Mutants & Masterminds - 1st Edition - Seed of Destruction.pdf - 1st Edition - Dihercen

Seed of Destruction

A Mutants & Masterminds Adventure • by Steve Kenson

A new evil grows deep in the heart of Freedom City!

The vegetative villain known as the Green Man has

turned the forces of nature against the city itself and

only Our Heroes stand between him and domination of

the natural world.

Seed of Destruction is an adventure for the Mutants &

Masterminds Superhero RPG. It is intended for a group

of 4-6 power level 10 heroes, although the Gamemaster

can scale the adventure to make it suitable for higher or

lower level heroes by increasing or decreasing the

power levels of the villains as appropriate (generally by

approximately the same amount as the heroes).

The adventure is set in Freedom City (described in

the Freedom City campaign sourcebook available from

Green Ronin Publishing). Although the Freedom City

book is recommended for running this adventure, it is

not required. All the necessary material is included here

and in the Mutants & Masterminds core rulebook.

Calling the Freedom League...

If you’re using the Freedom City setting, you or your

players might wonder where the rest of its heroes are

during this crisis. If you like, you can decide that the

Green Man trapped all the members of the Freedom

League individually (even though he was only after Dr.

Metropolis). The rest of the League is imprisoned (in

suspended animation) deep in the Wharton State Forest

( Freedom City , p. 68). They’re freed only when the Green

Man is defeated.

Alternately, the Green Man may have arranged a

false trail of clues to lead the Freedom League off on a

wild goose chase as they search for the missing Dr.

Metropolis. While this adventure takes place, the League

is deep in the Amazon Jungle, dealing with the Green

Man’s deathtraps.

Of course, if the heroes are the Freedom League,

then they may be the ones looking for Dr. Metropolis

when the Green Man makes his move. It’s up to them to

realize the two events are connected.

Freedom City’s other heroes, such as the Atom

Family and the Next-Gen, can be off handling cases of

their own, or trying to keep the rioting plants under

control while the player characters confront the Green

Man and his Brides. Once things start happening, there’s

more than enough chaos and confusion in the city to

keep several teams of heroes scrambling to keep up!

Adventure Summary

The Green Man ( Freedom City , p. 160) is a former

botanist who transformed himself into an intelligent

plant with power over the vegetable kingdom. He is

obsessed with “protecting” the natural world from

human civilization, generally by leading a “green

revolution” and conquering humanity.

One of the Green Man’s most implacable foes has

been Dr. Metropolis ( Freedom City , p. 106), an “urban

spirit” and the living embodiment of Freedom City. Dr.

Metropolis represents everything the Green Man

despises about civilization. However, he also represents

an opportunity the Green Man has now realized.

The Green Man created a “meta-seed” using his

powers and scientific knowledge. Luring Dr. Metropolis

into a trap, the villain has “planted” the meta-seed in the

hero’s body, allowing him to tap into Dr. Metropolis’

power. The Green Man is now more powerful than

ever, and can extend his domination over the natural

world to vastly speed up the processes of plant life

reclaiming the land that was “stolen” from it to create

cities, starting with Freedom City!

Scene One: Trouble Sprouts

In this scene, the heroes see the first signs of the Green

Man’s expanded power as his plant minions strike

Freedom City. Read the following aloud to the players:

It’s a pleasant day in downtown Freedom City and you

are on the steps of City Hall, where Mayor O’Connor is

preparing to recognize your contributions to the city. A

podium is set up on the steps where the Mayor and a

number of VIPs are gathered while at the foot of the

steps stand various reporters and cameramen. Beyond

them are a crowd of onlookers and well-wishers, kept

at a distance by officers of the Freedom City Police

Department.

Mutants & Masterminds

Seed of Destruction

Page 1

Animated Vines: Large plants; Power Level 6;

Initiative +0; Defense 12 (+2 base, +1 Dex, -1 size, 11

flat-footed); Speed 0 (rooted); Attack +10 melee (+10

stun, slam or grab), +15 grapple; Saves Damage +5

(Protection +6), Fortitude +5, Reflex +1, Will —; Str 20,

Dex 12, Con 20, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 2. Powers: Elasticity

+6 [Protection], Growth +5 [Continuous, Permanent].

The crowd begins to fall silent as the Mayor

approaches the podium and prepares to speak.

Suddenly, a rumbling breaks the silence as a tremor

shakes the ground. Then the pavement bursts upward as

one, two giant vines erupt from the ground. Several

others quickly follow them. Like the giant tentacles of

some subterranean beast, the vines thrash and flail. One

reaches out toward the Mayor while others grab City

Hall pillars, people from the crowd, or simply smash

into parked cars or anything else in their path!

