A FISTFUL OF PLOT DEVICES, #1

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Superline Gamemasters Series: A Fistful of Plot Devices, #1 copyright 2004, 2006 BruceBaugh, All Rights Reserved. Some artwork copyright Louis Porter, Jr. Design, used under license.Requires the Mutants & Masterminds RPG, Second Edition, by Green Ronin Publishing For Use.Mutants & Masterminds, M&M Superlink, the M&M Superlink logo, and Green Ronin are trade-marks of Green Ronin Publishing and are used with permission.

Designation of Product Identity: All creator names, Superline Gamemasters Series, and RoninArts. Hero Points are Product Identity of Green Ronin Publishing and are used with permission.

All text, excluding Product Identity, is designated as open game content. You may not distributethis product without permission of the Ronin Arts.

www.roninarts.com/superline

Written by Bruce BaughSecond Edition update by Philip Reed

Cover by Ig BarrosIllustrated by Jake Richmond

Layout and project oversight by Philip Reed

- Contents -Introduction.............................................2The Plot Devices........................................2

Condition Critical...........................................................3

The Peril from the Past ..................................................6

The Death Cult.............................................................10

The Evil Duplicate ........................................................14

The King Without a Throne..........................................17

Open Game License .................................19

Superheroes spend a lot of theiractive time responding to crises: some-thing goes very wrong, and they mustsave the day. This is a collection of waysto create a crisis, including people,places, and things that can go wrong ininteresting ways. They include some(real or impending) catastrophes, andalso some basically positive develop-ments that have nightmarish potentialin the wrong hands.Theyre each intend-

ed to provide reasons for lots of differentkinds of heroes to feel like responding,suitable for use in many different cam-paigns. They arent complete adven-tures, but open-ended starting points.

OPEN CONTENTThe entirety of this document,

excluding Product Identity, is declared asopen content.

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Introduction

The Plot DevicesEach entry is organized like this:

The Situation: A concise descrip-tion of the hook with which the GM canreel in the characters.

Developments: Ways things cango once the heroes rise to the challenge.

Alternatives: Some possible com-

plications and variations, to keep jadedplayers on their toes.

Considerations: Things to keep inmind when preparing the plot device foruse in your particular campaign.

Game Mechanics: Specific rules,where applicable.

The Situation: One of the manybrilliant inventors with more geniusthan attention to quality control detailshas made an experimental power sourcethat runs amok. In keeping with thecomic-book ethos that building smallprototypes in remote locales is forwimps, the new power source has goneonline in the heart of a major city, eitherone the characters inhabit or one theycan get to readily. Now it has to be con-tained and shut down before vastcrowds and tracts of city are obliterated.The clock is ticking!

Developments: The power crisisevolves in four distinct steps.

Step 1: Malfunction. With minutesor seconds of advance warning (ornone at all), the power source runsamok.

Step 2: First Wave. At this point, thepower source emits unexpectedenergies that wreak some havocand make it impossible for normaldisaster-relief crews to approach. Aforce-field effect is the most com-mon barrier, in addition to intenseheat or radiation.

Step 3: Expanding Destruction. Thepower source continues to spiralout of control, sucking up theresources it needs to consume evermore matter and energy in itsvicinity.

Step 4: Catastrophe. If nothingsdone in time, the power sourceexplodes in a final devastatingblast. The unfortunate survivorspick up as best they can.

Alternatives: Besides relativelystraightforward energy blasts, out-of-control power sources may emit exoticfields of other sorts. Some classic possi-bilities:

Dimensional Gateway. The powersource sucks energy to or fromsome alien locale: a parallel uni-verse, a remote part of the charac-ters universe, even the past orfuture of their own world.

Making Elementals. People dam-aged by the unique energy aroundthe power source may be trans-formed into creatures composed ofthat energy themselves. This canprovide a convenient origin storyfor new heroes and villains, andalso allow for dramatic change inthe life of an existing hero.The manor woman locked into an existenceas sentient plasma, or radioactivegas or radio waves, or somethingelse other than flesh and blood isan archetypal figure of superherostories inclined toward melodrama(or situation comedy, depending onhow its played out).

Considerations: So what is thisthing, anyway? Power source covers alot of possibilities. It could be a bignuclear power station or somethingcomparable, as seen in countless docu-mentaries about power blackouts, ThreeMile Island, and the like. It might be avery small device, suitable for displayingon a lab bench surrounded by monitor-ing devices. If the PCs have ways of get-ting themselves into exotic environ-ments and functioning there, it could bea satellite in a decaying orbit or a miningrig deep in the ocean. The GM shouldmake sure to have a clear idea of its

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Condition Critical

overall situation and nature in mind, butallow room for players to suggest detailsand ask questions. Sometimes a playerwill bring in a bit of inspiration you did-nt think of, and if it fits, go right aheadand use it, since part of the point of theplot device is to be familiar.

Game Mechanics: In step 1, thereare several things that PCs and others onthe scene might do to help the situation.Disable Device is the skill of choice forpeople somewhere inside the powersource, or standing nearby a small one.Characters watching the situation in acontrol room might try Computers or arelevant Profession skill. Make the DC forthis high enough that the player wouldhave to roll very,very wellmaybe evenrequiring a natural 20to actually stopthe crisis right here. But once theyvemade the effort, allow a follow-up checkwith the same skill or straightIntelligence at half the DC to gain knowl-edge that can help out later.Be generousin allowing the characters circumstancebonuses for their understanding andexperience so far, and players will feelthat even not-immediately-successfulaction is well worth taking.

