WWII Era Superheroes and Villains

FenrisUlf · June 21, 2007

Re: WWII Era Superheroes and Villains

Theozoa man? Does he have a contact with Jorg Lanz von Liebenfels?

And rep for you, Oddhat, for mentioning something from Goodrick-Clarke's Occult Roots of Nazism!

OddHat · June 21, 2007

Re: WWII Era Superheroes and Villains

Theozoa man? Does he have a contact with Jorg Lanz von Liebenfels?

And rep for you, Oddhat, for mentioning something from Goodrick-Clarke's Occult Roots of Nazism!

Thanks. It's tough to build Nazi era German Supers without going for American Comic Book sources or pre-Nazi era pulps. The Nazis started gutting the German Sci Fi and Pulp industries in 1935, and as far as I can tell 1939-1945 is just a blank, meaning no really authentic Nazi Supers in the period of the campaign. So, I'm going from a few Pulp archetypes that did exist (mostly Sun Koh, Jan Mayan, the "Four Musketeers / Four Aces", Atalanta, and Captain Mors), plus stuff that the genuinely weird cultist types were preaching right up until the Nazis closed them all down in 1942.

The Theozoa Man is actually less powerful than the ONT thought he'd be; I didn't want too much overlap with an SS Fakir/Swami type I plan to include.

OddHat · June 23, 2007

Re: WWII Era Superheroes and Villains

Doktor Spira, adventuress and collector of antiquities. A Nazi pulp adventuress turned Super Soldier. To increase her power, re-do her gadget pool.

DOKTOR SPIRA (DR. CAMILA SPIRA)

Val Char Cost Roll Notes

10 STR 0 11- Lift 100.0kg; 2d6

18 DEX 24 13- OCV: 6/DCV: 6

13 CON 6 12-

10 BODY 0 11-

18 INT 8 13- PER Roll 13-

13 EGO 6 12- ECV: 4

18 PRE 8 13- PRE Attack: 3 ½d6

14 COM 2 12-

3+12 PD 1 Total: 3/15 PD (0/12 rPD)

3+12 ED 0 Total: 3/15 ED (0/12 rED)

4 SPD 12 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12

5 REC 0

26 END 0

22 STUN 0 Total Characteristic Cost: 67

Movement: Running: 6"/12"

Flight: 20"/640"

Leaping: 2"/4"

Swimming: 2"/4"

Cost Powers END

Explorer and Adventuress

7 1) Only a scratch!: Armor (6 PD/6 ED) (18 Active Points); Does not prevent penetration, One body always gets through Power loses about a third of its effectiveness (-½), Restrainable (-½), Nonpersistent (-¼), Must be aware of attack Power loses about a fourth of its effectiveness (-¼)

Notes: User is able to move so as to minimize damage

7 2) Take your hands off me!: Hand-To-Hand Attack +2d6 (10 Active Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-½) 1

22 3) A remarkable gift for languages: Universal Translator 15-

20 4) Friends Everywhere: Universal Connections 13-

Notes: Over the last decade, Doktor Spira has made contacts throughout the academic, mystic, criminal, and espionage worlds. She can always find someone who knows or has what she needs.

24 5) A Certain Kind of Madness: +3 Overall (30 Active Points); Costs Endurance (Only Costs END to Activate; -¼) 3

15 6) Destiny Looks After Her Own: +3 with DCV

Notes: Doktor Spira is constantly alert, aware and on the move; she is also very lucky

30 7) I am guided by the hand of destiny!: Luck 6d6

10 V'ril Energy Reserve: Endurance Reserve (140 END, 7 REC) Reserve: (21 Active Points); OAF (V'rill Power Staff; -1); REC: (7 Active Points); OAF (-1)

37 V'rill Power Staff: Multipower, 75-point reserve, (75 Active Points); all slots OAF (-1)

Notes: Found in the heart of a hidden underground city, this amazing weapon has vast powers of protection, destruction and healing. Dr. Spira has yet to master it entirely.

4u 1) Restorative Function: Healing Standard Healing 7d6, Can Heal Limbs (75 Active Points); OAF (-1) 7

4u 2) Destructive V'rill Energy: Energy Blast 15d6 (75 Active Points); OAF (-1) 7

4u 3) Protective Function: Force Wall (14 PD/14 ED; 2" long and 2" tall) (74 Active Points); OAF (-1) 7

4u 4) Constructive Function: Telekinesis (50 STR) (75 Active Points); OAF (-1) 7

103 Strange Artifacts of a Lost Age: Variable Power Pool, 80 base + 23 control cost, (120 Active Points); VPP Powers Can Be Changed Only In Secret Lab, Ancient Tomb, Great Museum, or Similar Location (-½), Limited Special Effect Only gadgets and ancient artifacts (-¼)

0 1) Mor's Slick Suit: Armor (6 PD/6 ED), Hardened (+¼) (22 Active Points); OIF (-½) Real Cost: 15

Notes: Created by the legendary Captain Mors, the Slick Suits are skin tight unitards originally designed to protect the wearor against the rigors of exposure to vacuum. They are nearly indestructible. The helmet is needed to provide full protection.

0 2) Mor's Slick Suit Helmet: Life Support (Safe in High Pressure; Safe in High Radiation; Safe in Intense Cold; Safe in Intense Heat; Safe in Low Pressure/Vacuum; Self-Contained Breathing) (19 Active Points); OIF (Bubble Helmet; -½) Real Cost: 13

0 3) Tommy Edison's Rocket Pack: Flight 20", x32 Noncombat, 1 Continuing Fuel Charge lasting 1 Hour (+0) (60 Active Points); OIF (-½) Real Cost: 40 [1 cc]

Notes: Originally belonging to boy genius Tommy Edison, this rocket pack allows its wearor to fly at absurdly high speeds for up to one hour.

Perks

10 Successful Treasure Hunter: Money: Wealthy

5 Fringe Benefit: Member of the Thule Society, Schutzstaffel Ubersoldaten

55 Invisible Planes, Rocket Ships, Hidden Underground Lairs: Vehicles & Bases

Notes: Doktor Spira is constantly collecting vehicles and bases, and should always have one available

30 Hired Goons: Follower

Notes: Doktor Spira always has a few hired goons available

Skills

Explorer and Adventuress

3 1) Climbing 13-

9 2) TF: Common Motorized Ground Vehicles, Riding Animals, Science Fiction & Space Vehicles, Balloons & Zeppelins, Combat Aircraft, Small Planes

10 3) WF: Beam Weapons, Common Melee Weapons, Common Missile Weapons, Energy Weapons, Small Arms

3 4) Mechanics 13-

3 5) Bureaucratics 13-

3 6) Conversation 13-

3 7) Deduction 13-

3 8) High Society 13-

3 9) Persuasion 13-

3 10) Seduction 13-

3 11) Concealment 13-

3 12) Stealth 13-

3 13) Electronics 13-

3 14) Inventor 13-

3 15) Systems Operation 13-

3 16) Lockpicking 13-

3 17) Security Systems 13-

3 18) Paramedics 13-

3 Scientist

2 1) SS: Anthropology 13- (3 Active Points)

2 2) SS: Archaeology 13- (3 Active Points)

2 3) SS: Mad Science 13- (3 Active Points)

2 4) SS: Medicine 13- (3 Active Points)

3 Scholar

2 1) KS: Arcane And Occult Lore (3 Active Points) 13-

1 2) KS: The Espionage World (2 Active Points) 11-

1 3) KS: The Mystic World (2 Active Points) 11-

1 4) KS: World History (2 Active Points) 11-

3 AK: Hidden Lands and Mystic Places 13-

3 CK: Great Cities of the World 13-

Total Powers & Skill Cost: 483

Total Cost: 550

200+ Disadvantages

15 Psychological Limitation: Must Recover Artifacts For Study and Personal Use, No Matter What the Cost (Common, Strong)

20 Psychological Limitation: Unlimited Ambition and Borderline Megalomania (Very Common, Strong)

15 Psychological Limitation: Facination with the occult, ancient secrets, and forbidden sciences (Common, Strong)

5 Rivalry: Professional (with other Scientists and Adventurers; Rival is As Powerful; Seek to Outdo, Embarrass, or Humiliate Rival; Rival Aware of Rivalry)

15 Hunted: Mystery Men she has wronged, Heroes and Villains 8- (Mo Pow, Capture/Kill)

15 Hunted: Occult Entities 8- (Mo Pow, Capture/Kill)

10 Hunted: Thule Society 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Watching)

5 Social Limitation: Woman (Occasionally, Minor)

15 Social Limitation: Subject to orders (Frequently, Major)

10 Distinctive Features: Magic Touched Aura (Not Concealable; Always Noticed and Causes Major Reaction; Detectable Only By Unusual Senses)

225 Experience Points

Total Disadvantage Points: 550

Background/History: Camilla Spira was undeniably a genius. Linguist, anthropologist, archaeologist and medical doctor, Camilla spent her teens and twenties as a globe trotting adventuress, exploring places and surviving dangers beyond most people's wildest flights of fancy. Her travels with the great Captain Mors earned her membership in the Thule Society, a brief apprenticeship under Sun Koh ("the man who fell from the sky") gained her contacts at the highest levels of the then fledgling Nazi party, and her fierce intelligence and lack of false moral restraint gained her an ever growing collection of strange devices and artifacts from around the world. Now, as Germany moves into its rightful place as the first nation of Europe, Doktor Spira puts her remarkable talents and resources to use in the service of the Ubersoldaten.

