Richard Logue

Re: Hypothetical Axis Amerika 2005 I've been considering everyone's ideas all day long. One thing that kept popping up in my mind as a good alternative is Zornwil's suggestion about Huey Long becoming President instead of FDR. And that eventually results in a facist America. I think I'd like to explore that further. It could possibly be a bit more creepy for the scenario I have in mind if it were America (and Italy) what became Germany's Axis ally instead of Japan. And then postulate what America and New York City would be like in 2005. Would it still be the same sort of things you've all been suggesting, or much different again? Richard

Re: Hypothetical Axis Amerika 2005 I really appreciate the ideas so far. (That means keep 'em coming.) Again, I’m not really trying to rationalize how this world came to be, but rather how it has been affected into 2005. So far I've determined the following points. And of course I would enjoy your feedback on them. In the Treaty of Washington, America is divided into East United States and West United States. I'll make the Rockies the dividing line (instead of the Mississippi). The capital of West United States was established in the District of San Francisco. Puppet politicians are put in place by the Japanese to help them govern their new holdings under the veneer of remaining free. In East United States, the Nazis take a different approach and roll their propaganda machine. They help the American Nazi Party gain more power and soon they are elected to the Presidency. The two US's become the stomping grounds for tension between the two Axis powers and a Cold War ensues. Twice, open war has been averted, once in 1962 and again in 1989. Technologically speaking, America develops a bit slower than the two superpowers, although WUSA enjoys a little more freedom in scientific quarters than EUSA. This is because Japan cannot spare the resources necessary to keep an iron hand on WUSA. On the other hand, the American Nazi Party in EUSA follows the ideals of the Fatherland closely. And although its not strictly a police state, Big Brother's eyes are everywhere and scientific research is closely monitored. Elsewhere in the world, countries that fought the Axis fared much worse. The Soviet Union is a radioactive ruin. China as well. The Axis used these two regions to make examples to the rest of the world and to test new weapons. Britain is an occupied island where Nazi Germany enforces a police state. The seeds of resistance often begin here, but are quickly put down. France faces a similar fate, but to a much lesser degree. With the prospects of what's happened in the other "Allied" nations, and with the propaganda machine continually telling Americans how fortunate they are, especially in EUSA, Americans have mostly accepted "the way things are." With the passing of 60 years, only the grandparents stridently talk about fomenting dissension. New York City and Boston were invasion points into the country in 1944. Boston took the brunt of it and received the world's first atomic weapon. Today, it is still a ruined area that is off-limits to the general populace and is known as No-Man's Land. NYC fared better because it was attacked by conventional weapons and forces. But much of lower Manhattan was devastated in the battle, and the Manhattan Wall, erected early after the war, has since been a physical, if not psychological, barrier to its restoration. It has become a large ghetto for those the government persecutes. As for supers, I like the idea that many of heroes in the “real world†would still be heroes in the sense that they are conformed, as much of the population is, and see the American Nazi regime as normal. And that the “real world†villains might in fact be the ones who would be fostering ideas of dissension. Heroes from the real world, i.e. my PC’s, would be in for a shock to discover that their own very patriotic Glory sports a swastika, and that their nemeses are the ones trying to start a resistance movement. There would definitely be government controls in place and power registration acts have been in effect since the ‘40’s. Under a carefully cultivated and supported program, large robotic sentinels “defend†the people in the larger cities from “threats.†Of course, it’s a well-known secret that the agency in control of the robots is carefully “monitored†by the Gestapo. Whacha think? Richard

Consider... Let's say the German-Japanese Axis won World War 2 (however you want to rationalize a possible victory). In the aftermath, they split America up. West of the Mississippi is occupied by Japanese Imperial forces, east of the river lies the German occupation. Now, advance that to the present day, 60 years later. What's life like in America in 2005? Specifically, in a major metropolis such as New York City? Is there some kind of resistance 6 decades after the fact? How present is the Third Reich, and how much control do they exert over Americans? How much do the Nazis allow Americans to govern themselves? Are there Gestapo or SS goons everywhere? How much has "acceptance" is there? For the Champions genre, whats life like for supers? The reason I'm wondering this and being specific with America, is that I'm planning to send my group to an alternate earth where the Nazis won (the group is based out of NYC). And I want to get as many opinions and possibilities from you all as I can to "paint the picture" of the world for the scenario. Then, of course, they'll return to their own Earth a little wiser. Thanks for the brainstorming Richard

Re: Ultimate Mystic Review Thanks Lord Liaden and Steve. I had flipped through my Arcane Adversaries and The Mystic World last night but to no avail. Not sure I had even considered the Bestiary... LoL... Odd. And thanks for the page numbers, speeds things up. Richard

