More Villains! (DC Modern) - MHRP

Hey, readers!

I enjoyed the response from the stat blocks I posted last time, so I think I'll continue by putting up more of my content from my Teen Titans game for you to peruse, steal, copy, edit, or what have you! As before, these are different from standard DC flare since they are from my revamp of said universe, but with a little tweaking, they can be right at home in your Justice League, Teen Titans, or what-have-you games.

Like last time, we're going to have the name and a brief description before the meat of the datafile. These are a collection of villains from either one-shot episodes or mini-arcs. However, the Riddler presented below was pretty much stolen from someone on the old Margaret Weis forums with a few minor changes, so I can hardly take credit for that particular brilliance. If I remembered the username, I would put it on, just so you can pour the praises on! Alas, I do not.

Without further ado: Villains!

Bane

According to the members of his Neo-Luddite society, the story of Bane is as follows. The dying town where his entire family grew up was apparently saved by the creation of a chemical factory. While the factory provided work, it also slowly killed the environment and those working inside. A tragic accident occurred while a teenage Bane slaved away, and he wore the gas-mask evermore to hide his scars, swearing to abhor and eradicate the sins of modern technology, modeling himself after an 18th century revolutionary.  Contrary to the regular look, Bane is a tall and lanky individual, whose strength defies his appearance.

Affiliations: Solo d10, Buddy d6, Team d8

Distinctions:

Technology is Evil

Cult of Personality

“I Will Break You”

Power Sets:

Venom Addiction:

Superhuman Strength d10

Superhuman Durability d10

Superhuman Stamina d10

SFX:

Venom Burst – Step up or double Superhuman Strength for one round, then step it back to d8.

Broken – Step back the highest rated die in your pool. Then add d6 and step up physical stress inflicted by one.

Healing Factor – Spend d6 from the Doom pool to recover physical stress and step back physical trauma by -1.

Limit:

Venom Dependent – Shutdown Venom Addiction powerset when you don't have access to Venom.

The Mask:

Cybernetic Senses d8

SFX:

Immunity: Spend a d6 from the Doom Pool to ignore toxins and poisons.

Venom Reserves: Spend the highest die from the Doom Pool to restore the Venom Addiction powerset if it had been shut down.

Up the Dose – Spend a die from Doom and add d8 emotional stress to step up Superhuman Strength or Superhuman Durability for the remainder of the scene.

Limit:

Gear – Shutdown The Mask to add d6 to the Doom pool. Spend d6 from the doom pool to recover.

Specialties:

Combat Expert

Tech Expert

Psych Expert

Menace Master

Crime Expert

The Riddler

One day, mild-mannered computer programmer Edward Nygma came to a startling realization. The world was getting dumber. People stared listlessly into their devices, relying on computers to think for them while they flopped to the tune of capitalism. At this rate, evolution would break down, and humanity would be unfit for survival. Therefore, he devised a system. He would test humanity, starting with the loathsome underbelly of human life, to see if they were intelligent. If not, they would fail the test and die. If they survived they were fit to live, and possibly help him continue to test humanity. Thus, the Riddler was born.

Affiliations: Solo d10, Buddy d8, Team d6

Distinctions:

Knowledge is Power

World Renowned Hacker

Riddle Wrapped in an Enigma

Power Sets:

Weaver of Conundrums:

Enhanced Senses d8

SFX:

Complex Puzzles – All assets, resources, and complications created by the Riddler can only be stepped back, rather than being shutdown, when targeted. Once it goes below a d6, it is shutdown as normal.

Ingenious – When creating an asset, resource or complication based on a riddle or puzzle, step up the resulting trait by +1.

Limits:

Outsmarted – When an asset, resources or complication created by the Riddler is shutdown, take a d8 of Emotional Stress.

Specialties:

Crime Expert d8

Tech Master d10

Psych Expert d8

Menace Expert d8

Solomon Grundy

The Lazarus Pits are a wonderful natural phenomenon that have the possibility to grant immortal life to those who find them. However, it is not usually possible for a Lazarus Pit to bring one back from the dead. This does not explain the creature only known as Solomon Grundy, who is assumed to be a Robinson Cursoe who found one of the fabled Pits, but a tainted one. Upon his death, the island's pit brought him back to life... Wrong. Seemingly immortal, Grundy is a curiosity, and potential weapon, for those who wish to live forever. 

