Legacy Hero Suggestions

[S7Michelle]

We are going to be starting a new Champions game (Hero 5e) soon, and I thought it might be fun to play a character that has a legacy type background, possibly one where mutant powers run in the family.  My character Crystal Shield, will be a relatively young (20s) brick who can change into a crystal form (smokey quartz).  She tends to be a bit of showoff (overconfident and showoff flaws, PS: model and PS: social media influencer), but her heart is in the right place.  She has a public id.

 

I spent quite a few points buying her family as a contact:  21 points, Powerful Family (11- (2), Extremely Useful (3), Good Relationship (2), Organizational Contact (x3) and have a hunted that is basically enemies of her family/legacy rogues gallery.

 

That said, I’m currently having a little trouble determining whether or not I should use cannon characters as her parents or just try creating my own.  I think using already established characters could be fun, and our GM is quite familiar with the setting.  But I’m not quite knowledgeable enough to know who to consider and there is so much material out there.

 

I was hoping that maybe I could get a few suggestions of characters to consider for her mother and father and which book or books to look at (I have quite a few 5e books and would be willing to pick up a few more if they would be helpful).  In terms of setting, I think we will probably end up in either Millennium City or Bay City.  But I’m sure that we could always just say that cannon characters from another area recently moved there.

I believe the GM is planning to go with a "the Champions have disappeared and your team will need to step in and replace them" type plot, at least to start.

[steriaca]

Depends. Did the Guardians exist in your GM's world? If so, the most idea members of the family should be Icestar and Icicle, othoe this might mean you also have Freon in the family tree.

[DShomshak]

The Champions product I first think of here is Aaron Allston's Strike Force. The extended family called "the Blood" are exactly this: Super-powers run in the family. Some members are heroes, some are villains, some just living their lives. (They also appeared in the very early supplement The Blood and Dr. McQuark, IIRC.) Not part of the CU, but it would be easy to splice them in.

 

Strike Force is worth reading in any case. IMO it's the best Champions supplement ever written, and darn useful for any game as an example of what a successful campaign looks like.

 

Dean Shomshak

[Khymeria]

I would ask the GM for suggestions since you stated they are quite knowledgeable of the setting. They might have someone in mind they are excited to have in or around the campaign. 

[steriaca]

39 minutes ago, Khymeria said:

I would ask the GM for suggestions since you stated they are quite knowledgeable of the setting. They might have someone in mind they are excited to have in or around the campaign. 

What Khymeria said should be noted as the first choice. Who else knows about their world then the one who created it? If the GM has no suggestions, then it is up to you to fill in who and what should be in the world. 

[Hermit]

57 minutes ago, Khymeria said:

I would ask the GM for suggestions since you stated they are quite knowledgeable of the setting. They might have someone in mind they are excited to have in or around the campaign. 

 

15 minutes ago, steriaca said:

What Khymeria said should be noted as the first choice. Who else knows about their world then the one who created it? If the GM has no suggestions, then it is up to you to fill in who and what should be in the world. 

 

Agree, S7MichelleI'd definitely ask the GM if they had plans, or if you were allowed to make your own. Very likely the latter would be allowed, but with Veto power by the GM retained  

 

But you asked for examples of who to be descended from so... one thought comes to mind:

Some previous edition adventures had some cool NPC teams that I've dusted off in the past. To Serve and Protect brought us the Protectors, and while the story line involves them not quite being themselves, I thought they were great. Mutants on that team included Brainstorm (mentalist), Maestrom (weather controller), and Ace (She could turn invisible and had martial arts). V.O.IC.E. of Doom was another adventure, where members of The Freedom Squad are being killed off by a villain organization and need help. Victrix, a telekinetic member, was a mutant . I'm not sure about the others.

 

You would have to tweak timelines and such

 

 

 

 

 

[Lord Liaden]

As far as official "legacy" origins go, it would make a difference if you just want an extended family for your character to belong to, or if you want specific, named supers as her parents. For the former, I would suggest following the link in my signature to "Champions Universe: Unique Character Origins." The listed spectrum of possibilities there is wide, but all are derived from the current official setting, and all include book references you can look up for more info. I believe the entries for "Golden Age Legacies" and "The Vita-Man Clan" would best fit the type of character and background you describe.

 

Now, for the second case, I would say the best match to what you say you want would be Peter "Amazing Man II" Renton, and his wife Marcy Gibson-Renton, formerly the gadgeteer and powered-armor hero "Electron." Peter Renton is the son of Michael Renton, the first Amazing Man and leader of the legendary Fabulous Five superhero team (Fantastic Four analogue) during the 1960s. Peter Renton inherited his father's scientific genius and power to transmute matter, so your character's personal transmutation would not be unreasonable to be born with.

