Thunderbolts, Hero Style!

[Enforcer84]

Okay, so if you decided to run a "Thunderbolts" style game, taking second teer supervillains and having them either masquerade or actually try to turn themselves around...who would you use in the Hero Universe? If you had access to both 4th & 5th editions to the universe?

 

I've done this although they never thought to change their names and appearances...doh! And the villains in the BBB were perfect, since they were starting point characters (and no Mechanon was not on the team) but others have the background and or enough plot points that it would be feasible.

 

Lady Blue

Blue Jay

Mongoose

Ogre

Signal Ghost

Riptide

Cateran

Cyclone

Torment

 

Anyone else?

Cyclone is smart but its too bad there isn't a "Fixer" type that could be convinced to go along. Although with Blue Jay, Lady Blue, and Cyclone they might be able to whip some neato gear up...

[levi]

I would choose...

 

Team Alpha

Utility / Mr. Fixit: New gadgets for all members!

Mongoose / Shatterfist: The team's first victory would be an assault on the Coil.

Riptide / Waverunner: Now creates solid water creatures with a new gadget from Util...I mean Mr. Fixit.

Icicle / Snow Angel: Add some ice-based light refraction powers and anti-grav wings.

Torment / Psion: Mr. Fixit's Brainband keeps the pain away and enhances Psion's powers.

Hideous / Musclebound: Wears an image inducer to make him look like a romance novel cover boy.

 

Plot device: Utility reads an interview with the PCs team leader where he is made out to be a tremendous tactician. Utility builds Team Alpha to show up the do-gooder. Utility wants to use the team to embarass the PC Team by staging fights with drugged or paid off opponents that the PCs have been beaten by and showing up to clean up any bad situations the PCs find themselves in. Team Alpha will gladly handle the Press, while the battered PCs lick their wounds. Of course the city falls in love with the new Heroes in Town. Can the PCs figure out the truth before Utility finds a way to take advantage of his newly found popularity?

[Supreme Serpent]

Well, Lady Blue IS a hero already, so leave her out.

 

Established characters off the top of my head:

 

Icicle (young enough to try again)

Esper (finally starts to "grok" humanity, understand right vs wrong)

Hideous (some therapy and plastic surgery & he'd be fine)

Utility (why not get thrills vs. villains instead? )

FOXBAT!!!!!!!

 

Though I think most players would prefer to make their own. But if you're going to have it as an NPC group, by all means.

[TheQuestionMan]

But how to GM it ?

 

I loved that Comic and the story was good . The concept works well and the SuperVil ... uhm I mean Heroes are excellent choices , but how to GM it without giving away the plot ... hmmm ... need chocolate chip cookies to think ... hmm ... mmmhuh ... (smacks lips) . No nothing yeeeet , more cookies ... munch munch ...

 

Anything ? , anybody ?

[Lord Liaden]

I would go the route used for the Flashmen in the old Champs supplement Allies: the "heroes" talk a good game, but do their best to avoid actually doing anything dangerous. They always have a plausible excuse as to why they were unable to help with a particular crisis. They're adept at showing up after the real heroes save the day, making it look like they were the ones who did it and taking the credit. They might even pay thugs or other villains to commit crimes (perhaps using their other identities to make the arrangements), then "luckily" show up to foil them.

 

The real heroes would know that the fakes are running a scam, but are unable to prove it. Mind you, it would help if the fake heroes have enough genuine power and skill to actually handle a crisis if faced with one. If they're not totally reprehensible characters they might even really help people in need from time to time, as long as the risk is low enough.

[Tom McCarthy]

Redeemed by my heroic striving

 

In my campaign, Foxbat fixated on the hero who thwarted him and was considering reforming to be his heroic sidekick when the hero died (well, seriously comatose and given over to "top men", anyway).

 

It's surprisingly easy to sneak him onto a hero team, especially if the timings right (like a player guest-GMing a story arc). A quick name change, costume change, and a heroic introduction (say, foiling a bank robbery), and he's in like Flynn. He's goofy, fun, more than capable of handling himself, doesn't step on any toes (not the best MA, not the best EP, not the fastest flier, etc.).

[Lord Liaden]

Indeed, just looking at his character sheet Foxbat is surprisingly competent and versatile, and could be an asset to any team... until he wigs out with one of his crazy notions. The reactions by his teammates when they realize just who they've taken to their bosom would be priceless.

[Tom McCarthy]

Alas, I have not yet (and may never) enjoy the payoff when the players recognize (strikes dramatic Kirby pose) "The Cannoneer".

 

But yes, if and when it happens, it should be priceless.

[Vanguard00]

Well, I don't know that I'd use established villains, but if I did I'd certainly let the players choose them (and modify their backgrounds slightly).

 

That being said, I have run one and only one "villains turned heroes" campaign in my day, and it went well for the short time we did it. I might do it again...

 

Anyway, some of the plot came from "Suicide Squad" with a bit of "Silver Sable"/"Power Man & Iron Fist" thrown in. The villains are already incarcerated for extreme sentences. Their particular skills/personalities led the authorities to believe they'd be good participants for an experiment: reduced sentences for hazardous duty.

 

The villains are "broken out" of prison and given everything they need to track down and defeat the mastermind of choice. The government has plausible deniability for their involvement, and the villains are 'monitored' using implants...which will conveniently explode if they go outside mission parameters.

 

Through the course of the adventure the villains defeated the target villain group, the 'government' agency was revealed to be a treasonous black ops division, the villains destroyed the implant-controlling devices and, thanks to some accidental good press, decided to go mercenary. They changed their names and hired out for a variety of jobs, but only those that didn't violate their "parole". The REAL government let the paroles stand since they didn't want the incident to get out, and the villains began the slow road to herodom.

 

We didnt' get far, only a few adventures, before moving on to another campaign, but things were going well. Of the entire group (of six) only two were "established" villains: Howler and Utility.

[Rechan]

Who's Mongoose?

[Lord Liaden]

Mongoose is a swashbuckling martial artist last seen in the 4th Edition Champions villain collection Classic Enemies. He ran afoul of the Coil (snake-themed villain organization) and likes to hassle them, apparently in such a manner as to draw the attention of the police.

 

I don't believe Mongoose has been reincarnated for the 5E CU yet.

[levi]

Mongoose was almost a Dark Champions Character in that he would foil a Coil bank robbery and keep some of the money for himself, to fund his war v. Coil.

 

He was a great Villan to use because the players almost all like the guy and sympathize with him even though their characters can't condone his actions.