As seen on http://www.fudgefactor.org.

Lair of the Skull Monkey

Introduction

The following is an adventure scenario based on the Wild Cards super-hero universe, and using the Over the Fudge rules system - a Fudge adaptation of Over the Edge. First I'll briefly describe the essentials of Over the Fudge, and then the adventure scenario. I've also included 6 player characters (in PDF format) that can be used with the adventure.

Over the Fudge

Over the Edge is an excellent rules-light roleplaying game that any Fudge player could really sink his teeth into. It was written by Jonathan Tweet with Robin D. Laws, and is published by Atlas Games. Over the Edge is a trademark of John A. Nephew, used here with permission.

The essence of the Over the Edge character generation system is that each character has three "traits" (or broad skills): one Central Trait and two Side Traits. The Central Trait is very general, such as Spy, Bodyguard, Occultist, etc. The Side Traits are more like ordinary skills: Photography, Fast-Talking, Fighting, etc.

Out of these first three traits, one of them (usually the Central Trait) is chosen to be the Superior trait (see below for what this means).

Every character also has a fourth trait, which is called a Flaw. This could be Closed Minded, Nerd, Hard of Hearing, etc.

The beauty of these traits is that they are always described in detail. Someone reading the character sheet gets an immediate feel for who the character is, and he doesn't need to swim through a sea of numbers to understand the character. Also, the small number of traits makes it easy on beginners. Take a look at the sample player characters and you'll see what I mean.

Every trait (including the flaw) is described by what's called a "sign". The sign is placed after the trait description and inside parentheses. It describes the trait in terms that other characters can see or experience. For instance, a Bodyguard might have the sign (huge bulging muscles), or a Photographer might have (always carries a camera around his neck), or a Salesman might have (very friendly when making a sale, not so friendly when people ask for their money back). The sign is an excellent role-playing tool, and probably the single coolest aspect of Over the Edge character generation.

Finally, a character is rounded out by giving him a Motivation, a Secret, an Important Person, a Drawing, a Background and Equipment. The sample player characters are meant for a one-shot adventure, so all they have is a secret. The players can fill in the rest if they want to use the character for a campaign.

Now I'll explain the task resolution system, which is where Over the Edge becomes Over the Fudge (all rolls are with 4dF):

For all characters, ordinary skills that everyone should have some skill at (fighting, climbing, basic math, etc.) default to Fair. Technical or esoteric skills (such as particle physics, helicopter piloting, etc.) default to Poor. The character's Superior trait has a Great score, while his other two traits are Good.

This is illustrated on the table below:

Fudge Level	Default for
Legendary
Superb
Great	Superior Trait
Good	Side Traits
Fair	Normal actions
Mediocre
Poor	Specialised actions
Terrible

In the case of the pre-generated characters, their wild card powers are assumed to be their Superior (i.e. Great) trait.

Whenever a character attempts an action, the GM should ask himself: is this action covered by one of the character's traits? If yes, then the character's skill at the action is Good or Great. If no, then his skill is Fair or Poor. For instance, if a Good Bodyguard throws himself in front of a bullet, this falls under the character's trait, so his skill is Good. If the same character tries to solve a Calculus problem, his skill is Poor. If he tries to climb a wall, his skill is Fair. If he tries to hurt someone, his skill is Good.

Over the Fudge Combat

Use whatever combat system you're comfortable with. For the supers adventure, I recommend Simultaneous Combat since it works well for cinematic battles. If you're looking for a closer conversion to Over the Edge, the vanilla Fudge combat system is actually very similar.

Since the adventure is cinematic, player characters shouldn't die unless their players want them to. At worst they'll be seriously injured and disabled.

Character Notes

The character sheets that have been provided don't come with a picture of the character. This has been done on purpose, in true Over the Edge style. The player who takes the character should spend 5 minutes drawing a picture of him. The picture doesn't need to be pretty (and it probably won't be in most cases), but it's important that it's the player that draws the picture for his character. If the player has a major objection to this, he can always use the space to write down equipment, which brings us to the next point.

The PCs don't have any equipment on their character sheets. Characters will have whatever equipment is specifically described on their sheet, plus whatever else it makes sense for them to have. There will be lots of extra gear (flashlights, laptops, etc.) at the Watchmen headquarters that they can borrow if they need it. None of the characters will have access to a gun, although if they desperately want one they'll probably be able to purchase one in the seedier parts of Montreal.

