�j{]&lrYJm[�[ill��lRl rn�m��� Official Game Accessory

Gamer's Handbook of the

Volume 8

Contents

Acolytes of Magneto ...... 3 Legion of Night ...... 67

Banner, Betty Ross ...... 5 Living Lightning ...... 71

Bishop ...... 7 Midnight ...... 73

Blackout ...... 9 Midnight Sun ...... 75

Braddock, Jamie ...... 11 Omega Red ...... 77

Cardiac ...... 13 Overkill and the Stark ...... 79

Cloak and Dagger ...... 15 Pacific Overlords ...... 81

Code Blue ...... 19 Pantheon ...... 85

Collector ...... 23 Portal ...... 91

Corona ...... 25 Rancor and the Nine ...... 93

Darkhawk ...... 27 Riders of the Storm ...... 97

Deathwatch ...... 29 Sabra ...... 99

Domino ...... 31 Scarlet Scarab ...... 101

Equinox ...... , ...... 33 Shadow King ...... 103

Feral ...... 35 Shatterstar ...... 105

Firebrand II ...... 37 Shinobi ...... 107

Force of Nature ...... 39 Silhouette ...... 109

Foreigner ...... 43 Sleepwalker ...... 111

Fury, Nick ...... 45 Sphinx II ...... 113

Gideon ...... 47 Stained Glass Scarlet ...... 115

Harness and Piecemeal/Proteus II ...... 49 Strong Guy ...... 117

Hate Monger ...... 51 Tetrarchs of Entropy ...... 119

HYDRA ...... 53 Thane Ector and the Brethren ...... 123

Infinity Watch ...... 59 Vixen ...... 127

Iron Fist ...... 65

1 Written by Scott Bennie, John Elliot, and David Pulver Design Development by Dale A. Donovan Edited by Caroline Spector, Steven E. Schend, and Karen S. Boomgarden Project Coordination by Steven E. Schend Cover by Jeff Butler Interior Illustrations by Mark Heike and John Statema Typography by Tracey Zamagne

TSR, Inc. POB 756 l§i=ii�Lake Geneva, WI 53147

This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written consent of TSR, Inc. and Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. Random House and its affiliate companies have worldwide distribution rights in the book trade for English language products of TSR, Inc. The names of characters used herein are fictitious and do not refer to any persons living or dead. Any descriptions including similarities to persons living or dead are merely coincidental. MARVEL SUPER HEROES and MARVEL UNIVERSE are trademarks of Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. All Marvel characters, character names, and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. and are used with permission. ©1992 Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The TSR logo is a trademark owned by TSR, Inc. Copyright ©1992 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Printed in U.S.A. ISBN 61-56076-407-4

2 ACOLVTESCF MAG'NETC

The Acolytes are a band of mutant refu­ Acolytes remained loyal to Magneto; Place of Birth: Unknown gees who stole an American space shut­ while they may have perished in the as­ Marital Status: Unrevealed tle and came to Asteroid M hoping to join teroid's apparent destruction, it is also Known Relatives: None Magneto to fight for mutant supremacy. possible they survived through the use Base of Operations: Formerly Asteroid Magneto was initially reluctant to be­ of Magneto's powers or their own. M, now unknown come involved with them. But when one Descriptions of four of the five Aco­ Past Group Affiliations: Acolytes of of the Acolytes (Ann marie) was attacked lytes are given below. The fifth Acolyte Magneto and seriously wounded by the SHIELD was a silent, cloaked woman who did not Present Group Affiliations: officers pursuing them to Asteroid M, actively participate in the Acolytes' bat­ Magneto adopted the Acolytes as his fol­ tles. Her name and powers have yet to KNOWN POWERS: lowers for their own protection. be revealed. Power Amplification: Cortezhas the Re­ Fabian Cortez, the Acolytes' leader, markable mutant ability to amplify the urged Magneto to acquire nuclear weap­ powers of another mutant, increasing ons for Asteroid M. He then persuaded FABIAN CORTEZ the power by up to 3 column shifts. If a the Acolytes to conduct a terrorist attack STATISTICS: mutant's powers are enhanced beyond on the island of Genosha. These acts their normal level, they may go out of convinced the Soviet Union and United F GD(10) control. A yellow FEAT roll against States that Magneto had to be de­ A GD(10) Psyche is needed to prevent this from stroyed. They attempted his destruction S TY(6) happening, with a further roll allowed by firing a plasma cannon at Asteroid M. E GD(10) every turn to regain control. The effects This was Fabian Cortez's real inten­ R EX(20) of the amplification are up to the Judge. tion-he wanted Magneto to die a martyr I GD(10) Examples of the effects are: a mutant to the cause of mutant supremacy at the P GD(10) with telekinesis might randomly attack hands of the superpowers. Cortez also Health: 36 everyone in the vicinity, a character with attempted to turn Magneto against the Karma: 40 an enhanced sense of smell may be X-Men, persuading him that Moira Mac­ Resources: GD(10) overwhelmed by odors, and so on. Taggert and Charles Xavier had tam­ Popularity: 0 Cortez must touch his subject to use pered with Magneto's mind during the his power. This requires a successful years that he had been a regressed in­ Fighting FEAT roll. Thus far, he has only BACKGROUND: fant under Moira's care. Cortez's treach­ affected a single person at a time and Real Name: Fabian Cortez ery was exposed by MOira, but it was too the effects have worn off within 3d10 Occupation: Mutant terrorist late for the X-Men to save Asteroid M. turns. Legal Status: Citizenship unknown, but As Asteroid M began to disintegrate, has American criminal record Ta lents: Fabian Cortez has the Medicine Cortez escaped in a stolen shuttle, vow­ and Genetics talents and is a space Identity: Known to the authorities and ing to continue to wage his terrorist cam­ X-Men shuttle Pilot. He also has Martial Arts B. paign for mutant supremacy. The other

3 Contacts: Unknown; he may be an old Ta lents: Martial Arts B, Wrestling and Pi­ ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: enemy of Wolverine. lot. Delgado can function as a crewman Like Magneto, Chrome is devoted to on a space shuttle. If Delgado is actually fighting for mutant supremacy and is will­ ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: a SHIELD agent (see below), he will pos­ ing to kill and/or die for that cause. Unlike Cortez is highly skilled at flattery and de­ sess Law Enforcement and Detective/ Magneto, Chrome has no compassion for ception. He is willing to sacrifice anyone Espionage talents. normal humans, referring to them con­ and anything (except his life) to further Contacts: Magneto and possibly temptuously as "flatscans"-that is, peo­ the cause of mutant supremacy. Cortez SHIELD. ple who show no significant mutations was instrumental in urging Magneto into when genetically scanned. a collision course with the world's great ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: Although he worships Magneto, powers and the X-Men, events which Like the other Acolytes, Delgado is a Chrome is prone to taking unauthorized culminated in the destruction of Asteroid mutant-supremacist who worships Mag­ actions in Magneto's name for what he M. He was cunning and ruthless enough neto. He is the group's powerhouse, perceives as his master's best interests, to conceive a plan in which Magneto, the slugging it out with their strongest foes. regardless of Magneto's own wishes. other Acolytes, and the X-Men would die A Harry Delgado was on the SHIELD at the hands of the United States and team sent to arrest the would-be Aco­ ANNMARIE Soviet Union. It was Cortez's hope that lytes. If he is the same person, he might their deaths would inspire other mutant have been mind-controlled or brain­ STATISTICS: supremacists to rise up against normal washed. humanity. F GD(10) CHROME A GD(10) DELGADO S TY(6) STATISTICS: E GD(10) STATISTICS: R TY(6) F GD(10) I TY(6) F EX(20) A GD(10) P TY(6) A GD(10) S TY(6) Health: 36 S RM(30) E GD(10) Karma: 18 E EX(20) R TY(6) Resources: PR(4) R TY(6) I TY(6) Popularity: 0 I TY(6) P TY(6) P TY(6) Health: 36 KNOWN POWERS: Health: 80 Karma: 18 Annmarie's exact powers are unknown. Karma: 18 Resources: PR(4) It is possible they involve brainwashing, Resources: PR(4) Popularity: 0 which could account for Delgado's Popularity: 0 change of allegiance. KNOWN POWERS: BACKGROUND: Body Tr ansformation-Others: Chrome Equipment: Real Name: Unrevealed, possibly Harry possesses Amazing power to alter the Body Armor: Annmarie wears a suit that Delgado molecular structure of a living being at a acts as Typical rank body armor vs. Occupation: Mutant freedom-fighter, touch. He can perform the following physical attacks. possibly a former SHIELD operative Power Stunts: We apon: Annmarie is armed with an as­ Legal Status: Citizen of the United • Amazing ability to increase a per­ sault rifle capable of inflicting Excellent States son's density to Amazing levels without shooting damage with a range of 7 areas Identity: Secret otherwise harming him. This had the ef­ if fired single shot; add + 1 CS damage if Place of Birth: Unknown fect of temporarily giving the recipient a 3-shot burst is fired or + 2 CS if a 10- Known Relatives: None Amazing Body Armor at the expense of a shot burst is fired. It has a 50 shot clip. Base of Operations: Asteroid M -2 CS to Agility. The effects last 1 d1 0 Ta lents: Annmarie has the Guns talent. Past Group Affi liations: Acolytes of turns. Contacts: Magneto. Magneto • Amazing rank power to turn all foes Present Group Affiliations: in a single area into immobile silver ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: statues, apparently placing them in a Annmarie is fanatically dedicated to the KNOWN POWERS: form of stasis. This ability has a range of cause of mutant rights, and willingly Growth: Delgado has the ability to grow two areas. The victims must fail an risks her life for that cause. Annmarie not only in size, but also in speed. When Amazing Intensity Endurance FEAT to considers Magneto her lord and master, he uses his Growth power, Delgado's be affected. The statue state is transitory and addresses him in worshipful tones, body increases to 16' tall, giving him + 2 in nature, and wears off after several much to his annoyance. She is steadfast CS to Strength FEAT s, including Wres­ minutes. in her loyalty to Magneto, and is willing tling and damage. He also becomes Flight: Chrome has the power to fly at to die for him. In battle she is an aggres­ faster, gaining + 1 CS to Agility and Excellent speed. sive fighter, not at all hesitant about Fighting. Because of his increased size, Ta lents: Chrome can serve as a crew­ shooting fellow mutants if they oppose he is easier to hit: attacks against him man on a space shuttle. the cause or threaten her master. get a +2 CS. Contacts: Magneto.

4 BANNER. BETTY ROSS TA LBOT

STATISTICS:

F PR(4) A TY(6) S PR(4) E TY(6) R TY(6) I TY(6) P TY(6) Health: 20 Karma: 18 Resources: TY(6) Popularity: 10

BACKGROUND: Real Name: Betty Ross Ta lbot Banner Occupation: Former nun, now emer­ gency hotline operator Identity: Publicly known Legal Status: U.S. ci tizen with no crimi­ nal record Place of Birth: Marital Status: Separated Known Relatives: Bruce Banner (hus­ band), Thaddeus E. Ross (father, de­ ceased), Karen Ross (mother, deceased), Col. Ross Ta lbot (first husband, de­ ceased), Brian Banner (father-in-law, de­ ceased), Rebecca Banner (mother-in-law, deceased) Base of Operations: Reno, Nevada Past Group Affiliations: Betty was once part of the religious sisterhood. Present Group Affiliations:

KNOWN POWERS: None

Ta lents: Though she has never under­ gone any formal training, the various high stress situations she has been placed in through her years of associa­ tion with the Hulk have given her grace under pressure. She does not rattle easi­ ly and few things will surprise her. Contacts: Betty is married to Bruce Banner, the Incredible Hulk. She can count on him to always be there for her. Rick Jones and her roommate, Marlo Chandler, can be counted among Betty's friends. Betty is just getting to know her new boss, Mrs. Maxwell and her co­ worker, Ve ronica.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: For the first time, Betty Ross Ta lbot Ban- ...... , ner is getti ng a life of her own. A life out of the shadow of her father, her first hus-

5 1 band, and their obsession: the Hulk. She father. General Ross had nothing but friendship, Marlo asked Betty to become is currently living in Reno and sharing an contempt for the unathletic, intellectual her roommate. Betty, though reluctant at apartment with Marlo Chandler. She Banner, who did not live up to the Gen­ first because Marlo had had a relation­ works as an operator for an emergency eral's vision of real manhood. He further ship with Bruce when he was Joe Fixit, hotline. resented Banner because he, a civilian, agreed. was named project supervisor for the As Betty was settling into her new construction and testing of the gamma home, Bruce showed up and tried to HISTORY: bomb. convince her to move to Pantheon's Betty Banner is the only child of Thad­ The General was further disturbed by home base with him. Though Betty turn­ deus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross and his the growing attraction between Banner ed him down by claiming she didn't want wife, Karen. Thaddeus Ross was born and his daughter, whom he hoped would an insular, closed, life where they would into a family with a proud military tradi­ marry a military officer (he got his wish in be practically prisoners, Bruce realized tion. His grandfather served heroically Betty's first husband, Colonel Glenn it was his appearance which was fright­ under General Sherman of the Union Ta lbot, now deceased). Though Ta lbot ening Betty. Bruce agreed to give her forces in the Civil War. His father be­ was Betty's first husband, Bruce was al­ more time, but vented his frustration at came a general while fighting in World ways her first love. this turn of events by flatteni ng some­ War I. Ross himself was first in his grad­ Following years of personality shifts one's car. uating class from the Military Academy and medical treatment while a victim of Betty decided she wanted a job where at West Point. A captain in World War II, MPD (Multiple Personality Disorder). she would count for something. She he had risen to the rank of major by the Bruce Banner became an integrated found this need filled by her new position end of the war. personality. Betty was not prepared for as an operator for 1-BOO-HOTLlNE, a I! was during the war in Korea that Bruce's new physical appearance, or for service where people can call in for help Ross finally rose to the rank of General. what she perceived of as the loss, in with anything from removing stains to After the Korean war, Ross's commands both mind and body, of the man she mar­ deep depression. were state-side "desk jobs," which paled ried. She found the new Bruce frighten­ Though she wants a simple life, Betty next to the glory he had experienced in ing and overwhelming. will not be allowed what she desires. The combat. She was upset, or rather furious, with tabloids have discovered where she is Karen Ross, herself the daughter of a Dr. Leonard Samson for what he had working and have hounded her. In dis­ military officer, died when Betty was in done. She did not consider the treat­ covering Bruce getting a goodnight kiss her early teens. Her father fel! his new ment a success. Things were further from her Marlo, Betty has been confront­ command was not a proper place to complicated by the fact that within hours ed by her own mixed emotions toward . of his being "cured," Betty watched as him. To her surprise, she's jealous when raise a young girl He sent Betty off to Bruce was captured by the Pantheon. Marlo kisses Bruce. Shortly thereafter, boarding school. Betty was so devoted She told Samson to stay out of her life. Betty kisses Bruce herself. Standing on to her surviving parent, that seeking his Betty is now sharing an apartment her own two feet, self-assertive, angry, attention and approval, she returned to with Marlo Chandler. The two had gotten jealous, and affectionate, Betty's long live near his command after completing to know each other while sharing a hos­ "emotional coma" seems to be ending. her education. pital waiting room as Samson attempted She is finally coming out of the shadow Betty Banner admits to falling in love to cure Bruce. Miss Chandler and Bruce of the men in her life and seems to be with her second husband Bruce Banner, Banner had been friends in Las Vegas. doing things to please herself for a at least in part, because he was so differ­ Joe Fixit, Bruce's gray Hulk persona, change. She's beginning to realized that ent from her father. Having spent her en­ and she apparently had been lovers. the changes in Bruce which have made tire life on army bases and all-girl Though Marlo might be considered "the him a healthy individual will ultimately schools, the soft-spoken, cerebral, re­ other woman," Betty confided in her and help their relationship. In much the same strained scientist was the first civilian they formed a friendship. way, the recent changes in Betty have man Betty had ever met and a great con­ In the course of their new-found made her better adjusted and will only trast to her bombastic and brash help her relationship with Bruce.

6 BISHDP

STATISTICS:

F RM(30) A EX(20) S EX(20) E RM(30) R EX(20) I GD(10) P GD(10) Health: 100 Karma: 40 Resources: PR(4) Popularity: 0

BACKGROUND: Real Name: Unknown Occupation: Enforcer Legal Status: Unknown Identity: Secret Place of Birth: Unrevealed Marital Status: Unrevealed Known Relatives: None Base of Operations: X-Men Mansion Past Group Affiliations: Xavier's School of Enforcers, X- Men Present Group Affiliations:

KNOWN POWERS: Power Absorption and Reflection: Bish­ op has the Amazing ability to absorb the damage from Energy and Force attacks directed at him, although Stun and Slam results still affect him. He cannot absorb punches, edged weapon attacks, projec­ tiles, or bullets. Unlike normal Absorp­ tion, Bishop cannot regain Health from the attack. Instead, he can redirect the absorbed energy on the same or a sub­ sequent turn: he cannot hold it longer than this. When released, the attack has the same rank and range as when it was fired at Bishop and requires an Agility FEAT to hit. He need not fire it back at the original attacker, but can choose an­ other target within range if he wishes. Once released, he cannot use that par­ ticular attack again until he absorbs it again. For instance, if Bishop is hit for Monstrous damage by a lightning bolt, he would absorb 50 points of Lightning and take 25 points of damage to his Health. Next turn, he could project a lightning bolt doing 50 points of damage, but he would have to absorb more light­ ning before he could do so again. Weakness: If two different powers (e.g., fire and lightning) attack Bishop in the same turn and he tries to absorb both, he must make a Power FEAT roll (Inten­ sity equal to the combined Intensity of the attacks) or the conflicting frequen­ cies will result in an explosion centered on Bishop, producing damage equal to the combined Intensity of the attack which affects everyone (including Bish-

7 the area where Bishop is standing. religious reverence for the X-Men of the power his teleporting ability, he escaped Equipment: twentieth century, the result of the exag­ solitary confinement, massacred the Body Armor: Bishop wears Body Armor gerated stories he grew up with. As a re­ guards, and freed the other mutant in­ which provides Excellent rank protection sult, he tends to overestimate the mates to cover his escape. Fitzroy then against physical and energy attacks. X-Men's individual fighting prowess, al­ opened a time portal into the past and Weapon: Bishop carries a blaster that ways matching their reality against the fled through it, followed by scores of mu­ fires energy bolts of Remarkable range ideal of the unbeatable, incorruptible he­ tant criminals. and damage. roes of the legends. Whether he will con­ Bishop and his lieutenants, Malcolm Restraint Cuffs: Bishop has access to at tinue to do feel this way now that he is a and Randall, pursued the escapees, and least one pair of restraint cuffs­ member of the X-Men remains to be found themselves within an iceberg bracelets of Remarkable Material seen. base. They attempted to arrest Fitzroy Strength that function as Inhibitor In battle, Bishop is quick and decisive, (whom they recognized) and his allies, Bands: -5 CS on a mutant's physical used to giving orders, and not afraid of and then return back through the portal abilities and -7 CS on all powers. Plac­ hard choices. Bishop's speech is pre­ to their future. However, they quickly dis­ ing them on an active opponent in com­ cise, with what might be a trace of En­ covered Fitzroy's portals were one-way bat requires a Grappling FEAT. Unlike glish accent: he refers to Trevor Fitzroy and that they were stranded in the past. normal Inhibitor Bands, the effects of as "young master," and uses expres­ But Bishop was not the only unwel­ Bishop's cuffs persist even after the sions such as "bloody fool," "every come guest in Fitzroy's lair. The X-Men cuffs are removed, with + 2 CS being re­ school boy knows," and "bloody stupid." were also after Fitzroy, and chose that gained per hour of rest. He sometimes swears by the X-Men, us­ moment to invade his stronghold. When Ta lents: Bishop is a superior tactician ing oaths like "in the name of Cyclops." he saw the X-Men, Bishop recognized who inspires obedience and loyalty in the heroes as his role-models from the his comrades, and who is skilled in eval­ past. However, since they didn't match uating the weak points of his opponents. up to his preconceived notions of their He has the Leadership, Guns, and Law HISTORY: nobility and power, he believed them to Bishop was born about 70 years into one Enforcement talents, and Martial Arts A be disguised minions of Fitzroy. Consid­ of Earth's alternate futures. Although de­ and E. ering such a charade close to blasphe­ tails of his timeline remain murky, Bish­ Contacts: Enforcers, X- Men. mous, he and his followers briefly op and his two companions, Malcolm battled the X-Men, allowing Fitzroy and and Randall, lived in a reality in which his allies to escape in the confusion. The ADDITIONAL NOTES: the heirs of the X-Men, known as X-Men defeated Bishop and his men, but Xavier's School of Enforcers (the XSE), before they could question him, an ex­ fight to preserve what was once the plosion separated the two groups. dream of Charles Xavier: that mutants Bishop and his lieutenants then re­ and normal humans can live together in sumed the pursuit of the outlaw mutants, peace. The greatest threat to coexist­ cornering them in a New Yo rk dance ence was the menace of evil mutants, so club. In the deadly battle which ensued, the XSE was founded to enable mutants Malcolm and Randall were slain and to pOlice their own kind (rather than be­ Bishop was badly injured. Most of the ing policed by humans or robots such as outlaws were killed during this encount­ Sentinels). For thirty years the XSE suc­ er. The wounded Bishop was on the ceeded in maintaining relative peace. point of executing the remaining mu­ Bishop volunteered to join the Enforc­ tants when the X-Men arrived on the ers at an early age and earned the em­ scene. blem of the X-Men in a lifetime of fighting In the confusion, Bishop shot at one those criminal mutants who threatened of the mutants who was attempting to kill to break this fragile peace between hu­ Storm, thereby saving her life. But the X­ man and mutantkind. The last evil mu­ Men miSinterpreted Bishop's action and tant that Bishop hunted was Lord Tr evor attacked him, allowing the last of the evil ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: Fitzroy, who had the power to create mutants to escape. Bishop is utterly devoted to what he be­ teleport portals energized by the life The X-Men soon realized their error, lieves Professor Xavier's dream and the force of his victims. Bishop and his men and Bishop recovered from his wounds X-Men stood for: a holy warrior fighting pursued Fitzroy into a labyrinth of under­ in the X-Mansion's infirmary. After a pri­ for a sacred cause. He is utterly loyal to ground tunnels, finally capturing him in a vate telepathic discussion with Profes­ his friends and comrades. But to ene­ chamber that was once the war-room of sor Xavier, Bishop was invited to join the mies of the cause-and anyone in his the X-Men. X-Men's Gold team. He accepted, be­ way-Bishop is merciless. He has a con­ While inside the chamber, Bishop wit­ coming their newest member. science and feels remorse if forced to nessed a recording which suggested the slay honorable foes, but that won't stay X-Men had been betrayed and that Pro­ his hand. This ruthless attitude is likely fessor X had been murdered by one of to be the cause of considerable friction their own members. with the other X-Men. Though shaken by this revelation, Bishop has been hardened by years of Bishop arrested Fitzroy and locked him struggle and pain, and is a wary man in solitary in the mutant prison known as with little time for humor or small talk. the Pool. But Fitzroy did not stay a cap­ The one crack in his armor is a near- tive for long. Using a rat's life force to

8 BLACKDUT

STATISTICS:

F RM(30) A RM(30) S IN(40) E IN(40) R GD(10) I EX(20) P RM(30) Health: 140 Karma: 60 Resources: GD(10) Popularity: 0

BACKGROUND: Real Name: Unknown Occupation: Hired killer Legal Status: Unrevealed, has a crimi­ nal record Identity: Secret Place of Birth: Unrevealed Marital Status: Single Known Relatives: None Base of Operations: New Yo rk Past Group Affiliations: Former partner of Deathwatch Present Group Affiliations:

KNOWN POWERS: Fangs: Blackout has mechanical fangs that do Good Edged Attack damage. Claws: Blackout has claws in place of his fingernails. Whether they are natural, or are mechanical like his fangs, is un­ known. In either case, the claws do Ex­ cellent Edged Attack damage in melee combat. Darkness Field: Blackout can leach the light out of a three-area radius, leaving it in absolute darkness in the visible light spectrum. All people unable to see in normal darkness within this area are at -3 CS to all Fighting, Agility, and Intui­ tion FEAT rolls which rely on vision. Blackout can see in his own darkness. Ta lents: Blackout is a trained killer with Wrestling, Edged Weapons (his claws and fangs only), Martial Arts A, B, C, and E. He also may have the Occult talent. Contacts: Blackout has been an ally of Deathwatch, and might still rely on him, especially in battles against the Ghost Rider.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: Blackout is one of the most vicious killers ever known, a sadistic fiend who enjoys preying upon the innocent. His

9 hatred for Dan Ketch and Ghost Rider is immense; he has devoted himself to kill­ ing Ketch and everyone close to him in a painful and gruesome manner. Blackout revels in darkness and evil to such an extent that it is debatable whether he can be called truly human.

HISTORY: Blackout's origins are as yet unrevealed. He first appeared as an assassin in the employ of Deathwatch, although their mutual enjoyment of killing made them appear more like partners than anything else. Deathwatch used Blackout as an assassin during his pursuit of three stolen canisters of bio-toxin, a poison that would have killed millions if un­ leashed on the world. It was during this killing spree that the new Ghost Rider was unleashed, and Blackout discovered that he was really Dan Ketch. Blackout battled Ghost Rider over one of the canisters, which broke and infected Blackout at the same mo­ ment that he was writhing in hellfire from attempting to bite Ghost Rider with his mechanical fangs. The resulting conflagration mutated Blackout, making him even more savage and powerful than ever, and deforming his previous visage. Blackout managed to escape, but swore vengeance against Ketch. During the initial battle against Death­ watch and Blackout, Dan Ketch's sister Barb had been badly injured. Blackout soon strode to the hospital where Barb was recovering and murdered her. This resulted in a series of battles between Ghost Rider and Blackout, and many more murders, including that of Dan Ketch's friends, Father Michael MacDonald and newspaper vendor, The­ odore Larsen. Finally, Ghost Rider confronted Black­ out, an event which culminated in Black­ out's defeat. Ghost Rider spared Blackout's life; Blackout was taken away to an asylum for the criminally insane. However, Blackout would not remain confined for long, and recently broke free to seek vengeance against the Ghost Rider anew. This may turn out to be the deadliest battle of the new Ghost Rider's brief career.

10 BRADDOCK, .JAMIE

STATISTICS:

F TY(6) A GD(10) S TY(6) E EX(20) R FB(4) I GD(10) P EX(20) Health: 42 Karma: 34 Resources: EX (20) Popularity: -10

BACKGROUND: Real Name: Jamie Braddock Occupation: Former world racing car champion, dilettante, slaver Legal Status: British citizen with a crimi­ nal record Identity: Public Place of Birth: Braddock Manor Marital Status: Single Known Relatives: Brian Braddock (brother), Betsy Braddock (sister) Base of Operations: London town­ house Past Group Affiliations: None Present Group Affiliations:

KNOWN POWERS: Reality Perception and Alteration: Jamie has the ability to see and manipulate the networks of matter and energy which un­ derlie reality. This gives him the ability to transform objects and beings with Un­ earthly ability. Jamie can generally only affect a single individual or area at once, with a maximum range of one area. Re­ cent accomplishments have included changing people into living automobiles, turning Nigel Frobisher into the Vixen, a female villain, and transforming Vixen into a silver fox. To resist transformation, a living target must make an Endurance FEAT against his power's Intensity. Ja­ mie finds individuals who are Phasing harder to affect-they get +3 CS to re­ sist his power. In addition to transforma­ tion, Jamie has performed the following Power Stunts: • Penetrate Illusions with Unearthly ability by seeing the true energy patterns through the illusion. • The ability to instantly heal up to 75 points of damage from a wound. • The limited ability to perceive and control the actions of his analogues in other parallel realities. • The ability to turn mundane objects (e.g., TV sets) into "tesseracts" which permit limited and temporary two-way in­ terdimensional travel. • The ability to reshape emotions with Remarkable ability, typically used to

11 make women fall in love with him. nearly unlimited nature make.s him h.ard lenged ruler of the roads was ...Ja mie • Resurrect the dead on a red power to defeat in battle, but as he IS emoti on­ Braddock! FEAT.So far, Jamie has only resurrect�d ally a child, he can sometimes be intimi­ In this world, Jamie's sole rival had Emma, the long-dead Braddock family dated by a hero who acts like a stern been his brother Brian, who was also a housekeeper. It is not clear whether be­ babysitter or parent. race car designer and champion driver. ings "resurrected" by Jamie are truly Knowing that he could never defeat B.r­ alive, or whether they are merely con­ ian on the highway, Jamie sabotaged hiS structs animated by his will. HISTORY: brother's masterpiece, the super car Orz Ta lents: As a former world racing cham­ 1 and the Brian of his world died in the � 1 Jamie is the older brother of Brian Brad­ � � � pion, Jamie Braddock. has a CS fl ming wreck. But when xcali ur's when driving motor vehicles. Jamie also dock (Captain Britain) and Betsy Brad­ transdimensional train rolled Into thiS al­ dock (Psylocke). He grew up to .become speaks French. . a socialite, an infamous womanizer, and ternate world, Meggan became sepa­ Contacts: Jamie Braddock IS a partner rated from her teammates and was soon of Vixen II, and also has other criminal a world-champion racing driver. But de­ in the clutches of Jamie. The rest of the spite his social success, he was always 1 contacts in slave trading and arms jealous of the warm relationship enjoyed team found the wrecked Orz in a junk­ smuggling businesses throughout Afri­ yard. Needing transport, Shad�wcat.and ca. When he was sane, he had numer­ by Brian and Betsy, his younger. brother Widget repaired it and Captain Britain ous lady friends, and contacts with t�e and sister, and was unable to find true took the wheel and automatically be­ meaning in his accomplishments. . English racing and motor industry, but In Maintaining his playboy pose, he drift­ came part of the Global Grand Prix. his current mental state he would have ed into illegal activities in Africa, trading Te levision coverage of Brian Braddock difficulty dealing with them. in human misery. Robbing from Red driving the resurrected Orz 1 drove Ja­ Cross relief missions, mass murder, mie into a rage. He had been sure. h� ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: slavery + no crime was too vile for him to had killed both car and driver, but If It Jamie Braddock's eyes perceive the net­ commit, and he soon earned a repu�a­ hadn't worked then, he'd try again. In works of matter and energy that form the tion for brutality second to none. While this reality, Braddock could use.his reali­ universe and bind everything together. ty warping powers: he was VillainOUS, operating in the African nati? n of He sees these various energy lines as a Mbangawi, Jamie was caught by ItS cy­ but somewhat more sane. This made web of string-like filaments. He knows i�­ him far more dangerous, and despite the borg ruler Joshua N'Dingi, the man high-caliber help of a lovely pair of local stinctively that he can reach out and .rlP called Doctor Crocodile. Believing that these patterns apart, twisting and tY ing police, Excalibur was on the ropes. Captain Britain might have been worki�g . them into new shapes, fulfilling his every with Jamie, Doc Croc lured the Captai n Seeking a temporary respite from bat­ desire. down to Africa to interrogate him. When tle, Shadowcat was flung through a gate­ Since he could never do this before, Captain Britain discovered the nature of way created by Widget. She found Jamie believes he is mad and this world Jamie's crimes, he was disgusted and herself back on the real Earth + in the of pliable energy matrices is .but .a felt like killing his brother. Instead, he left home of Jamie Braddock. There she dis­ dream. Because of this, he uses hiS abil­ him to Doc Croc's justice. covered the real Earth's Jamie, insane ities without any moral scruples whatso­ But Jamie was not a prisoner for long. and giggling, but seemingly aware of t.he ever. He has a child-like need for total The stress of his incarceration combined conflict occurring in the other reality. emotional gratification, and the power to with exposure to Doctor Crocodile's hal­ Guessing that the Grand Prix World's Ja­ achieve whatever he wants. lucinogenic "breath" inadvertently re­ mie was somehow being controlled or Jamie speaks in short, choppy sen­ leased his powerful latent mutant powered by the Jamie of the real Earth, tences, mingled with mad giggles and abilities. Somehow learning of Jamie's Shadowcat used psychological manipu­ laughter. He likes to loaf around hiS lation to convince Jamie he was being a power, Nigel Frobisher hire.d Gate­ apartment in nothing but his underwear, crasher's Te chnet to locate Jamie for use bad boy. When Kitty "came on like the attended by his nanny as he watches tel­ in a scheme to dominate London's un­ babysitter from heck" Jamie . stopped evision. If a weird event or familiar hero derworld. The Te chnet succeeded in doing whatever he was dOing, the (such as a member of Excalibur) catches alternate-world Jamie vanished and Ex­ freeing Jamie from Doctor Crocodile,. but his attention on the tube, he may choose not from the chains of Jamie's own mind: calibur's ordeal was over. to interfere out of boredom and curiosity; his ordeal and the emergence of his own Although Jamie stayed out of Excali­ otherwise, heroes are most likely to reality-altering powers had le� him ma? bur's way for a time, he continued t.o .re­ meet him when he is dOing a favor for After his escape from Africa, Jamie main an associate of Vixen II, providing one of his accomplices, such as Vixen. served as a partner of Nigel Frobisher Nigel Frobisher with occas.ional .assist­ Jamie thinks of other people as toys cre­ ! ance or interference, at hiS whim. He (alias Vixen II) in a scheme. to wres con­ � ated by his own imagination. If anyone trol of Vixen's criminal empire. Jamie put has ,so gotten into other mischief, in­ succeeds in opposing his whims, first he his own twist on the affair, transforming cluding turning a TV set into a tesseract will be surprised that his dream-toys are Nigel into Vixen and Vixen into a silver portal which led to the Nth Man's dimen­ getting uppity, then he'll react with the vi­ fox. sion. olent temper of a thwarted child. Although he hasn't renewed his crimi­ At present, Doc Croc, Te chnet, Excali­ Jamie's short temper, insanity, and bur, Vixen I and II, and Opul Lun Sat-yr­ ! nal career, Jamie has refused to stay out warped sense of humor make hi� neary of trouble. Shortly after Jamie was res­ nin are the only ones who are aware of as dangerous to his allies as he IS to hiS the nature of Jamie's powers. cued by TechNet, Excalibur �ncoun­ enemies. Only his short attention span tered another incarnation of Jamie when and lack of criminal ambition have lim­ they discovered an alternat.e reality ited the magnitude of the threat hi.s where the highways were dominated by powers would otherwise pose. Their the Global Grand Prix and the unchal-

12 -' . - . -: � -- . - -,- _ - :'- , . , -- -. Fl' � -ro::' - ... �)-".. . � - . , , I.--=-"'""'------"'� =------L.....__ • '"----- __�_ _ -_ � __�- ---=--:",-,��_-=-*------�'�-=-�-�_l:::::.�'-''''';''''-_�-w...... ::::__ �_

STATISTICS:

F GD(10) A RM(30) S EX(20) E EX(20) R IN(40) I EX(20) P EX(20) Health: 80 Karma: 80 Resources: IN (40) Popularity: 5

BACKGROUND: Real Name: Dr. Eli Wirtham Occupation: Physician, philanthropist, vigilante Identity: Secret Legal Status: U.S. citizen with no crimi­ nal record Place of Birth: Unrevealed Marital Status: Single Known Relatives: Josh (older brother, deceased) Base of Operations: Wirtham To wer, Midtown N.Y.C. Past Group Affiliations: None Present Group Affiliations:

KNOWN POWERS: Artificial Components/Beta Technology: Wirtham's heart has been replaced by an artificial one. Should his heart de­ velop an arrhythmia, it can be stabilized by accessing the automated mainte­ nance programs of certain machines housed at a shielded, secure and highly sophisticated laboratory on the thir­ teenth floor of Wirtham To wers. These machines interface with his heart through access ports hidden in the palm of Wirtham's left hand. Both of Wirt­ ham's arms are either bionic replace­ ments, or have a great deal of artificial material. This artificial material resem­ bles human muscle and connective tis­ sue which is fashioned from an undisclosed metal. Both the appearance of Wirtham's arms and the fact that he still has feeling in them suggests that they are not standard robotics. It is pos­ sible that Wirtham's legs or other body parts have been similarly altered. Small damage to his pseudoskin can be touched-up, but more extensive damage must be handled by his machines. Such repairs burn and take 100 rounds to set up or cool. Wirtham's body is capable of generat­ ing vast amounts of energy called Beta energy. Wirtham can release Incredible amounts of this energy through his hands but at only Feeble range (touch only). He needs his multi-purpose staff

13 , - -

___ _4 __ '__ _ �______l______

to focus his energy into a distance at­ Talents: Wirtham has the Acrobatics, ing for Stane International. When tack. Medical, and Tu mbling talents. Stane's chief executive, Justin Hammer, Body Armor: Cardiac wears a suit of Contacts: Though Spider-Man and Car­ was informed of the financial loss he had body armor the primary layer of which is diac fought side by side on one occa­ suffered, he made arrangements with made of some kind of bullet-proof cloth. sion, they would still not be considered the Rhino. When Cardiac mext entered This material provides Excellent protec­ contacts, Wirtham is a major political a Sapirdyne manufacturing plant, Rhino tion from Physical attack, Poor resist­ contributor and has government con­ was waiting for him. Rhino might have ance to energy attack, and Excellent tacts at the city (the Mayor, and at least beaten Cardiac if not for the intervention resistance to Fire and Heat-based at­ one councilwoman), State, and Federal of Spider-Man. Though Spider-Man tried tack. Cardiac's costume also incorpo­ (the Senate) levels. He counts inventor/ to stop Cardiac from destroying the rates external shock plates in the front industrialist To ny Stark among his plant, he was once again unsuccessful. and rear torso, shoulders, knees, gaunt­ friends. At the Symkarian Embassy, in a meet­ lets, and boots. These plates help to ab­ ing set up by the Silver Sable, Herschel sorb shock and diffuse inertia so that he ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: Sapir, head of Sapirdyne Chemicals, resists stuns as if he had Amazing en­ Cardiac views himself as the Hand of contracted with Spider-Man to neutralize durance. The shock absorbency of his Justice. He feels it is his role to bring to the terrorist called Cardiac. In response armor allows Cardiac to fall and take no account the immoral whose crimes are to a leak to the news media, Cardiac damage from heights of up to 45 feet protected by position or technicality. He showed up on a cargo ship leaving New provided he lands on his feet. is not concerned with what is legal. In Yo rk harbor with a large shipment of Multi-Purpose Pulse Staff: Cardiac's pri­ fact, all of Cardiac's "removal opera­ chemicals. Spider-Man was waiting for mary weapon is his multi-purpose pulse tions" to date have been illegal activities him on-board and the two battled. Unbe­ staff. As Wirtham, this staff appears as a and have come in response to some ac­ knownst to Spider-Man, Hammer had metal walking stick about 1 meter in tivity which was technically legal but stationed Boomerang aboard ship with length. A microscopic surge of Beta en­ morally wrong. orders to finish off the survivor. Seeking ergy causes it to elongate to its full 2 me­ to add two notches to his reputation, ter size. Cardiac uses this staff as a pole Boomerang attacked before the first bat­ with which he can vault 30 feet. It also tle reached a conclusion and was de­ connects him to his robotic wing, serving HISTORY: feated by Spider-Man. With Spider-Man as a bar from which Cardiac hangs as Eli Wirtham lost his older brother Josh, distracted by Boomerang, Cardiac was the wing flies. The staff's most important to a rare, incurable disease. As a result, able to get into position to deliver a blast use is as a focus for Cardiac's Beta en­ he vowed to become a healer, who to the hull of the ship, sinking it. Cardiac ergy. Using his staff, Cardiac can fire would save lives to honor his brother. escaped from the sinking vessel using blasts which cause Monstrous physical Eventually building the most powerful his remote-controlled robotic wings. or energy damage up to 3 areas away. medical and biological research empire Cardiac has since shown up to punish The staff does not produce the energy, on the East coast, Wirtham was able to Albert Brukner, who had stolen millions of but temporarily stores and amplifies the acquire an older chemical company. In dollars in an S&L fraud; Techtoy, who con­ energy channeled through it. The mate­ studying their old records he discov­ tinued to produce a dangerous electronic rial strength of Cardiac's staff is at least ered that a miracle drug had actually doll after one had maimed a child and Amazing, been developed in time to save his they had gotten off on a technicality and Robotic Win g: Cardiac can fly through brother's life, but that it had been kept their parent company Stane Internation­ the use of a remote controlled robotic off the market until the economic cli­ al, for nerve gas research they were con­ wing. Alone, this wing is capable of mate was more favorable. ducting as part of a sonic missile they reaching Remarkable air speeds (225 Realizing that his brother had died be­ were developing. After their last encount­ mph or 15 areas/ round). Its maximum cause of greed, Wirtham decided to be­ er, which took place at a Stane manufac­ speed drops to Excellent (1 50 mph or 10 come a Hand of Justice who would strike turing plant, which as it turned out was areas/round) with Cardiac in tow. ou t against those protected from punish­ illegally manufacturing munitions in a Limitation: Certain frequencies of energy ment by position or technicality. Toward populated area (the weapon itself wasn't interferewith the pacing of Wirtham's art ifi­ this end, he made considerable sacri­ illegal, but the plant's location was), Car­ cial heart. Cardiac must make an Endur­ fices to acquire powers which would diac left Spider-Man a note which read: ance FEAT versus any attack which make him more than human. He be­ One down ...a world to go. disrupts electrical equipment with greater came Cardiac, than Excellent intensity. Failure of this Cardiac first burst onto the scene with FEAT indicates Cardiac's artificial heart a series of attacks against the holdings has malfunctioned. A second Endurance of Sapirdyne Chemicals. Sapirdyne had FEAT should then be made to determine been Singled out by Cardiac because the extent of the damage with a red result they supplied chemicals vital for the indicating he is all right, a yellow meaning processing of cocaine from South Amer­ he must rest for 1-10 rounds while experi­ ica, As these chemicals had legitimate encing chest pain and short ness of breath, applications, these transactions were a green result driving Cardiac to the floor perfectly legal. On the night of Cardiac's clutching his chest for 2-20 rounds, and a first raid, Peter Parker happened to be at white result meaning he has suffered a Sapirdyne's dock-side warehouse. heart attack and requires immediate hos­ Though Peter, as Spider-Man, tried to pitalization (but more likely has to be taken stop Cardiac from destroying the ware­ to Wirtham Towers where he can access house, he was unsuccessful. his programs). Sapirdyne Chemicals was only a hold-

14 .. - � . -;;..;-, . • r':O,,' �y. -.-;' .- ,." ,." ...... ,,\.... -...c.. '.�_.u.� . -. ._�� ..- ______�-

Tyrone Johnson was a 17-year old high school student who lived in a low-income area in South Boston. He was success­ ful in his studies despite the difficulties presented by his disability, a stammer which he sometimes found impossible to control. His best friend was a school­ mate named Billy, who encouraged him in his struggles. One day, Tyrone and Billy were walking by a neighborhood store when two thieves burst out from it. A man working in the store pursued them to the doorway, only to be shot dead by one of the thieves. The thieves ran out of sight, and Billy told Tyrone they had better leave as well. Billy began to run, but just then, the police arrived and ordered him to stop. Tyrone tried to explain that Billy was innocent, but his nervous stammer prevented him from getting the words out. Billy continued to run, and the policeman, thinking he was the thief, shot and fatally wounded him. Johnson was overcome with guilt over his inability to prevent Billy's death, and also feared that the police would come after him as well. So Johnson became a runaway, and boarded a bus for New York City. Johnson arrived at Manhattan's Port Authority Bus Te rminal penniless. An­ other teenage runaway, a 16-year-old girl named Ta ndy Bowen who had grown up in Shaker Heights, Ohio, a wealthy suburb of Cleveland, arrived at Port Au­ thority about this same time. Bowen was running from her mother's emotional ne­ glect, her real father's desertion, and her own inability to accept her new stepfa­ ther or to deal with her boy friend leaving for cOllege. Johnson was about to rob Bowen when another person snatched her purse. Johnson tackled the thief and returned the purse. In reward, Bowen bought Johnson some food at a nearby restaurant and they talked about why they had become runaways. Upon leaving, the two teenagers were approached by men working for criminal pharmaceutical chemist Simon Mar­ shall. The men offered the two runaways a place to stay. Johnson knew the men's offer was spurious, but went along to protect Bowen, who accepted the invita­ tion. Marshall was working for the Maggia to develop a new synthetic addictive nar­ cotic drug which the mob hoped would be a cheaper substitute for importedher­ oin. Marshall, who experimented with the drug by injecting it into the blood­ streams of captured runaways, adminis­ tered it to Johnson and Bowen as well. All of the other runaways who had been injected with the drug died, but Johnson and Bowen somehow survived. The two

15 ------.-----,--- � -.- � . . \ I . t __ _ �_� ___� ..... _���_.___ � ___ �__ -=_ escaped their cell, and pursued by gun­ her step-father. This death was caused represent a chance to the troubled fire, were forced to dive into the river. by an overdose of the drug D'light and streets of New Yo rk City. As they attempted to swim to Manhat­ Dagger's inability to purge his body of tan, Johnson found himself engulfed in the substance. D'light was a designer total blackness. Then he saw Bowen, drug created by D'Spayre. A hybrid of CLOAK glowing with light. He went to her, and heroin and crack, it was far more power­ STATISTICS: her light dispelled the blackness. They ful and addictive than either alone. Dag­ reached the shore, where Johnson be­ ger refused to allow her grief to F GD(10) gan to feel a strange hunger. Seeing his overwhelm her, knowing D'Spayre would A GD(10) reflection in a window, he realized he only feast upon it. Instead, she turned S EX(20) now looked like a living shadow. John­ her controlled rage into a positive asset E IN(40) son and Bowen were then found by the and she and Cloak engaged D'Spayre in R TY(6) mobsters who had taken them to Mar­ combat. Seeking to weaken his oppo­ I EX(20) shall. Johnson began to swallow them nents, D'Spayre attempted to recall or P GD(10) within his blackness, now contained reclaim his own Dark and Light forms Health: 80 within the confines of a piece of discard­ from Cloak and Dagger. Though he was Karma: 36 ed cloth he was wearing as a cape. At successful in stealing Dagger's energy Resources: PR(4) this point, Bowen regained conscious­ form, which started her on a metamor­ Popularity: 3 ness and instinctively struck ou t at the phosis in which her own light over­ mobsters wi th daggers of light which she whelmed her and made her unable to BACKGROUND: projected from her fingertips. The two access her powers, Cloak's Darkform Real Name: ru naways realized that the drug had was reluctant to return to its maker. Tyrone Johnson Occupation: Vigilante transformed them into super-humanly The Dark and Light forms had been Identity: D'Spayre's ultimate contingency plan. U.S. Citizen powerful beings. Calling themselves Legal Status: Secret Cloak and Dagger, they dedicated their They had been "storage batteries" for Place of Birth: lives to using their powers to save other all the emotional tu rmoil Cloak and Dag­ South Boston, Massa­ children from being harmed by drug ger had ever su ffered. He had chosen chusetts Marital Status: Single dealers and other criminals. Johnson and Bowen because, as mu­ Known Relatives: Anna (twin sister) Though this is what happened at Bo­ tants, their lives were destined to be par­ Base of Operations: wen and Johnson's first meeting, it is by ticularly difficult. Dagger's pu re The Holy Ghost no means what should have happened. influence on the light form made it diffi­ Church, NYC Past Group Affiliations: Cloak and In their last encounter with the extra­ cu lt for D'spayre to digest. This momen­ Dagger dimensional being called D'Spayre, tary distraction was all Cloak need to Present Group Affiliations: Cloak and Dagger learned that John­ fully accept the Darkform once again son's Darkform and Bowen's Lightform and in an attempt to save Rusty Nales, were actually fragments of D'Spayre's who had been cured of her own addic­ KNOWN POWERS: own being. However, Johnson and Bo­ tion to D'light by facing her worse fears Physical Form: Since D'Spayre and the wen did have latent mutant tendencies within Cloak's Dark Dimension, su r­ Darkform, also called Predator, de­ of their own and which without D'Spay­ rounded D'Spayre in his cloak. Dagger stroyed one another, Cloak's powers re's "inspired interference," would have then used her elevated power to force have changed substantially. Not the activated upon proximity to one another, D'Spayre inside the cloak and into least of these changes is that Cloak now before Marshall's drugs could warp their Cloak's Dark Dimension. There, the in­ has a physical form. Before, Cloak ap­ natural abilities and allow D'Spayre to sane Darkform attacked its former mas­ peared as a shadow in human form, make his addition of his dark and light ter, intent on consuming him. Ultimately, though his facial featu res remained visi­ form. This would have produced a qu ite the two creatures destroyed one another ble, perhaps through an act of will on his different pair of super beings. and with them the Dark Dimension. This part. He could regain tangible human Johnson would have become Dagger, destruction of his dark form initiated a form only through a tremendous act of the creature of light with the power to fire metamorphosis in Cloak similar to the will. He also regained his tangible form light-blasts and move at su per speed, one Dagger was experiencing, but as his when he had absorbed an unusually while Bowen would have become the own shadows engulfed him, Cloak real­ great amount of "light" or when he had creature of Darkness with the ability to ized he would not live through it. Ta ndy somehow managed to master his "hun­ fire Darkbolts, called Cloak. D'Spayre al­ Bowen, unwilling to lose her friend Ty­ ger." When Cloak became tangible, he lowed Cloak and Dagger to learn a their rone, threw herself on his body in an at­ was as vulnerable as any other human true origins and even experience life in tempt to burn ou t one another's excess being. This is no longer the case, as these physical incarnations so that they energies. This attempt was ultimately Cloak's physical form is now afforded could truly feel the pain of what they had successful and the new incarnations of body armor by his Cloak. See Body Ar­ lost. Cloak and Dagger continued their war mor below. D'Spayre feeds on the pain and an­ on drugs. Animated Cloak: Cloak's cloak is now guish of others. Even the grief D'spayre Their first mission was to take out the more maneuverable and is almost an ex­ felt over the death of his servant Avanda­ last known manufacturing plant for the tension of his physical body. This grants lia, which happened at the hands of drug D'light. Though Dagger is unable to Cloak a form of the Elongation power at Mayhem while he was revealing their help those addicted to D'light, some of Good rank, allowing him to attack non­ true origins to Cloak and Dagger, served them can be helped by facing them­ adjacent foes up to 2 areas away. When only to strengthen him. Similarly, he selves in Cloak's Dark Oblivion. Cloak "punching" with his Cloak, Cloak's at­ sought to draw strength from Dagger's and Dagger have once again taken up tack damage is considered Incredible. grief and frustration over the death of residence at Holy Ghost Church and For the purposes of attempting to grap-

16 pie someone with his cloak, its Strength Pack, and the New Mutants. Cloak and is considered Unearthly to hit and Dagger, with help from Spider-Man, res­ DAGGER Amazing for damage. cued a homeless girl named Anna who STATISTICS: Te leportation: Cloak still possesses the had been taken captive and was about Unearthly ability to create an aperturein ­ to be sacrificed by a Nazi cult. Anna is F EX(20) to a dimension composed of an insub­ actually Tyrone's twin sister, but only she A EX(20) stantial, featureless, intense black is aware of the relationship. S TY(6) material of unknown nature, with no vis­ E RM(30) ual cues as to its surface, even when ADDITIONAL NOTES: R GD(10) viewed against the background of the I GD(10) Earth dimension. It is likely that this is P GD(10) the same dimension once called the Di­ Health: 76 mension of Darkness, but now without Karma: 30 the presence of the Darkform. Cloak is Resources: FB(2) also able to "teleport" himself from one Popularity: 2 point to another on Earth's surface by entering this dimension, traveling a dis­ tance, and emerging back into Earth's BACKGROUND: dimension. He can take along others as Real Name: Ta ndy Bowen he does so, or "teleport" other people or Occupation: Vigilante objects from one place to another by Identity: U.S. Citizen projecting them through the dimension. Legal Status: Secret Distances within the Ebon Void differ Place of Birth: Shaker Heights, Ohio from those on Earth: a mile on Earth Marital Status: Single Known Relatives: Melissa (mother), might be only a matter of feet in the other Philip Carlisle (stepfather), Father dimension. Cloak seems to be able to Michael Bowen (uncle) perceive the Earth dimension in some Base of Operations: matter while he is in the Vo id, as he suf­ The Holy Ghost fers no disorientation upon reemer­ Church, NYC gence even if he has "teleported" Past Group Affiliations: Ally of Cloak himself a great distance. Before the de­ Present Group Affiliations: struction of the Darkform and the Dimen­ sion of Darkness, Cloak once used this KNOWN POWERS: method of travel to transport Dagger and Solid Light Daggers: In her new incarna­ himself "half-way across the globe" us­ tion, Dagger can generate and throw ing a series of short hops. It is believed daggers of "solid light" which inflict Ex ­ the could perform similar feats traveling cellent (20) Force damage. In addition to through the Void. the physical damage to Health which Body Armor (Vacuum of the Vo id) : these daggers inflict, targets with Body Though Cloak now has a physical form Armor, force fields, or Invulnerability of and is no longer intangible, his cloak Excellent (20) or less, who are struck by will still act as Remarkable Body Armor her daggers, must make an Endurance in combat. Objects, such as bullets, no FEAT against Ex cellent Intensity stun­ longer pass harmlessly through him but ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: ning. Failure means the target falls un­ are rather drawn harmlessly around his In the past, Tyrone and Cloak were dis­ conscious for 1-100 rounds (6 seconds physical body and into the vacuum of tinctly different people. Tyrone was a to 10 minutes) and is -3CS for all the Vo id. timid, shy person with a nearly uncon­ FEATS for an additional 1-100 rounds. Former Limitation: With the temporary trollable stutter who was dependent on Success means the target is -1CS on destruction of D'Spayre and the death of his friend, Dagger. Cloak was a taller, all FEATS for the next 1-10 rounds, al­ Cloak's Darkform, Cloak no longer feels more imposing person with a deep rum­ though he remains conscious. This the constant "hunger" which compelled bling voice who was an implacable foe means Dagger can stun an opponent on him to seek out living victims and project seeking out opponents to feed upon. any colored result rather than only on a them into the Dimension of Darkness. The Darkform, or Predator, which dwelt red result as with most Force attacks. This also means Cloak is no longer de­ within Cloak was a completely merciless Her rank with her daggers is also Excel­ pendent on Dagger. By absorbing some destroyer. No longer tortured by the lent. of Dagger's "light" into the dimension of Predator, or the constant hunger which it Due to the resent change in her darkness, Cloak could satisfy his "hun­ induced, and possessing a physical powers, this systemic shock is no longer ger" for a time without having to project form, Cloak's new incarnation seems to limited to individuals who suffer the other people into the dimension. Though be almost a blending of the Tyrone and darkness of inner evil and her light dag­ Dagger can still generate light, it is no Cloak personalities. Though still very se­ gers can no longer purge a target's body longer the same "living light" which fed rious, he is perhaps not quite so somber. of foreign substances or cure the effects Cloak's hunger. It is unknown if Cloak can still separate of drug addition. Nor has Dagger dem­ Contacts: Cloak's closest contact is his from his cloak and become "just Ty­ onstrated the ability to perform of any of friend and partner, Dagger. Other allies rone" or in what way that Tyrone might her following known Power Stunts, include NYPD detectives Rebecca have been affected by the recent though all could still be possessed or "Rusty" Nales, Spider-Man, Power changes. likely be redeveloped.

