#the chronicles of daraliss

[thechroniclesofdaraliss]

100 Mutants & Masterminds Session Ideas (Part IV)

It’s been a while since the last list. The chaos of living one life as a civilian and the other as a vigilante is always a balancing act. But here we are, another 100 ideas for all your superhero adventures! Whether you defend a small neighborhood or the entire planet, there should be something here for everyone. If you like what I do, please like, comment, or reblog. So let’s grab our massively overpriced vehicles and take call all our partners in crime-fighting, and take to the skies for another day of heroism!

You investigate a series of robberies and discover that the party behind it is a matriarchal clan where crime is the family business.

B-rank heroes are trying to take on your enemies so they get status. But in the end, they’re endangering more lives than they’re saving.

Prominent meta-humans are being sent invitations to play a game on an island where their skills will be tested. They must complete the objectives, and get the highest score to win. The catch? Some of the objectives involve killing other participants.

Someone is orchestrating tragedy for heroes, knowing that they will become powerful meta-humans. But what does this person have in mind for them once they reach their full potential?

A catatonic billionaire uses everything in his power to find a body suitable for his devious mind. This includes his money, technology, and criminal connections.

A series of magical books have been stolen, each one belonging to one of the foremost sorcerers in Earth’s history. But when put together, they will unlock a codex that will either unleash an evil creature, or bind it again for another 10,000 years.

A foreboding alien ship is hovering over the world’s largest cities, but does not destroy them. Instead, it’s sucking energy out of them. You must stop it before it leaves the world in darkness.

A villain is terrorizing the city by infusing common items with poisonous substances. He challenges you to crack the code and save the city.

A team of heroes calls for your help in taking down a mutual enemy.

A league of villains forms to take down your team.

Disaster strikes (bridge collapse, burning building, etc) and you have no way of getting your super suit in time. You must find a way to save the civilians without blowing your cover.

A new set of meta-humans hit the streets and are using their unusual abilities to reek havoc. No particle accelerator explosions or toxic waste disasters have been recorded, so you need to find out how these powers originated, and how they are being transferred.

A city-wide cryogenic freezing has occurred. With everyone motionless, the villains will be able to judge the wicked and preserve the innocent. Everyone is at their mercy, except your team.

A monstrous being has emerged, but they don’t seem capable of harming anything. The government insists on recollecting it, but it fears what will happen when it is brought back. You must aid in this beings capture or escape. Both will prove difficult.

A new power source has emerged that can imbue people with life and power beyond measure. The only downside is that they are written out of existence.

A meta-human has the power of cellular regeneration. While he hoped to use it for healing, the villains want to use it to form weapons, making the cells take in an infinite number of forms.

Someone has replicated the event granting you superpowers, and is trying to take your place. They will stop at nothing until you’re replaced, dead, or otherwise incapable of resuming your duty as a hero.

An alien crash—lands on your planet and requests your help in reassembling it’s spacecraft. It says it must escape its intergalactic pursuers, but refuses to tell you why. You must either turn the alien in to humans, turn it in to its pursuers, or help it escape.

After saving children from a natural disaster, you unleash a mythical creature that is hell bent on destruction.

A cannibal is on the loose in your city, and for every person he feeds off of, the more enhanced his powers become.

Someone has perfected the genetic code in a plant (or animal) species. With it, they will be able to cause infertility and systematically cause extinction of crops, species, perhaps even humanity!

A criminal empire is growing too fast to fight the old-fashioned way. So instead of a fight in the streets, you have to go undercover to take down their biggest operations.

When one of your teammates falls ill, and conventional medicine fails, you will have to use unconventional methods to cure them. You will have to shrink yourself to cellular size and take down the illness at its source.

Terrorists have demanded that the heroes reveal their secret identities to the world, or they will kill ten innocent people every week.

A legendary hacker has died, claiming that he has developed a universal hack, codenamed “Skeleton Key.” Whoever finds it first gets to keep it, and the clues are all throughout your city to find it.

A hero goes to great lengths to remove their powers. Their continued existence as a full-time hero is destroying their relationships. But the supposed cure is a trap to kill them.

The mob’s greatest hitman turns out to be a child. After saving him/her from a disaster, it turns out they had planned the whole thing to bring you in.

A mysterious new gang surfaces at the same time a new a mayoral prospect arrives in the city. Is the whole thing a coincidence, or a devious scheme?

The ancient Gods are holding a conference in your city. They plan to decide whether or not to finally unleash the apocalypse. Until they make a decision, they will pit you against some of the most vicious and powerful creatures ever made.

A villain has designs on demolishing the entire civilized world so humanity will die out and natural order will be restored. Only the strong will survive as the wilderness dominates the landscape, and mutants become gods.

A mysterious entity lands in your city. But when you investigate, it’s a humanoid Figure with no memory of who they are or where they come from. You must find out why, and if they’re a threat.

A man has gained superpowers, and elects to take revenge on the people that tormented him in high school, and ultimately killed his family. Subdue this mutant and either teach him to use his powers for good, or turn him in.

Explosives have been placed on every entrance and exit to your city. Nothing goes in, and nothing goes out. This is the perfect opportunity for the villain behind it to declare himself supreme ruler of the metropolis.

One of your most prominent villains has recently gained a massive inheritance. You’re convinced they’ll use it for crime, but their actual usage surprises you. They clean up the streets (so they can take it over later).

The promising new brain-training clinic is actually a twisted experiment to drive people crazy. By overloading the mind, it’s possible that psychic abilities will be unlocked. While this does work in some, it’s disastrous for others.

