Megapolis (Earth-X)

[MrJupiter]

I looked it up myself, and made a character with it. Well, the free one anyway. It doesn't look quite like what I wanted, mostly because I couldn't change the shape of the head. I really should just learn to draw.

As alternates, here are several different hero making sites available through the Fabrica de Herois websites:

For a more DC Animated style:
http://fabricadeherois.blogspot.com.br/ ... mated.html

For more traditional styles:
http://fabricadeherois.blogspot.com.br/ ... -2009.html
...OR...
http://fabricadeherois.blogspot.com.br/ ... -2011.html
[Note: I find the second one a little harder to figure out how to use. It does offer more choices, however.]

[fairytalejedi]

To the Furthest Dimension! (Part Two)

The Future Force travels into Dimension Zero and finds the International Space Station adrift, and eerily empty. But as they are exploring it, a massive insectoid mother ship de-cloaks above them.

The PCs go aboard and meet the native inhabitants as well as their leader, Cataclysmus

Kid Marvel brought along a prototype universal translator (represented by texting to player's cell phone ) and Cataclysmus tells him that he and his people are explorers too, which is why they opened a portal to Earth's dimension, though the portal technology hasn't been perfected. Pulling the human space station into Dimension Zero was an accident. The bugs tried to rescue the human crew members, but they were already dead.

The heroes are suspicious, and further investigation leads to the human scientists, who were actually captured alive and are being kept for study in stasis pods. Cataclysmus is planning an invasion!

With the scientists' pods in tow, the PCs fight their way back to their flying car; Wildstar pushes a Space enhancement and flies back to Earth with the pods, crashing down into Titan Park (though protected by her force field).

Meanwhile, Kid Marvel and Chrome take the flying car back through the portal, and Kid Marvel jury-rigs a pulse from the power supply, designed to reverse the polarity of the dimensional portal and close it as they pass through. They make it safely through, but two bug starfighters manage to follow them before the portal closes.

Kid Marvel leads one fighter toward Wildstar in the park, where they manage to capture it, only to have it self-destruct. Chrome had jumped out of the flying car to battle the second bug fighter, and eventually causes it to crash right into the URGENT office building, where it explodes, covering everyone inside in bug goo.

URGENT liaison officer, Agent Paulson, is none too happy about this, though he does note that the kids saved Earth from invasion, so he'll let it slide, this time.

[fairytalejedi]

So I've been thinking that in Megapolis-X, URGENT is more of a GI Joe type of outfit rather than employing in-house costumed supers. However, they typically work closely with, or actually play a role in forming, the local "official" supers team such as Megapolis' Defenders.

Also, I was talking with a friend about how golden age characters often reach retirement age or need some gimmick to explain how they've avoided aging (frozen in ice, longevity serum, whatever) but characters from the silver age and beyond are mostly just updated to keep them "current" characters.

So a character like Guardian would still very much be a current hero, even if he was first created back in the 70s. And besides, it's a shame to waste his updated stats from Awesome Powers 6.

So my thought is that Guardian is still the top dog in Megapolis. He provides a lot of funding and gizmos to the Defenders through Ashby Industries, but also is an active member of the team as the Guardian, much like Batman in the JL. Most of the registered supers in Megapolis are affiliated with the Defenders at least as reserve members.

Also, Guardian appreciates what a hero like Black Viper is doing, and gives her clandestine support even though she can't become a Defender due to being rogue. Guardian knows that sometimes you need people who work outside the system, so he watches Viper's back.

[BASHMAN]

I like the way you are incorporating this and making your own campaign. It is like the Ultimates in Marvel; familiar but with enough twists and variations to be something new.

[fairytalejedi]

Thanks. I decided I like Ace Ashby too much to relegate him to a Batman Beyond role.

I've also been toying with the idea of making Zekhra City part of a larger hollow earth "lost world" area with the classic hodgepodge of dinosaur and human civilizations. It would have to include the magical trope of "time flows differently here" so I don't know whether to combine that with Arcadia, but I'd probably lean towards making Arcadia another part of that lost world, since magic doesn't figure to play a huge role with the PCs.

Also, I was thinking about different colors of Lady Cosmics in different alternate universes, with slightly different characteristics. The Blue would be the version of the energy that's defensive and concerned with fate/destiny, yellow would be a more cheery "live in the moment" manifestation, red would be a more aggressive "fight fire with fire" version, and so on. So conceivably you could have a Megapolis crossover where various wielders of the Lady Cosmic energy could team up, each with their own unique color and temperament.

[fairytalejedi]

And by the way, as far as the Ultimate universe is concerned, the Future Force adventure was a direct rip-off of Ultimate FF #13-18.

[MrJupiter]

I also like the GI Joe-inspired version of URGENT. It gives the Defenders more of a solid position as THE protectors of the city (especially if a Defenders campaign were centered around the players). Powerful URGENT agents of the caliber of Marvel's Hawkeye and Black Widow keeping watch on the PC Defenders would make for some very interesting stories.

[fairytalejedi]

Thanks for the comment. Besides URGENT v. Defenders, I can also see a GI Joe: Renegades style plot as the doppelganger conflict develops, although I don't know how much detail I'll actually go into with that.

[fairytalejedi]

The Soul of Psyche

In a mission inspired by Fantastic Four #5 (the first appearance of Dr Doom), the Master makes his first campaign appearance, kidnapping Wildstar's parents in order to make the Future Force retrieve an artifact for him.

The Master has built a "mental magnetron" to increase his psionic powers, but to power it he needs the Soul Gems of Psyche, ancient relics which can only be found in the fabled Greek underworld of Hades!

The portal to Hades in Greece can be accessed on the night of the first new moon of the year, and the PCs travel there, and are taken deeper into the underworld by Charon the ferrymen. They find the spooky temple where the soul gems are kept, and retrieve the artifacts, then have to fight Cerberus who tries to keep them from leaving the underworld with their prize.

(The Cerberus fight was originally just an afterthought in the outline because I thought an action scene might be in order, but thanks to creative play and memorable rolls, it turned into the highlight of the adventure. )

The heroes return to the Master's lair, where he monologues about the unsurpassed genius of his invention, giving Kid Marvel all the info he needs to reverse the device and knock the Master unconscious with his own magnified psychic power!

With the hostages freed, the Master is handed over to URGENT, who transport him to Super Lock prison. Only later do the heroes learn that the Master in the prison cell turned out to be an illusion, and the real Master has escaped, his whereabouts unknown...

[fairytalejedi]

Here's my idea for Atlanteans in the settng. Inspired by the futuristic mer creatures from the "Primeval" tv series, but the Atlanteans are intelligent. They're larger than humans, powerfully built for swimming long distances even in strong open ocean currents.