An Enemies Book for Champions

Author: Steven S. Long, Darren Watts, Allen Thomas, Scott Bennie

Editing and Developing: Steven S. Long
Layout & Graphic Design: Andy Mathews
Cover Illustration: Jeff Hebert
Interior Illustration: Andrew Cremeans, Matthew Tito Cuenca,
Jonathan Davenport, Jefferson Cram, Robert Cram, Jr., Brendan
and Brian Fraim, Robert Hawkins, Jeff Hebert, Eric Lofgren, Eric
Rademaker, John Ridley, Greg Smith, Chris Stevens

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Hero System © 1984, 1989, 2002 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved. electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or computerization, or by
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 TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ............................................. 4 CHAPTER TWO: VILLAIN TEAMS Jade Phoenix .......................................... 91
El Jaguar ................................................ 93
CHAPTER ONE: CIRQUE SINISTER ........................................ 42 Mantara .................................................. 95
MASTER VILLAINS Amnesia ................................................. 43 Morph .................................................... 97
Cauldron ................................................. 45 Pulsar ..................................................... 99
INTERFACE .................................................... 6 Flow ....................................................... 47 El Salto ................................................. 101
GUARDBOT .................................................. 8 Minimax.................................................. 49 Samhain ............................................... 103
KING COBRA AND COIL ................................ 10 Bobby Holmes ......................................... 51 Scimitar ................................................ 105
KING COBRA .............................................. 12 MERC-FORCE 1 ........................................... 54 Signal Ghost ......................................... 107
THE INNER CIRCLE ..................................... 15 Stareye ................................................... 55 Snowblind ............................................. 109
Boomslang.............................................. 15 Piledriver ................................................ 58 Steel Commando ................................... 111
Firedrake ................................................ 18 The Cahokian .......................................... 59 Tachyon ................................................ 113
Gorgon ................................................... 21 Talisman ............................................... 115
Krait ....................................................... 23 CHAPTER THREE: SOLO VILLAINS Wayland Talos ....................................... 117
Slither..................................................... 26 Vector ................................................... 119
Josiah Brimstone..................................... 64
COIL Agent.............................................. 28 Vixen .................................................... 121
Deadman Walkin’ .................................... 70
MECHANON ................................................. 30 Der Westgote ........................................ 123
Devastator .............................................. 72
White Rhino .......................................... 125
TELEIOS ...................................................... 34 Eclipse.................................................... 74
Chameleon Claw ..................................... 37 The Engineer........................................... 76
Cloned Soldier ......................................... 38 Freakshow .............................................. 80
Monstersaurus ........................................ 39 Green Dragon ......................................... 82
Piranhagator ........................................... 40 Hazard .................................................... 85
Invictus ................................................... 87
4 ■ Introduction Hero System 5th Edition

INTRODUCTION
I
n the four years since the publication of the only have to refer to one book when you’re search-
HERO System 5th Edition rulebook and the 5th ing for a superpowered bad guy. It includes villains
Edition version of Champions, Hero Games from Champions, Champions Universe, Millen-
has published a lot of supervillains — a lot, nium City, Vibora Bay, Champions Battlegrounds,
well up in the triple digits. Many of them have Sharper Than A Serpent’s Tooth, UNTIL, Villainy
been in books specifically dedicated (entirely or Amok, and the Ultimate series of sourcebooks. It
partially) to villains, such as Conquerors, Killers, doesn’t necessarily have every villain from each
And Crooks, Arcane Adversaries, or Champions one of those books — for example, some of the vil-
Worldwide. Others have appeared in books de- lains in Vibora Bay are so closely tied to the Queen
voted to the organizations those villains worked City that putting them in this book doesn’t make
for or the locations they’re specifically linked to, sense. But absent a compelling reason to keep him
like VIPER, DEMON, or Vibora Bay. And some out, a “miscellaneous” villain makes his way into
have debuted in subgenre books devoted to a Evil Unleashed with no problems. Some of them
particular style of superhero play, such as Galac- have even gotten a bit of a shine and a polish, with
tic Champions or Teen Champions. a new power added here and there or an old one
Not so the rest. They’re scattered here and improved a little.
there among dozens of books as example charac- And since there’s no good reason to pass
ters, characters that often visit a specific setting but up such a fine opportunity to expand the roster,
aren’t restricted to it, or characters whose particular Evil Unleashed adds five all-new villains to the
“flavor” is best suited to a given book. Thus, if you Champions Universe: Stareye, Piledriver, and the
want to have the complete Champions Universe Cahokian (the members of the supervillain team
roster at your fingertips, you’ve got to own a lot of Merc-Force 1); the mysterious, demonsouled su-
books and keep them all handy. permage Josiah Brimstone; and Vixen, a swift and
That’s where Evil Unleashed comes in — it seductive cat burglar with other goals on her mind
saves you the effort of carrying a lot of books to the than just robbery.
gaming table and the time needed to look through So you’d better make sure your heroes out on
them for the particular villain you want. It col- patrol tonight keep their eyes open! Some evil’s
lects all those “miscellaneous” villains from other about to be unleashed on your campaign....
books and puts them between two covers so you
chapter one:

MASTERMINDS
6 ■ Master Villains Hero System 5th Edition

INTERFACE Skills
Val Char Cost Roll Notes 24 +3 with All Combat
60 STR 50 21- Lift 100 tons; 12d6 [6] 3 Computer Programming 13-
25 DEX 45 14- OCV: 8/DCV: 8 1 Electronics 8-
25 CON 30 14- 2 CK: Millennium City 11-
20 BODY 20 13- 2 KS: Mechanon 11-
20 INT 10 13- PER Roll 13- 2 KS: The Military/Mercenary/Terrorist
15 EGO 10 12- ECV: 5 World 11-
25 PRE 15 14- PRE Attack: 5d6 3 Language: English (completely fluent; Ger-
8 COM -1 11- man is native)
25 PD 13 Total: 25 PD (25 rPD) 1 Mechanics 8-
25 ED 20 Total: 25 ED (25 rED) 3 Stealth 14-
6 SPD 25 Phases: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 3 Streetwise 14-
20 REC 6 1 Systems Operation 8-
70 END 10 3 Tactics 13-
70 STUN 7 Total Characteristics Cost: 260 2 WF: Small Arms
Total Powers & Skills Cost: 486
Movement: Running: 13”/26”
Total Cost: 746
Leaping: 20”/40”
200+ Disadvantages
Cost Powers END
5 Dependence: must receive special mainte-
75 Electricity Projection: Multipower,
nance every day or suffer Incompetence (Un-
75-point reserve
common)
7u 1) Electric Bolt: Energy Blast 14d6 7
10 Enraged: if reminded of things he cannot do
7u 2) Ball Lightning Blast: Energy Blast
because of his cyborg body (Common), go
10d6, Explosion (+½) 7
8-, recover 14-
7u 3) Lightning Barrage: Energy Blast 10d6,
20 Hunted: PRIMUS 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Cap-
Autofire (5 shots; +½) 7
ture)
4u 4) Overload: RKA 3d6, Armor Piercing
15 Hunted: Mechanon 8- (Mo Pow, Capture)
(+½); No Range (-½) 7
5 Physical Limitation: Affected By Mental
52 Paralytic Grip: Entangle 4d6, 8 DEF,
Powers That Work Against Both The Human
Takes No Damage From Attacks (+½), Re-
And Machine Classes Of Minds (Infrequent-
duced Endurance (½ END; +¼); No Range
ly, Slightly Impairing)
(-½), Must Maintain Touch To
5 Physical Limitation: Diminished Sense Of
Maintain Effect (-¼), Costs Endurance
Touch (-3 to all Touch PER Rolls) (Infre-
(to maintain; -¼) 4
quently, Slightly Impairing)
30 Agonizing Touch: Drain STUN 2d6,
5 Physical Limitation: Exposed Face (see text)
Continuous (+1), Reduced Endurance
(Infrequently, Slightly Impairing)
(½ END; +¼); Linked (to Paralytic
20 Psychological Limitation: Powerhungry
Grip; -½) 2
(Common, Total)
67 Bolt-On Arsenal: Variable Power Pool,
10 Vulnerability: 2 x Effect from Cyberkinetic
50 base + 25 control cost; OIF (-½) var
powers (Uncommon)
25 Steel-Frame Body: Damage Resistance
451 Experience Points
(25 PD/25 ED) 0
30 Steel-Frame Body: Physical and Energy Total Disadvantage Points: 746
Damage Reduction, Resistant, 25% 0 EXAMPLE POWERS FOR BOLT-ON ARSENAL
10 Psi-Shielding: Mental Defense POWER POOL
(13 points total) 0
10 Internal Shielding: Power Defense Foot Rockets: If he thinks he’ll need increased
(10 points) 0 mobility, Interface has his technicians install this
45 Cyborg Body: Life Support: Total 0 device in his feet.
14 Leg Servos: Running +7” (13” total) 1 Flight 15” (30 Active Points); OIF (-½). Total
8 Leg Servos: Leaping +8” (20” forward, cost: 20 points.
10” upward) 1
Mini-Rocket Launcher: A pop-up mini-rocket
Perks
launcher, built into one of Interface’s arms or some-
6 Contact: ARGENT 11-
times his shoulder.
6 Contact: VIPER 11-
10 Money: Wealthy RKA 2d6, Explosion (+½) (45 Active Points); OIF
(-½), 5 Charges (-¾). Total cost: 20 points.
Talents
3 Absolute Time Sense Sensory Shields: Flare protectors and audial
9 Ambidexterity (no Off Hand penalty) dampers built into a device that attaches around
3 Bump Of Direction Interface’s head.
5 Eidetic Memory Sight Group Flash Defense (10 points) (10 Ac-
3 Lightning Calculator tive Points); OIF (-½) (total cost: 7 points) plus
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter One 7

Hearing Group Flash Defense (10 points) (10

Active Points); OIF (-½) (total cost: 7 points).
Total cost: 14 points.
Wrist Spike: When Interface activates this de-
vice, a large spike projects from the underside of
his right wrist. It allows him to inflict grievous
wounds in HTH Combat, but also restricts the
use of that arm. He can Block with it, or perform
similar crude tasks, but can’t make fine use of his
right hand.
HKA 1½d6 (3d6+1 with STR), Armor Piercing
(+½) (37 Active Points); OIF (-½), Side Effects
(restricts use of right hand, see text; -¼). Total
cost: 21 points.
Background/History: Years ago, Rutger Eisenmann
was a mercenary, and a good one. He did body-
guard, infiltration, and even assassination work for
high-paying clients, and he never failed to get the
job done. His reputation eventually attracted the
attention of the techno-criminals at ARGENT, and
the organization hired him to guard several of its
scientists while they completed a crucial research
project involving cybernetics.
When raiders came crashing in, Eisenmann
fought like a tiger to cover his employers’ escape.
He took several deep wounds from bullets and gre-
nades before reinforcements arrived and drove off
the attackers. Eisenmann was wounded so badly he
should have died — but the scientists, in gratitude
for his help and in need of experimental subjects
for their work, decided they could save him. They
salvaged what they could of his ravaged body — the
head and spine, parts of the torso — and grafted
them into a cybernetic body made of titanium steel
and electronic cables.
It took Eisenmann months to learn how to use Since then, Interface has become a power in
his new body, in part because the scientists kept the underworld in his own right. Hungry for power
developing upgrades and new parts for it, but even- and glory, he hopes one day to take over the entire
tually he could move as easily as he had with his world. But Millennium City will do as a first step.
fleshly limbs. Although bitter about all he’d lost, he Personality/Motivation: Never the most kind-
had to admit his cyborg body had its merits — he hearted or sympathetic person when wholly hu-
could lift a hundred tons, project blasts of energy, man, Interface is now as cold and harsh as the
and leap over a hundred feet. steel that forms his skin. He cares nothing for
Eisenmann, now known by the code name other people; he’s concerned only with himself,
Interface, went back to work for ARGENT. It his goals, and making sure he keeps his cyborg
was good work; they paid well and, more im- body in fighting shape with daily maintenance.
portantly, performed the daily maintenance his If he can’t have the pleasures of ordinary human
body needed. But after several years, it became touch and companionship, he will instead have
apparent the two didn’t mesh. ARGENT is a the pleasures of power.
subtle organization, given to stealth and behind-
the-scenes manipulation. But Interface, though Quote: “Flesh and bone may make you powerful,
certainly a master planner, is a combat machine, but steel and lightning make me more so.”
ready and able to get involved in battles against Powers/Tactics: Interface’s cyborg body grants
even the toughest superheroes. He longed to de- him a wide range of superpowers. In addition
clare himself publicly and match wits against the to his enormous strength and resilience, he can
so-called “forces of good.” project bolts of electricity in various forms. He
When these difficulties became too apparent can also touch someone and send a paralyzing
for anyone to ignore, Interface suggested he leave current of electricity through that person’s body,
ARGENT to strike out on his own. He’d contract upping the power to inflict agony if he wants.
with the group for maintenance services, and also His combination of hand-to-hand combat skills
refer other clients to it and team with it to conduct and ranged attacks gives him a wide range of tac-
certain operations. Seeing the benefits in this ar- tical options in any situation.
rangement, ARGENT’s leaders agreed.
8 ■ Master Villains Hero System 5th Edition

ADDITIONAL Interface’s technicians can, if necessary, build GUARDBOT

INTERFACE additional weapons or devices into his body. They Val Char Cost Roll Notes
PLOT SEEDS don’t make these alterations permanent, since they 25 STR 15 14- Lift 800 kg; 5d6 [0]
use up lots of power and require even more main- 15 DEX 15 12- OCV: 5/DCV: 5
Interface steals a large tenance, but if Interface expects to get into a fight 10 CON 0 11-
shipment of questionite soon he has them “bolt on” some extra technology. 13 BODY 6 12-
from the U.S. govern- Interface has one weakness: his face. While 10 INT 0 11- PER Roll 11-
ment and uses it to build most of his organic parts are well-protected by his 0 EGO 0 — ECV: N/A
a new cyborg body. Now steel-frame body, his steel “skull” leaves most of his 15 PRE 5 12- PRE Attack: 3d6
even stronger than be- face exposed (though he has an internal air supply).
fore, and virtually inde- 10 COM 0 11-
None of his defenses apply to Hit Location 4, and
structible, he decides to 5 PD 9 Total: 5 PD (5 rPD)
he must take care when exposed to intense heat or
celebrate by going on a 5 ED 12 Total: 5 ED (5 rED)
reign of terror and de- the like — he may have Total Life Support, but that
won’t keep intense heat from burning his face, or 3 SPD 5 Phases: 4, 8, 12
struction. It’s up to the
PCs to stop him before high pressure from crushing his eyeballs. 7 REC 0
he wrecks Millennium 0 END -10
Campaign Use: Interface is a second-tier master
City. — STUN — Total Characteristics Cost: 57
villain, one suitable for short story arcs or for
groups of heroes not yet powerful enough to take Movement: Running: 6”/12”
Cybermind and Inter- on Mechanon or Dr. Destroyer. With the right gang Swimming: 2”/4”
face “team up” — or,
of goons, robots, and/or hired supervillains to back
more accurately, Cy- Cost Powers END
bermind takes over him up, he could pose a significant threat to world
60 Blaster: Energy Blast 8d6, Reduced
Interface’s mind and security; the U.S. Department of Defense ranks
Endurance (0 END; +½) 0
body and uses them to him as a Delta-class superhuman.
15 Robot Body: Damage Resistance
commit crimes he or- To make Interface tougher, you have several
(5 PD/5 ED) 0
dinarily wouldn’t even options. First, increase his Damage Reduction so
contemplate. The PCs 45 Robot Body: Takes No STUN 0
he can fight longer. Second, increase the size of his
have to find Cybermind, 15 Robot Body: Does Not Bleed 0
VPP so he has more optional weapons and gadgets
free Interface from his 45 Robot Body: Life Support: Total 0
built into his body at once. Third, give him cyberki-
control, then cope with 5 Robot Eyes: Infrared Perception
netic powers and related Skills, so that he’s a virtual
an enraged super-cy- (Sight Group) 0
warrior as well as a physical one. If he’s already too
borg who wants to kill 3 Robot Ears: Ultrasonic Perception
all of them. much for your PCs to handle, reduce the size of his
(Hearing Group) 0
VPP, the amount of points in his Multipower re-
12 Tireless: Reduced Endurance
Interface and ARGENT serve, and some of his Characteristics (particularly
(0 END; +½) on 25 STR 0
combine forces to hack STR and his defenses).
6 Tireless: Reduced Endurance
into and take over Mil- As a Hunter, Interface acts in much the same
(0 END; +½) on Running 0
lennium City’s Smart way he does in Champions Battlegrounds: he slowly
1 Tireless: Reduced Endurance
Roadway system. Hold- and carefully gathers information about his quarry.
ing the entire city hos- (0 END; +½) on Swimming 0
When he feels the time is right, he lowers the boom
tage, they demand a $10 and attacks. He enjoys besting his foes in personal Talents
billion ransom before combat if they escape his deathtraps. 3 Absolute Range Sense
they’ll turn the roads
Appearance: Interface has a humanoid cyborg 3 Absolute Time Sense
back over to the city.
The MCPD, paralyzed body made of titanium steel — shiny metal plates, 3 Bump Of Direction
by its inability to drive, strips, and cables that mimic the shape and mus- 3 Lightning Calculator
calls on the PCs to save culature of the human form. His steel “skull” leaves Skills
the day. his face exposed, except for a thin bar running 4 +2 with Blaster
down the center of his face (though he no longer 16 +2 with All Combat
has an external nose or ears). His voice, though still
quite human, has a sort of detached quality to it, as 2 AK: Interface’s Base 11-
if verging ever so slightly into the realm of digitized 2 KS: Interface’s Equipment And Systems 11-
sound. On occasion, he has extra parts or modules 3 Security Systems 11-
attached to his body; these are usually experimental 3 Stealth 12-
weapons of some sort. 3 Systems Operation 11-
Total Powers & Skills Cost: 252
Total Cost: 309
200+ Disadvantages
5 Physical Limitation: Affected By Cyberkine-
sis (has EGO 15 for purposes of cyberkinetic
powers, and can be affected by cybermancy-
based Presence Attacks) (Infrequently,
Slightly Impairing)
25 Psychological Limitation: Obeys Interface’s
Every Order (Very Common, Total)
79 Experience Points
Total Disadvantage Points: 309
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter One 9

Description: Interface has

programmed his Guardbots
for security, basic mainte-
nance, and keeping an eye
on his various projects.
They’re not very bright
and relatively easy to fool.
Fortunately, Interface has a
large number of them and in
combat he mostly uses them
to harry and slow down his
opponents until he can pick
off a specific foe himself.
Programmed to swarm
their targets, the robots slow
down opponents with num-
bers and if possible separate
and isolate the opposition. By
superhero standards they aren’t
very sturdy. Play this up by de-
scribing the ways the robots try
to keep fighting while falling
apart, and allow the heroes to
have a grand time reducing the
robots to scrap.
A Guardbot stands 5’8”,
weighs 150 kg, and is painted
gold. Its eyes are large and
red, and each joint has a large
spherical socket for maximum
flexibility. The Guardbot speaks
in a halting monotone, with an
annoying background buzz.
10 ■ Master Villains Hero System 5th Edition

KING COBRA
AND COIL
S
ubversive, insidious, and lethal — all When COIL rears its serpentine head, authori-
words that fit COIL, the criminal or- ties and superheroes know whatever the plot, it’s
ganization King Cobra created to help potentially catastrophic. COIL won’t commit petty
him become emperor of the world. The crimes. Thanks to the Coil Gene, it doesn’t have a
acronym stands for CObra Imperial Legion, a payroll to maintain and doesn’t need to satisfy its
name that reflects King Cobra’s ambitions and agents’ worldly desires. It has infiltrators in many of
self-view as rightful ruler of all mankind. Its the world’s major banking institutions and corpo-
agents are the victims of King Cobra’s mutagenic rations, and these divert funds to COIL when the
Coil-Gene Touch. The Coil Gene, King Cobra’s need for money arises. Similarly, much of COIL’s
greatest discovery and the source of his powers, equipment comes from subverted organizations,
causes its victim to take on serpentine features including VIPER, ARGENT, and world militar-
that vary in extent from one individual to an- ies and security organizations. If the authorities
other. But all of the victims have one feature in catch an infiltrator, COIL simply abducts another
common: fanatic loyalty, bordering on unholy member of the same organization and soon a new
adulation, toward King Cobra, resulting from infiltrator takes the former one’s place.
genetic “hooks” placed in the victim’s DNA and COIL’s plans to make King Cobra emperor
completely unshakable. An agent does not betray of Earth are usually designed to evoke terror and
his leader... or even consider betraying him. Nei- helplessness in the legitimate governments of the
ther interrogation nor torture can make a COIL world so they’ll surrender and bend the knee to
agent turn against King Cobra. It’s this loyalty King Cobra. With only about 300-400 agents and
that King Cobra exploits to further his goals, infiltrators worldwide as of the time of Sharper
makes COIL so dangerous, and serves as the Than A Serpent’s Tooth, COIL cannot face an army
foundation for the entire organization. on the battlefield. Nor does it have the equipment
to confront even a small, well-equipped military di-
GOAL AND METHODS
vision from a First World army. Instead it must use
Unlike many other criminal organizations, the tactics of terror to kill as many as innocents as
such as VIPER or ARGENT, COIL has a single, it can, thus showing both citizens and leaders that
concrete, easily articulated goal: to make King the government is helpless and they all must bow to
Cobra ruler of the world. There are no plots within King Cobra... or suffer his wrath.
plots, secondary goals, or tertiary objectives. If King Cobra is genius in the fields of genet-
COIL is involved in a situation, somehow and in ics and biology, and COIL’s weapons of terror
some way that involvement furthers King Cobra’s tend toward the biological: plagues and viruses;
quest to conquer the world. COIL personnel aren’t mutagenic clouds; infected foods and beverages;
concerned with accumulating personal wealth and poisoned drinking water. Because of the subtlety of
don’t have personal vendettas they use the orga- these weapons, it’s often difficult to ascertain that
nization to carry out. They have one overriding COIL’s behind a given plot — until an infiltrator is
desire: to obey the commands of King Cobra, who uncovered and bares his retractable fangs.
wishes to conquer the world.
COIL’s methods for accomplishing this goal vary, ORGANIZATION
but tend to have two aspects in common: co-opting COIL is small and tight-knit. Only those
other organizations for its own use; and threatening subjected to the Coil-Gene Touch are allowed in
the lives of as many innocents as possible. its ranks, and for the time being that means King
Once COIL identifies a member of a target Cobra has to use his power on the new recruit. To
organization, agents abduct him and bring him to make the change permanent, he must then expose
their leader. King Cobra uses the Coil-Gene Touch the agent to radiation. The process is time-consum-
on him, making his loyalty to COIL absolute and ing and limits COIL’s recruitment, but it’s also the
beyond question. If the serpentine features caused organization’s greatest strength.
by the mutation are slight, the new agent is taught Due to Coil-Gene loyalty, COIL doesn’t have
how to disguise them and sent back to infiltrate to worry about turncoats, double agents, and the
his former organization. These agents are COIL like, and its structure reflects the absolute confi-
infiltrators, perhaps the organization’s most valu- dence it has in its members. COIL is a rigid hier-
able resource. With infiltrators in place, COIL has a archy with King Cobra at the top, an inner circle
fifth column within the target organization ready to of highly skilled individuals and supervillains just
mobilize at any time. below him, and the agents and infiltrators at the
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter One 11

bottom. Members don’t need to be recognized for forest on the ozone layer. In truth it was a front for
their personal accomplishments, so there are no the now defunct Terror, Inc. and its deceased leader
ranks in COIL. King Cobra or one of his inner Professor Muerte (who planned to take control of
circle says who’s in charge of a mission or facility, the world’s weather). The Weather Station supplies
and that’s the end of it. the mammals that fill the Hothouse jungle.
Similarly, COIL doesn’t have to worry that Another, located in southern Egypt, is called
infiltrator agents may betray it or defect. Its infiltra- Cleopatra. The base has few personnel and serves
tors are unquestionably loyal to the organization. mainly as a bolt hole in case things go wrong else-
Their loyalty more than makes up for the fact that where. Cleopatra’s original function is unknown.
physical evidence — serpentine features which Krait heard about the underground complex
they must disguise — can reveal them. Similarly, through a mercenary contact in Africa and investi-
unlike most ordinary double agents, COIL infiltra- gated. There he found non-functioning machinery
tors won’t hesitate to risk or sacrifice their lives on and robots, seemingly of inhuman manufacture
COIL’s behalf. judging by their ceramic exteriors and “crystal cir-
One of the organization’s initial weaknesses cuit-boards” (as one scientist he consulted called
was the quality of its personnel. Many of the agents them). All signs indicated no one had used the base
came from VIPER and were originally exposed to for decades, so Krait took it over for COIL’s use.
the Coil-Gene Touch through their participation He continues to investigate the original inhabitants
in Project Mendel. Commonly VIPER only sent and their abandoned technology.
troublemakers and ne’er-do-wells to Dr. Blank, The final base, called the Temple, is located
because they were expendable and often lacked the deep in the jungles of Cambodia. Here King Cobra
competence the organization expected of its agents. has conducted tentative research into how he might
The Coil Gene and its genetically-inspired loyalty infect the drug trade with a mutagen. Located in an
toward King Cobra corrected many of the faults ancient and abandoned temple for a divergent sect
possessed by these dregs of VIPER, but it didn’t of Buddhism that somehow associated the native
make them any more skilled or well trained. Thus, king cobra with Siddhartha, the base once housed
COIL had a dearth of technicians and other highly- some superhumans who served Pol Pot... until they
trained personnel. Since breaking from VIPER, ran afoul of China’s Tiger Squad. The Temple sup-
King Cobra has done as much as he can to correct plies King Cobra with many venomous snakes.
this problem, but it still exists to some extent. Equipment
Bases COIL obtains its equipment from whatever
As of the time of Sharper Than A Serpent’s suppliers it can; as of the time of Sharper Than
Tooth, Krait, the inner circle member in charge of A Serpent’s Tooth it does not create its own blast-
operations and procurement, has secured four bas- ers, armor, and the like. For example, the armor
es for COIL’s use. One is the Hothouse described worn by COIL agents in this adventure originally
in Chapter Three, and until its discovery, it serves came from VIPER, and their blaster rifles were
as COIL’s central headquarters (and King Cobra’s manufactured by ARGENT under contract from
dwelling). The other bases are located worldwide; Krait. Despite the variety of suppliers, King Co-
the Hothouse is the only one in the United States. bra demands that his agents have a uniform ap-
All of the bases are abandoned complexes pearance, so reworking, retailoring, and retool-
once used by other organizations. COIL does not ing are often necessary. In the future COIL hopes
(at least at this stage) build bases — it moves into to establish its own manufacturing facilities, but
ones built by other entities after they abandon them that will take time.
or COIL kills the current occupants. In the future, This means that for a supervillain organiza-
King Cobra expects to build bases of his own, but tion, COIL is behind the curve in technology
for now that can wait. that’s not related to genetics or biology — it
One base, innocuously named the Weather must rely on other organizations to make the
Station, is located in the Amazon rainforest. Built advancements, then purchase the equipment or
twenty years ago by a coalition of wealthy finan- steal it. Also, unlike VIPER, it can’t depend on
ciers, the Weather Station is a large geodesic dome vehicles, artillery, and other heavy equipment to
far from civilization. Its publicly-stated goal was to level the battlefield with superheroes. The inner
study the problem of global warming by conduct- circle serves that purpose.
ing extensive research into the effects of the rain-
12 ■ Master Villains Hero System 5th Edition

KING COBRA KING COBRA 4 Serpent’s Speed: Swimming +4” (6” total) 1
PLOT SEEDS Val Char Cost Roll Notes 6 Serpentine Perception: +2 PER with all
40 STR 30 17- Lift 6,400 kg; 8d6 [4] Sense Groups 0
As stated in his descrip- 30 DEX 60 15- OCV: 10/DCV: 10 5 Serpentine Eyes: Infrared Perception
tion, King Cobra is new 30 CON 40 15- (Sight Group) 0
to his powers and might 20 BODY 20 13- 3 Serpentine Form: Stretching 1”; Extra
continue to mutate. 25 INT 15 14- PER Roll 14- Time (Full Phase; -½) 1
When his arms and
20 EGO 20 13- ECV: 7 Perks
legs wither away and he
grows into a fifty-foot- 30 PRE 20 15- PRE Attack: 6d6 15 Money: Filthy Rich
long cobra, he begins to 6 COM -2 10-
call himself Beda. Could Talents
20 PD 12 Total: 20 PD (20 rPD) 9 Ambidexterity (no Off Hand penalty)
he truly be the brother
20 ED 14 Total: 20 ED (20 rED) 15 Combat Sense 14-
of Nama, the great ser-
pent-god behind VI- 7 SPD 30 Phases: 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12 4 Double-Jointed
PER? And can the Earth 14 REC 0 5 Eidetic Memory
survive the war between 60 END 0 3 Lightning Calculator
these two ancient crea- 55 STUN 0 Total Characteristics Cost: 259 3 Lightsleep
tures? 3 Simulate Death
Movement: Running: 11”/22”
Leaping: 8”/16” Skills
Imprisoned after the
events in Sharper Than Swimming: 6”/12” 20 +2 Overall
A Serpent’s Tooth, King Cost Powers END 3 Acrobatics 15-
Cobra continues to 87 Bioenergy Powers: Multipower, 3 Breakfall 15-
gain control over his
87-point reserve 3 Bureaucratics 15-
Coil-Gene Touch until
the effect is perma- 9u 1) Bioenergy Blast: Energy Blast 14d6, Re- 3 Climbing 15-
nent. Somehow free of duced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 3 3 Computer Programming 14-
the power dampeners 5u 2) Bioenergy-Sapping Touch: Energy 3 Contortionist 15-
— perhaps he’s also de- Blast 7d6, NND (defense is Force Field; +1), 3 Deduction 14-
veloped Power Defense Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼); 3 Electronics 14-
— he begins to subvert No Range (-½) 3 3 Interrogation 15-
the guards. Once in 1u 3) Coil-Gene Touch: Major Transform 3 Inventor 14-
control of the prison, 1d6 (human being into Cobra-mutate, 3 KS: The Superhuman World 14-
he turns his attention heals back normally unless victim is sub- 3 KS: VIPER 14-
to the superhuman
jected to elaborate genetic treatments, 3 Paramedics 14-
prisoners....
then the cure is known only to King 3 Stealth 15-
Cobra), Continuous (+1); No Range (-½), 3 Streetwise 15-
After escaping at the
end of Sharper Than A Limited Target (humans; -½), Lockout 3 Tactics 14-
Serpent’s Tooth (or from (must maintain contact with victim for 3 Scientist
prison thereafter), King Continuous effect, and cannot use other 2 1) SS: Anatomy 14-
Cobra decides that the Multipower slots during this time; -½) 3 2 2) SS: Biochemistry 14-
superheroes who pose Martial Arts: Generic Plus 2 3) SS: Biology 14-
such a threat to him 2 4) SS: Chemistry 14-
Maneuver OCV DCV Notes
must serve him instead. 4 5) SS: Genetics 16-
He begins infiltrating 4 Block +2 +2 Block, Abort
5 Cobra Grab +0 +0 Grab Two 4 6) SS: Herpetology 16-
and subverting fan or-
Limbs, 60 STR 1 7) SS: Physics 11-
ganizations and civic
institutions with the for holding on 2 8) SS: Zoology 14-
eventual goal of luring 4 Dodge — +5 Dodge, Affects Total Powers & Skills Cost: 367
heroes to award cer- All Attacks, Total Cost: 626
emonies and speaking Abort
engagements so he can 5 Kick -2 +1 14d6 Strike 200+ Disadvantages
inflict the Coil-Gene 4 Punch +0 +2 12d6 Strike 30 Hunted: UNTIL 14- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
Touch upon them. 30 Hunted: VIPER 14- (Mo Pow, NCI, Kill)
3 Throw +0 +1 10d6 + vel/5;
Target Falls 25 Psychological Limitation: Megalomaniac;
8 +2 Damage Classes (already added in) Determined To Rule The World (Very Com-
mon, Total)
10 Clutch Of The Constrictor: +20 STR; 20 Psychological Limitation: Casual Killer
Only To Grab/Squeeze (-1) 2 (Common, Total)
10 Cobra’s Fangs: HKA ½d6 (1d6+1 with STR) 1 20 Reputation: world-threatening master vil-
10 Scaly Skin: Hardened (+¼) for 20 PD, lain, 14- (Extreme)
20 ED 0 15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity: Timothy
25 Scaly Skin: Damage Resistance (20 PD/ Blank, Ph.D (Frequently, Major)
20 ED), Hardened (+¼) 0 286 Experience Points
5 Underwater Adaptation: Life Support (Ex-
panded Breathing: Breathe Underwater) 0 Total Disadvantage Points: 626
10 Serpent’s Speed: Running +5” (11” total) 1
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter One 13

Background/History: How does it feel to wield true

power? To unleash a blast of energy from your
hand, powerful enough to knock holes in a stone
wall? To crush a man’s throat in one hand with
barely a fraction of your strength? To create a le-
gion of fanatically loyal followers with the merest
touch? To look upon those perfect ranks of faithful
subjects, hear their adulation, and know they go
out into the world to work your will?
For Timothy Blank, it feels good.
After a lifetime of consoling himself with
the cliché “knowledge is power” while those
stronger yet less intelligent than he dictated what
he would do and how he would do it, Blank fi-
nally understands the truth about power. Knowl-
edge might lead to power, but knowledge doesn’t
equate to power. As King Cobra, Blank now pos-
sesses true power.
He finally understands what temptation the
serpent offered Eve in the Garden of Eden, and why
a wrathful God expelled those first humans from
the Garden. The serpent didn’t offer knowledge; it
offered power. God feared the power that Adam
and Eve might come to possess. The same sort of
knowledge transformed the impotent Timothy
Blank into the powerful King Cobra.
Blank spent a lifetime working for others
— first his thesis advisor in graduate school, then
the department head when he was a professor, still
later for VIPER’s Council Of Thirty and Supreme
Serpent. Bad enough he worked for their benefit
rather than his own, but to add insult to injury, the
presumptuous imbeciles had the audacity to tell
him how to conduct his research. At the university,
they told him he couldn’t experiment on human
tempted mankind and gave him knowledge of
subjects and tried to punish him when he did. VI-
Good and Evil. These events left an indelible
PER’s leaders cancelled his funding for important
mark on his memory and motivated his research-
projects because Phillippe Moreau advised them
es into ophidian genetics as much as any scien-
Blank’s goals were dead-ends.
tific interest. As King Cobra, Blank’s fascination
His research a dead-end? King Cobra will
with serpents has only grown. He considers them
prove them and their lackey Moreau wrong. He
his brethren and nearest equals — or at least far
will show VIPER the fruits of his labors — the
superior to humankind.
potential of those “dead-ends” they unknowingly
King Cobra no longer answers to the name
funded. Soon, King Cobra will show the world
Timothy Blank — but he responds to the name
the meaning of true power... and, more impor-
with a fit of rage and threats of death. In his
tantly, who wields it.
mind, Blank is somebody else; as time passes,
Personality/Motivation: Timothy Blank, before be- Timothy Blank becomes almost a different per-
coming King Cobra, had an insane lust for power son entirely. Blank was weak... intelligent, almost
and a sheer disdain for his fellow man. The dra- as intelligent as King Cobra, but still a weak man
matic physical and genetic changes Blank inflicted who knuckled under to those in power. King Co-
on himself have only increased his megalomania. bra would rather forget the indignity of having
He no longer wonders why people don’t obey him served other, lesser men.
— now he makes them obey him. He uses his
Quote: “Ever since Eden, it’s the Serpent who’s held
Coil-Gene Touch to force people to follow his com-
true power.”
mands and worship him as a god.
Blank’s fascination with snakes goes back Powers/Tactics: King Cobra’s powers stem from
to his earliest memories of childhood, when one his mutated genome and his ability to gener-
Sunday morning during church the preacher ate bioenergy. As of the time of Sharper Than A
told the story of the Serpent and the Apple. Serpent’s Tooth, he’s new to his powers and can only
Later that same day, a garter snake bit him as use them in limited ways. He can project reddish-
he tried to catch it. He held the snake by the tail brown energy from his hands with explosive force
and watched it bend upwards, defying gravity, to or draw off another’s bioenergy, causing a severe
bite him on the finger and make him let go. He shock to the target’s system.
remembered the sermon about how the Serpent His most fearsome use of bioenergy is the
Coil-Gene Touch. This attack radiates bioenergy
14 ■ Master Villains Hero System 5th Edition

that seeps into his target. The invasive energy these aspects.
causes a change on the cellular level, inserting a As a Hunted, King Cobra is a severe threat
mutated gene into the target’s DNA. The change is to a superhero’s life. Many heroes are Hunted by
quick; it’s only seconds until the target’s appearance VIPER, but since that organization is so large and
— and his very being — transforms into a half-ser- has so many plans and plots going on at one time,
pent, half-man wholly loyal to King Cobra. it doesn’t focus all of its attention on killing the
By some process only King Cobra understands hero. COIL functions differently. If King Cobra and
— and since he’s never explained the process, it COIL Hunt the hero, he focuses the full attention
could simply be an accidental discovery that Blank of his organization and its resources on destroying
in his pride refuses to confess to — the mutate is the superhero’s life and killing him. The hero finds
tied to King Cobra by bonds of loyalty far deeper those close to him mutated by the Coil Gene and
than those brought on by belief in a cause or a suicidal assassins threatening his life at every turn.
leader’s charisma. The genetic “hooks” implanted And the megalomaniac King Cobra does not accept
in the mutate’s genome — at the heart of each one failure. VIPER might decide to cut its losses after
of his cells — somehow makes him instinctively several catastrophic failures deplete its resources.
subservient to the villain. It’s almost impossible King Cobra doesn’t care about resources or risk.
for him to question an order from King Cobra, let No matter how many agents the PC captures and
alone disobey. locks away, a new agent is only a single touch away.
The Transform caused by the Coil-Gene Touch That said, King Cobra looks down on and hates
heals back normally, but King Cobra has discov- everybody. It would take a lot for him to divert his
ered that exposure to radiation makes the muta- attention from conquering the world to Hunting an
tion permanent. If he exposes a victim to radiation individual hero.
— and that’s always the first thing he does unless To increase King Cobra’s personal power,
some event intervenes — then only elaborate add the Advantage Penetrating to the Coil-Gene
gene therapies known only to him can reverse the Touch so it’s a threat even to heroes with Power
transformation. King Cobra has currently assigned Defense — in other words, the superhero knows
“highest priority” to research into increasing the if he doesn’t free himself from King Cobra’s grasp
power of the Coil-Gene Touch so the change is per- soon, he will become a loyal follower of the villain.
manent without radiation. You can also add slots to his Bioenergy Powers Mul-
(After the events in Sharper Than A Serpent’s tipower as he gains increased control over his new
Tooth and extensive research, some scientists be- powers. Energy Blasts with Area Of Effect, Damage
lieve King Cobra’s bioenergy has a psychic compo- Shields, and Killing Attacks are all possibilities.
nent and this is what inspires such fanatic loyalty in Furthermore, as of the time of Sharper Than A
his victims. But this is mere speculation.) Serpent’s Tooth, the mutation is new... who’s to say
Despite his considerable power and the dra- King Cobra doesn’t continue to mutate, his physical
matic physical changes caused by his mutation, abilities increasing accordingly?
Blank is not yet tactically adept. To make matters To decrease King Cobra’s powers, add Gradual
worse his megalomania often overrules his com- Effect to his Coil-Gene Touch so a mutated PC
mon sense. His basic tactic is to Grab a foe, then doesn’t become a loyal follower until after the fight,
use the Coil-Gene Touch to turn him into a mutate and/or decrease the Transform dice. But don’t
(though he’s not stupid enough to do this if he’s remove it entirely — the whole COIL organiza-
facing multiple foes, since the Touch takes time). If tion rests upon King Cobra’s use of the Coil-Gene
attacked from the air, he blasts away with his Bio- Touch. Alternately, you can keep the Coil-Gene
Energy Blast. He never “cowers” behind cover. He Touch as is but reduce King Cobra’s Characteristics
also has a tendency to ignore active opponents if a and other bio-energy powers.
foe who insulted him — which, given King Cobra’s Appearance: Six and half feet tall with muscles
arrogance, doesn’t take much — is down and help- bulging under his scaly skin, King Cobra is an im-
less. In these cases, he kills the downed opponent posing figure — one even more impressive because
with a dramatic proclamation about what happens of his serpentine features and flaring cobra-like
to those who defy King Cobra. hood. His eyes are golden with slit pupils, devoid of
Campaign Use: A master villain of the second wa- any expression but that of a hunter considering its
ter, King Cobra’s use in your campaign is best il- prey, and never seem to blink. The scales that cover
lustrated by Sharper Than A Serpent’s Tooth. COIL his body are reddish-brown, the color of dried
is smaller and less well-equipped than the likes of blood. Usually King Cobra wears only a loincloth,
VIPER, but it’s more insidious and its fanatically so that his followers may admire his physique; his
loyal followers unhesitatingly sacrifice their lives taste in ornamentation runs to the grandiose, such
for King Cobra. King Cobra is less powerful than as gold bracers and legbands worked with em-
evil masterminds like Dr. Destroyer or Mechanon, bossed cobras.
but his science and Coil-Gene Touch allow him to
create supervillain allies that more than make up
for this. He’s less intelligent and resourceful than
Teleios, but smart enough to engineer grave threats
like the Ophidian Plague. Further adventures in-
volving King Cobra should focus on all three of
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter One 15

THE INNER CIRCLE Martial Arts: VIPER Brawling

Maneuver OCV DCV Notes
An inner circle of supervillains serves as King 4 Block +2 +2 Block, Abort
Cobra’s seconds-in-command; each oversees an 4 Dodge — +5 Dodge, Affects
aspect of COIL. In brief: Boomslang commands All Attacks,
the agents and combat operations performed out Abort
of the Hothouse. Firedrake does very little; King 4 Punch +0 +2 8d6 Strike
Cobra keeps him around for further study, since 3 Throw +0 +1 6d6 + vel/5; Tar-
the Coil Gene expressed itself strangely in his case. get Falls
Gorgon is King Cobra’s favorite and acts as his 10 Serpent Fangs: HKA ½d6 (1d6+1
personal bodyguard and muscle. Krait, as stated with STR) 1
above, is in charge of operations and procurement, 11 Scaly Skin: Damage Resistance
as well as the only COIL member not subject to the (12 PD/10 ED) 0
Coil-Gene Touch. Slither is in charge of intelligence 12 COIL Combat Armor: Armor (8 PD/
operations and handles the COIL infiltrators. 8 ED); OIF (-½), Activation Roll 14-
(does not protect Hit Locations 3-7; -½) 0
BOOMSLANG 3 COIL Helmet Protection: Armor (4 PD/
Val Char Cost Roll Notes 4 ED); OIF (-½), Activation Roll 8-
30 STR 20 15- Lift 1,600 kg; 6d6 [3] (only protects Hit Locations 3-5; -2) 0
24 DEX 42 14- OCV: 8/DCV: 8 6 COIL Helmet Communications System:
18 CON 16 13- HRRP (Radio Group); OIF (-½), Affected
18 BODY 16 13- As Sight And Hearing Group As Well As
10 INT 0 11- PER Roll 11- Radio Group (-½) 0
10 EGO 0 11- ECV: 3 3 COIL Helmet Nightvision System:
15 PRE 5 12- PRE Attack: 3d6 Nightvision; OIF (-½) 0
6 COM -2 10- 5 COIL Helmet Acoustic Shielding: Hearing
Group Flash Defense (8 points); OIF (-½) 0
12 PD 6 Total: 20 PD (20 rPD)
5 COIL Helmet Flare Shielding: Sight
10 ED 6 Total: 18 ED (18 rED)
Group Flash Defense (8 points); OIF (-½) 0
5 SPD 16 Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12
7 COIL Helmet Oxygen Supply: Life
12 REC 4
Support (Self-Contained Breathing);
40 END 2
OIF (-½), 1 Continuing Fuel Charge
45 STUN 3 Total Characteristics Cost: 134
(1 Hour; -0) [1cc]
Movement: Running: 10”/20” 6 Serpentine Perception: +2 PER with
Leaping: 8”/16” all Sense Groups 0
Swimming: 10”/20” 8 Serpent’s Speed: Running +4” (10” total) 1
8 Serpent’s Speed: Swimming +8” (10” total) 1
Cost Powers END 2 Serpent’s Speed: Leaping +2” (8” total) 1
58 VRG-5X Mini-Railgun (Right Arm):
Multipower, 87-point reserve; OIF (-½) Talents
5u 1) Armor Piercing Round: RKA 2d6+1, Ar- 9 Ambidexterity (no Off Hand penalty)
mor Piercing (+½), Autofire (3 shots; 6 Lightning Reflexes: +4 DEX to act first with
+¼), Penetrating (+½); OIF (-½), All Attacks
16 Charges (-0) [16]
Skills
5u 2) Stun Round: RKA 2d6+1, +2
15 +3 with Ranged Attacks
Increased STUN Multiplier (+½),
12 +4 versus Range Modifier with All Attacks
Autofire (3 shots; +¼), Penetrating
10 +2 DCV
(+½); OIF (-½), 16 Charges (-0) [16]
3u 3) Bolo Round: Entangle 4d6, 8 DEF, 3 Acrobatics 14-
Entangle And Character Both Take 3 Breakfall 14-
Damage (+¼); OIF (-½), Cannot Form 5 Combat Driving 15-
Barriers (-¼), Can Be Escaped 5 Combat Piloting 15-
Automatically With Modified Contor- 7 Concealment 13-
tionist Roll (-½), 16 Charges (-0) [16] 3 Contortionist 14-
5u 4) Flash Round: Sight Group Flash 6d6, Au- 3 Fast Draw (Small Arms [including his Mini-
tofire (3 shots; +1¼), Area Of Effect Railgun])14-
(One Hex Accurate; +½); OIF (-½), 2 KS: COIL 11-
16 Charges (-0) [16] 2 KS: The Military/Mercenary/Terrorist
5 VRG-5X Mini-Railgun (Left Arm): World 11-
Another VRG-5X Mini-Railgun (total of 2) 1 KS: The Superhuman World 8-
2 KS: VIPER 11-
7 Mechanics 13-
2 PS: COIL Agent 11-
7 Shadowing 13-
3 Stealth 14-
16 ■ Master Villains Hero System 5th Edition

BOOMSLANG 3 Streetwise 12- Zeke kept his comments to himself and spent
PLOT SEEDS 6 Survival (Temperate, Tropical) 12- his weekends nodding his head while the game
5 Teamwork 15- warden taught him the sportsmanlike and legal
The changes to 7 Tracking 13- ways to hunt. A year later the same game warden
Boomslang’s physiology 9 TF: Common Motorized Vehicles, Two- caught Zeke, now seventeen and still a minor, drag-
wrought by the Coil- Wheeled Motorized Ground Vehicles, ging a dead buck with less than three points on an
Gene Touch are more Tracked Military Vehicles, Wheeled Military antler through the woods out of season. The game
advanced and pervasive Vehicles, Small Planes, Combat Aircraft, He- warden recognized a bad seed when he saw one
than normal, and King licopters, Small Motorized Boats and gave the Hamilton family two choices: pay
Cobra doesn’t know 4 WF: Common Melee Weapons, Small Arms the boy’s fines or ship him off to the military after
why. In an attempt to
6 Weaponsmith (Firearms) 13- he graduated high school. Everyone agreed the
discover the reason, the
villain begins abducting Total Powers & Skill Cost: 328 military seemed like a good place for Zeke. Zeke
Hamiltons. Boomslang Total Cost: 462 couldn’t care less, so he enlisted in the Marines.
doesn’t know about the The Marine Corps wasn’t a good place for
abductions, but what 200+ Disadvantages Zeke either. He’d never faced strict discipline and a
happens when he finds 10 Distinctive Features: serpentine skin and regimented life before, and had never been under
out? Will loyalty to features (Concealable With Difficulty; No- the constant scrutiny of ever-present authority
his family override his ticed And Recognizable) figures. Now that he was, his insubordinate nature
fanatic loyalty to King 5 Distinctive Features: COIL uniform (Easily came to the fore... and there was always a higher-up
Cobra? And can the PCs Concealed; Noticed And Recognizable) around to notice. In high school and with the game
track the abductions 10 Hunted: COIL 11- (Mo Pow, Watching) warden and his parents, he could merely nod his
back to King Cobra’s
30 Hunted: VIPER 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture/ head, pretend he was paying attention, and then
current whereabouts?
Kill) go about his business. The military offered no such
25 Hunted: UNTIL 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture) luxury. Zeke didn’t backtalk his superiors or cause
Boomslang wasn’t re-
ally discharged from 15 Psychological Limitation: Overconfidence problems with his fellow enlisted men — he just
the Marines — in truth, (Very Common, Moderate) didn’t do what he was told. Because of the quiet,
PRIMUS hand-picked 25 Psychological Limitation: Utterly Loyal To non-confrontational nature of his insubordination,
him to infiltrate VIPER. King Cobra (Very Common, Total) Zeke lasted two years before he received his dis-
Using hypnotism and 20 Social Limitation: Subject To Orders (Very honorable discharge.
psychotropic drugs, they Frequently, Major) Out of the service, Zeke drifted through Little
buried his true person- 15 Social Limitation: Public Identity (Zeke Rock and then down to Vibora Bay before VIPER
ality deep in his subcon- Hamilton) (Frequently, Severe) finally caught up with him. The criminal organiza-
scious. When someone 107 Experience Points tion closely monitored military discharges and
accidentally speaks the
trigger word and Zeke Total Disadvantage Points: 462 someone flagged Zeke for recruitment. Rated an
Hamilton’s former per- expert sniper with a discipline problem, he seemed
Background/History: Born and raised on a farm the perfect fit for VIPER. He accepted an offer to
sonality emerges, this
in northern Arkansas, Ezekiel “Zeke” Hamilton join the Vibora Bay Nest with a shrug. But he didn’t
spy wants to come in
from the cold. Now he’s can barely remember a time when he didn’t have make a good VIPER agent. The same problem Zeke
on the run and only the a gun. He had his first BB gun at seven, then a had in the Marines — not doing what he was told
PCs can save him! But lady’s rifle at ten, and he graduated to his father’s when he was told to — followed him into VIPER.
King Cobra’s control hand-me-down hunting rifle the same year he So long as he was with fellow agents on a mission,
over his agents is ge- entered high school. Zeke didn’t care much for he was a fine addition to the Nest. But when it
netic... has Boomslang school — each year he passed on to the next came to routine chores and training, he was absent
really betrayed him? grade, but he wasn’t a good student, didn’t even more often than not. When a call came around for
attend most of his classes. At home, he didn’t subjects for Timothy Blank’s experiments in ge-
Slither’s sadism, thought care much about farming — three older brothers
to result from his beat- netic manipulation, Monique Fontaine was happy
helped their father around the farm, and Zeke to get rid of the incessant and quiet challenge to
ing at Durak’s hands, was left to wander the woods with his BB gun or
perhaps is actually a side her authority. After some initial experiments, King
rifle, hunting squirrels or doves or whatever else Cobra’s Coil-Gene Touch cured Zeke of his insub-
effect of the Coil-Gene
Touch. Now Boomslang might cross his path. ordination by turning him into the fanatically loyal
has turned just as sadis- At sixteen, Zeke had his first brush with the Boomslang. Equipped with two experimental man-
tic. King Cobra humors authorities when a game warden caught him shoot- portable railguns stolen from VIPER, he became
his minion’s desires and ing ducks on the water in a baited area. Zeke had King Cobra’s combat commander.
allows Boomslang to ten ducks in the bag and sack of grain right by his
hunt a new prey... the side. The game warden let him off — the boy was Personality/Motivation: Before he was transformed
PCs! When they wake young, maybe he didn’t know any better — but he by the Coil-Gene Touch, Boomslang was a drifter
up in a isolated forest made Zeke come out on weekends to learn about and a loner, not much interested in belonging to
with power dampening hunting rules and regulations. The more Zeke a group or succeeding in life. He did what he was
collars locked around told only when he was in the mood, and most of
learned about hunting, the more stupid he thought
their necks, will they the time he just did what he felt like doing. He an-
figure out the rules to it was. What did the warden mean, it was unsports-
manlike to shoot ducks on the water? Shooting swered questions with a noncommital shrug and
Boomslang’s “most dan-
them on the wing was a pain. Why couldn’t he set spoke in a slow drawl no matter how urgent the
gerous game” before it’s
too late? out bait? What was he supposed to do? Place de- situation. He didn’t last in the Marines because they
coys, crouch in the reeds, make stupid noises, and valued discipline over Zeke’s marksmanship. He
hope the ducks came to him? survived in VIPER because he was the best shot in
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter One 17

the Nest, but eventually his disrespectful attitude

and laconic disregard for authority got him in
trouble with the Nest Leader.
The Coil-Gene Touch changed Zeke, not just
physically but psychologically: it transformed
his disregard for authority into a fanatical loyalty
to King Cobra. Now Boomslang lives to serve
King Cobra, who’s fanned Boomslang’s hunting
instinct into near bloodlust and honed him into
a cold-blooded killer. Boomslang’s fanaticism is
only apparent when it concerns King Cobra or
while carrying out his orders — otherwise, he’s the
same shrugging-and-drawling Zeke Hamilton as
ever. Some of his COIL peers, especially Krait and
Slither, can’t stand him and sometimes refuse to
work with him.
Quote: “Boys, this is goin’ to be easier than shootin’
ducks on the water.”
Powers/Tactics: A crack shot and excellent
hunter, Boomslang’s main powers involve the mini-
railguns strapped to his arms. The VRG-5X Mini-
Railguns failed their experimental testing phase
with VIPER — they were too heavy and unwieldy
for normal humans, and designers were unable to
streamline the weapons — so King Cobra, via Krait
and his contacts, had no trouble getting hold of
the prototypes. Boomslang uses the weapons easily
because of his enhanced physiology.
The railguns fire a variety of ammo. The ar-
mor piercing rounds are small flechettes designed
to cut through armor. The stunning rounds are
similar in appearance to lead shot but bigger; they
flatten when they hit the target, and despite their
name can kill a man easily. The bolo rounds are leader than Boomslang, tries to keep a low profile
two small spheres connected by a coiled length of in the organization, and King Cobra doesn’t trust
high-strength steel wire; when fired the spheres him completely.
spin apart, stretching to the length of the steel cord Boomslang makes an unlikely Hunter — he
and wrapping around the target. Similar in design doesn’t have a vengeful streak and rarely takes the
to VIPER flash grenades, the flash rounds explode initiative. If King Cobra Hunts a team of heroes he
in blinding light upon impact. probably sends Boomslang, acting as leader for a
Boomslang avoids both taking on multiple group of agents, after them. (For a lone hero, King
opponents and HTH combat. If outnumbered, Cobra sends Slither to assassinate him.)
he sprays the area with flash rounds and retreats. To make Boomslang more powerful, increase
Though skilled in brawling and stronger than any his SPD to 6 and give him Find Weakness with his
normal human, he knows he isn’t a match for many railguns. To make him less powerful, reduce his
superheroes. He prefers to strike from ambush, VRG-5X Mini-Railguns Multipower to 60 or 50 Ac-
preferably a considerable distance away from his tive Points and the slots to fit.
target, and sometimes uses a vehicle such as a mo-
Appearance: Boomslang wears a silver breast plate
torcycle or the like to increase his mobility.
over red scale mail armor. His helmet has a cobra
Campaign Use: Boomslang’s roll in COIL is to lead motif, similar in design to the standard one wore
agents on missions; in effect, he’s the chief combat by a COIL agent with a hood and face plate ob-
officer and the agents’ immediate superior. Because scuring his features. Strapped to each of his arms
commanding COIL agents is part and parcel of is a railgun, and four long curving magazines pro-
serving King Cobra, Boomslang performs this trude from each side of a gun. Under his armor,
task well and certainly much better than any of the the COIL-Gene Touch has had a dramatic effect
other’s King Cobra’s inner circle of supervillains on Zeke Hamilton’s features, giving him a forked
— Firedrake is too remote, Gorgon too monstrous, tongue, long incisors, and scaly skin.
and Slither too sadistic. Krait, who is in fact a better
18 ■ Master Villains Hero System 5th Edition

FIREDRAKE FIREDRAKE — HUMAN FORM 20 Psychological Limitation: Code Versus Kill-

PLOT SEEDS Val Char Cost Roll Notes ing (Common, Total)
10 STR 0 11- Lift 100 kg; 2d6 [1] 15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity (David
A mayoral candidate 12 DEX 6 11- OCV: 4/DCV: 4 Green) (Frequently, Major)
give a speech that lauds 12 CON 4 11- 20 Social Limitation: Subject To Orders (Very
the Institute for Human 10 BODY 0 11- Frequently, Major)
Advancement’s efforts to 10 INT 0 11- PER Roll 11- Total Disadvantage Points: 330
protect “everyday peo-
12 EGO 4 11- ECV: 4
ple.” His own everyday FIREDRAKE — DRAGON FORM
life ruined by the IHA, 10 PRE 0 11- PRE Attack: 2d6
10 COM 0 11- Val Char Cost Roll Notes
Firedrake snaps and ap-
pears at the candidate’s 45 STR 35 18- Lift 12.5 tons; 9d6 [4]
4 PD 2 Total: 10 PD (6 rPD) 18 DEX 24 13- OCV: 6/DCV: 6
next public appearance
8 ED 6 Total: 14 ED (6 rED) 25 CON 30 14-
with a bone to pick. The
PCs must protect the 3 SPD 8 Phases: 4, 8, 12 25 BODY 30 14-
candidate... and then 6 REC 4 10 INT 0 11- PER Roll 11-
King Cobra dispatches 30 END 3 12 EGO 4 11- ECV: 4
agents to return Fire- 23 STUN 2 Total Characteristics Cost: 39 20 PRE 10 13- PRE Attack: 4d6
drake to headquarters. 6 COM -2 10-
And what will the PCs Movement: Running: 6”/12”
do if, during the fight, Cost Powers END 14 PD 5 Total: 24 PD (24 rPD)
Firedrake makes some 25 Fire Powers: Elemental Control, 18 ED 13 Total: 28 ED (28 rED)
incisive points about the 5 SPD 22 Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12
50-point powers
IHA’s activities? 20 REC 12
14 1) Fire Bolt: RKA 1d6+1, Area Of Effect
(20” Line; +1¼), Reduced Endurance 70 END 10
Firedrake has seen one 70 STUN 9 Total Characteristics Cost: 202
murder too many, and (½ END; +¼); No Range (-½),
now he wants out of No Knockback (-¼) 2 Movement: Running: 12”/48”
COIL no matter how 13 2) Pyrokinesis: Telekinesis (28 “STR”), Re- Leaping: 18”/36”
high the risk of being duced Endurance (½ END; +¼);
re-captured by the IHA. Only Works On Fire (-1) 2 Cost Powers END
He contacts the PCs and 27 3) Fiery Aura: HKA 1d6+1, Continuous 47 Fire Powers: Elemental Control,
asks for their help... but (+1), Damage Shield (does damage in 94-point powers
he’s much more valuable HTH combat; +¾), Reduced Endurance 36 1) Fire Blast: RKA 2½d6, Area Of Effect
as a mole in King Co- (0 END; +½); No STR Bonus (-½) 0 (20” Any Area; +1½), Reduced Endurance
bra’s organization. Can (½ END; +¼); No Range (-½),
18 Fiery Protection: Force Field (6 PD/
the PCs convince him to No Knockback (-¼) 5
do the right thing... to 6 ED), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) 0
40 Fiery Protection: Damage Reduction, 23 2) Pyrokinesis: Telekinesis (50 “STR”), Re-
be a hero?
Resistant, 75%; Only Works Against duced Endurance (½ END; +¼);
Limited Types Of Attack (fire; -½) 0 Only Works On Fire (-1) 4
Like the monstrous Gor-
gon, King Cobra discov- 2 Fiery Protection: Life Support 36 3) Fiery Aura: HKA 2d6, Continuous
ers Firedrake’s dragon- (Safe Environment: Intense Heat) 0 (+1), Damage Shield (does damage in
form is continuing to 71 Dragon Form: Multiform (assume HTH combat; +¾), Reduced Endurance
grow... but for some 533-point dragon form; true form is (0 END; +½), Persistent (+½), Inherent
reason David Green 271-point human form); Reversion (-½) 0 (+¼); Always On (-½), No STR Bonus (-½) 0
remains unchanged. The 30 Sharp Claws: HKA 2d6 (4d6 with STR) 3
villain hatches a plot. Skills 40 Fiery Protection: Energy Damage
He keeps David Green 3 Electronics 11- Reduction, Resistant, 75%; Only Works
in his human form for 2 KS: COIL 11- Against Limited Types Of Attack (fire; -½) 0
months, then sends him 2 KS: VIPER 11- 30 Fiery Protection: Force Field (10 PD/
out into the middle of 5 Mechanics 12-
crowded downtown. 10 ED), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) 0
4 PS: Building Maintenance 13- 16 Scaly Hide: Damage Resistance
Then he orders him to
3 Security Systems 11- (14 PD/18 ED) 0
change into his dragon-
form — now grown 3 Teamwork 11- 2 Fiery Protection: Life Support (Safe
to thirty feet tall! And Total Powers & Skill Cost: 232 Environment: Intense Heat) 0
David’s lost somewhere Total Cost: 271 17 Strong Legs: Running +6” (12” total),
in the gigantic body, un- x4 Noncombat 2
able to control his bestial 200+ Disadvantages 9 Strong Legs: Leap +9” (18” forward,
form and change back.... 15 Accidental Change: when takes damage 9” upward) 2
from fire 14- (Uncommon) 12 Tail: Extra Limb (1), Inherent (+¼);
10 Distinctive Features: Mutant (Not Conceal- Limited Manipulation (-¼) plus
able; Always Noticed; Detectable Only By Stretching 2”, Reduced Endurance
Unusual Senses) (0 END; +½); Always Direct (-¼), No
20 Hunted: Institute For Human Advancement Noncombat Stretching (-¼), No Velocity Dam-
8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Kill) age (-¼), Limited Body Parts (tail; -¼) 0
20 Hunted: VIPER (Mo Pow, NCI, Kill)
10 Hunted: COIL 11- (Mo Pow, Watching)
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter One 19

