Hench4Life (Henchman Riot Quest)

Villains. Everyone focuses on the grandiose schemes, bold personalities, and distinctive aesthetic sense. Hardly anyone thinks about the legions of support staff they need to be effective. That's where you come in!

You are the henchmen, the legion of skilled(quirky), loyal(maybe), underlings of a megalomaniac with a desire for conquest! You will lie, cheat, steal, fight, study and die at the whims of your master to get them there. Especially that last one.

After all, no-one ever said the henchman life was easy.

But it's definitely for you.

CREATE YOUR VILLAIN
Every villain is a bit different. Some are stronger, faster, smarter, or more charismatic than others. Given that, what's your villain like?

Villain Perks (Pick 3)
[] Combat Powerhouse (self-explanatory)
[] Recruiter (increased mookpower gain)
[] Pragmatic (Villainous Demands less unreasonable)
[] Discreet (Lower heat accumulation)
[] Corruptor (Chance of converting hero units)

Minion Perks (Pick 2)
[] Fancy Toys (Readily available Equipment, Vehicles, Etc.)
[] Power Ups (Minions gain access to magic, superpowers, bio-augments, or something of the sort)
[] Medical Plan (Reduced chance of character death and improved recovery)
[] On-The-Job Training (Reduced time for level-ups)
[] Easily Overlooked (Situational, Extremely Useful)

The villain's personality, name, backstory, and modus operandi will be generated based on their perks.

There is one last vote for the initial setup phase, and that's the general vibe of the setting. The top two options will be combined, but you only get one vote here.
[] Spy-Fi (Classic retrofuturism with a distinctly bond aesthetic)
[] Urban Fantasy (Magic and monsters lurking in the shadows of modern society)
[] Conspiracy Kitchen Sink (Ah yes, the Space Lizard Illuminati is up to Shenanigans today)
[] Superhero (Flashy powers and even flashier costumes)
[] Steampunk

Plan voting is FORBIDDEN. Planning and coordination however is heavily encouraged.

Game Mechanics

Timescale
Each game turn represents the events of two weeks.

ACTIONS
Each action is decided by a roll of 1d100 + modifiers. Actions come in four types (Combat, Espionage, Research, Operations), with each character having a skill rating in each action type, and with other bonuses generally only being applicable to a single action type.

Combat is the action type associated with violent conflict. This means more than just direct fighting skill, also featuring things like tactics and situational awareness.

Espionage is all about information, both acquiring information that the heroes would really prefer you did not have, and preventing them from learning things about you. It is also the action category used for diplomacy.

Research is for creating new items and techniques of use. Bear in mind that it is not about ensuring an adequate supply of such things once they're developed, it's strictly for initial R&D.

Operations is the logistics action type, and is absolutely critical for ensuring that the other three departments have what they need to operate effectively. Procurement, equipment manufacture, base construction, maintenance, shipping supplies, ALL of it is Operations. The lifeblood of ANY organization.

Each turn, every player gets one vote for what their character does. Each character participating in an action adds an amount to the roll based on their skill rating in that action type.
Lv. 0: +5
Lv. 1: +10
Lv. 2: +15
Lv. 3: +20
Lv. 4: +25
Your skill rating in an action type is increased by taking part in actions of that type, or by training.

Equipment modifiers work a bit differently. Broadly, a piece of equipment will add to a roll if:
1: Its function is actually applicable to the action at hand.
and
2: Enough of it is available for everyone involved in the action.

Equipment modifiers do somewhat stack based on number, but the bonus a piece of equipment after the first of its type can give is greatly reduced. They are a flat bonus based on the range of situations that the equipment makes easier and more survivable. This means having a wide variety of equipment applicable to a given situation will provide the best bonuses. Super-powers and augments are treated as equipment permanently attached to a specific character, that ignores point 2.

Mookpower
Evils organizations tend to get big, far bigger than the likely player count of this game. Mookpower represents these legions of un-named wrongdoers. Mookpower comes in four types corresponding to the action categories, with each point of mookpower adding +3 to rolls of their matching type. Within a category, mookpower will be evenly divided up between all characters taking actions within that category, the remainder going to the action with the most votes.