Affiliations: Solo d10, Buddy d8, Team d6

Distinctions:

Dumb as the Dead

Hulking Abomination

Unstoppable

Power Sets:

Lazarus Pit Pariah

Godlike Strength d12

Godlike Durability d12

Godlike Stamina d12

Enhanced Speed d8

SFX:

Area Attack: ~

Healing Factor - Spend a die from the Doom Pool to recover physical stress and step-back trauma.

Nothing Hurts Grundy – Spend a die from the Doom Pool to ignore physical stress.

Grundy Smash – Against a single opponent, double Godlike Strength. Remove the highest rolling die and keep an extra die for your total.

Limits:

Wasting Away – Every time Grundy uses his Healing Factor, his stamina is stepped down by one until he returns to the Lazarus Pit from which he spawned.

Specialties:

Combat Expert d8

Menace Expert d10

Amazo

Dr. Ivo seeks to live forever, but his experiments have only brought about temporary results. He has heard of the properties of the Lazarus Pits, but their temporary relief from the mortal coil was unsatisfactory. Upon discovering the Island of Solomon Grundy, he set up a base of operations and begun a series of test involving the Lazarus Pits while also working on the ultimate evolutionary being that he will eventually transplant into. The prototype is finished: Amazo, the amazingly adaptable automaton!

Affiliations: Solo d10, Buddy d6, Team d8

Distinctions:

Infinitely Adaptable

Cold-Hearted Android

Ivo's Greatest Creation

Power Sets:

Adaptoid Android

Enhanced Senses d8

Superhuman Durability d10

Enhanced Flight d8

Mimic d12

SFX:

I Cannot Process that Emotion – Spend a die from the Doom Pool to ignore emotional stress.

Fast Learner – Spend a Doom Die. Amazo gets the “Stolen Power” asset immediately equal to the die spent.

Limit:

Strengths and Weaknesses – Amazo is subject to the limits associated with the power sets he mimics.

Specialties:

Combat Expert d8

Tech Expert d8

Hope you enjoyed these datafiles! If not, here's a funny picture.

-Wes

The Fearsome Five! (DC Modern) - Marvel Heroic

Hello, readers!

Happy New Year! After our last editorial about NPC Overload, I thought it would be a nice ironic turn to show some stat sheets for NPCs! Since I've blogged quite a bit about my experiences with Marvel Heroic, I think giving back to the community with some DC-related datafiles would be just peachy.

Keep in mind that these are altered for my particular version of the DC Universe which I call 'DC Modern', but with a little adjustment here and there, they can be perfectly usable in your regular Teen Titans game, or any other setting which would require the use of the Fearsome Five!

Before each stat-block, I'll give the name and a little blurb about them. I'm pretty proud of some of the SFX and Limits I cobbled together, since I think unique permutations of the system are what fan-created content is all about!

Mammoth

Baran Flinders and his sister, Selinda, struck out on their own as High School drop-outs who were looking for trouble. They eventually wound up throwing in their lot with a gang that owed its true allegiance to the Cult of Blood. When Baran mocked the gang leader's girlfriend for her witch-like appearance, she cursed him to forever be a Mammoth. Twisted and ugly, but with the brute strength required of an enforcer, Baran was forever changed! He seeks a way to remove his curse with the help of her sister while also getting back at the gang that scorned them.

Affiliations: Solo d6, Buddy d8, Team d4

Distinctions:

Sibling Bond

Driven by Revenge

Cursed Behemoth

Power Sets:

Cursed Form

Superhuman Strength d10

Superhuman Stamina d10

Enhanced Durability d8

SFX:

Second Wind: Before you make an action using Cursed Form, move your physical stress to the Doom Pool and step up a Cursed Form power +1 for this action.

Versatile: Replace any Superhuman Cursed Form power with 2d8 or 3d6 for your next turn.

Haymaker: Double Superhuman Strength for an action, then add the second-highest rolling die from that action to the Doom Pool.

Limits:

Self Conscious: Step up any emotional stress related to comments about Mammoth's appearance.

One Track Mind: After making an attack against an opponent during an action scene, you must only attack that one target for the rest of the scene. Spend a die from the Doom Pool to change targets or do something else.