Skills
6 +2 with Sweep, Grab, and Punch
3 Electronics 11-
2 KS: COIL 11-
2 KS: VIPER 11-
5 Mechanics 12-
5 Power: Fire Powers 14-
4 PS: Building Maintenance 13-
3 Security Systems 11-
3 Teamwork 13-
Total Powers & Skill Cost: 331
Total Cost: 533
200+ Disadvantages
20 Accidental Change: when Temperature
Level drops below 1 Always (Uncommon)
10 Distinctive Features: Mutant (Not Conceal-
able; Always Noticed; Detectable Only By
Unusual Senses)
20 Hunted: Institute For Human Advancement
8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Kill)
20 Hunted: VIPER (Mo Pow, NCI, Kill)
10 Hunted: COIL 11- (Mo Pow, Watching)
20 Psychological Limitation: Code Versus Kill-
ing (Common, Total)
15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity (David
Green) (Frequently, Major)
20 Social Limitation: Subject To Orders (Very
Frequently, Major)
198 Experience Points
Total Disadvantage Points: 533
Background/History: Born a mutant, David Green
has known of his power over fire since his early
teens, but for many years hid his abilities from ev- powers during his sleep. Maybe he was a menace
eryone (including his family). He was no hero and to anyone and everyone around him. Controversy
had no desire to become one regardless of his pow- erupted in letters to the newspaper. And behind
ers. He didn’t want to wear a costume, fight super- the scenes, the Institute for Human Advancement
villains, or put his life on the line. For the similar worked hard to vilify David with a letter writing
reasons, he didn’t want to be a supervillain either; campaign by anonymous “concerned citizens.”
he lacked the ambition and greed to take the risks. Uncomfortable with being the center of at-
He hadn’t asked for power over fire, and as far as he tention, David retreated from the public eye until
was concerned, he would pretend he had no such finally he just disappeared entirely. Most assumed
ability. He just wanted to live a normal life. he’d picked up and moved elsewhere. The truth was
His career as a building maintenance engineer the IHA abducted him and imprisoned him in a
in Kansas City, Missouri came to an end when his secret concentration camp in the Dakotas. David
apartment building caught fire one night in May, spent almost a year there. During that time he was
2000. Awakened by the smoke alarm, David easily subjected to numerous tests and cruel experiments,
made his way through the fiery halls and smoke- most of which concentrated on discovering mu-
choked stairwells, emerging unharmed much to tant weaknesses for use in Minuteman technology.
the astonishment of the firemen on the scene. As Finally, David and three others escaped from the
he stood on the street and watched the building go concentration camp. Once outside, they split up
up in flames, a young girl and her mother leaned and went their separate ways, hoping that would
out from a window on the top floor and yelled for help them evade pursuit.
help. David didn’t think twice. He rushed back into Wandering through Bismark, North Dakota,
the building, using his pyrokinesis to cut a path David came up with a plan. As a prisoner, he’d
through the flames, and rescued them. occasionally glimpsed visitors to the camp and
The next day an article entitled “The Super- recognized some of them as important politi-
hero Next Door” ran in the paper with a photo of cians. Knowing the IHA had such influence, he
David, the girl in his arms and the mother right felt he wouldn’t be safe going to the authorities
behind him, as flames bent unnaturally away from or superheroes. Left with no other choice, he
him. The article praised David for his heroics. The joined VIPER. David read the papers — by all
day after that article ran, an op-ed piece mused reports, VIPER was a powerful agency that could
on whether David Green might have set the fire surely protect him from the IHA. The organiza-
himself — perhaps he lost control of his dangerous tion welcomed him with open arms, excited to
20 ■ Master Villains Hero System 5th Edition

add him to Dragon Branch, and promised to and dragon form. While he’s in human form, his
protect him from the IHA. But during training it powers remain limited, but his control is greater.
quickly became obvious David was not suited to In dragon form, he wields great power. it. His dra-
life as a supervillain. In the words of one trainer: conic body flickers with burning flames, and he
“He lacks the killer instinct.” radiates considerable heat. In combat, Firedrake
Right around the time David was failing out changes into his Dragon Form as soon as possible.
of Dragon Branch, Dr. Timothy Blank sent a re- He tries to choose an opponent he’s certain can take
quest for mutant test subjects. For VIPER, mutants the punishment of his flaming body. He usually
with superhuman abilities were a precious com- opens by Sweeping his opponent with his tail, then
modity, but David Green was the exception to the moves into HTH Combat and Grabs him. Unless
rule. Dragon Branch volunteered him for Blank’s backed into a corner, he strikes with his fists rather
experiments. Shortly before his defection from than his claws.
VIPER, King Cobra subjected David to the Coil- Many COIL combat operatives loathe work-
Gene Touch, but the genetic hooks allowing King ing with Firedrake. Because he lacks fine control
Cobra to control his victims mingled strangely over his powers and radiates intense heat, agents
with David’s mutant genome. David underwent a must always be on guard against getting caught in
startling transformation and gained the ability to one of his flame blasts or moving too close to him.
change into an eight-foot-tall draconic humanoid Generally Firedrake is ordered to the far side of the
with greatly increased powers over fire. But unbe- battlefield or otherwise positioned out of the way.
knownst to King Cobra, David was not fanatically Campaign Use: Firedrake is a severe liability to
loyal to the leader of COIL. He was the same old King Cobra and his fanatically loyal agents. His
David Green, longing for a normal life with no resistance to the Coil-Gene Touch leaves him with
desire to fight superhuman battles, but seemingly his free will intact, and if the PCs discover this,
without a way to safely return to his old life. they can use it to their advantage. When roleplay-
Personality/Motivation: David Green is an average ing Firedrake you should hint at his lack of loyalty.
joe. He doesn’t want to hurt anyone; he just wants To a mentalist scanning his mind his doubts and
to live a quiet and peaceful life. That being said, he’s conflict are readily apparent and at the foremost
not going to throw his life away, and in his mind of his thoughts — especially during combat as he
only organizations like VIPER and COIL can pro- attempts to stun opponents even though King Co-
tect him from the IHA. He’s seen first hand that the bra and other COIL agents go for the kill. During
human supremacists have far too much influence fights, he often pleads with his opponent, asking
with the authorities for him to trust anyone on the him to surrender, flee, or at least lay down and play
right side of the law. dead — even if King Cobra shouts orders to kill the
Though he does a good job acting completely do-gooders. That being said, convincing Firedrake
loyal to King Cobra, he isn’t. He dreads the day they can keep him safe from the IHA is no easy
when King Cobra orders him to kill someone task for the PCs. He pretty much believes the or-
— David knows he won’t be able to obey that order ganization is a covert government agency, and PCs
and fears the consequences of disobedience. Unable with known ties to government officials will have
to reconcile COIL’s agenda with his conscience, he an especially hard time proving their good inten-
purposefully turns a blind eye to King Cobra’s more tions.
murderous activities. He may not be a supervillain Unable to ignore his increased powers, Fire-
at heart, but he doesn’t have the strict moral code of drake is growing more confident with his pyrokine-
a superhero either. He knows COIL involves itself sis and Dragon Form. While in the past he would
in some heinous crimes, but doesn’t want to think never consider Hunting a superhero, if he has rea-
about it. As long as he’s not directly involved, he son to believe a hero or public figure has contacts
doesn’t feel personally responsible and considers with the IHA, then he might just Hunt that hero
his own safety more important (although a guilty and try to strike back at his former tormentors.
conscience nags at him). To reduce Firedrake’s power, decrease his Mul-
Before gaining his Dragon Form ability, David tipower reserve and slots. To increase his power,
had little confidence in his powers — compared to raise his STR, CON, and BODY to make him more
those of many superheroes, they seemed weak and of a traditional “brick,” and give him Combat Skill
nearly useless — but now he thinks differently, and Levels with HTH Combat.
there’s a noticeable change in his attitude. He has Appearance: David Green is a slightly overweight
yet to be backed into a corner, and there’s no telling man of medium height in his early thirties. Because
what he might do if that happens. his transformation destroys his clothes, he often
Quote: “Don’t get up... Just stay out of the fight. I wears inexpensive shirts and polyester slacks with
don’t want to hurt you. Honest.” tennis shoes. In his Dragon Form, Firedrake stands
Powers/Tactics: Firedrake’s powers stem from seven-foot-tall with a toothy maw, long claws and
his mutant ability of pyrokinesis. Before experienc- arms, a long, spiked tail, and dog-like legs. Flames
ing the Coil-Gene Touch, he possessed minor abili- flicker on his claws and teeth and the air ripples
ties: he could control existing flames, but not cre- around him, like pavement in the desert, because of
ate them, and was practically immune to fire. The the intense heat he radiates.
mutation caused by King Cobra’s genetic meddling
has greatly increased his powers, in both human
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter One 21

GORGON 10 Physical Limitation: Enormous GORGON

Val Char Cost Roll Notes (8m; -4 DCV, +4 to PER Rolls to perceive) PLOT SEEDS
60 STR 50 21- Lift 100 tons; 10d6 [6] (Frequently, Slightly Impairing)
21 DEX 33 13- OCV: 7/DCV: 7 5 Physical Limitation: Tail Instead Of Legs Gorgon hears of the
30 CON 40 15- (Infrequently, Slightly Impairing) woman Medusa, a
25 BODY 30 14- 25 Psychological Limitation: Utterly Loyal To member of PSI. She
10 INT 0 11- PER Roll 11- King Cobra (Very Common, Total) slithers out from where
15 Psychological Limitation: Thinks She’s A ever she’s hiding to
8 EGO -4 11- ECV: 3
Reincarnation Of Gorgon (Stheno) From investigate — could it
25 PRE 15 14- PRE Attack: 5d6 really be her former
6 COM -2 10- Classical Mythology (Uncommon, Total)
sister reborn? What
15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity (Zanita
35 PD 23 Total: 35 PD (20 rPD) happens when the two
Stefanos) (Frequently, Major) meet? Does Gorgon
35 ED 29 Total: 35 ED (20 rED) 20 Social Limitation: Subject To Orders (Very punish the woman
5 SPD 19 Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 Frequently, Major) who’s usurped her
24 REC 12 134 Experience Points sister’s name and battle
80 END 10 the rest of PSI? Or does
Total Disadvantage Points: 479
80 STUN 10 Total Characteristics Cost: 265 Medusa cunningly con-
Background/History: An orphan raised in Athens, vince Gorgon she truly
Movement: Running: 10”/20” Zanita Stefanos spent the first fourteen years of her is her sister reborn in
Leaping: 12”/24” life in an orphanage. An outstanding student of modern times?
Swimming: 12”/24” exceptional beauty with a passion for the classics
Cost Powers END of ancient Greece, she was often used as a “poster A PC stumbles upon a
16 Tail: +20 STR; Only With Tail (-¼) 2 child” for orphanage fundraising campaigns. Dur- photograph of a recent
ing one of these fundraisers she came to the atten- find outside Athens: an
30 Claws: HKA 2d6 (4d6 with STR) 3
tion of Duchess Henrietta von Drotte, a European ancient shield of bronze
15 Fangs: HKA 1d6 (2d6 with STR) 1 with a gorgon’s face
20 Thick, Scaly Hide: Damage Resistance corporate mogul well-known for her philanthropy...
embossed on its front.
(20 PD/20 ED) 0 and less well-known as one of VIPER’s secret lead- And the face is the spit-
10 Unique Physiology: Power Defense ers. The Duchess was exploring the possibilities of ting image of Gorgon.
(10 points) 0 a new operation code-named Generation Viper Could she really be
10 Alien Psyche: Mental Defense (12 points) 0 recently submitted for her consideration by a team the reincarnation of
10 Thick, Scaly Hide: Lack Of Weakness of sociologists and cultural anthropologists in her a mythological figure
(-10) for Resistant Defenses 0 employ. The idea behind Generation Viper was from ancient Greece...
20 Heavy: Knockback Resistance -10” 0 to recruit prepubescent children, preferably those and if so, what does
without family ties, and groom them to become the this mean for her pow-
4 Strong Lungs: Life Support (Extended
next generation’s cultural icons and pop stars. They ers, and for COIL?
Breathing: 1 END per 20 Minutes) 0
8 Swift: Running +4” (10” total) 1 would only have the most tenuous ties to VIPER
itself; their purpose was to subvert the zeitgeist A PC’s relative disap-
10 At Home In Water: +4” Swimming pears. She was last seen
(12” total) +4” 1 of Europe’s next generation, infecting it with at-
visiting a penpal in the
15 Long, Serpentine Body: Stretching 3”, Re- titudes and beliefs that would make their fans and Swiss Alps. The PC
duced Endurance (0 END; +½); admirers more open to VIPER recruitment: greed, stumbles on information
Always Direct (-¼), No Noncombat lust for power, and open contempt for legitimate about Generation Viper,
Stretching (-¼) 0 authority. With its opportunity for good public but can only find one
relations and very limited exposure of her criminal clue: the woman who
Talents connections, von Drotte gave the go-ahead for the later became Gorgon.
3 Environmental Movement: Aquatic project, and though Zanita was a little older than Can the PC abduct Gor-
Movement (no penalties while in water) the researchers recommended, the Duchess chose gon from King Cobra’s
her for the project. clutches? And then can
Skills he help her regain her
6 +2 with Tail With thirty-three other children, mostly of
memory?
10 +2 with HTH Combat Eastern European extraction, Zanita traveled to a
14 Tail Slam: +6 OCV with Sweep; Only remote chateau in the Swiss Alps, where VIPER
With Tail (-¼) had established a school called the Institute for
Advanced Children. The children were divided
2 Language: English (fluent conversation; into classes based on talents and predilections: pop
Greek is native) musicians, television personalities, supermodels,
6 Survival (Tropical) 13- artists, writers, and movie stars. In its own way, the
5 Tracking 12- training was grueling... yet slowly but surely many
Total Powers & Skill Cost: 214 of the children were transformed into darlings of
Total Cost: 479 the media and youth culture. Only a handful either
refused or were unable to conform, and among
200+ Disadvantages
these was Zanita. She was homesick and had be-
25 Enraged: in combat (Very Common),
come a poor student. She refused to learn proper
go 11-, recover 11-
etiquette and alter her accent to something more
10 Hunted: COIL 11- (Mo Pow, Watching)
acceptable, more “cute” than her heavy Greek one.
20 Hunted: VIPER 8- (Mo Pow, NCI,
She found frequent opportunities to rebel... and she
Capture/Kill)
was a bad influence on her peers. After two years
22 ■ Master Villains Hero System 5th Edition

and a testament to his superior intellectual prow-

ess. In her own eyes she had become a gorgon
from mythology; Zanita Stefanos disappeared
and Stheno took her place.
Personality/Motivation: A dramatic physical trans-
formation, such as the one undergone by Zanita
Stefanos, can’t help but have psychological conse-
quences. Add to that the mental changes wrought
by the Coil-Gene Touch and she is hardly the same
person at all. She’s forgotten her entire past and
even her name. She believes herself to be the rein-
carnation of the Gorgon from Greek myth, Stheno
(whose name means “strong”), and King Cobra
does nothing to dispel this delusion.
Quote: “A hero once slew my sister. You will be less
fortunate.”
Powers/Tactics: A combination of strength and
size is Gorgon’s primary power. Her upper body
is enormously strong, on par with bricks like
Ironclad and Black Diamond. The strength of
her lower body — a twenty-foot long tail — is
only exceeded by some of the strongest in the
Champions Universe. Once caught in Gorgon’s
coils, few superheroes can escape by main force.
When Grabbing an opponent, she typically at-
tempts a Sweep to Grab both the arms and legs
and uses her Levels to offset any penalties. Once
she has successfully Grabbed her foe, she simply
squeezes until he expires.
When faced with multiple opponents, she
opens with her Tail Slam (a straightforward Sweep
to do damage), then Grabs a Stunned opponent.
Against flying opponents, she coils her body be-
her instructors deemed her too old and too set in
neath her and leaps, attempting to Grab the oppo-
her ways to mold into the type of person required
nent in the hope her weight drags him down to the
by Generation Viper.
ground.
All of which left von Drotte with a problem,
Gorgon can remain underwater for a long
since she needed a way to remove Zanita and other
time. If possible, she often takes to the water in
failed candidates from public scrutiny and none
combat, using it to hide from and surprise her op-
of them were suitable as VIPER agents. Project
ponents, and perhaps drown them.
Mendel seemed the perfect solution; it had a high
casualty rate and was far from Europe. At the age of Campaign Use: Gorgon serves as King Cobra’s
16, Zanita found herself along with five others on a muscle; he revels in the horror she creates in his
plane headed for New Mexico. foes. Though she wouldn’t Hunt a hero on her own,
The rejects from Generation Viper were King Cobra might send her after one of his targets,
the first teenagers Blank had the opportunity to or to intimidate or coerce someone.
experiment on. He wondered how the pubes- King Cobra suspects that Gorgon is not fin-
cent metabolism coupled with future physical ished growing yet — after all, Zanita is only 16 and
changes would affect the outcome of his experi- some girls continue grow after that age. To make
ments. The other five died, but by the time he her more powerful, increase her Strength and size
experimented on Zanita he had isolated the as she enters adulthood. To decrease her powers,
lethal anomalies in his subjects and had high eliminate her extra STR with her Tail and make her
hopes for the girl. He put off his final work until susceptible to unusual attacks like Ego Blast and
he defected from VIPER and transformed him- Drain by decreasing or eliminating her Mental and
self into King Cobra. His patience was well-re- Power Defense.
warded. First injected with discrete amounts of Appearance: Gorgon has a woman’s upper body
irradiated serpent venom, then subjected to the covered with green scales and snake’s lower body.
Coil-Gene Touch, Zanita underwent a dramatic The snake-like portion of her body is long, a little
change. Some would consider it a monstrous and over 20 feet, and she often keeps it coiled under her.
horrible transformation; King Cobra considered Her hair is black and straight; it reaches her mid-
it magnificent, his greatest accomplishment. The back. She has long black talons at the tips of her
beautiful young woman became the terrifying fingers, yellow eyes with slit pupils, and long fangs
Gorgon: half-woman, half-snake. Strong, fast, in a thin-lipped mouth.
and brutal, she was a glory in King Cobra’s eyes
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter One 23

KRAIT 27 Burst Of Speed (Running): Running

Val Char Cost Roll Notes +20” (32” total); Increased Endurance
20 STR 10 13- Lift 400 kg; 4d6 [2] Cost (x2 END; -½) 8
30 DEX 60 15- OCV: 10/DCV: 10 15 Evolved Physiology: Swimming +10”
24 CON 28 14- (12” total), x4 Noncombat 1
15 BODY 10 12- 13 Burst Of Speed (Swimming): Swimming
15 INT 5 12- PER Roll 12- +20” (32” total); Increased Endurance
15 EGO 10 12- ECV: 5 Cost (x2 END; -½) 4
20 PRE 10 13- PRE Attack: 4d6 4 Evolved Physiology: Leaping +4” (8” total) 1
16 COM 3 12- 35 Sense Neural Activity: Detect Neural
Activity 15- (no Sense Group), Discrimina-
10 PD 6 Total: 20 PD (10 rPD) tory, Increased Arc Of Perception (360 De-
10 ED 5 Total: 20 ED (10 rED) grees), Range, Sense, Targeting 0
6 SPD 20 Phases: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12
20 REC 22 Perks
60 END 6 30 Contacts: 30 points’worth of Contacts in the
50 STUN 13 Total Characteristics Cost: 208 mercenary/criminal world

Movement: Running: 12”/48” Talents

Leaping: 8”/16” 4 Quicken Nervous System: Lightning Reflexes:
Swimming: 12”/48” +4 DEX to act first with All Attacks; Costs
Endurance (-½) 1
Cost Power END 6 Simulate Death 15-
110 Neurokinesis: Multipower, 110-point
reserve Skills
8u 1) Neural Overload: Drain DEX and 6 +2 with COIL Blasters
SPD 3d6, two Characteristics 6 +2 with VIPER Brawling
simultaneously (+½), BOECV (Mental De- 6 +2 with Neurokinesis Multipower
fense applies; +1), Limited Range 13 Quicken Nervous System: +4 DCV; Costs
(25”; +¼) 8 Endurance (-½) 2
7u 2) Neural Streamlining: Aid DEX and 3 Combat Driving 15-
SPD 4d6, two Characteristics 3 Combat Piloting 15-
simultaneously (+½), BOECV (Mental De- 5 Concealment 13-
fense applies; +1), Limited Range 5 Conversation 14-
(25”; +¼); Costs Endurance (-½) 11 3 Electronics 12-
7u 3) Sensory Shutdown: Sight, Hearing, 7 Interrogation 15-
Smell/Taste, Touch, Radio, and Mental 2 KS: Military Vehicles 11-
Sense Groups Flash 5d6, BOECV (Mental 5 KS: The Military/Mercenary/Terrorist
Defense applies; +1); Normal Limited World 14-
Range (25”; -½) 10 1 KS: The Pilot World 8-
5u 4) Neural Surge: Ego Attack 7d6; 3 KS: The Superhuman World 12-
Normal Limited Range (25”; -½) 7 3 KS: Supervillains 12-
Martial Arts: VIPER Brawling 3 KS: VIPER 12-
Maneuver OCV DCV Notes 3 Linguist
4 Block +2 +2 Block, Abort 3 1) Language: English (idiomatic; Punjabi
4 Dodge — +5 Dodge, Affects is native)
All Attacks, 3 2) Language: Urdu (idiomatic)
Abort 1 3) Language: German (fluent conversation)
4 Punch +0 +2 10d6 Strike 1 4) Language: French (fluent conversation)
3 Throw +0 +1 6d6 + vel/5; Tar- 1 5) Language: Chinese (fluent conversation)
get Falls 3 Mechanics 12-
8 +2 Damage Classes (already added in) 7 Persuasion 15-
3 PS: VIPER Agent 12-
20 Body Suit: Armor (10 PD/10 ED); OIF (-½) 0 7 Shadowing 14-
34 Deaden Pain: Physical and Energy 3 Stealth 15-
Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50%; 3 Streetwise 13-
STUN Only (-½), Costs Endurance 7 Tactics 14-
(only to activate; -¼) 6 3 Teamwork 15-
15 Shielded Neural Paths: Mental Defense 6 TF: Common Motorized Ground Vehicles,
(18 points total) 0 Small Planes, Large Planes, Combat Aircraft,
15 Shielded Neural Paths: Power Defense Helicopters
(15 points total) 0 8 WF: Small Arms, Blades, Vehicle Weapons
17 Evolved Physiology: Running +6” (5 vehicles)
(12” total), x4 Noncombat 1 2 Weaponsmith (VIPER Vehicular Weapons) 12-
Total Powers & Skill Cost: 533
Total Cost: 741
24 ■ Master Villains Hero System 5th Edition

KRAIT PLOT SEEDS 200+ Disadvantages weeks his latent ability, termed neurokinesis by the
10 Dependence: must drink neural dampen- scientists, became active. He could manipulate the
PRIMUS surveillance ing serum once a day or suffer 2d6 Normal electrical impulses produced by the human ner-
photos show Krait meet- Damage (Uncommon) vous system. The scientists thought he could only
ing with VIPER-X... 30 Hunted: VIPER 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture/ do this to himself, thus speeding up his reflexes
or at least, a man who Kill) and reaction time; Aziz kept his power to control
looks like Aziz Singh 25 Hunted: UNTIL 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture) others’ nervous systems a secret. Although he expe-
meeting with one who 10 Hunted: COIL 11- (Mo Pow, Watching) rienced side effects from the process — without a
looks like Kevin Arm- neural dampening serum, his nervous system grew
10 Psychological Limitation: Hatred Of VIPER
strong. What game
And VIPER-X (Common, Moderate) overloaded with sensations, and jolts of electricity
could possibly be afoot?
Could the animosity 15 Psychological Limitation: Self-Centered severely disrupted his ability to concentrate — Aziz
between Krait and VI- (Very Common, Moderate) soon rejoined VMS-Alpha.
PER-X be some kind 15 Reputation: traitor to VIPER, 11- (Extreme) Then Aziz put in motion his plan to discredit
of elaborate plot? Is 15 Social Limitation: Public Identity (Aziz Armstrong. He leaked Armstrong’s name and his-
VIPER-X a victim of the Singh) (Frequently, Major) tory to the media. When the media began to ques-
Coil-Gene Touch? And 20 Social Limitation: Subject To Orders (Very tion how it was possible that this all-American boy
when the PCs corner Frequently, Major) could betray his country, Aziz planted evidence
both villains and they 15 Vulnerability: 1½ x STUN from Electricity that Armstrong hadn’t betrayed his country at all
claim to be working for — he was a PRIMUS undercover agent! The leaders
(Very Common)
PRIMUS, who’s telling
376 Experience Points of VIPER bought the story hook, line, and sinker
the truth?
— the idea of a Silver Avenger defecting never
Total Disadvantage Points: 741
sat well with some among the Council Of Thirty
The PCs have captured Background/History: Born and raised in poverty in
King Cobra, but COIL — and Armstrong fled for his life.
the Punjab region of Pakistan, Aziz Singh enlisted Now the leader of VMS-Alpha, Aziz enjoyed
remains active — and
amazingly it seems in the Pakistani army as soon as he was able, join- the next few years as one of the most respected
content to let its leader ing his cousin and closest friend, Kalat Barkhan. He agents in VIPER, but events outside of his control
rot in jail. Could Krait was under his cousin’s command when Kalat bru- eventually derailed his rise to the top. The inter-
be running COIL now? tally tortured and murdered several Indian soldiers. vention of the Serpent-God, Nama, brought Arm-
And if so, how does he Facing court-martial, Kalat fled into the arms of strong back into the organization... and this time, it
control the agents? Is VIPER, and Aziz joined him. VIPER split them up was Aziz’s turn to escape VIPER’s vengeance.
he merely lying to them and sent them abroad. Like Armstrong before him, Aziz disappeared
about King Cobra... or Aziz had always lived in the shadow of his into the mercenary underworld, where he made
is some deeper power cousin, but now he came into his own and his
at work? contacts with various criminal organizations like
natural talents as a tactician and leader came to ARGENT. Still operating under the name Krait, he
the fore. He trained as a Vehicle Combat Special- spent several years working for whoever paid him the
After the events in
ist, then after two years of impeccable service most. Due to his extensive contacts, he soon became
Sharper Than A Ser-
pent’s Tooth, the PCs cross-trained as a Scarlet Serpent. During this as much a go-between and supplier of manpower and
decide to eliminate time he came to the attention of Kevin Arm- high-tech gear as a field mercenary. When Timothy
COIL once and for all strong — VIPER-X, the leader of VIPER Mobile Blank contacted him about a weapons purchase, Krait
while it’s still relatively Squadron-Alpha. Aziz joined VMS-Alpha, tak- quickly deduced what Blank was up to. Intrigued
small and weak. But to ing the codename Krait (a deadly serpent indig- by the idea of toppling VIPER once and for all, he
do this, they need in- enous to the Indian subcontinent). became closely involved in COIL, and is now one of
sider information on its Despite his membership in VMS-Alpha, Aziz King Cobra’s most important followers.
activities and hideouts. was discontent. Ambitious and hungry for power,
Captured in the Hot- Personality/Motivation: Krait is as cold-blooded
he felt his career in VIPER had stalled. The focus of
house, Krait is in jail as his namesake. He cares nothing for anyone but
his anger became Kevin Armstrong himself — the
with all the knowledge himself, and tends to view anyone who’s not obvi-
the PCs could ever want all-American “golden child” of VIPER. Aziz hated
ously less powerful or influential than he as a rival.
about COIL locked in everything about him: his enhanced physiology,
His experiences with VIPER have left him with a
his head... are they will- his status as a former Silver Avenger for PRIMUS
bitter hatred of that organization in general, and
ing to make a deal with (and how important that made him to VIPER), his
VIPER-X in particular; he could easily develop a
a devil to stop a greater condescending nobility (and, in Aziz’s mind, rac-
evil? similar hatred of PCs who thwart him. In short,
ism), his ridiculous code of honor.
there’s almost nothing likeable about him.
During this time Aziz’s cousin, Kalat, came
into command of the Sand Castle, an important Quote: “The venom of the krait... first it makes you
VIPER base in the Thar Desert in Pakistan that blind. Soon you can’t hear or feel... can’t even smell.
focused on studies into superhuman mutation. Then you’re at my mercy.”
Aziz wanted to remove Armstrong from VIPER Powers/Tactics: Krait’s main power is neurokinesis
— permanently — but he needed an edge. He con- — the mental ability to control human neural path-
vinced Kalat to allow him to be a test subject in a ways. He uses this ability on his own body to perma-
new project. The project’s goal was to activate the nently give himself superhuman speed and endur-
gene sequence that led to the birth of a mutant. The ance, and he can augment those qualities even further
scientists determined Aziz was a viable candidate on a temporary basis. He can also affect other people,
with the latent potential for superpowers. They either to enhance or impede. He can even completely
subjected him to a series of DNA-altering retro- shut down another person’s senses for a few seconds,
viruses and growth hormones, and after several or cause brief, painful seizures.
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter One 25

In battle, Krait opens with Sensory Shutdown

against a martial artist or speedster, then uses his
fighting skills to pummel his opponent into un-
consciousness. He tries to limit his use of Neuro-
kinesis to where it is most effective — the powers
are a considerable drain on his END and he tries
to conserve his strength. He always keeps one eye
on potential escape routes; with enemies like his,
he has no desire to be captured, and so he saves
enough strength to get away if the battle takes a
turn for the worse.
Krait only uses Neural Streamlining on his
allies when the target is integral to a given battle or
tactical goal — he trusts few people and has little
desire to help others, but he also has a good head
for tactics and won’t let his distrust interfere with
winning a fight against someone who wants to
capture him.
Campaign Use: Krait’s job in COIL is to oversee
operations: obtain supplies, keep open lines of
communications with various underworld con-
tacts, find locations for safehouses and bases, and
so on. As the organization’s link with the rest of
the criminal underground, he’s vital to the smooth
functioning of COIL. King Cobra long ago at-
tempted to use his Coil-Gene Touch to make Krait
unquestionably loyal to him (claiming it was only
to ease some of the side effects of Krait’s neuroki-
nesis), but Krait knew what was going on and used
his powers (claiming it was an instinctive reaction
he had no control over) to prevent King Cobra’s
touch from taking effect.
For the time being, King Cobra and Krait
share a similar goal, but each prepares for the day
when it’s time to betray the other. Currently, Krait
enjoys the upper hand since COIL is in “startup
mode” and King Cobra badly needs Krait’s con-
tacts. King Cobra’s one bargaining chip is the To weaken Krait, reduce his SPD to 5 and the
neural dampening formula that Krait requires to points in his Multipower reserve to 90, or even 80
keep his powers in check. The formula is difficult to points. To make him tougher, increase his Mul-
distill, but not impossible, and King Cobra knows tipower reserve and add the Advantage Reduced
it provides him with only limited influence over Endurance to his Multipower slots.
Krait. King Cobra has spent much time wondering Krait makes for a deadly Hunter. First he at-
how he can negate Krait’s immunity to the Coil- tempts to discredit the superhero (as he did with
Gene Touch by doctoring the neural dampening Armstrong) and separate him from anyone who
formula. But in this game of cat and mouse, Krait would offer protection. Once the quarry is on the
remains ever-wary of such a trick.... run, Krait uses his extensive contacts to make his
Once COIL is firmly established, the balance life extremely difficult. His experience with Arm-
of power will shift and Krait will find himself less strong taught Krait an important lesson: don’t
and less invaluable. Krait has several contingency leave a job unfinished. Once he has the superhero
plans in the works, but will stick around as long as cornered, Krait doesn’t stop until he’s dead.
possible since COIL seems his best hope of striking
back at VIPER and Armstrong. Appearance: A leanly-muscled Pakistani man,
Krait wears a black body suit with red wavy lines
running up the legs and arms. He wears a black
mask over his nose and mouth, leaving exposed
his brown eyes and long black hair. Krait speaks
quietly, slowly, precisely, and without an accent.
Even in the midst of battle when he must shout
to be heard, he rarely sounds flustered or pan-
icked — mainly because he never feels either of
those emotions.
26 ■ Master Villains Hero System 5th Edition

SLITHER SLITHER 7 Concealment 13-

PLOT SEEDS Val Char Cost Roll Notes 5 Chameleon Camouflage: +4 to Conceal-
20 STR 10 13- Lift 400 kg; 4d6 [2] ment; Self Only (-½), Costs Endurance
Slither decides it’s time 24 DEX 42 14- OCV: 8/DCV: 8 (to activate; -¼) 1
to get his revenge on 30 CON 40 15- 7 Contortionist 16-
Durak and Eurostar... 15 BODY 10 12- 5 Demolitions 12-
and his actions lead to a 12 INT 2 11- PER Roll 11- 9 Disguise 14-
war between those vil- 5 Interrogation 14-
12 EGO 4 11- ECV: 4
lains and COIL. Europe 2 KS: The Military/Mercenary/Terrorist
barely survived the VI- 20 PRE 10 13- PRE Attack: 4d6
6 COM -2 10- World 11-
PER-Eurostar War, how
1 KS: The Superhuman World 8-
will it fare this time? 20 PD 16 Total: 20 PD (10 rPD)
And is there anything 2 KS: The Local Underworld 11-
20 ED 14 Total: 20 ED (10 rED) 2 KS: VIPER 11-
your superheroes can do
to stop it? 6 SPD 26 Phases: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 2 Language: English (fluent; German is native)
12 REC 4 2 PS: VIPER Agent 11-
Slither’s transformation 60 END 0 3 Security Systems 11-
continues and soon he 40 STUN 0 Total Characteristics Cost: 176 3 Shadowing 11-
finds himself taking Movement: Running: 6”/12” 3 Stealth 14-
on the shape of all the 3 Chameleon Camouflage: +2 to Stealth;
people he’s killed. To see Cost Power END Costs Endurance (to activate; -¼) 1
one of his victims in the 37 Battering Tentacles: HA +4d6, Continuous 3 Streetwise 13-
mirror each morning, (+1), Damage Shield (+½), Reduced 3 WF: Small Arms, Blades
a different one every Endurance (½ END; +¼); Hand-To-Hand At- 5 Tactics 12-
day, is more than he can
tack (-½) 2 5 Teamwork 15-
handle and he snaps...
breaking free of the Coil 33 Tentacle Wrap: Entangle 6d6, 6 DEF,
Total Powers & Skills Cost: 319
Gene’s influence. Or at Entangle And Character Both Take
Total Cost: 495
least this is the story Damage (+¼), Reduced Endurance
Slither tells the heroes! (½ END; +¼); Feedback (Slither takes 200+ Disadvantages
Do they dare trust this all damage done to Entangle; -1), 25 Enraged: when he takes BODY (Common),
sadistic murderer even if No Range (-½), Cannot Form Barriers (-¼) 3 go 11-, recover 8-
he is offering COIL on a 36 Tentacle Choke: HKA 1d6 (2d6 with STR), 10 Hunted: COIL 11- (Mo Pow, Watching)
silver platter? NND (defense is rigid mouth covering; +1), 30 Hunted: VIPER 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, Cap-
Does BODY (+1); No Knockback (-¼) 4 ture/Kill)
Slither begins contact- 25 Hunted: UNTIL 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
ing old comrades from Martial Arts: VIPER Brawling
Maneuver OCV DCV Notes 15 Psychological Limitation: Sadistic
the Stasi and KGB. In
4 Block +2 +2 Block, Abort (Very Common, Moderate)
return for joining COIL,
these former spies, now 4 Dodge — +5 Dodge, Affects 25 Psychological Limitation: Utterly Loyal To
old men, will receive All Attacks, King Cobra (Very Common, Total)
renewed youth and Abort 20 Social Limitation: Subject To Orders
physical prowess. The 4 Punch +0 +2 6d6 Strike (Very Frequently, Major)
PCs learn of this, but are 3 Throw +0 +1 4d6 + vel/5; Tar- 15 Social Limitation: Public Identity
they in time to stop it? (Uwe Meyer) (Frequently, Major)
get Falls
And what does COIL 130 Experience Points
want with old Warsaw 10 Resilient Skin: Damage Resistance
Pact intelligence agents (10 PD/10 ED) 0 Total Disadvantage Points: 495
anyway? 25 Regeneration: Healing 3d6 (Regeneration; Background/History: In 1989 most Germans cel-
3 BODY per Turn), Can Heal Limbs, Re- ebrated the destruction of the Berlin Wall — but
duced Endurance (0 END; +½), among those not rejoicing was Uwe Meyer, an
Persistent (+½); Extra Time (1 Turn; agent for the Stasi, the East German secret police.
-1¼), Self Only (-½) 0 Soon East and West Germany were reunited, and
4 Tentacles: Extra Limbs (up to 20); many Stasi agents (including Uwe) disappeared
Limited Manipulation (-¼) 0 into the criminal underground to avoid prosecu-
30 Stretching: Stretching 6”, Reduced tion. This was a recruiting bonanza for VIPER, and
Endurance (0 END; +½); No Noncombat the resourceful and devious Uwe, a specialist in
Stretching (-¼), Limited Body Parts assassination and border penetration, was one of
(tentacles; -¼) 0 the organization’s prize acquisitions.
23 Malleable Form: Shape Shift (Sight In 1994 Uwe’s handler ordered him to infil-
and Touch Groups, any humanoid shape) 2 trate Eurostar. VIPER leadership wished to gather
intelligence about Fiacho and his comrades before
Talents
launching what would become known as the VI-
9 Ambidexterity (no Off Hand penalty)
PER-Eurostar War. Using his credentials as a for-
4 Double-Jointed
mer Stasi agent, Uwe got in touch with the Whip.
Skills He gained Eurostar’s trust, first as just general
6 +2 with COIL Blasters muscle, then as a demolitions expert. All the while,
10 +2 HTH he remained faithful to VIPER.
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter One 27

But no one told Uwe about VIPER’s planned many of these tentacles, both from his chest and
ambush. Afterward, Fiacho searched his organiza- back, and whips them around so that anyone who
tion for spies... and one he uncovered was Uwe comes close gets pummeled.
Meyer. Fiacho’s punishment for these spies was Tactically Slither usually reaches for an op-
severe: beatings from Durak, followed by mental ponent, Entangles him, and then drags him in
torture from Mentalla. Eurostar dumped the bro- close. He cares very little about taking hits, trusting
ken men and women outside a VIPER Nest in Mu- in his Regeneration and toughness to keep him
nich to, as Fiacho phrased it, “foreshadow the fate standing. While the opponent is Entangled, Slither
of VIPER in Europe.” attempts his favorite attack, the Tentacle Choke: he
Uwe survived the ordeal with his mind in- extrudes a single tentacle, then forces it between his
tact, though he lost an arm, leg, and most of the opponent’s jaws and down his throat. Even most
use of his remaining hand. VIPER transferred the superhumans have a difficult time surviving such
crippled Uwe out of Europe and into Asia to train an attack for long.
new recruits in intelligence and covert operations. Campaign Use: Slither’s role in COIL is to oversee
Discontented with his new job, when he heard ru- intelligence and infiltration operations. He also
mors of Project Mendel, specifically about Blank’s serves as King Cobra’s personal assassin. Slither
sideline research in reptilian regeneration, he vol- is most likely to Hunt King Cobra’s enemies as a
unteered. part of COIL’s plans. His Shape Shift ability allows
Blank accepted Uwe and had him transferred him to infiltrate (though not to precisely imitate
to Snake Gulch. Through pre-experiment inter- others’ features); his experience with intelligence
views, Blank discovered Uwe nursed a grudge operations gives him the tools necessary to make
against VIPER for leaving him out in the cold his infiltration highly damaging to his target. He
during the war on Eurostar... thus making him a prefers to engineer circumstances that allow him to
perfect COIL recruit. After subjecting Uwe to the personally slay whomever he Hunts, usually with
Coil-Gene Touch, Blank injected him with a ret- his Tentacle Choke after a period of torture.
rovirus engineered from lizard DNA. Uwe gained To make Slither more powerful, change his
the ability to not only regenerate lost limbs, but Battering Tentacles to cost zero END and increase
also healed at a rate much faster than other men. his STR by 10-15 points. Also increase the dice in
Furthermore, he gained conscious control over his Tentacle Choke. To make him less powerful,
his body mass — the ability to change his appear- decrease his SPD to 5 and lower his PD and ED
ance and to extrude scaly tentacles from his body. to 15, thus forcing him to spend more time taking
The process mentally unhinged him, making him Recoveries and healing damage.
totally sadistic, but to King Cobra this was a boon.
He named his newest subject Slither and put him in Appearance: Slither has extremely ophidian
charge of infiltration and covert operations. features: scaly skin, two slits for a nose, no hair,
and yellow eyes with slit pupils. On the whole, his
Personality/Motivation: Before becoming Slither, features are more snake-like than those of
Uwe Meyer was a talented intelligence agent per- COIL agents and other subjects of the Coil-
fect for infiltration and assassination: self-reliant, Gene Touch. Thanks to his control over
cunning, cool under pressure, and cold-blooded. his body, he can change his shape, and
He had little in the way of personality, so personal sometimes he appears as he did when
issues never got in the way of accomplishing his with the Stasi: a pale-
goals or carrying out his orders. He performed his skinned man in his for-
mission and never flinched from the deeds, how- ties with hard blue eyes
ever heinous or violent, required of him. and close-cropped blond
As Slither, he’s grown increasingly sadistic and hair. He usually wears
takes great pleasure in others’ pain. This could be- crimson trousers
come a liability if his sadistic side were to overrule tucked into black
his reason and make him kill someone better left leather boots
alive, or if it caused him to expose himself to take and a loose
advantage of an enemy’s weakness, but for the time tunic of the
being his absolute loyalty to King Cobra keeps him same color
in check. King Cobra knows he has to give Slither that belts
precise instructions, but if he ever forgot to do so around the
or if Slither encountered a situation outside his or- waist; in
ders, who knows what might happen? combat he
His beating at Durak’s hands has left an indel- shrugs out
ible mark on Slither’s psyche. He quickly goes ber- of his tunic
serk if he takes BODY damage. to unleash
Quote: “Du! Komm hier!” his tentacles.
Powers/Tactics: Slither’s powers involve his abil- He speaks
ity to control and shape his body mass, as well as with a heavy
regenerate damage done to him. He can extrude up German
to twenty scaly tentacles from his torso. Each can accent.
reach nearly forty feet away. In combat he creates
28 ■ Master Villains Hero System 5th Edition

COIL AGENT 3 WF: Small Arms, Blades

Val Char Cost Roll Notes 15 15 points’ worth of Skills from the following list
15 STR 5 12- Lift 200 kg; 3d6 [1] Combat Driving, Combat Piloting, Combat
16 DEX 18 12- OCV: 5/DCV: 5 Skill Levels, Computer Programming, Con-
16 CON 12 12- cealment, Deduction, Demolitions, Electron-
12 BODY 4 11- ics, Fast Draw, Forgery, Gambling, Interroga-
13 INT 3 12- PER Roll 12- tion, Lockpicking, Paramedics, Persuasion,
11 EGO 2 11- ECV: 4 Security Systems, Shadowing, Survival,
15 PRE 5 12- PRE Attack: 3d6 Systems Operation, Tactics, Teamwork, any
8 COM -1 11- Background Skill
Total Powers & Skills Cost: 150
6 PD 3 Total: 12 PD (8 rPD)
Total Cost: 224
6 ED 3 Total: 12 ED (8 rED)
4 SPD 14 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12 50+ Disadvantages
8 REC 4 10 Distinctive Features: serpentine skin and
32 END 0 features (Concealable With Difficulty; No-
30 STUN 2 Total Characteristics Cost: 74 ticed And Recognizable)
5 Distinctive Features: COIL uniform (Easily
Movement: Running: 8”/16”
Concealed; Noticed And Recognizable)
Cost Powers END 20 Hunted: VIPER 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Cap-
26 COIL Blaster Rifle: Choose one of the op- ture/Kill)
tions listed below var 10 Hunted: COIL 11- (Mo Pow, Watching)
20 COIL Concussor Grenades: Energy Blast 25 Psychological Limitation: Utterly Loyal To
8d6, Explosion (+½); OAF (-1), Range King Cobra (Very Common, Total)
Based On STR (-¼), 6 Charges (-¾) [6] 20 Social Limitation: Subject To Orders (Very
7 COIL Machete: HKA 1d6 (2d6 with STR); Frequently, Major)
OAF (-1), No Knockback (-¼) 1 84 Experience Points or Disadvantages specific
Martial Arts: Generic to the individual agent
Maneuver OCV DCV Notes Total Disadvantage Points: 224
4 Block +2 +2 Block, Abort
4 Dodge — +5 Dodge, Affects COIL BLASTER RIFLES
All Attacks,
Abort Cost Power
5 Kick -2 +1 7d6 Strike 26 Standard COIL Blaster Rifle: Energy Blast
4 Punch +0 +2 5d6 Strike 7d6, Autofire (3 shots; +¼), 32 Charges
3 Throw +0 +1 xd6 + v/5; Tar- (+¼); OAF (-1)
get Falls 26 Enhanced COIL Blaster Rifle: RKA 2d6+1,
1 Use Art with Blades Autofire (3 shots; +¼), 32 Charges (+¼);
OAF (-1)
2 Scaly Skin: Damage Resistance 26 Augmented COIL Blaster Rifle: RKA 2d6+1,
(2 PD/2 ED) 0 +2 Increased STUN Multiplier (+½); OAF
9 COIL Combat Armor: Armor (6 PD/ (-1), 16 Charges (-0)
6 ED); OIF (-½), Activation Roll 14- 26 COIL Laser Rifle: RKA 2d6+1, Armor Pierc-
(does not protect Hit Locations 3-7; -½) 0 ing (+½); OAF (-1), 16 Charges (-0)
3 COIL Helmet Protection: Armor (4 PD/ 25 COIL Tangler Rifle: Entangle 5d6, 5 DEF;
4 ED); OIF (-½), Activation Roll 8- OAF (-1), 16 Charges (-0)
(only protects Hit Locations 3-5; -2) 0 25 COIL Thunderclap Rifle: Sight and Hearing
6 COIL Helmet Communication System: Group Flash 9d6; OAF (-1), 16 Charges (-0)
HRRP (Radio Group); OIF (-½), Affected
As Sight And Hearing Group As Well As Description: As members of COIL — the CObra
Radio Group (-½) 0 Imperial Legion — these agents have undergone
4 Swiftness Of The Serpent: Running +2” King Cobra’s mutagenic process. This makes them
(8” total) 1 significantly stronger, tougher, and faster than the
average human, or even the average well-trained
Perks human, but also gives them disturbing serpentine
2 Membership: agent of COIL features: finely-scaled skin; eyes whose pupils have
Skills a somewhat more snake-like appearance (though
16 +2 with All Combat they’re not fully snake-like); a disturbing tendency
to sniff the air; and so forth. Some agents develop
1 KS: The Superhuman World 8- even more serpentine features, such as forked
2 KS: COIL 11- tongues or fully ophidian eyes.
2 KS: VIPER 11-
2 PS: COIL Agent 11-
3 Stealth 12-
3 Streetwise 12-
3 Teamwork 12-
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter One 29

Personality/Motivation: Whatever their background, the opposition it expects to encounter), as well as

whatever their life experiences, whatever their grenades and a long, machete-like blade. Typically
training, COIL agents share one overwhelming they team up in twos and threes to watch each oth-
personality trait: absolute loyalty to King Cobra. ers’ backs and concentrate fire on specific targets.
This is something he’s instilled within them at the Since many of the agents and the members of the
genetic level as part of the Coil-Gene treatment; inner circle came from VIPER originally, they often
it’s easier for one of them to commit suicide than employ tactics similar to VIPER’s.
betray his master. Appearance: A COIL agent wears an red armored
Given the extremes an agent will go to to pro- body suit, scaly in appearance. Over this he wears
tect King Cobra, many superheroes underestimate a white loin cloth and bracers reminiscent of King
their intelligence and cunning, but in truth they Cobra’s. His helmet is gold and in the shape of a
don’t lack either. stylized cobra’s hood. He’s usually armed with a
Powers/Tactics: COIL agents are well-trained and blaster rifle; twisting around the barrel of the rifle
work together well in the field. King Cobra has is an embossed cobra whose head fits over the end
equipped them with various types of energy rifles of the barrel. Hanging from a wide, leather belt
(the mix depends upon a squad’s mission and around the agent’s waist is a machete. Two bando-
liers, hung with grenades, cross his chest.

COIL INFILTRATOR
The character sheet describes a COIL agent, one on
whom King Cobra’s mutagenic touch has caused a
dramatic change in physical appearance. The other type
of COIL agent is the COIL infiltrator. These agents can
disguise their features and infiltrate organizations to
subvert them to COIL’s purposes. You can apply the
following changes to an appropriate character sheet to
create an infiltrator (e.g., use the character sheet for the
standard VIPER agent to create a COIL infiltrator cre-
ated by applying the Coil-Gene Touch to a member of
that organization). This set of abilities assumes COIL
has trained the infiltrator in the arts of subterfuge;
obviously the Coil-Gene Touch does not, by itself, give
someone a Skill like Disguise. The infiltrator carries
equipment appropriate to his cover.
Cost Abilities
2 +2 STR
9 +3 DEX
4 +2 CON
10 Retractable Fangs: HKA ½d6
5 Disguise (INT/5+1)
2 KS: COIL 11-
3 Persuasion (PRE/5)
Total Abilities Cost: 35 points.
Disadvantages
10 Distinctive Features: serpentine eyes, retract-
able fangs, patches of scales (Easily Conceal-
able; Causes Major Reaction)
25 Psychological Limitation: Utterly Loyal To
King Cobra (Very Common, Total)
Total Disadvantage Points: 35
30 ■ Master Villains Hero System 5th Edition

MECHANON
Val Char Cost Roll Notes 6u 2) Muscular Disruptor: Drain STR 4d6,
60 STR 50 21- Lift 100 tons; 12d6 [6] Ranged (+½) 6
24 DEX 42 14- OCV: 8/DCV: 8 4u 3) Tangle-Cable: Entangle 6d6, 6 DEF;
40 CON 60 17- 8 Charges (-½) [8]
20 BODY 20 13- 4u 4) Flare: Sight Group Flash 6d6, Area
30 INT 20 15- PER Roll 15- (19-) Of Effect (7” Cone; +1); No Range (-½) 6
15 EGO 10 12- ECV: 5 15 Robotic Form: Hardened (+¼) for PD
40 PRE 30 17- PRE Attack: 8d6 and ED 0
6 COM -2 10- 37 Robotic Form: Damage Resistance
(30 PD/30 ED), Hardened (+¼) 0
30 PD 18 Total: 30 PD (30 rPD) 60 Robotic Form: Physical and Energy
30 ED 22 Total: 30 ED (30 rED) Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50% 0
7 SPD 36 Phases: 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12 15 Psychic Shield: Mental Defense
20 REC 0 (18 points total) 0
90 END 5 10 Total Defense: Lack Of Weakness (-5)
90 STUN 20 Total Characteristic Cost: 331 for Normal and Resistant Defenses 0
Movement: Running: 12”/24” 12 Structural Support Field: Power Defense
Flight: 20”/320” (12 points) 0
10 Hardened Visual Sensors: Sight Group
Cost Powers END Flash Defense (10 points) 0
90 Primary Weapons Array: Multipower, 65 Robotic Form: Life Support: Total
90-point reserve (including Immunity to all terrestrial
9u 1) Energy Bolt (Offensive Mode): EB 18d6 9 diseases and poisons) 0
9u 2) Energy Bolt (Defensive Mode): EB 17 Self-Repair Systems: Healing 3d6
12d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) 0 (Regeneration; 3 BODY per Hour),
9u 3) Energy Bolt (Autofire Mode): EB 9d6, Au- Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½),
tofire (5 shots; +½), Reduced Persistent (+½); Self Only (-½), Extra
Endurance (½ END; +½) 3 Time + Increased Time Increment
9u 4) Meson Bolt: EB 12d6, Armor (3 BODY/Hour; -2) 0
Piercing (+½) 9 82 Foot-Jets: Flight 20”, x16 noncombat, Re-
9u 5) Explosive Projectiles: EB 9d6, Area duced Endurance (0 END; +½) 0
Of Effect (5” Radius; +1) 9 12 Robotic Legs: Running +6” (12” total) 1
9u 6) Neural Agonizer: EB 8d6, NND 44 Visual Sensors: Infrared Perception,
(defense is Mental Defense or not being Ultraviolet Perception, Increased Arc Of
a living organic being; +1), Reduced Perception (360 Degrees), x1000 Microscop-
Endurance (½ END; +¼) 4 ic, Telescopic (+6 versus Range)
9u 7) Disintegrator Beam (Offensive Mode): (all for Sight Group) 0
RKA 4d6, Armor Piercing (+½) 9 20 Auditory Sensors: Active Sonar and
9u 8) Disintegrator Beam (Defensive Mode): Ultrasonic Perception (both for Hearing
RKA 4d6, Reduced Endurance Group) 0
(0 END; +½) 0 27 Radio Sensors: HRRP and Radar 0
9u 9) Cyberkinesis: Mind Control 12d6 (Ma- 12 Sensor Enhancements: +4 PER with all
chine class of minds), Reduced Sense Groups 0
Endurance (0 END; +½) 0 21 Shielded Radio Link: Mind Link, specific
4u 10) Animate Technology: Summon up group of up to any 8 minds, No LOS
to 4 150-point robots, Expanded Class (mi- Needed, Invisible Power Effects (Fully
nor “robots”; +¼), Slavishly Loyal Invisible; +½); Only Can Be Maintained
(+1); Must Have Sufficient Technology/ With Others Who Have Mind Link (-1),
Parts Available (-½), Extra Time (Full Flashed As Radio And Hearing Groups,
Phase; -½) 9 Not Mental Group (-½) 0
60 Secondary Weapons Array: Multipower, 12 Encrypted Transmitter: Detect Broadcast
60-point reserve Spectrum Of Transmissions, Increased
6u 1) Synaptic Scrambler: Drain DEX 4d6, Arc Of Perception (360 Degrees), Transmit
Ranged (+½) 6 (belongs to its own Sense Group) 0
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter One 31

77 Detachable Head: Duplication (creates MECHANON’S HEAD MECHANON

one 775-point Duplicate); Original Val Char Cost Roll Notes PLOT SEEDS
Character Is Incapacitated And 0 STR -10 9- Lift 25 kg; 0d6
Helpless While Duplicate Exists (-1) 0 24 DEX 42 14- OCV: 8/DCV: 8 Unwilling to accept the
57 Self-Destruct Mechanism: RKA 7d6, 40 CON 60 17- humiliation of his very
NND (defense is ED Force Field; +1), 5 BODY -10 10- first defeat, Mechanon
Does BODY (+1), Trigger (encrypted 30 INT 20 15- PER Roll 15- (19-) begins a series of as-
radio signal from detached head or base; saults on various United
15 EGO 10 12- ECV: 5
+¼); Self Only (-1), 1 Charge which States government in-
20 PRE 10 13- PRE Attack: 4d6 stallations with the aim
Never Recovers (-4) [1] 6 COM -2 10- of obtaining the codes
Talents 30 PD 18 Total: 30 PD (30 rPD) controlling America’s
32 Onboard Computer Systems: Absolute Range nuclear weapons. This
30 ED 22 Total: 30 ED (30 rED)
Sense, Absolute Time Sense, Bump Of Di- culminates in another
7 SPD 36 Phases: 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12 attack on the White
rection, Lightning Calculator, Universal 20 REC 0 House. If the heroes
Translator 15- 90 END 5 stymie him again, he
Skills 90 STUN 20 Total Characteristic Cost: 221 can always turn to the
12 +4 with Primary Weapons Array Multipower much less well-guarded
Movement: Running: 12”/24” Russian arsenals....
30 +3 Overall Flight: 20”/320”
13 AK: Earth 25- Mechanon decides
Cost Powers END
3 Combat Driving 14- to construct a large
15 Robotic Form: Hardened (+¼) for
3 Combat Piloting 14- spacecraft with which
PD and ED 0
3 Computer Programming 15- to travel to the asteroid
37 Robotic Form: Damage Resistance
3 Deduction 15- belt and begin bombing
(30 PD/30 ED), Hardened (+¼) 0 Earth with asteroids. A
3 Demolitions 15-
15 Psychic Shield: Mental Defense few good hits should
3 Electronics 15-
(15 points total) 0 be enough to create
3 Inventor 15-
12 Structural Support Field: Power Defense conditions that lead to
3 Lockpicking 14-
(12 points) 0 the extinction of life
3 Mechanics 15- on Earth (or at least
10 Hardened Visual Sensors: Sight Group
3 Security Systems 15- weaken Earth’s defend-
Flash Defense (10 points) 0
3 Systems Operation 15- ers enough for Mecha-
65 Robotic Form: Life Support: Total
3 Scientist non to finish the job on
(including Immunity to all terrestrial
2 1) Astronomy 15- his own). Building this
diseases and poisons) 0
2 2) Biology 15- spacecraft is no easy
82 Neck-Jet: Flight 20”, x16 noncombat, Re- matter; Mechanon will
2 3) Chemistry 15-
duced Endurance (0 END; +½) 0 have to commit a series
2 4) Genetics 15-
44 Visual Sensors: Infrared Perception, of robberies to obtain
2 5) Geology 15-
Ultraviolet Perception, Increased Arc the parts and data he
2 6) Nuclear Physics 15-
Of Perception (360 Degrees), x1000 needs to do it. That gives
2 7) Physics 15- the PCs the chance to
Microscopic, Telescopic (+6 versus
2 8) Robotics 15- figure out what’s going
Range) (all for Sight Group) 0
Total Powers & Skill Cost: 999 20 Auditory Sensors: Active Sonar and on, and stop it.
Total Cost: 1,330 Ultrasonic Perception (both for Hearing
Group) 0 The unthinkable hap-
200+ Disadvantages pens — Mechanon and
27 Radio Sensors: HRRP and Radar 0
20 Hunted: Champions 11- (As Pow, NCI, Dr. Destroyer, perhaps
12 Sensor Enhancements: +4 PER with all
Capture) the two most power-
Sense Groups 0 ful supervillains on the
15 Hunted: UNTIL 8- (As Pow, NCI, Capture)
21 Shielded Radio Link: Mind Link, specific planet, team up! No
5 Physical Limitation: can be affected by
group of up to any 8 minds, No LOS one knows what has
Mental Powers that affect either the Human
Needed, Invisible Power Effects (Fully prompted the evil Doc-
or Machine class of minds (Infrequently,
Invisible; +½); Only Can Be Maintained tor to join forces with
Slightly Impairing)
With Others Who Have Mind Link (-1), Mechanon, for whom he
25 Psychological Limitation: Must Destroy All usually expresses noth-
Flashed As Radio And Hearing Groups,
Organic Life On Earth (Very Common, To- ing but contempt, but
Not Mental Group (-½) 0
tal) their plans for the world
12 Encrypted Transmitter: Detect Broadcast
20 Psychological Limitation: Overconfidence can’t be good....
Spectrum Of Transmissions, Increased
(Very Common, Strong)
Arc Of Perception (360 Degrees),
20 Reputation: supervillain of world-threaten-
Transmit (belongs to its own Sense Group) 0
ing power, 14- (Extreme)
32 Self-Destruct Mechanism: RKA 4d6,
15 Social Limitation: Public Identity
NND (defense is ED Force Field; +1),
20 Vulnerability: 2 x STUN From Gravity, Mag-
Does BODY (+1), Trigger (encrypted
netic, Or Force Attacks (Common)
radio signal from base; +¼); Self Only
990 Experience Points
(-1), 1 Charge which Never Recovers (-4) [1]
Total Disadvantage Points: 1,330
32 ■ Master Villains Hero System 5th Edition

Talents this planet of organic life and prepare it for inva-

32 Onboard Computer Systems: Absolute Range sion and colonization. The late superhero Digitak
Sense, Absolute Time Sense, Bump Of Di- asserted on several occasions that he “knew”
rection, Lightning Calculator, Universal Mechanon was an experiment of Dr. Destroyer’s
Translator 15- that went awry and escaped from Zerstoiten’s con-
trol. A group of conspiracy theorists based in the
Skills northeastern United States and Europe opine that
30 +3 Overall Mechanon evolved from the Internet and built
20 +4 DCV itself. All of those theories, or none of them, could
13 AK: Earth 25- contain the truth... or at least part of it.
3 Combat Driving 14- What is known for certain is that Mechanon
3 Combat Piloting 14- first appeared in public on October 18, 1989, when
3 Computer Programming 15- he launched an attack on the White House that
3 Deduction 15- resulted in the deaths of fifteen top-level officials
3 Demolitions 15- and threatened the life of President Clinton him-
3 Electronics 15- self. Mechanon’s goal appears to have been the ac-
3 Inventor 15- quisition of America’s nuclear launch codes, which
3 Lockpicking 14- he intended to use to start a global holocaust, but
3 Mechanics 15- fortunately a group of superheroes damaged him
3 Security Systems 15- enough to drive him away.
3 Stealth 14- Thereafter, Mechanon began new schemes or
3 Systems Operation 15- assaults on a regular basis — so regularly, in fact,
3 Scientist that it has become apparent he has multiple plots in
2 1) Astronomy 15- the works at all times, and brings them to fruition
2 2) Biology 15- only at the appropriate time. So far, the superhe-
2 3) Chemistry 15- roes of the world have beaten back his attacks on
2 4) Genetics 15- humanity, but often by the barest of margins. A few
2 5) Geology 15- times they have even managed to destroy him... but
2 6) Nuclear Physics 15- he always returns, in a newer, stronger form. It may
2 7) Physics 15- only be a matter of time before his technological
2 8) Robotics 15- evolution progresses to the point where nothing on
Total Powers & Skill Cost: 554 Earth can stop him.
Total Cost: 775 Personality/Motivation: Mechanon’s programming,
whether it’s his original directives or (as some peo-
200+ Disadvantages
ple assert) highly flawed versions of the originals,
20 Hunted: Champions 11- (As Pow, NCI,
infuses him with an absolute and unending hatred
Capture)
for all forms of organic life. Mechanon considers
15 Hunted: UNTIL 8- (As Pow, NCI, Capture)
organic life a flaw or blot in the pattern of reality,
20 Physical Limitation: No Manipulatory
one which can only be corrected by removal. His
Limbs (All The Time, Greatly Impairing)
goal is nothing less than the extermination of all
15 Physical Limitation: Diminutive (suffers +6”
organic life on the planet Earth (and perhaps the
KB) (All The Time, Slightly Impairing)
universe).
25 Psychological Limitation: Must Destroy All
Mechanon’s programming also apparently
Organic Life On Earth (Very Common, To-
controls his approach toward achieving this goal.
tal)
Rather than go about his business quietly and ef-
20 Psychological Limitation: Overconfident
ficiently, Mechanon seems driven to launch one
(Very Common, Strong)
grandiloquent scheme after another, each designed
20 Reputation: supervillain of world-threaten-
to accomplish his objectives in one fell swoop.
ing power, 14- (Extreme)
Despite numerous defeats, he remains utterly con-
15 Social Limitation: Public Identity
fident in his own superiority, certain he will one
20 Vulnerability: 2 x STUN From Gravity, Mag-
day control a planet from which he has expunged
netic, Or Force Attacks (Common)
all life. Superheroes who have confronted him, and
405 Experience Points
know his power, know too that his confidence is
Total Disadvantage Points: 775 well-deserved.
Background/History: Mechanon’s precise origin Quote: “Foolish organics! You cannot possibly hope
and history are unknown. Despite years of dedi- to defeat one who is the purest embodiment of
cated investigation and research by superheroes, technology’s superiority!”
police departments, and intelligence agencies,
Powers/Tactics: Experts rightly regard Mecha-
sometimes using computers captured from the
non as one of the most technologically advanced
robotic arch-villain himself, no one knows who
devices on Earth. In fact, he is so sophisticated
built him, or why.
that, unlike most robots, he can take “STUN”
Theories, of course, abound. Some scientists
damage from attacks of sufficient strength to by-
claim he’s the product of alien super-science, and is
pass his shielding and jar some of his more deli-
an advance assault force/scout designed to cleanse
cate systems. His computer brain is so complex
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter One 33

that it responds just like an organic brain would As a master villain, Mechanon should have
to psychic powers (though it does have built-in whatever Bases, Followers, and Vehicles he needs;
defenses against such powers). these are not listed on his character sheet. He never
To ensure his ongoing existence, and thus works with living servants (except as temporary
the eventual achievement of his goal, Mechanon dupes or pawns); his Followers are robots and an-
has devised several strategems. The first is basic droids built as Automatons.
heavy defense. His basic armor plating, reinforced As a Hunted, Mechanon is a terrifying op-
by low-level internal force fields, provides protec- ponent. Almost certainly More Powerful than any
tion against most attacks, and dedicated defensive given hero (or even hero team), he Hunts only to
systems serve to stop or blunt more exotic forms kill. He may want to capture a hero first, perhaps to
of assault. In the event he does suffer damage, his analyze his technology and adapt any new or useful
advanced self-repair systems can restore him to full systems for his own use, but in the end he intends
operating efficiency in mere hours. to kill anyone who op-
In the event the unthinkable — total defeat poses him.
or destruction — is imminent, Mechanon has two Mechanon
options. First, if time allows, he can detach his head should always be
from his body and have it fly away, (triggering his able to take on your
Self-Destruct Mechanism in the process), thus pre- entire group of PCs
serving his entire computer brain and allowing him and have a significant
to simply attach it to another body. If that won’t chance of defeating
work, he can transmit his personality and files to them. If not, you can
one of his many backup computer systems via his justify improvements
Shielded Radio Link and/or Encrypted Transmit- to him as “upgrades”
ter. He updates his computer records frequently, so resulting from his
that he only has to transmit records since the last analysis of the heroes’
update. If neither of those tactics work, he has pro- tactics or his defeats
grammed his robotic bases to create a new Mecha- at their hands. Mech-
non after the demise of the current body (in this anon should never
event he loses all record of events and information be defeated the same
gathered since his last update). way twice; he learns
For unknown reasons, and despite his oft- from (and corrects)
expressed loathing for humanity, Mechanon con- his mistakes better
tinually rebuilds himself in humanoid form. Most than any other villain
experts believe this is simply because it’s the most on Earth.
efficient shape for him to use, but others have hint- On the other
ed at more sinister reasons. The current Mechanon hand, if the current
described by this character sheet represents the Mechanon is too
villain after over a decade of defeats and rebuilding, powerful for your
and thus represents a considerable amount of expe- campaign’s PCs, scale
rience. The Mechanon who appeared in 1989 was him down by reduc-
considerably weaker than this — though not weak. ing his SPD to 5, his
In combat, Mechanon is an aggressive and effi- Primary Weapons
cient foe who doesn’t hesitate to use his most pow- Array to 75 Active
erful attacks at all times (only the need to conserve Points (or even 60),
or replenish his energy [i.e., Recover spent END] and his PD and ED
is likely to force him to use less powerful attacks. to 25 (or even 20). If
He favors multiple-Power attacks, often combining that still doesn’t do
his Flare, Synaptic Scrambler, or Muscular Disrup- the trick, keep trim-
tor with one of his Energy Bolts or a Disintegrator ming until he’s an
Beam. He usually starts with basic Energy Bolts, appropriate match
switching to other weapons if they prove ineffec- — extremely tough,
tive. If he needs to capture an organic for inter- but not completely
rogation or dissection, he uses his Tangle-Cable. undefeatable.
His most unusual power is the ability to animate Appearance: Mecha-
other machines, turning them into small but deadly non is a humanoid robot standing over seven
servitor robots! (The GM should create appropriate feet tall. His body is a silvery chrome color, with
character sheets for Mechanon’s Summoned robots, gold power cables snaking up and down his
perhaps using the robots in the HERO System Besti- limbs and torso like exposed muscles. His head
ary as guidelines or examples.) has two large, flat superstructures projecting to
Campaign Use: Mechanon is a master villain of epic either side (radio antennae, and control surfaces
scope, one you can pit against the PCs again and again for detached mode). His visual sensors glow red-
as he undertakes one spectacular scheme after an- dish-purple.
other to destroy all life on Earth. Since the stakes are
so high, the dramatic tension should be, too.
34 ■ Master Villains Hero System 5th Edition

