HU Adventures

Created by Brett Hegr
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The following adventures are designed for the Heroes Unlimitedtm game, though they could certainly be altered to work in another game genre. These ideas are in the Hook, Line, and Sinkertm format, created by Jolly Blackburn.

Shake it Up

Hook: An unknown villain has threatened to bomb commercial centers (malls, department stores, highway intersections, etc.) unless the city pays a ransom of ten million dollars.

Line: The bomber plans to set off three bombs to prove his intent. The PCs should be caught in one of these three events, so they have a chance to see first-hand what happens. If the ransom isn't paid, the bomber threatens put one in a crowded area every day until he gets his ransom. However, investigation of an explosion zone will reveal that the damage seems more like it was caused by an earthquake than an explosive device (obvious to anyone with demolition skills or a military education). Police will try to withhold this fact from the public, to avoid the chaos that an unknown mutant can cause. The FBI is also present, because they suspect the supervillain Earthmover could be involved.

Sinker: The bombs aren't actually bombs! Earthmover and Verdant (pg. 145 of Villains Unlimitedtm) are stirring up trouble by creating earthquakes in densely traveled areas. Earthmover doesn't delight in random murder, but then he doesn't much care about the lives of others and is interested in big money. His instructions are to create the chaos (while in his human form, to cover the fact that he's causing it), while Verdant takes care of getting the money. The ransom is to be dropped into the middle of a park by a lone officer. Earthmover is nearby in street clothes to make sure this happens. Verdant will then use his ability to control plants to bring the money to him (the park is the perfect place for that).

Hunters

Hook: Several grisly murders have occurred all over town. They seem to be unrelated, except for the fact that they all appear to have been committed by some sort of animal(s).

Line: The victims always seem to have the backs of their heads removed (via claws, fangs, or brute force) and are all homeless people and drifters. Police are unable to find clues and leads because of the sheer randomness of the killings. This is further compounded by the fact that a lot of homeless persons are terrified of monsters. Police attribute it to mass hysteria. Talking with the homeless folks will bring the realization that they are very afraid and quite sane.

A couple even claim to have found the "skin" of one of the monsters, but the police aren't interested in the stories. The skin of the monster, if the players find it, is truly a mystery. It's kind of rubbery, gray, and human-sized, as if a snake-man chose to molt right then and there.

PCs might either know a homeless person or two, might have a hideout located in the area of a killing, or could even hear a yelp of fear while walking down a dark street. If the PCs have had contact with the anti-hero Hellhound, he might attempt to get a message to them that he has information regarding the murders.

Sinker: Dr. Heinrich Vossen (pg. 152 of Villains Unlimitedtm) is in town on vacation and is testing out something he is developing for a third-world dictator. He has created a tracer chip and a cybernetic implant with a great range (nearly 40 miles) that gives a being the ability to mentally track the tracer. He has implanted a creation with the device (and a control collar, for safety) and is testing the effectiveness by launching the tracer into the backs of the heads of the homeless (does 2d6 damage but is not life threatening). The creature senses the tracer and is trained to retrieve it from the cranium of the victims. Failure or lateness results in a painful shock from the control collar.

The ape-like creature has rubbery black skin, great agility and strength, and the ability to adhere to substances. Some bionic weapons or a sonic scream can round out the beast. The control collar is the only way that Vossen can truly control it, though it looks up to him as a sort of pack leader. Destroying the collar will free the beast from control, and it may go wild or run away to the nearest wilderness area. Vossen left Iron Golem to tend to the freaks and is accompanied by Winston and the Hatchetman, his cyborg lackeys.

Another possibility - what if the tracer chip is planted into one of the player characters? They'll have a beast on their tail until they can figure out what is going on.

Villain City

Hook: An outbreak of carnage has left areas of the city in ruins. It seems that four super humans have been fighting each other at random and innocent people have gotten hurt.

Line: The Agressor and Onslaught (pg. 128 of Villains Unlimitedtm) are trying to escape from Soundwave (pg. 185) and the Electrocutioner (pg. 148). In doing so, the results have been a couple violent confrontations where everyone involved has sustained injuries. They refuse to quit, however. The Agressor apparently has a much stronger energy weapon at his disposal, and is using it liberally. Hardware characters, super spies, and any character with Mechano-Link might be interested in this weapon.

Sinker: This is one big mess! The Electrocutioner struck a deal with the mob to steal a powerful energy blaster from a local technology firm. Soundwave was along for the ride, because he was employed by the mob to reverse-engineer it and find a way to make more. However, the tech firm was a front for the Fabricators corporation. They want it back, and hired the Agressor and Onslaught to get it. The Agressor got a hold of it and was going to return it to Fabricators when he was ambushed by the Electrocutioner and Soundwave, who killed the drop team. The Agressor barely made it out intact, and he hasn't had much time to repair his armor. Worse yet (for him, anyway) is whenever he tries to return the weapon Soundwave and the Electrocutioner disrupt the procedure. Soundwave planted a bug on Onslaught and has been able to listen in for some detailed info.

All four super villains are duking it out to see who gets to have the big gun. If things are not resolved quickly, the city will be in ruins. Fabricators and the mob might also send in extra men to help in the recovery - both sides want this weapon and will give a lot to recover it. If the PCs get a hold of it, then they become the focus of the attention. If they turn it over to authorities or destroy it, they'll make enemies of Fabricators and the mob.

Deja Vu

Hook: A small group of thieves has stolen weapons-grade uranium from a nearby nuclear materials processing facility.

Line: The leader of the group was caught on videotape, and is apparently a mutant. He simply walked into the refinement chamber, collected the uranium that he wanted, and left unharmed. His identity could not be determined, as he was wearing a heavy trenchcoat and hat to cover his identity.

Searching for information will lead to the following conclusions:
  1. The thieves probably had an inside man in the facility.
  2. Any normal human (and even most super humans) should have died from the level of radiation.
  3. Federal law enforcement has set up an unprecedented number of roadblocks to try to keep the theives in the state/country. Airport security has also been tripled.
  4. Hysteria has hit the populous and many are trying to leave the state, which is overloading the roadblocks. Widespread panic has caused several injuries and two fatalities.
  5. The only known super human that could survive in the refinement chamber is the villain U235 (pg. 199 of Villains Unlimitedtm).
  6. Hospitals have had an extraordinary amount of cases dealing with radiation sickness. More answers might be found there.
Sinker: The villain U235 has indeed been hired to assure that the radioactive material reaches his contact at the airport. Though he isn't the head of the operation, he knows what is going on and is in more control this time than he was before (when he gained his powers). In fact, he deperately wanted to pull this off so that he can feel success where he once felt failure. It's not only a professional but a personal matter this time. He is much more seasoned this time and is playing the game with a level head.

The game plan is that the thieves will lay low for a few days and try to sneak into the airport with the help of pair of paid-off security agents. Once inside, they will make the switch and trade the money for the uranium. The buyers are on a small private jet, while the thieves (and U235) are disguised as baggage handlers (with their weapons hidden in suitcases).

Players will need to search for info and come to some conclusions. GMs should try and keep them focused on the hospitals, refinery, and airport for information. Once they get an idea of who could be behind this and what their plans might be, they could end up in a tangle on an airport runway! Oooooh! Fun! Do I hear the words "property damage?"