Episode One: The Upsilon Factor

Scene One: Orientation

  • sample PCs (normal and super versions)
  • treatise on University of Hellenback
  • campus map
  • map of lovely downtown Hellenback
  • syllabus for Underwater Basketweaving
  • sample roommates

The school year is just beginning at the University of Hellenback. Students from all over the world are trickling in for the new semester. Among these hapless innocents (well, kind of innocent) should be the PCs. Players should have in their hands a character sheet for a 50/50 As a matter of personal style, I let the players know that they can take more than 50 points of disads if they like (but not spend more) and any excess points left over at this stage will free up more for when I sit around writing up the character's powers. In my own campaign, all PCs come in with a "PhysLim: student" (common, slightly) to represent little things like homework, being required to be in class at predetermined times, being at the mercy of the faculty and administration, having to be on the meal plan, and so on. I've also allowed things like "PhysLim: addicted to coffee" (which you might think is trivial, but allows me to use "you're all hanging out in the coffee shop..." as a plot device). The only caveat is that if they get points for it, at some point it has to come back and bite them in the unmentionables. For example, with the coffee addiction, if they've been unable to get coffee for more than a day (captured, on an alien planet, whatever) - they get headaches and become jittery (i.e. a minus to PER rolls and DEX rolls involving manual dexterity). Trust me, guys, caffeine is a drug and does have withdrawal symptoms. (with no unusual powers).

If any PCs have taken the disadvantage "DNPC: roommate", they will meet their roommate now. If at all possible arrange for one of the roomies to be Yves. (Yves appears in Episode 4: The Roomie from Outer Space)

On top of the classes they expected, each PC will find "UBW 101: Introduction to Underwater Basket-weaving" on their course schedule. The class seems like a gimmie, and dropping it will require confronting the registrar's office - a truly horrifying prospect. Recalcitrant PCs may be warned that the Registrar hates unnecessary add/drops, and is in a position to schedule the courses you need for your major at 1am in the University graveyard...

Now is a good time to show the PCs around campus. Locations of note include Ferior Hall (a dorm), Ane, Sane and Sidious Halls (classroom buildings), the pool (where Underwater Basket-weaving classes are held), the coffee shop, the cafeteria and the main lawn.

Scene Two: Free Cookies

Early in the semester, Student Services arranges a public lecture in the main Lecture Hall. Apparently Dr. Bernard Sachewicz, an expert on metahumans and metahuman affairs, has made himself available to give a brief presentation to the campus. This is really impressive, Dr. Sachewicz (among those who have heard of him) is known to keep a very low profile, probably because one of his inventions was a metapower suppression device in use in the supervillain prisons. He practically never makes public appearances. If you want to hear him speak, this is probably your only chance.

Free cookies, coffee, and lemonade are served outside of the lecture hall. PCs who didn't feel like going to the lecture will stop by to sample the free food When was the last time you heard of a college student turning down free food? Observant PCs may notice a number of men in gray pinstripe suits in the reception area, attempting to be inconspicuous. They're not really friendly or open to conversation. Maybe they're Secret Service? PCs who attempt to engage them in conversation and make a very high Perception check may notice that each man has a small tie-tack bearing a stylized "T.H.E.M." Episode 2: Oh, No! Not T.H.E.M.!

Dr. Sachewicz will give a short lecture on "The Upsilon Factor", explaining some of the causes and trends relating to paranormals. Particularly observant PCs (KS in English, Biology or Medicine, or the skill Oratory can help) may notice that Dr. Sachewicz is reading from his notes and occasionally stumbles over or mispronounces a word. Unbeknownst to the PCs, this is because, in fact, the man giving the lecture is an impostor! 2.5: Oh, No! Not T.H.E.M.!: The Great Escape Extremely observant PCs may notice that Dr. Sachewicz confers with some of the men in suits after the lecture. Inhumanly perceptive PCs may notice that neither Dr. Sachewicz nor the men in suits sample any of the free food.

Scene Three: Maybe it was the Eggplant Parmesan

  • ad copy for Costume-in-a-Can(tm)
  • suggestions for sample discoveries

Over the next few weeks, the campus becomes a little weird, even for Hellenback. Several students are hospitalized for food poisoning (well, ok, that's not too weird - they were on the meal plan), a few others drop out suddenly, one after winning every lottery in the state, and the University football team actually wins a game, breaking an eight-year losing streak. All PC powers should be considered active at this point (they'll be 100/150 supers now).

