101 Splicer Adventure Ideas

[Guy_LeDouche]

With the dust settling from "Splicers Unleashed", I thought it was time for the next creative exercise. However, with the great Unleashed submissions, I was worried everyone's "bio-equipment" juices might be a bit low. So, I decided to go in another direction and give the "equipment" batteries time to recharge. To that end, I'm looking to collect Splicer adventure ideas. My goal, obviously, is to hit 101.

For the ideas, they don't have to be fully formed or fleshed out scenarios or campaigns. Heck, they don't even have to be full HLS adventures. A setting, a basic plot, anything to spark the imagination will work. As long as you are willing for people to possibly expound on your ideas, that's all that's needed.

I like to lead by example, so some of my ideas are below. Enjoy, add to it, and let the Splice flow. I want to see what's lurking in everyone's mind.

[Guy_LeDouche]

1. TJ Bounty Hunter(s): Kali is trying a different tactic, and offering rewards and possible amnesty for any TJ's bringing in LIVE Resistance members (horrendous experiments and torture await any captured.) PCs can randomly encounter these Jackers or can be targeted deliberately. Whether they strike while PCs are armed or not is up to you.

2. Secret Agent!: The agent can be from a rival House, TJ clan, or even an agent of N.E.X.U.S.. If a N.E.X.U.S. agent, it can be a human, Nex-Android, or Siren Infiltrator (http://forums.palladium-megaverse.com/viewtopic.php?t=35645 ). The agent is currently looking to cozy up with the House and gain some intel. The agent is not out to destory or undermine the group (at least, not yet) only to gather information, make notes about the PCs/House/group, and will file a full report when available. If the agent can sneak away, they may set the group up for capture or termination by a larger force.

3. Death and Taxes: This can take place at a retro village, Great House, or anywhere else other people may be encountered. Upon entering, PCs get the feeling that something is a bit "off". Soon afterwards, PCs will encounter the Tax Collector (something odd, like a Scarecrow, TJ, Waster Crawler, etc.) The Tax Collector states they must pay a town tax equivalent of 1,000 credits (!) per person or face the consequences (up to you what that is.) If paid, the PCs have no problem roaming the area. During the roaming, they will hear about (and even witness) acts of cruelty by the Tax Collector and his minions. Have fun!


More to come.

[Guy_LeDouche]

4. An Arm and A Leg: PCs are minding their own business when a Roughneck in horribly wounded Host Armor appears. The Armor is missing an arm, a leg is badly mangeled, and the Roughneck is all around in bad shape. He begs the group to help him when a gang of Waste Crawlers appear. They demand the group stand back and "leave well enough alone." The Crawlers should be well armed (maybe even a stolen War Mount or two) and enough of them to be able to give the PCs a good fight (and possibly win.)

5. Outbreak!: The Great House is suddenly afflicted with a strange illness, even impacting War Mounts, Biotics, Scarecrows, and even Host Armor itself! The sickness causes painful boils, sores, and severe aches and pains. Though not lethal, the sudden onset of the disease, its impacting of bio-equipment, and resistance to conventional treatment hints that it is anything but natural. Somebody should probably be looking into this.

6. To Be Opened By Addressee Only: PCs stumble across what appears to be the wreckage of a Machine or TJ transport of some kind. Not far from the wreckage lies a large, intact container. The container has a small screen that displays the following flashing message: "Press ##317 to reactivate. Type WD-7847, Experimental." Do the PCs open the container or ignore it? Will anyone come looking for it?

7. Man-Eaters of Tsavo: A mated pair of savage, powerful predators have figured out that humans, especially without bio-technology, are easy pickings. They now stalk the trails or areas that the population of the Great House frequents, perhaps even sneaking into the House itself. Make it something nasty, brutal, and they should definately be able to hold their own against Host Armors.

[Snake Eyes]

Very cool ideas

[Guy_LeDouche]

8. That's the sound of the men: The group encounters a chain gang performing hard labor. All look abused, beaten, and exhausted. If the group comes too close, the Gang Boss approaches. He's a rough-and-tumble Packmaster who looks like he can handle himself fairly well. He's accompained by his Hounds and 2-5 low level guards (Biotics, Roughnecks, or both.) Strangely enough, he's friendly and outgoing and actually offers the group food and water. If asked about the slaves, he tersely explains they are "law breakers and let's leave it at that." If pressed or questioned he will only say its in the best interests of the House and the group should stay out of the affairs of others. If the group continues, the Boss and guards will attack. However, they attack to drive the PCs off, not to necessarily kill them. Conversely, they will not fight to the death either and will retreat (with or without the slaves) if the fight turns against them.
P.S.-The adventure can end here, or.......The Great House has no idea the chain gang even exsists. The Pack Master secretly works for a powerful (at least 8th level) evil Scarecrow who will not appreciate the intrusion. And the Scarecrow has many minions. Enjoy!

[The Galactus Kid]

I like many of these ideas. I'm going to be usurping them for future use.

