The People of Campaign City

[Hermit]

I'm trying something a bit different and seeing how long I can stick with it. Rather than build a fictional city and then fill it with people, I'm going to make a bunch of NPCs (Just the barebones, no real need for Stats) and see what sort of city forms around them.

 

The 'list' I'm going to try to develop is from Champions: Super Powered Role Playing 5th Edition. If you have a copy, you'll see a long list of suggestions starting on page 170. So that's why the alphabetical by niche approach.  If I get all of them (And I believe there is 50) I should have a pretty solid gallery of (mostly) non powered NPCs to add flavor to my next campaign.

 

 

 

[Hermit]

The Activist

Louisa Forrestal lives in a world where superhumans can appear at any time, and no permit for powers is required for an origin. Like most citizens, she saw powered individuals as something you saw on the news, their actions like some far off war; horrible, but not terribly personal. Then the day came when a very angry and disturbed young man entered the same college Louisa's daughter was attending, and used his telekinetic powers to kill as many people as he could in a psychic rampage. It was like a school shooting sans gun, not that made the body count any less.

 

One of the victims was Louisa's daughter, Fiona. The 19 year old girl's neck was snapped with less than a twitch from the psychotic telekinetic. Like many others, Louisa grieved at the lost of a loved one. But it soon came to light that not only was the telekinetic in question super powered, the local PRIMUS chapter had actually suspected it. However, due to budget constraints, and the 'paper tiger' nature of the registration laws on the books, the young man wasn't investigated very deeply. Had he been, his history of anger issues and violent outbreaks surely (in Louisa's mind) would have sent up red flags! 

 

Now, Mrs. Forrestal leads a campaign to enforce and tighten local laws since the Federal ones aren't getting the job done. She faces an uphill battle, as for every citizen demanding increased registration and evaluation for the super powered, there seem to be just as many who treat local superheroes like some civic mascot, and talk about how this law would make their good deeds that much harder! Still, she's not just a grieving mother ranting from passion. She's quick to bring up data supporting her cause (though she does tend to cherry pick) and is quick to appear in case of immense property damage or worse yet loss of life caused by another powered individual. Louisa claims she respects what Superheroes are trying to do, but in her opinion, they are "often untrained, often unaware, and all too often unaccountable."

 

 

Lousia is not a bad person, and in her own way, she wants to save innocent lives much like superheroes do. It's just she's willing to sacrifice the freedoms those heroes are used to for the greater good. However, there are evil forces supporting her. While she's unaware, some of the biggest donors to her cause are merely covers for the like of VIPER, the IHA, and even local crime lords. How she would react to this knowledge if someone presented it with proof to her is unknown. She would probably try to clean house and then redouble her efforts with less funding, but she might also be forced to reconsider or at least modify her stance.

 

 

QUOTE: "There is no constitutional right to fire beams from your eyes!  Your claim of privacy ends where the safety of someone's child begins!"

[Lord Liaden]

This is an admirable project with real beneficial potential for any GM looking to flesh out his NPC roster. Game stats aren't really needed for most such characters -- they're there for role-playing purposes, not combat. Good well-rounded character concepts are hard for many GMs to come up with; but that's always seemed to be one of your strengths.

 

I love the topicality of Louisa Forrestal. Given what we see in the real world, this is such a logical characterization I'm embarrassed I never thought of it.

 

Thank you.

[Hermit]

The Anchor Man

John S. Marshall is the Anchorman for the local NBS news channel. The grey haired square faced man's gravitas has only improved in the twenty two years he's held the job, and any superhero who watches for news alerts on TV will surely be familiar with his face for he uses his influence with the station to make sure super powered events are reported as accurately as possible, a twist from some of his younger rivals in the area who go for sensationalism. Marshall has become a name most citizens trust, and some heroes suspect maybe on their side. While no fan boy, Marshall made his name as a newsreporter covering the heroic last stand of the superhero Spearmaiden as she fought to hold back a mystic onslaught of netherworld warriors. He spoke eloquently to the viewers of the grim event, and soon was offered the position he holds to this very day.

 

Rumor has it that John has refused more than one offer to hit the big times. He points out that he, and his family, are quite happy in this city. Why would they leave? His seeming devotion to the town has only endeared him more to many of the natives. He's probably the most trusted media face in the city.