My Sister's Keeper: If Shimmer takes trauma, take emotional stress equal to the highest die in the Doom Pool.

Specialties:

Combat Expert d8

Crime Expert d8

Shimmer

If there's one thing Selinda Flinders desires, it's power. Having grown up destitute her entire life with only her brother to watch her back, she sought a way to transcend her existence and rely on herself rather than others. The chance came when her addictive habits for mystically imbued drugs landed herself and her brother in the gang life. Before they were tossed to the curb for Mammoth's insolence, she tried an experimental mixture of drugs that wound up giving her the power to change elements. Now gifted with the knowledge and power to advance their status, Selinda seeks even more power and a cure for her brother's monstrous transformation.

Affiliations: Solo d4, Buddy d8, Team d6

Distinctions:

Power Addict

Amateur Elemental

Sibling Bond

Elemental Control

Superhuman Transmutation d10

SFX:

Elemental Supremacy: Add a d6 and step up the effect die when creating an asset or complication to turn something into something else.

Family Ties: Double an Elemental Control power when creating an asset intended to be given to Mammoth.

Limits:

Inorganic Only: Elemental Control may not be used on organic lifeforms.

My Brother's Keeper: If Mammoth takes trauma, take emotional stress equal to the highest die in the Doom Pool.

Specialties:

Crime Expert d8

Science Expert d8

Gizmo

No one's quite sure where Gizmo came from. He doesn't go by any other name, and his short stature is hard to miss. However, his skill as an inventor is invaluable. He can make anything out of anything, so it seems, and his services often come at a high price, especially in cities where advanced fire-arms can be hard to come by. Now, he makes his home in the Motor City, scrounging together the pieces of dying industry to make a healthy profit in the underground.

Affiliations: Solo d8, Buddy d4, Team d6

Distinctions:

Short Temper

MacGyver-Style Inventor

Maniacal Midget

Power Sets:

"I Can Build That"

Enhanced Senses d8

Mimic d8

SFX:

Technological Intuition: When using Mimic to create technology-based assets or complications, add a d6 and step up your effect die.

Limit:

Prototype: When you create an asset or complication with Mimic, shutdown Mimic until the asset or complication is eliminated, removed, or recovered.

Cobbled Together Arsenal

Weapon d8

Flight d6

Enhanced Durability d8

SFX:

Charged Blast: Step or double Weapon on your next roll, or spend a doom die to do both, then shut down Weapon. Recover through an opportunity or during a transition scene.

Limits:

Gear – Shutdown a 'Cobbled Together Arsenal' power to add or step up a doom die.

Specialties:

Tech Master d10

Crime Expert d8

Science Expert d8

Vehicle Expert d8

Psimon

Once, Simon Jones was the second highest ranking member of the Cult of Blood with only Brother Blood above him. While the master directed the mystical side of their organization, Simon organized the gangs and the financial side of their various endeavors. However, Simon desired more, and his prayers were answered by a direct endowment of energy from the Being of Chaos Himself, Trigon. Through psychic revelation, he was able to be in limited communication with the Chaotic Incarnate, and thought that this made him higher than even Brother Blood himself! Therefore, he left the Cult of Blood in order to pursue Trigon's interests on his own.

Affiliations: Solo d8, Buddy d6, Team d4

Distinctions:

Cult of Blood Turncoat

Untapped Potential

“I Should Be in Charge!”

Power Sets:

Psychic Powers From Chaos

Mind Control d8

Telepathy d8

Psychic Resistance d8

Psychic Blast d8

SFX:

Area Attack: ~

Echo of Trigon: Step up or double any Psychic Powers From Another Dimension power for one action. If that action fails, add a die to the Doom Poop equal to the normal rating of that power die.

More Powerful Than I Thought: Step back the highest die in your attack action pool to add a d6 and step up mental stress inflicted.

Limit:

Trigon Clouds My Thoughts: Both ones and twos count as opportunities. Twos can still be used as effect die or to add to totals.

Specialties:

Psych Expert d8

Mystic Expert d8

Dr. Light

Arthur Light was a brilliant inventor for LexCorp before the company began to massively lay-off its work force in the wake of Lex Luthor's terrorist fiasco. All he could take away from his work on developing technology to defeat superhumans was his Light Suit. VATOR offered him a leadership position in their Suicide Squad taskforce, but he was swiftly fired when he proved to be utterly incompetent. Undeterred, he now focuses his malice on the teenage heroes who made him lose his position, and has proved a constant foe to the Titans.