[9voltkilowatt]

I like many of these ideas. I'm going to be usurping them for future use.

You can't usurp what's freely given sir!

9: The players come across a scene of carnage ...and frankly, wholesale slaughter! The vast majority of the evidence show's that both sides, Machine AND House have received an ass-kicking of epic proportions! Evidence in the area (along with a couple of recovered bodies) shows that the apparent winner was either a joint force of organics and machines, or, the force was some sort of techno\organic hybrid that has thus far remained unidentified.

In any case the "winning" force has shown itself for better of worse, and only time will tell if who will benefit from this new player.

9Voltkilowatt: As a side note, i could have sworn that I've written something similar before ...maybe it was a random idea that me and Guy_LeDouche threw back and forth at one point, either way I hope it fuels someones ideas onto some form of greatness for the Splicers Game.

[Shawn Merrow]

10. We got here first!: The players are sent to a Nature Preserve to recover a newly discovered predator to harvest its genes. This preserve is known for its high number of dangerous animals. When they finally track it down, they will discover a hunting team from another House. Will there be a fight or will diplomacy win the day?

[Guy_LeDouche]

I like many of these ideas. I'm going to be usurping them for future use.

You can't usurp what's freely given sir!

My thoughts exactly! Usurp away!

10. We got here first!: The players are sent to a Nature Preserve to recover a newly discovered predator to harvest its genes. This preserve is known for its high number of dangerous animals. When they finally track it down, they will discover a hunting team from another House. Will there be a fight or will diplomacy win the day?

Nice one, I like this.

[Shawn Merrow]

11. The Ghost of Tunnel 27: Rumors are starting to spread around the house about a ghost haunting Tunnel 27. Its a small tunnel on the outside of the house and does not get much traffic. At first reports were ignored but as the weeks passed more and more people saw it. It finally got to the attention of the Warlord and he is sending in search teams to find out what is going on.

The truth is the Librarian was working on a new mount that could move through solid matter by going out of phase. Two months ago it escaped and has been roaming around Tunnel 27 ever since. Out of embarrassment he has told no one about what happen. The Librarian has tried to capture it but has had no luck so far. At this point it has yet to hurt anyone but that could change if cornered.

[Shawn Merrow]

12. Training Exercises?: This is for group of starting PC. The players are rookies in the House military. To teach them the ropes the Warlord will be running all new recruits through a training excerise. A veteran Dreadguard has been sent out with some flags. The rookies will be divided into groups. For your group to win you must get a flag from the Dreadguard. He will not use lethal force but they must earn the flag.

Everything is going well till the players find the Dreadguard. The problem a N.E.X.U.S. patrol found him first and have captured him. If the players can rescue him they will be heroes.

[Shawn Merrow]

13: Its just a small errand: The PC are approached by a Scarecrow who wants to talk to them privately. He tells them about a spy he has in a rival House and he needs their help. The problem he is supposed to be sending some secret orders to the spy but his regular team is on a Recon mission and can't make it back in time. All the players have to do is take a small package to the drop point and leave it there.

This could go nasty two ways.
1. The other House knows about the spy and has set an ambush. If they capture the players, expect harsh interrogation to find out how many spies there are and how much information has been leaked.
2. The Scarecrow is the real spy and the package has genetic information. The information will buy him power in the other House. The house Librarian knows what is going on and has the site under observation. Will the PC leaders believe they were just patsies and had no idea what was going on?

[Guy_LeDouche]

All right! We're past the 10% mark. Keep them coming. Again, don't worry if its fully fleshed out or not.

Here we go:

14. The Cat's Out of the Bag: Two Great Houses have settled an ancient blood fued and formed a secret alliance. They are planning a joint strike on a nearby N.E.X.U.S. Computer Core. With their cunning plan and battle hardened troops, the assualt will proably succeed. Except for a N.E.X.U.S. spy, that is! (see idea #2 for possible types of spies.) The spy has discovered the plan and is desperately trying to get this information back to N.E.X.U.S. If he does, the attack will fail and the Houses attacked with unparalled ferocity. The spy has joined a Machine S&D sqaud sent to retrieve him (the exact makeup is up to you.)

[Shawn Merrow]

15. There goes the bride.: In an effort to strengthen diplomatic ties with a nearby rival House, a political marriage has been arranged. The Warlords second daughter will be sent to marry the first son of the their Warlord. The players are part of the escort to make sure she arrives safely and in time for the marriage.

The problem someone was already in love with her. She had turned him down many times but he refuses to take no for an answer. Even worse he is the head of a squad of Dreadguards who are loyal to him first. He plans to kidnap the bride somewhere in route and flee into the wild. At the very least that would cause a diplomatic incident and even could start a war.

[Shawn Merrow]

16. In his fathers shadow: The players are approached by the most respected General of their house. He needs them to do him a favor. His youngest son was on a training mission and has gone AWOL with several other cadets. So far he has kept the whole incident quiet but won't be able to for long. He wants the players to go out an recover his wayward son and the fools who follow him. They are assured if they do this favor, it will not be forgotten.

