Special Edition

#6
Dreams & Nightmares
Heroic Moments is the series of single scenes for four-color superheroics games, designed to be
dropped seamlessly into any existing campaign. All Heroic Moments are set in “The City,” a generic
location with many of the same features of any typical comic book setting, a place of action and
adventure where the heroes are strong and noble and the villains are maniacal and damnable.

Background
Annabelle Lee is a twelve-year old girl with a powerful imagination. Her mutant power causes her
dreams to manifest in the real world. For the past few years, these manifestations were minor and
short-lived—a unicorn in the park, Santa Claus flying through a June night sky—flickering briefly into
existence, and then disappearing.

Recently, Annabelle Lee’s power has gotten stronger. With the approach of Halloween she’s been
consuming a steady diet of scary movies and chocolate ice cream every night. The scary films have
empowered her nightmares, which in turn have bolstered her mutant ability. Her mind now produces
strong, long-lasting dream creatures.

On Halloween, Annabelle Lee gorges on candy and soda while watching horror movies from mid-day
to late in the evening. Fueled by sugar, her nightmares are particularly vivid. Just as the last groups
of trick-or-treaters are making their way home, her mind sends four characters right out of the classic
movies—Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, the Wolfman and Mr. Hyde—tearing their way through the
placid neighborhood.

Involving the Heroes

The heroes can become involved in this heroic moment in many ways:
• The heroes could learn through the police scanner that men dressed as classic movie
monsters are terrorizing the suburbs.
• A hero might live near Annabelle Lee in his civilian identity. He hears screams and
investigates.
• A hero sensitive to the dream world or psychic manifestations might “feel” a great eruption of
dangerous mental energy.

An “Ashcan” Supplement for 4C System

By Stefen Styrsky
Line Development by Mark Gedak
Editing & Layout by Daniel M. Perez
4C System developed by Phil Reed & Michael Hammes
 Heroic Moments: Dreams & Nightmares
The Set-up Wolfman is trying to kill us!”
It is Halloween. Trick-or-treating children with their
adult chaperones go from house to house collecting Two glowing orbs-the eyes of
candy. Somewhere in the shadowed streets and some wild beast you realize with
back yards, four horrible creatures stalk the dark: a start-come shooting at you
Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, Wolfman and Mr. out of the darkness. Then there
are claws at your throat.
Hyde. All four, as part of Annabelle’s dreams, are
bent on killing and maiming. As creatures from her
mind, they know the layout of the neighborhood,
the good places to hide, shortcuts through The Layout
backyards, the best trees to climb, etc. Annabelle Lee’s neighborhood is a square 1000
sectors to each side; a field this size can be left
The Heroic Moment vague and detailed as the action dictates. However,
Read the following out loud: if mapping things out is important to you and your
group, assume a block is 300 feet to a side, with
The neighborhood is lively a house simply being a 60-foot square separated
decorated for the holiday. From from adjacent homes by about 20 feet of grass, and
doorsteps leer glowing jack- set back from the road the same distance. Most
o-lanterns, and cardboard
driveways contain cars, and the yards are decorated
skeletons dangle under porch
eaves, dancing on the wind. White
with lawn ornaments (deer, birds, gnomes) and
picket fences, jutting finger attractive shrubbery. It might help to draw an
bones in the moonlight, guard interior map of a typical house on the block in case
lawns against the darkness. the heroes enter one. The streets are 30 feet wide
The wind pushes autumn’s leaves and overhung with large trees that make excellent
along the sidewalk, the sound hiding places and vantage points. Every 40 feet
like rattling footsteps. there is a light pole.
Large overhanging trees turn the
Feel free to place Annabelle’s House wherever you
streets into dark tunnels lit only
where lamplight breaks through
want in the neighborhood. Placing it in the center
the leaves. Their branches sway in is probably the easiest solution, though you could
the breeze, making shadows that move it towards one of the corners in case you
jump and slide as if creatures want to give your players a bit more of a challenge.
barely seen made their way Alternately, Annabelle’s house is where it is most
silently along the streets. dramatic for it to be, according to the actions of
the heroes and how big of a challenge the dream
From somewhere in the distance monsters constitute for the player characters.
come the screams of terrified
children and adults; not the
screams of people enjoying
Although the neighborhood is well lit, the nighttime
a good scare as a costumed conditions still make it hard to see. Unless a hero
neighbor jumps out from behind possesses some super sense that penetrates the
the bushes, but the terrified yells darkness he suffers a -3 Row Step on all Awareness
of those fearing for their lives. rolls to spot hidden or sneaking opponents.

