Allied Heroes

[Twilight]

Ok, we've covered Golden Age in general, the arch Nazi nemesis Professor Peril and his Household of Destruction, now I think it's time to dwell on some Allied heroes for my PC's to eventually encounter. After all, we don't want them to think the American Contingent [which is them] is fighting this by themselves. :)

Now Mexico of course is already being defended by the Mighty El Santo, and I pause to thank The Great Book of Real Heroes for providing an excellent write up of him, and I have an idea for two superheroes out of Canada.

These two Canadian stalwarts are The Mountie and the Ancient Mariner. The Mountie, who will probably use his real name, is obviously a Mountie but a VERY capable one. He's basically Batman with a better attitude and a snazzy uniform. ^_^

The Ancient Mariner is just what his name suggests, a mariner who's really REALLY old. Immortal in fact. He's been around since Canada was first settled by the British and rumour has it he fought the Vikings when they invaded England. Anyway, that's in the past and today he's a proud Canadian and living in Newfoundland. He has a strong Newfoundlander accent [Distinctive Feature; Concealable with effort; always noticed]. He rides around in a golden sailboat, called a dory, that not only sails fine in any weather but can fly!

If you have any other ideas for these fine people, or suggestions for other Allied Superheroes in World War 2. Feel free to comment.

[Captain Obvious]

Well, to start with pure thievery, I'd say grab all those guys from Golden Age Champions...Major Glory, Minuteman, etc etc. A couple of the guys from Red Doom would fit into a Golden Age campaign (Colonel Vasalov was a Lt Col by war's end...General Mayhem's origin takes place in 1941). Several characters from the Blood and Dr McQuark fought in WWII (Blade Carstairs met Brynhild Carstairs nee Gunther on the battlefield). There's probably tons more canonical NPCs out there....

I'd say some sort of super-spy would be a good Brit character. Arm him with ultra-high-tech weapons and equipment (Goggles that allow one to see by starlight? Bullet-proof cloth? That's impossible!) and give him tons of PRE skills...essentially a Golden Age James Bond.

Not much coming to mind right away. Obviously, you can take any warrior-type emblematic of the country in question and play on stereotypes to make a flagsuit. Any regular type super you can come up with can be given a name in the language of the country to make him fit (look at La Panthere, Feur, Perestroika, etc etc)....

[Hermit]

Some ideas for some Golden Age Brit heroes....

Mister Fog- He prowls the streets of London, a figure that seems to call the city's legendary fog to him with but a tip of the hat. This masked adventurer has a dubious reputation, as he's been suspected as having something to do with the disapearance of more than one respected citizen. The truth of the matter is Mister Fog sees it as his task to root out Nazi spies, no matter how highly placed their false face is. Imagine the Shadow done London style.

Bran- Hailing from Cornwall, a land of Giants, Bran is a brick who can assume huge sizes. He claims to be the ghost (despite being quite solid) of one of the 'First people' of Brittania, and sworn to stand vigil over it. He sometimes refers to himself as 'Blessed'.

Sky Knight- A former RAF pilot, who has been given a Rocketeer like device... and now uses it to fight the Blitzkrieg. Perhaps the device is expermental work done by fine English Engineers, or maybe, it was stolen from the Nazi's. It's on a need to know basis, and you don't need to.

Jewel- A mysteriously crowned (More of a coronet) lady who seems to stand for the royal heritage of the land. Jewel wields a powerful 'sceptre of justice' that she uses to smite nazis and deflect bullets. She bends knee only to his and her Majesty. Her name comes from declaring herself "Just one small jewel in the crown of England".

[Twilight]

Ooooooooooo some good choices there Hermit, I especially liked Mr. Fog and Sky Knight. Some very evocative characters there.

Hmmm, perhaps Mr. Fog battles supernatural types as well? Any sort of threat to England being one he must fight and all that?

[Hermit]

Originally posted by Twilight
Ooooooooooo some good choices there Hermit, I especially liked Mr. Fog and Sky Knight. Some very evocative characters there.