TELEIOS — THE PERFECT MAN 3 Stealth 19-

Val Char Cost Roll Notes 6 TF: Common Motorized Ground Vehicles,
30 STR 20 15- Lift 1,600 kg; 6d6 [3] Parachuting (Basic and Advanced), Snow
30 DEX 60 15- OCV: 10/DCV: 10 Skiing, Small Planes
30 CON 40 15- 3 Scholar
30 BODY 40 15- 2 1) KS: Art History 19-
50 INT 40 19- PER Roll 19- 2 2) KS: History 19-
30 EGO 40 15- ECV: 10 2 3) KS: Literature 19-
30 PRE 20 15- PRE Attack: 6d6 2 4) KS: Music 19-
30 COM 10 15- 2 5) KS: The Superhuman World 19-
2 6) KS: Superpowers 19-
15 PD 9 Total: 18 PD (3 rPD) 3 Scientist
15 ED 9 Total: 18 ED (3 rED) 2 1) SS: Anatomy 19-
7 SPD 30 Phases: 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12 2 2) SS: Biochemistry 19-
12 REC 0 2 3) SS: Biology 19-
60 END 0 2 4) SS: Botany 19-
60 STUN 0 Total Characteristics Cost: 318 2 5) SS: Chemistry 19-
Movement: Running: 12”/24” 2 6) SS: Genetics 19-
Leaping: 7”/14” 2 7) SS: Medicine 19-
Swimming: 7”/14” 2 8) SS: Microbiology 19-
2 9) SS: Pharmacology/Toxicology 19-
Cost Powers END 2 10) SS: Physics 19-
210 Biochemical Wizardry: Variable 2 11) SS: Virology 19-
Power Pool (Biochemistry Pool), 2 12) SS: Zoology 19-
150 base + 75 control cost; Biochemical Pow-
Total Powers & Skills Cost: 446
ers Only (-¼) var
Total Cost: 764
30 The Fighting Arts Of A Dozen Lands:
Multipower, 30-point reserve 200+ Disadvantages
2u 1) Strikes: HA +6d6; Hand-To-Hand 10 Distinctive Features: perfect human body
Attack (-½) 3 (Not Concealable; Always Noticed; Detect-
2u 2) Trained Strength: +30 STR; Only To Dis- able Only With Unusual Senses)
arm, Escape, And Grab (-¾) 3 20 Hunted: UNTIL 11- (As Pow, NCI, Capture)
12 Fleet-Footed: Running +6” (12” total) 1 10 Hunted: Dr. Destroyer 8- (Mo Pow, NCI,
1 Strong Leaper: Leaping +1” (7” total) 1 Watching)
5 Strong Swimmer: Swimming +5” (7” total) 1 20 Psychological Limitation: Megalomaniac
(Common, Total)
Perks
20 Psychological Limitation: Regards Human-
15 Money: Filthy Rich
ity As Fodder For Experiments (Common,
Talents Total)
6 Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED) 20 Reputation: supervillain of world-threaten-
4 Double-Jointed ing power, 14- (Extreme)
5 Eidetic Memory 15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity (Dr. Jakob
3 Lightsleep Stroessen) (Frequently, Major)
3 Perfect Pitch 449 Experience Points
3 Resistance (3 points) Total Disadvantage Points: 764
3 Simulate Death
4 Speed Reading (x10) EXAMPLE POWERS FOR BIOCHEMICAL
WIZARDRY POWER POOL
Skills
Here are a few uses for Teleios’s Variable
30 +6 with HTH Combat
Power Pool:
3 Acrobatics 19-
Clone: Teleios can prepare a clone of himself, pe-
3 Breakfall 19-
riodically update its memories through his mind
3 Climbing 19-
transference processes, and then have the clone
3 Computer Programming 19-
“activate” only in the event of his death. The clone
3 Contortionist 19-
starts out slightly weaker than Teleios himself due
3 Conversation 19-
to various unavoidable flaws in the consciousness
3 Electronics 19-
transferral and other factors.
3 Forensic Medicine 19-
3 High Society 19- Duplication (creates 750-point Duplicate) (150
3 Inventor 19- Active Points); OAF Immobile (cloning ma-
3 Mechanics 19- chines; -1½), Extra Time (takes 1 Month to
3 Paramedics 19- grow clone; -5), Cannot Recombine (-0), Dupli-
3 Persuasion 19- cate Is Incapacitated And Helpless While Teleios
15 Power: Biochemical Wizardry 25- Remains Alive (-1). Total cost: 18 points.
3 PS: Wargames 19-
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter One 35

Cloned Army: Teleios can create an army of clones, cloning, and other controversial subjects left him TELEIOS
each identifiable only by a serial number and/or marginalized within the academic community and PLOT SEEDS
barcode tattooed on some of its “parts,” and equip unable to find work.
them to fight his foes. Raging against the fools who impeded his Teleios replaces an im-
Summon 125 181-point agents (see below), progress, Stroessen used his inheritance to set up portant world leader
Slavishly Devoted (+1) (142 Active Points); his own lab and continue experimenting. But still (such as the President of
he got nowhere; though he was a genius, his genius the United States) with
OAF Immobile (cloning machines; -1½), Extra a clone, while keeping
Time (takes 1 Month to grow cloned army; -5). could not overcome the intellectual roadblocks
established by his demented dreams and strange the real leader impris-
Total cost: 19 points. oned. The PCs have to
scientific ideologies.
figure out what’s going
Grow Superhuman: Teleios can clone a human But then, one day, he fell into an exhausted
on and stop it before the
being and induce mutations in it as it grows to sleep at his laboratory table after working for nearly faux leader, following
give it just about any sort of superpowers he can three straight days without a break. When he awak- Teleios’s commands,
think of. ened, he saw that a pad of paper on the table was starts a war or initiates
Summon 350-point superpowered human covered with writing. As far as he could remember, some other disaster.
(Teleios chooses the powers to create when it had been blank before, so he picked it up to look
breeding the clone), Slavishly Devoted (+1) more closely. In an effort to distract
(140 Active Points); OAF Immobile (cloning The formulae and notes on that single piece two of his most power-
of paper, written in a strong and confident hand, ful enemies so he can
machines; -1½), Extra Time (takes 1 Month to begin an important
grow cloned army; -5). Total cost: 19 points. astonished him. He recognized their implications
immediately. Contained amid those few letters and scheme unobserved
numbers were the keys to unlocking several genetic and unhindered, Teleios
Knockout Dust: Teleios can breed special micro-
creates a clone of Dr.
scopic spores that render organic beings uncon- problems that had bedeviled him for years. A few
Destroyer and has
scious, and then throw packets of the spores at weeks’ worth of work, and he had unlocked many him attack UNTIL’s
his foes. more by taking the notes to their logical scientific headquarters in the
Energy Blast 5d6, NND (defense is Self-Con- conclusions. In the space of a month, he’d gone campaign city. A major
tained Breathing; +1), Area Of Effect (6” Ra- from being a frustrated biochemist to one of the “war” between Destroy-
dius; +1), Personal Immunity (+¼) (81 Active most knowledgeable geneticists — if not the most er and UNTIL results,
knowledgeable — in world history. leaving Teleios free to
Points); OAF (-1), Range Based On STR (-¼), pursue his own plans.
6 Charges (-¾). Total cost: 27 points. Stroessen didn’t hesitate for a moment. Once
he had worked out the formulae thoroughly, he used The PCs have to deduce
them to build a new body for himself — a body rep- what’s really going on
Paralyzing Dust: Teleios can breed special microscopic
(perhaps when the real
spores that paralyze the muscles of organic beings, resenting the pinnacle of human physical and mental
Dr. Destroyer seeks to
and then throw packets of the spores at his foes. achievement, sublime in its biological perfection. enlist their help “to save
Entangle 5d6, 5 DEF, Area Of Effect (9” Radi- He waited with barely-contained eagerness as the the lives of innocents” as
us; +1), Takes No Damage From Attacks (+½), cloning chamber did its work. When the body was a way of putting them in
Personal Immunity (+¼) (137 Active Points); ready at last, he used other technology, also suggested his debt), stop the fight-
OAF (-1), Range Based On STR (-¼), 6 Charg- to him by the mysterious notes, to transfer his own ing, and stop Teleios.
es (-¾). Total cost: 46 points. consciousness into the new body. Able to move freely
and without pain for the first time in his life, Stroessen To test some of his new
Remove Superpowers: If he gets his hands on a revelled in his newfound abilities. He destroyed his botanical experiments,
troublesome superhero (say, one of the PCs...), old body, having no further use for it. Since he had Teleios scatters special
Teleios can genetically “devolve” him or otherwise been reborn, he chose a new name for himself as well: seeds across the cam-
Teleios, from the Greek word for “perfection.” paign city. Overnight,
strip him of his innate superpowers.
man-size carnivorous
Major Transform 6d6 (superhuman to ordi- Personality/Motivation: Driven in part by an un- plants have sprouted all
nary human, heals back through application of shakeable belief in his own mental (and now physi- over the city, threatening
reversed process), Reduced Endurance (0 END; cal) superiority, and in part by years of built-up the lives of millions! The
+½) (135 Active Points); OAF Immobile (bio- rage and scorn at a world that regarded him as PCs have to eradicate
chemical manipulation equipment; -1½), Lim- nothing more than a deluded cripple, Teleios is the deadly plants (and
convinced that he can, and someday will, rule the stop all the crimes tak-
ited Target (humans; -½), Extra Time (1 Day;
ing place while the po-
-4). Total cost: 19 points. world (or at least create a situation where he has
lice are distracted), and
free rein to tinker with humanity as he chooses). then stop Teleios from
Background/History: Jakob Stroessen, the child of Aus- The key to his schemes is his ability to manipulate repeating the attack.
trian parents who had emigrated to Canada, was not a biological and biochemical processes in his labo-
winner in the genetic lottery. Several negative factors ratories, rather than the electronic and mechanical
combined to afflict him with neurological disorders prowess of the likes of Dr. Destroyer and Mecha-
and a small, stunted, easily broken body. But to coun- non, or the mental powers of Menton. It is a some-
terbalance this, he was born with an amazing mind times subtle difference, but an important one.
— one whose towering intellect had him enrolled in Teleios has little, if any, emotional connection
college when he was but twelve years old. to the rest of humanity any more. Instead, he regards
Stroessen focused his studies on biology and other people as glorified lab rats (or in his more po-
genetics. He was convinced the means existed to etic moments, as canvases upon which he works his
cure his diseases and conditions... all he had to do art). All he cares about is their potential usefulness
was find it. But even after he obtained his Ph.D to his work. If he were to gaze upon the face of a gor-
with a brilliant thesis, his theories on eugenics,
36 ■ Master Villains Hero System 5th Edition

geous women, he wouldn’t think about her beauty at himself in case he’s killed in battle, transfer conscious-
all, except in the abstract — he’d wonder at the com- ness from one body to another, breed dinosaurs and
bination of genetic factors that led to such an advan- monsters, and develop potent biochemical weapons.
tageous appearance. His cloned servants he has even In most cases, changing his VPP requires a lot of time
less regard for. He thinks nothing of casually killing (and, of course, a Biochemical Wizardry roll). How-
one that offends him; he creates an endless stream ever, depending on his location, the equipment avail-
of tailored clone-women as his sex-slaves, callously able to him, and the nature of the abilities he wants
tossing them, screaming, back into his work-vats to create, the GM may let him change the VPP in as
when he tires of them. little as a Full Phase. To properly simulate the range of
To this day Teleios Teleios’s powers, and his role as a master villain, the
remains unaware of who, GM may need to let him buy things through his VPP
if anyone, left him the note — like cloned Followers — that might not otherwise
with the scientific formu- be allowed.
lae that led to the break- Despite the fact that he could easily give himself
through in his work. In superpowers (including non-visible ones, like dam-
fact, thanks to his academic age-resistant skin) Teleios has persistently refused to
vanity, he’s suppressed the do so. He seems to regard such things as beneath him
incident altogether, and — as a sullying of his perfect body. Superpowers are
has convinced himself that for flunkies he controls, and for the fools who oppose
it was all his own doing. him. All he needs is his matchless brain and body, and
If confronted with solid he can triumph over any obstacle.
evidence to the contrary, he Campaign Use: Although not as personally power-
may snap under the strain ful as Takofanes, Destroyer, Gravitar, or Mechanon,
of having his delusions so Teleios is still a “master villain” capable of threaten-
forcefully shattered. ing, and even conquering, the world. As such, the
Quote: “Perfection is not GM should give him whatever he needs to conduct
an unattainable goal. I his schemes — Bases, Vehicles, super-technology,
achieve it every day in my and the like. Teleios’s VPP indicates the rough ex-
laboratories. I am the liv- tent of the resources he can normally bring to bear
ing emodiment of it!” during any given scenario and/or combat, but think
Powers/Tactics: Teleios’s of it as a guideline, not an absolute restriction. You
abilities derive from two can make him more or less powerful, as appropriate
sources. The first is his for your campaign, by increasing or decreasing the
body itself, which he size of the VPP. Don’t change Teleios’s Character-
planned and grew to be the istics, or give him superpowers; that would violate
acme of human potential. his character concept too much.
It is as strong, fast, and du- Unlike the villains listed above, Teleios is not
rable as a human body can designed to take on a superteam of PCs in combat
be without verging into the and defeat them. If he gets into a fight like that,
superhuman, and possesses he will almost certainly lose, and he knows it. He
many other remarkable has cloned minions, vat-grown monstrosities, and
“gifts” (like a photographic other products of his biochemical wizardry to fight
memory and the ability for him, and he’ll gladly let them. If a situation
to feign death). He main- turns against him, he’ll flee, preferring to regroup
tains it that way not only and start the battle again later.
through a careful regimen As a Hunter, Teleios is an insidious and dan-
of biochemical treatments, gerous foe — particularly if he can get his hands
but lots of exercise and on samples of the character’s DNA. With that (and
training. He has studied often even without it), he can grow clones of the
many martial arts and character and send them out to commit crimes and
other combat disciplines, sully the character’s reputation, develop superhu-
and is a lethal fighter. He mans tailor-made to exploit the character’s weak-
can run as fast as an Olym- nesses, inflict all sorts of unpleasant illnesses on the
pic track star, climb like character and his friends, and so forth. He usually
the best mountaineers, and toys with his victims for a long time before making
read and process informa- a concerted effort to kill them.
tion at ten times a normal Appearance: Teleios is a stunningly handsome
person’s rate. blonde-haired, blue-eyed, muscular white male
The second source who usually dresses in the finest of clothes. He
of his powers is his extensive knowledge and control most often favors dark turtlenecks, dark slacks, and
of biological and biochemical processes. Using the a white labcoat. There’s a hint of malevolence to
equipment in his hidden laboratories around the his countenance and his glance that makes it clear
world, he can create armies of clones, induce super- he’s not just a harmless scientist, but something far
powers in test subjects, create duplicate bodies for more dangerous and evil.
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter One 37

CHAMELEON CLAW Skills

Val Char Cost Roll Notes 10 +2 Hand-To-Hand
20 STR 10 13- Lift 400 kg; 4d6 [2] 3 Acrobatics 14-
23 DEX 39 14- OCV: 8/DCV: 8 3 Breakfall 14-
18 CON 16 13- 3 Concealment 14-
15 BODY 10 12- 3 Contortionist 14-
13 INT 3 12- PER Roll 12- 7 Shadowing 14-
10 EGO 0 11- ECV: 3 9 Stealth 17-
20 PRE 10 13- PRE Attack: 4d6
Total Powers & Skills Cost: 114
8 COM -1 11-
Total Cost: 216
8 PD 4 Total: 8 PD (2 rPD)
50+ Disadvantages
6 ED 3 Total: 6 ED (2 rED)
15 Distinctive Features: proto-man (Conceal-
4 SPD 7 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12
able With Difficulty; Noticed And Recogniz-
8 REC 0
able; Causes Major Reaction)
36 END 0
25 Psychological Limitation: Hunting [Desig-
35 STUN 1 TotalCharacteristicsCost: 102
nated Target] (Very Common, Total)
Movement: Running: 9”/18” 15 Psychological Limitation: Will Not Harm
Leaping: 7”/14” Teleios (Uncommon, Total)
30 Vulnerability: 2 x Effect from Flashes (Very
Cost Powers END
Common)
12 Claws: HKA 1d6 (2d6 with STR) 1
81 Experience Points
5 Fangs: HKA ½d6 (1d6+1 with STR) 1
Martial Arts: Clawjutsu Total Disadvantage Points: 216
Maneuver OCV DCV Notes Description: Teleios created these vicious hunter-
4 Block +2 +2 Block, Abort assassins by crossing human DNA with the DNA of
4 Evade — +5 Dodge all at- octopi, cats, and certain other predatory beasts. The
tacks, Abort result is a humanoid creature as smart as a man,
4 Lightning Slash +2 +0 Claws +2 DC able to pass as a man in bad light and to use human
5 Passing Slash +1 +0 Claws + v/5; facilities and tools. It can extend vicious claws from
FMove its fingertips, and use them with deadly precision.
5 Savage Slash +1 -2 Claws +4 DC Most amazingly of all, it can alter the color of its
2 Tough Skin: Damage Resistance skin to create nearly-perfect camouflage; it just has
(2 PD/2 ED) 0 to stand still to take advantage of this ability.
20 Superior Camouflage: Invisibility to Sight The Chameleon Claw’s favorite strategy is to
Group, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); stalk its quarry and learn his routine. Once it has
Chameleon (-½) 0 established that, it lies in wait using its Superior
6 Powerful Legs: Running +3” (9” total) 1 Camouflage power, then leaps on its target by sur-
3 Powerful Legs: Leaping +3” (6” forward, prise and claws him to death.
3” upward) 1
6 Assassin’s Senses: +2 PER with all Sense
Groups 0
38 ■ Master Villains Hero System 5th Edition

CLONED SOLDIER Talents

Val Char Cost Roll Notes 5 Resistance (5 points)
15 STR 5 12- Lift 200 kg; 3d6 [1] Skills
15 DEX 15 12- OCV: 5/DCV: 5 8 +1 with All Combat
15 CON 10 12-
15 BODY 10 12- 2 KS: Owner’s Combat Doctrines & Proce-
15 INT 5 12- PER Roll 12- dures 11-
10 EGO 0 11- ECV: 3 3 Stealth 12-
15 PRE 5 12- PRE Attack: 3d6 3 Tactics 12-
10 COM 0 11- 3 WF: Small Arms, Blades
9 Choose three of the following: Bugging, Com-
5 PD 2 Total: 5 PD (1 rPD) bat Driving, Combat Piloting, Computer Pro-
5 ED 2 Total: 5 ED (1 rED) gramming, Concealment, Deduction, Demoli-
3 SPD 5 Phases: 4, 8, 12 tions, Electronics, Fast Draw, Interrogation,
6 REC 0 Lockpicking, Mechanics, Paramedics, Security
30 END 0 Systems, Shadowing, Systems Operation, 3
31 STUN 0 Total Characteristics Cost: 59 points’ worth of KSs/Languages/SSs/TFs/WFs,
Movement: Running: 7”/14” 1 3-point Combat Skill Level
Total Powers & Skills Cost: 122
Cost Powers END
Total Cost: 181
60 Weapons, equipment, and gear
Martial Arts: Basic Fighting Techniques 50+ Disadvantages
Maneuver OCV DCV Notes 5 Distinctive Features: barcode tattoo on
4 Block +2 +2 Block, Abort forehead and shoulders (Easily Concealed;
4 Dodge — +5 Dodge, Affects Noticed And Recognizable)
All Attacks, 20 Psychological Limitation: Loyal To Owner
Abort (Common, Total)
4 Punch +0 +2 5d6 Strike 15 Psychological Limitation: Will Not Harm
3 Throw +0 +1 3d6 + vel/5; Tar- Teleios (Uncommon, Total)
get Falls 91 Experience Points
1 Tough Skin: Damage Resistance Total Disadvantage Points: 181
(1 PD/1 ED) 0 Description: Teleios breeds these vat-grown merce-
2 Strong Legs: Running +1” (7” total) 1 naries for whoever can afford them (past clients have
5 Enhanced Nightsight: Nightvision 0 included Eurostar, ARGENT, and VIPER). Their
6 Enhanced Senses: +2 PER with all Sense Skills and memories are implanted in them via a
Groups 0 memory induction process, and can be tailored to suit
the customer’s taste. The owner supplies them with
whatever weapons and equipment he chooses, as well
as any additional training desired.
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter One 39

MONSTERSAURUS 200+ Disadvantages

Val Char Cost Roll Notes 15 Physical Limitation: Animal Intelligence
60 STR 50 21- Lift 100 tons; 12d6 [6] (Frequently, Greatly Impairing)
18 DEX 15 12- OCV: 5/DCV: 5 10 Physical Limitation: Huge (up to 18m long/
40 CON 60 17- tall and 9 tons; -6 DCV, +6 to PER Rolls to
35 BODY 50 16- perceive) (Frequently, Slightly Impairing)
10 INT 0 11- PER Roll 11- 10 Physical Limitation: Reduced Leap, cannot
10 EGO 0 11- ECV: 3 leap (Infrequently, Slightly Impairing)
35 PRE 25 16- PRE Attack: 7d6 15 Physical Limitation: Very Limited Manipu-
8 COM -1 11- lation (Frequently, Greatly Impairing)
15 Psychological Limitation: Will Not Harm
18 PD 6 Total: 18 PD (9 rPD) Teleios (Uncommon, Total)
18 ED 10 Total: 18 ED (9 rED) 171 Experience Points
4 SPD 12 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12
20 REC 0 Total Disadvantage Points: 436
80 END 0 Description: Bred from tyrannosaurus genetic mate-
85 STUN 0 Total Characteristics Cost: 227 rial taken from blood in the stomachs of flies trapped
in amber, supplemented with pterosaur DNA and a
Movement: Running: 12”/24”
few touches inspired by Teleios’s artistic sensibilities
Leaping: 0”/0”
(like the ability to breathe fire), the Monstersaurus is
Swmming: 0”/0”
just the sort of thing for destructive rampages through
Flight: 10”/20”
the city of your choice. It even comes equipped with
Cost Powers END wings, so that it can fly over annoying obstacles like
75 Fiery Breath: RKA 3d6, Area Of Effect rivers and armored divisions.
(72” Line; +1½); No Range (-½) 11
45 Jaws: HKA 3d6 (6d6 with STR) 4
15 Forelimb Claws: HKA 1d6 (2d6 with STR) 1
9 Tough Skin: Damage Resistance (9 PD/9 ED) 0
20 Heavy: Knockback Resistance -10” 0
13 Monstrous Wings: Flight 10”;
Restrainable (-½) 2
12 Big Body And Long Legs: Running +6”
(12” total) 1
-2 Can’t Swim: Swimming -2”
6 Dinosaur Senses: +2 PER with all
Sense Groups 0
6 Tail: Extra Limb, Inherent (+¼) 0
Skills
10 +2 Hand-To-Hand
Total Powers & Skills Cost: 209
Total Cost: 436
40 ■ Master Villains Hero System 5th Edition

PIRANHAGATOR Talents
Val Char Cost Roll Notes 3 Environmental Movement: Aquatic
25 STR 15 14- Lift 800 kg; 5d6 [2] Movement (no penalties in water)
16 DEX 18 12- OCV: 5/DCV: 5 Skills
20 CON 20 13- 8 +4 OCV with Bite
14 BODY 8 12-
8 INT -2 11- PER Roll 11- 2 Concealment 11-; Self Only (-½)
8 EGO -4 11- ECV: 3 3 Stealth 12-
20 PRE 10 13- PRE Attack: 4d6 Total Powers & Skills Cost: 70
4 COM -3 10- Total Cost: 157
9 PD 4 Total: 13 PD (4 rPD) 75+ Disadvantages
6 ED 2 Total: 8 ED (2 rED) 15 Physical Limitation: Animal Intelligence
4 SPD 14 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12 (Frequently, Greatly Impairing)
10 REC 2 10 Physical Limitation: Enormous (8m; -4
40 END 0 DCV, +4 to PER Rolls to perceive) (Fre-
40 STUN 3 Total Characteristics Cost: 87 quently, Slightly Impairing)
5 Physical Limitation: Reduced Leap, can only
Movement: Running: 3”/6”
leap 1” (Infrequently, Slightly Impairing)
Leaping: 1”/2”
15 Physical Limitation: Very Limited Manipu-
Swimming: 8”/16”
lation (Frequently, Greatly Impairing)
Cost Powers END 15 Psychological Limitation: Will Not Harm
10 Bite: HKA 1d6 (2d6 with STR); Teleios (Uncommon, Total)
Restrainable (-½) 1 22 Experience Points
5 Tail Bash: HA +2d6; Hand-To-Hand Total Disadvantage Points: 157
Attack (-½), Only With Extra Limb (-½) 0
9 Scaly Skin: Armor (4 PD/2 ED) 0 Description: Teleios mingled the DNA of alligators
8 Heavy: Knockback Resistance -4” 0 and piranha to breed these monstrosities, which
6 Strong Swimmer: Swimming +6” (8” total) 1 he keeps as pets in the pools of the gardens at his
-6 Short Legs: Running -3” (3” total) Nicaragua laboratories. Normally they eat chickens
6 Crocodilian Senses: +2 PER with all and fish, but they find the taste of human flesh par-
Sense Groups 0 ticularly toothsome....
5 Crocodilian Eyes: Nightvision 0
6 Tail: Extra Limb, Inherent (+¼) 0
5 At Home In The Water: Life Support (Ex-
panded Breathing: breathe underwater) 0
chapter two:

VILLAIN TEAMS
42 ■ Villain Teams Hero System 5th Edition

CIRQUE SINISTER

CIRQUE
PLOT SEEDS

The Night The Lights

SINISTER
Went Out: The Cirque
Sinister strikes Vibora
Bay Electric’s central
processing plant, caus-
ing a massive blackout
across the city. The
Cirque and several other
criminals take advantage
Membership: Amnesia, Cauldron, Flow, and Mini- have included causing a twenty-foot-high double-
of the resulting chaos
for a crime spree. The max. Bobby Holmes occasionally assists the team. bacon cheeseburger (with extra ketchup) to appear
PCs not only have to Background/History: The Cirque Sinister is a small in the lobby of City Hall, or “liberating” all of the ani-
thwart these crimes but group of supercriminals based in an abandoned mals from the Vibora Bay Zoo.
rescue victims stranded psychiatric facility called the San Sebastien Sani- The Cirque’s members generally don’t care
in elevators, trapped in tarium. The Sanitarium is at the edge of (but not for straight-up battles against superheroes — they
burning buildings, or prefer sneakiness and surprise. If forced to fight,
actually in) the San Sebastien Swamp, about ten
otherwise threatened by Cauldron and Flow pick out targets susceptible to
minor disasters. miles northeast of Vibora Bay.
The Cirque got its start through (for its their attacks, Minimax creates obstacles and bar-
members) a happy coincidence. In October, 2003, riers to interfere with heroes and protect herself
Powered Up: A cosmi- (and then snipes away with either her powers or
cally-powerful magical Amnesia, a powerful psionic, met Minimax and
Cauldron when each of them tried to rob the same weapons from her shrunken arsenal), and Amnesia
artifact, long hidden in
hotel. Hitting it off quickly, they agreed to team up selectively uses her Entangle to set people up for
the swamps, falls into
the hands of the Cirque. and formed the Cirque Sinister. Around the same Flow’s punches or Cauldron’s fiery breath. Amne-
Now that Amnesia and time, the Atlanta police were getting a bit too close sia tries to keep Bobby out of any fights, but that
Minimax have power to for comfort, so the group packed up and moved rarely works and soon Bobby’s “invisible giant”
match their ambitions, its base of operations to Vibora Bay, settling down strides onto the battlefield and starts throwing large
they decide to really in the abandoned San Sebastien Sanitarium psy- objects around. As soon as they have a chance to
show the world what retreat, they will. If capture seems inevitable, they
chiatric ward building. Amnesia quickly wound
they’re capable of, twist- take their chances on escaping later rather than
ing reality itself into a up as the team’s leader by acclamation, thanks to
Minimax’s tiny attention span and Cauldron’s lazi- battle to the last.
nightmarish landscape.
ness; when Flow joined the team he was glad to let Campaign Use: The Cirque Sinister is a pretty
The Curtain Comes her make the decisions. offbeat team, suitable for times when your play-
Down: Minimax and Group Relations: Amnesia’s “control” over the team ers need a change-up story. Their various internal
Flow have decided to go she nominally leads is tenuous and largely based on interactions, especially the relationship between
out in a big way. They anyone else’s lack of desire for the job. So far she’s Amnesia and Bobby, may make them vaguely sym-
come up with a suicidal pathetic to the PCs. If the heroes thwart at least one
done pretty well; the team’s had some fun and the
scheme involving an of their crimes, it’s entirely in character for Mini-
enormous bomb in the headquarters contains lots of entertaining booty.
Minimax and Flow find the idea of committing max in particular to become obsessed with them,
middle of downtown, luring the heroes into traps and other dangerous
which Minimax insists crimes for profit boring and existentially point-
less respectively, so now that they have their basic situations just to play with them further.
will be the single great-
est performance art needs attended to both would rather select targets To make the Cirque more powerful, you have
piece ever. Amnesia on their artistic merits rather than the prospect of two main options. The first is the standard one for a
and Cauldron, neither more wealth. Cauldron likes money, but is blinded group — add more members. Pick some of the solo
of whom is interested by his love for Minimax and goes along with what- villains from this book or Conquerors, Killers, And
in a stunt so dangerous, ever she wants. This means Amnesia has to careful- Crooks to round out their number. Maybe a techno-
try to stop them but logical villain, like Armadillo or Mechassassin, would
ly manipulate Minimax into agreeing to whatever
fail, and only Amnesia make a good choice. The other method is to alter the
escapes. She turns to crimes she (Amnesia) proposes, a tactic that may
eventually blow up in her face. When he’s around, existing members’ personalities and motivations a
the PCs for help — can little so they work together better as a team. Minimize
they prevent the insane Bobby supports whatever his sister Amnesia wants
to do, but nobody else on the team takes the kid the conflicts, maximize their desire for profit, and
pair from pulling off
their plan, which will seriously... yet. give them all the Teamwork Skill. To make them less
kill Bobby and Cauldron powerful, do the opposite: increase their differences,
Tactics: The Cirque alternates between committing making the team far more dysfunctional and unable
along with themselves
and thousands more in crimes for profit, robbing banks and other venues to coordinate its activities effectively.
the process? And can for easily-convertible cash and luxury items for the The Cirque as a whole has yet to Hunt
the heroes really trust members’ own use, and performing acts of what can anyone, though individual members might. As
Amnesia long enough to only be called “super-vandalism” (to satisfy Minimax’s a group they simply don’t have enough motiva-
find out? desire to create “performance art” to shake up the tions in common to want to pursue the same
masses). Examples of this sort of “pointless” crime enemy with the same zeal.
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Two 43

AMNESIA Total Powers & Skills Cost: 255 AMNESIA

Val Char Cost Roll Notes Total Cost: 350 PLOT SEEDS
10 STR 0 11- Lift 100 kg; 2d6 [1] 200+ Disadvantages
18 DEX 24 13- OCV: 6/DCV: 6 5 Enraged: when children are threatened Amnesia wakes up one
15 CON 10 12- morning in a hotel room
(Uncommon), go 8-, recover 14-
10 BODY 0 11- in Vibora Bay, unable
15 Hunted: FBI 8- (As Pow, NCI, Capture/Kill) to remember anything.
15 INT 5 12- PER Roll 12- 15 Hunted: Surge 8- (Mo Pow, Capture/Kill) She stumbles out into
18 EGO 16 13- ECV: 6 15 Psychological Limitation: Likes To Create the street, where a PC
15 PRE 5 12- PRE Attack: 3d6 Terror And Chaos (Common, Strong) rescues her before she’s
14 COM 2 12- 15 Psychological Limitation: Merciless Killer run over by a car. The
5 PD 3 Total: 13 PD (8 rPD) Of Child Molesters Or Murderers (Uncom- heroes, now burdened
mon, Total) with this mystery, have
4 ED 1 Total: 12 ED (8 rED)
20 Psychological Limitation: Protective Of Her to figure out what’s
5 SPD 22 Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 going on — and what
5 REC 0 Brother Bobby (Common, Total)
caused her amnesia —
40 END 5 5 Reputation: crazy supervillain, 8-
before she remembers
25 STUN 2 Total Characteristics Cost: 95 60 Experience Points and attacks them.
Total Disadvantage Points: 350
Movement: Running: 6”/12”
Background/History: Briana Holmes was born in While amusing herself
Cost Powers END by stealing memories
Allentown, Pennsylvania in 1982. Her family was
90 Memory Loss: Minor Transform 8d6 from people walking
astonished by her purple eyes and silver-colored around in the Easton
(person into person missing one particular hair, but as far as doctors could tell she was other-
set of memories, heals back normally or Tangle, Amnesia hap-
wise normal and her parents resolved to dye her pens to steal some top-
when reminded of what’s been lost), Based hair regularly. By the time she reached grade school secret defense informa-
On EGO Combat Value (Mental Defense ap- she was already having difficulties — though she tion from a CIA agent
plies; +1), Works Against EGO, Not was quite bright, she had trouble paying attention, on vacation. Now “the
BODY (+¼); All Or Nothing (-½), and was well-known for provoking fights and dis- Company” wants the
Limited Target (humans; -½) 18 rupting class. No one quite understood why, but PCs to apprehend her as
25 Memory Theft: Telepathy 15d6; Linked there was a simple explanation: from the time Bri- soon as possible... but it
(to Memory Loss; -½), Only To “Steal” won’t say why, or what it
ana was a toddler she could psionically reach into
Memories (-1), Mandatory Effect (EGO plans to do with her.
other people’s minds and take their memories for
+20; -½) 7 herself. It wasn’t until she was about six that she re-
50 Crippling Confusion: Entangle 3d6, 4 DEF, One of a PC’s enemies
alized everybody couldn’t do this, an epiphany that frames him so that it
Based On EGO Combat Value (Mental De- only increased her feelings of isolation and superi-
fense applies; +1), Works Versus EGO, looks like he’s guilty of
ority. Her anger at finding unflattering memories killing several children.
not STR (+¼), Takes No Damage From about herself caused her discipline problems. Outraged by these re-
Physical Attacks (+¼); Mental Defense Adds By her early teens Briana had become quite ports, Amnesia comes
To EGO (-½), Cannot Form Barriers (-¼) 9 adept at using her powers to manipulate others, but after him with ven-
10 Mental Agony: Ego Attack 2d6; Extra she had a breakthrough the first time she caused a geance in mind.
Time (Full Phase; -½), Increased mall security guard to forget he saw her and walked
Endurance Cost (x2 END; -½) 4 away with several hundred dollars in jewelry. At the
11 Handgun: RKA 1½d6; OAF (-1), 2 clips same time, her home life was becoming increas-
of 8 Charges each (-¼) [8] ingly difficult, as she fought with her parents (both
10 Mental Wards: Mental Defense of whom had drinking problems) regularly. The
(14 points total) 0 only person she could relate to was her younger
10 Padded Costume: Armor (5 PD/5 ED); brother Bobby, who never judged her or thought
OIF (-½) 0 bad things about her. In 2000 she decided she’d had
10 Fortune’s Favor: Luck 2d6 0 enough and ran away from home, heading first to
Talents Philadelphia, then south down the Atlantic coast,
6 Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED) stopping in various cities and towns for a few weeks
3 Lightsleep to commit a few robberies and then move on be-
fore anyone could gather enough physical evidence
Skills to catch her in spite of her remarkable powers.
6 +3 OECV with Memory Loss It was in Atlanta in the summer of 2002 that
3 Breakfall 13- she finally hit the big time. Her robberies had
3 Climbing 13- become increasingly bold (and profitable) as she
3 Concealment 12- gained experience in using her powers to slip past
3 AK: Atlanta 12- guards, bank tellers, and store managers. While
3 Lockpicking 13- she was in the middle of her biggest heist yet (a
3 Stealth 13- downtown bank’s basement security depository,
3 Streetwise 12- the passcode to which the head guard could sud-
2 Survival (Urban) 12- denly no longer remember), she was interrupted
1 WF: Handguns by the arrival of Atlanta’s leading superhero, Surge.
As electricity crackled around him, Surge gave her
one chance to surrender. Then he suddenly rubbed
44 ■ Villain Teams Hero System 5th Edition

his eyes, wondering as the existence of a skill or power (or how to use
how he’d gotten into it). However, you should not allow her to use this
this dark basement. as the equivalent of a broad-based Drain or the
Oh yes, he’d been like — it’s only a Minor Transform, so its effects on
pursuing a robber! combat should be limited.
How could he have The easiest way to handle the potential prob-
forgotten? She must lems this power poses are the following. First,
have slipped by in his remember that she can only steal one particular
confusion.... memory, and interpret that using your common
Briana’s success sense, dramatic sense, and awareness of game bal-
went directly to her ance. She could, for example, make a PC forget that
head. She adopted a he’s got a particular superpower, but not forget all
flashy costume and his superpowers. Second, keep in mind that the
the name “Amnesia” victim can heal back normally (using his REC),
and began a cam- but also heals back instantly if he’s somehow re-
paign of harassment minded of what he forgot. This can be as simple as
against the Atlanta a teammate saying, “Hey, use your Energy Bolt!” (if
police and Surge in she’s stolen the memory of its existence), or seeing
particular, encounter- the combination lock whose combination is the
ing him three more memory she stole. Again, use your common sense,
times without being dramatic sense, and appreciation for game balance
captured. Then she in your campaign to make Amnesia’s powers fun,
met the other mem- but not overwhelming.
bers of what would While Memory Loss/Theft makes Amnesia
become Cirque a formidable opponent, it’s not much help in a
Sinister (see above), straight-up fight, and she knows it. She’s got a
and her life changed couple other powers (her Crippling Confusion and
again. Mental Agony attacks) she can use in a pinch, but
In early 2004 they’re of relatively little use due to high END costs
Amnesia had a and other restrictions. She leads from the rear,
strange dream in coming up with plans for her team and mentally
which she was talking sniping from cover whenever possible. She’s fond of
to Bobby again for causing targets to simply forget the last few seconds
the first time in years. (her Crippling Confusion) — while they’re tempo-
Bobby told her he was trapped in a strange place rarily stunned and without their bearings, Flow or
and that he needed her to come rescue him. When Cauldron can attack them. As a last resort, she car-
she awoke, she took the team to Pennsylvania. ries a gun and isn’t afraid to use it.
Though they complained at first, once they learned Campaign Use: See the introductory text for gen-
what Bobby was capable of they agreed to rescue eral information. Amnesia’s probably the most
him and let him join the team. Amnesia now has solid and stable member of the Cirque, and thus
the power she’s always wanted, and she’s looking the most dangerous over time. Play her as someone
around for something worthy to use it on. who’s street-smart and cagey, but not quite as expe-
Personality/Motivation: Amnesia commits crimes rienced in the use of her (somewhat limited) pow-
to bolster her own self-esteem. Though she puts up ers as most supervillain team leaders.
a bold front, she’s a mass of insecurity deep inside To make Amnesia more powerful, convert her
and desperately needs to feel important and special. Memory Loss into a Major Transform and redefine
Being a feared and famous supervillain satisfies this it so she can remove/add Psychological Limitations
need extremely well. She enjoys leading the Cirque and make other significant mental changes to her
Sinister, though she winds up giving both Mini- targets. To weaken her, get rid of Crippling Confu-
max and Cauldron a fair amount of leeway for fear sion and Mental Agony.
they’ll quit if she pushes them too hard. Amnesia often Hunts child molesters, abus-
Amnesia enjoys matching wits with the po- ers, and killers, whom she loathes. Other than that,
lice and superheroes, particularly when she can she’s really not interested in pursuing an enemy;
publicly humiliate them. She likes to create panics she’d rather maintain her distance and keep com-
and chaos in crowds, though she’s a bit squeamish mitting crimes.
about using violence directly herself against non- Appearance: Briana is a lovely young woman, with
combatants. She has no such compunctions about striking, long silver hair, a curvy figure, and dis-
anyone who would try to stop or capture her. tinctive purple irises in her eyes. She’s only 5’0” tall
Quote: “Hey, hero! Looks like you forgot some- and weighs about 110 pounds. She wears a purple
thing. Maybe this’ll jog your memory!” and black jumpsuit that matches her eyes, with a
Powers/Tactics: Amnesia is a psionic with the short black jacket over it and half-mask that covers
power to steal her victim’s memories for herself her face but not her hair.
telepathically. This can be any sort of memory,
from a specific fact or event to something as subtle
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Two 45

CAULDRON 4 Gambling (Card Games, Sports Betting) 11- CAULDRON

Val Char Cost Roll Notes 3 Stealth 13- PLOT SEEDS
28 STR 18 15- Lift 1,200 kg; 5½d6 [3] 3 Streetwise 12-
18 DEX 24 13- OCV: 6/DCV: 6 Total Powers & Skills Cost: 231 Teleios decides Caul-
25 CON 30 14- Total Cost: 350 dron would make
15 BODY 10 12- excellent fodder for
11 INT 1 11- PER Roll 11- 200+ Disadvantages experimentation and
20 Hunted: Guy Sweetland 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, kidnaps him. The PCs
10 EGO 0 11- ECV: 3
Capture/Kill) have to rescue the large-
15 PRE 5 12- PRE Attack: 3 d6 mouthed supervillain
6 COM -2 10- 10 Hunted: Black Mask 8- (As Pow, Capture/Kill)
15 Physical Limitation: Power Is Difficult to before Teleios finds a
12 PD 6 Total: 22 PD (10 rPD) way to give his cloned
Control — Accidentally Destroys Things
soldiers fire-breathing
10 ED 5 Total: 22 ED (12 rED) (Frequently, Greatly Impairing) powers.
5 SPD 22 Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 15 Psychological Limitation: Anti-Authoritar-
11 REC 0 ian; Breaks Laws For Fun (Common, Strong) A string of mysterious
50 END 0 15 Psychological Limitation: Overconfidence fires strikes Weston. The
42 STUN 0 Total Characteristics Cost: 119 (Very Common, Moderate) authorities definitely
10 Psychological Limitation: Vengeful; Holds believe it’s arson, but can
Movement: Running: 6”/12”
Grudges (Uncommon, Strong) find no trace of acceler-
Cost Powers END 10 Reputation: hideous European villain/freak, ants. Is Cauldron moon-
17 Internal Combustion: HKA 2d6, Armor 8- (Extreme) lighting as an arsonist?
Piercing (+½), Penetrating (+½), Reduced En- 15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity (Adriano
durance (½ END; +¼); Only Works Bompani) (Frequently, Major) Cauldron eats a mystic
Against Swallowed Items (items must be 15 Susceptibility: takes 3d6 damage instantly hero’s Unbreakable Fo-
less than ½” in any dimension; -2), No if he ingests fire suppressants (such as fire- cus — and now it’s stuck
in his throat! He can’t
STR Bonus (-½), Gestures (must swallow; retarding chemicals, large amounts of water,
destroy it and he can’t
-¼), No Knockback (-¼) 3 and the like) (Uncommon) vomit it back up. He’s
18 Fire-Breathing: Elemental Control, 25 Experience Points going on a pain-fueled
36-point powers Total Disadvantage Points: 350 rampage, and the Focus
27 1) Spit Fire: RKA 2d6, Explosion (+½), is making his powers
Personal Immunity (+¼); Limited Range Background/History: Adriano Bompani was born more destructive than
(10”; -¼) 5 in Salerno, Italy in 1972. As an adult he worked as ever. The PCs have to
22 2) Smoke Breath I: Energy Blast 3d6, a plumber and occasionally took odd jobs for local stop him and then solve
No Normal Defense (defense is Life gangsters as a low-level thug and debt collector. A sci- the problem.
Support [Self-Contained Breathing]; +1), entist working for the local VIPER Nest recruited him
Area Of Effect (3” Radius; +1); Does Not in 1999 as a test subject for a experimental “super-
Work In High Winds or Rain (-¼) 4 soldier” drug, supposedly reverse-engineered from
14 3) Smoke Breath II: Change Environment blood samples stolen from UNTIL’s own program.
32” radius, -4 to Normal Sight PER Adriano experienced what appeared to be an allergic
Rolls; Does Not Work In High Winds reaction to the serum and died on the operating table.
or Rain (-¼) 4 VIPER quietly disposed of his body by dumping it in
7 Jaw Strength: +20 STR; Only For Keeping the Via Del Greci.
His Jaws Clamped On Something (-1½), Bompani’s “allergic reaction” and apparent
No Figured Characteristics (-½) 2 death were only temporary manifestations of a mu-
33 Tough Form: Armor (10 PD/12 ED) 0 tation on the cellular level. His body washed ashore
40 Fire Immunity: Energy Damage Reduction, on a deserted beach several days later, where he
Resistant, 75%; Only Works Against regained consciousness. Bompani discovered that
Limited Type Of Attack (fire; -½) 0 his body had physically changed — his mouth was
15 Strange Physiology: Life Support now considerably larger, and his eyes glowed with
(Diminished Eating: only has to eat once an internal fire. More importantly, his upper torso
per week; Immunity: all terrestrial had become like a powerful oven, capable of gener-
poisons and chemical warfare agents; ating smoke and fire from his mouth, and anything
Safe Environments: Intense Cold, he ingested was consumed by the terrible fires that
Intense Heat) 0 burned painlessly in his chest. Fearing that if VI-
12 Fiery Eyes: Sight Group Flash Defense PER found him it would subject him to even more
(12 points) 0 awful experiments, he stowed away on a tramp
freighter that took him to America.
Skills By the time he arrived in Florida, he had
6 +2 with Fire-Breathing powers adjusted more to his new appearance and powers
2 AK: Italy 11- and decided to try to make his mark as a supervil-
2 CK: Vibora Bay 11- lain for hire. He called himself Cauldron, and after
2 KS: Plumbing 11- demonstrating his abilities for Guy Sweetland he
2 PS: Plumber 11- was hired as freelance muscle. It was while work-
2 Language: English (fluent conversation; ing for Sweetland that he encountered Black Mask,
Italian is Native) who defeated him in combat a couple of times but
never apprehended him.
46 ■ Villain Teams Hero System 5th Edition

with bursts of fire from his mouth. He also likes the

thrill of superhuman combat, and taunts and ha-
rasses heroes when he’s not trying to kill them.
Quote: “Ain’t fireproof, are ya? Then back off!”
Powers/Tactics: The VIPER serum converted Caul-
dron’s body into a humanoid oven that constantly
“burns” inside him with astonishingly hot flames.
Cauldron can consume just about any flammable
object he can fit into his mouth, which can open al-
most three feet wide — his neck bulges like a pelican’s
when he swallows something particularly large until
his internal fires reduce it to smoke. His jaws are even
more powerful than the rest of his body, and when he
grabs hold of someone with them only the strongest
superhumans can force him to release his grip. He can
also “spit” bursts of flame up to about twenty meters
accurately, or belch forth clouds of thick, dark, chok-
ing, blinding smoke.
Cauldron’s general physiology has been altered
to accommodate his bizarre power. He’s superhu-
manly strong and tough, is almost entirely resistant
to heat and flame (including fires he doesn’t create
himself), and no longer needs to “eat” normally (he
just has to consume one flammable item of reason-
able size per week).
In combat Cauldron prefers to open by grab-
bing something unlikely (like a gun or other Focus
if possible) so he can eat it while smiling and mak-
ing a Presence Attack. If that doesn’t intimidate his
foe into surrendering right there, he follows up by
spitting fire or a cloud of smoke.
Campaign Use: See the introductory text for gen-
eral information. Cauldron is part of the Cirque’s
In 2001 he met Minimax while she was on
“muscle” — he’s mainly intended for combat, and
one of her sprees of vandalism, and was instantly
takes a frontline position in battles. In the long
smitten. Minimax was intrigued by his powers and
term, he might cause rifts within the group through
found him entertaining to hang around with, so
his slavish devotion to Minimax or his general dis-
Cauldron abruptly quit his job with Sweetland to
like of taking orders.
work as her partner, leading to some bad blood
To make Cauldron more powerful, expand the
between himself and the mobster. The two shifted
scope of his fire-breathing powers. Switch his Elemen-
their activities north, committing crimes in Atlanta
tal Control to “Smoke Generation” and then give him
and other parts of Georgia and Alabama. When
a Multipower of various fire attacks. An HKA “Enor-
Minimax joined the Cirque Sinister, he did, too,
mous Bite” might also be worth adding. To weaken
and it was his suggestion that the team move back
him, reduce his Characteristics and change his Spit
to Vibora Bay when things got hot in Atlanta.
Fire to an Area Of Effect (One Hex).
Personality/Motivation: Cauldron, despite his fear- Cauldron is a vengeful streak and is likely to
some appearance and bizarre powers, is actually a start Hunting a hero who defeats him once too of-
fairly ordinary guy who would like nothing more ten or humiliates him in public. He’ll attack directly
than to make some money without having to work at the first opportunity — he lacks the tempera-
too hard. He’s deeply in love with Minimax, who ment and intelligence for greater subtlety and plan-
occasionally returns his attentions but more fre- ning (though Minimax might help him concoct a
quently ignores him or even teases him unmerci- better scheme).
fully about his looks and powers. He’s torn between
Appearance: Cauldron stands about 6’1”, with a barrel
wanting to commit more crimes with his powers
chest, eyes that glow orange or even red depending on
to impress her and finding some way to reverse the
what he’s eaten recently, and an enormous mouth that
effects of the serum so he’ll look normal enough
even when closed stretches from ear to ear. When he
that she’ll find him attractive. (Of course, Minimax
opens his mouth his jowly cheeks expand and stretch,
would have no use for Cauldron as a normal per-
blowing out to either side of his head. His black hair is
son, but Bompani deludes himself otherwise.) He
moussed to stand on end, and his hairline has reced-
dislikes authority intensely (and often takes this
ed, leaving most of his forehead bare. He doesn’t wear
dislike out on cops and politicians who get in his
much of a costume, favoring dark jeans and denim
way), but follows orders from either Minimax or
“work shirts,” usually with a long brown trenchcoat
Amnesia (the former more readily than the latter)...
heavy with straps and buckles.
for the time being. He enjoys terrorizing normals
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Two 47

FLOW 200+ Disadvantages FLOW PLOT SEEDS

Val Char Cost Roll Notes 5 Physical Limitation: Inconvenient Size (8’0”,
45 STR 35 18- Lift 12.5 tons; 9d6 [4] weighs 500 pounds) (Infrequently, Slightly Flow is actually a probe
20 DEX 30 13- OCV: 7/DCV: 7 Impairing) sent by the Hzeel to
30 CON 40 15- 10 Physical Limitation: Poor Distance Vision scout Earth prior to
22 BODY 24 13- (suffers double the Range Modifier) (Infre- their invasion, but his
quently, Greatly Impairing) programming’s been
10 INT 0 11- PER Roll 11-
15 Psychological Limitation: Short-Tempered scrambled. When he
8 EGO -4 11- ECV: 3 starts receiving “cor-
20 PRE 10 13- PRE Attack: 4d6 (Common, Strong)
rective” broadcasts and
5 COM -2 10- 15 Psychological Limitation: Hates Bullies instructions, what will
(Common, Strong) he do? And what if the
20 PD 11 Total: 20 PD (20 rPD) 10 Psychological Limitation: Wants to Know Warlord intercepts the
11 ED 5 Total: 11 ED (10 rED) Where He Came From (Uncommon, Strong) transmissions and de-
4 SPD 10 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12 5 Rivalry: Professional, with any other “brick” cides to acquire more
15 REC 0 15 Susceptibility: suffers a Drain DEX 2d6 “Blueboy” technology?
60 END 0 every Turn when exposed to intense cold
60 STUN 0 Total Characteristics Cost: 159 (including ambient temperatures below -7o C Flow is actually a con-
[20o F]) (Uncommon) struct of Teleios’s that
Movement: Running: 12”/24”
5 Unluck: 1d6 fell to Earth from one
Cost Powers END 85 Experience Points of his orbital labora-
6 Rubbery Body: Elemental Control, tories. Teleios finally
Total Disadvantage Points: 365 tracks him down and
12-point powers
Background/History: In the fall of 2002, a small sends an army of intel-
6 1) Oversized Fists: HA +3d6; Hand-To-
ligent monsters (dino-
Hand Attack (-½) 1 team of geologists was exploring an Arkansas pine
saur-men, mostly) to
14 2) Malleable Form: Desolidification (af- forest after local residents reported a small meteor “retrieve” him.
fected by any type of attack); Does shower in the area. After more than two days of
Not Protect Against Damage (-1), Cannot fruitless searching, Kurt McColl, one of the grad Flow is actually a peace-
Pass Through Solid Objects (or spaces small- students involved, finally came across a charred ful alien explorer suf-
er than 10 cm; -½) 4 black rock sitting at the bottom of a small crater. fering from amnesia
9 3) Rubbery Body: Stretching 3” 1 When he climbed down for a closer look, the rock brought about by his
6 4) Long Legs: Running +6” (12” total) 1 split into two pieces with a snap that sounded like crash-landing on Earth.
37 5) Stuck On Me: Entangle 3d6, 3 DEF, a gunshot. From the hollow center a purple, gooey He regains his memories
Continuous (+1), Damage Shield (+½), Re- liquid flowed onto the needle-covered dirt. one day. Ashamed of
duced Endurance (0 END; +½); As the young geologist looked on in amazement, what he’s been doing,
the puddle of purple goo began to stir and bubble, he contacts the PCs and
Feedback (character takes all damage
offers to serve as their
to break victim out of Entangle; -1), and then to shift and grow. Before his eyes the liquid
“double agent” to help
Cannot Form Barriers (-¼) 9 bubbled up into a column some eight feet high, then bring down the Cirque
19 6) Bounceback: Missile Deflection and Re- slowly coalesced into a vaguely humanoid shape. Mc- Sinister. Will they go for
flection (all physical projectiles); Coll finally regained his composure and turned to call it... and is the offer on
Costs Endurance (-½) 3 for his compatriots to come see this amazing find, but the up-and-up?
30 Tough To Hurt: Physical Damage when he turned back the large purple being reached
Reduction, Resistant, 50% 0 out and touched his forehead. When the other geolo-
15 Durable: Damage Resistance gists finally found McColl he was lying unconscious
(20 PD/10 ED) 0 in the crater next to the broken meteor, in a coma he
23 Inhuman Physiology: Life Support would never recover from.
(Immunity: all terrestrial diseases, That’s where Flow’s awareness began — racing
biowarfare agents, poisons, and chemical through the forest at night with the memories of
warfare agents; Safe Environments: a human male named Kurt implanted in his head.
High Pressure, Low Pressure/Vacuum) 0 When he finally stopped running, he was near
Little Rock, where he smashed up a restaurant and
Skills a liquor store, then took on some state troopers
15 +3 with HTH Combat and finally ran away before PRIMUS agents could
9 +3 with Breakfall, Climbing, and Contortionist make the scene. He fell in with a gang of bikers
3 Breakfall 13- outside Memphis for a little while, but eventually
3 Climbing 13- got angry at some of them and smashed up the
3 Contortionist 13- barn they were living in. He set out on the road
2 CK: Little Rock, Arkansas 11- again and wound up in Vibora Bay, where Amne-
5 SS: Geology 14- sia tracked him down and invited him to join her
1 Streetwise 8- team. Lacking any other place to go and wanting to
Total Powers & Skills Cost: 206 fit in somewhere, Flow accepted the offer and has
Total Cost: 365 worked with the Cirque Sinister ever since.
Personality/Motivation: Flow is completely in the
dark about his own origins. He has no idea where
he comes from or why he’s on this planet, though
he assumes he’s an alien of some sort, perhaps
48 ■ Villain Teams Hero System 5th Edition

rock hard to nearly liquid in

consistency, and can stretch
and change his shape (though
not his mass or actual appear-
ance). He can squeeze his body
long and thin enough to pass
through a narrow pipe or open-
ing, or shift much of his mass
into his arms or fists so they be-
come larger and heavier before
he delivers a powerful punch.
He can Reflect physical Ranged
attacks by causing his body to
become resiliently rubbery, or
trap someone who touches him
in excess folds of waxy flesh by
relaxing his physical consis-
tency.
Flow doesn’t have much
use for tactics. He fights when
he’s angry or frightened, or
when Amnesia or Minimax
tell him to, but otherwise he’s
difficult to actually rouse to
anger. But thanks to his dislike
of bullies, he won’t allow an
obviously weak person (like a
child or animal) to be hurt in
his presence if he can help it.
Campaign Use: See the intro-
ductory text for general infor-
mation. Like Cauldron, Flow
is muscle for the group — he
sent as a probe to study life on Earth. He has all of goes where he’s told and fights
McColl’s memories in his head, but apparently only whomever he’s told to fight. The mystery of his
for informational purposes — he has no emotional background provide a plot hook you can exploit.
context or reaction to any of the people or events To make Flow tougher, give him some other
of McColl’s life, but he knows everything McColl Body-Affecting Powers, such as Density Increase,
did. His lack of understanding and general sense Growth, or Shape Shift. You can also increase his
of purposelessness has made him short-tempered inches of Stretching, or improve his SPD to 5. To
and bitter, liable to lash out at anyone who crosses weaken him, reduce his Characteristics (particu-
him (particularly anyone who bullies him or some- larly STR and CON).
one else in his presence — he has a visceral dislike Flow doesn’t Hunt anyone unless Amnesia or
of bullies that he doesn’t really understand). The Minimax tell him to. Even then, all he’ll do is track
absurdity of his situation (as gleefully pointed out down his opponent and attack as soon as possible.
by Minimax) makes him an ideal “artist” for the
Cirque as he takes out his frustrations on a mean- Appearance: Flow is an eight-foot-tall, hyper-
ingless universe. Flow only vaguely understands muscled giant who seems to have been carved from
what she’s talking about, but is so glad to have a purple rubber or wax. His eyes are large and yellow,
“home” that he doesn’t really mind her chatter. and his features appear a little vague and unfin-
ished. He’s completely hairless, and has a bit of an
Quote: “Don’t you get it? Nothing matters. It’s all underbite. His “costume” is a pair of baggy black
meaningless crap. Might as well break stuff — least pants and a black vest over his bare chest.
it shows we’re alive.”
Powers/Tactics: Flow’s body can vary in solidity from
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Two 49

MINIMAX Talents MINIMAX

Val Char Cost Roll Notes 12 Combat Luck (6 PD/6 ED) PLOT SEEDS
8 STR -2 11- Lift 75 kg; 1½d6 [1] Skills
25 DEX 45 14- OCV: 8/DCV: 8 Doctor Mercy escapes
9 +3 with Size Manipulation EC
16 CON 12 12- from prison and makes
9 BODY -2 11- 3 Breakfall 14- his way to Vibora Bay.
15 INT 5 12- PER Roll 12- 3 Concealment 12- While looking for a way
3 Demolitions 12- to capture Minimax, he
18 EGO 16 13- ECV: 6
3 KS: Modern Performance Art 12- sets himself up as an
14 PRE 4 12- PRE Attack: 2½d6 “underworld doctor”...
14 COM 2 12- 7 Power: Size Manipulation Tricks 14-
one who just happens
3 PS: Artist 13-
6 PD 4 Total: 20 PD (14 rPD) to sometimes “alter” or
3 Stealth 14- “improve” his patients.
5 ED 2 Total: 19 ED (14 rED) 3 Streetwise 12- The PCs have to deal
5 SPD 15 Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 6 WF: Common Melee Weapons, Small Arms, with an epidemic of
5 REC 0 Flamethrowers, Grenade Launchers low-powered super-
32 END 0 crooks and find out
Total Powers & Skills Cost: 444
21 STUN 0 Total Characteristics Cost: 101 what’s going on before
Total Cost: 545
Mercy accomplishes his
Movement: Running: 6”/12” objective.
200+ Disadvantages
Cost Powers END 20 Enraged: if someone interferes with or dam-
31 Object Size Manipulation: Elemental ages her “art” (Common), go 11-, recover Minimax wants to cre-
Control, 62-point powers 11- ate a new form of art
104 1) Enlarge Or Reduce Inorganic Objects: 5 Hunted: Dr. Mercy 8- (Less Pow, Capture) that she calls “satellite
painting.” This means
Major Transform 6d6 (non-living object 20 Hunted: Teleios 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
she wants to wreak de-
into same object but different size, heals 20 Psychological Limitation: Nihilistic Crimi- struction in a pattern
back normally (4 BODY/day) or through an- nal “Performance Artist” (Very Common, that forms a picture
other application of this power), Strong) when viewed by a re-
Improved Results Group (+¼), Reduced En- 20 Psychological Limitation: Casual Killer connaissance satellite,
durance (½ END; +¼) 5 (Common, Total) from a plane, or the like.
15 2) Enlarged Object Barriers: Entangle 260 Experience Points She begins destroying
6d6, up to 6 DEF, Reduced Endurance buildings around Vibora
Total Disadvantage Points: 545 Bay to create her “mas-
(½ END; +¼); OIF (small objects of
opportunity; -½), Only To Form Barriers Background/History: Minimax’s mother was a terpiece”; the PCs have
teenage runaway who was living on the streets to figure out what she’s
(-1), Defense Depends On Materials
of Dallas when she became pregnant in 1992. doing so they can find
Used (-½) 3 her and stop her.
12 3) Dropped Through A Hole: Teleportation Her mother knew she couldn’t possibly care for
5”, x8 Increased Mass, Area Of Effect the child, so after giving birth she had the child
placed with Foster Services for adoption. But Minimax claims the
Nonselective (One Hex; +¼), Reduced San Sebastien Swamp
Endurance (½ END; +¼), Usable As Attack an unscrupulous pediatrician manipulated the
is “talking” to her. The
(defense is Teleportation, Growth, or paperwork so the infant was sent to the secret others won’t believe her,
dimension-manipulating powers; +1); Only laboratory of a criminal madman by the name of but she knows it’s true.
To Drop Victim Through Something He’s Doctor Mercy. There, Mercy performed several It’s making her frantic,
Standing On That Has Holes In It (-1), experiments on the baby, exposing it to various so she decides she has
Must Pass Through Intervening Space (-¼), chemicals and forms of radiation. to destroy the whole
No Noncombat Movement (-¼) 3 Under his “care,” Infant A-22 aged at a remark- swamp to “shut it up.”
able rate. Within five years she appeared to be a She begins collecting
109 4) What Happened To Your Sword?:
young adult and had developed the superhuman volatile chemical and
Drain Focus 4d6, all powers defined as be- other supplies needed to
longing to a single Focus at once (see ability to change the size of non-living objects.
burn the whole swamp
text; +1), Delayed Return Rate (points Mercy wanted her to lead an army of superhumans
to the ground, forc-
return at the rate of 5 per 20 Minutes; he planned to create with his insane science, but ing the PCs to track
+¾), Ranged (+½), Reduced Endurance before he could acquire the additional babies he her down and stop her
(½ END; +¼) 6 needed he was defeated and captured by the super- before she lights the
32 5) Tossed Pebbles Into Boulders: Energy hero Golden Eagle. In the resulting confusion, A-22 match. And what will
Blast 9d6, Area Of Effect (One Hex; +½), Re- slipped out the back of the lab and onto the streets the Skunk Ape do about
duced Endurance (½ END; +¼); OIF (small for the first time in her life. all this?
item of opportunity; -¼), Limited Range Fortunately, A-22 was a remarkably quick
(25”; -¼) 3 learner and adapted to her strange new environ-
60 Shrunken Arsenal Pool: Variable Power ment very quickly. She took the name Minimax,
Pool, 50 base + 25 control cost; all slots and at first used her powers only for small crimes
OAF (-1), Only For Mundane Devices to keep herself fed and clothed while she wandered
(see text; -½) var across the southern United States. But as the weeks
16 Padded Costume: Armor (8 PD/8 ED); and months wore on, her fragile mental balance
OIF (-½) 0 began to deteriorate, and her crimes became more
10 Luck Of The Mad: Luck 2d6 0 random, violent, and pointless. While hanging
out in a bus station in Mobile she read a magazine
50 ■ Villain Teams Hero System 5th Edition

amusement and her “art.”

