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Old 06-04-2015, 01:04 PM   #1
ericthered
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Default [MH] Monster Hunters Adventure Seeds

This is an idea thread for Monster Hunters Senario ideas. Monster Hunters is about hunting down the monsters as much as it is about fighting them. MH 2: The Mission has five sections on the hunt, only only one of which is about combat. This thread is about providing context for the hunt: motives for the monsters, and twists. Please remember the advice in Peices of the Puzzle

Different levels of detail are welcome, from a detailed write up of the victim, the perpetrator, and locations where things you down, to an idea seed like: A psi with ESP and low strength but long range TK is made at a set of state legislators for passing a law and is killing them by causing small accidents, like causing car accidents by flipping ties in peoples faces and unplugging life support systems. Longer running challenges describing a campaign arc (including something like sample campaigns) are appropriate as well, (though it will be noted those have adventure seeds of their own).
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Old 06-04-2015, 01:05 PM   #2
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Default Re: [MH] Monster Hunters Adventure Seeds

The Coincidence Maker:

Psi, Investigation, Local Politics, Low Combat

Michael Rilesworth is a stubborn man with strong views on politics. He's a construction contractor who isn't making as much as he'd like. He's also a psi with a temper.

The legislature recently passed a law he's not happy with. The exact details of this law are best decided by the GM. Perhaps the state building code got updated in a way he finds an extreme financial burden. Perhaps a land investment was appropriated for a high way and he wasn't happy with the money they gave him. Or perhaps its something less personal and more politically abstract. At any rate, he's decided the only way to deal with these politicians is to kill them all.

Michael has an acomplice in his schemes, his wife, who is just as angry as he is. Her role in all of this is mostly as a look out and driver. She has ST 9, DX 11, IQ 11, HT 10, Per 12, HP 9 Will 13, FP 10, driving - 12. Competent but not impressive. She will not engage in combat.

Michael's techniques for assasination are generally causing small disasters at long range -- his favorite stalking ground is the interstate with traffic in full swing. There he can wreck havoc at a distance and have everything look like an accident. His arsenel includes grabbing parking brakes, unlatching hoods, knocking off glasses, grabbing wheels for swerves, sticking nails into tires, untying loads on big trucks, and occasionally messing with the wiring. If he cannot find his quarry on the interstate, he resorts to messing with electrical wiring in houses to cause fires and electricutions, nudging precariously balanced objects to cause falls, and causing guns to go off 'acidentally'. If he's really desperate, he attacks with a very small pistol -- which he himself has never touched, doing everything with TK. (1d pi- acc 0, 6+1 shots). Once his quarry is in the hospital, he can do a lot -- disconecting life support is his favorite, but mixing up medications is quite effective as well.

The players might get wind of Michael's attacks via being on the scene, or they may simply notice two legislators die from accidents too close to each other with absolutely no evidence. If they get stuck, throw them a bone and raise the stakes at the same time by having him strike again, or deliver threatening notes.

Michael is not a formidable foe in combat (at least not close combat), but his precognition and skills make him a slippery one. And any combat with him starts at range. If possible he will flee in a vehicle someone else (probably his wife) is driving while causing trouble for his persuers. His resistence to psi and magic should hinder attacks from that direction as well.

It should be noted his TK and Clairsentience speeds and positions are relative to himself, not the earth. If this is not campaign default he should be extra proud of this fact.


Michael's build:
Use the Psi template as the base. Options chosen are:

ESP Talent 1
TK Talent 3

Clairsentience(Increased Range *10, +30%; PM, -10%; Takes Extra Time 2, -20%) [50]
Precognition (PM,-10%) [23]
Telekenesis 5 (Increased Range *10, +30%, PM -10%) [30]

Wealth (wealthy *5)[20]
Magic Resistance 5 [10]
Psi Resistance +8 [15]

Compulsive Snooping [-10]
Odious Personal Habit(arrogant) [-5]
Obession (Revenge on the legislature) [-5]
Bad Temper [-10]
selfish [-5]
-1 DX [-20]

skills are custom:

