Cosmic Centurions

[Egyptoid]

Diiscussion of the stats, culture, and history of the

Interstellar Crime-Fighting League of the Cosmic Centurions.

 

Spacefaring Enforcers of an Ancient Code,

using ancient powers to confront evil that seems always fresh.

 

Their powers are vast, but their numbers are small, yet their precinct is the whole Galaxy...

[ATTACH=CONFIG]34714[/ATTACH]THE CERULEAN CENTURION

 

They are an homage to the Green Lantern Corps, like the Star-Guard,

and somewhat reminiscent of Quasar (Marvel), or the M&M Star Knight.

 

Invented by Pariah, and Linked Here

[Broadsword]

Re: Cosmic Centurions

 

So the link has no stats for any of these guys? Is taht what we are to work on in this thread? As well as suggested background?

 

Are their powers all similar, with a few quirks here and there and possibly differing power levels?

 

I'm still new here and the Search functions don't seem to work well.

 

Quasar and the GLC all used foci, do the Centurians use some kind of Foci for their powers, or is it a process that grants powers that can be repeated, such as a super soldier program?

[Egyptoid]

Re: Cosmic Centurions

 

before I pencil in any characteristics or powers, I want to do as much of the flavor text

as possible. you know: Who, What, When, Where, High, and Wow.

 

It's a committee product, done by the hero boards.

it should feel like a comic book, sorta silver age.

[Egyptoid]

Re: Cosmic Centurions

 

Re: Let's Build the Silver Centurion!

 

Criminals around the galaxy flee in fear when they see the silver star of the Cosmic Centurions:

Character Creation Checklist

To make the Centurions, we must examine their origins.

Silver Centurion came first, and then he deputized others, and then later other attracted to his cause tried to emulate him.

 

 

Silver Centurion was a flying space-based energy projector, in over-simplified terms.

But what makes him unique?

 

Setting: Generic & Portable, but my idea is for it to be like Champions 4-Color, Silver-Age style.

 

 

once we finalize Silver Centurion, the others will fall into place.

 

 

 

Inspiration

 

• A Name:
  
• 
  
• A Superpowers:
  
• 
  
• A Power Source:
  
• 
  

 

• Background/History: Describe your character's history,
  

 

• 
  
• First Pivotal Event: (what got Silver Centurion in the news and on the map?)
  
• 
  
• Another Pivotal Event: (what was the first truly huge test?)
  
• 
  
• The Latest Pivotal Event: (what recently set the tone and direction?)
  

 

• Fiction: The Centurions resemble the GLC, but definitely diverge a lot. Details?
  

 

Initial Stage

 

 

• Overall Concept: What is the main idea behind this character? What is his or her source of powers? How did he gain those powers? Why is he joining the superteam? What is his personality? What are his limitations and weaknesses?
  
• 
  
  
• 
  
• Offense: In combat, how does he attack his enemies? Does he do a lot of damage or only a little? Will his attacks kill his enemies or only knock them out (the latter is preferable, but I will not make an absolute rule)? Or do his attacks have some other effect? How quickly does he pull the trigger? How much room is there for negotiation?
  
• 
  
  
• 
  
• Defense: How does he avoid being hurt by enemies? Is he naturally tough and resistant to damage, does he have a power that helps soak up enemy attacks, or does he rely on avoiding attacks? What attacks blow through his defenses(vuln) ?
  
• 
  
  
• 
  
• Movement: How does your character get around? Is he quick in combat or slow? How does he get around outside of combat -- under his own power, a vehicle he owns, or does he need to get a ride with others?
  
• 
  
  
• 
  
• 
  
• Other Abilities: Does your character have any abilities which are useful outside of combat? Is he good at hunting down criminals, can he ferry less mobile characters around, can he sneak into a supervillain's base, is he good at persuading other people to help you, etc.?
  
• 
  
  
• Fleshing Out the Character: Do you have any other abilities which may not be very combat useful, but help support the character concept or otherwise define his personality?
  

