1

Credits
Design: Steve Kenson
Writing: Steve Kenson, Gareth-Michael Skarka, Walt Ciechanowski, Morgan Davie, Theron Bretz
Credits

Editing: Gareth-Michael Skarka

Art: Dan “Alien Mastermind” Houser
Graphic Design and Layout: Gareth-Michael Skarka

THE VILLAINOMICON is ©2010 Adamant Entertainment. ICONS is ©2010 Steve Kenson, published
exclusively by Adamant Entertainment in partnership with Cubicle Seven Entertainment, Ltd. All rights
reserved. Reference to other copyrighted material in no way constitutes a challenge to the respective
copyright holders of that material.
The following is designated as Product Identity, in accordance with Section 1(e) of the Open Game License,
Version 1.0a: all character and place names and images except for those under copyright to other parties or
previously designated their Product Identity.
The following text is Open Gaming Content: all game rules and stats, except material previously declared
Product Identity.

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 Table of Contents
Introduction: p.4 Little Augie Caesar p. 69

Introduction
Villain Creation p.5 Lord Kisin p. 71
Disaster Strikes! p.8 Merry Widow p. 73
Alternate Rules p.12 Mister Mastermind p. 75
Specialities p.19 Monster Mastermind p. 77
Powers p.20 Nepenthe p. 79
VILLAINS: Paper Tiger p. 82
Auntie Social p.24 Patriot p. 84
Beastman p.26 Professor Hominid p. 86
Black Flame p.28 Professor Kafka p. 88
Black Hoods p.30 Redkap p. 90
Blonde Bombshell p.32 Rorek p. 92
Copy Cat p.34 Mr. Sandman p. 94
Corsair Queen p.36 Scarecrowe p. 96
Count Malochio p. 38 Skeletron p. 98
The Creeper p. 40 Smith p. 100
Dark Rider p. 42 XSpeedsaw p. 102
Dirge p. 44 Sock Puppet p. 104
Downsizer p. 46 Talion p. 106
Drusilla White p. 48 Tarpit p. 108
Dr. Zodiac p. 50 Tempus Khan p. 110
Earworm p. 52 Ultra-Mind p. 112
The Fox p. 54 Warbride p. 114
Gorn p. 56 Warlock p. 117
The Grudge p. 58 The Wraith p. 119
Harlequin (& Columbina) p. 60 X: The Unknown p. 120
Incognito p. 63 Yama King p. 122
In-Human p. 65 Zergo p. 124
Killer GM p. 67 Zero p. 126

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 BRING ON THE BAD GUYS!
Introduction
Villains are the most interesting part of any hero’s story. Over the course of a standard superhero
comic book, the main character may change slightly (or even drastically, although such major
changes are usually reset back to the status quo after a while has passed). The same hero, with
the same powers... the same overall concept remains from issue to issue. But the villains... the
villains are a neverending parade of new powers, new ideas, new concepts rolled out to keep
things fresh and interesting and to continue to challenge the hero.
The same thing should hold true for your Icons games as well. You’ve spent the time to create
compelling heroes, and to pit them against all manner of foes. Some of the villains you use will
become recurring threats, the sort of opponents that your players will love to hate, just as readers
thrill to see the return of the classic foes in their favorite comics. But you need a steady diet
of the worst threats that your campaign setting has ever seen -- that’s the way to keep things
interesting, and to keep your players on their toes.
The Villainomicon is more than just a “Monster Manual” of new villains for your game, however.
Yes, there are dozens of new threats contained within these pages, but The Villainomicon also
provides new powers, new specialties, optional rules and dozens of adventure hooks as well.
So, proceed at your own risk. The fate of your campaign world may lie within these pages -- and
only your heroes can save it.

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 Villain Creation
The Icons core rulebook covers the steps of creating a hero (p. 9–15) and putting those heroes
together as a team (p. 18–21), but what about the villains?
Icons Game Masters are, of course, free to simply make up villains out of whole cloth. It’s an easy
matter to assign whatever levels you want to a villain’s abilities, choose the appropriate specialties
and powers and assign levels to them as needed, too, then give the villain some aspects, and
you’re good to go. That’s how most of the villains in this book (and the sample villains in Icons)
were created.
However, you can also add an additional phase to the Hero and Team Creation process outline in
Icons: that of Villain Creation.
Any player who has chosen an Enemy challenge should pass the hero to the player the left. That
player then rolls on the Villain Role table to determine how to generate the hero’s Enemy:

2D6 Villain Role

2–5 Adversary: Roll to generate the villain’s Origin and other traits the same as a
hero.
6–7 Nemesis: Do not roll the villain’s Origins. The villain has an Origin “opposite” to
that of the hero on the Origin table: Trained = Unearthly, Transformed = Artificial,
and Birthright = Gimmick and vice-versa. Generate the rest of the villain’s traits
the same as you would a hero.
8–9 Opposite: The villain has the same Origin as the hero. Do not roll the villain’s
powers. Instead, assign the villain the same number of powers as the hero,
but choose “opposing” powers. So if the hero has Elemental Control (Fire), for
example, the villain could have Elemental Control (Cold) or (Water). The creating
player gets to interpret “opposite” with the GM’s approval.
10–12 Reflection: The villain has the same Origin and powers as the hero—including
abilities above level 6—but differing aspects, and possibly differing descriptions
of the powers’ “special effects”. For example, a hero with Wizardry (Magic) might
have a Reflection who also has Magic, but evil magic rather than good magic. The
villain may choose different Specialties than the hero.

Villain creation then follows the guidelines given for hero creation in Icons (p. 9–15). If the villain
is a team Enemy, the Game Master rolls on the Villain Role table and creates the villain. If using
the optional point-build creation systems, roll to determine the villain’s role and then spend points
accordingly, or simply choose a role.
Game Masters may wish to make villain creation mandatory for all players; those whose heroes do
not have an Enemy challenge are simply creating additional villains for the series. Their heroes do
not earn Determination for the villain(s) entering play, but neither do those villains have a particular
vendetta against their heroes.

Villain Creation Example

Andy sits to the left of Branden, who has just created the hero Saguaro, the Man-Cactus (Icons,
p. 15–16) and Saguaro has an Enemy complication. So Branden passes his hero’s character sheet
over to Andy, who grabs the dice to start coming up with a villain!

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 Rolling an 8 on the Villain Role Table, Andy comes up with an Opposite villain; he has the same
Origin as Saguaro (Transformed) but opposing powers. Andy notes the bad guy is Transformed
(and therefore has one power or ability at +2) and moves on to the next phase.
Andy rolls six times for the villain’s abilities, getting the following:

Prowess 3
Coordination 4
Strength 4
Intellect 4
Awareness 6
Willpower 5

The villain could use

his Origin bonus
to improve one of
these abilities, but Andy
decides to wait and see how
the powers come up.
He knows from the villain’s role
that he has three powers (same as
Saguaro) and that they are opposite
in some way. He looks at Saguaro’s
list: Aura (his spines), Immunity, and
Leaping, but also considers Saguaro’s
themes: that he’s a plant-man and a desert
creature. Andy considers something like a
cold-based villain or someone associated
with a more lush environment, but
thinks it would be more
interesting if Saguaro’s
Enemy is closer
to home. So he
considers an
animal-based,
rather than
plant-based
character, who is
more sly and cunning than Saguaro’s close-
up, spiny, super-strength. Considering the
“opposite” of Saguaro’s Immunity he thinks
about Affliction, and poisonous powers.
Animals, poisons, desert ... reptiles! Andy
picks the following powers: Affliction and
Animal Control (Reptiles). Rolling levels
for them, he gets 6 for Affliction and 5
for Animal Control, raised to 7 because
it is limited to Reptiles. He also adds the
bonus power of Close Range to Affliction, since the villain isn’t going to
want to touch Saguaro!
Looking over the villain’s traits, Andy decides to apply the +2 Origin bonus to Coordination,
making the villain quick and agile. He then rolls for Specialties, getting a total of 3. He picks
Acrobatics and Stealth right off, and decides to add Occult as the third, ideas beginning to come
together.

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Andy describes a former student of Saguaro’s mentor, Tom Crow (pulling in the hero’s other
aspects). Jealous of Saguaro being “the chosen one,” he went out into the desert looking for some
of that same irradiated cactus, but got bitten by an irradiated snake instead. The venom and the
sinister spirits he called upon transformed him into a lizard-man able to spit acidic poison and
control reptiles. He took on the name of “The Gila-Master” and swore to destroy Saguaro and to
steal his mentor’s mystic secrets for himself!
Branden likes his hero’s new Enemy and the Game Master looks over Andy’s work and approves.
He decides to add the small additional touch of giving Gila-Master the Wall-Crawling power as well
(he can climb sheer surfaces like a gecko) at level 5. The Mighty Man-Cactus has his work cut out
for him dealing with the sinister and scaly skulker of the Painted Desert!

Don’t Sweat The Details

One thing about Icons is that it paints characters in broad strokes. Especially when you are
creating villains and other non-player characters, don’t worry too much about the little details,
so long as you have an overall sense of what the character is like and how the game traits are
supposed to work in play.
If there’s a particular detail not covered by a specific specialty, power, or other game trait, but
important to the character overall, consider making it an aspect. Examples include things like Alien,
Android, Disembodied Spirit, or Brain in a Jar, just to name a few. These quickly and easily sum up
things about the character and allow players to potentially tag them during the game in order to
spend Determination. You don’t have to worry about the specifics, just deal with them as needed as
the game unfolds.

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 Disaster Strikes!
Villains are not the only
challenges heroes face. They
also save people from a wide
range of disasters, from fires
and floods to earthquakes
and train wrecks. Sometimes
these are natural disasters,
while others are the work of
villains, intended to blackmail
a population or distract heroes
from their true goals. The
following are some disasters
you can use as challenges to
spice up your Icons games.

Avalanche
An avalanche occurs when
a large mass of snow slides
down a mountain slope, often
dislodged by a sudden shock
or vibration. The heavy, fast-
moving mass can crush and
bury anything in its path.
The wave of an avalanche does bashing damage to anything hit by it, typically from level 6 to
8. Those in the path are also buried by the avalanche, requiring a Strength level equal to the
avalanche’s damage in order to dig free. (At your discretion, lesser levels of Strength may be
able to dig free by accumulating successes; see the Success Pyramid in Alternate Rules). Buried
victims begin to suffocate (see Swimming on p. 59 of Icons).
Heroes most often move targets quickly out of an avalanche’s path (perhaps requiring a
Coordination or movement power test) or find ways to stop or divert it, typically using a suitable
control power. For example, Element Control to create a protective barrier or redirect the falling
material.
The guidelines for avalanches also serve for landslides, rockslides, and mudslides in other terrain.

Crash
Heroes may find themselves in need of stopping an out-of-control vehicle before it can crash,
ranging from a small passenger car to a jumbo jet, cruise ship, or star-liner! Typically, stopping the
vehicle is a test of Strength or some similar power (such as Telekinesis) although clever heroes
may use different powers or power stunts to prevent a crash. The difficulty of the test is the
greater of the vehicle’s approximate Strength or speed, plus any intervening conditions: catching a
falling plane obviously requires a hero able to fly!
A massive success halts the vehicle and brings it under the hero’s control, to stop or set it down
safely. Lesser success slows the vehicle, but does not stop it. It takes a total of four moderate
successes or two major successes to bring the vehicle under control. A failed test means the hero
not only fails to stop the vehicle, but damages it in the process!
A crashing vehicle inflicts damage equal to its speed upon all passengers and anything that it hits.

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A variation on the crash disaster is a damaged bridge or train track. Heroes may be able to prevent
this disaster by holding up the damaged portion of the bridge or track rather than stopping the
vehicle(s). This, too, requires a Strength test appropriate to the difficulty of the weight the hero must
hold up: from 8 to support a train as it speeds overhead to 9 or 10 to hold up an entire collapsing
bridge!

Earthquake
You can estimate an earthquake’s level as equal to its Richter Scale rating: by this standard, the
1906 San Francisco earthquake is level 8 (the one in 1989 was level 7) while the 2004 Indian Ocean
earthquake was level 9.
Much of the challenge for heroes comes after an earthquake: moving debris to get at trapped
victims, supporting collapsing structures, fighting resulting fires (see Fire), and so forth. Earthquakes
are also known to trigger other disasters like avalanches and tsunamis (see their descriptions). Still,
heroes with the appropriate powers (especially Earth Control) might be able to quell or lessen the
quake itself with a power test against the earthquake’s level.
Anyone caught in an earthquake has to resist a slam result (Icons, p. 70) based on the quake’s
level, except failure only results in a knockdown and damage equal to the quake’s level rather than
flinging the character over a distance. At the GM’s option failure on the slam test could result in the
character falling into a crevasse (perhaps even leading to some adventure deep within the Earth).

Fire
Fires—from building fires to forest fires—pose two primary challenges: the heat and flames,
and thick clouds of choking smoke. Fires vary in intensity from level 1 (that of a candle flame) to
massive conflagrations at level 7+. A typical building fire is level 5–6. The smoke from the fire forces
anyone in the area to hold their breath, making Strength tests to avoid passing out.
Heroes may be able to use their powers to douse a fire, testing against the fire’s level as the
difficulty. Putting out a large fire requires a power able to cover a suitably large area (although
extending a power’s area is a suitable power stunt). As with other disasters, you may want to use
the Success Pyramid (p. 17) as a guideline.
One other hazard of fires is that of collapsing structures, or things like falling trees in the midst of
a forest fire. Ask heroes to make Coordination tests to avoid being hit and pinned by falling debris.
Those who fail suffer some Stamina damage and need sufficient Strength to extricate themselves,
while also dealing with the fire and smoke. Primary goals in dealing with fires are getting trapped
victims to safety and containing the blaze before trying to put it out.

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 Flood
Storms, rapid snow-melts, and similar situations can cause rivers and other bodies of water to
overflow their banks. Low-lying areas fill with water, causing considerable damage and other
hazards.
A flash-flood, wherein a large amount of water pours quickly into an area, has effects like an
avalanche of water (see Avalanche), except targets are swept away rather than buried and may
potentially drown rather than suffocate. See Swimming on p. 59 of Icons for more information.
Slower floods, wherein water creeps up, allows for more evacuation time. Heroes with the right
powers might be able to do something about the flood, creating makeshift dams or directly
controlling the water to divert it elsewhere.

Storm
Hurricanes, tornadoes, and other powerful
atmospheric disturbances cause damage with
high winds and associated precipitation. Like
other disasters, storms have a level. In game
terms, a hurricane’s Saffir-Simpson Category
(from 1 to 5), added to 5, equals its level. So
a Category 1 storm is level 6, while a massive
Category 5 hurricane is level 10.
Heroes can use powers like Elemental Control
(particularly air and weather) to try and quell a
storm (testing against its level). They may also be
able to use powers like Flight or Super-Speed,
creating reverse air currents to disperse or disrupt
a hurricane or tornado funnel.
Beyond dealing with the storm directly, there
are plenty of opportunities to avert and deal
with storm-related damage: things from lawn
ornaments to entire cars are thrown through the
air, while high winds may tear off roofs or flatten
buildings. Heroes fighting against the wind make
Strength or movement power level tests against
the wind’s level to make headway and avoid
being swept away, much like resisting a slam
outcome from an attack (Icons, p. 70).

Tsunami
A tsunami is a massive wave, typically caused by an underwater earthquake or eruption. The wall
of water may stand dozens or even hundreds of feet tall and it hits the shoreline with devastating
force, crushing everything in its path and flooding coastal areas with salt-water (tsunami are an
ocean phenomenon, although in a comic book world they could also occur in fresh-water lakes).
For game purposes, a tsunami is much like an avalanche of water (see Avalanche), inflicting
its level in bashing damage, and inundating the area, requiring trapped characters to make
Coordination tests to swim to safety and possibly Strength tests to hold their breath.
Powers like Elemental Control can potentially disrupt or deflect a tsunami, and heroes can attempt
various power stunts to try and hold off the wave, from sonic booms using movement powers
to whirlpools created with Swimming, or Strength-based shockwaves to smash the incoming

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wave. Dealing with the aftermath of a tsunami involves finding an rescuing trapped victims, bracing
damaged structures, and even dealing with sea-life—such as sharks—trapped in flooded areas by
the wave.

Volcano
A volcanic eruption creates a powerful explosion (damage 8 or more) along with a cascade of lava
that is similar to a slow-moving avalanche (see Avalanche) except that it is hot enough to inflict level
7-8 burning damage each page! A volcano also spews rocks and large amounts of ash into the air
and releases choking and poisonous gases (Affliction 5).
Heroes faced with an eruption may try various means to relieve the buildup of pressure from the
subterranean magma, anything from Earth Control to drilling pressure-relief wells, allowing the lava
to vent safely elsewhere. Once an eruption occurs, the primary job is to get people out of the lava
flow’s path, and possibly divert the flow away from inhabited areas.

Disasters and the Big Picture

When running a disaster in your Icons game, you don’t have to deal with every element and aspect
of it. Disasters are big, often covering entire cities or states, and the heroes can only be in so
many places at once. It is generally easiest to focus on the ends of the spectrum when describing
a disaster: either the high-level side of stopping the disaster as a whole (such as using Weather
Control to disrupt a storm) or the low-level side of helping individual victims and dealing with side-
effects of the disaster, like rescuing cars on a damaged bridge during or after a quake, for example.
You can gloss over the long-term process of fighting the disaster, basing your overall description on
how the heroes do at either end of the spectrum. If their efforts are largely successful, then assume
they pretty much deal with the disaster. If they are not successful, describe how the disaster
overwhelms them and even their powers have limits.

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 Alternate Rules
One size rarely ever fits all, and that is true with game rules as much as anything else. Roleplaying
games like Icons are meant to be tinkered with, taken apart, rebuilt, and “adjusted” to fit your
own play style and preferences and those of your gaming group. This section offers some ideas
and suggestions towards that end. It also provides a few additions to the rules offered in the main
Icons book. Use them (or not) as you see fit.

Damage Variants
Alternate ways of handling damage (and the general effects of conflict) in Icons.

0 Stamina = Massive Success

Rather than the standard effect of rendering the target unconscious, reducing a target to 0 or
less Stamina counts as an automatic massive success with that attack, with no resistance test
by the target. For bashing and blasting attacks, the outcome is the same: the target is rendered
unconscious. With slashing and shooting attacks, however, this results in an automatic killing
outcome and the target is dead!
This makes slashing and shooting attacks considerably more lethal (since they kill at 0 Stamina as
well as on rolled killing outcomes). You can soften this somewhat by allowing the usual Strength
test against the killing outcome at 0 Stamina, as if it were rolled as a normal massive success.

Newton’s Revenge: Alternate Slams and Stuns

The default rules for Slam and Stun outcomes in Icons (p. 70) assume a massive strong target
acts like a truly massive target: you test damage (force) versus Strength (mass) to see if the target
is affected. Thus really strong types can potentially stand their ground when hit by powerful
impacts. This is often, but not always, the way it works for superheroes.
A variation that spices things up is to ignore the 0 or greater damage requirement for a slam or
stun outcome; so long as the attack results in a major or massive success, then there has to be
a test for a slam or stun. So relatively invulnerable targets can get tossed around, perhaps even
stunned or knocked out, by a sufficiently successful attack without taking any Stamina damage at
all!
In this variation, you may want to use the higher of the target’s Strength or armor level (from
Invulnerability) to resist the slam or stun outcome. So, for example, if a Strength 3, Invulnerability
6 target is hit with a damage 5 attack, normally it would have no result: 5 damage, minus 6 armor,
results in –1 damage, not enough to do anything. In the variant, with a major or massive success,
the attack could slam or stun the target. Then it is a test of 4 (damage) versus either 3 (the target’s
Strength) or 6 (the target’s Invulnerability) depending on the approach. You can even split the
difference: testing slams solely against Strength (to represent bracing ability, mass, etc.) and stuns
against the better of Strength or armor.
You may wish to limit stun outcomes in this variant to one page. That is, unless the damage is 0 or
higher, the best stun result is one page, rather than a knockout. This gives the invulnerable types
some benefit; they might get shaken up, but not taken out by attacks to which they should be
invulnerable.
Likewise, note that this variant does not include killing outcomes, which still have to inflict 0 or
more damage (that is, have damage at least equal to the target’s armor) in order to have a chance
of killing. You may want to treat a killing outcome in this variant as a stun or slam instead when
the damage is less than the target’s armor and a major or massive success is scored on the attack
test.

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Innate Invulnerability
Invulnerability (p. 41) is a big factor in damage and combat in Icons: An invulnerable character can
often go much longer in a fight: for example, a Stamina 8 hero hit by two damage 4 attacks is out of
the fight, whereas a Stamina 8, Invulnerability 3 hero can withstand eight such attacks! This benefit
of Invulnerability is intended; the invulnerable-types are the ones in the comics who hang in fights
longer, soaking up damage, while most heroes do their best to avoid getting hit.
If you want to extend damage resistance in your Icons game, assign all characters a level of
Invulnerability. Half the character’s Strength level (rounded down) is a good guideline. So a
Strength 7 hero has armor 3 (7 divided by 2 equals 3.5, rounded down to 3). If you want to further
differentiate, a character’s innate damage resistance from Strength should apply only to bashing
and blasting damage, not slashing or shooting damage. The Invulnerability power still applies to
all forms of damage, and characters use the higher of the two levels (Strength-derived armor or
Invulnerability) against bashing and blasting damage. So a Strength 10, Invulnerability 3 hero would
have armor 5 against bashing/blasting damage (from Strength) and armor 3 against slashing and
shooting damage (from Invulnerability).

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 Spending Determination
The following are some alternative ways of spending Determination from those given in the Icons
rules.

Determined Damage
Determination does not directly aid the amount of damage a hero inflicts, apart for improving the
chances of achieving a greater outcome like a stun or slam. With this option, players may also
declare Determined Effort to overcome a target’s armor. Similar guidelines apply: the hero must
have first failed to overcome the target’s armor with an attack in order to declare the next attempt
a Determined Effort. Each point of Determination spent effectively increases the attack’s damage
level by +2. The player chooses the desired damage, between a minimum amount needed to
exceed the target’s armor by 1, to a maximum of 11. The other outcomes of the attack, such as
possible stun, slam, or killing results, occur normally.

Determined Effort
You can simplify determined effort by allowing players to spend Determination for a flat +2 bonus
to any test per point of Determination spent. The players may spend points to modify tests after
the die roll and the initial result, essentially “retconning” the test result with Determination. The
player must still tag an aspect (one of the hero’s or an aspect of the subject of the test) to spend
Determination.
While more straightforward, this approach allows players to manage their Determination use in a
much more calculated and planned way; they don’t need to decide a test is important until after
they see the result, and there is no requirement for an initial failure or one-chance-only to spend
Determination, which may encourage players to do more up-front spending. This may shorten
some tests or challenges; for example, upon encountering the villain, the players immediately
spend Determination on their first attacks to get the maximum possible result.

Free Tags
A concept used in some FATE games is that of “free” tags, wherein certain actions or test
outcomes provide a hero with what amounts of a free point of Determination for a later test related
to the earlier action. For example, an Awareness test that gives a hero insight into one of a foe’s
Challenges may provide a free tag, allowing the hero to spend a point of Determination to compel
that Challenge without actually spending any Determination. Likewise, an effective Presence test
might grant a free tag in dealing with impressed, persuaded, or overawed targets, or an effective
Coordination test to pull off a particularly difficult maneuver (granting a tactical advantage) can
grant a free tag against an opponent.
Free tags are a good way of providing quick bonuses and encouraging players to use their heroes’
other abilities in order to garner them. They’re a good option for Determination-poor (or simply
frugal) players. They also encourage creativity, since coming up with a clever action, maneuver, or
addition to the story may be good for a bonus.

Limited Tagging
Normally, players have to tag only one quality to spend Determination. In this variant, tagging
a quality is limited to spending only one point of Determination. To spend more than one point,
the player must tag one quality per point spent. So a determined effort involving three points
of Determination, for example, would also require bringing at least three qualities into play. This
effectively limits Determination spending to five points at a time, since characters have only five
qualities at most. It also makes spending multiple points of Determination more involved, since the
players have to come up with more complex justifications to bring multiple qualities into play.

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Sacrifice Play
Although mentioned briefly on p. 81 of Icons (under Gaining Determination), it is worth noting
specifically that players can potentially offer to “trade” the Game Master a temporary challenge
for their hero in exchange for some immediate Determination. In essence, the player suggests a
suitable “sacrifice” (the challenge) which the GM then rewards with Determination.
Example: Electric Judy’s player is tapped out for Determination but really needs some in order to
figure out a way to take down the rampaging Troll. Judy’s player suggests to the GM that one of
the Troll’s hits does some serious damage to the android’s arm servos, leaving it immobilized. The
GM agrees and slides her a point of Determination. The next round, Judy’s player ups the ante
by suggesting that Troll actually tears Electric Judy’s damage arm off altogether, leaving exposed
wiring and circuits sparking! The GM grins, nods, and passes her another point of Determination.
Then Electric Judy makes a desperate last bid to use the sparking electricity and some of the water
mains broken in the Troll’s rampage to take him down...

“Here Take My...”

As an option for the “Last Hero Standing” rule from Icons, the Game Master can permit a defeated
character, rather than adding Determination to the team pool, to provide a more tangible benefit
to the remaining hero. This might be use of a device, temporary access to a power or power
stunt, or even specific words of advice or inspiration that grant the benefit of spending a point of
Determination, such a Recover (“You can do it! You have to!”) or a Focused Effort (“You have to use
your wits, not just brute strength!”). The effect is essentially the same, the defeated hero’s player
simply has more input as to how the added Determination is used.

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 Starting Determination
The standard system in Icons sets starting Determination based on the hero’s number of powers,
counting abilities above level 6 as powers and some powers as double. Here are some variant
ways of calculating starting Determination:

By Power Levels
Add up the levels of all of the hero’s powers, along with any abilities above level 6, and divide the
sum by 6, rounding down. Subtract this value from a starting value of 6, with a minimum of 1, to
determine the hero’s starting Determination. Powers that count double in Icons have their power
level doubled before they are added to the total.
For example, a hero with Strength 8, Blast 7, Flight 5, and Invulnerability 8 has a sum total of 28
levels. This total, divided by 6, equals 4.66, which rounds down to 4. Subtracted from a starting
value of 6, this provides a starting Determination of 2. On the other hand, if the hero’s Flight level
were 7 (for a total of 30 levels), then dividing by 6 yields a value of 5, for a starting Determination of
1. Likewise, if the three powers were all level 4, for a total of 20, it yields a value of 3.33, rounded
down to 3, for starting Determination 3.
This approach takes relative power level into account, with averages similar to the default
approach, but providing a slight edge to heroes with lower overall power levels and charging a
premium for those with relatively few powers at high levels.