Acting -15
Fast Talk -16
Indimidation -16
Streetwise -15
Shadowing -15

Stealth -12
Research - 15
Tactics -15

Brawling - 11
pistol - 12
shotgun -12
knife -10

architechture -15
carpentry -15
electrician -15

finance -14
computer operation -16
current affairs (politics) -15
merchant (construction) -14


GM's wishing to beef up michael should consider increasing the range of his powers, leveling up the TK, powering up the precog, and adding Illusion, particuarly auditory only. The following upgrade is especially reccomended:

Clairsentience(Increased Range *100, +60%; PM, -10%; Takes Extra Time 2, -20%) [65(+15)]
Telekenesis 16 (Increased Range *100, +60%, PM -10%) [120(+90)]
Illusion (Auditory only, -70%, Ranged, +40%, Increased Range *100, +60%, Reflexive, +40%, PM,-10%)[50]

This build gives Michael the ability to act at half a mile, fighting with the strength of all but the stronges champions and unassailiable until they reach him -- and he's likely to flee long before that. Witnesses may describe his behavior as that of a ghost.
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Old 06-04-2015, 01:11 PM   #3
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Default Re: [MH] Monster Hunters Adventure Seeds

Actual Title is Spoiler

Campaign Arc, Mages, Demons/Other Spirits, Experiments, Custom Undead, Supernatural Politics, Investigation, Combat


Major Spoilers for Monster Hunters: Justice -- if you are in that game do not read:
Spoiler:  
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Old 06-04-2015, 03:06 PM   #4
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Default Re: [MH] Monster Hunters Adventure Seeds

Twin Kidnapping OutBreak:

Lycanthrope,Mage,Weird Science,Tactically heavy

Villianous Cast:

  • Dr. Zachary Poulson, Mad Doctor. Zach Poulson is a rouge researcher specializing in lycanthropes.
  • Emily Rolta, Witch. Rolta specializes in the path of body, and is also a specialist on lycanthropes, but from a mystic angle
  • Raphael Morlan, Hitman and Lycanthrope. Raphael is a rational werewolf, who previously used his abilities to kill others for hire. Now he works with Dr.Poulson and Witch Rolta.
  • Assistants may be added, but will be mundane humans: medical assistants, additional enforcements, and so on.
If the team needs to be beefed up, adding additional weres or an experiment created by Emily are both appropriate.
They infomally refer to themselves as 'the team'. Their goal is to understand what makes lycanthropes go mad on creation and develope a technique to make a were rational, or at least controllable. What they plan to do afterwards is not well thought out but given their tactics and backgrounds, is probably not good.

For their research they are currently kidnapping young twins (4-12), having Raphael infect one of them, and then observing the differences in behavior between them, disecting their brains and then comparing them, casting spells or adminstering chemicals, and so forth -- one is the control, the other the test. Despite its aims, the team is capable of using magic to shape a were's mind into what they want. They just don't trust the ability for it to be dispelled and its an intensive and dangerous spell (100 point path of mind critical failures are not fun).

Raphael can use the normal stats for his were form. his human form changes DX to 14, IQ to 10, Drops Loner and Bestial, Guns(Pistol) -18, unarmed combat skills and broadsword at -15, knife at 17, stealth and climbing at 15, shadowing and tactics at 12, acting and housekeeping at 11.

Witch Rolta has Magery 6, Higher Purpose (Human Transformation Tradition) 2, Thaumology 18, Path of Body 18, Path of Magic 18, Path of Mind 16, Path of Energy 15, all other paths at 14. She also has bioenginering(tissue) -15, Esoteric Medicine -15.

Dr. Poulson has a techie's attributes, Bio-Inventor!* at 18, Inventor! at 16, research, scrounging, computer operation, weird science, and leadership at 16, tactics and thaumology at 15, Medic! and fast talk at 14, guns(Pistol) at 13 and brawling at 13. Dr. Poulson is not a proper 'techie' per the template, but does have gadgetteer.
*Bioinventor! is similar to Inventor!, but is more biology based, including the ability to syntheszie drugs and build custom medical tools but not throw together custom guns.

