Post by JohnK on Feb 18, 2010 16:44:29 GMT
Hullo, folks,
Here is the scenario seed that is the basis for my next adventure involving the Time Lord and his companions. Some folks familiar with Classic Who may recognise the central plot elements from one of the Classic Who stories. (And a bronze star if you can tell me which story it's from!)
As always comments and thoughts and the like are appreciated.
Anyway, on to the seed...
The Phoenix Murders
In the year 2456 Anno Domini, a new drug addiction has hit the population of the Trentis Federation, a loose conglomerate of 120 star systems – Cracks. Craxis-10, commonly known as Cracks, is a vile substance that is highly addictive. (See the notes at the end of the document for more on Cracks.) Given the lack of vices in the Trentis Federation, due to crackdowns by Trentis’s military arm and law enforcement agents, the Provosts, it is not surprising to learn that Cracks use and addiction are wide-spread in the Federation, though used very much in secret. Popular everywhere in the Trentis Federation, Cracks is considered illegal and proscribed by the government, and thus the Provosts are pledged to find and eradicate the source of Cracks. Only one problem exists in that area: no one knows what the source of Cracks is, and no one knows who’s in charge of the smuggling and dealing operation of the drug.
Calis Brax and his partner Dernik Volstad are a pair of drug smugglers, specializing in Cracks. (See the origins and effects of Cracks in the material at the end of this scenario.) In actual fact, Calis Brax is the man who discovered Craxis-10 in the first place, its properties and the uses to which it could be put, and he is the head of the interstellar cartel in Trentis space that is the source of this drug on the market. Brax and Volstad are presently travelling aboard the Trentis Federation Liner (TFL) Phoenix, heading from Trentis to a distant planet called Cantris, a distance of 246 Light-Years through hyperspace. Unknown to them, a Provost by the name of Landis Helles has been on Brax’s trail for several years, and he and his partner Marak Jirek have accompanied Brax and Volstad aboard the TFL Phoenix, and are travelling aboard ship as a pair of businessmen.
Several murders will occur aboard the Phoenix during the course of this scenario. First off, one of the stewards, Alla Kinser, will be found dead in one of the ship’s cargo bays. She died through a drug overdose, administered by Calis Brax, when she discovered that some of the cargo consisted of cannisters of Cracks. The second murder will be that of Gerix Halsor, a businessman from one of the Trentis core worlds, who is found crushed to death under a piece of equipment in the ship’s recreation centre. The blame can fall on one of the player characters if they were present. In fact, Halsor was killed by another passenger, his business partner, Avis Treane, due to business rivalry and jealousy. The third murder victim will be one of the ship’s Navigators, Kanos Advexir, who is found dead in his room,. He has died of an overdose of Cracks, even though the rest of the crew swears that he didn’t take the stuff. Kanos was killed by Torbos Orfex of the Dremian Empire to further their aims (see the section on , below). Finally, Provost Marek Jirek will be found dead in one of the ship’s hallways, a fired blaster in his hand, the injuries seemingly self-inflicted. In fact, Jirek was killed by Dernik Volstad, after he got too close to the Cracks operation and Volstad panicked.
The Time Lord and his companions arrive on the TARDIS, which materializes in the cargo bay where the first murder victim, Alla Kinser, will be found shortly. Needless to say, the Time Lord will be accused of the murder, and the player characters will find themselves in a situation where real trouble follows them around. Several parties will be intrigued by the player characters, while others will plot to use them for their own ends. To complicate matters, a group of pirates will attack the vessel, believing it to carry a wealth of cargo. They will not be pleased when they find the cargo hold is practically empty this trip, other than the cargo of Cracks – and that could have other ramifications all by itself. Can the Time Lord figure out who is behind the various murders, and which murders are the most relevant? And what of the pirates that will try to take the ship?
Stuff to Be Done: Convince the Phoenix security that the Time Lord and his companions are not responsible for the deaths aboard ship. Determine who are the good guys and who are the bad guys in the adventure. Gain the trust of the Phoenix’s Captain. Learn the true cause of the deaths. Help stop the smuggling of Cracks. Prevent the pirates from overrunning the ship, and possibly taking the TARDIS as booty.
Antagonists: The drug smugglers, Calis Brax and his partner, Dernik Volstad. The crew and security staff of the TFL Phoenix. The pirates led by Angus Vortis.
Action Scenes: Confronting Calis Brax and his partner over the smuggling of Cracks. Identify the killers of each murder victim. Fighting any characters who may be overdosing on Cracks. Prevent the crew of the pirate ship from boarding the Phoenix; if they do, extricate the vessel from the pirate’s influence.
Problems: Tavia Kanel, the brother of one Deren Kanel, who died as a result of a Cracks overdose. She learned that Dernik Volstad was his dealer, and she has come aboard the ship in order to kill him, something that would conflict with Provost Helles’ agenda.
