TEXT: BRIAN ENGARD
  A WORLD OF 
  ADVENTURE FOR
  ENTURE CITY STORIES
  VENTURE CITY STORIES
  VENTURE CITY STORIE
  VENTURE CITY STORIES
  VENTURE CITY STORIES
  
  This adventure was made awesome thanks to our Patreon patrons at patreon.com/evilhat — thanks guys!
   
  INSIDERS
  Alan 
  Alexander Gräfe
  Alexander R. 
  Corbett
  Andrew Sier
  Anne-Sylvie 
  Betsch
  Antero Garcia
  Ariel Pereira
  ArthurDent 
  Bastian 
  Clarenbach
  Brandon Burger
  Brett Abbott
  brian allred
  C. J. Hunter
  C.K. Lee
  Charlton Wilbur
  Chris Caporaso
  Christopher 
  Christopher 
  Gunning
  Christopher M. 
  Sniezak
  Dan 
  Dan Moody
  Daniel Gallant
  David 
  David Dorward
  David L Kinney
  David Reed
  Dustin Evermore
  Eden Brandeis
  Edgardo A 
  Montes Rosa 
  Elsidar 
  Amhransidhe
  Emmanuel 
  eneko zarauz
  Frédéri 
  POCHARD
  Gavran 
  Gregory Hirsch
  Griffin Mitchell
  Haakon 
  Thunestvedt
  Jacob Moffitt
  Jaime 
  Robertson
  James F 
  Thunberg
  Jason 
  Jason Blalock
  Jason F 
  Broadley
  Jason Sperber
  Jean-Christophe 
  Cubertafon
  Jeff Craig
  Jeff Xilon
  Jere Krischel
  Jeremiah McCoy
  Jeremy German
  Jim 
  Johannes K. 
  Rasmussen
  John Beattie
  John Rogers
  John Rudd
  Jon 
  Jordan Dennis
  José Luis 
  Porfírio
  Josh Flint
  Joshua Reubens
  June 
  Keith Stanley
  Ken 
  Kenji Ikiryo
  Kevin Jiyang Li
  Larry Hollis
  Leif Erik Furmyr
  Mark Miller
  Markus Wagner
  Marshall Smith
  Marty 
  Matt and Nykki 
  Boersma
  Matt Anderson
  Matthew 
  Matthew 
  Matthew 
  Dickson
  Matthew 
  Whiteacre
  Michael Barrett
  Michael 
  Bowman
  Michael Riabov
  Michael Shea
  Nathan 
  Nick Bate
  Nick Reale
  Nicola Urbinati
  Nicolas 
  Marjanovic
  Osye Pritchett
  Owen 
  Thompson
  Patrick Ewing
  Patrick 
  Mueller-Best
  Peter Gates
  Peter Hatch
  Philip Nicholls
  Rafael Meyer
  Randy Oest
  Richard 
  Bellingham
  Rick 
  Rick Jakins
  Rob Kirchner
  Robert Hanz
  Roger Edge
  Ryan 
  Ryan Singer
  Sanchit 
  Scott Hamilton
  Sean 
  Sean O’Dell
  Sean Smith
  Sean Smith
  Selene O’Rourke
  Shane Russom
  Sharif Abed
  Shervyn von 
  Hoerl
  Tim Czarnecki
  Tim L Nutting
  Timothy Carroll
  Ulf Bengtsson
  William Huggins
  William J. White
  William Lee
  Woodrow Jarvis 
  Hill
  Zach
  ADVENTURERS
  Aaron 
  Aaron 
  Adam 
  Gutschenritter
  Aidan Grey
  Alan Phillips
  Alasdair 
  Alejandro 
  Alejandro Angel 
  Alexis Lee
  Allan Bray
  Andrew Dacey
  Andrew Lloyd
  Andrew Loch
  Angus MacDonald
  Anthony Popowski
  Arlene Medder
  Asier Serras
  athalbert 
  Augustas 
  Vaitkevičius
  Barac Wiley
  Bastien Daugas
  beket 
  Benjamin Welke
  Blackdere 
  Brad Davies
  Brandon 
  Brandt 
  Brent Ritch
  Brett Ritter
  Brian Koehler
  Brian Kurtz
  Brian McDaniel
  Brian S. Holt
  Bruce 
  Bruce Harlick
  Bryan 
  Bryan Gillispie
  Bryce 
  Caleb Figgers
  Carl McLaughlin
  Charles Chapman
  Chip Dunning
  Chris Challacombe
  Chris Edwards
  Chris Heilman
  Chris Kurts
  Chris Lock
  Chris Nolen
  Chris Turner
  Christian Lajoie
  Christoph Thill
  Christopher Allen
  Christopher 
  Sigmund
  Christopher Smith 
  Adair
  Christopher W. 
  Dolunt
  Chuck 
  Cody Marbach
  Cole Busse
  Colin 
  Craig Andera
  Craig Mason
  Cyrano Jones
  Dain 
  Dan Behlings
  Dan Hall
  Daniel Chapman
  daniel hagglund
  Daniel Hernandez
  Daniel Kraemer
  Daniel Ley
  Daniel Markwig
  Daniel P. Espinosa
  Daniel Roe
  Daniel Taylor
  Darren Hennessey
  Dave 
  Dave 
  David 
  David 
  David Bellinger
  David Bowers
  David 
  Buswell-Wible
  David Millians
  David Olson
  David Rezak
  David Wendt
  Denis Ryan
  Derek 
  Dianne 
  Didier Bretin
  Dillard 
  Don Arnold
  Doug Blakeslee
  Doyce Testerman
  Drew Shiel
  Duncan 
  Eirch Mascariatu
  Florian Greß
  Francisco 
  Frank Beaver 
  Frank G. Pitt
  Frank Jarome
  Frédérick Périgord
  Gabriel Whitehead
  Garrett Jones
  Gary Anastasio
  Geoff
  Gonzalo 
  Graham Meinert
  Greg Park
  Gustavo Campanelli
  Hillary Brannon
  Howard M 
  Thompson
  Huston Todd
  Ian Stanley
  Ibon Presno 
  Gonzalez
  Irene Strauss
  Ismael 
  Jack Gulick
  Jackson Hsieh
  Jake Linford
  James Husum
  James Schultz
  James Stuart
  Jared Hunt
  Jason Bean
  Jason Best
  Jason Cotton
  Jason Lee Waltman
  Jason Lund
  Jason Pasch
  Javier 
  Jayna Pavlin
  Jayson Stevens
  Jeff Tilotson
  Jeffrey Boman
  Jeffrey Collyer
  Jens 
  Jens Ameskamp
  Jeremy Glick
  Jeremy Wong
  Jesse E. Hamer
  Jesse Pudewell
  Joanna 
  Joe Patterson
  John 
  John Bogart
  John Buczek
  John Fiala
  John Lambert
  John Portley
  John Taber
  John Tobin
  John William 
  McDonald
  Johnathan Wright
  Jon Rosebaugh
  Jon Smejkal
  Jonas Richter
  Jonathan Hobbs
  Jonathan Rose
  Jonathan Young
  Joonas Iivonen
  Jose Espinoza
  Joseph Formoso
  Josh Rensch
  Joshua Haney
  Joshua Ramsey
  Joshua Turton
  JP 
  Jürgen Rudolph
  Justin 
  Justin Thomason
  Kaarchin 
  Kalle Saarela
  Katie Ramsey
  Kean Stuart
  Ken Mcferren
  Kenny Snow
  Kerry Harrison
  Kevin Flynn
  Kevin Harrison
  Kevin Veale
  Krista 
  Kurtis Peterson
  LarrxX N’Gham
  Les Simpson
  Lindsey Wilson
  Link Hughes
  Lisa Hartjes
  Loren Norman
  Luca Agosto
  Ludo Bermejo 
  M Kenny
  M. Alan Thomas II
  m.h. 
  Manfred 
  Marc 
  Marc Mundet
  Marcel Lotz
  Marcel Wittram
  Marcello Pellegrino
  Marcus 
  Mark A. Schmidt
  Mark Gedak
  Mark Harris
  Mark Mealman
  Mark Whittington
  Mark Widner
  Markus Haberstock
  Markus Schoenlau
  Markus Widmer
  Martin Deppe
  Marzio Spairani
  Mason 
  Mathias Exner
  Matthew Hartwell
  Matthew Miller
  Matthew Whalley 
  Matti Rintala
  Max Kaehn
  Melior Via
  Michael 
  Michael 
  Michael D. 
  Blanchard
  Michael Hill
  Michael Hopcroft
  Michael McCully
  Michael Thompson
  Michele 
  Mick Bradley
  Mike de Jong
  Mike Esmailzadeh
  Naomi McArthur
  Nathan Barnes
  Nathan Reed
  Nicholas Pilon
  Nicholas Sokeland
  Nick 
  Nick Townsend
  NPC CAST
  Olav Müller
  Owen Duffy
  paolo castelli
  Paul Arezina
  Paul Baldowski
  Paul Stefko
  Paul Yurgin
  Pavel Zhukov
  Pete 
  Pete Figtree
  Peter Griffith
  Peter Kahle
  Peter Woodworth
  Philip Eisner
  Philip Harboe 
  Larsen
  Philipp Pötz
  Philippe Marichal
  Porter Williams
  R. Brian Scott
  Ralf Wagner
  Raun Sedlock
  Raymond Toghill
  Reynaldo 
  Ricardo Gesuatto
  Rich Palij
  Richard Greene
  Richard Lock
  Richard Warren
  Rishi Agrawal
  Rob Voss
  Robb Neumann
  Robert Biskin
  Robert Daines
  Robert Huss
  Robert Rees
  Robert Zasso
  Roland 
  romain fleurant
  Ron 
  Ron Müller
  RoninKelt 
  Ross Hellwig
  Roy 
  Roy LaValley
  Russell Hoyle
  Ryan Lee
  Ryan Macklin
  Ryven Cedrylle
  Samuel 
  Samuel 
  Steinbock-Pratt
  Sarah Williams
  Scot Ryder
  Scott Acker
  Scott Dexter
  Scott Greenleaf
  Scott Krok
  Scott Martin
  Scott Puckett
  Scott Thede
  Seán Harnett
  Sean M. Dunstan
  Sean Smith
  Sergio 
  Seth Hartley
  Shane Harsch
  Simon Brunning
  Simon Withers
  Stacey Chancellor
  Stan Shinn
  Stefan 
  Stephanie Bryant
  Stephen Holder
  Stephen Hood
  Stephen Waugh
  Steve Ela
  Steve Gilman
  Steve Kunec
  Steve Radabaugh
  Steven Code
  Steven D Warble
  Steven K. Watkins
  Steven Whitelock
  Svend Andersen
  Ted Childers
  Teresa Oswald
  Thom 
  Thomas 
  Thomas Balls-Thies
  Tim 
  Tim 
  Timo 
  Timothy Seiger
  Todd Grotenhuis
  Trevor Crosse
  Trevor Stark
  Tyler Hunt
  Tyson Monagle
  Urs Blumentritt
  Vladimir Filipović
  Warren P Nelson
  Wayne Peacock
  William Carroll
  William Chambers
  William Johnson
  William Wilson
  Winston 
  WinterKnight 
  Zeb Walker
  Zed Lopez
  Zonk PJ Demonio 
  Sonriente
  
