V&V court case resolved

As Rogers Cadenhead has reported over at Workbench, the lawsuit over who owns the right to the V&V game has been settled, with the judge declaring the game's creators, Jeff Dee and Jack Herman, do indeed own the rights to the game. Personally, I think this is indeed the best outcome for the game, and I have high hopes that, with the court proceedings now behind them, that Dee and Herman, through their company Monkey House Games, can actually bring back V&V as a viable contender among current superhero RPG's (it will probably never dislodge Mutants & Masterminds as the champ of that particular field, realistically, but there's no reason why it still can't do well for itself in today's market).

As Cadenhead points out, this has ramification for FGU beyond V&V; pretty much all their other games (which were presumably published under a similar contract as the one used for V&V) that they published during the 70's and 80's now can (if I understand it correctly) now be reclaimed by the various authors of said games.  If FGU wants to continue as an active publisher in today's gaming marketplace, they're going to have to look at acquiring new games, and not just coasting by on the glories of the past.

Edit: Scott Bizar of FGU has filed an appeal of the court's ruling, so this will take a little while longer to completely work itself out.

V&V Vednesday: Minuteman

Character Name: Minuteman     Real Name: William Johnson    Side: Neutral
Gender: Male      Height: 6'3"     Weight: 230 lbs     Age: 27

Physical Description: William Johnson is a tall, muscular, Caucasian male with light brown hair and brown eyes.  As the Minuteman, his costume is primarily blue, with some white and only a hint of red (because "red is for commies").

STR: 33     END: 31      INT: 12     AGL: 16     CHA: 16

Level: 9th     XP: 52,629     Basic Hits: 5     Hit Points: 88     Healing Rate: 4.5/day     Movement: 120"      Power: 92      Carrying Capacity: 4,489 lbs     HTH Damage: 2d8  
Damage Modifier: +2     Accuracy: +2     Detect Hidden: 10%     Detect Danger: 34%
Inventing: 36%     Inventing Points: 1.0     Reaction Modifier: (see below)      
Training: AGL

Powers/Talents
Heightened Endurance: +17
Heightened Expertise: +4 to hit with all military or primitive weapons
Heightened Senses: +20 % to Detect Danger (from training)
Heightened Strength: +18
Invulnerability: 14 pts
Languages: besides English, can speak Korean reasonably well, and is fluent in Vaerthian (from training)
Speed Bonus: +40" ground movement

Equipment
Combat knife (+1 to hit, +1d2 damage)
Sword (if still on Vaerth or just recently returned) (+2 to hit, +1d6 damage)
Auto-Pistol (if now back on Earth) (+3 to hit, 1d8 damage, 108” range, 15 bullets/clip)
Auto-Rifle (if now back on Earth) (+4 to hit, 1d10 damage, range = 180", 30 bullets/clip)

Weaknesses
Low Self-Control: When enraged, Minuteman will often enter a beserker rage, doing his best to kill any foes before him, as well as any who might seek to stop him.  Things that might trigger such a killing rage include (but is not limited to) any attacks that do more that 1/5 of his HP total in damage (after 'rolling with the punch') in a single round, being reduced to half or less his HP in general, any psychic or mental attacks, knowingly being probed telepathically, and any questioning of his patriotism or manhood.  He must roll his CHR or less on percentile dice to avoid such a beserker state.  Once succumbing to such a state while in combat, he can only roll to overcome his bloodlust if a trusted friend or ally, or a respected leader, appeals to his better nature; otherwise he must follow through on his mono-focused bloodlust until either knocked unconscious, or the fight otherwise ends.

Areas of Knowledge
Espionage, Military

Notes: Minuteman's alignment (Neutral) is somewhat complex in four-color terms.  He will fight for what he believes is right, but will often use methods or tactics that can not be called heroic.  He will curtail the worst of this if he is operating in the public eye, but if he thinks no one is watching he can (and has) committed some truly heinous acts over the years.

People's reaction (specifically, their reaction roll modifiers) to Minuteman (and vice versa) will rely not on whether they are 'good', 'neutral', or 'evil', but rather if they agree or disagree with his particular brand of patriotism and 'old-fashioned values'.

Upon returning to Earth in the 21st century, his heightened expertise bonus with military weapons is limited to those commonly used in the mid-20th century.  However, he will quickly attempt to acquire access to modern military weaponry, and soon familiarize himself accordingly.

Character Notes/Origin/Personality: Born in 1932, William grew up in a military family.  His father had served in World War I, and his brother had died while fighting in World War II.  Upon graduating from high school in 1950, he signed up for the Army, and after boot camp was shipped off to fight in Korea.  He adapted well to combat, but was often guilty of various excesses, most notably in regards to actions taken against the local civilian populace.  He had already been written up twice for such infractions, when in early 1951 his unit was slaughtered by a North Korean ambush; Johnson was the sole survivor.  Desperately trying to avoid North Korean forces while making his way back to his base, he stumbled onto a Buddhist temple, where he hoped to temporarily gain sanctuary before continuing back to his base.  

To his surprise, he found the Buddhist monks in the temple all dead, the means of their demise seemingly not from gunfire or other traditional means.  Making his way further into the temple, he eventually encountered a glowing orb, one which was of seemingly alien origin. The monks had apparently been trying to keep it sequestered away from the world at large, but had eventually fallen prey to its advanced malfeasance.  The orb tried to affect Johnson in a similar manner, but perhaps due to his hostile and aggressive nature, was better able to resist the effects of the orb.  As a result of the mental/psychic struggle that followed, William eventually passed out.  When he eventually came to, the orb was gone.

Johnson finally made his way back to base, where a medical examination revealed that he now possessed superhuman abilities.  The government quickly created the identity of the Minuteman for him, so that he could act as a super-soldier during the ongoing conflict (publicly, the official story was that the Minuteman's abilities were the result of an "experimental super-serum").  For the remainder of the war, Johnson acted as the Minuteman for several high-profile actions, as well as the occasional covert operation sans costume.  During this time he often searched for any signs or clues regarding the orb, but to no avail.  After the war ended in '53, he continued to occasionally serve his country as the Minuteman, although for a while he more frequently acted covertly for the CIA, where he often engaged in 'dirty work' for said group.

In 1954, the U.S. government decided to create a super-hero group, one directly under their control, to combat various super-human threats and menaces.   Minuteman was tapped to lead the team, due to his combat experience and patriotic appeal.  Called the Sentinels, the team consisted of Minuteman, Gateway (who had the ability to create portals that could transport the group several hundred miles, as well as into other dimensions), Gargoyle (who could turn enemies temporarily into stone), Fireball (a young black man with pyrokinetic abilities), and Blue Angel (a woman with wings).  Johnson wasn't crazy about working with civilians, especially a female and a non-white, but he did what was asked of him.

Over the next three years, the Sentinels helped to protect the nation from various threats.  Some of their missions, admittedly, involved fairly minor threats whose importance and danger was officially overstated for PR purposes.  As time passed, Johnson did eventually develop a sense of genuine camaraderie with his teammates; his attitude toward Fireball softened over time as well, although he still thought Blue Angel should not have been with the group, often relegating her to reconnaissance and non-combat roles whenever he could. 

In 1957, the Sentinels encountered the Sphinx, a supervillain who was stealing various mystical artifacts around the country.  The Sentinels eventuality tracked the Sphinx down, but in the resulting battle a dimensional portal was opened by the errant destruction of one of the stolen artifacts, engulfing both the Sphinx and the Sentinels. They found themselves in a primitive, magic-filled world called Vaerth by its inhabitants, one where the military forces of a wizard-lich known as K'luth's held much of the populace under its iron heel.  In the initial clash between the Sentinels (with the Sphinx) and K'luth's forces, a stray arrow pierced the already-injured Gateway's throat, killing him.  

With their sole hope to return to Earth taken away from them, now the remaining Sentinels not only sought revenge against K'luth, but also had to search for another means to return home.  With the Sphinx along side them, the group joined up with, and eventually would lead, a group of freedom fighters opposed to K'luth's rule.  One of these freedom fighters was a young sorceress named Syra, who said that she could rend the barriers between dimensions, but would only do so after K'luth and his forces had been defeated once and for all.

