So, looking at my upcoming options, I’m going to have some… weirdness. Specifically, these last four environments are all going to be extremely minion-heavy.
See, thanks to the vagaries of random chance, I have eight options left for each minor twist, and four left for each major twist. In Green, two of my eight minor twists are minions, so two out of four environments. That’s not so bad. In yellow, I’ve got two minor twists and a major twist for minions – three out of four environments, probably. Finally, in Red, I’ve got a minor twist each for minions and lieutenants, and a major twist for a lieutenant.
That’s a total of eight twists remaining that generate minions. Which means that, on average, every remaining environment will be doing that in one to three zones. Should be… fun? Let’s see what I can do.
Step 1: Green Zone
Our Green Twist options this time around are:
- Minor: Hinder One (Mid), Defend All (Min), Add a Minion, Add a Minion
- Major: Hinder One (Max), Action One (Max)
Let’s save that free action for later. I’ll grab Defend All (Min) and Add a Minion for my minors, and Hinder One (Max) for my Major.
Step 2: Yellow Zone
Having gotten the ball rolling in Green, let’s see what Yellow has to offer.
- Minor: Hinder One (Max), Hinder Two (PE, Min), Hinder All (Min), Add Min Minions
- Major: Boost or Hinder One (Max, PE), Add Min Minions + effect
Well, apparently Yellow has Hinders and minions to offer, huh.
Okay, let’s see. I’m going to take Hinder Two (PE, Min) and Add Min Minions in Yellow, and then Boost One (Max, PE) as a major twist. I think I now know where I’m going with this.
Step 3: Red Zone
As we enter Red, what are we looking to do?
- Minor: Two Targets Hinder PE (Mid), Add Max Minions, Fully Heal Lieutenant, Add multi-step challenge
- Major: All Targets 2 Actions Mid (PE), Advance Scene Tracker
Boy, that is… that is just a lot of Hinders. Can’t heal a lieutenant when there isn’t one (going to try to keep those two options together) so it’s time to make things complicated. We’ll add Max Minions and really minion up this place, plus a last-minute multi-step challenge. For our major, an all-target action will Hinder some people and boost others with the Mid die, persistent-exclusive.
Step 4: Where Are We?
We are in the depths of The Bloodstone Catalyzer! Located behind a popular new nightclub that has been attracting patrons like magic, the Catalyzer drains partygoers of their life energy as they party, siphoning it to the techno-fae of the Court of Vicissitude. In the heart of the machine, the effect is amplified, and heroes will have to contend with their life energy draining away and creating dangerous manikins, monstrous banshees, and empowering the Court themselves.
The Bloodstone Catalyzer is very much a Hostile environment. Nothing here is likely to make the heroes’ lives easier, and they will need to be careful to survive.
The Catalyzer is another highly random environment. It has the traits Blood Magic d12, Corrupted Leylines d8, and Strobes and Sirens d6
Step 5: What Do We Do?
In Green, the Catalyzer is still drawing on the stored energy of the club as it adapts to the presence of the heroes. Digital banshees spawn to sing dubstep at their foes, the catalyst’s energies defend the Court from harm, and blasts of ley energies weaken foes.
Starting in Yellow, the Catalyzer moves to draining any non-fae targets present. Circuit-glyphs draw on the heroes’ power, weakening them, and spawning groups of wire-and-circuit manikins. Eventually, the stored power is dumped into a key Court member, massively boosting their power.
Finally, in Red, everything dials up to eleven. Hordes of manikins take form, and the converter begins a process to drain the club’s patrons to death, which the heroes will need to find a way to stop. At the worst moment, every hero is drained of energy and every Court member is boosted, giving them the energy for a final push.
The Bloodstone Catalyzer
Traits: Blood Magic d12, Corrupted Leylines d8, and Strobes and Sirens d6
Green Zone
Minor Twist: Banshee. Sound and magic spin together to create a banshee of musical power, which screams club music as it strikes at the heroes. The banshee is a d8 minion which suffers a -2 penalty to saves against sonic or magical damge.
Minor Twist: Good Vibrations. The Bloodstone Catalyzer pulses, and energy washes over the fae. Defend all fae characters with the Min die.
Major Twist: Sap Strength. The Catalyzer targets a hero, lashing out with corrupted ley energy. Hinder one hero with the Max die.
Yellow Zone:
Minor Twist: Drain Lifeforce. Circuit-glyphs whir to life, and pulses of anti-power draw in the life energy of the Court’s enemies. Hinder two heroes with the Min die. This penalty is persistent and exclusive.
Minor Twist: Manikins. Foot-tall goblins made of circuits and wire spring to life, crawling from their hidden spaces to attack. Add a number of d6 minions equal to the Min die to the room. These minions get +1 when attacking an enemy who has been Hindered by the Catalyzer.
Major Twist: The Life Fantastic. The Catalyzer pulses, sending the power it has gathered into one of its champions. Boost a villain target with the Max die. This Boost is persistent and exclusive.
Red Zone:
Minor Twist: The Digital Horde. Mankins and banshees begin to spawn from all directions. Add a number of banshees equal to the Min die, and a number of Manikins equal to the Max die minus the Min die.
Minor Twist: Closing Time. The Catalyzer boots to full power, draining a terrible amount from clubgoers. Create a two-step challenge: Save the Clubgoers! This can be resolved by getting clubgoers to safety, magically or technologically blocking the catalyzer’s effects, or straight-up physical sabotage. If the challenge is not resolved by the next environment turn, some clubgoers die and all of the fae present are Boosted with the Min die.
Major Twist: Your Power Is Mine. The Catalyzer focuses all of its power on the room. All non-fae targets are Hindered with the Mid die, and all fae targets are Boosted with the Mid die. These bonuses and penalties are persistent and exclusive.
Aftermath:
Well, that was appropriately nasty. This is not a good place to be, although a fae hero can mitigate just how nasty it is by sneaking in on the receiving end of some of the benefits, and the right heroes can pull apart the Hinders pretty quickly. I think it’s about the right level of “hostile environment.”
I’ve also slightly defused my heavy-minion situation by having minions at every stage of this environment. Only five minion/lieutenant slots left for the last three, which means nothing this robust is likely to appear again.