Mega Man X Styled 5E Game-Idea Help Needed

[JNAProductions]

For anyone interested in playing in a Mega Man X styled 5E game, please do not read this thread. Instead, go post interest here (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?622169-5e-Looking-for-a-DM-with-a-game-they-WANT-to-run).

For everyone else, read on!

As you may have been able to gather from the above, I'll be soon running a MMX style 5E game. There are some minor changes to canon (X is lost, not sure what I'm doing with Zero), but the main thing I'm looking for is help with some ideas.

The game will start on the highway, chasing down Vile. Catch him or not, the party will be told of eight different Mavericks they need to hunt down. The Mavericks are:

-Chill Penguin
-Storm Eagle
-Flame Mammoth
-Spark Mandrill
-Armored Armadillo
-Launch Octopus
-Boomer Kuwanger
-Sting Chameleon

They can tackle them in any order. But what I want is for that order to matter! I want each of the Mavericks to be working on something, and the longer they can stay unmolested, the further their plans go. I want the players to FEEL the effects of the Mavericks they've not tackled.

So, anyone know any cool tricks to help that happen?

[Unoriginal]

So, anyone know any cool tricks to help that happen?

I do know one: what you need is to write a timeline.


That is to say, you should write a timeline/calendar for each of those antagonists, describing the events as they happen without PC intervention.

It's a great way to make the world move beyond what the PCs can see. Just be sure to adjust things if the PCs' actions affect the rest of the timelines.

Now, I already have a few ideas for what the antagonists could be doing, but would you mind telling us a bit more about each of them, so we have a better idea of what would fit them?

[JNAProductions]

I do know one: what you need is to write a timeline.


That is to say, you should write a timeline/calendar for each of those antagonists, describing the events as they happen without PC intervention.

It's a great way to make the world move beyond what the PCs can see. Just be sure to adjust things if the PCs' actions affect the rest of the timelines.

Now, I already have a few ideas for what the antagonists could be doing, but would you mind telling us a bit more about each of them, so we have a better idea of what would fit them?

Assigned to the antarctic, and hates it there. While a cold-weather Reploid, he wanted to be a part of society, not just guarding some frozen rock. Rather bitter about the whole situation, and so easy prey to turn Maverick.

Has powerful ice abilities.
An airborne Reploid, and a loyal soldier. Severely outmatched by Sigma, he was forced to go Maverick on threat of death. Potential for redemption here.

Has wind (tornado) abilities, is fast, and flies.
A big bully, emphasis on big. Likes to use his size and strength to lord over others. Eagerly turned Maverick to let him go on massive rampages of destruction unchecked.

Has a big ol' flamethrower as well as his crushing bulk. Soldiers are not especially loyal to him, owing to his bullying nature.
A dull Reploid, one who was working under Sigma and just kept following orders, not really thinking about whether or not he should. A glutton for raw energy.

Is surprisingly fast and very strong.
A dutybound soldier, one who owes his life to Sigma. Followed him, knowing it was wrong to go Maverick, because he believes himself to be beholden to Sigma.

High defenses, able to roll into a ball and move fast while trampling others.
A resentful person, who always viewed Reploids as superior to living folk. One of the first to join Sigma in going Maverick.

Has lots of missiles, and vampiric tentacles.
A nihilist who literally went Maverick because he felt it'd be more interesting than staying a Hunter. Doesn't have any particularly strong allegiance to Sigma, but enjoys the chaos.

Can teleport, can throw boomerangs.
Ambitious and cunning, he joined Sigma's rebellion as a way to gain more power.

Excellent stealth and surprise attack abilities.

Just basic stuff there, but hopefully that'll help give an idea of what they want and can do.

[Unoriginal]

Just basic stuff there, but hopefully that'll help give an idea of what they want and can do.

That does give a good idea, yeah.

Do you want to keep them as robots, or can that change?

[JNAProductions]

That does give a good idea, yeah.

Do you want to keep them as robots, or can that change?

Considering it's set in 20XX, they're Reploids.

Why? What were you thinking?

