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Canada's Greatest Hero: The Red Panda!

SKJAM!

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SKJAM! Mentor

SKJAM!

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Yes, thanks to the magic of podcasting, I have been enjoying "Decoder Ring Theater", featuring an amusing riff on old time radio shows. The Red Panda is your typical masked crimefighter, a wealthy young man who just happens to be an expert hypnotist, superior martial artist and brilliant inventor. He operates in pre-War Toronto, a remarkably crime-ridden city.

 

In later episodes, he picks up a sidekick, Flying Squirrel, who has Gliding and Enraged. They flirt a lot.

SKJAM! Mentor

SKJAM!

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Re: Canada's Greatest Hero: The Red Panda!

 

Mea Culpa: I've been listening to the episodes in reverse order...Season One and Season Two are not contiguous. Season Two takes place before Season One, or in a parallel universe. Season One is set during WWII itself.

SKJAM! Mentor

SKJAM!

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Spoilers!

 

Okay, having listened to all the episodes, a background sheet...

 

SPOILERS for the entire series follow.

 

Background: There have been masked heroes who called themselves "Red Panda" since the earliest days of European presence in Canada. (Since the panda is not native to North America, it's uncertain where the name came from.) Because of this long tradition, during the Great War, Canada's top special agents were named "Panda Division" and took (Color) Panda codenames. ("But never Red Panda. That would have been arrogant.") After the war, the division was disbanded and its members returned to civilian life.

 

Thus it was that the name was vacant when a wealthy young man needed a name for his crimefighting nom de guerre in Depression-era Toronto. He and his sidekick Flying Squirrel battled gangsters and bizarre criminals for several years. Flying Squirrel vanished sometime shortly before World War Two.

 

When the war began, Panda Division was reformed, but with a lack of trained agents, had to draft Canada's mystery men, renaming them (except, of course, Red himself) to match the Panda theme. Red Panda became Canada's premiere anti-spy and saboteur operative.

 

Personality: Red Panda is a light-hearted fellow, but he has a strong sense of justice and is about as patriotic as Canadians get. He enjoys flirting with attractive women (especially Flying Squirrel, and later Dr. Handbasket.) He's very protective of his secret identity as well, having no compunction about lying to the government to conceal it.

 

Quote: "You can't mesmerize a master hypnotist--if he knows that's what you're trying to do."

 

Powers & Tactics: Red Panda was an athletic man with superior hand-to-hand combat skills, and a master hypnotist. In addition, he dabbled in invention, creating Cling Boots that used static electricity to stick to walls, and leap great distances. He also invented Flying Squirrel's gliding costume.

 

During the war, Panda Division also provided Red Panda with various devices, including the Ventriloquilizer, which allowed him to throw his voice; the Zap Gun, a miniaturized (for the period) electric bolt thrower; and Manlinite 990, a formula that gave superhuman strength and speed for twenty minutes, though it could only be used once every three days.

 

Red Panda relied heavily on his fists, though he enjoyed using his hypnotic powers to create illusions in the minds of his enemies.

 

Appearance: Red Panda was a fairly handsome, well-muscled man with no particularly distinguishing features. In costume, he wore a red mask with rounded corners to look like a panda's face.

 

Allies: During the pre-war period, the Red Panda's sidekick was Flying Squirrel, secretly his female chauffeur Kit Baxter. She was also a fine hand-to-hand combatant, who used her ability to glide to great effect in battle. Squirrel's primary weakness was a tendency to become enraged with her opponents, beating them far more than necessary.

 

Red Panda's science advisor during this time was Doctor Chronopolis, who had not yet managed to make his time machine work.

 

During the war, Red Panda got most of his equipment from Dr. Anna Handbasket, a brilliant inventor who happened also to be in love with him.

 

He often worked with Australian agent Baboon McSmoothy, Man of a Thousand Faces, as well as other Allied mystery men. The head of Panda Division was Colonel Fitz-King, the world's most intelligent golden retriever.

 

Enemies: Before the war, Red Panda primarily dealt with gangsters, and oddball criminals like Jackrabbit, a speedy circus freak; and Doctor Zombie, who'd discovered the scientific basis for the walking dead.

 

During the war, he switched his focus to the Axis villains such as the Human Slick, Baron Otto Pilot and the renegade Black Panda.

 

Campaign Use: Filling the vital role of "who's protecting Canada?" He will only hunt criminals.

 

The Red What Now?: A trail of villainy leads north of the border. But it seems that another mysterious figure has entered the tale. One that's never been mentioned in United States newspapers.