In step 2, the power source goes off.This involves two (or more) power effectsin combination.

First, theres a straightforward Blast.If the power source is big enough to haveinternal rooms and chambers, it fillsmost or all of them, and extends beyondas suits the drama of the situation.Explosions reaching across the city streetto trap bystanders in a burning building,for instance, provide opportunities forheroes to make dramatic choices abouttheir rescue priorities. (Dont use this aslicense to make the players feel doomedto watch many innocents die unless its adark and gritty campaign by mutualagreement. Bring in brave firefightersand others to help out with the situa-tions the PCs cant cover alone.)

electricity, fire, and radiation are all stan-dard types of energy for the blast, butalmost anything can be justified by thenature of the invention. The first blastshould have a power level somewhatlower than the heroes PL, so that theyrelikely to be no more than damaged by it.There will be less-powered people in thevicinity to demonstrate the perils as theyget knocked out, shaken up, and other-wise injured.

Second,theres usually some general-ly unexpected complication.A very strongForce Field around the area is a classicone, the wave of energy rippling andglowing with unnatural colors,and possi-bly expanding or contracting slightly sothat bystanders may be caught inside orreleased without warning. Giving itImpenetrable makes it work like a pureplot device. It should be tough enoughnot to come down readily, and have thepotential to reform if heroes do manageto create a temporary breach. An EnergyField embedded in the wiring of a build-ing, the outer shell of a ship or vehicle, orother perimeter-defining structure pro-duces much the same results.

Step 3 is just a matter of expandingthe scope of the barrier described above,either by slowly moving across the terrainoutside its current area of effect or leap-ing to the next suitable point of attach-ment. If crackling bolts of B-waves arerunning through the laboratory com-plexs wires and pipes, for instance, theymight beak loose into overhead powerlines and the storm drains beneath thestreet to include everything within ablock of the original experiment, all in aflash.

Step 4 doesnt require detailed statis-tics. Its a matter of narrative, and at thatan optional one: just as with doomedbystanders, its not appropriate in manysuperhero games. Perhaps the devicefinally fizzles out, and what matters ishow much good the heroes did during

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the duration of the crisis. Perhaps itsknocked-out inventor regains conscious-ness and can shut it down. Lots of thingscan resolve a crisis while leaving room forthe characterschoices and action to real-ly matter in deciding how it all turnedout.

The power source itself can either beshut down or destroyed. Destroying it is amatter of overcoming its hardness, asdescribed in Damaging Objectsin M&M.Anything worthy of a not-quite-careful-enough inventors labor is likely as hardas steel or harder, so its Toughness will be10 or more.If any of the heroes is particu-larly good at smashing things, this is achance for that character to show off:make the Toughness high enough to bea real but attainable challenge that nolesser breaker of things could manage.Electronic systems are susceptible toComputers skill checks, including theDatalink power. (This is anotheropportunity to showcase a power inaction.) The DC for such checksshould be high, because the device isboth complex and unfamiliar, likelyladen with poorly written and of coursecompletely undocumented commands.Disable Device also applies in mostcases.

A GM wanting to create a good raceagainst time feel may want to requireaccumulated successes from varioussources while the outer boundaries ofthe energy field expand, fresh energyblasts sweep through the area, and soon.Each hero must contribute a couple ormore success, from skills, directed attacksat the device itself,or assaults on the bar-riers keeping them away, while everyfew rounds some fresh complication aris-es. Remember that even catastrophicfailure on a single roll shouldnt meaninstant doom: it should just meanmore complications, requiringadditional successes and planningto compensate.

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The Situation: An ancient beast(or plant!) has emerged in the presentmoment. It doesnt belong here, and inits confusion, its wreaking considerablehavoc on its surroundings. It must bestopped, because no matter how cool itis, people deserve not to be stepped on,eaten, or forcibly decomposed.

Developments: The prehistoricperil unfolds in three distinct steps:

Step 1: Remarkable Discovery.Someone, quite possibly the PCs orestablished contacts and allies oftheirs, finds the astonishingly pre-served creature frozen in a glacier,or immobilized by unusual cases ina cave, or otherwise kept safethrough the eons.With appropriatepersonnel and equipment provid-ing support, they transport it tosomeplace it can be properly stud-ied. Inevitably that place is in themidst of fragile things and vastcrowds of people, ready to be men-aced in the next step.

Step 2: Revival and Rampage. Thecreature emerges from its dormantcondition and becomes aware of itssurroundings.These it finds unsuit-able. By sheer force of will, or anuntimely accident like a power out-age, or with the help of someonewho thinks that dinosaurs dontbelong in cages (or that this willshow the boss what a fool he is, orsome other less kindly motive), thecreature gets loose. Now theres amonster on the loose! Much prop-erty damage ensues; carnage mayalso ensue, depending on thelethality of the campaign. Theheroes must find a way to stop thecreature before it can do any moreharm.

Step 3: The Aftermath. Now theheroes have a captured creature todeal with. If its dead, thats proba-bly the end of the story...apart fromsuper-science reviving it, supernat-ural power reanimating it, andother ways of getting dead tissueactive again. If its still alive,though, something has to be donewith it. Better confinement?Sending it to some remote spot?Sending it off the planet, or out ofthe present? The nature of the deci-sion and how its made are likely toprovide plot hooks of their own.

Alternatives: The creature mightnot be a relic of the past in any (relative-ly) simple way.