Someone is rewriting the memories of the people they capture. Rebels are suddenly obedient, children forget their homes, and heroes are becoming villains. Find the pattern, and discover a lead back to who is altering these people’s minds.

A reclusive aristocrat has called for the help of your team. A terrible curse has been placed on him for as far back as he can remember, and it is now spiraling out of control. All born from an artifact owned by his family for generations. He’s tried to destroy it, but it’s only harmed him in response. Discover what this malevolent force is, and vanquish it.

People are going missing across the city. Only it’s not regular missing persons, they vanish out of thin air.

Mutants have gathered from all over the world to discuss their rights as mutants when most have treated them as monsters and outcasts. Many call for the destruction of humans, but some hold out hope. That is, until a riot ensues and kills five mutants in cold blood.

An omega-level mutant has flown across the sky of a major city and declared war on humanity. He calls for all his fellow mutants to either stand by him or perish. While this may be localized to once city, his ambition led carry to other cities. Perhaps your own.

A natural disaster has forced all of your city’s civilians into safety shelters. Once they’re inside, the villain will infuse the shelter air vents with cyanide. His enemy, be it the populace, or a group within it, will perish.

A band of young and powerful meta-humans are tearing up America as they leave every town they cross scared, robbed, or destroyed. One of their members is picked up by your team, and he wants to stop them. He knows their weaknesses, but it will still require a team on par with them to win.

A villain has been terrorizing the world for centuries, yet his presence has always remained hidden. But now that his operations been stopped by you again, he will reveal himself and accept the challenge of killing you. A ruthless criminal mastermind who has replaced his body with soulless machinery.

Aliens invade your planet, only their arrival is not malicious in nature. They are stopping here because their armada has been demolished, and they were look for reinforcements to take down a far greater evil. And since your planet is rich with meta-humans, you are the perfect allies.

A shape-changing entity has arrived in your world that will achieve invincibility when it collects all nine artifacts it is hunting for.

An entity has entered the dream world, and is trapping all of the world’s children into experiencing the perfect dream. One they don’t want to wake up from. He hopes to harness the collective unconscious of humanity’s children and become all-powerful.

A maniac obsessed with immortality is taking people off the street and using them in an experiment to extend human lifespans. You try to stop him, but those that survive insist on helping him.

Your latest trophy from crime fighting is a bug to discover your team’s secret lair. With this information, the villain who was put away will have his second in command attack you when you’re at your most vulnerable.

A massive fortune is left behind by a man who enjoys playing sadistic games. His last will and testament is that his entire fortune goes to whoever finds it. You must use your team’s resources and find the money before your enemies do. With so much on the line, all of your enemies could be in the running!

A corrupt cop is tormenting meta-humans no matter what their affiliations. His status under the law makes him untouchable by criminals, and he intimidates his colleagues into submission. You must bring him to justice when the law and underworld won’t touch him.

A new kind of competition has emerged for meta-humans: Hero Olympics. Complete with obstacle courses, team battles, and all manner of organized heroics, it’s the perfect place to exhibit your skills. It’s also ample opportunity to commit a crime.

The next holy war has been confirmed. Only this time, it’s the “Holy Knights” of Humanity against all meta-humans.

The mastermind behind all the city’s crimes has declared war on your team. He has demolished your headquarters, and or a price on your head that’s so high, civilians are gunning for you.

A villain is collecting a vast assortment of arcane relics, each with a different ability. Once all of them are gathered, he believes he will become the supreme ruler of the cosmos. But really, he will become the lapdog to the creator of the relics.

A terrible tragedy (war zone, act of terrorism, outbreak of a deadly disease) has been looped by an unknown entity. If you are to escape this nightmarish scenario, you’ll have to prevent it from happening in the first place.

You have been captured by your enemies. They have you in their clutches, and are about to unmask you when you and your team manage to escape. But as you try and leave, you discover you’re in the headquarters of your enemies. Its labyrinthine design keeps you trapped in a sadistic game of cat and mouse.

An anarchist at the head of an underground organization has called out for the elimination of heroes, only he doesn’t want to take their lives, he wants to take away their powers...permanently.

A zealot of an ancient religion has gained the power to convene with spirits. After communicating with them, he has concluded that if the earth is on the brink of destruction, he will be able to merge with a cosmic being responsible for the formation of the universe.

A powerful elemental villain is planning to make the entrain the entire city with their element (perpetual heat wave, relentless blizzard, carnivorous jungle, etc). With such an intense source of energy, they will be able to expand their influence exponentially across the country, perhaps the world.

An unconventional mob war hits the streets. A mob boss has been killed by his second in command, in the hopes of usurping his seat of power. But shortly after this, his spirit emerged and becomes the leader of a whole new underworld. The living and dead of your city engage ins turf war, and you have to stop it before civilians get caught in the crossfire.

The latest exhibit in a museum has been stolen. You track down the thief, and discover that they are of alien origin. They claim that this artifact was “entrusted” to humanity, but is actually a pocket dimensional prison, containing some of the universe’s most vicious intergalactic criminals. It is scheduled to release them all to conquer earth, a planet seen as low-priority. Survivors will be given a full pardon of their crimes as well, free to rule earth as a sovereign nation once it’s been conquered.

The Earth is drawing alien objects into its gravitational pull, and shattering them to form rings on par with Saturn.

A group of tech-savvy teens are using special effects technology to rob people as they pass through the woods, and they gradually expand their racket into the city. But as you advance on their “territory” they reveal a few tricks to put meta-humans in their place.

You intercept a drug den, only to find that the Lotus Eaters have lulled its inhabitants into a state of bliss. You must find a way to save the drugged humans from their trance.