 

If a superhero wanted to actually give a local news man an interview, they'd find John S. Marshall firm but fair in his questioning, but none have stepped into the studio for that purpose yet and he doesn't pursue such an interview (Though his producers would love to arrange one). Superheroes might meet him at a local charity event, because even without the studio's prodding, he is happy to lend his time to them.

 

 

John S. Marshall caries a horrible amount of guilt as well. You see, it was his nosing around that opened the seal to the Netherworld all those years ago, and he surely would have been the first to die if not for Spearmaiden's sacrifice. Only his wife knows how he feels responsible to this day for the heroine's death. While he worries he sometimes is too easy on superheroes, mostly what he tries to do is give them a fair shake. He feels he owes Spearmaiden's memory that much. While he truly does love the city, it is his sense of obligation to it (he did take one  of its protectors after all) that truly holds him here. He plans to come clean after his death, releasing the true story posthumously.

 

 

QUOTE: "At the time, there is no proof that the arsonist has super powers, though authorities will not rule it out citing the lack of any apparent accelerant. At least one local hero has promised to bring the arsonist, whoever he or she is, to justice."

[Hermit]

This is an admirable project with real beneficial potential for any GM looking to flesh out his NPC roster. Game stats aren't really needed for most such characters -- they're there for role-playing purposes, not combat. Good well-rounded character concepts are hard for many GMs to come up with; but that's always seemed to be one of your strengths.

 

I love the topicality of Louisa Forrestal. Given what we see in the real world, this is such a logical characterization I'm embarrassed I never thought of it.

 

Thank you.

Thank you. I'm feeling a bit rusty of late, and decided to push myself a bit. It's certainly my hope that someone besides me will find at least one of these of use.

[pinecone]

Very cool! 5 thumbs up..

[Hermit]

​The Archaeologist 

Charles "Charlie"  Lovett wears a fedora hat. "If you were in my line of work, wouldn't you?" he asks the amused who show interest. He's wanted to be an Archaeologist ever since he saw a certain movie as a very young boy. He soon learned it was far more about meticulous filing and cataloging than delving into ancient cities, though he has definitely gone out in the field more than once. Inspiration aside, Charlie is definitely no Harrison Ford. Only those frequent trips keep him from getting truly overweight, and rather than a rugged five o'clock shadow, he just gets unkempt and shaggy faced. 

 

In his youth, he was drawn by the mystique of Egyptology, but now that he's older, he's actually far more focused on Pre-Colonial Americas and what they've left behind in pottery, arrowheads, and so forth. Currently he splits his time between teaching at a local university, spelunking in caves, and yes, he is often seen in museums. In case it hasn't been stressed enough, Charlie is no action star. What he is, is a genius. He speaks at least three Native American languages, Latin, Coptic, Arabic, and more. He almost never forgets anything he's seen, having a nigh photographic memory, and even in areas he does not specialize in, he can provide excellent references because of this. 

 

Personality wise, he's not so much eccentric as easy going, good humored, and happy to share his knowledge to folks who seem to have genuine interest. He is prone to quoting certain movies at times, but its very tongue in cheek.

 

 

Recently, Charlie has stumbled upon some old caves that are actually local. There are odd murals and such on them. He believes they maybe connected to the tribe of a nearby Reservation, but is torn about telling them about it. He knows he should but is also considering its easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission. As the land in question isn't currently ceded to the tribe, he's not breaking the law, but the ethics of it are starting to bug him. Ah well. Just another trip or two...

what could happen?

 

 

QUOTE: "That idol? That's Sekhmet. Egyptian war goddess among other things. Whatever you do, don't sacrifice domestic beer to her... she's slaughtered populations for less."

[Hermit]

The Artist

Nydia Wilson lives on the wrong side of the tracks in a predominately poor neighborhood that the rest of the city doesn't like to think about. The African American teenage girl has her father looking after her, and that's helped keep her from falling prey to drugs and prostitution, but what really keeps her going is her art. Some dabble in graffiti, but Nydia tells whole stories with it. She's strewn whole scenes on the side of white freight trains depicting a poor man seeking a job and getting nowhere but not giving up. She's shown images of a soup kitchen on a warehouse wall, glamorizing nothing, but somehow making sure none of the hope in the moment was lost. She's depicted ugly, sometimes, when she felt the city was ignoring it too much. A murder of a hooker on a sidewalk wasn't looked much into, until the sidewalk where the prostitute fell was found with a blood red silhouette of paint and the word 'care' catching the moonlight. 

