Captain Emu

Re: Another possible origin of Mechanon... (Warning: Long) This is good stuff. I like the take on Mechanon. It also makes him a bit more, well, deep. Not that two-dimensional villains don't have their place, but I like how you give him more a purpose in the cosmos than just a menace. As soon as you mentioned the Golden Hunters of Malva/Mechanon connection, I thought of DC's Manhunters. I know I was going for a slightly similar origin for Mechanon in my current Cosmic campaign project.

Re: Homebrew Cosmic Setting (bit longish) Here are the rest of the notes. I realize it's a huge list, but figured it'd be best to get out onto the table all at once. 8) Dark Space Dark Space is a nightmare zone, sort of a cosmic haunted house where unspeakable horrors are produced from the very fabric of space. 9) The Paragons of Orss Millennia ago on the planet of Orss an order of valiant heroes was born out of an age of strife and feudal warfare. This order was composed of brave, selfless warriors who held themselves to a personal code of honor and an allegiance to truth and justice above any fealty to lords or nations. These warriors called themselves the Knights of Orss, named for their home world and not any particular kingdom or lord. They were stalwart defenders of those who could not defend themselves and opposed any lord who propagated his power on the backs of the misfortunate or through despotry of any sort. Countless times they opposed the most powerful forces of their world, establishing a reputation across their globe. When the people of Orss went to the stars, so did the Knights of Orss. By this time, the order had advanced itself with the technology of its people, equipping its members with the most cutting edge technology for whatever age they were in. As the people of Orss expanded into the cosmos, so did the influence of the order and soon they were a name throughout several systems. It wasn’t until the most renowned of the order, an Orssian named Larn broke from the order, that they became the Paragons of Orss. Bereft at the brutal slaying of his beloved and the order’s inability to do anything to save her, he became a renegade, declaring a personal war of vendetta upon the order and all who supported it. Empowered by rage and devices stolen from several places across the cosmos, Larn became Larn the Defiler and a feared menace throughout known space. Larn the Defiler was a great blemish upon the reputation of the order; one that they dedicated themselves to eradicating. When Larn attacked the mysterious world of Tolus with his Null Time Generator, a device with the power to render a world static in time and therefore trapped and unable to act in any way, the Toluns were unprepared and found themselves at the former Knight of Orss. In a savage battle between the order and Larn, the knights were able to destroy the Null Time Generator and foil Larn’s plans, though he himself escaped. As a reward for their service, the Toluns bestowed upon the order the Paradigm Crystal, a powerful artifact of the distant past that focused immense cosmic forces. The order incorporated shards of the crystal into their personal armor suits making each knight a focus for the energies of the crystal giving each warrior powers that were now of cosmic magnitude. The Toluns became the new benefactors for the order, unable to take a direct hand in any affairs due to their ancient oath of non-action - the same oath that prevented themselves from being able to defend themselves from Larn the Defiler. The order became known as the Paragons of Orss and opened their membership to any being from any species who practiced the virtues they held to. Over the centuries, the Paragons of Orss have become known throughout the galaxy as heroes and protectors. They are recognized as authority throughout the stars, if not officially then as an impartial mediating authority. Many systems have local authorities that welcome the Paragons though there are those who are resistant to the “meddling” from such an outside source. In places where they are not welcomed, the Paragons live up to their ancient code of defense for all regardless of local law or word of lord and provide their protection anyhow. Power Notes The Paragons or Orss where a special suit of armor that contains a shard of the Paradigm Crystal proving power to the suit and granting its special ability of force manipulation. This force manipulation allows the wearer a number of amazing powers such as the telekinetic manipulation of objects, defensive barriers, even flight and FTL travel (used for cosmic transit only). The force manipulation powers are sometimes also used to enhance the armor’s built-in abilities. The armor itself provides certain basic functions such as basic armor protection, life support, a set of talons which are intended for use in climbing and gripping surfaces but which are also functional as weapons. 10) Effigy The entity known as Effigy is a strange but powerful enigma. An animate suit of Paragon Armor, Effigy is the sworn enemy of the Paragons of Orss. Having killed its owner and absorbed his life energy into itself, the flawed Paradigm Shard that powered the armor became its own sentient, self-aware being. It now travels freely among the cosmos, seeking to define itself as an individual and sparing no opportunity to profane and do battle with the Paragons. 