New Gladiators #10: The Arcana Bombs

[jkcarrier]

New Gladiators
Episode 10:
"The Arcana Bombs"
Played on 11/12/2022
Inspired by:
"The Breeder Bombs" (Marvel Super Heroes module by Jeff Grubb)

Roll Call:
Claw Master
The Dude (with Donny Kerabatsos)
Hulk
Sonic Boom
Walter Sobchak
Weather Wizard

Relaxing at their headquarters one evening, the Gladiators heard a disturbance outside. Racing out to investigate, they were confronted by their old enemy, the necromancer Dr. Wraithman and his mob of zombies. Wraithman accused Walter of killing his partner-in-crime, Ronky the Tech Master, and attacked them in a seemingly vengeful rage.

Doctor Wraithman
[Heightened Senses (Analytical Vision), Invulnerability (Kinetic), Heightened Agility, Emotion Control (Fear), Summoning (Zombies), Vulnerability (Energy)]

Zombies
[Natural Weaponry, Poison/Venom (Contact Attack), Sonic Blast, Willpower (Pain Resistance), Physical Disability (Mute), Lowered Intelligence (Non-Sentient), Unliving (Zombie)]

Loot Drop:
Doctor Wraithman's Staff [Emotion Control]

Walter was indifferent to Wraithman's accusation of murder, but his teammates were convinced it wasn't true. As evidence, Wraithman produced a thumb drive containing a video showing Walter chasing Ronky across the city rooftops, felling him with energy blasts, and finally throwing Ronky off the roof to his death.

Closer examination of the video revealed that both figures were moving in a slightly stiff, unnatural way, and the heroes concluded that they were in fact robot imposters. His temper cooled, Doctor Wraithman realized they were telling the truth, and complained that he had been "played". A sorceress named Devilspawn had hired Wraithman to commit thefts for her, and offered the "evidence" of Ronky's murder as payment.

Wraithman gave the Gladiators the location of Devilspawn's headquarters, hoping it might win him some leniency. The team nonetheless turned him over to the authorities, and headed over to the old aluminum casting plant he had indicated.

Inside, the heroes met none other than Walter and Ronky -- or rather, their robot duplicates, along with several other Turret Robots. The machines attacked on sight.

Ronky Robot
[Adaptation, Lightning Control, Force Field, Willpower (Pain Resistance), Unliving]

Walter Robot
[Adaptation, Heightened Expertise, Power Blast, Heightened Agility, Armor, Size Change (massive), Unliving]

Turret Robots
[Adaptation, Density Increase, Power Blast, Lowered Intelligence (Non-Sentient), Unliving]

Loot Drop:
Ronky's Mixer [Lightning Control (Electrical Bolt, Gear Control)]

They also found a world map with four locations marked in Australia, Kazakhstan, Peru, and the USA.

Taking the remains of the robots back to headquarters, the team had their A.I. Hal examine them. Searching the robots' memory banks, Hal learned that Devilspawn had created devices called "Arcana Bombs", and planned to deploy them at the four locations indicated on the map. Hal was unable to determine the exact purpose of the bombs, but hypothesized that it was nothing good.

Hal was able to triangulate the exact location of the nearest bomb, in Kentucky. The team piled into their hovercraft to retrieve it while Hal calculated the coordinates for the other three bombs.

The first bomb was located near Richmond, Kentucky, at the Blue Grass Army Depot. The military used the Depot to store munitions, chemical weapons, and (it was rumored) other experimental tech. Approaching one of the numerous storage bunkers, the Gladiators saw that the bomb had already been dug up from out of the ground, and was leaning against the side of the bunker.

As the heroes pondered this, a warning shot fired over their heads, and they heard a voice yell, "Git away from that scrap metal! It's mine, I dug it up fair and square!" The voice belonged to one Augustus "Augie" Hickman, a local recluse who lived up in the mountains, and apparently was in the habit of sneaking onto the military base to look for scraps that he could steal and sell.

Augie Hickman:
[Special Weapon (Shotgun with x2 Autofire), Unusual Age (old), Psychosis (paranoia)]

Loot Drop:
Augie Hickman's Shotgun [Special Weapon]

In no mood to argue with an enraged hillbilly, the heroes took Augie out with a single bop to the nose. But before they could secure the bomb and leave, more (and somewhat more impressive) intruders arrived: a trio of ten-foot-tall government-created experimental robots, each armed with a different weapon. In a mechanical voice, they demanded the Gladiators' immediate surrender.

Guardians A, B, and C
[Adaptation, Armor, Flight, Size Change (Larger), Unliving, A: Flame Blast, B:Power Blast, C: Vibratory Blast]

After a brief struggle, the team was able to defeat the robots, and quickly high-tailed it out of there before more reinforcements could arrive. Following Hal's remote instructions, they were able to deactivate the detonator on the bomb, although Hal was still unable to determine the nature of the payload.

By this time, Hal had determined the location of another bomb: on the shore of Lake Botkul, on the Kazakhstan/Russia border. The long journey gave the heroes time to rest and recuperate from the previous battles. As their hovercraft neared the location, a message came over the radio, demanding to know why they were violating Russian airspace. They attempted to explain about the bomb, and were told to land and wait for further instructions.

The Gladiators were met by a team of Russian supers, led by a military man who went by the name "Marx Man". The Russians seemed to accept their account of events, assured the Americans that they would take care of the bomb, and told them they were free to go. Not eager to let the Russians take control of a bomb of unknown power, the heroes decided to press the issue.

Ballerina
[Darkness Control, Heightened Agility, Heightened Defense, Natural Weaponry, Siphon (Super Abilities)]

Colonel Simian
[Animal/Plant Powers (Heightened Agility, Prehensile Feet, Wall-Crawling, Distinctive), Cybernetics (Heightened Intelligence, Life Support), Mental Blast, Size Change (Smaller)]

Comrade
[Duplication, Electrical Bolt (Baton)]

Earth Scorcher
[Adaptation, Flame Powers, Gravity Control, Heightened Endurance]

Marx Man
[Arsenal (Chemical Blast, Paralysis Ray, Special Weapon), Heightened Attack, Invulnerability (Kinetic), Power Blast (Grenade)]

Red Raven
[Electrical Bolt w/Paralysis Ray Carrier, Flight, Heightened Senses (Infrared), Life Support]

Loot Drops:
Ballerina's Slippers [Heightened Defense]
Colonel Simian's Helmet [Mental Blast]
Comrade's Belt [Duplication]

After a prolonged battle, the Gladiators managed to subdue their Russian counterparts, secure the bomb, and make it back to friendlier skies.

[Our session ended there. To be continued...]

[The characters received 3 Character Points, giving them each a total of 139]