Song heroes or villains [Archive] - HERO Games Discussion Boards

Tech

Jun 27th, '03, 08:21 AM

This was somewhat brought up awhile ago but how many heroes (or villains) could be based on a song title? One such song is Windy (Association). Big John was already created but a different version could still be made. I'd like to see other song persons and stats to go with them. My brother created Liberty Valence (spelling?) - a bad news, gun-totting criminal. If possible, the powers should be based mostly on what the song was about.

If figures - Steve, could you move this to the Champions forum?

Arthur

Jun 27th, '03, 08:50 AM

Back when I first played Champs, I did up a lot of characters based on band names. One of my favorites was a Colossus clone I named "Metallica". Nobody else in the group could figure out where I'd gotten that name from. Shows you how long ago *I* started playing Champions....

Also did up Iron Maiden, Megadeth, AC/DC, Ratt, etc. Some of them formed a villain group and called themselves Motley Crue.

"V"

Jun 27th, '03, 09:51 AM

How about...

Mack the Knife (originally an unpleasant psycho gangster)

Killer Queen (by 'Queen', the lyrics define a very interesting, elegant, potentially very dangerous character... I may even write this one up!)

Assassing (by Marillion, not a misspelling! The lyrics are about character assassination, but a parahuman interpretation could I suppose stretch to 'death by music')

"V"

Jun 27th, '03, 10:58 AM

Right here she is. Still a bit rough around the edges, but I was short of time. She probably needs a few languages (Native Italian, definitely French, English, Cantonese, probably others) and some rounding out in terms of making her fit your campaign.

She should suffice as a dangerous high-class assassin, though in a stand up fight she'll probably end up (momentarily) out of action...

By the way, if anyone can work out what her favourite band is (not Queen by the way!) or where she spends her winters I'll gladly award them a No Prize...

May I present...

