Highwayman

Re: Ultimate Wonder Twins The gods are dying. The tyrannical rulers of planet Exor have banned the worship of the Old Gods, and without it, they are passing from existence, one by one. In desperation, the outlawed sorcerer-priests come up with a plan: They will bind the last surviving gods to mortal forms, to allow them to be survive until the day their temples can be rebuilt once more. A pair of twins have been prepared since birth to receive The Twins: The Lady of the Animals and the Lord of the Waters. When they touch and repeat the sacred phrases, they will be able to use a fraction of their deity’s powers. The ritual is performed, and the High Priest Gleek uses the last fading energies of the spell to transfer his mind into a monkey, since in the myths The Twins were always accompanied by a monkey. The cult smuggles all three to Earth, partially because government troops are closing in and partially because, in the myths, The Twins journeyed to a strange land to battle powerful evils. The twins are unsure of their new powers, but they had been taught since birth that they were destined to fight evil and protect the innocent, so that is what they are determined to do. Gleek plays the comic relief, but works to covertly steer the twins into situations that match the old myths. The more they act out the myths of the gods, the more powerful they become, and the more the gods’ personalities come to the surface; prideful, vengeful, capricious, contemptuous of mortal law and morality. Perhaps the rulers of Exor were wise to want to be rid of the gods…

Re: What happened to seeker?? I wonder if Foxbat might try and "correct" this situation by kidnapping Shugoshin, strapping him down, and subjecting him to a constant barrage of Paul Hogan and Sho Kosugi movies.

Re: Help: UNHQ moves to Millennium City On the other side of the equation, the U.N. and New York City periodically get into angry arguments over diplomats’ unpaid parking tickets. If, say, a supervillain attack were to render the current building unusable at the same time that dispute flares up again, the U.N. delegates might be more receptive to an offer from MC. Of course, then MC would have to deal with the problems that come from having hundreds and hundreds of diplomats roaming around.

Re: Dark Champions in Champs Universe? Maybe more of a "balance of mystic forces." If the world's going to have a bright, shiny Millennium City, it needs a dark, gritty Hudson City too. Fate or the universe or what have you subtly arranges things so four-color types flock to one and stay away from the other. Champions-Dark Champions crossover idea: A powerful mystic villain sets out to make Hudson City a happier, shinier place, in order to upset the balance of he universe and wreak havoc.

Re: Tiger Squad Uniforms? And it doesn't hurt the sales of their merchandising, which is of course made in factories owned by the Chinese army.

Re: Ideal Gloating Guffaw? Yeah, I find the high-pitched, schoolgirl giggle a good indicator that you're facing someone who's gone completely 'round the bend, who has seen things no human being should and is desperately eager to share the experience with you. Either that, or a schoolgirl.

Um, the Klan and the Knights of Colombus are two very different organizations. The Knights are a Catholic fraternal order formed because the church didn't allow Catholics to join the Masons. I've never heard of it being involved in anything violent. Also, the Klan didn't really move north until the '20s. In fact, I think it was pretty much dead in the South by the turn of the century, since by that time it had more or less accomplished what it had set out to do. Finally, if you want to go the multi-ethnic route for your group, this could work: Some menace is hopscotching across the city, attracting the attention of several gangs/vigilante groups. The leaders meet up in the course of their investigations, and agree to work together for the duration. Their actions attract the attention of Roosevelt, who then calls on them as a group for future problems. He also brings in outsiders like Masterson, who bind the group together further.

Have to admit, this is providing some good source material for megalomaniac ranting. Reading this thread, I thought of this argument: “Destroyer? Yes, they do call me that, and it does fit. But remember, the warrior tribes that overthrew the Roman Empire were also called ‘destroyers,’ yet we owe everything to them. Imagine, if you will, a world where the corruption and stagnation of last years of Rome had been allowed to continue indefinitely. Not a pretty picture, is it? But, of course, I am no mere barbarian. Imagine if those tribes had one leader, a man of transcendent genius capable to building a new, better order on the ruins of the old. Look what Western civilization has accomplished since then, and imagine what it could have accomplished without a thousand-year struggle with chaos and ignorance. Now imagine that, happening now. That is what I offer.†“You may join me in creating this brave new world, or go the way of the Romans. The choice is yours.â€

I see DEMON as evil with a capital E. Given a choice, a DEMON member will always choose the path that maximizes the suffering of others, even when it seems to go against their best interests, because their real best interest is to sow as much chaos and corruption as possible in order to pave the way for their masters. I think that would be the guiding principle for how they interact with the PCs and the rest of the world. I also see them as deeply, deeply weird. Since they ultimately serve beings that even most mystics don’t understand, sometimes orders will come down from the Inner Circle that don’t make any sense. A list of dark, strange things for them to do, like leaving a goat heart on every grave in town with the letter L on the tombstone, would be a nice touch. Maybe it could be part of a grand plot, or maybe it's just Tuesday.

