Although I do have a question for if and when we decide to use Daggermaw's sample.
Firstly, if that DNA's in the mix, will there be a guarantee that our candidate will be dysmorphic, or merely an elevated chance?
Given that those that we inject are, well, normal humans, if it does turn someone dysmorphic, will they get... annoyed at us for turning them into a monster?
And will the dysmorphic look be a variation on a lizard, or could it go to a different animal?
Although I do have a question for if and when we decide to use Daggermaw's sample.
Firstly, if that DNA's in the mix, will there be a guarantee that our candidate will be dysmorphic, or merely an elevated chance?
Given that those that we inject are, well, normal humans, if it does turn someone dysmorphic, will they get... annoyed at us for turning them into a monster?
And will the dysmorphic look be a variation on a lizard, or could it go to a different animal?
Although I do have a question for if and when we decide to use Daggermaw's sample.
Firstly, if that DNA's in the mix, will there be a guarantee that our candidate will be dysmorphic, or merely an elevated chance?
Given that those that we inject are, well, normal humans, if it does turn someone dysmorphic, will they get... annoyed at us for turning them into a monster?
And will the dysmorphic look be a variation on a lizard, or could it go to a different animal?
Using dysmorphic DNA won't automatically result in a dysmorphic hero because, I agree that would be pretty limiting.
What form they get would depend more on the power and theming.
And everyone in Project Prometheus knows the risks they're taking. Which isn't to say they wouldn't be upset by going dysmorphic, but they won't blame you specifically.
i want to write a character proposal but i just cant get the notes part down, i know the basics of my character, a person suited to day to day operations (a stat of 5) and a tolerence of 6 but generally average or below in everything else, with an interest in mythology, folktales and magic, but nothing else comes to mind, especially with the lady leizi's notes.
i want to write a character proposal but i just cant get the notes part down, i know the basics of my character, a person suited to day to day operations (a stat of 5) and a tolerence of 6 but generally average or below in everything else, with an interest in mythology, folktales and magic, but nothing else comes to mind, especially with the lady leizi's notes.
YIPPEEEE!!!!!!! I'm glad I never asked you to spoil the campaign for me, means I can play too (if I figure out how)!!!! it's SO GOOD so far!!!! and despite my towarri bias, I'm really liking leizi!
Name: Aleister Smith
Age: 19
Stats: HIT 1, ESPIONAGE 3, REPUTATION 2, OPERATIONS 4
Tolerance: 7
Chaucer's Note: A Recent Graduate of a College Cookery and Hospitality Course, Aleister Smith, Jokingly Called Crowley by friends for his name and love of the occult. They moved to Horizon to set up a Bakery and Magic shop to combine their Hobbies in the Border between the Workers Mitt and the more Business focused area A month before the Awakening of the Alien god that caused Project Prometheus to be required. They Learned of the Project by Magic*, By Following the Extrapolation they made With the Tarot cards they drew after the explosion that was Black Swans power Manifestation, they managed to learn of the project, seeing a chance to do some good, they promoted their Best Employee to Head Baker and took a less strenuous role in their store to approach us about Project Prometheus. It should noted that they are frustrated by loud noises, especially during night, which usually has them find out why and chew the person out if it is from their Neighbours.
Lady Leizi's Notes: Not much to say, Even if he wasn't foreigner, Aleister Smith wears his heart on their sleeve.
Hmmm, I have been thinking, @Bitterman. One of our hero candidates, Rhys Gardner was the lover of the now defunct Vulcan, of SLAYERS, wasn't he?
It has made me wonder about the ethical and practical considerations of giving Gardner an Ambrosia dose incorporating Vulcan's power. Aside from the idea of someone inheriting their loved one's power as an Origin-Story feeling very in-line for Comic Book Superheroes, I wonder if the candidate to a power/blend of powers having had any relationship either positive or negative with their donor(s) prior to the Ambrosia going into them would cause any unforeseen effects on the resulting power. At least narratively?
I personally like the idea because of the narrative it builds: "Your loved one(s) will live(s) on in you in some way, you carry their torch forward, you are never alone because they are with you, their memory lives on in you." But I understand others may not see it like that.
Then again this entire line of thought hinges on having or acquiring Vulcan's DNA, the Apiary may be a good starting point for that, maybe? If not well, Lady Leizi IS an Espionage expert...
Hmmm, I have been thinking, @Bitterman. One of our hero candidates, Rhys Gardner was the lover of the now defunct Vulcan, of SLAYERS, wasn't he?
