CHAMPIONS Lore Primer
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CHAMPIONS Lore Primer A guide to the setting and role-playing in it. “We must shut down ALL the beacons” — Defender TABLE OF CONTENTS One: Introduction 5 Official Sources 5 Two: Champions Universe Timeline 8 Three: The Superhuman World 16 Current Events 16 Law and Government 16 PRIMUS and UNTIL 17 PRIMUS 17 UNTIL 17 UNITY 18 Superhuman Media 18 Hot Spots 19 Club Caprice 19 Grand Cienelago Island 19 Sports 19 Corporations 20 Security Agencies 22 Scientific Agencies 2 Mystical Agencies 24 Four: Who’s Who 25 Major Setting NPC Heroes 25 Major Setting Villains 27 Major Setting Villainous Organizations 29 Significant Canon Characters From Around the World 0 Heroes and Villains Through the Ages Five: What’s What 6 Materials 6 Mutagens 6 Super Soldier Projects 6 Six: Where’s Where 7 Arcadia 7 Atlantis 7 Beast Mountain 7 Force Station Steelhead and the Lynx’s Fold 8 Hudson City 8 Lemuria 9 Millennium City 40 Monster Island 41 Niikwan 41 Shambalah/Agharti 41 Sunday Pond, Maine 41 Thaar 41 CO Lore Primer: • Table of Contents • Vibora Bay 42 Yeng-Tao Temple 42 Seven: Aliens 4 Dendrians 4 Elder Worms 4 Ergons/Thorgons 4 Fassai 44 Gadroon 4 Hzeel 44 Malvans 44 Mandaarians 45 Mon’dabi 45 Perseids 46 Qularr 46 Roin’esh 46 Selenites 46 Siriians 47 Vayathurians 47 The Star*Guard 48 The Galaxars 48 Chrono 48 The Progenitors 48 Eight: Other Dimensions 49 The Assaiah 49 Yetzirah 49 Briah 49 Atziluth 50 Qliphoth 50 The ban 50 Nine: The Mullet’s Guide to RP 52 Index 62 CO Lore Primer: • Table of Contents • 4 I: Introduction This is a quick introduction to the Champions When Steve Long and DOJ, Inc. took over Cham- Online universe. It’s excerpts on issues of importance pions in 2002, Steve consolidated a lot of work done to Champions Online role-players and people who by freelancers over the years, threw much of it out want to work with the background of this universe to (goodbye CLOWN), and added much of his own build characters. If you need, say, a corporate sponsor (mostly excellent) material. When Cryptic bought the or an alien race as part of your background, this book IP in 2008, they added their own significant contribu- will suggest ones that exist in canon that you can use. tions. This is based on existing works in the Champions WARNING: Champions PnP supplements use a paper and pencil game line. It only scratches the much different system than Champions Online, so eagerest surface of the setting, so it’s strongly recom- don’t expect to see characters written up as Champi- mended that you pick up these books -- and they are ons Online builds or with their powers as direct cor- commercial works and not freeware -- to get the full relations of CO powers. However, they are an invalu- story. But this excerpt will give you a taste, an idea for able source of lore. If you are interested in the setting, a cool origin and might even settle an argument or please support Hero Games. Yes, RPG supplements two. are pricy, which is understandable given the small In a few cases, I’m adding my interpretation or RP profit margins of the industry. However, the Hero folks advice; I’ll note the places where this occurs: they’ll be do a terrific job. If you can afford it, please make an marked as Opinion Corner. Feel free to ignore it. investment in some of the lore books. And if you find This document is not meant to shove canon down anything that I’ve gotten wrong in this document, let the throats of unwilling RPers and I hope it doesn’t get me know! Thanks! used for that. However, people who are interested in the setting can use it as an introduction and a way of OFFICIAL SOURCES getting to know the world. Recommended commercial products, with links for It should go without saying that this document PDF to the site where they can be purchased, contains SPOILERS. I’m saying it here anyways. If you If you have to get ONE book, get Champions don’t want to know, then no further go! Universe (6th edition). In fact, this primer is only a taste of that book. If you enjoy this primer and find it AND NOW HERE’S SOMETHING WE HOPE YOU’LL useful, please pick up a copy of this book. REALLY LIKE.... If you can afford three books, get Champions Uni- Champions is based on an intellectual property verse, Champions Beyond (6th edition), and the Mystic created for the HERO System, a paper and pencil World (5th edition). This gives you a comprehensive role-playing game that was first published in 1981 by overview of major parts of the setting. Hero Games. Much of the universe was built on the If you can afford more than three books, get those work created primarily by George MacDonald, but also three