Fudge Points

Optionally, each character can start the game with one Fudge Point. The GM should use his discretion when determining how characters can use these points or earn new ones. Keep in mind that the supers genre is cinematic, so Fudge Point use should reflect this. Here are some recommendations:

A Fudge Point can be used:

1. To get a +2 bonus to any roll (every additional FP spent on the same roll only gives a +1 bonus).
2. To automatically succeed at an action if the action is dramatically appropriate and cinematically plausible.
3. To instantly heal all the damage that's been dealt to your character. "It was just a flesh wound!" Superficial damage (like bleeding) remains.
4. To squeeze an extra use from a limited-use power.

A bonus Fudge Points may be awarded whenever any of the following occurs:

1. Your character's actions are automatically thwarted as a part of the plot.
2. Your character's actions are limited as a result of his Fault or Secret (i.e. thanks to good role-playing on the player's part).
3. Your character does something that's particularly appropriate or amusing.

Lady Luck

When a character attempts a really cool action but the player makes a really bad roll, the GM can overrule the roll and allow the action to succeed. This costs the character no Fudge Points. This is really appropriate for a cinematic genre, where heroes very seldom screw up when it's important. Super-heroes also tend to do things with style for a reason: it works!

Adventure: Lair of the Skull-Monkey

This adventure is broken down into 5 scenes. It's expected that each scene will take from 30 to 60 minutes to play through, giving the entire adventure a running time of 2.5 to 5 hours.

This adventure was originally written for a Montreal gaming convention, and it consequently takes place in an alternate version of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. In this alternate universe, a strange virus called the Wild Card was accidentally released over New York city on Sept. 15, 1946 (an event that would become known as Wild Card Day). About 90% of those coming into contact with this virus died horribly, they were later known as having drawn the Black Queen. Another 9% survived its initial effects, but were transformed into the hideous, deformed creatures that would later be called Jokers. Only the luckiest few, 1% of those affected by the Wild Card, were transformed into the super-human Aces.

After New York, outbreaks continued across the world, and one of those cities was Montreal. Thanks to its tolerant multicultural mindset, Montreal became a nice home for all to live in relative peace: nats (naturals), jokers and aces alike. But like with all beautiful things, Montreal occasionally needed the protection of heroes, heroes like the Watchmen. Co-founded in 1990 by the famous ace Tom Summers as well as an anonymous associate, the Watchmen have been watching over Montreal ever since. Their organization operates under the auspices of the Quebec government, but has the mandate to act independently during times of crisis. As a rule, the Watchmen are called on to deal with unusual situations, especially ones involving ace powers.

Synopsis of the Villain's Plan

Skull-Monkey is a depraved super-villain who was driven insane when his life and family were torn away from him by his former employer, Tri-Optimum Pharmaceuticals (abbr. TOP). A work-related accidental exposure to the Wild Card virus transformed him into a hideous, twisted joker. He's been planning his revenge against TOP ever since, and having amassed a small army of mutated animals, he is now almost ready to bring his plan to fruition. Read Skull-Monkey's full story under his description in Scene 5. Here's his evil plan:

First, Skull-Monkey must test the effectiveness of his newly created minions. He needs hostages for his plan to succeed, so the first element of his plan is to send his minions to a building (something accessible from the sewers) and have them bring back prisoners. This will test their mettle and advance his plan, thus killing two birds with one stone.

Second, assuming that they pass the first test, Skull-Monkey will send his minions to break into the TOP research division, in order to steal their illegally held samples of the Wild Card virus. This attack has several purposes: 1. It will inconvenience Tri-Optimum, and 2. It will gain him the Wild Card virus, which he will use to implement the rest of his plan.

His plan is to use his super-human biochemistry skills to modify the virus, so that instead of its normal 90% death, 9% joker and 1% ace ratio of effects, it will produce jokers 50% of the time, and death the other 50%! He will then threaten to release the modified virus onto the unsuspecting citizens of Montreal, which would ensure a repetition of the ghastly results of Wild Card Day, except that this time thousands more people would suffer the permanently debilitating life of a joker. The kidnapped humans will become his first test subjects for the new virus, and they'll also be convenient examples to send along with his threats.

What does Skull-Monkey want in exchange for not releasing the virus (this time)? He wants the Tri-Optimum administration delivered to him to receive their punishment, and $20 million.