The son had grown tired of always being compared to his heroic dad. He came up with the idea of proving himself by attacking a small N.E.X.U.S. outpost not far from the House. He was able to talk a few teammates into helping, with thoughts of glory. Will the players get to them in time or will they have to mount a rescue mission?

[Shawn Merrow]

17. No-go Zone: The House has received word that N.E.X.U.S. is moving something important by air. An ambush is setup to take it down and grab what ever it is. The ambush starts out perfectly with the quick elimination of the escorts. The transport is hit and seems to be crashing in the desired location. At the last second it veers off and crashes over the other side of a nearby mountain.

The problem it crashes into an area that has been declared a No-go zone. This site was an area of heavy fighting in the early years of the war. It has old minefields, unexploded munitions and lots of wrecked vehicles. All of that is of course made out of metal and now poses extra risks. If permission is granted to enter, it will be a high risk assignment. It will be a race to get to the transport before N.E.X.U.S. reinforcements.



If we do make it to 101 would be willing to make them into a PDF (all writers getting proper credit) and host it.

[Guy_LeDouche]

15. There goes the bride.: In an effort to strengthen diplomatic ties with a nearby rival House, a political marriage has been arranged. The Warlords second daughter will be sent to marry the first son of the their Warlord. The players are part of the escort to make sure she arrives safely and in time for the marriage.

The problem someone was already in love with her. She had turned him down many times but he refuses to take no for an answer. Even worse he is the head of a squad of Dreadguards who are loyal to him first. He plans to kidnap the bride somewhere in route and flee into the wild. At the very least that would cause a diplomatic incident and even could start a war.

Wasn't this (or something very similar) the plot to a John Wayne movie?

[Shawn Merrow]

Wasn't this (or something very similar) the plot to a John Wayne movie?

Only seen a couple John Wayne movies but sure someone has used something simular.

[Premier]

18.) “Ruffians in the Burbs -”
Several irate political upstarts (possibly radical Soothsayer Activists) have begun to speak out and rally their furious rants of injustice with community crops & resources within the poverty areas of the Great House and they have begun to instigate several uprises in the lower colonies where the dorm housing of the Biotics is located. This triggers some intense riot control activity involving both Scarecrows & emergency back-up officers; some drawn from the militia pool when they aren’t active in the field, to assist the overall “peace-keeping.”

All PCs along with several NPCs will be called to duty under the leadership of (2) Scarecrow Officers with long jagged trench coat styled Living Body Armors (known as “Enforcers”) and a female Hunter Investigator (H.I.), thinking Blade Runnerish, adorned in specialized Living Body Armor. GMs, Please feel free to add other seasoned NPCs to this unit such as a Packmaster with specialized Gorehounds (black & white Pit bull markings) and other back up as desired.

(9) Very dangerous Biotics of the overall rioting groups will escalate the situation however & open unrestrained war against the peacekeepers once they see the Scarecrows and the overall infighting will cave in part of the infrastructure on the burbs separating the players and the peacekeepers from the rest of the Great House’s haven to deal with the riot the best they can.

The PCs will be tested here significantly as help tries to reach them. The PCs are charged with trying to gain control in the district, to hold out until help arrives and to preserve a diplomatic stance if at all possible. If the PCs can learn more about the upstarts and the Leaders as to why this feud began the better, for future prevention. Stopping and containing the 9 deadly Biotics so that they can go before trial and or be re-wiped is also important as they are wanted alive if at all possible. The keys are to preserve or try to establish unison between the oppressed and the militia that is coming to regain control.

(PC Restrictions: not to use high powered weapons and abilities and to cause minimum if at all, any damage to the haven and to avoid civilian casualties or injuries.

The riot “Instigators” have convinced many civilians & Biotics however that large surpluses of resources, food and supplies exist and that the milita, particularly a rumored secret organization of Scarecrows within the Librarian’s Elect, has this surplus hidden selfishly for themselves all the while hungry families starve.

The longer this goes the worse things will get, especially for the Great House’s morale and its forces as the more that are required to re-establish order the less there are in the field, so play this one carefully.


19.) “Do you see what I see?”
The PCs are called into a secret meeting conducted by a Dreadguard on the House’s Senate to investigate and monitor the activity as best they can of several Scarecrows who belong to 2 different Librarians within the Great House. It is suspected that one Librarians is attempting to secretly usurp the other and that these dark agents of the Librarians are in a private cold war with each other. PCs caught spying will soon have their lives at stake as assassination attempts will begin on their lives from Scarecrows, Skinjobs & Butchers.