A hidden civilization has intercepted your team. They hope to use them as their guardians in exchange for protection from the surface world. The catch is that you can never return to your home. Find a way to escape.

A cult of corrupt magic users plans to use human sacrifices to resurrect an ancient entity. Only when he is finally revived, his intentions differ with that of the people who summoned him.

Someone is removing select organs from a handful of human targets. Some believe it to be a serial killer collecting trophies, but you’re certain there’s more to it. Someone trying to replicate human beings, replacement parts, or an attempt to save a loved one.

A child approached your team, intent on finding a long-lost parent. When a picture of them is shown, you recognize them as one of the most powerful heroes of your time. You must find out who this child is, how they don’t know their identity already, and how to help them.

The city has become host to a massive array of holograms. When a registered hero touches one, it provides a set of holograms to challenge your skills. Is it a corporation’s challenge, a tech-wizard’s prank, or a distraction for a heist?

A sentient collection of antimatter beings possessing animals, objects, and people to fight humanity. They are revealed to be planet-consuming entities that fester like bacteria in the wounds they create on the planet’s surface. Their end goal is to encapsulate the whole planet in their festering influence until they form a massive new entity the size of earth.

Heroes have gathered in secret to discuss disturbing movements of an old villain’s movements. But this is impossible, as this villain died fifty years ago.

A creature has been captured by the villains, and they plan to use it to steal buildings by tunneling beneath the city.

A school for superheroes is being developed, and the heroes and politicians of your city are backing its development. However, many of its students need guidance, experience, and protection. Perhaps you can supply all three.

A nomadic biker gang has declared war on heroes. They are armed with anti-mutant weaponry, and seem to have limitless funding. You suspect there’s more at work, but you must defeat them first.

A band of heroes have gone rogue and are fighting against the law. Their leader has fallen off the radar, while his partners reek havoc. You are tasked with discovering why they went off on their own, and bringing them in by any means necessary.

One of your most formidable villains has recruited a meta-human child that lost his family as a result of one of your heroic exploits. The child has no way of coping with what he’s lost, and so the villain “guides” him to get revenge on you.

A villain has kidnapped the world’s foremost scientific minds to rebuild the earth from scratch. He plans on gathering all the world’s species, and preserving them in a spaceship while releasing a nerve gas throughout the planet. Once the dust settled, the world will be his for the remaking.

An Elder evil is released when it is thawed from any icy prison in the arctic. Most think it means to destroy the earth, but it’s really looking to reclaim something it lost.

Children are going missing every night and there is no sign of a struggle in their homes.

A hero plans to marry his love interest, only to have the villain come in and threaten to destroy the chapel if she doesn’t marry him instead.

A prophecy of doom looms over your city, and soon plagues begin to demolish the metropolis. Is it a supernatural force at work, or a mad scientist scaring everyone away?

A series of doors open to different parts of the world, each leading to a great evil to overcome (monster, criminal operation, etc). Is this the work of a hero trying to vanquish evil, or a villain trying to eliminate the competition?

You discover a strange life form that’s a hybrid of nature and technology. The purpose of this anomaly is unknown to you, but it seems intent on breaking out of its container and mingle with the soil.

Meta-humans are disappearing all over the city. Some from home, some from prison. You attempt to track them down, but it seems they’re being rescued and sent through a program called the Railroad to freedom from human society.

Meta-humans are being sent to labor at a camp while their families are forced to live under the tyrannical rule of the mastermind behind the abductions and his meta-human enforcers.

A scientist attempts to revive his deceased wife using a combination of black magic and scientific formula. But what he brings back is one of the deadliest foes your team has ever faced.

The latest milestone in military technology is anti-mutant battle-suits to be worn by soldiers. Little for their buyers know that they are meant to kill heroes as well as villains.

The team is placed in a hunting ground where they are being sought out by a hunter of legendary reputation. If you manage to kill or capture your pursuer before he does so to you, you will be free to leave.

A hero has fallen to the side of villainy. You must decide whether to turn them back to the die of good, or turn them into the law.

Someone is trying to combine the genetic code of mythical creatures (vampires and werewolves, hydras and dragons, elves and humans). But that’s end results prove to be more volatile than expected.

A villain has unlocked his psychic powers to such a degree that he can carve out his own little piece of the world and gather inhabitants for his world by rendering them comatose in reality.

A group of vampires are attempting to resurrect their elders to lead them into a new age. You must decide whether to let the coven live, and escape authorities, or to destroy their chances at starting new and causing more destruction.

A member of the villain’s ranks has defected, but has requested sanctuary for him and his family. If you pull it off, he will give you the rest of your enemies on a silver platter.

A paranoid mob boss has put up a fortress in the middle of your city, with entire buildings bought off and filled with armed guards and assassins. You must find a way to bring him to justice before his aircraft arrives on the roof and takes him out of the Justice System forever.

Villains are gathering from all over the world at a castle in one of the wildest and least-known portions of the world. You must go there and find out what they’re planning. If you can take them on and beat them in combat, that’s just a bonus.

You enter a Necromancer’s tomb only to find that it has been carved in the bowels of the earth to stretch for miles. Complete with undead guards, dark magic traps, and the ability to turn fallen heroes into recruits for defense.

A behemoth has been loosed in the city. Find a way to subdue it without causing the civilians and city more harm.

Spoof heroes and villains begin cropping up like weeds. While some see their exploits as comedic, it’s encouraging others to take to the hero and villain life without realizing the consequences.

A group of crazed killers have had their minds transferred to robotic bodies. They are able to strike at humans without need of food, water, or rest. All they have to do for the mastermind in turn is to kill targets he chooses first.