Of course, it's up to our intrepid heroes, The Watchmen, to uncover Skull-Monkey's lair and stop his plans before it's too late! Bringing the sinister TOP administration to justice is a worthy secondary objective.

Scene 1: Introduction

Start the adventure with every PC being in a different part of Montreal. Each of them carries a pager that's used to recall them to headquarters if there's an emergency. The GM should go clockwise around the gaming table, dealing with each player in turn until every character has been summoned and is on his way. Try not to spend more than 10 minutes on each player, or the others will get anxious.

Here are some ideas on where the characters could be:

• Mr. Coincidence is at headquarters, ready to receive bulletins from the city police department or news agencies. He's on hand when the police chief calls for help at the Montreal Water Treatment Facility.
• Thermonuclear Man is at the Monster Gym, he's in the middle of a conversation with a famous professional wrestler (such as Brett "the Hitman" Heart).
• The Blank is relaxing at a spa.
• Strange Person is having a swim at a public pool.
• Whipping Boy is watching a movie downtown.
• The Incredible Bulk is at a Women Empowerment Seminar at a hotel downtown.

Headquarters

The Watchmen's headquarters is on the top level of a high-rise building in the center of downtown Montreal. Their facilities include a high-tech crime lab (where just about any test-tube related skills can be used), a meeting room with ultra-modern audio-visual equipment, and an equipment locker containing a huge variety of adventuring gear for all sorts of situations. The garage in the building's basement holds their collection of vehicles, including several vans, sports cars, and a humvee.

It will take the characters 15-20 minutes to get to HQ from where they start out. Characters far from downtown will have cars with them, while the others will be able to take advantage of Montreal's inexpensive public transportation system.

The Problem

There's been an incident at the Montreal Water Treatment Facility. Strange monsters erupted from somewhere inside the building. Those people that were able to escape warned the authorities, but there are many people still trapped inside. The police don't know if the monsters are still there, but in any case they're worried that there might be many injured people inside. They've tried to get in, but for some reason the employees that remain inside have barricaded themselves in! Thanks to reports of monsters, and the employees' strange behavior, the police decided that it was a job that would be better dealt with by the Watchmen.

Scene 2: Attack at the Water Treatment Facility

The treatment facility is a short walk away from the Watchmen headquarters, near Mount Royal. When the PCs get there they'll see a large crowd being held back by police. Numerous ambulances are parked in the area, and paramedics stand ready to enter as soon as possible. The police wave the Watchmen through the crowd, and the crowd cheers when they recognize Montreal's premier ace fighting force!

The Facility

The Water Treatment Facility is a two-story high building. It's made up of a small office building attached to a large, warehouse-like section that contains the water purification machinery. Thick steel bars block all of the windows on the first floor. There are two ways into the building: the front entrance (which the PCs were informed was barricaded), and the shipping entrance at the back.

The front door has been barricaded by furniture. One of the stronger characters could smash it open, magic could also open it, or one of the thief characters could attempt to get in through a second-floor window. Two crazed employees (Fair combat stats) who are currently in the reception room just beyond the door placed the barricade. One of them is armed with a fire axe, the other with a baseball bat. They're completely incoherent, and attack anyone who approaches them. The PCs should be very careful not to injure these folks, as they're obviously employees who are just acting strangely (they got a dose of the mutagen Skull-Monkey used on his minions, and it made them temporarily insane).

The shipping entrance is completely unguarded. A 16-wheeled truck was being unloaded here when the crisis began. It's still half full of crates containing a variety of chemicals and substances. The company name Critter Chemicals Co. is blazoned on the side of the trailer. The PCs may think this is a clue... but it's just a red herring. The industrial part of the facility contains many water treatment sections, each dedicated to a different process: water softening, oxidation, chlorination, sewage treatment, filtration, physical treatment, etc. Strangely enough, the chlorination section contains a bunch of crocodiles and rats (and slugs too, which the PCs will notice if they look really, really carefully). A mysterious yellow-green compound covers the animals. The PCs may want to grab samples of the compound for later analysis.

The rest of the building is mostly uninteresting. Let the PCs find a few people hiding in parts of the building. These people are perfectly fine, but hid when they heard screams and didn't see anything particularly useful. After the PCs search the whole facility, it will become obvious that there are many people missing.