Over the span of what seemed like a year, the Sentinels (with the Sphinx now effectively one of their number) managed to whittle away at K'luth's forces, emboldening the land's downtrodden subjects to rise up against its undead ruler.  Despite the primitive conditions, Minuteman truly enjoyed these battles.  Here he didn't have to hold back; what would be considered a war crime back on Earth was just the regular business of warfare on Vaerth, and he could give in to his bloodlust without hesitation or regret.   

In a battle shortly before the final conflict with K'luth, Minuteman and Gargoyle had gotten separated from the others, and were attacked by soldiers under K'luth's command.  The soldiers tried to use hostages as shields against the Earthlings, but Minuteman was so caught up in has battlelust that he killed several of them in getting to the soldiers.  Gargoyle tried to stop his friend from hurting the non-soldiers, but in his beserker rage Minuteman ran his sword through his ally, seeing him only as just another obstacle.  After he had killed the last of the soldiers, he calmed down enough to realize what he had done; he then killed the last of the hostages, so that no one could say what had really happened, and when he met back up with the other Sentinels he told them that Gargoyle had died from the soldier's swords.

Shortly thereafter was the final battle was K'luth in the lich's bone tower.  Minuteman, Fireball, Blue Angel, Sphinx, Syra, and a troll called Gort (who had attached himself to Blue Angel's service during her time on Vaerth) eventually managed to destroy K'luth's body, collapsing his tower, and in the process breaking the last of the lich's military forces.  After a proper celebration, Syra cast the spell that allowed the Minuteman to return to Earth, coming along with them, for she and Fireball had fallen in love with each other during their time together on Vaerth.  Gort also joined them, unwilling to let Blue Angel leave without him.

To the shock of Minuteman, Fireball, Blue Angel and Sphinx, the Earth they returned to was a very different one than the one they left.  Time passed at a much slower rate on Vaerth, and what had been roughly a year there was over half a century on Earth.  The Earth of 2012 was technologically very different (in ways that the futurists of the mid-20th century did not predict), the number of superhumans was much, much larger, and perhaps most disconcerting for Minuteman, the social and political mores were very different indeed.  While Minuteman has adapted readily enough to the new military realities he now faces (especially in terms of equipment and hardware), the changes in society have left him more than a little flummoxed.  Various conservative groups are beginning to claim Minuteman as a symbol of their beliefs, a champion of "simpler times" and "old-fashioned values". 

Campaign Use: If you need a NPC superhuman to talk down to your PC heroes in a righteous and condescending manner, Minuteman is your guy.  He's used to being in charge, and will try to take commando any group that he is working with, no matter how temporarily.  Because of his darker nature, PC heroes may come into conflict with him if he winds up using lethal force in a situation where it isn't appropriate. 

Alternatively, he could be called in to work with the PC's if they are for whatever reason investigating any more recent appearances of alien orbs such as the one that gave him his powers.

A PC hero with psychic power might discover some of Minuteman's past crimes, possibly bringing them into conflict with the government (who would wish to keep such things quiet).

While the write-up assumes that Minuteman and the others have been back on Earth at least a little bit, the PC's could also encounter the Sentinels just as they return to Earth, with a misunderstanding between the two groups and a fight possibly following.  Or, depending on their abilities, the PC's might show up on Vaerth, just in time for the final battle with K'luth, and may be the means for the Sentinels to return to Earth.

V&V Vednesday: Atlanteans

(unless I've miscounted along the way, this is my 50th character write-up entry on this blog for the Villains & Vigilantes RPG)

The aquatic race known colloquially as the Atlanteans are not native to this dimension, but rather were brought into this reality by the Thanatari as a servitor race during the extra-dimensional invasion that occurred during the summer of 1988, commonly referred to as the Reality War.  This was not the first time that the aquatic race had followed their masters the Thanatari through the dimensional rifts, but due to the presence of telepaths among Earth's superhuman defenders, it was the first time the underwater people had actually communicated with the local sentients that the Thanatari wished to conquer.  Eventually, that Atlanteans (as the people of Earth called them) rebelled against their masters and sided with the Earthlings, which would turn out to be the moment that would turn the tide (sorry) in the war.  After the Thanatari were defeated, the Atlanteans had no way of returning to their original reality. Fortunately, the deep oceans of Earth provided a suitable new habitat for the underwater race, one which (for the most part) did not come into conflict with the surface dwellers of this new world.  Using their ability to transform matter (see below), the Atlanteans have since created underwater citites, complete with their own unique form of technology.

All Atlanteans have the following Powers and Weaknesses as a racial template:

Animal (Fish) Powers
     + 4 END, -4 AGL (standard modifiers for the power-set)
     Heightened Agility A: +11 (total modifier +7)
     Heightened Senses: adapted to see underwater without difficulty, vision extends into the UV range
     Heightened Strength A: +11
     Speed Bonus (variant): Swimming movement rate is doubled
     Water Breathing (type B)
Matter Transformation - takes simple, non-living matter and rearranges it to create a new object (the Atlanteans usually use the detritus accumulated on the ocean floor as the 'stock' for their new creations).  A cost of PR=1 can create up to the Atlanteans' CHR score in pounds, with the maximum weight possible for such creations is CHR x (INT + character level) for any individual device/object.  PR cost is doubled for complex devices (such as the energy rifles that the Atlanteans favor), and an INT roll on a d20 is also required for such items (because of the Atlanteans' shared telepathic knowledge, most of the race has at least a basic idea of how to re-create even relatively complex items that has been invented in some point in the past).  A completely new complex item would require an Inventing roll.  Most such items dissipate within an hour, but for triple the normal PR cost such items will be permanent in nature.
Telepathy
Prejudice (the fish-like nature of the Atlanteans give most humans a rather uneasy feeling)
Vulnerability (double damage from fire- and heat-based attacks)

Weight for Atlanteans (both male and female) is determined as per a normal human male.

A 'typical' Atlantean armsman might have the following stats:

STR: 22     END: 15     INT: 10     AGL: 18     CHA: 10

Level: 2nd     Weight: 175 lbs     Basic Hits: 4     Hit Points: 25    
Healing Rate: 1.6/day     Movement: 55" running, 110" swimming      Power: 65     
Carrying Capacity: 1,063 lbs     HTH Damage: 1d10

Damage Modifier: +2     Accuracy: +3     Detect Hidden: 8%     Detect Danger: 12%  

Equipment: Dagger (+1 to hit, HTH+1d2 damage), Energy Rifle (+3 to hit, 1d12 damage, can fire underwater but range is halved)

Perhaps one in two-score Atlantean adults will have 1d4 Talents, determined by a d6 roll:

1. Heightened Attack
2. Heightened Defense
3. Heightened Expertise
4. Heightened Mental Prowess (acts similar to Heightened Intelligence A and Heightened Charisma A, bonus may be split between those two attributes as desired)
5. Heightened Physical Prowess (acts similar to Heightened Strength A, Heightened Endurance A and Heightened Agility A, bonus may be split between those three attributes as desired)
6. Willpower

Finally, about one in a thousand Atlanteans will have the Telekinesis power, with the limitation that the telekinesis only affects water.  Those blessed with this ability are the heroes (and villains) of the Atlantean people.  

Although contact is fairly minimal between Atlanteans and humans, the two races have worked together for the shared mutual benefit (humans who act as liaisons and diplomats between the two races are specifically trained not to react negatively to the aquatic race).  The most notable example of this is the respective super-prisons that each side is building, to house difficult prisoners from 'the other side' (i.e. human supervillains are imprisoned in the Atlanteans' underwater prison, while Atlantean criminals are held on land in a human prison, each designed so that the prisoner can live comfortably, but escape would be dangerous and life-threatening due to the respective environments immediately outside the prison walls).

It would be up to each individual GM to determine how the Atlanteans would react to either Undertow or the creature known as Grendel.