It has made me wonder about the ethical and practical considerations of giving Gardner an Ambrosia dose incorporating Vulcan's power. Aside from the idea of someone inheriting their loved one's power as an Origin-Story feeling very in-line for Comic Book Superheroes, I wonder if the candidate to a power/blend of powers having had any relationship either positive or negative with their donor(s) prior to the Ambrosia going into them would cause any unforeseen effects on the resulting power. At least narratively?
I personally like the idea because of the narrative it builds: "Your loved one(s) will live(s) on in you in some way, you carry their torch forward, you are never alone because they are with you, their memory lives on in you." But I understand others may not see it like that.
Then again this entire line of thought hinges on having or acquiring Vulcan's DNA, the Apiary may be a good starting point for that, maybe? If not well, Lady Leizi IS an Espionage expert...
Mechanically, there would be no bonus. It would be poetic for certain though! As for how to get it, all you know is that Vulcan was a member of SLAYERS, Chaucer's old team, they were nominally affiliated with Powers, and they had no main base.
EDIT: Also, I should mention Vulcan was an Algernon-type who would NOT want the debilitating side effects of his powers passed onto his lover.
Horizon, City of Levithan's Rest – 20 Miles Outside the Old Industrial District – November 4, 2067
The first mission undertaken by your fledgling Justice Unlimited was one with an eye to the future. Dr. Ibis continued to insist that he could improve your doses of Ambrosia with the materials from his lab, and, given that you currently only had one dose remaining, it felt prudent to put the doctor's money where his mouth was, so to speak.
Dr. Ibis had given you a long list of equipment and supplies to recover—too much for you and Black Swan to carry on your own. Some of the machines would require entire teams to safely disconnect and transport. No, until you were able to reclaim Dr. Ibis' lab as a proper base, he would have to satisfy himself with the bare necessities.
Unfortunately, he had been rather cagey about what those "bare necessities" were. After whittling down much of his list, he finally, grudgingly, admitted the equipment in his lab could stay put for now. What he needed were samples from a refrigerated storage unit in his main lab, items in a safe hidden in his sleeping chambers, and the "contents" of incubator #3384.
Dr. Ibis refused to disclose what was in any of those containers . . .
Minor Success: DC 5. Moderate Success: DC 10. Major Success: DC 15.
Stat Check: REPUTATION 5. Lady Leizi has REPUTATION 3.
You rolled: 17.
17 - 1 = 16. Major Success!
. . . until you, ahem, made him see reason. A cowed Dr. Ibis admitted the safe were "items of personal interest" with "little worth aside from simple sentimentality." He requested that you retrieve them for him, but wasn't going to raise a fuss if you didn't. Or, at least, more of a fuss than usual.
Incubator #3384 was of more interest, but still not particularly salient. Dr. Ibis had been experimenting with creating animal-like creatures with enhanced intelligence—something between a dog and three-year old—and #3384 was by far his most promising candidate. You said you would secure it if you could, but it was not your main goal.
No, the true prize, according to what Dr. Ibis told you, was what was in his lab: refined goldnine. Not goldnine in its base form, but a processed version without its characteristic self-replicating properties. Useless for making Ambrosia from scratch, but apparently valuable in altering and modifying new doses, and something you will want for Justice Unlimited's next hero.
So, to that end, you were on a roadtrip with Black Swan.
After the umpteenth time one of his "children" had escaped and terrorized the OID, Dr. Ibis had wisely decided to move his lab somewhere more remote. Well, that and after Valiant Silver had threatened to "move it herself" unless he did so first.
The lab was located about twenty miles out from the northern border of the OID, in a deserted, swampy area; it was still about fifty miles or so from the QZ, but that was closer than the average person was willing to tolerate.
You hear Black Swan humming in the seat next to you as you whip down the road. You had taken away her radio privileges after she played the theme song to some children's show—what a "magical girl-maid" was, you didn't need to know—and now she was sticking her head out of the window like a dog.
She seems to feel your eyes on her, because she pulls her head back in and gives you a sheepish smile.
"Are you sure you wouldn't rather be flying, darling?" you ask as you turn your eyes back to the road.
You see Black Swan shake her head out of the corner of your eye.
"No way! I've never been in a car before. This is great!"
"Ah yes," you chuckle, "I forget how you Horizon native's prefer to take PubTrans everywhere."
