describing the specificactions of the heroes and villains. Read the following boxed text to theplayers:

Turning on your television, you see apicture of the rampaging Rhino andhear the following newscast:

"... Yesterday, the hustle and bustleof Manhattan's Financial District wasdisrupted by the sudden appearanceof several super-powered criminals,who began a devastating battle withthe super heroes known as (enternames of player characters). "During the mayhem, severalpolice cars burst into flame. Thanksto the quick actions of the heroes, astranded Roxxon tanker truck wasmoved to a safe distance away fromthe fire, averting what could havebeen a catastrophic explosion. "After the smoke had settled, theFly, Mad-Dog, and Rhino were takeninto police custody. "When asked if this incident hadany connection to the Gang War,Lieutenant Lament of the NYPD hadno comment. "However, the detective did

make a request that the super heroescome down to the station for somemore questioning. So, if you'relistening to this newscast, guys, youknow that the police want a wordwith you."

ENCOUNTER: During the timebetween encounters, the heroes maywish to dig for clues or consult contactsthey had established prior to beginningthe adventure. Any such clues orcontacts are left to the creativity of theJudge.

AFTERMATH: When the heroesdecide to visit Lieutenant Lamont, turnto Chapter 11.

POPULARITY: The heroes may bemade to look good or bad, depending ontheir actions. Either the Basic Set rulesor the Advanced Set rules may be usedto determine awards and reductions ofPopularity. As a general guide:Positive media coverage: +1Negative media coverage: -3

CHAPTER 10: SOME TIME OFF

22

SUMMARY: This chapter unfoldswhile the heroes are en route to theirmeeting with Lieutenant Lamont. Thecharacters encounter a lunatic whowarns, "The end is near!" Ironically, themadman nearly brings aboutArmageddon himself.

STARTING: Use any of the city mapsincluded with either the Advanced Setor Basic Set for this encounter. Placefour markers on any street to represent aconvoy of semi-tractor trucks. When you are ready to proceed, readthe following boxed text to the players:

A group of protestors has gathered onthe street. Many of them carry signswhich read "NO NEW LANDFILL,ROXXON KILLS," and "SAVETHE PLANET" The crowd is walking along thestreet and shouting threats at aconvoy of four semi-tractor trucks.On the sides of the vehicles is

written "ROXXON OIL" in big blackletters. Police outfitted in riot gear arestruggling to keep the protestors outof the path of the trucks. Newspeople and cameras are everywhere. One of the demonstrators catchesyour attention. He is a bizarre manwearing tattered gray robes. His headis shaved bald. The man carries a tallsign that says "REPENT YOURSINS." You can hear the bald man scream,"The End draws near! The dead shallrise! ... Repent your sins beforeArmageddon strikes you down!" Ranting and raving, the man dartspast the police, right into the path ofthe lead truck. The driver cranks thewheel to avoid the lunatic, and thetruck jackknifes onto its side. You hear the sound of tearingmetal as a noxious cloud of yellowgas spews out of a rift in the truck'sside. Oily chemicals are

oozing onto the street around thewrecked vehicle. Many of those in the crowd panic,while others become totally outragedand attack the police! This mob is outof control!

ENCOUNTER: The trucks are loadedwith barrels of toxic waste, which isbeing shipped to a new landfill in theburned-out slums of the South Bronx.The demonstrators are vehementlyopposed to the location of the landfill.The issue has been a point of debate forseveral months, and has receivedconsiderable news coverage. Allow the heroes to attempt TypicalIntensity Intuition FEATS. Those whosucceed remember seeing news reportsabout the debate, and realize theprotestors are demonstrating against thenew landfill.

The Chemical Spill. The yellow gascloud rising from the truck is highlyacidic. Anyone in the same area suffersGood Intensity acid damage. The

CHAPTER 11: THE DEAD SHALL RISE

23

victim sustains Poor damage on the nextturn unless the acid is washed off. Luckily, the acid cloud is much lighterthan air, and rises rapidly into the sky.After three rounds, it diffuses into theatmosphere, becoming harmless. The oily chemicals on the ground arealso acidic. They inflict the sameamount of damage as the gas to anyonewho touches the fluid. The toxic waste is radioactive.However, it poses no immediate danger.Side effects of radiation exposure mightnot show up until months or years later.This event could be used by the Judgeas a reason why player characters (andpossibly villains) develop new Powerslater on in their careers. The heroes' main concern should bekeeping the crowd away from the toxicwaste.

The Mob Mentality. The street is filledwith a panicked mob. Many of theprotestors have been pushed over theedge, attacking the police, looting

shops, and trying to kill the drivers ofthe other trucks. The heroes may decide to talk theangry mob into leaving the area. Thisrequires a red Popularity FEAT with a+2CS (a bonus is give because thecrowd benefits by obeying). If the roll is successful, the citizensquickly begin moving away. Theauthorities regain control of thesituation. After a few minutes, an emer-gency team from Roxxon arrives andbegins cleaning up the chemical spill. If the roll is missed, the infuriatedpeople ignore the heroes and continue toendanger themselves and those aroundthem. A man armed with a riot sticktaken from a policeman smashes thewindshield of another truck, and beginsbeating the driver. Others in the mobattack the trucks with whatever they canfind (signs, tire irons, and so on). If theyare not stopped quickly, these iratepeople cause another chemical spill bytipping over a truck. The heroes can attempt anotherPopularity FEAT each round they try to

calm the mob. The results are the sameas those described above. If after 10 turns the heroes have notyet swayed the crowd, another squad ofriot police arrives. They forcefully endthe riot by spraying the mob with watercannons and beating them with nightsticks. An emergency team fromRoxxon arrives to cleanup the mess, andthe situation is over almost as quickly asit began.

AFTERMATH: After speaking toreporters and the authorities about theriot, the heroes should move on to theirmeeting with Lieutenant Lamont. Go toChapter 12.

KARMA:Swaying the crowd on thefirst try: +40Swaying the crowed on alater attempt: +20Failing to sway the mob: -20For each citizen who isseriously injured: -20If someone is killed: -ALL

SUMMARY: The heroes visitLieutenant Lamont and learn that he hassome important news about the GangWar.

STARTING: When the heroes enter thepolice office, read this to the players:

Police headquarters is a madhousefollowing the riot and the toxicchemical spill. Many of thedemonstrators sit along the hallwayswith their hands cuffed. Some ofthem cheer when they see you, whileothers scowl and curse you forinterfering with their "demon-stration." Ahead you see Lieutenant Lamont."Hello," he says. "I'm glad to see yousurvived the riot. Thanks for all

of your help. Unfortunately, I'mafraid I've got to ask you for anotherfavor. Please come into my office."

ENCOUNTER: He explains that one ofhis informants has learned there is goingto be a major gang fight in Chinatownsometime tonight. Although he has requested extrapatrols in the area, the lieutenant doesnot believe the presence of more policewill stop the rumble from occurring.Thus, he asks the heroes to go toChinatown and keep an eye out fortrouble. Lieutenant Lamont answers theheroes' questions as follows:

1. What else have you learned aboutthe Gang War? Only that events seem to

be brewing to a head. The Maggia hastaken a heavy beating, and the detectivebelieves they will retaliate in a big way.

2. Is the oil spill somehow connectedto the Gang War? Lieutenant Lamonthad not thought about that angle before.Thinking on it now, he doesn't feel thereis a connection. (He is correct.)

3. Have you heard anything aboutCameron Seaver? Nothing new. Thekidnappers still have not demanded aransom.

AFTERMATH: The heroes should begoing to Chinatown. Turn to Chapter13.

KARMA:Promising to stop the rumble: +5

CHAPTER 12: A HOT TIP

24

SUMMARY: While patrollingChinatown, the heroes become involvedin a fight between street gangs loyal tothe Maggia and those loyal to the Facesof Fear. Both sides have a hiddenadvantage — the Maggia possesses asuit of Mandroid battle armor and theFaces of Fear have planted a devastatingexplosive!

STARTING: Use either the city mapincluded with the Advanced Set or themap found with the Basic Set. Pick asuitable building to be the OrbisonWarehouse. An interior map of thewarehouse is included with this module. When everyone is ready to proceed,read the boxed text to the players:

Twisted into the exotic shapes ofChinese characters, neon lights flashin the night. Crowds of hurryingpeople scuttle beneath the glaringsigns. Chinatown is always in afrenzy. While patrolling the harshmetropolis, furtive movements in adark alley catch your attention. Threemen carrying guns and wearingHalloween masks quickly pile into ablack sedan. Moving with the slowgrace of a shark, the dark auto pullsonto the street and slowly heads offthrough the throng of milling peopleand honking cars.

ENCOUNTER: Inside the car are threemembers of the Faces of Fear gang.Consider them to be "Typical Batboys"as described in the Non-PlayerCharacter Factions section. They have met in the alley to proceedtogether to the location of the rumble.None of the surrounding buildings haveanything to do with the Faces of Fear —their hideout is not here.

"Let's Get'em!" Overzealous heroesmight decide to attack the thugsimmediately, even though the car is inthe middle of a crowded street. If this isthe case, the driver steps on the gas ...and swerves onto the sidewalk!

Each turn the heroes fail to stop thesedan, a pedestrian is seriously injured. Two of the goons open fire on theplayer characters with their handguns.They take hostages if cornered. When the gangsters are captured, theheroes get some information out of themby succeeding at a red Popularity FEATroll. Appropriate questions and answersare listed later in this chapter. If the rollis missed, the thugs refuse to talk.

Follow the Leader. If the heroes play itsmart, they will not attack the gangstersin the middle of a crowd of innocentcivilians. The heroes should choose tofollow the sedan, hoping it will leadthem to the rumble. If the player characters follow the car,read the boxed text aloud:

After tailing the black sedan forseveral blocks, you see its headlightsswitch off as it quietly pulls into adark alley and stops. The maskedmen in the car stare intently at abuilding across the street. A largesign on top of the structure says"ORBISON WAREHOUSE." Everything is quiet, too quiet afterthe hubbub of Chinatown.

The streets are deserted around thewarehouse. Now is a good time for theheroes to approach the goons in thesedan. Because the thugs are eagerlywatching and waiting for the warehouseto explode, the player characters cantake them by surprise. The Faces of Feartry to drive away, rather than fight. Ifthey cannot escape, the gangsterssurrender to the super heroes. The thugs appear very nervous andeye the warehouse suspiciously. Theywant to get away before the bombdetonates. "We'll do whatever you guyswant," they say. "Let's just get awayfrom that buildin' over there, okay?" If the heroes take the goons a safedistance away (down the alley or behindanother building, for instance), they can

get a few answers from them bysucceeding at a red Popularity FEATroll. If the roll is missed, the gangstersrefuse to talk. Threatening to take themback to the warehouse grants a +3CS tothe next Popularity FEAT roll, butincurs a -5 Karma penalty (it's not avery heroic thing to do). If the second roll is missed, the thugsonly say, "It's not safe, man. Thatbuildin's gonna blow! We haven't doneanything wrong. Let us go!" They won'tanswer any questions. FurtherPopularity FEATs are futile.

A Little Information. If any of thePopularity FEAT rolls succeeded, theheroes receive the followinginformation by asking the rightquestions:

1. Who are you? They are members ofthe Faces of Fear, a new gang operatingin the area. Halloween masks are theirtrademark.

2. What are you doing here? Theirgang is supposed to rumble with theMaggia in the Orbison Warehouse, butthe Boss did a double-cross — heplanted a bomb in the building that'sgoing to wipe out the Maggia. The threethugs are planning to watch the fun.

3. Where is the bomb? It's in thewarehouse in a crate marked "ENGINEPARTS."

4. When is it set to detonate? Theydon't know for sure. It should beanytime now, they think. (It does notexplode until the heroes get a chance todeactivate it.)

5. Who is the Boss? They don't knowthe identity of their secret leader. (TheFixer and Mentallo are both the Boss.)

6. Where is your hideout? They don'thave one. (This is true. The Faces ofFear meet in the back

CHAPTER 13: RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE

25

rooms of various Lower East Side barswhen the Boss needs them to run an"errand." The thugs don't know anythingabout Fu Manchu's hideout.)

Inside the Warehouse. When theheroes finally approach the warehouse,they can peek inside and see what isgoing on. If they do so, read the boxedtext aloud:

Peering in a window of thewarehouse, you see a large crowd ofstreet punks inside. They appear tobe a mixture of thugs from severalsmall-time gangs. They are standingaround a tall crate in the middle ofthe room. Several more crates are lying onthe floor to one side. Standing on oneof them is a man wearing a longtrench coat. Lying at his feet, awoman struggles with the ropes thatbind her. Her face is partiallycovered by a Halloween mask. The man motions to the crowd withhis sub-machine gun and says,"Youse boys have been brought herefor one purpose — to wipe out theFaces of Fear gang! And when yourjob is done, the Maggia'll give eachof ya a thousand bills!" The crowd yells and cheers beforethe man continues. "They'll be hereany minute, so let's waste this one toget the ball rolling!" The mobsterpoints his machine gun at thewoman's head and chambers a bulletwith a loud CLICK!

It is too dark to see what is written onthe crates. Unless the heroes have asuitable Power, they cannot read themuntil they go inside. The woman is a member of the Facesof Fear. She was captured earlier whilesneaking around the warehouse. There are 17 gangsters in thewarehouse, including the man in thetrench coat. He is a "Typical MaggiaThug." All others have the sameattributes as a "Typical Batboy."

However, there is one other villainhiding in the warehouse. Patientlystanding inside the tall crate is a Maggiagoon named Rocko. He is wearing a suitof Mandroid battle armor. Rocko iseagerly waiting to bust out of the crateand ambush the Faces of Fear when therumble begins. Statistics for the Mandroid can befound in the Non-Player CharacterRoster at the end of this module.

The Rumble Begins. The heroes mustquickly enter the warehouse in order tosave the captured woman. When theyburst into the room, the Maggia goonopens fire on them with his sub-machinegun, forgetting the woman. The otherthugs move forward to attack. At a dramatic moment (determined bythe Judge), the Mandroid busts out ofthe crate. Rocko assaults the heroes untilhe is beaten.

The Bomb. All 13 of the crates in thewarehouse are labeled with stickers thatread "ENGINE PARTS." The cratecontaining the bomb is marked on theinterior map with a "B." Nestled among engine parts inside thecrate is a paper sack. In the sack is atimer, a detonator, a jumble of wires,and a glob of plastic explosives. The heroes must search the crates tofind the bomb. Allow the players tobelieve that time is running out.However, the explosive does notdetonate before the heroes have had achance to dispose of it. It is possible the characters are totallyunaware there is a bomb in thewarehouse. If this is the case, during thebattle one of the Mandroid's strayPunch-Blaster attacks (or a Slammedhero) smashes the crate and the bombrolls onto the floor. When the heroes discover the bomb,the timer flashes 14 seconds ... 13seconds, and so on. The characters havetwo turns to quickly deactivate theexplosive or dispose of it somehow. The detonator is connected to the

explosives by two wires — a red oneand a yellow one. To deactivate thebomb, the red wire must bedisconnected. If the yellow wire is cutbefore the red one, the bomb explodes.If both wires are pulled at the sametime, the device has a 50% chance ofdetonating (roll randomly). Allow anyone with the ElectronicsTalent or the Repair/Tinkering Talent anattempt at a Good Intensity ReasonFEAT. The Judge should secretly roll for theplayer! If successful, the hero realizes the redwire must be cut first. If the roll ismissed, the character has come to awrong conclusion, believing the yellowwire should be pulled, or that both wiresmust be removed. If the heroes are unable to disconnector dispose of the bomb, it detonates witha fiery concussion, collapsing the entirewarehouse. Anyone in the same area asthe explosion suffers Amazing EdgedAttack damage. Everyone else in thebuilding sustains Remarkable EdgedAttack damage.

No Information. After the battle, theheroes may wish to question the badguys. The Maggia thugs and the streetpunks absolutely refuse to talk. Theyhave no useful information anyway.

AFTERMATH: After turning theMandroid battle armor and the thugsover to the police, the heroes should beready for some time off. Go to Chapter14.

KARMA:Defeating the Mandroid: +40Defeating the gangsters: +15Deactivating the bomb: +20Allowing the bomb to explode: -20For each person seriouslyinjured: -20Getting information from thethree thugs by threateningthem: -5

26

SUMMARY: The heroes take time offto pursue their daily activities and torecuperate from their encounter with theMandroid.

STARTING: During the course of theday, the player characters notice threeimportant newspaper articles. The first newspaper report details theevents at the Orbison Warehouse. Theentry may be changed dramatically,depending upon the actions of theheroes. The Judge should alter thearticle accordingly.

While reading the Daily Bugle, yousee the following article on the frontpage:

"RUMBLE IN CHINATOWN "Last evening around midnight,police responded to a disturbance atthe Orbison Warehouse inChinatown. "According to the official report,the warehouse was the setting of afight between several local streetgangs.

"Seven teens suffering from minorcuts and abrasions were taken to thehospital. No one was seriouslyinjured or killed. "The police made numerous arrestswith the help of the super heroesknown as (enter names of playercharacters). "An anonymous witness reports thegangs are the hired thugs of thepowerful Maggia organization.Although police refuse to speculate,it would appear that last night'smayhem is yet another example ofthe internal battles rocking theMaggia. "Let's hope the Gang War is endedsoon, before more people are injuredor killed."

The second newspaper articledescribes a UFO sighting in CentralPark. Although it seems important, theUFO incident has no bearing on theadventure. Investigating the UFOsighting results in no useful information.

Flipping through the Daily Bugle,you notice the following article:

"UFO IN CENTRAL PARK?

"At approximately 3 a.m. thismorning, police responded tocomplaints of a disturbance inCentral Park. Over a dozen residentsliving near the park complained topolice about bright lights and a high-pitched screeching noise. Uponinvestigating the incident, theauthorities found no evidence ofwrongdoing, and consider the caseclosed. "Eyewitnesses to the eventpresented investigators withconflicting reports. Some claimed tohave seen brightly-colored discsspinning in the air above CentralPark, while others believe they saw"a giant swirling mass of shiningcolors.' Another witness said, 'It waslike a tornado filled with screamingghosts.'

"From the number of eyewitnessaccounts, it certainly seems thatsomething odd occurred in CentralPark this morning. "However, the police disagree.When asked about the incident, oneofficer stated, 'There was somethingweird in Central Park? So what'snew?!' "Several of the witnesses plan toundertake night long vigils tonight,hoping for another glimpse of thecolorful UFOs."

The next entry is a message fromHiram Jones. If the heroes sustainedheavy damage in Chapter 13, you maydelay this message for a day or two,enabling them to recover more HealthPoints. When you decide they have hadenough rest, read the following:

While looking through thepersonals column of the Daily Bugle,you happen across a message thatcatches your attention:

"COSTUMED HEROES!

"Have new information concerningmissing genius. Meet me in sameplace we met before. Tonight atmidnight. Watchman will let you in. "Sincerely, "Hiram J."

ENCOUNTER: During the timebetween encounters, the heroes maydecide to search for clues or consultcontacts they had established prior tobeginning the adventure. Any such cluesor contacts are left to the creativity ofthe Judge.

AFTERMATH: The heroes are eithergoing to meet Hiram Jones at RoxxonPlaza, or to Central Park to investigatethe UFOs. In either case, turn to Chapter15.

