Algernon HERO

[MitchellS]

Re: Algernon HERO

 

When given a choice between a couple options' date=' the better one is generally the one that *doesn't* require changing almost everything in the system.[/quote']

I don't think you need to change everything. I just think you need to change the vehicle rules.

 

So, as a change of angle: what would you suggest is the change that should be done? Specifically, what stats *do* you think a tank should have?

I'd make better use of the "real weapon" limitation on smaller weapons to represent that a 2.5d6 RKA Rifle can't shoot through a tank's armor. At that point you don't need to be timid about only giving a tank a 10-12 defense [maybe something along the lines of half your maximum possible damage is all you can penetrate on inanimate objects, so 2.5 dc could penetrate up to 8 defense but anything over that will bounce it].

 

Or I'd incorporate a new advantage or adder for defense along the line of M&M's impervious. That would make the armor immune to a certain level of damage classes. So impervious 9 would make tanks immune to all weapons at 9 DC or lower. At that point a super doing 12d6 still has a chance to hurt the tank; and a super doing 18d6+ has a real chance of totaling a tank.

[Michael Hopcroft]

Re: Algernon HERO

 

A good question' date=' Michael. Probably so, unless her group of roadies were conscripted into performing that chore.[/quote']

 

Except that the roadies are, mostly, zombies controlled by Carrionette. I don't think anybody believes zombie blood is tasty or nutritious.

 

I also wonder if Carrionette's zombie roadies have to pass as "part of the act" humans -- I doubt there are very many municipalities who would be happy with zombies displacing union workers in their concert arenas....

[Metaphysician]

Re: Algernon HERO

 

I don't think you need to change everything. I just think you need to change the vehicle rules.

 

 

I'd make better use of the "real weapon" limitation on smaller weapons to represent that a 2.5d6 RKA Rifle can't shoot through a tank's armor. At that point you don't need to be timid about only giving a tank a 10-12 defense [maybe something along the lines of half your maximum possible damage is all you can penetrate on inanimate objects, so 2.5 dc could penetrate up to 8 defense but anything over that will bounce it].

 

Or I'd incorporate a new advantage or adder for defense along the line of M&M's impervious. That would make the armor immune to a certain level of damage classes. So impervious 9 would make tanks immune to all weapons at 9 DC or lower. At that point a super doing 12d6 still has a chance to hurt the tank; and a super doing 18d6+ has a real chance of totaling a tank.

 

*nod* Okay.

 

Now how do you deal with the problem that said attacks that have a chance to hurt a tank ( 12d6 ), can not only leave an ordinary human not dead, but if they have moderately above average Body, not even dying?

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Algernon HERO

 

*nod* Okay.

 

Now how do you deal with the problem that said attacks that have a chance to hurt a tank ( 12d6 ), can not only leave an ordinary human not dead, but if they have moderately above average Body, not even dying?

 

Well, I've had good success using a custom "instant death" rule for campaigns where the players desire at least the risk of that degree of lethality. If a character takes Body damage after subtracting Defenses equal to their starting Body, from a single attack (including Coordinated attacks), the character has to make a Constitution roll or die immediately from shock.

 

I've found that that this makes heavy weapons as dangerous to normal people as many folks believe they should be. OTOH it scales pretty well for PC heroes and even superheroes; with their higher CON scores they usually make their rolls when necessary, and with their higher Defense and Body totals they rarely need to roll at all. But if you find the possibility of PC death from massive damage (such as terminal velocity falls) exciting, this would add that element of risk.

 

If you want greater lethality you can just eliminate the CON roll, so that sufficient Body damage is always lethal.

[SAVeira]

Re: Algernon HERO

 

Don't take this the wrong way, but...

 

...if I was going to buy one BlackWyrm Games product, it would be Gestalt: The Hero Within (http://www.blackwyrm.com/Gestalt.htm). I've been hearing about the Gestalt universe for years, and I'd really like to get more detailed info on it.

I playtested Gestalt a couple of years ago and I can honestly say that it is a great concept. It is a product I have be hoping to get my hands on for years. I am very glad to see a company like BlackWyrm Games step up and agree to publish this product.

 

However, do not write off any of the other products from BlackWyrm Games either. They are extreme good and I cannot strongly recommend them enough.

[MitchellS]

Re: Algernon HERO

 

*nod* Okay.

 

Now how do you deal with the problem that said attacks that have a chance to hurt a tank ( 12d6 ), can not only leave an ordinary human not dead, but if they have moderately above average Body, not even dying?

Well the stock answer is that a normal human has 2 pd and 8 body so a 12d6 attack will put them at -2 body. They're dying unless someone can give them immediate paramedics aid [in 72 seconds they're going to be bleed to death].

 

Beyond that, if you're wanting me to explain a 25 year old dysfunction in the rules as to why a character who can punch through a brick wall can't really hurt someone else, I can't. The genre dictates that people generally do not die from the injuries in the comics. If you want something more realistic I would suggest that all damage should really be killing damage [but then you have the broken stun lotto to deal with ].