V&V Vednesday: Intercrime

(a counter-post to last month's C.H.E.S.S. entry, this time showing how I've tweaked in my games the classic V&V bad guy organization for my own ends)

No one is exactly certain just how long Intercrime has been around - even most of its operatives are ignorant of the group's full history.  The best intel that C.H.E.S.S. has been able to gather indicates that the organization has its roots in the latter 19th century, specifically the British criminal organization created by the Napoleon of Crime, Professor James Moriarty.  Said organization continued to thrive after the Professor's death, in no small part due to the 'computing devices' that Moriarty had developed (based on the designs by Charles Babbage) before his death.  Moriarty's legacy became an international organization after it was taken over by the French criminal mastermind known as Fantômas.

Intercrime, as it was now known to a select few, operated quietly throughout much of the 20th century.  It wasn't until the proliferation of superhumans in the latter half of the century that some of the organization's various operations became better known to various world governments.  They also came to the attention of the newly-formed U.S. government agency known as C.H.E.S.S.  The enmity between these two groups was as quick to form as it would be long-lasting.

The classic M.O. of Intercrime (as detailed in the V&V rulebook) stayed fairly consistent throughout the last days of the 20th century.    As with so much else, the events of 9/11 changed things for the criminal organization. Intercrime had sold Al Qaeda the experimental psionic scrambling devices that helped to prevent precognitives from foreseeing the terrorist attacks.  This was initially considered a huge boon for Intercrime, helping a low-tech terrorist organization to make such a striking blow against the world's most powerful nation.  However, the reprisals against Intercrime by various superhero groups were plentiful, and the organization became severely weakened as a result. Eventually, the criminal organization fractured into two competing groups, both laying claim to the name of Intercrime, something that isn't common knowledge even to most superheroes. 

The first group concentrates on building financial power quietly and in such a manner as to hopefully draw less attention from C.H.E.S.S. and those ever-present superheroes.  Violence is still very much a tool in their arsenal, but theft, blackmail, drug dealing, and money laundering, once scorned as 'lesser' crimes, is now very much a part of the first group's day-to-day operations.  This group seeks to return to the model of the early 20th century, when Intercrime held great power, but stayed behind the scenes: they wish to control the world's various governments, but not in an overt manner, preferring to be the 'power behind the throne'.

The second group prefers overt, flashy crimes, the sort that leads to open chaos, terror and destruction.  The overall goal here seems to be weakening the various world's governments to the point that a direct takeover can be accomplished.  The latter group is more likely to draw attention from C.H.E.S.S. and various superheroes, but they are also better connected to various supervillains.

The two groups are in a vicious war with each other in hopes of claiming the name of Intercrime in a decisive manner.  For the most part, this war has been fought 'off the grid', but it has occasionally lead to the deaths of various innocent bystanders.  The two groups have ways of identifying themselves among each other by signal and countersign, but an outside supervillain, even if they knew of the organization's dogmatic split, would be hard pressed to know which group they were dealing with.

To make matters even more confusing, there are now two individuals calling themselves Crimelord, identical to each other in virtually every way possible, each leading one of the two splinter cells of Intercrime.  The common theory within both factions is that cloning (something Crimelord has dabbled with in the past) is involved; both sides believe that 'their' Crimelord is the original, and that the other faction's leader is the clone.

(artwork from Intercrime: Hostile Takeover by Monkey House Games)

Collection... complete

Managed to stumble across the three classic Villains & Vigilantes adventure modules that I did not yet own physical copies of (had PDF copies, but that's not the same thing) at a used bookstore last night.

Wasn't actively looking for these modules - as I said, I already had them in PDF format - but now I can say I've got the the complete run of the 'classic' V&V line.  Woot! 

V&V Vendesday: Kaalis

Name: Kaalis    Side: Evil     Gender: Female      Height: 5'11"     Weight: 160 lbs

Physical Description: In her true form, Kaalis appears as a tall female with lightly purple-ish skin, goat-like legs, a prehensile tail, horns on her forehead, over-sized ears, and bat-like wings.  She normally carries a whip in this form.  She can shapeshift into a number of human-looking forms, all of which will be of attractive females.

STR: 13     END: 20      INT: 13     AGL: 18/21     CHA: 19

Level: 6th     XP: 20,696     Basic Hits: 4     Hit Points: 23/26     Healing Rate: 2.0/day     Movement: 51”/54" running, 567" flight       Power: 64/67     Carrying Capacity: 336 lbs  
HTH Damage: 1d6     Damage Modifier: +2     Accuracy: +3/+4      
Detect Hidden: 10%     Detect Danger: 14%     Inventing: 39%     Inventing Points: 1.8 Reaction Modifier: -3/+3     Training: END

Note: split attributes on the above stats represent first her abilities in a human disguise, the second in her true demonic form, which is higher due to increased AGL gained from her wings.  

Powers/Talents
Adaptation
Body power - prehensile tail
Dimension Travel (type 1)
Emotion Control (lust/desire)
Heightened Defense (-4 to be hit)
Heightened Physicality (+3 STR, +7 END, +6 AGL)
Heightened Senses: Detect Magic (automatic, range 13" radius)
Transformation (Shapeshifter/Disguise)
Wings (+3 AGL, 567" flight (129 MPH))
*Flame Power (attack only ("fireball"), PR 2, 36", 1d12 damage)
*Illusions (type A, visual/audible/odor/taste, PR 4)

*spells learned through the expenditure of Inventing Points

Equipment
Demon Whip (+2 to hit, HTH + 1d6 damage, can also attack as Devitaliation Ray up to 13 times a day (carrier attack, no range, requires successful HTH attack to use), and Death Touch once per day (same limitations).

Weaknesses
Takes 2d8 damage from a splash of holy water, x2 damage from silver and sunlight based attacks (and 1 pt of damage per turn in direct sunlight); if in human guise, any of these attacks will force her to assume her true form.  Also susceptible to summonings, banishings, and wardings.

Areas of Knowledge
Nether Realms, Seduction & Corruption

Character Notes/Origin/Personality: Kaalis is a succubus, a demon who has been seducing and corrupting mortal for untold ages.  She can travel between the nether realms and the earthly realm at will, which places her fairly high in the hierarchy of demons, above many such beings who are perhaps more physically threatening.  She is not adverse to using her demonic abilities when needed against normal mortals, but prefers to work in the shadows against superhuman foes whenever possible.  The seduction and corruption of superheroes is considered a grand accomplishment among succubi, but Kaalis is careful in choosing such targets; she will avoid magicians, psychics, and any one else whose abilities might allow them to deduce her true nature.

The destruction of the hated foe Sunshine Scout is considered a high priority among the demons currently on Earth.  Kaalis greatly desires this accomplishment for herself, but feels no inclination to confront Sunshine Scout directly, preferring instead to seduce various supervillains into attacking her, and perhaps even tricking a superhero into doing so.  Kaalis will only step in directly to finish the job if she is certain that Sunshine Scout is indeed helpless, having no desire to get into anything remotely resembling a 'fair' fight.

Campaign Use: A friendly NPC might fall under Kaalis's wiles, with the PC's eventually having to save them.  Alternatively, Kaalis may target a PC directly (the 'girlfriend from hell' storyline pretty much writes itself, doesn't it?).  If Sunshine Scout is in the PC's city, Kaalis is sure to be nearby, trying to manipulate others into attacking her.

V&V Vednesday: Demons

For as long as mankind has existed, demons have walked the Earth.

Fortunately, their numbers on the Earthly plane at any given has been relatively small.  Only a handful of demons have the ability to traverse the planes at will; most only appear in our reality if summoned by one with magical skill, or during those thankfully rare occasions when the barriers between the Earthly plane and the hellish dimensions are weaker than usual.

It is said that no two demons are alike, which can make dealing with them problematic.  It can also be problematic for the GM, especially if he or she needs to come up with a suitable demonic foe at short notice. The following charts can help when an 'instant demon' is needed.