Detailed Checklist

 

 

• General Information: Include any other information you wish to include about your character, such as personality, friends and enemies, combat tactics, etc.
  

 

 

Skills: What skills does your character have? Are you especially skilled in combat, or do you know martial arts? What other skills do you have?

 

• Other Abilities: What other abilities do you have?
  
• Do you have a useful vehicle or follower/sidekick,
  
• or know other people who might be able to provide help?
  
• 
  

 

• Features of your powers: Do your powers consume a lot of energy (END) or only a little?
  
• Can you only use them a certain number of times in an encounter (e.g., limited ammunition)?
  
• Can you use them all at the same time, or do you need to shift power between them?
  
• Are there situations in which some or all of your powers do not work?
  
• Do they affect just one person or many people?
  
• How else are your powers unique?
  
• 
  
• Complications: What limits does your character have?
  

 

• Does he keep his identity a secret or is he well-known?
  
• Are there any substances or types of attacks that particularly damage him?
  
• Does he have enemies or groups keeping him under surveillance?
  
• Does he have friends or family that frequently get into trouble and need rescuing?
  
• Are there any situations that cause him to behave irrationally,
  
• does he have a code of honor that prevents him taking full advantage of a situation,
  
• or other constraints on his behavior?
  

[Checkmate]

Re: Cosmic Centurions

 

Some of the pictures that you've linked have some background in them already. From reading that (assuming that is "canon") we know that all their powers come from a specific source, and that they channel through power bands. We also know that whatever gives them their powers rarely give the same ones twice. Do you want us to use those parameters?''

 

Honestly though, I don't feel enough attachment to any of the pictures without having created the picture myself. This makes it hard for me to write up the character. I'd help with the background and overall setting, but I'll leave the stats to the creators.

[Alverant]

Re: Cosmic Centurions

 

I had 2 ideas.

 

First was a technorganic battlesuit that bonded with the officer that enhanced physical and mental abilities and unlocked further powers as the officer proved his/her worth. In game terms the powers were bought OIHID and initially limited to basic Brick Tricks. Flight and life support would have been added later after the "prohibitory period" passed. The concept was a brick with a badge. Not quite Green Lantern or Nova Corp. I wanted to stay away from that and go a different route.

 

Second was that with all the alien criminals on Earth, the Cosmic Centurions sent a squad there to assist the local authorities. The individual officers joined the world's superhero teams (Champions, Euroguard, Guardians, Tiger Squad, etc) while the rookie PC drew the short straw and got stuck with the PC team. Each cop had a biocomputer woven into their brains providing instant access to local databases, total memory recall, facial recognition, targeting for weapons etc. They also had standard issue weapons (two IIF power gems, one which could be controlled by the biocomputer) and a vehicle. Since the CC have such varied backgrounds they also have a wide range of powers based on their background and species. It keeps them from being too specialized.

[kahuna's bro]

Re: Cosmic Centurions

 

good work moquif

[Checkmate]

Re: Cosmic Centurions

 

Personally I think we should stick with Power Bands. Some of the picture captions make mention of them, and I think we should use those as canon.

 

The post also mentioned that the Silver Centurion deputized some. Did he pick the colors for his deputies or was a random thing from "The Source"? My thoughts are "The Source" is sentient and judges those to be worthy. The problem with this is that it hinders the Nega-Centurion's origin (who discovered The Source and is exploiting it). If The Source is sentient, he could just cut off the power to those he doesn't want to have it (unless that's the exploit).

 

I don't like the idea of having them Earth bound as the name of the group is Cosmic Centurions. Not to mention the number of aliens in the group.

 

The probationary period isn't a bad idea, but I think Flight and Life Support need to be included from the beginning due the space faring nature. It may also be the time that their powers are developing. Sort of like you're exposed to The Source, but you don't really know what you're going to get until it happens a few days (weeks, months whatever) later.

 

Something else that has to be decided is who chooses the color? My thoughts are, since the energy seems to match the color of the Centurion, that the color is randomly chosen once exposed to The Source. Sometimes the color comes from what's in your subconscious (a la Gamma Radiation) and sometimes just completely random (maybe the ones that are random would have been a color that's already taken so a different color was chosen).

