Blood of Heroes - A 3rd Edition Mutants and Masterminds Campaign Setting
Earth, 2021. An alien race known as the Skree has ruled over the planet for the past 20 years, subjecting the local populace to the sadistic whims of their most brutal reign. True heroes have been all but eradicated during the Skree Invasion of 1999-2001. That or they have fallen prey to the Skree's corruptive influence and mind-altering technology. Those heroes that still survive, do so either in reclusive hiding or by battling one another in gladiator-like fashion as the Skree's amusement. Now after twenty years of servitude, a new breed of heroes are slowly starting to emerge. Fed up with the decadence that now surrounds them and fueled by their own personal desires, these young heroes have decided to try and make a stand for humanity, once and for all.
Does this new breed of heroes have what it takes to rise up against the Skree and take back their homeworld? Are they capable of breaking the shackles of oppression that bind them to a life of unwavering servitude? Time shall tell True Believers, to see whether or not these few elite individuals truly possess...the Blood of Heroes.
Saturday night. Time to go to the front gates and pick up your pizza! Jack Graves grumbles as he drops the keys to his apartment. The man's stomach is growling and his mood foul. A dull ache runs up the man's spine and into the base of his skull as the demon inside his body's desire for meat grows insatiable. Fumbling about with the lock, Jack eventually secures his front door and hurriedly makes his way down into the courtyard below. Moving southward along the sidewalk towards the front gates, Jack gives sudden pause to the form up ahead. Clad in dark-colored bluejeans, a thick brown leather jacket and with a gray hoodie and darkened shades to conceal his features, the muscular figure of a man can be seen peering into the windows of apartment 102-D.
The muscular man seems desperate to look inside and eventually begins to pound upon the door rapidly with a heavy fist. "Crystal!?" the man shouts gruffly, his voice stern and fierce. "Open the damned door woman, it's me!"
Malphas seems displeased by the man's presence. Your mood worsens.
Welcome to the game! Time to dive right in!
You have been living at the Excelsior for two-and-a-half month's. Having wandered into the place to try and lie low and deal with your inner demons. Currently, the demon inhabiting your body wants meat! You have managed to appease the beast by ordering a large meat-lover's pizza and need to go out front to go pick it up. The drivers won't come into the apartments.
You have seen a man periodically arguing with the current resident of 102-D. Sometimes the fights get physical and the woman living in the apartment has two small children. This could very well be the woman's husband/boyfriend come to start another round of trouble. Either way, it's something that stands in your way to get the pizza!
BTW, Malphas is the name of your demon, though he has only introduced himself to you as "M" and I mention this as I will probably be referring to him in gameplay as the voice inside your head (M., or Malphas etc.) He has no power over you, simply the GM's playtoy.
I just didn't want you to be confused as to whom or what the terms might be.
Last edited by Eanwulf on Wed Apr 04, 2012 11:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
When Life Hands You Razorblades. You Make A Baseball Bat Covered In Razorblades!
The well-muscled man turns towards Jack and lowers the glasses from the bridge of his nose slightly, as if he were trying to sum up whom it is that has the audacity speak to him in such a manner. "What the f...!?" the man comments inquisitively upon spotting Jack's smaller frame, his fingers quickly pushing the glasses back up unto his nose. "You best mind your owned damned business chump." The man then proclaims the following in as equally of a sincere voice as Jack's own previous comments, "This here's a family affair and no offense bub, you ain't family!"
Once more banging on the door, this time harder than before, the large man continues to grumble aloud. "Dammit Crystal, open the door. I need to talk to you and I'm pressed for time, so open the fuck up!"
The man looks roughly like this overall, though more muscular (like Dominic Purcell) in build and appearance.
When Life Hands You Razorblades. You Make A Baseball Bat Covered In Razorblades!
Jack grits his teeth, Malphas' agitation feeding his own. He fights back the urge to burn a hole through the meathead in front of him and attempts to settle things peacefully once more.
"Look, let me put it another way. There are several residents here who stay here because it's nice and quiet. Some of them, to say nothing of our esteemed ex-marine landlord, are quite able to handle themselves and get very irritated when disturbed. You're being extremely loud right now. Maybe I'm nothing to worry about, but do you really want to piss off everyone else here?"
