Peril, Technoid, Thrash, and a Club Full of Thugs versus Agent M, Coldknight, and Tak
The Set-Up
A few days after the fight at the museum, Agent M and Coldknight track down Ichiro Takashima.
"Ook?"
"Let me handle the talking, M," Coldknight says as the pair float down onto the darkened parking lot as Ichiro fishes his car keys out of his pocket. "Ichiro Takashima, we must speak."
"What the --!" Ichiro strikes a defensive posture, ready to fight if needed. "Who are you?"
"I'm Coldknight. This is Agent M. We have a few questions about the incident at the museum."
"I've already spoken to the police. Several times. Talk to them."
"Aah! Aah! Ook!"
Coldknight shakes his cowled head. "You don't want us doing that, Mr. Takashima. They may have bought your girlfriend's story for now, but we don't. There's no way you crossed Peril's path and got away with a few bruises and scratches. We know you and this costumed hero Tak are the same person."
"And if that's so?"
"We need Tak's help. How'd you like a rematch with Peril?"
"Okay, you've got my attention," Ichiro says. "Convince me."
Coldknight explains the situation, about how Chiba Shinichi, a ruthless Yakuza oyabun, hired Peril to retrieve a ceremonial mask once owned by the sage Nichiren. According to legend, this mask was used by the demon-slayer Shoki during the oni-yarabi ceremony used to cleanse the land of the oni.
"In the wrong hands, the mask can be used to unleash and channel the power of the oni," Coldknight says.
"Ook-ook," Agent M agrees solemnly.
Coldknight continues his tale, about how he and Agent M had been working to bring down Chiba Shinichi, about how their investigation had led them to Club Darkside, a disreputable nightspot frequented by goons, thugs, and villains.
"Peril is supposed to be at Club Darkside tonight," Coldknight reveals. "If we grab her there, we can find out where Chiba Shinichi is holed up and grab him before he returns to Japan. So, Mr. Takashima, what is it going to be? You in?"
"Hai, I'm in."
"By the way," Coldknight says, "if you're going to make a go at a secret identity, a hero name not based on your real is probably a better option."
"Ook!"
I'm using this
floorplan for the nightclub. All three heroes begin with two hero points, one as normal plus one for various complications, good role-playing, et cetera. In addition to the three supervillains, Club Darkside hosts 20 criminals, 10 Thugs, one crime lord, and one assassin, in addition to the various waitresses, bartenders, DJ, et cetera. The club's security is made up of four combat robots (MM, p. 243) donated by an interested patron.
Round 1 - Surprise Round
Coldknight flies Agent M and Tak onto Club Darkside's roof next to an unconscious goon. It is about 2:00 a.m. The thrum of the driving bass vibrates through the roof into the heroes' feet. Agent M used Mind Switch on the goon while Coldknight and Tak restrained Agent M's body. Agent M then entered the club to scout out the scene.
"We should be more or less over the area M last saw Peril. She was sitting in the far right-hand corner. M also saw Thrash and Technoid inside on the dance floor. This is going to messy real fast. You ready?"
Tak swells to more than eight feet tall. "Ready."
Coldknight's night-black cloak swirls and wraps around Tak and Agent M. There is a brief sensation of unearthly light and invigorating cold which is almost immediately replaced by the flashing lights and driving beat within the club. Tak's eyes latch onto Peril at once. The villainess sits at a table with a pitcher of margaritas and two muscular pretty boys.
"Uh oh--" is all she manages to say before Tak scoops her up and slams her down in a painful hammerlock, her head forced down into the cushion of the chais lounge. Agent M leaps high from Coldknight's shoulder and disappears into the dark rafters above the track lighting.
