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Mutants & Masterminds: the Cosmic Handbook

Mutants & Masterminds: the Cosmic Handbook

MUTANTS & MASTERMINDS COSMIC HANDBOOK Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION...... 3 How Much Can the Player Characters Do?...... 50 Who Are the Bad Guys?...... 50 CHAPTER 1: INFINITY (& BEYOND...)...... 4 Putting it all Together...... 50 A COSMIC HISTORY OF ...... 4 Series Ideas...... 52 The Man of Tomorrow...... 5 COSMIC VILLAIN ARCHETYPES...... 55 Failure to Launch...... 5 Alien Supermind...... 55 Back to the Future...... 5 Avatar of Destruction...... 57 Silvertone...... 6 Imperial Champion...... 60 Legion...... 6 Space Dragon...... 63 Tales to Astonish...... 6 The Devourer...... 65 Exile on Main Street...... 7 Galactic Tough Guy...... 67 Fourth World...... 7 Renegade Space Cop...... 70 Meet the New Boss...... 8 Star Hunter...... 72 There’s a Starman Waiting in the Sky...... 8 Time Master...... 75 Crossing Over...... 9 MINION ARCHETYPES...... 77 It’s the End of the World (As We Know It)...... 9 COSMIC MINIONS...... 79 The Future Is Now...... 9 Cuddly Alien Pet...... 79 THE COSMOS: SUB-GENRE CONVENTIONS...... 9 Energy Beings...... 79 Being Alien and What It Means...... 10 Shapeshifting Aliens...... 79 New Life & New Civilizations...... 12 Xenomorphs...... 80 Changes...... 13 CHAPTER 4: THE FREEDOM COSMOS...... 81 Infinite Powers & Ultimate Tests...... 13 Having Environmental Issues...... 13 A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE COSMOS...... 81 Futureworld...... 14 The Preservers...... 81 Machine Head...... 14 The Great Empires...... 82 Cult Following...... 14 The Chaos of Collapsar...... 83 Difficult Concepts...... 15 THE SOLAR SYSTEM...... 83 The War of the Worlds...... 15 Earth...... 83 The Great Beyond...... 16 The Moon...... 85 COSMIC RULE OPTIONS...... 19 THE GREATER GALAXY...... 87 The X Factor...... 19 The Grue Unity...... 87 The Stellar Imperium...... 91 CHAPTER 2: COSMIC HEROES...... 22 Alien Races...... 97 STARTING POWER LEVELS...... 22 INTERSTELLAR FACTIONS...... 98 Challengers of the Cosmos...... 22 The Argents...... 98 Cosmic Crusaders...... 23 The Blackguard...... 101 Cosmic Avatars...... 23 The Star Knights...... 104 WITH GREAT POWER COMES INFINITY AND BEYOND...... 108 GREAT BIG ACTION SCENES...... 24 Interstitial Universes...... 108 Powers...... 24 The Primals...... 111 Power Effects...... 26 CHAPTER 5: FREEDOM CITY 2525...... 114 Abilities...... 29 Skills...... 29 A BRIGHT, SHINING FUTURE...... 114 Advantages...... 30 The World of Tomorrow...... 114 Equipment...... 31 The City of the Future...... 114 ARCHETYPES...... 34 Beyond Freedom City...... 117 Cosmic Buccaneer...... 36 The Freedom Legion...... 118 Cosmic Critter...... 37 THREATS...... 124 Galactic Peace Officer...... 38 The Grue Unity...... 124 Ray-Gun Hero...... 39 The Unification Movement...... 124 Space Demigod...... 40 The Tyranny Legion...... 125 Space Knight...... 41 TIME PASSAGES...... 130 Space Soldier...... 42 In the Not-Too- Star Hero...... 43 Distant Future...... 130 ...... 44 Capers from Tomorrow...... 130 ALIENSample TEMPLATES...... 45 APPENDIX: ALIEN...... file133 CHAPTER 3: THE COSMIC SERIES...... 48 ARCHETYPES & TEMPLATES...... 133 Central Themes...... 48 RUNNING COSMIC GAMES...... 50 INDEX...... 137 Episodic or Serial?...... 50 LICENSE...... 139 Cosmic Power Levels...... 50

