Necessary Evil
A Savage Worlds supers game.
Date: 1/8/15 - 7/15/15, 10/22/15 - 11/15/15
Players: Todd (GM), Brent (Larry/Anubis - Dual character created from Egyptian artifact), Rob (Chris - Earth elemental), Andy (Kid Nano - Young supergenius gadgeteer), Lewis (Nerodia Sipedon - Super sorcery, rightful Atlantean King), Scott (Ted - Internet sword salesman)
Dead: Eclipse, Nerodia
Retired: Kringle (Didn't mesh with group), Madame Morose (real life), Anubis (Larry purged this part of his character)
Characters
Start as 0 XP, Novice. We'll be using the Necessary Evil rules - not the Supers Companion. You'll need to buy the Necessary Evil Player's Guide to play.
Character creation is a little confusing: You build a character as normal. In addition, you get the Arcane Background: Superpowers for free with 10 power points included. Use the Necessary Evil book to build your superpowers.
Remember: You're evil, not a psychopath!
Languages: The game has these new languages you can take - V'Sori, Atlantean
Intro
In Necessary Evil, a band of aliens lured the world’s superheroes into a cunning trap and killed or imprisoned the vast majority of them. The player characters are the only enhanced beings left to save the planet — supervillains! As the alien overlords’ policy is to kill anyone exhibiting paranormal powers, the only option open for such individuals is fight or flight! Earth's only hope is evil, necessary evil.
About Star City: Back in the 80s, a god-like alien called the Outsider arrived and created Star City just off the East Coast. Alpha Force battled and drove him away. Soon, people began settling in Star City. For reasons unknown, the V'Sori did not destroy Star City and based their command here. This is where the campaign will be based.
Events
* Captured by the V'Sori, the PCs are "rescued" by Dr. Destruction. Dr D gives them one choice - work for his Omega organization in defeating the V'Sori or die. The PCs reluctantly agree to join.
* The player's meet the somewhat insane Hammer. Working with the Hammer's old sidekick - The American Anvil - the PCs recruit the Hammer to their cause.
* The PCs encounter Wily the Fish, local black market profiteer. Kringle doesn't like his attitude and ends up killing him and his bodyguard - Hardwire. This doesn't sit well with the rest of the group and Kringle leaves their Omega cell. A NPC - Dr Vijay Gupta - also doesn't like this development and leaves the group.
* The PCs meet Dash - leader of a fellow Omega cell. Dash quickly becomes the most beloved NPC in Todd's repertoire. Dash's Omega cell is wiped out by V'Sori. Dash wants to join the PCs cell.
* PCs fight and defeat a robot that battled Champion when the Overlord first came to Earth.
* PCs rescue the Avenger from a V'Sori prison camp. Told that she "owes them", the Avenger tracks down Dash and delivers him to the PCs. The PCs place a tracker on Dash to learn where his base is.
* The PCs recover a power generator from an old lair of the Mole. Dr D uses it to power some satellites and tracks down a source of Coralisium - a rare Atlantean metal.
* The President's family is still alive but on the run! PCs manage to rescue the President's daughter, Jana. Turns out that she is secretly married to the Mole and her daughter, Mary, is the Mole's daughter. The PCs reunite them. The discovered Coralisium turns out to be an Atlantean Teleportation Tube that let's the PCs travel to Atlantis. Jana, accompanied by the Mole, agrees to rally what is left of Earth's human resistance.
* The PCs travel to Atlantis to recover The Crown of Atlantis - an ancient artifact that allows the wearer to summon an Atlantean army. Secretly, Dr D tells (who?) that Nero absolutely not be allowed to wear the crown. PCs recover the crown. They also learn that the Atlanteans are actually an alien race defeating centuries ago by the V'Sori. The few Atlanteans that survived manage to flee to Earth. They've lived her secretly, quietly rebuilding their nearly wiped out race.
* The PCs meet with Dr D with the Crown. Dr D demands it be turned over. The PCs get tired of his attitude and Dr D ends up dead. In a shocking revelation, it turns out that Dr D was actually King Meros of Atlantis. His distrust of Nero stems from when Nero tried to take over Atlantis. He had assumed the Dr D persona thinking that was the only way to work successfully with super villians.
* Traveling to Dr D's base (an epic battle at the Statue of Liberty), they PCs acqurie Dr D's resources and intelligence.
* The PCs return to Atlantis and locate The Chamber - a source of immense magical power. King Meros thought it too dangerous to ever use, but Nero is convinced he can harness it's power in the battle against the V'Sori. It's too much power for Nero to handle alone though.
