Nora/Valiant SIlver was still in the womb during The Susurration? I'm willing to bet a few hundred that The Susurration affected her somehow. She did invent psy-tech, and it wouldn't seem like comics if it hadn't.
Her profile does say she was also being forced into soft retirement since using her genius intellect had a cost attached to it. Considering her thing is Psitech, and Leviathan is psionic in nature, I'm willing to bet she had a much more direct connection to the voices than even Mona does.
Yeah, if Nora had won the roll, I imagine we'd be deep in the weeds of preparing to deal with Leviathan right now since we'd have a more complete picture of the situation. As Lady Leizi however, we're ironically in the dark regarding the matter despite being the intrigue specialist of the group.
The solution? Pump more Ambrosia into more candidates. We have yet to meet a problem that more Ambrosia can't solve.
Yeah, if Nora had won the roll, I imagine we'd be deep in the weeds of preparing to deal with Leviathan right now since we'd have a more complete picture of the situation. As Lady Leizi however, we're ironically in the dark regarding the matter despite being the intrigue specialist of the group.
The solution? Pump more Ambrosia into more candidates. We have yet to meet a problem that more Ambrosia can't solve.
One: for us to find Nora's notes. Comic geniuses always leave their video diaries somewhere, and we need to figure out what's happening right now.
Two: For Sir Suffering to be our next hero. In order to prevent the Leviathan from trying more BS, we've got to beat it at its own game of waking up from the dead. (Weird logic, but if we stack enough RG and Invuln, we can maybe even make a candidate that's immune to Goldnine! Possibly…?)
And by the way, why shouldn't we put Deadman's powers on an espionage focused hero?
I mean, it's not like the villain's are going to focus on a conveniently placed dead body in their lairs, those places are the opposite of OSHA-compliant. A "dead" body in the slums would basically be a perfect listening bug.
One: for us to find Nora's notes. Comic geniuses always leave their video diaries somewhere, and we need to figure out what's happening right now.
Two: For Sir Suffering to be our next hero. In order to prevent the Leviathan from trying more BS, we've got to beat it at its own game of waking up from the dead. (Weird logic, but if we stack enough RG and Invuln, we can maybe even make a candidate that's immune to Goldnine! Possibly…?)
And by the way, why shouldn't we put Deadman's powers on an espionage focused hero?
I mean, it's not like the villain's are going to focus on a conveniently placed dead body in their lairs, those places are the opposite of OSHA-compliant. A "dead" body in the slums would basically be a perfect listening bug.
Deadman's pretty great for intrigue already, but I do think combining it with a cheap way to change faces and identities would be ideal. You'll never know if the person you killed was actually him, if that corpse is his corpse, or if you just killed one of your own out of paranoia and he's still lurking somewhere with a new face and voice.
Call it the Deadringer.
Yes this idea was blatantly inspired by the Spy from TF2.
Your pace as you stride to your meeting is calm and measured. You are not annoyed. You are not. And anyone who thinks differently can join you for a round of CQC training. With powers.
Minor Success: DC 5. Moderate Success: DC 10. Major Success: DC 15.
Stat Check: ESPIONAGE 6. Lady Leizi has ESPIONAGE 8.
You rolled: 10.
10 + 1 = 11. Moderate Success!
Your intelligence network had degraded more than you thought. Or rather, you had grown complacent. Major news reached your ears, but the small things, hidden things, that revealed a greater picture eluded you.
It was trivial being a spymistress when half the city was falling over themselves to leak information to you. Whether it be for power, influence, or just to brag they had spoken to someone from "the" Justice Unlimited, things were easy when you were powerful.
Now you were not. Corrections would have to be made.
"Umm, you o-okay Lady Leizi? You're kinda . . . sparking."
"Fine, darling," you reply instantly, smoothing over your expression. "Just . . . ruminating."
"I don't know what that means but it sounds very intimidating, um, ma'am."
You give an arch smile. "Don't worry about me. Worry about making sure you're prepared for this meeting, Black Swan."
Mona, or Black Swan, turns pale and swallows. The sight of the girl quaking in fear soothes your temper. Perhaps you are suited to mentorship.
Ah, and what a cute mentee she was. Chaucer, bless his heart, had no mind for fashion, and Dr. Ibis had been wearing the same stained lab coat for as long as you had known him. Thankfully, Mona had entire notebooks filled with ideas for superhero costumes and names. It was something of a hobby of hers. You used your own eye for style and, after much debate, you finally settled on a costume.
Credit BKNK_Shop for the art.
It was touch and go for a moment—the argument over whether to use a black and orange color scheme or a black and gold nearly turned ugly—but you were satisfied Black Swan was ready to meet the world.
"Now, come, Black Swan. Chaucer and Dr. Ibis will be interested to hear what you think we should do next."
