Lord Liaden

Honestly, Sicarius, as a Canadian, the ignorance and flippancy you display toward the status of crime in Canada makes me even less inclined to treat your screed seriously. EDIT: Dan, if that crossed the line I'll remove this post.

This is very exciting, Jason! I admire the creative ways you and the other Secret Masters try to advance Hero Games in these trying economic times. These sound like very positive strategies, particularly the sectional book concept. Detailing the unique countries on Champions Earth has long been something I wanted to see, as well as full treatment for the Institute for Human Advancement. I do have a few suggestions and recommendations, but I'll keep them to a practical minimum. I also want to offer a bit of assistance in relation to these and other projects. Regarding fictional CU countries, I compiled a summary of details about them that have appeared in several Champions books, which can be read on this forum post. It's possible that some of those details might have been overlooked. I would also request that something be done with the Central African country of Lurranga, which as I note on that list is barely mentioned in 5E and 6E books. I know Steve wrote a description of it in Justice, Not Law for 4E Dark Champions, and is probably aware that it was the setting for an adventure in the 4E version of Champions Universe, which expanded Lurranga further. There are a couple of additional details about CU Africa in the current official setting that could add depth to it. Champions Universe: News Of The World p. 154 notes that in 2007 a meteor shower spread bits of kelvarite over half the continent. The Mystic World p. 51 sidebar describes a mysterious "occult dynasty," family or cult, called the Magambo whose origins are unknown, but who have malevolent magical influence across Central Africa. (BTW I noticed a few details about the Caribbean in Cops, Crews, And Cabals and DEMON: Servants Of Darkness that might embellish Cost Azúl. Please pass on to Steve that I'd be happy to reference them when he gets around to writing that, as well as anything else I mention elsewhere. ) I have a suggestion for a future sectional book, which I would tentatively title Villains Beyond, kind of a sequel to Champions Beyond. That book names and briefly describes twenty-eight alien supervillains, sixteen enemies of the Star*Guard either free or in their prison, and twelve villains based in the Andromeda Galaxy. Details about Andromeda, and the Star*Prison, could flesh out the book even more. Finally, it would be nice to see a book dealing with and updating ARGENT, like the book being done for the IHA. If it would help, I compiled and categorized all the published info I could find on ARGENT to the thread linked in my signature, and converted it to a PDF that's in the free Downloads section of the website. It's actually considerable. Thank you and Steve again for all your efforts.

And you thought Australia had all the lethal little animals. "You wanna cross my park? There's a toll. Looks like you're packin' nuts in that pocket."

That's going to take a lot of topical fungicide to clear up.

I do get that, such unbalancing Powers have to be carefully managed. Captain Chronos is really more of a plot-device character than a foe or ally in a fight. Game-mechanically it helps that he has a Total Code vs Killing on his character sheet, and that his sheet lacks a Killing Attack option. Role-playing wise, any villain's tactics would be under GM's control; while if a "hero" allied to the Captain tried to pull a stunt like that, there would probably be some serious questions and repercussions, not least of which would be pissing off CC himself. But I do suspect Steve Long intended to introduce the potential for misuse of the Captain's tech if stolen, as a potential plot. For example, Dr. Destroyer is on his sheet as a Hunter.

Good thing he's an NPC, then. EDIT: Okay, okay, I know. But IMHO there's a solid rationalization for why Captain Chronos doesn't do that. He's trying to change the future. Every action he takes, every bit of information he gives, is carefully calculated for its impact on the time stream. The Captain isn't going to kill anyone unless and until he's sure the result won't impair his mission.

Along those lines:

The strangest manifestation of time in the CU is on Multifarian Earth. What makes Multifaria unique is that time is completely fluid there. Past, present and future can all co-exist at the same moment. Hence the name, derived from "multifarious," meaning "many and varied." For example, walking through London one can pass in a moment from the early-21st Century city, to Victorian London, to Roman Londinium, to the megalopolis of the far future; and bump into Winston Churchill, William Shakespeare, Jack the Ripper, or a reptilian tourist from the planet Mon'da. This can obviously be very disorienting for visitors, but the natives aren't discomfited by it at all. (There are more details about this world in Book Of The Empress.) However, the logical question is, how did Multifarian Earth come to be this way? The fact that the various discrete eras from more linear Earths can be distinguished amid the jumble, suggests that those eras must have existed in a normal progression at some point. My own theory, which has no official confirmation, is that this world's timeline was scrambled as a result of the cross-temporal Secret Crisis caused by Korrex the Conqueror, which I outlined on an earlier post. There's another detail about Istvatha V'han's temporal activities which could make for an interesting PC or NPC. When she prevented the planet Koratho from coming into being (as I described on an earlier post), she was unwilling to completely waste such a resource. So she captured one Korathon, a distinguished military officer, and placed him in a "time shield field" in another dimension so he wouldn't be erased with his planet. V'han subjected the Korathon to extensive brainwashing, turning him into a loyal minion. Karrl Korathon is now widely known as "the strongest man in the Empire." I used that precedent to create an NPC for one of my games, a female Korathon scientist who was experimenting with some dimensional transport equipment her people captured during Istvatha's invasion, when she accidentally cast herself out of Koratho's dimension, and eventually landed on Champions Earth. At first her people's natural aggressiveness and "machismo" led her to become a supervillain, as she sought the means to return to her home. But when she learned what had happened to them she became obsessed with vengeance against V'han, ultimately joining a rebellion movement against her rule. (I'd like the opportunity to revisit that character one day.) A plot device like that could be used to introduce one or more Korathons to anyone's Champions campaign. Korathons are humanoids who stand up to eight feet tall, with superhuman musculature, light blue skin and dark blue hair. Karrl Korathon is very nearly as tough and strong as Grond, but he's also a trained soldier. Smaller males or females, and/or those whose primary activity isn't fighting, may be less so (although all Korathons love to fight). Let me close by mentioning that BOTE also describes and writes up a fearsome monster called the Time-Beast which deliberately hunts and devours time- and dimension-travelers, and often causes disruptive changes to the time stream. Some theorize that it's an avatar or "pet" of some sort of cosmic entity, but its actions appear random.

I should deal with the example of Captain Chronos, because in some ways he appears to counter the precedents detailed above. While CC is fully written up in Champions Villains Volume Three: Solo Villains, his true origin is revealed in Book Of The Machine, detailed source book for the genocidal robot Mechanon. The Captain comes from the 61st Century, an era when the Earth is devastated and Humanity is reduced to surviving in a few domed cities. Chronos wants to alter the future just enough to prevent that disaster from happening. The way his actions are expressed in those books imply that he seeks to actually transform the world he came from by altering its past, and its inhabitants would remember only its new history, not the way it was before. But the principles I transcribed previously on this thread would seem to assert that the best he could do would be to create a new alternate version of Earth. As I see it there are two possibilities to explain the apparent contradiction. Perhaps Captain Chronos's understanding of Time is so sophisticated that he knows how to profoundly alter a specific time line without creating a new branch. His extremely carefully calculated modifications to the present day would suggest that's at least possible. The other explanation is that he doesn't understand Time as well as he thinks he does. Personally I think that's more likely, since BOTM reveals that Or, as I pointed out earlier, maybe it's different just because the Captain's creator wanted him to be part of a different story. 😇 Captain Chronos is also a fine example of how flexibly "time powers" can manifest in Hero System. Here are the Special Effects of the Captain's time Power constructs: Temporal Acceleration — Captain Chronos accelerates a person through time so rapidly the victim ages, withers, and eventually dies/collapses. Temporal Disharmony — Captain Chronos “jerks” the target backward and forward through time, stressing the target’s system to the point where he passes out. No Sleep ’Til Brooklyn — Captain Chronos rapidly accelerates the target through time for about a day, until the target is too sleepy to remain awake. Age Manipulation — Captain Chronos reverses or accelerates the flow of time around a person or object, making it younger or older. Temporal Ambush — Captain Chronos stops time throughout reality, puts a big physical object (like a rock) over his target’s head, slightly redirects an attack or moving object, or otherwise puts his target in harm’s way. Then he returns to where he was standing and starts time again. The rock falls (or the like), hurting the target. To the target and everyone else, it’s as if the rock appeared out of nowhere to fall on him! Fast Time, Slow Time Bubbles, Rapid Healing — Captain Chronos can put a person in a bubble of fast time (to make him move much more quickly, though this tires the subject out quickly) or slow time (to keep him from moving at his normal speed). He can also put someone in a bubble of fast time so they heal from their injuries in the blink of an eye. Stop Time Bubble — Captain Chronos can put the target in a bubble of stopped time, preventing him from moving or doing anything. Only people with temporal or dimensional manipulation powers can escape until Captain Chronos chooses to disperse the bubble. Rapid Transit — Captain Chronos stops time throughout reality, walks up to 60m from where he started, and then starts time again. To others, he seems to have vanished from his starting point and reappeared instantly at his destination. Walkin’ To Jerusalem — Captain Chronos stops time throughout reality, walks across Earth to get to wherever he wants to go, and then re-starts time. If he wants to cross the ocean, he selectively reverses time around Earth until he reaches the point where the continents are joined together, walks to where he wants to be, and then fastforwards time back to the present day. Gone Out For Food — Captain Chronos stops time throughout reality, walks to whatever restaurant he feels like eating at, starts time so he can get something to eat, then reverses time and walks back to where he was. He often brings food back to his friends, keeping it in a stop time bubble so it remains fresh: “I sure could go for some Greek food,” Defender said. ::Captain Chronos gets up:: “One second....” ::Captain Chronos doesn’t appear to move, but suddenly there’s a basket of food in his hand:: “Here, I got this from this great little place I know in Athens — in 1869.”