  VENTURE 
  CITY 
  STORIES
  A WORLD OF 
  ADVENTURE FOR
  writing & adventure  
  design by 
  BRIAN ENGARD
  editing by 
  JOSHUA YEARSLEY
  art direction & layout by 
  FRED HICKS
  interior & cover  
  artwork by 
  TAZIO BETTIN
  
  An Evil Hat Productions Publication
  www.evilhat.com • feedback@evilhat.com
  @EvilHatOfficial on Twitter
  facebook.com/EvilHatProductions
  Venture City Stories
  Copyright © 2014 Evil Hat Productions, LLC and Brian Engard.
  All rights reserved.
  First published in 2014 by Evil Hat Productions, LLC.
  10125 Colesville Rd #318, Silver Spring, MD 20901.
  Evil Hat Productions and the Evil Hat and Fate logos are 
  trademarks owned by Evil Hat Productions, LLC. All rights reserved.
  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a 
  retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, 
  electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, 
  without the prior express permission of the publisher.
  That said, if you’re doing it for personal use, knock yourself out.
  That’s not only allowed, we encourage you to do it.
  For those working at a copy shop and not at all sure if this means 
  the person standing at your counter can make copies of this thing, they can. 
  This is “express permission.” Carry on.
  This is a game where people make up stories about wonderful, terrible, 
  impossible, glorious things. All the characters and events portrayed in this 
  work are fictional. Any resemblance to real people, superheroes, corporate 
  raiders, private security firms, or disgruntled office workers who can shoot 
  frickin’ lazer beams from their eyes is purely coincidental, but kinda hilarious.
  
  CONTENTS
  Venture City ..................................................................2
  How It Works .................................................................4
  Issues ..............................................................................5
  Factions, Places, and People ......................................6
  The Block .............................................................................8
  Splitstream ..........................................................................9
  Mitsuhama R&D Complex ............................................10
  Archard Cole .................................................................... 12
  Raina Sanjarian ................................................................ 13
  Solar Man ........................................................................... 14
  Aegis Towers .................................................................... 15
  Henry White ......................................................................17
  Rakaru Heights ................................................................ 18
  Abby Dynes .....................................................................20
  Shadow ............................................................................... 21
  Character Creation and Powers ...............................23
  Sample Characters .....................................................26
  
  2
  FATE: WORLDS OF ADVENTURE
  VENTURE CITY
  Welcome to Venture City! It’s a city of millions, a sprawling urban metropolis 
  full of crime, corruption, and violence. It’s a city where the rich and elite—few 
  as there might be—control nearly everything. It’s a city where crime prevention 
  and public safety are privatized, and police forces are owned by corporations. 
  It’s a city with a huge, disenfranchised underclass that will do what they must to 
  make ends meet. 
  Venture City is a place of extremes, a place of deep, concealing shadows and 
  stark, antiseptic light. It’s a place of heroes and villains, exemplars of justice and 
  personifications of evil. 
  Okay, maybe that last bit is a lie.
  What Venture City really is is gray. Sure, you’ve got extremes: rich and poor, 
  light and dark, safe and dangerous, hero and villain. But in between are vast 
  expanses of murky morality, people who don’t exist as part of the established 
  system. People like you. 
  Welcome to Venture City. It’s a lot like the rest of the world.
  Heroes and Villains
  You know the heroes and villains. You see them on TV, you know their names, 
  you buy their action figures. Here’s the thing, though: anyone the media calls 
  a “hero” is sponsored by one of the big multinationals. Every one. Do they 
  do good things? Sure. But they do it on the company dime, and that makes 
  them beholden to company policy. You see the heroes saving people, stopping 
  disasters, thwarting villains. But who decides who’s worth saving, what’s really a 
  disaster, who’s really a villain?
  Villains. Yeah. That’s a much murkier area. Some of them are bad, don’t get 
  me wrong; some of them do things that would make history’s greatest monsters 
  proud, and they do it for personal gain or revenge or for no reason at all. But 
  most people who get painted with that “villain” brush are just supers without a 
  corporate sponsor. They’re off-book. Unsanctioned.
  So where do they all come from? A while back, maybe sixty years ago, supers 
  started cropping up. You’d find people who could fly or teleport or burn things 
  with their eyes, and nobody knew quite what to make of them. They all had their 
  own spin on the origin story. Aliens, radiation, traumatic injury, super-science, 
  whatever. Some of it had a kernel of truth; some was pure bunk.
  Here’s what we know now: Supers have a particular gene sequence that enables 
  their powers. The potential for these powers is in every man, woman, and child, 
  but it’s only turned on for certain people. Different things can turn it on, but—
  like getting cancer from smoking or dying from a lightning strike—it doesn’t 
  happen to everyone. There’s no reliable way to reproduce it.
  At least, there wasn’t until about five years ago. See, the corporations rounded 
  up a bunch of these supers, shipped them off to R&D, dissected them and 
  studied them and poked and prodded to see what made them tick. And then 
  
  3
  VENTURE CITY STORIES
  one corp, Mitsuhama Splice Corp, figured it out. They figured out how to turn 
  that gene sequence on and off, how to alter it to get specific effects. How to 
  custom-build superheroes. 
  Didn’t take long for the tech to spread. Some spy stole the research for their 
  corporation, then maybe sold it to a third party for some filthy lucre, and now 
  they’ve all got it. That’s the key, though: the corporations have it. Regular folk? 
  We have to rely on happenstance to get our superpowers, if we get them at all. 
  The corps hold all those cards.
  Crime and Punishment
  Like the rest of the world, all policing—crime prevention and investigation, 
  public safety, and so forth—is privatized. Each corporation has its own private 
  police force, every one happy to take your cash for the privilege of their protec-
  tion. If you can’t pay, you’re on your own. 
  Crime, as you might expect, is rampant in those places where nobody can 
  afford corporate security. It’s an accepted fact of life. In the nice parts of town, 
  most of the crime is white-collar, corporate espionage and embezzling and that 
  kind of thing. Out in the sprawl, anything goes. It’s only illegal if it steps on the 
  toes of someone who can actually do something about it.
  The heroes help some. When the corps need some good PR, they send their 
  pet supers into the sprawl to stop big, high profile crimes . . . when they’re not 
  busy perpetrating crimes on other corporations, at least. Sometimes you also get 
  unsanctioned heroes, non-corp supers who will help a neighborhood out for 
  maybe some free room and board or just a heads-up if the corporate heroes come 
  knocking. They’ve got to keep a low profile, though. Stop too many crimes and 
  you’re stepping on the corporations’ toes, cutting into their bottom line. And 
  that, of course, is illegal.
  Daily Life
  You’ve got three socioeconomic strata in Venture City. First, there are the rich. 
  Politicians, CEOs, and other bigwigs who are tied to one or more corporations 
  and who can afford luxury and safety. They make up maybe a half a percent of 
  the population, but they hold the lion’s share of the power and money. 
  Then you’ve got the wageslaves. They work for the corps, so they get pro-
  tection and security and a place to live and a monthly wage to spend at the 
  company store. But they aren’t called “slaves” for nothing. You sign with a cor-
  poration, they own you in perpetuity. Hell, they own your corpse when you 
  die—you know, for science. Leaving one corporation for another, or just going 
  your own way, is called “defection” because it’s illegal. It’s a crime punishable by 
  a good long time in prison—also privatized.
  Then you’ve got everyone else. We live out in the sprawl, we work at local 
  stores or out of our homes, we make just enough to scrape by, and we don’t get 
  any kind of security or protection from anyone unless we can pay.
  