Spreading Seeds

Once the heroes have handled the immediate threat in

their area, they discover similar things are happening all

over Freedom City: monstrous vines are bursting up

from beneath streets and basements. Ivy and creepers

are growing at incredible speeds up the sides of

buildings. Kelp and seaweed is choking off Great Bay and

even grappling ships, trying to drag them underwater.

The plant kingdom is in revolt against the city and its

inhabitants.

If the heroes want, allow them to try and deal with

some of the other crises around the city. You can

extend the adventure by providing a few other

encounters with animated plants (use the abilities of the

vines as a guideline): saving a ship from giant animated

kelp, evacuating a building being undermined by fast-

growing ivy, and so forth. You can also point out how

other Freedom City heroes are responding to the crisis,

with more than enough emergencies to keep everyone

busy (in case players are wondering where, say, the

Freedom League or Atom Family is during all this).

Adjust the introduction to suit the heroes’ group. If

they’re entirely new, then they might meet for the first

time when this crisis erupts (especially since the

Freedom League is mysteriously absent). If they’re not

likely to receive accolades from the Mayor, they might

be on-hand for a meeting with Police Commissioner

Barbara Kane or FC District Attorney Daniel Durgan.

For a real alternate kick-off, maybe the “heroes” are

actually super- criminals on their way to arraignment at

the courthouse. When the vines crack open the van

they’re in, they have a chance to help out. If they save

the city from the Green Man, they might get a

suspended sentence and “community service” as

superheroes!

Whatever the case, the heroes should be on-hand

when the first of the Green Man’s plant minions begin

attacking the city. They have a chance to intervene and

try to contain the damage.

Have the players make Listen checks (DC 15) to

avoid being surprised by the vines as they burst up out

of the street. Those that succeed can act normally

during the surprise round. If none of the heroes

succeed, then the vines all get a half action before the

heroes get to go. Use this to further complicate

matters: having vines grab the Mayor and a few other

people, send cars flying into crowds, or cracking the

support pillars of the City Hall facade.

Once the heroes spring into action, the vines begin

focusing on them, especially once the heroes start

inflicting some damage. The giant vines are essentially

mindless, but driven by the Green Man’s vastly

expanded awareness. They don’t have much in the way

of tactics, just flailing away or trying to grapple and

crush the heroes. A vine might try and use a car or

chunk of masonry as a weapon, but that’s about it.

This encounter is intended largely as a “warm up”

for the heroes. The vines shouldn’t be too challenging,

and the heroes should be able to deal with them in fairly

short order. Run the battle as long as it’s interesting. If

the heroes seem to be cleaning up the vines a little too

quickly, you can have some others sprout up. If they’re

having trouble, they can get some help from the police

officers at the scene, from the STAR Squad ( Freedom

City , p. 40) or from one of Freedom City’s other heroes.

Scene Two: Brides of the Green

Eventually, the heroes should realize they’re fighting a

losing battle against the encroaching plant life and start

looking for the source of the problem. Once they do,

read (or paraphrase) the following:

All variety of plant life grows riot across Freedom City.

Animated vines and creepers dig into building

foundations, crack walls, and split support pillars.

Mosses and lichen cover the streets while thick roots

and sprouting grasses buckled the sidewalks.

Most prominent is the growth in Liberty Park in the

midst of the city. The formerly pleasant swath of green

has become a primeval forest, with trees towering up

above the nearby buildings. A thick canopy of foliage

spreads overhead while the trees’ massive roots have

begun digging up 52nd street and the other areas

surrounding the park.

It shouldn’t take long for the heroes to figure out

Liberty Park is at the center of the plant growth or for

them to investigate. When they do, the Green Man has

his three “brides” intercept the heroes. He needs a few

moments to finish drawing upon the power of the meta-

Mutants & Masterminds

Seed of Destruction

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seed, since the massive surge of power triggering the

sudden plant growth has momentarily drained him.

When the heroes approach, Maxima, Flora, and

Venus Man-Trap emerge from the heavy woods to

confront them. They tell the heroes they are forbidden

to enter the sanctum of their lord and master, the

savior of the natural world. The ladies are happy to

bandy words with the heroes (since it’s their job to

delay them, after all). If the heroes are defiant, or try to

get past them, then they attack. Any effort to convince

the Brides what the Green Man is doing is wrong is

doomed to failure; the three are utterly devoted to him

and the cause of “saving” the plant kingdom from

humanity.