Roll 3d6 for each of the basic characteristics as for any NPC.  Level is determined randomly as per section 4.3.C of the V&V rulebook, then halved (round up),with the minimum level being 4th.   Add training bonuses to characteristics as per section 4.3.D, either ignoring results of 6 (i.e. don't bother with Inventing rolls), or treating any Inventing rolls as a chance for the demon to acquire some sort of magical spell/ritual.

All demons get the following powers: Adaptation, Heightened Physicality (+1d10 each to Strength, Endurance, and Agility), and Heightened Senses: Detect Magic (range is a radius equal to the demon's INT in game inches).

Next, roll a d12 to determine which Animal Powers the demon has (this also determines their basic appearance).  A roll of 1 does not give plant-based powers, but instead allows the demon to re-roll twice, indicating that the demon's appearance (and abilities) is a hybrid of two different animal forms.  A roll of 8 or 10 does not grant one-celled or lower class animal abilities, but rather indicates that demon is human (or at least humanoid) in form - they gain no animal powers for this, but have a chance (1-3 on d6) of instead having Transformation C (Disguise).  All other rolls grant 1d6 species-based abilities, as per usual for Animal Powers (if the demon has two different animal forms, it still only gains 1d6 species powers, but can choose the more beneficial or desirable roll from the two different tables).

After that, determine the demon's defensive abilities, by rolling a d8:

1. n/a
2-3. Armor
4. Heightened Defense 
5-6. Invulnerability
7. Non-coporealness
8. Regeneration

Each demon also gets a chance at some movement-based powers (roll d6):

1. n/a
2. Dimension Travel (type 1)
3. Teleportation
4-6. Wings

If Dimension Travel is rolled, a second roll is made to see if any other transport powers are possessed (re-rolling Dimension Travel means no further travel abilities).  If the demon does not possess Dimension Travel, then that usually means that it has been summoned by others.  Wings are usually of the bat-like variety, but if the demon is otherwise human in appearance, they with be more feathery/bird-like.

After that, roll a d12 to give the demon a noticeable physical trait:

1. n/a
2. Body power - extra limbs (+4 to HTH attacks)
3. Body power - prehensile tail
4. Heightened Endurance B
5. Heightened Senses
6. Heightened Strength B
7-8. Natural Weaponry (claws)
9. Poison/venom
10-11. Size change, larger
12. Size change, smaller

A demon with the poison/venom ability will also have natural weaponry/claws (if not already possessed through the demon's animal abilities) at the minimum rating (+1 to hit, +2 to damage).  Both size change abilities are permanent/always on, and are at the minimum rating respectively (x1.5 height for larger, 1/2 height for smaller).

Next, roll a d12 to give the demon some unusual ability:

1. n/a
2. Chemical Power
3. Darkness Control
4. Death Touch
5. Emotion Control
6-7. Flame Power (option one)
8. Heightened Attack
9. Heightened Charisma B
10. Heightened Expertise
11. Illusions (type A, all senses)
12. Lightning Control

Chemical power does not change the demon's body, but does allow it to emit noxious fumes/vapors as an attack.  Emotion Control is usually fear-based, but if the demon is humanoid in appearance, it may be based on lust instead...

Almost done!  Each demon has a 1 in 10 chance of carrying a weapon of some sort.  If the demon is armed (and already dangerous), roll a d6 to determine the type of weapon:

1-2. Sword
3-4. Battle Axe
5. Spear
6. Whip (+1 to hit, HTH + 1d4 damage)

All demon weapons are more powerful than their normal earthly counterparts, imbued as they are with negative energies.  If the demon is small, damage is normal (despite the weapon being smaller than normal).  If the demon is human-sized, add an extra +1 to hit to the weapon, and bump up the damage to the next die type (a d4 becomes a d6, a d6 becomes a d8, etc).  Weapons wielded by large demons have an extra +2 to hit, and the damage die is bumped up twice (a d4 becomes a d8).  Also, there is a chance that the weapon has 1-3 powers, determined on the magic/psionic items chart in section 2.5 of the rulebook.  Roll a d20 and compare to the demon's level.  A natural 1 indicated the weapon has 3 powers, a roll equal to or below half the demon's level indicates it has two powers, and a roll equal to or below the demon's level means it has one power.  For example, if a weapon-wielding demon is 7th level, a roll of 8-20 means the weapon has no extra abilities, a a 4-7 means the weapon has one extra ability, a 2-3 means two abilities, and a 1 means three abilities for the weapon in question.  Such weapons invariably corrupt their users, and obviously are not recommended for superhero use (of course, a misplaced demon weapon can essentially result in the creation of a new supervillain!).

Obviously, these demons are fell foes, and can prove dangerous to even experienced superheroes.   Fortunately, demons also have several Weaknesses, many of which are well known.  A splash of holy water does 2d8 damage to demons (treat as a Chemical Power attack); actual immersion in a fountain of holy water means instant destruction for all but the greatest of demon lords (if you really feel like rolling, treat the damage as per a medium nuclear bomb). Silver weapons do double damage to demons, and no demon will willingly abide its touch.  Bright sunlight is also repellant to demons; simply standing under the sun's rays does 1 point of damage to the demon per combat turn (the demon can 'roll with the blow', so this usually comes off of Power instead of Hit Points), and if a Light Control attack is sunlight-based, then the demon takes double damage.  In all of these cases, Armor and Invulnerability does not protect the demon, and Regeneration will not heal the wounds created by these attacks.  Also, demons are susceptible to summonings, banishings, and wardings such as some occultists and holy men are capable of casting.  Obviously, demons hate having their actions dictated by mere mortals, and will seek to bypass whatever control that the caster can manage. 

V&V Vednesday: Sunshine Scout

Character Name: Sunshine Scout     Real Name: Amelia Norton    Side: Good
Gender: Female      Height: 5'5”/5'2"     Weight: 150/120 lbs     Age: 36

Physical Description: As Amelia Norton, she appears as a reasonably attractive woman in her mid-30's with brunette hair and brown eyes, usually dressed smartly but conservatively (although this will vary heavily depending on what sort of assignment she is on at the given moment).  As Sunshine Scout, she appears to be a slender teenager (also with brunette hair and brown eyes) dressed in a stylized version of a girl scout uniform, complete with domino mask.

STR: 12/15     END: 13/19      INT: 15     AGL: 13/22     CHA: 16

Level: 7th     XP: 30,315     Basic Hits: 3     Hit Points: 11/25       
Healing Rate: 0.9/1/5 per day     Movement: 38”/56"      Power: 53/71       
Carrying Capacity: 227/317 lbs     HTH Damage: 1d4/1d6  
Damage Modifier: +2/+3     Accuracy: +1/+4      
Detect Hidden: 12%     Detect Danger: 16%     Inventing: 45%     Inventing Points: 1.5 

Reaction Modifier: +2/-2     Training: Combat Accuracy w/ Light Control

Powers/Talents
Languages: besides English, Amelia is fluent in both Japanese and Spanish (from training)
Natural Weaponry (martial arts): +1 to hit, +2 to damage in unarmed combat (from training)
Transformation A: grants the following abilities (stats with split scores indicate Amelia's normal form first, then her transformed stats as Sunshine Scout) 
     Heightened Attack: +7 damage to all attacks (see below)
     Heightened Defense: -4 to be hit from all attacks
     Heightened Expertise: +4 to hit with all attacks (see below) 
     Heightened Physicality (acts similar to Heightened Strength B, Heightened Endurance B and Heightened Agility B, bonus may be split between those three attributes as desired): +3 STR, +6 END, +7 AGL
     Heightened Senses: sense demonic presences, 15" radius (based on INT)
     Light Control: range 44", 2d8 damage, PR=1

Weaknesses
Special Requirements: Heightened Attack and Heightened Expertise only work vs demons, or demon-possessed foes.  Also, Amelia must recite the Girl Scout's Promise, combined with a series of specific hand gestures, to activate her transformation ability and become Sunshine Scout (no special requirements are needed to transform back into her normal form).