17 f'--- - ··�--� --.Y T"--':'�-.",.

• �I-; UI . , ; .- :._ ..�� ..t . .. '....:�� ___

• Light Sword: Merge her daggers in- ADDITIONAL NOTES: ROLE-PLAY ING NOTES: to a single "sword" which does Remark- With the recent death of her step-father able damage and penetrates force fields Philip Carlisle, the only relative who ever and barriers of Excellent rank. loved her, Dagger has come to view • Light Punch: Channel her power di­ Cloak as her only family. No longer the rectly into a victim without a visible dis­ young innocent who arrived at the Man­ play, by touching them. hattan Port Authority Bus Te rminal, Dag­ • Te lelocation: Will her dagger, to go ger feels what she and Cloak truly to Cloak with 100% accuracy despite the represent to the streets of the troubled distance involved or if she was previous­ city of New Yo rk is a chance. ly unaware of his location. By following such daggers, she could trace Cloak's current location or the last point at which he entered the Ebon Void. • Flare s: Dagger can create a flare of Remarkable Intensity and illuminate up to 2 areas. If used as an attack, it is con­ sidered a blinding flash of Remarkable Intensity. Characters whose sense of sight is not protected at equal rank or better, and are facing the flash, are blind­ ed for 1-10 rounds. All FEATs by affected characters are at - 2CS. All characters, even those who are not facing the flash, and are within a 40' radius of Dagger, are subject to its stunning effects. They must make a successful Endurance FEAT or be stunned, unable to take any action, for 1 round. • Light-Shields : Dagger has also add­ ed the ability to surround herself in a Light-Shield. So far, this field has only shown properties of a personal force field which provides Dagger with Excel­ lent protection from physical (It has pro­ vided effective protection versus small-scale weapons fire.) and energy attacks. • Lightning Reflexes: Dagger now has the ability to dodge slower moving artil­ lery fire. Her agility should be consid­ ered Incredible for the purposes of dodging. Contacts: Dagger is Cloak's partner. Other allies include NYPD detectives Rebecca "Rusty" Nales, Spider-Man, Power Pack, Dr. Strange, Black Cat, and the New Mutants.

18 · .T� - !�I ______A". 1I �

New Yo rk City-no other city on Earth the city's finest law enforcers. During careful tactics and daring execution, has suffered as much because of the Stone's long career, he had encountered Code Blue rescued the hostages and emergence of the superhuman popula­ many supervillains, and kept wondering forced the Wrecking Crew to teleport tion. The recent history of New Yo rk City what would happen if New Yo rk City put away. has seen it transformed into a barbaric together a SWAT team with the finest Thanks to the manipulations of Loki, sword-and-sorcery city thanks to an an­ equipment available, something capa­ the Enchantress, and Ulik the Tr oll, the cient wizard, Kulan Gath. It has been ble of handling the most dangerous su­ Wrecking Crew soon returned, forcing transformed into a place out of Dante's pervillains. During an encounter with Code Blue to once again do battle Inferno, thanks to the manipulations of one of the Mighty Thor's deadliest ene­ against them. Thor and Excalibur also N'astirh; it has experienced the Dread mies, Ulik the Tro ll, Stone single­ arrived, but an enchantment that made Winter of Norse Mythology thanks to Ma­ handedly took on this deadliest of Thor's Thor appear as the Juggernaut to Excali­ lekith and Surtur; it has suffered under a adversaries, and knocked him off a bur nullified much of this advantage. major duel between Mephisto and Sa­ building with a well-placed gun shot. The During the battle, Code Blue split up to tannish, as well as uncounted assaults fall rendered Ulik unconscious, and attack the Wrecking Crew and protect from superheroes and supervillains made Stone a hero. Thor from the duped members of Excali­ alike. It has seen large sections dam­ This encounter convinced Stone that bur. The battle resulted in the capture of aged by such superpowered entities as ordinary people could battle against su­ Bulldozer, while the rest of the Wrecking the Hulk, Te rrax, and Gladiator of the pervillains effectively. Stone decided to Crew, the Enchantress, and Ulik es­ Shi'ar Imperial Guard. The most power­ see if he could place a little oil on the bu­ caped. ful figures in organized crime, such as reaucratic wheels of the New Yo rk City Since then, Code Blue has not seen the Kingpin, invariably make their Police Department,and put together an any major action, but it is certain that homes in New Yo rk City. So do many of elite force that was capable of handling they will reappear in New Yo rk City's the greatest superheroes on Earth: these enemies in a way that no ordinary hour of need. Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, Dare­ police or SWAT team could. This force devil, Thor, the Avengers, and Dr. was called Code Blue and comprised six Strange. Given that superheroes attract members: Stone, "Rigger" Ruiz, "Mad LIEUTENANT a large number of enemies who desire Dog" Rassitano, "Fireworks" Fielstein, STONE their destruction and who do not care Andrew "Jock" Jackson, and "Mother" who gets in their way, it is a wonder that Majowski. To gether, this unit would han­ STATISTICS: New Yo rk City is not a ghost town by dle threats to New Yo rk City that no one now. By all accounts, life in the New Yo rk else could manage. F RM(30) City area is not easy, and it often seems Despite station house odds of 20-1 A EX(20) that ordinary people can do nothing against their survival, Code Blue went S GD(10) against this onslaught of supervillainy. into action when the Wrecker and the E GD(10) Enter Lieutenant Marcus Stone, New Wrecking Crew were reported to have R GD(10) Yo rk City SWAT commander, truly one of taken hostages. Using a combination of

19 - ,,-- -,. � ,- -- . - .�-- "" --- -. �- _ ------__ .. . "-.._- -. -� �------.- l·

�J .______� __ _ _ �_... __ • ___" __-_� ----'--- ______"______---.. _.______

I GO(10) P TY(6) "RIGGER" RUIZ "MAD DOG" Health: 70 STATISTICS: RASSITANO Karma: 26 Resources: GO(10) F EX(20) STATISTICS: Popularity: 10 A GO(1 0) S GO(10) F EX(20) BACKGROUND: E EX(20) A EX(20) Real Name: Marcus Stone R TY(6) S GO(10) Occupation: Commander, Code Blue I GO(10) E GO(10) special police SWAT team P TY(6) R TY(6) Legal Status: United States citizen with Health: 60 I GO(10) no criminal record. Karma: 22 P TY(6) Identity: Public Resources: TY(6) Health: 60 Place of Birth: Unrevealed Popularity: 5 Karma: 22 Marital Status: Married Resources: TY(6) Known Relatives: None BACKGROUND: Popularity: 5 Base of Operations: New York City Real Name: Ruiz (first name unreveal­ Past Group Affiliations: None ed) BACKGROUND: Present Group Affiliations: Occupation: Member of Code Blue spe­ Real Name: Rassitano (first name unre­ Equipment: cial police SWAT team vealed) We apons: In battling against major su­ Legal Status: United States citizen with Occupation: Member of Code Blue spe­ pervillains, Stone has been armed with a no criminal record . cial police SWAT team modified M-1 6 (Excellent range and Identity: Public Legal Status: United States citizen with damage), as well as a grenade launcher Place of Birth: Unrevealed no criminal record . (Remarkable range, variable damage by Marital Status: Unrevealed Identity: Public grenade). He seems to prefer conven­ Known Relatives: None Place of Birth: Unrevealed tional weapons to advanced technology Base of Operations: New Yo rk City Marital Status: Unrevealed such as blasters. See the Basic Set Rule Past Group Affiliations: None Known Relatives: None Book, page 41 or the Advanced Set Play­ Present Group Affiliations: Base of Operations: New Yo rk City ers ' Book, pages 42-43 for details on ap­ Past Group Affiliations: None propriate weapons. Equipment: Present Group Affiliations: Ta lents: Stone has the Leadership tal­ We apons: In battling against major su­ ent, as well as Marksman, Martial Arts A, pervillains, Ruiz uses a special tazer unit Equipment: E, Law Enforcement, Criminology, and with a heavy chest plate. When fired, it �apons: In battling against major su­ Detective Espionage. locks onto a target and does Remark­ pervillains, Mad Dog relies on a subma­ Stone is the leader of Code Contacts: able energy damage every turn. It has a chine gun, resembling an M-1 6 Blue and has numerous contacts in the th ree-area range and is made out of Ex­ (Excellent range and damage). It is un­ NYPO, as well as with the Mighty Thor. cellent Material strength steel; when the known whether this device has special device is broken, or when Ruiz shuts it ammo; although this seems a safe as­ ADDITIONAL NOTES: down, the device ceases to function. sumption given the power levels of the Ta lents: Rigger Ruiz has the Marksman opposition that Code Blue is likely to en­ talent, as well as Wrestling, Martial Arts counter. A, E, and Law Enforcement. Ta lents: Mad Dog Rassitano has the Contacts: As a member of Code Blue, Marksman talent, as well as Martial Arts Rigger has contacts in the NYPO. A, E, and Law Enforcement skills. Contacts: As a member of Code Blue, ADDITIONAL NOTES: Mad Dog has contacts in the NYPO.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

ROLE·PLAYING NOTES: ROLE·PLAYING NOTES: Rigger Ruiz is a tough and aggressive ROLE·PLAYING NOTES: Stone is a cool customer, capable of woman. She dislikes talk, but loves Mad Dog is an extremely gung-ho police great bravery against extreme odds. Ab­ action. She is not intimidated by super­ officer. He has enormous respect for his solutely dedicated to his work, he will not villains; she is well-respected by the oth­ teammates, as well as an arsenal of hesitate to risk his life, either for his er members of Code Blue for her snappy one-liners to confound his oppo­ teammates or for innocent bystanders. toughness. sition. He is an efficient, unflappable man who knows how to perform his duty.

20 "FIREWORKS" ".JOCK" "MOTHER" FIELSTEIN .JACKSON MA.JOWSKI

STATISTICS: STATISTICS: STATISTICS:

F EX(20) F EX(20) F RM(30) A EX(20) A RM(30) A PR(4) S GD(10) S GD(10) S GD(10) E EX(20) E GD(10) E GD(10) R GD(10) R TY(6) R GD(10) I GD(10) I GD(10) I TY(6) P TY(6) P TY(6) P TY(6) Health: 70 Health: 70 Health: 54 Karma: 26 Karma: 22 Karma: 22 Resources: TY(6) Resources: TY(6) Resources: TY(6) Popularity: 5 Popularity: 5 Popularity: 5

BACKGROUND: BACKGROUND: BACKGROUND: Real Name: Fielstein (first name unre­ Real Name: Andrew Jackson Real Name: Majowski (first name unre­ vealed) Occupation: Member of Code Blue spe­ vealed) '-----" Occupation: Member of Code Blue spe­ cial police SWAT team Occupation: Member of Code Blue spe­ cial police SWAT team Legal Status: United States citizen with cial police SWAT team Legal Status: United States citizen with no criminal record. Legal Status: United States citizen with no criminal record. Identity: Public no criminal record. Identity: Public Place of Birth: Unrevealed Identity: Public Place of Birth: Unrevealed Marital Status: Unrevealed Place of Birth: Unrevealed Marital Status: Unrevealed Known Relatives: None Marital Status: Unrevealed Known Relatives:None Base of Operations: New York City Known Relatives: None Base of Operations: New Yo rk City Past Group Affiliations:None Base of Operations: New Yo rk City Past Group Affiliations: None Present Group Affiliations: Past Group Affiliations: None Present Group Affiliations: Present Group Affiliations: Equipment: Equipment: We apon: Jock is a specialist in hit-and­ Equipment: We apons: Fielstein is a demolitions spe­ run tactics. He uses a light pistol in com­ We apons: Mother Majowski does not ac­ cialist and expert. He should have ac­ bat (Good range and damage); whether company Code Blue on its combat mis­ cess to any conventional man-portable this weapon has special ammo is unre­ sions, but has been known to handle an explosive device listed in the Weapons vealed, but seems likely. automatic assault rifle (Excellent range, section of the Advanced Set Players ' Ta lents: Jock Jackson has Martial Arts Good damage) with rubber bullets in Book; his standard portable explosives A, C, and E, Law Enforcement, and Ac­ training missions. are Excellent rank fragment grenades. robatics and Tu mbling skills. Ta lents: Mother Majowski Jackson has He has not shown any weapons prefer­ Contacts: As a member of Code Blue, Law Enforcement, Marksman, Com­ ences. Jock has contacts in the NYPD. puters, and Electronics talents. Ta lents: Fielstein has Martial Arts A, E, Contacts: As a member of Code Blue, and Law Enforcement skills. His reason ADDITIONAL NOTES: Mother has contacts in the NYPD. is Remarkable when dealing with explo­ sives and demolition devices. ADDITIONAL NOTES: Contacts: As a member of Code Blue, Fireworks has contacts in the NYPD.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: Mother Majowski is handicapped and confined to a wheelchair, and does not join Code Blue on its missions. Instead he remains nearby and provides tactical analysis of information generated by Code Blue. He also helps provide com­ bat training for them, and is notorious for ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: ROLE-PLAY ING NOTES: his aggressiveness with guns on these Fireworks Fielstein is not a particularly Jock Jackson seems to be the most ami­ training exercises. Hard-boiled is a good talkative type. Of all the Code Blue mem­ able of the Code Blue members. He us­ word to describe Mother Majowski; so bers, he seems the most intimidated by es his speed and acrobatic skill to --./ far, he has yet to reveal any sentimental people who demonstrate superpowers. outmaneuver his opponents in combat. or "soft" side to his personality.

21 22 STATISTICS:

F TY(6) A TY(6) S EX(20) E RM(30) R AM (50) I RM(30) P AM(50) Health: 62 Karma: 130 Resources: UN (100) Popularity: 5

BACKGROUND: Real Name: Ta neleer Tivan Occupation: Curator Identity: Unknown to general public Legal Status: Unknown Place of Birth: Cygnus X-1 Marital Status: Widowed Known Relatives: Matani (wife), Carina (daughter, deceased) Base of Operations: The Known Uni­ verse Past Group Affiliations: Elders of the Universe Present Group Affiliations:

KNOWN POWERS: Cosmic Energy Control: Collector has the Unearthly ability to channel cosmic energy into any of his FASE abilities, '-.J thus raising them to Unearthly rank. In addition, he can use this power to ma­ nipulate electrical, gravitational, light, or magnetic energies with Unearthly ability. He may also fire force or energy bolts of Unearthly rank or Intensity. Further, his channeling grants him the Growth power at Unearthly rank, allowing him to grow to 30' in height. In this state, he is + 3CS to be hit. He may use his power rank in­ stead of Strength when performing Strength FEATs. True Invulnerability: The Collector's alien physiology provides him with Good pro­ tection from physical attacks and pro­ vides Unearthly life support. Immortality: As an Elder of the Universe, the Collector possesses an immortal body immune to cellular deterioration and impervious to conventional harm (disease, penetration wounds, etc.). Regeneration: The Collector has CL5000 regeneration abilities. He can only be killed by an attack which would disperse a major portion of his molecules across space. Precognition: Though he is prone to pre­ cognitive flashes, Collector must medi­ tate for long periods of time in order to make sense of the particulars of the vi­ sion. Sometimes his visions of the future turn out to have been events not realized

23 � -- ...' -- ...- - _4 - - ---. - -- --..-0:-, 4------

. -- - ..._------_. - --

in his own reality but in an alternate one, ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: hope was that the Brethren would lay as in the case of his vision of Thanos de­ The Collector devotes his existence to waste to Earth and its inhabitants, there­ stroying the universe. In either case, the discovery and collection of anything by allowing the Collector to claim his however, the visions are of CL10 00 ac­ which interests him. Though his involve­ prize. This elaborate ruse was appar­ curacy. ment with Earth was once thought to be ently necessary to hide his true inten­ Equipment: more accidental than purposeful, in light tions from beings such as Uatu the Before crashing his starship on Te rra's of recent developments, the converse is Watcher until his plan was well under (Earth's) moon, Collector possessed the more likely the truth. It is known that the way. finest technology from a hundred thou­ Collector has long wished to add human­ The first life-forms the Brethren en­ sand worlds-a virtually limitless arse­ ity, which he views as the most adapt­ countered on Earth's moon were an nal. He is only constrained by what he able and surprising of races, to his advanced scout team sent out by the In­ can locate in a given situation and will al­ collection. However, he recently adopted humans, the inhabitants of the Blue Ar­ ways have access to 1-4 devices of Mon­ the condition that the specimens he col­ ea Earth's moon. This team was made strous power. After his defeat at the lects must be the last of their species. To up of Karnak, Timberus, an Alpha Primi­ hands of the Brethren, the Collector's this end, he allowed the warrior race tive, and Pietro (who is also known as access to this technology is unclear, but known as the Brethren to escape his Quicksilver). It was Timberus who told regaining it might entail getting his ship prison and invade Earth. Though this at­ the Brethren that they were orbiting the back. tempt was eventually thwarted by the planet Earth. Te mporal Assimilator: One of his most Brethren and the Avenger known as Ser­ Thane Ector, the leader of the Breth­ frequently used devices was a Te mporal si, the Collector will probably try again to ren, knew of the Earth from the legends Assimilator, a hand-held device which "collect" humanity, as he sees his com­ that it was the first planet to defeat Ga­ enabled him to time travel for short tem­ pulsion for collecting as helping to main­ lactus. Not realizing that their good for­ poral distances and durations. tain the galactic balance. tunes had been carefully engineered by He also had a larger-scale time probe the Collector, Ector concluded that the which enabled him to fish for artifacts in Brethren's situation was, in fact, destiny other time periods of a world's history. and decided they should lay siege to the The state or location of either of these HISTORY: Earth, subjugate it, and make it their The absolute compulsion for collecting devices is unclear, but they may well be home planet. which now defines and consumes Ta ne­ with the remains of his ship on Te rra's The Brethren were actually a germ­ leer Tivan initially started as a benevo­ moon. based, genetically engineered race who lent attempt to preserve all life in the Starship: The Collector's starship ap­ had been created by the space gods known universe against those who peared to sustain substantial damage known as the Celestials. They were de­ would destroy it. Through these actions, when it crash landed in the Blue Area of veloped to be a system of checks and he hoped his own immortal life would be Earth's moon during the Brethren's es­ balances so that no other race could ev­ given meaning and thus also be pre­ cape from captivity. As this escape was er rise to challenge the pre-eminence of served. Now, many centuries removed actually engineered by the Collector, no the Celestials. Their niche in the grand from when he first started gathering life­ damage occurred to the life-receptacles scheme was to travel throughout the uni­ fo rms, the Collector has filled ten the Collector uses to store his speci­ verse like a disease in a healthy body. It museum-worlds with specimens and ar­ mens. Since the Collector has access to is interesting to note that the Collector tifacts from hundreds of thousands of so many worlds, this many not have sees his role of gathering up the survi­ planets. No longer concerned with pre­ been his only ship. However, if this were vors of dying species as being not dis­ serving life, the Collector is now, in his his only ship, and if it did in fact house similar to that of the Brethren's role of. own words, "about the art of collecting." rare or valuable specimens, getting it wiping planets clean of life + both main­ Nothing demonstrates the Collector's back would certainly be a priority of the tain the galactic balance. obsession more than his most recent at­ Collector's. Before the crash, this ship In the end, the Collector's plan failed tempt to add humanity to his harvest of had CL5000 warp-drive capacity. Collec­ because he underestimated his former interstellar species. tor usually kept it in hyperspace while or­ captives. The Collector had not thought Humans have a reputation throughout biting a planet and procuring the Brethren capable of creating the Un­ the universe for, among other things, specimens. Projecting from the ship into imind, the collective will of a race incar­ having been the species which first de­ real space was a small, invisible, booth­ nate. Though they had been created by feated Galactus. Though this is the stuff shaped access-portal. the same race who produced the Eter­ of whispered legend, the Collector has Battle Armor: Collector possessed a suit nals, the Brethren were considered to be long wanted to add humanity to his col­ of Monstrous material strength Battle Ar­ made of lesser stuff. The Brethren cre­ lection. In accordance with his own stip­ mor which is made of a substance called ated the Unimind and destroyed the Col­ ulation, for his collection to be Etherion. This suit enables him to fly. lector in a mass explosion. Though this "complete" the Earth's specimens Collector's only known con­ explosion scattered his atoms over a Contacts: would have to be the last of their spe­ tacts are among the other Elders of the large enough area of space that he could cies. Universe. be considered truly dead, the Collector To ward this end, the Collector allowed may be able to resurrect himself. the murderous warrior race called the Though humanity escaped him this time, ADDITIONAL NOTES: Brethren to escape from his vivarium the Collector will undoubtedly be back at and kill off that part of his collection the art of collecting at some point in the which he found redundant. He then al­ future. lowed his starship to crash-land on the Earth's moon, letting the Brethren es­ cape and seem to overpower him. His

24 STATISTICS:

F PR(4) A TY(6) S PR(4) E TY(6) R RM(30) I TY(6) P TY(6) Health: 20 Karma: 42 Resources: RM(30) Popularity: 5

BACKGROUND: Real Name: Dagny Forrester Occupation: Scientist Identity: Secret Legal Status: Remanded to her broth­ er's custody by a court order Place of Birth: Unrevealed Marital Status: Single Known Relatives: Cedric (brother) Base of Operations: Forrester Building, Soho, NY Past Group Affiliations: None Present Group Affiliations:

KNOWN POWERS: Transformed Body: Dagny Forrester has existed in three different states since be­ ginning the Corona experiments. The above statistics apply to Dagny in her human form as well as her incomplete and complete Corona forms. The statis­ tics for the hideous breakdown form in which Dagny is presently trapped are detailed below under Limitation. In her initial or incomplete Corona form, Dagny had the following powers: Energy Corona: Corona's cells produce vast quantities of energy which fuel an aura surrounding her. This aura can transmute Incredible material or less in­ to a gaseous state, thus granting her In­ credible Body Armor against such attacks. All energy, blunt, grappling, and charging attacks affect Corona normally, but the attacker may suffer up to Incredi­ ble damage from her aura. Flight: Corona's powers allow her to fly at Typical air speeds (6 areas per round or 90 mph). Energy Blasts: Corona can fire blasts of energy up to four areas away, or use them to alter the chemical state of the object she hits. For example a solid can be reduced to its molten or liquid form. Such a transformation is accompanied by the object "heating up" to melting point (1,535 degrees Celsius for iron). Corona can fire force blasts by altering the various gases in the area which sur­ round her. These blasts can be up to In­ credible Intensity.

25 In addition to all of the above powers, The willing subject of these experiments Man, but missed and struck the storage in her complete Corona form Dagny add­ was Dagny herself. These experiments tank. Moments after the last of the anti­ ed the following power: required vast amounts of water. Ignoring dote trickled down a nearby floor drain, Transmutation Power: Corona can reach safety regulations, the Forresters Corona became aglow in a blaze of en­ into the molecular structure of an object tapped directly into the city water main. ergy. Without the chemicals in the anti­ and alter its physical state, turning it They ran the water they used through a dote, Corona had undergone the from or to solid, liquid, or gas. She can purification system, but during the biological breakdown she had feared also make changes to the molecular course of one of the experiments, the and now had the appearance of a hid­ structure of matter. Both these abilities system overloaded and toxic chemicals eous monster. Though she desperately function at an Amazing level and 4 area were flushed directly back into the water wanted to take revenge on Spider-Man range. main. These chemicals caused the ail­ for his role in turning her into a monster, Limitation: Certain energy-retardant ment Soho Fever. It affected anyone liv­ she wanted to hear him confess to what chemicals can shut down Corona's aura, ing in that district who consumed large she surmised to be the truth, that Spider­ negating her powers and making her quantities of water on the day of the Man had been in league with her brother vulnerable to physical attack. Siphoning overload. The overload caused Cedric to all along. Only her fear of being captured off a great deal of Corona's energy will abort the Corona experiment when it caused her to abandon her captive. cause her to revert to a freakish form was only half finished, leaving Dagny After regaining consciousness, Spi­ which has none of Corona's powers but with a portion of her full potential powers dey hatched a plan for producing anti­ the following statistics: and in an unstable physical state. Dagny dote by teaming Harry Osborn with initially fled the Forrester Building but re­ Cedric. Spidey's theory was that Harry F A S E RIP turned later. would be able to come up with the chem­ RM RM IN IN RM TY TY When she did return, she interrupted icals Cedric needed. Meanwhile, Corona Health: 140 an interview Cedric was engaged in with had broken into the one of the labs on Karma: 42 Daily Bugle reporter Joy Mercado, who the campus of E.S.U. and was using a was accompanied by photographer Pe­ field acceleration chamber to complete In this form, Dagny's thick hide provides ter Parker. Mercado and Parker wit­ her transformation. She blasted through her with Good body armor. She also has nessed Cedric's hired goons, armed the roof of the Forrester Building intent the Lightning Speed power at Good rank with assault weapons, making their way on killing her betrayers-Cedric and (4 areas per turn). to the top of the Forrester Building. Dur­ Spider-Man. Spider-Man led Corona Contacts: Though Dagny's brother Ce­ ing the commotion, Peter changed into away so Harry and Cedric could finish dric is her closest living relative, and her his Spider-Man suit and arrived in time the antidote. After a protracted discus­ partner in their scientific research, she to stop one of the security guards, who sion, Spider-Man convinced Corona to certainly cannot trust him. The closest had negated Corona's powers with an use her powers to help produce the anti­ thing she has to a contact is Spider-Man energy-retardant foam, from physically dote. When Corona walked into the For­ who saved her from a suicide attempt abusing her. Spider-Man's intervention rester Building, however, she was struck and tried to keep her from her brother's was enough to allow Corona to obtain from behind by a power Siphoning disk, grasp while helping her to regain her lost what she had come back for-Cedric's which caused her to revert to her freak­ humanity. laptop computer. When Spider-Man ish form. Not willing to be captured, Co­ eventually caught up with Corona, she rona broke through a wall. She then ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: lied to him, saying that she had been an threw herself from the top of a building in Corona is manipulative and egotistical. unwilling participant in the experiments. an attempt to take her own life. Spider­ She originally felt that wealth and power In a second encounter with Corona, Man was able to rescue her. In one last gave one privilege, not responsibility, Spider-Man learned that the Corona ex­ burst of strength, Spidey dispatched and had no intention of using her powers periments were responsible for the Soho eleven of Cedric's hired goons and man­ for the common good. Though once, af­ Fever, which had stricken his wife aged to make a phone call before suc­ ter being relentlessly hounded by among many others. Corona told Spider­ cumbing to the fever. Spider-Man, she agreed to use her Man that Cedric had developed an anti­ Spidey was revived by a shot of anti­ powers to help the victims of the Soho dote for Soho Fever, but would not come dote administered by Harry Osborn. The Fever, she would now be unlikely to forward with it for fear of being blamed phone call he had made had been to the make any similar agreements. for the initial outbreak. Spider-Man, with Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four Corona in tow, stormed the Forrester who showed up and promised to try to building intent on getting the antidote. reverse the effects of Corona's muta­ As it turned out, Corona wanted the anti­ tions, though he admitted he hadn't had HISTORY: dote to complete her transformation. the best of luck in this area in the past. Dagny Forrester, along with her brother She claimed it would give her the power Unfortunately, for these best laid plans Cedric, composed New Yo rk's hottest to cure those ill with Soho Fever with a and Dagny, Cedric showed up with a new scientific team. Operating out of wave of her hand. As the ingredients in court order which remanded her to his their sophisticated facility at the Forres­ the antidote were quite rare, there was custody as her only living relative. The ter Building in New Yo rk's Soho district, no chance of making a second batch. news was that all charges against him these award winners engaged in a se­ Not sure if he could trust her, Spider­ had been dropped because of his quick ries of experiments designed to prove Man stayed between Corona and the an­ and decisive action in formulating an an­ that human beings could be capable of tidote's glass storage tank. Desperate tidote. Corona was last seen pleading for energy transmutation on a cellular level. for the chemicals, she fired at Spider- help while being taken away in a con­ tainment tank by Cedric and his men.

26 DARKHAWK

STATISTICS:

F TY(6) A RM(30) S RM(30) E RM(30) R PR(4) I TY(6) P EX(20) Health: 96 Karma: 30 Resources: PR(4) Popularity: 10

BACKGROUND: Real Name: Christopher Powell Occupation: High school student, cri­ mefighter Legal Status: Citizen of the United States with no criminal record, still a mi­ nor Identity: Secret Place of Birth: Queens, New Yo rk Marital Status: Single Known Relatives: Grace Powell (moth­ er), Jason and Jonathan (brothers), Michael Powell (father, deceased) Base of Operations: Queens, New Yo rk Past Group Affiliations: None Present Group Affiliations:

KNOWN POWERS: Alter Ego: Chris Powell has a mystical amulet that allows him to change be­ tween his normal form and the Darkhawk at will. In his normal form, Chris has the following stats:

F A S E RIP TY GD TY TY PR TY TY Health: 28 Karma: 14

Healing: Darkhawk can heal up to 40 points of lost Health by changing be­ tween his human and Darkhawk form. He must spend one complete round in his other form before changing back (e.g., if Darkhawk has been injured, he must spend one round in Chris's form before transforming back to Darkhawk if healing is to occur). Note that this only heals damage to the Darkhawk, not to Chris Powell. Grappling Hook: The retractable grap­ pling hook in Darkhawk's costume al­ lows him to climb at Excellent speed and can grapple surfaces up to two areas away. Darkhawk fires the hook from the right forearm of his suit with Remarkable accuracy. The hook and cable can grab small objects and entangle larger ob­ jects, including people, with a success­ ful Agility FEAT roll using Darkhawk's adjusted Agility for the roll. The hook can

27 also inflict Good (10) Edged Attack dam­ ant district attorney. He had two brothers age in melee combat. who he had to babysit a lot, but life al­ Gliding: Darkhawk can glide at Typical ways has a few problems for teens, air speed (6 areas/round) using the right? Unfortunately, life for Christopher glider wings under the arms of his Powell was about to get a lot worse. His Darkhawk armor. mother was receiving offers of-and Blast/Shield: The amulet in Darkhawk's refusing-bribes from a mobster, Phi­ chest armor can provide him with a lippe Bazin, whose case she was prose­ Darkforce blast of Remarkable Intensity cuting. His father was constantly that has a two area range, or a force working late. shield that gives him Remarkable pro­ Once, his brothers disappeared from tection against physical and energy at­ home and his charge to go to an amuse­ tacks from Darkhawk's front side only. ment park. Chris followed them, only to Darkhawk can project either a blast or a find his father taking bribes from Bazin's shield during a round, not both. men. When the mobsters discovered Enhanced Vision: Darkhawk has a Good him, Chris began to throw objects at range vision power used for targeting them to slow their pursuit. When he with his grapple-claw; this reduces dis­ picked up the strange amulet he found tances of up to four areas down to one there, Chris was transformed into area for purposes of targeting. Darkhawk. Darkhawk easily defeated Darkhawk also has Remarkable level Bazin's goons, though one died when he and range Infravision, allowing him to ran into a fuse box while carrying a live see in nearly total darkness. electrical cable with which he had in­ tended to electrocute Darkhawk. Ta lents: Darkhawk has the Blunt Weap­ Realizing that he had a chance to ons talent and the Marksman talent with atone for his father's sins, Chris began his grappling hook. to fight crime as Darkhawk. There ap­ Contacts: Darkhawk has earned the pears to be a link between the Darkhawk friendship of the Amazing Spider-Man and amulet and the homeless man, "Saint Moon Knight, and is an ally of the New Johnny," though what form the relation­ Warriors. He is also close to a mysterious ship takes is unknown as of this writing. vagabond known as "Saint Johnny." Darkhawk immediately came up against several dangerous foes in his ADDITIONAL NOTES: battles against crime. These others wanted to learn the secrets of Darkhawk and take possession of the amulet, in­ cluding the villainous Hobgoblin. Hob­ goblin, the mobster Bazin, as well as the villains To mbstone and Lodestone all tried to get the amulet from him. He bat­ tled such deadly foes such as Portal and the U-Foes, and the mysterious Savage Steel. His battles often saw him stand side-by-side with such heroes as Spider­ Man, Captain America, Daredevil, and the Punisher. More recently, one of his brothers was ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: seriously injured when a bomb that Ba­ Chris Powell is still trying to come to zin's men placed in his mother's car ex­ grips with the effects Darkhawk is hav­ ploded. His father had vanished, only to ing on his life. Chris is sometimes con­ reappear at Bazin's trial where he was fused and angry, as are most teens, and promptly kidnapped by Bazin. To mb­ Darkhawk has only complicated things. stone stole the amulet from Darkhawk's Yet, Chris refuses to give up; he has costume, leaving him unable to trans­ shown tenacity and honor in dealing with form back to Chris. He followed Bazin, his problems. Chris has decided to avoid only to crash land on an island ruled by using lethal force and unethical solu­ Venom. Darkhawk managed to defeat tions to his problems, but he has a tem­ Venom and, later, To mbstone to regain per, particularly regarding Philippe his amulet. He would not have survived Bazin. the battle for his amulet had it not been for the selfless sacrifice of Michael Po­ well. Now, Darkhawk has become one of New Yo rk's fastest-rising superheroes, HISTORY: seen often in alliance with Spider-Man Christopher's Powell's father was a New as well as the New Warriors. Yo rk police officer; his mother an assist-

28 DEATHWATCH

STATISTICS:

F RM(30) A EX(20) S RM(30) E RM(30) R EX(20) I EX(20) P AM(50) Health: 110 Karma: 90 Resources: RM(30) Popularity: 0

BACKGROUND: Real Name: Unknown Occupation: Corporate CEO, crime boss, killer Legal Status: U nrevealed Identity: Secret. Deathwatch uses the alias "Stephen Lords." Place of Birth: Unrevealed Marital Status: Single Known Relatives: None Base of Operations: Manhattan, New York Past Group Affiliations: Former partner of Blackout, current superior of Hag and Troll Present Group Affiliations:

KNOWN POWERS: Te lepathy: Deathwatch has Amazing powers of telepathy with a range of zero. He can only utilize this power by touch­ ing his intended subject. Any creatures with a non-mystical nature who are touched by this telepathy must make a yellow Psyche FEAT roll or fall uncon­ scious for 1-10 tu rns. If they fail to make a green FEAT, they will die as Death­ watch forcibly tears information from their minds. Death-Feed Field: Deathwatch gains Health from being in the same area as a dying person, 50 Health points per death, with a maximum of 250. In addi­ tion, Deathwatch can concentrate his "death sense" on deaths that occur in any area within a five-mile radius; he does not gain Health from these deaths, but gets a perverse enjoyment from them. Ta lents: Deathwatch has the Businessl Finance and Occult talents. Deathwatch also has Wrestling and Martial Arts A and E. Contacts: Deathwatch has a large fol­ lowing of ninja. Use the statistics listed for a Mercenary in Judge's Book, pg. 63, but replace the Shooting talent with Thrown Weapons and the Military talent with the Edged Weapons talent. Death­ watch has also been a partner of Black­ out.

29 ADDITIONAL NOTES:

HISTORY: Deathwatch's background is shrouded in mystery. Given his powers and his knowledge of Zarathos, the demon who is linked to the Ghost Rider, it is probable that he is actually a demon of some sort himself who is taking human form. Deathwatch first appeared as one of the many criminals challenging the King­ pin's rule of New Yo rk City's criminal ac­ tivities. He was trying to get hold of three canisters which contained a bio-toxin that, according to Deathwatch, would have immediately killed half the popula­ tion of the New Yo rk Tr i-State area, driv­ en the rest mad, and which would have eventually made its way across the Unit­ ed States on wind currents. Deathwatch, employing Blackout and a cadre of ninja as his personal assas­ sins, traced the canisters to a street gang who were hiding out at the Cypress Hills cemetery on Halloween. They failed to get the canisters, and inadver­ tently recreated the Ghost Rider, who bonded with Dan Ketch. Deathwatch continued to seek out the canisters for a mysterious "employer," using Blackout, who left a large trail of dead bodies in his wake. Deathwatch was finally foiled by the Kingpin and Ghost Rider, but was never captured or imprisoned for his acts. Deathwatch bided his time, waiting for a chance to avenge himself on Ghost Rider. Following Blackout's imprison­ ment, Deathwatch used the assassin Snowblind as his next pawn, then dis­ carded him when he was no longer needed. Next, he lured Ghost Rider to an office building, then collapsed the building on him, killing hundreds of people in the process. Ghost Rider managed to dig his way out, by which time Deathwatch had recruited two new allies, Tr oll and Hag. The final confrontation between Deathwatch and Ghost Rider occurred in Snowblind's hospital room (he was se­ verely injured in a previous encounter with the Ghost Rider). Despite Tro ll and Hag's interference and Deathwatch's own great powers, Ghost Rider formed ROLE-PLAY ING NOTES: his mystic chain into a knife and stabbed More demon than man, Deathwatch is a Deathwatch, apparently killing him. sadistic killer who feeds on death itself. Whether or not Deathwatch can return He is incapable of positive emotions or friendships, there is not a single redeem­ from his own "death" is unknown. ing feature to this cruel and pitiless crea­ ture. Deathwatch's major goals are the destruction of Ghost Rider and the pain­ ful death of all that lives. He seeks not to rule the world, but to destroy it.

30 DDMIND

STATISTICS:

F RM(30) A IN(40) S EX(20) E EX(20) R GD(10) I TY(6) P EX(20) Health: 110 Karma: 36 Resources: GD(10) Popularity: 5

BACKGROUND: Real Name: Unknown Occupation: Soldier of fortune Legal Status: Unknown Identity: Secret Place of Birth: Unknown Marital Status: Unrevealed Known Relatives: None Base of Operations: Abandoned senti­ nel base in Adirondack Mountains Past Group Affiliations: The Wild Pack, X-Force Present Group Affiliations:

KNOWN POWERS: Domino doesn't admit to having any powers, but her luck is proverbial­ those who have known her have found that things just seem to fall into place for her. Probability Control: Domino seems to be able to manipulate probability to her ad­ vantage. Any percentile roll made by the player running Domino is always read as the high die first (a roll of "3" and "8" would be a roll of 83). Equipment: Through her own and Cable's contacts with weapon suppliers such as Advanced Idea Mechanics, Domino has access to state-of-the-art military weap­ ons. Rifle: Domino often carries an advanced assault rifle of A.I.M. manufacture. A typ­ ical weapon has a range of 7 areas and inflicts Good shooting damage when sin­ gle shots are fired or + 1 CS damage when a 3-round burst is fired or + 2 CS when a 10-round burst is fired. A clip holds 50 shots. Lasso: Domino carries a Good material strength lasso which she can use to en­ tangle a single target at a range of 1 ar­ ea. Thro wing Blades: Domino carries a se­ lection of throwing blades which she can hurl with a range of 1 area, inflicting Ex­ cellent Edged Weapon damage. Ta lents: Despite her youthful appear­ ance, Domino is a veteran mercenary soldier with fifteen years' experience.

31 Her many talents include Guns, Weapon Master, Marksman, Martial Arts A and B, Thrown Weapons, Acrobatics, Military, Computers, and Pilot; other abilities may HISTORY: The early life of Domino remains cloud­ be revealed as more of her enigmatic ed. Fifteen years ago, she joined Wild background comes to light. Pack, a mercenary force led by the time­ Contacts: Domino was a former mem­ traveller Cable. She served in under­ ber of Cable's Wild Pack mercenary unit. cover wars such as the deadly rivalry Her life as a soldier of fortune has given between A.I.M. and HYDRA, and in Ca­ her contacts with groups such as ble's estimation proved the most able Advanced Idea Mechanics (A.I.M.) and member of Wild Pack. Eventually she the U.S. military. outgrew the mercenary life and left Ca­ ble behind to follow her own path. Where ADDITIONAL NOTES: it took her has yet to be revealed, but fif­ teen years later, a few months after Ca­ ble took up the job of mentor for the New Mutants, Domino returned to join him, arriving just in time to defeat the assas­ sin Deadpool. As the New Mutants began their tran­ sition into X-Force, the younger mem­ bers of the team noticed that with Domino around, Cable had become ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: much less grim and closemouthed + in Although her manner is mischievous fact, he sometimes even smiled! Domino and she loves to crack jokes in the midst easily slipped into the role of Cable's of deadly battle, Domino is one woman deputy, devil's advocate, and private who never loses her wits, cool, or tem­ confidant. She has fought with X-Force per. She is the self-proclaimed mother against numerous enemies ever since. figure of X-Force, always looking out for Recently, it was revealed that X­ the mental and physical well-being of Force's Domino is an imposter, though every member, not excepting Cable. She the team has not yet discovered this. occasionally dismisses this as "babysit­ This Domino is actually named Vanessa ting," but it is apparent she cares for her and is infiltrating Domino's position in X­ younger charges. Force for Mr. To lliver; Vanessa has had a Sometimes serious, often bantering, relationship with Deadpool, but her loy­ Domino is capable of sarcasm, harsh­ alties are shifting more toward Cable ness, or deception when she believes it and his young charges despite To lliver's necessary, but inside she has a strong and Deadpool's warnings. The real conscience and sense of right and Domino has been a prisoner of Mr. To l­ wrong. Domino has a warm, intimate re­ liver for over a year in a secluded Austri­ lationship with Cable, X-Force's leader, an base. and is the only one in whom he will fully confide. Although never judgmental, she is a good person to go to for advice or support, and is certainly the most stable and well-adjusted member of X-Force. Domino's ivory skin suggests she may be a natural albino (though if so, her black hair must be dyed, since albinos have white hair as well). Contrasting with her white face, she wears black makeup around her left eye, a look Feral and Boom Boom have derisively referred to as "Petey the Dog." Domino cultivates a deliberate air of mystery, rarely if ever talking about her­ self or her past. There is a sense about her that she is only pausing briefly with X-Force on the road to somewhere else, and might vanish at any moment as sud­ denly and mysteriously as she arrived. Apart from her obvious liking for Cable and love of adventure, Domino's true motives and desires remain enigmatic.

32 STATISTICS:

F GD(10) A GD(10) S IN(40) E EX(20) R TY(6) I TY(6) P RM(30) Health: 80 Karma: 42 Resources: PR(4) Popularity: 0

BACKGROUND: Real Name: Te rrance "Terry" Sorenson Occupation: Criminal Identity: Known to police Legal Status: U.S. Citizen Place of Birth: New Yo rk, New Yo rk Marital Status: Single Known Relatives: Dr. David Sorenson (father, deceased), Dr. Margay Sorenson (mother) Base of Operations: New York City Past Group Affiliations: None Present Group Affiliations:

KNOWN POWERS: Body Armor: Equinox's altered and con­ densed body tissue grants him Excellent (20) resistance to physical damage, and Good (1 0) resistance to energy damage. --../ Th ermodynamic Flux: Equinox's body is in a constant state of thermodynamic flux. Theoretically, his body is constantly absorbing and expelling heat in massive amounts, resulting in coruscating flame and ice over his body. While his torso is covered with flames, Equinox fires bolts of ice from his hands; the flames show that he is absorbing the heat around him to reflexively create ice. When covered in ice, he fires bolts of fire; he is expel­ ling all the heat within his body through his flame blasts. The thermal changes grant him the following powers: Flame/Ice Corona: The rippling fire and ice coverings that appear during Equi­ nox's thermal changes grant him CL10 00 resistance to firelheat and icel cold attacks. He is not resistant to the physical effects of solid ice (such as loss of traction), but normal temperatures and hot and cold energy attacks have lit­ tle effect on him. However, if attacked by Excellent or greater Intensity fire or ice simultaneously, Equinox's thermody­ namic energy erupts in a Remarkable force explosion that affects everything in Equinox's area. The flame corona melts any material in contact with it of less than Excellent Material Strength. Fire & Ice Generation: Equinox gener­ ates Remarkable Intensity fire and ice

33 with a range of two areas. The only time to see an entire wall of the house traveled toward him. The blast of fire/ice power stunts Equinox has are to use ice shatter from an explosion. Making their was spotted from a nearby apartment by to create slides and entangle foes. way to the basement, Te rry and Margay Hank and Janet Pym, a.k.a. Ye llowjack­ Equipment: found the lab engulfed in flames and et and the Wasp. Ye llowjacket rescued Shielding Suit: Equinox formerly wore a David pinned under fallen equipment, the unconscious Spider-Man from the "protective shielding suit" made of an his leg broken. Te rry rushed to help his East River, and brought him home. unknown metal. Presumably, this full­ father when unidentified energy beams Equinox soon attacked the trio at the body suit contained and controlled Equi­ erupted from damaged equipment. The apartment. The battle destroyed much nox's temperature fluxes and thus kept energy killed David and transformed Te r­ of the Pym's penthouse, and the result­ him mentally stable. The only times ry into Equinox. ing rubble and commotion caused a traf­ Equinox is capable of firing both fire and Dr. Sorenson took a leave of absence fic jam on the streets below. Ye lowjacket ice at once is while wearing this suit. The to care for her son and to search for a used his disrupter stings to blast Equi­ suit is made of Good rank material but cure for his condition. She had to recon­ nox out the window. The Thermodynam­ does not grant more protection from at­ struct David's notes and taught herself a ic Man created an ice slide to break his tacks. new physical science from the ground fall and brought the fight down to the Ta lents: None known. up. One of her early attempts to cure Te r­ street. Contacts: Though Te rry has attacked ry was the creation of his "protective As the heroes pursued Equinox and his mother on numerous occaSions, she shielding suit."But soon her money re­ continued the battle, Dr. Sorenson ar­ is still working on a cure for his condition serves ran out, and Te rry began to steal rived with her latest invention, intending and he could count on her for help if he the equipment they needed for his cure. to stop Terry's rampage. Equinox re­ were willing to accept it. The Human To rch was inspecting sponded by throwing a car at her in an Faversham's Jewelry Store when he attempt to kill her. She was pulled from ADDITIONAL NOTES: found a patch of ice that hadn't melted in its path by Spider-Man, but its gas tank the heat of the day. The To rch was blind­ exploded and the Wasp was knocked sided by an ice bolt, and his assailant es­ unconscious from the blast. caped. Fighting Equinox alone, Ye llowjacket Acting on the evidence he'd gathered, moved the fight away from the traffic and the To rch confronted Iceman, convinced his injured wife. Equinox blasted a fuel he'd been the one who robbed truck with a fire blast, and the truck ex­ Faversham's store. After a minor battle ploded. Eq uinox survived, but it ap­ between the To rch and Iceman was bro­ peared that Ye llowjacket had died in the ken up by the original X-Men, the pair explosion. ROLE-PLAY ING NOTES: teamed up to solve the mystery. Dr. Sorenson used her thermic stabi­ Equinox generally acts like a typical, Returning to the jewelry store, they ar­ lizer gun in an attempt to cure Equinox, megalomaniacal supervillain, lashing rived to see a blast demolish one wall of but the gun had no effect on him. The out forcefully at anything in his path. He the store. Entering the hole, they found heroes and the doctor went to the Baxter is in his late teens or early twenties, and its edges were hot and smooth, as if Building to use the Fantastic Four's lab­ he is becoming insane. His speech pat­ someone had melted through the wall. In oratory to attempt to discover a better terns frequently switch from a sophisti­ the darkened store, the two heroes were cure for Equinox. cated ad ult to a slang-using teenager. simultaneously hit by bolts of fire and ice Spider-Man managed to jury-rig Dr. Early in his career as Equinox, Te rry sim­ fired by Equinox. Sorenson's gun with a harness to in­ ply wanted to be cured of his condition. As Equinox attempted to flee with a crease the effectiveness of the thermic His constant changes affected his mind, package of stolen goods, Iceman felled stabilizing energy. Equinox attacked the and he became cruel, vindictive, and him with an ice blast that tore his protect­ lab (with no resistance from the disabled generally hostile. Any frustrations are at­ ive suit. Apparently, the suit regulated security systems) and was on the verge tacked with ferocity, including his moth­ Te rry's temperature changes and the of defeating Spider-Man when Ye llow­ er's attempts to cure him. tear canceled this property of the suit. As jacket appeared. his temperature Changes returned, the Yellowjacket's "death" and reappear­ changes caused him to become more ance caused the Wasp to produce HISTORY: aggressive and hostile. adrenalin, the final ingredient needed to Equinox was born Te rrance "Terry" Equinox managed to escape with his complete some adaptations Ye llowjack­ Sorenson, the son of Drs. David and package, but the two heroes caught up et had made to her powers. These Margay Sorenson. While Te rry grew up, with him later. Simultaneously firing events triggered her increased powers, his mother became a famous figure in blasts of ice and fire, Iceman and To rch a birthday present from her husband, the natural science division at Brad Col­ hit Equinox "at the precise moment of and she used her more powerful lege in New Yo rk. His father, however, his molecular change."This temporarily "wasp's sting" to nearly knock out Equi­ did not gain the same fame his wife did, halted Equinox's internal fluctuations, nox. Yellowjacket placed the stabilizer due to his unconventional theories on and his stored excess energy caused an harness on the stunned Equinox, which thermodynamics. He began taking out explosion. All that remained was a crater temporarily neutralized his powers. his frustrations on his wife, physically in the street leading to the sewers. Equi­ Equinox was last seen being taken to abusing her. Margay soon left her hus­ nox was presumed dead, but he had ac­ police headquarters by the Pyms and his band and son to escape the abuse. tually escaped through the sewers to mother. It has been a number of years in David began drinking in his basement safety. Marvel time since he has been seen, lab, its confines filled with makeshift Months later, Spider-Man was at­ cured or not. Equinox's current condition computers and jury-rigged systems to tacked over the Queensborough Bridge and whereabouts are unknown. test his theories. Margay returned in by a blast of fire that changed to ice as it

34 FERAL

STATISTICS:

F RM(30) A IN(40) S RM(30) E RM(30) R TY(6) I EX(20) P RM(30) Health: 130 Karma: 56 Resources: PR(4) Popularity: - 5

BACKGROUND: Real Name: Maria Occupation: Former Morlock Legal Status: American citizen Identity: Secret Place of Birth: Probably New Yo rk City Marital Status: Single Known Relatives: Thornn (older sister, real name Lucia) Base of Operations: Abandoned Senti­ nel base in the Adirondack Mountains Past Group Affiliations: Morlocks, X­ Force Present Group Affiliations:

KNOWN POWERS: Feral's powers stem from her mutant fe­ line body which gives her catlike agility, animalistic sensory perceptions, and su­ perior fighting instincts. Claws and Te eth: Her claws are made of Good material, and inflict Good Edged Weapon damage. If Feral's arms were restrained, she could still use her fangs to bite for Typical damage. Her claws al­ so enable her to climb trees or cliffs with ease. Enhanced Senses: Feral has animal­ level sensory perceptions, giving her Amazing sight, hearing, and sense of smell. Night Vision: Feral has the catlike ability to see clearly in anything but total dark­ ness. Leaping: She can leap with Incredible (40) ability. Prehensile Ta il: Feral can grapple an ob­ ject or opponent with her tail at Good Strength. Tr acking Ability: Feral has Incredible tracking ability. Ta lents: Feral is skilled in Acrobatics and, like the proverbial cat, she always lands on her feet, giving her the Tu m­ bling talent. She's also practiced in Wrestling. Contacts: Besides X-Force, Feral has relatives and contacts among the Morlocks (possibly even some who don't want to kill her).

