The Guardians Project - Lets build the original Champions

[Christopher R Taylor]

I can't find my old books, I had the old gray cover Champions and the first printings of II and III, the bindings had fallen apart so I had them in a notebook but I lost it apparently  

[Scott Baker]

I can't find my old books, I had the old gray cover Champions and the first printings of II and III, the bindings had fallen apart so I had them in a notebook but I lost it apparently  

Are you looking for something in particular out of those books? The gray cover is the 2E from the boxed set. I have all 3 of those on the bookshelf somewhere.

[Enforcer84]

    That is a very interesting take on Gargoyle.  I do see some obvious differences, from the Gargoyle Mark created and ran. The most glaring one is "Code vs Killing".  Those spikes on his knees and elbows were a killing attack, which he had little or no compulsion against using.  It was a frequent point of conflict with several of the other members of the team.

 

     It was a presence attack from Gargoyle, during a full military attack on The Guardians (George wanted to test a war game rules extension to HERO) that led to Rose breaking her “Code vs Killing” as a gunner in a main battle tank.  George did a very masterful job using a “Shattered Rose” story arc which pitted Rose against the Guardians and eventually herself to bring the character back to some sense of normality.

 

     I should also point out, that while I have followed the Hero System as a personal interest; I have not actively “Played.”  I think the last time I actually did any role-playing I was GMing a Hero “Shadow Punk” type of campaign back in 2000. In 2001 I moved to Reno, NV and fell out of gaming.

 

     I will look over the other Guardians you have posted here and let you know my thoughts.  I have finished my conversion of Rose’s last played write up to 6E. This weekend I will make some time and work up a Rose reboot.

 

     I am also taking the liberty to contact the original players that I still have contact info for and will try and coax some info out of them. Tragically guesses and memories are all we will have to go on for Gargoyle, as Mark passed away in 1998.

Thanks for commenting! And for your contributions to my childhood 30 years I've been with Champions.

I remember hearing Mark had passed away - and I'd been really excited because I saw the comic he'd collaborated on

[Cassandra]

In the Champions Comic Book several of the Guardians characters were part of the team.  The team was later called "The League of Champions" to avoid being sued by Marvel for the now forget team The Champions.  

 

Marksman - Donald Henderson, weapons master and industrialist.

 

Rose - "Julie Rich", psychic investigator and adopted daughter of millionaire Daniel Rich.

 

Flare - Terri Feran, Light Energy Projector with low level superhuman strength (25 STR) Librarian turned Model.

 

Icestar - John Grayson, Ice Energy Projector.

 

Icicle - Christine Grayson, Ice Energy Projector and younger kleptomaniac sister of Icestar

 

Sparkplug - Olga Gottman, Flare's half sister with Electrical powers and low level superhuman strength (30 STR), and based on Poinsettia from the Enemies book.

 

Giant 2 - James Jensen, who uses a harness to that gives him Growth powers.  Based on Goliath from the Guardians, and killed because he doesn't have Resistance Defenses during the first six issue mini-series

 

Giant 1 - William Johnson, James Jensen's late father in low, and the first wearer of the harness.  Lover of Melissa D'Arque, the supervilainess Malice.  Member of the Vanguards of Freedom.

 

Lady Arcane - Donnah Hannah, Mystic and granddaughter of Dr. Arcane, niece of the Black Enchantress.  Manager of Flare's modelling career.

 

Dr. Arcane - W. Clinton Avery, retired Mystic.

 

 

Originally The Champions were a pretty good comic featuring characters who operated in a world where superheroes are common.  They fought DEMON, VIPER, Mechanon, and a team of supervillains made up of Foxbat, Pulsar, Exo-Skeleton Man, and a female Vampire.  

 

The comic went off the rails when then went to Mount Olympus and were transformed into Gods (something that the writers promised wouldn't happen).  This, combined with some truly bizarre relationships between Icestar and Icicle, Lady Arcane and Black Enchantress, and Flare and was Water Spirit (the less said about the latter, the better), sunk the comic.  

[Christopher R Taylor]

It never was very well done; weak art and subpar writing.  but at least it had a good heart and showcased the Champions universe.  In my opinion, there could easily be a Champions comic book, and I tried doing webcomic once, but it would take a dedicated and talented writer and artist willing to work for peanuts - or nothing - a long time until it caught on and made some money.