Areas of Knowledge
Journalism, Girl Scout Lore

(note: 'Girl Scout Lore' covers a rather wide range of skills - basically, if there's a Girl Scout badge for it, Sunshine Scout (and to a lesser extent, Amelia) can do it)

Character Notes/Origin/Personality: Ever since she was a little girl, Amelia loved being a Girl Scout.  She loved the camaraderie, being able to help others, and the sense of belonging to something greater than herself.

In 1989, the world was still recovering from the Reality War the preceding summer.  Although the worst of the world's wounds had healed, what wasn't known to most people was that the barriers between their reality, and other dimensions, had not been fully repaired.  Demons, which had shown up here and there across the Earth since the beginning of history, was beginning to appear with greater and greater frequency.

It was one such demon that appeared in the woods where 13-year-old Amelia and her troop was camping one summer night.  Separated briefly from the others, hiding where she saw her friends being threatened with imminent and horrific death, Amelia prayed for a miracle.

It was then that time seemed to freeze momentarily, and that Amelia saw the angel.  An angel, as it turns out, that looked an awful lot like Juliette Gordon Low, founder of the Girl Scouts.  The angel told Amelia that she could help her friends, if she did as instructed.  This involved reciting the Girl Scout Promise ("On my honor, I will try to serve God and my country, to help people at all times, and to live by the Girl Scout Law.") while making a very specific set of hand gestures.

Uncertain, Amelia did as told, and was transformed into something similar to what she already was, but stronger, faster, tougher.  Also, wearing a domino mask.  Time now unfrozen, Amelia leaped at the demon, fighting it with her new-found abilities.  She almost died during her first fight, until she discovered that she could create sunlight from her hands, the bright light anathema to the demon, destroying it.  In the confusion of the aftermath, she slipped away, transformed back into her normal form, and rejoined her troop before it was noticed that she had been missing. 

For the next four years, Amelia led a double life - a normal teenager most of the time, but also a superhero when needed.  She fought primarily against various demonic forces, but she occasionally fought against more normal superhuman threats, as well.  Upon learning of the young heroine, the press dubbed her the 'Sunshine Scout', based on her costume and powers - the name stuck, somewhat to Amelia's consternation.

By 1993, the frequency that demons showed up upon the Earth had gotten even greater, enough so that other superheroes were starting to take note.  Those in the mystical community feared that, at the rate things were going, the floodgates would open and all the demons of Hell wold walk the Earth.  

It was then that the wizard Zarthwyn made his presence known to Sunshine Scout.  No hero by any means, he still knew better than most what would happen if the barriers between realities crumbled completely.  He informed her that he knew of a way to re-form the natural barriers between Earth and the nether realms, but that a sacrifice would be required.  She offered her life.  He told her that death was not the way to defeat the demonic threat, but that the cost would be great nonetheless - she would have to sacrifice the knowledge that allowed her to transform into Sunshine Scout, and to completely forget that she had ever been that hero.

Tearfully, she agreed.  Zarthwyn performed the ritual, sealing the barriers between the nether realms and the earthy plane.  Amelia found herself afterwards in her bedroom; she remembered nothing of her second life from the last four years, but she still felt a sense of loss that she could never quite explain. 

Her sense of justice and responsibility was still with her, though, and after graduating from high school, she went to college, eventually earning a degree in journalism.  She would over time become a highly respected print journalist, earning more than a few awards, and several times getting herself into (and out of) various dangerous situations.  More sympathetic to the superhero community than most reporters (while also holding them to a higher ethical standard than many), she has also gotten over the years several exclusive interviews with different superheroes (and even a few supervillains, as well).   Although she never married or had children, she also helped to sponsor a local Girl Scout group in her community.

Just last month, while covering a story on a local Satanic cult, Amelia was as surprised as anyone when the rather-clueless cultists actually managed to summon a demon.  As the cultists were being slaughtered, old memories resurfaced within Amelia's mind.  Somewhat despite herself, she found herself making the old gestures as she recited the Promise. To her surprise, she transformed once again into Sunshine Scout, whom the years seemed to not have touched.  In her youthful and superpowered form, she once again went into battle, eventually destroying the demon.

Transforming back into her normal, adult form, the joy she felt upon regaining her memories and her abilities was soon dashed when she began to ponder the implication of what had happened.  Had the demonic forces managed to overcome what Zarthwyn had accomplished, negating her sacrifice?  Or had the return of her memories for whatever reason cancelled out Zarthwyn's ritual, inadvertently threatening the world with Sunshine Scout's return? 

Now, both as journalist Amelia Norton, and as superhero Sunshine Scout, she seeks out the truth, hoping and praying that the world is not once again on the verge of a demonic apocalypse. 

Campaign Use: Any demonic activity in the area (that the PC's might be investigating) will also cause Sunshine Scout to show up as well.  If any of the PC's are magicians, or otherwise versed in occult lore, she may try to find out if there has been an upswing in recent demonic activity, possibly even letting them in on her secret identity, if they come across as both knowledgeable and trustworthy.

She will also be trying to track down and find Zarthwyn (no easy feat), which may draw the attention of any PC's (or other superheroes) who are also hunting after the wizard; they may be somewhat surprised to find out that she is looking for him to get help and information, and that her impression of him is not necessarily a negative one. Her search for Zarthwyn may also draw the attention of Khronos.

On a lighter note, while she mainly fought demons back in the day, she did also occasionally fight the odd supervillain here and there.  If one of these villains made a return appearance, the PC's might wish to speak to Sunshine Scout to get some insight on how to defeat them.

As Amelia Norton, her job as a journalist means that she can serve any number of useful roles in a campaign; ally, foil, contact, perhaps even as a romantic interest.  

Inspired in part (twice!) by Shadowjack's various 'In Which I Watch Sailor Moon' threads on the RPG.net forums.

V&V Vednesday: C.H.E.S.S.

(something a little different here - instead of a new character created from scratch, this post details the changes I've made for my own campaigns to the classic organization used in so many V&V games)

Pawns represent about 99% of the overall membership of C.H.E.S.S.  Agents of this rank are almost never referred to by said rank (except occasionally when getting dressed down by a superior officer), and any agent not referred to by a higher rank is usually assumed to be a Pawn.  This includes non-combat support staff, combat troops, and secret agents.  Some Pawns (especially more experienced ones) chafe at being referred to as such, but those higher up in the organization figure a little humility can't hurt (given the egos that sometimes show up), and that rising above being a mere Pawn gives agents something to aspire to.

Rumors have run wild over the years about the robotic duplicates that C.H.E.S.S. uses in various operations.  C.H.E.S.S. allows the rumors to go (mostly) unchecked, figuring that misinformation about their capabilities can only work to their advantage.  In truth, there have never been more than a dozen of these in operational use at any one time, primarily due to expense.  The tendency for these units to seriously malfunction upon being damaged has been, for the most part, corrected.  That said, their use is fairly limited - the main ongoing use is as a duplicate for the King or Queen (see below).  These robotic servants also technically qualify as Pawns.

Bishops are operatives who possess some sort of paranormal mental ability, usually either telepathy, precognition, or postcognition.  They usually do not function as field agents, and most have little to no offensive or defensive powers.  Their primary role is to gather information, not to get involved in firefights.  Much of the success C.H.E.S.S. has enjoyed can be traced back to information gathered by their telepaths, or being warned in advance of some terrible calamity by their precogs.

A small sub-branch of the Bishops include those who deal with magical phenomena.  They are almost never actual spellcasters, but rather are those well-versed in occult lore, who can usually cast a number of various magical rituals if needed.  The psychics and the magicians haven't always played well with each other in the past, but the two groups can usually put aside their differences when needed.

Knights are the elite combat arm of the organization, wearers of a formidable powered combat armor.  There are only about a hundred or so of these suits in existence (they are hideously expensive to both create and to maintain), so there are usually only a few of these agents available in any given city.  Those who become Knights were usually at least 5th level as Pawns, and also usually have to display a decent amount of technical expertise before being considered for this rank.