Hunters will initally see only Raphael, but he will be heavily beefed up by the other two with charms, enchantments, posions and custom gear. The operation is constantly covered by warding spells, and Dr. Poulson's fastidious planning means that there are usually two ways to acomplish everything: one magical, one chemical. Raphael is not afraid to cut loose and run when he needs to. If the heroes catch him on a run to collect a pair of twins, he'll be armed with lots of methods for subdueing foes: poison gas, mind disruptors, tasers, charms for unconsiousness, charms to tie up, and so forth. He'll also be equiped for making an escape: smoke grenades, charms of speed and going through walls, and so on. It may be simplest to give him a few gizmos.

Poulson's inventions involve lots and lots of poisons: injected, swollowed, and inhaled. He loves his gases, and builds compounds that clean up his mess or spontaneous degrade to leave no trace. He has a chemical that wipes a mind of memory for the next five or last five minutes. He has targeted toxins for various kinds of inhumans or even for a specific person if he gets a large enough blood sample. He has lots of antidotes as well, though they're mostly tailored for the werewolf that releases them (makes things much easier). An undead or spirit inhuman really cramps his style though -- he relies on Rolta for that.

The team is based in an old abandoned hospital.

If the team gets a chance at grabbing a completely adjusted were (like say, a PC were) they will jump at it.

The GM should be aware this adventure will take a lot of 'statting' on his part to build rituals for the witch and gear for the experimenter.

Beefing up the Twin Kidnappers can take several routes:
  • put the hospital on a place of power, boosting all of the witch's spells.
  • Be generous with the Doctor's gear-- biosignature trackers, beams that set the target rather than stunned, Mind control rays, and so forth. (this can unbalance campgain via loot though!)
  • Put the team on the offensive: The Doctor and Witch are much more dangerous when they are aiming for you.
  • Give the team government sanction: mundane guards halve to be overcome and legal procedings go so much faster.
  • Add more Lycanthropes or experiments to the team. This is particuarly smooth if the heroes unexpectedly kill raphael in the first encounter.
  • Build a true monster: Between the skills of the doctor and the witch, its quite plausible for them to build a frankenstien's monster complete with magical abilities. Regeneration is appropriate. Extreme strength is appropriate. Resistance to Magic and Psi are appropriate, as are unusual biochemistry and raging insanity.
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Old 06-04-2015, 03:18 PM   #5
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Default Re: [MH] Monster Hunters Adventure Seeds

That Old Snake Oil

Investigation, Local Politics, Gods/Spirits

Setting: Mexico, Mexico City, Temple of the Feathered Serpent(look it up on Google Maps!)
Rescue college student kidnapped by Feathered Serpent Cult.
The Cult Leader can use an arcane ritual that allows the Serpent god to temporarily manifest. A 40ft long 5ft thick winged serpent appears in a blinding flash and can swoop down and attack the players, add little god powers to flavour as needed. The cult leader is the spirit(god)'s host and he must die first or the spirit(god) can return to him and manifest again. The kidnapped women are meant to be sacrificed to fuel a ritual to bring the Feathered Serpent god fully into our world.

Mission Brief for Players:
----------------------------------------------------------------
WATLEY, BRENDA L.
HEIGHT: 5’7” | WEIGHT: 130LBS
RACE: CAUCASIAN | HAIR: BROWN | EYES: BROWN
AGE: 23 | DOB: 12/02/1990
SSN: XXX-XX-XXXX
CURRENT ADDRESS: 88 WASHINGTON STREET APT 204, BOSTON, MA‎
BIO: MISS WATLEY IS A GRADUATE STUDENT AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY, MAJORING IN ARCHAEOLOGY /PRE-COLUMBIAN STUDIES. BORN TO GARY AND MILINDA WATLEY, SHE HAS 3 YOUNGER SIBLINGS (JAMES, SARAH, AND WILLIAM).

