Dark Champions
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Allen Thomas A Subgenre Book for Dark Champions Author: Allen Th omas SPECIAL THANKS Additional Contributions: Steven S. Long Editing & Development: Steven S. Long Special Th anks: We’d like to thank the Digital Hero playtesters and testreaders who reviewed the DC:TAS manuscript and helped us Layout & Graphic Design: Andy Mathews correct typos and check the math. You’re all heroes! Cover Illustration: Hugh Vogt Interior Illustration: Kerry Connell, David Daniel, David Esbri, Dominika Ktosowicz, Pierce Scantlin, Greg Smith, Hero SystemTM ® is DOJ, Inc.’s trademark for its roleplaying system. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, Hero System © 1984, 1989, 2002 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved. electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or computerization, or by Champions © 1984, 1989, 2002 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved. any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Fantasy Hero © 2003 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved. Publisher: DOJ, Inc., 1 Haight Street, Suite A, San Francisco, California 94102. Dark Champions © 2004 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved. Printed in Canada. First printing January 2005 Dark Champions: The Animated Series © 2005 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. Produced and distributed by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved. Stock Number: DOJHERO603 • ISBN Number: 1-58366-049-6 Star Hero, Justice Inc., Danger International, Dark Champions, Pulp Hero, http://www.herogames.com Western Hero © 2002 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ................................4 CHAPTER TWO: CHAPTER THREE: HUDSON CITY KNIGHTS HUDSON CITY POWERS CHAPTER ONE: DARK CHAMPIONS: HUDSON CITY KNIGHTS ..................22 HUDSON CITY POWERS ..................74 THE ANIMATED SERIES USING HUDSON CITY .....................22 USING HUDSON CITY .....................74 CAMPAIGN IDEAS ..........................23 CAMPAIGN TYPES ..........................75 THE DC:TAS SUBGENRE ...................6 HEROES .........................................24 HEROES .........................................76 SUBGENRE ELEMENTS .....................6 THE ANSWER ................................24 CAPE AND COWL INVESTIGATIONS .76 ROLEPLAYING ELEMENTS ................7 DARKANGEL ..................................28 HAWKSHAW ................................77 CHARACTER CREATION ....................9 TRICKSHOT ...................................31 HEAVY-HITTER .............................79 CHARACTER CONCEPTION ...............9 VILLAINS ........................................34 SCARLET ......................................81 Hero’s Theme ................................9 ADONIS .........................................34 VILLAINS ........................................84 DC:TAS Personalities ...................10 ANAGRAM .....................................36 BURNING BETTY ............................84 DC:TAS Archetypes ......................10 THE ASTROLOGER .........................39 CARNIVORE ...................................86 CHARACTER CREATION ..................10 BEATLEMANIA ...............................41 CHARADE ......................................88 Skills, Talents, And Perks ..............11 CHITCHAT .....................................43 FLEUR DE LISA ..............................91 Powers .......................................12 COPYCAT ......................................46 GUILLOTINE ...................................94 Resource Points ..........................12 DOCTOR ENIGMA ..........................48 HOT ROD ......................................96 Disadvantages ............................13 FACET ...........................................51 RHAPSODY ...................................98 GAMEMASTERING DC:TAS ..............14 THE HUMAN CAPITALIST ................53 SCARAB ......................................101 EPISODIC VERSUS SERIAL ..............14 LAST CALL ....................................55 SERPENTINE ................................103 Campaign Tone ...........................15 MIDAS ..........................................57 TICK-TOCK ..................................106 CAMPAIGN SETTING ......................15 THE MISSING LINK .........................59 POCKET WATCH ........................106 VILLAINS .......................................16 PENNY DREADFUL .........................61 THE TWO JOHNNIES ....................109 RUNNING ADVENTURES .................18 RAPTOR ........................................64 JOHNNY-COME-LATELY .............110 RED-EYES .....................................67 JOHNNY-ON-THE-SPOT .............112 THREE OF A KIND ..........................71 THE WITCH OF RED HILL ..............114 ADAPTING CHAMPIONS ADAPTING CHAMPIONS UNIVERSE VILLAINS TO HUDSON UNIVERSE VILLAINS TO HUDSON CITY KNIGHTS ..............................72 CITY POWERS ............................116 4 Hero System 5th Edition INTRODUCTION ots of gamers enjoy the thrills and excite- are appropriate (and how to design them), and ment of Dark Champions crimefi ghting how to GM the subgenre. — but not necessarily the violence and pure Chapter Two, Hudson City Knights, focuses on Lvigilantism of many Dark Champions cam- the fi rst type of DC:TAS campaign: one in which paigns. Th ey’d rather tone the violence down a bit, there are no superpowers per se — the heroes and and diverge a little from the “realism” of the genre villains are normal people, albeit well-trained and to allow for a little more strangeness, weirdness, -equipped people. Many villains, and more than and powers. In eff ect, they want to mingle Dark few heroes, have a “theme” that infl uences their cos- Champions with a touch of Champions. tume, weapons, and activities. Th is chapter includes And that’s what Dark Champions: Th e Ani- several NPC heroes and plenty of villains to get mated Series is all about! Th e “animated series” style the GM started, including Penny Dreadful, Adonis, of campaign focuses on the less grim side of vigi- Anagram, the Missing Link, Raptor, and more. lante crimefi ghting: caped crusaders with vigilante style but who refuse to kill; low-powered superhe- Chapter Three, Hudson City Powers, looks at the roes who fi ght street crime instead of world-threat- other type of DC:TAS game: the low-powered ening supervillains; “theme” villains with clever (or “street-level”) superheroes game, in which the costumes and psychotic minds. heroes and villains alike often have minor super- human abilities — nothing as powerful as what Chapter One, Stalking The Night, discusses the you’d see in a typical Champions campaign, but “animated series” subgenre in general — how it mighty impressive to the average street punk! It, differs from mainstream Dark Champions and too, provides some NPC heroes and lots of vil- Champions games, the sorts of characters that lains (such as Carnivore, Guillotine, Rhapsody, and Serpentine) for the GM to pit against the intrepid player characters. FOR THE GAMEMASTER’S EYES ONLY Dark Champions: Th e Animated Series doesn’t include a GM’s Vault section, since it isn’t really a setting book. However, parts of it — the villains’ character sheets, mainly — are for the GM’s eyes only! If you intend to play in a DC:TAS campaign, don’t read the villains unless your GM gives you permission, and ignore the plot seeds sprinkled throughout the book as well. OTHER VILLAINS Chapters Two and Three have some notes about how to adapt existing Champions villains to Hudson City Knights and Powers campaigns, respectively. But you don’t have to wander that far afield looking for new adversaries for your PCs. Other Dark Champions villains work just fine in DC:TAS campaigns, provided you tone them down to fit the more lighthearted subgenre if necessary. For example, if you make Card Shark and his men (Hudson City, pages 175- 77, 236-53) less grim, murderous, and focused, they become superb DC:TAS villains — they even have a theme already! Similarly, Predators includes a lot of characters, like the Varangian, Michelangelo Strake, and Prospero who’d work well in just about any type of DC:TAS game. cchapterhapter oone:ne: DARK CHAMPIONS: THE ANIMATED SERIES STALKING THE NIGHT 6 ■ Stalking The Night Hero System 5th Edition THE DC: TAS SUBGENRE hat is Dark Champions: Th e Animated Series? It’s mayhem, but the murder is GENRE ELEMENTS kept to a minimum. It’s crimefi ghters Here’s a brief description of the elements of Wdriven to bring criminals to justice, but the DC:TAS subgenre, mostly recapped from page who still respect the sanctity of human life. It’s vil- 11 of Dark Champions. lains who don’t just commit crimes, but also engage in a battle of wits with costumed heroes, and whose DARK CHAMPIONS M.O., CHAMPIONS crimes are as much about gamesmanship as profi t. ATTITUDE Exciting action, madcap adventure, fi endish death- While they look, fi ght, and sometimes even act traps, labyrinthine plots with bizarre objectives and like typical Dark Champions costumed vigilantes, even more bizarre methods, and themes for both DC:TAS characters usually don’t share all their heroes and villains that range from an obsession attitudes and beliefs. In particular, they’re much with word games to a irrational love of classical more inclined to subscribe to traditional comic music... Dark Champions: Th e Animated Series is book morality: they don’t kill their opponents all this and more. (even those who deserve it); believe they