TEXT: Allen Thomas
  
  Author: Allen Th omas
  Additional Contributions:  Steven S. Long
  Editing & Development:  Steven S. Long
  Layout & Graphic Design:  Andy Mathews
  Cover Illustration:  Hugh Vogt
  Interior Illustration:  Kerry Connell, David Daniel, 
  David Esbri, Dominika Ktosowicz, Pierce Scantlin, 
  Greg Smith,  
  SPECIAL THANKS
  Special Th anks:  We’d like to thank the Digital Hero playtesters and 
  testreaders who reviewed the DC:TAS manuscript and helped us 
  correct typos and check the math. You’re all heroes! 
  Hero SystemTM ® is DOJ, Inc.’s trademark for its roleplaying system.
  Hero System © 1984, 1989, 2002 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved.
  Champions © 1984, 1989, 2002 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved.
  Fantasy Hero © 2003 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved.
  Dark Champions © 2004 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved.
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series © 2005 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. 
  All rights reserved.
  Star Hero, Justice Inc., Danger International, Dark Champions, Pulp Hero, 
  Western Hero © 2002 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved.
  No part of this book 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.
  Printed in Canada. First printing January 2005
  Produced and distributed by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games.
  Stock Number:  DOJHERO603 • ISBN Number:  1-58366-049-6
  http://www.herogames.com
  A Subgenre Book for Dark Champions
  
    TABLE OF CONTENTS
  INTRODUCTION ................................4
  CHAPTER ONE: 
  DARK CHAMPIONS:  
  THE ANIMATED SERIES
  THE DC:TAS SUBGENRE ...................6
  SUBGENRE ELEMENTS .....................6
  ROLEPLAYING ELEMENTS ................7
  CHARACTER CREATION ....................9
  CHARACTER CONCEPTION ...............9
  Hero’s Theme ................................9
  DC:TAS Personalities ...................10
  DC:TAS Archetypes ......................10
  CHARACTER CREATION ..................10
  Skills, Talents, And Perks ..............11
  Powers .......................................12
  Resource Points ..........................12
  Disadvantages ............................13
  GAMEMASTERING DC:TAS ..............14
  EPISODIC VERSUS SERIAL ..............14
  Campaign Tone ...........................15
  CAMPAIGN SETTING ......................15
  VILLAINS .......................................16
  RUNNING ADVENTURES .................18
  CHAPTER TWO:  
  HUDSON CITY KNIGHTS
  HUDSON CITY KNIGHTS ..................22
  USING HUDSON CITY .....................22
  CAMPAIGN IDEAS ..........................23
  HEROES .........................................24
  THE ANSWER ................................24
  DARKANGEL ..................................28
  TRICKSHOT ...................................31
  VILLAINS ........................................34
  ADONIS .........................................34
  ANAGRAM .....................................36
  THE ASTROLOGER .........................39
  BEATLEMANIA ...............................41
  CHITCHAT .....................................43
  COPYCAT ......................................46
  DOCTOR ENIGMA ..........................48
  FACET ...........................................51
  THE HUMAN CAPITALIST ................53
  LAST CALL ....................................55
  MIDAS ..........................................57
  THE MISSING LINK .........................59
  PENNY DREADFUL .........................61
  RAPTOR ........................................64
  RED-EYES .....................................67
  THREE OF A KIND ..........................71
   ADAPTING CHAMPIONS 
  UNIVERSE VILLAINS TO HUDSON 
  CITY KNIGHTS ..............................72
  CHAPTER THREE:  
  HUDSON CITY POWERS
  HUDSON CITY POWERS ..................74
  USING HUDSON CITY .....................74
  CAMPAIGN TYPES ..........................75
  HEROES .........................................76
  CAPE AND COWL INVESTIGATIONS .76
  HAWKSHAW ................................77
  HEAVY-HITTER .............................79
  SCARLET ......................................81
  VILLAINS ........................................84
  BURNING BETTY ............................84
  CARNIVORE ...................................86
  CHARADE ......................................88
  FLEUR DE LISA ..............................91
  GUILLOTINE ...................................94
  HOT ROD ......................................96
  RHAPSODY ...................................98
  SCARAB ......................................101
  SERPENTINE ................................103
  TICK-TOCK ..................................106
  POCKET WATCH ........................106
  THE TWO JOHNNIES ....................109
  JOHNNY-COME-LATELY .............110
  JOHNNY-ON-THE-SPOT .............112
  THE WITCH OF RED HILL ..............114
   ADAPTING CHAMPIONS 
  UNIVERSE VILLAINS TO HUDSON 
  CITY POWERS ............................116
  
  4 
  Hero System 5th Edition
  L
  ots of gamers enjoy the thrills and excite-
  ment of Dark Champions crimeﬁ ghting 
  — but not necessarily the violence and pure 
  vigilantism of many Dark Champions cam-
  paigns. Th ey’d rather tone the violence down a bit, 
  and diverge a little from the “realism” of the genre 
  to allow for a little more strangeness, weirdness, 
  and powers. In eﬀ ect, they want to mingle Dark 
  Champions with a touch of Champions.
  And that’s what Dark Champions: Th e Ani-
  mated Series is all about! Th e “animated series” style 
  of campaign focuses on the less grim side of vigi-
  lante crimeﬁ ghting:  caped crusaders with vigilante 
  style but who refuse to kill; low-powered superhe-
  roes who ﬁ ght street crime instead of world-threat-
  ening supervillains; “theme” villains with clever 
  costumes and psychotic minds.
  Chapter One, Stalking The Night, discusses the 
  “animated series” subgenre in general — how it 
  differs from mainstream Dark Champions and 
  Champions games, the sorts of characters that 
  are appropriate (and how to design them), and 
  how to GM the subgenre.
  Chapter Two, Hudson City Knights, focuses on 
  the ﬁ rst type of DC:TAS campaign:  one in which 
  there are no superpowers per se — the heroes and 
  villains are normal people, albeit well-trained and 
  -equipped people. Many villains, and more than 
  few heroes, have a “theme” that inﬂ uences their cos-
  tume, weapons, and activities. Th is chapter includes 
  several NPC heroes and plenty of villains to get 
  the GM started, including Penny Dreadful, Adonis, 
  Anagram, the Missing Link, Raptor, and more.
  Chapter Three, Hudson City Powers, looks at the 
  other type of DC:TAS game:  the low-powered 
  (or “street-level”) superheroes game, in which the 
  heroes and villains alike often have minor super-
  human abilities — nothing as powerful as what 
  you’d see in a typical Champions campaign, but 
  mighty impressive to the average street punk! It, 
  too, provides some NPC heroes and lots of vil-
  lains (such as  Carnivore, Guillotine, Rhapsody, 
  and Serpentine) for the GM to pit against the 
  intrepid player characters.
  FOR THE GAMEMASTER’S EYES ONLY
  Dark Champions:  Th e Animated Series doesn’t 
  include a GM’s Vault section, since it isn’t really a 
  setting book. However, parts of it — the villains’ 
  character sheets, mainly — are for the GM’s eyes 
  only! If you intend to play in a DC:TAS campaign, 
  don’t read the villains unless your GM gives you 
  permission, and ignore the plot seeds sprinkled 
  throughout the book as well.
  OTHER VILLAINS
  Chapters Two and Three have some notes 
  about how to adapt existing Champions villains 
  to Hudson City Knights and Powers campaigns, 
  respectively. But you don’t have to wander that 
  far afield looking for new adversaries for your 
  PCs. Other Dark Champions villains work just 
  fine in DC:TAS campaigns, provided you tone 
  them down to fit the more lighthearted subgenre 
  if necessary. For example, if you make Card 
  Shark and his men (Hudson City, pages 175-
  77, 236-53) less grim, murderous, and focused, 
  they become superb DC:TAS villains — they 
  even have a theme already! Similarly, Predators 
  includes a lot of characters, like the Varangian, 
  Michelangelo Strake, and Prospero who’d work 
  well in just about any type of DC:TAS game.
  INTRODUCTION
  
  chapter one:
  chapter one:
  chapter one:
  DARK CHAMPIONS: 
  THE ANIMATED SERIES
  STALKING THE NIGHT
  
  6 ■ Stalking The Night
  Hero System 5th Edition
  W
  hat is Dark Champions:  Th e Animated 
  Series? It’s mayhem, but the murder is 
  kept to a minimum. It’s crimeﬁ ghters 
  driven to bring criminals to justice, but 
  who still respect the sanctity of human life. It’s vil-
  lains who don’t just commit crimes, but also engage 
  in a battle of wits with costumed heroes, and whose 
  crimes are as much about gamesmanship as proﬁ t. 
  Exciting action, madcap adventure, ﬁ endish death-
  traps, labyrinthine plots with bizarre objectives and 
  even more bizarre methods, and themes for both 
  heroes and villains that range from an obsession 
  with word games to a irrational love of classical 
  music... Dark Champions:  Th e Animated Series is 
  all this and more.
  In many ways Dark Champions:  Th e Animated 
  Series (“DC:TAS”) blends the superheroic moral-
  ity of Champions roleplaying with the street-level 
  action of Dark Champions. Th e PCs wear costumes, 
  do not kill, and believe they must set an example 
  for others (especially the villains) to follow. Plot-
  wise, the action hinges on street-level crimes the 
  villain commits that the PCs must investigate and 
  stop — they’re not trying to conquer the world or 
  commit genocide, they’re robbing the bank, kidnap-
  ping socialites, and trying to satisfy their unusual 
  Psychological Limitations.
  Th is book divides DC:TAS into two general 
  types of campaigns:  Hudson City Knights and 
  Hudson City Powers. Th ey share many details, 
  but have one important diﬀ erence:  characters in 
  a Hudson City Powers campaign have low-level 
  superpowers and/or super-technology; characters 
  in a Hudson City Knights campaign do not.
  Here’s another way to think of this:  Hudson 
  City Knights is like mainstream Dark Champions, 
  except that the PCs have four-color attitudes and 
  four-color morality; Hudson City Powers is like 
  Champions roleplaying except the characters focus 
  on street crime — robberies, kidnapings, and small-
  scale wrong-doing. Th e rest of this chapter describe 
  these two types in more detail; Chapter Two pro-
  vides NPCs appropriate to a Hudson City Knight 
  campaign; and Chapter Th ree provides NPCs 
  appropriate to a Hudson City Powers campaign.
  GENRE ELEMENTS
  Here’s a brief description of the elements of 
  the DC:TAS subgenre, mostly recapped from page 
  11 of Dark Champions.
  DARK CHAMPIONS M.O., CHAMPIONS 
  ATTITUDE
  While they look, ﬁ ght, and sometimes even act 
  like typical Dark Champions costumed vigilantes, 
  DC:TAS characters usually don’t share all their 
  attitudes and beliefs. In particular, they’re much 
  more inclined to subscribe to traditional comic 
  book morality:  they don’t kill their opponents 
  (even those who deserve it); believe they have to 
  act “better” than their foes as a way of setting an 
  example; and so forth. Th ey also tend to act more 
  like traditional superheroes, with a penchant for 
  bombastic speeches and grandiloquent gestures.
  BLACK AND WHITE
  Even more so than standard Vigilante Crime-
  ﬁ ghting campaigns, DC:TAS games have a black 
  and white moral tone. Th e PCs (and their allies) are 
  obviously the heroes, the villains are obviously the 
  villains, and no one has any trouble telling the two 
  apart (except for the inevitable “my enemy frames 
  me by putting on my costume and committing 
  crimes” story).
  VARIATIONS ON A THEME
  DC:TAS characters oft en develop codenames, 
  costumes, and gadgets based around a theme or 
  concept of some sort. For example, the crimeﬁ ghter 
  DarkAngel has an “angelic” theme to her costume 
  and weapons — her throwing darts are shaped like 
  tiny ﬂ aming swords, her blunt throwing weapon 
  like an angel’s golden halo, and so on. Her adver-
  sary Serpentine has an ophidian motif to his cos-
  tume and weapons.
  In the case of the villains, who tend to embody 
  the “theme” element more strongly than heroes, the 
  concept or theme also inﬂ uences the crimes they 
  commit. Th e supervillainess Anagram uses word-
  play and puzzles as part of her crimes, oft en delib-
  erately leaving clues for the police and crimeﬁ ght-
  ers... if only they can unravel them. Her sometime 
  comrade-in-crime Rhapsody not only uses music 
  in her crimes, she tends to steal things related to 
  music:  Stradivarius instruments; rare antique sheet 
  music; the box oﬃ  ce receipts from concerts; all the 
  members of the rock group Firebreak.
  THE DC: TAS 
  SUBGENRE
  
  7 
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter One
  SUPERPOWERS AND SUPERTECHNOLOGY
  Unlike standard Vigilante Crimefighting 
  costumed characters, who are usually limited to 
  more or less “realistic” abilities and technology, 
  DC:TAS characters sometimes verge into the 
  superhuman. This is much more common for 
  villains than for heroes, but it’s not necessarily 
  forbidden for PCs. For example, Rhapsody might 
  have musical instruments that emit “brain-alter-
  ing waves” when played so she can take over 
  peoples’ minds or make them fall asleep; a char-
  acter with insect-themed powers might have 
  the ability to walk on walls (Clinging) or to call 
  and control insects (Summon). However, even 
  in campaigns that allow this sort of thing, the 
  superpowers and technology tend to be relatively 
  low-key; characters still don’t fly, walk through 
  walls, or fire beams of energy from their eyes.
  Th is subgenre element is key to the diﬀ erence 
  between Hudson City Knights and Hudson City 
  Powers campaigns. It’s covered in more detail under 
  Character Creation, below.
  ROLEPLAYING ELEMENTS
  While subgenre elements are important, they 
  come from the source material — television shows 
  and comic books, none of which are roleplaying 
  games. Roleplaying games have elements all their 
  own that are just as important for your campaigns.
  REALISM, PLAUSIBILITY, AND INTERNAL 
  CONSISTENCY
  A quick glance at the subgenre elements shows 
  that realism has little place in a DC:TAS game. In 
  fact, the elements can even strain the plausibility 
  of an adventure or entire campaign. For instance, 
  wouldn’t a DC:TAS villain be better oﬀ  deviating 
  from his theme, especially toward the end of his 
  plot — aft er all, what better way to throw oﬀ  the 
  heroes than to make them believe he’s following a 
  pattern and then change it? Also, is it realistic for 
  the heroes to continue handing villains over to the 
  authorities when they just escape — again, and 
  again, and again? Shouldn’t the heroes recognize 
  that the authorities can’t hold these villains and 
  take matters in their own hands?
  In a DC:TAS game, the players and the GM 
  have to agree to abide by the subgenre elements 
  regardless of how arbitrary or irrational they seem. 
  (At least, you should if you’re playing a game 
  as presented here — obviously, a GM is free to 
  modify and alter the subgenre’s elements to suit his 
  tastes and his players’.) In the absence of “realism,” 
  only internal consistency keeps the game credit-
  able. Only internal consistency keeps the players 
  engaged in the action and prevents them from 
  becoming frustrated with, and thus alienated from, 
  the campaign. And you can only establish internal 
  consistency when both players and GMs agree to 
  do their best to keep in mind the subgenre and 
  abide by those restrictions.
  For a GM this means that when a villain 
  goes on a crime spree, his crimes fit his theme, 
  even if it isn’t apparent from the get-go. The GM 
  not only expects the PCs to act in accordance 
  with four-color morality, he doesn’t penalize 
  them for doing so. For players it means that no 
  matter how tempting it might be, a PC doesn’t 
  pick up a gun and start shooting to kill — and no 
  matter how many times the villain escapes from 
  the local prison, the PCs don’t appoint them-
  selves judge, jury, and executioner.
  TEAMS
  Roleplaying involves a group of players, and 
  these players create characters who work together 
  as a team. However, DC:TAS characters don’t 
  always lend themselves to the creation of teams 
  — in the source material, a hero oft en wages a one-
  man war on crime. Th e players and the GM should 
  discuss the nature of the team before embarking on 
  character creation so you don’t end up with a group 
  of PCs that don’t work together well. Below are 
  some ideas for teams in DC:TAS.
  The Themed Team:  As discussed above, charac-
  ters in a DC:TAS game are oft en variations on a 
  theme. On a team where each player chooses a 
  theme for his character independently of the other 
  players, this can lead to a bewildering assemblage 
  of heroes. While there’s nothing wrong with that 
  (in fact, it can be quite fun), another option is the 
  themed team:  the team itself has a theme and each 
  CRIMEFIGHTERS, 
  NOT VIGILANTES
  Dark Champions uses the term costumed vigilantes 
  when referring to the PCs or other characters who 
  deal out justice to criminals. Dark Champions:  The 
  Animated Series uses a different term:  costumed 
  crimefighters.
  The word “vigilante” has connotations that imply 
  the person is acting outside the law, or even above 
  the law. Furthermore, the morality of a vigilante 
  is sometimes ambiguous. It might mirror that of 
  society as a whole, or he might subscribe to a much 
  harsher morality — one that calls for justice along 
  the lines of “two eyes for one eye.” In a nutshell, 
  closely associated with the word vigilante is the 
  phrase:  judge, jury, and executioner. But that’s not a 
  phrase appropriate to most DC:TAS characters.
  DC:TAS characters are crimefighters, first and fore-
  most — they take it upon themselves to use their 
  abilities and skills to stop crimes from occurring 
  and bring criminals to justice. But their morality 
  and motivation for putting on a costume is deeply 
  rooted in traditional four-color superhero action. 
  They don’t kill, and they respect the law (even 
  though they don’t strictly act within it, and even 
  if law enforcement, itself, is less than respectable). 
  They don’t pursue and capture villains to mete out 
  their own brand of justice — they do these things 
  to protect innocents from harm, and when they 
  capture a villain, they turn him over to the proper 
  authorities rather than, say, putting a bullet in the 
  villain’s head.
  
  8 ■ Stalking The Night
  Hero System 5th Edition
  member is a variation on that theme. Examples 
  are:  the Chessmen (each member’s theme is based 
  on a chess piece); the Wild Bunch (animals); or the 
  Secret Symphony (musical instruments).
  One Guy And His Helpers:  With this sort of team, one 
  member is the leader and the rest act as his support 
  staﬀ . Th e diﬃ  culty here lies in making sure each 
  member gets equal time during an adventure. It helps 
  if each character is better in at least one area or ﬁ eld 
  than the leader — oft en, the leader’s prominent ability 
  is simply his charisma and ability to lead. Th at makes 
  a given helper the group’s expert on a particular sub-
  ject, so whenever a situation arises that falls within his 
  area of expertise, he’s the one on center stage. Possible 
  roles for helpers are:  scientist, mechanic, tech guy, 
  combat specialist, weaponmaster, and computer whiz. 
  Th e Answer and his Answermen in Chapter Two are 
  an example of this. 
  Only Occasionally:  In this case, the PCs only get 
  together on occasion — they spend most of their 
  time patrolling the streets alone. Whenever they do 
  get together, a villain goes on a crime spree or some 
  other weirdness occurs, and the PCs must work 
  together to stop it. (Or, maybe the crime spree is 
  what draws them together in the ﬁ rst place.) Th is 
  sort of campaign works best with an episodic struc-
  ture (see below).
  THE THUG RULE
  Another aspect of roleplaying the DC:TAS 
  subgenre focuses on combat. Th e thug rule man-
  dates that in a battle (particularly the climactic 
  ﬁ ght of an adventure), the PCs can’t go straight 
  for the main villain of the story. First they have to 
  ﬁ ght his legion of thugs and goons. Only aft er win-
  ning through his underlings can they take on the 
  “big guy” himself. Not every player likes this rule 
  — gamers have a tendency to approach ﬁ ghts with 
  a practicality and tactical awareness that characters 
  in comics, TV shows, and movies rarely do — but 
  it’s an essential one if you want to preserve the feel 
  of the genre. Most DC:TAS villains lack the skills, 
  defenses, and other abilities to stand up to even 
  one player character, much less several of them, by 
  themselves; if you don’t make the PCs tackle the 
  goons ﬁ rst, the ﬁ ght will quickly come to a dramati-
  cally unsatisfying conclusion.
  Th e one exception to the thug rule is main 
  villains who involve themselves in the combat 
  right away. As long as the villain holds back and 
  just issues orders to his thugs, the thug rule applies. 
  Once he starts attacking the PCs himself, all bets 
  are oﬀ  — he’s just made himself a valid target.
  
  9 
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter One
  B
  ecause of its subgenre elements, Dark 
  Champions:  Th e Animated Series calls for 
  a speciﬁ c sort of character. Th is section 
  provides a framework for creating this 
  sort of character.  Most general concepts can ﬁ t 
  into the subgenre with the right amount of thought 
  and consideration, so this section also provides 
  guidelines and suggestions to help a player think 
  about his character and ﬁ t it into the game prop-
  erly, rather than speciﬁ c rules about what he can or 
  cannot do.
  CHARACTER CONCEPTION
  Th e most important thing to keep in mind 
  when creating a character for a DC:TAS game is 
  that the character dons a costume and mask to 
  achieve a positive result.
  A costumed crimeﬁ ghter in DC:TAS game 
  holds improving the world as a higher, better, and 
  more important goal than satisfying his thirst for 
  vengeance. Even if a tragic event (like the death of 
  a family member) spurred him to ﬁ ght crime, it 
  does not spur him to inﬂ ict his own brand of lethal 
  punishment on criminals or to wreak a bloody 
  and ﬁ ery vengeance on the underworld. Instead, it 
  inspires him to bring wrongdoers to face whatever 
  justice the laws of the land determine ﬁ t his crime, 
  and to protect others from suﬀ ering the same trag-
  edy that led to the PC becoming a costumed crime-
  ﬁ ghter in the ﬁ rst place.
  Other common reasons for becoming a cos-
  tumed crimeﬁ ghter for DC:TAS include:  possess-
  ing superior skill and wishing to help others; being 
  remarkably brave; having a strong sense of respon-
  sibility toward one’s fellow man. In the pulpish, 
  black and white world of a DC:TAS game, a person 
  needs no better reason than these to ﬁ ght crime.
  Hero’s Theme
  Not all DC:TAS heroes have a theme, but many 
  do (aft er all, themed heroes are lots of fun). If a player 
  chooses to create a hero with a theme, that theme is 
  perhaps the most important decision he makes about 
  his character — it inﬂ uences his codename, his cos-
  tume, his weaponry and gadgets, his base, his vehicle, 
  and just about every other facet of the tools he uses to 
  wage his war on crime. Additionally, the theme oft en 
  reﬂ ects his personality. If the crimeﬁ ghter is clever and 
  dashing, maybe he choose the name “the Red Fox”; 
  if he holds law and justice in high regard, maybe he’s 
  Blind Justice; if he’s grim and relentless, maybe the 
  calls himself Wraith.
  CHOOSING A THEME
  Because it’s so important and informs so 
  many other decisions, starting with a theme is a 
  perfectly valid way of creating a character for a DC:
  TAS game. Here are a few things to consider when 
  deciding on a theme:
  Player’s Knowledge Of Th e Th eme
  Most themed character have extensive knowl-
  edge of their themes. Don’t let this restrict your 
  choice of theme — that’s what Knowledge Skills 
  are for, aft er all. But it may improve roleplaying 
  if the player himself has some knowledge of his 
  character’s theme. A wise player oft en chooses his 
  character’s theme based on something he already 
  knows or something he wishes to research. Knowl-
  edge of the theme also helps the player come up 
  with names and descriptions for gadgetry, the hero’s 
  appearance, and the like. Another good reason for 
  having knowledge of the theme is that the character 
  should, at every appropriate opportunity, speak a 
  clever line or two in keeping with his theme.
  Embodying Th e Th eme
  Does the theme lend itself well to creating 
  abilities, gadgets, weapons, vehicles, and other 
  themed things? Some themes seem really fun in 
  principle, but when you look at the nuts and bolts 
  they don’t work so well for PCs (who are on center 
  stage most of the time). If you can’t think of a few 
  interesting abilities (or at least names for abilities), 
  gadgets, weapons, or other character elements 
  deriving from the theme, discard that theme and 
  come up with another one.
  Th e GM doesn’t need to worry about this 
  quite as much when creating villains. A villain can 
  “embody” his theme by committing crimes related 
  to it. For example, the villain Beatlemania com-
  mits crimes involving the Beatles; he doesn’t have a 
  Beatles-themed car (though he might have a Yellow 
  Submarine!) or Beatles-shaped weapons.
  Multiple Th emes
  Some characters might have two or more 
  themes, though this may become a little silly if 
  taken too far. Having multiple themes works best if 
  none of the themes would work well by itself. For 
  example, the beautiful villainess Silk Swan commits 
  crimes based on waterbirds and also uses themed 
  weapons based on silk (scarves that double as gar-
  rotes, lariats, and the like). 
  CHARACTER
  CREATION
  
