Westbrook Academy for Metahumans: Forums

Ever been on a patrol with people and you find yourself fighting something that is grossly OOC? Have a hard time explaining why your character is fighting to stop Lord Nemesis from destroying the Mutli-Verse? Confused on how to explain why you're facing down with a Zeus Mek when you still haven't conquered acne? Well, worry no more!

I know some of us are quickly able to come up with several ideas on how to explain things and enemy groups. However, others have stated that they aren't as good with improvising a scene! So, here, we'll be sharing our mission 'Groups' and how you can explain away what you're facing with the magic of your Imagination!

So! Throw something up! We're not looking for 'Time Bandits' or what not, but we want everyone to throw up what they have used in the past. Past organizations that they've used to 'lower the bar' on missions. We want anyone and everyone to participate.

Current List:

Arachnos Youth

Toy Maker

Enigma

Masquerade Gang

Crawdads

The Sorcerers of Marnok

Cosplay Carnival

Geekshows

Dough Boys

The Arachnos Youth

Background

Arachnos has thrived in the Rogue Isles for decades by building webs amongst webs. They moved threads through the media, the politics, and the very people who occupy the shores of the Isles. It was only a matter of time until their threads reached the children.

In the 1990’s, it was reported that a new division within Arachnos had been created. This division was known as the ‘Arachnos Youth’. Playfully called the ‘Boy Scouts of Evil’, this group has shown that they are hardly a laughing matter. They recruit – sometimes forcefully – runaways, gang members, or just anyone they feel might prove useful for the Web. They offer these teenagers training, weapons, and gear, and send them out to either sink or swim.

Those that survive find a lucrative life within the ranks of the Spider once they come to age.

While in the past the Arachnos Youth have been found within the Isles, pockets are starting to appear in Paragon. For some reason, more and more ‘troupes’ are finding their way to Paragon. Some are here with direct missions handed down to them by superiors. Some are simply looking to gain useful candidates for their cause. Regardless, this infestation cannot remain.

With equipment and training and leadership backing their violent tendencies, these Youth are proving more than some can handle.

Within the Web


Drones – While many of the drones are scuffed and show signs of disrepair, they still have plenty of surprises packed in them. Some are even packed with explosives that are meant to explode once they truly become obsolete to the Youth.



Spiderlings – These are the newest and freshest faces to the Arachnos Youth. While many of them have the gear of a common Arachnos Soldier, they do not have the training to back it up. The poison of Arachnos’ Promise haven’t completely set in, however, which some view as a silver lining.



Spiders – These are members who have survived a few skirmishes. They’re given better gear and even are given the chance for further ‘augmentations’. While some are never heard from again, those that return have a greater degree of power that inspire the newer members to work harder for the Web.



Scout Leaders – These are actual soldiers of Arachnos. Some have been demoted to training the Youth while some have actively sought to be placed in the position. Regardless, they are trained, dedicated, and ruthless.




OOC Reason for Creation: The reason the Youth were created was to give people a taste of the ‘Big Bad’ in the game. Arachnos has always been the main enemy group. They’re hard to ignore and they’re a common enemy within the patrols and tip missions. By making them Youth members, they are more on par with the students training to be heroes.

The Toy Maker

Doctor Shafer was obsessed with two things; Love and Toys. And for a while, he had both. He had a wife that he was dedicated to making happy and a job at Crey to create the latest and greatest toys for children. However, it’s odd how just one surprise visit home can ruin a life.

One day, Shafer decided it was best to surprise his wife for a mid-day lunch. However, as luck would have it, his wife was already having a guest over… and on top of the dinner table, no less. Needless to say, after several counseling sessions later, it was revealed that the marriage was over due to his wife finding him to be a ‘dreamer and not a doer’.

Doctor Shafer didn’t get violent. Honestly, he wasn’t a bad man. However, something did snap in him that day. Shafer’s obsession with his wife and her words tore at his mind until he decided to steal everything from his lab at Crey’s (Along with some stuff not in his lab) and run off. That was the last anyone ever saw Shafer.

However, a few months later, something odd began happening. Large toys began to happen. They began robbing banks and leaving poetry for Doctor Shafer’s wife. In these poems, it revealed that Doctor Shafer was creating an army that would make him rich! And, according to his poems, this would make his wife respect him again.