 

The old comic got better art but pretty much turned into cheesecake and the writing was never any better.

[steriaca]

Stop comparing or bringing up the comic book. It is it's own enity. It has no bairing on this thread, since it is about the group, AS ROLEPLAYED BY THE ORIGINAL CREATORS.

 

Denise was an OK writer, but his mistake was instead of stating 'this is my take on the charaters, and while not as intended by the original creators, I got there OK and I'll try to do them justice', he stated 'I'm better than the original creators of the charaters'. Which pissed off some (in fact, most) of the original creators to no end. So enougth about the Champions Comic Book.

[steriaca]

Um, did my rant destroy the thread? Sorry if it did.

[Christopher R Taylor]

I'm waiting and hoping for info from MacDonald, then I'll see if I can't get more posted.  Until then I'm hesitant to guess any more.  I mean, I have Rose written up but with Rose's actual player here...

[steriaca]

Well, to pass the time, lets speculate about the "backword Guardians". Exactly what would your take on them be? I already had my take on them.

[Sketchpad]

I used The Guardians as the original Champions and mixed some of the characters through the years with the 4th ed and C:NM members, creating an Avengers-like legacy. In one campaign I ran in the late '90s, the heroes were a west coast version of the team, with Henderson, who was now in semi-retirement, serving as their mentor/team liaison. It ran only a few years, but it was a ton of fun. Some of the others Guardians made appearances here an there, though mainly as a contact or someone giving the team adventure info.

[Cassandra]

Flare

 

Val Char Cost

25 STR 15

18 DEX 24

25 CON 30

10 BODY 0

13 INT 3

11 EGO 2

20 PRE 10

18 COM 4

15 PD 10

20 ED 15

4 SPD 12

10 REC 0

50 END 0

36 STUN 0

Total Characteristics Cost: 125 Points

 

Cost Skills

2 AK: San Francisco 11-

8 CSL: Combat +1

4 Lang: Native German

5 Money: Well Off

2 PS: Librarian 11-

2 PS: Model 11-

2 Rep: Superhero 11-

Total Skills Cost: 25 Points

 

Cost Powers

10 Damage Resistance 10 rPD 10 rED

50 Multipower (50 Points)

4 u) EB 8d6

4 u) EB 4d6, NND [Flash Defense for Sight] (+1) w/Flash [sight] 2d6

4 u) Flash [sight] 4d6, AE 2"r (+1)

10 m) Flight 25"

5 ES: UV Sight

5 Flash Defense [sight] 5 Points

8 Mental Defense 10 Points

Total Powers Cost: 100 Points

 

Total Cost: 250 Points

 

150+ Disadvantages

5 DNPC: Donnah Hannah, Friend and Manager (Slightly Less Powerful) 8-

15 Hunted: Foxbat (As Powerful/NCI) 8-

15 Hunted: VIPER (As Powerful/NCI) 8-

15 PsyL: Overconfidence (Very Common/Moderate)

20 PsyL: Protective Of Innocents (Very Common/Strong)

10 SocL: Secret Identity [Terri Feran] (Occasionally/Major)

10 Suscept: Anti-Photonic Energy, 1d6 STUN/Turn (Uncommon)

10 Vuln: Darkness Attacks, 1 1/2x STUN (Uncommon)

Total Disadvantages Cost: 250 Points

 

Origin: Theresa "Terri" Feran was raised in the South American Jungles by expatriate Nazi Scientist working for VIPER.  They experimented on her and her sister Olga, which resulted in her developing superhuman powers.  VIPER sent her to destroy the Guardians, but instead she joined them in their fight against evil.  She started working as a librarian, but was discovered and works as a model.  Her best friend is Donnah Hannah, the granddaughter of the retired mystic hero Doctor Arcane.  Donnah is her manager, and is also learning how to be a superhero from Terri.

 

Powers:  Flare is a low powered brick with light based attack powers.  She can fire a variety of light attacks, and can fly through the air.  Flare can also see in the dark, and is resistant to flash attacks.  Her training makes her resistant to mental attacks.

 

Note:  This build is loosely based on the write ups in the Champions comic book.  The events are also extrapolated from the Flare comic book.