  10 ■ Stalking The Night
  Hero System 5th Edition
  POSSIBLE THEMES
  Some possible themes include:
  Animals:  the Red Fox, the Raven, Night Tiger, 
  Black Falcon
  A Class Of Objects:  Mr. Element, Professor 
  Stone, Facet, the Alchemist
  A Concept Or Principle:  Justice, the Verdict, 
  the Protector, the Lawman, Talion
  Creatures Or Persons From Myth And Folklore:  
  the Goblin, the Bogeyman, the Fury
  A Hobby, Sport, Or Activity:  Grease Monkey, the 
  Scarlet Skater, Grand Slam, Penny Dreadful
  A Natural Or Astrological Phenomena:  the 
  Tornado, Blue Storm, the Midnight Star, 
  Plantmaster, the Ophidian
  A Weapon:  Blademaster (a villain skilled with 
  knives), the Juggler (a character with gim-
  micked throwing balls), Mr. Boomerang
  DC:TAS Personalities
  Some of the personality types described on 
  pages 28-30 of Dark Champions are suitable for 
  DC:TAS player characters, either as-is or with small 
  adjustments. Others are generally inappropriate.
  Suitable
  ■ The Avenger... but he doesn’t plan to kill an 
  individual or group (although he might be sorely 
  tempted, which makes good material for dramatic 
  roleplaying). He simply wants them apprehended 
  both to avenge their past crimes and prevent them 
  from committing more evil deeds.
  ■ The Idealist (to some extent, nearly all DC:TAS 
  characters fall into this personality type)
  ■ The Patriot
  ■ The Professional:  despite his chilly demeanor and 
  no-nonsense manner, he still seeks to make the 
  world a better place — he just wishes everyone else 
  were as eﬃ  cient as he is.
  ■ The Thrillseeker
  ■ The Vigilante. However, a DC:TAS Vigilante 
  rarely appoints himself executioner, or even jury 
  (although, like with the Avenger, he might really 
  want to sometimes...). He probably believes that law 
  enforcement oﬃ  cials are unable to enforce the laws, 
  rather than unwilling, or that the Police Depart-
  ment is too corrupt to do its job.
  Not Suitable
  ■ The Gun Nut (DC:TAS characters generally don’t 
  use guns)
  ■ The Maverick:  the moment a character puts on 
  a mask and prowls the rooft ops he has started to 
  work outside the system.
  ■ The Mercenary. While a mercenary character 
  might be an interesting foil for the other charac-
  ters — and because of this, can make a good NPC 
  — this personality is not appropriate to DC:TAS 
  player characters.
  ■ The Sociopath (in the black and white world of a 
  DC:TAS game, the Sociopath is a villain, not a hero)
  DC:TAS Archetypes
  Some of the character archetypes described 
  on pages 31-33 of Dark Champions are suitable for 
  DC:TAS player characters, either as-is or with small 
  adjustments. Others are generally inappropriate.
  Suitable
  ■ The Cop Gone “Bad”:  a more appropriate name is 
  the Cop Gone “Mask.”
  ■ The Disgusted Vet:  in DC:TAS, this archetype is 
  also disgusted with killing that went on his past life 
  and has sworn it oﬀ .
  ■ The Fed-Up Normal:  a more appropriate name is 
  the Gutsy Normal, and his reason for putting on a 
  costume and ﬁ ghting crime might simply be brav-
  ery and a highly-developed sense of responsibility 
  toward society and his fellow man.
  ■ The Investigator
  ■ The Mystic Hero
  ■ The Reluctant Warrior. In DC:TAS games a more 
  appropriate reason for the Reluctant Warrior’s 
  reluctance is that he wants to live a normal life. 
  Maybe his identity as a costumed crimefighter 
  interferes with his marriage or relationship with 
  his significant other, threatens to get him fired, 
  and so on.
  ■ The Techspert
  Not Suitable
  ■ The Conspiracy Theorist:  conspiracies blur the 
  lines between good and evil, black and white, 
  because an institution intended for good actually 
  serves as cover for an evil agenda. Th is sort of wide-
  scale “greying” is inappropriate for DC:TAS games.
  CHARACTER CREATION
  Th e number of points a player has to spend, as 
  well as what he can spend those points on, depends 
  on the sort of campaign the GM is running.
  Hudson City Knights:  Characters are built 
  on 200 points (100 Base Points + up to 100 points 
  from Disadvantages) per the guidelines for Power-
  ful Heroic characters on page 28 of HERO System 
  5th Edition, Revised.  Normal Characteristic Maxima 
  rules apply.
  Hudson City Powers:  Characters are built 
  on 250 points (150 Base Points + up to 100 points 
  from Disadvantages). Normal Characteristic 
  Maxima rules do not apply (but see page ??? regard-
  ing equipment). In general, street-level superhero 
  should allocate approximately 90 points to Charac-
  teristics, 90 points to Skills, and 70 points to powers 
  and gear. For suggested point and eﬀ ectiveness ceil-
  ings, see the accompanying text box.
  
  11 
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter One
  Skills, Talents, And Perks
  For both Hudson City Knights and Powers 
  campaigns, rules for Skills, Talents, and Perks are 
  the same as described on pages 61-92 of Dark 
  Champions, with the addition of the following 
  notes and guidelines.
  DEDUCTION
  As discussed below, investigation is a key ele-
  ment of the DC:TAS subgenre — theme villains 
  oft en leave clues or other tidbits that the PCs have 
  to use to ﬁ gure out where they’ll strike next or what 
  their overall scheme is. While Criminology and 
  Forensic Medicine may help the PCs investigate 
  these clues, DC:TAS detective work focuses most 
  on Deduction. Th is can cause problems in the 
  game, because Deduction is a hard Skill to adjudi-
  cate. On the one hand, players want to build and 
  play characters who are deductive geniuses — even 
  in the comics, you can’t get away from the inﬂ uence 
  of Sherlock Holmes. It stands to reason that many 
  PCs would be far better at deducing the meaning 
  of clues than the players who play them are. But 
  just giving them the answers when they roll the 
  dice is undramatic and boring. Ideally, the players 
  should ﬁ gure out what the clues mean. Th e sense 
  of accomplishment that brings adds an enormous 
  amount of fun to the campaign.
  Fortunately, there are ways around this 
  dilemma:
  ■ instead of interpreting “successful Deduction 
  roll” as “character immediately figures out all the 
  answers,” think of it as “character gains a little bit 
  of insight toward the ultimate goal of solving the 
  mystery.” In other words, when a PC succeeds 
  with a Deduction roll, give him an extra tidbit 
  of information or a little help toward figuring 
  out the answer, not the whole solution on a silver 
  platter. The more he makes the roll by, the more 
  information you give him (or the more impor-
  tant a hint you offer). For example, suppose the 
  PCs are trying to figure out a riddle Anagram 
  left behind. The answer is “Iron Curtain.” If a PC 
  makes his Deduction roll exactly, maybe the hint 
  you provide is “Winston Churchill” (who coined 
  the term). If he makes it by 1-3, maybe the hint 
  is “Soviets” or “Warsaw Pact.” If he makes it by 4 
  or more, maybe you tell him “steel drapes” or the 
  like. In short — Deduction should help the play-
  ers figure out the answer, not provide the answer 
  for them directly.
  ■ look at each PC’s 
  Knowledge Skills. If a PC 
  has a Knowledge Skill 
  that’s related to the clue, 
  let him use the KS as a 
  Complementary Skill. 
  If the Deduction roll 
  succeeds, provide more 
  information than you 
  otherwise would — the 
  PC knows more about 
  the subject, so it stands 
  to reason he ought to 
  have more insight on the problem.
  ■ prepare for the use of Deduction in advance. If 
  you expect the PCs to investigate a clue, prepare a 
  list of potential answers. For each PC who makes 
  a Deduction roll, give the players one randomly-
  chosen item from the list (if a character makes his 
  roll by 4 or more, maybe he gets two items). Th en 
  let the players analyze the items they’ve got and 
  ﬁ gure out the right one (even if they have to check 
  out every location on the list in person, or ﬁ nd 
  every object listed). It’s a lot easier to work from a 
  list of possibilities than it is to try to pull one right 
  answer out of the ether.
  ■ in the comics, television, and movies, it oft en 
  seems that once a character hits on the right answer 
  to a mystery, he instinctively knows he’s right. A 
  group of players, on the other hand, can spend 
  hours debating the possible meaning of a clue, even 
  if one of the ideas they had ﬁ ve minutes into the 
  discussion was the right answer. To keep this from 
  happening, try to hint at which answer is correct... 
  or you could even go so far as to say, “Bob’s sugges-
  tion sounds like a pretty good one — it seems right 
  to you.”
  FOLLOWER:  SIDEKICKS
  A staple of the subgenre, a sidekick is a young 
  man or woman, usually an adolescent, who ﬁ ghts 
  alongside the hero in his war on crime. Th e side-
  kick may have his own theme (usually a riﬀ  on his 
  mentor’s, or a “junior” version of the hero’s own 
  theme). He’s less skilled than the hero himself, 
  though he may have one or two Skills or abilities 
  that his mentor lacks.
  Outside of being an ally in combat, sidekicks 
  serve two more general purposes. First, they serve 
  to make the hero look “bigger” — make him look 
  even more skilled than he already is. Second, they 
  can lighten up a grim and serious hero, giving him 
  a human touch. Because DC:TAS games are light-
  hearted, a player intending to play a grim defender 
  of the innocent might want to consider purchasing 
  a sidekick to “humanize” his character.
  HUDSON CITY POWERS CHARACTER 
  ABILITY GUIDELINES TABLE
   Char 
  SPD 
  CV 
  DC 
  Active Points 
  Skill Points 
  Skill Roll Def/rDef
   10-30 
  3-6 
  4-9 
  6-10 
  40-60 
  60-120 
  8-14- 
  10/6
  Rules Of Thumb
  DC:  Attacks should be similar in normal Damage Classes to real world guns (although 
  maybe as high as guns normally only available to law enforcement or the military).
  Def/rDef:  Defenses shouldn’t be so high that a character can bounce bullets oﬀ  his chest. 
  Bullets might only cause ﬂ esh wounds, but should deﬁ nitely remain a threat.
  
  12 ■ Stalking The Night
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Powers
  Powers, and their availability to PCs, is the 
  distinction between a Hudson City Knights and 
  Hudson City Powers campaign. For Hudson 
  City Knights the information on pages 93-100 
  of Dark Champions, especially that pertaining to 
  Costumed Vigilantes, applies. The section below, 
  Guidelines For Hudson City Powers, provides 
  information about Hudson City Powers cam-
  paigns, but for both games....
  NO GUNS
  Gun-toting costumed crimeﬁ ghters are rare 
  in DC:TAS games, since nearly all characters have 
  some regard for human life. Even crimeﬁ ghters 
  who rely on guns either have non-lethal alternatives 
  such as rubber bullets, or only target limbs and 
  other parts of the body where a bullet is unlikely 
  to kill the target. Other sorts of Ranged Killing 
  Attacks, such as shuriken or throwing knives, are 
  more common — but as with guns, when ﬁ ghting 
  living targets characters try to use them in a non-
  lethal manner (sometimes they’re even coated in 
  knockout poison or the like so a character can inca-
  pacitate his foes without having to use lethal force).
  GUIDELINES FOR HUDSON CITY POWERS
  Characters in a Hudson City Powers game can 
  be superhuman — in other words, have superpow-
  ers like high STR, the ability to cling to walls, or the 
  like. However, unlike standard Champions cam-
  paigns, the GM has to restrict the types of powers 
  available (as well as the amount of Active Points 
  available). Th ere are no hard-and-fast rules for this; 
  it’s something each GM has to determine for him-
  self based on the “feel” he wants in his campaign. 
  In most Hudson City Powers games, appropriate 
  powers include:  low-level superstrength (no higher 
  than STR 40); the ability to transform into a were-
  wolf (or similar creature); minor vampiric powers; 
  or the power to generate low-level electrical shocks.
  You should try to avoid superpowers that 
  tend to destroy the “ambience” of the subgenre 
  (for example, teleportation, the ability to proj-
  ect bolts of energy or surround one’s self with a 
  protective energy field, or the power to become 
  intangible). Here are some suggestions and 
  guidelines for doing that:
  Gadgets And Equipment, Rather Than Innate Ability:  
  Supertechnology is preferable to superhuman abili-
  ties. For example, a PC is more in keeping with the 
  subgenre when he has a “blaster pistol” that ﬁ res an 
  energy beam, rather than the power to ﬁ re energy 
  beams from his eyes or hands. Similarly, superpow-
  ered Flight doesn’t ﬁ t into the campaign, but a char-
  acter with a “wingpack” that ﬁ ts onto his back and 
  lets him ﬂ y slowly might.
  Powers Mitigate Physical Laws Rather Than Defying 
  Them:  In many Champions campaigns, charac-
  ters’ superhuman abilities defy the laws of nature 
  — they ﬂ y at a whim, they call lightning out of clear 
  blue skies; they turn people to stone or gold, and 
  so on. But this is DC:TAS, not Champions. Hudson 
  City Powers characters have powers that mitigate 
  the eﬀ ects of physical laws but don’t defy those 
  laws outright. Another way of putting it:  DC:TAS 
  powers don’t defy the laws of nature, they just bend 
  them a little. For instance, Gliding or Swinging is 
  more appropriate than Flight, and being able to 
  breathe underwater is more appropriate than not 
  needing to breathe at all.
  Powers Don’t Change The Body, They Increase Its 
  Abilities:  Gross changes to a PC’s body are typically 
  out-of-subgenre in DC:TAS games, as are changes 
  that lead to abilities not available to normal people. 
  Instead most changes just improve abilities a 
  person already has. For instance, Desoldiﬁ cation, 
  turning invisible, and total physical transformation 
  into large animals or monsters usually aren’t appro-
  priate abilities. But Enhanced Senses, relatively 
  low-powered increases in STR or movement veloc-
  ity, changing one’s appearance into that of another 
  person, or adopting an attribute or two from an 
  animal are usually appropriate.
  Resource Points
  Pages 150-154 of Dark Champions describe 
  Resource Points. In brief, characters in a Hudson 
  City Knights campaign have Resource Points, while 
  those in a Hudson City Powers do not.
  Hudson City Knights
  Characters in this campaign have Resource 
  Points. Starting Resource Points are:  60 Equipment 
  Points, 10 Vehicle/Base Points, 5 Follower/Contact 
  Points, and 0 Miscellaneous Points. Characters may 
  purchase more starting points as described on page 
  151 of Dark Champions.
  However all of a character’s themed equipment 
  — everything from weapons to vehicles — should 
  be purchased with Character Points, because of the 
  reasons discussed in Unique Items on pages 153-
  154 of Dark Champions.
  Hudson City Powers
  Characters in this campaign do not have 
  Resource Points. Th ey purchase everything with 
  Character Points. However, the GM may, at his option, 
  give characters certain types of “mundane” equipment 
  for free — ﬂ ashlights, cellular telephones, a typical 
  automobile, and so forth. Th e drawback for the char-
  acter is that the “free” equipment is subject to all sorts 
  of inconvenient occurrences:  it can break down, run 
  out of fuel, suﬀ er interference, or get lost or broken. 
  On the other hand, equipment paid for with Char-
  acter Points rarely suﬀ ers such diﬃ  culties — aft er all, 
  a character who pays points for something deserves 
  a better version than a character who gets a similar 
  device for free.
  
  13 
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter One
  Disadvantages
  Two Disadvantages are important to charac-
  ters in a DC:TAS game:  Code Versus Killing and 
  Secret Identity.
  Psychological Limitation:  Code Versus Killing:  
  Most, if not all, DC:TAS character should have 
  some sort of Code Versus Killing. How extreme the 
  Disadvantage is (see page 104 of Dark Champions) 
  can vary from character to character, but a charac-
  ter without some regard for human life probably 
  isn’t appropriate for most DC:TAS games — he 
  should be a costumed vigilante in a standard Dark 
  Champions campaign.
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity:  While less inte-
  gral to DC:TAS games than to Champions, a Secret 
  Identity is also important to the subgenre. Aft er all, 
  the primary reason for donning a mask and cos-
  tume is to protect a character’s identity, and PCs in 
  a DC:TAS are called costumed crimeﬁ ghters for a 
  reason. Unless a player has a very good background 
  reason for having a Public Identity, he should 
  default to a Secret Identity for his character.
  
  14 ■ Stalking The Night
  Hero System 5th Edition
  T
  his section contains some information and 
  advice for running a DC:TAS style game. In 
  addition to the topics covered here, the GM 
  should keep in mind the light-hearted tone 
  of the campaign, both for Hudson City Knights and 
  Hudson City Powers, because this is the deﬁ ning 
  diﬀ erence between Dark Champions and DC:TAS 
  games. Whatever else goes on in a game, it should 
  be light-hearted.
  EPISODIC VERSUS SERIAL
  Before you start planning your campaign, you 
  should give some thought to whether a episodic or 
  serial structure best suits what you have in mind 
  for DC:TAS.
  In a serial campaign, each new adventure 
  builds on events in the previous ones to tell an 
  on-going story — in other words, all of the adven-
  tures are a part of a single on-going story. In an 
  episodic campaign, each adventure is only loosely 
  connected to previous and subsequent adventures. 
  Th e characters are the same and villains re-appear 
  periodically, but the status quo — the character’s 
  relationship with his DNPCs and other NPCs, 
  his job, his secret identity, the fact that he’s a cos-
  tumed crimeﬁ ghter, and any mystery in his back-
  ground — almost never changes.
  At its most basic level, an adventure in an 
  episodic campaign typically works like this:  a 
  villain and other events threaten the status quo. 
  By the end of the adventure, the heroes have 
  averted all the threats, thereby maintaining the 
  status quo. There are no loose plot threads at the 
  end of an adventure; everything is resolved by 
  the conclusion. Threats to the status quo include:  
  a crime the villain is attempting to commit; the 
  hero potentially losing his job because his crime-
  fighting activities are interfering with his per-
  formance; the (potential) revelation of a hero’s 
  secret identity to loved ones or even the world 
  at-large; the character discovering who murdered 
  his parents; and so on. But no matter the exact 
  nature of the threats, whatever goes on in the 
  adventure comes to a conclusion at the end of 
  the adventure (even if a single adventure takes 
  multiple game sessions to complete).
  Before starting a DC:TAS campaign, you 
  might want to consider the beneﬁ ts of an episodic 
  structure for your campaign. First, the animated 
  series and comics that tend to inpsire DC:TAS 
  games are episodic. Second, and more importantly, 
  the episodic structure makes the four-color aspects 
  of a DC:TAS game easier to maintain.
  Serial campaigns lead to subplots that oft en 
  involve complexities, melodrama, and especially 
  moral, ethical, and emotional dilemmas. All of 
  these put a strain on maintaining a campaign’s 
  internal consistency in light of its four-color 
  characters and the subgenre elements. Black and 
  white characters require black and white situations 
  — situations where the right choice is obvious, 
  and the wrong choice just as obvious — and this is 
  even more important when they confront villains 
  and criminals. It extends to all of a PC’s interac-
  tions with NPCs and all the decisions he makes. 
  Furthermore, serial campaigns oft en call for a GM 
  to explore the ramiﬁ cations of a PC’s decision to 
  ﬁ nd unintended results the PC must deal with in 
  later adventures. However, these unintended results 
  can “muddy the waters” to some extent because of 
  the four-color morality. With a four-color morality, 
  good intentions lead to good results — not results 
  that are a mixed blessing and come back to haunt 
  the PC later (except for the inevitable escape from 
  prison of a captured villain).
  Th e diﬃ  culty with episodic campaigns is that 
  the players can begin to feel like they never make 
  any progress over the course of a campaign’s life. 
  And they might become bored with their adven-
  tures. If the status quo remains the same at the end 
  of each adventure, do a player’s decisions really 
  have any consequences?
  Th e best solution for most GMs is to strike a 
  middle ground — a blend between the best aspects 
  of serial and episodic. To do this, a GM should 
  identify a limited number of subplots, maybe one 
  or two for each PC, that are both integral to the 
  character and interesting to the player — a PC’s 
  relationship with his parent or spouse, his attempts 
  to woo the person he loves, his quest to bring his 
  parent’s killer to justice, his desire to understand 
  what motivates individuals to turn to a life of crime, 
  or the like. Th en the GM lets these speciﬁ c subplots 
  run their course across adventures. In other words, 
  the GM should identify a limited number of key 
  elements of a PC’s status quo and only allow these 
  elements to change and evolve over a campaign. 
  Th e PCs avert all other threats to the status quo by 
  the end of each adventure. By keeping the ongoing 
  subplots to a minimum, unintended consequences 
  of decisions become the exception rather than the 
  rule, helping to maintain the four-color tone.
  GAMEMASTERING 
  DC:TAS
  
  15 
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter One
  Campaign Tone
  While DC:TAS campaigns are Dark Cham-
  pions games (meaning they can get a little grim 
  from time to time), they’re not nearly as dark and 
  brooding as most modern-day action-adventure 
  campaigns. Here are some tips for keeping the tone 
  of your DC:TAS game light-hearted.
  ■ Encourage appropriate humor in the game. 
  Heroes and villains alike are prone to wry com-
  ments, witty observations, and even the occa-
  sional pun.
  ■ Even if some NPCs like policemen or elected 
  oﬃ  cials disapprove of the costumed crimeﬁ ghter’s 
  activities, reasonable NPCs acknowledge the good 
  he accomplishes, if only begrudgingly. In some 
  cases, the police have solid working relationships 
  with the heroes, calling on them whenever the 
  department can’t cope with a particular menace.
  ■ Good intentions lead to good results; bad inten-
  tions lead to bad results. Th is is perhaps the 
  most important thing to keep in mind, and to 
  some extent, within the imaginary reality of your 
  DC:TAS game, it’s an unbreakable maxim. You 
  shouldn’t think too hard about the outcome of a 
  PC’s actions — so long as the player’s intention is 
  good, things will turn out all right in the end. Th is 
  doesn’t mean you should reward stupid or care-
  less behavior, or that complications or unintended 
  consequences never occur. It just means you should 
  give the player the beneﬁ t of the doubt even in 
  questionable circumstances.
  ■ Old dogs can learn new tricks. In a light-hearted 
  campaign, people can change for the better. Maybe 
  most villains are never cured of their manias, but 
  those NPCs who are just misguided or who have 
  made bad decisions can turn over a new leaf and 
  get a new lease on life. And sometimes, the PCs can 
  even help to reform a villain.
  ■ Try to keep the “slide into the cesspool” to a 
  minimum. Standard Dark Champions campaigns 
  are oft en ﬁ lled with characters who, because of a 
  bad decision or their environment, become pro-
  gressively more pitiful — for example, drug users 
  and prostitutes on a one-way road to oblivion lurk 
  in every alley and on every street corner. Th ough 
  it does involve street-level crime, DC:TAS is less 
  about drug-use and prostitution, and more about 
  kidnapping, robberies, themed crimes, and other 
  such Silver Age-y stuﬀ .
  CAMPAIGN SETTING
  DC:TAS games involve street-level crime, 
  so heroes rarely leave the city that serves as their 
  base of operations. Crime, especially that of the 
  costumed variety, runs rampant in the city, and 
  law enforcement is unequipped, understaﬀ ed, and 
  simply unable to cope with the costumed villains 
  when they go on a crime spree. Th e police depar-
  ment isn’t usually riddled with corruption — the 
  problem is simply that normal men and women 
  cannot match wits with villains and succeed.
  In many ways the city and its residents seem 
  to exist in a timeless period — at least in physical 
  appearance. Th e proliferation of Art Deco skyscrap-
  ers makes it seem if the architectural movements of 
  the 1930s never ended — they’re towering, tapering 
  buildings with gargoyles lurking on the corners 
  and topped by long radio antennae. Th e automo-
  biles oft en have ﬁ ns to rival those made in Detroit 
  in the 1950s, and sometimes look like roadsters 
  from the 1930s or 40s. Th e men wear suits, ties, and 
  oft en fedoras — they look more like they stepped 
  out of the 1950s than the ’80s or today — and the 
  women wear clothing of roughly the same period. 
  Despite these physical features from out of the past, 
  technology is the same as the modern day (and the 
  technology available to costumed crimeﬁ ghters and 
  their nemeses is oft en superior).
  Ultimately, you should mix and match stylistic 
  elements from various decades of twentieth century 
  America to get the “feel” you want, but elements 
  from the decades when ﬁ lm noir was especially 
  popular —  the 1930s, 40s, and 50s — are most 
  common. Paper boys, beat cops, old-fashioned cin-
  emas, elegant clubs that play big band music where 
  the men wear tuxes and the women wear long 
  gowns and evening gloves — all of these are perfect 
  for the setting of a DC:TAS campaign.
  But of course, none of these elements are nec-
  essary. If you want a DC:TAS game that’s modern 
  in every respect — one where gangsters wear sports 
  jerseys instead of cheap suits, piercings and tattoos 
  are commonplace among respectable people, and 
  becoming a famous musical performer requires 
  good looks and dancing skills more than singing 
  talent — go for it! Don’t worry about emulating 
  every aspect of the subgenre if you’ll have more fun 
  doing something else.
  
