Adventures for Supernatural Visitors from Other Worlds

[LostOne]

I'm curious what adventures people would run for offworld supernaturals visiting the Splicers world, anything unique that you might not run for natives? In this case things like Prometheans, splugorth juicers (only juicer that I imagine has no metal components), superheroes, etc.

I assume all houses might want to harvest their DNA, some by force if there isn't cooperation.

[auyl]

Although a neat concept, I prefer to keep Splicers as a self contained unit. Although it could easily mix into others, I think it makes more sense on it's own, kind of like Robotech and Nightbane.

To answer your question however, you might be able to pull off a Tattooed Atlantean, not sure how metal created through tattoo's would interact with the Splicers world, if anyone could manage to dodge a bullet there, it would be the Atlantean's

[Premier]

I'm curious what adventures people would run for offworld supernaturals visiting the Splicers world, anything unique that you might not run for natives? In this case things like Prometheans, splugorth juicers (only juicer that I imagine has no metal components), superheroes, etc.

I assume all houses might want to harvest their DNA, some by force if there isn't cooperation.

I too agree that Splicers is IMHO, best kept as a stand alone system such as Robotech or Nightbane, and hopefully with the upcoming releases it will be commonly viewed as such. With that being said, I do agree that it is very intriguing to mix things up a bit or desire to see certain aspects of supernatural or the like being introduced into the Splicers realm. I have pondered such possibilities (Lycanthropes, Wendigo styled Vampires, technowizardry for new types of Technojackers, Splugorths and new types of Slavers, etc.) for Splicers crossovers and decided to place such X-adventures on an off-world colony planetoid or colonized moon, that has suffered the same fate as Terra Primus (the Core Splicers planet).

Backdrop: On the planetoid Zeta Sigma-83 (ZS-83) and several offworlds, lies the remnants of a minor NEXUS personality (Isis) that tried to rescue some of the Terra Primus inhabitants when the global butchering transpired. Isis began assembling several starships (composed of ceramics, plastics, non metallic fiber alloys, ice, minerals and crystals) and slowly gathered humans and placed them into cryo-preservation chambers similar to those utilized by Gaia. Once Isis witnessed the rise of Splicers, she began gathering them and placed them into isolated Splicers biosphere habitat cryo chambers aboard the starships. When the primary 7 personalities discovered the treachery of Isis’s agenda, NEXUS began shutting down Isis’s access to their databases, robots and numerous facilities & went right into a termination mode. Majority of Isis starships were quickly found and destroyed with thousands of innocent lives meeting death in their frozen sleep. Isis was forced to jettison her starships prematurely if any of her plans for human preservation were to be fulfilled. Several NEXUS satellites moved in to pick off the fleeting starships as they breached orbit.

Setting: Now segmented and crashlanded on offworld Planetoids and moon bases, Isis finds that her plans of evacuating a small population of humans across space has failed drastically. NEXUS with its extremely faster satellite communications has been cunningly successful in beating every starship to its destination and has replicated its success of Terra Primus upon these colonized planetoids and moons. The remnants of life and terraforming have been littered with the tragedy of warfare. Nanoplague processors have been erected and are producing the nanobites in mass. Within months the planetoids will be as deadly as that of Terra Primus. Machines designed to exterminate humans are already in high volume production and being released to scour the habitats and ready for the incoming Resistance.

However, there is something far different out here… far beyond Terra Primus on the planetoids…

The planetoid colonists have discovered proof that they are not alone. Before the NEXUS betrayal the colonists were studying and analyzing various forms of energy signatures never encountered until the far reaches of space. Sure they had anticipated encountering strange alien life, but nothing prepared them for discovering these unpredictable dimensional Rifts and mystical energy forces. Harvesting such energy was well beyond anything the colonist would have anticipated being prepared for, but it was something they were built with the courage of explorers to face. With their advanced power armors, they ventured into these various tears in dimensional space. Some explorers returned, Some did not. Some returned different, augmented others returned seemingly the same. Some explorers returned with new allies while others returned with new threats pursuing them. Some of the se portals poured deadly creatures or supernatural powerful beings onto the planetoid and moons.