Coldknight spends a hero point for extra effort to power stunt Accurate Short-Range Teleport 1 with Progression 4 off his Dimensional Movement power and teleports all three heroes into the nightclub. Tak Notices Peril sitting at a table in front of a pitcher of margaritas in the company of two boy-toys. He spends a hero point and surges, rushing at Peril. He goes all out with Accurate Attack, hitting easily. Improved Grab kicks in. Opposed grapple checks: Tak (46, which is also a crit!), Peril (15). Tak slaps a hold on Peril and bears down for damage. Peril's Toughness save versus DC 25 totals 20. She is stunned and bruised. Agent M darts away from Coldknight and hides under in the rafters (Stealth check 37).
Round 2
From where he sits not too far from Tak and Peril, a well-dressed man with slicked back hair moves with cat-like grace, knocking over his table and pulling a pistol from a shoulder holster. He aims over the table and fires at Coldknight, but the shot goes high and wide. Coldknight ignores the gunman and instead gestures at the archway and stairs leading down to the dance floor. Iridescent ice clogs the path, separating that part of the club from the area in which Peril is located.
Ten local goons snatch up beer bottles, chairs, or pull knives and rush Tak and Coldknight. Glass and wood shatter, and steel fails to penetrate when brought to bear against Tak. Coldknight nonchalantly evades his attackers, his swirling cloak blocking strikes and befuddling aim. Tak twists Peril's arm up higher behind her back and presses down harder on her shoulders. It seems a miracle her shoulder doesn't pop out of socket. Peril fights against the pain, struggling ineffectively against Tak's superhuman grip.
"Give it up, Peril," Tak growls. "Without your bow, you're no match for me."
Out on the dance floor, alarm spreads quickly. The sudden appearance of a wall of ice following a gunshot is more than enough to catch everyone's attention. Technoid steps in front of Thrash, his glowing force shield activating while his technomorphic armor changes into one of its many battle modes. He aims the scorch cannon and blasts the wall of ice into steam, puddles, and slivers. More angry patrons mob Tak and Coldknight, but to no avail. Their meager combat skills aren't up to the task. Thrash potentially is another matter. She charges across the dance floor and up the stairs, her feet crushing tiles, and swings at Coldknight. The hero's mystic cloak pulls him out of the way of bone-crushing punch.
Suddenly, the door to the staff room crashes open and four combat robots rush out. The robots' force blasters open fire. Coldknight dodges two blasts, his cloak blocks one, and the fourth hits home. Fortunately for Coldknight, his mystic amulet protects him from harm. From overhead, Agent M opens fire with this Multi-Blaster. A barrage of energy bolts hiss toward the robots, blasting one of them off its treads.
"Warning! System overload! Warning!"
Another patron takes his cue from the slicked-back-hair man and dives behind a table for cover, firing his pistol and Agent M. The super-monkey swings by his tail out of harm's way.
The assassin who was sitting a few tables away from Peril knocks the table over for cover, pulls his pistol, and fires at Coldknight. He misses horribly. Coldknight blocks off the bar area from the dance floor with a wall of angelic ice via Create Object. Let's say this cuts the number of Criminals and Thugs in the heroes' area by half since many folks are on the dance floor. Five Criminals attack Tak and five attack Coldknight, using a variety of chairs, bottles, and knives as weapons. The Criminals can't hurt Tak. None of Criminals hit Coldknight. Tak continues to grapple Peril. Tak's grapple check totals 37, and Peril is stunned. Tak tries to damage Peril, who faces her DC 25 Toughness save with an 17. Peril takes another bruise. On her initiative, she recovers from being stunned.
Technoid activates Shield and Shapeshift. His Shapeshift powers are Attack Focus 5 (ranged), Blast 10 (fire), Protection 9, Sensory Shield 5 (all senses), and Speed 6. He blasts the wall of ice. It's Toughness save against DC 25 fails horribly and the wall of ice is destroyed. Three Thugs each attack Tak and Coldknight. None of their attacks are effective. From her location, Thrash can only see Coldknight, so she charges him, but misses.