Affiliations: Solo d8, Buddy d4, Team d6

Distinctions:

Mad Scientist

“No One Takes Me Seriously!”

Photon-Felon

Power Sets:

Light Suit

Light Control d10

Invisibility d10

Flight d8

Force Field d8

Light Blast d10

SFX:

Too Bright!: Add a d6 and step up the effect die for blinding complications.

Light Absorption: On a successful reaction against a Light-based action, convert your opponent's effect die into a Light Suit stunt or step up any Light Suit power by +1 for your next action. Spend a d6 to use this stunt if your opponent's action succeeds.

Multi-Power: Use two or more Light Suit powers in a single die pool at -1 step for each additional power.

Limit:

Gear: Shutdown Light Suit and add a d6 to the Doom Pool. Activate an opportunity to recover.

Specialties:

Science Expert

Tech Expert

Business Expert

Notes:

-All characters are lowered to minion status, but can be advanced to up the difficulty, especially if they are working by themselves or in a pair.

-Area Attack is abbreviated by a '~', because I find it tedious to rewrite the same rule that I have practically memorized.

Hope you enjoyed today's Marvel Heroic stats! If not, here's a funny picture.

-Wes

Teen Titans Modern: Milestones and Unlockables

Hello, readers!

As an addendum to the previous post, I thought it would be interesting to share a few of the Marvel Heroic specific things I've developed for this campaign.

For many people, milestones and unlockables are the trickiest part of running this particular system if you are not going through an already published adventure. This is understandable, since this bit is all at once one of the best and worst things about the system. The idea of milestones is an amazing storytelling incentive, a way for the player to tell the GM how he wants his character to grow and focus on through the story, and it encourages character-based roleplaying, which I absolutely adore. However, I've never been a fan of experience points (I don't use them at all, usually) and with a system that encourages you to build a character  at or near their peak, using XP for advancement usually seems wrong, which gives the incentive to develop unlockables. Only problem with that is, unlockables are a tricky beast to develop, and there aren't a whole ton of examples to work off from.

Milestones are also tricky to develop sometimes, but there are more than enough examples throughout all of the books that you get the pattern and feel for them relatively quickly.

That being said, here are my unlockables and milestones for this event so far. I'm always adding more... At least as far as milestones are concerned. Feel free to steal, edit, etc. Some aren't perfect, but they've been working quite well so far.

(My favorites are Bane of the Future, LexCorp Conspirator and Titans Go!)

Teen Titans Modern Milestones:

World's Greatest Assassin? -

1 XP When: You confront the world's greatest assassin, Deathstroke.

3 XP When: You best Deathstroke in one-on-one combat.

10 XP When: You join the League of Assassins to usurp Deathstroke's famous legacy, or dedicate your life to shutting down the League.

Joke's on You -

1 XP When: You take emotional stress from the Joker or Harley Quinn.

3 XP When: You deal emotional trauma to the Joker or Harley Quinn.

10 XP When: You kill the Joker in a disturbingly amusing or ironic fashion, taking a step towards continuing his legacy, or you effectively stop one of the Joker's most devastating gags or jokes.

Blood War -

1 XP When: You witness a ritual of the Cult of Blood or see evidence of one that has occurred.

3 XP When: You break up, disrupt, or prevent a meeting or gathering of the Cult of Blood.

10 XP When: You form a temporary alliance with the Cult of Blood to learn more of their power and get rid of Deathstroke, or you wage a personal crusade against the Cult.

A Raven in the Flock -

1 XP When: You reach out to the mysterious outcast, Raven.

3 XP When: You confess a secret to Raven, or she confesses one to you.

10 XP When: You save Raven's life from extreme danger, or she does the same for you.

We're Not Gonna Take It

1 XP When: You have a confrontation with VATOR forces.

3 XP When: You successfully destroy a VATOR taskforce or evade capture.

10 XP When: You avoid VATOR capture forever by illegally getting onto the coveted “Override” list, or you become a figurehead in the movement against VATOR.

Bane of the Future

1 XP When: You discuss technology's effect on society.

3 XP When: You defeat a tech-based villain and use his actions as an example of how technology is harmful, or you defeat a non-tech based villain using modern technology to show how it can be used for good.