The Yellow-Green Compound

Analysis of the yellow-green compound will show that it has strange mutagenic properties. It seems to promote extremely rapid growth in living cells, but beyond that it's a mystery. A good science roll will reveal that the compound reacts negatively to contact with chlorine. If the PCs are clever they'll figure out that the animals may be reverted versions of the "monsters" people saw. If the PCs are extremely clever, they may make the connection between rats, crocodiles and the facility's physical link to the sewer system. If the PCs do make this connection and start poking around the sewers, you can resolve this several ways. Not knowing where to look, the PCs could get lost or turned around, and end up finding nothing of interest (except for a new appreciation for fresh air). Perhaps a call regarding the events at TOP (scene 3, below) could interrupt the PCs' search.

Scene 3: Tri-Optimum Pharmaceuticals

Before the players have a chance to totally assimilate what few clues they have, hit them with this next scene.

Perhaps the best way to introduce this scene is with a television news story (although the GM may need to improvise depending on the situation). The TV shows the CEO of Tri-Optimum, Dr. Ted Greenwood, talking to a reporter. In the background, you can see that the front door of his building has been torn off its hinges. According to Dr. Greenwood (whom a subtitle identifies as being a doctor of biochemistry), "The break-in was a minor incident, probably perpetrated by teenagers out to cause trouble. Nothing valuable was stolen and nobody was harmed". Observant PCs will notice that he's lying, since the heavy steel door was obviously torn off with more than human strength (it's crumpled like tin foil).

Immediately after this story, the regular news will be interrupted by a special news bulletin. The flustered-looking news announcer says, "It has just come to our attention that Montreal has recently been threatened by a terrorist. It is unclear at this time whether this terrorist represents an organization, or whether he is working alone. The authorities urge everyone to remain calm, and stay indoors. Here is the mayor of Montreal, with more information regarding the incident."

Next we see the mayor behind the podium at a press conference. He says, "...and we will continue to inform the public of current events, as soon as we find out what's going on ourselves. For now, all we have to go by is this video tape, which we received a few hours ago." The announcer comes back on, "We have received a copy of the video tape, but we will take this chance to warn our viewers that it contains graphic violence, so watch at your own risk."

The next scene is from the terrorist videotape. It shows a lone, shadowy figure, whose face and form can't be made out. His voice has been altered, and subtitles at the bottom of the screen clarify what it is that he's saying, "The rights of jokers have been abused for long enough. The time has come for the citizens of Montreal to make right their wrongs, or suffer the consequences. I have in my hands a modified version of the Wild Card virus, which I will release on Montreal unless my demands are met." At this point, the figure moves aside and a spotlight now shines down on two people, a man and a woman, who are bound and gagged on the floor. "My demands are: One, $20 million in unmarked bills to help pay for the harm that nats have caused jokers. Two, the upper administration of the criminal organization, Tri-Optimum Pharmaceuticals, must be delivered to me. If either of these demands are not met, this is what will happen to all of Montreal!" Two humanoid figures wrapped up in bandages approach the prisoners, and inject them with hypodermic needles. Immediately, the man starts swelling like a balloon. The woman starts screaming as her eyes start shrinking, until they disappear completely (leaving only skin where they used to be). The man continues to swell, he's now double his previous size. "I will send another message within 24 hours giving further details." At this point the man explodes, and the tape ends.

The TOP Connection

At this point, the characters will get another call from the chief of police, asking them to drop what they were investigating and get going on this latest threat. He wants them to look into what's going on at TOP. According to the chief, the corporation is claiming to have no idea of what's going on, or why their organization is being targeted. The police's policy is to let the Watchmen deal with situations where the Wild Card virus is involved. But the chief wants this problem to be dealt with quickly, as there's mounting public pressure to stop this madman.

The logical next move is for the PCs to get going to the Tri-Optimum Pharmaceuticals research division, where the break-in recently occurred. If the PCs go to the head office instead, they'll get the run-around from the receptionist. They'll be politely asked to wait indefinitely. "Just a little longer sir, someone will be right with you." Or maybe "I'm sorry sir, but the department you're trying to reach isn't at this location, it's in our other office in Vancouver, British Columbia." Or perhaps "I'm sorry sir, but the person you want to see has left for the day, come back tomorrow." Threats will have no effect. If the PCs break into offices (which the receptionist will strongly protest against), they may find an incriminating letter on a desk, which mentions how the "brainchild has been stolen from Research division". Some more rummaging (or opening up a phone book) will give an address to the research division.