"Umm, okay. But, uh, you'll be helping too right? 'Cuz, I'm new and stuff. . ."
"Relax," you say, "Just think of it like an orientation."
"O-orientation? Oh, I'm bisexual. I've had a few boyfriends, but I've never dated a girl before. They look . . . soft? Hey, wait! Lady Leizi, why are you laughing? Where are you going? Come back!"
* * *
By the time you're all seated for the meeting, Black Swan has her blush mostly under control.
Chaucer looks as exhausted as ever, but he greets you and Black Swan jovially and compliments her outfit. Dr. Ibis hasn't looked up from his screen since you came in; he was still in shock over what his Ambrosia had created and was acting unlike himself. Which was actually an improvement in his behavior.
You clear your throat and get everyone's attention. "Black Swan, why don't you begin. What is the current status of Justice Unlimited?"
"We're broke!" Black Swan says with a snappy salute.
"And . . . ?"
"Oh, um, right." Black Swan's flush returns. "So, we had enough money to set up the base that I destroyed . . . and um, for my costume. Thank you by the way, I love it. If we're going to do anything else, including, uh, making new heroes, we need a source of income."
"A vexing problem," Chaucer says, "The most expedient solution would be to resume Justice Unlimited's old contracts, but we'll have to earn back some goodwill first."
You raise an eyebrow at Black Swan.
She jerks up. "Right! But if we take on their metahuman problems, they'll have to renew our contracts. I think they'll have to pay a penalty clause too!"
"Just right," you say, "The Worker's Mitt is closer to renewing than the OID. It was always the seat of our power. Money is frustrating, but a fact of life."
Black Swan nods and stares at you until she realizes she's supposed to keep speaking.
"Uh, and we're almost out of goldnine. Dr. Ibis says we have enough for one more dose of Ambrosia, but after that we're tapped."
Dr. Ibis raises his head at the sound of his own name.
"That's right," he says, "The refinement process consumes more goldnine than anticipated. We need to find a steady supply. I'll leave that to all of you."
Chaucer gives him a cool glance. "Thank you, Doctor. I'm certain you will be ready to process the goldnine immediately once we have it."
"No," Ibis replies distractedly, "I'll need weeks to refine a new dose of Ambrosia."
"Wha—weeks? Doctor, you created Mona—er, Black Swan's dose in two days!"
"Yes. And I had to use my power to do so. Each dose of Ambrosia involves having to carefully balance several mutagenic profiles that a simple mind like yours couldn't even dream of. If I keep making doses at that rate, I'll have to use my power every time. If I do that, I'll hit the Rebound in two years."
"Doctor, the world is at stake. Surely you can—"
"Chancer," you say soft and sharp. "You've never worked closely with an Algernon-type metahuman, have you?"
"No. I can't say I have, Lady Leizi."
"Then you can be forgiven for your ignorance." Your voice is ice cold. "You don't understand what you're asking of Dr. Ibis."
The room goes quiet except for the sound of Ibis tapping away on his screen. Finally, Black Swan pipes in.
"Um, Rebound?"
"The eventual fate of all Algernon-type metahumans," you think of Nora, losing time and growing forgetful, "But now is not the time to discuss that. It seems that if we obtain any new DNA profiles, then it will take some time for Dr. Ibis to integrate them into our selection for Ambrosia, isn't that right, Doctor?"
"What? Yes. I said that already. Pay attention!"
"Of course. Chaucer, how are our recruiting efforts?"
Chaucer shakes himself, "As of now they are limited. It will be easier to hire staff once Justice Unlimited is revealed again to the world, but the genetic screening necessary to determine Ambrosia tolerance is unusual even in Horizon. We're going to have to be careful if we don't want word of Project Prometheus to leak."
"Leave it to me, Chaucer," you say. You haven't lost your touch that badly.
"Then give the word and I will redouble our efforts."
"Very well. Black Swan, an acceptable job for your first time." You see Black Swan smile at that. "Now, we must discuss the state of Horizon. A new order has begun to form, but it's tenuous at this stage."
You stand and activate the holographic display. First, you pull up an emblem of a sunrise—the symbol of New Dawn.
"New Dawn fared badly during the Movement, but the sheer number of metahumans at their disposal have allowed them to weather the storm."
You change the image to a man in traditional Chinese robes wearing a hechang and a woman dressed like a Knight.
"All of New Dawn's governing council perished except for these two, Wolong and Arc," you say, "Wolong is an analytical metahuman. He can instantly synthesize vast quantities of information and simultaneously simulate thousands of scenarios in his mind, giving him limited precognition. Arc possesses the power to reflect anything. And I mean anything, energy, physical blows, even conceptual attacks."
"Wait, I knew about the first two, but what does 'reflect conceptual attacks' mean?" Black Swan says, confused.
"I once was at a charity gala with Arc. A man made an insulting remark that she "reflected" back at him. Said man promptly burst into tears and ran away."
