Here is an expansion of the villains featured in the artwork for your Victorious RPG & The Belle Époque Role Playing Game campaign, complete with stats and expanded lore.
The Clockwork Cabal: Masters of Mechanized Malice
The Clockwork Cabal is a rising threat to the British Empire and the world, combining cutting-edge (and often illegal) mechanical science with arcane clockwork magic. Their ultimate goal is to replace the chaotic biological world with a perfectly ordered, mechanized one, ruled by pure logic and steam-powered might.
1. Baron Von Klockwerk (Group Leader)
"The Future is not written in ink, but etched in brass."
Baron Von Klockwerk is the brilliant, ruthless mastermind and inventor of the group. His body is almost entirely encased in a heavy, steam-powered battlesuit, giving him immense strength and resilience.
Character Stats
| Attribute | Value |
| Strength | 10 (Massive) |
| Dexterity | 4 (Average) |
| Intelligence | 10 (Genius) |
| Wits | 8 (Sharp) |
| Stamina | 8 (Tough) |
| Charisma | 6 (Persuasive) |
Powers & Equipment
Clockwork Battlesuit: Grants Armor 6 (Impervious to normal weaponry). Also provides Massive Strength (10), allowing him to lift small carriages or punch through brick walls.
Aetheric Scepter: This ornate staff is his power focus. It can fire bolts of crackling electricity: Energy Blast (7), Area of Effect (Small), Electrical.
Internal Gyro-Stabilizers: Toughness (8) against Stun or Knockback effects.
Expanded Lore & Tactics
Vulnerability: The Battlesuit requires significant steam pressure. A well-aimed attack at an external valve (Treat as AC 16 localized hit) could disable his mobility and reduce his Armor to 4 for one turn.
Signature Move: The "Temporal Shockwave" - He slams his scepter down, unleashing an electrical pulse in a wide area, designed to momentarily stun all opponents before his Clockwork Automatons move in.
2. Lady Ironheart (The Assassin & Strategist)
"A good engine never wastes a movement, nor shall I."
A former socialite who fell in love with Von Klockwerk's vision of order. She is surgically enhanced, possessing incredible speed, reflex, and dangerous clockwork weaponry.
Character Stats
| Attribute | Value |
| Strength | 5 (Good) |
| Dexterity | 9 (Superb) |
| Intelligence | 7 (High) |
| Wits | 9 (Sharp) |
| Stamina | 6 (Good) |
| Charisma | 7 (Persuasive) |
Powers & Equipment
Whip of the Cog-King: A clockwork-articulated, brass-tipped whip. Melee Damage (6), Reach (10 feet), Entangling.
Clockwork Enhanced Reflexes: Grants Speed 2 (can move 30 mph), and a +4 bonus on all initiative rolls.
Hidden Mechanisms: Has hidden blades and gas canisters in her corset and gloves. Poison/Stun Attack (5), Close Range.
Expanded Lore & Tactics
Combat Role: She is the Cabal’s primary duelist and infiltrator, preferring to disable key heroes or objects with precise strikes rather than brute force.
Motivation: She is fiercely loyal to the Baron, seeing him as the only one capable of bringing true peace through mechanical perfection.
3. Professor Alistair Finch (The Social Engineer)
"One need not build a better world if one can simply manipulate the old one."
Finch is the Cabal's face and voice—a wealthy, seemingly innocuous industrialist who handles the logistics, funding, and public relations, using his vast social network to gather intelligence and secure resources.
Character Stats
| Attribute | Value |
| Strength | 3 (Weak) |
| Dexterity | 4 (Average) |
| Intelligence | 9 (High) |
| Wits | 9 (Sharp) |
| Stamina | 4 (Average) |
| Charisma | 9 (Magnetic) |
Powers & Equipment
Vast Wealth & Influence: Resources 5. Can instantly call upon financial, legal, and political support (often corrupt).
Master of Disguise & Deception: Wits/Charisma Check (18) to successfully impersonate a known official or avoid detection in high society.
Retainers & Bodyguards: He is always accompanied by at least two highly trained, non-powered personal guards (use standard Thug stats from the rulebook).
Expanded Lore & Tactics
Vulnerability: He is a physical coward. A direct, intimidating confrontation will often cause him to betray his allies or reveal secrets to save his own skin.
Lair: His primary 'lair' is his exclusive London club, The Cog & Compass, which is filled with hidden passages, secure vaults, and highly sophisticated bugging devices.
4. The Grinder (The Brute)
"Rrrrr... Obey the Gears."
A massive individual whose lungs and vocal cords have been damaged, requiring a respirator mask. He is a steam-powered powerhouse, utilizing heavy, industrial-grade weaponry.
