Allied Heroes

[Twilight]

Ok, we've covered Golden Age in general, the arch Nazi nemesis Professor Peril and his Household of Destruction, now I think it's time to dwell on some Allied heroes for my PC's to eventually encounter. After all, we don't want them to think the American Contingent [which is them] is fighting this by themselves.

 

Now Mexico of course is already being defended by the Mighty El Santo, and I pause to thank The Great Book of Real Heroes for providing an excellent write up of him, and I have an idea for two superheroes out of Canada.

 

These two Canadian stalwarts are The Mountie and the Ancient Mariner. The Mountie, who will probably use his real name, is obviously a Mountie but a VERY capable one. He's basically Batman with a better attitude and a snazzy uniform.

 

The Ancient Mariner is just what his name suggests, a mariner who's really REALLY old. Immortal in fact. He's been around since Canada was first settled by the British and rumour has it he fought the Vikings when they invaded England. Anyway, that's in the past and today he's a proud Canadian and living in Newfoundland. He has a strong Newfoundlander accent [Distinctive Feature; Concealable with effort; always noticed]. He rides around in a golden sailboat, called a dory, that not only sails fine in any weather but can fly!

 

If you have any other ideas for these fine people, or suggestions for other Allied Superheroes in World War 2. Feel free to comment.

[Captain Obvious]

Well, to start with pure thievery, I'd say grab all those guys from Golden Age Champions...Major Glory, Minuteman, etc etc. A couple of the guys from Red Doom would fit into a Golden Age campaign (Colonel Vasalov was a Lt Col by war's end...General Mayhem's origin takes place in 1941). Several characters from the Blood and Dr McQuark fought in WWII (Blade Carstairs met Brynhild Carstairs nee Gunther on the battlefield). There's probably tons more canonical NPCs out there....

 

I'd say some sort of super-spy would be a good Brit character. Arm him with ultra-high-tech weapons and equipment (Goggles that allow one to see by starlight? Bullet-proof cloth? That's impossible!) and give him tons of PRE skills...essentially a Golden Age James Bond.

 

Not much coming to mind right away. Obviously, you can take any warrior-type emblematic of the country in question and play on stereotypes to make a flagsuit. Any regular type super you can come up with can be given a name in the language of the country to make him fit (look at La Panthere, Feur, Perestroika, etc etc)....

[Hermit]

Some ideas for some Golden Age Brit heroes....

 

Mister Fog- He prowls the streets of London, a figure that seems to call the city's legendary fog to him with but a tip of the hat. This masked adventurer has a dubious reputation, as he's been suspected as having something to do with the disapearance of more than one respected citizen. The truth of the matter is Mister Fog sees it as his task to root out Nazi spies, no matter how highly placed their false face is. Imagine the Shadow done London style.

 

Bran- Hailing from Cornwall, a land of Giants, Bran is a brick who can assume huge sizes. He claims to be the ghost (despite being quite solid) of one of the 'First people' of Brittania, and sworn to stand vigil over it. He sometimes refers to himself as 'Blessed'.

 

Sky Knight- A former RAF pilot, who has been given a Rocketeer like device... and now uses it to fight the Blitzkrieg. Perhaps the device is expermental work done by fine English Engineers, or maybe, it was stolen from the Nazi's. It's on a need to know basis, and you don't need to.

 

Jewel- A mysteriously crowned (More of a coronet) lady who seems to stand for the royal heritage of the land. Jewel wields a powerful 'sceptre of justice' that she uses to smite nazis and deflect bullets. She bends knee only to his and her Majesty. Her name comes from declaring herself "Just one small jewel in the crown of England".

[Twilight]

Ooooooooooo some good choices there Hermit, I especially liked Mr. Fog and Sky Knight. Some very evocative characters there.

 

Hmmm, perhaps Mr. Fog battles supernatural types as well? Any sort of threat to England being one he must fight and all that?

[Hermit]

Originally posted by Twilight

Ooooooooooo some good choices there Hermit, I especially liked Mr. Fog and Sky Knight. Some very evocative characters there.

 

Hmmm, perhaps Mr. Fog battles supernatural types as well? Any sort of threat to England being one he must fight and all that?

