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Examples of powered street level characters from the comics


Ninja-Bear

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To me I always assumed that Street level hero was synonymous with normal human characters i.e. Batman and Punisher. U was given by a friend a trade paper back of Iron Fist and Power man awhile ago and the light bulb clicked that you can have street level heroes who are powered too. So looking up on the net, I got a small list as follows:

 

Spiderman

Daredevil

Power Man

Iron Fist

Moon Knight

Misty Knight

 

Are there any others?

 

Thanks

(p.s. This is going to be used with DC:TAS, that might have a bearing on choices)

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Spider-Man isn't necessarily street level. It's just that that is where so much of Peter's attention has been. He doesn't go out to fight villains. He goes out to help people. The villains usually find him.

 

Spidey vs. street level works because it scales so easily. Spidey is good enough to take on more and tougher Batman rogue level villains than Batman usually can alone (who wouldn't like to see a fight between Spidey and Bane?). Spidey in a lot of ways has a lot of the core 1938 Superman powerset with 'invulnerability' being the main omission replaced by 'spidey-sense'. He doesn't have any of the plot busting super senses (like x-ray vision) that later versions of Supes ends up with in later incarnations.

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Spider-Man isn't necessarily street level. It's just that that is where so much of Peter's attention has been. He doesn't go out to fight villains. He goes out to help people. The villains usually find him.
That's fine. I'm looking for ideas that could be used in a powered DC: TAS game. I remember that Spidey patrols the city and fights thugs a lot. (At least in the cartoons version). I think that the 90's Spiderman cartoon would be an example of DC: TAS game.
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Looked up Night Thrasher from New Warriors and I like that he is an example of Power Armor working in a DC:TAS game. The book recommends that Power Armor, among other concepts, may not be appropriate I think though that the author was implying more of an Iron Man type Power Armor when he made the suggestion.

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Most of the cast of the Young Justice TV show (Kid Flash and Zatanna would likely need some toning down, though)

 

From the JLU:

Booster Gold

B'wana Beast

Hawk and Dove

Mr. Terrific (uses supertech, and is smart enough for his INT to qualify as a superpower)

Vixen

Gypsy

Hourman

Fire and Ice (might need toned down)

Vibe

 

 

Really, you can tone down most any superhero to fit in a street-level game ... the main thing is avoiding powers that you rarely if ever see in that kind of setting. Full Desolidification and broad-access Mental Powers are the first to spring to mind.

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Punisher

New Warriors

Bludhaven's Independent Superheroes

Shang Chi

The Immortal Weapons of Iron Fist

Green Lantern & Green Arrow - America' s Finest

 

 

 

 

 

When they did their classic run, it was GA showing GL the evil in everyday life. The evil that escapes GL's sight because he's too busy looking at the cosmic.
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Really, you can tone down most any superhero to fit in a street-level game ... the main thing is avoiding powers that you rarely if ever see in that kind of setting. Full Desolidification and broad-access Mental Powers are the first to spring to mind.

 

In DC:TAS it mentions something similar to this with the standard depending on GM. That's why I'm asking for suggestions to get a feel for what works in a powered DC:TAS game and what would put it over into a Champions game. Definitely not cut and dry.

 

On this note, I was thinking that Martian Manhunter could be a viable character too. I envision him as having his humanoid form as his alien form. Eliminate his shape shift and invisibility and flight. Give him a hi-tech ring to "shape shift" into his human form. Reduce his mental abilities to pulp levels.

 

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Marvel Comics' Shroud is a well-trained martial artist who can project obscuring mystic darkness, and can perceive in the dark. He pretended to be a crimelord on the rise, in order to infiltrate organized crime and destroy it from within.
Sounds like a cross between the radio version of the Shadow with Green Hornet's MO (pretending to be the bad guy).
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  • 3 weeks later...

Batman

Nightwing

Robin

Red Robin

Spoiler

Batgirl

Black Bat

Freerunner

Green Arrow

Black Canary

Wildcat

Huntress

Crimebuster

Guardian

Static

Red Hood

Detective Chimp

Blue Beetle

Blood Syndicate

Bronze Tiger

Richard Dragon

Deathstroke the Terminator

Arsenal/Red Arrow

Speedy

Knight

Squire

Question

Katana

 

Night Thrasher

Daredevil

Moon Knight

Werewolf by Night

Shang Chi

Punisher

Hawkeye*

Mockingbird*

Spider-Man*

Black Panther*

Rage

Cloak

Dagger

Shroud

Deadpool*

Wolverine*

Captain America*

Winter Soldier*

Nomad

Demolition Man/D-Man

Iron Fist

Power Man/Luke Cage

White Tiger

Sons of the Tiger

Daughters of the Dragon

Dominic Fortune

Nick Fury*

Union Jack

Marc Hazard, Merc

Various members of DP7

Justice (New Universe)

Kickers, Inc.

 

Best Tiger

Savage Dragon

Darkwing

Daredevil (Golden Age)

Black Hood

Night Man

Solitaire

Firearm

X

Ghost

Torch of Liberty

Green Hornet

The Shadow

Miss Fury

 

To name a few...

 

 

* Depending on the story and who's writing them.

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It's all about what kind of feel you want your game to have. The above lists are good examples of your staples. If you wanted to have a strong Primus and Viper feel you could always add elements in from G.I.Joe and Cobra.

 

 

Don't forget about Ragman or The Creeper.

Possibly Grifter.

Elektra would be another good one

Bullseye

.

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Right now I'm playing in and one of 3 rotating GM's in our Dark Champions game. We've brought over some Marvel and some DC, some Independent. I like a lot of the Enemies from Hero where the other 2 don't. but we have even taken some of the Big 4 Color Guns and brought them in line with the DC setting. The Big guns are more for Background but i like the feel of it.

 

I feel ya Ranxerox Cloak & Dagger don't get enough credit.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Superman, from the Golden Age to the George Reeves TV series, could be considered a street-level hero.  Rarely--if ever--did he fight someone in the comics at his own power level, and certainly not in the series.  The closest adversary I can think of to his own (Golden Age) power level were The Mechanical Monsters from the Fleischer cartoon of the same name.  The fact that he was fighting normals led Frederic Werthram to label him as "Giant The Jack Killer"--but as I've said before Werthram can suck it until his gums bleed.

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The Martian Manhunter was a street level detective in his earliest stories, although one with rather overwhelming powers, and not matched against similarly powerful characters.

 

The Spectre spent more time fighting normal criminals than supervillains. (This also makes him look tougher).

 

Superman's original powerset works just fine. A toned down version of his later powers (mainly his senses) would work fine too.

 

Very few characters aren't "street level". The separation is largely artificial.

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A number of examples of powered, "street-level" heroes can be found among the MLJ/Red Circle Comics line, most notably The Shield. The Comet, and Steel Sterling--

 

http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/a/archiecom.htm

 

Later, when MLJ became Archie Comics, Archie and the gang became "street-level" superheroes themselves.  ("I call upon the Power of my Pure Heart!")

 

Hope that helps.

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