THE BOOK OF THE DESTROYER: What Do *You* Want To See?

[TheQuestionMan]

Re: THE BOOK OF THE DESTROYER: What Do *You* Want To See?

 

From Proud Scientist to proud father. How does Doctor Destroyer react to those who truly worship him?

[Lord Liaden]

Re: THE BOOK OF THE DESTROYER: What Do *You* Want To See?

 

I forget' date=' in 5th Edition was Professor Muerte still his apprentice for a while?[/quote']

 

Although the late Professor is mentioned in a couple of published 5E books, to date nothing has been written about what if any relationship he had with Destroyer.

 

I assumed the mentor/protege relationship between them for my revival of Muerte in Digital Hero #44, but of course that's unofficial.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: THE BOOK OF THE DESTROYER: What Do *You* Want To See?

 

One other thing: could we please not perpetuate the fallacy that "zerstoiten" is German for "destroyer"? The word is zerstorer, with two little dots over the "o" (pronounced like "er" in "herb").

 

However, I could see an associate of Albert Zerstoiten noticing the similarity and calling him "Herr Doktor Zerstorer" as a pun, and the name sticking.

[GestaltBennie]

Re: THE BOOK OF THE DESTROYER: What Do *You* Want To See?

 

You can probably guess at some of these (because they're obvious from the patterns of my past stuff, but here are a few ideas I'd like to throw out:

 

1. Twenty ways to connect your character background to events in Destroyer's life.

2. Twentyways your DNPC might be connected to Destroyer.

3. Five defunct archenemies of Destroyer; who did he hunt down during his history, why, and how'd ge eliminate them?

4. Ten Confrontations. Scenario seeds that lead to a confrontation with Destroyer that doesn't necessarily lead to physical violence.

5. Cult of the Destroyer. Anyone who's this powerful and whacked has to have a fan base. Who are these guys?

6. The D-Files. Anyone who's this powerful and whacked may also have a cult who get together not to admire him, but to investigate Destroyer conspiracies. Who are these guys? What sort of whack do they blame Destroyer? Is any of it true?

7. Weird Destroyer Tales that can be spun into plots. Telepathic children who were so traumatized by stories of Dr. Destroyer that they inadvertently created (vaguely Destroyer shaped) boogeymen. The guy whose Halloween Dr. Destroyer costume was *too* realistic. The aliens who tried to kidnap Dr. Destroyer so he could become their God of Technology (and their terrible fate). The luchador whose gimmick that he was Doctor Destroyer's lackey.

8. Dates with Villainy. How Destroyer gets along with other villains, with appropriate anecdotes (Dr. Destroyer's dinner with Ist'vatha V'han, the time Takophanes tried to take his soul, etc.)

9. The Destroyer protocols. If Dr. D. is ever captured, what does the government plan to do with him? How to guard against a counterattack?

[bubba smith]

Re: THE BOOK OF THE DESTROYER: What Do *You* Want To See?

 

would a prof. preserver vs dr destroyer campain work/

[death tribble]

Re: THE BOOK OF THE DESTROYER: What Do *You* Want To See?

 

I came up with this idea and had the reliable Mr Cook do the artwork for it.

 

So if you are wondering how a Chinese girl came to be working for Dr Destroyer I will tell you.

Back in the early 80s the evil Dr was in China and happened upon a baby that had been abandoned. This was part of China's one child policy and parents especially in rural communities would abandon girls more than boys.

It would have been easy for the good Doctor to kill her but then a thought struck him. What if the child was raised by his methods ? Would this not be a scientific proof of nature vs nurture ? What if this baby girl could be the new Einstein ? The idea of the experiment appealed to him so the Destroyer picked up the baby and took her off to his lair.

As a scientific control he also made sure that Menton did not use his powers on her just to see what happened. And he set a curriculum focusing on the sciences and intelligence. If the child showed no apptitude for them then he could always mutate her later. He also had her enrolled in a normal school and had a condition set that she should never talk about him.

In 1992 the Destroyer set off his destruction of Detroit and afterward one Chinese girl secretly mourned the father who had saved her from certain death.

Come the millennium and the Destroyer revisited his old Chinese haunts. And was greeted on his return by a young woman. 'Greetings Master, welcome back. What do you want to do today and how may I assist ?'

 

She is loyal to only one person, Dr Destroyer. Unlike some others she realises she is expendable. But reasons if he had not saved her she would not exist.

She also ensures that any dress or style she has does not detract from her master. She loves him like a father but this is tempered by the fact of who he is. She serves his plan and with this she is content

[Steve Long]

Re: THE BOOK OF THE DESTROYER: What Do *You* Want To See?

 

What if DocD were a woman ?

 

Too... many... jokes... must refrain....

 

Thanx for the suggestions folx... keep 'em comin'!

[Steve Long]

Re: THE BOOK OF THE DESTROYER: What Do *You* Want To See?

 

Some narrative from the good Doctor's perspective.

 

The History section of Chapter One is pretty much entirely written from his perspective. We've already gotten, e.g., the world's perspective on the Battle of Detroit -- here we see things from Destroyer's POV (more or less... I don't have time to write classic literature here;)).