[Fedifensor]

Re: Algernon HERO

 

I playtested Gestalt a couple of years ago and I can honestly say that it is a great concept. It is a product I have be hoping to get my hands on for years. I am very glad to see a company like BlackWyrm Games step up and agree to publish this product.

 

However, do not write off any of the other products from BlackWyrm Games either. They are extreme good and I cannot strongly recommend them enough.

 

While I am sure all the BlackWyrm products are top-notch, I can only justify a few gaming purchases for a game system I haven't been able to play outside of the occasional convention game. 3.5 D&D is just too entrenched around here for me to start up a Champions game...and I only have time for one gaming group that only meets every other week. So, if I don't want the evil eye from my wife (and she's a gamer, too), I need to stick to just purchasing Gestalt for the time being.

[mattingly]

Re: Algernon HERO

 

If budget is a concern, remember that our books are all available as PDFs

[Longshadow]

Re: Algernon HERO

 

Great stuff. I've always enjoyed the way you blend classic homage elements to make an authentic feeling comic book world. Nicely textured back story on these guys; leaves you feeling like you've read their adventures.

 

First, the characters are all richly developed, with well-rounded personalities and motivations, and plenty of hooks to hang adventures on. They show much thought and creativity.

 

Cool. Thanks for the kind words. Glad to see the brainsweat paid off.

 

 

 

Who in the Algernon-verse would fill the role of the villain who isn't particularly powerful or dangerous, but gets under the skin of the PCs (such as the Sentinels) because they're continually underfoot at the worst possible times?

 

 

Well, that's an interesting question. If you're referring to characters that have a lot more obstacle power than their general firepower might suggest, than Dave's response is on the money -- and those are only considering the characters in this one book. If you're referring to just a general annoyance factor...well, there's no Foxbat per se. I have a very low tolerance for camp (yes, Dave and I have had some very entertaining discussions on that) and back in the day, when I ran HERO 4th regularly*, Foxbat would always come to an ugly and horrible end shortly into any campaign I ran. Sorry. The closest thing in the Algie-Verse would probably be Ace Argent, Man of Action, who was more prominent in the 1970s -- sort of a cross between DC's Funky Flashman and Astro City's Crackerjack, as played by Bruce Campbell (I said I had a low tolerance, I never said I had no tolerance).

 

*a good portion of the characters in the Algernon World come from the Champions campaign I ran from 1988-1998. There are a couple of Easter eggs, if you can find them.

 

 

Oh, and Dominique -- you always have permission to repost TAF stuff here if you don't see me or Dave doing it first.

[GestaltBennie]

Re: Algernon HERO

 

If budget is a concern' date=' remember that our books are all available as PDFs[/quote']

 

Exactly. Both books are too cool to miss!

[Dominique]

Re: Algernon HERO

 

Oh' date=' and Dominique -- you always have permission to repost TAF stuff here if you don't see me or Dave doing it first.[/quote']

 

Thanks Aaron, now i just need to go back a do a cut and paste job on all the background material I don't alread see posted.

[Dominique]

Re: Algernon HERO

 

Okay, here's the first batch of info I dug up on TAF universe.

 

The Pantheon

 

Empyrean (Carter Carson)

As their civilization escaped the destruction of their home reality, moving from dimension to dimension, Empyrean’s people discovered that their vessel, a starship never actually intended for the number of people on it nor for the rigors of traveling the environs it was enduring, had been critically damaged. Desperate to prevent their race’s total extinction but having only limited time and resources, they modified their vessel’s emergency escape pods for travel through The Gray and from there to disperse across a number of realities. Of these, apparently only Empyrean’s pod actually survived. Soft landing in northern Missouri, he was found by an elderly couple, the Carson’s, a retired policeman and his wife, a former schoolteacher. They named him Carter and raised him as best they could. When they died, he moved to the big city, working a variety of jobs before becoming an archivist and research specialist for a major newspaper. Empyrean’s passage through the Gray with inadequate radiation protection apparently mutated and enhanced his race’s natural psionic abilities, but his upbringing without proper training left him with limited usage – his abilities only seemed to enhance what he would expect from his natural physical abilities, such as telekinesis augmenting his natural strength and durability, ESP mimicking any number of superhuman senses, etc. Only after encountering other psi-actives and receiving some training did he master some of his more exotic powers, such as flight or his ability to adjust his interaction with temporal flow to seem to move at vast speeds.

 

Later, he and his teammates would discover that everything he knew (or more accurately, what he was told by the pod’s computer) was a lie – even the Carsons had been a false memory fed into his mind by the transport pod. He had been engineered by a race called The Chonozhka from their slave stock’s gene pool, partially an organic construct and partially a synthetic and highly sophisticated android, and his “life” had actually begun the moment the pod released him, complete with 25 years of programmed memories and a constructed personality matrix. His creators had intended for him to infiltrate Earth’s heroic metahuman community and then destroy it from the inside. His hidden programming warred against his persona (apparently much too well constructed) and experience, distracting him long enough for his teammate Dusk to use captured alien tech, given to the Pantheon by Empyrean’s old nemesis Maximillian Mars, to seriously injure him and diminish his powers. Today, he is one of the powers behind the throne of Makoroa, psychologically and emotionally controlled and manipulated by Dr. Deimos.

