In a Time of Heroes

Elements

Under the ice, the crashed spaceship lies.

A penthouse apartment with a secret room

The abandoned subway station, never completed and forgotten, now has a new use

A brilliant scientist, racing against time to find a cure for her affliction

Characters

Ken Cooper, computer prodigy [David]

Dr. Billy Connors, brilliant scientist with tinnitus. [Katie]

Sir Thomas Oakbeam, ecentric explorer. [NPC]

Research partner. [NPC]

Hibernating alien.

The ship's AI. [NPC]

Player Characters

Non-Player Characters

Owe List

~~[David] Ken Cooper~~
[Chris] Kid Quasar, the Pipsqueak Princess
[Rob] Isk, the Maimed and Rebuilt
[Chris] Kid Quasar, the Pipsqueak Princess

Back Issues

Battle for the Temple of the Noble Mantis

Elements

An alien princess asking for asylum

Smuggled goods of rare fortune, small enough to slip in a pocket

An ancient temple defiled by a swarm of insect-bots, sent by a disillusioned adherent

A galaxy on the cusp of open war

Additional Elements

A neutral space station around a neutral planet on neither side of the war, orbiting the planet containing the temple, whose own neutrality, perhaps temporary, has kept the planet neutral.

Characters

The alien princess [Chris]

A smuggler [David]

A customs officer [Katie]

The disillusioned adherent [Rob]

Player Characters

[Chris] Kid Quasar, the Pipsqueak Princess a diminutive alien princess from a species that is not normally so small

Covertly d8
Directly d6
For myself d6
For others d10
With love d12
With violence d4
Everyone loves me, through tone of voice and physical appearance people want to aid me, but it requires people to see and hear me
- PCs: With love
- NPCs: Self-protection
- Far-reaching: can affect anyone who can see and hear her
- Its die is a d8
It's in Kid Quasar's best interests to...
- befriend an insect bot and have it become her trusted steed
- have the Temple Master declare for her people in the galactic war

[David] Ken Cooper, a human smuggler with a non-hidden heart of gold

Covertly d12
Directly d4
For myself d6
For others d8
With love d10
With violence d6
Technopathy, technology obeys me like a close friend thanks to my psionic gifts
- PCs: For others
- NPCs: Action
- Unique: there are no other technopaths in the galaxy
- Its die is a d8
It's in Ken Cooper's best interests to...
- prevent the war he sees coming, which he sees Kid Quasar as the best way to do
- keep his technopathy from becoming public knowledge

[Katie] Anka Tripper, a customs officer, a blobby frog-person, no-nonsense, naturally gifted at detecting lies, cranky, with a sticky tongue

Covertly d8
Directly d12
For myself d10
For others d6
With love d4
With violence d6
I can eat anything, if my tongue can reach it and it can fit in my mouth, I can eat it
- PCs: Directly
- NPCs: Action
- Potent: Its die is a d10
It's in Anka Tripper's best interests to...
- get the promotion by solving/catching a high profile case
- preserve the neutrality to prevent the war

[Rob] Isk, the Maimed and Rebuilt the disillusioned adherent, insectoid brought back from death with forbidden tech and filled with his children

Covertly d6
Directly d12
For myself d10
For others d6
With love d4
With violence d8
Unleash children, by entering into a harmonizing trance to connect with one's swarm of insect bots to assault and assail
- PCs: With violence
- NPCs: Action
- Far-reaching: his children can travel throughout his local area
- Its die is a d8
It's in Isk's best interests to...
- stop the princess from entering the temple of the Noble Mantis
- harmonize with the Technopath

Non-Player Characters

Snivil Gabbuh, the Temple Master, influential within the religion, but neutral within this conflict

Action d6, d4
Maneuvering d10, d6
Self-protection d12, d8
It's in Snivil Gabbuh's best interests to...
- preserve the independence of the Temple of the Noble Mantis

Nameless Guard, who has a crush

Action d12, d8
Maneuvering d10, d6
Self-protection d6, d4

Notes

Hivvand, destination planet.

Galapagos. An independently operated freighter. All of the PCs but for Anka travelling aboard.

Cooper came to KQ's attention because he was smuggling off-world clothes against the planet's protectionist policies.

Isk wants to avoid drawing special attention to his cyborg nature. KQ wants to avoid being seen by Anka.

KQ has a travelling home in a case. PortaPad. Inertial dampeners. Luxurious, though not at the standard of her home palace.

Anka discovers the case. KQ is taken to diplomatic custody. Ken is taken to the brig.

KQ escapes from custody, but has to abandon her case.

Ken escapes from the brig by distracting the guard with a love note.

Ken hacks Anka’s electronic clipboard.

Race to the temple. A freestanding stepped pyramid with a pair of giant mantis statues alongside.

Snivil is mortally wounded and dying, but not yet dead.

Anka is knocked out for the remainder of the fight.

Kid Quasar frees the insect drones, except for her new mount, and one kept by Ken Cooper. Isk runs away in the chaos, vowing revenge. The temple agrees to support the princess's planet in the war.