Weird Science. The creature could besomeones present-day recreation,synthesized out of preserved DNA,brought forth by semi-controlledmutation-inducing chemicalsapplied to throwback animals, orotherwise made deliberately. Sucha creature can be more purely fan-ciful, combining historical elementswith someones ideas for improve-ment and customization. It couldalso be more directly from the pastthanks to a time scoopconnectingdifferent times.

The Living Fossil. The creature mighthave been alive and well all thistime someplace obscure: deep in ajungle, far beneath the surface ofthe sea, high in a barren mountainrange.

The Alien Legacy. Humanity is sel-dom alone in superheroes univers-es. Aliens on a survey mission mil-lions of years ago might have col-

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The Peril From the Past

lected many specimens and putthem in super-science storage,then had their spacecraft crash.Thecontents of the storage areas waitpatiently for archeologists andother explorers to discover them.Perhaps the spacecraft got off Earthand then ran into troubles, and hasbeen circling the outer reaches ofthe solar system as an apparentcomet or asteroid until a chancecollision sends it hurtling towardEarth. In this case, its true naturemay not become apparent untilafter its struck the planet.

The Extraterrestrial Peril. Finally, thecreature itself might be native tosome other world.That alien surveymission could be a present-daymatter and have just arrived with acargo from one or more planets inother solar systems. If it failed longago, it could have drifted betweenthe stars for many millions of yearsuntil the Sun pulled it in. In comic-book terms, the difference betweena dinosaur and the giant grazingcephalothing of Epsilon Eridani II isnot great.

Considerations: There are somecampaigns in which itd be appropriateto confront the characters with anentirely nebulous thing of no distinctproperties at all, whose nature emergesin a metaphysical reflection of their con-cerns and questions...but not all thatmany. In most cases, the GM needs towork out the nature of the creature inadvance.

Simple is often very good for super-heroics. The classic Big Angry Lizard is afun challenge: its a real menace, andfighting it effectively will take someteamwork for almost all PCs, but its astraightforward sort of thing.Nor need itnecessarily be a lizard; it could be a BigAngry Shark, or a Big Angry Cephalopod,

or almost any other sort of creature,because the basic principle of makingsomething very large and damage-resistant and giving it an exotic attack ortwo to supplement its natural weaponryis easy to apply.

The creature might be a dangerousplant. The biggest problem here is thatplayers are likely to start wondering justhow threatening a fern can really be andslide into farce or satire rather than thesort of suspended-disbelief epic actionthat is good superheroics. So the about-to-rampage plant needs to be capable ofsome initial demonstration that getscharacters and players attention, likejets of poisonous spores, stinging nee-dles, or big gaping maws like those ofVenus flytraps and pitcher plants. Theplant must earn its credibility as a men-ace, in some quick display of lethalpotential. It must also be capable of get-ting from where it is at the moment tofresh victims, either by growing veryrapidly or by actually pulling itselfaround (or both).

In the real world, kudzu can grow afoot per day, and other plants do nearlyas well. So the sort of while-you-watchbursts of speed required of a killer vinearent entirely unprecedented, theyrejust intensified like everything elsearound superheroes. Nor are mobileplants impossible, since slime molds gofrom stationary to mobile and backagain at different stages of life. A diffuseand simply structured killer plant mightadopt an ooze-like nature for a while insearch of prey. It could also do some-thing more exotic like casting out ten-drils to anchor itself against new targetsand then haul its bulk to the new loca-tion, drawing in the tendrils as it goes. Itcould even launch itself into the sky, agiant version of the spiders that sail onsails made of spider silk or with the helpof a membrane filled with lighter-than-air gas.

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The real world provides all sorts ofexotic creatures ready for rampaging.The giant mammals of the epochsbetween us and the dinosaurs go sadlyneglected in comic book and movie sto-rytelling, even though they weresmarter and capable of much moresophisticated behavior than almost anydinosaur. Apart from the saber-toothtiger and occasional mastodon, thewhole field is wide open for exploita-tion, and a GM choosing this source hasthe advantage of reference books inevery library full of neat pictures toshow players. Then there are the down-right weird creatures of thePrecambrian, built on body plans unlikeany that now survive. A suitablyenlarged Anomalocaris or Hallucigeniawould provide a prehistoric thrill thatisnt just what players have seen before.

Even though giant size is traditionalfor rampaging creatures, its not obliga-tory.Velociraptors (for suggested statis-tics see Superline #5: Dinosaurs!) arenow well established as a human-scaleperil, and even one medium creaturecapable of swift, agile flight and pos-sessing long-range attacks could keep ateam of heroes busy for quite a while. Asmaller creature is likely to combinespeed with camouflage of some sort,whether its just the ability to hide itselfwell or actual powers of invisibility,mimicry, and the like. The hunt for sucha creature will almost always takelonger than finding something bigstomping buildings, and the alternatingpursuit and being pursued by the thingon the hunt can be a guaranteed ticketto frustration for characters who arentequipped for it.On the other hand, char-acters with good sensory apparatus (orgear) and powers that wont them-selves do a lot more collateral damagemight find the hunt just the right sort ofchallenge.

Loosely or strongly connectedswarms of smaller creatures add up to asingle challenge of this sort, too. Theymay share an inhuman hive mind, orjust have very strong coordinatinginstincts. In either case, they can worktogether against humans and other tar-gets, and being so small individually,theyre hard to keep out. The swarm ofkiller insects of a bygone age looseinside a hospital or skyscraper providesscope for both hunting and straight-upfighting.