Hmmm, perhaps Mr. Fog battles supernatural types as well? Any sort of threat to England being one he must fight and all that?
Glad you liked :)
Sure, that would be cool. I'm just chucking ideas out there. Feel free to adapt them.
Maybe we can get a British poster's opinion? I always worry I'm butchering some culture when I do this stuff :)

[Kevin Scrivner]

Some of my favorite Golden Age creations:

The Crimson Cavalier -- A swashbuckling has-been movie star who has gotten a little too involved in his former roles. He's an excellent swordsman and acrobat, however; his trick cape enables him to glide, and his doublet is armored. Imagine Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., battling spies and saboteurs in 17th Century garb.

Macabbeus -- A Jewish brick, literally a modern Sampson, who could lose his tremendous strength if he breaks his ultra-Orthodox vows. Naturally, he's not too fond of the Nazis.

The Masked Mewler -- A private detective who successfully hunted down an eerie urban legend slayer, then took on his persona to scare the bejabbers out of criminals. When he was killed, his partner took his place. The police aren't sure whether the Mewler exists or not, and the crooks haven't figured out that they've been stalked by more than one man.

Hope these help. I'll let you assign nationalities as you desire.

[winterhawk]

Originally posted by Twilight
Now Mexico of course is already being defended by the Mighty El Santo, and I pause to thank The Great Book of Real Heroes for providing an excellent write up of him...

El Santo must have the Disad Social Limitation: Subject to Orders from the Wrestling Federation. If you've never seen an El Santo film, there were always two or three versions of this line in the movie..."Of course I will help you defeat the Aztec Mummy, but first I have a wrestling match!

[Twilight]

Originally posted by winterhawk
El Santo must have the Disad Social Limitation: Subject to Orders from the Wrestling Federation. If you've never seen an El Santo film, there were always two or three versions of this line in the movie..."Of course I will help you defeat the Aztec Mummy, but first I have a wrestling match!


Gotcha, thanks for the tip. Would the wrestling federation be willing to be lenient with El Santo's schedule during global emergencies?

[wcw43921]

I don't have a Hero write-up for this one, but feel free to use the concept--

Colonel Sterling of the RAF--The Royal Air Force's leading fighter ace, he flies a sterling-silver Spitfire (actually an experimental radar-reflective material) into battle against the Luftwaffe and behind enemy lines on sabotage missions. In his true identity as Lt. Humphrey Bellows, he is assigned to the RAF Home Office and considered something of a "spoiled playboy." His secret is known only to the Minister Of Defence and Winston Churchill himself. Unbeknownst to him, his girlfriend before the war, the German avaitrix Frieda Zalmach, is his arch-enemy Baroness Valkyrie.

How's that for Golden Age goodness?

[Twilight]

That's awesome Golden Age goodness wcw-whatever that number was! :D

[Hermit]

The Russians golden age...

Manefiesto - The mentalist of the Russian super force, often spouting the words of Marx, Lenin, and of course, Stalin. His chief power is mind control, which he uses to ensure the loyality of his fellow countrymen to the cause.

Red Winter - An icy warrior who somehow survived a frozen death while facing the Nazi's.. he was revived by the best scientists of the motherland. They discovered he and the Russian Winter had somehow become one!

Man of Iron Thus named because Stalin would not allow another 'man of steel', the Man of Iron can transform himself into a towering colosus (no relation) of metal. His strength is amazing, though he has his doubts about his courage. His origin is hard to believe... after fleeing a battle (he was lucky he was not shot for doing so)... he stumbled lost into the hut of an old woman who kept threatening to eat him. Intrigued by his claims of cowardice, she paused, and asked him what he wanted? "I wish I were made of sterner stuff, so I might aid my comrades." With a cackle, the woman legends call 'Baba Yaga' both spared him, and granted his wish.

[RevHooligan]

Don't forget the scourge of occupying Nazis and Vichy collaborators, Le Chevalier Noir! Many have fallen or fled from his spectoral form and burning blade!

And of couse, Hammer Sullivan- the toughest man in Liverpool. A man so tough, he once knocked out Death himself when he came calling. Immortal, indestructable, invincible! He showed the Hun what for in 1918 and he's prepared to do it again!