  4
  NEXT: PAGE 6
  FATE: WORLDS OF ADVENTURE
  HOW IT WORKS
  Venture City Stories is an adventure toolkit for Fate Core. It’s a sandbox environ-
  ment where you can create your own stories, sort of a mini-setting with situa-
  tions you can use as springboards to tell the stories you want to tell. 
  First we’ll give you a bunch of example issues for your game. We’ll talk about 
  the different things your adventure might be about, and we’ll provide you with 
  some impending and current issues you can use to steer things in that direction. 
  These start on page 5.
  Nothing Ventured
  Throughout the Venture City write-up, you’ll see boxes like this. If 
  you don’t want to put together your own starting adventure, then 
  look at these boxes. They tell you what elements of the city to use 
  and how to use them, so that you can hit the ground running with 
  minimal effort. If all you do is read these sidebars and the specific 
  elements they reference, you’ll have a complete adventure called 
  Nothing Ventured. 
  Then we’ll go into the various factions in the city. These are the corpora-
  tions, private security forces, heroic and villainous organizations, street gangs, 
  and other groups in Venture City. Each faction has its own aspects and skills, 
  places important to them, and some prominent people you might run into—
  the movers and shakers, or otherwise noteworthy individuals. Check them out 
  on page 6. You don’t have to use everything we give you; choose what suits 
  your story best.
  The end of the book has rules for creating characters (page 23), as well as 
  some partially pregenerated characters (page 26). The character creation rules 
  will tell you how you can make your own superpowers, and the pregens provide 
  some examples. There are some examples in the adventure proper, too. If you’re 
  ever confused about what things like special effects and collateral damage mean, 
  flip back to this section.
  
  5
  VENTURE CITY STORIES
  ISSUES
  The issues you choose say a lot about what your game’s going to be about. Just 
  like in Fate Core (FC 22), you’re going to pick or come up with two issues: two 
  current issues, two impending issues, or one of each. 
  Current issues in Venture City Stories are usually big things that the city strug-
  gles with. They color every scene set in Venture City, but it’s unlikely that your 
  PCs will resolve them over the course of a single adventure. It’s good to have 
  goals, though, and if you want your first adventure in Venture City to be the 
  start of a longer campaign, you’ll definitely want a current issue.
  Impending issues are more immediate. They’re threats happening right now, 
  and they’re great for getting started right away. If you want to direct the action 
  a little and steer the PCs toward a particular problem or bad guy, an impending 
  issue is a great way to do that.
  If you want to run Venture City Stories in one adventure—often called a “one-
  shot”—grab two impending issues. Current issues can have their place in a one-
  shot, but giving the PCs two big, flashy, immediate things to tackle presents 
  them with a hard choice, and hard choices make for great drama.
  If you want to run something a little more freeform and allow the PCs to 
  pursue their own goals over the short term while threats await them in the long 
  term, get yourself a couple of current issues. That way the PCs will know what’s 
  wrong with the city and what problems need fixing, but also that these issues are 
  long-term things they have to worry about. In the near future, they can decide 
  what’s important and exert a lot of authorship over the story.
  Taking one of each will let you split the difference, which can be good for 
  both one-shots and campaign play. A one-shot with mixed issues gives the PCs 
  a tangible, immediate goal that they can accomplish, while the current issue sets 
  the tone, making the city feel more like a real, living place as it looms in the 
  background. In campaign play you’ll start off with a bang while giving your PCs 
  long-term problems they’ll have to deal with some day.
  Current Issues
  • “Crime and politics, is there a difference?”
  • Not Safe After Dark
  • “There’s the rich, and everybody else.”
  • Are Supers Still Human?
  Impending Issues
  • Gangland Powderkeg
  • The Superdrug
  • Terrorist Bombings Rock City
  • Citywide Blackout
  
  6
  FATE: WORLDS OF ADVENTURE
  NEXT: PAGE 7
  PREV: PAGE 4
  Nothing Ventured: Issues
  Nothing Ventured has a current issue and an impending issue. The 
  current issue Are Supers Still Human? is a manifestation of a 
  question that’s very much on the public’s mind—according to the 
  underground media, at least. Supers—in particular the corporate-
  sponsored superheroes—are viewed with significant distrust by 
  much of the underclass and even many of the wageslaves. They 
  stop crime, but they also do terrible things for the corporate mas-
  ters. Do they have free will? Do their powers distance themselves 
  from humanity so much that they can no longer understand or 
  sympathize with their fellow human beings? Are they the next step 
  in evolution, or the next big threat?
  The impending issue is The Superdrug, a potent pharmacologi-
  cal cocktail that’s hit the streets recently. It gives you superpowers, 
  but they only last as long as you keep taking the drug. Also, there 
  are the side effects. Is it safe? Did one of the corporations make 
  it? Did it get leaked to the street deliberately? Is this whole thing 
  some sort of experiment? What are the long-term implications of 
  the drug? What happens when terrorists or violent criminals get 
  their hands on it?
  Into this volatile mix come the PCs: unsanctioned supers from 
  the underclass hired by a corporate suit as disavowable assets. Their 
  job: find out who’s flooding the streets with the superdrug.
  FACTIONS, PLACES, AND PEOPLE
  The rest of this adventure is a collection of factions, places, and people you can 
  use to make your own adventure. Throughout you’ll also find sidebars detailing 
  the pieces to use in Nothing Ventured; follow the guidelines in these sidebars and 
  you’ll have a ready-to-play adventure. You’ll also find sidebars containing advice 
  and tips for building your own adventure.
  Factions are major groups within Venture City. Corporations, gangs, under-
  ground super-groups, private security forces, and such—they’re all factions. 
  Factions have two key game statistics: aspects and skills. Each faction has two 
  aspects: a slogan and a secret. A faction’s slogan summarizes its public persona, 
  the face it presents to the rest of the world. A secret represents all the things the 
  faction hides from outside scrutiny. They’re both a bit like a high concept and a 
  bit like a trouble. 
  A faction’s skills are the things it’s good at. If you need either passive or active 
  opposition, or a rating for a nameless NPC, use the skill that best matches what 
  you want. Not all factions have all faction skills; if a skill is missing from a fac-
  tion’s list, assume it defaults to Average (+1). The faction skills are Bureaucracy, 
  Espionage, Resources, Security, Tech, and Violence.
  Faction listings also contain places and people. Places each have an issue, 
  while people are either supporting or main NPCs. 
  