Over on the Champions Online discussion forums, I outlined what I was able to glean about the principles of time travel within the CU based on statements and examples in various books. Perhaps this is an appropriate place and time to transcribe that info. I'd just like to stress that some of the assumptions I make below are only extrapolated from the available examples, and can't be considered definitive statements from the creators of those examples. Also, as I always say, this is a comic-book world. The needs of a given story, or what would be "fun" to play out, often supersede adherence to precedent. Let me open with a brief outline of the nature of Time from Book Of The Empress pp. 23-24, dealing with Istvatha V'han, perhaps the most accomplished time-traveler in the Multiverse: "According to her perceptions, as influenced by the research conducted by her scientists, there’s a single overall Stream Of Time that applies throughout the Multiverse... but each dimension’s “branch” of the overall Stream “runs” at its own speed. In some dimensions (such as two or more alternate Earths), time flows along at nearly the same rate, with the same events happening at more or less the same time. But in other planes time moves faster, or slower, or “curves” in unusual ways... However, again according to her perceptions, every branch of the Stream Of Time has chronal nodes — dates/events/incidents of such importance that their outcome can affect the future flow of time by splitting off a new “branch” of the Stream (and thus creating a new dimension in the process). The typical events in the life of a typical person don’t create or involve chronal nodes; they can be changed by time travelers without affecting the overall flow of time in any meaningful way. But events of great significance, or the actions of extremely important persons, are/create chronal nodes. Interfering with a chronal node thus can “change history” going forward from that point. Some chronal nodes are very specific and discrete — such as whether a certain person does or does not cross a certain street at a certain time. But others are very “broad,” such as whether a particular war is fought and who wins it. (Some scientists consider the latter merely a large collection of specific chronal nodes, rather than a single large node; research is ongoing.)" What I believe is implied by those statements is that it's possible for someone whose life and the events in it don't form a "chronal node" to go back in time and change those events for him/herself without causing a new branch of the Time Stream to form. Hence for everyone in that branch those changes would become the "new reality" which has always been that way. However, if a node is meddled with, rather than changing that branch, a new one is formed creating another "alternate" universe. One example of the former case may be Istvatha V'han herself. In meddling with the past of her own home dimension, V'ha-1, for her benefit, V'han discovered she had inadvertently erased her own family from having ever existed, even though she continued to exist and V'ha-1 was mostly unchanged otherwise. As to the second case, interfering with chronal nodes seems to be the M.O. of another time-traveling conqueror, Korrex, a Human and ruler of Earth of the 51st Century (who is fully described in Golden Age Champions). Korrex travels to a past era of Terrestrial history, conquering it and creating a new alternate Earth dimension. Korrex sets one of his followers to govern that new Earth, then moves on to another era. OTOH not all dimensions have alternates like Earth or V'ha. Istvatha's scientists call those which do "keystone dimensions," but the majority of dimensions are unique. So changes to time in those may actually alter those singular dimensions without creating alternates. The fate of the dimension containing the planet Koratho may be illustrative of that. The Korathons were all immensely physically superhuman. When V'han's armies attempted to conquer their dimension, the Korathons crushed them. Istvatha was concerned that now they knew about other dimensions, the Korathons would eventually invade her own empire; so she traveled back to before Koratho coalesced into a planet, and prevented it from doing so. There's no indication that any alternate version of Koratho exists. Istvatha V'han has taken steps to secure her empire from interference by other time travelers. Her Temporal Security Patrol (officers of whom are called "Temporal Sentinels") use imperial technology to monitor the timeline in search of unauthorized time travelers, possible undesired changes to imperial history, and the like. They’re also in charge of overseeing all imperial time travel technology (and related devices) and authorizing trips to the future or past by imperial personnel. Otherwise, there is no official body of "time police" maintaining the integrity of Time across the Multiverse. However, Time is not simply a condition that can be infinitely molded at will, as noted on p. 40 of Champions Beyond, which describes the "space/cosmic" side of the CU: "The cosmic entity Chrono controls/is responsible for the orderly flow of Time and existence of Space. He ensures that one second keeps ticking after another, that galaxies and universes continue their cosmic pirouettes, and that the dimensions of the Multiverse remain in their proper place. In short, he’s the one who makes sure that all moments in time do not occur simultaneously (or in incorrect order) and that all places and objects do not occupy the same space at once. Chrono has complete control over time — he can travel through it, reverse it, speed it up, and otherwise alter it as necessary to fulfill his duties. It’s thought that he keeps a close eye on time travelers and covertly steps in to stop them if their activities become too dangerous... Chrono rarely interacts with other beings (cosmic or otherwise). When his work would require that, he usually sends a proxy: his servant (child? ally? alternate form? projection?) Entropus, sometimes referred to as “the Time Elemental.” As long as Chrono/Entropus is allowed to do his job properly, not even superheroes are likely to become aware of his existence. But if something goes wrong — for example, if another cosmic entity or a crazed supervillain... attacks him, or he gets “sick” — all of Reality is in danger." [CB then describes a couple of examples in which this occurred.] It's tough to say at what point Chrono/Entropus might intervene with meddling in time, but precedents for these cosmic beings suggest it may have to be something that effects entire universes or multiple dimensions. Even then, though, setting it right may require intervention by superheroes. One outstanding example is the so-called "Secret Crisis," described as "a war across space and time involving almost all the heroes who had ever existed or will exist," precipitated by the aforementioned Korrex stealing the power of Entropus and becoming a time "god." The heroes managed to overload Korrex's power, causing him to discorporate. (Korrex survived and subsequently recovered, returning to his previous activities.) It would seem that Istvatha V'han's meddling in time isn't extensive enough to draw Chrono's ire... unless some of her failures, or even her successes, could be attributed to his influence. (That's not official, mind you.) 😉

