Here's something I've been meaning to do for a long time; publish the outtakes from CotN here that Steve cut and gave back to me. Hopefully, these will be useful to someone. We'll start off with the write-up for Canada's national hero, the (alas deceased) Red Ensign.
Red Ensign III
Val Char Cost Roll Notes
20 STR 10 13- Lift 400.0kg; 4d6 HTH damage [4]
23 DEX 39 14- OCV: 8/DCV: 8
23 CON 26 14-
18 BODY 16 13-
18 INT 8 13- PER Roll 13-
18 EGO 16 13- ECV: 6
24 PRE 14 14- PRE Attack: 4 1/2d6
20 COM 5 13-
10+ PD 6 Total: 10/24 PD (0/14 rPD)
10+ ED 5 Total: 10/24 ED (0/14 rED)
5 SPD 17 Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12
9 REC 0
46 END 0
40 STUN 0 Total Characteristics Cost: 162
Movement: Running: 11”/[Noncombat]”
Leaping: 24”/[Noncombat]”
Swimming: 6”/[Noncombat]”
Cost Powers END
47 Canada Staff: Multipower, 70-point reserve, (70 Active Points); all slots Restrainable (-1/2)
1u 1) Booster Jets: Leaping +20” (24” forward, 12” upward) (20 Active Points); 6 Charges (-3/4), Restrainable (-1/2)
3u 2) Energy Globe: Entangle 5d6, 8 DEF (65 Active Points); No Range (-1/2), Restrainable (-1/2) 6
1u 3) Missile Deflection (Any Ranged Attack) (20 Active Points); Restrainable (-1/2) 0
2u 4) Electro-Staff: Hand-To-Hand Attack +8d6 (40 Active Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2), Restrainable (-1/2) 4
4u 5) Tractor Field: Telekinesis (45 STR) (68 Active Points); Restrainable (-1/2) 7
3u 6) Sight Group Images 1” radius, +/-10 to PER Rolls (40 Active Points); Restrainable (-1/2) 4
24 Armored Suit: Armor (14 PD/14 ED) (42 Active Points); OIF (-1/2), Activation Roll 15- (-1/4) 0
5 Life Support (Self-Contained Breathing) (10 Active Points); OAF (Rebreather; -1) 0
8 Mental Defense (12 points total) 0
10 Super Athlete: Running +5” (11” total) 1
4 Super Athlete: Swimming +4” (6” total) 1
Martial Arts: Self-Defense Training
Maneuver OCV DCV Notes
3 Aikido Throw +0 +1 4d6 +v/5, Target Falls
4 Choke -2 +0 Grab One Limb; 2d6 NND
4 Escape +0 +0 35 STR vs. Grabs
4 Hold -1 -1 Grab Three Limbs, 10 STR for holding on
4 Judo Disarm -1 +1 Disarm; 30 STR to Disarm roll
4 Karate “Chop” -2 +0 HKA 1d6 +1
4 Kung Fu Block +2 +2 Block, Abort
4 Boxing Cross +0 +2 6d6 Strike
1 Weapon Element: Clubs
1 Weapon Element: Knives
Perks
9 Reputation (A large group (Canadians)) 14-, +3/+3d6
Skills
24 +3 with All Combat
3 Acrobatics 14-
3 Animal Handler 14-
3 Breakfall 14-
3 Bugging 13-
3 Bureaucratics 14-
3 Climbing 14-
3 Combat Driving 14-
3 Computer Programming 13-
3 Concealment 13-
3 Criminology 13-
3 Demolitions 13-
3 Electronics 13-
3 Interrogation 14-
4 KS: Canadian History 14-
5 KS: Paranormals 14-
5 Language: French (imitate dialects)
1 Language: Hebrew (basic conversation)
3 Lockpicking 14-
3 Mechanics 13-
2 Navigation (Land) 13-
3 Oratory 14-
3 Paramedics 13-
5 PS: Architect 14-
3 Security Systems 13-
5 SS: Architecture 14-
3 Shadowing 13-
3 Sleight Of Hand 14-
3 Stealth 14-
3 Streetwise 14-
3 Survival 13-
3 Systems Operation 13-
3 Tactics 13-
3 Teamwork 14-
Total Powers & Skills Cost: 284
Total Cost: 445
200+ Disadvantages
10 Dependent NPC: Son 8- (Normal)
5 Enraged: Bullying (Uncommon), go 8-, recover 14-
10 Hunted: Black Banner 8- (As Pow, Harshly Punish)
15 Hunted: Baron Nihil 8- (Mo Pow, Harshly Punish)
15 Psychological Limitation: Protects the Innocent (Common, Strong)
10 Psychological Limitation: Outspoken Social Conscience (Common, Moderate)
5 Rivalry: Professional (The Memory of Past Red Ensigns; Rival is More Powerful; Seek to Outdo, Embarrass, or Humiliate Rival; Rival Unaware of Rivalry)
175 Experience Bonus
Total Disadvantage Points: 445
Background: The first Red Ensign was Tommy Brock, a descendent of the great Canadian general of the War of 1812. A steadfast pacifist, he volunteered to fight in the Second World War after his best friend, who’d gone to England as a naval cadet, was badly burned in a U-boat attack. When the hospitalized Billings told Brock of the horrors he knew were being committed by Nazi Germany, Brock repudiated his former pacifist ideals and took on the mantle of the Red Ensign, a symbol of Canadian patriotism. He chose to become a superhero rather than a soldier because only such a brazen symbol (and obvious target) could atone for his stubborn blindness to evil in the years preceding the war.