 

Dusk (Bryce Hartford)

Bryce and his brother Bannon were a first for the Hartfords, namely twins. Growing up indoctrinated in the family’s secrets and trained to take over the identity of The Watchman, the brothers found themselves at odds. Extremely competitive, neither wanted to share the mask. Ultimately, they staged a contest, the exact nature known only to the two of them,, but which Bannon apparently won. Bryce left his brother to carry on the family legacy, but constructed his own vigilante identity as the brutal and unwavering Dusk. Brilliant, exceptionally conditioned and skilled, Bryce put his life-long training to good use as a scourge of the criminal underworld, accumulating a number of deranged and grotesque enemies such as Cipher, Naga, and Tribunal. Though they reconciled, the brothers remained competitive until Bryce was killed while disabling his teammate, Empyrean.

 

Morrigan (Amazon)

Exiled Avalonian and former enemy of Western civilization, Morrigan began as what amounts to a gender-rights terrorist. Over the years, as she matured, she began to work more and more with the authorities instead of against them. By the time the Pantheon formed, she had built a reputation as an earnest champion, though her politics and personal behaviors continued to raise eyebrows. She was killed with Chain Lightning activating the subspace bomb that destroyed the invading Chonozhka fleet.

 

Chain Lightning (Rick Parsons)

Rick was the son of one of the scientists involved in the energy transmission experiments whose disastrous failure turned Mike Thompson into Dynamo (of the 60s era Sentinels). Her proximity to the discharge that consumed Thompson’s physical form forced Emma Parsons into giving birth prematurely. Rick grew up gradually manifesting the strange energy-based abilities that would give him his name. By late adolescence, he had learned to use the force that always supercharged his body to convert himself into a state of existence somewhere between matter and energy. In this quasi-energy form, Parsons possessed vast superhuman speed and the ability to manipulate various other energies at will. He gave his life powering up the subspace bomb that Morrigan then triggered.

 

Gauntlet (Anthony Thames)

Astronaut Anthony Thames disappeared in a flash of light while on a routine EVA outside the Space Shuttle Discovery. He had been chosen as an agent of the Mihral (MEER-rahl, now called the Mihral Dominion), and advanced interstellar race that had devoted their power and experience to peacekeeping efforts through out the known galaxy. Each of their agents, chosen from the dominant species of their section of space, was outfitted with a sophisticated armored glove that could project solid energy forms as visualized by its wielder, among many other almost miraculous functions. Returned to his sector of space, he performed his job well, protecting Earth and her surrounding systems from a number of threats -- not least of which being the rogue member of his own corps, Cestus – before joining the Pantheon to face menaces outside his own power such as Hivemother, Sopok Tor, and Lamprey. It was the Mihral that ultimately told Gauntlet and the Pantheon about the Chonozhka. Later, Gauntlet found that his patrons had known about Empyrean’s masters not just as a threat, but as a rival. Coldly logical, the Mihral had decided long ago that the most efficient way to bring and keep the peace was through actual control, not diplomacy. The corps were an unwitting fifth column, seeding the way for the Mihral’s own eventual campaign of domination. When this became known, the corps rebelled, most dying as a result, while the areas of space “protected” by the corps erupted into conflict. Today, Thames is a bitter and cynical mercenary/bounty hunter, desperately seeking a cause in which to believe while taking money to do what he once performed as duty.

 

Mindstalker

A being of pure psionic force, native to some place in the deep Astral plane and brought to Earth accidentally by Ghostworks personnel during an experiment, Mindstalker was apparently some sort of law enforcement figure among his own race. Trapped on Earth following the experiment, he simply adopted the plane and people as his new charges and went on with his traditional duties. He could appear as any form or image he chose to be seen as (having no set physical form), moved in and out of the near astral effortlessly, and was an unmatched telepath. His original self was destroyed by Umbra during the inter-temporal Shadowlands War, but a remnant still exists as the monstrous Figment.

 

Shepherd (Maegrist)

Maegrist is one of four known Human-Atlantean hybrids in existence (the others being the criminal Mako, the heroine and former member of the Electric Avenue Irregulars during the 70s, Aquarius, and Tiburon, a Mexican national on his father’s side who works for UNSOCIS on their SABER team). Exiled from Atlantis because the circumstances of his birth, early life, and personality match up to an ancient prophecy with ominous implications for the Atlantean crown, Shepherd is a religious figure to his fellow Atlanteans, a self-proclaimed messenger and agent for what he calls Mother Ocean. His ability to talk to and command most sea life he claims is a gift from her, as well as his (difficult, tiring, and very limited) control over weather. Though badly injured helping Gauntlet keep Empyrean occupied for Dusk, Shepherd eventually recovered and continues to preach the gospel of his mistress while protecting her domains from enemies both above and below.

