"Do we even know who he is?" Drab asked.
Elden handed her a wallet. "Here's his ID."
Drab opened it and looked at the ID. "But he doesn't remember a thing?"
Elden shook his head. "When he first awoke, he saw what he had been wearing and assumed it was his identiy."
"I see." Drab nodded. "Let's speak with him."
They entered the room where the man lay on the bed. "For what reason am I in this place?" he asked.
Drab glanced over at the medieval armor the young man had worn before facing him again. "You were struck in the head by - "
"By the gods," Elden chimed in. "They sent you to us so that we could bestow upon you a new quest, as our kingdom needs a new protector."
Drab raised an eyebrow to Elden but allowed him to speak.
"I remember nothing," the young man said.
"It seems," continued Elden, "that the gods were slightly overzealous in their methods. Your memories shall return soon. Until then, I can tell you you're known as," he paused for a moment, "Ransom. You are Ransom, the Knight Helm." He then patted his chest. "I am Elden of Resk and this is our noble leader, Lady Mallory of Drab."
The young man slowly sat up, and then he got off the bed and knelt before the two. Drab's eyes went wide, and Elden rushed forward.
"Here, keep this sheet around you. Your clothes are over there." He pointed to the man's armor.
Holding the sheet around him, Ransom walked over to the clothing and armor. He lifted the metal chest piece. "I have memory of this, my time in serving the good people." He then glanced over, picking up a t-shirt and pair of pants. "These were my underclothing?"
"Correct," said Elden. "Apparently the people of your kingdom wore exotic colors and designs."
Ransom shrugged. "I have no memory of my kingdom."
"Then I propose a deal." Drab stepped forward. "You help us defend the 'good people' and we'll help you find your home."
Ransom nodded. "You have my word."
"Then we'll leave you to dress." Drab turned to usher Elden out of the room, but not before taking one last peak.
A few minutes later, Ransom emerged from the room in full armor. "I am ready for my quest."
"Good," said Drab. "I need you to take care of some punks."
"Punks?" Ransom looked between her and Elden. "I know nothing of this word."
With a sigh, Drab looked to Elden.
Elden thought quickly. "Some former mercenaries violated a deal with us, causing untold harm to our kingdom. We need you to deal with them."
"Hoodlums without honor, I will find them." Ransom lifted his weapon, a long and narrow smooth club.
"What's that?" Drab asked.
"My arms," Ransom said. He swung it a few times, up, down, and diagonally, and he smiled. "I remember this as well."
"But don't knights fight with swords?" asked Drab.
Ransom shook his head. "I remember a pact made by my people to never shed blood unless absolutely necessary."
"And a very good pact that is," said Elden. "Now these hoodlums hide in a type of cave, but you'll know them from the yellow sash they wear on their arms."
Ransom nodded. "I will find them."
Just then, Zapman entered the hallway. "This is the new recruit?"
"Who are you?" Ransom asked.
"This," Endlen said, "is Zapman, a wizard who uses his magic to aid those in need."
"What are you - " Zapman started to say before Drab elbowed him.
Ransom held up his hand. "Well then, Zapman, presumably of the mystical tower, I am Ransom the Knight Helm."
Zapman looked at the other two and then accepted his hand. "Right."
"Zapman here will help you locate the hoodlums," said Elden.
Ransom raised his club. "Then let us be off!"
"In a moment," said Drab. "Ransom, dear, please go outside. We'll meet you there."
After Ransom left, Drab turned to Elden. "Knight Helm?"
"I'm guessing it's the company that made his armor," Elden replied.
"Can someone explain what's going on?" Zapman asked.
Drab gestured. "This is your show, my friend."
"Right." Elden paused to collect his thoughts. "That young man was cosplaying as a medieval knight when he got struck in the head by a meteorite. He survived thanks to my work by he lost most of his memory. When he woke up, he thought he was actually a knight, and somehow he retained any previous skills."
"And we want to see if those skill will come in handy to us," Drab added. "Take him where you had the gangs fight and set him loose."
"And if the heroes appear?" Zapman asked.
Drab smirked. "Then, dear, that's where you come in."
Zapman smiled. "I think I can play a wizard for a bit.
As Zapman walked away, Drab turned to Elden. "How does he not draw blood if he hits someone in the skull?"
Elden shrugged. "Maybe it's a loophole."
So that's my build-up. Knight Helm was once a hero in another superhero game I played. In that version, he was a medieval warrior sent forward in time to our era. but I thought an amnesiac believing he's a knight would work better. Also, I also thought making him a villain, at least for now, would be a fun twist. The name, btw, came from an old airplane magazine, though I don't remember what it was.
Now we should probably give Ransom some stats. As a lvlv 1 villain, he has 3 Ability points.
Body: +1, Agility +1, Mind -1 (because of his injury).
Skills: Melee +2, Toughness +1.
Now I'm a little iffy about the damage of his club, whether it's +1 RS or +2 RS, so I'm going to make it a Fate question.
(Q) Is the club's Damage +1? (Very Likely) Yes.
So +1 RS for a total of 2 for dmg with his club. Fair enough.
I'm also increasing his Toughness to +2 because of his armor.
The scene: Knight Helm and Zapman reach the alley.
Does the scene play out normally? Yes.
(Q) Are there more than 2 'hoodlums' in the alley? (Likely) X-No. Random Event.
(Event) "Increase," "Emotions."
(Q) Is the emotion Fear? (Very Likely) No.
(Q) Is it Anger? (Likely) No.
(Q) Are the rest somewhere else for a party or similar? (Very Likely) Yes.