Black Swan sticks her tongue out at you. "Hey! Trains are great! And a driver's license costs way too much money! I can go wherever I want without stupid wheels."
"Well, then you're free to depart from these 'stupid wheels' and meet me outside Dr. Ibis' compound."
"Naaaah, a car's great when I don't have to pay for it," Black Swan says, stretching her arms. Her cape blinds you for a second, but thankfully there's nothing to hit on these roads. "Why do you have a car anyway?"
You chuckle again; driving always puts you in a good mood. "How do you think I got around the city when Justice Unlimited was needed?"
"No!"
"Of course. I couldn't exactly afford a delay on the subway, and I can't fly," you say, "So naturally, I had to find other means."
"But a car?"
"And a helicopter. And a small plane. I got my pilot's license when I was a girl."
"What?" Black Swan says, hitting the center console in disbelief, "No way! How did I never hear about this?!"
"Well, we didn't exactly advertise it. And most of us didn't need to use vehicles. Eve could be anywhere she wanted, Towarri could fly, Harper could run faster than a car, and Nora had some sort of telekinetic module in her armor that let her leap great distances . . ." Your voice trails off, lost in memory, "Yazmin had her own motorcycle she was rather proud of. Which just left dear Rakeem and I to carpool."
"Whoa!" Black Swan leans forward, her eyes sparkling. It would be endearing if she wasn't almost poking you with her visor. "So you guys would just take a car, just like this?"
"When we had to." You smile at the memory. "I would always drive. Adamant, the metal man, had something of a lead foot."
Black Swan tilts her head. Then she flicks her eyes side to side before raising her visor and leaning even closer to you.
"Hey . . . were the rumors true about . . . y'know . . . ?"
"Myself and Rakeem?" You raise an eyebrow. "Hoping for a torrid tale of secret romance, deep, burning passions, of constantly breaking up and getting back together because we couldn't live with each other but also couldn't live without?"
Black Swan is so excited that she's vibrating. She bites her lip and eagerly nods.
"No," you say, watching Black Swan deflate, "You're thinking of Nora and Yasmin. Rakeem and I were adults."
Black Swan gasped. "But you were . . . ?!"
"No." Black Swan deflates again and you hide a smile. She is entirely too easy to tease. "We were more of . . . accomplices."
"What does that mean? What does that mean?! What does that mean?! I must know!"
But you do nothing but laugh for the rest of the trip.
* * *
When you arrive, you can immediately recognize Dr. Ibis' lab by the riot of colorful vegetation that surrounds it. Distinct from surrounding palm swamps, the invasive jungle-like ferns and flowers mark the lair of a mad, biological genius. It was alarmingly like how his laboratory looked back in the OID—perhaps he simply enjoyed the aesthetic.
You pull your car over a distance away and send Black Swan to scout head. She rockets into the air with a force that shakes the trees and sends birds scattering. You hold back a sigh—more espionage training for Black Swan it is. She hovers above the building for several minutes before landing back near you.
"So, I think some of Dr. Ibis', uh, children got loose. At least, I'm assuming they're what made the big hole in the side of one of the buildings. There's a bunch of . . . animals? They're all over the place."
You nod. Not unexpected. The good doctor had issues cleaning up after himself—as soon as he finished one project, he forgot about it and moved to the next. It was why "break-outs" were so common.
"I did manage to find the square building that he said was his main lab though!" Black Swan adds, "I can just fly us over there and we can grab everything, real quick!"
"I don't think so," you say, staring at the complex, "No offense, but you're hardly subtle in the air. I don't relish drawing attention from his 'children' and having to fight our way out of here. Better we travel on foot and try to remain unnoticed."
"Yes, ma'am!" Black Swan says entirely too loud with a salute. At your unimpressed look, she grimaces and whispers, "Yes, ma'am . . ."
"Then, by all means, lead the way."
* * *
Dr. Ibis' "lab" was actually three buildings arranged in a "U" shape. A long rectangular building on the right was his living quarters and storage—more of the latter than the former you would guess, based on what you know about the doctor. In the middle, adjacent to the northern side of the living quarters, was a heavily reinforced square building that held the main laboratory. Then, on the other side of the lab, and parallel to the living quarters, was another long, rectangular building that housed the incubators.
Black Swan takes you on a rather circuitous route around the back of the incubator building that she insists is the best way to move undetected. It seems most of the doctor's creatures had made their homes in the living quarters. True to her word, you approach the building unhindered.
That is, until you hear a peculiar sound that sounds like a mix between a honk and a roar, matched by a cry resembling clucking hiss.