If the PCs get their investigation really going they will discover that one of the Librarians is “rumored” among the Scarecrows to getting ready to “possibly” go megalo and they other Librarian is trying to administer some preventive measures without divulging their methods or suspicion to the Senate as of yet, because it is merely possible early signs of megalo-syndrome. It is also unclear if the other Librarian is possibly trying to obtain the knowledge from the other before megalo takes place or if they are somehow seeking to gain control or black mail the other for power control. Neither side is concise or clear as to which Librarian is doing what.

GMs: feel free to add a double spy within the Scarecrow ranks. Also note, lots of illegal experiments will be revealed along with unknown or illegal Scarecrow Biotech unheard of until now. PCs will receive assistance every now and then and report “only” to special ops known as “Silhouettes”. The Bio-tech the PCs will be issued is minimal & secret ops designs meant to be concealed under civilian or non-active Militia garments, including trench cloaks, slip faces which convert outer facial identity features, scent pheromones, sidearm, etc., and is illegal if caught with it.

PCs will not be expected to catch or apprehend the suspected Librarian only give an accurate & comprehensive report & individual analysis of their findings to the proper “Silhouettes,” and then debriefed. Their will be no open pr pubic reports of any librarian changes afterwards so the PCs wont fully know the total progression on their findings until possibly a later campaign.

“20.) Who Got Bit?”
Upon a platoon’s return of hunting, trying to capture & obtain DNA from a newly introduced alien predator of Gaia’s, Packmaster Invinctus reports, another failed attempt of the elusive beasts before putting up his Gore-pack in their private kennel located in the Warmount stables. Later that evening a wild brawl erupted in the stables between various Warmounts as well as gorehounds. Frothing at the mouths, beaks, mandibles, etc., many of them seemed to go rabid (ignoring orders from even their respective Packmasters & Outriders) and some have escaped into the haven and surrounding tunnels. It is not known if the Invinctus’s pack was infected by a bite/scratch from the alien predator during their skirmishes or if it has come from some new parasite, but what is clear is that invinctus’s lead Gorehound, “Pierce,” is the primary culprit who infected the rest. Some Gorehounds & Warmounts in the stables weren’t infected and are now being quarantined, but up to 15% were unfortunately infected and exhibiting signs of severe stubbornness, high aggression or chronic anxiety.

GMs: PCs & NPCs will be assigned with respective Outriders to go round up the infected to be healed by Saints. PC groups should be assigned 3-7 Warmounts & at least (6) pack of Gorehounds roaming the tunnels/catacombs for this campaign. Be sure to gauge the beasts based on the Players skill levels & experience and add a level or two. Killing Warmounts and Gorehounds is an extremely last resort and should not be done and most Outriders/Packmasters will get in the middle before allowing their bonded animals to be put down by anyone. Un-infected Warmounts and Gorehounds are most likely not to be be used during the round up.

Note 1: Infection last for 2D6 X 10 hours before Warmount/Gorehound returns back to normal but is often severley dehydrated and depleted. Every 24 hours gives Outrider 15% chance of recovering control of bonded Warmount. If Warmount/Gorehound(s) get outside they may not survive via NEXUS, con-specific alien predator conflict(s), alien predation, Wastecrawlers or lack of proper husbandry. Also remember they may recklessly give away the Great House's haven entrances or locations in this frenzied rabid mindset so stopping them is key. GMs can opt for Carnivore, Omnviore, Vampiric, Parasitic and Herbivore Host Armors to also be susceptible to infective bite by causing stagnated responses, random discharges of weaponry, flickering & wild oscillations of senses in these Host Armors if they so choose. All other Host Armors are not affected.

Note 2: Librarians trying to reverse engineer the infection or virus as a bio-weapon have nearly an impossible feat to accomplish (2%) and if successful, only Gorehounds can harness the toxin glands because of their original alien content percentage being the purest to handle the bacterias. Infection can not be harnessed into projectiles.

[taalismn]

21) "Splicacola: The New Taste of Cool!":
Word is, there's a new substance out there, a foodstuff called Splicacola, a tasty nourishing softdrink that's being sold to the people of the Houses. It's pure liquid energy; a pint of pure taste in a paper can that perks a Splicer up meaner than adrenal-caffeine, keeps them going for a full day, and keeps them fed and hydrated. It even charges up Host Armors and keeps War Mounts going, that's how potent this stuff is. In spite of the problems of trading through the Machine- and bandit-controlled wastes, Splicacola is showing up with incredible(some would say alarming) frequency and distribution.
There's a few problems with the stuff; it's potent and tasty, but 100% addictive, it doesn't provide all the specialized nutrients Host Armors need,. so it's possible to starve to death on the stuff, and nobody knows where the stuff is coming from. The stuff comes in with outside traders, but beyond that, nobody knows where it's coming from. Unfortunately, the traders are starting to act like traditional drug lords, and are upping the price after hooking substantial numbers of a House's population on the stuff. Pretty soon, they're holding those populations ransom for their next "hit" of Splicacola.
The Lord of a particularly hardhit small House would like to cut off the trade in Splicacola, but if he did so right now, half of his House would be down and out with protracted withdrawal symptoms, and the resulting chaos would leave the House vulnerable. He wants the PCs to find out where the merchants are getting the stuff, who's making it, and ideally figure out how to stop the stuff. His Librarian wants to study the stuff to see if there's any way to remove the flaws from the formual,or, at the very least, come up with some derivative that will help wean the addicts off the stuff.
The PCs are, of course, assigned to find the Splicacola connection, which may require infiltrating the dealers' ranks, or following them to the source. This could be a rogue Librarian and Gene-Pool(s), a rival House with aspirations of conquest, not only of the Machine but of rival Houses, a bunch of bandits playing with unearthed gene-tech or alien biotech, or a Machine-run biological warfare lab.