  16 ■ Stalking The Night
  Hero System 5th Edition
  VILLAINS
  Villains are important to any successful role-
  playing game and that goes double for DC:TAS 
  campaigns. While later chapters provide you with 
  plenty of example villains for both Hudson City 
  Knights and Hudson City Powers campaigns, here 
  are some guidelines for creating your own cos-
  tumed criminals and plotting their crimes.
  COSTUMES AND THEMES
  DC:TAS villains tend to wear costumes 
  (although for men, the costume oft en involves a 
  [oddly-colored] suit), and are just as likely as the 
  heroes to have a theme of some sort. A criminal’s 
  theme not only inﬂ uences his costume and his 
  weapons, but the type of crimes he commits:  a 
  villain obsessed with gemstones doesn’t rob banks 
  (unless he wants to ﬁ lch gems from safe deposit 
  boxes), he steals jewelry, attempts to construct a 
  giant laser with the world’s biggest ruby, and so on.
  “Obsessive-Compulsive” Behavior
  Th ese themed villains oft en suﬀ er from “obses-
  sive-compulsive” behavior, but this behavior has 
  little in common with the real-world psychological 
  disorder of the same name. What it means is that 
  the villain’s obsessive about his theme and compul-
  sively commits crimes based on, following, or in 
  accordance with it.
  A villain’s obsessive-compulsive behavior oft en 
  gives the hero a reason to hand him over to the 
  authorities for treatment rather than killing him the 
  way a costumed vigilante would. Th er’s a simplistic 
  logic behind this:  the villain can’t control his behavior 
  (he’s insane), and because of that he doesn’t deserve 
  punishment, he requires treatment. Admittedly, the 
  treatments never work — even if they seem to at ﬁ rst, 
  they’ll wear oﬀ  quick enough aft er the authorities pro-
  nounce the villain “cured” and release him into society 
  — but heroes wouldn’t be heroic if they didn’t keep 
  trying to defy the odds and help people (even villain-
  ous people) who need assistance. It’s important to 
  keep this in mind, and if you feel your players are on 
  the verge of sliding down the moral slope into becom-
  ing executioners, remind them of this fact. 
  Disﬁ guration
  Unlike costumed crimeﬁ ghters, who usually 
  adopt their theme out of their own free will, a DC:
  TAS villain sometimes has a theme forced upon him. 
  Usually he suﬀ ers a disﬁ guring accident (oft en while 
  he’s committing some misdeed, but not always), but 
  some villains are born with a disﬁ gurement that 
  shapes their personality. Disﬁ gurements oft en involve 
  the face — horriﬁ c scars, odd-shaped noses, per-
  manent rictus grins, animal-like fangs, eerie voices 
  — because that provides a strong visual in the comic 
  books and cartoons that inspire this subgenre.
  Th e Hero’s Nemesis
  Th e theme of a hero’s arch-nemesis, as well as 
  his very nature and character, is oft en the opposite 
  of the theme of the costumed crimeﬁ ghter. Th is 
  further highlights the diﬀ erence between good and 
  evil by placing the two characters — the represen-
  tatives of good and evil in the campaign —  in stark 
  contrast. A grim and relentless crimeﬁ ghter might 
  have maniacally laughing nemesis with a criminally 
  twisted sense of humor; a dashing and lighthearted 
  crimeﬁ ghter might have a brooding, murderous 
  arch-enemy who likes to move behind the scenes 
  and mastermind crime sprees from afar; a quick-
  witted and intelligent crimeﬁ ghter might oppose an 
  incredibly strong brute; and so on.
  STREETLEVEL FOURCOLOR CRIMES
  DC:TAS villains are pretty despicable, but 
  they’re not nearly as bad as mainstream Dark 
  Champions villains. Although they sometimes 
  use guns, they’re not nearly as likely to kill anyone 
  (and particularly not to commit mass murder). Too 
  much blood spoils the more lighthearted feel of 
  DC:TAS, so while a villain may threaten death and 
  destruction on a horriﬁ c scale, the adventure usu-
  ally works out so he can’t follow through — either 
  he’s bluﬃ  ng, or the hero arrives in time to stop him, 
  or something goes wrong with his plan. Th e four-
  color morality and tone dictate that there can’t be 
  any wholesale slaughter of innocent people or even 
  of criminals — in fact, there isn’t even going to be 
  much violence above the level of trading punches 
  or the occasional throwing blade.
  DC:TAS adventures do take place on the 
  street, so they have a certain level of seriousness to 
  them. Th e villains commit real crimes against real 
  people. For the most part there are no master vil-
  lains trying to take over or destroy the world — at 
  best, a villain attempts to hold the city hostage. Th e 
  DC:TAS street environment is very much a sani-
  tized version of the street environment depicted in 
  more realistic Dark Champions games. Th e most 
  common crime that DC:TAS villains commit is 
  robbery, with the variations on that crime coming 
  from what is stolen, and why.
  Gamesmanship
  In addition to committing crimes for 
  financial reward, DC:TAS villains often commit 
  crimes to prove their superiority over the cos-
  tumed do-gooder. This works well both as a 
  rationale for crimes that hardly seem worth the 
  trouble and as an explanation for why the villain 
  always leaves clues about his next crime. The 
  villain is often more interested in one-upping 
  the superhero — in proving to himself, the city’s 
  population, and the hero himself that he’s better 
  at what he does than the hero.
  Murder
  Murder occurs rarely in DC:TAS games, 
  but it happens — for example, a psychotic villain 
  might kill a hostage to make a point, or a hench-
  man because he made some seemingly innocuous 
  comment that the villain found oﬀ ensive. When it 
  does, you should be careful to keep it the purview 
  of a PC’s arch-nemesis:  don’t let just any villain 
  commit murder, reserve that “privilege” for the 
  most important villains in the game. Oft en, the fact 
  that a villain is capable of cold-blooded murder is 
  one of the key reasons the villain is the costumed 
  crimeﬁ ghter’s arch-nemesis in the ﬁ rst place.
  THE TEAM-UP
  A staple of the DC:TAS 
  subgenre is when two 
  or more villains team 
  up to get the heroes. 
  Th ese team-ups usu-
  ally unravel toward the 
  end of an adventure for 
  one of three reasons:  
  the villains’ respective 
  themes cause a clash; 
  the villains’ egos and 
  pride get in the way and 
  turn them against each 
  other; or one villain has 
  a more casual attitude 
  toward killing than the 
  other, and this leads to 
  the villain with the Code 
  Versus Killing providing 
  the PCs with the infor-
  mation they need to 
  thwart the other villain. 
  However the team-up 
  unravels, the thing to 
  remember about all vil-
  lain team-ups is that in 
  the four-color world of 
  DC:TAS, bad guys can 
  never get along for long 
  simply because they’re 
  bad guys.
  
  17 
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter One
  POWERS AND ABILITIES
  When creating villains, you can relax the 
  restrictions that deﬁ ne the diﬀ erence between 
  Hudson City Knights and Hudson City Powers 
  games to some extent — DC:TAS villains are 
  sometimes superpowered, but not oft en. Usually 
  they, like the heroes, are simply normal people with 
  training and gadgets. But every now and then one 
  will come along with a very high-tech gadget (such 
  as a laser cannon or invisibility suit), or with a 
  genuine superpower (such as shapeshift ing abilities 
  or vampirism). Th is works for the villains because 
  they’re not on center stage all the time the way the 
  PCs are — an ability that would spoil the “feel” of 
  the campaign if it were used every combat isn’t 
  nearly as bad if it only makes an appearance once 
  every few months. And from a dramatic perspec-
  tive, giving a villain powers can make him more 
  monstrous, setting him apart from both normal 
  people and the hero.
  Villains in DC:TAS campaigns generally aren’t 
  as skilled at combat as the heroes who oppose 
  them. A few can go at it hammer-and-tongs with 
  the PCs, but most of them prefer to hire thugs, leg-
  breakers, and similar ne’er-do-wells — collectively 
  called goons — to do their ﬁ ghting for them. Some 
  villains, particularly ones with an animal theme or 
  powers, trot out a pack of trained animals; crimi-
  nals with tech skills may build some sort of super-
  weapon to even the odds. When combat starts, 
  the villain sticks around in the hopes of getting in 
  an underhanded lick or two, but when things get 
  rough he usually runs for the exit.
  GOONS
  Fast Goon
   12 STR 
  15 DEX 
  12 CON 
  10 BODY 
   
  8 INT 
  8 EGO 
  12 PRE 
  10 COM
   
  2 PD 
  2 ED 
  3 SPD 
  4 REC 
   24 END 
  24 STUN
  Abilities:  Pistol (use Colt M1911 on Dark Champions, 
  page 243); Armored Costume (2 PD/2 ED); 
  Running +2”; +1 OCV with Pistol; KS: Hudson City 
  Underworld 11-.
  Disadvantages:  Social Limitation:  Subject To Orders 
  (Frequently; Major); Unluck 2d6
  Strong Goon
   15 STR 
  12 DEX 
  15 CON 
  15 BODY
   
  8 INT 
  8 EGO 
  12 PRE 
  10 COM
   
  3 PD 
  3 ED 
  2 SPD 
  6 REC
   30 END 
  32 STUN
  Abilities:  Baseball Bat (HA +3d6); Armored Costume 
  (2 PD/2 ED); +1 OCV with Baseball Bat; KS: Hudson 
  City Underworld 11-.
  Disadvantages:  Social Limitation:  Subject To Orders 
  (Frequently; Major); Unluck 2d6
  
  18 ■ Stalking The Night
  Hero System 5th Edition
  In some adventures a villain arranges for 
  the ﬁ ght to take place in an unusual location that 
  neutralizes many of the hero’s combat advantages, 
  thus giving him (the villain) enough of an edge to 
  make it worthwhile to stick around and ﬁ ght. For 
  example, a hero who moves around a lot in combat 
  might have trouble in an old, abandoned factory 
  ﬁ lled with scrap machinery, debris, and hanging 
  cables that hinder his ability to build up speed.
  Goons
  DC:TAS villains typically work alone, and 
  this presents a problem for you because in DC:
  TAS games heroes travel in packs — few villains, 
  no matter how powerful, skilled, and ruthless, 
  can stand up to a team of PCs that have, collec-
  tively, around 20 times as many Actions/attacks 
  as they do. To balance the odds, you need to 
  make sure the villain has a gang of goons helping 
  him. A good rule of thumb is two to three goons 
  for every crimefighter in your game, with one 
  better than average goon working as the villain’s 
  right-hand man.
  Goons usually wear clothing or costumes 
  reminiscent of the villain’s own (though never as 
  impressive), and the villain gives them codenames 
  that ﬁ t with his theme — for example, Anagram’s 
  goons are called 7-Down, 14-Across, and so on; 
  Raptor’s would be Falcon, Sparrowhawk, Hawk, and 
  the like. Th ey sometimes carry weapons similar to 
  the villain’s, or they might have ordinary gear like 
  baseball bats, revolvers, and machine guns. Th e 
  accompanying text box has two character briefs, 
  Fast Goon and Strong Goon, that you can use in 
  your adventures.
  RUNNING ADVENTURES
  DC:TAS villains rarely stay in prison for long. 
  Whether through their own skills, bureaucratic 
  incompetence, or fortuitous circumstance, they 
  escape again and again to bedevil the heroes. A 
  typical DC:TAS game features a stable of approxi-
  mately a dozen recurring villains who menace the 
  PCs repeatedly. Stories featuring these staple char-
  acters are interspersed with one-story criminals, 
  mysterious vanishings the heroes must unravel, 
  miscellaneous weirdness, and the like.
   THE GETAWAY
  Villains do a lot of running away in DC:TAS 
  games, largely because they’re less powerful than 
  the heroes. To accomplish these getaways, they put 
  innocents in harm’s way... and because the hero is 
  a true-blue hero, he has to rescue the innocent(s) 
  rather than keep pursuing the villain.
  Successful getaways are vital to some adven-
  tures appropriate to DC:TAS games, especially the 
  themed crime spree — aft er all, it’s not much of 
  spree if the heroes capture the villain aft er the ﬁ rst 
  crime. Whenever you plan an encounter, always 
  make sure the villain has means of putting inno-
  cents in jeopardy, thus enabling his escape if the 
  heroes get too close (if they don’t, he can just run 
  away without having to endanger anyone). Th ese 
  contingency plans oft en involve explosive devices 
  with timers, pushing an innocent oﬀ  a building, set-
  ting a location on ﬁ re so the hero must evacuate the 
  place, and the like. Because DC:TAS games involve 
  teams, rather the lone heroes, sometimes these 
  plans need to be fairly extensive — for example, one 
  explosive device per hero.
  DEATH OF INNOCENTS
  Nothing shocks players out of a four-color 
  mood more than the death of innocents, so you 
  should do your best to avoid such a thing from hap-
  pening in your campaign... unless you want it to.
  MYSTERIOUS HAPPENINGS 
  AND RANDOM WEIRDNESS:  
  PLOT SEEDS
  While the plot of many DC:TAS adventures, broadly 
  deﬁ ned, is “villain commits a crime or starts a crime 
  spree, and the heroes react to stop him,” there are other 
  sorts of plots perfectly suited to this subgenre. Here 
  are some plot seeds for “non-villain” adventures. Each 
  of them centers around a mystery the PCs must solve, 
  so it calls for plenty of investigation, exploration, and 
  questioning of contacts (both legitimate and seedy).
  A Friend Of A Friend Told Me...:  Sewer workers are refus-
  ing to work — they claim a huge alligator haunts the 
  sewers below the city. Could the old urban legend be 
  true? Or could it be a group of children are having 
  some fun with the city’s Sanitation Department?
  Please Turn Off Your Cell Phones:  Every cell phone in 
  the city rings at exactly the same moment, and when 
  the owner answers, he hears the exact same message 
  — “Help me! Th e building’s on ﬁ re and I can’t get out!” 
  But there’s no building on ﬁ re. Can the PCs ﬁ gure out 
  the source of this mysterious call? Is it a ghost from the 
  past seeking peace? Is it a call from the future? Or is 
  it a prankster — some tech-whiz — who’s tapped into 
  satellite signals?
  She’s Having A Baby! — Hey! Wait! So Is She!:  Th e PCs 
  are all together in a crowded venue (a sports game 
  is best) when a woman starts to go into labor. Right 
  aft er the paramedics rush her to the hospital, another 
  woman starts to go into labor — and there are some 
  complications with her pregnancies. Th e venue’s medi-
  cal staﬀ  left  to take the other lady to the hospital, so the 
  PCs have to get her to the hospital on time — but they 
  can only do that in time in their costumed identities. It’s 
  a race across the city’s rooft ops to the hospital during 
  rush hour traﬃ  c.
  Surprise!:  Each of a PC’s friends and family disappear 
  one by one over the course of an aft ernoon — could 
  one of his foes have ﬁ gured out his secret identity? Will 
  the PC ﬁ gure out that they’re getting together to have 
  a surprise party for him, despite the fact that the other 
  PCs are in on the plans and trying their best to stop 
  him from arriving early?
  When The Wolfbane Blooms:  Th e papers report that 
  there’s been a rash of stories about a werewolf attack-
  ing people (particularly children) on the bad side of 
  town. Th e truth is far less exotic — they’re just wild 
  dogs mutated by the radioactive waste leaking out of a 
  nearby factory — but no less dangerous.
  
  19 
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter One
  Try to arrange the adventure so the action 
  takes place in deserted buildings and warehouses 
  — any place where it makes a certain amount of 
  sense for there to be no innocent bystanders — or 
  at night when normal people are at home in bed.
  But events may occur during an adventure that 
  might reasonably cause the death of civilians — 
  explosions, ﬁ res, guns ﬁ red in crowded places, and 
  so on. Any time you mention that innocents might 
  die, you should give the PCs an opportunity to 
  save the potential victim. If the PCs don’t have that 
  opportunity, then don’t mention civilians in peril. 
  You can liken this to the director of an animated 
  series choosing what the viewer sees and doesn’t 
  see. For example, the ﬂ oor of a skyscraper might 
  very well explode, but no one is shown dying — it’s 
  never even mentioned, unless the story calls for 
  the crimeﬁ ghter to rescue the victim(s) (or, rarely, 
  if a death is needed to provide dramatic tension 
  and motivation). You should do the same in your 
  campaign. Only tell the PCs that civilians are at risk 
  when they have the chance to save those civilians 
  from harm.
  PROBLEMSOLVING VERSUS FISTICUFFS
  Problem-solving is just as important, if not 
  more important, in DC:TAS games as the cli-
  mactic fight scene — every adventure you design 
  should involve at least one problem-solving 
  scene. Here are some examples of problem-solv-
  ing common to adventures:
  ■ Th e PCs must discover the pattern behind the 
  villain’s crimes (the pattern, of course, is in keeping 
  with villain’s theme). Only aft er they discover the 
  pattern can they ﬁ gure out where he’ll strike next 
  and thwart his scheme.
  ■ Th e villain leaves behind clues, each in keeping 
  with his theme, and the PCs must ﬁ gure out what 
  the clues mean.
  ■ Th e villain puts the PCs in a deathtrap (see 
  below) and they have to ﬁ gure out a way to escape.
  Deathtraps
  For many villains, part of the gamesmanship 
  of opposing the PCs is deathtraps. DC:TAS villains 
  love to capture heroes, put them in deathtraps, and 
  then leave to commit their next crime, certain that 
  the hero can’t possibly survive. But of course he 
  always does.
  Gamemastering deathtraps is tricky, since 
  you don’t actually want to kill a PC with one 
  (how anti-climactic!), but you want the PCs to 
  feel threatened enough to take the trap seriously. 
  You also have to make getting out enough of a 
  challenge that the players will enjoy the experi-
  ence, but not so much of a one that it’s likely one 
  or more PCs will fail. Before you include one 
  in a scenario, make sure you know exactly what 
  the character is capable of — consult a copy of 
  his character sheet, if necessary — and try to 
  provide a back-up plan or two in case his first 
  attempt to get out fails.
  
  20 ■ Stalking The Night
  Hero System 5th Edition
  In some cases, just getting the PCs into the 
  deathtrap is difficult. Most players hate to have 
  their characters taken prisoner, even when it’s in-
  genre. Sometimes you can arrange it so the PCs 
  wander into a deathtrap, but this can get monot-
  onous... and after doing this a few times, the 
  players might begin taking overly cautious (at 
  least for a DC:TAS game) steps before entering a 
  new location. The easiest way around the prob-
  lem is to warn your players before the campaign 
  ever begins that there are going to be plenty of 
  deathtraps — make sure they understand it’s all 
  part of the genre and the fun.
  If that doesn’t work, another option is to 
  have NPCs, Dependent or otherwise, get caught 
  in a deathtrap so the PCs have to free them. Th at 
  means the players still have to deal with the prob-
  lem-solving aspect of the deathtrap, but don’t get 
  captured themselves. But sometimes it’s just easier, 
  or more dramatic, for the villain knock out the PCs 
  and then cackle at them when they wake up in his 
  deathtrap. (Of course, aft er they awaken, but before 
  he activates the trap, he tells them all about his plan 
  — aft er all, they couldn’t possibly escape, so why 
  shouldn’t he impress them with his genius!) If you 
  want to have the PCs captured:
  ■ Don’t make capture inevitable... just damned 
  hard to avoid. Players hate being railroaded more 
  than they hate having their characters get captured. 
  If there’s no chance to spot the trap in advance 
  or keep from being knocked out, excitement and 
  drama die. So make sure the odds are only almost 
  completely stacked against them.
  ■ Require that the PCs work together to thwart 
  the deathtrap, rather than each individual working 
  alone to free himself. Individuals working alone can 
  bog down the action, leaving the other players to sit 
  around with nothing to do. Working together keeps 
  everyone involved in the game.
  ■ Don’t waste a lot of time between when the PCs 
  get captured and when they come to — jump from 
  one scene to the next without pausing. Th is pre-
  vents the players from having time to think about 
  what happened, and if the deathtrap is fun and 
  challenging, it takes their minds oﬀ  having their 
  characters captured.
  HAPPY ENDINGS
  Happy endings mean more than the crime-
  ﬁ ghter thwarts the villain’s scheme and apprehends 
  the villain. Th ey also mean the crimeﬁ ghter and his 
  actions have a positive result on the setting — in other 
  words, what the crimeﬁ ghter does changes people for 
  the better (and usually gets the PC out of whatever 
  trouble he put himself in with his DNPCs and loved 
  ones during the adventure). As the GM, it’s your 
  responsibility to show these positive results. Be sure 
  to mention developments like:  a juvenile delinquent 
  a PC talked to turns over a new leaf; the pregnant 
  woman a PC abandoned a battle to get to the hospital 
  had a healthy baby boy, which she named aft er the 
  PC (maybe just the middle name though...); or an 
  innocent person a PC saved goes on to do something 
  noteworthy and beneﬁ cial to society.
  
  chapter two:
  chapter two:
  chapter two:
  STREET-LEVEL SUPERHEROES
  HUDSON CITY POWERS
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  22 ■ Hudson City Knights
  T
  his chapter contains campaign guidelines 
  and characters (both heroes and villains) 
  appropriate for a Hudson City Knights cam-
  paign:  a DC:TAS game in which the char-
  acters are costumed crimeﬁ ghters, but don’t have 
  any superhuman powers. Th e campaign is set in 
  Hudson City (described in Hudson City:  Th e Urban 
  Abyss), but you can easily use the characters in any 
  city where crime is a problem and crimeﬁ ghters are 
  necessary to keep innocents safe.
  USING HUDSON CITY
  Hudson City works well as a city setting for 
  a Knights campaign with just a few changes to 
  fit the DC:TAS “tone” based on the “feel” the GM 
  wants for the campaign — in other words, you 
  don’t have to change Hudson City, just tweak 
  it a bit. Don’t emphasize the gritty, grim, and 
  “realistic” aspects quite so much, allowing for a 
  more lighthearted style of play. The occasional 
  instance of weird powers or “super”-technol-
  ogy is solely the purview of crimefighters and 
  their nemeses — it shouldn’t be in the hands of 
  everyday people — so it has a limited impact on 
  the world around the PCs. De-emphasize brutal 
  crimes like rape and murder by not having the 
  PCs encounter rapists and murderers, and not 
  having rape and murder play an important role 
  in adventures. When the PCs do encounter rap-
  ists and murderers, they should have the oppor-
  tunity to stop the crime just in a nick of time. 
  Rather than every criminal being grimly serious 
  or a psychopathic killer, make sure some of the 
  criminals you use in adventures are like Ana-
  gram or Chitchat — bizarre, but not sociopathic, 
  psychotic, or ruthless. In short, keep in mind 
  the information in Chapter One and plan your 
  adventures accordingly.
  LETHAL VIGILANTES
  One aspect of Hudson City the GM needs to 
  consider are the existing lethal vigilantes, who fall 
  into a sort of grey area. In DC: TAS games villains 
  are obviously villains and heroes are obviously 
  heroes — so where do vigilantes like the Harbinger 
  of Justice and Renegade fall?
  Furthermore, the lethal vigilantes may give all 
  crimeﬁ ghters a bad name. How can the city gov-
  ernment, the police force, or the press come out in 
  support of costumed crimeﬁ ghters like DarkAngel 
  when lethal vigilantes exist? Obviously meting 
  out “justice” — particularly if that involves taking 
  human life — has to remain solely the purview of a 
  legitimate government in DC:TAS settings.
  Th e easiest thing to do is get rid of the cos-
  tumed vigilantes entirely. Th ey simply don’t exist. 
  Th at means the public, including the city govern-
  ment, can tell the heroes from the villains, because 
  shades of grey don’t exist.
  Another idea — one more in keeping with the 
  DC: TAS subgenre — is to treat lethal vigilantes as 
  adversaries. When the PCs can prove to their own 
  satisfaction that a vigilante has killed a criminal, 
  they track him down and capture him just like 
  they would any other villain. Maybe the PCs can 
  overlook a vigilante who only dishes out severe 
  beatings, but murder’s too serious a crime to let 
  pass. But until there’s proof (or at least a strong sus-
  picion) the vigilante has crossed the line, the vigi-
  lante and the PCs can coexist uneasily — maybe as 
  occasional allies, maybe not — each considering his 
  own approach to crimeﬁ ghting superior. (But in a 
  DC: TAS game, the costumed crimeﬁ ghter’s beliefs 
  really are superior — lethal vigilantes usually come 
  to a bad end or get shown as the dangerous killers 
  they are.)
  Lastly, the GM can let the two coexist, side by 
  side, and severely limit their interaction. Whatever 
  the lethal vigilante does, it happens oﬀ -stage and in 
  the background, so the PCs never have to face the 
  moral dilemma the vigilante presents. Th e Neigh-
  borhood Protectors campaign idea described below 
  is a good approach to consider if the GM chooses 
  this route.
  VILLAINS
  Many of the villains published in Hudson City:  
  Th e Urban Abyss work ﬁ ne in a DC: TAS campaign 
  — you just need to use the lethal ones sparingly or 
  remove their lethal tendencies. Maybe they always 
  threaten to kill someone, but rarely succeed (at least 
  in the case of innocent victims). Card Shark and his 
  organization make an excellent arch-nemesis for a 
  team of crimeﬁ ghters once you make them a little 
  less grim. On the other hand, homicidal maniacs 
  like the Cainite probably don’t work at all in most 
  DC:TAS games.
  HUDSON CITY
  KNIGHTS
  