 

And some info on their enemies

 

Pantheon Enemies #1: Enemies of the Team as a Whole

 

Amalgam

An alchemical homunculus created by Simon Magnus to avenge his defeat at the hands of the Pantheon. In addition to being practically indestructible due to its ability to repair itself almost instantly from any damage, Amalgam also possesses the magical ability to become a “living” reflection of the abilities used against it. It gained sentience after mimicking Mindstalker’s powers and turned on its creator. Amalgam hates humanity for having the one thing he will never have: a soul. Currently trapped in a dimensional bubble between Earth’s dimension and The Gray.

 

The Answer

Once an up and coming “Young Turk” in The Magi’s R&D crew (before it became The Orchard), this former chemistry prodigy (and addict) tried developing a new series of designer smart drugs intended to expand brain function and sensory channels. Testing it upon himself, the ultimate high put him into a coma. When he awoke, his mind worked on levels heretofore unattained by man. Unstable in the extreme, The Answer desperately seeks intellectual challenges to overcome the deadly tedium he now finds existence. Unfortunately, he’s found the more interesting challenges to be in the destructive and anti-social vein, such as “How do you bring society to its knees?” or “How do mortals defeat what are essentially gods?” Currently imprisoned in Fort Sunderland in a chemically maintained sedation.

 

Arsenal, Inc.

A time traveler from yet another alternate time line (different from that of Praetorian’s or The Quantum Mechanic’s), this far spanning entrepreneur is the pinnacle of the arms merchant trade – somehow isolated from the effects his actions might have on the course of history, he’s willing to sell to anyone, anywhere, anywhen, so long as he’s happy with what he gets out of the deal. Napoleon needs 28th century Autonomous Polyalloy-Armored Combat Exoframes with Biodrive Operating Cores? No problem… what’s the little guy offering? Current whereabouts unknown.

 

The Fallen (Godking, Shroud, Warcrow, Overload, Manacle, Mindslaughter, Inquisitor)

 

Originally created from Nightmare’s fevered mindscape and given form, these dark and murderous doppelgangers were each member of the Pantheon’s worst fear about themselves and each other. Later, the magic remnants of the original doppelgangers absorbed the bodies of seven criminals seeking revenge on The Pantheon, gaining new life independent of Nightmare…going so far as to claim that they were actually echoes of another alternate dimension somehow manifest initially through Nightmare’s psychic power. Currently assumed destroyed.

 

Hivemother

Neither her real name nor the name of her species is pronounceable by the human tongue. Burrowing through dimensional strata, her and her kind find world after world teeming with life, take forms based on the dominant species, and then conquering and stripping the world of its natural resources before moving on. At least, they did until they hit Earth and were beaten, repeatedly. Currently, her horde is assumed destroyed and Hivemother herself is incarcerated on the highest security level of Fort Sunderland.

 

Lamprey

A living weapon believed to have survived the Acathii-Rha’Zha’Keth War eons ago (much as Starbane did), this gargantuan worm-like creature moves through space seeking intelligent civilizations to use as hosts for itself and its offspring, burrowing deep within a planet to feed off of its core while its innumerable children seek to attach themselves to organic “mounts,” controlling the victims while slowly consuming their life energies. Currently believed destroyed, but as its children slowly grow into a semblance of the parent if they continue their life cycle, the original or other adults may still be out in the cosmos somewhere.

 

Nightmare

A descendant of one of the original explorers of Oneiros who actually managed to escape back to Earth, Nightmare is one of the unfortunates whose mind was eventually sought out by the semi-sentient dreamworld (as Dr. Grimm and Rakshasha). Contact with Oneiros both destroyed his sanity and somehow awakened the ability to tap Oneiros’ energies to at first enter people’s dreams and control dreamscapes, but later evolved into the staggering power to make the things in his own dreams and visions become real. Currently incarcerated at Fort Sunderland and kept in a drug-induced and (hopefully) dreamless coma-like state.

 

 

Purge

An alien warlord and racial supremacist, Purge is the English translation of the title this despot took upon himself after his people’s “ascension.” This is what they called the incident of an unintentional first contact wherein his people captured and killed the members of a pacifistic race that had accidentally broken cover on the planet during an anthropological observation. Originally evolved artificially by the Acathii, Purge’s people were deemed a failure due to their volatile nature and violently hardwired xenophobia. Their enhanced physical and mental prowess enabled them to survive on their harsh world, but a lack of natural resources had stifled their technological development -- until fate dropped a functioning starship in their laps. Preying on weaker planets and taking their resources to build a terrifying fleet, Purge and his people started a holy war that was the terror of their area of the galaxy until they encountered the Pantheon. Purge views it as his duty to cleanse the stars of all other races save his own. Currently at large, Purge is believed to be rebuilding his shattered fleet.