[Supreme Serpent]

Re: THE BOOK OF THE DESTROYER: What Do *You* Want To See?

 

I'd also like some details on what Destroyer was doing in WWII. Ideally' date=' stats and plots for Destroyer in WWII, the 50s, and the 70s.[/quote']

 

Another vote for details on past versions. WWII, post-war pre-armor, early supervillain, early global threat (late 1970s/early 1980s blue armor era ), pre-Detroit, modern.

[Steve Long]

Re: THE BOOK OF THE DESTROYER: What Do *You* Want To See?

 

Just so we's clear -- to the extent I have any plans to cover pre-2002 versions of Dr. Destroyer in character sheet form, they will almost certainly be in less detail than some of you seem to want. There are limits on what I can do, and what I want to do, in this regard.

 

However, as I'm about to post over in Company Questions, it would be helpful to have some of the pictures of former versions of Destroyer, and my collection of older Hero books has some gaps due to loaners not being returned, books displaced during moves, etc. If anyone out there has a good scanner and a copy of publications showing the full illustration of the early 80s version of Destroyer (the one who appeared in the very first Island Of Dr. Destroyer, that sort of thing), and is willing to send me some scans, please drop me a PM.

[gmurie]

Re: THE BOOK OF THE DESTROYER: What Do *You* Want To See?

 

What I've always wanted to know, given his massive resources and raw power, is why he has never won? OK, so Destroyer is arrogant, but given his character sheet and the power level of his followers it seems unlikely that he couldn't have taken over already.

 

That needs to be explicitly spelled out in his personal history. Why, if he's got the power and willingness to annihilate cities at a whim, hasn't Destroyer ever taken over?

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

Re: THE BOOK OF THE DESTROYER: What Do *You* Want To See?

 

I think we've been dancing around the real question: Who designs his armor? How does his look change through the ages and who decides how to do it? Surely he doesn't waste time on such things. Who is Destroyer's Edna Mode??

[TheQuestionMan]

Re: THE BOOK OF THE DESTROYER: What Do *You* Want To See?

 

Doc Destroyer is really Double D???

 

ROFLOL

 

 

QM

[brionl]

Re: THE BOOK OF THE DESTROYER: What Do *You* Want To See?

 

Just so we's clear -- to the extent I have any plans to cover pre-2002 versions of Dr. Destroyer in character sheet form, they will almost certainly be in less detail than some of you seem to want. There are limits on what I can do, and what I want to do, in this regard.

 

Good, it will give you a little something extra to include in the Hero Designer character pack.

[Steve Long]

Re: THE BOOK OF THE DESTROYER: What Do *You* Want To See?

 

What I've always wanted to know, given his massive resources and raw power, is why he has never won? OK, so Destroyer is arrogant, but given his character sheet and the power level of his followers it seems unlikely that he couldn't have taken over already.

 

That needs to be explicitly spelled out in his personal history. Why, if he's got the power and willingness to annihilate cities at a whim, hasn't Destroyer ever taken over?

 

Well, leaving aside a couple of important facts here, I can dispense with this one right now. It's the same reason why no one ever detects VIPER building all those secret bases: it's a comic book. I can and do make some nod toward "realism," but ultimately it's a comic book. He doesn't take over because the good guys get to win in the end in comic books stories.

 

The same applies to, f'rex, Dr. Doom, Darkseid, Thanos, Lex Luthor, and countless other villains who, in their various incarnations, all "should have," if we're talking "realistically," at some point conquered or destroyed the world. And yet amazingly, none of 'em ever have... or at least not longer than the next issue.

 

We're talking about a world where people can teleport, fly, use mental powers, summon demons, and get the DMV to work in a swift and efficient fashion. Realism is not an issue. I'll definitely copy in the admonitory text from VIPER to make that point in the book -- thanx for the reminder!

[BobGreenwade]

Re: THE BOOK OF THE DESTROYER: What Do *You* Want To See?

 

Despite what you've just said, Steve, I'll echo gmurie's concern. At least a quarter-page text box listing the most prominent reasons why Dr. D hasn't already succeeded in conquering the world would be a good idea mine. You could simply list his personal arrogance, his insistence on doing the deed a certain way (the way that causes the greatest amount of fear and terror), opposition from other major forces of evil such as VIPER and Mechanon, and so forth. These can give the GM idea on how to create occasional plot complications that work in the PCs' favor, especially if things go badly for them (such as if the GM overestimates their abilities).

 

Also there should be copious scenario hooks for beginning-level characters. Doctor Destroyer is a world-threatening, world-shattering, world-altering villain of the highest order, but I don't think you want the book to be useless to a GM who's just starting out.

 

Along a similar line of thought, it'd be great to have copious resources for the PCs to rely on when dealing with Destroyer. OddHat's suggestions are an excellent start; I might add a disgruntled ex-henchman who's now serving time in Stronghold and is willing to spill what he knows in exchange for a few privileges. (Or said henchman could be still working for Dr. D, with this possibility mentioned in the "Campaign Use" section of his description.) "Reprinting" a few pages from his PRIMUS and/or UNTIL files might be cool too.