Destiny has chosen Camilla Spira; she will heed its call.

Personality/Motivation: Camilla is driven by a fairly specific sort of greed and ambition. She will do anything, absolutely anything, to add to her collection of mystic artifacts and strange scientific devices. This is not just to feed her personal ambition (though that, too, is unlimited); Spira sees herself as a collector and preserver of the secrets of this world's strange history. She tends to see others as potential tools, resources, or obstacles, and rarely relates to them on a human level at all. Other scientists and adventurers, however, may rate her attention; these she most often sees as rivals to be pumped for information and then suitably humiliated or disposed of.

Camilla has no special loyalty to the Nazi party, but she does take her commitments to the Ubersoldaten and the Thule society seriously. She will hunt heroes (or villains) who have an artifact she desires, or those she is ordered to hunt.

Quote: Let's see how this works.

Powers/Tactics: Spira, without her gadgets and goons, is a remarkably competent adventuress. She's skilled, impossibly lucky, and has a network of contacts that extends practically everywhere. She can more than hold her own in a bar room brawl, on a University campus, or in the depths of a lost city. Most importantly, she has a certain madness, a touch of functional monomania that allows her to far exceed her own exceptional abilities when she needs to, though there is a price to be paid.

Spira's most important acquisitions include a three foot long staff-like device retrieved from an underground city that has remarkable abilities of both healing and destruction. She has yet to fully explore its uses. Spira is also fond of a protective suit she received as a gift from Captain Mors and a rocket pack she liberated from a young American scientific adventurer. This is far from an exhaustive list of the items in her collection; she's constantly coming up with something new, and can be relied on to shock any foe who thinks he knows just exactly what she can do.

Despite her weapons and skill, Doktor Spira really isn't a particularly good front line combatant , particularly by the standards of Super Powered Mystery Men. She'll avoid combat where she can, sending in hired goons to occupy the heroes while she fulfills her mission. If she is trapped in combat, she'll take to the air and concentrate on avoiding being hit (DCV 12 with all levels figured in), while blasting away with her V'rill Power Staff. If a foe is tough to hit, her tactics might get trickier (spreading energy blasts from the staff, shifting around her levels, etc).

Doktor Spira works best as part of a team, giving support and leadership to more combat oriented characters.

Campaign Use: Doktor Spira is an attempt at a more authentic feeling Nazi villainess. She's loosely based on the pulp character Atalanta, and all of her devices appeared at one time or another in the source material, though not all in the possession of one character.

Appearance: A tall, attractive woman in her late 30s, chestnut haired and grey eyed, with tanned skin just starting to show a few age lines. Doktor Spira will usually dress in designer clothing of a somewhat daring cut. When expecting danger, she prefers to wear her Slick Suit, a grey unitard with a fishbowl helmet. She often sports a jet pack and almost always (in combat) carries her V'rill staff.

Character by Robert Dorf, 2007.

Southern Cross · June 24, 2007

Re: WWII Era Superheroes and Villains

Given her use of a V'rill Staff,could Doctor Spira be one of the founders of the Vril Society?

OddHat · June 24, 2007

Re: WWII Era Superheroes and Villains

Given her use of a V'rill Staff' date='could Doctor Spira be one of the founders of the Vril Society?[/quote']

Good spot, and yes.

Plot seeds for the Vrill-ya, Captain Mors, and the late Young Tommy Edison are built into her back story.

I had trouble finding any authentic period Nazi Superheroes as such (the party squashed the German Pulp Industry in 1938-39), but the earlier sci fi and German pulp stuff still makes a good source.

FenrisUlf · June 25, 2007

Re: WWII Era Superheroes and Villains

I had trouble finding any authentic period Nazi Superheroes as such (the party squashed the German Pulp Industry in 1938-39)' date=' but the earlier sci fi and German pulp stuff still makes a good source.[/quote']

OT, but why? The Nazis were fairly adept at the use of propaganda. You think they'd just create a 'Nazi Pulp Writers League' and stick a few bureaucrats in charge, like they did with virtually every other organization in Germany.

OddHat · June 25, 2007

Re: WWII Era Superheroes and Villains

OT' date=' but why? The Nazis were fairly adept at the use of propaganda. You think they'd just create a 'Nazi Pulp Writers League' and stick a few bureaucrats in charge, like they did with virtually every other organization in Germany.[/quote']

I'm not sure. They started off doing what you'd expect, blacklisting some writers and ordering that all non-pure Aryan heroes be replaced with Aryans. You get a weird period in 1935 when all the American, Half German, French and English pulp heroes published in Germany get replaced with "pure" Germans (that would make a pretty good adventure in and of itself, tracking down all the heroes that got pushed out of the country). Then in 38-39 everything ends up getting shut down, even the rabidly pro-fascist stuff like the adventures of Sun Koh and Jan Mayan. The Nazis also shut down the interesting weird cults, including the pro-fascist ones, in 1942. I'm guessing that it was an attempt to keep the number of voices speaking to good Germans down to a minimum.

None of which happens in my campaign, of course; good secret societies and mystics make good gaming.

FenrisUlf · June 25, 2007

Re: WWII Era Superheroes and Villains

I'm not sure. They started off doing what you'd expect, blacklisting some writers and ordering that all non-pure Aryan heroes be replaced with Aryans. You get a weird period in 1935 when all the American, Half German, French and English pulp heroes published in Germany get replaced with "pure" Germans (that would make a pretty good adventure in and of itself, tracking down all the heroes that got pushed out of the country). Then in 38-39 everything ends up getting shut down, even the rabidly pro-fascist stuff like the adventures of Sun Koh and Jan Mayan. The Nazis also shut down the interesting weird cults, including the pro-fascist ones, in 1942. I'm guessing that it was an attempt to keep the number of voices speaking to good Germans down to a minimum.

None of which happens in my campaign, of course; good secret societies and mystics make good gaming.

Now I have an idea for an anti-Nazi WW2 hero who's a German patriot, fighting the good fight either within the Reich proper or joining the Allies ("Hitler is the true enemy of Germany!") as a super-soldier.

Then again, I had trouble with some folks when I gave them my idea for a American home-front superhero for WW2: a German-American who hates Nazism but joined the Bund to spy on them & break up their attempts at sabotage in his heroic identity.

OddHat · June 25, 2007

Re: WWII Era Superheroes and Villains

Now I have an idea for an anti-Nazi WW2 hero who's a German patriot, fighting the good fight either within the Reich proper or joining the Allies ("Hitler is the true enemy of Germany!") as a super-soldier.

Then again, I had trouble with some folks when I gave them my idea for a American home-front superhero for WW2: a German-American who hates Nazism but joined the Bund to spy on them & break up their attempts at sabotage in his heroic identity.

One very sad story on Jess Nevins site:

The Harst stories were written by author Walther Kabel, using the penname Max Schraut. Kabel was born in 1878 and initially intended to become a lawyer before being side-tracked by his writing talent. Kabel started to write for the pulps while still in his teens. In 1919 he was offered to take over a pulp series called Der Detektiv (The detective) and created Harald Harst. A lot of Kabel's personal life went into the Harst stories, and his lifelike and detailed descriptions of people and places made them extremely popular with German pulp readers. Especially, the despictions of pre-war Berlin are said to be very atmospheric.

Like so many other, Kabel got in trouble when the Nazis came to power in 1933. In fact, Kabel had even briefly joined the Nazi party back in 1925 but left in disgust after seeing the SA beat up Jewish shopkeepers (there are quite a few positive Jewish characters in his novels). After the Nazis came to power, every writer had to be licensed by the Ministry of Propaganda, whose head was Joseph Goebbels. Goebbels had also been the head of the Berlin division of the Nazi party back in 1925 and bore a personal grudge towards Kabel for leaving the party. Thus, Kabel was forbidden to write and publish almost as soon as the Nazis came to power. He wrapped up the Harst series as well as the other pulps he was writing and attempted to start a new series Die Drei von der Feme (difficult to translate this one, an approximation would be "The three secret vigilantes"), keeping his authorship a secret. This lasted for three issues, then Kabel was found out and the new series was banned as well. Desperate and also suffering from a lung disease picked up in WWI, he shot himself in 1935.

I've been thinking of folding Kabel's real life story into that of a German mystery man destroyed by the Nazis, maybe even give the PCs a chance to earn some payback for him and those like him.

After all, it's a heroic genre.

Clonus · June 27, 2007

Re: WWII Era Superheroes and Villains

Now I have an idea for an anti-Nazi WW2 hero who's a German patriot, fighting the good fight either within the Reich proper or joining the Allies ("Hitler is the true enemy of Germany!") as a super-soldier.

Then again, I had trouble with some folks when I gave them my idea for a American home-front superhero for WW2: a German-American who hates Nazism but joined the Bund to spy on them & break up their attempts at sabotage in his heroic identity.

I don't see the problem unless you didn't explain what you had in mind clearly to them.

GoldenAge · June 29, 2007

Re: WWII Era Superheroes and Villains

Though it was more WWI than WWII, I created a great hero that filled the Golden Age (power, not personality) niche of Plastic Man called...

DOUGHBOY!

