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  In this issue: 
  • An Adventure! 
  • And Another! 
  • Hex 
  • Pix 
  • Wax 
  • Spiders 
  • Snakes 
  • Scorpions 
  FEB 2004
  
   
   
   
  the secret special page 
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  1 
  Table of Contents 
   
  HHEERROO  HHIIGGHHWWAAYY  
  WHEN LAST WE LEFT OUR HEROES… 
   
   
  Keep up with the news from Hero Games. 
  This issue – snakes, serpents, and sidewinders; 
  and planes, trains, and automobiles. 
  2 
  HEROGLYPHS 
   
   
  See how Steve Long himself answers 
  rules questions. This issue – the Proportional 
  Modifier for powers that wax and wane. 
  3 
  HERO UNIVERSE 
   
   
  The Sentinels’ rotating membership 
  gains the gregarious Scarlet Archer, the 
  lovely Hex, and the confrontational Ranger. 
  6 
  YOU GOTTA HAVE CHARACTER 
   
   
  Weegee the Famous took newspaper 
  photos of mobsters, victims, and other 
  horrors, turning the medium into an art form. 16 
  YOUR HOROSCOPE FOR:  SCORPIO 
   
   
  Giant scorpions terrorize the city, but 
  who is the all-American couple that keeps 
  turning up along with them? 
  22 
  AADDVVEENNTTUURREE  AALLLLEEYY  
  FORCED EVOLUTION 
   
   
  A madman is threatening to turn the 
  entire city into animal-men under his control. 
  Can the city’s Vindicators team stop him? 
  28 
   
   
  DIGITAL HERO 
   
   
  Publisher 
  Hero Games 
  Editor 
  Dave Mattingly 
  Authors 
  W. Jason Allen 
  Steven S. Long 
  Allen Thomas 
  Jason Walters 
  Darren Watts 
  Artists 
  Bob Cram  
  Ron Salas 
  Mike Sigler 
  Derrick Thomas 
  Cover Artist 
  Keith Curtis 
  Online 
  herogames.com 
  To Subscribe 
  herogames.com/ 
  digitalhero 
   
  HERO System
  TM ® is DOJ, Inc.'s trademark for its roleplaying system. 
  HERO System Copyright © 1984, 1989, 2002 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved. 
  Champions Copyright © 1984, 1989, 2002 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved. 
  Justice Inc., Danger International, Dark Champions, Fantasy Hero, and Star Hero Copyright © 2002 by DOJ, 
  Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved. 
  No part of this electronic magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic 
  or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or computerization, or by any information storage and retrieval 
  system, without permission in writing from the Publisher:  DOJ, Inc., 1 Haight Street, Suite A, San Francisco, 
  California 94102. 
  Issue #17 (February 2004) 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  2 
  When Last We Left Our Heroes… 
  by Steven S. Long 
   
   
  We’ve got two books coming out this month 
  – or so the schedule says – so I’ll talk about them 
  both briefly to let you know what’s coming up! 
  Back into the Serpent’s Den… 
   
  First up is Sharper Than A Serpent’s Tooth, 
  an adventure written by our very own Allen 
  Thomas. If you liked Shades Of Black (and there’s 
  no reason you shouldn’t have), you’ll find that 
  STAST is every bit as good. Our plan, as usual, is 
  to include something in the adventure with lasting 
  value, so that the product remains useful to you 
  after you play it. In Champions Battlegrounds, 
  that something was maps. In STAST, it’s the 
  premier of a new master villain… the insidious 
  King Cobra! 
   
  Well, OK, he’s not entirely new. Long-time 
  Champions fans will recall him from Classic 
  Enemies and some other 4E products. But up until 
  now he’s never been featured in the 5E 
  Champions Universe, because we wanted to give 
  him a big debut. And what a debut! 
   
  STAST opens with Showdown At Snake 
  Gulch, in which King Cobra (recently transformed 
  into a supervillain from his original identity, Dr. 
  Timothy Blank) “recruits” the PCs to help him 
  cover his tracks as he defects from VIPER. The 
  PCs are in for a fight against a VIPER Nest, and if 
  they’re fast and clever they can gather some clues 
  that may tip them off that there’s more going on 
  than meets the eye. 
   
  King Cobra launches his plot to take over 
  VIPER, and the world, in Chapter Two, The 
  Ophidian Plague. He plans to start transforming 
  people into serpent-men, and then blackmail the 
  world into making him Emperor of Earth. But 
  there are a few loose strings the PCs can use to 
  track him (and the plague’s cure). Can the heroes 
  stop the rampaging serpent-men and stay on King 
  Cobra’s trail? 
   
  Let’s hope so, because that trail leads to his 
  lair – an underground jungle called The Hothouse. 
  There, they not only have to contend with King 
  Cobra’s giant serpent pets, but agents of his 
  organization, the CObra Imperial Legion:  COIL. 
  After fighting their way past all that, they confront 
  King Cobra and his superpowered bodyguards… 
  with the fate of millions of people in the balance! 
   
  The final chapter of the book provides 
  character sheets and other information about King 
  Cobra, his super-flunkies, and COIL itself. It’s an 
  all-new organization, ready for you to drop right 
  into your Champions campaign as you see fit. 
  And of course we round out the book with combat 
  record sheets, extra maps, and other stuff to make 
  the GM’s job easier. Give STAST a try – you 
  won’t be disappointed. 
  Vroom, Vroom! 
   
  Toward the end of the month, or perhaps 
  early in February depending on how things shake 
  out at the printer, we’ll release The HERO System 
  Vehicle Sourcebook. In virtually all gaming 
  campaigns, characters have to travel – sometimes 
  every game, sometimes just to reach the scene of 
  the action in a particular adventure. And that 
  usually means they need vehicles. Even in 
  Champions campaigns, where many characters 
  have the ability to move at high velocity on their 
  own, teams of PCs use vehicles to get from one 
  place to another as a group. And if the PCs don’t 
  need vehicles, their enemies probably do…. 
   
  The HERO System Vehicle Sourcebook is a 
  collection of over 140 vehicles of all types from 
  many different time periods. While the emphasis is 
  on modern-day vehicles, there are also many 
  vehicles suitable for earlier periods and lower 
  levels of technological advancement (such as those 
  depicted in many Fantasy Hero campaigns). 
  Except for the Space Shuttle, HSVS doesn’t 
  include starships or space vehicles; Star Hero and 
  the products supporting it already contain dozens 
  of starships suitable for your games. 
   
  The HSVS contains four chapters. The first 
  chapter covers ground vehicles – everything from 
  everyday automobiles, to sportcars, to tanks and 
  other military vehicles. Chapter Two focuses on air 
  vehicles, with planes and helicopters ranging from 
  the most advanced jetfighters to one-man small 
  civilian craft. Chapter Three features water 
  vehicles:  boats, submarines, and sailing ships from 
  the Age of Sail to the Cold War. 
   
  Chapter Four departs from the realms of 
  “reality,” and features Fantasy and superheroic 
  vehicles like the ones you might read about in 
  novels or comic books. Whether you need an 
  enchanted ship to sail through the clouds or a mole 
  machine to tunnel to the center of the earth, you’ll 
  find it in “Husvee” (as we’re calling it). 
   
  Most vehicles in Husvee include at least a 
  couple of options, so that you can customize them 
  to suit your character or campaign. A few have a 
  dozen or more options… and of course, if you have 
  The Ultimate Vehicle, you’ve got plenty of 
  equipment you can attach to these fine vehicles. 
   
  Pulp-era and World War II fans should take 
  particular note of Husvee. The book contains 
  plenty of vehicles suitable for games set in both 
  periods, such as Model As or Model Ts, Cierva 
  autogyros, Panzer tanks, u-boats, and a Spitfire. 
   
  — Steven S. Long 
  HERO System Line Developer 
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  3 
  HEROglyphs by Steven S. Long 
   
  A Proportional Response 
  Rules For Proportional Powers 
   
  A while back, a fan on the Hero message 
  boards, a newcomer to the HERO System I 
  believe, posted a question for me concerning the 
  Limited Power Limitation. He referred to the 
  Limited Power Guidelines table on page 194 of 
  the HERO System 5th Edition, which helps you 
  determine the value of a Limited Power 
  Limitation based on how much of its 
  effectiveness the power tends to lose. For 
  example, if a Limited Power Limitation causes a 
  power to lose about half of its effectiveness, the 
  rules suggest a value of -1. 
   
  The person posting the question wanted to 
  know if that meant a power with that sort of 
  Limitation would have only half effect when the 
  Limitation applied. I answered no, because that’s 
  not how Limitations work; if, for example, a 
  power Only Works In Twilight, then it has no 
  effect in daytime or full night, not half effect. 
   
  However, his question got me to thinking. 
  Creating “proportional” powers in the HERO 
  System – powers that only have partial effect in 
  some situations, or increased effect in some 
  situations – is a relatively complicated matter. It 
  involves buying the power in sections, with 
  varying levels of Limitation. For example: 
  Example:  Sir Gwethon is a knight in a 
  Fantasy campaign. Thanks to a birth-
  gift from the faerie-folk, Sir Gwethon 
  becomes twice as strong as normal in 
  the hour before and hour after noon, 
  but correspondingly weaker in the hour 
  before and hour after twilight (defined 
  as occuring at 6:00 PM for game 
  purposes). Assuming the player wants 
  Sir Gwethon to normally have STR 20, 
  and that the campaign uses the Normal 
  Characteristic Maxima rules, here’s 
  how you’d build that ability: 
  Cost Power 
   
  5 Weakest Between 5:00 And 7:00 PM:  
  STR 15 
   
  4 Normal STR:  +5 STR (5 Active Points); 
  Does Not Apply Between 5:00 And 7:00 
  PM (-1/4) 
   
  3 Strongest Between 11:00 AM And 1:00 
  PM:  +5 STR (10 Active Points); Only 
  From 11:00 AM To 1:00 PM (-2) 
  Total cost:  12 points. 
   
   
  Now, that power construct definitely gets 
  the job done – but it’s complicated, and it takes 
  up a lot of space on the character sheet. 
   
  Similarly, players often want to build 
  abilities for a character that reflect the fact that 
  the ability becomes more powerful in certain 
  circumstances. For example, maybe a character 
  with magnetism powers wants his Magnetic 
  Blast to be more powerful when he’s exposed to 
  cold temperatures. Either the character has to 
  buy extra dice of effect with the Limitation Only 
  In Temperatures Below 40 Degrees Fahrenheit 
  (-1), or buy an Aid that’s Triggered by being in 
  such temperatures (for example, see the Cold 
  Weather Enhancement power on page 138 of The 
  UNTIL Superpowers Database). Again, this 
  works just fine, but it’s not necessarily intuitive 
  (especially to relatively inexperienced HERO 
  System players) and perhaps more complicated 
  than it needs to be. 
   
  Rather than forcing characters to jump 
  through these sorts of hoops, it might be worth 
  considering devising a Power Modifier that 
  allows for proportionaly better or worse effect 
  based on defined conditions or circumstances. 
  Here’s my take on the concept: 
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  4 
  Proportional 
  Value:  Varies 
   
  This Power Modifier – sometimes an 
  Advantage, sometimes a Limitation – makes a 
  power more or less effective in certain defined 
  circumstances. For example, a power might be 
  twice as effective at nighttime, or only have half 
  effect against dwarves. 
   
  The value of Proportional depends on two 
  factors:  first, the commonality or frequency of 
  the circumstance which triggers the 
  proportionality; second, the extent to which the 
  ability gains (or loses) power. 
  THE PROPORTIONAL ADVANTAGE 
   
   
   
  The accompanying table lists the suggested 
  values for Proportional as an Advantage. 
   
  THE PROPORTIONAL 
  ADVANTAGE 
   
   
   Value Increase In Power Of Ability 
   +½ 
  Ability has up to 1½ times as 
  many Character Points’ worth 
  of effect 
   +1 
  Ability has two times as many 
  Character Points’ worth of 
  effect 
   +2 
  Ability has three times as many 
  Character Points’ worth of 
  effect 
   +3 
  Ability has four times as many 
  Character Points’ worth of 
  effect 
   +4 
  Ability has five times as many 
  Character Points’ worth of 
  effect 
  …and so on 
   Value 
  Commonality/Frequency 
  of Increase 
   
  2 less 
  Very Uncommon  
   Advantage (character rarely, if ever, 
  gets the increase in power) 
   1½ less 
  Uncommon (character  
   Advantage  gets the increase in power 
  about a fourth of the time) 
   
  1 less 
  Common (character gets  
   Advantage  the increase in power about 
  a third of the time) 
   ½ less 
  Very Common (character  
   Advantage  gets the increase in power 
  about half the time) 
  The minimum value of the Proportional 
  Advantage is +¼, regardless of the 
  subtraction applied for commonality/ 
  frequency. 
   
  For example, suppose a werewolf has 20 
  STR (cost:  10 Character Points). He wants to 
  have twice as much effect – 20 Character Points’ 
  worth of STR, or STR 30 – at night. That’s a two 
  times increase in power (+1 base Advantage) 
  which applies about half the time (½ less 
  Advantage). That’s a total of a +½ Advantage on 
  his STR, so his STR with Proportional increase 
  costs (10 x (1 + ½)=) 15 points. 
   
  As indicated in the Commonality/Frequency 
  section of the table, a Proportional Advantage 
  should not apply more than about half the time. 
  Otherwise, it’s too similar to being at greater 
  power all of the time. The better approach in that 
  case is to buy the power at its maximum desired 
  effect, then use the Proportional Limitation to 
  define those few circumstances in which the 
  ability works at lesser effect. If the application of 
  the Commonality.Frequency modifier would 
  mathematically turn the Advantage into a 
  Limitation, that’s a good indication you ought to 
  use the Proportional Limitation instead. See the 
  continuation of the werewolf example below for 
  further discussion. 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  5 
  THE PROPORTIONAL LIMITATION 
   
   
   
  The accompanying table lists the suggested 
  values for Proportional as a Limitation 
  THE PROPORTIONAL 
  LIMITATION 
   
   
   Value Decrease In Power Of Ability 
   -¼ 
  Ability loses up to 20% of its 
  Character Points’ worth of 
  effect 
   -½ 
  Ability loses 21-33% of its 
  Character Points’ worth of 
  effect 
   -¾ 
  Ability loses 34-49% of its 
  Character Points’ worth of 
  effect 
   -1 
  Ability loses 50-59% of its 
  Character Points’ worth of 
  effect 
   -1½ Ability loses 60-69% of its 
  Character Points’ worth of 
  effect 
   -2 
  Ability loses 70-79% of its 
  Character Points’ worth of 
  effect 
   -3 
  Ability loses 80% or more of its 
  Character Points’ worth of 
  effect 
  Value 
   Commonality/Frequency 
  of Decrease 
   2½ less 
  Very Uncommon (character  
   Limitation  rarely, if ever, suffers the 
  decrease in power) 
   
  2 less 
  Uncommon (character  
   Limitation  suffers the decrease in 
  power about a fourth of the 
  time) 
   1½ less 
  Common (character suffers  
   Limitation  the decrease in power about 
  a third of the time) 
   
  1 less 
  Very Common (character  
   Limitation  suffers the decrease in 
  power about half the time) 
   ½ less 
  Extremely Common  
  Limitation  (character suffers the 
  decrease in power over half 
  the time) 
   ¼ less 
  Ubiquitous (character  
   Limitation  almost always suffers the 
  decrease in power) 
  Normally, the minimum value of the 
  Proportional Limitation is -¼, 
  regardless of the subtraction applied for 
  commonality/frequency, but the GM 
  may decrease this to -0 if appropriate. 
   
  For example, suppose a werewolf has 30 
  STR (cost:  20 Character Points), but that full 
  level of STR only applies during the full moon. 
  The rest of the time, he has 20 STR. The 20 STR 
  costs half what 30 STR does, so he’s losing half 
  of his Character Points’ worth of effect for a base 
  -1 Limitation. He suffers this decrease almost all 
  the time; he’s only got the extra STR about three 
  days out of the month. Thus, the final value of 
  the Proportional Limitation is -¾, so the STR 
  costs him (20/(1 + ¾)=) 11 points. 
  Multiple Proportionality 
   
  A character might want to have multiple 
  levels or types of proportionality. For example, a 
  character’s STR might wax and wane as the 
  moon waxes and wanes – he’d be his strongest at 
  the full moon, then slowly become weaker until 
  the new moon (when he’d be at his weakest), 
  then get stronger again as the moon became 
  larger in the sky. Or, like Sir Gwethon above, the 
  character might be more powerful in some 
  circumstances, and less powerful in others. 
   
  In this case, the player and GM should work 
  together to decide two things:  first, whether the 
  power is overall stronger or weaker than just 
  having an unmodified ability; second, the degree 
  to which it’s better or worse. Then determine the 
  value of the Proportional Modifier in the usual 
  way. 
   
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  6 
  Hero Universe by Darren Watts 
   
   
  Bore da, my friends and countrymen, and 
  Happy New Year from your humble columnist! 
  Welcome to Part Four of our chronicle of the life 
  and times of the Sentinels, America’s Favorite 
  Superhero Team.  
   
  After their formation in the summer of 1961, 
  the Sentinels formally decided to use Dr. 
  Phantom’s Connecticut mansion as their base of 
  operations, even though Rocketman and 
  MeteorMan lived well outside of the New York 
  area. They agreed to hold regular monthly 
  meetings to discuss ongoing threats and concerns 
  and to coordinate their crimefighting, as well as 
  exchanging contact information in case of 
  emergencies. Microman and Dr. Phantom 
  installed several mini-labs in the mansion, and 
  though Ted Spaulding was less enthused about 
  the partnership than his alter-ego Beowulf, he 
  grudgingly agreed to continue participating in 
  the team’s efforts.  
   
  Over the next few years, the Sentinels 
  continued to work together semi-regularly, 
  gathering to battle menaces too powerful for 
  individual heroes to face on their own or to take 
  on particular projects (like the New York City 
  organized-crime wave that followed Mocker’s 
  unsuccessful attempt to unify the city’s gangs in 
  1962).  
   
  Some of their most memorable adventures 
  included the Guru’s attempt to discredit the team 
  in December of 1961 by using his illusions to 
  make it appear the team had turned to crime; the 
  return of the futuristic conqueror Korrex (though 
  from his perspective, the encounters predated his 
  efforts to conquer the world in the 1940s, a 
  paradox that led to some confusion among the 
  heroes involved), and the first appearances of 
  villains like Revenger, Lady Iron, the Crab, and 
  VIPER. The Sentinels also first encountered 
  other heroes during this period, working with the 
  enigmatic Dr. Scarab against a demon who was 
  attempting to drive him insane, and meeting the 
  Hornet when Revenger attempted to form an 
  alliance with him (having read about him in the 
  Post, Revenger had joined much of the world in 
  assuming Hornet was a villain). The team also 
  visited Atlantis for the first time when a trio of 
  angry demigods were accidentally freed from 
  their undersea tomb, and staunchly defended 
  New York against a wave of monsters created by 
  Dr. Dekkar in March of 1965, one of the key 
  events leading to the creation of UNTIL. They 
  also had time for some happiness, as well; in 
  1966, after an extended engagement, Microman 
  and Dr. Phantom were wed, in a ceremony 
  attended by dozens of superheroes (and crashed 
  by the Chaos Combine). 
   
   
  In 1964, the Sentinels added their first new 
  recruit, the swashbuckling adventurer Scarlet 
  Archer II, who had worked with Rocketman on a 
  couple of occasions in the previous year. The 
  gregarious Archer had a profound effect on the 
  team’s interactions, moving into the mansion and 
  creating a friendlier, more familial atmosphere 
  with his weekly poker nights and impromptu 
  parties. Under his influence, the team grew 
  closer together as individuals and both 
  MeteorMan and Rocketman spent increasing 
  amounts of time in New York. In 1966, Beowulf 
  and Ted were separated by a strange spell, and 
  took an extended leave from the team to travel in 
  Geatland. The team continued with five 
  members, but by late 1967 both MeteorMan and 
  Rocketman found outside influences limiting the 
  time they could spend on Sentinels business; 
  Rocketman was devoting more time to pursuing 
  a band of Soviet infiltrators, and MeteorMan was 
  battling VIPER on the West Coast. When Dr. 
  Phantom suffered several torn ligaments in her 
  knee that promised to keep her out of the field 
  for months of rehabilitation, Scarlet Archer and 
  Microman went on an active membership drive, 
  the first in the team’s history. Their efforts bore 
  two fruits:  the teenage sorceress Hex, who had 
  met the team on a previous adventure, and 
  Ranger, who had begun an effective solo career 
  as a crimefighter in Dallas but was persuaded to 
  move to the Northeast. Though the entire team 
  would make themselves available for major 
  threats, this quartet became the core of the team 
  for 1967 and 1968. 
   
  Next:  The late ’60s, internal strife, and three 
  new members! 
   
   
                                                             
  artwork by Derrick Thomas 
  AUTHOR’S NOTE 
   
   
   The write-ups for 
  the Sentinels in this 
  and following articles 
  represent the heroes 
  after they’ve had a 
  few years of 
  experience under their 
  belts. If portraying 
  them at the 
  beginnings of their 
  careers, you may want
  to lop off some skill 
  levels or secondary 
  powers. Later in their 
  careers, you may want
  to buy up their skills, 
  levels, and possibly 
  add some new powers 
  to represent tricks 
  they’ve learned over 
  the years, while 
  diminishing some of 
  their physical stats 
  slightly to represent 
  their advanced age 
  (especially those who 
  served into their late 
  forties and even early 
  fifties). 
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  7 
  Scarlet Archer 
  Background/History:  Bradley Winston was 
  born into a wealthy Wisconsin family in 1941, the 
  oldest of three children. Outgoing, vivacious, and 
  athletic from an early age, Bradley excelled in 
  school, and participated in several sports. His 
  favorite from the time he picked it up as a young 
  teen was archery, and he won several statewide 
  competitions in high school. Before his graduation 
  in 1959, however, both of his parents were killed 
  in a car accident. In the days that followed this 
  tragedy, it was discovered that the Winston’s 
  business holdings had been nearly drained by a 
  series of bad business dealings. Bradley suspected 
  foul play on the part of his father’s accountant, 
  Max Nordlund, but the police were never able to 
  prove anything. He began to investigate Nordlund 
  himself, and soon uncovered evidence linking him 
  to the Palencia mob, which ran most organized 
  crime in Milwaukee.  
   
  Nordlund, who had discovered Winston was 
  nosing around his business, sent a couple of 
  legbreakers to the Winston home, but Bradley 
  was able to slip away from them and then used 
  his old bow and some blunt arrows to disarm and 
  capture the thugs without them seeing him. The 
  story of how the thugs were defeated by a 
  mysterious bow-wielding “guardian angel” made 
  it out to the press, who played up the story. 
  Winston was further inspired by both his own 
  success and reports of other costumed vigilantes 
  around the countries, so fashioning a mask, he 
  began to hunt down and capture several more of 
  Palencia’s crooked employees. However, when 
  Bradley attempted to capture Nordlund himself, 
  he found himself severely outnumbered and 
  barely escaped with his own life. 
   
  Deciding he needed more of an edge, 
  Bradley contacted the original Scarlet Archer, Sir 
  Peter Tanfield, a British superhero during World 
  War II who had revealed his own secret identity 
  upon his retirement in 1948. He traveled to 
  Britain, where Tanfield, after a long evening’s 
  discussion, agreed to train Winston further in the 
  arts of archery, as well as assisting him in 
  devising and using the arsenal of “trick arrows” 
  Tanfield himself had wielded against the Nazis. 
  After three months of intensive training, Tanfield 
  pronounced Winston ready to begin his new 
  career of crimefighting, and gave his blessing for 
  Winston to use the name of “Scarlet Archer.” 
  Winston returned to Wisconsin, where his 
  various trick arrows enabled him to smash the 
  Palencia organization once and for all in 1960, 
  bringing his parents’ killers to justice.  
   
  Scarlet Archer continued his crimefighting 
  career, moving from Milwaukee to Chicago in 
  search of more activity in 1962. He met 
  Rocketman in 1962 while both were working on 
  the case of a kidnapped little girl, and they 
  became friends. In 1964 Rocketman sponsored 
  Scarlet Archer for membership in the Sentinels, 
  an honor he readily accepted. Over the next two 
  decades, Scarlet Archer was one of the most 
  steady and stalwart members of the team, serving 
  almost continuously until his retirement in 1983. 
  He maintained a fairly active solo career over 
  that period as well, clashing with such villains as 
  the Highwayman, Stinger, and the Raptor Gang. 
   
  Upon his retirement, Bradley revealed his 
  own secret identity to the world, and then 
  attempted to start an acting career, which died a 
  quick death after the commercial failures of his 
  first two movies. He then opened a super-hero-
  themed restaurant (Scarlet Archer’s) in Chicago, 
  which was open for over a decade despite never-
  ending financial problems, and then moved it to 
  Millennium City, where he finally had to file 
  bankruptcy in 2001, though the restaurant itself 
  remains open as he deals with creditors. He is 
  only now beginning to suspect that his financial 
  problems over the last decade have been the 
  result of subtle harassment by his old enemy the 
  Highwayman, and he’s been working long 
  evenings in his basement, sharpening his skills 
  and designing one last, perfect arrow…. 
   
  Personality/Motivation:  During his Sentinels 
  career, Scarlet Archer is a friendly bon vivant, 
  swinging from rooftops and trading quips with 
  enemies with a jaunty smile. He genuinely loves 
  his work and enjoys the company of his fellow 
  heroes, many of whom he socializes with “after 
  hours.” He has a soft spot for “sob stories,” the 
  victims of bullies and oppressors, and orphans, 
  and will go out his way to help “the little guy” 
  whenever possible. He’s hardly a saint, though; 
  his “wandering eye” for the ladies is legendary, 
  and he greatly (perhaps too much) enjoys the 
  adulation of the crowds. His closest friends on 
  the team are Rocketman and Rainmaker, though 
  he makes a point of getting to know each of his 
  teammates, especially when young newcomers 
  join. 
   
  Quote:  “Not to worry, gang, my net-arrow’s up 
  to the job of bringing that fruitcake down!” 
   
  Powers/Tactics:  Scarlet Archer is an expert 
  archer and designer of “trick arrows,” most of 
  which are high-tensile plastic shafts with 
  assorted devices carried on the heads. He’s quite 
  good at improvising new uses for his arrows 
  besides the obvious, a skill which comes in 
  handy whenever he’s stuck in an extended fight, 
  as he has a limited number of each arrow type. 
  He’s got a fair grasp of tactics, enough to know 
  that his most useful position in most fights is 
  high up and to the rear, where he can blast 
  opponents at range or tie up opponents so his 
  more powerful teammates can bring their attacks 
  to bear.  
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  8 
  Scarlet Archer 
   Val Char Cost Roll Notes 
   15 STR 
  5 12- Lift 200 kg; 3d6 HTH [1] 
   23 DEX 
  39 14- OCV:  8/DCV:  8 
   16 CON 
  12 12- 
   13 BODY 
  6 12- 
   16 INT 
  6 12- PER Roll:  12- 
   16 EGO 
  12 12- ECV:  5 
   18 PRE 
  8 13- PRE Attack:  3½d6 
   14 COM 
  2 12- 
   
   
  7 PD 
  4 
   Total:  15 PD (8 rPD) 
   
  7 ED 
  4 
   Total:  15 ED (8 rED) 
   
  5 SPD 
  17 
   Phases:  3, 5, 8, 10, 12 
   
  6 REC 
  0 
   32 END 
  0 
   34 STUN 
  5 
   
   
  Total Characteristics Cost:  120 
  Movement: Running: 
  6”/12” 
   
   
  Swinging: 10”/20” 
   
   
  Leaping: 
  3”/6” 
   
   
  Swimming: 2”/4” 
  Cost Powers 
  END 
   33 Bow and Trick Arrows:  Multipower, 
  75-point reserve, all slots:  OAF (Bow 
  and Arrows, -1), Gestures (-¼) 
  — 
   2u 1)  Sharp Arrow:  RKA 2½d6 (versus 
  PD), Armor Piercing  (+½); 12 
  Charges (-¼), Can Be Missile 
  Deflected (-¼), OAF (Bow and 
  Arrows, -1), Gestures (-¼) 
  [12] 
   1u 2)  Blunt Arrow:  EB 7d6 (versus 
  PD); Can Be Missile Deflected (-¼), 
  12 Charges (-¼), OAF (Bow and 
  Arrows, -1), Gestures (-¼) 
  [12] 
   2u 3)  Net Arrow:  Entangle 6d6, 6 DEF, 
  Area Of Effect (One Hex, Nonselective; 
  +¼); 4 Charges (-1), OAF (Bow and 
  Arrows, -1), Gestures (-¼) 
  [4] 
   1u 4)  Glue Arrow:  Entangle 3d6, 3 DEF, 
  Sticky (Standard; +½), Area Of Effect 
  (5” Radius; +1); 2 Charges (-1½), Set 
  Effect (Hands Only/Feet Only) (-1), 
  Cannot Form Barriers (-¼), OAF (Bow 
  and Arrows, -1), Gestures (-¼) 
  [2] 
   1u 5)  Bolo Arrow:  Entangle 4d6, 8 DEF; 
  4 Charges (-1), Entangle Has 1 BODY 
  (-½), Cannot Form Barriers (-¼), OAF 
  (Bow and Arrows, -1), Gestures (-¼) 
  [4] 
   2u 6)  Knockout Gas Arrow:  EB 5d6, 
  Area Of Effect (5” Radius; +1), No 
  Normal Defense (Need Not Breathe, 
  +1); 4 Charges (-1), OAF (Bow and 
  Arrows, -1), Gestures (-¼) 
  [4] 
   2u 7)  Blinding Gas Arrow:  Flash 6d6 
  (Sight and Smell/Taste Groups), Area 
  Of Effect (4” Radius, +1); 4 Charges 
  (-1), OAF (Bow and Arrows, -1), 
  Gestures (-¼) 
  [4] 
   2u 8) Smoke Arrow:  Darkness to Sight 
  Group 6” Radius; 4 Charges (-1), OAF 
  (Bow and Arrows, -1), Gestures (-¼) 
  [4] 
   2u 9)  Flare Arrow:  Flash 10d6 (Sight 
  Group), Area Of Effect (One Hex, +½); 
  6 Charges (-¾), OAF (Bow and 
  Arrows, -1), Gestures (-¼) 
  [6] 
   2u 10)  Grenade Arrow:  EB 10d6 (versus 
  ED), Explosion (+½), Nonselective 
  Target (-¼); 8 Charges (-½), OAF (Bow 
  and Arrows, -1), Gestures (-¼) 
  [8] 
   1u 11)  Swingline and Grapnel Arrow:  
  Swinging 10”; 12 Charges (-¼), OAF 
  (Bow and Arrows, -1), Gestures (-¼) [12] 
   35 Archer’s Eye:  Find Weakness 14- with 
  Bow and Arrow 
  0 
   
   10 Costume:  Armor (5 PD/5 ED); OIF (-½) 0 
   
   
   Martial Arts:  Brawling 
   
   Maneuver 
  OCV DCV Notes 
   
  5 Defensive 
  +1 
  +3 
  4d6 
   
      Strike 
   
  4 Martial Block +2 
  +2 
  Block, Abort 
   
  4 Martial Dodge — 
  +5 
  Dodge, Abort 
   
  3 Martial Grab 
  -1 
  -1 
  2 Limbs, 30 
  STR to Hold 
   
  5 Offensive 
  -2 
  +1 
  8d6  
   
      Strike  
   
   Martial Arts: Archery 
   
  5 Distance Shot +0 
  -2 
  Strike, Extra 
  Segment 
   
  4 Ranged 
  +0 
  +0 
  Disarm, 30  
   
      Disarm  
   
   
  STR 
   
  5 Ranged 
  +1 
  -1 
  3d6 + v/5,  
   
      Trip  
   
   
  Target Falls 
   
   Perks 
   
  3 Fringe Benefit (Membership: Sentinels) 
   40 Vehicles:  Jet-car (200 Base, 0 Disads) 
   
   Talents 
   
  3 Absolute Range Sense 
   
  6 Combat Luck 
   
   Skills 
   20 +4 with Ranged Combat 
   
  6 +2 with Bow and Trick Arrows 
   
  9 +3 with Acrobatics, Breakfall, Stealth 
   
   
  3 Acrobatics 14- 
   
  3 Breakfall 14- 
   
  3 CK: Milwaukee 12- 
   
  3 Climbing 14- 
   
  5 Combat Driving 15- 
   
  3 Concealment 12- 
   
  3 Contortionist 14- 
   
  3 Criminology 12- 
   
  3 Electronics 12- 
   
  5 Fast Draw 15- 
   
  3 High Society 13- 
   
  3 Inventor 12- 
   
  4 KS: Cooking 13- 
   
  3 Lipreading 12- 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  9 
   
  3 Lockpicking 14- 
   
  3 Paramedics 12- 
   
  3 Security Systems 12- 
   
  3 Shadowing 12- 
   
  3 Sleight Of Hand 14- 
   
  3 Stealth 14- 
   
  3 Streetwise 13- 
   
  2 Survival (Urban) 12- 
   
  3 Tactics 12- 
   
  2 WF: Common Missile Weapons 
   
  8 Weaponsmith (Muscle-Powered Ranged) 
  15- 
   
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  305 
   
  Total Cost:  425 
   
   200+ Disadvantages 
   15 DNPC:  Various Girlfriends, 8- (Normal, 
  Unaware of Character’s Adventuring 
  Career/Secret ID) 
   15 DNPC:  Younger Siblings, Michael and 
  Sara Winston, 8- (Normal) 
   10 Hunted:  Highwayman 8- (As Pow) 
   
  Scarlet Archer  
   
   
   20 Psychological Limitation:  Code Versus 
  Killing (Common, Total) 
   10 Psychological Limitation:  Flashy and a 
  Showboat (Common, Moderate) 
   10 Psychological Limitation:  Friendly and 
  Outgoing, a Chatterbox (Common, 
  Moderate) 
  20(10) Psychological Limitation:  Protects the 
  Little Guy and the Oppressed (Very 
  Common, Strong) 
   15 Social Limitation:  Secret ID (Bradley 
  Winston, Frequently, Major) 
   
  5 Unluck:  1d6 
   115 Experience Points 
   
  Total Disadvantage Points:  425 
   
  Appearance:  Scarlet Archer wears a solid 
  scarlet, sleeveless body suit with a thick black 
  belt and black bracers on his forearms. He carries 
  a large longbow and has a squared-off quiver on 
  his back. His hair is dark brown and his eyes are 
  vividly blue. He wears a cap with a single white 
  feather on the side. [NOTE: See Millennium 
  City, page 96.] 
   