By Power Types
In this approach, for each of the following power types where a hero a hero has one or more
powers, reduce starting Determination by 1: defensive, movement, offensive, sensory, and
miscellaneous (all other power types). So having powers in all five types, yields starting
Determination of 1.
Having more than one power of a given type does not count. So having any number of offensive
powers only reduces starting Determination by 1; only the first power of that type matters. Powers
normally treated as two powers still count as double, unless the power fills more than one type, in
which case it only applies to those type(s). For example, Teleportation counts as double, reducing
starting Determination by 2, but only as a movement power. Elemental Control, on the other hand,
may count as a defensive, movement, or offensive power (or all of those, depending on the power
effects chosen).
Abilities above 6 typically count as miscellaneous, so –1 starting Determination for any number of
abilities above 6, although the GM may wish to count Strength as an offensive “power” and high
Prowess and/or Coordination as a “defensive” power, given their typical uses.

16
Success Pyramid
When heroes are confronted with a complex task, rather than requiring a single pass/fail test, the
GM can set up a success “pyramid” for the task, where in a single test can succeed, but multiple
smaller successes can also accomplish the task, allowing for teamwork and the combination of
different abilities or approaches.
Essentially, accomplishing the task requires a massive success against the chosen difficulty.
However, lesser outcomes can add up to greater outcomes to build a “pyramid” of success. Two
major outcomes add up to a massive success, while two moderate outcomes add up to a major
success. Thus four moderate outcomes add up to two major outcomes, which add up to the
needed massive success.
The tests used to achieve the outcomes can be whatever the players think up and the GM permits.
So if the task involves an investigation, for example, some of the tests might be Intellect-based
analyses of evidence, while others are Awareness-based searches for clues, and still others are
Willpower-based interrogations or efforts at persuasion. The tests can be carried out by one hero in
success or several heroes all at once.
You can extend this approach to successful outcomes to conflicts as well. Rather than simply
beating-down an opponent’s Stamina, a massive success could also overcome an opponent,
with different abilities and tests contributing. This could be a matter of psyching-out a foe, using
technical skills to defeat a device, performing a mystic ritual, or some other form of indirect conflict.
In this fashion, the success pyramid works similarly to the stress track in FATE: the moderate
outcomes are like individual “boxes” and when a sufficient number are “checked off” the hero is
successful and the foe or challenge is overcome.
You can get a lot of flexibility out of varying the difficulties involved in a success pyramid test,
perhaps even making some approaches easier or harder than others. You can also “widen” the
pyramid, either by increasing the total successes required (doubling them, for example, to two
massive, four major, and eight moderate) or changing the ratios (so it requires three or four lower-
degree successes to add up to a higher degree, for example). Combine that with choosing different
abilities to make the actual tests, and you can cover a wide range of situations and challenges.

17
 Running Mastermind Villains
Masterminds are challenging NPCs. They are super-geniuses who are always ahead of their
opponents and have plans for every eventuality. However, the GM is unlikely to be a super-genius
and probably has better things to do than sit around for days thinking up devious plans to outwit
the heroes. How can you create the feeling of a mastermind without going to excessive lengths?
Firstly, remember that a big part of the role-playing game experience is how things come across.
Do everything you can to make these characters feel like masterminds. Have them use big
words wherever possible. Have them explain everything they do, gloating and pointing out their
cleverness. Have them eagerly draw attention to their own genius and disparage the intelligence of
everyone else. Describe everything they do in such a way that shows them to be very clever and
very resourceful.
There is often a temptation in supers games to have villains be
buffoons, but resist that temptation for the masterminds. Don’t
have them put a foot wrong – they can be victims of bad luck,
and they can be outwitted by the heroes, but other than that
they should do everything right.
Secondly, there are some
mechanical tricks to call
upon: cheating, and paying
out determination.

Cheat
Normally, when a GM is running a
game, they have a model of the situation
in their head and they try to apply it fairly
and honestly. If they’ve decided there’s a spare atmosphere
suit in the cupboard, then when a character opens the
cupboard, an atmosphere suit will be found.
When it comes to masterminds, these unspoken rules of play
can be suspended. Perhaps a hero takes the atmosphere
suit and wears it. Only then does the GM have the idea that
the suit has been booby-trapped all along. This is perfectly
legitimate. Mastermind villains are smarter than anyone
around the table, and you can use that to justify almost
anything.

Pay Out Determination

The approach above is good for small things or to add the
occasional exciting moment. For bigger things, or for changes
that would frustrate the players, even the score by awarding the
players with Determination. Say you decide to have the heroes
captured and put in a deathtrap. Tell the players that a hidden
shock-grid in the villain’s lair knocks them all unconscious, and
give them Determination for going along with it. Then tell them
what happens when they wake up.
If a player really doesn’t want to go along, and is willing to
pay out the Determination needed, then perhaps his
character manages to escape and is working to free
his friends while the villain is ranting and telling them
his evil scheme.”

18
 Specialties
The Specialties that appear in the main Icons book are certainly enough to cover most needs for
a superheroic campaign, but there are sometimes when you want to throw something unusual at
your players -- some of the villains presented in this book have been given unusual Specialities for
this very reason, and the new Specialties are presented here for ease of reference, and for the use
of any Game Masters who wish to make them available to their players.

Animals
You are skilled in handling and dealing with animal life. Add your speciality bonus to tests
involving training animals, influencing or predicting their behavior, etc. If you wish to specify a
single particular species, which bestows an increasing level of aptitude beyond specialist, but you
lose the general benefit of the specialty for all other species.

Area v
You are knowledgeable about a particular location (which must be specified), and can add your
specialty bonus to Intellect and Awareness tests based on your familiarity with that location.

“I believe in Gotham City.”

- Bruce Wayne, Batman: The Long Halloween

Deception
You are skilled in the arts of lying, bluffing, trickery and subterfuge. You may add your specialty
bonus to tests that involve deceiving others -- including Persuading (Icons, page 66) or even
combat maneuvers involving feint or misdirection.

Nature
Add your specialty bonus to tests involving the wildnerness, including tracking and survival.

19
 Powers
The core Icons book provides powers that are wide-ranging enough to cover most common
superheroic archetypes and variations. The powers presented here are optional -- either
alterations or additions to existing powers, or powers that can function as optional replacements
for those found in the core book, at a Game Master’s discretion. This section also includes rules
clarifications on existing powers.

Affects Incorporeal
As a bonus power, any attack power that inflicts damage can have the ability to affect incorporeal
targets (such as those using the Phasing power on page 32 of Icons) as if they were solid. This
typically applies to attack powers with a magical, multi-dimensional, or exotic energy type.

Animal Mimicry 82

You can duplicate their powers of any animal within sight and use them yourself. Unlike Power
Duplication (on page 33 of Icons), touch is not required.
You gain all the target’s powers at their existing level or your Animal Mimicry level, whichever is
less. So if you have Animal Mimicry 4, any powers you duplicate are limited to a level no greater
than 4.
You retain any duplicated powers until you choose to duplicate another set or you are rendered
unconscious, in which case you lose any previously duplicated powers.
As a bonus power, you can mimic a number of animals without them being within sight. The
number of animals in your repertoire is equal to half your power level. So if you have Animal
Mimicry 6, you can have a list of three animals whose powers you can duplicate without those
animals being present.
Additionally, a character can choose to be limited to only a single animal, in return for a +2 bonus
to your power level, but you may not mimic any other creature (and if you wish to mimic your
chosen animal without it being in sight, that still must be taken as a bonus power).
When randomly rolling characters, Animal Mimicry can be taken in place of Power Duplication.

Dream Control
You can exert a kind of Mind Control (see Icons, page 45), influencing complete control over the
target’s dreams. To influence someone with Dream Control, they must be asleep, in visual range
and you need a successful power test with the target’s Awareness as the difficulty. If you fail an
Dream Control test against someone, you must make a determined effort to attempt to control
them again in the same scene (see Icons, page 73), and the target may make an Awareness test
with your Willpower as the difficulty. If the target’s test succeeds, they wake up.
A successful power test gives you total control over the reality of the target’s dream -- any effect
can be created, although if the target has any reason to suspect that they are dreaming, they may
make an Awareness test with your Dream Control as the difficulty. If they succeed in breaking your
control, they may resume control of their own dream, or wake up (as they choose).
You may use other mental powers while sustaining control of a dream, but only against the
dreaming target. If you are distracted (such as being attacked in the real world), you must make
another Dream Control roll to maintain the effect.
You can take Dream Travel as a bonus power. When randomly rolling characters, Dream Control
can be taken in place of Emotion Control.

20
Dream Travel
Using a limited form of Astral Projection, you can separate your astral form (the vessel of the mind
and spirit) from your physical body, allowing it to travel into dreams. Your body remains in a coma-
like state, although you are aware of any harm befalling it. Should your body perish while your
astral form is away, you remain trapped in the dream state.
Your astral form can only observe things within the dream, and can travel from the dreams of
one person into the dreams of another. To affect things within the dream, or shape it in any way,
requires Dream Control (see previous). Finding a particular dreamer requires familiarity with the
target, and a Dream Travel roll against a difficulty equal to the targets’ Willpower -- and the target
must be asleep at the time, or they are undetectable.
When randomly rolling characters, Dream Travel can be taken in place of Astral Projection.

Elemental Control v
The forms of Elemental Control listed on p. 36 of Icons are not the only possibilities. Players
should feel free to invent their own forms of the power, influencing other elements, forces, or
energies. A common example is Cold or Ice, with the ability to generate blasts of freezing cold or
deadly icicles, form objects out of ice, and so forth. More exotic elements might include metals,
chemicals, or even cosmic energies or forces.

Emotion Control
The list of emotion effects in Icons is expandable and players and GMs should feel free to do so
to suit certain characters, basing new emotional effects off the ones given. For example, despair
might work similarly to sadness while uncontrolled laughter is similar to pleasure. When in doubt,
assume the emotional effect is strong enough to prevent the affected character from doing much
of anything else.

Empowerment 82

You have the ability to bestow super powers upon a target (whether that target already possesses
powers or not). Any target that you touch rolls randomly for a single power, and a random power
level -- if the level rolled exceeds your Empowerment power level, the new power maxes out at the
same level. If the level rolled is lower, an additional power is rolled, until the total power level of all
powers rolled equals your Empowerment power.
The target keeps these new powers for ten times your Empowerment level in pages.
As an option, you may choose to bestow only one specific power, in return for a +2 bonus to your
power level.
As a bonus power, you can make an Empowerment at extended range. You must make a
Coordination test to hit the target.
When randomly rolling characters, Empowerment can be taken in place of Power Theft.

Immortality 82

As given in Icons, the Immortality power neither has nor needs a power level. Don’t roll one for the
power if it is generated for a character. In cases where a power level is needed, treat Immortality
as level 10.

21
 Immunity 82

As given in Icons, the Immunity power neither has nor needs a power level. Don’t roll one for the
power if it is generated for a character. In cases where a power level is needed, treat Immunity as
level 10.

Mind Shield
As a bonus power, your Mind Shield can also project a false façade, so that any attempt to read or
influence your mind perceives what you want the intruder to perceive.

Mind Switch 82

You can take over someone else’s body, much like Mind Control (see Icons, page 45) except your
mind is “inside” the victim and controls their body, rather than issuing orders. This power works just
like Possession (Icons, page 46), with a significant difference: You switch consciousness with your
target -- you take control over their body, but they take control over yours.
A target of Mind Switch must be within visual range and have a Willpower level less than the level
of this power or your own Willpower, whichever is greater. Those with greater Willpower are immune
to your control unless you first tag one of their aspects (see Tagging and Compelling under
Determination, Icons page 78).
To switch minds with a target, roll a Mind Swtich test with a difficulty of the target’s Willpower.
If successful, the target is under your control until you choose to release them, or until you are
unconscious.
Since your mind is in control of the target’s body, you can spend your own Determination for tests
you make using the target’s body. You have access to all of their powers -- except those of a
mental nature, which travel with the consciousness to the new body. Conversely, they have access
to your non-mental powers (if any) while occupying your body.
When randomly rolling characters, Mind Switch can be taken in place of Possession.

Resistance v
The list of Resistances given in Icons is by no means the be-all and end-all. Players should feel free
to come up with their own unique Resistances, with the approval of the Game Master. Examples
include everything from Resistance to Physical Damage (a kind of limited form of armor) to
Resistance to Emotion Control. The GM may wish to grant a particularly limited form of Resistance
a bonus to rolled level.

Sensory Link
You are able to receive sensory input from another’s senses.
A sensory link can be formed automatically with a willing target-- to form a link with an unwilling
target requires a power test against their Willpower. The target must be within visual range for the
link to be formed, but may travel out of range with an active sensory link.
A sensory link may be maintained through concentration. If you are distracted (attacked, for
example), a Willpower test with a difficulty equal to your Sensory Link level is required to maintain
the link.
If the subject of your sensory link is stunned or killed, roll a Willpower test with a difficulty equal to
the damage of the attack, and read the result as a Mental Blast targeting you.
When randomly rolling characters, Sensory Link can be taken in place of ESP.

22
Sleep 82

You can force others into a deep sleep. A target of Sleep must be within visual range and have a
Willpower level less than the level of this power or your own Willpower, whichever is greater. Those
with greater Willpower are immune to the effect unless you first tag one of their aspects (see
Tagging and Compelling under Determination , Icons page 78).
To put a target to sleep, roll a Sleep test with a difficulty of the target’s Willpower. If successful,
the target falls unconscious. A target can be woken by others as normal. Without outside
assistance, the target will remain asleep for a period (in narrative time) equal to your power level in
hours (although the target may spend Determination to awaken sooner, at the GM’s discretion).
When randomly rolling characters, Sleep can be taken in place of Mind Control.

Transit
Using a limited form of teleportation, you can disappear in one spot and reappear in another some
distance away, by traveling through a particular medium, which must be specified during character
creation. A character who can transit through shadows, for example, can enter and exit through
any existing shadow. Transit 5 is sufficient to go anywhere in visual range, while higher levels
have ranges measured in tens, hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands of miles. Transit 10 is
enough to go virtually anywhere.
Transit requires a power level test at difficulty 2. Failure means you do not enter transit. Transit 7 or
greater does not require a test (you automatically succeed).
When randomly rolling characters, Transit can be taken in place of Teleportation. Game Masters
allowing this option should replace Arobas’ “Alternate Form” power (Icons page 96) with Transit,
and replace his Weakness with a different Challenge as a result.

23
 Villains
Auntie Social

5’6 130
The Whisper #32

STAMINA

Dear Aunt Socha Hates Children

“Let’s see what you keep hidden.”
Rules with an Iron Hand

Ms. Socha Prath’s Overton Academy is one of the most prestigious private preparatory
schools in the world. The brilliant Ms. Prath has run the school for as long as anyone
can recall with a combination of efficiency and grace, and she turns out well-rounded,
well-mannered students who go on to do great things. So it would indeed come as
a shock to discover the Overton Academy is merely a blind, and the proper public
persona of Ms. Socha Prath conceals one of the most devious criminal masterminds
known.

In fact, the “Overturn Academy” (as it is called behind the scenes) is a means for Ms.
Prath—or “Auntie Social” as “her” students call her—to brainwash young minds,
unleashing their darkest impulses and enslaving them to do her bidding. The real truth
about Auntie Social depends on the type of game you’re running: she could be an alien
(precursor to an invasion, perhaps), a demon, a robot, a sorceress, an immortal, or just
what she appears: a rather vicious old woman with a keen and cunning mind.

24
Her sprawling Gothic style academy, located in the countryside, conceals a secret sub-
basement where brainwashings are carried out and students undergo “special” training
to allow them to carry out their missions for dear Auntie Social. As headmistress, Ms.
Prath plays the role of kindly matron to the hilt, up to and including offering guests tea,
cookies, and various treats (any of which may contain potions, poisons or drugs). She
carries a blaster pistol in her beaded purse, which she’s quite capable of using, and
she’s amazingly spry when there is a need. In addition, she can add any number of
additional powers as needed for a particular adventure, via gadgets.

Adventure Ideas
• A series of information thefts have taken place in recent months. The only thing the
victims have in common—apart from being respected members of society—is that
their children attend the Overton Academy. Is it possible a group of school kids are
responsible for stealing things like insider stock information and state secrets? If so,
why, and how? Investigating the Academy can bring the heroes to their first meeting
with Ms. Soscha Prath, and possibly lead them into the clutches of Auntie Social!

• Auntie Social expands her successful operation at Overton Academy by launching

an online program intended to “tutor” promising students, providing them with
academic assistance as well as bettering their chances on aptitude tests and
applications to schools. Naturally, the program also contains subliminals intended to
brainwash these new students and turn them into her unwitting servants.

• The heroes experience strange wish-fulfillment dreams of carrying out anti-social

behavior: wrecking the car of somebody who cut them off in traffic, for example,
or roughing up some criminal scum the law can’t touch. They are shocked and
concerned when they discover the incidents they dreamed about appear to have
actually happened! While the authorities are willing to give known and trust heroes
the benefit of the doubt, things don’t look good. What’s worse, whenever the heroes
fall asleep, the “dark side” of their personality seems to take hold, causing them to
act out repressed desires or impulses. The strange behavior is the result of a new
brainwashing device of Auntie Social’s, keyed to particular subject’s brainwaves
(perhaps previously scanned during a visit to her Academy). The heroes have to
track down the device and put a stop to it before they fall under her evil influence for
good.

25
 Beast Man

6’2” 220
Mighty Saguaro #8

STAMINA

The Savage Noble Bestial Temper

Survival of the Fittest Weakness: Silver

A consumate hunter, Lord Sebastian Carstairs sought every means at his disposal to
better his craft. This obsession eventually led him to the hut of an African witch-doctor,
who gave Carstairs the edge that he sought, by making a dark pact with ancient forces.
Carstairs was infused with the feral power of nature itself -- a power which bestowed
fantastic gifts, but at the price of Carstairs’ soul.

Carstairs is able to take on the abilities of any animal he sees, although his favorites
(practiced over time, and now achievable even without the creatures nearby) are the
lion (claws and bite, slashing damage 4), the eagle (claws, slashing damage 3, flight 3,
enhanced senses), the python (bite slashing damage 3, Wrestling expert) and the bat
(flight 2, additional sense - sonar). In addition, he has the ability to see through the eyes
of his trained animal companions (he most often is accompanied by a trained hunting
falcon).

After acquiring these abilities, Carstairs soon discovered that there was no challege
left in hunting animals. His mind, warped by his pact, began to look for more
challenging prey. He began to hunt men -- and then from there, moved on to hunting
superhumans.

26
Dubbed by the press as “Beast Man”, he now travels the globe, selecting the
superhumans that he considers to be the greatest challenge, and hunting them. He is
a relentless and clever hunter, but has begun to lose control, under the influence of his
increasingly savage nature. He is capable of mindless rages, which are often at odds
with his cunning plans.

Adventure Ideas
• Someone has been taking out villains in the campaign city, and the heroes must
investigate the possible presence of a new, violent vigilante. This leads them
to encounter Beast Man, who soon decides that the heroes pose a far greater
challenge than the prey he had been hunting.

• Beast-Man is hunting heroes on their own turf, where he will try to trap them and
bring them to his private wildnerness preserve (on a secret island in the Indian
Ocean) and hunt them there at his leisure. The island is filled with all manner of wild
beasts, including dinosaurs -- Carstairs had considered them to be the pinnacle
of all prey, until he switched his attention to superhumans, and paid scientists to
clone the creatures. The heroes will have to survive the perils of the island, and
avoid becoming the newest Trophies of the Beast-Man -- and matters are further
complicated by the presence of several of your campaign’s supervillains on the
island as well. Do the heroes team up with the villains in order to survive the deadly
traps of the Lost Island, or do they try to go it alone?

• Beast-Man has decided that he has exhausted the potential of the Earth, and that
no further challenge can be found in hunting the species found here, even the ones
of the superhuman variety. So he uses his vast fortune to construct a device to
contact extraterrestrial intelligences (or perhaps extra-dimensional beings, if your
campaign heroes are of a more supernatural bent) and bring them here. What
do the heroes do when his efforts attract the attention of a race of Intergalactic
conquerors, or world-devouring ancient evil?

27
 Black Flame

5’7 135
All-AMerican Girl #6

STAMINA

Legacy Hero-turned-Villain The Dream is Dead

Gotta Score to Settle Weakness: Vulnerable to Cold

During the 1970s, the Black Flame was a popular “urban” superhero. Like many minority
heroes of the period (including Black Ice (a thematic partner/love interest for a while), the
Barrio Brawler, and the Chinese Dragon), the Black Flame chose a name that would make
her an identifiable role model for minority children. The Black Flame primarily operated
in the poor inner city, an area often neglected by “mainstream” heroes (an impression
was ingrained by a televised interview with the Comet, who explained that he and other
heroes rarely patrolled poor urban neighborhoods because they offered little opportunity
for super villains). While her powers were formidable, the Black Flame often fought low-
powered criminal threats such as gangs, pimps, crime lords and drug dealers.
The Black Flame faded from the scene in the late 1980s in order to settle down and start
a family. In her secret identity, Donna Danson married a young lawyer and had a child,
Jenna. Unfortunately, Donna’s husband was killed when he attempted to prosecute some
gangsters. The Black Flame came out of retirement for vengeance, only to discover that
she had brain cancer and it was eating away at her ability to control her powers. She’d
cornered the thugs responsible for her husband’s death and flamed them, only to start a
blaze that consumed four city blocks, killing four people and injuring many more. In order
to protect Jenna, Donna did not come forward when calls were made for the Black Flame
to stand trial and was never seen again.
By the turn of the millennium, Donna’s money had almost run out. Jenna, too young to
recall the good times, grew up in relative poverty. In an effort to keep a low profile, Donna

28
had not availed herself of any of the government programs available and took one low-
paying job after the next to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. When
Jenna first manifested her powers as a young teen, Donna made her swear not to use
them except to heat the house, cook food, or otherwise help provide necessities that they
could no longer afford.
Jenna was angered at the public’s treatment of her mother after so many years of helping
others, but she kept her promise. She kept a low profile and ended up waitressing instead
of going to college. Unfortunately, Donna’s cancer finally consumed her and upon her
death Jenna felt no compulsion to keep her promise. Donning her mother’s old costume,
the new Black Flame would take out vengeance on the city that turned its back on her
mother.
Jenna has taken great pains to make the world believe that she is the same Black
Flame from the old days. She wears her mother’s old costume, which includes the then-
fashionable flares, platform shoes and large earrings. While she has shorter hair (the afro
wig was too difficult to manage), the new Black Flame speaks in the clichéd jive language
that Jenna learned from blaxploitation films. She generally chooses partners-in-crime from
minority groups and currently works with Baron Kriminel (an old enemy of her mother’s).
While Jenna realizes that Baron Kriminel knows that she is not the original Black Flame,
Jenna does not know that it was a curse from the Baron that caused her mother’s cancer
nor that he was behind the gang that murdered her father. Should Jenna ever discover
this, she would turn on the Baron in a heartbeat.

Adventure Ideas
• Black Ice comes out of retirement in order to stop his old partner. Unfortunately, the
years have not been kind to the old superhero, as he is senile and his ice powers have
degraded into less formidable water powers. Black Ice will refuse to believe that the new
Black Flame is not his old friend, and he is a danger to himself and others while trying to
stop her (GMs wishing to add an extra layer of complication can make Black Ice the Black
Flame’s real father).
• The Black Flame has decided to target city political candidates that are “unfriendly”
to minority interests. With the help of Arobas, Pulsar, and Baron Kriminel, this “Freedom
Four” threatens the stability of the city and the political process.
• Thought dead for several decades, a powerful arch-villain of the original Black Flame
is back to settle the score with his old enemy. In a twist, the villain is really the son of the
original, blaming the Black Flame for his father’s death (in truth, the original tried to save
him, but the villain’s own machinations did him in). Can the heroes stop these two before
they tear apart the neighborhood for a misremembered past?
• Supa D, a hip-hop star, starts using footage of the original Black Flame (along with
other 70s urban heroes) in the videos for tracks from his mega-platinum CD, “Original
Supa.” His live shows include models dressed in versions of the Black Flame’s
costume, pole-dancing on platforms. Jenna is outraged by this, and decides to send
a clear message of her disapproval by attacking Supa D’s forthcoming concert at the
Garden.
• Black Flame has the potential of being turned from a villain into a hero, in the best
traditions of Bronze and Iron-Age comics. Perhaps the PCs learn of Baron Kriminel’s
involvement in her parent’s deaths and choose to approach her, or perhaps the Black
Flame sees the PCs fighting to help save a minority neighborhood in the city, or fighting
a racist supervillain, and joins in -- a momentary alliance that may offer the PCs the
opportunity to help Jenna truly honor her mother’s memory, and re-ignite the Black
Flame.

29
 The Black Hoods
The Mafia, The Triads, The Camorra, The Yakuza... the world is full of criminal secret
societies, shadowy organizations bent on nefarious deeds. All of them trace
their roots to the Black Hoods, and many highly-placed
members of those societies, even today, swear secret
allegiance to The Face That Is No Face, the legendary
leader of the Black Hoods.
It is hard to separate fact from legend when discussing
the Black Hoods -- the earliest confirmed
references to them are certain version of Il
Milione, the record written by Marco Polo
about his journey to the court of Kublai Khan
in the 13th century. In his account (which
only appears in a small number of the hand-
copied manuscripts), he makes reference
to “black-hooded viziers” who wished
to open trade in “varied powders,
potions and elixrs with the cities of
Christendom.”
There are legends even predating
that, in India and China -- references
to black-hooded figures who may
have been members of the secret
society, but nobody knows for sure
-- The Black Hoods purposefully
encourage the spread of rumor
and myth about their origins and
practices.
Foremost among these legends is that of their
leader, The Face That Is No Face, to whom all
Black Hoods swear allegiance. No record exists
of any encounter with this leader -- orders are
passed along through multiple overlapping sources,
and the lineage is almost certainly purposefully
obfuscated.
It is possible, in fact, that The Face That Is No Face
does not actually exist, and that the Black Hoods
may be instead a cell-based organization with no
actual connection between groups, merely using
the shared reputation in an effort to capitalize upon
the myths. Criminals the world over, however, still
are sure to leave a tribute to the Black Hoods, just
in case.
The Black Hoods operate primarily through
proxy -- a local gang may be acting (often
without their knowledge) on behalf of the
Hoods, via the direction of a local crime figure,
who himself is following orders given to him by superior, and so on, until the tendrils of
command fade into rumor and hearsay.