35 ADDITIONAL NOTES: Morlocks, outcast mutants living in the tunnels under New Yo rk city. Since she was a baby, Feral was pushed around by her sister Thornn, who carried a grudge against her. Her early years were an endless nightmare of running and hiding from her sister mixed with the harsh day­ to-day realities of survival as an outcast mutant. Her entire life has been a con­ stant fight for survival on the most basic level. Feral survived the Mutant Massacre which was perpetrated by Mr. Sinister's Marauders and the ouster of Callisto by the malevolent Masque. But when Masque attempted to form an army of mutant morlocks to attack the surface ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: dwellers, Feral demurred, believing this Feral's nature is similar to a house cat: was as king for suicide. When she when she's relaxed, Feral is playful and refused to join Masque's "army," Feral eager for affection and �pp�oval , but was marked for death by the Morlock she's also capable of haIr-trigger VIO­ leader. lence when rubbed the wrong way. She fled to X-Force seeking allies In battie, it seems likely that her prime­ against the pursuing Morlocks. Arriving val mammal brain becomes dominant; the same day as Warpath and Shatter­ Feral begins to operate totally on in­ star, she spied on X-Force and decided stinct, thinking of opponents as prey and she liked their style. Seeing how Cable imagining them as animals to be hunted accepted Wa rpath, she made a similar rather than real people. pitch for adoption into their "family." In She has a slight inferiority complex as return for X-Force protecting her from a result of being tormented and forced to the Morlocks, she would to join Cable's hide from her older sister Thornn. She is war. Cable agreed, and she became a eager to prove to herself that she isn't a member of X-Force. coward. As a result, Feral is the consum­ Feral's first mission took her against mate berserker, lacking any of Wolver­ the Mutant Liberation Force, where she ine's civilizing Samurai code. She won't � inflicted serious injury on Stryfe and oth­ always try to kill her enemies, bu has a er MLF members before being reigned­ bloodthirsty sense of humor and IS fond in by Cable. Soon after, she found of nasty moves like ripping out her foe's herself battling Harness and Piecemeal, tongue ("Cat got your tongue?") with Juggernaut and Black To m Cassidy. The her claws. In a "friendly game" of tag constant fighting and Cable's attempt to between her and Shatterstar, she nearly restrain her bloodlust finally resulted in disemboweled her teammate Cannon­ Feral snapping: she eviscerated Can­ ball when he tried to calm her down. nonball during routine training maneu­ Sam should have know better + as any­ vers. Although Cable was inclined to one who has interfered in a cat-fight forgive and forget, this led to increasing knows, this is a sure way to get tensions between herself and the rest of scratched! the team, especially Boom-Boom. . OutSide of battle, Feral likes to sneak When the Morlocks teamed up WIth around, watching her teammates, and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Feral flirting with any handsome male heroes faced her sister Thornn in what she who share her taste in mayhem, espe­ hoped would be a chance to pay her cially Shatterstar (who she affectionately back for her childhood torments. In­ refers to by derivative nicknames such stead, Thornn defeated her once again as "Shaggybuns"). Unlike many mu­ before Feral and X-Force defeated the tants Feral seems to revel in her inhu­ ' Morlock/Brotherhood alliance by killing man nature and appearance: she's Sauron and Masque. Thornn was sent proud of her looks and powers, and is back to the Morlocks in defeat, and they fond of idioms like "in the fur" and "to pledged not to attack �-Force ag�in. the bone" that emphasize her feline na­ Humiliated by her sIster and dIstrust­ ture. ed by her fellow teammates, Feral's life just doesn't seem to be coming together very well. Her savage temper has driven HISTORY: a wedge between her and her com­ Feral is a former member of the rades, and her time with the team may be short indeed.

36 FIREBRAND II

STATISTICS:

F GD(10) A TY(6) S AM(50) E TY(6) R TY(6) I TY(6) P TY(6) Health: 72 Karma: 18 Resources: TY(6) Popularity: - 5

BACKGROUND: Real Name: Broxtel (last name) Occupation: Former Stark International custodian turned enforcer for crime­ boss Philippe Bazin Identity: Secret Legal Status: Criminal, serving time in jail Place of Birth: Unrevealed Marital Status: Unrevealed Known Relatives: None Base of Operations: New Yo rk City Past Group Affiliations: Bazin Crime Family Present Group Affiliations:

KNOWN POWERS: All of Broxtel's superhuman powers are derived from the Firebrand costume he wears.

Equipment: Body Armor: Firebrand's costume pro­ vides him with Remarkable protection versus physical attack, Good resistance to energy attacks, and Monstrous resist­ ance to heat and fire. Exoskeleton: Micro-circuited servo­ motors with in his costume increase Broxtel's Strength to the level in the above statistics. Without his armor, Broxtel's Strength drops to Good, with appropriate reduction of Health. Pyronic Abilities: Firebrand's primary weapons are his wrist mounted flame projectors. Fired independently, each of these units can project a chemical flame of Monstrous Intensity. (Attacking sepa­ rate targets in the same round is consid­ ered multiple combat actions and would require a yellow result on a pre-action Agility FEAT. If successful, both attacks are made at -1 CS. Failure indicates on­ ly one attack can be made at - 3CS). Both throwers fired in concert increases the flames' Intensity to Unearthly (as this attack is made against a single target, it is not considered a multiple combat action). A network of smaller projectors located throughout his suit allows Fire­ brand to emit fire from any portion of his

37 costume. By igniting his entire costume HISTORY: at once Firebrand can create a heat At one time Broxtel was a member of the blast of Amazing Intensity which affects custodial staff of one of Stark Interna­ all characters in a one area range. This tional's think tanks. Wo rking nights, and projected heat causes discomfort and all beneath the notice of the professional FEATs in the affected area are at -1CS. personnel, Broxtel was able to access Flight: Firebrand flies by means of ther­ the S.1. computer files and stole the mal jet devices in his boots. plans for the Firebrand armor. It has yet Limitation: Should Firebrand be hit with to be revealed who actually constructed a flame-based attack in excess of Mon­ this suit of Firebrand armor for Broxtel, strous Intensity there is a 50% chance of but it would likely have been a contract his costume shorting-out. Should this job of Justin Hammer's organization or happen, Firebrand loses all his powers the Tinkerer. It is also unclear who fi­ until his suit can be repaired. nanced its construction, but it may have Ta lents: Broxtel possesses petty crimi­ been crime-boss Philippe Bazin, who nal skills including extortion. hired Broxtel to work as an extortionist in Contacts: Any contacts he had with Phi­ his crime family. One of Broxtel's first as­ lippe Bazin or his criminal organization signments was to extort money from the would have been irreparably damaged city official who ran the homeless shelter when it was discovered he was skim­ in the Poseidon Hotel, a man named ming his collections. Munson. The hotel was in Bazin's territo­ ry and even the city can't operate there ADDITIONAL NOTES : without paying their dues to the crime­ lord. Munson paid the money to Broxtel as ordered but Broxtel never turned it over to Bazin. Thinking Munson had refused to pay, Bazin ordered Broxtel to make an example of him. Broxtel decid­ ed to carry out these orders on the night which the Daily Bugle was sponsoring a charity ball at the Poseidon. Wearing his Firebrand armor for the first time, Brox­ tel killed Munson (conveniently covering his own tracks) and set fire to the hotel. Most of the people attending the fund raiser escaped, but the staff of the Daily Bugle, who were on stage when the fire broke out, and a few other guests were trapped inside the inferno. Luckily the Bugle staff kept their wits about them and pulled together long enough for our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man to re­ turn from the bowels of the building, along with a super-humanly strong Morlock named Ent, and rescue them. Meanwhile, outside the hotel, Firebrand ROLE-PLAYING NOTES : was engaged in battle with the superhu­ Broxtel proves the old axiom, there is no man adventurers, Cloak and Dagger. honor among thieves. He stole the plans Eventually, Cloak and Dagger decided to for the Firebrand armor he wears while allow Firebrand to escape with his ex­ working as a janitor at Stark Internation­ torted money and concentrate their ef­ al. He then used the armor to extort forts on aiding the victims of the fire. Just money from a city official on behalf of as Firebrand was about to make good crime-boss Philippe Bazin, after which his escape, however, Spider-Man en­ he tried to steal the money he had extort­ tered the fray. In a tactic which displayed ed. Broxtel is intent on making a name both cunning and agility, Spider-Man for himself as the new Firebrand and is caused Firebrand to turn both his chemi­ willing to kill to do it. Though he seems to cal flame projectors on himself, shorting enjoy using his powers and feels his cos­ out his costume and rendering him com­ tume worth the investment, he views su­ pletely helpless. Firebrand is currently in perhuman powers as a means to an end, police custody. a shortcut to success. He feels money is the measure of true power and greed is his major motivation.

38 FDRCE DF NATURE

Project: Earth is a group of radical envi­ lease. It seems likely the world has not KNOWN POWERS: ronmentalists dedicated to the protec­ seen the last of them. Wa ter Control Aqueduct has the Incredi­ tion of the world's ecosystem through ble ability to control and shape water violence and deceit. To help them and other liquids, such as oil, and can achieve this goal, Project: Earth hired ACiUEDUCT manipulate tens of thousands of gallons four super-powered malcontents and STATISTICS: at a time. He has a range of 4 areas and formed them into Force of Nature, de­ has mastered the following Power fenders of the Earth. F TY(6) Stunts: • Although none of the villains had any A GD(10) Direct a firehose-like jet of water personal interest in saving the planet, S TY(6) with a range of 1 area that does Incre­ they were all eager to join Project: E GD(10) dibleBlunt damage. Earth's terrorist strike force. Project: R TY(6) • Create monsters or humanoid ser­ Earth gave them the chance to beat up I TY(6) vants of Amazing Health and abilities out people and destroy property for money, P TY(6) of water or oil (this requires about 5 gal­ while appearing to be noble heroes. Health: 32 lons of liquid per point of Health). • Their names reflect their lack of ecologi­ Karma: 18 Suck moisture out of a victim, re­ cal consciousness: Aqueduct, Te rrafor­ Resources: GD(10) ducing him to a dehydrated husk. This does Good damage each turn to living mer, Skybreaker-all symbolize man's Popularity: - 10 molding and destruction of elemental beings and has a range of two areas. forces, rather than an attempt to live in The victim gets an Endurance FEAT harmony with nature. BACKGROUND: each turn against the Intensity of the at­ When the New Warriors began investi­ Real Name: Peter van Zante tack to avoid taking damage. Aqueduct gating Project: Earth, Force of Nature Occupation: Former soldier, now a crim­ must concentrate continuously to use was assigned to capture them. While the inal mercenary this power. Legal Status: American citizen with Force's initial ambush was successful, • Create boxing-gloves of solidified this band of third-rate villains proved to criminal record water that allow him to punch with +2 be no match for the New Warriors in Other Known Aliases: Water Wizard CS to Strength. Identity: Secret open battle. Project: Earth was discredit­ • Flight on a surfboard made of water ed, and three of Force of Nature's mem­ Place of Birth: Chicago, Illinois at Remarkable speed. He will often use bers were captured and turned over to Marital Status: Single his speed to make Charging attacks. Known Relatives: None the Brazilian authorities, and one­ Ta lents: Aqueduct received standard Te rraformer-Iost his corporeal body. Base of Operations: Mobile military training before serving in Viet­ Past Group Affiliations: One-time oper­ But despite their defeat, Force of Nature ative of Enforcer, Moondark and Justin nam. were more successful as a group than Contacts: Aside from Project: Earth, Aq­ they had been as individuals, and Pro­ Hammer; member of Force of Nature ueduct has numerous criminal contacts ject: Earth soon arranged for their re- Present Group Affiliations: on the West Coast and in the Midwest.

39 ADDITIONAL NOTES: put an end to the Saudi Arabian scheme, Skybreaker has mastered the following but as van Zante was being extradited to Power Stunts: America, he was freed from custody by • Generate winds of Incredible the criminal mastermind Justin Hammer. Strength. Hammer wanted van Zante to be part of • Use air as a distance weapon, a raid on one of Iron Man's installations. smashing targets with Incredible Blunt Van Zante had little stomach for fighting damage and range, although the dam­ /ron Man, and he fled during the battle, age is stopped automatically by any kind much to Hammer's displeasure. of force field. Water Wizard returned to the United • Flight at Incredible speed , leaving a ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: A habitual criminal, Aqueduct is a States and lay low for some time to avoid misty vapor trail. greedy mercenary who enjoys causing both Hammer and the law. He consid­ • Remove the air from a person's lungs to do Good damage each turn to pain and destruction, often laughing and ered a return to crime, but barely es­ joking as he does so. However, he also caped death at the hands of the air-breathi ng beings. The victim gets an has a keen sense of self-preservation, criminal-killer Scourge. This encounter Endurance FEAT to resist; if he fails, he and is not above running from a fight or left him shaken enough that he surren­ loses his next turn (he's choking). If he dered to Captain America. gets a green result, he takes the damage even cooperating with superheroes or but can still act. If he gets the law if it will keep his skin intact. When he got out of jail, Water Wizard a yellow or red was recruited by Project: Earth, taking result, he takes no damage. Skybreaker the new name Aqueduct. Perhaps recall­ must concentrate continuously to inflict ing his previous attacks on oil compan­ this damage. HISTORY: ies, he has settled happily into his new Ta lents: Bilingual (English and Tilan). As an American soldier fighting in Viet­ role as an ecological terrorist. Contacts: Skybreaker has contacts with nam, Peter van Zante was badly wound­ Project: Earth and among the Inhumans. ed by a North Vietnamese rocket attack. SKYBREAKER He was evacuated to a hospital ship ADDITIONAL NOTES: where he was placed in an experimental STATISTICS: life support unit. While he lay in the life support system, a violent storm raged F GO(1 0) around the vessel. The ship was struck EX(20) by lightning, and the power surge inter­ A S EX(20) acted with his metabolism, healing his RM(30) wounds, and also giving him the ability E R GO(1 0) to mentally control water. I GO(10) After years of covert practice, van P GO(10) Zante was approached by a criminal 80 named the Mole who convinced him to Health: ROLE-PLAY ING NOTES: Karma: 30 become his partner on the West Coast. Skybreaker is relaxed in battle, prefer­ GO (10) Van Zante took the name Water Wizard, Resources: ring to act as if his enemies are beneath -10 and made his reputation with a success­ Popularity: his notice. He uses his power invisibly at ful million-dollar robbery. a distance instead of engaging in brutal He was soon was contacted by the BACKGROUND: slugfests. His speech is refined, but Sky­ L.A. crime boss known as the Enforcer, Real Name: Aireo breaker's manner is arrogant and insult­ who embroiled him in a feud with Johnny Occupation: Former perimeter patrol­ ing. He prefers to be called "master." He Blaze, the first Ghost Rider. After a se­ man of Attilan; former revolutionary, now revels in the destruction of human lives ries of defeats by Ghost Rider, and some criminal mercenary and property. Although an Inhuman, he small-time crime, Water Wizard ditched Legal Status: Renegade citizen of Atti­ has contempt for their royal family, the Enforcer and fled to Chicago, where Ian whom he considers stupid and he joined the sorcerer Moondark in an­ Identity: Existence not generally known weak + almost as bad as the despised other futile attack against Ghost Rider. to the people of Earth humans! This time, Water Wizard was so seri­ Place of Birth: Attilan Island, North At­ ously burned by the Ghost Rider's mys­ lantic Ocean tic fires that he went into shock and was Marital Status: Single Known Relatives: None HISTORY: placed in a mental institution. Aireo underwent exposure to the Te rri­ Ironically, it was Ghost Rider who Base of Operations: Mobile Past Group Affiliations: Inhumans, gen mists soon after birth, giving him his freed him, in return for van Zante's superhuman powers. Initially, these con­ promise to help a town ravaged by Force of Nature Present Group Affiliations: sisted only of the ability to fly, but over drought. He helped Ghost Rider, but was the years his powers have increased. then kidnapped by Arabian criminals, As an ad ult, Ai reo's flight powers en­ KNOWN POWERS: who wanted him to attack rival oil com­ abled him to take on the prestigious job panies. By this time, Water Wizard had Air Control: Skybreaker possesses the Incredible ability to control air and gen­ of perimeter patrolman for Attilan. How­ discovered he could manipulate other ever, he betrayed those who trusted him erate winds. Skybreaker's winds and liquids than water, and he used his and joined the rebel Maximus in the other attacks do not appear to emanate powers to create huge monsters out of coup and civil war that gave Maximus from him, allowing him to attack without oil to terrorize his victims. control of Attilan. The Arabian Knight and Ghost Rider giving away his position.

40 [ FORCE OF NATURE

After Maximus was defeated, Aireo microwave-based attack, or is reduced joined him in exile, supporting Maximus to 0 Endurance by such an attack, he FIREWALL

-.../ during one of his further attempts to dis­ can no longer maintain humanoid form STATISTICS: rupt Black Bolt's rule. Since Maximus's and collapses into a harmless plant-form last defeat, Aireo has nursed his hatred for 1d10 days. F TY(6) for the current royal family and avoided Ta lents: None known. A EX(20) any further contact with his fellow Inhu­ Contacts: Project: Earth. Whether or S TY(6) mans. Although he does not enjoy the not Te rraformer retains any contact with E GO(10) company of normal humans, he decided the Plant Man is unknown. R TY(6) to accept Project: Earth's offer and join I GO(10) Force of Nature. After all, he had no­ ADDITIONAL NOTES: P GO(10) where else to go ... Health: 42 Karma: 26 TERRAFORMER Resources: TY(6) Popularity: 0 STATISTICS: BACKGROUND: F GO(10) Real Name: Min Li Ng A TY(6) Occupation: Mercenary villain S GO(10) Legal Status: Cambodian citizen E EX(20) Identity: Secret R PR(4) Place of Birth: Cambodia I TY(6) Marital Status: Unknown P TY(6) Known Relatives: None Health: 46 Base of Operations: Mobile Karma: 16 Past Group Affiliations: Force of Na­ Resources: PR (4) ture, the Folding Circle Popularity: -10 Present Group Affiliations:

BACKGROUND: KNOWN POWERS: Real Name: Unknown Fire-Generation: Firewall possesses Re­ Occupation: Mercenary super-villain markable rank Fire Generation enabling Legal Status: her to set fire to targets, inflicting Re­ Identity: Secret markable energy damage at Power Place of Birth: Unknown Rank range. She has also mastered the Marital Status: Single following Power Stunts: Known Relatives: Samuel Smithers, • Maintain a flaming shield around (Plant Man), his creator her that melts normal bullets fired Base of Operations: Mobile against her (Excellent rank Body Armor Past Group Affiliations: Force of Na­ vs. bullets and projectiles). ture • Project heat at Excellent rank range ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: Present Group Affiliations: around her that causes discomfort and a Te rraformer is contemptuous of humans, - 1 CS on all FEATS in the area of effect. even his fellow members of Force of Na­ • Flight at Good speed. KNOWN POWERS: ture. He has no sense of humor and Te rraformer is a being of sentient vege­ • Radiate fire over an entire area, in­ takes any jokes literally. He sometimes tation created by the Plant Man. flicting Excellent energy damage to ev­ uses the name "Sam," probably in com­ Plant Body: As a being of animated veg­ eryone in the area and adjacent areas memoration or mockery of his creator. etation, Te rraformer does not need to except herself. eat, existing quite happily on water and Ta lents: Firewall is bilingual (English sunlight. He can assume humanoid or and Cambodian). She has no other plant-form. HISTORY: known talents. Plant Control: Te rraformer has the Re­ According to Omar Barrenos, Te rrafor­ Contacts: Her only known contacts are markable ability to psionically control mer was a vegetable being who was ani­ Project: Earth and the Folding Circle. plants. He has mastered these power mated by the Plant Man's gun. Why he stunts: attained free-will and the other creations ADDITIONAL NOTES: • Animating vines with Remarkable of the Plant Man did not is a mystery. It rank Agility which can act as entangling may be that Barrenos is mistaken about or choking ropes with Remarkable Mate­ Te rraformer's origin, and that he is actu­ rial Strength. ally related to the Hythri plant creatures. • Command trees to move and attack Te rraformer was recruited by Project: with Remarkable Health, Strength and Earth for Force of Nature for their Ama­ ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: Body Armor. zon operation. While battling Firestar, he Firewall is calm, ruthless, and self­ Limitations: Te rraformer's body is dehy­ was struck by her microwave blast and assured. As a result of her experiences drated by microwave attacks. If he suf­ dehydrated. When last seen, he had re­ in Cambodia, she has little liking for fers a Stun or Kill result from a verted to an inanimate plant form. Americans, referring to them as pigs.

41 Much of her history remains an enigma ADDITIONAL NOTES: Hong Kong venture capitalist and the even to herself, and she is curious about money behind the operation; Sasha who she is and where she came from. Ya mir, an Israeli political scientist; Michael Shauneghann, a military strate­ gist; and Madeline Naylor Baldwin (mother of the hero Speedball), a fa­ HISTORY: mous American actress. With their help, During the Vietnam War, the American he assembled Force of Nature to act as military mounted an attack on Viet Cong Project: Earth's personal super-team. base in Cambodia using an experimen­ In a recent operation against devel­ tal napalm compound. Min Li Ng was opers in the Amazon rain forest, Omar caught in the attack, the effects of which had Project: Earth's inner circle fake radically altered her body, giving her their own kidnapping by pro­ super-powers. She took the name Fire­ development forces in order to discredit wall and joined Force of Nature, working the Amazon developers and drum up as field operative. sympathy for their cause. But the New After her first operation with Force of Warriors arrived to investigate the disap­ Nature, Firewall was recruited by a su­ pearance of Madeline and were cap­ pervillain group known as the Folding tured by Force of Nature. Omar tried to Circle. When the Circle offered to help persuade the New Warriors to join forces her discover her past, she left Project: with him, but they remained unswayed Earth to join them. by his rhetoric. When he failed to con­ vince them, Force of Nature began at­ CMAR tacking the developers anyway, and the New Warriors quickly defeated them. BARRENCS To salvage the situation, Omar decid­ ed to kill Madeline Baldwin himself, hop­ STATISTICS: ing to make it look like one of the developer's guards had done it. His plan F TY(6) was to create a martyr for "mother A TY(6) earth." Speedball saved Madeline's life, S TY(6) ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: but Omar and the remaining chief ad­ E TY(6) Omar Barrenos is an example of a man ministrators of Project: Earth were able R GD(10) driven to villainy through fanatical dedi­ to escape into the jungle during the con­ I GD(10) cation to a worthy cause. He is commit­ fusion. P TY(6) ted to the goal of saving the planet's Unbroken by defeat, Omar returned to Health: 18 environment at any cost. So far, Omar Switzerland to plan Project: Earth's next Karma: 22 has been primarily focused on the threat operation. Resources: RM(30) posed to the Amazon rain forest by de­ Popularity: 5 velopers, but his organization is also in­ volved in other environmental issues. He BACKGROUND: has convinced himself that murder, Real Name: Omar Barrenos treachery, and deceit are justified if they Occupation: Environmentalist will further his ecological agenda. Legal Status: Brazilian citizen Omar is an articulate, educated man, Identity: Public a careful schemer who is calm and ra­ Place of Birth: Brazil tional rather than a raving lunatic. He is Marital Status: Unknown also an internationalist, having nothing Known Relatives: None but contempt for the governments of the Base of Operations: Geneva, Switzer­ world. As he puts it, "I am of the world, land and we fight for the entire planet." Past Group Affiliations: Project: Earth Although he will use a gun if he is at­ Present Group Affiliations: tacked or he feels murder is necessary for the cause, Omar Barrenos would KNOWN POWERS: rather enlist the support of superbeings None. than fight them. Equipment: Omar carries an automatic pistol (Good damage, 8 shots), which he does not HISTORY: hesitate to use. Omar was the founder of the powerful in­ Ta lents: Guns, Leadership. ternational environmental activist group Contacts: Barrenos has criminal con­ tacts sufficient to enable him to hire a known as Project: Earth. He gathered to­ team of super-villains, as well as con­ gether a diverse group of like-minded tacts within world environmental organi­ talented individuals to form the group's zations. administrative council: Muan Ho, a

42 FDREIGNER

STATISTICS:

F IN(40) A IN(40) S EX(20) E RM(30) R EX(20) I EX(20) P RM(30) Health: 130 Karma: 70 Resources: RM(30) Popularity:

BACKGROUND: Real Name: It is unclear if Rahael Sa­ bitini is the Foreigners real name or one of many aliases. Occupation: Master Assassin Identity: Though Rahael Sabitini is pub­ licly known to be the Foreigner, most people think he is in the import/export business. Legal Status: Unrevealed Place of Birth: Unrevealed Marital Status: Divorced Known Relatives: Silver Sable (ex-wife) Base of Operations: Mobile Past Group Affiliations: Leader of his own organization which trains assassins Present Group Affi liations: KNOWN POWERS: Hypnosis: If Foreigner makes eye con­ tact with an opponent, he can cause them to "black-out" for up to three rounds. During this period, his opponent will be unable to act and will be unaware of what is going on around him. This hypnotic trance will always last for three rounds unless its victim is attacked dur­ ing that period. Any attack will instantly break the trance. While his victim is un­ der, Foreigner can gain the advantage for Blindsiding (+2CS to hit), aiming (+1 CS to hit), or Point Blank range ( + 3CS) attacks, or any other applicable tactic. Resisting the effect of Foreigner's hypnosis is impossible for targets who have a Psyche rank lower than his own. Targets of equal Psyche can resist on a yellow FEAT roll, and those with mental powers or some sort of pSionic screen­ ing can resist on a green result. For­ eigner cannot hypnotize a person with a higher Psyche than his own. Foreigner may be able to affect a group of people with his hypnotic powers, provided all are in line of sight and looking at his eyes.

Ta lents: Foreigner has Disguise, Acting, and Detective/Espionage talents. His hypnosis ability may even be more at­ tributable to training than an actual power, but this has not been confirmed.

43 As a master assassin, the Foreigner is she felt that he may have had some in­ When one of the guards discovered trained in both Sharp and Blunt Weap­ formation as to who was trying to kill the Donoghue was dead, Keating claimed it ons, and is a Weapons Specialist with two crime fighters. Not that there was must have been a revenge hit because hand guns and rifles (+2CS to hit, + 1 to anything underhanded about the For­ Blaze had tied to kill Spider-Man's girl initiative when using them) and a marks­ eigner's business, but he did come in friend. Thus Foreigner had achieved his man (does not suffer penalty from contact with a lot of shady characters. original object-framing Spider-Man for range). Some of his fighting skills in­ Though Sabitini's public image was ac­ murder. Foreigner felt that this would clude Martial Arts C (his Strength for the tually that of a rich jet setter whose life leave Spider-Man nowhere to turn but to purposes of Wrestling damage and es­ style was supported by trafficking in le­ his organization for protection. caping is considered Remarkable and gitimate merchandise, after a rather bi­ When Spider-Man, now in his identity his Agility Amazing for dodging), thrown zarre entrance, he was able to give the as Peter Parker, returned home, he over­ objects (+ 1 CS with exploding teeth), crime fighters the lead they were looking heard the Cat on the phone with For­ and tumbling. Foreigner is schooled in for. It seems, several days before, For­ eigner discussing how they had set him the pressure pOints of the human body. eigner had been approached by a small­ up. The Cat escaped out the window and On any red result in Slugfest, he is con­ time hood named Kirk Donoghue who Peter was unable to follow. Eventually, sidered to have struck on of these pres­ was interested in purchasing some small however, he did learn that Felicia was sure points and his victim is unable to arms and incendiary firepower. He need­ hiding out at Foreigner's apartment, in­ move for one round. Endurance FEATs ed this equipment to kill two costumed formation which Felicia intentionally versus the effects of one of these nerve heroes, presumably Spider-Man and the leaked to Spider-Man. Spider- Man punches are made at -1CS. Black Cat. His motive seemed to be a showed up and engaged the Foreigner Contacts: Foreigner's butler is a man combination of revenge, as he had re­ in single combat. Foreigner, using his known as J.D. J.D. performs various cently completed the brief prison sen­ powers of hypnosis, was getting the bet­ services for Foreigner from fetching tence which he was given as a result of ter of Spider-Man until Spidey closed his drinks to delivering weapons. Foreigner being captured by Spider-Man, and eyes and used his spider sense rather is very well-connected in the underworld wanting to establish a reputation for his than his vision to track the Foreigner's and on the black market. He could defin­ new costumed identity as "the Blaze." movements and time his approach. For­ itely get his hands on most conventional Though Sabitini had not provided him eigner left just before the police arrived illegal weapons, machine pistols, flame with these weapons as he "would never and captured Spider-Man, still wanted throwers and the like. traffic in that sort of thing,"he was aware for the murder of Donoghue. The Black that Blaze had obtained them from an­ Cat then gave the police. photographs ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: other supplier. Sabitini then arranged a that proved Donoghue was actually mur­ Though a master assassin in the busi­ meeting with Blaze which Spider-Man dered by Kris Keating. Her motive for do­ ness of training assassins, Foreigner de­ and the Black Cat kept in his stead. ing this was to pay Spider-Man back in a plores brutality. He enjoys the good life In reality, Donoghue's weapons had twisted sort of way. She wanted to help and there is an air of sophistication been supplied by Foreigner, who was him even though he hated her and did about him. He has a weakness for wom­ paying him $10,000 to battle Spider-Man not want her help in much the same way en with silver blonde hair. and the Black Cat with promise of a as she had hated him when he saved her $20,000 bonus for killing them. from Sabertooth when she did not want Donoghue had figured he was being set his help. The only problem was that up, and realizing he would not be able to somewhere along the way, while setting HISTORY: take out the two heroes, offered to let him up and pretending to fall in love with Though a great deal of the Foreigner's them by him out his contract for thirty Spider-Man, she actually had fallen in past is still shrouded in mystery, it is grand. As added incentive, Donoghue love with him and pulling off the set-up known that he was once married to the had taken a hostage whom he said he did not feel as good as it should have. Al­ Silver Sable. The nature of their present would release as part of the deal. Spidey so having double crossed Foreigner, she relationship is such that, on at least one and the Cat would not go along with the knew he would want to kill her, and she occasion, Sable was willing to set aside deal and easily defeated Blaze and his had to leave the country for awhile. their personal "death feud" to aid her hired goons. Unfortunately, the woman For his part, Foreigner had viewed the ex-husband. The exact nature and ex­ they had taken hostage had already whole affair as much as a test of Felicia's tent of Foreigner's criminal organization been assaulted and murdered. Before loyalty as a way to get Spider-Man, and has not been fully revealed. At one time, Blaze had a chance to tell Spider-Man he supposed he would have to kill her he was known to operate an import and he had actually been hired by Foreigner, when he got around to it. He actually re­ export business under both the names Lieutenant Kris Keating of NYPD gretted losing Keating more. He had Rahael Sabitini and Foreigner. Whether showed up and took him into custody. killed the real Keating, who had no fami­ this business was largely just a front Keating attributed his timely arrival to ly nor anyone else close to him, several used in his plan to frame Spider-Man or having been tipped off by a passerby years before. Some two dozen men had if it is still in operation as a legitimate who had seen the heroes entering the impersonated him at one time or an­ business maintaining offices in New building. In reality, this was not Kris other, a sort of training assignment for Yo rk City is unknown. Keating at all, but Foreigner in disguise. new recruits to Foreigner's disguise Sabitini first met Spider-Man, accom­ Disguised as Keating, Foreigner en­ corp. The Blaze killing, however, For­ panied by his then partner the Black Cat, tered Donoghue's cell and killed him. He eigner had handled himself as he would at the New Yo rk offices of his importl then tore the barred window from the not trust that to underlings. Foreigner export business. The Black Cat, who ad­ wall and called for the guards. When the was last seen at one of his hideaways in mitted to knowing the Foreigner but guard arrived, Keating/Foreigner told the company of his charming ex-wife, would not go into details of when they them that Spider-Man had kicked in the Silver Sable. had met, set up this meeting because widow and knocked him unconscious.

44 FURY, NICK

STATISTICS:

F IN(40) A EX(20) S GD(10) E RM(30) R EX(20) I EX(20) P GD(10) Health: 100 Karma: 50 Resources: AM(50) Popularity: 50

BACKGROUND: Real Name: Nicholas Joseph Fury Occupation: Director of SHIELD Legal Status: Citizen of the U.S. with no criminal record Identity: Public Place of Birth : New Yo rk City Marital Status: Single Known Relatives: Jack (father, de­ ceased), Dawn (sister), Jacob (alias Scorpio, brother, deceased) Base of Operation: SHIELD Headquar­ ters, NYC Past Group Affiliations: Former Howl­ ing Commando, former U.S. Army Colo­ nel, former Central Intelligence Agency official, Director of SHIELD Present Group Affiliations:

KNOWN POWERS: Retarded Aging: After many years of tak­ ing an age-retard ing drug called the In­ finity Formula, Fury's body now synthesizes the substance on its own. This drug in his system allows this man in his seventies to stay in peak physical condition for a man half that age.

Equipment: Body Armor: Fury usually wears a body­ suit of protective Kevlar material, afford­ ing him Typical protection against physical and Force attacks and Poor protection against fire. We apons: Nick Fury has access to all conventional weapons listed in the Basic Set Rule Book and the Advanced Set Players ' Book. In the past, Fury com­ monly used a custom-made needle pis­ tol which fired a stream of sharp metallic slivers up to six areas for Excellent Edged damage. The gun contained enough slivers for 300 rounds, and the gun had Excellent material strength. He also has access to any and all SH IELD equipment and weaponry. Ta lents: Fury possesses the Military, Leadership, Espionage, Piloting, Demo­ litions, and First Aid talents. Fury also has the Marksman skill with all conven­ tional weapons, Wrestling, and Martial

45 Arts A, B, D, and E skills. haven in the English Channel. Barbara Morse, a.k.a., Mockingbird, Contacts: Fury is the Director of Fury accepted the offer and the two was instrumental in revealing and elimi­ SHIELD, an organization with Mon­ combatants met for the first time. Struck­ nating the corruption present in strous resources supported by the Unit­ er offered a toast before the combat be­ SHIELD. ed Nations. He also has ties with the gan , Fury accepted, and was drugged Not long ago, the original SHIELD was U.S. and British intelligence communi­ by a powerful sleeping pill Strucker had dismantled after the "Deltite Affair" in ties, and most Marvel heroes. Fury is placed in his drink. Strucker soundly de­ which large portions of SHIELD's per­ close friends with Captain America and feated Fury, took photos of the beaten sonnel were replaced with technologi­ Mockingbird. man, and had them widely circulated cally advanced robots. Baron Strucker amongst the Third Reich, scoring a tre­ engineered the crippling compromise of ROLE-PLAY ING NOTES: mendous propaganda victory. his rival's organization, and international Fury is supremely confident in combat, Not long after, the Howlers encoun­ support for SHIELD was soon with­ taking charge in order to maximize the tered Strucker again, and this time Fury drawn. Fury retired from duty. effectiveness of any fighting force. Fury challenged Strucker to a duel. Strucker The United Nations soon realized that is a proud man, and is of the highest in­ again tried to drug Fury by offering him a some international espionage agency tegrity and honor. Quite independent, he drugged drink. Fury refused, and easily was necessary and asked Fury to come prefers to solve problems without out­ bested Strucker in hand-to-hand com­ out of retirement and head up SHIELD II. side intervention. He's been through bat. "Dum-Dum" Dugan took photos of Fury accepted total control of the new some rough periods, but has come Strucker's defeat and circulated them SHIELD (Strategic Hazard Intervention, through them even more determined amongst the Allies. Espionage, and LogistiCS Directorate) and driven than before. Fury continued his active military serv­ being answerable only to the U.N. Secu­ ice through the Korean War, during rity Council. The new SHIELD was to be which the Howlers were reunited for one a more tightly run organization, built with mission; to cross the 38th Parallel and safeguards to prevent corruptions like HISTORY: destroy a North Korean MIG airfield. The those of the original. Fury first gathered Nicholas Joseph Fury was the eldest of successful achievement of this objective a small cadre of agents and began to ex­ three children born to the wife of a World earned Fury a battlefield commission pand the agency. War I pilot who died in the last year of the and 2nd Lieutenant's bars. SHIELD and Fury were both dealt se­ war. Fury was raised in the Hell's Kitchen Performing espionage work for the vere blows when Baron Strucker was section of New Yo rk City. French government of Viet Nam in the resurrected by his old compatriots and When the U.S. entered World War II at 1950s earned Fury promotions to the he reformed HYDRA. HYDRA replaced the end of 1941 , Nick Fury volunteered rank of Colonel, and to an eventual ap­ one of SHIELD's first graduating class of for the U.S. Army. He underwent basic pointment to the Central Intelligence 1500 agents with an LMD with an explo­ training at Fort Dix, under Sergeant Agency. Fury remained with the CIA until sive implanted in it. The explosive was Charles Bass. Sgt. Bass chose Fury to he was approached by the Board of Di­ detonated in SHIELD's New Yo rk City be an example to his company and used rectors of the newly-formed espionage Central Office, destroying the building Fury as a scapegoat. This treatment only agency, SHIELD (Supreme Headquar­ and killing all 1500 agents. served to toughen Fury. ters International Espionage Law­ This, and subsequent actions against Soon after graduating basic training, Enforcement Division) and was offered HYDRA, including the successful defeat Fury proved himself an outstanding sol­ the position of Director. Fury accepted. of a HYDRA team attempting to recover dier and quickly rose to the rank of Ser­ Fury served the original incarnation of a sunken Soviet nuclear-powered ice­ geant. Fury served with and led the SHIELD both as ad ministrative head breaker, and the hijacking and subse­ "Howling Commandoes," a specially and as field commander. His peerless quent recovery of SHIELD's flying trained unit of soldiers whose daring leadership saw the organization through headquarters, the heli-carrier, drove actions across the European Theater of myriad crises and helped it rise to be­ Fury near to the brink of insanity. Fury Operations were considered to be either come the world's premier covert­ subsequently recovered from this afflic­ incredibly brave or incredibly foolhardy. operations agency. Fury and SHIELD tion with no permanent ill effects. On one mission in France, Fury was thwarted numerous major threats to the More recently, a conspiracy arose to wounded and came under the care of world's freedom launched by such prevent Fury from obtaining the Infinity Professor Berthold Sternberg, who first groups as Baron Strucker's creation HY­ Formula. Fury began to age rapidly. At inoculated Fury with the Infinity Formula DRA and Zodiac-headed at one time his weakest, all of Fury's physical statis­ drug which Fury took for many years by Fury's brother, Jacob. Fury also as­ tics were Feeble. Fury's body soon be­ thereafter, and which his body now pro­ Sisted Earth's superheroes in cases, and gan prodUCing the drug on its own, duces on its own. SHIELD spearheaded Earth's defenses however. Fury became young again and , It was also during World War II that during the Dire Wraith invasion. with the aid of Deathlok, he put an end to Fury first encountered the man who Fury's own integrity kept unethical the conspiracy. Fury now continues his would become his greatest nemesis: covert operations by SHIELD to a mini­ battle against Strucker and HYDRA. He Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker. After suf­ mum. Ye t, any organization the size of has also temporarily resigned his posi­ fering innumerable defeats at the hands SHIELD could not be controlled by any tion as Director of SHIELD to "Dum­ of the Howling Commandoes, Adolf one man. As a result, members of Dum" Dugan to take time to cope with Hitler ordered Baron Strucker to seek SHIELD did, from time to time, act with­ the losses of the past few months. out and humiliate Fury in such a way that out Fury's consent or even knowledge. would render Fury's and the Howling Most of these operations were directed Commandoes' reputations worthless. either by rogue SHIELD regional direc­ Strucker then challenged Fury to per­ tors or by subversives who had man­ sonal combat on the island of Norse- aged to infiltrate SHIELD's ranks.

46 STATISTICS:

F EX(20) A GO(10) S EX(20) E RM(30) R RM(30) I EX(20) P GO(10) Health: 80 Karma: 60 Resources: AM (50) Popularity: 5

BACKGROUND: Real Name: Last name Gideon; first name is unknown Occupation: Industrialist Legal Status: American citizen with no criminal record Identity: Public, but his mutant abilities are secret Place of Birth: Unknown Marital Status: Presumably single Known Relatives: Mother is deceased; Gideon may be related to the industrial­ ist Thomas Gideon and Glorian Base of Operations: Va il, Colorado Past Group Affi liations: Upstarts Present Group Affiliations:

KNOWN POWERS: Superhuman Enhancement Assimilation: '---" Gideon enjoys the mutant ability to copy superhuman genetic templates with Amazing Intensity at a range of one area (rather than by touch). He's good enough at this that he has developed Power Stunts that the original users had not yet considered-use his Power Rank to determine his chance to develop new Power Stunts. He has mastered the abil­ ity to absorb at least six powers at once and he can use all copied abilities simul­ taneously. Equipment: Gideon has access to nu­ merous technological devices thanks to his contacts and his own wealth. His of­ fice is connected to an extensive surveil­ lance network, the I-SPY channel, which keeps him informed of activities of inter­ est to him around the world. Gideon lives in a majestic mountaintop penthouse, the approaches to which are defended by a complex array of automated secu­ rity systems, including hidden motion sensors, titanium alloy net-launchers (Remarkable Material Strength), and pop-up blasters (Excellent range and damage). His home boasts a danger room equipped with training robots, and has a genetics laboratory featuring power dampeners and scanners that en­ able him to hold superhumans harm­ lessly captive while he analyzes them.

47 Ta lents: A financial wizard, Gideon has HISTORY: the Business/Finance talent. He is also a Little information is available on the trained martial artist, possessing Martial background of the shadowy figure Art B. known as Gideon. He studied at Har­ Contacts: Gideon has connections with vard, but was later expelled. He went on Advanced Idea Mechanics, the Ta ylor to build his company, Ophrah Industries, Foundation (and thus the New Warriors), into a corporate giant, and intends to use GeneTech corporation, and the To ad. his ever-growing financial power to dom­ Recently he has been cultivating Rober­ inate the world. Gideon has earned a to DaCosta (Sunspot) as a protege, giv­ reputation as a shark-like industrialist, ing him some influence over DaCosta's whose ability to manage backstabbing extensive corporate holdings. corporate takeovers is legendary. So far his mutant abilities and criminal activi­ ADDITIONAL NOTES: ties are not publicly known. Gideon has been active in forging alli­ ances between high-tech industrial con­ sortiums like GeneTech and the Ta ylor Foundation with powerful mutants or se­ cret organizations such as Advanced Idea Mechanics (A.I.M.). Along with the To ad , Gideon was a central figure be­ hind A.I.M.'s recent scheme to recreate Proteus. He is also an important mem­ ber of the mysterious group of power­ seekers known as the Upstarts. Gideon has recently devoted much of his energies to the corruption of Roberto Da Costa (Sunspot). He began by having one of his minions poison Da Costa's fa­ ther, Emmanuel Da Costa, a rich indus­ trialist who was Black Rook of the Hellfire Club. Having used a poison that made Emmanuel's death appear to be a heart attack, Gideon has positioned him­ self to act as Roberto's mentor as the young man comes to grips with his fa­ ROLE-PLAY ING NOTES: ther's death and his new role as head of A cheerful, optimistic extrovert, Gideon the Da Costa financial empire. has a suave manner, and is willing to talk So far, Gideon has succeeded in win­ first rather than fight. He has an eye for ning Roberto's confidence, and has attractive women and possesses a cat­ been devoting himself to training Da like curiosity. He is especially pleased Costa in high finance, unarmed combat, when he can observe or duplicate an ex­ and corporate double-dealing. Roberto otic new mutant power. As befits a mas­ has proved an apt pupil, and they have ter villain, he is calm and mannered at all fought together against Black To m Cas­ times. He enjoys a good work-out, and sidy and Juggernaut (who attempted to does not hesitate to use his powers to muscle in on one of Gideon's stock buy­ teach interfering superheroes a lesson. outs). As yet, Roberto remains unaware His polite mask hides his innate sadism: of Gideon's role in his father's death and he is utterly ruthless, conSidering normal has come to think of Gideon as a father­ humans mere cattle, and delights in tor­ figure. turing captive heroes for information. Until recently, Gideon kept his power Moral posturing on the part of self­ secret, preferring to work behind the proclaimed heroes is the only thing that scenes rather than directly confront cos­ angers him. Gideon revels in the corrup­ tumed heroes. However, the mask tion of innocence and the confusion of slipped when the New Warriors invaded ends and means, and likes nothing bet­ his headquarters and discovered his ter than to persuade heroes to do his links to the Ta ylor Foundation. Angered dirty work for him. He believes that hero at this violation of his privacy, Gideon and villain, "good" and "evil" are mere proceeded to soundly defeat them, in words used to justify selfish actions. Af­ the process revealing both his mutant ter all, history is written by the victor, not power and his sadistic temperament. the vanquished! Since he took the time to interrogate them and analyze their powers, Gideon now has a detailed knowledge of the New Warriors membership and abilities.

48 HARNESS, AND PIECEMEAL

The original Proteus was the mutant failed to stop Piecemeal from absorbing child of Moira and Joe MacTaggert. A the last of the Proteus energy. Piece­ HARNESS --../ reality-warping energy vampire, he was meal's psychological profile was close STATISTICS: isolated throughout his childhood, living enough to that of Proteus to make the a miserable life as Moira sought to cure two a perfect match. The result was the F GD(10) him. Eventually he escaped, consuming rebirth of Proteus as a powerful gestalt A GD(10) body after body until Moira and the X­ being, combining the minds of both Ben­ S TY(6) Men tracked him down. Using his vulner­ son and MacTaggert. E EX(20) ability to metal, they destroyed him. As Proteus II possessed powerful reality­ R GD(10) Proteus died, his life-energy was scat­ warping abilities, and soon converted I TY(6) tered across the globe. much of Edinburgh into a geometrical P TY(6) Gideon and To ad, the self-styled abstraction, symbolic of the weird half­ Health: 46 "Kings of Pain," learned of Proteus's ex­ life as an energy being which the original Karma: 22 istence and engaged in a contest to Proteus-energy had experienced since Resources: GD(10) gather the Proteus energy for them­ its "death." The heroes learned Proteus Popularity: -10 selves. Their goal was to sop up the en­ had found this peaceful, orderly exist­ ergy, then use it to create super-powered ence far better than his painful and cha­ BACKGROUND: minions. Genetech and AIM were the otic life, and was upset at having been Real Name: pawns that provided the necessary hard­ reawakened. To prevent anyone bother­ Erika Benson Occupation: Agent of AIM ware and personnel. The sponge they ing him again, he now intended to con­ chose for the energy was Piecemeal, a vert the entire world into such a state. Legal Stat us: American citizen with a young mutant boy with energy­ With Proteus II far too powerful to at­ criminal record absorbing powers. His mother, an opera­ tack, and too dangerous to allow to exist, Identity: Secret tive of AIM, was provided with the the heroes reluctantly decided to manip­ Place of Birth: Unrevealed Harness battlesuit. The duo visited each ulate him into ending his existence to Marital Status: Unknown Known Relatives: son (Gilbert Benson, of the various Proteus energy nexi. At spare the planet. Despite the opposition deceased); daughter (name unrevealed) each nexus, Piecemeal was forced by of Cable, they succeeded and Proteus II Base of Operations: Harness to "eat" the energy, a painful voluntarily willed himself out of exist­ Mobile Past Group Affiliations: Advanced Idea process that soon left him hideously ence, taking Piecemeal with him. Mechanics (AIM) bloated and in constant agony. Harness was turned over the Scottish Present Group Affiliations: Meanwhile, X-Force, the New War­ authorities, but AIM intended to secure riors, and the X-Men learned of aspects her release for use in other schemes. of the plan. They finally intercepted Harness's daughter-a seven-year old KNOWN POWERS: ----" Piecemeal and Harness at the Edin­ mutant of unknown capabilities­ Erika Benson has no known superhu­ burgh nexus where Proteus had died. Al­ remains in AIM's clutches. man powers-all her abilities derive though they defeated Harness , they from her armor.