An “Underworld Gate” has opened above your city. This occurs once every 100 years, and always marks the site of a massacre, disaster, or genocide. You must find a way to close the gate and save everyone residing in your city.

[thechroniclesofdaraliss]

100 Mutants & Masterminds Villains

Mutants & Masterminds is one of the most nebulous of the RPG systems. While this allows for great freedom to craft your own worlds, PCs, and enemies, this also makes for a difficult time in crafting villains. In a world of overpowered characters, who can stand against them and anchor each session in difficulty that is befitting all the PCs? Whether you are fighting a new street thug every week or one intergalactic invader across an entire arc, there should be something on this list for everyone.  So buckle your utility belts, put on your gauntlets, and get ready to take on a villain of epic proportions!

Dr. Blood, Vampiric Mad Scientist

The Brutalist, Dark Paragon

Frightmare, Demented Psychic

Behemoth, Destructive Beast

Echo, Mistress of Sound

Domino, Master of Disguise

Crosshairs, Legendary Assassin

Revenant, Ghost of Vengeance

Kthuul, Lord of Darkness

El Jefe, Crime Lord

Marionette, Puppet Queen

Safaraid, Master of the Hunt

Hades, Lord of Hellfire

Razor Fist, Kung-Fu Killer

Dragster, Speedster Villain

Machination, Twisted Gadgeteer

Black Knight, Animated Armor

Chimera, Lord of Beasts

Lovecraft, Alien Symbiote

Lampoon, Demented Cartoon

Tendril, Metamorphic Rogue

Prometheus, Power Thief

Stitches, Rag-doll Man

Absolute Zero, Cold Elemental

Amphitrite, Atlantean Witch

Big Ben, British Mastermind

Fallout, Human Nuclear Reactor

Hive, Insect Queen

Mambo, Voodoo Priest

Spellraiser, Demonic Wizard

Sledgehammer, Metallic Thug

Menagerie, Animal Shifter

Desperado, Modern Outlaw

Finish Line, Street Racer

Krakatoa, Volcanic Monster

Wriggly, Killer Clown

Incognito, Invisible Man

Tyrant-Osaurus, Jurassic Overlord

Bloodfang, Perfect Predator

Mandrake, Carnivorous Plant Man

The Sheik, Modern Mummy

Piercing Punk, Living Weapon

Pathogen, Sentient Disease

Drazi, The Trickster

Lord Infinite, Newly-Awakened Mutant

She-Gor, Monstrous Scientist

Copycat, Villainous Mimic

Killswitch, Trap-Crazed Lunatic

Tinker, Toy-Themed Maniac

Prestige, Stage Magician

Lady Luck, Luck Elemental

Joystick, Gaming Villain

Checkmate, Master Strategist

Dryad, Nature’s Guardian

Marotter, Zombie Lord

Mechasaurus, Robotic Dinosaur

Shutterbug, Villainous Blackmailer

Adrian Blight, Mage Killer

Mamba, Serpentine Assassin

Patient Zero, Rogue Android

Hack-Man, Sentient Battlesuit

Vanguard, Medieval Paragon

Brawn, Villainous Powerhouse

Academia, Knowledge Thief

Anima, Animating Villain

Splicer, Walking Genetics Lab

Double Trouble, The Cloning Thief

Refractor, Lord of Mirrors

Mirage, Mistress of Illusions

Ripsaw, The Human Blade

Stormbreaker, Human Tempest

Halcyon, Gold Elemental

Pulse, Blood Elemental

Reaper, Paranormal Assassin

Hazard, Sentient Garbage Pile

Motherboard, All-Powerful AI

Goliath, Giant Humanoid

Snake Eyes, Demonic Gambler

Alakazam, Technological Mage

Marianne, Dark Magical Girl

Relthor, Space Pirate

Spectrum, Lord of Light

Terravoss, Intergalactic Conqueror

Inertia, Gravity Elemental

Heretic, Half-Demon and Half-Angel

Semtex, The Mad Bomber

Inquiry, Unmasker of Heroes

Pantheon, Collector of Heroes

Payback, Conduit of Pain

Twilight, Light & Dark Elemental

Fleshwalker, Violent Shapeshifter

Lord Epoch, Manipulator of Time

Hangman, Elusive Assassin

Septimus, Underworld Prince

Sinister, Lord of Far Realm

Bludgeoner, Slayer of Heroes

Cheshire, Chaotic Imp

Calamity, Harbinger of Apocalypse

Prodigy, Master of All Powers

Creepshow, Keeper of Nightmares

[thechroniclesofdaraliss]

100 Mutants & Masterminds Heroes

Mutants & Masterminds is one of the most nebulous of the RPG systems. While this allows for great freedom to craft your own worlds, PCs, and enemies, this also makes for a difficult time in crafting your own characters. In a world of endless possibilities, how can you make a character who will continually challenge the world’s villains without overpowering them in the opening act? Whether you are fighting a new street thug every week or one intergalactic invader across an entire arc, there should be something on this list for everyone.  So buckle your utility belts, put on your gauntlets, and get ready to take on the persona of an epic hero!