[Christopher R Taylor]

Yeah that's the comic book version; the fast-grown naive one

[Cassandra]

Icestar

 

Val Char Cost

20 STR 10

18 DEX 24

20 CON 20

12 BODY 4

18 INT 8

11 EGO 2

15 PRE 5

18 COM 4

6 PD 2

4 ED 0

4 SPD 12

10 REC 4

50 END 5

32 STUN 0

Total Characteristics Cost: 100 Points

 

Cost Skills

2 AK: San Francisco 11-

6 Combat Luck +3 rPD +3 rED

5 CSL: Ranged Combat +1

3 Computer Programming 13-

3 Paramedic 13-

3 SS[iNT]: Cryogenics 13-

3 Rep: Superhero 14-

Total Skills Cost: 25 Points

 

Cost Powers

50 Multipower (50 Points)

5 u) EB 10d6

5 u) Entangle 5d6 DEF 5

5 u) Entangle 2d6 DEF 2, AE 3"r (+1), No END (+1/2)

5 u) Force Wall 10 rPD 10 rED

5 ES: IR SIght

15 EC [ice & Cold]-15 Points

12 1) Flight 15", Only In Contact With A Surface (-1/4)

15 2) Force Field +12 rPD +12 rED, 1/2 END (+1/4)

2 LS: Intense Cold

6 Running +3"

Total Powers Cost: 125 Points

 

Total Cost: 250 Points

 

150+ Disadvantages

10 Hunted: Madame Syn (As Powerful/NCI/Mild) 8-

15 Hunted: Mechanon (More Powerful) 8-

20 Normal Characteristics Maxima

20 PsyL: Protective Of Innocents (Very Common/Strong)

15 PsyL: Showoff (Common/Strong)

10 SocL: Secret Identity [John Grayson] (Occasionally/Major)

10 Vuln: Fire/Heat Attacks, 1 1/2x STUN (Common)

Total Disadvantages Cost: 250 Points

 

Origin:  An exposure to chemicals activate latent powers in cryogenics scientist John Grayson.  He enjoyed his new powers and became a founding member of the Guardians.  His younger half sister Christine Saunders has similar powers, and has joined the team as Icicle.  She is the cousin of Sam Saunders, the Crusader.

 

Powers:  Icestar has the ability to generate ice and cold, and use them to blast objects or encase them in ice.

 

Note:  The reference regarding Icicle is based on Icicle's origin in early Hero Game Products.  She is said to have married Starburst in the future.

[starblaze]

Ahhhh!  I appreciate what your trying to do, but the line of text with no spacing is painful to read.

[Christopher R Taylor]

Evidently George MacDonald isn't going to be getting back to me so I'll just fudge it and guess with the remaining known members, I guess.

[Greywind]

You guess you guess?

[Christopher R Taylor]

I guess I'll be guessing as I speculate while estimating.

[Enforcer84]

I guess I'll be guessing as I speculate while estimating

 

So an approximation, then?

[Christopher R Taylor]

My speculative take on Rose, based on the player's ideas and my impressions.  I had to get fancy with the complications because I had zero information on them, so I went with a basic array of superhero stuff from the time, and added some personal ideas.

 

Rose

 

Player: Barney Tumey

 

Val Char Cost

  8  STR    -2        Weight: 80 kg; Damage: 1 1/2d6

 20 DEX    20

 18 CON    8

 10 BOD    0

 18 INT      8         Perception Roll 13-

 23 EGO  13

 15 PRE    5         Presence Attack: 3d6

  5  PD      3         With Force Field: 15 PD; 10 rPD

  5  ED      3         With Force Field: 15 ED; 10 rED

  5  SPD   30

  6  REC   2

 35 END   3

 30 STN    5

 

OCV:    5

DCV:    5

OMCV: 6

DMCV: 6

 

12m RUN   0

  4m SWIM 0

  4m LEAP 0

Characteristics Cost: 136

 

Cost Power

  3     Teleportation: Fixed Location (3 Locations)

 25    Teleportation: Floating Fixed Location (5 Locations)

 27    Refresh DNA: Dispel 5d6, Diseases and Transforms (+1/2), Cumulative (240 points; +1 1/4) (41 Active Points); Linked (Combat Port; -1/2)