Interesting. I would have assumed that would make unions fight even harder to secure protections for their members.

Unfortunately, some strains of populism and distrust of authority have leaked over the Canada-US border, although only a small fringe have embraced them wholeheartedly. Even more unfortunately, certain politicians are playing with those strains to benefit their own agendas.

I wouldn't say we necessarily view films, in general, differently. We just have differing perceptions and expectations of these. Helps keep life interesting.

That's from The Valdorian Age p. 143, expanding on the history of the Colossus of Elweir. The Colossus was actually raised by the Turakian Age wizard Lanarien, who led a group of refugees from Aarn in three ships to try to escape the cataclysm wracking the world in the wake of Takofanes' fall. "The magics Lanarien wrought to protect these refugees were powerful almost beyond measure — so powerful they bent time and space around the three ships. Lanarien transported them across numberless millennia until the world calmed itself." But the world they found themselves in was changed and ruined, and civilization had collapsed. The text mentions that Lanarien's magic was "vastly weakened" in this era, but it's unclear whether he could have gone back in time if it wasn't, or even if he wanted to. Lanarien left the refugees on the coast of Abyzinia, then wandered the world in despair. He used much of his remaining magic to raise the Colossus as a monument to his grief and a warning to Men of the future, but his final fate is unrevealed. So according to this history, at some time during TA magic was discovered that could carry people at least forward in time. The effect sounds similar to the Einsteinian time-dilation effect of accelerating a mass toward the speed of light. That's also similar to how the Lemurians survived the later Atlantean cataclysm, by using a mighty Clockwork Engine to freeze Lemuria in a moment in time untouchable by the global upheaval, until it had passed and the Earth had settled down. (See Hidden Lands for details.) They're both examples of one-way trips; but they leave a potential escape open for characters from the future who end up in VA or other eras without the ability to return on their own.