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION COSMIC HANDBOOK MUTANTS & MASTERMINDS Introduction

The Cosmic Handbook is a sourcebook for the Mutants & while also diving into information on the challenges of Masterminds roleplaying game. It covers the some of the surviving in space and dealing with cosmic entities wield- most popular and most powerful types of superhero ing cosmic powers... even if that entity is your hero! stories... those dealing with space-faring adventure, aliens, primal entities, science fiction, and anything else Chapter 2: Cosmic Heroes is all about creating charac- falling into the vast cosmic realm. In the following pages ters, but the information is for players and Gamemasters the past, present, and future of the cosmos are laid bare alike. It includes tips and tricks for designing a cool and so you can explore the galaxy, save entire alien races, effective character no matter what sort of setting your down planet eaters, and discover how important a lone series features. Also included is a discussion on the abili- human from Earth is in the battle for the soul of the uni- ties, skills, advantages, equipment, and powers common verse! to cosmic heroes, including rules options to adapt a few powers for use in a cosmic series. Finally, this chapter also Cosmic heroes uncover and put a stop to alien menaces, features a number of character archetypes you can use as keeping not just a neighborhood, city, or country safe, player characters or adapt as you see fit to create a custom but the entire planet. Often these battles play out across hero. the sky for everyone to see and marvel at, while other times they’re handled in secret, so as not to cause a Chapter 3: The Cosmic Series provides the Gamemas- panic. But no matter what, the forces unleashed during ter with all the information needed to create compel- such conflicts typically go far beyond what terrestrial ling stories for space-faring heroes to interact with. This heroes are capable of handling. They keep the streets chapter includes sections covering themes central to safe, you keep the planet safe. Scratch that. You keep the cosmic series, including aliens, invasions, space travel, planets safe. ancient mysteries, and more. It also gives the GM tips on starting their series and keeping it fresh over time. Lastly, there are villainous archetypes, including multiple options HOW TO USE THIS BOOK for using them, along with some typical alien races. The Cosmic Handbook covers a lot of ground and can be Chapter 4: The Freedom Cosmos looks at the Freedom used in a number of different ways. It provides informa- City universe. The history of the universe is covered, in- tion on the different types of cosmic series. From Earth- cluding the impact of the Preservers, Earth’s history with lings caught up in something much larger than them- extraterrestrials, the other great alien empires, and how selves (and really, larger than their planet) and thrust into things have been changed by the re-emergence of Tellax intergalactic conflict to aliens who have taken a vow to the Redeemer and Collapsar, the destruction of Magna- protect life in the universe from threats from beyond the Lor, the rise of the Stellar Imperium, and the appearance stars. of new galactic organizations intent on their own goals. It also sets the stage for your new cosmic series by shaking The ideas covered in this book can be used to run a up the status quo and giving GMs and players an exciting cosmic series, or they can be used as inspiration for inject- new universe to explore. ing some “cosmic energy” into the game you’re already running. Gamemasters are free to change and adapt the Chapter 5: Freedom City 2525 revisits the future of material in this book as they see fit. After all, not every idea Freedom City first presented in the M&M Annual. The fits perfectly well into every series. setting is the far future, when Freedom City is at the center of the peaceful Galactic Confederation. But even in the 26th century, there are threats to peace, justice, CHAPTER OVERVIEW and freedom across the known galaxy. Fortunately, the Beginning with the history of the cosmic superhero genre Freedom Legion is there to face these threats and give and working its way through information for GMs and your heroes a place to call home... among the stars! players alike, the Cosmic Handbook includes archetypes Whether you and your group are looking to play in a mod- and enemies, equipment and adventures, advice and ex- ern-day series mainly set on Earth with frequent travel out amples, as well as ideas to fuel new characters and plot amongst the stars, focus on a galaxy-spanning group of linesSample for your series. aliens finding a way to avoid imperialfile entanglements out Chapter 1: Infinity (& Beyond) is an overview of cosmic in the universe, or assemble a team of young, enthusiastic stories in superhero comics along with common story- heroes-of-the-future from across the cosmos to defend lines and genre tropes, perfect for GMs looking for inspira- the people of the Confederation of Planets, the Cosmic tion. This chapter provides context for the rest of the book Handbook has everything you need!

TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 3 MUTANTS & MASTERMINDS COSMIC HANDBOOK Chapter 1: Infinity( & Beyond...)

Outer space as a wide-open frontier ripe for exploration and adventure. Strange extraterrestrial life that reflects and comments on mankind’s foibles. Godlike power in a mortal person’s grasp. Love, Death, Hate, Life, Chaos, and Order embodied and amongst us. Hyper-evolved beings existing at the very limits of human understanding. Ideas like these are crazy, wild, far out, trippy, outré. In short, they’re cosmic. Long before people began chemically altering their minds to experience them firsthand, cosmic themes found a home in the pages of superhero comic books. This section of the Cosmic Handbook provides you with a temporal gateway back to the Big Bang beginning of the cosmic sub-genre, then casually space-walks you through its history and most archetypal expressions. What a long, strange trip it’s been—the kind a true superhero fan won’t want to miss. A COSMIC HISTORY OF SUPERHERO COMICS

By 1936, ten-cent comic books had established them- That year, writer and artist Joe Shuster at- selves as an inexpensive source of highly imaginative tempted to save their middling-popular creation “Doctor entertainment—cheap and escapist things being most Occult, The Detective” (published by industry leader welcome during the Great Depression. While taking National Comics) from being dropped from the pages of a break from leaping out of Wall Street skyscraper New Fun Comics. To keep the precious Depression-era windows or selling apples on street corners, comic-book paychecks coming, Siegel and Shuster redressed the mys- readersSample enjoyed a wide variety of colorful tales, includ- tical, trenchcoat-wearing ghost-buster file in a much gaudier ing Westerns, science fiction, adventure, and humor. The costume, complete with red cape. medium’s Golden Age had begun, but at that early point in its development was limited to aping the types of The new colorful wardrobe and his magical abilities made stories found in the newspaper comic strips from which Doctor Occult comic books’ very first costumed super- it had evolved. That year, however, saw a first attempt at hero. However, since this fact was little noted at the time genre splicing that eventually gave comic books a milieu and didn’t save his feature from cancellation, it left the all their own. Ghost Detective little more than a killer trivia question. Undeterred, Siegel and Shuster held on to the idea of a 4 CHAPTER 1: INFINITY (AND BEYOND...) CHAPTER 1: INFINITY (AND BEYOND...) COSMIC HANDBOOK MUTANTS & MASTERMINDS

