Ugly Ghost Squad #14 recap
Jun. 6th, 2016 10:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jkcarrierUgly Ghost Squad #14
"Assassin"
Played 6/4/2016
Roll Call:
Black Panther
Captain America
Hulk
Martian Manhunter
Thanatos
Experience Level: 6
Enemies Fought:
Kingslayer
SynTech Security Team:
Blue Shield
Mind-Grabber
Tasmanian Devil
Terra
Winter Wonderlad
Adam II and the Sons of Adam:
Angar the Screamer
Beetle
Electric Man
Equinox
Firebrand
Hitman
Lightmaster
Moondark
Moonstone
Shocker
miscellaneous Goons
Other NPCs:
Director Coulson of SHIELD
President Karnak of Karnia (Adam II in disguise)
Dr. Will Magnus
Senator Thomas Wright (android double)
Adventure Modules Used:
Villains and Vigilantes: "Assassin" by Thomas Dowd
Synopsis:
SHIELD contacted the Ugly Ghost Squad and requested they help with security at a political fundraiser downtown. The star speaker was Senator Thomas Wright, and there were rumors that his political enemies had hired a metahuman assassin to take him out.
Sure enough, just as the Senator stepped up to the podium to speak, a "waiter" tore off his disguise and was revealed as notorious killer-for-hire Kingslayer. Before anyone could react, he'd put two bullets in the Senator's chest. The heroes subdued the killer, but it seemed he had succeeded in his mission...until the heroes checked the victim and discovered that what they thought was Senator Wright was really a sophisticated android double.
According to SHIELD, the android was years ahead of anything they'd ever seen. The construction was similar to a theoretical model created by a scientist named Dr. Will Magnus. Magnus' last known whereabouts were at a company called Synthetic Technologies in Arizona, so the heroes headed there to investigate.
Sneaking around the Syn-Tech facilities late at night, the Ghost Squad turned up nothing unusual, but did finally attract the notice of the security team, made up mostly of aspiring superheroes: Blue Shield, Mind-Grabber, Tasmanian Devil, Terra, and Winter Wonderlad. The Squad overpowered the guards, and it was eventually discovered that Dr. Magnus had left the company some months ago. Evidently, he had accepted an invitation from the dictator of the South American nation of Karnia to live and work there, with no restrictions on his research.
Flying in low to avoid radar, the Ghost Squad approached President Karnak's private retreat in Delmarion Cove. Arriving at the President's beach house, they were attacked by a squad of Karnia-paid super-mercenaries: Electric Man, Firebrand, Moonstone, and Shocker. They proved to be little more than a speed bump, and the team began examining the house. They found no sign of the President or Dr. Magnus, but they discovered a secret elevator leading to a vast underground complex.
A quick search revealed a submarine dock, holding a vessel named "Seakiller". Guarding the location was a team of villains they'd fought once before: The Sons of Adam (see Ugly Ghost Squad #7). Angar the Screamer, Beetle, Equinox, Hitman, Lightmaster, and Moondark seemed even more powerful than before, and the heroes took quite a beating as they slowly whittled the enemies down. As the tide began to turn in the Ghost Squad's favor, the Seakiller submarine began to depart. The heroes broke off the battle and raced to the ship's bridge to confront the pilot (Beetle and Equinox, the last two villains standing, took the opportunity to beat a hasty retreat).
Piloting the submarine was none other than the group's leader, Adam II himself. Badly outnumbered, he was no match for even a weakened Ghost Squad. A search of the now-abandoned base revealed Dr. Magnus, apparently cominng out of a trance that Adam II had placed him in. It was indeed he who had built the android double of Wright, as part of Adam II's long-range plan to take over the U.S. government from within. The unexpected assassination attempt had ruined his plan, so he resorted to a simpler back-up contingency: using the Seakiller sub to launch a nuclear missile at a random U.S. city, then blackmail the country by threatening to launch more (and hoping they didn't call his bluff, since he only had one working missile). But Plan B never got off the ground (or out of the dock), thanks to the Ugly Ghost Squad.
Memorable Quotes:
"You just walked up to the ugliest girl at the dance and showed her your dick." - Captain America to Black Panther, after the Panther challenged Lightmaster (an enemy whose attacks he was especially vulnerable to).
Sources and References:
(For notes on Adam II and the other returning villains, see Ugly Ghost Squad #7)
This module was a direct sequel to "FORCE". Since I had swapped out that module's villains for ones from the comics, I decided to follow suit here.