The exception is basic maintenance and operations; basic running and maintenance of facilities will auto-task a sufficient amount of mookpower for the players to not need to worry about it, assuming enough correctly typed mookpower exists.

Degrees of Success
Depending on how an action goes, there's a few different general categories of result.
Failure: Not only does the action not work, but something else goes wrong as collateral damage.
Minor Failure: The action doesn't work, but there's no major negative consequences... unless your boss takes notice.
Painful Success: Well, you technically achieved what you set out to do, but there were some consequences. This result occurs when you hit the DC for an action exactly, or just a few under.
Success: The action succeeds without much in the way of unexpected consequences, positive or negative.
Epic Success: The action not only succeeds, but it goes so well that there's some positive collateral effects as well!

VILLAINOUS DEMANDS
Each turn, your boss will demand the completion of 1-3 specific actions to further their plans. While they will punish failure in these tasks (unless you take the Pragmatic villain perk), they will punish insubordination even more harshly (regardless of perks). So best get cracking.

Villain

You are the henchmen of Morgane Denis, and she wants the world. She's ambitious, cunning, and most surprisingly she's smart enough to recognize her limitations. Styling herself as a revolutionary, shadowy mastermind, wealthy elite, or whatever else she may need to be as convenient, Morgane has displayed a talent for avoiding suspicion, amassing loyal followers, and most importantly not sabotaging herself.

In addition to those quite admirable qualities, Morgane has a major knack for culturing Spores, to a degree that seems almost inhuman compared to the yields anyone else can get. Not only has she used this to enhance herself quite significantly, but she also cultivates a considerable surplus for other purposes, such as enhancing her underlings or sale on the black market.

Minion Roster

Characters should be entered using the following template:

Player:
Name:
Profession:
Brief:

Name is obvious; what's your character called. Profession is what they did for a living before becoming a henchperson; their starting skill bonus will be generated based on it. Brief is for a short description of the character, and we do mean short.

Player: DIT_grue
Name: Steve Black
Profession: Tavernkeeper
Skills: Operations 1, Espionage 0 (1/3)
Brief: Better at listening to his customers than balancing the books, but it was a super demolishing the building that ended his prior career.

Player: hellbolo.
Name: maxim jagerkin.
Profession: security guard.
Skills: Combat 1, Operations 0 (1/3)
Brief: is a hat enthusiast, also has a tendency to start fights for fun if bored. Looks a bit monsterous, (look up girl genius jagerkin, and you'll get the gist.). Has a very fancy hat.

Player: Whitecap
Name: Michael Delaney
Profession: Street Hooligan
Skills: Combat 1, Operations 0 (1/3)
Brief: A big, bulky lad of Irish descent; Michael makes for an imposing figure with his crooked nose, missing teeth, and torn ear signaling his violent nature. Spends most of his free time drinking, betting on sports, and general rabblerousing. Hates the British with a passion and relishes any opportunity to do them dirty.

Player: Philospher
Name: Randal Herman
Profession: Preacher
Skills: Espionage 1, Operations 0 (1/3)
Brief: Randal has seen the disparity between humans increase and how science and power has become society's new god(s). He believes breaking the system will help fix the problems.

Player: LuckyShadowWolf
Name: Padraig "Paddy" O'Keen
Profession: Clock Smith
Skills: Research 1, Operations 0 (1/3)
Brief: A lucky Irishman who earned the interest and apprenticeship under an English Clock Smith. By the end of which he could work on clocks from Pocket watches to Turret Clocks. Due to the English's dim views of the Irish, he had made his way to Paris to find work before entering into the employ of a woman with high ambitions.

Player: Scott
Name: Damien Swift
Profession: accountant
Skills: Operations 1 (1/5)
Brief: Due to a complete inability to do a successful interview Damien took the henchmen job to pay for his student debt.

Player: Blackshard
Name: James York
Profession: Mathematician
Skills: Research 1, Operations 0 (1/3)
Brief: Having had little professional success in academia, James has decided to pursue a more lucrative (and shady) career in the field of clandestine research.

Player: Megaolix
Name: Jiminy Longarm
Profession: Conman
Skills: Espionage 1, Operations (1/3)
Brief: A street boy that lived long enough to pick up a few tricks, he's throwing his lot under the Boss for the potential rewards.

