I’ve given you the setup and a brief who’s who of our characters, so let’s get started with the session write-up! This is a one-shot scenario using the Mutants & Masterminds Third Edition/DC Adventures rules. Our heroes are all members of the Batman Irregulars, a loose group of heroes-in-training who answer to Batman Himself.
They have been sent to Metropolis to investigate reports of a Vampire stalking the streets, and Superman is nowhere to be found. Are the two events related, and can the heroes solve their first case on their own, or will they buckle under the pressure? Let’s find out………
As they are playing in Superman’s backyard, the heroes decide to enter the city quietly. The last thing they want is to appear on the front page of the Daily Planet on their first day on the job! They take a Greyhound bus into Metropolis using their secret identities. That’s an easy enough task for Doc Pliable (he wears a safari suit – provided he doesn’t stretch he just looks like any other safari-suit wearing guy), Johnny Cool (when not coated in ice, he’s a regular cool dude), and even Mudpuppet (who looks like a skinny teen girl with a permanent smear of mud on her face) doesn’t even merit a sideways glance. For the other two members of the team, it’s a trickier option. Rough Diamond is, even when not in solid diamond form, coated in razor sharp diamond dust, and Overclock protrudes with glass tubes and copper pipes. They end up wearing huge padded ski jackets with the hoods up, and Rough Diamond dons a prosthetic mask to cover his sparkly face. When he smiles, even his teeth are coated in diamond – together they look like the blingiest rappers, ever!
“A chill wind blows through Metropolis…….”
It’s early evening when they arrive. I describe Metropolis briefly – the skyscrapers, the Daily Planet Building, the skyscrapers. Batman Incorporated has provided them with hotel rooms at the Halldorf Hotel (funded by the Wayne Foundation, of course) in the New Troy borough. The rooms are lavish, but far from the best the hotel has to offer. Our heroes are eager to hit the streets; Mudpuppet is powerless so far above the ground, and Rough Diamond and Overclock are sweltering in those ski jackets.
It doesn’t take long before they hear a scream. They rush down the street, turn into an alleyway and see a woman laying in a pool of blood. A blur of red shoots past them, too quickly for any of them to make it out.
Right here I should mention that the players know full well what they’re up against (heck, I’ve been raving about Vampire Superman for weeks), but true to form they are running their characters as if they’re completely ignorant of the fact. Bless ‘em.
They rush to the prone woman, call for assistance then hang around waiting for the police and ambulance to arrive.
Prone woman (fading into unconsciousness): Superman, Superman…….
Rough Diamond: Don’t worry ma’am. Superman’s not here, but you’ve got us instead. Did you get a look at who attacked you?
See what I mean? Completely ignorant.
The heroes introduce themselves to a couple of local cops who shake their hands (“That doesn’t happen in Gotham City!”) as the woman is taken to hospital. They search for clues, and find their first: a hand-print embedded in the wall. Clearly, whatever they are chasing is far stronger than the average vampire.
Doc Pliable, PL10 150pp
STR 2, STA 2, AGL 2, DEX 2, FGT 2, INT 2, AWE 2, PRE 2
Dodge 8, Parry 8, Fort 8, Tough 12/9 (8 Impervious), Will 8, Init +2Athletics +6, Close Combat:Grab +10, Close Combat:Unarmed +10, Deception +6,
Expertise:Botany +8, Perception +4, Stealth +4, Technology +8Strength-Based Damage 6 (Close,instant), Elongation 8 (1,800′), Enhanced Traits 18,
Impervious Toughness 8 (Limited:Physical impact damage),
Insubstantial 1 (Fluid, Precise), Morph 2 (+20 Deception, humanoin forms only),
Movement 6 (Environmental Adaptation:Tight Spaces, Safe Fall, Slithering, Sure-footed, Swinging, Wall-Crawling)
Protection 7, Speed 3 (250’/rnd)Accurate Attack, Chokehold, Close Attack 2, Daze(Deception), Defensive Roll 3,
Evasion, Fast Grab, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Trip, Interpose,
Move-by Action, Power Attack, Precise Attack (Close,Cover), Takedown 2, TauntMotivation:Thrills, Enemy
Coming up: Part Two. First encounter
This sounds like an awesome game. I’d love to play in it at the DC game day… or maybe steal it to run at the DC game day ;-)