 

And no one knows Nydia is the one doing it. To her schoolmates, the sixteen year old girl is the brain case, the 'wanna be white girl' mocked because of her good grades. Her father wants her to be a doctor, or an accountant, something that'll make good living and always be in demand. Nydia doesn't know how to tell him what she really loves is art. More than loves, she can't stop it. It's her way of holding out against the despair of her neighborhood. It's what she's called to do. And while some folks are starting to notice her work, and she loves the praise, she is really worried someone will expose her yet, and she'll be forced to disappoint her father by not being what he wants her to be.

 

 

Any Superhero who comes into the bad part of Nydia's neighborhood for more than just threatening the locals may end up as art. If they actually save folks, and help them out? They most certainly will. How they'll feel about seeing themselves as artwork (And good artwork at that) is up to them, of course. But villains may not appreciate it and might decide to find out who this 'artsy hero fan' is and teach a lesson

 

 

QUOTE: "Uh, yes. It's okay I guess, the art I mean. No, I don't know who did it officer. I was on my way to the library."

[Hermit]

The Athlete 

Tomasina "Tomtom" McElroy is the wrong gender, and she plays the wrong sport; otherwise you'd know who she is. Still, she came to the city to play; that's not a metaphor, this city is one of the few member cities of the National Women's Soccer League in the United States. The sport is struggling here, despite hopes that Americans would come around and it might bring in some revenue, but it sure isn't for lack of skilled athletes. Tomasina "Tom Tom" McElroy is good, very good. She's the kind of Forward any thinking Goalie dreads, and is in a tie for leagues most goals for season. Within the small group that follows the sport, she's a rock star! But among 90% of folks, even in town, few would know her name. 

 

Now, if she'd been born male and playing "real football" , she'd be making money hand over fist and have more endorsement deals than you could shake a stick at. Is she bitter about that? Well, she'd be lying if she said it didn't bug her now and then, but she's got her Bronze Olympic medal from years ago, and how many people can say that? Now she's playing professionally in a game she loves, and she's getting by. What's to gripe about really? 

 

While she does date now and then, her focus is on her sport career. Athletes often have a limited set of prime years, and she doesn't want to waste a one of hers. In short, any guy pursuing her will have to accept that he's going to be on the bench a lot and she maybe away in other states on games that will be lucky if they get seen on Youtube.

 

Still, she tries to be a good role model for girls and young women in the city, and is a spokeswoman for Breast Cancer awareness since her own aunt lost her life to same.

 

 

Tomasina may not be focused on her love life, but unfortunately for her, one fan is very focused on her.  This fellow has set up a shrine to her in a cabin outside city limits, and hopes to 'whisk her away' (IE Kidnap) and 'be with her forever' (IE keep her locked up in a twisted nightmare take on what he believes marriage should be). Tom Tom's seen him sniffing around, rolled her eyes, and moved on. She's completely unaware how dangerous he is.

 

 

QUOTE: "Get me an opening and I'll kick the ball so hard the factory that manufactured that goal will feel it."

[Hermit]

The Bail Bondsman 

Robert Gates is one of those rare breed, a bail bondsman who will deal with superpowered individuals despite the risks involved. Of course, making sure men and women of such power show up for court is no easy feat, but Gates has found an elegant solution. He hires ex-super criminals who have served their time, offering them legitimate jobs as bounty hunters now tracking down their former peers who jumped bail. Since former convicts rarely have an easy time of getting work once they go straight, more than a few have taken him up on it with mixed results. 

 

A smart cookie, Gates has added another profit making element to the deal. He's outfitted his employees with body cameras, and now you too can watch 'Gates' Keepers' the Reality Show (Think "Dog the Bounty Hunter" but with powers sort of ). Bounty Hunters, and the immense powers they're granted in some areas, are controversial enough, but some folks think that Robert has actually taken on flight risks in hope they jump bail just to keep the show going! He denies this, but ratings are definitely up.