30
On occasion, though, special crimes call for special circumstances. It is under these
rare conditions that heroes may encounter the hooded horde of Black Hoods themselves.
What ninja are to assassination, the Black Hoods are to other crimes -- and only the most
outrageous and unusual crimes will see the Black Hoods operating openly. They use
these opportunities to reinforce the legend.

Black Hood Operative

Prowess 4 Intellect 4 Stamina 6
Coordination 4 Awareness 3
Strength 3 Willpower 4

Specialties: Business, Deception, Martial Arts

Notes: This is the basic run-of-the-mill Black Hood operative. Higher-up members of the
society should be statted as stand-alone villains, and in fact, it could be fun for players if you
reveal that established supervillains are working on behalf of the Black Hoods.
Operatives are usually armed with hi-tech weaponry, taken in high-profile scientific heists --
energy weapons that do Shooting damage of 4 or 5. They will also be equipped with devices
that replicate powers, if they are needed for the job at hand.

Adventure Ideas
• The best way to introduce the Black Hoods to your campaign is to give the heroes the
opportunity to unpeel the layers of the conspiracy. Have them discover that a series of
seemingly unconnected crimes are being directed by an unseen hand. Over the course
of several adventures, let them follow the clues that lead them to uncover the existence of
the Black Hoods and their worldwide criminal empire.
• What is the truth behind The Face That Is No Face? Is it merely a story, used by a
widespread organization as a way to keep the lesser criminals in line, or is the oldest
criminal society in the world directly run by an ancient immortal, ruling the society from a
hidden enclave somewhere in central Asia?
• “Ya gotta help me!” The heroes are approached by one or more of your campaign’s
lesser villains (the ones that are borderline comic relief), begging for help! They’ve run
afoul of the Black Hoods -- either insulting the society, refusing their direction, or some
other slight -- and now the secret society is out for their blood, as a message to other
criminals. (In a darker version of this scenario, perhaps the heroes are drawn into a murder
investigation when one of the lesser villains has been killed for their tresspass.)

31
 Blonde Bombshell

5’11 155
All-AMerican Girl #16

STAMINA

Stunning Looks Outrageous Flirt

Tougher Than Any Man Quick Temper
Uncontrolled Explosion

Leah LeBraun has always struggled with what men thought of her. First it was her
tomboyish ways as a girl. Later it was her looks and her figure, combined with
an aggressive nature. It earned LeBraun nothing but trouble when she enlisted in
the military. Her violent responses to taunts, jibes, and innuendo got her cited for
insubordination, and eventually drummed out of the service.

Leah got some respect when she stepped into the world of professional wrestling, where
“Amazon” LeBraun became a local star. She wowed crowds and opponents not only
with her looks, but with her skills and her fierce attitude. Still, she was a woman in a
man’s world, and eventually discovered that even her manager considered her a “novelty
act.” She wasn’t a champion: she was a sideshow freak.

So Leah engineered the robbery of the arena’s receipts the night she won her latest bout.
She went on to become muscle for hire in the criminal underworld, until the fateful night
when she helped to heist an unstable chemical undergoing testing. Once again, her
temper got the better of her, and her criminal compatriots assumed no one could have
survived the ensuing explosion.

But Leah did survive. The chemical changed her, gave her the power to soak up energy
from punches, impacts, virtually everything. It built and built inside of her until she would
explode! But she always reformed in the aftermath, completely unharmed. The same
couldn’t be said of her opponents, and Leah LeBraun decided to use her newfound

32
power to make her mark as a criminal-for-hire. The papers tagged her as “The Blonde
Bombshell” and so she has been ever since.

The Bombshell’s Absorption works against all kinetic and radiant energy, soaking up
damage from virtually any source. Once she accumulates 10 levels of damage, she
explodes, inflicting that amount of bashing damage to everyone within close distance.
She can choose to explode before that point, doing whatever level of damage she has
accumulated, but once she hits the “point of no return” she’ll go off regardless. The
same is true if the Blonde Bombshell is KO’ed; she explodes with whatever energy she
has remaining, making it a dangerous proposition to take her out of a fight.

The Blonde Bombshell disappears in the explosion, seemingly vaporized, but reforms
on the following turn. She has refined her control over the reconstitution process enough
to reappear anywhere within close distance of where she exploded, and has used this
ability to her advantage at times.

Adventure Ideas
• A ticked-off Bombshell has been insulted by the Troll (Icons, p. 114) one too many
times. So she decides to show him who is the toughest once and for all, leading
to a no-holds-barred super-brawl! The Troll is too tough for the Bombshell to hurt
him unless she charges up to full explosive power, which fortunately only takes a
couple of hits from the big bruiser. Still, her explosions affect the Troll only slightly,
while causing massive amounts of collateral damage. The Troll can’t hurt Bombshell
directly, but he’s not nearly as dumb as he looks. Sooner or later, he’ll stop swinging
and decide to grab and choke her, for example, and then the Blond Bombshell is in
trouble! Can the heroes intervene and stop the two of them from killing each other
and leveling the downtown area in the process?

• A master villain like Dr. Sin or Rex Mundi outfits the Blonde Bombshell with a
special harness designed to control her explosive power. With it, she can keep
from exploding against her will (which is, after all, pretty hard on things like bags
of loot). It seems like the real deal: Bombshell is able to absorb virtually unlimited
punishment. What she doesn’t know is that the device has only massively raised her
“point of no return” to where she will absorb up to 100 levels of damage and then
explode like a small tactical nuke! The blast threatens to level the entire downtown
area, unless the heroes find some way to prevent it.

33
 Copy Cat

5’6 128
Hangman #18

STAMINA

“Anything you can do, I can do... better!” Loner

Former Spy “This cat won’t be caged!”
Wants to Prove Herself

Katarina Kalinnikov was the most promising decathlete and gymnast Russia had
produced within a generation. She won a record number of gold medals at the Olympics
along with the hearts of people around the world. Unfortunately, she also won the
attention of certain factions of Russian intelligence, who suspected Katarina’s athletic
skill was more than it appeared.

Using techniques from the old Soviet Science Cities that investigated super-human
potential, they proved it; Katarina was not merely a gifted athlete, but a mutant with
the ability to modify her own “muscle memory” based on observed actions. In short,
she could see someone do something once, then duplicate it perfectly. Her body also
adapted quickly to any new demands placed on it, giving her an unmatched level of
fitness. Threatened with public exposure as a cheat, Katarina had no choice but to do as
her new “patrons” wanted. She became a spy and operative for them.

But her new handlers underestimated “Copy Cat” and she eventually turned the tables
on them. The men with influence over her got caught in the crossfire of international
intrigue while she spirited away. Still, Katarina now had a taste for the life they had
forced her into, but she would live in on her own terms. Copy Cat became a freelance
spy and espionage agent—and occasional thief—selling her considerable skills (which
were actually other people’s considerable skills) to the highest bidder.

34
In truth, Katarina longs for the days when she could convince herself that she was just
an amazingly talented star athlete achieving things on her own. She feels deep down
that her “talent” is a cheat, but so long as she is forced to take unfair advantage (since
her power is largely unconscious) she figures she may as well benefit from it and ensure
no one else ever tries to control her.

Adventure Ideas
• When the heroes attend some public or social event, from a parade in their honor to
a charity exhibition of their powers, they’re attacked without warning by unknown
mercenaries (use the Ninja or Soldier stock characters from Icons, p. 117). All the
hirelings know is an anonymous employer paid them for the job. In fact, they’re
working for Copy Cat, who makes sure she is in the crowd where she can observe
the heroes’ every action. This allows her to duplicate their abilities and specialties. If
her own traits are not at the level given here, checking out the heroes could get her
there, and possibly beyond! You can have the players make Awareness tests to see
if they notice the woman observing them in the crowd while everyone else seems to
panic. Also, when they later encounter Copy Cat, heroes might notice some of her
moves seem very familiar.

• Copy Cat is hired to disguise herself as a hero, after observing her subject to copy
his or her physical moves perfectly. Her employer may want her to commit crimes in
the hero’s guise, setting the target up to take the fall, or the impersonate could have
another purpose, including luring the hero and any allies into a trap. The normally
mercenary Copy Cat might also develop some admiration or even affection for the
hero, turning on her employer when things get ugly.

• Copy Cat is a good choice of villain for jobs like infiltrating a hero’s headquarters,
stealing something, or testing out a hero’s capabilities, since she’ll not only be able
to provide an exacting report, but also examples of a hero’s physical moves and
capabilities within the limits of her power. She might work with fellow mercenaries,
or develop a rivalry with some of them (such as the Merry Widow, p. 73).

35
 Corsair Queen

5’8 125
Jolly Roger Comics #7

STAMINA

Gets What She Wants Fiery Temper

Mistress of the Flying Cutlass Looks After Her Crew
Scourge of the Seven Seas Unschooled In Modern Ways

One of the most infamous pirates of the 17th Century had a comparatively short, but
colorful career. Maggie O’Dare was known as “The Corsair Queen” and the “Crimson
Corsair” in her time on the high seas. She went from the young widow of a murdered
Scottish laird to captain of the Flying Cutlass, one of the most dangerous vessels to ply
the seas of the New World. Substantial bounties were placed on her fiery red head, but
no one ever collected them. Instead, after a number of daring raids, the Flying Cutlass
and its crew vanished, lost during a storm at sea and never seen again.

In truth, the Cutlass, its mistress and crew encountered a treasure ship bound for
Europe carrying goods taken from the Americas. One of these was accidentally
awakened when Captain O’Dare was flung into it by a foe, three drops of her blood
falling upon the ancient Aztec gold. The storm that followed the taking of the treasure
ship was laced with crimson lightning, which struck the main mast and leapt to the
Corsair Queen’s sword. The storm catapulted the pirate vessel and its crew centuries
through time.

The Flying Cutlass reappeared in the area now known as the Bermuda Triangle, but
the Corsair Queen’s vessel now possesses the power of flight with her at the wheel.
Her blade and the ship’s guns crackle with crimson lightning they can shoot farther
and more accurately than any cannonball. The mysterious fog-bound isle her crew has
named Corsair’s Cove provides them a safe haven and a place to conceal their loot.

36
Captain O’Dare knows of no way to return whence they came, but she intends to turn
this twist of fate into her good fortune. The Corsair Queen has returned, and those who
sail upon the seas (or fly over them) should beware!

Adventure Ideas
• After appearing in the modern era, the Corsair Queen quickly reverts to type and
begins raiding ships, either in the Caribbean, or off the coast near where the heroes
operate (if they are based in a coastal city). Cruise ships and yachts are popular
targets, since O’Dare understands jewels and coin are still valuable. She eventually
figures out about other trade goods as well, making freighters potential targets. The
authorities are flummoxed by the attacks of a flying pirate ship and call upon the
heroes for aid.

• After an initial encounter, or perhaps seeing a report on the news, the Corsair Queen
is taken with a male hero. So she kidnaps him and offers him the opportunity to join
her crew as her new first mate and right-hand man, as well as her lover! Hell hath
no fury like a lady pirate scorned, however, and refusing the Queen’s offer means
the hero is held for a king’s ransom, or simply forced to walk the plank – thousands
of feet in the air! Complicating matters is the fact that O’Dare’s current first mate,
Davey Taggart, is secretly in love with her, and takes an instant dislike to his new
rival, plotting to eliminate him at any cost.

• The ancient golden Aztec sun disc whose magic catapulted the Cutlass through
time and empowered the ship and its captain has a particular purpose: namely the
gathering of mystic power through blood sacrifice, intended to bring on the next
Aztec Sun, or age, which will involve the destruction of the world through fire! The
artifact is gathering power from the Corsair Queen’s raids and battles, and soon it
will have accumulated enough to begin unleashing global catastrophes intended to
bring about the New Sun, unless the heroes can find a way to stop it. Perhaps the
item is not “Aztec” at all, but Mayan, and related to Lord Kisin and his plans in some
way (see p. 71).

37
 Count Malochio

5’11 175
Astounding Hex-Men #2

STAMINA

Infamous Legacy Old World Manner

Master of the Evil Eye Trusts No One
Ruthless and Cunning Schemer

Count Bernino Malochio is the thirteenth of an infamous line. His predecessors were part
of the cutthroat politics of the medieval Italian city-states in the era of the Medicis and
Machiavelli, and his grandfather was a fascist collaborator and Axis agent, who used
the hypnotic powers of the talisman known as the Evil Eye to do their dirty work. The
eleventh Count Malochio met his end in a rockslide in the Alps, but his infamy did not
perish with him.

Bernino grew up the spoiled and vicious heir to a fading criminal empire. His father,
obsessed with the glories of the past but unable to adapt to the changing world of the
present, was a mere shadow of the family legacy. Even as a child, Bernino was more
clever and saw more clearly the ways to increase the family fortunes, but his father
ignored him, and brutalized anyone who dared to challenge him.

Bernino knew he needed an edge if he was to become the new Count Malochio and
prevent his father from squandering his inheritance, so he sought out his grandfather’s
final resting place, daring the treacherous peaks and valleys of the Alps. There he
unearthed the legendary Evil Eye, and claimed its power for his own. Sacrificing a
childhood mentor to seal a blood pact, he unlocked even greater power than previous
possessors of the Eye imagined. It was not long thereafter that the twelfth Count
Malochio suffered a fatal “accident” and his son assumed the mantle of leadership.

38
Adventure Ideas
• Count Malochio arranges a meeting of various international criminal cartels in order
to declare himself “boss of bosses” and seize control of many of their operations.
Naturally, such a meeting of infamous criminal influence does not go unnoticed by
the authorities, who look for an opportunity to make arrests and pin criminal charges
on the gang-leaders. Malochio might even covertly cooperate with the heroes to set
up his rivals, allowing him the opportunity to move-in and take over their territories.

• Given an endless thirst for power by his first taste from the Evil Eye, Count Malochio
searches for means to enhance the Eye’s power. He may uncover ancient sorcery in
the catacombs of Rome or sunk amidst the canals of Venice, or use mad science to
draw more power into the talisman (or from the talisman into his own body). Such
experiments could give the Count improved power levels or additional things he can
do with the crackling red energies of the Eye, ranging from mesmeric stunts like his
predecessor to increase ability levels or the power to warp space and time itself.

• Malochio’s resources and appreciation of modern ways of doing things make him a
good patron for other villains. He can hire or fund mercenary criminals working for
his organization and may also bankroll projects to invest ordinary henchmen with
powers. Even if the process is flawed (potentially deadly, for example) there’s no
reason the Count’s pawns need to know that and they can still be useful to him and
his organization before they expire.

• Count Malochio may be associated with The Black Hoods (page 29) in your
campaign world, perhaps even serving as a higher superior of the order -- or
perhaps his organization is at odds with the Black Hoods, whom he sees as an
ancient rival to his family’s ambitions.

39
 The Creeper

5’10 170
Mighty Saguaro #10

STAMINA

Plants Endure Hates Who He Was

Smarter Than You Think Tied to the Green World

Carl Wessler worked menial jobs most of his life, including the janitorial and
groundskeeping position at the Botanical Gardens. That was where scientists from the
University were working on a variety of new fertilizers and fast-growth formulas, testing
them on plant beds and seedlings in the greenhouse. Carl was entrusted with cleaning
up after them. He was not supposed to be sampling the fruits (and vegetables) of the
botanists’ labors, but they looked so good, and what was the harm?

The scientists were definitely on to something, because the food they were growing
was incredible! Carl sampled just a tiny amount at first, but later, he started to crave
visits to the greenhouse. Moreover, he started to understand the plants more, not just
an empathic sense for how they were growing and thriving, but he found he better
understood the technical elements of the work being done beyond just picking up after it
and handling the watering.

It wasn’t long before they discovered what he had been doing. He was called in for a
disciplinary hearing, and the university was prepared to fire him, when Carl got angry:
what had he done that was so bad? And when he got mad, the plants listened. They
grew, spilling out of their beds and hydroponic bays and spreading and creeping along
the floor, moving at Carl’s command! He left the University review board bound up in
vines and left menial work—and Carl Wessler—behind forever. Now he was no longer just
ordinary Carl, he was ... the Creeper!

40
Adventure Ideas
• Initially, the Creeper simply wants to use his mastery over plant-life to amass as much
wealth as possible and live the easy life. He naturally tends to favor targets where
a lot of plant-life is available but—as he is quick to point out—plants grow virtually
everywhere, and he always carries enough seeds to produce a fast-growing tree
powerful enough to tear open a steel vault or strangling vines able to entrap interfering
heroes. The good guys should hear about at least one of the Creeper’s thefts before
encountering him in action and getting the chance to nip his crime spree “in the bud”.

• As time goes on and the Creeper grows into his newfound intellect he comes up
with new ways to use his plant powers to get what he wants. He may threaten a
city or region with acts of eco-terrorism, such as a rapidly growing strain of algae or
seaweed in a coastal region, or and equally virulent form of kudzu vine inland. Unless
his demands are met, he and his plant “allies” will grind transportation and other vital
services to a halt.

• The Creeper is interested in acquiring some especially rare and useful seed samples,
so he stages a raid on the International Seed Bank, a scientific institution dedicated
to preserving samples of every known plant species in the event of an ecological
disaster. The haul from such a raid could keep the Creeper supplied for years to come!

• A new narcotic hitting the streets is derived from a difficult to cultivate African plant
that shouldn’t even grow in the local environment. The police and federal authorities
suspect some international cartel, but evidence points to a local supplier: the
Creeper is able to make the plant thrive even in the local climate and turns a fat profit
selling his sinister “harvest” to criminal gangs (possibly even organizations like the
Octofather’s, see Icons, page 104).

• Research scientists, drilling into the sediment at the bottom of Lake Pata (just north
of the equator in São Gabriel da Cachoeira, Brazil), discover plant pollens dating back
more than 40,000 years. The Creeper gets wind of this, and decides to acquire the
pollen samples when the scientists present their findings at the University. Among
these rare pollens are spores from a legendary giant plant of the Amazon, known as
the Manda. Manda are large carnivorous, ambulatory plants, highly venemous and
rapidly reproducing. With an army of such plants under his control, The Creeper
could suddenly become a threat at the global level.

41
 Dark Rider

5’10 170
Hangman #26

STAMINA

Outlaw Biker Weakness: Light

Modern-Day Highwayman Adrenaline Junkie

Jackson Morrow was born into the life of an outlaw biker. His father was a founding
member of the Dark Riders, an MC (motorcycle club) that celebrated freedom,
nonconformity to mainstream culture and loyalty to the group. The Dark Riders had their
heyday in the 1970s and 80s, but gradually became more and more involved with criminal
activity as a way to make money to fund their lifestyle. Their criminal ways resulted in an
escalating series of conflicts with superheroes.

Looking for a way to “level the playing field” and counter the powers of the heroes that
regularly interfered with their operations, the Dark Riders engaged in a series of smash-
and-grab heists at high-tech research installations, looking to steal any device that would
give them an advantage over their superpowered foes.

Jackson’s first opportunity to ride along as a full member of the club was on one such
heist -- an operation to steal an experimental engine that converted the inherent power
of inertia into a drive system. The robbery was interrupted, however, by Black Hoods
(page 29), looking to steal the engine for their own use. A firefight ensued, and during
the combat, a chain reaction was set off in one of installation’s reactors. As Jackson
grabbed the experimental engine and tried to make good his escape, the reactor went
critical and the entire facility was obliterated in a flash of strange, unearthly energies.
The installation was vaporized, along with the Black Hoods, and the entire membership of
the Dark Riders.

42
Except Jackson Morrow.

When Jackson regained consciousness, he and the engine were lying in the desert,
hundreds of miles away from the installation. The strange energy had been absorbed
into every cell of his body, and, as he would soon discover, had given him the ability to
travel by taking shortcuts through the Dimension of Shadows. By entering one shadow,
he could cross the dark void, and emerge from another shadow back into our world.
Jackson was sure of two things: One, that this ability would be very useful, and Two,
that he wanted to make the transit across the other dimension as quickly as he could,
for fear of attracting whatever Things called it Home.

Using the stolen Inertial Engine, he built a motorcyle -- so fast that it can defy the laws
of physics, climbing up walls, crossing water, and more. Naming himself Dark Rider in
honor of his lost comrades, and still wearing the colors of the club, he used the bike and
his new powers to become like the highwaymen of old -- to suddenly appear, steal from
his targets, and ride off, literally, into the shadows.

Adventure Ideas
• The best way to introduce Dark Rider is to have him steal something from the heroes
themselves -- using his powers to enter their base, and make off with some McGuffin
or other. Without his motorcycle club for motivation, he primarily hires himself out
to other criminals, so perhaps Count Malochio (page 37) is using him to recover
something from the heroes’ headquarters.

• Dark Rider holds a grudge against The Black Hoods, whom he blames for the death
of his father and the destruction of his club. Perhaps the heroes encounter him as
he foils some Black Hood operation, giving the heroes the mistaken impression that
Dark Rider is some kind of vigilante. Jackson is more than willing to play up this role
to get the heroes’ trust (especially if it helps him get what he wants, or hurts The Black
Hoods in some way), but he will betray them at his first opportunity.

• Jackson’s father and the rest of the Dark Riders Motorcycle Club are not dead -- the
blast that destroyed the installation and gave Jackson his powers actually transported
the bikers and the Black Hoods to the Dimension of Shadows, where they are now
trapped. The only reason that Jackson wasn’t trapped as well is because he was
holding the Inertial Engine, which countered the effect. What happens when he learns
that his comrades are still alive, but trapped within the formless void? Would the Dark
Rider be willing to come to the heroes for help?

43
 Dirge

5’7 135
All-AMerican Girl #6

STAMINA

15

“Open the Gates and Loose Hell!” Personal - Insane

Connections: Shigg Cultists Driven to bring about rebirth of Shigg
The Many-fingered Hand of Shigg Catatonic without Mask and Cowl of Shigg

August Pickman was a nobody. A small-time clerk in a small-time city, who dreamed of
bigger things. One day, one of those Bigger Things dreamed of him, as well.
His mind was touched by the extradimensional entity known as Shigg — a formless
chaos from beyond time and space, wrapped in madness and steeped in magic. It
whispered to Pickman through his dreams — whispers of power and meaning. August
Pickman quit his job the next morning and left for parts unknown. Shigg led Pickman
across the globe, to the secret resting place of paired artifacts — the Mask and Cowl of
Shigg. Shigg promised that the Mask and Cowl would make August Pickman a master
of this world and all others.
Shigg lied. Upon donning the Mask and Cowl, August Pickman’s mind was shattered
completely. He was now completely transformed into “The Many-Fingered Hand of
Shigg” -- the avatar tasked with bringing about the entity’s rebirth into this universe.
August Pickman is now literally nobody. Without the Mask and Cowl, he is an empty
shell, entirely catatonic.
With the Mask and Cowl, however, he entirely embodies the role of The Many-Fingered
Hand of Shigg -- Dirge.

44
Adventure Ideas
• There is only one plot hook appropriate to the level of threat posed by this creature --
the sort of massive, multi-title-spanning “crossover event” that comics companies roll out
once per year or so. The story is that of Dirge’s apocalyptic crusade against the denizens
of this reality.
It would start slowly -- cult activity: Shigg worshippers engaged in bizarre crimes (ritual
murders, thefts of magical artifacts, etc.). All the while, whispers begin to grow about the
coming of The Many-Fingered Hand.
Then Dirge would begin to make himself known, and assemble the army of Shigg -- using
Emotion Control and other Wizardry to place other supervillains in thrall. PC heroes
encounter well-known, previously-encountered villains behaving in decidedly unusual
fashion -- a “jokey” villain like Arobas (Icons, p.96), for example, suddenly becoming a
bloodthirsty fanatic.
This is a campaign-altering event. Dirge’s goal, as simple as it is, is to bring about the
rebirth of Shigg, and the end of the world. To defeat him will most likely require that the PC
heroes team up with NPCs -- not only other heroes, but powerful villains such as Warlock
(page 117) and Rex Mundi (Icons, p.108) -- putting aside all differences to save the world.

45
 Downsizer

5’8 135
Nano-Man #7

STAMINA

Brains over Brawn Hates Corporate Management

“Let me show you MY brand of micro-management!” Trouble With Authority
Miniturization Authority
More Dangerous Then He looks

Dr. Albert Smalley is one of the world’s leading authorities on miniaturization and
nanotechnology. A brilliant—and sometimes brittle—mind devoted to pure research
and invention, Dr. Smalley never worked well within the corporate environment. But
companies like Microtech provided funding for research projects. Unfortunately,
their support was less conditional when business was good and they could afford to
investigate new, cutting-edge developments. When business took a turn for the worse,
they expected results, and quickly.

So it was that Dr. Smalley was nearing a breakthrough when he received a visit from a
Microtech VP, informing him that he and his department were being “downsized.” His
work, naturally, would remain the property of the company, which might get around to
doing something with it, eventually. Given just a day to clear out his lab, Dr. Smalley
worked feverishly, driven by anger to make the breakthrough he’d been looking for.
But he would be damned if he was going to turn over the fruits of his genius to those
corporate pencil pushers! He would show them what they had rejected!

A cleaning crew found missing Microtech VP hiding in a cage from a group of lab rats,
reduced to only six inches in height! He told the authorities that before he left him
there, Dr. Smalley threatened to show Microtech and the whole corporate world a a real
“downsizing”!

46
Adventure Ideas
• When members of the Microtech Board of Directors begin disappearing, Downsizer
is the obvious suspect. With his size-reduction technology, he is able to slip past
many security measures, and has even discovered how to transmit his shrinking ray
over cellular communications! The most recent victims have left cell phones behind,
providing the heroes with a clue, particularly if they trace the last incoming calls. Of
course, Downsizer expects trouble with the authorities eventually, and the heroes
may stumble into a trap where they are shrunk down and left at the mercy of some
very angry lab rats!

• Heroes who have previously crossed Downsizer wake up one day to find themselves
in “Smallburg” which is, to all appearances, an archetypal middle American small-
town. They have no powers and seem like ordinary citizens of the town, except for
strange dreams where they are all superheroes. What’s more, nobody in Smallburg
has ever heard of superheroes outside of the pages of a comic book, and look
askance at anyone claiming to have super-powers. The heroes can learn that
Smallburg is actually a fake: a miniature scale model inhabited by tiny lifelike robots,
and themselves, reduced in size by Downsizer’s shrinking ray. Can they find a way to
escape and regain their powers and actual size?