MISS WATLEY WENT MISSING ON AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH TRIP TO TEOTIHUACAN, MEXICO, FOUR DAYS AGO. SHE WAS REPORTED MISSING BY HER PROFESSOR, GARY URTON. THEY WERE MAKING A FOLLOWUP SURVEY OF THE TEMPLE OF THE FEATHERED SERPENT. LOCAL AUTHORITIES WERE NOT OPTIMISTIC AND HAVE BEEN OF LITTLE HELP. NO RANSOM HAS BEEN RECEIVED. HER PARENTS HAVE CONTACTED ENIGMA FOR HELP.

• POC: CARLOS GARCÍA(in-country asset)
• POI: GARY URTON
• POSSIBLE LEADS: UNDERWORLD SOURCES IN SOUTH AMERICA POINT TO A REORGANIZATION AND INCREASE IN ACTIVITY FROM SEVERAL FORMERLY SEPARATE SERPENT GOD CULTS WHICH IS LINKED TO AN INCREASE IN UNEXPLAINED DISAPPEARANCES.
• LIMITED RESOURCES IN COUNTRY.
• MAINTAIN LOW PROFILE IN REGARDS TO MEXICAN GOVERNMENTAL AUTHORITY.
----------------------------------------------------------------
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You reach out to push the orc off the ledge.
[Dice roll. Critical Failure!]
But instead, lightly caress his back.
The orc is uncomfortable.

Last edited by christ0pher; 06-04-2015 at 03:55 PM. Reason: I accidentally my whole brain. Is... Is that dangerous?
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Old 06-04-2015, 03:59 PM   #6
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Default Re: [MH] Monster Hunters Adventure Seeds

Quote:
That Old Snake Oil
Nice Angle. I like it.

Its certainly a setup for a headache with the secret. The good news is that most of mexico city is between you and the headquarters of the mexican military, as far as I can tell. The bad news is the temple seems to be pretty much in the open, with several restaurants and a museum nearby.

I'm not sure why the cultists went for an american researcher. Such people tend to be noticed when they go missing (as opposed to lower class locals). They must need her for some reason. Ancestry is a possibility. They need someone with the blood of a proper priest, or more sinisterly someone with the blood of the man who took down the last manifestation. Knowledge may be cleaner though: some bit she knows about the feathered serpent makes her special. Or maybe they don't need her and she just stumbled onto their operation. Maybe she was analyzing blood traces at an altar for patterns and found much more recent sacrifices than she was expecting.

I'm thinking about how I'd stat up everyone. It looks like you have a bunch of cultists, the possibility of military and police, the cult leader, and the serpent avatar.

The leader could be just another cultist, or he could be a crusader with summon avatar as an advantage. Were you thinking about having the serpent fade away after an amount of time, or that it sticks around? As for statting it, My instincts would be to use the angel stats. Or the demon Lord stats, either one.
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Old 06-04-2015, 04:57 PM   #7
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Default Re: [MH] Monster Hunters Adventure Seeds

The Cursed Grimoire of Polyramas

mages,curses,spirit beings,investigation

This potent artifact is called a grimoire, but is merely in the shape of one. It gives a +2 to all rolls against the path of spirit, an potent bonus that stacks with places of power! The book is 10 lbs, written in latin, and is a general text on spirits. The front of the book has a list of crossed out names: this book belongs to: ... . If a new name is written in it the next time the book is unattended the page will return to its old state. The Grimoire of Polyramas has a sense mind effect, a sense magic effect, a sense spirit effect, and a sense undead effect on at all times. the energy for the effect is around 250, and effectively permanent.

The book is possessed by a spirit entrusted with ensuring that anyone who steals this book suffers for it. This spirit must be shown via wills and other evidence that the user is the current owner (or has his permission), or it will take vengence! The spirit takes the appearance of the mage and goes out to kill his most hated enemies and dearest allies. If the mage cast a spell with an unwarded mind, the sense mind effect will inform the spirit of who the targets are. If not, the mage gets a resistance roll against the book when in the presence of the sense mind effect, or the spirit will snoop around to figure out appropriate targets. The spirit is not subtle about its killing -- It does its best to leave behind footprints, fingerprints, witnesses, and murder weapons. The goal is to get the mage killed AND dishonored -- and to have someone notice his death.