The four Robots enter the scene from the staff room. Again, Coldknight is the most obvious target. All four Robots try to Blast Coldknight. Only one of them hits. Coldknight's Toughness save against DC 25 succeeds nicely. From hiding, Agent M draws and fires his Multi-Blaster at one of the Robots, using Autofire to try to hit all four. Agent M's attack rolls: 14, 8, 24, and 24. That's two hits for +13 damage each. Robots' Toughness saves versus DC 28: 30 and 15. One Robot is disabled. The Crime Lord draws his pistol and fires at Agent M, but misses.
Round 3
Slicked-back-haired man fires again at Coldknight and is amazed to see the bullet ricochet off the hero's cloak. Coldknight projects a blast of cold at Thrash, who leaps out of the way. Part of the wall behind her freezes. Pipes burst. Coldknight catches a beer bottle with his head. He's certain his scalp is lacerted, but otherwise he doesn't feel much pain. Tak ignores the feeble blows and holds of the men trying to get him to let loose of Peril.
"Go away before you get hurt!" Tak orders.
"I don't have to out-wrestle you, wannabe," Peril growls through gritted teeth. "I can out-think you!"
Peril's body wiggles and wavers like an unclear image on a badly tuned television station and she slips insubstantially out of his grasp. Back on the dance floor, Technoid adds a targeting computer to his technomorphic armor's weapon system and fires at Coldknight, who luckily avoids the deadly flame. Behind Coldknight the bartenders dive for cover as fire washes across the bar. By now the club's many patrons are in a panicked flight out of the building. A thug smashes a chair hard across Tak's head and face. The piece of furniture breaks into pieces and Tak looks displeased.
"Uh...sorry?" offers the Thug.
Thrash drives a punch into Coldknight's solar plexus, but the hero's mystical amulet absorbs the blow. The robots fire more force bolts, blasting holes through the ceiling and far as Agent M acrobatically avoids their fire. Agent M returns fire with his Multi-Blaster, disabling another robot. The other criminal hiding behind a table has seen enough. He breaks cover and runs for the kitchen along with a dozen or so other patrons.
Assassin fires at Coldknight and misses again. Coldknight is more concerned about Thrash than any other target. He throws a cold Blast and misses. The Criminals continue to beat ineffectively on Tak. One of them manages to whack Coldknight, gets a 12 Toughness save against DC 16. Coldknight is bruised by a minion. How embarrassing! Peril forgoes making an Escape Artist check. She's not going to get away from Tak that way. Peril faces another DC 25 Toughness save with a 16. She is stunned and bruised, but now it's time for her to get creative. GM fiat lets her recover from the stun immediately. She then activates a little used feature of her dimensional glove, shifting her atoms slightly out-of-phase in order to escape Tak's grip (GM fiat to power stunt Insubstantial 1). Tak gets two more hero points to play with.
Technoid uses a move action to restructure his technomorphic armor into Attack Focus 5 (ranged), Blast 10 (fire), Precise Shot 2, Protection 9, Sensory Shield 5 (all senses), and Speed 4. He fires at Coldknight, but misses by a wide margin. The Thugs attack. Two Thugs hit Tak, one of them with a critical hit. This bumps the Thug's damage up enough to get around Tak's Impervious Protection. Tak gets a Toughness save total of only 17, and burns one of his hero points for the reroll, easily succeeding the second time.
Thrash swings at Coldknight for the fight's third critical hit. Coldknight's Toughness save against DC 27 totals 29 for no damage. Two Robots fire at Coldknight and one fires Agent M. All three miss. Agent M continues the Autofire against the Robots. Attack rolls yield one hit. Another Robot is disabled. The Crime Lord has seen enough of this super-fight. He rushes for the kitchen.
Round 4
The man with the slick-backed hair also breaks cover and runs. Bullet-deflect cloaks? Giant wrestlers? This is more than he can handle. Thrash dodges another blast from Coldknight. A table freezes solid. Tak grins at the thug who apologized for breaking the chair across his face.