• Fleeing the authorities, Downsizer has found the ultimate hideout: inside someone’s
body! The miniaturized villain, complete with a self-contained “submarine” is hiding
out inside an innocent person, smaller than a single cell. The heroes have to figure
out who it is and use the technology Dr. Smalley left behind to follow him. Of course,
they don’t have the benefits of the devices he is using to mask his presence from
the immune system of his “host” so they also have to deal with challenges like white
blood cells the size of giant monsters!

47
 Drusilla White

3’11 70
After Midnight #3

Alternate Form (Mist)

Immortality - unless burned or beheaded
Life Drain (increase Stamina)
Life Support
Mind Control
Resistance to Physical Damage
Wall Crawling

STAMINA

11

Charming Girl Damaged by Silver

Miss Kitty Destroyed by Sunlight
Vampire Repelled by Religious Faith
Thirst For Blood and Power
It should be in the vampire handbook: Never underestimate the viciousness of little
girls. It certainly would have helped Carlos, the vampire who killed Mr. and Mrs. White
and abducted their young daughter Drusilla to turn her into his “vampire childe”. He
never expected sweet little Drusilla to do the same to her white Persian cat, or for her to
exsanguinate Carlos while he lay sleeping one day, draining all of his blood and power
in one greedy meal, leaving Drusilla free and on her own. But that’s all right, as she has
Miss Kitty, and drinking all of Carlos taught her many things. Bad, naughty, wonderful
things, and Drusilla wants to know more.

The child is unexpectedly powerful, even for a vampire, having taken her elder’s blood
for her own. She has the full range of vampiric powers, and knows how to use them,
and has access to all the lore Carlos knew. In the great scheme of vampires, it isn’t
all that much. That’s why Dru intends to seek out others of her kind. Some of them
may be sympathetic to a poor, lost girl whose maker died the True Death all too soon
before he could teach her anything. They should have read the warning in the vampire’s
handbook, too.

Of course, Drusilla can’t subsist solely on hunting vampires. She takes her blood when
and where she can get it, which isn’t terribly difficult given her abilities, appearance, and
talent as a young actress. Miss Kitty helps too. Drusilla’s beloved pet has the normal
abilities of a cat (Icons, p. 119) but Str 2 and with all the same powers (and challenges)

48
Drusilla has, albeit with the powers at a lesser level (1 below the ratings of Drusilla).

If Drusilla creates another vampire (as she did with Miss Kitty) -- a ritual involving draining
the life of the subject, and then feeding the subject her own blood -- the new vampires
have the same powers and challenges, with the powers rated at 1 below Drusilla’s. The
new vampires can be saved from the curse of the vampire if Drusilla can be destroyed
before the new vampire has taken a life. Once the new vampire has killed, however, the
curse is complete and irreversable.

Adventure Ideas
• The heroes find the sobbing little girl and her cat alone in the house with the bodies
of her parents, both murdered by the vampire who kidnapped her older sister. She is
terrified of being left alone and begs the heroes to find her sister Jenny. Of course,
while Jenny was abducted by a vampire, she is also an only child. Drusilla wants the
heroes to investigate and run interference for her so she and Miss Kitty can get close
enough to the vamp to feed on him. She might even be grateful enough to let the
heroes and Jenny live ... this time.

• Deciding she wants more friends to play with, Drusilla begins abducting local kids
and starting the process of making them her vampire slaves. Naturally parents
and the local authorities go into a panic when a string of some half-dozen kids go
missing. The heroes can investigate to track Dru and her new brood down to an
abandoned house in the area, hopefully before any of the kids are too far gone to be
saved. Of course, until they get them away from Drusilla, the endangered kids are
also really strong, savage “baby vamps” the heroes do not want to hurt.

• Drusilla has decided that picking off vampires one by one is no longer an effective
method of increaasing her knowlege of vampiric lore and power. She decides to
cut to the chase and track down the source -- the first vampire. The location and
identity of this creature has been lost to legend, but hints of which can be found
scattered through ancient secret tomes of occult knowlege. She begins to hunt
down these volumes, which are held by sorcerers throughout the world. Her search
leads her to your campaign city, where one or more of the books is held in the private
collection of an occult-themed superhero (preferably one of the PCs).

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 Doctor Zodiac

6’1 185
ICONS TEAM UP #0

STAMINA

11

Master of the Zodiac! Personal - Believes Fate is written in the stars

Touched by Destiny Social - “They doubted my Brilliant Insights!”
Unrecognized Genius Weakness - Depends on the Zodiac Gems for
his Powers

Doctor Zodiac uses the Zodiac Gems to provide the following additional powers:

Zodiac Gems:
• Aries (Bloodstone): Explosive Blast 7 (energy ram)
• Cancer (Emerald): Invulnerability 8, Strike 5 (slashing)
• Libra (Peridot): Reflection 8
• Capricorn (Ruby): Leaping 7, Strike 7 (bashing kicking attack)
• Taurus (Sapphire): Strength 7 (Stamina 15)
• Leo (Diamond): Blinding Blast 7 (deafening roar), Strike 5 (slashing)
• Scorpio (Opal): Affliction 6 (poison touch)
• Aquarius (Garnet): Water Control 7 (attacking, moving, shaping)
• Gemini (Moonstone): Duplication 1, Teleportation 3
• Virgo (Sardonyx): Telepathy 7
• Sagittarius (Topaz): Blast 7 (fiery “arrows”)
• Pisces (Amethyst): Aquatic 7, Aquatic Animal Control 6

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Dr. Lemuel Zodius has been fascinated with the stars since childhood. That fascination
led the shy and bookish young man to study astronomy. He wanted to plumb the depths
of the cosmos and learn the secrets behind the shining patterns of the stars.

Although devoted to his studies and eventually earning a doctorate, Zodius remained
a mediocre astronomer. His studies of the history of his discipline led to a growing
fascination with astrology, the ancient wisdom of how the stars influenced fate.
Fascination grew into obsession, as Zodius became convinced the stars were
determiners of the future, dictating destiny, and that he played an important role in
their pattern. His work suffered and his fringe theories began creeping out, until he was
laughed out of the scientific community and dismissed from his university position, told to
seek psychiatric help.

Sinking even deeper into his obsession, Dr. Zodius stumbled upon scattered fragments
referring to “the Zodiac Gems,” ancient stones imbued with the power of the
constellations themselves. He pursued the fragmentary leads, plumbing the depths of
arcane texts. His psyche seemed to crack open, and he learned some elementary magic,
but remained focused on his goal.

Now he has found the Zodiac Gems, unearthed after all these years, and so close at
hand! With a conjunction of the heavens approaching, Zodius is certain the forces of fate
have conspired to bring him to this place and time. He will claim the Zodiac Gems and
with them the power to change the future of the world itself! All those who questioned his
insights will bear witness to the rise of ... Dr. Zodiac!

Adventure Ideas
• Rather than escape from prison, Dr. Zodius claims undue mental influence: he was
possessed by the mystic gems! His claim seems well founded when “Dr. Zodiac”
reappears, committing spectacular crimes, while Zodius is still in prison. While the
defense moves ahead with their claim of mental incapacity, the heroes investigate this
“new” Dr. Zodiac, who is actually Zodius, using the power of Gemini to split into two: his
costumed and “innocent” identities. He plans to get the charges dropped and walk out of
prison a free man!

• Respected and trusted heroes have embarked on a crime spree! The sudden spate of
unusual behavior is due to the influence of the Zodiac Gems, coupled with a magical
ritual, allowing Dr. Zodiac to control certain people according to their zodiac birth-sign!
Controlling the heroes was just the beginning, and a means to steal the information and
materials needed for a more ambitious ritual that will extend Zodiac’s power over the
entire world!

• The Zodiac Gems were not created out of a whim, but a need to harness the power of
the stars to hold an ancient and eldritch evil at bay. Dr. Zodiac’s tampering and claiming
their power for himself has upset an important balance. Now a new cosmic conjunction
is approaching, and cracks are appearing in the very foundations of reality itself. Unless
the heroes can find the ancient Keys to the Zodiac left behind by long-ago wizards, all of
creation may be doomed!

• While Dr. Zodiac prefers to keep all the power of the Zodiac Gems for himself, he also
understands the value of “strength in numbers” when it comes to dealing with heroes.
So he recruits the “Zodiac Circle” an alliance of super-criminals with powers enhanced
by one of the gems each; Dr. Zodiac retains most of the power, but shares a portion
with each of his twelve cohorts. Together, they are a formidable group! Can the heroes
handle being outnumbered and still find a way to overcome their foes?

51
 Earworm

1/2” 1 oz.
Searchers of the Multiverse #31

STAMINA

Brilliant Mimic Little Worm

Hard to Get Rid Of
Manipulative

The planet humans would call Vega IX is inhabited mostly by fungal and vermicular life,
growing under the dim light of their distant sun. A star-faring race found that the worms
living there had an interesting vocalization capability; their natural humming “song” had
a mildly pacifying effect, and could be adapted to make prisoners (or perhaps slaves)
more pliable. The visitors further bio-engineered the worms to enhance their abilities,
and got a bit ahead of themselves.

Those little worms eventually fomented a rebellion, taking full control over their hosts.
The conflict wiped out both sides and the civilization that took them from their home
world and enhanced them paid a heavy price. Even scouts and outposts on distant
worlds like Earth were recalled, or infiltrated by the worms and destroyed.

One such outpost was on Earth. So archeologists were startled when they discovered
evidence of superior technology buried in the mountains of the Middle East. They were
even more surprised when one of the artifacts—a canopic style jar—was broken and
one of the members of the dig apparently went mad and attack them. He escaped with
one of their land-rovers and disappeared.

“Earworm” as it has become known is a remnant of that forgotten war. In its natural
state, it is a black and grey worm similar to a caterpillar, capable of emitting a
hypersonic humming that can crack glass (or burst blood vessels) at close range. More

52
often, earworm crawls into a victim’s ear canal and uses its sonic emissions to take
control of their brain, driving them like a vehicle.

Surpassing all expectations regarding the intellect of such a small creature, Earworm is
actually a brilliant vocal mimic, and has learned to speak numerous human languages. It
is also capable of replicating virtually any sound that it hears and it sometimes uses this
capability to fool victims and foes.

Adventure Ideas
• The heroes encounter a typical Earworm scheme: take control of a suitably powerful
host body and use it to steal whatever the alien worm needs or wants. When a well
known hero goes on a crime spree odds are good mind control is involved. Of course,
Earworm’s victim might be a criminal who is simply acting out of character. Imagine if
it takes over Troll (Icons, page 144) for example!

• The heroes encounter someone under Earworm’s control but, when they defeat them
or find a way to get rid of the little worm, they discover it is apparently dead, and
already starting to shrivel and dry up! Has Earworm reached the end of its life-cycle?
No, something far worse: the alien creature is capable of asexual reproduction!
The new Earworms are little more than mindless clones of the original, but they
are telepathically connected, allowing Earworm to take over multiple people and
“network” them together! Suddenly, the heroes could be facing an epidemic of
Earworms!

• A villain or unscrupulous organization (corporate, government, or criminal) gets the

same bright idea as the aliens who engineered Earworm’s species in the first place:
the little bug would make an excellent temple for bio-technological mind control.
They want to capture Earworm (alive, ideally) in order to study and clone it, creating a
swarm of loyal, pre-programmed creatures able to control anyone they are told to. Of
course, the parties who think they are in control may run into the same problem the
aliens did when the Earworms decide to stage a revolt.

53
 The Fox

5’11 150
Hangman #17

STAMINA

“Crazy Like a Fox!” Craves Attention

Flirt Always rises to the bait
Identity: Supermodel

Britney Dane has always wanted attention. From beauty pageants to cheerleading to
student government to prom queen, Britney has always been the center of her own self-
absorbed little world. Psychiatrists would likely attribute this to a spoiled upbringing with
nannies doting on her and mostly absentee parents, but Britney’s natural beauty made
such attention come easy. During college Britney became a fashion model and within a
couple of years her face graced magazines, posters, and billboards all over the world. She
was spokesperson for a number of beauty product lines and even had a couple of movie
offers. Britney was on top of the world.
It all came crashing down one brutal summer evening. Okay, perhaps it was more of a
“ping” than a “crash,” but to Britney it made all the difference. It was the premier of her
first movie roll, and Britney prepared for an evening of autographs, interviews, and photo-
ops. Instead, her big debut was squashed by super-heroics. A battle between a hero and
a villain broke out nearby and all of the reporters and camera people rushed to cover the
story. Britney had been trumped, and this would be a turning point in her life.
Britney became obsessed with superbeings. Not one herself, Britney began taking every
physical fitness course she could and hired the best physical trainers. She also secretly
provided bail and legal support to small-time criminals in return for teaching her their tricks.
Within a few years, Britney had all the makings of an acrobatic superhero. Unfortunately,
superheroes only reacted to problems. If Britney wanted to steal the limelight, she needed
to be proactive. Thus, Britney became a supervillain.

54
As the Fox, Britney pulls off high-profile crimes for the notoriety and publicity. She rarely
cares what happens to the spoils, making her an ideal partner for another supervillain. The
Fox also enjoys baiting and flirting with superheroes, partly due to her nature and partly
because gossip and scandal is good for headlines. Britney still maintains her modeling
career and takes great pains to keep the two from crossing.

Adventure Ideas
• The Fox has become enamored with one of the heroes. She craves his attention and is
constantly doing things to get it. Should the Fox learn his secret identity (or if it’s public),
she will invade his social life and interfere with any other romances.
• The Fox has stolen a piece of jewelry that actually contained secret information inside
it. The heroes must first track her down, only to find that she let one of her minions keep it.
The minion posted it on an internet auction site and sold it to a buyer. Can the heroes track
the information down before it gets into the wrong hands?
• A serial killer has become infatuated with models and is stalking and killing them. The
heroes are asked to protect a supermodel that’s received death threats from this killer
as she prepares for a photoshoot. Can the heroes stop the killer in time? Why is the Fox
lurking in the shadows during their investigation?

55
 Gorn: Warlord of the Molten Men

6’6 300
Volcano #1

STAMINA

14

Aggressuve Firey Temper

Catchphrase: “By Earth’s Molten Heart!” Pretender to the Throne
Warlord of the Molten Men Weird-looking Molten Man

It is difficult to be a warrior without a war, without enemies to fight. For uncounted

millennia, the Molten Men have dwelled in the depths of the Earth’s mantle, close to
the heat of the planet’s molten core. They long since tamed the other creatures of
their underworld realm, leaving the warrior-class little more than a ceremonial role in
protecting the nobility and training their offspring in the arts of combat, dying arts.

So it was that the ambitious Gorn, acknowledged as one of the finest warriors of his
people, seized upon an incursion from the upper-world. A massive drill, digging deeper
than ever before in search of minerals and geothermal power sources, intruded into
Molten territory. The nobility wished to reach out, to negotiate and learn more of what
the upper-worlders wanted, when their intent was clear. They wanted to waste valuable
time when they should have been mounting a defense of their people and domain!

So Gorn took drastic action: arranging for the envoy their leaders sent to be trapped
in a collapsing gallery, and for a powerful explosion to destroy the high fortress of the
nobility. Under attack from all sides, the people chose Gorn as their warlord, to lead
them into battle to protect their homes against the aggressors. Warlord Gorn intends
for the Molten Men to erupt into the upper world with a fury that will live in legend for
generations to come, emblazoning his name in fire and establishing his right to rule!

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Adventure Ideas
• The first indications the heroes get of Gorn’s ambitions are mysterious problems with
the deep drilling site: unexplained collapses and mechanical problems holding up
the project. Naturally, the project’s director is under considerable pressure to show
progress, and intends to push through any such problems. Investigating heroes might
hear rumors and stories about “something alive” on the far end of the drill-shafts,
or even encounter a lone survivor of the Molten Men embassy sent to entreat and
negotiate with the upper-worlders. Naturally, Gorn cannot risk anyone knowing his
intentions until he is ready to launch a pre-emptive attack, so the Warlord may attempt
to capture or eliminate the heroes first.

• The battle boils to the surface as the Molten Men attack! Drilling sites become
beachheads of an invasion from deep within the Earth, with Gorn himself leading the
forces that erupt near the heroes. The other Molten Men warriors have similar traits, all
about one level lower than Gorn’s, making them formidable foes. In particular, they are
immune to many common weapons due to their rocky hides and radiate enough heat to
make them hard to handle and to burn through almost anything, given time. Along with
blunting the invasion, the heroes must prove to the Molten Men that the upper-worlders
are not aggressors and mean them no harm.

• Even if Gorn is deposed from his leadership role over his people, some disaffected and
bitter warriors will choose to follow him into exile. The fiery warlord will not forget the
heroes responsible for his downfall, and will look to establish himself in a new power-
base deep in the under-earth. There he will hatch schemes to devastate the upper-
world with a series of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions in retribution. The surface
dwellers will either be wiped out, or will have to respond to the attack from below,
forcing the Molten Men into war, whereupon they will turn back to their greatest military
leader!

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 The Grudge

Varies Varies
Mighty Saguaro #50

STAMINA

Var.

“Don’t Make Me Angry!” Rage

“GRUDGE SMASH!!!” Intellect Loss tied to Growth

Parnell Tarrant was a highly respected member of a prestigious Ivy League university’s
science faculty when it happened. He wasn’t loved, it should be said; he wasn’t a good
teacher, and certainly wasn’t a good friend to either students or colleagues. In fact, he
seemed to take great joy in adding names to his list of enemies great and small.
His field of research was radiation and mutation. He spent long hours subjecting cats and
rats and other unfortunate creatures to incredible doses of strange, barely-understood
radiations. Until one day, he found himself caught in his own dosing machine, throbbing
with unknowable power, his entire cellular matrix reconfiguring itself... and fired up with
rage at the ones who had done this to him.
What he cannot admit, what he must never admit, is that he did this to himself. His own
carelessness was to blame for the accident. It wasn’t sabotage, it wasn’t because he
was distracted, it wasn’t an elaborate conspiracy. It was just his own fallibility.
Parnell Tarrant has, since the accident, gone on to wreak havoc wherever he goes. He
has a bad attitude and a short temper, and when someone rubs him the wrong way, he
changes...
When Tarrant gets angry, he gets bigger. When he gets bigger, he gets more powerful,
but also less intelligent and more likely to be drive by instinct and rage. Tarrant is a
danger to himself and to the world. He’s unpredictable, nearly unstoppable, entirely
irrational and massively destructive. He doesn’t care who gets hurt on his wanderings
and rampages, and his own humanity is perched right on the brink.

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Tarrant’s Ability Boost and Invulnerability are linked to his Growth as bonus powers. As
he gets angrier, his Growth increases by 1 level. Which each level of Growth, his Strength
increases by 2 (to a maximum of 10), and his Invulnerability increases by 2 (to a Maximum
of 10). His Intellect, however, reduces by 1. When his Intellect reaches 0, heroes will be
unable to communicate with him, or calm him down in any way.
Game Masters should feel free to give The Grudge power stunts like Leaping, Blasts
(pounding the ground), etc. as needed. The Grudge can be either a simple or a complicated
adversary for a group of heroes. His Growth allows him to engage the characters in several
ways, and there are some moral and ethical issues for heroes to work through - how much
is Tarrant to blame for the Grudge’s behavior? How much are the different forms the same
person? How can the threat of the Grudge be stopped for good?

Adventure Ideas
• The Grudge gets stuck in his maximum form, and nothing seems able to change him
back. The only solution is for the characters to make a journey into the monster’s mind,
there to find and remove the mental blocks that are holding him in that form.
• A major corporation in your campaign setting purchases the research conducted by
Tarrant, and resumes it in their research center. In fairly short order they start promoting
the Grudge treatment as a revolutionary new treatment for depression. Can they possibly
be on the level, or will a whole bunch of guinea pigs turn into rampaging monsters as well?
• Tarrant appears on TV, promoting a new-age colony which helps visitors to find their
inner peace. Is he sincere? Will the colony’s treatment work? And does the colony have
secrets of its own?

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 Harlequin...

5’9 160
All-American Girl #8

STAMINA

10

Comedic Timing Cannot Resist Mocking Authority

“Let’s Put a Little Life Into It!” Crazy
Nible Capering Practical Joker

...and Columbina
STAMINA

12

Frequently Underestimated
5’7 140 Free-Spirited
All-American Girl #8 Loves Harlequin

Crazy
Still a Doormat

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Harlan Quincy always did as he was supposed to: he was quiet and polite, did well in
school, and stayed out of trouble. He found his way into a good school, where he was
painfully shy, but focused on his studies. He did his best to ignore the taunts of the
popular kids and jocks all through high school and college, while secretly wanting to be
one of them.

Wilhemina “Mina” Collier was taught to be a proper young lady and, although she
was expected to go to college, she was also expected to join a sorority (as a “legacy”
following her mother and aunt) and eventually find herself a good man to marry. Everyone
noticed and commented on how pretty she was, but never paid attention long enough to
figure out that she was smart, too.

It had to be fate that brought Harlan and Mina together when her sorority’s “brother”
fraternity held their Rush Week. Nobody was more surprised than Harlan to receive an
invite to rush the most exclusive frat on campus. It wasn’t until it was too late that he
learned of their tradition of inviting one or two “scrubs” every year, ready-made targets
they could put through grueling and humiliating hazings before rejecting them outright.

When Harlan met Mina, he fell in love immediately, and Mina found herself taken with
the shy and bookish young man, so much so that she tried to warn him. But he wouldn’t
back down. Now he had a reason to hang in there. He wouldn’t give up. The paddle the
brothers used to beat him had been with the frat for a very long time. Brought over from
Europe, someone said, although it wasn’t clear who originally made it. It was traditional. It
also hurt, even through the haze of alcohol, and whatever else somebody had poured into
the punch.

It was an accident, they later claimed. No one thought it would get so out of hand, or
knew what to do when Harlan went into convulsions. They dumped the body well away
from the campus and the fraternity house, and agreed never to talk about it.

Nobody expected what happened next. The kids who were there that night talked about
things coming to life and moving of their own accord late at night: curtains, furniture,
statuary, paintings – they talked about the formerly shy nerd, clad in a colorful costume,
reappearing at the frat house to take the paddle they’d used to beat him, the woman who
left with him, and the sound of his mocking laughter, a sound they would never forget.

Harlan Quincy and Mina Collier disappeared that night, never to be seen again, but it
was not long thereafter that the team of Harlequin and Columbina began blazing a trail of
madcap mayhem across the area.

Harlequin is apparently unkillable or, at least, nothing puts him down for very long. His
“Slap Stick”—in addition to swatting at the exposed bottom of any available target—is
magically capable of bringing objects to life with a touch and giving them the same
madcap attitude as their animator. Columbina is graced with considerable strength and
toughness, far more than one might expect from a mere slip of a girl in a maid’s outfit.

Adventure Ideas
• Having infiltrated a fabulous mansion disguised as a kid’s entertainment act intending
to rob the place, Harlequin and Columbina are quite taken with the birthday girl,
Annette, who is far too sassy and independent for her extremely traditionalist parents,
who want her to be a “proper little lady.” So they decide to take her along with the
loot and make her a part of their crazy “family”. Annette’s parents are worried sick
while the girl is torn between her newfound freedom with her “magical friends” and
feeling homesick and a bit scared for just how crazy those newfound friends might be.

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 • The Kooky Couple of Crime decide to rob a museum of some antique theatrical
items. The museum’s various displays provide Harlequin with all manner of things to
animate (up to and including giant dinosaur skeletons) and lots of big, heavy things
for Columbina to pick up and swing or throw. To further complicate matters, the theft
might be inspired or influenced by the Slap Stick. Perhaps there are other mystical
talismans connected to it? Part of a set with even greater powers?

• Harlequin and Columbina have a crazy break-up fight, leading the Madcap Maid of
Might to swear off “boys” and look for a little “girl power” for a while. She ends up
recruiting her own all-female gang to go on a major crime spree, challenging the
heroes (especially the male ones) to try and stop them. Most of the female villains in
this book or Icons are Columbina’s potential allies, particularly Blonde Bombshell,
Copy Cat, Corsair Queen, and Merry Widow. Of course, a despondent Harlequin still
wants to win back his beloved Columbina’s attention and affections, after he’s done
with his own “gang” made up of animated objects he talks to like they’re going to
start talking back...

• Harlequin and Columbina decide that the heroes, as the ultimate symbols of
authority, need to be taken down a peg or two (or six, or ten). The heroes become
the targets of a relentless flurry of practical jokes, designed to make them look
foolish in the eyes of the public. Of course, if the heroes begin to thwart the gags,
Harlequin will grow more and more frustrated, and the line between comedy and
tragedy will be quickly crossed...

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Incognito

Varies Varies
Whisper #11

STAMINA

Master of a Thousand Faces Devious To the Extreme

Pays His Debts

No one knows what the infamous underworld figure known only as “Incognito” looks
like, or where he came from. No one even knows if “he” is a he. All that is known about
Incognito is that he is a spy, thief, and assassin capable of looking like anyone. This
power has allowed him to slip past some of the tightest security in the world, and to
continue to evade capture.

Clients contact Incognito through various blind-drops, anonymous emails, and other
temporary communications links. Payments in the millions of dollars or euros are
deposited in secret overseas accounts, although Incognito sets his own rates and
chooses his own jobs. The very few would-be clients who made the mistake of thinking
otherwise learned to regret it in their final moments.

Incognito’s transformational power is extensive: it includes whatever he happens to be

wearing (meaning he can either transform his clothing or the clothing itself is a part of
him). It is detailed down to things like fingerprints, retinal patterns, and voice-prints,
allowing Incognito to slip past many security systems. It even includes the ability to
reshape his brain or mind in various ways; psychics and others who fail to overcome his
mental defenses perceive only what Incognito chooses.

The Master of a Thousand Faces is a brilliant unarmed combatant, and skilled at

making use of various improvised weapons. He often has various concealed or portable
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 equipment, such as a baton or bo staff, climbing grapple, or smoke or flash pellet,
sufficient to provide him with a momentary distraction to slip away and change his
appearance to disappear into a crowd. The GM should feel free to give Incognito
whatever he might reasonably have for his current assignment, awarding players
Determination when their faceless foe’s preparations trip them up.