He was something of a metamorphing, elastic, eternal soldier of fortune that had firsthand memories of every epic battle in history... Actually, he was kind of a Plastic Man/Astro City: *Old Soldier mixture.

* The Old Soldier — a symbolic, legendary figure clad in martial attire who manifests in wartime.

OddHat · June 29, 2007

Re: WWII Era Superheroes and Villains

Though it was more WWI than WWII, I created a great hero that filled the Golden Age (power, not personality) niche of Plastic Man called...

DOUGHBOY!

He was something of a metamorphing, elastic, eternal soldier of fortune that had firsthand memories of every epic battle in history... Actually, he was kind of a Plastic Man/Astro City: *Old Soldier mixture.

* The Old Soldier — a symbolic, legendary figure clad in martial attire who manifests in wartime.

Sounds fun.

My own Eel O'Brian homage is an ex-petty thief who survives contact with a shape-changing Thing (recovered by my Doc Savage Homage from a crashed flying saucer in the Artic), or possibly that same Thing driven insane and trapped in human form. If he survives, he'll end up leading a quartet of Fantastic scientific adventurers in the 1960s.

GoldenAge · June 29, 2007

Re: WWII Era Superheroes and Villains

I like the Thing-in-human-form (ex-petty thief still frozen in the arctic???) option best. It brings back Jean Gray and Captain America memories... Both good and bad.

ParagonAlpha · June 30, 2007

Re: WWII Era Superheroes and Villains

One very sad story on Jess Nevins site:

I've been thinking of folding Kabel's real life story into that of a German mystery man destroyed by the Nazis, maybe even give the PCs a chance to earn some payback for him and those like him.

After all, it's a heroic genre.

How about turning Kabel into a sort of Spectre-esque character.

Call him Ghost Writer. (no not meant to be a pun, but still hahaha)

After his death he passed on but was charged with keeping the world safe from the rising occult powers in the Nazi party.

Using his newfound abilities he found he could not directly effect the world but could alter minor events to xreate needed coincidences and events.

Just a thought.

OddHat · July 3, 2007

Re: WWII Era Superheroes and Villains

Notes on background characters:

Patrick Zwerbach, Kid Twist - New York petty criminal who gains fantastic powers after an incident in a warehouse owned by the city's most famous doctor. Reforming, he offers his new abilities to his country.

Benjamin Mayfair, Mister Grimm - Illegitimate son of chemist Andrew Mayfair and grandson of a nefarious English scientist, Benjamin's remarkable ability to take on a monstrous form has been both blessing and curse.

Thomas Storm, the Burning Man - Survivor of strange scientific experiments, the pyrokinetic and psychokinetic abilities of young Tommy Storm make him a freak and a menace. One day, they may make him a hero.

Carrol Griffin, the Lady Phantom - Inheriting the terrible legacy of the Griffin bloodline, Carrol Griffin uses her ability to move unseen for blackmail and theft, until the war offers her a second chance.

OddHat · July 3, 2007

Re: WWII Era Superheroes and Villains

Organization notes (Note that there are significant changes from the real world history of organizations mentioned here, none more so than the inclusion of superhumans):

His Imperial Majesty's Extraordinary Operatives - A group of mystery men, science heroes, and paranormal beings in the service of the Crown.

The Ordo Novi Templi (ONT) - An occult society founded in 1907 by Lanz Von Liebenfels, dedicated to the rise of the Aryan peoples. One of several sources of paranormal operatives in the service of the Nazi party.

The Order of Strategic Services (OSS) - Founded in 1942 to colect and manage information required by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, dismissed as an outfit of misfits and bunglers by departmental rivals. In this setting, the OSS was actually founded covertly in 1939 to coordinate American "Talents" (Mystery Men, Science Heroes, etc), and went public in 1942. Key early personnel included Director William Donovan, Col. Harold Smith (one of the youngest colonels in WWII, in charge of Talent Operations), and Lieutenant Oscar Goldman.

Clonus · July 3, 2007

Re: WWII Era Superheroes and Villains

OT' date=' but why? The Nazis were fairly adept at the use of propaganda. You think they'd just create a 'Nazi Pulp Writers League' and stick a few bureaucrats in charge, like they did with virtually every other organization in Germany.[/quote']

The Nazis weren't particularly fond of fun things. Entertainment in general was a distraction from marching in unison to a brighter tomorrow particularly when it wasn't pretentious entertainment. However, French superhero the Nyctalope did last into the Vichy era so he apparently ended his career as a collaborator with the Nazis.

OddHat · July 3, 2007

Re: WWII Era Superheroes and Villains

The Nazis weren't particularly fond of fun things. Entertainment in general was a distraction from marching in unison to a brighter tomorrow particularly when it wasn't pretentious entertainment. However' date=' French superhero the Nyctalope did last into the Vichy era so he apparently ended his career as a collaborator with the Nazis.[/quote']

And there's a fun plot seed.

assault · July 3, 2007

Re: WWII Era Superheroes and Villains

However' date=' French superhero the Nyctalope did last into the Vichy era so he apparently ended his career as a collaborator with the Nazis.[/quote']

Well spotted! Repped.

OddHat · July 7, 2007

Re: WWII Era Superheroes and Villains

For reference, some online public domain Golden Age comics.

http://goldenagecomics.co.uk/index.php

And lists of Golden Age characters:

http://blaklion.best.vwh.net/comics.html

The gold standard Golden Age source, from Jess Nevins:

http://ratmmjess.tripod.com/ga/goldintro.html

OddHat · July 13, 2007

A letter from Clark Savage to Kent Allard

Kent,

I’ve gathered what information I could, based on what I learned from the Kr ship and from my time with H. It isn’t much.

H isn’t part of class E, or class WN/T, though he shares characteristics with both. I originally accepted the hypothesis that he was a remarkably powerful member of class D, but my father’s notes, along with those of Dr. Abednego Danner, have persuaded me that H was actually on board the Kr ship at the time of its crash. I’m therefore designating H as representing a new class, Kr.

Class WN/T members generally manifest enhanced physical health and mental acuity, as well as the potential for Fortean talents, and H does display all of these. However, the talents H displays are far beyond those of even the most exceptional WN/T class members. That includes us. He’s really going to be something.

Initial reports might reasonably have placed him as a member of class D. Plenty of profound oddities stem from Dippel’s notes even today, as you know better than most. However, the testimony of Dr. Danner and other data I’ve gathered prevents me from placing H in class D.

H’s abilities are extraordinary even by the standards of a Dippel modified human. I’ve clocked him sprinting at over 4000 feet per second over short distances, faster than a .220 Swift. True, a few of Gibberne’s subjects could match that speed, but Gibberne’s Accelerator has so far been invariably fatal to its users. H is in perfect health, and claims never to have been exposed to the Accelerator. I believe him. It’s my best estimate that H’s muscle power output over the short term is at least 250 times that of a baseline human. No Dippel modified human has ever manifested physical power in that range before. It is clear that mere muscle and bone could not sustain or withstand such exertion, which points to a Fortean explanation. If H’s abilities are in part psychic in origin, then they may (like your own talents) slowly increase over time.

The Fortean explanation points towards placing H in class E. It’s a close match. The members of class E have manifested Fortean talents all over the map, and share other extraordinary traits similar to those displayed by H. It was my father’s belief that H was an exceptional example of a class E human, and I initially accepted that theory. However, with the assistance of H, I recently succeeded in triggering what appears to be a teaching machine built into the Kr ship. Presenting visual images and sound, the device documents an extra-terrestrial (possibly even extra-solar) civilization. I have yet to translate the language used by the machine, but if it is what it appears to be then H is something we've never seen before.

As a final and somewhat unsettling note, my tests indicate that unlike class E humans, H is almost certainly cross-fertile with baseline humans. I don’t need to tell you of the potentially earth shattering risks and benefits inherent in that information. I’ve discussed this with H, and he has agreed to exercise restraint in his personal relationships, but I fear that the genie may already be out of the bottle.

H has befriended a few of the local children and has been telling stories about the amazing “Planet Krypton”. I’m glad he’s finally having some fun; a positive attitude will make adjusting to his new life much easier for him.

I’ll keep you apprised of developments, and I’d appreciate your input on this.

All my best to Margo and the rest of the team,

- Clark

FenrisUlf · July 13, 2007

Re: WWII Era Superheroes and Villains

Say, that 'Dippel' fellow you mention... he wouldn't happen to be Joseph Konrad Dippel, would he? The infamous alchemist and grave robber who supposedly inspired Mary Shelley to create Doctor Frankenstein?

FenrisUlf · July 13, 2007

Re: WWII Era Superheroes and Villains

Though it was more WWI than WWII, I created a great hero that filled the Golden Age (power, not personality) niche of Plastic Man called...

DOUGHBOY!

He was something of a metamorphing, elastic, eternal soldier of fortune that had firsthand memories of every epic battle in history... Actually, he was kind of a Plastic Man/Astro City: *Old Soldier mixture.

* The Old Soldier — a symbolic, legendary figure clad in martial attire who manifests in wartime.

I've long wanted to create a WW2 American werewolf created by a 'Project: Dogface' as an early attempt at a super-soldier. Though heroic werewolves aren't very Golden Age.

Hey, if those Ratzis are doing it with their whole Sonderkommando Werwolf, we've got to stay ahead of them...