Remember that your campaignsrampaging creature doesnt have tohave the same explanation in the gamethat any of its real-life inspirations do.There are past and present creatures sostrange they make perfectly plausiblealiens. There are books and videos spec-ulating on the possibilities of future life,and you could move one of those speciesto a poorly-documented part of thepastmaybe even back to the Earthsearly history, before bacteria made oxy-gen common, so that the things verybreath is poisonous gas.A good image orbit of information is its own justification,and since youre not presenting a claimof fact, you can put it into whatever con-text suits you. Tell the players the realstory later, if you want to.

Game Mechanics: The classic ram-paging peril from the past, as seen incountless comic books, movies, andother sources, starts off with severalranks of Growth and some extra ranksof Protection and Super-Strength.Protection lets it fend off nuisanceattacks (Bullets cant stop it! Rocketscant stop it! What can save us now?),and Super-Strength lets it smashthrough obstacles and inflict a lot ofenvironmental damage. Boost itsProtection even higher if you want theperil to survive some serious counter-attacks, and dont neglect the value of awell-placed Immunity or two so that

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heroes have to think about indirectstrategies after discovering that theobvious doesnt work.

Keep in mind that some selectivedefenses go well with overall damageresistance by allowing room for playeringenuity. If the King of the Dinosaurs issimply so tough that he can swat awayany attack from any of the characters,the players may find the situation dis-couraging. If there are weaknesses forthem to discover and exploit, on theother hand, they get to feel both cleverand competent in their responses.Remember too that rampaging mon-sters provide inadvertent clues to theirvulnerabilities, brushing up against aninstance and shying away just whereperceptive characters can see it anddraw a useful conclusion.

Many rampaging perils have a par-ticular weakness: they depend on somehighly non-standard food source. Thiscan be raw electricity, leading the crea-ture to focus its rampages on high-power lines, generators, poweredarmor, and the like. It could be someform of radiation, leading it to nuclearreactors and the like (and thereforepossibly triggering the plot deviceabove). It can be almost anything thatsexotic and inconvenient if ripped out ofits usual place and sent down a mon-sters gullet. For decades, superheroteam comic books had a standard plotformula, splitting up the heroes to dealwith separate challenges and thenreuniting for the last big showdown.Efforts to secure potential food targetsand/or deal with the aftermath of ear-lier feeding can split up a team of char-acters just this way, giving each of themsome spotlight time and perhaps let-ting those who dont do so well instraight-up fights nonetheless shine asheroes of the day in their own way.

Flaws allow you to customize theperils powers, and you should include a

few, as they give characters and playersthe scene of a dynamic situation thatcould change again at any moment.TheFades flaw combines well with thefeeding-requirement weakness, forinstance; the power returns to its nor-mal rank after the peril is exposed toenough of the normally dangerousfood source that it would suffer signifi-cant damage. Instead, it charges outwith fresh vitality, only to wear downagain. The Tiring flaw also fits a lot ofanimal and plant abilities.

Rampaging perils dont always playprecisely by the rules. You may wish touse GM Fiat for improbable escapesand other situations that are cool butnot thoroughly sensible.How did it getthrough such a small passage? If itwas locked inside the hold and the doorwas barred from the outside, who killedthe crew? These and other questionsare best answered with a knowingsmile and a reference to the great mys-teries of ancient life.

If the peril is still alive at the end ofits initial rampage, the question of itslong-term fate can involve as much oras little detail as you want. A quickKnowledge (technology) or appropri-ate Profession skill check can suffice totell you that one of the charactersworked out a good design that NPCswill implement, and then its on toother challenges. On the other hand,characters with relevant skills andpowers may well want to try to helpthe creature adjust to its new circum-stances, or even try to send it back, ifits method of delivery allows for that.Transporting a beast that is probablybut not certainly now contained tosome lasting haven is the stuff of fur-ther adventures, with potential forsequels throughout the heroescareers.

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The Situation: A new organizationis attracting attention in the heroesvicinity. Apparently benign or at leastneutral, its got some prominent socialgroup thoroughly hooked: teenagers,aristocrats, artists, or some other readilyidentifiable subculture. Quite possiblyone or more people close to the heroesbecomes involved, spending more andmore time and effort on the organiza-tions causes. Unfortunately, all is not asinnocent as its seems. Behind thescenes, recruits are gradually draggedinto illegal and immoral activities, andat the top is some sinister mastermindup to something thoroughly nasty. Canthe heroes expose the evil before its toolate? And will they be believed by thepeople theyre trying to save?

Developments: The cults presencein the lives of the characters and theircommunity has three distinct stages,with an optional but common fourthstage:

Stage 1: Benign Efforts, MinorMysteries. The group (which maynot seem very cult-like at all, atfirst) shows up as a new force fordoing good. Its leaders have suc-cessful techniques for dealing withconvicted criminals, juvenile delin-quents, and others who need moralguidance, setting them on the pathof better behavior. Recruits spendsome of their time out of sight intraining or on assignment, andsometimes the do-gooders end upgetting in the characters waybecause of different ideas abouthow to deal with a crisis theyreboth present for. But these arentbig obvious problems.

Stage 2: Emerging Trouble. The char-acters discover that all is not well inthis new organization.They may doso by their own efforts at surveil-lance and analysis if theyre suspi-cious; if not, an established NPC allymay seek them out, or the relativeof an ally. In comics this is often thenot-previously-mentioned siblingof a characters friend, the blacksheep of the family who thoughthed go straight now but is tangledup in something even worse. Atleast one villain the characters havefought before is working with theorganization, and its quite clearthat any change of heart the villainclaims is purely superficial.Unfortunately, the organizationspublic face is winning it allies in theareas government and media, andnobody wants to hear sour grapesfrom jealous heroes. The organiza-tions minions turn up committingacts that may or may not be strictlyillegal, but certainly give their lead-ers information and assets thatbelong in better hands.