49 Equipment: self-confident, and has no compunction Invulnerability: Proteus II possesses Un­ Battlesuit: Harness's AIM-designed pow­ about facing multiple enemies as long as earthly resistance to all physical and en­ ered armor distorts her voice and con­ she sees some profit in it for herself. ergy attacks. Unlike its predecessor, ceals her sex. It gives her the following Proteus II has no weakness to metal. enhanced characteristics: Possession: The Proteus energy can PIECEMEAL/ possess bodies with Monstrous Ability, F A S E PROTEUS II enabling Proteus to briefly exist in hu­ EX EX EX AM man form. If Proteus attempts to pos­ + 1 +1 +2 +3 STATISTICS: sess someone, he must roll a green The Harness battlesuit also bristles FEAT or better to succeed. The would-be with computer-controlled weaponry and F GO(10) victim then has to make a better Psyche devices, which has the following powers: A GO(10) FEAT roll than Proteus to survive (e.g., if Body Armor: The armor has Excellent S GO(10) Proteus scored a yellow FEAT, the victim Material Strength, and provides Rem E UN(100) needs a red FEAT). If the victim fails, its arkable protection against physical, heat R TY(6) life-force is consumed and its memories and cold attacks and Amazing protec­ I RM(30) subsumed by Proteus. A victim with tion vs. other energy attacks. P IN(40) Monstrous or better Psyche cannot be Arm Gun: A heavy right-arm mounted Health: 130 possessed. Proteus usually consumed blaster that does Remarkable force d Karma: 76 the bodies he possessed within a matter amage with a range of seven areas. Resources: FB(2) of hours, leaving a burnt-out husk, re­ Wrist Guns: The suit has a pair of lighter Popularity: -30 turning Proteus to his energy state. beam weapons mounted on the suit's Te lepathy: Proteus II had Amazing rank left wrist that inflict Excellent Energy BACKGROUND: telepathy. Limitation: damage with a range of six areas. Real Name: Proteus/GilbertBenson When not possessing a Extra Attacks: The suit has a battle com­ Occupation: Energy being/child physical body, Proteus exists as an en­ puter, allowing her to fire both wrist guns Legal Status: Citizen of Scotland (legal­ ergy form unable to physically manipu­ and her arm gun simultaneously at the ly dead), minor Citizen of the United late objects. same or different targets. The computer States (presumed dead) Ta lents: Proteus II has no known tal­ gives her + 1 CS to Fighting skill when Other Known Aliases: Piecemeal ents. Contacts: determining the success of a multiple at­ Identity: Unknown to general public As well as his two "mothers," tack attempt as long as she uses differ­ Place of Birth : New Yo rk City/Unknown Proteus II is known to the X-Men, X­ ent weapons with each attack. Marital Status: Single Force, and New Warriors. Proteus Energy Detection: The suit can Known Relatives: Erika Benson and detect the Proteus Energy at Ama zing Moira MacTaggert (mothers); Joe Mac­ ADDITIONAL NOTES: range and gives her the ability to form Ta ggert (Proteus's father, deceased); the energy, if present, into a leash-like Gilbert's sister (name unrevealed) tether line which enables her to control Base of Operations: Mobile and torment Piecemeal. Past Group Affi liations: None Repulsor Field: The suit can project a Present Group Affiliations: field that repels everyone in th e same area as Harness. Everyone must make KNOWN POWERS: an Endurance FEAT and consult the Reality Wa rping: Proteus II possesses Slam table. It takes her two rounds (dur­ the Unearthly ability to reconfigure its ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: ing which she can't use her other weap­ surroundings into whatever shape and The original Proteus was a brutal killer ons) to build up the power to utilize this nature it desires. Proteus uses this who lived only to possess other bodies. ability. power to alter the direction of gravitation After years in a disembodied energy Te /eporter Unit: Harness can teleportan pull in an area, cause structures to un­ state, it was resurrected and bonded to Unearthly distance with one other per­ ravel into their component parts, turn the the abused child Piecemeal. This new son. Her teleporter isn't very depend­ air into ground, etc. His only limits are being, known as Proteus II, had a differ­ able. After each use, Harness must that he can not will things to simply ent outlook on life. make a yellow Reason FEAT to avoid it cease to exist. It was unhappy about its resurrection malfunctioning until it is repaired by Proteus can affect either individual ob­ and bitter toward both its "mothers" (Eri­ AIM. jects or a sphere 50 miles in diameter, ka Benson and Moira MacTaggert) Ta lents: Harness has no known talents. whose radius doubles every hour. It can whom it believed had treated it Contacts: Harness is an agent of AIM also choose not to affect individuals or callously-Benson by abusing it physi­ and has worked with the Alliance of Evil. groups within this area. At one time, it cally and mentally, and MacTaggert by used this ability to turn the city of Edin­ keeping it locked away as a prisoner in ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: burgh (and its inhabitants) into geomet­ Muir Isle. But unlike the first incarnation Harness is greedy, arrogant, power­ ric constructs, and also intended to of Proteus, Proteus II was not actively hungry, self-interested, and totally con­ reshape the entire planet. malevolent or cruel-it just wanted a bet­ temptuous of all those around her. She Flight: When not possessing a body, Pro­ ter life, and didn't feel it owed anything considers her children to be her property teus II can levitate off the ground or fly at to a world it felt had betrayed it. Unlike to dispose of as she wishes. She often Typical speed. the original, Proteus II was willing to talk physically and verbally abused her son, and listen to reason. Gilbert. In battle, Harness is brave and

50 HATE MONC3ER IV

STATISTICS:

F TY(6) A TY(6) S TY(6) E GD(10) R GD(10) I GD(10) P MN(75) Health: 18 Karma: 95 Resources: Unrevealed Popularity: Un revealed

BACKGROUND: Real Name: Unrevealed Occupation: Hate Monger Identity: Secret Legal Status: Unrevealed Place of Birth: Unrevealed Marital Status: Un revealed Known Relatives: None Base of Operations: Mobile Past Group Affiliations: Sons of the Serpent Present Group Affiliations:

KNOWN POWERS: Empathy/Emotion Detection: Hate Mon­ ger is an empath who can read or register the surface emotions of others. Contact with willing targets, or those targets whose Intuition is lower than Hate Mon­ ger's, is considered automatically suc­ cessful. Ta rgets of equal Intuition require a yellow FEAT and those with Emotion Detection powers a red FEAT. Individuals of higher Intuition, those unwilling to be read, other empaths, or those with Emo­ tion Control powers are Impossible FEATs. A successful FEAT not only re­ veals the target's emotional state, but al­ so its cause. In this sense, Hate Monger could be considered a telepath who can gain access to the surface thoughts of an individual through the emotions rather than the mind. His empathic range is 20 areas (1/2 mile). He also has the Emotion Detection power at Unearthly rank and range (60 areas or 1-1/2 miles). He can pick up subtle psychological clues which indicate whether a person is under stress, lying, or worried. A successful FEAT roll indicates that Hate Monger has detected the target's emotional state, but not the cause of the emotion. Those try­ ing to conceal their emotions use their In­ tuition as an Intensity rank to determine the type of FEAT required. Emotion Control: Hate Monger has Emo­ tion Control power at Excellent rank. This power is similar to Mind Control, but acts upon the subconscious fears and attractions of an individual. Though this power can be used to modify any emo­ tion, Hate Monger is only interested in

51 producing intense hatred . Ta rgets must ADDITIONAL NOTES: year old Eldon Staples) also got in­ be in the same area as Hate Monger and volved. Though Marvel Boy and Night may make an Intuition FEAT to avoid the Thrasher observed that everyone was effects. Those who fail this FEAT are af­ acting crazy and that it was more than fected for 10-1 00 rounds (1 to 10 min­ just a race riot, they were unaware that utes). The effects of this dose must wear Hate Monger was actually subtly manip­ off before another can be ad ministered. ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: ulating their actions. Robots and non-living beings are im­ Hate Monger is all about hatred. He lives Eventually, some of the Ave ngers mune to the effect of Emotion Control. for, and is even nourished by, it. He will (Captain America, Falcon, Black Widow, Absorption Power: Hate Monger has an work behind the scenes to help foster an and Vision) Showed up. Hate Monger Amazing ability to absorb hatred and environment in which hatred can grow used his ability to read and control emo­ seems to be nourished by energy gener­ and will even engage in combat to pro­ tions to directly affect the battle. When ated by the emotion of hatred. The tect his meal ticket and get a good feed­ the Sons of the Serpent pulled out in an amount of hatred any person is capable ing in return. If his opponents figure out atte mpt to cut their losses, Hate Monger of generating is dictated by their emo­ that hatred is actually all he is interested decided that the dance had played itself tions which are tied to their Intuition in and stop giving it to him, he will usu­ out and he went home to digest the hate (Strength of Will tied to Psyche could al­ ally leave. After all, more hatred is al­ he had consumed. so be used). If Hate Monger were in the ways just around the corner. After the battle, the Black Widow presence of five individuals, all of whom stated that she felt hung over, while Cap­ had an Intuition of Good and all of whom tain America felt that someone was ma­ nipulating them. The New Warriors and either through Emotion Control or their HISTORY: own emotions were experiencing ha­ It is unclear if there is any connection be­ the Avengers agreed to go their separate tred, he would be in the presence of 50 tween this most recent villain to call him­ ways, not realizing that their paths, and points, or Amazing rank, hatred per self Hate Monger and the other three that of the Sons of the Serpent, would round. Hate Monger can use this hatred individuals who have used that name in cross again. to heal any existing damage or to tempo­ the past. The first Hate Monger was ac­ The Avengers used their computer to rarily raise his Health by the power rank tually a series of clones based on the ge­ get a lead on the Sons of the Serpent. involved to a maximum of 400. Using the netic code of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. The New Warriors, using more conven­ above example, and assuming Hate These clones had the ability to transfer tional detective procedures like breaking Monger had suffered no previous dam­ consciousness at the moment of death and entering and hacking into the city age, his Health would be raised to 68 af­ into another cloned body, thus keeping computer systems, got a similar lead. ter the first round of exposure. After Hitler and his hatred alive long after his Both groups ended up at the Richmond eight rounds of exposure, Hate Monger apparent death in 1945. This conscious­ Building, the hideout of the Sons of the would be at his maximum Health of 400. ness was eventually trapped in the Cos­ Serpent. Absorbing hatred this fast would be the mic Cube, a device capable of creating The Avengers got there first and took equivalent of bolting his food and Hate whatever its wielder desired. out the White Supremacy group in a sus­ Monger would much more prefer con­ The second Hate Monger was one of piCiously short period of time. While the suming hatred at a slower rate of, say, the High Evolutionary New Men called Avengers comment on how easy it was ten points per round for thirty-eight Man- Beast. The Man-Beast was to defeat the hate group, Hate Monger rounds. No known amount of hatred can thought to have died in the explosion of fired a beam of hatred at them, knocking damage Hate Monger, but if in the pres­ his own hate amplification machine. them to the floor. Then, as he floats to­ ence of more than fifty pOints of hatred, The third Hate Monger was an android ward the floor, he responds to Fa/con's he can redirect the excess toward oppo­ creation of the other dimensional scien­ charges that Hate Monger must have fu­ nents in the next round. Similarly, he can tist and conqueror called Psycho-Man. eled the earlier race riot. Laughing, he release hatred which he has already in­ This android was destroyed by an explo­ responds that he didn't fuel the riot, but gested at an Amazing rate per round. sive bullet fired by the vigilante killer rather fed off it. (This also allowed him to Such released energy must be deducted called Scourge (For a more complete keep with the time honored tradition of from his Health score. history of these individuals see the Hate supervillains giving heroes clues as to Levitation: Hate Monger has the Levita­ Monger entry, pgs. 107-1 11 of MU2). how to ultimately defeat them.) tion power at Poor rank and can move up Whatever connection he might have to Fortunately for the Av engers, the New to four areas vertically in a single round. previous villains, this most recent Hate Warriors and Rage arrived. Firestar man­ Shape-Change: It is believed that Hate Monger first appeared on a rooftop watch­ aged to knock Hate Monger to the floor Monger may have the ability to change ing a riot between the reformed Sons of with one of her microwave beams. Hate form and duplicate the appearance of the Serpent, a radical hate group, and a Monger then released his hate attack, driv­ any human being. Though his power band of demonstrators who were assem­ ing everyone to the floor. Only Rage man­ level is unknown, it could be as high as bled outside the 41 st Precinct to protest aged to resist the effects of this attack, by Monstrous. the clubbing of Carmello Martinez. Mar­ using his own hatred. Captain America Disappearing: Through an unknown tinez, a fifteen-year old boy, was violently pointed out to Rage that he is giving Hate means, Hate Monger can disappear. This beaten by police. The incident was video­ Monger exactly what he wanted-that is not thought to be Invisibility, but rather taped by an alert bystander and given na­ stopping hatred must start inside of each some sort of Movement power such as tional media exposure. of us. Rage decided not to give Hate Mon­ Te leportation. His corporal form seems to The New Warriors (Night Thrasher, ger the antipathy he desired and, thwart­ fade away when he uses this ability. Marvel Boy, Firestar, Namorita, and Sil­ ed , Hate Monger flees into the night. By Contacts: Hate Monger could have con­ houette) attempted to break the riot up letting go of the hatred, he was robbed of tacts with any hate group. and the Av enger called Rage (fourteen- his power.

52 HYDRA

53 HYDRA has been a worldwide subver­ times over the next few years, with Fury heavily influenced by Nazi philosophy. sive organization dedicated to global victorious on most occasions. At one The full form of its salute reflects the fas­ domination for many years. At its height, point during the war, Strucker was in cist near-religious idealization of sub­ HYDRA was the most extensive, power­ the village of Gruenstadt when the vil­ mission to the power to the state, or in ful, and dangerous organization in histo­ lagers reported the presence of strange HYDRA's case, the organization. Its mot­ ry. HYDRA agents wore green costumes beings. Strucker investigated and dis­ to also has heavily fascist overtones: with cowls revealing only their mouths covered a colony of Gnobians, a race of "Hail HYDRA! Immortal HYDRA! We and chins. Their organization takes its peaceful alien telepaths. Strucker saw shall never be destroyed! Cut off one name from the many-headed monster of these aliens as an opportunity for limb and two shall take its place! We Greek mythology, the Lernaean Hydra, fantastic knowledge and power. Fearful serve the Supreme HYDRA, as the world whose venom was lethal and who was that the villagers would reveal the ali­ shall soon serve us!" In keeping with Na­ known for its ability to grow heads imme­ ens' existence to others, Strucker had zism's male supremacist ethic, HYDRA diately after they had been severed. the entire population of Gruenstadt ex­ restricted its membership to white HYDRA prided itself on its ability to re­ ecuted. Immediately thereafter, Ser­ males. Only decades later did it permit group and rebuild itself, allegedly mighti­ geant Fury and the Howling exceptions, most notably Laura Brown, er than before, after any defeat. Indeed, Commandos arrived on the scene and daughter of Imperial HYDRA Arnold the organization endured for over four killed the Death's Head Commandos. Brown, and the first Madame Hydra, lat­ decades, and has recently rebuilt itself Strucker himself was mortally wound­ er known as the Viper. Strucker created yet again. During that time, HYDRA un­ ed, but crawled back to the Gnobian en­ a cult of personality about himself as the derwent considerable structural and so­ clave, where he was healed of his Supreme HYDRA similar to that of Hitler Ciological changes, so that to many, wounds and stole several examples of in Germany. There was a heavy ideologi­ HYDRA bears only a superficial resem­ the Gnobian technology. This contact cal emphasis on the anonymity of other blance to the organization in its heyday. with the Baron tainted the Gnobians' HYDRA agents, who generally remained HYDRA has always been (and has been minds, and led to their eventual suicide. masked and who were addressed as most successful as) an instrument of the Finally, enraged over Strucker's many numbers instead of names. infamous Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker, defeats, Hitler ordered Strucker to go to While building HYDRA's arsenal, the last in a long line of Prussian noble­ Cherbeaux in occupied France and, if Strucker had also recruited a staff of bril­ men with impeccable military back­ the Resistance agents refused to give liant scientists, who would later become grounds. Strucker was recruited into the themselves up, to execute every citizen the core of the high technology HYDRA Nazi intelligence service during the in the town. Fury confronted Strucker branch known as Advanced Idea Me­ 1930s, and was one of Nazi Germany's once again and made a deal with him: chanics, or AIM. HYDRA was close to most successful intelligence operatives Fury would fight Strucker again if obtaining nuclear weaponry, and thus during World War II. He rose to become Strucker evacuated Cherbeaux before achieving the means to conquer Earth, the commander of Germany's Death Hitler had it destroyed. Strucker when its Pacific base, Hydra Island, was Head Squadron, an elite military unit; agreed, but his battle with Fury ended invaded by Captain Simon Savage's which Hitler gave a special target. in a stalemate, and the two became U.S. Marine Commandos and their Jap­ That target was the famous Howling separated. When Hitler learned that anese counterparts, the so-called Samu­ Commandos squad of the United States Strucker had evacuated the citizens of rai Squad. Hydra Island was destroyed, Army, led by Sergeant Nick Fury. The Cherbeaux, he flew into a rage and or­ but Strucker escaped. Commandos had handed Germany nu­ dered the Gestapo to find and assassi­ Following the war, Strucker moved merous defeats, and Hitler ordered nate Strucker. HYDRA's principle base to America and Strucker not just to defeat Fury, but to hu­ Strucker would have had little chance created a new central committee, code­ miliate him. The arrogant Strucker was all of escaping, except for the intervention named THEM, within HYDRA which too happy to oblige, challenging Fury to of the Red Skull. The Skull intended to would supervise the activities of HYDRA personal combat on the island of Norse­ supplant Hitler eventually, or to achieve and its rapidly developing sister organi­ haven in the English Channel. Fury vio­ world domination himself, if Hitler lost zations. Strucker made himself the lated orders to accept the challenge. the war. To achieve these ends, the Skull chief, the Grand Imperator of THEM, Before their duel, Strucker had Fury assigned Strucker to create a power while keeping his true identity disguised drunk a toast; Fury's drink was drugged, base in the Far East for him. Then, with through the use of epiderm-masks. Few and Strucker won the duel. Still photo­ the aid of the Skull's agents and some people knew of the existence of the graphs and films of Fury's defeat circu­ loyal men of his own, Strucker was able Grand Imperator; fewer still knew that it lated widely around Germany, giving the to escape. However, Strucker saw no was Baron Strucker. Nazis a major propaganda victory. reason to follow the Skull; once he got to THEM appointed Arnold Brown, exec­ Shortly thereafter, the Howling Com­ Japan, he severed all ties with him. utive secretary to Leslie Farrington, one mandos encountered Strucker again, Strucker made contact with Japanese of the directors of Imperial Industries In­ and Fury challenged him to another subversives who informed him that they ternational, to be the Imperial HYDRA. fight. Strucker coolly accepted and pro­ were forming a secret society bent on Brown's principal utility to HYDRA was posed a toast, but one of the Comman­ world conquest. Strucker became the in draining resources for HYDRA from dos, Dino Manelli, warned Fury that the mastermind behind this society's rapid Imperial Industries International and drink was probably drugged. The angry rise to power: a secret society known as managing HYDRA's day-to-day opera­ Fury refused to drink and easily defeat­ HYDRA. When he had built HYDRA'sar­ tions. Ultimate power remained in ed Strucker in a hand-to-hand fight. my and arsenal to what he thought was Strucker's hands, but under Brown's Commando Timothy "Dum-Dum" Du­ maximum strength, Strucker slew the leadership, HYDRA developed an arse­ gan took photographs of Fury's triumph, Supreme HYDRA and took his place. nal of weaponry, submarines, and fighter which were widely circulated. Strucker conceived of HYDRA as a aircraft greater than that of most nations. Strucker and Fury clashed many strongly ideological fascist organization The armies and agents of HYDRA

54 HYDRA ranged worldwide, striking at all world through the nearest doorway. That HYDRA remained, at best, a minor powers. doorway led to a nuclear reactor cham­ menace during the following years. A To meet the threat of HYDRA, SHIELD ber; Strucker was killed. branch of HYDRA in the Orient, led by (Supreme Headquarters International Fury fled the island before the Death­ the Yellow Claw, did achieve some Espionage Law-Enforcement Division) Spore bomb detonated, which was trig­ prominence, but only a shadow of its was created. HYDRA assassinated gered by the unsuspecting Strucker, former "glories." SHIELD's first Public Director, who was virtually sinking the island. The dome HYDRA's latest ascendancy occurred replaced by Colonel Nicholas Fury of the prevented any of the spores from es­ because of the return of its original lead­ CIA, Strucker's greatest foe. Soon after, caping into the outside world; all of the er. Strucker would have remained dead, HYDRA attempted to blackmail the HYDRA agents were killed. This dealt a but for his old ally the Red Skull, who world with the Betatron Bomb, which great blow to HYDRA, which frag­ gave several original HYDRA agents could release lethal radiation upon the mented into warring factions. AIM, the keys and charts to HYDRA Island, now Earth. When inventor Anthony Stark de­ scientific branch of the organization, sunk. There, the agents successfully activated the bomb, Fury captured HY­ seceded from HYDRA, and the Secret penetrated the chamber where Baron DRA's New Yo rk City headquarters. Empire was later revived independently Strucker had been killed, and mutated Brown was murdered by his own men, of HYDRA. the Death Spore virus that lay on Struck­ who seemingly failed to recognize him The remnant of HYDRA in New Yo rk er's corpse to mimic his DNA, and re­ without his costume. City was led first by Madame Hydra, stored his life functions and memories. Immediately after Brown's defeat, and later by the Grim Reaper and the Baron Strucker rose from the dead. THEM used AIM and the original Secret Space Phantom. A Western European Strucker began to take over the frac­ Empire for subversive actions against faction was led by Count Otto Vermis. tured remnants of HYDRA. He easily SHIELD and the United States govern­ Another HYDRA remnant, located in took control of the Las Vegas HYDRA, ment while HYDRA rebuilt its strength. Las Vegas, was controlled by Strucker's killing those who would not follow him. Strucker abolished THEM by reassert­ old colleague, the Red Skull. An at­ He infiltrated AIM, and destroyed them ing himself as Supreme HYDRA and in­ tempt by the Maggia Crime Boss, Silvio at an AIM sales convention, transfer­ corporating the other members of THEM "Silvermane" Manfredi, was a brief ring their funds and inventories to his into HYDRA's new central committee. success, but eventually was stopped by service. He aided in the downfall of Strucker launched the Overkill Horn, Fury and SHIELD. Wilson Fisk, also known as the Kingpin. which would have set off every nuclear HYDRA was later reorganized under Then Strucker began to implement his explosive on Earth (while leaving HY­ radically different lines by a new agen­ plan of vengeance against the new DRA safe in special shelters). Once cy. Although it had worldwide influence, SHIELD. again, they were thwarted in this it seemed more centered in the United Strucker recruited lieutenants of vary­ scheme by SHIELD. States than before, and although it was ing skills: Romulus, Garotte, Saltz, and Impersonating captured SHIELD dedicated to world domination, it had Guillotine. Romulus and Garotte killed agent John Bronson, Strucker smuggled abandoned the traditional fascist ideol­ SHIELD recruit David Purcell and re­ the so-called Death Spore bomb aboard ogy entirely. The only clear link be­ placed him with an LMD with an implant­ SHIELD heli-carrier headquarters. tween the new HYDRA and Strucker's ed explosive. HYDRA then detonated When the bomb exploded, it would de­ HYDRA was that the new organiza­ the LMD, killing 1500 SHIELD recruits at stroy the heli-carrier and release deadly tion's members dressed in traditional their commencement ceremony in New spores which would be carried by air cur­ HYDRA costumes. Women and minori­ Yo rk City, bringing HYDRA back to world rents across the face of the planet. By ties were now allowed into the organiza­ prominence. now, Strucker had built a new HYDRA tion in large numbers and co uld hold Strucker's next goal was to obtain nu­ island, a synthetic atoll on the site of the important positions in it. Indeed, the po­ clear weapons. The Red Skull gave him original. Here was gathered HYDRA's sition of Madame Hydra became some­ the coordinates of a Soviet nuclear­ leadership and elite guard, since the thing of a tradition. Agents were often powered icebreaker which had sunk, new fortress's impenetrable dome would addressed by their real names, and mi­ and Strucker sent his lieutenants to re­ provide a shield from the effects of the nor HYDRA officials often appeared un­ cover the nuclear fuel. But, thanks to Death-Spore bomb. In a telecast from masked before their colleagues and SHIELD and Wolverine, the lieutenants the island, Strucker demanded that the subordinates in their organization. And failed to get the nuclear fuel they sought, world surrender to them, for only those now, only the middle and upper levels and Guillotine was killed. nations surrendering would be given ac­ of authority paid homage to the Su­ In spite of the failure (so far) of HYDRA cess to the antidote. preme HYDRA. HYDRA was organized to get nuclear weapons, HYDRA is once However, Fury found the Death­ along the lines of a major corporation, again on the upswing. Arguably, they Spore bomb on the heli-carrier and sin­ including salaries and medical benefits. have never been as efficient or effective gly invaded HYDRA island, planting the However, even in death, Strucker had as they are now. And, given the cut­ Death-Spore bomb there. Fury and one last trump card to play. He had infil­ backs in SHIELD support, it will require Strucker confronted one another yet trated SHIELD's LMD (Life Model De­ a truly heroic effort to bring them down again. Fury won the battle and used the coy) program and impregnated one of once again. epiderm-mask making machine to them with his own DNA and instruc­ make masks of Strucker and himself. tions. The clone Strucker began replac­ The HYDRA agents arrived just in time ing SHIELD agents, as well as its board to see Strucker battling Strucker. Fury of directors, with LMDs ("Deltites"). pulled off a Strucker mask, which he Eventually, Fury brought down the had placed over a Nick Fury mask. Be­ Deltite conspiracy, but not before irrep­ lieving Strucker to be Fury, the agents arable damage was done to SHIELD as fired on him, Strucker fled in panic a functional agency.

55 Ta lents: Baron Strucker has Military, Es­ KNOWN POWERS: BARON pionage, and Leadership talents. He is a Enhanced Senses: Romulus has WOLFGANG trained Marksman, has the Sharp Weap­ Amazing sense of smell. ons Ta lent, Wrestling, and Martial Arts A, Ta lents: Romulus has the Military and VON STRUCKER B, D, E. Leadership talents, the Marksman tal­ Contacts: ent, and Martial Arts A and E. STATISTICS: Strucker has contacts with a large num­ Contacts: Romulus is one of Strucker's ber of terrorist organizations; he seems most trusted lieutenants of HYDRA. F EX(20) to be a particularly strong ally of the Red A EX(20) Skull. ADDITIONAL NOTES: S GD(10) E EX(20) ADDITIONAL NOTES: R EX(20) I EX(20) P RM(30) Health: 70 Karma: 80 Resources: RM(30) Popularity: - 20

ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: BACKGROUND: Romulus is a fanatical follower of Baron Real Name: Baron Wolfgang Von ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: Strucker, and a firm believer in the ideals Strucker Baron Strucker is one of the most arro­ of Strucker's HYDRA. Romulus is cool Occupation: Nobleman, Soldier, Axis gant and dangerous villains on Earth. and confident, and absolutely cold­ agent, Supreme Commander of HYDRA Vain, proud, treacherous, and extremely blooded. Legal Status: German citizen and inter­ cunning; Strucker's goal was the con­ national criminal and terrorist quest and subjugation of the human Identity: Public race, the absolute humiliation and de­ LIEUTENANT Strucker Castle, Bava­ Place of Birth: struction of anyone who opposed him. ria, Germany Now that he has been resurrected by the GARROTTE Marital Status: Married (widower?) Death-Spore virus, he is even more ma­ STATISTICS: Known Relatives: Andrea and Andreas niacal and ruthless. (fraternal twin children, a.k.a Fenris) Base of Operations: Las Vegas F RM(30) A GD(10) Past Group Affiliations: Third Reich, LIEUTENANT HYDRA, THEM S GD(10) Present Group Affiliations: ROMULUS E GD(10) R GD(10) STATISTICS: I EX(20) KNOWN POWERS: P GD(10) Dea th-Spore Control: The animated form of Baron Strucker can release the F EX(20) Health: 60 Death-Spore virus at will, causing A RM(30) Karma: 40 Amazing (50) damage to any target he S GD(10) Resources: EX(20) - 5 strikes in melee combat with his bare E EX(20) Popularity: hands. Strucker need not inflict any R EX(20) damage with the blow, but physical con­ I IN(40) BACKGROUND: tact between Strucker and his victim is P GD(10) Real Name: Unrevealed needed to transfer the virus. Health: 80 Occupation: HYDRA Commander Unless immune to disease or in pos­ Karma: 70 Legal Status: Unknown session of an antidote, victims continue Resources: EX(20) Identity: Public to take damage from the virus for 1-10 Popularity: -10 Place of Birth: Unrevealed rounds or until dead. If Strucker is killed, Marital Status: Unknown the virus is unleashed, and everyone in BACKGROUND: Known Relatives: Unknown the same area as his body must make a Real Name: Cassandra Romulus Base of Operations: Las Vegas red Endurance FEAT roll or be killed. Occupation: HYDRA Commander Past Group Affi liations: HYDRA Present Group Affiliations: Th e Satan Claw: Baron Strucker is re­ Legal Status: American citizen with a constructing the Satan Claw that was criminal record made for him by HYDRA scientists. This Identity: Public KNOWN POWERS: metal gauntlet, worn on the baron's right Place of Birth: Unrevealed Garrotte has trained himself to strangle an hand, gives that arm Excellent Strength Marital Status: Unknown opponent with great efficiency. If he suc­ and allows him to deliver Excellent elec­ Known Relatives: Unknown cessfully grapples an opponent, his victim trical shocks. Base of Operations: Las Ve gas must make a green Endurance FEAT roll We apons: HYDRA technology allows Past Group Affiliations: HYDRA vs. Garotte's Strength to remain con­ Baron Strucker to have access to a large Present Group Affiliations: scious. Failure necessitates a roll on the variety of weaponry. Stun column of the Universal Ta ble.

56 HYDRA

Ta lents: Garrotte has the Wrestling tal­ Contacts: Given Saltz's talents and atti- ADDITIONAL NOTES: ent, and Martial Arts E. tudes, he may have served as a merce- Contacts: nary, and may have a number of military Garrotte is one of the most trusted lieu­ contacts as well as HYDRA. tenants of HYDRA. ADDITIONAL NOTES: ADDITIONAL NOTES: ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: Guillotine had a severe inferiority com­ plex. As a result, he tended to be ner­ vous in front of his superiors and bullying toward his subordinates. Guillo­ ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: tine was a psychotic who enjoyed acts of Little is known of Saltz's background. He gruesome violence. is a dedicated military man who likes to "kick some butt" and kill his enemies. TYPICAL HYDRA He enjoys working with HYDRA because it gives him a lot of opportunity to employ FIELD AGENT ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: his special talents. He dislikes people Garrotte is a fanatical follower of Baron who show off without demonstrating STATISTICS: Strucker, and a firm believer in the ideals competence, or those who bully their of Strucker's HYDRA. Garrotte is a ser­ troops without a good reason. F EX(20) vile follower of Baron Strucker, but is al­ A GD(10) so as cold-blooded as a killer can be. LIEUTENANT S GD(10) E GD(10) LIEUTENANT GUILLOTINE R TY(6) I TY(6) SALTZ STATISTICS: P TY(6) Health: 50 STATISTICS: F GD(10) Karma: 18 A EX(20) F RM(30) S GD(10) KNOWN POWERS: A EX(20) E EX(20) A HYDRA agent is required to maintain S GD(10) R PR(4) the statistics listed above to remain in E EX(20) I TY(6) the organization. Most agents never sur­ R TY(6) P TY(6) pass them, but there are always elite I GD(10) Health: 60 agents gifted with better statistics. P TY(6) Karma: 16 These agents usually rise to command Health: 80 Resources: EX(20) positions, since promotion in HYDRA is Karma: 22 Popularity: - 5 based on assassination. HYDRA agents Resources: EX(20) always carry weaponry. Popularity: -5 BACKGROUND: Equipment: Real Name: Unknown HYDRA agents are issued blaster weap­ BACKGROUND: Occupation: HYDRA Commander ons that do Remarkable Force damage. Real Name: Last name Saltz, first name Legal Status: Unknown, now deceased Ta lents: Most HYDRA agents had three unknown Identity: Public skills in weapons or martial arts (Typi­ Occupation: HYDRA Commander Place of Birth: Unrevealed cally Martial Arts A and E, and Guns). Legal Status: Unknown Marital Status: Unknown Identity: Public Known Relatives: Unknown ADDITIONAL NOTES: Place of Birth: Unrevealed Base of Operations: Las Vegas Marital Status: Unknown Past Group Affiliations: HYDRA Known Relatives: Unknown Present Group Affiliations: Base of Operations: Las Ve gas Past Group Affiliations: HYDRA KNOWN POWERS: Present Group Affiliations: Edged We apons: Guillotine has blades along his costume which do Excellent ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: KNOWN POWERS: Edged Attacks damage. A typical HYDRA agent is trained to fol­ Lt. Saltz appears to have no superhu­ Bionic Arm: Guillotine has a bionic left low orders, not think for himself or ques­ man powers. arm, constructed of Excellent Material tion his superiors. HYDRA is as much of We apons: Lieutenant Saltz carries a Strength steel, which gives him Excel­ a cult as it is an espionage and terrorist large variety of weapons, typically a pair lent Strength. organization, and relies on blind worship of military assault rifles (Excellent dam­ Ta lents: Guillotine has + 1 CS to attack of the Supreme Hydra to keep its mem­ age, Excellent range, 20 rounds each). with edged weapons. bership under control. Ta lents: Saltz has the Weapons Master Contacts: Guillotine has no known con­ and Military talents. tacts.

57 HYDRA

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

58 �

, ,

59 The latest chapter in the saga of the plan to defeat Thanos. mad Eternal Thanos and Adam Warlock Meanwhile, Thanos tried, unsuccess­ ADAM WA RLOCK began with Death. She Who Ta kes fully, to woo Death. To win her hand, STATISTICS: Lives looked upon the thriving life of the Thanos turned the corpse of Nebula into universe, and was troubled. On the a half-living abomination. When this did F IN(40) planet Earth alone, half the people in all not succeed in attracting Death, Thanos A IN(40) of human history were alive on the plan­ killed half of the population of the uni­ S RM(30) et now. This was not right. This was an verse. Death, horrified by the monster E AM(50) imbalance and Death mused about that she had created, still spurned R GD(10) wondered what could be done about Thanos. The would-be romance was dis­ I RM(30) this. She would need to have an aco­ rupted by an attack by Earth's superhe­ P IN(40) lyte, someone to do her bidding. She roes, which Thanos easily withstood. Health: 160 would need to find someone who would Then Eternity and the cosmic powers of Karma: 80 have no moral hesitations about killing the universe attacked. Thanos bested Resources: GD(10) half the people in the Universe. But them as well. All seemed hopeless for Popularity: 10 where ...? the universe. Her thoughts turned back to her most However, following the battle against faithful servant, her most powerful wor­ the cosmic powers, Thanos transformed BACKGROUND: Real Name: Adam Warlock shipper, the mad Titan, Thanos. Thanos himself into an astral form, rejecting his Occupation: had been turned to stone by Adam War­ flesh-the flesh that wore the Infinity Avenger, savior of worlds Legal Status: None lock, and his threat to the universe's life Gauntlet. Seeing her opportunity, Nebu­ Identity: was seemingly ended. Death saw la grabbed the Gauntlet and took it as The general populace of Earth her own. To thwart Thanos, Nebula re­ is unaware that Adam Warlock exists. Thanos as the perfect instrument, how­ Place of Birth: The Beehive, Shard Is­ ever, and restored him to life. stored to life everyone that Thanos had land, Atlantic Ocean Thanos was eager to gain Death's fa­ killed. Thanos was forced to join forces Marital Status: vor, and heartily agreed to kill half the with Warlock and the Earth's superhe­ Single Known Relatives: None people in the universe. He amused him­ roes who were capable of battle in an at­ Base of Operations: Monster Island self by tormenting the Silver Surfer and tempt to defeat Nebula. Nebula battled by killing Nebula, his alleged grand­ the cosmic heroes and defeated them, Past Group Affiliations: Head of the In­ daughter, while he considered how he but Warlock reentered the soul-gem and finity Watch, (as the Magus) head of the would achieve his goal. Gazing into the caused it to react against her. Nebula Universal Church of Truth in an alternate depths of Death's Infinity Well, Thanos dropped the gauntlet, and after a mad future. developed his plan. scramble to stop Nebula and Thanos Present Group Affiliations: He learned the true power of the six from getting the gauntlet, Warlock em­ soul-gems-the Infinity Gems-and erged as its new wearer. KNOWN POWERS: persuaded Death to help him gain Thanos fled, while Nebula was taken Body Armor: Warlock possesses Good them. Using cunning, naked strength, to Titan for judgment. Adam Warlock body armor against physical and energy and his unique might, Thanos gathered was now the supreme being of this entire attacks. the six gems from their keepers, the In­ dimension. After visiting Thanos, who Ability En hancement: Once per day, War­ Betweener and various members of the was now living as a farmer on an un­ lock could boost his Strength and Endur­ Elders of the Universe. Each gem con­ named world, Warlock turned himself ance by +2 CS for up to 5 turns. This trolled one fundamental facet of exist­ over to the Living Tr ibunal to determine gives him no increase in Health. ence: The Soul, The Mind, Power, his worthiness to be a god. The Living Flight: Warlock can fly at Monstrous Time, Space, and Reality. He forged Tribunal ruled against him, and Warlock speeds in planetary atmospheres, or these six gems into one instrument, the was ordered to separate the Infinity CL10 00 speeds in outer space. If War­ Infinity Gauntlet. This device gave mad Gauntlet into its component gems and lock makes a red Endurance FEAT roll, Thanos absolute power over every as­ give them to those who would help de­ he can obtain CL3000 speeds for 2-20 pect of reality. fend reality from assault. turns. Creating the Infinity Gauntlet instantly Keeping the soul-gem for himself, Force Bolts: Warlock can generate Force made Thanos a lot of enemies. The first Thanos gave the power-gem to Drax the or Energy bolts with Amazing strength was Mephisto, who used cunning to gain Destroyer, the mind-gem to Moondra­ from his hands up to a range of 3 areas. Thanos's ear; he became a sycophant gon, the time-gem to Gamora, and the Ufe Support: Warlock can survive the who stood at Thanos's side, whispering space-gem to Pip the Tr oll. The keeper of rigors of deep space with CL 1000 ability. suggestions. Then, Chronos resurrected the reality-gem is as yet a mystery. War­ Pro tective Cocoon: Warlock can spin a Thanos's old enemy, Drax the Destroyer, lock named them the Infinity Watch, and cocoon around himself in seconds at now a nearly mindless brute. Then then left them to seek solace in the com­ will. The cocoon was made of Incredible Thanos's deadliest foe, Adam Warlock, pany of the High Evolutionary. In the Material Strength and gave him Mon­ was awakened from the soul-gem in meantime, cosmic beings were already strous self-healing abilities. which he lived along with Gamora and plotting to wrest the gems from their Dimensional Transfer: Warlock can trans­ Pip the Troll. Along with Dr. Strange and guardians and reproduce Thanos's feat port himself between our dimension and the Silver Surfer, Warlock put together a of dimensional conquest. the dimension of the soul-gem at will. Equipment: Soul-Gem: Warlock uses the soul-gem, one of the Infinity Gems, to give himself the following abilities:

60 • Amazing intensity devolution, that While traveling through the Hercules KNOWN POWERS: allows the gem to reverse the effects of star cluster later, Warlock encountered Ti me Gem: Gamora has the time gem, adv anced evolution (such as caused by the Universal Church of Tr uth, a rapidly and is capable of warping and manipu­ the High Evolutionary), returning an indi­ spreading religious empire. Warlock dis­ lating the flow of time. As of this writing, vidual or creature to its original state. covered that the Church's leader, the she has yet to develop any power stunts • Monstrous Co mmunications, which Magus, was really himself from an alter­ with this Shift Z rank power; Gamora enables the gem to instantly translate nate future. While the Magus sought to may soon wield its powers with Incredi­ any being's language. ensure his eventual creation, Warlock ble rank effects (equal to Psyche). She • An Incredible Kinetic Force Bolt, and Thanos united to prevent the Magus could duplicate the following powers that can be fired up to fo ur areas away. from becoming. Warlock eventually ab­ with the time gem if she so chose: Dupli­ • Unearthly So ul Absorption, which sorbed the Magus into the soul-gem, cation (by summoning an alternate fu­ means that the gem can literally absorb and prevented his creation. ture counterpart), Lightning Speed, a victim's mind. The victim's mind be­ After that, Thanos began to gather the Multiple Attacks, Paralyzation-Others comes a resident of a pocket dimension gems together to sacrifice the stars to (freeze time around foes) , Suspended where everything is peaceful and tran­ Death. Part of his plan involved the Animation-Self and Others, Te leporta­ quil. Warlock can access the memories death of Warlock, who was living within tion (step outside of time for a few of any soul trapped within the gem. the soul-gem. But the energies released rounds and move to another location in­ The gem is sentient and malevolent, by Warlock's death and the power of the stantly by restoring time), etc. with the following mental statistics: soul-gem itself, combined to resurrect Ta lents: Gamora is an accomplished as­ RIPWarloc k, and Warlock turned Thanos in­ sassin , with Martial Arts A-E, Thrown IN MN UN to stone. Warlock then retreated back to Weapons, Sharp Weapons, Navigation, The gem can substitute its own mental the soul-gem. Aerial Combat, and Spacecraft pilot. attributes for Warlock's in a dire emer­ Recently, Death resurrected Thanos, Contacts: Gamora has contacts with gency. The soul-gem is made of Un­ and when Thanos hurled the Silver Surf­ Adam Warlock, Pip the Tr oll, Moondra­ earthlyStrength Material. er and Drax the Destroyer into the soul­ gon, Drax, and Thanos. She was once a gem, Warlock helped them escape, and friend of Captain Marvel (Mar-Veil). Ta lents: Warlock has the Leadership tal­ then emerged himself. During the Infinity ent. Gauntlet criSis, Warlock gained control ADDITIONAL NOTES: Contacts: Warlock has allied with most of the Gauntlet and the ultimate power Earth superheroes and many cosmic en­ that went with it, but tired of the burden tities during his long career. of omnipotence and gave the gems to others. He kept the soul-gem, "his old ADDITIONAL NOTES: friend," for himself.

ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: GAMORA Gamora is a dedicated woman, probably STATISTICS: the most conscientious member of the Infinity Watch, and is closest to Adam F IN(40) Warlock. A IN(40) S EX(20) E IN(40) HISTORY: R ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: GD(10) Gamora was the sole survivor of the ali­ Warlock has become a cool, stoic indi­ I EX(20) en humanoid race called the Zen­ vidual, devoted to the preservation of liv­ P IN(40) Whoberis, a peace-loving people who ing things. He is extremely self-assured Health: 140 refused to convert to the militaristic doc­ and acts with great nobility. Karma: 70 trines of the Universal Church of Tr uth, a Resources: GD(1 0) zealous religious order seeking to estab­ Popularity: 10 lish a galaxy-wide empire. Agents of the Church, called Grand Inquisitors, herd­ HISTO RY: BACKGROUND: ed the entire population of the planet in­ Adam Warlock was the creation of four Real Name: Gamora to a valley and exterminated them for Earth scientists called the Enclave. He Occupation: Former assassin and min­ their resistance. The mad Titan Thanos was the prototype for a perfect human, ion of Thanos, now cosmic adventurer rescued Gamora and brought her that wo uld become the Enclave's perfect Legal Status: Citizen of Zen-Whoberi through time to a period at least two dec­ soldier. "Him," as Warlock was then Identity: The general populace of Earth ades prio r to her people's deaths. known, rejected the Enclave's goals and is unaware that Gamora exists Aboard h is space station Sanctuary, fled into our space, where he encoun­ Place of Birth: Planet Zen-Whoberi, Sili­ Thanos raised Gamora and used tered the High Evolutionary on Counter­ can system, Milky Way Galaxy advanced technology to endow her with Earth. The High Evolutionary gave Him Marital Status: Single advanced humanoid ab ilities. He also the soul-gem and named him Adam Known Relatives: None subtly altered her perceptions so that Warlock; Warlock defeated the Evolu­ Base of Operations: Monster Island she would not recognize the evil of her tionary's renegade creation, the Man­ Past Group Affiliations: Former minion deeds. Beast and then left to wander the of Thanos, member of the Infinity Watch Thanos planned to send Gamora to universe, to battle the forces of evil. Present Group Affiliations: assassinate his enemy the Magus, the

61 leader of the Church of Universal Tr uth, Present Group Affi liations: Eventually, missionaries from the Uni­ a warped version of Adam Warlock from versal Church of Truth came to Laxidazia an alternate future. She practiced for KNOWN POWERS: and began to convert the natives to the this assignment by killing the Church's Sp ace Gem: This gem gives its wearer new faith. The agents of the Church Grand Inquisitors. Shift Z Teleportation; it also grants all found the tribes of trolls and soon Thanos hoped that the presence of a available movement powers, but Pip learned that they were resistant to any noncontemporary element such as Ga­ generally uses the gem only for Telepor­ conversion process. The Church or­ mora inserted into the Magus's present tation. dered them exterminated, and word would disrupt his opponent's plans and Ta lents: Pip has no known talents, aside spread throughout the Empire that all lead to the divergence of the events that from drinking and lewd behavior, at trolls were to be exterminated. In the created the Magus from this timeline. which he is very talented. meantime, Pip had gotten himself in Gamora's presence was detected by the Contacts: Pip has contacts with Adam trouble on scores of planets, most of Magus, who prevented her from getting Warlock, Moondragon, Drax, and Ga­ which were under the Church's jurisdic­ close enough to assassinate him. Ga­ mora. tion. Eventually taken captive by agents mora did, however, assist Warlock in his of the Church, Pip was sent aboard the final battle against the Magus. ADDITIONAL NOTES: Death Ship, a space vessel containing When the Magus was defeated, Ga­ those bound for execution by the mora returned to her master, Thanos, Church. Aboard the ship, Pip met Adam and soon learned of his plan to destroy Warlock. Seeing Warlock as a means to the universe as a sacrifice to Death. Hor­ escape the ship as well as a chance to rified, she tried to slay Thanos with a find adventure, Pip became Warlock's dagger, but Thanos slew her instead. companion in his efforts to thwart his al­ Adam Warlock found Gamora with one ternate self, the Magus. When the threat last spark of life remaining in her body of the Magus was quelled, Pip and War­ and used his soul-gem to absorb her lock went drinking together on the consciousness. Gamora's spirit re­ humanoid-populated world Sirius(T­ mained in the soul-gem until the recent S)and then parted company. Pip be­ Infinity Gauntlet crisis, when it was re­ came engaged in a number of leased. Warlock awarded Gamora the misadventures of his own, then decided gem of Time and made her a member of ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: to renew his friendship with Adam War­ the Infinity Watch. Pip is rude, lewd, and lecherous. He is lock. Locating the ship of Warlock's an ideal companion if you enjoy fre­ former ally, Thanos, Pip entered to see if PIP THE TROLL quenting galactic taverns and don't Warlock was still aboard. He was not. mind bailing him out of trouble all the Thanos responded to the troll's intrusion STATISTICS: time. by using his power to destroy Pip's brain. Wa rlock eventually found Pip, and F GD(10) used a fraction of his power to absorb A EX(20) Pip's spirit into his soul-gem. 5 TY(6) HISTORY: Later, during the Infinity Gauntlet cri­ Pip was born 260th in line for the throne sis, Pip's spirit was released and he was E IN(40) of Laxidazia, a planet in the Dolenz sys­ R TY(6) restored to life. Adam Wa rlock, relieving I tem. A member of the idle rich, Pip spent himself of the burden of godhood, gave TY(6) his days in luxury, painting landscapes P TY(6) Pip the space gem and named him as to ease the boredom. One night while one of the Infinity Watch. Health: 76 looking for a good spot to paint, Pip Karma: 18 Resources: came across an encampment of trolls, a TY(6) degenerate sub-species of the Laxida­ DRAX THE DE­ Popularity: 0 zian race. Ta king an immediate liking to these people, Pip engaged in food, STROYER BACKGROUND: drink, and dance with them, imbibing STATISTICS: Real Name: Pip Gofern vast quantities of their special ale. When Occupation: Former prince of Laxida­ Pip awoke the next morning, he discov­ F IN(40) zia, painter, lecher, and companion of ered that not only did he have the worst heroes A RM(30) hangover of his life, he had been mu­ S UN(100) Legal Status: Expatriate citizen of Lax­ tated by the ale into a troll. Eventually, he idazia, wanted for lewd behavior on nu­ E UN(100) returned to the court and tried to hide his R FB(2) merous worlds condition, but his lewd behavior could Identity: The general populace of Earth I FB(2) not be stifled. P AM (50) is unaware that Pip exists Embarrassed by such behavior from Place of Birth: Laxidazia, Dolenz sys­ Health: 270 someone with a rank as esteemed as the Karma: 54 tem, Milky Way Galaxy 260th in line for the throne, the Laxida­ Marital Status: Single (presumed) Resources: PR(4) zians stripped him of rank and exiled Popularity: 10 Known Relatives: None him from the court. Pip stowed away on Base of Operations: Monster Island aboard a merchant starship and began a Past Group Affi liations: Member of the life of wandering and debauchery. Infinity Watch.

62 BACKGROUND: HISTORY: Real Name: Arthur Douglas R al estate agent Arthur Douglas, his MDDNDRAGDN � . Occupation: Former real estate agent, Wife, Yvette, and his daughter, Heather, STATISTICS: later agent of Chronos were driving across the Mojave Desert Legal Status: Citizen of the United from Las Vegas to Los Angeles when a F RM(30) States with no criminal record, legally spaceship carrying the mad Titan A RM(30) deceased named Thanos passed overhead on a S GD(10) Identity: Secret surveillance mission of Earth. Wishing to E RM(30) Place of Birth: Burbank, California keep his existence secret, Thanos de­ R RM(30) Marital Status: Widowed stroyed the car in case its passengers I IN(40) Known Relatives: Yvette (wife, de­ had seen his craft, then landed to make ceased), Heather (daughter) certain they were dead. Satisfied that P UN(100) Base of Operations: Monster Island they were dead, Thanos left. Unbe­ Health: 100 Past Group Affiliations: Member of the knownst to him, Thanos's father Mentor Karma: 170 Infinity Watch . had been monitoring his son's activities Resources: GD(10) Present Group Affiliations: on Earth. Mentor discovered that Heath­ Popularity: 0 er Douglas was still alive, and took her KNOWN POWERS: back to Titan to be raised and trained in BACKGROUND: Power Gem: The power gem boosts using her latent mental abilities. She lat­ Real Name: Heather Douglas er returned to Earth as Moondragon. Drax's statistics to the level listed above. Former priE..3tess and ad­ Mentor sadly determined that the Occupation: His original physical statistics were: venturer threat of Thanos could no longer be ig­ Legal Status: Citizen of the United nored. He enlisted the aid of the cosmic F A S E States with no criminal record, natural­ entity Chronos to seize the astral form of GO EX IN AM ized citizen of Titan Arthur Douglas before it had completely Other powers due to the power gem's Secret left its body. Chronos and Mentor then Identity: presence are quite likely, but as yet un­ Place of Birth: Los Angeles, California fashioned a superhuman body from the revealed Marital Status: Single Earth and placed Douglas's spirit into it. Immortality: Drax cannot be slain by Known Relatives: Yvette (mother, de­ Thus, Drax the Destroyer was born. physical means. In addition to Immortali­ ceased), Arthur (father) Mentor blocked all memories of Drax's ty, Drax has Unearthly Life Support, Re­ Base of Operations: Monster Island . old life, instilling in him a monomaniacal generation, and Recovery powers, and Past Group Affiliations: Member of the hatred of Thanos. For years, Drax is invulnerable to heat, cold, electricity, Infinity Watch. served as Thanos's nemesis, thwarting radiation, toxins, and disease. However, Present Group Affiliations: Drax can be Slammed or Stunned by certain of Thanos's plans, but never . physical attacks. Drax can only be killed crushing Thanos himself. Thanos hired KNOWN POWERS: by a mental attack. legions of alien mercenaries just to keep Mind Gem: This Infinity Gem raises all of Force Beams: Drax can fire beams of Drax away from him. Finally, in Thanos's campaign to possess the Cosmic Cube, Moondragon's mental statistics by +2 Amazing Force and range from his CS, and enhances her telekinesis simi­ hands. Drax, in the company of the Ave ngers, larly. Other powers are likely, but are as Flight: Drax can fly at CL 1000 speeds in Captain Mar-Veil, and Moondragon, saw Thanos tu rned to stone. Drax now yet unrevealed. Without the gem, Moon­ space, but is reduced to Monstrous dragon's mental statistics are: speeds in a planetary atmosphere. lacked a purpose in life. For awhile he Drax has the Resist Domination used Captain Mar-Veil as an outlet for Ta lents: I talent. his frustrations, then he fell silent. R P GO EX AM Contacts: Drax has contacts with Adam Sometime later, Drax was contacted Warlock, and the Silver Surfer. by his daughter, Moondragon, and was invited to join her in her journey through Te lepathy: Unearthly ability and range. Mind Control: Unearthly rank and range ADDITIONAL NOTES: space in search of knowledge. The two came to the world of Ba-Banis, a world of Mind Blast: Monstrous ability and dam­ humanoids, caught in the middle of a age, 4 area range (Incredible, 2 area civil war. Moondragon used her mental range, without gem) powers to stop the civil war and set her­ Te lekinesis: Unearthly rank strength and self up as the planet's goddess. Drax force with Amazing range recognized that her ambitions were ig­ Kinetic Bolt: Incredible rank Force bolt, 8 area range ROLE-PLAY ING NOTES: noble and contacted the Avengers. Moondragon has Uneart hly Drax is no longer obsessed, as he once Freed by the Avengers from his daugh­ Ta lents: reason in the fields of Genetics and Bio­ was, with Thanos. In fact, Drax's current ter's mental domination, Drax attacked chemistry. With Good facilities, she is mental faculties are all but gone. Drax her. Moondragon was "forced" to kill capable of creating new superbeings. still has a hair-trigger temper and some­ Drax. Contacts: Moondragon has contacts times makes the old green Hulk seem Drax remained dead, until Thanos with estranged members of the Aveng­ mild by comparison. In the company of was resurrected by Death, when ers and the Defenders. friends, Drax is a powerful weapon of the Chronos resurrected Drax in response forces of good. He can be calmed down to the menace of Thanos. Drax joined in if made to watch "Alf" reruns. the fight against Thanos and was later given the power gem by Warlock and made a member of the Infinity Watch.