  7
  VENTURE CITY STORIES
  NEXT: PAGE 8
  PREV: PAGE 6
  Nothing Ventured: Setup
  In Nothing Ventured, the PCs are unsanctioned supers living in the 
  sprawl. Some might be associated with the Neighborhood Watch 
  (page 18), some with Splitstream’s Crew (page 7), and some 
  might be independent. Make sure they know each other and have 
  reasons to work together. 
  Each of the PCs has heard about the superdrug, but nothing 
  specific—just that it’s out there and it’s maybe not all it’s cracked 
  up to be. The drug becomes important, though, when they all get 
  the same anonymous text:
  “Need your help. High risk, high reward. Barton’s. Midnight.”
  Barton’s is a bar in Rakaru Heights (page 18). The text is from 
  Emily Shah, a resident of the neighborhood. She’s not a super and 
  isn’t much of a combatant. She is affiliated with the Neighborhood 
  Watch (page 18), though, doing legal aid and fundraising; use 
  the Watch’s Resources skill for any rolls Emily makes. She’s Loyal 
  to the Watch but also Repelled by Violence. She believes in what 
  the Watch does, but doesn’t always approve of their methods.
  When the PCs gather at Barton’s, Emily approaches them and 
  makes them a proposition. She’s concerned with the increase in 
  violence and crime caused by the superdrug, and she wants the 
  PCs to find out how it’s getting to the streets and to put a stop to 
  the supply. She promises a big payday in return.
  Emily’s only lead is that Splitstream’s Crew seems to be profit-
  ing quite a bit from the sale of the drug, and many of Splitstream’s 
  gangbangers are using.
  Splitstream’s Crew
  Venture City is home to more than a dozen gangs. Some of them are very small, 
  a handful of violent people trying to grab what power they can. Others are huge, 
  sprawling organizations that control large sections of the city. Splitstream’s Crew 
  falls into the latter category.
  On its face, the Crew—as they’re often called—is a dangerous organized crime 
  syndicate with a penchant for violent acts and a number of super-powered mem-
  bers. The Crew is more than just a gang, though. Those in the know are aware 
  that the Crew is for hire. Splitstream runs his Crew like a gang, but he makes his 
  money from secret mercenary contracts. What look like acts of random violence 
  are often targeted strikes.
  The Crew
  Slogan: We Control the Sprawl
  Secret: Services Rendered to the Highest Bidder
  Skills: Espionage +2, Resources +2, Security +2, 
  Violence +3
  
  8
  FATE: WORLDS OF ADVENTURE
  The Block
  Though the Crew controls about half of the sprawl proper, their base of power is 
  a decommissioned prison that everyone just calls “the Block.” Once used to keep 
  violent offenders off the streets, it is now a fortress that Splitstream uses to plan 
  attacks on various organizations and people in Venture City.
  Many cells have been converted into barracks, garages, server rooms, armories. 
  At any given time, about half of the remaining cells in the Block are occupied by 
  Splitstream’s enemies or targets, waiting to be interrogated, tortured, killed, or 
  ransomed. The structure’s only real weakness is its age: many of its electrical and 
  security systems are outdated and faulty.
  Issue: Outdated Systems
  PREV: PAGE 7
  NEXT: PAGE 11
  Nothing Ventured: Splitstream’s Involvement
  Splitstream is involved in selling the drug, and he’s not the only one. 
  Many of the gangs in Venture City are profiting from its sale, but 
  Splitstream is making a killing. He’s also distributing it to his non-super 
  subordinates so they can get a quick fix when the fighting starts.
  Approaching Splitstream isn’t easy. He’s in the Block. He’s surrounded 
  by his men. The PCs can fight their way in; most of Splitstream’s bangers 
  are nameless NPCs (use the Crew’s Violence rating, page 7). A few 
  of them have superpowers from the drug; throw in four or five nameless 
  NPCs with one of the following stunts. Don’t worry about drawbacks or 
  collateral damage or special effects; they’re just nameless NPCs.
  • Flight: The gang member can fly. This functions just like running or 
  walking, but with vertical movement.
  • Super Strength: The gang member gets a +2 bonus on any attacks that 
  rely on brute strength.
  • Pyrokinesis: The gang member can make ranged fire-based attacks 
  with a +2 bonus.
  • Teleportation: The gang member can teleport around the battlefield, 
  moving up to 3 zones as an action.
  If the PCs choose to approach with violence, Splitstream will fight 
  them, but he’ll concede if he takes a moderate consequence or worse. 
  They could also talk their way in somehow or use trickery. Either 
  approach might or might not involve a fight. Either way, they eventually 
  get Splitstream to spill the following information:
  • He gets his supply of the drugs from a man named Henry White. 
  He’s pretty sure Henry works for Mitsuhama Splice.
  • Mitsuhama’s R&D facility is known for their thriving smuggling 
  ring.
  • A woman named Shadow—the only name he has—has been paying 
  him lots of money to distribute the drug to people in Rakaru Heights.
  • He’s pretty sure the drug causes a psychotic break eventually.
  
  9
  VENTURE CITY STORIES
  Splitstream
  Splitstream is a cunning gang leader and mercenary captain. His power over life 
  and death, once he learned to control it, allowed him to shoot up through the 
  ranks of Venture City’s largest gang at a young age. Eventually, Splitstream chal-
  lenged the leader of the Crew, killed him, and had his loyalists kill anyone who 
  had supported his predecessor.
  Now he has a reputation as one of the most dangerous men in Venture City. 
  He has a tacit agreement with the Neighborhood Watch: as long as they stay out 
  of his territory, he leaves them alone. He also holds lucrative agreements with the 
  various corporations in Venture City. Many corporate troubleshooters hire him 
  and his Crew as deniable assets in exchange for significant compensation and a 
  blind eye from their security and police forces.
  Splitstream
  Aspects: Brilliant Mercenary Gang Captain, Too Many Masters,  
  “Life and death are in my hands.”, Attachments Are a Weakness, 
  Brutal and Efficient
  Skills
    Superb (+5): Rapport
    Great (+4): Fight, Provoke
    Good (+3): Contacts, Shoot, Will
    
  Fair (+2): Athletics, Notice, Physique, Burglary
    Average (+1): Deceive, Drive, Investigate, Resources, Stealth
  Stunts
   Armor of Fear (FC 120)
   Provoke Violence (FC 120)
   Popular (FC 121)
  Powers
  Life and Death: Splitstream’s left hand induces rapid and aggressive cancer-
  ous growth within anyone he touches. To use this power, he must touch 
  his enemy’s skin, which is a Fight roll if they’re resisting. If he succeeds, he 
  deals +4 physical stress. If he touches someone with his right hand, he heals 
  their wounds; make a Will roll at Fair (+2) to clear any physical stress. He 
  can also downgrade consequences instead of clearing stress; the opposition 
  to this roll is the shift value of the consequence he attempts to clear. While 
  he can heal as many people as he wishes, each person can only benefit from 
  it once per scene.
  Special Effects: Inflict Condition, Physical Recovery
  Drawback: Can’t Turn It Off
  Collateral Damage Clause: If Splitstream doesn’t mind killing a lot of people, 
  he can touch his hands together to emanate a wave of sickness from his body 
  that affects everyone in his zone. The wave immediately kills any nameless 
  NPCs, while named NPCs and PCs must make a Physique roll against a 
  Fair (+2) difficulty to avoid taking a moderate physical consequence.
  Physical Stress: 3 
   
  Mental Stress: 4
  
  10
  Mitsuhama Splice Corporation
  Mitsuhama is the world’s biggest, richest, and most influential biotech corpora-
  tion. They’ve also got their hands in electronics, but genetic engineering is their 
  bread and butter. They’ve found cures for countless diseases, cures available in 
  hospitals the world over—as long as you can pay for them. 
  They’re also the ones who cracked the supergene, figured out how to activate 
  superpowers in just about anyone. That tech has since leaked out to other cor-
  porations, and most major corporations have at least one superhero on staff, but 
  Mitsuhama is still at the bleeding edge of supergene research. Other corps may 
  have supers, but Mitsuhama supers are just better. Fewer drawbacks and side 
  effects. More control over their powers. 
  There’s a rumor that Mitsuhama also outfits their supers—and even some of 
  their execs and salarymen—with kill switches: genetic code designed to replicate 
  into a system-crippling and lightning-fast cancer when it’s activated remotely. 
  But that can’t be true, can it?
  Mitsuhama Splice Corporation
  Slogan: Unlocking Humanity’s Potential
  Secret: Life: Cheap but Profitable
  Skills: Bureaucracy +3, Resources +3, Security +2,  
  Tech +3, Violence +2
  Mitsuhama R&D Complex
  While Venture City isn’t the seat of Mitsuhama’s 
  power and authority, it is where most of the sci-
  ence gets done. The company’s primary R&D 
  complex is situated on the edge of the sprawl, 
  and it’s the size of a small town on its own. 
  This is where the magic happens. This is where 
  Mitsuhama scientists conduct their experiments, 
  cure diseases, unlock the secrets of the supergene, 
  and create their heroes. 
  The complex is well guarded ’round the clock, 
  but every fortress has a weakness. In Mitsuhama’s 
  case, it’s that they don’t pay their security force 
  all that well. The corp relies on other methods 
  to inspire loyalty—or obedience—and unfortu-
  nately for them this means there are gaps in their 
  defenses. It’s a poorly guarded secret that a lot of 
  the designer drugs that make it out to the streets 
  are leaked by Mitsuhama security bulldogs trying 
  to make an extra buck. The company probably 
  knows about it, but tolerates it. 
  Issue: Thriving Smuggling Operation
  