Oracles

http://www.random-generator.com/index.php?title=In_a_Wicked_Age#Fan_Oracles

Selected options:
http://www.random-generator.com/index.php?title=Superhero_Oracle
http://www.random-generator.com/index.php?title=Superhero_Oracle_-_Modern
http://www.random-generator.com/index.php?title=Hellboy_BPRD_Oracle
http://www.random-generator.com/index.php?title=Modern_Occult_Oracle
http://www.random-generator.com/index.php?title=Paranormal_Spy-Thriller_Oracle
http://www.random-generator.com/index.php?title=Noir_Oracle_-_Down_These_Mean_Streets
http://www.random-generator.com/index.php?title=Pulp_Oracle_-_I_Love_A_Mystery

Superhero

Ace of Cyan: She takes up the mantle of a fallen hero, desperate to make a difference
Two of Cyan: A young man discovers his birthright and the mask and cape that go with it
Three of Cyan: By day they are lovers; by night they are on other sides of the law. Neither knows the other's secret
Four of Cyan: An alien civilization bestows a gift of great power to an ordinary youth
Five of Cyan: Changed by radiation, she manifests strange powers of the mind
Six of Cyan: He is the only surviving volunteer of a genetic experiment. They wonder how long until he realizes they can't control him
Seven of Cyan: His power is in the suit
Eight of Cyan: He was content with being the sidekick until the Crisis
Nine of Cyan: A masked woman seeks glory and fame
Ten of Cyan: The millionaire playboy finds his true calling among the rooftops, beating up petty criminals
Jack of Cyan: She came to this planet only recently and tries to fit in
Queen of Cyan: Their costumes are mirror images of each other; they can never touch
King of Cyan: He uses future tech here in the past to avert the apocalypse
Ace of Magenta: Alarms from the downtown district echo in the city streets
Two of Magenta: A mysterious craft appears over the city
Three of Magenta: A three-alarm fire in the slum district
Four of Magenta: A jumper on the bridge
Five of Magenta: The visiting jewelry display at the museum provides a tempting target
Six of Magenta: A strange visitor from another world arrives in the city with a portent of danger
Seven of Magenta: A rift in time disgorges villains from the past
Eight of Magenta: A cry for help turns out to be a trap for our heroes
Nine of Magenta: A gathering of heroes and villains from around the world
Ten of Magenta: The intrepid reporter love interest is in trouble again
Jack of Magenta: A gathering of the world's brightest minds
Queen of Magenta: The test of a military weapon goes horribly wrong
King of Magenta: A government crackdown on costumed vigilantes
Ace of Yellow: An underground lair, filled with trophies
Two of Yellow: A penthouse apartment with a secret room
Three of Yellow: The warehouse by the docks, not as abandoned as one might think
Four of Yellow: An orbiting satellite, hidden from the world
Five of Yellow: A flying fortress, invisible to radar
Six of Yellow: The abandoned subway station, never completed and forgotten, now has a new use
Seven of Yellow: Beneath the river, a underwater habitat
Eight of Yellow: The sign on the building read CONDEMNED, but inside they met
Nine of Yellow: The rooftops of the block were all interconnected and had convenient shadows
Ten of Yellow: The Gothic cathedral had been undergoing renovations for years; a hidden rooftop entrance was all the security she needed
Jack of Yellow: Under the ice, the crashed spaceship lies
Queen of Yellow: The futuristic city on the Moon, shielded from prying eyes
King of Yellow: The abandoned government bunker, deep in the mountain
Ace of Black: His parents murdered, he sets off on a complicated method of revenge
Two of Black: He isn't fueled by hatred, he is Hatred
Three of Black: A trio of villains plot their revenge on the hero that did them wrong
Four of Black: She finds committing the perfect crime thrilling
Five of Black: Just one more big score, and he can retire to that island paradise
Six of Black: The parasitic hive-mind seeks hosts
Seven of Black: Who is behind the robot army?
Eight of Black: Two villains, after the same score, work against each other
Nine of Black: A vain billionaire wishes to control the nation
Ten of Black: A vast organization of masked terrorists plots to overthrow all world governments
Jack of Black: An immortal villain wages a secret war against all that is good
Queen of Black: They saved Hitler's brain!
King of Black: He's a former hero, driven mad by the loss of a loved one
Joker: A museum devoted to gigantic props.

Space Opera

A galaxy on the cusp of open war
An interplanetary cold war, threatening to turn hot in an instant
A runaway experiment, with strange, inexplicable powers
An ancient weapon of mass destruction, left behind by a forgotten race
An eccentric inventor, on the run from a dangerous corporate empire
A distress signal, with no apparent source
A small community of Christians, humans and alien converts, on the aliens' home planet
A blue skinned orphan fleeing an arranged marriage to her elderly tutor
Smuggled goods of rare fortune, small enough to slip in a pocket
An alien princess asking for asylum
A young fertile planet with a newly awakened consciousness
The rotting hulk of a spaceship, flagship of the old empire, found at the end of a beacon
A gunship sold at the end of war into private hands
A daring young explorer, fresh from her stint at the academy, eager to prove herself and taking on all comers
A sassy spelunker looking for an alien god's heart in the depths of a planet made up entirely of millions of space ship derelicts that have accreted over time
A crew of rogues, led by a former war hero
A young doctor, throwing away a promising career over a deadly secret
A smuggler of dubious repute, only interested in a quick payday
An expert assassin, laying low after a botched job
The universally famous monarch, hiding as a citizen of no consequence
A brilliant scientist, racing against time to find a cure for her affliction
The galactic savior-child stolen by pirates who want a planet as ransom
A stranded alien, trying to get back to its own people
A military AI, trying to override its destructive programming
The first settlers on a newly terraformed frontier world
A group of freedom-fighters, waging a desperate war against a tyrannical government
A secret technology, unearthed by an archaeologist on the homeworld of a long-dead race
A cryptic warning, left behind by an extinct alien race
The last survivor of a brutal attack, by a previously unknown race
A young woman, selected via lottery by an alien power
A wayward traveler, hopping between the stars after his homeworld was destroyed
An accidental immortal, bored with life, who has become obsessed with carrying out some mundane task
A group of alien scientists, trying to recover their lost data, possibly by vivisection
An ancient temple defiled by a swarm of insect-bots, sent by a disillusioned adherent
The first interspecies child is born
A colony of refugees in an asteroid belt