You'll Pay For This, Hero! : Nemesis House Rules

The Sentinels of the Multiverse card game has mechanics for some heroes and villains being each other's nemeses thanks to long-standing enmities between them built up over time.  Nemesis status is reciprocal, and makes both more effective at opposing one another.  The SCRPG currently lacks anything similar, but people do keep asking about it so here's a set of suggested house rule to emulate the card game mechanic.  I've had to be a bit wordy to cover all the possibilities but the basic mechanic is very simple - nemeses each generate a free bonus each round that they can only use to mess with each other.

How Do I Get A Nemesis?

At the end of any session where a hero defeated or was defeated by a villain, the GM and the player involved may agree that the defeat has started a Nemesis relationship between the two.  This is entirely optional and should be reserved for particularly galling or humiliating losses, particularly ones where some major scheme was thwarted or mortal insults exchanged.  Both the GM and player can unilaterally veto the proposed relationship, never force someone to engage with these mechanics if they don't want to.  While there are mechanical effects the main goal of having a nemesis is to offer more narrative roleplaying opportunities in future stories.

Once a Nemesis relationship is agreed to, it should be recorded on both the hero and villain character sheets, starting at a +1 Nemesis bonus.  

For ex, after Doctor Atomico delivers a particularly humiliating drubbing to Shatterfist the super-mobster swears vengeance on him, vowing to pay him back tenfold and adding Nemesis (Doctor Atomico) +1 to his sheet.  Our nuclear hero begins to take a personal interest in the villain's future schemes and likewise adds Nemesis (Shatterfist) +1 to his sheet.  

What Does A Nemesis Bonus Do? 

In any action scene where both nemeses are present and active, each of them generates a Nemesis bonus for free at the start of each of their turns as long as they don't currently one.  This prevents you from stacking up several of them over multiple turns.  

If interacting with your nemesis outside of an action scene where you don't use the scene clock, simply apply Nemesis bonuses to any Overcomes you make that are directly involved with your opposite number, as per the rules below.  It's very common for fights to break out between nemeses during social or even montage scenes, starting an action scene on the spot. 

Nemesis bonuses can be applied to the effect dice of any Attack or Hinder targeting the nemesis.  If an Attack or Hinder includes multiple targets, the Nemesis bonus will only apply to the nemesis target while the rest are affected normally.

Overcomes that the GM agrees are directly affecting the nemesis or foiling their current efforts can also benefit from a Nemesis bonus.  In general it should apply to things like dealing with a challenge caused by the foe, such as escaping from one of their deathtraps or disabling some mechanism that's key to their goals in the scene, but not to environmental challenges, challenges created by allies of the nemesis and similar complications.

A character stops generating Nemeses bonuses if their opposite is defeated or leaves the scene.  Incapacitated heroes do still get their bonus if their nemesis is still present and active, which can be used only to augment their Out ability.  This gives heroes a slight edge over villains, who lack Out abilities.

How Many Nemeses Can I Have?

A hero can have multiple Nemesis relationships, each of which is tracked separately.  I'd strongly recommend limiting them to a maximum of one per collection, representing more veteran heroes gradually building up more villainous grudges over time and developing their own Rogues' Gallery of recurring villains.  Villains don't have limitations on how many heroic nemeses they may have ta the same time.  Some exceptionally vindictive villains may consider an entire opposing team to be nemeses, but they track the relationship with each hero independently. 

If a hero or villain has multiple nemeses in the scene, track each one's bonuses separately.

How Do Nemesis Relationships Change? 

After each session in which a nemeses pairing faced off against one another at least once, increase the relationship bonus by +1 to a maximum of +5.  This doesn't have to be in an action scene, although fights do tend to break out between nemeses easily so pure social scenes are rare.

If both player and GM agree that a Nemesis relationship is getting stale or starting to matter less over time, reduce the bonus by one instead, removing the relationship entirely if it would drop below +1.  Sometimes what looked like a fun story idea just doesn't work out, and "breaking up" with an old nemesis makes room for a new one.

If a villainous nemesis dies, switches sides from villain to hero or leaves the campaign entirely, the relationship ceases to count against the maximum number allowed to their heroic counterpart.  If (as often happens in comics) the former nemesis reappears as a villain, the relationship can be reactivated if both GM and player agree it would still make for a good story.  If not, simply remove the relationship altogether, as the radical changes involved mitigate the usual "cooling down" period above.