and then look over this list and find a book on by Bruce Harlick, Steve Peterson, and Glenn Thain. whatever subject most interests you. In 1996, Hero joined forces with R. Talosorian Games and created Champions: The New Millennium, with a revamp of the setting by Eric Burnham. Most of Eric’s setting work was excellent, unfortunately the system was not very well-received. CO Lore Primer: • Introduction • 5 (by Steven Long) CHAMPIONS VILLAINS Vol 1, 2, . (by Steven The life (and toy catalog) of Albert Zerstoiten, the Long) deadliest man in the history of the human race, better The most current up to date source on major known as Dr. Destroyer. And some jackass calling Champions villains. himself Shadow Destroyer too. https://www.herogames.com/viewItem. https://www.herogames.com/viewItem. htm?itemID=250189 htm?itemID=232563 https://www.herogames.com/viewItem. htm?itemID=252375 BOOK OF THE EMPRESS (by Steven Long) https://www.herogames.com/viewItem. A book on Istvatha V’Han, Empress of a Billion htm?itemID=251488 Dimensions, also featuring additional material on Champions cosmology from a non-mystical perspec- CHAMPIONS OF THE NORTH (by Scott Bennie) tive. The Canada sourcebook, with background on many of the characters found around Force Station Steel- https://www.herogames.com/viewItem. head. htm?itemID=262911 https://www.herogames.com/viewItem. CHAMPIONS BEYOND (by Steve Long) htm?itemID=227526 The highly anticipated, definitive sourcebook on aliens in the setting. Currently available in PDF. DEMON: SERVANTS OF DARKNESS (by Allen Thomas) https://www.herogames.com/viewItem. An excellent guide to the villains of the second htm?itemID=255418 Adventure Pack. CHAMPIONS UNIVERSE (by Steven Long and Dar- https://www.herogames.com/viewItem. ren Watts) htm?itemID=201768 An overview of the universe. This is the most com- plete overview of the Champions Online world, as it HIDDEN LANDS (by Darren Watts and Allen has been approved by Cryptic Studios and is the most Thomas) recently written work on the setting. Because it is the A book covering places like Atlantis, Lemuria, latest work, this document considers this book to be Arcadia, and much more. definitive when contradictions exist with previous works. Highly recommended. https://www.herogames.com/viewItem. htm?itemID=194632 https://www.herogames.com/viewItem. htm?itemID=247924 MILLENNIUM CITY (by Darren Watts) The guide to the most important city in the Cham- pions Universe. https://www.herogames.com/viewItem. htm?itemID=220731 CO Lore Primer: • Introduction • 6 MONSTER ISLAND (by Steve Long) VIBORA BAY (by Darren Watts, Derek Hiemforth, A sourcebook dedicated to the most monstrous Jason Walters, and Steve Long) place on Earth (insert Disneyland joke here). Florida’s favorite supernatural metropolis. Predates CO by a considerable margin, and thus has gaps, but it https://www.herogames.com/viewItem. still has value as a sourcebook. htm?itemID=232564 https://www.herogames.com/viewItem. THE MYSTIC WORLD (by Dean Shomshak) htm?itemID=220391 The definitive source on the mystical cosmology of the Champions Online universe. VIPER: COILS OF THE SERPENT (by Steve Long and Scott Bennie) https://www.herogames.com/viewItem. They’re mean and green and their goals are htm?itemID=208418 obscene. Meet VIPER, a ruthless terrorist organization dedicated to ruling the world. UNTIL: DEFENDERS OF FREEDOM (by Darren Watts and Steve Long) https://www.herogames.com/viewItem. These are the good guys, their history, their htm?itemID=220393 people, their toys. A bit dated. BE A HERO! Support HERO Games! https://www.herogames.com/viewItem. htm?itemID=208417 All art in this document comes from the Champi- ons Online website authoring kit, provided by Cryptic Studios. CO Lore Primer: • Introduction • 7 II: Timeline This is a Champions Universe timeline that’s based on the one in Champions Universe (6th edition) but hewing a little closer to the Champions Online time- line, with references to most characters who aren’t in the game omitted. For more detail, consult Champions Universe. c. 2,000,000 BC The Progenitors seed the ancestors of the human race and jumpstart its evolution. c. 500,000 BC The Progenitors’ experiments result in the creation of the Empyreans, a superhuman race. 267,584 BC c17,698 BC Battle of the Coreward Fields turns the Malvan-Elder Lemurian sorcerers create the Bronze King to turn the Worm war in the favor of the Malvans. Some Elder tide in a Lemurian civil war. Worms make their way to Earth. c12,000 BC c. 70,000 BC In the Lynx’s Fold of what’s now Northern Canada, the Birth of Evil. Kul-Tarak, who later becomes Tako- spirit of the Land, aided by human shamans, defeats fanes, is born.