The Red Ensign fought the Nazis for three years. He once even had Hitler in a chokehold (though a Nazi drug caused him to pass out before he could finish off the Feuhrer for good). Escaping from the Nazi firing squad, the Ensign’s deeds promptly Hitler to commission a Nazi scientist named Ernst Von Niehl to destroy him. Eventually, Von Niehl lured the Ensign into a prearranged death trap in Holland and killed him, though at the cost of being trapped for decades in “the annihilation dimension” (from which he emerged as Baron Nihil).
The Red Ensign’s legacy haunted the Brock family, and in 1964, that legacy led to a dramatic development for Brock’s nephew Jim, an NHL star turned Toronto policeman. One of Jim’s cases involved an eccentric scientist Dr. Matthew MacNeil, who had been the Golden Age superhero Dr. Cerebro, MacNeil mistook Jim for his uncle, whom he’d known in the Second World War. Futzing through his closet, MacNeil presented the bewildered policeman with a long white-metal rod.
“I made it from the metals of King Vultok’s realm,” the scientist explained. “It’s virtually indestructible and it can return to your hand with a gesture. If you learn to use it properly, you’ll be a match for any of these new-fangled supervillains who are starting to show their faces again. I call it… the Canada Staff.”
When Jim held the Canada Staff, he knew that his life would be changed. He knew that Canada was under threat from a new wave of costumed villains, and someone needed to take a stand, as his uncle had. After two years of intense training, Jim felt ready to take up the mantle of the Red Ensign.
It was 1964. Jim Brock was 29 years old. Years of crimefighting, brawls against superhumans and battles against the elements followed. He had a long, storied career. Jim’s charisma and humility provided a good counterpoint to the flamboyant politicians of the Trudeau era, and he worked well with the authorities. Jim’s early career linked him forever with Canada’s flag debate (see History) and led many to call him “the Lester Pearson of superheroes” (after the Prime Minister who oversaw the start of his career). He was loved and respected by nearly everyone. Although rival heroes like the Mighty Canadians were vastly more powerful, the Red Ensign had the love of the people.
However, superhero work is not a game long played by those whose bodies wear out, and by 1976, Jim’s was spent. Broken bones, muscle tears, and numerous concussions had taken a grave toll on him, and even an exo-skeleton couldn’t keep the years and kilometers from showing in his performance. Many politicians, fellow heroes, and folks in the media begged him to retire. Even a few of his old foes tried to persuade him to step aside. Stubbornly Jim refused to quit, though he did found the first incarnation of the Northern Guard in 1978 to provide him with backup. However. a support team couldn’t forestall the inevitable. A head injury he suffered at the hands of Fantastic Bill (a minor otherwise forgettable villain) took away his ability to focus, and finally forced him to step down in 1980.
Jim remained as the titular head of the Canadian Guard, but the disabling injuries he suffered made even that work difficult. In 1985, the Canadian government’s attempt to regulate superheroes led to a schism between Brock and the rest of the team. Jim, his teammates said, had always been too close to the government to see what a threat they could be. His life in tatters, the ailing Brock retired to a small town in northern Manitoba, where he died in 1997.
The legacy of the Red Ensign hung over the Brock family well after his retirement. Jim’s son Hugh, embittered by his absentee dad and never-ending media scrutiny, took the Canada Staff as his own — but he chose to become a supervillain, and he christened himself the Black Banner. Not particularly successful, Hugh Brock’s stint at villainy embarrassed the family and the nation.
In 1999, the Black Banner broke out of prison and bitterly tried to end “the family curse” by killing every male descendent of the Brock family (the idea of a female Red Ensign didn’t seem to occur to him). His first target was his cousin David, Tommy Brock’s sole living grandson. David had been haunted by the specter of the Red Ensign since childhood, but didn’t resent the legacy. David fought back against his cousin, knocking him unconscious and taking the Canada Staff away just as a crew of photographers arrived.
“I guess that makes me the new Red Ensign,” David shrugged.
A naturally gifted athlete, David Brock had pursued a career in architecture, but he was a bit of a thrillseeker at heart and had a strong social conscience. He grew up in downtown Toronto, and shared the liberal political leanings of many in the urban core.