Blue Shield ("Ward" in the module):
An aspiring superhero who teamed up with Dazzler and tried (unsuccessfully) to join the Avengers.
http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Joseph_Cartelli_%28Earth-616%29
Electric Man ("Deflector" in the module):
A very minor footnote in Superman history. He was one of several interplanetary criminals that Brainiac considered teaming up with, but he decided none of them were worthy. That's literally all there is to him, but you can see a synopsis of the story he appeared in here:
http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Action_Comics_Vol_1_280
Firebrand ("Pyre" in the module):
Considering himself more of a political activist than a supervillain, Gary Gilbert used his flame-suit to attack corrupt businessmen and politicians. He clashed several times with Iron Man:
http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Gary_Gilbert_%28Earth-616%29
President Karnak of Karnia ("President Calvione of Chinilaya" in the module):
A South American dictator with dreams of world conquest. In the comics, he kidnaps and brainwashes Doc Magnus into building killer robots for him. His role here is similar, except in this case Karnak was really Adam II in disguise.
Kingslayer ("Assassin" in the module):
A killer-for-hire who specializes in political assassinations. The Super Friends thwarted his attempt to simultaneously assassinate over 100 heads of state who had gathered for a U.N. peace conference.
http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Kingslayer_%28Super_Friends%29
Dr. Will Magnus ("Dr. Raymond Long" in the module):
In the comics. Doc Magnus was the creator of the Metal Men, mechanical robots with human-like personalities. In this story, he specializes in creating chemical androids that are indistinguishable from humans.
http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/William_Magnus_%28New_Earth%29
Mind-Grabber ("PsiStorm" in the module):
A powerful young psychic, Lucien Crawley wanted to be a superhero, but he felt overshadowed by the more famous Justice League. He nearly caused a disaster when he telepathically convinced a group of aliens that the JLA were tyrants who needed to be overthrown. But he saw the error of his ways and vowed to only do good from now on.
http://comicvine.gamespot.com/mind-grabber-kid/4005-38172/
Moonstone ("Photon" in the module):
Common thief Lloyd Bloch tried to steal a moon rock from a museum, but was discovered by a security guard. The guard shot at him, hitting the rock and somehow causing the rock's properties to be absorbed into Bloch's body. As Moonstone, he became involved with the Secret Empire, a group trying to overthrow the government. After several skirmishes, he was defeated by Captain America. Later his moon powers were stolen from him by another criminal, and he took on the alternate identity of "Nefarius".
http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix7/nefarius_bloch.htm
Shocker ("Oscillator" in the module):
A long-time foe of Spider-Man, Shocker's high-tech gauntlets enable him to fire powerful vibration-blasts. Add your own "two in the pink, one in the stink" jokes.
http://marvel.com/universe/Shocker_%28Herman_Schultz%29
Tasmanian Devil ("Antaeus" in the module):
Australian Hugh Dawkins was born with the power to transform into a powerful furry beast. In the comics he was a member of the international team called the Global Guardians (some of whom the Ghost Squad fought in issue #6).
http://comicvine.gamespot.com/tasmanian-devil/4005-6532/
Terra ("Avalanche" in the module):
Experimented on as a child, young Tara Markov gained the power to control rocks and earth. She ended up working for the mercenary Deathstroke, who set her up as a "super-hero" and had her infiltrate the Teen Titans so she could destroy them from within (this is why I was so amused when Vic and Sean brought up Deathstroke at the very beginning of the night). During her battle with the Titans, she went completely berserk and brought an entire building down on herself, resulting in her death. There have been a few other more heroic versions of Terra since then, so this was sort of a combination of all of them.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terra_%28comics%29
Winter Wonderlad ("Hailstorm" in the module):
Billy Gander is a parody of Marvel's Iceman, who appeared in DC Comics' short-lived humor series "The Inferior Five". He's a student at Dean Egghead's Academy for Super-Heroes, along with the other "Eggs-Men" Ape (Beast), Basilisk (Cyclops), Icarus (Angel), and Levitation Lass (Marvel Girl):
http://thewastebasket.blogspot.com/2009/06/homo-superior-vs-inferior-five.html
Senator Thomas Wright ("Senator Matthew Bennett" in the module):
In the comics, Senator Wright is killed by criminals, and his identity is taken over by the superhero called Black Condor. Here, he gets killed and replaced by an evil android. Poor dude can't catch a break in any universe.