If someone interferes with
her attempts to make “art,”
or “changes” (repairs, heals,
cleans up) her art, she be-
comes furious.
Quote: “Don’t you think the
lobby looks more interest-
ing now, what with the truck
hanging upside down there?
Oh, right, the vault. Sorry.”
Powers/Tactics: Minimax
has the ability to change the
size of non-living objects,
increasing or decreasing them
by factors of up to several
hundred. This effect wears
off — sometimes almost im-
mediately, sometimes over the
course of days or weeks. Her
powers don’t damage the ob-
jects per se, though an object
might get damaged if forced
to grow into an area too small
to accommodate it, or the like.
The reason her powers don’t
work on living beings remains
unknown — it may be sim-
ply a mental block of some
sort, though considering her
general callousness it seems
unlikely.
Minimax uses her powers
article about an artist who performed various sur- imaginatively and occasionally
real acts in public to illustrate “the absurdity of life.” even soundly from a tactical point of view. Besides
Minimax could certainly relate to that idea, and simply changing the size of objects (and thus often
in her addled state she decided that was also her making them too small or too large to use), some of
purpose in life. She was meant to be an artist, and the “tricks” she’s developed include:
her “art” would be crimes of random vandalization,
■ creating large objects to form barriers for cover,
meaningless murder, and haphazard destruction,
or to foil pursuit
so people would come to understand how pointless
and strange reality really was. ■ making an object under someone’s feet that has
In 2001 she met Cauldron for the first time, and holes — such as a subway grating — grow so large
he fell in love with her. While she doesn’t return his the person falls through (the object returns to its
affections, she likes his company and enjoys both his normal size immediately thereafter)
bizarre appearance and his propensity for violence. ■ shrinking all or part of a Focus so that it becomes
The two traveled together for years until meeting unusable (in game terms, this is defined using only
Amnesia in 2003 and settling down in Vibora Bay as a a +1 Variable Effect Advantage, since while she af-
“supervillain team.” It was Minimax who named them fects all the powers in a single Focus at once, she
the Cirque Sinister, and her penchant for the surreal can’t affect all the powers in all the target’s Foci
colors many of their exploits. simultaneously)
Personality/Motivation: Minimax is completely ■ throwing a small object, then enlarging it in mid-
insane. She believes wholeheartedly that exis- flight so it strikes with a powerful impact
tence is a futile and pointless exercise that should
regularly be livened up with intentionally crazy Additionally, Minimax carries an arsenal
and violent behavior. She doesn’t understand of weapons and devices that she’s pre-shrunk
why anybody takes anything seriously, and com- so she can fit them in her pockets without any
mits crimes because they appeal to her aestheti- problem. Her array of useful devices ranges
cally (though she tolerates Amnesia occasionally from guns, to flashlights, to spare sets of cloth-
modifying one of her schemes so the team can ing. The one restriction is that the objects have
make a profit — she doesn’t see the point in it, to be mundane — the sort anyone could buy in
but she doesn’t care enough to fuss about it). a store or make for themselves. (At the GM’s
She’s violent, but not passionate. She doesn’t care option, she can also “create” non-mundane
about anything, for good or bad, except her own devices she’s obtained during her adventures,
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Two 51

such as a Focus she steals from a PC.) BOBBY HOLMES

One drawback to Minimax’s powers is that Val Char Cost Roll Notes
they tend to be tiring. When running her, keep 8 STR -2 11- Lift 75 kg; 1½d6 [1]
a close eye on her END usage; if she pulls too 13 DEX 9 12- OCV: 4/DCV: 4
many “stunts” during a Turn she may run too 10 CON 0 11-
low on END. 9 BODY -2 11-
Since she has little interest in power or 25 INT 15 14- PER Roll 14-
wealth, Minimax sometimes becomes a liability 15 EGO 10 12- ECV: 5
in the field — she gets distracted by her efforts 8 PRE -2 11- PRE Attack: 1½d6
to “make art” rather than actually completing the 10 COM 0 11-
crime. Amnesia and Cauldron have both gotten
pretty good at convincing her to stay focused, 3 PD 1 Total: 3 PD (0 rPD)
but it’s almost always a struggle. Even when com- 3 ED 1 Total: 3 ED (0 rED)
mitting “serious” crimes, she’s frequently prone 4 SPD 17 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12
to “signing” them with an odd use of her powers, 4 REC 0
shrinking or magnifying some nearby object to 20 END 0
confirm that the Cirque has struck again. 18 STUN 0 Total Characteristics Cost: 47
Campaign Use: See the introductory text for gen- Movement: Running: 6”/12”
eral information. Minimax has an unusual power
Cost Powers END
set that gives the Cirque some real flexibility in
68 Telekinetic “Imaginary Friend”:
combat, but her attitude and approach to crime
Multipower, 68-point reserve
may ultimately give you more to work with from a
13m 1) “Invisible Giant Hands”: Telekinesis
plot perspective. When strange acts of vandalism
(45 STR) 7
start to occur, or bodies wind up all over town with
13m 2) “Poltergeist”: Telekinesis (18 STR),
enlarged needles through their hearts, the PCs will
Area Of Effect (6” Radius; +1¼),
realize they’re not dealing with a garden-variety
Selective (+¼) 7
supervillain.
14m 3) Protective Giant: Force Wall
Minimax’s creator, Dr. Mercy, wants her back.
(14 PD/10 ED; 3” long and 3” tall) 7
He still entertains visions of having her lead an
3m 4) My Friend Blocks For Me: Missile
army of his bizarre super-soldiers... once he gets
Deflection (Any Ranged Attack; Costs En-
out of prison and back to his labs, of course. Even
durance (-½) 2
worse for her, the master villain Teleios got wind of
3m 5) Carried On Giant Shoulders: Flight
Mercy’s experiments and would also like to run her
12”; Must Remain Within 6” Of The
through a few “tests.”
Ground (-½) 2
To make Minimax tougher, increase her END
13m 6) Giant Punch: Energy Blast 9d6,
and REC (or give her a large Endurance Reserve to
Area Of Effect (One Hex; +½) 7
fuel her powers). You could also increase the size
17 Sophisticated Psi-Shields: Mental Defense
of her VPP, or give her gadgeteering abilities so she
(20 points total) 0
can wield super-tech devices instead of just mun-
3 Psychic Bond: Mind Link with Amnesia,
dane ones. To weaken her, reduce the Active Points
Psychic Bond; No Conscious Control (-2) 0
in most of her abilities, and/or get rid of her VPP.
Minimax is an unpleasant Hunter. She starts Talents
out by vandalizing her quarry’s possessions, gradu- 5 Eidetic Memory
ally escalating her attacks until she goes after him 3 Lightning Calculator
directly. If possible she’ll make the entire Hunt into
one grand piece of “performance art,” with a deadly Skills
denouement in a prominent public place before an 9 +3 with Telekinetic “Imaginary Friend” Mul-
“appreciative” audience. tipower
5 +1 DCV
Appearance: Minimax is a young blonde woman,
about 5’3” and 110 pounds, more cute than beauti- 3 Computer Programming 14-
ful. She wears a black body suit with a white collar, 3 Concealment 14-
belt, and boots, and a plunging décolletage (though 5 Cramming
she has a fairly slender figure). She frequently car- 1 Cryptography 8-
ries a small sack or backpack full of items she has 1 Electronics 8-
shrunk down. 1 Inventor 8-
2 KS: Geek Trivia 11-
1 Paramedics 8-
1 Security Systems 8-
3 Stealth 12-
Total Powers & Skills Cost: 190
Total Cost: 237
52 ■ Villain Teams Hero System 5th Edition

200+ Disadvantages an indistinct, enormous form appeared beside

10 Hunted: Pennsylvania Police and Child Pro- Bobby and began tossing the kids around, slam-
tection Services 8- (As Pow, NCI, Limited ming one into a brick wall so hard that he suffered
Geographical Area, Capture/Kill) some serious internal injuries. Bobby, terrified,
20 Hunted: PRIMUS 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Cap- tried to make the giant stop, but it continued to
ture/Kill) rage around the neighborhood, smashing buildings
15 Psychological Limitation: Under The Sway and overturning cars. Several policemen attempted
Of His Sister (Common, Strong) to stop the creature, but it crushed their car with
15 Psychological Limitation: Starting To its giant fists. Eventually, a team of PRIMUS agents
Enjoy Being The Bully For A Change (Com- arrived, and while most of the team tried to subdue
mon, Strong) the creature, one bright agent noticed the small boy
10 Social Limitation: Young Teen (Frequently, crying and screaming in a nearby alleyway. When
Minor) he grabbed Bobby, the giant turned to attack him.
As he dodged out of the way, he yelled for someone
Total Disadvantage Points: 270
to tranquilize the boy. After another agent set off a
Background/History: Bobby Holmes was born in knockout gas cannister near him, the mysterious,
1991, and from his earliest days his only happy translucent giant faded from view.
memories were of time spent with his sister Brian- The authorities took Bobby to a Philadel-
na. Their parents were distant, frequently drunk, phia hospital while several PRIMUS doctors and
and occasionally abusive, and when the yelling specialists from L’Institut Thoth were called in.
got bad he could always hide out in her room. They tried contacting his parents, but his mother
Even if she couldn’t protect him, she at least could was nowhere to be found and his dad was spend-
comfort him, and he loved her a great deal. Then, ing the weekend in jail after a fight in a bar.
when he was ten, Briana ran away, and Bobby was Meanwhile, the bustling doctors and nurses kept
left to bear the brunt of his parents’ anger alone. attaching wires to his head and taking readings
His parents forbade him to even mention her of something. Bobby was terrified, and fervently
name. Bobby began spending as much time as he wished his big sister was there to take care of
could out of the house himself. him. As he drifted off into sleep, he dreamed that
His own mutation manifested itself the day he spoke to Briana, and asked her to come find
before his thirteenth birthday. Bobby was hanging him. Bobby was as startled as anyone else when a
out down by one of the abandoned factories when a team of costumed supervillains, his sister among
gang of older boys began harassing him. Suddenly, them, broke into the hospital the next day and
spirited him away.
Now Bobby lives in
the abandoned asylum at
the edge of the swamp with
his sister and her bizarre
friends. It’s a strange life,
but exciting — he’s traveled
around with the team, learn-
ing to control his “friend”
(as Briana calls it) and even
occasionally helping them
with their crazy plans.
Bobby didn’t exactly plan to
become a supervillain, but
if that’s what it takes to stay
with his big sister, well, it
beats going home....
Personality/Motivation: Bobby
hasn’t exactly had much in
the way of good role models
in his life, and the Cirque’s
members, despite being vio-
lent and crazy, treat him bet-
ter than most of the adults
he’s known so far. His sister
loves him dearly, and he’ll do
anything for her approval,
including manifesting his
“friend” to help rob a bank
or blow up a museum. He’s
not terribly violent, and he’s
still a bit squeamish about
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Two 53

actually using his powers to hurt innocent peo- Bobby has no particular sense of tactics yet.
ple, but he’s been toughened up enough over the He simply does as he’s told by Amnesia or any of
last few months not to include police or anybody her teammates... unless what they tell him is “stay
trying to capture a teammate as “innocent.” out of the way,” an instruction his youthful exuber-
When not committing crimes, Bobby’s de- ance often leads him to ignore.
veloping into a remarkably bright young boy. He Campaign Use: See the introductory text for gen-
loves to tinker with gadgets and electronics. He eral information. Bobby is a random element in the
likes cars, sports, computers, and video games, Cirque. He’s not really a criminal by inclination...
and he’s starting to feel a little cooped up in the yet... but he’s sure to become one if treated badly
asylum. He likes Cauldron, is a bit freaked out at the hands of cops or heroes often enough. He
by Flow (more his whining than his appearance), represents a chance for the PCs to rescue him from
and is developing a little crush on Minimax that’s a life of crime and maybe even persuade him to one
probably an absolutely terrible idea. day become a hero himself — assuming they can
Quote: “You leave my friends alone! Or I’ll intro- make him see what a bad influence his sister is.
duce you to my other friend!” You shouldn’t make Bobby any more powerful
Powers/Tactics: Bobby is a powerful telekinetic for now; he’s still growing into his powers. The PCs
still growing into the use of his powers (though should encounter him as he is before you begin to
he’s remarkably intelligent and learning at a tre- broaden the applications of his telekinetic abilities.
mendous rate). His power usually manifests as If you want to weaken him, reduce his Multipower
a humanoid grey giant, nearly transparent and reserve to 50 points and all the slots to 45-50 Active
without features, varying in size from about ten Points each.
feet tall to nearly thirty feet (the size is simply Bobby doesn’t Hunt heroes. He’ll help the
a special effect — the giant isn’t solid, though Cirque fight its battles, but he’s not hardened
its “body” protects Bobby from harm). The gi- enough yet to stalk and attack an enemy. He might
ant seems to grab or strike things, but the actual use his hacking skills to make a hero’s life miserable
power comes directly from Bobby. Occasionally as a sort of prank, though.
his telekinesis also manifests as a grey cloud that Appearance: Bobby is a little small for his age, just
picks up multiple items and flings them around under five feet tall and about 100 pounds, with
(the “Poltergeist” slot in his Multipower). blonde hair and dark eyes. He wears no costume,
only jeans and one of a large collection of rock-
and-roll band tour shirts.
54 ■ Villain Teams Hero System 5th Edition

MERC-FORCE I
Membership: Stareye, Piledriver, the Cahokian don’t mind letting him take control (though the
Background/History: The seeds of Merc-Force Cahokian thinks he himself would actually be a
1 were planted in 2002 with a rejection — the better leader most of the time). When they’re “off-
rejection of Gregory Robinson, codenamed duty,” they usually socialize together; they often go
“Stareye,” from the Ameriforce One project to to movies, live sporting events, or bars.
create a new team of superhumans for the US Since the team only has three core members,
government. Enraged at being denied a place Stareye often arranges to hire “support personnel”
on the team despite his obvious superiority to (other supervillains) to work with the team for a
the “dolts” they’d chosen, Stareye decided if particular crime or series of crimes. The group pre-
Uncle Sam wasn’t going to give him the job he fers to work with other professional super-merce-
deserved, he wouldn’t work for the US at all. He naries who have strong reputations for profession-
went AWOL, embarking on a career of crime alism — the Steel Commando, Mechassassin, Lazer,
instead of superhuman-soldiering. Hazard, and the like — but when it comes right
After a couple years of solo supercrime down to it what the members of Merc-Force 1 look
sprinkled with periodic team-ups and working for first and foremost is the right superpowers for
for the occasional “master villain,” Stareye decid- the job. For example, if a crime involves tapping a
ed it was time to form a team of his own — one computer, they’ll hook up with Cybermind; if they
that would show the Army just what a mistake it need a lot of tricky technical work done, Utility’s
made when it didn’t give him a place on Ameri- tops on their list.
force One. He recruited two villains he’d read As its name implies, Merc-Force 1 willingly
about (illegally) in classified government files takes jobs for hire. They’ve worked for VIPER,
during his training: Piledriver, an energy-in- the Warlord, the Ultimates, ARGENT, and sev-
fused, superhumanly-strong man originally from eral organized crime syndicates, usually receiv-
Seattle; and a man codenamed “the Cahokian” ing excellent reviews for the quality of their job
who apparently was from some sort of alternate performance.
Earth. Tactics: Since they’ve all had some amount of
Finding Piledriver took a little work. He’d military training, the members of Merc-Force
broken out of the government’s secret “holding 1 have spent a lot of time and effort developing
facility” for military superhumans some time ago tactics that play to their strengths as a group
and gone on the run as a supervillain. After call- — the way their respective powers and preferred
ing on all of his underworld contacts and spend- moves can work together to maximum effect.
ing thousands of dollars on unscrupulous private They maintain a Mind Link between them at all
investigators, Stareye finally caught up with him times when on a mission so they don’t need to
on the outskirts of Chicago and made his pitch. communicate verbally, though they’ll drop it if
The suspicious Piledriver took a little convinc- they think an enemy mentalist is “tapping in”
ing, but he was smart enough to know he’d stay and listening to them. They have a fairly exten-
free and rich a lot longer as part of a team than sive “playbook” of maneuvers, each with a simple
he would on his own. Finding the Cahokian, on one- or two-word code name (the team periodi-
the other hand, was easy — he was still in that cally changes these names to avoid becoming too
same “holding facility” after all these years. Star- predictable). Some of these tactics include:
eye and Piledriver broke him out and arranged ■ Beta Green: the Cahokian Holds his Action
to have his signature weapon rebuilt for him in the hopes of picking off a target who tries to
by Wayland Talos; the grateful Cahokian read- Dodge or Dive For Cover out of the way of the
ily signed up for the team. Stareye christened others’ attacks
them “Merc-Force 1” as a slap in the face to the
■ Theta Mind [name of target]: Stareye captures
Ameriforce One brass. Since then the three of
them, often with two or three more villains as the designated target in a Mental Paralysis, then the
short-term allies or hirelings, have committed a Cahokian concentrates his fire on that target. (Iota
series of crimes across the US and fought several Mind means for Piledriver to attack the paralyzed
superhero groups. victim, usually using downward blows to avoid
having to chase the target down after doing Knock-
Group Relations: The members of Merc-Force 1 get back to him.)
along pretty well. Being in charge makes Stareye
■ Omicron Fats [name of target]: Use your most
happy, and for the most part he’s not a harsh or
demanding leader so Piledriver and the Cahokian powerful attack on the designated target.
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Two 55

■ Upsilon Peter [name of target]: Piledriver should STAREYE STAREYE

perform a Move Through on the designated target, Val Char Cost Roll Notes PLOT SEEDS
and if possible try to hit him at such an angle that 15 STR 5 12- Lift 200 kg; 3d6 [1]
he can Knock him Back into another enemy. 20 DEX 30 13- OCV: 7/DCV: 7 Firewing contacts
Campaign Use: Unlike many supervillain teams, 20 CON 20 13- Stareye and claims he
Merc-Force 1 doesn’t have any sort of agenda or 15 BODY 10 12- can reveal the secret
20 INT 10 13- PER Roll 13- behind Stareye’s pow-
ulterior motive — they’re a “plain vanilla” bunch of
ers... if Stareye will do
supercriminals who are just interested in making 20 EGO 20 13- ECV: 7
a job for him. Stareye,
money, having fun, and staying out of prison. You 20 PRE 10 13- PRE Attack: 4d6 motivated mostly by
can use them for just about any plot you envision, 14 COM 2 12- curiosity, agrees. But
whether that involves working for some other vil- since when does Firew-
6 PD 3 Total: 26 PD (20 rPD)
lain, spearheading a major crime on their own, or ing hire people to do
6 ED 2 Total: 26 ED (20 rED)
being hired by an anonymous adversary to take out his dirty work?
5 SPD 20 Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12
the heroes once and for all.
7 REC 0
Merc-Force 1’s obvious weak spot is its rela- Stareye begins hearing
40 END 0 what he describes as
tively small roster, so the best way to make the
40 STUN 7 Total Characteristics Cost: 139 “voices from outer space”
group more of a threat to your heroes is to add
more permanent members. Figure out the “gaps” Movement: Running: 6”/12” in his brain, beckon-
ing him into the eternal
in the team’s array of powers that your heroes take Flight: 15”/30”
dark on some unspoken
advantage of (or could) and let Stareye recruit some mission. He’s concerned
Cost Powers END
villains out of this book or Conquerors, Killers, And that the “requests” may
60 Cosmic Energies: Endurance Reserve
Crooks to fill those gaps. If the team already seems soon become “irresistible
(300 END, 30 REC) 0
too powerful, get rid of their Tactics and Teamwork orders,” so he turns to the
90 Powers Of The Starry Eye: Multipower,
Skills, or send the Cahokian back home. heroes (or anyone else he
90-point reserve thinks can help) to find
Merc-Force 1 usually only Hunts heroes if
9u 1) Eyebeams: Energy Blast 12d6, Line out what’s going on and
hired to, in which case the team follows its employ-
Of Sight (+½) 9 keep himself safe.
er’s instructions. If it developed enough of a grudge
2u 2) Mega-Eyebeams: Energy Blast 18d6;
against your heroes to want to go after them on
Concentration (½ DCV; -¼), Increased En- After a Merc-Force 1
its own, the three members would put their heads
durance Cost (x10 END; -4) 90 job goes bad, PRIMUS
together to devise the most tactically advantagous
9u 3) Deadly Eyebeams: RKA 4d6, Line captures Stareye. His
attack they could... and then they’d use it.
Of Sight (+½) 9 two teammates vow to
9u 4) Starry Prison: Entangle 6d6, 6 DEF, free him, so PRIMUS
MERC-FORCE 1 PLOT SEEDS Line Of Sight (+½) 9 requests that the PCs
provide some extra se-
9u 5) Stars In Your Eyes: Sight Group
Merc-Force 1 seems to be on a slew of petty revenge curity during the trial.
Flash 12d6, Line Of Sight (+½) 9
attacks that involve hit-and-run assaults against mili- 76 Powers Of The Mind: Multipower,
tary bases and installations. But is revenge really the
76-point reserve
goal, or is there more going on than meets the eye? The
destruction’s been so severe that it’s hard to tell....
7u 1) Mental Attack I: Ego Attack 6d6, Re-
duced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 3
Visionary of Ameriforce One has a premonition that 7u 2) Mental Attack II: Ego Attack 3d6,
Merc-Force 1 plans to hit a piddling little bank in the
Continuous (+1), Reduced Endurance
midwestern United States. She has no idea why, and
isn’t even certain when. Since Ameriforce One is al-
(½ END; +¼) 3
ready involved in another mission, the US government 4u 3) Mindprison: Entangle 3d6, 3 DEF,
“requests” that the heroes take on an assignment to BOECV (Mental Defense applies; +1),
capture Merc-Force 1 and find out what’s so interesting Works Against EGO Not STR (+¼),
about that bank. Takes No Damage From Physical
Merc-Force 1 announces a “recruiting drive” — it Attacks (+¼); Cannot Form Barriers
wants to add two or three members, and only the best (-¼), Mental Defense Adds To EGO (-½) 7
supervillains shall qualify! This touches off a wave of 7u 4) Psychokinesis: Telekinesis (16 STR),
supercrime that the heroes have to stem at the source Fine Manipulation, BOECV (+1),
by finding, defeating, and capture Merc-Force 1. Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 3
7u 5) Mindspeech: Telepathy 12d6,
Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 3
75 Cosmic Defenses: Force Field (20 PD/
20 ED/10 Mental Defense/10 Power
Defense), Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 3
30 Cosmic Flight: Flight 15” 3
30 Mental Link: Mind Link, up to any 8
minds at once 0
Talents
32 Danger Sense (immediate vicinity, any
danger, sense) 13-
56 ■ Villain Teams Hero System 5th Edition

Skills But to NASA, the real miracle was that Rob-

15 +3 with Ranged Combat inson not only seemed completely unharmed, he
was actually better — stronger, faster, tougher.
3 Combat Piloting 13-
When his eyes began to change color, the doc-
1 Computer Programming 8-
tors realized there was even more going on: he
3 Conversation 13-
was rapidly developing superpowers. He soon
3 Navigation (Air, Space) 13-
displayed a wide range of energy projection and
3 Persuasion 13-
mental powers, thus adding even more fuel to
2 KS: NASA 11-
the speculative fires about what that energy flare
2 KS: The Solar System 11-
was and where it came from.
2 KS: The Superhuman World 11-
When the government realized it had an-
2 KS: The US Air Force 11-
other genuine superhuman in its military ranks,
2 PS: Air Force Pilot 11-
it arranged to have Robinson transferred to the
2 PS: Astronaut 11-
Ameriforce One project post-haste. Robinson
2 SS: Astronomy 11-
didn’t like it one bit; he wanted to stay with
1 SS: Physics 8-
NASA, not join a bunch of “ground-pound-
3 Stealth 13-
ing yahoos wearing capes” (as he put it). But
3 Streetwise 13-
he didn’t have any choice. He did well in the
3 Tactics 13-
training program and found that he actually
3 Teamwork 13-
enjoyed combat — something about hurting
Total Powers & Skills Cost: 518 people appealed to him, an emotion he’d never
Total Cost: 657 experienced before. But his superiors noticed his
200+ Disadvantages violent attitude and soon realized that despite his
20 Hunted: US government 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, versatile and powerful superhuman abilities, he
Capture/Kill) wasn’t right for the team they were assembling.
20 Hunted: UNTIL 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture/ When he got the word he not only wasn’t go-
Kill) ing to lead Ameriforce One (as he’d fully expected,
20 Psychological Limitation: Casual Killer given how obviously superior he was to every
(Very Common, Strong) other candidate) but hadn’t made the team at all,
15 Psychological Limitation: Has To Be In Robinson was furious. He stewed about it for a
Charge (Common, Strong) few days, and finally decided if they didn’t want
15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity (Gregory him, he damn sure had better things to do than
Robinson) (Frequently, Major) hang around. He left, destroying two buildings and
367 Experience Points killing three guards in the process, and has never
looked back.
Total Disadvantage Points: 657
Personality/Motivation: The mysterious energy flare
Background/History: Gregory Robinson was one of that altered Stareye’s body and mind to give him
those lucky people who grew up to get his dream superpowers also affected his personality, though
job: astronaut. He didn’t make many friends in this wasn’t apparent to his military handlers at first
the Air Force, what with his arrogant manner and due to the fact that he’s always been arrogant and
undisguised superiority complex, but there was no obnoxious. Now that’s increased to the point of so-
denying his physical and mental qualifications for ciopathy, where he’s so convinced he’s smarter and
the space program. better than anyone else that he has little interest in
In 2000, Robinson was chosen to fly a spe- other people. He casually kills civilians who get in
cial solo mission — NASA’s first manned orbital his way, and would have killed several superheroes
solar surveyor. Everything was going superbly already if they weren’t so tough.
when the Agency’s sensors picked up some sort
of odd energy flare. Most analysts later con- Quote: “What do I spy with my little eye? Oh, yeah
cluded that it was an unpredictable solar flare of — a dead man.”
a type never before observed, but some claimed Powers/Tactics: Stareye’s powers, which are
it simply couldn’t have been from the sun — on fueled by a vast reserve of cosmic energy that
some instruments’ readings it didn’t even seem infuses his body, fall into two categories. The
to come from the sun. Robinson himself later first is energy projection — he can fire several
testified that he didn’t see where it came from or different types of energy beams from his eyes.
what it was. All he knew was that the electronics Some simply cause damage (one, the Mega-
on the ship went wonky, then the cabin was filled Eyebeam, causes enormous amounts of damage,
with this ultra-bright light that seemed to be no but at the cost of nearly a third of his energy
color and every color at once, and then a burst of reserve). Others trap the target in bands of starry
intense pain knocked him unconscious. energy or blind him. The second is mental pow-
Robinson awoke two hours later to find many ers. While Stareye isn’t a versatile psionic, he can
of the ship’s systems only partially functional. After inflict mental agony, communicate with others
some effort he re-established contact with Houston mentally, paralyze people, move objects psycho-
and began the long, arduous task of getting home kinetically, and maintain a mind-link with his
with a crippled ship. When he made it back to comrades.
Earth safely, the newspapers hailed it as a miracle.
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Two 57

moments? He doesn’t really

care, but you may be able to
weave a story or two around
the mystery.
To make Stareye more
powerful, give him some more
eyebeams — some Ranged
Drains or Transfers, for ex-
ample — increase his SPD to
6, and/or give him some Tele-
scopic for the Sight Group (and
perhaps some Enhanced Senses
like Ultraviolet Perception).
Some more inches of Flight,
perhaps with Usable As FTL
Travel (+¼) or some Movement
Skill Levels, would make him
an even more versatile combat-
ant. To weaken him, reduce the
size of his Endurance Reserve,
and perhaps the protectiveness
of his Force Field.
Stareye will Hunt heroes
if hired to do so, or if he
develops a particular grudge
against one (say, because
that hero or team humiliat-
ingly defeated him). He’ll
start out with straightfor-
ward attacks, but if those
don’t work he’ll get smart,
using his Tactics Skill to plan
more effective maneuvers.
In combat, Stareye prefers to use his Flight to Appearance: Physically, Star-
stay mobile in the air. Unless he needs them to hit his eye almost looks like an ordinary human. He’s a
targets consistently, he usually puts his Combat Skill white male, 5’11” tall, with short black hair and an
Levels into DCV, representing his agility while flying. athletic build. But his eyes are a solid jet black with
tiny, glittering specks of white scattered throughout
Campaign Use: The most intriguing question
— like a starfield, in other words. His eyebeams
surrounding Stareye is exactly where his powers
manifest with a similar color pattern. His costume
come from. Did his ship “collide” with an energy
is a royal blue bodystocking with curved white lines
being traveling through space or who lives at
that run up the sides from his calves to his shoul-
the heart of the sun? Was he hit by some sort of
ders; a horizontal white band connects the two
stray Malvan or Mandaarian energy beam fired
curved lines at the chest. The suit ends at the neck,
centuries or millennia ago? Was he caught in
leaving his head uncovered and his eerie-looking
an interdimensional rift of some sort for a few
eyes clearly visible.
58 ■ Villain Teams Hero System 5th Edition

PILEDRIVER PILEDRIVER
PLOT SEEDS Val Char Cost Roll Notes
70 STR 60 23- Lift 400 tons; 14d6 [7]
After he gets zapped by 20 DEX 30 13- OCV: 7/DCV: 7
an unusual energy blast 40 CON 60 17-
during a super-battle, 30 BODY 40 15-
Piledriver’s body loses 15 INT 5 12- PER Roll 12-
the ability to regulate
10 EGO 0 11- ECV: 3
the outflow of solar
energy. He begins suf- 25 PRE 15 14- PRE Attack: 5d6
fering bouts of intense 10 COM 0 11-
pain, and he often loses 40 PD 26 Total: 40 PD (40 rPD)
control of his powers,
50 ED 42 Total: 50 ED (50 rED)
resulting in significant
destruction. He asks the 5 SPD 20 Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12
hero whose blast did 30 REC 16
this to find out what 80 END 0
happened and fix it. 100 STUN 15 Total Characteristics Cost: 329
Movement: Running: 6”/12”
An old friend of Calvin
Flight: 15”/240”
Tannenbaum’s sees Pile-
driver on TV and thinks Cost Powers END
she recognizes him. She 35 Arm Sweep: Area Of Effect (One Hex;
approaches the PCs and +½) for up to 70 STR 3
offers to tell them what
22 Solar-Toughened Form: Hardened (+¼)
she knows — if one of
the PCs will go on a date for 40 PD/50 ED 0
with her. (For added 56 Solar-Toughened Form: Damage Resistance
fun, make it a married (40 PD/50 ED), Hardened (+¼) 0
hero.) She’s had a crush 45 Solar-Powered Flying: Flight 15”, x16
on him for years, you Noncombat 4
see. And from the way 45 Solar-Powered Form: Life Support (Total) 0
she says “date,” the hero
gets the impression that Skills
it won’t just be dinner 20 +4 HTH
and a movie.... 3 Stealth 13-
1 Tactics 8- Calvin, codenamed Piledriver, spent a couple
Piledriver seemingly 3 Teamwork 13- of years in the program, but he never did well.
splits up with his team- He learned most of what they had to teach him,
mates and goes on a Total Powers & Skills Cost: 230 but he was a constant discipline problem. He
personal spree of crime Total Cost: 559 took orders poorly, did his own thing during
and destruction. Stareye
200+ Disadvantages group maneuvers, and went AWOL to enjoy a
and the Cahokian are
after him (for revenge, 10 Distinctive Features: Mutant (Not Conceal- night on the town far too often. Finally, after he
probably), which is able; Always Noticed; Detectable Only By hit one of his drill instructors so hard he nearly
causing problems of its Unusual Senses) killed the man, the Army confined him to the
own. The heroes need 20 Hunted: US government 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, stockade — which in Piledriver’s case meant a
to find Piledriver, stop Capture/Kill) secret military “holding facility” designed to im-
him, and figure out 20 Hunted: UNTIL 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Cap- prison superhumans.
what’s going on before ture/Kill) Unfortunately for the Army, its “holding fa-
more death and destruc- cility” wasn’t as tough as it hoped. A few months
15 Psychological Limitation: Overconfidence
tion result. later Piledriver broke out and became a super-
(Very Common, Moderate)
15 Psychological Limitation: Greedy (Com- villain. The Army would probably have caught
mon, Strong) him eventually, but Stareye found him first and
15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity (Calvin recruited him for Merc-Force 1.
Tannenbaum) (Frequently, Major) Personality/Motivation: Unlike his teammates,
254 Experience Points who are both much more antisocial and violent
Total Disadvantage Points: 559 than he, Piledriver just basically wants to be left
alone to do whatever he feels like. He figures he’s
Background/History: Calvin Tannenbaum was a
big and strong enough to take what he wants,
late-blooming mutant — instead of emerging when
and therefore he deserves to have it. Anyone who
he hit puberty, his power to convert solar energy
gets in his way gets squashed. He’s so good at
into immense strength and resilience and the
squashing people that he’s developed a real streak
power to fly only became apparent when he reacted
of overconfidence that’s going to cause him prob-
poorly to some of the tests performed during his
lems sooner or later.
induction into the US Army. Realizing what it had
on its hands, the Army moved him out of basic Quote: “You think you’ve been hit hard before, pal?
training and into the Ameriforce One project. Try this on for size!”
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Two 59

Powers/Tactics: The cells in Piledriver’s body func- THE CAHOKIAN THE CAHOKIAN
tion like miniature solar engines, sucking up ultra- Val Char Cost Roll Notes PLOT SEEDS
violet radiation and using it to make him incredibly 20 STR 10 13- Lift 400 kg; 4d6 [2]
strong and resistant to injury; he can also project 20 DEX 30 13- OCV: 7/DCV: 7 The classic Cahokian
energy behind himself to fly. If deprived of signifi- 18 CON 16 13- plot: he hears about
cant amounts of ultraviolet radiation of any sort 13 BODY 6 12- something he may be
for long periods of time, he’ll weaken, losing about 20 INT 10 13- PER Roll 13- able to use to get home.
15% of his power per week until he passes into a He drags Merc-Force
15 EGO 10 12- ECV: 5
coma after a month. He’ll remain in the coma until 1 along to help him try
20 PRE 10 13- PRE Attack: 4d6 to get it, but somehow
he’d die of old age, is killed, or is revived with a 12 COM 1 11- something goes wrong
good strong dose of sunlight. and the whole situation
Compared to Stareye and the Cahokian, 10 PD 6 Total: 21 PD (11 rPD)
becomes an unmitigated
Piledriver isn’t much of a tactician. He’s usu- 10 ED 6 Total: 21 ED (11 rED)
disaster that the PCs
ally the front wave of their offense — the guy 6 SPD 30 Phases: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 have to contain, correct,
who charges into battle and just starts smashing 10 REC 4 or counteract.
things — and he likes it that way just fine. He 36 END 0
still doesn’t much like to take orders, but he’s 40 STUN 8 Total Characteristics Cost: 147 The Cahokian and a PC
learned enough to know that things tend to go Movement: Running: 9”/18” with similar abilities
better when he does what Stareye tells him to, develop a sort of rivalry.
Leaping: 6”/12”
and he’s got the team’s tactical codes down cold. The crossbow-armed
Swimming: 4”/8” villain keeps showing
Campaign Use: Piledriver is the closest thing up at inopportune times
Cost Powers END
Merc-Force 1 has to a weak link. He’s not entirely to “test” the hero — not
45 High-Tech Crossbow And Quarrels:
comfortable with some of the things his team- to hurt him, but to win
Multipower, 60-point reserve, 60 Charges
mates do, and with the right sort of socializa- bragging rights.
(+½) for entire reserve; all OAF (-1) [60]
tion and experiences it might even be possible
2u 1) Broadhead Arrow: RKA 3d6; OAF (-1)
to transform him into a quasi-hero instead of a Whoever sent the
2u 2) Chisel-Point Arrow: RKA 2d6, Cahokian here begins
happy-go-lucky supervillain.
Armor Piercing (+½); OAF (-1) sending more of his peo-
To make Piledriver tougher, let him channel
3u 3) Taser Arrow: Energy Blast 12d6; ple here. Not only does
his stored solar energy in other ways — perhaps as
OAF (-1), STUN Only (-0) this cause problems for
Energy Blasts, Sight Group Flashes, or other Ranged
3u 4) Glue Arrow: Entangle 4d6, 4 DEF, Earth’s authorities, but
attacks. To weaken him, remove some or all of his the Cahokian realizes it’s
Sticky (+½); OAF (-1)
Combat Skill Levels, or reduce his STR to 60. going to leave the Em-
3u 5) Flare Arrow: Sight and Hearing
Piledriver doesn’t Hunt heroes unless Stareye pire dangerously weak.
Group Flash 11d6; OAF (-1)
orders him to, in which case he follows orders. He’s got to get home
3u 6) Smoke Arrow: Darkness to Sight
Appearance: Piledriver is an enormous brute of a now... no matter what
Group 4” radius, Continuing Charges
the cost!
man, 6’8” tall and with the super-muscular build (each Charge used for this slot lasts for
one would expect of a man who can lift 400 tons. 1 Turn [or ends if exposed to high winds
He’s technically white, but the internal solar fires or rain]; +½); OAF (-1)
that give him his powers have “burned” his skin 3u 7) Explosion Arrow: Energy Blast 8d6, Ex-
a sort of charcoal grey and caused all the hair plosion (+½); OAF (-1)
on the top of his head to fall out. His costume 3u 8) Knockout Gas Arrow: Energy Blast
is a sort of gold-colored leotard and tank top 4d6, NND (defense is Life Support
that resembles a professional wrestler’s outfit; [Self-Contained Breathing]; +1), Area
he doesn’t wear gloves or a mask, but does have Of Effect (4” Radius; +1); OAF (-1)
oversized black boots (“the better to stomp you 30 Blaster Staff: Multipower, 60-point reserve;
with,” as he sometimes puts it). all OAF (-1)
1u 1) Staff: HA +4d6; OAF (-1), Hand-To-
Hand Attack (-½) plus 1” Stretching, Re-
duced Endurance (0 END; +½); OAF
(-1), Always Direct (-¼), No Noncombat
Stretching (-¼), Only To Cause Damage
(-½), No Velocity Damage (-¼) 2
1u 2) Projecting Spearhead: HKA 1d6+1 (2½d6
with STR); OAF (-1) plus 1” Stretching, Re-
duced Endurance (0 END; +½); OAF
(-1), Always Direct (-¼), No Noncombat
Stretching (-¼), Only To Cause Damage
(-½), No Velocity Damage (-¼) 2
3u 3) Blaster: Energy Blast 12d6; OAF (-1),
12 Charges (-¼) [12]
60 ■ Villain Teams Hero System 5th Edition

Martial Arts: Cahokian Combat Background/History: Somewhere in the Multi-

Maneuver OCV DCV Notes verse, not too far from the Champions Universe’s
4 Block +2 +2 Block, Abort reality but not too close, lies an alternate Earth
4 Disarm -1 +1 Disarm, 50 STR that’s almost, but not quite, the same as the stan-
4 Dodge +0 +5 Dodge all at- dard Earth. One of the most important differ-
tacks, Abort ences is that the United States of American never
3 Legsweep +2 -1 9d6; Target Falls coalesced; instead, North America between Can-
4 Knifehand Strike -2 +0 HKA 1d6+1 ada and Mexico is occupied by a hodge-podge of
(2½d6 with often-warring states.
STR) One of those states is the Empire of Cahokia,
4 Nerve Strike -1 +1 4d6 NND(1) which occupies the upper Midwest and some of the
4 Punch/ region around the Great Lakes. Of the many war-
Snap Kick +0 +2 10d6 Strike riors who serve the Empire, the greatest by far is
5 Side/Spin Kick -2 +1 12d6 Strike the living-legend superhuman-soldier known to his
16 +4 Damage Classes (already added in) people simply as the Cahokian. A master of combat
16 Armored Costume: Armor (8 PD/8 ED); both unarmed and armed, he favors a special high-
OIF (-½) 0 tech crossbow that fires equally high-tech bolts.
6 Fast Runner: Running +3” (9” total) 1 Some years ago during a fight with a super-
2 Strong Leaper: Leaping +2” (6” forward, team from a neighboring nation, the Cahokian
3” upward) 1 was caught in a dimensional rift created by an
2 Strong Swimmer: Swimming +2” (4” total) 1 enemy supermage and transported to Chicago
9 Observant: +3 to PER Rolls with all on the Earth of the Champions Universe. Disori-
Sense Groups 0 ented and weakened by his journey, he was easily
picked up by the authorities and confined until
Talents they could figure out who he was and how he got
6 Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED) there. Once they developed some idea about who
Skills and what he was, they couldn’t decide what to do
40 +5 with All Combat with him — he definitely wasn’t open to offers to
work for the United States (since he considered
3 Acrobatics 13- all nations but his own inferior), and they knew
3 Breakfall 13- of no way to send him back home (even if they
3 Climbing 13- could find the proper dimension to send him to).
3 Contortionist 13- So they simply kept him confined, thwarting his
3 Demolitions 13- many attempts to escape.
3 Electronics 13- He finally broke free with a little help from
3 Lockpicking 13- Stareye and Piledriver, who also arranged to supply
3 Security Systems 13- him with new weapons. Deeply grateful for their
3 Stealth 13- help, and honorable in his warrior’s way, he agreed
2 Survival (Temperate/Subtropical) 13- to join the new Merc-Force 1.
3 Tactics 13-
3 Teamwork 13- Personality/Motivation: The Cahokian is a man
3 Tracking 13- seemingly born and bred for nothing but com-
6 WF: Common Melee Weapons, Common bat. He only comes alive when on a mission or in
Missile Weapons, Common Martial Arts a battle; the rest of the time he’s either training or
Weapons sitting around bored. Although he considers his
3 Weaponsmith (Firearms, Muscle-Powered teammates his only friends on Earth (which is
Ranged) 13- true) and enjoys spending time in their company
on some basic level, unless they’re in a fight or
Total Powers & Skills Cost: 278 preparing for one he tends to be frustrated and
Total Cost: 425 annoyed. He has a tendency to pick fights that
200+ Disadvantages could be avoided, or to drag out fights he could
20 Hunted: US government 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, end quickly, which sometimes makes him a li-
Capture/Kill) ability.
20 Hunted: UNTIL 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Cap- Because he’s not actually from the Earth of
ture/Kill) the Champions Universe, the Cahokian some-
15 Psychological Limitation: Lives For Combat times experiences disorienting episodes of “reality
(Common, Strong) fugue” where he seems to be perceiving his own
15 Psychological Limitation: Desperately Wants Earth overlaid with the Earth he now lives on. As
To Return Home (Common, Strong) a result he suffers major penalties (-5 or more) to
10 Psychological Limitation: Reality Fugue (see PER Rolls, Attack Rolls, and most Skill Rolls. (In
text) (Uncommon, Strong) game terms, the GM should roll his Reality Fugue
145 Experience Points Psychological Limitation at least once per game
session; if the Cahokian fails the roll, he should ex-
Total Disadvantage Points: 425 perience an episode of reality fugue lasting 1d6+1
Phases at a crucial moment.)
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Two 61

While he’s found life and battle on

his current Earth satisfying, the Cahokian
would far prefer to return home and fight
for his own people once more. He’s con-
stantly on the lookout for information
about dimensional technologies, dimen-
sion-travel spells, and any other way to get
back to his own reality. If he finds one he
trusts, and that he believes he can properly
calibrate to get him to the right dimen-
sion, he’ll do whatever he must to use it...
even if that means hurting his teammates.
Quote: “They have no honor, and no skill...
and thus no way to defeat us.”
Powers/Tactics: The Cahokian is a highly
trained, highly competent, highly ex-
perienced combatant who knows many
methods of armed and unarmed combat.
His main weapons are (a) a high-tech
crossbow that shoots bolts that can injure,
incapacitate, or blind opponents, and (b)
a blaster staff that also has a projecting
spearhead. If deprived of these weapons
he can inflict painful blows using his Ca-
hokian Combat Martial Art.
In most combats the Cahokian lets
his flashier teammates take the lead; he
hangs back and picks off targets of oppor-
tunity. But he has no qualms about mixing
it up hand-to-hand if necessary. He’s a wily
fighter who often uses Acrobatics to ob-
tain Surprise Move bonuses.
Campaign Use: Although the Cahokian
The Cahokian doesn’t Hunt heroes unless Star-
isn’t exactly a weak link in Merc-Force 1 — he’s a
eye orders him to, in which case he follows orders.
tough fighter who willingly goes along with the
However, if he met up with a hero he felt was his
group’s plans — his desire to get home leaves the
equal in combat, he might track that hero down to
team vulnerable to losing a member. The heroes
challenge him to a “training match” — just for fun,
might be able to decoy him out of hiding with the
so to speak.
promise of a way to return him to his home dimen-
sion... or better yet, they might actually have a way Appearance: The Cahokian is a 6’2” tall, broad-
to send him home and get him out of their hair shouldered, black-haired man whose deeply-
once and for all. tanned skin and high cheekbones betray his
To make the Cahokian tougher, increase the American Indian ancestry. His costume is a black
Active Points in his Crossbow’s attacks to 75 or bodystocking with red boots and gloves; on the
90, and perhaps give him some Swinging or more chest is an emblem of five red four-pointed stars in
Combat Luck. To weaken him, get rid of his Blast- an arc — the symbol of the Empire of Cahokia. He
er-Staff and half of his Extra DCs. doesn’t wear any sort of mask, but sometimes dons
a modern military helmet that he “borrowed” from
the US Army before going into battle. He usually
carries his high-tech crossbow in his hands, with
his quiver of high-tech bolts on his right hip, and
his blaster-staff strapped to his back.
62 ■ Villain Teams Hero System 5th Edition
chapter three:

SOLO VILLAINS
64 ■ Solo Villains Hero System 5th Edition

JOSIAH BRIMSTONE 62 Vermillion Transportal: Multipower,

Val Char Cost Roll Notes 62-point reserve
15 STR 5 12- Lift 200 kg; 3d6 [1] 6u 1) First Transportal: Teleportation 25”, Re-
24 DEX 42 14- OCV: 8/DCV: 8 duced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 2
20 CON 20 13- 6u 2) Second Transportal: Teleportation 20”,
15 BODY 10 12- x4 Increased Mass, x8 Noncombat 6
25 INT 15 14- PER Roll 14- 6u 3) Third Transportal: Teleportation 6”,
30 EGO 40 15- ECV: 10 MegaScale (1” = 10 LY, can scale down to
50 PRE 40 19- PRE Attack: 10d6 1” = 1 km; +4) 6
12 COM 1 11- 6u 4) Aportal: Teleportation 15”, Usable
As Attack (defense is Teleportation,
8 PD 5 Total: 28 PD (20 rPD) Extra-Dimensional Movement, or
10 ED 6 Total: 30 ED (20 rED) Power Defense; +1) 6
5 SPD 16 Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 18 Dimensional Traveler: Extra-Dimensional
10 REC 6 Movement (any physical location in any di-
80 END 20 mension); Extra Time (1 Minute; -1½) 4
40 STUN 7 Total Characteristics Cost: 233 20 Astral Awareness: Dimensional (Astral
Movement: Running: 6”/12” Plane) for Sight and Hearing Groups 0
Flight: 20”/40” 29 Magesight: Detect Magic 16- (no Sense
Teleportation: 25”/50” or 20”/160” Group), Discriminatory, Analyze,
MegaTeleportation: 1 km to 60 LY Increased Arc Of Perception (360
Degrees), Range, Sense 0
Cost Powers END 60 Mindsearching: Mind Scan 12d6 6
198 Thaumaturgy: Variable Power Pool, 39 The Twining Of Demonic Souls: Detect De-
90 base + 45 control cost, Cosmic (+2); mons 16- (no Sense Group), Discriminatory,
Only Magic (-¼), Cannot Have More Analyze, Increased Arc Of Perception (360
Than 60 Active Points In Any One Degrees), Range, Sense, Targeting 0
Spell (-0) var 28 The Book Of Forlorn Imprecations:
140 Gloomspire: Drain Characteristics 4d6, Clairsentience (Sight Group) 30-,
any four Characteristics simultaneously Precognition, 8,000x Range (3,360,000”,
(+1), Delayed Return Rate (points return or 4,176 miles), Reduced Endurance
at the fate of 5 per Hour; +1), Reduced En- (0 END; +½); OAF (-1), Extra Time
durance (0 END; +½ END) 0 (minimum of 1 Minute to do a reading,
30 The Phantasmagoric Flame Of Falthagar: and may take an hour or more; -1½),
Multipower, 60-point reserve; all OAF (-1) Precognition Only (-1), Time Modifiers
3u 1) Hurled Spark: RKA 4d6; OAF (-1), (-½), Vague And Unclear (-½) 0
Range Based On STR (-¼) 6 6 The Ring Of Eyes: Increased Arc Of
2u 2) Arced Spark: RKA 3d6, Indirect (can Perception (360 Degrees) for Sight
be arced over intervening obstacles; +¼); Group; OIF (-½), Costs Endurance
OAF (-1), Range Based On STR (-¼) 6 (-½) 1
3u 3) Blossoming Spark: RKA 2d6, Area Of Ef- 116 The Demonsoul Embodied: Multiform (as-
fect (3” Radius; +1); OAF (-1), Range Based sume 1,716 point demon form),
On STR (-¼) 6 Instant Change; No Conscious Control
2u 4) Comet Spark: RKA 2d6, Area Of Effect (see Disadvantages and text; -2) 0
(12” Line; +1); OAF (-1), No Range (-½) 6 30 Mage’s Blessing: Luck 6d6 0
2u 5) Mesmerizing Spark: Suppress EGO
9d6, Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼); Perks
OAF (-1), No Range (-½) 2 1 Fringe Benefit: Library Of Babylon
13 Martial Arts: HA +4d6; Hand-To-Hand At- Borrower’s Card
tack (-½) 2 15 Money: Filthy Rich
70 Mantle Of Mastery: Force Field (20 PD/ 10 Reputation: powerful, but demonsouled and
20 ED), Hardened (+¼), Reduced deadly, mage (among the Mystic World) 14-,
Endurance (0 END; +½) 0 +5/+5d6
14 Mystic Wards: Mental Defense Talents
(20 points total) 0 9 Ambidexterity (no Off Hand penalties)
15 Mystic Wards: Power Defense (15 points) 0 44 Danger Sense (any danger, any area, sense) 16-
8 Demonsouled: Power Defense (+10 points); 5 Eidetic Memory
Only Versus Limited Type Of Attack 3 Simulate Death 15-
(attacks that target the soul/spirit; -¼) 0 4 Speed Reading
7 Mystic Wards: Life Support (Diminished 20 A Simple Spell Of Comprehension: Universal
Eating: only has to eat once a week; Translator 14-
Diminished Sleep: does not have to sleep;
Longevity: ages at one-eighth normal rate) 0
60 Wings Of The Zephirim: Flight 20”,
Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) 0
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Three 65

Skills 200+ Disadvantages

18 +6 with Thaumaturgy VPP 10 Accidental Change: 11- when becomes En-
20 +4 HTH raged (Uncommon)
1 Combat Driving 8- 15 Accidental Change: 14- when takes BODY
3 Contortionist 14- damage (Uncommon)
3 Conversation 19- 10 Accidental Change: 8- when he uses more
3 Deduction 14- than 60 points’ worth of his VPP Pool in a
2 Gambling (Card Games) 14- single Phase (see text) (Common)
3 High Society 19- 10 Distinctive Features: Mystic Aura tinged
3 Inventor (Spell Research) 14- with demonic soul (Not Concealable; Al-
3 Navigation (Astral, Dimensional) 14- ways Noticed; De-
3 Paramedics 14- tectable Only With
3 Persuasion 19- Unusual Senses)
15 Power: Magic 20- 10 Enraged: when in
3 PS: Chess 14- combat or similarly
3 PS: Magus 14- stressful situations
3 PS: Meditation 15- (Common), go 8-,
1 PS: Play Guitar 8- recover 14-
1 PS: Play Piano 8- 15 Enraged: when
3 Riding 14- attacked with holy
3 Sleight Of Hand 14- powers/spells, or
3 Stealth 14- exposed to strong
6 Survival (Desert, Mountains, Temperate/ holy power (Un-
Subtropical) 14- common), go 11-,
3 TF: SCUBA, Snow Skiing, Hanggliding recover 11-
6 WF: Common Melee Weapons, Common 20 Hunted: UNTIL
Missile Weapons, Common Martial Arts 8- (Mo Pow, NCI,
Weapons Capture)
3 Scholar 20 Hunted: PRIMUS
2 1) KS: Alchemy 14- 8- (Mo Pow, NCI,
3 2) KS: Arcane And Occult Lore 15- Capture)
2 3) KS: Art History 14- 10 Hunted: Tris-
1 4) KS: The Decadent Young Wealthy World 11- megistus Council
4 5) KS: Demons 16- 14- (Less Pow, NCI,
1 6) KS: Nightclubs And Nightspots Of New Watching)
York City 11- 20 Psychological Limi-
4 7) KS: Extradimensional Beings 16- tation: Desperately
2 8) KS: Famous Wizards 14- Wants His Own
2 9) KS: Haida Civilization, Myths, And Lore 14- Soul Back (Com-
2 10) KS: Hermetic Wizardries 14- mon, Total)
2 11) KS: High Finance 14- 15 Psychological Limi-
1 12) KS: The Kings Of Edom 11- tation: Sometimes
2 13) KS: Legends And Lore 14- The Demonsoul
2 14) KS: Literature 14- Takes Over (see
2 15) KS: Music 14- text) (Common,
4 16) KS: The Mystic World 16- Strong)
2 17) KS: Necromancy 14- 10 Reputation: powerful but demonsouled ma-
1 18) KS: The Superhuman World 11- gus, 14- (Limited Group: the Mystic World)
2 19) KS: Tarot Cards 14- 15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity (Collin
2 20) KS: Thaumaturgy 14- Kildare) (Frequently, Major)
2 21) KS: Theurgies 14- 10 Demonsoul’s Mischief: Unluck 2d6
2 22) KS: Voodoo 14- 1,124 Experience Points
2 23) KS: Witchcraft 14- Total Disadvantage Points: 1,514
2 24) KS: Wondrous And Enchanted Items 14-
2 25) KS: World History 14-
Total Powers & Skills Cost: 1,281
Total Cost: 1,514
66 ■ Solo Villains Hero System 5th Edition

DEMONSOUL EMBODIED 14 Demonic Mind: Mental Defense

Val Char Cost Roll Notes (20 points total) 0
60 STR 50 21- Lift 100 tons; 12d6 [6] 20 Demonic Shield: Power Defense (20 points) 0
30 DEX 60 15- OCV: 10/DCV: 10 50 Infernal Form: Life Support: Total
40 CON 60 17- (including Longevity: Immortality) 0
30 BODY 40 15- 33 Demon Wings: Flight 25”; Restrainable (-½) 4
25 INT 15 14- PER Roll 14- 12 Demon’s Legs: Running +6” (12” total) 1
30 EGO 40 15- ECV: 10 62 Demongates: Multipower, 62-point reserve
50 PRE 40 19- PRE Attack: 10d6 6u 1) First Gate: Teleportation 25”, Reduced
8 COM -1 11- Endurance (½ END; +¼) 2
6u 2) Second Gate: Teleportation 20”, x4 In-
35 PD 23 Total: 35 PD (35 rPD) creased Mass, x8 Noncombat 6
35 ED 27 Total: 35 ED (35 rED) 6u 3) Third Gate: Teleportation 6”, MegaScale
8 SPD 40 Phs: 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12 (1” = 10 LY, can scale down to 1” = 1 km; +4) 6
20 REC 0 6u 4) Aportal: Teleportation 15”, Usable
80 END 0 As Attack (defense is Teleportation,
80 STUN 0 Total Characteristics Cost: 394 Extra-Dimensional Movement, or Power
Movement: Running: 12”/24” Defense; +1) 6
Flight: 25”/50” 4u 5) Hellgate: Extra-Dimensional Movement
Teleportation: 25”/50” or 20”/160” (any physical location in any dimension) 4
MegaTeleportation: 1 km to 60 LY 5 Demon’s Eyes: Infrared Perception
(Sight Group) 0
Cost Powers END 5 Demon’s Eyes: Ultraviolet Perception
198 Demonic Thaumaturgy: Variable Power (Sight Group) 0
Pool, 90 base + 45 control cost, Cosmic 42 Sense Souls: Detect Life Force 14-,
(+2); Only Magic (-¼) var Discriminatory, Analyze, Range, Sense,
60 Demonfire: Multipower, 60-point powers Targeting, Tracking 0
6u 1) Demonfire Blast I: Energy Blast 12d6 6 20 Astral Awareness: Dimensional (Astral
6u 2) Demonfire Blast II: RKA 4d6 6 Plane) for Sight and Hearing Groups 0
6u 3) Demonfire Blast III: Energy Blast 8d6, 29 Magesight: Detect Magic 16- (no Sense
Armor Piercing (+½) 6 Group), Discriminatory, Analyze,
6u 4) Demonfire Blast IV: Energy Blast 8d6, Increased Arc Of Perception (360
Explosion (+½) 6 Degrees), Range, Sense 0
6u 5) Demonfire Blast V: Energy Blast 8d6, Au-
tofire (5 shots; +½) 6 Skills
6u 6) Demonfire Blast VI: Energy Blast 6d6, 40 +4 Overall
NND (defense is Life Support [Safe Environ- 20 +4 Hand-To-Hand
ment: Intense Heat]; +1) 6 3 Concealment 14-
6u 7) Demonfire Blast VII: RKA 2d6, +4 In- 3 Conversation 19-
creased STUN Multiplier (+1) 6 2 Gambling (Card Games) 14-
61 Demonic Mind: Multipower, 5 AK: Hell 16-
61-point reserve 5 KS: The Hosts Of Hell 16-
6u 1) Demonic Mindblast: Ego Attack 6d6 6 3 KS: The Mystic World 14-
6u 2) Demonic Possession: Mind Control 12d6 6 3 Navigation (Astral, Dimensional) 14-
6u 3) Demonic Illusions I: Mental 3 Persuasion 19-
Illusions 12d6 6 15 Power: Magic 20-
6u 4) Demonic Illusions II: Sight, Hearing, 3 Seduction 19-
and Touch Group Images, -5 to PER 3 Sleight Of Hand 15-
Rolls, Increased Size (8” radius; +¾) 6 3 Stealth 15-
60 Mindsearching: Mind Scan 12d6 6 3 Trading 19-
135 Claws Wreathed In Demonfire: HKA 3d6 7 WF: Common Melee Weapons, Common
(4d6+1 with STR), +2 Increased STUN Missile Weapons, Small Arms, Whip
Multiplier (+½), Penetrating (x2; +1), Re- Total Powers & Skills Cost: 1,262
duced Endurance (0 END; +½) 0 Total Cost: 1,656
120 Demonfire Aura: HKA 3d6, Continuous
(+1), Damage Shield (+½), Penetrating 200+ Disadvantages
(x2; +1), Reduced Endurance (0 END; 15 Accidental Change: if he loses an EGO Roll
+½); No STR Bonus (-½) 0 Versus EGO Roll Contest with Brimstone in
17 Demon’s Skin: Hardened (+¼) for the Phase after the first Phase he gets to act
35 PD/35 ED 0 (Very Common)
44 Demon’s Skin: Damage Resistance 10 Accidental Change: once per Turn, every
(35 PD/35 ED), Hardened (+¼) 0 Turn after the first 8- (roll increases by 1 per
60 Infernal Shield: Physical and Energy additional Turn) (Common)
Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50% 0 10 Accidental Change: 11- when takes BODY
damage (Uncommon)
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Three 67