"Cool."
"Very." You take a sip of water. "With the two of them in charge, New Dawn should persevere. On top of that, estimates put their current manpower between ten and fifteen metahumans. Which is why it's odd that Wolong has been telling every contact I have that he needs to meet with me."
"Why is that? Shouldn't, like, heroes all work together."
Chaucer answers for you. "It's not quite so, Black Swan. Justice Unlimited and New Dawn have been at each other's metaphorical throats for years, even since Justice Unlimited broke away from New Dawn. I couldn't imagine New Dawn ever asking for a meeting before. Perhaps it's the change in leadership."
"Or maybe things are not as stable as they appear," you venture, "I would have ignored Wolong entirely, except for the fact New Dawn must have a simply enormous bank of metahuman DNA. Perfect for our needs. I tried to feel the Uni District out, but my search didn't turn up anything for certain. Something about this situation is suspicious; things have gone too well for a team that's lost two-thirds of their metahumans."
"Maybe they just got lucky?" Black Swan says.
"Perhaps. But for now it is a mystery." A frustrating one. "What isn't a mystery is the overtures we've received from Global Justice. Of everyone who appeared at the QZ, they suffered the worst losses."
The image before you changes to a set of scales over top two crossed gavels.
"The leader of Global Justice was Justiciar. Black Swan, you've felt her Rules before, haven't you?"
"Y-yeah," Black Swan fiddled with her fingers, "Whenever I went to the Foot. I heard a voice in my head tell me to not break the law or I would lose the ability to move for thirty minutes. There were others, but, uh, I don't remember them."
"A common symptom. Justiciar could control a certain geographic area and establish "Rules" that everyone in that area would have to obey or face a punishment Justiciar set. Her power was why the crime rate in the Foot was virtually zero and a favorite location to live for the most wealthy in Horizon."
You frown. Something still irks you, "Which begs the question: why was she at the QZ?"
Black Swan jumps at your voice.
"H-huh? Well, to help stop the Leviathan—wait."
"Exactly," you say, "Her power, mighty as it is, would be useless against something like the Leviathan. Yet, she, and most of Global Justice, were there. And now they're in ruins."
You tap and the display becomes a young boy, Black Swan's age, wearing a blue costume with a color scheme that resembles a battery.
"Global Justice is now led by Stockpile, an Algernon-type metahuman who is nineteen years-old. He's in well over his head and desperate to speak with us. So desperate, he's offering a massive amount of money just for a meeting."
"It is quite a sum," Chaucer says, "But Global Justice is the corporate team of Allied Global Logistics. AGL is a front for the American government. Nothing from Global Justice is free."
"Agreed." You change the holo-display one last time. It shows a golden sphere with seven bands. "Lastly, Powers. Unfortunately, they're best poised of all the teams in Horizon."
"That's bad?" Black Swan says.
"Yes." The display shows a twelve-foot, shirtless man. Countless glowing red veins cover his body, as well as large, red spikes coming from his body pointing upwards. His jaw was bestial with two horns on the crown of his head.
"This is Scarlet Maturity," you tell Black Swan, "If you see him, you are to disengage immediately. You are no match for him as you are. Do you understand?"
"Y-yes," Black Swan says, "Got it."
"Scarlet Maturity survived the QZ, unfortunately. Since then he's expanded his personal team, Powers, recruiting every metahuman he can get his hands on."
"An easy task for him, unfortunately," Chaucer rumbles, "Powers is a subsidiary of Dominion Security Concerns. They manage Hero-for-Hire, the mercenary service for metahumans. He has a direct line to . . . easily persuadable heroes."
"A fact he's taking advantage of. I couldn't get a read on his moves, but he's planning something big. We must be prepared."
You wave your hand and dismiss the image. You're tired of looking at the man who killed Rosemary.
"That's as much of the current state of Horizon as we know. The prisoners from Wonderland are still at large, but they've as a whole stayed under radar. But there is one more matter I wanted to discuss."
Black Swan, who has been attentively listening, sits up straighter. Chaucer rises at your tone. Ibis remains distracted until he feels your gaze on his back.
"Moon River is still missing."
Chaucer blinks. "Valiant Silver's A.I.? Surely it's stored in the Apiary or somewhere you can reactivate it?"
"Not so, Chaucer," you say, "Because Eve wasn't an A.I. or anything synthetic. Eve—Moon River—was a technopath. We pretended she was an A.I. to protect her identity."
"What?!" Ibis jumps to his feet. "Moon River . . . was a metahuman? But Valiant Silver received all that praise for making her! They called her the greatest mind since Ọsanyìn! And it was a lie?"
"Yes, Doctor," you say gravely, "One with a good reason. Eve had no sensorium aside from technopathy. She couldn't see. She couldn't hear. Without technology to control, she was numb to the world. And . . . she didn't know where she was."