You instinctively grab Black Swan and pull her behind some nearby foliage to hide. Urban environments are more your expertise, but you know a thing or two about woodcraft.
Slowly, painfully slowly, the two of you inch towards the source of the noise. They're becoming more frequent, accompanied by the occasional squeal or bark of pain. You can feel Black Swan straining at your grip—not quite disobedient enough to tear away, but clearly lacking the patience for a truly invisible approach.
Thankfully, you see your quarry before they see you. And, oh my, do you see them.
On the ground is what looks like a mix between an ostrich and bearded dragon, with long, powerful digitigrade legs beneath an ovular body. It's covered in scales with a reptilian head and a thin line of spines. The creature on the ground looks wounded, red blood sluggishly leaking from a wound on its torso. Above it stands another one of the same creature, warningly flaring its neck spines at its opponent.
Across from the two reptile-ostriches is a large, knuckle-walking, animal covered in brown fur. Its hind-legs resemble hooves, while its front two legs terminate into what look like three-fingered hands. It moves with surprising grace and speed given its size; its bulging muscles defy reason with biceps larger than your head. However, more disturbing than its musculature is what's on top of it. Instead of a primate or animal skull, instead a long, thin noodly neck drifts out a with head that looks like nothing more than an angry—
"Goose!" the heroine next to you hisses, "The natural enemies of swans!"
You look at her.
"What? They are! Look it up! And—whoa!"
The scaled avian suddenly leaps toward the gorilla-goose with a long, wicked spur jutting from its leg. It slashes the gorilla-goose across the chest and draws blood, but the primate doesn't react. It continues toward the wounded creature, who is unable to resist. It takes a massive, three-fingered hand and wraps it around the wounded animal's throat and lifts it into the air. A second hand wraps around the animal's legs, and it starts to pull.
"Oh no!" Black Swan gasps, one hand over her mouth.
You look at her again.
"Someone has to do something!" she wails.
". . . why?"
But before Black Swan can justify herself, you hear a loud, three-note trill. You're looking to find the source of the new noise, when, with the sun to its back, a figure dives and strikes the gorilla-goose with a mighty kick. The gorilla-goose roars in outrage and drops the reptile-ostrich. It goes to attack its new foe, but, before it can, the newcomer jumps up to head-height and kicks the crime against nature with all of its strength. The gorilla-goose roars in pain and collapses backwards.
As newcomer lands, you confirm that, no, your eyes are not playing tricks on you. In front of you stands a two-foot tall, bipedal beetle wearing sunglasses and a long, fluttering scarf.
You rub your eyes. The beetle is still there. It's still there.
The beetle moves with incredible speed and catches the gorilla-goose's neck with the pincers atop its head. It pulls backwards, and there is a mighty crack!
And the gorilla-goose goes still.
"Whoa," Black Swan whispers relevantly, "Sooooo cooooooool!"
"Is it?"
The beetle walks over to the wounded reptile-ostrich and bows. Said wounded creature gives the beetle a grateful lick and its mate (?) returns to its side.
"He's humble too!" Black Swan sounds on the verge of tears.
"What in the world has Dr. Ibis been creating?" you wonder out loud. Wait. Bipedal beetle? Why does that sound familiar . . .?
DC 5.
Stat Check: OPERATIONS 2. Lady Leizi has OPERATIONS 5.
You rolled: 2.
2 + 1 = 3. Failure!
You can't place it. You try to think harder, but Black Swan's fangirling has not gone unnoticed. The reptiles are hissing at your location in the bushes, and the beetle crouches, preparing itself for battle. You're not totally exposed yet, so you and Black Swan can sneak away and try a different approach—
But Black Swan gets up and marches toward the beetle, her arms outstretched.
"Oh, protector of this place! My ally and I come not in war, but in peace, and, um stuff!"
What is she doing?
"We were set here by the master of this place, Dr. Mammoth Ibis! He tasked us with retrieving a might, um, relic, a, err, sacred . . . box, and the contents of incubator #3384!"
What is she doing?!
"Please! We beg your aid in completing this task! Forgive us our trespasses, um, as we forgive those who trespass against us!"
What is she doing?!
DC 10 - 2 (Ibis told you about Incubator #3384) = DC 8
Stat Check: REPUTATION 6. Black Swan has REPUTATION 8.
You rolled: 7.
7 + 1 = 8. Success!
And why was it working?!