  11
  VENTURE CITY STORIES
  PREV: PAGE 8
  NEXT: PAGE 16
  Nothing Ventured:  
  Following a Lead at Mitsuhama
  The Mitsuhama R&D complex is a good place to start looking for the truth, 
  but the PCs won’t find it there. At least, they won’t find the whole truth there. 
  Different people know different things.
  Archard Cole knows about the superdrug. He also knows that Mitsuhama 
  used to manufacture it, but stopped when they found out about its side 
  effects. They had a huge quantity of the stuff, enough for millions of doses, 
  but it was all slated for destruction more than six months ago. Cole’s not 
  stupid; he knows that the drug out on the streets is either the same drug 
  supposed to be destroyed or is based on the formula for that drug. Without 
  a sample he can’t be sure which, but as far as he’s concerned Mitsuhama is 
  absolved of any wrongdoing in this instance. If pressed, Archard might hint 
  that his head of security Raina Sandarian knows more.
  Of course, getting in to actually talk to Cole is going to be a trick and a 
  half. He’s protected by lawyers, yes-men, bureaucrats, corporate security—the 
  works. Use whatever faction skill seems most appropriate to keep the PCs 
  away from him, but don’t use it to frustrate their efforts. If they’re really intent 
  on talking to Cole and have a good idea for how to do just that, let them 
  succeed—just don’t make it easy. When they finally do talk to Cole, he feigns 
  being cooperative but his goal is to keep himself and Mitsuhama covered 
  against liability—in that order.
  Raina Sanjarian knows more of the particulars, but doesn’t let on that 
  she does. She’s easier to get access to than Cole is, but she’s better at play-
  ing dumb, which she’s anything but. Sanjarian knows three very important 
  things. First, she knows that the supply of the drug was destroyed more than 
  six months ago. Second, she knows that the formula was smuggled out of 
  the complex around the same time and sold to someone. Third, she knows 
  who Henry White is, but she won’t volunteer this information unless the PCs 
  specifically mention him by name; she doesn’t understand his involvement 
  until they do so.
  If the PCs get Sanjarian talking about Henry White, she can tell them that 
  he’s a mid-level exec for Aegis Securities. She knows he’s not happy being a 
  salaryman, and she figures that he was probably the buyer for the superdrug 
  formula. If that’s the case, then either Aegis is manufacturing and distributing 
  it, or White is doing so on the side. Either way, he should be their next stop.
  One more thing: an incursion into the R&D complex, either overt or 
  covert, is a golden opportunity to bring Solar Man into the mix, probably 
  accompanied by a cadre of Bright Sun soldiers (use Mitsuhama’s Violence 
  rating, page 10). If the PCs approach using either violence or stealth, that’s 
  your cue to get a big superhero fight ready.
  
  12
  FATE: WORLDS OF ADVENTURE
  Archard Cole
  Cole is Mitsuhama’s headman in Venture City. His title 
  is Vice President of Research and Development—he’s 
  effectively king of the company’s R&D machine. He 
  climbed the ranks because he’s both brilliant and 
  ruthless; he knows his science and he knows his busi-
  ness, and he’s not afraid to get his hands a little dirty. 
  Being head of R&D has a few perks too. The 
  man has an instant supply of drugs as well as the 
  treatments to make sure those drugs don’t hurt 
  him, genetic tweaks to make him live longer and 
  stay hale and hardy into his old age, and he’s 
  effectively free from disease. There are rumors 
  that his supergene’s active too.
  Archard Cole
  Aspects: Mitsuhama R&D Headman, Owned by the 
  Company Store, Secret Super,  “Limitations are for 
  other people.” , Genetically Perfect
  Skills
    Superb (+5): Resources
    Great (+4): Lore, Rapport
    Good (+3): Contacts, Deceive, Athletics
    
  Fair (+2): Crafts, Empathy, Fight, Physique
    Average (+1): Investigate, Notice, Provoke, Shoot, Will
  Stunts
   Mind Games (FC 104)
   Specialist (Genetics) (FC 115)
   Best Foot Forward (FC 121)
   Savvy Investor (FC 123)
  Powers
  Wind Control: Cole can use Athletics to fly. He can also 
  summon gusts of wind, and he gets a +2 to Athletics 
  rolls to create advantages from doing so.
  Special Effects: Forced Movement, Extra Movement
  Drawback: Hard To Use Indoors
  Collateral Damage Clause: If Cole is willing to deal collat-
  eral damage, he can fly directly through solid objects—
  walls, ceilings, people—without injury. If he flies 
  through a person, treat this as an Athletics attack with 
  a +2 bonus.
  Physical Stress: 3 
  Mental Stress: 3
  
  13
  VENTURE CITY STORIES
  Raina Sanjarian
  Sanjarian is Cole’s head of security. She oversees both the security forces for 
  Mitsuhama’s complex in Venture City and Bright Sun Security, the privatized 
  police force that the company owns. Sanjarian is stern and ruthless, but she 
  doesn’t control her subordinates through fear. She has a strong sense of justice, 
  which informs her decision-making and managerial style. Bright Sun is quite 
  possibly one of the most disciplined and loyal private security companies in 
  Venture City, due in no small part to Raina Sanjarian’s leadership.
  This sense of justice is at odds, of course, with the active smuggling ring within 
  the Mitsuhama campus security force, at least at first glance. Though Sanjarian 
  enforces discipline and order here too, she recognizes the security force’s low pay 
  as an injustice, and turns a blind eye on the smuggling ring to help balance the 
  scales. As long as nothing too important gets leaked, there’s no problem.
  Raina Sanjarian
  Aspects: Mitsuhama Head of Security, Justice Above All, No 
  Sense of Humor, Tactical Virtuoso, Quietly Menacing
  Skills
    Great (+4): Shoot, Provoke
    Good (+3): Athletics, Fight, Physique
    
  Fair (+2): Contacts, Investigate, Rapport, Will
    Average (+1): Drive, Empathy, Notice, Deceit, Resources
  Stunts
   Lie Whisperer (FC 109)
   Backup Weapon (FC 111)
   Attention to Detail (FC 113)
   Tough as Nails (FC 119)
  Physical Stress: 4 
  Mental Stress: 3
  
  14
  FATE: WORLDS OF ADVENTURE
  Solar Man
  Bright Sun’s mascot—and Mitsuhama’s most popular superhero—is Solar Man. 
  Handsome, charming, and capable of flying and controlling light, Solar Man 
  flies around the city righting wrongs and protecting citizens. Of course, “wrongs” 
  are defined by Mitsuhama Splice Corporation, and “citizens” are people who pay 
  Bright Sun. 
  There’s a darker side to Solar Man, too. His ability to control light makes him 
  an expert infiltrator; he can do things like shroud an area in darkness, spoof 
  security systems, turn invisible, and more. Mitsuhama often uses Solar Man for 
  clandestine activities against other corporations.
  In truth, Solar Man is conflicted about his identity. He wants to be a good 
  guy, to help people. He doesn’t like refusing help to people who aren’t Bright Sun 
  customers, and he doesn’t like corporate espionage. But he does like his power 
  and fame, and he knows Mitsuhama can take both away easily. The genetic kill 
  switch he’s saddled with is also convincing.
  Solar Man
  Aspects: “A bright spot in the darkness!”, Genetic Kill Switch, Wants 
  To Be a Hero, Espionage Expert, Bright Sun Mascot
  Skills
    Superb (+5): Shoot
    Great (+4): Athletics, Stealth
    Good (+3): Deceive, Fight, Physique
    
  Fair (+2): Burglary, Empathy, Notice, Rapport
    Average (+1): Contacts, Investigate, Provoke, Will
  Stunts
   Best Foot Forward (FC 121)
  Powers
  Light Control: Solar Man can fly with Athletics and shoot lasers from his 
  hands with Shoot. He can also wrap himself in darkness or make him-
  self invisible by bending light, granting him a +2 to overcome rolls with 
  Stealth when vision or light is a factor. Finally, he can spoof security 
  systems with his light-based powers, giving him a +2 to create advan-
  tages with Burglary when dealing with electronic security systems.
  Special Effects: Area Attack, Inflict Condition
  Drawback: Burns Hot
  Collateral Damage Clause: If Solar Man doesn’t mind dealing a little col-
  lateral damage, he can control a swath of light the size of about a city 
  block, flooding it in blinding light or dousing it in darkness. He can 
  maintain this power for a whole scene.
  Physical Stress: 4 
  Mental Stress: 3
  