 

The two heroes fell in love while Renton was leader of the renowned Sentinels team, and Gibson was serving with the equally-famous Justice Squadron. Officially they married in 2005, so you'd either have to scooch your character's age back a few years, or else get your GM's permission to do the same for the wedding date. AM II and Electron left their teams to join the Goodman Institute, a type of support organization for superheroes, and lead their Encounter Teams investigating unusual phenomena.

 

Regarding extended family connections, it doesn't get more famous and influential. Peter Renton's mother, Patricia "Patty" Renton, was the superhero Siren, another founding member of the F5, and until 2003 (last date published) was the most senior and respected member of UNTIL's Board of Directors. Even if she's retired, if she's still alive she's bound to retain considerable clout. Another F5 member, Diamond -- the setting's analogue to the Thing, and apparently ageless -- is still active, the longest-serving member of the Sentinels, and one of the most famous superheroes in the world. He's a close friend of AM II. And of course, both parents retain good relations with the Sentinels and Justice Squadron.

 

The Goodman Institute is detailed in Champions Universe: News Of The World, and in Champions Universe for 6E. The former book also contains the most recent (5E) full write-up for Diamond. Amazing Man II and Electron have never been game-statted, but the write-up for Amazing Man I appears in Digital Hero #10. Issue #9 gives the same treatment to Patty Renton; between those two issues you'd have all the origins and stats for the original F5, although other heroes joined the team later.

[Duke Bushido]

Why the child of heroes?

 

It might prove amusing to have your parents rooting for you, giving advice, cheering you on, collecting news clippings of your exploits and hoping and praying that you never find out that they are retired and still-wanted supervillains.

 

I mean honestly, if I were the GM, I could have so much fun with this....

 

 

[Mr. R]

Or take a page from "Sky High" Warren Peace Hero Mother, Villain Father!

 

Imagine the role playing:

"Hey mom I fought with dad last week!" 

"Oh dear!  Who was he working for this time?" 

"Dr. Demonicus!  Don't worry we won, but he got away!" 

"Thank you!  I'll have to talk to him again I see!" 

"Please mom, don't!  You either end up hooking up for the weekend, or arguing and almost getting into a fight!  What do you see in him?" 

"He has the bluest eyes, (Sigh)!"

"EWwwwww!  MOM!"

 

 

[Scott Ruggels]

Ah, she likes them bad boys. 

[Lord Liaden]

Or, he likes them bad girls. A supervillainess who isn't a really terrible person might drop the love-child of a hero off with their dad to be raised.

[Duke Bushido]

48 minutes ago, Lord Liaden said:

. A supervillainess who isn't a really terrible person might drop the love-child of a hero off with their dad to be raised.

 

 

So _that's_ where all those Robins are coming from....

 

Bruce the Playa......

[Lord Liaden]

More or less how we got the most recent Robin, Damien Wayne. Only Bruce wasn't exactly a playa in that instance. Talia al Ghul drugged him.

[steriaca]

31 minutes ago, Lord Liaden said:

More or less how we got the most recent Robin, Damien Wayne. Only Bruce wasn't exactly a playa in that instance. Talia al Ghul drugged him.

You wonder, how did Talia go from being the nice daughter of a <strikeout>madman</strikeout> concerned global citizen into a psycho demi-yanderi who has to drug up vigilante millionaires for their man juice?

[Duke Bushido]

37 minutes ago, Lord Liaden said:

More or less how we got the most recent Robin, Damien Wayne. Only Bruce wasn't exactly a playa in that instance. Talia al Ghul drugged him.

 

 

Thank you, my friend, for trying.

 

But you realize that "Bruce" is the only name in that sentence that has any meaning to me, right?  And even then, I shot straight to that Monty Python "mind if call you Bruce just to keep things clear?" Thing before I actually clicked in Batman?

 

Though sincerely: it was ectremely,kind of you to try, and I thank you for it.

[Lord Liaden]

31 minutes ago, steriaca said:

You wonder, how did Talia go from being the nice daughter of a <strikeout>madman</strikeout> concerned global citizen into a psycho demi-yanderi who has to drug up vigilante millionaires for their man juice?

 

Talia was never "nice," and her father is indeed a madman. That's enough explanation for almost any screwed-up action.

[Lord Liaden]

On 2/3/2023 at 5:17 AM, S7Michelle said:

I spent quite a few points buying her family as a contact:  21 points, Powerful Family (11- (2), Extremely Useful (3), Good Relationship (2), Organizational Contact (x3) and have a hunted that is basically enemies of her family/legacy rogues gallery.