OddHat · July 13, 2007

Re: WWII Era Superheroes and Villains

Say' date=' that 'Dippel' fellow you mention... he wouldn't happen to be Joseph Konrad Dippel, would he? The infamous alchemist and grave robber who supposedly inspired Mary Shelley to create Doctor Frankenstein?[/quote']

The same.

One of the background ideas in the campaign: Mad Science started with Dippel. His notes, misnamed "Frankenstein's Diaries", have been passed around the Mad Science underground ever since, inspiring Griffin, Jekyll, Moreau, Gibberne, and others who pursued biological scientific advances beyond those made by conventional researchers. Mad Science also includes technologies derived from the wreckage of so-called "Martian" war machines and other apparently extraterrestrial artifacts.

OddHat · July 13, 2007

Re: WWII Era Superheroes and Villains

Here's the timeline of the campaign, currently under revision (particularly the events surrounding the Fantastic Four and Eel O'Brian).

Note that this timeline is not public knowledge; it's what could be pieced together by a really good researcher, or a character with excellent KS: Secret History or similar. Further, the timeline isn't fixed; if the players manage to make a change, then that's how it goes in that game world. This is just a guide for me as the GM, and an aid to players who want a feel for the setting.

Robert Dorf’s Alternate Wold Newton Universe Superhero Timeline

The following timeline draws on multiple sources, including Win Scott Eckert’s Wold Newton Universe timeline (http://www.pjfarmer.com/woldnewton/Pulp2.htm), Schroeder’s Speculations (http://www.novanotes.com/specul.htm), Jess Nevins’ Pulp Heroes (http://www.geocities.com/jjnevins/pulpsintro.html), Victoriana (http://www.geocities.com/jessnevins/vicintro.html), and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Olympus/7160/league1.html) pages, Don Markstein’s Toonpedia (http://www.toonpedia.com), and the Internet Movie Database (http://www.imdb.com/). While no character in this timeline has been entirely unmodified from his or her presentation in other sources, the work of other Wold Newton speculators has made this timeline possible. I offer these speculators my sincere thanks and appreciation. Where their additions to the Wold Newton mythos appear in modified form in this text, the citation reads “Author’s Name, Modified”, as suggested by Win Scott Eckert. I would like to thank Al Schroeder (http://mindmistress.comicgenesis.com/), Win Scott Eckert (http://www.pjfarmer.com/woldnewton/Pulp.htm), and Mike Surbrook (http://surbrook.devermore.net/index/) for their feedback, suggestions and support. I do not claim to hold the trademark or copyright on any fictional character mentioned in this timeline, nor do I intend to challenge the rights of any copyright or trademark holder. This particular arrangement and interpretation of fictional events and information is copyright Robert Dorf, 2005. It may be reproduced and distributed freely, so long as no fee is charged for this content, and so long as appropriate credit is given.

350,000,000 BCE – Elder Things (aka The Old Ones) reach the Earth.

300,000,000 BCE – The Old Ones cause life to begin on Earth. Evidence suggests that this may have been part of a planet forming project.

50,000,000 BCE – The culmination of a series of wars among various extraterrestrial and extra-dimensional races drives the bulk of the Old Ones and their foes to abandon the Earth. Small remnant populations remain.

2,000,000 BCE – The Ancients establish an outpost on Earth under the modern Antarctic continent. They make use of genetically engineered dinosaur-like creatures and other bio- and psi-weapons in an attempt to drive the last of the Elder Things from the Earth.

250,000 BCE - The Ancients perform experiments on proto-humanity.

50,000 BCE – Creation of the creature known as Lilith, mother of monsters, the first Vampire. Note that this date is subject to dispute, with some arguing for a date as late as 3000 BCE. (John A. Small, modified)

50,000 BCE - The Ancients leave Earth after repeated conflicts with apparently extra dimensional entities. They take with them the most promising of their test subjects. These test subjects are then seeded on multiple worlds. One of those worlds is an artificial construct, a planetary engineering project as complex and ambitious as anything the Ancients had ever attempted. Its genetically modified inhabitants would one day become, compared to Earth Humans, virtual supermen.

24,000 BCE - the Nine Unknown, a group of powerful metahumans, found the Atlantean civilization. Using fragments of the technology of the Ancients and their own powers, the Nine make fantastic progress in the psionic and physical sciences. Atlantis extends its power across the globe.

18,000 BCE -The first war of the Nine Unknown causes the fall of Atlantean civilization. The Nine scatter, each holding what he or she can of the Ancient's secrets. The Nine Unknown have periodically been responsible for the creation, training, breeding or recruitment of numerous metahumans ever since. The majority of true metahumans have proven to be nearly sterile, and the metagene itself appears to be recessive.

10,000 BCE – The city-state of Opar uses scraps of Ancient technology and echoes of Atlantean science to carve an empire.

3000 BCE – a "Circle of Light" appears in the air above the North Korean village of Sinanju. Since that time, the Masters of Sinanju have taught a diet and exercise regimen and a style of martial arts that has unlocked near-superhuman abilities in its practitioners. Many claim that all forms of Eastern martial arts derive from Sinanju. No explanation for the "Circle of Light" has ever been determined.

335 BCE- Ayesha the immortal is born.

400 – Sun Wukong the immortal begins his career in China. His origins are cloaked in legend, myth and deliberate deception.

500 – Merlin (thought by some to be an identity XauXaz of the Nine Unknown) attempts to rekindle human civilization in Camelot. He trains several humans in the Atlantean psychic sciences, and begins several key bloodlines.

520 – Master Tan of Sinanju, serving the Chinese emperor Liang Wu Ti, befriends the Indian monk Bodhidharma. Tan shares many secrets of Sinanju with Bodhidharma over the next decade. Bodhidharma will in turn teach these secrets to the monks of the Shaolin monastery. This shameful misjudgment will cause Master Tan’s name to be stricken from all but the most secret scrolls of Sinanju.

630 – Master Li and Number 10 Ox operate in China as agents of the Nine Unknown.

730 – Al Azif, aka the Necronomicon, is written by Abdul Alhazred

1476 – Vlad Tepes becomes a true Vampire.

1680 - Death of Master Li Mu Bai and the disappearance of his sword Green Destiny.

1699 - Dr. Lemuel Gulliver physically travels into the Dreamlands, a parallel world or et of parallel worlds. Reports of conditions in the Dreamlands vary widely. Some speculate that all extra-dimensional travel leads to the Dreamlands. Some scholars assert the Gulliver is of the blood of Amber.

1705 (approx) – Johann Conrad Dippel combines alchemical secrets with modern science to bring life to dead tissue, creating an animated creature he names Adam. Dippel’s notes will become instrumental in the ongoing evolution of so-called “Mad Science”. His experiments will eventually inspire Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein”, named for the castle in which Dippel was born and conducted his early experiments.

1715 - Gulliver returns from the Dreamlands. The public and scientific community at large dismisses his reports as fiction and social satire. The physical evidence he produces is confiscated by elements within the British Government.

1715-1745 (approx) -- travels of Manji, immortal swordsman. He vows to kill 1000 evil men to make up for killing 100 samurai.

1740 (approx) – The sacking of the Shaolin temple. Chinese government forces sack the Shaolin temple. Five monks escape the destruction of the temple form China’s first Triads. Many historians point to this as the flash point for conflicts between China’s government and China’s metahuman community that will last until well into the late twentieth century.

1787 - The British government begins formally recruiting extraordinary men and women in the service of the Crown.

1795 - A meteor strikes in Wold Newton, England. Since that time, the bloodlines of those who interacted with that meteor have produced large numbers of metahumans and borderline metahumans. A similar but far more destructive event occurred over Tunguska, Siberia, in 1908, and has been suggested as a link to a similar increase in metahuman births and manifestations world wide. Some have speculated that both the Wold Newton and Tunguska events were engineered by an unknown individual or group making use of the technology of the Ancients.

1806 – Don Diego De La Vega becomes the first of his family line to take up the mask of El Zorro. De La Vega’s example will inspire generations of adventurers world-wide.

1840 – Ling Fu Shan born to Ling Ju Hai and Sir William Clayton. Clayton denies paternity. Ling Fu Shan will eventually become known to the world as the infamous crime-lord and Chinese nationalist Fu Manchu. (Win Scott Eckert, modified)

1847 – Wong Fei Hung is born in Canton, China. Fei Hung will eventually become one of China’s most important folk heroes, fighting for his people against threats both internal and external. It is strongly suspected that Fei Hung, a master of Hung Kuen Kung Fu, was himself a metahuman.

1862 – Alice Liddell makes her ultimately tragic visits to the dream-realm known as Wonderland.

1863 – Johnny Brainard invents the world’s first modern working humanoid robot, the famed Steam Man of the Prairies.

1866 – American John Carter uses a form of Astral Projection to travel to an alternate Mars. His reports on events on that alternate world will cause controversies in the halls of academia that may never be resolved. Some scholars suggest that John Carter himself may be an amnesiac immortal of the blood of Amber.

1867 - Nemo uses a technologically advanced submarine to wage guerilla war against the British Empire.

1873 - The equipment maintaining an artificial "planet" constructed by the Ancients suffers a fatal series of malfunctions. As the planet self destructs, a single escape ship is launched towards the coordinates of Humanity's near-mythic home world. Despite its FTL drive, the ship takes over eighteen years to reach its goal. The ship's sole passenger spends that time in stasis.