Re: Ultimate Mystic Review Are there rules/suggestions in The Ultimate Mystic for familiars such as imps or homunculi? And if not, is there anything in the Fantasy HERO line about using them? I ask because I am kicking around a concept in my head for an occult-based character that will have one, and I'm wondering if there's been any groundwork already laid for them. Richard Logue

Re: Looking for a Symbol An empty box. The infinity symbol. A simple geometry symbol like a ray or a line. A four with a circle around it. Richard

Re: Need help forming a scenario idea These are all good so far! I'm making a list and seeing where a lot of these items could fit into the story. One of the Files including info about Geist is a definate thought. I'm working on that angle but it might not fit considering the original source of the Files. I like the rival villains tearing it up some before the auction. And I have the perfect ones in mind for this. To answer KA... Geist is a relative newcomer. He's only been in one storyline before this, and his "origin" happened just prior to that. His former partner knows everything because he was the only one Geist felt he could trust when he first came into power, as it were. One other person has some knowledge of Geist's existence, but no knowledge of who he is/was or what his powers are. Looking to read more ideas! Keep 'em coming. Game night is Thursday. RIchard

Creative minds assemble! I have a solo game that I am forming an adventure for and I would like some input on the ideas and some approaches to the story I have in mind. First, a little about the solo character. Geist is a mentalist type character with the standard suite of powers (Ego Blast, TK, TP, Mind Link, etc.). He is not a physical fighter in the least. He is also permanently invisible and inaudible. He is a former police detective and, as a hero, is using his detective skills to fight crime. Think of him as sort of a psionic (instead of gadgets) Batman. The story plot is fairly simple. The primary villains, a team, has aquired information concerning several major heroes. This information covers things like weaknesses and power levels and such. Its definately things that can be used to put heroes out of commission. The bad guys, calling these tidbits the Achilles Files, have announced in the supervillain underworld that they will be up for auction. The story goal is for Geist to discover and stop the sale of the Files or perhaps even sabotage or steal the Files. My original idea is for the auction to take place in a super-secret summit somewhere in New York City (Geist's town). In this scenario, 60+ metacriminals will be in attendance at one location. This may or may not be a good idea. It may sound excessive, but it prevents our solo hero from trying to call in reinforcements. Obviously, Geist can't simply call in the police or other superheroes without causing a bloodbath. And even if Geist could assemble 60+ superheroes to fight the villains, it would not be a good idea because of the massive amounts of collateral damage that would take place. So having so many bad guys in one place forces him to act on his own. An alternate idea would be to have the auction take place on the Internet or maybe through proxies of some sort. Personally, I think having three score and more supervillains in one place would be more impressive and will require more ingenuity on my player's part. In either case, I need help putting together the story plot points and the clues Geist will need to defeat the villains. I've already initiated the story, but we haven't played it out much because I've been stuck on plot points and clues. Geist's former partner on the force contacted him and asked if he could look into something he heard on the street about somehting named Achilles being for sale. The red herring is that Achilles might be some kind of hot, new designer drug. Geist has been checking into that angle but not having any luck (obviously). One of the clues I was thinking of is to have an "out of town" villain get caught by one of the local hero groups. If the bad guy is caught while trying to remain incognito and not committing a crime, it would make Geist wonder what he's doing in town. For this one I was thinking of using Red Death, a "Soviet" tough guy. Something I picture in my mind is Geist attending the auction. So I want to work the storyline so that he will be there. Thanks for all your suggestions and ideas! Richard

Re: A Twist on the 'Patriot' Archetype: The Embodiment of Weapons You've got Lord of Arrows. I don't know if you're wanting to group bows and crossbows together, but I would not. And the advent of crossbows were a fairly important historical event. Richard

Re: Green Lantern Object Creation... My first thought is a Area of Effect TK with a somewhat unique special effect. Instead of moving things around with the TK, it is stationary but supports the weight placed on it. And of course you simply purchase the amount of STR you want your "bridge" to support. It also works for something like a Tenser'sâ„¢ Disk spell or an elevator effect. To me, it seems like the simplest way to go. The power already has STR built into it. All it needs is the AoE Advantage to make it a span. You can even counter the Advantage with a "Only to Make Bridges" Limitation or a "Stationary Only" Limitation. That would create a specific bridge-building power. Richard

Re: Goofy Villains I've toyed around with a few foolish characters in my campaigns and have come up with these... Charade, a heinously evil master-mime. Haul-Lass, strong female speedster. Piñata, you can only beat on him for so long before he explodes. Jumbo Shrimp, a pint-sized fellow with not much growth. Pop Rocks, no character concept yet... just liked the name. Never got around to using any of them. On occasion, I use a group of villains who have a hard time becoming famous... err... infamous. They feel their personas are never "right" for the job and are constantly remaking themselves. In their latest caper, they managed to introduce a mass quantities of a World War 2 super soldier program's failed formula among the homeless of NYC. In the distraction, they made their presence known by stealing a collection of very valuable gems known as The First Ladies. In this incarnation, they were calling themselves... Ripple, gadgeteer Wild Irish Rose, screamin' sound manipulator Thunderbird, brick with a jetpack Mad Dog, half-stupid feral beast of a man Night Train, speedster who turns into a black bolt of energy Richard