The beetle falls to his knees and bows his head repeatedly before lifting his carapace to the sky with all his arms outstretched. It's the very image of a drowning man being thrown a life preserver.
The beetle then waves off the other two animals who had been warily eying you, and rushes toward the compound. It stops about thirty feet away to turn around and furiously waves all four of its arms back at you.
Black Swan gasps and pounds her fist into her palm. "I get it! He wants us to follow him!"
"I am well aware!"
* * *
You follow a sentient, two-foot tall beetle—what has your life become?—toward the living quarters. Your fears about having to fight the doctor's strange creatures are allayed by your new ally—all sorts of chimeric abominations give you passage when the beetle gestures for them to move.
"Valiant Kabuto is well-respected by his community," Black Swan whispers, "We were lucky to run into him."
You can't let that slide. "Valiant . . . Kabuto?"
"Yeah! Like, 'Kabuto' as in 'beetle'? Look at him! He looks just like Valiant Silver and Valiant Red."
Your lips twitch, your expression trapped somewhere between amusement and outrage. The beetle just had sunglasses and a scarf . . . which you supposed, is all one would need.
Goodness, if Nora could see this now. That thought does make you smile.
The beetle—Valiant Kabuto—eventually takes you to the end of the incubator building opposite the lab. It jumps nearly twenty feet into the air and enters through an open window on the second story. Black Swan follows without a word and, after much too much time, sheepishly goes downstairs and unlocks a door when you don't follow.
You shoot her a cool look as you walk past, into the building. Someone will be receiving a great deal of remedial training.
The beetle's guidance ends in a large room, dominated by a large, rectangular machine with a shattered glass panel revealing its innards. Stamped across the side is a label that reads "Incubator #3384".
"Aww, looks like whatever was in here got out," Black Swan pouted before gasping, "Wait—!"
"Yes, the beetle—
"Valiant Kabuto!"
—Valiant Kabuto is clearly the enhanced-intelligence creature the doctor told us about. Do try to keep up, Black Swan."
"Sowwy!" she says a faux-high voice while lightly hitting herself on the head.
Wait. Is she doing this on purpose?
Black Swan is spared your wrath by Valiant Kabuto clicking its mandibles at you and, when it has your attention, pulling aside a hanging cloth to reveal . . . something.
In the center of the wall is a picture of Dr. Ibis, surrounded by images of crowns, halos, and wings drawn with all colors of marker. Valiant Kabuto lays a freshly-plucked flower in front of it before bowing and directing your attention to the pictures next to it. They're impressive for a beetle, which is to say you're having a hard time understanding them . . .
DC 10.
Stat Check: OPERATIONS 7. Lady Leizi has OPERATIONS 5. Black Swan has OPERATIONS 4.
You rolled: 10.
10 + 2 = 12. Success!
. . . but you and Black Swan managed to piece it together. The first image shows an idealized depiction of Dr. Ibis, surrounded by all of his creations in harmony. Then, in the second image, a great monster appears in the distance. Dr. Ibis leaves to fight it. The third image shows a lone beetle hatching from an incubator, and the fourth shows the beetle attempting to care for the Doctor's creatures in his absence.
Finally, in the last two images, the tone changes. A terrible creature resembling a man with an owl's head approaches Dr. Ibis' domain. He asserts that the lab now belongs to him and the creatures must serve him. The faithful of the doctor resist, but a traitorous faction, the gorilla-geese, join the owl-headed man and begin to take over. Valiant Kabuto continues to protect what the doctor left for him as best he can, living in hope that one day the doctor will return to set things right.
Valiant Kabuto prostrates himself before you, the message clear: "Save us."
"W-we have to do something," Black Swan says through tears, "This is awful! Earthen Owl can't be allowed to get away with this!"
You sign in frustration, reaching the end of your patience with Black Swan. Some silliness can be forgiven, given her age, but, honestly, she—huh?
"You recognized Earthen Owl?" you ask, incredulous.
"Well, duh. Who else has an owl-head and would come all the way out to the boonies to rule over a bunch of animals?" Black Swan is now giving you a look. "He's one of the ranking members of Powers—I studied all of the rosters of the other heroic organizations in Horizon."
"That's . . . very impressive."
"Nah, it's the bare minimum," she says with a dismissive hand gesture, "Now, let's go kick him in the nuts!"
She bends down so her face is level with Valiant Kabuto.
"Can you tell us where Earthen Owl is, o' mighty protector of the Lands of Ibis?"
