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Morpheus
Unbound | Hero
System
An adventure written for Hero System/Champions
Adapted from an adventure written by John Sullivan and originally published
in Adventurer's Club #3, 1983.
Includes conversion notes for GUPRS and Villains & Vigilantes.
| This adventure is designed for campaigns based in the United States, or at least for heroes who happen to be in the United States when the adventure occurs. If the GM wishes to locate the adventure outside the United States, he or she will have to replace the U.S. based agencies with other agencies, probably drawn from the local campaign. (E.g. UNTIL would probably have no trouble operating in Japan, but might in Iran.) | The original text of this adventure is Copyright © 1983 by
John Sullivan. It is reprinted without permission. As far as I can
tell, the artwork is Copyright © 1983 by Mark Williams. It is
reprinted without permission. Steve Long at Hero Games has granted
his company's permission to reprint. If anyone has any idea how to contact John or Mark, please let me know so I can ask for their permission to reprint! |
Deep in the woods of Northern California (or any large, secluded, wooded area) is a run-down old shack. Beneath this shack (which serves as the security housing of an elevator) is a secret Genocide base known as The Omega Compound.
The Omega Compound, run by Dr. Magnus MacBeth, is, or was, as we shall see, primarily a research center, devoting its facilities to the study of radiation as it contributes to mutations.
A hideously crossbred, mutated beast accidentally received an enormous dose of radiation, and in a frenzy of pain and fury, slaughtered every living thing in the base. The automated computers sealed The Omega Compound off, trapping the creature within.. .waiting.
A small UNTIL Task Force located the base, guided by intercepted transmissions. After a standard surveillance interval (during which time nothing moved or happened -- nothing, nothing, nothing), they moved in, entering the base through its standard medium-security disguised entrance. The Beast found them. Only a short transmission got out:
"It's hideous-gigantic-glowing poison-it's...."
The Heroes are contacted by UNTIL and asked to investigate the base.
But be careful, something is inside the Omega Compound, and that something
kills!
As with any adventure, there are many ways various heroes (and various ways many heroes) could get involved-either as a group, or gathered together individually. Some suggestions:
UNTIL wants to know what is going on inside the Genocide Complex. The Heroes' mission, should they decide to accept it, is to investigate the base, pinpoint the threat (whatever it might prove to be), and counter it. Ideally, UNTIL would like the Compound fully secured, as it probably contains a lot of vital data and information on how Genocide works, their staff, etc.
The heroes are instructed not to let what is inside get out of the Compound under any circumstances. If this occurs, all heroes should be docked 1 Experience Point from their mission total, for failing in that regard.
Should the Beast escape and get lost in the woods, it will eventually return to the Compound as it is the only home it knows. In addition, the Game Master should keep in mind that although radiation emotionally agitates it, radiation also physically soothes it; and though the Beast may randomly roam the confines of the Compound, it will ultimately return to room 19.
It would take something special to drive it out of the Compound in the first place (such as setting the complex on fire).
When the heroes approach the scene, they will encounter a UNTIL Task Force which has established a perimeter around the shack, twenty meters (10") out. They will be approached by an UNTIL Agent in Investigators gear, who will introduce herself as Commander Melanie Nelson. She has dark blonde hair, blue eyes and appears to be in her mid-twenties.
She seems both friendly and capable. Commander Nelson feels that whatever is within the Genocide Compound is more than even she and her Task Force of 10 UNTIL Agents are capable of handling, and is grateful for any help. She will brief the heroes as follows, in her soft, calm voice:
| "Thank you for responding so quickly." (She will call them by
their group name if it is known, by separate hero identities if they are
not a group, but known.)
"For some time now, UNTIL has been involved in a clandestine operation to ferret out and capture Genocide Operations. A UNTIL Task Force of 4 Agents penetrated the Genocide base known as The Omega Compound. They had heard that something big was in the making after a week of surveillance and no movement from within the Compound, they went in...but they did NOT come out. Only this one garbled transmission. She will produce a small, hand held portable cassette player and push the play button. After a few seconds of static, a male voice on the edge of hysteria will be heard: "It's hideous-gigantic-glowing poison-it's .." Solemnly, Commander Nelson will turn to the heroes "Now, it's up to you." |
The heroes will be directed toward the shack. Commander Nelson does not know how the ill-fated 4-man Task Force gained entrance, so the heroes must find their own way in. It should be, however, a way such that whatever is within cannot use it as an exit.
| Why did UNTIL call the heroes
anyway?
