Gods and Champions

[megaplayboy]

In terms of PC to PC interaction, I think religious characters or even iconic religious characters are fine, as long as a) they don't compulsively proselytize their fellow heroes, and b) they have a modicum of tolerance for those who differ in their beliefs.

[Acroyear]

Ah. A chick with wings and a dude based on Samson.

[Nightfire]

Ah. This very discussion got me kicked off the Warren Ellis Forum back in the day (not because anything I posted was offensive; he was just going through a big anti-superhero phase and didn't like the direction the thread was heading to). Anyways.

Thor is a visible, verifiable and tangible god who produces results. When was the last time Jesus stopped a bank robery or took on the Absorbing Man ?

That's the difference, Jesus never fought crime, Thor even in the myths usually righted wrongs ( or caused them depending on on his mood.) The dificulty of Christianity/Judiasm/Islam is that throughout history these religions have had people who championed one cause or another, but none were known for fighting crime. Any characters based on these religions would have to be crusaders, fighting corruption but not necessarily crime. They would deal with social issues. The Pantheistic relions are very humanistic wading right into the trenches of human existence, the montheistic relions are usually more etherial, dealing with the comtemplations of human existence.

[beauxdeigh]

The link doesn't seem to list any powers for the Rapture.

I can't connect the names to the powers off the top of my head but they had:

Sligshot guy (super pellets. Might have charged them up like X-Gambit).
4 armed beast guy (strong, agile, etc)
Earth Manipulator
Darkness Manipulator (possibly "abyss" powers)

I forget the other two. All my books are in storage or I'd offer more. They all had the "supernature" package, of course. Immortal. Regeneration (sometimes slow). Ectoplasmic costumes. "Spooky" distinctive features.

I bet Proditor can fill in the gaps.

Ah. A chick with wings and a dude based on Samson.

The connections of names to powers is fairly obvious once you read the passages being used as the character names:

Exodus 10:21
Then the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness will spread over Egypt - darkness that can be felt."
...would be the darkness manipulator.

Isaiah 6:2
Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.
...probably the chick with wings.

Judges 15:14
As he approached Lehi, the Philistines came toward him shouting. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax, and the bindings dropped from his hands.
...which is, of course, a verse referring to Samson.

Matthew 27:51
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.
...would likely be the earth mainpulator.

Leviticus 26:22
I will send wild animals against you, and they will rob you of your children, destroy your cattle and make you so few in number that your roads will be deserted.
...a four armed beast guy fits here pretty well. (Although so does an animal empath/controller...first thing I thought of, but that wasn't on the list.)

Genesis 6:4
The Nephilim were on the earth in those days - and also afterward - when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.
...which I admit doesn't exactly fit 'slingshot guy', but I'd never heard of the characters before this thread...maybe there's an explanation in the comics that I'm not seeing here.

I do think it's a pretty cool idea to use scriptures as names, though. I think it's a great way to give Christian beliefs a foot in the comics without appearing to espouse their particular viewpoint. Plus, it makes me want to go hunting for some more ideas from my bible.

[zornwil]

Remember everybody, play nice.






























To quote Kara, run awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay

And the phrase has now jumped the shark!

[beauxdeigh]

Remember everybody, play nice.

Aren't we?

It's probably one of the most civil threads on religion I've ever read.

Of course, now I've jinxed it, and it'll immediately turn into a raging flamewar. Rebut-itis will spread through each post and it'll have to be shut down. Might as well report it to Ben right now and save ourselves the trouble...what a shame.

[KawangaKid]

There was a great team in Astro City of religious superheroes. They're called the Crossbreed.

Here's a link.link

[zornwil]

Aren't we?

It's probably one of the most civil threads on religion I've ever read.

Of course, now I've jinxed it, and it'll immediately turn into a raging flamewar. Rebut-itis will spread through each post and it'll have to be shut down. Might as well report it to Ben right now and save ourselves the trouble...what a shame.

Yeah, it was, I just was noting it was getting into more controversial ground so threw in a reminder is all.

[Whitewings]

The connections of names to powers is fairly obvious once you read the passages being used as the character names:

Genesis 6:4
The Nephilim were on the earth in those days - and also afterward - when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.
...which I admit doesn't exactly fit 'slingshot guy', but I'd never heard of the characters before this thread...maybe there's an explanation in the comics that I'm not seeing here.

It makes more sense if you use the Bible I have: "And the angels of the Lord went unto the daughters of men, and lay with them. And thus were born the giants that were in the Earth in the old days, and among these was Nimrod, who was a mighty hunter before the Lord, wherefore it is said, even as Nimrod was a mighty hunter before the Lord."

[Lightray]

It makes more sense if you use the Bible I have: "And the angels of the Lord went unto the daughters of men, and lay with them. And thus were born the giants that were in the Earth in the old days, and among these was Nimrod, who was a mighty hunter before the Lord, wherefore it is said, even as Nimrod was a mighty hunter before the Lord."

That's it. I remember now that was the first time I found out that Nimrod didn't just mean, well, nimrod (i.e., twit, wanker, etc.).

Hey, it was the 80s. Slang was all the rage...

[Hermit]

I find an element of uncertainty helps in devising religious characters. Not for the character per se, but leaving an opening for the public. Some of them could easily assume some guy claiming to be a 1000+ year old pagan god is nothing more than a mutant with delusions of grandeur, or think maybe it's an alien trying to con them. Mixing a few NPCs into the setting who are frauds (Just a few) makes it all the more tricky to prove who's legitimately divinely empowered and who's not.

[Kirby]

Hey, it was the 80s. Slang was all the rage...

And now, Rage is all the slang.

Heh, sorry about that. I couldn't pass it up.

[Hermit]

And now, Rage is all the slang.

Heh, sorry about that. I couldn't pass it up.

*Rimshot*

[Kirby]

I find an element of uncertainty helps in devising religious characters. ... Mixing a few NPCs into the setting who are frauds (Just a few) makes it all the more tricky to prove who's legitimately divinely empowered and who's not.

Ooooooooh. Me likes.

[Hermit]

Ooooooooh. Me likes.

Thanks, it also makes for good rivalry or hunted for any PCs who ARE 'real' gods or champions of Gods. If say, Magni (son of Thor) finds out there is some guy falsely calling himself Odin or Heimdell in order to pull a con... or Horus' champion sees a group of gullible folks gathering around a female mastermind who's dubbed herself Isis... well, once they find out, watch the fireworks start.