* The PCs manage to track down Nero's old lover Deja Nal and a small cabal of of Atlantean sorcerers. Players have some qualms about this - it appears that Deja Nal had struck a deal with the V'Sori to betray the humans in St. Petersburg - but Nero convinces the players that she's cool.
Defeating the V'Sori
The PCs travel throughout Europe and Asia to rally the resistance. The cowardly Proteans try to stop them along the way, but the PCs prove too resourceful and have built themselves a massive army.
The army attacks the V'Sori command center in California. Through sheer numbers, they overwhelm the V'Sori that are there and throw the V'Sori war effort into total chaos.
Quickly following that, a reserve force of resistance and the Atlantean Lost Legion attack Star City with the PCs joining in. With the battle going poorly, the V'Sori unleash the Champion Inititivate - the evil aliens have turned Earth's mightiest superhero, Champion, into a drone. Did I saw mightiest? After Eclipse negates Champion's flight, Ted is able to catch up to him and cleave's the hero in twain.
Return of the Outsider
This momentous death of Champion draws the attention of the all powerful Outsider. The V'Sori are all but defeated and the Outsider has no interest in seeing that forgone conclusion play out. It turns out that the Outsider knew the V'Sori were coming to Earth and sprinkled around a few artifacts to give people superpowers. Anubis, Kringle, and Eclipse being some of the beneficiaries of that. Disturbingly, the Outsider did this for his own amusement, just to watch the battle play out on Earth.
With the battle over, the Outsider allows his victor - Eclipse - a choice: Let the world leave in peace for all time while the V'Sori continue to terrorize the rest of the galaxy or have one final, winner-take-all showdown with the V'Sori. Eclipse decides that Earth is worth risking if it will save the galaxy.
The Outsider allows Eclipse to choose his allies for this battle. He gladly choose the Atlantean Nero to join him. The Outsider has a sincere disgust for the Proteans and wants to wipe them from the planet. Eclipse makes a gamble and says he wants the Proteans as allies as well - the Humans and Atlanteans will need lackeys. Deja Nal, Nero's Atlantean lover, wants the Earth for herself and opts to fight against the PCs.
The Final Confrontation
Eclipse, Nero, Ted, and Kid Nano comprise the team fighting for Earth's future and to save the galaxy. Deja Nal & a group of Atlanteans from another team hoping to take Earth for themselves. Lastly, the V'Sori Overmind and a group of V'Sori/K'tharen hybrids are fighting to save the V'Sori race.
The battle begins and it's quickly a three way contest between Nero, Deja, and the Overmind to gain control of Earth's most dangerous hero - Ted. Arcane wills are pitted against one another ending in a stalemate that keeps Ted at bay.
The V'Sori hybrids march forward with their blaster rifles and quickly reek devastation in the arena. The Atlantean troops are cut to ribbons and then Deja Nal herself is brought down. The Overmind has mind controlled Kid Nano and has sent him after Nero. Eclipse flies about the battle field healing the blaster wounds.
With Deja down, Nero fighting off The Kid, and the Overmind distracted - Ted becomes free of his mind control and heads for the Overmind. Nero is wounded from blaster fire and can only turn incorporeal to protect himself against Kid. Nero heads for the Overmind.
Trying to neutralize the Overmind's mind control, Eclipse flies in and negates some of the Overmind's smarts. As the Overmind backs away, Eclipse calls out his cowardice and the Outsider intervenes with his cosmic powers moving the Overmind back to Eclipse (and closer to Ted), but also forcing Eclipse to the ground (that Outsider was a real dick).
Eclipse finds himself on the ground, just as Ted closes in for what is surely a killing blow. Unfortunately, the Overmind once again manages to mind control Ted. The killing blow is delivered to Eclipse rather than the alien.
Things are looking dire. Kid Nano and Ted are both mind controlled. Nero is severely wounded and no match for the two of them. Worse, the Outsider will soon take acceptance to the cowardly Nero's incorporeal form and then it will be all over. Seeing no way out, Nero flies incorporeally into the Overmind, fully engulfing him, and then turns corporeal. The massive damage kills both Nero and the Overmind.
The Outsider looks over the battlefield and realizes that the only ones to survive his test are the Proteans that he so sorely hates. With a wave of disgust, the Outsider sweeps his hand and all Human and Atlantean life are vanished from Earth. The Proteans have won the day and Earth is theirs.
Setting
You're a supervillian battling to save the Earth from the V'Sori so that you can take it for yourself. The PCs are a a resistance cell, part of the Omega resistance movement located in Star City.