Armory, Battlesuit Warrior

Lord Atomic, Chemical Paragon

Hawk, Predatory Vigilante

Momentum, Witty Speedster

Lee-Wei, Karate Master

Iron Knight, Benevolent Robot

The Exorcist, Underworld Scourge

Noir, Ruthless Detective

Keymaster, Dimensional Protector

Avalanche, Earth Elemental

Professor Century, Time Traveller

UFO, Alien-Human Hybrid

Finale, Gunslinger Hero

Covenant, Witch Queen

Raptor, Humanoid Dinosaur

Cypher, Sentient AI

Quantum Kid, Cosmic Elemental

Dino-Might, Jurassic Paragon

Galahad, Mystic Knight

Ballista, Super Soldier

Miss Mercury, Metallic Elemental

Nightstalker, Vampiric Vigilante

Jewel, Humanoid Diamond

Mantis, Insect Vigilante

Dread Man, Undead Fighter

Eidolon, Otherworldly Protector

Zeus, Lord of Storms

Jack Frost, Ice Elemental

Distortion, Stretching Man

Hogtie, Cartoon Pig

Fractal, Probability Manipulator

Cleric, Divine Healer

Cosmonaut, Deep-Space Vigilante

Void, Black Hole Generator

Quarterstaff, Mystic Warrior

Afterburner, Mechanical Humanoid

Geltank, Gelatinous Powerhouse

Pharaoh, Egyptian Sorcerer

Gestalt, Fusion of many Heroes

Shard, Glass Elemental

IQ, Boy Genius

The Archivist, Keeper of All Magic

The Magistrate, Judge & Jury

Huntsman, Villain Poacher

Primate, Intelligent Ape

Calypso, Mistress of the Sea

Baldr, Master of Light

Shrapnel, Metal Elemental

The Prankster, Comical Vigilante

Trajectory, Kinetic Elemental

Ossein, Bone Elemental

Tarot, Master of Fate

Carrion, Underworld Emissary

Shaka, African Warrior

Virtuoso, Sound Elemental

Haste, Legendary Speedster

Infernia, Sentient Flame

Cerberus, Feral Powerhouse

Tag, Mischievous Speedster

Mother Earth, Mistress of All Elements

EMP, Electricity Elemental

Slugger, Boxing Vigilante

Swiss Army Man, Gadgeteer Hero

Solar Flare, Avatar of the Sun

Saber, Weapon Specialist: Sword

Electrode, Psychic Hero

Undertaker, Shady Hero

Apostate, Reformed Devil

Anti-Man, Dark Matter Elemental

Dr. Relic, Archeologist

Doppelgänger, Copycat Hero

Thorn, Plant Elemental

Achilles, Ultimate Warrior

Bionic, Cyborg Hero

Leviathan, Deep-Sea Hero

Union Jack, British Crime-Fighter

Guardsman, Invincible Hero

Unseen, Invisible Man

Creature, Adaptable Monster Man

Canine, Benevolent Werewolf

Recurve, Weapon Specialist: Bow

Plunderbuss, Swashbuckling Pirate

Fatale, Toxic Touch

Minuteman, Time Elemental

Hydra, Vicious Crime-Fighter

Airspace, Oxygen Elemental

Hornet, Insect Humanoid

Lupin, Master Thief

Megalodon, Shark Man

Subatomic, Shrinking Hero

Strongman, Circus Hero

Vanguard, Legendary Knight

Showman, Stage Magician

Omega, Blaster Hero

Rising Sun Shogun, Robotic Samurai

Aftershock, Earthquake Hero

Hive Mind, Alpha Psychic

Phantom Girl, Undead Heroine

Stampede, Animal Shifter

Amalga, Power-Stealing Hero

[thechroniclesofdaraliss]

100 Mutants & Masterminds Session Ideas (Part III)

It has been some time since I made one of these lists. But when you fight crime with your best friends every few weeks from the comfort of your DM chair, you have some stories you want to share. That’s right, another 100 ideas for all your superhero adventures! Whether you defend a small neighborhood or the entire planet, there should be something here for everyone. If you like what I do, please like, comment, or reblog. So let’s grab our utility belts and bend our morals like iron bars, and take to the skies for another day of heroism!

A mercenary from the last war has developed psychic powers, and is targeting the rich. Forcing them to see the war through his eyes, to endure what he did behind enemy lines.

An underground community is revealed that has people forced into acting out the master’s wishes.

An anonymous Hero is stealing from the rich and giving to the poor.

The world’s smartest computer strays from winning chess matches and desires to conquer humanity.

A miraculous medical treatment has the whole world excited. Strange insects can apparently heal any wound or cure any illness. But the origin of these bugs is horrifying. They are mingled with vampiric blood, and perform these procedures to cure patients and eat them once they’re made whole. They cure meat, not disease.

A mysterious figure (robot, knight, etc) waits at the same location for a worthy opponent to defeat him. No matter who approaches, they remain undefeated.

The villain has infused the next rainfall/snowfall/hailstorm with a deadly substance (acid, micro-explosives, a carnivorous liquid species). They will hold the city to ransom, or let loose with the deadly drops.

A skilled hypnotist is bending people to their will. They don’t appear to have designs of conquering the world or even the city, but they are still ruining lives.

A fiendish union has formed in the criminal underworld. Four of the most powerful syndicates have joined forces for their biggest operation ever (super-heist, massacring heroes, expanding influence to another major city, etc).

The most powerful figures in the city are committing acts that open them up to scandal and criminal punishment. Acts they wouldn’t perform in a million years. They seem to have no will of their own, like puppets. You must find out who’s pulling the strings.

The sewers of the city are overrun with monstrous creatures at the call of a villain (hidden foe who’s resurfaced, new alien presence, mad science gone wrong).

A young con artist is being hunted by the mob and the FBI. He plans to ruin both his pursuers in one big sting before skipping town. You have been tasked with taking him down.

You discover that a young individual is absorbing demons to fuel their power. But they aren’t trying to cause harm. They’re doing this to arm themselves for an onslaught against an archdemon. To fight fire with fire.

Royalty from the Far East has arrived to demolish agents of an organization dedicated to tearing their family and throne apart. They have requested that you and your team assist in defeating them.