"W-what?" Black Swan furrows her brow.
"Eve didn't know where her real body was. She didn't even know what she looked like. Her avatar was a digital construction she made." You let them process that. You remember how shocked you were to learn it yourself. "Nora . . . found her for lack of a better term. We built her proxies to control, but were never able to locate her. I sometimes think she didn't want to be found. But now she's missing."
Chaucer hedges for a second before speaking. "Lady Leizi, I understand how you feel, but it sounds like she could be anywhere in the world. With so many other pressing matters, how would we even—"
"We have to find her!" Black Swan says, rising to her feet, "We have to! She's a member of Justice Unlimited isn't she?"
Her commanding gaze sweeps the room and brings a smile to your face.
Then she blushes again. "R-right?"
"Right," you agree, "But we're getting ahead of ourselves. We must plan first. Now in that regard . . ."
* * *
Available AP: 3
Available HERO stats:
Lady Leizi: HIT 5, ESPIONAGE 8, REPUTATION 3, OPERATIONS 5.
Black Swan: HIT 8, ESPIONAGE 3, REPUTATION 8, , OPERATIONS 4
TOTAL: HIT 13, REPUTATION 11, ESPIONAGE 11, OPERATIONS 9
MISSIONS
Making the Rounds (AP 1, HIT 2, REPUTATION 3): The Worker's Mitt is a series of "blue-collar" neighborhoods in Horizon, and the former territory of Justice Unlimited. The strife there is not as bad as in other parts of the city—perfect for a rookie hero on her first patrol. Go show the flag and remind everyone Justice Unlimited is still here. (Chance of permanent global +1 to REPUTATION, Income +500, +1 to Control of Worker's Mitt, ???)
Pest Control (AP 1, HIT 3, REPUTATION 2): Odd monsters called Behemoths live in the QZ. It's a fact of life in Horizon, but, since the Leviathan stirred, they've been more active than normal. A few have even tried to get into the city proper, which would be very bad. A general call has gone out to anyone willing to help thin their numbers near the border. It might be good training for a newly-revived Justice Unlimited. (Income +1000, Chance of +1 to HIT, Intel about current state of QZ, ???)
Cenotaph (AP 1, REPUTATION 3, OPERATIONS 2): You've had your private ceremony, but your team was beloved by many in the city. You owe it to them to let them mourn too. You owe it to your team. You owe it to yourself. Have a public ceremony to honor the fallen members of Justice Unlimited. (Chance of permanent global +1 to REPUTATION, New Candidates)
Meet the Rookie (AP 1, REPTATION 4, ESPIONAGE 3. OPERATIONS 1): The public needs to meet the newest member of Justice Unlimited. Surely, a carefully vetted interview will be a harmless way to introduce Black Swan? What could possibly go wrong? (Chance of increase to REPUTATION and/or ESPIONAGE for Black Swan, ???)
Smoke on the Water (AP 1, ESPIONAGE 4, OPERATIONS 4): The Demon Flamez were a gang of metahumans notable for their lack of concern for collateral damage and their fire-based powers. They were inmates of Wonderland until recently, and word is they've made moves to secure their former territory in the Old Industrial District. Which makes it all the odder that you've received a private communication from one of their members asking for a clandestine meeting. (Unlocks mission Fire in the Sky, Intel of current state of Horizon, Chance of new metahuman DNA, +1 to control of OID)
Mahou Shoujo no Justice Unlimited (AP 1, HIT 5, ESPIONAGE 3, OPERATIONS 2): Good news! Justice Unlimited's new, affiliate hero-squad is a massive success. Bad news! Justice Unlimited doesn't have a new, affiliate hero-squad. What is happening? (Unlocks mission Puella Magi Justice Unlimited Magica, Chance of new metahuman DNA, +1 to control of Worker's Mitt, Chance of Income, ???)
Seid ihr das Essen? Nein, wir sind der Jäger (AP 1, HIT 5, ESPIONAGE 4): Wonderland was home to some of the worst, most dangerous metahumans in Horizon. And some less-monstrous metahumans who were more politically expedient to make disappear. Its extralegal nature always offended Justice Unlimited, but, now that it's fallen, some monsters are on the streets. Find them and stop them. (Chance of new metahuman DNA, Chance of global +1 to HIT, +1 to control of Worker's Mitt, Income +1000, Intel on current state of Horizon)
The Contrabulous Fabtraption of Doctor Mammoth Ibis (AP 1, HIT 5, OPERATIONS 5): Dr. Mammoth Ibis insists he can improve the Ambrosia doses with equipment from his lab. He also mentioned that he left several incubators running and some of his "children" may have gotten loose. And are probably hungry. Go get what he needs and take the kids for a walk. (Improves doses of Ambrosia, Chance of global +1 to HIT, Chance of global +1 to OPERATIONS, ???)