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  10 
  Hex 
  Background/History:  Jennifer Wiley was born 
  in a small Pennsylvania town in 1949, the 
  daughter of John “Will O’ Wisp” Wiley, a 
  costumed superhero of the 1940s, and his wife 
  Anne. John, a former stage magician and world 
  traveler, had used his powers of hypnosis to 
  battle criminals and cultists since 1939, but had 
  settled down to a happy retirement with his new 
  bride the year before. Not long after Jennifer’s 
  third birthday, however, John and Anne were 
  attacked by members of the pseudo-Satanic cult 
  known as DEMON, who John had first 
  encountered a couple of years previously. The 
  local Morbane, a former student of Luther 
  Black’s named Ernesto Dalle, had determined 
  through his spells that Jennifer had the potential 
  to be an extremely powerful mage, perhaps one 
  who could help DEMON bring about their 
  desired goal of bringing the Kings of Edom to 
  our dimension. In the attack, Anne was killed 
  and Jennifer was abducted, while John was left 
  unconscious and unaware of his daughter’s fate. 
   
  Jennifer was given to two junior DEMON 
  members to raise as their own daughter while 
  they trained her in basic magicks and observed 
  her abilities, while otherwise pretending to live 
  an ordinary life in a suburb of Philadelphia. 
  Though her parents were generally cold and 
  uncaring towards Jennifer, they were not directly 
  cruel, and she was allowed to live a relatively 
  ordinary childhood over the next several years. 
  In 1961, Dalle returned and told Jennifer he was 
  her real father, and took over her mystical 
  tutoring himself. Though she had by that time 
  manifested remarkable abilities of illusion and 
  spells related to the senses, she did not seem to 
  have any particular talent for cross-dimensional 
  magicks, and Dalle decided that if she was not 
  the one to free DEMON’s horrifying masters, 
  she could at least serve the cult as a dangerous 
  assassin against their enemies. Jennifer was 
  horrified by these revelations and Dalle’s plans 
  for her, and ran away from home early in 1962, 
  with agents of DEMON hot on her tail.  
   
  Over the course of the next several weeks, 
  Jennifer found herself swept up in a tremendous 
  battle between the forces of DEMON and Dr. 
  Scarab, who rescued her from their clutches and 
  determined the truth of her background. She was 
  returned to John Wiley, who had been searching 
  for her since her abduction but had been unable 
  to penetrate the spells that hid her from his 
  powers. When DEMON returned once more to 
  claim her in 1964, they were again thwarted by 
  John with the assistance of several of the 
  Sentinels. In 1967, with her studies now 
  complete and going by the name Hex, she 
  accepted the offer of Sentinel membership from 
  Microman and Dr. Phantom, and remained with 
  the team without interruption for over twenty-
  two years, the second-longest in the team’s 
  history.  
   
  She retired from active superheroing in 
  1989, when she married PRIMUS agent Jack 
  Welch. She now works as an ally of the 
  Trismegistus Council while raising her two sons, 
  Kurt and Neil. 
   
  Personality/Motivation:  Hex is the Mistress of 
  Misdirection, using her illusions to baffle, 
  confuse, and deceive her enemies. Despite this, 
  she is in her personal life a remarkably direct and 
  straightforward individual, well known for her 
  bravery and loyalty to her teammates. Having 
  spent so much of her childhood around forces of 
  pure, supernatural evil, she is utterly devoted to 
  the sanctity of life and light and is intimately 
  familiar with the consequences of not carrying 
  on the good fight. That said, she also has the 
  instincts of a born entertainer, and gets along 
  well with the press and public. Her father’s 
  magical powers largely manifested through his 
  own training in stage magic, and so the years he 
  spent helping her finish her training also gave 
  her a solid grounding in that field as well.  
   
  Over her years with the Sentinels she had 
  several romantic relationships and 
  entanglements, beginning with a fierce crush on 
  MeteorMan, and later including a several-years-
  long romance with Tiger.  
   
  Quote:  “Hard to fight when you don’t know 
  which way is up, isn’t it?” 
   
  Powers/Tactics:  Hex’s powers all come from 
  her mystical mastery of illusions, which she is 
  able to project directly into her target’s minds (so 
  they don’t show up on video or other mechanical 
  media). Her illusions are frequently so intense 
  and believable that victims suffer real damage 
  from illusionary attacks, as their own bodies 
  cannot distinguish between her powers and 
  reality. However, she prefers to use her powers 
  as a distraction or to take an individual target out 
  of a fight. She’s an excellent team player with a 
  solid sense of tactics, and she follows directions 
  from even better teammates like Mantis or Dr. 
  Phantom with alacrity. Against targets immune 
  to her powers, such as robots, she relies on her 
  acrobatics and judo training, concentrating on 
  staying out of reach.  
   
  Appearance:  Hex is an absolutely stunning 
  redhead, standing 5’9” and weighing 125 
  pounds, with green eyes. She is notorious for 
  changing her costume every few months, but 
  most frequently wears some variation of a tight 
  bodysuit in a bright, primary color, frequently 
  with matching cape and gloves, and knee-high 
  boots.  
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  11
  Hex 
   Val Char Cost Roll Notes 
   14 STR 
  4 12- Lift 175 kg; 2½d6 HTH  
   20 DEX 
  30 13- OCV:  7/DCV:  7 
   17 CON 
  14 12- 
   11 BODY 
  2 11- 
   16 INT 
  6 12- PER Roll:  12- 
   16 EGO 
  12 12- ECV:  5 
   18 PRE 
  8 13- PRE Attack:  3½d6 
   22 COM 
  6 13- 
   
   
  7 PD 
  4 
   Total:  11 PD (4 rPD) 
   
  7 ED 
  4 
   Total:  11 ED (4 rED) 
   
  5 SPD 
  20 
   Phases:  3, 5, 8, 10, 12 
   
  7 REC 
  2 
   42 END 
  4 
   28 STUN 
  1 
   
    
  Total Characteristics Cost:  117 
  Movement: Running: 
  6”/12” 
   
   
  Leaping: 
  2½”/5” 
   
   
  Swimming: 2”/4” 
  Cost Powers 
  END 
   100 Mistress of Illusions:  Multipower, 100-
  point reserve 
   
   6u 1)  Illusion Mastery:  Mental Illusions 
  15d6, Reduced Endurance (½ END; 
  +¼); Does Not Provide Mental 
  Awareness (-¼), Stops Working If 
  Mentalist Is Knocked Out (-¼) 
  4 
   7u 2)  The Grand Show:  Mental Illusions 
  8d6, Reduced Endurance (½ END; 
  +¼), Area Of Effect (10” Any Area; 
  +1¼); Does Not Provide Mental 
  Awareness (-¼), Stops Working If 
  Mentalist Is Knocked Out (-¼) 
  4 
   8u 3)  Taking Your Senses:  Flash 10d6 
  (Sight, Hearing, Mental, Radio, 
  Smell/Taste Group, Touch, and 
  Unusual Groups) 
  8 
   4u 4)  Veil of Mystery:  Invisibility to 
  Sight, Hearing, and Unusual Groups, 
  No Fringe 
  4 
   1u 5)  True Sight:  Detect Illusions 13- 
  (Discriminatory, Sense) 
  0 
   
   
  9 Difficult to Target:  +4 with DCV; 
  Activation Roll 13- (-¾), Costs 
  Endurance (Costs END Every Phase; 
  -½) 
  2 
   
  8 Padded Costume:  Armor (4 PD/4 ED); 
  OIF (-½) 
  0 
   
   
   Martial Arts:  Judo 
   
   Maneuver 
  OCV DCV Notes 
   
  5 Defensive 
  +1 
  +3 
  Block, Abort 
   
      Block 
   
  4 Martial Dodge — 
  +5 
  Dodge, Abort 
   
  4 Martial 
  +0 
  +0 
  29 STR versus  
   
      Escape  
   
   
  Grabs 
   
  4 Nerve Strike 
  -1 
  +1 
  2d6 NND 
   
  4 Martial Strike +0 
  +2 
  4½d6 Strike 
   
   Perks 
   
  5 Contact:  John “Will O’ Wisp” Wiley, 
  Dad, 11- (Useful Skills or Resources, 
  Very Good Relationship) 
   
  3 Fringe Benefit (Membership: Sentinels) 
   
   Talents 
   
  6 Ambidexterity (Reduce Off Hand Penalty 
  to -1) 
   
  4 Double Jointed 
   
  3 Simulate Death 11- 
   
   Skills 
   10 +2 with Hand-to-Hand Combat 
   
  6 +2 with Illusions Multipower 
   
   
  3 Acrobatics 13- 
   
  3 Breakfall 13- 
   
  3 Climbing 13- 
   
  3 Concealment 12- 
   
  3 Disguise 12- 
   
  2 Gambling (Card Games) 12- 
   
  3 High Society 13- 
   
  4 KS: Stage Magic 13- 
   
  4 KS: Golden Age Superheroes 13- 
   
  3 Language: French (Completely Fluent, 
  with Accent) 
   
  2 Language: Spanish (Fluent Conversation) 
   
  3 Lockpicking 13- 
   
  3 Oratory 13- 
   
  3 Power (EGO-based) 12- 
   
  3 PS: Stage Magician 13- 
   
  9 Sleight Of Hand 16- 
   
  3 Stealth 13- 
   
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  258 
   
  Total Cost:  375 
   
   200+ Disadvantages 
   
  5 Distinctive Features:  Stunning Redhead 
  (Easily Concealed) 
   
  5 Distinctive Features:  Mystic Aura (Not 
  Concealable, Unusual Senses) 
   15 Hunted:  Organized Crime of Philadelphia, 
  8- (As Pow, NCI, Limited Area, Public ID) 
   20 Hunted:  DEMON, 8- (Mo Pow, Public 
  ID) 
   20 Psychological Limitation:  Code Versus 
  Killing (Common, Total) 
   10 Psychological Limitation:  Trying to Live 
  up to Dad’s Standards (Common, 
  Moderate) 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  12 
  Hex 
   
   10 Reputation:  Daughter of Famous 
  Superhero/Performer, 11- 
   15 Social Limitation:  Public Identity 
  (Frequently, Major) 
   75 Experience Points 
   
  Total Disadvantage Points:  375 
   
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  13
  Ranger 
  Background/History:  Craig Borden was born 
  in Plano, Texas in 1942. An excellent athlete and 
  decent student, Craig had scholarship offers from 
  several top colleges, but all his life he’d wanted 
  to be a policeman, so he could give back to the 
  community and earn the respect of his fellow 
  citizens. After high school he attended the Dallas 
  Police Academy, and upon graduation in 1962 
  joined the force as a uniformed patrol officer. 
  His record as a cop was mixed – while he 
  received a pile of commendations for bravery 
  and had an impressive record of apprehending 
  criminals, his stack of warnings for ignoring 
  procedure or arguing with his superiors was 
  nearly as high. 
   
  One summer afternoon in 1964 he and his 
  partner were answering a security alarm that had 
  been activated at the Dallas Museum of 
  Antiquities, when they came across a robbery in 
  progress by the supervillain known only as 
  Misfit. Borden was struck by one of the 
  misshapen villain’s bizarre energy blasts, but 
  rather than being disintegrated immediately (as 
  he fully expected), he was only mildly dazed. 
  Misfit knocked his partner down and escaped. 
  Borden was given a cursory examination by the 
  local paramedics, pronounced fine, and released.  
   
  Over the next several days, Craig noticed his 
  body beginning to change, in inexplicable but 
  wonderful ways. He was stronger and faster than 
  he’d ever been, and his body was buzzing with 
  extra energy. His senses seemed sharper, as 
  though throughout his entire previous life he’d 
  been half asleep. Whatever the creature had done 
  to him, Craig had to admit it was the best thing 
  that had ever happened to him.  
   
  At first Craig tried to keep his powers 
  hidden, using them secretly while continuing his 
  career as a policeman, but eventually he 
  determined that he should create a costumed 
  identity for himself as a superhero. Throwing 
  together a costume and calling himself Ranger, 
  he began to spend his nights patrolling the city of 
  Dallas, battling villains like Sidestep and Rattler. 
  He soon developed an impressive reputation, and 
  when Scarlet Archer and Microman offered him 
  membership in the Sentinels, he leapt at the 
  opportunity. 
   
  From his earliest days with the team, 
  however, he had difficulty working in a team 
  atmosphere. He frequently sparred verbally with 
  MeteorMan and Microman, challenging their 
  authority and pushing for the team to be more 
  aggressive. While he was committed to fighting 
  evil and saving the lives of innocents, he found it 
  hard to always be fighting defensively, and also 
  frequently felt his limited powers were 
  overshadowed by his more “cosmic” teammates. 
  In the end, he realized that the only reasons he 
  was staying with the team were the “cachet” of 
  being a Sentinel and his unrequited amorous 
  feelings for Hex. Deciding he could do better on 
  his own, Ranger quit the Sentinels in 1970, 
  returning to his solo career and eventually 
  working closely with the FBI as a special 
  operative. Ranger was killed by the villain Dark 
  Seraph in 1979. 
   
  Personality/Motivation:  Ranger, while a brave 
  and heroic soul, had great difficulty taking orders 
  from people he disagreed with, and was far too 
  concerned with how much credit and respect he 
  garnered personally from his crimefighting 
  efforts. Despite these flaws, he was well-
  respected by his fellow heroes for his utter 
  fearlessness and dedication, even if they didn’t 
  care for him personally. He was far more 
  effective as a solo street-level crimefighter in the 
  greater Dallas area, and it was there that he 
  himself was happiest. 
   
  Quote:  “When I’m through with you, you’ll be 
  wishing you’d run into one of those other Boy 
  Scout heroes.” 
   
  Powers/Tactics:  Exposure to the strange 
  energies within the Misfit enhanced Ranger’s 
  physiology to borderline-superhuman levels. His 
  speed, strength, endurance, and reaction time 
  were all greatly increased, and his senses, 
  especially his vision, were all remarkable. As a 
  hand-to-hand fighter, Ranger relied on his speed 
  and a blatant disregard for his own safety, 
  hurling himself headlong into fights and relying 
  on his rapid healing ability to keep himself alive. 
  Many of the Sentinels’ battles during his tenure 
  opened with somebody shouting, “Ranger, 
  wait!” 
   
  Appearance:  Craig Borden stood 6’1” and 
  weighed about 200 pounds, most of it solid 
  muscle. He had brown hair, brown eyes, and a 
  quirky, attractive smile when he wasn’t upset 
  about something. His costume was a blue and 
  gold bodysuit, with a half-cowl that left the top 
  of his head exposed, bare arms, and a white star 
  emblem on his chest.  
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  14 
  Ranger 
   Val Char Cost Roll Notes 
   28 STR 
  18 15- 1200 kg; 5½d6 HTH [3] 
   29 DEX 
  57 15- OCV:  10/DCV:  10 
   23 CON 
  26 14- 
   13 BODY 
  6 12- 
   20 INT 
  10 13- PER Roll:  15- 
   16 EGO 
  12 12- ECV:  5 
   20 PRE 
  10 13- PRE Attack:  4d6 
   14 COM 
  2 12- 
   
   10 PD 
  4 
   Total:  16 PD (16 rPD) 
   10 ED 
  5 
   Total:  16 ED (16 rED) 
   
  7 SPD 
  31 
   Phases:  2,4,6,7,9,11,12 
   11 REC 
  0 
   46 END 
  0 
   39 STUN 
  0 
   
    
   
  Total Characteristics Cost:  181 
  Movement: Running: 
  16”/32” 
   
   
  Leaping: 
  10½”/21” 
   
   
  Swimming: 7”/14” 
  Cost Powers 
  END 
   20 Runs Like the Wind:  Running +10” 
  (16” Total) 
  3 
   
  5 Swims Like a Fish:  Swimming +5” (7” 
  Total) 
  1 
   
  5 Boundless:  Leaping +5” (10½” Total) 
  2 
   10 Tough Skin:  Damage Resistance (10 
  PD/10 ED) 
  0 
   12 Armored Costume:  Armor (6 PD/6 
  ED); OIF (-½) 
  0 
   
   
  6 Alert:  Enhanced Perception:  +2 to 
  PER Rolls for All Sense Groups 
  0 
   
  5 Cat’s Eyes:  Nightvision 
   
   
  3 Hawk’s Eyes:  Telescopic +2 to Sight 
  PER Rolls (to offset the Range 
  Modifier)  
  0 
   
  7 Swift Healer:  Healing 2 BODY; 
  Extra Time (Regeneration-Only) (1 
  Turn (Post-Segment 12); -1¼), Self 
  Only (-½) 
  2 
   
   Martial Arts: Wrestling 
   
   Maneuver 
  OCV DCV Notes 
   
  5 Grappling 
  +1 
  +1 
  1 Limb, Block 
   
      Block 
   
  3 Grappling 
  +0 
  +2 
  9½d6, Target  
   
      Throw  
   
   
  Falls, Must 
  Follow Grab 
   
  4 Martial Strike +0 
  +2 
  9½d6 Strike 
   
  5 Offensive 
  -2 
  +1 
  11½d6 Strike 
   
      Strike 
   
  3 Sacrifice 
  +2 
  +1 
  7½d6 Strike,  
   
      Throw  
   
   
  Both Fall 
   
   Perks 
   
  3 Fringe Benefit (Membership: Sentinels) 
   
   Talents 
   
  3 Lightsleep 
   
   Skills 
   10 +1 Overall 
   16 +2 with All Combat 
   
   
  3 Acrobatics 15- 
   
  3 Breakfall 15- 
   
  3 Climbing 15- 
   
  3 AK: Texas 13- 
   
  3 KS: Law 13- 
   
  2 KS: Organized Crime in the American 
  Southwest 11- 
   
  3 PS: Policeman 13- 
   
  3 Shadowing 13- 
   
  3 Stealth 15- 
   
  3 Streetwise 13- 
   
  5 Tracking 14- 
   
  2 WF: Small Arms 
   
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  169 
   
  Total Cost:  350 
   
   200+ Disadvantages 
   10 DNPC:  Dallas Police Commissioner 
  Aaron Treadway 8- (Normal, Useful 
  Noncombat Position or Skills, Unaware of 
  Character’s Adventuring Career/Secret ID) 
   10 Enraged:  When cheated or betrayed 
  (Uncommon, go 11-, recover 14-) 
   10 Hunted:  Texas Mob 8- (Less Pow, 
  Harshly Punish, NCI) 
   10 Hunted:  Sidestep 8- (As Pow, Harshly 
  Punish) 
   15 Psychological Limitation:  Seeks Justice 
  (Common, Strong) 
   10 Psychological Limitation:  Persecution 
  Complex, Doesn’t Get His “Due” 
  (Uncommon, Strong) 
   15 Psychological Limitation:  Unpredictable, 
  Tends to Improvise (Common, Strong) 
   15 Rivalry:  MeteorMan (Professional, Mo 
  Pow, Seek to Outdo, Rival Aware of 
  Rivalry, Rival is a Player Character) 
   15 Social Limitation:  Secret Identity 
  (Frequently, Major) 
   
  5 Unluck:  1d6 
   35 Experience Points 
   
  Total Disadvantage Points:  350 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  15
  Ranger 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  16 
  You Gotta Have Character by Jason Walters 
   
   “Life is lived forwards, but understood 
  backwards” — Kierkegaard 
   
   
   
   
  The handsome man in shining 
  silver Romanesque armor stands in 
  front the assembled reporters, his teeth 
  gleaming as his face is bathed in the 
  occasional sharp radiance of flashbulbs. 
  Behind him lies a scene of urban 
  devastation which would have been 
  unheard of in a simpler, more innocent 
  age: cars thrown through shop 
  windows, manhole covers stuck in third 
  story balconies, brick buildings half 
  shattered as if the hand of some 
  wrathful young god had struck them. 
  Flanked by two of New York’s finest, 
  the man clears his throat before 
  speaking into an enormous duck-egg 
  sized microphone. 
   
  “Gentleman,” he begins affably to 
  the reporters, “this is exactly the sort of 
  behavior we don’t need here at home 
  while our brave boys are fighting the 
  Nazi menace overseas. New York is 
  America’s glorious gateway, not its 
  doormat, and as free citizens of this 
  great republic we can’t allow it to be 
  overrun by would-be superpowered 
  criminals….” 
   
  The armored man gestures behind 
  him. 
   
  “…whose choice in clothing would 
  make Mussolini blush.” 
   
  The crowd of assembled reporters 
  chuckle, quickly jotting down the 
  armored adventurer’s words in 
  shorthand on their notepads. Behind 
  them another much larger costumed 
  figure with a fin on his head is 
  attempting to pull an even more 
  massive man dressed up like a bull of 
  some kind out of a hole in the wall. It’s 
  quite a struggle. Standing exactly ten 
  feet from them a small, rumpled looking 
  fellow with an enormous camera takes a 
  never-ending stream of photographs, 
  stopping only to change film with a 
  quick ripping motion. 
   
  “That Optimus has always been 
  good for a byline,” comments the little 
  man, chomping out his words around a 
  soggy unlit cigar as he changes his film. 
  His battered fedora has a large card with 
  the word PRESS tucked into its brim. 
   
  “You bet, Weegee. His puss looks 
  good in print too.” The man with the fin 
  on his head grunts as he finally manages  
  to pull his massive adversary out of the 
  side of the J.C. Penny building, laying 
  him carefully face down on the street. 
  Two uniformed police officers 
  immediately begin to bind the man’s 
  enormous arms in steel manacles. The 
  costumed figure steps gingerly out of 
  their way, wiping brick dust off of his 
  outlandish outfit as he does. He lights 
  up a Lucky Strike cigarette, lifts the 
  bottom of his cowl up, and begins to 
  puff contentedly away. 
   
  “With the Defender’s of Justice 
  away on a top-secret mission, we of the 
  Justice Battalion are more than happy 
  to….” 
   
  “I dunno Bulletproof,” Weegee 
  comments as he leans over the horned 
  man, snapping pictures of his 
  unconscious body as the police chain 
  him up, “it looks like you gave The Ox 
  as serious blow to the biscuit this time. 
  He’s jiggered as a jaybird. You think 
  he’s going to be ok? Not that I have 
  THAT much sympathy for the big 
  psychopath.”  
   
  Bulletproof nods in agreement 
  before making a smoke ring.  
   
  “Indeed I do my short 
  photographically obsessiated friend,” 
  Bulletproof comments in a heavily 
  Brooklyn-accented voice while raising a 
  large finger dramatically into the air. 
  “That mook’s built like a brick factory. 
  He’ll sleep it off for a few days, catch 
  up on his hot meals, then bust out again 
  before he even standiates trial. Heck, if 
  they didn’t feed him so well at the sixth 
  precinct maybe he would work harder at 
  not gettin’ caught. We need a better 
  prison around here or worse cooks, one 
  or the other.”  
   
  “…as long as the values and beliefs 
  we cherish are threatened by 
  malefactors at home or overseas….”  
   
   “Hey, Bulletproof, how come it’s 
  always Optimus that does all the talking 
  when you two are fighting crime 
  together?” the small man asks as he 
  stops to change the film in his oversized 
  camera once again. “I never hear you, 
  Scarlet Archer, or that good looking 
  ginch what dresses like a bird 
  speechifying away like he does. There’s 
  nothing wrong with the way you talk.” 
   
                                                             
  artwork by Ron Salas 
  AUTHOR’S NOTE 
   
   
   The historical 
  Weegee was not, of 
  course, a drinking 
  companion of the 
  Champion’s Universe 
  Golden Age character 
  Bulletproof. He did, 
  however, regularly 
  hang out at Sammy’s 
  at 107 Bowery along 
  with Pruneface, 
  Horseface, Shorty the 
  Dwarf, photographer 
  Lisette Model, and 
  other eccentric 
  fixtures of the 1940s 
  Lower East Side. Oh, 
  and Optimus does 
  have more going for 
  him than a high PRE 
  score. 
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  17
   
  “…as noble an ally as our British 
  cousins….” 
   
  “Never really thought about it. I 
  always supposiated that talking ’n’ 
  looking good on film were a big part of 
  his superpowers. Say, Weegee, where 
  are you headed off too? I was thinking 
  that we could grab a couple of cold ones 
  at Sammy’s once I pulled these cars free 
  and stuck those manhole covers back 
  into the asphalt. I hear the city gave 
  them their cabaret license back.” 
   
  The brash little man waves affably 
  to the costumed hero as he meanders 
  towards his car. 
   
  “Sorry buddy but you supertypes 
  caught me early. I’m not usually even 
  up yet. I’ve got to sell these prints to the 
  rags so that I can get started with my 
  actual work. The Mob’s been real active 
  in Hell’s Kitchen lately. Where the Mob 
  is, the murders are. Where the murders 
  are, the news is. Where then news is in 
  this town, well, that’s where you’ll find 
  Weegee.”  
   
  Weegee the Famous a.k.a. Arthur  
  Fellig was the greatest freelance crime 
  photographer in the history of New  
  York. The only city “shutterbug” to  
  ever be issued an official police radio,  
  he elevated the spontaneous, gritty,  
  and often harsh genre of newspaper  
  photography to a recognized art  
  form almost singlehandedly.  
  Eccentric and brave to a  
  fault, he roamed the night in  
  his specially equipped  
  1938 Chevy Coupe looking  
  for the perfect shot to sell.  
  To this end he treated  
  vice-squad raids, riots, fires,  
  disreputable nightclubs,  
  political rallies, and high  
  society gatherings with  
  exactly the same nonchalant  
  attitude. In doing so Weegee  
  became an accepted  
  fixture of WWII-era  
  Manhattan nightlife. 
  Bibliography 
  ARTICLES  
   
   
  The Great Weegee!, Brian Jester, Unpublished 
  BOOKS 
   
   
  Looking at Photographs, John Szarkowski, 
  Bulfinch, 1999 
  Naked City, Arthur Fellig, Essential Books, 1945 
  The New York School: Photographs, 1936-1963, 
  Jane Livingston, Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 
  1992 
  Weegee by Weegee: An Autobiography, Arthur 
  Fellig, Ziff-Davis Publishing, 1961 
  MAGAZINES 
   
   
  Weegee, Louis Gerber, Cosmopolis October 
  Issue (#0), 1999  
  INTERNET  
   
   
   
   
  www.masters-of-photography.com/index.html  
  www.icp.org/exhibitions/weegee/weegee.html 
   
  THE PUBLIC EYE 
   
   
   This 1993 film by 
  noted director 
  Howard Franklin is a 
  remarkably effective 
  fictionalization of 
  Weegee’s life, 
  capturing not only his 
  spirit but that of the 
  time and place he 
  lived in. It stars Joe 
  Pesci as relentless 
  freelance 
  photographer Leon 
  “The Great Bernzini” 
  Bernstein, or 
  “Bernzy” to his 
  friends. On good 
  terms with both the 
  police and the mob, 
  Bernzy will stop at 
  absolutely nothing to 
  get a perfect shot of 
  murder victims. But 
  he never takes sides, 
  just pictures, until a 
  mysterious woman 
  (played by the lovely 
  Barbara Hershey) 
  embroils him in a 
  dangerous plot 
  involving organized 
  crime, the FBI, and 
  gasoline rationing. 
  This film climaxes 
  with an ultra-violent 
  mob hit which Bernzy 
  must plunge himself 
  into in an effort to 
  save his life, 
  professional 
  reputation, and the 
  woman he loves.  
   
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  18 
  Weegee 
   Val Char Cost Roll Notes 
   10 STR 
  0 11- Lift 100 kg; 2d6 HTH [1] 
   14 DEX 
  12 12- OCV:  5/DCV:  5 
   13 CON 
  6 12- 
   12 BODY 
  4 11- 
   14 INT 
  4 12- PER Roll:  12- 
   14 EGO 
  8 12- ECV:  5 
   15 PRE 
  5 12- PRE Attack:  3d6 
   10 COM 
  0 11- 
   
   
  6 PD 
  4 
   Total: 6 PD (0 rPD) 
   
  4 ED 
  1 
   Total: 4 ED (0 rED) 
   
  3 SPD 
  6 
   Phases:  4, 8, 12 
   
  6 REC 
  2 
   26 END 
  0 
   24 STUN 
  0 
   
   
  Total Characteristics Cost:  52 
  Movement: Running: 
  6”/12” 
   
   
  Leaping: 
  2”/4” 
   
   
  Swimming: 2”/4” 
  Cost Perks 
   
  3 Police Station:  Access 
   27 Manhattan Police Department:  Contact 
  13- (Access to Major Institutions, 
  Extremely Useful Skills or Resources, 
  Good Relationship, Organization) 
   18 The Mob:  Contact 12- (Significant 
  Contacts of Its Own, Useful Skills or 
  Resources, Good Relationship, 
  Organization) 
   
  2 Favor:  Police Chief 
   
  2 Favor:  Mob Boss 
   
  2 Favor:  City Alderman 
   
  3 Fringe Benefits:  Local Police Powers 
  (Radio Only), Press Pass 
   
  3 Infamous Shutterbug:  Reputation 8- 
  (Medium Sized Group) +3/+3d6 
   
   Talents 
   
  3 Lightsleep 
   
  3 Immovable:  +3 to Resist Persuasion 
   
   Skills 
   
  5 AK: New York 14- 
   
  5 Bribery 13- 
   
  3 Bureaucratics 12- 
   
  3 Combat Driving 12- 
   
  5 Criminology 13- 
   
  3 Disguise 12- 
   
  3 Forensic Medicine 12- 
   
  3 High Society 12- 
   
  5 Inventor 13- 
   
  6 KS: Photography 15- 
   
  5 Persuasion 13- 
   
  6 PS: Photographer 15- 
   
  9 Streetwise 15- 
   
  3 Shadowing 12- 
   
   
  3 Linguist 
   
  1 1)  Language:  Yiddish (fluent) 
   
  1 2)  Language:  German (fluent) 
   
  1 3)  Language:  Russian (fluent) 
   
  1 4)  Language:  Polish (fluent) 
   
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  137 
   
  Total Cost:  189 
   
   100+ Disadvantages 
   15 Psychological Limitation:  Obsessively 
  Self-Promoting (Common, Strong) 
   10 Psychological Limitation:  Fearless 
  (Uncommon, Strong) 
   15 Reputation:  Aggressive Shutterbug 11- 
  (Extreme) 
   
  5 Rivalry:  Professional (wants to be more 
  famous than every other freelance 
  photographer in New York), Seek to 
  Outdo, Embarrass, or Humiliate Rival, 
  Rival Aware of Rivalry 
   10 Social Limitation:  Shutterbug 
  (Frequently, Minor) 
   34 Experience Bonus 
   
  Total Disadvantage Points:  189 
   
  WEEGEE’S 
  WORKDAY  
   
   
   
  “I would drop into 
  Police Headquarters 
  at around 7:00 p.m. If 
  nothing’s stirring and 
  my elbow don’t itch – 
  and that’s not a gag, it 
  really does itch when 
  something is going to 
  happen – I go on back 
  to my room across 
  from Police 
  Headquarters and go 
  to sleep. At the head 
  of my bed I have a 
  hook-in with the 
  police alarms and fire 
  gongs so that if 
  anything happens 
  while I’m asleep, I’m 
  notified...When I get 
  my pictures I hurry 
  back to Headquarters. 
  There is always a 
  follow-up slip on an 
  accident (or crime) 
  with all the names and
  details coming in over 
  the teletype. I found 
  out who were injured, 
  where they lived, and 
  on what charges they 
  have been arrested, so 
  that I can caption my 
  pictures correctly. 
  Next I go back to my 
  darkroom and develop
  my prints. By this 
  time it is around six in 
  the morning and I 
  start out to sell my 
  prints.”  
  — Weegee quoted in
  “Free-Lance
  Camerman,” by Rosa
  Reilly, Popular
  Photography,
  December issue 1937
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  19
  Weegee 
  Background/History:  Weegee was born Usher 
  Fellig in 1899 in Zloczew, Austria (which later 
  became part of the Ukraine), the son of an 
  aspiring Rabbi who also worked in the 
  import/export business. To escape the vicious 
  pogroms waged against Eastern European jews 
  in the early nineteenth century Usher, along with 
  his father, mother, and three brothers, emigrated 
  to America in 1909 where his name was 
  Americanized to Arthur at Ellis Island. He 
  attended school until the eighth grade when he 
  had to quite in order to help support his family. 
  He worked with his father running their family 
  pushcart business (a common occupation for new 
  immigrants) while moonlighting as a clerk in a 
  local candy store.  
   