The Research Division

Once the PCs get to the research division (a modern-looking three-story building downtown), they'll find that the damaged door has been replaced by a temporary wooden one. Inside, security is much tighter than at the head office. Security cameras cover nearly every hall and room. A security guard sits behind a desk in the reception room. He has a phone within easy reach. Getting into the rest of the building requires passing through a door that must be opened by a keycard, a keycard that the security guard does not have. The phone allows the guard to communicate with the security room, where 3 more guards watch the security monitors. The guards in the security room (on the first floor) can lockdown the facility at the push of a button (all doors lock, nobody goes in or out). They can also call the police (not likely in this particular situation), manually open, close or lock any door in the facility, turn on and off the lights, or turn on and off the fire alarm and water outlets on the ceiling.

This is going to be the first real challenge for the players. They'll have to get creative to make it through this. The guard will completely refuse to allow the PCs into the rest of the building. He has orders only to allow employees in and out during this emergency situation. Even if the PCs do threaten or beat up the guard at the reception (all of the guards have Good combat stats, nightsticks, but no guns), the other guards will have plenty of time to lockdown the facility and make the PCs' lives difficult.

Probably the easiest way to deal with this situation is to get the location of the guardroom from the guard at the reception, and then go there and take over the building. They'll have the following challenges:

• The security doors (and many walls) are made of bulletproof "glass" (actually very strong plastic). Explosives or super-strength can smash these down. Alternatively, a thief character can override the lock by fiddling with the keycard reader. Finally, a magic-user can use coincidence or transmutation to get through the doors. Once they're past the first door, assume that the characters will need to break through another security door to get into the security room, or 2 more doors to get into the infectious materials lab.
• Until the PCs subdue the security guards, they'll be constantly harassed. The guards will do whatever they can to slow the characters down, for instance, by turning off the lights, turning on the fire alarm (which is really loud and distracting), and turning on the water outlets (thus soaking the characters). They could also mess with the air conditioning, to make it much colder, which combined with the fire alarm, darkness, and being soaked could ruin anyone's day.

Once the PCs catch up with the guards, they'll probably be in the mood for bashing heads. This is understandable. If they kill anyone though, there could be some serious consequences. The PCs are protectors of the peace, not a goon squad.

There's only one important place to go in the entire building, and it's the infectious materials lab in the basement. The PCs will learn about this location once they get into the security room, since there are maps of the building on the wall. The PCs could also learn of the lab from an employee.

The Infectious Materials Lab

Once the characters get to the Infectious Materials Lab (IML), there are several pieces of information they'll be able to uncover:

• This area has recently been broken into, since some security doors are missing, and others look like they've been recently reinstalled.
• A character with science or computer hacking skills can try to get some information from the computers. The IML has a computer network that's separate from the rest of the building, so only computers in this area contain the following information:
• Something important did get stolen from TOP, samples of an organism called WC2. The PCs may make the connection that WC stands for Wild Card.
• The PCs may be curious as to who could have known about WC2, and who would have the motivation to steal it and use it as a terrorist weapon. A search of the employee records will reveal that an employee by the name of John Hemmingway was fired several months ago after an accidental exposure to WC2 left him "unfit" to continue.
• Alternatively, threats or coercion can get some information from the biochemists in this area. They can explain how the area was attacked by "hairy monsters that smelled bad", as well as "strange reptilian creatures" and "a huge man made of rubber". Certain scientists will know that WC2 samples were stolen, but nobody who was working on the project is currently available (they were all suddenly transferred to an undisclosed location after the break-in).

Concluding Scene 3

Once the PCs have finished their inspection of the TOP research division, they'll probably have some pretty strong evidence to use against the corporation. If they were particularly attentive, they'll have an idea of who the terrorist is.

If the characters hand in their evidence to the police, warrants will be issued for the arrest of Tri-Optimum's top administration, since possession of the Wild Card virus is illegal without a government permit. The PCs can help track down these criminals, but this is beyond the scope of this adventure.

Asking the police or the press about John Hemmingway will reveal that it's believed that an ape-like joker killed him. It's on file that this information comes from Tri-Optimum, so the PCs may rightly be suspicious of the datum. The police or press will also be able to direct the player characters to Mrs. Hemmingway (they can also find her address through a 411 call or a phone book).