POPULARITY:Positive media coverage: +1Negative media coverage: -3

CHAPTER 14: STRANGE HEADLINES

27

SUMMARY: The heroes are either ontheir way to investigate the UFOs inCentral Park, or going to meet HiramJones at Roxxon Plaza. In either case,their journey through the city isinterrupted by the Wildboys, a gang ledby a brutal killer named Ammo.

STARTING: The action takes place inthe Sacred Trinity Cathedral. An interiormap of the church is included with thisadventure. When you are ready to begin, read theboxed text to the players:

A terrible scream grabs yourattention. A young woman runs downthe street. Her clothes are torn andsoiled. "Please!" she cries."Somebody help me!" Before you can react, the pretty girlruns up the steps of a beautifulcathedral. She disappears behind theornate doors of the sanctuary.

ENCOUNTER: The frightened womanis actually the deadly Typhoid Mary.She is helping the Wildboys by acting asbait in a trap set for the heroes. Ammo, Typhoid Mary, and theWildboys have been hired by theKingpin to capture the player charactersand bring them to Kingpin's office. Thecriminal mastermind is excited about theGang War, and wants to escalate theconflict between the Maggia and theFaces of Fear. He figures the twoorganizations will destroy one another,allowing his own criminal empire toexpand. In order to speed things along,Kingpin plans to use the heroes aspawns and play them off between theMaggia and the Faces of Fear.

In the Sanctuary. When theadventurers enter the church, they findthe place very dark. The only source ofillumination is several tall candlesstanding near the altar. In the dim light, the player characterssee the vague forms of a dozen monkssitting in pews. Their features areconcealed by hooded robes. The monksare actually Wildboys, who are waiting

to ambush the heroes. At the altar is a priest. He iscomforting the "frightened girl." Thetwo of them look up at the heroes. Thepriest, who is really Ammo, beckons forthe characters to come forward. Cryingand whimpering, Typhoid Mary usesher Mind Control Power to persuade theheroes by saying, "Please come and helpme." When the heroes walk down the aisle,the Wildboys (disguised as monks)spring out of the pews and attack withswitchblades and chains. Wielding two machetes which werelying on the floor behind the altar,Typhoid Mary joins the battle againstthe heroes. Ammo disappears into the darkness.He goes to one of the confessionals,where the real priest is bound andgagged. When the battle turns againstthe Wildboys, Ammo emerges with thepriest as a hostage. "Surrender or the priest gets it!" criesAmmo. He holds a pistol to theclergyman's head. At the moment, theheroes have little choice but to complywith Ammo's demands. When the player characters stopfighting, Ammo says, "My boss haswords for ya, and he sent me to fetch ya.So, you costumed freaks are comin' withme." Ammo orders the heroes to pile into abeat-up van parked behind the church.Typhoid Mary joins them. Neither of thevillains tell the characters where theyare going or who the mysterious boss is. Before they drive away, Ammo leavesthree thugs at the cathedral to guard thepriest. He warns the heroes to remainpeaceful, or he wilt have the clergymankilled. Ammo orders the thugs to shootif they don't get a phone call from himwithin 10 minutes. The remainingWildboys follow the van onmotorcycles, which are also parkedbehind the church.

Escape! The bizarre convoy headstoward the Kingpin's tower in theFinancial District. Ammo sticks toalleys and side streets, preferring to stayclear of major roads and police patrols.

The player characters are sitting on thefloor of the van. They are not bound.However, Typhoid Mary is holding agun on them from her position in thepassenger seat. Believing they can defeat the villainsand return to the church in time to savethe priest, the heroes will likely decideto attack Ammo and Typhoid Mary.When the heroes make their move, rollfor initiative. Give Typhoid Mary a +2on the roll because she has her pistol atthe ready. If Typhoid Mary wins, she tries toblast one of the heroes. Immediatelyafter the shot, Ammo slams on thebrakes, causing everyone to tumblearound inside the van. The two villains jump out of thevehicle and prepare to fight the heroeson the street. The Wildboys swarmaround the van on their motorcycles,hurtling past and slashing at the playercharacters with switchblades and chains.

Back at the Church. If the heroes winthe battle, they quickly return to thecathedral. Several police cars are parkedoutside the building. If the player characters ask to knowwhat is going on, they discover that thepriest is safe. The three thugs leftshortly after the heroes were taken awayby Ammo, and the clergyman called thecops. Apparently, the Wildboys werebluffing about killing the priest.

AFTERMATH: If the heroes are goingto meet Hiram Jones at Roxxon Plaza,turn to Chapter 16. They may still be planning toinvestigate the UFOs in Central Park.There is no information to be found. It isa wild goose chase. If the heroes failed to escape from theWildboys, the player characters end upat the Kingpin's tower. Proceed withChapter20.

KARMA:Defeating Ammo: +30Defeating Typhoid Mary: +40Escaping from the Wildboys: +10Failing to escape: -10

CHAPTER 15: THE WILDBOYS

28

SUMMARY: The heroes meet HiramJones at Roxxon Plaza. Unfortunatelyfor them, Hiram has cracked under thepressures of trying to maintain Project:TODE and the emotional strain of beingblackmailed by Fu Manchu. Hiram turnshis pent-up aggression upon the playercharacters, believing they must beeliminated.

STARTING: If you own of the DeluxeCity Campaign Set, you can findRoxxon Plaza on the map of westMidtown. If you do not own the campaign set,but have the map included with theAdvanced Set rules, consider "PublicSchool #507" on the corner of 8thAvenue and Buchanan Street to beRoxxon Plaza. Tell the players thebuilding is actually 56 stories tall andnot 4 stories, as it is marked on the map. If you only have the map found withthe Basic Set rules, consider the "KruppBuilding" on 7th Avenue and ClevelandStreet to be Roxxon Plaza. Inform theplayers that the structure is 56 storiestall. Most of the action takes place inHiram's laboratory on the 40th floor. Amap of the lab is included with thisadventure. When everyone is ready to proceed,read the boxed text aloud:

It is very late, and the streetsaround beautiful Roxxon Plaza arevirtually deserted. When you enter the lobby, you seea security guard sitting behind a largeconsole. After pressing a number ofbuttons and switches, he looks upand says, "Hello. Doctor Jones askedme to expect several unusual visitors.I guess you must be them. DoctorJones is waiting on the 40th floor.You can take one of the elevatorsover there." The guard points to a row ofelevators along a side wall. Hepresses a button, and one set of doorsquietly opens.

As you move toward the waitingelevator, the guard smirks, "Have anice visit!"

ENCOUNTER: Normally the guardrequires all guests to sign their namesand the time of their visits in a guestbook. However, he has been bribed byHiram to forget that the heroes wereever in the building. When the characters first arrive, theguard causes the security cameras in thelobby to record only static. Thus, thereare no records of the heroes' visit. All functions of the elevator arecontrolled by the guard. There are nobuttons inside, only an emergencytelephone which rings at the guard'sdesk. The heroes cannot choose atwhich floor the elevator stops. Read the following boxed text to theplayers:

After a short ride in the elevator,the doors swish open. A mechanicalvoice from a speaker above you says,"Fortieth floor. Offices andlaboratories of Dr. Hiram Jones andassistants. Please watch your step." Ahead of you is a reception areacomplete with a secretary's desk andchair, a plush sofa, and a variety ofpotted plants. No one is here. Beyond the reception area anddown a carpeted hallway are a set ofbeautiful oak doors. As you admirethem, the doors suddenly slide apart,revealing a spacious office. Sitting atthe end of a long table is HiramJones. He looks fresh and alert,certainly not as overworked as thefirst time you saw him. His cheerful voice echoes down thehallway, "It is so nice to see youagain. Please, come into my officeand make yourselves comfortable.We have much to discuss."

The office, its furnishings, and HiramJones are all holograms, threedimensional images illuminated byinvisible laser beams. Only heroes with

an appropriate Power (such as EnergyDetection) realize the office and itscontents are a hologram. The real Hiram is monitoringeverything from an adjoining room. Hehas total control over everythingelectronic on this floor of the building— the holograms, the security camerasand robots, the elevator, the doors, andso on.

I Don't Wanna Go In There! If theheroes refuse to enter the office forwhatever reason, Hiram's hologram triesto persuade them. "What is the problem?" he says."What harm can I do to such powerfulbeings as yourselves? I am merely atired scientist. Now stop thisfoolishness. I have important newsabout Cameron Seaver, and my throat isgetting sore from hollering down thehallway. Come in here and sit down.Please." If the heroes still refuse, securityrobots (one for every player characterpresent) emerge from hidden slidingdoors along the hallway. They try toforcibly take the heroes into the office.

Security Robots

F EX 20 Health: 110A EX 20S RM 30 Karma: 0E IN 40R TY 6I S0 0P S0 0

KNOWN POWERS:Tentacles: Each robot has a pair ofmetal tentacles (similar to those ofDoctor Octopus), which are made oftitanium steel (Amazing materialstrength). The machines may engage inblunt attacks, grappling, or acombination of both. A robot may attacknon-adjacent foes up to 1 area away. Asingle tentacle has Remarkable Strength,while both tentacles used in the sameattack have Incredible Strength.Multiple attacks are re-

CHAPTER 16: HIRAM BLOWS A FUSE

29

solved with a single die roll, but are at+1CS.

Knockout Gas: The robots containinternal canisters of RemarkableIntensity knockout gas, which can beemitted from nozzles in their torsos. Thepurple gas fills the area around therobot. Anyone in that area must succeedat a Remarkable Intensity EnduranceFEAT or become unconscious for 1-10turns.

If the heroes defeat the robots, Hiramnow has no way of getting them into the"office." He gives up on his plan to killthem. Hiram Jones emerges from thecontrol room in tears and begs theheroes to forgive him. The player characters surely want toknow what is going on. For the answersto their questions, see the section in thischapter called "Hiram Sees the Light."

In the Office. The "office" is actually alaboratory containing Project: TODE. Inthe center of the room is a machinesurrounded by pipes, tubes, glassbubbles containing multi-colored gases,and computer consoles. The thing lookssomething like a bizarre circular pipeorgan built around an empty metal bowl. Cameron Seaver designed the machineto tap energy from a mysti-

cal dimension known as the NetherRealm. Unfortunately, the device alsoacts as a "techno-magical gate" betweenthe two worlds, allowing horridcreatures to enter the earth's dimension. If the heroes enter the room whileHiram is still determined to kill them,the beautifully carved oak doors slamshut and the holograms vanish. Thedoors are not really wood, but are madeof one-foot-thick sheets of osmium steel(Monstrous material strength). Thewalls, floor and ceiling are all made ofthe same material. There are nowindows. With the holograms gone, the heroessee the room for what it really is — alaboratory filled with unimaginableequipment. Read the following boxed text to theplayers:

The ornate doors slam shut with ametallic clang, and Hiram Jones andall of the office furnishings vanish! You find yourselves standing in ahigh-tech lab. An exotic machinesquats in the middle of the room.You have never seen anything like itbefore. In the center of it is a largehollow bowl, which is surrounded bytall pipes, computer consoles, andglass bubbles

filled with swirling gases. On a huge video screen hangingfrom the ceiling is the haggard faceof Hiram Jones. Mournfully he looksat you and says, "I am so sorry it hadto come to this. But I'm afraid I amgoing to have to kill you. It's the onlyway. "Don't you see? He'll murder myfamily if I don't kill you. "I think your departure from thisworld will be quick and painless.Over the last few days I've managedto bring Cameron's project online. It'shard to say what the results will be. Iwish Cameron were here, but he iswith the Celestial One. "Oh, well. Like my boss said,'Project: TODE must be completed,Jones! Or I'll have your head on thechopping block!' "Let's consider this a test, shall we?It's not murder. No, no. It's just a dryrun. Project: TODE must becompleted, Jones!" With a nervous twitch tugging athis face, Hiram Jones throws aswitch. The machine in front of youscreams into life ... Or should we say,un-life!

If the heroes try to interrupt Hiram'srambling speech, he totally ignoresthem. Continue reading the boxed

30

text, and don't let the players stop you. Until it is switched on, the machine isprotected by an invisible UnearthlyIntensity Force Field. Damaging it isvirtually impossible. However, when the machine isactivated, the force field is removed. Atthis time, the heroes have a much betterchance of crippling the device. If itsHealth Points are reduced to zero orless, the machine cannot function. Itsparks and sputters, but is harmless.

Cameron's Machine

F S0 0 Health: 30A S0 0S S0 0 Karma: 0E RM 30R EX 20I S0 0P S0 0

When Hiram activates the device, rollfor initiative between the heroes andHiram. If the heroes win, they may takean action before the machine is fullyfunctional. They should take thisopportunity to destroy the device andfoil Hiram's plans. If this occurs,proceed with the section in this chaptertitled "Hiram Sees the Light.” If the scientist wins initiative, there isa thundering BOOM! A circle of utterdarkness appears in the bowl of themachine. The circle is a techno-magicalgate to the Nether Realm, a horribleplace where countless souls suffereternal torment. Before the heroes can react, Vortex, acreature comprised of mystical energy,swirls up from the circle. It looks like acyclone of black wind filled with a massof wriggling tentacles of pure eldritchenergy. Only a portion of the creature'simmense bulk fits through the gatemade by the machine. Most of Vortexremains on the other side of the blackcircle, in the Nether Realm. Vortex attempts to entangle the heroesand drag them through the gate, wheretheir souls will feed the Rulers of theNether Realm.

The statistics of the mystical Vortexare located in the Non-Player CharacterRoster. During the fierce battle, the heroesmight decide to attack the machine. If itis reduced to zero or fewer HealthPoints, the gate begins to close as thedevice crumbles into uselessness.Vortex swirls back through theshrinking black circle to the NetherRealm, taking any entangled heroeswith it. If Vortex is reduced to zero or lessHealth Points, it is forced to return tothe Nether Realm. It does not release itsgrip on entangled heroes. They have oneround to break free, or they are pulledthrough the gate with Vortex. If Vortex entangles all of the playercharacters, it immediately returns to theNether Realm with them. With arelieved smile, Hiram shuts off themachine. His plan worked — the heroesare gone!

Hiram Sees the Light. There are foursituations in which Hiram might "seethe light" and surrender to the heroes —1) if the player characters defeat thesecurity robots, 2) if they destroy themachine, 3) if they defeat Vortex, or 4)if the heroes were taken into the NetherRealm and later returned (see Chapter17). In all three cases, Hiram breaks downand begs the heroes to forgive him forwhat he has done. He answers theirquestions as follows:

1. Why did you try to kill us? Hiramexplains that he is being blackmailed bythe "Celestial One," the same personwho kidnapped Cameron Seaver. Hiram's family will be killed if hedoes not cooperate. Hiram believes themeddling heroes are a threat to hisfamily's safety. Thus, he got the ideathat he had to kill them. He has nowchanged his mind, and wants thecharacters' help.

2. Who is the Celestial One? Hiram isunaware that the Celestial One isanother name of the nefarious FuManchu. He has never seen Fu Man-

chu, and only knows that hisblackmailer is Chinese.

3. What are you being blackmailed todo? The Celestial One is forcing Hiramto supply him with the techno-logicalequipment necessary for Cameron tocontinue his experiments. Hiram isplanning to take several crates ofsupplies to the designated drop-off pointtonight. If the heroes suggest it, Hiram iswilling to smuggle them inside thecrates. Thus, they could gain entranceinto the very heart of Fu Manchu's lair.

4. What is the machine's function? Itwas created by Cameron Seaver as partof Project: TODE (Tapping Other-Dimensional Energies). It is designed todraw and store energy from otherdimensions. Hiram suspects that theCelestial One somehow helpedCameron design the machine. (Hiram iscorrect.)

AFTERMATH: If any of the heroeswere pulled through the techno-magicalgate by Vortex, proceed with Chapter17. If none of them were taken, and theyare not planning to conceal themselvesin Hiram's crates, continue with Chapter18. If Hiram is smuggling the playercharacters in the crates, go to Chapter21. It is possible that the heroes are stillplanning to investigate the UFOs inCentral Park. There is nothing to befound in the park. Searching for cluesabout the UFOs is a waste of time.

KARMA:Detecting the holograms: +10For each security robotdefeated: +40For each hero forcibly takeninto the lab by the robots: -5Destroying the machine beforeVortex arrives: +20Defeating Vortex: +100For each hero taken to theNether Realm: -10

31

SUMMARY: After being taken throughthe techno-magical portal by Vortex, theheroes encounter the Rulers of theNether Realm. Here, they learnimportant information concerning FuManchu and Bartholomew Jacobs, theauthor of A Madman's Mutterings.

STARTING: A map of the NetherRealm is not required. Begin by reading the following boxedtext to the players:

After passing through the blackportal, your mind is assaulted by ajumble of past memories andfragmented dreams. Confused, youlose consciousness. You now awaken to find yourselfstanding in a circle of comfortableblue light, which protects you fromthe world around you. The sky above is bright red, thecolor of flame. Black lightningslashes through the fiery atmosphere.As far as your eye can see,

massive pillars of black stone risefrom the burning, rocky ground. Souls, tens of thousands of them,are chained to the toweringmonoliths. Gouts of flame spiral upthe stone columns. As one, thetormented souls scream in agony.Their lamentations echo through yourshaken mind like melodies ofmadness. You recognize many of the soulsnearest you — Adolf Hitler shuddersin pain, along with the Marquis deSade after whom sadism was named.You also see John Wilkes Booth, theassassin of President AbrahamLincoln, and Vlad Dracula, thevampire of legend. One of the souls, who is wearingsinged garments reminiscent ofAmerica's colonial period, meetsyour gaze with glaring eyes. Throughclenched teeth he screams, "Don'tyou recognize me? I amBartholomew Jacobs!

My deeds rank above those of any ofthe souls you see here, for it isthrough my genius that the earth shallbe destroyed!"

ENCOUNTER: The heroes cannotleave the circle of blue light, whichforms a spherical force field aroundthem. Although their Powers arefunctional, they are totally uselessagainst the mystical force field. There isnothing the heroes can do to escape. Allow the player characters a fewmoments to question BartholomewJacobs before the Rulers arrive.Bartholomew answers their questions asfollows:

1. Who are you? The characters mightask this question if they don't rememberthat Bartholomew Jacobs is the authorof A Madman's Mutterings.Bartholomew is more than happy toremind them.

2. How is the earth going to be

CHAPTER 17: INTO THE NETHER REALM

32

destroyed? Bartholomew explains thatfor many years he was chained near thesoul of a man who called himself theCelestial One. He told the man about AMadman's Mutterings. (If the heroes played MLA1 AfterMidnight, and one of them tookBartholomew's place on the pillar, it ispossible that the hero spoke to the spiritof Fu Manchu without realizing who hewas talking to!) Recently, the Celestial One's spiritsomehow escaped from the NetherRealm. Bartholomew is convinced thatthe Celestial One returned to earth andis causing the turmoil which rocks theNether Realm. By using the book, theCelestial One can open a huge gatebetween the worlds, drawing themystical energies of the Nether Realminto the earth's dimension. If this isachieved, the earth will be consumed,eventually becoming a replica of theNether Realm.