 

 

Gates has an element of sleaze, but isn't deliberately breaking any law. However, two of his employees are actually taking bribes to not just let bail jumpers go, but to arrange their meetings with villainous orgnaizations like VIPER and the like. In short, they've become underground middle men for scum and villainy and are using Gates Keepers as a cover for it! If Robert Gates found out about this, he'd do everything in his power to keep it from going public while still trying to handle it 'in house' with his other contacts/employees

 

 

QUOTE: "Hey, Hero. If you're really worried about him running, here's my number. Why hunt him down for nothing when you could get a paycheck for it?" 

[Hermit]

The Bartender

Clark "Mac" McNamara is a drink slinger and mixologist at the inappropriately named bar Lucky Lou's. The LL is almost a classic dive, though the glasses are, at least, clean, with more scumballs than you can shake a stick at. Fortunately, Mac's smart enough to know how to avoid fights, and if forced to, can hold his own surprisingly well. He's just here to serve drinks, but that doesn't stop two bit punk villains from occasionally coming in and blabbing about how their next job is going to put them on the map. Off duty VIPER agents, henchmen for hire, bikers who've watched way too much Sons of Anarchy; they can all be found here. 

 

Mac serves them drinks, and waits for the next hero or vigilante to storm in, demand information, and beat the hell out of everyone in the room until he gets it. Mac himself tries to stay out of it, but some times it occurs to a hero to ask him what's what, and yeah, he usually knows or at least could point out the right stoolie but he's learned to be discrete, slipping a note on what's going on on the hero's bar tab (Which is a surprise to a hero who doesn't remember drinking anything) etc. Still, Mac can't afford to make enemies, and the hero will likely be gone for weeks until the next time, so he's got to cover his own rear, right? 

 

Fortunately, most heroes understand that so far.

 

It's an elegant arrangement, and Mac seems amused by it all. If asked who Lou is, he simply says "The Owner, he's shy" and leaves it at that.

 

 

While Mac is essentially a normal joe working a dangerous nine to five (though he does have a lot of PRE Defense), his boss 'Lou' is something else. Lou is an alien, one who is using this bar situation to observe 'human predators at their equivalent of a watering hole'. Only Mac knows this whole thing is essentially a sociological study for a space man, and that tickles him no end , which explains why he smirks inappropriately from time to time. It's also the one secret you'd have to be a telepath to pry out of him

 

 

QUOTE: "Well, now that you've either driven out or laid out everyone in the place but me, I guess we can talk about where Lazer is hiding, but you didn't hear it from me...."

[Hermit]

Skipping "Boyfriend/Girlfriend" as that would require specific PCs

 

The Burglar/Thief 

Melody Clifford used to turn heads, and is still a damn fine looking woman at her age who stays fit. Back in the day, she was none other than the notorious cat burglar Lace. As Lace, she flirted with masked heroes on the roof tops and danced with danger as she took her latest prize home. Then? Well, to paraphrase a movie, she got her foot caught in the door. One costumed gent in particular didn't just ignite her passions, she found herself in love with the nuisance.   At first she fought it, but eventually, she gave in, and gave up her old life. For a year or two, she adopted the name Shadow Vixen and even worked with her new love... and it was fun. But then, well, the jerk knocked her up (He pointed out, in that annoying way of his, that it did take two to tango) and that was that for a few years.

 

And darn it, if she wasn't deliriously happy! Melody discovered she loved her kids (That's right, she had more than one) and even grew to like some aspects of being a housewife (Not that she would ever admit it). Time slipped away from her, and suddenly she wasn't as good as she used to be. 

 

Neither, sadly, was her husband, but that didn't stop him from heroing. "Soon" he would say "I'll quit soon", but then he stumbled onto a plot by a villain, and then soon would never come. Melody had to come in and identify her husband's body.  She saved her tears for when she was alone. That was five years ago. Now, she seems to have recovered from her grief, and while on the straight and narrow, she exudes a certain playful confidence still. She's come to this city to make new memories and be closer to one of her children who lives her now as an adult.

 

Or so she claims

 

 

Melody may not be Lace anymore, but she's still a woman of considerable skill and talent. Nor is she over her husband's death. She has, however, found out that the villain that slew her husband has come to this city, and she has followed. She intends not to kill him, but to find out his secret ID, and then rob him to the point of destitution while making sure he goes to jail. Should a superhero (Particularly a young woman) show sympathy and be willing to aid her, Melody would be happy to mentor her in some of the aspects of high class theft.

