archer

Grenadepool sounds like Deadpool’s younger brother.
 
====
After being attacked by ruthless cloned mutant squirrels who were after his brother, Deadpool, Suede Wilson lay close to death.
 
Deadpool, thinking quickly, emptied a pile of pixie sticks to build a crude transfusion device and infused his own blood into his brother’s dying body.
 
The regenerative factors of Deadpool’s blood brought Suede back from the brink of death...but unfortunately did nothing to fix his chronically bad eyesight.
 
Deadpool brought his brother into the merc business but after several unfortunate incidents with innocent schoolchildren, it became clear that Suede should leave firearms to the professionals.
 
So today as “Grenadepool”, Suede Wilson uses his mercenary skills in an unending battle against armies of mutant squirrels...which hopefully exist in the real world and not just in his head.
 
After all, if the squirrels really exist, he might win his battle someday and quit shooting grenades all over the place.
 
 

For bringing a group together, if they’re wanting to play younger people, they could be cousins coming of age at roughly the same time. Or perhaps the offspring of a group of former adventurers.
 
 They could be coming together for an anniversary service commemorating some great victory or defeat, a funeral, or some family event. Their travels on the road could be the first adventure and their shared background would provide plot hooks for the future.
 
Perhaps inherenting personal rivalries, enmity from some organizations and gratitude from others. People could show up looking for help from the original heroes and have to settle for the kids.

For bringing a group together, if they’re wanting to play younger people, they could be cousins coming of age at roughly the same time. Or perhaps the offspring of a group of former adventurers.
 
 They could be coming together for an anniversary service commemorating some great victory or defeat, a funeral, or some family event. Their travels on the road could be the first adventure and their shared background would provide plot hooks for the future.
 
Perhaps inherenting personal rivalries, enmity from some organizations and gratitude from others. People could show up looking for help from the original heroes and have to settle for the kids.

Warlockz look ok
The Rustlers may be a bit old if they are from the ' The Silver Age '  are they 2nd (or 3rd) gen?

Some YouTube channel will get a hundred thousand hits per Titans episode by splicing in Cap admonishing “language” after Robin’s every swear word.

Some YouTube channel will get a hundred thousand hits per Titans episode by splicing in Cap admonishing “language” after Robin’s every swear word.

Darkness, heat, flames, fear, hopelessness,   sulfur stench, summoning demons or imps, transformation yourself or others into their “worst selves”, a variable result draining which affects whichever power or trait the victim most values, a general sense that you’re in Cleveland....

LIGHT, I need some fricken LIGHT so I can see people
 Robin in the shadows, okay. Trained by the bat got it
Raven? she was Goth before Goth was cool.. (was Goth ever cool?)
But son of a gun,  why can't we  get a good look at  Starfire, Beast Boy and others... 
could one of you step into the sun or even a cloudy day for five flipping seconds
 
*Rant*
 
Also, someone needs to edit the film so what when Robin says "F**k Batman" Captain America's shield flies from off screen to hit him in the back of the head

I'll just leave this here.

This looks like it is going to be truly awful. It doesn't even look worthy of being on the CW to me.

Looked good, but kind of murder-y for the Titans. 

While it was a great line and it worked in the movie, it was a depressing precedent for Marvel Cinema who then decided that pretty much NOBODY has a secret identity despite the clear drawbacks to the entire planet knowing who you are.

Marvel news:
 
 
 

If they wanted to start a limited series, but have the potential of continuing the series without having to keep the cast on the books, it would be best to center the series on a location. Project Pegasus would work, and would allow them to pull in characters from other works when it was feasible without requiring them to do so.
Besides, they'd get to use Wundarr the Aquarian and who doesn't love THAT character.

The implication here is that the people of Kemet still believe in an afterlife. Hence being preserved after death isn't the only form of reward they can expect for their labors. Moreover, being forced to continue their labors for centuries doesn't seem like that great a reward.
 
If you want to make Kemet an "evil" antagonist for your PCs, I would suggest that the skeleton/zombie-type undead they use are essentially mindless automata. The souls of the Kemet-folk (Kemetians? Kemetites?) move on to their next existence, leaving their bodies as empty husks to be used as the state sees fit. They could think of those creatures as less than slaves -- the equivalent of industrial robots. The living people of Kemet might not be able to supply all the kingdom's labor and military needs through their own deaths. That would lead them to kidnap their neighbors, like the European/American slave trade... except those captives would be promptly executed so they could be turned into obedient undead.

Just to help emphasize my argument for the flight issue, here's how I would build the power.
 
3 Real Points: Flight 2m, AoE 2m(+1/4), Selective(+1/4), 0 end (+1/2), Usable as an Attack (+1 1/4).  6 Active points.  Lim: Only to fly away from PC (-1/4), Restrainable (-1/2)
 
 

A lot of conversions require eyeballing it.  After all, you want the characters to be useful in your campaign.  Following a formula can result in villains who are either far too powerful or far too weak.  I don't have the book you're trying to convert (don't have much M&M stuff), but I do have Freedom City.  It's 2nd edition M&M, and I really don't know if they've changed things since then.
 
Going to a random bad guy, how about Devil Ray, page 146.  He's a Power Level 10 character, so he's basically a "generic" villain.  Since I'll be converting him to 5th edition Hero, I'm going to say this is the equivalent of a 350 point character.  I'm not worried about keeping him within this budget (some powers may just be more expensive than others), but I have an idea of what I'm aiming for.
 