10 Accidental Change: 8- when he uses more paint, and his memory came flooding back. He JOSIAH BRIMSTONE
than 60 points’ worth of his VPP Pool in a could feel the demon’s soul within him, fluttering PLOT SEEDS
single Phase (see text) (Common) against his flesh like a butterfly trapped in a man’s
10 Accidental Change: 8- once per game session hand. Terrified, he fled from college and his former It turns out Belial let
or adventure for no particular reason at all life, hoping to find some way to reverse what had Brimstone live because
other than the GM’s kind graces (Common) happened and regain his own soul. he thinks the powerful
20 Distinctive Features: Aura Of Infernal Evil But that proved far harder than he’d thought. young man will be a
(Concealable With Effort; Causes Fear) The first few months and years were painful ones, mighty warrior for Hell
15 Enraged: if thwarted or tricked (Uncom- as he stumbled through the Mystic World looking in the coming conflict
mon), go 11-, recover 11- for answers to a question he could barely formulate. with Heaven (see Vibora
Bay for details). When
15 Physical Limitation: Must Obey Anyone Even worse, he soon discovered that the demonsoul
Brimstone shows up
Who Knows Its True Name (Infrequently, within him could break free, transforming his body in the Queen City and
Fully Impairing) into diabolic form so it could wreak great harm and begins wreaking havoc
15 Physical Limitation: Restricted By Pen- evil. In time he developed a rigid self-control, the for no apparent reason
tagrams, if confined within a pentagram better to keep the demon chained within him, but other than the sheer joy
cannot leave or affect anyone or anything not even his iron will was always enough: the very of destroying things, the
outside the pentagram (Infrequently, Fully demonsoul within corrupted him, making him heroes have to find him,
Impairing) prone to great rage, and during those times when defeat him, and figure
25 Psychological Limitation: Utterly Evil (Very his passions overcame his will the demon was most out that Belial is subtly
Common, Total) likely to break free for a time until his own person- manipulating him.
20 Psychological Limitation: Overconfidence alty re-asserted itself.
(Very Common, Strong) Collin, now calling himself “Josiah Brimstone” Brimstone approaches
the heroes, asking for
5 Rivalry: Professional (with other Greater as a sort of ironic joke and way to keep his true
their help. He claims to
Demons, for power and influence) identity and name a secret, traveled the world look- have found information
25 Susceptibility: to holy places and objects, ing for the key with which to unlock the secrets about a “Soul Gem” that
takes 2d6 damage per Phase demon is on that would enable him to regain his soul. He prac- he thinks might eject
holy ground, in a holy place, or within 1” of a ticed meditation with sadhus in India, absorbing the demon’s soul from
holy object (Common) their holy wisdom and learning ways to control the his body, returning his
1,261 Experience Points demon within. He studied with Chinese and Japa- own in its place. But
nese masters of the occult, practicing both martial he doesn’t know where
Total Disadvantage Points: 1,656 the Gem is or who has
arts and spellcraft with them. Hidden druidic
Background/History: It was a long, long time ago in circles in the British Isles, ancient cults in Russia, it. He wants the heroes
a strange, distant land: New York City, 1972. Out of to help him find it. If
Middle Eastern fakirs and dervishes, Haida Indian
boredom and rebelliousness, Collin Kildare, a col- they trust him enough
shamans in British Columbia, and many others to believe him (he’s
lege student and the wealthy son of even wealthier taught the quiet, somber man who possessed such certainly hatched more
parents, turned to the occult. On Walpurgisnacht great power but carried such a terrible burden. fiendish plots when
he worked his greatest magic ever: a conjuration to None of them could give him the key he sought under the demonsoul’s
call forth a demon from the Nether Realms. — but with each mystic and magus he studied un- influence...), can they
It worked... but not the way he intended. der, his already considerable power and knowledge survive spending a long
Unbeknownst to anyone, even himself, Collin pos- grew even more. But he’s never learned enough to period of time in his
sessed a profound, innate talent for magic surpass- storm the gates of Hell and regain by force what company as they scour
ing even that of most of the puissant mystics on was taken from him so long ago. the Earth looking for the
Earth. What responded to his call was not just any Soul Gem? But can they
In time Brimstone made his way back to the
demon — some lesser soldier or camp-follower of afford not to try, given
United States. Since then he’s often found himself that finding it might
the armies of the infernal — but Belial, Duke of caught up in adventures. Sometimes he’s on the side remove so powerful a
Hell and one of the most powerful beings in the of the angels, helping some hapless person with a threat from the world?
Descending Hierarchy. mystic problem... though often as not his “help” is
Belial gasped when he saw the power in young a double-edged sword. At other times his demon- Brimstone begins losing
Collin — and then laughed with malefic glee when born selfishness and anger make him a threat to the control of himself more
he realized the boy didn’t know how to use it yet peace and safety of innocent folk instead of a hero and more often — it’s
and had left himself vulnerable. He decided to do or helper. His burden is a terrible one, and he longs as if the demonsoul is
something about this impudent fool now, before for the day he can set it aside forever... even if doing getting stronger or less
he came into his power enough to pose a threat to so costs him his arcane powers. restrained. Concerned
Belial or his masters... and to have a bit of fun in that this may signal
the process. He grabbed the screaming Collin and Personality/Motivation: Josiah Brimstone was once some plot or coming
tore from him his very soul. And then he worked a a cynical, jaded young man: a snob, a dilettante, an assault by the minions
summoning himself, calling one of his minions to uncaring fool. Some of that changed when Belial of Hell, he alerts the PCs
replaced his soul with that of a demon, but for the and asks for their help.
him: a demon of vast and terrible power, but still
beholden to the Duke Belial shoulder-and-hip. He most part things just got worse. Having a demon’s
gave young Collin’s soul to this demon as a play- soul inside him has made him selfish, arrogant, snide,
thing... but then removed the demon’s own soul sarcastic, insultingly judgmental, and annoyingly
and thrust it into Collin’s body! cryptic.Worst of all, he’s prone to completely losing his
Collin awoke the next morning thinking temper in stressful situations or when exposed to holy
he’d had way too much to drink. Then he saw the magics — and when that happens, sometimes the
smeared pentagram drawn on the floor in red demonsoul frees itself and takes over his body.
68 ■ Solo Villains Hero System 5th Edition

Brimstone often tries to do what he thinks When Brimstone transforms into the de-
is the “right thing,” on the theory that this will mon, he remains in demon form until the demon
weaken the demonsoul. But between his negative has acted for a minimum of one Phase. Then
personality traits and his Unluck he usually just he and the demon begin engaging in EGO Roll
makes things worse. Many heroes have concluded Contests every Phase: if the demon wins, it re-
that turning down his offers of “help” is easier than mains in existence; if Brimstone wins, he regains
working with him... which of course only angers control of the demon and reverts back to his nor-
him. And then there are the times the demonsoul mal form at the end of that Phase. The demon
influences his personality enough to make him may also lose control if it takes BODY damage, if
act like a full-blown supervillain. (In game terms, it uses too much of its own power, or sometimes
the GM should roll his Sometimes The Demonsoul for no reason anyone can fathom.
Takes Over Psychological Limitation periodically; During his studies and adventures Josiah
if the roll fails, Brimstone becomes thoroughly, un- Brimstone has acquired several enchanted items
hesitatingly evil for a while.) of great power. The most daunting of these is
Josiah desperately wants to get his own soul Gloomspire, which resembles a sword too long to
back. He believes the demon Belial gave it to, or be held in one hand, though Brimstone can hold
perhaps Belial himself, still has it. But even if that’s it one-handed with ease. It appears to be made out
true, that doesn’t mean he can easily get it back. of some strange, greyish metal that seems to eat
He’s tried storming the gates of Hell twice to take it the light rather than reflect it. But it’s not actually
by force, only to be repulsed each time — because a sword in the traditional sense — it’s more of a
he lost it through his own folly, he has to find a way spiritual weapon. When it touches someone, it can
to get it back through his own maturity, responsi- cause great pain, even unto death, but it can also
bility, and good deeds, he can’t just snatch it back. inflict emotional or mental torment, diminish the
But he would be willing to risk much to regain it. victim’s force of personality, weaken or corrupt
Quotes: him, and so forth. Gloomspire has a terrifying
reputation among the Mystic World; Brimstone’s
1. “Like the man said, there are more things in causing it to manifest is enough to give most
Heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in your phi- mystics opposing him pause. (More than a few
losophy. Believe me.” of them consider it an evil object, and Brimstone
2. “If there’s one thing I know about, it’s fighting doubly evil for using it.)
your inner demons.” Equally dangerous in its own way, but far less in-
timidating in appearance or effect, is the Phantasma-
Powers/Tactics: Josiah Brimstone is a supermage
goric Flame Of Falthagar, which Brimstone took from
of great might, able to command the powers of
the evil dimensional overlord of the same name after
thaumaturgy with nothing more than the force of
winning a contest of power. The Flame resembles an
his will (though he usually adds a wave of the hand
ordinary bit of fire... attached to a finely-wrought sil-
and a short incantation just for show). In addition
ver necklace as if it were some gemstone! Even more
to his vast repertoire of learned spells, he carries
disturbingly, while hanging from the necklace the
several enchanted items (see below), and his magi-
Flame burns downward, contrary to gravity. It does
cal powers reduce his need to eat or sleep and make
not burn the wearer, and Brimstone usually wears it
it effectively impossible to foresee his actions.
under his shirt were people can’t see it. If necessary, he
While Brimstone naturally possesses great
can pull the Flame from the chain and hurl it at an en-
magical talent, it’s possible (but not necessar-
emy. Depending on what he wills, it can either strike
ily true) that some of his magical power results
a single person, form a fireball, or the like. After it
from the fact that he’s got a demon’s soul instead
strikes, the Flame leaps back to Brimstone’s hand to be
of his own. But even if the demonsoul gives him
thrown again or re-attached to the chain. Brimstone
power, it also creates many difficulties for him.
can also detach the Flame and hold it in his hand in-
Most prominently, in times of stress he’s prone to
stead of throwing it; a person who gazes at the Flame
transforming into the demon — the demonsoul
while he’s holding it can be made more susceptible to
takes control of him entirely, submerging his
Mental Powers as long as Brimstone keeps waving it
personality beneath its own and altering his form
in front of their eyes.
and powers to demonic ones. This most often
Not an attack, but as useful in its own way
happens when he becomes angry or suffers an
as either Gloomspire or the Flame, is the Book of
injury, but it can also happen when he uses too
Forlorn Imprecations, a special deck of tarot cards
much of his mystic power, or sometimes for no
Brimstone crafted himself. If he takes the time
discernible reason at all. (In the case of his Ac-
to do a reading, he gains glimpses of the future...
cidental Change for using more than 60 points’
though not always very precise ones.
worth of his VPP Pool in a single Phase, make
One of Brimstone’s instructors gave him the
the roll each Phase, with the roll increasing by 1
Ring Of Eyes, which looks like a finger-ring with a
for each Phase he maintains that level of power
living human eye where a decorative stone might
use.) At the GM’s option, Brimstone’s Accidental
otherwise be, and etchings of other eyes along the
Change rolls might be reduced a point or two
rest of the band. On command these eyes all float
for a day if he performs some particularly self-
out of the ring and encircle Brimstone’s head in a
less good deed; the “good karma” this builds up
slowly-rotating halo, giving him the ability to see
makes it easier to quell the demonsoul.
all around himself at once.
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Three 69

Campaign Use: Josiah Brimstone is intended as a From Robert Caliburn (see Vibora Bay)
sort of unpredictable quantity you can thrust into Brimstone’s learned of a potent mystical artifact
your campaign. On the one hand, there are times called the Soul Gem, one of four Elemental Gems
when his knowledge and power could be of great of unknown origin (Caliburn himself possesses one
help to the PCs (though admittedly there’s always — the Flame Gem). It’s possible that the Soul Gem
some risk when one gets involved with him). On could be a big help in Brimstone’s quest to regain
the other hand, when his negative side has the up- his own soul. But no one seems to know who pos-
per hand — or even worse, when the demonsoul sesses it (if anyone), or where it is... or if they do,
takes over — he’s a powerful and deadly foe. His they’re not telling.
“Demonsoul Embodied” form should be tough To make Brimstone tougher, increase the size
enough to take on most teams of heroes; if not, of his VPP (and/or how much of it he can use at
consider boosting its powers until it is. once without the risk of triggering the demonsoul),
Several intriguing questions surround Josiah give him more powers outside of it, and/or increase
Brimstone. First, do demons really have souls? If his SPD to 6-7. To weaken him, get rid of Gloom-
so, that would seem to have some unusual theo- spire and the Phantasmagoric Flame.
logical implications. If not, what did Belial put Brimstone rarely Hunts heroes; he has other
inside young Collin Kildare? Second, if Brimstone things to worry about, and when he’s in his right
succeeds in getting his own soul back and ridding mind doesn’t really have any interest in opposing
himself of the demonsoul, will it cost him his pow- “the good guys” anyway. Only if he thinks a hero
ers entirely, or diminish them? Third, why didn’t might help him regain his soul would he be likely
Belial just kill him? Obviously, it wasn’t really by to Hunt him in earnest.
mere whim that Belial left him alive and in the grip Appearance: Josiah Brimstone stands 6’0” and
of the demonsoul. It didn’t take long for Brimstone weighs about 175 pounds; he’s got a rather thin,
to realize the arch-devil had a purpose in leaving sometimes almost gaunt, build that conceals the
him alive. It probably has something to do with great reserves of physical and spiritual strength
wanting to exploit Brimstone’s power... but given within him. His hair is dark and often a little un-
the wicked cleverness of the likes of Belial, it could ruly; his complexion is pale, his face cleanshaven.
be almost anything. He usually wears ordinary men’s clothes, often with
a black trenchcoat or Inverness cloak over them.
He frequently smokes cigarettes.
70 ■ Solo Villains Hero System 5th Edition

DEADMAN WALKIN’ DEADMAN WALKIN’ 4 TF: Common Motorized Ground Vehicles,

PLOT SEEDS Val Char Cost Roll Notes Two-Wheeled Motorized Ground Vehicles,
30 STR 20 15- Lift 1,600 kg; 6d6 [3] Helicopters
The Demonologist 21 DEX 33 13- OCV: 7/DCV: 7 7 WF: Common Melee Weapons, Small Arms,
created (or claims to 25 CON 30 14- General Purpose/Heavy Machine Guns, Gre-
have created) Dead- 20 BODY 20 13- nade Launchers, Shoulder-Fired Weapons
man Walkin’ — and 15 INT 5 12- PER Roll 12- 2 Weaponsmith (Firearms) 12-
now he wants to “call
20 EGO 20 13- ECV: 7 Total Powers & Skills Cost: 331
in the favor” and get
D.W. to do a few jobs for 25 PRE 15 14- PRE Attack: 5d6 Total Cost: 532
him (gratis, of course). 6 COM -2 10-
200+ Disadvantages
Deadman Walkin’ 20 PD 14 Total: 20 PD (20 rPD) 20 Hunted: UNTIL 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Cap-
agrees to the deal, even
20 ED 15 Total: 20 ED (20 rED) ture/Kill)
though he doesn’t be-
lieve the Demonologist, 5 SPD 19 Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 10 Physical Limitation: susceptible to Nec-
because the targets the 11 REC 0 romancy spells and powers (Infrequently,
Demonologist wants 50 END 0 Greatly Impairing)
taken out are the PCs... 60 STUN 12 Total Characteristics Cost: 201 20 Psychological Limitation: Hates Living Be-
and he’s agreed to use ings; Revels In Killing (Common, Total)
his spells to make D.W. Movement: Running: 9”/18”
25 Susceptibility: to holy objects and places,
even tougher until he Cost Powers END takes 2d6 per Phase he’s in contact with them
completes the task! 30 Rifle: RKA 3d6, Armor Piercing (+½), (Common)
No Range Modifier (+½); OAF (-1), 257 Experience Points
After being “killed” Beam (-¼), No Knockback (-¼),
again in some way (an Total Disadvantage Points: 532
8 Charges (-½) [8]
explosion, a superbattle, Background/History: Darren Williams was once
or the like), Deadman 21 Handgun: RKA 2d6+1, +2 Increased
STUN Multiplier (+½); OAF (-1), Beam (- one of the highest-paid assassins in the world.
Walkin’ comes back
¼), No Knockback (-¼), 2 clips of 12 Charg- He had an almost-unblemished record, and had
more powerful than
ever, this time as a es each (-0) [12] never been captured or hurt on the job... until he
ghost. He’s permanently 14 Bowie Knife: HKA 1d6+1 (2d6+1 with came to Vibora Bay on a contract to kill a City
intangible, but able to STR), Armor Piercing (+½); OAF (-1), Councillor and Robert Caliburn put two bullets
affect the solid world in No Knockback (-¼) plus Range Based in his chest.
many deadly ways. The On STR (+¼) for knife; OAF (-1), He “woke up” in the morgue a few days
PCs have to find a way Lockout (cannot use HKA at all until later, amazed to discover that he was alive...
to put him to rest for only to find out that he wasn’t. He was unlive,
Charge is recovered; -½), 1 Recoverable
good. or undead if you prefer, though he had no
Charge (-1¼) 3
20 Undead Form: Damage Resistance idea why. Never one to look a gift horse in the
Deadman Walkin’ was mouth, he escaped from the facility, murdering
working for the Chinese (20 PD/20 ED) 0
60 Undead Form: Physical and Energy two medical examiners on the way out. Since
government when he
Damage Reduction, 50%, Resistant 0 then he’s continued his lucrative career as a
was killed... and he’s
working for them still, 8 Undead Eyes: Sight Group Flash Defense killer for hire, though he takes on a lot more
as they subtly manipu- (8 points) 0 superhuman and paranormal targets than he
late him from afar into 8 Undead Ears: Hearing Group Flash used to.
doing what they want. Defense (8 points) 0 Personality/Motivation: In life, Darren Williams was
The PCs have to uncover 6 Undead Mind: Mental Defense greedy, callous, cruel, and sociopathic. In unlife,
this shadowy connec- (10 points total) 0 Deadman Walkin’ is all of those things, and more.
tion and put a stop to it
45 Undead Form: Life Support (Total) 0 He has developed an active loathing for anyone
before D.W.’s ordered to
kill an American politi- 6 Swift: Running +3” (9” total) 1 living, a hatred of them for their ability to enjoy the
cian or other sensitive 5 Undead Eyes: Nightvision 0 simple pleasures he no longer can (eating, sleep-
target. 5 Undead Eyes: Infrared Perception ing, companionship...). The only joy he gets now is
(Sight Group) 0 in killing people — and he’s always eager to enjoy
39 Sense Life: Detect Life Force 14- (no himself some more.
Sense Group), Discriminatory, Range,
Quote: “In a second you’ll be dead like me... but
Sense, Targeting, Tracking 0
you won’t be gettin’ back up.”
Skills Powers/Tactics: There’s nothing complicated
20 +4 with Ranged Attacks about Deadman Walkin’s abilities: he’s an
3 Climbing 13- undead assassin. His attacks are the weapons
3 Combat Driving 13- he favored in life (rifle, handgun, knife), and
3 Concealment 12- his undead state makes him far stronger and
3 Demolitions 12- tougher than he ever was when he still had to
3 Fast Draw (Small Arms) 13- breathe. Thanks to his resilience, he’s willing
3 Interrogation 14- to take foolish risks if he has to, like jumping
3 SS: Pharmacology/Toxicology 12- off tall buildings to escape pursuers. He thinks
7 Stealth 15- of himself as indestructible, though he’s not.
3 Streetwise 14-
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Three 71

Deadman Walkin’ prefers to strike from sur-

prise whenever he can — all he asks out of unlife
is a little unfair advantage, as he likes to say. His
favorite method of taking out a target is sniping,
but he can also use explosives, poison, or close
combat if he has to. If confronted and forced into
open combat, he’ll fight at first, but cut and run
as soon as things start to go wrong
As an undead being, Deadman Walkin’ is
susceptible to spells and powers of a necromantic
nature. For example, a spell to control or harm
zombies works on him, though he’s not strictly a
zombie. The GM determines whether his Physical
Limitation applies to a particular ability.
Campaign Use: Deadman Walkin’ comes with one
big background mystery: how did he come back
to “life”? Did a mystic raise him from the dead
for some reason? Did ambient magical energies,
a Necromancy spell gone wrong, or a powerful
Voodoo ritual improperly controlled spontaneously
cause his resurrection as a free-willed zombie? Do
Caliburn’s angel-touched bullets have unintended
side effects? Was Williams simply too strong-willed
to die? The answers to those questions may just
lead to more questions, including: will whatever
brought him back to unlife make him more power-
ful over time?
If you want to make Deadman Walkin’ more
powerful, you can increase his Characteristics
(turning him into a sort of brick), or you can give
him mystic powers relating to his undead state.
Maybe he has a death touch, can project bolts of
necromantic energy, or the like. To weaken him,
reduce his Characteristics a little and his Damage Appearance: If it weren’t for the fact that he long
Reduction to 25%. ago gave up the ghost, Deadman Walkin’ would
Deadman Walkin’ only Hunts people if paid to, look like a fit, muscular man. As it is, his skin has
or if he wants revenge on them. See Powers/Tactics for the pallor of death, with bluish lips and sunken
a description of how he goes about his “jobs.” eyes. Here and there he’s stitched up gashes and
wounds, since he no longer heals like a living being
does. He wears tattered military fatigues and gear...
but his weapons (a rifle, a sidearm, and a large
knife) are in perfect condition, clean and well-pol-
ished, creating an eerie contrast.
72 ■ Solo Villains Hero System 5th Edition

DEVASTATOR DEVASTATOR Talents

PLOT SEEDS Val Char Cost Roll Notes 8 Onboard Computer: Absolute Range Sense,
10+20 STR 10* 11-/15- Lift 6.4 tons; 8d6 [4] Absolute Time Sense, Bump Of Direction,
After suffering a terrible 20 DEX 30 13- OCV: 7/DCV: 7 Lightning Calculator; OIF (-½)
defeat at the hands of 18 CON 16 13-
some superhero, Witt- Skills
10 BODY 0 11- 6 +2 with Battle Armor Weapons Suite
genstein decides to get 18 INT 8 13- PER Roll 13-
out of the supervillain 3 Acrobatics 13-
12 EGO 4 11- ECV: 4 3 Breakfall 13-
business and offers his
armor for sale on the 20 PRE 10 13- PRE Attack: 4d6 3 Climbing 13-
black market. Who ends 12 COM 1 11- 1 Computer Programming 8-
up with it... and what 5 PD 3 Total: 20 PD (15 rPD) 3 Conversation 13-
happens if Wittgenstein 5 ED 1 Total: 20 ED (15 rED) 4 Gambling (Card Games, Dice Games) 13-
changes his mind after 5 SPD 20 Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 3 High Society 13-
the sale and schemes to 6 REC 0 2 CK: Madrid 11-
get the armor back? 36 END 0 2 CK: Moscow 11-
30 STUN 6 Total Characteristic Cost: 109 2 CK: New York City 11-
Eager to reclaim his
stolen technology, the *: OIF (Power Armor, -½), No Figured Character- 2 CK: Paris 11-
Warlord manipulates istics (-½) 2 Language: French (fluent conversation; Eng-
one of the heroes into lish is native)
Movement: Running: 9”/18”
going after Devastator. 1 Language: Russian (basic conversation)
Flight: 15”/30”
Assuming the PC wins, 2 Language: Spanish (fluent conversation)
what happens when he Cost Powers END 3 Lockpicking 13-
finds out he’s actually 67 Battle Armor Weapons Suite: Multipower, 3 Persuasion 13-
been working for one of 100-point reserve; all OIF (-½) 3 PS: Appraising 13-
the most feared super- 3 Security Systems 13-
7u 1) Configurable Blaster: EB 10d6,
villains in the world?
Variable Advantages (+½ Advantages; 3 Seduction 13-
+1); OIF (-½) var 5 Stealth 14-
Wittgenstein wants
4u 2) Weapons Suite: RKA 2d6, Variable Ad- 3 Streetwise 13-
even more power, so he
decides to steal more of vantages (+½ Advantages; +1); Total Powers & Skill Cost: 291
the Warlord’s technol- OIF (-½) var Total Cost: 400
ogy. But he can’t take on 9u 3) Tangleweb Projector: Entangle 6d6,
the Warlord’s forces or 6 DEF, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); 200+ Disadvantages
penetrate the security OIF (-½) 0 20 Hunted: Warlord 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Cap-
on his Flying Fortress 30 Battle Armor: Armor (15 PD/ED); ture/Kill)
alone, so he has to trick OIF (-½) 0 20 Hunted: UNTIL 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
the PCs into providing 7 Flashbang Protection: Flash Defense 20 Psychological Limitation: Greedy (Very
“cover” for him while he Common, Strong)
(Sight and Hearing Group), 5 points;
sneaks aboard the craft 15 Psychological Limitation: Refuses To Back
and loots the Warlord’s OIF (-½) 0
7 Internal Air Supply: Life Support (Self- Down Or Be Bullied (Common, Strong)
arsenal.
Contained Breathing); OIF (-½) 0 15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity (Richard
30 Jetpack: Flight 15”, Reduced Endurance Wittgenstein) (Frequently, Major)
(0 END; +½); OIF (-½) 0 110 Experience Points
34 Sensor Suite: Infrared Perception Total Disadvantage Points: 400
(Sight Group), Ultraviolet Perception
Background/History: It was the opportunity of
(Sight Group), Ultrasonic Perception
a lifetime.
(Hearing Group), Radar, HRRP, 360
Richard Wittgenstein was a cat burglar. And
Degree Perception (Sight Group); OIF (-½) 0
he was a good one, too. He might not have been
6 Leg Servos: Running +3” (9” total) 1
at the absolute pinnacle of his profession, but
Perks he’d rarely failed to complete a mission, and had
6 Contact: a fence 11- (extremely useful Skills gotten rich in the process.
and resources; significant Contacts of his own) One day, after a casually overhearing some
4 Deep Covers (2) interesting gossip at a high-society party about
10 Money: Wealthy a new yacht in the harbor at Monaco, he flew
down to take a look. There it was — big as life
and twice as gaudy. It practically screamed “new
money,” and in Richard’s experience that usually
meant good pickings.
One night, when the owner of the yacht (a man
Richard had only glimpsed once or twice while cas-
ing the boat) and his entourage were at the casino,
Richard slipped aboard. The security measures almost
foiled him; they were extremely well-made. But that
only convinced him there was something he wanted
to have concealed on the boat.
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Three 73

When he finally found what the yacht’s

owner was so careful to hide, he nearly threw
it in the sea. Blueprints! Not jewels, not bearer
bonds, not cash, just some stinking blueprints.
But rather than call the night a total loss, Richard
took them, thinking he could at least sell them
back to the man he’d stolen them from.
But he quickly changed his mind when he
got home and took a careful look at them. These
weren’t plans for a building or a car — they were
for a weapon. Some sort of prototype suit of
powered armor. They reminded him of some-
thing he’d seen somewhere, in the news probably,
but he couldn’t place it. It didn’t come to him
until the next day.
They were plans for the Warlord’s battle-armor.
Terrified for the first time in his life, Richard
took the plans, his gear, everything else he could
lay his hands on quickly, and fled. He knew the
Warlord would be looking for him now, and he
knew that if the Warlord found him, he’d be a
long, long time in dying.
While he was hiding, carefully concealed by
one of the cover identities he’d established long
ago, Richard looked at the plans some more, and
did some research. It turned out they weren’t for
the Warlord’s armor, but for a similar suit — one
based on his, maybe intended for some of his
best soldiers or something. The suit was sleeker
and less well-armed than the Warlord’s was said
to be, but it was still quite powerful.
At first Richard figured he’d sell the plans
through his usual fence; he knew they’d fetch a high
price on the international black market for arms.
fer to avoid further confrontation if he can. He
But the more he thought about it, the more he said
doesn’t want to risk losing the power he now has.
to himself: why shouldn’t I build the suit for my-
self? He realized he was sick of sneaking around all Quote: “You can forget about the posturing, hero.
the time, preying on people too stupid to protect I want those gems, and if I have to go through
their valuables. It was time to take whatever he you to get them, I will.”
wanted — regardless of who tried to stop him. Powers/Tactics: Devastator has an interesting suite
It took most of his savings, and dealing with of powers and abilities deriving from two sources.
a lot of disreputable people he didn’t really like, The first is his battle armor, which was built from
but eventually Richard got his powered armor plans developed by the Warlord for a lesser suit of
suit. Christening himself Devastator, he em- armor based on his own. It comes equipped not
barked on a career of robbery and mayhem that only with defensive technology, but a configurable
has lasted to this day. blaster on the right arm, a suite of other weapons
Personality/Motivation: Devastator is using his attached to other parts of the armor, and a tan-
battlesuit, and the power it brings, to work out gleweb projector on the right shoulder.
a lot of frustration and anger that he’s accumu- The second is his former career as a cat bur-
lated over the years. He no longer has to skulk glar. Few armored supervillains have the acrobat-
about in the shadows, run from the police, or ic prowess or infiltration skills of a professional
watch over his shoulder for bounty hunters and thief, but Devastator does. Sometimes they allow
angry husbands. Now he can go toe-to-toe with him to take a low-key or sneaky approach to a
superheroes and smash them into the dirt, and problem, where someone like Armadillo or An-
take what he wants from even the most heav- kylosaur would simply have to smash things.
ily-guarded vaults. He rarely backs down or runs Devastator prefers to open with an all-out
away from any threat, and anyone who tries to offense, using whatever weapon he thinks is most
bully him is in for trouble. likely to hurt his opponent. The various weapons
The only thing that still scares him is the are simulated with Variable Advantage Advan-
Warlord. He knows that master villain can tell tage on the two main slots of his Multipower. If
where he got his armor, and that the Warlord that doesn’t work, he’ll try tangleweb, surprise
wants it back. He’s had a few scrapes with the moves, or the like. He’ll only flee from combat if
War Machine (the Warlord’s personal group of he thinks there’s too great a chance he’ll be de-
supercriminals) and held his own, but he’d pre- feated and lose his suit.
74 ■ Solo Villains Hero System 5th Edition

Campaign Use: Devastator is a good general ECLIPSE

powered armor villain. His Multipower gives Val Char Cost Roll Notes
him a lot of options in combat, and his Skills are 10 STR 0 11- Lift 100 kg; 2d6 [1]
an unusual twist the GM can exploit for many 18 DEX 24 13- OCV: 6/DCV: 6
effects and plot points. 15 CON 10 12-
Devastator rarely Hunts anyone. He’d 11 BODY 2 11-
rather concentrate on getting rich and enjoy- 13 INT 3 12- PER Roll 12-
ing the freedom the suit gives him. However, 20 EGO 20 13- ECV: 7
if bullied or defeated too much by a hero, he’ll 15 PRE 5 12- PRE Attack: 3d6
make it his personal mission in life to hurt that 10 COM 0 11-
person, using both his combat abilities and his
thieving skills. 4 PD 2 Total: 4 PD (0 rPD)
To make Devastator more powerful, give 4 ED 1 Total: 4 ED (0 rED)
him more Multipower slots, increase his STR 4 SPD 12 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12
to 40 or more, and up his DEX a few points. To 7 REC 4
scale him down, reduce the Multipower to 75 30 END 0
Active Points and replace the Variable Advantage 29 STUN 5 Total Characteristics Cost: 88
slots with three to five EB and RKA slots with Movement: Running: 6”/12”
specific Advantages.
Cost Powers END
Appearance: Devastator wears a suit of armor
457 Mimic Powers: Variable Power Pool
that clearly derives from the Warlord’s technol-
(Mimic Pool), 400 base + 200 control
ogy. It has the same rough configuration, with
cost; Only For Multiform (Multiform is
weaponry mounted on the arms and shoulders,
“alternate” form with all of character’s pow-
and the user’s head and upper body protected
ers and exact copies of target’s powers and
by a dome-like structure instead of a more ordi-
power-related Disadvantages, and
nary helmet. However, the “dome” is much more
must have the Reversion Limitation;
slender and cylindrical, and the weaponry more
-½), Requires Successful HTH Attack
limited. A suite of configurable blaster compo-
Roll (-½), Skin Contact Required (-1),
nents (barrels and focusing lenses that rotate into
Power Fails To Work If Cannot Copy
position) on his right arm is matched by a simi-
Entire Target (-¼), Cannot Retain
lar, but more lethal, assemblage on his left. The
Copied Forms (when character
suit is dull gold in color, a definite contrast to the
switches to another “form,” she
Warlord’s shiny steel blue-white.
immediately loses all previously-copied pow-
Out of his armor, Richard Wittgenstein is a
ers; -¼) 0
handsome man in his mid-30s, six feet tall with
629 Steal Powers: Suppress Powers 40d6, all
carefully styled brown hair and an elegant mous-
Characteristics, powers, and so forth of
tache. He dresses in expensive, hand-tailored
all special effects simultaneously (+4), Re-
clothing at the height of fashion.
duced Endurance (0 END, turns off
when Reversion occurs or Eclipse
changes victims; +½); No Range (-½),
Linked (see text; -¼) 0
34 Copy Appearance: Shape Shift (Sight, Hear-
ing, Smell/Taste, and Touch Groups, any hu-
manoid shape), Imitation, Reduced Endur-
ance (0 END; +½), Trigger (when character
mimics someone with her VPP; +¼); Only
To Copy Person Whose Power’s Being Mim-
icked (-1) 0
25 Detect Life-Force: Detect Life Energy 12-
(no Sense Group), Discriminatory, Analyze
, Range 0
Perks
3 Anonymity
1 Money: Well Off
Skills
10 +2 HTH
3 Streetwise 12-
3 Stealth 13-
3 Shadowing 12-
Total Powers & Skills Cost: 1,168
Total Cost: 1,256
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Three 75

200+ Disadvantages
25 Accidental Change: whenever she touches
another person skin-to-skin (Common,
Always)
20 Hunted: UNTIL 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
20 Hunted: FBI 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
20 Psychological Limitation: Paranoid (Very
Common, Strong)
10 Psychological Limitation: Vengeful (Uncom-
mon, Strong)
10 Social Limitation: Socially Inept (suffers -2
to Interaction Skill Rolls) (Frequently, Mi-
nor)
10 Unluck: 2d6
941 Experience Points
Total Disadvantage Points: 1,256
Background/History: Kim Culhane grew up plagued
with bad luck. Her high school years were particu-
larly unkind, mostly because she spent them in a
dismal boarding school. Something within her kept
her apart from others — she’d spend hours watch-
ing people from the shadows, wishing she could be
like them, but never talking to them. Eventually,
to spite her parents, she ran away from school and
joined the military.
When the initial screening process showed
a particular abnormality in her DNA, the Army
asked if she’d participate in several biological ex-
periments. Its goal was to create someone powerful
enough to take out rogue superheroes the military
was usually powerless against. Intrigued, and des-
perate for cash, Kim agreed.
Whether the procedures brought out some-
thing in her DNA, or empowered something she’d
doing as much damage to the social unit as she can
wanted all her life, the Army succeeded in creating
before she leaves.
someone who could easily cripple most superhu-
mans with just a touch. But the plan depended on Quote: “OK, it’s a deal. Whatever you say. Here,
her wanting to help her country, and that wasn’t shake on it....”
uppermost in Kim’s mind. Overwhelmed by all the Powers/Tactics: Eclipse has two basic powers. The
attention, she just wanted a vacation and time to first is to perceive and analyze life energy. This al-
think about things. Unwilling to let its new “asset” lows her to know who around her has superpow-
loose on her own, the Army locked her up. But her ers, and the basic source of those powers (mutant,
keepers didn’t realize her powers could affect nor- mutate, mystic, technological, and so on). It also
mal people as well as superhumans, and it wasn’t tells her whether a person has a strong, healthy life-
long before she’d copied the appearance and skills force, since she’d rather not mimic weak or sickly
of one of her captors, cleared out all records of her people if she can avoid it.
existence from the computer files, and walked out The second power is a suite of two abilities. The
the front door. first is a Mimic Variable Power Pool that lets her copy
Personality/Motivation: Eclipse (as Kim calls the appearance, Skills, powers, and other abilities
herself) is cursed, now more than ever. Her pow- of a single individual. She can’t copy more than one
ers completely cut her off from human contact person at a time (even if she has Pool points unspent).
— while she can’t hurt anyone, touching a person The change occurs automatically if she touches some-
immediately makes her transform into that person, one skin-to-skin, whether she wants it to or not (thus,
and she only changes back into herself when she a good tactic to use against her in combat is to force
falls asleep or gets knocked unconscious. As a re- her into contact with a normal person). She can only
sult she’s become more paranoid, bitter, and alone copy natural or innate abilities (including some OIFs
than ever. She takes jobs as a mercenary supervil- and Restrainable powers, such as implanted cyber-
lain both to earn money and to have some minimal ware); Foci, objects of power, and the like are beyond
social contact with other people. Sometimes she her abilities to steal.
takes over a person’s appearance and identity and When Eclipse mimics someone’s powers, she
keeps him captive so she can blend into his group doesn’t just copy them — she steals them. When
of family and friends and feel like a “real person” she uses her Power Pool she also activates a mas-
for a while... but sooner or later she’s found out sive Suppress that affects all of the target’s powers,
again and has to flee, usually focusing her rage into Skills, and other abilities, regardless of origin or
76 ■ Solo Villains Hero System 5th Edition

ECLIPSE special effect — in effect it reduces him to an or- THE ENGINEER

PLOT SEEDS dinary, completely ignorant being of his species. Val Char Cost Roll Notes
(Ordinarily it’s illegal to Link a power to an entire 10 STR 0 11- Lift 100.0kg; 2d6 [1]
The classic Eclipse Framework, as is done here, but since her VPP 18 DEX 24 13- OCV: 6/DCV: 6
plot: she accidentally essentially represents one single power doing so 30 CON 40 15-
bumps into a hero who shouldn’t cause any game balance problems.) Once 16 BODY 12 12-
maintains a Secret Iden- she returns to her own shape (by being Knocked 35 INT 25 16- PER Roll 16-
tity and doesn’t want Out, for example) or steals another person’s abili- 20 EGO 20 13- ECV: 7
to reveal his real name ties, the Suppress effect fades instantly and the first
to his teammates. Now 25 PRE 15 14- PRE Attack: 5d6
victim’s abilities return to him in full. 10 COM 0 11-
equipped with his pow-
Eclipse dislikes open combat unless and until
ers and Skills, she flees. 16 PD 14 Total: 36 PD (20 rPD)
He has to find a way to she has some tactically effective abilities. She pre-
fers to ambush a powerful superhero whose skin 16 ED 10 Total: 36 ED (20 rED)
convince the other PCs
to track her down and she can touch, steal his powers, and then start fight- 5 SPD 22 Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12
get him his powers back ing. She’s quick to flee if things aren’t going her way. 14 REC 12
without revealing who 60 END 0
Campaign Use: Eclipse makes a good subversive
he is. 55 STUN 19 Total Characteristic Cost: 213
villainess, particularly within a crowd or group
where she can blend in without arousing suspicion. Movement: Running: 6”/12”
Eclipse accidentally
Since she can copy literally anyone by touch, and
steals Holocaust’s pow- Cost Powers END
ers during a battle. since she gains the Skills of her victims as well, she
117 Craft Technological Object From Loose
When she refuses to makes a perfect spy. In addition, her powers could
Metal: Variable Power Pool, 70 base +
give them back, he hires give rise to all sorts of plots relating to mistaken
35 control cost, Powers Can Be Changed
a squad of powerful identities, heroes who have to cope with powerless-
As A Zero-Phase Action (+1); Requires Ap-
technology-based vil- ness, and the like.
lains to hunt her down propriate Amount Of Loose Or Scrap Metal
If Eclipse isn’t powerful enough for your cam-
and kill her. She turns to (-½) var
paign, give her some extra Skills to carry along in
the PCs for help... will 140 Machine Control Powers: Multipower,
all of her forms (such as Martial Arts) and increase
they give it? 140-point reserve
her Characteristics (primarily DEX, CON, SPD,
14m 1) Cyberoverride: Mind Control 11d6 (Ma-
and REC). If she’s too tough, lower her Suppress
After Eclipse steals a chine and Human classes of minds),
so that it only weakens heroes, and doesn’t totally
PC’s powers and Skills Telepathic (+¼), Reduced Endurance
remove their powers.
during a battle, she (0 END; +½); Only To Override Battlesuit
learns (and makes sure Eclipse has a strong vengeful streak, so she’s
Or Cyborg Systems Controls (-½) 0
to write down) some likely to Hunt anyone who humiliates or harms her.
22m 2) Cybercontrol: Mind Control (Machine
of his most important Unless she’s equipped with stolen powers (in which
class of minds) 9d6, Area Of Effect
secrets. Now she’s black- case she uses them to best effect), the threat she
(16” Radius; +1¼), Selective (+¼),
mailing him. What will poses as a Hunter is limited by her need to get close
he do to get out of the Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); Has
enough to the target to touch his skin.
dilemma? No Effect Against Mechanon Or His
Appearance: Eclipse usually covers herself up with Direct Creations (-¼) 0
lots of clothing to prevent accidental contact with 22m 3) Destroy Machines: RKA 2½d6, NND (de-
other people, so to keep from looking out of place fense is Power Defense or not being
prefers to live in the colder regions of the world. a machine; +1), Does BODY (+1),
Beneath all those clothes she wears a plain bodys- Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); Has
tocking that’s white on the right half and black on No Effect Against Mechanon or His
the left, with the blackness curving slightly to the Direct Creations (-¼) 0
right as if it were a moon eclipsing the sun. She has 11m 4) Machine Manipulation: Telekinesis
red hair and green eyes. (20 STR), Fine Manipulation, Area Of
Effect (14” Radius; +1¼), Selective (+¼),
Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); Only
To Control Machines And Machine Parts
(-1), Has No Effect Against Mechanon
Or His Direct Creations (-¼) 0
17m 5) Sap Powers: Suppress Electrical
Devices 5d6, all Electrical Device powers si-
multaneously (+2), Area Of Effect (18” Radius;
+1¼), Selective (+¼), Reduced
Endurance (0 END; +½); Limited Range
(20”; -¼), Has No Effect Against Mechanon
Or His Direct Creations (-¼) 0
7u 6) Cobble Together Robots From Spare
Parts: Summon 2 430-point creatures,
Loyal (+½); Requires The Appropriate
Amount Of Loose Or Scrap Metal (-½), Ex-
tra Time (Full Phase, -½) 14
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Three 77

8u 7) Repair Damage To A Machine And 6 TF: Common Motorized Ground Vehicles, THE ENGINEER
Refuel It: Healing BODY And END 6d6, Small Motorized Boats, Small Planes, PLOT SEEDS
two Characteristics simultaneously (+½), Re- Snowmobiles, Two-Wheeled Motorized
duced Endurance (0 END; +½); Only Ground Vehicles Having stolen experi-
Usable On Mechanical Devices (-½) 0 4 Weaponsmith (Energy Weapons, Firearms, mental gravitics tech-
8u 8) Communicate With Machines: Missiles & Rockets) 16- nology, the Engineer
Telepathy 14d6 (Machine class of minds), 3 Scientist decides to showcase
Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) 0 2 1) SS: Civil Engineering 16- it by removing one of
37 Innate Defense Against Technology: 2 2) SS: Electrical Engineering 16- the largest office build-
Armor (20 PD/20 ED), Hardened (+¼); 2 3) SS: Mathematics 16- ings in the city from its
foundations and lifting
Only Versus Ranged Technological 2 4) SS: Metallurgy 16-
it 100 meters into the
Attacks (-1) 0 2 5) SS: Robotics 16- sky. For some reason,
19 Machine/Organic Hybrid Body: Armor 2 6) SS: Structural Engineering 16- the people in the office
(8 PD/8 ED); Activation Roll 15- (-¼) 0 Total Powers & Skill Cost: 713 building at the time
12 Part-Human, Part-Machine Mind: Total Cost: 926 don’t appreciate this.
Mental Defense (16 points total) 0 When people panic and
8 Ear Coverings: Hearing Group Flash 200+ Disadvantages begin leaping out of the
Defense (12 points); OIF (-½) 0 10 Enraged: When Someone Mentions Mech- building to their deaths,
8 Eye Shields: Sight Group Flash Defense anon’s Name (Uncommon), go 8-, recover the Engineer doesn’t
(12 points); OIF (-½) 0 11- seem to care. And if the
15 Hunted: Mechanon 8- (Mo Pow, Harshly heroes interfere with yet
17 Cameravision: Clairsentience (Sight
another of her plans, she
And Hearing Groups); Only Through Punish)
won’t hesitate to drop
Cameras And Listening Devices (-½), 15 Hunted: VIPER 8- (As Pow, NCI, Harshly the building in a fit of
Attack Roll Required (-¼) 3 Punish) pique.
10 Cyberlink: Mind Link, any one willing ma- 5 Physical Limitation: affected by Mental Pow-
chine; No Range (-½) 0 ers that affect either the Human or Machine Determined to destroy
40 Read A Computer’s Memory At A Glance: class of minds (Infrequently, Slightly Impair- Mechanon once and for
Detect Data In A Computer 16- (Ra- ing) all, the Engineer gathers
dio Group), Discriminatory, Rapid 15 Psychological Limitation: Easily Infatuated together a dozen su-
(x10,000,000,000) 0 With Male Battlesuit Heroes (Common, pervillains and heroes,
53 Sense Machine: Detect Machines 16- Strong) all of whom are sworn
(Radio Group), Discriminatory, Analyze, 15 Psychological Limitation: Seeks To Cre- enemies of the metal
ate Benevolent Machine World (Common, tyrant, and persuades
Increased Arc Of Perception (360 Degrees),
them to put aside their
Microscopic (x1,000,000), Targeting 0 Strong)
differences and perform
15 Electronic Concealment: Invisibility to 10 Psychological Limitation: Grandiose, Loves a coordinated strike (“...
Sight Group , No Fringe; Only Versus Ma- To Do Things On A Huge Scale (Common, otherwise we’ll be deal-
chines (-1) 3 Moderate) ing with Mechanon in
18 Mechanon Interrogation Protocol: 15 Susceptibility: to telepathic scans of her the year 3000!”) The PCs
Healing 2d6 (Regeneration, 2 BODY per subconscious, takes 3d6 damage instantly receive an invitation to
Turn), Can Heal Limbs, Reduced (Uncommon) take part. But can they
Endurance (0 END; +½), Persistent (+½); 626 Experience Points work with homicidal
Extra Time (1 Turn; -1¼), Self Only (-½) 0 maniacs, even in a good
Total Disadvantage Points: 926 cause?
Perks Background/History: Grace Gallowglass was an
10 Money: Wealthy engineering student from Killarney, Ireland, who A particularly rowdy
came to Millennium City University to study ro- pack of engineering
Talents students from the local
botics. A studious woman, quiet but ambitious, she
3 Absolute Range Sense university decides to
hoped one day to be involved in “the engineering
3 Absolute Time Sense invite the Engineer to
project of the new century.” One of the fields that
5 Eidetic Memory their Engineering Week
she studied was robotics, and she was especially in- festival as their guest
Skills terested in superhero and supervillain robots... par- of honor. The villainess
10 +1 Overall ticularly Mechanon. It was only natural: he might agrees — if they’ll do
3 Computer Programming 16- be a homicidal monster, but he’s also the greatest her a favor for first. So
3 Deduction 16- achievement in the history of robotics. why does the Engineer
She wanted to examine the Mechanon tech- want them to suspend a
3 Electronics 16-
nology up close and personal, and ironically, it Volkswagen on the roof
15 Inventor 22- of the superteam’s head-
3 KS: The Superhuman World 16- turned out that one of Mechanon’s hidden bases
was beneath the campus robotics workshop. quarters?
3 Lockpicking 13-
3 Mechanics 16- She snuck into it minutes after a battle between
15 Power: Cyberkinesis Tricks 19- the Champions and Mechanon, but her excite-
3 Security Systems 16- ment turned to horror when she was trapped by
3 Systems Operation 16- the machines and imprisoned in a net of steel
tentacles and silicon probes. She’d activated the
auto-repair systems, but there was no Mechanon
for the system to repair.
78 ■ Solo Villains Hero System 5th Edition

Grace was hospitalized

at a secret high-security facil-
ity in Maryland for people
victimized by supervillain
technology. The staff had
experienced more than their
fair share of experiments run
amok, but Grace was in a
completely different league.
She easily escaped the facility,
leaving behind a smoking pile
of rubble.
Grace’s initial impulse
was to track down Mechanon
and offer herself to him as his
consort. Mechanon, never the
romantic type, responded by
trying to kill her. Heartbroken
(but not that heartbroken),
Grace deactivated Mechanon
and escaped. (Mechanon’s
control circuitry took note of
the defeat and insulated all
future Mechanons against her
cyberkinetic powers.)
Grace now faced an iden-
tity crisis of epic proportions.
Mechanon’s programming
was strong, but not over-
whelming. She didn’t want to
purge the world of organic
creatures, but she appreciated
the beauty of the Machine,
and the wonders the Machine
Repair the afflicted system. Repair. could produce. She decided
The systems started “repairing” Grace. In ago- to dedicate herself to creating a new world — a
ny, the engineering student desperately reached for machine paradise where the engines of order, rul-
the controls, and accidentally triggered the biologi- ing over the lesser organic sprawl, would bring har-
cal interrogation sequence. This program tortured mony to the world. Efficiency would replace misery
people for information, but to ensure the organics and sweep away poverty. There would be such mar-
didn’t die before the information was obtained, it vels: beanstalks that rose above the clouds to carry
also regenerated any physical damage (something men into space; lakes of glass that would drink the
Mechanon viewed as a necessary evil). sun and empower the world. A world of beauty and
Heal the organic. Heal. wonder, and she would be its engineer.
Repair damaged system. Repair. Ever since the day of her epiphany, the Engi-
Heal. neer has used her powers to expand her resources
Repair. in the hopes of bringing about her vision. Her
Heal. plans are methodical and overwhelming in scope.
So Grace found herself being transformed into Of course superheroes have opposed her schemes,
a machine — and having her biological damage and three of her most cherished projects have been
healed simultaneously. Six hours later, the authori- destroyed by their noxious interference. Still, the
ties who found her unhooked what she’d become Engineer endures, looking for better materials,
from the machine. more efficient energy sources, and ways to craft her
And what had Grace become? Part human, masterpieces and display the glory of her vision to
part machine? No, it was more complicated than a world that refuses to see.
that. Both the auto-repair and the bio-repair pro- Personality/Motivation: Suffering from physical pain
tocols were still working inside her — the system that’s as great as her ambitions, the Engineer has
decided she needed to have both of them “in- withdrawn into a callous, cruel persona. She rarely
stalled” — as was a cybernetic link to the complex. expresses herself emotionally, though she allows
The machine was alive inside Grace, and it danced herself a wry, ironic dig from time to time. She likes
for her. The code was in her, too. She discovered to live in high style, with lots of small servitor ro-
Mechanon’s code was surprisingly compatible with bots waiting on the “queen bee” of her technologi-
other systems; almost immediately, she figured out cal hive/wonderland.
how to exert control over any machine.
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Three 79

The Engineer says she’s above “petty emotions” Although she’s extremely powerful, she’s
like revenge. You’d never know it from the tenac- not active enough to replace Cybermind as the
ity she demonstrates when someone’s spoiled one premier cyberkineticist of the Champions Uni-
of her plans, or her complete and utter hatred of verse, nor is she as directly effective in combat.
Mechanon. While she claims she thinks she’s “bet- She shouldn’t be able to hold her own against
ter” than the petty masses of humanity, she often most hero teams without her robots (and at least
clings to battlesuit-clad heroes. She believes they one NPC battlesuit-clad hero or villain under
might be kindred spirits, someone else who’s ex- her control). Groups that use a lot of technology
perienced the merging of the machine and human will find her to be a nastier foe than those who
worlds (invariably she gets disappointed, but she’s rely on natural talent, magic, and mutation. Even
still desperate for companionship). against technological heroes, her power suite
The Engineer claims to be protective of human relies on broad area of effect powers that will be
life, and isn’t a casual killer. But she’s never had any less effective against single PC opponents.
qualms about taking a life when someone becomes To adjust the Engineer for a lower-powered
a serious impediment to her plans. campaign, reduce her SPD to 4, her EGO to 18,
Quote: “The Machine. The next step in the para- her Cyberoverride to 12d6, her NND KA to 2d6,
digm of the universal aesthetic. You breathed life and remove her Overall Level. To make her more
into us, human, but the father is rarely happy when powerful, boost her Variable Pool to an 80-point
his son learns to stand on his own two feet.” Pool, give her two more Overall Levels, boost her
Cybercontrol power to 14d6, her Cyberoverride to
Powers/Tactics: The Engineer is a cyberkineticist 16d6, her Destroy Machines power to 3½d6, her
of great power and ability. Although the Mechanon Machine Manipulation to 35 STR, her Sap Powers
process boosted her basic human abilities, she’s less to 8d6, and her Create Robot From Spare Parts to
of a combatant than most master villains. When it four robots at a time.
comes down to conflict, she relies on robotic min- If the Engineer Hunts someone, he probably
ions (like the Enginoids described below) to do the has something she wants, has some connection to
fighting for her. If forced to fight, she’ll evaluate the Mechanon, is an anti-technological fanatic, or is a
technological expertise of the opposition, quickly hunky guy in a battlesuit that she has the hots for.
try to turn one of the heroes against his team (if Otherwise she generally can’t be bothered. As a
they have Foci she can control), then sit back and Hunter, she usually prefers to ambush her quarry,
cobble together robots (she always has a few spare capturing him alive so she can have a “chat” with
junk piles at her bases for just such an emergency). him or dispose of him how she pleases.
For the Engineer’s “Enginoid” robots, you can
use the ones in The HERO System Bestiary, Star Appearance: Prior to her transformation, Grace
Hero, or other Hero Games publications if you pre- was a tall Caucasian female, 5’10” and 140
fer not to create your own. If you want more “spe- pounds, with dark brown hair and brown eyes.
cialized” creations, you can take character sheets Now she’s a constantly changing hybrid of flesh,
from Conquerors, Killers, And Crooks and add the metal, and circuitry draped over a once-human
appropriate Automaton Powers. frame (her attractiveness varies depending on
what parts of her are being “repaired,” the pro-
Campaign Use: The Engineer fits the “master villain- cess tends to run the course over her entire body
ess who shows up on rare occasions” niche. She’s in about ten minutes). As the Engineer, Grace
tough, but her plans are so complicated it takes wears a bodysuit, gold with blue trim; her cape
a lot of time and energy to implement them. Her and hood are gold with a blue lining. Her voice
schemes aren’t always evil; more often than not, has a slightly echoed, mechanical edge.
she builds a project with the best of intentions, but
doesn’t consider the side effects (“I’ve rerouted the
earth’s magnetic field so it creates a natural space
elevator at this spot....” “But it’s the earth’s magnetic
field! You’ve just disrupted everything from radio
to cell phones to traditional navigation!” “So what?
— space elevator!”).
80 ■ Solo Villains Hero System 5th Edition

FREAKSHOW FREAKSHOW 5 SS: Poisons & Toxins 14-

PLOT SEEDS Val Char Cost Roll Notes 5 Stealth 15-
25 STR 15 14- Lift 800 kg; 5d6 [2] 9 Tactics 14-
After the PCs save the 27 DEX 51 14- OCV: 9/DCV: 9 2 WF: Common Melee Weapons
city and raise everyone’s 22 CON 24 13- Total Powers & Skills Cost: 275
confidence and op- 15 BODY 10 12- Total Character Cost: 467
timism, Freakshow 10 INT 0 11- PER Roll 11-
decides to teach them 200+ Disadvantages
18 EGO 16 13- ECV: 6
a lesson. He lures them 20 Enraged: when frustrated (Common), go
to a confrontation on 25 PRE 15 14- PRE Attack: 5d6
8 COM -1 11- 11-, recover 11-
Peche Island, where the 20 Hunted: MCPD 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, Limited
island’s “curse” boosts 15 PD 10 Total: 15 PD (3 rPD) Geographical Area, Capture)
his fear-causing powers,
10 ED 6 Total: 10 ED (3 rED) 10 Hunted: Kinetik 8- (As Pow)
and sets out to break
the heroes with an on- 7 SPD 33 Phases: 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12 20 Psychological Limitation: Obsessed with
slaught of terror. 14 REC 10 Horror Movies, Circuses, And Freaks (Very
48 END 2 Common, Strong)
It’s Halloween, and 40 STUN 1 Total Characteristics Cost: 192 20 Psychological Limitation: Loves To Frighten
Freakshow’s handing People (Very Common, Strong)
Movement: Running: 6”/12”
out candy laced with 15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity (Jacob
Leaping: 10”/20”
psychotropic drugs that Sacco) (Frequently, Major)
make children act just Cost Powers END 162 Experience Points
like whatever they’re 30 Nightmare Projection: Mental Illusions
dressed up as. Total Disadvantage Points: 467
12d6; No Range (-½), Only To Create
Horrifying Nightmares (-½) 6 Background/History: In 1990, Advanced Concepts
Freakshow and the 20 I Can Feel Your Fear: Mind Scan 10d6; Can- Industries fired Jacob Sacco from his janitorial job
Monster team up to at its Detroit chemical research plant because of
not Attack Through Link (-1), Only Works If
wreak havoc throughout chronic absence. Jacob frequently overslept because
the city one dark and Target Is Frightened (-½) 5
8 +4 OECV with Mind Scan he was always staying up late watching horror mov-
stormy night. What... or
8 Bag O’ Knives: HKA 1d6, Ranged (+½); ies on cable. Besides, he had that monster-movie
who... brought these two
together, and for what OAF (-1), Range Based On STR (-¼), convention to help run, and operated a side busi-
purpose? 4 Recoverable Charges (-½) [4rc] ness buying and selling paraphernalia from movies
60 Supernatural Resilience: Physical and and TV shows like the long-running Dark Slasher
Energy Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50% 0 series. So he was a little late a few times — that was
3 Supernatural Resilience: Damage no reason for his horse-faced supervisor to fire
Resistance (3 PD/3 ED) 0 him! Now he couldn’t pay his rent and might have
20 Supernatural Health: Life Support to move back in with his parents.
(Immunity: all terrestrial diseases and Then Jacob thought of a good way to make
poisons) 0 some money and get his revenge on his supervisor.
3 Fear Never Sleeps: Life Support He knew the company hadn’t exactly followed the
(Diminished Sleep: no need to sleep) 0 most stringent safety precautions while dumping
17 All In The Wrist: Missile Deflection & Re- some chemical waste in a landfill in River Rouge.
flection (thrown objects; back at If he called the local paper, maybe he could get
attacker); Requires A DEX Roll (-½) 0 a reward. First he had to make sure it was still
29 Can’t Kill Me That Easily: Healing 4d6 (Re- there, though. That’s how he found himself crawl-
generation, 4 BODY per Turn), ing through the smelly landfill site after midnight,
Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½), crowbar in hand, looking for those barrels he knew
Persistent (+½); Extra Time (1 Turn; -1¼), had to be “around here somewhere.” And that’s
Self Only (-½) 0 how he found himself running from an overzealous
5 Here I Come: Leaping +5” (10” Total) 1 security guard, who fired a warning shot into the
4 He’s In Here Somewhere: Clinging air and began chasing him through the dump site.
(normal STR), Only To Perch (-½), Terrified, Jacob stumbled in the dark and cut his
Requires A Climbing Roll (-½), Cannot Re- side on a protruding piece of metal as he lost his
sist Knockback (-¼) 0 footing and fell.
5 Can’t Hide In The Dark: Nightvision 0 He tumbled down a hill, crashing to a halt in a
puddle of some awful, slightly-glowing muck. The
Talents guard raced to the top of the hill above him, shout-
4 Double-Jointed ing something about him not moving. So he didn’t
Skills move. The muck was making him feel warm, kind
24 +3 Levels with All Combat of tingly all over. A strange feeling, but not entirely
unpleasant. The guard was slowly walking down
3 Acrobatics 14- the hill with his gun still pointing at Jacob. Jacob
3 Breakfall 14- looked down at his side. The wound was closing,
3 Climbing 14- the skin knitting itself up. The guard came closer,
3 AK: North Detroit 12- and stood staring down at Jacob. “Damn, are you
2 SS: Chemistry 11- still alive?” said the guard half to himself as he
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Three 81

gazed at the figure lying in the muck.