Glad you liked

Sure, that would be cool. I'm just chucking ideas out there. Feel free to adapt them.

Maybe we can get a British poster's opinion? I always worry I'm butchering some culture when I do this stuff

[Kevin Scrivner]

Some of my favorite Golden Age creations:

 

The Crimson Cavalier -- A swashbuckling has-been movie star who has gotten a little too involved in his former roles. He's an excellent swordsman and acrobat, however; his trick cape enables him to glide, and his doublet is armored. Imagine Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., battling spies and saboteurs in 17th Century garb.

 

Macabbeus -- A Jewish brick, literally a modern Sampson, who could lose his tremendous strength if he breaks his ultra-Orthodox vows. Naturally, he's not too fond of the Nazis.

 

The Masked Mewler -- A private detective who successfully hunted down an eerie urban legend slayer, then took on his persona to scare the bejabbers out of criminals. When he was killed, his partner took his place. The police aren't sure whether the Mewler exists or not, and the crooks haven't figured out that they've been stalked by more than one man.

 

Hope these help. I'll let you assign nationalities as you desire.

[winterhawk]

Re: Allied Heroes

 

Originally posted by Twilight

Now Mexico of course is already being defended by the Mighty El Santo, and I pause to thank The Great Book of Real Heroes for providing an excellent write up of him...

 

El Santo must have the Disad Social Limitation: Subject to Orders from the Wrestling Federation. If you've never seen an El Santo film, there were always two or three versions of this line in the movie..."Of course I will help you defeat the Aztec Mummy, but first I have a wrestling match!

[Twilight]

Re: Re: Allied Heroes

 

Originally posted by winterhawk

El Santo must have the Disad Social Limitation: Subject to Orders from the Wrestling Federation. If you've never seen an El Santo film, there were always two or three versions of this line in the movie..."Of course I will help you defeat the Aztec Mummy, but first I have a wrestling match!

 

 

Gotcha, thanks for the tip. Would the wrestling federation be willing to be lenient with El Santo's schedule during global emergencies?

[wcw43921]

I don't have a Hero write-up for this one, but feel free to use the concept--

 

Colonel Sterling of the RAF--The Royal Air Force's leading fighter ace, he flies a sterling-silver Spitfire (actually an experimental radar-reflective material) into battle against the Luftwaffe and behind enemy lines on sabotage missions. In his true identity as Lt. Humphrey Bellows, he is assigned to the RAF Home Office and considered something of a "spoiled playboy." His secret is known only to the Minister Of Defence and Winston Churchill himself. Unbeknownst to him, his girlfriend before the war, the German avaitrix Frieda Zalmach, is his arch-enemy Baroness Valkyrie.

 

How's that for Golden Age goodness?

[Twilight]

That's awesome Golden Age goodness wcw-whatever that number was!

[Hermit]

The Russians golden age...

 

Manefiesto - The mentalist of the Russian super force, often spouting the words of Marx, Lenin, and of course, Stalin. His chief power is mind control, which he uses to ensure the loyality of his fellow countrymen to the cause.

 

Red Winter - An icy warrior who somehow survived a frozen death while facing the Nazi's.. he was revived by the best scientists of the motherland. They discovered he and the Russian Winter had somehow become one!

 

Man of Iron Thus named because Stalin would not allow another 'man of steel', the Man of Iron can transform himself into a towering colosus (no relation) of metal. His strength is amazing, though he has his doubts about his courage. His origin is hard to believe... after fleeing a battle (he was lucky he was not shot for doing so)... he stumbled lost into the hut of an old woman who kept threatening to eat him. Intrigued by his claims of cowardice, she paused, and asked him what he wanted? "I wish I were made of sterner stuff, so I might aid my comrades." With a cackle, the woman legends call 'Baba Yaga' both spared him, and granted his wish.

[RevHooligan]

Don't forget the scourge of occupying Nazis and Vichy collaborators, Le Chevalier Noir! Many have fallen or fled from his spectoral form and burning blade!