"Kiii-ah!"
A whirling series of chops, kicks, elbows, and throws send the apologetic thug and seven of his associates flying through the air and into unconsciousness. Peril shifts back into focus as her bow and an arrow appear in hand. She fires, but Tak ducks out of the way. The arrow hits the wall and pops! with a brilliant flash of light. Technoid opens up with his scorch cannon again, but the blast of flame is met mid-flight by a blast of cold. Both bursts of energy dissipate into a harmless cloud of vapor over the dance floor.
More normals flee the scene, leaving the metahumans and the robots to face each other. Thrash tosses a clumsy kick at Coldknight. His cloak bats the villain's foot aside. The robots put more holes in the ceiling while Agent M returns fire, cracking one of their exoskeletons with a barrage of force bullets.
It's Assassin's turn to take a cue from Crime Lord. He's got a contract pending and can't afford to get nabbed in a super-fight, and so he runs for it. Coldknight surges (using his last hero point). He Blasts Thrash and readies an action against Technoid. He misses Thrash. All ten Criminals currently in the fight fail to do anything noteworthy. Tak is tired of being mobbed by minions. He takes 10 on his attack roll and clobbers a Criminal. Takedown Attack kicks in and he lays out 4 more Criminals and three Thugs.
Peril stops being Insubstantial in order to "pull" her bow and an arrow from the Dimensional Pocket. She fires a Dazzle arrow at Tak, but misses horribly. Technoid fires his flame Blast at Coldknight who uses his readied action to counter with a cold Blast. Opposed power checks: Technoid 11, Coldknight 16. Coldknight negates Technoid's attack. The five Thugs fighting Coldknight have had enough, especialy after seeing Tak mow through seven people in a single round. They turn tail and run.
Thrash maxes All-Out Attack and swings at Coldknight, but misses. The two remaining Robots fire at Agent M, but neither can hit the agile hero. Agent M returns Autofire with attack rolls of 16 and 16 for two hits. The Robots' Toughness saves against DC 24 equal 23 and 25. One Robot is injured. The Crime Lord vanishes into the kitchen.
Round 5
Tak tries to grab Peril again, but she easily slips away from the hulking martial artist.
"You really want to do this dance again, wannabee?"
Peril fires, but Tak deflects the arrow off its path with the knife edge of his huge hand. Another brilliant flash of light follows almost immediately thereafter.
"I am honored to face you again, villain!"
Coldknight's wrists snap together, and a powerful blast of cold from his hands sends Thrash flying back out of the dance floor. She lands hard on her back, but somehow seems larger, more muscular by the time she hits the floor. Then Coldknight is caught in a punishing blast of fire! The guardian of the angelic ice staggers backward into the wall, struggling to retain consciousness. More property damage ensues as Agent M continues to avoid the robots' force bolts. Agent M fires a synpatic disruption beam at Technoid but misses.
The Assassin follows close behind the Crime Lord. The minion level humans are clearing the area. This fight is for the big boys and the robots. Tak shifts two points of damage to attack roll via Accurate Attack and swings at Peril. He then spends a hero point for the reroll, but misses despite this. Peril fires another Dazzle arrow. Her much bragged about aim fails again with her second natural 1 attack roll! Coldknight Blasts Thrash easily this round. She gets a 17 total against DC 25 and becomes stunned, bruised, and knocked back out onto the dance floor. Her Boost kicks in. For the next five rounds, Thrash is stronger, harder to hurt, and more accurate in melee!
Technoid blows his attack roll and GM fiats the reroll to hit Coldknight with a Blast of fire. Due to his drawbacks, Coldknight faces a DC 30 Toughness save and suffers a -1 penalty on all checks, attack rolls, and Defense. Coldknight's Toughness save: 18; he is staggered and stunned! Out on the dance floor, Thrash recovers from being stunned. Neither Robot hits Agent M. Agent M presses the Stun Ray button his Multi-Blaster and fires at Technoid, but misses.