Hmm... I see your concern. As a GM, my biggest problem would be with the Arcane Shield. Don't get me wrong, I've allowed Damage Reduction which Costs END into Compound Powers and Power Frameworks -- heck, I've used it myself on occasion. But both Physical and Energy DR in a Compound Power with multiple other types of Defense which don't normally cost END feels a little too munchkiny. I would prefer that the DR be replaced with more PD/ED so it at least is consistent. The Incipient Lich construct strikes me as more in the realm of plot device or Radiation Accident, since by the text the character would not receive any benefit from it for years after death, effectively taking her out of the campaign. I wouldn't require points to be paid for that, just agreement with the player that we would act on it if and when the campaign gets to that point. I would wonder why the character "must always appear aloof, distant and mysterious," and would want to know how you see this impacting her life enough to count as a Complication. I'd prefer "Secretly pines for love" be a Psychological Complication rather than a Vulnerability to Seduction. I get what you're trying to achieve, but in most cases it's going to come into play as part of role-playing, or a modifier to Charm or Persuasion or the like. OTOH I'd be willing to consider a separate Vulnerability to Seduction-type Presence Attacks, since that mechanic would fit better with Vulnerability.

We all know the esteem that lawyers are held in by the public. And police wonder why the public distrusts them? But lawyers don't primarily defend other lawyers. They don't bargain or threaten for what they want, they submit arguments to a third party who decides the outcome. And lawyers aren't given the authority to enforce the law, to employ force against other citizens. It's not that it would be nice if police did the right thing; it's imperative for the long term benefit of both the public and themselves to do the right thing, at least in the face of overwhelming evidence as with this case. Police want to govern themselves, but if they can't demonstrate they're willing to take responsibility then they don't deserve to govern themselves.

Oh, sorry. What I meant was that radiation exists in both the real universe and the Champions Universe. It has essentially the same properties in both. But in the latter it can also function differently, and it can do more. The Cosmic Gems channel great cosmic power, and if we accept my theory that said power is fundamental to scientific laws, then they should continue to do that independently of ambient magic. They grant powers to someone in contact with them... in the Champions Universe. Is that quality also independent of magic? Not necessarily. For all we know that might not even be their intended function, assuming they were deliberately created. Let me give you another example: the supervillains Warcry and Howler (Champions Villains Vol. 1 and 3 respectively) gained superhuman vocal powers from technological communication devices from the alien Hzeel implanted into their throats. A superhero, Dr. Vox, also acquired sonic powers after exposure to a burst of energy from Howler's device. (Dr. Vox is written up in Champions Universe: News Of The World.) That's certainly not what those devices were made to do, although one can see the thematic connection. The potential scope of their capabilities was expanded, almost certainly due to the probability-altering effect of magic.

As you say, to each their own, and I can't call any of your objections unreasonable. For my part, 1) Some of the dialogue was cringe-worthy, but I give full credit to the cast for selling their lines with conviction. 2) Many snippets from Rodan's appearances were indeed in the trailer, along with other bits I would have preferred they not reveal in advance. However, seeing the whole 'plane chase in sequence, with Bear McCreary's driving Rodan theme, made it my favorite scene in the movie. 3) Mothra's appearances were few, but when she was on screen she made quite an impact. And she proved crucial to the plot. 4) I didn't miss Ghidorah's Toho cackle at all. I always found it silly and undercutting to him as a serious menace. 5) We didn't get to see Washington being destroyed, but Boston was pretty thoroughly trashed on screen, and that Mexican town was utterly flattened by Rodan. I would have liked to see more, but I was satisfied. "The best kaiju films" is kind of a self-defining category. Aside from the very first Gojira, all of them have featured varying helpings of clumsy plot, thin characterization, clunky dialogue and lame humor. Without the kaiju most of them would be mediocre in those areas. And this is coming from a fan.

Personally, I've yet to be disappointed by Legendary's "Monsterverse" movies. By several of the standards of general film making they could definitely have been better, but they gave me plenty of what I go to movies like these for: awesome looking giant monsters in awesome fights.

Precedent-wise, it might not be that big a stretch.

Sounds like what I say when my computer crashes.

Honestly, on a planet with super-genius biologists, plain ol' coronavirus would probably be much less of a problem. So adding a supernatural element would go a long way to explain how it could get so out of hand.

Warning: Flashing light may provoke epileptic seizure. But still cool.

The longer the GOP allow Trump's lapdogs to have a yard to yap from, the longer Trump will be an albatross around their necks. Yes, they'll take a hit in support from his followers in the short term, but they'll have at least two years to rebrand. In the meantime they'll want to minimize Trump's name being raised in a positive context. Right now Donnie is sulking in his Florida tent like an overripe orange Achilles, scared of the prosecutorial vultures circling him. His social media outlets have been muzzled. If the same can be done to his allies, most of his base appear to have a short attention span. Without those constant reminders of their cult leader, they'll start to drift away.