http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Richard_Grey,_Jr._%28Quality_Universe%29
"Assassin"
Played 6/4/2016
Roll Call:
Black Panther
Captain America
Hulk
Martian Manhunter
Thanatos
Experience Level: 6
Enemies Fought:
Kingslayer
SynTech Security Team:
Blue Shield
Mind-Grabber
Tasmanian Devil
Terra
Winter Wonderlad
Adam II and the Sons of Adam:
Angar the Screamer
Beetle
Electric Man
Equinox
Firebrand
Hitman
Lightmaster
Moondark
Moonstone
Shocker
miscellaneous Goons
Other NPCs:
Director Coulson of SHIELD
President Karnak of Karnia (Adam II in disguise)
Dr. Will Magnus
Senator Thomas Wright (android double)
Adventure Modules Used:
Villains and Vigilantes: "Assassin" by Thomas Dowd
Synopsis:
SHIELD contacted the Ugly Ghost Squad and requested they help with security at a political fundraiser downtown. The star speaker was Senator Thomas Wright, and there were rumors that his political enemies had hired a metahuman assassin to take him out.
Sure enough, just as the Senator stepped up to the podium to speak, a "waiter" tore off his disguise and was revealed as notorious killer-for-hire Kingslayer. Before anyone could react, he'd put two bullets in the Senator's chest. The heroes subdued the killer, but it seemed he had succeeded in his mission...until the heroes checked the victim and discovered that what they thought was Senator Wright was really a sophisticated android double.
According to SHIELD, the android was years ahead of anything they'd ever seen. The construction was similar to a theoretical model created by a scientist named Dr. Will Magnus. Magnus' last known whereabouts were at a company called Synthetic Technologies in Arizona, so the heroes headed there to investigate.
Sneaking around the Syn-Tech facilities late at night, the Ghost Squad turned up nothing unusual, but did finally attract the notice of the security team, made up mostly of aspiring superheroes: Blue Shield, Mind-Grabber, Tasmanian Devil, Terra, and Winter Wonderlad. The Squad overpowered the guards, and it was eventually discovered that Dr. Magnus had left the company some months ago. Evidently, he had accepted an invitation from the dictator of the South American nation of Karnia to live and work there, with no restrictions on his research.
Flying in low to avoid radar, the Ghost Squad approached President Karnak's private retreat in Delmarion Cove. Arriving at the President's beach house, they were attacked by a squad of Karnia-paid super-mercenaries: Electric Man, Firebrand, Moonstone, and Shocker. They proved to be little more than a speed bump, and the team began examining the house. They found no sign of the President or Dr. Magnus, but they discovered a secret elevator leading to a vast underground complex.
A quick search revealed a submarine dock, holding a vessel named "Seakiller". Guarding the location was a team of villains they'd fought once before: The Sons of Adam (see Ugly Ghost Squad #7). Angar the Screamer, Beetle, Equinox, Hitman, Lightmaster, and Moondark seemed even more powerful than before, and the heroes took quite a beating as they slowly whittled the enemies down. As the tide began to turn in the Ghost Squad's favor, the Seakiller submarine began to depart. The heroes broke off the battle and raced to the ship's bridge to confront the pilot (Beetle and Equinox, the last two villains standing, took the opportunity to beat a hasty retreat).
Piloting the submarine was none other than the group's leader, Adam II himself. Badly outnumbered, he was no match for even a weakened Ghost Squad. A search of the now-abandoned base revealed Dr. Magnus, apparently cominng out of a trance that Adam II had placed him in. It was indeed he who had built the android double of Wright, as part of Adam II's long-range plan to take over the U.S. government from within. The unexpected assassination attempt had ruined his plan, so he resorted to a simpler back-up contingency: using the Seakiller sub to launch a nuclear missile at a random U.S. city, then blackmail the country by threatening to launch more (and hoping they didn't call his bluff, since he only had one working missile). But Plan B never got off the ground (or out of the dock), thanks to the Ugly Ghost Squad.
Memorable Quotes:
"You just walked up to the ugliest girl at the dance and showed her your dick." - Captain America to Black Panther, after the Panther challenged Lightmaster (an enemy whose attacks he was especially vulnerable to).
Sources and References:
(For notes on Adam II and the other returning villains, see Ugly Ghost Squad #7)
This module was a direct sequel to "FORCE". Since I had swapped out that module's villains for ones from the comics, I decided to follow suit here.