  23 
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Two
  CAMPAIGN IDEAS
  Here are some campaign frameworks GMs can 
  use as inspiration for Hudson City Knights cam-
  paigns. Th ese mainly address either the reason why 
  the heroes get together and/or their modus ope-
  randi... but just like the question of why someone 
  becomes a costumed crimeﬁ ghter, a team doesn’t 
  need much more of a reason to get together than a 
  desire to protect innocents from harm.
  ALL FOR ONE, AND ONE FOR ALL
  This is the basic Hudson City Knights 
  campaign:  the heroes have teamed up because 
  they’re more effective fighting crime together 
  than alone. Chances are they don’t know each 
  other’s secret identities, at least not from the 
  outset. After the first adventure, at least, they 
  have a way to get in touch with one another 
  (even if it’s only a dedicated pager), and prob-
  ably a place to meet. The meeting place can 
  range from something as simple as a designated 
  rooftop to one of the members supplying a secret 
  base for the whole team, to the PCs pitching in 
  to build their own secret headquarters. Other 
  things to consider:  do they patrol the streets 
  in teams or alone? Do they only come together 
  when a threat warrants it, or do they do all their 
  crimefighting together? The group might not 
  even have a name, depending on how formal the 
  arrangements are.
  REFORMED VILLAINS
  People do really change in DC: TAS games, 
  and in this campaign, the actions of costumed 
  crimeﬁ ghters — maybe DarkAngel or the Answer 
  — have inspired a group of villains to give up their 
  criminal ways and ﬁ ght crime. Maybe some of 
  them want to ﬁ ght crime as a way of making it up 
  to society; maybe some are thrillseekers who can’t 
  abandon the thrill of adventuring. Besides deter-
  mining why they’ve decided to become crimeﬁ ght-
  ers, some of the questions players need to answer 
  about their characters are:  do the former villains 
  keep their former names and costumes, and if so, 
  does anybody trust them? Are they ever tempted to 
  return to a life of crime?
  Plot Seeds
  Seen The Light?:  At the end of an adventure, a 
  defeated villain claims to have seen the light and 
  repented his criminal ways. He begs for the PCs, 
  former villains themselves, to give him a chance 
  to walk the straight and narrow — if he goes to 
  prison, he’s sure to lose his mind. Is this just a ruse? 
  And if not, do the PCs still turn him in?
  But It Wasn’t Me!:  One of the PCs is accused of a 
  crime he didn’t commit. Th e crime ﬁ ts his former 
  modus operandi, but it wasn’t him. Can the PCs 
  prove their teammate’s innocence? And what does 
  the PC do — does he turn himself in like a good 
  law-abiding citizen or does he stay at-large in hopes 
  of proving his innocence?
  Never Forgive, Never Forget:  Not everybody 
  believes in reform. A lethal vigilante comes gun-
  ning for the reformed villians, intent on dishing out 
  some justice. How will the PCs stop him? Can they 
  convince the cold-blooded vigilante they really do 
  deserve a second chance?
  NEIGHBORHOOD PROTECTORS
  Th is campaign focuses on the heroes’ eﬀ orts to 
  protect a single neighborhood. In Hudson City, East-
  wood, Elmview, or Crown Point make good choices 
  — neighborhoods like Freetown and North Elmview 
  are probably too rife with crime to ever be free of it, 
  and ones like Guilford and Worthington don’t neces-
  sarily have enough crime to give a dedicated team 
  of crimeﬁ ghters enough to do. For whatever reason, 
  the crimeﬁ ghters are determined to stamp out crime 
  in their neighborhood and make it a safe place. Th ey 
  declare it their turf and make sure no criminal organi-
  zations encroach on it. Chances are all the crimeﬁ ght-
  ers live in the neighborhood — they might even live 
  in the same building (that building can also serve as 
  their secret base). Th eir early adventures likely deal 
  with making local criminals in the neighborhood see 
  the error of their ways and expelling organized crime. 
  Later adventures deal with keeping criminals out.
  One of the advantages of this sort of campaign 
  is that the rest of Hudson City can be used as pre-
  sented in Hudson City:  Th e Urban Abyss, without 
  needing to change the whole city to ﬁ t the four-
  color tone of a DC:TAS game. In other words, the 
  crimeﬁ ghter’s actions can have a positive result on 
  their neighborhood and noticeable impact on the 
  crime rate... but in the rest of the city, crime still 
  rages out of control. Another advantage is that the 
  GM has room to expand the campaign:  aft er the 
  PCs clean up their neighborhood, they can clean up 
  the next one... and the next one....
  Plot Seeds
  Gangs United:  Th e emergence of a team of crime-
  ﬁ ghters galvanizes the street gangs. Th ey settle their 
  disputes and band together — at least until they’ve 
  dealt with the would-be heroes. How will the PCs 
  deal with the gangs? Th ere’s one gang member 
  leading the united gang. Can the PCs “chop of the 
  head” to end the threat?
  Card Shark Sits Down At The Table:  During a skir-
  mish with a street gang, the PCs receive help from 
  an unlikely source. Some of Card Shark’s Deck 
  Agents join the fray on the side of the angels. 
  What is the nefarious villain up to? Is the criminal 
  mastermind hoping to move in once the PCs have 
  cleaned up the neighborhood?
  The Search Is On:  An organized crime group 
  quickly realizes that since the PCs are so active in 
  the neighborhood, they must live there. A neigh-
  borhood is much smaller than a city, so they decide 
  it should be easy to ﬁ gure out where the PCs hide-
  out is. Th ey send their men to stand watch on roof-
  tops all across the neighborhood. How will the PCs 
  stop this, since the men are just standing there and 
  not committing any crimes? Can they somehow 
  convince the criminals they live someplace else?
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  24 ■ Hudson City Knights
  THE ANSWER
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   15 STR 
  5 
  12- 
  Lift  200 kg; 3d6 [3]
   18 DEX 
  24 
  13- 
  OCV:  6/DCV:  6
   15 CON 
  10 
  12-
   12 BODY 4 
  11-
   15 INT 
  5 
  12- 
  PER Roll 12-
   18 EGO 
  16 
  13- 
  ECV:  6
   15 PRE 
  5 
  12- 
  PRE Attack:  3d6
   12 COM 
  1 
  11-
   8 PD 
  5 
   
  Total:  11 PD (3 rPD)
   8 ED 
  5 
   
  Total:  11 ED (3 rED)
   4 SPD 
  12 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   8 REC 
  4
   40 END 
  5
   40 STUN 12 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  113
  Movement: 
  Running:  8”/16”
   
  Swinging:  20”/40”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  9 
  Grapple Gun:  Multipower, 30-point 
  reserve; all slots OAF (-1), 1 Recoverable 
  Charge for enitre reserve (-1¼) 
  [1rc]
  1u 
  1)  Grapple:  Swinging 20”; OAF (-1)
  1u 
  2)  Packs A Punch:  Energy Blast 6d6; 
  OAF (-1), Limited Range (20”; -¼)
  1u 
  3)  Articulated Grapple:  Telekinesis 
  (20 STR); OAF (-1), Only To Grab (-1), 
  Must Cross Intervening Space (-½), Only 
  Direct (-½), Limited Range (20”; -¼)
  Martial Arts:  Kung Fu
   
  Maneuver 
  OCV DCV 
  Notes
  4 
  Block 
  +2 
  +2 
  Block, Abort
  4 
  Disarm 
  -1 
  +1 
  Disarm, 30 STR
  4 
  Dodge 
  +0 
  +5 
  Dodge all 
  attacks, Abort
  4 
  Escape 
  +0 
  +0 
  35 STR vs. 
  Grabs
  3 
  Joint Lock/Grab -1 
  -1 
  Grab Two 
  Limbs, 30 STR
  5 
  Kick 
  -2 
  +1 
  8d6 Strike
  4 
  Knife Hand 
  -2 
  +0 
  HKA ½d6 
  (1d6+1 with 
  STR)
  3 
  Legsweep 
  +2 
  -1 
  5d6 Strike, 
  Target Falls
  4 
  Punch 
  +0 
  +2 
  6d6 Strike
  3 
  Th row 
  +0 
  +1 
  4d6 + v/5, Target 
  Falls
  4 
  Tien-hsueh Strike -1 
  +1 
  2½d6 NND
  4 
  +1 Damage Class (already added in)
  6 
  Armored Trenchcoat And Costume:  
  Armor (3 PD/3 ED) 
  0
  4 
  Fast Runner:  Running +2” (8” total) 
  1
  4 
  Observant:  +2 PER Rolls with all Sense 
  Groups 
  0
  11 
  Answerman Communicator:  Mind Link, 
  speciﬁ c group of up to any 8 minds, No 
  LOS Needed; OAF (-1), Only Can Be 
  Maintained With Others Who Have 
  Mind Link (-1), Aﬀ ected As Radio And 
  Hearing Group, Not Mental Group 
  (-½), Does Not Provide Mental Awareness 
  (-¼), 1 Continuing Fuel Charge (battery, 
  Easy to obtain; 6 Hours; -0) 
  [1cc]
   
  Perks
  9 
  Contact:  Th e Executor (mysterious man 
  highly placed in the government) 11- (Con-
  tact has extremely useful resource, access to 
  major institutions, signiﬁ cant Contacts of his 
  own, Good relationship with Contact)
  15 
  Money:  Filthy Rich
  5 
  Improved Equipment Availability:  Military
   
  Talents
  19 
  Combat Sense 16-
   
  Skills
  12 
  +4 with Kung Fu
  5 
  +1 with all Agility Skills
  3 
  Acrobatics 12-
  5 
  Analyze Combat Technique 13-
  3 
  Breakfall 13-
  3 
  Climbing 12-
  3 
  Concealment 12-
  3 
  Contortionist 13-
  5 
  Deduction 13-
  3 
  AK: Tibet 12-
  2 
  CK: Hudson City 11-
  4 
  KS: Buddhism 13-
  3 
  KS: Kung Fu 12-
  3 
  Language: Mandarin Chinese (completely 
  ﬂ uent; English is Native)
  3 
  Language: Tibetan (completely ﬂ uent)
  3 
  Paramedics 12-
  3 
  Shadowing 12-
  3 
  Stealth 12-
  3 
  Streetwise 12-
  4 
  Survival (Mountains) 13-
  2 
  WF: Common Melee Weapons
   
  Resource Points
  8 
  Equipment Points:  100
  10 
  Vehicle/Base Points:  30
  10 
  Follower/Contact Points:  25
  0 
  Miscellaneous Points:  0
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  237
  Total Cost:  350
  HEROES
  
  25 
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Two
  100+ Disadvantages
  20 
  Hunted:  unknown American intelligence 
  agency 14- (Mo Pow, NCI, Watching)
  15 
  Hunted:  Doctor Enigma 11- (As Pow, 
  Harshly Punish)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Code Versus Kill-
  ing (Common, Total)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Honorable Code 
  Of Conduct (Common, Total)
  10 
  Reputation:  honorable and gullible do-
  gooder, 11-
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (Solomon 
  DeSolva) (Frequently, Major)
  150 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  350
  Background/History:  Twenty years ago Solomon 
  DeSolva, a member of the United States Diplomatic 
  Corps and special assistant to the ambassador to 
  China, went on a tour of Tibet to observe the living 
  conditions of its native people. Since the tour was 
  a peaceable one sanctioned by the government, 
  DeSolva brought along his ﬁ ve-year-old son, Solo-
  mon Junior. Tragedy struck when the group’s bus 
  traveled on a narrow road high in the Himalayas 
  and a sudden rock slide took the lives of everyone 
  on the tour. Or so investigators concluded aft er 
  they arrived on the scene days later.
  In truth, Solomon Junior survived — his father 
  used his own body to shield the boy from the worst 
  of the rock slide and the bus’s subsequent tumble 
  down the mountain. A wandering band of Tibetan 
  monks found the boy freezing to death in the snow. 
  Th ey took him in and nursed him back to health. 
  Th e monks were members of a secretive sect of 
  martial artists called the Golden Guard, and they 
  treated the young orphan as one of their own. Over 
  the next eighteen years, Solomon learned the ways 
  of the Golden Guard. He almost forgot his past and 
  Western origins... but then a mysterious man found 
  him one night. Th e man was an American, and the 
  only name he gave to Solomon was the Executor.
  Th e Executor claimed to have been a friend 
  and colleague of Solomon’s father. Because the 
  boy’s body was never found, he had searched for 
  the last eighteen years for the young Solomon to 
  give him his birthright. Th e Executor said that 
  Solomon’s father was a member of the American 
  intelligence community and this was why he was 
  killed — although the Executor didn’t know who 
  was responsible. He also informed Solomon he had 
  inherited the DeSolva family fortune, as well as the 
  family estate in Hudson City.
  Straightforward and rigidly moral, Solomon 
  was slightly repulsed by his father’s past of secretive 
  dealings and shadowy murders — but he was also 
  curious about his family’s legacy. He knew there 
  must be more to his father’s life than the under-
  handed dealings of intelligence work. At the urging 
  of the monks, Solomon agreed to travel to America 
  with the Executor and claim the family fortune.
  In Hudson City, Solomon found a world vastly 
  diﬀ erent from the Tibet he grew up in. Th e Golden 
  Guard had been like an extended family, each 
  member helping the others, and they treated all 
  their countrymen with respect and honor. Such was 
  not the case on Hudson City’s mean streets. Th e 
  people of Hudson City had problems — problems 
  Solomon wanted to help solve with his family for-
  tune and his skill in the martial arts, but he needed 
  direction and guidance. Th e Western world was 
  strange and alien to him. Solomon needed advi-
  sors... and he found them on the World Wide Web.
  While researching Hudson City and his family, 
  Solomon stumbled upon the website hudsonc-
  ity-answers.org. Th e purpose of the site, privately-
  owned and paid for with donations, was to help 
  the city’s residents with everyday problems and 
  concerns — everything from where to pay parking 
  tickets, to the history of Tyrrell Avenue, to how to 
  set the idle on a 1983 Mercury Zephyr so it would 
  start in the depths of winter.
  Solomon sent an email to the site admin-
  istrator and began a correspondence about 
  Hudson City’s real problem:  rampant crime. 
  Once he was sure the site’s “Answermen” were 
  well intentioned, Solomon offered to handle spe-
  cial problems, the sort that only hands-on work 
  could resolve. He’d put on a mask and call him-
  self the Answer, and whenever the Answermen 
  got an email from someone that required “special 
  assistance,” they would forward it to him so the 
  Answer could provide a solution.
  Over the last six months, the Answer and 
  his Answermen have helped many people with 
  problems ranging from recovering and returning 
  a stolen wedding ring, to helping Doctor Enigma’s 
  wife ﬁ nd her husband and get him committed to 
  Toddberry Asylum, to garden-variety crimeﬁ ght-
  ing. Word has quickly spread that when a person 
  has no place else to turn, he can click on hudsonc-
  ity-answers.org, submit his problem, and maybe, 
  just maybe, he’ll ﬁ nd the answer he needs.
  Personality/Motivation:  Th e Answer’s desire to help 
  people stems from basic human decency and a high 
  regard for life and peace — the monks who raised 
  him taught him to have a deep and abiding respect 
  for family, tradition, and community spirit. Th ough 
  still a stranger to Hudson City in many ways, he 
  considers it his family’s home. Th erefore it’s his 
  responsibility to protect and serve the community. 
  In addition to helping people, he feels he must pro-
  vide an example for others and holds himself to a 
  rigid code of honor. He always keeps his word, even 
  if tricked or deceived into giving it. He accepts a 
  foe’s surrender, even if past experience tells him it’s 
  a ruse. He never takes advantage of a helpless foe, 
  even if it means risking his own life. And unless 
  it’s been proven he can’t trust someone, he always 
  believes what he’s told.
  Th e Answer is ignorant about many aspects 
  of Western culture — both its mores and technol-
  ogy. Th ough highly intelligent and a quick study, he 
  still has much to learn about the West, and he relies 
  heavily on the Answermen (see the accompanying 
  box text) for much information... and they don’t 
  always know what they’re talking about.
  In his free time the Answer investigates his 
  family’s past — speciﬁ cally, his parents. Th e identity 
  of his mother remains unknown, but he knows 
  THE ANSWER 
  PLOT SEEDS
  The Answer discovers 
  three items about his 
  mother — her name, 
  that she’s still alive, and 
  that she’s married to 
  a prominent mobster. 
  He attempts to meet 
  her, sneaking into the 
  mob boss’s estate, but 
  ends up captured. One 
  of the Answermen 
  contacts the PCs — can 
  they save the Answer 
  before he’s unmasked? 
  And does he want to be 
  saved? Has meeting his 
  mother changed him in 
  some way?
  Th e PCs are framed 
  for a crime they didn’t 
  commit. Th e same 
  nefarious villain who 
  framed them contacts 
  the Answer and puts 
  him on the task of 
  hunting the PCs down. 
  Can they escape the 
  Answer long enough to 
  ﬁ nd evidence of their 
  innocence? And if not, 
  can they convince the 
  Answer of their inno-
  cence without proof?
  The Answermen begin 
  disappearing, one by 
  one. The website’s 
  security has been com-
  promised — or, worse 
  yet, one of the Answer-
  men is a traitor. Cut 
  off from his advisors, 
  the Answer seeks the 
  PCs’ help to get to the 
  bottom of the mystery.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  26 ■ Hudson City Knights
  his father didn’t adopt him. He’s shied away from 
  investigating his father’s death too closely. He only 
  knows what the Executor told him, and that’s not 
  much more than that his father was murdered by 
  enemies, whether domestic or foreign, in the intel-
  ligence world.
  Th e Answer can’t really explain why he hasn’t 
  investigated his father’s murder. To some extent 
  he feels that revenge won’t bring back his father, 
  and that to discover his 
  father’s killer he’d have 
  to involve himself in 
  the morally ambiguous 
  world of covert opera-
  tions. But he also suspects 
  there’s a deeper reason 
  for not investigating. He 
  has meditated much on 
  the matter, but has yet to 
  uncover the true source of 
  his aversion. 
  Quote:  “I’ve been 
  informed that you have a 
  problem. I’m here to tell 
  you I have the answer.”
  Powers/Tactics:  Th e 
  Answer’s abilities stem 
  from his sharp mind, 
  quick wits, and lifelong 
  training in the martial 
  arts. Th ese physical skills 
  make him the perfect 
  hands-on operative for 
  the Answerman Team. 
  He relies on the other 
  members for advice and 
  investigation (although he 
  has keen powers of per-
  ception) and then acts on 
  their advice.
  Th e Answer is a 
  problem-solver, not a 
  brawler, although he rec-
  ognizes that sometimes 
  he must ﬁ ght to get the 
  job done. He always tries to make sure the ﬁ ght is 
  fair — announcing his presence against one or two 
  opponents and giving them the chance to surren-
  der, and only taking advantage of surprise when the 
  odds are badly against him.
  The Answer doesn’t normally carry weapons 
  (though he will if he feels it’s necessary), but does 
  have a Grapple Gun (a thick steel cylinder with 
  a pistol grip and large spool of cable at the back) 
  that he uses to get around. In a pinch he can fire 
  the grapple as a physical missile, or use it to grab 
  something and pull it toward him. Recovering 
  the Charge on the Gun involves winding in the 
  grapple-line, which takes two Full Phase Actions. 
  His other main piece of gear is the Answerman 
  Communicator, which looks like an ordinary 
  cellular phone. It allows him to access a private 
  server that only the Answerman Team has access 
  to. Voice recognition software allows the Answer 
  to ask his question, and also vocalizes the 
  Answermen’s responses.
  In addition to his ﬁ ghting skills, the Answer 
  also has access to the DeSolva family fortune. Addi-
  tionally, the Executor — the only man who knows 
  the Answer’s secret identity — feels obligated to 
  help him with non-lethal military equipment when 
  the situation calls for it.
  Campaign Use:  Th e Answer can become involved 
  with any crime where a 
  victim is left  with no other 
  place to turn for help. Th is 
  can be anything from a 
  kidnapping, to extortion, 
  to a child or sibling falling 
  in with a bad crowd. You 
  can use him as an ally for 
  the PCs — thanks to the 
  Answermen he has access 
  to comprehensive infor-
  mation about myriad sub-
  jects, but because he works 
  alone, he has little in the 
  way of raw power (and 
  thus might need allies to 
  get a job done).
  In more traditional 
  Dark Champions cam-
  paigns, you can use the 
  Answer as an adversary 
  for your PCs. He has little 
  use for vigilantes who 
  declare themselves judge, 
  jury, and executioner, and 
  considers them criminals 
  who are little better than 
  the ones they pursue. If a 
  bereaved relative were to 
  ask for help in bringing 
  a costumed vigilante to 
  justice, the Answer would 
  likely take the case. Fur-
  thermore, the mystery 
  surrounding his father’s 
  death provides a good 
  hook for bringing the 
  Answer and his rigidly upright morality into the 
  darker world of costumed vigilantes.
  To increase his power, give the Answer more 
  Extra Damage Classes with his Martial Arts and 
  give him some more gadgets (speciﬁ cally, a util-
  ity belt like the one described on pages 283-284 of 
  Dark Champions). To decrease his power, remove 
  his Skill Levels, his Combat Sense, and a few Mar-
  tial Maneuvers.
  Th e Answer doesn’t have a criminal record. In 
  fact, he has few public records in the United States 
  at all, since he didn’t grow up there and the Execu-
  tor snuck him into the country and provided him 
  with false documentation to explain the gap in his 
  personal history.
  