 

If you were to go with my suggestion of Amazing Man and Electron as your character's parents, I would put the official villain Shrinker (Conquerors, Killers, And Crooks for 5E, Champions Villains Volume Three: Solo Villains for 6E) at the top of her Hunters list. Shrinker has an especial hatred for the Sentinels, believing that they almost killed her deliberately rather than accidentally when she was on their team, which almost certainly included Amazing Man II at the time. Shrinker isn't an exceptionally powerful villain, but her abilities are difficult to counter, and she can be a tremendous nuisance. She prefers to embarrass and humiliate superheroes rather than kill or seriously injure them, through spiteful "practical jokes." It's also really easy to get on her bad side.

[S7Michelle]

Thank you so much for all of the suggestions.  I had already spoken with my GM a bit about the subject and had asked for suggestions, but I got the impression he’d wanted me to be a bit more clear about the direction I wanted to take with her first, which was why I was hoping to get some additional inspiration from here.  From the questions he has asked thus far, I don’t think he currently has anyone specific in mind

 

I really liked DShomshak’s suggestion:  “The extended family called "the Blood" are exactly this: Super-powers run in the family. Some members are heroes, some are villains, some just living their lives. (They also appeared in the very early supplement The Blood and Dr. McQuark, IIRC.) Not part of the CU, but it would be easy to splice them in.”   And have purchased the book.

 

I also reviewed Lord Liaden’s link to Champions Universe: Unique Character Origins.  There are a lot of good ideas there.  Using something like “General Zima and the Morimoto brothers” as inspiration for a more U.S. based family is something I’m seriously considering.

 

Peter "Amazing Man II" Renton, and his wife Marcy Gibson-Renton, formerly the gadgeteer and powered-armor hero "Electron” are also very interesting options.

 

Duke Bushido’s suggestion also sounds fun:  “Why the child of heroes?  It might prove amusing to have your parents rooting for you, giving advice, cheering you on, collecting news clippings of your exploits and hoping and praying that you never find out that they are retired and still-wanted supervillains.”

 

And of course, Mr. R’s Sky High suggestion could work as well.  And could be combined with something like “The Blood” for both villainous and heroic relatives of various types.

 

I think I’m going to mention all of these ideas to the group and my GM tonight and see which ones gain the most traction and then take it from there.

[Lord Liaden]

Always a good idea to consult with your GM and group before moving forward on any major steps.

 

I'm glad you feel we helped you. I wish you good gaming.

[Lord Liaden]

2 hours ago, S7Michelle said:

 

Duke Bushido’s suggestion also sounds fun:  “Why the child of heroes?  It might prove amusing to have your parents rooting for you, giving advice, cheering you on, collecting news clippings of your exploits and hoping and praying that you never find out that they are retired and still-wanted supervillains.”

 

 

 

I wanted to get your reaction to Duke's suggestion before making any propositions along those lines, because there are a couple of official "villains" who might be appropriate as parents, although not necessarily as a couple themselves.

 

Heather McGowrie is a mutant born almost four hundred years ago, ageless and superhumanly strong and tough. In the modern day, under the name Cateran she engages in adventures all over the world, including theft when she wants money. But she's also acted heroically in the past, such as fighting against Germany during WW II. Cateran is a very experienced fighter but avoids causing needless pain and kills only as a last resort. She's a free spirit who cares little for rules or laws, but is personally honorable. She also has a wide variety of Contacts all over the world, and never lacks for money from one source or another. Cateran has no family mentioned, but she's attracted to strong, confident men who aren't intimidated by her, so potential is there. Cateran is detailed in Conquerors, Killers, And Crooks for 5E, and Champions Villains Volume Three for 6E.

 

The team of super-thieves called GRAB are also in the game just for the money. They go out of their way to avoid hurting people while committing crimes, and have even helped with things like disaster relief. Their patron is a mysterious older man who is "obviously wealthy and powerful," but whose identity is unknown to them. That man is "the Fox of Crime, a fox-faced, teleporting, practical joke-playing superthief who was active in the Seventies and early Eighties, but retired after age diminished his powers to the point of near-uselessness. GRAB is his way of staying involved in the underworld and enjoying himself without risking exposure." The Fox of Crime was last written up as an active supervillain in the Fourth Edition villain compendium, Classic Enemies. He could be your character's father, or even grandfather if you accept that super powers could "skip a generation," or if something happened to leave her an orphan. I can provide more info from his CE entry if you desire it. GRAB is written up in CKC and Champions Villains Volume Two, including the passages I quoted above.

 

It's worth noting that given the circles they run in, and their attitudes, it's not improbable that the Fox of Crime and Cateran might have "hooked up" in the past.