  In 1913 young Arthur had a revelation while 
  having his picture taken for the first time by a 
  street photographer. From that moment on he 
  knew exactly what he wanted to do with his life. 
  He immediately ordered a primitive tintype 
  camera rig from a mail-order catalogue. Within a 
  few weeks he had managed to obtain his first job 
  as an assistant to a commercial photographer, but 
  after a few years he grew tired of his employer 
  and left to try out a business idea he had 
  schemed up. Renting a pony from a local stable, 
  he set out each weekend with a secondhand 5x7 
  view camera to photograph adolescents. Families 
  dressed their children up in their best clothes on 
  these days of the week, so Arthur would 
  photograph them on the pony’s back, develop the 
  negatives, then sell them back to their families 
  for a quarter a shot. 
   
  In 1924 Arthur got his first big break, 
  landing a job at Acme Newspictures (later 
  United Press International or UPI) working as a 
  darkroom technician. Occasionally he would get 
  to go out at night to work as an emergency 
  photographer while the staff Acme employees 
  were at home in bed. After a few years of 
  working part time, he began to work steadily on 
  assignments and cover stories. His reputation for 
  knowing where disaster would strike became so 
  infamous that the girls in the Acme office pool 
  nicknamed him “Weegee” after the board game. 
  This is what Arthur had always wanted except 
  for one problem: as an Acme staff photographer 
  he received absolutely no public credit for his 
  work. 
   
  Weegee left Acme in 1935 to attempt a 
  career as a nocturnal freelance photographer, a 
  calling which he was pursue with unparalleled 
  gusto for the next ten years. With his camera in 
  his hand and a cheap cigar planted in his puggish 
  face he would begin his evening by arriving at 
  the Manhattan Police Headquarters around 
  midnight, where he would hang out around the 
  Teletype machine and wait for stories to break. 
  But after a few years he decided that he didn’t 
  want to hang around the station anymore; he 
  bought a 1938 Chevy Coupe, got a press card, 
  and became the first and only New York 
  photographer to be allowed to have a police 
  radio in his car. Amusingly, it had no “off” 
  button – every time he turned the ignition he was 
  at work. He then specially modified his vehicle 
  to include a miniature dark room built into the 
  trunk, and removed to back seats to make room 
  for extra cameras, flash bulbs, loaded holders, 
  and a mounted typewriter. He also kept cigars, 
  salami, and a change of clothing in his car so that 
  he wouldn’t need to stop by his apartment – 
  itself basically a giant darkroom. Thus equipped 
  he was consistently able to beat competing 
  photographers, known as shutterbugs, to vice-
  squad raids, murders, riots, fires, celebrity 
  gatherings, brawls, and political events. He sold 
  prints from these shots nightly to such 
  newspapers as the Herald Tribune, the World 
  Telegram, the Daly News, the Post, and the Sun. 
   
  Weegee became a well known fixture of 
  New York’s nightlife, going to far as to stamp 
  the back of his photographic prints with the 
  moniker “Credit Photo: Weegee the Famous.” 
  An accepted part of the evening scenery in 
  America’s greatest city, he was on equally 
  excellent terms with beat cops, detectives, 
  mobsters, prostitutes, bouncers, socialites, and 
  city politicians. His trademark was hard-flash 
  frontal shots that captured, for better or ill, the 
  raw emotion of his subjects. He often used 
  infrared flash and film which allowed him to 
  work as unobtrusively as possible in sometimes 
  dangerous situations. His reputation for being 
  completely unconcerned with his personal safety 
  garnered him respect from both law enforcement 
  and organized crime. 
   
  His technique, now considered by 
  photographers to be amongst the most influential 
  of his period, produced a result very different 
  from the complex, planned out, and “socially 
  conscious” magazine shots which were 
  considered the artistic standard of the time. None 
  of Weegee’s photos where thought out in 
  advance. His 4x5 Speed Graphic camera with its 
  linked Graflex synchronized flash was simply 
  preset to a focal distance of ten feet… where he 
  made it is business to stand in every situation. He 
  worked at point-blank range in a desperate, 
  fevered pitch to produce the most raw and 
  unplanned photographs he could possibly 
  manage. Style, texture, and film quality mattered 
  very little to him; they were incidental to his goal 
  of capturing history as it happened. His main 
  concern was making sure that the camera 
  captured people’s post-traumatic responses to 
  life altering or defining events. Nothing else 
  counted. This gave his work the gritty intimacy 
  for which it is best remembered today. 
  WEEGEE PLOT 
  SEEDS 
   
   
   Through his 
  underworld 
  connections Arthur 
  has caught wind of a 
  major bank heist 
  being planned by The 
  Ultimates using Ogre 
  and Ankylosaur as 
  extra muscle. He 
  alerts the PC heros 
  but there’s a catch: 
  they have to bring 
  Weegee along with 
  them.  
   Holocaust, who is 
  planning to take over 
  the world (again) by 
  singlehandedly 
  kidnaping the 
  chairman of the 
  Federal Reserve, 
  wants to make sure 
  that his actions are 
  visually well 
  documented. He’s 
  notified Weegee 
  about the where’s and 
  when’s (but not the 
  how’s or who’s) of 
  his plan. Arthur has, 
  reasonably enough, 
  contacted the PCs to 
  warn them about this 
  “master” villain’s 
  plans. But to make 
  things even more 
  interesting he has also 
  contacted VIPER and 
  UNTIL.... 
   For reasons which 
  are unclear Foxbat 
  has abducted the 
  owner of Kountry 
  Komics, a popular 
  comic book store 
  chain. This is the 
  known unknown of 
  the situation. The 
  unknown unknown is 
  why he will only 
  negotiate with 
  infamous crime 
  photographer 
  Weegee. Arthur is 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  20 
   
  Weegee was embraced by New York’s 
  artistic community relatively early in his career. 
  By 1943 his work was being shown in the 
  Museum of Modern Art as well as at the Photo 
  League. The same year saw the publication of an 
  incredibly influential collection of his crime 
  photography entitled Naked City, the rights to 
  which were later bought by Hollywood for a 
  successful film and television series. Yet by the 
  end of the 1940s Arthur had abandoned the 
  crime photography which made him famous to 
  concentrate on well-paid advertising assignments 
  for such magazines as Vogue, Holiday, Life, 
  Look, and Fortune. He moved to Hollywood for 
  five years, working as a consultant and bit part 
  actor while he experimented with a wide variety 
  of photographic techniques. He began to produce 
  a series of distorted celebrity photographs based 
  on a lens he had devised for his 1948 film 
  Weegee’s New York. He also investigated a 
  variety of innovative darkroom techniques. For 
  example, he placed squares of textured glass 
  between an enlarger lens and photographic paper 
  to alter the image of the negative to varying 
  degrees depending on the texture of the material 
  he used. He manipulated copy negatives by 
  placing them in boiling water or melting them 
  with an open flame. 
   
  Arthur later designed a system in which he 
  affixed a kaleidoscope to the end of his camera 
  lens, allowing the refractive designs to multiply 
  what the camera would normally have recorded 
  as a single image. He produced a series of short 
  films in the 1950s using this and other distorting 
  techniques. He also composed his autobiography 
  Weegee by Weegee before embarking on lecture 
  tours throughout the United States, Europe, and 
  the Soviet Union. He died, obscure but 
  artistically satisfied, of a brain tumor in 1968.  
   
  Personality/Motivation:  Weegee is an artist 
  possessed by a desire to capture history as it 
  happens by grasping explosive, revealing 
  moments out of the air. Nothing else matters to 
  him. He believes in a kind of pure holy intensity, 
  a Zeitgeist that only photographs can ever 
  possibly capture for posterity – and that he alone 
  is the one man tasked by God almighty to take 
  them. To this singular end Arthur travels a tough, 
  hazardous, an unpredictable road. He will 
  unerringly risk his life, the PCs’ lives, his 
  fortune, and everyone’s reputation without a 
  second thought if it means getting the perfect 
  photograph. He’ll even smile while doing it. 
  Weegee’s conscious is bulletproof. 
   
  On a personal level, Arthur is a pretty 
  ordinary if obnoxious guy with simple wants and 
  needs. He enjoys good cigars, decent bourbon, 
  well-cooked meals, and expensive hookers with 
  about the same level of gusto. He lives in a 
  moderately hip portion of town in a small three-
  room apartment stuffed with photographic 
  equipment. Most of his friends are cops, thugs, 
  or newspapermen. The two great intertwined 
  loves of Arthur’s life are his work and the people 
  who give birth to it; namely, the inhabitants of 
  his city. Weegee can almost be thought of as a 
  peeping tom, constantly spying on people so that 
  he can catch them in their most revealing 
  moments. Which often means catching them at 
  their most petty, terrified, violent, or self-
  absorbed. 
   
  The great Achilles’ heel of Weegee’s 
  personality is his relentless self-promotion. It’s 
  so ingrained into his psyche, so innate and 
  innocently executed that it’s almost charming. 
  Almost. Arthur wants everyone to know that his 
  photographs are uniquely his; obsessing about it 
  to the point that he stamps the back of every 
  photograph he takes with his pretentious 
  moniker. Anyone wanting to get a handle on 
  Weegee needs look no further than this to 
  manipulate him. 
   
  Quote:  “What is this? You asked me for help; 
  the next thing I know a mobster is mopping the 
  floor with me and the FBI is accusing me of 
  being a communist. You people had better have 
  something good for me next time around!” 
   
  Powers/Tactics:  Weegee is a fearless, hard-
  bitten gadgeteer/photographer built as a heroic 
  level character. His primary purpose in life is to 
  a) take extremely dangerous pictures from a 
  ridiculously short distance and b) to get in the 
  PCs way whenever possible. Although he is 
  small, loathes firearms, and has no physical 
  combat abilities worth mentioning Arthur does 
  have a few interesting tricks that he’s learned 
  over the years on the mean streets of the city. He 
  carries several special bulbs in his jacket pocket 
  in case of emergencies: two extra-powerful flash 
  bulbs which can be used as Sight Group Flash 
  2d6, one continuous bulb which runs of his 
  camera’s batteries like a spotlight, and one 
  infrared bulb which allows him to see characters 
  invisible to normal sight when he looks through 
  his camera. If you are using him as a 21st 
  Century NPC his camera becomes digital 
  (although it will still look like a 1938 Speed 
  Graphic) and he will also carry a cell phone/1 
  megapixel digital camera combination, two ELF 
  miniature cameras, and an Internet enabled PDA 
  with a webcam mounted on the top. Oddly, none 
  of his high tech equipment will take images in 
  color. Everything is still uniformly photographed 
  in gritty film noir black and white. 
   
  Weegee’s automobile was a James Bond-
  like marvel by the standards of its time. To 
  update it to the modern day, replace his trunk-
  mounted portable darkroom with a powerful 
  computer which runs of his car’s deep-cycle 
  batteries, allowing him to relay his photographs 
  delighted. The PCs 
  are not. 
   
  QUOTES ABOUT 
  WEEGEE 
   
   
   “He will take his 
  camera and ride off in 
  search of new 
  evidence that his city, 
  even in her most 
  drunken and 
  disorderly and 
  pathetic moments, is 
  beautiful.” 
  — William McCleery
  in Naked City
   
  “The best newspaper 
  photographers have 
  understood intuitively 
  that it is not their 
  function to interpret 
  the news; they have 
  left this task to the 
  caption-writers, who 
  ascribe to pictures 
  whatever moral, 
  political, social, or 
  historical meaning 
  seems appropriate in 
  light of the temper of 
  the moment. The 
  function of a news 
  photographer is to 
  give us the look and 
  smell of events that 
  we did not witness.”  
  — John Szarkowski,
  Looking at
  Photographs
   
   “....an impressive 
  collection of pictures, 
  the photography of 
  which was uniformly 
  poor. But however 
  bad they were 
  technically, what was 
  in them was true and 
  alive.” 
  — Bruce Downes,
  Weegee - A Tribute
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  21
  through a wireless network from his portable 
  digital camera directly to the offices of various 
  newspapers, television networks, and websites 
  instantaneously via a satellite modem at 5 
  megapixels. Replace his typewriter with a 
  dashboard-mounted laptop (which still looks like 
  a 1930s typewriter) linked via wireless to his 
  car’s fileserver for constant blogger news access. 
  A scanner, cell phone, and miniature television 
  are also built into the dashboard. The car, 
  however, is still a classic black 1938 Chevy 
  Coupe with whitewalls.  
   
  Campaign Use:  Weegee is the quintessential 
  annoying NPC photographer who constantly 
  sticks his nose into the PCs’ business – if he 
  thinks there are some good photos to be gotten 
  out of it, that is. There’s not very much they can 
  do about it either. He’s on such good terms with 
  the police that they’ll allow him to wander about 
  crime scenes at will, taking pictures of whatever 
  he pleases regardless of how much noise the PCs 
  make about it. If that wasn’t bad enough, he’s 
  got an excellent reputation amongst criminals as 
  the photographer to have around when a crime is 
  being committed. Many infamous mobsters have 
  made a point of having their picture taken 
  specifically by “Weegee the Famous” before, 
  during, and after they were arrested. 
   
  Arthur is right at home in a Pulp Hero, 
  Golden Age, or Danger International campaign 
  that is set in the Second World War (he was at 
  the height of his fame during those eras). Yet 
  Weegee can be relocated to the late 20th or 21st 
  Centuries with little effort. If you are playing a 
  modern day Champions campaign, it isn’t 
  unreasonable to assume that self-important, 
  media conscious, megalomaniacal, or just plain 
  loony supervillains like Bulldozer, Foxbat, and 
  Holocaust would want the city’s best 
  photographer to visually document their crimes 
  for posterity. In fact these types villains will go 
  out of their way to attract Weegee’s attention, 
  broadcasting their intentions at great length over 
  the city’s police radio system in the hopes that he 
  will show up to document their “magnificent” 
  exploits. Weegee can then make a total nuisance 
  of himself during combat by charging straight 
  onto the battleground without any regard for his 
  own personal safety, risking falling objects, eye 
  beams, and ping-pong balls alike in his never-
  ending quest to take every shot from a distance 
  of ten feet. The PCs should be made to rescue 
  him again and again and again…. 
   
  Weegee is a remarkably well-connected and 
  well-informed NPC. He has strong ties to the 
  worlds of law enforcement, organized crime, 
  politics, high society, and the arts. His 
  connections can be purchased too… but not for 
  money. In return for any favor, Arthur will 
  demand the right to be present at the scene of the 
  PCs’ next daring exploit where, camera in hand, 
  he will try to stand ten feet away from their 
  apocalyptic battle with Doctor Destroyer – 
  regardless of whether or not he promises to keep 
  a safe distance. The ends always justify the 
  means to a true artist.  
   
  Arthur does have some sense of honor, 
  though. If the PCs keep him informed about their 
  activities, or somehow tip him off to a crime in 
  progress, he will return the favor periodically by 
  warning them if he stumbles across rumors of a 
  supervillain’s master plan, corruption within the 
  police department, or some other noteworthy 
  underworld gossip. Players can acquire Contact: 
  Weegee the Famous 13- (Access to Major 
  Institutions, Significant Contacts of His Own, 
  Good Relationship) 13- for 7 Character Points. 
   
  Appearance:  Weegee is a pugnacious looking 
  little man with closely cropped black hair. He 
  always looks completely unkempt and 
  disreputable: his suits are crumpled, his fedoras 
  are battered, and his shoes are unpolished. It’s 
  almost as if he’s been in some way cursed by 
  nature to forever look seedy. A five o’clock 
  shadow creeps across his face mere moments 
  after he shaves, new clothing wrinkles as soon as 
  it touches his body, and his hair becomes 
  unkempt before he even leaves the barber shop. 
  His small, cynical mouth is invariably clamped 
  around the nub of a cheap, long-extinguished 
  cigar. 
   
  In the rainy season Arthur wears a long 
  heavy black trench coat rather than carry an 
  umbrella (which would fill one of his hands). In 
  the summer he wears a lighter jacket, but both of 
  them have special extra-deep pockets sewn into 
  the lining for cigars, flashbulbs, small cameras, 
  matches, and other such tiny sundries. Although 
  he owns several rather nice suits, for obvious he 
  usually prefers to wear clothing that somewhat 
  understandably has a “second hand” look to it 
  rather than ruin his best duds. Weegee always 
  has his press pass with him, jammed either into 
  his hat or his front pocket with the word “press” 
  predominantly displayed so there can be no 
  mistaking who he is and why he is there. 
   
   
   
   “It is a mistake to 
  see Weegee’s bold, 
  harsh, often chaotic-
  seeming nocturnal 
  police-call 
  photographs as 
  somehow 
  accidental.... This is 
  nonsense. These 
  photographs, whose 
  brilliant framings and 
  masterful command 
  of flash illumination, 
  whether by day or 
  night, bespeak an 
  enormously 
  disciplined and gifted 
  artist.” 
  — Jane Livingston,
  The New York School:
  Photographs, 1936-
  1963
   
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  22 
  Your Horoscope For:  Scorpio by Allen Thomas 
   
   
  This month’s installment of Your Horoscope 
  For:  presents a one-night adventure involving 
  Teleios, the master of genetics described on 
  pages 134 through 138 of Champions Universe, 
  a top secret government project from the ’50s 
  dedicated to defending the nation from a 
  Communist uprising, and a mess of giant 
  scorpions. 
  ADVENTURE BACKGROUND 
   
   
   
  During the 1950s movie-goers thrilled to on-
  screen mayhem in the form of monster movies. 
  Giant ants, giant tarantulas, giant women… all 
  these monsters and more terrorized hapless 
  Americans, as experiments in atomic science 
  went awry and radiation mutated usually 
  harmless creatures into colossal versions of 
  themselves. 
   
  During this same time the Cold War raged 
  between the United States and the Soviet Union, 
  and some Americans became deeply worried 
  about the threat of Communist infiltrators. One 
  of their greatest fears was that Communists 
  would take control of parts of society and spark a 
  revolution. Not only did the military have to 
  concern itself with the Soviet Union’s 
  encroachments abroad, but some among 
  leadership focused on ensuring a Communist-
  free domestic tranquility here at home – they 
  even felt this was the greatest threat the 
  Communists of Soviet Russia posed to the 
  United States. Thus was born Project Scorpio, a 
  government program so secret not even the 
  President knew of its existence. 
   
  Project Scorpio took a page from the 
  popular movies of the time. Its goal was simple:  
  to create giant monsters that would terrorize a 
  seditious populace, and then provide the true-
  blue, red-blooded Americans who would save 
  the day, while espousing the principles the 
  project leaders felt all-important to defending 
  American freedom from Communist tyranny. 
   
  As it turned out, creating giant monsters was 
  the easy part, and with the proper application of 
  radioactive dust, Project Scorpio created plenty 
  of giant scorpions, chosen because their 
  monstrous appearance and ornery nature, to 
  unleash if Communists ever threatened domestic 
  tranquility. However creating the hero and 
  heroine, code-named Brad and Janet, was more 
  difficult. The task proved impossible until a 
  mysterious scientist who called himself Dr. X 
  volunteered his services to the project leaders. 
   
  Possessing knowledge of genetics far in 
  advance of his contemporaries, Dr. X soon 
  manufactured Brad and Janet, a young man and 
  woman, blond hair and blue-eyed, created from 
  the genetic materials of several Hollywood 
  actors and actresses including John Agar and 
  Mara Corday. At the request of leadership, he 
  created two pairs, the primary unit and the back-
  up unit. Not only did Brad and Janet have the 
  ability to move through physical space at will so 
  they could appear wherever the scorpions 
  attacked, but they were also immune to the 
  scorpions’ attacks. With his job finished, Dr. X 
  disappeared, seeming to vanish into thin air 
  according to the men assigned to watch the 
  doctor and track his movements, and the project 
  leaders awaited a Communist uprising that never 
  came. In the end, the project was mothballed. 
   
  Over the decades those involved with 
  Project Scorpio passed away until only a paper 
  trail pointed to the project’s existence; and 
  recently Teleios, the Perfect Man, stumbled on 
  the records of the project and its experiments. 
  Curious about these early efforts at bio-
  engineering, Teleios decided to investigate. 
  Unable to locate any of the project’s former 
  scientists for interrogation, the villain realized he 
  would have to take a more direct approach. 
  Using his own genetic material, he created a 
  clone to act as his agent and investigator; and 
  never one to pass up an ironic moment, he gave 
  the clone’s genome a subtle twist, providing it 
  with a the proper amount of derangement for a 
  mad scientist and dubbing the clone Dr. X. 
   
  The new Dr. X traveled to the project’s 
  underground facility on the outskirts of your 
  campaign city and soon defied his orders from 
  Teleios. Rather than simply gather information 
  for his creator, he unleashed the giant scorpions. 
  Now the monstrous creations of atomic science 
  threaten the city, and only your PCs stand 
  between the giant scorpions and certain 
  destruction and widespread panic – that is, the 
  superheroes and the heroic, all-American couple 
  Dr. X unwittingly freed along with the scorpions, 
  Brad and Janet! 
                                                             
  artwork by Bob Cram 
  THE FURTHER 
  ADVENTURES… 
   
   
   Below are some 
  plot seeds you can use 
  for adventures 
  stemming from the 
  events in Your 
  Horoscope For:  
  Scorpio. 
   Who is... Dr. X?:  
  While looking into 
  Project Scorpio, the 
  superheroes discover 
  the only known 
  photograph of the Dr. 
  X from the Fifties… 
  and the man is the 
  spitting image of 
  Teleios, the Perfect 
  Man. How is this 
  possible? Could it be 
  that Teleios – or 
  maybe his deranged 
  clone, Dr. X – 
  discovered a means of 
  traveling back in time,
  perhaps by sending 
  his consciousness 
  back through the 
  genetic material 
  passed on from parent 
  to child? Or could it 
  be there’s some 
  connection between 
  the mysterious source 
  of Teleios’ genetic 
  knowledge, described 
  in the villain’s 
  background, and the 
  origins of the Dr. X 
  from the Fifties? 
   Brad and Janet in 
  the Modern World:  
  After the adventure 
  Brad and Janet are left
  to their own devices 
  in the modern world. 
  Though designed 
  solely to fight Giant 
  Scorpions while 
  espousing the 
  principles of their 
  creators, both are 
  young adults with 
  normal intelligence  
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  23
  Scene One:  Science Fiction 
  Double Feature 
   
  The Giant Scorpions first reveal themselves 
  at a drive-in movie theater in the suburbs called 
  the Rock ’n’ Roll Drive-In. An outdoor movie 
  theater like those often frequented by teenagers 
  in love during the ’50s, the Rock ’n’ Roll Drive-
  In shows a science fiction double feature every 
  Tuesday and Thursday beginning at sundown. 
  Just as the film Them! approaches its thrilling 
  conclusion, the Giant Scorpions come chittering 
  forth, murderously clacking their colossal claws, 
  to terrorize the hapless movie-goers. 
   
  How the PCs hear of the giant scorpion 
  attack is up to you. Maybe a news team was 
  reporting on the theater for a special interest 
  feature when the attack takes place and 
  broadcasts the mayhem citywide. Maybe a 
  DNPC or two are at the drive-in when the 
  scorpions emerge from the night. Or maybe even 
  the PCs themselves were taking in some R&R. 
   
  Also left to you is the precise number of 
  scorpions that attack, but two or three Giant 
  Scorpions per 350-point PC should be enough to 
  challenge the superheroes – the goal of this fight 
  is to make it difficult for the PCs to prevail 
  unless they determine the monsters’ 
  Susceptibility, namely a ring of fire. 
   
  As the superheroes approach the drive-in 
  theater, they see cars rushing away from the 
  theater; and once they arrive, they see only one 
  car still remains. The car holds a family of four 
  (although in true drive-in tradition, they only 
  paid admission for three – the father hid the 
  younger boy in the trunk until the family was in 
  the theater):  James and Katherine Tomasky, and 
  their two sons Adam and Les, ages 9 and 7 
  respectively. The panicked driver, Mr. Tomasky, 
  continues to turn the key in the ignition, but all 
  that results is a clicking noise. The Rock ’n’ Roll 
  Drive-In broadcasts the sound for the movie via 
  a car’s radio, and it seems someone didn’t put 
  their key in the accessory position when the 
  movie started, so their car battery has drained. 
  GIANT SCORPIONS 
   
   
   
  When the PCs arrive on the scene, at least 
  one Giant Scorpion should be in the hex adjacent 
  to the Tomasky’s stalled car. 
   
  You can find a complete character sheet for 
  the Giant Scorpions on page 90 of the HERO 
  System Bestiary, but here’s a quick reference you 
  can use which provides the information most 
  often referenced in combat – simply print this 
  page, clip out the following stat block, and attach 
  it to your GM screen. 
   
  GIANT SCORPIONS 
   
   
  40 STR 
  14 DEX 
  25 CON 19 BODY 
   4 INT 
  5 EGO 
  25 PRE 
  4 COM 
  10 PD 
  8 ED 
  3 SPD 
  13 REC 
  50 END 
  52 STUN 
  Abilities:  Pincers:  HKA 2d6 (4d6 with 
  STR); Exoskeleton:  Armor (6 PD/6 ED); 
  Long Legs:  Running +18” (24” Total); Sting:  
  HKA ½d6 (1d6+1 with STR); Venom:  Drain 
  CON 4d6, Delayed Return Rate (5 per Hour), 
  NND, Personal Immunity; 4 Charges, 
  HKA/Sting Must Do BODY, Extra Time 
  (Onset 1 Minute after Victim Stung), Gradual 
  Effect (4 Minutes; 1d6 per Minute) plus RKA 
  4d6, NND, Does BODY, Personal Immunity; 
  No Range, 4 Charges, HKA Must Do BODY, 
  Extra Time (Onset 1 Minute after Victim 
  Stung), Gradual Effect (4 Minutes; 1d6 per 
  Minute); +2 with Hand-to-Hand Combat. 
  Disadvantages:  Physical Limitation:  Huge 
  (16m tall; -6 DCV, +6 to PER Rolls to 
  perceive) 
   
  In addition to the above, the scorpions 
  created by Project Scorpio have two 
  Disadvantages you should add to their character 
  sheets. One is a result of the radioactive dust 
  used in their creation; the other, a “self-destruct 
  mechanism” put in place by project scientists so 
  Brad and Janet can save the day: 
  Distinctive Features:  Radioactive 
  Green Glow (Not Concealable; Extreme 
  Reaction [fear])  
  Susceptibility:  to ring of fire, 2d6 
  BODY every Phase Giant Scorpion is 
  Surrounded by Fire (Uncommon) 
   
  The Giant Scorpion’s Susceptibility is that it 
  stings itself to death when surrounded by a ring 
  of fire with no way out. It takes the BODY 
  damage on each of its Phases as its stinger 
  plunges deep into its back, penetrating through 
  cracks in its carapace, until finally the monster is 
  reduced to 0 BODY and dies. 
   
  Tactically, when fighting superheroes, the 
  Giant Scorpions suffer a severe disadvantage: 
  they can’t fly. Here are a couple of things you 
  can do to deal with this. The scorpions can throw 
  various objects (and superheroes too!) at flying 
  PCs. Any scorpion not engaged in Hand-to-Hand 
  Combat can proceed to the near-by subdivision 
  to wreak havoc on unsuspecting civilians; it only 
  stops if a superhero engages it mano a mano. 
  You can give a Giant Scorpion some inches of 
  Stretching with its claws and tail stinger; this, in 
  addition to its huge size, should give it some 
  reach with its attacks. Alternately you can give 
  the Giant Scorpion additional inches of Leaping. 
  If the majority of your PCs can fly, you might 
  (although with 
  decidedly strange 
  view of the world). 
  How will they adapt 
  to the America of the 
  21st century? Will the 
  PCs take the couple 
  under their wing and 
  teach them the ins and 
  outs of modern 
  society? And when 
  Janet shows up 
  wearing a mini-skirt 
  and showing off her 
  new navel piercing, 
  how will Brad react? 
   Attack of the 
  Giant Scorpions, the 
  Movie:  A big-name 
  Hollywood producer 
  had decided the 
  movie-going public is 
  hungry for the 
  monster movies of 
  old, and he decides 
  the events of Your 
  Horoscope For:  
  Scorpio will make a 
  great basis for a new 
  movie. The PCs are 
  hired to act as 
  freelance consultants. 
  How will they deal 
  with a mercurial 
  screenwriter, 
  temperamental 
  director, and prima 
  donna actors? And 
  when the film crew 
  discovers a deeper 
  level to the complex 
  that once housed 
  Project Scorpio, what 
  dangers await the 
  heroes? 
   
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  24 
  want to add a further mutation – radiation not 
  only caused the scorpions to grow huge, but also 
  gave them a set of insect-like wings that emerge 
  from under their chitinous exoskeleton (likely 
  much to the surprise of the superheroes!) and 
  allow the monsters to fly erratically but well 
  enough to engage airborne superheroes. 
  BRAD AND JANET 
   
   
   
  After the fight with the Giant Scorpions 
  begins, at the end of the first Segment 12, the 
  PCs discover that the Tomaskys aren’t the only 
  civilians at the drive-in. From out of the darkness 
  come running Brad and Janet. Fleeing while 
  holding hands, Brad pulls Janet (who seems to 
  stumble a lot) along. Brad wears a red 
  letterman’s jacket with white leather sleeves and 
  a blue ‘A’ stitched to the left breast. Janet wears 
  a poodle skirt and pink cashmere sweater; her 
  blonde hair is tied back in a ponytail with a pink 
  ribbon. It seems the young couple really likes to 
  get into the spirit of going to the drive-in…. 
   
  As they flee, the two talk to each other, 
  speaking very loudly and enunciating clearly 
  almost as if they were bad actors, and any PC 
  nearby can easily hear their words over the 
  clacking claws and chittering legs of the Giant 
  Scorpions. They say things like: 
   
  “But, Brad, who could be responsible for 
  unleashing these terrible monsters on us?!?” 
   
  “Well, Janet, I bet it was dirty Communists 
  that did it!” 
   
  “What are we going to do, Brad? This could 
  mean the end of civilization as we know it!” 
   
  “Not if Ike and the US military have 
  anything to say about it!” 
   
  “How are going to stop these giant 
  scorpions, Brad?” 
   
  “I’ll bet our top scientist are working on that 
  right now! Don’t worry, Janet – American 
  ingenuity and know-how will beat out 
  Communist atomic science six days a week and 
  twice on Sundays!” 
   