 

Of course, Melody doesn't know that one of her own kids has now taken up a costumed life style. If she did, she might find herself torn between pride, and real fear that she might lose him/her too

 

 

QUOTE: "A t-tech 3001 security system takes a full three seconds to kick in the back up generator, plenty of time if you know what you're doing"

[Hermit]

Very cool! 5 thumbs up..

Thank you. This is probably all for a half day at least. I hope more than one appeals. Comments are welcome.

[Grailknight]

This is wonderful stuff. I smell Kickstarter.

[Hermit]

The Businessman 

Elliot R. Laird is a man with a vision, and that vision is a brighter greener world. He visualizes solar panels on every viable roof, and windmill farms on formerly unused plots of lands. On a planet where super tech has influenced the growth of the industries, even if only a little, he feels there is no excuse not to pursue the dreams of enough energy for everyone from sources that will keep said planet healthy for untold generations. That's his pitch, and oddly, he means it.  

 

And it has made him, and his company Eco-Op (A play on Ecological Opportunities), a lot of enemies. Elliot himself left a promising career at a far less "enlightened" corporation at a rather young age out of disgust, and wasn't too shy about it. His Green alternative energy tech has "stolen" customers from big oil, cut into the revenue of energy grid monopolies (or former ones), and put pressure on other corporations to watch their own pollutants beyond what the EPA requires or else look really bad by comparison. Not all of those who oppose him are black hat wearing monsters, either. Some folks worry his methods require gentrification and will drive the lower income folks away as he helps revamp neighborhoods to be greener. Others point out that in trying to save the planet, some of his company's methods maybe hurting the wild life. To his credit, Laird is willing to work with people.

 

And, of course, there are his stock brokers and members of the Board. While Elliot owns the controlling interest in the company, as Eco-Op has gotten more and more successful (And profitable) some involved are getting a bit greedy, urging tactics like Eminent Domain use through the city government to cure "blight areas".  Laird feels the heat, but so far is keeping the company he made from turning into a monster.

 

Currently, Elliot is single, though more than one woman would love to be the first Mrs. Laird. He's a handsome enough guy, and has too much integrity to be a 'playah', but his job keeps him very busy and Elliot feels it would be unfair to any woman he grew to love to play second fiddle to his vision.

 

He does get lonely at times.

 

Eco-Op is one of the "good companies" for the most part but it still needs to make a profit, and it still works to spread its influence. One that relates to superheroes is that Eco-Op has recently moved into the construction business as well. Superfights causing severe enough property damage may find that next week, the building in question is being replaced or repaired by Eco-Op contractors who are putting in the latest solar panels and other Green tech. While it may appear noble at first, it may also come to take on a vulture like vibe: The company picking at the bones of super battles.

 

As for Elliot himself, ACI has not forgiven that this young upstart not only left them years ago, he's now become a rival. While they'd never "officially" hire anyone to do anything about him, the world is full of hungry young killers for hire. Poor Elliot may find himself relegated to a damsel in distress, so to speak.

 

QUOTE: "It is my deepest honor and most profound pleasure to unveil the plans for the Eco-Op Public Transit system! We hope to cut down traffic by fifteen percent, provide the working poor new ways to get to the jobs they need, and get Mr. Sun to help us do the work. This can work. It will work. We can and must make it happen!"

[Hermit]

Celebrity, Local

Dick Richardson , you don't have to go into comedy with a name like that, but it sure helps to have a sense of humor. Dick Richardson did both, having a surprisingly clean act given the endless word play at his own expense to play with. In his heyday, he was called the Cyrano of Comedy, due to a truly impressive proboscis. Jokes about his nose getting on the stage five minutes before he did were part of the act. For about ten years, he surged to the A list on the national comedy scene, but his career tapered off after that.

 

In his native city, however, he's still a hit! Nowadays he puts on shows (and manages) his own comedy club Twice Unmentionable (A play on his name). For a comedy club, it does brisk business, and to encourage young talent, Dick even has an amateur night with the price at the door halved for that night so they'll have a good chance of getting an audience. While he feels its up to the newblood to keep the audience in the palm of his or her hand, he's been known to take a shine to more than one and give a tip or two. Because of this, there is now more than one rising comedy star that remembers him fondly.