[Egyptoid]

Re: Cosmic Centurions

 

how's this: A common item to all is the star on the chest. (plus the gauntlets)

 

each candidate must craft their own star of some precious material, and have it with them

when deputized, and exposed to the Source for the first time.

 

therefore the power set they will receive (or grow into) will be an average of these three things:

- the material in their personal star

- the personality of the centurion

- the needs of the source during the crisis in which they are deputized.

 

so yes, the Source is in a way, always fighting the last war,

but this process is also what makes the weaknesses and vulnerabilities unique to each centurion.

 

Then: the star on their chest is the everyday powers: flight, comm, LSupp, Radar, PowDef, etc.

 

And the gauntlets, which the source makes on their deputation day to match their star,

run the VPP or multipower, which has the big guns: TK, Blast, Entangle, Tunnel,Barrier, etc.

according to their individual SFX.

 

So no matter what shape size or color the centurion may be, he has star and gauntlets

to display as his regalia of office.

 

just pondering...

[Egyptoid]

Re: Cosmic Centurions

 

A) Gauntlets are cool.

 

the Nega-Centurion probably was a legit officer at one time.

probably his current gauntlets are clever duplicates

or there is some sinister secret that allows him to tap the source while unworthy.

 

C) I agree with everything else Checkmate said.

 

Personally I think ..... a different color was chosen).

[BobGreenwade]

Re: Cosmic Centurions

 

I'll contribute to this as I can, though I have three or four projects going on at the same time right now so it'll be spotty for a bit. For now, I can offer up this handful of little notes on some of the characters I created:

 

1) I neglected the gauntlets on the Golden Centurion. He may therefore have something unusual in his origin, such as having somehow absorbed them into his own body or been granted the Centurion powers directly, without a Focus.

 

2) My idea behind the Mauve Centurion is that he's large, tough, and bad-tempered. (That last part may be why he's not in the corps any more.) The color gives him kind of a "Boy Named Sue" vibe -- yeah, it's kind of a sissy color, but do you want to be the one to tell him that?

 

3) The concept behind the Chromatic Centurion is that he's somehow co-opted the powers of all the Centurion bands. This suggests that each color has different specific powers. Probably similar colors have similar but not identical powers.

[Egyptoid]

Re: Cosmic Centurions

 

This is from the olden tymes, like over a million years ago...

[ATTACH=CONFIG]34734[/ATTACH]

 

The first race to attain interstellar flight, their true name lost to time,

are called Shin-Yougari due to their society structure. They had psychic powers as a species,

and could pool their energy, and accomplish mighty tasks. They were believed to be mammalian,

not unlike lion-men as we would call them today.

 

When they first encountered an avian race, they held up a paw of friendship,

and back in those heady virginal days, it was met with a like-minded claw.

Soon these two races found ten others, and also discovered the OLD way, which was species

dominance, along 12 lines. The shinyougari were the top mammalian race, and fate would bless

them to remain so. Their allies were tops of avians, none other would arise so far.

They met a master arachnoid race, and a silicon-based, aquatic, etc.

 

All of these races had traits in common: First of their kind to evolve and take to the stars,

possession of psychic powers, and what we would call a "good alignment" or positive outlook.

 

The Silicon 1st Race made a power bank, that could hold souls.

Nowadays, we would probably find this practice repugnant,

but the way they practiced it was not exploitative.

 

They fashioned 12 outlets at the source, and the chief ambassador from each of the 12 races

were given stars that allowed communion with the souls therein. Knowledge could be spread

in this way, but the unintended consequence was called the "banking principle".

these 12 may have been called the Council of Life

 

Creatures of honor, communing with other honorables, or loaning power to other good beings,

left a psychic residue on/in/at the crystal source. When good things were done by the ambassadors,

such as teaching, healing, uplifting, or defending, it was discovered that a minute net gain was being

accumulated at the Source. Somehow good deeds and honorable acts generated extra power, so along

with whatever energy was spent, there was a "give-back".