  For character sheets, Brad and Janet are both 
  Average Persons, as described on page 223 of 
  HERO System 5th Edition, with 14 COM and the 
  following Powers: 
   
  Can’t Keep an All-American Boy/Girl 
  Down:  By some unknown means, Dr. X 
  instilled an immunity to the attacks of Giant 
  Scorpions in his creations, Brad and Janet. Is it a 
  psychic ability to foresee danger and avoid it? Is 
  it an ability to alter time? Or is it just plain old 
  dumb luck? Perhaps the power is somehow tied 
  to their ability to keep their hair perfectly 
  combed and faces clean-scrubbed, free of dirt, no 
  matter what the circumstances. No one knows 
  for sure, but whatever the case Brad and Janet 
  always seem to jump, push each other, fall, trip, 
  and stumble just the right way to avoid the 
  scorpion’s crushing grip and deadly stinger 
  dripping with virulent venom. 
  Luck 12d6 (60 Active Points); Only 
  Versus Attacks From Giant Scorpions 
  (-2). Total cost:  20 points. 
  +12 DCV (60 Active Points); Only 
  Versus Attacks From Giant Scorpions 
  (-2). Total cost:  20 points. 
   
  Always in the Middle of Trouble:  
  Somehow (the Power’s means and methods as 
  mysterious as the couple’s immunity to the 
  attacks of Giant Scorpions) Brad and Janet 
  always seem to turn up just in time for Giant 
  Scorpions to attack them. And no matter how far 
  they run, they’re always nearby where the Giant 
  Scorpions can try to kill them. They only show 
  up if Giant Scorpions attack someplace in the 
  forty-eight contiguous states in the United States. 
  (Giant Scorpions attacking other countries, even 
  NATO members, were of no concern to Project 
  Scorpio; Alaska and Hawaii didn’t become a 
  states until after the project’s completion, so 
  those two are on their own in case of atomic 
  monster attack.) They show up approximately 1 
  km away from the monsters and must travel the 
  remaining distance on foot, running all the way. 
  No one ever notices them disappear or reappear 
  – they come out of the darkness, or out from 
  behind a piece of wreckage, or when everyone is 
  looking the other way. No matter how far the 
  PCs remove Brad and Janet from the threat of the 
  scorpions, they appear a few Segments later 
  running right back into the thick of things. 
  Teleportation 5”, Megascale (1” = 
  1,000 km; +1), Invisible Power Effects 
  (all senses; +1), Reduced Endurance (0 
  END; +½) (35 Active Points); No 
  Conscious Control (only to where Giant 
  Scorpions attack within the forty-eight 
  contiguous states; -2). Total cost:  12 
  points. 
   
  But more than just these uncanny abilities, 
  Brad and Janet know the Giant Scorpions’ secret 
  weakness. If a PC talks to the young couple, 
  Brad says: “Say… you know what, my pa used 
  to say if a scorpion fell into a ring of fire, it 
  would sting itself to death. I bet these monstrous 
  creations of Communist atomic science would do 
  the same thing!” 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  25
  Scene Two:  “Dr. X Will Build a 
  Creature….” 
   
  The Rock ’n’ Roll Drive-In is located in a 
  large empty field, and following the trail of the 
  Giant Scorpions back to their point of origin only 
  requires a pair of eyes and a light source. The 
  trail of crushed crops and churned up mud leads 
  to the nearest structure – a complex of 
  abandoned warehouses surrounded by a rusty 
  chain link fence topped with barbed wire. A 
  dummy corporation that acted as a front for the 
  United States Air Force once owned the 
  warehouses, but they have been abandoned for 
  decades. 
   
  Inside one of the ruined warehouses, the PCs 
  find a large pit leading down into the earth. The 
  pit is circular with a diameter of 15” (30 meters), 
  and every 10” (20 meters) down is a level with 
  two womb-like cavities placed on opposite sides 
  of the shaft. Each of the cavities opens up into 
  the pit, and the insides are lined with a pink 
  fleshy material, dripping with green juices – 
  these are obviously where the Giant Scorpions 
  were stored, and the PCs can discover gouges in 
  the metal wall from where the Giant Scorpions 
  climbed out of their “wombs” to the surface. 
  (How many levels are in the pit depends on how 
  many Giant Scorpions you used in the 
  proceeding scene, one level for every two 
  monsters plus at least one more for the Giant 
  Scorpion Dr. X used to create the Brad-and-Janet 
  Monster described below.) 
   
  The pit ends at a large square chamber with 
  a high ceiling. In the middle of the room, set in 
  the floor, is a lift platform that rises to the 
  surface. Analog dials and read-outs, along both 
  walls and connected to the womb cavities above, 
  monitor and regulate the Giant Scorpions when 
  in storage – each station has one dial turned to 
  the “Unleash Giant Scorpions” position. In the 
  east wall are four cavities, similar to the ones in 
  the pit above but smaller – each is just the right 
  size for a human, in fact. It’s obvious to the PCs 
  this is where Brad and Janet were stored… but 
  not so obvious: who was stored in the other two 
  cavities. Next to each man-sized cavity is a metal 
  closet. Inside the closet are hangers; clothes only 
  hang from two of the hangers though – on one is 
  a pair of slacks; on the other, a poodle skirt. In 
  the west wall is a sliding door that leads large 
  lab… where Dr. X has just completed creating 
  the Brad-and-Janet Monster! 
  Dr. X 
   
  For Dr. X’s character sheet use Teleios’ 
  from page 134 of Champions Universe. Dr. X 
  dresses similarly, but to hide his perfect features, 
  he wears a black surgical mask over his nose and 
  mouth. On the surgical mask is a red X. You can 
  assume he has used the points in his Biochemical 
  Wizardry VPP to create the Brad-and-Janet 
  Monster. If you need to increase the challenge of 
  the encounter, you can provide Dr. X with two or 
  more Cloned Soldiers (described on page 137 of 
  Champions Universe) dispatched by his creator, 
  Teleios, to serve as bodyguards. If knocked out 
  or killed, Dr. X disintegrates into dust over the 
  course of 5 Minutes – Teleios inserted a self-
  destruct sequence in the cloned genome to ensure 
  Dr. X doesn’t lead heroes to Teleios’ secret 
  hideout. However, this still provides plenty of 
  time for the PCs to learn Dr. X is the spitting 
  image of Teleios if they think to look and move 
  quickly. 
  THE FIGHT 
   
   
   
  When the PCs exit the pit and enter the 
  chamber immediately below, give them a 
  moment to investigate the entrance area. Then 
  they hear a crack like lightning striking nearby, 
  from behind the sliding doors – even though they 
  are a hundred or more feet underground. 
   
  Inside the lab, Dr. X has just finished 
  creating the Brad-and-Janet Monster. Dr. X 
  stands on a catwalk, 6” (12 meters) above the 
  floor, waving a bloody scalpel and laughing 
  maniacally. Below him the Brad-and-Janet 
  Monster scuttles down from the operating table 
  (currently 2” above the floor) to attack the 
  superheroes. The room itself is immense: 15” 
  high and filled with esoteric lab equipment with 
  numerous wires and cables crisscrossing the 
  ceiling, all of which hum with power and crackle 
  with Jacob’s ladders and jolts of electricity. 
   
  The fight itself is a straightforward brawl. 
  Dr. X spends most of the time laughing unless 
  attacked by the PCs, then he attacks in kind. 
  Early on, Brad and Janet show up to espouse the 
  principles that Project Scorpio’s leaders felt 
  made America great, and if given the opportunity 
  they enter into a lengthy discussion with the 
  Brad-and-Janet Monster which espouses the 
  same principles while trying to kill them. Once 
  Brad and Janet do show up, Dr. X takes a more 
  active role in combat, attacking the couple with 
  an insane fury, and promising to carve them up 
  so he can create a second Brad-and-Janet 
  Monster… and Brad and Janet are not immune to 
  the attacks of deranged mad scientists! 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  26 
  Brad-and-Janet Monster 
   Val Char Cost Roll Notes 
   55 STR 
  45 20- 50 tons; 11d6 HTH [5] 
   14 DEX 
  12 12- OCV:  5/DCV:  5 
   30 CON 
  40 15- 
   22 BODY 
  24 13- 
   
  8 INT 
  -2 12- PER Roll:  12- 
   
  8 EGO 
  -4 12- ECV:  3 
   30 PRE 
  20 15- PRE Attack:  6d6 
   
  4 COM 
  -3 10- 
   
   15 PD 
  4 
   Total:  35 PD (20 rPD) 
   10 ED 
  4 
   Total:  30 ED (20 rED) 
   
  3 SPD 
  6 
   Phases:  4, 8, 12 
   20 REC 
  6 
         and (2, 6, 7, 11) 
   60 END 
  0 
   100 STUN 
  35 
   
   
  Total Characteristics Cost:  187 
  Movement: Running: 
  24”/48” 
   
   
  Leaping: 
  5”/10” 
   
   
  Swimming: 2”/4” 
  Cost Powers 
  END 
   30 Pincers:  Multipower, 30-point reserve 
   3u 1)  Rending:  HKA 2d6 (4d6 with STR) 3 
   1u 2)  Grasping:  +20 STR, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½); Only To Grab 
  (-1) 
  0 
   75 Radiation Blast:  Energy Blast 6d6, 
  NND (defense is LS [Safe 
  Environment:  High Radiation]; +1), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; -½) 
  0 
   15 Sting:  HKA 1d6 (2d6 with STR) 
  1 
   65 Venom:  Drain CON 4d6, Delayed 
  Return Rate (5 per Hour; +1), NND (LS 
  [Immunity to Scorpion Venom]; +1), 
  Personal Immunity (+¼); 4 Charges  
   
   (-1), HKA/Sting Must Do BODY (-½), 
  Extra Time (Onset 1 Minute after 
  Victim Stung; -1½), Gradual Effect (4 
  Minutes; 1d6 per Minute; -½) plus 
  RKA 4d6, NND (LS [Immunity to 
  Scorpion Venom]; +1), Does BODY 
  (+1), Personal Immunity (+¼); No 
  Range (-½), 4 Charges (-1), HKA/Sting 
  Must Do BODY (-½), Extra Time 
  (Onset 1 Minute after Victim Stung;  
   
   -1½), Gradual Effect (4 Minutes; 1d6 
  per Minute; -½) 
  [4] 
   60 Exoskeleton:  Armor (20 PD/20 ED) 
  0 
   15 Two Heads and Three Brains (Counting 
  The Scorpion’s) are Better than One:  
  Mental Defense (17 points total) 
  0 
   15 Radioactive Physiology:  Power 
  Defense (15 points) 
  0 
   18 Heavy:  Knockback Resistance -9” 
  0 
   
  2 Radioactive Monster:  Life Support 
  [Safe in High Radiation] 
  0 
   36 Long Legs:  Running +18” (24” total) 
  4 
   
  8 Scorpion Sense:  +4 PER with Touch 
  Group 
   38 Sense Vibrations:  Detect Physical 
  Vibrations 13- (Touch Group), 
  Discriminatory, Analyze, Range, 
  Targeting 
  0 
   
  6 Eight Legs and Stinger Plus the Torsos 
  of Brad and Janet:  Extra Limbs, 
  Inherent (+¼) 
  0 
   20 Brad and Janet Attack!:  +4 SPD; Only 
  with Radiation Blast (-1) 
   
   Skills 
   
  4 +2 with Radiation Blast 
   20 +4 with Hand-to-Hand Combat 
   
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  431 
   
  Total Cost:  618 
   
   150+ Disadvantages 
   20 Distinctive Features:  Radioactive Green 
  Glow (Not Concealable; Extreme 
  Reaction [fear]) 
   10 Physical Limitation:  Huge (16m tall; -6 
  DCV, +6 to PER Rolls to perceive) 
  (Frequently, Slightly Impairing) 
   
  5 Physical Limitation:  Reduced Leap, Can 
  Only Leap Half as Far as STR Indicates 
  (Infrequently, Slightly Impairing) 
   20 Psychological Limitation:  Slavishly 
  Devoted to Dr. X (Common, Total) 
   213 Experience Points 
   
  Total Disadvantage Points:  618 
   
  Description:  Created from the “material 
  samples” on hand in the laboratory by Dr. X, 
  namely one of the Giant Scorpions and the back-
  up Brad and Janet, the Brad-and-Janet Monster 
  has the lower body of a Giant Scorpion; and the 
  upper bodies, from the waist on up, of Brad and 
  Janet emerge from right between the monster’s 
  gigantic pincers. In the throes of his 
  derangement, Dr. X has even given Brad his 
  trademark letterman’s jacket and Janet her pink 
  cashmere sweater to wear. 
   
  In combat, the creature attempts to Grab its 
  foe with its pincers, then Brad and Janet unleash 
  Radiation Blasts at the immobilized foe, firing 
  the glowing green blasts from their hands. They 
  can fire on Phases 2, 6, 7, and 11 (the scorpion 
  body takes its action on Phases 4, 8, and 12). 
  During the fight, Brad and Janet carry on the 
  conversation as programmed by their original 
  creators, the gist of which is described above. 
   
  Unlike the Giant Scorpions, the Brad-and-
  Janet Monster does not kill itself if surrounded 
  by a ring of fire – it is only annoyed by the 
  flames. (However, for the purposes of Brad and 
  Janet’s extraordinary abilities, the monster is 
  considered a Giant Scorpion.) 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  27
  Brad-and-Janet Monster 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  28 
  Forced Evolution by W. Jason Allen 
   
  Introduction 
   
  Forced Evolution is an adventure designed 
  for 4 to 6 superheroes of approximately 350 
  points. A sample hero team is provided for 
  players who wish to begin play quickly, or for 
  GMs running a demonstration game. The action 
  begins swiftly so players can become familiar 
  with their characters’ combat abilities and 
  preferred tactics, and to demonstrate the game 
  mechanics to new players. 
   
  While the sample team provided is 
  especially suitable for this adventure, and the 
  adventure is written with the assumption they 
  will be used, GMs are encouraged to allow 
  players the opportunity to create their own 
  characters. Keep in mind, however, that 
  adventure hooks and lead-ins may need to be 
  altered to suit custom characters. Also, if 
  characters are built with significantly more than 
  350 points, they may be too powerful for this 
  adventure unless the villains have been revised. 
  Adventure Background 
   
  Dr. Henry Knovekstein was working late 
  one night in the Genetics Lab at Odyssey 
  Research Institute when he made a very 
  interesting discovery. While performing research 
  into the genetic basis of mental powers in 
  mutants, he learned of a way to introduce the 
  mutant element into his own DNA. The 
  procedure was reasonably safe and completely 
  non-invasive, so in the interest of science he 
  performed the experiment on himself. 
  Unfortunately, the procedure was not as safe as 
  the good doctor believed. While completely 
  successful in giving him incredible mental 
  powers, the procedure shattered his sanity and 
  transformed him from a mild-mannered genetic 
  researcher into a power-mad egomaniac bent on 
  making the world his personal laboratory. 
   
  Having lost none of his scientific genius, Dr. 
  Know, as his colleagues often called him, 
  realized he would need help in achieving his 
  power-hungry goals. Desiring to create an army 
  of genetically altered soldiers to do his bidding, 
  he acquired “volunteers” from the homeless and 
  poor of the city. He quickly discovered that 
  crafting genetically altered super-soldiers to do 
  his bidding was difficult work. After a dozen 
  failed attempts resulting in the deaths of his 
  subjects, he knew the authorities would soon 
  begin noticing the disappearances, even of 
  homeless people. Dr. Know finally succeeded 
  with the creation of Wildcat, and used the results 
  of that success to create Bat, Falcon, and finally 
  Spider. Several more subjects were slain during 
  the process, and Dr. Know heard on the news 
  about the mysterious disappearances of dozens 
  of homeless people. His time was running out, 
  but he had enough successful subjects to begin 
  his plans. 
   
  Operation: Forced Evolution is about to 
  begin. 
  Prelude:  Electro-Bomb 
  Explodes! 
   
  This is a lead-in encounter designed to start 
  the adventure with a bang. It gives players the 
  opportunity to get familiar with pregenerated 
  characters and combat rules when this adventure 
  is used for demonstration purposes. 
   
  Electro-Bomb’s target is First City Bank, 
  one of the most secure banks in Campaign City. 
  Backing him up are several thugs he’s hired with 
  the promise of a share of whatever they get from 
  the bank’s vault. Electro-Bomb has 3 Street 
  Thugs per 2 heroes, +1 if there are an odd 
  number of heroes (i.e., 6 thugs for 4 heroes, 7 
  thugs for 5 heroes, 9 thugs for 6 heroes). For the 
  thugs, use Competent Normals on 5E 224 (with 
  their Skill Level as Ranged Combat), armed with 
  Uzis and .44 Magnum on 5E 332. 
   
  When Electro-Bomb blows the front doors, 
  the bank’s silent alarms immediately alert 
  Campaign City PD. Electro-Bomb downs the 
  nighttime guards without any trouble, and 
  quickly moves to crack the vault. It actually 
  takes him a few minutes to find it, as he and his 
  thugs have never been in the bank before. That 
  and the fact that the vault is fairly tough to crack 
  give the heroes enough time to arrive. 
   
  If using the sample hero team, the heroes 
  learn of the robbery almost as soon as it occurs. 
  Diviner, Feedback and Stat are in the team’s 
  office taking care of paperwork, Hollowpoint is 
  teaching Knave how to shoot at the gun range, 
  and Mechanoid (as the only team member who 
  can fly) is out on patrol. They arrive moments 
  apart from each other. 
   
  Electro-Bomb and his gang, of course, 
  object to the interruption and are happy to show 
  their displeasure by attacking the heroes shortly 
  after they arrive. 
   
  GMs who have a copy of the HERO System 
  Resource Kit can use the modern street map. 
  BUILDING CHARACTERISTICS 
   
  Exterior walls:  7 DEF, 6 BODY 
  Interior walls:  5 DEF, 4 BODY 
  Windows:  2 DEF, 2 BODY 
  Doors:  3 DEF, 3 BODY 
  Vault:  16 DEF, 10 BODY 
   
                                                             
  artwork by Mike Sigler 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  29
  Chapter 1:  Homeless No More 
   
  Captain Henson calls the Vindicators into 
  her office late in the afternoon on the day after 
  Electro-Bomb tries to rob First City Bank. After 
  mentioning their success or failure, she says: 
   
  “Alright team, I imagine you’ve all heard 
  about the disappearances going on in Chinatown, 
  Eastside, and North Downtown. If not, several 
  homeless people and a few other street-dwellers 
  have gone missing over the past few weeks. Last 
  night we got our first real clue. 
   
  “One of our street-sneaks overheard a 
  couple of gang-bangers from Chinatown at a bar 
  talking about how a bat-like man swooped down 
  and took off with one of their buddies. They shot 
  at the thing, but it got away, and they haven’t 
  seen their buddy since. Other sources are 
  reporting that many of the homeless are going 
  into hiding, fearing a wave of death amongst 
  them. This is starting to get out of hand. 
   
  “Here’s what we know so far. The report 
  about the bat-thing is the first confirmed 
  kidnapping among street folk, but it’s not 
  unreasonable to think the earlier disappearances 
  were also kidnappings as well. One more thing – 
  all of the disappearances took place at night in the 
  poorer section of these three districts only, which 
  leads us to believe that whoever’s behind this is 
  trying to avoid attention and either has a hideout 
  convenient to those districts or the ability to move 
  swiftly and quietly between them. 
   
  “The mayor has handed this one to you, 
  Vindicators. It’s gonna be a tough one. Don’t let 
  us down.” 
   
  Chapter 1 is an opportunity for the heroes to 
  gather information on the kidnappings. 
  Whichever district they decide to investigate, 
  they will happen across a group of homeless 
  people discussing the disappearances. If 
  approached, they will plea for help from the 
  heroes. One of them will tell the heroes he saw 
  someone taken by a large cat-man, but was afraid 
  to say anything for fear he’d be next, but he’s not 
  so afraid now with superheroes on the case. He 
  doesn’t know where the cat-man went, but does 
  think he recognized something in the cat-man’s 
  face, almost as if he looked familiar. 
   
  If the heroes are out on the streets at night, 
  they will have the chance to meet one of the 
  creatures doing the kidnappings. Falcon is out 
  tonight, getting another subject for Dr. Know’s 
  experiments. The doctor has been going through 
  them more quickly as he nears completion of his 
  project. 
   
  To begin the encounter, one of the heroes 
  hears a crash in a nearby alleyway. It’s Falcon 
  trying to kidnap a homeless person, a Chinese 
  female if in Chinatown, otherwise it’s an 
  African-American male. Once Falcon is aware of 
  the heroes, she’ll attack once with her blaster 
  pistol and then try to flee, with the homeless 
  person if possible. Escape, however, is her 
  primary concern, especially when facing 
  multiple heroes. 
   
  Falcon will try to discourage any pursuers 
  with her blaster pistol. She will not return to Dr. 
  Know’s hidden lab until she is certain she is not 
  being followed. 
   
  If captured, Falcon says nothing and will 
  escape at the earliest opportunity. Only telepathy 
  will get any answers from her. She doesn’t know 
  the details of Dr. Know’s plans, only that he is her 
  creator, that he plans to mutate the entire city, and 
  where his hidden lab is. However, Dr. Know has 
  planted a mental trap in the minds of his mutates; 
  see the mutate’s character sheets for details. 
   
  If a map is needed, GMs who have the 
  HERO System Resource Kit can use the modern 
  street map and change the name of the buildings 
  when describing the scene. 
  Chapter 2:  Broadcast Invasion 
   
  Frequently monitoring police channels while 
  his mutates are acquiring subjects, Dr. Know is 
  aware that the heroes are onto his plans. 
  Therefore, he has decided to implement his plans 
  without fully testing the mutagenic agent. It will 
  kill many instead of mutating them, but enough 
  mutates will be created to serve Dr. Know’s 
  plans. After Falcon escapes or while the heroes 
  are bringing her in, they learn of Dr. Know’s 
  next move. 
   
  A call comes over the police band radio 
  about a robbery in progress at WBTC, 
  paranormal perpetrators confirmed. If using the 
  Vindicators, they are specifically called on to 
  respond immediately. There’s no time to take 
  Falcon to jail if they have captured her; 
  anywhere they try to keep her locked up, she will 
  manage to escape when no one is watching. 
   
  Dr. Know and his mutates (except Falcon 
  unless she escaped) are invading WBTC, 
  planning to use its communication and 
  broadcasting equipment to announce his grand 
  scheme to extort the city. When the heroes 
  arrive, they see that the front doors have been 
  blown off. Several station workers are down 
  from Dr. Know’s mental twist and Bat’s blaster. 
  Others are wrapped up in webbing. 
   
  By the time the heroes arrive, Dr. Know has 
  already broadcast his message of extortion to the 
  city and left. Fiendish GMs are encouraged to 
  have Dr. Know hang around long enough to zap 
  a hero with his Ego Attack once or twice from a 
  well-hidden location before departing to 
  complete his plans. 
   
  Again, GMs with the HERO System 
  Resource Kit can use the modern street map, 
  designating one of the buildings as the television 
  station. 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  30 
  DR. KNOW’S BROADCAST 
   
   
  “Citizens of Campaign City, a dark 
  day has dawned before you. My name is 
  Dr. Henry Knovekstein, and I was once 
  an ordinary citizen like you. But I have 
  awakened! I see the useless government 
  of our once-great nation and it saddens 
  me. Worse, it angers me! And I now 
  have the power to make us great again. 
  Under my leadership, first of the city, 
  then of this nation, we shall truly 
  become a world power. Then we shall 
  know peace. We shall know prosperity. 
   
  “As some of you know, I was a 
  geneticist at the Odyssey Research 
  Institute. I have discovered the secret of 
  genetic reconstruction. As you can see, 
  I have created genetic mutates, 
  combining human and animal DNA. I 
  have even augmented myself with 
  genetic reconstruction, activating the 
  genes responsible for great mental 
  power. With me guiding the destiny of 
  humanity, there is no limit to what we 
  can do! But I must start somewhere, and 
  I cannot do it alone. 
   
  “I require $1 billion to be delivered 
  to the Central Water Distribution 
  Station. If my demand is not met, I will 
  mutate the city into beast-men under my 
  control. City officials, you have one 
  hour. Comply, and this fair city shall 
  pass into my control peacefully. Refuse, 
  and I must begin my conquest the hard 
  way. This is your only chance! 
   
  “I am no longer Henry 
  Knovekstein. I am Dr. Know, and I am 
  now the master of this city. Oppose me 
  at your peril!” 
   
   
  Chapter 3:  He Wants How 
  Much?!? 
   
  Dr. Know actually intends to mutate the city 
  whether he is paid or not, but he enjoys the 
  thought of causing fearful anticipation amongst 
  the populace. Fully expecting to be assaulted by 
  superheroes, Dr. Know has prepared for them at 
  the water station. The mutates will take the 
  station by force and hold the workers there at 
  blaster-point while putting the mutagenic agent 
  into the city water supply. 
   
  A number of employees at the water station 
  have been mind controlled into serving Dr. Know 
  and will attack the heroes with various bits of 
  equipment. There are 2 workers per hero; use the 
  stats for Skilled Normals on 5E 224, and give 
  each a 4d6 HA weapon. Also, the mutates will be 
  there, and of course Dr. Know himself. As soon as 
  the heroes arrive, a mind-controlled worker will 
  be sent to put the mutagenic agent into the city’s 
  water system while Dr. Know and company stay 
  to stop the heroes. 
   
  The heroes have two turns to defeat Dr. 
  Know, the mutates, and the mind-controlled 
  workers. Any longer than that, and the mutagenic 
  agent will be introduced into Campaign City’s 
  water supply. If that happens, it will take only 10 
  minutes to filter throughout the city. After that, 
  anyone using any water linked to the city system 
  will mutate into a beast-man (random type) over 
  a period of 3 to 5 days. If Dr. Know is knocked 
  out, the workers return to normal and flee 
  combat. If the heroes are defeated by Dr. Know 
  and his followers, Campaign City is doomed. 
   
  Because Dr. Know did not have time to finish 
  testing the mutagenic agent, it is imperfect. Some 
  people will not survive the transformation; some 
  who do will be driven mad by their freakish new 
  form. Most will come through the transformation 
  loyal to Dr. Know. If the heroes get word out 
  quickly that a contamination has occurred by 
  immediately calling the police or local news 
  media, then the number of people transformed 
  will be limited to a few hundred. Otherwise nearly 
  the entire city will be transformed. See the 
  appendix for information on how to find an 
  antidote to the mutagenic formula. 
   
  Finally, GMs with the HERO System 
  Resource Kit can use the modern street map, 
  designating one of the buildings as the water 
  station. 
  Epilogue:  End Game 
   
  If the heroes defeat Dr. Know and prevent 
  the mutagenic agent from being dumped in the 
  city water supply, they have won the day and 
  saved the city. Congratulate them on a job well 
  done. Should they decide to investigate Dr. 
  Know, they have a chance to find his home and 
  hidden lab. 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  31
  Appendix:  Villainy’s Lair 
   
  Details on Dr. Know’s home and lab are 
  provided here in case the heroes discover it 
  during the course of the adventure or investigate 
  further after defeating Dr. Know. 
  DR. KNOW’S HOME 
   
   
   
  Dr. Know owns a small home in a well-to-
  do district. It’s a single-story home, two 
  bedrooms, bath-and-a-half. He uses the second 
  bedroom as his home office, and that’s the only 
  room that has anything of interest to our intrepid 
  heroes. 
   
  Most of his research is located in his hidden 
  lab, but he maintains a data link to it through the 
  computer in his home office. That way he can 
  continue to work on some things while at home, 
  or monitor any experiments in progress. Any 
  character with Computer Programming can 
  attempt to trace the data link to its other end in 
  an effort to locate the hidden lab. Also, in a 
  hidden and encrypted file, is the formula for the 
  mutagenic agent with details on how it works 
  and how to reverse its effects. Computer 
  Programming rolls are at a -2 to trace the data 
  link, and at a -3 to locate and decrypt the file. 
  Complementary skills can add +1 to rolls, as can 
  a successful check from an assisting character. 
   
  If Dr. Know is encountered here, he will 
  attempt to convince the heroes he has nothing to 
  do with the situation, using Mind Control if 
  necessary. Failing that, he will attempt to destroy 
  them. 
  DR. KNOW’S HIDDEN LAB 
   
   
   
  The secret laboratory of Dr. Know is in the 
  North Downtown district, in the basement of an 
  abandoned warehouse. He has had it only a few 
  months, so there isn’t much in there besides his 
  computer mainframe, genetic research 
  equipment, and a few haphazardly constructed 
  rooms to contain research subjects. Currently 
  there are seven people contained in the holding 
  rooms; none have yet been subjected to Dr. 
  Know’s experiments. On an examination table, 
  restrained, is one person in the middle of genetic 
  transformation. It is the gang-member, in the 
  process of becoming a snake-hybrid mutate. Dr. 
  Know had intended him to be included in the 
  mission to mutate the city, but time ran out 
  before his transformation was completed. If the 
  heroes can get him and the file on the mutagenic 
  agent to Genex Laboratories, the researchers 
  there can create an antidote, and the gang 
  member and other mutates can be returned to 
  normal. 
   
  There is also a hidden lower level containing 
  several failed experiments, all dead and horribly 
  misshapen, but frozen in cryo-stasis for further 
  study. What the heroes see there should give 
  them nightmares for weeks to come. 
   
  If Dr. Know is encountered here, he will 
  certainly attack the heroes in an effort to keep his 
  research a secret. His mutates will also be 
  present, as they stay here when not on a mission. 
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  32 
  Heroes  
  Campaign City Vindicators 
   
  The Mayor and City Council commissioned 
  the Campaign City Vindicators as a team of 
  heroes after the council determined its MARS 
  (Metahuman Activities Response Squad; see 
  Champions Universe) units were not up to the 
  task of policing superhuman crime. Serving the 
  city under the auspices of the Campaign City 
  Police Department, they tackle cases involving 
  paranormal activity, especially those deemed too 
  dangerous for non-powered officers. They are 
  also on-call to support PRIMUS, UNTIL, and 
  other law enforcement agencies as needed. 
   
  Membership:  Diviner, Feedback (leader), 
  Hollowpoint, Knave, Mechanoid, Stat 
   
  Background/History:  After several 
  emergencies involving paranormal villains 
  occurred while resident heroes were absent or 
  otherwise unavailable, and failed to be 
  satisfactorily resolved by the city’s MARS units, 
  the Campaign City government decided to create 
  its own team of superheroes. With surprising 
  swiftness, legislature was enacted to sanction the 
  superhero team, backed by funding from Harmon 
  Industries and the state government. While as yet 
  inexperienced, the expertise, power, and training 
  of each member indicates considerable promise. 
   
  As with most government law enforcement 
  agencies, the primary goal of the Vindicators is 
  to serve and protect the public. To cope with the 
  reality of paranormal criminals, they have been 
  granted significant leniency in what activities 
  they may legally use to achieve those ends 
  (GM’s discretion as to the extent of that 
  leniency). It is to their credit that the team is 
  quickly becoming a thorn in the side of 
  organized crime. VIPER, in particular, has begun 
  making efforts to remove the Vindicators from 
  the superhero scene. 
   
  The Vindicators make their headquarters in 
  South Downtown, under the command of 
  Captain Rachel Henson, with a small yet 
  sophisticated office area reserved for their use. 
  Feedback is often found there, while the other 
  team members work in their respective 
  specialties while not on team business. 
   
  The team has been issued an armored van 
  equipped with advanced surveillance equipment, 
  but without weapons. Due to budget limitations, 
  they do not have an air vehicle, but are able to 
  get access to police helicopters as needed. They 
  also have an arrangement with PRIMUS for 
  transportation should a long-range trip be 
  required by an assignment. 
  Group Relations:  The team gets along fairly 
  well together for having been together only a few 
  months. Relationships with other law 
  enforcement groups are strong, especially 
  Campaign City PD, of which they are a 
  detachment. Local independent heroes have 
  called on the Vindicators several times since the 
  public announcement of the team’s formation. 
  The only agencies the team has had significant 
  problems with so far are federal agencies, and 
  then only with requests for classified 
  information. 
   
  Feedback serves as team leader, as he is the 
  most experienced police officer on the team. He 
  prefers a more democratic form of leadership, 
  often consulting the other team members before 
  deciding on a course of action. Normally 
  following majority rule, he nevertheless will pull 
  rank to follow a particular course of action if he 
  deems it necessary. 
   
  Tactics:  Having only been on active duty as a 
  team for a month (with only two months of 
  training prior to that), the Vindicators have 
  barely begun to develop true team tactics. As a 
  whole, the team seems to prefer ranged combat, 
  except for Mechanoid, whose cybersuit makes 
  him more effective in hand-to-hand combat. 
  With such a heavy concentration of ranged 
  combatants, they have recognized the possibility 
  of getting too far away from those they are 
  fighting, making it easier for foes to escape. 
   