3. How can we stop this catastrophe?Even if he knew, Bartholomew wouldn'ttell.

Rulers of the Nether Realm. After theheroes have had a chance to askBartholomew a few questions, read thefollowing boxed text aloud:

Suddenly, you are shaken to theground by a tremendous explosion.The very sky rips asunder. Searinggouts of fire twirl up the monoliths.The howls of tormented souls aredeafening. Though you cannot see them, yousense the presence of beings ofimmense power. They are very close. A deep voice booms above the dinof shrieking spirits, "You see beforeyou the souls of the most evil men toever walk upon the surface of yourplanet. It is upon the vitality of theirhatred that we feed. The energy islimitless. Can you imagine what theinfinite evil would do to your world? "We do not wish you or your livingplanet harm. What we desire is thereturn of one of the most potent soulsto ever suffer in our realm. In yourworld, his name was ... Fu Manchu! "Send his spirit to us and destroythe arcane book. The ancient tomemust be burned so that others maynot use it to bridge the dimensions. "Let this be your final warning:

If you fail to return Fu Manchu anddestroy the book, your souls shalltake Fu Manchu's place on the Pillarsof Retribution! "Now ... begone from this place!" There is a flash of blinding light.Your mind is a sea of confusion. Youcannot hold on. Consciousness slipsaway. You awaken in the place whereyour journey into the Nether Realmbegan—the laboratory at Roxxon. Lying in a fetal position near thebizarre machine is Hiram Jones. Heis crying and gibbering over andover, "What've I done? ... What haveI done?!"

Hiram's troubled conscience hasdriven him near the point of insanity.When he sees the heroes alive, he isoverjoyed. Upon returning to their owndimension, the player charactersdiscover that any previous injuries arehealed. The heroes have their maximumnumber of Health Points.

AFTERMATH: Turn back to Chapter16 and proceed with the section entitled"Hiram Sees the Light."

33

SUMMARY: Before this chapterunfolds, the heroes should have playedthrough Chapters 15 and 16 (andpossibly 17). Frustrated with the Wildboys' attemptto capture the costumed adventurers, theKingpin has decided to resort to moresubtle means. He sends the Persuader to"invite" the heroes to a meeting at theKingpin's tower.

STARTING: The following eventsoccur while the player characters aretraveling across the city. They may beon their way home, following up a lead,or whatever. Use either the city map included withthe Advanced Set or the Basic Set. Theaction takes place on any street of yourchoosing. Simply place a marker alongthe curb to represent the Persuader'slimousine. When you are ready to begin, read theboxed text aloud:

You are traveling through NewYork City, when a huge blacklimousine catches your attention. The luxurious car pulls to a stopnearby. With an electronic hum, oneof the heavily tinted windows lowers.You cannot see who is inside. A very warm and friendly malevoice calls to you. "Hello. I am yourfriend," he says. "Please come insidefor a moment." His simple request is spoken withsuch sincerity that you feelcompelled to enter the limo.

ENCOUNTER: The Persuader isattempting to get the heroes into the carby using his Hypnosis Power. See thePersuader's entry in the Non-PlayerCharacter Roster for details on hisabilities. If a player character wants to resist, heor she must attempt an IncredibleIntensity Psyche FEAT. If the roll issuccessful, the hero can refuse to enterthe limousine. If the roll is failed, thecharacter must climb into the car. Once all hypnotized heroes are inside,

the limo speeds off. Any characters whoresisted the hypnosis are left behind.They may try to stop the vehicle and"rescue" their friends, or they cansimply follow the car.

The Rescue. The limousine is designedfor security, and is equipped with heavyplating around the passengercompartment and bulletproof glass.

Security Limo

Control Speed Body ProtectionTY EX RM RM

For an explanation of the Protectionattribute, see Chapter 4. The driver hasthe same attributes as a "Typical MaggiaThug." If pursuing player characters stop thecar, the Persuader uses his HypnosisPower on those inside. This time hecommands them to attack theirteammates. For success, the Persuaderneeds a red FEAT result. He will spendKarma on the roll. The heroes may resist by succeedingat another Incredible Intensity PsycheFEAT. Those who resist may dowhatever they choose, such as attackingthe Persuader. If the Persuader is assaulted, heimmediately surrenders. He says,"Please! Don't hurt me. I don't mean youany harm. I'll do anything you ask." At this point, the heroes can ask thePersuader some questions. For answers,see the section below called "AConversation." If the Persuader is not attacked, andthe player characters are battling oneanother, allow the fight to continue untilyou feel things are getting out of hand.At this time, the Persuader uses hisHypnosis Power once again. Hecommands all of the heroes to stopfighting and peacefully get into thelimo. As usual, they can resist bysucceeding at an Incredible IntensityPsyche FEAT. The Persuader continues to makeHypnosis attempts until all of thecharacters surrender, or until he is

attacked and forced to surrender.

Follow That Car! Player characterswho initially resisted the Persuader maydecide to follow the limousine and seewhere it leads. The car eventually pullsto a stop in front of the Kingpin's tower. The Persuader uses his power on theheroes in the car. He also attempts tohypnotize any characters who followedthe limo, if they are nearby. "Pleasecome into this building with me," hesays. "I want you to meet a friend ofmine." The characters may attempt toresist as usual. If the heroes decide to attack, proceedwith the events described in the sectionabove called "The Rescue."

A Conversation. If the heroes defeatthe Persuader, they can ask him a fewquestions:

1. What do you want with us? He wassent by the Kingpin to "persuade" theheroes to come to a very specialmeeting.

2. What is the meeting about? ThePersuader believes it has to do with theGang War, but he is not sure. Unless the heroes are planning tofollow him to the meeting, the Persuadertries to hypnotize them one last time."The Kingpin is really a nice person," hesays. "I think you should meet him.Please come with me." If they wish, the heroes may try toresist. If the characters successfullyrefuse to go, the Persuader gives up. Heis not strong enough to physically forcethem, and he knows it.

AFTERMATH: If the player charactershave eluded the Persuader, and are notplanning to go to the meeting, proceedwith Chapter 19. If the heroes are going to theKingpin's office, turn to Chapter 20.

KARMA:Defeating the Persuader: +40

CHAPTER 18: THE PERSUADER

34

SUMMARY: You should arrive at thischapter only if the heroes escaped fromthe Persuader in Chapter 18. The Kingpin has finally realized thattrying to force the costumed charactersto meet with him is not the best courseof action. He humbly sends the heroes awritten invitation.

STARTING: The heroes have sometime off. They may be resting, searchingfor clues, or performing the day-to-dayresponsibilities of their civilian lives. During the course of the day, theplayer characters see an interestingnewscast on television and receive astrange invitation from the Kingpin. The newscast concerns the oil spillthat is approaching Long Island. Readthe boxed text to the players:

While watching television, yourfavorite program is interrupted by aVNN special report. An obnoxiously handsome andperfectly groomed reporter says, "Wehave just received a report from theUnited States Coast Guardconcerning the Roxxon oil spill.They have informed us that mattersare worse than originally predicted,partially due to recent storms whichhave kept work crews from cleaningup the mess. "At the time the accident occurred,authorities at Roxxon claimed thespill would be cleaned up before itcould ever reach the coastline. Itwould seem their observations were abit too optimistic. "Now, the Coast Guard hasconcluded its study and states that alarge oil slick will reach the coast ofLong Island within a week. Damageis predicted to run into the hundredsof millions of dollars. "People living along the easternshoreline of Long Island should takenecessary precautions. Within thenext few days, swimming, fishing,and boating will be prohibited.

"Officials at Roxxon submitted apublic statement saying that theyintend to continue to do everything intheir power to keep the oil spill fromreaching the coast. "We will have more reports asmatters develop. We now return totoday's program, which is already inprogress."

Those heroes whose identities andaddresses are publicly known receivethe following invitation by specialdelivery. Any characters who havesecret IDs are given invitations whilethey are in costume, preferably whilethey are traveling through the city. Inboth cases, the delivery boy gives themno useful information (but still expects alarge tip). When the heroes receive theirinvitations, read the following boxedtext aloud:

The message you have received isin a very expensive envelope. Yourname is flamboyantly written on thefront. Inside is a sheet of gold leaf.Etched into it are the followingwords:

"The Kingpin of Crime respectfullyrequests the presence of the bearer ofthis missive at a meeting of minds tobe held in the penthouse at KingpinTower. "All guests shall arrive at midnightof this evening to discuss mattersconcerning the safety of New YorkCity's populace. "Signed, Wilson Fisk, the Kingpinof Crime."

Any attempts to telephone the Kingpinfor more details are futile. The womanwho answers the phone says, "I'm sorry,but Mr. Fisk cannot be reached at thistime."

ENCOUNTER: During their sparetime, the heroes may choose to dig for

clues or consult contacts they hadestablished prior to beginning theadventure. Any such clues or contactsare left to the creativity of the Judge.

The Oil Spill. The heroes may decide tohelp out with the oil spill. The slick islocated about 10 miles off the east coastof Long Island. It is about 3 areas wideand 80 areas (2 miles) long. When their characters reach the site ofthe spill, read the following boxed textto the players:

The sea is very rough and choppy.It appears there is a storm brewing. Up ahead are at least thirty smallboats accompanied by two largetankers. All of the vessels have"ROXXON OIL" painted on them inlarge black letters. The water around the boats is thickwith gooey oil. Workman are layingout long lines of netting in attemptsto contain the spill, but the lashingwaves make their efforts nearlyimpossible and extremely dangerous.

Unless the heroes have Powers whichcan assist the workers (such as WaterControl, Weather Control, orCollection), there is little they can do.They might even become a nuisance,especially to Roxxon officials who wantno more potential liabilities. Eventually, a storm breaks whichforces the boats to return to shore.Propelled by powerful waves, the slickcontinues toward Long Island, unlessthe heroes somehow intervene.

AFTERMATH: The heroes should begoing to the meeting at the Kingpin'spenthouse. Turn to Chapter 20.

KARMA:Containing the oil spill: +50

CHAPTER 19: AN INVITATION

35

SUMMARY: Either as captives or oftheir own free will, the heroes partake ina meeting between the Kingpin andHammerhead.

STARTING: Wilson Fisk occupies thetop two floors of an attractiveskyscraper in Midtown Manhattan.Maps of the building and the Kingpin'soffices are not required for thisencounter. When you are ready to begin, read thefollowing boxed text aloud:

Upon entering the lobby of KingpinTower, you are escorted to theelevator by three tough looking"assistants." After a smooth ride to the top ofthe building, the elevator doors slideapart, and you find yourselves in areception area. Two more assistantsgreet you. One of them takes you to adoor in the opposite wall. He knockspolitely, and a deep voice says,"Show them in, Roger." The Kingpin's office is almostunfurnished, with only a desk andenough chairs for all of you. Exceptfor the lamp over the Kingpin's desk,it is very dark. He is sitting there inthe shadows, his great bulk supportedby a high backed chair. "Please be seated," he says. "Wehave very important matters todiscuss. A war is brewing, and wemust devise a way to stop it!"

ENCOUNTER: If the heroes areplanning to capture the Kingpin, theJudge should remind the players thatWilson Fisk is not wanted for anycrimes. Even though he may have sentthe Wildboys and the Persuader to"invite" the player characters to themeeting, there is no evidence of anywrongdoing on the Kingpin's part.

Tight Security. The Kingpin's securitysystem consists of two monitor camerason the tower roof, two in the lobby, andfour that survey the area around thebuilding. He monitors these on a bankof ten screens hidden behind a sliding

panel in his office. By stepping on a button under hisdesk, the Kingpin can summon a smallarmy of 20 heavily armed "assistants."They have the same attributes as"Typical Maggia Thugs." The Kingpin of Crime always keepsan emergency gas mask in his desk. Aprivate elevator concealed in the officegoes to the building's subbasement,which holds emergency powergenerators and an escape tunnel to anearby subway station. If the heroes tryanything funny, the Kingpin does nothesitate to use the elevator and make hisgetaway. All office walls are made of walnutpaneled bulletproof concrete (Excellentmaterial strength). All rooms areequipped with heavy-duty ventilationfans capable of clearing the rooms ofgas in six seconds (one turn).

The Persuader. Unless the heroesseriously injured him in a previousencounter, the Persuader is sitting in adarkened corner of the office. The Kingpin has him here as furtherinsurance against an attack by theheroes. If the player characters tryanything, the Persuader uses hisHypnosis Power in an attempt to makethem surrender.

Hammerhead Enters the Picture.After the heroes are seated, read thefollowing boxed text to the players:

The Kingpin looks at each of youwith a penetrating gaze. "I want thewar between the Maggia and theFaces of Fear to end quietly," hesays, "before it disrupts my ownorganization. If my empire isthreatened, I'll wash the streets withblood!" The Kingpin of Crime swivels hischair to look out over the glitteringlights of Manhattan. He looks downfrom his ivory tower as if surveying aworld of his own creation. Suddenly awakened from hisreverie, the Kingpin continues. "But Idon't think any of us want a

blood bath, do we? So, I havedecided to act as an arbitratorbetween Hammerhead and FuManchu. Unfortunately, the 'CelestialOne' refused to join the meeting, butHammerhead is available via a videolinkup. "You have been invited to themeeting because I want your support.Having super heroes on my side willprove to Hammerhead that myposition is legitimate," he says. "Ijust want what's best for my city. "And now, let us bringHammerhead into the discussion." The Kingpin presses a button onhis desk, and a panel on the wallslides open to reveal a video screen.On the monitor is the unmistakableface of Hammerhead. His glaringeyes quickly survey the room. "What's goin' on!" he yells. "I wasexpectin' Fu Manchu, not thesecostumed idiots. What're tryin' topull, Kingpin?" "Please keep a civil tongue," saysthe Kingpin. "These people havecome here to help us resolve theGang War, which will get you out ofa tight spot. Correct?" "Youse guys knows that I didn't getto my position in the Maggia by bein'a fool," says Hammerhead. "And Ithink I see what you're sayin',Kingpin. If I send my men to wipeout Fu Manchu, I'll get my name andthe word 'Maggia' splattered all overthe papers. No publicity is goodpublicity for people in my line ofwork." "You seem to be catching on,"smirks the Kingpin. "Let us get to theheart of the matter, shall we? I have away to end the war which will allowthe Maggia to avoid unwantedpublicity. "Recently, I uncovered the locationof Fu Manchu's hideout. What Isuggest is that we petition thesecapable heroes to go to the hideoutand capture Fu Manchu. I'm sure thepolice will be more than happy totake him into custody.

CHAPTER 20: A MEETING OF THE MINDS

36

"And with Fu Manchu as ascapegoat for the media," interjectsan excited Hammerhead, "theMaggia's involvement will beforgotten!"

Let's Make a Deal. The heroes are sureto ask a flurry of questions. Someimportant questions and answers are thefollowing ones:

1. Why should we help the Maggia?"If youse guys don't put Fu Manchu onice real quiet like," says Hammerhead,"Me and my boys'll be forced to do itwith a lotta noise. Innocent folks'll getkilled. Youse boys don't want that, doya?" "By capturing Fu Manchu," interjectsthe Kingpin, "you people can put an endto the Gang War. The ebb and flow oftensions in the criminal underworld willreturn to a 'normal' level."

2. What does the Kingpin get out ofthis? "If Fu Manchu defeats the Mag-

gia," says the Kingpin, "his next targetwill be my organization. I'm doing thissimply to protect myself." (Actually, the Kingpin wants the warto escalate to the point where FuManchu and Hammerhead destroy oneanother, allowing the Kingpin to pick upthe pieces. He believes the heroes' attackon Fu Manchu's hideout will fail, andwill result in a devastating counterattackagainst Hammerhead.)

3. What's in it for us? "You will getgood publicity," says the Kingpin. "Themedia will go on and on about how youput a stop to the Gang War and capturedthe notorious Fu Manchu. Isn't that whatyou costumed adventurers live for?" If the player characters demandmoney, a three-way haggling sessionbegins between the Kingpin,Hammerhead, and the heroes. Thecriminals offer up to $100,000 for thecapture of Fu Manchu. Although neither of them has anyintention of actually paying the he-

roes the full amount, the criminals willgive the player characters 10%($10,000) up front.

4. Where is Fu Manchu's hideout?The Kingpin has learned that the"Lifelike Manikin Factory" inChinatown is a front for Fu Manchu'soperation. "You will find the CelestialOne there," says the Kingpin. "I'll stakemy reputation on it."

5. What do you know about a bookstolen from the Met? Both the Kingpinand Hammerhead know that Fu Manchuhas A Madman's Mutterings.

AFTERMATH: The heroes should begoing to Fu Manchu's hideout in orderto capture him and recover the magicbook. Proceed with Chapter 21.

KARMA:Attacking the Kingpin: -30

37

SUMMARY: The heroes infiltrate FuManchu's hideout, which is located inthe Lifelike Manikin Factory. Here, theyencounter numerous assassins andrescue Cameron Seaver. The player characters also discoverthat Fu Manchu has used Cameron'swork on Project: TODE to deviseseveral "Spirit Bombs." Fu Manchu hasplaced the magic bombs in fivelocations around Manhattan.

STARTING: If you have the city mapincluded with the Advanced Set or theBasic Set, simply choose an appropriatebuilding to be the Lifelike ManikinFactory. A detailed interior map of thewarehouse is included with thisadventure. If the heroes were smuggled insidecrates with the help of Hiram Jones,read the following boxed text aloud:

After warning you one last timeagainst the danger of entering theCelestial One's hideout, Hiram Jonessealed the lids of the crates you arehiding in, and closed the cargo doorof the truck. You heard him start the engine, andcarefully drive the truck out of thebasement parking garage at RoxxonPlaza. As he told you they would, noguards questioned Hiram.Apparently, their bribes wereenough. After a half-hour ride in the crates,you feel Hiram pull the truck to astop. He switches off the engine. Youcan barely hear his muffled voice."We are at the drop-off point," hesays. "In a minute, one of FuManchu's men will come and drivethe truck to their hideout. I'msupposed to leave and take a cabback to Roxxon. Good luck!" Youhear the driver's door open and close.Hiram is gone. After a few minutes, the door opensand closes once again. The enginestarts, and you are on your way.

The hideout must be nearby, foryour ride lasts only about 10 minutes.The truck stops, and the cargo dooropens. A muffled voice says, "Get thatforklift over here! Let's get theseboxes inside before somebody comesalong. The Celestial One will haveno mistakes!"

If the heroes are going to the hideoutafter having been given the location bythe Kingpin, read the following boxedtext to the players:

Ahead of you is the LifelikeManikin Factory. The streets arequiet. There is nobody around. This end of the building issurrounded by a loading dock,complete with a row of large, slidingdoors. They are all shut. At one end of the loading dock is asmall door. Light shines through asmall window in it.

If the heroes peer into the window,read the following:

Your view is partially blocked by ahuge stack of wooden crates.Sticking out of some of the boxes arevarious manikin body parts — arms,legs, and torsos. Other manikinsdangle from the ceiling, or standquietly in the shadows. The place iseerie, like some sort of bizarremenagerie. In the floor in the center of theroom is a steel plate. It is obviouslysome type of trapdoor. Hanging from a frayed cord abovethe metal trapdoor is a single lightbulb. It is the only source ofillumination in the factory. The place appears to be deserted.

ENCOUNTER: The walls and ceilingof the factory are concrete (Excellentmaterial strength). The sliding doors andthe side doors are steel (Re-

markable material strength). The sidedoors are unlocked, while the shippingand receiving doors are locked from theinside. The wooden crates contain manikins.The boxes are Poor material strengthand weigh 200 pounds, requiring at leastTypical Strength to lift. How the heroes approach the situationaffects what happens. There are a coupleof possibilities.

