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Even when that person is making a valid point? I must have missed that one in the FAQ section. My argument stands.

According to no less an authority than Bob Kane, in his book Batman And Me, Batman's early use of firearms was not well received: He goes on to say that after that story DC imposed its own 'comics code' which forbade, among other things, killing villains. Actually--it isn't. Because if you can justify killing one person for their crimes--or whatever other "valid" reason you can conceive--why not ten persons? Or a hundred? Or a thousand? Or a millon? Or maybe even six million. The Germans did not justify the Holocaust, the systematic extermination of the Jews, by saying "Because We Can!" although that was ultimately their reason for it. They presented an entire laundry list of crimes and conspiriacies that the Jews were supposedly responsible for, and that it was absolutely necessary to kill them in order to preserve the German way of life as interpreted and practiced by the Nazi leadership. Those who planned and carried out the Holocaust were as convinced of the rightness of their actions as the prosecutor who seeks the death penalty for a murder suspect--as the jury who votes to convict--as the same jury who votes to execute--as the governor who fails to act to preserve the convict's life--as the prison staff who straps the convict into the execution apparatus--as the politicians and pundits who argue that the convict's death was necessary to preserve our way of life. But what if the suspect in question was falsely convicted? How right would our action to kill him be then? And even if he was guilty of murder, would we still be justified in taking his life, no matter how careful or just our deliberations? Because in the end we, our society, for our own carefully considered reasons, are making the same decision the murderer made, for his own carefully considered reasons--to end the life of another. And if the murderer's decision to end another's life was wrong, no matter what his reasons or justifications, then how can our society's decision to end his life be right? Legal or otherwise, the justification to end another's life comes down to one ultimate rationale--that the murderer, or our society (as interpreted by the law), for whatever reason, grants himself--or we grant ourselves--the power to do so. In other words, we kill Because We Can. The reason we have laws, the reason we organize ourselves into a civilized society, is to make better lives for ourselves. How can we do that if we make the same decisions, if we lower ourselves to the level of those who seek to do us harm? Aren't we supposed to be better than that? Aren't Superheroes supposed to be better than that? After all, they represent the high ideal that tremendous physical power and prowess can be used to benefit the greater good for all, not just the selfish ends of one person or one group. Superheroes do not exert their powers for themselves and say, "Because I Can!" They exert their powers in the service of others and say, "Because It's The Right Thing To Do!" How can they serve this better ideal if they act the same as those who serve only their own ends--those who seek to do worse? Finally, consider this--throughout our history, humanity has always operated under the premise that society would be better if we were to remove, by whatever means serve, the so-called "undesirables." Purges, pogroms, witch hunts, massacres, ethnic cleansings, lynchings, vigilante violence, holocausts, wars, crusades, jihads, and much much more are among the examples of ths mindset in horrendous effect. Tell me something--has it ever worked? Then maybe we need to try something different--something better.

People have said for centuries that Love is the most powerful force there is--so theoretically a superheroic avatar of love could be cosmically powerful, right up there with the Silver Surfer and the Shooter/Windsor-Smith version of Solar, Man of the Atom. Solar himself could be considered an avatar of Science--its insatiable curiosity, its ability to redefine the universe as we know it, and its tremendous potential for benefit or catastrophe.

The Bureau of Advanced Science, Technology, & Associated Research & Development. This agency does not know, or care, what its parent agency is, and behaves despicably towards all other agencies.

CONGRATULATIONS! Now maybe you'll consider a hardcover Champions book, with a full-color cover illustration of the original Guardians team--Flare, Rose, Icestar, Marksman, Gargoyle--charging into battle alongside the 5th Ed Champions, all lovingly rendered by Alex Ross. Mmmmmm. . .Alex Ross. . .(droool)

Yes, Death Tribble and Hermit are correct--wording is essential. Wouldn't hurt, though, to have Armor Piercing or Find Weakness for your Power just in case you want to use it against PCs. Also, I think the law considers inciting someone to suicide to be criminally actionable. I was wondering--where did you get the idea? Years ago I came across a comic book called TIGER-MAN, and the only issue I saw had the villain, one Doctor Hypnos, using a Mind Control device disguised as his monocle to induce people to kill themselves--something about eliminating "imperfect" people, if I remember right. In the end he fell victim to his own device, and jumped to his death. I was beginning to think I was the only one who read that comic until now. . .