Valiant Kabuto surries off, and quickly returns with a marker in each of his limbs. He draws you a crude map. Earthen Owl and his gorilla-goose army had taken residence in the center of the compound. Between the living quarters and incubator building, south of the lab.
You purse your lips. Going directly to the lab would no doubt draw attention. And, given what you know of Earthen Owl's disposition, a fight would be inevitable. You try to recall everything you can about Earthen Owl's abilities . . .
Minor Success: DC 5. Moderate Success: DC 10. Major Success: DC 15.
Stat Check: OPERATIONS 5. Lady Leizi has OPERATIONS 5.
You rolled: 6.
6 - 0 = 6. Minor Success!
. . . you're able to recall the basics. "Earthen Owl is a dysmorphic metahuman," you tell Black Swan, "But not as severe as he looks. If I remember correctly, he grows bark and vines from his skin. His head is just a mask."
Black Swan nods at you. "He's super strong or something?"
"Or something. He's stronger than the average person, but he couldn't budge Adamant when they fought. His real powers are his healing factor and his ability to move through soil like it was water." You recall the after-action report you read about Justice Unlimited's encounter with him. "When Adamant and The Red Huntress fought him, they initially struggled to pin him down. Then, The Red Huntress managed to tag him with her mark, and they tracked him to where he was hiding under ground. Adamant flooded the area with adamantium and trapped Earthen Owl. He surrendered quickly afterwards."
"Whoa!" Black Swan says, "But we can't do that."
"No, we can't. And I could very well see us struggling to find him in this environment, on top of whatever creatures he has serving him." You sigh. "We can't risk damaging the samples in the lab during the fight."
You rub your chin and think.
"It might be better to circle around and enter the lab from behind," you say, tracing a path on the map with your finger, "We'll have to be exceptionally careful, but we should be able to get to the lab undetected."
"But what about Valiant Kabuto and the other creatures? And the doctor's personal stuff?"
"We'll have to forgo it. There's no way into the living quarters without being seen."
Black Swan frowns. "I dunno. I'm pretty sure I can blow him up before he notices us . . . though, I might, um, miss."
Valiant Kabuto moves his head from side to side, following your conversation without fully understanding it. You admit, the idea of abandoning him and the other creatures is unfortunate. But, your priorities are clear . . . vexing.
You take a deep breath. You suppose this is a part of leadership.
"Black Swan, here is what we're going to do. We shall . . ."
[ ] . . . engage and defeat Earthen Owl (DC 12. HIT Check of 6.) (Other rolls to follow. Bonus HIT may be awarded for good plans.) (Will retrieve all requested items and free Lab from Power's control.)
[ ] . . . sneak into the lab, undetected. (DC 7. ESPIONAGE Check of 5.) (Will only retrieve refined goldnine from the lab.)
Our first in-mission vote! Remember, as Lady Leizi, you may lower the DC of any ESPIONAGE check by 3, once per mission.
Failing the HIT check on option 1 will not automatically lose you the fight. You may take injury levels and be at greater risk of damaging the samples.
If you vote option 1, you may include a plan on how to engage Earthen Owl that is three sentences long. Format your vote like this:
[ ] . . . engage and defeat Earthen Owl (DC 12. HIT Check of 6).
-[ ] Kick
-[ ] In the
-[ ] Nuts.
We gotta get the doctor's personal effects. It might be a vital component to weaning him off of his reliance on the implant to force regulate his mood.
Also, kicking him in the nuts sounds like something that wouldn't be the worst idea in the world to do. We just have to make sure to keep him airborne and out of contact with the ground.
The first mission undertaken by your fledgling Justice Unlimited was one with an eye to the future. Dr. Ibis continued to insist that he could improve your doses of Ambrosia with the materials from his lab, and, given that you currently only had one dose remaining, it felt prudent to put the doctor's money where his mouth was, so to speak.
No, until you were able to reclaim Dr. Ibis' lab as a proper base, he would have to satisfy himself with the bare necessities.
Unfortunately, he had been rather cagey about what those "bare necessities" were. After whittling down much of his list, he finally, grudgingly, admitted the equipment in his lab could stay put for now. What he needed were samples from a refrigerated storage unit in his main lab, items in a safe hidden in his sleeping chambers, and the "contents" of incubator #3384.
. . until you, ahem, made him see reason. A cowed Dr. Ibis admitted the safe were "items of personal interest" with "little worth aside from simple sentimentality." He requested that you retrieve them for him, but wasn't going to raise a fuss if you didn't. Or, at least, more of a fuss than usual.