10 XP When: You take up the Neo-Luddite cause and join Bane's crusade, or you confront and defeat Bane using your own philosophy on technology.

Lex Corp Conspirator

1 XP When: You make a connection between current events, Lex Luthor, and Lex Corp.

3 XP When: You discover concrete evidence linking Lex Luthor and his company to an immediate situation and follow-up on it.

10 XP When: You confront Lex Luthor with your conspiratorial evidence and show his hand to the authorities, or you agree to keep silent and give up the evidence to Lex Corp. in order to obtain something.

Titans, Go!

1 XP When: You take charge of a situation and give orders to your fellow teammates.

3 XP When: You settle an inner-team dispute, coordinate a training session, or push the team towards a common goal.

10 XP When: You are officially recognized by your teammates as team leader during a monumental situation, or you decide to give leadership to a better qualified team-member at a critical moment.

Cleaning the Streets

1 XP When: You take action against one of the various city gangs or the mob.

3 XP When: Your actions are able to topple the power of a reigning gang or arrests an influential mob leader.

10 XP When: You're hailed as a hero by crippling gang activity and decimating the Mobs influence in Detroit, or you end your crusade against organized crime and gang violence to save yourself from the retribution to come.

Super Celebrity

1 XP When: You are thanked by a citizen for a specific heroic deed, or asked for an interview by a reporter regarding your current super-heroics.

3 XP When: Your fame creates trouble, causes a situation to get worse, or distracts you from doing your duty.

10 XP When: You use your fame to solve an impossible situation or generate support and adoration for superheroes everywhere, or you give up the superhero lifestyle out of guilt or in order for someone else to be saved.

Good Student

1 XP When: You relate something you've learned in school to a current situation.

3 XP When: You choose to study instead of participating in an important event related to your superhero career.

10 XP When: You use something you've learned to defeat a major villain at a critical point, or you flunk out of High School in order to further pursue your superheroics.

Mentor

1 XP When: You approach a significant member of the superhero community for help or advice.

3 XP When: You work closely with your chosen mentor to overcome a significant obstacle.

10 XP When: You choose to partner up with your chosen mentor in a more permanent fashion, becoming an heir to their legacy, or you dismiss the teachings of your mentor and abandon them completely.

Love and Spandex

1 XP When: You flirt with another member of the superhero community.

3 XP When: When you begin a relationship with another hero during a stressful event.

10 XP When: Your love is an important factor in overcoming an impossible situation, or you break up in order to better focus on the task at hand.

Teen Titans Modern Unlockables:

[Green Arrow's Arsenal] 5/10 XP: For 5 XP, you can unlock the use of the Green Arrow Arsenal power-set. However, if it is ever lost, stolen, or broken, only Oliver Queen can repair it. Spend 10 XP to learn how to repair it yourself, gaining it as a normal powerset.

Green Arrow's Arsenal:

Enhanced Durability d8

Weapon d8

SFX:

Shoot to Kill: Add a d6 to your dice pool for an attack action and step back highest die in pool by -1. Step up physical stress by +1.

EMP Arrow: Target multiple robot or computerized opponents. For every additional target, add d6 to your pool and keep +1 effect die.

Armor Piercing Arrow: Step up physical stress you inflict by +1 when your target uses a Durability power in their reaction pool.

Tear Gas Arrow: Target multiple opponents. For every additional target, add d6 to your pool and keep +1 effect die.

Explosive Arrow: Step up or double Weapon for one action. If the action fails, add a die to doom pool equal to the normal rating of your power die.

Limit:

Gear: Shutdown Green Arrow Arsenal and gain 1 PP. Take an action vs. doom pool to recover.

[Police Support] 5/10 XP: For 5 XP, you can unlock some support within the local police department. When you spend 5 XP, you are able to create resources at a Master level for the following disciplines: Crime, Vehicle, Covert. For 10 XP, you can call in the police to assist you for an action scene, gaining a squad of cops to fight at your side.

[Super Hero Club] 5/10 XP: For 5 XP, you start a Super-Hero club at the local High School, which attracts the attention of some local teenage heroes who are "still in the closet," so to speak. You can call upon them for support in one action scene. For 10 XP, you can unlock one of your choice as either a playable character or an NPC'd permanent team-member.