  27 
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Two
  Appearance:  In his civilian identity, Solomon 
  DeSolva is a tall, ﬁ t man in his mid-twenties. He 
  stands 6’3” tall and has wavy black hair, dark brown 
  eyes, and a narrow, serious face. As the Answer he 
  wears a black suit, a black trench coat, and a simple 
  black domino mask to disguise his identity.
  ASK THE ANSWERMAN TEAM
  Th e Answerman Team answers mundane 
  questions posted to the hudsoncity-answers.org 
  website, and investigates “special” problems before 
  referring them to the Answer and assisting him 
  with his investigations. All members of the team 
  are anonymous; none of them knows the identity 
  of any of the others. When Solomon DeSolva ﬁ rst 
  approached them about becoming a team to ﬁ ght 
  crime, their decision to accept his oﬀ er was quick 
  — since going live with the website, they had 
  received question aft er question concerning prob-
  lems they simply couldn’t help with, and it frus-
  trated them. Using the Answer’s wealth (as well as 
  his connections to the government), they’ve given 
  their website the best security money can buy.
  Britannicus:  Britannicus was the one who first 
  set up the website. He serves as both website 
  administrator and an endless source of factoids 
  concerning history and geography. He maintains 
  a no-nonsense online demeanor, writing in crisp 
  emotionless sentences that seem almost as if 
  posted by a machine.
  The Barstool Prophet:  Th e Barstool Prophet is the 
  resident expert on sports trivia, local happenings 
  such as the weather, road repairs, ongoing con-
  struction, and Hudson City urban legends. His 
  posts are terse and to the point, usually using sen-
  tence fragments. He also has extensive knowledge 
  about organized crime in Hudson City — but he 
  only provides answers to these sorts of questions to 
  the Answer.
  Blue Book:  Blue Book ﬁ elds questions about mechan-
  ics in general and cars in particular. His posts are 
  riddled with slang, typos, and grammar errors until 
  he posts something pertaining to the question asked 
  of him. Th en his answers become perfect examples of 
  clear and precise technical writing.
  Lex And Nex:  Lex and Nex are the resident legal 
  experts. Th ey begin and end all of their answers 
  with disclaimers about how the person should seek 
  legal counsel before pursuing action, but despite 
  the disclaimers, their answers are usually dead-on. 
  Th ey also have a comprehensive knowledge of 
  criminal proceedings and the inner workings of the 
  Hudson Police Department — this knowledge they 
  only provide to the Answer.
  Mr. Fixer-Upper:  Mr. Fixer-Upper handles ques-
  tions concerning plumbing, roofing, and general 
  home repair. He always begins his responses with 
  a humorous anecdote about a friend-of-a-friend 
  and his misadventures in whatever trade relates 
  to the question. To the Answer, he also provides 
  copious knowledge of security systems, both 
  civilian and military.
  Tec:  Tec seems to possess a wealth of information 
  on criminalistics, forensics, and criminology. It’s 
  unclear whether this comes from book learning or 
  practical experience; none of his posts have ever 
  mentioned any jobs related to those subjects.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  28 ■ Hudson City Knights
  DARKANGEL
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   15 STR 
   5 
  12- 
  Lift  200 kg; 3d6 [3]
   20 DEX 
  30 
  13- 
  OCV:  7/DCV:  7
   18 CON 
  16 
  13-
   10 BODY 0 
  11-
   13 INT 
   3 
  12- 
  PER Roll 12-
   11 EGO 
   2 
  11- 
  ECV:  4
   15 PRE 
   5 
  12- 
  PRE Attack:  3d6
   18 COM 
   4 
  13-
   8 PD 
   5 
   
  Total:  11 PD (3 rPD)
   6 ED 
   2 
   
  Total:  9 ED (3 rED)
   4 SPD 
  10 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   7 REC 
   0
   36 END 
   0
   30 STUN  3 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  85
  Movement: 
  Running:  6”/12”
   
  Gliding:  10”/20”
   
  Swinging:  15”/30”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  20 
  Utility Belt:  Multipower, 30-point reserve; 
  OIF (Utility Belt, -½)
  1u 
  1)  Halo Grenades:  Entangle 3d6, 3 DEF; 
  OAF (-1), Range Based On STR (-¼), 
  12 Charges (-¼) [12]
  1u 
  2)  Halo Boomerang:  Energy Blast 6d6; 
  OAF (-1), Range Based On STR (-¼), 
  1 Recoverable Charge (-1¼) 
  3
  1u 
  3)  Angel-Sword Blades:  HKA ½d6 
  (1d6+1 with STR), Range Based On STR 
  (+¼); OAF (-1), Range Based On STR 
  (-¼), 6 Recoverable Charges (-¼) 
  [6]  
  1u 
  4)  Weakness Darts:  Drain STR 2d6, 
  Range Based On STR (+¼); OAF (-1), 
  Must Target Non-Armored Hit 
  Locations (-¼), 6 Charges (-¾) 
  [6]
  1u 
  5)  Freeze Gas Capsules:  Minor 
  Transform 3d6 (normal object to frozen 
  stiﬀ  object, “heals” by thawing out at 
  normal rate); OAF (-1), Limited Target 
  (nonliving objects with moving parts; 
  -½), Range Based On STR (-¼), 
  4 Charges (-1) 
  [4]
  1u 
  6)  Sleeping Gas Pellets:  Energy Blast 
  3d6, NND (defense is Life Support 
  [Self-Contained Breathing or appropriate 
  Immunity]; +1); OAF (-1), Range Based 
  On STR (-¼), 6 Charges (-¾) 
  [6]
  1u 
  7)  Smoke Pellets:  Darkness to Sight 
  Group 3” radius; OAF (-1), Range Based 
  On STR (-¼), 8 Continuing Charges 
  lasting 1 Turn each (removed by high 
  winds or rain; -0)  [8cc]
  1u 
  8)  Flash Pellets:  Sight Group Flash 6d6; 
  OAF (-1), Range Based On STR (-¼), 
  6 Charges (-¾)  [6]
  1u 
  9)  Th ermite Pellets:  RKA 1d6, Armor 
  Piercing (+½), Area Of Eﬀ ect (One Hex; 
  +½); OAF (-1), Range Based On STR 
  (-¼), 6 Charges (-¾) [6]
  1u 
  10)  Rebreather:  Life Support 
  (Expanded Breathing:  Breathe 
  Underwater), 4 Continuing Fuel 
  Charges (refueled through recharging system, 
  easy to obtain; 1 Hour; -0); OAF (-1) 
  [4cc]
  1u 
  11)  Monocular:  +6 vs. Range for Sight 
  Group; OAF (-1) 
  0
  1u 
  12)  Golden Swingline:  Swinging 15”; 
  OAF (-1) 
  1
  1u 
  13)  Miniature Flashlight: Sight Group 
  Images 1” radius, +4 to PER Rolls; OAF 
  (-1), Only To Create Light (-1), Limited 
  Range (10”; -¼), 1 Continuing Fuel 
  Charge (refueled by recharging, easy to 
  obtain; 1 Hour; -1) 
  [1cc]
  1u 
  14)  Crimescene Kit:  +2 to Criminology; 
  OAF (-1), 8 Charges (-½) 0
  1u 
  15)  Laser Torch:  RKA 1 point, 
  Penetrating (x2; +1), Reduced Endurance 
  (0 END; +½); OAF (-1), No Range (-½) 
  0
  1u 
  16)  Mini-Camcorder:  Eidetic Memory; 
  OAF (-1), Visual And Sound Images 
  Only (-¼) 
  0
  Martial Arts:  Karate
   
  Maneuver 
  OCV DCV 
  Notes
  4 
  Block 
  +2 
  +2 
  Block, Abort
  4 
  Disarm 
  -1 
  +1 
  Disarm, 30 STR 
  4 
  Dodge 
  +0 
  +5 
  Dodge all 
  attacks, Abort
  4 
  Knifehand Strike -2 
  +0 
  HKA ½d6 
  (1d6+1 w/STR)
  4 
  Punch/
   
  Snap Kick 
  +0 
  +2 
  6d6 Strike
  5 
  Side/Spin Kick -2 
  +1 
  8d6 Strike
  4 
  +1 Damage Class (already added in)
  6 
  Armored Costume:  Armor (3 PD/3 ED); 
  OIF (-½) 
  0
  5 
  Glider Cape:  Gliding 10”; OAF (-1) 
  0
  3 
  Cowl Radio:  HRRP (Radio Group); 
  OIF (-½) 
  0
  3 
  UV Lenses:  Ultraviolet Perception 
  (Sight Group); OIF (-½) 
  0
   
  Skills
  3 
  Acrobatics 13-
  3 
  Breakfall 13-
  3 
  Climbing 13-
  3 
  Computer Programming 12-
  3 
  Criminology 12-
  3 
  Deduction 12-
  3 
  High Society 12-
  2 
  AK: Blackbridge 11-
  3 
  CK: Hudson City 12-
  3 
  KS: Hudson City Underworld 12-
  1 
  Language:  Japanese (basic conversation; 
  English is Native)
  3 
  Lockpicking 13-
  3 
  Security Systems 12-
  3 
  Shadowing 11-
  3 
  Stealth 13-
  3 
  Streetwise 12-
  3 
  WF: Small Arms, Knives
   
  Resource Points
  0 
  Equipment Points:  60
  0 
  Vehicle/Base Points:  10
  0 
  Follower/Contact Points:  5
  0 
  Miscellaneous Points:  0
  Total Powers & Skill Cost:  115
  Total Cost:  200
  
  29 
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Two
  100+ Disadvantages
  20 
  Hunted:  Penny Dreadful 14- (As Pow, Kill)
  20 
  Hunted:  Card Shark 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Kill)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Devoted To Justice 
  (Common, Total)
  10 
  Psychological Limitation:  Vengeful 
  (Uncommon, Strong)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Code Versus 
  Killing (Common, Strong)
  15 
  Secret Identity (Stacy Hunter) (Frequently, 
  Major)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  200
  Background/History:  Stacy Hunter is a modern 
  American success story. Born into relatively humble 
  beginnings, she learned early in life that the only 
  way to get anything she wanted was to work for it. 
  She became the ﬁ rst person in her family ever to 
  go to college... but even then she had to work her 
  way through. She studied advertising and market-
  ing, and got excellent grades. Th ey helped her land 
  a job with the Berkely Marketing Group, a Hudson 
  City-based marketing agency founded by television 
  magnate Ben Berkely to take care of the advertis-
  ing chores for his Berkely Entertainment Television 
  (BETV) network and other companies. 
  Stacy liked living in the big city — the glam-
  our, the bright lights, the fast-paced atmosphere, 
  the famous television personalities she met through 
  her job, the whole works. But she liked it so much 
  she got careless, forgetting that the city’s glitzy 
  appearance oft en conceals a heart as dark as mid-
  night. One night she made the mistake of walking 
  down a deserted street by herself, and was attacked 
  by some gang members out “wilding.” Aft er they 
  beat her and kicked her for a few minutes they 
  were about to do something worse, when they were 
  scared away by the lights of a passing car. Th ey ran 
  oﬀ , taking her money and credit cards.
  For some reason, the passing car stopped and 
  a samaritan whose name she’s never learned picked 
  her up and took her to the nearest hospital. She 
  spent a few days convalescing — fortunately, her 
  physical injuries were not severe — but she was 
  constantly aﬄ  icted with bouts of panic and feelings 
  of intense fear. Once a conﬁ dent, creative woman, 
  she was reduced to a shy and frightened shadow of 
  her former self. It took her several more weeks to 
  get over the worst of her fear, but even aft er that she 
  still had occasional panic attacks.
  She returned to work, eager to throw herself 
  into something she could control. A previously-
  scheduled business trip to Japan came up, and her 
  boss was going to get someone else to go, but Stacy 
  insisted on following through with her responsi-
  bilities. Once she’d been looking forward to seeing 
  Tokyo. Now she was scared to leave, but she made 
  herself go. Once she got there, she was glad she’d 
  come, and a little of her old self began to emerge. 
  One day she walked by a Tokyo park and saw 
  an old man leading a group of students in a karate 
  class. Fascinated, she watched them for half an 
  hour. When the class was over, she approached the 
  old man and asked in her halting Japanese if she 
  could join. Sensing something in her, the old man 
  assented, and the next day she began karate lessons. 
  For the rest of her time in Japan, she faithfully prac-
  ticed and studied every day, becoming reasonably 
  proﬁ cient. When it was time for her to leave, her 
  sensei gave her the name of his cousin, who ran a 
  dojo in Hudson City. Aft er she returned, she joined 
  the dojo and continued her lessons. Within a year 
  and a half, she had earned her black belt... and more 
  importantly, her self-conﬁ dence had returned. 
  A few days after passing the tests for her 
  black belt, Stacy found herself in the same posi-
  tion that her samaritan had been in two years 
  before. She saw a woman being attacked by a 
  couple of young punks who were trying to steal 
  her purse and jewelry. Almost without think-
  ing, she rushed forward to help. Three quick 
  blows were all it took to subdue the two attack-
  ers. Leaving them out cold on the sidewalk, she 
  rushed the injured woman to the hospital.
  She had never before felt so good or had such 
  a sense of purpose. Th is was what she should be 
  doing with her life — protecting the innocents who 
  could not protect themselves, not slaving away for 
  a paycheck week aft er week and ignoring the decay 
  of society all around her. But just knowing karate 
  wasn’t enough. She needed to know a lot of other 
  things, and she needed a “style” of crimeﬁ ghting. 
  She studied other vigilantes, rejecting some as too 
  violent, and realizing that others had money and 
  resources she lacked. Noting that some of the cos-
  tumed criminals on the streets had “themes,” she 
  decided that might work for her — if she was going 
  to be on the side of the angels, maybe her “street 
  name” and costume should reﬂ ect that. Since she 
  wanted to be not just a protector of the innocent, 
  but an avenger of the wronged, maybe... Avenging 
  Angel? No, too angry. Aft er a little more thought, 
  she settled on DarkAngel.
  Months of training followed — she knew 
  karate alone wasn’t enough to ﬁ ght crime. She edu-
  cated herself about criminology, forensics, locks 
  and security devices, and many other subjects. She 
  created — or bought from the underworld armorer 
  Daedalus — the gadgets and weapons she wanted, 
  and she practiced with them constantly. When she 
  was ready, she went out into the night not as Stacy 
  Hunter, victim of society’s evil, but as DarkAngel, 
  avenger of crime victims everywhere.
  Personality/Motivation:  DarkAngel is the sort of 
  person who’s had to struggle all of her life to get what 
  she wanted. Strong-willed, determined, and capable of 
  working long and hard to achieve her goals, she now 
  applies the energy she used to focus entirely on her 
  job to her goal of ﬁ ghting crime. She’s made up her 
  mind that she’s going to protect and help everyone she 
  possibly can, and stop every crime she sees. Crimes 
  she can’t stop she’ll avenge, even if it takes months of 
  eﬀ ort and sacriﬁ ce to bring a criminal to justice. But 
  she draws the line at killing. She sees vigilante mur-
  ders, no matter how justiﬁ ed in the abstract, as acts 
  which make the vigilante as bad as the criminals he’s 
  supposed to ﬁ ght — and she wants to feel better about 
  herself than that. She might, however, be tempted in 
  cases involving particularly violent rapists, serial kill-
  ers, and similar criminals.
  DARKANGEL 
  PLOT SEEDS
  One night on patrol, 
  the PCs see DarkAngel 
  looming over some 
  helpless criminal. When 
  she sees her fellow cos-
  tumed crimeﬁ ghters, she 
  ﬂ ees the scene — and 
  when the PCs check on 
  the criminal, they dis-
  cover him dead! Do they 
  hunt DarkAngel in an 
  attempt to bring her to 
  justice? Or do they think 
  she’s been framed? And 
  if so, who would want to 
  frame DarkAngel?
  Stacy Hunter has a new 
  boyfriend — and it’s one 
  of the PCs! Of course, 
  neither crimeﬁ ghter 
  knows about the other’s 
  secret identity. All each 
  of them knows is that 
  the other suspiciously 
  disappears, especially in 
  the middle of the night, 
  and the next morning’s 
  paper always has an 
  article about some 
  villain’s crimes....
  One of the PCs ﬁ nds 
  DarkAngel’s costume in 
  a trash can. Could this be 
  the end of a fellow cos-
  tumed crimeﬁ ghter? Will 
  the PCs investigate? And 
  if they do, will they dis-
  cover DarkAngel’s secret 
  identity... and the fact that 
  Card Shark discovered 
  Stacy Hunter’s secret and 
  kidnapped her?
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  30 ■ Hudson City Knights
  DarkAngel’s vengeful nature really comes to 
  the forefront when some criminal escapes from 
  her, insults her, or humiliates her. Th e unlucky felon 
  usually ends up taking a long trip to the hospital. 
  She tries to control her temperamental streak, but 
  for now she still has a little too much anger bottled 
  up inside of her to calm down. Given time and 
  experience, she’ll probably become much more 
  even-tempered.
  Quote:  “Did you really think you were going to 
  get away with this?  She may not be able to protect 
  herself from scum like you, but I’m on her side, and 
  you can’t protect yourself from me.”
  Powers/Tactics:  DarkAngel’s style of combat 
  involves rapid movement, frequent dodging, and 
  reliance on her karate skills. She carries a versatile 
  selection of low-powered weapons in her Utility 
  Belt, but usually prefers to save them for emer-
  gency situations. For example, her Th ermite Pellets 
  work well for burning holes in doors or destroying 
  cocaine, but she would never use them on a living 
  opponent. Her favorite weapons are her “theme” 
  attacks:  Halo Grenades (bolo-like Entangle gre-
  nades which trap the target in bands resembling 
  golden ribbons); the Halo Boomerang (a steel and 
  depleted uranium throwing ring); and Angel-Sword 
  Blades (throwing blades shaped like miniature 
  silver swordblades).
  For the most part DarkAngel restricts her 
  crimeﬁ ghting activities to street gangs, some 
  organized crime groups, and a few costumed 
  criminals such as Penny Dreadful, Anagram, 
  and the Astrologer. She concentrates on pro-
  tecting the Blackbridge, east Worthington, and 
  Eastwood neighborhoods, but she’ll go wher-
  ever she feels she’s needed.
  Campaign Use:  DarkAngel is a prototypical 
  DC:TAS character. As such, a GM can use 
  her as an example for players to follow when 
  building their characters, and as a NPC hero 
  to set an example of how the PCs should act. 
  To bring DarkAngel into conﬂ ict with the PCs, 
  the GM can use the fact that her Devotion To 
  Justice is stronger than her Code Versus Kill-
  ing. Simply have her step over the line, or have 
  it seem she’s stepped over the line, while ﬁ ght-
  ing crime, and then have the PCs track her 
  down and ﬁ nd out what’s going on.
  To make DarkAngel more powerful, 
  increase the amount of defenses her Armored 
  Costume provides to 6 PD/6 ED, give her 
  some Combat Skill Levels with the thrown 
  weapons in her Utility Belt (this also allows 
  her to Bounce her attacks, making it easy for 
  her to recover her Halo Boomerang), and/or 
  give her some Targeting and/or Range Skill 
  Levels. To make her less powerful, reduce her 
  DEX to 18 (or even 15) and her SPD to 3.
  DarkAngel is likely to Hunt anyone 
  who makes a mockery of the legal system or 
  otherwise sneers at justice, and she stops at 
  nothing to make sure the person pays for his 
  crimes. Unlike the Answer, DarkAngel is unlikely 
  to Hunt costumed vigilantes who take justice 
  into their own hands (unless they go over the 
  line, that is) — though she holds herself to a high 
  standard and doesn’t take human life, she isn’t 
  going to force her standards on others.
  DarkAngel has no criminal record.
  Appearance:  Stacy Hunter is a slim, physically ﬁ t 
  young woman who stands about 5’9” tall. She has 
  short blonde hair, hazel eyes, and a friendly, expres-
  sive face. As DarkAngel she wears a black bodysuit 
  with red gloves, heeled boots, and utility belt, and 
  a golden halo “chest symbol.” Her Glider Cape is 
  black with red trim. Her mask is a black half-face 
  mask that doesn’t cover her hair, but she wears a 
  long blonde wig to further conceal her identity.
  
  31 
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Two
  TRICKSHOT
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   13 STR 
  3 
  12- 
  Lift  150 kg; 2½d6 [3]
   18 DEX 
  24 
  13- 
  OCV:  6/DCV:  6
   12 CON 
  4 
  11-
   12 BODY 4 
  11-
   10 INT 
  0 
  11- 
  PER Roll 11-
   10 EGO 
  0 
  11- 
  ECV:  3
   15 PRE 
  5 
  12- 
  PRE Attack:  4d6
   14 COM 
  2 
  12-
   5 PD 
  2 
   
  Total:  9 PD (4 rPD)
   5 ED 
  3 
   
  Total:  9 ED (4 rED)
   4 SPD 
  12 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   6 REC 
  2
   30 END 
  3
   30 STUN 
  5 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  69
  Movement: 
  Running:  6”/12”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  20 
  Longbow:  Multipower, 40-point reserve; 
  all slots OAF (-1)
  1u 
  1)  Broadhead Arrow:  RKA 2d6; OAF 
  (-1), Beam (-¼), 6 Charges (-¾) 
  [6]
  2u 
  2)  Blunt Arrow:  Energy Blast 8d6; OAF 
  (-1), Beam (-¼), 12 Charges (-¼) 
  [12]
  1u 
  3)  Flare Arrow:  Sight Group Flash 8d6; 
  OAF (-1), Beam (-¼), 6 Charges (-¾) 
  [6]
  1u 
  4)  Smoke Arrow:  Darkness to Sight 
  Group 4” radius; OAF (-1), 6 Continuing 
  Charges lasting 1 Turn each (removed 
  by high winds or rain; -¼) 
  [6 cc]
  1u 
  5)  Taser Arrow:  Energy Blast 4d6, 
  NND (defense is insulated rED covering 
  entire body; +1); OAF (-1), Beam (-¼), 
  6 Charges (-¾) 
  [6]
  Martial Arts:  Cinematic Brawling
   
  Maneuver 
  OCV DCV 
  Notes
  4 
  Chin Block 
  +2 
  +2 
  Block, Abort
  4 
  Disarm 
  -1 
  +1 
  Disarm, 23 STR
  5 
  Hoist ‘n’ Heave -2 
  -2 
  Grab Two 
  Limbs, 33 STR 
  to Th row
  5 
  Two-Fisted 
   
  Smash 
  -2 
  +1 
  6½d6 Strike
  3 
  Tackle 
  +0 
  -1 
  2½d6 + v/5 
  Strike; You Fall; 
  Target Falls
  8 
  Armored Costume:  Armor (4 PD/4 ED); 
  OIF (-½) 
  0
   
  Talents
  6 
  Lightning Reﬂ exes:  +4 DEX with All Attacks
   
  Skills
  18 
  +6 with Longbow
  10 
  Range Skill Levels:  +5 versus Range Modiﬁ er 
  with Longbow
  5 
  +1 with Agility Skills
  3 
  Acrobatics 13-
  3 
  Breakfall 13-
  3 
  Climbing 13-
  3 
  Combat Driving 13-
  3 
  Contortionist 13-
  5 
  Fast Draw (Bows) 14-
  2 
  KS: Circus Life 11-
  2 
  PS: Circus Performer 11-
  5 
  Rapid Attack (Ranged)
  3 
  Stealth 13-
  1 
  Streetwise 8-
  2 
  WF: Common Missile Weapons
  2 
  Weaponsmith (Muscle-Powered Range 
  Weapons) 11-
   