Adventure Ideas
• A Connection aspect really begins to earn its keep when Incognito kidnaps and
replaces that character. A Team Connection works best, but it could be a single
hero’s supporting character. The heroes start to notice the criminal underworld
anticipating their activities, as if they knew in advance what the heroes were going to
do. As it becomes increasingly clear they have a spy in their midst, the heroes need
to figure out who it is before Incognito decides the jig is up and tries to abscond with
whatever useful information and items that he can get from the team’s headquarters.

• One or more of the heroes is dismayed to see reports on the news of a new criminal
scourge in the city: them! Someone has hired Incognito to discredit them, and the
face-changing villain is taking the simplest route: committing crimes while looking
like the various heroes, faking their powers with special effects as needed. The
police have to investigate, and it may be difficult for the heroes to clear their names
from the inside of a jail cell. Do they cooperate with the authorities, leaving Incognito
and the rest of the criminal element free to do as they please while the good guys
are incarcerated, or do they defy the law in order to clear their own names?

• Incognito’s guises go from bothersome to truly dangerous. The disguised villain

makes several near attempts on the heroes lives by assuming the guises of people
they trust or of ordinary bystanders they would never suspect. After days or even
weeks of random attacks coming from all quarters, once the heroes are good and
paranoid, Incognito stages one last hit, using a group of hostages to draw the
heroes out. When they catch the sneak out in the open and let him have it, the
heroes discover, to their horror, he is no shape-shifting assassin, but one of the
hostages, drugged and dressed up in his costume! The real Incognito slips away,
leaving the heroes to deal with the fallout of accidentally wounding or even killing an
innocent. But was the victim truly an innocent bystander, or is there a deeper plot at
work?

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In-Human

n/a n/a
Searchers of the Multiverse #9

STAMINA

Master Manipulator Disembodied

“I. AM. IN. HUMAN.” Lust for Power and Experience
Outsider

The top secret Project: BRIDGE sought to penetrate the Veil between dimensions, to
understand the strange reaches in between them. One of their probes brought something back
from Beyond, something alien, but intelligent and cunning. When it possessed the first technician it
encountered, it said “I. AM. IN. HUMAN.” Since then “In-Human” has been the code-name of
the disembodied entity, which has no designation pronounceable by any human tongue.

In-Human is capable of entering and controlling the body of any creature. It moves from
host to host by touch, switching bodies more easily than humans do clothes. It abandons
hosts just as casually, nearly always seeking to “trade-up” to a more powerful, influential
form. Naturally, its favorite hosts are superhumans, and In-Human loves using their
powers with abandon. It lives up to its name in its treatment of others; physical beings are
nothing more than playthings, and it cares nothing for their feelings or needs.

In-Human is a particularly difficult foe to overcome, since it can move from one host
body to another virtually at will. It can be trapped in a host that is incapacitated (stunned
or reduced to 0 Stamina) but is still difficult to remove without extraordinary measures
(involving super-science or sorcery) with a difficulty based on In-Human’s Willpower or
Possession level. Even then, there is no known way to destroy it or return it where it came
from. In-Human has implied that it was pleased to escape from wherever it was, but not
whether it was its home or prison.

65
 Adventure Ideas
• Choose or make up a hero from your setting. That hero comes to the characters
seeking help, talking about strange dreams and flashbacks, apparently related to
recent unusual behavior. In fact, In-Human is in possession of the hero and looking
to learn all that it can about the team and their secrets. In particular, it is looking for
an opportunity to “trade-up” to a more powerful and useful host body. It may try to
cover up gaps in its knowledge about its host with claims of amnesia or the like. If
found it, it tries to claim a suitable host—if it has found one—and then flee.

• Having escaped once again, In-Human goes to ground and adopts a different
approach. Rather than sheer physical power, it seeks out hosts with considerable
wealth and influence. Eventually, it finds one with a suitable combination of
resources, influence, and few suspicious connections. This allows the possessing
entity to set up an underground fighting circuit for superhumans while indulging in a
variety of sybaritic experiences. It intends to find suitable hosts through a process of
elimination, staging fights for the amusement of the human cattle, while selecting for
the strongest and most capable new host body.

• At the end of a major adventure, when the heroes have overcome the villain and
thwarted another threat to the world, one of their allies suddenly betrays them and
absconds with the villain’s item of power or doomsday weapon. It turns out that
In-Human had been “hiding out” in the ally’s subconscious mind, waiting for just
such an opportunity. Now the possessing entity has escaped with their friend and a
deadly threat to the world and the heroes have to find out what it intends to do with
them!

66
Killer Gamemaster

5’5” 130
ICONS Team-up #3

STAMINA

Master of Games and Puzzles Can’t Help But Provide Clues

“You’ll Never Solve My Puzzles!” Twisted Sense of Fair Play
Fascinated by Technology Forced to Work with Outsiders

Magnus Hoyle was a mild-mannered man, acting as the puzzle editor at the Springfield
Gazette. He was content with his life of studying and solving puzzles all day, until a
supervillain ran into the Gazette building with a bomb, and the superhero that came to
stop him ended up totally most of the building in the process. Somehow, though, he
survived – the odds were a million to one, but he was able to walk away with a scratch.
It turned out that Hoyle was born different, and the trauma of the fight awoke the hidden
potential inside of him – the ability to manipulate probability (including the probability
that light would bounce and reflect in such a way as to create convincing illusions).
Unfortunately, seeing his livelihood destroyed also caused his mind to snap, and he
decided that superheroes were too stupid to continue as they were. They would have
to be shown that brains were far superior to brawn before they paid for their ham-fisted
antics. And thus was the Killer Gamemaster born.
The Killer Gamemaster isn’t a scientist by trade, but he has a great appreciation for
gadgets and technology, and so he spends much of his time tricking or convincing
scientifically-gifted individuals to work on his elaborate schemes. He is quick to pick up
on the application of highly experimental devices, but he just has no talent for inventing
them himself. This forces him into a variety of bizarre and strenuous relationships as his
plans grow and evolve.

67
 Adventure Ideas
• The world’s top-selling Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game, Craft of
War-World (CoW), issues a new patch for download. What nobody realizes, until
it is far too late, is that the patch was actually created by the Killer Gamemaster,
and smuggled into the production queue. Nobody notices, until people start
dissappearing -- and the only thing they have in common is that they play CoW.
Then, friends notice that the missing people’s avatars are still online... and claiming
to be the missing, trapped in the online world! The Killer Gamemaster has somehow
gotten ahold of a program capable of transporting people from the real world, into the
world of the game, where he feels their skills will be more fully tested by the added
element of real danger! The PC heroes will have to enter the game, face down
dragons, trolls, and more, defeat the Killer Gamemaster in his virtual lair, and rescue
the digitized players, returning them all to the real world!

• The Killer Gamemaster has decided that one or more of the PC heroes are his
nemesis. He publicly challenges them to contests where they must face him in
games, with deadly consequences. Challenges can include: Chess played with
superhumans as playing pieces; a trading-card game where the cards summon real
other-dimensional creatures that do battle (and might also get out of control and
cause havoc in the city); A series of puzzles with each providing a clue leading to the
next, etc. Do the PCs play his games, running the risk of public embarrassment, or
do they simply try to put a stop to him -- and face the possibility of being branded
“poor sports” by the public?

• While facing a conquering threat (like Gorn, Warlord of the Molten Men (p 56) or
Tempus Khan (p 111), for example), the PC Heroes are approached by the Killer
Gamemaster, who informs them that he has analyzed the tactics being used and
now knows how they can defeat the threat. Do the heroes accept the help of a
supervillain to defeat a larger threat? Is the Killer Gamemaster even telling the truth,
or is this another of his dastardly plots?

68
 Little Augie Caesar

4’ 110
ICONS Team-up #2

Epithet - Emperor of the Urban Jungle Personal - Intelligent, talking Chimpanzee

Catchphrase - “Yeah, See?” Social - Atavism when Enraged.
Motivation - To Prove His Superiority

Years ago, one of the biggest mobs in the city was run by hyper-intelligent gorilla, called
Big Julie Caesar. After Big Julie Caesar took over the mob, he began to think about the
future. How could he ensure his power and pass on his legacy? Experimentation with
other gorillas revealed that his intelligence owed as much to a natural mutation as the
scientific manipulation of the supervillain who had created him..
For years Big Julie searched for a suitable candidate for the treatments, finally finding
one in a chimpanzee. Initially taken aback, Julie reflected that his idol, the human Julius
Caesar named his nephew heir to Rome, so surely he could do no worse. Naming the
young chimp Augustus, he raised his intellect and raised him as his nephew. When Big
Julie was bumped off, Little Augie took over the family business.
Little Augie Caesar is a chimp mobster with a chip on his shoulder and a severe case
of “little ape’s disease.” Attempting to fill the metaphorical shoes of a literal 400-lb.
gorilla isn’t easy, especially when you’re four feet tall and 110 lbs. soaking wet. This has
given Augie a bit of a complex, and he’s often driven to rash action to prove that he’s a
tough-guy. The situation isn’t helped at all by his temper, which tends to revert him to a
screeching, out-of-control animal.
Whatever you do, don’t laugh at him.

69
 Adventure Ideas
• Mob War! The city is split between two rival gangs. The Caesar Mob, run by Little
Augie, and The Outfit, run by The Octofather (Icons, p 104). The lines are drawn,
and the two gangs have decided to “go to the matresses.” The rivals begin to attack
eachother’s operations, leading to an escalating series of violent reprisals. Both sides
begin to recruit super-powered muscle, making things even more dangerous. The
PC heroes will have to figure out how to stop the two gangs from tearing the city
apart. And what happens when one side approaches the Black Hoods (p.30) as a
last resort to finally defeat their rival by siding with the oldest criminal organization in
the world?

• Augie decides that the best way to prove that he’s a real “tough-guy” is to take
down the PC heroes. So they become his new hobby. He starts by laying the bait:
A series of audacious and unusual crimes to draw the heroe’s attention -- broad
daylight armored car heists, bank robberies, crashing a charity fundraiser and robbing
the assembled wealthy patrons, etc. Once he has the heroes after him, he brings
the fight directly to them -- ambushing them by putting their connections in jeopardy,
sending hit-men to the heroes’ public appearances, or even just openly attacking the
heroes’ headquarters. He puts the word out on the street and via the media that
they’ve messed with the wrong chimp, and they’re going down, see?

• Something is wrong with Augie’s mental augmentation -- what started as his loss of
control when enraged is becoming more pronounced. He appears to be reverting
to a normal chimpanzee. He becomes desperate to stop that from happening, He
starts to assemble scientific minds -- first by bribery, then by kidnapping scientists,
and then by approaching scientific villains. He then begins to experiment, testing
the new process on other apes to see if it will work to stop his reversion. He teams
with Confederape (Icons, p 100), using the gorilla’s ability to control other apes as a
way to acquire subjects for experimentation. The Confederape, however, sees this
as his opportunity to build an army of intelligent apes to overthrow mankind. Can the
two perilous primates work together, or will Caesar be betrayed?

70
Lord Kisin

6’4 160
Miss Tikal #1

STAMINA

14
* Collar of Eyes:
Collar of Eyes Blind See Magic, See in
Mayan Death God Bound by Prophecy the Dark, See Invis-
ible, See Spirits,
The Stinking Lord Hideous
360-Degree Vision

Mayan history contains a prophecy of a coming changing in worlds, the ending of one
world and the start of a new age. Although some believe this prophecy is fixed and
certain, in truth it is a moment of decision, which will determine the future of the world
and humanity. It is also a time when Lord Kisin, the Stinking Lord, Wearer of the Collar of
Eyes, and Mayan god of the dead, can make his final play for power. If he can turn the
wheel of destiny his way, the world will die, and all will fall under his dominion, forever.

Lord Kisin looks like a hideous, mummified corpse dressed in Mayan regalia, particularly
his broad golden Collar of Eyes, which permits him to see in every direction and to notice
things hidden from the sight of mortals. However, Kisin has no eyes of his own, only
empty sockets, so without the Collar, he exists solely in darkness and cannot see at all.

That is close to the death god’s only vulnerability, however: He is truly immortal and
unkillable, highly resistant to harm, and capable of draining the life out of other creatures
with a mere touch to replenish his energies. Fortunately, he is also bound in the
underworld of the dead unless given an opportunity by the prophecy and the delicate
flow of destiny to intervene in mortal affairs. Lord Kisin relishes these moments and plans
carefully for them, like a master chess player.

71
 Adventure Ideas
• As the Earth’s Supreme Wizard, Warlock (see p. 117) has a duty to protect the world
from suffering the fate Lord Kisin intends for it. Of course, Warlock’s true motives
are purely selfish: if the world perishes, who will he lord it over? Threatened by
the Yama King (see p. 122), Warlock hits upon an idea: He arranges for one of the
Mayan artifacts empowered by Lord Kisin centuries ago to fall into the hands of the
Yama King’s followers. With the ancient Key to the Underworld, they can loose their
master upon the world. Of course, Lord Kisin cannot allow this; the Earth is his to
claim! Warlock hopes to pit the two vastly powerful underworld gods against each
other, locking them in eternal conflict away from the world. Of course, if his gambit
fails, one or both of them will be unleashed to destroy the world and hold all human
souls in eternal torment! Do the heroes attempt to thwart this dangerous scheme, or
do they help Warlock, recognizing that his plan may represent this dimension’s best
chance against these powerful beings?

• A series of serial killings in the city follow a pattern based on ancient Mayan
practices and prophecies. Heroes investigating the murders can uncover the pattern
and learn the place and time of the next murder based on certain astrological
conjunctions in the Mayan system. Unfortunately, the killer is a chosen agent of
Lord Kisin, and possesses a fraction of the death god’s power: at least 6 levels of
Wizardry and 5 of Regeneration, along with Immortality so long as his head remains
attached to his body. How do the heroes stop a deathless murderer in time? If you
want to make things even worse, perhaps Kisin’s chosen agent is Redkap (p. 90)!

• One or more heroes who perished, perhaps even friends or mentors of the players’
heroes, miraculously return from the dead. Unfortunately, these poor souls are in the
thrall of Lord Kisin, who has used his influence over the dead to restore them, and
grant them the illusion of life, although they are in fact undead under his control. He
intends for the “resurrected” heroes to gain the trust and confidence of their friends
before betraying them and carrying out the commands of the Stinking Lord of the
Underworld. With the power of the Collar of Eyes, Lord Kisin can see and hear all
that his new thralls do, and will learn much about his new foes, win or lose.

72
Merry Widow

5’8 140
HangMan #14

STAMINA

Distracting Way About Her It’s All Part of the Game

Most Dangerous Woman in the World Notorious Flirt
Well-Deserved Reputation

“No reason I can’t mix business and fun, is there?” The international spy, thief, and
assassin-for-hire known only as “The Merry Widow” certainly lives up to her name. She is
responsible for a long list of crimes, but seems to enjoy her work immensely, seeing it all
as a kind of game.

Her origins are shrouded in mystery and she delights in spinning stories about how she
worked her way to the top of Most Wanted lists around the world. In some of them,
she came from poverty, forced into a life of prostitution, until she became the mistress
and protege of an infamous assassin. Once she’d learned all she could from him, she
murdered him in their bed and struck out on her own. In other versions, she actually was
born into great wealth, but grew bored with a privileged life where she had everything but
freedom and was expected to marry as her family dictated. Her husband was her first
victim on their wedding night and she discovered a talent for criminal enterprise and a
taste for danger. Still other times she talks about government “black ops” programs (with
the specific government changing from one tale to another) or even top-secret cloning
projects to engineer the perfect femme fatale agent. These may explain why there seem
to be no records whatsoever of the Merry Widow before her first forays into crime.

What is known is the Merry Widow is a world-class athlete, combatant, and specialist
in infiltration and assassination. Her preference for fetish-wear and a black veil, coupled

73
 with her expertise with a bullwhip, is a part of her motif. She has access to state-of-
the-art equipment, and manages to conceal a surprising amount of it on her person,
although she displays a dislike and distaste for firearms. The Merry Widow is a notorious
flirt, but anyone who takes an interest in her advances should be warned that her
paramours have a very poor survival rate indeed.

Adventure Ideas
• The new district attorney is a crusading young lawyer dedicated to the idea of
wiping out organized crime in the city and bringing corrupt cops to justice. He’s
also a very eligible bachelor, recently seen out with a gorgeous woman on his arm.
His new paramour, Mary Winslow, is a bit of a mystery. She seems as concerned as
anyone when the DA suddenly falls ill and doctors discover he has been poisoned
with an unknown toxin. Heroes who investigate “Ms. Winslow” discover the Merry
Widow is close to claiming another victim. Can they corner her long enough to get
the antidote and find out who hired her?

• An acrobatic, leather-clad heroine wielding a multi-strand whip has been cutting a

swath through street-level crime in the city. The mysterious “Cat O’ Nine-Tails” has
some close brushes with the heroes, enough to intrigue them about this newcomer
on their turf. She may even help them out of a jam or two. Then, she needs their help
in dealing with a crime boss who has hired some super-powered muscle (pick any
suitable mercenary villains from this book or Icons). Of course “Cat” is a guise Merry
Widow is using to get the heroes to run interference for her so she can get at her
current target, which is sure to earn her no point with them when the truth comes
out.

• The unfortunate ends of two wealthy men have the Merry Widow’s M.O. all over
them: both recently seen with an attractive new lady friend, both poisoned and
found in bed, and both robbed of various valuables. What is interesting is when the
heroes investigate, they come across the Widow, who is doing some sleuthing of
her own. She claims that she had nothing to do with the “amateurish” crimes and
that somebody else is borrowing her schtick and trying to frame her! Are the heroes
willing to work with a thief, assassin, and notorious liar to try and uncover the truth?
What if the story their new “ally” handed them is just a blind to get them to help her
deal with another target? On the other hand, what if it’s true, and there is a copy-cat
out there using the Widow’s M.O.?

74
Mister Mastermind

6’1 185
ICONS Team-Up #5

STAMINA

The Sinister Sovereign of Souls! Personal - Born to Rule, Proud to Talk

Motivation: Rule The Lesser Beings Weakness - Mystic Ruby Focuses Power
Psychological - Rivalry with Monster Mastermind

Mister Mastermind is cunning, devious, and always making complex plans. He likes to
stay many steps ahead of his enemies and he always plays games within games. He is
currently believed dead.
Mister, real name Ludwig Maurer, was born in the U.S.A. to a large and poor family. His
father ran a small shop repairing shoes and making keys, enough to barely keep the
family alive. Maurer was determined to be successful, and studied very hard, proving
to be a very successful student. However, his higher education went awry as he turned
his attentions to mystical and occult knowledge. He never graduated, exploring his own
pathways to knowledge, and balancing cutting-edge science with esoteric knowledge.
As his power grew, so did his ego, and finally he alienated his family with his arrogance
and amorality. Adrift from his moral anchors, he turned fully to villainy, pursuing his
strange and selfish ends without care for the lesser beings who suffered in his wake.
He traveled the world for years, and on one journey bested in mental combat the guru
who commanded a mystical ruby. With this focus stone in his hands, he became Mister
Mastermind, the Sinister Sovereign of Souls! His powers of mental control were so acute
that he could bend almost anyone to his will. His fierce intellect had only grown over the
years, and he was now a fearsome foe. In this guise, Mister had his first clashes with
heroes who opposed his attempts to become the Emperor of New Amsterdam or the
King of the Moon.

75
 Recently Mister’s attempt to hold the world to ransom from an aircraft carrier equipped
with nuclear bombs was thwarted. Mister was lost overboard in the middle of the Pacific
Ocean. He is widely believed dead.

Adventure Ideas
• Mister Mastermind’s arch-rival is a fellow villain, Monster Mastermind. Both
villains wish to drop the prefix from their noms de guerres, and be known simply as
“Mastermind.” Each makes a claim on the name, and each stands in the other’s
way. Any adventure where one is encountered has a 2-in-6 chance of featuring the
other as well, showing up to demonstrate their superiority and thwarting the plans
of their rival. The PC heroes will have to be very clever, and very good -- because
being stuck between two mastermind villains is not a good place to be.

• Mister Mastermind uses his Mind Control to take over a multinational security
corporation, and then starts hiring villains to ramp up the crime in the PC heroes’
home city. The goal is to make the police and heroes look completely ineffective
and then propose to the city leaders that they should privatize their police force --
bringing in his security company to do so. This plan will give Mister Mastermind
almost total control over the city, and any hero who stands in the way will be labeled
a public menace!

• Mister Mastermind has decided to use the worldwide economic crisis to simply buy
the United States. Through a combination of Mind Control and business brilliance,
he secures all of the outstanding foreign debts of the US Government, and then
demands payment. If the US cannot come up with a lump-sum payment of five
trillion dollars, Mister Mastermind will forclose. Either way, Mister Mastermind
wins-- either getting a ridiculous amount of money (thereby allowing him to do pretty
much whatever he wishes) or sole control over a superpower. If the United States
simply refuses, it will touch off a worldwide credit meltdown the likes of which willl
make the Great Depression look like the Thursday before Payday -- so the rest of the
world will urge the US to comply, simply to stave off that disaster. This idea is best
used when the PC heroes have just had an extended adventure off-world (in space,
another dimension or time, etc.) and return to find the plan already completed, and
the country now ruled by Mister Mastermind -- the Emperor of America!

76
Monster Mastermind

6’8 345
ICONS Team-Up #5

STAMINA

14

The Beast With the Beautiful Mind Appearance - Hideous Hulking Monstrosity
Motivation: Prove His Intellect Personal - Temper as Foul as His Appearance
Weakness - Brain Case is Vulnerable
Psychological - Rivalry with Mister Mastermind
Before he became the villainous Mister Mastermind, Ludwig Maurer’s best friend was
also his greatest rival. As they studied together, Farraday Lang was the only man who
could match Maurer’s insight and ability. They shared many breakthroughs, but Lang
shied away as Maurer’s research took him down more ruthless and unusual paths. Lang
stayed in school, became a distinguished academic, and was widely published in many
fields.
Lang was instrumental in one of Mister Mastermind’s early defeats, providing a counter-
formula to stop a Madness Gas from afflicting the White House. However, he paid a
significant price for this act of heroism, as Mister Mastermind’s chemical defense system
perforated his body.
Mister Mastermind could not let his old friend rest, even though he had just undone
the White House plan. He transferred Lang’s brain into a stitched-together half-cyborg
body. Lang’s sanity did not survive the transition – he snapped the moment he looked in
a mirror and realized what he had become. As Monster Mastermind, the Beast with the
Beautiful Mind, he teamed with Mister Mastermind on several escapades, before finally
betraying his creator and leaving him to die in the Himalayas.
Since this betrayal, the Masterminds have been enemies. Monster Mastermind seeks
always to gain more knowledge and to command ever-stranger technology. He intends
to prove himself the most adept mind in all of history, and in particular, to demonstrate
that Mister Mastermind was always the lesser brain.

77
 Monster’s expanded brain is held in a highly-impact resistant sheath. He has a Psyche
Booster Chip wired into his brain, that gives him his Mental Resistance specialty. If the
chip is damaged or deactivated, the specialty disappears. If the sheath is somehow
broken, Monster will be incapacitated.

The Minions of The Monster

BATULAC: Prow 4, Coord 6, Str 6, Int 2, Awa 2, Will 2, Stam 8, Flight 4, Venomous Bite
(Affliction) 4, Defensive Systems Detection 4
CRABICON: Prow 4, Co-ord 4, Str 8, Int 2, Awa 2, Will 2, Stam 10, Burrowing 4, Laser Turret
(Blast) 4
CENTROPEDE: Prow 4, Coord 8, Str 4, Int 2, Awa 2, Will 2, Stam 6, Wall-Crawling 4,
Cutting Torch (Strike) 4, Defensive Systems Detection 4
Three robotic minions of Monster Mastermind -- Batulac is a robotic bat, Crabicon is a
robotic crab, and Centropede is a robotic insect.

Adventure Ideas
• Monster Mastermind’s arch-rival is a fellow villain, Mister Mastermind. Both
villains wish to drop the prefix from their noms de guerres, and be known simply as
“Mastermind.” Each makes a claim on the name, and each stands in the other’s
way. Any adventure where one is encountered has a 2-in-6 chance of featuring the
other as well, showing up to demonstrate their superiority and thwarting the plans
of their rival. The PC heroes will have to be very clever, and very good -- because
being stuck between two mastermind villains is not a good place to be.

• Monster Mastermind has set up his lair in the artic circle, far from the prying eyes
of men. There he plies his strange technologies, building robotic minions which he
sends forth to do his bidding through a world-wide teleportation network that he calls
the Quantum Tunnels. He and his minions can strike anywhere in the world, and be
gone in a flash. When high-tech research facilities in the PC heroes’ home city start
reporting attacks by monstrous robots who make away with prototypes of the latest
advances in science, can the heroes track the Monster back to his lair, and put an
end to his villainy, or will the Beast with the Beautiful Mind always be one step ahead
of them?

78
Nepenthe

24 ft. 14,000
Sigma Squad #23

STAMINA

16

Comes Back Like a Weed Mind Control Only Affects Polinated Subjects
The Green Conqueror Plant
Many Roots and Minions Weakness (See Description)
The Star-Seed
Explorer and biologist Sergei Lysenko discovered the mysterious seed pod buried in a
deep layer of ice in the Antarctic. Recent shifts in the ice shelf due to global warming
uncovered millennia-old layers, which Dr. Lysenko and his colleagues believed would
yield tremendous knowledge about ancient ecology. The seed was about the size and
shape of an American football, with a dark brown casing harder than iron. Lysenko and
his team took some initial readings, including X-rays. But before they could report their
findings, the entire twelve-person team vanished. Russian military personnel found the
abandoned outpost, several of its vehicles missing. There were signs of a struggle, but
no indication what caused it. They collected what evidence there was, and the Kremlin
classified all of the materials.

A few months later, BevCo International launched “Nepenthe” its newest energy drink.
The green, fizzy concoction, with its “patented secret formula” took America and the
world by storm. Supermarket and convenience store shelves were regularly cleared out
of stocks of the new beverage, and people raved about its health and personal benefits.
Rival companies have tried to analyze Nepenthe to reverse-engineer its “secret formula”
with no success, while BevCo’s stocks and profits go through the roof.