<table border=1><tr><td bgcolor="white">Killer Queen Marie-Claire Maldonado 
<table cellpadding="0" border="0"><tr><td align="right">Val  </td><td>Char   </td><td>Cost</td></tr><tr><td align="right">15  </td><td>STR</td><td>5</td></tr><tr><td align="right">21  </td><td>DEX</td><td>33</td></tr><tr><td align="right">18  </td><td>CON</td><td>16</td></tr><tr><td align="right">16  </td><td>BODY</td><td>12</td></tr><tr><td align="right">18  </td><td>INT</td><td>8</td></tr><tr><td align="right">16  </td><td>EGO</td><td>12</td></tr><tr><td align="right">25  </td><td>PRE</td><td>15</td></tr><tr><td align="right">20  </td><td>COM</td><td>5</td></tr><tr><td></td><td> </td><td></td></tr><tr><td align="right">12/20  </td><td>PD</td><td>9</td></tr><tr><td align="right">12/20  </td><td>ED</td><td>8</td></tr><tr><td align="right">6  </td><td>SPD</td><td>29</td></tr><tr><td align="right">7  </td><td>REC</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td align="right">40  </td><td>END</td><td>2</td></tr><tr><td align="right">50  </td><td>STUN</td><td>17</td></tr><td></td><td> </td><td></td></tr><tr><td align="right">9"  </td><td>RUN</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td align="right">2"  </td><td>SWIM</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td align="right">3"  </td><td>LEAP</td><td>0</td></tr></table>Characteristics Cost: 171
 <table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td align="right">Cost  </td><td>Power</td><td align="right">END</td></tr><tr><td align="right" valign="top">24  </td><td>Dynamite with a laser beam: Killing Attack - Ranged 3d6 (vs. ED), Armor Piercing x1 (+1/2), No Range Modifier (+1/2) (90 Active Points); OAF (Focus- Laser Sniper Rifle; -1), 6 Charges (-3/4), Required Hands (Two-Handed; -1/2), Beam (-1/4), Real Weapon (-1/4) </td><td valign="top" align="right"></td></tr><tr><td align="right" valign="top">20  </td><td>Guaranteed to blow your mind: Find Weakness with Sniper Rifle 13- (Single Attack) </td><td valign="top" align="right"></td></tr><tr><td align="right" valign="top">5  </td><td>A built in remedy for Kruschev and Kennedy: Life Support (Longevity: Immortal) [Notes: She's realised she hasn't aged a day since her career as a political assassin in the early 1960s] </td><td valign="top" align="right"></td></tr><tr><td align="right" valign="top">6  </td><td>(Lithe): Running +3" (9" total) </td><td valign="top" align="right">1</td></tr><tr><td align="right" valign="top">14  </td><td>(Leather Catsuit): Armor (8 PD/8 ED) (24 Active Points); OIF (-1/2), Activation Roll 15- (-1/4) </td><td valign="top" align="right"></td></tr></table>Powers Cost: 69
 <table cellpadding="0" border="0"><tr><td align="right">Cost  </td><td>Martial Arts Maneuver</td></tr><tr><td valign="top" align="right">  </td><td>Met a man from China [Notes: (from whom she learned Shaolin Tiger Kung Fu)] </td></tr><tr><td valign="top" align="right">4  </td><td>1) Tiger/Dragon Claw: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +0 DCV, STR +6d6 Crush, Must Follow Grab </td></tr><tr><td valign="top" align="right">4  </td><td>2) Tien-hsueh Strike: 1/2 Phase, -1 OCV, +1 DCV, 3d6 NND </td></tr><tr><td valign="top" align="right">4  </td><td>3) Punch: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +2 DCV, STR +4d6 Strike </td></tr><tr><td valign="top" align="right">5  </td><td>4) Block: 1/2 Phase, +1 OCV, +3 DCV, Block, Abort </td></tr><tr><td valign="top" align="right">5  </td><td>5) Kick: 1/2 Phase, -2 OCV, +1 DCV, STR +6d6 Strike </td></tr><tr><td valign="top" align="right">8  </td><td>6) +2 HTH Damage Class(es) </td></tr></table>Martial Arts Cost: 30
 <table cellpadding="0" border="0"><tr><td align="right">Cost  </td><td>Skill</td></tr><tr><td valign="top" align="right">3  </td><td>Well versed in etiquette: High Society 14- </td></tr><tr><td valign="top" align="right">3  </td><td>In conversation, she spoke just like a baroness: Conversation 14- </td></tr><tr><td valign="top" align="right">3  </td><td>Went down to Geisha Minor: Seduction 14- </td></tr><tr><td valign="top" align="right">6  </td><td>Dynamite with a laser beam: +3 with any single attack </td></tr><tr><td valign="top" align="right">10  </td><td>She's all out to get you...: +2 with HTH Combat </td></tr><tr><td valign="top" align="right">3  </td><td>Gunpowder, Gelatine: Demolitions 13- </td></tr><tr><td valign="top" align="right">3  </td><td>Stealth 13- </td></tr><tr><td valign="top" align="right">3  </td><td>Security Systems 13- </td></tr><tr><td valign="top" align="right">3  </td><td>Combat Driving 13- </td></tr><tr><td valign="top" align="right">3  </td><td>Climbing 13- </td></tr><tr><td valign="top" align="right">3  </td><td>Disguise 13- </td></tr><tr><td valign="top" align="right">3  </td><td>At any time, an invitation you can't decline: Persuasion 14- </td></tr><tr><td valign="top" align="right">3  </td><td>(Just for fun): Riding 13- </td></tr></table>Skills Cost: 49
 <table cellpadding="0" border="0"><tr><td align="right">Cost  </td><td>Perk</td></tr><tr><td valign="top" align="right">10  </td><td>She keeps Moet et Chandon in her pretty cabinet: Money: Wealthy </td></tr><tr><td valign="top" align="right">3  </td><td>To avoid complication, she never kept the same address: Anonymity </td></tr><tr><td valign="top" align="right">5  </td><td>Recommended at the price: Reputation as an efficient assassin for hire (A small to medium sized group; 14-) +5/+5d6 </td></tr></table>Perks Cost: 18