Starting off, we'll see that Devil Ray has +11 Str.  That's about normal for a character of that power level, so to me that says he's about 12D6 or so.  We'll go with 11D6 damage just to keep it simple.  His attack is +8, so let's just say that's an 8 OCV.  He's got +12 Toughness, and that's pretty good.  If we say an "average" PL 10 character would have 25 Def, then that means this guy probably has about 30.  Now that we've got a rough sketch of about how powerful he is, it's time to get a little more specific, iron out the details.
 
Devil Ray has a power suit that gives him his abilities.  Outside of the suit, he's a normal guy.  In M&M, he's got a 14 Str, 13 Dex, 16 Con, 10 Int, 11 Wis, 11 Cha.  We could just give him those stats outside of his suit in Hero -- that would work fine, except those aren't stats you'd select in Hero.  They aren't really significant break points (there's no reason for an 11 Presence).  So let's give him a 15 Str, a 14 Dex, a 15 Con, 10 Int, 11 Ego, and 13 Pre.  That looks more like a Champions character.  His Toughness outside of his armor is +3, so let's give him a base PD/ED of about 7.  We'll give him a 3 Speed outside of the suit, because he did buy up his Dex.  Normal figured characteristics for this guy would give him 6 Rec, 30 End, and 26 Stun.
 
Now, on to the suit.  The lifting chart works differently in M&M.  Devil Ray has three levels of super-strength, and his lifting capacity is rated at 8 tons.  That's roughly a 40 Str in Hero, but our guy is doing more damage than that in his suit.  So we're going to give him a 40 Str, but we're going to need to bump his damage up.  So let's give him 3D6 of Hand Attack.  Now he can do 11D6 damage with his punches.  All this is going to be through an OIF for the suit.  Now his Attack and Defense are +8, so let's say he's got an 8 OCV/DCV.  Sounds like this guy has a 23 Dex in the suit.  I'm going to make it 24, purely because it's easier to put it in Hero Designer that way (it will also bump his Spd up to 4).  His PD/ED go up to 30, as we said earlier.  He's got Protection 9, which is basically Resistant Defense, so we'll make 3/4 of his PD/ED resistant.  That's like 22 points of it.
 
He's also got Sonar, Darkvision, and Radio.  Those have easy Hero equivalents.  He has the Blast power at +9.  Now... that kinda sucks for a guy at this power level.  With how we've been converting it, that would just be a 9D6 EB.  But for a 350 point villain in Hero, that's not going to do much at all.  So we're going to make an executive decision to raise that to the same level as his punches.  11D6.  This goes to what I said earlier -- a by-the-numbers conversion will sometimes result in characters too strong or too weak.  So we've got to reserve the right to interfere.
 
Finally he's got Life Support, Swimming and Flight.  We'll go with LS: High Pressure, Breathing, and Cold (because that seems like it makes sense).  He's got Swimming of 8 (250 mph) and Flight of 4 (100 mph), so let's go with a Movement Multipower.  He doesn't need combat movement that fast, but his noncom should be.  So let's say maybe 3" of movement per level.  We're just picking a number that looks good here.  That would give him 24" of Swimming (let's make it a nice 25") and 12" of Flight.  We'll give him a x4 noncombat multiplier on each.  That's not going to get us to exactly the right speed, but it'll get us kind of in the ballpark (188 mph swim and 94 mph fly).
 
He's got a few skills, but otherwise that's it.  Character done.  Except... well, he's not very good.  He's still only a 4 Speed, and he's got a 15 Con, and he's only 222 points.  Now we need to make sure that he looks more like a Champions character.  He's got a crappy Con, and his figured characteristics could use a boost.  In M&M, he's got a nice grapple bonus (a product of their system), and the move-by action.  It sounds like he probably needs some martial arts in Hero.  He's also got an okay Will save in M&M, but only an 11 Ego in Hero.
 
So now we're fleshing out the character.  Let's give him his martial arts.  He's got Dodge Focus 2, which I don't remember what it does.  He's got Move-By Action, and a good Grapple.  So that sounds like a dodge maneuver, Martial Grab, and Passing Strike.  Let's go ahead and make it Flying Dodge so that he can do the whole "I'm faster than you in the water" thing.  We might as well give him Martial Strike as well, which means we can pull back on some of that Hand Attack damage.  In fact let's give him a Damage Class with his Martial Arts, and we can drop the Hand Attack altogether.  Environmental Movement: Water is probably appropriate too.
 
For skills he's got Disable Device, Knowledge Earth Sciences, Notice, Search, Survival, Swim.  Well, those are pretty generic.  His background says he was a military diver, who then worked as a pirate and a smuggler.  So let's give him Breakfall (a necessity for Hero), Demolitions, Survival, Systems Operations, and Tactics.  We'll give him KS: Smuggling Rings, and some kind of Science Skills.  How about just SS: Earth Sciences, cuz that's what they've got on the sheet.
 