Drove Through Ghosts to Get Here (AP 1, HIT 9, ESPIONAGE 7, REPUTATION 5, OPERATIONS 11): Time to go home. The Apiary was the headquarters of Justice Unlimited, and your home, for the last decade. The automatic defenses should last that long and more. Going back will be painful, but there are all the resources, tech, and information you could want. It's just not going to be the same. (Gain the Apiary as a base, +1 Global Action, More Metahuman Roster Slots, +1 to OPERATIONS, New Metahuman DNA, +3 to control of Worker's Mitt, unlock new personal actions, -1000 income per turn, ???, ???)
Revelations (???): Someone tried to wake up the Leviathan. How? And more importantly, why? [Story requirements not met]
Fear and Panic (AP 2, HIT 5, REPUTATION 5, OPERATIONS 2): Birds! Birds? Birds. Gigantic, mutated shadow-creatures are currently swarming all over the Worker's Mitt, attacking everyone in sight. The situation is contained for now, but someone should really deal with it. Preferably you. (Chance of recruiting ???, Chance of new metahuman DNA, +3 control of Worker's Mitt, Intel about ???) [2 Turns Until Expiration]
The Dragon of the New Dawn (AP 2, ESPIONAGE 4, REPUTATION 5, OPERATIONS 3): New Dawn was the original, and largest, hero team in Horizon, and the bitter rivals of Justice Unlimited. Like you, they suffered heavy losses stopping the Leviathan from awakening. Now, they're under new management, by Wolong, a.k.a Gabriel Qwan, a metahuman who is a potent force multiplier but individually weak. He now proposes an alliance to keep the city from burning. You could at least hear him out. (Unlocks mission Long Shadows of Night, Unlocks mission The Air in the Valley, Unlocks mission Grand Theft Person, Chance of New metahuman DNA, Intel about ???, Income, Unlocks University District as potential territory for Justice Unlimited) [2 Turns Until Expiration]
Who's Left Behind (AP 2, HIT 6, ESPIONAGE 5, REPUTATION 4): Les Quatre Saisons, or The Four Seasons as they were better known, were a four-person hero team with powers themed around the seasons. They were also all family members. Which makes the death of Automne, their youngest and most powerful member, all the more painful. The team is desperately proud, so the fact they're requesting a meeting and possible alliance with you means they must truly be in dire straits. You can give them a meeting, if for Automne's memory if nothing else. (Chance of recruiting ???, Intel about ???, Chance of new metahuman DNA, Chance of Income, Chance of +1 to control of OID) [2 Turns Until Expiration]
Olympus has Fallen (AP 2, ESPIONAGE 4, REPUTATION 6, OPERATIONS 4): Of all the heroic teams in Horizon, Global Justice fared perhaps the worst in the QZ. No loss was more significant than Justicar, their leader whole single-handedly kept the Foot of the Ladder under control. Justicar's death has plunged the area beneath your feet into anarchy and it's not clear help is coming anytime soon. They are now led by Stockpile, an Algernon-type hero who, notably, is nineteen years old. That he's in charge does not bode well to how many of their members survived. No wonder he's willing to pay you just to speak with him. (Chance of new metahuman DNA, Income +2000, Chance of ???, Intel about ???, Unlocks Foot of the Ladder as territory for Justice Unlimited) [2 Turns Until Expiration]
Wider than a Mile (AP 4, HIT 15, ESPIONAGE 19, REPUTATION 13, OPERATIONS 18): Moon River was the seventh member of Justice Unlimited. To the world, she was a super-advanced AI created by Valiant Silver. In reality, she was the world's greatest technopath, able to control technology like it was her body. The only problem was, she had no ability to sense the world aside from technopathy. She didn't even know where in the physical world her actual body was. And now she's disappeared. Everyone else is gone; you won't lose her too. Find her. (Recruit Moon River, Intel about ???, Unlocks mission ???, ???) [10 Turns Until Expiration]
PERSONAL ACTIONS (Chose 1 Per Hero)
Lady Leizi
A Face that Toils So Close to Stones is Already Stone Itself (AP 0): You could always use some practice. Now, more than ever. Take some time to train a skill, maybe see if you can improve yourself. [Must Choose to Train HIT, ESPIONAGE, REPUTATION, or OPERATIONS] (Chance of improvement contingent on how high a skill already is. Higher skills will have a higher DC to raise)
Pieces of the People We Love (AP 0): A long time ago, after Rosemary died, you and the rest of Justice Unlimited all decided to record and leave messages for one another, just in case. You just never thought you would need to ever watch them. Take the time and listen to your team's last words. (Unlocks Mission Train Came a Rollin', Unlocks Mission Hero Worship, Unlocks Mission Break Glass in Case of Emergency, Intel about ???, Intel about ???)