 

This Golden Age shattered, slowly and inevitably, but it did. Lesser races rebelled, not understanding

the natural order. They would have failed, had it not been for extra-galactic opportunists and mercenaries. It took hundreds of years, but all the 12 empires of the Prime Races fell. They are all dust now and it is quite rare for spacefarers to find artifacts of these truly ancient places.

 

But the Shinyougari Source was not shattered, could not be. Somehow, through all the millenia, anyone who would exploit or destroy the source for some reason could not find it. Or if they did locate it, they could not bring weaponry enough to bear upon it. So it still stands, orbiting a nearly-dead star in a completely dead solar system, near the center of the galaxy. And it brims with energy, a throwback to an older day with ways unfamiliar to our own.

 

But the rest of the galaxy looks much as we expect it: Wars, Tyrants, Pirates, with Petty States that exterminate other species and give no further thought to that than "what loot did they leave lying about their homeworld?"

===============================

 

Okay there you go. there's an idea for the source...

Now how did Silver Centurion come into play?

[The Arc]

Re: Cosmic Centurions

 

Okay there you go. there's an idea for the source...

Now how did Silver Centurion come into play?

 

If the Silver Centurion was human how about the old Planet of the Apes scenerio. An astronaught in an experimental spacecraft, is sucked into a wormhole and crash lands on the Shinyougari Source, where he encounters energy ghosts (remnaments of the Council of Life), and they council the Silver Centurion in the making of the cosmic armbands.

[Egyptoid]

Re: Cosmic Centurions

 

1) I neglected the gauntlets on the Golden Centurion. He may therefore have something unusual in his origin' date=' such as having somehow absorbed them into his own body or been granted the Centurion powers directly, without a Focus. [/quote']

 

Surely they are made of gold leaf, and hug close to the skin. I mean my gosh, he's the Golden Centurion...

[concord]

Re: Cosmic Centurions

 

THE CERULEAN CENTURION

 

The original idea for this "fellow" was a race of non-corporeal (read: desolid) energy beings that live in the upper reaches of a gas giant's atmosphere decided to beef up one of their environment suits (read: "focus" for affects physical world) so that they could play the centurion game... it was sure to be a grand and unique experience.

[Checkmate]

Re: Cosmic Centurions

 

Combining the ideas already thrown out there for Silver Centurion: He was a human that was sent into space in an experimental rocket to stop a meteor that would crash into the Earth and end all life. About this time the Source was growing dissatisfied with its eternal life and seeing all the war and constant strife had almost decided to leave this plane of existence. The would take one last look around before leaving forever. It was during this last look that they saw our hero realize that the weapons he was equipped with were ineffective against the large rock and the only way to stop it, was to crash his ship into it.

 

Seeing this grand act of sacrifice and courage they decided to rethink their plans. Maybe what the universe needed was a hero. One of honor to be a shining example to the universe. They pulled him from his ship moments before the crash and made him the Silver Centurion! (come on guys, he did say it was the Silver Age of comics right?)

 

I think I like the idea of the Nega-Centurion finding a way to be an unworthy recipient. We already have a fallen Centurion.

 

The other problem with the precious metal star, is that all the stars are gray, and some of them aren't metals but colors.

 

I also like the idea of something different in Gold's origin forgoing the need for wrist bands. maybe he's secretly part of The Source. After watching the heroics of the team, it wasn't content to sit on the sidelines anymore, and made a physical body for himself. Maybe he's also unknowingly powering the Nega-Centurion who discovered the secret and found a way to siphon his power for this "Shard" of the Source.

[Egyptoid]

Re: Cosmic Centurions

 

somebody tell Simon the board software is screwed up. It says its too soon to rep Checkmate again, and that cannot be.

 

Cerulean could be from the last surviving planet of the Waveform race (from my silly little graphic)

 

Golden could be the last survivor of the Mammal-Leonoid race. (don't need no stinkin badges)

 

That's good stuff, Checkmate.