Description: Flora is a true “flower child:” she has long,

flowing blonde hair with greenish highlights and vividly

green eyes. She wears a flowing gown of flower petals

and a crown of living flowers. She is the most innocent

and naive of the Brides, although still willing to do

whatever her master the Green Man wishes. She

typically attacks by blowing a handful of dusty pollen at

an opponent.

Maxima: Power Level 9; Initiative +1; Defense 19 (+8

base, +1 Dex, 18 flat-footed or large size, 17 huge size);

Speed 30 ft.; Attack +9 melee (+12 stun, punch); Saves

Damage +5 (Protection +9), Fortitude +7, Reflex +1,

Will +0; Str 17, Dex 13, Con 20, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 13.

Skills: Climb +7, Intimidate +8, Search +4, Spot +4,

Survival +4.

Pulling Weeds

Odds are the heroes outnumber the Brides and exceed

them in power, so they should be able to win the fight

without too much trouble. This is a good place to spend

Villain Points to help keep the fight interesting and

prevent the heroes from defeating the villainesses too

quickly.

Spend Villain Points to help the Brides if they miss

an initial Damage saving throw or two. You can also

spend them on innovative power stunts and tactics.

Flora can come up with some other attack effects (such

as Drain or Paralysis) or apply the Area extra to her

pollen effects, Maxima can use Super-Strength extras,

and Venus may add extras or stunts to her Plant

Control. The Brides target the heroes’ weak points and

they work well together, supporting each others’

attacks. If they need to flee, Flora teleports them to the

Green Man’s side in the depths of Liberty Park (allowing

you to have the Brides on-hand for the final

confrontation with the master villain, if you want).

If the Brides manage to defeat the heroes, pick up

with Captured! Otherwise, move on to The Heart

of Darkness .

Feats: Durability, Endurance, Great Fortitude, Immunity

(starvation), Power Attack, Rapid Healing, Stunning

Attack

Powers (all mutations ): Growth +9.

Description: Maxima has short brown hair, brown eyes,

and an athletic build. She wears a green one-piece

covering her torso over a brown body stocking, with

short green gloves and boots. Twining vines decorate

the green portions of her costume while her face and

head are bare and unmasked.

Venus Man-Trap: Power Level 9; Initiative +4;

Defense 21 (+7 base, +4 Dex, 17 flat-footed); Speed 30

ft.; Attack +7 melee (+1 stun, punch), +10 ranged (+9L,

plant control); Saves Damage +4 (Evasion +9), Fortitude

+4, Reflex +9, Will +7; Str 13, Dex 18, Con 18, Int 13,

Wis 15, Cha 17.

Skills: Bluff +8, Intimidate +8, Listen +6, Science (Botany)

+5, Sense Motive +6, Spot +6.

Feats: Attractive, Endurance, Evasion, Immunity

(starvation), Power Immunity, Rapid Healing.

Flora: Power Level 9; Initiative +3 (Dex); Defense 21

(+7 base, +3 Dex, +1 Dodge, 17 flat-footed); Speed 30

ft.; Attack +6 melee (+0 stun, punch), +9 ranged

(power); Saves Damage +3 (Evasion +9), Fortitude +7,

Reflex +9, Will +6; Str 10, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 10, Wis

14, Cha 14.

Powers (all mutations ): Amazing Save +5 [Reflex, Will],

Plant Control +9 [ Effects: Damage (thorns or

carnivorous plants), Snare].

Description: Venus Man-Trap wears dark green leather,

fishnet stockings, and chains crossing her chest and

wrapped around her waist. Her hair is vivid green and

flows almost to the small of her back. She accents it

with deep green lipstick and eye shadow.

Skills: Bluff +7, Diplomacy +7, Listen +5, Spot +5,

Survival +5.

Feats: Attractive, Dodge, Endurance, Evasion, Immunity

(starvation), Lightning Reflexes, Power Immunity.

Scene Three: Heart of Darkness

After the heroes defeat or drive off the Brides of the

Green, they can enter the primeval forest Liberty Park

has become. Read the following to the players:

Powers (all mutations ) : Amazing Save +4 [Fortitude,

Reflex, Will], Pollen +9 [ Effects: Dazzle (sight), Mind

Control (Pheromones), Stun, Suffocate], Teleportation

+6 [Extended Teleport, Passengers; Effect: Subjects

vanish in a shower of petals].

Mutants & Masterminds

Seed of Destruction

Page 3

The Green Man (enhanced by the meta-seed):

Power Level 20; Initiative +5 (+1 Dex, +4 Imp.

