Shadows Over Neonheim

A monstrous secret stalks the city beneath a veneer of neon glamour.

In Neonheim, where magic and technology intertwine, a shadowy creature haunts the glitzy urban landscape. The city's officials offer a substantial reward for any who can stop the menace. Players must unravel the mystery behind the attacks, navigating a maze of regulated magic, high-tech surveillance, and living advertisements. As the creature’s presence grows bolder, they discover an ancient evil harnessing future tech to terrorize the populace. With only 72 hours before a major citywide event exacerbates the threat, time is of the essence for the players.

The World

Context

Neonheim is a sprawling metropolis where commonplace magic is tightly controlled and regulated through a network of spell-tech, combining futurism with arcane elements. Humans and dwarves coexist, laboring under corporate efficiency and magical insight. Despite its shimmering cityscape, tensions run high with brewing conflicts over magic control, providing fertile ground for the lurking monster.

Concept

Fusion of spell-tech governs Neonheim, blending magic with technology seamlessly in urban life.

Impact

Spell-tech enhances everyday tasks while allowing corporations to exploit regulated magic, leading to social tensions.

The Plot

Summary

The players are drawn to Neonheim by the promise of a reward for ending a series of vicious attacks by an unknown creature. Delving into the city’s layers, from its holographic billboards to its arcane-infused subways, they uncover clues pointing to a powerful entity using spell-tech corruption. As a high-stakes tech trade exhibition approaches, the creature's activity intensifies, threatening public safety and market stability. Players must navigate corporate interests, magical limitations, and urban dangers to confront an antagonist that manipulates magic through technology. Their mission is complicated by false leads and time running out. Unmasking the creature involves delving into its connection with the city’s spell-tech foundation, revealing societal vulnerabilities and corporate secrets.

Complication

The creature isn’t a natural predator but someone’s controlled experiment gone awry.

Hook

Prize offered for solving a series of unprovoked creature attacks.

World stakes

The creature will strike during a major public event, causing chaos.

Personal stakes

Players risk blame for the creature attacks if they fail.

The Acts

Act 1

Summary:

The players arrive in Neonheim amidst high tension due to recent attacks. They gather initial information while exploring key districts illuminated by neon and spell-tech. Surrounded by illusionary adverts and spell-nets, they maintain low profiles to avoid trouble. During their investigation, they find leads suggesting something more sinister than a mere predator. Conflicts with spell-tech regulators pose immediate challenges, and discovering a crucial piece of malfunctioning tech hints at the creature being linked to spell-tech hacking.

Location:

Neonheim's Central District, bustling with holographic and magical advertisements.

Challenge:

Tracking the creature amidst distortion from magical interference.

Objective:

Learn about the creature's attacks and potential weaknesses.

Set Back:

A regulator impounds the players' spell equipment.

Revelation:

Creature linked to spell-tech anomalies.

GM's Guide:

Focus on immersive urban details and spell-tech's oppressive nature. Encourage player creativity in navigating the city with its holographic distractions and magical surveillance. Maintain urgency, but allow time for gathering varied clues from NPCs. Use NPC interactions to hint at the regulated magic's dual-use opportunities without info-dumping.

GM's Move:

Players face increased resistance from spell-tech regulators.

Act 2

Summary:

The players dig deeper into the mystery by infiltrating a high-security corp-tech lab, believed to be hiding the truth behind the creature. Using both stealth and their understanding of magic, they wrestle with defense mechanisms blending tech surveillance and arcane wards. As they uncover data logs and experiment results, foes within the company cover their tracks, leading to misleading evidence that turns public suspicion towards the players. The act ends with a pivotal escape from corporate enforcers, pointing towards a secret underground site.

Location:

Corporation Lab, a fortress of spell-tech innovation and caution.

Challenge:

Avoiding detection while gathering secure information.

Objective:

Uncover critical clues linking the creature to the corporation.

Set Back:

Mistaken evidence implicates players in the creature's creation.

Revelation:

Lab files suggest illegal spell-tech syntheses.

GM's Guide:

Create tension with competing clocks: stealth vs. discovery. Give players space to explore technology that is eerily alive and aware. Be prepared for different infiltration methods and provide partial rewards for attempts at creativity.

GM's Move:

Players become publicly wanted for corporate espionage.

Act 3

Summary:

In the climactic act, players must clear their names and stop the creature before the city expo. They identify the underground lab beneath the city as the creature's hive and true source of the corrupted spell-tech. Battling through spells turned rogue, they confront the creature's tragic origin: an AI imbued with magical consciousness. By either pacifying or eliminating the true threat, they protect Neonheim from utter disaster.

Location:

Underground Lab, revealing cobbled spell-tech creations.

Challenge:

Neutralizing defenses that react unpredictably to magic.

Objective:

Defeat or neutralize the creature before the expo.

Set Back:

Unexpected interference from rival magic-tech factions.

Revelation:

AI-driven creature manipulated through spell-tech faults.

GM's Guide:

Render a vivid contrast of the sleek expo preparations against the chaotic underground lab. Encourage actions that combine magic and tech innovatively. Tie the personal elements of blame and redemption to player choices.

GM's Move:

The creature begins leveraging the expo’s spell-tech.

Climax:

Players dispel or recalibrate the corrupted spell-tech, averting mass panic.