[Twilight]

Now that I like RevHooligan. Hammer Sullivan definetly has a place amongst the roster of Golden Age stalwarts in my campaign. Simply because he's wicked cool, as is any fellow who KO's the Grim Reaper. :D

[Blue]

The French Resistance (forgive my inaccurate pigeon-french). These three might actually make a decent super-team:

Le Chevalier (The Knight) - This guy would have a real struggle. He would be trying to adhere to a moral high ground and old-world standards of combat in the new age of tanks and murderous nazis.

Madame Liberte' (Lady Liberty) - It can be said that she was long ago the model for the statue that was a gift to america. She's long been thought a legend, but in this time of war she has come back to embody the spirit of the land, with her torch of truth that burns away tyranny.

L'Esprit (The Spirit) - A spirit that has served French kings for centuries, he has been summoned in the past to kill enemies and advise rulers. Now he has been called from the beyond to protect France. Charles DeGaulle, French Prime Minister, hears of the tale and summons the spirit, but in order to act in the physical world, it must possess the body of an heir to the long ago overthrown monarchy. And so a normal man whose family was hidden away during the French revolution to spare them the guillotine, and who doesn't even know of his lineage, suddenly finds himself possessed and with powers he never expected.

Hey, that last one's pretty good. I'm gonna have to copy these down :)

(I had to try so hard not to make characters like "surrender man" and his sidekick "cheese eatin' surrender monkey". Oops. So much for willpower.)

[altamaros]

Originally posted by Blue
L'Esprit (The Spirit) - A spirit that has served French kings for centuries, he has been summoned in the past to kill enemies and advise rulers. Now he has been called from the beyond to protect France. Charles DeGaulle, French Prime Minister, hears of the tale and summons the spirit, but in order to act in the physical world, it must possess the body of an heir to the long ago overthrown monarchy. And so a normal man whose family was hidden away during the French revolution to spare them the guillotine, and who doesn't even know of his lineage, suddenly finds himself possessed and with powers he never expected.

Hey, that last one's pretty good. I'm gonna have to copy these down :)
It's weird because one of my first write-ups on Hero System took exactly the same idea for a european character. He was danish could multiform to the physical manifestation of Ogier the Dane, protector of the Danmark. (Ogier the Dane is a ancient paladin from the years 800; he is supposed to sleep under the castle of Kronberg in Danemark and wakes up when the Danemark is threatened). The character was in the current time (1994) but his grandfather was the inheritor of the mantle during the WWII.

but the characters from the french Resistance should be "sneaky" or at least discrete rather than flashy. hostages and executions were common after acts from the Resistance.
So they might not like publicity.


(I had to try so hard not to make characters like "surrender man" and his sidekick "cheese eatin' surrender monkey". Oops. So much for willpower.) thanks to you for not do it ;)
and don't worry for your french it's very good

[Blue]

Just goes to show you that there's nothing new under the sun! It's all been done before by someone.

Thanks. It's been a very long time since my one year of French class.

[MilkmanDan]

Originally posted by Twilight
Ooooooooooo some good choices there Hermit, I especially liked Mr. Fog and Sky Knight. Some very evocative characters there.

Hmmm, perhaps Mr. Fog battles supernatural types as well? Any sort of threat to England being one he must fight and all that?

Well, consider the Nazi fascination with the occult, it actually fits quite well. The Krauts would assumably have a number of supernatural big nasties. Mr. Fog (agree, great character) would be a perfect foil for them.

[RevHooligan]

I once met an old womn who had been in the French Resistance. From her stories, I can't jump on the "surrender monkey" bandwagon. Those men and women were tough as hell and brave as lions. Really brave lions. Like, crazy brave lions. With guns. And stuff.

Never fall for political retoric first uttered by Diamond Joe Quimby.

[Blue]

I know I'd fear lions with guns. But then Jack Handy once said...Contrary to what most people say, the most dangerous animal in the world is not the lion or the tiger or even the elephant. It's a shark riding on an elephant's back, just trampling and eating everything they see.

But the problem is, bigotry is fun! (I don't see an emote on the list that says 'sarcasm' to me. Oh well.)