  15
  VENTURE CITY STORIES
  Aegis Securities
  Aegis is the name in private security forces in Venture City. Somewhere in the 
  neighborhood of sixty percent of the private police in the city report to Aegis. 
  Another twenty is Bright Sun (page 13), and the rest is divided amongst a 
  number of minor corps.
  Aegis is looking to expand their influence. They’re the top dog in security 
  contracts, but they also want to supply the military with weapons and field 
  enhancements—oh, and they’re looking to get into biotech too. 
  Unlike Bright Sun, Aegis pays its soldiers and supers well. They’re loyal because 
  they’re treated like rock stars and because they know they’re the backbone of the 
  company. The salarymen and wageslaves, on the other hand, are a little restless.
  Aegis Securities
  Slogan: Keeping You Safe
  Secret: To the Highest Bidder
  Skills: Resources +2, Security +3, Tech +2, Violence +3
  Aegis Towers
  The corporation’s base of operations, Aegis Towers is an impressive corporate 
  arcology in the center of Venture City. The central of the three towers is the tall-
  est structure in the city, and you can see both helicopters and superheroes taking 
  off from and landing on its three helipads at any time of day.
  It’s also probably the most well-guarded and secure building in the city. 
  Anybody who’s ever tried to break in has been handled with finality. If the facil-
  ity has a weakness, it’s that the rank-and-file wageslaves are unhappy, poorly 
  paid, and not particularly loyal. Get one alone without a security officer nearby, 
  and you could learn all kinds of things.
  Issue: Disloyal Wageslaves
  
  16
  NEXT: PAGE 19
  PREV: PAGE 11
  Nothing Ventured:  
  Following a Lead with Henry White
  Henry White isn’t that hard to talk to—unless he doesn’t want to 
  talk. If the PCs approach him with a light touch, they can simply 
  go up and talk to him during his off-hours. If they’re more heavy-
  handed, Henry’s going to get security involved. This could wind 
  up being a temporary roadblock or it could be a fight.
  In a fight, Henry attacks at first, but he runs if he takes any stress 
  or consequences. He’s not a brave man, and the adrenaline rush of 
  using his power wears off once he sees the danger he’s in.
  Another option is to follow Henry into the sprawl when he 
  goes to meet his contacts. If the PCs opt for this approach, skip 
  to“The Vats” (page 19).
  When the PCs get a chance to question Henry, they can learn 
  quite a bit from him.
  • Henry bought the superdrug formula from Mitsuhama with 
  money he got from a woman named Shadow.
  • Henry bought the formula from a scientist named Roger 
  Dynes.
  • He and Shadow have been selling the superdrug to gangs all 
  around the city, including Splitstream’s Crew.
  • Henry and Shadow’s base of operations is an underground lab 
  beneath Rakaru Heights.
  • The superdrug works, but is volatile. The powers it creates are 
  unstable, and it can have extreme psychological side effects.
  
  17
  VENTURE CITY STORIES
  Henry White
  Henry is the quintessential disloyal wageslave. He’s worked for Aegis for close 
  to fifteen years, and in that time he’s been promoted twice. He makes much less 
  than even a low-ranking security officer, and he knows it. He’s unhappy, but he’s 
  locked into a lifetime contract and can’t get out.
  Though he’s stuck in a discouraging job, that doesn’t mean he can’t supple-
  ment his income elsewhere. Six months ago Henry bought the formula for the 
  superdrug from someone at Mitsuhama, and he’s partnered with some shady 
  people to manufacture and distribute it. He’s also not above sampling the wares 
  himself; Henry wants to feel powerful, and the drug does just that.
  Henry’s family is worried about him. They’ve noticed a change in his behav-
  ior—staying out late, mood swings, coming home smelling of chemicals—and 
  they think something’s wrong. They’re right.
  Henry White
  Aspects: Wageslave–Turned–Drug Baron, Violent Mood 
  Swings, Lifetime Contract, Family Man, Friends in Low 
  Places
  Skills
    Great (+4): Deceive
    Good (+3): Contacts, Rapport
    
  Fair (+2): Empathy, Lore, Shoot
    Average (+1): Athletics, Crafts, Drive, Notice
  Stunts
   Lies upon Lies (FC 104)
   Nose for Trouble (FC 109)
  Powers
  Laser Eyes: Henry can shoot lasers from his eyes, allowing him to 
  make a Shoot attack at a +2.
  Special Effects: Area Attack, Inflict Condition
  Drawback: Uncontrollable Bursts
  Collateral Damage Clause: If Henry doesn’t mind inflicting 
  some collateral damage, he can attack everyone in a zone at 
  full strength.
  Physical Stress: 2 
   
  Mental Stress: 2
  
  18
  FATE: WORLDS OF ADVENTURE
  The Neighborhood Watch
  Out in the sprawl, most people can’t afford the premiums required to get pro-
  tection from one of the private police forces. They’re scraping by, living day to 
  day, existing in a world that is, in many ways, actively hostile toward them. The 
  police ignore them; whatever happens is what happens, right?
  But that doesn’t mean they’re helpless or without protection. Many of the 
  sprawlers belong to a loose-knit organization that takes care of its own. They 
  watch each other’s backs, band together when a threat appears, and make the 
  streets a little safer. There are even some unsanctioned supers in this group; they 
  lend much-needed clout in return for shelter from the corps. People call this 
  group the Neighborhood Watch.
  The Watch ain’t perfect, though. There’s plenty of crime and corruption in it. 
  There’s no central authority and no self-regulation other than what people are 
  and aren’t willing to do. As such, there are plenty of ways for you to hide your 
  sins. Protection rackets, money laundering, drug sales, prostitution, and more 
  exist within the Watch and sneak under its nose. The Watch needs money, and 
  that money’s got to come from somewhere.
  The Neighborhood Watch
  Slogan: Safer Streets
  Secret: Hides All Kinds of Sins
  Skills: Violence +2
  Rakaru Heights
  The people here have a saying: “When they talk about the mean streets, they’re 
  talking about Rakaru.” Rakaru Heights used to be the most dangerous place in 
  the sprawl. Huge, dilapidated, rife with crime—it was a microcosm of the sprawl 
  as a whole, but even more concentrated. The Neighborhood Watch didn’t make 
  the neighborhood safer, really, it just made Rakaru Heights dangerous to differ-
  ent people. 
  The criminals no longer run Rakaru Heights, though crime still has its place 
  in the neighborhood. The Watch—Abby Dynes, specifically—has made Rakaru 
  a place that predators avoid, though. Rapists, muggers, drug dealers, and others 
  who prey upon the defenseless often steer clear, because there’s a price on their 
  heads in Rakaru Heights. Don’t be mistaken; it’s not really safe to walk the streets 
  at night, you’re just more likely to get justice if something happens to you. 
  Issue: Violence Is a Way of Life
  
  19
  VENTURE CITY STORIES
  NEXT: PAGE 22
  PREV: PAGE 16
  Nothing Ventured: The Vats
  The chain of clues eventually leads to the Vats, an underground lab beneath 
  Rakaru Heights where Henry and Shadow have been manufacturing the super-
  drug. It’s guarded by some of Shadow’s most trusted and skilled operatives. 
  There are about a dozen of them in the lab, and they all use the Neighborhood 
  Watch’s Violence rating. Worse, they’re all dosed with the superdrug, making 
  this a tough fight indeed. Use these powers for the operatives:
  • Flight: The gang member can fly. This functions just like running or 
  walking, but with vertical movement.
  • Super Strength: The gang member gets a +2 bonus on any attacks that rely 
  on brute strength.
  • Pyrokinesis: The gang member can make fire-based attacks at range with 
  a +2 bonus.
  • Teleportation: The gang member can teleport around the battlefield, 
  moving up to 3 zones as an action.
  The huge vats of the superdrug are a major hazard in this fight, as the 
  chemical is highly toxic and explosive in the quantities here. Anyone exposed 
  to the superdrug in the vats immediately takes the severe consequence 
  Overcharged. Anyone with this aspect who gets taken out will detonate, cre-
  ating a Superb (+5) explosion that everyone in the lab must defend against.
  If the PCs get the chance to question Shadow, they find out the following 
  info:
  • Shadow was acting without Abby Dynes’ knowledge.
  • Roger Dynes is Abby’s brother and works for Mitsuhama. He sold the 
  formula without Abby’s knowledge.
  • Shadow was dosing Neighborhood Watch members to give them super-
  powers. Somewhere around twenty percent of the Watch has been dosed 
  at this point.
  • Prolonged exposure to the superdrug causes severe psychological damage. 
  However, very few of the Watch have received enough doses for side 
  effects to be an issue.
  