Things to Consider: The various murders are not being committed by the same person, and the motivations differ for each. The ship’s crew are likely to be hostile to the Time Lord and the player characters. The pirates are there seeking to loot the Phoenix, and they may or may not decide to leave the crew and passengers alive. The Craxis-10 is contained within 50 different cannisters in the main cargo hold.
Things to be Prepared For: Player characters may come under the influence of Cracks. In such a case, the GM needs to handle the situation with care. The player characters may not focus on the murders. In such a case, give them a hook that leads them back to this aspect of the adventure. The pirate attack needs to occur around the last third of the adventure, as by this time the murders should be cleared up and all the criminals revealed. This can occur earlier if necessary, but should be determined by the GM.
Continuing the Adventure: The manufacture of Craxis-10 goes on, even after Brax and his partner are dealt with. The Cracks dealers may seek revenge on the Time Lord and his companions. The Time Lord and his companions may become involved in other adventures involving Cracks. If the TARDIS is stolen by the pirates near the end of the scenario, the Time Lord and his companions will have to find a means of recovering it. This could involve a scenario going into pirate territory, and other interesting scenarios.
CRAXIS-10 (CRACKS)
Craxis-10, commonly known as Cracks, is a vile substance that is highly addictive. The drug is created from the raw brain fluid of a strange bloodworm-like creature that dwells on one planet in the Epsilon Trentis system. Thus, Cracks is closer to home in the Trentis Federation than many would even believe possible. Cracks causes an elevated positive mood and a strong sense of apathy and a mild increase in psychic potential (but giving full bloom to psychic abilities in those that are already marginally so), but it has its downside. After the effects of Cracks wear off in some 4 hours or so, the individual becomes totally apathetic and has mildly violent tendencies. An overdose of Cracks causes a form of dementia that manifests as almost berserker rage behaviour and super-human physical abilities, before leading to brain death. Cracks is popular everywhere in the Trentis Federation, but is considered illegal and proscribed by the Trentis Federation government, and thus the Provosts, the military arm of the Federation, is pledged to find and eradicate the source of Cracks.
Effects of Cracks:
Eccentric (Mellow mood), Psychic (in the case of those with Psychic Training), Telepathy and Telepathy (for those with the Psychic Trait; if already possessed, add Strength +1 and Resolve +1 for use of abilities), Eccentric (Apathy).
Effects of Crack Overdose:
Dementia (Berserker Rage)
Strength 7, Coordination 7, Awareness +1, Resolve -1, Ingenuity -3, Presence -3
Here is the scenario seed that is the basis for my next adventure involving the Time Lord and his companions. Some folks familiar with Classic Who may recognise the central plot elements from one of the Classic Who stories. (And a bronze star if you can tell me which story it's from!)
As always comments and thoughts and the like are appreciated.
Anyway, on to the seed...
The Phoenix Murders
In the year 2456 Anno Domini, a new drug addiction has hit the population of the Trentis Federation, a loose conglomerate of 120 star systems – Cracks. Craxis-10, commonly known as Cracks, is a vile substance that is highly addictive. (See the notes at the end of the document for more on Cracks.) Given the lack of vices in the Trentis Federation, due to crackdowns by Trentis’s military arm and law enforcement agents, the Provosts, it is not surprising to learn that Cracks use and addiction are wide-spread in the Federation, though used very much in secret. Popular everywhere in the Trentis Federation, Cracks is considered illegal and proscribed by the government, and thus the Provosts are pledged to find and eradicate the source of Cracks. Only one problem exists in that area: no one knows what the source of Cracks is, and no one knows who’s in charge of the smuggling and dealing operation of the drug.
Calis Brax and his partner Dernik Volstad are a pair of drug smugglers, specializing in Cracks. (See the origins and effects of Cracks in the material at the end of this scenario.) In actual fact, Calis Brax is the man who discovered Craxis-10 in the first place, its properties and the uses to which it could be put, and he is the head of the interstellar cartel in Trentis space that is the source of this drug on the market. Brax and Volstad are presently travelling aboard the Trentis Federation Liner (TFL) Phoenix, heading from Trentis to a distant planet called Cantris, a distance of 246 Light-Years through hyperspace. Unknown to them, a Provost by the name of Landis Helles has been on Brax’s trail for several years, and he and his partner Marak Jirek have accompanied Brax and Volstad aboard the TFL Phoenix, and are travelling aboard ship as a pair of businessmen.