The man in the leather bomber jacket doesn't even turn towards Jack one bit. Instead, he merely continues to bang aloud on the door and croons snidely. "I don't give a flippin' two-dollar-bill who I piss off buddy, I just need to talk to Crystal and I need to do it now!"
Meanwhile, in the distance - most likely the apartments' front gates - a car horn beeps three times in succession.
When Life Hands You Razorblades. You Make A Baseball Bat Covered In Razorblades!
Jack glowers dubiously at the man, the threat of his pizza leaving being the last straw. It seems that he has finally had his fill of the brute in the jacket.
"Fine, have it your way."
Jack will attempt to pick the man up and carry him out of the building, deposit him outside of the gate, and pick up his pizza.
Deeming the stranger's presence both unnecessarily rude and quite intolerable, Jack Graves tries to be the Good Samaritan and goes to grab the man and try to "escort" him out of the apartment complex. As Jack reaches forwards, the well-muscled man steps to the side with panther-like speed and agility. Before poor Graves even knows what's going on next, he is cold-cocked in the square of his jaw, HARD!
Much too hard for a normal man to have punched him.
Stranger 21, Remnant 12
[Stranger's Unarmed attack, DC 15*, d20+5=16, Hit!]
* considered flat-footed
[Remant's Toughness save, DC 22, d20+10=15, Stunned & Bruised!]
Goes to Initiate a Grapple via Improved Grab then cancels it.
Jack's eyes roll back into his head and his knees buckle. The mysterious stranger quickly follows up his punch with a grappling maneuver that sends the stunned hero down to his knees. About 2/3 of the way into an arm-bar takedown and chokehold, the stranger suddenly stops what he's doing and begins to shriek aloud with horror.
"H.F.C. I didn't mean to do that buddy, I am SO sorry! Please tell me that you are OK!?"
Malphas is not pleased, at all!
I cuss a lot in real life, but want to abbreviate it for this game. It doesn't seem right, being a superhero game and what not. I can however, see these folk from New Jersey cursing a LOT!
"H.F.C." = Holy Sumtin Christ
Invoking Complication, bonus Hero Point - Unbalanced. Malphas wants to take over and fry this man to a crisp. He did however, stop what he's doing and assume that he's giving you time to remove the Stunned condition. You are Bruised still however, -1 to further Toughness saves.
When Life Hands You Razorblades. You Make A Baseball Bat Covered In Razorblades!
Jack attempts to force Malphas back, but is aware that something is amiss.
Attempt to stand back up and use detect evil on the creep. If he's not evil, then just try to scare the bajeezes out of him. Otherwise, pop on Hellfire Aura and prepare to retrieve the pizza.
Once more the man asks whether or not Jack is alright. He even leans down to try and help him up. Jack's response is guttural and fierce, nothing more than a hideous snarl. Jack then thrusts the stranger's hands aside in anger. Now staggering to his own two feet, the former city social worker's eyes blaze alive with blue fire, their sockets wreathing themselves in unholy flames. A deep growl comes from Jack's throat as he glares violently at the man before him. "HHHRRGGNNNNNN..."
Nope, not evil, just a sumbich. Assuming Intimidate check perhaps?
[Remnant's Intimdate check, d20+6=15]
[Stranger's Intimidate check, d20+8=15]
LMAO Stalemate! You technically win, but since it's so close, we'll just assume that he gets the point.
"Holy S...!" the man in the brown leather jacket proclaims rather frightfully, his thoughts of assisting the man whom he had just knocked out immediately being replaced by those of saving his own hide. The stranger quickly dawns a defensive posture and allows a highly concerned look to creep across his face. "Look bud," the man then proclaims rather sternly, "I don't want any trouble, OK!? I just need to find my f'n sister and give her something, alright!? You and your two little fiery eyeballs there just stay the f- out of my way and everything will be copacetic. You hear me!? Copacetic!"
When Life Hands You Razorblades. You Make A Baseball Bat Covered In Razorblades!
Hearing the word sister, Jack immediately knows that he's screwed up. He uses the tide of shame to push Malphas back into the recesses of his mind once more and allows the hellfire to fade away.
"You're a real a-hole, you know that? I mistook you for the guy who's been messing with the girl that lives here for a while."
Jack remembers his pizza and frowns.
"I've got a pizza waiting. If you want, you're welcome to some while you wait for her to come back."