  20
  FATE: WORLDS OF ADVENTURE
  Abby Dynes
  The Watch doesn’t have any kind of centralized leader-
  ship, but it does have people who hold authority in 
  specific parts of the city. Abby Dynes is one of those 
  people. The Rakaru Heights neighborhood is big and 
  rough, the poster child for places that need the Watch. 
  Heck, the Watch probably started there. Abby’s been 
  living in Rakaru for as long as anyone can remember, 
  and she’s both respected and feared.
  It’s not that she’s cruel or unfair. Abby does what she 
  feels is best for Rakaru Heights, and she stands up to 
  people when the neighborhood needs it. People look 
  to her for guidance, counsel, leadership. She’s got no 
  patience for fools or predators. She doesn’t allow people 
  to exploit each other, and she doesn’t allow people to 
  create weaknesses that others can exploit. She’ll punish 
  both crimes with the same harsh measures: a beating, 
  followed by expulsion from the community.
  Abby Dynes
  Aspects: Vengeful Guardian of Rakaru Heights, Quick 
  to Anger, Quick to Action, Respect of the Community, 
  Ear to the Ground, Fiercely Protective
  Skills
    Great (+4): Fight
    Good (+3): Contacts, Provoke
    
  Fair (+2): Athletics, Empathy, Will
    Average (+1): Investigate, Physique, Rapport, Shoot
  Stunts
   Ear to the Ground (FC 101)
   Heavy Hitter (FC 111)
  Powers
  Stone Form: Abby can turn herself into a living statue of 
  solid granite. When in this form, she can use Physique 
  to defend against fists, weapons, and guns, and gets a +2 
  to do so. She also gets a +2 to any Fight attacks made 
  with her bare fists.
  Special Effects: Forced Movement, Physical Recovery
  Drawback: Slow and Heavy
  Collateral Damage Clause: If Abby doesn’t mind letting the 
  environment take the hit for her, she can completely 
  ignore the effects of one attack against her.
  Physical Stress: 3 
         Mental Stress: 3
  
  21
  VENTURE CITY STORIES
  Shadow
  Shadow is Abby Dynes’ spymaster. She’s got a talent for subterfuge—aided by 
  her ability to change shape—and she knows a lot of people. Shadow is unwaver-
  ingly loyal to the Neighborhood Watch, but she feels that Abby’s leadership is 
  somewhat lacking. 
  Shadow wants to empower the Watch so it can be a real force for good in 
  Venture City. To that end, she thinks they need more superpowered allies, so 
  she’s concocted a plan to distribute the superdrug to those friendly to the Watch, 
  all the better to bolster their numbers.
  
  22
  PREV: PAGE 19
  FATE: WORLDS OF ADVENTURE
  Shadow has little in the way of a personal life. Nobody knows her real name, 
  and she doesn’t have any family—none that anyone’s aware of, at least. The 
  Watch is her whole life.
  Shadow
  Aspects: Neighborhood Watch Spymaster, Haunted by 
  the Past, The Watch is Everything, The Ends Justify the 
  Means, No Attachments
  Skills
    Superb (+5): Deceive
    Great (+4): Contacts
    Good (+3): Burglary, Stealth
    
  Fair (+2): Athletics, Fight, Physique
    Average (+1): Investigate, Notice, Resources, Will
  Stunts
   Always a Way Out (FC 99)
   Ear to the Ground (FC 101)
   Face in the Crowd (FC 126)
  Powers
  Shapeshifter: Shadow can disguise herself as virtually anyone, 
  changing her features entirely, provided she gets a chance to 
  touch them. This power grants her a +2 to Deceive rolls made 
  to disguise herself.
  Special Effects: Mental Recovery, Physical Recovery
  Drawback: Touch-Activated
  Collateral Damage Clause: If Shadow doesn’t mind killing some-
  one, she can take a person’s identity entirely—appearance, 
  mannerisms, memories, voice, accent, and anything else. 
  Piercing her disguise requires an active attempt to find decep-
  tion against a Legendary (+8) opposition.
  Physical Stress: 3 
   
  Mental Stress: 3
  Nothing Ventured: Wrapping Up
  Emily Shah is good to her word: she pays the PCs and thanks 
  them. Abby Dynes is grateful for their involvement, and owes 
  them a favor if they handled things well. Splitstream’s likely 
  to start gunning for the PCs for having cut off his supply of 
  the superdrug. Mitsuhama and Aegis continue plotting against 
  each other.
  All this assumes the PCs stopped the drug problem. It’s 
  entirely possible they just took over the superdrug trade, in 
  which case things wind up pretty different. We’ll leave you to 
  figure that out.
  
  23
  VENTURE CITY STORIES
  CHARACTER CREATION AND POWERS
  When you make your character, do so according to the rules in Fate Core, but 
  with one exception: you also get powers. 
  Powers are a lot like stunts, except bigger, flashier, more powerful, and more 
  complex. Each power you build costs a certain number of stunts, but don’t worry 
  about not having enough! We’re giving you three bonus stunts on top of what 
  you normally get from Fate Core to use exclusively for building powers. To add to 
  your powers or build new ones, you can also spend refresh and use your normal 
  allotment of free stunts as you would when building normal stunts. The three 
  free stunts you’re getting in this adventure have to be used for powers, though.
  Most characters have a single power. Some might have two, but that’s where 
  it tops off. Powers are big and complex enough that more than two would be a 
  bit unwieldy. What you can do, however, is build multiple effects into a single 
  power, creating a power suite that does a bunch of related things. Here’s how 
  building a power works.
  Concept
  Figure out what you want your power to do. What is your character’s shtick? 
  What’s the big flashy thing you do that other people can’t do? Figure this out in 
  general terms. Maybe you’re inhumanly fast, or super strong, or you can fly, or 
  you shoot energy blasts from your hands. 
  You might have a power useful for doing many things. You might be teleki-
  netic, for example, which suggests you can push people around and attack them 
  with force blasts, lift heavy objects with your mind, create a shield of force, and 
  fly by levitating yourself. These are all related abilities, so they’re all one power. 
  If you’re telekinetic and you can heal with a touch, though, those might be two 
  different powers.
  Example: Tara decides she wants to be a brick, someone who can 
  take a punch and bring huge amounts of raw physical strength to 
  bear. She’s big and tough and strong; that’s her shtick.
  
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  FATE: WORLDS OF ADVENTURE
  Break It Into Stunts
  Break each power down into its component abilities. What specific things do 
  you want to be able to do with your power? Boil these down into mechani-
  cal effects and phrase them like you would stunts. Each stunt-like ability that 
  you create costs you a stunt. You can spend multiple stunts on a single ability, 
  making it extra-powerful. Also, because you’re crafting a superpower, you have 
  license to do things that stunt might not otherwise let you do. You could use a 
  stunt to fly using Athletics, or fire eye-beams with Shoot, for example.
  Example: Thinking about what specific effects she wants out of her 
  power, Tara breaks it down into components. She wants to be strong, 
  so that’s maybe just a bonus to Physique and Fight rolls. She spends 
  two stunts to get a +4 to Physique rolls that rely on brute force, and 
  another stunt to get a +2 to Fight rolls that rely on smashing things in 
  close quarters. She also wants to be super-tough, so she spends two 
  more stunts to get Armor:4 against direct physical attacks, but not 
  energy attacks or mental attacks. In total, her power costs 5 stunts.
  Add Special Effects
  A special effect is an extra-special thing you can pull off when you succeed with 
  style. Whenever you succeed with style on a roll that utilizes one of your powers, 
  you can forgo the normal benefits of succeeding with style to add one of your 
  special effects instead. You can also spend a fate point to add a special effect to 
  any successful roll, even if you’ve already got a special effect attached to that 
  action. Special effects always happen in addition to the normal effects of success.
  Your power starts with two special effects. If you want more, you can buy 
  them with a stunt or refresh; each stunt or refresh you spend gets you two more 
  special effects. If you need special effects, use the following list. If our suggestions 
  don’t suffice, you can create your own special effects using this list as a guideline.
  • Forced Movement: You move your target up to two zones.
  • Area Attack: Attack everyone else (foes and friends) in the same zone as 
  your target using the attack value minus two (so if you hit your target at +6, 
  everyone else would defend against +4). Attacking everyone in a zone at full 
  strength is a collateral damage effect (page 25).
  • Inflict a Condition: You add an aspect to the target, which you can invoke 
  once for free.
  • Extra Movement: You can move up to two zones for free.
  • Physical Recovery: You recover from all physical stress.
  • Mental Recovery: You recover from all mental stress.
  • Extra Action: You can remove shifts from your action and apply them to a 
  different, related action as if you’d (performed and) succeeded on both. You 
  can never succeed with style on the second action, and its opposition (i.e., 
  difficulty) can’t be higher than that of the original action.
  
