GM needs help generating a major villain!, Have scenario, need ringleader Options

[Velocity]

Nova and Sunday_Gamer: there's a magical treasure behind the "spoiler" -- it's wonderful, just click the link and all of your character's accumulated Karma magically vanishes! Isn't that something? :D

To the rest of you:

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I'm running an 'aquadome shutdown' soon and I need some help. Essentially it'll be a version of the arcology shutdown, but with a different origin--what's a good biological version of Deus? Essentially i'm looking for a critter that's capable of some of the same kinds of things that Deus was: mass mind control, generating a hive-like fortress, seeping into every facet of a closed community, generating nigh-limitless numbers of generic--though nasty--shock troops, etc.

Ultimately, it should be on a somewhat smaller scale than Deus, as this will have a much smaller impact on the Sixth World than the AI did.

I've already thought of Vampires (and other HMHVV-related bogeymen) and insect spirits, but those are both a little overdone (IMHO). Any other suggestions? Thanks in advance...

[Nikoli]

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Maybe some sort of kraken?

How about pupeteer's? Some sort of awakened oversized tick that communicate through magic with each other and control their hosts?

Post-hypnotic suggestion controlled by some insane otaku.

[Jrayjoker]

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Spongebob Squarepants. That guy is just evil!

[6thDragon]

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You could always go with a powerful free spirit. Give it sorcery and it could use all the control thoughts spells, and give it personal domain to aid with a fortress type effect. At least they'll be damned powerful within the fortress. Unless the "closed community" includes a very powerful astral ward, I think a free spirit could infiltrate just about anything. Don't know about the large quantity of shocktroops, but I'm sure there are ways such as the animal control from criters.

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[Jrayjoker]

type in [ s p o i l e r ] without the spaces

[Jrayjoker]

including the brackets.

[Ryu]

Lets see if I can make it work...

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I suggest... THE MERROW QUEEN, shaman of shark.

[Czar Eggbert]

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insect spirits

[Mugzy]

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Anyone think of a Leviathan yet? I mean the Dragon kind, instead of the big whale kind in PAoNA. A great dragon of the leviathan variety would certainly have the magical oomph needed to do what you're asking for. It may even have a few brainwashed techies who develop Crazy Purple Knockout Gas or something for it.

And it could have some kind of vendetta against those that would invade its domain for whatever reason (eggs nearby or captured, lair discovered, expects tribute of some kind, misunderstanding of metahuman culture, just plain mean.. etc.) This would work great especially for one that has just woke up recently and hasn't surfaced yet.

[Rory Blackhand]

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Just watched the old horror flick "Dagon". It would be perfect for what you need. You don't have to call it anything. Just say it is an awakened horror from the deep and give it any powers you want. Dagon probably fed on essence.

In brief, Dagon was some sort of monsterous entity that set itself up as a god to be worshipped and fed victims. It tempted a whole fishing village with gold and riches from the sea, but when they accepted Dagon they started mutating into hideous sea creatures. Some had rows of shark teeth, tentacles, gills, webbed fingers, etc..

Apparantly anyone caught was eaten by the villagers or sacrificed to Dagon for years. Not sure, but HP Lovecraft wrote the story? Anyway, in the movie they had monsters, mutants, psychic powers, bizarre motivations, and a twisted ending.

Hope this helps. You would have to do your own research if you haven't seen the movie yet. It was pretty creepy.

[Herald of Verjig...]

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First, lookup "incubus" in Critters. Now, extrapolate.

[Dogsoup]

[Trax]

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Get a copy of Paranoia and adapt it to the game. Welcome to Alpha Dome Citizen. :D

[Velocity]

Wow, these are all great ideas. I heart you guys. :)

A little background:

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For me, as a GM, this run will serve as a kind of dry-run for the Renraku Arcology Shutdown. This will serve as a way to introduce the idea of a closed community--a supposedly "safe" environment--turning against its inhabitants and becoming a deathtrap. The PCs, in surviving the place and coming out (more or less) intact, will establish a reputation in the shadow community as people who can get into (and out of) extremely dangerous environments.