It should be noted that no one has been killed by the Toy Maker’s goons. Mostly, they seem to just try to subdue their victims until they gain what they are after. They have a rather sophisticated neuro-network that helps them to decide on what is the appropriate amount of harm an individual can take until they are knock unconscious.

Many heroes agree that while they don’t think the ‘Toy Maker’ is an evil man, he is someone to be stopped.

Enemy Groups: Carnival of Shadow, Malta, and Nemesis

Brass Army (Nemesis)



Oh no! Doctor Shafer has released his army of Brass Soldiers. He’s taken the design of classic soldier along with the holiday nutcracker! Watch out. They’ll crack you good if not careful and those rubber bullets really leave a mark!

GI Joes (Malta)



Oh dear. Soldiers? Giant Robots? Tasers? Clearly the good doctor has been watching some of his old Saturday morning cartoons. Watch out for their kung-fu grip, their energy discharges, and their bean-bag rifle. These guys are filled with the latest and greatest tactics collected from studying months of Modern Warfare players.

Dolls (Carnival of Shadow)



Oh dear. Will the good doctor ever learn? He’s released his army of dolls to do his bidding. If their energy weapons don’t knock you down, their ‘Stretch Armstrong’ companions will put you down for the count. And watch out for Sword-Fighter Barbie! Rumor has it that’s what made a Ken Doll… uh… a Ken doll.

Reason for Creation : The reason this group was created to add a more humorous enemy group. Not only that, but it takes some of the higher concept villain and adds a little less ‘pressure’ to facing them down.

Enigma

In the age of technology, heroes are finding there is a new breed of criminal: Hackers. Yes, cybercriminals have become the new con artists and thieves in this digital world. With the right set of codes and the perfect connection, millionaires can become poor and criminals can become anybody they want.

However, where cybercriminals usually keep their activities to online systems, a group has begun creating chaos on the streets of Paragon. This group calls themselves ‘Enigma’.

Some believe the group is a rogue band of Freakshow. Some believe them to be just a group of rebellious youth out for a fun time. Whatever they are, the technology they’ve developed has begun creating chaos.

The group has created a device that can inject micro-machines into any computerized object. And with it, they can rewrite the programming and take complete control over it. While at first this was just used to steal money from ATMS or cause traffic accidents by ‘infecting’ stop lights, these criminals have upped their game. They’ve begun infected animatronics from the many museums and amusement parks near Paragon City. And with this have created an army of dangerous fighters that they can use for their many, many pranks.

Enemy Group: Devouring Earth, Any

Paragon Park’s Crypto-Zoology Animatronics (Devouring Earth)


Oh no! Enigma has really done it. They’ve broken into Paragon Park’s Crypto-Zoology exhibit and infected the animatronics with their micro-machines! With the size of some of those exhibits, you better bring plenty of friends to stop them!

Jack of Jumper Jacks Tire and Auto Parts (Giant Monster Example)

Wait... is that the mascot for Jumper Jacks Tire and Auto Parts? What is it doing in the middle of the city? And... why is it attacking people? Oh goodness, Enigma must have infected it with their micro-machines! You don't know if the thing has a weakness but if it was built by the same guy that fixed your car from the place, you should have it broken down in no time!

Hall of History (Any Group)

Is history repeating itself?! Wait, no! Those aren’t actual Council Soldiers. No, that isn’t Statesman gone bad! These are animatronics infected by Enigma! Whatever they are doing, it isn’t good. While you doubt they’re weaponry and powers are actually as dangerous as the real thing, you better be careful!

Reason for Creation : The reason I wanted to create this group is to help us explain why we're fighting giant monsters such as Devouring Earth. Not only that, wouldn't it be cool if we had an actual real RP reason to go fight Jack in Croatoa?

Masquerade Job

The Skulls and the Hellions have found a new game they enjoy to play. Oh, it isn’t hitting mailboxes with baseball bats or playing keep the wire away from the Narc. No, this game is far more interesting. The more intelligent gang members call it a ‘Masquerade Party’ while the simpler ones simply call it ‘Playing Cape’. Regardless of what it is called, it’s started to make the city annoyed.

Somehow these gangs were able to hijack several trucks containing equipment that was on its way to several Supergroup bases. These shipments contained weapons, gear, and uniforms. And they are making use of every bit of the shipment.

These hooligans have begun to cause wide spread confusion by donning uniforms of the Longbow and PPD and then robbing banks, warehouses, or just normal citizens. Not only that, but it is causing people to fear when they are approached by real members of the super groups.