I could easily see both groups making common cause. Of course, there's also likely to be homophobic mutants and mutaphobic homosexuals who would object. Maybe they would make trouble, or be manipulated into making trouble. If something does go wrong, DEMON could see it as a stroke of good luck for them and use it to advance their plans. Maybe they could use the disorder as cover for something they have to do, or they could have some mystical use for all the negative emotions generated. Since they'd be improvising to take advantage of the situation while it lasts, it would be the perfect chance for them to slip up and give the PCs some clues about their ultimate plan.

Makes sense. Plus, for VIPER extortion and drug smuggling are just what they do to raise money for the latest doomsday device. For the Mob, it's all they do. I see VIPER going for the high profit, quick money rackets, while the Mob can take lower profile stuff and still make a profit because they're specialized. Besides, all those Hudson City crimefighters need something to do. I also think the VIPER sourcebook mentions that VIPER was a bit distracted during the fall of the Soviet Union and missed the opportunity to move in. Makes sense the Organzitia would have filled in the vacuum. It also means there's likely one hell of a turf war going on. Asian organized crime would probably fall into both catagories. Some gangs would have wirefightin' warriors and cyberninjas battling on the streets, while the others quietly go about their business.

Space is big, and a thousand years is a long time. Whatever the "official" answer turns out to be, there's plenty of room in there for lone survivors and small splinter groups to do whatever you want in your campaign before they vanish from history. Just had a thought for a Galatic Champions enemy: A small group of Star*Guard refugees are stranded on a violent, backward planet where they and their decendants are forced to become brutal warlords just to survive. A thousand years later, those decendants take up their now repowered, perhaps supercharged staffs and lead their armies out for revenge on the galaxy that abandoned them.

OK, this has been bugging me. Anyone know what the hell a Rosanjin scholar is?

I would imagine an organization like Star*Guard would have seriously inconvenienced any number of powerful interstellar governments over the years, and that they would have been glad for the opportunity to get rid of them when their powers vanished. Maybe a few survivors go underground to keep the flame alive, secretly aiding the forces of good while all the while waiting for the moment when their staves start glowing again...

32.) TV naturalist Steve Irwin is missing after going to investigate reports of an unknown species of giant snake in central Africa. As it turns out, the “snakes†were escapees from Dr. Moreau’s labs, and Steve’s stumbled over a VIPER experimental station. The only thing keeping him from a date with the good doctor is that his fearless snake handling has won him something of a following in the VIPER rank and file, and some of the higher ups want to take a shot at recruiting him. To that end, a squad has been sent to grab his wife and daughter, who are visiting relatives in the campaign city… (Steve's possible stats were discussed here.)

No, no, no! It was the British royal family behind it! Everybody knows they control the international drug trade. adn why else was Mr. Union jack there, tearing up the city? They're throwing it in our faces! I hear there were UNTIL black hovercraft all over the place afterwards.

Dear God NO! Now who will tell us how to make collect calls? Who can stop this madness?

Holloweenesque... 24.) "What, so your saying some of our fearless VIPER comrades dug up some kind of shapeshifting alien in a flying saucer in the Arctic? I don't buy it, but why don't we ask the new guy? He just transfered down from Ice Station; nice guy, quiet though. Oh wait, he wants to talk to you alone..."

21.) The local Nest Leader shows up at the PC’s HQ, claiming a group of hardcore snake cultists staged a coup and took over the Nest. To celebrate, they’re planning a wave of senseless violence to “dedicate the city to the Great Viper.†He says he knows how to stop them, but won’t tell unless the PCs’ let him go to regain control of the Nest afterwards. “I may be a criminal, but at least I’m sane. Who would you rather deal with?â€

15) The PC’s get a tip that a startup biotech firm has obtained a sample of previously unknown alien DNA, and that Telios is sending his clone troops to steal it. However, in the midst of the battle with the clones in the company HQ, VIPER agents start popping up and shooting at everyone! The company is actually a VIPER front and the DNA a fiction. The goal was to capture the clones, in the hopes that the study of live specimens can yield some of Telios’ secrets. To cover up the abduction, the agents plan to destroy the buildings (and the PCs) with a device that leaves traces pointing to one of the PCs as the cause of the destruction. Alternatively, if you’ve got some NPC heroes you want to get rid of, the PCs could come in afterward. Then they would have to solve the mystery while protecting the comatose last survivor of the NPC team from Telios’ vengeance and a VIPER cleanup squad.