  25
  VENTURE CITY STORIES
  Example: Tara knows she wants to be tough and able to pack a wallop. 
  She takes Physical Recovery and Forced Movement as her special 
  effects. After thinking for a moment, she spends another stunt (for 
  a total of 6 stunts spent) to add Area Attack and Inflict a Condition 
  to her suite of special effects. When using this power, when she suc-
  ceeds with style, she can add one special effect to her action; if she 
  succeeds at all, she can spend a fate point to add a special effect.
  Add a Drawback
  All powers come at a cost, and all superheroes have a weakness. Decide what 
  yours is, and phrase it as an aspect. A drawback is an aspect like any other, 
  though you should phrase it so it’s easier to compel than to invoke. Each power 
  gets a drawback, not each individual stunt within a power.
  Example: Tara envisions her character as a brute who’s prone to fits 
  of destructive rage. She writes down the aspect Destructive Rage as 
  her drawback.
  Add a Collateral Damage Effect
  Super-beings throw a lot of power around, power that often has unintended con-
  sequences. Sometimes city blocks get leveled; sometimes innocent bystanders get 
  hurt. Your collateral damage effect is an extra benefit—something super-potent 
  you can do with your power. The potency of this isn’t strictly numerical; pick 
  some powerful narrative thing you can do, like affecting everyone in a scene or 
  ignoring all the damage that comes your way in a round. Use the sample charac-
  ters to get ideas for what collateral damage can do (page 26). 
  You can choose to use this effect at any time, but using it comes at a cost: you 
  inflict a situation aspect on the area around you that represents the collateral 
  damage you’ve caused. The GM gets to determine the exact nature of that aspect 
  each time you use it.
  Example: “Obviously,” Tara says, “my collateral damage effect involves 
  doing massive damage to my target.” She decides that the effect 
  causes her target to automatically take a moderate physical conse-
  quence—or, if it’s a nameless NPC, it just gets taken out—probably 
  from being thrown through buildings or something equally painful.
  
  26
  FATE: WORLDS OF ADVENTURE
  SAMPLE CHARACTERS
  Use these partial pregens to get a quick start on the adventure, or just make your 
  own characters according to the rules in Fate Core and in Character Creation and 
  Powers in this book. Each of these characters has some suggested aspects, some 
  suggested skills, and a power or two.
  The Brick
  The brick is big and tough and strong. She can 
  smash through most barriers, turn enemies into 
  red stains, and soak up huge amounts of punish-
  ment with nary a flinch.
  The Brick
  Suggested Aspects: Living Engine of 
  Destruction, Giant with a Gentle Soul, 
  Monstrous Appearance, Shrug It Off, “Time 
  to SMASH!”
  Suggested Peak Skill: Fight or Physique
  Suggested Other Skills: Athletics, Provoke, 
  Will
  Powers
  Powerhouse: You’re inhumanly strong and tough. 
  As long as you’re using brute strength, you get 
  a +4 to Physique rolls and a +2 to Fight rolls. 
  You also get Armor:4 against physical attacks 
  like punches, stabs, gunshots, and getting 
  thrown through buildings.
  Special Effects: Area Attack, Forced Movement, 
  Inflict Condition, Physical Recovery
  Drawback: Destructive Rage
  Collateral Damage Effect: When you choose to 
  inflict collateral damage, you can choose one 
  of the following: take out a nameless NPC 
  (or more than one, if you use Area Attack), 
  inflict a moderate physical consequence on a 
  named NPC, attack all targets in a zone at full 
  strength, or ignore a physical attack entirely. 
  This effect likely occurs because you’re smash-
  ing things or because the area around you gets 
  damaged as you shrug the attack off.
  Costs: 6 stunts
  Stunts Left: 0
  Refresh Left: 3
  
  27
  VENTURE CITY STORIES
  The Psychic
  The psychic has amazing mental powers, both telepathic and telekinetic. He can 
  control and read minds, move objects, and even fly.
  The Psychic
  Suggested Aspects: First Class Telepath, I Know Things, Puppet 
  Master, Can’t Shut the Voices Out, Will of Iron, Heart of Stone
  Suggested Peak Skill: Will
  Suggested Other Skills: Deceive, Empathy, Investigate, Notice, 
  Rapport
  Powers
  Telepathy: You can use Empathy, Investigate, or Notice to glean things 
  from peoples’ minds. For example, you could use Empathy to find 
  out what someone is feeling, Notice to detect the presence of unfamil-
  iar minds, or Investigate to delve into someone’s thoughts. You can 
  also use Will to launch mental attacks. If you take someone out with 
  such an attack, you can either render them comatose or take control 
  of their mind.
  Special Effects: Area Attack, Inflict Condition
  Drawback: Psychic Feedback
  Collateral Damage Effect: If you choose to inflict collateral damage, you 
  can lock down everyone else in a scene, effectively freezing them. They 
  can’t take physical actions, but they can still invoke aspects and per-
  form mental tasks. They can also attempt to break out with an over-
  come action with Will, opposed by your Will. On each of your turns, 
  you must concentrate (using your action) to keep them frozen. The 
  psychic brain-lock will definitely have lasting effects on their brains.
  Costs: 4 stunts
  Telekinesis: You can move physical objects and make attacks with Will 
  as you would with Physique or Fight; you can affect anything within 
  three zones of you. You can also defend against physical attacks with 
  Will by erecting a telekinetic shield. Finally, you can use Will to fly; 
  it works like Athletics, but allows for vertical movement as well as 
  horizontal.
   Special Effects: Extra Movement, Forced Movement
   Drawback: Hard to Control
  Collateral Damage Effect: If you’re willing to deal collateral damage, you 
  can pretty much punch through any barrier or lift any object within 
  reason, or lash out at every target in a zone with a full strength attack.
  Costs: 4 stunts
  Stunts Left: 0
  Refresh Left: 1
  
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  FATE: WORLDS OF ADVENTURE
  The Speedster
  The speedster doesn’t just move fast, she practically flies along the ground. She’s 
  so fast that she can even move across liquids and up vertical surfaces. You don’t 
  want to get into a fistfight with her.
  The Speedster
  Suggested Aspects: Live Fast, Leave a 
  Pretty Corpse; Adrenaline Junkie; 
  Now You See Me . . .; “Hope you can 
  keep up!”; High Risk, High Reward
  Suggested Peak Skill: Athletics
  Suggested Other Skills: Fight, Notice, 
  Physique, Provoke
  Powers
  Super Speed: You can move really fast. 
  You get a +6 bonus to Athletics rolls 
  involving moving quickly, and you can 
  use Athletics to run up walls or across 
  liquids. You also get a +2 to Fight rolls, 
  provided you’re up close and personal 
  and you’re fighting in a situation where 
  superior speed would help you.
  Special 
  Effects: 
  Area 
  Attack, 
  Extra 
  Movement, Lots of Actions (an 
  improved Extra Action: you can split 
  your shifts into up to 3 different 
  actions, adding a +1 to each)
  Drawback: Burn Out
  Collateral Damage Effect: If you’re will-
  ing to tear up the streets—shattering 
  glass, injuring pedestrians, and such—
  you can travel pretty much anywhere 
  in the same city in the span of a single 
  exchange.
  Costs: 5 stunts
  Stunts Left: 1
  Refresh Left: 3
  
  29
  VENTURE CITY STORIES
  The Ghost
  The ghost goes unnoticed. He walks through walls, turns invisible, and can even 
  teleport when she needs to. He’s the ultimate infiltrator.
  The Ghost
  Suggested Aspects: “You won’t see me 
  coming.”, Easily Overlooked, Attachments 
  Are Weaknesses, Troubled Past, Silence Is 
  Golden
  Suggested Peak Skill: Stealth
  Suggested Other Skills: Burglary, Contacts, 
  Deceive, Investigate
  Powers
  Ghost: You can turn invisible, granting you a +6 
  bonus to Stealth rolls to avoid visual notice. 
  You can also use Burglary to walk through 
  walls; the denser the material, the harder it is 
  to walk through.
  Special Effects: Inflict Condition, Physical 
  Recovery
  Drawback: Exhausting
  Collateral Damage Effect: You can teleport to any 
  location you can see or know intimately, but 
  your arrival causes an electrostatic discharge 
  that messes with machines, causing them to 
  go haywire.
  Costs: 4 stunts
  Stunts Left: 2
  Refresh Left: 3
  
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  FATE: WORLDS OF ADVENTURE
  The Flamer
  You like fire. You can make it, control it, 
  even wreathe your body in it. 
  It’s hella fun.
  The Flamer
  Suggested Aspects: Burn Burn BURN!, 
  Hardened by Fire, High Body Count, 
  Simmering Rage, Purifying Flames
  Suggested Peak Skill: Shoot
  Suggested Other Skills: Athletics, Fight, 
  Provoke
  Powers
  Pyrokinesis: You can shoot fire from your 
  hands with Shoot up to 3 zones away. 
  You can also control existing fires with 
  Provoke. Finally, you’re immune to 
  damage from fire or heat.
   Special Effects: Area Attack, Inflict 
  Condition
   Drawback: Uncontrollable
  Collateral Damage Effect: If you’re will-
  ing to burn everything and everyone 
  you touch, you can wreathe yourself 
  in flames for a few minutes. During 
  this time, people who you touch—or 
  touch you—get burned to the tune of a 
  mild physical consequence, and you set 
  things on fire with your mere presence.
  Costs: 3 stunts
  Stunts Left: 3
  Refresh Left: 3
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/FATE (fudge) [multi]/World of Adventure/Venture City Stories.pdf