Now our guy is 257 points.  He still needs some more stuff.  Since his Toughness in the suit is high, let's give him a 25 Con to prevent him from being Stunned (still OIF).  We'll also give him a few points of Body, let's make it a 15 because why not?  12 normal, 15 in the suit.  Now he looks like he can survive a fight.  Since he's bought up his Intelligence skills in M&M, let's give him a 13 Int.  And since his Will save is pretty good, let's go ahead and give him a 15 Ego.  Since he's still a 4 Speed, let's bump him up to 5 because he is not a big bulky guy.  And we'll give him an 18 Pre in the suit because he looks cool.
 
Now he's 300 points, but he's fairly powerful for that level because he's getting an OIF discount.  He looks pretty complete to me.  Throw in some Contacts that a high seas pirate might have, a couple more skills wouldn't really hurt.  You might give him a level with OCV.  He's pretty dangerous, now that I look at it he can do a 14D6 Passing Strike.  You might give him some Flash Defense or something else exotic.  And I imagine that he's got some kind of pirate Followers who he can order around, maybe a Manta-Mobile vehicle.  That'll get you up to 350, but I'm not too worried about exact points.
 
 
Anyway, that's how I would convert a character.  All told it didn't take me that long, most of the hour or so I spent doing this was typing the post, not making the character.
 
Devil Ray
Str 15/40
Dex 14/24
Con 15/25
Body 12/15
Int 13
Ego 15
Pre 13/18
Com 10
PD 7/30
ED 7/30
Spd 3/5
Rec 6/13
End 30/50
Stun 28/49
 
MANTA Suit (OIF)
+25 Str, +10 Dex, +10 Con, +3 Body, +18 PD, +21 ED, +1 Spd, +5 Pre
22/22 Damage Resistance, 11D6 Energy Blast
Active Sonar 360 degrees, Nightvision, Radio Transmit/Receive
LS: Breathing, Cold, High Pressure
 
Multipower (OIF)
+23" Swimming x4
12" Flight x4
 
Breakfall 12- (14-)
Demolitions 12-
Survival 12-
Systems Operations 12-
Tactics 12-
Science: Earth Sciences 12-
Knowledge: Smuggling Rings 12-
 
Environmental Movement: Water
 
Flying Dodge
Martial Grab
Martial Strike
Passing Strike
+1 Damage Class

Great pic!  I have to add him to my game world!
 
The call came in at 2:19 a.m.  - three car accident on Halsted and 18th.  Given that it was less than 20 minutes since bars close their doors, it's a pretty safe bet the police report on this will include the words, "alcohol was a factor."  And being just south of the university, I'd give it even odds the DUI is underage as well.  I sighed and hit the lights and siren while my partner Caren did a quick U-turn on Roosevelt and started heading east at a good clip.  While she dodged around the nimrods driving late at night, I moved to the back to prep our stuff. 
 
In less time that it'd take you to whistle the theme to Emergency! we were on the scene.  It was a bad one - I was pretty sure we'd need the Jaws of Life to get the driver out of one car where a black SUV had smashed into it broadside, and a Mini-Cooper had somehow ended up on its side a short distance away.  I popped open the back door, case in hand, and was hopping out before Caren even had the ambulance fully stopped.  I could see a guy and a girl standing beside the SUV, looked like some minor lacerations but judging by the fact both were standing around, and the way the guy was cursing up a storm, probably not terribly serious.  Looked like he was the one who t-boned the trapped driver, so I was guessing Captain Curser was the DUI.  I waved Caren toward the sideways Mini and headed for the car with the trapped driver. She's a good kid, smart and skilled, but let's face it, she's no superheroine like Sentinel.  Or a superhero like me, for that matter.
 
That's when I smelled the smoke.
 
Aw crap.  I looked at the couple standing around like morons, pointed toward the ambulance and yelled, "Get clear!" then broke into a sprint.  Sliding to a halt beside the car, I could see that it would definitely take more than a few normal tugs on the door to get this guy clear.  His head was moving, so I knew he was still alive.  But judging by the flames I could see flickering under the hood, he wouldn't be alive for long if I didn't get him out of there. 
 
A quick glance told me the nimrod couple weren't looking, and Caren was busy at the Mini, so it was clear, but I'd have to be quick.  I flexed my muscles, shouldered the SUV away a few feet, grabbed the car's door by the frame, and wrenched it free in one pull. The guy's leg was still trapped, but a few pulls at the bottom frame freed it.  By then, the flames were getting bigger, so I pulled the guy out, giving him a quick dose of healing energy (and hoping nobody saw my glowing hands).  Within seconds, we were both far enough away that the fire was no danger to us, and I could lay him down and start checking his vitals.  Nobody was kicking up a fuss or asking questions, so it looked like my secret was still safe.  For now.
 
- - - - - - - -
 
Charlie Green is the paranormal EMT known as Para-Medic.  Super-strong, tough as nails, and able to infuse the injured with healing energy, he is a true-blue hero of the Windy City.  When he's not driving an ambulance around the city, he's usually flying overhead, helping his fellow EMTs to save lives.

Anika Hensley, aka Lady Unluck, is widely regarded as the most unfortunate mutant heroine of the modern age.
 
To date, her “Staff of Power” has been documented to have set fire to her own wings no less than nine times, with two of those times winning the weekly prize on America’s Funniest Superhero Videoes. (Note the characteristic charring on her once angelic white wings.)
 