A rogue religious leader is performing miracles of biblical proportions. You must get to the bottom of this before he garners too strong a following. His human flock could become an army and his meta-human acolytes could become powerful villains.

The Police department’s golden boy/girl has been shot in cold blood. While they are recovering in the hospital, their would-be murderer is still on the loose. You need to track them down before they try to kill them again.

Someone is using Transmutation to turn all of the scrap metal into military-grade weapons.

A monster is running across the city, absorbing people’s bodies almost instantly by touch. Is he a dog on someone’s leash, acting on his own, or part of a larger operation?

Energy-absorbing entities are fighting to reach earth’s surface so they can harness the power of the planet’s core. Earth will shatter and die, but they will continue their conquest among the starts. That is, unless you stop them.

A scientist is attempting to perfect the technology to steal superpowers. But when his latest attempt goes sour, he is an amalgamation of all his subjects. A screaming mass of bodies, personalities, and super-capabilities.

A demented and extravagantly wealthy cyborg has designs on taking political office. While the press and voters adore him, there’s evidence suggesting he’s in league with the underworld.

A collection of stone tablets have been discovered at different sites across the globe. But when they are unveiled at a museum opening, they summon giants made up of the four elements, all in order to summon “the Fifth Element.”

Men are turning up in hospitals wounded and completely unaware of who they are. It turns out that a psychic has been taking to the streets. One with the ability make people forget who they are the more they make you look into their eyes.

When a team of arcane champions dies, the ancient order they represent go for the next best candidate, your team. They need you to defeat an Elder Evil.

A villain has been released from prison. Their crime was forgiven too easily, and they seem to be immune to the law when they get out.

A convention for heroes is being held in your city. All of the heroes gather for panels, signings, and interaction with fans. It’s the perfect place to recount your adventures, or for your enemies to set a trap.

After a public execution, a practitioner of black magic has risen from the grave. You must discover the truth behind how it was done, as their return is the beginning of a “grand design.”

A meta-human child has emerged with incredible powers. But they don’t want anything other than to find their mother, who has gone missing.

A legendary hero has issued you a challenge. If you complete all of his trials, he will share the secret to expanding meta-human abilities.

In wake of the solstice, a supernatural force demands an audience with you and your team. The twist? The villains have intercepted this message and want to destroy the contact point before you get there.

A band of young rebels aid your team in the fight against crime. But their methods entail terrorism, wanton destruction, and interrogation of civilians.

As you engage in superpower practice, you discover that anomalies are forming in your DNA. Is it the next stage in your development as a hero, or could this spell disaster for you and your team?

You discover that the world will be destroyed in a few years time (alien invasion, super-virus, magic-induced apocalypse) unless you destroy the pillars of the plan. While some prove to be simple, others demand you to do the unthinkable.

A movie star comes to the city, and their arrival coincides with the theft of government property. Is the star responsible, or is there more to the story?

An Android has become obsessed with creating “the master race” of humanoid automatons. They will stop at nothing until the human race has been corrected to fit his picture of perfection.

You discover an artifact that forced you to delve inside yourself and confront your psyche, both the good and the bad.

Your team has been forced into different bodies. You must find a way to get them back before the villain uses them for his own ends, and cuts you off from getting them back forever.

You investigate the theft of cargo on vehicles coming into your city. You soon discover that a race of animalistic humanoids (shark-folk attacking ships, mole-folk attacking trucks, etc) are stealing weapons that will be used to slaughter their people.

A young and inexperienced meta-human hopes to join your team. Is this a trick, or an earnest attempt to right wrongs in your city?

A vain perfectionist of a meta-human has kidnapped your entire team and forced them to run a deadly obstacle course.

A malicious presence haunts your home base and starts taking your team away one by one.

You and your teammates decide to crash a gathering of villains, only to find that they are trying to start over. All they want is to lead normal lives.

A killer is running rampant in the city, and he’s donning a Battlesuit to ensure he can fight off heroes. But how does a serial killer get access to such technology?

A contract killer has been murdering heroes so he can cover them in the press. It’s a scam worthy of the underworld’s foremost assassin.

A series of artifacts must be gathered, or a sorcerer will leave your loved ones in a permanent state of petrification. The catch? They plan on killing them anyway and unleashing a demonic entity onto your world.

One of the most powerful individuals in the city is funding both heroes and villains. They plan to start an all-out war and to get rich from the ensuing chaos.

You battle a Necromancer in the local cemetery. However, you discover that the graveyard is the ritual circle for the most elaborate mass-summoning in history.

A series of giant robots have threatened to destroy the city if the heroes don’t willingly surrender themselves. When captured, the villains reveal their plan to use your team as batteries for their most ruthless collection of weapons ever: The Dominators.

The heroes uncover a conspiracy that is nearly a century old, and the agents are finalizing the plot to demolish the country (cold-war tensions, remnant Nazi Regime, etc)

A twisted sorcerer intends to revive his deceased patsies and take over the world with their help.

Someone is kidnapping women and sending them off to an unknown location.

The most powerful and famous heroes from across the world gather in your city. Soon after, you receive word that someone has intercepted the location and intends to kill them all.

A host of powerful villains declare war on the heroes, using their mobile fortress and demand the heroes surrender. You and your team fight back with everything you have from your headquarters to each other.

A villain has set out to poison the city’s water supply.

A call for help has come from the local jail/asylum. But when you arrive, it turns out that the villains want to test your morals and put you on trial for your deeds as a hero.

A small group of aliens crash-land on earth, hoping to find one of their missing brothers/sisters. But when they find them, the individual wants to stay on earth, the result is a fight that could endanger the whole city.