Crafty heroes are probably wondering why UNTIL called them instead of calling in more of their own agents, or perhaps local, U.S.-based, agencies like SAT or PRIMUS. Heroes really up on their super-agencies will also be wondering what UNTIL is doing operating inside the US at all. The reason UNTIL called the heroes is simple, and full of potential plot complications: UNTIL is not supposed to be operating in the U.S. Ever since 1974 when Special American Tactics (SAT) was formed, UNTIL has been unwelcome operating within the U.S. borders. This stance of the U.S. was reinforced when PRIMUS was formed in the late 1970s. The U.S. government felt it could do a much better job, and that "international intervention" was not welcome. However, that didn't really satisfy anyone at UNTIL, especially since agencies like VIPER and Genocide don't recognize those same geo-political boundaries, and therefore UNTIL still has agents operating (quietly) within the U.S. borders. Therefore, when UNTIL agents didn't return from the a mission to investigate something, UNTIL decided they needed super-powered help, and felt that local superheroes would work better than pushing their jurisdictional limits by bringing in their own. Also, the local heroes can take the credit or blame (depending on how the mission concludes) and therefore UNTIL benefits either way. |
The Omega Compound is a 19 room base dedicated to studying Mutations. Below is the key to the various sections.
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The Omega Compound is 16 meters (8) below ground. The outside exterior walls are composed of stone, lined with Plas-steel, giving the exterior walls a DEF of 10 and a BODY of 15; all interior walls are DEF 5 and BODY 5. All interior doors are of hard wood, (DEF 4, BODY 3), except for the main Security Blast door in the entry corridor, which is of Questonite (see the Security Door).
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The shack above ground looks perfectly normal. The walls and roof are DEF 4, BODY 4. The shack floor is actually the top of the elevator (DEF 10, BODY 10), and a blast of 5 BODY or more will blow away the topsoil camouflage, revealing the black, Plas-steel elevator top.
Gaining access to the Compound from the surface will take a Perception Roll at -3 (to find the hidden elevator controls) and a Security Systems Roll at -2, to bring the elevator up and open the doors. A Desolidified character could, of course, enter through the walls, but must make a Security Systems Roll at -1 to raise the elevator the first time.
The elevator is a blue, spartan enclosure with a down button and an up button. Anyone inside the elevator (such as a Desolidified character) can raise or lower it without the need of a Security Systems Roll, using these buttons. It takes six seconds (1/2 turn) to go all the way up or down. The ceilings in the Omega Compound are 4 meters (2") tall, except for rooms 10, 18 and 19, where they are 10 meters (5") tall.
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The elevator opens into a corridor with two Guard Posts, one on either side. Usually a group of four standard Genocide Agents are on duty here. But due to the Beast, no agents remain. However, just outside the elevator doors is a set of armor &emdash; UNTIL Agent armor &emdash; with ashes strewn about.
Throughout the entire compound, various piles of ashes will be found lying about; they are all that remain of the personnel of the Omega Compound.
The interior lighting is running off the emergency generators, and is dim with a red tinge. (The glow is coming from the lair of the Beast and increases as one approaches it.)
THE QUESTONITE BLAST/SECURITY DOOR
A clear Questonite door (DEF 20, BODY 12) is at the first corridor junction. There is a chance (1-3 on a D6) that the door is closed. It will take a Security Systems Roll at -3 to bypass the automatic door controls and open (or shut) it. A list of the proper door codes is in the desk in room 5 (HEAD SECURITY OFFICE). Characters must make a Perception Roll to find the list in the office.
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Dr. Rosalind F. Ward was the Head Technician of the Omega Compound. Her office is in its natural state of disarray. Papers, manuals, tools and parts to who-knows-what are scattered everywhere. If a search is instigated, and an INT Roll is made (or a Luck roll), the following will be found:
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4. DR. MACBETH'S OFFICE
Dr. MacBeth's Office is a model of neatness and efficiency.