  Campaign Use:  Presented here as a sample 
  hero team, the Vindicators could easily be used 
  as the PCs for your group. Alternately, they 
  could be NPCs in the campaign, working with or 
  against your PCs as circumstances dictate. For 
  instance, should one of the PCs be framed for 
  (insert crime of choice here), who would 
  investigate? The Campaign City Vindicators, of 
  course. 
   
  The Vindicators will Hunt any villain they 
  encounter during their investigations who escape 
  from custody. They will seldom Hunt on greater 
  than 8-, however; they’re simply too busy. When 
  pursuing a villain, they will use any and all 
  resources they can get access to. 
   
  If the Vindicators need more power, add 
  another member, or perhaps add points to the 
  existing roster, as well as increasing their non-
  combat resources. To reduce their effectiveness, 
  remove a member or reduce their point totals. 
   
  VINDICATORS 
  SCENARIO SEEDS 
   
   
   After a rash of 
  extreme crimes 
  committed by VIPER 
  and various 
  supervillains, the 
  Vindicators are 
  ordered to sweep the 
  city and round up any 
  and all superhuman 
  criminals and high-
  powered criminal 
  organization cells. 
  Knowing they are not 
  up to such a 
  tremendous task by 
  themselves, they call 
  on the PCs for aid. 
   
   VIPER’s war 
  against the 
  Vindicators escalates 
  out of control. After 
  drawing the 
  Vindicators into a 
  massive battle, 
  several agents invade 
  their base and plant a 
  bomb to destroy the 
  building. Alerted by 
  radio, can the PCs 
  arrive in time to save 
  the Vindictors’ base 
  and the police officers 
  within? 
   
   Shortly after 
  locating and 
  dismantling one of 
  Mechanon’s many 
  hidden bases, the 
  Vindicators have gone
  mysteriously AWOL. 
  Has Mechanon taken 
  the ultimate 
  vengeance for their 
  intrusion, or is 
  something more dire 
  afoot? 
   
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  33
  Diviner 
  Background/History:  Maria Stavinachi knew 
  from a young age that she didn’t quite fit in, that 
  she was special in some unusual way. 
  Throughout her childhood she would have 
  “waking dreams” as she called them, flashes of 
  events that she knew were the future. Some came 
  true, some did not. Of those that did, few were 
  pleasant. She came to dread her waking dreams, 
  to the point that she refused to go to school, or 
  even leave her room. Anything could trigger a 
  waking dream, and she could neither control nor 
  prevent them. 
   
  At a loss on how to help their daughter, 
  Maria’s parents contacted an old gypsy 
  fortuneteller who had been a friend of the family 
  for years. Since several of Maria’s visions had 
  come true, they thought the old card reader might 
  be able to help Maria. They were right. 
   
  Madame Zara knew much about paranormal 
  and psychic phenomenon, and immediately 
  sensed Maria’s potential. After only a few 
  months of instruction, Maria gained some 
  measure of control over her second sight and the 
  waking dreams all but stopped. 
   
  By the time she was ready for college, Maria 
  was a strong psychic, capable of incredible 
  mental feats. On Madame Zara’s 
  recommendation Maria pursued a degree in 
  psychology. She also volunteered her psychic 
  gifts to the police, who were seldom 
  disappointed in her effort to help solve crimes. 
  Upon graduation, she was immediately 
  employed by Campaign City as a “police 
  advisor” under her psychology credentials. She 
  spent more time helping the police with cases 
  than she did doing actual psychology work. 
   
  The most well-known case she worked on 
  for the police set her against a small group of 
  Ouroboros cultists who had found a way to 
  mass-hypnotize people into joining the dragon 
  cult. Ouroboros leaders have sought her death 
  ever since. 
   
  When the Vindicator project came about, 
  she was the city’s first choice for mental support; 
  how could she refuse? It was her best chance yet 
  to help people. She was dubbed Diviner by 
  Captain Henson, as no one else could think of 
  anything more dramatic. 
   
  Personality/Motivation:  Maria often appears to 
  be the shy, quiet type. Don’t be fooled. She is 
  quietly observing, catching every detail she can. 
  When providing counsel she is very empathetic, 
  skilled at getting to the root cause of a problem 
  or concern. She does not hesitate to use telepathy 
  if she feels it is warranted, and sometimes even 
  when it isn’t. Her readiness to use telepathy may 
  become a concern with personal privacy issues. 
   
  Maria has received several recognitions for 
  her service and is well known for helping those 
  in need despite the potential cost to herself. Her 
  only real character flaw is her sometimes 
  careless curiosity. More than once she has turned 
  down an alley to check out a strange noise and 
  been glad to have her powers. 
   
  Diviner’s most distinctive personality trait is 
  her concern for and willingness to help others. 
  She holds a great respect for all life, and this 
  respect led her to dedicate her life to helping 
  anyone she can in any way she can. No price is 
  too high; she has even allowed herself to be 
  taken hostage, even wounded, to save others. 
   
  Quote:  “While violence has its place, the right 
  words, softly spoken, can have a greater and 
  more lasting impact than any right cross.” 
   
  Powers/Tactics:  With Madame Zara’s help and 
  long years of training, Diviner has learned many 
  psychic abilities. Though she dislikes combat, 
  she is quite adept at defending herself and 
  putting down would-be attackers. She once 
  required a crystal pendant to help focus her 
  concentration. Though she no longer needs it, 
  she still wears it out of habit. She carries a 
  Harmon Industries-designed stun blaster in case 
  her psychic abilities prove useless or impractical, 
  but has yet to actually use it in combat. 
   
  When Diviner finds herself in a combat 
  situation, she defends herself with a psychic 
  shield and her supernatural ability to sense 
  danger. Normally relying on her Fury Feedback 
  attack to fell foes, she also uses Psychic 
  Domination to throw opponents off guard, 
  especially when facing bricks. 
   
  Diviner prefers to avoid conflict with other 
  mentalists whenever possible. She suffers a nasty 
  feedback effect if another mentalist penetrates 
  her mental defenses. 
   
  Campaign Use:  Diviner serves as team 
  counselor, making sure everyone is comfortable 
  in their role as legally sanctioned superheroes 
  and helps deal with any psychological problems 
  that may arise because of a mission. This leads 
  her to be more than a little nosy about her 
  teammates’ personal lives. She is also the 
  resident mentalist and mystic, though she has no 
  training as a mage. 
   
  Diviner is only interested in helping people 
  and fighting crime. She’ll not Hunt anyone 
  unless it’s part of a team investigation. 
   
  To boost her capabilities, add more Psychic 
  powers, such as a BOECV Entangle, 
  Psychokinesis, or other Mental powers. If she’s 
  already too powerful for your campaign, reduce 
  the Active Points of her Psychic Powers 
  Multipower to a suitable level and reduce or 
  remove her Combat Luck and Danger Sense. 
   
  Appearance:  Diviner is a natural beauty with 
  olive skin, long black hair and big blue eyes, but 
  DIVINER PLOT 
  SEEDS 
   
   
   Shortly after the 
  Vindicators were 
  announced to the 
  public, Diviner began 
  having waking 
  dreams of surprising 
  clarity and horrific 
  vision. She took steps 
  to prevent each 
  vision, only to see 
  most of them come 
  true. Those few that 
  did not surprised her 
  in the severity of their 
  inaccuracy. Someone 
  is trying take 
  advantage of her 
  abilities by sending 
  Diviner false visions! 
  Who is doing this, 
  and to what end? 
   
   The Ouroboros cult 
  kidnaps Madame 
  Zara, threatening to 
  sacrifice her if 
  Diviner does not 
  surrender herself to 
  them, coming alone 
  and unarmed. Not 
  wanting to risk her 
  teammates, she sends 
  an encrypted note to 
  the PCs and 
  surrenders herself to 
  the cult. Now the cult 
  has the two psychic 
  minds they need to 
  open a portal to the 
  Lower Hells. Will the 
  PCs arrive in time to 
  stop the ritual? 
   
   Diviner begins 
  trailing one of the PCs
  subversively, having 
  had a vision 
  indicating the PC will 
  commit a brutal 
  murder. She wants to 
  make sure this vision 
  doesn’t come true. 
  Problem is, she 
  wasn’t able to see 
  who the victim was or 
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  34 
  Diviner 
  she makes little effort to emphasize her 
  appearance. Often foregoing make-up or fancy 
  clothing, she prefers to focus her efforts on 
  helping others. When she does find the occasion 
  to dress up, however, few people can help but 
  take notice. She commonly wears conservative 
  but comfortable business-style clothing.
   
  When on duty, Diviner wears her uniform – 
  royal blue with white and yellow highlights on 
  the legs and arms. A small, stylized crystal ball  
    device decorates her costume at the left breast.  
       Her boots and gloves are dark yellow. The  
   
   stun blaster is holstered at her left hip on a  
   
      black leather belt. She always wears her  
   
        clear crystal pendant, in uniform or not. 
   
  when exactly the 
  murder will occur. 
  Who is the supposed 
  victim? Is this another 
  false vision sent to 
  lead her astray, or will 
  circumstances lead 
  the PC to kill? 
   
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  35
  Diviner 
   Val Char Cost Roll Notes 
   10 STR 
  0 11- Lift 100 kg; 2d6 HTH [1] 
   20 DEX 
  30 13- OCV:  7/DCV:  7 
   18 CON 
  16 13- 
   10 BODY 
  0 11- 
   18 INT 
  8 13- PER Roll:  13- 
   24 EGO 
  28 14- ECV:  8 
   15 PRE 
  5 12- PRE Attack:  3d6 
   18 COM 
  4 13- 
   
   
  4 PD 
  2 
   Total:  18 PD (14 rPD) 
   
  5 ED 
  1 
   Total:  19 ED (14 rED) 
   
  5 SPD 
  20 
   Phases:  3, 5, 8, 10, 12 
   
  8 REC 
  4 
   40 END 
  2 
   30 STUN 
  6 
   
  Total Characteristics Cost:  126 
  Movement: Running: 
  6”/12” 
   
   
  Teleport: 
  17”/34” 
   
   
  Leaping: 
  2”/4” 
   
   
  Swimming: 2”/4” 
  Cost Powers 
  END 
   62 Psychic Powers:  Multipower, 62-point 
  reserve 
   6u 1)  Fury Feedback:  Ego Attack 6d6 
  6 
   2u 2)  Psychic Domination:  Mind Control 
  10d6, Telepathic (+¼); Concentration 
  (0 DCV, Totally Unaware, Throughout; 
  -1½) 
  6 
   2u 3)  Psychic Speech:  Telepathy 12d6; 
  Concentration (0 DCV, Totally 
  Unaware, Throughout; -1½) 
  6 
   6u 4)  Psychoportation:  Teleportation 17”, 
  No Relative Velocity, Position Shift, 
  Safe Blind Teleport (+¼) 
  6 
   1u 5)  Second Sight:  Precognitive 
  Clairsentience (Sight, Hearing, and 
  Mental Groups); Concentration (0 DCV, 
  Totally Unaware, Throughout; -1½), No 
  Conscious Control (character can 
  activate, but cannot control nature of 
  visions without successful Power Skill 
  Roll, power sometimes activates by 
  itself; -1), Vague And Unclear (-½) 
  6 
   11 Stun Blaster:  EB 9d6; Activation Roll 
  14- (-½), Beam (-¼), Cannot Be 
  Bounced (-¼), 8 Charges (-½), No 
  Knockback (-¼), OAF (-1), Real 
  Weapon (-¼) 
  [8] 
   12 Armored Uniform:  Armor (8 PD/8 
  ED); Activation Roll 15- (-¼), OIF 
  (-½), Real Armor (-¼) 
  0 
   10 Psychic Shields:  Mental Defense (15 
  points) 
  0 
   20 Aura Sight:  Detect Emotional and 
  Physical Status (Mental Group), 
  Discriminatory, Range 
  0 
   10 Magic Sense:  Detect Magic (Mental 
  Group), Range 
  0 
   
  5 Radio:  Radio Perception/Transmission 
  (Radio Group); OIF (-½), Real 
  Technology (-¼), Affected As Hearing 
  Group As Well As Radio Group (-¼) 
  0 
   
   Perks 
   
  1 Fringe Benefit:  Licensed Psychologist 
   
  2 Fringe Benefit:  Local Police Powers 
   
   Talents 
   12 Combat Luck (6 PD/6 ED) 
   32 Danger Sense (sense, immediate vicinity, 
  any danger) 13- 
   
   Skills 
   
  2 CK:  Campaign City 11- 
   
  3 Conversation 12- 
   
  2 KS:  Mystic World 11- 
   
  3 Paramedics 13- 
   
  3 Persuasion 12- 
   
  3 Power (Psychic Powers) 14- 
   
  3 PS:  Counselor 12- 
   
  2 SS:  Criminal Psychology 11- 
   
  3 SS:  Psychology 13- 
   
  3 Seduction 12- 
   
  3 Streetwise 12- 
   
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  224 
   
  Total Cost:  350 
   
   200+ Disadvantages 
   10 Distinctive Feature:  Mystic Aura (Not 
  Concealable; Always Noticed; Unusual 
  Senses) 
   
  5 Distinctive Feature:  Uniform (Easily 
  Concealed) 
   15 Hunted:  Mystery Supervillain 8- (Mo 
  Pow, NCI, Manipulate) 
   15 Hunted:  Ouroboros Cult 8- (Mo Pow, 
  Kill) 
   15 Hunted:  VIPER 8- (Mo Pow, Kill) 
   10 Hunted:  Law Enforcement Agencies 8- 
  (Mo Pow, NCI, Watching) 
   20 Psychological Limitation:  Code Against 
  Killing (Common, Total) 
   10 Psychological Limitation:  Curiosity 
  (Common, Moderate) 
   20 Psychological Limitation:  Good 
  Samaritan (Common, Total) 
   20 Social Limitation:  Subject to Orders 
  (Very Frequently, Major) 
   10 Susceptibility:  to mental powers getting 
  through mental defense, 2d6 damage, 
  Instant (Uncommon) 
   
  Total Disadvantage Points:  350 
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  36 
  Feedback 
  Background:  Benjamin Parks grew up in a 
  decent neighborhood, with a mundane family 
  that pursued their lives with ordinary boredom. 
  Trying to break the pattern, he joined the 
  Campaign City Police Department after 
  graduating from high school. His first few years 
  on the force were spent as a beat cop downtown, 
  learning how the city and its underside worked. 
   
  Ben never ran into any serious crimes until 
  the day he and his partner responded to a bank 
  robbery in progress. He figured he and his 
  partner could handle it, but called for backup just 
  in case. They got there just in time to catch the 
  robbers coming out of the bank. They pulled 
  guns and ordered the thieves to halt. It went 
  downhill from there. 
   
  One of the perps fired, hitting Ben’s partner 
  square in the chest. The world went into slow 
  motion; Ben turned to watch his partner fall to 
  the ground, the thug slowly moved to aim at 
  Ben, and Ben yelled, “NOOOO!” 
   
  What happened next replays often in Ben’s 
  dreams. He yelled, and was about to fire at the 
  bank robber when his voice changed, and 
  focused, and a wave of sonic force flew from his 
  mouth and slammed the thugs back, knocking 
  them down and out. Ben was too surprised to 
  react for a moment, but recovered quickly, 
  calling for an ambulance. But it was too late; his 
  partner was dead. In a daze, Ben cuffed the 
  thieves and waited for backup. 
   
  When Ben discovered that the criminals 
  were part of the 86ers street gang, he hunted 
  them down, almost getting suspended before 
  Captain Henson brought Ben to his senses. After 
  that, he focused on his job, earning a promotion 
  to sergeant through hard work and determination. 
  Henson started calling him Feedback, and the 
  name stuck. The 86ers still show up every now 
  and then, trying to take him out. 
   
  When the Vindicator project came about, 
  Ben was selected to be the team’s leader because 
  of his experience as a police officer. The fact that 
  he was a mutant with sonic powers certainly 
  didn’t hurt, either. Ben accepted the appointment 
  reluctantly, not really wanting to become a 
  superhero. However, after the team’s first few 
  missions, he discovered he enjoys the added 
  challenge. 
   
  Personality/Motivation:  To those who don’t 
  know him, Ben appears to be standoffish, even to 
  the point of rudeness. To those who know him, 
  he’s just an average guy – nice enough, but a 
  little distant. For the most part his distant attitude 
  is a defense mechanism; he is a cop, after all, and 
  that’s a rough job. Beyond that, however, lies a 
  deeper reason. Ben has always been a loner, ever 
  since his parents divorced. That hit him hard, and 
  he doesn’t talk to either of them anymore. He 
  tends to avoid serious relationships because he 
  doesn’t want the same thing to happen to him. 
   
  The only member of his family he has any 
  real relationship with is his 14 year-old nephew, 
  Nathan. Nathan has been much like the son Ben 
  never had (and will never have as far as Ben’s 
  concerned), but the boy recently joined the 86ers 
  to rebel from his boring parents and Ben. Ben 
  has been trying to get Nathan out of the gang by 
  showing him the dangers associated with gang 
  life. So far, Nathan isn’t listening. 
   
  Ben doesn’t fool around when it comes to 
  his job. If anything, he takes it too seriously, 
  refusing to give an inch when he thinks he’s 
  right. He doesn’t back down from pursuing a 
  criminal, even if the villain has the upper hand. 
  His overriding concern, however, is for the 
  public he is sworn to protect. 
   
  Quote:  “Listen, I’m a cop, not a publicity stunt. 
  Now if you don’t mind, I have a job to do.” 
   
  Powers/Tactics:  Feedback is a mutant gifted 
  with sonic abilities. His voice is a natural 
  weapon, allowing him stun or shatter with a 
  simple change in pitch and volume. He can also 
  spread his sonic effect to a cone area. If an 
  enemy has a way to suppress sound or cause a 
  silencing effect, Feedback’s powers are nullified; 
  he has not yet encountered this situation. 
   
  Feedback’s sonic powers also provide him 
  with innate dampeners against other sonic effects 
  that deafen, as well as the ability to hear 
  ultrasonic sound, emit sonar waves, and to 
  generally improve his sense of hearing. 
   
  Because his own powers do not afford him 
  any natural defense, a force field projection belt 
  was designed for him by Harmon Industries to 
  supplement his armored uniform. Feedback has 
  asked several times how the belt works, but his 
  question is always avoided or ignored. 
   
  Campaign Use:  The one thing Ben’s not fond 
  of is the way he’s been made a public figure. He 
  quickly grew tired of requests from the press for 
  a statement about this, or what’s the team’s 
  official position about this issue, and so on. 
  When he started getting phone calls from fans at 
  home, he quickly changed his phone number, but 
  his address is still listed. He gets a hundred or so 
  letters each day, and a few times people have 
  waited for him outside his apartment just to meet 
  him. Now the mayor wants him to be in a public 
  relation commercial about the team. What can he 
  do? He’s the leader; he’s the one who’s in the 
  eye of the public. But he doesn’t have to like it. 
   
  Ben will relentlessly Hunt any criminal who 
  is the subject of his current investigations. Also, 
  if a criminal escapes justice in his jurisdiction, 
  he’ll be there to help recapture the offender. He 
  uses standard police procedure while pursuing 
  his quarry. 
  FEEDBACK PLOT 
  SEEDS 
   
   
   The IHA begins 
  lobbying the city to 
  dismiss the mutant 
  members of the 
  Vindicators, citing 
  them as a “potential 
  threat to the public’s 
  safety.” The Mayor’s 
  not listening, so the 
  IHA decides to up the 
  ante – by framing 
  Feedback for murder. 
  Since the Vindicators 
  are too close to the 
  situation to 
  investigate, the PCs 
  are called in to handle 
  the situation. 
   
   VIPER, knowing 
  that the 86ers have a 
  score to settle with 
  Feedback, approach 
  the gang with a 
  simple offer:  guns for 
  services rendered. 
  The 86ers start 
  shooting up 
  downtown, terrorizing 
  citizens, looting 
  stores, and generally 
  causing havoc. When 
  Feedback and the 
  Vindicators respond, 
  VIPER has several of 
  its supervillains 
  waiting in ambush. 
  Will the PCs catch 
  wind of this plot in 
  time to lend a hand? 
  Where is Nathan 
  during all this? 
   
   After using 
  excessive force to 
  bring down a mugger, 
  Feedback is 
  suspended for a week. 
  When VIPER takes 
  this opportunity to 
  commit a crime spree, 
  he sullenly refuses to 
  lead the team into 
  battle. After all, he’s 
  suspended; he would 
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  37
   
  To increase Ben’s capabilities, boost his 
  Speed, add some Combat Skill Levels with his 
  Multipower, and give him additional Multipower 
  slots. You can also boost his Armor or Force 
  Field, or add some Combat Luck. If he needs to 
  be scaled back, reduce the Active Point level of 
  his Multipower and reduce the strength of his 
  Force Field belt, or remove it altogether. 
   
  Appearance:  Ben is a fairly attractive 
  Caucasian male in his late 20s, well-built and tall 
   
   
  Feedback 
   
  with green eyes and short blond hair. Since the 
  Vindicators were formed, he wears his armored 
  uniform while on duty. It resembles a police 
  uniform, being dark blue in color with yellow 
  sergeant stripes, black belt and boots, a nametag 
  that reads “Feedback,” and a badge. There was 
  an attachment for a sidearm holster, but 
  Feedback took it off; it just got in his way. He 
  wears the Shield Belt whenever he’s not in the 
  office. Its simple gunmetal gray casing belies the 
  complex shield projector within. 
   
   
  technically be 
  breaking the law if he 
  did so. The remaining 
  Vindicators are all 
  captured by VIPER. 
  Captain Henson 
  breaks protocol to lift 
  Feedback’s 
  suspension early and 
  calls the PCs to help 
  him rescue the other 
  Vindicators. 
    
   
   
  37
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  38 
  Feedback 
   Val Char Cost Roll Notes 
   20 STR 
  10 13- Lift 400 kg; 4d6 HTH [2] 
   24 DEX 
  42 14- OCV:  8/DCV:  8 
   25 CON 
  30 14- 
   14 BODY 
  8 12- 
   16 INT 
  6 12- PER Roll:  12-/14- 
   13 EGO 
  6 12- ECV:  4 
   15 PRE 
  5 12- PRE Attack:  3d6 
   14 COM 
  2 12- 
   
   
  8 PD 
  4 
   Total:  24 PD (16 rPD) 
   
  9 ED 
  4 
   Total:  25 ED (16 rED) 
   
  5 SPD 
  16 
   Phases:  3, 5, 8, 10, 12 
   
  9 REC 
  0 
   50 END 
  0 
   40 STUN 
  3 
   
  Total Characteristics Cost:  136 
  Movement: Running: 
  12”/24” 
   
   
  Leaping: 
  4”/8” 
   
   
  Swimming: 2”/4” 
  Cost Powers 
  END 
   62 Sonic Powers:  Multipower, 62-point 
  reserve 
   6u 1)  Sonic Blast:  EB 12d6 
  6 
   6u 2)  Ultrasonic Blast:  EB 5d6, AVLD 
  (Hearing Group Flash Defense; +1½) 
  6 
   4u 3)  Sonic Shout:  EB 6d6, Area Of 
  Effect (6” Cone; +1); No Range (-½) 
  6 
   4u 4)  Sonic Scream:  Hearing Group 
  Flash 10d6, Area Of Effect (6” Cone; 
  +1); No Range (-½) 
  6 
   12 Armored Uniform:  Armor (8 PD/8 
  ED); Activation Roll 15- (-¼), OIF 
  (-½), Real Armor (-¼) 
  0 
   
  7 Shield Belt:  Force Field (8 PD/8 
  ED); 3 Continuing Charges lasting 
  1 Minute each (-½), OIF (-½), Real 
  Technology (-¼) 
  [3cc] 
   10 Good Ears:  Hearing Group Flash 
  Defense (10 points) 
  0 
   12 Swift Runner:  Running +6” (12” Total) 2 
   10 Sonic Pulse:  Active Sonar; Costs 
  END (-½) 
  1 
   
  4 Good Ears:  Hearing Group, +2 to 
  PER Roll 
  0 
   
  3 Good Ears:  Ultrasonic Perception 
  (Hearing Group) 
  0 
   
  5 Radio:  Radio Perception/ 
  Transmission (Radio Group); OIF 
  (-½), Real Technology (-¼), 
  Affected As Hearing Group As 
  Well As Radio Group (-¼) 
  0 
   
   Perks 
   
  4 Contact:  PRIMUS Agent 11- (Major 
  Institutions, Significant Contacts) 
   
  2 Fringe Benefit:  Local Police Powers 
   
  1 Fringe Benefit:  Rank of Sergeant, 
  Campaign City Police Department 
   
  4 Reputation:  Super Cop (in United States) 
  11-, +2/+2d6 
   
   Skills 
   
  3 Breakfall 14- 
   
  3 Bureaucratics 12- 
   
  3 CK:  Campaign City 12- 
   
  3 Climbing 14- 
   
  3 Combat Driving 14- 
   
  3 Concealment 12- 
   
  3 Conversation 12- 
   
  3 Criminology 12- 
   
  2 KS:  Criminal Law 11- 
   
  2 KS:  Criminal World 11- 
   
  2 KS:  Law Enforcement World 11- 
   
  2 KS:  Street Gangs 11- 
   
  2 KS:  Superhuman World 11- 
   
  3 Language:  Spanish (Fluent) 
   
  3 Persuasion 12- 
   
  2 PS:  Policeman 11- 
   
  3 Shadowing 12- 
   
  3 Stealth 14- 
   
  5 Streetwise 13- 
   
  3 Tactics 12- 
   
  2 WF:  Small Arms 
   
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  214 
   
  Total Cost:  350 
   
   200+ Disadvantages 
   15 DNPC:  Nathan Parks, 14-year-old 
  nephew, member of 86ers street gang, 11- 
  (Normal) 
   10 Distinctive Feature:  Mutant (Not 
  Concealable; Always Noticed; Unusual 
  Senses) 
   
  5 Distinctive Feature:  Uniform (Easily 
  Concealed) 
   10 Hunted:  86ers Street Gang 8- (As Pow, 
  Limited Area, Public ID, Kill) 
   10 Hunted:  Law Enforcement Agencies 8- 
  (Mo Pow, NCI, Watching) 
   20 Hunted:  VIPER 8- (Mo Pow, Public 
  Identity, Kill) 
   15 Psychological Limitation:  Stubborn 
  (Common, Strong) 
   20 Psychological Limitation:  To Serve and 
  Protect (Very Common, Strong) 
   10 Reputation:  super cop, 11- 
   15 Social Limitation:  Public Identity 
  (Frequently, Major) 
   20 Social Limitation:  Subject to Orders 
  (Very Frequently, Major) 
   
  Total Disadvantage Points:  350 
  POLICEMAN 
  PACKAGE DEAL 
   
   
   Feedback and 
  Hollowpoint are built 
  using the Policeman 
  Package Deal below: 
  Skills and Perks 
   2 Fringe Benefit:  
  Local Police 
  Powers 
   3 CK:  Campaign 
  City 12- 
   3 Combat Driving 
  14- 
   3 Concealment 12- 
   3 Conversation 12- 
   2 KS:  Criminal 
  Law 11- 
   2 WF:  Small Arms 
  Disadvantages 
    5 Distinctive 
  Feature:  
  Uniform (Easily 
  Concealed) 
  10 Hunted:  Law 
  Enforcement 
  Agencies 8- (Mo 
  Pow, NCI, 
  Watching) 
  15 Social 
  Limitation:  
  Subject to Orders 
  (Frequently, 
  Major) 
   
   
   
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  39
  Hollowpoint 
  Background/History:  Carl Schaeffer didn’t 
  really begin living until he joined the military. 
  Sure, he grew up, went to school, had friends and 
  all that, but he never really felt alive until the 
  first time he set hands on an M-16 and let it run 
  for all it was worth. He had found his love in 
  life, and it was guns. 
   
  Carl joined the Army just in time to see 
  action in the Gulf War. 19 years old, fresh out of 
  boot camp, he was the happiest man on the 
  planet. His country had chosen him to fight 
  tyranny in its own territory! His joy didn’t last 
  long, however. 
   
  Carl’s unit was one of the first infantry units 
  to enter Iraq. He was ready to go, eager to enter 
  the fray – until the first explosion went off 
  nearby. Not a training exercise, not a demolition 
  drill, a real, live explosion intended to maim or 
  kill him. The only thing that stopped him from 
  freaking out and running back to base was the 
  fact that he was several miles inside the border. 
  Steeling himself against his fear and checking 
  his weapon for the umpteenth time, he followed 
  his squad leader deeper into Iraqi territory. 
   
  In the end, Carl made it through the war 
  alive, if not unscathed. A few days into the 
  ground assault, Carl’s unit was checking out an 
  Iraqi storage bunker when a booby trap went off. 
  The explosion wasn’t large, and no one was 
  killed, but Carl was severely burned. The burns 
  were extensive, and the scars somewhat difficult 
  to conceal. His survival lent Carl an air of 
  toughness that was at first an act, but he soon 
  began to feel as if he were bigger than life, that 
  he could accomplish anything. 
   
  After serving only one four-year term, 
  military cutbacks allowed Carl to explore other 
  career opportunities. He spent some time back 
  home, reflecting on his loss of innocence, his 
  burns, his love of guns. With all these thoughts 
  swirling around in his mind, he kept coming 
  back to one question:  what do I do now? 
  Finally, the answer came to him. If he couldn’t 
  be in the military anymore, he could become a 
  cop. No, a member of a SWAT team. That’s the 
  closest thing to military you could be without 
  being military, right? So that’s what Carl did, 
  selecting to be trained as a sniper. Carl felt truly 
  alive again. 
   
  When the Vindicator project was in its 
  planning stages, the idea of having a member 
  serve as long-range support was one that was 
  highly favored. It never hurts to have one man 
  stand way back, out of the enemy’s close range. 
  Few supervillains have the ability to fight at 
  extreme range, so having a hero that could do 
  just that seemed a good idea. Since Harmon 
  Industries had already been commissioned to 
  design equipment for other team members, they 
  were asked about making a highly versatile rifle, 
  one that could be used for nearly all types of 
  combat – close range, long range, sniping, even 
  crowd control. As it happened, Harmon 
  Industries already had such a project under 
  development, called the XMR-2K2 Modular 
  Rifle. It was designed with interchangeable parts 
  for the ultimate in combat versatility. As the 
  most skilled sniper on Campaign City’s SWAT 
  team, Carl was the first choice to use it. How 
  could he say no? Not only would he continue 
  serving the public he had come to care about, but 
  he would have the chance to use the coolest gun 
  he had ever seen. Taking his code name from his 
  favorite type of ammunition, Carl became 
  Hollowpoint, the best sniper a hero team could 
  ask for (on a government budget). 
   
  Personality/Motivation:  Carl seems like a 
  regular joe – who happens to be addicted to 
  guns. Anything and everything, blaster or slug-
  thrower, he loves them all. He enjoys using 
  them, collecting them, firing them. Most of all, 
  he enjoys the thought of standing on top of a 
  building a few hundred meters away and pegging 
  bad guys. However, the original idea for him to 
  work as a long-range combatant hasn’t been as 
  successful as intended. More than once battle has 
  found its way to Carl, but he just keeps firing. 
  It’ll take more than a bunch of costumed weenies 
  to shake him up. 
   
  Carl has a good sense of humor, and enjoys 
  socializing with his teammates, especially when 
  celebrating a successful mission. While on the 
  job, though, he prefers to let his actions do most 
  of the talking. Carl’s a follower, not a leader, but 
  will happily speak up if he has something useful 
  to add to a discussion, usually tactical advice or 
  demolitions and weapons expertise. He’s not 
  shy, just reserved. 
   
  The only person he really opens up to is his 
  mother; his dad passed away a year ago from 
  lung cancer. She’s got cancer too, and the 
  doctors say she has at most a year left, so he 
  spends as much time with her as he can. As ever, 
  though, the job tends to keep him away. 
   
  Ever since serving in the Gulf War, Carl has 
  harbored a strong dislike for Arabs and Muslims. 
  The atrocities he witnessed there, world events in 
  the Middle East, and terrorist attacks against the 
  United States since the war have only worsened 
  this prejudice. 
   
  Quote:  “Grassy knolls are for amateurs. Give 
  me a skyscraper with a clear view any day.” 
   