11) Sanctuary The ancient space station that serves as both home and benefactor to Overwatch is nearly a small moon with countless passages full of long-forgotten lore. Once home to the remnants of an entire race, the artificial planetoid now serves as a grim monument to that once great people and home to the founding team of cosmic guardians. The base is self aware, intelligent and sentient. It is possessed of its own great power but, out of need for both companionship and the programming instilled upon it by its creators, it has gathered together a group of cosmically significant individuals to its bosom. Now it serves as a base of operations and a home for these beings as well as a director of operations for the Overwatch team. 12) Korbit Korbit is a strange sort of alien. An observer and a curious explorer that has attached itself to Sanctuary, Korbit is a bit of an enigma. Of no known species and of questionable intelligence he seems none the less sentient albeit whole passive. Korbit never takes an active role in anything, though he is powerful and capable of great feats when it comes to ensuring his own survival. Never communicating in anything other than a marginal set of signs and signals which can only be loosely translated, he remains, ever the mystery. 13) Vexx An ancient race of anti-life killers who were created during an ancient war by the now extinct Karzans, most of the Vexx were hunted down and destroyed but there is a cosmic legend that says that some of them escaped and have kept themselves hidden only to return again when they are forgotten. 14) Vatshu Star Empire The Vatshu have held empire over a vast number of star systems for eons. Though ordinary life forms, themselves, the Vatshu possess a staggering arsenal of resources and technology used to hold dominion over the worlds in their space. The Vatshu usually conduct their affairs in a beneficent manner, they do maintain a huge star fleet that they are quite adept at using. 15) Kal Om – The Lord of Fate The Lord of Fate is a singular life form in the cosmos and it is his task to look over the continuity and the flow of fate throughout the universe as we know it. Though he can be interfaced within this universe, he does not exist solely in this universe and, in fact, he exists in all times, all divergences, all lines of potentiality. 16) The Suriel A race of majestic and powerful aliens who have elevated themselves to vast accomplishments in science, philosophy and theology, the Suriel are a benevolent force in the galaxy if not a bit arrogant. The Suriel seem to fit the description of earthly angels quite closely. The Suriel do not have wings but do use a curious form of gravitic flight which produces luminous fans of energy from their backs which might be confused for a hallo or wings. It is known that they were traveling the galaxy long before man had reached any definable civilization, so perhaps they had some effect on early man’s perceptions of the divine, though they refuse any direct influence over humanity’s development. 17) Star Dragons The Star Dragons are a species of space-dwelling saurians of great power and majesty. They traverse the cosmos as enigmas, ancient and powerful. Not much is known of their origins but they do seem to be tied into the welfare and well-being of the universe, often coming to the aid or the destruction of those who are in need or who pose a definite threat to the universe. One of the most curious affectations of the Star Dragons is their seeming desire to interact with lesser species. Sometimes, a particularly curious Star Dragon will take on the form of one of these creatures and try to live a life among them. These adventuresome beasts often find roles among their adopted kind as heroes and champions but rarely, for reasons of their own, taking on leadership. One notable Star Dragon was the hero called “Arnax” who was dealt a mortal wound during the Vexxian War. Whether or not Arnax truly perished remains to be seen as his body was never recovered. Other notable Star Dragons are Vorell, Marat, and the newest to appear, Terall. 18) The Primordeals Long before man walked the Earth, a race of beings lived upon the planet in gilded splendor. Possessed of advanced technology as well as powerful bodies and minds, this race of super humans fled the Earth and left for the stars when it looked like the Earth would no longer be able to support them. Though they are from Earth, the Primordeals are a very different race from humanity. Larger and well-built, they are giants compared to humans. Squarish in appearance, they seem chiseled from the stone of antiquity from which they came. They have vague facial features which seem mostly devoid of expression and large hands and feet with chunky digits. The Primordeals now reside far away from Earth on a terraformed world called Gnosis. Here they have rebuilt their society and continued their development during the eons that passed since their departure from Earth. Their outlook on the current human population of Earth is indifferent. Having little in common with the new top species of Earth, culturally or physically, they can only claim the vaguest of cosmically relevant bonds of heritage. As far as the Primordeals are concerned, the human race is still primitive and still unproven as a species.