Rooks represent the best in the organization, with usually between two to three dozen agents at any given time qualifying as such.  Pawns (and Knights who for whatever reason no longer wear the armor) must usually be of at least 8th level to qualify for this rank; Bishops who get more involved in field operations may qualify upon reaching 5th level.  All Rooks have individual code-names, and usually have access to whatever cutting-edge technology that C.H.E.S.S. may have available at any given moment.  Any superheroes that work with C.H.E.S.S. on a regular basis are often given honorary Rook status (but are not included in the number of agents listed above). 

King/Queen represent the current leadership of C.H.E.S.S., the exact title depending upon gender.  Congress must approve the appointment of any new King/Queen - in the past this has generally meant that those with more bureaucratic temperments were usually chosen, sometimes at the expense of those chosen actually having sufficient field experience.  Internal C.H.E.S.S. regulations now require any potential King or Queen to have served for at least two years in one of the non-Pawn ranks (in practice, Bishops are virtually never considered for the leadership role, as there would appear to be a slight bias against those with any actual superhuman abilities taking control of the organization).  Some have complained that this has swung the pendulum too far in the other direction, with the most recent Kings/Queens having too much of a 'cowboy' mentality.

CHESS Identicard design by Justice Carmon, based on Jeff Dee's fictional super agency presented in Villains & Vigilantes RPG

V&V Vednesday: Nemesis

Character Name: Nemesis     Real Name: Sandra Parsons    Side: Good
Gender: Female      Height: 5'9”     Weight: 160 lbs     Age: 33

Physical Description: A tall, athletically built female with shoulder-length black hair, blue eyes, and reasonably attractive facial features.  Her costume is a simple back bodysuit, complete with goggles and gas mask, and an image of the scales of justice as her chest insignia.  She also has a belt and bandolier that holds her various grenades and weapons when not in use.   

STR: 13     END: 16      INT: 15     AGL: 18     CHA: 13

Level: 5th     XP: 17,504     Basic Hits: 4     Hit Points: 20      Healing Rate: 1.6/day
Movement: 47”      Power: 62      Carrying Capacity: 304 lbs     HTH Damage: 1d6    
Damage Modifier: +3     Accuracy: +3     Detect Hidden: 12%     Detect Danger: 16%     Inventing: 45%     Inventing Points: 1.5     Reaction Modifier: -1/+1      
Training: reduce PR for Power Negation

Powers/Talents
Heightened Attack: +5 damage to all attacks
Heightened Defense: -4 to be hit from all attacks
Heightened Physical Prowess (acts similar to Heightened Strength A, Heightened Endurance A and Heightened Agility A, bonus may be split between those three attributes as desired): +5 END, +6 AGL
Natural Weaponry (martial arts): +2 to hit, +4 damage in unarmed combat
Psionic Ability: Power Negation (range 8" (INT/2) radius, negates all powers in range, does not affect talents or technology, does not affect magic items unless PR or mental command is required to activate, does not affect physical abilities that are natural to alien races, PR=8 per turn originally, reduced to PR=4 through training)

Weaknesses
Prejudice

Areas of Knowledge
Military, Police

Equipment
Auto-Pistol (+3 to hit, 1d8 damage, 108” range, 15 bullets/clip)
Auto-Rifle (+4 to hit, 1d10 damage, range = 180", 30 bullets/clip)
     armor-piercing rounds (treats Armor and Invulnerability as if damage were doubled)
     high-explosive rounds (+1d8 damage)
     fragmentation rounds (treats Armor and Invulnerability as if damage were halved, but any damage done to target is doubled)
Dagger (+1 to hit, +1d2 damage)
Goggles (IR & UV vision)
Gas mask (provides the Chemical Power defense against gas-based attacks)
Kevlar bodysuit (Invulnerability 6 pt vs ballistic attacks only)

Tear gas grenades (2d8 damage done directly against a victim's Power score, 3” radius, -4 to hit in, out, or through the gas due to obscurement)

Character Notes/Origin/Personality: Upon graduating from high school, Sandra Parsons signed up for the Marines.  After completing basic training, Sandra was sent to Afghanistan, where she served two two-year tours of duty.   She was well-liked by her officers and fellow soldiers, and served her time with distinction, earning both a Bronze Star and a Silver Star, as well as picking up two Purple Hearts along the way.  It was in Afghanistan that she first discovered her ability to negate superpowers of anyone possessing them in her immediate vicinity, during a firefight with a metahuman Taliban terrorist.

Having had enough of the war, Sandra didn't bother to re-enlist after her second term ended.  After coming home, she spent some time in college, and after getting her degree eventually joined the police force, becoming a detective after a couple of years.  During this time she used her ability to negate superpowers three different times, helping to stop various supervillains while never revealing her special ability.

The local police force was more often than not dirty, and Sandra was following a trail of corruption among her fellow officers to see just where that trail led.   The reward for her diligence wound up being a locked room full of explosives, designed to end her snooping once and for all.  It almost did; it took her almost a year for her to fully recover from the injuries she suffered, during which time she let the world assume she was dead.  When she did return, it was as the masked vigilante Nemesis.

Her initial mission was to ferret out and deal with the corrupt police officers who were involved in the attempt on her life.  She eventually succeeded in that task, although the fact that she killed several dirty cops along the way won her few friends among the law enforcement community.  She has since expanded her mission to fighting crime and corruption in general; she normally deals with non-powered opponents, such as mobsters and street gangs, but she is not adverse to facing metahuman opponents - her ability to negate superhuman abilities, combined with her deadly arsenal of weapons, has resulted in the deaths of more than one supervillain.

Campaign Use: If the PC's hold to the traditional 'no killing' rule that many superheroes do, then conflict between the PC's and Nemesis is a fairly easy thing to bring about.  Nemesis may wish to target a criminal or supervillain that the heroes (for whatever reason) need to protect.  Nemesis will not kill superheroes, no matter how much she may disagree with their methods, but she isn't above humiliating a superhero who is a bit too reliant on the metahuman abilities.

V&V Vednesday: Arclight

Character Name: Arclight     Real Name: Alyona Sokolov     Side: Evil
Gender: Female      Height: 5'7”     Weight: 140 lbs     Age: 21

Physical Description: An somewhat average looking Caucasian female of Slavic descent with blonde hair and blue eyes.  Her costume (if you can call it that) is very minimalist - knee-high boots, a bikini top and bottom, a choker collar, and a domino mask, all in white.

STR: 10     END: 13      INT: 10     AGL: 15     CHA: 11

Level: 2nd     XP: 2,496     Basic Hits: 3     Hit Points: 7      Healing Rate: 0/9/day
Movement: 38” (running), 572" (flying)      Power: 48      Carrying Capacity: 161 lbs      
HTH Damage: 1d4     Damage Modifier: +1     Accuracy: +2     
Detect Hidden: 8%     Detect Danger: 12%     Inventing: 30%     Inventing Points: 2.0
Reaction Modifier: -     Training: Strength

Powers/Talents
Absorption (light-based attacks): gains 2 pts of Power for every point of damage that would normally be done by a light-based attack.  Also, can gain one point of Power per minute from sufficient ambient light (sunlight, strong indoor lighting) that her skin is exposed to.
Flight: 130 mph (572") - this is much more taxing than most flying characters have to deal with, as PR cost is 1 pt per turn, not per hour.
Force Field: can only use the 'Force Screen' option; can not be used as a Pummeling attack.
Heightened Expertise: +4 to hit with Light Control attacks.
Light Control:  range 30", 2d8 damage, PR=1.

Weaknesses
Mute

Areas of Knowledge
Transportation, Crime

Character Notes/Origin/Personality: The daughter of Russian emigres who moved to the U.S. and the fall of the Soviet Union, Alyona was something of a problem child, falling in with a local street gang during her teenage years.  As she got older, she became the 'wheelman' for various armed robbery attempts.  Eventually arrested, she spent a couple of years in juvenile hall, to be released on her 18th birthday.

She drifted a bit on her release, committing small crimes, a little more careful not to get caught again. Eventually, she wound up joining the Scarlet Queen's gang of henchman, putting her skills as a driver to good use.  Things weren't going too bad for her, all told; the Queen paid her minions fairly well, and those that got captured usually got rescued from jail fairly quickly.  It wasn't a bad gig, from her way of thinking.