 24    Force Field: Resistant Protection (10 PD/10 ED) (30 Active Points); Costs Endurance (Only Costs END to Activate; -1/4)

  4     Instant Change: Minor Transform 1d6 (Clothes into Environment Suit or costume), Improved Results Group (+1/4) (6 Active Points); Own Clothing Only (-1/2)

 12    Environment suit: Life Support  (Eating: Character does not eat; Safe in Low Pressure/Vacuum; Self-Contained Breathing; Sleeping: Character does not sleep) (18 Active Points); OIF (-1/2)

 

 50    Teleportation: Multipower, 50-point reserve

 5f     1)  Combat Port: Teleportation 20m, No Relative Velocity, Position Shift, Safe Aquatic Teleport, Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) (50 Active Points)

 5f     2)  Power Teleport: Teleportation 12m, No Relative Velocity, Position Shift, Safe Aquatic Teleport, Armor Piercing (+1/4), Safe Blind Teleport (+1/4) (48 Active Points)

 5f     3)  Teleport with others: Teleportation 10m, No Relative Velocity, Position Shift, Safe Aquatic Teleport, x16 Increased Mass (50 Active Points)

 5f     4)  Long Distance Teleporting: Teleportation 5m, No Relative Velocity, Safe Aquatic Teleport, MegaScale (1m = 100 km; Range; +1 1/2) (50 Active Points)

 

 36    Magic: Multipower, 45-point reserve,  (45 Active Points); all slots Gestures (-1/4)

 3f     1)  Eye of Truth: Spatial Awareness (Unusual Group), +2 to PER Roll, Discriminatory, Increased Arc Of Perception (360 Degrees) (44 Active Points); Gestures (-1/4)

 3f     2)  Safety: Life Support  (Eating: Character does not eat; Safe in High Pressure; Safe in High Radiation; Safe in Intense Cold; Safe in Intense Heat; Safe in Low Pressure/Vacuum; Self-Contained Breathing), Usable Simultaneously (up to 8 people at once; +1) (44 Active Points); Gestures (-1/4)

 4f     3)  Mind Reading: Telepathy 9d6 (45 Active Points); Gestures (-1/4)

 4f     4)  Seek Mind: Mind Scan 9d6 (45 Active Points); Gestures (-1/4)

 4f     5)  Psychic Blast: Mental Blast 4 1/2d6 (45 Active Points); Gestures (-1/4)

 3f     6)  Stun Blast: Blast 9d6 (45 Active Points); Stun Only (-1/4), Gestures (-1/4)

Powers Cost: 222

 

Cost Skill

  3     Bureaucratics 12-

  3     High Society 12-

  2     AK 11-

  2     AK: New York City 11-

  2     AK: Paris 11-

  3     Language:  French (completely fluent)

  3     Language:  Latin (completely fluent)

  3     Language:  Japanese (completely fluent)

  3     Paramedics 13-

  2     PS: Cordon Bleu Chef 11-

  2     PS: Seamstress 11-

Skills Cost: 28

 

Cost Perk

  6     Contact:  Teacher, powerful mage (Contact has access to major institutions, Contact has significant Contacts of his own, Contact has useful Skills or resources, Good relationship with Contact) 11-

Perks Cost: 6

 

Cost Talent

  5     Eidetic Memory

  3     Bump Of Direction

Talents Cost: 8

 

Total Character Cost: 400

 

Pts. Complication

  5    Distinctive Features:  Spells give off rose scent that lingers (Easily Concealed; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses)

 20   Hunted:  Dark Seraph Frequently (Mo Pow; Harshly Punish)

 20   Hunted:  DEMON Frequently (Mo Pow; Harshly Punish)

 15   Psychological Complication:  Code vs Killing (Common; Strong)

 15   Psychological Complication:  Fascinated by new discoveries and information (Common; Strong)

 15   Psychological Complication:  Protective of antiquities and books (Very Common; Moderate)

 10   Social Complication:  Secret Identity Infrequently, Major

Disadvantage Points: 100

 

 

[TheQuestionMan]

Interesting. I gotta think about this one.

 

Thanks again.

 

QM

[Christopher R Taylor]

Most of her build is based on information from her original player on Facebook, but he never mentioned disads or her secret ID, so I had to wing it on those.

[Enforcer84]

Another good look, Christopher.