[Twilight]

Originally posted by Squid
Well, consider the Nazi fascination with the occult, it actually fits quite well. The Krauts would assumably have a number of supernatural big nasties. Mr. Fog (agree, great character) would be a perfect foil for them.


You better belive I have some ideas on that score. I already have a partial list of mystic artifacts the Nazi's are gonna try and steal, plus more then a few supernatural baddies that they're gonna call up in order to spread their tyrrany and evil. Mr. Fog will be a busy boy I assure you [to say nothing of my players. *evil laughter*].

[Twilight]

Madame Liberte' (Lady Liberty) - It can be said that she was long ago the model for the statue that was a gift to america. She's long been thought a legend, but in this time of war she has come back to embody the spirit of the land, with her torch of truth that burns away tyranny.


Omigosh, I was just having a similar idea to this when I was at the mall today. Only mine was based on the famous portrait from the Revolution era, y'know the one with the lady weilding a pistol? Of course, I think I like your idea better. The torch that burns away tyranny is a nice concept.

I even had some power ideas for her, in addition to the torch. A PRE, EGO, STR and CON AID, linked to a healing AID [possibly a succor] with the Incantations limitation and only on loyal French people. When she sings the French national anthem her fellow Frenchmen are inspired becoming braver, stronger and stronger willed.

Naturally there's a flipside, also with the Incantations limitation and the limitation: only works on enemies of France. It's a drain against PRE, EGO, STR and CON with an Area Effect. When she sings the French National Anthem, the enemies of France [which includes Vichy French traitors] quail in fear, thier strength leaving them.

[st barbara]

As an Australian I suspect that we may need an entry here. So may I suggest "Bluey" : A red headed Aussie wearing army trousers and boots, a blue singlet and a slouch hat with a cigarette permanently attached to his lip. He is a tough fighter with super strength only when he gets mad, otherwise very laid back and laconic with speech loaded with old time Australianisms. (For those of you who might not know "A blue" or "To Have a blue" is Aussie slang for a fight. "Bluey" is a common Australian nickname for a redhaired person)

[BlackCobra]

As an English hero, can I suggest a mysterious gentleman working behind the scenes to protect Great Britain, who every once in a while shows up to smite some terrible mystical evil. He does it with a shining sword, of course, and seems nearly invulnerable.

I would suggest that he doesn't speak much about his past, but is always accompanied by an older, bearded gentleman who dispenses advice on mystical matters, and refers to the hero as "Arthur" when they're out of ear-shot.

Just my obvious England-is-in-trouble suggestion! :)

[Twilight]

Originally posted by BlackCobra
As an English hero, can I suggest a mysterious gentleman working behind the scenes to protect Great Britain, who every once in a while shows up to smite some terrible mystical evil. He does it with a shining sword, of course, and seems nearly invulnerable.

I would suggest that he doesn't speak much about his past, but is always accompanied by an older, bearded gentleman who dispenses advice on mystical matters, and refers to the hero as "Arthur" when they're out of ear-shot.

Just my obvious England-is-in-trouble suggestion! :)

Actually Black Cobra I was going to use a similar but slightly more obscure legend, at least in the beginning. Oh who am I kidding? Of course I'm gonna use Arthur but not untill later when things get really bad as he only pops up when Britain really needs him.

But the idea I had for another eternal protector of Britain went somewhat like this. He's also a somewhat mysterious gentlemen, though some might find him familiar. He two has a shining sword, though he relys equally as much on his bow and arrow, which seems ancient. When asked about his identity he only refers to himself as the Hooded Man, which is quite appropriate as he's always seen wearing a hood. Legend claims that this is the son of Herne, the stag headed spirit of the forest but that couldn't be possible, could it?

[ShinDangaioh]

Egypt-The Sphinx and Great Pyramid
France-Fleur De Lis(A fencer)
China-Sheng Long

[assault]

Originally posted by st barbara
As an Australian I suspect that we may need an entry here. So may I suggest "Bluey"

So what's his sidekick's name: "Curly"? :)

That's a reference to a humourous comic strip of the period, for those who don't know.

More seriously, the first Australian superhero comics were produced during WWII, so there are some precedents. Most were pretty standard ripoffs of US characters.

