10 in Ten - the Magical Edition

While going through the ShadowGrid forums, poster Pariah3J asked for some ideas for magic-based runs. Mr. Black threw some together very quickly and then thought,"Hmm, this could be a good for a series of regular columns." So he did one. The idea is 10 run ideas in a very quick format, no stats or numbers, just enough to get a GM going, and easy to drop into a game. So here is the first one. And thanks Pariah3J, for the push.

1. The Mage’s Talismonger is having trouble getting supplies. He asks the Mage if he and his “friends” would mind riding shotgun on a smuggling transfer of much-needed reagents, telesma and such over on the Seattle-Salish border. Magical eco-terrorists/NAN Rangers decide to stop the transfer, and shenanigans ensue.
2. A scholarly mage desires to recover reagents for study from a location full of magical badness such as a mass murder site or some other nasty event leaving an astral scar. He wants the Crew to protect him while doing this. He is a scholar, not a fighter, and somewhat absent minded (or is he?!?). Spirits show up and shenanigans ensue.
3. Lou (or Selena) of Lou’s Tattoos in Downtown Seattle needs a certain telesma for his magical tattoo ink. He contacts the Crew to get him some. It involves gathering a particular type of kelp out in Puget Sound. The area, close to NAN lands, is home to water spirits, selkies and other magical water creatures, not to mention other kelp gatherers and corporate goons looking for the same/hunting the gatherers, and ever-present danger of Salish Coast Patrol boats.
4. Someone or something is haunting/disrupting the 5^th Avenue Theatre’s production of “Waiting for Jet Black”, and it is definitely magical in nature. The Crew is hired to find out what is going on and end it. Tracking magical auras and astral signatures of spell aftermaths. Is it (once again) spirits? Is it a disgruntled mage? Is it an insurance scam? A magical gang looking for shakedown money? A producer looking for free publicity? The Crew will have to work quickly to find out, as the curtain goes up in just four days, and famous actor Bywythe Merriweather is making his Seattle premier…
5. A friend of a friend has a problem. Her dairy farm in Snohomish is having strange problems with the cows. They are not giving any milk, and the vet can’t find a reason. The farmer’s daughter (she’s 8, get your mind out of the gutter!) has been talking to her imaginary friends in the woods though. Is there something to it? Spirits? Or maybe some Fae/pixies have taken up house nearby. Can the Mage negotiate a truce? Not much of a payday, unless you like fresh milk and cookies.
6. Mr. Johnson calls. He is trying a power play at his Corp and wants a rival’s artwork stolen. However the piece in question is magical. And it will take a Mage with forgery and artisan skills to leave a duplicate. Or not. Perhaps the Crew will keep the piece; it is worth quite a bit (like more than YOU will pay them in a year). If they do, others will want it. Now they have a vindictive Mr. Johnson, a vindictive victim, and several opposing Crews after them, not including the Corp and various OCO’s looking for their cut (their cut being all of it unless the Crew has very good connections in the OCO, it which case it is 60%).
7. There is something on the loose down in the sewers-a Protean is loose, and someone with Astral Perception is needed to hunt it. A city official (cop, government worker, politician, garbage man, etc,) is calling in a favor, before word gets out of a shape-changing magical serial killer that strikes out of the toilet gets around. Trudging through narrow, water- (and diseased)-filled tunnels single-file in the pitch-dark should be good for a laugh. Throw in the fact that the Crew can’t trust their eyes down there and shenanigans should ensue. Think John Carpenter’s The Thing in sewers rather than the snow.
8. Not quite ready for the above? Try it with Firedrakes, Afancs, Incubui, Icedrakes, or any other beastie you like. Perhaps a tribe of murderous Troglodytes. (Hmm, a huge tribe of white-skinned murderous freaks striking from the shadows with rocks and sewer-covered sharpened pieces of rusty metal should be huge fun. Umm, stealing my own idea right now, will be back in a minute.) NERPS! GET YOUR NERPS! (Okay, back!) Astral Perception should be a huge asset down in those twisting passageways. And feel free to use any beastie from outside their normal range. Finding out why they are in the Seattle sewers should lead to new adventures.
9. Something is going wrong at the Space Needle’s observation deck. Instead of inspiring awe, it seems to be inspiring dread. Despite their precautions, several people have committed suicide this week, and dozens have been wrestled down off the safety fences. Is it a spirit? A specter? A mage causing fear? The crew will need to investigate. And what kind of shenanigans can ensue 185 meters up with a fear-causing entity? The kind that need a parachute or Levitation to survive…
10. Someone is playing tricks in the Seattle Art Museum. Several accidents have taken place and between broken pieces and broken bodies their Chief Security Officer is concerned. Enter the Crew. Tracking astral signatures for a week while dodging patrons, scared guards and the Ghost Haunters™ trideo show crew (The CSO didn’t have it her own way; the Media Relation officer saw an opportunity for free advertising…) should make for some good role-playing times. Throw in a fatal accident and shenanigans should ensue. It may well be a spirit or some other human agency, but Blackberry Cats have Accident powers too. Maybe the Crew will need to bring a saucer of milk to lay this beast?