  Powers/Tactics:  All of Hollowpoint’s abilities 
  come from technology, except for his dexterity, 
  speed, and running. Those are the product of 
  intensive military training and natural talent. 
  Continuous practice is required to maintain those 
  levels. 
  HOLLOWPOINT 
  PLOT SEEDS 
   
   
   Hoping to draw 
  Hollowpoint into a 
  trap, VIPER kidnaps 
  his ailing mother from 
  her home, leaving a 
  note instructing him 
  to come alone to an 
  abandoned warehouse 
  or she will be killed. 
  When he doesn’t 
  return from the 
  warehouse and the 
  Vindicators can find 
  no trace of him or his 
  mother, they call the 
  PCs to help 
  investigate. 
   
   When the 
  Vindicators are called 
  in to help track down 
  a band of terrorists – 
  Muslim extremists – 
  operating in 
  Campaign City, 
  Hollowpoint becomes 
  increasingly agitated. 
  By the time the cell is 
  located, he’s worked 
  himself into a fervor 
  of hatred. Concerned 
  about his well-being, 
  Captain Henson 
  orders him to take 
  some time off and let 
  the other Vindicators 
  handle the case. Will 
  he defy orders and 
  attack the cell on his 
  own? Worse, will he 
  shoot to kill? 
   
  VIPER manages to 
  locate Hollowpoint’s 
  home, break in, use 
  sleep gas to knock 
  him out, and steal the 
  XMR-2K2. With that 
  kind of technology, 
  VIPER agents would 
  be much more 
  dangerous. The 
  Vindicators track 
  down the base where 
  they think the XMR- 
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  40 
  Hollowpoint 
   Val Char Cost Roll Notes 
   15 STR 
  5 12- Lift 200 kg; 3d6 HTH [1] 
   21 DEX 
  33 13- OCV:  7/DCV:  7 
   20 CON 
  20 13- 
   14 BODY 
  8 12- 
   13 INT 
  3 12- PER Roll:  12- 
   16 EGO 
  12 12- ECV:  5 
   18 PRE 
  8 13- PRE Attack:  3½d6 
   10 COM 
  0 11- 
   
   
  6 PD 
  3Total:  22 PD (16 rPD) 
   
  5 ED 
  1Total:  21 ED (16 rED) 
   
  5 SPD 
  19Phases:  3, 5, 8, 10, 12 
   
  8 REC 
  2 
   40 END 
  0 
   35 STUN 
  3 
   
  Total Characteristics Cost:  117 
  Movement: Running: 
  14”/28” 
   
   
  Leaping: 
  3”/6” 
   
   
  Swinging: 15”/30” 
   
   
  Swimming: 2”/4” 
  Cost Powers 
  END 
   25 XMR-2K2 Experimental Modular Rifle:  
  Multipower 70-point reserve; Half 
  Phase to Change Slots (-¼), all slots 
  OAF (-1), Two-Handed Weapon (-½) 
   
   Energy Modules 
   3u 1)  Pulse Blaster:  EB 14d6; 16 
  Charges (-0), OAF (-1), Two-Handed 
  Weapon (-½) 
  [16] 
   3u 2)  Pulse Stunner:  EB 11d6, 32 
  Charges (+¼); OAF (-1), Two-Handed 
  Weapon (-½) 
  [32] 
   3u 3)  Pulse Laser:  RKA 3d6, Armor 
  Piercing (+½); 16 Charges (-0), OAF 
  (-1), Two-Handed Weapon (-½) 
  [16] 
   
   Projectile Modules 
   3u 4)  Autogun:  RKA 2d6, Autofire (5 
  shots; +½), 125 Charges (+¾); OAF 
  (-1), Two-Handed Weapon (-½) 
  [125] 
   3u 5)  Needler:  RKA 3d6, Penetrating 
  (+½); 16 Charges (-0), OAF (-1), Two-
  Handed Weapon (-½) 
  [16] 
   3u 6)  Sniper:  RKA 3d6, No Range 
  Penalty (+½); 16 Charges (-0), OAF 
  (-1), Two-Handed Weapon (-½) 
  [16] 
   
   Explosive Modules 
   2u 7)  Concussion Grenade:  EB 9d6, 
  Explosion (+½); 4 Charges (-1), OAF 
  (-1), Two-Handed Weapon (-½) 
  [4] 
   2u 8)  Magnesium Flare:  Sight Group 
  Flash 9d6, Explosion (+½); 4 Charges 
  (-1), OAF (-1), Two-Handed Weapon 
  (-½) 
  [4] 
   2u 9)  Fragmentation Grenade:  RKA 
  3d6, Explosion (+½), 4 Charges (-1), 
  OAF (-1), Two-Handed Weapon (-½) [4] 
   14 Electro-Gauntlet:  HA +7d6 (10d6 with 
  STR); HA Lim (-½), OIF (-½), 8 
  charges (-½) 
  [8] 
   18 Hold-Out Blaster:  9d6 Energy Blast; 
  OAF (-1), 8 charges (-½) 
  [8] 
   12 Armored Uniform:  Armor (8 PD/8 ED); 
  Activation Roll 15- (-¼), OIF (-½), Real 
  Armor (-¼) 
  0 
   
  7 Shield Belt:  Force Field (8 PD/8 ED); 
  3 Continuing Charges lasting 1 Minute 
  each (-½), OIF (-½), Real Technology 
  (-¼) 
  [3cc] 
   16 Swift Runner:  Running +8” (14” total) 2 
   11 Linegun:  Swinging 15”, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½); OAF (-1) 
  0 
   
  9 Goggles:  Sight Group Flash Defense 
  (5 points); OIF (-½), Real Technology 
  (-¼) plus Goggles:  Nightvision; OIF 
  (-½), Real Technology (-¼) plus 
  Goggles:  Telescopic (Sight Group; +4 
  versus Range Modifier); OIF (-½), 
  Real Technology (-¼) 
  0 
   
  5 Radio:  Radio Perception/Transmission 
  (Radio Group); OIF (-½), Real 
  Technology (-¼), Affected As Hearing 
  Group As Well As Radio Group (-¼) 
  0 
   
   Talents 
   15 Combat Sense 12- 
   
  3 Lightsleep 
   
   Perks 
   
  2 Fringe Benefit:  Local Police Powers 
   
   Skills 
   15 +3 with Guns 
   12 Range Skill Levels:  +4 versus Range 
  Modifiers with All Attacks 
   
   
  5 Accurate Sprayfire 
   
  3 CK:  Campaign City 12- 
   
  3 Climbing 13- 
   
  3 Combat Driving 13- 
   
  3 Concealment 12- 
   
  5 Demolitions 13- 
   
  2 KS:  Criminal Law 11- 
   
  2 KS:  Military/Mercenary/Terrorist 
  World 11- 
   
  3 Paramedic 12- 
   
  5 Rapid Attack (Ranged) 
   
  3 Shadowing 12- 
   
  3 Streetwise 13- 
   
  3 Tactics 12- 
   
  2 WF:  Small Arms 
   
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  233 
   
  Total Cost:  350 
   
  2K2 is being kept, but 
  it’s heavily guarded. 
  The PCs are called in 
  to assist with the raid. 
   
   
    
   
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  41
   200+ Disadvantages 
   15 DNPC:  Oretha Schaeffer, character’s sick 
  mother, 8- (Incompetent) 
   10 Distinctive Features:  Burn Scars 
  (Concealable) 
   
  5 Distinctive Feature:  Uniform (Easily 
  Concealed) 
   10 Hunted:  Harmon Industries 8- (Mo Pow, 
  NCI, Watching) 
   10 Hunted:  Law Enforcement Agencies 8- 
  (Mo Pow, NCI, Watching) 
   15 Hunted:  VIPER 8- (Mo Pow, Kill) 
   15 Psychological Limitation:  Biased Against 
  Arabs and Muslims (Common, Strong) 
   15 Psychological Limitation:  Overconfident 
  (Very Common, Moderate) 
   20 Psychological Limitation:  To Serve and 
  Protect (Very Common, Strong) 
   20 Social Limitation:  Subject to Orders 
  (Very Frequently, Major) 
   15 Vulnerability:  1½x STUN from Fire/Heat 
  (Very Common) 
   
  Total Disadvantage Points:  350 
   
   
  The XMR-2K2 is Hollowpoint’s prize 
  weapon. An experimental weapon, its design is 
  state-of-the-art. The modular components almost 
  never jam or get stuck (GM’s fiat as to when 
  they do), and the energy modules are self-
  charging. The firearm and explosive modules use 
  specialized ammunition also designed by 
  Harmon Industries. The ultimate in combat 
  versatility, he never lets it get too far away from 
  him. 
   
  Hollowpoint also carries a basic hold-out 
  blaster for emergencies, as well as an electrified 
  gauntlet designed by Harmon Industries for 
  personal defense. The gauntlet is intended for  
  when someone gets a little too  
  close. The linegun is also a  
  Harmon Industries product.  
  For armor, he wears body  
  armor and a shield belt  
  similar to Feedback’s. He  
  also wears high-tech  
  nightvision goggles. 
   
  Highly trained in  
  the science of sniping,  
  Hollowpoint prefers  
  to stand back – way  
  back – and provide  
  supporting fire for his  
  teammates. When he gets in  
  close, though, he uses  
  standard SWAT team  
  tactics:  get in, get out, let  
  the coroner and crime team  
  worry about cleanup.
  Campaign Use:  Hollowpoint loves shooting 
  things. He’s good at it. He’s very good at it. 
  Beyond that, he’s not a complex person. Do the 
  job, incarcerate the criminals, write the after-
  action report, go out for beer and hot wings. The 
  only thing that has him concerned in the least is 
  his mother’s failing health. More than once he’s 
  thought about contacting Telios for help, but he 
  knows that’s like making a deal with the devil. 
   
  Hollowpoint isn’t much for Hunting 
  criminals other than as his job requires. He may 
  try to even a score in combat, but that’s about it. 
  If a villain does manage to rile him up, though, 
  all bets are off. 
   
  If Hollowpoint needs some boosting, add 
  more slots to his gun Multipower and more 
  levels with it. You could also remove the Half 
  Phase to Change Slots Limitation as he gets 
  faster at switching out the modules. A higher 
  SPD and faster Movement Powers would also be 
  useful. On the other hand, scaling back his 
  abilities entails dropping a few slots from the 
  Multipower, reducing or removing the Shield 
  Belt, dropping his Range Skill Levels, and 
  removing his Electro-Gauntlet and/or Hold-Out 
  Blaster. 
   
  Appearance:  Carl is a thin but muscular 
  African-American, not quite 6 feet tall, about 30 
  years old. He keeps his hair short, but doesn’t 
  shave his head. His eyes are light brown. Like 
  Feedback, he normally wears his armored 
  uniform while on duty. The uniform resembles a  
  SWAT team uniform, with  
  nametag and badge. Off duty, it’s  
  jeans and t-shirt, all the way. 
   
  Hollowpoint 
   
  41
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  42 
  Knave 
  Background/History:  Jean Paul Beltare grew 
  up on the streets of Hudson City, a rough place 
  for anyone to live, especially a kid with no real 
  place to call home. But Jean Paul had an edge – 
  mutant powers. Of course, the discovery of his 
  mutation was not pleasant; a bunch of thugs 
  decided to use him to clean the street. The thugs 
  never messed with anyone again after Jean Paul 
  got done with them. 
   
  Before long, Jean Paul’s skill and powers 
  attracted the attention of Card Shark’s 
  organization. They took him in and trained him 
  how to really be a thief, dubbing him Knave 
  because of his roguish sense of humor. A run-in 
  with one of Hudson City’s most feared vigilantes 
  kept his time with them brief. 
   
  A hair-trigger away from sending Knave 
  into oblivion, the vigilante paused. “I don’t 
  remember seeing you before. What part do you 
  have in this?” 
   
  “I’m just a thief, man. I never killed 
  anyone.” 
   
  “Just a thief. Stealing is against the law, you 
  know. Still, you are young yet. Perhaps you 
  might learn to contribute to society instead of 
  stealing from it. You have one chance. If you 
  mess it up, I’ll find you. And just so you won’t 
  forget me….” The cowled figure put a bullet in 
  Knave’s leg. Knave screamed at the pain. 
  Blinking tears away, he watched the vigilante 
  swing off into the night. He hasn’t stolen 
  anything since. 
   
  Knave picked up and moved to Campaign 
  City as quietly as he could, knowing that Card 
  Shark would not forgive his desertion. Wanting 
  people to know that villains can change, he kept 
  the moniker and armor suit given him by Card 
  Shark as he began his new life as a hero. 
  However, he didn’t have much luck making the 
  change. Established heroes and the public alike 
  rejected him (those that even knew who he was, 
  that is). It wasn’t until he heard about the 
  formation of a city-sponsored superhero team 
  that he got his first break in the hero business. 
   
  Word on the street was that the Campaign 
  City police department was looking for someone 
  who had experience with the wrong side of the 
  law and had come clean to help their team with 
  paranormal investigations. Knave was one of 
  several to apply. When he was the only one 
  called back, he found out that one of the 
  interviewers was also the team’s mentalist, 
  screening the applicants for their sincerity. 
   
  After spending a good minute laughing his 
  head off, he was eager to join the team. The 
  Vindicators, in turn, were pleased to have found 
  a powered thief, a former member of Card Shark 
  at that, who honestly wanted to turn from his life 
  of crime. They keep close surveillance on him 
  just in case, though. Knave has never mentioned 
  the motivational “speech” he got from the 
  vigilante. 
   
  Personality/Motivation:  Knave (he’s seldom 
  called Jean Paul anymore) is as rambunctious as 
  they come. He simply cannot be still; he’s 
  always fidgeting or playing with some gadget. 
  Diviner thinks he has Attention Deficit Disorder, 
  but it’s actually just a side effect of his mutation. 
   
  Always a thrillseeker, Knave is constantly 
  looking for ways to entertain himself. One of his 
  current hobbies is freaking people out by 
  jumping off of tall buildings in a single bound 
  and catching himself with a telekinetic 
  swingline. Most of his teammates discourage 
  such pranks, but he can’t help himself. He may 
  be a hero now, but that doesn’t mean he has to be 
  a stiff. Does it? 
   
  Still, despite his wisecracks and showing 
  off, Knave is committed to being a hero. His 
  open friendliness and apparently sincere 
  redemption from crime is beginning to turn some 
  people around, convincing them that he has in 
  fact come clean. However, there will always be 
  those who refuse to believe. For them, Knave 
  just gives a shrug and exasperated sigh. Besides, 
  he hasn’t forgotten the vigilante’s lesson in 
  redemption. The scar throbs whenever it rains. 
   
  Quote:  “Okay, so VIPER’s robbing another 
  bank, Lady Blue’s making off with some techo-
  whatsit, and Dark Seraph’s got demons tearing 
  up downtown. <pause> Who wants Chinese 
  food?” 
   
  Powers/Tactics:  Knave’s abilities stem from his 
  telekinetic mutation. His favored attack is the 
  Telekinetic Blindside, with which he grabs an 
  object and smacks someone from an unexpected 
  direction. When facing powered foes, though, he 
  tends to use his Telekinetic Slam or Punch. He 
  saves the Telekinetic Spread for when he’s 
  facing a crowd. The Telekinetic Hand and 
  Barrier are normally used for support tactics as 
  situations demand; he particularly enjoys 
  disarming foes. 
   
  Knave can also project a Telekinetic Shield 
  around himself. It’ll stop bullets, but he wears an 
  armored uniform like the others (his Card Shark 
  body armor was discarded after joining the 
  Vindicators). He can also use his telekinesis to 
  provide thrust for a strong jump, and as a 
  swingline. 
   
  Campaign Use:  Knave’s role as the reformed 
  criminal introduces a potential weak point in the 
  Vindicator’s otherwise solid membership. The 
  possibility of his returning to a life of crime will 
  color his accomplishments, possibly even after 
  years of heroic service. Despite this, he endures, 
  truly wanting to be a hero. 
  KNAVE PLOT 
  SEEDS 
   
   
   The mysterious 
  vigilante who set 
  Knave on the straight 
  and narrow pays 
  Knave a midnight 
  visit. While pleased 
  with Knave’s 
  apparent reformation, 
  he isn’t convinced. He
  wants Knave’s help in 
  taking a large bite out 
  of Card Shark’s 
  operation. But the 
  vigilante doesn’t want 
  the other Vindicators 
  in on this; they’d just 
  get in the way. Will 
  Knave go along with 
  the vigilante’s 
  request, or will he 
  resist, possibly 
  provoking the 
  vigilante into 
  violence? 
   
   One of Card 
  Shark’s agents finds 
  Knave in Campaign 
  City and stakes him 
  out, learning as much 
  as he can. After 
  careful planning, Card
  Shark kidnaps 
  Knave’s girlfriend 
  and holds her hostage 
  in an abandoned 
  subway station that 
  has been rigged to 
  collapse. Will Knave 
  try to rescue her alone 
  or call for help? If she 
  survives, will she still 
  want to date him? 
   
   Knave decided that 
  he and a female PC 
  are a perfect match 
  and begins showing 
  off to get her 
  attention. The stunts 
  get more and more 
  outrageous. Will she 
  take the bait? How 
  will he react if 
  spurned? 
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  43
   
  He also brings youthful, exuberant humor to 
  a fairly serious-minded group. Between Knave 
  and Stat, the team’s evenings are either 
  uproariously funny or exasperating beyond 
  belief. Yet hiding behind the humor is a desire 
  for acceptance, belonging, and friendship. A 
  romantic plotline between him and a female PC 
  would enliven things nicely. 
   
  Knave is too laid back to Hunt anyone aside 
  from his crime-fighting duties. He won’t hold a 
  grudge against anyone unless they do something 
  really bad to him. 
   
  If Knave needs a little more firepower, boost 
  the Active Points in his Telekinetic Multipower 
  and add more slots. The possibilities there are 
  virtually endless. He’s also a skilled acrobat, so 
  increasing his Dexterity and Speed is feasible. 
  You could also add combat skill levels.  
   
  Knave 
  If he needs to be toned down, drop the Active 
  Points in his Multipower and reduce his 
  Recovery and Endurance. 
   
  Appearance:  Knave is a handsome young man 
  in his early 20s. Long brown hair, distinctive 
  yellow eyes (part of his mutation), and a thin 
  frame of about 5’11” make him quite appealing. 
  His love of adventure and ready smile attract 
  attention as well. The armored uniform he wears 
  is dark blue, but instead of looking like a police 
  uniform, it has broad tiger stripes in dark red. 
  The gloves, boots, and belt are solid black, and 
  the gloves are fingerless. He often sports a well-
  worn, brown leather duster when wearing the 
  armor in public (left open because it looks cool). 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  44 
  Knave 
   Val Char Cost Roll Notes 
   13 STR 
  3 12- Lift 150kg; 2½d6 HTH 
   25 DEX 
  45 14- OCV:  8/DCV:  8 
   21 CON 
  22 13- 
   12 BODY 
  4 11- 
   14 INT 
  4 12- PER Roll:  12- 
   10 EGO 
  0 11- ECV:  3 
   15 PRE 
  5 12- PRE Attack:  3d6 
   16 COM 
  3 12- 
   
   
  3 PD 
  0 
   Total:  21 PD (18 rPD) 
   
  5 ED 
  1 
   Total:  23 ED (18 rED) 
   
  5 SPD 
  15 
   Phases:  3, 5, 8, 10, 12 
   10 REC 
  6 
   60 END 
  9 
   30 STUN 
  0 
   
  Total Characteristics Cost:  117 
  Movement: Running: 
  8”/16” 
   
   
  Leaping: 
  23”/46” 
   
   
  Swinging: 20”/40” 
   
   
  Swimming: 2”/4” 
  Cost Powers 
  END 
   70 Telekinetic Powers:  Multipower  70-
  point reserve 
   7u 1)  Telekinetic Slam:  EB 14d6 
  7 
   7u 2)  Telekinetic Punch:  EB 11d6; 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  2 
   7u 3)  Telekinetic Spread:  EB 9d6; Area 
  Of Effect (One Hex; +½) 
  7 
   5u 4)  Telekinetic Blindside:  EB 8d6; 
  Indirect (+¾); OIF (object of 
  opportunity; -½) 
  7 
   7u 5)  Telekinetic Hand:  Telekinesis (45 
  STR) 
  7 
   7u 6)  Telekinetic Barrier:  Force Wall 
  (10 PD/10 ED; 10” long, 2” tall) 
  7 
   10 Telekinetic Powers:  Elemental Control, 
  20-point powers 
   10 1)  Telekinetic Shield:  Force Field (10 
  PD/10 ED) 
  2 
   10 2)  Telekinetic Leap:  Leaping +20”  
  (23” Total) 
  2 
   10 3)  Telekinetic Swingline:  Swinging 
  20” 
  2 
   12 Armored Uniform:  Armor (8 PD/8 ED); 
  Activation Roll 15- (-¼), OIF (-½), Real 
  Armor (-¼) 
  0 
   
  2 Leather Duster:  Lack of Weakness (-3) 
  for Normal and Defenses; OAF (-1) 
  plus Lack of Weakness (-3) for 
  Resistant Defenses; OAF (-1) 
  0 
   
  6 Optical Mutation:  Sight Group Flash 
  Defense (6 points) 
  0 
   
  5 Strong Will:  Mental Defense (7 points) 0 
   
  4 Swift Runner:  Running +2” (8” total) 
  1 
   
  5 Radio:  Radio Perception/Transmission 
  (Radio Group); OIF (-½), Real 
  Technology (-¼), Affected As Hearing 
  Group As Well As Radio Group (-¼) 
  0 
   
    Perks 
   
  3 Contact:  Street Informant 11- 
  (Significant Contacts) 
   
  2 Fringe Benefit:  Local Police Powers 
   
   Skills 
   
  3 Acrobatics 14- 
   
  3 Breakfall 14- 
   
  3 CK:  Campaign City 12- 
   
  2 CK:  Hudson City 11- 
   
  3 Climbing 14- 
   
  3 Computer Programming 12- 
   
  3 Concealment 12- 
   
  3 Electronics 12- 
   
  2 KS:  Computer Technology/Software 11- 
   
  2 Language:  Card Shark Tactical Codes 
  (Fluent) 
   
  3 Lockpicking 14- 
   
  5 Security Systems 13- 
   
  3 Shadowing 12- 
   
  3 Stealth 14- 
   
  3 Streetwise 12- 
   
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  233 
   
  Total Cost:  350 
   
   200+ Disadvantages 
   10 DNPC:  Current Girlfriend 8- (Normal) 
   10 Distinctive Feature:  Mutant (Not 
  Concealable; Always Noticed; Unusual 
  Senses) 
   
  5 Distinctive Feature:  Uniform (Easily 
  Concealed) 
   
  5 Distinctive Feature:  Yellow Eyes (Easily 
  Concealed) 
   15 Hunted:  Card Shark Criminal 
  Organization 8- (Mo Pow, Kill) 
   10 Hunted:  Law Enforcement Agencies 8- 
  (Mo Pow, NCI, Watching) 
   
  5 Hunted:  Mysterious Vigilante 8- (Mo 
  Pow, Watching) 
   15 Hunted:  VIPER 8- (Mo Pow, Kill) 
   15 Psychological Limitation:  Driven to 
  Prove Himself a Hero (Common, Strong) 
   15 Psychological Limitation:  Flamboyant, 
  Wisecracking Showman (Common, 
  Strong) 
   15 Psychological Limitation:  
  Overconfidence (Very Common, 
  Moderate) 
   10 Reputation:  reformed criminal/thief 11- 
   20 Social Limitation:  Subject to Orders 
  (Very Frequently, Major) 
   
  Total Disadvantage Points:  350 
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  45
  Mechanoid 
  Background:  Donald Gentry always loved 
  flying. It was natural that he would join the Air 
  Force to become a pilot. The surprising part was 
  his skill with science and aeronautics. During his 
  years of service, Donald has developed several 
  space-age technologies and advanced airplane 
  designs in addition to being recognized as one of 
  the most skilled fighter pilots in the military. He 
  earned the rank of Captain and Top Secret 
  clearance by the time he was 26. 
   
  Don holds degrees in physics and 
  aeronautics, and has extensively studied the 
  fields of cybernetics and advanced metallurgy, as 
  well as more theoretical sciences such as faster-
  than-light travel, force field technology, and 
  dimensional travel. He even pioneered a new 
  field of research into the nature of energy itself, 
  called Energetics. His theory holds that energy is 
  the true fabric of the universe, not matter. If one 
  can control energy at it most basic level, 
  anything is possible. Most scientists find this 
  idea ludicrous, but research to date seems to 
  agree with his hypothesis. 
   
  When Don was approached by Harmon 
  Industries to help with a cybernetic power suit 
  they were trying to develop, called the 
  Mechanoid Project, he jumped at the chance. 
  Taking an extended leave of absence from the 
  Air Force, he began working on the project as an 
  assistant researcher and eventual test subject 
  should the project be successful. 
   
  Unfortunately, the research was difficult and 
  took longer than expected; Don had been on the 
  project for a year when his leave was up. 
  Speaking to the project leaders, they came up 
  with the idea of getting military backing for 
  additional resources. That way Don could 
  continue working on the project, and Harmon 
  Industries would gain access to some of the Air 
  Force’s more delicate (and secret) technologies. 
   
  Needless to say, this highly advanced 
  technology is very desirable. Lady Blue tried to 
  acquire the suit shortly after its completion, 
  while it was still being tested and fitted to Don’s 
  specifications. The suit accounted itself well 
  despite a near system failure. Lady Blue is still 
  sore about being defeated. 
   
  Finally, after all the lab tests were complete 
  and Harmon Industries and the Air Force were 
  satisfied the research was successful, there 
  remained the need for an extended field test. The 
  only question was how to do it? In order to be 
  certain the suit could last for an extended period 
  of use without a degrade in the cybernetic 
  connection, it was determined that the suit 
  needed to be used on a steady basis for no less 
  than five years. Any shorter time frame left too 
  big a margin of error for system degradation and 
  potential side effects from the cybernetics. 
   
  Don came up with the only viable answer; 
  the suit would be used to make a new superhero. 
  The suit would see plenty of combat action in 
  strenuous situations on a regular basis. The 
  project leaders looked at him incredulously when 
  he made the suggestion, but soon realized the 
  value of the idea. It would be the perfect test 
  scenario. The Air Force agreed, and put Don on 
  detached duty for the duration of the field testing 
  phase. 
   
  The only question left was how to 
  implement him as a superhero. Project leaders 
  rejected the thought of him as a solo hero; the 
  risk of his being overwhelmed by multiple 
  opponents and the technology stolen was too 
  great. They searched for a team that could use 
  his talents and quickly discovered the Vindicator 
  Project being put together by the Campaign City 
  government, right in Harmon Industries’ 
  backyard. It was perfect; the suit would be tested 
  under the most realistic situations possible, and 
  they could get data quickly since he would be 
  based in the Campaign City area. A quick phone 
  call was all it took, since Harmon Industries was 
  already the technological sponsor for the team. 
  Mechanoid’s career as a hero began. 
   
  Personality/Motivation:  Don is polite but 
  intense, driven by his loyalty to the United States 
  and his honor to succeed. While exceedingly 
  curious, he doesn’t allow it to distract him from 
  his duties. Amazingly single-minded at times, he 
  follows through with what he believes to be the 
  correct course of action. He does respect the 
  chain of command, however, even when it does 
  not agree with him. His honor and patriotism 
  bind him to his orders more than any blind 
  soldier’s commitment. 
   
  Selfless to a fault, he was eager for the 
  chance to prove the viability of the Mechanoid 
  project by becoming its test subject. Though the 
  cybernetic implants are at times uncomfortable, 
  even painful, he has no regrets. The technologies 
  he helped develop and is now testing could 
  revolutionize several scientific fields. That is 
  worth a little sacrifice as far as he’s concerned. 
   
  Since joining the Vindicators, he’s 
  discovered how much he missed being in the 
  thick of the action. Though he was a fighter pilot 
  for only a year before getting into research, he 
  always enjoyed the thrill of flying. Now that he’s 
  seeing action again, it’s unlikely he’ll want to 
  give that up when the testing phase is complete. 
  That’s several years away, though, so he’s not 
  worried about it yet. The only thing he doesn’t 
  like about being with the Vindicators is being 
  under the command of a police officer with no 
  military training. Fortunately, Feedback prefers a 
  democratic form of leadership and welcomes all 
  advice and input, which makes the situation a bit 
  easier for Don’s military mind to deal with. 
   
  MECHANOID 
  PLOT SEEDS 
   
   
   Mechanoid has 
  gone missing! The 
  Vindicators have 
  hunted for him 
  everywhere they 
  know to, but can find 
  no trace of him. Has 
  he been kidnapped by 
  Lady Blue for the 
  secret of his suit? Or 
  has VIPER gotten 
  their fangs in him for 
  the same reason – on 
  top of vengeance? 
  With no leads to 
  follow, the 
  Vindicators turn to 
  the PCs for help. 
   
   Mechanoid begins 
  acting strangely, 
  rarely taking off his 
  suit while being short 
  of temper and outright
  rude. Diviner can’t 
  figure out what’s 
  going on, and he’s not 
  talking. Are the 
  cybernetic implants 
  affecting his mental 
  stability? Or is 
  something more 
  sinister in progress? 
  When he goes on an 
  unexpected 
  destructive rampage 
  through the 
  downtown area, the 
  PC are called in to 
  help. 
   
   Something has 
  gone wrong with the 
  containment field of 
  Mechanoid’s power 
  cell. It’s gone into a 
  cascade failure, and 
  will shut down in a 
  matter of hours, 
  destroying the suit, 
  Don, and anything 
  else in a 1 km radius! 
  Is the technology 
  flawed, or did 
  someone manage to  
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  46 
  Quote:  “While I don’t mind slamming you into 
  the ground again, perhaps it would be easier if 
  you just surrendered.” 
   
  Powers/Tactics:  Mechanoid’s powers derive 
  from the technologies embedded in the 
  Mechanoid cybersuit. The suit is cybernetic in 
  that the wearer controls the suit mentally via 
  small implants just below the ears and at the 
  wrists and ankles. While difficult to conceal 
  because of their placing, the implants are 
  essential to controlling the suit. Without them, 
  it’s just a 400-pound paperweight. 
   
  The suit provides strength augmentation, as 
  well as reflex enhancers. The armor shell is made 
  of a composite alloy designed in part by Don 
  himself, extrapolated from some supposedly 
  alien mineral samples owned by the Air Force. 
  The flight and force field systems are based on 
  Don’s Energetics research, using an 
  electromagnetic field, greatly magnified, to 
  produce a defensive shield and flight capability. 
  The suit’s life support system enables the suit to 
  operate in otherwise unlivable environments, 
  including the vacuum of space. 
   
  The weapon systems were based on UNTIL 
  designs, but take advantage of Energetics 
  research to make them compact and streamlined. 
  Their power was not improved so they would not 
  be a larger drain on the suit battery than they 
  already were. However, the suit is able to 
  actually absorb power from energy attacks, using 
  the power gained to boost the Energetics 
  systems. Unfortunately, this absorption system 
  isn’t perfect; sometimes it will cause a feedback, 
  draining power from the Energetics systems 
  instead of boosting them. The helmet includes 
  several sensory enhancements – nightvision 
  enhancers, a video transmitter, and telescopic 
  vision enhancers. It also sports a mirrored, 
  polarized faceplate. 
   
  The suit’s battery is perhaps the most 
  important innovation, next to the cybernetic 
  control system. The battery is essentially a 
  microscopic sun, a collection of hydrogen atoms 
  forced to fusion by an incredibly dense magnetic 
  field. The hydrogen supply is constantly 
  replenished by collectors on the back of the suit. 
  The battery itself is barely bigger than an electric 
  pencil sharpener, positioned at the small of the 
  back. With the replenishment system active, it 
  can in theory regenerate itself indefinitely, 
  though heavy use of the suit’s weapon systems 
  can drain the battery very quickly. 
   
  The only apparent drawback to the cybersuit 
  and implants is that they left Don vulnerable to 
  the effects of electricity. The electronic systems 
  of the suit transmit the electricity straight into the 
  cybernetic implants, causing severe pain and 
  sometimes burns. 
   
  Campaign Use:  Being the resident scientist, 
  Don is often working on one project or the other, 
  in addition to refining the Mechanoid cybersuit. 
  One of his current works in progress is a radar 
  system to be integrated into the helmet. He and 
  Defender have a friendly rivalry going over who 
  has the better armor suit. 
   
  Don is often a participant in scientific 
  symposiums and conventions, though he is 
  careful never to reveal or discuss classified 
  projects of which he has knowledge. 
  Occasionally, Mechanoid is invited as a guest at 
  such functions, sparking controversial debates 
  about the science behind his technology. 
   