In addition, though, a larger number of non-powered and non-costumed characters were being published.

Australia was more directly affected by the war than the US: the Japanese were in New Guinea, Timor, the Solomons and so on - within spitting distance of Australia. In those circumstances, I would suspect that Australian supers would have been more militarised than their US counterparts.

What I would do, in fact, would be to actually use very few Australian supers, but to supplement them with a larger number of highly trained normals, possibly initially drawn from former pulp adventurer types. These would probably be organised into some kind of military framework.

Historically, there were a number of Australian covert special operations and intelligence organisations during the war. One, 'Z' Special Unit, specialised in covert commando operations behind enemy lines. Their best known operations were the raids by the fishing boat "Krait" on Singapore harbour.

In my Champions Universe, 'X' Special Unit also exists. It consists of highly trained (and in some cases superpowered) operatives, who specialise in countering Japanese superbeings (who are themselves mainly non-powered ninjas and similar). 'X' is thus a mixture of superteam and agent group.

It's quite possible that a specialist Air Force unit might exist too, as flying adventurers were quite common in the source material. You could even have a Blackhawk type outfit, with Dutch, Chinese, French and even Portuguese pilots finding their way to Australia...

Finally, having a character that is a "homage to" the Phantom would be quite appropriate. There have been Australian editions of the Phantom printed for many decades. In many more remote areas, it has often been the only regularly available superhero comic. It is also available in places like Papua New Guinea, and probably other Pacific island nations, where DC, Marvel and so on aren't.

I would probably base this "homage" somewhere in northern New Guinea. This would give him lots of access to areas where piracy was quite prevalent in quite recent historical times, and, for that matter, still exists today. It also gives him access to interesting "natives", as well as the very thin on the ground Australian patrol officers, who could be treated as a "Jungle Patrol" of sorts. Alternatively, you could place him in Dutch territory...

Anyway, somewhere in this mess there should be some useful ideas.

Alan

[Enforcer84]

Originally posted by Blue
I know I'd fear lions with guns. But then Jack Handy once said...Contrary to what most people say, the most dangerous animal in the world is not the lion or the tiger or even the elephant. It's a shark riding on an elephant's back, just trampling and eating everything they see.

But the problem is, bigotry is fun! (I don't see an emote on the list that says 'sarcasm' to me. Oh well.)

Forgive me if my information is incorrect, but isn't the Lion and the Unicorn a symbol of Britain? Perhaps a team, the Lion could have a gun too!

[Twilight]

Originally posted by Enforcer84
Forgive me if my information is incorrect, but isn't the Lion and the Unicorn a symbol of Britain? Perhaps a team, the Lion could have a gun too!

Good idea, except that the British ranks are getting kinda crowded at the moment. :) I mean we already have Mr. Fog, Colnel Sterling, Hammer Sullivan, the Sky Knight, the Hooded Man and eventually Arthur and Merlin! Allied heroes are cool but we don't want TO many of them running around. :D

[Enforcer84]

Good point. Let's see. How about Roland and the Sword Durandal? I have always liked the name Durandal and have seen it used as a basis for a super hero in Palladium's Century City, as well as a starship in Xenosaga.

[Twilight]

Originally posted by Enforcer84
Good point. Let's see. How about Roland and the Sword Durandal? I have always liked the name Durandal and have seen it used as a basis for a super hero in Palladium's Century City, as well as a starship in Xenosaga.

Oh! Good idea!

The latest weilder of Durandal comes forth to aid the French Resistance against the Nazi's and those Vichy collaborators. I LOVE IT!!

:D

[st barbara]

T "Assault" But of course ! Now the question is, what powers to give to "Curly"? How about beer powered super speed and agility ? Or maybe projectile vomiting (if we want to be gross) !

[Brick]

As a German, I would like to include a German superhero who fights against the Nazi regime in that dark time - which means that in his own country, he would be declared an outlaw/supervillain. This freedom fighter calls himself DIE WEISSE ROSE (White Rose), after the freedom movement that got killed by the nazis.
Powers? No concrete idea, but the name for me invokes the sound of a white-clad two-fisted fighter/martial artist with a white hood and a blood-red full-face mask, red boots and gloves, rose motif on chest. Maybe some dart-throwers on his wrists ("thorns").
He fights a very lonely fight, but he would rather die than see all of Hitler's horror and do nothing against it. Could be an interesting ally for other superheroes.
Be honest, guys... How does it sound?