Each PC should be given at least one strange event as appropriate to their new powers. Clairvoyants will discover odd facts about others, telepaths will catch stray thoughts, flyers will "miss the ground", and energy projectors will need to get new wallpaper and so on. If needed, Nasty Man see Scene 4: A Day in Underwater Basket-weaving can be brought in as a random menace. If possible, involve PC's in each other's discoveries.

Alert PCs to the existence of Costume-in-a-Can(tm) It's a plot device. This is a PG universe. (available at the college bookstore), especially those with powers hampered by or destructive to normal clothing. (Costume-in-a-Can(tm) is a high tech polymer that can be sprayed directly onto the skin to create a spandex-like substance that behaves as part of the wearer - morphing as appropriate for shapeshifters, turning invisible on people with invisibility, transforming into water/electricity/whatever... you get the picture. It can be ripped, but is easily patched by a little spritz from the can. Stencils come in very handy if you want to use multiple colors).

Scene Four: A Day in Underwater Basket-weaving

  • bio/stats on Incredible Dude (and NastyMan)
    Sorry, I've never gotten around to actually writing up NastyMan's or Incredible Dude's stats on the grounds that they're plot devices and not characters. For the sake of this combat, NastyMan is a normal wearing fair to good body armor with a gadget pool of 100-150 points, and Incredible Dude is a flying brick (Flight, STR more than 28, PD/ED 20 or more, susceptibility to, well, you know.)

PCs will be attending Underwater Basket-weaving class (if they balk, tell them it's graded on attendance and they need to keep up their GPAs). In the unlikely event that the PCs are actually paying attention to the class (or if they've fallen asleep), give them a Perception check to notice something going on just outside the window on the main lawn. Upperclassmen or natives of Hellenback will recognize two local supers, Incredible Dude and NastyMan duking it out, ripping up the area in the process.

Shortly after this is brought to the PC's attention, Incredible Dude wind up with a really, er, incredible punch, and sends NastyMan flying through the windows and into the pool. If it seems dramatically appropriate, he can collide with one of the PCs, otherwise he just makes a really big splash. NastyMan pulls himself out of the water just as Incredible Dude flies in to land beside him. Incredible Dude announces majestically "Well, you're all washed up, NastyMan," or something else appropriately corny. NastyMan pulls himself up, and laughs his evil laugh. "But that is where you are wrong, Incredible Dude, for it is I who have won this battle... with this!" He reaches into one of his belt pouches and pulls out a purple gelatinous substance bearing a marked resemblance to grape JELL-O(tm). Incredible Dude visibly wilts, pulling back and wincing as if in pain. "No...," he gasps, loudly enough to make sure nobody misses this important point, "not... grape JELL-O(tm)! For those of you who don't keep up with the fast-paced world of JELL-O™, let me explain. My one weakness!"

With any luck, the PC's should jump in at this point on the side of goodness, fair play, and the American Way.

NastyMan will either flee like the villain he is, or be captured and taken off by the police... in ordinary handcuffs. In either case, Incredible Dude will thank the PCs for their civic-mindedness and ask them for their names (superhero names - hint, hint!!) Some convenient journalism major will pick up on it and the whole thing (including whatever names the PCs stick themselves with on the spur of the moment).

Scene Five: Green Firefly (Billy Ray)

Sometime in the next few days, in the evening, the PCs should all be hanging out somewhere on campus (it's best if they're all together and within sight distance of the main lawn - the coffee shop is great for this), when, suddenly, a huge column of green flame spouts up in the center of the main lawn.

When the PC's go to investigate, they find that one of the University of Hellenback's cheerleaders is standing around shrieking uselessly, "Billy Ray exploded! Billy Ray exploded!" A male form is handing suspended in the middle of the pillar of green flame, looking very dramatic. He doesn't respond to anything people say to him. Tackling him out of the fire, or even a swift slap to the face will bring him out of it. He'll still be covered in green fire and hovering a bit, but the big fire will have subsided to a smaller halo effect and he'll seem ok.

In the course of talking to the PCs, he'll stare at his hands and say, "I'm... green!" A little later he'll add, "I'm green and I'm on fire!" After another short pause, he'll continue, "I'm green, I'm on fire, and I'm flying." A light of pure inspiration will fill his face as he pulls himself straight and announces triumphantly "I am... Green Firefly!!" With that revelation, he'll fly off into the distance, leaving only a faint trail of green behind him (and the PCs wondering why they bothered).

Mop-Up

At this point all PCs should know at least one (and we hope a few) of their powers and have come up with costumes and nifty names. Nudge them if they haven't.

Marginalia