 <table cellpadding="0" border="0"><tr><td align="right">Val  </td><td>Disadvantages</td></tr><tr><td valign="top" align="right">15  </td><td>Psychological Limitation: Let them eat cake, she says, just like Marie Antoinette (Common; Strong) [Notes: Contemptuous of the needs and problems of others. Selfish.] </td></tr><tr><td valign="top" align="right">20  </td><td>Psychological Limitation: Fastidious and precise. (Very Common; Strong) [Notes: Compulsive planner] </td></tr><tr><td valign="top" align="right">10  </td><td>Hunted: Her brother from Naples, now a detective committed to hunting her down 8- (As Pow; Harshly Punish) </td></tr><tr><td valign="top" align="right">15  </td><td>Psychological Limitation: Caviar, Cigarettes (Common; Strong) [Notes: Luxurious tastes, will always buy the best] </td></tr><tr><td valign="top" align="right">5  </td><td>Social Limitation: Then again, incidentally, if you're that way inclined (Occasionally; Minor) [Notes: Openly bisexual] </td></tr><tr><td valign="top" align="right">15  </td><td>Psychological Limitation: Insatiable in appetite (Common; Strong) [Notes: Overfond of romantic liaisons...] </td></tr><tr><td valign="top" align="right">15  </td><td>Social Limitation: Secret Identity Frequently (11-), Major </td></tr><tr><td valign="top" align="right">15  </td><td>Hunted: Wealthy eastern nobleman whose advances she spurned for a laugh 8- (Mo Pow; Harshly Punish) </td></tr></table>Disadvantage Points: 110
<hr>
Cost Summary:
Base Points:200
Disadvantage Points: 110
Experience Required: 27
Total Experience Available: 27

Total Character Cost: 337
<hr>
<table width="100%" valign="top"><tr valign="top"><td>Height: 5' 10"</td><td>Hair: Black</td></tr><tr valign="top"><td>Weight: 140 lbs</td><td>Eyes: Blue</td></tr><tr valign="top"><td colspan=2>Appearance: She changes her appearance as often as her address. She is tall, athletic and beautiful. When engaged on a direct mission she wears a skin tight leather catsuit in which she looks better than anyone mentioned in the "Who'd look good in a catsuit" thread on the Non Gaming Discussion Board.</td></tr><tr valign="top"><td colspan=2>Personality: The scars left by her deprived upbring have left her with a fear of poverty. She enjoys the high life, she demands luxury, expensive holidays and so forth. Her martial skills and callous approach to her work gets her the money to get them. When not working she is a real hedonist, as playful as a pussy cat.</td></tr><tr valign="top"><td colspan=2>Quote:"Wanna try?"</td></tr><tr valign="top"><td colspan=2>Background: She was born into a very poor family in Naples in the early 1930s and lived rough on the street with her brother following the death of her parents in the Second World War. She learned to be tough to survive and get what she wanted. As soon as she begged enough money to buy a gun she embarked upon a career as a killer, stealing the money she needed to move on. By the early 1960s she was already infamous as a deadly assassin, moving in the highest social circles, the target of Intelligence agencies around the world, but always one step ahead. It was while she was dwelling in Paris, off the Boulevard St Michel, that she managed to obtain the high tech laser rifle she now uses as her main long range assassination tool. She took in in part payment for the seemingly accidental death of a senior British politician at the request of an emerging corporate entity. It has recently dawned on her that she has not aged physically since the early 1960s and she still has the appearance of a woman in her mid 20s. Her brother, now a Private Investigator, is also seemingly immune to the ravages of time. He has committed himself to finding his sister and bringing her to justice. Given his skills at psychological profiling (he wants to get inside her head) he has a good chance of catching up with her. What is behind the siblings' seeming immortality is as yet unknown to them.</td></tr><tr valign="top"><td colspan=2>Powers/Tactics: </td></tr><tr valign="top"><td colspan=2>Campaign Use: </td></tr></table>
</td></tr></table>

BNakagawa

Jun 27th, '03, 11:19 AM

Veteran of the Psychic Wars (BOC)

Brick House (Commodores)

Witchy Woman (Eagles)

Psycho Killer (Talking Heads)

Serpentine Fire (Earth Wind & Fire)

Chris Goodwin

Jun 27th, '03, 11:28 AM

http://groups.google.com/groups?num=100&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&safe=off&q=%22major+tom%22++group%3Arec.games.frp.super-heroes&btnG=Google+Search

Also if you do groups.google.com searches on the phrases "jukebox heroes" or "king crimson" you should find a few.