David’s career was controversial, however he performed as admirably as his famous predecessors. Though his attempts to form a new Northern Guard met with failure, he quickly rose to become Canada’s most respected hero and its face to the superhuman community abroad.
David discovered, however, that the Canada Staff brought its share of problems, especially enemies. In 2007, during a hostage crisis at the Governor-General’s mansion, Baron Nihil shot him with a variation on the same “annihilation” ray that had struck down his grandfather. The Red Ensign was vaporized in a split second, leaving only the Canada Staff, which clattered on the hardwood floor of Rideau Hall. However, Nihil was unable to break the staff (as he had hoped) and the arrival of COMET forced him to withdraw.
The Canada Staff was given to David’s widow, Mary Brock. As the entire nation mourned, the press openly spoke about “the Brock Curse” and the world wondered if anyone would ever take up the Canada Staff again.
Personality: Each Red Ensign has been perceived as dull and steady, and in each case, that’s not true. In particular, David Brock was an often prickly, excitable young man with a strong social conscience and a boundless determination to correct injustice, particularly toward minorities, women, and the poor. When a crisis happened, he was as calm as any superhero you’d ever meet.
David was an idealist; he believed in the larger global community, supers and non-supers, and in cooperation and friendship. He believed that the only way to stop supervillains was to create a better world and to encourage higher standards of behavior. He was aware, however, that someone who often gets into fights may not be the best messenger, but handled the dichotomy with effortless aplomb.
Quote: “Let’s see… Button #12, makes a Canadian flag pop out of the flag. Okay, it’s corny but it works.”
Powers/Tactics: Each Red Ensign has been a human in peak physical condition that’s trained to be able to compete against superhumans. The Canada Staff and the Canada Suit are the sole superhuman items in his arsenal; the Canada Suit was invented by Golden Age scientist Dr. Cerebro; it’s an armored cloth with a fluid metal sub-layer; while the suit is heavy, the metal flows to mimic the wearer’s movements, so it doesn’t restrict his agility.
The Canada Staff is made from the metal of the alien artifact that was King Vultok’s crown; no known force, including being heated to millions of degrees Kelvin or attempts to disassemble it at the molecular level, have been able to make a dent in it. The Staff is not an OAF; it will teleport back into the Ensign’s hand as a zero phase action if he’s ever disarmed.
The Red Ensign’s tactics are standard for a martial arts oriented character. He does pay more attention to strategic objectives than many heroes; if he foils the villain’s plan and forces the villain to retreat, he’s usually as satisfied as he would be if he’s knocked out the bad guy.
Campaign Use: Okay, if this guy’s dead, why is he listed here?
First, no one ever found a body. In comic book terms, this is shorthand for “he’s not really dead,” so you can bring him back at the most dramatic time.
Secondly, it gives the players a chance to run a legacy character. They can take the opening and run Red Ensign IV, either as a member of the Brock family, a family friend, or the Brock family can hold tryouts to see who best deserves to hold the Canada Staff.
To increase the Ensign’s power level, add the Steelsman exo-skeleton from the RCMP Package. To decrease his power level, reduce his SPD to 4 and reduce the hand to hand attack and telekinesis to levels appropriate for the campaign.
Red Ensign III didn’t actively watch or hunt people, but he always kept an eye out for threats to Canada: ranging from gunrunners to genetic mutation. You might take him as a hunted by defining it as “being unlucky enough to always cross paths with him.”
For the purposes of Hunteds, all Red Ensigns had NCI.
Appearance: Red Ensign III was in his late 20s, 6’2” (188 cm) tall and a lean 180 pounds (82 kg). He had dark brown hair, worn short, and a lean, attractive, clean-shaven face. The Red Ensign suit was a red bodysuit, with a tan longcoat and fatigues and army boots. A maple leaf flag design is incorporated into the center of his chest, and a red ensign and Quebec fleur-de-lis are emblazoned on his shoulders. He donned a military helmet, with a red facemask worn underneath. The Canada Staff was a white gold rod, 180 cm. in length.
Red Ensign Adventure Seeds
1. They Found A Body….: …unfortunately, it appears that he’s been turned into one of Necrull’s necrullitic zombies. Put it out of its misery, then figure out what’s going on.
2. Crimson Ensign: To add insult to injury, Baron Nihil is dressing the Knights of Sanguanay in the costume of the Red Ensign as he launches attacks on your city! He hopes to drive a wedge between Canada and your country by having its national hero attack you. Stop this sacrilege.
3. Stop That!: The Canada Staff is mysteriously appearing in your bedroom/quarters. Every time you try to get rid of it, it returns. You’re not even Canadian. You can’t seem to make anything work, except to make it eject a Canadian flag and cause it to play O Canada. What does a dead superhero’s stick want with you?
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Originally Posted by ghost-angel
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