The screams come closer,

growing louder, higher pitched. Object Thrown Damage
One abruptly ends in a yell of Jack-o-lantern 5 + pulpy mess
sudden agony, the howl of a
Mailbox 7
wolf cutting the night air.
Lawn Ornament 8
Running towards you are a boy Light pole 10
and a girl. Both sob and wail. The
girl still clutches a plastic jack- Tree 25
o-lantern, candy spilling out as Car 40
she runs, the boy crying out, “The

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 Heroic Moments: Dreams & Nightmares
The Plan
Without the presence of a true villain this heroic
moment presents a different challenge to the
players. Rather than thwarting some nefarious
scheme the heroes must figure out what’s
happening and how to stop it.
The four threats Annabelle’s mind produces do
nothing but scare anyone on sight, pursuing if
the victim flees. If a monster reaches the range of
Annabelle’s power they instantly disappear. When
one dream vision fades at Annabelle’s range limit
or is “killed,” her mind produces a new creature in
d10 rounds. Roll below to see which one appears
(there can be duplicates of the same monster on
the scene):
Roll Result Monster
1-2 Dracula
3-4 Frankenstein’s Monster
5-6 The Wolfman
7-8 Mr. Hyde
9-10 No Monster (Roll again in d10
rounds.)
The monster manifests 2d10 sectors from
Annabelle’s house in a random direction.
The simplest way to discover the source of the
dream monsters is to lure each one out to the edge
of Annabelle’s range and triangulate the origin
point. Barring that solution the GM might let the
players realize all the creatures to emerge from a
single block and let figure out what house spawns
the monsters.
If you want a “lighter” Heroic Moment, you can
have the monsters attack adults, but only kidnap
children. Even though Annabelle doesn’t get
along with kids her age, her subconscious desires
playmates. The monsters drag children back to her
home so she can have some friends. This will also
make it easier for the heroes to discover the source
of the problem.
Complications
If you want to make your heroes’ job more difficult
consider the following complications to the plot:
• Screaming Children: The neighborhood is
filled with dozens of kids out for candy. Any
number of them can get in the way of the
heroes, preventing them from using area
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attacks or tossing large objects.
• Double Feature: If Annabelle’s dream
creatures are not enough of a challenge have
two appear at the same time, working as a
team to ambush or surround the heroes.
• Gung Ho Parent: An adult, hearing the
screams, has come outside armed with a
shotgun. He shoots at any grown-up “weirdo”
wearing a costume.
• Mutant Hunters: The Guardians of Genetic
Honesty (from Heroic Moments #2: Unregistered
Mutant) have been on Annabelle’s trail for
weeks. Fortunately, they can only track her
when her powers are active. Unfortunately,
tonight is the night they finally locate her. The
heroes must not only save the neighborhood
from the dream creatures, but also battle the
GoGH to save Annabelle’s life.
Aftermath
At the end of this heroic moment, heroes may
gain or lose Fortune based on their actions. Some
sample rewards and penalties are listed below:
• Saving a child from a monster: +5
• Defeating a monster: +5 (maximum of +20)
• Stopping the manifestations with no injury to
Annabelle Lee: +25
• Per bystander hurt: -10
• Per Sector of property destroy: -5
• Failing to discover the source of the monsters:
-30
If the heroes never discover the source of the
monsters, Annabelle wakes up at sunrise and the
creatures disappear and the cycle begins again in
another d10 days, this time with different dream
creatures (supervillains, Martians, historical figures,
or some other inspiration from movies or books).
The heroes will be called in again to save the
neighborhood. Each time they fail, their Fortune
and Repute both suffer a -30 loss and cycle begins
again in another d10 days.
Locating Annabelle Lee is only a temporary
solution. It is easy to wake her up, but unless the
