Our heroes have battled Vampire Superman, and lived to tell the tale – just. As dawn sunlight touched the Undead Son of Krypton he cried out in pain, pleaded for their help, mentioned a cemetery, then flew into the shadows.
Now, Metropolis is a big place with a lot of cemeteries, so which one did he mean? One in particular has superhero significance: Valhalla Cemetery. This is the final resting place and memorial garden for superheroes who have fallen in the line of duty. Perfect place for a climactic battle then.
It took our heroes a fair amount of time to work out that this is where Superman meant, mainly thanks to a few failed “get a clue” rolls. In the end they contacted Batman who confirmed that the necrotic energy is centred on Valhalla Cemetery.
They spend the day preparing. Mudpuppet hits the Metropolis Central Library and other less savoury places to brush up on her Undead lore while Doc Pliable and Johnny Cool go shopping (a moment of forgetting they’re frickin’ superheroes! there). Overclock tinkers with his equipment (so to speak), and Rough Diamond stays in the hotel and watches cable. More on exactly how they prepare in a mo’.
Grey dusk falls as they reach Valhalla Cemetery.
Mudpuppet: “It’s cold. Do you think it’s cold? I think it’s cold.”
Johnny Cool: “You got a problem with cold?”
Mudpuppet: “Um… no. I was just…..”
Ok, so it’s cold. A pale light is emanating from the centre of the cemetery grounds, so like super-powered moths to a flame, they approach. They carefully go from statue to statue as I describe the fallen heroes. Jade, Starman, Sandman….. It’s fun gaming in the DC Universe!
Vampire Superman is laying on a stone coffer, the light coming from his body. Behind him is Silver Banshee, cackling like….. well, like a Banshee.
“Soon all the Children of the Dark will feel your call and be drawn to this place! Soon this shall be a City of the Dead! I shall rename it Necropolis, and I shall be its Queen! Dracul shall return, and be my King…. for a while.”
With that she lets out a wicked laugh, and the heroes spot movement in the shadows. Hordes of Zombies, Ghouls and worse! I figure there’s a couple of hundred of them. Maybe more. Hey, I’m just the GM. What do I know? That’s one of the joys of superhero gaming. The heroes don’t get XP for killing things, meaning there can be as many opponents as you want. No fiddly encounter building here!
“We have a plan.”
My players have thought long and hard about how to deal with Vampire Superman. They agreed pretty early on that killing him wasn’t an option – not because it is the Wrong Thing To Do, but because it would make Batman very, very angry. So with that off the table, how could they either cure him, or take him out?
Enter Johnny Cool. He’s the team’s hotheaded Ice Controller, but he’s also their movement specialist. He can fly up to 250mph (using “anti-thermals” of self-generated cold air, or whatever), and teleport between areas of cold. So that means no teleporting to the desert for Johnny, but he could step out of your fridge. Nice.
Anyhow.
Overclock hands Johnny Cool his (modified thanks to the Inventor skill and his shopping expedition) Force Field Belt. “You’ll be needing this, and good luck.” Johnny puts it on, and Teleports next to Vampire Superman. He grabs him, burns a Hero Point to Teleport again in the same round.
60 miles. Straight up.
I think “the vastness of space” counts as an area of cold, don’t you? Technically he’s in the ionosphere, which is bathed in solar radiation. And he’s holding Superman.
This is Comicbook Physics (plus, it’s awesome), so I say it works.
Overclock’s Force Field Belt is protecting him from the Radiation and Pressure, but he still needs to breathe. He holds the immobile form of Vampire Superman as long as he can while his undead flesh burns from the light, then as Superman stirs and lashes out in pain he’s forced to teleport away, praying that the sunlight will regenerate Supes back to normal.
Meanwhile, back on Earth, there’s a battle going on.
Hordes of Minion Zombies and Ghouls versus Doc Pliable, Rough Diamond and Overclock? No contest, Overclock stays back firing (he’s very vulnerable without his Force Field Belt) while Rough Diamond and Doc Pliable send Zombies flying left and right.
Mudpuppet, the smallest, most frail, most insignificant-looking member of the team faces off against Silver Banshee, alone.
Silver Banshee: “I know your names! I know your names!”
Mudpuppet: “Oh, shut up.” Silence, 15’ Radius.
Never mess with a mud-covered Ritualist! Especially not one who has Done Her Research.
It’s about that point when Johnny Cool returns, exhausted and pretty much out of action. Not that it matters much.
Silver Banshee leaps over the Stone Coffer, silent rage in her eyes – and is yanked from behind by Superman.
Real. Fully returned to normal, alive, Superman.
“It’s over.”
Playing Mutants & Masterminds 3e in the DC Universe? Awesome sauce.
Seeing how a group of randomly generated heroes operate in a points-based system? Wonderful.
Would I do it again? The Batman Irregulars will ride again!
Regularly.
Johnny Cool, PL10 150pp
STR 1, STA 2, AGL 4, DEX 3, FGT 3, INT 0, AWE 2, PRE 2
Dodge 13/8, Parry 9/4, Fort 7, Tough 7, Will 8, Init +4Deception +9, Expertise:Popular Culture +4, Insight +6, Perception +6, Persuasion +6, Ranged Combat:Cold Control +8
All-out Attack, Assessment, Power Attack, TeamworkCold Control
– Blast 12 (DC27, 300′)
– AE: Penetrating Damage 12 (DC27)
– AE: Ranged Cumulative Affliction 8 (Resisted by Will)
– AE: Environment 12 (Cold, Impede Movement, 8 miles)
Flight 7 (250mph)
Feature:Quick Change 1, Enhanced Traits 10 (Dodge 5, Parry 5) Immunity 5 (Cold Damage),
Impervious Protection 5 (Sustained), Senses 1 (Cold Awareness)
Teleport 14 (60 miles/move, Medium:Areas of cold)Complications: Motivation:Recognition, Power Loss in areas of intense heat
This is awesome. I really like how they came up with a full fledged plan. Often times in a game when it gets to that point it just feels like flying by the seat of your pants. These guys knew what they were doing and made it work.
I know it’s been a bit since you posted this but I’m just getting into M&M 3E and came across it and I have to say this is the best example of play in the DC Universe I have seen in a long time. It’s a perfect example of using a published world without being bound by it and it’s awesome.
Keep this coming – I’m taking notes.