It sounds really great to me. I was thinking myself there should be some way to include a German hero in this discussion, and you seem to have nailed it close to what I had in mind. Good Job, Mein Herr. And keep the dart-shooters if you like--the secret agencies on both sides of the war were coming up with all knids of unique, nifty stuff. They sound all right to me.

Good job, Eodin--but what is Lockout? I'm not familiar with that Limitation.

Everything that's ever been said about Star Trek's Phasers suggests that they're among the most powerful hand weapons in science-fiction TV/movies--too powerful, I would think, for the comfort of a GameMaster. Has anyone ever built a Phaser in HERO System, from any of the series or movies? How many points did it come to? How do GameMasters handle players with that much power? What about some of the other Star Trek weapons, like Klingon Disruptors? Just as powerful, or not so much? Looking forward to reading the answers.

This is the idea I had for the Monster's background--of course it isn't official, so take it as you will. A medieval wizard summoned a demon, killed it, skinned it, and used the skin to make a magically-endowed "costume," thus enabling him to use the demon's strength and power without having to appease the demon's appetites. After the wizard's death, the Monster costume, including the cloak, hat and demonskin, disappeared until its recent discovery, by person or persons unknown. Now the Monster's skin, while of demonic origin, is not of itself evil--but those who seek it out usually do so to further their own selfish or vengeful ends. It is possible that someone may one day wear the Monster garb and skin to do good and destroy evil--but this is not that day.

Another thing to to consider are the suburbs and smaller cities close to the bigger city. St. Louis, for example, has not only the suburbs of Bridgeton, St. Charles, Maryland Heights, etc. but across the Mississippi, the cities of East St. Louis, Cahokia, Granite City, and others--including Edwardsville, which has a campus for Southern Illinois University. The same for New York--in addition to the five boroughs you have nearby Newark, Jersey City, and Bayonne to the west, and Mt. Vernon and New Rochelle to the northeast. Across the Delaware from Philadelphia is Camden, NJ, and up the river is Trenton, the state capital. Just looking at any metropolitan area map will give you an idea of the possibilities for superhero challenges--and the opportunities for supervillains. Better make sure your heroes have plenty of movement capabilities.

I don't have a Hero write-up for this one, but feel free to use the concept-- Colonel Sterling of the RAF--The Royal Air Force's leading fighter ace, he flies a sterling-silver Spitfire (actually an experimental radar-reflective material) into battle against the Luftwaffe and behind enemy lines on sabotage missions. In his true identity as Lt. Humphrey Bellows, he is assigned to the RAF Home Office and considered something of a "spoiled playboy." His secret is known only to the Minister Of Defence and Winston Churchill himself. Unbeknownst to him, his girlfriend before the war, the German avaitrix Frieda Zalmach, is his arch-enemy Baroness Valkyrie. How's that for Golden Age goodness?

To me, she seems like Christina Aguliera with superpowers--specifically, Quantum's superpowers. While I wish that whoever had created the character had put a little more thought into its conception, I do uderstand where that person is coming from--a hero I used to write stories about had a girlfriend who strongly resembled a Playboy Playmate I once had a crush on. I also feel that not enough thought was put into the conception of Witchcraft, at least lookswise. She seems too much like a swipe off of Solitaire to intrigue me any; my thought is they should have based her look on Albert Deschesne's drawing of the spellcastress on pg. 192 of the FREDBook. But if they did that they'd have to change Sapphire's hair, and then she'd really look like Christina.

I remember that character sheet; it listed Bruce Harlick as the player, so I'm guessing he created Crusader. Does anyone know who created Starburst?

Beware--It's Karate Monkey!!!

You'll pardon my saying so, but the character sounds an awful lot like a genetically engineered killing machine who bears a strong resemblance to Jessica Alba, and was featured on a TV series a few years back. (Please, it's not a criticism--just an observation.) So I'm thinking--her first heroic act is to save a little kid's life (the kid becomes a DNPC), and the kid asks her; "Are you my Guardian Angel?" And there she is, and there you are. I hope it works for you.

Glad I was able to help. Now, if you'll excuse me, my work is done here. . . (As he flies off) Mighty, And Awaaaayyy. . .