Artifacts with diverse and terrifying sets of capabilities have fallen in and around your city. A villain hopes to gather them all, and use them to become invincible.

People are going missing across the city, and resurfacing the next day, completely drained of energy and reduced to shriveled husks. Find the killer before they strike again.

The Triad has entered your city and is muscling in on every criminal operation.

A mischievous meta-human has set out to use their abilities for their own ends. While they start out a hero, they discover that consequences don’t meet them, and they elect to use their abilities for more selfish reasons. If left unchecked, this potential ally could become a formidable enemy.

A new technology has been developed that has the capability of stealing data from a computer and/or demolishing it.

Miniature menaces (robots, aliens, goblins, etc) are attacking all over the city. In order to stop them at their source, you need to keep fighting and capturing them. Once you clear the area, the villain will reveal themselves and there will be an all-out battle.

A shroud of darkness falls over the city, and you have been touched by a malevolent presence within it. Since you are tougher than the average human, you’ve gotten hit with influence of this being, with only some of the drawbacks. Use this new power to fight back!

You tamper with the timeline, and suddenly your city is prehistoric, Bronze Age, colonial, modern, and futuristic, all in one!

All of the natural aspects of your city (trees, water, animals) are dying. The source appears to be a center of rot in one of the last vestiges of natural life in your city. Delve into it, and discover an entire lair, home to a Lord of Rot.

A massive crevice has formed below your city, and upon further investigation, it’s a hub of hostile reptilian creatures. You must fight them back, or the city’s will be overrun with an ancient, and overwhelming species.

Oceanic creatures take to the shore of your city and demand that you give up the surface world to the “superior regime.”

A Necromancer poses a challenge, saying he will meet you at the point between life and death. You follow his clues, and arrive at a mausoleum, only to find that you must fight a house of the dead to capture this man.

A tower shoots out in the center of the city, and it appears to be from another time (far past or far future). Approaching it from any angle makes it fire a horrible death-ray. You approach it, and suffer damages, but lose your powers. You must find a way to get them back and to stop the death ray from holding the entire city hostage.

The local police are planning a raid on the local crime boss’ lair.

A villain has approached a member of your ranks with the intent to turn them to the side of evil.

A psychic investigator falls comatose at the scene of a crime, and you swear you can hear their voice asking you to perform tasks to get them back in their body.

A trickster is zooming across the city, causing mayhem wherever he goes. The heroes intervening only convinces him to stick around.

Dark versions of your team emerge and commit the crimes. But when you try to defeat them, they know your every move before you even do it.

You have been chosen to represent earth in a series of intergalactic games that will test your intelligence, athleticism, and combat capabilities. The losers all have their planets destroyed.

A series of crystals are discovered within your city. When touched, they transport you to a dark version of your own world.

A sorcerer has inherited their master’s spellbook. But when they use it, they accidentally unleash powers they are helpless to control.

Someone is combining alien technology with human devices.

An army of aliens is bound for earth with the sole purpose of enslaving every human.

An anonymous terrorist is keeping the entire city on edge, forcing the everyman to perform services for him in exchange for keeping their darkest secrets.

Heroes have become split on the issue of siding with the government, or remaining independent.

You and your team have been outfitted with the battlesuits that will enhance your powers to fight an immense evil force. While they work at first, the drawbacks are crippling.

You and your arch nemesis are forced to work together in order to survive an onslaught against someone who is trying to kill you both.

A new hero emerges, stopping crime as soon as it appears. But it’s revealed that these supposed criminals are staging the crimes because the new hero is paying them to do it. They are actually playing their boss for a fool, and are using this leeway to actually pull off the crime and pin everything on him. He wanted glory, and will instead get jail time unless you intervene.

One of the most powerful crime families has had a coup. Anyone who was part of the uprising will be killed, along with anyone that can be affiliated. The last few survivors come to you for help escaping.

A contest has been announced where all of the most powerful meta-humans will be asked to fight, race, and compete to get the title of “Ultimate Hero.” But those who lose go missing.

A tribe of small creatures have been expelled from their home, and they ask for your help getting it back.

A gargantuan mutant has been terrorizing a small community, and they are helpless to stop him, as he has hostages. You must defeat this creature and rescue the captives.

You and your team elect to take a vacation, but trouble follows you more than ever. Little do you know that all the crimes and accidents are the attempts of a reporter trying uncover proof of your secret identity.

You investigate a set of “mystery spots,” only to find that they are connected by a strange alien presence that bends the laws of physics.

The heist of the century has begun as the villain(s) plan to kidnap all world leaders at a secret meeting.

Children are going missing, and you soon discover the Faye are involved.

A gang war threatens to tear the city apart. All of the most powerful members have meta-human capabilities.

You have been captured by a tribal meta-human society that refuses to acknowledge humanity. However, if you beat them in their challenges, they will determine you as worthy and let you go.

You discover an island in the sky, and must override its weapon system from becoming a threat to the entire world

A mysterious entity is defeating heroes across the globe and freezing them before teleporting away. The assumption is they are gathering these fallen heroes as trophies, but villains soon go missing too.

A mage has been using her influence to summon her most powerful rivals to her, and is stealing their powers. One of them comes to see your team, and says in time, she will try to do the same to you.

Your archrival challenges you to a duel to see who is the best, once and for all. Whoever wins gets to unmask the other. The loser will go into witness protection.

The resurrection of a villain goes horribly wrong, and it’s discovered living humans are required to restore them to their former glory.

You discover a portal that leads to alternate dimensions/parallel earths.