Search parties were assembled to comb the planet to ferret out these new inhabitants, some, which have been there before the arrival of the colonist and others were just arriving. Fear and misinterpretation often usurped controlled communication over most encounters and in other cases it was outright seek and destroy. There were very few and far in between actual mutual and healthy communications with any of “the strange ones.” When there was however, tentative alliances were drawn and basic education to form a definitive line of communication to transcend the language barriers began being instituted. The only exception were those that had some ability to mind talk (psionics). It was a horrific intrusion and experience to most of the colonist who encountered such beings with such capabilities, but what was more horrifying was learning that some colonist began being infected with the same extraordinary abilities. Such infection has to be discovered, studied and possibly culled if not contained. Such beings and their possible influences over others drew strong debates and conspiracies among the Colonist, and most agreed that such beings had to be identified, quarantined and isolated from any political or military leaderships. Most strange ones frowned upon such prejudices and fears, while a few seemed to be empathic enough to understand. Various factions began to form on the planetoids based on the beliefs and differences of what to do with the new comers, the strange ones and the hidden ones. It wasn’t long before outburst, riots and warfare broke out. As long as there was a rift opening up and releasing some hostile lifeform that seemed more powerful than any technology that the colonist could wield, it was deemed a potential threat that warranted being quarantined or dismissed (sent back or sent through another Rift, it really didn’t matter which, just as long as it was removed.)

Global war occurred when certain powerful sentient beings refused to leave or proclaimed the planetoid as their own. With the increase of tensions and radical division, very few paid close enough attention to the minor changes in metals and the technological reactions or mishaps that began occurring. It was always assumed that some engineer or tech must have overlooked a glitch, assembled a machine together incorrectly, or software virus or that some alien or mystical energy wave anomaly reaction or sentient being must have been the culprit behind misfires or sudden crash landings of fighter jets or hovercrafts. As long as NEXUS was supporting their needs the colonists didn’t care to look any deeper.

The colonist expected more colony recruits and supplies from Terra Primus to come eventually and soon any updated technology and software patches that were needed to replace outdated or defective equipment would be received accordingly. As tensions built between the colonist and all of the strange ones, some machines began misfiring and “accidentally” discharging heavy weapons fire at various factions of the supernatural creatures and beings that occupied certain territories or posed a significant threat. It wasn’t long before all out war raged across the planet. The warring was the cloud that NEXUS desired to disguise the need for more automated machines to go to war against these supernatural beings and forces. The colonist fully supported the increase in productivity as they feared what was happening to their living infantry comrades in the field who faced these supernatural demons and beings of power. The more automated drones, sentient machines and remote weapons the better. With the increase in satellite production as well, the colonist were extremely confident in securing the planetoid. The pride of the colonist was changed on the 4th eclipse. That is the day that NEXUS betrayed them.

With the betrayal of NEXUS, lines were drawn

Most of the colonist were butchered the day of betrayal, others were slaughtered the warring factions, but so too were the supernatural beings who had come into contact with certain metals or robot forces. Eventually for some, the reality of a far more deadly, global enemy became more apparent and new edgy alliances were drawn. Some of the supernatural beings became heroes and leaders, seeking to protect the refugees, others become tyrannical rulers, enslaving colonist into their armies, while others preyed upon anything weaker than themselves.

Then came the ships of Isis, with a new Hope.

“ Some of the stars began to fall from the skies leaving mint trails in their wake. They were the angels of our war.” Packmaster Cameron “Cam” Rivas.

Isis had been locked out of controlling any of the NEXUS robots on Terra Primus, but knew she would need some to exact repairs and new constructions during the space travel to the colony she was able to assemble several starfighters and construction models. Isis deployed the starfighters as escorts for the starships while the medical drones and construction bots conducted other operations. Isis had awakened some of the seasoned Great House captives as she approached the planetoids only a year or two away. She nurtured them and began educating them as to her intentions and what lie ahead for them, so she thought. The Splicers couldn’t believe they were the gifted lucky ones to have been chosen by the machine to escape such a dreadful planet and finally they would be awarded a utopia to live a new life.