1876 – Frank Reade Sr. develops the famed Steam Man Mk II and Mk III.

1886 - Dr. Henry Jekyll develops his “Hyde” formula. The age of the modern therianthrope has begun. Some evidence suggests that Jekyll may have been collaborating with Dr. Jean Moreau.

1886 – Frank Reade Jr. and Nikola Tesla develop the Electric Man and the Electric Horse, cable controlled robots far ahead of their times. Tesla and Reade break when Tesla insists that the robots can be remotely controlled.

1887 - Edward Prendick returns to civilization, reporting the death of Dr. Moreau. This report was false. Moreau, whose research was sponsored by the British Crown, had been moved to a secure location in England to continue his experiments. It seems likely that Moreu’s work was based in part on the work of Dippel.

1888 – Tarzan, Lord Greystoke, is born after his parents, John and Alice Clayton, are stranded in the jungle of French Equatorial Africa through the machinations of the Nine Unknown. The Nine eventually arrange for the infant’s parents to be killed, and for the infant to be adopted and raised by a tribe of Mangani (ape-like primates possessed of near human intelligence). (Farmer, modified)

1890 – Professor Archibald Campion invents a robot soldier based on the Electric Man. The soldier, named Boilerplate, is used in action by Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders. Campion attempts to integrate Tesla’s remote control systems, but finds them unreliable

1890 – Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer enter the Wood Between the Worlds, a significant dimensional nexus. Jadris of Charn briefly rampages through London, demonstrating more-than-human strength and resistance to harm.

1891 - A space craft crashes outside of Indian Creek, Colorado. The ship was quickly located by Professor Abednego Danner, himself a member of the extended Wold Newton family. Professor Danner and his wife legally adopted the male infant they found wandering near the wreckage of that ship. The wreckage itself is given over for study to Danner's cousin; Dr. Clark Savage, Sr. The boy is given the name "Hugo".

Hugo Danner's amazing physical and mental abilities develop as he ages. His strength, speed, and durability far surpass all theoretical human limits. Professor Danner is able to instill a strong sense of right and wrong in Hugo, but the boy's increasing powers cause him to become a social pariah. (Al Schroeder, modified)

1894 – Ling Ling Fat, master inventor and patriot, becomes increasingly influential in Beijing’s government and intelligence services. His paternity may trace to Ling Fu Shan, aka Fu Manchu. Fat will prove to be an implacable political rival of Shan.

1897 - Dracula, a true vampire, comes to the attention of the British Crown. He is eventually driven from England.

1897 - Dr. Hawley Griffin uses fragments of Dr. Henry Jekyll’s research to create his Invisibility formula.

1898 - Mina Murray becomes the first woman to command a group of Britain’s Extraordinary-class operatives.

1898 - The first War of the Worlds concludes with the “Martians” successfully repelled. Dr. Henry Jekyll gives his life in the battle against the invaders. A statue of Edward Hyde is erected in the renamed Hyde Park. The alien vehicles are held for study by the British government.

1898 - Professor Alfred Gibberne builds on the works of Jekyll, Griffin and Moreu to develop his Accelerator formula. This formula alters the subject’s perception of time, permitting the subject to move, think and act at incredible speeds. Unfortunately, use of the formula proves almost invariably fatal.

1898 – Dorothy Gale makes her first visit to the dream-realm known as Oz.

1899 – Using the anti-gravity metal Cavorite, Prof. Cavor attempts a trip to the moon. Evidence suggests that the “meteor” that provided the metal was in fact the wreckage of a space craft being studied by Dr. Clark Savage Sr. Accusations of academic dishonesty are quickly silenced by the British intelligence services. No method for producing more Cavorite has yet been found.

1900 – Nikola Tesla insists that he has received signals from outer space through equipment in his Colorado laboratory. While his claims are derided by mainstream scientists, he attracts the attention and financial support of such luminaries as John Carter of Virginia and Clark Savage Sr.

1900 – Backed by JP Morgan and others, Tesla begins work on the world’s first advanced wireless broadcasting tower. The project fails when Tesla’s laboratory is fire bombed, and his plans and notes for the tower are stolen. Tesla himself escapes unharmed. JP Morgan withdraws his backing.

1908 – Captain Leonard McKenzie discovers the undersea city of Y’Psoodsn. He is captured by the Children of Dagon. He befriends a beautiful mute girl, and together they escape. Eleven months later, the young woman gives birth to a male child. She leaves the child with McKenzie and returns to the sea. McKenzie names the child Namor. (Dennis E. Power, modified)

1910 – Tarzan, aka John Clayton Jr., Lord Greystoke, visits the hidden city of Opar. He leaves not knowing that his brief affair with the high priestess La has left her with child. The child, a healthy girl, is born in December of 1910. The priestess gives the child the name Daya. The infant shares the Caucasian skin coloring and facial features of her father.

1911 – Fu Manchu first re-creates the Oil of Life. This same formula has long been one of the most closely kept secrets of the Nine Unknown, who use it to maintain influence over their agents. Some speculate that Fu is in fact an agent of the Nine, while others claim that he is a renegade.

1911 – Moreu created human-gorilla hybrid “Jacko” partners with human Victor Brand in the service of the British Crown. Moreau will continue to create animals with human-level intelligence for decades to come. His activities are tolerated by his handlers in MI5, but not encouraged.

1912 – Kent Allard enters the American Secret Service.

1914 – Tarzan returns to Opar. A painful reunion with La ensues, in which Tarzan meets his now 3 year old daughter. La and Tarzan make their peace, and Tarzan returns to England with Daya. Jane is hurt, but accepts Daya, giving her the Christian name Diana.

1916 – Nikola Tesla takes on teen prodigy Hans Zarkov as a lab assistant.

1916 – Hugo Danner volunteers for military service in the French Foreign Legion in WWI. In the army he experiences his first true friendships. His strength, speed, and near invulnerability (nothing less than a bursting shell can pierce his skin) make him invaluable to the war effort. After one of the few serious injuries he sustains, Hugo learns of his amazing regenerative abilities, and also learns that his unique blood makes him a universal donor. By the end of the war, scores of allied soldiers have received blood transfusions from Hugo. In decades to come, many of the children of these soldiers will manifest metahuman abilities. (Al Schroeder, Modified)

1917 – Philip Strange, teen prodigy, mentalist and stage magician, enters military service. Rising to the rank of Captain, Strange becomes known as the Phantom Ace of G-2; to the Germans, he becomes known as the Brain Devil.

1918 – Professor Campion receives permission to use an improved version of his cable controlled robot soldier Boilerplate on the front lines in WWI. Boilerplate is at first successful, but its operator is killed and Boilerplate captured.

1918 – “Doc” Clark Savage, still a young man, meets the future member of his Fabulous Five while being held in the German prison camp known as Loki.

1920 - Hugo continues to try to do good works with his powers. He's bad at it. While working in a bank, he rescues a man trapped in the vault only to be fired and threatened with arrest. He attempts to clean up corrupt politicians and influence peddlers in Washington and fails completely.

1922 – Kent Allard receives training from the monks of Shambala in a limited derivative form of Sinanju.

1923 – Zatara Mandrake is trained in magic in a concealed monastery in Tibet. Some scholars suggest that this monastery was maintained by the monks of Shambala in service of the Nine Unknown.

1924 – Namor McKenzie undergoes a partial transformation into a Deep One, maintaining an outwardly human appearance but gaining great physical strength and the ability to survive the sea’s depths. (Dennis E. Power, Modified)

1924 – Nikola Tesla draws up his first detailed plans for his “Death Ray”, and seeks financial support from the military. The support is not forthcoming. Tesla takes on the brilliant young mathematician Alexi Luthor as a lab assistant.

1925 – R’lyeh rises from the sea.

1925 – Clark Savage Jr., using the name “MacReady”, leads an artic expedition that uncovers an alien shape-shifter, a thing from another world. Savage eventually brings the creature’s remains back to New York.

1926 - Hugo Danner, despondent over his inability to find a place outside of the military, fakes his own death. He begins a period of aimless wandering that will bring him into contact with Kent Allard, Clark Savage, and others. (Al Schroeder, Modified)

1928 – Namor finds his way to Innsmouth, Mass. The small population of hybrids like himself both fascinates and repels him. He attempts to explore the undersea city of Y'ha-nthlei, but is refused entrance. Namor takes up residence in Innsmouth under the name Arthur Curry.

1928 – William Batson is born. His bloodline, which includes Lemuel Gulliver, has been carefully cultivated by the Nine Unknown. Batson’s father received a blood transfusion from Hugo Danner in 1917.

1929 - Returning to America, Kent Allard assumes multiple cover identities, establishes a network of agents, and begins his war on crime as The Shadow.

1929 – Tarzan and Diana return to Opar. Diana’s reunion with her birth mother is not a happy one, and the situation in Opar is chaotic. Angry and confused, Diana returns to England and then America. In America, she establishes the cover identity of Diana Prince. Rejecting her father’s offers of financial support, Diana takes employment as a nurse.

1930 – Namor witnesses the destruction of the undersea city of Y'ha-nthlei off the coast of Innsmouth, Mass. Enraged and maddened by what he has seen, he attacks the city of New York. Namor discovers that his strength and telepathic abilities far exceed those of most Deep Ones, despite his largely human physical appearance. Namor’s rampage ends when he is captured by Doc Savage. Namor becomes one of the first subjects in Doc’s “Crime College”.

