ArmlessTigerMan

Surbrook's Stuff has a great guide for writing up superheroes and fictional characters in the Hero system: https://www.devermore.com/surbrook/herosource/other/adaptions.html also there is a large archive of characters written up in the Hero system: https://www.devermore.com/surbrook/index/index.html

I will see your secret society, and raise you some pirate hats:

Character Sheet: https://www.herogames.com/files/file/643-crash-corrigan/ Background Ray 'Crash' Corrigan is a recent graduate of Annapolis. Professor Norton has been investigating a series of earthquakes. Crash accompanies the professor and a small party of explorers on his rocket submarine to seek out the source of the quakes, and they wind up in Atlantis. The warlike Atlanteans, led by the mad tyrant Unga Khan, seek to sink the surface world so that Atlantis can rise back to the surface. They are opposed by the more peaceful Atlanteans led by the high priest Sharad. Our band of intrepid explorers land in the middle of this conflict, adventure and cliffhangers ensue. Abilities: Crash Corrigan is a champion athlete and naval officer. Aside from the uniform, being in the Navy doesn't seem to confer any perks or complications. The Crash Lock is to represent what I consider to be his signature move, crash holding two targets in a chokehold, one under each arm, while they flail and attack him ineffectually until they go to sleep. Notes on Atlantis: The Atlantis of the Champions Universe is a rough analogue to the underwater kingdoms of Marvel or DC. The undersea kingdom of this serial is closer to the Lemuria of the Champions Universe, with a lost civilization living far below, breathing air not water, etc... Campaign use Hero version: As a hero from the serials, Crash is a bit two dimensional. He might need a bit fleshing out to make an interesting player character. As an npc I guess he could be a useful connection in the Navy. The Real Crash Corrigan: In the 1930's Raymond Benitz (or possibly Raymond Bernard) was working in Hollywood as a fitness instructor. He landed a role as a stuntman, playing a gorilla in Tarzan the Ape Man. In 1936 he was cast as Ray 'Crash' Corrigan in Undersea Kingdom. He adopted the character's name as own and went by Corrigan for the rest of his career. In 1937 he bought 1500 acres in Simi Valley and built the Corriganville movie ranch, which became a popular filming location and tourist destination. This Crash Corrigan would be well connected in the film industry, and have skills like Acting, as well as Professional Skills like Business, Real Estate, etc... And maybe tone down his physicality a bit. Darkside Version: 'Ripper' Rourke washed out of Navy and wandered the seven seas, until he and his crew made contact with the Lemurians! Now he works as their advance scout, preparing the way for their conquest of the surface world. I kinda dig this idea, as you can have Rourke making trouble for our heroes over one or more adventures (sabotaging various naval bases, stealing experimental submarines, etc..), these encounters leading up to the meeting with the Lemurians and thwarting their plans of conquest! Further Reading: https://milwaukeerecord.com/film/the-action-packed-life-of-milwaukees-ray-crash-corrigan/ https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0181003/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_1_nm_4_q_crash%2520corrigan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Undersea_Kingdom

Crash Corrigan View File Crash Corrigan, hero of the 1936 Republic serial Undersea Kingdom. Submitter ArmlessTigerMan Submitted 11/26/2023 Category Characters Rules Version HERO System 6th Edition  

Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire, for another take on Atlantis: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0230011/?ref_=vp_vi_tt Art design is a mix of steampunk and dieselpunk: https://characterdesignreferences.com/art-of-animation-1/art-of-atlantis-the-lost-empire

Thanks @Lord Liaden, @Ninja-Bear, will consult the 6E2!

Undersea Kingdom 1936 with Ray 'Crash' Corrigan One scene has Corrigan putting two Atlanteans in double choke hold while they punch him ineffectually. Not sure what type of martial maneuver to build to simulate that: And of course you have robots, rocket-subs, the undersea kingdom, etc...