63 ADDITIONAL NOTES: had been monitoring his son's activities point came when she helped the Aveng­ on Earth.Mentor discovered that Heath­ ers battle Korvac. Scanning Korvac's er Douglas was still alive, and took her mind, she saw that he desired to elimi­ back to Titan to be raised. She was nate chaos from the universe, and deter­ placed in the custody of the Shao-Lom mined that would be a laudable goal. monks of Titan, who taught her complete She later traveled to the planet Ba­ control of her body and mind as well as Banis, and used her mental powers to ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: total mastery of her latent psionic poten­ stop their civil war. However, the Aveng­ Moondragon is a smug, arrogant, self­ tial. She became an accomplished ath­ ers traveled to Ba-Banis to stop her. In centered person who will gladly step on lete, martialartist, and geneticist. the process, she took the life of her fa­ anyone in the pursuit of her goals. Cold Eventually she made contact with a ther, Drax the Destroyer. The Asgardian and calculating, there is, nonetheless, a malevolent entity, the Dragon of the god Thor turned Moondragon over to his side to her that very much admires su­ Moon, a cosmic entity that claimed to father Odin for punishment. Odin forced perheroes and wants to be like them. have destroyed dozens of civilizations, Moondragon to wear a headband that Moondragon's internal conflict, between including the Eternals of Uranus. The greatly reduced her mental powers, and her contempt for and admiration of oth­ Dragon tried to take control of Heather's entrusted her to the custody of the Val­ ers, often has explosive results. mind, but with the help of the psionic kyrie, a member of the Defenders. She barriers protecting Titan, she drove it served well with the Defenders, until she out. Yet the Dragon saw Heather as its learned she was dying. Once again HISTORY: best pawn and it continued to influence tempted by the Dragon of the Moon, who Heather Douglas is the only child of real her. When her studies were finished, she promised to save her, she gave in. Moon­ estate agent Arthur Douglas and his chose the name "Moondragon." dragon gained vast powers of evil, and wife, Yvette. When Heather was three Feeling confined on Titan and con­ battled the Defenders. The result of this years old, she and her parents were driv­ tempt for its people, Moondragon es­ battle was the apparent destruction of ing across the Mojave Desert from Las caped to Earth. Under the name Moondragon, the Dragon of the Moon, Vegas to Los Angeles when a spaceship Madame MacEvil, she bred several su­ and the Defenders. But Moondragon carrying the mad Titan Thanos passed perhumans: Angar the Screamer, Ram­ survived, now free of the Dragon's influ­ overhead. Wishing to keep his existence rod, and the Dark Messiah. Yet her work ence. secret, Thanos destroyed the car in case was intended for a good purpose, the She was invited to join the Infinity creation of superhumans for use in the Watch after the Infinity Gauntlet crisis, its passengers had seen his craft, killing war against Thanos. Soon after Thanos and given the mind gem by Adam War­ everyone except Heather. (Arthur was vanquished, Moondragon became lock. Whether vast powers will lead to Douglas was later resurrected as Drax involved with the Avengers. A turning vast corruption, as has happened before the Destroyer.) Thanos's father, Mentor, with Moondragon, remains to be seen.

64 STATISTICS:

F IN(40) A RM(30) S GD(1 0) E EX(20) R GD(10) I IN(40) P AM (50) Health: 100 Karma: 100 Resources: PR(4) Popularity: 20

BACKGROUND: Real Name: Daniel Rand Occupation: Adventurer Legal Status: Citizen of the United States, honorary Tibetan citizen Identity: Secret Place of Birth: New Yo rk City Marital Status: Single Known Relatives: Wendell and Heather (parents, deceased), Yu-Ti (uncle) Base of Operations: New Yo rk City Past Group Affiliations: Former partner of Luke Cage, Heroes for Hire, Inc. Present Group Affi liations:

KNOWN POWERS: Chi: If Iron Fist spends one round of action concentrating and makes a suc­ cessful Psyche FEAT roll, his Fighting, Agility, Strength, and Endurance ranks are each increased by + 1 CS for 1 0 rounds. Afterwards, his Health drops 25 points. Iron Fis t: Once per day, Iron Fist can use his chi to deliver a devastating blow. Make a Psyche FEAT roll to determine the damage done by the blow; a green result does Incredible damage; a yellow result does Amazing damage, and a red result roll does Monstrous damage. If he lands an Incredible or Amazing force blow, he temporarily loses 50 Health pOints; if he lands a Monstrous blow, he loses 50 Health points and loses con­ sciousness for 1-10 turns. Ta lents: Iron Fist has Martial Arts A and E. Contacts: Power Man, Namor, Nightwing Restorations, and the X-Men. Iron Fist is a friend of numerous su­ perheroes, including Spider-Man.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

65 ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: city. There the young Rand was brought Danny was blamed for the murder, and Danny Rand's original motivation was to before the ruler of K'un-L.:un,the August undertooka mission to find the ninja and avenge his parents' death by waging Personage of Jade. Seeing the boy's de­ clear his name. This led him into conflict war against renegades from K'un-L.:un. sire for vengeance, he apprenticed him with a number of costumed adventurers, After this was resolved, he joined Luke to the martial arts master of K'un-L.:un, and eventually, to a career as a crime­ Cage in a partnership,which then devel­ Lei Kung the Thunderer. fighter. He met Luke Cage (alias Power oped into a close friendship. Now that Rand's training under Lei Kung was Man) and joined Cage's professional He­ Danny has been rescued from imprison­ rigorous. At age 16, Rand earned the ro for Hire Business. However, during a ment by the H'ylthri, it remains to be Crown of Fu-Hsi, king of the vipers, van­ visit to K'un-L.:unto heal himself of radia­ seen which direction his life will take. quished four foes in the ritualistic Chal­ tion poisoning, Danny was kidnapped by lenge of the Many, and defeated Shu-hi, the ancient enemies of K'un-L.:un, the a mechanical being whose name means H'ylthri, and replaced with a duplicate "Lightning." Rand diligently conditioned made of plant tissue, which was to act as HISTORY: his hands by thrusting them into tubs of agent for the plant creatures' invasion of Daniel Rand was the son of a business­ hot sand, then gravel, then finally rock. Earth. Shortlyafter wards, the duplicate man named Wendell Rand who had a At age 19, Rand was given the opportu­ of Rand was slain and Luke Cage was mysterious obsession to find the fabled nity to gain the power of the Iron Fist. blamed for the murder. city of K'un-L.:un,a paradise he believed Opposing the fire-breathing serpent Daniel Rand reappeared recently, or to be located in the mountains of Tibet. called Shou-Lao the Undying, Rand more accurately, the Super-Skrull who When he was nine, Daniel Rand traveled grabbed the serpent's body and re­ had assumed Rand's likeness and his to Tibet with his father, mother, and his ceived mystic emanations from the identity as Iron Fist appeared. The Skrull father's business partner, Harold Mea­ dragon-shaped scar that marked where used Rand's contacts and friends to ad­ chum, in search of K'un-L.:un. To ppling the serpent's hearthad been ripped out vance a scheme involving the Savage off a treacherous mountain passage, years before. In the embrace, the scar Land. The Skrull battled Namor, the Sub­ Daniel dragged his father and mother Mariner, his cousin Namorita, of the New with him. While he and his mother land­ imprinted itself on Rand's chest. Killing ed on a ledge below, his father dangled the serpent, Rand plunged his hands in­ Wa rriors, and Misty Knight, Rand's form­ over the sheer drop of the mountainside, to the now unguarded brazier containing er lover. The Skrull dropped his ruse, calling to his partner for help. Hoping to Shou-Lao's molten heart. When he was was defeated and fled, his scheme take Rand's share of their business, through, his fists shone with a mystical wrecked. Rand's friends, perhaps Meachum instead caused him to lose his force, and he earned the title "Iron Fist:' buoyed by Rand's bogus reappearance, grip and plunge to his death. Though Declining to stay in K'un-L.:un eter­ set off on a search to find out what had Meachum offered to help Heather Rand nally, Danny returned to America to seek really happened to their friend. and her son, they spurned him. Attempt­ revenge on Meachum. Meanwhile, Mea­ Rand was freed from his imprison­ ing to make it back to camp on their own, chum, having learned of Rand's training ment by the H'ylthri some time later by Heather and her son spied a long sus­ at K'un-L.:un while recovering from frost­ Namor, the Sub-Mariner, and brought pension bridge just as a pack of wild bite suffered while in the Himalayas, re­ back to Earth by its Sorcerer Supreme, wolves attacked them. Heather tried to turned to America as an invalid to await Dr. Strange. At present, Daniel Rand is hold them off long enough for her son to Rand. Clad in the ceremonial garb of the recovering from his long ordeal. Appar­ get away to safety, and was killed in the Iron Fist, Rand finally confronted Mea­ ently, meditation and the energy of the chum, but took pity on the invalid and Iron Fist has cured Rand of the cancer effort.Soon thereafter, denizens of K'un­ spared him. Minutes later, however, a he suffered from earlier in his career. L.:unfound the boy and took him to their mysterious ninja murdered Meachum. What direction his life will take now is un­ known.

66 THE LEBIDN DF NIGHT

Defense attorney Charles Blackwater but when the Fellowship intervened, de­ caused her to be committed to an asy­ was not the most ethical of human be­ manding that he turn over all of the files lum. The fifth, Chan Liuchow, had been ings, but he was not without a con­ of his investigation to them. When Black­ a student who had awakened the dread­ science either. When the Fellowship, a water resisted, he was killed in a grue­ ed Fin Fang Foom from slumber thirty religious cult, came to him and asked some fashion-his throat was impaled, years before to save China from Com­ him to defend them against charges of he was shot in the head, and knocked munism. It was Fin Fang Foom that the kidnapping, extortion, fraud, drug traf­ out of the window of a high-rise apart­ Legion of Night was worried about. The ficking, and pornography he insisted ment. What more need someone do to Fellowship planned to rouse the dragon that he check out their commune to de­ kill someone? from its slumber and allow it to transform termine that the accusations were false. But the Fellowship did not count on the world into its dream, which it would He also insisted on receiving one hun­ the intervention of the mysterious entity then devour. The Fellowship successful­ dred thousand dollars more than they known as Omen. He saw in this dying ly completed the ritual which caused the were willing to offer. man a weapon to use against the Fellow­ dragon to awaken, then Hildreth, the He defended them well-the Fellow­ ship, against the beast that the Fellow­ high priestess and comptroller of the ship was acquitted of the charges ship planned to raise, and against the Fellowship, offered herself as a sacrifice against him. That's when "Cruel Fate" beast's master, whom he had once to Fin Fang Foom, dramatically increas­ intervened-"Cruel Fate" magazine, served. He offered in delirious, dying ing its powers. that is-which was preparing an expose dreams life to Charles Blackwater, if he Omen led the Legion of Night into the of the Fellowship, and which raised would serve the night, if he would help dreamworld of Fin Fang Foom, to slay doubts in Blackwater's mind about the terrorize those who committed their evil the evil dreams it was preparing to un­ occult beliefs of the group. in the sunlight, those who feared noth­ leash upon the world. Though they were These doubts led him to an unusual ing. Blackwater had little choice. opposed by hideous monsters, the Le­ used-bookstore, with a precognitive Once Omen had established a link in gion was nonetheless victorious, forcing sales clerk and a copy of the Aten De­ the physical world, he began to assem­ the dragon to retreat, and breaking up can, the philosophical underpinnings of ble his Legion of t-light, mystically calling the schemes of the Fellowship. At the Fellowship. The macabre dogma of them together. The precognitive present, the Legion of Night has not ap­ the Aten Decan, which encouraged the shadow-reader, Ariann, was Omen's first peared again, but Omen has prophesied exploitation of humanity's basest nature recruit. The second recruit was Jennifer that the awakening of Fin Fang Foom and the rejection of morality, led Black­ Kale, the sorceress who had once been was but the first step in a larger series of water to investigate the pornography a friend to the Man-Thing, and who had occult tests by dark forces that would try and drug charges. He soon learned that much experience in mystical matters. to destroy it, that could only be opposed the Fellowship were guilty of everything The third, Martin Gold, was a writer for by-a Legion of Night. that they had been accused of-and "Cruel Fate" magazine. The fourth, Dr. more. Katherine Reynolds, was a professor of Blackwater agreed to aid Cruel Fate psychiatry from Gateway University in magazine's expose of the Fellowship, St. Louis, whose psychic powers had ance in times of crisis. He has no other KNOWN POWERS: OMEN known contacts; it is known that he once Magic: Jennifer Kale is an Adept of the served a power of extreme evil. school of Atlantean White Magic. Kale's STATISTICS: known spells include: F RM(30) ADDITIONAL NOTES: AM Astral Protection (P); Dimensional Tr avel (D): Kale has used A EX(20) this spell to exile creatures captured by S EX(20) her Ensnaring spell. E AM(50) IN Eldritch Blast (U); R EX(20) IN Ensnaring (D): Those who are cap­ I EX(20) tured by this spell must make a Psyche P IN(40) FEAT roll to break free, or its effects are Health: 120 permanent until Kale te rminates the Karma: 80 spel/. She has used this spell to create Resources: RM (30) bridges of Incredible Material Strength. Popularity: 0 IN Magic Detection (U); AM Medium (D): Kale can communi­ BACKGROUND: cate with the spirit of Dakimh with a suc­ Unrevealed. Charles Black­ Real Name: cessful Psyche FEAT roll (Incredible). water is the name of Omen's human Ta lents: Kale has the Occult talent. Her host. knowledge of Florida geography is Ex­ Self-appointed protector of Occupation: cel/ent. humanity, leader of the Legion of Night Contacts: Kale is a friend of the Man­ Unknown. Blackwater is a Legal Status: Thing and the worldly barbarian Korrek. United States citizen with no criminal re­ She is a disciple of Dakimh and a mem­ cord ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: ber of the Legion of Night. Identity: Public Omen is a remote, distant figure, who Place of Birth: Unrevealed wages an emotionless vigil against the ADDITIONAL NOTES: Marital Status: Unrevealed forces of evil. Ye t, it is obvious that he Known Relatives: None cares for Earth and its humans. Base of Operations: New Yo rk City Past Group Affiliations: None .JENNIFER KALE Present Group Affiliations: STATISTICS: KNOWN POWERS: NOTE: Omen appears to be a being of F TY(6) vast supernatural powers. These A GD(1O) powers, the only ones revealed to date, S TY(6) are probably a small fraction of Omen's E EX(20) true powers. R GD(10) Alter-ego: Omen uses the resurrected I EX(20) corpse of Charles Blackwater as a host. P IN(40) Omen seems to need to bond himself Health: 42 with a host, but the effects of this limita­ Karma: 70 tion are unknown. Blackwater's statistics Resources: TY(6) without Omen are: Popularity: 5

F A S E RIP BACKGROUND: TY TY TY G D GD G D TY Real Name: Jennifer Kale Health: 28 Occupation: Sorceress Karma: 26 Legal Status: United States citizen with no criminal record . Sword: Omen wields a huge sword that Identity: The general populace of Earth can do Remarkable Edged damage. is unaware that Jennifer Kale is a sorcer­ Healing: Omen has Incredible healing ess. powers. Place of Birth: Citrusville, Florida Portal: Omen can transmit messages by Marital Status: Single a projecting himself as a portal of light, Known Relatives: Joshua (father), Andy ROLE-PLAY ING NOTES: similar to astral projection. In this form, (brother) Kale is a courageous young woman, he can communicate with people. Those Base of Operations: New Yo rk City more seasoned than she was when she who step through the portal will go Past Group Affiliations: Apprentice of was a simple sorcerer's apprentice. She where Omen wishes. Dakimh the Enchanter, frequent partner sees her duties as a member of the Le­ Ta lents: Omen has the Occult and Lead­ of Korrek, Man-Thing, and Howard the gion of Night as inevitable, given the na­ ership talent. Duck, member of the Legion of Night ture of magic; which involves people in Contacts: As leader of the Legion of Present Group Affiliations: conflicts that cannot be avoided. Night, Omen can count on their assist-

68 THE LEGION OF NIGHT

ARIANN MARTIN GOLD KATHERINE

STATISTICS: STATISTICS: REYNOLDS F GO(10) F TY(6) STATISTICS: A TY(6) A TY(6) S TY(6) S TY(6) F TY(6) E GO(10) E TY(6) A TY(6) R GO(10) R GO(10) S TY(6) I AM (50) I GO(10) E TY(6) P RM(30) P TY(6) R PR(4) Health: 32 Health: 24 I TY(6) Karma: 90 Karma: 26 P IN(40) Resources: TY(6) Resources: TY(6) Health: 24 Popularity: 0 Popularity: 0 Karma: 50 Resources: TY(6) BACKGROUND: BACKGROUND: Popularity: 0 Real Name: Ariann Real Name: Martin Gold Occupation: Bookstore clerk, "shadow Occupation: Writer for "Cruel Fate" BACKGROUND: reader" magazine Real Name: Katherine Reynolds Legal Status: United States citizen with Legal Status: United States citizen with Occupation: Psychology professor at no criminal record, still a minor no criminal record Gateway University in St. Louis, current Identity: The general populace of Earth Identity: The general populace of Earth mental patient is unaware that Ariann is an adventurer is unaware that Gold is an adventurer. Legal Status: United States citizen with Place of Birth: Unknown Place of Birth: Unknown no criminal record Marital Status: Single Marital Status: Unrevealed Identity: The general populace of Earth Known Relatives: Great grandfather Known Relatives: None is unaware that Reynolds is an adventur­ (name unrevealed) Base of Operations: New Yo rk City er Base of Operations: New Yo rk City Past Group Affi liations: Member of the Place of Birth: Unknown Past Group Affiliations: Member of the Legion of Night. Marital Status: Unrevealed Legion of Night. Present Group Affiliations: Known Relatives: None Present Group Affiliations: Base of Operations: St. Louis, Missouri KNOWN POWERS: Past Group Affiliations: Member of the KNOWN POWERS: Dream Te leport: In the dreamworld only, Legion of Night. Shadow Reading: Ariann's powers in­ Martin Gold can teleport with Remark­ Present Group Affiliations: volve mental contact with, and observa­ able ability. tion of, people's shadows. This gives her Ta lents: Martin has the Journalism tal­ KNOWN POWERS: Incredible powers of Empathy and Pre­ ent. Psionic Attack: Amazing power and cognition abilities. Contacts: Martin is a member of the Le­ range. Dream Manipulation: In dreams, Ariann gion of Night. Mental Prob e: Amazing power and can cause everyone she is in physical range. contact with to grow in size. She can do ADDITIONAL NOTES: Ta lents: Katherine has the Psychiatry this with Remarkable ability. talent. Ta lents: None revealed. Contacts: Katherine is a member of the Contacts: Ariann is a member of the Le­ Legion of Night. gion of Night. ADDITIONAL NOTES: ADDITIONAL NOTES:

ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: Martin is a relatively normal person who Ariann is an extremely mysterious fig­ has been recruited into the Legion of ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: ure. Her powers of precognition make Night, perhaps because his normalcy Katherine's mind has been affected by her seem wise beyond her years. She provides the team with a bit of stability. drugs, leaving her irrational and, at enjoys playing "the all-knowing little So far, Martin has found himself virtually times, barely coherent. She is usually girl" who makes cryptic comments overwhelmed by the occult forces that quiet, but can get quite violent when about people, and does not hesitate to he has to face, but has shown remark­ annoyed. talk about her abilities. able resilience in the face of adversity.

69 ADDITIONAL NOTES FOR LEGION OF CHAN LIUCHOW NIGHT

STATISTICS:

F GO(10) A TY(6) S TY(6) E TY(6) R GO(1 0) I GO(1 0) P GO(1 0) Health: 28 Karma: 30 Resources: GO(1 0) Popularity: 0

BACKGROUND: Real Name: Chan Liuchow Occupation: Anthropology professor at University of California at Berkeley Legal Status: Chinese citizen with no criminal record Identity: The general populace of Earth is unaware that Liuchow is an adventur­ er Place of Birth: Unknown Marital Status: Unrevealed Known Relatives: None Base of Operations: Berkeley, Califor­ nia Past Group Affiliations: Member of the Legion of Night. Present Group Affiliations:

KNOWN POWERS: None known. Ta lents: Chan has the Occult talent, specializing in Oriental mysticism. Contacts: Chan is a member of the Le­ gion of Night.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

ROLE·PLAYING NOTES: Chan has been consumed by guilt over his role in unleashing Fin Fang Foom thirty years ago. It is unknown whether he will continue to serve with the Legion of Night now that it has been defeated.

70 LIVING LIGHTNING

STATISTICS:

F GD(10) A GD(10) S TY(6) E EX(20) R GD(10) I TY(6) P TY(6) Health: 46 Karma: 22 Resources: EX(20) as an Avenger Popularity: 10

BACKGROUND: Real Name: Miguel Santos Occupation: Former Overlord turned Adventurer Legal Status: U.S. Citizen of Mexican descent Place of Birth: Unknown Marital Status: Single Known Relatives: Father, deceased Base of Operations: Unknown Past Group Affiliations: Pacific Over­ lords, Avengers Present Group Affiliations:

KNOWN POWERS: Electrical Generation: Santos can fire bolts of electricity which can inflict up to Unearthly damage. Flight: While in his energy form, Santos can fly at Shift X speeds (50 areas/round or 750 mph). Invulnerability: While in his energy form, Santos can not be harmed by physical attacks. He may be harmed by magic, psionic, and plasma-based attacks.

Equipment: Stasis Suit: Santos wears a special suit which was designed for him by Doctor Demonicus and later modified by Doctor ...... Pym. Pods located on the hips of this suit emit a stasis field which keep Santos in human form. By turning off these pods, he can assume the plasma form of Living Lightning.

Ta lents: Unknown.

Contacts: Miguel can use any one of the Avengers as a contact.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

71 ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: Att ributing this transformation solely change for certain benefits, the greatest Santos was a reluctant Overlord at best. to the machine, and fearing that anyone of which was the stasis suit which al­ He was essentially captured by Demoni­ might be able to receive such powers lowed him to stay in human form. cus and given the option of service as from it, Miguel destroyed the machine so Though Lightning never much cared Overlord-or death. To insure his coop­ that there would be only one Living for Demonicus's methods, he had little eration, Demonicus had a remote deacti­ Lightning. In fact, only someone with choice but to serve him since Demoni­ vator built into Santos's stasis suit that Santos's rare blood chemistry could cus possessed a remote control which could shut off the suit, causing him to be­ have survived this experience. could turn off Lightning's stasis suit at come a shapeless mass of electrons for­ Miguel now wished to test the limits of any time. In effect, he was more a pris­ ever. Santos was able to destroy this his new-found powers. He went on a oner of the Overlords than one of them. device and sided with the West Coast mini-rampage, causing electrical fires His true nature was shown when he Avengers in battle against the Overlords. and damage in the vicinity of Fullerton. squared off against the rest of the Over­ This action earned him a spot on the Miguel's activities came to the attention lords to save the lives of the Scarlet team, as a replacement for the Wasp. of the original Human To rch. The To rch Witch and Pele, a fo rmer Overlord. himself had only recently been revived Hawkeye , Spider-Woman , USAgent, after thirty-six years of dormancy. The and Sunfire showed up about this time To rch was familiar with the California ar­ and Lightning reluctantly partiCipated in HISTORY: ea and eventually tracked down the the battle against them. The Legion of Living Lighting was a sub­ source of the destruction. When Demonicus instructed light­ versive organization that (from a secret Miguel, who was now calling himself ning to take the Scarlet Witch as a hos­ base located in the Santa Ana moun­ Relampago Vivo or Living Lightning, en­ tage because the battle was turning tains) attempted to overthrow the United gaged the To rch in a protracted battle in against the Overlords, Lightning refused States government. The head of this or­ the sky above Fullerton. Eventually the to put any more innocent people in dan­ ganization, called the Lighting Lord, was Avengers, Henry Pym, and the Wasp, ger. Demonicus, brandishing the stasis a man named Santos. Santos had immi­ showed up in the Rover (a hovercraft suit deactivator, threatened to turn off grated to the United States from Mexico. type vehicle) and entered the fray. Dur­ Lightning's suit. Lightning fired a blast Deeply patriotic, though misdirected , ing the course of the battle, Living Light­ which struck the deactivator, destroying Santos's intent was to use military might, ning grabbed hold of a cable which was it. He than joined with the Ave ngers to including conventional weaponry as well attac hed to the Rover. Because he was battle the giant Overlord Kain. as the extremely powerful and unique in his energy form, he was drawn down The battle ended with Demonicus re­ lightning machine, to establish a benev­ the cable until grounded and his electri­ vealing to the Ave ngers the true objec­ olent dictatorship in America. Santos be­ cal charge set off the Rover's fuel tanks. tive of his machinations. Demonica, lieved this would save the United States Though, he was believed to have been Demonicus's newly created nation, had from people who did not love her as destroyed by the explosion, the Ave ng­ just been admitted to the United Na­ much as he did. ers had seen too many mysterious tions. As a sovereign nation, Demonica Santos, and all save one of his legion­ deaths to be convinced that this creature did not recognize the Avengers' author­ naires, died when the Hulk destroyed was gone for good. ity and they were forced to leave the is­ their mountain lair. Even this lone survi­ The Av engers' suspicions proved to land. Living Lightning chose to leave vor died after telling the story of the Le­ be correct as the mad genetiCist Doctor with the Ave ngers. Since the Wasp had gion's fate to Santos's son, Miguel. Demonicus had been watching the bat­ chosen to step down as an active mem­ Miguel was grief stricken because he tle between the To rch and Living light­ ber, she nominated Lightning as her re­ had not been present when his father ning. Intrigued by the tremendous placement. Lightning accepted the died. He planned to revive his father's amount of electrical power emanating nomination and has served with the dream of abolishing hatred. Many years from Living Lightning, Demonicus used Ave ngers West Coast team in their ad­ passed, and finally, Miguel Santos machines to drain off Lightning's corpus ventures with the Fantastic Four on an cracked the code to the Legion's maps. of energy. Demonicus siphoned light­ alternate Earth, and in their most recent He followed the directions into the Santa ning's energy to his island base at the encounter with Night Shift. Despite Ana mountains and discovered the loca­ same moment that Dr. Pym had ground­ some grave doubts, Miguel also per­ tion of the Legion's secret lair. ed Living Lightning. formed well as an Av engers' emissary to In order to achieve his plan, he need­ Demonicus then used his machines to the Shi'ar Galaxy during Operation Ga­ ed a working weapon. He attempted to reconstruct the Lightning into his origi­ lactic Storm. He has now proven to him­ reconnect his father's Lightning Ma­ nal human form. In order to keep his self that he belongs among the ranks of chine. When Miguel brought the wires body from spontaneously decomposing the Avengers and his pride keeps him together, there was an intense flash as into electrical impulses, Lightning had to striVing to be the best Avenger he can energy surged from the wires into Mi­ stay hooked up to these devices. be. guel's body. Shocked into unconscious­ When the Lightning regained con­ ness, Miguel woke to find himself buried sciousness, Demonicus asked him to beneath a pile of rubble. After freeing join a new organization he was for­ himself from the debris, Miguel was ming +the Pacific Overlords. Reluctant amazed to find that his body glowed and at first, Living Lightning soon realized he crackled with a strange form of energy. had little choice but to do what Demoni­ In reconnecting the wires, Miguel had cus asked. After all, he was probably still somehow plugged himself into the light­ wanted by the authorities because of his ning machine. Rather than merely giving exploits on the night when he battled the himself a working weapon, he had turn­ To rch and the Avengers. Eventually he ed himself into one. agreed to work for Demonicus in ex-

72 MIDNIG HT

STATISTICS :

F RM(30) A RM(30) S RM(30) E IN(40) R TY(6) I GD(10) P TY(6) Health: 130 Karma: 22 Resources: IN(40) through the Secret Empire Popularity: -10

BACKGROUND: Real Name: Jeff Wilde Occupation: Cyborg super agent of the Secret Empire Identity: Secret, though known by the Secret Empire and several heroes Legal Status: Deceased Place of Birth: Unrevealed Marital Status: Single Known Relatives: Wilde, the Original Midnight (father) Base of Operations: Various Secret Empire hideaways in New Yo rk Past Group Affiliations: Side-kick of Moon Knight, Secret Empire Present Group Affiliations:

KNOWN POWERS: '------Cyborg Construction: Much of Midnight's original body has been replaced with bi­ onic components. These parts are im­ mune to disease and have Amazing Material Strength. As these components are often interlaced with human tissue and connected to his central nervous system, he can still feel pain. This half­ robot construction affords Midnight a unique form of body armor. Against at­ tacks of Remarkable or less, Midnight's '--" body armor is Excellent. Against attacks in excess of Remarkable, his body armor is Remarkable. This reflects the fact that attacks of varying Intensity will do about the same amount of damage to his hu­ man tissue. Throughout his existence as a cyborg, his components have been modified several times to allow him to produce the following effects: Claws: Midnight's fingers are tipped with claws. They inflict Remarkable Edged Damage. Energized Claw: By channeling energy to his claws, Midnight can increase his claw attack by + 2CS. Jets: Midnight's boot jets allow him to fly at Typical air speeds (6 areas/round). Used offensively they inflict Excellent flame damage. Laser: Midnight can fire laser blasts which do Incredible damage at a range

73 of 11 areas. Despite Moon Knight's warning, Wilde Night Thrasher, and Punisher were able Electro-Bolt: Midnight can fire bolts of got involved in his investigation into the to track Nova's helmet transceiver signal electricity up to one area away doing Ex­ would-be world-dominating organization to the Secret Empire's main headquar­ cellent damage and Stun with Incredible the Secret Empire. During a battle with ters located on Manhattan's Upper West Intensity. If he grapples his opponent the Empire, Jeff took a force blast from a Side. Lynn Church had shut down the this Intensity is increased to Amazing. Secret Empire power dagger which de­ headquarter's transmission security de­ Ve rtigo Projector: Midnight's left forearm stroyed much of his body and nearly vice in order to create a diversion which houses a Vertigo projector. This device killed him. Moon Knight went after Jeff would give her enough time to effect distorts a target's sense of balance, ren­ and tried to rescue him. Eventually he some changes to Midnight's pain­ dering them virtuallyhel pless. Against a captured the Empire's head man, code­ inducing device. Spider-Man, Moon single targets its Intensity is Remark­ named Number One, who insisted Mid­ Knight and Night Thrasher fought their able. To a group of targets in the same night had died as a result of his injuries. way through the Empire's front line area, its Intensity drops to Good. Ta rgets Moon Knight stopped his search for his troops, while Midnight, now free from the make a Psyche FEAT versus this Intensi­ friend. In fact, Wilde had not died, but pain-inducing device, was staging a ty or be knocked to the ground, unable to was made the subject of a cruel experi­ coup on the Council of Ten, in which move or attack. A second failed Psyche ment. The Empire wanted to construct Number Seven was killed. The council FEAT means the victim is unconscious an army of cyborg super agents and was finally forced to flee, but not before for 1-10 rounds. Its range is three areas. Wilde was to be the prototype. He was the Punisher had overpowered Number Elongation of Arms: Midnight can attack used as a guinea pig to see how much Three and hidden on-board their escape non-adjacent opponents up to 1/2 area he could endure both physically and rocket. Disguised as Number Three, away. The target of these attacks can on­ mentally as his system was fitted with Punisher found Nova and sabotaged the ly attack Midnight's arms, and won't pro­ more and more powerful weaponry. A power shackles which were holding him. duce a Kill, Stun, or Slam results. pain-inducing device was wired to Once free, Nova permanently shut down Elongation does, however, make Mid­ Wilde's spinal cord to insure his cooper­ the headquarter's radio jammer and got night's arms more susceptible to dam­ ation and modify his behavior should the a signal off to Night Thrasher. This age, lowering their Material Strength by need arise. Wilde did not wish to serve brought Night Thrasher along with -1CS. the Empire at first, but eventually, seeing Spider-Man, Moon Knight, and Cryo-Genic Beam: This beam entraps their open aggression as more honest Darkhawk. opponents in Incredible Strength ice up than what he had come to view as Moon When Lynn Church revealed that she to two areas away. Knight's false professions, he relented. was actually the first of the Empire's cy­ Limitation: The Secret Empire has a His first assignment for the Empire was borg soldiers, the stage was set for the special pain-inducing device wired to breaking physicist Elliot Franklin out of Empire's last stand. Church, Midnight, Midnight's spinal cord. This device jail. the Seekers, Eliot Franklin in his new causes Midnight to experience Mon­ Franklin's services had been retained Thunderball armor, and a slew of strous Intensity pain, but with no effect by the Empire to provide them with more heavily-armed Empire thugs faced off on his Health. When experiencing this advanced weaponry and to better en­ against a team of heroes, including pain, Midnight is unable to take any hance cyborgs like Midnight. It was Spider-Man, Darkhawk, Nova, Night action. This device, which can be acti­ while freeing Franklin that Midnight first Thrasher, Punisher, and Moon Knight. vated by remote control, was used as a encountered the super hero, Darkhawk. When Midnight learned that Church al­ means of controlling Midnight. Destruc­ During a battle which also involved lowed herself to be turned into a cyborg tion of the remote might activate the de­ Spider-Man, Midnight was temporarily voluntarily, he became disillusioned and vice, though this has never been tested. captured and unmasked. Spider-Man quit the fight. Church then revealed that Ta lents: Midnight was trained in Martial had known Midnight briefly before his she had not removed Midnight's pain­ ArtsA and E. conversion, but believed he had been inducer, but had merely changed the fre­ Contacts: For a brief period, Midnight killed. Distracted by both Wilde's story quency. Seeing a chance to grab some served as Moon Knight's side-kick. Dur­ and a sneak attack by Franklin, the he­ power for himself, Thunderball tried to ing his service as a cyborg solider of the roes allowed Midnight and the doctor to get the pain-inducer away from Church. Secret Empire, he hated Moon Knight. escape. Spider-Man contacted his fellow Midnight decided he would rather die Avenger Moon Knight and informed him than continue being a slave to pain, or to ROLE-PLAY ING NOTES: that his former partner was still alive. anyone who could control that pain, and Midnight hates his former partnerMoon Midnight's second aSSignment was to started smashing the building's support Knight because he believes he left him recruit for the Empire the superhuman columns. Church attempted to stop him for dead and at the mercies of the Secret adventurer called Nova. When an at­ while the heroes gathered up their fallen Empire. Midnight also holds Moon tempt at conning Nova failed, Midnight allies and enemies alike and head for Knight responsible for the death of his took him captive. This abduction safety. Thunderball and the two cyborgs father (whose death was from cancer brought Nova's New Warrior teammate appeared to have been crushed to death caused by some chemicals he came in Night Thrasher onto the case. Spider­ under tons of debris. contact with). Man, Moon Knight, and Night Thrasher However, Thunderball had been tracked Midnight to an Empire outpost. spared by a support column and man­ Here they met up with the Punisher and aged to hammer his way out of the together the four battled upwards of fif­ wreckage using Midnight's and Lynn HISTORY: teen standard Empire soldiers, three ar­ Church's robotic arms, still locked in Jeff Wilde was the son of the original mored hired-guns called the Seekers, their death grip. Spider-Man delivered Midnight and took that code-name when and Midnight. After a brief exchange, Midnight's epitaph, but as his body was he went to work for his father's old adver­ the Empire's forces pulled out. never recovered, Midnight may not be sary, Marc Spector, a.k.a. Moon Knight. Eventually, Spider-Man, Moon Knight, gone for good.

74 MIDNIGHT SUN

STATISTICS:

F MN(75) A AM(50) S MN(75) E MN(75) R TY(6) I AM(50) P RM(30) Health: 275 Karma: 86 Resources: TY(6) Popularity: 0

BACKGROUND: Real Name: M'Nai Occupation: Former agent of the Kree Empire Legal Status: Former citizen of China Identity: Secret Place of Birth: Somewhere in Africa Marital Status: Single Known Relatives: None Base of Operations: Earth's Moon Past Group Affiliations: Legion of the Unliving Present Group Affiliations:

KNOWN POWERS: Flight: Midnight Sun wears disks of Kree design which allow him to fly through the vacuum of space at CL10 00 speeds, or Monstrous speeds in planetary atmos­ pheres. Life Support: Midnight Sun can survive in the vacuum of space with no ill effects. Body Armor: Midnight Sun has Remark­ able resistance to physical and energy attacks. Invisibility: Midnight Sun has Monstrous Invisibility in areas of darkness (a dark­ ened interior room, deep shadows, etc.). His flight discs do give off energy in the ultraviolet wavelengths of the spectrum, however, and he can be detected in that manner. Ta lents: Midnight Sun has all of the available Martial Arts talents, and Thrown Weapons. Contacts: Midnight Sun is currently a guest of the Inhumans. It is likely he still has contacts within the Kree Empire.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

75 ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: tually brothers. They were both incredi­ Midnight Sun, now mute and barely Midnight Sun is a lost soul in the truest bly skilled at kung-fu; the two greatest aware of his previous existence, was sense of the phrase. He is a mute amne­ masters of the discipline in the world. sent to hunt the Surfer. He was im­ siac, with only the barest of memories of Then Shang-Chi learned the truth pressed by the Surfer's honor, an im­ his life before his resurrection. He has about his father and rebelled. Fu­ pression that led to his own defeat. rejected his servitude to the Kree, and Manchu sent Midnight after him, to chal­ Disappointed, the Kree decided to de­ seeks to discover his own identity. Unfor­ lenge him to a death duel. As great as stroy his vestigial memories and turn tunately, both Fu-Manchu and the Kree Midnight's friendship had been, it paled him into a completely merciless foe. Un­ have taught him to express himself in comparison to the bonds of servitude willing to lose what little remained of his solely through violence, and he finds that Fu-Manchu had placed on Midnight. past existence, Midnight Sun broke free communication to be virtually impos­ They fought an epic battle in New Yo rk from the lab and flew off into space. He sible. City; Midnight fell from a crane and encountered the Silver Surfer once caught his cape on a hook. The jolt again on Earth's moon, but when he broke his neck and he died instantly. tried to communicate with him, the Surf­ Midnight's sleep of death was not an er misinterpreted his actions and battle HISTORY: easy one. Seeking foes to place against commenced. M'Nai lost his parents when he was a the Avengers, Kang the Conqueror used During the battle, the Surfer removed small child in Africa. He became filled, Midnight as a member of his Legion of Midnight Sun's mask, revealing his not with grief, but with anger at a world the Unliving, a group of dead villains and scarred face. The battle may have led to that taken his parents from him. heroes he had gathered to oppose the tragic consequences had it not been for The villain, Fu-Manchu, entered Avengers. the intervention of the Inhumans now liv­ M'Nai's village soon after. Seeing the an­ Midnight was defeated and remained ing in Attilan on the Blue Area of the ger in the child's eyes, he took M'Nai in­ dead, until the Kree, needing a weapon to Moon. Black Bolt had compassion for to his personal care. Fu-Manchu use against the Silver Surfer, resurrected the scarred mute, and vowed to take him believed there was great potential in an­ him in the hopes that his fighting style into Attilan to cure him. Midnight Sun ac­ ger. He raised the scared , angry boy with would confuse the Surfer. They blocked cepted the offer, and has not been seen his own son, Shang-Chi. The child his memories and augmented the abilities since. earned the name "Midnight" and always of his body to a truly superhuman level, re­ wore a mask, the better, Fu-Manchu naming him Midnight Sun. said, to hide his scars. Shang-Chi and Midnight were the closest of friends, vir-

76 OMEGA RED

STATISTICS:

F tv1(30} A EX{20} S �"1(30) E AM(E:O} n 'I Y(G) I TY(6) P G0(10) Health: 1 30 Karma: 22 Resources: GO(lO. Popularity: 0

BACKGROUND: Real Nam�: Arkndy Occupation: Fonner super·agen!, now super-v;lIair� Legal Status: R ss!an citizen. legally c1ead Identity: SEcwl Place of Birth: SOlllevnere ;� Hm;sia Marital Status: Unknown Known Relatives: None Base of Operations: Mobile Past Group Affiliations: KGB, :he Hand, the Ur,stil'ts Present Group Affiliations:

KNOWN POWERS: Death Fa ctor: OmflgaRed can goncrale a "death field" of Amazi.1g Intensity around hiM which is channelled through h s te!1tac·es. AI-n::>S! :he reverse of Wol· ve'ine's Heali 9 FaC1Dr, 'h:s field saps !h� hIE force of Ii 1[\9 crea�ures. Om ga ncd can SUCi'. that hIe force out o! every· one 10 the same area :!shimself, and can lise :his energy to regain 1051 �ee al�ec:ed, and potential VICllOlS must succeed at an Excellent Inlcm�ily Endurance FFA":' or be rendered uneon· sCiolis for 1 d 10 turns. Characters will' sealee life S\l��ort s�sle."s or �.. ho do r:ol brea:he are unnfkc�ed. Bod, Arr70r: Omega Red as a sDec_a:ly·desi�ncd suit tha: serv�s flS Good rani

77 tacks, and adds + 1 CS to Strength sion techniques to regress Wolveri ne's when determining Grappling damage. memories back to his original encou nt­ Weaknesses: Omega Red must contin­ ers with Arkady, thirty years ago. But be­ HISTORY: ually feed on life force to survive. He fore the memory inversion could be The man who became Omega Red was loses 10 Health points per hour, which completed, Wo lverine escaped with the once known as Arkady, a Russian agent. can only be restored by draining new aid of his former CIA colleague, David Like Wolverine, Arkady became involved Health from living victims. If his Health North. Omega Red attempted to stop in a secret government project to de­ should drop to 0, he enters a death-like him, but the injured Wo lverine preferred velop a mutant super-soldier: Arkady coma and cannot be revived without the to run rather than fight, leaving Omega was Russia's precursor to the Canadian vo luntary self-sacrifice of a number of Red frustrated in his search for venge­ "Weapon X" program. But Arkady's beings whose combined Health points ance. power was the opposite of Logan's: total at least six times Omega Red's total where Wo lverine's Healing Factor en­ original Health. abled him to regenerate his own injuries, Ta lents: Omega Red is bilingual in En­ Arkady possessed the power to radiate glish and Russian. death, an ability that req uired him to Contacts: Omega Red was resurrected constantly drain life to keep himself by Matsuo Tsurayaba of the Hand to alive. serve as an ally of Fenris in their quest While the Omega Red project was un­ for the Carbonadium Synthesizer. derway, a team of CIA agents consisting of David North, Logan (who would be­ ADDITIONAL NOTES: come Wolverine), and Creed (who would later become Sabertooth) raided the pro­ ject base, aided by a defector named Janice. Omega Red tried to stop them, and failed, and the CIA team made off with a device called the Carbonadium Synthesizer that was being used to con­ trol Arkady's death-factor. Without the C­ Synthesizer, Arkady could not survive, and went into a death-like coma. Logan believed that Arkady was per­ manently dead, but Arkady's body was recovered by agents of the Hand, the same mysterious order of mystic assas­ sins responsible for the rebirth of Psy­ locke. In a mystic ceremony, twenty of the Hand's best assassins voluntarily sacrificed their life-force so that Arkady would be reborn. Arkady's first act was typical of him: reawakening from death, he struck out blindly, slaying five more Hand techni­ cians with his death-factor. But he soon brought his powers under control. Ta k­ ing the name Omega Red, he struck an alliance with Matsuo Tsurayaba, the Hand's leader: he would work with the Hand, if they would lead him to Wolver­ ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: ine and the C-Synthesizer. Omega Red is obsessed with battling Allied with a faction among the Up­ and defeating Wolverine, whom he be­ starts which included the deadly duo lieves was responsible for his death. His Fenris, Matsuo sent its operatives with death and rebirth have left him utterly Omega Red to ambush Wolverine, Gam­ ruthless, with an implacable hatred for bit, Rogue, the Beast, and Jubilee as his old enemy. A true psychopath, they left the mansion. With the aid of the Omega Red cares nothing for human Hand and the advantage of surprise, life. He has a hair-trigger temper and will Omega Red was able to quickly defeat attack anyone, friend or foe, who even the heroes. Although the other X-Men dares to speak against him. So far, the escaped, Wo lverine remained a captive. only person besides Wolveri ne who has Omega Red needed the Carbonadium had presence enough to face Omega Synthesizer in order to survive without Red down and live is Matsuo Tsurayaba, draining life force. Believing Wolverine the coldly unflappable ninja who resur­ might have hidden it, the villains took rected him. Wo lverine to a base in Berlin, and pro­ ceeded to use induced memory inver-

78 OVERKILL

STATISTICS:

F AM(50) A AM (50) S MN(75) E UN(100) R TY(6) I RM(30) P RM(30) Health: 275 Karma: 66 Resources: RM(30) Popularity: 0

BACKGROUND: Real Name: Overkill, formerly Ta serface Occupation: Adventurer Legal Status: Citizen of the Stark, scout class Identity: Public Place of Birth: Stark Homeworld, Milky Way Galaxy Marital Status: Single Known Relatives: None Base of Operations: Stark Homeworld Past Group Affiliations: The Stark Present Group Affiliations:

KNOWN POWERS: Body Armor: Overkill's cyborg body ar­ mor has Amazing Material Strength. It gives him Amazing protection from physical, Force, and cold attacks. Re­ markable protection from acid and Mon­ strous protection from heat and most energy attacks. Repulsor Rays: Monstrous damage at a 12-area range. Ta ser: Amazing electrical damage at a 1O-area range. Energy Absorp tion: Overkill can absorb heat attacks with Amazing ability and can add those pOints directly to his Health score. In addition to adding to his "'---" Health, every five points of Health ab­ sorbed adds two points of Strength to Overkill. Sensors: Radar, Sonar, and Heat at Amazing ability and ten-area range. As Ta serface, Overkill has the follow­ ing stats and powers:

F A S E RIP AM IN AM AM TY GO GO Health: 190 Karma: 26

Repulsors: Incredible damage at 8-area range. Ta ser: as above Sensors: as above Ta lents: As Ta serface and as Overkill, he has the Military skill and Martial Arts E. Contacts: Overkill has contacts with the

79 Stark High Command, where he is their One person who noticed this expan­ most respected warrior. sionism was Firelord, the former Herald of Galactus who was now the Protector ADDITIONAL NOTES: of the Universe. The other group which became involved were the Guardians of the Galaxy, who, while tracking down the legendary Shield of Captain America, encountered a Stark installation on the planet Courg. When the Guardians de­ stroyed it, it drew the attention of one of the most powerful Stark scouts, Ta ser­ face. When the Guardians defeated Ta ­ serface, a cadre of Stark warriors appeared. Realizing that the Guardians could not win without aid, Starhawk summoned Firelord, who immolated Ta­ serface. The Stark were defeated. The disgraced Ta serface, now nameless due to his defeat, was brought back to the Stark homeworld, where the engineers redesigned him. The High Sister of the Stark World herself renamed him Over­ kill. Now far more powerful than before, Overkill defeated Firelord in combat and was about to kill Firelord when the Guardians of the Galaxy appeared in re­ sponse to Firelord's signal via his Guard­ ians' star communicator. During the ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: battle, the Stark sent an espionage Overkill is a fierce, unrelenting warrior, agent to the Guardians' ship, who sabo­ whose only joy is the destruction of his taged the Captain America II. enemies. He is extremely aware of his Fi relord was recovered from Overkill's honor; sufferi ng defeat req uires him to hands by Starhawk. The Stark then or­ be stripped of his honor and identity. His dered Overkill to withdraw, which he did, hatred for Firelord and the Guardians of claiming triumph over his foes. Overkill's the Galaxy is extreme; only a direct com­ current whereabouts is unknown, but is mand from his superiors will cause him certain that the Guardians and Firelord to leave a battle agai nst them. Overkill have not seen the last of him. never surrenders.

HISTORY: In an alternate timeline, Earth came un­ der attack from the planet Mars in the twenty-first century. Many of Earth's su­ perheroes valiantly struggled to defeat this menace. To ny Stark realized that if he died, the Martians would get hold of his Iron Man and other advanced tech­ nology, so he loaded all his inventions in­ to a rocket and shot them into space. They landed on a planet in a faraway solar system, where the natives spent centuries trying to understand their se­ crets. The natives came to worship To ny Stark as their god, naming their world af­ ter him. They created suits of armor in Iron Man's image for themselves. They built huge factories to produce Starkian technology, destroyi ng their pl anet's eco-system in the process. Then they created cyborg scouts to find new worlds that could be exploited by the Stark.