While this might be fun and games for these gangs, it is starting to cause fear in a city of heroes!

Enemy Group: Longbow, PPD, Vanguard, Any Heroic Group.

Lawless Longbow? (Longbow)

Wait a minute! There isn’t a wallet inspector for Longbow! Those ‘members’ are simply using the stolen uniforms to steal from tourists. You better stop them before they really cause trouble. Be careful. If they have Longbow uniforms then they probably have their weaponry close by, as well!

I Fought the PPD and … I Won? (PPD)

Wait! Officer McLovin doesn’t sound like a real name. And when did cops hand out tickets for being ‘too damn sexy’. You better investigate and put a stop to this. If these are truly bad guys in uniform, be careful. The last thing you need is a photo of your hitting the press showing you throwing a ‘cop’ through a window.

Vandalizing Vanguard? (Vanguard)



When did Vanguard start spray painting walls? You think something smells fishy about this. You always knew Vanguard was a bit on the ‘morally grey’ side of the law… but you doubt spray painting slurs serves any purpose. You’re going to stop this right now and see who is ruining the name of a … shady and secretive group.

Reason for Creation: The reason this group was formed was to explain away some of the missions that involved heroes fighting 'rogue' members of various supergroups. As with most of the examples, having the enemies be gang members in 'costume' just lowers the bar so we're not fighting highly trained individuals.

‘Crawdads’

In 1957, Boomer Brass was one of the first mutants who had nuclear power at her disposal. She had the destructive capability of a nuclear bomb but the control to manage it. That is, of course, until she stood toe to toe with what some believe to be Lord Nemesis. The two fought in Talos Island, Boomer trying her hardest to keep the Lord himself pinned down until help could arrive. However, help came too late.

Unknown to Boomer Brass, the Lord of Brass had planned all this. And with a strike from his energy ray, Boomer Brass felt her control suddenly slipping. She began to go nuclear and could do nothing as Lord Nemesis escaped. When she was found by her compatriots, she was near destruction. That was when she made the call. With the aide of one of her friends who could breathe under water, they both dove deep into the bay of Talos. And when the explosion occurred, the destruction was minimal.

Fast forward fifty years. From the shores of Talos came the Crawdads. Creatures of large stature and barbaric weaponry. From study them, the city was able to realize they were actually mutated crawdads who had been exposed to a great amount of radiation at one point.

It didn’t take long for the heroes of the city to put two and two together.

The ‘Crawdads’ are a confusing race. They’ve salvaged weaponry from any ship that sunk within Talos (This including the Rikti Ships that were dropped there in the first invasion) but seem very skittish to use them. Scientist believe they have an immense ‘Fight or Flight’ system. They’ll either run and panic at the first sign of trouble or attack a hero with everything they have until they are put down.

These creatures seem to have a fondness for raiding shipping warehouses for food but have moved deeper into the city to steal other things. Oddly enough, they have a fondness for staplers.

Crawdads



These beings are mutated crawdads from the shores of Talos. While no one knows why they’re within Paragon now, they can assume it has something to do with gathering supplies. This group hasn’t made any attempt at communication save through the actions of thievery! Show these creatures that you don’t care what lagoon they come from!

Salvaged Drones



Under sea probes? Old Rikti Bots? Forgotten experiments dumped off a bridge? All these things can be found within the arsenal of the Crawdads. While viewed as primitive creatures, they have shown the ability to understand the technology they salvage within weeks through experimentation or ‘tinkering’.

Reason for Creation : The Ritki are the race that almost destroyed the world. So, it seemed a touch unbelievable for teenagers to be the ones to stop them. The Rikti have weaponry that is incredibly advanced that has shown to render people with the condition of ‘state-up-dead’ within seconds. So, with the Crawdads, you have a less violent group without the expertise with such weaponry.

Enemy Name: The Sorcerers of Marnok

Background/Details:

What started as the simple backyard hobby of a group of local highschool students has grown into a dangerous passtime for the group known as The Sorcerers of Marnok.

A small group of kids began to meet for LARP and tabletop gaming but things began to spiral out of control after one of the ringleaders became friends with a member of the Hellions gang who convinced him that he may have some real power.

The group has grown and, while it is mostly full of delinquents and outcasts who have finally found a place to "belong", they have taken to the destructive pastime of vandalism, arson and breaking and entering in order to find and collect artifacts that they believe will help them increase their power. They can often be found down in "haunted" or "enchanted" caves doing a "dungeon crawl" in search of a new item.