  Mechanoid is not much for Hunting villains 
  beyond the bounds of crimefighting. If someone 
  were to steal or significantly damage his suit 
  however, that may well change his mind. 
   
  To increase Mechanoid’s power, increase 
  his Dexterity and Speed augmentations and the 
  Active Points in his Energetics Weapon Systems 
  Multipower. You could also boost the amount of 
  Armor the cybersuit frame provides or the 
  strength of the Force Field. Increasing the effect 
  of the Energetics Booster System is also a 
  possibility, as is removing the Side Effect and 
  Activation Roll limitations. 
   
  To bring him down a peg, reduce 
  Mechanoid’s Strength augmenters and reduce or 
  remove the Energetics Booster System and Force 
  Field. 
   
  Appearance:  Don is a handsome man in his 
  early thirties, with short black hair and green 
  eyes. He has given up trying to conceal the 
  implants below his ears, but the ones at his 
  ankles and wrists are easily concealed. Standing 
  a few inches short of 6 feet, he makes in 
  impressive figure in his Air Force uniform. He 
  seldom wears it now, though, since he’s on 
  detached duty. Often found in jeans and collared 
  shirt while at the downtown office, Don has 
  begun to spend more and more time in the 
  Mechanoid suit. 
   
  The Mechanoid suit actually looks little like 
  its name implies. Instead of resembling the bulky 
  Japanese robots it was named for, it more closely 
  resembles an armored astronaut’s EVA space 
  suit, but without life support hoses or a bubble 
  helmet. The suit is mostly medium gray in color 
  with an Air Force patch and Harmon Industries 
  insignia on the shoulders. Dark blue and black 
  accents around the shoulders and thighs add a 
  stylistic design, while energy emitters on the 
  back, legs, and arms are dark red. The helmet is 
  actually based on a VIPER design, colored gray 
  and blue. The mirrored faceplate houses the 
  heads-up display for the visual enhancements 
  and video monitor. The pencil sharpener-sized 
  fusion cell at the small of his back is blue, with 
  the nuclear symbol and warning labels in yellow. 
  sabotage it? Can the 
  PCs help solve the 
  problem? 
   
   
   
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  47
  Mechanoid 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  48 
  Mechanoid 
   
  Val Char Cost Roll 
  Notes 
   15+50† STR 
  30 12-(21-) 200 kg (200 tons); 
  3d6(13d6) HTH 
  [1(6)] 
   18+5† DEX 
  31 13-(14-) OCV:  8/DCV:  8 
   15+10† CON 
  20 12-(14-) 
   
  12 BODY 
  4 
  11- 
   
  14 INT 
  4 
  12- 
  PER Roll:  12- 
   
  10 EGO 
  0 
  11- 
  ECV:  3 
   15+10* PRE 
  12 12-(14-) PRE Attack:  3d6  
   
  14 COM 
  2 
  12- 
   
  (5d6) 
   
   
  6 PD 
  3 
   
  Total:  30 PD (24r) 
   
  4 ED 
  1 
   
  Total:  28 ED (24r) 
   
  3+1* SPD 
  9 
   
  Phases:  4, 8, 12  
   
  8 REC 
  4 
   
   
  (3, 6, 9, 12) 
   
  40 END 
  5 
   
  40 STUN 12 
   
  *:  OIF (Cybersuit; -½) 
  †:  OIF (Cybersuit; -½) and No Figured 
  Characteristics (-½) 
   
  Total Characteristics Cost:  137 
  Movement: Running: 
  6”/12” 
   
   
  Leaping: 
  13”/26” 
   
   
  Flight: 
  15”/30” 
   
   
  Swimming: 2”/4” 
  Cost Powers 
  END 
   13 Fusion Power Cell:  Endurance Reserve 
  (100 END, 10 REC); OIF (-½) 
  0 
   33 Energetics Weapon Systems:  
  Multipower, 50-point reserve; all slots 
  OIF (-½) 
   2u 1)  Plasma Beam:  EB 10d6; OIF (-½), 
  Beam (-¼), Cannot Be Bounced (-¼) 
  5 
   2u 2)  Electro-Magnetic Force Barrier:  
  Entangle 4d6, DEF 4, Takes No 
  Damage From Physical Attacks (+¼); 
  Vulnerable (Electricity; -½), OIF (-½) 
  5 
   2u 3)  Laser Beam:  RKA 3d6+1; OIF (-½), 
  Beam (-¼), No Knockback (-¼) 
  5 
   24 Cybersuit Frame:  Armor (12 PD/12 
  ED); OIF (-½) 
  0 
   16 Energetics Shield System:  Force Field 
  (12 PD/12 ED); OIF (-½) 
  2 
   23 Energetics Flight System:  Flight 15”, 
  x4 Noncombat; OIF (-½) 
  3 
   15 Energetics Booster System:  Absorption 
  3d6 (energy), Maximum of 20 Points, 
  Variable Effect (all Energetics Systems 
  at once; +2); Activation Roll 14- (-½), 
  OIF (-½), Side Effect (Drain 2d6 
  against all Energetics systems, constant 
  power, requiring Activation Roll; -1¼) 0 
   13 Life Support Systems:  Life Support 
  (Self-Contained Breathing, all Safe 
  Environments); OIF (-½) 
  0 
   
  3 Polarized Faceplate:  Sight Group 
  Flash Defense (5 points); OIF (-½) 
  0 
   
  3 Imaging Systems:  Nightvision; OIF (-½) 0 
   
  6 Imaging Systems:  +6 versus Range 
  Modifier for Sight Group; OIF (-½) 
  0 
   
  6 Video Transceiver:  High Range Radio 
  Perception; OIF (-½), Affected as Sight 
  and Hearing Groups as Well as Radio 
  Group (-½) 
  0 
   
   Perks 
   
  2 Fringe Benefit:  Local Police Powers 
   
  4 Fringe Benefit:  Rank of Captain, US Air 
  Force 
   
  3 Fringe Benefit:  Security Clearance 
   
   Skills 
   
  3 Combat Piloting 14- 
   
  3 Computer Programming 12- 
   
  3 Electronics 12- 
   
  3 Inventor 12- 
   
  3 Mechanics 12- 
   
  3 Navigation (Air, Space) 12- 
   
  3 Systems Operation 12- 
   
  3 Tactics 12- 
   
  2 WF:  Small Arms 
   
   
  3 Scientist 
   
  2  1)  SS:  Aeronautics 12- 
   
  2  2)  SS:  Cybernetics 12- 
   
  2  3)  SS:  Energetics 12- 
   
  2  4)  SS:  Mathematics 12- 
   
  2  5)  SS:  Metallurgy 12- 
   
  2  6)  SS:  Nuclear Physics 12- 
   
  2  7)  SS:  Physics 12- 
   
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  213 
   
  Total Cost:  350 
   
   200+ Disadvantages 
   10 Distinctive Feature:  Cybersuit/Cybernetic 
  Implants (Concealable) 
   10 Hunted:  Harmon Industries 8- (Mo Pow, 
  NCI, Watching) 
   
  5 Hunted:  Lady Blue 8- (As Pow, Theft of 
  Cybersuit) 
   10 Hunted:  Law Enforcement Agencies 8- 
  (Mo Pow, NCI, Watching) 
   10 Hunted:  US Air Force 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, 
  Watching) 
   15 Hunted:  VIPER 8- (Mo Pow, Kill) 
   20 Psychological Limitations:  Honorable 
  (Common, Total) 
   15 Psychological Limitations:  Patriot 
  (Common, Strong) 
   15 Psychological Limitations:  Scientific 
  Curiosity (Common, Strong) 
   20 Social Limitation:  Subject to Orders 
  (Very Frequently, Major) 
   20 Vulnerability:  2x STUN from Electricity 
  (Common) 
   
  Total Disadvantage Points:  350 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  49
  Stat 
  Background/History:  Cynthia Chiang didn’t 
  quite fit in among her peers. Her parents were 
  both doctors and well-off, so she was expected to 
  mingle with the rich kids. When her choice of 
  music and need for rebellion against her parents 
  leaned her towards the punk-rockers, her parents 
  forced her to stay away from them. She never 
  had any real friends growing up, so she often 
  suffered depression. Her humor turned dark and 
  twisted, and she began to contemplate the nature 
  of death. That’s when she decided to enter the 
  field of forensics. 
   
  When Cynthia told her parents about her 
  decision, they thought she had lost her mind. 
  There was no money in forensics; she’d be 
  working for the police or maybe the federal 
  government at best. They were so flabbergasted 
  that they simply nodded and let her go her way. 
  She never bothered to tell them she had chosen 
  forensics to get as far away from people as she 
  could. The living had brought her nothing but 
  annoyance and grief, so perhaps the dead might 
  prove more pleasant company. 
   
  And so they did for a time. Cynthia 
  graduated medical school relatively quickly, and 
  took a job with the Campaign City coroner’s 
  office. She never had any significant 
  relationships, but did finally find a few friends 
  amongst the living. Her penchant for twisted 
  practical jokes became nearly legendary. The 
  time she set up a cadaver dressed as a beggar 
  outside the dean’s house is still spoken of years 
  later. Rumor had it that the dead beggar earned 
  almost $50 before it fell over. 
   
  Cynthia’s superiors in the coroner’s office 
  had little patience for such jokes at work, so she 
  quickly put her jokes on the back burner in the 
  interests of self-preservation. But her skill in 
  forensic science made her a useful asset. More 
  than once she caught clues missed by other 
  examiners, enabling detectives to solve cases that 
  might have otherwise gone unsolved. Eventually, 
  though, her twisted sense of humor had to be let 
  out, and it changed her life forever. 
   
  Late one night Cynthia wired the body of a 
  suspect with a live current so as to shock the next 
  person who touched it. The detective working 
  the case had been a real meathead, so she figured 
  this would be a good way to get a little revenge 
  and have a good laugh. It wasn’t a strong charge, 
  just enough to knock someone over. Wanting to 
  make sure it worked, she took a deep breath and 
  tested it herself. It worked all right, a little too 
  well. The charge knocked her back almost ten 
  feet, right into a chemical storage cabinet. 
   
  When Cynthia came to, she was covered in 
  all sorts of medical and chemical agents, her hair 
  was standing up on end, and she had several cuts 
  from the broken glass of the cabinet doors and 
  bottles. This was a problem, because several of 
  the chemicals covering her were not healthy to 
  human life. None were particularly deadly, but 
  she knew she was in trouble. Her head was 
  pounding, her heart was racing, and she felt like 
  the world was spinning much faster than it 
  should be. She disconnected the wires from the 
  corpse to hide the fact that she did this to herself, 
  and went to get help. 
   
  Cynthia recovered from her injuries and 
  chemical exposure quickly under expert medical 
  care. While in the hospital, she discovered the 
  long-term effects of her accident. Her physical 
  strength had increased significantly, as had her 
  reflexes and reaction time. The doctors were 
  amazed that exposure to simple chemicals had 
  triggered such a remarkable transformation in 
  her. After less than a week of recovery time, she 
  was declared fit to return to duty. Upon returning 
  to work, she told everyone that she had tripped 
  on her lab coat while examining the body. 
   
  When the Vindicator project came along a 
  few months later, Cynthia applied for 
  membership on impulse, figuring she could use 
  her new abilities to help. Besides, she also 
  imagined she would get a big kick out of 
  stomping supervillains. Her application was 
  accepted, and Cynthia chose the codename Stat, 
  since that best fit her new speed-related abilities 
  and medical background. 
   
  Best of all, no one ever found out that the 
  whole mess was caused by a failed attempt at a 
  practical joke. 
   
  Personality/Motivation:  Cynthia passed the 
  psychological evaluation for police service, but it 
  was close; her twisted sense of humor runs deep. 
  While she hasn’t pulled a prank since the one 
  that gave her powers, she always has a quip or 
  off-color joke ready. Since joining the 
  Vindicators she has started exercising her vicious 
  humor on supervillains, and their readiness to 
  rise to an insult just encourages her even more. 
  She is amazed at how easy it is to infuriate them 
  into making the one mistake that brings them 
  down. 
   
  Cynthia is usually able to control her 
  impulsive nature, but at times she borders on 
  chaotic. While she doesn’t let her impulsiveness 
  interfere with her work (much), it has interfered 
  with her financial security and love life (such as 
  they are). 
   
  The one thing she truly takes seriously is her 
  medical career. Her expertise is forensics, but 
  she is also licensed to practice general medicine, 
  and she will not take a life unless she has no 
  choice. Fortunately, she has not yet been faced 
  with that choice. 
   
  Quote:  “Okay, last one to surrender gets their 
  spleen stapled to their forehead!” 
   
  STAT PLOT 
  SEEDS 
   
   
   VIPER kidnaps Stat 
  while she’s sleeping, 
  hoping to draw the 
  other Vindicators into 
  a trap. Unfortunately, 
  the rest of the team 
  gets called away on 
  an urgent mission 
  before VIPER can 
  issue their demands 
  for her release. Can 
  the PCs pull off a 
  rescue? 
   
   Stat, bored with her 
  work, decides to take 
  a vacation. While 
  relaxing in a public 
  area (beach, park, 
  what have you), she 
  goes into some sort of 
  seizure and falls 
  unconscious. Are the 
  chemicals that 
  provided her with 
  powers becoming 
  unstable, or has a 
  villain managed to 
  slip her some sort of 
  poison? The PCs are 
  called in to 
  investigate and help 
  find a cure. 
   
   A series of highly 
  disturbing – and 
  disgusting – practical 
  “jokes” have occurred 
  recently, and all 
  evidence points back 
  to Stat. A cadaver set 
  up as a store 
  mannequin, 
  dismembered hands 
  planted in a park to 
  look like zombies 
  climbing out of the 
  earth, and stop signs 
  topped with skulls are 
  just a few examples. 
  Is Stat really pulling 
  these pranks, or is 
  someone setting her 
  up? 
   
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  50 
  Stat 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  51
  Stat 
   Val Char Cost Roll Notes 
   30 STR 
  20 15- Lift 1.6 ton; 6d6 HTH [3] 
   30 DEX 
  60 15- OCV:  10/DCV:  10 
   24 CON 
  28 14- 
   13 BODY 
  6 12- 
   14 INT 
  4 12- PER Roll:  12- 
   11 EGO 
  2 11- ECV:  4 
   15 PRE 
  5 12- PRE Attack:  3d6 
   16 COM 
  3 12- 
   
   
  8 PD 
  2 
   Total:  22 PD (14 rPD) 
   
  5 ED 
  0 
   Total:  19 ED (14 rED) 
   
  7 SPD 
  30 
   Phases:  2,4,6,7,9,11,12 
   11 REC 
  0 
   60 END 
  5 
   40 STUN 
  0 
   
  Total Characteristics Cost:  165 
  Movement: Running: 
  6”/12” 
   
   
  Leaping: 
  6”/12” 
   
   
  Flight: 
  30”/120” 
   
   
  Swimming: 2”/4” 
  Cost Powers 
  END 
   16 Hypo Dart Wrist Launcher:  
  Multipower, 52-point reserve; all slots 
  OIF (-½), Only Against Living Organic 
  Targets (-½), Blocked by Force Field or 
  Force Wall (-½), Can Be Missile 
  Deflected (-¼), Cannot Be Bounced (-¼)  
   2u 1)  Sedative:  Drain STUN 3d6, Delayed 
  Return Rate (5 per Minute; +¼), Ranged 
  (+½); OIF (-½), Only Against Living 
  Organic Targets (-½), Blocked by Force 
  Field or Force Wall (-½), Can Be Missile 
  Deflected (-¼), Cannot Be Bounced  
   
   (-¼), 16 Charges (-0) 
  [16] 
   2u 2)  Stimulant:  Aid STUN 3d6, Delayed 
  Fade Rate (5 per Minute; +¼), Ranged 
  (+½); OIF (-½), Only Against Living 
  Organic Targets (-½), Blocked by Force 
  Field or Force Wall (-½), Can Be Missile 
  Deflected (-¼), Cannot Be Bounced  
   
   (-¼), 16 Charges (-0) 
  [16] 
   1u 3)  Muscle Relaxer:  Drain STR 3d6, 
  Delayed Return Rate (5 per Minute; +¼), 
  Ranged (+½); OIF (-½), Only Against 
  Living Organic Targets (-½), Blocked by 
  Force Field or Force Wall (-½), Can Be 
  Missile Deflected (-¼), Cannot Be 
  Bounced (-¼), 8 Charges (-½) 
  [8] 
   1u 4)  Neural Inhibitor:  Drain DEX 3d6, 
  Delayed Return Rate (5 per Minute; +¼), 
  Ranged (+½); OIF (-½), Only Against 
  Living Organic Targets (-½), Blocked by 
  Force Field or Force Wall (-½), Can Be 
  Missile Deflected (-¼), Cannot Be 
  Bounced (-¼), 8 Charges (-½) 
  [8] 
   1u 5)  Depressant:  Drain EGO 3d6, 
  Delayed Return Rate (5 per Minute; +¼), 
  Ranged (+½); OIF (-½), Only Against 
  Living Organic Targets (-½), Blocked by 
  Force Field or Force Wall (-½), Can Be 
  Missile Deflected (-¼), Cannot Be 
  Bounced (-¼), 8 Charges (-½) 
  [8] 
   1u 6)  Neurotoxin:  Drain BODY 3d6, 
  Delayed Return Rate (5 per Minute; +¼), 
  Ranged (+½); OIF (-½), Only Against 
  Living Organic Targets (-½), Blocked by 
  Force Field or Force Wall (-½), Can Be 
  Missile Deflected (-¼), Cannot Be 
  Bounced (-¼), 8 Charges (-½) 
  [8] 
   11 Speed Punch:  HA +4d6 (10d6 with 
  STR); HA Lim (-½), Activation Roll 
  15- (-¼) 
  2 
   12 Armored Uniform:  Armor (8 PD/ 
  8 ED); Activation Roll 15- (-¼), 
  OIF (-½), Real Armor (-¼) 
  0 
   52 Speed Running:  Flight 30”, x4 
  Noncombat; Only in Contact with a 
  Surface (-¼) 
  6 
   
  5 Radio:  Radio Perception/Transmission 
  (Radio Group); OIF (-½), Real 
  Technology (-¼), Flashed as Hearing 
  and Radio Group (-¼) 
  0 
   
   Perks 
   
  2 Fringe Benefit:  Local Police Powers 
   
  1 Fringe Benefit:  Licensed Physician 
   
   Talents 
   12 Combat Luck (6 PD/6 ED) 
   
  6 Speed Reading (x100) 
   
   Skills 
   
  6 +3 with Flight 
   
  3 +2 versus Sweep Penalties 
   
   
  3 Acrobatics 15- 
   
  3 Breakfall 15- 
   
  3 Climbing 15- 
   
  3 Deduction 12- 
   
  5 Forensic Medicine 13- 
   
  2 KS:  Medical World 11- 
   
  3 Language:  English (completely fluent, 
  Cantonese native) 
   
  3 Paramedic 12- 
   
  3 Power (Speed Tricks) 15- 
   
  5 Rapid Attack (Hand-to-Hand) 
   
  3 Stealth 15- 
   
   
  3 Scientist 
   
  2  1)  SS:  Anatomy 12- 
   
  1  2)  SS:  Biochemistry 11- 
   
  2  3)  SS:  Biology 12- 
   
  1  4)  SS:  Chemistry 11- 
   
  1  5)  SS:  Genetics 11- 
   
  2  6)  SS:  Medicine 12- 
   
  1  7)  SS:  Pharmacology 11- 
   
  1  8)  SS:  Toxicology 11- 
   
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  185 
  Total Cost:  350 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  52 
   200+ Disadvantages 
   
  5 Distinctive Feature:  Uniform (Easily 
  Concealed) 
   10 Hunted:  Law Enforcement Agencies 8- 
  (Mo Pow, NCI, Watching) 
   15 Hunted:  VIPER 8- (Mo Pow, Kill) 
   
  5 Physical Limitation:  Heavy Sleeper 
  (Infrequently, Slightly Impairing) 
   10 Physical Limitation:  High Metabolism, 
  must eat twice as often as normal 
  (Frequently, Slightly Impairing) 
   20 Psychological Limitation:  Code Against 
  Killing (Common, Total) 
   10 Psychological Limitation:  Impulsive 
  (Common, Moderate) 
   15 Psychological Limitation:  Twisted 
  Prankster (Common, Strong) 
   20 Social Limitation:  Subject to Orders 
  (Very Frequently, Major) 
   10 Unluck:  2d6 
   10 Vulnerability:  2x Effect from Chemical 
  Attacks (Uncommon) 
   20 Vulnerability:  2x STUN from Ice/Cold 
  Attacks (Common) 
   
  Total Disadvantage Points:  350 
  Powers/Tactics:  Stat’s only inherent powers are 
  her enhanced physical abilities. Her strength, 
  dexterity, and reflexes have been boosted to 
  superhuman levels, and her running speed has 
  been clocked at over a hundred miles per hour. 
  She also has the ability to “rapid-fire” her 
  punches, using her speed to deliver several 
  stinging blows at once. The nature of her powers 
  leaves Stat vulnerable to the effects of chemicals 
  and cold powers. 
   
  Stat has been fitted with an armored uniform 
  provided by Harmon Industries, as well as a 
  specially designed hypo dart launcher. The darts 
  are loaded with various types of drugs, each with 
  a different effect. She most often uses the 
  stimulants and sedatives, but the other darts have 
  all seen use as well, except the neurotoxin. The 
  drugs are only useful against organic targets, so 
  if she ever runs into an inorganic foe, her combat 
  options will be greatly limited. 
   
  Campaign Use:  Stat provides medical support 
  for the team in addition to her forensic 
  investigation skills. Of course, her speedster 
  powers are of benefit as well. 
   
  Stat is usually too busy to actively Hunt 
  anyone aside from routine investigations. If 
  someone ruins one of her jokes or humiliates her, 
  though, he’d better be on the lookout for some 
  payback. 
   
  If Stat isn’t strong enough, boost her 
  Dexterity and Speed even higher. You might also 
  give her some Speedster trick powers, like Drain 
  Dexterity (running around an opponent so fast 
  they get dizzy), Entangle (wrapping up a target 
  in a convenient rope or wire), and so on. After 
  running into a foe that’s immune to her darts, she 
  may start carrying a blaster as well. 
   
  If you need to scale her back, drop her 
  Dexterity somewhat, but not her Speed. Reduce 
  or remove her Combat Luck, and decrease her 
  inches of Flight. 
   
  Appearance:  Cynthia is an attractive woman of 
  Chinese descent. She is short, less than 5’3” tall, 
  about 130 lbs with short hair and eyes so deep a 
  brown they appear to be black. She usually wears 
  slacks and a blouse under her lab coat when 
  doing forensic work. 
   
  As Stat, her armor suit is styled olive green 
  with white trim, gloves, and boots. It has a 
  syringe device on the right breast as decoration. 
  The hypo dart wrist launcher is worn on her right 
  wrist, and is fairly streamlined so it doesn’t 
  interfere with her high-speed movements. 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  53
  Villains 
  Electro-Bomb 
  Background/History:  Shawn Markson knew 
  that he would have to rise above his poor 
  heritage to achieve great things. His parents were 
  both minimum wage workers on welfare who 
  were barely able to make ends meet. He joined 
  the gang like most of his buddies, thinking he 
  might achieve wealth and power by selling 
  drugs. After the third time he got busted, the 
  judge offered Shawn a choice – join the military 
  or go to jail. Shawn enlisted in the Marines later 
  that day. 
   
  Joining the Marines was the best thing 
  Shawn ever did. They taught him how to survive 
  and gave him the skills he needed to make a 
  difference with his life. He learned about 
  electronics and mechanics, and even how to 
  make and disarm explosive devices. The only 
  thing the Marines couldn’t teach him was how to 
  deal with authority. They tried, but he just 
  couldn’t learn. His sergeant drilled discipline 
  into him day and night, but Shawn would have 
  none of it. He finally wised up, though, and acted 
  like they expected – obeyed orders, saluted the 
  officers, and became the good little soldier. But 
  he wasn’t able to keep it up for long. 
   
  After only two years of service, Shawn got 
  fed up. His lieutenant ordered him to clean the 
  latrines as punishment for being a few minutes 
  late to a training class. Shawn refused. When the 
  lieutenant began yelling at him about the 
  consequences of insubordination, Shawn shut 
  him up with a right cross. That ended his military 
  career. 
   
  Shawn went back home and managed to get 
  a job with city maintenance as an electrician. He 
  also hooked up with his old gang buddies and 
  did odd jobs for them, mostly making small 
  explosives. Life was good; his boss didn’t care 
  what Shawn did as long as the job got done and 
  he was at work on time. His gang friends 
  provided extra income. 
   
  When Shawn was selected to repair some 
  wiring down in the sewers, he refused until he 
  found out that he would get hazard pay. It didn’t 
  occur to him to ask what the hazard was; he 
  clammed up and went to the site. A control box 
  for a power relay node had gone bad and needed 
  to be replaced. He was almost done when two 
  wires he was holding accidentally crossed and 
  short-circuited. Fortunately, Shawn was wearing 
  protective gloves so he was only shocked and not 
  electrocuted. Unfortunately, when he was 
  knocked back by the shock he landed on the 
  valve of a gas line, opening the gas just in time 
  for a spark to ignite it. The explosion was 
  deafening. 
   
  When Shawn woke up, he was surprised to 
  still be alive. Even more surprising were the arcs 
  of electricity traveling up and down his body. He 
  felt the energy pulsing through him, and found 
  that he could control the electricity. With a 
  thought the arcs disappeared, then reappeared. 
  He extended a hand and blasted a nearby light 
  bulb. Smiling slowly, Shawn walked away from 
  the remains of the power relay node and called 
  his boss to quit. Then he called his gang buddies 
  to let them know they had a new secret weapon, 
  by the name of Electro-Bomb. 
   
  Electro-Bomb is now a professional, if not 
  high-profile, villain. After quitting his city job he 
  has made a good living by selling his talents to 
  anyone that will pay well. He still works for his 
  gang buddies from time to time, charging them a 
  fraction of what he charges others. They are his 
  family, after all. 
   
  Personality/Motivation:  Shawn grew up under 
  hard conditions in a high-crime neighborhood. 
  Like many others, he fell into gang life and 
  crime. When he received a chance to escape, he 
  didn’t want it; he enjoyed his life on the streets, 
  and didn’t want anyone taking it away from him. 
  He made the best of it, though, and learned 
  several useful skills. Military service did nothing 
  to change his ways, however. He remained 
  greedy and self-centered, and his hatred of 
  lawful authority only grew. The only authority 
  he respects is the gang, and it’s only a matter of 
  time before he decides to take leadership of the 
  gang for himself. 
   
  Little better than a common thug, Shawn 
  will lie, cheat, steal, and kill if it gets him what 
  he wants. Anyone who gets in his way deserves 
  the beating he gives them, and if they survive 
  that, he will be happy to beat them again the next 
  time he runs into them. He never forgets a face 
  or a wrong done him, and goes out of his way to 
  get revenge for those wrongs. 
   
  As easy as it is to get on his bad side, the 
  one thing that sets Shawn off quicker than 
  anything is betrayal. The last time someone 
  ratted on him to the cops, Shawn hung the guy 
  upside down from a light pole and ran a current 
  through it until only a charred husk remained. 
   
  Quote:  “Don’t dis me, man. I might not be a 
  big-time villain, but I can still fry you.” 
   
  Powers/Tactics:  The sewer gas explosion and 
  electrical shock gave Shawn the ability to 
  generate and emit incredible amounts of 
  electricity, from which he took the name Electro-
  Bomb. Over the past few years he has learned to 
  use that electricity in several ways. He can 
  generate several types of electrical blasts, and a 
  defensive electro-shield. The defensive shield 
  can also be boosted to give a jolt when he 
  punches a target. 
  ELECTRO-BOMB 
  PLOT SEEDS 
   
   
   When Electro-
  Bomb finds out that 
  Feedback’s nephew is 
  a member of the 
  86ers, he figures he 
  has the ultimate 
  weapon against the 
  Vindicators. Claiming 
  he’s taken Nathan 
  hostage, he demands 
  that the heroes meet 
  him in an abandoned 
  junkyard outside of 
  town. With support 
  from VIPER, he plans 
  to end their careers as 
  heroes. Electro-Bomb 
  didn’t expect 
  Feedback to call on 
  the PCs for help in 
  locating and rescuing 
  Nathan while he and 
  the Vindicators face 
  Electro-Bomb and 
  VIPER. Is the boy 
  actually being held 
  hostage, or is it all a 
  bluff? 
   
   Irate over one 
  defeat too many, 
  Electro-Bomb has a 
  rare moment of 
  cleverness. Quietly 
  and at night, he plants 
  explosives across 
  town, linking them all 
  to a hand-held remote.
  With it, he can set off 
  all the explosive at 
  once, or one at a time. 
  In the morning, he 
  demands an 
  outrageous ransom or 
  he’ll blow up several 
  key buildings and 
  bridges! Where are all 
  the bombs planted? 
  Will the PCs try to 
  find the explosives, or 
  try to track down 
  Electro-Bomb and 
  hope they can subdue 
  him before he can set 
  off all those bombs? 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  54 
  Electro-Bomb 
   
  Electro-Bomb normally uses the Electro-
  Shield Charger in combat since it boosts his 
  damage-dealing capabilities. He will almost 
  always have the energy resistance field active as 
  well. When fighting at range, he will use the 
  Electro-Blast, or Electro-Burst against foes with 
  high DCV. When enraged or just ticked off he’ll 
  use the Electro-Arc. If he goes berserk, he’s very 
  likely to use the Electro-Bomb attack, boosting it  
   
  if he has the Endurance to burn. The  
   
   
  Electro-Bomb attack is a literal  
   
   
   explosion of electrical energy; when  
   
   
   
  boosted it can easily destroy  
   
   
   
  buildings. 
   
  Campaign Use:  As mentioned 
  earlier, Electro-Bomb is little 
  more than a super-powered thug.  
  The most ambitious of his  
   own plans involved  
   
   breaking into a high-tech  
   
    research facility, hoping  
   
  to find stuff to sell to  
   
       VIPER. Normally he  
   
   
        just knocks over  
   
   
           banks, jewelry  
   
   
           stores, ATMs,  
   
   
          or any other  
   
   
   ready source of  
   
     cash. During such  
   
      activities, he is usually  
   
    accompanied by a  
   
   handful of street toughs  
   
  wanting a share of the  
   
    loot. 
   
   
   
  However, he is  
   
    truly dangerous when in the  
   
  employ of another villain. VIPER  
   
      in particular enjoys his services,  
            since he doesn’t ask too many  
  questions, even if he hates to take orders. If an 
  order is phrased as a polite request, though, he 
  doesn’t mind quite so much. Several villains 
  have hired him in the past, and most have been 
  pleased with his efforts. 
   
  Quick to take offense, Electro-Bomb makes 
  a persistent, if not always effective, Hunter. If 
  he’s going to take the time to get vengeance on 
  someone, he’s going to do it right, on at least an 
  11-. If direct assaults don’t do the trick, he’ll try 
  something sneaky or get some help. 
   
  To make Electro-Bomb stronger, just boost 
  the Active Points of his powers and give him 
  more Combat Skill Levels. Doing the opposite 
  will effectively scale him down. 
   