Several murders will occur aboard the Phoenix during the course of this scenario. First off, one of the stewards, Alla Kinser, will be found dead in one of the ship’s cargo bays. She died through a drug overdose, administered by Calis Brax, when she discovered that some of the cargo consisted of cannisters of Cracks. The second murder will be that of Gerix Halsor, a businessman from one of the Trentis core worlds, who is found crushed to death under a piece of equipment in the ship’s recreation centre. The blame can fall on one of the player characters if they were present. In fact, Halsor was killed by another passenger, his business partner, Avis Treane, due to business rivalry and jealousy. The third murder victim will be one of the ship’s Navigators, Kanos Advexir, who is found dead in his room,. He has died of an overdose of Cracks, even though the rest of the crew swears that he didn’t take the stuff. Kanos was killed by Torbos Orfex of the Dremian Empire to further their aims (see the section on , below). Finally, Provost Marek Jirek will be found dead in one of the ship’s hallways, a fired blaster in his hand, the injuries seemingly self-inflicted. In fact, Jirek was killed by Dernik Volstad, after he got too close to the Cracks operation and Volstad panicked.
The Time Lord and his companions arrive on the TARDIS, which materializes in the cargo bay where the first murder victim, Alla Kinser, will be found shortly. Needless to say, the Time Lord will be accused of the murder, and the player characters will find themselves in a situation where real trouble follows them around. Several parties will be intrigued by the player characters, while others will plot to use them for their own ends. To complicate matters, a group of pirates will attack the vessel, believing it to carry a wealth of cargo. They will not be pleased when they find the cargo hold is practically empty this trip, other than the cargo of Cracks – and that could have other ramifications all by itself. Can the Time Lord figure out who is behind the various murders, and which murders are the most relevant? And what of the pirates that will try to take the ship?
Stuff to Be Done: Convince the Phoenix security that the Time Lord and his companions are not responsible for the deaths aboard ship. Determine who are the good guys and who are the bad guys in the adventure. Gain the trust of the Phoenix’s Captain. Learn the true cause of the deaths. Help stop the smuggling of Cracks. Prevent the pirates from overrunning the ship, and possibly taking the TARDIS as booty.
Antagonists: The drug smugglers, Calis Brax and his partner, Dernik Volstad. The crew and security staff of the TFL Phoenix. The pirates led by Angus Vortis.
Action Scenes: Confronting Calis Brax and his partner over the smuggling of Cracks. Identify the killers of each murder victim. Fighting any characters who may be overdosing on Cracks. Prevent the crew of the pirate ship from boarding the Phoenix; if they do, extricate the vessel from the pirate’s influence.
Problems: Tavia Kanel, the brother of one Deren Kanel, who died as a result of a Cracks overdose. She learned that Dernik Volstad was his dealer, and she has come aboard the ship in order to kill him, something that would conflict with Provost Helles’ agenda.
Things to Consider: The various murders are not being committed by the same person, and the motivations differ for each. The ship’s crew are likely to be hostile to the Time Lord and the player characters. The pirates are there seeking to loot the Phoenix, and they may or may not decide to leave the crew and passengers alive. The Craxis-10 is contained within 50 different cannisters in the main cargo hold.
Things to be Prepared For: Player characters may come under the influence of Cracks. In such a case, the GM needs to handle the situation with care. The player characters may not focus on the murders. In such a case, give them a hook that leads them back to this aspect of the adventure. The pirate attack needs to occur around the last third of the adventure, as by this time the murders should be cleared up and all the criminals revealed. This can occur earlier if necessary, but should be determined by the GM.
Continuing the Adventure: The manufacture of Craxis-10 goes on, even after Brax and his partner are dealt with. The Cracks dealers may seek revenge on the Time Lord and his companions. The Time Lord and his companions may become involved in other adventures involving Cracks. If the TARDIS is stolen by the pirates near the end of the scenario, the Time Lord and his companions will have to find a means of recovering it. This could involve a scenario going into pirate territory, and other interesting scenarios.
CRAXIS-10 (CRACKS)
Craxis-10, commonly known as Cracks, is a vile substance that is highly addictive. The drug is created from the raw brain fluid of a strange bloodworm-like creature that dwells on one planet in the Epsilon Trentis system. Thus, Cracks is closer to home in the Trentis Federation than many would even believe possible. Cracks causes an elevated positive mood and a strong sense of apathy and a mild increase in psychic potential (but giving full bloom to psychic abilities in those that are already marginally so), but it has its downside. After the effects of Cracks wear off in some 4 hours or so, the individual becomes totally apathetic and has mildly violent tendencies. An overdose of Cracks causes a form of dementia that manifests as almost berserker rage behaviour and super-human physical abilities, before leading to brain death. Cracks is popular everywhere in the Trentis Federation, but is considered illegal and proscribed by the Trentis Federation government, and thus the Provosts, the military arm of the Federation, is pledged to find and eradicate the source of Cracks.
Effects of Cracks:
Eccentric (Mellow mood), Psychic (in the case of those with Psychic Training), Telepathy and Telepathy (for those with the Psychic Trait; if already possessed, add Strength +1 and Resolve +1 for use of abilities), Eccentric (Apathy).
Effects of Crack Overdose:
Dementia (Berserker Rage)
Strength 7, Coordination 7, Awareness +1, Resolve -1, Ingenuity -3, Presence -3