If the PCs talk to Mrs. Hemmingway, she will relate how she thinks that an ape-like joker, who had also accosted her at home, killed her husband. The players, who know more about what's going on than the widow, may realize that the joker is in fact John Hemmingway. Armed with this information, they'll be able to give a description to the police (based on Mrs. Hemmingway's description, which is fairly accurate), and be a little bit better prepared.

If the PCs have been really obtuse up to this point, they'll just have to find out what's going on in Scene 5.

Scene 4: Under Attack

Run this scene after the events of Scene 3, whenever it's convenient. If the PCs are still embroiled in lots of things (finding Mrs. Hemmingway, talking to the police, helping them to find the TOP administration, etc.), it's fine to wait. But once things slow down, it's time to unleash the monsters.

Skull-Monkey, who has been following the news regarding his terrorist demands, has learned that the Watchmen are investigating the situation. He's decided to try and take them out before they learn too much. Unfortunately, this hastily made decision will make it easier for the PCs to find him (if they survive).

Whenever or wherever it's convenient (at headquarters for instance), the GM should have the PCs get ambushed by Skull Monkey's half-animal henchmen. Pick a party of monsters that will be a reasonable challenge for the PC group. I recommend one Slug Man for each fighter in the group (Thermonuclear Man or The Incredible Bulk), plus one Rat Man or Crocodile Man for each other group member. If there are few PCs (or no fighters), send only one Slug Man after them. They should be able to beat it if they work together.

If the PCs start beating the monsters too easily, send appropriate reinforcements. If the PCs are having a hard time, have some of the monsters run away. If the PCs manage to capture any of the creatures, they won't get much out of them. The monsters don't speak English very well, and most of their statements will be something to the effect of "you will die" or "Ssskull-Monkey will dessstroy you".

The creatures' combat statistics can be found below:

Rat Man

There were plenty of rats in the sewers for Skull-Monkey to choose from. He got a whole bunch of them together and then tried his new mutagenic compound on them. Needless to say, they mutated into some kind of half-man, half-rat creature. The Rat Men are fanatically devoted to Skull-Monkey.

Traits

Scrapping (Good): The Rat Men are skilled at scuffling, scratching and biting. Their attacks do about the same damage as a human armed with a knife. There's also a good chance that the wounds will get infected unless the victim gets medical attention.

Crocodile Man

Skull-Monkey managed to find a bunch of crocodiles in the sewer - they were originally pet crocodiles that children (and mothers) flushed down the toilet. Now you know for a fact that it isn't just a myth! Like the Rat Men, the Crocodile Men are loyal servants of Skull-Monkey.

Traits

Snapping and Whipping (Good): The Crocodile Men attack by either biting or whipping with their tails. While they aren't better fighters than the Rat Men, their attacks are considerably more powerful. Consider their bites to do about the same damage as a sword or axe, while their tails do the same damage as a club. The Crocodile Men can bite foes that are in front of them, but use their tail-whip against enemies to the sides or rear.

Toughness (Good): The Crocodile Men have tough leathery hides that are capable of withstanding relatively heavy blows. Consider these the equivalent of leather armor.

Slug Man

Skull-Monkey lucked out on these creations. Originally large sewer slugs, these got transformed into centaur-like creatures with the torso, arms and head of a man, but the hindquarters of a slug. Two flexible antennae extend from the head's temples. As with his other creatures, Skull-Monkey can expect total loyalty from these mutants.

Traits

Rending (Great): The Slug Men fight with their bare hands, using their super-human strength to rend apart their enemies. This skill also applies to destroying objects, like pesky reinforced steel doors. Thanks to their great strength, the Slug Men do a lot of damage in combat (equivalent to a really big club, wielded by a really strong guy). Only Thermonuclear Man and The Incredible Bulk really stand a chance against them in a one-on-one fight.

Very Tough (Great): Their sturdy, rubbery muscles effectively cushion even very powerful blows. Consider Slug Men to be wearing the equivalent of Chain Mail, with one additional caveat: cutting and impaling weapons will do no more damage than crushing weapons.