[Egyptoid]

Re: Cosmic Centurions

 

I added a Silver Centurion page, to collect all the ideas there on him.

 

plus I'm still tinkering with this silly thing.

 

and if you don't see your flavor text in my documents somewhere, don't fret.

I will try to get it all incorporated in some way.

[Egyptoid]

Re: Cosmic Centurions

 

Also, who was Silver Centurion before he went into space?

 

Astronaut? Navy? Air Force? American, even?

 

Volunteer? Drafted onto suicide mission?

 

New Recruit? Scientist? Veteran?

 

How long elapsed between the anti-meteor mission and the triumphant return as Silver Centurion ?

[The Arc]

Re: Cosmic Centurions

 

It was widely reported that Gus Grissom died alongside his fellow astronaughts Ed White and Robert Chaffee in the Apollo 1 fire. What really happened to Gus Grissom is still a mater of national security. In the 1960's the United States and the Soviet Union were in a race to be the first nation to land a man on the moon. Soviet defectors had provided top secret Soviet Intel that the Soviet Union had developed a spacecraft way beyond today's technology (actually it was adapted from alien technology discovered in the Tunguska event). Gus was secretly smuggled in the Soviet Union to steal the spacecraft for the United States. The mission was a success and a failure.

[drunkonduty]

Re: Cosmic Centurions

 

They have to be a volunteer. It's their self-sacrifice that impresses the Source after all.

 

Am going to assume that the original home of the Silver Centurion is standard Champions Universe, early 21st century. That could make him an UNTIL agent. Stationed on GATEWAY. As to nationality... their country of origin should be fairly inconsequential now, they have a much wider view of the universe and all the species that inhabit it. The petty tribalism of Earth seems silly to them in light of the vastness of the universe. And as a contrast with their new role as guardian of the whole world they could come one of the more famously nationalistic countries.

 

As to their original role, how about a scientist who saw the meteor coming but no-one believed them when they said it was changing course. It seems the meteor was being used a a weapon (mass driver style) by some hostile alien power. The hostile aliens are in fact trying to destroy Earth because their sorcerer-soothsayers have foreseen that it shall be the birthplace of their greatest enemy. Cue: "Oops, our attempts to avoid the future have in fact simply brought to pass." (Don't ya hate it when that happens?)

 

Really liking the ideas coming out in this thread. Very Silver Age Defenders of the Galaxy.

[kahuna's bro]

Re: Cosmic Centurions

 

he could be a convicted felon of honorable naturewho was offered the mission in exchange for a pardon/parole

[BobGreenwade]

Re: Cosmic Centurions

 

I also like the idea of something different in Gold's origin forgoing the need for wrist bands. maybe he's secretly part of The Source. After watching the heroics of the team' date=' it wasn't content to sit on the sidelines anymore, and made a physical body for himself. Maybe he's also unknowingly powering the Nega-Centurion who discovered the secret and found a way to siphon his power for this "Shard" of the Source.[/quote']I wasn't thinking in terms of something in his origin, as something that happened subsequently. Like, maybe he did some act of desperation in response to a massive attack from Lord Dark Matter, and somehow became "one" with his bands.

 

If the Aspects Chart is to be used, then Gold would have the high end of normal Yellow powers over metals and machinery, and probably some additional defenses and abilities to make him effectively immortal (like Regeneration with Resurrection, and Life Support: Immortality).

[BobGreenwade]

Re: Cosmic Centurions

 

Am going to assume that the original home of the Silver Centurion is standard Champions Universe' date=' early 21st century. That could make him an UNTIL agent. Stationed on GATEWAY.[/quote']I mostly agree with this post, except for this part. I'd rather build the Centurions as something separate from any published universe (except maybe the USA50).

[Egyptoid]

Re: Cosmic Centurions

 

I mostly agree with this post' date=' except for this part. I'd rather build the Centurions as something separate from any published universe (except maybe the USA50).[/quote']

 

Bob, you sly devil. Are you trying to get back on my good graces?