Paintings of MINUTEMEN adorn the walls (including Minutemen MK 5 (Enemies
1 sourcebook), MK 7 (The Mutant File sourcebook by Hero Games),
MK 9 and
MK 10. A computer terminal covers most
of the desk's surface. This unit is voice activated, but could be bypassed
by a Computer Roll at -4, or a Security Systems Roll at half normal chance.
If a second Computer Roll at -2 is made, a brief rundown of Project Omega will appear. If more detailed information is attempted, a Virus Clean Wipe code will be activated. An INT Roll will reveal that it will take a long period of computer time to tap into the rest of the memory without wiping out the memory itself.
GAME MASTER OPTION
UNTIL's computers could pull out additional Genocide Base locations, do a run down on Genocide supervillains, and even reveal the weaknesses of the MINUTEMAN MK 9 robots, providing the basis for an extended Genocide Campaign. Retrieving all that information from the Computer, of course, will take time.
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The Head of Security is (was) Howard LeDuc. On the wall is a plan of the base (or if the Game Master does not want to give out a full map, it could only mark areas 2, 9 and the main corridors, with the Guard Posts indicated).
If the office is searched, a breakdown of the Omega Compound's Personnel Department will be found, detailing the duties of the two department heads, 20 technicians, 20 security agents and Dr. MacBeth.
Mounted behind the desk is a Blaster Rifle (6D6 EB, +2 v. Range Mod., Autofire-5, [30c]).
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6. SECURITY PERSONNEL'S QUARTERS
Twenty bunks with twenty footlockers line this room, along with lavatory facilities. Anti-mutant propaganda signs are painted on the walls, which also abound with photos of any known mutants, all with darts or dart holes in them. The room is slightly messy, as the Security Personnel last answered a scramble alert.
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This room also quartered 20 people, and it also has lavatory facilities. This room is relatively clean, with framed MINUTEMAN schematics decorating the walls, indirect lighting, and various bookracks along with walls, containing scientific journals alongside with mechanical and electrical engineering manuals. The MINUTEMAN schematics are the standard type MK 9. Any character who has seen the revised schematics of the MINUTEMAN MK 9 in the Head Technician's Office (room 3) can try to make an INT roll at -1, to detect that the plans are different.
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This room contains parts of all kinds, both electrical and mechanical, as well as various alloy plates, etc. Everything is carefully labeled.
GAME MASTER NOTE
This storage room could provide any characters with Gadgeteering Skill with a chance to utilize this skill. No hard and fast rules could apply to the specific parts contained within-just apply a difficulty factor of -4, and decide in advance the number of Active points obtainable: somewhere between 40 and 50...60 if the character is trying to be particularly heroic (saving the day, so to speak).
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Usually two Genocide Agents staff this post, one by the door to give out weaponry, and one at the desk by the window (the dotted line) who was responsible for cleaning anyone headed for the Reactor Room.
The window slides open, but automatically closes and locks during an emergency (such as this one). The glass is hardened, DEF 6, BODY 4 and has been treated to be Radiation Resistant. Any character who retreats into this room and closes the door, will take only half of the normal radiation damage from the Beast.
The Armory Section contains 15 Genocide Blasters (5D6 EB, Autofire-5, [20c]), 10 helmets with Radio Hearing (the radiation field inhibits the radio band with static, so a Hearing Perception roll should be made to understand clearly what is said).
GAME MASTER OPTION
A total of four UNTIL Agents penetrated the Compound, and all were killed.
Some of your options:
These options could be used if the heroes are totally stumped or confused about the Beast.
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From the outside, this room does not appear to be a room, for there are no doors- the entire south wall slides up. At present the wall is down, and within its confines is a revised MINUTEMAN MK 9.
The general weakness of the MINUTEMAN robots against Energy and Electrical attacks has long frustrated Genocide. Following Dr. MacBeth's instructions, Dr. Ward redesigned a MK 9 to be more resistant to energy. This was done by adding the Limitation: Does Not Work in an Intense Radiation Field ( + 1/4), by sacrificing the unit's resistance, thereby rendering it vulnerable to cold as well as radiation.
The revised MK 9 now shuts down totally in a high radiation field (such as the Beast produces) and takes 2× BODY from Cold and Ice (worth 20), and 2× BODY from Radiation (worth 10).