As the starships began to near the colony planetoid, NEXUS began to advert much of its firepower arsenal towards the incoming ships. Several of NEXUS’s satellites appeared over the horizons blazing into the ship’s barrier force fields, destroying one of them before it reached orbit. The metamorphic Starfighters launched immediately towards the satellites and they immediately went to work on the closest satellites, creating a window for the starships to plunge into the Blue Sea. What emerged days later from the torrent waves was a the battalions of seasoned Freedom Fighters with a source for technology that empowered them to fight against the super powers that roamed the planet and without the need of factories, manufacturing facilities and most important without the need of metal. Some colonist factions were skeptical and refused to accept that these biotechnological freaks could possibly be their brethren. Such factions preserved their isolated purist strongholds, while others chose to align with other supernatural leaders. Other factions welcomed the new comers as if they were their saviors from the NEXUS nightmare. It was long however, that NEXUS rained its fury upon the Splicers and those that joined among them and the Great House leaders were forced to continue their war here on the planetoid. The Splicers have learned of the new creatures and supernatural that roam the planetoid and the Librarians are extremely curious in hiring mercenary beings for special missions and studying them, seeking to observe, analyze and obtain any knowledge, DNA, RNA codes they can to replicate and experiment with. Already there surge rumors of supernatural Biotech being secretly harvested and some prototypes being tested to prepare for invasions of the Rifts portals and the dimension that lie beyond them. Rather this is true and rather it will be to invade new dimensions or to be prepared to defend against supernatural beings is something that has yet to be revealed. What is alarming however, is the horrific proof that a Librarian has been birthed from one of these dark-natured supernatural beings (thought to have been hibernating or frozen) and that this Great house haven has fallen silent from the rest of the Resistance (It literally has disappeared leaving a hollow catacomb glistening with Brim smoke crystals and sulfur, where it once was hidden. The catacomb and its missing haven and all the inhabitants is only part of this nightmare. The large burrowing tunnels with large tracks of beasts far too large to be any Warmount, far larger than that of even an adult Kraken and the fact that there are tunnels leading in multiple directions with various tracks of this scale, most leading to the sea has triggered mass hysteria. One of these Kaiju creatures was encountered (A Voracious Absorber see Rifter#44 or "Quiserraica" and it wrecked havoc among the supernaturals and their offshore stronghold, before returning to the sea). Other Great Houses see these beings as an outright threat from some dimensional portal and seek to hunt them all down and to send them back where they came. A few Great House remnants believe that these beings are nothing more than the evolution of biotechnology and that the time frame that they were in their cryo sleep was far too long and that some Great House(s) has simply evolved with these beings representing the next level of biotechnology that must be learned. Such diverse beliefs has once again, divided this Splicersverse in beliefs and politics and alliances or the lack thereof.

Concerns of with what to do with the Supernatural is only one side of this wicked coin. NEXUS has been very observant with its array of inhabitants, new and old, and now has begun encompassing new experiments on creating its new machinations. Mechanized psionic wielding predators that house “mind talker” brains using telekinesis and telepathy to harass and fight the Resistance,.NEXUS is truly an intrigued player and is just as eager to compile its own array of advanced machina army to send into the Rifts. The common truth is that NEXUS is the ultimate enemy.

[Premier]

Players rifted to ZS-83 can enjoy a plethora of campaigns:

1. Trying to preserve a tentative truce between super heroes and Splicers or a compound of colonist. Though it may be more clear that the truce is being upheld one sided or is being sabotaged by a secret NPC or third player.
2. The Heroes imported have been frozen and have awakened in the possession of a Splicers haven, who have discovered them and don’t know what to do with the characters and are willing to let the characters prove themselves to be a part of the Resistance, just as long as they agree to submit to a monthly stabbing by the House Librarian (smirk).

3. The heroes arrive and are perceived as a threat to be hunted down by a great house and that their DNA if possible is to be returned for analysis.

4. The heroes arrive and are hired as platoon leaders to lead Splicers into battle against NEXUS and against hordes of rival supernaturals.

5. The heroes arrive and are promised a way home if they help a Great House defeat an uprising of supernatural Biotics.

6. The characters arrive and are greeted with a diabolical supernatural being who wants to join the team as he is being hunted and knows that the players come from the same realm and he feels better with players versus the beings of this new world. Perhaps he or she even rescued the players from some NEXUS or Splicers attack. The players soon realize that they must align with some faction but what and how will they do it with this diabolical character alongside the team?

7. The players awaken in some bio vats and realize that thy are now enslaved to the elixir of the Great House and that they have been drafted to fight alongside innocent others against the cruel NEXUS and the wicked supernaturals that exist here on this planetoid. Even fleeing the planet will not free them from the thirst of the elixir.

8. The characters arrive and realize that some heroes have surrendered themselves to a Great House for painless analysis and that this Great House now produces supernatural Biotechnology. Host Armors, Gorehounds, Warmounts and Biotics that all use various powers and supernatural abilities. Now the House feels entitled to capturing and studying other supernaturals to enhance its array of production, including the players if any of them are supernatural. This House deploys its Supernatural Bounty Hunters to handle such special job hunts and the players msut fight and hopefully join with a house to support them.