No need to imagine, I've been there. As far as mentalists go, in an instant they can learn things about a person that it would take most people years to find out. Since their first impression is so much deeper, it must have a profound affect on how they deal with people. They would also be getting 24-hour, instant, and completely honest feedback from everyone around them about everything they do and say. The privileged, charismatic, and good looking could end up with megalomania, while the ugly, unpopular, and victims of prejudice could end up with a desperate need to please or bitterly reject the entire human race. Or a mentalist could swing between the extremes, acting more and more arrogant when things are going well until the negative feedback from those around him sends him crashing back into “need to please†mode.

Real Estate FOR SALE BY OWNER - 73-story downtown office tower. LOS to 80% of city, including Justice Force HQ. Barracks, hangars, deathtraps, plasma cannon, luxury penthouse w/pleasure grotto, nanotechnology lab. Some superhero damage, minor nanite infestation. Any reasonable offer.

I don’t think I’d go for that. All in all, I’m in a pretty good place now, and I’d be scared of messing that up. Besides, if I corrected all my old mistakes, past-me would probably just go off and make new ones anyway. But I would say yes to the gambling and investments, then take the money uptime for a little medical tuneup. After that, I think I might just keep going forward for a while. The past would be nice to see, but I’m really curious what happens next. I’d love to see what kind of screwed-up theories historians will have come up with about the 20th century a few thousand years from now, or what this planet will look like in a few million.

and now, dwarves Long ago, there were two dwarven brothers. One, Furan, was a great craftsman, who won praise far and wide for his work. But that praise ate at the heart of his brother, Gibur, who had none of Furan’s talent. Finally, out of jealousy, he called on dark forces to give his skill and craftsmanship to surpass all other dwarves. In exchange, he offered his own brother in sacrifice. From that day forward, he was the greatest craftsman in the kingdom, surpassing even his brother, and he gloried in his newfound fame. But his brother hadn’t died, not really. Furan’s surprise at being alive was soon replaced by terror when he realized that food gave him no nourishment, and drink could not slake his thirst. Finally, dying in truth and more than half-mad, he received a vision of a forge, a forge with an all-consuming black flame. Guided by his vision, he built the forge, and when he was done, he threw his own tools into the flame. As they were utterly consumed, he could feel his hunger ease. Soon, he learned that the greater the care and skill put into the things he fed the flame, the longer his hunger would be slaked. Weapons that should have outlived generations, tools that should have outlived clans, stone carvings that should have outlived the mountains themselves all disappeared forever into the flame of his hunger. It could not go on. He was discovered, and beset by the greatest warriors and sorcerers of the kingdom. By that time, he had discovered he could become invisible, pass as a mist, and had powers of decay and destruction. He used them to kill many of these heroes, but in the end he was cast down, and brought alive before the clan fathers. He told them his story, and they passed judgment. Furan and Gibur were cast into Gibur’s workshop, which was forever sealed behind adamantine walls. They are said to be there still; Gibur creating works of craft so beautiful as to make the heart weep for joy, and then watching Furan consume them. Every dwarven child knows this story. Most take it as the warning it is. Some don’t believe it at all. But sometimes, a desperate and evil dwarf will see the story as a guide. And another zaruk will be born.

In the Monsters, Minions, and Marauders thread, someone brought up the idea of tailoring monsters around the fears and concerns of other races, specifically coming up with a vampire that would scare an elf. I was thinking about that, and I came up with a couple of ideas. I haven’t done stats and exact powers so they can be customized, not because I’m feeling lazy. These are based more or less on the standard Tolkien/D&D interpretations of these races; your mileage may vary. If I’ve duplicated something out of fiction or gaming, I apologize. The uvanmia is thought to be a demon loosed from hell specifically to torment the elves in revenge for some long-ago defeat of a demon lord by an elven hero. No one knows what its form is, as it is said no one had ever seen one face-to-face and lived, but the tales tell of fierce teeth and claws, thick hide, and a gaze that can freeze the bravest man. By night, it can fly in the form of mist and shadow, and it is in that form it takes its victims. Those victims are left withered, disfigured, crippled, and without magic, but not dead. Even as the creature drains their beauty and grace it magically chains their souls to their bodies, so even violence and magic cannot kill them. The only way to end the curse and restore the victims is to destroy the demon, which is clever, powerful, rarely strikes in the same place twice, and can only be killed by one specific, obscure means.