Hunting the Black Harelquin

[Michael Hopcroft]

The Black Harlequin has to be one of the nastiest villains in the Champions Universe in terms of motivation, methods, and sheer bloody-mindedness. His "escapades" usually result in bloody carnage among innocents (who don't get the joke). When not confined he is a deadly threat to everyone. Champions Universe superheroes must place a high value on locking him up and keeping him that way.

 

But not everyone is so even-keeled about dealing with mass-murdering "lunatics". Imagine someone with a lot of money and influence in the Underworld, like a Mafia boss, decided he wanted to rid the world of him forever. Perhaps it is revenge for an "escapade" that hurt someone or something important to him, or perhaps it is his own strange form of "public service". Whatever his reasoning, there is now a bounty of a million dollars (or maybe more) to be paid out to whoever can prove conclusively that the Black Harlequin has died at their hands.

 

This could create a situation similar the classic film M, where both sides of the law hunt the monster with different plans in mind for his fate. The PCs, if this is a roughly four-color game, will want to capture him and get him somewhere where nobody can reach him to collect the bounty. Every hit man and street vigilante in town is after him so they can kill him, either for the money or for the satisfaction of ending his murderous career. Meanwhile the Harlequin himself is blissfully unaware of all these goings on and busily plotting a new, grand "escapade" that could make him very rich and a lot of other people very dead.

 

How does this play out in an adventure. Could even the staunchest Codes against Killing hold true in the face of this situation?

[TheQuestionMan]

Moral Conflict - Steelwing would seek to place Black Harlequin in custody of the Government Agency responsible for his kind. However if during their battle (escapade) he is only option to save an innocent is to kill Black Harlequin he would. Like a Police Officer.

 

Cougar - Black Harlequin would be captured and returned to prison, but likely paralyzed.

 

Stalwart - Would capture and return him to prison, but would kill him to protect innocents.

 

 

Cheers

 

QM

 

 

[steriaca]

Lady Heart - Most likely would try hir magical 'love' powers to wear BH down emotionaly, then think about eather putting him into another dimention where there is no sentient lifeform to hurt, or find some big mystical way to fix his warped mind. But, if durring the fight push comes to shove, and s/he must kill him to save inosents, then so be it (othoe it will weigh heavy upon hir, hir has a Coad VS Killing).

 

Sunburn - When he was a member of Metaguard, he developed the "Dhaumer Question" in there questionair to ask protental canadates. (A villian who comited extremly nasty crimes surenders to you...and you beleve that he can't be reformed...do you turn him in, or end his existance?) Black Harlequin is the curent walking example of this problem. He never had to exactly confrount this personaly durring his early carear. (He was home sick in Milwaukee Wisconson while his team went to the Battle Of Detrot and got killed), but now that he returned (and got some quality psycheatric help to get over his grief and start working on reducing his "Destroyerphobia"), it is likely that he would have to confrount that question with Black Harliquin, The Monster, and/or Reaper.

[Lord Liaden]

It strikes me that this situation could lead to some interesting role-playing opportunities. Few villains would be as polarizing for a group of heroic Player Characters to deal with as the Black Harlequin in the situation you describe. How to ultimately dispose of him -- even what methods and allies to use in tracking him down -- might generate serious in-character conflicts between law-and-order types, and more ruthless vigilantes. He's unquestionably extremely dangerous and lethal, but also unquestionably insane and a product of an abusive childhood, so there's room for both condemnation and compassion.

[Michael Hopcroft]

This scenario illustrates the fundamental difference between a character with roots in the Gold or Silver Ages and one with Iron Age roots. When I brought up the question with Steve Long at Game Storm, he told me the Champions would do everything in their power to stop Black Harlequin from being "murdered" because they simply don't condone murder under any circumstances, no matter how "deserving" the victim. The Harbinger, on the other hand, would probably have killed Black Harlequin a long time ago had he operated in Hudson City.

 

It was like a comic when Batman and the Punisher crossed over. The Punisher wanted to kill the Joker, something that would probably tempt just about the entire population of Gotham City. Batman wouldn't let him do it, and they actually had a fight which allowed the Joker to escape. Now the Joker has hurt the Batman in just about every way imaginable, but Batman still refuses to take the ultimate step.

 

One could say Black Harlequin is a bit of a Joker homage, with elements of other villains like Toyman and Arcade. He certainly poses the same story issues, such as how someone like him keeps getting out of custody. When confined it would be at the highest-security setting available for prisoners without innate superpowers (no "hot sleep", suspended animation, or other "advanced confinement" tactics), but those guarding him would require continuous vigilance because he could get away with even the slightest lapse.

[Greywind]

Because the first time you cross that line, you can't cross back and it just makes it that much easier for the next time.