Aftermath of the Battle

The purpose of this battle is to lead the PCs to Skull-Monkey's sewer lair. There are two ways this can be done:

1. One or more of the monsters can run away, and the PCs can chase them back to the lair.
2. The Slug Men left a trail of unusual slime along the way they came - the trail leads all the way back to the Skull-Monkey's lair.

Scene 5: The Lair of the Skull-Monkey

Skull-Monkey is holed up in a utility room inside the storm sewer network underneath Montreal. Storm sewers don't contain raw sewage, instead they contain runoff from the streets. Storm sewer pipes can vary in size and composition, assume that the section that Skull-Monkey has used for his lair are round, 2 m (6 1/2 feet) wide and made of concrete.

Once the PCs make some headway into the sewers, have them enter a square junction room that leads four different ways. Once the PCs enter the room, have them get completely surrounded by an army of henchmen coming from all directions (including behind them). This is the requisite capture scene. Whether or not the PCs insist on fighting the minions, have them all get tackled by sheer numbers and beaten into unconsciousness (not actually harmed, just knocked out).

The Easily Escapable Death Trap

When the PCs come to, they're inside a small utility room. They're bound to stone slabs by metal bindings (controlled by a nearby lever), with a box on each of their bellies. The boxes are tied to the characters by a leather strap. Each box contains a dozen sewer rats, and the open ends are facing the characters. All that's stopping the rats from eating the characters is a thin layer of cardboard that's in the middle of getting chewed away. The room is being guarded by a group of inattentive Rat Men and Crocodile Men, based on experience from the previous fight, tailor this group to make it relatively easy to beat. The guards are sitting at a table playing poker (hopefully the allusion won't be lost on your players).

The PCs will need to figure out a way to get away before the rats gruesomely kill them. It doesn't hurt to give each of the PCs a Fudge Point now to help them get away from the situation you just forced them into. Possible means of escape include:

• Undulating so that the box gets maneuvered down to the PC's legs, and then kicking the box off toward the lever in order to flip it down and release all of the PCs.
• Slipping a hand out from the manacles, and then using the free hand to untie the leather strap.
• Breaking the manacles with a super-power.
• Flipping the lever with a super-power.

If the PCs are completely unable to escape on their own, have an exceptionally inept guard accidentally lean on the lever and free all of the PCs.

Once the characters free themselves and defeat the guards, they'll be able to follow an adjoining corridor to Skull-Monkey's lair (the other way leads back to the junction where the PCs got ambushed).

Final Confrontation

The PCs will find Skull-Monkey working in his laboratory (a utility room with some chemistry gear installed: tables, vials, beakers, etc.). The three remaining hostages are tied up in the corner. One of the hostages is the woman whose eyes disappeared in the terrorist demand tape shown on the news.

When the characters enter the room, Skull-Monkey will seem shocked, and say, "What are you doing here? You should be dead! Oh well. I'll just have to take care of you myself."

The PCs now have two basic choices: either try to negotiate with Skull-Monkey to try to get him to back down, or fight him and stop him by force. If the PCs aren't too injured, or are in large numbers, this may be the quickest solution. Have an appropriate number of henchmen join Skull-Monkey against the PCs if it looks like he needs help. If the PCs fight Skull-Monkey and lose, he will run away to fight again another day (he figures that with the Watchmen loose, his lair is compromised and retaliation probably isn't far behind). They'll have stopped this particular plot, but Skull-Monkey will still be on the loose.

If the PCs are pretty run down after the two fights they've had already, it may be better for them to try to negotiate. Appeals to Skull-Monkey's better nature are doomed to fail, however, he has a few weak points that could be exploited. If the PCs can accumulate 3 Brownie Points, they'll convince Skull-Monkey to give himself up to the police. If the PCs fail to convince Skull-Monkey, he will attack them.

• If asked, Skull-Monkey will tell the PCs his side of the story. This will distract him (allowing the PCs to set up something nefarious), but will also inform them as to what happened, and give them one Brownie Point.
• If the PCs agree with Skull-Monkey that what Tri-Optimum did to him was wrong, that's worth 1 Brownie Point.
• If the PCs offer to help in the capture of the Tri-Optimum executives, that's worth another point.
• If the PCs offer to help him get back in touch with his estranged family, that's worth a Brownie Point.
• If the PCs offer to try to get Skull-Monkey a lighter prison sentence, given his awful situation, that's worth a Brownie Point.
• Any statement that denigrates Skull-Monkey's appearance, his super-villain name, his family, or jokers in general will lose the PCs a Brownie Point.