Zapman pointed down the alley. "The punks are down there."
Ransom looked. "I only see one of them."
"He'll know where the rest are, I'm sure," Zapman replied.
"Then it will be done." Ransom entered the alley, brandishing his club. "You there, hoodlum."
The young man, who sat with his chair leaning back against a wall, stood up. "Who the hell are you?"
"You broke an oath, and I am here to restore your honor with your life." Ransom started forward.
"What are you talking about?" he asked.
"Confuse me not with your poisoned words!" Ransom stood strong in a battle stance.
(Q) Does the kid have all 0 stats? (Nearly Certain) Yes.
(Q) Is he armed with a knife? (Very Likely) Yes.
The kid pulled out a knife. "Don't threaten me, you clown."
"Insult me not, you cretin!" Ransom held his club in a ready position.
Ransom's total attack stat is +3 versus the kid's 0.
(Clash) Does Ransom win the Clash? (+3 means Nearly Certain) Yes.
The damage is +3, which is 3 higher than the kid's Toughness of 0, giving him a -2 RS.
(Q) Does the kid surrender? (Very Likely) Yes.
Ransom swung his club, slamming into the kid's arms. He yelped and dropped his knife. Shaking, he held up his hands.
"Please, stop!"
"Where are the rest of your group?" Ransom asked.
(Q) Does the kid tell Ransom? (Very Likely) Yes.
"The abandoned hardware store on eighth and Jefferson," the boy answered.
Ransom nodded. "Now flee this realm and never return."
After the kid ran away, Zapman appeared. "What'd he say?"
"A hard store of wares on an eight and Son of Jeffers," Ransom struggled to understand.
Zapman nodded. "I know that place. Let's go."
Sometime, later, they found the building and stood outside of it.
(Q) Is the scene normal? Yes.
"Here we are." Zapman said. As Ransom started forward, Zapman stopped him. "Let's see what we're facing first." They approached the window.
I'm using a Mind check for if they can see everyone. They both have 0 mind, but since they're both looking, I'll give them a +1.
(Ability) Do they see everyone in the building? (+1 means Likely) Yes.
(Q) Are there more than 2 hoodlums? (Very Likely) Yes.
(Q) More than 3? (likely) Yes.
(Q) More than 4? (50/50) Yes.
(Q) More than 5? (Unlikely) No.
(Q) Do they all have all 0 stats? (Near Certain) No.
(Q) Do they have a leader with strong combat stats? (Very Likely) Yes.
(Q) Does he fight melee? (Likely) No.
(Q) Is his Agility +1? (Likely) X-No Random Event.
(Event) "Burden," "Expectation."
(Q) Is he using a pistol? (Very Likely) Yes.
I'm interpreting that as the leader having +1 Body but -1 Agility. However, he'll be pulling a sneak attack, granting him a total of +1 with his pistol.
Ransom kicked the door opened and charged into the room, where he saw the four gang members throwing a party. "You broke a sacred oath, and now you must pay."
Zapman entered beside him. "Remember me, boys?"
The four spun around. "It's the wacko that made us fight!" one of them shouted.
Pulling out knives, they approached Zapman and Ransom.
Just as he raised his fingers, Zapman heard a click behind him.
Ransom will be again using his club, with a +3 melee. Zapman will help him by trying to zap people, granting him a +4 total. The leader has a +1 with his pistol, and with +3 from his allies, for a total of +4. Yes, I know he has 4 allies, but according to Clash rules, it maxes at +3.
(Clash) Do Ransom and Zapman win the Clash? (50/50) X-Yes.
(Dmg) Ransom's dmg is +3, but with +1 because Zapman is aiding him, totaling +4. This causes all 5 to have -1 RS initially, -1 RS from the Exceptional result, and a further -1 RS for the 3 point difference. All 5 have -3 RS which means a roll to see if they stay conscious.
(Incapacity) Does he character get Incapacitated? (Certain for all):
Leader: Yes, Random Event; "Start," "Conclude."
Hoodlum 1: Yes.
2: Yes.
3: Yes, Random Event; "Uncertain," "Expectations."
4: Yes.
5: Yes.
Zapman spun around and caught the leader hard in the chest with a zap bolt. Dropping his gun, the leader doubled over and fell to the ground. Ransom swung his club, catching each other hoodlum in the ribs, shoulders, and legs. They all fell to the ground, groaning, though one of them, whimpering, crawled away. As he heard groaning behind him, Zapman hurled another zap bolt at the leader for good measure.
Standing tall, Zapman addressed any who might still be conscious. "Let this be a lesson. Don't cross the b-, I mean boss."
Turning, they left the building.
(Q) Do the police arrive? (50/50) Yes.
(Q) Do the police engage? (Likely) No, Random Event; "Delay," "Benefit."
(Q) Does the Agency know what happened? (Very Likely) Yes.
Outside, they saw several patrol cars with lights flashing. A number of police officers stood behind their open doors, with guns ready.
"Hold your fire!" ordered one of the officers. "The Agency will take over. Just keep them here."
"Why do they not attack?" asked Ransom.
"They're waiting for something called the Agency," Zapman said.
"What is that?"
"I don't know," Zapman said with a grin, "but this could get fun."
I noticed Zapman has enough Notches to check for a level-up, so I'll check that now.
(Q) Does Zapman become Level 2? (50/50) Yes.
So Zapman's new stats are: (underlined if new):
Body +1, Agility +1, Heart +4.
Power: Zap Bolts.
We'll see how effective his boosts are next time.
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