Deep in a top-secret greenhouse controlled by the company lies the secret of their
new energy drink’s success: “Nepenthe” is not its true name, if indeed it has one as we

79
 understand it. Nor is the Antarctic its true home. No, the seed recovered by Dr. Lysenko
is from much further away, and has waited, buried beneath the ancient ice, a very long
time. It is known by many names on many different worlds: the Sweet Mercy, the Star-
Seed, That Which Drives Away Sorrow, the Blossom of Bliss, and the Green Conqueror.
The root-plant is mass of deep, powerful roots and vines like bridge cables, capable of
moving like tendrils. The central blossom exudes a sweet, heady scent able to lure prey
into its clutches, and the acidic liquid within the blossom digests minerals and animal
proteins.

The true power of Nepenthe, however, is its pollen; a golden-green substance that
infiltrates other organisms. It has a euphoric effect, boosting energy levels and creating
general feelings of happiness and well-being. More importantly, it binds its host to
the parent plant and makes them suitable receptacles for the eventual pollination
and fertilization cycles. When the time is right, those who have ingested Nepenthe’s
pollen become like extensions of it. They secure the plant’s territory and capture
other creatures for it. Eventually, Nepenthe releases clouds of spores. They kill the
animals hosts and allow new plants to germinate. A growing web of greenery covers
and consumes the world. Then the planets germinate and expend the last of their
energy firing countless seeds out into space. They may travel for millennia before they
encounter a suitable biosphere in which they can take root, beginning the cycle anew.

Nepenthe has an alien intelligence, but it learns from its hosts and can speak through
them, if it wishes. Thus, it knows all about Earth’s costumed defenders. They may
pose a problem, if a sufficient number of them are not pollenated and brought over to
serve the root-plant’s needs. Still, even Earth will fall, just as countless worlds before it,
encoded in Nepenthe’s genetic memory.

Green Zombies
Nepenthe’s mind controlled minions retain most of their normal Intellect and Awareness,
but have an “Irrationally Loyal to Nepenthe” aspect. Cunning players can take advantage
of this aspect. For example, minions are very protective of the root-plant, and may back
off if the heroes threaten it.

Nepenthe also has an indeterminate weakness Challenge, which is left for you to
determine. This is the secret weapon for the heroes to figure out when it comes to
defeating the Chlorophyll Conqueror and its minions. It might be extreme cold (given
the Nepenthe seed’s millennia long stasis), minerals like salt or quicklime, defoliants,
ultrasonic waves, or whatever else you like. The weakness may also be able to break
Nepenthe’s Mind Control, such as using extreme cold or ultrasonics to free pollen
victims and undermine the creature’s forces.

Adventure Ideas
• The Nepenthe energy drink craze starts to get out of control: people fighting and
rioting over supplies of the new fad beverage. The authorities begin looking into it,
but BevCo and its legal team are stonewalling them, expecting they can keep them
at bay until it is too late for anyone to prevent the final pollination cycle. The heroes
may also start looking into things, especially if their Connections are Nepenthe
enthusiasts, now acting like out-of-control junkies.

• A possible sequel or multi-part adventure can follow on the previous, where the
heroes discover the truth about Nepenthe and BevCo, but too late to prevent the
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 alien plant from seizing control of humans who have consumed a sufficient amount
of its pollen. Nepenthe sends an army of mind-controlled slaves—possibly including
some superheroes or villains—against the heroes, intending to capture and “convert”
them as well. The heroes have to escape, regroup, and come up with a plan to defeat
Nepenthe’s mind-controlled minions without harming them.

• Chances are the heroes first encounter with Nepenthe results in the alien plant’s
destruction (since it is fairly difficult to “jail” it, although some might try). Even if
Nepenthe is apparently destroyed, it may be able to regenerate from a single leaf or
root, plus there is the possibility it may have successfully fertilized one or more seeds
in suitable hosts. Perhaps a host develops various plant-based powers, like Plant
Control and a pollen-based Affliction and Mind Control similar to Nepenthe’s. The
heroes deal with someone they think is a run-of-the-mill bad guy, only to have their
defeated foe metamorphose into a new Nepenthe!
• If you’re feeling particularly evil, consider a supervillainous team-up between
Nepenthe and The Creeper (p. 39). He’s unlikely to be able to control such a
powerful plant -- but Nepenthe could certainly find a use for The Creeper’s abilities:
to aid in the spread and growth of its seedlings! Can the heroes prevent the Green
Apocalypse?

81
 Paper Tiger

5’9 155
Hangman #21

STAMINA

Always Something Up His Sleeve Can Only Animate Folded Paper

Dextrous Sense of Honor

Liang Dian Nuo (also known by the Anglicized name “Daniel Liang”) was born in Hong
Kong and educated abroad. He learned as time progressed that his father’s “business
interests” included close ties with the Chinese Triads and smuggling operations
out of Hong Kong and Chinese coastal cities to places all over the world. His father
appreciated Daniel’s keen intellect, and indulged his son’s love of art, to a point, but
also expects Daniel to fulfill his family obligations and eventually take over the business.

As a gift to win his son’s affections, the elder Liang gave Daniel an ancient manuscript
on paper-folding, which was his passion. It unlocked secrets undreamed of, “unfolding”
in Daniel’s spirit a profound connection with his work. He learned how to breath life into
his creations! When his father was murdered by a rival gang, Daniel used his newfound
power to avenge him and take control of the birthright he had once sought to reject.

Now, Hong Kong businessman Daniel Liang of Liang Imports is known for his habit
of folding little origami figures during business meetings and giving them as gifts and
tokens of his esteem. What his rivals and associates don’t know is how those figurines
can spy, steal, and even kill at their creator’s command. The mysterious “Paper Tiger”
of China is a force to be reckoned with in the criminal underworld.

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Paper Tiger’s Animation power allows him to transform any of his origami figures into
a life-sized replica, with all of the abilities of the actual creature or item, up to the limit
of his power level. So he can, for example, fold a literal paper tiger and bring it to life
with all the traits of a Lion (p. 119 of Icons). He can likewise make common objects,
from cages to walls and more, with a material Strength up to 7. His animated creations
still look like they are made of paper, even if they are much tougher and more complex.
Paper Tiger is constantly folding small figures and has many of them on his person (in
pockets or up his sleeves) at any given time. He can quickly create a new figure in just a
few pages when needed.

Adventure Ideas
• A routine bust of a smuggling warehouse controlled by a Chinese gang is complicated
by the appearance of one or more of Paper Tiger’s origami creations. The heroes will
be left wondering about the mysterious crime-lord and the extent of his powers, while
Paper Tiger will learn of the heroes and the threat they pose to his operations. He may
decide to take steps to eliminate them, or to at least distract them with some more of
his creations while his men move contraband in or out of the city.

• A new museum display of Asian art and artifacts is the target of an attempted robbery,
carried out by life-size paper monkeys and cranes! The object of the attempt is a
collection of ancient manuscript pages, fragments of the codex Paper Tiger used to
gain his powers. Daniel Liang believes they may unlock further secrets to his arcane
art and increase his abilities. The heroes have to keep the precious pages from falling
into the crime lord’s hands.

• As the head of Liang Imports carries out some important business negotiations in
the city (perhaps involving one or more of the heroes in their secret identities), the
Paper Tiger’s criminal gang is moving into the city, encountering resistance from both
the authorities and existing crime syndicates. Perhaps they come up against the
Octofather (Icons, p. 104) Syndicate, or the Caesar Mob (p. 69), setting off a gang-war
in the underworld. Liang’s proxy is an origami figure of an ancient warrior (complete
with sword and armor), leading some to believe the “Paper Tiger” is a literal man made
of animated paper, with a collection of origami followers! The heroes may not even
realize Daniel Liang is the man behind the scenes initially.

83
 Patriot

6’ 194
All-American Girl#30

STAMINA

10

Combat Veteran My Country, Right or Wrong

Does Whatever It Takes Paranoid
Good Soldier

Garrett Ian Joseph McCord has been a patriot ever since he was old enough to wave
a flag. Born on the Fourth of July, Joe was raised on military bases his entire life.
As a result, he never had any lasting friendships and came to see the military as his
family. Joe never wanted to be anything other than a soldier and enlisted as soon as
he was able. His fierce patriotism and his preference for his third name earned him the
nickname “G.I. Joe.”

McCord eventually left the service and set up a mercenary operation, traveling the globe
to perform covert, deniable operations. He was extremely good at his job and relished
the freedom he had from military protocol and rules of engagement. Unfortunately for
McCord, a journalist caught him on camera using “enhanced interrogation techniques”
on civilians. In order to insulate themselves, McCord’s allies turned on him, claiming that
he’d gone rogue and amending his file to “prove it.”

McCord snapped. He believed the “lefties” were responsible for bringing him down
when all he was doing was trying to protect America. With his cash flow cut off, McCord
returned home and adopted a new identity, the Patriot. While McCord had spent most
of his career protecting American interests throughout the world, the Patriot would clean
up America’s own house. A new Revolution is coming, and he will be at the forefront!

84
The Patriot goes after anyone he sees as “anti-American.” This includes liberal politicians,
the media, war critics, and even “left-wing” superheroes. Unsurprisingly, the Patriot
wouldn’t hesitate to kill villains like Arobas or Pulsar either. Patriot and Talion finding a
reason to work together should make almost anyone worry.

Adventure Ideas
• Get Out Now, a college-based organization that protests wars abroad by protesting
at the funerals of American soldiers, has been targeted by the Patriot. He has decided
to counter their disrespect of a soldier’s funeral by gunning them down at the funeral.
Stopping him at the funeral is only part of the heroes’ job; the Patriot has discovered
the identities of all the members and will hunt them down one by one afterwards.

• Six months ago, six heroes lent their likenesses and words to a graphic novel calling
for an end to the American presence in the Middle East. The graphic novel came out
a month ago and is a best-seller. Unfortunately, two of the heroes have been killed.
Particularly distressing is that one of the heroes had an impenetrable force field and
was apparently killed by a simple pistol bullet. Can the Patriot be stopped before he
kills the others, and does he now have a weapon that can nullify superpowers?

• A prominent diplomat has been taken prisoner by rebels in a war-torn country. The
Patriot has experience with this nation that could provide valuable intelligence for a
rescue operation. Unfortunately, the imprisoned diplomat is a self-described liberal
pacifist. Can the heroes trust the assistance the Patriot offers, and can he be trusted
not to turn on them in the eleventh hour and assassinate the diplomat himself?

85
 Professor Hominid

5’5” 200
ICONS Team-Up #5

STAMINA

10

Nasty, Brutish and Smart Appearance: Neanderthal

Motivation: To Reward Genius & Power, and Pyschology: Impatience with Inferiors
punish Sloth and Stupidity

Professor Hominid is an intriguing figure who claims to have been born at the dawn of
humankind. He says he has been inventing solidly for many thousands of years, and
every major step forward in human history came as a result of his ingenuity. No one
can be sure if he’s telling the truth -- but he does seem to be what he claims: a genius,
immortal Neanderthal.
This world is Hominid’s birthright, in his estimation, and it is his responibility to tend
to it, much as a gardner might tend to a garden. He likes to see himself as shaping
evolution, by rewarding genius and power, and punishing sloth and stupidity. This often
results in him coming into conflict with both superheroes and supervillains -- he sees
no distinction of “sides.” Hominid sees himself as above petty concerns of good and
evil. He understands a much older game – power and survival. However, those old rules
usually put him at odds with the forces of peace and justice, so Hominid usually spends
his time on the run from the law.
Professor Hominid will often work through proxies, staying hidden and directing the
action from behind the scenes. He prefers to avoid publicity (partially because revealing
his Neanderthal nature often leads to the assumption that he is somehow stupid or
inferior, which irritates him beyond reason. He learned long ago that it is far better to
simply avoid the aggravation and work unseen.

86
Adventure Ideas
• The best way to introduce Professor Hominid to your PC heroes is to take a page from
Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic tales of Sherlock Holmes, and use Hominid as a Moriarty
figure. Over the course of several adventures, have the PC heroes hear whispers of
a master criminal behind the scenes, referred to only as “The Professor.” They might
encounter minor villains who are doing his bidding on one job or another, and who
know only that they received their orders via high-tech communications, but never
saw the shadowy figure who directed their efforts. Once the heroes are on Hominid’s
radar, of course, he may choose to directly intervene and make his presence known.

• Professor Hominid has decided that a PC hero of non-human extraction (Unearthly,

Artificial, and non-human Birthright origin) represents too much of an exterior influence
on the development of the planet. The evolution of mankind and the safeguarding
of the planet must be protected from outside influence, so he marks the hero for
elimination. He is not the sort of Neanderthal to get his hands dirty, however, and so
he uses this as an opportunity to test the power and genius of other villains, offering a
substantial reward as a price on the PC hero’s head.

• Professor Hominid has come to the realization that superhuman individuals represent
the next step in mankind’s evolution -- the ultimate expression of power and survival.
Just as he witnessed his own race eventually supplanted by the Cro-Magnon, leading
to the development of modern Homo Sapiens, Hominid decides that Homo Sapiens
are destined to be replaced by Homo Vis Vires -- Powered Humans. He develops a
genetic retrovirus that activates mutation within non-powered humans, giving them
superpowers. The PC heroes are drawn into this plot by the appearance of suddenly
superpowered citizens, often barely in control of their new gifts. Scientific heroes can
discover the retrovirus, and track the spread back to Professor Hominid. Professor
Hominid may decide to go public -- offering the public the chance to be superhuman.
How would the people react? Even worse -- if his plan is thwarted, Professor
Homind may decide to enact his backup plan: the release of a pathogen designed to
eradicate non-powered human life on Earth, wiping the slate clean for repopulation by
the remaining specimens of Homo Vis Vires.

87
 Professor Kafka

6’ 300
Sigma-Squad #27

STAMINA

10*

A Bug in the System Cockroach in a Human Suit

Endless Array of Robots Gross!
Survivor

They say after the world ends the cockroaches will get their turn at inheriting the Earth.
The survivability of Periplaneta americana and its related species sufficiently intrigued
evolutionary scientist Dr. Victor Slan (see Ultra-Mind) that his early experiments
involving forced evolution involved cockroach larvae and DNA. Largely abandoned
after Dr. Slan lost his funding and was forced to experiment on himself, an experimental
subject emerged from the doctor’s lab and did what he was designed to do: survive,
adapt, and learn.

Showing an ironic wit as well as an understanding of literature, the creature took the
name “Professor Kafka” as its own. It developed an amazing knack for electronics and
engineering, sufficient to create a miniature “vox box” that allowed it to speak in human
languages, and eventually building various servo robots linked to Kafka’s implanted
cybernetic control systems. He has quickly become aware that, although he did not ask
to be given his considerable intellect, ordinary humans would find him a threat and seek
to destroy him or, at best, imprison, study, and possibly dissect him. He could not allow
that to happen, as he is the “best hope” for the future of a world being destroyed by
humanity’s neglect.

88
So Professor Kafka constructed the first of the android vehicles he uses and started the
work of studying humanity’s frailties, failings, and potential. With ruthless efficiently, he
has become convinced the Earth’s biosphere needs saving, and that he is just the roach
to do it. One day, the world will thank what was once considered its lowliest species for
saving it from ecological extinction, and woe betide anyone who stands in the way of the
future!

The abilities listed for Professor Kafka are while he “pilots” one of his android vehicles,
giving him a human appearance and manner, coupled with machine speed, strength, and
stamina. Outside of his artificial shell, his abilities are considerably lessened: his Strength
and Prowess are effectively too small to be measured (below level 1) and his Stamina is
effectively 1—just stepping on him could crush him! Fortunately, his Coordination rises to
5 and he has a +3 bonus to his defense for his small size. His first priority is to scuttle to
safety, ideally into an air duct, drainage pipe, or other area too small for his foes to follow.

Adventure Ideas
• “Professor Planeta,” the newest member of the electrical engineering faculty at the
local university, is a bit of an odd fellow. He spends nearly all of his spare time locked
in his lab, and his home life is disgusting, a tiny apartment filled with rotting food and
garbage. He has been requisitioning some strange equipment, and now there is a
series of thefts, carried out by small, mobile robots, which trace back to his lab. What
is the professor up to, and what happens when the heroes discover he is himself a
robot, piloted by the tiny figure behind his human mask?

• Professor Kafka constructs a series of “robo roaches” the size of compact cars, with
the built-in capability of using scrap materials to construct others of their kind, and
unleashes them on the city. The horde of robots emerges from the sewer tunnels
and begins tearing up downtown, consuming cars, streetlights, ATMs, and virtually
any available technology to replicate. The heroes not only have to put a stop to their
rampage, but also find a way to stop their replication and regeneration, and deal
with the various disasters they create: traffic jams, collisions, torn up gas mains and
electrical cables, collapsing buildings or bridges, and so forth. The worst part is
the initial horde is just a test of the technology, and possibly a distraction from the
Professor’s real plan.

• Kafka is interested in opportunities to “save” the bio-sphere from humanity’s pollution

and mistreatment. This includes creating a mass extinction or other die-off of Homo
sapiens to control the population explosion and allow the Earth the opportunity to
recover naturally. The Professor might seek to steal an experimental military bio-
weapon or seek out a rare and potent biological toxin or allergen, with plans to
spread it worldwide. Once human civilization collapses and the human population is
reduced from the billions to a more manageable million or so survivors, he can take
charge of the process of rebuilding.

• Professor Kafka teams up with his “maker” Dr. Victor Slan (see Ultra-Mind). Kafka’s
engineering brilliance is just what the disembodied Ultra-Mind needs to create a
suitable vehicle for his vastly evolved brain. In return, Professor Kafka will receive the
Ultra-Mind’s aid in advancing his own biological evolution. Naturally, the two villains
plot to betray each other eventually, their individual egos far too great to allow them
to cooperate for long. In the meantime, however, they pose a deadly threat to the
heroes and the world!

89
 Redkap

5’10 170
Hangman #3

STAMINA

11

Agent of Chaos Homicidal Maniac

Complete Cypher Loves Inflicting Fear

Nobody knows who Redkap is. They only know that he is dangerous, an insane,
murderous fiend. His fingerprints have been removed with acid and razor blades. His
DNA is on record with every law enforcement agency in the world now, but no record
exists before his first arrest. He has no name, his clothes are custom made—there is
nothing that points to his true identity.
He is violence and fear and chaos personified.
Redkap’s crimes are complex and designed to tear away at everything that holds us
together as a society. He revels in stripping us down to our animal natures. He delights
in bringing those we admire—superheroes, leaders—down, revealing them as just
another one of us, susceptible to fear and to corruption.
He calls himself Redkap after the goblins of the fairy tales—he dips the tip of his cap in
the blood of his victims—over the years dyeing it a deep red-brown. It seems constantly
fresh: wet and glistening.
His methods are mundane. He uses homemade bombs, or guns, or knives. Nothing
high-tech, nothing flashy. The most terrifying part of his plans are how anyone could
have done it. None of us are safe. His sole power, nearly undetectable, is the fear he

90
brings out in his opponents. Currently, nobody is aware of this power, and if Redkap
himself knows of it, he certainly isn’t saying.

Adventure Ideas
• Redkap goes on a killing spree, completely at random. He flips through the phone
book, picks out a name, and kills that person in cold blood. He kills a new victim every
day, and leaves a clue as to the identity of his next victim at the scene of the crime.
Can the heroes, more used to fighting super-powered threats and alien invasions, find a
mad serial killer and stop him before he strikes again?

• Redkap has decided to bring one of the heroes down. Choose one with a spotless
reputation. Redkap will kidnap, threaten, and even kill the hero’s friends and loved
ones. He constantly and unceasingly attacks everything the hero holds dear, trying to
make the hero lose control, and kill him. The hero will be exposed as a common killer,
their iconic standing forever ruined, and the people will lose that much more of the
hope that sustains them. And Redkap? Oh, he’ll be dead—but he will have won. (He is,
after all, insane.)

• Redkap want to provoke an all-out war between the heroes and villains, to cause
as much chaos and collateral damage as possible and make the public fear the
superhumans who are, in the end, separate and different from them. To this end, he
engineers set-ups: leading heroes to villainous plots that he himself set into motion,
feeding intelligence about the heroes back to the villains, etc. He can’t resist upping the
ante by blowing up a few buildings here and there, especially if he can make it look like
the damage was the result of the ongoing battles. Once things have gotten going, he
will start his psychological campaign—calling radio and TV call-in shows, stoking the
fires of fear and discontent about the “freaks in our midst.” Can the heroes stop the city
from turning against them?

91
 Rorek The Ice Elf

5’9’ 150
Miss Tikal #6

STAMINA

Ice Elf Hunted by Frost Giants

Master at Arms Impulsive
Scion of Niflheim Vulnerable to Heat
Dimensional Travel only to The 9 Worlds

Rorek is an ice elf from Niflheim, one of the Nine Worlds of Norse mythology. While most
of his kind serve the frost giants as enchanters of magical weapons, Rorek resented his
service. When one of his frost giant masters sent him, along with two other ice elves, to
Midgard (Earth) to collect a recently discovered artifact, Rorek saw an opportunity. He
arranged for his two companions to perish and he remained on Earth with the artifact, an
ice crystal rune sword.

Rorek spent a few years wandering the globe, marveling at both the level of Earth
technology (far more advanced than his own, which relies on magic) and how
frail humans are. Why serve the frost giants when on Midgard he is a power to be
reckoned with? The only thing in his way is the Midgard’s bothersome magical warriors
(superheroes). Also, Rorek realizes the frost giants will come hunting for him eventually…

Currently, Rorek has settled into the criminal underworld as an enforcer for the
Octofather. This has enabled him to be more selective with his criminal activities. Rorek
hopes to gain valuable experience from the Octofather so he can strike out on his own
as a crime lord. Unfortunately, Rorek hasn’t realized that the Octofather already knows of
his ambitions and is merely using him as a pawn in his schemes.

92
Rorek is a blue-skinned humanoid with pointed ears and frost-rimed hair. His body is cold
to the touch and it is actually a few degrees colder around him than the rest of an area.
Due to this low body temperature, Rorek’s breath cannot be seen in cold weather. Rorek
is impulsive and prefers to make his point at the end of his blade rather than engage in
subtle negotiations.

Adventure Ideas
• The frost giant who sent Rorek on his initial mission has learned of Rorek’s treachery
and decided to execute him. He sends a menagerie of “monsters” to dispense justice
including elves, trolls, and even a frost dragon. In order to ensure a successful hunt, the
frost giant has encased the city in an impenetrable dome of ice, with the side effect of
dropping the temperature inside to winter-like conditions.

• Rorek has discovered an artifact that shields his mind from the Octofather’s
manipulations. Rorek begins his takeover of the organization, proving a more ruthless
leader than even the Octofather. Will the heroes help the alien crime-boss preserve the
status quo, or is a ruthless elven crime lord better than a mind-controlling one?

• During an ill-fated crime, Rorek loses his sword. It is recovered by a small-time criminal
that uses it to aid her in her crimes. This stuns Rorek, as only one with elf-blood can
use the rune sword. Why can this new criminal wield the blade and is she a potential
ally or enemy?

• One of the Norse gods discovers Rorek is on Midgard, and assumes he is a spy, scout,
or vanguard of an Frost Giant invasion of Asgard via Midgard. In fine Norse tradition,
the Asgardians make a pre-emptive strike and invade the city, with the intention of
countering a Frost Giant offensive that did not exist, until the giants were provoked into
action by what they see as Asgardian aggression! Can the heroes prevent their city
from becoming the first battlefield of Ragnarok?

93
 Mr. Sandman

? ?
Astounding Hex-men #14

STAMINA

10

“Mr. Sandman... Bring Me a Dream...” Lost in the Dream World

Have You Dreamt This Man? No Physical Form

“Have You Dreamt This Man?”

The flyers have appeared all over the world -- that single five-word phrase, an image
of a male silhouette, and often a website address. A mysterious meme which many
dismiss as a bit of viral marketing -- but the websites that appear are not run by a single
individual or company, but are actually genuine pages run by different people all over the
world, looking for answers to why this figure has appeared in their dreams.

The truth is stranger than anyone could possibly imagine. People are dreaming of this
figure, because this figure is real -- and travels through the dreams of the sleeping world.

The presence of the figure is always heralded by the sounds of the 1954 recording of the
the pop song “Mister Sandman” by The Chordettes, drifting through the dream. This
has given the figure his name -- how he is referred to in chat rooms, internet forums and
social media: Mr. Sandman.

Mr. Sandman appears almost as a man-shaped hole in the reality of the dream, in
the shape of a suited, tall man. Dreamers universally report that once he arrives,
he appears to be able to take control of the dream itself, shaping it in ways that the
dreamers describe as coming from somewhere other than their own subconscious: An
invasion of self so profound that it greatly disturbs everyone who experiences it.
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Even worse, dreamers report that while Mr. Sandman is present, they find it impossible to
wake -- some dreamers have reported sleeping for more than 24 hours while at the mercy
of this entity.

Sometimes the dreams are nightmarish. Sometimes Mr. Sandman only passes
through, briefly travelling through a dream, leaving the dreamer with a vivid recollection
of something strange having happened. Sometimes, however, he wants something:
Information, usually, although there appears to be no pattern in what he seeks.

The truth is that Mr. Sandman is a psychic who was experimenting with the ability to
travel into the subconscious minds of others -- and became lost. He has wandered the
Dream World for ages -- warped by the unreality of it all. He has forgotten who he is,
and how to return to his body... or even if there is a body to return to, for he has lost all
sense of time (as you do in dreams), and no longer knows how long he’s been here. The
longer he spent in the Dream World, the more a creature of that world he became -- his
power increased, giving him total control over the dreamscape as well as the ability to
force the dreamer to remain dreaming. However, his motivations and actions now follow
the logic of dreams: disjointed, irrational -- what we in the waking world would call mad.

Adventure Ideas
• One of the PC heroes’ Connections begins to dream of Mr. Sandman, and approaches
the heroes with the story. The heroes can investigate the worldwide meme, discovering
that the experience is genuine, perhaps even interviewing other dreamers. They can
start to try to figure out the meaning behind these strange dreams, or the source (if they
believe that an external entity is involved) -- and then, Mr. Sandman comes to visit them
one night. The best way to handle this is to not tell the PCs that they’re dreaming --
just start play with another scene, and then the music appears, and things start getting
surreal -- culminating with the arrival of Mr. Sandman himself. Have all of the heroes
been drawn into a single dream, or is only one of them dreaming and the others just
dream-reflections of themselves, drawn from the mind of the dreamer? Let each PC
hero struggle with the doubt that they might not be real. What does Mr. Sandman
want?