1931 – Doc Savage begins the main part of his crime-fighting career. Using technology and data gathered from his many enemies, the remains of the space craft wreckage that had been given into the hands of his father, and his own genius, Doc lays the foundations for the modern Science Hero. He will eventually act as friend and mentor to Hugo Danner.

1932 – Richard Wentworth, wartime comrade of Hugo Danner, begins his career as the Spider, assisted by Nita May Van Sloan. Richard manifests near superhuman strength, resilience, and regenerative abilities, fueled by his indomitable will!

1933 – The Skull Island expedition. Skull Island, one of several active breeding grounds for the bio-weapons of the Ancients, is explored by film producer Carl Denham. Denham captures the creature known to the natives of the island as “Kong”.

1933 – Kong, a bio-weapon of the Ancients in the form of a gigantic primate, is brought to NY by a film company. It breaks free, causes considerable property damage, and is eventually killed.

1933 – The Rogue Planet crisis. A moon-sized object (actually a dimension ship) moves through Earth’s solar system. Astronomers fear that this object will impact with the Earth. Doctor Hans Zarkov (one time lab assistant to Nikola Tesla), Dale Arden and Raymond “Flash” Gordon use an experimental spaceship of Zarkov’s design to fly out to the object. Six days later, the object vanishes. Zarkov, Arden and Gordon are never seen again.

1933 – The agents of the Nine Unknown sometimes called Doctor Occult and Rose Psychic begin operating openly, primarily on the American East Coast. They cultivate and train numerous American mystics.

1934 – The Green Hornet, making use of an arsenal of advanced weapons and devices, begins a crime spree. His crimes seem to target criminal businesses almost exclusively. He is assisted by a number of highly skilled Chinese martial artists.

1934 – Hugo Danner studies with the mystery man sometimes known as Kent Allard. He later becomes a student of Clark Savage, Jr. (Al Schroeder, modified)

1937 – Chow Sing Cho, a powerful pan-psionic, appears in Shanghai. Many of mainland China’s active psychics in later years claim descent from Chow.

1934 – Zatara Mandrake, now a powerful mystic, begins his adventuring career. He is accompanied by Lothar of Opar and Narda Romanov.

1937 -- Chen Zhen battles General Fujita in Shanghai and then goes on to lead local resistance versus the Japanese.

1937 – Kitty Carroll, grand daughter of Hawley Griffin, is exposed to Griffin’s Invisibility formula. Carroll develops the ability to become Invisible for brief periods of time when exposed to nicotine or alcohol. She will occasionally adventure for the next decade under several names. In 1941 she marries Michael Storm. (Dennis E. Power, Modified)

1937 – Bruce Wayne, protégé of Kent Allard, becomes the vigilante and some-time government agent known as The Batman. He soon takes on an apprentice and assistant, Richard Grayson.

1938 – Birth of Benjamin Grimm to Herman and Jada Grimm. Jada is the granddaughter of Dr. Henry Jekyll. (Dennis E. Power, Modified)

1938 – Nikola Tesla demonstrates his “Harmonic Shield Generator”. The apparatus, which fills a small room, generates a field of energy that successfully deflects bullets fired from a gun. Reporters are impressed, but the device overheats during the demonstration, causing a fire that destroys Tesla’s Long Island laboratory. Tesla fails to find financial backing for his invention.

1938 - When Hugo Danner chooses to re-join society, he takes his new name from the first names of his mentors. Guided by Allard's suggestions, he chooses to establish a meek and mild mannered cover identity, while adventuring in a colorful costume. (Al Schroeder, Modified)

1938 – Homeless William “Billy” Batson is contacted by Doctor Occult and Rose Psychic, and taken on a series of vision quests. Billy develops the ability to channel the power of multiple spiritual entities, and to assume a fully metahuman adult form for brief periods of time. He begins a career as a costumed adventurer.

1938 – Patrick “Eel” O’Brian, a petty thief, breaks into a warehouse owned by Clark Savage, Jr. While investigating the warehouse, O’Brian discovers a holding tank containing a protoplasmic entity. The entity touches O’Brian, and partially merges its substance with his own. Driven nearly mad with terror and excruciating pain, O’Brian passes out. Savage’s assistants rescue him. O’Brian learns that his encounter with the otherworldly "Thing" has left him nearly invulnerable and with the ability to stretch and distort any part of his body at will. Savage spends several months curing O’Brian of his criminal tendencies and exploring O’Brian’s strange new condition. (Matthew Baugh, Modified)

1939 – Captain Philip Strange, aka “the Brain Devil”, disappears while on a covert mission in Europe. He is survived by his son, Stephen Strange.

1939 – Dr. Van Thorp, working from the WWI era robot called Boilerplate, invents a fully articulated suit of self propelled powered armor for use by the German military. British Agent Hugh Hazard steals the prototype and kills Van Thorpe. Hazard uses the armor, code named the Iron Man, to perform acts of sabotage behind German lines.

1939 – Alan Scott, an engineer, discovers an alien artifact. The artifact, roughly resembling a lantern, gives its attuned user considerable powers of psycho-kinesis and ectoplasmic projection. Alan feels compelled to fashion a ring that links him to the lantern, and begins his career protecting humanity as the Green Lantern.

1939 –After nearly a decade in Doc’s Crime College, Namor comes to accept his condition, and to regret the harm he brought to innocents during his time of madness. His power has only increased during his captivity.

1939 – William Batson, in need of money and assisted by Doctor Occult, follows the example of Kent Allard and starts relating highly fictionalized tales of his adventures over the radio. He also sells the rights to his stories to several publishers. His invention of an extended heroic family helps to further conceal the grains of truth in his satirical monologues. (Dr. Peter M. Coogan, Modified)

1939 – Millionaire businessman Oliver Queen is inducted into the organization maintained by “Britt Reid”, AKA the Green Hornet. Queen takes superbly to the training offered by Reid, but quickly becomes disillusioned with Reid’s methods and dubious over his goals.

1939 – Patrick O’Brian, aka Plastic Man, engages in a brief affair with Catherine Reid. Reid breaks off the affair, and returns to her fiancé, Robert Richards. Catherine and Robert marry, and seven months later have their first child, Reed Richards. (Dennis Power , Modified)

1940 – Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie engage in their first inter-dimensional adventure.

1940 – The British choose to share technology gathered and developed by their Extraordinary operatives with the US military. Information on the Hyde, Griffin, and Gibberne formulas is passed on to US Military Intelligence.

1940 – Tests are conducted using Gibberne’s Accelerator formula at Yale University. Jay Garrick, college student, volunteers. He not only survives, but is granted permanent superhuman speed. Garrick’s father received a blood transfusion from Hugo Danner in 1917; this may explain Garrick’s survival. The other test subjects are not so lucky. Testing of the Accelerator officially stops. (Dennis Power , Modified)

1940 – The first appearance of the so-called Solomon Grundy, aka “It”, aka “the Heap”. Grundy’s more than human strength and durability, regenerative abilities, and marked preference for remaining in or near swamplands, cause speculation that he is somehow a blend of plant and human.

1941 – Oliver Queen is shocked to discover Britt Reid is involved in human trafficking. Queen breaks with Reid’s organization, taking with him 14 year old Roy Harper. Queen designs the costumed identity of Green Arrow, and attempts to wage war on Chicago’s underworld.

1941 – Dr. Reinstein uses a serum developed in part using blood samples from Hugo Danner to transform Private Steve Rogers into a near-perfect physical specimen, with strength, vigor and reflexes near the far limits of human potential. Unfortunately, without more of Danner’s blood, the serum proves impossible to duplicate.

1941 – Diana Prince joins the Army, securing a position in Military Intelligence as an aid to Harold Smith. Diana reveals her metahuman strength and speed to Smith.

1941 – Patrick O’Brian, aka Plastic Man, joins the army on the advice of Clark Savage, Jr.

1942 – Hugh Hazard dies in action. The Germans capture the damaged Iron Man armor. The armor is partially repaired, and is sent to Japan as part of a technology exchange. The Japanese military, considering the armor to be a worthless novelty, send it to Korea as part of a load of scrap.

1942 – Alan Scott joins the army.

1942 – Jay Garrick joins the army.

1942 – Arthur Curry, aka Namor McKenzie, joins the army on the advice of Clark Savage.

1942 – Clark Kent, aka Hugo Danner, is contacted by William J. Donovan, a WWI comrade of Hugo Danner and long time friend of Clark Savage, Jr. Donovan had been asked by Roosevelt to oversee the formation of the Office of Strategic Services. Donovan asks Kent to serve his country. Kent agrees. Donovan fingers the brilliant young Military Intelligence officer Harold Smith to coordinate the activities of American Mystery Men during the war. Smith quickly builds his plans around Clark Kent, Diana Prince, Alan Scott, Patrick O’Brian, Jay Garrick, Arthur Curry, and Steve Rogers. Over the course of the war, many more American Mystery Men come forward.

1942 – Birth of Susan Storm to Michael Storm and Kitty Carroll Storm. Her Brother, Johnny, is born two years later. (Dennis Power , Modified)

1943 – Nikola Tesla dies. His papers and equipment fall into the hands of his one-time assistant, Alexi Luthor.