Black Swan
Who Doesn't Love a Power Testing Scene? (AP 0): Your newest member has an unknown power granted to them through untested super-science. It's probably a good idea to figure out exactly what they can do. Hopefully, somewhere deserted. (+1 HIT for Black Swan)
Whispers Through the Web (AP 0): Intelligence work isn't all glamor. In fact, it's mostly boring. A lot of sitting around, watching, and occasionally talking to the right person at the right time. Have the rookie go do some of it. (+1 ESPIONAGE for Black Swan)
The Fourth Estate (AP 0): Public relations? More like public rela. . . shames? Right? Right. Something like that. Point is, you don't want to do it. Thankfully, you have a Black Swan for that. (+1 to REPUTATION for Black Swan)
Read the Manual (AP 0): Adamant was obsessed with creating proper procedure and protocol for basically every situation you could imagine. And he documented all of it. In 47 thick, thick volumes. If you had to suffer through reading them, so does Black Swan. (+1 to OPERATIONS for Black Swan)
Water-Cooler Talk (AP 0): Black Swan is new on the job. Maybe she should get to know the people around her. (Choose to talk to Joelle Chaucer or Dr. Mammoth Ibis) (Chance of Intel depend on who is chosen)
Global Actions (Choose 1)
Justice Unlimited Wants You! (AP 0): If you're going to make new heroes, you'll need candidates who are the best of the best. Your current crop is fine, but small. Get out there yourself and find new candidates for Ambrosia. (New candidates, number depends on DC, - 500 Income, DC 5 ESPIONAGE Check to avoid revealing Project Prometheus)
Project Prometheus (AP 0): You have candidates. You have enough goldnine for one more dose of Ambrosia. Time to meet the newest member of Justice Unlimited. (Create new metahuman, -1000 Income)
* * *
It is time. Horizon awaits.
Please format your plans as the following:
[ ] Plan IF Chew Bubblegum and Kick Butt, AND Bubblegum = 0, THEN Kick Butt MISSION 1 MISSION 2 TOTAL AP: X TOTAL HERO: HIT X, ESPIONAGE X, REPUTATION X, OPERATIONS X.
[X] Plan: A Sad Day, A Prelude to Resurgence. - [X] Cenotaph (AP 1, REPUTATION 3, OPERATIONS 2) -- [X] Lady Leizi: HIT 5, ESPIONAGE 8, REPUTATION 3, OPERATIONS 5.
- [X] Who's Left Behind (AP 2, HIT 6, ESPIONAGE 5, REPUTATION 4) -- [X] Lady Leizi: HIT 5, ESPIONAGE 8, REPUTATION 3, OPERATIONS 5. -- [X] Black Swan: HIT 8, ESPIONAGE 3, REPUTATION 8, , OPERATIONS 4
- [X] Pieces of the People We Love (AP 0)
- [X] Read the Manual (AP 0)
- [X] Justice Unlimited Wants You! (AP 0)
Total: Hit 6 Reputation 7 Espionage 5 Operations 7
Available points: TOTAL: HIT 13, REPUTATION 11, ESPIONAGE 11, OPERATIONS 9
This is the plan for starting the time sensitive jobs and getting the mourning done. Not perfectly optimal perhaps. But I think it's thematic.
[X] Plan: A Sad Day, A Prelude to Resurgence. - [X] Cenotaph (AP 1, REPUTATION 3, OPERATIONS 2)
- [X] Who's Left Behind (AP 2, HIT 6, ESPIONAGE 5, REPUTATION 4) - [X] Pieces of the People We Love (AP 0)
- [X] Read the Manual (AP 0)
- [X] Justice Unlimited Wants You! (AP 0)
This is the plan for starting the time sensitive jobs and getting the mourning done. Not perfectly optimal perhaps. But I think it's thematic.
Please remember to include the total AP and HERO score. You also can't take Justice Unlimited Wants you without any income; as such you'll be in the negative.
"Wait, I knew about the first two, but what does 'reflect conceptual attacks' mean?" Black Swan says, confused.
"I once was at a charity gala with Arc. A man made an insulting remark that she "reflected" back at him. Said man promptly burst into tears and ran away."
Oh wow, that sounds incredibly OP. I imagine there's a limit to the magnitude that can be reflected, but having a defense for even conceptual "attacks" is useful in every situation, especially with how much supervillains and superheroes like to monologue at each other.
"A common symptom. Justiciar could control a certain geographic area and establish "Rules" that everyone in that area would have to obey or face a punishment Justiciar set. Her power was why the crime rate in the Foot was virtually zero and a favorite location to live for the most wealthy in Horizon."
If Justiciar was a supervillian, this is a power that would have been so easy to abuse. Hell, if I was a government official, I'd be extremely wary of ever stepping into Justiciar's territory. Especially when it's noted that people of influence and wealth like to live under her protection, and thus, have possibly been compromised by her powers.