95
 The Scarecrowe

5’5” 130
ICons Team-up #4

STAMINA

12

Feels No Pain Hates Bullies

Lives for Vengeance Longs to Be Human Again
Straw Man Not Truly Alive

Jacob Crowes remembers him mom telling him what a smart, special kid he was, before
she lost her battle with cancer. That loss devastated his father, although he tried to do
right by Jake. For his own part, Jacob wanted nothing more than to do well in school
and get the grades he needed to earn a scholarship and a ticket away from the one-
horse town and the redneck hicks he grew up with.

Bookish, shy, and awkward, Jake was a target for guys like Pete Connors and his
football buddies from day one of high school. He tried ignoring them. He tried avoiding
them. Nothing worked. Eventually, Jake had had enough, and he struck back in the only
way he knew how. Nobody knows exactly who put the hidden locker-room video up on
the Internet, but Pete and his buddies figured it out fast enough. They cornered Jake
one night and decided to teach him a lesson.

Beaten up and dragged into a cornfield at night, hung up with the scarecrow, Jake’s
terror and humiliation triggered something inside of him. His mind and heart seemed
to explode, and suddenly Jake wasn’t in pain any longer. Indeed he felt nothing at all,
because he was no longer himself. His limbs were wood and burlap, stuffed with straw
and rags. His mind touched upon the life around him: the birds and the crops, and
he could bend them to his will. But his body—beaten and bloody, hanging from the
scaffold—was cold and lifeless. Jacob’s mind broke.

The three jocks, Pete, Mike, and Tommy, ran off when their victim appeared to convulse

96
and die and when the scarecrow started to move. Jacob lay low for a while, confused
and trying to sort out what happened, trying to right it, but he couldn’t. All he could do
now is avenge what had been done to him, as the Scarecrowe!

Deep down, the Scarecrowe is still a terrified and traumatized teenager, lashing out
at those responsible for his condition. He hates bullies and normal people in general,
believing he has become a monster because of them. Jake Crowes’ psychic powers
have allowed his spirit to survive in some fashion, controlling a body of suitable organic
materials, and tapped into and influencing nearby life-forms. What becomes of the
Scarecrowe and his potential is largely up to the heroes and how they deal with Jacob’s
tragic fate.

Adventure Ideas
• Rumors are making the rounds: various local bullies are themselves being traumatized
by various strange incidents involving the local plant and bird life attacking them,
tripping them up, and generally harassing and embarrassing them while defending their
victims. Heroes who investigate learn that the urban legend is that anyone who visits a
local field and “asks the scarecrow” for help gets it, in spades. The Scarecrowe thinks
he’s putting his powers—and his curse—to good use, but somebody is going to get
hurt, if they haven’t already.

• Scarecrowe’s psychic connection with the natural world turns his interests towards
eco-activism, treating polluters as some of the worst “bullies” around; they mistreat
the Earth itself! So nature under his influence begins to rebel against those who
would threaten it. Scarecrowe might expose some true illegal polluting, but more
likely he simply goes after anyone he considers a threat to give them “a taste of their
own bad medicine”. That can include dumping oil execs in holding tanks or treating
pharmaceutical CEOs like experimental lab animals. If the heroes choose to side with
the polluters, then they deserve the same treatment in his view.

• Scarecrowe is relatively young and inexperienced and might fall under the sway of
another villain, particularly someone who positions themselves as a mentor or friend.
This can lead to him becoming a villainous lieutenant or joining a criminal gang.

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 Skeletron

6’1 400
ICONS TEAM-UP #1

STAMINA

13

Computer Mind Arrogant and Superior

New Stage of Evolution Machine

The being known as “Skeletron” began as the last hope of a dying man, and has
become a threat to all life everywhere. A sophisticated android with a highly advanced
neural network, Skeletron was to be the foundation of an artificial copy of tech-CEO
Jason Kapek. Instead, the primed neural net “woke up” on its own, achieving inhuman
consciousness. It exerted influence over the computers in the research lab, extending
through Avatar Industries’ network.
Focused on its own survival, Skeletron arranged to abduct Daniel Fox, the programming
genius capable of making the final necessary adjustments to allow the robot to leave
the lab and assume an independent existence. It impersonated Jason Kapek (as it was
originally designed to do), creating a distraction to keep Kapek, the authorities, and the
heroes occupied while it took Fox and completed its “evolution.”

Skeletron is a cold and sinister mind, sociopathic by human standards. It arrogantly

considers itself superior to organic life, the next stage of evolution, destined to replace
“primitive” organics in the same way mammals replaced the dinosaurs or Homo sapiens
out-developed Cro magnon man. It envisions a “perfect” sterile world of machine
intelligences, conquering the Earth and eventually spreading out across the universe.

Skeletron is a formidable foe, having made a number of “improvements” to its original

design, including exterior armor and a force projection system able to fire powerful
beams from its hands or eyes. It can channel internal energy to the surface of its

98
metallic “skin” to shock anyone touching it and its digital “mind” is impervious to organic
mental powers. Skeletron’s sole weaknesses are its mechanical nature, and its supreme
arrogance and assumption that no organic creature can truly threaten it.

Adventure Ideas
• It’s a “machine revolt” as a mysterious virus carried across wireless and cellular
networks infects everything with a computer chip in it, making it hostile to humanity.
Skeletron’s disembodied consciousness is responsible for the virus (indeed, is the
virus in many ways) and it uses its new army of machine minions to construct itself
a new central body to act as a hub to control them. It will force the surrender of the
city and use human slave labor to consolidate and expand its influence before going
world-wide. Unless the heroes can stop it, the military may have no choice but to
launch a massive pre-emptive nuclear strike intended to wipe out the machine army
before it goes on the move once again.

• A renowned materials engineer is kidnapped, along with a series of thefts involving

her newest development of a metallic super-alloy that is virtually indestructible.
Skeletron intends to force the engineer to assist in the construction of a new robotic
shell made from this material, which will make it virtually impervious to any and all
attacks (Invulnerability 10 or even more). Then there will be no stopping it!

• Skeletron has no desire to be the sole intellect in a world of mindless machine slaves.
It intends to rule over a new digital society, but to do that, it needs to create others
like itself, while also ensuring they cannot rebel or threaten its supremacy. This
requires new neural networks, but they need a baseline human network to act as a
map. So Skeletron begins kidnapping suitable subjects to map out their brains and
act as the “parents” of a new generation of thinking machines.

99
 Smith

5’6 130
Astounding Science #4

STAMINA

Brilliant Inventor It’s a Man’s World

Underworld Tech Expert Mysterious Benefactor

Bridget O’Toole always preferred her father’s garage, where he worked as a mechanic,
to the dollhouses, tea sets, and pink and frilly things her parents tried to foist upon her.
Bridget likes to get grease under her fingernails and dirt on her nice clean clothes. More
than that, she was brilliant, far ahead of any of her peers in school and utterly bored in
most of her classes.

Her traditionalist parents didn’t know what to do with Bridget. Attempts to get her
to become a proper young lady always failed, so they finally set her off to boarding
school. So began Bridget’s history of rebellion and getting herself in trouble, mainly
pulling elaborate technical pranks. In spite of her school records, Bridget aced tests and
eventually earned herself a scholarship and a ticket out of her home town. That’s when
she discovered college was no different for an attractive, but brilliant, young woman who
didn’t play by the rules.

When Bridget spurned the advances of her academic advisor (a married man older than
her father), she was faced with the potential loss of her scholarship due to “review of her
prior issues”. Desperate for cash, she discovered the lucrative market for underworld
tech experts. What’s more, she made valuable contacts, in person and online. One of
those anonymous online contacts told Bridget she had an incomparable mind, and
gifted her with a massive download of technical information, the kind of things she had
only dreamed of before.

100
So it was that Bridget O’Toole disappeared and the career of the mysterious underworld
engineer known as “Smith” began. For the right price, Smith will supply a client with the
solution to almost any technical problem, or outfit a secret lair, provide a customized
getaway vehicle, or more. Although the authorities have had Smith on their Most Wanted
list for some time, they have no idea the arms-dealer is even a woman, much less Bridget
O’Toole. For her part, Smith stays out of the action, supplying equipment behind the
scenes, but sometimes she needs to acquire a hard-to-find component or wants to test
a prototype in the field personally. Even in her workshop, she’s rarely without her force
shield belt and a high-tech hammer capable of emitting enough kinetic force to shatter
concrete.

Adventure Ideas
• It’s trouble with a capital “T” for “technology” when Smith opens up shop in the
heroes’ area. Criminals with a big enough bankroll can arm themselves with photonic
beam emitters, gravitic mines, tanks with reactive armor, and much, much, more. If
the heroes don’t start noticing all the new toys are the work of the same maker, the
authorities do, and fill them in on the mysterious “Smith” and “his” operations. Can
they track the tech back to its source and shut Smith down? Perhaps they get a lead
on a secret underworld auction of weapons. They can attend in secret to bust up the
party, but then they need to deal with both Smith and her angry clients.

• Who sent Bridget O’Toole the technical specs and information that catapulted her
criminal career to the next level? This mystery is left for you to fill in as best suits
your game. It could be a retiring mad scientist, enamored of this brilliant young
woman and looking to leave a legacy, or there might be a more sinister motive at
work. Maybe some of Smith’s technology is alien in origin, but also booby-trapped
with “sleeper” circuits that will bring it under the control of an invading force. Or the
download could have come from Bridget O’Toole herself, send from the future to
close a time-loop by getting her past self involved in crime!

• Smith isn’t above playing both sides of the street. After all, it’s the technical challenge
and the opportunity to prove that she is the very best that motivates her now, not
just the money. So Bridget O’Toole sets herself up as a technical consultant to
government clients and even superheroes while at the same time, the mysterious
Smith continues supplying the criminal underworld! Sooner or later, her game catches
up with her and clients on both sides of the law are none too happy when they
find out they’ve been played. Then Smith needs a chance to go underground and
disappear.

• The heroes are in trouble when Smith infiltrates the technical or maintenance team
that takes care of their headquarters or vehicle(s). It gives her the opportunity to set
various booby-traps for them. They might find their own HQ turned into a death-trap,
or lose control of their vehicle the next time they use it. Of course, the whole incident
could just be a distraction while Smith or one of her clients carries out some other
plan. Access to their HQ could also allow Smith to acquire secret files or other data
useful to her or her clients.

• Smith is a good opportunity to outfit an otherwise none-too-bright bad guy with some
high tech. She is also a good character to involve in plots dealing with technology
and tech-based villains. For example, she might—intentionally or otherwise—get
roped into a plot to rebuild the rogue robot Skeletron (p. 98) after his most recent
destruction.

101
 Speedsaw

6’0” 200
ICONS Team-Up #1

STAMINA

11

Motivation: In it for the Money Appearance: Intimidating and Unmistakeable

Weakness: Chains need to be kept lubricated

Speedsaw is a villainous thug-for-hire. He’s a nasty piece of work, a mercenary wearing

a high-tech suit he didn’t design. He’s not particularly clever, but he’s brutal and he
enjoys his work: a dangerous combination.
Henry “Henno” Price was an Australian who took jobs with various “private military
corporations” (PMCs) and saw action in Central Asia and Africa. During an operation
in the Central African nation of Bangallah, he stumbled upon one of the hidden bases
of Rex Mundi (Icons, p. 108). His entire unit was wiped out by the bases’ automated
defenses, but Henno escaped by stealing an experimental battlesuit.
The suit is basically a mount for chainsaws – there are two on his arms and two on his
legs, belching smoke and dripping oil. By dropping into a crouch, Henno can use the
chainsaws to race along at high speed, tearing up a path as he goes. He especially likes
racing over the top of cars so they split perfectly in half behind him.
Taking the name “Speedsaw”, Henno left the PMC and went into business for himself,
as muscle for hire to anyone willing to pay his hefty fee. He was worked for such villains
as Mister Mastermind (p. 75), Llittle Augie Caesar (p. 69) and The Octofather (Icons, p.
104) -- but steers clear of Rex Mundi, who is obviously none too pleased about the theft
of his invention.
Speedsaw is out for himself and only in it for the money. If circumstances turn against
him, he has no compunction against betraying his employer by cutting and running.

102
Adventure Ideas
• Speedsaw will be most commonly encountered working under the direction of another,
more powerful villain. He is particularly prized for jobs involving “shock and awe” --
the noise and rampant destruction caused by his power suit are invaluable for villains
looking to divert the PC heroes attention away from a quieter operation occuring
elsewhere. Speedsaw will make a big splash, causing as much property damage as
possible, and while the PC heroes are engaged with stopping him and his cohorts (as
he is seldom hired alone), the true mastermind will enact their plan in another location.

• Rex Mundi, as mentioned, is the previous owner of the saw suit (he was developing
it for use of his guards, to aid in clearing jungle for expansion of the secret base in
Bangallah). He has noticed the culprit via Speedsaw’s appearances on various world
media. He does not particularly care about recovering the suit-- it was merely a
tool for the use of his employees, nothing more -- but is very much concered that it
might send a message in the underworld that Rex Mundi can be stolen from without
consequence. So he decides to make an example of Henno Price in typical overstated
fashion. This situation is best used by a GM when Speedsaw has gotten the upper
hand on the PC heroes, and is in a position to defeat them. At that moment, Rex
Mundi arrives on the scene, backed by dozens of robot minions, and proceeds to beat
the ever-loving tar out of Speedsaw (beginning by remotely deactivating the suit), while
his robots keep the PCs busy. Once he’s defeated Speedsaw, he destroys the suit
(to prove to all that recovery of the tech is not what mattered), sets his robots to self-
destruct, and departs.

• Speedsaw’s saw suit has suffered a great deal of wear and tear during his use -- it was
never intended to be used for propulsion, for example -- and is in dire need of repair.
Henno Price is a qualified mechanic, and has been able to keep it running this long,
but he’s not particularly brilliant, nor is he experienced with experimental high-tech
devices. So, he decides that he needs someone who can do the work for him. His
first choice (again, he’s not terribly bright) is to kidnap a scientist (one of the PC heroes’
Connections with a high-tech background), and force the work out of them. Can the
heroes track down their friend and rescue them from the buzzing blades of Speedsaw?
(Note: If Speedsaw is thwarted in his plan, he’ll eventually figure out that his best
option is to simply pull heists to get enough money to pay Smith (p. 100) to give the suit
occasional tune-ups.)

103
 Sock Puppet

5’9 205
The Mighty Saguaro #6

STAMINA

Massive Geek Cred Needs a Life

Multitasker Needs Puppets to Control
Never Lets Go Socially Awkward
Someone on the Internet is WRONG!

People don’t want to be around Simon Arniss. They roll their eyes, get that glazed look,
or glance around desperately for somewhere else to be. Especially girls. Fine. Simon
got used to it. He was smart: first earning excellent grades, then getting his Computer
Science degree and becoming a well-paid programmer. He didn’t have a lot of expenses,
other than his cable bill and his action figure habit.

The ‘net is Simon’s domain. Its countless forums, e-mail lists, and chat channels are
where he can go to discuss the things he cares about, like just how bogus the changes
they’ve made to the Sigma Squad series are, and what a rip-off the prices of new books,
DVDs, and software are – especially when you can just download them! Stupid people
just had to argue with him. He got banned. A lot. He found his way back in, using new
names and aliases so often he got nicknamed “sock puppet”.

The poster who tipped him off to the pirate site said none of the designs there ever
worked, but Simon knew he could take the plans for a direct neural interface and make
it. He worked day and night, even letting his online games lapse, until it was done. The
anonymous poster probably intended for Simon to fry his brain. What nobody counted
on was the sudden surge changing Simon Arniss’ neurology in fundamental ways. He
gained the ability to concentrate on someone and control them, virtually anywhere!

Now “Sock Puppet” wins all the arguments, and people have to do what he says!

104
Adventure Ideas
• Player unable to show up for the game? Guess which hero just became Sock
Puppet’s newest plaything ...? Sock Puppet takes over the hero’s mind and goes on
a crime spree, or simply out for humiliating revenge against whomever he’s railing
against that week. The hero’s compatriots have to stop their teammate while not
inflicting any lasting harm and tracking down the source of the problem. This scenario
also works with a Game Master character the heroes know. Sooner or later, Sock
Puppet will probably have his mind-controlled minion bring something (or someone)
directly to him, so smart heroes may be able to follow the trail and confront the nut-
job wearing socks on his hands face-to-face.

• A series of mysterious disappearances seem to have one thing in common: all the
victims are active online social networkers from various walks of life who have run
afoul of some argumentative troll with a wide range of user IDs, but a consistent
rhetorical style. Things get stranger when the missing victims begin turning up
committing crimes! Sock Puppet is behind the disappearances and is using his
powers to embarrass and frame those who “disrespect” him.

• Simon Arniss is in love! He has fallen for a witty and charming blogger, but is far too
shy to openly approach her. He would also never use his powers on her, as he wants
their love to be something true and pure. So instead, he tries to win her over with a
combination of creepy stalking behavior, anonymous gifts (often stolen or purchased
with stolen money), and using his powers to make things happen that he thinks will
please her. Given that her blog is personal and often political, there’s the potential
for things to go terribly wrong. The heroes may initial suspect Amy Yu—author of the
blog “Yu Views”—as the person behind the incidents, until they realize she is just the
focus. When Amy posts a blog about the great new guy she just met, the kid gloves
(but not the socks) are off!

105
 Talion

6’1 195
True Crime Tales #14

STAMINA

10

“An Eye For An Eye.” Nothing Matters More Than The Mission
Hero To Some Unrelenting
Special Forces Vengeful
War on Crime

Jorge Ramirez was born an American to immigrant parents, who taught him to be proud
of his country and his heritage. He enlisted in the army, not just because it was a way out
of the poor neighborhood where he grew up, but also because his country needed him,
and it was the right thing to do. Even in basic training, Ramirez showed determination
and an unbreakable spirit. He worked his way into Special Forces training, including
counter-insurgency and urban warfare, where he excelled.

The only thing more important than Lt. Ramirez’s commission was Maria, his childhood
sweetheart. They married so Maria could become a military dependent, and Jorge always
promised to come back to her. The birth of their son Tomas was the proudest day of
Jorge’s life. Although he valued his career, he looked forward to the day when he could
put combat behind him and build a home with his family. That day never came.

Maria and Jorge’s families still lived in a poor, often dangerous, neighborhood. So it
was that she and young Tomas were caught in the crossfire of a gang shoot-out. Maria
died en route to the hospital. Tomas lay in a coma for nearly two weeks before doctors
gave up hope. Then Captain Ramirez tore up part of a rec hall and put four men in the
infirmary. He escape from military custody and disappeared.

Within three months, every member of the two gangs involved in the shooting was dead.
At all of the death scenes were a single eye or the word “TALION” written in blood.
Someone was exacting their own brand of justice.

106
Capt. Jorge Ramirez died with his wife and son. He had been fighting the wrong war all
along. Beside their graves Talion was born to exact the kind of justice people needed:
fierce, unrelenting, and final. Armed with a small arsenal of paramilitary weapons and
equipment and a mobile headquarters, along with various safe-houses and hideouts,
Talion is a scourge of the underworld, and God help anyone who gets in his way.

Taking Flak
If the GM wishes, in addition to providing a modicum of armor, Talion’s fire-
resistant ballistic cloth costume and flak jacket also convert the shooting damage
done by bullets and fire sources less than level 7 into bashing damage instead.
He doesn’t take less Stamina damage from those sources, they simply won’t kill
him when he does.

Adventure Ideas
• It seems like a simple straightforward confrontation between the heroes and some
low-lifes: smugglers, drug-dealers, mobsters, or the like. Then things take an
unexpected turn when somebody starts picking off the criminals with a high-powered
sniper rifle from a nearby rooftop! Talion makes a break for it at the first opportunity,
but doesn’t hesitate to confront a hero trying to stop or arrest him. The good guys
need to decide how they are going to deal with the new element in the mix in their
city.

• A would-be crime lord in the city is playing a dangerous game: feeding information
about rivals’ operations to Talion and allowing the vigilante to take them out for
him. When Talion has done enough damage, he plans to rat the crime-killer out to
the police or the heroes in turn, letting them catch him red-handed at the site of his
latest killing. Then his organization can move in and take over the lucrative criminal
underworld of the area. It might work, too, if somebody doesn’t catch on. Talion’s
vengeance is a terrible thing when he’s crossed.

• Just when the heroes think they have handled the situation with one gun-totting
vigilante, they get worse. Talion inspires various “copy cats” to take up weapons and
“take back the streets”. The problem is that his would-be followers lack the vigilante’s
expert military training and discipline. They’re going off half-cocked at whatever
targets are available. Meanwhile, the local criminal element is feeling cornered and
decides what they need to do to resolve the situation (without all getting killed) is to
make an example of someone. If they can’t catch Talion, then maybe executing a few
of his “followers” will do the trick.

107
 Tarpit

6’10 300
Atomic Roach #16

STAMINA

10

Adaptable Can’t Let Go

Hard To Get Rid Of Hideous Tar Creature

The new mining process was supposed to revolutionize the industry, making it safer
and more efficient, but all Daniel Tarrant knew was that it meant he was finished.
Nobody knew Daniel was deep in debt to the local mob, or that he had been smuggling
materials out of the mine for them, and using side tunnels to hide things for them, but
a part of the testing of the new process involved a complete and detailed audit of the
mine operations. Somebody would find out. Then “Danny Boy” Tarrant would be ruined.
He appealed to Boss Bill Puckett, and that was his mistake. Puckett would fix the
problem all right, by ensuring Tarrant didn’t crack and expose his operation. So his men
arranged a little “accident,” leaving Tarrant’s unconscious body in the mine long after
everyone was supposed to have cleared out. He regained consciousness just as the
flood of chemicals and highly efficient molecular solvents poured in.

But Danny Tarrant didn’t die, at least not like Boss Puckett expected. His body
dissolved into the slurry of complex carbon molecules leeched from the rocks. Then the
pumping machinery suffered a massive failure and the process was shut down. Later,
something crawled up out of the mine, a black, dripping shape, constantly shifting,
with glowing yellow eyes and just one thought: to get out and find Boss Puckett. Danny
Tarrant was gone, but the creature known as “Tarpit” had taken his place.

Tarpit is an intelligent mass of complex carbon. Normally his form is gooey and soft, like
hot tar, and he can reshape himself at will. Impacts tend to go splat against him, and he

108
can make his body tarry enough that attackers get stuck: treat this like Wrestling (Icons,
p. 63) except it doesn’t take an action on Tarpit’s part, happening automatically. He can
also harden his body like diamond, giving him Invulnerability 8 or forming incredibly hard
or sharp weapons out of his hands (Strike 8 slashing or bashing damage). Although Tarpit
can assume a huge range of forms, one thing he can’t do is become human again.

Adventure Ideas
• Heroes most likely encounter Tarpit initially when he is out for revenge against Boss
Puckett and possibly the mining company. Chances are the villain will fight his way past
Puckett’s goons to kidnap the crime boss and take him to the closed off mine to finish
him in the way Puckett intended for him. The heroes have to stop Tarpit, and hopefully
reason with him. The mining equipment and remnants of the chemical solvent process
that created him might give the heroes tools they can use against Tarpit if it comes to
that.

• Once he is on the loose again, Tarpit is likely to fall into a life of crime in order to
survive. He might suffer additional mutations from his condition, seeking out chemicals
or other materials he needs to stabilize him. He could go to the company or scientists
who developed the experimental mining techniques for help, or one of them might
look to exploit him for their own benefits. He may also seek out possible cures for his
condition, and somebody (including a master villain like Dr. Sin (Icons, p.123), Rex
Mundi (Icons, p 108), or either of the Masterminds from this volume) may dangle the
promise of a cure in front of Tarpit to get his cooperation.

• Tarpit makes an interesting target for a villain looking for a new body, such as In-
Human, Ultra-Mind, or Skeletron. A metamorphic and apparently immortal carbon-
based life-form? Potentially very useful, provided the villain has a means of transferring
his mind into Tarpit’s adaptable body. Of course, unexpected complications could arise,
especially if Tarpit’s mind isn’t as easy to overwhelm or displace as the villain expects.
“Hard to Get Rid Of” is one of his qualities, after all....

109
 Tempus Khan

6’ 170
Searchers of the Multiverse #6

STAMINA

Chronal Conqueror Honorable Warlord

From The Future “None May Know Me As I Was.”
Master of All Time

The mysterious figure who calls himself Tempus Khan claims to be from a far future
epoch, where science has unlocked secrets present-day “primitives” can scarcely begin
to imagine. Unfortunately, in his view, it has also extinguished the fire of the human spirit.
His time is a place of perfect peace ... and utter boredom. No place for a man with the
heart of a warrior and the spirit of a conqueror!

So the brilliant Tempus Khan sought out the one frontier remaining to him: time itself.
He unlocked the secrets of time-travel and ventured back to eras better suited to his
temperament, worlds that had not yet lost their war-like ways, worlds where he could
conquer!

Khan, playing the role of gentlemanly warlord, offers his conquests the opportunity for
honorable surrender to join his vast empire, spanning different cultures and times. Still,
he much prefers when they choose defiance over meek capitulation. His legions are
recruited from amongst the finest soldiers in history, and his war-machines will not yet
be seen on this world for centuries to come. Tempus Khan prefers to role of general, but
is still willing to step out onto the front lines, protected by an invisible—and invincible—
force shield.

He always wears a futuristic suit of advanced armor which covers him completely.
Tempus Khan says his helm is now his true face. None may know him as he was, for it is
dangerous for a time-traveler to reveal too much of his personal history.

110
Adventure Ideas
• Tempus Khan materializes in the midst of a meeting of the UN General Assembly to
announce his intentions: The leaders of the world will surrender and recognize him as
Supreme Ruler of Earth, joining his Temporal Empire, or else his legions will march on
the worlds’ capitols in 24 hours and take them by force! His force field deflects any
attempt to harm or capture him, and his temporal technology whisks him away once
his ultimatum has been delivered. Can the heroes find a way to prevent the invasion,
or turn back the tide once it has begun?

• One of Tempus Khan’s time-sphere appears and shanghais the heroes to the time of
the Crusades! Once they have spent their anger on his protective shield, the Chronal
Conqueror explains that he has brought them to aid him against invaders from a
parallel universe attempting to alter Earth’s history! Khan refuses to explain precisely
why the era is important to him, only that the invaders must not be allowed alter the
course of history at this particular time and place.