 

Simon Magnus

Archmage of legend, Magnus is finally coming to end of many of his spells and bargains that have extended his life. Desperate to extend his life further, by any means, he is willing to steal, murder, lie, and pillage, so long as he is able to find a means to stave off his own long-delayed demise….and avoid “paying up” to the many entities he’s swindled, deceived, and betrayed over the centuries. His schemes have been thwarted numerous times in recent years by the Pantheon. Currently at large.

 

Sopok Tor

Intergalactic agent provocateur, Tor was originally the dictator of his own world until put down by the Gauntlet Corps after attempting to extend his grasp to neighboring star systems. Now he uses his contacts and ill-gotten resources to hide among the stars while fomenting unrest and conflict – all in the hope of eventually putting himself back on a throne… somewhere. Currently at large.

[OddHat]

Re: Algernon HERO

 

Very interesting homage characters, thanks for posting.

[Dominique]

Re: Algernon HERO

 

Actually, thank Aaron. And here's some info on the "Cold Front".

 

The Cold Front

 

Members of The Cold Front:

 

Chiller -- Former hitman who lucked into finding a weapon cache hidden years earlier by the 60s' era villain Fineous Frost. He paid The Magi to update the equipment so he and his partner could use it, and then went back into the same business with wealthier clientele, more difficult targets, and bigger paychecks

 

Subzero -- Chiller's partner both before and after the lucky find. He and chiller use pretty much identical equipment, but he's the more inventive in new applications whereas Chiller is the better and deadlier shot.

 

Blueblood -- British national, disowned aristocrat, and former ultra-leftist "guerilla." She and her other "freedom fighters" were fairly pathetic excuses for homegrown terrorists until she got caught in the crossfire between Madame Menagerie and several (very angry) agents for Section 9. Her former colleagues in her "cell" were all killed, but she managed to survive, though just barely. Crippled, she was offered a chance to escape the shell of her body by an associate of the Madame's. She accepted and her benefactor Dollface, one of Empyrean's old enemies, transferred Blueblood's consciousness to an android body. Blueblood later came into possession of a staff containing a shard from the Winter Knight's fabled Iceblade, which gives her certain magical powers concerning..wait for it...ice.

 

Tundra-- An anthropologist "cursed" by an inuit shaman after pillaging the burial ground of the shaman's tribe, Tundra is the host for an ancient entity that calls itself the "Spirit of the North Wind." When in possession of it's host's body (who barely remains in control), the spirit appears as an enormous humanoid of ice and rock that exhibits control over earth, wind, and cold (snow, ice, some weather patterns, etc). Why it remains with the group is a question The Covenant, among others, would like answered.

 

The Cold Warrior -- Real identity unknown, this individual is believed to be a cyborg underneath the battlesuit he wears. Despite his American accent and speech patterns, he exhibits an almost psychotic hatred for both the US and the former members of the USSR. His battlesuit has a number of weapon systems based around a cold motif, though it is been theorized that the suit merely channels power the Cold Warrior already possessed. Recruited by Blueblood following Frostbite's departure and the Front's moving into their new line of business, he doesn't get along very well with his teammates, especially Chiller and Subzero (who would never admit how much he intimidates them).

 

Note: Frostbite, a mutant with cold-generating powers and the ability to transform his body completely into a malleable icy substance, was originally a member. He left after a near-fatal accident kick-started a boost to his powers, evolving them to a new level (though the end of his relationship with Blueblood was equally a factor). He's now a member of the Slaughterhouse Six.

 

The Eidolon is a supernatural being, a spiritual gestalt of the murdered and other souls that died violent and unjust deaths. It acts as one of the guardians of the Lands of the Dead, as well as the occasional avenging hands against the perpetrators of the most heinous of crimes.

[Dominique]

Re: Algernon HERO

 

And the Atomic Youth.

 

The Atomic Youth

 

When Layla Tibbs returned home from school to find her mother pacing, she knew something was wrong. She had been raised by her mother, a former police officer who’d worked her hair to an early gray raising a young daughter sans husband while wearing a badge and pushing herself through law school at night; and all of this while struggling against a world that judged her on the color of her skin instead of the measure of her character. Now an A.D.A., Layla’s mother had never before shown her daughter the troubled and emotional face she was wearing that evening.

 

“He’s in the kitchen...waiting. You two need to talk,” her mother told her.

 

“Who? What?” was all her daughter could form in response.

 

“Your father,” Layla’s mother said bluntly, before grabbing a jacket and hurriedly walking out the door.

 

Layla had never met her father, had never even been told more than a simple “he left” by her mother when Layla brought up the subject. She was understandably surprised by this turn of events, and even more so when she walked into the kitchen and saw the towering figure waiting for her. She didn’t know what she had expected, but a white, Italian-looking man who made three of anybody else she’d ever met certainly didn’t figure anywhere into the equation. Turned out, he was Greek, not Italian. And not a man, either…not a mortal man, anyway.