 

Whatever Happened to Flying Squirrel?: Red Panda's sidekick has gone missing, and he calls on his old allies, the player characters, to help track her down.

 

So You Finally Got That Thing To Work: Doctor Chronopolis has finally invented a functional time machine. Sadly, it seems to have a few bugs in it, and someone has to rescue the Red Panda from the past, where the real story of how "Red Panda" came to be is yet to be told.

 

 

 

Thoughts?

SKJAM! Mentor

SKJAM!

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Re: Canada's Greatest Hero: The Red Panda!

 

This is a barebones, minimum goodies version; pump him up appropriately for your campaign.

 

 

Red Panda

 

Player: NPC

 

Val Char Cost

16 STR 6

17 DEX 21

16 CON 12

12 BODY 4

16 INT 6

20 EGO 20

16 PRE 6

12 COM 1

 

8 PD 5

6 ED 3

4 SPD 13

6 REC 0

40 END 4

30 STUN 2

 

8" RUN 4

3" SWIM 1

9" LEAP 0

Characteristics Cost: 108

 

Cost Power

7 Packs a mean punch: Hand-To-Hand Attack +2d6 (10 Active Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2)

14 Master Hypnosis: Mind Control 8d6 (Human class of minds) (40 Active Points); Hypnosis Only Power loses about a third of its effectiveness (-1/2), No Range (-1/2), Eye Contact Required (-1/2), Extra Time (Delayed Phase, Only to Activate, -1/4)

18 Hypnotic Illusions: Mental Illusions 8d6 (Human class of minds) (40 Active Points); Hypnosis only Power loses about a third of its effectiveness (-1/2), Eye Contact Required (-1/2), Extra Time (Delayed Phase, -1/4)

1 Strength of Will: Mental Defense (5 points total)

8 Cling Boots: Clinging (normal STR) (10 Active Points); IIF (-1/4)

5 Cling Boots Repulsion/Attraction: Leaping +6" (9" forward, 4 1/2" upward) (6 Active Points); IIF (-1/4)

Powers Cost: 53

 

 

Cost Skill

3 Breakfall 12-

24 +3 with All Combat

3 Criminology 12-

3 Deduction 12-

3 Defense Maneuver I

3 Electronics 12-

3 High Society 12-

3 Interrogation 12-

1 Inventor 8-

2 CK: Toronto 11-

2 AK: Canada 11-

2 KS: Who's Who in Canada 11-

2 KS: Canadian Underworld 11-

3 Linguist

1 1) Language: Danish (fluent conversation) (2 Active Points)

0 2) Language: English (idiomatic) (4 Active Points)

1 3) Language: French (fluent conversation) (2 Active Points)

1 4) Language: German (fluent conversation) (2 Active Points)

1 5) Language: Italian (fluent conversation) (2 Active Points)

3 Persuasion 12-

2 PS: Wealthy Playboy 11-

2 SS: Physics 11-

4 SS: Hypnosis 13-

3 Shadowing 12-

3 Stealth 12-

3 Streetwise 12-

2 TF: Common Motorized Ground Vehicles

Skills Cost: 83

 

Cost Perk

4 Contact: Dr. Chronopoulos (Contact has useful Skills or resources, Good relationship with Contact) 11-

15 Follower

3 Fringe Benefit: Membership

10 Money: Wealthy

2 Reputation: Effective Crimefighter (Canadians) 11-, +2/+2d6

Perks Cost: 34

 

Cost Talent

6 Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED)

Talents Cost: 6

 

Total Character Cost: 284

 

Pts. Disadvantage

15 Hunted: Rogues' Gallery, (One at a time) 11- (As Pow, Harshly Punish)

20 Hunted: Police 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)

20 Psychological Limitation: Fights for Justice (Very Common, Strong)

10 Psychological Limitation: More Fond of Flying Squirrel Than He's Willing to Admit (Common, Moderate)

5 Reputation: Clever criminal who pretends to be a crimebuster (to police), 11- (Known Only To A Small Group)

20 Social Limitation: Secret Identity (Very Frequently, Major)

Disadvantage Points: 90

Base Points: 200

Experience Required: 0

Total Experience Available: 0

Experience Unspent: 0

SKJAM! Mentor

SKJAM!

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Re: Canada's Greatest Hero: The Red Panda!

 

The current "season" of Decoder Ring Theater is "Black Jack Justice" about hard-boiled detective Jack Justice and his partner Trixie Dixon, "girl detective."

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