[thechroniclesofdaraliss]

Night on the Town

The party insisted on playing a long-running game of Mutants & Masterminds. They also insisted on having characters at the highest level. And a no-holds-barred first session. Here’s what happened.

DM: “A meteor is hurtling towards Earth!”

Paragon: “We do nothing.”

DM: “What?”

Speedster: “We stay in our secret identities.”

DM: “The searing heat melts skyscrapers!”

Cyborg: “I guess we can take a day off from our office jobs in said buildings.”

Mystic: “We go out for coffee!”

DM: “The masses desperately flee in deafening screams!”

Speedster: “Yay! No lines!”

DM: “Those who make it to cars crash throughout the city in horrific, blood-soaked panic!”

Cyborg: “Alright! No traffic! The world is our oyster! Who’s up for a movie?”

All: “We are!”

Mystic: “How about Endgame?”

DM: “Is this really happening?”

Party: “Oh, yeah!”

Party watches movie in its entirety.

DM: “The sky turns red as you leave. It marks the end of the old world and heralds an era of unparalleled demise!”

Mystic: “The sky looks beautiful tonight. Let’s go to the beach and catch the sunset!”

DM: “...”

Party savors the beach, as its sole living inhabitants

Speedster: “Is it beautiful?”

DM: “You enjoy this sunset like it’s your last.”

Paragon points to incoming meteor, and everyone registers its presence.

Paragon: “A shooting star! Everyone make a wish!”

DM: “You knew the meteor was coming!”

Paragon: “Not in character!”

DM: “...”

Party: “...”

DM: “This is going to make a very interesting campaign.”

Meteor Strikes

[thechroniclesofdaraliss]

Drink Up

*The party has just finished slaying a corrupt noble in a public procession. They have won the people over and are being given drinks to toast the victory.*

Dwarf: “A dark ale!”

Elf: “Wine.”

Human: “Rum!”

Half-Elf: “I need a drink that’s so hard it’s done two terms in prison!”

[thechroniclesofdaraliss]

Hot Meal

DM: “It has been three weeks since you let a meteor strike the Earth. You walk around in a cloud of toxic radiation scavenging for food.”

Paragon: “How’s the supermarket?”

DM: “Partially looted. The food there made people die from radiation poisoning. The rest is abandoned...and glowing.”

Paragon: “I guess we should go shopping.”

DM: “You do realize that a spoonful of spaghettios from that place will lead to radiation poisoning.”

Paragon: “Like Superman, I derive my power from the sun’s rays. Radiation. So if anything, these Rad-ios are just pre-cooked.”

DM: “Radios?”

Paragon: “Spaghettios, but with radiation.”

DM: “...”

[thechroniclesofdaraliss]

New Locales

DM: “You and your team take in the sight of Atlantis. The land that is only spoken of in legends. A grand civilization at the bottom of the sea that is far more advanced than any human nation above the waves.”

Mage: “So it’s Wet-Kanda?”

DM: *Walks out of room.*

[thechroniclesofdaraliss]

Vegetarian Options

*The party has arrived in a bar and they have not eaten in days. So they agree to eat one big meal.*

Dwarf: “Mutton.”

Human: “Dark bread.”

Elf: “Salad.”

Orc: “And can you make the salad ALL dark meat?”

[thechroniclesofdaraliss]

DM Advice #11

Use alternate worlds sparingly. Using them once in a while can be fun and refreshing. Using them too often undermines continuity and weakens plot for a lack of focus.

[thechroniclesofdaraliss]

Living Simply

Context: The party is talking about how they'll use the money from their latest haul.

Fighter: "The minute I get back to town, I'm spending my money on a woman."

Sorcerer: "You're going to the brothel?"

Fighter: "No, I met a girl that I'm hoping to court."

Party: AAAAAAWWWW!!!

Cleric: "I'm just going to give something back to the community. Veneral disease."

Rogue: "Really?!"

Cleric: "Fine! I'll make a donation to the church. But what are you so high and might about? You steal for a living."

Rogue: "That was my profession, but since I met up with you lot, I've traded my bachelors in pickpocketing for a master's in looting."

Fighter: "So what are you spending your cut on?"

Rogue: "I'll just live simply. That was my plan since day one."

Sorcerer: "You kidding? You stole the finest brandy in the last bar we went to and conned the rich guy to give up his suite at the last inn!"

Rogue: "That is true."

Sorcerer: "Plus you slit the throats of the guy who was hassling us at the toll bridge and when we gave you money for horses, you stole them rather than barter for them."

Rogue: "I live life simply, not humbly. I see something I want, and I take it. Simple as that."

Party: ...

Sorcerer: "Well played."

DM: "Indeed."

[thechroniclesofdaraliss]

Preferences

Sorcerer: So what is this guy’s…preference?

DM: He’s…a tire swing.

Sorcerer: Tire swing?

DM: He’s as straight as a circle and swings in any direction.

Sorcerer: *silent* YES!!!

-the Sorcerer's reaction to meeting an extremely flirtatious Halfling

[thechroniclesofdaraliss]

DM Advice #3

If you wanted to have complete control of the story, you’d be an author. If you wanted to just have fun, you’d do improv. If you want to find the balance between both, you’d be a DM.

[thechroniclesofdaraliss]

DM Advice #4

While it’s always best to have a plan, all of your fondest memories of the game will come from times things didn’t go according to plan. So let yourself be surprised.

[thechroniclesofdaraliss]

DM Advice #1

All of the best action in a campaign comes from the DM reacting to his PCs, not the other way around.

[thechroniclesofdaraliss]

DM Advice #7

When a newcomer feels overwhelmed, remind them that they have something special that only they can contribute to the game. Everyone might be able to play a wizard, but only they can play their wizard.