80 81 - -. - . _ - . - - I

- - - � - - ______� • __ __ � _ _ J

The Pacific Overlords are a group of THE BIG ONE his crying is of Excellent Intensity. super-powered individuals who gained Limitation: As a toddler, the Big One their powers through experiments and STATISTICS: was just learning to walk and talk. He procedures conducted under the watch­ had the motor coordination and under­ ful eye of the once-brilliant geneticist F FB(2) standing of a small child, which is re­ turned criminal-subversive-Doctor De­ A PR(4) flected in his lower Fighting, Agility, and monicus. Principle among Demonicus's S FB(2)IIN(40) RIP values. Also, the Big One had a procedures was exposure to the few re­ E PR(4)/AM(50) body weight of 4000 pounds. His body maining shards of the highly radioactive R FB(2) weight should be considered Incredible meteor called the Lifestone. I PR(4) for the purposes of being carried, includ­ The existence of the Pacific Overlords P PR(4) ing being teleported. Supporting struc­ was first uncovered by Spider-Woman Health: 12/96 tures (floors, etc.) of less than Incredible when she battled two of their rank, Jaw­ Karma: 10 material strength should make a FEAT breaker and Koroko, on the dock of the Resources: FB(2) roll versus his weight to see if they give Newport Beach Marina. When Spider­ Popularity: 6 way. Woman enlisted the aid of the West Coast Avengers, Doctor Demonicus led BACKGROUND: ROLE-PLAY ING NOTES: them on a merry chase from California to Real Name: Kenjiro Sasaki The Big One was mutated as a child, a Hawaii to Australia to Japan before cul­ Occupation: victim rather than a villain. Capturing minating on the new island nation of De­ None Legal Status: Minor citizen of Japan him without hurting him, or allowing him monica. to hurt himself, would always be a priori­ Along the way, several of the Avengers KNOWN POWERS: ty and will make any encounter with him and a few private citizens were taken that much more difficult. He shouldn't be captive. A small band of Avengers and Kin etic Absorption: As the Big One, Ken­ held responsible for heroes he might their allies did eventually storm the tiny jiro can absorb up to Incredible amounts hurt along the way, which, given his nation and free the hostages, but were of kinetic energy and covert it to physical powers, is almost inevitable. Like most unable to take any action against De­ strength or channel it into his seismic at­ kids he is easily distracted and enjoys monicus and his Overlords for the tacks. If Kenjiro is attacked physically playthings. Coming up with playthings crimes they had committed. (including Wrestling attacks), or by en­ appropriate to his size presents prob­ It seems that raising Demonica from ergy strikes (Iron-Man's repulsors, for lems. The Av engers have used Spider­ the ocean floor was what Doctor De­ example), the appropriate amount of Woman's glowing webs, a teddy bear monicus's plan had been all along. The damage is added to his Strength up to a enlarged by Henry Pym, and Tigra on Overlords were nothing more than a maximum of Unearthly (100). Kenjiro various occasions. means to an end, serving more to keep can also gain Health up to a maximum of the Avengers occupied than anything 156. Attacks in excess of Incredible else. Within hours of being raised from damage Kenjiro, but any damage can be CYBERTOOTH the ocean floor, Demonica was recog­ redirected toward his opponents in the nized as a sovereign nation by the Unit­ next round. Any absorbed energy dissi­ STATISTICS: pates 10 rounds after it is absorbed and ed Nations. Under their new charter, the F Av engers had no authority to interfere in must be discharged or is lost. Similarly, if EX(20) the legal affairs of a United Nations the Big One suffers any physical attack A EX(20) member and were forced to leave De­ when at his maximum Strength and S GD(10) monica. Demonicus now rules over his Health, he will spontaneously release all E GD(10) own country which is rich in natural re­ stored energy. He can override this re­ R TY(6) sources. His Overlords give him a small lease by making an Endurance FEAT, I TY(6) but super-humanly powerful army. with failure indicating the release of all P EX(20) energy and unconsciousness for 1-10 Health: 60 rounds. If successful, the Big One suf­ Karma: 32 fers damage from the attack but can re­ Resources: Demonica is a country rich direct the energy the following round. in natural resources, but it is unclear The Big One can be damaged by non­ how Yen Hsieh will share in that wealth. physical attacks such as magical, men­ Popularity: -5 tal, or certain energies. Health would be taken from absorbed power first, then BACKGROUND: from the Big One's actual Health. Real Name: Yen Hsieh Seismic Attack: The Big One can chan­ Occupation: Pacific Overlord nel his absorbed energy into the ground, Legal Status: Citizen of Demonica creating a localized earthquake. He can affect the area adjacent to his own. All KNOWN POWERS: targets in that area take damage equal Cybernetic Jaws: Cybertooth boasts that to the amount of his stored energy. The his cybernetic jaw can rend nearly any­ Big One needs outside stimuli in order to thing, turn steel (Remarkable through make this attack. Amazing material strength) into man­ Crying: The Big One is actually a mu­ gled shards, glass (Feeble material tated toddler. When upset he will scream strength for standard, Excellent for and cry. The intense wind generated by bullet-proof, Good Edged damage) into

82 · . .

- - _ ... ------

crystal splinters. His jaws and teeth have can form at once, as the image must ap- affected. Most notably unaffected was Amazing material strength and they are pear on his chest and might possibly his jaw. The rest of Jawbreaker's head ------' Incredibly strong. He can bite through have to replace his original tattoos of the and face are protected by dense flesh of items of Remarkable material strength tiger or the hawk. He has other tattoos Remarkable rank. Without his brace for on a green result, Incredible material on his chest, but they have not demon- protection, Jawbreaker's jaw has only strength on a yellow result, and Amazing strated the power. This would suggest Poor Body Armor. It has been theorized on a red. His jaw provides him with Re- that Irezumi could be vulnerable to triple that the process increased Jawbreaker's markable Body Armor on attacks di- teams. He is also vulnerable to distance muscular strength in disproportion to rected at his face. He can open his attacks which originate more than two that of his entire skeletal structure and mouth sufficiently wide as to place a per- areas away and gains specific Body Ar- that the armor he wears actually gives son's head inside of it. mor only against those foes depicted. him the support he needs in order to use his strength without fear of injury. De­ ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: monicus's rays may have caused an Cybertooth always seems to keep the The passive nature of Irezumi's power over-secretion by, or mutation of, the pi­ objective in mind. If his objective is to forces him into goading assailants into tuitary gland. The long bones of his body capture someone, he prefers to demon- attacking him. This means he talks a lot such as the arms. legs, rib cage, and jaw strate what his jaws can do and give in battle. Unfortunately, for him, his brag- seem to have been most affected. This them the option to surrender, rather than ging and prodding sometimes gives an has long been known to be a side effect engage in senseless fighting. If the ob- opponent the key to defeating him. Hen- of certain anabolic steroids, synthetic jective is execution, he will gnaw a de- ry Pym once defeated Irezumi by direct- growth hormones, or as part of the con­ fenseless person to death. If pressed ing his Pym particles at himself. When dition known as gigantism. into combat, he will meet force with Irezumi absorbed the energy, the tattoo force. directed the energy at itself and caused ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: Irezumi to shrink. Doctor Demonicus describes Jaw­ breaker as a weakling loser whom he IREZUMI transformed. Kuroko refers to him as ba­ .lAWBREAKER ka, a fool or idiot, which is not far off the [TATTOO] mark. He is a bigoted bully who doesn't STATISTICS: STATISTICS: like anyone over much and enjoys hurt­ ing people. F TY(6) F EX(20) A TY(6) A EX(20) S MN(75) KAIN

---./ S EX(20) E IN(40) E RM(30) R PR(4) STATISTICS: R TY(6) I PR(4) I TY(6) P TY(6) F PR(4) P EX(20) Health: 127 A TY(6) Health: 90 Karma: 14 S TY(6) Karma: 32 Resources: Demonica is a country rich E TY(6) Resources: Demonica is a country rich in natural resources. It is unclear how R RM(30) in natural resources, but it is unclear Jawbreaker will share in this wealth. I TY(6) how Irezumi will share in that wealth. Popularity: - 5 P TY(6) Popularity: 0 Health: 22 BACKGROUND: Karma: 42 BACKGROUND: Real Name: Unrevealed Resources: Demonica is a country rich Real Name: Unrevealed Occupation: Pacific Overlord in natural resources, but it is unclear Occupation: Pacific Overlord Legal Status: Citizen of Demonica how Kain will share in that wealth. Legal Status: Citizen of Demonica Popularity: 10 KNOWN POWERS: KNOWN POWERS: Body Armor: Jawbreaker wears a suit of BACKGROUND: Energy Reflection: Irezumi can change armor which gives him Remarkable pro- Real Name: Kain the images depicted in the tattoos on his tection from physical attack. A brace Occupation: Chief Te chno for Doctor chest. Once he has formed a tattoo in an made of this same material extends the Demonicus; Overlord assailant's likeness, it will hurl back any protection to his right eye, ears, and jaw. Legal Status: Citizen of Demonica forced used against it multiplied up to a factor of three. The exact extent of his Limitation: As Jawbreaker was the first KNOWN POWERS: power is unknown, but he is not believed of Doctor Demonicus's human subjects, Growth: Kain grows to nearly 100' tall to be able to amplify any force beyond the transformation process had not yet when using his Overlord powers, grant­ the Unearthly level. He must be within been perfected and was not without ing him permanent growth of Shift Y and two areas of his attacker in order to form side-effects. While it appears that the making him +3CS to be hit. Kain's an image, and it takes from one to three treatments caused an increase in mus- Strength is considered Unearthly when rounds for the image to form. Irezumi cle density, a thickening or hardening of at size. Kain's growth can not be re­ has been known to create images of up the skin, and an overall increase in skel- versed by the Pym Particles. When at '--..../ to two assailants at a time. This is be- etal size and density, portions of Jaw- his increased size, Kain's Health in­ lieved to be the maximum number he breaker's body seem to have been less creases to 200.

83 - -- -r -',- ,'� -:- ._'_ - ,I -� �-�!� . ' ' . • • -.: ______• __� ______=_ a�:-_� _- ..______.

Physical Tr ansformation: While in his coating with a substance such a dust or fore she could take any action against Overlord form, Kain's skin and clothing paint. Her Power Rank should be con­ Demonicus. When Demonica was take on a synthetic appearance and sidered Excellent. As an established raised, Pele's child was restored to nor­ eighteen metal studs protrude from his Power Stunt, Kuroko can Hide her staff mal, she and her husband were released head. His synthetic skin gives him at equal rank. (though they retained their powers), and Amazing Body Armor versus physical at­ Staff: Kuroko carries a staff of Incredible their family reunited. tacks and Unearthly resistance to en­ material strength that she wields for Ex­ ergy attacks. cellent Blunt damage. TA IFU Mechanical Control: As the giant Over­ lord, Kain has an Monstrous ability to ROLE·PLAYING NOTES: [TYPHOON] take control of any mechanical device. Unlike some of the Overlords who had to Limitation: Kain's great size causes his be hypnotized into serving Demonicus, STATISTICS: arteries to be over extended and they Kuroko serves him willingly. She views don't get the blood to his brain fast Demonicus as a great man and will do F GD(10) enough. He is highly vulnerable to at­ what she must to serve him. She has ar­ A TY(6) tacks to the inside of his ear. Any physi­ gued against painful brutality on the part S GD(10) cal attack of greater than Excellent of the other Overlords in the past, seeing E EX(20) Intensity which, through called shot or a quick death for prisoners as more civi­ R TY(6) otherwise, hits the inside of Kain's ear lized than senseless torture. I TY(6) and is considered to have delivered a P GD(10) Stun result which causes Kain to return PELE Health: 46 to his normal size. When in his Overlord Karma: 22 form, Kain cannot speak. STATISTICS: Resources: TY(6) Popularity: 5 ROLE·PLAYING NOTES: F TY(6) Kain is among the most devoted of the A GD(10) BACKGROUND: Overlords. Though highly intelligent, he S TY(6) Real Name: To shio Sasaki was willing to become a subject in the E EX(20) Occupation: Unrevealed Overlord experiments. R TY(6) Legal Status: Citizen of Japan I TY(6) KUROKO [THE P TY(6) KNOWN POWERS: Health: 42 Wind Power: Ta ifu has the ability to use BLACK ONE] Karma: 18 air as a distance weapon, inflicting up to Resources: TY(6) Amazing damage. These attacks are re­ STATISTICS: Popularity: 0 pelled by any force field including shields made of air. He can also create F RM(30) BACKGROUND: shields of wind which are effective A RM(30) Real Name: Michi Sasaki against physical missile attacks of S GD(10) Occupation: Unrevealed Amazing rank or less. Ta ifu has devel­ E RM(30) Legal Status: Citizen of Japan oped no other known Power Stunts. R GD(10) I EX(20) KNOWN POWERS: ROLE·PLAYING NOTES: P GD(10) Fire Sheath: Pele can surround herself in Ta ifu's concern for the safety of his fami­ Health: 100 a sheath of flame that serves as Good ly caused him to betray Demonicus. Karma: 40 Body Armor against all material weap­ Taifu's feelings grew to intense hatred Resources: Demonica is a country rich ons. All Energy, Blunt, Grappling, and when he learned that Demonicus had in natural resources. It is unclear how Charging attacks affect her normally, but subjected Ta ifu's son to Demonicus's ex­ Kuroko will share in this wealth. the attacker may be subject to Good periments. Upon learning that his son's Popularity: 0 damage from her flaming form. transformation was only temporary and Flight: Pele can fly at Excellent speeds that he and his wife were to be reunited BACKGROUND: (1 0 areaslround or 150 mph). with their son. Ta ifu and his wife Michi, Real Name: Unrevealed Fire Genera tion : Pele can generate believing their nightmare was over, left Occupation: Pacific Overlord flame up to Unearthly Intensity. She can Demonica with the Avengers. Legal Status: Citizen of Demonica project fire up to three areas away.

KNOWN POWERS: ROLE·PLAY ING NOTES: Invisibility: Kuroko can make her body in­ Michi Sasaki served Doctor Demonicus visible to normal sight. Kuroko's power only under hypnosis. While acting as bends visible light rather than using Im­ Pele, she seemed to truly believe herself age Generation which creates an illusion to be a fire goddess and believed the that she is not there. Her power does not Avengers were despoiling foreigners. negate location by other senses nor, at The revelation that Demonicus had mu­ this pOint, detection by heat or ultraviolet tated her husband and turned their baby light. As Kuroko has mass and sub­ into a monster snapped her out of the stance, her form may be revealed by hypnosis, but she was struck down be-

84 85 � ------

. -,- '--"" -

Pantheon is a self-described massive Earth's population vanished. them, the four were spotted by Sabra think-tank which observes the world During the mass panic which ensued who was flying overhead looking for looking for disasters in the making. after half of the audience disappeared, Meers. She did not recognize the Hulk Once one is sighted, Pantheon then Nadia ended up lying unconscious at the because he was wearing a long hooded takes appropriate steps to avert that di­ feet of the Abomination. The Abomina­ robe, but engaged him in combat first saster. Its main base of operations is tion took this as a sign from God and because he was the largest and closest called The Mount, but the Pantheon also took her in the sewers with him for her to her. When she realized she was bat­ supports a number of smaller bases all own protection. The Hulk pursued Nadia tling the Hulk, she fired her low-density, over the world for their wide-ranging op­ and the Abomination into the sewers. plasma energy quills at him, one of erative network. The Mount is a self­ During their brief battle, the Hulk was which entered his open mouth and contained world with over 1500 people in sucked through a portal into the Vortex. struck his larynx. This paralyzed it, ren­ residence. One-third of the population is The Abomination was convinced that dering him speechless. Unable to com­ nuclear families. The population is large­ this was also a sign from God, that what municate, Banner engaged in a ly vegetarian, supported by The Mount's he was doing was right. The Abomina­ protracted battle with Sabra which took extensive agricultural and aquacultural tion's plan was to tell his wife that he had them through the streets and walls of old facilities. They have highly advanced not died as she thought, but had been Jerusalem, and in and out the roof of the science facilities and their offensive and changed into the monster she saw be­ Israel museum, before culminating at defensive capabilities are quite formida­ fore her. It was his hope that she would the Wailing Wall. Stripped of her cape ble. still love him. which enables her to fly, out of quills, Pantheon's leader, Agamemnon, re­ The Hulk returned from his trip to the and facing a physically superior foe, Sa­ sides deep within the bowels of The Vortex-but in a diminutive form. He bra was prepared to make her final stand Mount and uses a holographic image to managed to convince the Abomination before the Wall. As she waited for the communicate with those who are aiding that it was better for his wife to remem­ Hulk's final attack she delivered a him in his dream. He neither claims nor ber him as the brave, handsome hus­ speech which affirmed her own, and her denies that he is the Agamemnon, King band she loved. The Abomination, in a nation's, courage and determination. of Argos and commander-in-chief of the rare moment of sanity, returned Nadia to At this time, the effects of the quill that Greek army against Tr oy. He does claim her apartment unharmed. had paralyzed his larynx wore off. Ban­ immortality, as his mother was an Earth Banner's second Pantheon mission ner, realizing further violence would be woman and his father a god. The Aga­ was to travel to Israel and bring both pointless and wanting a chance to ex­ memnon of antiquity was both the pater­ Achilles and the young boy Max Meers plain his actions, surrendered. nal great-grandson of Ta ntalus (a son of back to Pantheon headquarters. Banner Banner and Sabra reached an under­ Zeus) and maternal great-great­ was accompanied on this mission by his standing and joined forces to track down grandson of Ares. He also claims to have side-kick Rick Jones. They were told that Achilles. Despite the possible ramifica­ assumed dozens of identities and have Achilles's original mission had been a tions on future events, Banner saved fathered hundreds of children. Agamem­ similar one: to convince the boy's par­ Max Meers from falling to his death. He non of Argos fathered one son, Orestes, ents that the best place for their son was placed the boy on the ground and told and three daughters, Iphigenia, Electra, with Pantheon. In attempting to kill the him to stay put while he went back and and Chrysothemis, before his death at boy, Achilles had turned rogue. The rea­ dealt with Achilles. Frightened and con­ the hands of his wife Clytemnestra and! son for Pantheon's interest in the fused, Meers started running through or his nephew Aegisthus. thirteen-year old Meers was that Delphi, the maze of streets which make up old Shortly after Bruce Banner was cured a member of Pantheon with precognitive Jerusalem. From his high vantage point, by Dr. Samson, Pantheon showed up to abilities, had seen a vision that in the fu­ Achilles could see that Meers was run­ recruit the new Hulk to its cause. ture Max Meers would marshal his ning toward Rick Jones, who was at that Through a series of misunderstandings homeland of Draburg into one of the moment being pursued by a stampeding this recruitment visit escalated into a most devastating war machines Earth mob. While Achilles distracted the Hulk street fight in which Banner finally al­ had ever known. Convincing the boy's and Sabra with an explanation of why he lowed himself to be captured so he could parents that their son was destined to be tried to kill the boy (which included a re­ learn more about this group and ulti­ the next Hitler based on the future seen counting of his experience at the Ger­ mately put an end to their activities. by a woman in a secret mountain base in man concentration camp Dachau), Once at The Mount, Banner met Aga­ the desert southwest of the United Meers turned a corner and was trampled memnon and after observing their oper­ States would probably not be an easy by the mind-controlled mob. After the ac­ ation for a while, was persuaded to join task. This mission was further compli­ cident, the boy was taken to Jerusalem Pantheon. Banner's first official mission cated by the fact that Meers was the son Hospital, but the prognosis was that he for Pantheon was to keep an eye on ac­ of the Draburg Ambassador to Israel. Af­ would remain a vegetable for the rest of tress and recent Soviet emigre Nadia ter Achilles's first attack on the Ambas­ his life. Agamemnon lied to Banner Dornova who was starring on Broadway sador's family, the Israeli government about this, telling him the boy was fine. in "Metamorphosis." Dornova was once assigned their top agent, Sabra, the job He had also lied about Achilles's married to Emil Blonsky, a.k.a. the of protecting them. Sabra had battled instructions-which had been to kill the Abomination. When one of Pantheon's the Hulk before and since his abduction boy from the start. No one yet realizes field operatives reported that she was by Pantheon, SHIELD was circulating that Meers never actually had mind­ being stalked by a mysterious bruiser, the word that the Hulk was more danger­ control powers, but rather was being Pantheon rightly figured the Hulk was ous than ever. controlled himself. He was the vehicle the man for the job. Banner and Rick Banner caught up with Achilles in old through which Gretta Rabin siphoned Jones were watching Dornova's per­ Jerusalem. He was on foot in pursuit of her mind control powers. It was, or will formance and waiting for the Abomina­ the Meers boy and Gretta Rabin, the be, Gretta working behind the scenes tion to show on the night when half of the boy's friend. As Banner began to follow who caused Max Meers's rise to power

86 which was foreseen by Delphi. ance rank in Health once per hour. Occupation: Leader of Pantheon Banner, along with the rest of Panthe­ Resistance: Achilles's toughened skin Identity: Secret on's fighting team, is now working on a provides him with Unearthly resistance Legal Status: Unrevealed plan to liberate the country of Tr ans­ to fire, heat, cold, electricity, and radia­ Place of Birth: Unrevealed, possibly an­ sabal. This action could bring Pantheon tion. His Psyche is also considered Un­ cient Greece into conflict with the new SHIELD or earthly for resisting the effects of any Marital Status: Unrevealed, presum­ even the United Nations' new peace­ Mind powers. ably widowed a number of times keeping force. How long Bruce Banner Invulnerability: Achilles has CL 1000 re­ Known Relatives: Achilles (son), Ajax, will serve with Pantheon, and exactly sistance to toxins, poison, and disease. Hector, Paris, Ulysses, (sons or extend­ what his motives for serving with them Reduced Aging: Due to his mixed heri­ ed family), Atalanta, Delphi (daughters are, remain to be seen. tage, Achilles ages more slowly than or extended family) normal men. At this point in time, he Base of Operations: The Mount looks about half his true age. Past Group Affiliations: Pantheon ACHILLES Equipment: Achilles sometimes wears Present Group Affiliations: a personal combat suit made of an un­ STATISTICS: known metal. While this costume does KNOWN POWERS: not afford Achilles any additional protec­ F EX(20) Agamemnon's only revealed power is tion, it does employ an exo-skeleton A GD(10) Holographic Image Projection. He can which raises Achilles's Strength to In­ S GD(10) key his image to specific brain wave pat­ credible. E IN(40) terns so that only those he wishes may Limitation: Achilles is sensitive to a spe­ R GD(10) see or hear him. His range for projecting cific low-level gamma radiation which I EX(20) his image is CL3000, but probably not breaks down his Invulnerability. One P EX(20) more than 5,000 miles. There is no proof known source of this radiation is the that Agamemnon's projected image ac­ Health: 80 Hulk. Achilles's Invulnerability and re­ Karma: 50 tually shows what he truly looks like; it is sistances drops -1CS for every round Resources: AM(50) definitely the sagely aloof image he he and the Hulk are in the same area. Popularity: 5 wishes to project to his children and fol­ Should the Hulk leave Achilles's area, lowers. Achilles regains lost Invulnerability and Intangibility: As Agamemnon's holo­ BACKGROUND: resistance ranks at a rate of 1 CS per graphic image is little more than a pic­ Real Name: Helmut (Last name unre­ + round. vealed) ture of himself, it cannot be harmed by Ta lents: Achilles's known talents in­ any means. Nor has it been known to Occupation: Pantheon Operative clude Detective, Espionage and Martial take any offensive actions. Walls and Identity: The general public is unaware Arts B and D. The nature of Pantheon's of Achilles's existence other physical barriers present no prob­ work also grants Achilles the Military tal­ lem to Agamemnon as he can pass Legal Status: German citizen (pre­ ent. sumed to have died in the Holocaust) through them. When inside The Mount, Contacts: Achilles's only revealed con­ Agamemnon can increase the size of Place of Birth: Germany, 1909 tacts are his fellow members of Panthe­ this image to in excess of 22' 3CS to Marital Status: Widower (+ on. His resources indicate his access to be hit). As Agamemnon cannot attack or Known Relatives: Agamemnon (father), Pantheon's equipment. Ulysses is de­ Ulysses (brother), Ajax, Hector, Paris be attacked in this form, the image is scribed by Paris as Achilles's brother (brothers, half-brothers, or cousins), Ata­ used as either a scare tactic or an atten­ and student. Achilles is a Holocaust sur­ lanta, Delphi (relationship unrevealed, tion getter. Reportedly, Agamemnon vivor, determined that such evil will nev­ probably cousin), wife (name unreveal­ does possess a corporeal form which re­ er happen again. He objects to the ed, deceased), children (names unre­ sides deep in the bowels of The Mount. Hulk's presence with Pantheon (see vealed, deceased) The nature of this body has yet to be re­ Limitation . vealed. Base of Operations: The Mount ) Ta lents: Agamemnon claims that he is Past Group Affiliations: Pantheon immortal and has lived for centuries. Present Group Affiliations: AGAMEMNON Over that time he has assumed dozens of identities and his talents and training KNOWN POWERS: STATISTICS: are probably vast. He possesses enough Invulnerability: Achilles's skin, soft tis­ Computer and Electronics Skill to have sue, and skeletal structure is more F Unrevealed produced The Mount's audio-visual me­ dense than normal and provides him A Unrevealed dia nerve center and probably has other with Unearthly protection from physical S Unrevealed scientific skills as well. His observation damage. Due to his unusual physical re­ E Unrevealed of mankind over the years grants him the silience, all attacks against Achilles are R IN(40) Psychology Ta lent. This is an area of I AM(50) reduced by one color, making him im­ study which seems to interest him. mune to red results. He also gains a P MN(75) Contacts: Agamemnon is the leader of + 1 CS to damage in Blunt, charging, or Health: Unrevealed the some 1500 people who reside in The any attack which uses his body. Karma: 165 Mount. He has no other known contacts. Recovery: Achilles recovers lost Endur­ Resources: Am (50) ance ranks at a rate of three per day dur­ Popularity: 0 ing normal action. ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: Agamemnon neither claims nor denies Regeneration: Achilles heals faster than BACKGROUND: being the Agamemnon who was King of normal, enabling him to gain his Endur- Real Name: Agamemnon

87 Argos and commander-in-chief of the which has Incredible material strength Present Group Affiliations: Greek army against Tr oy. He does claim and provides Incredible protection from immortality, as his mother was an Earth physical attack. KNOWN POWERS: woman and his father a god. The Aga­ Limitation: Ajax must wear his armor Hybrid Physiology: As with all members memnon of antiquity was both the pater­ constantly. Without the support it af­ of Pantheon's elite fighting team, Atalan­ nal great-grandson of Ta ntalus (a son of fords, his legs and spine would collapse ta's skin, muscle, and bone tissue are Zeus) and maternal great-great­ under his enormous weight. Ajax stands more dense than a normal human's. grandson of Ares. He also claims to have well over seven feet tall and is + 1 CS to This contributes to her superhuman En­ assumed dozens of identities and have be hit. In his armor, his weight is in ex­ durance and body weight and provides fathered hundreds of children. Agamem­ cess of 2000 Ibs. (but does not exceed her with Feeble Body Armor. Her im­ non of Argos fathered one son, Orestes, 20,000), making lifting, throwing, or car­ mune system and cellular regeneration and three daughters-Iphigenia, Elec­ rying him an Incredible Strength FEAT. function at a higher level than ordinary, tra, and Chrysothemis-before his death Also, supporting structures (floors, etc.) granting her Regeneration of Good rank at the hands of his wife Clytemnestra of less than Incredible material strength and the Recovery power. She can heal and his nephew Aegisthus. Still, this could give way under his weight. her Endurance rank in Health three may have been the first of Agamem­ Ta lents: Ajax is unpredictable in battle times per day. She recovers lost Endur­ non's identities and reports of his death (as well as most other times), granting ance ranks at a rate of one per day. Due were greatly exaggerated. Whether he is him the equivalent of Martial Arts B and to cellular regeneration, hybrids some­ the Agamemnon of antiquity or not, E. times age more slowly than normal hu­ there are similarities between the two Contacts: Other members of Pantheon. mans. This process begins after men. reaching adulthood. In some cases, hy­ Agamemnon of Argos, though a man ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: brids actually grow or age more quickly of great courage, was considered fickle, Ajax is devoted to Atalanta and her as children due to this same cellular re­ vengeful, atrocious, arrogant, and abu­ safety is what matters most to him. He generation. Atalanta's true age has not sive. He sacrificed his own daughter to will disobey any order or scrap any plan been revealed. gain a favorable tide. Agamemnon of to exact revenge on anyone he feels has Psionic Targeting: Atalanta has a low­ Pantheon could be described as having hurt her. The lone exception would be if level mind power with respect to her some of these same qualities. He has Atalanta herself were to tell him to stop. plasma arrows (see below); with her the courage and arrogance to intervene He considers the Hulk to be his best Feeble level power, Atalanta can lock on­ in human events to avert potential disas­ friend because Atalanta told him so. to her target mentally and her arrows ters, even when this intervention takes Though he is clearly not the Ajax of an­ find the target Atalanta wishes, regard­ the form of murdering a innocent child. tiquity, he was probably given this code­ less of her sight or the visibility of the tar­ His own children are tools with which he name because of his similarity to that get. carries out his plans. Were they to die strongest of the Greek warriors who was Equipment: Plasma Bow and Arrows Ata­ achieving their objective, their sacrifice also a giant in size. Though that Ajax lanta carries a plasma bow. The grip of this would be viewed as necessary. was also unintellectual and slow of weapon is about eight inches long and speech, he was probably sharper than comprises the entire weapon when its field Ajax of the Pantheon. is not activated. When activated, this grip A.JAX emits fields of plasma energy which take STATISTICS: the shape and form of the remainder of the ATALANTA bow stave, its string, and its arrows. Ata­ lanta can generate up to three arrows per F EX(20) STATISTICS: A PR(4) turn, firing the number generated all at once. The arrows are fired at Atalanta's S MN(75) F GD(10) Agility modified by her Weapons Specialist E MN(75) A RM(30) Ta lent. Atalanta's arrows do Amazing en­ R FB(2) S GD(10) ergy damage. She can fire them up to 8 I PR(4) E IN(40) areas away. When not using her bow, its P PR(4) R TY(6) handle hangs on her belt or around her Health: 174 I GD(1O) neck. Karma: 10 P TY(6) Ta lents: Atalanta is a Weapons Special­ Resources: TY(6) Health : 90 ist with her bow 2CS to hit, 1 to ini­ Popularity: 0 Karma: 22 (+ + tiative when using it) and a Marksman Resources: TY(6) (does not suffer penalty to hit from BACKGROUND: Popularity: 5 range). She has some training in Military Real Name: Unrevealed Ta ctics. Occupation: Warrior BACKGROUND: Contacts: Atalanta has contacts with Identity: Secret Real Name: Unrevealed her Pantheon teammates. She can Known Relatives: Other Members of Occupation: Pantheon Operative, count on Ajax to protect her even to the Pantheon Member of Pantheon's elite fighting point of giving his own life. Base of Operations: The Mount team Past Group Affiliations: Pantheon Identity: Secret ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: Present Group Affiliations: Known Relatives: Other members of Pantheon Atalanta's name is associated with two separate myths. The first is of a young KNOWN POWERS: Base of Operations: The Mount maiden who refused to marry any man Body Armor: Ajax wears a suit of armor Past Group Affiliations: Pantheon

88 who couldn't best her in a foot race. She Delphi must have access to a still pool Resources: TY(6) is eventually beaten by a suitor who of water when looking into the future. Popularity: 5 dropped three golden apples as she She can see far into the future, at least overtook him. Atalanta paused to pick as far as thirty or forty years, though it is BACKGROUND: them up and thus lost the race. The sec­ much more difficult due to the myriad Real Name: Unrevealed ond is of the famous huntress, and only probabilities that can change the future. Occupation: Member of Pantheon's female, who took part in the Calydonian She cannot use her power more than elite fighting team Boar hunt. It is not clear which of these once a day without making an Endur­ Identity: Secret myths Atalanta's code-name represents, ance FEAT roll; each successive power Known Relatives: Other members of but it is probably the latter. Pantheon's use drains Delphi and a Green FEAT is Pantheon Atalanta is the only female on the fight­ needed for two castings in one day, Ye l­ Base of Operations: The Mount ing team and her prowess with the bow low FEAT for three, and a Red FEAT is Past Group Affiliations: Pantheon would suggest more of a connection to needed for four castings in one 24 hour Present Group Affiliations: hunting. She is far sturdier than she period. looks. She holds a great hatred for crimi­ When she uses her power, the Judge KNOWN POWERS: nals, since her mother was killed by rolls the FEAT for her secretly. The high­ Air Walking: Through a combination of them. er the color, the more accurate the divin­ Levitation and Gliding, Hector has an ing. Delphi can also see visions of what Excellent rank power to literally walk on DELPHI is happening in the present with world­ air (10 areas/round level or descending wide range and Monstrous accuracy. flight/slide; climb rate of 4 areaslround). She can look into the past with equal STATISTICS: Hybrid Physiology: As with all members ability, but the present and the future are of Pantheon's elite fighting team, Hec­ of more interest to Pantheon. F PR(4) tor's skin, muscle, and bone tissue are Limitation: Delphi must have a pool of A TY(6) more dense than a normal human's, standing water to see her visions. When S PR(4) contributing to his superhuman Endur­ casting, she must speak in rhyme. E TY(6) ance and body weight and providing him Ta lents: None revealed. R TY(6) with Feeble Body Armor. His immune Contacts: Delphi's only known contacts I AM(50) system and cellular regeneration func­ are the members of Pantheon. Ulysses P IN(40) tion at a higher level than ordinary, and Paris are rivals for her affection (as Health: 20 granting him Regeneration of Good rank well as in most other things), though her Karma: 96 and the Recovery power. He can heal his heart belongs to Ulysses. Resources: TY(6) Endurance rank in Health three times Popularity: 10 per day. He recovers lost Endurance ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: ranks at a rate of one per day during nor­ Delphi sometimes seems aloof or distant BACKGROUND: mal action. Due to cellular regeneration, to the point of being disconnected. This Real Name: Unrevealed hybrids sometimes age more slowly than may be, in part, due to the nature of her Occupation: Pantheon ESP operative normal humans. This process begins af­ powers, but she admits to deliberately Identity: Presumably known to Aga­ ter reaching adulthood. In some cases memnon ignoring certain people, most specifi­ hybrids actually grow more quickly as cally Paris and Ulysses. Delphi will often Known Relatives: Paris and Ulysses children due to this same cellular regen­ (cousins); other members of Pantheon scream or call out if she sees a vision eration. Hector's age has not been re­ (various unrevealed relationships) which is particularly horrible. Players vealed. should consider Delphi's limitations Base of Operations: The Mount Equipment: Hector carries a plasma when playing her. Delphi is named for an Past Group Affiliations: Pantheon mace. The hilt of this weapon is about Present Group Affiliations: ancient town in central Greece on the eight inches long and comprises the entire southern slopes of Mount Paranassus. It weapon when its field is not activated. was the seat of an Oracle of Apollo. When activated, the hilt emits a field of en­ KNOWN POWERS: Delphi perhaps functions best as a Non­ ergy which has the appearance and some Casting: Delphi has the Monstrous rank Player Character which the Judge can of the properties of a chain with a spiked ability to see into the future. The nature use to divine new "disasters in the mak­ ball at the end of it. Hector can inflict up to this power is such that an accurate divin­ ing" for Pantheon to "avert." ing is difficult, if not impossible. What Remarkable force and Good Edged Dam­ age by swinging this weapon. If he can Delphi sees is the future as it would hap­ pen if current events are not changed. HECTOR successfully grapple an opponent in its When viewed in this manner, the future chain, the energy field stuns or paralyzes with Incredible Intensity. Hector can also can be changed by taking steps to by­ STATISTICS: generate Good force winds by whirling his pass or avoid it. Ta king these steps is mace just as Thor does with his hammer. what the Pantheon sees as their charge F EX(20) Ta lents: Hector has training in Military or province. No future can be totally ne­ A EX(20) Ta ctics and Detective/Espionage. He is gated; those averted in this time line oc­ S EX(20) a Weapons Specialist with his mace, cur in another divergent future. Though E IN(40) granting him + 2CS to hit and + 1 to Ini­ Delphi is awake when future casting and R GD(10) tiative rolls while using it. her manifestations are not real in the I TY(6) Contacts: Hector's only known contacts sense that she can interact with them, P TY(6) are his fellow members of Pantheon. they can so startling and horrifying that Health: 100 they cause her to call out in fear or pain. Karma: 22

89 - -

------�.-

ADDITIONAL NOTES: ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: ranks at a rate of one per day during nor­ Paris is involved in an open feud with Ul­ mal action. Due to cellular regeneration, ysses over, among other things, the af­ hybrids sometimes age more slowly than fections of Delphi. The two engage in normal humans. This process begins af­ childish, but extremely dangerous, con­ ter reaching adulthood. In some cases, tests of will, such as playing "chicken" hybrids actually grow or age more quick­ with a fully loaded aircraft speeding to­ ly as children due to this same cellular ROLE PLAYING NOTES: ward open hangar doors. He has implied regeneration. Ulysses's true age has not The Hector of old was Troy's greatest that he would not be terribly disappoint­ been revealed. warrior and brother of Paris (and 48 oth­ ed if Ulysses came home from one of his Equipment: er brothers and half-brothers). The Hec­ adventures dead on his shield. A play­ Armored Suit: Ulysses wears a suit made tor of Pantheon is serious minded and boy in designer suits, he views his broth­ of chain mail which provides Good pro­ dedicated to Pantheon's cause. He does er as stuffy, indulging in outward tection from physical attacks. not like the constant, and sometimes pretensions of heroism and scandalous Energy Sword: Ulysses carries a plasma dangerous, infighting that goes on be­ private conduct. He found Achilles's sword. The hilt of this weapon is about tween Ulysses and Paris. sensitivity to the Hulk's gamma radiation six inches long and comprises the entire "delightful." Though he seems open weapon when its field is not activated. about his feelings, there seems some­ When activated, the hilt emits a blade­ PARIS thing unscrupulous and deceitful about shaped field of up to Incredible Intensity STATISTICS: him. His role in Pantheon seems to be plasma about two feet in length. This en­ an administrative one. He does not like ergy frequency can be changed to allow F PR(4) to exert himself physically. Ulysses to use either the Blunt or Edged A TY(6) attack columns. Energy Shield: The arms of Ulysses's ar­ S TY(6) ULYSSES E TY(6) mored suit are lined with what at first R EX(30) STATISTICS: glance would appear to be external I EX(20) shock plates or bucklers. These plates P GD(10) F IN(40) can generate a plasma shield which au­ Health: 22 A EX(20) tomatically appears on Ulysses's fore­ Karma: 60 S EX(20) arms. This shield allows Ulysses to block Resources: TY(6) E IN(40) as if he had Amazing Strength. He can Popularity: 5 R TY(6) still be Slammed or Stunned. Ta lents: I RM(30) Ulysses is an expert swords­ BACKGROUND: P GD(10) man, granting him + 2CS to hit and + 1 to Initiative rolls when using it. He is Real Name: Unrevealed Health: 120 Occupation: Karma: 46 trained in Military Tactics, Espionage, Unrevealed and Piloting. Identity: Secret Resources: AM (50) Contacts: Ulysses's only known con­ Known Relatives: Popularity: 5 Ulysses (brother), tacts are his fellow members of the Pan­ Delphi (cousin), other members of Pan­ theon. He is particularly enamored of theon (extended family) BACKGROUND: Delphi, though she does not seem to Base of Operations: The Mount Real Name: Unrevealed share his feelings. Past Group Affiliations: Pantheon Occupation: Member of Pantheon's Present Group Affiliations: elite fighting team ADDITIONAL NOTES: Identity: Secret KNOWN POWERS: Known Relatives: Ulysses (brother), Empathy: Paris has a Remarkable rank Delphi (cousin), other members of Pan­ empathic sense and can detect strong theon emotions within 8 areas. Base of Operations: The Mount Ta lents: Paris's talents have yet to be re­ Past Group Affiliations: Pantheon vealed, but they are probably in the Ad­ Present Group Affiliations: ministrative area. Using his power, Paris also has a Detective skill in that he can KNOWN POWERS: ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: sense emotions of those he is talking to Hybrid Physiology: As with all members Arrogant, even at times a bit pompous, and use them to guess the underlying of Pantheon's elite fighting team, Ul­ bold and spirited to the point of being motives of someone's actions and man­ ysses's skin, muscle, and bone tissue reckless, Ulysses takes his code-name nerisms. are more dense than a normal human's. from one of the greatest and most cun­ Contacts: Paris's contacts include the This contributes to his superhuman En­ ning of the Greeks. As in the tales of other members of Pantheon. He is par­ durance and body weight and provides Homer, this Ulysses seems to be a no­ ticularly attracted to Delphi though she him with Feeble Body Armor. His im­ ble, if ruthless, warrior. It is suggested by does not seem to share his feelings. mune system and cellular regeneration Paris that Ulysses's private life is actu­ function at a higher level than ordinary, ally quite scandalous. Perhaps it's due granting him Regeneration of Good rank to his forked beard, but there is a certain and the Recovery power. He can heal his air of treachery about Ulysses. Ulysses Endurance rank in Health three times is a great fan of hard-bitten detective per day. He recovers lost Endurance films and novels.

90 I -.-.- . -0-. -- ---:----!.:,: ...... :'1 '...... _ _'!.A· '_..-...... �._� _"' .....\: .�

STATISTICS:

F EX(20) A EX(20) S EX(20) E RM(30) R TY(6) I EX(20) P RM(30) Health: 90 Karma: 56 Resources: PR(4) Popularity: 0

BACKGROUND: Real Name: Charles Little Sky Occupation: Dimensional traveller Legal Status: Citizen of the United States with a criminal record, still a mi­ nor Identity: Public Place of Birth: American Indian Reser­ vation near Hartsdale, New Mexico Marital Status: Single Known Relatives: None Base of Operations: Mobile Past Group Affiliations: None Present Group Affiliations:

KNOWN POWERS: Extradimensional Portal: Portal can cre­ ate an extra-dimensional gateway with Remarkable ability. This gateway is large enough to fill an entire area. It re­ quires a red FEAT result for Portal to control the destination of this gateway. Equipment: Armor: Portal wears armor similar to that worn by Darkhawk. His armor, however, has different abilities and he has lost the control amulet. Portal's arsenal includes the following: Energy Harpoon: Incredible Force dam­ age with a four-area range. Energy Wh eel: This device separates in­ to energy modules that do Excellent En­ ergy damage, can fly at Poor speed to circle around an opponent to attack him from behind, and have a + 3 CS bonus to strike their target. Glue: When covered in this gooey sub­ stance, an opponent has a - 2 CS penal­ ty on all physical FEAT rolls. It hardens in 1-6 rounds into a substance with an Ex­ cellent Material Strength. Ta lents: Portal has no known talents. Contacts: Portal has no known con­ tacts.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

91 ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: Sky had the ability to send them back to Portal is an angry young man who has the dimensional crossroads from which been conditioned by life to believe the they had come, the U-Foes immediately worst of people. His typical reaction to a tried to kill him. They were foiled by Pu­ strange situation is to use violence. It is ma and the Avengers, but during the obvious that he suffered greatly while course of the battle, the distraught Little trapped in the dimension from which Sky summoned a portaland fled into an Darkhawk originates, so his paranoia alien dimension. has some justification. With help, he Months later, Little Sky emerged back might become a superhero. If treated on Earth,wearing gold body armor simi­ without compassion, he may become a lar to Darkhawk's, while Darkhawk was most deadly supervillain. attempting to save his mother from an assassination attempt. Little Sky imme­ diately assumed that Darkhawk was an enemy that he had met in the other di­ HISTORY: mension. Darkhawk attempted to per­ Charles Little Sky was a mutant on the suade Little Sky that he was not an American Indian reservation near Harts­ enemy, but Portal refused to listen. dale, New Mexico. His gateway powers Darkhawk was forced to fight Portal, a did not escape the notice of his elders, battle in which Darkhawk emerged tri­ who viewed them as evil. Charles left the umphant. Portal was taken away by the reservation heading to New York City Guardsman to the Va ult, but while in the with the reservation's champion, the Pu­ hospital, the U-Foes attacked again. ma, in hot pursuit. As the Puma pursued Darkhawk, Captain America, and Dare­ the young mutant, he was noticed by devil battled them while Portal sought several members of the Avengers. In escape. typical fashion, the Puma refused to ex­ After defeating the U-Foes with the plain his actions to the Avengers, who help of Cap and DD, Darkhawk confront­ responded by attacking him. During that ed Portal, wanting more information battle, a strange energy portalappeared about his own armor and amulet. Little and the U-Foes, a team of supervillains Sky created a gateway and fled through who had accidentally breached the di­ it, preferring freedom amongst the di­ mensional barrier during an escape at­ mensions rather than imprisonment on tempt, emerged. Realizing that Little Earth.

92 ------..------. ----� ------.� .... ------. --' --�-��-:-;-:. :� . . ------..

93 In the alternate future of the Guardians Rancor's lieutenants, Blaster and Rhod­ ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: of the Galaxy, few mutants survived per­ ney, were slain. Rancor's downfall oc­ Rancor is a vicious killer who typically re­ secution by the Sentinels in the late curred shortly thereafter, when Starhawk lies on brute force and not subtlety. She twentieth century. Most who did survive of the Guardians bonded the rebel lead­ has no regard for human life and is ruth­ came under the leadership of Magneto. er Giraud with the Phoenix force, creat­ less in the pursuit of her goals. She is ac­ Magneto believed it was time for mutant ing the 31 st century version of Phoenix. customed to the role of ruler, and kind to find a new home-to leave Earth The Phoenix devoured the planet of Ha­ expects everyone to obey her. behind and seek sanctuary on another ven in its hunger, but not before the world. Many mutants, including the X­ Guardians used their ship's teleporters Man Wolverine, accompanied him. to transport the human population of Ha­ BATWING Magneto led them first to Europa, a ven to safety. STATISTICS: waterbearing moon of Jupiter. There Unfortunately, Rancor and her fol­ they decided to build three starships to lowers also escaped. Most recently, F EX(20) carry them away from Earth. However, Rancor and her lieutenants have ap­ A IN(40) only two of the ships were finished when peared on Earth on the island of Madri­ S EX(20) Apocalypse approached and attacked in poor, where she is trying to find the E EX(20) an attempt to enslave the fleeing mu­ ancient mutant Wolverine. R TY(6) tants. Magneto battled Apocalypse I TY(6) alone, giving the mutants the time they RANCOR P TY(6) needed to evacuate Europa. Both Mag­ Health: 100 neto and Apocalypse perished in the STATISTICS: Karma: 18 battle. The third starship was left behind, Resources: TY(6) unfinished, and was discovered in the F IN(40) Popularity: -10 31 st Century by the fledgling Guardians A RM(30) of the Galaxy. This ship became known S GD(10) BACKGROUND: U.S.S. Captain America. as the original E EX(20) Real Name: After several generations of travel, the Unknown R TY(6) Occupation: Lieutenant of Rancor mutants found a world barely capable of I IN(40) Legal Status: Citizen of Haven, a planet sustaining life. It was only through the P RM(30) skills of the last original survivor, the mu­ no longer in existence Health: ,00 Identity: Public tant Wolverine, that the mutants were Karma: 76 Place of Birth: able to find a valley where they could Haven Resources: RM(30) Marital Status: Unknown survive. They named the planet Haven. Popularity: -20 Known Relatives: Haven became ruled by the children None Base of Operations: Unknown of Wolverine; each new ruler was more BACKGROUND: vile and ruthless than the last. The fifth Past Group Affiliations: The Nine Real Name: Rancor Present Group Affiliations: descendant of Wolverine, a woman Occupation: named Rancor, became ruler of Haven Bloodthirsty ex-dictator of when she killed her own father. Haven KNOWN POWERS: Over the course of time, the planet's Legal Status: Citizen of Haven, a planet Flight: Batwing can fly and uses glider mutants became fewer and fewer, until no longer in existence wings to fly at Remarkable speeds. only nine were left, including Rancor Identity: Public These wings aid his flight, without them when she assumed the throne. All of Ha­ Place of Birth: Haven his top speed is only Excellent. ven feared them. Over time, two devel­ Marital Status: Single Bioblast: Batwing can fire blasts of opments occurred in the human Known Relatives: Wolverine (great­ Amazing energy. He has a range of five population. First, an underground resist­ great grandfather) areas with this attack. After he has fired ance movement began to form. Second, Base of Operations: Unknown them three times, he must wait ten a legend was created that "Overmen" Past Group Affiliations: The Nine rounds before they are recharged and from the stars were destined to descend Present Group Affiliations: he can use them again. Batwing can al­ upon Haven and liberate them. The leg­ so increase the Intensity of his blast to end gave the oppressed humans hope, KNOWN POWERS: Monstrous levels and attack one target yet hampered the ability of the Resist­ Cla ws: Rancor has extremely long claws in his area. This attack does count as ance to recruit a large following to defeat that do Incredible damage on the Edged one of his three uses of the power to­ the mutants. Attacks column. ward burnout. Finally in the 31 st Century, the Guard­ Regeneration: Rancor can restore up to Ta lents: Batwing has Martial Arts B, C, ians of the Galaxy arrived on Haven ten lost points of Health per hour, and and E. searching for the "Lost Colony" of hu­ has Amazing resistance to poisons, dis­ Contacts: Aside from the Nine, Batwing manity. Starhawk of the Guardians res­ eases, toxins, and other substances that is known to have no friends or contacts. cued Giraud, a member of the adversely affect the human body. Resistance, from Rancor's lieutenants. Ta lents: Rancor has Martial Arts B, C, D, ROLE-PLAYING NOTES : Giraud told the Guardians about his and E, as well as the Resist Domination Batwing is a mutant who enjoys lording world. The Guardians inspired the peo­ and Leadership talents. his powers over those who are weaker ple to protest against Rancor's rule. An Contacts: None known. than he. He revels in using his powers, enraged Rancor and her lieutenants flew especially to kill. Batwing had a special out to massacre the protesters. Many in­ fondness for Rhodney. nocent people were killed, but two of

94 �- --

Real Name: Unknown KNOWN POWERS: BEAR Occupation: Lieutenant of Rancor Growth: Blockade has Monstrous powers of Growth. Each Power Rank of STATISTICS: Legal Status: Deceased Identity: Public Growth gives him an identical rank re­ Place of Birth: Haven sistance to Physical and Force attacks. F RM(30) Marital Status: Unknown He can also choose not to attack, and A EX(20) Known Relatives: None can absorb an attack aimed at his area S IN(40) Base of Operations: Haven or an adjacent area, at one rank greater E RM(30) Past Group Affiliations: The Nine than his Growth. R GD(10) Present Group Affiliations: Limitation: Blindness: While battling the I TY(6) Guardians, Blockade was blinded in P TY(6) both eyes by Nikki's lasers. The statis­ Health: 120 KNOWN POWERS: tics to the right of the slashes represent Karma: 22 Blasts: Blaster can fire force beams of his diminished capacities in this state. Resources: TY(6) Amazing rank and range. Ta lents: Blockade has Wrestling talent. Popularity: 0 Flight: Blaster can fly with Remarkable ability. Contacts: Aside from the Nine, Block­ Ta lents: Blaster had no revealed talents. ade has no friends or contacts. BACKGROUND: Contacts: Aside from the Nine, Blaster Real Name: Unknown is known to have no friends or contacts. ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: Occupation: Former lieutenant of Ran­ cor, turned traitor Blockade is not as sadistic as some of his teammates, but he does enjoys fight­ Legal Status: Deceased ROLE-PLAY ING NOTES: ing. His devotion to Rancor is absolute. Identity: Public Blaster enjoyed bullying people, but not Blockade murdered his own traitorous Place of Birth: Haven as much as some of the other members father when he joined the Resistance. Marital Status: Unknown of the Nine. Known Relatives: Blockade (son) Base of Operations: Haven RHODNEV Past Group Affiliations: The Nine, the Haven Underground STATISTICS: Present Group Affiliations: F EX(20) KNOWN POWERS: A EX(20) Strength: Bear's only discernible power S EX(20) is his superhuman strength. E EX(20) Weapon: Bear carries a gun that can do R TY(6) Incredible damage at up to four areas. I TY(6) Ta lents: Bear has no known talents. P TY(6) Contacts: None. BLOCKADE Health: 80 Karma: 18 ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: STATISTICS: Resources: TY(6) Bear was a conscientious mutant who Popularity: - 5 became disenchanted with the sadism F IN(40)/EX(20) and tyranny of Rancor and his own fel­ A EX(20)/TY(6) BACKGROUND: low lieutenants. He chose a different S IN(40) Real Name: Rhodney, Last name un­ path, one with the Resistance. Even so, E AM(50) known he did not stop caring about his son, R TY(6) Occupation: Lieutenant of Rancor Blockade, which led to his death. I TY(6)/PR(4) Legal Status: Deceased P IN(40) Identity: Public Health: 150 Place of Birth: Haven BLASTER Karma: 52 Marital Status: Unknown Resources: TY(6) Known Relatives: None STATISTICS: Popularity: - 5 Base of Operations: Haven Past Group Affiliations: The Nine F EX(20) BACKGROUND: Present Group Affiliations: A RM(30) Real Name: Unknown S GD(10) Occupation: Lieutenant of Rancor KNOWN POWERS: E RM(30) Rhodney does not have innate super­ R TY(6) Legal Status: Citizen of Haven, a planet no longer in existence powers. Perhaps his Kinetic Retro­ I TY(6) Identity: Public Blaster (see Equipment below) is P TY(6) Place of Birth: Haven powered by his mutation. Health: 90 Marital Status: Unknown Equipment: Karma: 18 Known Relatives: Bear (father, de­ Kinetic Retro-Blaster: This device pos­ Resources: TY (6) ceased) sesses the following abilities: Popularity: - 5 Base of Operations: Unknown Flight: Flies at Remarkable airspeed. Past Group Affiliations: The Nine Retro-Blasts: Fires Remarkable Force BACKGROUND: Present Group Affiliations: blasts and has a range of four areas.