That way, when the SCIRE in Seattle goes offline, certain fixers will think, "hmm... I might know some guys who can deal with this." :) Plus, the PCs will have had some experience with this sort of run and will be able to go in with some chance of survival. :)

[Velocity]

Oh, hell. :eek: I just read the entry for a...

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Nomad.

*shudder*

[Herald of Verjig...]

[Velocity]

[Herald of Verjig...]

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Sorry, Wraith is for some reason only available in 1st edition stats (paranormals of Europe I think), Survival of the Fittest, and here at an author's page.

Sorry, Wisp is under the title "Corpselight."

Edit: Just to restate my position:

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Unbindable spirits are a great way to kill off PCs. Unless the spirit is a complete idiot, only mages and a few adepts have a chance at actually threatening them. To that end, I suggest you take a corporeal creature and make it a local variant/mutant/toxic/whatever. The two creatures that come to mind for mind altering powers are incubus and blackberry cat, but I'm sure there are more, or you can explain the effects as a mutant toxic power or such.

My mention of the spirits was to respond that there are multiple types which can decimate most runner teams at moderate (for them) force. I still advise you to stick to something that can eventually be harmed by bullets, but it is advice, nothing more.

[Velocity]

Point 1:

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Thanks for the link to the Wraith write-up. Is this based on that spirit in the Eyewitness adventure? What was his name--Gallowgrey?

Point 2:

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I appreciate your point and I'm definitely not looking to wipe out the runner team, or even kill one of them. Maim and terrify, yes. ;) In all seriousness, are these spirits actually so dangerous? Can't they be damaged in melee combat by a non-Awakened character with a sufficiently high Willpower?

[Herald of Verjig...]

Re point 1:

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Wraiths have stats back in the 1st edition Paranormals of Europe. I don't know the relative timing of the event you mention, but that was probably just another free spirit of malicious intent and not a wraith. The original stats for wraiths give them an essence of 12 and the ability to get 12 points of spirit energy with disturbing ease as well as some powers that made them even tougher than their current rules.

Re point 2:

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Yes, any PC with good willpower and charisma can do some damage to a spirit in melee. However, my statement is based on the spirit having more intellect and self-preservation than a head of lettuce. A spirit (who can go full astral as a complex action) allowing a mundane to hit it a second time in that manner is as smart as the sniper who attempts to punch out a dragon instead of shooting it.
Since a spirit can recover from 9 boxes of physical and 9 of stun in a total of 9 minutes, it is always in a spirit's interest to step back and recover while the mortals stay wounded. Then, step back in behind them and hit them with another spell or spirit power. With a spirit tough enough to avoid disruption or banishing in one round, the PCs really do have no chance.

It's even sicker with will o' wisps (corpselights) since they have regeneration and a minimum force of 4.

[Ancient History]

[Method]

Yo, Velocity!

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Sorry I've been a little slow to post my notes in that other thread.

When I ran a similar campaign I just used some kind of creepy awakened deep-sea fish thing with powerful influence and critter control powers. His legions of minions were made up of terrow that intermitantly attacked the crippled aquacology and other marine paranormals. Hell just throw in a mind-controlled megalodon and that should keep your players busy for awhile....

But I must say I also like the idea of a malicious spirit of some kind.

[bclements]

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The spirit (or cult, either is nice) idea is good for a couple of reasons:
-The PC's have a chance to beat it (assuming you don't make a Wraith of pure death) which sets up point 2.
-More importantly, if you're planning on running them thru the Arcolgy, it will throw them way, way off. You just ain't going to beat Deus in his realm in that campaign. (Brainscan is something entirely different for this discussion) Letting them think they're ahead and, more importantly think what they want, is good GM'ing, IMO.

[Velocity]

@ Herald of Verjigorm:

Point 1:

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Ah, so ka.

Point 2:

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Okay, but can't the shaman (in the case of my PCs, a Grade 3 Initiate) disrupt the spirit in Astral space? Presuming this Initiate is travelling with a pair of Force 5 spirits flanking him.

[Ancient History]

Bah. Throw down some ruins, have a group of merrow soften 'em up, and the bad guy is a master shedim inhabiting the corpse of a merrow shaman that wants to conquer the aquadome to get more bodies for its follower shedim. So what if your PC shedim catches a glimpse of 'im? A big astral jellyfish. Oooh, scary.