 

The middle aged comedian also gets invited to radio and TV shows to give his own quirky insights on current events, politics, and the like. He's worked for fund raisers, and despite his teasing of some of the craziness in the city; he loves it dearly.

 

 

Dick is what you see, a loyal native son with a huge nose and a talent for making folks laugh. It is possible his comedy club could end up attacked by some villain with a clown or other 'creepy masquerading as funny' theme, in which case Dick's first priority would be keeping said's villain's attention while his staff and customers could get to safety. Should any PC have an interest in the entertainment field, especially comedy, they could do far worse than to befriend Mr. Richardson. As for their costumed identities, Dick is not above making jibes at their choice of costumes or codenames, though its mostly good natured. Of course, if he should mock the wrong supervillain...

 

 

QUOTE:   "This city is my home... and by that I mean if I end up passed out on the communal doorstep, it has to take me in."

[Hermit]

Charity Worker

Jamie Clements has a hard road ahead of her. The thirty three year old woman runs the regional charity Hope for the Hated, and the charity's name is no exaggeration. It seeks to draw the public's attention to the plight of former convicts who cannot get jobs once they've served their time. It campaigns to 'Ban the Box', that check list on job application forms where you have to admit your previous criminal past, on the ground it makes it harder for ex-cons to even start the interview without being rejected. It has taken the extremely unpopular stance of loosening restrictions on sex offenders who have served their time and where they may live since many, in Jamie's view, are being driven into homelessness and away from the very support groups they need to hold strong.  And yes, she and the charity try to raise money for supervillains, not just hoping to get them jobs, but the therapy many of them need. Teenage supervillains are often tried as adults even for non violent crimes due to their powers, another thing she works to change.

 

None of that is cheap, and it takes donations. So Ms. Clements finds herself holding her hand out on behalf of those many in society would prefer to see gone forever, time served or not. Compared to other Charities, Hope for the Hatred struggles, but she and those with her believe its a struggle worth fighting. She shows up at town council meetings, organizes protests, and calls up strangers in charity drives fully aware she's got a high probability of being told she's going to burn in hell for helping "monsters". 

 

No one said the right thing was easy, she tells herself, and doubles down. Her cause has cost her her marriage, and custody of her kids (Her ex convinced a local judge that his wife's charity work would endanger them). But she's seen other folks lose more because of one mistake. So she fights.

 

Like many others in the city, she respects and admires what superheroes try to do. She doesn't see them as enemies at all. However, she'll be the first to get between a hero and a former Stronghold Jailbird if she feels that ex-supervillain is just trying to get his life together. And yes, she'll have the chutzpah to ask if a hero would like to help out some of the same criminals he/she put away now that they're legit.

 

 

Underfunded, understaffed as it is, Hope for the Hated is actually having an impact in the city. And not everyone likes this. At this point, Jamie has cost an organized crime boss muscle, a VIPER nest leader a technician, and a supervillain team a former member. If this continues, it will only be a matter of time before they turn their attention to her. Yet killing her would make her a martyr and possibly draw even more attention to the charity, so the above mentioned crime boss is instead contemplating a frame job. Not only would it put this mouthy do gooder in jail, it would cripple the Charity's public image; a true win win. It will probably work.... unless a local superhero proves her innocence.

 

 

QUOTE: "Whatever you think of Scott... and his name is SCOTT, not Shatterzone, not 'scum', he's served his time, he's cleaned up his act, and he wants a second chance. You're a hero, right? If you believe in redemption, you won't try to deny him that."

[Hermit]

This is wonderful stuff. I smell Kickstarter.

Ah, you make me blush...

but as I eat up praise to feed my insecure nature, do go on

[Hermit]

The Collector 

Donna Schlesinger is the trust fund baby of a wealthy Jewish family in the area. The Schlesingers mind their own business (Both literal and figuratively) and don't make waves for the most part. Donna goes to some high society events on behalf of the family, and seems to have avoided the self destructive behavior many young people with too much money fall into. No drug problems, no sex tape scandal, and no desire at all for a Reality show or any such nonsense; she appears to be a sensible woman in her early twenties.

 

 

Appears is the operative word. Donna has a very dangerous hobby, one that  almost no one knows about. She uses her money and a few connections to find and collect superhero and supervillain memorabilia, and it is often by means of a black market. She has a small manor house with a hidden basement, and there, Donna stores numerous weapons (high tech and not), costumes (Or parts of costumes) worn by real heroes/villains at one time, and other knick knacks, some of which she doesn't even fully understand the purpose of. It's not the purpose that matters, after all, its the having. 