 

[steriaca]

57 minutes ago, Lord Liaden said:

 

The team of super-thieves called GRAB are also in the game just for the money. They go out of their way to avoid hurting people while committing crimes, and have even helped with things like disaster relief. Their patron is a mysterious older man who is "obviously wealthy and powerful," but whose identity is unknown to them. That man is "the Fox of Crime, a fox-faced, teleporting, practical joke-playing superthief who was active in the Seventies and early Eighties, but retired after age diminished his powers to the point of near-uselessness. GRAB is his way of staying involved in the underworld and enjoying himself without risking exposure." The Fox of Crime was last written up as an active supervillain in the Fourth Edition villain compendium, Classic Enemies. He could be your character's father, or even grandfather if you accept that super powers could "skip a generation," or if something happened to leave her an orphan. I can provide more info from his CE entry if you desire it. GRAB is written up in CKC and Champions Villains Volume Two, including the passages I quoted above.

It should be noted that Tiger used The Fox Of Crime as a new member of CLOWN. If your GM decides to use Tiger's revival of the group, then you got to deal with CLOWN as well as GRAB. Of course, your GM might decide that that Fox Of Crime is actually one of the original Fox's children (this, The Fox Of Crime Junior).

57 minutes ago, Lord Liaden said:

 

It's worth noting that given the circles they run in, and their attitudes, it's not improbable that the Fox of Crime and Cateran might have "hooked up" in the past.

 

It's possible. Women love men who make them laugh after all...

[1corpus christopher]

I like to improvise and modify A LOT with  the legacy materials.

 

Just lookin round the field of play:

 

Parents for your young hero could be from the same team, like LOTUS (Debbie Yuan) and AZTECA (Diego Cruz) of the JUSTICE FOUNDATION from SAN ANGELO: CITY OF HEROES.

Both these heroes are very protective of their families, and both have several organizations between them that hunt them. This could keep their offspring quite busy.

 

If you want two parents that loved each other strongly because they both have nearly identical powers, and both have national patriotism for the home country they protect:

From CHAMPIONS UNIVERSE 5E: VICTORY (Kristine Griswold) of the U.S. and CHEVALIER (Jean Louis Fleury) of France from CHAMPIONS WORLDWIDE. Both these heroes wield forms of plasma. Maybe they threw out a quartz love=child huh?

 

I am also going with DIAMOND of CHAMPIONS UNIVERSE: NEWS OF THE WORLD as a good possible candidate for parent. But let’s get weird and say SISTER RAIN (Brigitte Sabatiere) of VIBORA BAY is mom. That could make it fun!

 

Or you could say that the parents were villainous, and the kid wants to make good for the future. Like PANACEA (Cassandra Klein) from SAN ANGELO: ENEMIES OF SAN ANGELO. Panacea being one of the Scions.

 

“The Scions are a group of superpowered siblings trained in the use of their powers by their grandfather…” (quoted from book text)

And dad could be QUARTZ- Phil Hardin- Enemies of S A also.

 

Or, maybe it was BLACK MASK X who got sweet on QUARTZ. The GM may be the only one who knows…

 

Yeah, GRAB what you want to take & role with it!

[Lord Liaden]

16 minutes ago, 1corpus christopher said:

I am also going with DIAMOND of CHAMPIONS UNIVERSE: NEWS OF THE WORLD as a good possible candidate for parent.

 

 

I thought about suggesting Diamond, as his physical form is closest to what S7Michelle has described, of all the published official Champs heroes. But there's never been any implication of romantic involvement for him, a reality he's accepted according to CU:NOTW; and it's unclear if his altered body is genetically or even physically capable of fathering a child. In any case, he's eight feet tall and seven hundred pounds, his sense of touch is diminished, and his skin is so hard it hurts to hit him, so there are definite, um, mechanical complications.

[Lord Liaden]

21 minutes ago, 1corpus christopher said:

If you want two parents that loved each other strongly because they both have nearly identical powers, and both have national patriotism for the home country they protect:

From CHAMPIONS UNIVERSE 5E: VICTORY (Kristine Griswold) of the U.S. and CHEVALIER (Jean Louis Fleury) of France from CHAMPIONS WORLDWIDE. Both these heroes wield forms of plasma. Maybe they threw out a quartz love=child huh?

 

 

Interesting proposal. I'm not sure those similarities are enough for a romantic liaison, but whatever would work for S7Michelle and her group is of course up to them.

 

Now, if you want to talk similarities that could lead to a child, Gravitar and Holocaust, two of the most powerful mutant supervillain would-be world conquerors on the planet, have an on again/off again romance. The prospect of those genes merging is terrifying.