Re: Homebrew Cosmic Setting (bit longish) One thing to keep in mind, these are just brainstorming notes. Much of it is vague and undefined as I haven't established many of the corner stones. I was also waiting to get the Galactic Champions book to see how much I could use in there, thoughj I have to say I think the book falls short of what I am attempting to do setting-wise. I may work some of it in. The ZJA -could- be a place for PCs, that was the intention, but wasn't intended as the central focus of the campaign as yet. The Zolar Council is really a race of powerful aliens, not quite "entity" status. I had included her mainly as a potentially useful NPC and a possible love interest playing off of her lonerness.

So, I ave been working on my own Cosmic Champions setting for a bit now. I'm still fleshing out stats but thought I might share some of the ideas I've come up with the group. Discussion and comments are surely welcome, as I am bound to have missed something. These are just design notes that I have cobbled together and brainstormed. To begin with... 1) Guardians of Tomorrow Self-appointed defenders of "proper" continuity, the Guardians of Tomorrow are group with a questionable morality. Though they claim to be a force for order, their skewed outlook on things often throws in the face of conventional law, justice and wisdom. The GOT are not a single-minded lot and often there are schisms within their membership over the proper application of the power to a particular task. 2) Tauron - The World Breaker A feared and loathed menace throughout the cosmos is Tauron. Powerful in the extreme, Tauron searches the universe for worlds that he can destroy and process to build his ever-increasing war machine. Tauron's reason for this is an impending conflict with a force of annihilation that he feels personally empowered to address. Though his actions may seem callous and destructive, like many of the universe's denizens his motives are based on a personal morality that he holds above others. 3) Myraloo A spritely creature, enigmatic in her origins, Myraloo is a sort of cosmic adventurer. Of not identifiable species and claiming no world as her origin, she is flits about the universe meddling in the affairs of others. Though of a mostly benign nature, her trusting, often naive personality sometimes leads her astray or into the hands of those with less than innocent intentions. 4) Aurora - The Chromatic Girl Aurora is a manifestation of a cosmic phenomenon. Her powers are centered around manipulation of light in various spectrums. Aurora appears to be human even though she is not from Earth, but her visits there have been pleasant and so she has developed a certain fondness for the human species. Aurora is a consummate loner, never content to settle down for the long term for fear that her alien nature will become too apparent and distance those she likes from her. 5) The Star Stealers A race of powerful cosmic entities, the Star Stealers are the highest class of thieves, robbing the universe not of simple possessions but entire worlds even stars. They do so using the power granted them by the Infinite Construct, an ancient machine that channels the powers of the cosmos directly into the gauntlets they wear. 6) The Mangyar A race of life-leeching aliens that raid systems for food. The Mangyar are, individually, no very powerful, but as a race command immense amount of power. Mangyar fleets are swift, brutal and prone to scorched earth tactics. 7) The Zolar Council The Zolar Council are a galactic authority of sorts who guarantee protection from client worlds that agree to adhere to a certain code of ethics and laws. These laws and ethics are not imposed upon these "client" worlds, but rather these worlds request the presence of the Zolar Council to help them in managing their own internal problems. The active arm of the Zolar Council are a group of super-powered beings called the Zolar Jurisdictional Authority (ZJA) and it is these beings that most under Zolar authority are most familiar with. The ZJA's current roster includes: Varion, Xan-ma, Star Fury, Torrid, and the enigmatic Mr. O. Have at...

Re: WWYCD: Whoa! Ninjas! Captain Emu - Do they make ninja suits in giant emu sizes?

Re: CHAMPIONS UNIVERSE II - What Do You Want To See? Perhaps, also to realign the topic a bit, I do believe they were lookign for content requests, not production requests. Though production values is a valid topic, but I agree it should be taken to another thread.

Re: Superhero idea: The Cycler Though I didn't read the character yet, I found it amusing that somebody else used a concept like this. In my Unremarkables campaign, out character Pizza Boy, is a luck-mongering kid who uses trick riding with his bike to fight. We came up with all manner of special powers like Armor, Entangle, Jump, etc, and tied them to the use of his bike as well as making sure that any of his combat manuevers were those usable with weapons too. The weapon of course was his bike.