 

And of couse, Hammer Sullivan- the toughest man in Liverpool. A man so tough, he once knocked out Death himself when he came calling. Immortal, indestructable, invincible! He showed the Hun what for in 1918 and he's prepared to do it again!

[Twilight]

Now that I like RevHooligan. Hammer Sullivan definetly has a place amongst the roster of Golden Age stalwarts in my campaign. Simply because he's wicked cool, as is any fellow who KO's the Grim Reaper.

[Blue]

The French Resistance (forgive my inaccurate pigeon-french). These three might actually make a decent super-team:

 

Le Chevalier (The Knight) - This guy would have a real struggle. He would be trying to adhere to a moral high ground and old-world standards of combat in the new age of tanks and murderous nazis.

 

Madame Liberte' (Lady Liberty) - It can be said that she was long ago the model for the statue that was a gift to america. She's long been thought a legend, but in this time of war she has come back to embody the spirit of the land, with her torch of truth that burns away tyranny.

 

L'Esprit (The Spirit) - A spirit that has served French kings for centuries, he has been summoned in the past to kill enemies and advise rulers. Now he has been called from the beyond to protect France. Charles DeGaulle, French Prime Minister, hears of the tale and summons the spirit, but in order to act in the physical world, it must possess the body of an heir to the long ago overthrown monarchy. And so a normal man whose family was hidden away during the French revolution to spare them the guillotine, and who doesn't even know of his lineage, suddenly finds himself possessed and with powers he never expected.

 

Hey, that last one's pretty good. I'm gonna have to copy these down

 

(I had to try so hard not to make characters like "surrender man" and his sidekick "cheese eatin' surrender monkey". Oops. So much for willpower.)

[altamaros]

Originally posted by Blue

L'Esprit (The Spirit) - A spirit that has served French kings for centuries, he has been summoned in the past to kill enemies and advise rulers. Now he has been called from the beyond to protect France. Charles DeGaulle, French Prime Minister, hears of the tale and summons the spirit, but in order to act in the physical world, it must possess the body of an heir to the long ago overthrown monarchy. And so a normal man whose family was hidden away during the French revolution to spare them the guillotine, and who doesn't even know of his lineage, suddenly finds himself possessed and with powers he never expected.

 

Hey, that last one's pretty good. I'm gonna have to copy these down

It's weird because one of my first write-ups on Hero System took exactly the same idea for a european character. He was danish could multiform to the physical manifestation of Ogier the Dane, protector of the Danmark. (Ogier the Dane is a ancient paladin from the years 800; he is supposed to sleep under the castle of Kronberg in Danemark and wakes up when the Danemark is threatened). The character was in the current time (1994) but his grandfather was the inheritor of the mantle during the WWII.

 

but the characters from the french Resistance should be "sneaky" or at least discrete rather than flashy. hostages and executions were common after acts from the Resistance.

So they might not like publicity.

 

(I had to try so hard not to make characters like "surrender man" and his sidekick "cheese eatin' surrender monkey". Oops. So much for willpower.)

thanks to you for not do it

and don't worry for your french it's very good

[Blue]

Just goes to show you that there's nothing new under the sun! It's all been done before by someone.

 

Thanks. It's been a very long time since my one year of French class.

[MilkmanDan]

Originally posted by Twilight

Ooooooooooo some good choices there Hermit, I especially liked Mr. Fog and Sky Knight. Some very evocative characters there.

 

Hmmm, perhaps Mr. Fog battles supernatural types as well? Any sort of threat to England being one he must fight and all that?

 

Well, consider the Nazi fascination with the occult, it actually fits quite well. The Krauts would assumably have a number of supernatural big nasties. Mr. Fog (agree, great character) would be a perfect foil for them.

[RevHooligan]

I once met an old womn who had been in the French Resistance. From her stories, I can't jump on the "surrender monkey" bandwagon. Those men and women were tough as hell and brave as lions. Really brave lions. Like, crazy brave lions. With guns. And stuff.

 

Never fall for political retoric first uttered by Diamond Joe Quimby.

[Blue]

I know I'd fear lions with guns. But then Jack Handy once said...Contrary to what most people say, the most dangerous animal in the world is not the lion or the tiger or even the elephant. It's a shark riding on an elephant's back, just trampling and eating everything they see.