“Nope,” replied Jacob, as he casually
leaped to his feet with a single motion
and grabbed the guard. He savored ev-
ery last bit of the guard’s terror before
he snapped the man’s neck.
Things to do, places to go, people to
kill, thought Jacob Sacco. Detroit was
about to learn a new word for fear.
Personality/Motivation: Jacob Sacco lost
his mind that night in the landfill. His
insanity has manifested itself through
his lifelong fascination with horror
movies, carnivals, clowns, and freaks.
He sees himself as some sort of avatar
of terror, his only purpose in life to
frighten. He commits crimes not for
profit, but to increase the overall level
of fear in his city. He kills some of his
victims, but leaves others alive because
the uncertainty of their fate creates
greater emotional power than just kill-
ing everyone. The Millennium City pa-
pers dubbed him “Freakshow,” a name
he’s adopted as a badge of honor. He’s
almost pathologically drawn to places
where people choose to be frightened:
Halloween parties, horror movies, sum-
mer fairs, and carnivals.
Quote: “Boo.”
Powers/Tactics: Freakshow’s mutation
granted him powers that maximize his
ability to frighten people. He’s preter-
naturally strong and fast, and though If you want to make Freakshow tough
he’s relatively easy to hurt he recovers from injury enough to fight superheroes directly, increase his
with astonishing speed. He can track victims by defenses and give him more powers (an Entangle
“smelling their fear,” and frequently toys with a vic- defined as “paralyzed by fear”; an NND RKA
tim by allowing him to run until exhaustion while defined as “scared to death”; and so forth). If he’s
staying just behind him. He can even cause people already too powerful for your PCs to tangle with,
to experience frightening “waking nightmares” reduce his Damage Reduction to 25% and his
simply by touching them. Healing Regeneration to 2d6.
Campaign Use: Freakshow’s powers don’t really Appearance: Freakshow stands about 6’3”, but
lend themselves to direct confrontation with super- weighs only about 155 pounds — he’s scare-
heroes. He’s more effective as a threat to a charac- crow-skinny, almost as if starving to death. He
ter’s DNPC, especially if the heroes must then pur- shaves his hair into a frazzled orange mohawk.
sue him through some appropriately atmospheric He dresses mostly in black leather, with a torn
scenery (spooky old mansions, withered garden t-shirt, spiked belt, and motorcycle boots. He
mazes, and other places where he can split up a wears thin wraparound mirrorshades, and has a
team and attack them one at a time from ambush). scarred, twisted upper lip.
He might decide to terrorize ACI in revenge for its
part in his creation, which should put the heroes
in the interesting position of having to defend or
rescue people they really don’t care much for. He’s
fought Kinetik a couple of times, and neither has
enjoyed the experience.
82 ■ Solo Villains Hero System 5th Edition

GREEN DRAGON GREEN DRAGON 20 Dodging And Deflecting: Missile

PLOT SEEDS Val Char Cost Roll Notes Deflection (all missiles) 0
25 STR 15 14- Lift 800 kg; 5d6 [2] 6 Leaping: +6” Leaping (11” forward, 6” up-
To Green Dragon’s 27 DEX 51 15- OCV: 9/DCV: 9 ward) 1
astonishment, the Tour- 18 CON 16 14- 6 Swift: Running +3” (9” total) 1
nament of the Dragon 16 BODY 12 12-
proves to be real. It’s an Talents
13 INT 3 12- PER Roll 12- 12 Danger Sense 12- (in combat)
event held every hun-
14 EGO 8 12- ECV: 5 3 Lightsleep
dred years to determine
a champion who will 18 PRE 8 13- PRE Attack: 3½d6
8 COM -1 11- Skills
fight the Death Dragon,
a fearsome being of 10 +2 with Hand-To-Hand Combat
10 PD 5 Total: 10 PD (8 rPD)
great evil who can only 3 Acrobatics 15-
10 ED 6 Total: 10 PD (0 rED)
be kept restrained by 3 Breakfall 15-
defeat at the champion’s 7 SPD 33 Phases: 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12
10 REC 2 3 Climbing 15-
hands. Green Dragon 3 Contortionist 15-
beats up a prominent 36 END 0
38 STUN 0 Total Characteristic Cost: 158 3 Disguise 11-
martial artist, steals his
invitation, and heads for 3 Gambling (Dice Games, Card Games) 11-
the event. The heroes, Movement: Running: 9”/18” 3 KS: Kung Fu 12-
investigating the beat- Leaping: 13”/26” 2 KS: Chinese History & Culture 11-
ing, get pulled into the 2 KS: Chinese Healing 11-
Cost Powers END
events surrounding the 1 Language: English (basic conversation;
Martial Arts: Kung Fu
Tournament and the Mandarin Chinese is native)
Death Dragon’s possible Maneuver OCV DCV Notes
3 Shadowing 11-
release. 4 Block +2 +2 Block, Abort
3 Stealth 15-
4 Disarm -1 +1 Disarm, 55 STR
3 Streetwise 13-
One of the PCs meets 4 Dodge +0 +5 Dodge all at-
4 TF: Common Motorized Ground Vehicles,
Lin Chow, and they start tacks, Abort
Two-Wheeled Motorized Ground Vehicles,
dating. Green Dragon 4 Escape +0 +0 60 STR vs.
Small Rowed Boats
finds out about his sis- Grabs
ter’s romantic relation- 7 WF: Common Melee Weapons, Common
5 Flying Kick +1 -2 13d6 Strike
ship with a Westerner. Martial Arts Weapons, Hook Sword, Three-
3 Joint Lock/Grab -1 -1 Grab, 45 STR
Hilarity ensues. Section Staff, Wind And Fire Wheels
5 Kick -2 +1 13d6 Strike
4 Knife Hand -2 +0 1d6+1 HKA Total Powers & Skill Cost: 193
VIPER finds Green (2d6+1 w/STR) Total Cost: 351
Dragon, captures him, 3 Legsweep +2 -1 10d6 Strike, Tar-
and forces him to un- 200+ Disadvantages
get Falls
dergo an augmentation 5 DNPC: Lin Chow (younger sister) 8- (Nor-
process that grants him 4 Punch +0 +2 11d6 Strike
mal; Useful Noncombat Skills)
superpowers. Now he 3 Throw +0 +1 9d6 +vel/5, Tar-
10 Distinctive Features: Style Disadvantage
intends to show the get Falls
(Not Concealable, Always Noticed And Rec-
decadent West just how 4 Tien-hsueh
ognizable, Detectable By Large Group)
weak it truly is. Can the Strike -1 +1 4d6 NND (1)
15 Enraged: if honor insulted or hears an ethnic
heroes stop him before 4 Tiger/
he destroys Millennium slur (Common), go 8-, recover 11-
Dragon Claw +0 +0 13d6 Crush,
City? 20 Hunted: VIPER 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
Must Follow
15 Psychological Limitation: Honorable (Com-
Grab
mon, Strong)
4 Uproot/
15 Psychological Limitation: Disdain For Oc-
Sand Palm +0 +0 60 STR Shove
cidentals And Western Culture (Common,
16 +4 Damage Classes (already added in)
Strong)
7 Use Art with Blades, Clubs, Hook Sword, 10 Psychological Limitation: Overprotective Of
Polearms, Staff, Three-Section Staff, Wind His Little Sister (Common, Moderate)
And Fire Wheels 15 Social Limitation: Public Identity (Chow
3 Stances: Multipower, 5-point reserve, Deng) (Frequently, Major)
all Cost END (-½) 46 Experience Points
1u 1) Cat Stance: +2 Lightning Reflexes;
Total Disadvantage Points: 351
Costs END (-½) 1
1u 2) Crane Stance: +1 OCV with Block; Background/History: Chow Deng was born to a
Requires A DEX Roll (-½), Costs END (-½) 1 poor peasant family in central China. As soon as he
1u 3) Horse Stance: -1” Knockback could walk, he went to work in the fields assigned
Resistance; Costs END (-½) 1 to the family. One day, when Deng was only eight
1u 4) Phoenix Stance: +1 OCV with Block years old and his sister Lin five, his parents were
and Legsweep; Requires A DEX Roll both killed in a tractor accident... one whose cause
(-¼), Costs END (-½) 1 was never precisely determined.
1u 5) Tiger Stance: +1 with Tiger/Dragon Orphaned and alone, the two siblings barely
Claw; Costs END (-½) 1 managed to eke out a living with help from some
4 Iron Skin: Damage Resistance (8 PD) 0 of the villagers. After more than a year of this hard-
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Three 83

scrabble existence, a group of monks

showed up at their hut. All his life
Deng had heard about them, in village
tales told late at night, but he had never
expected to actually see one of them.
They lived in an isolated monastery
more than an hour’s walk from the
village, where they lived as their prede-
cessors had for centuries.
The monks made Deng a tempting
offer: they would teach him the ancient
fighting arts, so that he could enter
something called “the Tournament of the
Dragon” and triumph. In return, they
would support him and his sister. Deng
didn’t hesitate before accepting.
Many long years of training fol-
lowed. Through intensive training,
Deng’s natural gifts for the martial
arts were brought out; he grew to be-
come a strong, proud young man, far
more skilled at combat than anyone
he had ever sparred with. He thought
he was ready for the Tournament,
but the monks soon dashed his hopes
— he had many more years to go,
they told him.
Deng wouldn’t accept that. It
sounded ridiculous to him. In fact,
the whole Tournament thing sounded
a little ridiculous. Why work and
work for that, when he could already
use the skills he had to make good prowess and his hatred of the West; eventually,
money in America? they gave him a costume like the ones other mar-
Taking his sister with him, Deng fled the tial artist “supervillains” wore. He took the name
monastery and made his way to the United and the costume as a badge of honor.
States. The monks never found them, if in fact Deng soon found out he could make even
they pursued them. more money working for other criminal organiza-
Deng quickly became disgusted with America tions, such as VIPER (with whom he’s since had a
and its people. His masters had told him Ameri- falling out). He became a mercenary villain, work-
cans were undisciplined and foolish, and his mas- ing for whoever could pay him top dollar and give
ters were right. His sister, on the other hand, was him an opportunity for a good fight.
enchanted. While he was content to live apart from
those around him, she embraced America and all Personality/Motivation: Some martial artists
of its unique qualities. This disgusted him, too, but acquire their skills due to their strength of char-
despite his harangues, she did as she wished. acter and willingness to sacrifice a part of their
Deng began testing his skills by picking fights, lives for the sake of overall personal growth.
which led to confrontations with police officers. Green Dragon is not one of those martial artists.
Beating them up wasn’t much harder than beating Deng is a headstrong, stubborn, proud, angry
up other martial artists. But then he met someone young man who has gotten to the level of skill he
more his size: a superhero named Shugoshin. Deng occupies today through a combination of innate
fought well, but he could not overcome his gaudily- talent and pure cussedness. He is, essentially, a
clad foe’s skill. The incident infuriated him. Being bully stubborn enough to learn martial arts. He
beaten — and by a Westerner! — was the most hu- uses his fighting skills to push people around,
miliating thing that had ever happened to him. to make himself feel “big,” to get what he wants.
It wasn’t long after that that Deng fell in He does not tread the path of self-restraint and
with the tongs. They had heard of his fight with inner peace, as most martial artists of his level of
Shugoshin, and were impressed with his skill ability do.
and power, despite his loss. He began doing On top of this, Deng is a vicious anti-West-
“jobs” for them, jobs that not only earned him ern bigot (despite the fact that insults to his eth-
fat paychecks, but which gave him the chance nicity often send him into a rage). He considers
to practice his fighting skills and vent his rage. Westerners, particularly Americans, lazy, undis-
He crippled or maimed many of his opponents, ciplined, and stupid. As far as he’s concerned,
but he didn’t care. His masters nicknamed him beating them up and taking their money is just
Lj Lóng, “Green Dragon,” because of his fighting cultural evolution in action.
84 ■ Solo Villains Hero System 5th Edition

Green Dragon is not, however, wholly with- Green Dragon’s fighting tactics are fairly
out good qualities. He is in fact an honorable simple and straightforward. He attacks quickly
person and warrior. To him, “honor” means he and hard, hoping to take his opponent down eas-
will not attack opponents from ambush or “fight ily. Only if this proves unworkable will he resort to
dirty,” fight women (unless they attack him first), more advanced tactics such as acrobatic manuever-
use weapons (again, unless they are used against ing and tien-hsueh strikes. Due to his relatively low
him first), or “dishonor” himself through sin- defenses, he often uses his Martial Dodge when
ful or licentious conduct. The conflict between facing foes with powerful attacks. His tactics are
his bigotry and his desire to be honorable seems further circumscribed by his “honor,” as described
never to have occurred to him. above. He also has a tendency to announce his
The only thing in the world that means presence and make a brief, haughty speech before
more to Green Dragon than fighting is his he attacks someone.
younger sister, Lin. He loves her very much, but Campaign Use: Deng makes a great antagonist for
expresses his love through a stifling overprotec- a martial arts-oriented hero, particularly one of
tiveness that is beginning to extremely annoy her Western descent. As a Hunter, he’s not very imagi-
now that she’s an independent young woman. native, simply attacking his foe at inconvenient
Her chosen career — actress — is scandalous and moment or teaming up with other villains to cause
repugnant to him, and he’s doing everything he him trouble.
can to make her live a more “womanly” life. (His If Green Dragon isn’t powerful enough for
attitudes about women are just one of Deng’s your campaign, boost his STR to superhuman lev-
many “traditional” opinions; as Lin has observed, els (he underwent ancient mystic Chinese rites to
his views are frequently “twelve thousand miles get superpowers) and increase his defenses to just
and two thousand years away!”) above campaign averages (and perhaps make part
Quote: <<“American dog! Now I will show you of them Resistant). If he’s too powerful, reduce his
what true kung fu is!”>> STR to 25 or 20, his DEX to 24, his SPD to 6, and
Powers/Tactics: Green Dragon has two qualities get rid of some or all of his Extra DCs.
that make him a powerful fighter. The first is his Some of Green Dragon’s abilities are taken
strength; years of farm labor and heavy training from The Ultimate Martial Artist; feel free to ignore
have given him great lifting and hitting power. The them if you don’t have that book and aren’t sure
second is his speed; Green Dragon is fast, faster how they’d function.
than most superheroic martial artists. His training Appearance: Green Dragon is 5’8” tall and
has emphasized kung fu substyles which make the weighs 175 pounds, most of it rock-solid muscle.
best use of his speed and strength, such as Bear, He wears a costume colored light and dark green,
Dragon, and Shaolin Tiger. He has studied many with a “scale” pattern to it (like snakeskin). His
other substyles of kung fu as well. mask is dark green, with two flares projecting
However, Green Dragon also has attributes outward across either side his face which are
that hamper him in battle. Chief among these are embroidered with gold and orange threads. The
his pride, his anger, and his impetuousness. Unlike eyepieces of the mask are lined with a sort of
other martial artists of similar power, he’s spent transparent gauze which makes his eyes look like
little time on “mystic foolery,” such as ch’i abilities. they are solid white. The chest, arms, and legs
His power and skill are essentially stagnating; he of the costume are dark green; the gloves, boots,
has gone as far as he can go without delving into and trunks are lighter green.
the more esoteric aspects of the martial arts, which
he has neither the patience nor the discipline to do.
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Three 85

HAZARD 5 Defense Maneuver II HAZARD

Val Char Cost Roll Notes 3 Disguise 13- PLOT SEEDS
15 STR 5 12- Lift 200 kg; 3d6 [1] 2 Gambling (Card Games) 13-
20 DEX 30 13- OCV: 7/DCV: 7 3 Interrogation 13- The classic Hazard plot:
18 CON 16 13- 2 AK: Africa 11- someone hires Hazard
13 BODY 6 12- 2 AK: Europe 11- to kill one of the PCs.
20 INT 10 13- PER Roll 13- 2 AK: Millennium City 11- How can the heroes sur-
3 KS: The Military/Mercenary/Terrorist vive while figuring out
13 EGO 6 12- ECV: 4
World 13- a way to call him off?
20 PRE 10 13- PRE Attack: 4d6 His preternatural luck
20 COM 5 13- 3 Lipreading 13-
makes him a lot tougher
3 Lockpicking 13-
8 PD 5 Total: 24 PD (16 rPD) to get rid of than the
3 Persuasion 13- typical super-merc.
8 ED 4 Total: 24 ED (16 rED) 3 PS: Mercenary 13-
6 SPD 30 Phases: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 7 Security Systems 15- Zorran the Artificer
7 REC 0 5 Shadowing 14- decides Hazard’s luck
36 END 0 3 Stealth 13- must come from a Le-
30 STUN 0 Total Characteristics Cost: 127 5 WF: Small Arms, Blades, Grenade Launch- murian magical artifact.
Movement: Running: 6”/12” ers, Shoulder-Fired Weapons Determined to possess
the artifact himself, he
Flight: 20”/80” Total Powers & Skills Cost: 378
begins attacking Hazard
Total Character Cost: 505 at every opportunity
Cost Powers END
60 Probability Field Manipulation: Luck 12d6 0 200+ Disadvantages — and of course Hazard
37 Blaster Pistol: RKA 4d6, 4 clips of 16 Charg- 20 Hunted: FBI 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Imprison) fights back. The PCs
have to resolve the situ-
es each (+¼); OAF (-1) [16] 10 Hunted: Nighthawk 8- (As Pow, Imprison)
ation before the two of
Martial Arts: Krav Maga 20 Psychological Limitation: Overconfident them cause any more
Maneuver OCV DCV Notes (Very Common, Strong) property damage or
4 Block +2 +2 Block, Abort 20 Psychological Limitation: Code Of The Mer- deaths.
4 Choke Hold -2 +0 Grab 1 Limb, cenary (Common, Total)
2d6 NND (2) 10 Psychological Limitation: Prefers to Take All of a sudden, for no
4 Dodge — +5 Dodge all at- “Impossible” Jobs (Uncommon, Strong) good reason, Hazard’s
tacks, Abort 5 Rivalry: Professional (with other “super- luck sours. He becomes
4 Escape +0 +0 30 STR vs. mercs”) as unlucky as he was
Grabs 15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity (David once lucky — which
5 Kick -2 +1 7d6 Strike Weinstein) (Frequently, Major) means his life is in
4 Low Kick +0 +2 5d6 Strike 205 Experience Points serious danger. What
happened, who caused
45 Lucky Shot: Find Weakness 14- with Total Disadvantage Points: 505 it, and how can he con-
all attacks 0 Background/History: David Weinstein, a child- vince the PCs to help
20 Light Battle Armor: Armor (10 PD him get his luck back?
hood friend of Mark (Nighthawk) Whitaker,
/10 ED); OIF (-½) 0 joined the Army after graduating high school in
4 Polarized Goggles: Sight Group Flash De- 1986. While serving in the Gulf War, Weinstein
fense (6 points); OIF (-½) 0 was on a patrol in the Kuwaiti desert when he
10 Lucky: Power Defense (10 points) 0 found a strange bracelet. Fascinated by the small
30 Jetpack: Flight 20”, x4 Noncombat; gemstones, Weinstein tucked it into his pocket.
OIF (-½) 2 When he returned to his unit’s base camp that
Perks night, he won so much money in a poker game
6 Contact: ACI 11- (organization) that some of his friends accused him of cheating.
4 Contact: Congressman Dixon 8- (useful They planned to give him a beating that night,
Skills and resources, access to major institu- but improbable misfortunes struck them before
tions, significant Contacts of his own) they could harm him — one slipped and fell in
7 Money: Wealthy ($2 million per year) a pit, breaking his arm; another’s pistol acciden-
2 Reputation: Skilled Mercenary/Assassin tally discharged, shooting the third in the leg.
(among the underworld) 11- +1/+1d6 Eventually Weinstein realized the bracelet gave
him preposterously good luck. He left the Army,
Talents purchased a couple of lottery tickets, and with the
12 Combat Luck (6 PD/6 ED) winnings bought himself a nice penthouse apart-
27 Danger Sense (immediate vicinity, out of ment in Detroit. His luck saved him from the Battle
combat, sense) 13- of Detroit — he was out of town when it happened,
3 Lightsleep and when he returned his building had miracu-
Skills lously been spared from the fires.
20 +2 Overall Weinstein soon tired of using his luck for
mundane purposes. Wanting to see the world and
3 Acrobatics 13- lacking any particular scruples against killing, he
3 Breakfall 13- became the mercenary/assassin Hazard, special-
3 Climbing 13- izing in “impossible” kills: the wealthy, the difficult
3 Combat Driving 13-
86 ■ Solo Villains Hero System 5th Edition

Quote: “Feeling lucky, hero? I am.”

Powers/Tactics: Hazard’s powers all come from
a strange disruption of probability created by the
“lucky charm” he wears. (The charm itself is small,
worn under his costume and almost never taken
away, so he receives no Focus Limitation for it. In
fact, he’s never revealed its existence to another
soul.) Beyond his luck powers, he’s a skilled marks-
man, hand-to-hand combatant, and spy, and wears
a suit of light, high-tech battle armor for protec-
tion.
Hazard prefers to strike from surprise. If he
cannot, he relies on his Blaster Pistol as much as
he can, switching to hand-to-hand combat only
when pressed or directly challenged. Although he
couldn’t command a group of soldiers, he has a
good head for personal tactics, and often finds a
way to use cover or the environment to his advan-
tage.
Hazard’s luck plays a part in just about any
battle he participates in; you should roll his Luck
dice at least once or twice during the course of
a combat. Typically his enemies’ weapons jam,
something falls on, trips, or hinders his opponents,
or events arrange themselves to aid his escape.
Campaign Use: Hazard makes an entertaining
second-tier villain, suitable for hire by any of
the behind-the-scenes masterminds in your
campaign. He’s particularly useful as a way for a
Hunter to harass a PC indirectly. Once Hazard
accepts an assignment, his Code Of Honor won’t
let him give up — he keeps trying until he suc-
ceeds, he dies, or his client calls off the hit.
If you want to make Hazard more powerful,
to find, the superpowered. He has worked several give him more weapons and some Extra DCs for
times for ACI’s owner, Franklin Stone, and also for his Martial Arts. You could also build some other
the unscrupulous Congressman Bradley Dixon. gadgets into his battle armor (sense-enhancers,
He and Nighthawk have come into conflict several communicators, and the like). If he’s already too
times, with Nighthawk thwarting a couple of Haz- difficult for the PCs to cope with, reduce his
ard’s kills but never actually capturing him. Luck dice (perhaps to as little as 6d6), decrease
some of his Characteristics, and tone down his
Personality/Motivation: Hazard selects the jobs he
Blaster Pistol.
takes based on how likely they are to alleviate his
boredom. His luck makes his daily life so easy that Appearance: Hazard is a white male in his early
only the “Great Game” of superpowered conflict 30s, about 5’11” and 180 pounds. Out of costume
holds his interest. He charges surprisingly little he’s intentionally nondescript, with brown hair
— as long as the target holds sufficient interest conservatively cut, brown eyes, and a natural skill
and presents him with a challenge, Hazard takes a for blending into crowds. His battle armor, on
contract for much less money than his competitors. the other hand, is a form-fitting gold and brown
He’s killed over thirty people by contract, but he suit, with a cowl covering the top half of his head,
won’t kill casually — he makes every effort to avoid high-tech goggles protecting his eyes, and a back-
killing bystanders and even interfering lawmen and mounted jetpack. He carries a focused-plasma
superheroes (though he will kill them if necessary blaster, and his belt has several small pouches to
to maintain his freedom). carry lockpicks and other small devices.
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Three 87

INVICTUS Perks
Val Char Cost Roll Notes 8 Fringe Benefit: Member of Congress
65 STR 55 22- Lift 204.8tons; 13d6 [6] 63 Well-Connected and 60 points’ worth of
29 DEX 57 15- OCV: 10/DCV: 10 Contacts in government, politics, law, and
35 CON 50 16- the media (including PR firms, other Con-
25 BODY 30 14- gressmen, prominent lawyers, and so forth)
25 INT 15 14- PER Roll 14- 10 Money: Wealthy
20 EGO 20 13- ECV: 7 Talents
30 PRE 20 15- PRE Attack: 6d6 15 Combat Sense 14-
22 COM 6 13- 3 Simulate Death
28 PD 15 Total: 28 PD (20 rPD) Skills
33 ED 26 Total: 33 ED (30 rED) 8 +1 with All Combat
6 SPD 21 Phases: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 6 +2 with Solar Blast Multipower
20 REC 0 12 Penalty Skill Levels: +4 vs. Range Modifier
70 END 0 with All Attacks
76 STUN 0 Total Characteristic Cost: 315
5 Accurate Sprayfire
Movement: Running: 11”/22” 3 Acrobatics 15-
Leaping: 13”/26” 3 Acting 15-
Swimming: 6”/12” 3 Breakfall 15-
Cost Powers END 3 Bribery 15-
140 Solar Blast: Multipower, 140-point reserve 3 Bureaucratics 15-
12u 1) Primary Attack: Solar Blast: Energy 3 Climbing 15-
Blast 16d6, Reduced Endurance (½ END; 5 Concentrated Sprayfire
+¼) plus Sight Group Flash 6d6, Reduced 10 Defense Maneuver I-IV
Endurance (½ END; +¼); Linked (-½) 5 3 Oratory 15-
14u 2) Precision Heat Blast: Energy Blast 3 Persuasion 15-
14d6, Autofire (5 shots; +½), Reduced En- 3 PS: Football 15-
durance (½ END; +½) 5 4 PS: Politician 15-
14u 3) White Flame: Energy Blast 14d6, 3 Power: Solar Fire Power Tricks 13-
Armor Piercing (+½), Reduced 5 Rapid Autofire
Endurance (0 END; +½) 0 5 Skipover Sprayfire
12u 4) Ignite The Air: Energy Blast 12d6, 3 Linguist
Affects Desolidified (+½), Reduced 3 1) Language: Greek (idiomatic;
Endurance (0 END; +½) 0 English is Native)
14u 5) Prostration: Drain STR and END 3 2) Language: Latin (idiomatic)
3½d6, two Characteristics simultaneously 3 3) Language: Russian (idiomatic)
(+½), Delayed Return Rate (points return 3 4) Language: Spanish (idiomatic)
at the rate of 5 per Minute; +¼), Area Of Ef- 3 Scholar
fect (10” Radius; +1), Selective (+¼), Ranged 3 1) KS: Classical Poetry 15-
(+½), Reduced Endurance 2 2) KS: Football 14-
(0 END; +½) 0 3 3) KS: Political Science 15-
25 Solar Toughness: Damage Resistance 3 4) KS: Roman History 15-
(20 PD/30 ED) 0 3 5) KS: Roman Literature 15-
10 Solar Eyes: Sight Group Flash Defense 2 6) KS: The Political World 14-
(10 points) 2 7) KS: The Superhuman World 14-
10 Tough Ears: Hearing Group Flash Total Powers & Skill Cost: 545
Defense (10 points) Total Cost: 860
11 Will Of Iron: Mental Defense
200+ Disadvantages
(15 points total)
5 Enraged: when he sees his own blood (Un-
15 Solar Form: Power Defense (15 points)
common), go 8-, recover 14-
20 Solar Form: Life Support (Immunity to
5 Enraged: when accused of criminal behavior
all terrestrial poisons and chemical
(Uncommon), go 8-, recover 14-
warfare agents; Longevity: ages at half nor-
20 Hunted: DEMON 8- (Mo Pow, Kill)
mal rate; Safe Environments: High
25 Hunted: VIPER 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Kill)
Pressure; High Radiation; Intense Cold; In-
10 Psychological Limitation: Ambitious (Com-
tense Heat; Low Pressure/Vacuum) 0
mon, Moderate)
10 Swift Runner: Running +5” (11” total) 1
10 Psychological Limitation: Hates Christianity
4 Swift Swimmer: Swimming +4” (6” total) 1
(Common, Moderate)
9 Sharp Perception: +3 PER with all Sense
20 Psychological Limitation: Ruthless, Fanatical
Groups 0
Protector Of His Secrets (Common, Total)
88 ■ Solo Villains Hero System 5th Edition

INVICTUS 15 Susceptibility: from exorcisms performed bargain and — as the cliché goes — he was never
PLOT SEEDS within 10” of him, takes 3d6 damage inst- the same again.
natly (Uncommon) The “deity” was actually the spirit of Nero As-
A website goes up 20 Social Limitation: Public Identity (David trolabus, a third century AD outcast priest of Sol
entitled “The Invic- Sutherland) (Frequently, Severe) Invictus. Nero had been a counselor to the emperor
tus Murder Page.” It 530 Experience Points Constantine, and harbored ambitions of becoming
chronicles a lot of emperor. He was also a sorcerer of great power who
Total Disadvantage Points: 860
David Sutherland’s al- took on (some would say stole) many of the powers
leged misdeeds. The Background/History: David Sutherland was an of his deity. Nero Astrolabus had been a merciless
webmaster is found All-American boy: great athlete, great looking, a enemy of the rising Christian faith, and the atroci-
dead two days later, scholar. But his father, David Sutherland, Sr., was ties he committed against early Christians were
and the website has the All-American Man: war hero, college foot-
been erased. Invictus legion. Eventually his misdeeds were exposed, and
ball star, Olympic wrestler, retired Senator from the emperor stripped him of his position and put
claims it’s the work of
Oklahoma. In short, he cast an extraordinarily him on trial for treason.
an old enemy, probably
VIPER, who’s trying to long and deep shadow over everyone’s lives, es- Nero Astrolabus was found guilty and burnt
discredit him. What’s pecially his son’s. alive... but being a sorcerer of great power, he
really going on here? David Jr. responded as well as a son could found a way to keep his soul alive for seventeen
in that situation. He had more than his share of centuries in an incorporeal state. He hoped to
After a DEMON attack high school and college triumphs, and grades in regain physical form, but needed someone to
on Invictus, he loses his law school. He also became involved in a secret perform a ritual of restoration. He whispered
powers. The anguished society that paid homage to the ancient Syrian to the dull, cattle-like humans who walked the
superhero figures he deity Sol Invictus (“the unconquered sun”). He world after the Fall of Rome, but none of them
can find a mystical way thought it was a lark. paid heed. Even history’s magicians ignored him
to reverse the effects After college, David experienced bad breaks
of DEMON’s power- in favor of more tantalizing voices. It wasn’t until
for the first time in his life. He became engaged the late twentieth century, when David Suther-
blocking ritual, but he’ll
to a congressional page, but she left him after she land started summoning spirits for a lark, that
be vulnerable during
the casting. He wants caught him having an affair. Infidelity was minor Nero Astrolabus finally found the appropriate
the PCs to protect him compared to the accusations made against him vessel through which to make his return.
from a second DEMON by some of his college classmates, but he always He and David were almost a perfect match.
attack. Actually, the rea- bought them off — all except one, who mysteri- Uniting with a son of politics and privilege ap-
son that Invictus is pow- ously vanished before she could go to the police. pealed to Nero Astrolabus, and David appreciated
erless is because DE- David joined one of the most prestigious law Nero’s raw sorcerous power. Nero was determined
MON cast out the spirit firms in the country. Unfortunately, two months to help his host by bringing David’s political
of Nero Astrolabus, the after he was hired it fell apart. One of the senior
source of his powers. dreams to a glorious fruition.
partners had embezzled tens of millions of dol- Three days after his defeat, David Suther-
Of course, Sutherland’s
lars from a client and another was convicted of land emerged from hiding, declaring to the
desperate to get the
spirit back. bribing judges. The young Mr. Sutherland had world that he had obtained superpowers. With
realized they weren’t an ethical bunch, but who’d these magnificent powers at his command, he
Representative Suther- ever have guessed the day would come when eth- announced he would retire from law and poli-
land is up for re-elec- ics violations would actually turn into a serious tics and devote himself full time to “the people.”
tion, and his opponent problem for a law firm? What better way for a politician to become a
is an old friend of one David ran for the state assembly and relied “real man of the people” than to become their
of the PCs. And while on his natural charisma to carry him through. foremost superhuman champion?
Sutherland has an- Unfortunately, David failed to win support from As the superhero Invictus (“unconquered” in
nounced that he plans the party apparatus, which was controlled by Latin), David Sutherland did a great deal of good.
“to run the cleanest old political rivals of his father. Several of them
campaign in the history He battled VIPER and DEMON in the Washington
openly supported his opponent. The defeat that D.C., Maryland, and Virginia areas, where their
of the Republic,” you
followed was public and humiliating. After the leaders learned to hate his glowing presence. Invic-
know the dirty tricks
machine is going into election, David called his father for support. tus’s popularity skyrocketed. Occasionally there was
overdrive. What hap- Three minutes into the conversation, David be- scandal — one tabloid even accused him of bribing
pens when the PC’s old gan to experience a breakdown. supervillains to take a cheap dive so he could look
friend is linked to VI- “I don’t support failures,” his father coldly re- good. David ignored the rumors (publicly ignored
PER? And what happens plied. “Now stop whining and grow up.” them — privately the reporters experienced fatal
if the old friend is also The rejection nearly broke David. He contem- “accidents”). Four years later, Invictus was ready to
linked romantically to plated suicide, but he remembered a pact he’d made make his move. He announced that the political ills
the PC? in college: when things looked most dire, he’d sac- of the nation had grown so great that they needed
rifice something of great value to Sol Invictus. For a real superhero in Congress to wage the battle
some reason, David chose to perform the ritual, against America’s “other supervillains.” He ran for
using his campaign manager as the sacrifice. To his Congress and won in a landslide.
astonishment, the sun god answered. Now, as a newly elected representative from
The god told David he was destined to be Maryland in Congress, Invictus is one of the most
the greatest man on the planet, as dominant on famous and powerful superheroes-turned-politi-
Earth as Sol was in Heaven. Then the alleged di- cian in the world. Although it’s early in his political
vinity asked David to allow him to enter his body career, he’s already viewed by many as a potential
so he might work miracles. David agreed to the future president of the United States.
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Three 89

And that’s certainly his

goal.That — and transform-
ing the United States into a
second Roman Empire by
the time he arrives in the
White House.
Personality/Motivation: In-
victus is a fusion of two
personalities, neither one
pleasant. Sneaky, ruthless,
self-indulgent, extremely
charming, charismatic, and
wildly ambitious only begins
to describe this most Machi-
avellian of souls. The guile
of Nero Astrolabus controls
Invictus’s actions, but the
anger and hate of David
Sutherland is what fuels his
passions. It is an extremely
dangerous combination.
Invictus’s ultimate goal
is to obtain the ultimate in
political power. However,
he doesn’t just want to be
President, he wants people
— his people — installed in
as many major state and city
governments, financial cen-
ters, and news media outlets
as possible. He’d even like to
control the entertainment
business. He views superhe-
roes as a threat; especially
when the public loves cer-
tain superheroes more than Quote: “It matters not how strait the gate, how
they love him. He knows that popular hero teams charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master
like the Justice Squadron pose the greatest threat of my fate, I am the Captain of my soul. (pause, aside)
to his long-term goals, so he works toward their I hope the little bastards appreciate the classics.”
downfall whenever possible. Powers/Tactics: Invictus is the host for the spirit
Invictus hides that particular part of his master of a priest of the ancient sun god, Sol Invictus,
plan as well as he can. While he’s never joined any and that’s the heart of his power. He channels
superteams, he’s always maintained good relations the solar energies of the deity (which, to modern
with other superheroes, and can still be a helpful eyes, makes him look exactly like a superhero in
ally. Of course, any superhero who allies with In- action); it’s telling that most of his tricks are de-
victus is asking for trouble. Several times over the signed to hurt people.
past three years, superheroes have privately re- Invictus’s standard battle tactic is to stand back
vealed embarrassing secrets to Invictus which were at a distance of about thirty meters, blind an op-
later publicly exposed. Typically, Invictus arranges ponent, then hit him with an Autofire attack when
for the press to stumble on an appropriate clue, and he can’t see what’s coming. The sole exception are
the investigator then does the necessary legwork to bricks; he enjoys weakening them with his heat
uncover the truth. Sutherland makes sure he’s three prostration attack, then closing to hand-to-hand
steps removed from the investigation. range, where he’ll outmuscle them (and taunt them
Invictus may come across as overly slick, a as he’s beating on them).
phony, and a manipulator. In part it’s because of Because Invictus is essentially a possessed hu-
the natural enmity some people have toward politi- man, he’s Susceptible to exorcism attacks.
cians, and partially it’s because even Sutherland
Campaign Use: Invictus is a behind-the-scenes
can’t completely hide his true nature.
villain who appears to be a hero. He also fills the
Because he’s both a son of privilege, and a spir-
niche of “political villain.” He’s a quintessential
it from Roman times, Invictus has a lot of skeletons
long-term planner — he’s only a journeyman in
hiding in his closet. He often engages in decadent
politics and may not make his run for the White
practices in his private life, and they’ve come back
House for another twelve years (or more), but he’s
to haunt him on numerous occasions.
trying to set things up so that America is ready and
90 ■ Solo Villains Hero System 5th Edition

He would devote himself to the destruction of the

THE CENTURY CORPS United States government and the discrediting
of all superheroes. Alternatively, however, he can
Invictus is the founder of the Century Corps, a new sacrifice Nero Astrolabus, arranging for his spirit to
movement that identifies America’s best and brightest be cast out of Invictus’s body. Once it’s gone, David
high school students who can’t normally afford higher will blame the spirit for all of his misdeeds, and (af-
education, and pays for four years of college for them. ter much public anguish), vow to publicly atone for
In exchange, the Century Corps students are taken to
them. (Nero is confident David would secretly want
a private academy, where they spend a year studying,
socializing, and doing volunteer public service work to reintegrate him back into his body as quickly as
together. About four hundred students each year are in- possible, and he’s right.)
ducted into the Century Corps; in the three years since To adjust Invictus to a lower-powered cam-
its founding, it’s grown into one of the most prestigious paign, reduce his SPD to 5, his primary attack to
foundations in the United States. The Corpsmen do 14d6, and his other attacks to 10d6. You might
most of their work in the Washington, D.C. area, but also remove some of his various Skill Levels. To
will travel anywhere across the country to help areas make him more powerful, his Multipower’s re-
stricken by a major emergency. serve to 175 pts; increase his primary attack to
Of course, Invictus has ulterior motives for setting up 20d6/8d6 Flash, decrease the END cost on his
this organization. First, a good sample of outstand- Autofire to 0 END, raise his other slots to a base
ing young men and women is almost certain to turn of 14d6, and expand his Prostration power so it
up a burgeoning young superhuman, whom Invictus also drains CON and DEX
can mentor. Second, he can indoctrinate young men Invictus rarely Hunts anyone — it’s not worth
and women who are likely to advance into positions
the risk of being exposed. If he does develop a seri-
of business and political power. He’s counting on the
Corpsmen’s loyalty when he comes to power. ous grudge against a character, he’ll move against
him covertly (i.e., by using his government contacts
Finally, the Century Corps also learns about Sol Invic- to get him audited, revoke his sanction, and so
tus and his ancient cult, and are treated to a few subtle
forth) unless the quarry makes him so mad he can’t
“how ancient cult practices can give you an advantage
in today’s world” lectures. (Nero Astrolabus is nothing resist attacking... but even then, he’ll attack when
if not devoted to his deity). there are no witnesses around.
Appearance: David Sutherland is a Caucasian
willing to be a world empire by the time he reaches male in his early 30s, 6’3,” 225 pounds with an
the Oval Office. athletic build. He has reddish-blond hair and
If anyone ever exposes Invictus’s secret, he can green eyes. He dresses in smart business suits.
go down two possible paths. First, he can become During his superhero career, Invictus wore a cos-
a publicly acknowledged supervillain, despised by tume that resembled stylized Roman centurion’s
the general public and hated by other superheroes. armor crossed with an American flag motif.
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Three 91

JADE PHOENIX Martial Arts: Kung Fu JADE PHOENIX

Val Char Cost Roll Notes Maneuver OCV DCV Notes PLOT SEEDS
20 STR 10 13- Lift 400 kg; 4d6 [2] 4 Block +2 +2 Block, Abort
27 DEX 51 14- OCV: 9/DCV: 9 4 Disarm -1 +1 Disarm, 50 STR Rather than wait to es-
23 CON 26 14- 4 Dodge +0 +5 Dodge all at- tablish his own power
20 BODY 20 13- tacks, Abort base, Jade Phoenix
13 INT 3 12- PER Roll 12- 4 Escape +0 +0 55 STR vs. murders a tong leader
Grabs and takes over his gang
14 EGO 8 12- ECV: 5
3 Joint Lock/Grab -1 -1 Grab, 50 STR by force and intimida-
23 PRE 13 14- PRE Attack: 4½d6 tion. Not only does this
15 COM 3 12- 5 Kick -2 +1 12d6 Strike
make him much more
4 Knife Hand -2 +0 HKA 1d6+1
12 PD 8 Total: 15 PD (15 rPD) dangerous, it’s thrown
HKA (2½d6 the Asian underworld
10 ED 5 Total: 13 ED (3 rED) with STR) into turmoil... and both
7 SPD 33 Phases: 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12 3 Legsweep +2 -1 9d6, Target Falls situations could have
10 REC 2 4 Punch +0 +2 10d6 Strike negative consequences
46 END 0 3 Throw +0 +1 8d6 +v/5, Target for the PCs.
45 STUN 3 Total Characteristics Cost: 185 Falls
Movement: Running: 11”/22” 4 Tien-hsueh Strike-1 +1 3d6 NND (1) Doctor Yin Wu (Cham-
4 Tiger/ pions Universe, page
Leaping: 11”/22”
Dragon Claw +0 +0 12d6 Crush, 103) grants Jade Phoe-
Cost Powers END Must Follow nix several magical pow-
46 Jade Phoenix Dim Mak: Multipower, Grab ers — greater resistance
275-point reserve; Common Limitations to injury, enormous
4 Uproot/
strength, ch’i projection
as listed for slots, but without 1 Charge (-5) Sand Palm +0 +0 55 STR Shove abilities, and so forth.
3u 1) Fainting Dim Mak: Drain STUN 16 +4 Damage Classes (already added in) Jade Phoenix decides to
10d6, Delayed Return Rate (returns at 8 Use Art with Axes/Maces/Picks, Blades, take this opportunity to
the rate of 5 points Per Hour; +1), Clubs, Hook Sword, Pole Arms, Staff, eliminate his enemies
Invisible To Sight And Hearing Groups Three-Section Staff, Whip and potential enemies,
(+¾); Gradual Effect (take 1d6 of each including the PCs. That’s
52 Martial Arts Arsenal: Variable Power
Drain per Day; -1¾), Can Be Cured By trouble enough, but
Pool, 45 base + 22 control cost; OAF what’s Dr. Wu up to?
Chinese Healing, Character Must Make Or-
(-1), Only For Martial Arts Weapons (-1) var
dinary Chinese Healing Roll (-½), Attacker
5 Iron Skin: Damage Resistance (12 PD/ A mysterious group of
Must Make A Sequence Of Two Blows,
0 ED); Not Versus Guns (-¼) 0 Buddhist monks comes
Which Do No Damage, And
10 Legs Of The Stag: Running +5” (11” total) 1 to the PCs for help.
Timing Must Be Perfect (-1¾), Activation
5 Legs Of The Grasshopper: Leaping +7” They claim the next
Roll 14- (-½), 1 Charge (-2), Costs
(11” forward, 6” upward); Requires An leader of their order
END (-½) [1]/27 has been reborn as the
Acrobatics Roll (-½) 1
3u 2) Deadly Dim Mak: Drain BODY 10d6, son of a woman who’s
5 Superior Balance: Flight 6”; Only Along
Delayed Return Rate (returns at the rate just been smuggled into
Reasonably Horizontal Surfaces (-½),
of 5 points Per Hour; +1), Invisible To this country by Chinese
No Noncombat Movement (-¼), Requires
Sight And Hearing Groups (+¾); Gradual gangsters. The PCs have
A Martial Arts Tricks Roll (-½) 1
Effect (take 1d6 of each Drain per Day; to battle the gangsters,
5 Wall-Walking: Clinging (normal STR); Re- and their protector Jade
-1¾), Can Be Cured By Chinese Healing,
quires A Martial Arts Tricks Roll Phoenix, to find the
Character Must Make Ordinary Chinese
(-½), Sideways Movement At Half woman and save the
Healing Roll (-½), Attacker Must Make
Ground Rate (-¼), No Ceilings Or child... assuming the
A Sequence Of Two Blows, Which Do
Angles Less Than 80o (-¼) 0 monks are telling the
No Damage, And Timing Must Be truth.
Perfect (-1¾), Activation Roll 14- (-½), Talents
1 Charge (-2), Costs END (-½) [1]/27 6 Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED)
27 Catch This!: Energy Blast 11d6; OIF 15 Combat Sense 12-
(objects of opportunity; -½), Requires
Skills
A Martial Arts Tricks Roll (-½) 5
25 +5 Hand-To-Hand
24 Sword Energy: RKA 2d6, Area Of Effect
(12” Line; +1); OIF (weapon of 3 Acrobatics 14-
opportunity; -½), No Range (-½), 3 Analyze Style 12-
Requires A Martial Arts Tricks Roll (-½) 6 3 Breakfall 14-
3 Climbing 14-
3 Contortionist 14-
5 Defense Maneuver II
3 Fast Draw (Common Melee Weapons) 14-
2 Gambling (Fan-Tan, Pai-Gow) 12-
2 CK: Hong Kong 11-
1 CK: Millennium City 8-
2 KS: Chinese Healing 11-
2 KS: Chinese Organized Crime 11-
92 ■ Solo Villains Hero System 5th Edition

2 KS: The Heroin Trade 11- 15 Psychological Limitation: Can’t Stand Not To
6 KS: Kung Fu 15- Be The Best; Tries To Kill All Who Challenge
2 KS: The Martial World 11- His Mastery Of Kung Fu (Common, Strong)
2 KS: The Millennium City Underworld 11- 15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity (Cong Feng,
2 KS: Yengtao Temple 11- Chinatown merchant) (Frequently, Major)
2 Language: English (fluent conversation; 247 Experience Points
Hakka is native) Total Disadvantage Points: 567
3 Paramedics 12-
3 Power: Martial Arts Tricks 14- Background/History: Cong Feng’s history at
2 PS: Smuggling 11- Yengtao Temple and his role as the destroyer of
3 Sleight Of Hand 14- the Temple are chronicled on pages 60 and 121
3 Stealth 14- of Champions Universe. His life before that time
3 Streetwise 14- remains a mystery to all save himself, and he re-
12 WF: Common Melee Weapons, Common fuses to talk about the matter.
Missile Weapons, Common Martial Arts Following his destruction of Yengtao Temple
Weapons, Small Arms, Hook Sword, Three- and murder of all of its masters, Cong drifted to
Section Staff, Thrown Sword, Whip Hong Kong, where he put his martial arts skills
to work for the Triad gangs. After a year or two
Total Powers & Skills Cost: 382 of this, he tired of taking orders from others and
Total Cost: 567 decided to establish his own criminal empire. How-
200+ Disadvantages ever, the Triads had Hong Kong sewn up, so he
10 Distinctive Features: Style (Not Concealable, decided the only thing left to do was go to America,
Noticed And Recognizable, Detectable By land of opportunity.
Large Group) Cong arrived in Millennium City and set
20 Hunted: DEA 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture) up a small shop in Chinatown selling martial
20 Hunted: PRIMUS 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture) arts supplies and similar equipment. He did not,
20 Psychological Limitation: Casual Killer however, establish his own dojo; he had no inten-
(Very Common, Strong) tion of teaching his martial arts secrets to lesser
20 Psychological Limitation: Greedy And Am- men. At night he worked in the underworld, first
bitious (Very Common, Strong) for a couple of tongs (to build a “war chest” and
a reputation), but eventually only for himself.
Today he’s a superhuman mercenary, but with
an eye toward becoming a power in the Asian
underworld — a dangerous counterpoint to the
tongs and the yakuza.
Cong did not choose Millennium City at
random. Having correctly guessed that Nigh-
twind was his old rival Steve Chase, he came to
Millennium City to continue their long contest
— one he knows will eventually end in Chase’s
defeat. The two have clashed several times since
then, but never conclusively.
Personality/Motivation: Jade Phoenix is vicious,
crude, hot-tempered, arrogant, racist, sadistic, and
ambitious — the perfect combination for a super-
mercenary and potential crimelord. In addition,
he’s murderously jealous of anyone whose martial
arts prowess (particularly with kung fu) even ap-
proaches his own; he’ll try to kill or cripple any
such fighters. It was this envy that led him to de-
stroy Yengtao Temple.
Quote: “Ha ha ha ha ha! Is that the best you can
do? Let me teach you the true meaning of mar-
tial arts mastery!”
Powers/Tactics: Jade Phoenix is a master of kung
fu. He has trained in it for most of his life, and has
studied all of its major substyles and many lesser-
known substyles. Additionally, through hard work
and great effort, he has mastered his ch’i. This gives
him a variety of powers: the ability to run up walls
or along narrow branches; dim mak strikes; the
power to slash the air in front of him and project a
wave of sword energy to strike his foe; and more.
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Three 93

Jade Phoenix usually favors an all-out offense EL JAGUAR EL JAGUAR

in combat, and prefers kicks to punches. He keeps Val Char Cost Roll Notes PLOT SEEDS
his Combat Skill Levels in OCV and uses them to 20 STR 10 13- Lift 400 kg; 4d6 [2]
take Placed Shots to vulnerable locations (the head, 25 DEX 45 14- OCV: 8/DCV: 8 Tezcatlipoca orders El
the vitals) unless it becomes apparent his opponent 22 CON 24 13- Jaguar to steal a valuable
can hit him easily — in which case he switches to 15 BODY 10 12- Aztec artifact from a
defensive fighting, since he doesn’t have the PD 15 INT 5 12- PER Roll 12- museum in the cam-
and ED to absorb a lot of damage. He also likes to paign city. Knowing he
15 EGO 10 12- ECV: 5
use his Acrobatics and movement powers to move lacks the power to defeat
20 PRE 10 13- PRE Attack: 4d6 the museum’s state of
around his opponents and attack them from behind 12 COM 1 11- the art security systems
or other favorable positions.
10 PD 6 Total: 20 PD (10 rPD) or battle the PCs on his
Campaign Use: Jade Phoenix can play many roles in own, El Jaguar recruits
10 ED 6 Total: 20 ED (10 rED)
your campaign. The most obvious is that of super- some villains to help
5 SPD 15 Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 him rob the place. He
mercenary, but you can take him beyond that if you
8 REC 0 plans to slip away, steal
want. First, he could become the arch-enemy of a
44 END 0 the artifact, and then
martial artist PC; just substitute the PC for Nigh-
40 STUN 4 Total Characteristics Cost: 146 betray his “comrades” to
twind as the object of his greatest hatred and adjust
the PCs and escape in
his background accordingly. Second, if you give Movement: Running: 9”/18” the confusion.
him some Followers and other Perks, you can turn
Cost Powers END
him into more of a crimelord. El Jaguar believes a
90 Werejaguar Forms: Multiform (assume jag-
If Jade Phoenix doesn’t have the power to match PC (or well-liked NPC
uar or man-jaguar form built on up to
your PCs, give him more Extra DCs, more ch’i pow- hero) with wind or
400 Character Points; see text), Instant
ers (see The Ultimate Martial Artist and Ninja Hero weather powers is an
Change 0
for ideas), or both. If he’s too powerful already, reduce incarnation of the god
27 Enchanted Flint Knife: HKA 1d6+1 Quetzalcoatl, Tezcatlip-
his Characteristics and Extra DCs as appropriate, and
(1½d6 with STR), +2 Increased STUN oca’s ancient enemy. He
perhaps discard some of his more esoteric ch’i powers
Multiplier (+½), Penetrating (x2; +1), Re- makes it his personal
(including Sword Energy).
duced Endurance (0 END; +½); goal to harass and hurt
As a Hunter, Jade Phoenix favors ambushes
OAF (-1), No Knockback (-¼) 0 the hero, with the inten-
and vicious beatings. He’ll stalk a PC until he
30 Tezcatlipoca’s Divine Protection: Armor tion of killing him as
catches the character unawares or in a difficult situ- soon as he can figure
(10 PD/10 ED) 0
ation, then leap out and attack with fury. out a way to capture him
6 Swift: Running +3” (9” total) 1
Appearance: Tall (6’5”) and weighing 225 pounds and sacrifice him to the
of rock-solid muscle, Jade Phoenix wears a red Perks Lord of Misfortune.
kung fu outfit with a black sash and white cuffs. He 6 Contact: Tezcatlipoca 8- (extremely
conceals his identity with a black half-face mask. useful Skills/resources, access to major Thanks to several spec-
Around his neck he wears a jade amulet in the institutions, significant Contacts of his own) tacular crimes pulled by
El Jaguar, Tezcatlipoca’s
shape of a phoenix (a long-tailed mystical bird). Talents cult begins to grow in
In his civilian identity, Cong Feng favors fash- 3 Lightsleep Mexico... and even a
ionable men’s suits with colorful ties. His eyes, as little in the southwest
dark as his short hair, stare piercingly at those who Skills US! The heroes have to
interest or disturb him. 6 +3 OCV with Enchanted Flint Knife put a stop to him before
3 Climbing 12- he does anything more
3 Concealment 12- to further the Smoking
3 AK: Mexico 12- Mirror’s cause on Earth.
3 AK: Southwestern US 12-
3 CK: Mexico City 12-
3 KS: Aztec History, Culture, And Mythology 12-
5 KS: Tezcatlipoca Cult Doctrine And
Practices 14-
2 Language: English (fluent conversation;
Spanish is Native)
2 Language: Nahuatl (fluent conversation)
1 Sleight Of Hand 8-
3 Stealth 14-
3 Streetwise 13-
2 Survival (Desert) 12-
3 Tracking 12-
Total Powers & Skills Cost: 207
Total Cost: 353
94 ■ Solo Villains Hero System 5th Edition

200+ Disadvantages cult, El Jaguar is recognized by the cultists as a

10 Distinctive Features: Mystic Aura (Not Con- favored servant of the Lord of Misfortune. He re-
cealable; Always Noticed; Detectable Only tains his greedy, criminal nature, and his powers
With Unusual Senses) have made him arrogant and cruel when dealing
20 Hunted: UNTIL 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture) with “mere mortals”... but neither attitude is a sin
15 Hunted: Los Ángeles de la Guarda 8- (Mo in the eyes of Tezcatlipoca.
Pow, Capture) Quote: “I am the son of the Lord of Jaguars, and in
25 Psychological Limitation: Devoted Servant his name I shall destroy you.”
Of Tezcatlipoca (Very Common, Total)
15 Psychological Limitation: Greedy And Cruel Powers/Tactics: Tezcatlipoca’s spells augmented
(Common, Strong) El Jaguar’s Characteristics and other attributes to
15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity (Miguel superhuman levels, but the most powerful abil-
Delgato) (Frequently, Major) ity the god granted him was to change his shape
53 Experience Points into either a man-jaguar or a true jaguar. For
El Jaguar’s man-jaguar form, use the Weretiger
Total Disadvantage Points: 353 from page 101 of The HERO System Bestiary, but
Background/History: Miguel Delgato grew up with Characteristics upgraded to match his true
poor in northern Mexico. Anyone who saw him form’s, no Multiform power of its own, no Lycan-
as a kid — always in trouble, rarely in school, thrope’s Bite, and other appropriate changes. For
committing petty crimes by his early teens — his jaguar form, use the Leopard from page 145
would’ve figured he was destined to live a short, of the Bestiary, with appropriate changes to its
pointless, and wasted life. But fate had other INT and the like. For times when El Jaguar pre-
things in store for him. fers to fight in his human form, Tezcatlipoca has
One day the Aztec god Tezcatlipoca (see given him an enchanted flint knife (tecpatl) made
Arcane Adversaries, page 113), ever in search of of stone from Mictlan (land of the dead) that can
cat’s-paws to carry out his plans on Earth, chanced cut nearly anything.
to notice Miguel. Maybe Miguel had in him the Campaign Use: El Jaguar could show up in the
blood of the Lord of Misfortune’s ancient priests. campaign in many ways. He might simply be a
Perhaps he reminded Tezcatlipoca of one of the mercenary villain, working with other villains
ixiptla, or personifications-to-be-sacrificed, who to enrich himself in the absence of any orders
were chosen to represent him on Earth every year from Tezcatlipoca. Or he could spearhead one
by the Aztecs centuries ago. Or maybe some spark of the god’s schemes, leading troops of Nagual
of evil in Miguel’s cultists, undead Aztec sorcerers, obsidian spirits,
heart simply spoke and other terrors on behalf of the Lord of Mis-
to the god. No fortune. Most of his crimes and activities take
man shall ever place in Mexico City, northern Mexico, or the
know. But what southwestern US, but he could appear anywhere
men do know is Tezcatlipoca needs him to.
that Tezcatlipoca If you want to make El Jaguar tougher, you have
gifted Miguel with several options. First, you could increase his Charac-
power. He made teristics and Running to make him both more brick-
him strong and like and more speedster-like. Second, you could give
swift, with the abil- him more enchanted weapons, such as a macahuitl
ity to change shape (obsidian-edged war club) or obsidian-tipped spear.
into either a jaguar Third, you could draw on Tezcatlipoca’s aspect as
(Tezcatlipoca’s to- god of sorcerers and give El Jaguar magic spells, or
tem animal) or a even a Variable Power Pool for magic. (The Mystic
man-jaguar hybrid. World has plenty of sample spells he could cast;
Since then Miguel just change the special effects to make them look
has served the “Aztec.”) To weaken him, reduce his Characteristics
Smoking Mirror (especially DEX and SPD) and/or make it harder for
as El Jaguar, one of him to change shape (add Extra Time, Concentra-
his chief servants tion, or Side Effects to his Multiform).
on Earth. El Jaguar rarely Hunts anyone unless Tezcatli-
Personality/ poca orders him to, in which case he follows orders.
Motivation: Since Appearance: El Jaguar is a tall, muscular, handsome
receiving his pow- man of Mexican Indian ancestry; he has dark eyes and
ers from Tezcatli- black hair simply cut. As El Jaguar he wears brown
poca, El Jaguar has boots and pants, a broad black belt with a silver buck-
been a devoted le shaped like a jaguar’s head, no shirt, and a vest and
servant of the god. bracers made of jaguar fur. He carries his enchanted
Although not for- flint dagger, with a hilt in the shape of a crouching
mally a participant Aztec warrior, thrust into his belt.
in or leader of Tez-
catlipoca’s secret
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Three 95

MANTARA 6 Mantara Armor Helmet: HRRP (Radio MANTARA

Val Char Cost Roll Notes Group); OIF (-½), Affected As Sight And PLOT SEEDS
15 STR 5 12- Lift 200 kg; 3d6 [1] Hearing Groups As Well As Radio Group
18 DEX 24 13- OCV: 6/DCV: 6 (-½) 0 Mantara decides to
18 CON 16 13- 7 Mantara Armor Helmet: +10 to PER abandon the ocean for
10 BODY 0 11- Rolls with HRRP; OIF (-½) 0 a while to try out the
13 INT 3 12- PER Roll 12- 23 Armor Stealth Sonar Array: Active Great Lakes, especially
Sonar (Hearing Group), Concealed (-5), around Millennium
10 EGO 0 11- ECV: 3
Increased Arc Of Perception (360 City. How will the PCs
15 PRE 5 12- PRE Attack: 3d6 react to the new wave of
16 COM 3 12- Degrees), Telescopic (+20 PER versus
maritime crime... and
Range Modifier); OIF (-½) 0
6 PD 3 Total: 21 PD (15 rPD) how will Mantara be
Talents prepared for them when
5 ED 1 Total: 20 ED (15 rED)
3 Environmental Movement: Aquatic they come after her?
5 SPD 22 Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12
7 REC 0 Movement (no penalties in the water)
Mantara discovers
36 END 0 Skills that an unscrupulous
27 STUN 0 Total Characteristics Cost: 82 6 +3 OCV with Gauntlet Water Cannons corporation is dump-
Movement: Running: 6”/12” 6 +3 OCV with Move By ing toxic waste into the
ocean, and the waste is
Swimming: 30/60” 1 Electronics 8- mutating sea creatures
2 KS: World Watercraft 11- into horrible, gigantic
Cost Powers END
1 Mechanics 8- monsters. She develops
3 Skilled Swimmer: Swimming +3” (5” total) 1
2 Navigation (Marine) 12- a device to take control
1 Swimfins: Swimming +2” (7” total);
2 SS: Marine Biology 11- of the creatures and be-
OAF (-1) 1
2 SS: Oceanography 11- gins using them to com-
15 Underwater Impeller: Swimming +23” mit crimes. After the
3 Seduction 12-
(30” total); OIF (-½), Only Works When PCs catch up with her
3 Stealth 13-
Wearer Is Fully Underwater (-0), and defeat her and her
1 Continuing Fuel Charge (1 Hour, Total Powers & Skills Cost: 220 monstrous menagerie,
Easy to refuel; -0) [1cc] Total Cost: 302 she offers to tell them
7 Skilled Diver: Swimming +20”; Only To about the corporation
200+ Disadvantages and help them expose its
Dive Safely (-2) 2
20 Hunted: US Navy 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture) wrongdoing in exchange
50 Gauntlet Water Cannons: Multipower,
20 Hunted: British Navy 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, for clemency.
60-point reserve, 32 Charges (+¼) for
Capture)
entire reserve; all OIF (-½) [32]
15 Psychological Limitation: Self-Centered Mantara teams up with
4u 1) Water Blast: Energy Blast 12d6; OIF (-½)
And Greedy (Common, Strong) VIPER to build the
4u 2) Wide-Angle Water Blast: Energy
15 Psychological Limitation: Competitive biggest, baddest, most
Blast 8d6, Area Of Effect (One Hex; heavily-armed super-
(Common, Strong)
+½); OIF (-½) submarine yet to take
15 Psychological Limitation: Vengeful (Com-
1u 3) Water Blast Punch: HA +6d6; OIF control of the undersea
mon, Strong)
(-½), Hand-To-Hand Attack (-½) world and destroy UN-
15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity (Steffanie
5 Gauntlet Water Cannons: Another TIL’s sub, the Aegir. Can
Landers) (Frequently, Major)
Gauntlet Water Cannon (total of 2) [32] the PCs find out about
2 Experience Points the plot in time to stop
37 Mantara Armor: Armor (15 PD/15 ED),
Hardened (+¼); OIF (-½) 0 Total Disadvantage Points: 302 it? And just what would
7 Mantara Armor: Life Support (Self-Con- convince Mantara to
Background/History: Steffanie Landers was once join forces with the
tained Breathing); OIF (-½), a highly-ranked competitive swimmer and diver snakes anyway?
1 Continuing Fuel Charge (1 Day, looking forward to a promising career in either
Easy to refuel; -0) [1cc] marine biology or marine engineering. A driven
2 Mantara Armor: Life Support (Safe woman, she pushed herself harder and harder to
Environments: Intense Cold, High qualify for the Olympics... and failed. Refusing
Pressure); OIF (-½) 0 to accept that she just wasn’t quite good enough,
3 Mantara Armor Helmet: Sight Group she became bitter and angry, convinced she’d been
Flash Defense (5 points); OIF (-½) 0 cheated. She began taking it out on the judges and
3 Mantara Armor Helmet: Hearing Group winning athletes by playing malicious pranks on
Flash Defense (5 points); OIF (-½) 0 them, pranks that soon escalated into vandalism
3 Mantara Armor Helmet: Infrared and other crimes. Striking back made her feel good.
Perception (Sight Group); OIF (-½) 0 Then she miscalculated and killed one of them.
3 Mantara Armor Helmet: Ultraviolet It wasn’t supposed to happen that way. The
Perception (Sight Group); OIF (-½) 0 garage door was supposed to slam down on the
3 Mantara Armor Helmet: Nightvision; woman’s car hood, not the roof of the car right over
OIF (-½) 0 the front seat. All Steffanie wanted to do was ter-
2 Mantara Armor Helmet: Ultrasonic rify the woman and ruin her car, not kill her... but
Perception (Hearing Group); OIF (-½) 0 she had to admit she felt a sort of fiendish glee that
the woman had gotten what she’d deserved. As she
heard police sirens approaching, Steffanie decided
96 ■ Solo Villains Hero System 5th Edition

Quote: “You can’t beat me — not anywhere, but

especially not in the water.”
Powers/Tactics: Mantara is most at home in the
water. Heroes will rarely encounter her outside
it, much less far from it — and in that case, she’ll
almost certainly flee for the nearest large body
of water. She feels (and often rightly so) that her
experience and abilities in the water give her
an edge in combat, an edge she’d otherwise lack
due to the fact that she doesn’t have superpow-
ers or extensive weaponry. In combat she relies
on Move Bys for HTH Combat and her Gauntlet
Water Cannons when she fights at Range. She
has relatively little grasp of tactics, and if pos-
sible hires a group of SCUBA-equipped thugs to
help fight her battles for her.
Campaign Use: Mantara is an example of a fairly
low-level speedster. Her Swimming 30” is pretty
fast, but only works in a limited environment, and
she’s only DEX 18, SPD 5. She shows how you can
build a speedster — a movement-oriented charac-
ter — without rising to the level of hypervelocity
and speed tricks.
To make Mantara tougher, increase her SPD
and DEX until she’s more of a true speedster, or
make her Mantara suit more like true powered ar-
mor — have it boost her STR and other Character-
istics, build more weapons into it, and so on. You
that if this was the hand fate had dealt her, she’d could also give her more weaponry, some Martial
play it with relish. Arts, or other ways to attack. To weaken her, reduce
She fled into hiding and began working. If she her inches of Swimming.
were going to be a criminal, she wouldn’t become Mantara doesn’t usually Hunt heroes. She’d
just any criminal — she wanted to stand out from be most likely to if one of the PCs is an aquatic-
the crowd, to make a name for herself, be flamboy- themed character (especially a woman) and she
ant. She used her skills with underwater work and wants to prove she’s better than the PC.
gadgetry to design and build her first Mantara Appearance: Out of her Mantara costume, Stef-
armored suit and began committing crimes on and fanie Landers is a beautiful woman with long
around major bodies of water. She discovered she blonde hair and blue eyes; she stands 5’11” tall
got a real kick out of it, and that she was good at it. and has a well-developed but athletic figure.
With several years in the supervillain business now Her Mantara armor adds two inches of height
under her belt, she’s never looked back and has no and completely conceals her features and her
plans to quit. If anything, she’s looking for more beauty. It’s a glossy black with blue highlights
impressive crimes to commit — it’s time to move at the joints; blue lines also mark out the gloves
up to the “big leagues.” and boots. The helmet is much more form-fit-
Personality/Motivation: Mantara was once a decent ting than that of a diving suit, and has one large
sort of woman, but losing out on her chance for eyepiece across the eyes. On her back there’s a
fame and glory at the Olympics has made her self- pack-like structure containing her underwater
centered and bitter. Now she only cares about her- impeller and most of her oxygen supply.
self and satisfying her own needs, whether that’s for
money, revenge, or something else.
Mantara still has a strong competitive streak,
especially when it comes to swimming and other
water sports. If she runs into someone who seems
to be her match in the water, she’ll become deter-
mined to prove that she’s faster, more agile, or just
plain better.
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Three 97