Character Stats
| Attribute | Value |
| Strength | 8 (Great) |
| Dexterity | 5 (Good) |
| Intelligence | 3 (Simple) |
| Wits | 4 (Average) |
| Stamina | 9 (Very Tough) |
| Charisma | 2 (Intimidating) |
Powers & Equipment
Steam-Cannon: A terrifying, multi-barreled weapon that fires high-velocity brass slugs. Ranged Damage (8), Area of Effect (Small), Slow to Reload (requires one full round after 3 shots).
Reinforced Limbs: Grants Armor 4 (Heavy Padding) and Toughness (6) against Stun.
Fear Factor: His appearance and raspy breathing are highly disturbing. Grants an Intimidation (3) bonus.
Expanded Lore & Tactics
Combat Role: Pure destruction and crowd control. The Grinder is deployed when maximum property damage and fear are required.
Weakness: His armor's steam-exhaust ports vent scalding steam every few rounds. If a hero can force him to exert himself rapidly, he risks overheating and taking Stun damage.
5. Clockwork Automatons (Minions)
These are the Cabal’s foot soldiers, small, agile, and numerous.
Basic Stats (Per Automaton)
| Attribute | Value |
| Strength | 4 (Average) |
| Dexterity | 6 (Good) |
| Intelligence | 1 (Non-Sentient) |
| Wits | 4 (Programmed) |
| Stamina | 4 (Clockwork) |
| Charisma | 1 (None) |
Powers & Equipment
Bronze Shell: Grants Armor 2.
Claws and Fangs: Melee Damage (4).
Hive Mind Directive: They follow orders flawlessly. Immunity to Fear, Stunning, and Charm effects.
Expanded Lore & Tactics
Numbers: They are almost always deployed in Swarms (4-6).
Weakness: They are vulnerable to electrical attacks, taking +2 damage from any electrical power or weapon.
The Aetheric Train Heist
The Plot Hook
The heroes are called upon by Scotland Yard or perhaps by Her Majesty's Ministry of Wonders concerning a highly unusual and daring crime: the theft of the Crown's Aetheric Resonator.
This device, a prototype capable of drawing pure energy from the atmosphere, was being transported under heavy guard via the new, cutting-edge London-Edinburgh Express line. Halfway through the journey, the train was assaulted and the device vanished, leaving behind only strange mechanical debris and a haunting trail of victims.
Key Characters & Locations
The Victim: The train itself and the Ministry Guards (who are injured, but can provide testimony).
The Target: The Aetheric Resonator (an artifact capable of powering Baron Von Klockwerk's larger schemes).
The Scene: The partially wrecked train cars, currently held at a remote railway depot (e.g., in the fog-shrouded Midlands).
The Three Stages of Investigation
Stage 1: The Wreckage and the Witnesses (Intelligence Gathering)
Examine the Train: The heroes discover that the train cars were not breached by simple explosives, but by a powerful, localized cutting tool (Baron Von Klockwerk’s technology). They find remnants of bronze plating and complex cogs—the calling cards of the Cabal’s Clockwork Automatons.
Interview the Survivors: Guards report being overwhelmed by "little brass devils" and a monstrous man (The Grinder) who used a massive, loud gun. A frightened clerk mentions seeing a tall gentleman in a golden battlesuit wielding a shocking staff (Baron Von Klockwerk).
The Clue: The most important clue is a small, ornate brass insignia found near the breach point, bearing the stylized emblem of a clock face overlaying a compass—the symbol of The Cog & Compass Club (Professor Finch's lair).
Stage 2: Infiltration of High Society (Social Engineering/Stealth)
Locate Finch: The heroes trace the insignia to Professor Alistair Finch's exclusive club in London. This stage requires the heroes to use their Charisma, Stealth, or Wits to gain entry (perhaps posing as wealthy industrialists, foreign dignitaries, or members of the club staff).
Discover the Plan: While inside the club, the heroes must navigate the social gathering and security to access Finch's private study or ledgers. They discover that Finch secured a temporary, abandoned airship hangar near the docks under a false company name, suggesting the device was taken there. They also find a cryptic note hinting that Lady Ironheart oversaw the retrieval and storage of the device.
Stage 3: The Clockwork Confrontation (Action)
Assault the Hangar: The heroes arrive at the dilapidated airship hangar. The building is guarded by a Swarms of Clockwork Automatons.
The Main Event: Inside, Lady Ironheart is supervising The Grinder and several Automatons as they prepare the Aetheric Resonator for transport by a waiting airship (the one seen in the artwork!).
The Confrontation: The heroes must defeat Lady Ironheart and The Grinder, and secure the Resonator before the airship can lift off. If the heroes fail to stop the lift-off, they face a thrilling chase across the London skyline!
Next Steps
If you successfully recover the Resonator, the heroes will have thwarted the Cabal's immediate goal, but the main villains (Baron Von Klockwerk and Professor Finch) will escape, becoming recurring antagonists!
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