[Siberian Tiger]

White Rose sounds good to me. Not sure about the dart-throwers on the wrist - a bit too modern for a Golden Age champions campaign methinks. Maybe best left as a non-powered combatant relying on his fists. If he was to have pwoers then made some form of control over plants or is that too obvious?

Now for my contribution to the campaign - Pax. Not pox but Pax - the Latin for Peace. I'm thinking a warrior woman who is willing to fight for peace. An italian superheroine fighting against the Facsists ? In my campaign world, she would retire from crimfighting and set up the Pax Institute whose agents use what ever means are necessary to prevent war and bloodshed.

[Southern Cross]

How about for New Zealand Heroes,have a descendant of Maui find his ancestors trademark weapon,and finds out that while wielding it,he is possessed by the spirit of Maui himself,which grants him all of Maui's abilities and powers,which include:high INT and shapeshifting abilities (Maui is the perfect example of the Trickster Hero archetype),the ability to communicate with birds,immunity to fire Usable on Others (One of Maui's feats was,with the help of his four elder brothers,the crippling of the Maori sun god so that the days would be a reasonable length),great stength and growing abilities (Maui's most famous legendary feat was him pulling up the North Island out from the bottom of the sea.The South Island was supposed to be Maui's canoe).

[wcw43921]

Originally posted by Brick
As a German, I would like to include a German superhero who fights against the Nazi regime in that dark time - which means that in his own country, he would be declared an outlaw/supervillain. This freedom fighter calls himself DIE WEISSE ROSE (White Rose), after the freedom movement that got killed by the nazis.
Powers? No concrete idea, but the name for me invokes the sound of a white-clad two-fisted fighter/martial artist with a white hood and a blood-red full-face mask, red boots and gloves, rose motif on chest. Maybe some dart-throwers on his wrists ("thorns").
He fights a very lonely fight, but he would rather die than see all of Hitler's horror and do nothing against it. Could be an interesting ally for other superheroes.
Be honest, guys... How does it sound?


It sounds really great to me. I was thinking myself there should be some way to include a German hero in this discussion, and you seem to have nailed it close to what I had in mind. Good Job, Mein Herr.

And keep the dart-shooters if you like--the secret agencies on both sides of the war were coming up with all knids of unique, nifty stuff. They sound all right to me.

[assault]

I like the White Rose character. Very cool. Consider the idea borrowed and filed.

The dart throwers are fine. An alternative might be some kind of crossbow type gadget, but its rate of fire might be a problem.

On a more general note: how about some Vichyite "heroes"? After all, the Vichy government was the internationally recognized government of France for a couple of years, with the Gaullists being seen as an appendage of Britain. ("Internationally" probably really means "by the US" in this case, of course.)

Alan

[Twilight]

I'm also liking White Rose, he/she sounds like a character with great potential for roleplaying and stories for when my characters have to infiltrate Nazi Germany. Considering that the White Rose orginization was a Christian one [according to the one mention of it in Golden Age Champions] it would be interesting to see how the White Rose character would balance his/her faith with the fight against the Nazi's. Yes, I'm liking this character quite a bit. Thinking he/she works with Allied spies and what not as well. Perhaps a ring working in accordance with a Col. Hogan? [Yes I'm a huge Hogan's Heroes fan, I just had to work them in there. :D ]

Siberian Tiger, to me Pax sounds like the Vatican's contribution to the war. As I recall they weren't terribly fond of Mussolini and his fascists and Pax just seems like a character a Pope would create. :) For some reason I'm getting a mental image of William Christopher as Father Mulcahey here.

Southern Cross. Maui does sound cool, but he seems a titch more powerful then I'm looking for here. Don't want to overshadow the PCs after all.

