The Plot Seed Thread

[dsumner]

Okay, the idea here is to post plot threads that Judges can use in there games. You can post as much detail as you like as well as links to news stories, videos, or whatever gets the creative juices flowing. 

[dsumner]

I'll kick this off. Instead of the heroes fighting the villain of the week, an alien invasion, some otherworldly horror, etc. How about having them deal with any number of natural disasters. Say rescuing people from a flood or wild lands fire? Have a hero capable of surviving in space? What will they do when that orbital space station is stuck by debris, a meteor storm, or its life support system fails? What happens when the latest "unsinkable" cruise ship is hit rogue wave and capsizes with over 1,500 people on board?  Or when the chemical plant in Armpit, Arkansas springs a leak threatening the town? Pipeline break open, oil tankers leaking into the oceans, gas & chemical plants explode, high-rise buildings catch fire. You name it, any and everything can happen. Just look at the local/national/international news for the latest headlines. There's enough stuff in your daily paper to keep your players busy for several gaming sessions. 

If you want, these can all be completely unrelated events that will break up the name game session, and make the characters think about new and innovative ways to use their abilities (and Judges should reward players for doing just that). Or, some of them could be related to a larger ongoing sub-plot. Is there a patter linking these events to some larger over-reaching plan. Does your detective character notice something that the local police have missed leading him on the trail of fire-bug? Use your imagination and keep the players guessing. 

[ortrail]

Yeah, there is pretty much some natural disaster or man-made situation (derailed trains to add to your list above) that could use some super assistance every week. Every day if you are taking a global viewpoint.

[dsumner]

Mar 26, 2019 5:04:25 GMT ortrail said:

Yeah, there is pretty much some natural disaster or man-made situation (derailed trains to add to your list above) that could use some super assistance every week. Every day if you are taking a global viewpoint.

While a lot of the news can be depressing, it does serve as trove of info. Basic crimes can be used to spark your imagination. Have there been a string of burglaries in the area. Turn that into a series of thefts by a group of hi-tech thieves, or a villain stealing components for some device. The weather taken a strange turn, could become a mystical themed villain tampering with the "natural order". 

[dsumner]

A few more ideas for you. For those of you who've got characters who've been around a while, say long enough to have several established enemies, or are legacy characters, how about this. The child of a on the character's long time foes blames the character for "ruining their life" and sets out to seek revenge on them. He/she begins targeting known friends and associates of the character, planting "fake news" stories on social media, and just basically making life as difficult as possible for the character. How the character deals with this should make for some interesting role play.

[dsumner]

And another one for you. If your PC has a secret ID, have them go about his daily routine, when a domestic altercation begins in the area, it could be a coworker and their significant other, and ex-boyfriend, or whatever you come up with, or they could be at the bank, grocery story (just roll with what you like), things quickly get out of hand, and the person pulls out a firearm and takes her, and anyone around, hostage, to include the PC.

[ortrail]

Yeah, slipping away to change into your costume is a tough ask these days, with all the camera phones and security cameras all around. An active shooter situation at the workplace of a PC is going to demand immediate action, so can they stop it without any blatant use of super powers?

[dsumner]

Apr 2, 2019 3:37:07 GMT ortrail said:

Yeah, slipping away to change into your costume is a tough ask these days, with all the camera phones and security cameras all around. An active shooter situation at the workplace of a PC is going to demand immediate action, so can they stop it without any blatant use of super powers?

Dip into the closet, or bathroom, and change clothing, as most people aren't really going to be paying attention to anything other than the shooter.

[dsumner]

Fright Night

Over the past few weeks there have been a series of grizzly murders in the campaign city. Psychic/supernaturally attuned characters have had difficulty sleeping, and a growing sense of unease about them. After the latest murder (when and where they happen is left to the Judge to determine), the local authorities have come to the PCs for help. Who's committing the murders is left to the Judge to decide, but I'm recommending that it be some sort of cult, the creepier and more disturbing the better. The Judge will have to determine exactly why they've chosen their specific victims, but it should be leading up to something big, such as some sort of celestial event, specific date, or whatever fits the bill in your campaign. After a little investigation the PCs should learn that if the group is successful, lets just say things will go badly for us poor old human folk.