Rene

Jun 27th, '03, 01:17 PM

There are some characters in the Wild Cards novels whose names are taken from songs. Mack the Knife is one of them, and lots of Captain Trips's alter egos: Jumping Jack Flash, Aquarius, Moonchild, Starshine, all taken from 60s or 70s rock songs.

yamamura

Jun 27th, '03, 01:45 PM

A member of my group took the name Ferryman from the song Don't pay the Ferryman. He got quite upset when we started calling his character Fairyman. So the lesson here, not all songs work for naming a character.

G

Derek Hiemforth

Jun 27th, '03, 02:29 PM

Love the Killer Queen character! Great stuff!

(The fact that Queen is my favorite band has nothing to do with it. Really.)

Our campaign has featured character based on once and future members of Genesis. They've included Sledgehammer, Big Time, Red Rain, and Invisible Touch.

Celt

Jun 28th, '03, 03:58 AM

Originally posted by archer
Also if you do groups.google.com searches on the phrases "jukebox heroes" or "king crimson" you should find a few.

Man, if I had a nickel for every Jukebox Hero I saw in the '80s I'd go get me a cup of coffee. Large even.

pinecone

Jun 28th, '03, 12:30 PM

The first Villian I ever created "Was , turned to steel..by an intense magnetic field"...man...that was a looong time ago :)

Cybernaut

Jun 28th, '03, 01:30 PM

How about The Who's Pinball Wizard and Ted Nuggent's Great White Buffalo? :D

Toadmaster

Jun 29th, '03, 12:39 PM

Good job on Killer Queen, I like it.

I once made a character based on the video for Y&T's Mean streak, in the video they had a woman in a skin tight black leather or vinyl outfit with a red hour glass on her abdomen. Of course the character was the "Black Widow" sort of a female spiderman but with a little bit of the punisher thrown in for good measure.

Now Rob Zombie would probably be able to supply a few ideas as well, Living Dead Girl, Superbeast and Rob Zombie himself would probably translate quite well.

I remember a really bad KISS movie which gave the band the powers of their outfits.

Then you could also do Steely Dan, and their song Kid Charlemange could probably supply an obnoxious super genious.

Patriot

Jun 29th, '03, 06:18 PM

Theres always Sunshine superman
(donovan I think..not dure out of my time zone)

lemming

Jun 29th, '03, 08:25 PM

Originally posted by Patriot
Theres always Sunshine superman
(donovan I think..not dure out of my time zone)
Donavan is correct.

"Particle Man" from TMBG

I think there was a thread on this in the old boards.

gewing

Jun 29th, '03, 09:41 PM

I played "big john" as a fantasy character.

I made a characater last week (d-20 modern, only game that I could get to work out schedule wise :( )
"Boy named Sue"
his name is Sioux O'Reilly. "6'3" 245lbs. (I have only briefly introduced him, he may end up even bigger.

McCoy

Jun 29th, '03, 11:05 PM

Originally posted by gewing
"Boy named Sue"
his name is Sioux O'Reilly. "6'3" 245lbs. (I have only briefly introduced him, he may end up even bigger.

There was a short lives TV sitcom, don't remember the name, but in the pilot the boy was complaining about being named Cheyenne. Seemed to me that the father's line should have been "You owe me for Cheyenne, your mother was holding out for Sioux," but they went with something else.

Heroes from songs. Humm. *Suddenly realized how long its been since he's listened to anything except Andrew Lloyd Weber*

Wild Thing - The Troggs, berserker Wolverine clone.

**How very, very long.**

Killer Shrike

Jun 30th, '03, 01:11 AM

Heres Mr Roboto's write up:

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3681&highlight=Roboto

Jinx999

Jun 30th, '03, 12:53 PM

Speaking of song heroes, I have a soft spot for this guy:
http://www.eclipse.net/~rms/dwmain.html