The Crates. If the heroes have notalready busted out of the crates andattacked, they are carried to the centerof the factory on forklifts. Here, they arecarefully unloaded by the assassins, wholine the crates in a row. From inside the boxes, the heroes herethe "workers" walk away, whilemuttering something about a coffeebreak. The factory becomes deathly still. The workers are really Warriors of theGolden Empire. Eight of them are"Typical Si Fan Assassins," while theremaining four are super-poweredPhantom Tong. All of them leave thecrates and enter the machine shop,which has been converted into a guardhouse. Here, they sit and eat a late meal. Now is the time for the playercharacters to sneak out of the crates. Inorder to do so without being heard orseen, they must each succeed at a GoodIntensity Agility FEAT. If any of themfail the roll, the assassins rush out of themachine shop and attack. If they all make the roll, the heroescan take a quick look around. Throughthe window, they see the guards eatingin the machine shop. They also seemanikin body parts in crates and wholemanikins standing all around. A lightbulb hangs from a frayed cord,illuminating the area around a steeltrapdoor. At this point, the heroes have a coupleof options — they can jump theassassins, or they can stealthilyinvestigate the trapdoor and risk beingdiscovered. When the adventurers try to open thetrapdoor, go to the section in this

CHAPTER 21: DANCING MANIKINS

38

chapter called "The Elevator" for detailsabout how the trapdoor operates. The player characters might decide tohide among the manikins and wait forthe bad guys to make the first move.This is not a good idea. After a fewminutes, the assassins leave the machineshop and discover the heroes.

The Stealthy Approach. Assuming theheroes are not stowaways in crates, theyare spotted by hidden security cameraswhen they approach the factory.Without the use of a suitable Power(such as Invisibility), there is nothingthey can do to avoid being seen. A group of eight "Typical Si FanAssassins" and four Phantom Tong arewaiting for the heroes inside. Thewarriors are hiding among the manikins.A successful Monstrous IntensityIntuition FEAT is required to spot them. Unless they are spotted, the tong waitfor the heroes to enter the lighted areanear the trapdoor before attacking.Because they have set up an ambush,the assassins gain a +1CS to hit. When the Warriors of the GoldenEmpire are defeated, the playercharacters may investigate the trapdoor.See the following section for details.

The Elevator. The trapdoor is made ofa steel alloy (Amazing materialstrength). It is sealed by an electro-magnetic lock. Ripping the door openrequires a successful Amazing IntensityStrength FEAT. Fixed to a wooden pillar standing nearthe trapdoor is what appears to be abeat-up fuse box. Inside is the controlpanel to the elevator's electromagneticlock, which requires the user to input apassword. If a player states that his character issearching for the controls, the hero findsthe fuse box by succeeding at anExcellent Intensity Intuition FEAT.Although the heroes don't know thepassword (and none of the assassins willtell them), they can open the trapdoor byshort-circuiting the control panel. This

requires a successful RemarkableIntensity Reason FEAT. Allow anycharacters with the Engineering,Computers, Electronics, or Repair/Tinkering Talent a +1CS on the roll. If the trapdoor is forced open or thecontrol panel is short-circuited, a cargoelevator automatically rises to greet theheroes. It is simply a steel-mesh cage(Remarkable material strength) with twobuttons inside — up and down. Thedown button lowers the cargo elevatorto the laboratory.

The Laboratory. When the heroesdescend in the elevator, read thefollowing boxed text aloud:

Creaking and groaning, the cargoelevator descends deep beneath themanikin factory. After a minute or two, it shuddersto a stop. You are in the workshop of amadman. Strange machinery fills theplace. Computer consoles blink,chirp, and spit out data. Human bodyparts and other gruesome specimensfloat in jars on a shelf. Standing in the middle of thelaboratory is a teenage boy.Obviously frightened, he is clutchinga water hose in his hands. The hose isconnected to some of the exoticmachinery, and the nozzle is pointedright at you! "Stay away from me!" yells theboy. "I don't want to, but I'll blast yaif ya come any closer."

The frightened boy is CameronSeaver. He fears the heroes because hebelieves they have come to take him tojail for helping Fu Manchu. Cameronalso thinks that Fu Manchu will kill hisfamily if the heroes interfere. Thus, he istorn between killing the heroes andpleading with them to help him. The weapon Cameron is holding iscapable of spraying a stream of eldritchenergy (Remarkable Intensity with a 1-area range).

The heroes must convince Cameronnot to shoot them. This requires a redresult on a Popularity FEAT. Grant theplayer characters a +4CS to the rollbecause Cameron really does not wantto shoot. If the roll is failed, Cameron flips aswitch, the machine hums, and heprepares to open fire. "I'm sorry," hesays, "but he'll kill my folks if I don'tkill you." Roll for initiative between Cameronand the heroes. If the player characterswin, they can try to take the weaponaway from Cameron. If the boy wins, heblasts the heroes. Cameron Seaver's statistics may befound in the Non-Player CharacterRoster. If the Popularity FEAT roll wassuccessful, Cameron drops the weaponand pleads with the heroes to forgivehim. He answers the player characters'questions as follows:

1. Why would you shoot us? Becausehe is being blackmailed by Fu Manchu,who has threatened to kill Cameron'sparents.

2. Where is Fu Manchu? "He leftseveral hours ago," says Cameron. "Youmust stop him, before the bombsexplode!"

3. What bombs? "Fu Manchu mademe help him build five devices called'Spirit Bombs.' When they explode, theyopen an interdimensional gateway."

4. Where are the bombs? Camerontakes the heroes to a map of Manhattanwhich is located on the back wall. Hepoints to four blinking lights. "There is one at the Bronx Zoo," saysa worried Cameron. "Another is in the sewer near thecorner of 1st and 42nd Streets. I thinkthat's by the United Nations Building.There should be a manhole cover nearthere. "The third is somewhere inside theConey Island amusement park." Cameron points to the last blinking

39

light, "And the fourth is at the top of theStatue of Liberty."

5. Where is the fifth bomb? "FuManchu has it with him," says Cameron."I don't know where he plans to put it!"

6. When are the bombs set to explode?Cameron knows that Fu Manchu has aremote control detonator with him.When the evil mastermind presses thebutton, all five Spirit Bombs detonate atthe same moment.

7. What do the bombs look like, andhow do we deactivate them? There is amodel of a Spirit Bomb in the lab.Cameron takes the heroes to it, andshows them how to deactivate theeldritch explosives. This greatlyincreases their chances of deactivatingthe bombs in later chapters. For specific details about what a SpiritBomb looks like and how it isdeactivated, see the section in thismodule titled "The Spirit Bombs."

8. Where is the stolen book? FuManchu has A Madman's Mutteringswith him.

Asthma Attack. Pick a dramaticmoment while the heroes arequestioning Cameron. When the boy isabout to explain how to deactivate thebombs is probably the best time. At this point, Cameron suffers theworst asthma attack of his life. Clawingat his throat and struggling to breathe,he slumps to the floor of the lab. If the heroes give Cameron hisaspirator, he inhales the medicine andquickly recovers. He is conscious andalert. If, for whatever reason, the playercharacters don't give him the aspirator,Cameron continues to suffocate. Theheroes can try Healing Power, First Aid,or Medicine Talent to help him. Ifsuccessful, Cameron is out of immediatedanger, but is unconscious and must betaken to a hospital. If the heroes fail to help him, Ca-

meron suffocates. After six rounds, hebegins to lose Endurance ranks at therate of one per round. Thus, at the endof turn nine, his Endurance reachesShift-0 and he dies.

A Strange Device. Before they leave,Cameron gives the heroes a small metaland plastic device shaped like a football. "I made this in my spare time, whenFu Manchu wasn't looking," saysCameron. "If a Spirit Bomb explodes,you can throw this into the black portal.The gateway between the dimensionswill close ... I think." Cameron only has one of the devices.It would take him several days to makeanother.

AFTERMATH: After rescuingCameron, the player characters shouldbe on their way to diffuse the SpiritBombs. In order to proceed as quicklyas possible, the heroes should split up,each taking a different bomb. If the heroes go to diffuse the bomb atthe Bronx Zoo, proceed with Chapter22. If they decide to eliminate the

bomb in the sewer, turn to Chapter 23. Flip to Chapter 24 if they choose to goto Coney Island. If the heroes go to the Statue ofLiberty, turn to Chapter 25.

KARMA:For each Phantom Tongdefeated: +30Defeating the Si Fan assassins: +30Rescuing Cameron Seaverwithout alerting the assassins: +30Rescuing Cameron Seaverafter a battle with theassassins: +20Ending Cameron's asthmaattack by giving him hisaspirator: +40Ending Cameron's asthmaattack by using First Aid or asimilar Talent or Power: +20Allowing Cameron to die: -ALL

40

SUMMARY: One or more heroesarrive at the Bronx Zoo to deactivate aSpirit Bomb. A disturbance leads themto the Ape House, where the bomb isplanted.

STARTING: A map of the gorillacompound is included with this module. It is assumed this encounter takesplace late at night, after the zoo hasclosed. When you are ready to begin, read thefollowing to the players:

Covering over 250 acres, the BronxZoo stretches out before you. Itcontains nearly 3,800 animals of 700different species. The zoo is a verybig place. At this late hour, the zoo is closed.There appears to be nobody around. Nearby, you see the ElephantHouse, the Reptile House, and theGreat Ape House.

ENCOUNTER: Allow the heroes toexplore the zoo for awhile. Most animals are exhibited in openareas, which are separated from thepublic by moats and steep concretewalls. Buildings in the zoo are generally notvery tall (except for the Carter GiraffeHouse). Assume 1 area as the height ofmost buildings, and 2 areas for largerones. Cages have concrete walls ofExcellent material strength and iron barsof Remarkable material strength.

The Watchman. Eventually, the heroesencounter a night watchman, whopolitely asks them what they are doingin the zoo after closing. Whilequestioning the player characters, theguard receives an urgent call on hisradio — "Trouble at the Great ApeHouse!" Proceed with the encounter describedbelow.

Bertha Goes Bonkers. The heroes hearshouts of "Watch it, John!" and "Get outof there!" coming from the

Great Ape House. When the costumed adventurers arriveon the scene, read the boxed text aloud:

Three men and a woman arelooking down into the gorillacompound. They are all wearing thefamiliar tan safari outfits of zooemployees. One of the men isloading an air rifle with a dart. When they see you, the womansays, "Thank God you're here! Berthajust hurt John. We've got to get himout of there, but we don't want totranquilize Bertha because she'spregnant and the drugs will kill thebaby. You've got to help us!" Looking down into the cage, yousee several adult gorillas lying on theground unconscious, along with afew juvenile apes. Small red dartsprotrude from their rumps. Lying among the gorillas is anunconscious zoo worker. He isbleeding from his nose and mouth. Thrashing around and screaming isa pregnant gorilla named Bertha. Asyou watch, she hammers herpowerful fists against a large treestanding in the middle of thecompound. "The apes just went nuts," says theman with the rifle. "They startedfightin' each other and beatin' on thattree. "I darted all of 'em except Bertha. "Now, John's a friend of mine, andif ya don't get him outta there realquick like, I'm gonna put a dart inthat ape, and I don't care what thelady vet says!" Fu Manchu placed the Spirit Bombin a hole in the tree. Attached to thebomb is a transmitter which emits asignal that cannot be heard by normalhuman hearing. The signal drove theapes into a killing frenzy. If it isswitched off, Bertha returns to hernormal friendly demeanor. Thesignal has no effect on humans.

Bertha the Gorilla

F TY 6 Health: 52A TY 6S EX 20E EX 20R FB 2I TY 6P PR 4

She immediately attacks anyone whoenters the gorilla compound. When noopponents are present, she continues tobeat the tree, which she believes is thesource of the painful buzzing in herhead. Although the injured zoo employee isin no danger of dying from his wounds,he needs to be taken to a hospital. If theheroes do not rescue him within fiveturns, he wakes up and begins moaningloudly. Bertha doesn't like the noise.She flops the worker around like a ragdoll. Unless the heroes do something, theman with the rifle is forced to dartBertha in order to save John. Tragically,Bertha's baby dies from the drugs.

The Spirit Bomb. See the section inthis adventure titled "The Spirit Bombs"for details on deactivating a bomb andwhat happens if one is detonated.

AFTERMATH: Turn to Chapter 23,24, or 25, depending upon which bombthe heroes are going to defuse. If they have deactivated all four of thedevices, proceed with Chapter 26.

KARMA:Rescuing the injured zooworker: +20Avoiding injury to the gorilla: +10Injuring the gorilla: -15The gorilla must betranquilized: -30Deactivating the Spirit Bomb: +20The bomb detonates: -20

CHAPTER 22: A BARREL OF MONKEYS

41

SUMMARY: The heroes enter thesewer on the corner of 1st and 42ndStreets, near the United NationsBuilding. In the sewer, the heroesencounter Gator, a man who wasmutagenically altered by Fu Manchu.

STARTING: If you are using the citymap included with the Advanced Set,consider the United Nations Building tobe the "Federal Building" on the cornerof 6th Avenue and Johnson Street. If you have the city map included withthe Basic Set, assume "St. ArbogastHospital" on the corner of 8th Avenueand Cleveland Street is the UnitedNations Building. A manhole cover is shown on bothcity maps. This is where the heroesenter the sewer. A map depicting Gator's lair isincluded with this module. It is assumed this encounter takesplace late at night. When you are ready to proceed, readthe boxed text to the players:

You have arrived at the intersectionof 1st Street and 42nd Street. Nearbyis the impressive United NationsBuilding. At this late hour, the onlypeople you see near the building arenight watchmen. In the intersection you see themanhole cover that Cameron Seaverwas talking about. At the moment,there are no pedestrians or vehiclesapproaching the manhole cover.

When the heroes enter the sewer, readthe following to the players:

You climb down a long steel ladderinto the main sewer tunnels of thecity. Vapors rise from a stream of foulsewage running down the middle ofthe tunnel. Through the murky airyou can see numerous pipesintersecting at odd angles.

Not only does the sewer smell bad,but it is also a bewildering maze.

ENCOUNTER: Although the heroes towander through the grimy pipes forawhile. Rats scurry out of their way,while hungry mosquitoes try to bitethem. In the end, the costumedadventurers are filthy and smelly.

The Sewer. The network of pipes andtunnels beneath Manhattan reachesvirtually everywhere in New York City.It is much too elaborate to be mapped. Ifthey require one, simply draw a randommap as the heroes progress through thesewers. If the players do not state that theircharacters are marking their trail, don'tgive them a map! Let them get thefeeling they are lost. (There are manholeexits to street level every few hundredyards, but don't mention this unless theplayers ask.) The sewer tunnels are circular in crosssection, measuring anywhere

CHAPTER 23: GATOR LAYS AN EGG

42

between six feet to 30 feet in diameter.On each side of a tunnel is a two-foot-wide walkway with a rail. The tunnels are dimly illuminated bylight filtering down through manholesand curb grates on the streets above. Insome places, phosphorescent algaegrows on the walls. In the middle of each sewer pipe is astream of putrid brown water. Thesewage is anywhere from six inches tofour feet deep, and may be deeper aftera rain storm.

Gator and Friends. After searchingthrough the tunnels just long enough toget good and dirty, the heroes encounterGator and his "pets." Read the following boxed text aloud:

From a large pipe to your right, thesounds of someone thrashing in thewater echo to you. Suddenly, you hear a bellow ofrage, and a deep voice echoes loudly,"It Gator's egg! You can't have.Gator hatch egg!"

After proceeding down the tunnel, theheroes come upon a large processingtank, which is filled with sewage to adepth of four feet. The tank is 2 areashigh and a rail runs around it at a heightof 1 area. Piled in the center of the tank is a 10-foot-tall mound of garbage. The refuseheap is Gator's "nest." Fu Manchu gave Gator one of theSpirit Bombs, and convinced him it isan egg that will hatch and changeeveryone in the city into people just likeGator. Foolishly, Gator believed Fu Manchu,and has devoted himself to protectingthe "egg" until it hatches. Clutching it inone hand, he immediately attacks theheroes. "My egg!" he bellows. "Gatorhatch it! You can't have it!" Statistics for Gator can be found in theNon-Player Character Roster. Swimming in the water and loungingon the refuse pile with Gator are sixalligators. He commands them to attackthe heroes.

Alligators

F PR 4 Health: 64A GD 10S RM 30E EX 20R FE 2I FE 2P FE 2

The Spirit Bomb. See the section inthis adventure titled "The Spirit Bombs"for details on deactivating a bomb. Unknown to Gator, his lair restsdirectly below the United NationsBuilding. Fu Manchu hopes the ragingmystical energies of the Spirit Bombwill quickly eliminate importantdiplomats from all over the world.

AFTERMATH: Proceed with eitherChapter 22, 24, or 25, depending uponwhich bomb the heroes are going todeactivate next. If they have defused all four SpiritBombs, turn to Chapter 26.

KARMA:Defeating Gator: +40Deactivating the bomb: +20Allowing the bomb to detonate: -20

SUMMARY: The heroes venture toConey Island in Brooklyn, in order tofind and deactivate a Spirit Bomb. Here,they encounter a gang of street toughswho have sneaked into the park afterclosing.

STARTING: A map of a small portionof Coney Island is included with thisadventure. It is assumed the action takes placelate at night, after the park has closed. When you are ready to proceed, readthe boxed text to the players:

You have arrived at Coney Island.Nearby is the boardwalk, a longpromenade of fast-food joints andarcades. Near the boardwalk is a cluster ofrides, including a roller coaster, aFerris wheel, and a merry-go-round.Scattered among the rides arenumerous booths and otherattractions. At this time of night, the place isdeserted. You don't see or hearanyone. Standing solemnly in themoonlight, the skeletal frames of theroller coaster and Ferris wheel givethe park an eerie quality.

ENCOUNTER: Allow the heroes toexplore Coney Island for awhile. If theytravel to the end of the boardwalk, theydiscover the New York Aquarium.However, the place is closed, and theonly person inside is a lonely nightwatchman. Because the guard is bored, andwouldn't mind showing them around,the heroes only need a green result on aPopularity FEAT to be allowed inside. Although the aquarium is fascinating,the watchman is a very slow and boringtour guide — the heroes are wastingtime.

Bushwhacked! When the heroesapproach the cluster of rides, read

CHAPTER 24: A TEST OF STRENGTH

43

the following boxed text aloud:

Mingled with the calm sound of theocean surf, you hear someonemoaning. Ahead, a dark shape liesmotionless on the ground. As you approach the figure, yousee that it is a night watchman. Hehas been badly beaten. Rubbing his swollen jaw, he sits upand looks at you. "Street punksbushwhacked me," he says. "Last Isaw of 'em before I passed out, theywas headin' toward the merry-go-round. I gotta call for backup. Oh,crud! They smashed my radio. Uh ...I gotta find a pay phone!" Somewhat dazed, the guard standson shaky legs and stumbles off tofind a telephone. Looking over his shoulder, he callsto you, "I wouldn't hang around here,if I was you. They took my gun!"