MORPH Background/History: The supervillainess the world MORPH

Val Char Cost Roll Notes calls Morph isn’t even human. Unbeknownst to PLOT SEEDS
15 STR 5 12- Lift 200 kg; 3d6 [1] anyone — including herself — she comes from a
20 DEX 30 13- OCV: 7/DCV: 7 dimension called Xargann whose advanced and In her most callous
25 CON 30 14- sophisticated people naturally possess shapeshifting (and perhaps profit-
20 BODY 20 13- powers. A Xargann scientist, eager to experience able!) scam yet, Morph
15 INT 5 12- PER Roll 12- life among the “unchanging” whom she’d viewed goes to India and
in her transdimensionscope, designed a device to pretends to be a multi-
10 EGO 0 11- ECV: 3
transport her to Earth by causing her to be born to armed Hindu goddess.
20 PRE 10 13- PRE Attack: 4d6 The PCs have to expose
16 COM 3 12- a human woman and grow up a human child.
her in the face of tens
But two things went wrong with her plan. of thousands of fanatic
10 PD 7 Total: 25 PD (15 rPD) The first was a rival scientist who, jealous of her believers... who may not
8 ED 3 Total: 23 ED (15 rED) accomplishments, sabotaged the transporter de- be pleased to have their
6 SPD 30 Phases: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 vice. As a result, Morph was born and grew up illusions shattered.
8 REC 0 without ever accessing the knowledge of her true
50 END 0 self and background which she’d “programmed” A series of high-profile,
41 STUN 0 Total Characteristics Cost: 143 into her mind. Second, knowing little of Earth, locked-room, “impos-
Movement: Running: 6”/12” she chose her host family poorly. Rather than sible” crimes has been
picking a pair of responsible, mature, loving committed throughout
Cost Powers END parents, she ended up with Rob and Cindy the city over the past
440 Morphic Powers: Variable Power Pool Markham, two of the most selfish people imagin- two weeks. UNTIL be-
(Shapechanging Pool), 200 base + 100 lieves Morph is respon-
able. Rob was a four-time loser with a record of
control cost, Cosmic (+2); Shapechanging sible and asks the PCs to
petty (and occasionally not-so-petty) crime as help track her down and
Abilities Only (see text; -¼) var long as his arm, Cindy a prostitute and junkie. capture her.
75 Malleable Form: Stretching 10”, Growing up in that sort of “family,” it’s not
Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) 0 surprising that “Tabitha Markham” learned to The government needs
45 Resilient Form: Armor (15 PD/15 ED) 0 look out for herself pretty fast. When her native Morph’s “help” to “fine-
60 Resilient Form: Physical and Energy shapechanging abilities manifested at age 13 (as tune” a new medicine
Damage Reduction, 50%, Resistant 0 “programmed”), she realized right away they that may hold the cure
13 Malleable Mind: Mental Defense were her meal ticket. At 15 she ran away from for cancer. It falls to
(15 points total) 0 home, supporting herself with the proceeds of the PCs to find her and
36 No Internal Organs: Life Support the robberies she could effortlessly pull with her persuade her to offer her
(Diminished Eating: no need to eat; powers. By the time she was 18 she was a well- services.
Diminished Sleeping: no need to sleep; Im- known member of the Superhuman World, code-
munity: to all terrestrial biological named Morph. She’s been captured three times,
weapons, chemical weapons, diseases, and once Stronghold even kept her imprisoned
and poisons; Self-Contained Breathing) 0 for almost six months... but inevitably she finds a
Talents way to use her powers to free herself and plague
5 Eidetic Memory the world once more.
Personality/Motivation: There’s little to like about
Skills Morph. Selfish and greedy, she assumes everyone
20 +4 HTH she meets will try to screw her over if they can...
2 KS: The Superhuman World 11- and so, in a self-fulfilling prophecy, her suspicion
15 Power: Shapechanging/Stretching Tricks 18- and thinly-veiled hostility tend to make people dis-
3 Stealth 13- like and betray her. She prefers to work alone when
3 Streetwise 13- she can (and is powerful enough to do so), though
Total Powers & Skills Cost: 717 she occasionally takes high-paying jobs from mas-
Total Cost: 860 ter villains and organizations like VIPER.
Quote: “I’m “in shape” for any job you got. But I get
200+ Disadvantages
paid up front.”
25 Hunted: UNTIL 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
20 Hunted: PRIMUS 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture) Powers/Tactics: Morph is a true physical meta-
15 Psychological Limitation: Ruthless And morph with absolute control over her physical
Greedy (Common, Strong) shape and substance. She can’t assume energy or
15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity (Tabitha gaseous forms, nor any form that involves mov-
Markham) (Frequently, Major) ing parts or a chemical reaction (for example, she
5 Unluck: 1d6 can’t change herself into a lightning bolt, a working
10 Vulnerability: 2 x Effect from Transforms pistol, or a motor), and she can’t alter her density
and other attacks that involuntarily change or opacity, but aside from that her powers are unre-
her shape or form (Uncommon) stricted. She can distort her body with Stretching,
570 Experience Points flawlessly imitate other people right down to the
cellular level with Shape Shift, accurately mimic
Total Disadvantage Points: 860
animals with Multiform, form parts of her body
into melee weapons, transform her flesh into stone
or metal, and so forth. See Chapter Two for many
98 ■ Solo Villains Hero System 5th Edition
bad, escape is just a little
Extra-Dimensional Move-
ment (to the Microverse) or
Desolidification (“stretch-
ing” to ooze through small
openings) away.
Campaign Use: Morph is an
all-purpose shapechanger
who gives the GM access to
whatever metamorphic abili-
ties he needs to make a plot
work right. She can be tough
enough to take on an entire
team of heroes if necessary
(especially if you use her
Variable Power Pool to beef
up her Damage Reduction).
To strengthen Morph,
give her more powers out-
side her Variable Power
Pool so she’s not entirely
dependent on the VPP. A
little Growth, Shrinking, or
Shape Shift that she can then
augment with her Pool frees
up more points for defenses
and attacks. To weaken her,
get rid of her Stretching (re-
quiring her to buy it with the
VPP) and her Damage Re-
duction, and perhaps reduce
her SPD to 5.
Morph is a terrifyingly
effective Hunter. Her powers
example powers she could create with her Power let her follow and spy on just
Pool; some of her favorites include Body Of Metal about anyone easily, and she can attack from sur-
and Arms Into Blades. prise even in places where the character feels the
In combat, Morph usually opens up with safest — from the Microverse or via Stretching
something spectacular, like transforming her she can get just about anywhere.
body to stone or metal and then making her Appearance: Morph can have any appearance she
fist enormous to smash people with, or using wants, obviously, but usually favors her “true” form:
Growth to become gigantic and powerful. She’ll a beautiful Caucasian woman about 21 years old
follow her initial attack with a Presence Attack in with dusky skin, short, dark hair, dark eyes, and a
the hope of cowing her opponents. If that doesn’t slender, well-proportioned figure. Her “costume”
work, she’ll become more subtle, using her pow- (actually just part of her body) consists of leather-
ers to keep her opponents off-balance and attack looking pants, belly-baring and decolletage-dis-
in the most effective way possible. If things go playing shortsleeved top, and bracers.
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Three 99

PULSAR 200+ Disadvantages PULSAR

Val Char Cost Roll Notes 15 Hunted: Champions 8- (More Powerful, PLOT SEEDS
15 STR 5 12- Lift 200 kg; 3d6 [1] NCI, Capture)
23 DEX 39 14- OCV: 8/DCV: 8 15 Hunted: VIPER 8- (More Powerful, After he defeats a team
23 CON 26 14- NCI, Capture) of VIPER agents sent
14 BODY 8 12- 20 Psychological Limitation: Overconfident to kill him, Pulsar finds
10 INT 0 11- PER Roll 11- (Common, Strong) clues that lead him to
10 Psychological Limitation: Unhealthy a VIPER lab, where he
11 EGO 2 11- ECV: 4
Fascination With Morgan Fairchild (Com- steals a prototype ener-
15 PRE 5 12- PRE Attack: 3d6 gy-augmentation device.
12 COM 1 11- mon, Moderate)
With his powers tripled
15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity (Frank in strength, he’s now
13 PD 10 Total: 23 (10 rPD) Costen) (Frequently, Major) every bit as dangerous
17 ED 12 Total: 27 (10 rED) 15 Unluck 3d6 as he normally thinks he
6 SPD 27 Phases: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 30 Vulnerability: 2 x STUN from Physical is! What will he do with
10 REC 4 HKAs (Very Common) his newfound might?
46 END 0 30 Experience Points And what side effects
40 STUN 8 Total Characteristic Cost: 147 could the device have...?
Total Disadvantage Points: 350
Movement: Running: 6”/12”
Background/History: It didn’t take Frank Costen Some of Frank’s old
Flight: 10”/20”
long to discover there aren’t too many things you Army superiors find out
Cost Powers END can do when you’re a high school dropout who’s who Pulsar really is and
60 Energy Powers: Multipower, been dishonorably discharged from the Army. Sure, decide to manipulate
60-point powers you can get drunk and start barfights, but only if him into coming to
you’ve got money to buy liquor. It wasn’t long be- work for them as part of
6u 1) Power Blast I: EB 12d6 6
a secret “super-soldier”
6u 2) Power Blast II: EB 8d6, Reduced fore Frank didn’t even have that.
project. How much
Endurance (0 END; +½) 0 So, when Frank got a tip about a VIPER re- harm will they cause
6u 3) Stun-Blast: EB 6d6, NND cruiting drive, he jumped at the chance. He figured before the heroes figure
(defense is ED FF; +1) 6 he’d be perfect for it — with his military experi- out what’s going on and
2u 4) Powered Punch: HA +5d6; ence, he was a shoe-in! Soon he’d be on his way to put a stop to it?
Hand-To-Hand Attack (-½) 2 the big time.
30 Force Field: FF (10 PD/ED), Reduced The tip turned out to be good, and Frank was Pulsar comes to the
Endurance (0 END; +½) 0 soon being given a physical by some VIPER sci- heroes, claiming his
30 Power-Flight: Flight 10”, Reduced entists. After taking a look at his test results, the energy powers are over-
Endurance (0 END; +½) 0 scientists made him an offer. They were looking for loading and he’s afraid
Martial Arts: Commando Training some “special recruits” to become part of an elite he’s dying. He genuinely
VIPER fighting force. Was he interested? seems terrified, but is it
Maneuver OCV DCV Notes
all part of an elaborate
3 Aikido Throw +0 +1 3d6 + v/5, Tar- This time, Frank was certain, his luck was
trap, or a true plea for
get Falls changing. He was right — but not the way he help?
4 Boxing Cross +0 +2 5d6 thought. The “evaluation test” for the “elite fight-
4 Choke -2 +0 Grab One Limb, ing force” turned out to be experiments in human
2d6 NND (2) mutation. As the electronic hum of the machinery
4 Karate “Chop” -2 +0 ½d6 HKA he was strapped to rose in pitch, Frank felt intense
(1d6+1 with STR) pain sear through every cell of his body. And then
it got worse. And worse.
Skills Frank was in so much agony, he barely noticed
9 +3 with Energy Powers Multipower when the machinery exploded around him. It was
4 +2 with Flight a couple of minutes before he realized he was lying
3 Combat Driving 14- on the floor in a heap of rubble. Even better, the
3 Concealment 11- pain was gone! In fact, he felt... better. More alive,
3 Demolitions 11- more vital, more — energetic. In fact, his body was
2 KS: The Superhuman World 11- bursting with energy.
1 KS: VIPER 8- Almost without thinking, Frank blasted the
1 KS: U.S. Army 8- rubble off his body and stood up. He was glowing
3 Power: Energy Powers 14- green, but he didn’t care. All he cared about was
2 PS: Soldier 11- getting back at those scientists.
5 Security Systems 12- A few minutes and three dead scientists later,
3 Shadowing 11- Frank was finally knocked out and restrained by
3 Stealth 14- VIPER soldiers. When he came to, the Nest Leader
3 Streetwise 12- made him an offer: come to work for VIPER, or be
1 Systems Operation 8- killed. Frank knew a losing hand when he saw it, so
2 TF: SCUBA, Snow Skiing he signed up.
Total Powers & Skill Cost: 203 He didn’t like it, though. Not wanting to be
Total Cost: 350 bossed around was what led to his dishonorable
discharge, after all. At the first opportunity, he
blasted his way out and never looked back.
100 ■ Solo Villains Hero System 5th Edition

For reasons best left unexplored,

Pulsar has an unhealthy fascination with
celebrity Morgan Fairchild. Many of his
schemes seem to have as their goal attract-
ing her attention. He often ends a glow-
ing description of one his plans with the
phrase, “And then, Morgan Fairchild will
be mine at last!” But he’s never attacked,
kidnapped, threatened, or stalked her; he
seems determined to win her affection on
his own merits.
Quote: “Now you’ll see what true power is!”
Powers/Tactics: VIPER’s experiments in
mutating humans granted Pulsar energy
powers. He can fire power-blasts, fly, and
protect himself with a force field. He can
even use his power to “juice up” an other-
wise ordinary punch — a tactic he loves to
use to show how macho and tough he is.
Even though he’s had military train-
ing, Pulsar has little grasp of tactics.
Mainly he shows off, blasting the biggest,
most obvious, or most important target
to show his power. He likes to Haymaker
his power blasts when he can, more for
the impressiveness than the extra dam-
age. (He always follows them up with a
Presence Attack.)
The only downside to Pulsar’s pow-
ers is the way they altered his molecular
structure, making him vulnerable to
things that pierce his skin — bullets,
knives, and so on. Energy seeps out of
cuts and punctures like blood gushing
Since then, Frank — using the name Pulsar from a wound, causing him intense pain.
— has been a common sight on the supervillain For this reason, he avoids opponents with such
scene. Sometimes involved with a scheme of his attacks whenever he can.
own, sometimes working for other criminals, he
has fought most of the major superheroes in Amer- Campaign Use: Pulsar is a good “throwaway” villain
ica, and a lot of the minor ones. He’s done precious you can use in just about any scenario. He can work
little winning, though. Somehow things just don’t with just about anyone, be manipulated into doing
seem to go his way. But this next job, see, it’s perfect; just about anything, and always seems to find a way
nothing can possibly go wrong.... to escape from prison.
As a Hunter, Pulsar is dangerous mainly be-
Personality/Motivation: Pulsar is, at heart, a lazy cause he loves to plan ambushes and often seems to
underachiever. He thinks of himself as the stuff attack at the worst possible time. If he can, he’ll use
master villains are made of, and one of the most his Shadowing to follow his target around until he
powerful men in the world. He explains all his fail- senses “just the right moment to strike!”
ures away as “bad luck.” But the truth is he doesn’t If Pulsar’s too weak for your campaign, scale
work hard at anything; he expects to be given fame, him up by giving him a few more energy powers
fortune, and women on a silver platter, and he has (maybe a Force Wall, Telekinesis, or the like) and
an excuse for everything that goes wrong. by increasing the DCs in his attacks and/or the
Despite his numerous failures, losses, and pe- number of CSLs he can apply to them. If he’s too
riods of imprisonment, Pulsar has an overweening strong, just decrease his DCs, and perhaps a few of
sense of self-confidence. He’s convinced he has the his Characteristics.
power to defeat anyone, and he’s quite susceptible
to flattering comments and extravagent praise Appearance: Pulsar wears a simple two-toned green
(especially from women). Despite his well-known costume, with darker green boots, belt, gloves, and
dislike for taking orders, it doesn’t take much for a half-face mask. The gloves are flared. On his chest
charismatic person to manipulate Pulsar into doing there’s a dark green “energy burst” design.
his bidding.
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Three 101

EL SALTO 200+ Disadvantages EL SALTO

Val Char Cost Roll Notes 15 Enraged: if insulted, belittled, mocked, or PLOT SEEDS
15 STR 5 12- Lift 200 kg; 3d6 [1] made to look the fool (Common), go 11-,
20 DEX 30 13- OCV: 7/DCV: 7 recover 14- One of the heroes makes
20 CON 20 13- 20 Hunted: The Millennium City Police De- a joking, snide refer-
10 BODY 0 11- partment 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture) ence to El Salto in a TV
15 INT 5 12- PER Roll 12- 5 Physical Limitation: Small (only 4’2”) (Infre- interview. Boiling mad
quently, Slightly Impairing) over this insult, El Salto
10 EGO 0 11- ECV: 3
15 Psychological Limitation: Greedy (Com- takes it upon himself to
15 PRE 5 12- PRE Attack: 3d6 make the character’s life
10 COM 0 11- mon, Strong)
a living hell.
10 Psychological Limitation: Thinks He’s God’s
6 PD 3 Total: 14 PD (8 rPD) Gift To Women And Offers Them Every
4 ED 0 Total: 12 ED (8 rED) Deciding that it’s time to
Opportunity To Show Their Appreciation even the odds, El Salto
6 SPD 30 Phases: 2, 4, 8, 10, 12 (Common, Moderate) hires Wayland Talos
7 REC 0 5 Rivalry: Professional (with any other leap- to build him a raygun
40 END 0 ing-oriented character, to prove he’s better) that inflicts dwarfism
40 STUN 12 Total Characteristics Cost: 110 15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity (Roberto on other people — in
Movement: Running: 4”/8” Olivares) (Frequently, Major) other words, it shrinks
5 Experience Points them down to his size
Leaping: 29”/58”
and condition. Now he
Total Disadvantage Points: 300 can prove who’s the best
Cost Powers END
3 Strong Leaper: Leaping +3” (6” forward, Background/History: It’s not easy growing up... without the heroes hav-
3” upward) 1 when you don’t grow up. Robert Olivares was born ing the unfair advantage
with dwarfism, attaining a final adult height of only of size!
2 Acrobatic Leaper: Leaping +3”
(9” forward, 5” upward); Requires An 4’2”. As a little person he was made fun of and had
trouble finding work. But despite his condition he After stealing what he
Acrobatics Roll (-½) 1
thinks is an ordinary
13 Springboots: Leaping +20” (29” forward, was deft and agile, and in time his general bitter-
(but valuable!) piece of
15” upward); OIF (-½) 2 ness about society and desire for the finer things in jewelry, El Salto discov-
9 Re-Bound: Leaping 5”, Trigger (whenever life drove him to crime. It turned out he was quite ers that the object gives
character wants to after performing a good at it, and he became highly sought after in the him Ultimate Cosmic
Full Move Leap, activating Trigger takes no underworld for his ability to fit into small spaces Power. Can the heroes
time, resetting Trigger is a Zero and containers. save the world from the
Phase Action; +¾) 9 But he wasn’t satisfied. He felt others still horror of God-Emperor
17 Bounce-Kick: HA +6d6; Hand-To-Hand At- looked down on him because of his size. He El Salto the First??!?!
tack (-½), Only When Moving (-¼) 3 couldn’t even aspire to the top position in his pro-
40 Pinball Attack: Energy Blast 8d6, Area fession — cat burglar — because of all the climbing
Of Effect (11” Radius; +1), Selective (+¼), involved, which he had difficulty with. One day he
Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼); was hit by an epiphany. He didn’t have to be able to
No Range (-½), Only Works In Enclosed climb up to places he wanted to rob. With the right
Spaces (-½), Requires A Leaping technology he could leap there.
Tricks Roll (-½) 4 Inspired by this idea, he began training hard,
16 Armored Costume: Armor (8 PD/8 ED); practicing acrobatic maneuvers. When not exercis-
OIF (-½) 0 ing he was working on a special set of “springboots”
-4 Short Legs: Running -2” (4” total) that could give him the power to leap tremendous
distances. When the boots were done, he started
Skills training again, combining his acrobatic prowess
20 +4 HTH with his enhanced leaping power. When he felt the
20 Hard To Hit: +4 DCV time had come, he christened himself El Salto (“the
9 +3 with Acrobatics, Breakfall, and Leapfrog”) and set out to prove that he was as good
Contortionist as any full-sized thief.
3 Acrobatics 13-
3 Breakfall 13- Personality/Motivation: El Salto has developed a
3 Climbing 13- (humorously) inflated sense of self-worth to com-
1 Computer Programming 8- pensate for his physical shortcomings. In his mind,
3 Contortionist 13- he’s the smartest, cleverest, and especially the hand-
1 Electronics 8- somest guy around, and anyone who doesn’t real-
2 Language: English (fluent conversation; ize it is a fool. He particularly thinks that women
Spanish is Native) should realize what a “catch” he is, and flirts outra-
3 Lockpicking 13- geously at every opportunity (even in mid-combat).
13 Power: Leaping Tricks 18- El Salto is justifiably proud of his leap-
3 Security Systems 12- ing abilities, and if he encounters other leapers
7 Stealth 15- usually challenges them to a “duel” or contest.
3 Streetwise 12- He’s even prouder of his large, luxuriant mous-
tache, and anyone who insults it risks his wrath
Total Powers & Skills Cost: 190 (increase his Enraged “go” roll to 14- when his
Total Cost: 300 moustache is involved).
102 ■ Solo Villains Hero System 5th Edition

Powers/Tactics: El Salto isn’t a powerful combat-

ant, and he knows it. He prefers to avoid fights
altogether, but if he can’t he relies on his mobility
and agility in combat. He keeps most (if not all) of
his Combat Skill Levels in DCV and relies on Move
Bys/Throughs and his Pinball Attack to hurt his
foes while staying on the move.
Campaign Use: El Salto is mostly a humorous char-
acter, intended as comedy relief and as an NPC
who will simultaneously make the heroes groan
and chuckle. Play him to the outrageous hilt, hav-
ing him flirt non-stop with female PCs, mock male
PCs, and enjoy the hell out of himself as he com-
mits crimes. Use an exaggerated Mexican accent
and over-the-top cheesy dialogue.
If for some strange reason you want to make
El Salto tougher, give him even more inches of
Leaping, perhaps a few more “leaping tricks” from
Chapter Two, or a Ranged weapon of some sort.
You could also build a “Leaping Martial Arts” pack-
age for him. To weaken him, remove his Skill Lev-
els and Combat Skill Levels with HTH Combat.
El Salto doesn’t Hunt heroes. He sometimes
pursues female PCs, but combat isn’t exactly what
he has in mind.
Appearance: El Salto is a Mexican man who stands
a mere 4’2” tall, but from his air of superiority
you’d think he was a giant. His costume is a green
full bodystocking that covers him from head to toe
(though it leaves his face exposed so everyone can
see his moustache), plus yellow boots, belt, gloves,
and domino mask. He has a large, luxuriant mous-
tache of which he’s inordinately proud, and speaks
Quote: “Do not theenk that because I am short of English with an outrageous Mexican accent.
stature that I am small in all ways, seZorita. Come,
let us stop this fooleesh fighting and find better
uses for our time toogaither....”
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Three 103

SAMHAIN 200+ Disadvantages SAMHAIN

Val Char Cost Roll Notes 25 Distinctive Features: Aura Of Ancient, PLOT SEEDS
25 STR 15 14- Lift 800 kg; 5d6 [2] Absolute Evil (Not Concealable; Always No-
30 DEX 60 15- OCV: 10/DCV: 10 ticed; Causes Fear) Talisman decides Sam-
25 CON 30 14- 10 Hunted: Trismegistus Council 8- hain is perfect for one
20 BODY 20 13- (As Pow, Kill) of her schemes and uses
30 INT 20 15- PER Roll 15- 25 Psychological Limitation: Utterly Evil; Can magic to “capture” him
Never Perform Kind Or Unselfish Acts and bring him to Mil-
30 EGO 40 15- ECV: 10
(Very Common, Total) lennium City. Does she
60 PRE 50 21- PRE Attack: 12d6 truly have him, or is he
4 COM -3 10- 25 Susceptibility: to holy places and objects,
merely playing along
takes 2d6 damage per Phase is on holy with her plans to escape
10 PD 5 Total: 10 PD (10 rPD) ground, in a holy place, or within 1” of a holy a mystic confinement
10 ED 5 Total: 10 ED (10 rED) object (Common) that has trapped him in
7 SPD 30 Phases: 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12 516 Experience Points the British Isles for his
10 REC 0 entire existence? If the
50 END 0 Total Disadvantage Points: 801
former, will his powers
50 STUN 4 Total Characteristics Cost: 276 Background/History: He arose in the minds of the be at full strength in
Tualans, birthed by the fears and doubts which all America, or will Talis-
Movement: Running: 15”/30” man find her plan falter-
too often afflicted them. Thereafter, nothing could
Flight: 15”/30” ing as he weakens away
destroy it; even after a cataclysm of the world, it
Teleportation: 15”/30” from his “native soil”?
remains still, feeding off the terrors in the minds of
Cost Powers END men. It was here when the British Isles first thrust
22 Terrorsense: Detect Person’s Fears 15- their putrid green heads above the waves, lurking Samhain begins plant-
in the forests and mountains and hills and mead- ing seeds of fear in
(no Sense Group), Discriminatory,
the minds of certain
Analyze, Range, Sense 0 ows. It has seen the Romans, Arthur, Normans,
terrorists, hoping to
110 Fear Powers: Multipower, 110-point reserve Shakespeare, Cromwell, Pitt, Victoria, Churchill, provoke a deadly attack
5u 1) Evoke Fear: Mind Control 14d6, and many others come to life, live, and die, existing in downtown London.
Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); Only always within the shadow of its glorious fear. And The PCs have to piece
To Control/Inflict Fear (-1) 0 even today, when the heroes are of a different sort, together the clues to
5u 2) Images Of Fear: Mental Illusions with gaudy costumes and foolish names, it remains stop the terrorists, then
14d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); strong and undefeatable — for wherever there ex- figure out the root cause
Only To Confront Target With Things ists a mind susceptible to fear, it can live on.... of their actions and stop
He Fears (-1) 0 Samhain from trying the
Personality/Motivation: Samhain is an ancient spirit same scheme again in a
11u 3) Susceptibility To Fear: Drain PRE of evil and fear. It exists only to inspire and “sculpt” few months.
4d6, Area Of Effect (6” Radius; +1), fear in human beings and animals, and it feeds on
Ranged (+½), Personal Immunity (+¼) 11 that fear. While content to thrive on the fears of With Samhain rampag-
22 Black Claws: HKA 1d6 (2d6 with STR), small, individual minds, it prefers the greater taste ing through London,
Penetrating (+½) 2 and nourishment of fear on a wide scale — such getting stronger by the
30 Corrupt Antlers: HKA 1d6 (1d6+1 with as it helped to foster during the Battle of Britain in minute thanks to the
STR), NND (defense is ED Force Field or any World War II. fear he’s creating, the
magic-based rED; +1), Does BODY (+1); In- PCs have to go on a
creased Endurance Cost (x2 END; -½) 8 Quote: “You cannot withstand my touch. Your cour- deadly quest to recover
40 Spirit Form: Desolidification (affected age is but a wilting flower compared to my power!” an ancient Tualan magic
by magic) 4 Powers/Tactics: Samhain’s powers mostly involve amulet that can repel
120 Spirit Body: Physical and Energy the evocation and shaping of fear. He can simply and weaken him.
Damage Reduction, Resistant, 75% 0 create raw fear within a victim’s heart (Mind Con-
10 Spirit Body: Damage Resistance trol), or show a victim his greatest specific fears
(10 PD/10 ED) 0 (Mental Illusions). With the latter power, he often
10 Spirit Mind: Mental Defense (16 points) 0 tries to achieve a +20 affect so he can cause STUN
10 Spirit Resilience: Power Defense (10 points) 0 and BODY damage (he scares the victim so badly,
47 Spirit Body: Life Support: Total (except a heart attack ensues). If he wants to cause fear in a
for Diminished Eating, but including large number of people, he’ll rely on his Drain PRE
Longevity [Immortality]) 0 and Presence Attacks.
18 Spirit Swiftness: Running +9” (15” total) 2 At the GM’s option, Samhain can make a Fear
30 Spirit Swiftness: Flight 15” 3 Powers roll to use his Evoke Fear ability in a more
30 Spiritwalking: Teleportation 15” 3 tailored fashion — to place so specific a fear in a
victim’s mind that he acts in the way Samhain de-
Skills
sires. Typically Samhain would use this power to
3 Power: Fear Powers 15-
make people commit random murders, engage in
3 Stealth 15-
terrorist acts, and do other things that increase the
Total Powers & Skills Cost: 525 “ambient fear level” within society.
Total Cost: 801 Samhain prefers to operate in secret as much
as possible. He lurks in the shadows on the edges
of society, using his Stealth and Desolidification to
remain unseen. Only when he has the chance to
104 ■ Solo Villains Hero System 5th Edition

induce fear in a large number of people is he likely

to reveal himself openly.
Campaign Use: Although not a “master villain,”
Samhain should have sufficient power to oppose
an entire group of PCs. His appearance in the
campaign should signal a major threat that the PCs
have to do their utmost to defeat. If Samhain isn’t
sufficiently powerful for this, increase his abilities
as appropriate, or add new ones; if he’s too strong
for your PCs to have any hope of defeating, reduce
his power until he’s just an extremely tough (but
not impossible) challenge.
Defeating Samhain should pose great difficul-
ties for the heroes. The best method is to trap him
an area where there exist no creatures he can affect
with his fear-inspiring powers. Confronted with
such bravery, he will shrivel and diminish, eventu-
ally winking out of existence... or so the heroes
should believe. In time Samhain will return in full
strength, for who can truly abolish terror?
Samhain does not Hunt heroes. Petty rival-
ries and thoughts of vengeance are beneath him;
he merely wishes to create a grand tableau of fear
throughout the world.
Appearance: Samhain resembles a muscular man
with a deer’s head and antlers, but the antlers are
black and the deer fur (and his body in general) are
speckled with ever-bleeding wounds and suppurat-
ing sores. He wears no clothes, but a mass of fur/
hair covers his waist. He has claws on his hands.
His feet are human feet, not deer’s hooves.
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Three 105

SCIMITAR 10 Mask Communicator: High Range Radio SCIMITAR

Val Char Cost Roll Notes Perception (Radio Group); IIF (-¼) 0 PLOT SEEDS
30 STR 20 15- Lift 1,600 kg; 6d6 [3] 4 Mask Lenses: Nightvision; IIF (-¼) 0
26 DEX 48 14- OCV: 9/DCV: 9 Perks Esper promises to cure
23 CON 26 14- Scimitar’s migraines if
2 Contact: European underworld “fixer” (8-)
12 BODY 4 11- he’ll help her kill her old
(Contact has significant Contacts of his own) adversaries... the PCs!
13 INT 3 12- PER Roll 12- 5 Money (Well Off)
14 EGO 8 12- ECV: 5
20 PRE 10 13- PRE Attack: 4d6 Talents An old mystic tells
15 Combat Sense 12- Scimitar his weapon
14 COM 2 12-
3 Lightsleep may be a “reincarnation”
12 PD 6 Total: 20 PD (13 rPD) of an ancient enchanted
10 ED 5 Total: 18 ED (13 rED) Skills scimitar, the Blade of
6 SPD 24 Phases: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 20 +4 HTH Five Suns. Determined
to learn more, and per-
11 REC 0 3 Breakfall 14- haps unlock his weap-
46 END 0 3 Combat Driving 14- on’s powers, Scimitar
40 STUN 1 Total Characteristics Cost: 157 3 Criminology 12- begins raiding libraries
Movement: Running: 10”/20” 3 Interrogation 13- and assaulting scholars.
3 KS: Mercenary world (INT-based) 12- The PCs have to stop
Swimming: 2”/4”
2 KS: UNTIL 11- his reign of terror... and
Cost Powers END 2 KS: World Politics 11- what if the old mystic
22 Questionite Scimitar: Multipower, 2 Language: English (fluent conversation; were right?
45-point reserve; all slots OAF (-1) Czech is native)
2u 1) Piercing Blade: HKA 2d6 (3d6+1 with 2 PS: UNTIL Agent 11- The word’s out that
STR), Armor Piercing (+½); OAF (-1) 4 Scimitar has informa-
3 Shadowing 12-
tion about UNTIL’s
1u 2) Swift Block: Missile Deflection (all 3 Stealth 14- Bureau of Superhuman
physical projectiles), Ranged (adjacent 3 Streetwise 13- Statistics for sale to the
hex; +½); OAF (-1), Will Not Work 3 Tactics 12- highest bidder. The PCs
Against Heavy Missiles (-¼) 0 5 WF: Common Melee Weapons, Small Arms, have to track down the
Martial Arts: Scimitar Fighting Grenade Launchers sale... and stop it!
Maneuver OCV DCV Notes
Total Powers & Skills Cost: 223
5 All-out Attack +1 -2 Weapon +4 DC
Total Cost: 380
Strike
4 Bind +1 +0 Bind, 50 STR 200+ Disadvantages
5 Charge +1 +0 Weapon +2 DCs 15 Enraged: when fighting UNTIL agents
+ vel/5; FMove (Uncommon), go 11-, recover 11-
Martial Arts: UNTIL Combat Training 20 Hunted: UNTIL 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
Maneuver OCV DCV Notes 20 Hunted: Russian Government 8- (Mo Pow,
4 Block +2 +2 Block, Abort NCI, Capture)
4 Disarm -1 +1 Disarm, 40 STR 15 Physical Limitation: Suffers Migraines (In-
4 Dodge — +5 Dodge, Affects frequent, Fully Impairing)
All Attacks, 20 Psychological Limitation: Hates UNTIL
Abort (Common, Total)
4 Choke -2 +0 Grab One Limb, 15 Psychological Limitation: Amoral and
3d6 NND(2) Greedy (Common, Strong)
4 Escape +0 +0 45 STR vs. 20 Psychological Limitation: Code Of The
Grabs Mercenary (Common, Total)
4 Punch +0 +2 8d6 Strike 10 Reputation: cold-hearted international
4 Restrain -1 -1 Grab Three mercenary, 8- (Extreme)
Limbs, 40 STR 45 Experience Points
3 Throw ?? +1 6d6 + vel/5; Tar- Total Disadvantage Points: 380
get Falls
1 Use Art with Blades Background/History: Viktor Zatopek was a non-
descript UNTIL agent until the Future Soldier
20 Blaster Pistol: RKA 2d6, +2 Increased Program got hold of him. Born in Brno in 1972, he
STUN Multiplier (+½); OAF (-1), joined the Czech Army in 1990 but soon applied
12 Charges (-¼) [12] to UNTIL in search of more interesting work and
5 Future Soldier Toughness: Damage the opportunity to travel. By 1994 he had graduated
Resistance (5 PD/5 ED) from UBT and been assigned as an Urban agent to
16 Armored Costume: Armor (8 PD/8 ED); the UNTIL offices in Copenhagen, where he served
OIF (-½) 0 for almost three years. Then came the fateful call
8 Future Soldier Swiftness: Running +4” from Technical Corps — according to his medi-
(10” total) 1 cal records, he was an excellent candidate for the
4 Future Soldier Leaping: Leaping +4” Future Soldier Program. If he volunteered for the
(10” forward, 5” upward) 1 procedures, he would at least get six months leave
106 ■ Solo Villains Hero System 5th Edition

mobsters he “acquired” a sword apparently made

from questionite that a scientist behind in his
gambling debts had designed, and kept it for
himself. Not long afterwards, he created the cos-
tumed identity of Scimitar so he could move into
the “big leagues” as an operative for European
organized crime. He’s quickly climbing the ranks
of Continental supervillainy, and even Eurostar
has noted his bloody efficiency. UNTIL suspects,
but has not yet confirmed, his identity.
Personality/Motivation: Scimitar is a paranoid
schizophrenic with real enemies. He believes that
UNTIL is out to get him (which it is, but for dif-
ferent reasons than he imagines), and blames it for
anything that goes wrong in his life. He continues
to suffer from anxiety and headaches resulting
from the failed FSP regimen, but usually contains
the symptoms while on the job (and drowns them
in alcohol and pills between assignments). When
on assignment for one of the various criminal fami-
lies he works for, he’s thoroughly professional and
emotionless.
Quote: “They’re still out there. They’re watching
me, always watching, waiting for me to trip up.
I’ll show them.”
Powers/Tactics: Like Gladiator, Scimitar has both
the physical enhancements of the FSP program
and the basic training of an UNTIL agent. He’s
superhumanly quick and durable, and can bench-
press a car. He’s also become quite skilled with his
namesake sword, forged from pure questionite
and therefore stronger and lighter than steel. He
admires its elegance and wields it like an artist, try-
in California and at best become a superhero! How
ing to cripple limbs and terrorize his opponents in
could any adventurous young man turn down such
hand-to-hand combat.
an offer? Viktor was on the next plane out.
Scimitar suffers from intense migraines on
The following six months were a blur of
occasion. Whenever you plan to use him in a sce-
tests, injections, radiation, and exercise. Vik-
nario, roll 3d6. On an 11-, he suffers a migraine
tor occasionally caught glimpses of his fellow
at some crucial point. The migraine lasts for 2d6
“guinea pigs,” but for the most part Dr. Strasky
Phases; during that time he suffers a -2 to all rolls.
kept the agents isolated from each other. One day
late in the process, Viktor accidentally caught Campaign Use: Scimitar is an excellent villain to
a glimpse of a horribly deformed man being use in any campaign with a heavy UNTIL empha-
whisked out of the TC facility and to a hospital; sis. Not only can he effectively oppose at least some
though he couldn’t be sure, he began to fear that superheroes, but for GMs inclined to run conspira-
might be his own fate. After all, his muscles were cy-oriented scenarios he could lead to the exposure
beginning to ache every night, and he couldn’t of a dark underbelly of UNTIL.
shake this vague headache he’d picked up. Scimitar rarely Hunts anyone unless paid to,
Viktor became increasingly tense and irritable. in which case he’s ruthless and efficient. However,
He began to suspect that his doctors were secretly he sometimes drops everything to stalk and kill an
trying to kill him. He vowed he wouldn’t go down UNTIL agent who catches his eye. He’d happily do
without a fight, and the next day when the lab or- the same to any UNTIL-affiliated super, particu-
derlies came to take him to the gym, he killed both larly Gladiator.
of them with his bare hands and fled the facility If you want to make Scimitar tougher, increase
wearing only a smock. his STR, defenses, and reflexes (DEX and SPD).
Despite his now full-blown paranoia, Vik- You could also give him some other questionite
tor retained his basic training and instincts, and weapons. If he’s already too strong, remove some of
over the next few months he killed a series of his Martial Maneuvers and his blaster, and reduce
people and used their identities to work his way his Primary Characteristics slightly.
back to Europe. By the time he got there, he was Appearance: Scimitar wears a black bodysuit with
much more comfortable with his enhanced abili- dark blue highlights, a black mask, and a blue sash
ties. He made himself available as a mercenary around his waist. He’s in excellent shape, and stands
assassin to organized criminals in his home 6’3” with dark brown hair and brown eyes.
country. On an early mission for some Prague
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Three 107

SIGNAL GHOST 3 Persuasion 11- SIGNAL GHOST

Val Char Cost Roll Notes 9 Security Systems 16- PLOT SEEDS
8 STR -2 11- Lift 75 kg; 1½d6 [1] 11 Stealth 17-
21 DEX 33 13- OCV: 7/DCV: 7 Total Powers & Skills Cost: 274 VIPER begins to get a
14 CON 8 12- Total Character Cost: 350 little too close for com-
10 BODY 0 11- fort. Signal Ghost turns
18 INT 8 13- PER Roll 13- 200+ Disadvantages to the heroes for protec-
25 Hunted: VIPER 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, tion, preferring a nice,
10 EGO 0 11- ECV: 3
Capture/Kill) safe cell to whatever
9 PRE -1 11- PRE Attack: 1½d6 the Boys In Green have
14 COM 2 12- 20 Hunted: MCPD 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, Limited
Geographical Area, Imprison) planned for her. But if
4 PD 2 Total: 12 PD (8 rPD) she plays her cards right,
10 Hunted: Dr. Silverback 8- (As Pow, Impris-
maybe she can trick the
4 ED 1 Total: 14 ED (10 rED) on) heroes, keep the suit,
5 SPD 19 Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 20 Psychological Limitation: Code Versus and get VIPER off her
6 REC 2 Killing (Common, Total) back for good....
28 END 0 15 Psychological Limitation: Thrillseeker (Com-
25 STUN 4 Total Characteristics Cost: 76 mon, Strong) Signal Ghost commits a
5 Rivalry: Professional (with other hackers and robbery at the Dynamic
Movement: Running: 6”/12”
high-tech thieves) Technologies Research
Flight: 15”/60”
15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity (Lisa Group. In other words,
Cost Powers END Sutherland) (Frequently, Major) she steals some valuable
28 Power Cell Array: Endurance Reserve 40 Experience Points technology from AR-
(120 END, 30 REC); OIF (-½) 0 GENT. With ARGENT
Total Disadvantage Points: 350 hunting for her, often
60 Phase Disruption (“Ghost Touch”): Drain
Background/History: Lisa Sutherland was a pro- using tech as advanced
STUN 4d6, Affects Physical World (+2); as her suit, she needs the
OIF (-½), Increased Endurance Cost (x2 fessional thief. She’d always had a wild, romantic
heroes’ help to survive.
END; -½) 24 streak while growing up in Green Bay, Wiscon-
16 Holoprojector Matrix: Sight Group sin, and spent a lot of her time reading paper-
Signal Ghost finds her-
Images, -3 to PER Rolls, Increased Size backs full of dashing thieves and roguish pirates
self attracted to a male
(4” radius; +½); IIF (-¼), Set Effect who defied law and convention with great style PC. Unable to think of a
(preloaded Images only; -½) 3 and joie de vivre. So, while she maintained her better way to get his at-
18 Phase Suit Padding: Armor (8 PD/10 ED); identity by day as a clerk in a small used book- tention, she steals some-
OIF (-½) 0 store, at night she broke into shops, banks, and thing valuable from him
27 Phase Suit Modulation: Desolidification (af- the homes of wealthy suburbanites. and leads him on a cat-
fected by multidimensional energies In the summer of 2002, however, her life and-mouse chase across
changed dramatically. While ransacking an old the city.
or magic); OIF (-½) 4
27 Phase Suit Ghost Mode: Invisibility to warehouse in Milwaukee, she found a secret pas-
Sight, Hearing, and Radio Groups, No sageway to a sub-basement. The sub-basement
Fringe, Reduced Endurance (0 END; contained a hidden laboratory, complete with
+½); IIF (-¼), Only Versus Mechanical strange devices, several wall-hangings depicting
Perception (-1) 0 the infamous VIPER logo, and a middle-aged
23 Phase Suit Jetpack: Flight 15”, x4 Noncombat; man at a worktable, dead (heart attack, it looked
OIF (-½) 3 like). On the worktable lay a white suit lined
5 Suit Radio: Radio Perception/ inside with microcircuitry. Lisa decided to get
Transmission (Radio Group); OIF (-½), the heck out of there before anyone from either
Costs Endurance (-½) 1 VIPER or the law found her, but she couldn’t
5 Mass Spectrovisor: N-Ray Vision (Sight resist taking the suit, in case it might be worth
Group; blocked by force fields); OIF (-½), something to her usual fences.
Costs Endurance (-½) 1 Once she tried on the suit she realized she was
ready for the big leagues. The strange outfit gener-
Perks ated multidimensional energies that let her “rotate”
2 Contact: High-tech fence 11- herself partially out of phase with the three-dimen-
Skills sional universe. While wearing it, she could walk
6 +3 OCV with Drain through walls! It also included
state-of-the-art hologram technology that let
3 Acrobatics 13- her project illusions or become invisible.
3 Breakfall 13- Since finding the suit, Lisa has taken her
5 Climbing 14- thievery to a whole new level. For the last couple
3 Computer Programming 13- of months, she and her “gang” (helpers she re-
3 Concealment 13- cruits, primarily old high school friends) have
3 Electronics 13- specialized in “impossible” crimes, robbing the
4 KS: Millennium City Corporations 14- high-tech corporations and laboratories of Mil-
1 Language: German (basic conversation; Eng- lennium City and selling the proceeds to a fence
lish is native) specializing in technology. So far, she’s avoided
9 Lockpicking 16- the notice of the city’s superhuman guardians,
108 ■ Solo Villains Hero System 5th Edition

Quote: None. Signal Ghost doesn’t leave cryptic

clues or banter with people who try to catch her.
Powers/Tactics: Except for her “Ghost Touch”
— the ability to pass her phased hand through a
target and cause him excruciating but not lethal
pain — and her hologram generator, Signal Ghost
has no offensive abilities. Her ability to “expand and
rotate” through higher dimensions allows her to
pass through three-dimensional barriers, and her
suit’s assorted stealth abilities help her avoid detec-
tion once she gets inside. If confronted directly by a
superhero or some other clearly superior force, she
cuts and runs.
Campaign Use: You can use Signal Ghost as a “mys-
tery villain” who commits a series of robberies that
baffle authorities and finally involve the heroes
directly (perhaps she even has the guts to rob their
headquarters directly). The challenge is catching
her, not beating her in combat.
If you want to toughen up Signal Ghost so she
can fight the PCs if necessary, boost her Charac-
teristics, increase her Armor to 15/15, and convert
her “Ghost Touch” into a Multipower of attacks she
can use while Desolidified. If the PCs don’t have
the ability to come to grips with her, get rid of the
Ghost Touch and put an Activation Roll on her
Desolidification.
Signal Ghost doesn’t Hunt heroes. Even if
motivated to gain revenge on one for some reason,
she’d just steal from him, not try to hurt him.
Appearance: Lisa is an attractive if tomboyish
young woman, 5’5” and 125 pounds, with sandy
but she’s getting more brazen with each crime, blonde hair and blue-green eyes. The Phase Suit is
and VIPER itself has just noticed Dr. Razukov is a featureless white bodysuit — all of the microcir-
dead and his suit is missing.... cuitry that makes it work is on the inside. However,
the outside components include the Holoprojec-
Personality/Motivation: Signal Ghost is in “the tor Matrix (a rigid belt made of large metal loops
Game,” as she calls it, for the thrill of it. She de- with a hunk of gadgetry at the buckle), the Jet Pack
lights in the adrenaline rush of sneaking quietly (slung low on her back and reinforced at the shoul-
through a lab at night, avoiding guards and getting der and thigh), and a helmet that incorporates ra-
away clean with some expensive prototype. She dio and microsensor circuitry and large goggles.
has little interest in violence — she doesn’t want to
hurt anyone and only preys on “money-grubbing
corporations.” She keeps most of the proceeds of
her crimes for herself and her friends, though she
donates large amounts of money to animal shelters
and similar charities.
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Three 109

SNOWBLIND 200+ Disadvantages SNOWBLIND

Val Char Cost Roll Notes 20 Hunted: PRIMUS 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture) PLOT SEEDS
10 STR 0 11- Lift 100 kg; 2d6 [1] 20 Hunted: UNTIL 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
18 DEX 24 13- OCV: 6/DCV: 6 25 Physical Limitation: Blind (All The Time, Snowblind learns (per-
18 CON 16 13- Fully Impairing) haps through DNA fin-
10 BODY 0 11- 15 Psychological Limitation: Pyrophobia (Fear gerprinting after being
13 INT 3 12- PER Roll 12- Of Fire) (Common, Strong) captured by the police)
15 Psychological Limitation: Cold-Heartedly that her father is Freon,
12 EGO 4 11- ECV: 4
Greedy (Common, Strong) the infamous (and
15 PRE 5 12- PRE Attack: 3d6 similarly-powered)
16 COM 3 12- 15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity (Kathryn
VIPER supervillain.
Snowdon) (Frequently, Major) That would certainly
5 PD 3 Total: 17 PD (12 rPD) 20 Vulnerability: 2 x STUN from Fire/Heat At- explain why Mother
6 ED 2 Total: 14 PD (8 rED) tacks (Common) never talked about
5 SPD 22 Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 20 Vulnerability: 2 x BODY from Fire/Heat At- him and why the ac-
8 REC 4 tacks (Common) cident gave her powers
36 END 0 instead of killing her!
30 STUN 6 Total Characteristic Cost: 92 Total Disadvantage Points: 350
Will she confront him
Background/History: Kathryn Snowdon’s mother and try to learn more
Movement: Running: 21”/42” about her past? Could
was a scientist — not a renowned one, a re-
Cost Powers END spected one, or even an entirely sane one, but an enemy of Freon’s try
52 Ice Powers: Multipower, 52-point reserve a scientist nevertheless. Throughout Kathryn’s to use this information
childhood Mother worked on one Big Project against him?
5u 1) Ice Blast I: Energy Blast 10d6 5
5u 2) Ice Blast II: Energy Blast 7d6, after another, always claiming that this one was
going to be the breakthrough that would make A rash of vicious rob-
Invisible to Sight Group (+½) 5
beries, resulting in two
5u 3) Ice Blast III: Energy Blast 7d6, Area her rich and famous.
deaths and hundreds of
of Effect (One Hex Accurate; +½) 5 When Kathryn was 17, the Big Project was a thousands of dollars of
4u 4) Chilled To The Bone: Energy Blast weather-control ray that would, Mother claimed, lost property, has been
4d6, NND (defense is Life Support [Safe En- allow a government to make the local weather be committed by someone
vironment: Intense Cold]; +1) 4 whatever it wanted without disturbing the weather with ice powers, or an
2u 5) Ice Bonds: Entangle 5d6, 5 DEF; patterns of nearby regions. Unfortunately Mother ice weapon of some
Vulnerable (Fire/Heat; -1) 5 got so wrapped up in her work that she forgot to sort. An intense man-
4u 6) Ice Sheet: Change Environment (create lock the laboratory door the way she usually did hunt is on for Snow-
ice sheet) 32” radius, -4 to DEX Rolls to when she was involved in a potentially dangerous blind — but she didn’t
experiment. Kathryn walked in during a calibration do it. What will she do
move on, Personal Immunity (+¼); Only Af-
to clear her name and
fects Characters Who Are Moving On test of the “cause snow” setting, the safety overrides
keep her freedom?
The Ground (-¼) 5 failed to work, Kathryn got zapped by the ray, and
5u 7) Snowblindness: Sight Group Flash 10d6 5 the machine exploded.
VIPER captures Snow-
15 Ice Powers: Elemental Control, Kathryn woke up a few minutes later. Her blind and hooks her
30-point powers eyes weren’t working right — everything was sort up to an experimental
15 1) Ice Armor: Force Field (12 PD/8 ED), of grey and indistinct, but it was as if she could weather control device,
Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) 0 see all around herself at once. Mother was dead, plunging the Millen-
20 2) Ice Slides: Running +15” (21” total), but somehow she didn’t really care that much. nium City area into a
Usable As Gliding (see text; +¼); Physical She was more concerned that she’d somehow get seemingly non-stop
Manifestation (-¼) 4 blamed for what happened and be locked up for blizzard. The heroes
23 3) Ice Wall: Force Wall (8 PD/8 ED, up murder. Gathering up her most precious belong- have to find out what’s
ings and all the money she could lay her hands going on, stop it, and
to 5” long and 2” tall); Cannot Move (-¼),
rescue Snowblind before
Vulnerable (fire/heat have 2x effect for on, she fled into the night.
the experiments kill her.
purposes of determining whether FW It wasn’t until the next day that she began to
collapses; -¼) 5 figure out what was going on. It wasn’t that her
2 Doesn’t Feel The Cold: Life Support eyes weren’t working right — they weren’t work-
(Safe Environment: Intense Cold) 0 ing at all. Somehow the explosion had robbed
27 Radar Sense: Radar (Radio Group), her of her eyesight will giving her some sort of
Discriminatory, Increased Arc Of “radar sense” that was even better than eyesight
Perception (360 Degrees), Telescopic in some ways (though she couldn’t perceive col-
(+4 versus Range Modifier) 0 ors or truly fine details).
The second day after the accident brought
Skills even greater surprises. She woke up that morning
6 +2 with Ice Powers Multipower to find her motel room chilled to below freezing,
2 CK: Millennium City 11- with chunks of ice built up along the walls and
3 Stealth 13- floor. A little experimentation showed her that
3 Streetwise 12- Mother’s weather-control ray had given her the
Total Powers and Skills Cost: 198 power to control ice and cold. Now this is something
Total Character Cost: 290 I can make some real money with, she thought to
herself... and a few days later the supervillainess
Snowblind made her first appearance.
110 ■ Solo Villains Hero System 5th Edition

Powers/Tactics: Snowblind has the power to cre-

ate ice and cold. Her powers range from blasts
of ice, to chilling someone from the inside out
so quickly they become stunned, to trapping
her opponents in solid blocks of ice, to freezing
the vitreous humor in someone’s eyes to create
temporary blindness. She can also protect herself
with ice armor or walls, and move quickly us-
ing ice slides (she can create an ice slide beneath
her when falling or to get down from the top of a
building, hence the Usable As Gliding feature). In
time she’ll probably learn many other applications
of her powers.
Snowblind has only been in a few pitched
battles (she’s mostly just a superpowered smash-
and-grab thief), so she has no real sense of tac-
tics. If confronted, she’ll fight back at first, but
quickly decides to run if hurt, or if the situation
doesn’t seem to hold any hope of gain.
Snowblind’s powers depend on having a rea-
sonable amount of moisture in the atmosphere,
so they work at lesser effect (typically 75-50% of
normal Active Points) in deserts and similar areas,
and may not work at all in outer space or other
places with no water. However, having lived near
Lake Erie all her life, she doesn’t know this, and
since it almost never affects her, it’s not reflected
with a Limitation on her powers.
Campaign Use: Snowblind is built on less than the
normal campaign starting total of 350 Character
Points (200 Base + 150 Disadvantages) to reflect
her relative youth and inexperience. As the game
progresses, the GM can, if he wishes, use her 60
unspent points from Disadvantages to start bring-
ing her up to par with everyone else in the cam-
paign by adding slots to her Power Frameworks or
increasing her DEX to 20 or more. If, on the other
hand, Snowblind’s already too powerful for your
campaign, reduce her Multipower to a 40-point
reserve and her SPD to 4.
Personality/Motivation: Snowblind doesn’t realize Snowblind would rarely, if ever, become
that the accident that gave her her powers also af- someone’s Hunted. She’s simply not that driven or
fected her mind. She used to be a normal person vindictive; she’s more interested in surviving and
who might even have become a superhero if she’d becoming rich and secure than in pursuing vendet-
gotten superpowers. But thanks to the explosion’s tas. Only a deeply personal insult or humiliation
impact on her brain, now she’s self-centered, would drive her to Hunt a hero. On the other hand,
greedy, and cold-hearted. She intends to use her she might make an interesting potential romantic
powers to benefit herself and no one else. relationship for a young hero if the hero could (a)
Quote: “Pretty cool, huh? Get it?” learn that the accident that empowered her affected
her mind, and (b) figure out a way to restore her
original personality.
Appearance: Snowblind is a slender, small-framed
18 year-old girl with long, straight blonde hair and
blue eyes. She wears a blue costume with white fur
trim (even though she doesn’t feel the effects of
extreme cold).
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Three 111

STEEL COMMANDO 24 Battlesuit: Armor (12 PD/12 ED); OIF (-½) 0 STEEL COMMANDO
Val Char Cost Roll Notes 9 Jumpjets: Leaping +14” (17” (20”) total); PLOT SEEDS
15+15*† STR 12 12- /15- Lift 200/1,600 kg; OIF (-½) 1
3d6/6d6 HTH [1/3] 11 Jumpjets: Flight 20”; OIF (-½), Only To In an effort to recover
18+7*† DEX 34 13- /14- OCV: 6/8-DCV: 6 /8 Change Direction Of Leaping (-2) 4 his technology from
20+5*† CON 25 13-/14- 4 Fleet-Footed: Running +2” (8” total) 1 the Steel Commando,
13 BODY 6 12- 6 Communications Array: HRRP; OIF the Warlord offers to
(-½), Flashed As Sight/Hearing Sense provide the PCs with
15 INT 5 12- PER Roll 12-
Group As Well As Radio Sense Group (-½) 0 certain information if
14 EGO 8 12- ECV: 5 they’ll capture him and
15+8* PRE 10 12-/14- PRE Attack: 3d6 3 Nightsight: Infrared Perception (Sight
turn him over to them
(4½d6) Group); OIF (-½) 0
— information which
10 COM 0 11- 3 Nightsight: Ultraviolet Perception (Sight could potentially save
Group); OIF (-½) 0 tens of thousands of
8 PD 5 Total: 20 PD (12 rPD) Talents lives. Will the PCs take
7 ED 3 Total: 19 ED (12 rED) this devilish bargain?
3 Resistance (3 points)
4+1* SPD 19 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12
(3, 5, 8, 10, 12) Skills Determined to settle the
10 REC 6 8 +1 with All Combat question of who’s the
40 END 0 9 +3 with Energy Rifle Multipower best, Lazer, Mechassas-
sin, and the Steel Com-
40 STUN 9 Total Characteristic Cost: 142 5 Accurate Sprayfire mando all compete to
3 Combat Driving 13- (14-) achieve a series of pre-
*: OIF (Powered Armor; -½) 5 Concentrated Sprayfire determined goals. Us-
†: No Figured Characteristics (-½) 2 KS: The Espionage World 11- ing rules pre-arranged
3 KS: The Military/Mercenary/Terrorist through negotiators,
Movement: Running: 8”/16”
World 12- each hires a mercenary
Leaping: 20”/40” team and starts turning
2 KS: The Superhuman World 11-
Cost Powers END 3 KS: The French Foreign Legion 12- the city inside-out try-
75 Energy Rifle: Multipower, 75-point ing to win the “scaven-
3 Language: English (completely fluent; Ger-
ger hunt” (and possibly
reserve, 125 Boostable Charges for man is native) kill his rivals at the same
entire Multipower (+1); all OAF (-1) [125] 1 Language: French (basic conversation) time). Stopping the
3u 1) Direct Fire Mode: Energy Blast 12d6; 2 Language: Spanish (fluent conversation) three of them should
OAF (-1) 3 Paramedics 12- cause the PCs enough
4u 2) Automatic Fire Mode: Energy Blast 3 PS: Marine 12- problems, but what hap-
10d6, Autofire (5 shots; +½); OAF (-1) 5 Skipover Sprayfire pens if other rivals show
2u 3) Power Blast Mode: RKA 4d6; OAF 3 Stealth 13- (14-) up... or the Warlord?
(-1), Requires 4 Charges Per Use (-½) 3 Systems Operation 12-
4u 4) Underslung Energy Grenade 3 Tactics 12- The Steel Commando
Launcher: Energy Blast 10d6, Explosion 3 TF: Common Motorized Ground Vehicles, takes a contract to kill
(+½); OAF (-1) Helicopters one of the PCs. He keeps
8 Energized Gauntlet: Does x1½ Knockback showing up at precisely
6 WF: Common Melee Weapons, Common
the wrong time, just
for up to 10d6 Strike; OIF (-½), Missile Weapons, Small Arms when the PCs have
2 Charges (-1½) [2] something more impor-
Total Powers & Skills Cost: 287
5 Another Energized Gauntlet (as above) tant to take care of. And
Total Cost: 429
7 Combat Dagger: HKA 1d6 (2d6 with eliminating him won’t
STR); OAF (-1), Real Weapon (-¼) 1 200+ Disadvantages solve the problem — the
Martial Arts: Commando Training 20 Hunted: Warlord 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, targeted character needs
Maneuver OCV DCV Notes Capture/Kill) to find out who took out
3 Aikido Throw +0 +1 5d6 (8d6) + v/5, 20 Hunted: UNTIL 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture) the contract and stem
Target Falls 20 Psychological Limitation: Code Of The Mer- the tide at its source, but
4 Boxing Cross +0 +2 7d6 (10d6) cenary (Common, Total) the Steel Commando
will never reveal his
4 Choke -2 +0 Grab One Limb, 20 Psychological Limitation: Self-Centered
employer’s identity.
3d6 NND (2) (Very Common, Strong)
4 Escape +0 +0 40 (55) STR vs. 10 Reputation: amoral mercenary, 11-
Grabs 10 Rivalry: Professional (with Lazer, Seek To
4 Hold -1 -1 Grab Three Harm/Kill Rival)
Limbs, 35 (50) 10 Rivalry: Professional (with Mechassassin,
STR Seek To Harm/Kill Rival)
4 Judo Disarm -1 +1 Disarm, 35 (50) 15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity (Heinrich
STR Kappel) (Frequently, Major)
4 Karate “Chop” -2 +0 1d6 HKA (2d6 30 Vulnerability: 2 x STUN from Electricity
with STR) (Very Common)
4 Kung Fu Block +2 +2 Block, Abort 74 Experience Points
8 +2 Damage Classes (already added in) Total Disadvantage Points: 429
2 Use Art with Clubs, Knives
112 ■ Solo Villains Hero System 5th Edition

Background/History: Heinrich Kappel, denied en- Autofire Skills), but switches to Direct Fire (or even
trance into the German army due to “psychological the energy-intensive Power Blast) when facing par-
problems,” and tossed out of the French Foreign Le- ticularly tough opponents. The rifle even has a system
gion after several episodes of “conduct unbecoming a attached to the underside of the barrel that drains
soldier” resulting from those psychological problems most of a shot’s worth of energy into a tiny explosive
(including nearly beating one of his commanding capsule, then uses the rest of the energy to launch it,
officers to death), decided mercenary work was resulting in a grenade-like explosion.
the best way for him to make use of his “talents.” To move quickly around the battlefield, Steel
But he realized he needed an edge. In Commando has Jumpjets that let him make long,
a world where superhumans compressed air-assisted leaps. He has separate omni-
existed, just being good with a directional jets for changing direction in mid-leap, so
rifle wasn’t enough. he can dodge obstacles or “leap around corners.” (In
After robbing a couple game terms, Steel Commando makes a Half Move
banks to raise working capital, with his Leaping, and at some point in the arc of the
Kappel got in contact with agents of leap makes a second Half Move with his Flight to
the Warlord, who was well-known for his abil- change direction.) In appropriate situations, the GM
ity to supply advanced technology and weap- may award him a Surprise Move bonus for this.
onry to customers with enough cash. After Campaign Use: The Steel Commando is a typical
receiving Kappel’s down payment, scientists mercenary villain, interested only in making lots of
working for the Warlord built him a suit of money and satisfying his urges for excitement, danger,
light powered armor and a multi-function and beating people up. He’ll gladly go to work for
energy rifle. After taking delivery of the anyone who can afford his exorbitant fees, though he’s
equipment, Kappel skipped out on paying the always wary of a possible Warlord trap.
rest of the money owed, causing the Warlord Steel Commando is certainly foul-tempered and
to pursue him ever since to get his technology cruel enough to Hunt a hero who captures or defeats
back. him, but he’s too self-centered to keep at it for long.
Christening himself “Steel Commando,” Kap- Eventually he’ll decide it’s not worth it and turn to
pel soon made his mark in the mercenary world. other pursuits... unless repeated encounters with, and
Today, only Lazer and Mechassassin are considered losses to, the hero keep stoking the fires of his hatred.
his equals in most circles, and as far as he’s con- As a Hunter, he pulls no punches, going straight for
cerned, all doubts will be dispelled when he next the kill and attacking at inopportune moments.
meets up with either of them. To make the Steel Commando more powerful,
Personality/Motivation: The Steel Commando is com- increase the size of his Multipower reserve and slots,
pletely self-centered and amoral. If he wants some- and/or create more slots (additional settings for his
thing, he goes after it, and he doesn’t care what he has Energy Rifle). Or, you could emphasize his personal
to do — or who he has to kill — to get it. If someone combat skills, giving him even better HTH Combat
bothers him, he usually doesn’t think twice about bru- abilities (such as more Martial Maneuvers, Extra
tally beating, or even killing, that person. His inability Damage Classes with his Martial Arts, and the like). If
to see beyond his own needs and desires has gotten he needs to be toned down a little, reduce his Multip-
him into trouble on numerous occasions. ower to a 60 Active Point reserve and get rid of one or
The only thing that ever seems to give him pause two of his Autofire Skills.
is his mercenary’s code. He refuses to release any Appearance: The Steel Commando battlesuit is a
information about his employers that he’s not autho- menacing grey and black. It has a sleek, streamlined
rized to, and won’t give up on a contract he’s promised look that sets it apart from bulkier, stronger suits of
to fulfill. Sometimes, his self-centeredness and profes- true powered armor. The boots have obvious jump-
sionalism war with one another, but the code has won jets on the left and right side of both legs; the omnidi-
out every time... so far. rectional jets for mid-course changes of direction are
Quote: “So what if he can bounce bullets off his chest? concealed at several places around the suit. The gaunt-
Get down there and set up the ambush like I told you lets are stylistically similar to the boots, with a series of
to, so you drive him toward me. I’ve got something in small raised studs along the knuckles that reveal their
this rifle that he won’t shrug off so easy.” Energized Gauntlets power. The helmet covers the
Powers/Tactics: The Steel Commando’s abilities result entire head, with a large one-way viewscreen cover-
partly from training, and partly from the light battle- ing the entire face. A small backpack-like attachment
suit he wears. Although not as advanced as the armor contains a power unit and other technology necessary
worn by Lazer or Mechassassin (see Conquerors, Kill- for running the suit.
ers, And Crooks), the Commando’s armor is neverthe- The Commando’s Energy Rifle was obviously
less tough. Its energized gauntlets allow him to punch designed to go with the suit; it has a similar aes-
his foes with extra power, knocking them around like thetic. It resembles a high-tech assault rifle, with
tenpins. However, the cybernetic leads and circuitry the odd-looking “grenade launcher” attached be-
in the armor cause it to generate painful feedback if neath the barrel.
hit with an electrical attack. Out of his armor, Heinrich Kappel stands 6’5”
Most of the Steel Commando’s offensive capabili- tall and has short, dirty blonde hair, pale blue eyes, no
ties come from his Energy Rifle. He favors the Auto- facial hair, and ruddy skin. He speaks English well,
matic Fire Mode (especially in conjunction with his but with a noticeable German accent.
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Three 113