If a hero undergoes death, retirement, or otherwise ceases to be an active PC their villainous counterpart generally erases the Nemesis relationship.  If both the player(s) involved and the GM think there's a good story to be had they might instead shift the relationship to a new hero, perhaps either a teammate of the departed nemesis or a new hero connected to their legacy.

Design Notes

Always remember that the main purpose of having a Nemesis relationship is to add narrative opportunities to the game.  While the bonuses involved are meaningful they also balance each other out, and aren't something to chase after just for power.  These rules are meant to create stronger connections between heroes and villainous NPCs and help build a roster of returning foes the players can invest some emotion in foiling at every turn.

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The Glomp In the Swamp, Zombie Plague Vector

 A mysterious swamp monster that conceals a biological menace in the form of a strain of psychic viruses.

The Glomp In the Swamp

"Heck, I don't know what it is!  We've had stories about the Glomp in the swamp for generations, but I never knew anyone who'd actually seen the thing for real...until the zombies started showing up.  Those are my kinfolk and my neighbors out there.  You gotta save 'em!"

The Glomp's origin is unknown, but it only went from legend to reality recently.  Seemingly an animated mass of swamp debris, it actually serves as the locus of a psychic viral intelligence bent on spreading itself to as many hosts as possible, overwriting its unwilling hosts' minds in the process.  The more complex an organism is the more attractive a host it is for the viral Overmind, which makes humans prime targets for infection.  Heroes may be able to free victims from this mental domination using suitable powers, super-science cures, magical rituals or stranger means, but they'll need to do so without harming innocent victims of the Overmind.

"What?  Because that's how it gets you, that's why.  You drop your guard in the swamp and BAM, it glomps right on to you and drags you off and no one ever sees you again.  At least that's the legend.  Looks like the last part was wrong, anyway."

Description: A mass of stinking mud, swamp vegetation, waterlogged branches and rotting animal carcasses, all bound together in a roughly humanoid form.  Its consistency varies from nearly liquid to a disgustingly thick and clinging stew of corruption.  It has no voice, unless that gurgling and sloshing is meant to convey meaning.

Gender: None           Age: Unknown            Height: 6'5"          Eyes: Clusters of Frog Eggs

"Hair": Rotting Weeds & Sticks     "Skin": Greenish-Brown       Build: Oozing Muck

Approach: Dampening                   Archetype: Indomitable

Health:  45 + (5 x H)

Powers: Suggestion d10, Density Control d8, Strength d8

Qualities: Conviction d10, Close Combat d8, Fitness d8, Unearthly Muck Monster d8

Status: Always d8

Abilities:

Flailing Blows (A) Attack using Strength.  Use your Max die.  Recover Health equal to your Min die.

Focus Overmind (A) Boost yourself using Conviction.  Use your Max die.  The bonus is persistent and exclusive.

Mental Entanglement (A) Hinder using Suggestion.  Use your Max die.  The penalty is persistent and exclusive.  As long as that penalty is on the target, reduce the highest power die of your choice by one die size.  Attack using your Mid die.

Overmind Infection (R) When a nearby hero you can see invokes a twist, roll your single Suggestion die as a Hinder against them.

Upgrades & Masteries (optional):

Overmind Compulsion Zone (I) +10 Health.  While the scene is in the green zone, all heroes' qualities of d8 or higher are reduced by one die size.  In the Yellow zone all of the heroes' qualities of d10 or higher are reduced by one additional step (two die sizes total).  In the Red zone, all heroes' quality dice are treated as d4.  Heroes can remove this upgrade with three overcome successes.  If a hero takes a minor twist while taking these Overcomes, they lose access to a quality entirely until this upgrade is removed.  If a hero is knocked out while this ability is active, create a new friendly minion with a die size equal to the hero's largest power die to represent the brainwashed hero.

Master of the Unfathomable (I) If you are in a situation involving eldritch forces, automatically succeed at an Overcome to do the bidding of eldritch entities beyond human concerns.

Tactics

The Glomp's goal is to infect others with its Overmind's mental plague, transforming them into mindless zombies that spread the psychic infection further.  It usually uses Focus Overmind to augment its abilities, then concentrates on spreading Mental Entanglement penalties around either in melee or at range.  Resistant targets (anyone who sheds their persistent penalty) suffer Flailing Blows instead.  Any twists an opponent invokes draw an Overmind Infection reaction as it concentrates it compulsions in a moment of weakness.