Who's Who
Aliens
K'tharen/Fins - First aliens to arrive. A blood-thirsty, shark-like race. Muscle for the V'Sori
V'Sori - Second aliens to arrive, actual masterminds behind taking over Earth.
Alien Leaders in Star City
Warmaster Gryphon - V'sori Commander
Commander Shavak - Gryphon's right-hand. Noted for his merciless and cruel tactics
Darb: Head of police in Star City, young and rash
Sugrot: Leader of the nastiest, most capable group of K'tharen in Star City. Feared by the populace
Alien Troops
Drones: Captured humans, their minds wiped, and weaponry surgically implanted; drones are the most common troop used by the V'Sori. The most common model has electroshock stunners, blasters, and vibro-claws
Hyper Drones: Upgraded drones with upgraded radioactive power supplies that kill the host within a year. The heavy blaster mounted orally means they can't talk.
War Spheres: Flying metallic spheres with heavy blasters
Quislings: Derogatory term for humans that work for the V'Sori
The aliens use many special vehicles
Man'o War: Large orbiting space prisons where supers are taken for unknown experimentation
Barracuda: Ground armored patrol vehicle
King Crab: Armored assault tank
M'Buna: Armored repulsorlift vehicle. Can go over water & land in addition lift up to 1500 feet with linked laser cannons
Manta: V'Sori fighter jet
The Outsider: A god-like being that arrived back in the 80s, created Star City, and then left after battling Alpha Force
Heroes
Alpha Force - Earth's mightiest team of superheroes. All presumed dead
Champion - Leader of Alpha Force, Earth's mightiest hero, killed by the V'sori. Defeated the Outsider's giant robot, driving the Outside away
Four Star & Lucky: British heroes, shot down by the V'Sori over the North Sea, presumed dead
Hammer of Justice - A lot paranoid. He never trusted the Atlanteans and he certainly never trusted the V'Sori, so didn't die at the betrayal. Still active in Star City hunting down villains and aliens. Sidekick: American Anvil
Hippocratic Oath - Healing hero, presumed dead.
The Revenger - Appeared after the invasion, working against V'Sori melee/Str
Villians
Colonel Clone - Maker of clones, killed by Champion
Dr. Destruction - Earth's mightiest supervillian, arch-foe of Champion, survivor of the V'Sori attack, leader of Omega.
Omega - Resistance group run by Dr. Destruction.
Dr Devolition - Scientist, famous for shrink rays. Presumed dead
Hydra, The Mutant Mastermind - High tech villain. Famous for kidnapping the President's daughter. Presumed dead
Junk Yard Dog - Strength villain with a bad attitude
Mindjack - Psionics villian, noted for the Amij Diamond heist
Monolith - Strength, earthquake villian. Retired to Japan after 1 too many battles with Champion
Shifter - Petty shape shifting villain
The Watcher - Leader of the gangs that call Tempest home. Seduction & mental powers
Terron - Magma powers and high tech. Presumed dead
Willy the Fish - Super thief, now runs most of the black market in Star City
Hardcore - Willy's female enforcer
Humans
Mayor Juan Perez: Handpicked by the V'Sori, complete lick spittle
Special Ops Cort (SoCorp): Humans trained by the V'Sori to work security. Protects the mayor
Jay Turcot - Reporter for the V'Sori propaganda news
Southpoint Slashers - Gang that rats out supers to the V'Sori in exchange for weapons & power
The Longshoremen - Gang that runs the Docks, lead by Greta Wilcox
The Truth - Underground resistance newspaper
The Undergrounders - Non-supers resistance group operating from below the city.
Atlanteans
King Meros - Leader of the Atlanteans, assumed killed in the V'Sori attack on Atlantis
Deja Nal - A half-Atlantean sorcerer, adviser to Kind Meros, presumed dead
Lost Legion - A fable about a legion of Atlantean heroes that will come to the land's aid in a time of need. (Only really known to Atlanteans)
Rumors
Ever notice how the Atlanteans and the V'Sori are both humanoid and blue skinned? (A) They're related. (B) They're in cahoots (C) They are the same people
Champion is still alive! He's leading a resistance against the V'Sori!
Aquarian is still alive! He's leading a resistance against the V'Sori!
The President is still alive! He's leading a resistance against the V'Sori!
Four Star & Lucky are still alive! They're leading a resistance against the V'Sori!
The USA president and his family escaped destruction and are in hiding
The V'Sori can "listen" through the power lines and taint the water to make people docile
The Lost Legion is real. (A) It was killed in the V'Sori attack on Atlantis (B) It's still coming, things just aren't bad enough yet. (Only known to Atlanteans)