[dsumner]

Crisis on an Alternate Earth

The PCs are going about their normal daily routines, when a massive energy disturbance forms over the center of the city. It's strong enough that power is knocked out, electronic devices are disrupted, and car engines shut off. As the heroes arrive (and why wouldn't they come to investigate?), a blinding flash of light erupts from the center of the disturbance, and then it's gone, as it disappears they spot what appears to be a lifeless armored human form falling rapidly toward the ground (the Judge should play this up, making sure the PCs understand that this guy will go splat if they fail to act).

Once the PCs recover the individual, they'll discover an unconscious attractive human female inside the armor. They can attempt to revive her (It should take a while, and she'll need medical attention), but when the do, she's jabbering in a language they don't understand (Unless they have some ability or device that will translate her language), and she keeps gesturing toward her left arm then pointing at a device on the left arm of her armor. If they figure out she wants them to hand her the device, she'll press a button, and within a few seconds when she speaks it's in English (or whatever the primary language of the group is). She explains that her "Earth" has been overrun buy superhumans, who just happen to be evil doppelgangers of the PCs. So goes on to explain that she's a scientist from Earth, and in a desperate attempt to free themselves, she began exploring alternate realities. She managed to build her suit, which allows her to open dimensional portals for a limited time, and come here for help. She pleads with the PCs to help her save her world.

[dsumner]

If any of you guys use this stuff, let me know, I'd really like to hear about it.

[ortrail]

I'd call it 'Secret Infinite Crisis Wars' but I like the idea.  I'd start with a desperate fight though, as she assumes the heroes are also evil in this world.  This gets really interesting if the heroes have yet to reveal some weakness or vulnerability that could be used to help defeat their evil counterpart. 

Oh, I was also going to make a joke about Fright Night; how the local zoo is really upset about someone killing all their grizzly bears. 

[dsumner]

Bad Love

Two supervillains, a male and female, have split (exactly who they are is left to the Judge, but it's suggested that the players at least be familiar with the female villain). The male villain, never one to take no for and answer, isn't happy with the situation and is making the female villain's life a living hell. He's been stalking her, and last night physically assaulted her, leaving her battered and bruised. Despite, she's come to the heroes for help, as she can't exactly turn to the police, as she's a convicted felon, and isn't supposed to have contact with other felons. How the heroes handle the situation should make for some interesting role play. 

[dsumner]

Save Our Ship

For the last 24 hours the coastline has been hit by a major storm, probably the worst they've seen in the last 100 years. Winds are near hurricane strength and major flooding has developed in low lying areas, and forecasters are saying things will get worse as the night wears on. But, a little over an hour ago, the authorities received and SOS from an foreign fishing vessel. It's about 100 miles off the coast, and was trying to ride the storm out at sea. They severely miscalculated the severity of the storm, and now they need help. The ship is taking on water and sinking fast. The is en route, but they're not sure if they'll be able to reach the ship in time. The authorities have turn to the heroes for help, and it's up them to save the crew. Judges should let the players know that it's night, the winds are strong, and visibility is limited do to the heavy rains. Locating the ship will be extremely difficult unless one of the players has some type of sense, or senses, that will assist in the search. He should also play up the fact that the crews calls for help are becoming more dire with each passing minute. 

[ortrail]

Save Our Ship Part Two

There is no sign of the crew by the time the heroes arrive, with a search revealing a few strange scales and a couple 'goodbye' notes jotted down quickly. All indicate the crew have agreed to accompany 'the fish men' into the depths to serve for seven years in exchange for saving their lives.

The families and authorities are having none of it, of course, and demand the heroes negotiate the release of the 'hostages'.