 

It took a lot longer to process his story than to actually hear it told. He claimed to be Herakles. The Herakles. He also claimed to be immortal and to have actually fought crime on occasion – or “vile, base darkness,” as he called it. He had met her then-police officer mother while doing just that, and had quickly become enamored of both her striking looks, and her “fierce, warrior spirit.” He apologized for Layla having grown up without him, but claimed that his half-brother’s “machinations” had made it necessary for him to leave Layla’s pregnant mother while returning to Olympus to deal with the problem. Unfortunately, the problem wasn’t resolved, nor would it be between him and his sibling. She was known to his family now, the how of it all her father hadn’t a clue –but assumed it had to do with the abilities she had begun recently discovering, and hiding desperately from her mother and classmates. But, regardless, he could no longer leave her clueless and unprotected. His time on Earth was short, but he had brought a few things he referred to as her birthright, and a warning: “Find training, and friends. You’ll need both for what lies ahead.” When she turned around to face him, after having looked at the bag he left on the floor for her, he was gone. Looking through the bag she found armor, a shield, a wicked looking sword, and a small silver ball whose function mystified her at the time.

 

Soon after, The Pale Rider appeared in the city. An armored figure of spectral and monstrous demeanor, astride a demonic looking steed, The Rider immediately set to laying waste to a portion of her native downtown Chicago while calling her out to face him. The challenge was issued in an archaic form of Greek which Layla found she understood perfectly. Against her mother’s strident demands, Layla donned the armor and other gear her father had left for her and went to what she expected would be her death. Again, she was in for a surprise. When she went to confront the Pale Rider, she was joined by a number of other young meta-types equally new to the hero community: the wise-cracking Mustang, a mutant of inhuman strength and speed who seemed to only grow stronger and faster as his opponents tried to hurt him; Sideshow, a giant of a young man whose form seemed to suffer minor (and sometimes painful) changes in shape constantly; Nimbus, an energy being with a containment suit in the form of a young girl, and the personality to match; and Brainchild, a telepathic human computer with an endless reservoir of intellectual tricks and apparently little in the way or patience, self-restraint, or social skills.

 

Each, it seems, had been approached by a statuesque blonde woman wearing armor similar to Layla’s and warned of the calamity they faced and their part to play in it. Layla’s father, she guessed, wasn’t the only new-found relative wanting her to live to see another day.

 

Through determination, courage, and a substantial amount of luck, the young heroes persevered, gaining a healthy respect for each other in the process. They stayed together after their victory, quickly becoming celebrities to the people of the city, and either a boon or a headache for the local authorities, depending on the day and the person being asked.

 

The silver ball, as Layla later discovered, is a gate that opens to a dimension that apparently only consists of the structure and grounds of an ancient Greek mansion, where the skies are always blue and the weather always fair and temperate. Layla, or “Scimitar” as she has been dubbed by the press (after the sword she always carries), has gotten to calling it what her teammate Brainchild first named it, her “pocket Olympus.”

 

She has inhuman powers, cool friends, and a party pad to beat all party pads. Things can get rough sometimes, but as far as Layla is concerned . . .life is good.

[Dominique]

Re: Algernon HERO

 

And lastly, some info on groups operating in various other countries.

 

Africa

No organized meta-groups are publicly known. The sorcerer Kor has acted on both sides of the fence, so no one really knows whether to call him a hero or villain. Scirocco, though Egyptian, tries to help where she can throughout North Africa, but suffers many obstacles due to gender discrimination. Boneyard and The Orchard have many hidden bases throughout the continent, and handsome pay offs to a number of hardline dictators make sure they remain unmolested (and have plenty of opportunities to test their products).

 

Canada

There are no organized teams, but the heroes Northern Star, Stonehorse, Tom Foolery, Nelvana, and Kid Canuck have all banded together informally on multiple occasions to meet threats they felt were outside their individual abilities. Though not an official group, the five seem to be on very good terms. Magi presence in the country is unusually high, and that plus the depredations of homegrown menaces such Sucheq the Devourer, Le Commandant, Yukon Jack, and others keep the heroes busy enough.

 

Central and South America

There a few metas spread across South (and Central) America who have had reason to band together in the past, though like the Canadian metas mentioned above, such gatherings were informal. Despite this, the media throughout the area have given the unofficial group the name Los Defensores, and plays up any connections or team-ups between the alleged members whenever possible. Mexico’s Tiburon [The Shark] is actually a member of SABER, but is usually presented and treated as the “face” and leader of Los Defensores by reporters (which does not go over well with his supposed teammates, Panama’s El Grito [The Scream], Venezuela’s Dios de la Selva [Jungle God], Brazil’s Aviador [The Aviator], and Argentina’s Guerrero de Acero [steel Soldier]). FENRIS is believed to have bases throughout Argentina and Chile, The Magi have strong ties throughout the region, and both the new Ghost Panther Cartel and various paramilitary groups all give the region plenty to worry about.