Of special interest to fans of superheroics, the name “Lady Unluck” is not Anika’s name for herself. But every attempt to record, transmit, and/or broadcast that other name has resulted in spectacular accidents which have prevented that name from becoming known. Most news outlets know to bleep out her official superhero name when she says it...at least since the infamous WKRP incident of 2013.
 
But despite her somewhat...uneven... record of battling villainy, Anika is still out there fighting the good fight and searching for any team which might someday be brave enough allow her onto the roster.

It's a pity Increased knockback is so expensive.
For a given max AP, you get no benefit.
 
For a given 40AP:
40 STR gives you average 8 BOD for KnB.
26 STR w/ 1.5x KnB (+1/2 = 39AP) gives you average 5D6 x1.5 = 7.5 BOD for KnB.
22 STR w/ 2x KnB (+3/4 = 40AP) gives you average 4D6+1 x2 = 8.5 BOD for KnB.
 
Thus the entire net effect is that ... you have a significantly reduced STR - and that's all.
 
Looking at it without an AP max doesn't help.
 
You've got a 40STR, which averages 8 BOD for KnB.
If you buy 2x KnB on that, it will cost you 30 points, and give you 16 BOD KnB.
Or, you could just buy +30 STR for and get 14 BOD KnB.
 
So, you're getting a whopping 2 BOD for KnB - at the price of 30STR (and all that you could do with that).
 

Looking over the build, I was understating his power.  I toned him back a little from his full display of abilities from the cartoon and he's still really, really powerful.  Superman-level.  He started as a "peacekeeper" a sort of space cop, ended up getting the bands from an alien, and got an "Inviso-Belt" from some secret police kind of guys.  He was the best of the Peacekeepers, so he's got a lot of training and skill.  The Attacks I mostly bundled into a single really expensive 12d6 blast with variable special effects and advantages to represent the ways he's used it in the past.  His force field should probably be higher, but its pretty immense as is.  He routinely flys around in base mode of 8 PD/ED force field that the Power Bands give constantly.  Most of his attacks require him to push the 3 buttons on his wrist in various combinations, so they have gestures.  Technically people could take his belt and power bands but I don't remember it ever happening so I gave them IIF for most of the powers; its not clear the bands give him x-ray vision or flight for example.
 
SPACE GHOST
Val    Char   Cost    Roll     Notes
18/40  STR       8       17-      Lift 6400.0kg; 8d6 [4]
  17    DEX     14      12-      OCV:  5/DCV:  5
  18    CON      8       13-
  18    INT        8       13-      PER Roll 13-
  10    EGO      0       11-      ECV:  3 - 3
  20    PRE      10      13-      PRE Attack:  4d6
   5     OCV     10     
   5     DCV     10     
   3     OMCV  0      
   3     DMCV  0      
   4     SPD      20                  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   6     PD          4                   Total:  6/36 PD (0/30 rPD)  
   6     ED         4                   Total:  6/36 ED (0/30 rED +25 vs fire or cold)
   7     REC      3
  35    END      3
  10    BODY   0
  30    STUN    5       Total Characteristic Cost:  107
 
Cost   Powers                                                                                   END
           Invso-Belt                                                                                     
48      Inviso-Belt:  Desolidification , Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (60 Active Points); IIF (-¼) 0
20      Inviso-Belt:  Invisibility to Sight Group , Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (30 Active Points); IIF (-¼), Decreased effect against technological detection (-¼)                                                     0
           Power bands                                                                                 
19      Basic Defense Screen:  Resistant Protection (8 PD/8 ED) (24 Active Points); IIF (-¼)               0
12      Viso Penetron Beam:  Penetrative (blocked by lead) with Sight Group (15 Active Points); IIF (-¼)        0
51      Force Field:  Resistant Protection (22 PD/22 ED) (Protect Carried Items) (76 Active Points); IIF (-¼), Gestures (-¼)        0
19      Heat Force Shield:  Resistant Protection (25 ED) (39 Active Points); Cold Only (-½), IIF (-¼), Gestures (-¼)      0
19      Freeze Force Field:  Resistant Protection (25 ED) (39 Active Points); Heat Only (-½), IIF (-¼), Gestures (-¼)    0
45      Flight:  Flight 15m, Position Shift, x8 Noncombat, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (45 Active Points)            0
35      Flight:  Faster-Than-Light Travel (15 Light Years/hour) (44 Active Points); IIF (-¼)                0
15      Strength Augmentation:  +22 STR, Custom Modifier (+0) (22 Active Points); IIF (-¼), Concentration (½ DCV; -¼)         2
8         Recharge:  Aid  Endurance 2d6, Delayed Return Rate (points return at the rate of 5 per Minute; +1) (24 Active Points); Only Restores To Starting Values (-½), Only for mechanical or technological devices (-½), Only to Aid Others (-½), IIF (-¼), Gestures (-¼)                                                                                                  2
13      Sensors:  Detect Invisible objects A Class Of Things 9- (Unusual Group), Range, Targeting (20 Active Points); IIF (-¼), Gestures (-¼)                                                                                               0
                                                                                                                   
