Need help with a team idea

[Richard Logue]

I am putting together a team of villains called the Natural Order for my campaign world. They are known for their hatred of magic, sorcery, mystical things... and those who would use them. They pursue magic-based characters - heroes, villains, PCs, NPCs - and kill them. I have four so far, but I would like to have five or six in the group total.

 

I am stymied for ideas, though, so I was wondering what you folks could come up with. Here's what I have so far...

 

Witch Hunt. He is a very skilled fencer (rapiers... not backyard or stolen goods) and hunter. His job on the team is to go out and find leads for the team to pursue. Once he finds a magician/sorcerer/mystic/supernatural/paranormal type individual, he shadows them and studies their weaknesses and such. when the team engages, he is right there in the fight with his rapier.

 

Star Chamber. He is a fairly simple individual. He has a special uber handgun with a variety of loads and isn't afraid to go hand-to-hand when need be. He is an executioner - cold and impassive.

 

Anvil. He's a typical power-armored brick. He has lots of strength and toughness and armor. And as his name somewhat implies, he wields a powered hammer. Sometimes the magic types pull out the "big guns," and Anvil's job is to counter them. He especially loves when demons or elementals get thrown into the battlefield mix.

 

Gallows. He is a mentalist and the group's leader. He maintains telepathic links to the others during a fight, for better coordination. His powers include mind control and telekinesis.

 

Other ideas? One or two more should really fill out this team nicely, I think. Or perhaps my existing ideas could use some advice.

 

Thanks!

Richard

[Kirby]

Re: Need help with a team idea

 

Witchfinder from Arcane Adversaries, p.119. Though you'd probably have to change Witch Hunt's name if you incorporate him (perhaps Blade?).

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Need help with a team idea

 

Genius Loci, a technological expert and perhaps the team's financial backer. He builds the custom weapons used by the other members of the team. Not necessarily a combatant, although if you wanted to use him as such he'd probably justify a VPP of gadgets.

 

Null, a natural "magic sink," able to drain off or neutralize magic spells and/or supernatural powers. As with specialized mutant hunters in comic books, a targeted power-neutralizer is very much in genre.

 

I suggest that Witch Hunt have some sort of Detect Magic ability to facilitate his tracking of magic characters. Perhaps Gallows could have a similar ability instead of or in addition to Witch Hunt as part of his mental powers. I would also recommend that whoever leads the group in combat have the Skill, Analyze Magic, as per the rulebook description for Analyze.

[Pariah]

Re: Need help with a team idea

 

Defender of the Faith: Captured by sorcerers/cultists and survived their ritual due to an innate (but previously unknown) immunity to magic. Took it as a sign from God that his mission in life would be to hunt down and destroy magicians, soothsayers, and other heretical mystic types. Probably no superpowers other than his immunity to magic (good luck figuring out how to build that!), but probably has decent stats and carries a lot of equipment.

[Certified]

Re: Need help with a team idea

 

I am putting together a team of villains called the Natural Order for my campaign world. They are known for their hatred of magic, sorcery, mystical things... and those who would use them. They pursue magic-based characters - heroes, villains, PCs, NPCs - and kill them. I have four so far, but I would like to have five or six in the group total.

 

I'm going to try to keep this fairly light on the Hermetic Theories and Tarot as I think it's mostly for flavor and not meant to be something integral to the group. if each member serves a role go for 5 members. Since they are Occult hunters there is room for some fun with Occult trappings. The idea here is how can one battle an enemy one does not understand? I wouldn't change anything about the character's presented above instead layering the Occult influence over the team as a whole.

 

If each member is a point they become a Star. Those under Gallows could each take on a title to fir their roles such as Sword, Wand, Pentacle and Cup. Although they would not refer to these titles in combat it could give the magically minded character insight into their make up after an encounter. Even offer some added insight into how they work together.

 

With what is presented above:

Anvil, The Cup, defender of the Natural Order and Protector of the five.

 

Star Chamber, The Sword, warrior of the Natural Order

 

Witch Hunt, The Wand, tracker he lives between the world of mortals and magic.

 

Still need a Pentacle, the idea of a financial backer or someone with many contacts and connections would fit this role well.

 

Cups One of the four suits of the Tarot, corresponding to the modern Hearts and to the clergy of medieval society. In the system of the Golden Dawn, corresponds to the element of Water and the first Heh of Tetragrammaton.

 

 

Swords One of the four suits of the Tarot, corresponding to the modern Spades and to the warrior class or nobility of medieval society. In the system of the Golden Dawn, corresponds to the element of Air and the Vav of Tetragrammaton.

 

Pentacles One of the four suits of the Tarot, corresponding to the modern Diamonds and to the merchant class of medieval society. In the system of the Golden Dawn, corresponds to the element of Earth and the final Heh of Tetragrammaton.

 

Wands One of the four suits of the Tarot, corresponding to the modern Clubs and the medieval peasant class. In the system of the Golden Dawn, corresponds to the element of Fire and the Yod of Tetragrammaton.

 

and for Gallows one could debate between:

 

The Magician

 

or

 

The Fool

[Certified]

Re: Need help with a team idea

 

Oh, the other side to that could be they don't even know they form a Pentacle Star or hold these rolls. Perhapses there are forces that control them or it is a strange balance that has occurred since they have come together.

[pinecone]

Re: Need help with a team idea

 

How about Huntsman? a beast trainer and leader of agents (Black helicopters, vans etc...) or call him Master of the Hunt...he can even have a title and a castle if you like...

[Clonus]

Re: Need help with a team idea

 

Gallows. He is a mentalist and the group's leader. He maintains telepathic links to the others during a fight, for better coordination. His powers include mind control and telekinesis.