Initiative); Defense 17 (+6 base, +1 Dex, 16 flat-footed);

Speed 30 ft.; Attack +12 melee (+13 stun, punch), +10

ranged (snare); Saves Damage +4 (Protection +15),

Fortitude +14, Reflex +1, Will +2 (Mental Protection

+15); Str 16, Dex 12, Con 18, Int 16, Wis 15, Cha 13.

Within moments of stepping into the forest, you’ve lost

sight of Freedom City altogether. An eerie silence hangs

over the green twilight in the park: no traffic noise, no

urban hum, not even the sounds of woodland creatures

or birds. There is nothing but silence. The air is heavy

with moisture and the scent of living plants. Thick trees

create a leafy canopy filtering out the sun, casting

greenish shadows over the thick bed of grasses,

creepers, and spongy moss covering the ground. Of the

old trails, fences, and other artifacts of humanity there

are no signs, as if the forest simply swallowed them

whole.

In the depths of the foliage, a low hill rises amidst a

small clearing. On top of it is a palace of living wood:

trunks and branches intertwined to create a palisade

wall, with a natural gateway in between two of the

trees. Within is a kind of courtyard carpeted in soft

grass, surrounded by high trees. In its midst is the most

massive tree you’ve seen yet, towering above the rest.

The front of its gnarled trunk and roots are shaped into

a throne-like chair, where sits a figure of leaf and bark

who blends into the surroundings so he nearly

disappears.

“Welcome,” he says in a voice like creaking

branches. “Welcome to my domain... I am the Green

Man... the new king of this world. What you have seen

in this city is just a sample of the power that is now

mine. I am now the supreme power in this city. You may

serve the green world as its protectors... or as fertilizer.

The choice is yours.”

Skills: Science (botany) +10, Spot +5.

Feats: Improved Initiative, Minions.

Powers (all alien ) : Amazing Save (Fortitude) +10, Plant

Control +16 [Plant Elementals, Plant Sense, Plant Stride,

Pollen Cloud (all stunts), Regeneration; Stunts: Immunity

(critical hits, suffocation), Photosynthesis], Protection

+15 [Mental Protection], Super-Strength +10

[Immovability].

Note: For the Green Man’s normal abilities and

background, see Freedom City , pp. 160-161.

Giant Animated Trees: Power Level 5* (minions);

Initiative +0; Defense 11 (+2 base, -1 size); Speed 30 ft.;

Attack +8 melee (+13 stun, slam); Saves Damage +5

(Protection +8), Fortitude +7, Reflex +0, Will —; Str 20,

Dex 10, Con 20, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 2.

Feats: Endurance, Great Fortitude, Immunity (starvation,

suffocation).

Powers: Growth +8 [Permanent].

* The trees exceed the power level limits in some areas

due to the Green Man’s meta-seed enhanced powers.

The Green Man is quite drunk on his newfound power.

He’s certain the heroes pose no threat to him (and he’s

right, to a degree). If allowed the opportunity, the

Green Man launches into a speech about how he has

claimed his rightful place as the savior of the natural

world, and how Freedom City is just the beginning of his

plans. Soon, the plant kingdom will rise up in revolt

against the animals enslaving and torturing it, and his

vegetable followers will restore the world to its rightful

natural balance. The works of humanity will be swept

away, the slate wiped clean once more!

The Green Man offers the heroes the opportunity

to join his crusade, hinting at promises of greater power

and understanding. If they refuse, he rises to his full

height and commands the trees of the forest to destroy

them as an example to the rest of the world. If the

heroes appear interested or try bluffing him, the Green

Man tells them of how he can transform them to survive

in the world to come. Go on to Captured! to get an

idea of how. The heroes might be able to lull the Green

Man enough to figure out what’s going on and surprise

him (have them make Bluff checks against the Green

Man’s Sense Motive check result, rolled untrained with a

+2 bonus).

In his current state, the Green Man is a significant

threat. Among other things, his Protection rank makes

him virtually immune to most attacks, and his

Regeneration allows him to recover quickly for any

attacks that do actually damage him. He’s superhumanly

strong and capable of rooting to the ground, making him

difficult to move. Critical hits inflict no additional

damage on him, so it takes a fairly major Power Attack

(or something similar) to overcome his defenses.

The Green Man also has a virtually unlimited

number of animated trees at his command. For every

one the heroes fell, another steps in to take its place.

Remember, Liberty Park is filled with trees, and they’re

spreading out into the rest of Freedom City. You don’t

need to bother keeping track of the Green Man’s

minions; in this adventure, they’re practically limitless.