However, as the Queen's superpowered followers grew in number, so did the number of superheroes who came into conflict with the Queen and her minions.  One such foe was Nemesis, a vigilante who injured and killed several of the Queen's non-powered henchman, as well as seriously injuring a couple of her superpowered followers before being forced to retreat.  Alyona was one of the henchmen seriously injured by Nemesis, her throat slashed by the vigilante's dagger.

Alyona was rushed by her compatriots to an underground doctor who asked no questions and took cash up front.  The doctor managed to save the young woman's life, but could not restore the damaged vocal chords; Alyona would never be able to speak again.  As a form of compensation, the Scarlet Queen gave Alyona a choice to be bestowed superpowers; Alyona accepted, despite the risk; she hoped that if she survived whatever new abilities would be granted her would somehow be able to restore her power of speech.

Alyona survived the process, gaining several light-based powers, but nothing to heal her destroyed vocal chords.  This has left Arclight (as she is now called) conflicted.  She is grateful to the Scarlet Queen for her new abilities, but on some level she also blames the Queen for what has happened to her.  For the moment, she still follows the Scarlet Queen - the Queen's minions and followers are the closest thing to family she has these days - but under the right circumstance she might betray them, if it benefited her enough.  However, she knows that despite her powers she's not really cut out for solo activity, and that the chance of her getting any followers of her own are fairly slim, so the payoff for such a theoretical betrayal would need to be extraordinary, enough so that she could start a new life entirely.

Overall, Arclight is a fairly solid (if somewhat unimaginative) team player, and generally works well with others, despite whatever misgivings she may have.  Two things might override her willingness to work with others.  The first is if an opportunity shows up to somehow heal her damaged throat.  The second is a chance to revenge herself against Nemesis.  Either of these situations would probably cause her to forsake whatever mission or goal her allies are set upon, abandoning her compatriots if necessary in favor of her personal obsessions.

Campaign Use: As noted above, Arclight will usually be encountered as part of a team.  Despite her defensive abilities, she knows that all it takes is one good blow to take her out of a fight, and so she works in tandem with others.  She will often try to blind foes so that her allies can more easily take them out of the fight.

If needed as a solo villain, she will probably be encountered trying to find a way to heal her damaged throat, perhaps kidnapping or coercing a healer like Sanadora towards that end.  In such an instance she might make a good threat for an inexperienced solo superhero.

V&V Vednesday: Anansi

Character Name: Anansi     Real Name: Gabriel 'Gabe' Barnes     Side: Evil
Gender: Male     Height: 5'5"     Weight: 120 lbs     Age: 19

Physical Description: A short, extremely skinny young black man with short-cut black hair and brown eyes.  His costume is a simple black bodysuit, notable only for the lack of gloves and boots.  His belt has several lockpicking and safecracking tools attached, and he wears a pair of high-tech goggles.  

STR: 9     END: 12      INT: 16     AGL: 28     CHA: 25

Level: 1st     XP: 1,368     Basic Hits: 3     Hit Points: 15      Healing Rate: 0.9/day
Movement: 49” (running), 25" (climbing)      Power: 61       Carrying Capacity: 116 lbs  
HTH Damage: 1d3     Damage Modifier: +4     Accuracy: +5
Detect Hidden: 12%     Detect Danger: 16%     Inventing: 48%     Inventing Points: 1.6
Reaction Modifier: -4 good/+4 evil     Training: STR

Powers/Talents
Animal Powers (Arachnid)
     Body Power: Wall-crawling (1/2 running speed)
     Heightened Agility A: +11
     Natural Weaponry (claws): +1 to hit, +2 to damage
     Poison/Venom - a 'carrier attack' that can be used with any successful use of Natural Weaponry that inflicts damage: does an additional 1d8 damage, and has a chance to knock the victim unconscious (requires a second attack roll, treat as Paralysis Ray), 12 doses/day.
Heightened Charisma B: +17

Equipment
Goggles (UV vision, distance or fine detail magnification x10, camera function)

Areas of Knowledge
Crime, Electronics

Character Notes/Origin/Personality: Gabriel grew up in a poor neighborhood with a distant father and an alcoholic mother.  A short, skinny kid who was also smart and more than a little shy, he was a natural target for bullies while growing up.  He had a natural talent for fixing and fiddling with various electronic devices, but aside from that he never quite had the drive or inclination for the type of study that would have been needed to get a college scholarship.  He knew at a young age that he would have to make his own way in the world, that no one would be helping him along the way.

His earliest attempts at breaking-and-entering were aimed more at getting back at some of the bullies who had tormented him, with getting some of their money a secondary consideration.  However, he soon realized that this might be a way for him to get ahead; it seemed a lot easier and more profitable than flipping burgers for a living.

He had a pretty good run, but was caught after nicking some diamonds from a jewelry store shortly after his 18th birthday.  While in jail he met up with some of the Scarlet Queen's henchmen who had recently been captured.  When Scarlet Queen and some of her superpowered followers busted the imprisoned henchmen out of jail, Gabe managed to tag along with the other escapees.  At first the Queen was upset that Gabe had presumed to use her to escape jail, but she eventually decided that the young second-story thief might have his uses. 

Although not used to working with others, Gabe's talents served him well as one of the Queen's henchmen, even if his combat skills were mediocre at best.  Eventually, the Scarlet Queen offered Gabe the opportunity to gain superpowers, much as her other favored henchmen had.  Despite the risks, Gabe accepted.

Most of the abilities that Gabe gained were pretty obvious early on.  His ability to climb wall, the small claws that could extend from his finger and toe nails, the ability to generate a knock-out venom from those claws, and his reflexes being enhanced made him even more useful as a break-in guy, and although he still didn't exactly relish getting into a straight-up fight, the Queen often used him to sneak ahead to disable key targets on certain missions.

Less obvious to the Queen and her followers was the quiet confidence and natural charm that now replaced the young man's shyness and lack of social graces.  Anansi, as he is now called (named after an African trickster figure), has no particular loyalty to the Scarlet Queen; while he is grateful for his new abilities, he can see better than most that SQ is a highly unstable person psychologically, and he figures her downfall is more a matter of when than if.  Although he has made no attempt to usurp the Queen's leadership, he has begun to ingratiate himself with the Queen's other superpowered followers.  He figures one of them will take over eventually, and he is positioning himself to be the adviser/power-behind-the-throne to that new leader.

And if things really go bad... well, it wouldn't be the first time Gabe has had to work alone.  It's not like there's anyone else he really trusts.

Campaign Use: Anansi would most likely be encountered by superheroes as an advance agent, either to break into somewhere, or to disable someone key to the operation at hand.  It's also fairly likely that Anansi will eventually become a solo villain, a superhuman thief for hire that might make a good foe for a beginning solo hero. 

V&V Vednesday: Quickstrike

Character Name: Quickstrike     Real Name: Edward 'Eddie' Langford     Side: Evil
Gender: Male     Height: 6'6"     Weight: 290 lbs     Age: 25

Physical Description: A tall, extremely muscular Caucasian male with blue eyes and short-cut blond hair. His costume is a black and purple bodysuit with yellow and white trim.  He has a pair of tonfa sticks, one strapped to each of his thighs when not in use.