superpowered hero wearing a red cape, and later on, with Fawcett Comics’ “Master Man” (which, to be fair, were some cosmic touches added to the concept, went on to pretty clear rip-offs of the Man of Tomorrow) were quickly revolutionize the medium. litigated into a judicial Zone. While cosmic elements like alien life forms and space THE MAN OF TOMORROW travel never disappeared from Golden Age comic books, the effect from National Comics’ legal death- was no- Back in 1933, Siegel and Shuster published a fanzine story ticeable throughout most of the era. The weird powers, entitled “The Reign of the ,” about a bald, tele- heroes, and fantastic plots depicted were thus com- pathic meanie bent on world domination. They later sal- monly ascribed to magic (like All-American Comics’ the vaged the title, made their protagonist a dark-haired good ), spirits and ghosts (Quality’s ), guy, and added a colorful red-caped costume to complete or mythological figures (Fawcett’s Captain Marvel). Even their pitch to publishers... then proceeded to rack up an more commonly, heroes were highly talented and trained impressive number of rejections from newspaper syndi- but otherwise normal folk (like Marvel’s ), cates. No one, it seemed, wanted to take a chance on this battling against a succession of standard-issue gang- off-the-wall “Superman” character. sters, run-of-the-mill enemy agents, and other assorted Siegel & Shuster’s luck seemingly improved in 1938, as mundane crooks. National Comics—searching for a splashy feature with which to launch their new title, —bought BACK TO THE FUTURE the rights to Superman for the princely sum of $130. And no, that wasn’t really “a lot of money back then.” In the years following World War II, the superhero genre seemed increasingly played out, with sales, characters, Thanks to Superman (prominently featured on the book’s titles, and even the publishers themselves all in a gradual iconic cover), Action Comics #1 (cover-dated June 1938) decline. Comic-book companies supplanted superheroes became a smash hit as soon as it appeared on newsstands, with more commercially viable genres such as Westerns, and in time the Man of Tomorrow became one of the most “funny animals,” horror, romance, and crime until, by the famous fictional characters ever created. In doing so, Su- mid-1950s, the costumed crowd had dwindled to Na- perman proved the new cosmic elements added to the re- tional Comics’ cornerstones Superman, , Wonder cycled “superpowered hero wearing a red cape” idea made Woman, and a handful of supporting features. the difference. While they took time to fully germinate, all the seeds of the cosmic superhero sub-genre are present in With the superhero genre’s continued abeyance and pub- the very beginnings of the Superman mythology. lishers still searching for alternatives, pulp science-fiction comic books like National’s (August- The Man of Tomorrow, born Kal-L on the distant alien September 1950), (April-May 1951), and planet , worked as a newspaper reporter, crusad- EC Comics’ Weird Science (May-June 1950) rocketed onto ing against great social evils in and out of costume (com- newsstands. Features like “Interplanetary Insurance, Inc.,” menting on the human condition, by word and deed). “Space Cabbie,” and “Space Museum” came into vogue, Already “faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful however briefly. than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound,” Superman’s unmatched powers grew over The tenor of the times is best illustrated by the most time until they became literally world-shattering. With the notable sign of new life evinced by the superhero genre coming of the Second World War, Superman—by then during this period, National Comics’ Captain , who frequently depicted with Old Glory and bald eagles— first appeared in Strange Adventures #9 (June 1951). Born became the fictional embodiment of his adopted coun- Adam Blake, he was the “first man of the future,” a person try’s abstract ideals, fighting “a never-ending battle for 100,000 years more evolved than present-day humanity truth, justice, and the American way.” (but debuting about fifteen years too soon to be called a “mutant”). Captain Comet’s hyper-strength, resistance to harm, and ability to fly recalled Superman’s world- FAILURE TO LAUNCH breaking powers and cosmic influences. However, the two characters’ contrasting thematic emphases are quite Then as now, comic books were an imitative medium, telling. especially when a competing publisher came up with a big-time money-maker. Once Superman demonstrated Superman stories had largely preoccupied themselves the greatest of his many powers is super-sales, the inevi- with bank robbers, mad scientists, and other Earthbound table mimics began to appear, replete with the cosmic menaces. Captain Comet, on the other hand, battled elementsSample that made the Man of Tomorrow groundbreak- alien invaders here and—via filehis trusty personal rocket- ing. Had the copycats been allowed to flourish, the cosmic ship—in outer space. While Superman was a touch of the superhero sub-genre might have become predominant in cosmic sub-genre added to superheroes, Captain Comet the Golden Age. was a soupçon of superhero added to the more prevalent cosmic themes of the day. It was not to be. Superman’s rights-holder, National Comics, revealed a superpower of its own: the ability Pulp sci-fi’s comic-book heyday was relatively short. EC to file lawsuits at lightning speed. Most of the targeted Comics merged the money-losing Weird Science with a imitators, like Feature Syndicate’s “Wonder Man” and sister title in 1953 and focused instead on its more lucra- CHAPTER 1: INFINITY (AND BEYOND...) CHAPTER 1: INFINITY (AND BEYOND...) 5 MUTANTS & MASTERMINDS COSMIC HANDBOOK