  Resource Points
  0 
  Equipment Points:  60
  0 
  Vehicle/Base Points:  10
  0 
  Follower/Contact Points:  5
  0 
  Miscellaneous Points:  0
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  131
  Total Cost:  200
  100+ Disadvantages
  15 
  DNPC:  Tanya Th ompson (girlfriend and 
  reporter at Th e Hudson Sun) 11- (Normal, 
  Useful Noncombat Skills, Unaware of char-
  acter’s Social Limitation:  Secret Identity)
  15 
  DNPC:  Abe Harrow, Th e Missing Link 
  (brother and costumed villain) 14- (As pow-
  erful as character, Unaware of character’s 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity)
  15 
  Hunted:  local street gang 11- (As Pow, 
  Harshly Punish)
  5 
  Money:  Poor
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Code Versus Kill-
  ing (Common, Total)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Showoﬀ  
  (Common, Strong)
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (Aaron 
  Harrow) (Frequently, Major)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  200
  Background/History:  Twenty-three years ago in 
  the Mummer and Sons Circus, twins were born 
  to the bearded lady, Mrs. Anna Harrow, and the 
  strong man, Herc Harrow. Th e elder boy, ﬁ rst-born 
  by thirty-three seconds, was a cute baby with his 
  mother’s blue eyes and his father’s blond hair. His 
  parents named him Aaron. Th e younger boy was 
  covered from head to toe in thick, coarse black hair. 
  His parents named him Abraham.
  Th e two boys grew up in the circus. Th e circus 
  archer and trickshot artist took Aaron under his 
  wing and taught him how to shoot a bow. For 
  Abe, life was diﬀ erent. His parents loved him, and 
  the other members of the circus were friendly 
  — over the course of their travels, they had seen far 
  stranger things than a boy covered in hair — but 
  from the moment he was born, everyone knew Abe 
  would work in the circus sideshow under the bill-
  ing “Th e Missing Link.” Th at was just how things 
  went in the circus.
  Abe took it badly — he didn’t want to be freak. 
  When he turned eighteen, he left  the circus. Aaron, 
  who always felt responsible for his little brother, 
  promised his parents he’d ﬁ nd Abe and either 
  return to circus with him, or stay with him and 
  look aft er him. Th e outside world was no place for 
  someone of Abe’s unique talents and appearance to 
  live alone.
  TRICKSHOT 
  PLOT SEEDS
  Th e Missing Link has 
  escaped and the police 
  have asked the PCs 
  to track him down 
  and capture him... but 
  Trickshot has decided 
  the authorities can’t 
  help his brother. He 
  wants to capture him 
  and bring him back to 
  the Mummer and Sons 
  circus so he’ll be around 
  friends and family. What 
  will the PCs do?
  Tanya Th ompson has 
  been investigating the 
  mysterious Trickshot. 
  She’s begun to suspect 
  that he and Aaron are 
  the same person! Trick-
  shot asks for the PC’s 
  help in convincing her 
  he’s two diﬀ erent people. 
  His plan calls for one 
  of the PCs to dress as 
  Trickshot, and the other 
  PCs to pretend to be 
  muggers who attack 
  Aaron and Tanya on 
  their way home from 
  the movies... but what 
  happens when the local 
  street gang who’s Hunt-
  ing him attacks in the 
  middle of the staged 
  mugging?
  Th e PCs ﬁ nd a corpse. 
  Th e cause of death 
  appears to be an arrow 
  with a scarlet shaft  
  — just like the arrows 
  Trickshot uses. Has the 
  costumed crimeﬁ ghter 
  crossed the line? And if 
  not, what’s going on?
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  32 ■ Hudson City Knights
  Aaron traveled to the nearest urban area 
  — Hudson City. It didn’t take him long to ﬁ nd his 
  brother. All he had to do was check out the front 
  page of Th e Hudson Sun:  “Missing Link Frees 
  Gorilla-Brothers!” Below the headline was a photo 
  of his brother growling at a photographer. Th en, 
  day aft er day, the Missing Link and his “Gorilla 
  Gang” robbed bank aft er bank. Aaron decided to 
  stop him. He took up his bow and arrows, donned 
  a costume, and called himself Trickshot. Aft er sev-
  eral encounters, he ﬁ nally captured his brother. He 
  tried to talk to him, to convince him of the error 
  of his ways, but something had changed in Abe. 
  Something had made him into a feral creature — a 
  far cry from the sullen and unhappy boy Aaron 
  had grown up with. In the end, Aaron could only 
  turn his brother over to the authorities and hope 
  they provided him with adequate psychiatric care.
  Since then, Aaron has stayed in Hudson City 
  to be near his brother. Abe has escaped on many 
  occasions to commit more crimes, but every time 
  Trickshot stops him. Aaron has taken to patrol-
  ling Hudson City’s streets at night; he blames the 
  city for what happened to his brother and wants 
  to stop it from happening to others. In his civil-
  ian identity, he’s begun dating Tanya Th ompson, 
  a reporter for the Sun who covered the Missing 
  Link’s trial and wrote several sympathetic articles.
  Personality/Motivation:  Trickshot is a good-natured, 
  optimistic young man whose only sorrow in life is 
  what’s happened to his brother — and even there, 
  he’s conﬁ dent the doctors can help Abe eventu-
  ally. Th ough he became a costumed crimeﬁ ghter to 
  save his brother, he has continued to wage war on 
  crime for several reasons. Partly this is because he’s a 
  thrillseeker (his job as a second-shift  dishwasher at 
  the Red Ox diner down the street from his Elmview 
  apartment is dull), but mostly it’s because he wants 
  to save other people from being “victimized by the 
  city” the way he feels his bother was. Trickshot gets 
  homesick at times, and though he cares for Tanya, he 
  looks forward to the day when he can return to the 
  circus — but that day won’t come until his brother 
  has been cured.
  Aaron is dirt poor. His dishwasher job pays 
  very little, and what little money he earns mostly 
  goes to replenishing his archery supplies. He’s too 
  proud to accept money from his family and friends, 
  despite his parents’ frequent oﬀ ers to help subsidize 
  his life in the city. Tanya frequently mentions the 
  
  33 
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Two
  idea of his moving in with her, but with his secret 
  life as Trickshot, Aaron knows that would lead to a 
  great many problems. He doesn’t worry too much 
  about his money situation — but he’s had one or 
  two brushes with criminals when they were car-
  rying lots and lots of cash, and though he’s always 
  done the right thing and turned the money over to 
  the police along with the criminals, a thought or 
  two about how much good he could do with the 
  illicit funds has crossed his mind.
  Quote:  “Watch this one!”
  Powers/Tactics:  Trickshot’s abilities stem from 
  his talent and skill with a bow and arrow, and 
  the selection of simple trick arrows he uses in 
  his crimeﬁ ghting. He rarely takes the easy shot 
  and oft en can’t resist bouncing an arrow oﬀ  a few 
  surfaces, even when he has a straight shot at the 
  target. While he does sometimes gain a Surprise 
  Move bonus from this, it also gets him in trouble. 
  Furthermore, if a ﬁ ght is going well, he’s been 
  known to get cocky and start taking shots just to 
  see if he can make them — ﬁ ring arrows into the 
  barrels of guns, knocking fedoras oﬀ  gangsters or 
  cigars out of their mouths, and so on — instead of 
  just incapacitating his foes.
  Against a group of foes, Trickshot takes the 
  high ground. He attempts to separate the group 
  using his Smoke Arrows, and then picks them oﬀ  
  one by one as they emerge from the smoke.
  Campaign Use:  Trickshot is a ﬂ amboyant and 
  exuberant hero who lacks experience with the 
  ins-and-outs of crime. He simply has a great talent 
  with a bow, sees a lot of crime around him in 
  Hudson City, especially in Elmview where he lives, 
  and has decided to put his talent to good use. You 
  can use him as a reckless hero who sometimes 
  gets in the PCs’ way — or who’s already been cap-
  tured by the villains and needs rescuing. On the 
  other hand, if the PCs are similarly inexperienced, 
  maybe he becomes an occasional ally and they all 
  learn together.
  Th e other use for Trickshot is with adven-
  tures concerning the Missing Link. As soon as he 
  hears his brother is on the loose, Trickshot starts 
  looking for him. Th is may lead to a confrontation 
  with the PCs who are more traditional vigilantes. 
  Another way to bring Trickshot into an adventure 
  is through his girlfriend Tanya, who as a reporter 
  is always in trouble with somebody somewhere. 
  Finally, Trickshot’s lack of money provides a good 
  adventure hook — especially if he comes to hear 
  of an expensive psychiatrist whom thinks he can 
  cure the Missing Link.
  To make Trickshot more powerful, add 
  more slots to his Longbow Multipower, increase 
  his STUN and END, or perhaps give him Find 
  Weakness. To make him less powerful, replace his 
  Multipower with a straight-forward set of Ranged 
  Martial Arts maneuvers for the bow, thus allow-
  ing him to purchase his bow and arrows with 
  Resource Points.
  Trickshot won’t Hunt anyone unless they 
  capture or hurt the Missing Link. He has no 
  criminal record.
  Appearance:  Aaron Harrow is a tall, well-muscled 
  man in his early twenties, good-looking with thick 
  blond hair and blue eyes. In his civilian identity, 
  he usually wears jeans and tee-shirts (unless Tanya 
  browbeats him into wearing something nicer). 
  Trickshot’s costume is dark scarlet with black 
  boots, gloves, and belt. He wears a quiver on his 
  back and ties a narrow black mask over his eyes. 
  His Longbow is collapsible and ﬁ ts into a “sheathe” 
  on his right leg. Both his bow and the shaft s and 
  ﬂ etching of his arrows are scarlet.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  34 ■ Hudson City Knights
  ADONIS
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   20 STR 
  10 
  13- 
  Lift  400 kg; 4d6 [4]
   15 DEX 
  15 
  12- 
  OCV:  5/DCV:  5
   20 CON 
  20 
  13-
   15 BODY 10 
  12-
   12 INT 
  2 
  11- 
  PER Roll 11-
   12 EGO 
  4 
  11- 
  ECV:  4
   20 PRE 
  10 
  13- 
  PRE Attack:  4d6
   6 COM 
  -2 
  10-
   8 PD 
  4 
   
  Total:  11 PD (3 rPD)
   8 ED 
  4 
   
  Total:  11 ED (3 rED)
   4 SPD 
  15 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   8 REC 
  0
   50 END 
  5
   50 STUN 15 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  112
  Movement: 
  Running:  8”/16”
   
  Leaping:  6”/12”
  Cost Powers END
  Martial Arts:  Greco-Roman Wrestling
   
  Maneuver 
  OCV DCV 
  Notes
  4 
  Choke 
  -2 
  +0 
  Grab One Limb; 
  3d6 NND
  3 
  Hold 
  -1 
  -1 
  Grab Two 
  Limbs, 45 STR 
  for holding on
  4 
  Reversal 
  -1 
  -2 
  45 STR to 
  Escape; Grab
  3 
  Slam 
  +0 
  +1 
  6d6 + v/5, Target 
  Falls
  4 
  Slap 
  +2 
  +0 
  8d6 Strike
  3 
  Take Down 
  +2 
  +1 
  6d6 Strike; 
  Target Falls; You 
  Fall
  8 
  +2 Damage Classes (already added in)
  2 
  Strong Legs:  Leaping +2” (6” total) 
  1
  4 
  Fast Runner: Running +2” (8” total) 
  1
   
  Talents
  6 
  Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED)
   
  Skills
  6 
  +2 with Greco-Roman Wrestling
  10 
  +2 with Interaction Skills
  3 
  Acting 13-
  3 
  Conversation 13-
  3 
  Breakfall 12-
  2 
  AK: New York 11-
  2 
  AK: Paris 11-
  2 
  AK: Milan 11-
  2 
  KS: Wrestling 11-
  7 
  Oratory 15-
  5 
  Persuasion 14-
  2 
  PS: Model 11-
  3 
  Seduction 13-
   
  Resource Points
  0 
  Equipment Points:  60
  0 
  Vehicle/Base Points:  10
  20 
  Follower/Contact Points:  45
  0 
  Miscellaneous Points:  0
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  91
  Total Cost:  203
  100+ Disadvantages
  10 
  Distinctive Features:  Too Much Plastic Sur-
  gery And Fake Tan (Concealable With Eﬀ ort; 
  Noticed And Recognizable)
  25 
  Hunted:  Hudson City Police Department 
  8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Vain (Common, 
  Total)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Arrogant, Th inks 
  Of Himself As Greek God (Common, Total)
  15 
  Reputation:  vain criminal worried about his 
  looks, 11-
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Public Identity (E. Ross, 
  former model) (Frequently, Major)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  205
  Background/History:  “Make me better! Make me 
  more beautiful!” commanded the man known to 
  the world only as Adonis. Persons Magazine had 
  voted him one of the ten most beautiful men for 
  the last four years, but the latest rankings had just 
  hit the stand — and Adonis wasn’t one of the ten. 
  He’d lost his beauty,and he wanted it back.
  Th e plastic surgeon studied the man standing 
  in his oﬃ  ce. He was tall and statuesque with broad 
  shoulders, a sculpted body, a narrow waist. He was 
  gracefully entering middle-age, and the plastic 
  surgeon thought he might be the most attractive 
  person, man or woman, to ever stand in his oﬃ  ce. 
  He shrugged. “I don’t think I can....”
  Adonis knew his beauty was fading. He 
  wasn’t one of the ten most beautiful men in the 
  world anymore. He got fewer and fewer model-
  ing jobs. His face no longer graced billboards in 
  all the major cities of the world, looking down on 
  mere mortals like a god gazing from Olympus. 
  His modeling agency said it was because of his 
  arrogance; it claimed photographers found him 
  difficult to work with and refused to hire him. 
  Adonis knew the truth — Persons Magazine had 
  only confirmed it. His beauty was fading, and 
  this fool of a plastic surgeon refused to make 
  him more beautiful.
  Adonis ﬂ ew into a rage. He grabbed the plastic 
  surgeon by the lapels and yanked him out of his 
  chair, dragging him over his desk. He shouted in 
  the cringing man’s face, “Do as I command!”
  VILLAINS
  
  35 
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Two
  Fear in his voice, the plastic surgeon oﬀ ered, 
  “Maybe I could narrow your nose, inject some col-
  lagen in your lips?”
  “Yes,” Adonis said. “Let it be so.” And so the 
  model went under the knife for the ﬁ rst time... but 
  not the last.
  Since then, Adonis has had numerous 
  “improvements” made to his face, all in a des-
  perate attempt to hold on to his fading beauty. 
  But he’s only become more beautiful in his own 
  twisted mind. The countless surgeries have made 
  him grotesque, his face becoming plastic and 
  strange looking. Having paid for so many surger-
  ies, Adonis soon found himself penniless — and 
  in his arrogance, he decided to take the money 
  he needed to maintain a lifestyle appropriate to a 
  god among men.
  Personality/Motivation:  Arrogant and vain, Adonis 
  believes himself the most beautiful person in the 
  world. Even before he lost his mind, Adonis was 
  vain — as he’s aged, his vanity has changed from 
  a fault to an insanity. He expects people to bow to 
  him when they address him, and he grows incred-
  ibly suspicious when a person doesn’t compliment 
  his looks. His motivation for committing crimes 
  is twofold. First, he needs money to maintain his 
  extravagant lifestyle; second, he wishes to prove his 
  beauty to the world.
  Quote:  “Am I not beautiful?”
  Powers/Tactics:  Without fail, Adonis begins combat 
  with a Presence Attack. Even if the situation is dire, 
  he puts his ﬁ sts on his hips and orders his opponent 
  to surrender. Despite his grotesque appearance, he 
  has a remarkable force of personality — and it’s 
  only become stronger as he’s become more insane. 
  Although he’s a skilled hand-to-hand combatant, 
  he rarely deigns to ﬁ ght, leaving the Graces (see 
  below) to ﬁ ght instead. Sometimes this proves a 
  good tactic against costumed crimeﬁ ghters who 
  subscribe to a chivalrous code or are otherwise dis-
  inclined to strike women.
  Adonis’s goons are all women; he collectively 
  refers to them as the Graces and gives them names 
  from Greek mythology (typically Aglaia, Euphro-
  syne, and Th alia, but he’ll branch out if he has more 
  than three at a time). Unlike normally goons, these 
  women are not hired help and don’t get a cut of the 
  take. Th ey worship Adonis — partially because he 
  used to be a famous model, partially because he still 
  exerts a strange and powerful attraction over mem-
  bers of the opposite sex — and serve him of their 
  own free will. Th e Graces wear outﬁ ts in the style of 
  Ancient Greece:  sandals, a knee-length skirt, and a 
  loose top that goes over one shoulder.
  If it does come to hand-to-hand, Adonis ﬁ rst 
  grapples with his opponent. Once he has his foe 
  in a Hold, he forces him to beg for mercy and 
  acknowledge that Adonis is beautiful; if his foe 
  doesn’t comply, he applies a Choke until the victim 
  falls unconscious. Some crimeﬁ ghters have used 
  Adonis’s vanity against him — if faced with con-
  vincing threats to scar his face, he oft en ﬂ ees.
  Campaign Use:  Th e crimes Adonis commits involve 
  beauty. He might hold a beauty pageant hostage:  
  ﬁ rst he steals the audience member’s wallets, then 
  forces the panel of judges to anoint him the most 
  beautiful. He might kidnap a model representing a 
  cosmetics company, holding her hostage until the 
  company meets his ransom demand and its CEO 
  agrees on national television that Adonis is more 
  beautiful than she.
  Adonis is more concerned with proving his 
  own beauty than ruining that of others — but for a 
  darker twist, you might have Adonis start threaten-
  ing to scar and maim beautiful people (maybe the 
  people on this year’s Persons top ten most beauti-
  ful). Adonis is interested in any technology that 
  would make people worship him — from releasing 
  pheromone-laced gases on the unsuspecting city, to 
  mind-control rays (in more superhero-type games).
  To make Adonis more powerful, give him 
  some Damage Reduction — all the plastic sur-
  gery has permanently damaged his nerves and he 
  no longer feels pain. To make him less powerful, 
  remove his Damage Classes with Greco-Roman 
  Wrestling, or lower his STR.
  Adonis generally won’t Hunt heroes — he’s too 
  self-absorbed. But if a hero does something to mar 
  his beauty, Adonis won’t stop pursuing that hero 
  until he gets revenge.
  ADONIS  
  PLOT SEEDS
  Adonis announces that 
  he’s giving up his crimi-
  nal ways and starting his 
  own cosmetic company. 
  Th e ﬁ rst release is a 
  new perfume named 
  Cupid’s Arrow. Will the 
  PCs notice the strange 
  aﬀ ect the perfume has 
  on women who wear 
  it — namely that they 
  must obey every one of 
  Adonis’s commands?
  Adonis thinks a PC is 
  ugly and doesn’t deserve 
  the adulation he receives 
  for his crimeﬁ ghting. 
  He decides to unmask 
  the PC and show his 
  ugly face to the entire 
  world — but only aft er 
  he and the PC compete 
  in a beauty contest held 
  before a panel of judges 
  hand-picked by Adonis 
  himself.
  Adonis decides all male 
  models should look like 
  him. First he kidnaps a 
  plastic surgeon. Th en 
  he begins kidnapping 
  male models. Can the 
  PCs track him to his 
  lair before the surgery 
  begins?
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  36 ■ Hudson City Knights
  Adonis has a lengthy criminal record for 
  robbery, assault, and kidnapping, but nothing 
  more serious.
  Appearance:  Adonis’s lips are bloated with colla-
  gen. His nose is so thin and narrow, it looks ready 
  to fall oﬀ . He’s had his back teeth removed to give 
  himself sunken cheeks. His chin is prominent and 
  his skin has been pulled so tight aft er so many face 
  lift s, it seems as fragile as paper. He’s had all his 
  hair permanently removed and had the hair on his 
  head replaced with implants of blond curls — so 
  shiny, thick, and unmoving, they’re obviously fake. 
  His cheeks have been given a permanent unhealthy 
  blush, and his eyes have been permanently marked 
  with eyeliner with arching eyebrows drawn in over 
  his eyes. He has a nearly perfect sculpted physique, 
  but his skin has an orange tinge from tanning beds. 
  In short, Adonis looks grotesque and he did it all 
  to himself of his own free will. He typically wears 
  a Greco-Roman kilt-like garment and goes bare-
  chested, with sandals that lace up just below the 
  knee and a dark blue cloak
  ANAGRAM
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   10 STR 
  0 
  11- 
  Lift  100 kg; 2d6 [2] 
   19 DEX 
  27 
  13- 
  OCV:  6/DCV:  6
   15 CON 
  10 
  12-
   10 BODY 0 
  11-
   23 INT 
  16 
  14- 
  PER Roll 14-
   12 EGO 
  4 
  11- 
  ECV:  4
   15 PRE 
  5 
  12- 
  PRE Attack:  3d6
   20 COM 
  5 
  13-
   8 PD 
  6 
   
  Total:  11 PD (3 rPD)
   6 ED 
  3 
   
  Total:  9 ED (3 rED)
   4 SPD 
  11 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   7 REC 
  4
   30 END 
  0
   30 STUN 
  7 
  Total Characteristics Points:  98
  Movement: 
  Running:  6”/12”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  Martial Arts: Karate
   
  Maneuver 
  OCV DCV 
  Notes
  4 
  Block 
  +2 
  +2 
  Block, Abort
  4 
  Disarm 
  -1 
  +1 
  Disarm, 20 STR
  4 
  Dodge 
  +0 
  +5 
  Dodge all 
  attacks, Abort
  4 
  Knifehand Strike -2 
  +0 
  ½d6 HKA (1d6 
  with STR)
  4 
  Punch/
   
  Snap Kick 
  +0 
  +2 
  4d6 Strike
  5 
  Side/Spin Kick -2 
  +1 
  6d6 Strike
  6 
  Armored Bodysuit:  Armor (3 PD/3 ED); 
  OIF (-½) 
  0
  20 
  Lucky:  Luck 4d6 
  0
   
  Skills
  3 
  Cryptography 14- 
  3 
  Deduction 14-
  3 
  High Society 12-
  2 
  Language: Anglo-Saxon (ﬂ uent conversation; 
  English is Native)
  2 
  Language: Latin (ﬂ uent conversation)
  3 
  Lockpicking 13-
  3 
  PS: Play Chess 14-
  2 
  PS: Professor 11-
  3 
  Security Systems 14-
  3 
  Stealth 13-
  3 
  Scholar
  2 
  1)  KS: Etymology 14-
  2 
  2)  KS: Games 14-
  2 
  3)  KS: Puzzles 14-
  2 
  4)  KS: Riddles 14-
  2 
  5)  KS: Trivia 14-
  2 
  6)  KS: Word Games, Puns, And Anagrams 14-
  2 
  7)  KS: World Literature 14-
   
  Resource Points
  0 
  Equipment Points:  0
  0 
  Vehicle/Base Points:  0
  10 
  Follower/Contact Points:  25
  0 
  Miscellaneous Points:  0
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  102
  Total Cost:  200
  