95 Ta lents: Rhodney has Martial Arts E. SHADDD SIDE-STEP Contacts: Aside from the Nine, Rhod­ ney is known to have no friends or con­ STATISTICS: STATISTICS: tacts. He and Batwing were particularly close; the exact nature of their relation­ F RM(30) F TY(6) ship is unknown. A EX(20) A TY(6) S EX(20) S TY(6) ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: E RM(30) E EX(20) Like many other members of the Nine, R TY(6) R GD(10) Rhodney was a sadistic bully with no I TY(6) I GD(10) moral scruples whatsoever. It is worth P EX(20) P EX(20) noting that Rancor did not seem to be Health: 100 Health: 38 particularly concerned about his death. Karma: 32 Karma: 40 Resources: TY(6) Resources: TY(6) MINDSCAN Popularity: -10 Popularity: - 5

STATISTICS: BACKGROUND: BACKGROUND: Real Name: Unknown Real Name: Unknown F GD(10) Occupation: Lieutenant of Rancor Occupation: Lieutenant of Rancor A TY(6) Legal Status: Citizen of Haven Legal Status: Citizen of Haven, a planet S TY(6) Identity: Public no longer in existence E EX(20) Place of Birth: Haven Identity: Public R GD(10) Marital Status: Unknown Place of Birth: Haven I GD(10) Known Relatives: None Marital Status: Unknown P EX(20) Base of Operations: Unknown Known Relatives: None Health: 38 Past Group Affiliations: The Nine Base of Operations: Unknown Karma: 40 Present Group Affiliations: Past Group Affiliations: The Nine Resources: TY(6) Present Group Affiliations: Popularity: - 5 KNOWN POWERS: Cape: Shaddo's cape acts as her weap­ KNOWN POWERS: BACKGROUND: on. Shaddo's cape may be material, or it Portal: Side-step can create a portal that Real Name: Unknown may be a psychic projection; its nature allows anyone who steps through it to Occupation: Lieutenant of Rancor has yet to be determined. It possesses teleport with Monstrous ability. There is Legal Status: Citizen of Haven, a planet the following powers: no known limit to the number of people no longer in existence Elon gation: The cape can stretch with In­ who can use the portal, but the portal Identity: Public credible power, allowing it to attack foes can fill a maximum of one area. Place of Birth: Haven in any area adjacent to Shaddo. Ta lents: Side-step has Piloting talent. Marital Status: Unknown Envelopment: The cape, on a successful Contacts: Aside from the Nine, Side­ Known Relatives: None attack, can envelop an opponent as with step is known to have no friends or con­ Base of Operations: Unknown Amazing material strength, and once it tacts. Past Group Affiliations: The Nine has enveloped someone, the trapped Present Group Affiliations: opponent must make an Endurance ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: FEAT roll. On a yellow or higher roll, he Side-step is actually a likeable and per­ KNOWN POWERS: has resisted the attack and are free, on a sonable young woman. She is calm and Te lepathy: Mindscan has Amazing green roll he has fallen unconscious due cool in battle, often rescuing her team­ powers of Te lepathy at Unearthly range. to lack of oxygen and he must roll on the mates. She is also strongly devoted to Emo tion Control: Mindscan has Amazing Kill table, and on a white result, his Rancor. powers of Emotion Control with a one­ Health drops to zero he immediately be­ area range. gins to lose Endurance ranks, due to suf­ Ta lents: Mindscan has the Leadership focation. talent. Shadows: When stationary, Shaddo's Contacts: Aside from the Nine, Minds­ cape provides a field of darkness for her can is known to have no friends or con­ in a single-area radius. It requires a tacts. green Intuition FEAT roll to spot her when she is trying to hide. ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: Ta lents: Shaddo has Martial ArtsBa nd C. Mindscan is a confident, capable field Contacts: Aside from the Nine, Shaddo commander, serving as Rancor's most is known to have no friends or contacts. trusted lieutenant. She strongly disap­ proves of the sadism demonstrated by ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: some of her teammates, most notably Like Batwing and Rancor, Shaddo is a Shaddo and Batwing. sadistic killer who enjoys tormenting her victims before she allows them to die. She may be the most sadistic member of the Nine.

96 - - -

-- ---

The Riders of the Storm are underlings a rifle that does Excellent Shooting dam­ of Apocalypse; many are mutants or mu­ age with a range of 7 areas. Each clip GAUNTLET tated humans, while some others were has 20 shots. STATISTICS: culled from the offshoot of humanity Ta lents: Barrage has no known talents, known as the lnhumans. The main pur­ except possibly Guns. F EX(20) Contacts: pose of the Riders was to kidnap Nathan Barrage is an Inhuman and A EX(20) Christopher Summers (Cyclops' son) minion of Apocalypse. S EX(20) and allow Apocalypse to destroy him. E RM(30) Ouring their initial attack and kidnapping ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: R GO(10) attempt, X-Factor's Ship went crazy and Barrage talks too much in combat, and is I GO(10) self-destructed high above the Earth; fond of misquoting Shakespeare. Like P GO(10) Ship managed to salvage its primary ail the Riders, he is a ruthless fighter. Health: 90 personality components and save the Karma: 30 team by entering the Blue Area of the FOXBAT Resources: PR(4) Moon. Allying themselves with the Inhu­ Popularity: 0 mans, X-Factor found that Apocalypse STATISTICS: had a base on the Moon and was chang­ BACKGROUND: ing many lnhumans into his slaves. X­ F GO(10) Real Name: Unknown Factor and the Inhumans managed to A Occupation: defeat Apocalypse and the Riders, free­ EX(20) Minion of Apocalypse S EX(20) Legal Status: Citizen of Attilan ing many of the captives and releasing Identity: the others from his control, but Nathan E RM(30) Not generally known to citizens R GO(10) of Earth was dying. He was sent into the future Place of Birth: with a time-traveller named Askani as I GO(10) Attilan Island, North At­ she represented his only hope. P GO(10) lantic Ocean Health: 80 Marital Status: Unknown The following Riders are the only ones Karma: Known Relatives: still remaining with Apocalypse. 30 None Resources: PR(4) Base of Operations: Apocalypse's Popularity: 0 Base (Blue Area of the Moon) BARRAGE Past Group Affiliations: Inhu mans, BACKGROUND: Riders of the Storm STATISTICS: Real Name: Unknown Present Group Affiliations: Occupation: Minion of Apocalypse F EX(20) Legal Status: Citizen of Attilan KNOWN POWERS: A EX(20) Identity: Secret Fangs: Gauntlet's nasty fangs can bite S EX(20) Place of Birth : Attilan Island, North At­ for Typical Edged weapon damage, al­ E RM(30) lantic Ocean though he prefers to fight with his weap­ R GO(10) Marital Status: Unknown ons or his powerful fists. I GO(10) Known Relatives: None P GO(10) Base of Operations: Apocalypse's Equipment: Gauntlet is armed with a Health: 90 Base (Blue Area of the Moon) wide array of lethal hardware, presum­ Karma: 30 Past Group Affiliations: Inhumans, ably of either his own or Apocalypse's Resources: PR(4) Riders of the Storm design. His weapons include: Popularity: 0 Present Group Affiliations: Rifle: Fires bullets for Remarkable Shooting damage with a range of 8 Ar­ BACKGROUND: KNOWN POWERS: eas, or sprays microexplosive pellets Real Name: Unknown Cla ws: Foxbat has long claws of Excel­ that inflict Good Force damage with a Occupation: Minion of Apocalypse lent Material Strength that he wields for range of 2 areas. When using pellets Legal Status: Citizen of Attilan Good Edged weapon damage. rather than bullets, the gun sprays so Identity: Secret Ta lents: Foxbat has the Acrobatics tal­ many pellets so rapidly that Gauntlet re­ Place of Birth: Attilan Island, North At­ ent. ceives + 3 CS on his attack. lantic Ocean Contacts: Foxbat is a minion of Apoca­ Ta lents: Gauntlet has the Guns talent, Marital Status: Unknown lypse and member of the Inhumans. giving him + 1 CS to fire his weapons. Known Relatives: None Contacts: Gauntlet is a minion of Apoc­ Base of Operations: Apocalypse's ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: alypse and a member of the Inhumans. Base (Blue Area of the Moon) A loyal follower of Apocalypse, Foxbat Past Group Affiliations: Inhumans, possesses a wicked sense of humor, as ROLE-PLAYIr-!G NOTES: Riders of the Storm well as shrewd tactical ability. Rather Gauntlet is a crude, rude brawler who Present Group Affi liations: than face his foes in open battle, he pre­ was always eager to fight. He is willing fers to evade combat and fulfill his mas­ sacrifice anything-including his own KNOWN POWERS: ter's directives through stealth, dirty life-to defeat his foes. Heat Generation: Barrage can project tricks, and cunning. heat from his arms, inflicting Remark­ able Energy damage with a range of 8 Areas. Equipment: Barrage sometimes carries

97 --- -- �� ------�------�------�------

HARD-DRIVE PSYNAPSE TUSK

STATISTICS: STATISTICS: STATISTICS:

F GD(10) F GD(10) F EX(20) A EX(20) A EX(20) A GD(10) S EX(20) S EX(20) S IN(40) E RM(30) E RM(30) E RM(30) R EX(20) R GD(10) R TY(6) I GD(10) I GD(1 0) I TY(6) P GD(10) P EX(20) P GD(10) Health: 80 Health: 80 Health: 100 Karma: 40 Karma: 40 Karma: 22 Resources: PR(4) Resources: PR(4) Resources: PR(4) Popularity: 0 Popularity: 0 Popularity: 0

BACKGROUND: BACKGROUND: BACKGROUND: Real Name: Unknown Real Name: Unknown Real Name: Unknown Occupation: Minion of Apocalypse Occupation: Minion of Apocalypse Occupation: Minion of Apocalypse Legal Status: Citizen of Attilan Legal Status: Citizen of Attilan Legal Status: Citizen of Attilan Identity: Secret Identity: Not generally known to Earth Identity: Not generally known to the citi- Place of Birth: Attilan Island, North At­ citizens zens of Earth '--- lantic Ocean Place of Birth: Attilan Island, North At­ Place of Birth: Attilan Island, North At- Marital Status: Unknown lantic Ocean lantic Ocean Known Relatives: None Marital Status: Unknown Marital Status: Unknown Base of Operations: Apocalypse's Known Relatives: Crystal (cousin) Known Relatives: None Base (Blue Area of the Moon) Base of Operations: Apocalypse's Base of Operations: Apocalypse's Past Group Affiliations: Inhumans, Base (Blue Area of the Moon) Base (Blue Area of the Moon) Riders of the Storm Past Group Affiliations: Inhumans, Past Group Affiliations: Inhumans, Present Group Affiliations: Riders of the Storm Riders of the Storm Present Group Affiliations: Present Group Affiliations: KNOWN POWERS: Computer Links: Hard-Drive is a living KNOWN POWERS: KNOWN POWERS: computer virus. She can infiltrate, com­ Astral Projection: Psynapse can project Growth: Tusk possesses permanent municate with, and receive information his mind into the Astral Plane with Re­ Growth at Good rank, giving his foes + 1 from computers with Remarkable ability, markable ability, and has mastered the CS to hit him. but she must be able to touch the com­ power stunt of drawing other minds into Body Armor: Tu sk's skin gives him Good puter to do so. When breaking into a the Astral Plane against their will. (This Body Armor vs. physical attacks and computer, compare her Power Rank with requires a green Power FEAT and has a Poor armor vs. energy attacks. the Reason of the computer to deter­ range of 1 area. The subject gets a Duplication: Tu sk can release up to four mine the FEAT's Intensity. If she is suc­ Psyche FEAT to resist). smaller copies of himself. These grem­ cessful, she will take over 10% of its Te lep athy: Psynapse has Remarkable lins appear at a rate of one per turn and sub-systems and programs every round rank telepathy, and has also mastered can reenter his body at the same rate. until she dominates the entire computer. three Power Stunts: They are only a quarter of the original - She must concentrate and remain in • Remarkable ability to regress the Tusk's size ( 2 CS to Endurance and physical contact with the computer until mind of another person to childhood, Strength) and lack his Growth and Dupli­ this time; if she stops, the computer will preventing them consciously using cation powers. All versions of Tusk share regain 10% of its functions every round. powers, skills, or abilities learned as an a single group-mind with the same Hard-Drive has partial control of any de­ adult. thoughts. vices operated by the computer, equal to • Mental bolts of Excellent rank, Ta lents: Tusk has the Wrestling talent. her current percentage of control. range, and damage using the Energy at­ Contacts: Tu sk is a servant of Apocalyp­ Body Armor: Most of Hard-Drive's body tack column. se and a member of the Inhumans. is metal rather than flesh, which gives • Mental probes of Good Intensity. her Typical rank Body Armor. Ta lents: Unknown. ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: Ta lents: Hard-Drive has the Computers Contacts: Psynapse is a minion of Tusk doesn't say much, and uses short and Piloting talents. Apocalypse, but before his corruption, sentences-his motto is "less talk, more Contacts: Hard-Drive is a minion of he was a favored cousin of Crystal and action." When he talks, all his bodies Apocalypse and a Inhuman. the Inhuman royal family. speak simultaneously.

ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: Hard-Drive is mad, giggling with delight Psynapse is young and cocky, proud of as she commits villainy in service of her his power and eager to use it. He is con­ dread master. Hard-Drive prefers to use temptuous of women, and underesti­ her powers from hiding, rather than en­ mates the bravery and prowess of gage in direct combat. female heroes.

98 SABRA

STATISTICS:

F IN(40) A IN(40) S AM (50) E RM(30) R GD(10) I EX(20) P GD(10) Health: 160 Karma: 40 Resources: TY(6) self, AM(50) through government channels Popularity: 10

BACKGROUND: Real Name: Ruth Bat-Seraph Occupation: Police officer, government agent Identity: Known to Israeli authorities Legal Status: Citizen of Israel Place of Birth: Near Jerusalem, Israel Marital Status: Single Known Relatives: None Base of Operations: Tel Aviv, Israel Past Group Affiliations: None Present Group Affiliations:

KNOWN POWERS: Superhuman Physiology: Sabra's skin, muscle and bone are more dense than that of a normal human. This contributes to her superhuman strength and weight (240 Ibs. on a 5'11" frame) and provides her with Good Body Armor. Her immune system and cellular regeneration func­ tion at a higher level than ordinary hu­ mans granting her Amazing resistance to toxins and disease and Regeneration of Poor rank. She regains lost Health at a rate of three times her Endurance rank per day. Her metabolism and the chemi­ cal processes of her musculature are highly advanced and produce fewer fa­ tigue pOisons than in normal humans. As a result, she makes Endurance checks for exertion as if she had Monstrous En­ durance. Lightning Speed: Sabra has the light­ ning Speed power at Good rank and can run at 60 mph or 4 areas per round. She can accelerate to that speed in her first round of running. Flight: Sabra wears a cape that allows her to fly at Amazing speeds (375 mph or 25 areas per round). This cape contains a gravity-polarizing device that can neu­ tralize gravity's effect on her mass. Thrust is provided by the air ejected by a tight array of four electric micro-turbines. Circuitry in her tiara allows her to cy­ bernetically communicate with the cape's wafer-thin, on-board computer system and control her flight. This cape has an optical navigation system which

99 functions as an auto-pilot. will give as good as she gets. In many When she realized she was battling the Energy Quills: Each of Sabra's wrist ways the embodiment of modern Israel Hulk, she stepped-up her attack, in part bracelets contains a neuronic-frequency Sabra is a hero of honor, who is a stran: because SHIELD had circulated word stunner. These devices can fire quill­ ger to fear, and who will never again sub­ that Hulk was now more dangerous than sh�ped bundles of low-density plasma mit to �urderous tyranny. She has a dry, ever. (Banner's friend and psychologist, which travel below the speed of sound analytical sense of humor in combat but Leonard Sampson, had informed Nick (about 738 mph at sea level) and can if her back is against the wall, she has a Fury of the Hulk's capture by Pantheon. par�lyze t.he nervous system of any or­ tendency to restate Zionist party line. Fury, aware of Pantheon's activities and ganic belng almost instantaneously. rea�izing their intent was probably to re­ These qU.ills effectively ignore Body Ar­ cruit the Hulk as an operative, alerted mor and targets struck by them must HISTORY: law enforcement agencies world-wide of make an Endurance FEAT versus Re­ Little is known of Ruth Bat-Seraph's the danger.) markable Intensity Stun. Failure indi­ background before she became Sabra. Sabra fired three energy quills at Ban­ cates the target is unconscious for 1 to 2 !he source of her super-human powers ner, one of which entered his open hours. Individuals with an Endurance IS not yet known, though they are known mouth. and struck his larynx. This para­ rank of Monstrous or higher can localize to have surfaced in pre-adolescence lyzed It, rendering him speechless. Un­ or �eslst. the effects of the quills, and : �ble to communicate, Banner engaged their saving versus the quills' effect can which might suggest a mutant origin. Af In a protracted battle with Sabra, which be considered automatic. Called shots ter her powers surfaced, she and her took them through the streets and walls pa�ents were taken to a special kibbutz !o �e.nsitive areas may still affect these (liVing community) by the Israeli govern­ of ?Id Jerusalem, culminating at the individuals. A shot in the ear would force W�lhng Wall. Stripped of her cape, out of an Endurance FEAT, the failure of which ment where her powers were be studied qUills, and facing a physically superior would indicate the target's equilibrium and nurtured. She was the first graduate foe, Sabra was prepared to make her fi­ has been affected and all Fighting, Agili­ of the government backed, Israeli nal stand before the Wall. As she waited "sup�r-agent" program and is offiCially ty,! and Movement FEATs are at -2CS appointed to protect the state of Israel. for the Hulk's final attack, she delivered or 10 to 100. rounds. Each bracelet pro­ As a cover for her activities, she works a �speech which affirmed her nation's Jector can fire up to 10 quills before as a police officer. an her personal courage and determi­ needing to be recharged. After thwarting an attack on the family nation. At this time, the effects of the Ta lents: Bat-Seraph has Law Enforce­ quill which had paralyzed his larynx ment Tr aining and as such fires guns at of the Draburg ambassador to Israel, Sa­ wore off. Banner, realizing fu rther vio­ + 1 CS to Agility and + 1 CS is added to bra, Israel's "top agent," was aSSigned lence would be pointless, and wanting to Reason FEAT s involving the law or cor­ the task of protecting them. This first at­ shut Sabra up so he could get a word in tack ha? been carried out by Achilles ' rect legal procedures. As a police officer and hiS Intent had been to kill Ambassa­ surrendered. she may legally carry a gun and mak� dor Meer's thirteen-year old son, Max. Banner and Sabra reached an under­ arrests. Sabra is a Weapons Specialist Delphi had seen a vision that Max Meers standing and joined forces tracking and Marksman with her energy quills, fir­ would become the next Hitler marshal­ down Achilles. They saved Max Meers In� them at + 2CS to Agility. She also ling his homeland of Draburg i'nto one of from falling to his death. While Hulk and gains a + 1 to Initiative rolls and does not the most devastating war machines on Sabra �were distracted by Achilles's ex­ suffer the range penalty when using Earth. He would do this through a mu­ pla.nat on of why he tried to kill the boy, them. Her fighting skills include Martial tant power of mind control. Pantheon �hlch Included a recounting of his expe­ Arts B and Aerial Combat. planned to avert this disaster in the mak­ rience at the German concentration Contacts: As Bat-Seraph, Sabra has ing by killing Meers before he could rise camp Dachau, Me�rs was trampled by contacts within the police. As Sabra an to power. an angry mob. ThiS mob, which was Israeli super-agent, she would hav� at After this failed attempt, Bruce Ban­ chasing Rick Jones, was being mind I�ast one government contact at a na­ ner, the Incredible Hulk, was sent to Isra­ control .and had been sent by Meers to !iOnal level. Though she battled the Hulk el to bring both Achilles and the boy kill Achilles. After the accident, the boy on at least two occasions, she could was tak�n to Jerusalem Hospital, but the probably now count on him for help. back to Pantheon headquarters. Banner prognosIs was that he would remain a was a�com�anied on this mission by his long time Side-kick, Rick Jones. They vegetable .for the rest of his life. Aga­ ADDITIONAL NOTES: were told that Achilles's original mission me.mnon lied to Banner on this point, had been a similar one: to convince the telling him the boy was fine. He had also boy's parents that the best place for their lied about Achilles's instructions, which son was with Pantheon and that in at­ had been to kill the boy from the start. tempting to kill the boy he had turned No one yet realized that Meers never ac­ rogue. tually had mind control powers, but rath­ Banner found Achilles in pursuit of the er was the vehicle through which Gretta Meers boy and his friend Gretta Rabin Ra.�i� siphoned her own will-dominating and started to follow them through the abilities. It would be Gretta, working be­ street of old Jerusalem. The four were hind the scenes, who would cause Max spotted by Sabra who was flying over­ Meers's rise to power foreseen by Delph.1. Any f.urther investigation by the ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: head looking for Meers. She did not rec­ Israeli authOrities. into this series of inci­ Sabra is a staunch defender of Israel ognize the Hulk because he was dents, or how they have chosen to deal and though she may look sweet, those wearing a long hooded robe, but en­ with Sabra's failure to protect the Meers who dare to invade her homeland will gaged him in combat because he was boy, have not been revealed. feel her thorns. In her own words, she the largest and closest target to her.

100 SCARLET SCARAB

STATISTICS:

F AM (50) A IN(40) S AM(50) E AM(50) R TY(6) I GO(10) P GO(10) Health: 190 Karma: 26 Resources: G 0(10) Popularity: 0 (20 in Egypt)

BACKGROUND: Real Name: Mehemet Faoul Occupation: Protector of Egypt Legal Status: Citizen of Egypt with no criminal record Identity: Secret Place of Birth: Unrevealed Marital Status: Unknown Known Relatives: Abdul Faoul (father, deceased) Base of Operations: Egypt Past Group Affiliations: None Present Group Affiliations:

KNOWN POWERS: Scarab: The Scarlet Scarab's scarab tal­ isman has the following powers: Heightened Abilities: Without the Scar­ ab, Faoul's characteristics are as fol­ lows: F A S E RIP RM EX EX EX TY GO GO Health: 90 Karma: 26

Flight: The Scarlet Scarab can reach Amazing airspeeds. Strength Absorption: Every turn that the Scarlet Scarab maintains physical con- "'----' tact with an opponent, the opponent must make a yellow Endurance FEAT roll or have one rank of Strength ab­ sorbed by the Scarab. The Scarab can raise his Strength to Unearthly by this method. The Scarab retains this strength for ten rounds, when it drains away, one rank per turn, until the Scar­ ab's Strength returns to Amazing. Crimson Bolts: The Scarlet Scarab can use his amulet to fire force bolts. These bolts have a four-area range, and the same Intensity as his current Strength rank. Force Field: The Scarab is protected by an Incredible force field. Ta lents: The Scarlet Scarab has the Wrestling and Archeology talents. Contacts: The Scarlet Scarab is an ac­ quaintance of the Mighty Thor. He has no other known contacts.

101 ADDITIONAL NOTES: HISTORY: The son of the elder Faoul, Mehemet, During World War II, Egyptian archeolo­ found the scarab. Using the scarab, the gist Abdul Faoul discovered the location younger Faoul became the new Scarlet of an artifact which predated even the Scarab. A devout archeologist, Faoul first Egyptian dynasty, a scarab that vowed that his powers would be dedi­ would give its wearers vast magical cated to protecting Egypt from those powers. He duped the Sub-Mariner and who would despoil its ancient treasures. the original Human To rch of the Invaders These powers were tested when to help get this scarab, though the In­ thieves stole a valuable statue, the Eye vaders were unaware of Faoul's true of Horus. The Scarab came to America, goal. When Faoul touched the ruby scar­ where he tracked the thieves to a muse­ ab, he was transformed into the first um. The thieves had tried to sell the Scarlet Scarab, the mystical protector of statue to the museum curator, who Egypt. refused. The Scarab believed the cura­ The Scarlet Scarab then battled the tor to be in league with the thieves, two Invaders. He defeated both the which brought him into contact with the To rch and Namor, the two most powerful Mighty Thor. They fought to a draw, then members of the Invaders. He then teamed their might to fight the thieves. sought to use the scarab to expel first The Scarab recovered the statue, and ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: the British "invaders," and then the Na­ then returned to Egypt. His current activ­ The Scarlet Scarab is an impetuous and zis, from Egyptian soil during the second ities are unknown. impatient person, extremely confident in World War. his abilities and usually presuming the After the war, the scarab mysteriously worst motives for his opponents. He vanished one day from the strongbox in does not believe in talking or thinking which Faoul kept it. Abdul Faoul spent about a problem; his solution is always the remainder of his life trying to find it. action. He does have a respect for an­ He failed , but passed along the clues he cient artifacts, and a love of his country, had gathered to his son. It seems that af­ if not his government. ter the scarab is used over a period of time, its power drains away. When it is completely drained, it magically returns to its resting place, where Faoul first found it. The elder Faoul never thought to look there.

102 -

SHADOW KING

STATISTICS:

F TY(6) A TY(6) S GD(10) E EX(20) R GD(10) I GD(10) P MN(75) Health: 42 Karma: 95 Resources: RM(30) Popularity: - 30

BACKGROUND: Real Name: Amahl Farouk Occupation: Saloon owner, power bro­ ker, mastermind Legal Status: Egyptian citizen, de­ ceased Other Known Aliases: Karma, Jacob Reisz, David Haller Identity: Secret Place of Birth: Cairo, Egypt Marital Status: Unrevealed Known Relatives: None Base of Operations: Cairo, Egypt; Cai­ ro, Illinois; Muir Isle Past Group Affiliations: Former leader of the Gladiators Present Group Affiliations:

KNOWN POWERS: Astral Projection: The Shadow King has CL3000 Astral Projection with a world­ wide range, and is skilled in creating as­ tral scenery to confuse those victims he meets on the astral plane. The Shadow King receives + 1 CS to Psyche when fighting on the Astral Plane. Astral Detection: The Shadow King has CL 1000 Astral Detection. Psi-Screen: Shift X Rank. Te lepathy: The Shadow King possesses Monstrous rank Te lepathy. He has mas­ tered the following power stunts: • Monstrous rank Mental Bolts. durance if the Shadow King is forced to • Amazing ability to directly Mind • Monstrous rank Mental Probe. use his powers extensively). Before En­ Control a person he has corrupted. • Monstrous ability to leave his host durance reaches 0, the Shadow King • Amazing ability to release the raw body and possess another body. Unlike must find a new host. animal within individuals, turning them normal Possession, the Shadow King • Monstrous ability to corrupt the into ferocious "hounds" under his con­ must gain a red power FEAT to succeed. psyches of other beings. This is resolved trol. An attempt to create a hound is re­ If he fails, he may not try again for 1 d1 0 like the Possession power with the target sisted by the individual's Psyche vs. the days. If the attack succeeds, the effects receiving a Psyche FEAT to resist vs. the Intensity of this Power Stunt. A hound are permanent and the subject may not Intensity of the attack. Instead of totally has + 1 CS with Fighting and Agility, but spend Karma to influence his actions. dominating the victim, the Shadow - 2 CS with Psyche and Intuition, and The only way for a host to escape is if the King's power taps the latent evil that lies Reason drops to O. Shadow King voluntarily decides to inside all but the purest souls. The • Detection of other telepaths within leave (it may do so if threatened with its Shadow King does not directly control Monstrous range as long as they are us­ host's death). As well as possessing live the minds of those he has corrupted. ing their ability. If the telepath opens up bodies, the Shadow King can possess a They retain a degree of free will, their old his mind by using a mind-amplifying de­ newly-dead corpse. A possessed corpse skills, and evil versions of their previous vice such as Cerebro, the detection has the same statistics it had before personalities, but they revel in wicked­ range is increased by + 2 CS. death, but will gradually deteriorate, los­ ness. There is no limit to the number of Nexus Creation: The Shadow King turn­ ing 1 Endurance point per day (1 d1 0 En- beings the Shadow King can corrupt in ed Lorna Dane (Polaris) into a psychic this fashion. link between the real world and the as-

103 tral plane. At that time, Polaris had been and the X-Men. Just after the Second Storm had been reverted to infancy, and mutated into a catalyst for negative emo­ World War, Charles Xavier was visiting was now working in Cairo, Illinois as a tions. By coupling her power to his own, city of Cairo, Egypt. There he had his child thief. He began the hunt for Storm, the Shadow King formed Lorna Dane in­ pocket picked by a young girl. As he his second oldest enemy. But thanks to to a psychic magnifier that increased all opened up his mental shields to probe her own indomitable will, and the timely his powers by + 1 CS. This also gave her mind, he was suddenly smashed intervention of Gambit, Storm was able him Monstrous rank Emotion Control down by a psychic attack. Leaving the to escape the Shadow King's hounds, with CL3000 range, the only limitation child (who would grow up to be Storm) regain her memories, and link up with being that he could only use the power to Xavier traced the assault to a nearby sa­ the X-Men. They had already been spread hatred. loon run by a fat Egyptian, Amahl Fa­ aware that some force of evil had been Limitation: The Shadow King is power­ rouk, ruler of the city's Thieves' Quarter. at work: now they could put a name to it. ful, but not without weaknesses. After Farouk, a master telepath, was steeped They began preparations to assault Muir the Farouk body was slain by Xavier in in such foul evil that Xavier compared Isle, which seemed to be the source of Cairo, the Shadow King could only main­ his mind to wading in a sea of maggots. the evil. tain a material existence if he possessed They began a psychic duel which end­ The Shadow King had begun his ulti­ other living or dead beings: first Karma, ed when Xavier destroyed Farouk's mate plan. He formed Lorna Dane into a then Jacob Reisz (slain by Mystique), brain with a mind-bolt. That should have magnifying "nexus" for his power. Using then David Haller. Once the Shadow been the end of the Shadow King, but it her, he began spreading his malign influ­ King transformed Lorna Dane into his wasn't. His malignant presence lingered ence throughout the world, causing Nexus, he gained raw power, but be­ on the astral plane as a being of pure mindless outbreaks of hate and preju­ came dependent on her continued exist­ psychic energy, hungering for dice. ence as a link between the astral plane revenge-and a body. He finally found Led by Storm and Forge, the X-Men and the real world. Disruption of the both when he possessed Karma of the mounted an assault on Muir Isle. Forge Nexus (getting a Stun result on Polaris New Mutants, whose own psychic invented a method to block out the with a psychic attack, or killing her) sev­ powers were similar to his own. Shadow King's telepathic influence. But ered this link, thereby destroying him. To sate his thirst for evil, he became even with this device, the X-Men faced Aside from Professor X, Storm is the the mastermind behind a gladiatorial defeat. only mind the Shadow King had encoun­ arena that came close to corrupting Daz­ By this time, Professor Xavier had re­ tered which he could not corrupt. Add zler, Sunspot, and Magma. When this turned to Earth. Determined to end the +5 CS to Storm's Psyche when resisting plan was foiled, he returned to Cairo, still threat posed by his oldest foe, he as­ his power. possessing Karma, and reopened his sembled a second strike force of govern­ Ta lents: The Shadow King has consider­ saloon, humiliating its patrons for his sa­ ment agents (including Dr. Valerie able personal knowledge of international distic amusement. He lured the other Cooper and Jacob Reisz), SHIELD es­ espionage and Egyptian Law. He is flu­ New Mutants to Cairo to be his slaves, pers, and his old students, X-Factor. ent in English and many Arabic lan­ but Storm and Magik frustrated his Their goal was to face the X-Men on Muir guages, including Egyptian. plans. The Shadow King left Karma and Isle and destroy the Shadow King. Contacts: For many years the Shadow retreated to the Astral Plane. There he The Shadow King believed Xavier was King acted as the ultimate power broker waited, regaining his strength, and nurs­ walking into his trap. At the height of the in the game of international espionage. ing hatred of a new enemy: Storm. attack, he and Cooper attacked Xavier­ His activities gave him contacts in the His chance to strike back at the X-Men only to be betrayed! Valerie Cooper was KGB, in Western intelligence agencies, came when Xavier's son Legion used really the shapechanger Mystique, who and in the spy and criminal organiza­ Cerebro from Muir Isle which accidental­ had been masquerading as his slave. tions of the Middle East and the third ly opened his mind to invasion. The Mystique shot Reisz, destroying his world. His possession of Jacob Reisz Shadow King detected this telepathic body. But the Shadow King had not yet gave him access to top-secret U.S. gov­ probe, and found Muir Isle ripe for cor­ been defeated, for his nexus remained ernment files. ruption, thanks to Polaris, one of the is­ untouched. He quickly possessed Le­ land's residents. As a side-effect of her gion and used a powerful telekinetic­ ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: adventures in the Savage Land, Polaris pyrokinetic discharge to destroy most of A "nightmare whose fondest desire is to was subconsciously radiating a mental Muir Island, and then engaged Xavier in be a man," the Shadow King enjoyed influence that intensified negative emo­ a psychic duel. freeing the evil within human souls in or­ tions among those around her. In short Thanks to the mental powers of der to gain mastery over their bodies. order, he was able to corrupt the minds Marvel Girl, the X-Men and X-Factor sur­ The nobler the spirit being degraded, the of Dr. Moira MacTaggert and the other in­ vived Legion's assault. Xavier held off more the Shadow King reveled in the habitants of Muir Isle. the Shadow King at the cost of his own process of corruption. His goal was to With an island of super-beings under legs. The two teams used Psylocke's destroy his old enemies, Charles Xavier his domination, the Shadow King began psychic knife to sever Polaris's link with and Storm, then to drown the world in a his plan. He took possession of the the astral plane. This final act caused a psychic ocean of hatred and evil. corpse of Senior FBI investigator Jacob psychic shock that resulted in Legion's Reisz. Using Reisz's government con­ death and the apparent destruction of tacts, he was able to score a major coup: the Shadow King, although whether a the domination of Dr. Valerie Cooper, the being of such power can be truly de­ HISTORY: federal official responsible for mutant af­ stroyed is open to question. Little is known of the early life of the man fairs. who would become the Shadow King, With Cooper's files and Reisz's super­ and what has been revealed is closely lative investigative skills at his com­ tied to the history of Professor Xavier mand, he was able to discover that

104 SH ATTERSTAR

STATISTICS:

F RM(30) A RM(30) S IN(40) E IN(40) R TY(6) I GD(10) P RM(30) Health: 140 Karma: 46 Resources: PR(4) Popularity: 0/20

BACKGROUND: Real Name: Shatterstar Occupation: Former entertainer, former rebel Legal Status: No criminal record Identity: Not generally known on Earth Place of Birth: Mojo's dimension, 100 years in the future Marital Status: Single Known Relatives: None Base of Operations: Abandoned Senti­ nel base in Adirondack Mountains Past Group Affiliations: Cadre Rebel­ lion, X-Force Present Group Affiliations:

KNOWN POWERS: Mystic Blades: Shatterstar fights with a double-bladed sword forged using both science and sorcery. It has the following abilities: • The sword is made of an alien metal with Unearthly Material Strength. Shat­ terstar can inflict up to Incredible Edged Weapon damage with the blades. • Shapechanging: Allows Shatterstar to reshape the sword into different weap­ ons, such as batons that inflict up to In­ credible Blunt damage. He can also separate the blades and wield two identi­ cal weapons in order to make multiple attacks. • If he does not have time to change the blades into batons and does not want to risk killing a foe, Shatterstar can also strike with the spiked handguard , inflicting Remarkable Blunt damage. • Because of its sorcerous nature, the sword can cut through magical force fields and body armor, severing mystic bonds of up to Shift X Strength. • Shatterstar can also focus his will through his sword into a force beam of Amazing Intensity and range. Doing this fatigues him-reduce his Strength by 5 if he uses the ability more than once in a day. Lost Strength recovers at a rate of 1 point per hour of rest. If the blades are separated, the dam­ age and range of the blast are only Re­ markable.

105 ----- .- --�=------'------,

Ta lents: Shatterstar has the Edged and ultimate warrior and combat-performer, Blunt Weapon talents, and is considered but eventually joined the Cadre Alliance, a Weapon Specialist (+2 CS) with his a rebellion against Mojo V's tyranny. swords. He also has the Acrobatics and Shatterstar has fought all his life: first as Tu mbling talents. a performer, later as a Blood Wa rrior of Contacts: Besides being a part of X­ the Alliance, becoming their greatest Force, Shatterstar is a member of the warrior.

Cadre Alliance in his own dimension. Hoping to get help from the legendary /' X-Men, the Cadre Alliance sent Shatter­ ADDITIONAL NOTES: star into the past, hotly pursued by MOjo V's warriors. Instead of the X-Men, he found the New Mutants (soon to be X­ Force) and fought with them against his pursuers. After the batlie, he became a founding member of X-Force. In return for a promise of later help in his war, he agreed to make their struggle his own. Since then, Shatterstar has fought val­ iantly alongside his new teammates, fighting a variety of foes including the Mutant Liberation Force, Harness, Jug­ gernaut and Black To m Cassidy, and the New Brotherhood of Evi( Mutants.

ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: Shatterstar lives to -tight, but for all his confidence and batlielust, he isn't a ber­ serker, and will not fight needlessly or foolishly. He believes that combat is the center of hLs being, and war is a game to be played for victory and honor. As such, he prefers to kill his foes, but is willing to temper his aggressive instincts to suit his teammates. He trains constantly to maintain his fighting skills, working out at least three times a day. His flashy combat style, good looks, and love of battle have earned him the nickname "MTV warrior" from his team­ mate Feral. Although he believes words are the resort of the weak, Shatterstar shows an occasional glimmer of humor, especially when carving up an adver­ sary. But he is at his core a serious, pri­ vate person, and can get tired of the snappy patter of Boom-Boom, Feral, and Domino. Shatterstar is still unfamiliar with some English phrases, especially units of time and measurement. When he talks, he speaks precisely, and rarely us­ es slang terms. He sometimes refers to foes by derisive names from his own di­ mension, such as "Mojo Kisser."

HISTORY: Shatterstar was created in a dimension ruled by Mojo V-the same reality that Longshot came from, but 100 years in our future. He was bio-engineered as the

106 SH INOBI

STATISTICS:

-----' F GD(10) A TY(6) S TY(6) E GD(10) R EX(20) I TY(6) P GD(10) Health: 32 /' Karma: 36 Resources: AM(50) " Popularity: 10

BACKGROUND: Real Name: Shinobi Shaw Occupation: Dilettante, industrialist, mastermind Legal Status: American citizen, no crim­ inal record Identity: Secret Place/of Birth: Unknown Marital Status: Single Known Relatives: Sebastian Shaw (le­ gal father), Harold Leland (Uncle, possi­ bly real fattler) Base of Operations: New Yo rk pent­ house Past Group Affiliations: Upstarts Present Group Affiliations:

KNOWN POWERS: Density Manipulation-Self: Shinobi's mutant ability is the Amazing rank power to alter his own density, increasing or de­ creasing it as desired. His Power Stunts include: • Gain body armor equal to his cur­ rent Density power rank. • Use the power rank instead of his Strength when attacking. • At Shift 0 density, Shinobi is im­ mune to physical attacks, but notenergy or force attacks. • Shinobi can disrupt living and non­ living material by touching the target or victim and solidifying inside that object or person. Damage equals Shinobi's chosen density rank. Body armor is ig­ nored, but force fields are not. Equipment: As his father's heir, Shinobi commands Hellfire Club mercenaries and has ac­ cess to high-technology equipment from Shaw Industries, such as advanced weapons, computers, power neutraliz­ ers and Sentinels (Mark VI designs, plus newer models just coming into service). Shinobi does not use personal weapons \ or armor, relying on his mutant power. Ta lents: Shinobi has the Businessl Finance, Leadership and Politics tal­ ents. Contacts: As the head of Shaw Indus­ tries and a member of the Upstarts,

107 Shinobi has contacts throughout the resources, and began assembling a per­ business and financial world, the Hellfire sonal guard of Sentinels and merce­ Club, and the United States govern­ naries. But Shinobi soon found himself ment. Through Shaw Industries access in a deadly game with another rival for to the Hellfire Club's computers, he control of the club, fellow Upstart and doubtless has information on the club's mutant, Trevor Fitzroy. With his superior main adversaries, such as the X-Men. Sentinels, Fitzroy separately defeated Donald Pierce, Emma Frost, and finally ADDITIONAL NOTES: Shinobi himself. Shinobi suffered the hu­ miliation of having Fitzroy cut Shaw's ring from his finger, and was left to bleed to death. But Fitzroy's victory was sloppy. Shinobi's personal Sentinels reached him more swiftly than Fitzroy had ex­ ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: pected, and they acted quickly to reat­ Shinobi is a young man consumed with tach the finger. The operation was ambition. At present, his main goal is successful, though Shinobi still feels a taking his father's place as Black King of little stiffness. Martialling his organiza­ the Hellfire Club and humiliating or de­ tion's power, Shinobi prepared for feating the former Hellfire members and vengeance against Fitzroy. his rival Upstarts. Although he is a good The reverses that Fitzroy suffered at strategist, his youthful overconfidence, the hands of the X-Men and the time­ short temper, and preference for a deca­ travelling Bishop gave Shinobi a chance dent lifestyle sometimes interfere with to regain his place and his pride. Shino­ his own plans. bi's retaliation was swift and gaudy. He Shinobi's stated belief is to not let per­ sent his men to Fitzroy's iceberg lair. sonal feelings cloud his wisdom, but his They secretly mined the base with pow­ pride in his own abilities often prevents erful explosive charges, then placed him from living up to his words. He en­ Fitzroy under surveillance. joys dramatic gestures and showing off, Soon, the X-Men and Bishop attacked and likes to be on hand personally to Fitzroy's lair. The X-Men were trying to gloat over his enemies before finishing retrieve Jean Gray, whom Fitzroy had them off. Shinobi is deliberately careless captured while Bishop was in pursuit of about what he says , and his speech is of­ mutant criminals entering our reality ten peppered with youthful slang. through Fitzroy's time-portal. Fitzroy tried to escape when he realized he was outmatched, but Shinobi's minions were waiting and they took Fitzroy captive. HISTORY: Shinobi retrieved his father's ring, The (supposed) son of Sebastian Shaw, then ordered the explosives detonated Shinobi grew tired of waiting to inherit to kill the X-Men and destroy Fitzroy's his father's wealth and wearied of the eI­ base. Although the X-Men and Bishop der Shaw's contempt for his decadent escaped the blast, Shinobi believed he lifestyle. When his own mutant powers had killed them. In any case, he had manifested after puberty, he discovered thoroughly humiliated his enemy, mak­ they closely resembled those of his "un­ ing up for his earlier defeat, and the cle," Harry Leland. Believing himself to chance to gloat over the captive Tr evor be Leland's son rather than Shaw's, the Fitzroy made the victory even sweeter. last vestiges of Shinobi's loyalty to Se­ bastian Shaw vanished. He soon be­ came involved with the mysterious group of power-seekers known as the Upstarts. Using his own business acumen, Shinobi amassed a private fortune of his own and bought out Shaw Industries from under his father's feet. Confronting Sebastian Shaw with this coup, Shinobi drove him into a rage and then used his own mutant abilities to slay Sebastian. Ta king Shaw's ring as the symbol of his victory, he announced his triumph and claimed the rulership of the Hellfire Club. Shinobi quickly took control of Shaw's

108 SILHOUETT E

STATISTICS:

F EX(20) A EX(20) S EX(20) E GD(10) R TY(6) I RM(30) P EX(20) Health: 70 Karma: 56 Resources: GD(10) Popularity: 5

BACKGROUND: Real Name: Unknown Occupation: Former vigilante, now an adventurer Legal Status: American citizen with no criminal record Identity: Secret Place of Birth: Unknown Marital Status: Single Known Relatives: Chord (father), Miy­ ami (mother), Ta i (grandmother), brother (Midnight's Fire) Base of Operations: Tay lor Foundation Past Group Affiliations: Midnight's Fire gang, New Warriors Present Group Affiliations:

KNOWN POWERS: Living Silhouette: Silhouette has the Re­ markable ability to assimilate and recor­ po rate herself into and out of any area of darkness or shadow, shifting into the Darkforce dimension. While in shadow­ form she effectively vanishes, becoming totally insubstantial. This ability is simi­ lar to Phasing, except that it only works in darkness or shadow and doesn't dis­ rupt electrical systems. Silhouette doesn't seem to be able to walk through solid materials, although she can slip be­ tween the cracks of a door or through a villain's grasp with ease. A drawback to her power is that her normal clothes (and crutches) do not become insubstantial with her. When not in her special cos­ tume made of unstable molecules, this can lead to embarrassing situations! Enhanced Sensory Perception: Silhou­ ette has a Remarkable level Combat Sense and gets + 1 CS when using her normal senses (sight, hearing, etc) to no­ tice things or avoid ambush.

Equipment: We apon: Sil can strike with her crutches, using them as + 1 CS weapons of Excel­ lent Material Strength, inflicting Good Blunt damage. Night Thrasher recently built an electrical taser charge into them, allowing her to cause Excellent Energy damage by touching someone with them

109 /

(Fighting FEAT). HISTORY: White Queen and her Hellions, Psionex, limitations: Silhouette suffered a seri­ Silhouette grew up knowing little of her Harness, and Gideon. Most importantly, ous spinal injury and moves with the past, believing her parents to have been she has acted as a pillar of strength, pro­ help of two crutches. Walking without killed in a car accident when she was a viding crucial emotional support for them is uncomfortable to her, but she baby. Silhouette had known of her mu­ Night Thrasher during the recent revela­ possesses super-normal strength, tant powers from childhood, but kept tions of corruption within his Ta ylor speed, and reflexes. In time of need, she them concealed. As a teenager, she Foundation. can move as fast or faster than a normal worked with her brother, Midnight's Fire, Silhouette's personal life has lately person (with or without her crutches), using their enhanced speed and senses been rocked by revelations about her hence her high ratings for Agility and to battle street crime. To gether, they ran true parentage. Night Thrasher's guard­ Fighting. But if forced to stay on her feet a series of sting operations, gaining ian, Ta i, turned out to be Silhouette's for more than a few minutes without her criminals' confidence, then busting their grandmother, and told Sil that Chord, crutches, the Judge should reduce her gangs. During this period she met Dway­ Night Thrasher's other guardian, is her Fighting and Agility by at least 1 CS. ne Tay lor, and fell in love with him. Dway­ real father. It has now been revealed that Ta lents: Silhouette has the Acrobatics ne joined them, and the crimefighting Miyami, Silhouette's mother (and thus and Martial Arts talents, and can speak duo became a trio. Ta i's own daughter) faked the deadly car accented Korean. One night Silhouette was infiltrating a accident in order keep Silhouette and Contacts: Besides being a member of Chinatown gun-running operation with her brother out of Ta i's hands. When Ta i the New Wa rriors, Silhouette is on favor­ Dwayne and Midnight's Fire as backup discovered this and learned of Silhou­ able terms with the Punisher. when a police officer unexpectedly ap­ ette's true parentage, she killed Miyami peared. Things quickly went sour; afraid and attempted to slay Silhouette, all to ADDITIONAL NOTES: the policeman was going to shoot Sil­ further a mysterious "pact." houette, Midnight's Fire prepared to throw a knife at him. Dwayne stopped him, but the result was a firefight with Silhouette caught in the middle. A stray bullet struck her in the spine, and she collapsed, mortally injured. Midnight's ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: Fire blamed his sister's fate on Dwayne Silhouette is a quiet person, who never­ Taylor's interference and the two parted theless believes in helping people who bitter foes, Dwayne believing Silhouette are in trouble. She loves Dwayne Taylor was dead. (Night Thrasher), but feels that he is When their paths crossed again, overprotective of her, obsessed with his Dwayne was Night Thrasher, and Mid­ guilt over her injuries, and often too night's Fire had turned to crime for real, grim, tense, and withdrawn for his own running another Chinatown gang with good. Silhouette sometimes tries to connections to Advanced Idea Mechan­ draw him out of his shell and get him to ics. With the help of the New Warriors, share his troubles or take decisive Dwayne defeated Midnight's Fire. He action. She is usually successful. might have killed him except that Silhou­ Silhouette is disgusted by the criminal ette reappeared. She hadn't been slain activities of Midnight's Fire, and no long­ after all, but the desperate operation that er considers him her brother. However, saved her life had left her scarred and she still cares for the person he once crippled. was, and might help him if he were in Silhouette was disgusted at the reve­ trouble if she saw a chance to reform lation of Midnight's Fire's criminal activi­ him. ties and she abandoned her brother, As a physically active person, she is resuming her close relationship with sometimes frustrated with the limitations Dwayne. Since then, they've been trying her disability places on her fighting to work out their feelings for each other. prowess: she once exclaimed that she Silhouette revealed her shadow­ "wasn't whole anymore." However, Sil­ shifting powers to the New Warriors houette is a determined woman who has when she helped protect her friend Fa­ learned to live with and transcend her ther Janes against the assassin known handicaps, and she has recently begun as Bengal. She has begun wearing a functioning once more as a costumed costume, and is functioning as a full­ crime fighter. fledged member of the team. She has al­ Her shadow-shifting ability makes her so assisted the taciturn Night Thrasher the New Warrior's best scout, and in bat­ in his role as team leader, arranging a tle she usually waits on the sidelines, us­ reconciliation between Night Thrasher ing her insubstantiality to sneak up on and Nova, who had resented the high­ foes, then turning solid to make a quick handed way Night Thrasher had dra­ slashing attack with her crutches. gooned him into joining the New Warriors. As a New Warrior, Silhouette has fought a variety of foes, including the

110 SL EEPWALKER

STATISTICS:

F IN(40) A RM(30) S IN(40) E IN(40) R EX(20) I RM(30) P RM(30) Health: 150 Karma: 80 Resources: PR(4) Popularity: 0

BACKGROUND: Real Name: Unknown Occupation: Protector of the Mind­ scape, adventurer Legal Status: None Identity: Public Place of Birth: Unknown Marital Status: Unknown Known Relatives: None Base of Operations: New Yo rk City Past Group Affiliations: None Present Group Affiliations:

KNOWN POWERS: Warp Beams: Sleepwalker can manipu­ late material objects with beams that shoot from his eyes. He can alter the ma­ terial strength of an object by + 1-2CS, and manipulate objects as if he had Monstrous Te lekinesis. He typically uses this power to ensnare his opponents. He has vowed never to use this against a liv­ ing opponent, so it is unknown what this power would do to organic material. Flight: Sleepwalker has Good rank flight. Body Armor: Sleepwalker has Amazing resistance to physical and energy at­ tacks. This Body Armor is reduced to Re­ markable in the Mindscape. Imaginator: This device is what a Sleep­ walker uses to teleport a captured crea­ ture to another part of the Mindscape. At present, Sleepwalker's device is lost. Limitation: Sleepwalker can only be­ come active in our world when Rick Sheridan is asleep. When Rick is awak­ ened, then Sleepwalker must return to Rick Sheridan's mind and can no longer affect the physical world. He can leave communications behind for Rick, like messages on a telephone answering machine. Ta lents: Sleepwalker has the Resist Domination talent. Contacts: Sleepwalker's chief contact is Rick Sheridan, the human mind that he has unwillingly found himself stranded in during Rick's waking life. He also has found friends among some of the people he has helped in New Yo rk and has worked with Spider-Man in the past.

111 ADDITIONAL NOTES : ture in his dreams was more than just a figment of his imagination. Sheridan de­ cided to avoid sleep as long as possible, in order to avoid releasing the being again. Sleepwalker continued to try to es­ cape however, whenever Sheridan did ROLE-PLAY ING NOTES : sleep, and Sleepwalker discovered sev­ Sleepwalker is a being with absolute eral interesting things. He could enter dedication to the protection of life. He Rick's world when Rick slept. He learned has sworn never to harm a living being that Earth was a place full of those who with his powers. He finds himself con­ preyed upon the innocent, just like Cob­ strained by his current predicament: he web and the malevolent entities of the must be a hero because his function is to Mindscape. He became a crimefighter, protect people, yet ours is a very violent fighting against costumed villains such world. This causes much confusion for as Eight-Ball, Bookworm, the Chain Sleepwalker, who does not understand Gang, and Lullaby after he and Sheridan why some of those he helps react nega­ reached an agreement made while tively, even violently, to him. Despite Sheridan slept and Sleepwalker entered this, Sleepwalker has a formal, dignified his dream. manner that manages to avoid seeming At present, Sleepwalker remains a arrogant. prisoner of Rick's mind, and continues to try to find a way back to his home.