[altamaros]

Originally posted by assault
On a more general note: how about some Vichyite "heroes"? After all, the Vichy government was the internationally recognized government of France for a couple of years
For the first years at least; it's unlikely : due to the restrictions imposed by the armistice on the Vichy govt. they would not have been allowed to "own" their own "heroes".

But after 1941, the Vichy govt installed a legion of french volunteers fighting with germans against (USSR) communists.
This legion became the Division Charlemagne in 1943 ( 33e waffen SS division).
So maybe you can use a agent called the "commandant Charlemagne". (by doing this search, i found neo-nazis websites who consider these guys as heroes, creepy! :mad: )

... with the Gaullists being seen as an appendage of Britain. ("Internationally" probably really means "by the US" in this case, of course.)
De Gaulle and Roosevelt hated each other apparently. the U.S. supported more the general Giraud who was later put aside by De Gaulle.


Siberian Tiger, to me Pax sounds like the Vatican's contribution to the war. As I recall they weren't terribly fond of Mussolini and his fascists and Pax just seems like a character a Pope would create.
I just read this morning in the newspapers that some newly released documents from the Vatican secret archives show the evidence of a non-agression pact between Nazi germany and Vatican.

[assault]

Originally posted by altamaros
For the first years at least; it's unlikely : due to the restrictions imposed by the armistice on the Vichy govt. they would not have been allowed to "own" their own "heroes".


True.

I was mainly thinking of the colonies, where there was a power struggle between Vichyites and Gaullists. An example might be somewhere like Syria, where Vichyite and Gaullist forces came into serious conflict.

Images from "Casablanca" come to mind too.

French Indochina might been another likely spot for supers.

Most wouldn't be official, I suspect, although local officials might wink at their activities.

Some might eventually defect to the Gaullists, but others might go the creepy fascist road, like below:



But after 1941, the Vichy govt installed a legion of french volunteers fighting with germans against (USSR) communists.
This legion became the Division Charlemagne in 1943 ( 33e waffen SS division).
So maybe you can use a agent called the "commandant Charlemagne".


Hmm. Maybe.

Such a character could have quite an interesting career after the war as a "disgraced flagsuit". Not exactly a supervillain, but a controversial hero of the far right, seeking to be rehabilitated by fighting for France in Algeria, Vietnam and so on...

Meanwhile, former Resistance fighters fall out of favour due to their cooperation with Communists!

I like it. A lot.

Thanks.

Alan

[st barbara]

What about some quasi mystical or occult characters ? According to some sources (Ravenscroft, Sklar, King, Brennan) the nazis are suppossed to have been heavily into the occult. If the occult is real, and the Nazis had characters with occult powers, wouldn't the allies want something similar ? (I can just see Winston Churchill saying "We canot allow an Occult gap !") Other sources have suggested that there was at least one active Witch covern in Britain during the war, perhaps a low powered magician could be appropriate ?

[Twilight]

Originally posted by st barbara
What about some quasi mystical or occult characters ? According to some sources (Ravenscroft, Sklar, King, Brennan) the nazis are suppossed to have been heavily into the occult. If the occult is real, and the Nazis had characters with occult powers, wouldn't the allies want something similar ? (I can just see Winston Churchill saying "We canot allow an Occult gap !") Other sources have suggested that there was at least one active Witch covern in Britain during the war, perhaps a low powered magician could be appropriate ?


A valid point Barbara. One of the PC's is a mage and there will of course be magical villains. However, since Merlin's probably gonna show up at some point in the game [me being a huge Arthurian Mythos fan] I'm pretty sure that covers things for the Brits. However, if you can suggest a few others, go right ahead.

[Twilight]

bump

[ShinDangaioh]

Originally posted by Twilight
A valid point Barbara. One of the PC's is a mage and there will of course be magical villains. However, since Merlin's probably gonna show up at some point in the game [me being a huge Arthurian Mythos fan] I'm pretty sure that covers things for the Brits. However, if you can suggest a few others, go right ahead.
On the Russian front, this could cause some tensions. Baba Yaga. Normally, she's a NASTY witch, but I think she'd NOT want the Germans around her.

Prester John could show up. His kingdom is somewhere in Europe or Asia. Just no one knows where.