Round 6
Tak dashes right and then zags left, catching Peril by her bow arm. Peril desperately tries to avoid the big man's hands, but she quickly finds herself a combination headlock and armlock. She hears something inside her go crack! under the pressure. Her stomach lurches. Coldknight fights against the pain and weakness spreading through his body. More fire from Technoid's scorch cannon roars above his head. While leaping between robotic force blasts, Agent M turns his synaptic disruptor against Thrash as she rushes Coldknight, but her nervous system is too rugged.
Tak keeps the Accurate Attack mods in place and goes after Peril again. He spends another hero point for the reroll and just hits. Improved Grab kicks in and Peril faces a DC 25 Toughness save. Tak's grapple check: 38. Peril can't win and is grappled again. Her Toughness save totals 14. Peril is stunned, staggered, and grappled. On her initiative, she recovers from being stunned.
Coldknight is in trouble. He recovers from being stunned. Technoid fires at him but misses. Thrash uses a move action to get to her feet and rushes back into melee range with Coldknight. The Robots continue to tear apart the ceiling by missing Agent M. Agent M ignores the Robots for the moment and fires a Stun ray at Thrash. He hits, and Thrash easily makes her Fortitude save.
Round 7
Trapped by Tak's mighty limbs, Peril's struggles weaken and then cease entirely as she loses consciousness. Coldknight zigs and fires a blast of cold around Thrash and into Technoid. The technopathic villains is hurled into the stage, its top edge cracking painfully into his back. His force shield flickers off as his technomorphic armor deactivates due to a temporary short circuit in the neural pathways controlling these devices. Then it is Coldknight's turn to wrestle as Thrash snatches him up in a crushing bear hug. The mystic amulet absorbs the injury, but Coldknight can feel the unbearable pressure increasing. Swinging from tail to foot to tail, Agent M somersaults out onto the dance floor, firing his Multi-Blaster as the flips. Several force bullets drive the villain over the lip of the stage and rolling headfirst into the concrete wall backstage. Technoid is hurt bad by the bone-numbing impact.
Tak bears down hard on Peril. He easily wins the opposed grapple check. Peril's Toughness save against DC 25 is 18. Peril is KOd. Coldknight gets up and Blasts Technoid again, and this time he hits! Technoid's Toughness save against DC 25 totals 19. Technoid is bruised and stunned. His Shapeshift and Shield powers shut off. The force of the blast sends him flying into the stage. Technoid recovers from being stunned. Thrash swings at Coldknight and clobbers him. Her Improved Grab kicks in. Coldknight's grapple check versus Thrash's: 18 versus 32. Coldknight's Toughness save against DC 25 totals 25 even for no damage!
The Robots cannot hit Agent M; he's just too darn quick for them. Agent M drops from the ruined ceiling, swinging out onto the dance floor to fire at Technoid. He hits the villain. Technoid's Toughness save totals only 4 against DC 26. He GM fiats a reroll and gets a 19 total to get bruised and stunned again! Agent M's Blast sends him bouncing and flailing across the stage into the wall. His Toughness save against DC 20 for hitting the wall totals only 7. Technoid is staggered.
Round 8
"If you want to wrestle, I might be able to show you a new hold or two!" Taks tells Thrash as he grabs her around the throat from behind.
Tak twists the villain hard across the shoulders and hips in opposite directions. Her back crackles like popping corn and screams in agony. Coldnight slips free from Thrash and flies out over the dance floor, heading for Technoid. The robots follow for a few feet, force blasters firing. One force blast hits Coldnight from behind, slamming him into the ceiling. He's unconscious by the time he hits the floor. Technoid struggles back to his feet, his force shield reactivating as his technomorphic armor shifts into a more heavily plated form. Agent M's force bullets bounce harmlessly of Technoid's improved armor.
