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Dredging Obscurity for Villain Ideas

Matt Frisbee

By Matt Frisbee
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Matt Frisbee Proficient

Matt Frisbee

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Hi everyone!

 

I'm hoping I can tap the massive comic book brain trust out there to cull some ideas for metahuman villains that I haven't rehashed to death in my previous campaigns. What I'm looking for are metahumans (preferably Silver or Bronze age types) you personally think are (or were) pretty cool in the comics that simply didn't get the exposure you thought they deserved. Of course, you may want to give some Cliff's Notes on the character so I have some idea how to generate him or her (or it).

 

Thank you in advance, and I'll rep as many of you as I can for your troubles. :)

 

Matt "Bottom-of-the-barrel-of-monkeys" Frisbee

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BoloOfEarth Grand Master

BoloOfEarth

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Re: Dredging Obscurity for Villain Ideas

 

Do these have to be from comic books, or are home-grown villains from our own Champions games okay?

 

From comic books, I enjoyed:

 

... Spot, from the Spiderman comics. He was a scientist analyzing otherdimensional energy (from a hero, I believe). I think there was a lab accident, and he became covered with extradimensional "spots" that he could resize, place around (imagine the "portable hole" from Wile E Coyote cartoons) including scattered in mid-air. He would punch through one hole, and his fist would come out another hole a dozen meters away. I would simulate his powers with Teleportation, Extra-Dimensional Movement, and Stretching (doesn't pass through intervening space), as well as very high DCV with an Activation roll (if someone shoots or punches him but hits a spot) that varies depending on how many spots he's put out (the more he scatters in mid-air, the lower the Activation roll, since less spots now cover him).

 

... Red 9, a high school football star with a flying powered armor suit. Just a good 'ol boy with way too much power and a desire to have some fun with it. In my campaign, he became Max Extreme, a superhero wannabe with a control problem, master of the Move Through (usually unintentional). Typical Powered Armor powers with Requires Skill Roll (don't allow his skill to be too high) and Side Effects (loss of control) if he fails the skill roll.

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assault Grand Master

assault

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Re: Dredging Obscurity for Villain Ideas

 

At the risk of getting a smackdown' date=' I've often wondered what life would be like for the Inferior 5 if they coexisted with the mainstream DC universe....[/quote']

 

You mean they don't? :)

 

Actually, if they did, they would have been killed off, like (almost) all the other non-grim 'n' gritty heroes.

 

Such stupidities aside, they're actually pretty tough, and lucky enough to compensate for their deficiencies. At the very least, they've shone that they can beat homages of most of the major Marvel hero teams...

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MilkmanDan Rising Star

MilkmanDan

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Re: Dredging Obscurity for Villain Ideas

 

... Spot' date=' from the Spiderman comics. He was a scientist analyzing otherdimensional energy (from a hero, I believe). I think there was a lab accident, and he became covered with extradimensional "spots" that he could resize, place around (imagine the "portable hole" from Wile E Coyote cartoons) including scattered in mid-air. He would punch through one hole, and his fist would come out another hole a dozen meters away. I would simulate his powers with Teleportation, Extra-Dimensional Movement, and Stretching (doesn't pass through intervening space), as well as very high DCV with an Activation roll (if someone shoots or punches him but hits a spot) that varies depending on how many spots he's put out (the more he scatters in mid-air, the lower the Activation roll, since less spots now cover him).[/quote']

 

Ha! First guy I thought of and he was the basis for my first Champions character. Did a bunch of that stuff. He was a complete wuss in his one appearance and got his butt thoroughly kicked (Spidey just told him to go home), but cool concept.

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Clonus Grand Master

Clonus

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Re: Dredging Obscurity for Villain Ideas

 

Hi everyone!

 

I'm hoping I can tap the massive comic book brain trust out there to cull some ideas for metahuman villains that I haven't rehashed to death in my previous campaigns. What I'm looking for are metahumans (preferably Silver or Bronze age types) you personally think are (or were) pretty cool in the comics that simply didn't get the exposure you thought they deserved. Of course, you may want to give some Cliff's Notes on the character so I have some idea how to generate him or her (or it).