Incubator #3384 was of more interest, but still not particularly salient. Dr. Ibis had been experimenting with creating animal-like creatures with enhanced intelligence—something between a dog and three-year old—and #3384 was by far his most promising candidate. You said you would secure it if you could, but it was not your main goal.
No, the true prize, according to what Dr. Ibis told you, was what was in his lab: refined goldnine. Not goldnine in its base form, but a processed version without its characteristic self-replicating properties. Useless for making Ambrosia from scratch, but apparently valuable in altering and modifying new doses, and something you will want for Justice Unlimited's next hero.
No way! I've never been in a car before. This is great!"
"Ah yes," you chuckle, "I forget how you Horizon native's prefer to take PubTrans everywhere."
Black Swan sticks her tongue out at you. "Hey! Trains are great! And a driver's license costs way too much money! I can go wherever I want without stupid wheels."
Naaaah, a car's great when I don't have to pay for it," Black Swan says, stretching her arms. Her cape blinds you for a second, but thankfully there's nothing to hit on these roads. "Why do you have a car anyway?"
You chuckle again; driving always puts you in a good mood. "How do you think I got around the city when Justice Unlimited was needed?"
"No!"
"Of course. I couldn't exactly afford a delay on the subway, and I can't fly," you say, "So naturally, I had to find other means."
"But a car?"
"And a helicopter. And a small plane. I got my pilot's license when I was a girl."
Whoa!" Black Swan leans forward, her eyes sparkling. It would be endearing if she wasn't almost poking you with her visor. "So you guys would just take a car, just like this?"
"Hey . . . were the rumors true about . . . y'know . . . ?"
"Myself and Rakeem?" You raise an eyebrow. "Hoping for a torrid tale of secret romance, deep, burning passions, of constantly breaking up and getting back together because we couldn't live with each other but also couldn't live without?"
Black Swan is so excited that she's vibrating. She bites her lip and eagerly nods.
"No," you say, watching Black Swan deflate, "You're thinking of Nora and Yasmin. Rakeem and I were adults."
Black Swan gasped. "But you were . . . ?!"
"No." Black Swan deflates again and you hide a smile. She is entirely too easy to tease. "We were more of . . . accomplices."
"What does that mean? What does that mean?! What does that mean?! I must know!"
But you do nothing but laugh for the rest of the trip.
So, I think some of Dr. Ibis', uh, children got loose. At least, I'm assuming they're what made the big hole in the side of one of the buildings. There's a bunch of . . . animals? They're all over the place.
On the ground is what looks like a mix between an ostrich and bearded dragon, with long, powerful digitigrade legs beneath an ovular body. It's covered in scales with a reptilian head and a thin line of spines. The creature on the ground looks wounded, red blood sluggishly leaking from a wound on its torso. Above it stands another one of the same creature, warningly flaring its neck spines at its opponent.
Can you tell us where Earthen Owl is, o' mighty protector of the Lands of Ibis?"
Valiant Kabuto surries off, and quickly returns with a marker in each of his limbs. He draws you a crude map. Earthen Owl and his gorilla-goose army had taken residence in the center of the compound. Between the living quarters and incubator building, south of the lab.
You purse your lips. Going directly to the lab would no doubt draw attention. And, given what you know of Earthen Owl's disposition, a fight would be inevitable. You try to recall everything you can about Earthen Owl's abilities . . .
[ ] . . . engage and defeat Earthen Owl (DC 12. HIT Check of 6.) (Other rolls to follow. Bonus HIT may be awarded for good plans.) (Will retrieve all requested items and free Lab from Power's control.)
[ ] . . . sneak into the lab, undetected. (DC 7. ESPIONAGE Check of 5.) (Will only retrieve refined goldnine from the lab.)
If I've got the rules right... For the first check, we have a total of HIT 14, which is 8 over the HIT check of 6. We get a +1 for each 2 points we have over a check, so with 8 points over that's a +4. Therefore we'd be rolling a d20 with a bonus of +4, and a DC of 12. We'd need to roll an 8 or higher to succeed, meaning a 65% chance of success. But, we could possibly get extra points from a good plan, gaining another 5% chance of success for every two bonus points we manage to get.
I hope someone's good at doing write-in plans, because I'm not.
As an academic exercise: For the second option, we have a total ESPIONAGE of 11, which is 6 over the check. 1d20+3 with DC 7 means we'd succeed on a 4 or higher, for an 85% chance of success. This option is very uncool, however.