  37 
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Two
  100+ Disadvantages
  25 
  Hunted:  Hudson City Police Department 
  8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Loves Word 
  Games, Puzzles, Riddles, And Th e Like, And 
  Cannot Resist Th em (Uncommon, Total)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Intellectual Vanity 
  (Common, Strong)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Code Versus Kill-
  ing (Common, Total)
  10 
  Reputation:  criminal with word-game ﬁ xa-
  tion, 11-
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Public Identity (Anna 
  Graham, former English professor) (Fre-
  quently, Major)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  200
  Background/History:  Anna Graham had it all. At 
  30, she was one of the “young stars” at Hudson City 
  State University, holding the prestigious Flaherty 
  Chair in the English Department. She made an 
  excellent salary, was admired and respected by her 
  peers, was well-liked by her students, and edited the 
  Atlantic Journal of Etomology (a scholarly publica-
  tion devoted to the study of word origins and other 
  linguistic trivia). And she threw it all away in search 
  of an eleven-letter word for “lawgiver.”
  Ever since she was a child, Anna Graham was 
  fascinated by games and puzzles, particularly word 
  games. By the time she was ten she could ﬁ nish the 
  Hudson City Mirror’s Sunday crossword in just a 
  few hours. When she was ﬁ ft een she could do it in 
  half an hour without a dictionary to help her. Th is 
  led her to study words and word origins, and even-
  tually to her prestigious professorship.
  Aft er a while, academia lost its interest for 
  her, but her love for word games, puns, and riddles 
  never left  her. She found herself spending more 
  and more time with her games, and less with her 
  research and professorial work. She sought out 
  more and more diﬃ  cult (and unusual) puzzles to 
  challenge herself with.
  And then it happened — a puzzle she 
  couldn’t solve. She came across a clue in one of 
  her word puzzles — “Lawgiver,” eleven letters 
  — that mystified her completely. She missed one 
  lecture, and then two, hunting for the word in the 
  library, cursing the entire time that there wasn’t 
  a thesaurus to accompany the full-sized Oxford 
  English Dictionary.
  For two weeks she combed through the library, 
  emerging only to eat and, occasionally, to sleep. 
  It was driving her crazy. What ﬁ nally brought her 
  back to her senses was the Dean — and the termi-
  nation notice. Th e faculty had noted her increasing 
  lack of attention to her work, and this two-week 
  binge of missing scheduled classes was the last 
  straw. Gift ed or not, she wasn’t doing the work and 
  she was a bad inﬂ uence, so out she went.
  Unemployment turned out to be a long-term 
  thing. Other universities, having gotten wind of her 
  “peculiarities,” wouldn’t hire her. Finally, she was 
  thrown out of her apartment for nonpayment of 
  rent — but the thing that bothered her the most 
  was that she still didn’t know what the eleven-letter 
  word for “lawgiver” was. Looking at the back of the 
  puzzle book for the answer never even occurred to 
  her — that would be cheating, aft er all.
  The next time the world saw Anna Graham, 
  she was a different person. Instead of her plain 
  professorial clothes, she was wearing a skintight 
  outfit patterned after a blank crossword puzzle. 
  Instead of standing in front of a blackboard, she 
  was standing in front of a bank vault as her men 
  robbed it. When she left, she left behind a clue 
  — a piece of paper with the words “Beth H. boils” 
  written on it in flowery script.
  Th e police began looking for a woman named 
  Beth H., afraid that this new costumed criminal 
  was intending to kill her in some horrible fashion. 
  It took the costumed vigilante DarkAngel to track 
  Anagram down to the Oy, Vey! Bagel Shoppe in 
  Worthington — by rearranging the letters in the 
  clue, she spelled “shibboleth,” and then simply had 
  to ﬁ nd the right shibboleth. Appropriately enough, 
  it was a Jewish shibboleth, since the word itself, as 
  Anagram well knew, comes from a Hebrew term.
  When DarkAngel defeated her, Anagram was 
  arrested and sentenced to prison. Aft er serving a 
  few months, she escaped and continued her career 
  as a clue-dropping criminal. Since then she’s been 
  captured and escaped several times, always return-
  ing to terrorize the city with her word-puzzle-
  inspired crimes.
  And all because of the word “thesmothete.”
  Personality/Motivation:  Anagram is an intellectual 
  snob who loves to show oﬀ  her smarts through her 
  skill with word games, puzzles, riddles, and similar 
  amusements. Th e same desire to show how smart 
  she is got her into teaching. She strongly prefers to 
  outsmart her opposition, and cannot resist a challenge 
  relating to word games, puzzles, or anything similar 
  that lets her display her brilliance (in fact, she’s been 
  captured several times when a crimeﬁ ghter or police 
  oﬃ  cer challenged her to some sort of contest, absorb-
  ing her attention until backup arrived). But she won’t 
  accept just any challenge — if the puzzle is an easy 
  one she’ll scoﬀ , solve it almost immediately, and be on 
  her way. It takes a really diﬃ  cult puzzle to seriously 
  attract her attention. Also, she realizes the risks she 
  takes by accepting a challenge, and she expects her 
  opponent to take a similar risk (for example, to agree 
  to be a hostage if defeated).
  Anagram never cheats. If a hero beats her 
  by cheating she not only refuses to “play” with 
  him anymore, she seeks vengeance for the way 
  he spoiled her game. If outsmarted or tricked in 
  any way, Anagram becomes furious — she swears 
  revenge on the person who tricked her, and 
  doesn’t stop trying to get her revenge until she 
  feels she’s succeeded.
  A lot of criminologists have noted the simi-
  larities between Anagram and another criminal, 
  Penny Dreadful — intellectual vanity, a love of 
  wordplay, and so forth — and have speculated 
  that they may be somehow related, or even the 
  same person. Although they’ve never met, the 
  two actively dislike each other and sometimes 
  compete for the same “prizes.”
  ANAGRAM 
  PLOT SEEDS
  It’s the world crossword 
  competition! Fift y of 
  the best and fastest will 
  compete to complete 
  the hardest crossword 
  puzzle known to man... 
  and the PCs know, just 
  know, that Anagram 
  will be there. Can they 
  ﬁ nd her among the 
  ﬁ ft y contestants? And 
  when the judges report 
  the answers stolen and 
  one enraged contestant 
  volunteers to help track 
  down the thief, will the 
  PCs realize that this 
  Anagram in disguise?
  Anagram turns sky-
  scrapers into gigantic 
  crossword puzzles, using 
  the widows for boxes 
  by lighting them up at 
  night — will the PCs 
  ﬁ gure out that windows 
  running down from sev-
  enth ﬂ oor correspond to 
  7-down in that morn-
  ing’s crossword puzzle, 
  windows running across 
  the eighth ﬂ oor corre-
  spond to 8-across, and 
  so on? Furthermore, 
  will they ﬁ gure out 
  the answers, and how 
  those answers relate to 
  Anagram’s next crime, 
  in time to stop her?
  One night Anagram and 
  her goons replace all the 
  street signs in a neigh-
  borhood with scrambled 
  versions — but one’s a 
  little diﬀ erent. Th e clue 
  to her next crime is the 
  street sign that doesn’t 
  unscramble to the 
  correct street name — 
  instead, it unscrambles 
  to the location of her 
  next crime. Will the PCs 
  ﬁ gure this out in time to 
  stop her?
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  38 ■ Hudson City Knights
  Quote:  “‘DarkAngel?’ No, no, we can think up 
  something more appropriate for you with those let-
  ters. How about ‘Ankle Grad?’ ‘R Naked Gal?’”
  Powers/Tactics: Although she has some training in 
  karate, Anagram is a game-player, not a ﬁ ghter, and 
  she knows it. She typically hires a lot of big, dumb 
  goons to help her; she controls them with a combi-
  nation of ﬂ attery, wit, and sarcasm. However, she’s 
  no shrinking violet — she’s perfectly willing to ﬁ ght 
  if she has to.
  Anagram’s preferred method for dealing 
  with her foes is to trick them into a trap, usu-
  ally with her trademark “clues” and word-games 
  that they can’t possibly be smart enough to 
  understand. Alternately, she may simply have a 
  group of thugs jump her intended victim, beat 
  him senseless, and then put him in a deathtrap. 
  Anagram’s goons wear costumes similar to her 
  own, but with only one strip of squares, either 
  going across or down. In 
  the first blank square is a 
  number, and Anagram uses 
  this number to name them 
  — 14-Down, 7-Across, and 
  so on.
  Campaign Use:  Anagram 
  limits herself to property 
  crimes; she has no desire to 
  hurt anyone who stays out of 
  her way. However, she leaves 
  word game-based clues at the 
  scene of every crime, giving 
  the police or the PCs the 
  chance to match wits with 
  her. She patterns entire series 
  of crimes aft er a set of clues, 
  so there’s usually a method 
  to her madness — a theme 
  to any particular crime spree. 
  If the characters are smart 
  enough to ﬁ gure out what it 
  is, catching her should not be 
  too diﬃ  cult.
  To make Anagram 
  more powerful, simply give 
  her more and better goons, 
  or perhaps some gadgets. 
  To make her less powerful, 
  remove her Martial Arts.
  As a Hunter, Anagram is 
  more interested in embarrass-
  ing and humiliating her prey 
  than killing him or even caus-
  ing him permanent harm. She’s most likely to Hunt 
  a hero who has “out-anagrammed” her previously, 
  in an eﬀ ort to prove her intellectual superiority.
  Anagram has a lengthy record for robberies, 
  assaults, and kidnapping.
  Appearance:  Anagram is an attractive woman in 
  her early 30s, standing 5’8” tall and weighing 120 
  pounds. Slim, with a well-proportioned figure, 
  she’s got the musculature of someone who exer-
  cises regularly. She wears a skintight bodystock-
  ing patterned after a crossword puzzle. Usually 
  all the squares are blank, but sometimes some (or 
  all) of them have letters in them (these are often 
  a clue of some sort). The costume covers her 
  face completely, but leaves her long, red hair free. 
  Since her identity is well-known, sometimes she 
  dispenses with the mask altogether, or changes it 
  to a simple black domino.
  
  39 
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Two
  THE ASTROLOGER
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   12 STR 
   2 
  11- 
  Lift  133 kg; 2d6 [2] 
   18 DEX 
  24 
  13- 
  OCV:  6/DCV:  6
   15 CON 
  10 
  12-
   10 BODY  0 
  11-
   18 INT 
   8 
  13- 
  PER Roll 13-
   11 EGO 
   2 
  11- 
  ECV:  3
   15 PRE 
   5 
  12- 
  PRE Attack:  3d6
   16 COM 
   3 
  12-
   6 PD 
   4 
   
  Total:  9 PD (3 rPD)
   5 ED 
   2 
   
  Total:  8 ED (3 rED)
   4 SPD 
  12 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   5 REC 
   0 
   30 END 
   0
   28 STUN  4 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  76
  Movement: 
  Running: 
  6”/12”
  Cost Powers  
  END
  17 
  Astrologer’s Staﬀ :  Multipower, 35-point 
  reserve, all OAF (-1)
  1u 
  1)  Sun:  Sight Group Flash 7d6; OAF (-1), 
  4 Charges (-1) 
  [4]
  1u 
  2)  Moon:  Energy Blast 3d6, NND 
  (defense is Power Defense; +1); OAF (-1), 
  4 Charges (-1), Reduced By Range (-¼) [4]
  1u 
  3)  Stars:  RKA 1d6, Armor Piercing 
  (+½); OAF (-1), 8 Charges (-½) 
  [8]
  1u 
  4)  Comet:  Energy Blast 7d6; OAF (-1), 
  4 Charges (-1) 
  [4]
  1u 
  5)  Clouds:  Darkness to Normal Sight 3”; 
  OAF (-1), 6 Charges (-¾), No Range (-½) [6]
  3 
  Goggles:  Flash Defense (5 points); OIF (-½) 0
   
  Talents
  6 
  Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED)
   
  Skills
  9 
  +3 with Astrologer’s Staﬀ 
  3 
  Electronics 11-
  1 
  Forgery (Art Objects) 8-
  3 
  High Society 12-
  3 
  Inventor 13-
  8 
  KS: Astrology 18-
  3 
  Oratory 12-
  3 
  Persuasion 12-
  5 
  PS: Astrologer 15-
  2 
  PS: Toymaker 11-
  3 
  SS: Astronomy 13-
   
  Resource Points
  0 
  Equipment Points:  0
  0 
  Vehicle/Base Points:  0
  10 
  Follower/Contact Points:  25
  0 
  Miscellaneous Points:  0
  Total Powers & Skill Cost:  84
  Total Cost:  160
  100+ Disadvantages
  20 
  Enraged:  when events do not occur accord-
  ing to his “chart,” go 11-, recover 11-
  25 
  Hunted:  Hudson City Police Department 
  8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Believes In Astrol-
  ogy (Common, Total)
  10 
  Reputation:  astrological criminal, 11-
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Public Identity (William 
  Starkey) (Frequently, Major)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  190
  Background/History:  William Starkey’s first 
  career was as a toymaker. He spent a long time 
  looking for a career that would allow him to 
  use his natural creativity and talent for build-
  ing things. But after a few years he was very 
  unhappy with his chosen profession. He began 
  to find it boring... and to make matters worse, he 
  found out that he really didn’t like having to put 
  up with little kids. So, in a fit of frustration, he 
  closed up his toy shop for good and turned to his 
  first love — astrology.
  Starkey had believed devoutly in astrology 
  for years, and was quite knowledgeable about the 
  subject. He decided to put his knowledge to good 
  use as a caster of horoscopes and predictor of the 
  fortunes of the rich and famous. It took him a few 
  years to get ﬁ rmly established, but aft er that he 
  quickly became the toast of the Hudson City elite. 
  Th ey considered it fashionable to have him read 
  their stars and attend their parties to entertain 
  everyone with his wit and imagination. Starkey was 
  on top of the world.
  It didn’t last forever, of course. Aft er a few 
  months, the rich and famous tired of him and 
  found new interests to pursue. Starkey was left  
  behind, bitter and angry. He simply couldn’t toler-
  ate being rejected. Well, he decided, if they won’t 
  give their money to me, I’ll take it from them!
  A few weeks later, he showed up at another 
  fancy party — but not dressed in a tuxedo. Wearing 
  starry robes, carrying a staﬀ , and backed up by a 
  squad of thugs, he called himself the Astrologer. He 
  and his gang robbed everyone at the party, then left  
  aft er Starkey made a few snide remarks about what 
  their stars said.
  It wasn’t long before he was captured, since 
  several partygoers recognized him. He served 
  part of his time in prison, escaped, and returned 
  to a life of crime. He’s been repeating this cycle 
  ever since.
  Personality/Motivation:  Th e Astrologer is an ego-
  tistical little man with a fascination for astrology. 
  A blow to his ego turned him to crime, and even 
  today any insult to his intelligence, wit, or looks 
  angers him. He always makes sure to hire rela-
  tively unintelligent thugs so that he can lord his 
  intellect over them... but this hasn’t exactly helped 
  the execution of his schemes or his chances to 
  escape when things go wrong. Before the start of 
  any crime, he always prepares a star chart to help 
  him plan the caper and anticipate any diﬃ  culties. 
  (Th e chart provides a valuable clue for ﬁ guring out 
  his next move, if the heroes can acquire it.) If his 
  ASTROLOGER 
  PLOT SEEDS
  Th e Astrologer has read 
  one too many sloppily-
  prepared horoscopes in 
  the Hudson Sun, so he 
  kidnaps the person who 
  writes them. Can the 
  PCs track him to his lair 
  before something bad 
  happens to the victim?
  Th e Stars of Zaire, ﬁ ve 
  of the largest diamonds 
  in the world, are cur-
  rently on display at the 
  Hudson City Museum 
  of Anthropology and 
  Natural History. Can the 
  PCs stop the Astrologer 
  from stealing them?
  Aft er they capture the 
  Astrologer, he gives 
  them a grave warning, 
  saying the future holds 
  terrible things for them 
  — and when those 
  things start coming true, 
  what do the PCs do? Do 
  they ask the Astrologer 
  for advice? Or is this 
  some plot on his part to 
  discourage the heroes?
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  40 ■ Hudson City Knights
  chart turns out to be wrong 
  — typically because of the 
  “interference” of the police or 
  crimeﬁ ghters — he oft en ﬂ ies 
  into a rage.
  Quote:  “Th e fault, dear man, 
  lies not in your stars, but in 
  you own utter stupidity.”
  Powers/Tactics:  Th e Astrolo-
  ger’s only real “powers” come 
  from the staﬀ  that he carries. 
  It contains several concealed 
  weapons that allow it to emit 
  bright light (his Flash), sleep 
  gas (NND), dangerous sparks 
  (RKA), a powerful blast (EB), 
  or smoke (Darkness). He may 
  also carry other weapons or 
  gadgets with a “star” theme if 
  the GM so desires.
  Th e Astrologer has no 
  real combat skills, but he likes 
  to think he does. He always 
  tries to stand and ﬁ ght for a 
  Phase or two... but as soon as 
  he takes a hard blow or real-
  izes the situation is hopeless, 
  and then he ﬂ ees.
  Th e Astrologer’s goons 
  are named aft er the signs of 
  the zodiac. Th ey wear black 
  bodysuits with the appropri-
  ate sign on the chest in silver.
  Campaign Use:  The Astrologer’s crimes center 
  around the stars and heavens. This can range 
  from hijacking a telescope, 
  to stealing a display of dia-
  monds named after stars, 
  to robbing a charity ball at 
  the local planetarium. His 
  main interest is accumulat-
  ing wealth, so he’s unlikely to 
  Hunt heroes — unless it’s in 
  the stars, that is. If it is, his 
  tactics aren’t sophisticated:  
  he commits some crime 
  that’s primarily a trap to 
  lure the PC, then orders his 
  goons to jump the PC.
  To make the Astrologer 
  more powerful, increase the 
  points in his Multipower and 
  the slots, and increase his 
  defenses. To make him less 
  powerful, lower his SPD to 3, 
  or even 2, and take away some 
  of the slots in his Multipower.
  Appearance:  Th e Astrologer is 
  a man of average height and 
  weight in his mid-thirties. He 
  has black hair and a short black 
  beard and moustache which 
  he keeps elegantly trimmed. 
  He wears a black robe and 
  cape spangled with silver 
  stars, moons, and planets, and 
  conﬁ nes his hair with a silver 
  headband that has a star set in 
  the middle of his forehead. His 
  Astrologer’s Staﬀ  is made of plain black wood carved 
  with rows of astrological symbols.
  
  41 
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Two
  BEATLEMANIA
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   12 STR 
  2 
  11- 
  Lift  133 kg; 2d6 [2]
   15 DEX 
  15 
  12- 
  OCV:  5/DCV:  5
   12 CON 
  4 
  11-
   10 BODY 0 
  11-
   15 INT 
  5 
  12- 
  PER Roll 12-
   10 EGO 
  0 
  11- 
  ECV:  3
   10 PRE 
  0 
  11- 
  PRE Attack:  2d6
   10 COM 
  0 
  11-
   7 PD 
  5 
   
  Total:  11 PD (4 rPD)
   5 ED 
  3 
   
  Total:  9 ED (4 rED)
   3 SPD 
  5 
   
  Phases:  4, 8, 12
   4 REC 
  0
   30 END 
  3
   30 STUN 
  8 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  50
  Movement: 
  Running: 
  6”/12”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  12 
  Happiness Is A Warm Gun:  RKA 1½d6, 
  Armor Piercing (+½); OAF (revolver; -1), 
  Beam (-¼), 6 Charges (-¾) 
  [6]
  21 
  Lucy+ Gas Pellets:  Drain EGO 2d6, NND 
  (defense is Life Support [Self-Contained 
  Breathing or appropriate Immunity]; +½), 
  Ranged (+½); OAF (gun; -1), 6 Charges 
  (-¾) plus Mental Illusions 8d6; OAF (gun; 
  -1), Set Eﬀ ect (make environment psyche-
  delic; -1), Based On CON (-1), Only 
  Versus Targets Aﬀ ected By Drain (-½), 
  Linked (-½), 6 Charges (-¾) 
  [6]
  43 
  Sgt. Pepper’s Spray:  Sight Group Flash 5d6, 
  NND (defense is solid eye covering; +1), 
  Delayed Recovery (+2); OAF (-1), No 
  Range (-½), Real Weapon (-¼), 
  12 Charges (-¼) plus Energy Blast 3d6, 
  NND (defense is solid eye covering; +1); 
  OAF (-1), No Range (-½), Real Weapon 
  (-¼), 12 Charges (-¼) 
  [12]
  15 
  Good Day Sunshine Grenades:  Sight 
  Group Flash 6d6, Area Of Eﬀ ect (One Hex; 
  +½); OAF (grenades; -1), 4 Charges (-1) 
  [4]
  8 
  Rubber Soul Longjohns:  Armor 
  (4 PD/4 ED); OIF (-½) 
  0
  10 
  Help!:  Luck 2d6 
  0
   
  Skills
  15 
  +5 with his four weapons
  5 
  AK: Hudson City 14-
  2 
  AK: Liverpool 11-
  7 
  KS: Th e Beatles 17-
  2 
  PS: Memorabilia Dealer 11-
  3 
  Shadowing 12-
  5 
  Streetwise 12-
  2 
  Survival (Urban) 12-
  3 
  Trading 11-
  2 
  WF: Small Arms
   
  Resource Points
  0 
  Equipment Points:  60
  0 
  Vehicle/Base Points:  10
  0 
  Follower/Contact Points:  5
  0 
  Miscellaneous Points:  0
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  155
  Total Cost:  205
  100+ Disadvantages
  10 
  Distinctive Features:  Always Hums Or Sings 
  Beatles Songs (Concealable With Eﬀ ort, 
  Noticed And Recognizable)
  15 
  Enraged:  when someone confuses a Beatles 
  song with the solo work of John, Paul, 
  George, or Ringo (Uncommon) go 11-, 
  recover 11-
  25 
  Hunted:  Hudson City Police Department 
  8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Obsessed With 
  Th e Beatles (Common, Total)
  10 
  Reputation:  criminal with Beatles ﬁ xation, 11-
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Public Identity (John Paul 
  Kite) (Frequently, Major)
  10 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  205
  Background/History:  John Paul Kite spent his life 
  traveling the ﬂ ea markets, buying and trading 
  Beatles memorabilia. He was a true fan — a person 
  who had dedicated his life to his love — but ulti-
  mately, when it came to amassing a collection of 
  rare and important Beatles-related artifacts, being a 
  fan didn’t matter. What mattered was money.
  Kite read in the newspaper about an auction 
  where the shoes Paul had taken oﬀ  before shooting 
  the cover for Abbey Road were being put up for bid. 
  Th e estimated value of the shoes was ﬁ ve hundred 
  grand. Kite checked his bank account, saw that 
  he was overdrawn, and decided to steal the shoes. 
  At the auction, he ﬁ red his revolver up into the 
  air, grabbed the shoes, and for the ﬁ rst time truly 
  understood that happiness was a warm gun.
  Dubbing himself Beatlemania, Kite went on a 
  crime spree, swearing he wouldn’t stop until every 
  important piece of Beatles memorabilia was out of 
  the hands of inﬁ dels and in his own loving posses-
  sion. But he didn’t get that far — DarkAngel soon 
  caught him trying to steal a pair of John’s steel rim 
  spectacles from a private collector. Since then, he’s 
  been in and out of state psychiatric facilities — 
  once even cutting his hair to convince his therapist 
  he was cured of his obsession (for the subsequent 
  crime spree, he was forced to adopt a mod look). 
  Over time his crimes have become more general, 
  but they never deviate from his Beatles theme.
  Personality/Motivation:  Obsessed with the Beatles 
  and disgusted with the capitalist market forces that 
  drive up prices for Beatles memorabilia, Beatle-
  mania has decided to take what he wants. Since 
  ﬁ rst stealing Paul’s shoes, Beatlemania has slipped 
  further and further into... well... mania. Outside of 
  his obsession, he comes across as a typical hippy 
  — though maybe a little more Weatherman than 
  Peace and Love. Th ere’s very little outside the Bea-
  tles he’s willing to discuss anymore, since nothing 
  else seems important. He’s always humming, sing-
  ing, or whistling Beatles songs; the only way he can 
  stop for 1d6 Turns is to succeed with an EGO Roll. 
  He ﬂ ies into an inexplicable rage when someone 
  confuses a song he sings or hums with a song from 
  one of the Beatles’s solo career — a fact that some 
  costumed crimeﬁ ghters have used to their advan-
  tage. (He gets only slightly less mad when someone 
  BEATLEMANIA 
  PLOT SEEDS
  Beatlemania and Penny 
  Dreadful team up to 
  the theme of “Paper-
  back Writer.” Th ey 
  plan to steal the notes 
  of John Lennon and 
  Paul McCartney (cur-
  rently on display at the 
  museum). But Beatle-
  mania keeps calling his 
  partner Penny Lane, 
  so how much longer 
  can this team-up last? 
  Will the PCs have to 
  save Beatlemania from 
  Penny’s wrath?
  Uh-oh... the singers in 
  the new band, Boys Be 
  Bad, have just claimed 
  they’re bigger than the 
  Beatles. How long will 
  it take for Beatlemania 
  to ﬁ nd out about this 
  sacrilege and take his 
  revenge?
  Paul McCartney’s been 
  kidnapped, and the PCs 
  must ﬁ nd him. Beatle-
  mania, their number 
  one suspect, gets in 
  touch with them and 
  oﬀ ers to help ﬁ nd Sir 
  Paul. Can the PCs trust 
  him?
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  42 ■ Hudson City Knights
  confuses a non-Beatles song for a Beatles tune, or 
  describes a Beatles tune remade by someone else as 
  “the original” or “better.”)
  Quote:  “Baby, I’m a rich man! Baby, I’m a rich man! 
  Baby, I’m a rich man, too!”
  Powers/Tactics:  Beatlemania’s main “powers” stem 
  from the handful of gadgets that he’s painted psy-
  chedelic colors and named aft er various Beatles’ 
  songs and albums. Happiness Is A Warm Gun 
  is a simple revolver painted green and pink; Sgt. 
  Pepper’s Spray is a canister of industrial strength 
  pepper spray foam with a copy of the album cover 
  to “Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” pasted 
  on the cylinder.
  His Lucy+ Gas Pellets are of his own devising. 
  A small air gun studded with rhinestones launches 
  the pellets that explode in a puﬀ  of gas. Persons 
  inhaling the gas suﬀ er from eﬀ ects similar to those 
  brought on by a hit of LSD but much stronger 
  (and shorter-term). In addition to losing his sense 
  of purpose and self as his consciousness expands 
  to become one with the universe, the victim sees 
  colorful auras of sliding and shift ing colors around 
  everyone and everything. Th e auras are more dis-
  tracting than anything, but for some — the espe-
  cially grim and serious, for instance — it can be a 
  harrowing experience to see the world in bright 
  day-glo colors.
  Whenever he pulls out a weapon, Beatlemania 
  sings a snippet of song appropriate to the weapon’s 
  name, and for PCs versed in Beatles songs this can 
  serve as a clue to what eﬀ ect the weapon will have. 
  As he ﬁ ghts, he tends to dance and sway as if music 
  were playing — it is, of course, but only Beatlema-
  nia can hear it.
  Th e goons Beatlemania employs dress as 
  hippies wearing bell bottoms and tie-dyes, and 
  they’re named aft er songs (Lovely Rita, Bungalow 
  Bill, Rocky Raccoon, Eleanor Rigby, and so on), 
  or sometimes more generically as “Blue Meanies.” 
  Th ey’re never named aft er the Beatles themselves 
  — Blasphemy! Th ere’s only John, Paul, George, and 
  Ringo — I mean one of each, man.
  Campaign Use:  Beatlemania’s crimes center around 
  the Beatles. He steals memorabilia or patterns a 
  crime spree aft er a Beatles album, song, or movie. 
  He might paint a submarine yellow and rob ships 
  at port; commit a series of crimes over one night 
  in the order of the songs on A Hard Day’s Night; or 
  give a van a psychidelic paint-job and take a Magi-
  cal Mystery Tour of the suburbs.
  To make Beatlemania less of a threat, take 
  away his gadgets, starting with his Lucy+ Gas Pel-
  lets. To make him more of a threat, raise his Char-
  acteristics to STR 15, DEX 18, and CON 15, adjust-
  ing his Secondary Characteristics as appropriate.
  Beatlemania only Hunts PCs if they either 
  repeatedly insult the Beatles (and nothing gets 
  under his skin more than saying the Rolling Stones 
  were better than the Beatles) or have some sort 
  of tie to the band (for example, if they’re known 
  to own a piece of Beatles memorabilia, or have a 
  name that somehow relates to the pattern of Bea-
  tlemania’s latest crime spree). Any PC he captures 
  ﬁ nds himself in a deathtrap based on a Beatles song 
  while the song itself plays in the background:  a 
  slide into a pool of sharks while “Helter Skelter” 
  plays; being spun at ever-increasing speeds on an 
  oversized turntable while hearing “Revolution 9”; 
  chained down directly below a soon-to-swing silver 
  hammer while “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” plays.
  Beatlemania has a criminal record for robbery, 
  assault, and a few acts of kidnapping.
  Appearance:  Th e greatest tragedy of Beatlemania’s 
  existence is that at 26 years old, he’s too young to 
  have seen the Beatles perform live. He’s a short, 
  non-descript man with long stringy brown hair 
  (sometimes cut in the early Beatles style). He wears 
  sunglasses with round, rose-colored lenses over 
  his bloodshot eyes, and keeps his hair back with a 
  tie-dyed bandanna. He wears tee-shirts that feature 
  a Beatles album cover or simply say “Th e Beatles,” 
  bell bottoms sewn with many colorful patches, and 
  sandals made from hemp. Over this he wears an 
  old army coat with deep pockets where he keeps 
  his weapons. On rare occasions, he may change his 
  garb to ﬁ t a particular crime spree or song, such as 
  putting on a uniform reminiscent of the ones the 
  Beatles wear on the cover of Sgt. Pepper’s.
  