So--I guess you won't want the 358 other names with the word "Wing" in them, which I stayed up all night to compile. Well--darn. I guess I'll go down to the bottom of this message and sulk. Later. :mad: :mad:

I don't see a name for the character--I'm guessing it's something to do with the word "Wing." If I may offer suggestions-- Captain Wing Cyberwing Battlewing Winged Avenger/Crusader/Defender/Champion/Terror/Hunter/Victor (pick one--any one) Flying Wing Blue/Red/Black/White/Gold/Silver/Green/Purple Wing (pick a color--any color) Birdwing (BIRRRRDDDWINNGG!!!) And there's plenty more where those came from. . .

Team One could be called The Ortega Imperative, or The Imperative; the latter should be sufficient to keep the players guessing as to their true intent. Team Two could be called The Gold Standard, if for no other reason than they all have word "Gold" in their names.

Merci Beaucoup, Monsieur Vimes. Some nifty info there--I was especially impressed by the number of villains who were the title characters of comic series, and were opposed by "ordinary" humans, as per Fu Manchu and Dracula. I wonder if anyone's ever ran a campaign around this premise?

Unless the chihuahua can attack at range, I got to give it to Wolverine. Hmmm. . .ranged attack. . .what did the chihuahua have for lunch, exactly?

Your hero team name is. . .The Invincible Munchkin Bunch! You are actually PROUD of the fact that your hero team name is. . .The Invincible Munchkin Bunch!

Of course a lot would be determined not only by where he was found, but when he was found. For example: SUPER-SPARTAN--the infant Kal-El lands outside of Sparta in ancient Greece, and is trained in their warrior ways. He defeats the Persians single-handed at Thermopylae, then leads the Spartans to conquest after conquest--until he meets the Amazons and their princess, Diana. SUPER-MOSES--the infant Kal-El lands in ancient Egypt and is found by a Hebrew family who, fearing Pharoah's death edict, place him in a basket and send him down the Nile, where he is found by the royal family and raised as one of their own--until the day when, enraged by an overseer's mistreatment of the Hebrew slaves, kills the man with one mighty blow. He escapes to the desert, and at long last finds the spacecraft that brought him to Earth, and with it his true identity and destiny. He returns to Egypt and demands the Hebrews be freed in the name of truth and justice. The Pharoah refuses, and Moses puts on the pressure--he dries up the Nile with his heat-vision; he uses ultra-frequency harmonics in his super-voice to stir up the toads; Pharoah sends his army to kill him but they're easily defeated without loss of life. Pharoah finally gives in, and Moses leads the Hebrews out of Egypt--but Pharoah changes his mind and leads the last of his army after them. Moses, having led his people to the Red Sea, raises an artificial sandbar for them to cross, holds off the army long enough for them to escape, then collapses the sandbar. Under his leadership the Hebrews build a mighty nation, dedicated to the ideals of truth and justice. Same theme with a twist: SUPER-MAID OF ORLEANS--The teenage Kara Kor-El crashlands in medieval France, with no memory of her true self. She's found by some nuns from a nearby abbey, who believe her to be an angel sent in answer to their prayers to liberate France from English oppression. Convinced this is her mission, Kara sees the French king to ask permission to lead his army; the king tests her by hiding in disguise among his subjects, but she sees through his peasant's robes with her X-ray vision. The king gives her his army and she uses her powers to drive off the English, never to return. Her mission finished, Kara devotes the rest of her life to God's work with the nuns who found her. You see what I mean?

Re: Mecha... I will say this--as awesome as mecha look, and as great a storytelling device as they are (I got the Cartoon Network for the purpose of seeing the Gundam Wing series), they don't strike me as all that practical as far as combat goes. Yes, they have tons of firepower, but they make a really huge target, and ideally in a firefight one is trying to AVOID getting shot. Plus, they're really only good against fixed installations and other mecha and vehicles--they have no real defense against infantry, other than their size. A resourceful infantry squad with a lot of explosives could give a mecha one HECK of a hotfoot. And I shudder to think what a squadron of attack helicopters--or even only ONE--could do to a mecha. I think the ideal land war machine of the future will be something like a flying tank, possessing a helicopter's mobility, but capable of manuevering on the ground as well (you know, not having to worry about those pesky rotor blades). The Trade Federation's repulsor tank from STAR WARS: Episode I comes close, but it doesn't go very far off the ground, and it's not very fast. A better concept would be the Republic Gunships from STAR WARS: Episode II--with those you had both exceptional mobility and tremendous firepower. I'd definitely take one of those over a mecha--even a Gundam mobile suit.