GAME MASTER OPTION
Once the radiation field is down (and provided no characters exert a radiation field of their own), the MINUTEMAN robot will become activated, and will attempt to secure the Compound (probably by attempting to trash the heroes). This provides a nasty catch-22 situation; do the heroes want to fight a weakened Beast, or a fully functional MK 9 robot?
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11. HEAD TECHNICIAN'S QUARTERS
Dr. Ward's room is only slightly less cluttered than her office. Journals, books, and manuals lie scattered about; the bed was hastily made. Outside of a few notes on Project Omega having a savage temper, there is no real information.
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The walls of this room are richly paneled and plush wall-to-wall shag covers the floor. Expensive mahogany furniture fills the spotless room, and there is an aquarium full of tropical fish in one comer. The only thing of interest is found in a nightstand drawer, a journal kept by Dr. MacBeth.
In it, MacBeth rants and raves about the 'Mutant Menace' and his glorious plan to bring about the end of mutant kind with Project Omega.
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This room is similar to room 8, but contains even more parts. The Gadgeteering Difficulty Factor is still -4, but up to 75 active points can be utilized. However, on a roll of 18 (GM rolls for each item) the device explodes, due to the massive amount of power being utilized. Treat it as a 10D6 Normal explosion.
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The heaviest fighting centered in the Machine Shops. Thus rubble is strewn about both shops (14 and 15). as well as in the hallway. If anyone attempts to salvage a piece from this room, the Gadget modifier for difficulty is -5. Three other suits of UNTIL armor are in room 14, along with a lot of ash and the three UNTIL Autoblasters (6d6 EB, +2 v. Range Mod., Autofire-5, [30c]).
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Another rubble strewn shop, just like 14, except without the gear of the UNTIL Agents. They never got this far...
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One more room just like 13.
GAME MASTER OPTION
Under a pile of parts could be 1-3 Radiation Suits. These suits will cut radiation damage in half (1/2 rED Damage Reduction, Only v. Radiation (-1)), and will slow the wearer by 1 SPD, and lower her DEX by 5 (due to the bulkiness of the suit). It takes 4 phases to put on one of these suits on completely (to cut the radiation in half) or to take one off (to regain the lost SPD and DEX).
If any live UNTIL or Genocide Agents are safe in room 9, each will be wearing one of these suits, and can probably direct the characters to the others in room 16. A character in a suit and in room 9 will take no damage from the radiation field, provided the Beast is not in the room with her, or standing in the open doorway.
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This long room actually contains three specialized labs. The first is a Mutations Lab, designed and equipped for the testing of mutant strains -- all types from DNA to actual embryo and animal mutations. A Biology Science Roll (or a INT roll -4, or a similarly appropriate Science Roll), will give a character the knowledge of what general use these labs were put to. If the roll is made by half or less, or if a character has an appropriate Science skill, the character(s) will realize that mutated animals were bred here.
A Detective or Luck roll will find a torn-out notebook page, stating that Project Omega is mutating continually, and must be kept away from Radiation.
The second specialized lab was intended for animal storage and experimentation; all the cages are filled with ash now. A Zoology Science or INT Roll at -4, will allow the character to comprehend that this lab was used to study, record and dissect the mutated animals. Some of the remaining records have photos that are quite grisly.
A Luck or Detective Roll will find the early file on Project Omega; it shows what might have been a bear cub or baby boar...with three extra paws. Not a pretty sight.
The last lab is a Radiology Lab, where mutations were exposed to various energies. This lab is spotlessly clean, with four radiation chambers.
A Luck or Detective Roll will discover a memo pad, with a note- "Do NOT- under ANY circumstances- expose Project Omega to Radiation!"
GAME MASTER NOTE
The labs can best be used to give the heroes clues about what they are facing, before they first meet the Beast. The horror of what Genocide has been doing with mutations should be played up (any known mutant heroes will probably be furious), and an undercurrent of unease should develop as the heroes begin to wonder what are they about to face.
GAME MASTER OPTION
All of the events dependent upon Science, Detective and Luck Rolls can just occur; no matter how contrived the situation, it may be preferable to having the clues not turn up merely because the particular heroes in the run do not have the appropriate skills. As Game Master, you may elect to have any or none at all of the clues turn up, or have the horror of what Genocide has been doing slowly, clue by clue, materialize before the characters.