115         Power Bands:  Multipower, 135-point reserve, all slots Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (202 Active Points); all slots OIF (-½), Gestures (-¼)
9f       1)  Ray (varies):  Blast 12d6, Variable Special Effects (Limited Group of SFX; +¼), Variable Advantage (+½ Advantages; +1) (135 Active Points); IIF (-¼), Gestures (-¼)                          0
2f       2)  Energy-Enhanced Strike:  Hand-To-Hand Attack +7 ½d6 (38 Active Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-¼), IIF (-¼), Gestures (-¼)                                                                                               0
4f       3)  Magnetic Ray:  Telekinesis (50 STR) (75 Active Points); Only vs metallic objects (-½), IIF (-¼), Gestures (-¼)             0
9f       4)  Stun Beam:  Drain STUN 6 ½d6, Delayed Return Rate (points return at the rate of 5 per Minute; +1) (130 Active Points); IIF (-¼), Gestures (-¼)                                                                      0
5f       5)  Locking Ray:  Entangle 6d6, 9 PD/9 ED (75 Active Points); IIF (-¼), Gestures (-¼)             0
 
          Self Defense Training
5         Defensive Block                                                                       +1            +3           Block, Abort
3         Legsweep                                                                                   +2            -1           9d6 Strike, Target Falls
4         Martial Dodge                                                                            --            +5           Dodge, Affects All Attacks, Abort
4         Martial Strike                                                                            +0            +2          10d6 Strike
 
           Perks
30      The Phantom Cruiser/Ghost Ship:  Vehicle
 
           Talents
6         Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED)
 
           Skills
3         Combat Piloting 12-
16      +2 with HTH Combat
5         Escape Artist:  Custom Skill 12-
3         Paramedics 13-
2         Peacekeeper:  PS 11-
3         Persuasion 13-
3         Security Systems 13-
6         WF:  Common Melee Weapons, Common Missile Weapons, High Tech Firearms
 
Total Powers & Skill Cost:  536
Total Cost:  643
 
643+     Matching Complications
25      Dependent NPC:  Jan, Jace, and Blip the monkey Frequently (Normal; Group DNPC: x4 DNPCs)
5         Distinctive Features:  Galactically famous superhero and law enforcer (Easily Concealed; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses)
10      Hunted:  Zoltar Frequently (Less Pow; Harshly Punish)
10      Hunted:  Zorak Frequently (Less Pow; Harshly Punish)
10      Hunted:  Moltar Frequently (Less Pow; Harshly Punish)
15      Psychological Complication:  Code of Behavior (Common; Strong)
10      Psychological Complication:  Gullible and Trusting (Common; Moderate)
 
Total Complications Points:  643
 

Space Ghost.hdc

Star Trek: Baywatch...chronicles the adventures of a group of ensigns who are undercover as lifeguards at the most popular resort on Risa.

Basic
 
The Book of Three Rings
 
Dweomercraft for Apprentices
 
The Book of Changes
 
The Lazy Man's Guide to Enchantment
 
Diabolism for Dabblers
 
The Book of Prayers in Common
 
The Prayer's Handbook
 
The Lore Plain
 
Authentic Thaumaturgy
 
Approved Practical Catechism
 
Orthography of Phydaux
 
How to Do that Hoodoo So You Do it Well
 
Holbytlan
 
Codex of the West
 
Low
 
Common Clerical Errors
 
Justice Incorporeal
 
Dangers Interdimensional
 
A First Bestiary
 
 
Intermediate
 
The Book of Forty Kings
 
The Arduous Grimoire
 
A Field Guide to Forces
 
Analects that Confuse Us
 
The Bell Book
 
The Codex of Silence
 
The Book of Changes
 
The Monstrum Manual
 
Handbook of Alchemy and Metaphysics
 
Libram of Useful Herbs
 
The Joy of Hex
 
Auric Onager
 
Pictorial Key to the Law
 
The Classic Way of Virtue
 
The Limb of Gold
 
Which World?
 
Doctrine and Ceremony of the Great Work
 
Book of the Undead
 
Seer's Catalog
 
A Second Bestiary
 
Scroll of Saving
 
 
Advanced
 
Uncommon Clerical Terrors
 
The Book of the Well Done Cow
 
The Book of Splendor
 
The Donjon Mystic's Guide
 
The Book of Changes
 
Metamagical Themas
 
The Cryptic Codex
 
The Jade Tablet
 
The Tome of Mausoleus
 
A Brief Mystery of Tomes
 
Circles of Arepo
 
 
Forbidden
 
The Tome of Horrors
 
Scroll of the Bones
 
The Sorcerer's Codex
 
The Incunabulus of Diabolotry
 
The Club of the Month Book
 
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Necromancy
 
The Suzerain in Saffron
 
Oracle of the Thousand Hands
 
The Unspeakable Cult of the Unpronouncable Name
 
The Seven Hobbits of Highly Defective Purple
 
Occult Blood
 
Book of Fifty Shadows
 
Songs of the Barred
 
The Zornwil Effect
 
 
 
Lucius Alexander
 
The palindromedary appears in Circus of Words

Ok, thanks again to Hermit, whose idea (and work) I've blatantly borrowed and copied for my upcoming Campaign. Below is my individualized players brief to the city. I've copied much of Hermits great work here, and then gone off  in my own direction in some areas. But I just wanted to share it, to thank Hermit--and everyone else who voted or talked about this great campaign gimmick.


