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Encounter 3: Captured/A Hero Arises

El Gato

"You wake up, as if from a bad dream. It's dark and you have to dig your way out. Meow. You smell smoke and burnt chars. Meow. The cats are dead. Hsss. You are angry. Someone is going to pay. Grrr."

Peter Pan and Kid Invincible

"You wake up who knows how long later, tied up. You seem to be in a room. The red-suited kid is next to you, also waking up. Also in the room are a group of civilians, probably base personnel, cowering in the corner guarded by four Japanese soldiers. The big sumo guy walks in and notices that you two have woken up. 'Oh, so you have woken up? Good. You two super-powered Americans will soon be guests of Imperial Japan. Permanently.'"

Rad, the Radiation Man

"You wake up in darkness. No, not so dark. There is some light, but it's coming from you. You're glowing! Now you remember the explosion. Holly! With a burst of strength you break the restraining straps and stumble out of the RadiaCyclotron. You find Holly, unconscious, but at least she's alive. Then you hear voices approaching."

Game Master Notes

This is the pivotal encounter, as three different things are happening. First off, assuming they didn't take Killing Damage, an hour has passed so allow Peter and the Kid a Resting Recovery check (also for the Kid's suit powers). You should give El Gato a few minutes to get his bearings and find out what's going on. If (or when) he goes on a rampage switch to Rad. Four Japanese soldiers searching through the rubble will stumble upon Rad and Holly. Since Rad has just gained his powers, he will have a +1 Column Shift penalty to OV when he uses his powers.
Once the two free heroes start things rolling, Sumo will rush out to engage the nearest one (pick one randomly). The guards will be fidgetly distracted by the fighting. Now's the time for Peter and the Kid to break free. For Peter it's his Thief (Escape Artist) AV/EV 9/9 against the ropes (OV/RV 4), he only needs one RAP (roll 5) to free himself, though if he gets 4 RAPs (same roll of 5) he will do it without attracting any attention.

For the Kid (and should Peter fail his Thief check), he can try to break the rope through sheer Strength. This is a STR/STR (5/5) against the rope's BODY/BODY (5/5) with a +2 CS OV penalty since he lacks leverage (OV/RV 9/5). He needs to roll 15 to do 1 RAP of damage, which snaps the rope. This is a good time to try his Dumb Luck.

Once the fight starts one of the landing craft leaves with the wounded soldiers, 12 healthy soldiers, and all the research material recovered so far. Perhaps one of the fliers can stop it before it gets too far away. If possible the prisoners will be herded to the second landing craft as the assault force prepares to make a fighting withdrawal.

During the fight a kitten will jump out of hiding and scamper away. A soldier will make a hasty shot and miss the kitten, but then he will take careful aim and kill the fleeing feline unless El Gato saves him (no one else gets a Saving Innocents bonus for this). The kitten will later attach itself to El Gato, becoming El Diablo. For Rad, one of his fellow scientists will stumble out of the rubble and be gunned down by a soldier unless Rad does something.

Remember, the heroes are supposed to win! If it's getting too easy, throw in a few extra soldiers. But for the most part it should be the super villains versus the heroes. If Tsunami gets to the sea she can easily get away. Sumo on the other hand will probably be captured, though if there weren't so many flying heroes he might make it to the landing craft and escape.
Copyright (c) 2003 Kevin C. Wong
Page Created: December 3, 2003 Page Last Updated: December 3, 2003