[Shawn Merrow]

22. Fight Club: An underground fight club has become the obsession of many of the houses warriors. It went underground as the Warlord does not allow non-training related fighting. An injured warrior is a gap on the front line.

The fighting takes place deep in a maze of natural caves. The arena is a large open area with the ring 150' wide. There is plenty of room around the ring for spectators. The one rule is melee weapons only, other then that the last one standing is the winner. Fights usually end with a surrender but deaths have happen.

There is a large amount of gambling and already more then a few are heavy in debt. Also fighters injured in the ring have caused problems for missions. The Warlord has anyone who is absent from a mission due to this tossed into the brig for a month without pay. Plans to end the fights are having problems due to the involvement of high level officers.

[Shark_Force]

22. Fight Club: An underground fight club has become the obsession of many of the houses warriors. It went underground as the Warlord does not allow non-training related fighting. An injured warrior is a gap on the front line.

The fighting takes place deep in a maze of natural caves. The arena is a large open area with the ring 150' wide. There is plenty of room around the ring for spectators. The one rule is melee weapons only, other then that the last one standing is the winner. Fights usually end with a surrender but deaths have happen.

There is a large amount of gambling and already more then a few are heavy in debt. Also fighters injured in the ring have caused problems for missions. The Warlord has anyone who is absent from a mission due to this tossed into the brig for a month without pay. Plans to end the fights are having problems due to the involvement of high level officers.

hmmm... i think you should expand on that. i can see at *least* 4 possible angles, none of which are mentioned as your intention (and if you intended all of them, you should say that too).

1) the PCs are working for the warlord and are trying to shut down the fights.

2) the PCs (or some of the PCs) are prize fighters.

3) the PCs are trying to keep the games running in exchange for favors from the organisers (perhaps the organisers are in touch with engineers and/or librarians who basically use it as a testing ground by occasionally 'misplacing' an experimental war mount/host armor/melee weapon into the arena, but the engineer, librarian, or officers could potentially offer Bio-E rewards for helping - unofficially of course. the PCs could do merely average in an official mission, and be rewarded as if they had gone beyond the call of duty, etc)

4) the PCs are working for a competitor who wants to see the games sabotaged and those involved humiliated or better yet arrested (or whatever), but at the same time wants to avoid drawing attention to his competing arena fights.

naturally, you can combine these (if you use option 4, the group could be pretending to work for the warlord as in option 1 and double-dip on the rewards, for example)

[Shawn Merrow]

hmmm... i think you should expand on that. i can see at *least* 4 possible angles, none of which are mentioned as your intention (and if you intended all of them, you should say that too).

These are not supposed to be fully fleshed out. They are a starting point for GM to expand on for their group.

[Shark_Force]

hmmm... i think you should expand on that. i can see at *least* 4 possible angles, none of which are mentioned as your intention (and if you intended all of them, you should say that too).

These are not supposed to be fully fleshed out. They are a starting point for GM to expand on for their group.

allow me to restate my meaning:

that is an excellent setting, but it's not really an "adventure idea", it's a setting for one (several, really). an adventure idea would tend more along the lines of "and here's what the players can do" (imo, at least)

[Shawn Merrow]

My plan was to give the GM an idea an then they adapt it for their group. So I guess we will just have to disagree.

[Shawn Merrow]

23. Coup d'Etat: The players get a late night summons to meet the House Warlord's aide in the family quarters. When they get there they see he is highly agitated. He tells the players that he has a request from the Warlord. One of the generals is planning to overthrow him. He has managed to acquire the loyalty of over 70% of the house warriors. The coup is supposed to go down in two days and any one loyal to the old Warlord will be taken care of.

The request to the players is to help the Warlord's family escape. His wife was actually born in another house, so he hopes they will take his family in. The new Warlord will see the family as a threat and give chase to make sure they never come back to take the house from him.

[taalismn]

24: Special Delivery The PCs are assigned a task marked, by the demeanor of everybody they encounter about it, VERY IMPORTANT. The Warlord gives them a parcel that HAS to be delivered in timely fashion to a distant House, and with discretion. The Warlord won't say what it is, only that by his manner and the fact that the assignment is conducted in utmost secrecy that it's important(or rather *IMPORTANT*).
Naturally, once the PCs start out on their mission, it seems everybody who SHOULDN'T know about the mission, DOES, so they inevitably find themselves being trailed by known rivals of the Warlord, bandits, Vulture scum, and even the Machine starts taking an interest in the delivery mission, judging by the way the PCs are being targeted. And why does the party's animal complement start sniffing around the mysterious package?