Eclipse City
 
“A City with a Birthday” says one slogan. “The City from Nowhere” says another. In the short time Eclipse City has existed, it has generated a mountain of study and interest. The secret of its origin is no clearer now than in the minute it appeared in our world. On Monday, August 21, 2018, North America was observing a rare total Solar Eclipse. A few small cities were especially excited, as last-minute corrections had moved totality to just include them --Keokuk Iowa, Hamilton and Warsaw, Illinois, and Alexandria, Missouri. Shortly after 1:15, that area experienced totality-and something more. Darkness descended, then the light returned a minute later. The eclipse continued as normal.
 
But the world was not normal. Residents of those small towns felt a brief moment of disorientation, then noticed something was different. Although their cities were the same, homes the same, the terrain was slightly different. New highways were visible.  Even the road signs noted a subtle change. Cartographers, geography buffs, and anyone who just happened to be looking at a map noted changes.  A little triangular area where Illinois, Missouri, and Iowa came together was ...different. The Missouri now split and flowed around a large triangular island. The very cities that used to reside near this location had moved! Drivers suddenly noticed new exits, signs, noting highways that had not existed a minute before. I-74 now suddenly stretched to what became overnight known as Eclipse City and beyond, splitting to connect to I-80 in the north, and I-35 in the west, then arcing down to merge to I-70 in the South between Kansas City and Columbia. Rail lines suddenly stretched to this new city, before linking into the previous ones., Airport databases suddenly listed an active airport, that was temporarily closed. Despite all of these changes, no other record could be found. There is no history of Eclipse City. Historical records take no account of its existence. Deed records simply do not include it. State boundaries exclude it. No one has a memory or recollection of it. No record says anything about it, but any map, route, road sign, or other necessary marker notes the City as if it had always been there.
 
And indeed, there was a city. Sprawling in beauty across the island, connected to the three surrounding states by no less than nine wide bridges and nine additional underground transit tunnels. Four neighborhoods surrounded this island downtown core, each surrounded by high, secure walls, the entire city itself elevated well above the surrounding river, secure from any flooding. The City was a marvel, featuring cutting edge technology.  The city was elegantly laid out, with wide roads, both above and below ground, underground subways, above ground trains that ran above roadways, and ample numbers of busses and public transport vehicles that that were connected to the cities automated driving system. A large international airport was the heart of a transportation system that cleanly routed in truck traffic and had the capability of handling river traffic as well. Factories, Residential neighborhoods, a sprawling University, extensive public schools—a perfect city, missing only one thing: residents. Homes were ready, keys laying on counters. Stores stood ready for inventory, and names. Restaurants were equipped, lacing only staff, supplies, and menus. The City seemed new, as if it was built that day, with no personalization—even the Streets were simply designated by numbers and letters.
 
Eclipse City's architecture is predominantly Art Deco in style with rectangular blocky forms arranged in geometric fashion, then broken up by curved ornamental elements all to create monolithic appearances with applied decorative motifs. Where ever it came from, the city had a certain density at one time, with a lot of tall buildings, indeed, with Eclipse City's arrival, the former tallest building of all three adjoining states are no longer even in the top ten. Despite the buildings reaching up for space, more light reaches than you might think thanks in large part to green space or parks scattered throughout. As for what the buildings and streets are made of, the buildings, infrastructure, and roads are made of very cutting edge, highly durable materials. What is unique is the odd crystalline streaks and swirls embedded seemingly randomly in outside walls and along sections of the roads. Like crushed dark glass of varying hues, these fractal patterns can often catch light in lovely and intriguing displays, though fortunately glare is minimum in most examples.
 
While much of this is a mystery, it doesn't take a genius to realize that the thirteen immense crystals scattered about the city probably either provided or at least were made of the same material. Varying in height from thirty to forty feet tall, the giant crystals appear to be in a pattern like a great wheel about the city. These can be somewhat blinding if one looks at them directly when the sun is hitting them just so, but no one would think of covering them up yet as, thus far, it's not like they're melting cars or burning people. They are spindle shaped and fused to the ground. A few lean, others are completely upright.  One is cracked, another seems to have been mostly worn away. While they are dark in hue, the colors otherwise vary and some locals use them as land marks. Naturally, these crystals have drawn the attention of gawkers, geologists, and new-agers but authorities reserve the right to close off access to them at a moment's notice.
 
The central processor for the Gridlink system has yet to be discovered, despite extensive research. Also a mystery are the large number drone vehicles that patrol the roads. These vehicles seem to be a form of automated repair system, having shown the capability of repairing roads, diverting traffic from accidents, acting as fire suppression vehicles, and housing smaller remote drones that do other maintenance and repair on public utilities, down to mowing of the grass. They draw their power from the Grid system, which seemingly draws power from the City itself. One of the greatest marvels of the city is that it is self-powering. No power production plant has been found.  And the City seemingly has an incredible reserve of power. It has no connection to the outside power grid of the United States, and as of yet, no connection has been built. No power lines or cables mar the city, all utilities are secure and buried. There is even free universal Wifi, though the central source has yet to be discovered. It was discovered in the winter that the streets were capable of melting snow and ice over time. Researchers think they crystals in the city are very efficient solar collectors, and that they extend into the earth, and draw energy from Earth itself. Exploration and powerful underground sensors have determined the cities extensive underground utilities go very deep, and that there may even be a core tap power source. The city has no pollution problem, as all of its vehicles draw power from the Gridlink system. All of the factories power comes cleanly from the city; all exhaust, byproducts, and other refuse are handled by automated recycling systems of staggering efficiency.  In a remarkable act of foresight, only electric/hybrid vehicles are allowed in the city. Hybrids vehicles only operate on gas outside of the city.
 