With its upgrade the Glomp is much better at handicapping its foes and drawing out more twists, while its mastery lets it perform the bidding of the Overmind more efficiently.  Additionally, any hero who's defeated while the upgrade is still active will become a mind-controlled puppet.

In scenes where the Overmind's malefic presence is felt most twists should be focused on representing its influence.  A minor twist might reduce a hero's highest quality die by one size till the end of the scene, or force them to take an immediate free basic action of the Overmind's choice by rolling one of their power dice.  A major twist might reduce a quality die directly to d4, or make the hero incapable of taking reactions or actions other than attempting an Overcome to free their mind.  Such an Overcome can also be attempted by an ally.   

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Glomp Zombie d8 minions

Description: Unarmed human victims of the Overmind's psychic plague, with a sickly greenish tinge to their skins, vacant staring eyes, and spattered with mud and rotting vegetation.  Their movements are jerky but they have incredible strength.

Curable: Heroes can take an Overcome action to free your will.  On a success you are removed from the the scene, either fleeing to safety or collapsing from the strain of your experience.

Innocent Victims: Heroes suffer a -4 penalty to Attack actions targeting you.

Glomp Gator d10 lieutenants

Description: Alligators, boa constrictors or other dangerous animals controlled by the Overmind's psychic plague.  They've been heavily parasitized by moss and fungus, and are wracked with spasmodic twitching.

Plague Vector: If your Attack action causes a hero's personal Health zone to change, reduce the die size of one of their qualities by one until the end of the scene.  This effect can be removed with a suitable Overcome action.

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Eerie Swampland 

The kind of wetland that features in horror movies, not nature documentaries.  The twists below assume the Glomp and its Overmind are influencing the area, but you can modify it for use in other situations by swapping in different minions and lieutenants.  You might use natural animals, mundane criminals hiding out in the marsh, agents of some sinister organization (no doubt with a secret base concealed therein), supernatural menaces, or something even stranger. 

Disturbing Silence d6, Drifting Fog d8, Treacherous Footing d10

Green Zone

(Minor Twists)

Impenetrable Fog: Roll the environment dice.  Start a challenge.  Clear the Fog 0  Defend all non-hero targets against all Attacks with the Min die until this challenge is Overcome.

This Place Is Creepy: Roll the environment dice.  Start challenge.  Keep It Together 0  Hinder all heroes with the Min die until this challenge is Overcome.

(Major Twist)

Really Creepy!: Each environmental challenge in play requires one extra success to Overcome.  

Yellow Zone

(Minor Twists)

Impenetrable Fog: Roll the environment dice.  Start a challenge.  Clear the Fog 00  Defend all non-hero targets against all Attacks with the Min die until this challenge is Overcome.

Stuck In the Muck: Roll the environment dice.  Hinder a number of non-flying heroes equal to the Min die with the Max die.  These heroes cannot move until the start of the next environment turn.

Swampwalkers!: Roll the environment dice.  Add Mid die Glomp Zombie minions to the scene.  They cannot act until next round.

That Is Not A Log: Add one Glomp Gator d10 lieutenant to the scene.  It cannot act until next round.

(Major Twist)

Snakebit!: Roll the environment dice.  Attack and Hinder one hero using the Mid die.  The penalty is persistent and exclusive.

Red Zone

(Minor Twist)

Amphibious Ambush: Roll the environment dice.  Add one Glomp Gator d10 lieutenant to the scene and Boost it using the Min die.  It takes its turn immediately, making an Attack action against one non-flying hero.

Dark Portents: Roll the environment dice.  Boost all non-hero targets using the Mid die.

(Major Twist)

Oppressive Presence: Roll the environment dice.  Attack and Hinder all heroes using the Max die.

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Luna-C, Brainwashed Cyborg Werewolf Pack Leader

My players recent suffered a TPKO (total party knock-out, that is) that resulted in them being captured and waking up in a mad scientist's secret moonbase lab.  They managed to break out of their restraint cells before their captor had decided what horrible experiments he wanted to put them through, but fighting past the base security to steal a spaceship to get back to Earth proved to be a challenge.  The automated defenses weren't too bad, but they were backed up by this tragic villain and her pack of specially-adapted artificial werewolves who put up much more of a fight.  My players did escape in the end, but most of them got bitten and their rocket ship was damaged thanks to multiple overcome twists.  I'm sure none of that will cause any problems at all next session.  

