Jump to content

Champions Universe


Marvelfan007

Recommended Posts

I like having a Package Deal/Template/Character Sheet of an Archmage to use as a guideline.

 

The Symbols/Artifacts of the office of the Archmage would help too.

 

What Pacts does the Archmage need?

 

What Allies does the Archmage have?

 

What substitutes could an Mystic/Mage use to duplicate the resources of past Archmages of Champions Earth Universe?

 

What is the history of the Archmage?

 

Who was the First Archmage?

 

How does one become the Archmage? Is there a mantle of power that is transfered from the old to the new?

 

Have there been breaks in the line of succession before?

 

Alternate Dimensions/Realities/Times versions of the Archmage exist?

 

Where to start?

 

;)

 

QM

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Most of the deaths of heroes and villains in the current published setting occured before 2002, when Champions Universe for Fifth Edition was printed. I imagine that was meant to give the setting a sense of passing history, and in this way the timeline actually does address the issue raised in this thread of supers not aging, retiring, having successors, etc. Among others, the CU is on its tenth Black Mask, third Brawler, third Meteorman, third Scarlet Archer, second Johnny Hercules...

 

It's just since 2002 that the ravages of time appear to have slowed. Much like the publication schedule (which I'm sure isn't coincidental).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like having a Package Deal/Template/Character Sheet of an Archmage to use as a guideline.

 

The Symbols/Artifacts of the office of the Archmage would help too.

 

What Pacts does the Archmage need?

 

What Allies does the Archmage have?

 

What substitutes could an Mystic/Mage use to duplicate the resources of past Archmages of Champions Earth Universe?

 

What is the history of the Archmage?

 

Who was the First Archmage?

 

How does one become the Archmage? Is there a mantle of power that is transfered from the old to the new?

 

Have there been breaks in the line of succession before?

 

Alternate Dimensions/Realities/Times versions of the Archmage exist?

 

Where to start?

 

;)

 

QM

 

Start with the background of the Archmage as described in Ultimate Mystic. Several of those issues are addressed, some briefly, others definitively; and much could be derived and extrapolated from that info.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

EDIT ALERT: In my previous post I typed "Mystic Masters" due to haste and obvious advancing senility. What I meant was that all current official info about the Archmage is in The Mystic World, for HERO 5E. Do not look for Mystic Masters for answers to your questions, as any relevant data was translated to TMW.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, QM, here's a *brief* overview of the ARchmage-related information in The Mystic World. It should answer some of your questions:

 

Mystic tradition holds that the line of Archmages began with Thanoro Azoic -- whoever, or whatever, he, she, or it was. It happend so long ago that mystics have only a name, which might be a mistake or mistranscription.

 

The line of archmages broke in Hellenistic times. The mage Thestor restored it. How? It's a secret. (That's a small joke.) Thestor's grimoire, the Krypticon, was passed from archmage to archmage with ol' Bohdan the last known owner. Presumably it got blowed up real good along with the rest of Bohdan's sanctum, but I gave a writeup of the book so there's hope yet.

 

Seven archmages came after Thestor. One, the Eternal Tulku, retired from the office. He's still alive but deeply senile most of the time. He and Bohdan are the only other named archmages. (The rest are left for you to fill in to suit the needs of your campaign.)

 

An archmage must obtain gifts of power from denizens of all four Imaginal Realms: the syncretic Heaven of Elysium, the Netherworld of all Hells, the Land of Legends, and Babylon the City of Man. OTOH, the archmage cannot be bound to any spiritual power.

 

An archmage must also know a spell called the Quaternion Banishment that provides Earth's ultimate defense against invasion from the Outer Planes.

 

Some mages actively try to become archmage, including supervillains like the Demonologist. Being evil is no disqualifier!

 

Some of Earth's most powerful mages, however, *aren't* in the running, or at least they don't seem to want the job. The Sylvestri Patriarch is obviously disqualified because he's bound to the Dragon. (Note that Demonologist isn't disqualified by his favored style of magic: He exploits demons but never sold his soul.) OTOH, Adrian Vandaleur and Doctor Yin Wu have no obvious impediment but have outlived multiple archmages.

 

Dean Shomshak

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Are you kidding? Marvel and DC seemingly kill six or seven heroes before breakfast these days, they invent them to kill them off. 

The guys who don't get killed off are the cash cows. In an RPG that's the PC's. 

 

...who get killed and brought back. 

 

Hi Jean. 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_deceased_American_comic_book_characters#Marvel_Comics

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nobody stays dead though, its like some time on vacation or a spell in the hospital.  In the Champions Universe people are kacked left and right and are just... dead.

 

And I hear the cynical jokes about character "deaths" at Marvel and DC all the time from fans. Nobody takes them seriously, because everyone expects them to be reversed or retconned in future. There's no drama to them.