GM's option: This is a gag mission...the 'important' package is a box of candy or some other delicacy being sent by the Warlord to a relation(brother, sister, mother, daughter, etc.) for their birthday/wedding/anniversery, and the Warlord wants it to be a surprise. Thing is, the secrecy surrounding the little gesture of family love has misled everybody else.
The jig could be up when a Gorehound or Warmount manages to rip open the package(or eats it altogether) leaving the PCs in a serious lurch(none of the forces pursuing them are going to believe 'it was just a cake', and the Warlord's bound to be annoyed that the PCs couldn't deliver a simple crate of chocolates---maybe the PCs try to salvage the situation by coming up with their own gift?).

[Shawn Merrow]

Funny idea.

[Snake Eyes]

Thats pretty funny taalismn

[taalismn]

Worse yet, while I was writing it, I had this image of a group of RoughRiders, Roughnecks, and Dreadguard in a chorus line singing; "This is your singing telegram! Happy Birthday to You--!"

[Shawn Merrow]

That does make for one funny image.

[taalismn]

25. Kicking Over the Hornets' Nest
The House the PCs belong to have developed a potent new bioweapon; a semi-autonomous insectoid Warmount that can fight the Machine, perform hard labor under dangerous conditions, and build fortifications for the Resistance. If perfected, it would give Humanity a potent new tool to assure victory!
Problem is, the Librarians and the Engineers haven't gotten all the bugs out of the new Bugs yet, and through a combination of inexperience with the gene mix and just plain boneheadedness, several breeding pairs of the new Bugs escaped their testing corral. It doesn't take long for the Dreadguard to find some of them, though...not far from the House, on the edge of its territories, a massive hive mound is being built at impressive speed. The Bugs have proven even more fertile and productive than anticipated, and they're building a fortification that would be most impressive as a defensive work if it weren't being constructed too soon for the anticipated campaigns, and too close to the lands the House utilizes for its concealment and food production.
Currently, the Bugs aren't attacking the House members, but their hunger is stripping the resources the House needs to eat, the presence of such a large construction is bound to draw the attention of the Machine, and it's only a matter of time before the Bugs start fighting the Resistance out of sheer population pressure.
The regular control methods aren't working. The Warlord wants to exterminate the Bugs while they're still small enough to stomp out without hideous casualties, but the bio-engineers have persuaded him to give them another chance, as the Bugs are too valuable to waste out of hand. So the Warlord wants the PCs to go into the hive, find the Bug queen, sedate, and contain her, and bring her back to the Librarian and its crew so they can use the queen to control the other Bugs, or at least study her and figure out what went wrong. If they have to, the PCs are allowed to exterminate every other Bug and tear down the hive structure, as long as the House can salvage something from it; the queen is important to the House's bioweapons program.
Sound easy? Of course not.
The 'Bugs' can be represented by the Xiticix or Pincer Warriors/Gatherers from Rifts, or the Star Wasps from Phaseworld, minus any psionics, weapons skills, or magical powers.

[Guy_LeDouche]

Thats pretty funny taalismn

Taalismn, #24 is awesome. Its such a bizarre, almost surreal twist. Applause all around.

[Premier]

Taalisman you are a charatcer indeed! #24 is such a humours HLS but then I read#25 and I am like OH...Dang, thats so OUTCOLD! I actually would be interested in drafting a species specifically for this one if you wrote it up and stated it out. If your interested please PM me.

[89er]

Here are some Halloween ideas:

26. Night of the Nano-Dead
The PC’s House is attacked late at night by a legion of Necrobots and Necroborgs. The Splicers have the dead contained to the lower levels for now, but there numbers are slowly overwhelming the counter force. The PCs have to last the night against the hordes and find the source of the breach.

27. Hack and Slash
The PCs are escorting a group of retro-village refugees through a series of old subway tunnels, when they get caught in a bloody game of cat and mouse between a soulless Butcher and a sadistic Technojacker. Both are trying to kill the refuges in a gruesome way, each more twisted than the last. The PCs must stop the killings and get to the House with as many refuges as possible.

[taalismn]

Oh yeah...that's creepy...Toss in some Cable Snakes and Tunnel Crawlers just for ugly kicks when the PCs THINK they've got the Undead bottled up...

[The Galactus Kid]

I'm going to end up using scenario 1 pretty hardcore in the future.