Of course, overcoming the Green Man through

brute force isn’t the point, although it may take the

players a few failed attempts to realize this. Feel free to

have the Green Man simply laugh off their attacks,

proclaiming his own invincibility and telling the heroes

they’ll never defeat him. He counters any attacks by

trapping heroes in tangles of vines and small tress,

Mutants & Masterminds

Seed of Destruction

Page 4

bringing larger trees to life to attack them, and spraying

clouds of choking pollen. As an additional benefit of the

meta-seed, you can allow the Green Man to use extra

effort a few times without fatigue, doing things like

adding the Area extra to one of his attacks, or acquiring

some other extra or stunt useful against a particular

hero.

There are basically two outcomes to the encounter

with the empowered Green Man: either the heroes are

defeated and captured, or they figure out the source of

the Green Man’s power and try to free Dr. Metropolis

from the villain’s clutches.

• Using extra effort and/or Hero Points to overcome

the draining effect of the plants, then use powers like

Super-Strength or Energy Blast to break free.

• Exerting extra effort for a power like Teleportation or

Incorporeal to escape from the trees and attempting to

free the others.

• Using extra effort or Hero Points to expend more

energy and overload the plants so they let the heroes

go.

• Mystically influencing or interfacing with the plant

kingdom to convince it to aid the heroes against the

Green Man. Alternately, heroes might somehow tap into

the “urban power” of Dr. Metropolis and use it to aid

them.

Captured!

If the Green Man or his Brides defeat the heroes in

combat, the vegetative villain has a particular fate in

store for them. Read the following aloud to the players:

• Finding a way to free Dr. Metropolis also frees the

heroes if they’re not already (see Freeing Dr.

Metropolis ).

You awaken slowly in a green twilight. With a start, you

realize your hands and feet are securely bound. Your

back is pressed against the massive trunk of a tree, your

limbs wrapped in its thick branches. Tendrils of creeper

grow all over you, as if you have been hanging here for

days or weeks. You feel weak and tired, listlessness

seems to creep over you. It would be so easy to just slip

back into the comforting darkness of unconsciousness...

“Ah, awake again,” a voice says. “Don’t worry, it

won’t be for long...”

Whatever plan the players come up with, you can have

them roll dice, but you’re better off to roll in secret,

asking the players for some extra effort or Hero Point

expenditure. Then just have the plan work if it’s

plausible, and the heroes get another shot at figuring out

how to overcome the Green Man.

Freeing Dr. Metropolis

The key to defeating the empowered Green Man lies in

the heart of the giant tree at the center of his new

domain. Dr. Metropolis’ inert body is encapsulated

inside the wood, paralyzed and weakened by the meta-

seed embedded in his chest and extending root-like

tendrils all across his gray concrete body.

The heroes can uncover Metropolis’ location in

various ways: using super-senses like Detect, ESP, or

Penetration Vision, by trying to trace the Green Man’s

new energy source (using various powers or devices),

or by using extra effort to acquire the necessary extra

or power stunt to track down the captured hero.

Clever players may trick the Green Man into telling

them the source of his power. A successful Bluff check

against the villain’s Sense Motive result causes him to

morph open the tree trunk, revealing Dr. Metropolis.

The Green Man gloats how he has turned “this

unnatural abomination into a weapon that will help me

destroy these blights on the land.”

As a last resort, you can have a stray attack, like an

energy blast that misses the Green Man, strike the tree.

The attack blasts away part of the trunk, revealing Dr.

Metropolis’ presence.

Once the heroes have found Dr. Metropolis, they

need to free him from the grip of the meta-seed.

Getting the elemental hero free of the tree trunk is the

easy part; the wood is hardness 5, and three successful

The captured heroes are each bound to one of the great

trees in the depths of Liberty Park. When they awaken,

the Green Man gladly explains to them how the trees

are leeching off both their powers and their life-force.

They are being absorbed into the trees and, when the

process is complete, they will be transformed into plant-

hybrids, the first of a new species to live in harmony

with the natural world.

The Green Man tells them the process shouldn’t

take long and they’re best off to not resist it. He then

leaves to continue his conquest of Freedom City, leaving

the heroes to their inevitable fate.

The heroes can escape from the Green Man’s

metamorphosis trap in various ways. Feel free to allow

the players to come up with their own escape plan,

using the information here as a guideline. The point isn’t

to transform the heroes and end your game, but to

create tension, since the players have no idea how long

the process will take. Make liberal use of extra effort

and Hero Points in implementing the heroes’ plans.

Some things they can try include:

• Using Plant Control or similar powers to get the trees

to release them. Perhaps the hero actually has to

converse with the collective awareness of the trees to

convince them what the Green Man is doing is wrong.

Mutants & Masterminds

Seed of Destruction

Page 5

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