tive . Captain Comet’s feature was discon- Superman continued along the increasingly outlandish tinued in 1954, and the character remained lost in space and kid-friendly path set for him by editor Mort Weis- for two decades afterwards. National’s second trip to the inger. As an unintended consequence of their general “strange visitor from another planet” well, J’onn J’onzz the strangeness, Silver Age Super-tales embraced the cosmic Martian , debuted in Detective Comics #225 sub-genre to an even greater degree than his Golden Age (November 1955) to a perpetually tepid response. Clearly, yarns. This included the creation of National Comics’ most the Golden Age approach to the cosmic sub-genre had exemplary expression of the cosmic sub-genre, as well as tarnished, and a new thematic metallurgy was called for. one of its most fervently beloved and resilient concepts, the Legion of Super-Heroes. SILVERTONE The Legion’s debut in #247 (April 1958)—scripted by literary sci-fi author and Fittingly enough, just as former sci-fi fanzine publishers drawn by —reflects National’s stories Siegel and Shuster launched the Golden Age at National (the Man of ’s teenage exploits) Silver-Age shift to Comics, editor —likewise a fellow sci-fi juvenile weirdness. Adventure #247’s cover shows the Le- fanzine publisher and National employee—began the gion’s teen superhero members from the 30th-century— Silver Age that followed. Their common backgrounds in , Lightning Boy, and the tellingly named Cosmic cosmic science fiction figured prominently in the creative Boy—who have crossed the millennia just to tell Super- epochs they initiated. boy he’s just not good enough to join their “super-hero club.” All is eventually resolved by the story’s end... except Schwartz had been a literary sci-fi agent before getting for the unexpectedly popular response to the Legion, into comic books, representing cosmic-minded authors originally intended as one-shot characters. such as Ray Bradbury, H.P. Lovecraft, and Alfred Bester. Schwartz later entitled his autobiography Man of Two The positive fan reaction led to a number of encore Legion Worlds in reference to his dual long-term vocations, and appearances over the next few years, with the team even- accordingly many of the most memorable characters he tually becoming a regular feature in 1962’s Adventure helped create during the early Silver Age reflect a true Comics #300. Over time, the Legion membership and the balance between the traditional superhero genre and the scope of its galaxy-spanning adventures grew, as did its cosmic sub-genre. delightful mythology incorporating comical Substitute Heroes, a benevolently governing United Planets, and the The Silver Age began in 1956 with a relaunch of 1940’s splendidly named Science Police. super-speedster the as a more modern, more sci-fi influenced character. When that reboot proved successful, To be sure, the Legion wore colorful costumes, adopted the obvious next steps were to give Space Age makeovers code names, and had its share of superhuman villains— to the rest of National’s languid library of characters. Green plenty enough trappings to remind readers it was part of Lantern, formerly empowered by a magic lamp, returned the superhero realm. However, with the entire universe as next (courtesy of writer and artist Gil Kane) its setting, a roster replete with extraterrestrial members, in October 1959’s Showcase #22 as , a test pilot/ and a seemingly inexhaustible plethora of amazing intergalactic policeman more than slightly influenced by powers, it remains the purest expression of the cosmic su- E.E. “Doc” Smith’s literary sci-fi Lensman series. perhero sub-genre National Comics ever published. Silver Age Green Lantern stories neatly display Schwartz’ “Going cosmic” ultimately served the concept well. Not thematic balance. Hal Jordan’s exploits included classic only has the Legion of Super-Heroes survived its origi- superhero fare like battling Earthly jewel thieves and nal planned obsolescence, it has remained in more or facing Chuck Yeager-like occupational hazards. In equal less continuous publication (under various titles) right measure, his stories also segued into more cosmic themes, through to the present day, and likely on into its native such as interacting with extraterrestrial civilizations (like 30th century. his blue-skinned bosses the Guardians of the Universe) and resolving interstellar crises wielding a nigh-omnipo- tent alien weapon. TALES TO ASTONISH National’s eternal rival enjoyed its own Likewise under Schwartz’ direction, in March 1961’s The Silver Age renaissance under writer/editor Stan Lee and Brave and the Bold #34 writer and artist Joe a supremely talented group of artists, beginning with Kubert refashioned the long-dormant character the publication of Fantastic Four #1 in 1961. A stagger- from the magically reincarnated Egyptian prince he was ing plethora of popular titles and characters followed during the Golden Age into an extraterrestrial cop hailing in its wake: Spider-Man, the X-Men, Thor, Iron Man, and from theSample planet Thanagar. Again, here was a cosmic hero file the Avengers, to name but a few. All displayed Lee’s in- whose adventures alternated between mundane museum novative storytelling trademark of flawed, relatable super- heists and orbital slugfests with evil invading aliens. heroes in a setting that was, to a noticeable degree, the readers’ real world. LEGION Lee’s emphasis on increased realism slightly limited—but While other Golden Age characters were being re-imag- by no means eliminated—the cosmic elements in Silver ined with a higher sci-fi content, the seminal cosmic hero Age Marvel stories. To be sure, the Fantastic Four made 6 CHAPTER 1: INFINITY (AND BEYOND...) CHAPTER 1: INFINITY (AND BEYOND...) COSMIC HANDBOOK MUTANTS & MASTERMINDS