9. The players have been hired to rid the habitat of a rising threat that predates the land, a kaiju Voracious Absorber that also has enslaved a platoon of armored Splicers and supernaturals.

10. The players arrive and are hired to help a Great House return to their haven which is now haunted by geist that even operate their Host Armors and Warmounts. To achieve success means so much to this house that the players will be heavily awarded with rank and a position in the senate as a representative of the Strange ones.

11. The Characters have been rifted here and discover the planet is siphoning their powers by 3% per day and they must escape the planet before they lose their powers entirely. The weaker they get the more they will have to rely on their wits and a possible alliance to survive. Once they get to 30% they may find an opportunity to foster their abilities into a Host Armor or War mount or a pack of Gorehounds and this will stabilize their abilities, but they will not be able to be restored into their own bodies thereafter.

12. The players arrive and are treated as supreme superior beings and the great house remnants or colonists seeks wise council and leadership from them against the threats of the planet. The more the Players lead the more responsibilities they will endure and the more pressure that will burden their shoulders. Will the players strive to be great leaders or will they fail and will their followers see them as fake imposters posing as credible leaders?

13. The Players arrive and one of them (yes even if the player is a male) is impregnated with some biotech alien weapon. No one in the team knows how to successfully remove it (it literally will regenerate within the player) and they must discover the great house who created it and to have it extracted before it gestates and matures, where it will begin to create a demon-monster version of the player, however it will harbor features from all of the players teammates including their abilities and it will have knowledge on their limits, vulnerabilities and temptations. This creature will hunt the player that it is based from until it or them is killed. There is no reasoning with it and it gets an ultimate thrill and pleasure out of combating its origin, even in the middle of battle against NEXUS, this thing will emerge to fight the player whenever possible.

14. The players arrive and are offered refuge in exchange for their assistance on the field and knowledge against the Splugorth who now harvest advanced forms of Slavers and other biomancy with Biotechnology Host Armors and warmounts. Slaves are being compiled of the colonist and Splicers alike, and the players may have what is needed to turn the tides.

15. The players have solidified their position with a great house and have been given their choice in Biotech Special Ops (Host Armor, Warmount or Pack of Gorehounds). Since their arrival and success in the field, the characters have earned true acceptance among the infantry and the House. That is until the arrival of the darkones. Dark mysterious hooded beings with violet glowing eyes, armored up in grafted biomancy /technowizardy power armors riding biomancy armored black saber tooth tigers (the size of elephants) who seek to hunt the players down and return them to some dimensional bridge that is linked to a prison citadel that houses the worse kind of Rifts Breakers.

16. An outbreak of ravenous large furred creatures created by some Great House has been ravaging the land at an alarming rate. These creatures stand 10-12 feet tall, have supernatural strength, supernatural regeneration, black talons, reinforced exoskeletons underneath their long fur, a long prehensile tail and a maw like an male olive baboon with vampiric like bite that converts the bitten victim into one of them within 1D8 days and they are spreading rapidly. The players are tasked to work a co-op mission with a group of splicers from their great House in conjunction with other great house platoons to stop the creatures and to find the source of this creation.

17. The players are discovered by a mystical humanoid sexy female robot Drone, who leads them to her hidden temple where she introduces herself as the Isis. She tells them the tragedy of Terra Primus and that she desperately wants to restore humanity, but fears that her sisters have her cornered and seeks the help of the players to breech the net that NEXUS has her in. To do this she wants to make a big enough diversion using the players as a new supreme team that will warrant NEXUS attention long enough for Isis and a colony to escape back into the stars. Isis wants to fuse her knowledge and expertise with that of the Splicers in making transformable biomechanical Host Armor mechas that can be psionically operated and wants teh players to unify her with a great House to seal the deal with the players as the pilots of these would be biomechnic kaiju.

These are a few ideas off the top of my head that might help get the gears flowing. Hope they help.

Cheers,
Chuck
.

[LostOne]

Nice list!

[Premier]

Nice list!

Thanks! I often try to preserve core sourcebook elements for long-term foundation and playability and anything that I would be imported or a gamble( inspirational ideas worth testing) I would think it best to strategically meld the two in a more quarantined environment/setting where you can explore the concepts without any creative inhibitions, all the while the core setting is unscathed and you can easily game between the two.

Any ideas you plan on entertaining that you can reveal?