[Quietus]

How complex do you want to make this? Minimum complexity would be each of them having a 3 stage plan, and moving that plan forward one step at 2, 4, and 6 mavericks beaten for everyone who still survives. Maximum complexity is having a 6- or 7- step plan for each, with connections and allegiances between them. Boomer Kuwanger might need Spark Mandrill's help to provide power for whatever they're working on, but Chill Penguin hates Mandrill's guts because of a feud. If Mandrill goes down, then Kuwanger is set back a stage, but Penguin moves an extra step forward.

[Unoriginal]

Considering it's set in 20XX, they're Reploids.

Why? What were you thinking?

I was thinking to make them more D&D.

Like: instead of being futuristic artificial beings, they're titans who, like the Krakens, were created by the gods during the war against the Primordials. Once the war was over, they were each assigned one of the remaining Primordial places of power and told to guard it so that no one could use it to empower themselves.

However, after centuries of this, Sigma (who was their leader during the war) managed to make all of them stray from their duties with either manipulation, bribery or coercion, and they've all been absorbing the energies from their respective place of power, which to not only counter the weakening the ages inflicted on them, but eventually make them stronger than even in their prime. Which means that the longer the PCs wait to stop one of them, the stronger the individual titan will be.

That being said, not only having a bunch of supernatural entities absorbing power is worrying by itself, but messing with the energies of the Primordials also threaten the nature of the world the gods build on top of it. As a result, the world's turning more elemental as the villains' plots progress, with all the consequences it implies.

Speaking of fundamental power, something that could be interesting would be to make them the incarnation of a type of damage:

-Boomer Kuwanger: Slashing
-Sting Chameleon: Piercing
-Armored Armadillo: Bludgeoning (Hammer Armadillo?)
-Flame Mammoth: Fire
-Chill Penguin: Cold
-Launch Octopus: Radiant (Sun Octopus?)
-Spark Mandrill: Lightning
-Storm Eagle: Thunder

Sigma could be Force, and it wouldn't be hard to create one for Necrotic, Poison, Acid and Psychic.

[iTreeby]

Basically you need to make artifacts for each of the enemies that snowball the longer they are left alone. Some of these should be weather based (each day the Artifact is in the area, it gets one step colder/warmer/stormier/intense plant growth) making the landscape more traitorous each day.

This way, the order matters a lot and there could even be wrong orders where bringing some artifacts to the same region is DISASTROUS (super plant growth and everything is on fire!) have one of the bosses steal artifacts left unattended, which is an incentive to deal with them before they need to leave artifacts behind.

Possibly to dark but one boss could have hostages that they exicute periodically.

Artifact could obviously also have lesser benefits that upgrade the characters capabilities.

[JNAProductions]

How complex do you want to make this? Minimum complexity would be each of them having a 3 stage plan, and moving that plan forward one step at 2, 4, and 6 mavericks beaten for everyone who still survives. Maximum complexity is having a 6- or 7- step plan for each, with connections and allegiances between them. Boomer Kuwanger might need Spark Mandrill's help to provide power for whatever they're working on, but Chill Penguin hates Mandrill's guts because of a feud. If Mandrill goes down, then Kuwanger is set back a stage, but Penguin moves an extra step forward.

Chillps and Flame Mammoth don't get along-small penguin mech and big bully, you know.


Basically you need to make artifacts for each of the enemies that snowball the longer they are left alone. Some of these should be weather based (each day the Artifact is in the area, it gets one step colder/warmer/stormier/intense plant growth) making the landscape more traitorous each day.

This way, the order matters a lot and there could even be wrong orders where bringing some artifacts to the same region is DISASTROUS (super plant growth and everything is on fire!) have one of the bosses steal artifacts left unattended, which is an incentive to deal with them before they need to leave artifacts behind.

Possibly to dark but one boss could have hostages that they exicute periodically.

Artifact could obviously also have lesser benefits that upgrade the characters capabilities.

Also good stuff.

Which is not to say what you, Unoriginal, provided was bad! Just ill-fitting for this situation. These Mavericks are NOT the be-all, end-all of Mavericks. These are just the first.

Edit: Made a doc with some basic plans. (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nvdJpq_qVPYUGH3ffhzgKPPHNljin5UCUC3uyXOOc10/edit?usp=sharing) Will gladly take advice on workshopping it!