1943 – Richard Wentworth, aka the Spider, vanishes while conducting an investigation. Distraught, the pregnant Nita May Van Sloan turns for comfort to her long time suitor Benjamin Parker. Parker and Sloan wed. Fearing scandal, Nita May Van Slone becomes known simply as May Parker. She regales her “nephew” Peter with tales of the Spider’s exploits. (Dennis Power, Modified)

1943 – Zatanna Mandrake born to Zatara and Narda Mandrake. Lothar of Opar is named as the child’s godfather.

1943 – Steve Rogers is declared MIA after vanishing during a mission in the artic circle.

1944 – Namor discovers an amnesiac Deep One – Human Hybrid caught in an early stage of her transformation. With the help of Clark Savage Jr., he helps her back from the brink of madness. Her memories do not return. She becomes romantically involved with Namor, and takes the name Namora.

1944 – The Americans experiment with Atomic bombs in the South Pacific. They are unaware that these experiments have triggered the activation of Ancient technology. The Ancient’s artificially intelligent crystal computers are damaged. Malfunctioning, the machines of the Ancients begin a breeding cycle of so-called Dai Kaiju bio-weapons.

1944 – Professor Trevor Bruttenholm discovers the entity known as “Hellboy”.

1945 – Namor and Namora have their first child, a boy. Namora names the child Garth.

1945 – The love affair between Clark Kent and Diana Prince ends in August, just three months after VE day. The pair part on less than amicable terms. By mutual request, Clark is sent to the Pacific theatre while Diana is stationed in Washington. In November, Diana realizes that she is pregnant. Remembering her own birth mother, she informs Clark, but refuses his offer of marriage.

1945 – The OSS is dissolved. Its metahuman operatives are released from service.

1946 – September 15, Diana Prince gives birth to Kara Kent. Diana once again refuses to marry Clark Kent.

1946 – Joan Garrick, wife of Jay Garrick, gives birth to a son. It becomes apparent over time that Garrick’s son, Barry, has inherited his father’s amazing speed.

1947 – The National Security Council, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Office of Scientific Investigation are established. Harold Smith and Diana Prince are both offered positions within the OSI. Both accept. The OSI is charged with coordinating America’s metahuman resources, as well as coordinating intra-agency efforts to control metahuman criminal activity.

1947 – Namor and Namora have their second child, Lisa.

1947 – Bruce Wayne and Sellina Kyle marry. Ten months later, Bruce Wayne Jr. is born. Bruce Wayne retires as Batman, and the role is assumed by Richard “Dick” Grayson.

1948 – Doc Savage and his Fabulous Five, damaged and close to financial ruin due to their extended battles with the Nine Unknown, vanish while preventing an extra-dimensional invasion. They are presumed dead. As per Doc’s instructions, Clark Kent assumes control of the Fortress of Solitude and its scientific wonders.

1948 – Clark Kent marries Lois Lane.

1949 – Jay Garrick retires from active adventuring. He moves his family to Chicago, and changes his family name to Allen.

1949 – Kent Allard, also known as The Shadow, vanishes in China in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent Mao’s forces from gaining control of that nation. He is presumed dead.

1951 – The Green Arrow and the Green Hornet have their final confrontation. Britt Reid is revealed as a pawn of the immortal sometimes known in the West as Fu Manchu. Reid is apparently murdered by his own bodyguard (“Kato”), and Oliver Queen is seriously injured. Queen escapes. Queen’s career as the Green Arrow has left his business interests in a shambles, and he finds himself nearly bankrupt. Queen retires as Green Arrow. Roy Harper takes over the role.

1951 –Alan Scott takes to the stars in hope of searching out the Lantern’s origins.

1951 – John Putnam and Miskatonic University Professor Roy Hinkley Jr. investigate the crash of an apparent alien vessel in California. Hinkley suffers severe injuries. Hinkley’s reports of mind controlling aliens are largely dismissed by the scientific community.

1952 – Captain Marvel, aka William Batson, vanishes. He is presumed dead. It is suspected that he fell victim to the alien entity he jokingly referred to as “Mister Mind”.

1952 – American Engineer Tony Stark is captured in Korea. Severely injured, Stark is taken to a prison labor camp and put to work in the camp’s machine shop. He discovers the remnants of Hugh Hazard’s Iron Man and manages to restore it to working condition. More, he significantly improves upon the basic design. Using the Iron Man suit, Stark escapes.

1954 – Dr. Cal Meacham, together with Dr. Ruth Adams and Prof. Roy Hinkley Jr., become involved in a series of bizarre events and UFO sightings in Georgia. Hinkley’s claims of force research at the hands of an alien named “Exeter” are mocked in the press. Hinkley’s notes on what he refers to as “Project Metluna” are confiscated by agents of the OSI and classified Top Secret.

1954 – Godzilla is released from breeding stasis and makes his first appearance. Uncontrolled, he attacks Japan, and destroys much of Tokyo before being called back to the sea by the still malfunctioning artificial intelligence that spawned him.

1955 – Miskatonic University professor Mark Erdel draws a member of a shape-changing alien race to Earth. Erdel dies from radiation poisoning soon after. The creature escapes, and eventually feeds upon the body and mind of Boston P.D. Detective John Jones. Jones’ memories provide the creature with a template to understand his environment, and the composite being takes over Jones’ identity. The alien begins to refer to itself as J’onn J’onzz.

1955 – Zatara and Narda Mandrake vanish while conducting an investigation. Lothar of Opar takes Zatanna Mandrake safely to Tibet, where she will eventually commence her occult training.

1956 – Prof. Roy Hinkley Jr. is the only survivor of a Miskatonic University sponsored research expedition. Hinkley reports an encounter with gigantic brain-eating crabs.

1956 – Jay Garrick, aka Jay Allen, returns to adventuring.

1957 – A Nevada rocket test site experiences multiple acts of sabotage, ending with the loss of an advanced prototype rocket and the destruction of all records pertaining to its design. Alcoholic Professor Roy Hinkley Jr. vanishes.

1958 – Roy Harper, aka Green Arrow II, is reduced to working in a traveling circus to support himself. He spots 14 year old runaway Clinton Barton, and begins to train the boy in archery. Barton proves to be a prodigy, and soon joins Harper on his occasional forays into crime fighting. Barton takes over the costumed identity of Speedy II.

1958 – Hal Jordan, test pilot, is contacted by Alan Scott. Scott, having returned to Earth and suffering from long term exposure to the alien artifact, passes on the power ring and lantern to Jordan. As he does so, he shares what he has learned of the lantern’s strange history. Jordan begins adventuring as the new Green Lantern.

1958 – Teen prodigy Reid Richards and Victor Domovoi room together at Miskatonic University. Benjamin Grimm, also a student, forms an enduring friendship with both men.

1957 – Surgeon Stephen Strange suffers an automobile collision, resulting in permanent nerve damage. His medical career ruined, Strange turns to alcohol and prescription pain medications. His life collapses. While living on the streets, he is contacted by Doctor Occult, and informed of a possible cure for his condition. With Occult’s assistance, Strange travels to the same Tibetan monastery that provided training to Zatara Mandrake.

1957 – The Mysterian Invasion. 38 nations sign the Earth Defense Forces treaty.

1958 – Vampirella (aka Vampira, aka Elvira, real name unknown) begins a long film and television career. She quickly gains a reputation as a paranormal adventuress.

1959 – Kara Kent designs a Supergirl costume and makes her first public appearance. She begins dividing her time between living with Diana and Clark.

1959 - Superman, Batman II (Dick Grayson), Wonder Woman, Green Lantern II (Hal Jordan), and Namor agree to serve as America’s first high profile team of metahuman operatives under the OSI. The PR and psychological warfare value of the exercise is considerable, and the group is able to more effectively protect the public and provide disaster relief when operating in the open. They are soon joined by J’onn J’onzz and the second Green Arrow (Roy Harper).

1959 – Tony Stark begins using the Iron Man suit to act as a costumed adventurer. Patents derived from the Iron Man technology make Stark one of America’s richest men. Stark uses this money in part to fund teams of metahuman adventurers.

1960 – Doctor Stephen Strange returns to America and begins his adventuring career.

1961 – Financier D.D. Harriman funds Reed Richards attempt to launch a moon rocket. Reed is persuaded to permit his research assistant and paramour Susan Storm and her brother Johnny to accompany him on an early test flight (piloted by his college friend Benjamin Grimm). The flight proves to be a disaster, and it takes all of Grimm’s considerable skill to save the ship. Upon their return, all four passengers had been altered. Manifesting fantastic powers, the quartet soon began to make a name for themselves as America’s premier team of independent scientific adventurers. (Dennis Power, Modified)

1961 – Peter Parker begins his adventuring career as Spiderman.

1961 – Dr. Bruce Banner, great-grandson of Dr. Henry Jekyll and cousin of Benjamin Grimm, suffers a strange therianthropic transformation following an accident at a military facility in Nevada. Banner’s superhumanly strong alter-ego displays neither the malevolence nor intelligence of Edward Hyde, but his physical strength rivals that of the most powerful metahumans on record. (Dennis Power, Modified)

1962 – Professional wrestler and strongman El Santo begins his adventuring career.

1962 – Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, is found trapped under artic ice. The super-soldier formula has allowed him to survive this ordeal. Revived, Rogers soon resumes service with an OSI – Stark Foundation co-sponsored team of metahuman adventurers.