Skull-Monkey

Real name: John Hemmingway

Born: Montreal, 1970.

Physical description: 180 cm, 180 kg (5'10", 400 lbs.). Skull-Monkey looks like a cross between a great ape and a high-school lab model. His arms, legs and torso are that of a huge, powerful gorilla. His fur is black, except for his back, which is silvery. Where the resemblance ends is in his face -- or his lack thereof. Skull-Monkey has a grinning, human skull for a head. The Wild Card warped his body, and made all of the soft parts of his head invisible.

Background: John worked as a biochemist at TOP until an accidental exposure to the Wild Card virus warped his body to its present state. Since Tri-Optimum's possession of and experimentation on the Wild Card was illegal, they brushed John under the carpet. They fired him, and told him that if he tried to contact the press that his family would be killed. Enraged, John fled to his home, only to be driven back out of his house by his hysterical wife. TOP had told the press that an ape-like joker had killed John Hemmingway, and his wife thought that the monster she saw before her was her husband's murderer! With the police after him, and nowhere left to go, John fled into the storm sewers underneath Montreal. That night, the shock of having lost his job, his life, his wife and his child, plus the added aggravation of being a hunted criminal and a horrible mutant, drove John insane. That night, John Hemmingway truly died, and the Skull-Monkey was born.

Traits

Wild Card Ability: Skull-Monkey has gained several powers as a result of his transformation. He's been gifted with incredible strength and intelligence. He can lift 15 metric tons (8,250 lbs.) over his head without breaking a sweat, and could swat a normal human into oblivion with the wave of a hand. The Incredible Bulk, while not on equal footing with him, could withstand a hit or two from Skull-Monkey, but the other characters would be very seriously injured. Skull-Monkey also has genius bordering on the superhuman: his skill at biochemistry far surpasses any normal human. (Has muscles that would make Arnold Schwarzenegger cry in shame.)

Street Fighting (Great): John grew up in a tough neighborhood, where he learned how to take care of himself. He's been in dozens of serious fights in his life, including several involving knives and guns, and has always come out alive. His specialties are quick, unexpected jabs to the face. With the strength currently at his disposal, Skull-Monkey could derail a train with one punch. The thick layer of muscle also serves to make Skull-Monkey difficult to injure. (Has large, heavily scarred knuckles.)

Biochemistry (Legendary): With the lab materials he's stolen from TOP, Skull-Monkey can develop just about any biological agent, even things that seem magical. He has the genius required to modify the Wild Card virus to his own ends. (Has a pair of clumsily enlarged glasses taped to one gigantic pectoral muscle.)

Flaw: Consumed by Revenge: Skull-Monkey has gone way off the deep end. Thoughts of anything other than revenge against TOP and society in general very seldom cross his mind. He spends long hours planning how he will obtain his vengeance, and even more hours twitching in a corner, reliving the destruction of his life, over and over... (Talks to himself about how much he wants to have his revenge, so that he can finally be "free". From what, we're not sure.)

Concluding the Adventure

If the PCs manage to stop Skull-Monkey, they'll be hailed as heroes. If the unthinkable happens and the Wild Card virus gets released over Montreal, absolute chaos will rule the streets for weeks, not to mention the fact that tens of thousands will die or get transformed into disfigured jokers. In this case the PCs will probably want to flee the country.

Depending on the events that transpired, Skull-Monkey may still be on the loose, plotting his next scheme for revenge, or he may be safely behind bars, receiving psychiatric treatment. Depending on whether or not the PCs follow through on their promises (especially regarding helping John Hemmingway with his wife), they may actually be able to completely reform John and recruit him (if desired) later on down the line. The PCs may also have killed or seriously injured Skull-Monkey. If he lives, they'll have made a bitter enemy. When he escapes prison (always a guarantee with such powerful super-villains) the PCs will surely regret it.

Aside from future adventures involving Skull-Monkey, the GM may also decide to offer the PCs the opportunity to chase after the TOP executives. The police probably caught some of them, but others doubtlessly escaped the country. The PCs' quest to capture the remaining TOP executives could become an entire campaign, with each adventure centering on capturing another one of the resourceful criminals. The executives may use illegal versions of the Wild Card to create ace henchmen to use against the player characters, thus making their capture more challenging.