trips into space to thwart the nefarious alien Skrulls and face the challenge of the nearly omnipotent extrater- restrial entity Galactus. However, these cosmic elements were more the exception than the rule, as the FF spent just as much time on down-to-Earth problems like their eviction-minded landlord or President Nixon’s paranoia as they did interstellar threats. Most prominent Silver Age Marvel characters, like Spider- Man, Captain America, and Daredevil remained Earth- bound. Others like Doctor Strange and Thor were firmly mystical and mythological, rather like Golden Age throw- backs, and decidedly un-cosmic as a result. When Marvel Comics at last more fully embraced the cosmic sub-genre, the Silver Age was nearly done. EXILE ON MAIN STREET Springing from the mind and pencil of the incomparable , the Silver Surfer (alias Norrin Radd of the planet Zenn-La) debuted in Fantastic Four #48 (March 1966). In this initial guest appearance, the Surfer was using his demigod-like abilities (tellingly referred to as “the power cosmic”) to sail across the galaxy, looking for planets for his incalculably powerful boss Galactus to dine upon. Finding Earth caused the Surfer to have a change of heart, as he was moved by the noble potential of humankind. In the end, the Surfer joined with the Fantastic Four to save Earth, but at the price of permanent imprisonment there. His only reward was becoming an immediate hit with readers. This led to several reappearances in the Fantastic Four’s book, and then his very own title in 1968. Its premise of “godlike being exiled to Earth” was, on the surface, not much different than Marvel’s more mythologically orien- tated The Mighty Thor. However—in addition to featuring a bonafide extraterrestrial—the Surfer’s stories remain the medium’s history. National Comics—soon to be in distinct and memorable by incorporating a element of business under its more familiar moniker “DC Comics”— the cosmic sub-genre: using the alien to remark lured Kirby into its employ by essentially offering him on humanity’s foibles. carte blanche. With the freedom to do as he pleased, the co-creator of the fairly cosmic Fantastic Four opted to go Saddened by his lost freedom to roam the universe and full-on cosmic. missing his beloved wife back on Zenn-La, the Surfer was understandably morose (as all Marvel heroes were wont In The #1 (February/March 1971), Kirby intro- to be). What made him positively angst-ridden was his duced readers to the “Fourth World” of the warring, im- constant frustration with the greed and folly of human- mensely powerful alien denizens of the mirror-planets ity, a species the Surfer (and writer Stan Lee) knew was New Genesis and Apokolips. The benevolent Highfather capable of far better. The cogent, ever-present “What fools and malefic led their respective cultures in a these mortals be!” in the narrative made the Surfer a criti- truly mythic clash that regularly spilled over to Earth. cal (though not financial) hit, and the most cosmic lead The story Kirby set out to tell was epic, spawning three character Silver Age Marvel Comics produced. additional titles (Forever People, Mister Miracle, and—an- The Bronze Age that followed, however, was to be a dif- choring it to the larger DC universe—Superman’s Pal ferent matter. Marvel Comics—and the medium as a ). In it, all of Kirby’s vast skills as an artist are whole—wasSample to be tripping out to more space-y locales all on display, as is his sincere desirefile to produce something the time in the ’70s. better than typical funny book fare, showing how great the medium can truly be. Unfortunately, this ambition yielded something too dif- FOURTH WORLD ferent for audiences of the day, and as great as Kirby the Legendary artist Jack Kirby was instrumental in making artist is, Kirby the writer was not quite as talented. Poor Marvel an industry leader, and his acrimonious depar- sales led to The New Gods’ cancellation after only 11 issues, ture from the company in 1970 was a true landmark in and with DC refusing to finish up the saga with the charac- CHAPTER 1: INFINITY (AND BEYOND...) CHAPTER 1: INFINITY (AND BEYOND...) 7

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