Clownin' Around. When the heroesarrive at the merry-go-round, they seefive street toughs standing by anamusement called the "Test ofStrength." The device is shaped like a clown withoversized feet and arms, a rotund body,and an extremely long neck, whichreaches a height of 12 feet. As theclown's eyes roll around crazily, itsenormous head bobs on top of its neck. Positioned between the clown's hugefeet is a round cushion. When a

customer strikes the cushion with ahammer, a steel ball slides up theclown's neck. The objective is to ring agong attached just below the clown'shead. Colored areas on its neck are markedwith various scores, such as"Weakling," "Grandma Could DoBetter," and "Muscle Man." If the steelball stops on a colored area, it staysthere until the customer deposits aquarter for another try. If the ball hitsthe gong, it falls to the ground, givingthe player a free go. As the heroes watch, a powerful streetpunk named Hound Dog swings themallet high over his head and slams itonto the cushion. The steel ball flies upand stops in the area marked "MuscleMan." With its head wiggling insanely,the clown mocks Hound Dog. "Are youa whimp?" it says. "You can do better.Try again! ... Try again!" Any player characters who know whata Spirit Bomb looks like immediatelynotice that the gong is one! If HoundDog hits it with the steel ball ...

Hound Dog and Pals. He and hisbuddies sneaked into Coney Island,where they discovered the "Test ofStrength." Unlike everything else in thepark, the clown seemed to be turned on.They decided to give it a try, andquickly became infuriated at the clown'smocking laughter. Hound Dog is so mad he is almost intears. He is determined to ring the

gong, and viciously swings the bigmallet (Excellent Blunt damage) atanyone who tries to stop him, includingthe super heroes.

Hound Dog

F GD 10 Health: 36A TY 6S GD 10 Karma: 12E GD 10R FB 2I PR 4P TY 6

Consider his four companions to havethe same statistics as "Typical Batboys."One of them is armed with the guard'spistol.

The Spirit Bomb. See the section inthis adventure titled "The Spirit Bombs"for details on deactivating a bomb andwhat happens if one is detonated. Hitting the bomb with the steel balldoes not damage it or cause it todetonate.

AFTERMATH: Turn to Chapter 22,23, or 25, depending upon which bombthe heroes plan to deactivate next. If they have eliminated all fourbombs, proceed with Chapter 26.

KARMA:Capturing Hound Dog and Pals: +15Deactivating the Spirit Bomb: +20Allowing the bomb to explode: -20

44

SUMMARY: The heroes defuse abomb located in the crown platform ofthe Statue of Liberty. Fu Manchu hassummoned a "spirit monster" to guardthe device.

STARTING: A map of the crownplatform is included with this module. It is assumed this encounter takesplace late at night, after the Statue isclosed to tourists. When the heroes arrive at the Statue,read the boxed text aloud:

The glorious monument to freedomand liberty stands proudly beforeyou. Powerful spotlights reflect off it,making the Statue shimmerbrilliantly in the night. At this late hour, the long lines oftourists that would normally extendout the entrance are not present. Theplace looks deserted. Suddenly, a flashlight’s beamshines across the windows of thefront doors. Someone’s inside!

ENCOUNTER: When the heroesapproach the entrance, they encounter arookie night watchman named Herb. Hedraws his revolver and points it at theheroes with a shaky hand. "What are ya doin' here?" he asks."Can't ya see the museum's closed? Idon't want no trouble from youcostumed types, but I'll shoot if 'en Ihave to!" When the player characters try toexplain the situation to Herb, allow thehero with the highest Popularity toattempt a Popularity FEAT. If thecostumed adventurers mention that abomb is planted in the Statue, a yellowresult is needed for success. If they failto tell Herb about the bomb, only a redresult succeeds. If the Popularity FEAT is made, Herbholsters his weapon and allows theheroes to enter the Statue. He lets themsearch the building, while he goes tocall NYPD's bomb disposal team. Herbalso radios all other guards in thebuilding so the place can be evacuated. If the Popularity FEAT is failed,

Herb yells for the heroes to "freeze!"While trying to keep the gun aimed atthem, he struggles to remove his radioand call for help. He is obviously over-excited. Unless the heroes physically subduehim, Herb radios three other guards inthe Statue, who arrive in 1-5 minutes.With guns drawn, the four watchmenorder the player characters to leave or bearrested for trespassing. (The guardswould rather see the heroes leavepeacefully, than try to arrest them.)

The Security Guards

F GD 10 Health: 36A GD 10S TY 6 Karma: 18E GD 10R TY 6I TY 6P TY 6

Talents: Law Enforcement.

Weaponry: The guards are eachequipped with a billy club, a handgun,handcuffs, a radio, and a flashlight.

Lady Liberty. The heroes encounterHerb at the entrance, which is located inthe Statue's pedestal. The doors openonto the American Museum ofImmigration. Here, the characters seethe original torch, exhibits about theStatue's construction and restoration,and accounts of the history ofimmigration. A long double-helix spiral staircaseleads to the head of the Statue. Thestaircases are metal of Excellentmaterial strength, and the pillarsupporting them is of Remarkablematerial strength.

The Crown. The spiral staircases endhere. Read the following boxed textaloud:

After a long and thirsty climb upthe stairs, you have arrived at thecrown.

Nearby is a bubbling waterfountain, which has refreshedthousands of visitors over the years. From the crown, windows look outover the bay.

Fu Manchu hid a Spirit Bomb insidethe fountain, and summoned a creaturefrom another dimension to protect it.When someone examines the fountain(or tries to drink from it), the monsterbillows out, assumes a solid form, andattacks.

Creature From the Void

F EX 20 Health: 100A RM 30S EX 20 Karma: 16E RM 30R PR 4I TY 6P TY 6

KNOWN POWERS:Body Armor: Its scaly hide is theequivalent of Good Body Armor.Claws: The creature's razor-like clawsinflict Excellent Edged damage.

When the beast is reduced to zeroHealth Points, it dissipates with ahideous shriek. All that remains are afew wisps of foul smoke.

The Spirit Bomb. See the section inthis adventure titled "The Spirit Bombs"for details on deactivating a bomb andwhat happens if one is detonated.

AFTERMATH: Turn to either Chapter22, 23, or 24, depending upon whichSpirit Bomb the heroes are going todefuse next. If they have encountered all fourbombs, proceed with Chapter 26.

KARMA:Defeating the monster: +30Deactivating the Spirit Bomb: +20The bomb explodes: -20The Statue of Liberty isdamaged: -40Violently attacking Herb andthe guards: -60

CHAPTER 25: GIVE ME LIBERTY …

45

SUMMARY: Before playing thischapter, the heroes should haveencountered the four Spirit Bombs inChapters 22-25. It is now time for the final showdown.Riding in a gigantic robot, Mentallo, theFixer, and Fu Manchu attackHammerhead's mansion. They have thefifth Spirit Bomb, which they plan todetonate in order to ensure Hammer-head's death.

STARTING: A map of Hammerhead'smansion is included with this module. At some point after the heroes disposeof the four bombs, the Judge shouldread the following message. Assume theplayer characters see the message ontelevision if they are at home (or theirHQ). If they are on the streets, they seethe newscast on a television in thewindow of an electronics store. Simply pick an appropriate momentand read the boxed text aloud:

A special news bulletin ontelevision catches your attention. An excited newswoman says, "Thisjust in ... Eyewitnesses report thattwo giants are causing massivedestruction in Richmond Park inQueens. Sources state that one ofthem is a super-villain known asGoliath, while the other appears to besome type of robot. "Details are sketchy at the moment.A VNN news team should bearriving on the scene shortly. Wehope to present you with live picturesat that time. "Repeating our top story ... Twogiants are battling in Richmond Parkin Queens. Police are blockading thearea in hopes of limiting thedestruction. "I've just been handed anotherreport ... Police are struggling tocontrol the situation. All attempts tocontact the Avengers and theFantastic Four have failed. "We will return with more detailsafter this commercial interruption."

When the heroes arrive on the scene,read the following boxed text to theplayers:

Richmond Park is a neighborhoodof fabulous mansions and amillionaire country club. However, itis now a place of destruction. Pillars of smoke rise into the airfrom burning cars and homes. Theflashing lights of police cars,ambulances and fire trucks areeverywhere. The authorities areevacuating the area. The immense forms of two titansare locked in mortal combat amongthe smoke and flames. One of them isGoliath, while the other is a machinebuilt in the likeness of a man.

ENCOUNTER: The battle takes placeon the lawn of Hammerhead's mansion.The Maggia boss has already escaped,but Fu Manchu does not know this.

Goliath. The gigantic villain is workingfor Hammerhead. He is determined todestroy the robot, and tries to convincethe heroes to help him. "It's about timesome of you hero dudes showed up," hesays. "I could use a hand!" Even if the player characters helpGoliath, he attacks them when the robotis eliminated. "I got a reputation touphold," he says as he tries to smash ahero. "Can't let it be said that Goliathneeds the help of you little squirts!"

The Colossal Deathlok. Prior to theirinvolvement in the Gang War, the Fixerand Mentallo acquired the blueprints ofthe original Deathlok cyborg. In Part 2of the trilogy, they used the plans tobuild the Deathlok Simulacrum, avirtual duplicate of the original. Pleased with their success, the Fixerand Mentallo immediately began workon the ultimate killing machine theColossal Deathlok, a 50-foot-tall versionof the cyborg. For its statistics, see theNon-Player Character Roster.

At the controls of the Colossal Death-lok are Fu Manchu, Mentallo, and theFixer. They are riding in the robot'shead. The heroes should join Goliath in hisbattle to destroy the robot. When theColossal Deathlok is nearly defeated,the three villains inside attempt to getaway in the escape pod. The playercharacters should be given a chance tostop them (by shooting down the pod orwhatever). Even if the heroes fail to stop theescape pod, the villains do not get away.Assume the pod took damage in thebattle with Goliath. It crashes to theground near the fountain (shown on themap). Only a little shaken up, Fu Manchuand his accomplices climb out of thewreckage to face the heroes. In his righthand, the Celestial One holds thedetonator of the Spirit Bombs, whichlooks something like a television remotecontrol. The stolen book, A Madman'sMutterings, is cradled in Fu Manchu'sleft arm. "You are too late," says Fu Manchu. "Ihave planted five Spirit Bombs aroundthe city. When I press this button, theywill all detonate. Each opens a gate tothe Nether Realm. As the five gatesgrow, they will join together to formone tremendous opening to anotherdimension! The mystical energies of theNether Realm shall consume the earth!" Allow the heroes a chance to persuadeFu Manchu to surrender. Even if theytell him how they destroyed the fourother bombs, Fu Manchu refuses tolisten to them. He presses the button ...

Detonation! Just before the battlebetween Goliath and the ColossalDeathlok began, Fu Manchusuccessfully hid the last Spirit Bomb ina fountain near the mansion. During the confusion of the fight, theplayer characters have no chance oflocating the bomb. There is nothing theycan do to keep Fu Manchu fromdetonating it. When the device explodes, a

CHAPTER 26: A GIANT WALKS!

46

techno-magical gateway is opened andVortex emerges. For further details seethe section called "The Spirit Bombs."Statistics for Vortex are in the Non-Player Character Roster. Vortex wants to drag Fu Manchu tothe Nether Realm, and immediatelygrasps him in one of its tentacles.Struggling to break free, the CelestialOne drops the arcane book and thedetonator. Fu Manchu cannot escape, and ispulled into the black portal. A boomingvoice rings out, "Fu Manchu! AsBartholomew Jacobs can attest, nonecan evade my grasp! I return you toyour place of eternal torment!" As the portal continues to grow,Vortex tries to capture nearbycharacters, including the villains.Anyone who is ensnared must breakfree on the following turn or be pulledinto the gate. To close the gateway, the heroes mustforce Vortex inside, or use the deviceCameron Seaver gave them (in Chapter21).

The Fixer and Mentallo. Unless theyhave been pulled into the portal byVortex, the two villains try to flee thebattlefield in the confusion. Ifconfronted by super heroes, they do nothesitate to attack. However, their mainconcern is to escape.

The Nether Realm. If any heroes arepulled through the gate, read thefollowing boxed text:

After passing through the blackportal, your mind is assaulted by ajumble of past memories andfragmented dreams. Confused, youlose consciousness. You awaken to find yourselfstanding in a circle of comfortableblue light, which protects you fromthe world around you. The sky above is bright red, thecolor of flame. Black lightningslashes through the fiery atmosphere.As far as your eye can see, massivepillars of black stone rise from theburning, rocky ground.

Souls, tens of thousands of them,are chained to the toweringmonoliths. Gouts of flame spiral upthe stone columns. As one, thetormented souls scream in agony.Their lamentations echo through yourshaken mind like melodies ofmadness. Suddenly, you are shaken to theground by a tremendous explosion.The very sky rips asunder. Searingtongues of fire twirl up themonoliths. The howls of tormentedsouls are deafening. Though you cannot see them, yousense the presence of beings ofimmense power. They are very close. A deep voice booms above the dinof shrieking spirits, "Your very soulsare in jeopardy! If you do not destroythe arcane book, you shall suffereternal agony in this place. Returnnow to your own dimension. Destroythe book, or reap the consequences!"

47

There is a flash of blinding light.Your mind is a sea of confusion. Youcannot hold on. Consciousness slipsaway. You awaken in the place whereyour journey into the Nether Realmbegan — on the grounds of amansion in Richmond Park.

While they are in the Nether Realm,the heroes cannot bargain with theRulers, and they cannot escape from thecircle of blue light. The player characters are returned tothe fountain at Hammerhead's mansion.They are unharmed and have recoveredall lost Health Points.

A Little Help. If at any time the heroesare about to face defeat, the Judge has acouple of options he or she can use toensure that the good guys come out ontop:

1. Avengers Assemble! Responding tocalls for help sent by the authorities (orby the heroes if they have the wristcommunicators given to them in Part 2of the trilogy), the Mighty Avengersarrive on the scene. Depending upon how much help youthink the player characters need, up tosix Avengers join the fray. With theirincredible abilities, they turn the tide inthe heroes' favor. Statistics for Captain America, IronMan, Sersi, Starfox, Thor, and Visionmay be found in the Non-PlayerCharacter Roster.

2. The Enemy's Weakness. TheColossal Deathlok robot has a structuralfault in the design of its knees. See theNon-Player Character Roster for details. It is possible that the heroesdiscovered the blueprints of theDeathlok Simulacrum in Part 2 of thetrilogy, Night Moves. If one of theplayer characters found the blueprintsand studied them, allow the hero toattempt a Remarkable Intensity ReasonFEAT during the battle with theColossal Deathlok. Success indicates the hero sud-

denly remembers something odd aboutthe blueprints and realizes there is adefect in the robot's knees. The Judgeshould inform the player that theColossal Deathlok's knees are its weakspot. If the Reason FEAT is failed, theplayer should be informed that theblueprints of the Deathlok Simulacrumand the design of the Colossal Deathlokare very similar. The player should notbe told about the robot's weakness,however.

AFTERMATH: If all goes well, FuManchu has been drawn back to theNether Realm from whence he came,and the heroes close the black portal. If the player characters are skillful,they capture Goliath, Mentallo, and theFixer. After the battle, the heroes recover AMadman's Mutterings. The book lies onthe ground near the place where FuManchu was grabbed by Vortex.

KARMA:Defeating the ColossalDeathlok: +100Defeating Vortex: +100Capturing Goliath: +100Capturing the Fixer: +40Capturing Mentallo: +50For each hero taken to theNether Realm: -10

48

SUMMARY: The heroes tie up anyloose ends.

ENCOUNTER: Although the GangWar is officially over, this chapterdescribes encounters the heroes mayhave after the smoke has settled.

The Curator. The heroes should haverecovered the stolen book in Chapter 26.If they return it to Mr. Pride at theMetropolitan Museum of Art, he is verygrateful for their help. If the playercharacters are expecting a reward, thecurator pays them up to $50,000.

The Rulers of the Nether Realm. Ifany of the characters were drawn to theNether Realm, they have beenthreatened with eternal suffering if theydo not destroy A Madman's Mutterings. The Rulers want the book burned inorder to keep it out of the hands ofsorcerers who might gain the power tointerfere with their realm. If the heroes burn the magical tomb,they have fulfilled the bargain and theirsouls are safe. However, they each lose30 Karma for destroying the museum'sproperty. If the player characters recover thebook, but give it to the curator instead ofburning it, they have not upheld thebargain. Nevertheless, the Rulers of theNether Realm do not immediatelyappear to claim the heroes' souls. The Judge should employ this threatas a device to keep the players on theirtoes. The heroes have acquired somevery powerful enemies, whom the Judgecan use to mislead and frighten themmerely by the slightest suggestion.Enjoy it to the hilt!

Cameron Seaver. Although he aidedFu Manchu, the police do not presscharges against Cameron. He returns towork at Roxxon. However, heabsolutely refuses to continue his workon Project: TODE. Roxxon officials claim that the projectis considered a failure and all

work is stopped. Whether they actuallydo close Project: TODE is up to theJudge. Cameron may be used by the Judge asa hook to lead the heroes into otheradventures. Perhaps a villainous organi-zation wants to continue Project: TODE,and Cameron is kidnapped again! What if the boy genius had beenbrainwashed by Fu Manchu, who left alatent mental command in Cameron'smind? In the near future, Cameronbuilds a device to return the CelestialOne to the world of the living!

Hammerhead and the Maggia. WithFu Manchu and the Faces of Fear out ofthe picture, the Maggia returns to its"normal" activities. However, if the Judge desires,Hammerhead believes the heroes pose athreat to him. He thinks they are notsatisfied with eliminating Fu Manchu,and have set their sights on the Maggiaboss. Hammerhead decides to kill theheroes before they kill him. He certainlyhas an ally who wants revenge againstthe player characters — Goliath!

The Kingpin of Crime. He is verydisappointed that the Gang War hascome to a premature end. His hopes offilling the gap left by the Maggia andthe Faces of Fear have been dashed. As a possible adventure, assume theKingpin wants retribution from theplayer characters. He hires Spymaster todiscover their secret IDs. He uses theinformation to bring the charactersunder his power, either by kidnappingNPCs or using the super heroes' deepest,darkest secrets to blackmail them. Once he has them under his sway, theKingpin forces the heroes to capture theleaders of the Maggia. Thus, his originalplan of replacing the Maggia and theFaces of Fear is brought to fruition.

Lieutenant Lamont. If the playercharacters captured the Fixer andMentallo, they have garnered the

lieutenant's undying respect and loyalty.He now has someone to be a mediascapegoat — Mentallo and the Fixer.The player characters can count on thedetective as a Contact in futureadventures. Whenever he is interviewed about theGang War, Lieutenant Lamont alwaysgives the heroes credit and shares thelimelight, but only if they arrested theFixer and Mentallo. If the two villains escaped, thelieutenant blames the heroes forbotching the job. He publicly denouncesthe player characters, claiming the GangWar is not over until the two leaders arebrought to justice.

Hiram Jones. Although he is relievedthat the Celestial One is gone andProject: TODE is cancelled, Hiramtakes an early retirement from Roxxonand moves to upstate New York. Nocharges are filed against him. As a possible adventure you candesign, remember that Hiram knowsnearly as much about the project asCameron. He could be the target ofterrorists who want him to developProject: TODE as a weapon. The heroesmust rescue Hiram and destroy thedoomsday machine he was forced tocreate. Perhaps Roxxon officials feelHiram knows too much ... and want himdead!

The Avengers. If the player characterswere exceptional in their endeavors toend the Gang War (minimal damage tothe city, all villains were captured, andso on), they might be offered a chanceto start an Avengers franchise in anothercity. For details on starting a new branch ofthe Avengers, see MA2, AvengersCoast-to-Coast.