heroes implement a permanent solution, such
as enrolling her in the local school for “gifted”
children, the problem persists. If the heroes can not
figure out what to do with Annabelle Lee, a more
competent hero group takes over at some point, or
the neighbors run Annabelle Lee and her mother
out of the subdivision. In either case the heroes
suffer a -30 loss to their Fortune and Repute.
 Heroic Moments: Dreams & Nightmares
Appendix
Villains & Bystanders
Annabelle Lee
(Mutant, Unknown to Authorities)
M 3, C 5, B 4, F 9, I 15, A 10, W 15
Damage 21; Fortune 40
Powers: Dream Visions (40)
Equipment: None
Skills: B-Movies (I), Fantasy/Sci-Fi Literature (I).
Annabelle Lee is a slight, wisp of child, with red
hair and big, dark green eyes that are extremely
aware of everything happening around her. She
slumps a little, and hides her face behind her
hair.
Annabelle Lee has always possessed an active
imagination, and spends most of her time
alone watching television or reading books.
She has no friends and finds her inner life more
exciting than the real world.
When Annabelle’s powers emerged last year,
her mother was the first to notice strange
things going on in the house. Annabelle’s dolls
talked and moved by themselves; a puppy
suddenly appeared, chased the cat around
the house, then winked out of existence; a
man who looked like Annabelle’s dead father
walked through the living room. Annabelle’s
mother knows the strange events occur when
her daughter is asleep and believes the girl is
possessed. She’s scared what the neighbors
might think and hasn’t asked for help.
Dracula
(Dream Monster)
M 20, C 25, B 45, F 40, I 0, A 0, W 0
Damage 130; Fortune 0
Powers: Shape (10), Fangs (40), Flight (15),
Mindless
Equipment: None
Skills: None
A tall, thin man dressed in a cape a tuxedo. His
pale skin clashes with the black jacket he wears.
His eyes glow red and he exudes an air of cultured
menace.
4
He speaks only to quote lines Annabelle Lee
remembers from Bela Lugosi movies: “I want to
suck your blood!” or “The children of the night,
what music they make!”
This version of Dracula can change into a
bat or a wolf. He uses one of those shapes to
approach the characters if they are suspicious
of his human form.
Animal Shape: Bat
M 3, C 5, B 3, F 3, I 0, A 0, B 0
Damage 14; Fortune 0
Powers: Flight (20), Shrinking (20, always
on), Supersense (10, sonar), Mindless
Animal Shape: Wolf
M 20, C 10, B 10, F 10, I 0, A 0, W 0
Damage 50; Fortune 0
B Claws (20), Supersense (20, scent),
Mindless
Frankenstein’s Monster
(Dream Monster)
M 25, C 8, B 65, F 50, I 0, A 0, W 0
Damage 148; Fortune 0
Powers: Absorption (electricity) (40), Body
Armour (10), Mindless
Equipment: None
Skills: None
A seven-foot human dressed in ill-fitting clothes
stumbles towards you, arms stretched out.
The man’s face is a mish-mash of stitching and
patchwork skin. Around his neck runs a line of
surgical staples that seems to hold his head onto
his neck. He looks at you with glazed, cloudy eyes
and groans.
Frankenstein’s Monster rampages through
the neighborhood, trampling flower beds,
overturning cars, and bashing through walls.
It is easy to outrun, but the heroes will have
to somehow deal with it to stop its wanton
destruction.
 Heroic Moments: Dreams & Nightmares
The Wolfman Skills: Firearms (C), Insurance Sales (I)
(Dream Monster) Equipment: Shotgun (25), bathrobe
M 25, C 30, B 45, F 40, I 0, A 0, W 0
Damage 140; Fortune 0 The local “take-charge” guy. He has no idea
what’s going on except that it just isn’t right
Powers: Alter-Ego, Claws (25), Fangs (25), Fast for adults to run around in costumes, heroes
Attack (10), Mindless or not.
Equipment: None
Skills: None Trick-or-Treaters
(Normal Human, Varies, Bystander)
The beast comes at you on two legs. It has the M 3, C 5, B 4, F 2, I 5, A 5, W 5
head and paws of a wolf but the body of a man. Damage 12; Fortune 15
It lunges at you with sharp claws, its breath
stinking of blood and meat, like an animal fresh Skills: Hiding (C)
from the kill. Equipment: Costumes, candy, flashlights