Character sheet uploaded to: https://www.herogames.com/files/file/636-dominopdf/ I had very low expectations going into this, mostly because of the trashy Domino Lady comics put out by Moonstone and Eros. I know, a pulp snob calling comic books trashy. The hypocrisy!!! But I was pleasantly surprised by the original stories from Saucy Romantic Adventures. They are quick reads, about 20 pages each. A typical plot breakdown: someone being blackmailed asks The Domino Lady for help, or The Domino Lady is casing a big score. She will meet with one of her contacts. If the contact is tall and handsome, a make-out session may occur. She sneaks in somewhere, gets the jewels/blackmail letters/loot/important papers. She may or may not knock someone out with her syringe or knockout bomb she escapes triumphantly, leaving behind a black calling card inscribed with the following in white text: "Compliments of The Domino Lady" Donates much of her appropriated wealth to charity, but keeps enough to sustain her lifestyle. There were only six original stories, printed in 1936, and she was featured on the cover a few times. It isn't clear to me who the audience was meant to be. There isn't enough pulpy action or suspense to attract fans of Doc Savage or The Shadow, but I don't think those folks would be reading Saucy Romantic Stories. There certainly is melodrama here, but maybe the romance fans didn't like the intrusion of elements from the Hero pulps? In any case, after this short run the character faded into relative obscurity. Background: Ellen Patrick, freshly graduated from Berkeley, is spending a year in the far east when she learns her father Owen Patrick had been killed. Owen Patrick had been one of the most feared politicians in California, until he was murdered. Some believe the gunman to be an assassin hired by the state political machine. Ellen swore eternal vengeance on the vulpine politicians that had robbed her of her father, and created the alter ego of The Domino Lady! Appearance: Blonde. Beautiful. Also 'kissable shoulders,' described in detail on every other page. As the Domino Lady she wears a white backless gown, a black silk cape, and a black domino mask. Motivation: The Domino Lady would do anything for a friend, which usually means stealing back incriminating letters that are being used as blackmail material. (According to these stories, it was very common for young ladies to write romantic, steamy letters to men, and then these cads would sell the letters to professional blackmailers.) As can be seen by her choice of vocation, the Domino Lady is a thrill seeker, and not likely to turn down a challenge. She also likes to 'stick it to the man' by stealing from, and embarrassing the corrupt political interests that control California politics. Ellen Patrick was accustomed to a certain quality of life while her father was alive. Her criminal activities allow Ellen to continue fund her lifestyle. She carries a gun, but is averse to taking a life. Equipment: As the Domino Lady, Ellen carries a small automatic pistol. She may also carry a syringe full of 'knockout drops', and occasionally a small knockout bomb. Skills: Through long practice, Ellen has become very familiar with the pistol she carries. She can be quite stealthy, and is an accomplished burglar. She is very skilled at charming others to elicit information, and knowledgable about the upper class, especially those involved in politics. Campaign use: This could be a fun player character, with the emphasis on interaction skills and skulking about. As an npc she could make a decent Hunting target for pc. A few possibilities suggested by the stories: Gunslinger Option: In regards to her "tiny automatic", "Ellen could jerk that weapon into crackling use, plunk six slugs into a man-sized target at twelve feet, all within an interval of less than four seconds." This is what the narrator tells us. In the original stories she fires her weapon once hitting a thug in the leg so he'll stop chasing her. Its also worth noting that often she will hold someone at gunpoint, order them to turn around, and then administer her syringe of tranquilizer. But for the sake of argument let's say we want her to be as accomplished with her weapon as the narrator says she is, we could add the following: Rapid Fire: Naked Advantage: Autofire (3 shots; +1/4) for up to 15 Active Points (4 Active Points); OAF (Only with her pistol; -1) Quick on the Trigger: Lightning Reflexes (+6 Dex to act first with her pistol) Chemist Option: In the last story, the Domino Lady utilizes a fake flower pinned to her dress to administer tranquilizer to the antagonist. Did not include this in the character sheet as functionally this is a bit too similar to the syringe that she carries. Flower Squirt Gun: Blast 8d6, No Normal Defense (Life Support (Self-Contained Breathing); target holds his breath; +1) (80 Active Points); 1 Charge (-2), OAF (Ornamental Carnation; -1), No Range (-1/2) The origin of this, along with her other gadgets is not explained. Maybe she majored in chemistry at Berkeley? We could upgrade the character with the following skills, and perhaps a Chemistry based Gadget pool: 3 Science Skill: Chemistry 13- 3 Knowledge Skill : Tranquilizers and Sedatives 13- 3 Inventor 13- Martial Artist Option: There is no hand-to-hand combat in these stories. However Ellen does spend a year in 'the far east,' its possible she may have had the opportunity to learn some form of martial art.

domino.pdf View File Write up for The Domino Lady. She appeared in six short stories in the pages of Saucy Romance Stories in 1936, detailing her battle against blackmailers and corrupt politicians, and looking fabulous while doing it. Submitter ArmlessTigerMan Submitted 08/02/2023 Category Characters Rules Version HERO System 6th Edition  

You probably don't want to have PCs that have all their abilities purchased with this limitation; they'd essentially be useless outside of their region. I would probably allow few powers bought this way to represent that a given character would be more formidable on his home turf. For example, if I were building Daredevil as the regional defender of Hell's Kitchen, I would buy most of his abilities without the limitation. And then buy some ocv/dcv, levels with perception, or danger sense that only worked in that region to represent that he is in-tune with that environment. That way if the adventure happens outside of his region the character can still participate. Of course villains and NPCs can be built to serve the needs of the story.

Found a write up over at the Great Net Book of Real Heroes: Green Hornet

Just to add, this is discussed in the rulebooks under Redundant Maneuvers. Hero System Martial Arts page 88, Ultimate Martial Artist page 89, Ninja Hero page 66.

Doc Savage: Mad Mesa by Kenneth Robeson (Lester Dent) - The most interesting thing about the story is that the 'Mad Mesa' was inspired by the Devil's Tower in Wyoming, not too far from where Lester Dent grew up. Other than that, no interesting details to mine for scenario ideas, the crime, the criminals, the mcguffin were pretty banal by pulp standards. Hollow Earth Expeditions, Revelations of Mars by Exile Game Studio - This book is gorgeous. Expands on some of the history in the core Hollow Earth Expeditions book, this is a complete setting for Lost World Romance style pulp adventure on the red planet. I found it on ebay, and it is also on drive thru rpg.