 

It gives her a tingle no sexual encounter has thus far been able to match to know that people with such power were once in contact with these items. Sometimes she tries the outfits on, or at least runs her hands along them, but mostly she'd content to admire them through the high tech plastics in their display cases. She doesn't want to be a superhero, at least she doesn't think so. Mother and Father would never approve, it's just it makes her feel more alive than anything! She has a compulsion, and she doesn't want to fight it, even if one day one of these objects might blow up in her face. 

 

If a local superhero finds themselves losing a focus or part of their costume, its entirely possible some less than ethical citizen of the city will snatch it up, knowing that there's a buyer who will pay top dollar for it. They won't know who they are selling to exactly (Donna isn't stupid, she pays her go betweens very well) but they likely won't care as the money is always paid. Of course, if Donna herself were on the scene for some reason, she might not be able to resist taking a souvenir personally, but she's got good hands, and is a good enough actress to lie well, which means she has a good chance of pulling it off, particularly if said super is out cold at the time. 

 

Clearly, Donna Schlesinger is a deeply troubled young woman who needs counselling, but the dark haired beauty isn't likely to get it until after something goes terribly terribly wrong. For one thing, any criminals slipping into her place have a good chance of getting enough gear that they might be able to outfit themselves as a a brand new supervillain team on their own. For another, this is a world of magic, and not all that magic is nice. One object in Donna's collection is whispering to her soul, driving her deeper into insanity, and when she's ready, that object will empower her. Donna may have no interest in being a superhero, but at this rate, it's only a matter of time before she has a supervillain origin instead.

 

 

 

 

QUOTE: "Oh my, to think Mantle himself once wore this...." 

[Hermit]

I think I'll skip the Congressman and Governor options at this time. I'm thinking more city, and while both could appear there, it might detract from the City wide focus.

[Hermit]

The Coroner

Dr. Harold ("Don't call me Harry") Rumsfield is the county Coroner, or if you prefer, chief medical examiner. You might see him as a well groomed man with a stick up his rear, he will inform you that he is a modern day auger shifting through the entrails of the fallen to find out what's really going on, and you will by God respect that or get out of his morgue. Harold takes his job reverently; perhaps almost too much so as he truly believes there is a sacredness to what he does. Some people claim he shows the dead more respect than the living, that he's nicer to the corpse on his slab than the feelings of his coworkers.

 

Those someones would be right. Dr. Rumsfield treats the corpses he carves up with surprising courtesy, going so far as to preserve their modesty when outsiders walk in with a sheet, and never referring to the body as if it were an object. He's less  sensitive to the living, but as he points out, "The dead are without sin, its the living who torment us." It doesn't matter if the body was a politician or a homeless man, a sinner or a saint. He treats each corpse with decency.

 

That said, in his off hours, the Doctor does not dwell on the dead. He goes to concerts, museums, and so on. After all, he knows better than most that life is short, so one should enjoy the finer things in it while one can. He tends to dress in very nice suits, and coworkers joke (Behind his back) that if he fell over dead right there, he'd be  dressed for the funeral.

 

 

Exactly one year ago, one of the bodies the Doctor was preparing to work on 'woke up' sat up, his wounds still healing right in front of Dr. Rumsfield. The coroner had checked the body, the man was dead, and then clearly was not. It shook him badly, and so one fun hook is to have the normally reserved if prickly medical examiner spot that same man in a crowd at some concert, yell, "You! How? How was it possible!" leading the once dead man to bolt and run... with a mystery for the heroes should they choose to follow it.

 

 

 

QUOTE: "Defenestration, death by being pushed out a window is as different in its marks of suicide as print is to cursive. Whoever missed this the first time should be drawn and  quartered, this poor fellow's body was all but screaming 'I was murdered' and the previous 'investigator'  turned a deaf or incompetent ear to it. Disgusting."

[Hermit]

The Crime Boss

Caspar Brown remembers it like it was yesterday. A child from a war torn African country, he had been adopted by a kindly and affluent American couple. Oh, what a wonderland the US seemed in comparison to the horrors back home. His two new parents, and their daughter, seemed determined to win him over. They were rich, they were powerful, and their hearts were pure.