Re: Costume design help...please? LoL... Points for you! Richard

Re: Acro is bored That's great, Acro! Very, very nice. Thanks much! Its perfect, really. Shows the anger and the villainy nicely. I like the new symbol. Good action pose. Thanks again! Richard

Re: Acro is bored woot! This is a pic done in Hero Machine a while back for a character called Copper. He's a magical construct made by the nefarious Dr. Hephaestus. Doc made several (Copper, Mercury, Iron, Gold, Silver, and Lead), but they railed against his villainous nature and formed a team of heroes known simply as the Golems. Recently, in my campaign, the Golems have broken up as a team and have mostly gone their seperate ways. There was a bit of an argument among them and a rift has formed between the once-friends. Copper has "gone rogue" and is now calling himself Ozone. Ozone has joined a team of villains who all used to be heroes. They are Mutiny. (See the "One Must Live" thread.) I'd love to have a new, updated pic of Ozone. His powers are fairly straight forward. He controls electricity. Being magical in nature, the effects are green. He is solid, nicely polished copper, with green glowing eyes. There is a "Cu" on his chest as Copper, but as Ozone, he may have had that removed or possibly scarred up like the flip side of Two-Face's coin. Thanks, Acro! Richard

Re: Acro is bored Still bored, Acro? Because if ya are.... Richard

Re: Acro is bored

Re: Acro is bored Dammit... I'm never the next person Ah well... Richard

Ironclad and Black Widow Hey Storn! Thanks again for these two great pics. And for everyone else, below is the information about the two characters that I sent to Storn for the commissions. They are both villains and belong to a team I will not reveal quite yet. There are six others in the team and I plan to have Storn art them up as well! Black Widow Mirabella Lorenzo was the descendant in a family whose roots went back to 14th century Italy. Her family had long been expert sword makers and fencing masters. Their skills and weapons were highly valued and sought throughout Europe, and they grew very wealthy over the generations. Unfortunately, with the advent of more modern times, the family businesses began to wane and their vast wealth slowly dwindled over the next several generations. She grew up in a sheltered life, protected from the realities of her family’s problems. She loved to dance, and her parents did what they could to get her the finest instruction in it. When she turned 16, she began to explore her family’s history and became fascinated with the aspect of fencing. Her parents indulged her in this new hobby as well. But her parents died in a tragic automobile accident when she was barely 20. Mirabella became the last individual in her line and inherited the family fortune. She discovered it held much more debt than wealth, and she quickly found herself having to sell what property the family name had left in order to make ends meet. Embittered by her legacy and begrudging her parents for hiding the truth from her, she turned her back on her family name. She fashioned a costume for herself, and taking the most intricately fashioned and exquisitely created rapier left to her inheritance, she turned to a life of crime. She found she was good at it. And she found that she could kill when it was necessary. Her reputation grew in the underworld as her skills improved. Becoming a highly paid assassin was an easy step for Mirabella to take. However, she quickly grew bored with the game and would only accept the most dangerous contracts. Eventually she came into contact with another assassin who was forming a team of killers that would accept challenges to kill meta-humans and she was a natural fit. Black Widow is highly skilled in fencing and dancing. She has combined the two arts into a devastating style unmatched in grace and deadliness. She has a large mechanical “spider†that wraps around her torso and appears to be part of her outfit. It is a device that can leap off and latch onto an opponent standing in front of her. Once it lands, its legs wrap around the victim and entangle him. It then injects the unfortunate person with strength-sapping venom. She dresses in a costume suggestive of 17th century Italian style and flash. It is mostly a black outfit with red trim, cut to be tight fitting but flexible. Though she wears a mask, her long, dark hair flows wildly about her to accent her dancing movements. Widow uses an ornate Italian rapier in her left hand as her primary weapon, and she sometimes wields a dagger in her right hand. She has a device wrapped around her torso. It is styled to look like a large metallic spider and is fashioned to appear as part of her outfit. Its eight legs wrap around her sides to the rear. Ironclad The Ironclad power armor is the product of World War 2-era Nazi super-science. Its original design was that of the ultimate deep-sea diving suit. Once the War started, Hitler had the SS investigate and confiscate any science projects deemed of worth to the Third Reich. The designer refused to convert the diving suit for war purposes and the SS had him replaced on the project. Work began on the design changes and the result was a prototype deep-sea battle suit. While the prototype unit was being tested, Allied forces bombed the munitions factory that had served as its design and research facility. With the schematics and spare parts destroyed and the chief designers all deceased, the prototype would be the only one of its kind. After inspecting the armor, Hitler commissioned it, and the SS officer inside of it, as the Third Reich hero Sea Wolf and assigned him to the superman group Valhalla. The armor and pilot disappeared in the days following Germany’s surrender. Its disposition was unknown until it resurfaced again almost twenty years later in the hands of the Cuban government. Castro used it as a threat during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Recently, under dubious means, it has come into the possession of a minor thug named Joaquin Santos. Santos, piloting the armor himself, has joined a team of assassins who specialize in targeting meta-humans. There, he is known as Ironclad. The suit provides its pilot with a breathing apparatus for underwater use and solid, if bulky, defenses. It uses a powerful, but small, steam engine with an unknown power source to drive its components. The steam powers swift, propeller-driven propulsion in aquatic environments. A system of revolutionary pistons and gears amplifies the user’s strength greatly. In normal use, the suit continually draws in water from the surrounding sea to convert to steam. However, the suit may still function outside of water for a time by use of a reservoir. The suit is bulky and vaguely resembles an old-fashioned diving suit. It’s made of steel with thick canvas joints and mesh-covered hoses protruding in and out of the helmet and back. It is 60 years old and has not been cared for very well in that time. There are rust stains surrounding the rivets and joints. An extremely faded swastika can still barely be seen on the chest. Originally, there was a naked propeller assembly on the calf of each leg, however one of them was damaged and broken off in a battle long ago. The limbs, especially the arms, have a system of pistons and gears providing movement and strength, and trace amounts of viscous oil leak from them. Despite its age and apparent dilapidation, it still confers a sense and appearance of strength and power. Richard