More than any planetbusting superpower, this one would be the most terrifying from a government's standpoint.
"Yes, Doctor," you say gravely, "One with a good reason. Eve had no sensorium aside from technopathy. She couldn't see. She couldn't hear. Without technology to control, she was numb to the world. And . . . she didn't know where she was."
That's terrifying and sad actually. Manifesting powers all of a sudden, and completely losing all your senses and orientation in exchange. The metahuman lottery is ruthless.
Please remember to include the total AP and HERO score. You also can't take Justice Unlimited Wants you without any income; as such you'll be in the negative.
I just realized I never thread marked the rules. 🤦🏻♂️ It's under Information now, sorry!!! Your plan works, but you just need to total the HERO cost for all missions. So long as it's below Lady Leizi + Black Swan, you're good!
We definitely don't want to snub the other superhero orgs asking us for a meeting, but we need to secure our territory first because we got bills to pay and we can't run Justice Unlimited out of a cardboard box!
Also, the Puella Magi mission. I'm a sucker for Puella Magi. Hopefully, these ones don't have a alien space cat with them.
Cenotaph (AP 1, REPUTATION 3, OPERATIONS 2): You've had your private ceremony, but your team was beloved by many in the city. You owe it to them to let them mourn too. You owe it to your team. You owe it to yourself. Have a public ceremony to honor the fallen members of Justice Unlimited. (Chance of permanent global +1 to REPUTATION, New Recruits)
One last question while I'm mathing out a plan, but we don't have any upkeep at the moment right? I'm not seeing any in the character sheet at least, so I assume so long as we don't spend anything this turn, we don't need to worry about going bankrupt.
One last question while I'm mathing out a plan, but we don't have any upkeep at the moment right? I'm not seeing any in the character sheet at least, so I assume so long as we don't spend anything this turn, we don't need to worry about going bankrupt.
Rewards: Chance of new Metahuman DNA, Income +2000, Chance of ???, Intel about ???, Unlocks University District as a potential Territory
Wider than a Mile (10 Turns until Expiration) - Find Moon River
AP Cost: AP 4
Stats Required: HIT 15, ESPIONAGE 19, REPUTATION 13, OPERATIONS 18
Rewards: Recruit Moon River, Intel About ???, Unlocks Mission ???, ???
As can be seen here, we have 3 meetings to get through, 1 mission to Find Moon River, and 1 mission to shoo away some birds.
Considering we have 3 AP per turn, and each of these missions cost 2 AP (Wider than a Mile costs 4), we'll have to increase our AP in order to have a chance of doing all this. Assuming we get 4 AP next turn and do one of the 2 AP missions this turn, we'll have to skip one of these at least.
One way of increasing our AP is by doing "Drove Through Ghosts to Get Here" to get the Apiary back, but we don't have the income to actually use it. That means we need to start recruiting people to increase our AP, but which one to focus?
We have several ways to gain money right now. First, is doing Fear and Panic. It gives us +3 control over the Mitt (We're currently at 0/3) which should be enough to renew our contract and give us a steady source of income. The second way is via Olympus has Fallen since Stockpile is literally paying us to meet him (+2000 Income!). We can't do both at the same time, so we'll have to pick one, while the third way is to do Pest Control (+1000 Income) and Making the Rounds (+500 Income) which both only cost 1 AP each.
Since our goal here is to both increase our AP by recruiting more supers, and to increase our income from 0 I think we have several paths available to us.
Plan 1: Darling Debut
Fear and Panic - Beat up some birds! (+3 to Control of Worker's Mitt, Chance to Recruit ???, Intel about ???)
Meet the Rookie - Black Swan's media debut! (Chance to increase REPUTATION and/or ESPIONAGE for Black Swan, ???)
Total Stats Required: AP 3, HIT 5, REPUTATION 9, ESPIONAGE 3, OPERATIONS 3
Plan 2: Memories of Home
Drove Through Ghosts to Get Here - Unlock the Apiary as a base. (+1 ESPIONAGE, +1 OPERATIONS, New Metahuman DNA, +3 Control to Worker's MItt, Unlock new Personal Actions, -1000 Income per turn, ???)
Pest Control - Help cull the Behemoth population in the QZ (Income +1000, Chance of +1 HIT, Intel about the QZ, ???)
Total Stats Required: AP 3, HIT 12, ESPIONAGE 7, REPUTATION 5, OPERATIONS 13
Plan 3: Birds of a Feather
Fear and Panic - Beat up some birds! (+3 to Control of Worker's Mitt, Chance of new metahuman DNA, Chance to Recruit ???, Intel about ???)
Pest Control - Help cull the Behemoth population in the QZ (+1000 Income, Chance of +1 HIT, Intel about the QZ, ???)