HISTORY: The Mindscape-it borders on the minds of all sentient creatures, and contains entities both good and evil. The evil en­ tities often seek to enter the minds of sentients and drive them mad; without protection, the madness would prevail. Protection comes from the Sleepwalk­ ers, entities sworn to prevent the evil be­ ings from entering the minds of innocents. Minds such as that of Rick Sheridan. Sheridan was a college student from New Yo rk City who had enjoyed a rela­ tively normal life until the night that one of these malevolent entities, Cobweb, tried to enter his mind while he slept. Cobweb was stopped by a Sleepwalker, but the Sleepwalker became trapped in Sheridan's mind during the battle. As the Sleepwalker tried to leave Sheridan's mind he found himself ap­ pearing in Sheridan's dreams. Sheridan reacted to this strangely dressed figure haunting his dreams. Sheridan soon fought Sleepwalker in his dreams, and grabbed his Imaginator, which vanished in a flash of light. Now, Sleepwalker was trapped inside of Sheridan's mind, able to escape only when Sheridan was asleep. At first, Sheridan believed that Sleepwalker was just a character in his dreams, until watching the evening news and seeing a report about an attempted robbery. The robbery had been broken up by some­ one who, according to a police sketch drawn from the description given to them by eyewitnesses, looked exactly like the being in Sheridan's dreams. Sheridan then realized that the crea-

112 SPHINX II

STATISTICS:

F EX(20) A GD(10) S UN(100) E AM (50) R EX(20) I EX(20) P EX(20) Health: 180 Karma: 60 Resources: IN(40) Popularity: 0

BACKGROUND: Real Name: Unknown Occupation: Unknown Legal Status: Egyptian citizen with no criminal record Identity: Secret Place of Birth: Egypt Marital Status: Single Known Relatives: None Base of Operations: Egypt Past Group Affiliations: None Present Group Affiliations:

KNOWN POWERS: Sphinx II's powers stem from her expo­ sure to the energies of the mystical Ka Stone. Perpetual Reincarnation: Any time she dies, Sphinx II is reborn into the youthful body of another person. She retains all her memories and abilities, and gains those of the person she is reborn as. She possessed this power even before the destruction of the first Sphinx. Since merging herself with the Sphinx's energies via the Ka Scepter, she has gained most of the powers of the original Sphinx. Although no longer con­ sciously capable of reconstructing reali­ ty on a grand scale, her abilities remain formidable. Body Armor: The Sphinx's flesh and cos­ tume combine to give her Body Armor offering Amazing protection against physical attacks and Remarkable pro­ tection against other types of damage. Energy Absorption: Monstrous Intensity ability to absorb energy and channel it into Strength and/or Endurance scores, or to increase the rank of any existing powers. She can drain up to 150 pOints of energy. This energy drains away at a rate of 10 rank points per round. Eye Beams: Project heat, light, and force bolts of Amazing range and Intensity from her eyes. Flight: Flight at Amazing speed. Growth: Up to Monstrous Growth, for +3 CS to hit in combat. Life Support: Unearthly Intensity. Mental Probe: Amazing Intensity ability

113 to probe minds. eons-old tomb in the Te mple of Ka. Te leportation: Monstrous rank Te leporta­ Wielding both modern technology and tion. HISTORY: the ancient power of the Ka Scepter she Telepathy: Incredible ability to communi­ used its jewel to gather the Ka-ston� en­ Tho�s.and.s of years ago, an Egyptian Tacatelents: with other minds at a distance. magician In the service of Pharaoh lost a ergies that had been scattered through Sphinx " can draw on the mem­ battle against Moses and was punished the Earth's atmosphere with the defeat ?ries a�d skills of countless previous by being exiled from Egypt. Living as a of the Sphinx. She succeeded in imbu­ incarnations-as such, she may con­ nomad in the desert, he stumbled upon ing herself with the power of the Sphinx ceivably possess any talent the Judge the ancient temple of Ka, where he dis­ but in her eagerness, she was over� wants her to have. In particular, she has covered a mystical gem, the legendary whelmed by the mighty energies cours­ the Archeology and Languages talents. Ka Stone. Placing it on his forehead, he Ing through her body. Without conscious She speaks English, Arabic, and ancient was transformed into the immortal being tho�gh� she used these energies to twist Egyptian, and is probably fluent in other who would become known as Sphinx. reality Itself, altering the world's history �ontacts:languages as well. Dazed by t�e powerful energies surging to the way. she wished it had always Sphinx II has contacts in the through his body, the magician col­ been, creating a cosmic lie. fields of archeology and international fi­ lapsed. He was found and nursed back In this new reality, the Sphinx had not nance. If necessary, she can muster a to health by a lonely outcast woman. left her those millennia ago in Egypt. In­ large number of skilled and devoted fol­ This woman, whose name is not re­ stead. . he had r�turned her love and they lowers. corded, fell in love with Sphinx, but he had lived happily together for millennia could not return her love and walked out as immortals. The Sphinx and his lover ADDITIONAL NOTES: had defeated Moses, and they used their of her life. For the rest of her days, she powers to ensure that Egyptian culture s?ught and dreamed of him. She finally dominated the world until the twentieth dle�, lonely and bitter-only to reawak­ century. Egypt even colonized America en In the body of an Egyptian boy from a which became known as the United wealthy family! Stat�s of Assyria. In this false reality, the Her next life was an improvement: as Sphl�x eventually tired of life, passing an upper-class Egyptian male she be­ on �IS great powers to his consort, but came an architect and scholar, and in leaving a mystic cat infused with his love her researches, she located the lost tem­ as a keepsake for her. ple of Ka. She deciphered the cryptic But reality was not so easily changed. parchments found in the temple, and un­ Tw o beings existed who were connected covered many of the Ka Stone's secrets : with the Ka Stone: Sayge, a mystical em­ Finally she died, but was reborn again bodiment of Truth who had been com­ once more a woman, this time of noble panion and nemesis of the original birth. In her third life, she would marry Sphinx, and Richard Ryder, the man the Pharaoh. Her wisdom and memories called Nova. They could subconsciously intact, she deduced that she had the sense the basic wrongness of the al­ power of perpetual reincarnation due to tered timeline. With the help of a mutant having absorbed some of the Ka Stone's rebellion who opposed the Egyptian he­ ener�ies wh�n she tended the Sphinx. Seeking to Increase her link with the gemony, Nova and Sayge were able to stone, she arranged for her body to be pierce the self-deception of Sphinx II. entombed with the Scepter of Ka, an arti­ Unable to maintain the truth of her own fact from the temple which would attune created reality when confronted with it her with the energies of the stone still Sphinx II's own self-deception was shat� worn by the Sphinx. tered, and this returned the Earth to nor­ Realizing that she was also immortal mal. she began a grand scheme to reunit� The second Sphinx survived her de­ herself with her loved one. Over the cen­ feat, but was bitter and heartbroken at turies, she plotted, living scores of lives the loss of her perfect world. Swearing and accumulating many fortunes. Fi­ vengeance against Nova and the New nally, in the latter half of the twentieth Warriors, she vowed that if she could not century, she was reborn in the body of change the past to suit herself, she another Egyptian woman, just as the would change the present! ROLE-PLAY ING NOTES: SphinX showed himself again. She While her endless life has given her made plans for their reunion, but before some patience, Sphinx " remains a be­ she could meet the Sphinx once more ing driven by emotion. The loss of love her dreams were shattered. Her loved the loneliness of centuries, the bitter� one, tiring of immortality, had come into ness of defeat, and the desire for re­ conflict with Nova, then with Galactus venge, is presently focused on Nova and himself, and been destroyed. the other New Warriors. Her passionate But she was not defeated. Using her nature makes her a dangerous enemy, personal fortune, she built up a sizable but someone who is easy to emotionally organization of devoted followers. She manipulate. and her underlings then journeyed to her

114 ST AINED GLASS SC ARLET

STATISTICS:

F EX(20) A EX(20) S GD(10) E GD(10) R PR(4) I EX(20) P GD(10) Health: 60 Karma: 34 Resources: GD(10) Popularity: 0

BACKGROUND: Real Name: Scarlet Fasinera Occupation: Nun, vigilante, terrorist legal Status: Citizen of the United States, wanted on multiple counts of murder. Identity: Secret Place of Birth: New Yo rk City Marital Status: Widowed Known Relatives: Vince Fasinera (hus­ band, deceased), Joe "Mad Dog" Fa­ sinera (son, deceased) Base of Operations: New Yo rk City Past Group Affiliations: None Present Group Affiliations:

KNOWN POWERS: Crossbow (Equipment): Stained Glass Scarlet carries a crossbow that has Good range. She can aim a crossbow with such accuracy that it does Remark­ able damage, and can fire it one-handed without penalty. Link: Stained Glass Scarlet has a psy­ chic link with Moon Knight of Unearthly range, during moments of extreme stress, her thoughts will become inter­ woven with those of Moon Knight. This link is not continuous; it only occurs when Scarlet needs Moon Knight or when both individuals are undergoing severe trauma. Communication be­ tween the two is possible, though the communication may more resemble a dream than any1hing else. This link de­ mands the attention of both characters, making it potentially dangerous should the link take place during a stressful situ­ ation like combat. It is possible that Scarlet is herself the reincarnation of someone who was very close to Khon­ shu, which would explain this strange bond. Ta lents: Stained Glass Scarlet is + 1 CS with knives and crossbows. She also has Martial Arts C and E.

115 Contacts: Scarlet has contacts among stairs of a church. By that time, Scarlet the homeless women of New York City. was pregnant with their son, Joseph. These followers wear robes similar to She spent the next few years of her life Stained Glass Scarlet's, and have the trying to raise Joseph. When he was 13, following stats: however, he fell under the influence of Manny Sindone, who hooked him on F A S E RIP heroin. Within a year, he was working for GD GD TY GD TY TY TY Sindone, under the well-deserved epi­ Health: 36 thet of "Mad Dog" Fasinera. His crimi­ Karma: 18 nal actions eventually brought him into conflict with Moon Knight. To prevent The followers are armed with knives. him from killing Moon Knight, Scarlet shot and killed her own son. Several ADDITIONAL NOTES: months later, Moon Knight again en­ countered Scarlet, who was now work­ ing as a crossbow-toting vigilante calling herself Stained Glass Scarlet. Despite Moon Knight's attempts to stop her, Scarlet killed Manny Sindone and broke up his gang. Moon Knight allowed Scar­ ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: let to escape. Scarlet Fasinera was the daughter of an Moon Knight did not encounter Scar­ .-.--' abusive father. As a result, she grew up let again for quite some time. During that with terribly low self-esteem. time, her guilt had driven her over the Stained Glass Scarlet was a vigilante edge. She had begun roaming the at first, devoted to killing criminals such streets of New Yo rk, killing those guilty of as Manny Sind one. Lately, her overrid­ "sin" as she saw it. Her victims were all ing need to see her sins forgiven has men, the homeless being the easiest tar­ driven her insane, and she has begun gets. At this time, Scarlet had gathered committing random acts of arson. Since several young homeless women as fol­ escaping from her last confrontation lowers. She trained them in personal with Moon Knight, there have been no combat, skills she picked up as a vigilan­ known attacks from her. At the scene of te. each of her crimes, Scarlet leaves her It was soon after this that Moon Knight mark, a diamond figure with an "S" (Marc Spector) became aware of Scar­ etched on a wall, usually in blood . Scar­ let's presence via the link they shared. let is mentally unstable, being fixated on They met and did battle, but the results Moon Knight, her own gnawing guilt, were inconclusive. Not long thereafter, and fire, which she hopes would Scarlet appeared at Spector's Manhat­ "cleanse the world of her guilt." tan penthouse, apparently seeking Moon Knight. Instead she found Spec­ tor's aide, Frenchie, and his girlfriend, Chloe. Scarlet wounded Frenchie, HISTORY: warned Chloe of the "demons" (men) of Scarlet's father constantly abused her the world. Scarlet then left her symbol as she grew up, both physically and psy­ (with her own blood) on he wall, and fled. chologically. In order to cover his own Soon, Scarlet had a passionate re­ sins, Scarlet's father kept blaming her union with Moon Knight atop a bridge, for all of his problems, telling her that then stabbed him in the back while they she was a sinner, and that she could not kissed. She threw his body into the East be forgiven. Finally, one night, she lit a River. Moon Knight barely survived. cigarette and placed it in her father's Scarlet then became convinced that bed. Her father burned to death and the the only way to purge New Yo rk of its police assumed the fire was an accident. sins was to burn it down. She began a Scarlet was sent to live with her aunt and series of random bombings, designed to uncle. burn the evil from New Yo rk. She saw Scarlet's childhood immediately im­ Moon Knight as an angel of mercy, who proved, despite the intense guilt she felt was the only person capable of redeem­ for her father's death. She devoured the ing her and ending her madness. Even­ poetry of the romantic poets, especially tually, Moon Knight confronted Scarlet William Blake. She grew up and joined a on the Brooklyn Bridge and forced her to convent. Then her luck changed again. reject some of her fantasies about him. She fell in love with and married a petty She leapt off the Brooklyn Bridge and criminal named Vince Fasinera. He was has not been seen since, despite Moon an abusive husband, who eventually Knight's attempt to save her at the died when he was shot to death on the bridge.

116 ST RDNG GUV

STATISTICS:

F EX(20) A GD(10) S AM (50) E AM (50) R TY(6) I TY(6) P TY(6) Health: 130 Karma: 18 Resources: GD(10) Popularity: 15

BACKGROUND: Real Name: Guido, last name unreveal­ ed Occupation: Former investor and body­ guard, now adventurer Legal Status: American citizen with no criminal record Identity: Publicly known Place of Birth: Unrevealed Marital Status: Single Known Relatives: Father and mother, deceased Base of Operations: X-Factor, New Yo rk Past Group Affiliations: Muir Islanders, X-Factor Present Group Affiliations:

KNOWN POWERS: Guido enjoys the mutant abilities of su­ perhuman strength and endurance, making him strong enough to knock a man out by flicking his finger! He also has one special power: Kinetic Energy Absorption: Guido can absorb kinetic energy from punches and other Blunt physical attacks and use that energy to increase his Strength. He can absorb such attacks of up to Unearthly Intensity. The rank of the attack deter­ mines Guido's enhanced Strength rank (his Health does not increase). Physical attacks of less than Amazing (50) Inten­ sity do not affect his Strength; it simply remains at his natural Strength rank of Amazing. Because he absorbs the blow, Guido takes no damage from Blunt physical attacks of less than Shift X In­ tensity. However, Guido must expend the absorbed kinetic energy on the fol­ lowing turn by striking a target (whether it is the ground, a building, or a foe) or he suffers blunt damage equal to the en­ ergy he absorbed. Ta lents: Guido has some experience with high finance, and extensive knowl­ edge of the music and entertainment business, including its seedier sides. Contacts: Guido was the former door­ man and bodyguard of Lila Cheney. He's a friend of Dazzler and is acquainted with the X-Men and X-Force.

117 [

ADDITIONAL NOTES: new term "Genetically Challenged" (Geecee) as a politically-correct alterna­ tive to "mutie."

HISTORY: Guido has never told X-Factor his last name (they're afraid to ask), but he has revealed his life story. Guido lived a life of ups and downs. He was a nerdy-looking kid, bullied by the other children. Until he reached pu­ berty. Then he started growing, and no one bullied him again ... But he had other problems. Guido's parents were skinflints who saved all their money for the future and insulted him because of his size and his spend­ thrift attitude-until a falling satellite crushed them. Guido settled out of court with the owners for a vast amount of dough. For a while, he lived a life of luxu­ ry. Then he was wiped out by bad invest­ ments. To make ends meet, he took a job as a bodyguard for the singing thief Lila Cheney, but that dried up when Lila van­ ished into space. He was minding her house and worrying about cash when Dazzler dropped in to visit. The X-Men's enemies weren't far behind, and before he knew it, Guido had became one of the Shadow King's slaves on Muir Isle. After the fall of the Shadow King freed him, he and several other Muir Islanders became founding members of the new X-Factor team with Guido serving as the team's muscle. Since joining X-Factor, Guido has taken the name "Strong Guy" and become X-Factor's defacto press spokesman. On his first mission, he fought Slab (one of Mister Sinister's Nasty Boys) who ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: had taken the Washington monument Guido is new to the hero business, but hostage. Guido defeated Slab, but in the as Lila Cheney's doorman, he has had process destroyed the Washington Mon­ long experience with mutants and we ird ument. Guido felt bad enough to think happenings. A lot more intelligent than about quitting the team, but X-Factor's he looks, Guido considers himself a lawyers got him off the hook, and it was "nineties guy" -sensitive with the ladies later discovered that he had been set up but macho when he needs to be. He for a public relations disaster by Senator doesn't take superheroing very seri­ Steven Shaffram, a pawn of Mister Sinis­ ously, but it pays well and since it lets ter. At present, Guido remains a media him associate with various fab babes in darling. scanty outfits, hey, why not try it? Guido has an epicurean philosophy: Have fun, live the good life now, and let tomorrow take care of itself. But he has a good heart, and is willing to help people (especially attractive women) who are in trouble. He has a warm, bantering rela­ tionship with his fellow teammate Po­ laris. Recently, Guido has developed an easy manner with the news media and has proven very quotable: he coined the

118 In order to neutralize the uncontrollable powers of Lt. Ramskov, the Russian he­ ro of Chernobyl, the Avengers Thor and Sersi transported him into an alternate dimension. Accompanying them were Captain America, Iron Man, She-Hulk, as well as the adventurer Rage, a Soviet operative named Zhukova, and a civil­ ian, Doctor Estivez. Unbeknownst to the heroes, this particular dimension, due to its power-dampening properties, was used as a prison world for psychotic ali­ en criminals. These alien prisoners at­ tacked the Avengers and company with the intention of killing the intruders. The Avengers, realizing they were the inter­ lopers in this world, battled the alien creatures, taking care not to kill or seri­ ously injure any of them. The leader of these alien prisoners, Ngh the Unspeak­ able, did not enter into the fight. He real­ ized that the Avengers could pass in and out of the dimension at will and launched a plan for his escape. Ngh had one of his minions, a small, winged female called Xa, befriend the Avengers and turn the tide of the battle in their favor. Ngh then critically wound­ ed Xa, knowing that the Avengers would take her with them to their own dimen­ sion for necessary medical attention. Thus Ngh could establish a toe-hold in Earth's dimension. He used Xa's re­ stored powers to open a portal which would allow the prisoners to escape from their exile. To further insure her coopera­ tion in carrying out this mission, Ngh placed Xa under hypnosis. Ngh's plan worked to perfection and once carried to the other side by the Avengers, Xa was able to rend the barrier and loose Ngh and his horde upon the unsuspecting world. The four governors of the Dimension of Exile, who called themselves the Te ­ trarchs of Entropy, traveled to Earth's di­ mension after discovering that the prisoners had escaped from their jail. In one of the great cosmic kangaroo courts of all time, they convicted the Avengers of allowing the escape of the criminal Ngh. The punishment for this crime­ that the Avengers would spend eternity in the Dimension of Exile-was passed down without so much as a defense. The sentence was to commence immedi­ ately and the Te trarch Yo d transported the Avengers to the Dimension of Exile. It is interesting to note that while neither Quasar, Black Widow, nor the Vision were involved in the events which lead to Ngh's escape, they were punished for the "crime." Having vanquished the pri­ mary Avengers' team, the Te trarchs re­ pelled an attack from the Avengers' reserve substitutes with a force field.

119 Then, claiming to be forces of the uni­ not instruments of ultimate good-yet of the banishing business. verse, they embarked on their search for capable of compassion and restraint, Ngh's thralls, who had reverted to Ngh. and therefore not instruments of ulti­ their true forms (Kree, Skrull, etc.), The Te trarch named Hafga claimed mate evil. The Te trarchs then decided to asked what was to become of the prom­ that the release of Ngh upset the inexo­ release the primary team claiming that ises which Ngh made to them now that rable tendency towards entropy. Entropy due to their "goodness" they could not Ngh and Ahh had been reintegrated. is a measure of the randomness, disor­ be in league with the evil Ngh. Many of them were from distant gal­ der, or chaos in a system. Tetrarchy is Though Cap and Thor questioned the axies, other realities, and far-flung rule by four governors jointly. To rule logic of beings who care nothing for right times. Though the composite being's over chaos could be said to be enig­ or wrong aligning themselves with the good side felt compassion for their matic, paradoxical, even recondite or in­ cause of good, they realized they could plight, its rational side knew restitution congruous. Still, the Te trarchs seem to do nothing but trust the Te trarchs. How­ would be impractical. With more impor­ have set themselves up as the protec­ ever, they were on lookout for the inevita­ tant things to do, like saving entire civili­ tors of Chaos in the universe. ble double cross. The Tetrarchs' actual zations and basking in the glory, it Once in the Dimension of Exile, the plan was to banish Earth to the Dimen­ abandoned them. primary team found that both Thor's sion of Evil once the Ave ngers had led Quasar and Cap had the last word on hammer Mjolnir and Sersi the sorceress them to Ngh. the Te trarchs of Entropy. Quasar pro­ had been imprisoned in solid fields of The Avengers did eventually catch up claimed that they were not Forces of the anti-probability. These fields negated the with Ngh at the home of Rage, now a re­ Universe, but deluded individuals. He psionic manipulations of probability serve substitute Avenger. Ngh had taken then contained them and their powers in which is sometimes referred to as mag­ Rage's maternal grandmother and legal a sphere of "solid light," and threw them ic. Using team work, the Vision, Quasar, guardian, Edna M. Staples, hostage. As through a portal into the Dimension of and She-Hulk were able to free Mjolnir. most of the Avengers' primary team, Exile. As they worked on a similar plan of free­ along with a large crowd of bystanders ing Sersi, the Te trarchs appeared and and the media, gathered outside the while they commended the Avengers on house, Rage acted as sort of chief hos­ their self-sacrifice and cooperation, they tage negotiator. He told Ngh to let his would not allow them to escape the Di­ granny go or he would "come in and rip mension of Exile. those scales off your ugly face." (Negoti­ When Captain America proclaimed ation was probably not Rage's strong that the Avengers' imprisonment was an suit). The Tetrarchs showed up about injustice, Yod explained that the Te­ this time and joined with the Avengers in trarchs were not concerned with justice, attacking Ngh and his forces. For all but in overseeing the dissolution of cos­ their posturing and saber-rattling, the Te ­ mic laws into Chaos. He claimed Order trarchs were very ineffective against is anathema to the Tetrarchs. Though Ngh and had only limited success certain forces in the universe strive for against his minions. Ngh claimed he was ultimate good or ultimate evil, the Te­ actually the focal point through which trarchs believe these goals are unattain­ powerful and undeniable elemental able, but that both sides are capable of forces moved, and that the Te trarchs creating order of sorts. The Tetrarchs were delusionary maniacs. This is in see their role as maintaining the balance keeping with what Doc Strange was able for disorder. to uncover about the Te trarchs and re­ During this exchange, Thor led Cap­ vealed to Captain America. (Doc tain America and Sersi in an attack on Strange could find no mention of the Te ­ Yod. The three apparently crossed trarchs in any of his mystic tomes, nor through a portal into another reality. Sim­ from consulting sages in other planes. ilarly, Black Widow, She-Hulk, Quasar, He feels they might well be nothing more and Vision were wrapped in Vug's Coils than extremely powerful entities with of Infinity, and after falling "into the ex­ overblown egos.) quisite blackness that is the void be­ Thor and Sersi then returned from the tween the universes," they ended up in a Dimension of Exile with the being known place which looked like the set for as Ahh. Ahh was actually the wholly Dante's Inferno. While each group bat­ good side of an entity of which Ngh was tled the inhabitants of their respective the wholly evil side (Ngh's better-half, so worlds, Thor noticed a familiarity to the to speak). Before Thor freed her, Ahh gait and demeanor of the loathsome had spent ten thousand years impris­ creatures that were attacking them. oned by the Te trarchs. Ahh, Ngh, and Xa Captain America realized that the evil merged into one being. The entity had creatures were an illusion and that they divided itself into two separate beings as were actually battling the other set of an experiment, but had not foreseen Avengers. Sersi cast a spell which de­ how the Te trarchs would take advantage stroyed the illusion. These actions of its lessened powers. This being then caused a quandary, as the Avengers had stripped the Te trarchs of their ability to shown themselves as creatures pre­ open dimensional doorways and pass pared to use violence-and therefore between realities, thus putting them out

120 HAFGA THE HEML OF THE VUG OF THE BURNING MYRIAD OF COILS OF

STATISTICS: VISAGE INFINITY

F AM(50) STATISTICS: STATISTICS: A AM(50) S N/A F AM (50) F GO(10) E UN(1 00) A AM(SO) A EX(20) R EX(20) S AM (50) S AM(50) I MN(75) E UN(1 00) E ShX(1 50) P MN(75) R EX(20) R EX(20) I Health: 200 I MN(7S) RM(30) Karma: 170 P MN(75) P MN(75) Resources: TY(6) Health: 250 Health: 230 Popularity: 0 Karma: 170 Karma: 125 Resources: TY(6) Resources: Unrevealed BACKGROUND: Popularity: 0 Popularity: 0 Real Name: Hafga Occupation: Te trarch BACKGROUND: BACKGROUND: Identity: Publicly known Real Name: Heml Real Name: Vug Occupation: Te trarch Occupation: Te trarch KNOWN POWERS: Identity: Publicly known Identity: Pu blicly known Flight: In the atmosphere, Hafga can fly at Excellent air speeds (150 miles per KNOWN POWERS: KNOWN POWERS: hour). Flight: In the atmosphere, Heml can fly Flight: In the atmosphere, Vug can fly at En ergy Generation: Hafga can shoot at Excellent air speeds (1S0 miles per Excellent air speeds (150 miles per bolts of fire which inflicted energy-type hour). hour). damage. These bolts are not above Energy Generation : Heml can fire bolts Illusion Generation: Vug has Illusion Amazing Intensity. of force which inflicted energy-type dam­ Generation at Remarkable rank. One of Body Armor: Hafga's fiery form provides age. These bolts are not above Amazing his illusions causes his victims to believe him with Remarkable Body Armor from Intensity. they are falling into the blackness that is physical attack without benefit of the Te ­ Body Armor: Heml's alien physiology the Void Between Universes. This is trarchs' force field. provides him with Remarkable Body Ar­ done by wrapping them in his Coils of In­ Ta lents: None known mor from physical attack without benefit finity. Contacts: None other than his fellow Te ­ of the Tet rarchs' force field. Energy Generation : Vug can fire bolts of trarchs. Ta lents: None known force that inflicted energy-type damage. Contacts: None other than his fellow Te ­ These bolts are not above Amazing In­ ADDITIONAL NOTES: trarchs. tensity. Body Armor: Vug's physical form is com­ ADDITIONAL NOTES: prised of a scaly substance which pro­ vides him with Remarkable Body Armor from physical attack without benefit of the Te trarchs' force field. Ta lents: None known Contacts: None other than his fellow Te ­ trarchs.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: Hafga seldom speaks. Though the con­ ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: stantly burning flame which constitutes As his name suggests, Heml of the Myr­ his physical form can take the shape of a iad of Visage is represented by different ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: humanoid head, he generally appears images. In fact, Heml is often repre­ Though the Te trarchs are deluded about as a shapeless mass and is usually lo­ sented by more than one image at once. their own importance in the cosmic cated behind one of the other Te trarchs. Heml looks to Yod as the group's leader scheme, Vug is a particular windbag He pretty much follows the lead of Yod. and goes along with his decisions. among even the Te trarchs.

121 Energy Fields: Energy fields seems to be YOO OF THE ALL the Te trarchs' strong point. Within the SEEING EYE Dimension of Exile, they can create solid fields of anti-probability. Though these STATISTICS: . fields are not above Shift x in hardness they negate all magic, or the psioniC ma� F NA nipulations of probability, within them. A AM(50) The Te trarchs are better defensively S AM (50) than offensively. They can manifest a E ShX(150) force field of Shift Z Intensity. This force R MN(75) field cannot be used for Power Stunts, I MN(75) and the Tetrarchs can take no action oth­ P Un(100) er than dimensional travel while behind Health: 250 it. It is unlikely this field is generated by Karma: 250 one specific Te trarch. It appears that Resources: TY(6) none of the Tetrarchs can generate this Popularity: 0 field independently of the others, it is likely that this field could only be gener­ BACKGROUND: ated as a group effort. In fact, many of Real Name: Yod the Te trarchs' abilities, including Yod's il­ Occupation: Tetrarch lusion Generation and Dimensional Trav­ Identity: Publicly known el powers, seem to involve a cumulative or communal effort. It could be that the KNOWN POWERS: Tetrarchs themselves were at one time a Tr avel: single being who split off as Ngh and Dimensional Yod has the Un­ Ahh have. earthly ability to create openings be­ Body Armor: tween dimensions which allow passage Yo d's physical form is com­ to these various worlds. Banishing con­ prised of a substance which resembles victed prisoners to the Dimension of Ex­ stone and provides him with Remark­ ile is considered an automatic FEAT for able Body Armor from physical attack Yod. Reaching a specific location in an­ without using his force field. other dimension is a yellow FEAT. Re­ Ta lents: None known turning to a familiar location in the Contacts: None but his fellow Tetrarchs. Dimension of Exile only a requires a green result. ADDITIONAL NOTES: Flight: Like all the Tetrarchs, Yod can hover in the air. Yod hasn't demon­ �trated much in the way of flight speed. It IS probably Feeble or 2 areas per round (30 miles per hour). Using dimensional travel, Yod can certainly travel at beyond light speed. ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: Illusion Generation: Yod can generate Like all the Te trarchs, Yod claims to be a three-dimensional illusions at an Un­ force of the universe, but is merely an earthly level. He is so skillful that even extremely powerful individual with an wh�n a character realizes he is seeing overblown ego. Order is anathema to the an IllUSion, he will still subconsciously Te trarchs, and though self-appointed believe that it is real and act accordingly jailers, they admit they aren't concerned (an obstacle will still seem like an obsta­ with justice, but rather with preserving cle, opponents cause damage, fire feels entropy. As Yod is the only Te trarch who hot enough to burn). While damage is can travel between dimensions, he is imaginary, it is still removed from Health probably the first among equals in their with 0 Health resulting not in death, but hierarchy. The other Tetrarchs will even in unconsciousness for 1-10 rounds. On­ ask Yo d what their next move is to be ly characters who make a Psyche FEAT and his word seems to be final. versus Unearthly Intensity may see through the illusion and not be harmed by it. Yo d has been known to make team­ mates appear to one another as mon­ sters so that they will attack one another. The damage which occurs in these bat­ tles is real and can result in death. Energy Generation: Yod can fire bolts of force that inflict energy-type damage. These bolts have Amazing Intensity.

122 The Brethren owed their existence, or at alizing that for his collection to be truly tracted to Sersi that he allowed her to least their existence as sentient human­ singular, his specimens should be the read the sacred scrolls which recorded oid beings, to the enigmatic space gods last of the species, launched a plan for the Brethren's proud military conquests, called the Celestials. In the time before Te rran decimation. This plan involved and he also told her the truth about the recorded history, the Celestials visited the Collector allowing his starship to Brethren's origin and their secret many worlds and conducted genetic ex­ crash on Earth's moon and allowing the shame. Ector's dream was that the periments on the life-forms they found Brethren to escape. Brethren would one day overcome their there. The Celestials are known to have For their part, the Brethren believed genetic predispositions and become the visited Earth on fo ur different occasions. they had actually escaped from the Col­ proud people legends proclaimed. This Their genetic manipulations are respon­ lector's prison. When they learned they truth, even among the Breth ren, is sible for the two sub-species of humanity were orbiting Earth, the planet that first known only by the Thane and his Fool; known as the Eternals and the Deviants, defeated Galactus, they felt it was their only the quick thinking of the Fool saved as well as the dormant DNA complex destiny to subjugate the planet and Ector from being deposed as Thane for which is responsible for benevolent mu­ make it their new home world. From the consorting with the outsider. tations in the mainstream human race. start, the Brethren's plan and practices When Ector learned that the Avengers Seeing a need for a counter-balance, did not sit well with Earth's mightiest he­ had freed the Brethren's jailer, and op­ lest one of their creations rise to threaten roes, the Avengers. For three days, the pressor, the accursed Collector, he per­ their own preeminence, the Celestials Av engers with SHIELD and the com­ sonally led an attack on the Av enger's remixed the genetic coding of bacteria to bined military might of Earth battled the Headquarters. Ector made his way create a humanoid race. This race be­ forces of the Brethren in several major through the Avengers, though Hercules came known as the Brethren. The Breth­ population centers. Meanwhile, reserve delayed him for a time, to the Collector. ren were reportedly used by the Av engers Dr. Henry Pym, the Beast, and As Ector attempted to kill him, the Elder Celestials as executioners of the life Black Panther, along with active mem­ of the Universe "pulled aside the cur­ forms of planets which they deemed un­ ber Quasar, traveled to the Moon in the tain," revealing his true form and plan. worthy. Eventually they were let loose to hope that they could revive the Collector As Ector lay unconscious at his feet, the co nquer planets after their own fashion. and learn a way to defeat the Brethren. Collector, now transformed to a cosmic It was during this period of self­ In Paris, during an encounter between energy-channeling giant, told those as­ determination that the Brethren were the Av engers and the Brethren, Thane sembled that he had actually engi­ discovered by the Elder of the Universe Ector captured the Avenger and Eternal neered the escape of the murderous Ta neleer Tivan, the Collector. The Col­ called Sersi. Though he claimed to have Brethren for the purpose of laying waste lector had long been about the business taken her as prisoner to learn more the Earth's population. Only a small rem­ of collecting living beings and artifacts about the Earth, Ector knew that the nant would survive in the Collector's throughout the known universe and the Eternals, like the Brethren, were the safekeeping. Feeling that it was time Brethren ended up as part of his collec­ products of genetic manipulation on the that the Brethren, and most specifically tion. The Collector, having long wanted partof the Celestials. He also felt a great Ector's betrothed Sybyl Dorn, know the to add humanity to his collection, but re- attraction for her. In fact, Ector was so at- truth about their race, the Collector told

123 the story of the true origin of the Breth- muscle and bone are more dense than reno He explained that there are three THANE ECTOR similar human tissue, thus contributing genus or shapes of b���eria: �aci�lus, to his superhuman strength and also . , STATISTICS: spirilla, and COCCI, the little things to causing him to weigh more than a hu­ which the Celestials looked to when they man of similar size. His skin may also be F IN(40) set about the task of fashioning the more dense than that of a normal hu­ A RM(30) Brethren. The exact nature of the basic mans. S MN(75) genetic components that make up the His cellular regeneration is different, E IN(40) Brethren was never clearly defined. Evi­ and functions at a higher level, than a R EX(20) dence provided by the aut psie of the human's. He has Regeneration of Poor ? � I EX(20) Brethren's victims, that their bodies had rank and has the Recovery power. He re­ P AM (50) no trace of bacteria or germs in them, in­ gains lost Health at a rate of three times Health: 185 dicate it might have been bacteriophag­ his Endurance rank per day and he re­ Karma: 90 es, bacterial viruses which infect and covers lost Endurance ranks at a rate of Resources: MN(75) destroy bacterial cells. From the Greek one per day during normal action Due to Popularity: -100 (100 with the Breth­ : his enhanced cellular regeneration, Ec­ phagein meaning "to eat," a b�cterlo­ ren) phage is a virus which eats bacteria. The tor's aging process is far different from nature of viruses are not fully under­ that of humans. In fact, the Brethren BACKGROUND: stood but the simplicity of their structure may grow or age more quickly as a ch�l­ Real Name: Ector sugg�sts that they are not individual mi­ dren and more slowly as adults due thiS Occupation: Thane croorganisms. They may be compo­ same cellular regeneration. Ector once Identity: Publicly known on Earth and nents of normal cells which have gotten spoke of being told the truth of �i peo­ among his own people. � out of control, descendants of subcellu­ ple on his fifteenth birthday, b t It IS un­ Legal Status: Deceased � lar units that infected the earliest cellular clear if these were the eqUivalent of Place of Birth: Unrevealed, though th organisms and evolved with them, or � Earth years. Brethren's home planet is Omega CII­ products of degenerating bacteria that The Brethren are known to have been . . mion Six gave up independenc for a spe lallzed prisoners of the Collector for decades. � � Marital Status: Ector was betrothed to parasitic life. Though In humanoid form At the time of his death, Ector appeared Sybyl Dorn the Brethren may have been able of sex­ to be middle-age. His actual age in Earth Known Relatives: Fool (brother), Sybyl ual reproduction, a normal virus cannot years was never revealed. Dorn (betrothed) . reproduce except in the host cell. As his metabolism and the chemical Base of Operations: Mobile Having told the Brethren the truth, the processes of his musculature are differ­ Past Group Affiliations: Rightful leader Collector reduced all of the Brethren, ent than humans, he does not produce, of the Brethren save Ector and his Fool, to their basic and is unaffected by, fatigue poison . Present Group Affiliations: � genetic components. This was done to His respiratory system is developed In . hasten the destruction of Earth. Presum­ such a way as to allow him maxlm�m En­ ably, either a Thane or his Fool must re­ KNOWN POWERS: durance with minimum oxygen Intake. . main sentient for the Brethren to Body Armor: Like many of the Brethren, This allows Ector to make exertion Thane Ector wears Body Armor. This ar­ function properly as a collective organ­ checks at Unearthly Endurance. mor may be made of the same b ism. The Collector appeared to have �sic Resistances: The nature of Ector's being bacteria components which comp lsed planned to take these last two remaln�ng � grants him CL5000 resistance to tOXinS individual Brethren into his collection the Brethren's humanoid form, making It and disease. In fact, germs and bacteria once more. Whatever the case, Ector a shell-like epidermis. If a Brethren is r�­ are what the Brethren feed upon. verted to its original form, its armor Will and his Fool remained sentient and in Iron Will: Ector is bred to be the most per­ telepathic contact with the disembodied also revert. Should they resume their hu­ fect of warriors, even down to his mental host of the Brethren. This proved to be man form, their armor will reappear in­ conditioning. He doesn't feel pain from tact. It is also possible, however, that the Collector's undoing. With the aid of traumatic shock or injury. His Unearthly Sersi Ector and his Fool were able to their armor is not a part of them, but IS rank Iron Will can absorb the first 100 sum�on the Brethren into the "collec­ comprised of unstable molecules which points of damage he suffers in battle. tive will of a race made incarnate" that is takes the form of armor when they are in Berserker: In combat, the Brethren are called the Unimind. The Unimind reach­ humanoid form. Either way, this armor berserkers and enter a mental state provides Excellent protection from phys- ing out with tentacles of flame, grabbed which allows them to ignore Stun re­ ical and energy attacks. the Collector, then both exploded In a . . sults. As Thane, Ector's role is usually to blaze of light. Though the strain of sum­ Alien Physiology: Presumably, If Ector IS keep the blood lust of the other Brethren moning the Unimind proved to great for reduced to his base components he, like in check, but he too can enter a berserk . Ector and his Fool, they died knOWing the rest of the Brethren, will appear as a state if sufficiently angered. what it was to heal rather than to kill. In simple, multi-celled organism. The con­ Te lepathiC Rapport: A Thane of the sciousness, or sentience, he possesses . the end, the Brethren became the noble Brethren and his Fool have a telepath�c race which Ector had dreamed they in humanoid form will quickly dlssol�e. rapport with their people. In the past, thiS could be. Ector is composed of many cells which power was used to control the blood lust make up different tissues and organs . of the Brethren in battle. Thane Ector specialized for partic.ular. functions. and his fool, together with Sersi, used Based on other humanOid aliens who ex­ � this power to summon the disembodied hibit superhuman physical characteri ­ Brethren and form the Unimind. tics, it may be assumed that Ector s

124 Ocular Beams: Ector's most powerful at­ tack is his ocular beams which can inflict SVBVL DORN ECTOR'S FOOL up to Unearthly force or energy damage. STATISTICS: STATISTICS: Ector is only known to use his beams at close range, no more than two areas F IN(40) F GD(10) away. A AM(30) A AM(30) Lightning Sp eed: Ector has the Lightning S AM(30) S GD(10) Speed power at Amazing rank and can E IN(40) E AM(30) run at 120 mph or 8 areas per turn for R GD(10) R EX(20) short distances. I EX(20) I EX(20) Limitation: The Thane of the Brethren P EX(10) P AM(50) and his Fool are children of the same Health: 140 Health: 80 parents. Upon reaching the fifteenth Karma: 50 Karma: 90 birthday of the boy chosen to rule, the Resources: MN(75) Resources: MN(75) two are told the true origin of their peo­ Popularity: -75 (75 with the Brethren) Popularity: - 25 (5 with the Brethren) ple. The role of the Fool is to remind his brother of the biology of the Brethren BACKGROUND: BACKGROUND: and the niche they are destined to fill in Real Name: the cosmic order. Should the Thane ig­ Real Name: Sybyl Dorn Unrevealed Occupation: Occupation: Fool nore his brother's counsel and overstep High Lady of the Brethren his authority or attempt to upset the an­ Identity: Publicly known on Earth and Identity: Publicly known among his own cient balance, the Fool, through the tele­ among her own people people. pathic rapport they share, can attack or even kill the Thane. This system of KNOWN POWERS: KNOWN POWERS: checks and balances has apparently Resistances: The nature of Sybyl Dorn's Resistances: The nature of the Breth­ kept the Brethren on their appointed very being grants her CL5000 resistance ren's very being, including the Fool, mission of destruction for centuries. to toxins and disease. In fact, germs and grants them CL5000 resistance to toxins Ta lents: Ector is a great warrior, trained bacteria seem to be what the Brethren and disease. In fact, germs and bacteria in all combat forms known to the Breth­ feed upon. seemed to be what the Brethren feed ren. This training grants him the equiva­ Berserker: In combat, the Brethren are upon. lent of Martial Arts A through E. Berserkers and enter a mental state Te lepathic Rapport: A Thane of the Contacts: Ector's only true confidant, which allows them to ignore Stun re­ Brethren and his Fool have a telepathic the only one who shares the knowledge sults. Dorn has been known to revert to rapport with their people. In the past, this her base components in battle. Presum­ power was used to control the blood lust of the secret shame of the Brethren ' is his Fool. ably, she has no memory of this transfor­ of the Brethren in battle. Thane Ector mation after returning to human form. and his Fool, together with Sersi, used Ocular Beams: ADDITIONAL NOTES: Sybyl Dorn can fire ocu­ this power to summon the disembodied lar beams which inflict up to Incredible Brethren and form the Unimind. force or energy damage. She cannot fire Relationship to the Thane: The Thane them more than two areas away. of the Brethren and his Fool are children of the same parents. Upon reaching the ADDITIONAL NOTES: fifteenth birthday of the boy chosen to rule, they are told the true origin of their people. The role of the Fool is to remind his brother of the biology of the Brethren and the niche they are destined to fill in the cosmic order. Should the Thane ig­ nore his brother's counsel and overstep his authority or attempt to upset the an­ cient balance, the Fool, through the tele­ pathic rapport they share, can attack or even kill the Thane. This system of checks and balances has apparently kept the Brethren on their appointed mission of destruction for centuries. ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: ADDITIONAL NOTES: ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: Dorn was in love with Ector and became In life, Thane Ector was a troubled, even intensely jealous when Ector's atten­ tortured man. He carried the secret that tions turned to the Avenger Sersi. She the legend of the Brethren as a proud was well versed in Brethren law and was warrior race was an empty one. He determined to uphold their proud warrior wished it were not so. In his death, Ector traditions, even to the point of challeng­ the warrior, the leader, the dreamer ing Ector's right to reign. She was a made this wish a reality. known participant in the Unimind which defeated the Collector.

125 ."1 �� . - - 1 -. • - - , : . • I I , - t.4-". �-":� ·-'-_''''::- _�:..,..__ .�__ ___� � _ ..J1. _____• I .. _. _ 1 __' __ _ . ... _.:\(� _ ...... :

ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: germs and bacteria seemed to be what Ector's Fool did all that he could to help TYPICAL the Brethren feed upon. Ector maintain power and preserve the Berserker: In combat, the Brethren are ways of the Brethren. Until their race's BRETHREN Berserkers and entered a mental state last moments on Earth, only he and Ec­ STATISTICS: which allows them to ignore Stun results tor know their true origins. Though the and grants a -1CS to their fighting with Fool always sought to give his brother F RM(30) resulting Health benefits. good council, in the end, he was wrong A EX(20) Ocular Beams: Typical Brethren can fire about the Brethren's inability to rise S RM(30) ocular beams which can inflict up to In­ above their biology and was instrumen­ E IN(40) credible force or energy damage, tal in the creation of the Unimind which R TY(6) though they can not fire them more than defeated the Collector. I TY(6) two areas away. P EX(10) Equipment: Health: 120 Battle Armor: The Brethren Elite Guard Karma: 22 wears highly sophisticated Battle Armor. Resources: Unrevealed Five members of the Brethren are known to have been wearing this armor when Popularity: - 25 (6 with the Brethren) they established a parameter around the Citadel of Thane Ector which was BACKGROUND: perched atop the World Trade Center in Real Name: New Yo rk City. This armor is large, in ex­ Occupation: Warriors cess of 17' tall, granting it permanent Identity: Publicly known on Earth and among their own people. Feeble Growth and making it + 1 CS to be hit. It raises each of its wearers FASE abilities by + 4CS and provides them KNOWN POWERS: with Amazing Body Armor. Weaponry Alien Physiology: Typical Brethren are varies, but includes wrist-mounted human-sized beings with pOinted ears. throwers able to fire force beams of Mon­ Many of the men are bald with bumps or strous Intensity and a Monstrously other formations on their heads and strong tractorlrepulser mounted on their bodies. Some Brethren are less human­ helmets. oid in appearance with tentacles rather than arms or legs, but these are what the Brethren themselves refer to as genetic ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: throw-backs. The Fool is included in this By tradition, the Brethren were all about class, presumably because he has a tail. soldiering and conquest. By biology, Resistances: The nature of the Breth­ they were all about destroying life. They ren's very being grants them CL5000 re­ were very good at what they were all sistance to toxins and disease. In fact, about.

126 STATISTICS:

I II F GO(10) TY(6) A TY(6) TY(6) S TY(6) TY(6) E GO(10) GO(10) R EX(20) GO(10) I GO(10) TY(6) P GO(10) TY(6) Health: I: 32; II: 28 Karma: I: 40; II: 22 Resources: RM(30) Popularity: 0

BACKGROUND: Real Name: (I): Unknown; (II): Nigel Fro­ bisher Occupation: (I): Crimelord; (II): mer­ chant banker and crime lord Legal Status: (I): British citizen with criminal record; (II) British citizen with no criminal record Identity: Secret Place of Birth: England Marital Status: (I): Unknown; (II): Single Known Relatives: None Base of Operations: London, England Past Group Affiliations: (I): None; (II): Underling of Courtney Ross Present Group Affiliations:

KNOWN POWERS: Vixen I: None. Vixen I started out as a normal woman with no super powers; now she's a normal fox of unusual color.

Vixen II: Shapechange: Vixen II can sha­ pechange from Nigel Frobisher into the female form of Vixen II whenever he wishes in one round.

Equipment: Vixen's connections enable her to pur­ chase advanced weapons and equip­ ment for her troopers.

Ta lents: Vixen I: Vixen has a good understanding of the criminal mind (since she is one), giving her the Criminology talent. She al­ so has the Leadership talent. Vixen II: Nigel is a merchant banker, with the Business/Finance talent. He is learn­ ing to become a criminal.

Contacts: Vixen I: She has an extensive network of criminal contacts in the London under­ world, and a web of less developed crim­ inal connections throughout the south of England.

Vixen II: Nigel has worked to expand Vixen's criminal influence. In his normal

127 identity as Nigel Frobisher, Nigel has business contacts in the city (the London VIXEN'S financial district), especially with bank executive Courtney Ross. He some­ HISTORY: TROOPERS Vixen I grew up in the London area, and times works with Gatecrasher's Te chnet gradually fought her way to a place as STATISTICS: and Jamie Braddock. He has met with the top dog of the London underworld, (and made a bad impression on) Excali­ specializing in risky crimes such as F GD(10) bur, but they are unaware of his dual armed robbery and hiring out her troop­ A GD(10) identity. ers as high-tech mercenaries. She built S TY(6) up an impressive lair containing E GD(10) ADDITIONAL NOTES: advanced criminal laboratories, and R GD(10) fought Captain Britain on numerous oc­ I TY(6) casions, once even capturing him and P TY(6) stealing his power-enhancing costume. Health: 36 Vixen's success lasted until she met Karma: 26 Nigel Frobisher. An up-and coming mer­ Resources: TY(6) chant banker whose only contact with Popularity: 0 superheroes was a number of failed at­ tempts to meet Rachel Summers (Phoe­ KNOWN POWERS: nix II), Nigel had the misfortune to catch None. All of Vixen's troopers gain their the attention of financier Courtney Ros­ abilities from their equipment. s + or rather, Courtney's evil extradimen­ sional counterpart, Opul Lun Sat-yr-nin Equipment: who had murdered her and taken her The equipment of Vixen's troopers (and place. While visiting a British branch of sometimes Vixen herself) includes: ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: the Hellfire Club, Nigel lost a million­ Body Armor: Some troopers wear Body Vixen I: The original Vixen's main inter­ dollar gambling wager with "Courtney" Armor with Typical rank protection vs. est was money and power. She boasted and rather than suffer the social humilia­ physical and energy attacks. Vixen that she'd never help anyone if she tion of publicly welshing on a debt, he doesn't use it, preferring more fashion­ wasn't paid to do so, and lived up to that was persuaded to enter her service. able camouflage pantsuits. motto. Despite her cockney origins and Since then, he has been used as a pawn Guns: Vixen's troopers are armed with accent, Vixen enjoyed being treated as a in his mistress's scheme to control the assault rifles and pistols (Excellent fine lady by her henchmen, and reacted London underworld. range, Good Shooting damage). violently to any disrespect. She had an Following her orders, Nigel contacted Jet Packs: Vixen's gang have sometimes brazen, domineering personality, and Gatecrasher's Te chnet and arranged for used jet packs enabling them to fly at was never one to back down from them to rescue Jamie Braddock from Af­ Good speed. threats from vigilante heroes or rival rica. After convincing Braddock to coop­ Ta lents: All troopers have the Guns tal­ criminals (although she knew how to cut erate, he then arranged a meeting with ent, and Vixen's troopers usually include her losses and run in the face of danger). Vixen I. Vixen I expected to hear a busi­ individuals skilled in a variety of special­ "There is no honor among thieves" ness proposition. Instead , Nigel intend­ ized criminal talents, such as Safecrack­ sums up her working philosophy. She ed to eliminate her and take over her ing. thought little of betraying other supervil­ gang. Jamie Braddock's new reality­ lains, such as Siaymaster, who had altering powers transformed Vixen into a worked with her. Appropriately enough, white fox and Nigel was turned into a du­ she was eventually betrayed herself. plicate of Vixen, with the ability to as­ Vixen II: Nigel Frobisher is an aver­ sume his own form at will. age person whose overreaching ambi­ In service to Courtney Ross, Nigel has tion saw him thrust willy-nilly into the role since used his masquerade to take over of a supervillain. As Vixen II, Nigel Fro­ and expand Vixen's criminal influence bisher tries to act as close as possible to among the various London mobs. The the original Vixen in order to maintain his original Vixen is now an ill-tempered masquerade. However, although he is a house pet of Jamie Braddock. good organizer and negotiator, Nigel is Vixen commands a large number of fundamentally a coward and would be criminal underlings. Their statistics are sorely tested in any serious crisis. When given below: Nigel is in his own body, he is an over­ confident boor and a rather crude wom­ anizer whose deepest desire is to be as cold, elegant, and ruthless as his boss, Courtney Ross. It remains to be seen if his humiliation by Courtney and his life as Vixen will alter these tendencies for better or for worse.

128