Looking for help -- a paralyzed hero

[Michael Hopcroft]

In honor of Christopher Reeve, I got the idea of creating a Champions character based on the concept of a powerful superhero who had, in combat against a foe that would have destroyed the planet, sacrificed his mobility. Now he is paralyzed -- unable to move any of his limbs, occasionally needing a respirator to breathe -- but still determined to not only be an example, but to help those worse off than himself.

 

His combat days are done, but as a voice for peace, justice and compassion he weilds enormous power and influence. People losten to him because they know what he has sacrificed on their behalf. And his teammmates frantically struggle to find a way to let him at least walk again, but the paralysis resists super-medicine and magical healing.

 

Indeed, the days where his courage will be needed most are head of him....

[tkdguy]

Re: Looking for help -- a paralyzed hero

 

I once had a paraplegic mentalist, who had lost the use of his legs from a failed assassination attempt. He was also a staunch pacifist, which (I suspect) annoyed my fellow players a bit.

[paigeoliver]

Re: Looking for help -- a paralyzed hero

 

Actually the very BEST way to do this would be to simply pick an existing hero and paralyze him. If you build him around the paralysis then it won't be nearly as realistic.

 

So pick a character who is getting stale, and paralyze him. My suggestion is picking either a brick or an energy projector. I would shy away from mentalists, any focus based heroes, or martial artists who don't have real super powers.

 

Thinking more about it I think a brick would work best. Imagine the (original) 1970s Luke Cage laid low, paralyzed and in a wheelchair. Luke Cage wouldn't let that keep him down. He would still be out there. So, if you don't want to cripple an existing hero, then I suggest a cool black brick like Luke Cage.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Looking for help -- a paralyzed hero

 

There actually was a character like this published in a Hero Games book: Captain Australia, in HERO System Almanac I. He was sort of a slightly watered-down Superman, and the most prominent hero of his country. He had a twin sister who was equally powerful, but preferred to live a normal life.

 

Captain Australia was struck in the back by a powerful foe and left crippled and confined to a wheelchair, but his sister took over his name and role. The original Captain continued to act as her advisor and mentor while she was new to the supers game.

 

I think the mentorship angle could be one that you might play up for your character. Perhaps a whole team of PCs have been inspired by his example, or feel that they must act together to be as effective as he was alone. Perhaps the team was actually gathered by this hero who wants to direct and sponsor them as a way to continue to contribute.

[paigeoliver]

Re: Looking for help -- a paralyzed hero

 

Lets call our theoretical bad-ass black brick in a wheelchair "Dakota Jackson".

 

Dakota is 40 years old, and has been paralyzed from the neck down for a decade. But before that he had a decade long career as a hot shot brick without a single smear on his record.

 

When Dakota's spinal cord was severed he thought his life was over, he went into a deep depression for a year. Then he came out of it, and realized he could still be a hero.

 

Dakota proceeded to trade in his secret ID for a public ID, and started getting involved with everything. If it has anything to do with supers, villians, the poor, or the general cause of good, then Dakota Jackson is involved. He became the voice for both the weak and the powerful in the campaign world, being the one man who could truly understand both ends of the power spectrum.

 

Modern day Dakota should still have his brick stats, (but should be paralyzed, and be speed 2, and dex 3), and damage reduction. No combat skill levels, he would have lost them from lack of practice. He should have a huge number of contacts, perks, and KS: skills. I can easily see him as being one of the most powerful people in the campaign world, despite everything else, simply because his word holds so much weight.

 

Of course the really fun part is going to be working him into the campaign over time. He might not be able to move below the neck, but he is still as bad-ass as he ever was, and makes a lot of public appearances.

 

Make sure the characters all know about him, and make sure they have met him from time to time. Most importantly, make sure they like him.

 

Now, take a nice evil villian out to prove SOMETHING, another brick would work best.

 

Have said brick start kicking the stuffing out of Dakota Jackson on national tv. Normally a "fight" like that wouldn't last very long, but this is DAKOTA JACKSON. The man might have lost all ability to move, but he still has his 20 body, 30 con, 30 pd and ed and his 75 percent physical damage reduction.

 

So, it is going to take said evil brick quite a long time to beat him up, which of course would give the heroes enough time to show up, and prompty get ambushed themselves by one or more hunted, which was the real reason they attacked Dakota.

[paigeoliver]

Re: Looking for help -- a paralyzed hero

 

And of course a great twist to give all of it would be to give Dakota Jackson a secret identity as a power armor superhero.

[Starlord]

Re: Looking for help -- a paralyzed hero

 

I have a powered armor character, Impact, who is a paraplegic. He built the armor originally as an exoskeleton to allow him to walk. In the armor he is a flying brick, but he can only be connected to it for so long as it causes stress to his nervous system while hooked up to his spinal cord.

[JeffreyWKramer]

Re: Looking for help -- a paralyzed hero

 

I once played a character named Vengeance, who was parlyzed from the waist down in his civilian ID but could move normally - and was quite powerful - in his powered-armor superhero identity. He Hunted VIPER, who were responsible for his injury.

 

For the write-up on a hero who was badly injured during and forced to retire due to injuries sustained in the Battle of Detroit, see Aaron Temple, MD (formerly the superhero Psihawk) on my "Sharing the Wealth" thread.

[Blue]

Re: Looking for help -- a paralyzed hero

 

The hero/villain, Wraith, I made once as an NPC was actually in a coma in his Normal ID. But he could leave his body and assault criminals. He became a legend of sorts because nobody could figure out who this guy was that was bringing the crime rate down. I left clues for the heroes, such as the method of attack being similar to the MO used on the paralyzed man, but none of them thought to spend much time at the hospital that was the focal point of the attacks on the map. They pretty much decided he was doing "good work" so they left him alone. I had plans to escalate it to an actual killing of a crook, but the gaming group broke up.

[Eyendasky80]

Re: Looking for help -- a paralyzed hero

 

Anyone own the San Angelo setting book? They had a really good example of a paralysed hero. Twister got buried under some girders or something and ended up paralysed from the waist down. He then opened a chain of super hero themed restaurants that became quite successful. He was recommended as a sponsor for a new super team in his write-up. He also still had his powers but due to a mental block he developed, he couldn't use them. Very interesting character, stuck in my head well.

[philnicau]

Re: Looking for help -- a paralyzed hero

 

There's always the Classic Two paralysed Comic book characters

Charles Xavier from the X Men

and

The Chief from the Doom Patrol.

[tkdguy]

Re: Looking for help -- a paralyzed hero

 

Don't forget MANTIS, a show about a paralyzed man who builds an exoskeleton to fight crime, similar to Starlord's hero. There was a movie, followed by a short-lived series. Carl Lumbly played the hero, with Roger Rees as his inventor sidekick.