Player: Sirrocco
Character: Igor Igorsson
Profession: Servant, minion, and general assistant in all things.
Skills: Operations 1 (0/3)
Background: A proud Igor from a proud lineage of Igors. Not particularly attractive, or large, or all that strong, but good with his hands, obedient, and very, very discreet. Igor has always known that he wanted to be a henchman when he grew up, and as soon as the opportunity offered, he jumped at the chance. His parents are quite pleased with this excellent start to his career. This particular Igor specializes in thinking of the little things that are beneath the notice of the Masters, and making sure that they do not become big things. Or... at least... that's what he always wanted to specialize in. His new Mistress has shown herself to be very good at being proactive about the little things all by herself, and he's still trying to find his footing after that revelation.

Spoiler: mass grave

No henches have yet died.

Facilities and Equipment

MOOKPOWER
Combat: 5
Espionage: 2
Research: 1
Operations: 8



OPERATIONS

Paris

Protection Racket (Lv. 1)
+1 income per turn
Requires 1 combat and 1 operations mookpower to run.

Money Laundering (Lv. 1)
Cleans 2 income per turn
Requires 1 operations mookpower to run.
Can sell services to other criminals for a cut.

BASES

Paris

Paris Storefront
-Size: 8
-Discretion: 8/10
-Defensibility: 3/10
-Rooms: Front Operation (x2), Barracks, Workroom, Storeroom (), Infirmary

Equipment
-Spore Terrarium (1x) produces 4 Spore per turn.
-Crowbars and other Hand Tools (+1 to close combat, +5 to relevant Operations)

SPORE: 8

CASH: 5

Total Income: 3
Legit Income: 2
Cleaned Income: 1
Dirty Income: 0

World Status

The year is 1891, and twenty years have passed since the Spores were discovered. Requiring extremely precise conditions to grow, these alien fungi are very difficult to find in the wild, and their cultivation requires considerable attention. Yet the rewards are so very very worth it, as from the Spores can be produced a serum capable of inducing a wide variety of superhuman abilities when injected, needing only small booster shots every few months to maintain the alterations.

This was the subject of much scientific inquiry when first discovered, and it was only five years later that the mechanism of the Spores' action was discovered in the form of the Ghost World. Still largely unexplored and difficult to access, technology capable of interacting with this parallel realm has started cropping up in the hands of various groups in small numbers.

Yet despite the promise of these wonders, they have only driven the world further from peace. The rarity of Spores and Ghost World technology means that the only groups with remotely reliable access to either are the rich and powerful, or those desperate and determined enough to acquire power by any means necessary. Flamboyant super-powered criminals, revolutionaries, dictators, soldiers and vigilantes have started crawling out of the woodwork and threatening the stability of society, ushering in what many are already starting to call the Age of the Supervillain.

Intelligence: Paris

DOSSIERS

Pierre le Tonnerre

Hero, Public
Freelance
Lightning-based powers
Electric arc attacks
Teleportation highly probable
Flashy
Extent of powers uncertain

Chouette

Hero, Covert
Unknown Affiliation
Probable enhanced physique
Unknown stealth power
Operates at night
Generally lethal

Katu Odoltsua

Villain, Semi-Covert
Contract Killer
Powers Unknown

Marius Naël Bélanger

Hero Sponsor, Covert
Rich AF
Unknown number of heroes on payroll
Ready access to Spores
Possible access to Ghost World technology

RUMORS
-There's apparently small clanks spying on people. (STATUS: UNVERIFIED)

 

THE WORLD

The year is 1891, and twenty years have passed since the Spores were discovered. Requiring extremely precise conditions to grow, these alien fungi are very difficult to find in the wild, and their cultivation requires considerable attention. Yet the rewards are so very very worth it, as from the Spores can be produced a serum capable of inducing a wide variety of superhuman abilities when injected, needing only small booster shots every few months to maintain the alterations.

This was the subject of much scientific inquiry when first discovered, and it was only five years later that the mechanism of the Spores' action was discovered in the form of the Ghost World. Still largely unexplored and difficult to access, technology capable of interacting with this parallel realm has started cropping up in the hands of various groups in small numbers.