Enemy Groups

Ranger:


The rangers of the group carry wooden bows and rubber tipped arrows that are available from most sport archery stores. Those arrows sting! You best roll 2D6 for your dodge ability.

Wizard:


"I cast magic missile!" He yells as he lights a ball of paper on fire and hurls it in your direction. The wizards of the group have clearly been spending too much time around their Hellion buddies.

Scary mask:



Dude totally looks like a ghost! A halloween costume and some cheap smoke bombs can paint a frightening picture when you're down in a dark cave.

Enemy Name: Cosplay Carnival

Background/Details: It started with a handful of high school girls and their boyfriends who really were into the flamboyant fashions of the Carnival of Shadows. They created their own Deviant Art group and soon, their numbers grew. The first CC flashmobs showed up early in 2011 and before long it became apparent that not all of the Carnie fangirls and fanboys were "normals". Some of them are meta, and engage in highly disruptive behaviors. Cosplay Carnival flashmobs are occurring with increasing frequency and the real Carnival of Shadows often uses their disruptions to cover their own criminal activities.


Fangirl and Fanboy.


Carnie Queen



Reason For the Redesign: The Carnival of Shadows is one of the high-level villain groups, and everyone loves their fashion sense! It would be a shame for Westbrook characters to never be able to comment ICly on a Carnie outfit they liked.

Enemy Name: Geekshow

Background/Details: While most adults don't understand the appeal of something like the Freakshow, such a concept will often strike a chord with disenfranchised young males. While the real Freakshow seeks out such young men for recruitment, the severe physical alterations involved in becoming full-fledged Freaks discourages many of them from joining. Still, the appeal is there and let's face it -- having a giant cuisinart for hands does look kinda cool. So it was inevitable that a youth gang would spring up to emulate the Freakshow. Because the youth involved are highly intelligent underachievers, the gang has been dubbed "Geekshow" by the Paragon City Youth Crime Task Force, a name the gang has come to embrace. They are easily differentiated from the real Freakshow by the use of duct tape on their "augmentations".

Enemy Groups:


Slicer-dicer.


Bzapp.


Maxxed.

Reason For the Redesign: Freakshow are my favorite villain group in CoH, and Freakolympics is my favorite story arc. I think it would be a lot of fun for a group of teen heroes to go in and bust up a Geekshow rave.

Enemy Group: The dough Boys.

Deep within the confines of a basement bakery, evil lurks in the form of shambling horrors. These mysterious creatures are the product of one Pierre De La Crutch, an outcast baker with outcast ideas. He wanted to be a pastry chef, just like his grandfather, back when cuisine meant something to people back when it had style and flair. Rachael Ray had ruined all that for him; just a mere "cook" she swept television with backwoods plates of common trash that he simply could not stand. One day while channel surfing he happened across her holiday special right when she pulled some hot dogs out of the oven and he just snapped. He began infusing simple pastries with an insidious evil magic he had learned from a gypsy woman for the price of three perfectly crafted eclairs. But soon that wasn't enough and his hunger for more power overcame his delicate French sensibilities.

His skill at creating the perfect creme brule was only rivaled by his ability to craft... dough golems!!! Dun dun duuun! *thunder-crash overhead*

There are only four kinds of pleasant-smelling dough monsters.

The half-baked are some of his early experiments and are to be found in quantity wherever he sets up his bakery of evil. They might smell like fresh baked bread but don't put it past them to try to smother you in slow rising evil!



The next type are his self proclaimed excellente recette! These are fully cooked and fully evil! Slightly smarter then their doughy counterparts these are the true footsoldiers of the coming pastry storm.



Third comes the failures.. the tormented husks of burned bread that the chef uses to guard his most sacred ovens. The exagéré These overdone masses of burning dough give off an acrid odor and leave crumbly footsteps wherever they travel. Not to be underestimated their only goal is to drag you into a nearby oven to make sure they don't burn alone!!!



Finally comes the the last blood curdling horror, the largest and smartest of all of them. The evil chef's coup de gras! Glaçage, the most dangerous creation of the mad man!!!!! Standing at least as tall as a very large bu,s the pounding footfalls of this monster can rattle the bones of even the most stolid high school student!



Be wary of the scent of fresh bread brought to you on the night, for it might mean that doom is nearby, rising slowly in the shadows!