[The "T" Car] 10 XP: For 10 XP, you can have Green Arrow whip you up a souped up and incredibly advanced vehicle for your team.

The "T" Car:

Durability d10

Speed d10

Gun Turret d8

Cybernetic Senses d8

SFX:

Oil Slick: Spend 1 PP to introduce the Slick Streets scene distinction to the action scene.

Turbo: Step up or double Speed (spend 1 PP to do both). Stepdown Speed -1.

Room for Everybody!: Spend 1 PP to remove you and one other character from the Scene. Other characters may tag along for 1 PP from each of them.

Limit:

Just a Car: When the player takes d12+ physical stress while driving the "T" Car, step down physical stress to d8 and Shutdown The "T" Car powerset.Bring the hulking mess back to Oliver Queen during a recovery scene to get it back.

Mutually Exclusive: Shutdown your current powerset to activate The “T” Car. Shutdown The “T” Car to recover your powerset.

[Connections with the Big Leagues] 5/10 XP: For 5 XP, you can call into the scene one of the big-name Superheroes that you are allied with who will offer support for the remainder of the scene. For 10 XP, you can call them in to take out one villain, then leave.

[Heroic/Dangerous Superhero] 5/10 XP: For 5 XP, you can earn the reputation in the city and the world for either being a noble hero in the eyes of citizens, or one that is dangerous and destructive. This will grant a fourth distinction that can be used until the end of the Act. For 10 XP, this distinction lasts until the end of the Event. Some examples of distinctions include: “One of the Good Ones” “Public Liability.”

[Hacked into VATOR] 5/10 XP: For 5 XP, you or a close ally has broken into the VATOR network, able to track communications and look up database entries. You can create a Master resource in preparation for a future encounter. For 10 XP, you can call in VATOR forces once to end a scene in your favor.

And, there you go! Hope you enjoyed this look at milestones and unlockables. If you didn't, here's a funny picture.

-Wes

 

Teen Titans Modern: The TV Show Format in Action

Hey, readers!

Piggybacking on my last post, I thought that it would be nice to explain in a little more detail the nitty gritty details of how you would implement the TV show model in preparing for a campaign. Rather than go through a long, step-by-step tutorial in which I go into too much detail, I'm actually going to show you my notes for the campaign set-up and explain them.

As with everything, this is just the way I did it. By no means is it the only way, or the right way, or a good way. It's just the way that worked for me. I'm typically a notes-light GM, usually foregoing notes altogether and just letting things pour out based off a loose framework in my noggin. So, that's your disclaimer.

Anyway, let's get to it, shall we?

The Basic Framework:

Teen Titans Modern

Tentative Season 1:

24 Episodes:

End Goal for Team: Grow together as a team. Become friends and one fighting unit. Make a decision whether or not to live the superhero lifestyle.

Main Arc: Deathstroke, under the order of Ra's al Ghul, begins a war against the Cult of Blood in Detroit.

Secondary Arc: The Joker and Harley Quinn try to profit from the ensuing chaos, starting a gang of misguided teenagers and playing both sides against each other.

Tertiary Arc: The government has declared war on the Superhero community, apprehending both heroes and villains in order to get them to register to be a government agent, or kill them.

Commentary: What I did first was set a groundwork number of episodes that I wanted to shoot for. This could change, of course, but I determined that you could either go half season (12 episodes or so) to a full season (22 episodes or so). Since Marvel Heroic broke things into acts, I went with a nice even 24 that I could split into three acts with eight episodes each.

The next thing I did was set some goals that I wanted the team to accomplish over the course of the season. If we get to the end and all of those things are true, I know I did my job. Each character has their own goals, but those are listed elsewhere.

Next, I set up the A-story, B-story, and C-story for the season, the basic arc that the campaign will travel through. While these elements are all set up, not all of them will come into play immediately, or even come into play every session, but every episode works to either build on these arcs or work on the goals.