 

Europe

Metacrime is surprisingly low on this continent, especially considering that Europe is The Magi’s homeground. The few homegrown metahuman heroes of note are all members of UNSOCIS’ SABER Unit, which is who the authorities tend to ask for help when they actually need such assistance. Otherwise, Europeans are generally happy to criticize Metahumans of either stripe as “an American problem.”

 

Great Britain

Section Nine (a.k.a., MI-13) has the only actual “team” of metas known to work in the UK, what they call their “Extraordinary Operations Specialists,” and they are almost never called to have to work as a total group – in fact, they seldom have to meet at full strength at all, usually being sent to handle cases individually or in groups of 2-3. Codename: Lionheart is semi-retired, and hasn’t been field-rated in over a decade, leaving the “exciting stuff” to Black Johnny Tar, Gibraltar, Colby “King Cole” Mayfair, Penny Dreadful, and Time-Out. Changeling, though technically part of Section Nine, is assigned to represent Britain and the UK in SABER (a situation that makes him and his teammates all much happier). For such a relatively small part of the world, the UK has an alarmingly high number of “Weird Happenings,” apparently being a popular attraction for extraterrestrial, extra-temporal, and extra-dimensional visitors, even without a lot of spandex involved. On top of that, menaces such as The Fomorian, The Red King, The Manus Gloriae, and even a new version of the once global criminal enterprise, The Chessmen*, all add to Section’s workload.

 

(*It’s a running joke that the Chessmen are usually not referred to as such. Thanks to a smart-aleck newspaper reporter for The Sun commenting that he thought all super criminal organizations were supposed to be a.c.r.o.n.y.m.i.c. in name, the group is often referred to as C.H.E.S.S., with the actual meanings behind the letters changing depending on who is making the joke. This is sometimes a dangerous bit of humor to indulge, as The Chessmen apparently don’t find it funny at all – said reporter’s body was eventually found floating in the Thames, for example.)

Japan

Yoshima Technologies is one of a consortium of companies that recruited and fund the national super team whose name translates as “Mighty Miracle Guardians.” Invincible Iron Whirlwind, Giant 66, Ghost Angel Goddess, King Fire, and Resplendent Fighting Phoenix all get as much press as the consortium can arrange. They are media darlings and fanatically popular throughout their home country -- and there are immense amounts of video footage of the team facing the monstrous Quicksilver Dragon, the western miscreant Cybernaut, and the forces of the criminal mastermind Three-Banner Shogun, among others.

 

Middle East

After the destruction of the Iraqi supersoldier program during the Gulf War, there have been no high-profile metas to emerge from the area (though The Brass Circle and The Sons of Shaitan keep The Covenant and FDSI’s SIGIL Branch busy enough). Rumors continue of the existence of an Israeli group of metas used by the Mossad and the Israeli military, but Israel denies all such stories and no evidence has surfaced to support any allegations.

 

Russia

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the national team The Crimson Cadre also dissolved. Sabredance currently works as part of SABER, and Bogatyr operates independently, but the other former Cadre members all either faded into obscurity, or have gone to work for various fronts for the Russian Mafia. Science City Eberesko was decommissioned due to its exorbitant cost and sold to private investors…though security remains extremely high around the area.

 

SABER (Special Activities Branch Emergency Response) Unit

SABER Unit is a UNSOCIS (United Nations Special Operating Commission on International Security) sponsored group and is comprised of metahumans recruited from various countries around the world. They get very little respect, group dynamics sometime go all to Hell, and their home country’s interests often override their group’s priorities, but SABER still projects a professional image as much as possible and weathers its trial and tribulations year-in, year-out, as it has since its inception in 1975.

 

SABER is not allowed to operate on American soil without express authorization from the FDSI – which it seldom ever gets.

 

The current membership is Aguila (Spain), Changeling (United Kingdom), Chevalier (France), Marathon (Greece), Obi (Kenya), Sabredance (Russia), Strega (Italy), Tiburon (Mexico), and Valkyrie (Norway).

[Dominique]

Re: Algernon HERO

 

Since my opinion would be slightly biased, any of you guys care to post a brief review or your opinions on TAF?

[TheQuestionMan]

Re: Algernon HERO

 

Still reading, I admit I find it difficult to read online more than 20 pages at a sitting. While hard copy I can read whole books in a sitting.

 

Cheers

 

QM

 

P.S.: Sublte as a club to the head eh???

[Dominique]

Re: Algernon HERO

 

While I'm thinkning about it, any of you guys want to see the plot hooks I wrote up for some of TAF characters?

[TheQuestionMan]

Re: Algernon HERO

 

Uhmmm... YES!!! definitely. Any tie ins with the Champions Universe to the Algeron Universe???

 

 

LOL

 

QM

[Dominique]

Re: Algernon HERO

 

Uhmmm... YES!!! definitely. Any tie ins with the Champions Universe to the Algeron Universe???