Some curious locals, interstate drivers, and small aircraft pilots were the first to arrive, shortly followed by several different branches of the military, government, and superhumans. They found a beautiful sprawling elegant city, completely empty. The next days were chaos as people rushed in, and the Government tried to stop them. Superheroes and Villains clashed immediately; especially as the Superhumans who quickly became the Cities first residents and superhero team drove off numerous villains. Explorers, scientists, occultists, and hordes of lawyers also rushed to take advantage of the opportunity. The extensive integrated road network made it difficult to stop people from getting to the borders. The city itself still was challenging to get into due to the refusal of the cities entry points to allow vehicles that could not connect to Eclipse cities Gridlink system that surpassed even the amazing system found in Millennium City. The thousands of vehicles in the City that existed for the apparent administration of the city already were equipped.  (Later it was determined warehouses with ready to install driving control systems existed, and since have been used on the vehicles that have brought in. Rumors of free mansions in a city of high technology awaiting anyway caused a massive influx. The fears the city would suddenly disappear were not much of a deterrent.
 
A rush by law enforcement and National Guard units from all three states brief almost escalated into a shooting match (rumors persist to this day one battle did occur but was stopped by superheroes). Various federal agencies declared they alone had supreme authority. The Department of the Interior, Department of Defense, Homeland Security, the Department of Justice—but finally, the President intervened and declared the newly renamed Primus (the Primary Response and Intervention for Metahumans Unified Service) to be in charge of Eclipse City, especially as they responded with massive reinforcements to assist the Superheroes struggling to drive off every meta powered criminal who saw an empty city free for exploitation.  Martial law was effectively, though not technically declared, and persisted for several months until a rudimentary system of federally appointed Judges was assembled. The City was declared an exclusive Federal District, much like Washington D.C. Teams of Silver Avengers, Iron Guard, Field Agents, and researchers descended upon the City. Observers from UNTIL were rejected after a failed attempt by the United Nations to declare Eclipse City a Extranational City State. When the UNTIL ‘observers’ arrived, a tense standoff occurred until the Golden Avenger arrived, and with considerable diplomacy (backed by several squads of Iron Guard) sent the UNTIL mission back with the polite language that their assistance was appreciated, but not needed at the moment, but that an invitation from the President would be issued if it was determined it was needed at a later time.
 
So, within days, Eclipse City had almost precipitated a small civil war, a battle of federal agencies, an international confrontation, and the greatest land rush since the Oklahoma sooners. As the days and weeks rolled by, no other information was revealed; the City tested safe in every way. Residents clamored for official admittance to one state or another, and incorporation of the city. A system of sorts was established. A provisional city government was made, and housing in most areas was given to this government to set up for auction to raise funds. Primus and a few other agencies secured choice buildings for their own use. Strict rules were set up, mainly to prevent investors from buying up neighborhoods. A select percentage of homes and apartments, especially in the more austere areas of the city have been set aside for distribution by regularly held lotteries with income scaled payments (down to zero for the impoverished) until the city reaches full capacity. Estimates put the city on its own as easily handling a population centering on two million. Large businesses and factories actually have a lease on their buildings with the City. Pressure is mounting for permanent sale from those entities, while locally many are clamoring a low forbidding the permanent sale of any property in the city to a business employing 50 or more individuals. Several large firms have moved branches to the city—to explore its technology, for publicity reasons, and to take advantage of a new opportunity. This political battel for ownership rights is shaping up to be a political crisis, and accusations of dirty, underhanded tactics on both sides have already been made by the cities newspaper, the Penumbra. The neighboring small cities experienced their own boom, as those wishing to do business with the City, yet afraid to live in it moved close as possible. Construction has been slow, but increasing, and projections on the Eclipse City Metropolitan area range from 1.5 to 6 million in a decade.

 
Every week seems to announce a new branch of a large firm. Several startups in the City have also had unparalleled success. The lack of energy costs, the presence of low cost housing, a diverse work force, and no cost production facilities that are clean, incredibly advanced and highly productive are turning the city into an economic powerhouse. Its Gridlink system, large airport, and the massive storage capabilities of the underground utility system called the Undercity are making Eclipse City a transportation hub, much to the anger of neighboring cities such as St. Louis, Indianapolis, and to a lesser extent, Chicago. Eclipse City University is opening for its first term; the mystery and allure of the City from Nowhere has been irresistible to students and teachers alike from across the world. And the City is embracing the school, with sports teams already forming. It is currently small, but demand and applications indicate the school will at least double or triple enrollment next year.  Some have talked about obtaining Major League franchises. A minor league team has already embraced the opportunity, and moved to Eclipse City, and tickets are selling like crazy. Already their name is shifting from Wolves to the Werewolves.
There is an ongoing debate about what to do with the city, if it should be incorporated into a state, and which one. Currently, it is operated as a federal district, with an appointed Mayor, policed by Primus under what is, effectively, martial law that is trying very hard to be a local neighborhood police force. The residents have no right to vote in a federal election if they claim residency in the city, and no one is allowed to live in the city without declaring residency. On the other hand, the City currently has a low sales tax, an almost non-existent property tax, and there is no state tax. The sale of property of the high range homes, and lease of property to large businesses (small ones get pro-rated and a semi-lottery approach to those with a good business plan) has generated such a budget surplus that the interest alone would fund many smaller cities. The fact that the city has very low maintenance costs helps considerably. The automated repair drones reduce the size of public workers needed. City wide sprinklers, fire resistant materials. There is a growing demand for autonomy, elections, and the creation of a ‘normal’ city government. There is already an election scheduled for a representative to the House, although they will not have voting privileges. This has already attracted the interest of the former superhero turned Congressman David Sutherland, aka Invictus.
 