The Oil Spill. As the threat ofcatastrophic damage to the coast ofLong Island draws closer, the mayor ofNew York City calls upon the FantasticFour and the Avengers for help. If the player characters are on

EPILOGUE: THE WAR IS OVER

49

good terms with the Avengers, they areasked to join in the cleanup effort. Unknown to the heroes, a large groupof Atlanteans have taken exception tothe oil polluting their world. Led byAttuma, the Atlanteans attack the superheroes at the sight of the oil spill. Unless matters are quickly brought

to an end, tensions between the citizensof New York City and the Atlanteanscould lead to war.

KARMA:Giving the stolen book to thecurator: +30Destroying the book: -30Cleaning up the oil spill: +50

POPULARITY:The Fixer and Mentallo aremedia scapegoats and theheroes are credited with endingthe war: +5The Fixer and Mentallo escapeand the heroes are blamed forallowing the Gang War tocontinue: -5

50

AMMO

Real Name: Unrevealed

F RM 30 Health: 80A EX 20S GD 10 Karma: 26E EX 20R GD 10 Resources: TY (6)I GD 10P TY 6 Popularity: -10

KNOWN POWERS:None

TALENTS: Ammo carries a baseballbat with which he inflicts +1CS damage.He knows Martial Arts B and E. He hasMilitary and Leadership talents. Ammois also familiar with military firearms.

BACKGROUND: Ammo is a vicious,brutal killer. He is very philosophicalfor a gang leader, believing a violent lifeis the best life possible and success inviolence is the best form of personalsuccess. Ammo is extremely charismatic andintelligent. He is able to direct his gang,the Wildboys, with ruthless efficiencyand control. His ultimate goal is tobecome a major force in New Yorkcriminal life. Most of Ammo's early history isunrevealed. It is known that he served inVietnam, and theories are that heacquired his love of violence there. Not long ago, he surfaced as the leaderof a large, vicious street gang, theWildboys, who took advantage of apower failure caused by the crash ofApocalypse's spacecraft. Believing thepower failure to be a sign that humanityhad collapsed, he raided an armory andattempted to raid a hospital's drugsupply, hoping to become powerful inPost Apocalyptic New York City. Hewas defeated in personal combat byDaredevil and imprisoned. Ammo is dedicated to the destructionof Daredevil. However, he respects thehero's physical abilities. Ammo was rescued from prison byTyphoid Mary, who asked for his

assistance in a complex plan to killDaredevil. Ammo readily agreed andbeat Daredevil severely during a seriesof battles orchestrated by TyphoidMary. He left Daredevil to TyphoidMary's hands and resumed leadership ofthe Wildboys.

CAPTAIN AMERICA(Original)

Real Name: Steve Rogers

F AM 50 Health: 140A IN 40S EX 20 Karma: 100E RM 30R GD 10 Resources: TY (6)I IN 40P AM 50 Popularity: 100/6

KNOWN POWERS:The original Captain America wastransformed by the super soldierformula into a perfect genetic specimenof homo sapiens. His powers are notsuperhuman; he relies on his perfectlyhoned skills, and his equipment.

Shield: Cap's chief weapon is a replicaof his original shield, which is made ofsteel and lined with adamantium. It hasUnearthly material strength. CaptainAmerica uses this weapon as a shield,though he is still subject to the effects ofStuns and Slams while using it. CaptainAmerica can throw the shield up to 3areas away, inflicting Remarkabledamage. One of Cap's Power Stunts is tobounce the shield off a number of hardsurfaces and have it return the followinground.

Armor: Captain America's chain mailvest grants him Good protection versusEdged attacks.

TALENTS: Cap is a WeaponsSpecialist with his shield, receiving a+2CS in FEATs using it. He is skilled inall the Martial Arts available, as well ashaving leadership, artist, and militaryskills.

BACKGROUND: Steve Rogers wasborn during the Depression and grew upa frail youth in a poor family. Both ofhis parents died before he was twentyyears old. Horrified by newsreel footage ofNazis in Europe, Rogers enthusiasticallyenlisted in the army. However, becauseof his frailty, he was rejected.Overhearing the boy's earnest plea to beaccepted, General Chester Phillips ofthe U.S. Army offered Rogers thechance to be included in a specialexperiment called Operation: Rebirth.Rogers agreed and was taken to a secretlaboratory where he met Dr. AbrahamErskine, the creator of the Super-Soldierformula. After taking the serum and beingzapped by "vita-rays," a specialcombination of exotic wavelengths ofradiation, Rogers emerged from theexperimental chamber with a body asperfect as a body can be and still behuman. A Nazi spy observed theexperiment and murdered Dr. Erskineonly minutes after its conclusion. Thedoctor died without fully committing theSuper-Soldier formula to paper, leavingSteve Rogers the sole beneficiary of hisgenius. Rogers was put through an intensivephysical and tactical training program.All during World War II, he served asboth a symbol of freedom and America'smost effective special operative. Then,during the final days of the war, he wastrying to stop a bomb-loaded drone-plane when the aircraft exploded, killinghis partner Bucky. The blast threw Capinto the icy Arctic waters. The Super-Soldier formula preventedcrystallization of Captain America'sbodily fluids, allowing him to enter astate of suspended animation. Decadeslater, he was rescued by the newly-formed Avengers and became acornerstone of the team. His mightundiminished, Captain America remainsa symbol of liberty and justice.

NON-PLAYER CHARACTER ROSTER

51

COLOSSAL DEATHLOK

Real Name: The original Deathlok wasnamed Luther Manning.

F RM 30 Health: 215A GD 10S UN 100 Karma: 14E MN 75R GD 10I FB 2P FB 2

KNOWN POWERS:Body Armor: The robot is constructed ofosmium steel which provides it withAmazing protection from physicalattacks and Incredible protection againstenergy attacks.

Giant Size: The machine stands 50 feettall. Consequently, it is +3CS to be hit.Although it has the equivalent of Shift YGrowth, the robot's Strength is limitedto Unearthly.

Enhanced Senses: The ColossalDeathlok possesses infrared/ultravioletvision, telescopic enhancement, andaudio amplification, all at RemarkableRank.

Escape Pod: All functions of the robotare controlled from inside its head,which may be detached and is capableof flying at Excellent airspeed (10 areasper round). When the escape pod isdetached, all control over the robot islost. The only weapon still functional isthe tractor beam.

Weapons Systems: The giant robot isequipped with several systems,including: —Energy Blasters: Mounted in itshands are blasters which fire bolts ofAmazing Intensity eldritch energy up toa range of 4 areas. —Ensnarement Missile: From anaperture in its chest, the robot firesoscillating globs of eldritch energy up toa range of 2 areas. Only one target maybe struck per shot. When the victim ishit, the glob ensnares the target in anAmazing Intensity energy net. Theensnarement missile weakens by one

material strength rank per turn, andtotally dissipates after 1-10 turns. —Tractor Beam: Mounted in its headis a tractor beam capable of exertingIncredible Strength up to 6 areas away.

Weakness: There is a flaw in the designof the robot's knees. For attacksspecifically directed at its knees, theColossal Deathlok's Body Armor is -2CS.

TALENTS: None.

BACKGROUND: In an alternatereality that is not part of the mainstreamtimeline, Luther Manning was a colonelin the army who suffered a criticalinjury from a concussion mine.Manning's superior, Major SimonRyker, salvaged his body for use inProject: Alpha-Mech, a covert operationdesigned to create cyborg super-soldiers. Manning's brain, nervoussystem, and still-living tissue weretransplanted into a synthetic body in anoperation performed by Major Ryker'sbrother, Harlan Ryker. Manning awoke in a cybernetic bodythat was partially his own and partiallycontrolled by a mini-computer in hiscranium. He was given the code-nameDeathlok and became the unwillingagent of Ryker. Later, Deathlok met the enigmaticGodwulf, a vigilante who had access tosome time travel machinery. Godwulfdisplaced Deathlok in time, where thecyborg was snatched by a time machineused by the Fixer and Mentallo andbrought to the present. The Fixer'sgenius allowed him to overrideDeathlok's computer-brain, enabling thecriminals to use Deathlok as theirpuppet. The Fantastic Four confiscatedDeathlok's inert body from the Fixer andturned the cyborg over to a cyberneticistin London. Unknown to the rest of the world, theFixer and Mentallo made a detailedtemplate of Deathlok's body while theyhad him in their possession. Using thecomputerized template, they constructedthe Deathlok Simulacrum, a metalmachine with

no organic parts. The robot wasprogrammed to act as their enforcer andto be the puppet-leader of the Faces ofFear. Pleased with their success, Mentalloand the Fixer built a giant version of theSimulacrum, which they named theColossal Deathlok. Like theSimulacrum, it is a mindless robot withno organic parts.

FIXER

Real Name: Norbert Ebersol

F GD 10 Health: 32A GD 10S TY 6 Karma: 70E TY 6R IN 40 Resources: RM (30)I EX 20P GD 10 Popularity: -10

KNOWN POWERS:Body-Suit: The Fixer wears a uniformthat grants him Typical protectionagainst physical attacks, Excellentprotection versus fire and heat, andIncredible protection against electricity.

Battle-Vest: His metal vest is fashionedfrom Remarkable strength material. Itsupports many of his weapon systems.

Sonic Blaster: This weapon emits aRemarkable Intensity beam, affectingeveryone in the target area. It has arange of 4 areas.

Electrification: The vest can beelectrified, inflicting Incredibleelectrical damage to opponents whotouch it.

Launchers: The Fixer's battle-vest isequipped with grenade launchers thathave a range of 5 areas. The twoprimaries hold Incredible Rankammunition. Below the primaries aresix single-shot launchers that holdRemarkable Rank ammo. Bothprimaries or three secondaries can befired per turn.

Ammunition: All standard grenade typesmay be used in his launchers

52

(tear gas, fragmentary, smoke, knock-out gas, flash, concussion, and sonic).

Gravity Clamp: This steel clamp can befired up to a range of 2 areas. If it hits,the target is surrounded by a gravityfield that Grapples with IncredibleIntensity.

Pistol: With a range of 7 areas, his laserpistol inflicts Excellent Energy damage.

Flight: The Fixer can fly at Shift Xspeed for up to 20 hours. He can hoverand Blindside unsuspecting opponents.

Helmet: His helmet providesRemarkable protection to his senses(sight and hearing). It has a 3-hour airsupply.

Psi-Screen Device: This handy gadgetgrants the Fixer an Incredible Intensitypsi-screen.

TALENTS: The Fixer is a genius atElectronics, Engineering, andComputers. He also has theRepair/Tinkering skill.

BACKGROUND: Norbert Ebersol'smechanical aptitude was apparent evenwhen he was a child. At the age of three,he took apart and repaired an alarmclock. By the age of thirteen, he hadconstructed a small electric automobileand a relatively complex robot arm.Both were made from readily availablespare parts. Norbert dropped out of highschool due to a lack of interest. Because of his air of superiority andunorthodox approach to simple tasks,Norbert was fired from several jobs,including auto mechanic, televisionrepairman, and electronics laboratoryassistant. Calling himself the Fixer, Norbertfound that planning and executingelaborate crimes stimulated him; it alsoprovided him with the materials neededto create advanced technologicaldevices. He was contacted by Mentallo,and the pair forged a part-

nership that nearly took over SHIELD'SNew York headquarters. Recently, he and Mentallo haveteamed up once again. They formed acriminal organization called the Faces ofFear, and are attempting to eliminatetheir rival—a Maggia family run byHammerhead.

THE FLY

Real Name: Richard Deacon

F EX 20 Health: 130A IN 40S RM 30 Karma: 89E IN 40R PR 4 Resources: PR (4)I MN 75P GD 10 Popularity: -5

KNOWN POWERS:Circular Vision: His fly-like eyes granthim 360 degree vision.

Wall-Crawling: The Fly can cling tovirtually any surface with Remarkableability.

Windblast: By buzzing his wings, theFly can create an Amazing Intensityshockwave which may be directedagainst a single target 1 area away.

Winged Flight: His wings grant himExcellent airspeed (10 areas per round).

TALENTS: He knows only pettycriminal skills.

BACKGROUND: Small-time criminalRichard Deacon was shot while tryingto escape from Spider-Man and thepolice. He stumbled into the laboratoryof Dr. Harlan Stillwell, the criminalscientist who surgically augmented suchcriminals as Hammerhead and theScorpion. Deacon coerced Stillwell intosaving his life by surgicallytransforming him into a superhumanbeing. Utilizing advanced microsurgicaltechniques, Stillwell imprinted thegenetic coding of a common fly ontoDeacon's genetic coding.

When the process was complete,Deacon had been endowed with fly-likebody alterations. To prevent Stillwellfrom betraying him, Deacon killed thedoctor. Calling himself the Fly, Deaconused his powers to further his criminalambitions. The Fly is ruthless, killing without asecond thought. He is beginning to losehis human mind and act more like abestial fly.

GATOR

Real Name: Bart Buckle

F GD 10 Health: 110A RM 30S RM 30 Karma: 14E IN 40R PR 4 Resources: FB (2)I TY 6P PR 4 Popularity: 0

KNOWN POWERS:Body Armor: His alligator-like hideprovides Good protection from physicalattacks.

Tail: Gator possesses a 6(FM) tail, withwhich he inflicts Incredible damage.

Reptile Control: He can communicatewith and control alligators withRemarkable ability. He can controlother species of reptiles as a PowerStunt.

TALENTS: None.

BACKGROUND: Bart Buckle was ahomeless denizen of New York Citywho took refuge in the Lifelike ManikinFactory, the location of Fu Manchu'shideout. He was captured and subjectedto experiments which mutagenicallycombined his DNA with that of analligator. Thoroughly brainwashed, Barttook the name of "Gator" and became asuper-powered crony of the nefarious FuManchu.

53

GOLIATH

Real Name: Erik Josten

F EX 20 Health: 145A GD 10S IN 40 Karma: 14E MN 75R TY 6 Resources: GD (10)I PR 4P PR 4 Popularity: -10

KNOWN POWERS:Growth: He has Shift Y Growth powers.His Strength at normal height isIncredible, and is limited to Unearthlywhen he is at his maximum height of 50feet. While he is giant-sized, Goliath is+3CS to be hit. Upon being renderedunconscious, Goliath does not revert tohis normal size.

Body Armor: Goliath's irradiated fleshprovides Amazing protection againstphysical and energy attacks.

Invulnerability: Goliath is Invulnerableto heat and cold. He no longer needsfood, water, or air to survive. He canexist in deep space for a short time withno ill effects. Goliath no longer ages.

TALENTS: None.

BACKGROUND: Erik Josten wasformerly a mercenary hired by Naziscientist Baron Heinrich Zemo tosmuggle stolen technology into hissecret South American stronghold. Withthis equipment, Zemo built a machinethat could project an unknown form ofmutagenic radiation ("ionic rays")capable of bestowing superhumanphysical powers to a subject. When Zemo fled his South Americanbase, he left the ionic ray machinefunctional. Josten, who had beenwounded by the authorities in his latestsmuggling venture, sought refuge inZemo's now abandoned fortress andlearned of the machine. While he was there, Josten came to themystical attention of the Enchantress,the Asgardian goddess

who had been an ally of Zemo. Sheoffered Josten the chance to submit tothe ionic ray treatment, and he readilyaccepted. The Enchantress produced acostume for Josten and dubbed himPower Man. During his criminal career, PowerMan had many battles with theAvengers. He became a member of theGrim Reaper's Lethal Legion, and waslater defeated and imprisoned with therest of them. When Josten was released, he learnedthat the name "Power Man" had beenassumed by the hero-for-hire LukeCage. Battling Cage for the right to thename, Josten lost. Inexplicably, thestrength conferred upon him by Zemo'smachine was on the wane. Josten heard that a criminal scientist,Dr. Karl Malus, specialized in the studyof superhuman powers. Josten made abargain with Malus to renew hisstrength. Dr. Malus not only managed toreturn his strength to its original level,but also subjected Josten to an extract ofthe growth formula created by Dr.Henry Pym, the original Giant-Man.The Pym formula gave Josten far morephysical power than he had ever known.He decided to take the name Goliath. A cheap thug given vast powers,Josten has always been a bully and abraggart with no redeeming qualities.He prefers to humble his opponents withsheer physical power.

GUARDSMEN

F EX 20 Health: 70A EX 20S RM 30 Karma: 18E RM 30R TY 6I TY 6P TY 6

KNOWN POWERS:Air Supply: Their armor contains a 1-hour supply of oxygen.

Body Armor: Incredible protectionagainst physical attacks, and Excellentversus energy attacks.

Flight: They can travel at Excellentairspeed (10 areas per round).

Pistol: Their armor has no repulsors.Instead, these men carry plasma beampistols which inflict Excellent damageup to a range of 20 areas.

Protected Senses: The helmets grantExcellent protection to the Guardsmens'sight and hearing.

Resistance: Their armor provides themwith Amazing resistance to radiation.

HAMMERHEAD

Real Name: Unrevealed

F EX 20 Health: 60A GD 10S GD 10 Karma: 50E EX 20R GD 10 Resources: EX (20)I GD 10P RM 30 Popularity: -3

KNOWN POWERS:Marksman: Hammerhead is a naturalmarksman with Incredible Agility withguns of all types. He prefers theThompson sub-machine gun.

Metal-Plated Skull: Hammerhead'scranium has been replaced with steel(Amazing material strength) thatprovides him with Incredible bodyarmor against all physical damagedirected at his head. When ramming anopponent, Hammerhead gains a +2CS tohit and inflicts Remarkable damage, inaddition to any other bonuses forCharging.

Exoskeleton: When Hammerhead isexpecting trouble, he wears a strength-boosting exoskeleton. It raises hisStrength and Agility to Incredible, and itprovides him with Incredible protectionagainst physical, electrical and fireattacks. His Health increases to 120while the device is worn.

TALENTS: He is skilled in Business/Finance, Maggia Organization, and

54

Criminology.

BACKGROUND: At one timeHammerhead was an ordinary thug. Hewas severely beaten and left to die inNew York's Bowery district. JonasHarrow, a failed surgeon, found him andsaved his life by replacing his ruinedskull with an unbendable steel plate. The beating Hammerhead sufferedinduced amnesia. The only thing he canremember prior to the attack is a movieposter advertising a 1920s gangster film,which he chose to base his personalityon. After recovering, he won theleadership of his own Maggia "family."Although his underlings use advancedtechnology, he instills them with oldgangland traditions.

IRON MAN (Mark VIIIArmor)

Real Name: Anthony Stark

F IN 40 Health: 255A IN 40S MN 75 Karma: 66E UN 100R IN 40 Resources: EX (20)I EX 20P TY 6 Popularity: 25

KNOWN POWERS: All of Iron Man'sPowers derive from his state-of-the-artarmor. Tony Stark's normal stats are:

F TY 6 Health: 22A TY 6S PR 4 Karma: 66E TY 6R IN 40I EX 20P TY 6

Body Armor: When the armor isactivated (which is usually the case,unless its electrical systems are down),its Remarkable material strength isincreased to Amazing. It offersRemarkable protection against acid,Amazing protection versus physical,heat or cold attacks, Monstrousprotection from most energy attacks,

and Unearthly protection againstradiation and electricity.