Re: Do you use the official Champions Universe? I don't use the CU. I have my own home-grown millieu but I've opened it up to ideas and suggestions from my players and others. And I have many characters that are homages to various DC and Marvel characters. I also snag an idea or character concept from the CU here and there. For instance, I use Los Asesinos in my world. But they are greatly redesigned and updated for 5th Edition. And I'm also considering doing something with CLOWN, but they have to be made more serious and much more sinister. My world has a much stronger mystical baseline than normal worlds, I suppose. Meanwhile, I haven't "used" Tunguska at all yet. Haven't even made any considerations on it. Richard

Re: What happened to seeker?? Seeker is actually in the CU. I've seen him. He's depicted as an action figure toy in some of the artwork in Gadgets and Gear. He even appears to have had his butt kicked by a Grond action figure on page 70! Mystery solved. Richard

It's always best to draw from sources outside of your own brain once in awhile. The ideas tend to stay fresher longer, and on these forums, they'll even be fruitful and multiply. I've got an upcoming story in my Champion's World campaign and I need to create a team of superheroes based out of New York City. I'm calling them the New Compatriots. The original Compatriots was an Allied team based out of London during World War 2. I know the character archetypes I'm looking for. What I'd like from you all are a few names and basic concepts to fit the archetypes. What I have so far is the team leader: Glory. He's the third person to carry the name and abilities. He's a patriotic sort who can channel the qualities of the founding fathers and other historical Americans. The first Glory was a member of the original Compatriots. These are the archetypes for the other members of the group. Despite the historical context of the team name and the patriotism of the team leader, there's really no theme going on here. They're just a standard, four-color team based out of NYC. - eldritch, or mystical "power armor" wearer - supergadgeteer. can "speak" to circuitry. makes gadgets out of spare parts. what he builds makes no sense but works anyway. - female Native American (New England area) "animal totem"/guardian spirit shaman - flying brick and/or flying blaster Thanks for the help! Richard

Re: Hulk Smash: What is your favorite version? I liked the Joe Fixit grey Hulk best. Only because i liked the attitude, the stories were okay and the art was early, non-superego Todd McFarlane. As a second answer, integrated Hulk was cool too. On the other hand, my favorite Hulk moment was during Secret Wars when Mr. Fantastic kept slandering and insulting him until he had the strength to hold up the mountain. Richard

Yeah, I know... "You are not put on this Earth to get it, Mr. Logue." So, powers are generally out of the question in a strict Dark Champions setting? But costumes are okay? Batman is okay? Punisher? Taskmaster? Shadow? Cyborg? If you add powers into a Dark Champions settings it becomes DC:TAS and not Champions? what's the difference between DC:TAS and Champions? Impart thy wisdom upon mine doofus head. Richard Logue

Re: The Destroyers Offhand, I'm not sure who they are... Sorry. Richard

Re: Supervillain Images So include artwork Richard