 

Regarding the man's personality, I'd suggest that some insight into Narcissistic Personality Disorder might be appropriate. Yes, I understand that comics rarely delve into real-world psychiatry (with a few notable exceptions, such as the Hulk), but I'm not talking about giving him a psychiatric diagnosis. I'm thinking that this could be a means of informing his view of himself and the world, and the necessity of carrying out his schemes in a certain way. While most pathological narcissists are under-achievers who think highly of their "accomplishments," there are some (such as, at least allegedly, Adolf Hitler and Michael Moore) who have found a form of success in their chosen fields, so Dr. D could easily have this condition coloring his world. And if I may go back on an earlier statement, you could even have an excerpt (probably the summary) of his psychological profile from the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit.

 

For Dr. D in other settings, I'd like to see something where he puts himself into suspended animation using down-to-earth sciences and is revived in 2460 (the Terran Empire period). He'd be without most of his weaponry, but a man of his brilliance can still be a threat, and still play a part in Imperial politics.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: THE BOOK OF THE DESTROYER: What Do *You* Want To See?

 

Also there should be copious scenario hooks for beginning-level characters. Doctor Destroyer is a world-threatening' date=' world-shattering, world-altering villain of the highest order, but I don't think you want the book to be useless to a GM who's just starting out.[/quote']

 

IMO this point really needs to be stressed. Many posters here have mentioned that even if they like DD, he's just too powerful and epic in his activities for them to use. To maximize the usefulness of this book (and hence its sales potential) it needs characters and plot seeds connected to the Doctor that are within the scope of less mighty and experienced PC heroes to deal with.

 

As I outlined on the other thread, it should be possible to "climb the Destroyer ladder" as the basis for a whole campaign. Beginning heroes may run afoul of his minor agents and peripheral activities. This can later lead to their confronting some of Destroyer's more prominent servants and schemes. By the time they've become enough of a nuisance to attract Destroyer's full attention, they're experienced enough as a team to stand against him by himself. The PCs may be even stronger by the time DD is ready for a rematch, but for that he'll bring lots of backup, have been studying their weaknesses and preparing traps for them, and so on.

[TheQuestionMan]

Re: THE BOOK OF THE DESTROYER: What Do *You* Want To See?

 

What they said

[The Main Man]

Re: THE BOOK OF THE DESTROYER: What Do *You* Want To See?

 

Some ideas:

 

1. A Pulp Dr. Destroyer - Before he had the armor, he was a mad genius with ultra destructive gadgets at his disposal.

 

2. Dr. Destroyer 3000 - The doctor may be dead, but his armor isn't. Think of an inspired villain like the Hobgoblin was in Spiderman.

 

3. A Teen Champions Dr. Destroyer?

 

4. There should be both an already published villain who has been recruited by Dr. Destroyer due to his remarkable accomplishments and a "hero gone bad" who has been seduced by Dr. Destroyer since he was first published; both updated of course.

 

5. What are Dr. Destroyer's Top Ten Enemies/Concerns/Targets?

[TheQuestionMan]

Re: THE BOOK OF THE DESTROYER: What Do *You* Want To See?

 

Doctor Destroyer Junior for Teen Champions (Borrowed from PS238)

 

Thanks

 

 

QM

[Lawnmower Boy]

Re: THE BOOK OF THE DESTROYER: What Do *You* Want To See?

 

The more I think about it, the more I would like to see Destroyer 3000.

[The Main Man]

Re: THE BOOK OF THE DESTROYER: What Do *You* Want To See?

 

What if Destroyer 3000 was a Thorgon?

[Qelan]

Re: THE BOOK OF THE DESTROYER: What Do *You* Want To See?

 

Based on the description of the technology D. Destroyer uses I imagine even when he is not wearing his formal costume (I am pretty sure its just for a psychological advantage) most of his normal clothing would include the bulk of his powers.

 

Now and then I imagine scenarios with Destroyer interacting with the populace incognito for some inscrutable reason. What I would like to see is “your” image of a stately elderly gentleman, possibly some definable reasons he would interact personally, and should he have any of his powers without his costume?

[TheQuestionMan]

Re: THE BOOK OF THE DESTROYER: What Do *You* Want To See?

 

One of the advantages he possesses is that no one really knows or is sure of what he really looks like.

 

Uncle Al, might be Doctor Destroyer.

 

QM

[Lord Liaden]

Re: THE BOOK OF THE DESTROYER: What Do *You* Want To See?

 

Based on the description of the technology D. Destroyer uses I imagine even when he is not wearing his formal costume (I am pretty sure its just for a psychological advantage) most of his normal clothing would include the bulk of his powers.

 

Now and then I imagine scenarios with Destroyer interacting with the populace incognito for some inscrutable reason. What I would like to see is “your” image of a stately elderly gentleman, possibly some definable reasons he would interact personally, and should he have any of his powers without his costume?

 

The Doctor Destroyer leisure suit.

 

I guess that begs the question of just how dependent Albert Zerstoiten has become on the life support equipment in his armor. Is putting it on like a trip to a spa, where he emerges to some extent renewed and revitalized? Or is his normal functioning impaired when he's out of it?