 

Thank you in advance, and I'll rep as many of you as I can for your troubles. :)

 

Matt "Bottom-of-the-barrel-of-monkeys" Frisbee

 

Back in the days when Clark Kent was a television anchor, the rival network became envious that CK's guys were getting all the Superman stories so they financed the creation of a gadget-based superhero named "Blackrock" (named after CBS's headquarters building). His gimmick was that he absorbed TV and radio signals to fly and shoot energy blasts. (Which would in theory mean I suppose that he screwed up everyone's viewing every time he tried to do his thing). I kind of like those corporate characters and his dialog was funny with that "Stay tuned" and "Don't touch that dial" stuff.

 

Capricorn was a one-shot foe in a Batman/Superman teamup. He was a terminally ill telepath who tried to use the threat of people's darkest secrets to get them to commit suicide. He successfully outmanuevered both of them only to die accidentally in the abandoned lead water system pipes underneath Gotham while making his escape. Batman and Superman never knew that that their secret IDs were safe again.

 

And of course "Asbestos Lady". With her amazing power of dressing in asbestos...well OK she was pretty useless.

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McCoy Grand Master

McCoy

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Re: Dredging Obscurity for Villain Ideas

 

In my campagine Toad has lost a lot of his self-esteem issues since he has started a romantic involvement with Frenzy (who due to the same relationship has fewer anger management issues). Asked what she saw in him, she responded "He can lick the back of his own neck and has super strength from the waist down. What do you think?"

 

Haven't used him in my campagine, but always thought Kangaroo (Spiderman's first mutant foe btw) deserved a lot better than to be treated as a joke character. Again, super strength from the waist down.

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Clonus Grand Master

Clonus

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Re: Dredging Obscurity for Villain Ideas

 

I hate to speak undeservedly ill of the dead - what carried him off?

 

Oh yeah, and to prevent more random threadjacking:

 

MADCAP.

 

 

Captain America got him killed by using him to find the Serpent Society. In the resulting fight he was killed by a combination of Diamondback and his own ineptitude. Later on Cap honoured his memory by

burying him in the plot reserved for Avengers who actually die and stay dead

and dating Diamondback

 

 

 

 

Incidentally the Persuader (Marvel) had a sadly shortened career. Too bad the Kingpin had him Persuade the Punisher. That never works out well.

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Balabanto Grand Master

Balabanto

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Re: Dredging Obscurity for Villain Ideas

 

White Rabbit: This is a villain most people never even mention.

 

The Black Racer: The Grim Reaper is an African American on Skis? Mr. Kirby, I love you dearly, but even the gods !@#$%W@! up sometimes.

 

Boris and Ninotchka: A clear tribute themselves, these two made Power Man and Iron Fist's lives a living hell.

 

Lightmaster: IF EVER there was a villain who got short shrift, it was Edward Lanksy. He was awesome.

 

Brother Power and Sister Sun: These two asian cultists were REALLY CREEPY. They only had powers when they held hands, like Fenris, but with a little modfication, these two could be awesome.

 

Jason Deere: Who? If his heart stops, the world blows up. No fooling. YES, this is still in canon.

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Drhoz Veteran

Drhoz

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Re: Dredging Obscurity for Villain Ideas

 

Ha! First guy I thought of and he was the basis for my first Champions character. Did a bunch of that stuff. He was a complete wuss in his one appearance and got his butt thoroughly kicked (Spidey just told him to go home)' date=' but cool concept.[/quote']

 

First appearence, actually. He's back in MODOK's Eleven.

"I fought
Spider-man
once!

 

He won!"

 

http://community.livejournal.com/scans_daily/tag/spot

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Balabanto Grand Master

Balabanto

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Re: Dredging Obscurity for Villain Ideas

 

The Answer:

 

Spider Man never really beat this villain, and then one day, he disappeared, never to be seen again. He was a deadly, obnoxious, ruthless foe who always had a backup plan. We were never even really sure what his powers were.

 

The Disruptor: You can only run this plot once. The Disruptor attacks the campaign of Mayoral Candidate X, with his massive, seemingly unstoppable Brick ally, the Smasher. He seems totally focussed on killing Mayoral Candidate X.

 

The catch: The Disruptor IS Mayoral Candidate X, and is trying to get elected by having an angry fake crimelord continually attacking him while he's tough on crime.

 

At the end of this classic Spider Man story, it was revealed that the Smasher was Mayoral Candidate X's son, and he died tragically.

 

It was a brilliant effort. We don't GET a lot of good stories like that anymore.

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