[taalismn]

28. Macs are Friendlier
Reports surface of Splicers seeing, or being rescued, from NEXUS forces by the attack of machines wholly unlike the ones usually deployed by the Machine. Then a TJ surfaces with an astonishing tale; he or she has made contact with a Artificial Intelligence that claims that it had been developed and came online pre-Fall, using a wholly different AI structure from NEXUS(so it wasn't corrupted) and claims to be 100% loyal to Humanity. This AI, which calls itself 'The Guardian', wants to forge an alliance with its human creators and assist in destroying NEXUS. It hasn't made its presence known before because it didn't start with many resources and has been slowly building its own force of robots and facilities until it was ready to make its move, which, the TJ claims, is now.
Naturally, this claim is, should be, met with skepticism. What's going on really? The Resistance would like to have confirmation of Guardian's claims, but the AI is rather secretive about the location of its CPU(s), fearing to reveal itself to possible attack. The Resistance should react with similar negativity should Guardian ask for cooperation in a joint attack on NEXUS, fearing a compromise of their organization if they reveal anything about themselves or their movements to the AI.
At some point either side is going to demand a concession; the Resistance demands a 'face-to-face' and sends a well-armed delegation to see for themselves(or Guardian stages a demonstration of power by attacking a NEXUS facility with or without the Resistance's approval). What they see and how they react/are treated may affect future relations between the Resistance and the AI. 'Guardian' may simply be a clever trap meant to confuse the Resistance, it may be another personality of NEXUS that has emerged, or it may be exactly as it claims; a rival parallel AI system that's still loyal to Humanity and wants to protect its creators. In the latter case, a cruel twist might be to have a NEXUS sympathizer in the delegation sabotage Guardian or bring NEXUS down on the rival AI, which either destroys a potential ally of Humanity and may even turn the AI against future dealings with the Resistance, if it should survive.

[Lord Z]

I am very impressed with these hooks, particularly #28. It gives the PCs regardless of their personal power a chance to really have an effect on the history of the Resistance. Great job, T.

29. The Saving Remnant
The rival Great House of Babel has always been trouble. It starts border skermishes with other houses regardless of what the Machine is doing. It steals bio-tech, tells lies during all peace negotiations, enslaves retro-villages, and harasses techno-jackers for tolls. No one is upset to see it fall. For some unknown reason, the Machine has decided to bring the hammer (or jackhammer) down on House Babel. The nearby houses don't have the military power to save House Babel even if they wanted -- not yet, but that might change in the months following depending on the outcome of the next mission.
The PCs belong to a Great House or prosperous village which hopes to benefit from the destruction of Babel. The PCs are given a two-fold mission. First, infiltrate Babel territory and find a deep undercover agent who was sent into Babel years ago. This spy knows where all of Babel's secrets are kept, but the spy needs transportation to get out before being crushed under a tread. The second part of the mission is to find a saving remnant: a single item from a lost culture that preserves the legacy of the whole.
Each PC is trusted to chose and return with a remnent of his or her choice. Will it be a new piece of bio-technology (an excellent way to introduce new tech like Metaphors into a campaign)? Will it be a piece of pre-catclysm artwork or a religious text which will offer hope to thousands? Will it be enough credits to start ones own Great House? Will it be a Saint, or will it be a single human child? What would you save?

[taalismn]

#29: Very nice...it's both epic(the destruction of a House) and tragic(all is not sweetness and light among the remaining Humans), and individually meaningful(the PCs each can decide what matters most to them...something material to use for the future benefit of all, some personal trophy, or what? And what if the PC decides his 'artifact' is a child?)

[Lord Z]

Thank you, I should mention that the concept is not very original. Kenneth Hite proposed a nearly identical fantasy campaign, and he was re-interpretting an actual historic situation which occurred in Western Europe around 1000 A.D. The main difference between my suggestion and Ken's campaign is that his was from the point of view of the culture being destroyed.

[TechnoGothic]

#30. We are BIOTIC, Resistance is Futile.
A Rogue Group of Biotics have gotten then hands on several Gene-pools somehow, and Genetists...
They seek to capture any Human in their terroritory and force them into becoming Biotics. Molding their Flesh as well as their minds. How did this happen ?
The Characters encounter the Biotics while out on Patrol outside their own terroritory and out of Bio-comm ranges. Whats more, the character discover these Biotics are Different, they can metamorph back into Human forms, and know alot about their House's secrets...

#31. The 13 Warriors
a group of Man-Eating Biotic Rogues are terrorizing the outskerts of the House's terroritory. Killing and Eating their Victums. Now its up to 13 Brave Hand Picked Warriors to put a stop to these savages. They are near several retro-Villages right now...

#32. PIRATES !!
The characters are Splicer Pirates on the High Seas. Their (secret) House have them collecting DNA from any House they Encounter near the Sea or Oceans on their Journey. Time to Swashle a Buck Splicer Style...

#33. To Infinity and Beyond
One of the Players is flying in Deep Space, Lost...whatever. They encounter a Huge Living Ship, which takes them aboard. Once onboard, the character discovers a new World of Bio-technology but only 7 Crew member left aboard. Two members are immobile (Engineers). The Crew itself has no idea were the previous crew went long ago. But they have been aboard for around 5 years. Only the Two immobile members know anything, but they can't or wont speak to anyone. Someone even cut their tongues out and removed their eyes. They can however still use their gene-pools to create Bio-tech, etc...