1962 – Professor Trevor Bruttenholm’s foster-child, an entity referred to as Hellboy, enters fully into the service of the OSI.

1963 – Powerful mystic Cassandra Ghostley and advertising executive Darrin Stephens marry.

1963 – President Kennedy, fearing that metahuman criminal activity has spiraled out of control, chooses Harold Smith to head a new government department known as CURE. CURE’s activities remain classified top-top secret. Oscar Goldman rises to head the OSI, and Dr. Rudy Wells becomes the scientific chief of that organization. Diana Prince chooses to remain with the OSI.

1963 – Bruce Wayne, Jr,, Barry Allen, and Garth McKenzie begin to informally adventure together. They use the costumed identities Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad.

1963 – Zatanna Mandrake begins her adventuring career.

1964 – As a prank and in order to defy their elders, Bruce Wayne Jr., Kara Kent, Garth McKenzie, Barry Allen, and Clinton Barton begin to make public appearances at early counter-culture gatherings. Calling themselves “the Inferior Five”, they take the costumed identities of Merry Andrew, Dumb Bunny, Awkward Man, The Blimp, and White Feather. They will continue to use these identities on and off until 1970. Rumors persist that the entire group made use of mind altering substances during this time. (Dennis Power, Modified)

1964 – Astronaut Anthony Nelson returns from the south pacific in the company of “Jeannie”, an enormously powerful mystic.

1964 – The still malfunctioning bio-weapon manufacturing machines of the Ancients release the Dai Kaiju known as Gamera from his breeding stasis. Gamera establishes an empathic link with the young Japanese psionic Kyoke “Timmy” Kiritachi. Kyoke persuades Gamera to return to his rest. Kyoke is recruited into Japan’s Science Patrol.

1965 – Kara Kent, to honor her mother, begins to occasionally adventure under the name Wonder Girl.

1965 – Concluding that CURE can not perform its function without an enforcement arm, Smith authorizes the recruitment of police officer and ex-army sniper Remo Williams. Williams will be trained by Chiun, the current Master of Sinanju.

1965 – The World Eater crisis is resolved through the combined actions of numerous metahumans. This response is directed by Reed Richards and spear-headed by his private team of scientific adventurers.

1966 – A gigantic humanoid robot falls under the control of Japanese schoolboy Daisaku Kusama. Daisaku joins Japan’s Science Patrol (Unicorn division). Research into the giant robot leads to numerous technological innovations.

1966 – Clark Kent retires from public adventuring. Clark and Lois Kent disappear.

1966 – Professor Roy Hinkley Jr. and six other castaways are rescued after being found on a large floating raft near Hawaii. Prof. Hinkley’s claims of having been kept prisoner on an island and in a village are dismissed by the authorities, but form the basis of a British science fiction drama and a popular and long running American comedy. Actress Ginger Grant is among those rescued; much tabloid speculation revolves around the changes in both her appearance and voice during her time on the island.

1967 – Dr. Kuami, assisted by young psychic Kyoke “Timmy” Kiritachi, spearheads Japanese Science Patrol research into remnant Ancient technology discovered in archaeological dig on Sogel Island. Kuami achieves limited success. Multiple Dai Kaiju class creatures gather on or near Sogel Island. Sogel Island is informally renamed “Monster Island”.

1968 – Vampirella publicly asserts that her stage persona is genuine, and that she is in fact a vampire. The public at large treats this as a publicity stunt by a metahuman entertainer. Vampirella registers with the OSI.

1968 – Darrin Stephens, husband of powerful mystic Cassandra Ghostley Stephens and father of Tabitha Stevens, vanishes. Cassandra and Tabitha vanish shortly thereafter.

1969 – Sogel Island data contributes towards limited success in Japanese metagene research. Number of Japanese metahumans begins to significantly increase.

1970 – Anthony Nelson is assigned as deputy director of OSI – Nevada. His wife, Jeannie Nelson, accepts a field operative position.

1970 – Dr. Rudy Wells successfully completes the Cyborg project. Col. Steve Austin becomes America’s first Cybernetic operative, at a cost of over six million dollars. The OSI begins to cut back on funding of independent metahumans and metahuman teams in favor of those under more complete government control.

1971 – Richard Grayson retires from adventuring. Bruce Wayne Jr. takes over as Batman.

1971 – Researchers Alec Holland and Ted Sallis attempt to create a variant of the Super-Soldier formula from a private lab concealed in Florida’s everglades. This new formula is in-part based on fluid samples taken from the metahuman Solomon Grundy. An attack on the lab by individuals seeking the formula results in the apparent death of both researchers, but only after Holland has ingested the hybrid formula. Holland, greatly physically altered and possessed of very unusual abilities, re-appears several months later. He begins a limited adventuring career.

1972 – Kara Kent begins to adventure under the name Power Girl.

1972 – Diana Prince formally resigns from the OSI and vanishes. Reports of Wonder Woman sightings will continue for some time, but become increasingly rare.

1972 – Jericho Drumm, Haitian occultist and gifted psionic, begins his adventuring career as “Brother Voodoo”. He will later move his operations from Haiti to America, where he will operate under the name “Papa Midnight”.

1973 – Professor Goro Ibuki creates Jet Jaguar. Advances in Japanese giant robot technology threaten regional stability in Asia. Japanese government publicly places moratorium on giant robot research.

1973 – Roy Harper, aka Green Arrow II, vanishes. Clinton Barton briefly adventures under the name Green Arrow, and then begins adventuring under the name Hawkeye.

1974 – 23 nations, including the United States, the USSR, China, and Japan sign giant robot anti-proliferation treaty. Japan reserves right to maintain current stable of giant robots as check against Dai Kaiju attacks.

1974 – An extra-dimensional incursion in Denton, Ohio is foiled by OSI associate Dr Everret Von Scott, Brad Majors & Janet Weiss. Majors & Weiss are eventually inducted into the OSI. The cult founded by the Mad Scientist who led the incursion will continue to thrive until well into the 21st century.

1975 – OSI researcher Dr. Frank Heflin field tests Project Electra. The project is closed after equipment failure leaves the primary field agents missing in action.

1978 – Clinton Barton, aka Hawkeye, retires from public adventuring.

1980 – Ralph Hinkley, son of Professor Roy Hinkley Jr., begins an adventuring career using what appears to be an extraterrestrial artifact. Hinkley claims to have received his “super suit” from aliens, and that these aliens originated on a world called Metaluna. OSI agent Bill Maxwell is assigned as Hinkley’s handler.

1980 – El Santo, heroic wrestler and adventurer, retires. He passes on his duties to his son, El Hijo Del Santo.

1981 – OSI agent Michael Knight is given access to the experimental AI controlled vehicle code named KITT.

1982 – Ralph Hinkley and Bill Maxwell vanish. The “super suit” is not recovered.

1983 – Bruce Wayne Jr., aka Batman III, is fatally injured while pursuing a suspect. Richard Grayson comes out of retirement to complete the case. After capturing the killer, Richard Grayson returns to retirement.

1984 – Steve Austin retires from field operations. Seven months later, he replaces Oscar Goldman as head of the OSI.

1984 – Dr. Billy Hayes and Dr. Elvin Lincoln expose severe mistreatment of metahuman subjects at the Humanidyne corporation.

1985 – Reed Richards and Susan Storm Richards attempt retirement in Belle Port, Con. Following a confrontation with mystic Elspeth Cromwell, the Richards return to New York. They do not return to field operations.

1985 – John Constantine, occultist and mystic, contacts Alec Holland. Constantine’s adventuring career truly begins.

1986 – Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson wed. Parker retires from adventuring.

1987 -- Yakumo Fuji and the apparently immortal Pai join Ling Ling Li and the Yogekisha Company in Hong Kong. The trio will become well known investigators of the supernatural.

1987 – Jericho Drumm, now an influential figure in New York’s occult underworld, encounters John Constantine as Constantine investigates the entity known as Mnemoth.

1988 – Michael Knight is removed from the KITT project and re-assigned as field commander for OSI – Hawaii. Despite the effective demotion, Knight does not object to his new posting.

1989 – Chow Sing Cho, a powerful pan-psionic, begins his adventuring career in Hong Kong. His relationship to the historical Chow Sing Cho is unknown.

1991 – The amnesiac metahuman known as the Savage Dragon appears in Illinois. He joins OSI – Chicago on a provisional basis later that year.

1992 – Professor Trevor Bruttenholm becomes the head of OSI’s Paranormal Research and Defense sub-group. His foster-child, an entity referred to as Hellboy, heads up a paranormal investigation team including such notables as the Deep One refered to as “Abe Sapien” and the human psionic Elizabeth Sherman.

1993 – Ling Ling Chai begins his career in Beijing.

1994 – Newark police detective Darcy Walker begins her crusade against crime as the Black Scorpion.

1994 – Asagi Kusanagi becomes the second Japanese Science Patrol psionic to establish a psychic link with the Dai Kaiju known as Gamera.

1996 – NYPD Officer James Edwards is recruited by the OSI’s MIB division.

2000 – Mighty Steel Leg Sing and his team of Shaolin trained soccer players spark a worldwide craze for metahuman professional team sports.

And repeating, these events are not fixed. If the PCs manage to change an event, the event is changed for the campaign. This is just my default setting.

WWII Era Superheroes and Villains

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