Re: Here's Me The origins of Captain Emu are pretty vague so far. As far as he is concerned, he's always been this way, but this is obviously unlikely as we all know that emus can neither talk, fly, or con a local scout troop into painting his fence so he can go to the local comic convention.

Re: Here's Me Hmmmm, don't suppose anyone wants to create enemies or compatriots for Captain Emu? Perhaps somebody else has a humerous Avatar Alter Ego write-up?

Re: Here's Me Forthcoming. Let's see what tonight's sleep dep will bring.

Re: Here's Me Yeah, though this character proves you should never designed characters before morning coffee.

Re: Here's Me Hmmmmmm, Captain Emu knows not how to take this...

Re: Help with a "Possessing Hero" Well, more than likely Headcutter would be used as an NPC, but I was figuring a limited Transformation that only allowed HC to turn the possessed idividual into themselves + HC wouldn't be too overpowering. It's paying the points for TF with only a single possible outcome.

So, while toolign around on HERO Designer early this morning it occured to me to do a quick and slightly off the wall write-up of my list alter-ego. So, here I am.

Re: Help with a "Possessing Hero" Wow, those are some serious options. Now, to sort through them and see which will work best. I had considered the transformation angle - transforming the possessee into Headcutter Jack.

Re: CHAMPIONS UNIVERSE II - What Do You Want To See? Not a jab at you, Jeff, just a curiosity. I am curious when gamers started needing color? Certain companies would have us believe that it's the only way to do it, but the vast majority of gaming is perfectly fine without it. I would much rather have the money go into useful stuff than gloss pages, color art, hard covers, etc. Give me a companion sourcebook for Galactic Champions that goes into greater depth into what actually is out there in the Champions Universe.

Re: Help with a "Possessing Hero"

Re: Help with a "Possessing Hero" Well, the book will have to wait for now. Just spent my game book budget for the month on VIPER and Galactic Heroes. I do appreciate the info though. I almost never run metamorphs so never figured I'd need to the book. Shows what I know.

Re: Help with a "Possessing Hero" I had considered the liberal use of some VPP but that seemed a bit self-contained for the character concept which is about interaction with NPCs, so thought about trying to make a way for the character to possess other characters, NPCs, DNPCs, possibly PCs if the game called for it.

Hello all, I have been trying to go through and transfering some characters from older superhero genre games and came across one that I had fun playing but am having trouble translating into HERO. The character is Headcutter Jack, a vengeful possessing entity that inhabits a persons body, instilling them with his abilities in a symbiotic relationship. He draws fro mthem knowledge, experience, motives and emotional context, fusing that with his own agenda for vengeance on evil-doers. Now, the changes are not just power based, there are some physical manifestations - a costume and a wicked scythe-like weapon that come with it. The problem is how to create a character that changes depending on what person he's possessing. Thoughts and ideas?

Hey all, After lookign at some of the amazing art found here I was wondering if there any of you talented folk that might feel like donating your talent to a GM who is trying to impress some players into taking on a Cosmic campaign setting. I realize this is a tall order and may seem a bit presumtuous, but I am a working parent with limited time and admitedly only a small amount of artistic talent. What I am looking for is somebody willign to draw out some character designs from my campaign setting (aliens, organizations, entities, etc). I can't offer payment or compensation, just the thanks of a frustrated GM. Anyone with a bit of spare time and a talented pen (pencil, whatever) who would like to lend a hand, please PM me. Thank you,

Re: Superpowered Worlds Dare I ask what it is advertising?

Re: CHAMPIONS UNIVERSE II - What Do You Want To See? Hard to say. There is so much. I do not have many of the books, myself, but I imagine that advanced or developed classic villains and heroes are always a plus. New members to old organizations. How about family of the exsisting characters. In the time that's passed, has anyone gone and got hitched or had a kid? How about some more little secrets of the world? Lost world Characters, cosmic visitors, etc?

Re: Superpowered Worlds Actually, your point has been suggested by the experts. The overspecialization of the Neanderthals has been disgusted as a possible reason for their undoing. It was the need as much as the innate ability to adapt that may have allowed our direct ancestors to successfully ride the wave of evolution.

Re: Superpowered Worlds