Global Actions: Project Prometheus - We have 1 dose of Ambrosia left. (Create a new Metahuman, -1000 Income)
Total Stats Required: AP 3, HIT 8, REPUTATION 7, OPERATIONS 2
Plan 4: Drunk on Ambrosia
Olympus has Fallen - Meet with Global Justice for a potential alliance. (Chance of new Metahuman DNA, Income +2000, Chance of ???, Intel about ???, Unlocks University District as a potential Territory)
Cenotaph - Public ceremony to mourn the fallen of Justice Unlimited (Chance of Permanent Global +1 to REPUTATION, New Candidates)
Global Actions: Project Prometheus - We have 1 dose of Ambrosia left. (Create a new Metahuman, -1000 Income)
Total Stats Required: AP 3, ESPIONAGE 4, REPUTATION 9, OPERATIONS 6
For reference, our current total stats are: HIT 13, REPUTATION 11, ESPIONAGE 11, OPERATIONS 9
As you can see, Plan 1 (Darling Debut) seems like the simplest course to take, and it narratively makes sense too. Mona needs to get into action right now to get the word out that Justice Unlimited is back and alive! We have her beat up some birds, secure our old territory, and then do an interview to introduce her to the world. We'll be resigning ourselves to snubbing at least 2 of the superhero orgs this way however, since we simply won't have enough AP to meet them all, but Justice Unlimited's return would be really satisfying to see.
Plan 2 (Memories of Home) is instantly out of the running because we don't have enough Operations (13 vs 9). It's the only way we can get the Apiary and guarantee the extra AP we need to meet at least 2 of our deadlines, but we simply don't have the stats for it.
Plan 3 (Birds of a Feather) hopes to get us at least 1 new super at Turn 1, which could benefit our AP. If we're lucky, Fear and Panic also nets us another super. However, that's not a guarantee (We could botch the roll, or only get a candidate) so I wouldn't bet on it. Instead, this plan's benefit is that we secure our old territory and thus some income, and nets us 1 superhuman (Probably Rhys) and some bird related metahuman DNA to use. If this works out and we get 4 AP next turn, we then only have to snub 1 superhero organization next turn.
Plan 4 (Drunk on Ambrosia) does not secure us any territory and passive income, but by meeting Global Justice, we'll likely be in the black until next turn. We won't have any new metahuman DNA to play around with, but we will have enough money to create another metahuman and roll the dice for more candidates. This hopefully gives us more AP for next turn. Assuming it does, we can meet all 3 Superhero Orgs since we're meeting 1 this turn and the other 2 next turn, but we'll be skipping out on Fear and Panic if we do this.
Sadly, I couldn't fit the Puella Magi into any of these plans since we probably can only recruit them at the 2nd turn, after we finish their unlocked mission. By then though, we'll have missed out on some time sensitive things.
Strategically, I think making sure Justice Unlimited is friendly with all of Horizon's superhero orgs is essential to maintain the peace more effectively, and to make sure Justice Unlimited has influence over all of them by serving as a neutral arbiter they can all agree on to mediate between them. Plan 4 is a step towards this, but it's far from a guarantee since we don't know if 1 more metahuman is enough to get us to 4 AP next turn. Additionally, we'll be skipping out on Black Swan's superhero debut for background politics which I find narratively unsatisfying after we spent so much time being excited about her.
For now, I'll go with Plan 3 as the Middle ground between Plan 1 and 4. We get to see Black Swan in action, and potentially get 1 more AP next turn. Assuming we get 4 AP next turn and use it to meet 2 other superhero orgs, that leaves 1 probably angry at us but that's a relationship we can maybe fix in the future.
[X] Plan: Birds of a Feather
-[X] [MISSION 1] Fear and Panic
-[X] [MISSION 2] Pest Control
-[X] Total AP: 3
-[X] TOTAL HERO: HIT 8, REPUTATION 7, OPERATIONS 2
-[X] Personal Actions:
--[X] Lady Leizi: Pieces of the People We Love
--[X] Black Swan: Who Doesn't Love a Power Testing Scene?
-[X] Global Actions: Project Prometheus
Our Current HERO stats are: HIT 13 (14 after training), REPUTATION 11, ESPIONAGE 11, OPERATIONS 9
We have 5 more HIT (6 after Black Swan trains), 4 more REPUTATION, and 7 more OPERATIONS than the required Stats, so this should go pretty smoothly.
I've already explained the reasoning for this plan above (Plan 3), so I won't repeat myself for the sake of brevity. Instead, I'll focus on why we should do Pieces of the People We Love. Not only should it be interesting character wise, but the intel could also potentially be useful. Maybe it'll point us towards Leviathan's direction?
As for Mona, I think it only makes sense that she feels out her powers before she goes and uses them in a real combat situation. The stat bonus is nice too.