 

 

I do not like this character. Why would his flunkies be hunting witches but be OK with a psi? Without powers to detect the difference in special effect how would they even make the distinction? What might work is a character with the Holy special effect to exploit all those vulnerabilities to Holy and I can see them making the distinction between the power of prayer or (or perhaps a holy relic) and the power of magic more easily. Failing that a gadgeteer type might make a good backstop to explain the suit of armor and the trick gun. What about a werewolf who has a remote control implant so she can be used against her "kind"?

[Lord Fyre]

Re: Need help with a team idea

 

Defender of the Faith: Captured by sorcerers/cultists and survived their ritual due to an innate (but previously unknown) immunity to magic. Took it as a sign from God that his mission in life would be to hunt down and destroy magicians' date=' soothsayers, and other heretical mystic types. Probably no superpowers other than his immunity to magic (good luck figuring out how to build [i']that![/i]), but probably has decent stats and carries a lot of equipment.

 

An always on, uncontrolled, self-only suppress vs All Magical Powers with a good amount of dice?

[Lord Fyre]

Re: Need help with a team idea

 

I do not like this character. Why would his flunkies be hunting witches but be OK with a psi? Without powers to detect the difference in special effect how would they even make the distinction? What might work is a character with the Holy special effect to exploit all those vulnerabilities to Holy and I can see them making the distinction between the power of prayer or (or perhaps a holy relic) and the power of magic more easily. Failing that a gadgeteer type might make a good backstop to explain the suit of armor and the trick gun. What about a werewolf who has a remote control implant so she can be used against her "kind"?

 

Or, and unwilling werewolf who wants revenge?

[Kevin Schultz]

Re: Need help with a team idea

 

Psychic phenomena and magical powers are functionally the same; the main difference tends to be that psychic powers tend to have the trappings of quasi-science, whereas magic is expressly mystical. (Of course, folks like the Hermetics end up with a quasi-scientific approach to the whole thing, so the lines really do blur fairly quickly.)

 

But that might be enough: the 'scientific' understanding of focusing one's own Will through a genetic or gift or training, as opposed to bargining for power with extra-dimensional forces. Or maybe they have a very specific understanding of what makes magic: "if it fails the Milesburg test, then it's magic. If it passes, then it's psionics."

[Kevin Schultz]

Re: Need help with a team idea

 

The Unbeliever - militant athiest metahuman with the power to "unbelieve" anything out of existence. The more fantastical the power, the easier it is for her to disbelieve in it. But it's an active form of disbelief, and thus has to conciously maintain it. Her power does require a form of denial, though, which is why it doesn't work long-term: it's too obvious to her that whatever it is she's not believing does exist, and so it wears off after a while.

[Comic]

Re: Need help with a team idea

 

Possibly a mutant teleporter who is afraid of magic because he's especially vulnerable to it, and has seen dimensions where magic rules.. and did not like them, or developed enemies there.

 

This would perhaps be a more sympathetic member of the group than the others, one whose actions are understandable as self-defense and based on care, worry and fear for others.

 

Or someone who wants to 'cure' magic out of magic people and beings. Even if the cures are somewhat.. unpleasant. Implanting cold iron pins to combat fae blood, injections of hawthorn extract to diminish arcane influence, lobbying local authorities to get these 'alternative therapists' stripped of the title 'Doctor'.

[ParagonAlpha]

Re: Need help with a team idea

 

How about Huntsman? a beast trainer and leader of agents (Black helicopters' date=' vans etc...) or call him Master of the Hunt...he can even have a title and a castle if you like...[/quote']

 

I like this concept a lot, regardless of why.

 

If you don't mind I'm going to steal.........um borrow this for my upcoming new campaign.

[Kirby]

Re: Need help with a team idea

 

I am putting together a team of villains called the Natural Order for my campaign world. They are known for their hatred of magic, sorcery, mystical things... and those who would use them. They pursue magic-based characters - heroes, villains, PCs, NPCs - and kill them. I have four so far, but I would like to have five or six in the group total.

 

[...]

 

Other ideas? One or two more should really fill out this team nicely, I think. Or perhaps my existing ideas could use some advice.

Was there ever a final decision on this, Richard?

[Guest Major Tom]

Re: Need help with a team idea

 

I'd suggest making a slight change in one of the characters' names.

Instead of Witch Hunt, make it Witch Hunter. And as

far as other members of the Natural Order are concerned, you could

have someone who calls him or herself Inquisitor (or the Grand

Inquisitor for a really pretentious individual). This person would

have the ability to not only identify practicioners of magic, but also

to mentally attack said practicioners in ways that duplicate the eff-

ects of the torture devices used during the time of the Inquisition

and the witch hunts of the 17th Century.

 

 

Major Tom

[Kirby]

Re: Need help with a team idea

 

Something else comes to mind. Perhaps one of the members is actually a mage? When around the Natural Order, he doesn't carry any of his magic stuff (a multiform would be funny so he's on par point-wise).

 

His true background is that he's a Morbane from DEMON. He uses the group to go after DEMON's mystical enemies, as well as any "competition" from other Demonhames or Morbanes.

[Checkmate]

Re: Need help with a team idea

 

Something else comes to mind. Perhaps one of the members is actually a mage? When around the Natural Order, he doesn't carry any of his magic stuff (a multiform would be funny so he's on par point-wise).

 

His true background is that he's a Morbane from DEMON. He uses the group to go after DEMON's mystical enemies, as well as any "competition" from other Demonhames or Morbanes.

Even better would be he doesn't know he's a mage. Two completely separate identities in the same body. In one form he's the leader of the the team, in another he gets hunted by his team.