Clii TI VO DE PRECURSORES CPU-CM
DILUCION DE ANTISUERO ANTI GM-CSF
ary. To increase their power, provide them with
either the Fire Demon Powers or Torment Demon
Powers option.
Th e attack occurs at closing time for the museum, as many visitors leave. Th e PCs can learn about the attack via the MCPD or the news. Th e villains remain outside the museum, terrorizing innocents and destroying property, until the PCs show up. By the time the PCs arrive on the scene, the police have blockaded both ends of the street and cleared all bystanders from the area.
TACTICS
Refer to the accompanying map. At the start of the battle, Talisman stands near the entrance, unleashing blasts of Hellfi re at parked cars; the
KNOCKED OUT
DEMONS
In many of the encoun- ters described in Acts Two and Th ree, Chantal has summoned demons to serve the Black Paladin. As a rule of thumb, reducing one of her conjured demons to -11 STUN banishes it to the Netherworld; it vanishes in a puff of sulphurous yellowish smoke. If you want to speed up combat, have the demons vanish at 0 STUN.Th e Black Paladin’s demon steed, Dark- ling, disappears when Knocked Out just like any other demon. In fi ghts including Dark- ling, assume Chantal summoned him before the beginning of the fi ght, thus returning him to this world.
41
Shades of Black
■Chapter Two
Gryphon crouches next to her, his beak and claws red with the blood of murdered innocents; and the two demons are 3” in the air, blasting craters in the museum’s façade.
When the PCs come within earshot, Talisman says:
Talisman resents having to take orders from the Black Paladin, and isn’t happy about risking capture in a raid whose purpose she doesn’t under- stand. Th e words she speaks aren’t her own; the Black Paladin told her to speak them, and she does her best to imitate him. Basically, she hams it up, so try to get that across to the players. Th ey may realize she doesn’t normally speak this way; if nec- essary, you can give the PCs an INT Roll to fi gure this out.
Th e Gryphon (DEX 23)
Th e Gryphon performs a Wind Blast on as many PCs as he can get in the Area Of Eff ect. On later Phases, he continues to use Wind Blast if pos- sible in an eff ort to prevent pursuit of Talisman. Otherwise, he performs Move Bys on earth-bound opponents. He does not engage in HTH Combat unless he has no other choice. Unless he goes Ber- serk, he retreats aft er fi ghting for one Turn, regard- less of how well the battle goes.
Talisman (DEX 20)
Talisman immediately fl ies inside the museum, leaving the Gryphon and demons to fi ght the PCs. She fl ies through the museum for one or two Turns, then retreats out the back. If no one pursues her, she chooses a random display, breaks the glass, and steals something vaguely resembling an orb (a gem stone, a globe, a bronze censer, a ball from the Native Ameri- can sport of baggataway) before retreating.
If pursued, she fl ies directly toward the most convenient back exit (probably a window). If time permits, she uses her Hellfi re Gate to commit random acts of destruction. Once outside the museum, she heads straight for the Black Paladin and others. Whether the Black Paladin stays to help Talisman, or leaves to avoid confrontation with the PCs, is up to you — but he won’t run the risk of capture.
Lesser Demons (DEX 20)
If one of the PCs has shown himself to be extraordinarily fast (i.e., more than 20” of Flight or Running) in a previous encounter, both demons immediately attack him by activating their Damage Shields and attempting to Grab him. Once they Grab him, one squeezes while the other attacks with its Claws. Th e demons continue to attack the PC until he’s Knocked Out or they’re dispatched.
Otherwise, the demons attack fl ying PCs. If only one PC is airborne, both demons attack that PC. If none are airborne, they attack from the air
with Energy Blast. When the Gryphon fl ees, the demons cover his escape. If, aft er one Turn, the Gryphon is restrained or Knocked Out, the demons attempt to free him or wake him up, so he can escape. Th e demons fi ght until defeated. Th e Black Paladin and Lady Crow
Th ese two villains stand across the street, stealthily watching the fi ght from atop a nearby building. Th e Black Paladin, aided by Chantal, uses Teleport to move the group if they risk discovery, or for a better view of the fi ght. Th ey only par- ticipate in the battle if an opportunity to seize the perfect vessel presents itself, or to help Talisman and the Gryphon escape. For example, Lady Crow might order her Murder Of Crows to intercept a pursuer; or the Black Paladin could use his Blind- ing Fog Spell or attack with his Shadow Blast. If the PCs Knock Out a villain but then leave him alone, the Black Paladin rescues him. If the Gryphon goes Berserk, Lady Crow attempts to calm him with Mind Control.
If the perfect vessel is not a PC, Black Paladin may use this diversion not to observe the PCs, but to kidnap her (assuming he knows her location). WRAPPING UP
If Talisman takes something, museum offi cials quickly identify the stolen object and tell the PCs what it is.
A successful KS: Arcane And Occult Lore roll reveals the Karathos Orb is an actual artifact, believed to increase the wielder’s mystical prowess. No one (or at least, no one the PCs have access to, including the Trismegistus Council) knows its exact location, origin, and powers. Whatever Talisman stole is an unlikely choice to be the Orb, though; if she didn’t take anything, no amount of searching through the museum turns up the artifact.
If a Mystic PC (or NPCs) succeeds with KS: Arcane And Occult Lore and also has CK: Millen- nium City, he knows the Karathos Orb was not on display at the Museum of Natural History... or else he would have discovered it long ago!
If a PC voices doubts concerning the attack, ask for a Tactics roll. If successful, the PC knows, without a doubt, the attack must have had an objec- tive other than seizing the Karathos Orb. Aft er all:
■ Th e villains obviously delayed until the PCs arrived.
■ Th e Gryphon used Wind Blast and performed Move Bys, so he wouldn’t become committed to HTH Combat and could escape.
■ Th e demons were supposed to neutralize pos- sible pursuit by attacking PCs with enhanced movement like speedsters and fl iers.
Of course, the PCs won’t know why the “raid” on the Museum was a feint. Th ere are two possible reasons: observing them; or distracting them so the Black Paladin could accomplish some other goal. If the perfect vessel is not a PC, the heroes may soon learn that the latter reason is correct, when they receive word that the Black Paladin has kidnapped her.
“Stop the foolish do-gooders, my minions! I go now to seize the Karathos Orb, which shall increase my power tenfold. Do not let them pass!”
42 ■ A Course Of War
Hero System 5
thEdition • HERO Plus
Traffi cking With DEMON
If a PC successfully uses Streetwise or KS: Th e Mystic World to try to locate the villains or learn about their activities, he hears that someone wants to arrange a meeting with Talisman. His source tells him the “someone” is a mobster named Sebastian