Stage 3: The Secret. Some majoroffense, like the abuse of confiden-tial government records passedalong by brainwashed secretaries orthe refusal to let now-reluctantrecruits leave, gets the heroesattention. Theres real trouble here,even though only a few crusadingreporters, dedicated social workers,loyal friends or loved ones, andother wise individuals see it besidesthe heroes. Finally the heroes getthe crucial information they need toget behind the visible organizationand expose the mastermind work-ing behind the scenes. This couldwell be a villain theyve fought

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The Death Cult

before, or who at least has beenestablished as a presence in thecampaign before; it can also be anewcomer to the scene. Evildoersare punished, their minions arebrought to justice, and people ofgood will deal with the aftermath.

Stage 4: The Real Secret. Stage 3 canbe the end of things, and a very sat-isfying one. But theres often anadditional layer of hidden evil. Themastermind the heroes took downturns out to be one more pawn,working for an even more sinistercontroller. This is a goodopportunity to introduce achange to the boundariesof the campaign. If therehavent been active super-natural powers before, thereal controller may be ademon (or an angelwith real attitudeproblems) or a wor-shipper of the elder

g o d s .

If there havent been extraterrestri-als on the scene, the controllercould be an alien, or a robot built bythe aliens. This second showdownoften begins with the heroes tiredand recovering, so that they have todraw on their innate knowledgeand talents rather than being ableto assemble all the props theymight like, and is as much a test ofcharacter as a physical fight.

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Alternatives: The cult may go afterthe heroes early on if the heroes get inits way, and it may have a more specificagenda than every scrap of power wecan get is ours:

Heroes in Disgrace. Some cults arevery good at manipulating themass media and the opinions ofauthorities. If theres any preexist-ing spark of resentment toward orfear of the heroes, the cult caninflame it; its also possible to man-ufacture scandals out of wholecloth...or, worse yet, out of theheroes real words and deeds, put inthe worst possible light. Heroeswhove enjoyed privileged statusmay find themselves stripped of itin stages 2 and 3.Rebuilding a shat-tered reputation can be a very quicktask,with proof of the mastermindsmachinations in hand after theheroes triumph, or an extendedchallenge against lingering doubtsand suspicions, depending on theoverall tone of the campaign.

The Cults Obsession. Power is a fineand worthy motive for any super-villain, but sometimes the secretcontroller wants a specific sort ofpower: revenge on individuals orgroups, ownership of a particularbook of lore or magical artifact, orowning a piece of property which(visions or statistics say) will be cru-cial in some future crisis. In comicbooks, these focused drives are usu-ally justified by knowledge deniedto most, though its always possiblefor the controller to be a very pow-erful victim of delusions. Like thegeneral nature of the controllerspower, the nature of the obsessioncan be a hook for further adven-tures.

Considerations: Handling peoplemanipulated through their hopes andbeliefs requires some tact. Comic-book

cult plots often provide the writer oppor-tunity for a little soap-box moralizingabut freedom of conscience and self-determination, and theres nothingwrong with that, but its very easy for thewhole thing to come out as simplyinsulting caricature. As GM, you know (orhave the chance to know) your playersoutlooks better than a writer trying togeneralize, so make decisions based onthe real people you play with.

Comics creators and fans have somelong-running arguments about contro-versial subjects in comics. Some arguethat the basically simple structure ofsuperheroes universes make them well-suited for conveying strong clear mes-sages about social problems that dontnormally come up in their stories. Someargue that controversial subjects areworth using only when theyre handledwith nuance and complexity, and thatwhile this can be well worth doing, itmay very well change the whole moralfoundation of a series and its setting.Stillothers argue that problems calling forsubtlety just arent good subjects forsuperheroics at all. Good stories havebeen written and drawn to prove allthese points, too.

Its very easy for GMs to overboardwith their preparation for this sort ofthing. Some players can follow a lot ofexposition and respond with commentslike Thats so cool! So they combineCatharist praxis with a Sethian cosmolo-gy? Rock! Others are more likely to sayUm, so, its kind of Christian except not,and there are snakes or something?Provide as much detail as helps yourplayers get a sense of the groups styleand motives, but not a whole lot more. Ifyou do want to get into historical or his-torically-based beliefs and structures,consider just copying a good encyclope-dia article (or providing a couple well-chosen URLs) and making it available asa handout before or between sessions.

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The boundary between entirelysuitable and fun melodrama andunpleasant, inappropriate emotionalabuse varies a lot between players, too.NPCs are there to, among other things,inspire the heroes to action when theNPCs get in trouble, so a certain level ofmisfortune is very much in order. Peoplethe characters care about can bedeceived, manipulated, and gotten intoall sorts of peril without pushing theboundaries of superhero convention atall. But heroes who just cant get a breakbecome depressing to play, for mostplayers, and its easy to make irreparablechanges that you as GM may regret later.Even if you dont use them later, its oftena good exercise to prepare at least oneescape route for each major traumaticchange you plan to inflict on the charac-ters and their surroundings.

None of the above is intended to saydont do it, though. As long as you takeyour players and your campaign intoaccount and make the plot suitable forthem, this kind of story can be a wholelot of fun, and it makes an engagingchange of pace from other challenges. Itcan unfold all at once, or with the earlystages woven through other stories for agood long build-up. Be careful! isntthe same thing as Stop!