Force Field: For a maximum of 5 turnsper hour, Iron Man can surround himselfwith a Monstrous rank Force Field.While this Power is operational, IronMan's armor can be engaged in no otheractivity.

Rocket: Iron Man's boot jets allow himto fly at Excellent airspeed (10 areas perround) and still maneuver. If he wishesto do so, Iron Man can move atMonstrous airspeed (30 areas perround), but can perform only thesimplest actions while doing so. (Hecould use his armor's radio, for example,but not fire his repulsors or perform acharging attack.) The boot jets operatein vacuum for only 10-100 minutes, butduring that time, Iron Man can travel atShift X speeds (50 areas per turn or 750mph). If Iron Man uses his thrusters asweapons, they inflict Incredible damageand have a 2-area range.

Plasma Bolt Generators: Iron Man'sarmor can generate "torpedoes" of high-energy plasma. These have a range of10 areas, and inflict 10 points of damageper area traveled. For example, they doonly Good damage to a target in anadjacent area, but Unearthly damage toa target 10 areas away. However, theplasma travels more slowly than IronMan's beam weapons. Characters wish-ing to Dodge the plasma have a +1CSfor every 2 areas the plasma travels.

Repulsors: The armor is equipped withrepulsors in the palms of its gauntletswhich cause Amazing damage up to a10-area range.

Unibeam: The chest beam on the armorcan be used as a Remarkable Intensityfloodlight or as an Amazing Intensitylaser. Both functions have a 3-arearange.

Heat Beam: The armor can generate anarrow beam of heat, inflictingIncredible damage at a range of 3 areas.The beam can be used to heat the armor,

in which case on character can lay handson the exterior without sufferingIncredible damage. Iron Man isprotected against this effect.

Magnetism: Iron Man's armor cangenerate Magnetic Manipulation atIncredible Intensity. He is limited tosimply moving metallic objects around,as opposed to subtle manipulation.

Absorption: The armor can absorb up to300 points of energy, either forrecharging or to be harmlesslydissipated. With an Incredible IntensityReason FEAT, Iron Man can use thisenergy to increase his Strength, Flight,or Repulsors to Unearthly Intensity for amaximum of 3 turns. Each turn heoverloads his system in this way, IronMan must obtain a Red result on theAmazing Intensity column, or the armorshort-circuits and is drained of poweruntil repaired. The Absorption Poweroperates at Unearthly rank, butabsorbing an incoming attack is aYellow-level Power Stunt.

Self-Sustenance: The Iron Man armorprovides its wearer with about onehour's worth of recycled air.

Protected Senses: The armor containsear-protectors to dampen incomingnoise of greater than 70 decibels.Similarly, blinding lights automaticallytrigger polarized lenses in Iron Man'seye-slots, which offer Remarkableprotection. Nevertheless, a blindingattack can possibly affect Iron Manbefore his armor's computers react. Thearmor must succeed at a RemarkableFEAT against the Agility of theopponent in order to protect Iron Man'seyes. Iron Man can manually trigger thelenses if he expects to be attacked withbright light, but doing so penalizes him -1CS for Intuition rolls requiring sight.

Sensors: Iron Man has the followingsensors built into his helmet: — Infravision: 3-area range.

55

— Radar: A successful Intuition rollgives him details about the rough shapeof his surroundings for 3 areas. — Sonar: Same as Radar, but usableunderwater with a -1CS to the Intuitionroll and a range of 6 areas. — Life Detectors: Measure heat andpinpoint heat sources in a 3-area range. — Electrical Power Detectors:Capable of showing him power-lines ina building's walls, for example, withAmazing ability and a range of 5 areas.

ECM: Iron Man's armor has Remarkableinvisibility to Radar and Sonar.

Electromagnetic Pulse: Iron Man'snewest major armor module is an EMPgenerator, which shuts down allelectrical devices in a 1-mile radius for6 minutes, including most of Iron Man'sown systems (life support and sensorsremain online).

Anti-theft Device: Should anyoneattempt to analyze or duplicate any ofthe circuitry in the armor, he mustsucceed at a Monstrous Intensity ReasonFEAT or trigger the security circuits.Once activated, these circuitsimmediately melt the interior of thearmor to slag, and trigger Incrediblypowerful explosive devices to destroythe armor 2 turns thereafter.

TALENTS: Tony Stark has MonstrousReason in the fields of bionics, battlearmor, and weapons design.

BACKGROUND: Anthony Stark, sonof industrialist Howard Stark, demon-strated his mechanical aptitude andinventive genius at a very early age. Heenrolled in a college electrical engineer-ing program at the MassachusettsInstitute of Technology at the age of 15.When he was 21, he inherited hisfather's business, Stark Industries, andturned it into a multi-million dollarindustrial complex whose chiefcontracts were weaponry and munitionsfor the U.S. government. As Iron Man, Stark became afounding member of the Avengers, and

donated his Manhattan mansion for theirexclusive use. Over the years, Iron Manwas a major fighting force for theAvengers. However, his greatest foeturned out to be alcoholism. Due to hisdrinking problem and the evilmachinations of Obadiah Stane (aliasthe Iron Monger), Stark lost his fortune. Eventually, Iron Man defeated theIron Monger. Stark decided thatalthough he could never escape thespecter of alcoholism, he could also notdeny the responsibilities of being IronMan. As Iron Man, he joined the WestCoast Avengers, and as Tony Stark, hestarted a new design and manufacturingcompany, specializing in spacetechnology. Recently, Tony Stark was paralyzedfrom the waist down. He was the victimof Kathy Dare, an insanely jealous oldgirlfriend. However, Stark's damagedspinal nerves were repaired with organiccomputer chips in an experimentalsurgery.

KINGPIN

Real Name: Wilson Risk

F RM 30 Health: 100A GD 10S EX 20 Karma: 40E IN 40R GD 10 Resources: IN (40)I EX 20P GD 10 Popularity: 0

KNOWN POWERS:Body Armor: Through his fightingdisciplines, Kingpin has Poor BodyArmor.

Minions: Kingpin rarely travels alone,but maintains a private army of goonsfor fighting practice sessions, smallduties, or delaying heroes that attack hisorganization directly.

Weaponry: Kingpin has been known tocarry a few weapons for his owndefense. He usually carries a walkingstick made of Remarkable materialcontaining a 3-shot laser with a range of2 areas that inflicts Excel-

lent energy damage. The walking stickalso contains two doses of AmazingIntensity sleep gas (range 1 area,Endurance FEAT or sleep for 1-10hours). Kingpin's diamond stickpin alsocontains a dose of sleep gas, which maybe used against opponents he isgrappling.

TALENTS: Fisk practices a gruelingregimen that keeps him in fighting form.His great mass is muscle, not fat.Kingpin has Martial Arts A, B and C, aswell as Wrestling skill. He has ExcellentReason concerning Business/Finance.

BACKGROUND: The Kingpin is theCaesar of Crime, a man who built anempire on human sin. He is a mastertechnician who knows every humanweakness and how to exploit it to hisadvantage. The Kingpin does not getdirectly involved in conflict, but usesagents to do his dirty work. The Kingpin's influence extends intoall areas of crime (including narcotics, afield he said he would never be involvedin). He is a monstrous evil because herevels in and exploits the humanweaknesses that make his businesspossible. Yet, he is also a tragic figure,who would have given up his life ofcrime but for the cruelty of fate and theloss of the woman he loved more thanlife itself.

MAD-DOG

Real Name: Robert "Buzz" Baxter

F RM 30 Health: 140A IN 40S RM 30 Karma: 36E IN 40R GD 10 Resources: TY (6)I EX 20P TY 6 Popularity: -10

KNOWN POWERS:Bite: His bite does Remarkable EdgedAttack damage and unleashes a toxinthat causes the victim to make a yellowEndurance FEAT or be paralyzed for 1-10 rounds. If the roll is failed, the victimmust make an Endurance FEAT each

56

turn or lose an Endurance rank. Deathoccurs if the target's rank falls belowFeeble.

Claws: Mad-Dog's claws inflictRemarkable Edged Attack damage.

Resistance to Psychic Attacks: Mad-Dog has Excellent resistance to psionicattack forms.

TALENTS: Baxter is skilled inAcrobatics and Martial Arts C and E.He also has Military and Piloting skills.

BACKGROUND: Robert Baxtermarried Patsy Walker shortly after thetwo graduated from high school. Baxterjoined the U.S. Air Force and served atour of duty overseas. Upon returning,the newlywed couple moved onto anairbase in North Carolina. Disturbed byincidents in Vietnam, Baxter was tenseand irritable as he tried to adjust tomarried life. When Baxter was promoted tocaptain, he was sent to the civilianowned Brand Corporation to supervisethe security surrounding certaingovernment projects. Baxter was vexedby the presence of the mutant Beast,unaware that he was secretly newly-hired genetics expert Henry McCoy. At one point, Baxter's wife shelteredthe wounded Beast from her husbandand provided an alibi for him inexchange for the Beast's promise to helpher become a costumed crimefighter.Soon after the Beast fled the BrandCorporation, Patsy divorced Baxter. Patsy returned to the BrandCorporation months later in thecompany of the Avengers. It was atBrand that she assumed the identity ofHellcat. The Avengers were captured byBrand operatives, but Patsy managed toescape and threatened to use her Hellcatclaws to scratch Baxter's eyes out if hedid not release the Avengers. After sheraked his face, Baxter complied. The Brand Corporation was shut downby its parent company, Roxxon Oil,after an official investigation revealedBrand's illicit activities.

Enraged at being humiliated by his ex-wife, Baxter vowed vengeance. Afterresigning from the Air Force, he begantreatment at Roxxon's MutagenicDepartment in order to acquiresuperhuman abilities. The treatmentaugmented his strength, speed, andagility, and gave him canine-likecharacteristics. He dubbed himself Mad-Dog. Baxter is an angry man who loves tohurt people. He is over confident in hisabilities and enjoys a fight.Unfortunately, Mad-Dog often losescontrol and goes berserk in combat.

MANCHU, FU

Real Name: Fu Manchu (alias theCelestial One)

F EX 20 Health: 46A GD 10S TY 6 Karma: 140E GD 10R AM 50 Resources: IN (40)I IN 40P AM 50 Popularity: -20

KNOWN POWERS:Techno-Wizardry: With Amazingability, Fu Manchu is adept atcombining technology and sorcery. Inthe past, he has used his talents to create"monsters" by altering the genes ofhumans and animals. He has also utiliz-ed Mind Control devices and spacecraft.

Precognition: By holding his hands inthe shape of a pyramid and placing themover his right eye, Fu Manchu is able tosee into the future with Incredibleability. Apparently, he has no controlover what his "visions" reveal to him.

Magical Spells: In the past, Fu Manchuhas manifested only very limitedmagical Powers. However, his recentjourney through the realms of Death hasgranted him much arcane knowledge.Fu Manchu's abilities were furtherincreased by his resurrection in themagical pool created by the use of thebook A Madman's Mutterings. Thefollowing spells are always

available to him: — Claws (U): Fu Manchu can causehis fingernails to thicken and elongate.They have Incredible material strengthand inflict Excellent Edged Attackdamage. Eldritch Bolt (U): An Energyattack with Remarkable power andrange. Eldritch Shield (U): A personalForce Field of Remarkable strength. Summon Fog (U): An IncredibleIntensity cloud of fog rises from theground around Fu Manchu and fills upto 5 areas.

Weakness: Fu Manchu is a very oldman. He lives and remains in hisphysical prime, however, by consumingthe "elixir vitae." Without a daily doseof the potion, the years catch up withhim — he rapidly ages and dies in amatter of moments.

Talents: Fu Manchu is a genius in thefields of Biology, Chemistry,Computers, Electronics, Genetics, andPhysics. He is also a student of OccultLore, and is skilled in Mesmerism andHypnosis. Fu Manchu is trained inMartial Arts A and D.

Background: Little has been revealedabout the origin of Fu Manchu. It iscertain that he gained great wealth andpower in China. There, in his Honanretreat, he developed the formula for theelixir vitae, which allows him to live inhis physical prime well beyond theyears of normal humans. Fu Manchu is a nefarious mastermindwhose criminal empire (called the SiFan) nearly succeeded in bringing aboutthe cataclysmic end of the world onnumerous occasions. Ironically, FuManchu's evil plans were invariablythwarted by his own son, Shang-Chi,who is known to work in associationwith Fu Manchu's archrival, Sir DenisNayland Smith. Both Shang-Chi andSmith were members of MI-6, a Britishintelligence agency. Ultimately, Fu Manchu was killed byhis son. His corpse was recovered by theSi Fan and taken to a sanctu-

57

ary in China. During the course of NewYork City's devastating Gang War, thebody was smuggled to Manhattan,where the Dragonlords stole it from theSi Fan. In a state of unrest, FuManchu's spirit haunted the streets ofChinatown. Eventually, the Si Fan acquired thecorpse once again. Lee Min (thetemporary leader of the Si Fan) used thearcane book called A Madman'sMutterings to raise Fu Manchu from thedead. Fu Manchu's newest plot is totransform the earth into a spiritdimension (called the Golden Empire)and place himself as its mystical ruler.To see his plan to fruition, Fu Manchuhas developed deadly Spirit Bombs,devices capable of unleashing thecataclysmic forces of the Nether Realm.

MANDROID

Real Name: Varies

F RM 30 Health: 120A EX 20S IN 40 Karma: 18E RM 30R TY 6 Resources: GD (10)I TY 6P TY 6 Popularity: 0

KNOWN POWERS:Body Armor: Mandroid armor providesIncredible protection from both energyand physical attacks.

Weapons: The Mandroid battle suitcontains the following weapon systems: —Neuro-Stunner: Fires an IncredibleIntensity beam with a 1-area range andeffects only one target. The victim mustsucceed at an Incredible IntensityEndurance FEAT or pass out for 1-10turns. —Tracker/Repeller Fields: Allow theoperator to move objects at a range of 3areas with Remarkable Strength. Mayalso be used as an Amazing Intensitypersonal force field, but no weapons canbe fired while the force field is on. —Laser Torch: Excellent Intensitywith line-of-sight range.

—Punch-Blasters: Inflict RemarkableForce damage to a single target andhave a range of 1 area.

Sensors: The avionics array of the battlesuit provides Remarkable ProtectedSenses, Infravision to a 3-area range,Remarkable Radar/Sonar, and a fullcommunications system (includingloudspeakers).

Life Support: The wearer can survive onfiltered air for two months. In addition,the suit provides Amazing Resistance toheat and radiation.

Remote Control: The battle suit can beprogrammed to perform specific actionsif its wearer is knocked out.

Running: Anyone in a Mandroid suitcan run at Typical speed (3 areas perround) for a maximum of 14 minutes.

Wearer: The Mandroid battle armor hasbeen worn by many different people.The statistics above are for Rocko, aMaggia hitman. Rocko's statisticswithout the suit are as follows:

F EX 20 Health: 50A GD 10S GD 10 Karma: 18E GD 10R TY 6 Resources: GD (10)I TY 6P TY 6 Popularity: 0

TALENTS: Rocko gained skill in Gunswhile in the Military.

BACKGROUND: The Mandroidpersonal battle suit was originally builtby Stark International to be used bySHIELD. The suits were first usedagainst the Avengers by SHIELD agentswhen the Avengers were undersuspicion of harboring aliens during anactive period of the Kree-Skrull war. Not long ago, Tony Stark found outthat the Spymaster stole his plans for theIron Man armor. The Spymaster hadthen sold the plans to Justin Hammer,who in turn sold them to various

criminals. These criminals used theplans to create their own suits of armor. Angered, Stark went on a crusade todestroy all suits of battle armor. As IronMan, he eventually tricked SHIELD andambushed agents wearing Mandroidarmor. He completely fused theMandroids' circuits. It is believed thatall suits of Mandroid battle armor havebeen destroyed. However, Hammerhead's branch ofthe Maggia obtained a copy of theblueprints of Mandroid armor, and builta suit for their own use. A formermercenary named Rocko was given thesuit with orders to eliminate a rival gangof the Maggia's called the Faces of Fear.

MENTALLO

Real Name: Marvin Flumm

F TY 6 Health: 52A GD 10S TY 6 Karma: 90E RM 30R GD 10 Resources: TY (6)I RM 30P AM 50 Popularity: 5

KNOWN POWERS:Telepathy: At a maximum range of 5miles, Mentallo has the Amazing powerto psionically communicate with threepeople at once.

Hallucination: With this Amazingpower, Mentallo can generate imagesdirectly into the minds of up to threepeople. Each target is allowed to attempta Psyche FEAT to sense the illusion.Those who fail believe the images to bereal.

Radar Sense: Using his psionicenergies, he has the Feeble ability todetect the presence and shape ofintangible or out-of-reach objects.

Anti-Psionic Helmet: His helmetenables him to use the followingpowers: —Excellent resistance to psionicattacks. —Excellent mental invisibility.

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Weaknesses: He suffers a -1CS toattack moving targets. If his helmet isdisabled or missing, he sustains twicethe normal damage from psionic attacks.

TALENTS: Because of his mechanicalaptitude, Mentallo is considered to haveRemarkable Reason when dealing withElectronics or Firearms.

BACKGROUND: Marvin Flumm'stelepathic powers began to manifestthemselves during his adolescence.Ignoring his powers, Marvin wascontent to work as a shoe salesman. His abilities were detected by NilesNordstrom, the director of SHIELD'SESP Division, and Martin was asked tojoin. His powers quickly developed,along with his ambitions. He conceivedthe idea of secretly taking control ofSHIELD and using its resources to gainpolitical power. His plan wasdiscovered, and he was forced to flee. He allied himself with the Fixer, andstaged a raid on SHIELD'S Manhattanheadquarters, which nearly succeeded.At the present time, he has once againjoined forces with the Fixer.

MONGOOSE

Real Name: Unknown

F RM 30 Health: 190A UN 100S RM 30 Karma: 36E RM 30R TY 6 Resources: GD (10)I EX 20P GD 10 Popularity: 0

KNOWN POWERS:Stunning Gas: Mongoose can releaseUnearthly Intensity stunning gas fromthe gauntlets of his costume, filling 1area.

Claws and Teeth: He possesses Goodrank claws and teeth.

Hyper-Speed: Mongoose can move atUnearthly rank speed. As an establishedPower Stunt, he can use

this power to actually run up and downthe sides of buildings.

Cellsmograph: This small device isapparently attuned to the specific cellstructure of one single person. Thedevice works as an Unearthly IntensityTracking ability. Mongoose is known tohave one such cellsmograph attuned toThor. It is not known if he can programit to track other individuals.

TALENTS: Mongoose has a +1CSwhen fighting with his claws and teeth.He knows Martial Arts B, and he has theAcrobatics and Tumbling talents.

BACKGROUND: Very little is knownof Mongoose's past. He was smuggledout of his country of origin by BaronZemo and the Masters of Evil. He wassupposed to join the Masters of Evil ontheir assault on Avengers Mansion. TheAbsorbing Man and Titania, in disguise,were supposed to pick him up at theairport, but they became involved in abattle with Spider-Man. Mongoose, nowthat he was in America, decided toforget about the Masters of Evil and setout on his own. Mongoose is a blood thirsty assassinwho enjoys his work. During a battle hecan be extremely vicious and berserk,but he is smart enough to run whenbeing beaten. He is very patient whenstalking his prey.