 

Personally, I prefer the way the Champions Universe has handled it. Less genre-like? Maybe. But more substantive.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm trying to think of a single character that's died in the Marvel Universe and stayed dead.  Even some of the really dumb ones that were killed by Scourge during the late 80s have come back.

you may be right, I don't follow Marvel or DC much anymore. However, nothing says that Steve didn't have plans to bring someone back. 

 

So while your argument that the CU has a higher body count is, IMO off, It certainly has a lower resurrection count. 

 

Now let's see: how many of the kids who bought it in the Initiative series came back? Admittedly one kid was a clone.

Wolverine still dead?

Gwen Stacy? 

Titania I?

Red Norville?

Mandarin I?

Abomination?

Jean Grey?

Liliandra?

James Henderson?

Captain Stacy?

Air Walker I?

Mera?

Captain Marvel?

(his daughter?)

The original Red Guardian?

Porcupine?

The Executioner?

Egghead?

Thunderbird I?

Mastermind?

Unus the Untouchable?

Stature?

Wasp?

(genuinely asking, I don't know) 

 

 

 

 

On DC's side they wiped out entire universes and managed to keep them wiped out for almost 20 years. 

 

Then they rebooted again

 

And again.

 

Earth II Superman died. Dont' think the Black Lantern revival counts...unless he's still out there.

 

Lex Luthor funded a team of young supers and then turned off their powers killing most of them...I think one was a cannibal.

 

Is Barry Allen back from the dead?

 

Starman Will Peyton did he die? Can't remember.

 

Not only that, but DC wastes DNPC's like breadsticks at an Olive Garden. 

 

Ralph and Sue Dibny still deceased? 

 

The body count in the Invincible Universe has been pretty impressive. Mostly on panel and they're younger than the Champions Universe.

IMAGE also killed more characters than I can count and many died on their first appearance.

 

All said and done, I don't think the CU is particularly brutal Bronze age at worst. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They couldn't even leave Maggott dead, so I'm guessing no character concept is too stupid to revive.

 

Character concepts are a separate issue.  For example Porcupine is dead and will stay dead because other guys picked up the identity.  There's no reason to bring the original back.   Same with Union Jack.  I've got a setting I'm writing in where Lady Nemesis comments that while there are genuine returns from the dead, there aren't nearly as many as the media think because they don't know when someone else picked up the identity or the Clone Arranger created a copy or a parallel universe version paid a visit and she, herself built a robot version of her deceased father to mess with his killers.  

 

That being said does the Champions Universe timeline really have all that many deaths in it anyway?  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd have to check the source material, but in the official timeline haven't numerous heroes died facing off against Dr. Destroyer?  In the destruction of Detroit and other confrontations, I seem to remember multiple members of superteams biting the big one.   That would certainly indicate that epic comic-style fights are more lethal than we're generally used to seeing.

 

But makes sense from an rpg perspective: by building up the good Doctor's past record, a gm can really make a group of players nervous when they finally confront him themselves.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No, lots of them stay dead. They're just fringe heroes and villains.  Much like the NPC's killed in RPG's

 

The Champions Universe does mention a few more significant heroes who died and stayed dead. The CU's Superman analogue, Vanguard, is one. He was considered the world's mightiest hero from 1959 until his death at the Battle of Detroit in 1992. Earth's first StarGuard (Green Lantern Corps analogue), Brin Rei Tarn, served over 20 years before he was killed.

 

 

 

That being said does the Champions Universe timeline really have all that many deaths in it anyway?  

 

I made a quick Search of Champions Universe 6E for any specific mentions of heroes who died or were killed. This list includes only named superheroes, no supervillains or "civilians."

 

Black Mask (several killed over the centuries)

Bohdan Stanislavski (Archmage, 1908)

American Eagle (WWII - officially "disappeared in action")

Lady Lightning (WW II)

Liberator (WW II)

Swashbuckler I (WW II)

Achilles (WW II)

Comet (WW II)

Ricochet (1974)

Scarlet Shield (1974)

Kid Chameleon (1975)

Ocelot (1975)

Captain Patriot (1982 - heart attack)

Ameriforce One (five super-SEALs, 1983)

Archangel (1987 - Takofanes's first rampage)

Hardball (Takofanes)

Delphi (Takofanes)

Hyperkinetic Man (Takofanes)

Tightwire (Takofanes)

Flechette I (Takofanes)

Goldfire (Takofanes)

StarGuard (Brin Rei Tarn, 1990)

Vanguard (Battle of Detroit, 1992)

Amazing Grace (Detroit)

Crusher (Detroit)

Eclipse (Detroit)

Firefight (Detroit)

Flechette II (Detroit)

Goblin (Detroit)

Icestar (Detroit)

Johnny Hercules I (Detroit)

Nimbus (Detroit)

Radion (Detroit)

Shadowboxer (Detroit)

Swashbuckler II (Detroit)

Tiger (Detroit)

Vigil (Detroit)

Dr. Scarab (1994)

Huntsman (pre-2004)

Taiga (Russian hero, 2004 - but he actually came back) ;)

Janissary (2005 - Iraq War)

Red Ensign III (Canadian hero, 2007)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...