It's a sad state of affairs that the one area of local control that folks should be able to turn to leadership for is still something of a mess. After a brief period of "Let's not call it Martial law but do what PRIMUS says or they have the right to shoot you", one Louis Blant was assigned as the Mayor Pro-Tem. Blant sectioned off an area near the center of the central island for the government buildings, but the truth of the matter is he's been a rather lack luster leader pushed about by one force or another. Some say he's corrupt, but most believe he's just incompetent. An emerging city Council, composed of heads of various City agencies and some other representatives may the real power. Despite this, he is already campaigning for the position of first elected mayor. EC Gov itself is a lovely spot, with large buildings now claimed for courthouses, bureaucracies and the town council. It has a particularly lovely city hall that most folks have to admit, looks a bit like a place from an old Saturday morning superhero cartoon show. The main accomplishment of the Mayor has been seemingly to stay out of the way of the frantic activity of a City literally taking root, and some people think that might be a better choice than a more involved leader trying to inject their own agenda and just getting in the way of progress.
 
So far, Eclipse City has its share of crime. Many opportunists who arrived naturally sought to try and con, steal, or take whatever wasn’t nailed down. Supervillains flocked to the city. Fortunately, Superheroes were waiting for them; Eclipses Cities resident super team is comprised of five novice heroes who came to investigate the strange phenomena, then found themselves so busy that they became among the first citizens. These heroes are much loved by many residents, because they were there when there was no one else to protect people and served as a vital intermediary between conflicting law enforcement and military groups, and ultimately Primus itself. And when the inevitable train of Supervillains came to investigate and exploit EC, these heroes were called upon constantly to help Primus stop the City from becoming a den of thieves and super powered madmen.

(What no one else knows, not even Primus, is that these heroes were present in the city the moment it manifested. All five of them had lead normal lives, in different locations, until the moment of the eclipse, then suddenly found themselves in the city, in costume, with powers.)
 
Still, where people go, crime follows. Some cities covertly bussed large segments of their homeless, poor, and mentally ill populations at the outskirts of EC. So, despite having abundant rooms, shelters, and blocks of apartments still being settled, EC has a core population of “wayfarers”; they refuse the name homeless, saying the City itself is their home. Another troublesome group is EC’s first legitimate gang. A number of individuals, from all walks of life, have suddenly been coming together in a gang. They style themselves the “Lunartics”, and their chaotic, random behavior has led many to believe they are all mentally ill to some degree. They cause problems in the city; their crimes are random, disorganized, and often run more to wild parties, pranks, and vandalism, but several innocent bystanders have been injured. Many people do not want to see Eclipse City develop the problems of other cities and are clamoring on a harsh draconian crackdown to hunt down and exile all Lunartics, regardless of their current activity. An Eclipse City police department is it its early stages of development. Most enforcement still is in the hands of Primus, with some assistance by the FBI, and US Marshalls. This still results in some legal complexities and battles for authority, complicated by the fact that none of the larger federal agencies focus on city level police work.
 
Many have expressed different theories on the future of Eclipse City. Many still ponder if the City will just vanish overnight or during the next eclipse. The mysteries of its origins are debated constantly. But the commentary of Horatio Goodman, founder of the Goodman Institute, delivered to a closed meeting to the US Government perhaps reveal what is truly troubling:

“Our analysis has discovered that Eclipse City is unnatural. ::laughter:: I know, a city that appears out of thin air can’t be natural, but I’m speaking of its nature as a city. It has not grown into its current status. Look at any City, a map of its streets, property lines, the nature of its subdivisions, the types of roads and buildings found in it, and you can see the roots of its development. You can see the kernel of the original small city, town, or village at its heart. Eclipse City has not developed. It has been created, as it is, by design, not by evolving or growing. Everything is well laid out, preplanned, each section, neighborhood well fitted and supported, with no ungainly or complicated access, no utility bottleneck, no uneven distribution of resources, no varying signs of development. The city fits together perfectly. This isn’t a city that developed somewhere, then and was transported to our world, or copied. It was planned, exactly as it is, never lived in, and delivered to our world with the door open and keys literally on the counter. More importantly, our world was altered, without detection, to service the needs of this city.

 We can continue to debate how the city came here, or from where. What we need to address is what Eclipse City is.  I’ve come to two possible conclusions, but I cannot tell you which conclusion is correct, and I fear we will only find out through the passage of time.  Eclipse City is either the greatest gift or the greatest trap in the known in the history of our world. If it is the former, I have to wonder if the giver will expect something in return; if it is the latter, I shudder to think what type of trap needs such an enticing lure.”

Did it also create it's own underground plumbing and water access?
 
PS - I suppose that question is probably a bit too tedious.