Tak drops Peril and rushes Thrash. He spends his last hero point for the reroll and hits. Thrash's DC 27 Toughness save totals 19. Thrash is stunned, bruised, and grappled. Coldknight frees himself from the stunned Thrash's grapple and flies out over the dance floor. Technoid uses a move action to stand, reactivates his Shield and goes for a hardier Shapeshift as another move action: Attack Focus 5 (ranged), Blast 10 (fire), Impervious Protection 10, Precise Shot. This exceeds his Toughness cap by +1, so it also reduces his Defense by -1.
The Robots switch targets to Coldknight and Blast away. One hits. Coldknight's Toughness save totals 18 against DC 25. Coldknight is knocked out! He bounces off the ceiling and into the floor. Thrash recovers from being stunned. Agent M opens fire on Technoid. He hits, but his Autofire Blast cannot penetrate Technoid's Impervious Protection.
Round 9
Tak twists and crushes Thrash, their grips shifting, slipping, but Tak maintains the advantage. Thrash can barely breathe. Her right arm goes numb from the shoulder down. Agent M backflips out of the scorch cannon's line of fire. The robots turn away from Agent M toward the closer Tak and bring their crushing metal fists down on Tak. The hulking martial artist catches brutal shots to the kidney and back of the head. Waves of blackness and color swarm over Tak's eyes as they roll back into their sockets. He slumps to the floor, returning to his normal size, oblivious to the world around him. Agent M switches the Multi-Blaster to its muscle mega-relaxer beam.
"Ook! Ook! Ak!" Agent M exclaims.
The beam hits Technoid, completely bypassing his armor's defenses to overwhelm his voluntary muscles. The villain collapses to the floor in an exhausted stupor.
Tak versus Thrash with opposed grapple checks: 29 versus 29. Tak wins, and Thrash gets a 15 total against a DC 25 Toughness save. She is staggered and stunned. Technoid fires at Agent M. He misses the agile little monkey hero. Thrash recovers from being stunned. The Robots close on Tak to batter him. Both hit since Tak is involved in a grapple and loses his dodge bonus against them. Tak's two DC 25 Toughness saves: 13 and 17! Oh, the humanity! Tak is stunned, staggered, and knocked out! Agent M fires a Fatigue ray at Technoid and hits. Technoid gets a 9 Fortitude save total against DC 20 and is knocked out!
Rounds 10 & 11
Agent M switches back to force bullets, turns, and fires. Thrash dives for cover behind a table. Force bullets tear the table and the two remaining robots apart, peppering Thrash with splinters of pressure-treated wood, but not otherwise harming her. The villain staggers to her feet, colliding with the wall, cracking the sheetrock, rushes forward several more steps, and dives over the bar for more cover. Agent M leaps to the ceiling and brachiates rapidly across the club, holding his Multi-Blaster with his tail. In a few quick seconds, Agent M aims his remarkable weapon down at Thrash while she crouches behind the bar and gasps for air.
"Ook!"
Thrash raises her hands and smiles. "Nice monkey?"
Thrash dives for cover. Agent M opens fire on her and the two robots using Autofire. Attack rolls: 18, 27, and 19. Agent M hits both Robots and destroys the table behind which Thrash was hiding. Both robots are rendered inoperable.
Thrash loses her Boost bonuses. She rushes and leaps over the bar. Agent M double moves to get her back in his sights. Thrash thinks the bettter of the whole scenario and surrenders.
Agent M: HP (2)
Coldknight: HP (0), Bruise (1), Staggered, Weakness -1, Unconscious
Tak: HP (0), Staggered, Unconscious
Peril: Bruise (3), Staggered, Unconscious
Technoid: Bruise (2), Staggered, Unconscious
Thrash: Bruise (2), Staggered
Assassin: Escaped
Crime Lord: Escaped
Criminals x20: 5 Unconscious, 15 escaped
Robots x4: 4 Disabled or Destroyed
Thugs x10: 3 Unconscious, 7 escaped