Destroying the spirit's form in any way (including 'banishing' it with path of crossroads) simply sends it back to the book. It can reform in 24 hours. To end the activity, the curse must be broken, which also destroys the artifact. The curse on the book has an effective will of 22. A mage can try warding the book, but the spirit has an effective will of 25 against wards -- not that the caster has any way of knowing that! The other way to stop the attacks is to return the book to its rightful owner, which will require a bit of research -- The last owner (the last listed name in the book) died over 400 years ago! It is possible to get the spirit to help find the rightful owner, but he will not cease his framing of the last mage to use the book wrongfully!

It should be noted that the spirit isn't a terrifically powerful foe by itself. It should also be noted the point isn't defeating it in combat! The point is figuring out what it wants and breaking the curse, so it doesn't come back again and again.

The spirit has the following basic stats:

ST 25 DX 14 IQ 14 HT 12
HP 25 Will 18 Per 14 FP 15
speed 7.00 Move 7
DR 1 (tough skin)

Doesn't breath, doesn't eat or drink, Immune to metebolic hazards, high Pain threshhold, Slave Mentality, Magic Resistance 4, Resistant to Wards +3, Fragile (unnatural), Elastic Skin (only when formed), can kill self as free action, effected by a pentagram, homogenous
Brawling-18, Wrestling-18, most weapons at 14, Stealth -15, Forced Entry-15, Acting-16, Forensics-14

There are a few ways this curse can be introduced into a campgain:

  • In the first, a mage who used it comes begging for help against someone who is framing him. This mage may be of any power level.
  • In the second, the characters get their hands on the book as 'loot'. They may have faced the spirit before, but won't know exactly what's going on.
  • In the third, a rouge mage figures out what's going on and tries to reframe the spirit's programming: they have no friends, and they want their enemies dead anyways...
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Old 06-08-2015, 02:38 PM   #8
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Default Re: [MH] Monster Hunters Adventure Seeds

Canine to Canine

Investigation, curse out of control, lycanthropy


A werewolf attacks a dog, which miraculously survives -- and in an equally unlikely turn of events, is now a lycanthrope itself. The origonal animal is a stray, and is going around infecting other dogs in fights! most lycanthropes kill their victims in lycanthrope form, and most humans don't fight enough to spread the curse in non-transformed form -- but that doesn't apply to dogs. Each night there will be yet more monsters -- and its unknown how they are getting here. Every body is being found, and the hotels are as empty as ever -- but it won't take long for the lycanthrope population to hit critical mass!
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Last edited by ericthered; 06-08-2015 at 03:15 PM.
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Old 06-08-2015, 02:54 PM   #9
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Default Re: [MH] Monster Hunters Adventure Seeds

As long as we're doing lycanthropes...

High School Alphas

Teenage hunters face three rounds of opponents.

First, the nearly-stereotyped (American) football team, who are performing unexpectedly well this season and becoming even more bullying than the norm off the field. Defeating them reveals that they are not actually werewolves, but they are being regularly "boosted" by...

The next opponents: the cheerleaders - the alphas of the school social scene. They are the actual werewolves, boosting the football team through regular, um, "interactions". Defeating them leads to a showdown with...

The final enemies: the adults in the werewolf pack - the mothers of the cheerleaders, and the lone male werewolf who is the actual Alpha of the pack.
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Old 06-08-2015, 04:20 PM   #10
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Default Re: [MH] Monster Hunters Adventure Seeds

Providing your players haven't read them, the Monster Hunters International books by Larry Correia are a good source of material or ideas to liberally borrow.

Monster Hunter Alpha immediately comes to mind with ... zombie werewolves. Which leads me to the idea of a bad guy necromancer type coming into town and raising some dead werewolves to cause trouble. The twist could totally be that the PCs already killed these stupid wolves and now they have to do it again?

I'm also very tempted to do a Body Swap adventure for my group at some point if I can figure out how to make it work. Say, a bored Fae blows through town and randomly decides to put the wizard's mind in a shooter's body, and that shooter is suddenly Gifted, and so on. Could be fun. Could be a nightmare as they try to track down the Fae and force it to undo its mischief.
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