Main Villains: Brother Blood, Deathstroke

Secondary Villains: The Joker, Harley Quinn, The Government

Tertiary Villains: Bane, Riddler, Lex Luthor, Murmur and Onomatopoeia, Suicide Squad, Professor Ivo and Amazo

Main Supporting Cast: Green Arrow (Oliver Queen), Black Canary (Dinah Lance), Firebird (Bette Kane)

Secondary Supporting Cast: , Starfire (“Tori Anders”), Beast Boy (Garfield Logan), Terry Sloane, Raven

Tertiary Supporting Cast: Batman (Bruce Wayne)

Setting:

Detroit, Michigan

Commentary: What I did here was lay out the basic set-up for NPCs that will be involved in the arcs and the story. This list is here so that I can stat them out, if need be, or so I have a good visual of villains I want to use or potential allies ordered by importance. By ordering them like this, I know which villains and allies I need to emphasize and really flesh out, and which ones don't really need all that much emphasis. I also put the basic setting down here, though that could obviously be expanded.

The Episode List:

Act 1:

Episode 1:

“Lockdown”

Main Villain: The Government, Suicide Squad

Main Plot: The first meeting of the Titan Initiative is disrupted by an attack by the government's new taskforce, “Vigilante Arrest and Termination Organized Response” 'VATOR'

Episode 2:

“Blood”

Main Villain: Blood Cult, Brother Blood, Deathstroke

Main Plot: The team begins investigating a budding gang-war that seems to be funded by powers unknown with the only clue being the blood scrawled message, "Where is Brother Blood?" Meanwhile, Juan has to work on a school project with a very unusual partner.

Episode 3:

“Laughter”

Main Villain: Joker, Harley Quinn

Main Plot: When the Joker publicly challenges the Dark Knight by causing chaos in the Detroit area, the Titans are the first response. Are the Joker's crimes carrying a deeper message? And how does Dullahan's past factor in with the laughing mad-man and his crew?

Episode 4:

“Stars”

Main Villain: Dr. Light

Main Plot: It's Christmas time in Detroit! The Titans deck the halls of the mansion for the upcoming holiday when Johnny realizes he hasn't gotten anything for his new girlfriend. A trip to the mall turns terrible as Dr. Light attacks, amplified by the festive lighting for the season. Johnny's blow to the head sends him on a rather detailed trip through a familiar Christmas favorite.

Episode 5:

“Conspiracy”

Main Villain: The Government

Main Plot: VATOR forces return to the streets of Detroit, taking a more subtle approach. Suspicions arise as their actions seem to follow Green Arrow's own plans for cleaning the streets. How exactly did Oliver Queen clear his own name and get the government out of his city in the first place?

Episode 6:

“Survival”

Main Villain: Professor Ivo, Solomon Grundy

Main Plot: A group of teen heroes are kidnapped by the mysterious Professor Ivo and set on an island. Infected with a disease that is working through their system, they must journey across the wild jungle in order to find the antidote, but they are not alone...

Episode 7:

“Override”

Main Villain: The Riddler

Main Plot: The entire Detroit underworld competes in the Riddler's insane games for a chance at getting on the fabled “Override” list that promises VATOR immunity. Will the Titans play along to apprehend criminals, or go for the illegal prize themselves?

Episode 8:

“Shutdown”

Main Villain: Bane

Main Plot: After an encounter with a group of fanatical Neo-Luddites testing an EMP, Ray Kord finds that he can no longer transform into the Blue Beetle.

Episode 9:

“Blackout”

Main Villain: Bane, Deathstroke, Brother Blood

Main Plot: ?

Commentary: Here we see the first act already listed out. What I obviously did here was give every episode its own name, determined which villains were involved, and did a basic plot summary. Some plot summaries have an A and B plot, some do not, depending on the needs of the story. I listed these out before the game even began using some of the information above. However, there were changes that I needed to make based on player desires, such as a Christmas episode, and an episode where the team was trapped on an island with Solomon Grundy which stretched the first act to nine episodes instead of eight.

What I try to do here is make some episodes spotlight characters. For example, Episode 4 is centered around Johnny while Episode 8 has to do more with Ray. This way, the players get their own episode to shine, define who they are, and grow.

Just for some particulars on how this relates to the framework, I have decided that the first act will mostly deal with the tertiary plot arc while laying seeds for the main and secondary arcs that will explode into fruition in the final episode of the act. We are currently on episode 7, having taken a long hiatus as Dullahon's player went to England for a semester and we had trouble coordinating times with her. Hopefully in June we will begin again and finish out the season by the end of the summer.