[Lord Z]

Regarding #33, are the PCs Splicers themselves? If so, how did the PCs get into space in the first place? If not, does the nanite swarm from a Splicer ship infect them?

[TechnoGothic]

Regarding #33, are the PCs Splicers themselves? If so, how did the PCs get into space in the first place? If not, does the nanite swarm from a Splicer ship infect them?

That would be up to the GM.

But I would say No. The PCs on aboard the Bio-Ship are not "splicers". No Nanites. How the Ship got into Space...it was grown of course. But When or Where did/does it orginate from. The only Two member who "might" know cant say or unwilling to say.

But this is a great idea for Tech characters to be introduced to Bio-Technology in general.
The Engineers may have deveopled new features such as Space-Flight systems for Host Armors, etc....

[Lord Z]

Regarding #33: I get it now. If the GM wants to explore the ultimate origin of the Gene Pools and Librarians, this is a way backtrack. These lifeforms did seem to be alien in origin after all, and no one ever said that they were only found on the Splicers' world.

[Lord Z]

I am noticing a trend. Every Scarecrow character in this thread is a bad guy. The working title of my next adventure is Of Course You Can Trust a Scarecrow.

[Shark_Force]

well, the scarecrow is, by definition, an OCC comprised entirely of people who are essentially drug addicts, working for another group of people who:

1) are known to go insane and try to take over the world.
2) willingly use what is essentially a powerful combat drug to essentially enslave their scarecrows.
3) have need for minions that exist outside the standard chain of command (that is, if the request was something simple and reasonable, the librarian wouldn't have to send scarecrows to get it done, they could just openly ask the warlord to send dreadguards or something like that).

the subset of scarecrows who *are* in fact trustworthy is likely an extremely small one. and even then, they get their assignments from someplace else, and you may not trust *that* guy either.

[TechnoGothic]

Regarding #33: I get it now. If the GM wants to explore the ultimate origin of the Gene Pools and Librarians, this is a way backtrack. These lifeforms did seem to be alien in origin after all, and no one ever said that they were only found on the Splicers' world.

That is my thinking too.

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#34 LIFE HERE BEGAN OUT THERE
The group are a group of Splicers higher up coming of age. They learn from their Elders that they all come from another world called "Dirt". It has been several Thousand years at least since that time. The Warlord himself is a Very Wise, but old man now. He charges these young splicers to learning the whole truth for him, because he really really want to know if its true or not. The House Majority's view on their origin has twisted over the years becoming something of a religion based on half-truths and out-right lies. The Warlord sends the Young Splicers into Outspace in a Seedling outfited for Space Travel, in fact it was designed for it. It will be their Home, their Protector, etc... This group is assigned a total inclusing themselves 100 men and women. They are told it may take a Month, a Year, a Decade, or a Hundred years to find their evidience if it exists. The Seedling will NOT bring them back without the evidience before 100 years pass, and is ordered to return automaticly after 1,000 no matter what.
You have been Selected for the Officer Crew. GO....

[taalismn]

#35 View to a Kill
The PCs are assigned to escort a diplomat or noble of a House on a mission to another House. The House could be one with which the PCs' House has had feuds, or one that enjoys close ties with the Warlord. The trip goes all right and the meeting takes place, but after the diplomat hands over his message to the troops of the other House, he is assassinated by the other House's Dreadguard. This can be done openly, or there may be an attempt to make it look like an accident; in either case the PCs witnessed the deliberate murder and are in turn being targeted for death by the Dreadguards!
The diplomatic mission was essentially a set-up; the diplomat/noble has somehow dissed the Warlord somehow(is proving too popular, has slept with the Warlord's wife/daughter, etc..), and the Warlord decided to prevail on his good friends in the other House to dispose of the guy far from sight back home. The diplomatic message was essentially "Kill the messenger". Alternately, if the two Houses were at war, the noble is a notorious fighter(i.e. of the rape, torture, and pillage type) against the other House, and the death of the guy is a sacrifice meant to appease the other House if a lasting peace is to prevail. In either case, the PCs are now privvy to a convenient murder that could split the two Houses apart(and bring down the Warlord) or re-ignite a war...provided they can survive the coverup, which includes burying the inconvenient eyewitnesses.

[TechnoGothic]

#36 HUNTERS
The Player characters have a single mission. KILL ANYONE ELSE that is not the Warlord with a certain terroritory given to them.

Option A = The Players decide to make their Job more FUN, and decide to Hunt and Stalk their Prey.
Option B = The Players themselves are the PREY. They Hunting them a Packmaster with 9 Gorehounds. A Falconer with 4 Black Talon raptors. And Leading them is a Demented Biotic with good Bio-Equipment. The Player Character must survive the Hunt through their terroritory.