Game Mechanics: Designing thevillains behind the death cult is muchlike designing other villains. Make surethey have good social aptitude, whetherthrough high skills and powers of theirown or particularly useful minionswhose loyalty they can count on. (A vil-lain who relies too much on such a min-ion will of course be in trouble with theheroes manage to disable or otherwiseneutralize the minion. Suddenly themob realizes its been mind-controlled,and its anger shifts...exit one villain asfast as possible.)

The heroes investigation providesan opportunity to pit skill versus skill inan extended contest, if players are inter-ested in it. Keep track of the points bywhich they and the cult members tryingto block their search succeed at succes-sive rolls. A player who gets a 30 on a DC20 Computers check has a 10-point mar-gin, for instance, while the GM rolls an18 on the cult technicians DC 20Computers check to maintain the inter-nal firewalls in the face of the probing.The heroes have a 12-point lead. Forevery 5 points by which one side isahead, reduce a relevant skill on theother side by 1 for the duration of thecontest. or restore a damaged skillbelonging to a member of that side oneof its lost points. Eventually, one side orthe other ends up unable to act effec-tively, its defenses and reserves whittleddown. You can combine this with modi-fiers for roleplaying to taste.

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The Situation: The heroes beginreceiving disturbing reports of one oftheir number (or several of them)engaged in clearly un-heroic activity,from letting criminals escape to pursu-ing wealth and power by abuse of hero-ic power and position to outright crimeand villainy. Its not a hoax (nor a dreamnor an imaginary story) involving some-one pretending to be the hero, investi-gation reveals: its someone whose vitalsigns and biometrics are identical to thereal thing. It is in fact an evil version ofthe hero. So the heroic hero must, aloneor with help, confront the rival, put astop to the villainy, and repair the dam-age done. And there is no foe tougherthan your own self!

Developments: The crisis of dupli-cation unfolds in three general steps.Events may not fit tidily in this particularscheme, but a progression somethinglike this takes place:

Step 1: The Duplicate in theShadows. The GM introduces theevil duplicate into the heroes envi-ronment but doesnt immediatelytell the players about it. The dupli-cate gets up to its various bits ofevil-doing, but only characters whomake a point of actively checkingup with their contacts and associ-ates hear of anything unusualgoing on. The early effects of theevil duplicates interference aresmall, and may well look like badluck or someone elses fault.

Step 2: The Plot Unfolds. Havinginsinuated itself into the heros life,the evil duplicate goes to worktrashing the heros reputation,finances, social bonds, and generalquality of life. Even the hero slow-

est on the uptake now realizes thatsomething is really amiss, but islikely to spend time trying to chasedown nasty computer hackers,super-villains using disguises, andother leads that dont pan out.NPCS, and perhaps some of theother PCs as well, wonder justwhats gone wrong with the hero,and speculation includes mind-control rays, consciously chosen vil-lainy, possession, and the like.

Step 3: Beside Myself, AgainstMyself. The hero and at least someclose associates now have a goodgeneral sense of whats going on.The evil duplicate makes its movestraight at the original now, in aclash exploiting its innate knowl-edge of the heros weaknesses andvulnerabilities. The hero may beable to call for help, but then theduplicate has had time to arrangesupport of its own, from hiredgoons to customized weapons andgadgets.If the hero triumphs,even-tually the damage can all beundone. If the duplicate wins, par-ticularly if the hero wasnt able toalert others in time, theres a newvillain out there with a very securecover story....

Alternatives: The general theme ofthe unexpected duplicate can expressitself in several other ways, including:

The Evil Within. Rather than anexternal duplicate, an alternativepersonality dedicated to evil lurksinside the hero. It could be ademonic spirit, or a new personali-ty created through hypnosis ormind control, or an evil ancestor orpast life emerging through themists of time. In any case, the evil

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The Evil Duplicate

within acts when the hero is asleepor distracted, and one of the signsof trouble is that the hero doesntseem to recuperate as well asexpected from regular rest. Solvingthe crisis means identifying anddefeating the power behind theheros internal division.

The Good Duplicate. An establishedsuper-villain is seen doing unex-pectedly good things. Change ofheart? Sinister scheme masked asphilanthropy? The villain continuesdoing the customary bad things,but with more virtue and charitymixed in all the time. In this case,the duplication process, whateveryou choose to make it, got appliedto one of the bad guys, and the vil-lain is likely to be just as angry andhelpless about it as many heroes.The ensuing struggle might wellend with a new hero on the scene,albeit one with the villains reputa-tion to deal with.

Outright Replacement. The evilduplicate may strike directly at thehero first, arranging to get theoriginal out of the way. The kid-napping happens before theduplicate goes to work, so theresno question of the hero being seenin two places at once or any othersuch complications. See Consid-erations, below, for more aboutthis and related matters.

Considerations: Perhaps the mostimportant question to ask yourselfwhen setting up this plot device iswhether you want to let the heros play-er in on the secret. If the player can keepit, your life as GM will be greatly simpli-fied in some crucial ways.The player canadd in just the right sort of befuddledresponse that feeds the suspicions ofother players, for instance, and may wellhave thoughts about vulnerable spots in

the heros life that havent yet come intoplay. Furthermore, its just plain fun toplay the villain, and the players likely tohave a good time being the unsuspectedringer, particularly if you use the optionfor outright replacement. The hardestpart may well be getting the player tostifle cackles at moments that wouldalert the others in the game.