  54 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  55
  Electro-Bomb 
   Val Char Cost Roll Notes 
   40 STR 
  30 17- 6½ tons; 8d6 HTH [4] 
   24 DEX 
  42 14- OCV:  8/DCV:  8 
   25 CON 
  30 14- 
   14 BODY 
  8 12- 
   11 INT 
  0 11- PER Roll:  11- 
   10 EGO 
  0 11- ECV:  3 
   20 PRE 
  10 13- PRE Attack:  4d6 
   10 COM 
  0 11- 
   
   12 PD 
  4 
   Total:  27 PD (15 rPD) 
   12 ED 
  7 
   Total:  30 ED (18 rED) 
   
  5 SPD 
  16 
   Phases:  3, 5, 8, 10, 12 
   13 REC 
  0 
   70 END 
  10 
   50 STUN 
  3 
   
  Total Characteristics Cost:  161 
  Movement: Running: 
  15”/30” 
   
   
  Leaping: 
  20”/40” 
   
   
  Swimming: 2”/4” 
  Cost Powers 
  END 
   60 Electro-Powers:  Multipower, 60-point 
  reserve 
   6u 1)  Electro-Blast:  EB 12d6 
  6 
   6u 2)  Electro-Burst:  EB 8d6, Area Of 
  Effect (One Hex; +½) 
  6 
   6u 3)  Electro-Bomb:  EB 8d6, Explosion 
  (+½) 
  6 
   4u 4)  Electro-Shield Charger:  HA +6d6 
  (12d6 with STR), HA Lim (-½) plus 
  EB 3d6, NND (defense is Force Field; 
  +1); Linked (-½) 
  6 
   6u 5)  Electro-Arc:  RKA 4d6 
  6 
   18 Electro-Bomb Booster:  EB +8d6 (16d6 
  Total), Explosion (+½); Extra Time 
  (Delayed Full Phase; -¾), Increased 
  Endurance Cost (x4 END; -1½) 
  24 
   41 Electro-Shield:  Force Field (15 PD/18 
  ED), Hardened (+¼) 
  3 
   17 Energy Resistance Field:  Energy 
  Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50%; 
  Costs Endurance (-½), Visible (-¼) 
  3 
   12 Electro-Jump:  Leaping:  +12” (20” 
  Total) 
  2 
   18 Swift Runner:  Running +9” (15” Total) 3 
   
   Perks 
   
  5 Contact:  VIPER Nest Leader 11- (Very 
  Useful Resources, Significant Contacts) 
   
  3 Contact:  86ers Gang Leader 11- (Good 
  Relationship) 
   
   Skills 
   
  9 +3 with Electro-Powers 
   
   
  2 CK:  Campaign City 11- 
   
  5 Demolitions 12- 
   
  3 Electronics 11- 
   
  2 KS:  Campaign City Gangs 11- 
   
  2 KS:  Criminal World 11- 
   
  2 KS:  Military Hardware 11- 
   
  3 Mechanics 11- 
   
  3 PS:  Electrician 12- 
   
  3 Stealth 14- 
   
  3 Streetwise 13- 
   
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  239 
   
  Total Cost:  400 
   
   200+ Disadvantages 
   30 Enraged:  Berserk when takes BODY 
  damage (Uncommon, go 14-, recover 11-) 
   20 Enraged:  when betrayed (Uncommon, go 
  14-, recover 11-) 
   20 Hunted:  Law Enforcement Agencies 8- 
  (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture) 
   15 Psychological Limitation:  Greedy and 
  Self-Centered (Common, Strong) 
   20 Psychological Limitation:  Hatred of 
  Authority (Very Common, Strong) 
   15 Psychological Limitation:  
  Overconfidence (Very Common, 
  Moderate) 
   10 Psychological Limitation:  Vengeful 
  (Uncommon, Strong) 
   10 Reputation:  short-tempered supervillain, 
  8- (Extreme) 
   10 Unluck:  2d6 
   50 Experience Points 
   
  Total Disadvantage Points:  400 
   
   
   
   
  Appearance:  Electro-Bomb is almost never 
  called Shawn anymore. As a 6’4” and 220 pound 
  African-American, people have a tendency to get 
  out of his way. He keeps his head shaven but 
  often sports a goatee. 
   
  He almost always wears his villain outfit –  
  combat boots, jeans, and a custom-made t-shirt 
  decorated with a lit-fuse bomb over a lightning 
  bolt. Spandex makes him itch. 
   The PCs get an 
  urgent call from the 
  police. Electro-
  Bomb’s gone berserk, 
  and nothing they do 
  even slows him 
  down! When the PCs 
  arrive, they discover 
  that Electro-Bomb’s 
  powers have nearly 
  doubled in strength! 
  Fortunately, just when
  all seems lost, 
  whatever’s boosting 
  his power fades, and 
  he collapses 
  unconscious. What 
  caused his powers to 
  peak like that? Did he 
  get hold of a new 
  street drug, or are his 
  powers growing out 
  of control? Rumor has
  it that he may have 
  been in contact with 
  Telios recently…. 
   
   
   
   
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  56 
  Doctor Know 
  Background/History:  Henry Knovekstein has 
  loved science for as long as he can remember. 
  By the time he entered college, he knew which 
  field of science he wanted to study – genetics. 
  The possibilities were endless; he could learn to 
  manipulate the building blocks of life itself. 
  There would be no limit to the ways he might 
  enrich the lives of all mankind! 
   
  For years, Dr. Know, as his colleagues often 
  called him, did just that. He worked on many 
  projects that developed enhanced food products, 
  and even got the chance to work on one of the 
  cloning projects. His crowning achievement, 
  though, was getting hired by Odyssey Research 
  Institute to research the nature of genetic 
  mutations which cause the development of 
  paranormal abilities. 
   
  After nearly two years on the project, Dr. 
  Know had a breakthrough. While studying the 
  genetic codes of a mutant with mental powers, he 
  was able to isolate the genetic sequences that had 
  caused the paranormal mutation. Further, he 
  realized that he could easily insert the code into 
  his own DNA with a simple retrovirus. The 
  result of the experiment is described in the Story 
  Background section. 
   
  Dr. Know is now the power-hungry and 
  insane individual responsible for the kidnapping 
  and deaths of dozens of homeless people in the 
  pursuit of a mad scheme to make the world his 
  personal laboratory. What’s worse, PSI has taken 
  notice of Dr. Know and is monitoring his 
  activities. They hope he may be of use to them, 
  but they fear his insanity might be more than 
  they can overcome. If they ever do approach him 
  to join their ranks, and he accepts, the world will 
  have reason to fear. 
   
  Personality/Motivations:  While Dr. Know’s 
  sanity is shattered beyond repair, he has lost 
  none of his intelligence. He has planned 
  carefully, accounting for as many contingencies 
  as possible so as to avoid discovery by anyone 
  capable of stopping him. See the adventure 
  section for details. 
   
  Dr. Know was once a polite, dedicated 
  scientist whose only goal was gaining knowledge 
  for the sake of having it. His experiment, though 
  successful in giving him mental powers, changed 
  him into a manipulating, sadistic, power-hungry 
  fiend. The world is his laboratory, and humanity 
  his lab rats. Those who stand in his way are bugs 
  to be stepped on. 
   
  Paranoid and unpredictable in the extreme, 
  Dr. Know makes a very dangerous opponent. He 
  might be calmly explaining his plans to captured 
  foes one moment (lying about the details, of 
  course), then in the blink of an eye probing their 
  minds for anything he might find useful. His 
  apparently random actions are difficult to 
  comprehend, and he often takes opponents by 
  surprise with a sudden change in tactics. 
   
  Quote:  “My mind, my power, are supreme. 
  Submit, or be destroyed.” 
   
  Powers/Tactics:  Dr. Know’s powers are 
  entirely mental in nature, and of great strength. 
  He can create a shield of psychokinetic force and 
  fly simply by willing it. His mental defenses are 
  difficult to penetrate, and his mental senses are 
  keen enough that he can perceive his 
  surroundings without the use of his eyes. 
   
  His favored attack is Mental Domination, 
  using it to turn teammates against each other. 
  When direct combat is called for, he employs 
  both his Mental Twist and Mental Spike, 
  depending on which will be more effective. He 
  also uses his Mental Deception to gain tactical 
  advantages whenever possible. 
   
  The only drawback to the procedure that 
  gave Dr. Know his powers is that it left him 
  vulnerable to Adjustment Powers. He is not yet 
  aware of this vulnerability, or the fact that his 
  mutates have it as well. 
   
  Campaign Use:  Dr. Know would be a master-
  level villain, if it weren’t for his insanity. Despite 
  that limitation, however, he is a powerful foe to 
  face. With his knowledge of genetics, it is 
  possible for him to mutate people (a plot device 
  rather than a rules-defined effect), giving them 
  low-level superpowers. He has not yet had so 
  great a success as the procedure that produced 
  his mental powers. As he continues to research, 
  his skill in creating mutates will grow. 
   
  Dr. Know is too busy to Hunt on more than 
  8-, but he will actively pursue anyone who has 
  interfered with his research. He would prefer to 
  use an enemy as a guinea pig, but if that’s not 
  possible or practical, a simple demise will have 
  to do. 
   
  If Dr. Know requires more power to face his 
  foes, increase his Ego and Mental Powers to the 
  desired level. If he’s too tough a cookie to crack, 
  then just reduce his Mental Powers to about 65 
  Active Points. 
   
  Appearance:  Dr. Know appears to be in his 
  mid-30s, not quite 6’ tall, and of eastern 
  European descent. His black hair is kept short, 
  and his green eyes spark with intelligence and 
  insanity. Preferring to keep things simple, he has 
  selected a gray jumpsuit for his costume, with a 
  lab coat over it. 
  DOCTOR KNOW 
  PLOT SEEDS 
   
   
   In his laboratory, 
  beyond the room with 
  the failed 
  experiments, lies 
  another chamber 
  containing one of Dr. 
  Know’s long-term 
  projects. Using DNA 
  from several creatures 
  and animals, he has 
  combined DNA in 
  unusual patterns, 
  creating a truly 
  horrific monster. Its 
  chamber is very well 
  hidden, so the heroes 
  are unlikely to 
  discover it even if 
  they explore beyond 
  the failed 
  experiments. It is 
  completely loyal to 
  Dr. Know and 
  incredibly powerful. 
  When it awakens and 
  begins tearing up the 
  city looking for 
  “Master,” the monster 
  will no doubt cause 
  some amount of 
  concern to the 
  populace. 
   
   After several 
  months of intensive 
  psychotherapy, Dr. 
  Know is released 
  from prison, declared 
  completely cured by 
  the psychiatric board 
  at the prison. Has he 
  truly made a 
  miraculous recovery 
  and found his sanity, 
  or has he somehow 
  managed to overcome 
  the power suppressors 
  and controlled the 
  board into releasing 
  him? What will he do 
  with his new-found 
  freedom? 
   
   After Dr. Know is 
  sent back to the prison
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  57
  Doctor Know 
  psych-ward, Medusa 
  sees her opportunity. 
  Posing as 
  psychologists, she and
  Psimon pay a visit to 
  Dr. Know. Will the 
  good doctor accept 
  their offer of aid and 
  join forces with PSI? 
  What dire deeds does 
  Medusa have in mind 
  for Dr. Know? 
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  58 
  Doctor Know 
   Val Char Cost Roll Notes 
   15 STR 
  5 12- Lift 200 kg; 3d6 HTH [1] 
   26 DEX 
  48 14- OCV:  9/DCV:  9 
   20 CON 
  20 13- 
   13 BODY 
  6 12- 
   23 INT 
  13 14- PER Roll:  14- 
   26 EGO 
  32 14- ECV:  9 
   15 PRE 
  5 12- PRE Attack:  3d6 
   14 COM 
  2 12- 
   
   10 PD 
  7 
   Total:  35 PD (25 rPD) 
   10 ED 
  6 
   Total:  35 ED (25 rED) 
   
  6 SPD 
  24 
   Phases:  2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 
   10 REC 
  6 
   70 END 
  15 
   50 STUN 
  19 
   
  Total Characteristics Cost:  208 
  Movement: Running: 
  6”/12” 
   
   
  Flight: 
  25”/50” 
   
   
  Leaping: 
  3”/6” 
   
   
  Swimming: 2”/4” 
  Cost Powers 
  END 
   75 Mental Powers:  Multipower, 75-point 
  reserve 
   7u 1)  Mental Twist:  Ego Attack 6d6, 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  3 
   7u 2)  Mental Spike:  Ego Attack 5d6, 
  Armor Piercing (+½) 
  7 
   7u 3)  Mental Rip:  Ego Attack 3d6, Armor 
  Piercing (+½), Does BODY (+1) 
  7 
   7u 4)  Mental Enthrallment:  Entangle 3d6, 
  3 DEF, BOECV (+1), Takes No 
  Damage From Physical Attacks (+¼), 
  Works Against EGO, Not STR (+¼) 
  7 
   7u 5)  Mental Deception:  Mental Illusions 
  15d6 
  7 
   7u 6)  Mental Domination:  Mind Control 
  15d6 
  7 
   7u 7)  Mental Hand:  Telekinesis (50 STR) 7 
   7u 8)  Mental Probe:  Telepathy 15d6 
  7 
   31 Mental Powers:  Elemental Control, 62-
  point powers 
   44 1)  Mental Molding:  Major Transform 
  5d6 (alter a target’s mind, heals back by 
  appropriate use of Mental Powers), 
  Improved Result Group (alter, add or 
  remove the target’s memories, Mental 
  Powers, or psychological 
  Disadvantages; +¼), BOECV (Mental 
  Defense applies; +1), Works Against 
  EGO, Not BODY (+¼), Reduced 
  Endurance (½ END; +¼); Limited 
  Target (human minds; -½), 
  Concentration (0 DCV, totally unaware 
  of nearby events; -¾), Extra Time (1 
  Minute, may take no other actions; -1¾) 9 
   25 2)  Mental Searching:  Mind Scan 15d6, 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼); 
  Concentration (0 DCV, totally unaware 
  of nearby events, must Concentrate 
  throughout; -1½) 
  3 
   31 3)  Mental Shield:  Force Field (25 
  PD/25 ED), Reduced Endurance (½ 
  END; +¼) 
  2 
   31 4)  Mental Flight:  Flight 25”, Reduced 
  Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  2 
   25 Mental Barriers:  Mental Defense (30 
  points) 
  0 
   15 Mental Barriers:  Damage Resistance 
  (30 Mental Defense) 
  0 
   22 Mental Sensing:  Spatial Awareness 
  (Mental Group) 
  0 
   
   Perks 
   
  1 Fringe Benefit:  Licensed Physician 
   
   Skills 
   
  3 KS:  Medical World 14- 
   
  3 KS:  Scientific World 14- 
   
  3 KS:  Superhuman World 14- 
   
  3 Paramedics 14- 
   
  3 Persuasion 12- 
   
  3 PS:  Research Scientist 14- 
   
   
  3 Scientist 
   
  2  1)  SS:  Anatomy 14- 
   
  2  2)  SS:  Biochemistry 14- 
   
  2  3)  SS:  Biology 14- 
   
  2  4)  SS:  Chemistry 14- 
   
  3  5)  SS:  Genetics 15- 
   
  2  6)  SS:  Medicine 14- 
   
  2  7)  SS:  Organic Chemistry 14- 
   
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  392 
   
  Total Cost:  600 
   
   200+ Disadvantages 
   10 Distinctive Feature:  Psychic Aura (Not 
  Concealable; Always Noticed; Unusual 
  Senses) 
   30 Enraged:  when physically attacked 
  (Common, go 14-, recover 8-) 
   10 Hunted:  PSI 11- (Mo Pow, Watching) 
   15 Psychological Limitations:  Insanely Evil 
  (Common, Strong) 
   20 Psychological Limitations:  Paranoid 
  (Very Common, Strong) 
   20 Psychological Limitations:  Power 
  Hungry (Common, Total) 
   15 Psychological Limitations:  Sadistically 
  Cruel (Common, Strong) 
   10 Psychological Limitations:  Vengeful 
  (Uncommon, Strong) 
   20 Vulnerability:  2x Effect from Adjustment 
  Powers (Common) 
   250 Experience Points 
   
  Total Disadvantage Points:  600 
   
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  59
  Bat 
   Val Char Cost Roll Notes 
   20 STR 
  10 13- Lift 400 kg; 4d6 HTH [2] 
   26 DEX 
  48 14- OCV:  9/DCV:  9 
   18 CON 
  16 13- 
   13 BODY 
  6 12- 
   
  8 INT 
  -2 11- PER Roll:  11- 
   
  8 EGO 
  -4 11- ECV:  3 
   15 PRE 
  5 12- PRE Attack:  3d6 
   
  6 COM 
  -2 10- 
   
   
  8 PD 
  4 
   Total:  18 PD (10 rPD) 
   
  8 ED 
  4 
   Total:  18 ED (10 rED) 
   
  5 SPD 
  14 
   Phases:  3, 5, 8, 10, 12 
   
  8 REC 
  0 
   40 END 
  2 
   35 STUN 
  3 
   
  Total Characteristics Cost:  104 
  Movement: Running: 
  6”/12” 
   
   
  Flight: 
  15”/30” 
   
   
  Leaping: 
  4”/8” 
   
   
  Swimming: 2”/4” 
  Cost Powers 
  END 
   42 Sniper Blaster Rifle:  EB 11d6, 32 
  Charges (+¼), No Range Modifier 
  (+½); OAF (-1), Two-Handed Weapon 
  (-½) plus +2 OCV; OAF (-1), Two-
  Handed Weapon (-½) 
  [32] 
   25 Bite:  HKA 1½d6 (3d6 with STR) 
  2 
   107 Mental Trap:  Ego Attack 4d6, Armor 
  Piercing (+½), Continuous (+1), 
  Damage Shield (+½), Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½), Persistent 
  (+½); Always On (-½) 
  0 
   30 Thick Hide:  Armor (10 PD/10 ED) 
  0 
   
  5 Mental Barriers:  Mental Defense (7 
  points) 
  0 
   20 Wings:  Flight 15”; Restrainable (-½) 
  3 
   
  8 Claws:  Clinging (normal STR); Not On 
  Smooth Surfaces (-¼) 
  0 
   15 Bat Sense:  Active Sonar (Hearing 
  Group) 
  0 
   
  5 Good Ears:  Hearing Group Flash 
  Defense (5 points) 
  0 
   
   Skills 
   
  3 Acrobatics 14- 
   
  3 Breakfall 14- 
   
  5 Shadowing 12- 
   
  3 Stealth 14- 
   
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  271 
   
  Total Cost:  375 
   
   200+ Disadvantages 
   15 Distinctive Feature:  Bat-Like Features 
  (Concealable, Always Noticed) 
   10 Distinctive Feature:  Psychic Aura (Not 
  Concealable; Always Noticed; Unusual 
  Senses) 
   25 Enraged:  when Insulted or Taunted 
  (Uncommon, go 14-, recover 8-) 
   25 Enraged:  when takes BODY 
  (Uncommon, go 14-, recover 8-) 
   
  5 Physical Limitation:  Lacks Mental 
  Awareness (Infrequent, Slightly 
  Impairing) 
   15 Psychological Limitation:  Coward 
  (Common, Strong) 
   15 Psychological Limitation:  Fears Fire 
  (Common, Strong) 
   20 Psychological Limitation:  Loyal to Dr. 
  Know (Common, Total) 
   20 Vulnerability:  2x Effect from Adjustment 
  Powers (Common) 
   
  Total Disadvantage Points:  375 
   
  Background/History:  Farley Fenmoor is one of 
  several homeless people that have been 
  kidnapped by Dr. Know as test subjects. As one 
  of the lucky survivors, he is no longer human, 
  but a mutated creature under Dr. Know’s control. 
  No longer remembering his real name, he only 
  knows that he is Bat. 
   
  Personality/Motivation:  Bat’s original 
  personality is all but gone, replaced by Dr. 
  Know’s experiments and mental manipulations. 
  All that remains is a strong fear of fire and 
  general cowardice. He no longer knows why he 
  has these feelings, but they are overwhelmed by 
  a sense of loyalty to Dr. Know. 
   
  Powers/Tactics:  Bat’s hide is thick enough to 
  repel most bullets, and his claws can shred steel. 
  His leathery wings make flight easy for him, 
  though he cannot fly if his wings are bound. He 
  can emit sonar waves as real bats do, using them 
  for echolocation. He can also use his claws to 
  cling to all but the smoothest of surfaces. 
   
  Bat carries a blaster rifle with a sniper scope 
  attachment. 
   
  Appearance:  Short at 5’3” and weighing about 
  130 pounds, Bat resembles the nocturnal flying 
  mammal after which he was remade. Though his 
  legs are short and bent, he retains full land 
  mobility. His body is covered in fur and his 
  wings are attached to his arms. He wears cut-off 
  jeans. 
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  60 
  Bat 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Falcon 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  61
  Falcon 
   Val Char Cost Roll Notes 
   25 STR 
  15 14- Lift 800 kg; 5d6 HTH [2] 
   23 DEX 
  39 14- OCV:  8/DCV:  8 
   20 CON 
  20 13- 
   13 BODY 
  6 12- 
   
  8 INT 
  -2 11- PER Roll 11- 
   
  8 EGO 
  -4 11- ECV:  3 
   15 PRE 
  5 12- PRE Attack:  3d6 
   
  8 COM 
  -1 11- 
   
   11 PD 
  6 
   Total:  21 PD (10 rPD) 
   
  9 ED 
  5 
   Total:  19 ED (10 rED) 
   
  5 SPD 
  17 
   Phases:  3, 5, 8, 10, 12 
   
  9 REC 
  0 
   40 END 
  0 
   40 STUN 
  4 
   
  Total Characteristics Cost:  110 
  Movement: Running: 
  6”/12” 
   
   
  Flight: 
  15”/30” 
   
   
  Leaping: 
  4”/8” 
   
   
  Swimming: 2”/4” 
  Cost Powers 
  END 
   42 Sniper Blaster Rifle:  EB 11d6, 32 
  Charges (+¼), No Range Modifier 
  (+½); OAF (-1), Two-Handed Weapon 
  (-½) plus +2 OCV; OAF (-1), Two-
  Handed Weapon (-½) 
  [32] 
   25 Beak:  HKA 1½d6 (3d6+1 with STR) 
  2 
   107 Mental Trap:  Ego Attack 4d6, Armor 
  Piercing (+½), Continuous (+1), 
  Damage Shield (+½), Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½), Persistent 
  (+½); Always On (-½) 
  0 
   30 Thick Hide:  Armor (10 PD/10 ED) 
  0 
   
  5 Mental Barriers:  Mental Defense (7 
  points) 
  0 
   
  5 Nictitating Eyelids:  Sight Group Flash 
  Defense (5 points) 
  0 
   20 Wings:  Flight 15”; Restrainable (-½) 
  3 
   12 Falcon Eyes:  +8 versus Range 
  Modifier for Sight Group 
  0 
   
  5 Night Sight:  Nightvision 
  0 
   
   Skills 
   
  3 Acrobatics 14- 
   
  3 Breakfall 14- 
   
  5 Shadowing 12- 
   
  3 Stealth 14- 
   
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  265 
   
  Total Cost:  375 
   
   200+ Disadvantages 
   15 Distinctive Feature:  Bird-Like Features 
  (Concealable, Always Noticed) 
   10 Distinctive Feature:  Psychic Aura (Not 
  Concealable; Always Noticed; Unusual 
  Senses) 
   25 Enraged:  when Insulted or Taunted 
  (Uncommon, go 14-, recover 8-) 
   25 Enraged:  when takes BODY 
  (Uncommon, go 14-, recover 8-) 
   
  5 Physical Limitation:  Lacks Mental 
  Awareness (Infrequent, Slightly 
  Impairing) 
   15 Psychological Limitation:  Claustrophobia 
  (Uncommon, Total) 
   20 Psychological Limitation:  Loyal to Dr. 
  Know (Common, Total) 
   15 Psychological Limitation:  Vengeful 
  (Uncommon, Strong) 
   20 Vulnerability:  2x Effect from Adjustment 
  Powers (Common) 
   
  Total Disadvantage Points:  375 
   
  Background/History:  Shakara Nelson is one of 
  several homeless people that have been 
  kidnapped by Dr. Know as test subjects. As one 
  of the lucky survivors, she is no longer human, 
  but a mutated creature under Dr. Know’s control. 
  No longer remembering her real name, she only 
  knows that she is Falcon. 
   
  Personality/Motivation:  Falcon’s original 
  personality is all but gone, replaced by Dr. 
  Know’s experiments and mental manipulations. 
  All that remains is a strong claustrophobia and 
  desire to right the wrongs done against her. She 
  no longer knows why she has these feelings, but 
  they are overwhelmed by a sense of loyalty to 
  Dr. Know. 
   
  Powers/Tactics:  Falcon’s hide and feathers are 
  thick enough to repel most bullets, and her claws 
  can shred steel. Her wings make flight easy, 
  though she cannot fly if her wings are bound. 
  She can see easily at long distances as falcons 
  can, and can even see the ultraviolet spectrum. 
   
  Falcon carries a blaster rifle with a sniper 
  scope attachment. 
   
  Appearance:  Just over 5’6”, Falcon is the 
  lightest of the mutates, barely a hundred pounds. 
  Her wings are separate from her arms, attached 
  at the shoulder blades. Her beak and eyes are 
  yellow, and the feathers covering her body are 
  brown and red. She wears a halter-top with cut-
  off jeans. 
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  62 
  Spider 
   Val Char Cost Roll Notes 
   30 STR 
  20 15- 1600 kg; 6d6 HTH [3] 
   23 DEX 
  39 14- OCV:  8/DCV:  8 
   25 CON 
  30 14- 
   15 BODY 
  10 12- 
   
  8 INT 
  -2 11- PER Roll:  11- 
   
  8 EGO 
  -4 11- ECV:  3 
   15 PRE 
  5 12- PRE Attack:  3d6 
   
  4 COM 
  -3 10- 
   
   14 PD 
  8 
   Total:  24 PD (10 rPD) 
   12 ED 
  7 
   Total:  22 ED (10 rED) 
   
  4 SPD 
  7 
   Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12 
   12 REC 
  2 
   60 END 
  5 
   45 STUN 
  2 
   
  Total Characteristics Cost:  110 
  Movement: Running: 
  6”/12” 
   
   
  Swinging: 20”/40” 
   
   
  Leaping: 
  6”/12” 
   
   
  Swimming: 2”/4” 
  Cost Powers 
  END 
   33 Webbing:  Entangle 5d6, 5 DEF; 
  Vulnerable (Fire; -½) 
  5 
   25 Claws:  HKA 1½d6 (3d6+1 with STR) 2 
   107 Mental Trap:  Ego Attack 4d6, Armor 
  Piercing (+½), Continuous (+1), 
  Damage Shield (+½), Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½), Persistent 
  (+½); Always On (-½) 
  0 
   30 Exoskeleton:  Armor (10 PD/10 ED) 
  0 
   
  5 Mental Barriers:  Mental Defense (7 
  points) 
  0 
   20 Webline:  Swinging 20” 
  2 
   10 Claws:  Clinging (normal STR) 
  0 
   
  5 Spider Eyes:  Infrared Perception (Sight 
  Group) 
  0 
   
   Skills 
   
  3 Acrobatics 14- 
   
  3 Breakfall 14- 
   
  5 Shadowing 12- 
   
  3 Stealth 14- 
   
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  249 
   
  Total Cost:  375 
   
   200+ Disadvantages 
   10 Distinctive Feature:  Psychic Aura (Not 
  Concealable; Always Noticed; Unusual 
  Senses) 
   15 Distinctive Feature:  Spider-Like Features 
  (Concealable, Always Noticed) 
   25 Enraged:  when Insulted or Taunted 
  (Uncommon, go 14-, recover 8-) 
   25 Enraged:  when takes BODY 
  (Uncommon, go 14-, recover 8-) 
   
  5 Physical Limitation:  Lacks Mental 
  Awareness (Infrequent, Slightly 
  Impairing) 
   15 Psychological Limitation:  Aggressive 
  (Common, Strong) 
   20 Psychological Limitation:  Loyal to Dr. 
  Know (Common, Total) 
   15 Psychological Limitation:  
  Overconfidence (Very Common, 
  Moderate) 
   20 Vulnerability:  2x Effect from Adjustment 
  Powers (Common) 
   
  Total Disadvantage Points:  375 
   
  Background/History:  Karla Wu is one of 
  several homeless people that have been 
  kidnapped by Dr. Know as test subjects. As one 
  of the lucky survivors, she is no longer human, 
  but a mutated creature under Dr. Know’s control. 
  No longer remembering her real name, she only 
  knows that she is Spider. 
   
  Personality/Motivation:  Spider’s original 
  personality is all but gone, replaced by Dr. 
  Know’s experiments and mental manipulations. 
  All that remains is a strong aggressiveness and 
  overconfidence in her abilities. She no longer 
  knows why she has these feelings, but they are 
  overwhelmed by a sense of loyalty to Dr. Know. 
   
  Powers/Tactics:  Spider’s chitinous exoskeleton 
  is thick enough to repel most bullets, and her 
  claws can shred steel.  
   
  The web spinners on her wrists can entangle 
  a foe or make swing lines. Her claws allow her to 
  cling to any surface, and she can now perceive 
  infrared light. 
   
  Appearance:  Spider stands barely over 5’, 
  weighing about 125 pounds. Her black 
  exoskeleton is covered in fine hairs, and her 
  once-brown eyes are now solid black. Her jaw 
  structure is that of a spider’s, with web-spinners 
  on the outer edge of each forearm, just past the 
  wrist. She does not wear clothing. 
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  63
  Spider 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Wildcat 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #17 
   
  64 
  Wildcat 
   Val Char Cost Roll Notes 
   55 STR 
  45 20- 50 tons; 11d6 HTH [5] 
   21 DEX 
  33 13- OCV:  7/DCV:  7 
   28 CON 
  36 15- 
   18 BODY 
  16 13- 
   
  8 INT 
  -2 11- PER Roll:  11- 
   
  8 EGO 
  -4 11- ECV:  3 
   15 PRE 
  5 12- PRE Attack:  3d6 
   
  8 COM 
  -1 11- 
   
   18 PD 
  7 
   Total:  28 PD (10 rPD) 
   16 ED 
  10 
   Total:  26 ED (10 rED) 
   
  4 SPD 
  9 
   Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12 
   17 REC 
  0 
   60 END 
  2 
   60 STUN 
  0 
   
  Total Characteristics Cost:  156 
  Movement: Running: 
  20”/40” 
   
   
  Leaping: 
  11”/22” 
   
   
  Swimming: 2”/4” 
  Cost Powers 
  END 
   25 Claws:  1½d6 HKA (3d6+1 with STR) 3 
   107 Mental Trap:  Ego Attack 4d6, Armor 
  Piercing (+½), Continuous (+1), 
  Damage Shield (+½), Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½), Persistent 
  (+½); Always On (-½) 
  0 
   30 Thick Hide:  Armor (10 PD/10 ED) 
  0 
   
  5 Mental Barriers:  Mental Defense (7 
  points) 
  0 
   28 Cat-like Swiftness:  Running +14” (20” 
  total) 
  4 
   
  5 Cat Eyes:  Nightvision 
  0 
   
  5 Tracking Scent:  Tracking with Normal 
  Smell 
  0 
   
   Skills 
   
  3 Acrobatics 13- 
   
  5 Breakfall 14- 
   
  7 Climbing 15- 
   
  7 Shadowing 13- 
   
  5 Stealth 14- 
   
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  219 
   
  Total Cost:  375 
   
   200+ Disadvantages 
   15 Distinctive Feature:  Cat-Like Features 
  (Concealable, Always Noticed) 
   10 Distinctive Feature:  Psychic Aura (Not 
  Concealable; Always Noticed; Unusual 
  Senses) 
   25 Enraged:  when Insulted or Taunted 
  (Uncommon, go 14-, recover 8-) 
   25 Enraged:  when takes BODY 
  (Uncommon, go 14-, recover 8-) 
   
  5 Physical Limitation:  Lacks Mental 
  Awareness (Infrequent, Slightly 
  Impairing) 
   15 Psychological Limitation:  Arrogant 
  (Common, Strong) 
   20 Psychological Limitation:  Loyal to Dr. 
  Know (Common, Total) 
   15 Psychological Limitation:  Predatory, 
  Enjoys Hunting & Toying with Prey 
  (Common, Strong) 
   20 Vulnerability:  2x Effect from Adjustment 
  Powers (Common) 
   
  Total Disadvantage Points:  375 
   
  Background/History:  Joe Mendicamp is one of 
  several homeless people that have been 
  kidnapped by Dr. Know as test subjects. As one 
  of the lucky survivors, he is no longer human, 
  but a mutated creature under Dr. Know’s control. 
  No longer remembering his real name, he only 
  knows that he is Wildcat. 
   
  Personality/Motivation:  Wildcat’s original 
  personality is all but gone, replaced by Dr. 
  Know’s experiments and mental manipulations. 
  All that remains is an arrogant, predatory nature. 
  He doesn’t knows why he has these feelings, but 
  they are overwhelmed only by a sense of loyalty 
  to Dr. Know. 
   
  Powers/Tactics:  Wildcat’s hide is thick enough 
  to repel most bullets, and his claws can shred 
  steel. He can lift buses over his head and run like 
  the wind, and his keen sense of smell can track 
  down almost anyone. His eyes have been 
  adapted for ultraviolet vision as well. 
   
  Appearance:  Nearly 6’6” and 220 pounds, 
  Wildcat’s long, thick fur is a multi-colored tabby 
  pattern. He wears cut-off jeans. 
   
   
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Hero System/DIGITAL_HERO/Hero System - Digital Hero 17.pdf