And that's all I gotta say about that! If you guys want more details on how these episodes went down, let me know! I also have milestones I can share and no shortage of datafiles. Hope you enjoyed this look into the TV Show format in action. If you didn't, here's a funny picture.

-Wes

What I'm Running Right Now

Hey there, readers!

So, if you read my last post, you would know that I have a bad case of Perma-GM syndrome with all of the real-life groups I've created in the past five years or so. It's not a huge problem, as long as I have some sort of outlet for my playing desires every couple of months or so.

Besides, I'm a much better GM than I am a player! At least, I think so.

Unfortunately, due to my current life situation, I'm not running much, but that is due to change! In this post, I will be explaining what I'm running currently, and what the immediate plans are for the summer. Expect play reports in the future from these things!

What I'm Running Now:

Teen Titans Modern

I have a confession.

Ahem.

There are a lot of things about the DC Universe that I think are stupid.

There are also a lot of things I like, but the stuff that irks me almost spoils the bunch. Almost.

Therefore, I've taken it as a personal project to reinvent the DC Universe to a point where it is tolerable to me. Throughout this process, I've changed the origins of many heroes, entire histories, swapped around powers, sources, toyed with iconic images and made them unique. It's one of my many pet projects, and one I'm rather proud of.

I call it DC Modern.

In order to explore one aspect that was mostly left underdeveloped, I decided to run a game in this universe centered around teenage heroes using Marvel Heroic. I gave my players the choice to create unique characters or adapt existing Titans to fit in the universe. Here's a short roster:

Blue Beetle II: The youngest team member. His father was the original Blue Beetle, and when he was killed by Deathstroke, the scarab armor bonded to young Ray Kord, transforming the awkward teen into a still awkward superhero.

(A professional artist's rendition of the player as the hero)

Dullahan: A mysterious teenager with a past he cannot even recall. James Ulysses (naming himself after the author of his favorite book) has a head composed of ethereal thought tentacles that can move things about, read minds and the histories of objects, and do some things we're not even sure of.

(The player is a very talented artist!)

Johnny Thunder: A deadbeat teenage runaway with the power of sound projection! While his abilities seem to be a mutation or the result of some sort of accident gone wrong, they are actually magical in nature. He also has an amazing vehicle, "The Fuckin' Car"

Schrodinger: Juan Cervantes was born with an unusual quirk. He is, constantly, everywhere in the universe at once, and with an expression of will, he can move his 'physical body' anywhere, or expose more of his physical bodies at any given time. From birth, he was trained to be an assassin by Lady Shiva, and has only recently left her care.

So, I'll likely be putting up 'Episode Summaries' since I run this game in a TV Show like fashion that I will elaborate on later, but that is the basic premise. A grittier, more urban Teen Titans set in my own DC Universe.

What I'll Be Running Soon:

The Barrier Gem Prophecy: Civil War

This will be a sequel to a fantasy campaign I ran for my college group a little more than a year ago. I won't go into too much detail here since there's still a lot of variables with this one, but the main premise will be an 'Early Fantasy Civil War Arms Race.' Doesn't that sound fun?

Edge of the Empire: Escape from Mos Shuttaa

My first group that I created in freshman year of High School is getting together again for a few months this summer, and since we've all been playing Star Wars rpgs for forever, we're going to give this one a try! I'm really digging this system so far, and I'm hoping that I don't muck up this cute little module too much when I run it next week.

Something Else?

A big part of me wants to return the favor to all of the wonderful people over Google+ (Who are likely my only audience at the moment! <3) who ran games for me in the past half a year or so. So far, since most of them have been using Marvel Heroic, my inkling is some sort of game using that.

An experiment I've wanted to do for a long time was to create a revamped version of the Marvel Universe, much like I did with DC, but in a different fashion. Basically, I would run an Origins game for a certain aspect of the Marvel Universe, like.. Fantastic Four Origins, or X-Men First Class, or something to that effect. Instead of me asking my players to build things up from something I've already established, the players would craft the universe with their characters, backstories, and what happens. It'd be, like, a mutual universe creating thing-a-mabob meets the Ultimate Marvel basic idea of retooling stuff.

If that sounds cool, let me know!

Anyway, that's what I'm running now and what I'm running in the future. Hope you enjoyed it! If not, here's a funny picture.

-Wes