As always when personal, romantic,familial, and other matters come up,youll want to make sure to keep the vil-lainy in bounds. Some superhero cam-paigns thrive on sudden tragedy fromtime to time; others collapse unpleas-antly. If you want to push campaignboundaries a bit, consider just askingplayers outright about it. You dont haveto give away the plot youve got in mind,just ask them how theyd feel about atrauma in the style of a well-done comicbook, preferably one you can show tothe players who arent familiar with itthanks to handy trade paperbackreprints. Pick one that has the generalsort of trouble youve got in mind anduse it as a basis for discussion. If theplayers dont go for it, try something elseinstead.

You also need to figure out justwhere the evil duplicate comes from. Itmight be the magical or technologicalcreation of some already-establishedvillain, or an up-and-coming challengerwho sees this as the way to make asplash in villain circles. It could be atraining robot built for training exercisesby some covert agency, now run amok.(That happened with some regularity insome comics of the 1970s-80s.) It couldbe the counterpart to the hero from analternate universe, perhaps one wheregood and evil roles are flip-flopped allaround. It could be the heros future self,having lapsed into villainy thanks tofuture crises (or, if you want to get reallytwisted with the time paradoxes,because of this very crisis now).

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Whatever you settle on, keep inmind one of the crucial rules for myster-ies in roleplaying games: if you makeeverything hinge on a single clue, thatswhat the players will never think of andthe characters will never succeed atfinding. Rotten luck and differing judg-ment always seem to combine at timeslike this. Make sure that you allow atleast one alternate route to every essen-tial piece of information, and if playerscome up with neat lines of investigationyou didnt think of, accommodate them.When youve got the destination inmind, you dont have to worry so muchabout each turn along the way.

Game Mechanics: In step 1, ifyoure using the optional campaign cri-sis level rules (see Superline:Campaign Planner 2) you can intro-duce a mysterious drop in the publicattitude toward the hero or heroes withevil duplicates on the loose. The evilduplicates actions create sporadic -2 cir-cumstance penalties to the good origi-nals skill and power checks. Furthersteps may bring additional drops, and

perhaps drops in other levels of well-being to keep the hero and allies busysolving those problems rather than get-ting to the root of it all.

The evil duplicate may not be theheros duplicate in every detail of statis-tics.You should certainly feel free to shuf-fle skill points around and even to modifypowers, depending on its origins. If youreplanning to have the duplicate rumblewith the heros allies along with the hero,then definitely add some powers andresources to use in the big struggle. Itlooks just like the hero, butgaspitsusing these unsuspected abilities! (Thiscan be a neat way to introduce new tech-nology and props, by the way; if theheroes win, they can study the remainsand have the basis for acquiring newpowers of their own.) Remember that allother things being equal, the player-con-trolled character tends to do better sim-ply because the player only has the onecharacter to keep track of, while youvegot the surrounding world, and dont feelguilty about giving yourself some com-pensatory advantages.

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The Situation: One of the definingqualities of superheroes is that they pro-tect those who need protection. Herecomes someone who needs a lot of pro-tection: the rightful heir to some impor-tant institution, whos been deposedand is being hunted by rivals who wantto simplify the succession by removingthe heir. Once powerful, now reduced toa desperate struggle merely to survive,the heir needs help. Can the heroes seethat justice is done?

Developments: This plot devicebrings a whole series of visitors into thecharacters environment, in about thisorder:

The First Wave: The Heir. Thingsbegin with the heir and perhaps afew trusted companions and aidesseeking out the heroes for protec-tion. In a well-established cam-paign, the heir may have turned upin play before, if the heroes dealtwith the deposing organization.But its entirely in the spirit ofcomics to have a refugee turn upwithout any preamble at all.Furthermore, assassins may well bein hot pursuit, so that the first theheroes know of it, they have to dealwith a tangled violent mess righton their doorstep. Once thats dealtwith, theres an opportunity forexposition and the characters toconsider just how they propose tohelp.

The Second Wave: The NewAuthorities. After whatever initialviolence there may be, a better-behaved team comes from theauthorities that overthrew the heirto stake their claim.They present asmuch history as the characters willsit still for to establish the justice of

the overthrow and the prosecutionthey want to mount now.Diplomatic wrangling may wellensue, along with competingefforts at winning media and pop-ular support. Desperate antago-nists may resort to blackmail andmore physical forms of intimida-tion; depending on how morallyambiguous this conflict is, bothsides can behave in much less thanadmirable ways.

The Third Wave: ExternalComplications. Forces outside theoriginal dispute now try to staketheir own claims. Local civil author-ities may well object to carnageand mayhem. National and inter-national peacekeepers also preferto discourage independent vio-lence in the service of far-awayproblems.Would-be mediators andwould-be successors to both thedeposed and deposers show up topursue their own agendas. Theheroes should have at leastmoments of wishing theyd nevergotten involved with the mess, andit provides a good test of their loy-alties and ideals.

The grand parade of claims,counter-claims, and miscellaneouscomplications gradually settlesdown, and the heroes can at lasthead toward some lasting resolu-tion. Is the overthrow just in itselfbut the deposed heir worthy ofprotection? Kings in exile are com-mon in real history as well ascomics. Is the overthrow unjust butthe new authority too well-estab-lished for anything short of a majorwar? The exiled heir can wait andprepare for the future, leaving atrail of future campaign hooks. Are

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The King Without a Throne

both sides unjust? It would beentirely in keeping with the super-heroic approach to political struc-ture for the heroes to bring ineveryone to some suitable tribunaland work with a protectorate ofsome sort to establish an entirelynew regime. The contested thronesits waiting.