STR: 21     END: 40      INT: 7     AGL: 27     CHA: 14

Level: 4th     XP: 9,114     Basic Hits: 6     Hit Points: 137      Healing Rate: 7.2/day
Movement: 598”/turn (136 mph)      Power: 95      Carrying Capacity: 1,923 lbs      
HTH Damage: 1d12     Damage Modifier: +2     Accuracy: +5
Detect Hidden: 6%     Detect Danger: 11%     Inventing: 21%     Inventing Points: 2.8
Reaction Modifier: -1 good/+1 evil     Training: Combat Accuracy w/ tonfa clubs

Powers/Talents
Combat Accuracy: +1 to hit w/ unarmed HTH attacks (from training)
Heightened Agility B: +19
Heightened Endurance B: +21
Heightened Speed: +510" ground movement, +17 initiative
Heightened Physical Prowess (acts similar to Heightened Strength A, Heightened Endurance A and Heightened Agility A, bonus may be split between those three attributes as desired): +5 END, +6 STR
Invulnerability: 9 pt

Equipment
Tonfa clubs (+2 to hit, +1d4 damage) 

Areas of Knowledge
Athletics, Crime

Character Notes/Origin/Personality: Eddie liked playing football.  Besides making him popular in high school and college, it let him work out his aggression in a socially acceptable manner.  If he beat up someone away from the stadium, he sometimes got into trouble, but when he sacked an opposing quarterback, people cheered for him.

Eddie wasn't the most agile player out there (even among defensive lineman), and as he wasn't exactly the sharpest tack on the field, he sometimes had problems adapting to opposing strategies, but his size and strength were impressive enough to make him one of the most dominant linebackers in college football.  He probably would have been a first-round draft pick for the NFL if he hadn't been caught placing bets on upcoming games during his senior year.  To his mind, he did nothing wrong, as he was betting for his team, not against it, so it wasn't like he was going to be throwing the game.  Still, the act of gambling on games he was competing in was enough to get him expelled from college, as well as killing any chance of making it in the NFL.

No longer in college, and no longer able to work out his aggression on the field, Eddie started getting into fights, picking up a minor criminal record for assault in the process.  Over time he started working as an enforcer and legbreaker for a local criminal syndicate, which allowed him to earn a living, indulge his violent tendencies, and have smarter people than himself run things so that the law would not get involved.  This eventually led him to becoming one of Scarlet Queen's criminal henchmen.

The Scarlet Queen took a liking to Eddie; he followed orders well, and his strength and physique were useful assets for her criminal operations.  After getting to know Eddie in a more personal and private manner, she offered him the chance to become one of her superpowered followers.  He accepted.

The first thing that became apparent was Eddie's super-speed, which allowed him to run over a hundred MPH.  It soon became obvious that his stamina and reflexes had also been boosted to superhuman levels, and that he was also mildly resistant to physical damage (enough so that wind shear would not adversely affect him while running).  Combined with his already impressive physique, his super-speed makes Quickstrike (as the Scarlet Queen has dubbed him) especially dangerous, as he can deal out a lot of damage before most foes can ever hope to lay a glove on him.

When facing superpowered opponents, Quickstrike prefers to initially target foes lacking Invulnerabily, Armor, or other means of deflecting/absorbing the sort of damage he can dish out.  He will try to take out as many of these targets as possible, trying to decrease the numbers of foes as quickly as he can, so as to stack the odds in favor of his allies.  He dislikes attacking women, and will usually target them last, hoping that his teammates take out any female foes before he is forced to do so.  He has recently picked up a pair of tonfa sticks that he has been practicing with to use in combat, which just make him even that much more dangerous.

Quickstrike is extremely loyal to Scarlet Queen, not from any romantic desire or bond, but simply because she is the one who has given him these wonderful powers, and that she is an intelligent and charismatic leader.

Campaign Use: Quickstrike will rarely be found alone; when not in the company of the Scarlet Queen or one of her other superpowered henchmen, he will usually have a few of the Queen's non-powered henchman with him as his 'handlers', making sure he doesn't do anything too stupid.  If for some reason he was no longer associated with the Scarlet Queen and her gang, he would probably hire himself out as superpowered muscle to various criminal organizations.  Failing that, he might try to get by committing simple smash-and-grab robberies.

On his own, his combination of decent strength, multiple attacks per turn, and high durability can make him a suitable opponent for a group of neophyte heroes.  As part of the Scarlet Queen's gang he's really dangerous, as he can quickly decimate the heroes' ranks before they can react, leaving them badly outnumbered and outgunned by the rest of the Queen's gang.

V&V Vednesday: Evelyn Dawson

Character Name: Evelyn Dawson     Side: Good 
Gender: Female      Height: 5'6”     Weight: 160 lbs     Age: 24

Physical Description: An average looking, slightly pale Caucasian female with brunette hair and brown eyes.  She favors casual clothing, usually wearing jeans and a t-shirt.

STR: 12     END: 30      INT: 13     AGL: 12     CHA: 11

Level: 1st     XP: 103     Basic Hits: 4     Hit Points: 27      Healing Rate: 3.6/turn
Movement: 54”      Power: 67      Carrying Capacity: 378 lbs     HTH Damage: 1d6
Damage Modifier: +1     Accuracy: +1    Detect Hidden: 10%     Detect Danger: 14%
Inventing: 39%     Inventing Points: 1.3     Reaction Modifier: -     Training: Charisma

Powers/Talents

Heightened Endurance B: +17
Heightened Expertise: +4 to hit with Psychic Assault 
Psionics: Psychic Assault (2d8 damage, range 24" (INTx2), attack as Emotion Control, if base attack is successful then victim must make percentile roll vs CHR or be stunned into inactivity (if failed, victim may make rolls on following rounds to throw off the effect), PR=13)
Regeneration
Willpower A (vs physical functions only)

Weaknesses
Prejudice: although they may not pick up on it immediately, people tend to react negatively to Evelyn's near-death state when they do notice it (consciously or otherwise) - most people would get to make a Detect Hidden roll once per turn while interacting with her to pick up on her altered biological state.

Areas of Knowledge
Mechanical, Writing

Character Notes/Origin/Personality: Evelyn was by all accounts a pretty normal person.  She worked as a mechanic during the day at an auto repair shop, while at night she wrote various fanfics that she put up on the internet under the name "Darkmoon Queen".  She dated occasionally, but nothing serious ever came from it.  She lived by herself in a one-bedroom apartment.

One late afternoon when she had a day off from work, she was jogging in the park when she suddenly felt like a sledgehammer had struck her in the chest.  A split-second later she heard the gunshot.  As her body tumbled off into the ravine, she saw the blood on her chest and realized that she had been shot.  Then darkness.

That should have been the end of Evelyn's story, but it wasn't.  Several hours later, she woke up in the ravine.  There was still (dried) blood on her chest and her back, and a hole in both the front and back of her shirt where a bullet had passed through, but she couldn't find any sign of injury on her body.

Wandering back home in the darkness, a man with a knife forced her into the trees to try to sexually assault her.  Evelyn fought back, and after the man slashed her arm with the knife, something welled up inside her, and she felt all of the pain that she felt when she had been shot, when she thought she was going to die, and somehow projected that pain onto her attacker.  She left him there in the woods, in a fetal position, crying.  As she left the park she realized that her arm was no longer bleeding, and that the wound had somehow healed itself.

Uncertain as to what had happened, and what to do about it, she tried to continue her life as usual, but that wasn't so easy.  Her co-workers started acting coldly toward her; Evelyn eventually realized that her breathing and pulse rate, during times of relative inactivity, where far below normal (about 1/5 the normal rate for each), and it was pointed out to her that she could be oddly still when not engaged in physical activity, lacking the normal body kinesis that most people are used to seeing in others.  Also, she came to realize that she doesn't seem to get tired, or suffer from fatigue anymore, even after serious physical exertion, and that she can hold her breath for over fifteen minutes before being discomforted.

Going back to the area in the park where she had been shot, she eventually found the bullet that pierced her heart in the ravine.  So far this is the only clue she has to the shooting, and given that she's not a detective, it's not much.  She can't figure out why someone would wish her dead, possibly even hiring an assassin to kill her.  She had no real enemies that she could think of, and didn't have enough money to warrant such a crime against her person.  She has been hoping that whoever shot her doesn't find out that she's still alive (relatively speaking - Evelyn's worst fear is that she's actually dead, but still sentient and animated for some reason), but she's also beginning to suspect that a further confrontation with whoever wished her dead may be the only way to find out why she was targeted.

Campaign Use: The PC's may encounter Evelyn as she tries to find out who had her shot, or she may even come to them for help, especially if one or more of the PC's are known for their detective work.