 

But the problem is, bigotry is fun! (I don't see an emote on the list that says 'sarcasm' to me. Oh well.)

[Twilight]

Originally posted by Squid

Well, consider the Nazi fascination with the occult, it actually fits quite well. The Krauts would assumably have a number of supernatural big nasties. Mr. Fog (agree, great character) would be a perfect foil for them.

 

 

You better belive I have some ideas on that score. I already have a partial list of mystic artifacts the Nazi's are gonna try and steal, plus more then a few supernatural baddies that they're gonna call up in order to spread their tyrrany and evil. Mr. Fog will be a busy boy I assure you [to say nothing of my players. *evil laughter*].

[Twilight]

Madame Liberte' (Lady Liberty) - It can be said that she was long ago the model for the statue that was a gift to america. She's long been thought a legend, but in this time of war she has come back to embody the spirit of the land, with her torch of truth that burns away tyranny.

 

 

Omigosh, I was just having a similar idea to this when I was at the mall today. Only mine was based on the famous portrait from the Revolution era, y'know the one with the lady weilding a pistol? Of course, I think I like your idea better. The torch that burns away tyranny is a nice concept.

 

I even had some power ideas for her, in addition to the torch. A PRE, EGO, STR and CON AID, linked to a healing AID [possibly a succor] with the Incantations limitation and only on loyal French people. When she sings the French national anthem her fellow Frenchmen are inspired becoming braver, stronger and stronger willed.

 

Naturally there's a flipside, also with the Incantations limitation and the limitation: only works on enemies of France. It's a drain against PRE, EGO, STR and CON with an Area Effect. When she sings the French National Anthem, the enemies of France [which includes Vichy French traitors] quail in fear, thier strength leaving them.

[st barbara]

As an Australian I suspect that we may need an entry here. So may I suggest "Bluey" : A red headed Aussie wearing army trousers and boots, a blue singlet and a slouch hat with a cigarette permanently attached to his lip. He is a tough fighter with super strength only when he gets mad, otherwise very laid back and laconic with speech loaded with old time Australianisms. (For those of you who might not know "A blue" or "To Have a blue" is Aussie slang for a fight. "Bluey" is a common Australian nickname for a redhaired person)

[BlackCobra]

As an English hero, can I suggest a mysterious gentleman working behind the scenes to protect Great Britain, who every once in a while shows up to smite some terrible mystical evil. He does it with a shining sword, of course, and seems nearly invulnerable.

 

I would suggest that he doesn't speak much about his past, but is always accompanied by an older, bearded gentleman who dispenses advice on mystical matters, and refers to the hero as "Arthur" when they're out of ear-shot.

 

Just my obvious England-is-in-trouble suggestion!

[Twilight]

Originally posted by BlackCobra

As an English hero, can I suggest a mysterious gentleman working behind the scenes to protect Great Britain, who every once in a while shows up to smite some terrible mystical evil. He does it with a shining sword, of course, and seems nearly invulnerable.

 

I would suggest that he doesn't speak much about his past, but is always accompanied by an older, bearded gentleman who dispenses advice on mystical matters, and refers to the hero as "Arthur" when they're out of ear-shot.

 

Just my obvious England-is-in-trouble suggestion!

 

Actually Black Cobra I was going to use a similar but slightly more obscure legend, at least in the beginning. Oh who am I kidding? Of course I'm gonna use Arthur but not untill later when things get really bad as he only pops up when Britain really needs him.

 

But the idea I had for another eternal protector of Britain went somewhat like this. He's also a somewhat mysterious gentlemen, though some might find him familiar. He two has a shining sword, though he relys equally as much on his bow and arrow, which seems ancient. When asked about his identity he only refers to himself as the Hooded Man, which is quite appropriate as he's always seen wearing a hood. Legend claims that this is the son of Herne, the stag headed spirit of the forest but that couldn't be possible, could it?

[ShinDangaioh]

Egypt-The Sphinx and Great Pyramid

France-Fleur De Lis(A fencer)

China-Sheng Long