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This is a small Nuclear Reactor which provides power for the Omega Compound. One of the Manual Control Rods was accidentally released, and both rooms 18 and 19 were flooded with low level radiation.
In order to stop the radiation flow, the rods must be properly replaced, by using the controls in room 19. This room houses the reactor itself, which can be seen through the Plas-steel transparent wall (the dotted line; DEF 8, BODY 8, hardened). A successful PS: Nuclear Plant Operator roll, or INT Roll at -3, must be made to use these controls to reinsert the rods correctly. A roll of 18, or an Unluck roll could cause the mechanisms to jam and require a strong character to push them in to place by hand.
Alternately, by making an INT Roll at -3, a sufficiently strong (STR 30) character could physically push the rods back in to place. Any character manipulating the rods by hand will be subject to the radiation (treat as if 1 hex distance from the Beast).
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This room was actually a testing facility for mutated creature. The memo about never exposing Project Omega to Radiation was lost in the paper shuffle, and during a testing, the rod was accidentally released. Suffice it to say, this room has a lot of ash strewn about.
The controls of the rod mechanism are on the eastern Plas-steel wall, and it takes two of the character's phases to shut it down. Unless the character has Radiation Pile Knowledge or Science, he or she should make an INT Roll to re-insert the rods corrective.
The Beast lairs in this room because the radiation soothes its pain even while driving it in to a berserk frenzy.
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| Postlude
A number of options are available for how to change or complicate this adventure, depending on the GM and the players. Some things to remember:
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| The
Beast
STR 75, DEX 18, CON 38, BOD 24, INT 10, EGO 9, PRE 30, COM 0, PD 30, ED 30, SPD 4, REC 20, END 80, STN 80 Powers, Talents and Perks: Growth +4, 0 End (+1/2), Persistent (+1/2), Hard to Dispel +1 (+1/4), Always On (-1/2); Damage Resistance (15, 15); Extra Limbs (3 arms); Enhanced Sight +3; UV Sight; HKA, 3d6 (6d6 w/STR), 1/2 End (+1/4) [2 End (3 w/STR)]; 1/2 End STR 75; Flash Defense (8 v. Sight, 2 v. Hearing); Emitted Radiation Power (see table); Mental Defense (22); Force Field (20, 20), Hardened (+1/4), 0 End (+1/2), Persistent (+1/2), Hard to Dispel +1 (+1/4); Life Support (Full); Regeneration +3 BODY / turn Skills: +5 levels HTH Disadvantages: Berserk, 14- in Intense Radiation Fields or hit by radiation attacks, rec 8-; Berserk, 11- when hurt or in pain, rec 11-; 3d6 STUN from Drains and Transfers; 2d6 BODY from Drains and Transfers; Physical Limitation: Color Blind; Physical Limitation: Mute; Psychological Limitation: Hatred of Humanity; Psychological Limitation: Fear of Fire; Hunted: Genocide, 14-; Distinctive Features items in italics have the limitation Only in Intense Radiation Fields (-2) |
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GURPS TransliterationST 65, DX 13, IQ 10, HT 16 Damage: Thrust 7d+1, Swing 9d+2, Speed 7.25, Move 7, Fatigue 33 Advantages: Acute Sight +3, Charisma +2, Claws (Long), Combat Reflexes, Damage Resistance +8, Damage Resistance +10 (Hardened), Does Not Breathe, Does Not Need to Eat or Excrete, Extra Hit Points +12, Growth +1, Extra Limbs +3, High Pain Threshold, Immunity to Disease, Invulnerability (Radiation), Mind Shield-14(12), Night Vision, Regeneration (Instant), Temperature Tolerance, Unaging Disadvantages: Appearance: Hideous, Berserk, Bloodthirsty, Color Blindness, Dead Broke, Enemy (THAMF), Mute, Phobia (Fire), Primitive -7 Skills: Brawling-20 Items in italics have the limitation Only in Intense Radiation Fields (-70%). See GURPS Grimoire for rules regarding radiation poisoning. Consider the Beast to be generating 1 rad/second. In a GURPS IST campaign setting, the Beast will have been created by THAMF. The PCs might be part of the IST, or they may have been called in by a non-powered IST investigative team for reasons very similar to those that UNTIL would have used. PRIMUS and SAT would be replaced by the DMI, FBI or any other agencies the GM feels appropriate. |