PERSUADER

Real Name: Roland Rayburn

F TY 6 Health: 28A TY 6S TY 6 Karma: 60E GD 10R GD 10 Resources: GD (10)I GD 10P IN 40 Popularity: 0

KNOWN POWERS:Hypnosis: Persuader has instanthypnosis at Excellent rank (raised toIncredible with his suit). With a greenFEAT, he can persuade people to do

things they would not mind doing. Witha yellow FEAT, he can persuade peopleto do things they are somewhat opposedto doing. With a red FEAT, he can makepeople do things they violently opposedoing (such as killing a friend).

TALENTS: Persuader has ExcellentReason in Business/Finance.

BACKGROUND: Roland Rayburn wasa businessman who was not making asmuch money as he wanted. He used hismutant power of persuasion to assist inmaking deals, which brought him to theattention of the Arranger, the Kingpin'slieutenant. The Arranger boostedRayburn's powers with a special suit.The Persuader is now a servant of theKingpin.

PHANTOM TONG

Real Name: Varies

F RM 30 Health: 90A EX 20S GD 10 Karma: 32E RM 30R TY 6 Resources: PR (4)I TY 6P EX 20 Popularity: 0

KNOWN POWERS:Phasing: Phantom Tong have hadimplants placed in their brains by theFixer and Mentallo. These devices allowthem to pull the molecules of theirbodies out of phase with those of thesurrounding area, granting them theRemarkable Power of "phasing" throughsolid objects. To pass through an object, the item'smaterial strength must be Remarkable orless. Higher material strength objectscannot be phased through. By succeeding at a green FEAT roll, aPhantom Tong can pass through a forcefield of Excellent Intensity or less. Forcefields of Remarkable or greater Intensitycannot be phased through. While phased, a Phantom Tong is

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immune to physical and energy attacks,but is still subject to the effects ofmental attacks and magic. In addition, aphased assassin cannot make attacks ofhis own. The Phantom Tong have developedthe following Power Stunts: —Walking on air at normal speed. —Phasing in, striking, and phasingback out in a single round. Only attacksmade at the instant of the tong's attackcan affect the assassin.

Rapid Aging: A side effect of a phasingimplant is that it increases the subject'srate of aging by a 10-to-1 ration. Inother words, a Phantom Tong ages 10years for every year the implant is in hisor her brain.

Mental Barrier: For details see a"Typical Si Fan Assassin" in the Non-Player Character Factions section of thismodule.

TALENTS: The assassins are trained touse Oriental Weapons and Martial ArtsA and E.

Weaponry: They carry six shuriken(throwing stars) and a dagger concealedin their long costumes.

BACKGROUND: The Phantom Tongare the elite of Fu Manchu's Warriors ofthe Golden Empire. Although they ageand die ten times as quickly as normalhumans, they are willing to make theultimate sacrifice for their belovedleader.

RHINO

Real Name: Unrevealed

F RM 30 Health: 175A EX 20S MN 75 Karma: 20E AM 50R GD 10 Resources: PR (4)I TY 6P PR 4 Popularity: -15

KNOWN POWERS:Body Armor: The Rhino's suit provideshim with Amazing protection from

physical attacks and Remarkableprotection from energy, heat, and acidattacks.

Charging: Rhino can move up to 4 areasper round in a straight line. He receivesa +2 CS when Charging, and his BodyArmor provides him with Unearthlyprotection against damage he might takefrom Charging.

Horns: The horns on the headpiece ofRhino's suit can inflict RemarkableEdged damage.

TALENTS: None.

BACKGROUND: The man who wouldbecome the Rhino was a small-timemuscle man who worked miscellaneousjobs for professional criminals. He washired by two foreign-born spies to be thesubject of an experiment to develop asuper-humanly powerful assassin. Hewas subjected to several months ofchemical and radiation treatments whichultimately granted him superhumanstrength. In the meantime, a team of specialistshad developed a material ofextraordinary toughness and coarseness,like a rhinoceros's hide, and fabricated askin-tight bodysuit out of it. Thestrength-augmented muscleman wasgiven the suit and the codename Rhino. Later, he was recruited by Egghead aspart of the criminal scientist'sEmissaries of Evil. Rhino waseventually defeated by Doc Sampsonand taken to Project: Pegasus for study.Rhino was observed for months, until hejoined in a mass escape attempt withMoonstone, Blackout, and Electro. Theescape was thwarted by the Avengers. While being transferred to anotherfacility, Rhino was freed by the MiracleMan who wanted Rhino to help himregain his mystical powers. Rhino didnot want to be freed, however,preferring to seek medical treatment toremove the Rhino costume, which hadaffixed itself to his skin following afiery shuttle crash. With the aid of theThing, Rhino opposed Miracle Man andaccompanied the Thing back to Pegasus.When treatments failed to restore him to

normal, Rhino escaped and joined theBeetle's Sinister Syndicate to earnmoney for further operations.

SEAVER, CAMERON

Real Name: Cameron Seaver

F PR 4 Health: 20A TY 6S PR 4 Karma: 66E TY 6R AM 50 Resources: EX (20)I GD 10P TY 6 Popularity: 0

KNOWN POWERS:Hyper-Invention: Cameron has theAmazing ability to comprehend, design,and repair complex technologicaldevices.

TALENTS: Cameron is a genius atComputers, Electronics, Engineering,and Physics. He also has the Repair/Tinkering Talent.

BACKGROUND: Cameron's parentsrealized he was special when he beganspeaking in complete sentences beforehe could even walk. Shortly thereafter,Cameron was enrolled in a school forgifted children. Cameron's education was brilliant. Atage seven he was tested and found tohave one of the top 10 IQs in the world.He graduated college at age 9, and wasswiftly hired to work part-time atRoxxon's Experimental Division. In hisoff hours, Cameron continued hiseducation, eventually receivingdoctorate degrees in Physics andEngineering.

SERSI

Real Name: Sersi

F GD 10 Health: 140A RM 30S AM 50 Karma: 90E AM 50R EX 20 Resources: RM (30)I RM 30P IN 40 Popularity: 25

60

KNOWN POWERS:Invulnerability: Sersi is invulnerable toheat, cold, energy, electricity, radiation,toxins, and disease. However, she canstill be affected by Stun, Slam, and Killresults. She is only affected by a Killresult that scatters her atoms over a widearea of space. Sersi does not age.

Cosmic Energy Manipulation: Sersi canmanipulate Cosmic Energy at Amazingrank. She can project this energy asForce Bolts up to a range of 20 areas forAmazing damage. She has developed nopower stunts.

Flight: Sersi can fly at Shift X speed (50areas per round).

Psionic Abilities: Sersi has a number ofPowers associated with her vast mentalcapabilities: — She can transmute living and non-living matter with Unearthly ability. — She can also generate illusions,affecting all five senses at Unearthlyrank. — Sersi can read and control minds atExcellent rank. — She has Telekinesis at Incrediblerank. — Sersi can also psionically teleportherself at Shift Z rank, but must make aRed Psyche FEAT roll to do so. If shesucceeds she must make a RedEndurance FEAT roll or be paralyzedwith pain for 1-10 turns. No Karma canbe spent on either of these rolls.

Uni-Mind: Sersi, like all Eternals, canform the Uni-Mind — an energycreation that resembles a huge brainwith Class 1000 abilities. More than 100Eternals in one location are required toform the Uni-Mind at its full strength.Less than 100 can create a Uni-Mind ofa power equal to their percentage (80Eternals create a Uni-Mind of 80%power).

TALENTS: Sersi is an accomplisheddancer and connoisseur.

BACKGROUND: Sersi is a member

of the Eternals, an evolutionary offshootof humanity living on Earth whopossess greater power and longerlifespans than normal humans. TheEternals first came into being about amillion years ago when theextraterrestrial Celestials arrived onEarth to perform genetic experiments. Sersi has many social contacts aroundthe world. She is currently developing arelationship with Captain America, andaccepted his invitation to join theAvengers.

STARFOX

Real Name: Eros

F GD 10 Health: 130A EX 20S AM 50 Karma: 56E AM 50R EX 20 Resources: EX (20)I TY 6P RM 30 Popularity: 75

KNOWN POWERS:Emotion Control: Starfox has theAmazing ability to instill pleasurable,friendly, cooperative attitudes in targetsfor 10-100 turns. Victims may avoid theeffect by an Intuition FEAT. Orders thatwould require them to lose Karma alsoenable them to break free by a PsycheFEAT.

Invulnerability: He possesses Shift-Xresistance to aging, disease, heat, cold,electricity, radiation, and toxins.

Body Resistance: Starfox has Goodresistance to all other physical andenergy attacks.

Regeneration: Amazing rank.

True Flight: Shift-X speed (50 areas perround).

TALENTS: He has familiarity withEternal and Titanian technology.

BACKGROUND: Eros is the youngestson of two Titanian Eternals, Alars and

Sui-San. Eros grew up to be a fun-loving, carefree womanizer, in contrastto his brother Thanos, a power-hungryschemer. Only when Thanos launchedhis first major attack against Titan, anattack that left their mother dead, didEros begin to take life more seriously.Eros joined the alien Captain Mar-Velland the Avengers in the first majordefeat of Thanos. Later, the Avengers admitted him totheir training program and gave him thename Starfox. As Starfox, he has servedthe Avengers faithfully.

THOR

Real Name: Thor; Dr. Donald Blake;Sigurd Jarlson; Eric Masterson

F UN 100 Health: 320A EX 20S UN 100 Karma: 76E UN 100R TY 6 Resources: EX (20)I EX 20P AM 50 Popularity: 50

KNOWN POWERS:Invulnerability: Thor possesses Excel-lent resistance to physical attacks, heat,cold, radiation, toxins, aging, anddisease. He has Typical resistance toother Energy Attacks.

Illusion Detection: Thor is granted a+1CS to Intuition when confronting anillusion.

Mjolnir: Thor's hammer is made of CL3000 material. His Fighting increases toShift Y when using the hammer. Thorcan throw Mjolnir 10 areas. Mjolnir hasthese Power Stunts: — Alter Ego: Striking Mjolnir to theground transforms Thor into his mortalself. If he is kept from Mjolnir for over60 seconds, he automatically reverts tomortal form. The statistics for Thor in his mortalform as Eric Masterson are as follows:

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F TY 6 Health: 28A TY 6S TY 6 Karma: 46E GD 10R GD 10 Resources: RM (30)I TY 6P RM 30 Popularity: 0

— Automatic Return: After striking ormissing a target, Mjolnir flies back to itswielder. — Dimension Travel: Unearthlyability to travel between Earth andAsgard. — Flight: Amazing air speed. — Shield: Remarkable protectionagainst physical, energy, and magicalattacks. — Weather Control: Unearthlycontrol, including Monstrous Intensitylightning. — Worthiness: Only a pure, nobleperson may hold the hammer. Such anindividual must have RemarkableStrength and expend 1000 Karma pointsin order to use Mjolnir. Someone usinga machine may lift, but not use, Mjolnirif they have Remarkable Strength. — Unfettered Might: A special attackincreases damage to Shift Y andsurrounds Mjolnir with a blazing aura. Ifhe is wearing the Belt of Strength,damage increases to Shift Z. Thorsuffers Incredible damage if not wearinghis gauntlets. Thor loses one-half hisKarma when using this attack.

Armor: CL 1000 metal provides Thorwith Shift Y protection against physicaland energy attacks.

Gauntlets: CL 1000 metal covers Thor'shands and arms. It provides Shift Yprotection against contact powers.

Belt of Strength: It increases hisStrength by +1CS. Removal temporarilylowers his Endurance by -2CS.

TALENTS: Thor is skilled in medicine,Asgardian lore, and combat with eitherswords (+1CS) or Mjolnir (+ 2CS).

BACKGROUND: Thor is the bloodsonof Odin, lord of the gods of Asgard, andJord, who is also known as Gaea, theeldest goddess of the Earth. As he grewto adulthood, Thor led an adventurouslife in Asgard, doing battle with FrostGiants and other enemies of the realm.But Odin grew increasingly dissatisfiedwith Thor's headstrong behavior andexcessive pride. Odin decided it wastime Thor learned humility, and senthim to Earth in the mortal guise of acrippled young medical student namedDonald Blake. Thor was stripped of hisprecious hammer and had no memory ofhis past life as a god. After Thor had spend ten years in therole of Blake, and been greatlyhumbled, Odin planted within Blake'smind the idea of taking a vacation inNorway. There, Odin had left Thor'shammer in the enchanted form of awooden cane. Trapped in a cavern by agreat boulder, Blake struck the rockwith the cane in frustration, and wastransformed back into his true godlyform of Thor. At first, Thor had no memory of hispast life as an Asgardian god. Asmonths passed, more of is memoriesreturned. Finally, a year later, Odinrevealed to him the false nature of theBlake identity and the reason for it. Thor remained in his Blake identity onEarth and continued his medicalpractice. He came to divide his timebetween Earth and Asgard, and does soto this day. After several years, Thor gave up theidentity of Don Blake in favor of a new"secret identity" as Sigurd Jarlson, aconstruction worker. Thor does notactually become a mortal in his Jarlsonidentity; he simply dresses as a normalhuman and wears glasses. Most recently, however, Thormystically merged with Eric Masterson,an unmarried architect struggling toraise a young son. As he did with hisBlake identity, Thor switches betweenhimself and his Masterson identity bystriking Mjolnir upon the ground.

TYPHOID MARY

Real Name: Mary (last nameunrevealed)

F IN 40 Health: 120A IN 40S GD 10 Karma: 20E RM 30R TY 6 Resources: GD (10)I GD 10P PR 4 Popularity: 0

KNOWN POWERS:Telekinesis: Typhoid Mary has Typicalstrength Telekinesis that can be used ata 1-area range. She can manipulate onlyone object at a time, but with fineprecision. As a Power Stunt, she hasPoor Pyrokinesis, the ability to startsmall fires.

Mind Control: She is able totelepathically broadcast commands toothers, giving her Good Mind Control.Her victims usually do not realize theyare being manipulated. She only givessimple commands (such as "Look atme" or "Fire your gun"), and rarely usesthis power on her opponents oncecombat has begun. Out of combat, she can make a manfall in love with her if she succeeds in aPower FEAT with a -1CS penaltyagainst her target's Psyche.

Weaponry: Typhoid Mary carries twomachetes which inflict Excellent Edgeddamage.

Alter-Ego: Typhoid Mary is a schizoid,a character with two separatepersonalities. Typhoid is aware of theMary persona, and can even exert herMind Control powers when Mary isdominant. However, Mary possessesnone of Typhoid's other powers, nor isshe even aware she has them. She can,however, summon up Typhoid if shewishes. Mary has the following statistics:

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F PR 4 Health: 20A TY 6S PR 4 Karma: 20E TY 6R TY 6 Resources: GD (10)I GD 10P PR 4 Popularity: 0

TALENTS: Mary has the Acting talent.Typhoid is a Weapons Specialist withher machetes, a skill probablyaugmented by her telekinesis. Sheknows Martial Arts C and D (Typhoid'spsionics allow her to use this talentwithout the two rounds of study).Typhoid is skilled in Tumbling as well.

BACKGROUND: The early childhoodof Typhoid Mary is not welldocumented. It is known that she spentmost of her life in one institution afteranother as doctors attempted to diagnoseor cure her dual personality complex. As Mary, she is quiet, loving, andgentle. When she found out that she hadan evil alternate persona, she

attempted suicide in order to keep theevil at bay. As Typhoid, she is a wild seeker ofpleasures, caring little for human lifeand nothing at all for Mary's moralqualms. While she often finds men towrap in her charms and do her dirtywork, Typhoid is certainly not shy aboutentering combat herself.

VISION

Real Name: Vision

F RM 30 Health: 140A EX 20S AM 50 Karma: 60E IN 40R EX 20 Resources: PR (4)I GD 10P RM 30 Popularity: 30

KNOWN POWERS:Density Manipulation-Self: The Visioncan control his density with Unearthlyability. His normal density rank isGood. At densities above Good, the

Vision gains Body Armor equal to thedensity rank. If the Vision employs hisDensity Increase at Incredible rank orhigher, he suffers a -1CS to his Fightingand Ability abilities. At densities aboveAmazing, the Vision uses his Densityrank instead of his Strength in chargingcombat. At Unearthly Density, hecannot move. The Vision has developed thefollowing power stunts: — While at Shift-0 Density, he canPhase through solid objects. Unlikenormal Phasing, this does not usuallycause malfunctions in electronics,although the Vision may cause suchdisruptions if he wishes. — While at Shift-0 Density, he can flyat Poor airspeed (4 areas per turn). TheVision cannot carry anything whileflying. — By solidifying inside them, theVision can disrupt living or non-livingmaterial. Damage inflicted is equal tothe Vision's chosen Density rank. Thetarget's Body Armor is ignored.

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Life Support: The Vision has IncredibleLife Support powers and can survive inspace for up to 40 rounds. He does notneed to eat or breathe.

Solar Beams: The Vision can fire beamsof solar heat from his eyes or from thejewel in his forehead, doing RemarkableEnergy damage up to a range of 8 areas.

Solar Regeneration: He can regenerateat Amazing rank. Indoors, he can stillheal at the accelerated rate if solar orlaser energy is directed at the jewel inhis forehead.

TALENTS: The Vision has Repair/Tinkering talent. He has a photographicmemory and has memorized thousandsof books, particularly fiction andhistory.

BACKGROUND: For quite some time,it was believed that the artificial beingwho would one day be called the Visionwas in reality the modified "corpse" ofthe Human Torch, an android created in1939. However, recent events revealedthat the Vision was really made from themolds used to create the original HumanTorch — the two are totally differentindividuals who share similar bodies. The Vision has been an Avenger formany years, and is married to a fellowAvenger, the Scarlet Witch. Currently,the pair are separated due to theintervention of Magneto, the ScarletWitch's father. At the time of thiswriting, the Vision is on active dutywith the East Coast Avengers.

VORTEX

F IN 40 Health: 205A AM 50S MN 75 Karma: 58E IN 40R PR 4I PR 4P AM 50

KNOWN POWERS:Huge Size: Vortex takes the form of ablack cyclone filled with wrigglingtentacles of pure mystical energy. It

can swirl up to a height of 100 feet, theequivalent of Shift Z Growth. Even atthis great height, its Strength can neverexceed Monstrous.

Energy Body: Vortex has no physicalform, but is simply a sentient constructof eldritch energy. As such, Vortex hasUnearthly protection from physical andenergy attacks, since it has no solidbody. Mental attacks affect it normally.

Invulnerability: Because it is a creaturecomprised of eldritch energy, Vortexpossesses Class 1000 resistance todamage-inflicting magical attacks.

Eldritch Tentacles: Whether it wants toor not, Vortex phases through objectslike a ghost. It cannot smash buildingsor pickup items, for example. Itsswirling winds do not even stir leaveson the ground. However, its eldritch tentacles arecapable of grasping the souls of sentientbeings. The victim's soul remains in hisor her body, and the character isunharmed by the attack. Breaking freerequires a successful MonstrousIntensity Psyche FEAT roll. Robots andother characters without souls areimmune to the attack. Vortex is comprised of 100 tentacleswhich it can extend to a range of 3areas.

TALENTS: None.

BACKGROUND: Vortex is a fragmentof the essence of the Nether Realm, aworld containing the suffering souls ofsome of the most evil beings in thehistory of the universe. The energycreature is an extension of the mentalwill of the Rulers of the Nether Realm,and is under their direct control.