TACHYON Total Powers & Skill Cost: 174 TACHYON

Val Char Cost Roll Notes Total Cost: 350 PLOT SEEDS
50 STR 40 19- Lift 25 tons; 10d6 [5] 200+ Disadvantages
20 DEX 30 13- OCV: 7/DCV: 7 20 Hunted: PRIMUS 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture) Tachyon discovers his
25 CON 30 14- Susceptibility to kelva-
15 Hunted: The Champions 8- (Mo Pow, Capture)
14 BODY 8 12- rite and decides to study
15 Psychological Limitation: Must Prove That the problem so he can
13 INT 3 12- PER Roll 12- He’s The Best (Common, Strong) “cure” it (i.e., decrease
10 EGO 0 11- ECV: 3 10 Psychological Limitation: Scientific Curious- or buy off the Disadvan-
20 PRE 10 13- PRE Attack: 4d6 ity (Common, Moderate) tage). But since he can’t
14 COM 2 12- 5 Rivalry: Professional (with another astrono- get close to the stuff, he’d
24 PD 14 Total: 24 PD (24 rPD) my professor; Rival Is Aware Of Rivalry) have to force or trick an
5 Rivalry: Professional (with Thunderbolt II; innocent scientist into
24 ED 19 Total: 24 ED (24 rED)
Rival Is Aware Of Rivalry) helping him....
5 SPD 20 Phases = 3, 5, 8, 10, 12
15 REC 0 15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity (Prof.
Steve Maxwell) (Frequently, Major) After a research grant
50 END 0 falls through, Tachyon,
52 STUN 0 Total Characteristic Cost: 176 15 Susceptibility: to kelvarite, 1d6 damage per
desperate for funding
Phase (Uncommon)
Movement: Running: 6”/12” to continue his work,
20 Vulnerability: 2 x Effect from Drains (Com- hires himself out to a
Leaping: 10”/20” mon) mysterious patron, who
Teleportation: 25”/50” 30 Experience Points has him commit a series
Cost Powers END Total Disadvantage Points: 350 of bizarre burglaries.
24 Toughness: Damage Resistance (24 PD/ED) 0 Unable to restrain his
Background: Born and raised in Chicago, Steve Max- curiousity, he begins
60 Teleportation Powers: Multipower, well always had a strong competitive streak. Whether trying to find out who
60-point reserve it was sports, grades, or picking up girls, Steve had to his benefactor is... and
6u 1) Basic Teleportation: Teleportation 30” 6 try to be the best — and he usually succeeded. To no after that gets him into
6u 2) Courier Teleportation: Teleportation one’s surprise, he ended up attending an excellent col- more trouble than he
20”, Position Shift, x16 mass 6 lege, Millennium City University, on a full ride based can handle, he comes
5u 3) Long-Range Teleportation: Teleportation both on his skill as as football player and his grades. running to the PCs for
20”, MegaScale (1” = 1 km; +¼) 5 help.
Steve’s string of successes continued at MCU,
6u 4) Focused Teleportation: Teleportation but his enjoyment of college life was marred by one
15”, Armor Piercing (x2; +1) 6 In an effort to get
thing: another student, Rob Bleskind. Somehow
6u 5) Aportation: Teleportation 12”, Usable PRIMUS off his back,
they just rubbed each other completely the wrong Tachyon trashes one of
As Attack (+1), Ranged (+½) 4 way. Bleskind was every bit as competitive as Steve
4u 6) Combat Aportation I: RKA 2d6, the organization’s bases
was, and every bit as good. Since they both were and steals a lot of equip-
Penetrating (x2; +1); OIF (any small majoring in the sciences, they bumped into each ment and records. Un-
teleportable object; -½) 5 other on campus all the time, and harsh insults were fortunately, one of the
3u 7) Combat Aportation II: Energy Blast the least they usually exchanged. The campus cops things he got were notes
5d6, NND (defense is having Teleportation, broke up more than one fist-fight between them. for a powerful new ver-
gravitic, magnetic, or dimension-manip- In Steve’s senior year, MCU got an unprec- sion of Cyberline the
ulation powers; +1); No Range (-½) 5 edented opportunity — the chance to examine part agency has been work-
3u 8) Blink Teleport: +8 DCV; ing on. PRIMUS needs
of a strange meteor that had nearly hit Earth, but
Costs Endurance (-½) 4 those notes back as
been destroyed by a group of superheroes just as it soon as possible, before
2 Escape Routes: Two Fixed Locations for was entering the atmosphere. One of the minerals
Teleportation (home; office) 0 Tachyon can sell them,
in the meteor was not found on Earth, and MCU and asks the heroes to
Perks was the first to have a chance to examine one of the find him.
2 Contact: prominent astrophysicist 11- chunks containing bits of this strange new rock,
dubbed “kelvarite.”
Skills To Steve’s delight, he was asked to participate
16 +2 with All Combat in the analysis, due to his strong background in
3 Computer Programming 12- astronomy. His enjoyment of the moment was
3 Electronics 12- spoiled when the professors brought Bleskind in
3 CK: Millennium City 12- as well, due to his skills as a geologist. It was all the
2 CK: Chicago 11- two of them could do to be civil to each other when
2 KS: Football 11- the professors were around.
3 PS: Instructor 12- And then the professors left the room for a
3 PS: Operate Telescope 12- minute to get some equipment. What happened next
2 PS: Play Football 11- is a matter of debate. Both Steve and Bleskind claim
5 SS: Astronomy 14- the other one began an unauthorized test. Or it may
3 Stealth 13- be that they got into a fight and knocked something
3 Streetwise 13- over. Or maybe they didn’t do anything. But regard-
1 Systems Operation 8- less of what they did or didn’t do, the meteor did do
1 Teamwork 8- something — it exploded! Both of them were show-
ered with tiny particles and fragments of kelvarite.
Bleskind, being closer to the meteor when the disaster
114 ■ Solo Villains Hero System 5th Edition

occurred, was bombarded with more kelvarite Powers/Tactics: Being bombarded with the mysteri-
than Steve was. ous alien mineral kelvarite (about which Earth sci-
Steve woke up in the hospital. He was ence still knows almost nothing) granted Tachyon an
amazed to find out that he didn’t feel any unusual and powerful suite of superhuman abilities.
pain. In fact, he felt terrific! It didn’t take long First, it greatly augmented his strength and resilience,
for him to discover that the accident had giving him the ability to toss vehicles around and
somehow granted him prodigious punch through armor plating with ease. Second, it
strength. And when a nurse somehow interacted with his bioelectric field to grant
opened the door and sur- him teleportation powers. In addition to teleporting
prised him, he discovered himself, he can teleport others (even against their will)
another one his powers or teleport small objects into people (causing terrible
— teleportation — purely wounds). For a less lethal attack, he can simply “blink
by reflex. Fortunately, he teleport” a person in and out rapidly, causing such
managed to get back into strain to that person’s system that he often passes out.
his room before the nurse Tachyon has developed a number of tactics
noticed he was missing. to take advantage of his abilities. For example,
As he continued his studies, if he’s facing someone, he can use his Courier
eventually earning a Ph.D in astron- Teleportation to ‘port in behind them so that he’s
omy, Steve practiced with his powers. He looking at the target’s back, and then punch them
developed fine control over his teleporta- for all he’s worth. With the GM’s permission,
tion powers, and explored the extent and he could combine his Aportation with a punch
uses of his enormous strength. Being (Strike) as a multiple-Power attack.
fairly self-centered and quite greedy, he Although Tachyon doesn’t know it yet, his kel-
soon began committing burglaries — an varite-based powers come with kelvarite-based weak-
easy enough thing to do for a super- nesses as well. For one thing, exposure to other kelva-
strong teleporter. rite somehow weakens and harms him, and could even
Today, Steve lives a double kill him if it were prolonged. Fortunately, kelvarite is
life. Most of the time he’s one pretty rare; the only known sources on Earth right now
of the newest astronomy pro- come from the meteor mentioned above, one frag-
fessors at MCU, teaching un- ment of which Steve Maxwell got to study. Somehow
dergrads the ins and outs of the kelvarite in his body also makes him vulnerable to
stars, nebulae, and planetary attacks that sap his abilities (i.e., Drains).
formation. But when he feels Campaign Use: Tachyon is a powerful opponent
like it, or when someone with an unusual set of powers the GM can use to
hires him to do a job, he keep the players on their toes. He’s difficult to keep
hits the streets as Tachy- imprisoned once captured, so he can always come
on, stealing and commit- back to get revenge.
ting mayhem as the mood takes him. To make Tachyon a little more powerful, boost
Personality/Motivation: Tachyon is not a complex per- his STR to 60, his Multipower reserve to 75, and his
son, as supervillains go. He’s self-centered, greedy, and Multipower slots accordingly. You could also in-
basically amoral, though he does a good job of cover- crease his SPD to 6. If you find he’s too powerful for
ing these negative qualities and blending into normal your game, try reducing his STR to 40, his SPD to
society on a day-to-day basis. His drive to prove his 4, and/or his Multipower to a 50-point reserve.
own superiority has lasted into adulthood; he still As a Hunter, Tachyon is a dogged and deter-
can’t stand it when anyone outdoes him — or even mined foe. He’ll usually start Hunting a hero because
comes close to outdoing him — and will do whatever the hero humiliated or bested him in some way, and
it takes to prove he’s the better man. If a superhero he’s dead set on proving who the “better man” really is
defeats him, he’ll keep coming back, again and again, — if necessary, in front of a huge crowd of people, just
until he achieves victory. so the whole city hears about it. He’s not particularly
As a scientist — he genuinely loves his work, and vicious or interested in killing his targets, but he’ll
can talk about it for hours — Tachyon has a strong gladly beat them to within an inch of their lives and
streak of scientific curiousity. He loves to know what embarrass them thoroughly.
makes things work, why they happen the way they Appearance: Tachyon is a tall, extremely muscular
do. If presented with a mystery or a puzzle, he often man who wears a blue and green costume when com-
focuses on it intently, becoming more absorbed in it mitting crimes. His boots and short gloves are blue.
than he should be. A superhero who discovers this Blue runs up the inner half of his leg and up the center
trait might be able to devise a clever trap for him. of his chest, spreading out over his shoulders and
Tachyon remains bitter rivals with Rob Bleskind, ending where the shoulders meet the upper arms in a
who’s now better known as Thunderbolt. Each of point. Green runs up the outer half of his legs and his
them does his best to interfere with the other’s work, sides, and all the way down his arms. His short gloves
taunt him, and make him miserable. The two have yet are blue. He wears a blue domino mask and has short
to put their superpowers to the test against each other, black hair. When he teleports, a field of bluish energy,
but they know it’s only a matter of time. a bit lighter in tone than his costume, surrounds his
Quote: “Now you see me...” ::teleports behind op- body and then fades away right after he disappears.
ponent and punches him:: “...now you don’t.”
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Three 115

TALISMAN 3 Seduction 14- TALISMAN

Val Char Cost Roll Notes 3 Stealth 13- PLOT SEEDS
10 STR 0 11- Lift 100 kg; 2d6 [1] 3 Streetwise 14-
20 DEX 30 13- OCV: 7/DCV: 7 Total Powers & Skill Cost: 271 Eager to divine the lo-
20 CON 20 13- Total Cost: 410 cation of the Karathos
10 BODY 0 11- Orb, an enchanted item
18 INT 8 13- PER Roll 13- 200+ Disadvantages of great power, Talisman
10 Distinctive Features: Mystic Aura (Not commits several crimes
21 EGO 22 13- ECV: 7
Concealable; Always Noticed; Detectable to obtain the bizarre
25 PRE 15 14- PRE Attack: 5d6 ingredients needed for
20 COM 5 13- Only With Unusual Senses)
20 Hunted: Trismegistus Council 8- (Mo Pow, a finding-spell. Can the
5 PD 3 Total: 19 PD (14 rPD) heroes figure out what
NCI, Capture)
she’s up to in time to
7 ED 3 Total: 21 ED (14 rED) 15 Hunted: DEMON 8- (As Pow, NCI, Capture) stop her — or must they
5 SPD 20 Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 20 Psychological Limitation: Corrupted Soul defeat an Orb-wielding
6 REC 0 (Common, Total) witch with four or five
56 END 8 15 Psychological Limitation: Utterly Self- times her normal might?
30 STUN 5 Total Characteristic Cost: 139 Centered; Cares Only For Herself (Com-
mon, Strong) Inexplicably, Talis-
Movement: Running: 6”/12”
15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity (Pamela man falls in love with a
Flight: 20”/40”
Duquesne) (Frequently, Major) male PC (or prominent
Cost Powers END 115 Experience Points NPC). Using powerful
60 Mastery Of Hellfire: Multipower, black magic, she warps
Total Disadvantage Points: 410 his mind and personal-
60-point reserve
Background/History: Pamela Duquesne and her ity, making him as evil
6u 1) Hellfire: Energy Blast 12d6 6
twin sister, Bethany, were raised in a seemingly or- as herself and her part-
6u 2) Hellfire Gate: Energy Blast 8d6, ner in crime. Can the
Explosion (+½) 6 dinary suburban home. But behind that seemingly
PCs rescue their friend
6u 3) Agonizing Hellfire: Energy Blast 8d6, Ar- normal facade lurked a shadow, for the Duquesnes
without hurting him?
mor Piercing (+½) 6 were witches devoted to the dark powers, and they
6u 4) Writhing Hellfire: Energy Blast 4d6, raised their daughters to become witches in turn.
When a powerful de-
Continuous (+1), Penetrating (+½), Pamela, cruel and spiteful almost from birth, wel- mon comes to get Talis-
Uncontrolled (+½) 6 comed the teachings and took to witchcraft readily, man to return a favor he
40 Foul Sorcery: Multipower, 40-point reserve while Bethany, kind-hearted and shy, had more once did her, Talisman
4u 1) Domination: Mind Control 8d6 4 trouble. manages to trick him
4u 2) Befuddlement: Mental Illusions 8d6 4 On their eighteenth birthdays, both girls into thinking that she’s
4u 3) Spell Of Torment: Ego Attack 4d6 4 were to be formally inducted into the Circle Witchcraft (or your PC
of the Scarlet Moon, the powerful coven their team’s mystic, as appli-
4u 4) Touch Of Terror: Drain PRE 4d6 4
parents belonged to. Eager for ever-greater cable), and vice-versa.
20 Helpful Witcheries: Elemental Control, Since the heroic mystic
40-point powers power, Pamela spoke the oaths readily, but
has no idea what’s going
22 1) Shield Of Sorcery: Force Field (14 PD/14 Bethany was horrified and ran away. Glad to
on, the PCs soon find
ED), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) 0 be rid of her goodie-two-shoes sister, Pamela themselves with one
20 2) Wings Of The Wind: Flight 20” 4 immersed herself in studying with the Circle, very angry demon on
20 3) Visions: Clairsentience (Sight and learning much dark magic from them. their hands....
Hearing Groups), 4x Range (600”) 4 Eventually, though, she became dissatisfied
3 Magesense: Detect Magic 13-; Concentration with the Circle. It was too hidebound, too obsessed
(0 DCV; -½) 0 with pointless rituals and traditions that only in-
hibited her ability to learn magic. She left, seeking
Perks other tutors. Down through the years she studied
2 Contact: a member of the Circle Of The with many, including the feared sorcerer-priests of
Scarlet Moon 11- DEMON and the demonic Dark Seraph. Any route
4 Contact: a Morbanes of DEMON 11- (very that offered greater access to power, be it making
useful Skills and resources, has significant blood sacrifices or corrupting her tutors with her
Contacts of his own) charms, she gladly took.
4 Contact: Dark Seraph 8- (extremely useful But she has done more with her life than
powers and resources) study. Pamela, who prefers the nickname “Talis-
Skills man,” isn’t content to stay in the library all the
6 +2 with Mastery Of Hellfire Multipower time. She wants bright lights, big cities, fast mon-
ey, and the adoration of beautiful people. Seek-
3 High Society 14- ing these things, she turned her powers to crime,
3 CK: Vibora Bay 13- and found it an even easier path to influence and
2 CK: Millennium City 11- power (albeit power of a different sort). With her
3 KS: Arcane & Occult Lore 13- mastery of hellfire and other magical abilities,
3 KS: Demonology 13- she’s a match for most superheroes — including
3 KS: Necromancy 13- her weakling sister, who joined the Champions.
3 KS: Witchcraft 13- Talisman eagerly looks forward to the day when
1 Language: Latin (basic conversation) she can finally destroy Witchcraft utterly. She al-
116 ■ Solo Villains Hero System 5th Edition

Also unlike Witchcraft, Talisman has chosen

the quick and easy routes to power, caring not
for the harm they may inflict on the world, or
ultimately on herself. Thus she possesses greater
power (i.e., more Character Points) than Witch-
craft, though they’ve both been studying magic for
roughly the same amount of time. Talisman’s Expe-
rience Points reflect this moreso than they do more
experience (though in fact Talisman has had more
opportunity to practice using spells on people than
Witchcraft has, since she doesn’t care about hurting
or manipulating innocents for her own purposes).
Talisman often gestures and incants when cast-
ing her spells, but she doesn’t have to — she’s just used
to doing so. She’s perfectly capable of using any of her
powers even when bound and gagged.
The Trismegistus Council, an order of be-
nevolent mystics with whom Witchcraft has some
association, would like to capture and neutralize
Talisman, whom they regard as a great threat to the
world (they won’t explain exactly why to Witch-
craft). DEMON, with whom Talisman has worked
in the past, would like to find a way to force her
to add her power to its ranks, but so far she has
eluded their snares.
Campaign Use: Talisman makes a good general-
purpose mystic villain for a variety of scenarios,
but often works best when some element of her
background — usually Witchcraft, but possibly a
Hunted or the like — is also part of the story. That
way she seems less like a two-dimensional evil
spellcaster, and more like the intriguingly wicked
person she actually is.
If Talisman is too weak for your campaign,
give her a Variable Power Pool like Witchcraft’s, but
make it larger and a little easier to use (once again,
the easy path to power pays off... for now). If she’s
too strong, reduce her Mastery Of Hellfire to a 40
or 50 point reserve, her EC to 30-point powers, and
a few of her Characteristics (DEX and CON, per-
most succeeded once, but only managed to curse haps) by a point or three.
her. A rematch is only a matter of time. As a Hunted, Talisman is vindictive and vi-
Personality/Motivation: Cruel, sadistic, petty, cious. She never forgets a slight, or passes up any
manipulative, and supremely self-centered, Talis- opportunity to make her quarry miserable — or
man is almost the complete opposite of her sister dead. Instead of simply blasting her foe, she’ll
Witchcraft. Pamela is outgoing, bold, self-confi- try to find unusual curses, spells of torment, and
dent, openly sexy, and assertive, unlike the more other ways to harm him. She rarely Hunts on less
shy, quiet Bethany. Long exposure to and use of than an 11-.
black magic has corrupted her soul, and though she Appearance: Although she is Witchcraft’s twin sis-
hasn’t sold it yet, even that dire step down the path ter, Talisman can easily be distinguished from her
to damnation is likely only a matter of time. hated sibling most of the time. She wears her black
Quote: “Enjoy the torments of Hell, little man.” hair long, usually allowing it to cascade down a
little below her shoulders. She typically wears black
Powers/Tactics: Talisman’s powers derive from
high-heeled boots, a black leather miniskirt, and a
her study and practice of black magic. She spe-
strategically-unbuttoned long-sleeved blouse (usu-
cializes in the manipulation of arcane Hellfire,
ally in black, some other dark color, or red); there’s
but has also mastered sorcery and various gen-
a flame motif embroidered along the cuffs.
eral magics. Unlike Witchcraft, who sacrificed
power for breadth of ability, Talisman has fo-
cused on developing powers more suited to her
selfish desires and ignored the “petty magics” of
“lesser witches.” But her powerful magics can tire
her easily if she’s not careful; when using her in a
game, keep careful track of her END usage.
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Three 117

WAYLAND TALOS 2 4) SS: Mathematics 14- WAYLAND TALOS

Val Char Cost Roll Notes 2 5) SS: Metallurgy 14- PLOT SEEDS
10 STR 0 11- Lift 100 kg; 2d6 [1] 2 6) SS: Pharmacology/Toxicology 14-
14 DEX 12 12- OCV: 5/DCV: 5 2 7) SS: Physics 14- ARGENT decides Talos
15 CON 10 12- Total Powers & Skills Cost: 221 has become too much
10 BODY 0 11- Total Cost: 306 competition and needs
25 INT 15 14- PER Roll 14- to be eliminated. Rather
200+ Disadvantages than dirtying its own
18 EGO 16 13- ECV: 6
20 Hunted: PRIMUS 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture) hands, it decides to trick
20 PRE 10 13- PRE Attack: 4d6 the PCs into doing the
10 COM 0 11- 20 Hunted: UNTIL 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
20 Psychological Limitation: Bitter Hatred Of job. Using contacts in
4 PD 2 Total: 10 PD (6 rPD) the media, it begins
Superheroes (Common, Total)
playing up the PCs’ pub-
5 ED 2 Total: 11 ED (6 rED) 46 Experience Points lic image, knowing this
4 SPD 16 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12 is bound to draw Talos’s
Total Disadvantage Points: 306
5 REC 0 unfavorable attention
30 END 0 EXAMPLE POWERS FOR GADGET POOL — and that when he
25 STUN 2 Total Characteristics Cost: 85 lashes out against them,
Class Ring Blaster: This weapon looks like an the PCs will track him
Movement: Running: 6”/12” ordinary class ring — large, gold, a little gaudy, down and capture him.
with a bright red stone in the center. But it’s ac- What will the heroes
Cost Powers END
tually a powerful blaster (albeit one with limited and Talos do when they
56 Gadget Pool: Variable Power Pool, 40
range and energy). discover ARGENT is
base + 20 control cost; Focus (all powers
playing them both for
in Pool must have at least -¼ worth of Energy Blast 8d6 (40 Active Points); IIF (-¼),
fools?
this Limitation; -¼) var Limited Range (20”; -¼), 6 Charges (-¾). Total
7 Bulletproof Clothing: Armor (3 PD/3 ED); cost: 18 points.
Talos teams with Teleios
IIF (-¼) 0 to create and equip
Anaesthetic Gas Button: One of the buttons on
3 Specs: Nightvision; IAF (-½) 0 clones of all the heroes.
Talos’s labcoat or sweater sometimes conceals a
3 Specs: Infrared Perception (Sight They plan to have the
short-range knockout gas projector.
Group); IAF (-½) 0 clones commit all sorts
6 Wristwatch Communicator: HRRP; OIF Energy Blast 4d6, NND (defense is Life Support of high-visibility crimes,
(-½), Flashed As Sight And Hearing [Self-Contained Breathing]; +1) (40 Active thus sullying the PCs’
Group As Well As Radio Group (-½) 0 Points); IAF (-½), No Range (-½), 4 Charges names. When everyone’s
(-1). Total cost: 13 points. turned against the PCs
Perks and their lives are at the
30 Contacts (throughout the underworld) Invisibility Field: Circuitry woven into Talos’s most miserable, Talos
10 Money: Wealthy ($5 million per year) clothes allows him to bend lightwaves around him- will order the clones to
self and become invisible for a short period of time. kill them.
Talents
6 Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED) Invisibility to Sight Group (20 Active Points); IIF After being diagnosed
3 Lightning Calculator (-¼), 12 Charges (-¼). Total cost: 13 points. with terminal cancer,
3 Lightsleep Talos decides to take
Protection Field: When superheroes threaten, Talos
Millennium City’s he-
Skills can activate this device, which projects an invisible roes with him when he
3 Bugging 14- defensive screen around his body. goes. He plans to build a
3 Computer Programming 14- Armor (12 PD/12 ED) (36 Active Points); IIF massive “energy bomb”
5 Cramming (-¼), 12 Charges (-¼). Total cost: 24 points. to level the city — but
3 Cryptography 14- first he has to steal the
3 Deduction 14- Background/History: For the first time, everything parts he needs. Can the
3 Demolitions 14- was going perfectly in the life of Wayland Talos. Even heroes figure out what’s
3 Electronics 14- though he was only in his early 30s, he’d founded a going on in time to stop
freelance technology design and consulting firm that him and save the city?
6 Forgery (Documents, Money, Commercial
Goods) 14- was thriving. A year ago he’d married the woman of
3 High Society 13- his dreams — Maria, beautiful Maria, who could see
3 Inventor 14- past his scrawny frame to the heart within. He woke
3 KS: The Superhuman World 14- up looking forward to every new and wondrous day.
3 Lockpicking 12- And then the superheroes came and ruined it all.
3 Mechanics 14- Maria worked as an administrative assistant in
3 Persuasion 13- one of those big office buildings downtown — he
15 Power: Gadgeteering 20- could never remember which one. Unfortunately,
3 Security Systems 14- it was the one a group of terrorists chose to invade
3 Systems Operation 14- and take hostage. The Justice Squadron responded,
9 Weaponsmith (all categories) 14- expecting to end the standoff quickly... only to find
3 Scientist the terrorists much better prepared, and much bet-
2 1) SS: Biology 14- ter armed, than expected.
2 2) SS: Chemistry 14- The ensuing battle wrecked a huge section of
2 3) SS: Electronic Engineering 14- the building, but only one life was lost — Maria’s.
118 ■ Solo Villains Hero System 5th Edition

Heartbroken Personality/Motivation: Consumed by bitterness,

and in anguish, anger, and even subconscious guilt at not having
Talos was certain protected his own wife, Wayland Talos has spent
of one thing: if decades lashing out at the people he deems respon-
those “heroes” sible for all the misery in his life — superheroes,
had just left well and by extension the public officials and authority
enough alone, his figures who don’t stop them. But despite all his
wife would still rationalizations, the truth is he’s a vicious, spiteful
be alive. person who’s simply given in to an excuse to ex-
Unable to ercise his basest impulses. He likes poking society
stop bitterly with a stick to watch it howl, and to see people suf-
brooding about fer the kind of pain he’s suffered. Unable (or, more
the situation, accurately, unwilling) to participate in the fun di-
Talos couldn’t rectly, he does so indirectly by supplying criminals
concentrate on and terrorists with weapons and technological ser-
his work, and vices. Every time he hears about a villain using one
within a few of his weapons to hurt someone, he smiles, briefly...
months he’d lost and then gets back to work.
all his contracts Quote: “It’s a simple problem, really. But I have just
and his company the weapon to solve it for you.”
— another thing
to lay at the feet Powers/Tactics: Wayland Talos is basically a
of these so-called coward; he doesn’t like pain, and doesn’t want to
“heroes”! They fight anyone, superhuman or otherwise. He pre-
didn’t care about fers to act from within the shadows and behind
people like him; the scenes. But if forced into a confrontation, he
they just stomped usually has one or more disguised weapons on
around, fighting, his person. He doesn’t like to carry guns, gre-
not caring who nades, or other such ironmongery; he prefers the
got hurt in the elegance of a blaster concealed in a piece of jew-
process. elry, or an invisibility field generator built seam-
Determined lessly into his clothes.
to strike back at Campaign Use: Wayland Talos gives you an easy
the heroes who’d way to provide criminals with the high-tech
hurt him, Talos gadgets and weapons they need to commit their
began using his crimes. If the New Purple Gang needs a tunneling
technological machine, Talos can build it. If VIPER wants to call
expertise to design weapons and equipment for in an outside consultant to improve its blasters,
criminals, even supercriminals — anyone who’d go Talos is the man for the job.
up against superheroes and hurt them. Changing Talos’s power level typically involves
In July 1992, when he heard the news about altering his Gadget Pool: if you want him tougher,
the Battle of Detroit, Talos rejoiced that so many give him more points’ worth of gadgets; if you pre-
heroes had died, not caring that sixty thousand fer to make him closer to a normal person, reduce
other people lost their lives as well. For once, the the Pool to 30 or 20 points. You could also raise or
heroes had gotten what was coming to them. But lower his Skill rolls.
the idea of the Millennium Project incensed him. As a Hunter, Talos is vicious, spiteful, and
The touch of superheroes befouled the whole con- cruel — but never directly involved. Rather than
cept. It was their fault the city had to be rebuilt, attack an enemy himself, he’ll hire a supervillain to
their inspiration that gave rise to the whole “City of do it for him, or give his customers discounts on
the Future” idea, their assistance that made it pos- weapons if they’ll attack his adversary with them.
sible. The whole situation was intolerable.
Appearance: Wayland Talos looks like a kindly old
Unwilling to let the heroes have free reign over
man — greying hair, glasses, wearing plain sweaters
an entire city, Talos packed up his shop and his few
(and sometimes a lab coat or work apron) — until
meager possessions and moved to Michigan. Soon
you look at his eyes. Cold and cruel, filled with a
the burgeoning Millennium City criminal element
bitterness and pain he gladly inflicts on the world
didn’t lack for equipment and high-tech weapons.
whenever he can, they disturb anyone who gazes
Today, the underworld regards Talos as one of its
into them. Although soft-spoken, he has a knack
best armorers, a man who helps it maintain parity
for filling his words with biting malice and uncom-
in the face of the MCPD’s MARS units and high-
fortable implications.
tech gadgetry.
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Three 119

VECTOR 200+ Disadvantages VECTOR

Val Char Cost Roll Notes 20 Hunted: UNTIL 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture) PLOT SEEDS
20 STR 10 13- Lift 400 kg; 4d6 [2] 20 Hunted: PRIMUS 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
36 DEX 78 16- OCV: 12/DCV: 12 20 Hunted: VIPER 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Vector issues an offer
25 CON 30 14- Capture/Kill) to the superhuman
13 BODY 6 12- 15 Psychological Limitation: Selfish; Looks Out underworld: I’m sell-
15 INT 5 12- PER Roll 12- For Number One (Common, Strong) ing insurance. You pay
15 Psychological Limitation: Paranoid (Com- me $10 million per
15 EGO 10 12- ECV: 5
mon, Strong) year, and if you’re ever
20 PRE 10 13- PRE Attack: 4d6 caught by the law, I’ll
14 COM 2 12- 15 Psychological Limitation: Flamboyant
break you out, even
Showoff (Common, Strong) from Stronghold. The
12 PD 8 Total: 12 PD (12 rPD) 5 Rivalry: Professional (with other speedsters, authorities are worried
12 ED 7 Total: 12 ED (12 rED) to prove himself the fastest) that some super-crooks
10 SPD 54 Phs: 2,3,4,5,6,8,9,10,11,12 467 Experience Points might take him up on
20 REC 22 his offer, and they’re
120 END 35 Total Disadvantage Points: 777
honestly not sure they
35 STUN 0 Total Characteristics Cost: 277 Background/History: Leonard Winston was a top can keep him from
Air Force combat pilot — the one the brass called fulfilling his promise.
Movement: Running: 6”/12” The PCs have to catch
on to test all the latest designs and classified proj-
Flight: 30”/480” him and convince him
ects. Brash and outgoing, he was a poor choice for
MegaFlight: 30 km/Phase to rescind the offer...
top secret work when it came to security concerns...
but he got away with his attitude and lax approach but how?
Cost Powers END
131 Hyper-Flight: Multipower, to discipline because there was no one who could
fly planes the way he could. Vector challenges a
131-point reserve
PC speedster to a race
13u 1) Super-Flight: Flight 30”, x16 Non- During one particularly tricky test flight,
around the world, to be
combat, No Turn Mode (+¼), Usable Winston encountered an unexpected stormfront moderated by a panel
Underwater (+¼), Reduced Endurance — one that had come seemingly out of nowhere, of three people jointly
(½ END; +¼) 6 developing with such speed he couldn’t avoid chosen by the two of
13u 2) Machspeed Flight: Flight 30”, it. Before he knew it he was in the thick of the them. If the PC wins,
MegaScale (1” = 1 km; +¼), No Turn clouds and battling the bucking winds for his Vector will supply them
Mode (+¼), Usable Underwater (+¼), Re- life. Suddenly his whole world came apart in a with some crucial piece
duced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 6 blinding flare of light, power, and pain. of information they’ve
200 Speedster Tricks: Variable Power Pool, The Air Force lost Winston on its radar shortly been seeking. But if Vec-
after he entered the clouds, and when even his stat- tor wins, the PC and his
120 base + 60 control cost, Powers Can
team have to agree to
Be Changed As A Zero-Phase Action ic-filled radio transmissions ceased and the plane
leave him alone — not
(+1); Only For Speedster Tricks (-½) var didn’t re-appear, it sent out search parties to look investigate, pursue, or
12 Friction Resistance: Damage Resistance for the wreckage. Eventually it found the debris interfere with him in
(12 PD/12 ED) 0 from the plane... but no Winston. Utterly baffled by any way — for two years
45 Femtospeed Perception: Rapid (x1 quadril- the situation, the USAF wrote him off as “missing from the date of the
lion) for Normal Sight 0 in action and presumed dead.” race. Will the PC do it?
But unfortunately for America and the
Skills world, he wasn’t dead. A few days later an ul- Vector comes to the
12 +4 with Speedster Tricks tra-fast flying supervillain, one of the swiftest PCs with the wild claim
20 +4 DCV ever recorded, committed over a dozen crimes that “aliens from the
10 +2 HTH in the Chicago area... in the space of about five Speed Zone” are plan-
3 Acrobatics 16- seconds. He called himself Vector and wore a ning to manifest in the
normal-speed world
3 Breakfall 16- costume, but an advanced bank security camera
and conquer it. It sound
3 Combat Piloting 16- got a good enough shot of him for the authorities ridiculous... but if it’s
3 KS: The Superhuman World 12- to identify him as Leonard Winston. That wasn’t true, the world is in seri-
2 KS: The US Air Force 11- enough for either PRIMUS or UNTIL to catch ous danger. What do the
3 KS: World Aircraft 12- him, though — he’s too quick for that. Ever since heroes do?
21 Power: Speedster Tricks 25- then he’s been a major thorn in the side of the
3 Stealth 16- law, having committed dozens of crimes and got-
3 TF: Combat Aircraft, Large Planes, Small ten away scot-free, and perhaps dozens more no
Planes one knows about because he moves so quickly.
Total Powers & Skills Cost: 500 Some officials consider him a major threat to
Total Cost: 777 world security due to his power level, though he
has yet to show an interest in anything beyond
ordinary crime.
Personality/Motivation: Vector’s always been
flamboyant — a showoff and thrillseeker with a
justified confidence in his abilities. Becoming a
superhuman has only made this tendency worse,
particularly when he’s around other speedsters;
many villains don’t like to work with him be-
120 ■ Solo Villains Hero System 5th Edition

Quote: “Oh, sure, I do that and then you hit me

from behind. You’re going to have to think faster
than that to catch the fastest man alive!”
Powers/Tactics: Capable of attaining speeds of
nearly 2,000 miles per hour under combat condi-
tions, and up to about 56,000 miles per hour when
he wants to really move, Vector is one of the fastest
beings on the planet — and he knows it. He takes
full advantage of his speed in combat by running
rings around his foes to show just how good he is.
He likes to start with a flashy but not overly effec-
tive attack, such as a Multiple Move By powerful
enough to Stun but not Knock Out his enemies. He
follows that up with a Presence Attack, and if he
still encounters resistance he opens up with every-
thing he’s got.
Vector burns END at a high rate — even if he
does nothing but move every Phase, he spends 60
END a Turn — so keep a careful eye on his END.
He often uses a Phase or two every Turn, especially
in Segments 9 and 11, to take a Recovery. If he can,
he buys the Speedster Tricks in his Power Pool with
Reduced END to further cut down on END usage.
At times Vector uses his Flight to mimic Run-
ning — he moves along the ground in such a way
that it looks like he’s using his legs to move. He par-
ticularly enjoys using this trick on people he’s never
encountered before so he can see the looks on their
faces when he suddenly soars into the sky.
Campaign Use: Vector is a classic speedster — in-
credibly fast and agile, highly experienced at using
his super-speed in a wide variety of ways. He just
flies instead of runs (most of the time). He should
cause they either (a) find his constant boasting pose a challenge for your PCs all by himself (never
and showing off annoying, (b) fear that his un- mind when he’s part of a team); if he’s not that
professional attitude and conduct will compro- tough yet, beef him up until he is.
mise the job, or (c) both. To make Vector more powerful, increase the
Since gaining his powers, Vector’s also become size of his Variable Power Pool, increase his SPD
a lot more self-centered, to the point of abandoning right up to 12, give him more END or Combat Skill
allies who need help because helping them would Levels, and/or let him buy some basic Speed Zone
inconvenience him or expose him to capture. He powers outside his VPP. To weaken him, reduce his
can act like a normal guy when he has to, and VPP and SPD until he’s a tough speedster for your
sometimes he even wants to, but when it comes campaign, but not necessarily the toughest.
right down to it all he cares about is himself. Vector isn’t much of a Hunter. He’s got bet-
But the accident that turned Leonard Winston ter things to do than chase after some slowpoke
into Vector did more than just exacerbate existing superhero — catching and humiliating guys like
personality traits. It also made him edgy and para- that is just too easy. But if someone made him mad
noid — fearful that people are spying on him, out enough, he might come looking for revenge, mak-
to get him, or hiding things from him. For example, ing full use of his powers to turn his enemy’s life
it’s commonly believed that he got his powers when into a living hell.
the experimental plane he was flying was struck by
a particularly powerful lightning bolt, and some Appearance: Leonard Winston is a black male
analyses of data gathered on him remotely tend to who’s six feet tall and weighs about 220 pounds
support that theory. Vector used to believe it too, with a firm, muscular build. He’s bald and
but in recent years he’s begun to wonder. Could a cleanshaven. As Vector he wears a skintight bodys-
simple lightning bolt really change him that way? tocking in dull gold with no gloves. It ends at the
And that storm came up on him really sudden. neck, in turtleneck-like fashion; to conceal his
Could it have been... aliens? Is he a guinea pig for identity he wears a sort of dull gold domino mask
some experimental alien ray? If so, which aliens over his eyes. His boots have reinforced soles to
was it, and what do they really want with him? withstand the friction he creates when he uses his
Thoughts like this often keep him up at night. flying powers to emulate running.
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Three 121

VIXEN 2 PS: Thief/Cat Burglar 11- VIXEN PLOT SEEDS

Val Char Cost Roll Notes 5 Security Systems 13-
15 STR 5 12- Lift 200 kg; 3d6 [1] 3 Seduction 13- The classic Vixen plot
23 DEX 39 14- OCV: 8/DCV: 8 3 Sleight Of Hand 14- #1: Vixen’s got an-
20 CON 20 13- 3 Stealth 14- other one of her revenge
10 BODY 0 11- 3 Streetwise 13- schemes against VIPER
1 Systems Operation 8- in the works. The PCs
15 INT 5 12- PER Roll 12-
2 WF: Small Arms suspect that the end
12 EGO 4 11- ECV: 4 result might cause as
20 PRE 10 13- PRE Attack: 4d6 Total Powers & Skills Cost: 169 much harm as good, so
18 COM 4 13- Total Cost: 290 they have to figure out
what she’s up to and stop
6 PD 3 Total: 14 PD (8 rPD) 200+ Disadvantages it (or change it so that
6 ED 2 Total: 14 ED (8 rED) 20 Hunted: VIPER 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Kill) only VIPER gets hurt).
6 SPD 27 Phases: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 20 Psychological Limitation: Determined To
7 REC 0 Destroy VIPER (Common, Total) The classic Vixen plot
40 END 0 20 Psychological Limitation: Code Versus Kill- #2: Vixen begins steal-
30 STUN 2 Total Characteristics Cost: 121 ing (Common, Total) ing a lot of seemingly
15 Psychological Limitation: Greedy (Com- unrelated objects. The
Movement: Running: 9”/18”
mon, Strong) heroes have to track her
Swinging: 15”/30” down, capture her, and
15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity (Victoria
Cost Powers END Randolph) (Frequently, Major) find out what’s going on.
Martial Arts: Karate When they do capture
Total Disadvantage Points: 290 her, they may find out
Maneuver OCV DCV Notes
Background/History: Like many little girls, Vicky she’s being blackmailed
4 Atemi Strike -1 +1 2d6 NND(1) into doing the jobs, or
4 Block +2 +2 Block, Abort Randolph grew up idolizing her father. Unlike
that she’s unaware of
4 Disarm -1 +1 Disarm, 25 STR most little girls, her father was a cat burglar. As she
their true significance.
4 Dodge +0 +5 Dodge all at- got older, she begged him to teach her the “family
tacks, Abort trade.” Reluctant at first, but seeing the benefits to
Vixen vanishes. The PCs
3 Legsweep +2 -1 4d6; Target Falls having a partner, he finally agreed. Soon the father- soon begin to suspect
4 Punch/ and-daughter team was pulling down major scores that VIPER may have
Snap Kick +0 +2 5d6 Strike in American and Europe. caught up with her at
5 Side/Spin Kick -2 +1 7d6 Strike Then they made a mistake: they took a job for long last. If so, her death
VIPER. They knew it was a risk, but the money in- will be neither slow nor
16 Armored Costume: Armor (8 PD/8 ED); volved was too good to pass up. After they did the pleasant. Can they track
OIF (-½) 0 job, the snakes paid up... but in blood, not money. her down and rescue
6 Fast Runner: Running +3” (9” total) 1 Not wanting to have any loose ends that might her before the snakes
7 Swingline: Swinging 15”; OAF (-1) 1 cause trouble later, VIPER took Victoria and her fa- kill her?
18 Intangibility: Desolidification (affected ther captive and used them to test an experimental
by magic); Extra Time (takes a Full Phase teleportation device. VIPER’s scientists predicted
to activate, and a Half Phase Action to there was only a 16.37% chance the subjects would
maintain each Phase it’s in use; -¾), In- survive. Sure enough, when the agents opened the
creased Endurance Cost (x2 END; -½) 8 door to the teleportation chamber, there was noth-
Perks ing left but a pile of organic dust that used to be
10 Money: Wealthy two living human beings.
Or actually one living human being. For some
Skills reason, the device hadn’t worked on Victoria’s fa-
20 +2 Overall ther, but it had worked on her. With a flash of blue-
3 Acrobatics 14- white light and a split-second of agonizing pain
3 Acting 13- she found herself several miles away. Not being
3 Breakfall 14- one to look a gift horse in the mouth, she fled and
3 Bribery 14- went into hiding. She soon discovered through the
3 Climbing 14- underworld grapevine that VIPER thought she, like
3 Contortionist 14- her father, was dead.
3 Conversation 13- And that wasn’t the only thing she discovered.
1 Electronics 8- A few days after her miraculous escape, she learned
2 Gambling (Card Games) 12- the teleporter had... altered her somehow. She
3 High Society 13- could walk through walls! It wasn’t easy, and it tired
2 KS: Art History 11- her out quickly, but it was still amazing. And she
2 KS: Gems And Jewelry 11- seemed faster and more dexterous, too. Now she
2 KS: VIPER 11- could become the most successful cat burglar ever!
1 Language: French (basic conversation; But she decided she had other things to
English is Native) do, too. There was the little matter of revenge.
3 Lockpicking 14- VIPER had kidnapped her and killed her father,
3 Persuasion 13- so she was determined to destroy the organiza-
2 PS: Appraisal 11- tion. Wanting to keep the secret of her survival
122 ■ Solo Villains Hero System 5th Edition

When dealing with people she likes but

doesn’t necessarily trust or want to let get too
close to her (i.e., the PCs), Vixen tends to adopt
a sort of “flirtatious” attitude (at least toward the
men). She finds this puts people off-guard and
gives her an advantage. When flirting, she often
adopts a slight Southern accent and refers to the
people as “sugar.”
Quote: “Now, sugar, I hope you didn’t think even
you could catch me that easy.”
Powers/Tactics: Compared to an average per-
son, Vixen is quite competent: She’s fast, agile,
skilled, and knows karate. But she’s gotten the
idea in her head that being able to become
intangible for a few seconds makes her a “su-
perhuman” on par with the likes of the Cham-
pions, which just isn’t so. In a superbattle she’s
likely to find herself in over her head pretty
quickly if she doesn’t watch what she’s doing
Campaign Use: Vixen is intended as a quasi-ally
and perhaps even potential romantic interest for
your heroes more than a true supervillain. While
she is a thief with an overwhelming love of the finer
things in life, she’s not evil and could definitely
be redeemed... with the help of the right hero, of
course! Overcoming her desire for revenge against
VIPER might be harder, but it would be possible
to channel it so that she’s not so reckless or un-
concerned with the consequences of her schemes
against the snakes.
To make Vixen more powerful, remove the
Limitations on her Desolidification, and per-
haps give her some related powers (such as DCV
from VIPER as long as possible, she created the Combat Skill Levels defined as “blink Desolidi-
costumed identity of Vixen and embarked on a fication”). To weaken her, reduce her DEX to 20
career of thievery and snake-baiting. and SPD to 5, and get rid of her Overall Levels.
Personality/Motivation: Compared to most of the vil- Appearance: Victoria Randolph is a white wom-
lains the heroes fight, Vixen is pretty admirable. Sure, an, 5’10” with an attractive, well-developed fig-
she’s greedy, and she doesn’t have much respect for ure. Her shoulder-length hair is chestnut brown,
the property of others, but she has no interest in hurt- her eyes green, and her face pretty enough to
ing anyone (well, anyone not associated with VIPER, have graced the covers of a thousand magazines
anyway). From some perspectives her crusade against had she chosen to become a fashion model. As
VIPER might even make her seem like a quasi-hero, Vixen she wears a reddish-orange (i.e., fox-col-
but her unreasoning hatred for the organization could ored) bodystocking with reddish-brown gloves,
easily push her to do things that she’d otherwise never boots, and flared domino-style mask.
consider, like putting lives at risk.
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Three 123

DER WESTGOTE — THE VISIGOTH Perks VISIGOTH

Val Char Cost Roll Notes 7 Contact: Fiacho 11- (extremely useful PLOT SEEDS
60 STR 50 21- Lift 100 tons; 12d6 [6] Skills and resources, significant Contacts
24 DEX 42 14- OCV: 8/DCV: 8 of his own, good relationship) Eurostar decides to flex
30 CON 40 15- 30 Contacts: 30 more points’ worth of its new muscles and
15 BODY 10 12- Contacts in the European and American launches a new wave of
20 INT 10 13- PER Roll 13- underworlds crime and terror with
5 Money: Well Off der Westgote at the fore-
18 EGO 16 13- ECV: 6
front. The plan is to pick
25 PRE 15 14- PRE Attack: 5d6 Skills one famous monument
14 COM 2 12- 20 +4 HTH in the capital city of the
25 PD 13 Total: 25 PD (20 rPD) major European nations
1 Computer Programming 8- and destroy it. The he-
25 ED 19 Total: 25 ED (20 rED) 4 Gambling (Card Games, Dice Games) 13- roes have to figure out
6 SPD 26 Phases: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 3 AK: Europe 13- where der Westgote and
30 REC 24 2 CK: Berlin 11- his teammates will strike
60 END 0 1 KS: Art History 8- next and stop them be-
60 STUN 0 Total Characteristics Cost: 267 1 KS: The Espionage World 8- fore they ruin more of
2 KS: European Politics 11- humanity’s heritage.
Movement: Running: 13”/26”
Leaping: 20”/40” 1 KS: History 8-
2 Language: English (fluent conversation; Ger- An American criminal
Cost Powers END man is Native) organization (a VIPER
Martial Arts: Brick Tricks 1 Language: French (basic conversation) Nest, perhaps) hires der
Maneuver OCV DCV Notes Westgote to come to the
1 Language: Russian (basic conversation)
United States and kill
4 Bearhug I +0 +0 16d6 Crush, 7 Power: Brick Tricks 16- (DEX-Based) the PCs.
Must Follow 3 Stealth 14-
Grab 3 Streetwise 14- The heroes encounter
4 Big Push +0 +0 75 STR to Shove 3 Tactics 13- der Westgote guard-
4 Break Free +0 +0 75 STR vs. 2 WF: Small Arms ing what appears to be
Grabs a simple, and not very
Total Powers & Skills Cost: 234
5 Fist-Grab +1 +1 Grab One Limb, profitable, smuggling or-
Total Cost: 501
Block ganization. What’s really
3 Grab +0 -1 Grab Two 200+ Disadvantages going on?
Limbs, 70 STR 10 Distinctive Features: Mutant (Not Conceal-
for holding on able; Always Noticed; Detectable Only By
4 Punch +2 +0 14d6 Strike Unusual Senses)
4 Slam -1 -1 14d6 Strike; 25 Hunted: UNTIL 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
Grab Two 5 Hunted: Eurostar 8- (Mo Pow, Watching)
Limbs; Target 20 Psychological Limitation: Utterly Amoral
Falls (Common, Total)
3 Tackle +0 -1 12d6 +v/5 15 Psychological Limitation: Overconfidence
Strike; You Fall, (Very Common, Moderate)
Target Falls; 10 Reputation: dangerous, vicious supervillain,
FMove 8- (Extreme)
4 Toughness +2 +2 Block, Abort 15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity (Rudolf
30 Rending And Tearing: HKA 3d6 (6d6 Eberhardt) (Frequently, Major)
with STR); Increased Endurance Cost 201 Experience Points
(x2 END; -½) 8 Total Disadvantage Points: 501
20 Super-Tough Skin: Damage Resistance Background/History: Born and raised in Germany,
(20 PD/20 ED) 0 Rudolf Eberhardt can barely remember a time when
4 Super-Physiology: Life Support (Extended he wasn’t stronger and tougher than normal. Even as
Breathing: 1 END per 20 Minutes) 0 a child he could easily bully his playmates, and by the
10 Super-Physiology: Life Support time he turned 13 he was obviously superhumanly
(Immunity: all terrestrial poisons and strong. His parents kept trying to convince him to
chemical warfare agents) 0 hide his abilities and only use them responsibly to
14 Super-Strong Legs: Running +7” (13” total) 1 help people, but he thought they were idiots. Why
8 Super-Strong Legs: Leaping +8” shouldn’t he use his strength to get anything he want-
(20” forward, 10” upward) 1 ed? When he robbed a bank at 15 and they started to
14 Rapid Healing: Healing 2d6 (Regeneration; call the police on him, he killed them both and left
2 BODY/Turn), Reduced Endurance home, never looking back.
(0 END; +½), Persistent (+½); Self Only He spent the next ten years in the European
(-½), Extra Time (1 Turn; -1¼) 0 underworld, making a reputation for himself as a
super-strong, super-ruthless criminal who’d take
any sort of job if the money was right or the thrills
were there. Along the way he murdered over two
124 ■ Solo Villains Hero System 5th Edition

Quote: “All right, it’s your funeral.”

Powers/Tactics: The Visigoth is an immensely
strong brick, though he’s not quite as resilient as
many superhumans with similar levels of STR.
(On the other hand, he heals very quickly, and it’s
extraordinarily difficult to keep him unconscious.)
What makes him dangerous as a fighter is that he
doesn’t just punch people and throw heavy objects.
He’s taught himself how to use his super-strength
effectively in combat, as reflected by his Brick Tricks
Martial Arts. (He also has the Brick Tricks Power
Skill, and can use it occasionally to perform some
of the abilities listed in The Ultiamte Brick, if the
GM permits.)
In battle, the Visigoth usually opens up with
a few straightforward punches to find out just
how much damage his opponent can take. If
that’s not enough to end the battle, he’ll switch
to Martial Maneuvers (particularly Bearhug I) or
his Rending And Tearing ability. He enjoys show-
ing off his strength by doing something flashy
(especially a Fist-Grab maneuver) and then mak-
ing a Presence Attack.
Campaign Use: Der Westgote isn’t quite as “butch”
as many other bricks. What sets him apart from
other super-strong characters is that he’s smart.
While his sociopathy compromises his intelligence
at times, he knows how to fight cleverly and with
tactical insight... and when it’s time to retreat and
live to fight another day. Don’t play him as another
ordinary knock-down-drag-out punching brick;
showcase his ability to fight intelligently.
To make the Visigoth tougher, increase his
defenses a bit, and perhaps give him a small Mul-
dozen people, including several women. He was tipower of “brick trick” powers. If he’s too tough,
captured by UNTIL twice, but found a way to reduce his STR to 50, his SPD to 5, his REC to 20,
escape both times. In his late 20s he journeyed to and his related abilities proportionately.
America for the first time and committed some Der Westgote definitely holds grudges; it
crimes there as well, but he’s shown a marked pref- wouldn’t take much for him to start Hunting a
erence for staying in Europe since then. hero. But if he does, he’ll do so casually (rarely on
In 2002, der Westgote made some political com- more than an 8-); he prefers to take advantage of
ments in an interview with an underground journal- opportunities that come his way (or that he can
ist. Fiacho, leader of Eurostar, read the interview and easily set up) rather than deliberately stalking
approved of what the self-styled “Visigoth” had to say. someone for a long period of time.
He tracked the feared brick down and had a discus-
sion with him. The two have maintained a cordial, if Appearance: The Visigoth is a handsome Ger-
wary, relationship, mostly based around meeting in man man in his late 20s. He’s extremely mus-
obscure taverns late at night to discuss politics and cular, but not nearly as much so as a typical
drink. Fiacho introduced him to the rest of Eurostar Champions Universe brick — he looks more like
as well, and except for Durak they all seemed to get a bodybuilder than a superhumanly strong per-
along with him, so in 2005 Fiacho offered him a posi- son. He wears his wavy blonde hair at shoulder
tion on the team, which he accepted. length, and his eyes have a gleam of malicious
cleverness to them. He doesn’t have a costume
Personality/Motivation: The Visigoth is utterly like most supervillains do; typically he wears
amoral, a true sociopath who cares about no one black boots and pants, a tan or brown shirt (of-
and nothing except himself and his own personal ten with the topmost three or four buttons un-
gratification. He doesn’t feel the slightest shred done), and sometimes black fingerless gloves.
of guilt about committing robbery, murder, and
acts of terrorism — as long as he enjoys himself
and gets what he wants, that’s all that matters.
He’s interested in politics, art, and history, but
only in a superficial way compared to the likes of
Fiacho and Mentalla; he mainly pays attention to
intellectual subjects so he can “look smart” in the
company of others.
Evil Unleashed ■ Chapter Three 125

WHITE RHINO Total Powers & Skill Cost: 278 WHITE RHINO
Val Char Cost Roll Notes Total Cost: 496 PLOT SEEDS
50 STR 40 19- Lift 12.5 tons; 10d6 [5] 200+ Disadvantages
22 DEX 36 13- OCV: 7/DCV: 7 15 Enraged: if takes BODY damage (or 30+ White Rhino smashes
35 CON 50 16- a ring of poachers who
STUN in a single blow) (Uncommon), go
20 BODY 20 13- were secretly working
11-, recover 11- for Joseph Otanga to
10 INT 0 11- PER Roll 11- 20 Hunted: UNTIL 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture) obtain certain “supplies”
10 EGO 0 11- ECV: 3 20 Hunted: VIPER 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Kill) he needed for some
20 PRE 10 13- PRE Attack 4d6 20 Psychological Limitation: Must Protect Cen- mystic rituals. The en-
12 COM 1 11- tral Africa (Common, Total) raged Otanga wants to
30 PD 20 Total: 20 PD (20 rPD) 15 Psychological Limitation: Greedy (Com- get rid of him forever...
mon, Strong) but decides to trick the
30 ED 23 Total: 20 PD (20 rPD)
15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity (Lucas PCs into doing the job
5 SPD 18 Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 instead of sullying his
17 REC 0 Kintebe) (Frequently, Major)
own hands.
70 END 0 191 Experience Points
63 STUN 0 Total Characteristics Cost: 218 Total Disadvantage Points: 496 White Rhino takes a job
Movement: Running: 12”/24” Background/History: Lucas Kintebe was born into a in America that pays a
poor family in Uganda. He began stealing almost as lot of money, but ends
Leaping: 10”/20”
up captured and put
soon as he was old enough to walk, and by the time
Cost Powers END in Stronghold. Then
he was a teenager he was an accomplished thief. It he feels a tremendous
18 Horns: HA +6d6, Reduced Endurance wasn’t a very good living, though, and he constant-
(0 END; +½); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-½), threat to central Africa,
ly yearned for something better. and appeals to the PCs
Only Works With Move Throughs (-1) 3 One day he got a tip from a friend about the to (a) convince his jail-
15 Toughness: Hardened (+¼) for 30 PD/ security guard schedules at a local museum. Think- ors to release him, and
30 ED 0 ing this might be his big break, he planned care- (b) help him save his
37 Toughness: Damage Resistance (30 PD/ fully and slipped into the museum at just the right people and homeland.
30 ED), Hardened (+¼) 0 moment. He stole a bagful of the most valuable,
24 Rhino Resilience: Knockback easily-carried art objects and treasures he could VIPER has a lot of in-
Resistance -12” 0 find, then made his escape. terests in Africa, and
10 Mystic Protection: Power Defense When he examined his loot, one item — an some of them may
(10 points) 0 threaten the central part
amulet depicting the legendary white rhino, har-
19 Mystic Protection: Life Support (Self- of the continent. This,
binger of good fortune — really intrigued him. naturally, would bring it
Contained Breathing; Safe Environment: On a lark, he put the amulet on. Without warn-
High Pressure, High Radiation, Intense into conflict with White
ing it began to tingle, and then it merged with his Rhino. Preferring to
Cold, Intense Heat, Low Pressure/Vacuum) flesh, sinking into his body. He screamed and fell eliminate the problem
12 Rhino’s Speed: Running +6” (12” total) 1 unconscious. in advance, VIPER ma-
4 Burst Of Speed: Running +8” (20” total); When he awakened, he wasn’t human any- nipulates the PCs into
Increased Endurance Cost (x7 END; -3) 14 more. He looked like some strange cross between battling him.
30 Luck Of The White Rhino: Luck 6d6 0 a rhino and a man, with thick, knobbly whitish
Perks skin covering his body and two horns grow-
20 Contacts: 20 points’ worth throughout ing out of his head. One look at himself and he
Central Africa fainted dead away.
2 Reputation: protector of Central Africa and This time when he awoke, he was his old,
friend to its people (among some inhabitants normal self again. After a little bit of concentra-
of Central Africa) 11-, +2/+2d6 tion, he discovered he could change between one
form and the other at will. And in his rhino-man
Talents form, he was super-strong! He spent the next
40 Protector Of Central Africa: Danger Sense week on a crime spree, smashing his way into
(general area [central Africa], any danger, banks and stores and taking all the money he
sense) 14- could get his hands on...
Skills ...and then, just as he was planning another
15 +3 HTH job, he got this strange feeling that something was
4 +2 OCV with Move Through wrong in the countryside to the north. Unable to
shake the feeling, he headed that way to find out
3 Climbing 13- what was going on. He discovered an unscrupulous
5 AK: Central Africa 14- diamond mining company exploiting its workers
2 KS: African History 11- and polluting the river. Enraged, he transformed
2 KS: Central African Flora And Fauna 11- into his White Rhino form (as he now called it),
1 Language: English (basic conversation; smashed the company’s facility into rubble, and
Swahili is Native) gave all the money and raw diamonds he found in
9 Power: Brick Tricks 16- (DEX-Based) the company’s safe to the workers.
3 Streetwise 13- Since then, the White Rhino’s led a sort of
3 Trading 13- double existence. Most of the time he’s just a su-
perpowered Lucas Kintebe, with all of his ordinary
126 ■ Solo Villains Hero System 5th Edition

Quote: “I want that necklace, and you’re not gonna

stop me. Comin’ through!”
Powers/Tactics: White Rhino isn’t exactly the
world’s greatest tactician. He has two basic attacks:
the Punch; and the Move Through (the latter usu-
ally involving his Burst Of Speed ability). Which
one he uses typically depends on whether he’s in
HTH Combat range with his target or not. Some-
times he throws a Grab into the mix as well. A little
bit of training with a skilled tactician would expand
his range of fighting skills considerably.
White Rhino possesses a few abilities most
bricks don’t because of his role as the protector
of central Africa. He can sense danger to the area
(or large numbers of people within it), and has a
certain degree of resistance to mystic attacks (and
related powers). Most importantly, the fates watch
out for him; the GM should make frequent use of
his Luck (though the GM should consider remov-
ing a die or two of Luck when White Rhino’s out-
side of his home territory). Furthermore, he has a
good reputation among many central Africans, and
can often count on their help and support.
Campaign Use: White Rhino presents an interesting
contrast around which the GM can spin stories. By
inclination he’s a thief and robber, more than will-
ing to use his super-strength for personal gain. But
he’s also central Africa’s protector. What happens
when his two Psychological Limitations come into
conflict? Is it possible to appeal to his better nature
and turn him into a true hero?
To make White Rhino tougher, give him
some “brick trick” powers and other abilities
greed and criminal tendencies. But when a threat — or, to make him more distinctive, give him
to central Africa or her people arises, he feels an ir- more mystic powers related to his role as protec-
resistible compulsion to use his powers to help out tor of central Africa but which don’t necessarily
and right the wrong, often playing “Robin Hood” in have anything to do with being super-strong
the process. He’s become a hero to many Africans, (for example, the ability to summon and control
and a despised criminal to others. rhinos). To weaken him, reduce his defenses and
Personality/Motivation: Gaining superpowers didn’t other Characteristics a little.
change Lucas Kintebe’s personality much. He’s White Rhino won’t Hunt characters normally;
greedy and cares nothing for laws or morals; if he there’s no profit in it. However, if someone repeat-
wants something valuable, he finds a way to take it. edly or persistently threatens central Africa, he may
Becoming White Rhino allows him to steal things find himself compelled to pursue and destroy the
he never could have before, and he loves that. He wrongdoer.
usually works by himself, but has no trouble team- Appearance: In his superhuman form, White
ing up with other villains or working for a master Rhino resembles a cross between man and rhino:
villain. While he doesn’t mind a good fight, he’s not he stands on two massively-muscled legs and has
cruel or murderous, and won’t work with people two equally muscular arms, but his face is rhino-
who are overly violent. He’d fit in well with GRAB. like and he has two horns (a large one in front,
But the White Rhino powers come with a sol- and a smaller one behind, like those of a rhino)
emn, unavoidable obligation to protect the central projecting from his forehead. His skin is thick and
region of Africa (roughly, south of the Sahara to knobbly like a rhino’s, but it’s got a distinctively
about the twelfth parallel below the equator). If pale, almost white, coloration (hence his name). He
something threatens the region, its people, or its wears a sort of loincloth-like garment around his
environment, the mystic source of his powers com- waist, but no other clothes.
pels him to investigate and resolve the situation. It As Lucas Kintebe, White Rhino is a fairly
doesn’t care how he resolves it, as long as the threat handsome African black male of average height
vanishes. Lucas has tried to resist the compulsion a and a relatively muscular build (but not noticeably
time or two, but has never succeeded. It’s reached so). He wears the nicest clothing he can find and
the point where he sort of enjoys the accolades he afford; his transformation from human into rhino-
receives for his heroic actions, so he doesn’t nor- human form has an unfortunate tendency to tear
mally fight the mystic impulse anymore. apart whatever he’s wearing at the time.