 

How little that all meant. Caspar remembers his adopted sister's hat getting caught by a stiff wind and blowing into the alleyway behind the playhouse. He recalled them going to retrieve it, and yes, he clearly remembers the man who held up the Browns at gun point, and then shot them in cold blood. Had their murderer's gun not jammed, he and his sister would have surely joined them.

 

While his sister cried over the bodies, Caspar watched the gun man flee, and at that young age, he had his epiphany. 

It was all about power.

A king could shine his crown all he wanted, but if the man with the sword next to him wanted him dead, he would be. The noblest heart could be stopped by a piece of lead tearing through it, and all those good deeds wouldn't protect it. No one was ever safe, not really. 

 

The best way to defend against monsters was to become the biggest monster out there. Taking his share of his inheritance, Caspar went around the world, learning the many methods of monsterdom. He learned how to fight, of course. Perhaps he'd never been the greatest, but he was a black belt twice over. He learned how to earn one's trust, and then betray them. He learned how to make money both legally and otherwise. He learned as much as he could about everything, really. Knowledge is another form of power, after all.

 

And then he returned to the city and put his plan in motion. Covertly funding street gangs under the nickname "Mr. Ghost", outfitting them with weapons, he watched as entire neighborhoods tore themselves apart in gang wars... and then he stepped in and saved those same neighborhood as Mr. Caspar Brown, wealthy philanthropist. Of course, he wasn't stopping the crime, not really, he was stream lining it, hiding it, and making it more efficient.  People didn't really care about decency, they wanted order, and he gave it to them. Who cares about murder in the streets if it only involves a prostitute? Who cared if the system for maximum penalties and minimal rehabilitation meant those who entered in criminal activities had no where to go but down? By playing both Sinner and Saint, Caspar has forced the poor and desperate into his umbrella, while using surgical strikes (Such as drug addition, blackmail, and bribes) against those in power.

 

To this day, few know that Mr. Ghost and Caspar are one in the same. However, that does not mean the city is truly his. There are contenders for the title of top crime boss, at least two others that rival his power. He plays along, speaks of respecting territory and the like, but it's only a matter of time before he makes his move. Mr. Ghost will be king of all monsters, and he will have both the crown and the sword.

 

Mr. Ghost is not blind to the fact that superheroes are a whole new level of power. He wants that same power for himself so badly he can taste it, but he's cautious. Relying on tech means that power actually belongs to the creator of the tech who would maintain it. Mysticism often involves a risk to the freedom of one's soul, and while Caspar's soul maybe twisted, it is still his own and he intends to keep it that way. To test things out, he has had his dear sweet sister on 'vacation', where she has been altered through experimentation and brainwashed to his specifications. When she returns, he plans to use her as his personal assassin, and observe her track record and look out for side effects. If it's a truly rousing success, he may take the procedure himself. She's due to return in the next month. He looks forward to the reunion.

 

QUOTE: (As Caspar Brown) "People have mentioned that I am hard on crime. They say I hold vengeance in my heart for what happened to my parents in that alley. But I do not do what I do to avenge my pain. I do it so no other eight year old child will experience what I have. I do it to keep the monsters in the shadows where they belong."

 

(As Mr. Ghost) "You think you can stop me? Stop me from what? You think if you strike the head from the snake the body will die, ,but no. We are not one body, we are, each and all of us, monsters to the core, held to common purpose by my will for I am the King of the monsters here. This city would tear itself apart if not for my holding the reins. You should be grateful."

[bubba smith]

this is an interesting thread

[BlueCloud2k2]

It is indeed!

 

Would you mind if I created a page on my blog for these? Because I am sure there are others who would love to use this but don't peruse these forums. And of course I would credit you as the originator (whether you wanted me use your real name or screen name).

[Hermit]

It is indeed!

 

Would you mind if I created a page on my blog for these? Because I am sure there are others who would love to use this but don't peruse these forums. And of course I would credit you as the originator (whether you wanted me use your real name or screen name).

I'm flattered. Please feel free to do so.  I'm not done yet, and you may want to wait until then but that's your call.

 

Oh, a general comment to all, partially its enjoyment of pats on the back, but do feel free to tell me which ones you liked best and why. It kind of tells me what I'm doing right.