[Ranxerox]

The Black Harlequin has to be one of the nastiest villains in the Champions Universe in terms of motivation' date=' methods, and sheer bloody-mindedness. His "escapades" usually result in bloody carnage among innocents (who don't get the joke). When not confined he is a deadly threat to everyone. Champions Universe superheroes must place a high value on locking him up and keeping him that way. But not everyone is so even-keeled about dealing with mass-murdering "lunatics". Imagine someone with a lot of money and influence in the Underworld, like a Mafia boss, decided he wanted to rid the world of him forever. Perhaps it is revenge for an "escapade" that hurt someone or something important to him, or perhaps it is his own strange form of "public service". Whatever his reasoning, there is now a bounty of a million dollars (or maybe more) to be paid out to whoever can prove conclusively that the Black Harlequin has died at their hands. This could create a situation similar the classic film M, where both sides of the law hunt the monster with different plans in mind for his fate. The PCs, if this is a roughly four-color game, will want to capture him and get him somewhere where nobody can reach him to collect the bounty. Every hit man and street vigilante in town is after him so they can kill him, either for the money or for the satisfaction of ending his murderous career. Meanwhile the Harlequin himself is blissfully unaware of all these goings on and busily plotting a new, grand "escapade" that could make him very rich and a lot of other people very dead. How does this play out in an adventure. Could even the staunchest Codes against Killing hold true in the face of this situation?[/quote']

 

 

The problem with an open bounty is anyone with a desire for a million dollars might try to claim it, and the first person to try their hand at it just by law of averages not likely to be the person most likely to be able to get the job done. So BH's chances of surviving the first attempt are pretty decent, and after the first attempt fails he is going to be wise to the game.

 

Calling the attention of a murderous psychopath with a 25 INT is rarely healthy. So the question might not be whether to protect Black Harlequin and instead might be whether to protect the mafia boss.

 

[Lord Liaden]

The Black Harlequin has to be one of the nastiest villains in the Champions Universe in terms of motivation' date=' methods, and sheer bloody-mindedness. His "escapades" usually result in bloody carnage among innocents (who don't get the joke). When not confined he is a deadly threat to everyone. Champions Universe superheroes must place a high value on locking him up and keeping him that way. But not everyone is so even-keeled about dealing with mass-murdering "lunatics". Imagine someone with a lot of money and influence in the Underworld, like a Mafia boss, decided he wanted to rid the world of him forever. Perhaps it is revenge for an "escapade" that hurt someone or something important to him, or perhaps it is his own strange form of "public service". Whatever his reasoning, there is now a bounty of a million dollars (or maybe more) to be paid out to whoever can prove conclusively that the Black Harlequin has died at their hands. This could create a situation similar the classic film M, where both sides of the law hunt the monster with different plans in mind for his fate. The PCs, if this is a roughly four-color game, will want to capture him and get him somewhere where nobody can reach him to collect the bounty. Every hit man and street vigilante in town is after him so they can kill him, either for the money or for the satisfaction of ending his murderous career. Meanwhile the Harlequin himself is blissfully unaware of all these goings on and busily plotting a new, grand "escapade" that could make him very rich and a lot of other people very dead. How does this play out in an adventure. Could even the staunchest Codes against Killing hold true in the face of this situation?[/quote']

 

 

The problem with an open bounty is anyone with a desire for a million dollars might try to claim it, and the first person to try their hand at it just by law of averages not likely to be the person most likely to be able to get the job done. So BH's chances of surviving the first attempt are pretty decent, and after the first attempt fails he is going to be wise to the game.

 

Calling the attention of a murderous psychopath with a 25 INT is rarely healthy. So the question might not be whether to protect Black Harlequin and instead might be whether to protect the mafia boss.

Excellent point, and a wonderful potential twist to the plot.

[steriaca]

I forgot one other charater...

 

Paradox Timely: Basicly, when our time cop views Black Harlequin is not "is it wrong to kill him", it is more "has he killed someone he is not supose to kill acording to the official time line" and "is he in danger of being killed before the official time line says he should be killed". She would try to fix it so that thoes who he shoulden't of killed, in fact do not get killed, and that he dosen't die when he shoulden't die, and the time stream continues on without change.

 

Yes, that makes her seem like a bastard (well, another word is more aproperate), but her job as time cop is not 'preventing wrongs' but 'makeing shure the time line is not out of wack'.

[Altheus]

My mob encountered a similar situation when trying to stop Black Paladin from slaughtering random civilians to power some kind of ghost ritual. The conclusion was that he goes down hard - all the big nasty killing attacks that we reserve for special occasions, the "And stay down!" practice of attacking him on the ground and making damn sure he wasn't getting up again. If he had died in the process I think we would have found that "unfortunate".

 

GMs beware, if bystanders, civilians or people we like are killed the gloves come off and whatever did it is going down. Hard.