Peril:RPG/Monologue
Monologue!
[edit]Why hit someone when you can explain at length why they are doomed?
Superheroes and supervillains do not merely talk. They Monologue!
A Monologue is a dramatic speech used to threaten, boast, intimidate, inspire, explain a master plan, announce a philosophy, issue a challenge or waste valuable time while everyone else quietly looks for the off switch.
In Peril Patrol, this is an actual form of conflict.
Making a Monologue!
[edit]Roll:
2d6 + Moxie
Add +2 if a relevant Talent applies.
The target resists with whichever Attribute makes more sense:
Moxie to stand firm against the speech, or Brains to recognize bluster, contradictions and obvious nonsense.
The higher total wins.
If the speaker wins, choose or describe an effect that fits the speech.
Monologue Effects
[edit]A successful Monologue should alter what someone does next rather than simply cause abstract damage.
Boggle
[edit]The target is momentarily stunned by the sheer force, stupidity or magnificence of the speech and loses their next useful action.
Intimidate
[edit]The target backs off, takes cover, hesitates or becomes reluctant to press the attack.
Terrify
[edit]The target runs away screaming, hides or otherwise abandons dignity.
This is a perfectly respectable response to a sufficiently good Monologue.
Overawe
[edit]The target stands there listening instead of doing something useful. This is especially popular with villains who have prepared several minutes of material and intend to use all of it.
Demoralize
[edit]The target takes –1 on their next roll after being thoroughly discouraged, insulted or verbally dismantled.
Command
[edit]A susceptible Goon, bystander or supporting character obeys a short immediate order.
This does not create permanent mind control. It means the speaker sounded convincing enough for somebody to do something before reconsidering.
Impress
[edit]The speaker wins over a crowd, reporter, fan, guard or other easily impressed observer. The effect lasts as long as seems dramatically useful.
Natural 12
[edit]A natural 12 on a Monologue is a spectacular success. The speaker completely owns the room.
A crowd may erupt in applause, a Goon Mob may surrender, a hero may suddenly reconsider the wisdom of fighting this person, or a villain may hesitate long enough for the heroes to seize an opportunity.
The effect should be bigger than the ordinary result, but it should still fit the speech and the situation.
Natural 2
[edit]A natural 2 means the speaker has said far too much.
Possible consequences include revealing the plan, exposing a Stupid Weakness, announcing the timetable, identifying the escape route, contradicting an earlier lie, insulting an ally, frightening the speaker's own Goons or accidentally inspiring the opposition.
The important part is that the speech backfires in a way that creates useful trouble.
The First Villain Monologue Is Free
[edit]Every important villain gets one proper Monologue before the heroes simply attack.
This is comic-book courtesy.
The heroes may whisper, exchange worried looks, prepare equipment, edge toward the exits, hide behind furniture or quietly inspect nearby control panels while the villain talks. What they should not do is immediately interrupt before the audience has learned what the villain actually wants.
The villain should usually get enough time to explain the essential parts of the scheme: what is happening, why it is happening, why everyone else is a fool and why stopping it is supposedly impossible.
Once the important information is out:
all bets are off.
A good villain does not merely threaten Skyscraper City. A good villain explains the reasoning, the grievance, the machinery, the timetable, the philosophical implications and why the heroes are too stupid to appreciate any of it. This is often how the heroes discover how to stop them.
Villains Explain Too Much
[edit]The longer a villain talks, the more likely useful information should leak out. A Monologue may reveal:
- what the machine does;
- where the controls are;
- how long until activation;
- what the villain is afraid of;
- which Goon is unhappy;
- what the escape plan is;
- why the giant lobster is here;
- or some entirely separate part of the scheme nobody asked about.
The Editor should treat excessive villain confidence as an opportunity, not a barrier.
Counter-Monologue!
[edit]A character may answer a Monologue with another Monologue.
Both sides roll 2d6 + Moxie, adding any relevant Talent. The higher total controls the emotional tone of the scene.
This might be a heroic speech answering a villain's threat, two supervillains competing over who has the superior master plan, or The Cavalier refusing to let anyone else have the last word.
A successful Counter-Monologue may cancel the original effect or replace it with one of its own.
This can continue as long as it remains funny.
Groups and Crowds
[edit]One Monologue can affect an entire group if the speech is clearly directed at them.
A crowd of civilians, reporters or Goons does not need individual resistance rolls. Treat the group as one target and choose a reasonable Moxie or Brains score for them.
Named characters should resist individually when it matters.
Monologues and Goons
[edit]Goons are particularly vulnerable to rhetoric because they already have doubts about management.
A good Monologue can make Goons hesitate, surrender, question orders or suddenly remember workplace policy. A villain's bad Monologue may produce the same result for entirely different reasons.
If a hero tells the Masked Science Goons that the death ray violates three obvious safety regulations, this is absolutely a valid Monologue.
Monologues and Running Gags
[edit]A Monologue may naturally trigger a Running Gag.
The Cavalier might seize an opportunity for an unnecessarily grand speech because cameras are present. Mastermind may refuse to admit that his earlier explanation was wrong. Dr. Quake may abandon a perfectly good threat because someone called him Kwak.
If the Running Gag creates a genuine complication, award a Kaboom as normal.
Monologues Are Not Mind Control
[edit]A Monologue can make someone hesitate, panic, listen or obey a simple immediate instruction, but it does not rewrite personalities or force important characters to act completely against themselves.
The effect should be dramatic, temporary and appropriate to the scene.
If a speech would permanently solve the entire issue, it is probably too much.
On the other hand, talking a room full of nervous Goons into walking out the door is exactly the sort of thing Monologue! is for.
Keep It Short Enough to Live
[edit]The character may deliver as much of the speech as the player enjoys performing, but nobody is required to improvise five uninterrupted minutes of dialogue to use the rule.
A sentence or two is enough to establish what the character is trying to accomplish.
Players who want to go bigger are encouraged to do so.
The Editor may regret encouraging this.
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