Yet despite the promise of these wonders, they have only driven the world further from peace. The rarity of Spores and Ghost World technology means that the only groups with remotely reliable access to either are the rich and powerful, or those desperate and determined enough to acquire power by any means necessary. Flamboyant super-powered criminals, revolutionaries, dictators, soldiers and vigilantes have started crawling out of the woodwork and threatening the stability of society, ushering in what many are already starting to call the Age of the Supervillain.

YOUR BOSS

You are the henchmen of Morgane Denis, and she wants the world. She's ambitious, cunning, and most surprisingly she's smart enough to recognize her limitations. Styling herself as a revolutionary, shadowy mastermind, wealthy elite, or whatever else she may need to be as convenient, Morgane has displayed a talent for avoiding suspicion, amassing loyal followers, and most importantly not sabotaging herself.

In addition to those quite admirable qualities, Morgane has a major knack for culturing Spores, to a degree that seems almost inhuman compared to the yields anyone else can get. Not only has she used this to enhance herself quite significantly, but she also cultivates a considerable surplus for other purposes, such as enhancing her underlings or sale on the black market.

Still, she's only in the barest beginnings of setting up her operation...

The Current Situation

You have just arrived in Paris, France, seat of one of the largest empires in the world. A perfect prospect for someone who wants to take that empire, then the world, for herself. That said, Morgane has very few resources at the moment (aside from her portable Spore terrarium), so she's having to start small. As such, she issues her first set of orders.

VILLAINOUS DEMANDS
-[OPERATIONS] Acquire a base of operations!
-[OPERATIONS] Secure an income stream!
-[ESPIONAGE] Collect information on the local heroes!

[Character Creation has now been unlocked! Check the OP for details.]

ACTIONS

Combat
[] Go Looking For Trouble
-[] Where?
[] Perform a Heist
-[] Specify Target
[] Assault a Target
-[] Specify
[] Defend a Base
-[] ERROR: NO BASES
[] Rapid Response
[] Training (ERROR: NO BASES)
[] Write-In

Espionage
[] Training (ERROR: NO BASES)
[] Write-In

Research
[] Training (ERROR: NO BASES)
[] Write-In

Operations
[] Training (ERROR: NO BASES)
[] Write-In

 

Going to nerf mookpower after this turn, to make player characters more relevant.

---

Action 1: Barhop for Intel (Espionage)(VILLAINOUS DEMAND)
Roll 98 + 5 (skill) + 20 (Espionage Mookpower) = 123 Epic Success

Steve Black has spent quite some time on both sides of a bar counter, so when it comes to subtly milking drunkards for information he knows what he's about. With the help of a couple nondescript nosy fellows who've joined up with Morgane's operation, he spends the time perusing Paris to learn about the local superheroes and villains.

First is the most famous hero in town, Pierre le Tonnerre. He's loud, he's flashy, and he's really quite effective with his lightning based powers. Details are a bit sketchy, but you've been able to confirm that he can zap anything in his line of sight with an electrical arc, and might be able to teleport to the other end of any electrical arc with him at one of the ends. You are uncertain about his maximum range, rate of fire, and energy per bolt. There are rumors of Pierre being able to connect any two things in line of sight with lightning to swap their positions, but you have been unable to substantiate these claims.

You also manage to find some details on a much, much more subtle operator known only as Chouette. Unlike Pierre she has never emitted any sort of visible energy. However, she dresses in camouflage that blends into the night, she moves with inhuman speed and agility, and at times she seems to simply vanish into thin air. Her modus operandi seems to be a string of domestic abusers never being heard from again, interspersed with the occasional crime boss being left dangling from a major landmark.

There's only a couple villains you're able to get anything at all on, one of whom is known as Katu Odoltsua. Apparently they're a killer for hire, though they do a very good job of keeping to the shadows.

There's also rumors of little automatons being spotted spying on people from time to time, but you're not sure if that can be taken seriously, or who would be operating them.

You've also managed to find someone you weren't even looking for, learning the name of Paris' foremost hero sponsor, one Marius Naël Bélanger. He's wealthy, has an interest in keeping the supervillain situation under control, and apparently has a reliable source of Spores.