The Wolfman attacks without hesitation. As a The boys and girls of the neighborhood.
predator it goes after the weakest prey first, They spend their time running around and
selecting children and non-powered humans screaming, getting in the way and tugging at
before attacking the heroes. Sometimes the a hero’s cape.
Wolfman appears as his alter-ego, a man
huddled underneath a tree, weeping for
the gypsy curse that has been placed upon New Powers
him. True to character he warns the heroes
Animal Form
away before changing into the Wolfman and
The character can assume the form of an animal.
attacking.
He must choose the animal when he gains this
power. The number of different animal shapes
Mr. Hyde
he can take on are equal to the Rank Value of
(Dream Monster)
the power divided by 5 (minimum 1). Once
M 20, C 10, B 35, F 30, I 0, A 0, W 0
decided the forms cannot be changed, though
Damage 105; Fortune 0
new ones may be added if the power increases
in Rank Value. The character gains whatever
Powers: Alter-Ego, Mindless, Trait Boost (Brawn
abilities and strengths the animal possesses,
- 40), Trait Boost (Melee – 20)
but his Intellect and Willpower do not change.
Equipment: Walking stick (10)
Skills: none
The size of the animal is limited by the powers
Rank Value. Up to 20 points in the power
A well-dressed gentleman, seemingly plucked
allows the character to assume an animal
from the 19th century, approaches you out of
shape roughly his mass and size or smaller. For
the dark. His walking stick taps the sidewalk
every 20 points beyond the first consult the
in rhythm with his polished shoes. He nods in
following chart to determine the maximum
greeting, tipping his top hat. The gesture distracts
mass of the animal the character can assume
you from the blow he aims at your head with his
(note the smallest size possible is about the
cane.
size of a rat).
Mr. Hyde walks the neighborhood as his alter-
ego, Dr. Jekyll. He uses his dapper dress and 1-20 same or smaller
crisp, proper accent to lure the heroes into 21-40 2x
melee range.
41-60 4x
Gung Ho Parent 61-80 8x
(Normal Human, Unknown, Bystander) 81-100 16x, etc.
M 10, C 10, B 10, F 10, I 9, A 7, W 7
Damage 40; Fortune 23

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 Heroic Moments: Dreams & Nightmares
Dream Visions Mindless
The character can turn imaginary creatures into The character possesses no mind or self-
real, physical beings. A dream vision can not awareness. His Intellect, Awareness and
employ skills or knowledge not possessed by Willpower scores drop to zero. The character
the character. For example, a conjured image looses the ability to act independently and is
of Albert Einstein could not speak German under the control of the GM. Since the character
or discuss the physics of relativity unless the has no mind, he is not subject to control or other
character possessed those skills. However, powers that require an Intellect, Awareness or
powers the character can imagine, such as Willpower roll. All creations of the Dream Vision
flight or regeneration, are easily reproduced power are Mindless.
even if he does not have those powers. A
character can project a dream vision for a
number of rounds equal to the power’s Rank
Value divided by five (minimum 1). The power’s
range is a number of sectors equal to the Rank
Value divided by two (minimum 1). The dream
vision creature possesses traits and powers
whose total Rank Value can not exceed the
Rank Value of the power multiplied by 5. The
character must direct the actions of a dream
creature. This counts as the character’s action
during a round. Dream visions interact with
the world normally in all other ways. Dream
Vision creatures are always Mindless.

Heroic Moments: Dreams & Nightmares, Copyright 2008 Stefen Styrsky, published by Highmoon Media Productions, www.
highmoonmedia.com.
Designation of Product Identity: The following items are hereby designated as Product Identity in accordance with Section
1(e) of the Open Game License, version 1.0a: Highmoon Media Productions name and logo, Heroic Moments, all character
names, their descriptions and likenesses, and all artwork.
Designation of Open Game Content: Subject to the Product Identity designation above, all text in the Appendix is hereby
designated as Open Game Content so that other publishers may make use of it for their 4C System supplemental material.

6
 Heroic Moments: Dreams & Nightmares
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Heroic Moments: Dreams & Nightmares,
Copyright 2008 Stefen Styrsky, published
by Highmoon Media Productions, www.
highmoonmedia.com.