Blue Shield ("Ward" in the module):
An aspiring superhero who teamed up with Dazzler and tried (unsuccessfully) to join the Avengers.
http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Joseph_Cartelli_%28Earth-616%29
Electric Man ("Deflector" in the module):
A very minor footnote in Superman history. He was one of several interplanetary criminals that Brainiac considered teaming up with, but he decided none of them were worthy. That's literally all there is to him, but you can see a synopsis of the story he appeared in here:
http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Action_Comics_Vol_1_280
Firebrand ("Pyre" in the module):
Considering himself more of a political activist than a supervillain, Gary Gilbert used his flame-suit to attack corrupt businessmen and politicians. He clashed several times with Iron Man:
http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Gary_Gilbert_%28Earth-616%29
President Karnak of Karnia ("President Calvione of Chinilaya" in the module):
A South American dictator with dreams of world conquest. In the comics, he kidnaps and brainwashes Doc Magnus into building killer robots for him. His role here is similar, except in this case Karnak was really Adam II in disguise.
Kingslayer ("Assassin" in the module):
A killer-for-hire who specializes in political assassinations. The Super Friends thwarted his attempt to simultaneously assassinate over 100 heads of state who had gathered for a U.N. peace conference.
http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Kingslayer_%28Super_Friends%29
Dr. Will Magnus ("Dr. Raymond Long" in the module):
In the comics. Doc Magnus was the creator of the Metal Men, mechanical robots with human-like personalities. In this story, he specializes in creating chemical androids that are indistinguishable from humans.
http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/William_Magnus_%28New_Earth%29
Mind-Grabber ("PsiStorm" in the module):
A powerful young psychic, Lucien Crawley wanted to be a superhero, but he felt overshadowed by the more famous Justice League. He nearly caused a disaster when he telepathically convinced a group of aliens that the JLA were tyrants who needed to be overthrown. But he saw the error of his ways and vowed to only do good from now on.
http://comicvine.gamespot.com/mind-grabber-kid/4005-38172/
Moonstone ("Photon" in the module):
Common thief Lloyd Bloch tried to steal a moon rock from a museum, but was discovered by a security guard. The guard shot at him, hitting the rock and somehow causing the rock's properties to be absorbed into Bloch's body. As Moonstone, he became involved with the Secret Empire, a group trying to overthrow the government. After several skirmishes, he was defeated by Captain America. Later his moon powers were stolen from him by another criminal, and he took on the alternate identity of "Nefarius".
http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix7/nefarius_bloch.htm
Shocker ("Oscillator" in the module):
A long-time foe of Spider-Man, Shocker's high-tech gauntlets enable him to fire powerful vibration-blasts. Add your own "two in the pink, one in the stink" jokes.
http://marvel.com/universe/Shocker_%28Herman_Schultz%29
Tasmanian Devil ("Antaeus" in the module):
Australian Hugh Dawkins was born with the power to transform into a powerful furry beast. In the comics he was a member of the international team called the Global Guardians (some of whom the Ghost Squad fought in issue #6).
http://comicvine.gamespot.com/tasmanian-devil/4005-6532/
Terra ("Avalanche" in the module):
Experimented on as a child, young Tara Markov gained the power to control rocks and earth. She ended up working for the mercenary Deathstroke, who set her up as a "super-hero" and had her infiltrate the Teen Titans so she could destroy them from within (this is why I was so amused when Vic and Sean brought up Deathstroke at the very beginning of the night). During her battle with the Titans, she went completely berserk and brought an entire building down on herself, resulting in her death. There have been a few other more heroic versions of Terra since then, so this was sort of a combination of all of them.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terra_%28comics%29
Winter Wonderlad ("Hailstorm" in the module):
Billy Gander is a parody of Marvel's Iceman, who appeared in DC Comics' short-lived humor series "The Inferior Five". He's a student at Dean Egghead's Academy for Super-Heroes, along with the other "Eggs-Men" Ape (Beast), Basilisk (Cyclops), Icarus (Angel), and Levitation Lass (Marvel Girl):
http://thewastebasket.blogspot.com/2009/06/homo-superior-vs-inferior-five.html
Senator Thomas Wright ("Senator Matthew Bennett" in the module):
In the comics, Senator Wright is killed by criminals, and his identity is taken over by the superhero called Black Condor. Here, he gets killed and replaced by an evil android. Poor dude can't catch a break in any universe.
http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Richard_Grey,_Jr._%28Quality_Universe%29