I'm curious about something. WHY did Hitler mess around with the Nordic mythos? Valkyries, Thor, etc. I would think that he would have perfered to use Iberian mythos.

[Twilight]

Originally posted by ShinDangaioh
On the Russian front, this could cause some tensions. Baba Yaga. Normally, she's a NASTY witch, but I think she'd NOT want the Germans around her.

Prester John could show up. His kingdom is somewhere in Europe or Asia. Just no one knows where.

I'm curious about something. WHY did Hitler mess around with the Nordic mythos? Valkyries, Thor, etc. I would think that he would have perfered to use Iberian mythos.


Oh Baba Yaga will show up, I can virtually assure that. However I can't say she could properly be refered to as an Allied Hero. *evil grin*

["V"]

If I recall correctly, Hitler & several other of the inner circle of the Nazi hierarchy were members of the Thule Gesallschaft, whose beliefs promoted the nordic master-race notion, suggesting their descent from the inhabitants of the sunken continent of Thule. Thus the link to the Nordic mythos. Throw in a large dose of Wagnerian Parsifal/Arthurian idealism and the political clout to indulge in a practical exploration of those ideals and you've got a recipe for global disaster right there.

That's power for you. Anybody that wants it should be barred from having it.

["V"]

It's an article of (ahem) faith with British wiccans that covens worked massive joint rituals, especially in the New Forest area, to counter Nazi attempts to invade during Operation Sealion. Gerald Gardner, the founder of the modern Wiccan movement (so he claims) says that he took part in these rituals under "Old Mother Clutterbuck."

So WWII Wiccan characters can show up, probably wearing tweeds and riding old bicycles.

However in a nice twist on this, it has been alleged by one Amado Crowley (who claims to be Aleister Crowley's illegitimate son, but imho is more likely to be the Crown Prince of the Moon) that "Old Mother Clutterbuck" was in fact Aleister Crowley's codename when he was recruited by the British Secret Service to conduct said rituals.

So the allied heroes could also include occultists of a different nature, possibly stringing along the wiccan types.

All good fun back then. If it wasn't for the bombs falling it would almost have been enjoyable methinks.

[st barbara]

I would be careful labelling ALL Nazis as occultists . While there is SOME evidence that some of them may have been into the occult (most particularly Himmler) or influenced by occultists the information is inconclusive. If you want books on the subject you could try to get hold of "The Occult Roots Of Nazism" by Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke, "Unholy Alliance" by Peter Levenda, "Satan and The Swastika" by Francis King or "The Spear Of Destiny" and its sequel "The Mark Of The Beast" (The first by Trevor Ravenscroft, the second by Ravenscroft and Tim Wallace-Murphy). If you want a nazi occultist character try to get hold of "Emerald Cup-Ark Of Gold" by Colonel Howard Buechner. Lt. Otto Rahn S.S. would make a fascinating character(with some occult powers for a "Champions" game, merely as an adventurer for a "Pulp" style of campaign).

[Rage]

Originally posted by st barbara
What about some quasi mystical or occult characters ? According to some sources (Ravenscroft, Sklar, King, Brennan) the nazis are suppossed to have been heavily into the occult. If the occult is real, and the Nazis had characters with occult powers, wouldn't the allies want something similar ? (I can just see Winston Churchill saying "We canot allow an Occult gap !") Other sources have suggested that there was at least one active Witch covern in Britain during the war, perhaps a low powered magician could be appropriate ?

yeah the Nazi Cult Of The Blood was heavily ocultish.
And Britains supposed to be crawling with people who live forever from an earlier age. Throw a stone in Devon & the chance that you've hit an imortal is as high as you getting beaten up for throwing rocks at people...

["V"]

"And Britains supposed to be crawling with people who live forever from an earlier age. Throw a stone in Devon & the chance that you've hit an imortal is as high as you getting beaten up for throwing rocks at people..."

Tell me about it. Mostly you meet them standing in large crowds outside Post Offices talking endlessly about how "this was all fields when I was a lad" and "young people today" and "of course in the war we couldn't get bananas you know, and we had to make do with powdered egg." and "Don't get me started about the Picts, layabouts the lot of them" etc.