Luna-C

Allison Lee was a NASA astronaut before the Phoenix-4 moon mission came to grief, crashing on the lunar surface after an unexplained thruster failure.  She and two of her crew survived with severe injuries, and would certainly have died if they hadn't been rescued from the wreck.  Their salvation came from a most unexpected source - a squad of war-wolves in the service of mad scientist Doctor Mordecai Mentallax, whose current moonbase was concealed in a crater near the crash site.

Mentallax was no good Samaritan though.  His medical super-science stabilized the three survivors so that he could interrogate them to be sure his secret base was, indeed, still secret.  After assuring himself that the Phoenix-4 crash had been a simple accident, he decided to put all through astronauts through a series of radical experiments combining cybernetic upgrades to replace the massive damage to their organic bodies with a deliberate infection with his own customized strain of synthetic lycanthropy.  Lee's two crewmates failed to survive, which might have been a mercy.  She technically lived through the process, emerging as a heavily-enhanced cyborg werewolf, but her former personality and memories are gone, buried beneath her new identity as Experiment Luna-C, brainwashed pack leader of Mentallax's war-wolf security force.

Both Luna-C and her pack can operate on the lunar surface just fine without any protective gear, as their lycanthropy is supercharged to the point where the low gravity, hard radiation, temperature extremes and hard vacuum mean nothing to them.  Even off the moon they can endure the harsh conditions of outer space as long as Luna is visible, or if they've brought along chunks of moon rock as "life support" gear. 

Description: A wolf-like humanoid with heavy cybernetic augmentations.  She has a pronounced muzzle with powerful jaws and prominent metal teeth.  Her legs are digitigrade prosthetics, and most of her torso, all of her left arm, and the left side of her head are obvious cyberware as well, with one eye replaced by an artificial sensor.  She eschews clothing entirely, even in the vacuum of the lunar surface.  Her voice is wholly mechanical and lacking in inflection, and sounds like a text-to-speech program.

Gender: Female       Age: 28         Height: 6'0"       Eyes: Reflective Yellow, Glowing Red Implant

Hair/Fur: Gray-White          Skin: Pale, Silvery Cyber-Armor          Build: Digitigrade Cyborg

Approach: Mastermind                         Archetype: Bruiser

Health:  40 + (5 x H)

Powers: Cybernetic Upgrades d12, Synthetic Lycanthropy d10, Awareness d8

Qualities: Close Combat d10, Alertness d8, Cyborg Werewolf Astronaut d8, Imposing d8, Leadership d8, Technology d8

Status: Green Zone Health - d6 / Yellow Zone Health - d8 / Red Zone Health - d10

Abilities:

Adrenaline Injectors (R) When Attacked, Boost yourself using your Attacker's Max die.

Lycanthropic Toughness (I) Reduce damage taken from physical or energy sources by 1/2/3 while your Health is in the Green/Yellow/Red zone.

Fury Emulation (A) Attack using Cybernetic Upgrades.  If your current status is in the Green zone, use your Max die.  If your current status is in the Yellow zone, use your Max + Min dice.  If your current is in the Red zone, use your Max + Min dice against one target and your Mid die against a different target.

Threat Display (A) Attack one hero using Close Combat.  Hinder all heroes using your Max die.

Upgrades & Masteries (optional):

Group Fighter (I) +20 Health.  When you take an action that lets you make an Attack, also make an Attack using your Mid die. 

Master of Conquest (I) As long as you are in command of your own forces, automatically succeed at an Overcome to seize an area or capture civilians.

Tactics

Luna-C functions much like a standard War-Wolf, but is even more dangerous.  She generally opens with her intimidating Threat Display ability to hamper her foes, shifting to Fury Emulation once she's reached Yellow status for greater damage output.  Lycanthropic Toughness reduces the damage she takes from most blows, and she'll use her Adrenaline Injectors to augment herself reactively.

With her upgrade she puts out even more damage and is much harder to take out.  Her mastery represents a combination of cybernetic tactical augmentations and supernatural pack instinct.