 

LOL

 

QM

 

I'll start reposting them later, as for tie ins with the CU, I've actually got a couple of ideas. One I mentioned over on the Blackwyrm boards involved Eurostar trying to recruit Terminal Velocity into its ranks. I could see a ver large fight developing, with the PCs caught in the middle of it all.

[Dominique]

Re: Algernon HERO

 

So has anyone posted an official review for the Hero version of TAF yet?

[Dominique]

Re: Algernon HERO

 

Just bumping this back up toward the tp, and waiting to see if anyone's posted their review here, or anywhere else for that matter.

[mattingly]

Re: Algernon HERO

 

No official reviews have been posted yet; still waiting.

[OddHat]

Re: Algernon HERO

 

Submitted to RPG.net:

 

The Algernon Files for HERO System

 

A massive collection of superheroes, villains and more, The Algernon Files is available both for Mutants and Masterminds and HERO, in both a print version and in PDF format. The following review was written based on the HERO system print version and PDF.

 

Appearance:

 

The Algernon Files 2.0 for HERO system print version is hefty, taking up a chunk of shelf space comparable to Hero’s own Conquerors, Killers & Crooks. The art of Derrick Thomas, Ryan Wolfe and Eric Rademaker follows a simple, attractive comic book style appropriate to the characters and locations described in the text. I’d be comfortable using this art to introduce characters to my players. Dave Mattingly’s layout-fu is strong, and the book’s blend of text blocks, graphics and game mechanics is accessible and easy on the eyes. The PDF version is easy to navigate both via bookmarks and links from the table of contents. I didn’t much like the binding on the print version I picked up at Dundracon, but it’s otherwise solid.

 

Content:

 

This is where the book really shines. Useful both as a supplement for an existing campaign or as an internally consistent campaign world, The Algernon Files offers allies, enemies, vehicles, bases, maps, and a timeline that’s both entertaining and a good source of adventure seeds. I’d really like to see more products like this compatible with HERO.

 

The Algernon Files setting history is mostly built into the character backgrounds themselves. This is a real plus as you read through the characters and see the connections. The approach reminded me of the classic Enemies books. A timeline in Appendix I helps flesh things out further. It’s no problem to take individual characters or teams and fit them into a campaign that doesn’t make use of this setting, but the setting is a solid Comic Book homage world and makes for an entertaining read.

 

With a few exceptions, the character write ups consist of a single page giving character art and a short character summary (including suggestions on what is publicly known about the character) while a second page offers up the mechanics. It’s an impressively clean character sheet design. Sheets for bases and vehicles follow the same pattern.

 

The book opens with an Allies section laying out four Superhero teams and six independent heroes. Playing spot the homage was entertaining, and even more so as those same characters went through twists and turns over the course of their careers.

 

Teams include the Sentinels (a Justice League / Avengers class team), the Aerie (a moderately powerful bird themed team that reminded me among other things of the extended Batman family), the Arsenal (a super-patriot theme team), and the Covenant (a mystic theme team reminiscent of the Defenders). The teams make solid potential allies, mentors or rivals for player characters, and could be used as hand outs for use in one shots or convention games. They also make pretty handy models for how to build higher point total player characters in HERO without obsessing over combat efficiency or losing sight of what makes a given character unique.

 

Team vehicles, computers and bases are also presented, along with art and maps. The write ups, art and maps are again well done, and should be easy to re-use in an ongoing campaign.

 

The Enemies section was what I was mainly interested in when I first heard of this book, and I wasn’t disappointed. Four villain groups are introduced along with twenty-four independent villains, including vehicles, bases and followers. It’s a great mix and covers a fair range of power levels and challenge types, from morally grey mercenaries, rebels and misguided crusaders to inter-dimensional tricksters and cosmic threats. Once again the homage characters fly fast and furious. All in all this section offers a very solid collection of scum and villainy.

 

Villain groups include the Black Knights (super mercenaries with a base that could serve as a fixture in many games), the Hell’s Bells (themed Super Rock Band that could come into play as neutrals, anti-heroes or anarchist villains), the Prometheans (a “family” of villains able to fill multiple campaign niches), and the Sinister Circle (a diverse villain team reminiscent of groups like the Injustice League and other collections of super-villains meant to offer a challenge to large, diverse hero groups). The massive collection of independents could easily be mined to form additional villain teams or flesh out teams already existing in a campaign. Many of the independents are more than able to challenge entire teams on their own. Again, stats, maps and art are provided for multiple vehicles and bases.

 

The Algernon Files for HERO closes with three Appendixes. Appendixes I (Timeline) and II (War in the Heavens) cover the setting in more depth, while Appendix III (The Speed Chart) offers a combination quick reference speed chart and index of characters.

 

Overall I was very pleased with this book. Offering Super heroes, villains, bases, vehicles, equipment, and a setting easy to include or ignore, The Algernon Files makes for a great addition to any Superhero RPG fan’s library.

 

Style: 4/5

 

Substance: 5/5