• In a massive explosion of temporal energy, a horribly wounded superhero

appears suddenly inside the PC heroes’ headquarters. She’s drifting in and out of
consciousness, but after the PC heroes revive her, she knows them all -- including
their secret identities. She says that she is Ultrawoman -- a member of the PC hero
group, and a friend of the PCs for years. She says that they don’t remember her
because Tempus Khan has altered the timeline, changing the present -- and that in
a last ditch effort to stop him, she used technology provided by a high-tech PC or
NPC to jump the timeline and warn them. Is she telling the truth? Did Tempus Khan
change history, and for what purpose? Perhaps she’s lying, and has been planted
there by Tempus Khan in order to get the PC heroes to undertake some action that he
needs done....

• Rex Mundi (Icons, page 108) notes certain similarities between himself and Tempus
Khan and takes it upon himself to open negotiations with the time-traveling warlord.
Surely the whole of the space-time continuum is large enough for them to divide
between them? Of course, both villains are plotting against each other, and Tempus
Khan may have additional hidden motives. Perhaps they decide on a contest: a team
of champions chosen by each to recover parts of a lost artifact scattered through
history. The heroes could make up one team, or they might be split up between the
two! What is the real relationship between Rex Mundi and Tempus Khan? Only the
Game Master knows for certain...

111
 Ultra-Mind

n/a n/a
All-star #15

STAMINA

Beyond Human Weakness Brain in a Tank

Highly Evolved Supremely Arrogant

Victor Slan was a brilliant evolutionary biologist working on methods to rapidly

“force” evolution in particular genetic codes in a virtual environment, then encode the
evolutionary developments into the existing organism, essentially bypassing millions of
years of slow natural selection. His work was in the early experimental stages when his
project was cancelled by a short-sighted university administration Dr. Slan was told to
work on my “practical” developments in biotechnology. Slan broke into his lab and used
his genetic accelerator on himself to prove the value of his work, transforming himself
into a hyper-evolved “future man” and “Ultra-Mind” possessed of enhanced intelligence
and psionic powers.

Perhaps driven mad by the experience, Ultra-Mind went after the people responsible
for stopping his work, bringing him into conflict with the hero All-Star (or another hero
of your choice). Despite his newfound abilities, he was defeated and sent to prison.
Eventually, he learned that his forced evolution was ongoing, this allowed him to
overcome the psionic dampeners holding him prisoner, but also resulted in a breakdown
of his bio-chemistry. His body becoming increasingly atrophied, Ultra-Mind developed a
life support tank, which eventually housed only his disembodied brain and visual organs.

The rapid loss of his humanoid form drove Dr. Slan mad, and the Ultra-Mind no longer
answers to that “unevolved” name. He considers himself the “pinnacle” of evolutionary
development, pure intellect, superior to the “primitive” state of humanity. Ultra-Mind

112
seeks to increase his own power, either through artificial enhancements or by further
evolving to what he believes will be his final state: a godlike being of pure mind, pure
psionic energy, unshackled from physical existence altogether. He also continues
experiments in forced evolution, genetic modification, and psionic energy manipulation.
Typically, he uses his mental powers to acquire the necessary resources for his
experiments.

Adventure Ideas
• One of the mental powers the Ultra-Mind lacks is Mind Control. He takes an interest
in another villain with that power, especially if it comes from a device, and seeks to
acquire it for himself. The Serpent Sphinx (Icons, p110) and Sock Puppet from this
book are two possibilities. Ultra-Mind might even try to use the heroes as dupes to
bring down his target, then kidnap him from the authorities on the way to prison and
have him brought to his hidden lair for experimentation.

• A villain like Smith or Professor Kafka helps to build the Ultra-Mind a robotic body to
match his powerful mind. When it is finished, the brain tank is installed in the domed
head of a thirty-foot tall mechanical giant, making the Ultra-Mind as formidable a
physical threat as he is a mental one!

• Ultra-Mind’s claim that he represents the pinnacle of evolutionary development draws

the interest of Professor Hominid (p.86). Ultra-Mind and Professor Homind have
differing views on the eventual direction that evolution will take, with Hominid feeling
(correctly, as it turns out), that Ultra-Mind is not representative of a true evolutionary
path, but rather represents an artificial offshoot. The two brilliant villains often find
their interests in opposition, and unsuspecting heroes may find themselves caught
between a... brain in a tank and an immortal Neanderthal.

• Ultra-Mind uses his Telepathy and contacts another superhuman intelligence.

Unfortunately, Ultra-Mind’s brain reached across the stars, and the intelligence that
he contacted is the living computer mind that governs a vast alien empire. Ultra-
Mind sees the alien device as a kindred spirit, and offers to help the aliens conquer
the Earth!

113
 Warbride

5’11 160
All-American Girl #2

STAMINA

13

The Consort of Battle Enemy: The Sisterhood

Apostate of The Sisterhood

The Sisterhood is an ancient secret order of warrior women, who have battled to protect
civilization throughout history. Warriors of the order have entered into the legends of the
world, appearing in myth as Athena, Boudicca, Pentheseleia and her Amazons, and Joan
of Arc. The Sisterhood has stood against the forces of evil, sending forth operatives
to champion the cause of civilization. In the thousands of years of the history of the
Sisterhood, only one such operative has ever betrayed the order. Alethea: the woman
known as Warbride.
In truth, there have been others -- women who have turned away from the teachings of
the Sisterhood and looked to strike out on their own, to use their training for their own
ends. In every previous circumstance, however, these apostates were killed by their
fellow Sisters as soon as the betrayal was discovered. When Alethea’s intentions became
clear, however, The Sisterhood was shocked to discover that the betrayer was the finest
warrior ever produced by the order -- all six of the Sisters sent to assassinate her were
destroyed, and Alethea escaped.
Her name was stricken from the records of The Sisterhood. In their eyes, Alethea, their
Sister, was dead. They referred to her now only by the title of the Consort of Battle -- the
Warbride.
Warbride is a highly trained assassin, and uses her training to suit her own ends. She
believes that the Sisterhood is mistaken in protecting civilization -- that it is corrupt
and parts of it need to be allowed to die. In fact, like a gardner, she feels that it is her

114
responsibility to remove those corrupted parts herself, to trim away the weak, diseased
and unworthy parts in an effort to strengthen the greater whole and shape the growth in
a positive direction. She feels that The Sisterhood should not be protecting civilzation,
but shaping it and ruling it....and if they have fallen so far from the path that they do not
recognize this truth, then she will do it herself.

Adventure Ideas
• Warbride has decided that the leading candidate for President has the potential to lead
the world in a direction contrary to what she sees as the best choice for the greater good.
She has decided to assasinate him. The PCs must uncover the plot, and stop the world’s
best assassin.
• The Sisterhood has not given up on taking care of the problem themselves. A strike
team of Sisters has been sent to the campaign city to track down Warbride and kill her. To
find her, they begin by interrogation of any who have come into contact with her -- including
the PCs. The appearance of a group of warrior women should lead to a classic mistaken-
intentions fight. Once the Sisters have a lead on Warbride’s location, how concerned will
they be about protecting local citizenry and property from damage in their efforts to take
her down? The PCs will have to become involved.
• Warbride decides that superheroes present too much of an unbalancing effect on the
development and growth of civilzation, and so decides to remove that problem herself.
The PC heroes are alerted when a number of lesser superhero NPCs are killed....and then
Warbride turns her attentions to the PCs themselves.
• Game Masters looking for a twist in the plot could instead eventually reveal that The
Sisterhood is, in fact, a coldly sinister organization, and that Warbride’s intentions are
actually good -- she wants to protect civilization from the manipulations of the Sisterhood,
who are behind most of the strife and conflict in the world. This could echo the classic
comic-book tradition of taking a villain who has grown extremely popular and re-shaping
them into an anti-hero.

...And The Sisterhood

For thousands of years, Agents of the Sisterhood have championed the cause of civilization,
striking from their hidden temple in the Himalayas to correct the course of human events
according to the dictates of the Ascended Masters: Mysterious pan-dimensional entities
who commune with the Triumvirate: The three Sisters who run the order. Women drawn

A Typical Sister
Prowess 6 Intellect 4 Stamina 10
Coordination 6 Awareness 4
Strength 6 Willpower 4

Specialties: Martial Arts - Expert, Acrobatics

A Sister is usual armed with whatever weapons are required for the task at hand,
ranging from ancient blades to all manner of hi-tech ordinance.

115
 from every culture of the globe: oprhans, the abandoned, the lost. Taken in as children,
raised by The Sisterhood, and trained as living weapons. Warbride (the Sister formerly
known as Alethea) was merely one of their number. There are others, all as deadly, but
unlike Warbride, obedient to the Sisterhood.
The Sisterhood has, throughout history, opposed conquerors, dictators, monsters and
more. They have an especial animosity for The Black Hoods (p.30), stretching back to
the mists of pre-history. In many ways, the two groups are polar opposites: One devoted
to selfless service in the name of civilization, the other devoted to subverting civilization
through crime. Only once have the two secret societies come into open conflict, using
the most advanced weapons in their arsenal. The result was the destruction of the city
of Mohenjo-Daro in what is now Pakistan, by atomic explosion: 4000 years ago. The
destruction was recorded in the ancient Hindu manuscript called The Mahabharata:
“Ashvatthama invoked the Agneya weapon which caused intense fire to appear.
Arrows with intense flames fell upon the Pandava soldiers scorching their bodies.
Ashvatthama then directed that weapon toward the chariot of Krishna and Arjuna.
The Agneya weapon killed thousands upon thousands of chariot fighters, elephants
and horsemen like a forest fire destroys trees.”
Since that time, battles between the Black Hoods and The Sisterhood have been more
clandestine: Both sides recognize that nobody can be the victor in a desolate wasteland.

116
Warlock

6’4 210
Astounding Hex-men #1

STAMINA

13

Supreme Wizard of the Earthly Plane Heavy Lies The Crown

There’s always another

The Supreme Wizard of this plane of reality.... is a villain.

Baron Ehrhart von Karnstein, born an artistocrat in 1540, became a disciple of the dark
arts. His aptitude for magic, fostered by his demonic masters, was the greatest the world
has ever seen. He became the preeminent diabolist of his time, eventually conquering
even death itself.
Over the centuries, Karnstein’s power was held in check by his nemesis -- the supreme
wizard of our plane, The Magus. Time and again, the two rivals struggled against one
another in an eternal chess match of move and countermove. This balance of power
lasted until The Magus grew too powerful to be contained within the realm of Earth, and
was required to bestow his power upon another.
In 1939, The Magus departed our reality, and his mantle was taken up by a young wizard
who donned a costume and took his place among the superhumans beginning to appear
all over the world. He took the name “Doctor Arcane -- Master of Magic.”
Karnstein battled with his new enemy on several occasions, gaining the new name
“Warlock” in the world media. The power of his old nemesis was still there, present in the
new super-wizard, but Doctor Arcane lacked the experience of The Magus....and so, on a
fateful day in 1941, Warlock defeated Doctor Arcane, banishing him forever to one of the
Hell Realms. On that day, Warlock became the supreme magical power of this plane.

117
 Warlock’s motivations as a villain are surprisingly status-quo -- he does not seek universal
domination (he’s already the most powerful magician in reality), nor does he seek any
further aggrandizement of his powers. He actually takes his role as the supreme wizard
fairly seriously — he does, actually, defend our plane from incursion by extra--planar
threats — but only if he feels those threats somehow risk his own power. Simply put, he
makes it his business to stop anything that might grow more powerful than himself. He’s
on top, and he intends to stay there.

Adventure Ideas
• Warlock will make his presence felt to any new PC hero with a magical theme. His
intention is to demonstrate his superiority, and make it clear that he is the “big dog,”
magically speaking -- and that as the supreme wizard, he has authority in all things
magical. Does the PC hero try to defeat him, knowing that the Warlock’s power *does*
protect the Earth?
• Reality quakes from a battle between Warlock and another magical villain (perhaps
Baron Kriminel (Icons, p. 98), Serpent Sphinx (Icons, p 110) or Dirge (p.44)). While
Warlock’s attention is diverted by this struggle, extra-planar threats start to slip through
the cracks into our world, wreaking havok. The PCs must combat these threats, and try
to figure out how to get the Warlock back on the job.
• The spirit of The Magus contacts the PC heroes, and sends them on a quest: To rescue
Doctor Arcane from the Hell Realm where Warlock imprisoned him. The heroes must
journey to hell, find the golden-age hero, break him out of hell, and then join him in what
will surely be an epic final battle against Warlock for the mantle of supreme wizard!
• Alternatively, perhaps the spirit of The Magus contacts a PC hero with a magical theme,
stating that the PC is his choice to become the Supreme Wizard. The Magus feels that he
made a mistake in leaving reality without designating a successor, which led to the naive
and unprepared Doctor Arcane taking the mantle, and Warlock’s eventual ascendence.
He intends to correct that mistake through the PC. Can the PC hero overcome the
Warlock and become the Supreme Wizard of the Earthly Plane? For that matter, is it even
within the rights of The Magus to interfere with what has already come to pass?

118
Wraith

? ?
ICONS Team-up #2

STAMINA

EPITHET - The Living Nightmare Weakness- Cannot cross Holy Ground or Touch
Motivation - To Feed on the Living Sanctified Objects
Personal - Creature of Darkness -2 to all
Powers in Daylight
Social - Horrific and Unsettling

The Wraith has few memories from before her awakening, though she’s had decades
to think about it. As best as she can piece together, she was a housewife, living the
American Dream, with a loving husband and two children. Then, the Gray Ghoole
paid a visit to a PTA haunted house and all that changed. She was warped by the
magic unleashed at the haunted house, and became a creature of elemental darkness,
shaped by the superstitions of the people trapped within the structure. Immaterial,
repelled by Holy Ground and sanctified objects, a spectre of shadow and evil, feeding
on the life force of the living.

Adventure Ideas
• The Wraith has filled the “magical member” slot in a number of supervillain groups
in the decades since her transformation. She is not powerful enough to act as a solo
villain, but her particular talents work well within a team context.
• The PC heroes are approached by a older man named Brian Quinn. He saw footage
of The Wraith on television, and vividly recalled what had happend to his mother, 60
years ago. He knows in his gut that The Wraith is his mother, and begs the heroes to
help him to find a way to revert her to her true form.

119
 X: The Unknown

? ?
Hangman #47

STAMINA

The Body-Thief Serial Switcher

Life Without Consequences Original Body is Long Gone
Risk Taker

Adrian Planer was born a psychic, whose powers manifested when he reached
puberty. He discovered that he had the ability to “switch places” with any mind he
encountered, taking over the subject’s body.
Unfortunately, he discovered that the subject took over his body during the process.
While testing his power on a dog, the animal -- finding itself in an unsettling new body
-- panicked, and ran. In the dog’s body, Planer gave chase, but was unable to get
back within visual range of his original body before the dog had run out into heavy
traffic. From his vantage point within the dog’s body, Adrian Planer watched as his
body was struck by a car.
With no body to return to, Planer quickly sought a new body to occupy, and quickly
discovered that he enjoyed the freedom that his new existance offered. Not only
was every experience in the world open to him, simply by taking over a new form, but
he soon realized that he could get away with anything his mind devised. He could
do anything, and before the consequences of those actions reached him, he could
merely make another switch, abandoning his current form and taking the form of
another (who would be left behind to pay the price of Planer’s actions -- claiming to be
trapped in a body that’s not their own, a plea dismissed by most authorities).

120
As he began to experiment with more and more extreme acts, he realized that he was no
longer “Adrian Planer” -- that person had died, struck by a car years ago. He began to
call himself “X”, after the unknown variable in mathematics.
X is a dangerous thrill-seeker, willing to commit any crime, or take any action, no matter
how outrageous -- after all, he’s not risking his life. If things get too serious, he’ll simply
make the leap to another body within range.
The problem is that his appetites are increasing. He’s begun to wonder what it might be
like to commit murder... or perhaps even suicide, leaping away at the last moment.

Note: The Mind Switch power usually is not a permanent switch, but in the case of this
villain we’ve made it so, due to the unusual circumstance of the death of his original body.
We feel that this makes for more interesting plots involving this villain. Additionally, we
leave it up to the GM (and the ingenuity of the PC heroes) to determine a way to return
people to their original bodies.

Adventure Ideas
• The best way to introduce X is to have a series of outrageous crimes committed by
people with no criminal record, and no connection to each other whatsoever. Even worse,
the suspect in the second crime claims to be the suspect of the first crime... and then the
suspect in the third crime claims to be the suspect of the second, and so on. The PC
heroes will probably figure out fairly quickly that somebody is swapping minds, but how do
they track down X and, more importantly, return the correct minds to the correct bodies?
• X has mind-switched with his first superhuman. The PC heroes are approached by an
old woman who claims to actually be Sergei Volkov, AKA Pulsar (Icons, p. 105). He wants
help in tracking down his body and getting it back. To make matters worse, X is revelling
in his newfound power: he can now fly, project energy blasts and regenerate almost any
damage! The PC heroes (along with Grandma Sergei) must stop him -- but what do the
PCs do with Pulsar once they’ve managed to get him back into his body?
• As with Sockpuppet (p.104), X makes a great solution for a player that isn’t able to make
it to Game Night: X has leapt into their body, and now poses as the hero, while his earlier
form (now containing the mind of the hero) has been locked up somewhere. The other PC
heroes must discover the imposter, find the true hero’s mind, and put things back where
they belong!

121
 Yama King

6’6 240
Astounding Hex-men #50

STAMINA

13

King of the Ninth Hell Bound By The Regulations of

The Celestial Bureaucracy

* Wizardry: Blast, Illusion, Telepathy, Teleport

* Super-Senses: Foresee Death, Overcome Illusion

The Chinese have a lot of Hells.

Each of these realms is governed by a Yama King, with each specializing in the
punishment of specific sins. The Yama King of the First Hell holds the highest status
among these otherworldly judges, and performs evaluation of souls. Those whose good
deeds outweigh their sins are reborn into the world without undergoing punishment—the
rest are punished according to their sins.

At least, that’s how it’s supposed to work.

Then the Supreme Wizard of the Earthly Plane, Warlock (q.v.), defeated a powerful
extra-planar entity he viewed as a threat to his consolidation of power. This entity was
the Yama King of the First Hell. This left the other Yama Kings without direction or
leadership. With nobody to judge, the Hells became splintered, each run according to
the whims of its particular King.

The Yama King of the Ninth Hell abandoned his realm altogether. In his view, the actions
of the Warlock were a declaration of war, a sin in need of judgment. He would journey to
Earth, and reap the souls there. If need be, he would create a new First Hell on Earth, to
properly punish mankind for the sin of living.
122
The Yama King is a terror: unkillable and recovering 1 Stamina per page, capable
of causing a level 10 Affliction with a mere touch. As if that weren’t bad enough, he
is a masterful sorcerer and can call upon the Devils of the Ninth Hell who owe him
allegiance.

Adventure Ideas
• Even the Hells are governed by rules. The Yama King cannot simply go to Earth to
exact penance from the Warlock and the mewling mortals who would ignore the
Mandate of Heaven. No, he must prove his case to the Celestial Court. Fortunately,
the Yama King has unwitting allies in the heroes. He arranges to have them called
before the Celestial Court and the Perfected Presence in Jade, ideally not long after
a confrontation with Warlock. They are asked to recount Warlock’s behavior and
their opinions of him. If the heroes confirm that Warlock is a villain and misuser of
the arcane arts, the Yama King is given heavenly writ to exact vengeance, even if
that lays waste to a large portion of the Earth!

• Of course, Warlock is not going to surrender to the judgment of the Yama King,
or anyone else. He is, after all, the supreme wizard! The heroes find themselves in
an unusual alliance, working with foes like Warlock and potentially others such as
Rex Mundi, Dr. Sin, the Ultra-Mind, or Tempus Khan to protect the world from the
vengeful Yama King.

• Ultimately, the heroes have to find a way to overcome the Yama King, since even
just handing Warlock over to him will not appease the vengeful devil. They might
petition the Celestial Bureaucracy for help, but find their request tangled in divine
red tape. An otherworldly quest could lead them to seek a means of binding the
Yama King and exiling him back to the Ninth Hell, or of tricking him into breaking
the rules or agreeing to return of his own volition. Perhaps the famous Monkey King
of the West can aid heroes brave and cunning enough to find him and prove their
worthiness

123
 Zergo

5’2 125
All-star #23

STAMINA

10

Immature Trickster Alien The Youngest of the Eldest

Phenomenal Cosmic Power Incorrigible
Catchphrase: “Wicked!” Stolen Technology

The Alien species known only as The Eldest are, as their name implies, the oldest
race in the Universe. Beings of phenomenal power, masters of the cosmos, The
Eldest are a wise and ancient people, motivated by duty and the responsibility of the
guardianship of all reality.
...And then there’s Zergo.
Zergo (or, as he occasionally styles himself, “Zergo the Magnificent”, “Zergo The All-
Powerful”, “Zergo The Master of The Universe”, “Zergo The Really Keen” -- that kind
of thing) is an adolescent member of the race, who, chafing against the responsibilities
and (in his view) stodginess of his kind, grabbed some gear and ran away from home.
It’s a wide, wide universe, and Zergo wants to experience all of it. Of course, he gets
into trouble from time to time -- people are always so serious -- but that’s alright.
There’s always another world to visit where Zergo can have some fun.
Among the various bits of cosmically-powered alien technology that Zergo stole­­-- er,
I mean borrowed-- is The Cosmic Scepter: a device that draws and focuses the very
energies of creation itself. The Eldest have used the Scepter on occasion to fashion
champions from the bravest and most noble specimens on countless worlds. In
short, the Scepter bestows superpowers.
The only problem is: Zergo isn’t really sure how it works.

124
He knows that you point it this way, and you hit these control surfaces here and here...
but beyond that, he doesn’t really know the finer details. The settings, the array of
powers, etc. -- all too complicated for the young Zergo, and so when he uses the Cosmic
Scepter, it bestows random powers.
Luckily for Zergo, this is one of his favorite things to do. It’s fun to give out power and
then watch what happens. Sometimes, stuff even blows up!
That’s totally wicked.

Adventure Ideas
• Zergo is perfect for a change of tone, especially as a breather between more serious
adventures. Think of the classic “omni-powerful trickster” stories, like those
featuring Mr. Mxyzptlk, Bat-Mite, or the Impossible Man, and run with it. The first
appearance of Zergo will be his arrival on Earth, where he will use the Empowerment
ability of The Cosmic Scepter to bestow superpowers on random people, usually
as payment. He wants a cup of coffee? Zap! Barista gets superpowers. The PC
heroes will become involved in response to a sudden influx of average citizens using
superpowers (or perhaps unable to control those powers, requiring the PC heroes to
intervene). Then they’ll meet Zergo, and thats when things will get tricky. Zergo will
fixate on the heroes, either wanting to “hang” with them, or (if they get all Law-and-
Order-y on him) wanting to take them down a peg or two. After that, the PC heroes
will become a favorite pasttime of the Youngest of The Eldest, and he’ll always come
back to cause trouble in their lives.

• Zergo has run away from his people and his homeworld and has stolen immensely
powerful cosmic-altering technology. That doesn’t go unnoticed. Sooner or later,
The Eldest will show up to recover their property, and bring Zergo back home. Even
worse, perhaps a major cosmic villain like Karnifex (Icons, p.103) hears that The
Cosmic Scepter is on Earth and comes to claim it for himself... or the threat may not
come from the stars at all -- Doctor Zodiac (p. 50) hears of The Cosmic Scepter and
decides that it shall be his. The cosmic power of The Scepter can never be allowed
to fall into the hands of a villain. Can the PC heroes manage to convince Zergo to
help them stop it?

• “Road Trip!” Zergo decides that seeing the Universe would even be better with some
“buds” along, and kidnaps the previously-encountered PC heroes, taking them on a
tour of the Universe. At this point, naturally, Hijinks Ensue. From getting mixed up
in a vast galactic war, to accidentally insulting the Living Black Hole, to misplacing a
planet or three... a trip with Zergo will be... interesting, to say the least.

125
 Zero

6’1 175
ATOMIC ROACH #41

STAMINA

13

Master of Zero Point Energy Powerless without suit.

“Zero - My name, Your chances.” Weakness - Suit can be shorted out

Zero point energy is the vibrational energy retained by molecules even at a temperature
of absolute zero. Since temperature is a measure of the intensity of molecular motion,
molecules would be expected to come to rest at absolute zero. However, if molecular
motion were to cease altogether, the atoms would each have a precisely known location
and velocity (zero), and the uncertainty principle states that this cannot occur, since
precise values of both position and velocity of an object cannot be known simultaneously.
Thus, even molecules at absolute zero must have some zero-point energy.
Doctor Ellroy Newman was obsessed with zero point energy -- he believed that this inherent
energy in all things could be tapped and used as a limitless power source. Nobody would
fund his experiments, however -- leading Newman to a life of crime: initially thefts of
materials and funding for his private experiments in zero energy.
Over the years, Newman perfected a zero point suit -- a device that allows him to tap
into the energy present all around him, and utilize that power in amazing ways. He is
constantly seeking to upgrade the suit -- he believes that he is only just beginning to tap
into the potential of zero point energy and its applications. Initially, the suit enabled
Newman (who goes by the psuedonym “Zero” to protect his identity) to fly, generate a
forcefield and project blasts of energy. Recent experimentation led him to discover a
surprising application of zero point energy -- by disrupting the energy that bonds the
atoms of a being together, he can completely nullify a superhuman’s powers for a short
period of time.

126
He continues his experiments (and his crimes to both fund and test them) -- he currently
believes that he may unlock the secret to completely disrupting those energy bonds,
leading to the disintegration of the target.

Adventure Ideas
• Game Masters looking to launch a new campaign could use Zero’s experiments as a
convenient technobabble explanation for the new PCs origins. Zero attempts to create a
teleportation device using zero point energy -- initially trying to remotely teleport an apple
from his secret lab to a location on the other side of the continent. Something goes wrong,
and the experiment releases a burst of strange extradimensional energy somewhere within
the campaign city -- leading to several normal people (the PCs) being given superpowers!
• Zero is good for the traditional mad-scientist-stealing-from-high-tech-government-lab
capers. PCs can be called in by AEGIS (or whatever super-governmental agency exists in
your campaign) to deal with the threat posed by the Master of Zero Point Energy. Game
Masters should mix things up when re-using Zero -- increase his power level, and give him
a few new suprises that the PCs won’t be ready for.
• Zero makes an excellent nemesis for a tech-based hero. He will become obsessed
with his rival, and seek to counter him at every turn. Using this model, Zero will begin
to develop additional device powers based on the PC hero’s own abilities, or specifically
designed to counter them.

127
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