Her Synthetic Lycanthropy power grants her dangerous natural weapons, super-strength, enhanced speed, senses and endurance, while her top-notch Cybernetic Upgrades enhance them even further and add integral energy weapons and jump jets for low-gee maneuvering.  Unlike "normal" War-Wolves she's incapable of even limited shapeshifting and is permanently locked in her bestial "wolf-woman" form by her cyborg parts.  Forcing her to revert to her human form would result in a grisly demise, but that would be nearly impossible as long as she's actually on the Moon itself, or in possession of a piece of moon rock (most likely concealed within her cybernetics).

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The lesser war-wolves that Luna-C leads also have some minor cybernetic enhancements, mostly integrated communications devices and metal claws that don't restrict their limited shapeshifting abilities.  Reduce their die size to d10 when not operating on or near Luna itself.

Lunar War-Wolves d12 lieutenants

Description: They're wolf-men and wolf-women, all with minor cybernetic implants.  Unlike Luna-C they wear black singlets with a full moon symbol on them and carry holstered blaster pistols.

Cull the Weak: When you make an Attack action, also Hinder that target with the same die roll.  You receive a +1 bonus to the roll if the target has a d8 status die, or a +2 bonus if the target has a d6 status die.

Supernatural Allergies: If you are Hindered by silver, wolfsbane, or magical effects specifically tailored to lycanthropes, increase the resulting penalty by 1.  If Attacked by any of these, you are also Hindered using the same die roll with the same increased penalty effect.

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Moonbase M-Prime 

This environment could be used for any high-security lunar base, perhaps one that's performing such potentially dangerous experiments that self-destruction as an ultimate containment procedure is an acceptable option.  With a bit of reskinning it could also be an extraterrestrial super-prison or the base of a covert alien invasion force. 

Automated Security d8, Dangerous Mechanisms d10, Fragile Life Support d10

Green Zone

(Minor Twists)

HALT!  RETURN TO YOUR CELLS!: Roll the environment dice.  Hinder all hero targets in one location using the Min die.  Add one Security Robot minion to that location.  It cannot act until next turn.

Shifting Walls and Floors: Roll the environment dice.  Move Mid die heroes to any new locations of your choice.

(Major Twist)

Lockdown Protocol: Until the scene ends, moving between locations requires a successful Overcome to gain access.  Once access is achieved that path remains passable thereafter.

Yellow Zone

(Minor Twists)

Bio-support System Failures: Roll the environment dice.  Hinder all hero targets within the moonbase using the Min die.  The penalty is persistent and exclusive.

Mobilize Security: Roll the environment dice.  Add Mid die Security Robot minions to the scene.  They cannot act until next round. 

Overloading Gadgetry: Start a timed challenge in one location.  Emergency Shutdown 0 Timer 0  If the timer runs out, Attack all targets in the location using the Max die and Hinder all targets in the scene using the Min die.

YELLOW ALERT!: Roll the environment dice.  Boost all environment minions using the Mid die.

(Major Twist)

RED ALERT!: Advance the scene tracker by one.

Red Zone

(Minor Twist)

Catastrophic Overloads: Roll the environment dice.  Attack all targets in the moonbase using the Max die.

Self-Destruct Countdown: Start multi-step challenge with two Overcome paths.

Remote Approach (Overcomes can be performed from anywhere in the moonbase) Bypass Security Lockouts 00  Deactivate Self-Destruct 00

Hands-On Approach (Overcomes can only be performed in the Power Core location) Locate Mechanism 0 Just Break The Thing Already 0

Successes on one path don't affect the other, but only one must be completed to resolve the challenge.  If the scene ends while this challenge is unresolved, the moonbase will self-destruct.  Heroes or villains might still survive by evacuating on a spaceship, employing emergency escape pods, using their own powers or through some story twist.

(Major Twist)

Outside Intervention:  Someone or something new will intervene in ongoing events if the scene tracker runs out.  It might be a NASA search & rescue mission investigating the Phoenix-4 crash.  It might be another spacefaring superbeing or team, heroic or villainous.  It might be aliens.

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Security Robot d8 minions

Description: These come in a variety of shapes and sizes, although most are roughly human-sized and bipedal with four or more upper limbs ending in various manipulators and integrated energy weapons.  Their blasters and shock weapons can be adjusted for lethal or non-lethal output as desired.   

Coordinated Restraint Programming: When two or more Security Robots Hinder the same target, roll all their dice at once and use the highest single result rolled for each of them.

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