Outcomes
DOSSIER: Pierre le Tonnerre
DOSSIER: Chouette
DOSSIER: Katu Odoltsua
DOSSIER: Marius Naël Bélanger
RUMOR: Spying Clanks?
XP: DIT_grue | Espionage (1/3)

---

Action 2: Acquire Funding (Operations)(VILLAINOUS DEMAND)
Roll 56 + 15 (skill) + 30 (Operations Mookpower) = 101 Success

Through a variety of methods, your crew has managed to acquire a decent quantity of funding this period. Michael sets up the beginnings of a protection racket, threatening a few businesses into paying up. Padraig simply plies his trade as a clocksmith performing maintenance on a few particularly expensive timepieces. And Jimmy does what he does best, making off with a few rich snob's purses, then subtly returning them sans cash.

Outcomes
CASH: +5
Operation: Protection Racket (Lv. 1, 1 Income)
XP: Whitecap (Operations 1/3)
XP: LuckyShadowWolf (Operations 1/3)
XP: Megaolix (Operations 1/3)

---

Action 3: Money Laundering (Operations)
Roll 85 + 10 (skill) + 10 (Operations Mookpower) = 105 Success

Of course, just having a criminal income is no good if you can't hide it. That's what Scott's been up to for the last two weeks, quietly establishing a set of "respectable businesses" that are effectively arranged to obscure the source of some really quite dirty money. They cover their own costs from their legitimate proceeds, and very thoroughly hide the source of your actual income.

Outcomes
Operation: Money Laundering (Lv. 1, 2 income cleaned)
XP: Scott (Operations 1/5)

---

Action 4: Acquire a Base (Operations)(VILLAINOUS DEMAND)
Roll 35 + 15 (skill) + 40 (Operations Mookpower) = 90 Success

It takes nearly a week of searching, but you manage to find a place to operate out of. Much to Randal's dismay there aren't any disused churches around, but you find a rather large between-owners shop that's impressively cheap after Maxim flashes the realtor a distinctly spiky grin.

Outcomes
BASE: Paris Storefront
Base Actions have been unlocked!
XP: Blackshard (Operations 1/3)
XP: hellbolo (Operations 1/3)
XP: Philosopher (Operations 1/3)

---

Villainous Actions
Morgane has established a gardening store in the Paris Storefront, boosting Discretion by 4 and providing 2 Legitimate Income.

VILLAINOUS DEMANDS
-Set up a proper Spore growth room! (Operations)
-Case Marius' residence! I want to know how it's defended! (Espionage)
-One of you come here for some enhancements! (Someone gets a power-up relevant to their highest skill, but will be in recovery for the rest of the turn)

---

Special Vote!
Who do you think should get enhanced by Morgane? You may not nominate yourself.
[] Write-In.

ACTIONS

Combat
[] Go Looking For Trouble
-[] Where?
[] Perform a Heist
-[] Specify Target
[] Assault a Target
-[] Specify
[] Defend a Base
-[] Paris Storefront
[] Defend an Operation
-[] Specify
[] Rapid Response
[] Training
[] Write-In

Espionage
[] Go looking for clues
-[] General topic?
[] Investigate a Rumor
-[] Specific Rumor?
[] Flesh out a Dossier
-[] Who?
[]Investigate a Location
-[] Where?
[] Run interference
-[] Hide an action (which one?)
-[] Hide a base (which one?)
-[] Hide an operation (which one?)
[] Training
[] Write-In

Research
[] Fundamental Research
-[] Spore formulations (currently at Lv. 1)
-[] Spore cultivation (currently at Lv. 1)
-[] Spore biology (currently at Lv. 1)
-[] Ghost World basics (currently at Lv. 0)
-[] Write-In
[] Design Spore Formulation
-[] Specify
[] Design Equipment
-[] Specify
[] Design Room
-[] Specify
[] Write-In

Operations
[] Build a Room!
-[] Select Base
-[] Select Type (Spore grow room already unlocked)
[] Improve a Base
-[] Select Base
-[] Select Stat (Size/Discretion/Defensibility)
[] Improve an Operation!
-[] Select Operation!
[] Start an Operation!
-[] Location
-[] Type/Purpose
[] Purchase Equipment
-[] Specify? (limited to things reasonably attainable, or with a known source)
[] Manufacture Equipment
-[] Specify? (limited to known blueprints)
[] Training
[] Write-In