I think we just need to find him then have Black Swan grab him and fly up. Black Swan is probably way stronger, invulnerable and can blast bits off of him with gamma ray bursts or whatever if he won't cooperate.
Defintiely have to go with the combat option. I'm surprised a member of Powers is hanging out here, but it does make sense as part of their military build-up. With the number of negligent mad scientists in Horizon, their discarded projects would serve well as disposable superpowered shock troops.
Anyways, some things to consider when we're making a plan:
Terrain:
The facility is in the middle of a palm swamp, an area submerged in water and heavily wooded.
The facility is 3 buildings in a U-shape.
The rightmost building is living quarters and storage where most of the Doctor's creatures live and where his personal effects are. There is no stealthy way in.
The middle building is the main laboratory and is heavily reinforced. It's also where Earthen Owl and his goons are holed up in, and where some samples we need to preserve are. It's possible to sneak in by circling from behind.
The leftmost building is the incubators
One of the buildings has a giant hole in it.
Opponents:
Earthen Owl
Able to grow bark and vines from his skin.
Healing factor.
Can dig through soil like he was swimming in water and can stay underground.
Stronger than the average person.
Dysmorphic, but his Owl Head is just a mask.
Gorilla-Geese
Assets:
Lady Leizi
Black Swan
Valiant Kabuto
Ibis Loyalists/Reptile-Ostriches
Now that we've laid out most of the relevant information, I think we have a good shot at this. Earthen Owl's strengths are two-fold. First, he's in a fortified position and has no reason to go out and meet us in the open field. Second, he can run away by going underground and we'd be powerless to stop him without also ruining the entire facility.
The fact that he hasn't defeated Valiant Kabuto yet tells us that the war for Dr. Ibis' lab is stalemated. Otherwise, he would have attacked and wiped the loyalists out already. I initially thought we could lure him out by taunting him into the open, but he would have to be dumb to take that bait when his opponents have an unknown hero on their side that could tip the scales in their favor. He would have to be a fool to abandon his fortified position in that situation.
We're going to need to give him a reason to leave his fortress, and I think the way to do that is to present him with an opportunity to finally beat Valiant Kabuto. Have the beetle and his loyalists launch an attack on the lab, and feign a retreat after some fighting when they begin to lose.
With their backs to Earthen Owl, he'll want to chase Valiant Kabuto down in the open whereupon Black Swan who's hiding in the clouds can either ram him at superspeed or shoot a deadly enough energy beam at him (He has a healing factor, he'll live. Probably. ). Lady Leizi can jump him from behind too just to be extra sure.
[X] . . . engage and defeat Earthen Owl (DC 12. HIT Check of 6).
-[X] Have Valiant Kabuto organize his loyalists for an attack on the lab while Lady Leizi infiltrates the facility from behind.
-[X] Black Swan hides in the clouds above and waits for Valiant Kabuto and his loyalists to retreat, luring Earthen Owl into the open whereupon she can hit him hard enough to knock him out.
-[X] Lady Leizi will stalk Earthen Owl and only jump in if Black Swan fails to defeat Earthen Owl in one blow.
All goes well, we'll preserve the lab equipment and samples this way, and prevent Earthen Owl from escaping at the same time.
[X] . . . engage and defeat Earthen Owl (DC 12. HIT Check of 6).
-[X] Have Valiant Kabuto organize his loyalists for an attack on the lab while Lady Leizi infiltrates the facility from behind.
-[X] Black Swan hides in the clouds above and waits for Valiant Kabuto and his loyalists to retreat, luring Earthen Owl into the open whereupon she can hit him hard enough to knock him out.
-[X] Lady Leizi will stalk Earthen Owl and only jump in if Black Swan fails to defeat Earthen Owl in one blow.
[X] . . . engage and defeat Earthen Owl (DC 12. HIT Check of 6).
-[X] Have Valiant Kabuto organize his loyalists for an attack on the lab while Lady Leizi infiltrates the facility from behind.
-[X] Black Swan hides in the clouds above and waits for Valiant Kabuto and his loyalists to retreat, luring Earthen Owl into the open whereupon she can hit him hard enough to knock him out.
-[X] Lady Leizi will stalk Earthen Owl and only jump in if Black Swan fails to defeat Earthen Owl in one blow.
it's SO GOOD so far!!!! and despite my towarri bias, I'm really liking leizi!