Considerations: The nature of theheirs institution depends on the cam-paign power level. For typical PL10heroes,the heir can be the heir to a king-dom, the next in line for head of state ofa democratic or republican regime, orsome other sort of political heir. In acampaign at PL5, the heir might be thedesignated successor to the deceasedleader of an important corporation,crime family, or private institution like areligious denomination.At higher powerlevels, the institution could be anempire, on or off Earth; fugitive heirs toalien thrones are by no means unknownin comic books. This plot device shouldpresent the heroes with interestingchallenges, not overwhelming opposi-tion and guaranteed defeat.

Its temptingly easy for this kind ofstory to get drowned in backgroundexposition. Resist the urge to work outalmanac-quality history and culture forthe organization and regime involved.Keep it brief, and do rely on convention-al expectations in at least some points,so that the really distinctive flourishesstand out and are easy for players toassimilate. Remember that theres noth-ing wrong in presenting your playerswith just like The Godfather or just likeThe Man in the Iron Mask or long-lostAnastasia, except with their heroes ableto influence the outcome.

Some campaigns thrive on incorpo-rating real-world issues, and some dont.Presumably you know which sort yoursis.Do be careful that if you base in-game

events on real-world analogies andmetaphors, your players wont respondby vigorously disputing the legitimacyof the comparisons and take the eventsas meaning something else altogether,and that they wont feel that they couldhave skipped the game session and readeditorials instead. Construct your situa-tion so that it has its own internal con-sistency regardless of what players thinkabout comparable situations outside thecampaign.

Finally, consider whether your play-ers really want to be the judges of apotentially international (or interplane-tary, or worse) crisis. If they do, great!Carry on. If not, provide at least onegraceful way for them to hand theresponsibility off to authorities they cantrust. In this case, their job is simply tokeep the peace while other peoples pro-cedures go into effect.That can be a sat-isfying role as well, particularly if theyget to protect genuinely innocent andneedy people in the midst of a chaotic,dangerous scene.

Game Mechanics: If you want toget players involved in the social strug-gles possible with this plot in moremechanical depth, there are some excel-lent resources available made withmedieval settings in mind but thatadapt easily to the modern day.Supplements covering nobles and nobil-ity, government, law, and the like are outthere waiting for you.Theyre not appro-priate for every campaign, but thennothing is, and by providing solid rulesand support, they let characters withsocial prowess shine as clearly as slug-gers and zappers do in fight scenes.

Any battle with the forces guardingand/or pursuing the deposed heir is like-ly to involve a lot of flunkies. Becausetheyre easy to defeat, they provideheroes an opportunity to demonstratetheir style. A bit of fun of this sort mightbe a welcome break in the midst of

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head-spinning claims and counter-claims. The leaders, on the other hand,may well possess exotic powers associ-ated with the organization and its histo-ry: mystical powers and magical arti-facts, super-science that relies on rare

minerals found only in places the organ-ization controls, and so on. As with sev-eral of these plot devices, this can be ahandy way to introduce new stuff intoyour campaign.

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System Reference Document, Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc., AuthorsJonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, based on original material by E. GaryGygax and Dave Arneson.

Modern System Reference Document,Copyright 2002-2004,Wizards of the Coast,Inc.;Authors Bill Slavicsek,Jeff Grubb,Rich Redman,Charles Ryan,Eric Cagle,David Noonan,Stan!, Christopher Perkins, Rodney Thompson, and JD Wiker, based on material byJonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, Peter Adkison, Bruce R.Cordell,John Tynes,Andy Collins,and JD Wiker.

Superline:Campaign Planner 2copyright 2005 Philip Reed and Michael Hammes,pub-lished by Ronin Arts.

Superline:Campaign Planner copyright 2005 Philip Reed and Michael Hammes,pub-lished by Ronin Arts.

Mutants & Masterminds, Copyright 2002, Green Ronin Publishing; Author SteveKenson.

Advanced Players Manual, Copyright 2005, Green Ronin Publishing: Author SkipWilliams.

Silver Age Sentinels d20, Copyright 2002, Guardians of Order, Inc.; Authors StephenKenson,Mark C.Mackinnon,Jeff Mackintosh,Jesse Scoble.

Mutants & Masterminds, Second Edition, Copyright 2005, Green Ronin Publishing;Author Steve Kenson

Mutants and Masterminds Character Record Folio, Copyright 2004, Green RoninPublishing;Developer Steve Kenson

Crooks!,Copyright 2003,Green Ronin Publishing;Authors Sean Glenn,Kyle Hunter andErik Mona.

A Fistful of Plot Devices Copyright 2004,2006 Bruce Baugh

Superheroes spend a lot of their active timeresponding to crises:something goes very wrong, and they must save the day.

This is a collection ofways to create a crisis,including people, places,and things that can gowrong in interesting ways.They include some (real orimpending) catastrophes,and also some basically positive developments thathave nightmarish potentialin the wrong hands.

Each is intended to provide reasons for lots of different kindsof heroes to feel like responding,suitable for use in many differentcampaigns. They arent complete adventures,but open-ended starting points.

Superheroes spend a lot of their active timeresponding to crises:something goes very wrong, and they must save the day.

This is a collection ofways to create a crisis,including people, places,and things that can gowrong in interesting ways.They include some (real orimpending) catastrophes,and also some basically positive developments thathave nightmarish potentialin the wrong hands.

Each is intended to provide reasons for lots of different kindsof heroes to feel like responding,suitable for use in many differentcampaigns. They arent complete adventures,but open-ended starting points.

COVERCONTENTSINTRODUCTIONTHE PLOT DEVICESCondition CriticalThe Peril from the PastThe Death CultThe Evil DuplicateThe King Without a Throne

OGLBACK COVER