  43 
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Two
  CHITCHAT
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   12 STR 
  2 
  11- 
  Lift  133 kg; 2d6 [2]
   15 DEX 
  15 
  12- 
  OCV:  5/DCV:  5
   12 CON 
  4 
  11-
   12 BODY 4 
  11-
   20 INT 
  10 
  13- 
  PER Roll 13-
   15 EGO 
  10 
  12- 
  ECV:  5
   12 PRE 
  2 
  11- 
  PRE Attack:  2d6
   10 COM 
  0 
  11-
   5 PD 
  3 
   
  Total:  8 PD (3 rPD)
   5 ED 
  3 
   
  Total:  8 ED (3 rED)
   3 SPD 
  5 
   
  Phases:  4, 8, 12
   4 REC 
  0
   24 END 
  0
   24 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  58  
  Movement: 
  Running: 
  6”/12”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  16 
  Microphone:  Multipower, 40-point 
  reserve, 1 Continuing Fuel Charge 
  (battery, easily obtained; 6 Hours; -0); 
  all slots OAF (-1), Only Works If Th ere 
  Are Speakers Present At Location (-½) [1cc]
  1u 
  1)  “May I Please Have Your Attention”:  
  +10 PRE; OAF (-1), Only Works If Th ere 
  Are Speakers Present At Location (-½) 
  0
  1u 
  2)  “Testing.... 1, 2... SKREEEEEEE”:  
  Energy Blast 2d6, NND (defense is 
  Hearing Group Flash Defense; +1), 
  Area Of Eﬀ ect (12” Radius; +2); OAF (-1), 
  Only Works If Th ere Are Speakers Present 
  At Location (-½), No Range (-½), 
  Incantations (-¼) 
  0
  1u 
  3)  “Ka-Booooom!”:  Hearing Group 
  Flash 4d6, Area Of Eﬀ ect (12” Radius; +2); 
  OAF (-1), Only Works If Th ere Are 
  Speakers Present At Location (-½), No 
  Range (-½), Incantations (-¼) 
  0
  13 
  Chattering Teeth:  Multipower, 40-point 
  reserve; all slots OAF (-1), Only Against 
  Targets On Th e Ground (-½), Extra Time 
  (travels at the rate of 12” per Segment, 
  taking a minimum of one Extra Segment 
  to reach its target; -½)
  1u 
  1)  Freeze Gas:  Minor Transform 2d6 
  (normal object to frozen stiﬀ  object, heals 
  by thawing out at normal rate), Indirect 
  (attack originates from Chitchat, but can 
  strike target from any angle; +½), No 
  Range Modiﬁ er (+½); Common 
  Modiﬁ ers (see above; -2), Limited Target 
  (nonliving objects with moving parts; -½), 
  4 Charges (-1) 
  [4]
  1u 
  2)  Sleeping Gas:  Energy Blast 2d6, NND 
  (defense is Life Support [Self-Contained 
  Breathing or appropriate Immunity]; +1), 
  Indirect (attack originates from Chitchat, 
  but can strike target from any angle; +½), 
  No Range Modiﬁ er (+½); Common 
  Modiﬁ ers (see above; -2), 4 Charges (-1) [4]
  1u 
  3)  Smoke:  Darkness to Sight Group 2” 
  radius, Indirect (attack always originates 
  from Chitchat, but can strike target from 
  any angle; +½), No Range Modiﬁ er (+½); 
  Common Modiﬁ ers (see above; -2), 8 
  Charges lasting 1 Turn each (-0)   
  [8cc]
  1u 
  4)  Flash:  Sight Group Flash 2d6, Indirect 
  (attack originates from Chitchat, but can 
  strike target from any angle; +½), No 
  Range Modiﬁ er (+½); Common 
  Modiﬁ ers (see above; -2), 4 Charges (-1) [6]
  1u 
  5)  Th ermite:  RKA 1d6, Armor Piercing 
  (+½), Area Of Eﬀ ect (One Hex; +½), 
  Indirect (attack originates from Chitchat, 
  but can strike target from any angle; +½), 
  No Range Modiﬁ er (+½); Common 
  Modiﬁ ers (see above; -2), 4 Charges (-1)  [6]
  6 
  Armored Bodysuit:  Armor (3 PD/3 ED); 
  OIF (-½) 
  0
  8 
  Earplugs:  Hearing Group Flash Defense 
  (12 points); OIF (-½)
   
  Skills
  16 
  Distracting Patter:  +4 DCV; Incantations (-¼)
  3 
  Acting 11-
  3 
  Bugging 13-
  3 
  Computer Programming 13-
  5 
  Electronics 14-
  5 
  Inventor 14-
  3 
  KS: Television And Radio Personalities 13-
  3 
  KS: History Of Broadcast Media 13- 
  5 
  Oratory 12-
  5 
  Persuasion 12-
  3 
  PS: Television And Radio Repairman 13-
  5 
  Security Systems 14-
  5 
  Systems Operation 14-
   
  Resource Points
  12 
  Equipment Points:  120
  0 
  Vehicle/Base Points:  10
  15 
  Follower/Contact Points:  35
  0 
  Miscellaneous Points:  0
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  142
  Total Cost:  200
  100+ Disadvantages
  10 
  Distinctive Features:  Can’t Shut Up 
  (Concealable With Eﬀ ort, Noticed And Rec-
  ognizable)
  25 
  Hunted:  Hudson City Police Department 
  8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
  25 
  Psychological Limitation:  Craves Attention 
  (Very Common, Total)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Code Versus 
  Killing (Common, Total)
  10 
  Reputation:  criminal with craving for atten-
  tion who’s mostly harmless, 8-
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Public Identity (Calvin 
  Jacobson) (Frequently, Major)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  205
  CHITCHAT 
  PLOT SEEDS
  A television exec has 
  agreed to give Chitchat 
  a talkshow — TV sta-
  tions will do anything 
  for ratings. But then 
  the ratings for the ﬁ rst 
  week come in and the 
  show has tanked. Chit-
  chat knows he needs a 
  costumed crimeﬁ ghter 
  to get those ratings up, 
  so he sets a trap to lure 
  the heroes onto his 
  show. But the televi-
  sion exec has other 
  ideas. He thinks the 
  show needs some death 
  and dismemberment 
  — Chitchat, the heroes, 
  whomever. Will the PCs 
  ﬁ gure out what’s going 
  on before it’s too late?
  Aft er his talk show goes 
  the way of the dodo, 
  Chitchat comes up with 
  another brilliant idea:  
  reality TV! He con-
  vinces another network 
  exec to put Th e Chitchat 
  Show on the air, with 
  cameramen following 
  him around constantly 
  to record his crimes, 
  his daily activities, how 
  he decorates his secret 
  headquarters.... Th e rat-
  ings go through the roof. 
  Th e PCs have to put a 
  stop to this abuse of the 
  airwaves.
  Chitchat has hijacked 
  the airwaves — it’s all 
  Chitchat, all the time, 
  and that’s too much 
  for anyone to bear. Th e 
  heroes must track him 
  down and make their 
  way through the traps 
  lying in wait to bring 
  the broadcasting day to 
  an end.
  As Chitchat’s latest 
  caper comes to an end, 
  he handcuﬀ s himself to 
  one of the heroes — this 
  will guarantee that he 
  stays in the limelight! 
  Th e handcuﬀ s are based 
  on a design by the great 
  Harry Houdini himself. 
  Th e chain is unbreak-
  able, the lock unpick-
  Continued on next page
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  44 ■ Hudson City Knights
  Background/History:  His nickname in high school 
  was Yeah Man, because he would only ever answer, 
  “Yeah.” If the answer was no, he just shook his head.
  Outside of yeah, Cal never said a word. He 
  wasn’t stupid — he did well in his classes, and 
  had a real talent with electronics — but he didn’t 
  have anything to say. He never understood why 
  people spoke so much. Th ey never said anything 
  important, and Cal just didn’t understand why they 
  talked when they had nothing to say. His parents 
  had worried about it when he was younger, but 
  aft er a while they got used to Cal’s laconic ways and 
  stopped urging him to talk. Besides, all their friends 
  with children said they were lucky — their children 
  never shut up.
  Cal grew from a silent adolescent into a silent 
  adult. He found a job that required a minimum of 
  human contact:  he opened a television and radio 
  repair shop. Business was slow — most people just 
  replaced broken televisions and radios nowadays 
  — but for Cal, that was a part of the job’s appeal.
  One night Cal was sitting in his back room, 
  the small space piled high with televisions and 
  radios in various states of repair — many of 
  them stilled plugged into the outlet from when 
  Cal last tested them. Outside it began to storm, 
  and when lightning hit a nearby power line, 
  the sudden surge in electricity turned on all of 
  those radios and televisions. Cal found himself 
  in the middle of pandemonium — a cacophony 
  of squawking, chattering voices talking, talking, 
  talking. He stuck his fingers in his ears, but he 
  couldn’t keep out the sounds. The voices filled 
  the small room and echoed from its walls; it felt 
  like they were crushing him.
  And then, all of sudden, talking made so 
  much sense.
  For the ﬁ rst time in his life, Cal had something 
  to say... and he wanted the whole world to hear. He 
  didn’t have anything interesting to say, but neither 
  did anyone else, so he didn’t see why that should 
  stop him. Listen to the television and radio, Cal told 
  himself — all those people talking and talking, and 
  none of them with anything worth saying. Th ey’re 
  just like me.
  Cal wanted to be on television... no, he 
  deserved to be on television! He might settle for 
  radio, but only as a stepping stone to bigger and 
  better things — no one listened to radio anymore, 
  and Cal wanted the biggest audience he could ﬁ nd.
  Cal soon found out getting on television wasn’t 
  so easy when he showed up the next morning at the 
  local stations and pitched whoever would talk to 
  him — the receptionist, and then the security guard 
  — his idea for an evening talkshow. Th e next day he 
  tried the radio stations, and much to his surprise, 
  they wouldn’t give him a show either. Obviously, 
  drastic measures were necessary.
  Cal used his talent with electronics to assem-
  ble some gadgets, made himself a costume, and 
  dubbed himself Chitchat. Th e next day he took Jill 
  Winstead and her live studio audience hostage. He 
  demanded a million dollars and that the network 
  give him his own talkshow — the Chitchat Hour 
  with your host Chitchat. He wanted primetime, 
  but an early morning slot was doable. He tried to 
  be ﬂ exible about the time slot, aft er all “you have to 
  give a little, to get a little.”
  DarkAngel arrived on the scene and quickly 
  took Chitchat into custody — but the news media 
  gave Chitchat a taste of what he wanted. Th ey 
  showed his face on televison for thirty seconds 
  during the nightly newshour, and the newspa-
  pers gave his crime two inches on the front page 
  (although it was below the fold, Chitchat couldn’t 
  help but notice with chagrin). Chitchat knew his 
  next crime would have to be bigger and more gran-
  diose. He’d have to do something really spectacular 
  to grab the audience’s attention....
  Personality/Motivation:  Aft er years of spending time 
  alone and in silence, Chitchat has ﬁ nally decided he 
  wants to be the center of attention. All of his crimes 
  stem from this basic desire. Originally he wanted 
  his own talkshow, and reasonably enough he was 
  willing to start at the bottom and work his way up 
  — but that didn’t pan out. Th e only way for him to 
  get on television is to commit crimes, so that’s what 
  he does.
  Chitchat can’t stop talking — and what he 
  says isn’t interesting. He peppers his talk with fre-
  quent aphorisms, homilies, and cliches. He oft en 
  “narrates” the action for the “viewers at home.” 
  Even when alone and making a ham sandwich, he 
  describes the whole thing in colorful and exciting 
  language. In combat with crimeﬁ ghters, he can’t 
  shut up, providing color commentary to rival that 
  of the most annoying sports announcer. He even 
  able, and the hero is 
  stuck with Chitchat until 
  someone can ﬁ gure out 
  a way to open the cuﬀ s. 
  It’s an odd couple for a 
  new generation... “You 
  like potato and I like 
  potahto. You like tomato 
  and I like tomahto. 
  Potato, potahto. Tomato, 
  tomahto. Let’s call the 
  whole thing oﬀ .”
  Continued from last page
  
  45 
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Two
  sometimes stops in the middle of ﬁ sticuﬀ s, holds 
  his microphone to the hero’s face, and asks, “Th e 
  audience at home needs to know — how are you 
  feeling right at this moment?”
  Quote:  “Ooooh... that hit looked like a doozy, folks! 
  He got knocked into next week!”
  Powers/Tactics:  Chitchat is an electronics whiz 
  and talented inventor. His powers stem from the 
  gadgets he invented:  his Microphone and his Chat-
  tering Teeth. Th e Microphone is cordless and can 
  tap into any speakers in 12” radius — stereo and 
  television speakers, radios headsets, PA systems, cell 
  phones, intercoms, or any other device designed to 
  receive signals and translate them into voices. With 
  the microphone he can get people’s attention (+10 
  PRE), cause a blarring, grating screech by holding 
  the microphone too close to his mouth (the Energy 
  Blast), or yell into the microphone — usually 
  saying, “Ka-booom!” — and deafen people.
  Th e Chattering Teeth look like the toys of the 
  same name. Chitchat can throw one on the ground, 
  and the Teeth start chattering as they moves toward 
  the target. at 12” per Segment. THey follow the 
  target around until they hit him, but can only travel 
  along the ground. If the target is oﬀ  the ground 
  — hanging from a chandelier or swingline, or 
  otherwise suspended — the Chattering Teeth stop 
  directly below him and explode harmlessly at the 
  end of that Segment.
  Tactics-wise, Chitchat tries to make the 
  action as suspenseful as possible. He wants it to 
  be good television, since he knows the viewing 
  public is a fickle creature likely to change the 
  channel at any moment.
  Campaign Use:  Chitchat is a more a nuisance 
  than anything and serves as a good villain for 
  comedic adventures. His crimes are disruptive, 
  but never harmful, and the heroes should want 
  to capture him more out of a desire to make sure 
  he gets the psychiatric help he needs than out 
  of desperation to stop his crimes. Chitchat has 
  a city-wide reputation for being harmless, and 
  in situations where he takes people “hostage,” 
  the hostages tend to become annoyed, bemused, 
  or sometimes even entertained by his antics — 
  they’re rarely afraid, since he’s never hurt anyone.
  Chitchat commits any crime he thinks will 
  get him attention, but most of his crimes are 
  committed at places where television cameras 
  are already on sight. Chitchat is dedicated to 
  spectacle, not profit, and plans his crimes for 
  maximum exposure and excitement. He might 
  hijack all the floats in a parade, take over the 
  broadcast booth at a sporting event, or steal a 
  television news chopper. Experience has taught 
  him both that costumed crimefighters will show 
  up eventually and that the viewing public loves 
  costumed crimefighters, so he always plans for 
  their arrival, setting traps for them and placing 
  cameras to record the action. He’s also learned 
  that crime sprees are the way to really grab the 
  audience, since more people start paying atten-
  tion as the spree goes on, so he always tries to 
  make good on his escape... and if does escape, he 
  always shows up exactly one news cycle later to 
  commit another crime.
  Chitchat would Hunt any extremely popular 
  hero in an attempt to ride the hero’s coattails to the 
  top of the ratings. He employs deathtraps of a sort 
  — but death is never the outcome, since Chitchat 
  isn’t a killer. Th ey’re really embarrassmenttraps, cre-
  ating humiliating situations that, if Chitchat has his 
  way, get broadcast to the four corners of the globe 
  when he sends the tape to the networks.
  Chitchat’s goons wear everyday clothes, but 
  all of them are equipped with earplugs and one is 
  usually assigned to a television camera. To make 
  Chitchat more of a threat, turn him into a casual 
  killer — it’s blood and guts the audience wants, not 
  boring talk shows and color commentary — and 
  give him gadgets that kill. Make him a killer aft er 
  the heroes have encountered him once or twice, 
  so his newfound deadliness is a shock. Chitchat is 
  already pretty harmless, but to make him less of a 
  threat, remove his Chattering Teeth.
  Chitchat has a criminal record for robbery and 
  kidnapping. Th ere are some technical charges of 
  assault against him as well, but he’s never actually 
  deliberately physically harmed anyone.
  Appearance:  When he first started out, Chitchat 
  dressed like a television anchorman. Since then, 
  he’s decided that bright and colorful costumes 
  get better ratings. He wears a bright red body suit 
  with sky blue gloves and boots. He carries his 
  Chattering Teeth in a white pouch that he wears 
  slung over his shoulder, and his microphone 
  has a stylized CC on four sides of it. He wears a 
  domino mask, one side red, the other side blue. 
  He stands 6’0” tall, is fit but not overly muscular, 
  and has neatly-combed brown hair.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  46 ■ Hudson City Knights
  COPYCAT
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   15 STR 
  5 
  12- 
  Lift  200 kg; 3d6 [3]
   15 DEX 
  15 
  12- 
  OCV:  3/DCV:  3
   15 CON 
  10 
  12-
   12 BODY 4 
  11-
   15 INT 
  5 
  12- 
  PER Roll 12-
   8 EGO 
  -4 
  11- 
  ECV:  3
   10 PRE 
  0 
  11- 
  PRE Attack:  2d6
   8 COM 
  -1 
  11-
   7 PD 
  4 
   
  Total:  10 PD (3 rPD)
   7 ED 
  4 
   
  Total:  10 ED (3 rED)
   4 SPD 
  15 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   6 REC 
  0
   30 END 
  0
   31 STUN 
  3 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  60
  Movement: 
  Running:  6”/12”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  Martial Arts: Karate
   
  Maneuver 
  OCV DCV 
  Notes
  4 
  Block 
  +2 
  +2 
  Block, Abort
  4 
  Disarm 
  -1 
  +1 
  Disarm, 25 STR
  4 
  Dodge 
  +0 
  +5 
  Dodge all 
  attacks, Abort
  4 
  Knifehand Strike -2 
  +0 
  HKA ½d6 
  (1d6+1 with 
  STR)
  4 
  Punch/
   
  Snap Kick 
  +0 
  +2 
  5d6 Strike
  5 
  Side/Spin Kick -2 
  +1 
  7d6 Strike
   
  Perks
  3 
  Anonymity
   
  Talents
  6 
  Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED)
   
  Skills
  6 
  +2 with Karate
  30 
  Various Skills:  Variable Power Pool (Skill 
  Pool), 20 base + 10 control cost
  15 
  Acting 17-
  13 
  Disguise 17-
  7 
  KS: Supervillains 16-
  13 
  Mimicry 17-
  Resource Points
  12 
  Equipment Points:  120
  0 
  Vehicle/Base Points:  10
  10 
  Follower/Contact Points:  25
  0 
  Miscellaneous Points:  0
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  140
  Total Cost:  200
  100+ Disadvantages
  5 
  Enraged:  when unmasked (Uncommon) go 
  8-, recover 14-
  25 
  Hunted:  Hudson City Police Department 
  8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
  25 
  Physical Limitation:  Amnesia (All Th e Time, 
  Fully)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Must Pretend To 
  Be Someone Else (Common, Total)
  10 
  Reputation:  criminal who assumes identities 
  of others, 8-
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Public Identity (John 
  Doe) (Frequently, Major)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  200
  Background/History:  The nameless man first 
  realized he didn’t exist when he didn’t get a pay-
  check. He rarely emerged from his office except 
  to leave for the day at five, and when he took 
  the matter up with his supervisor, his supervi-
  sor didn’t recognize him. Rather than admit 
  this glaring ignorance concerning one of his 
  employees, the supervisor referred the nameless 
  man to Human Resources. The nameless man’s 
  complaint moved up the chain of command 
  from one confused person to another until he 
  found himself in the HR director’s office. The 
  HR director took charge of the situation and 
  informed the nameless man the records showed 
  he had never worked there. No paycheck would 
  be forthcoming.
  Further evidence the nameless man didn’t exist 
  followed shortly. When the nameless man ﬁ led for 
  unemployment, the employment oﬃ  ce showed no 
  record — no record on any government database 
  at all — of the nameless man’s employment history. 
  Th e bureaucrat took oﬀ  his glasses, rubbed his eyes, 
  and suggested the nameless man leave before the 
  bureaucrat was forced to turn him over to Immi-
  gration. Th en the nameless man tried to renew his 
  driver’s license. Again there was no record of him, 
  and the person conﬁ scated his “forged” license and 
  told him to leave or else.
  With his credit cards declined and his bank 
  accounts gone — just disappeared — bit by bit 
  the nameless man ceased to exist. The day his 
  landlord kicked him out of his apartment, the 
  nameless man’s lack of existence finally drove 
  him insane. Desperate for any sort of life, he stole 
  the identities of others... and finally, he began to 
  steal the identities of costumed villains. He imi-
  tated their gestures, their voices, their costumes, 
  and their crimes — imitated them perfectly. But 
  regardless of which villain’s crimes he imitated, 
  one thing always marked his crime sprees:  the 
  last crime never fit the pattern. The press dubbed 
  the nameless man Copycat, and he finally found 
  an existence to call his own.
  Personality/Motivation:  Whatever happened to 
  Copycat’s record — whether a computer glitch, a 
  “ghost in the machine,” or a virus that targeted only 
  him — it has driven him totally insane. Copycat 
  no longer has his own personality — he adopts the 
  superﬁ cial traits of whatever villain he’s imitating. 
  Studies his “subject” intensively, becoming well-
   COPYCAT 
  PLOT SEEDS
  Th e Answer has just 
  been seen robbing a 
  pet store named Mister 
  Paws — a boutique 
  specializing in supply-
  ing cat toys, food, and 
  so on. Could this be a 
  new twist in Copycat’s 
  fractured psyche — now, 
  instead of imitating vil-
  lains, he imitates heroes? 
  Or is some deeper mys-
  tery at work?
  Two crime sprees, two 
  cat-related clues... a vil-
  lain has gotten clever 
  and timed his crime 
  spree so it occurs at the 
  same time as one of 
  Copycat’s. Now the PCs 
  must ﬁ gure out which 
  of the villain is the real 
  McCoy and which is 
  Copycat. But what if 
  Copycat is actually imi-
  tating two diﬀ erent vil-
  lains at the same time.
  A villain starts a crime 
  spree with a cat-related 
  theme — could it be 
  Copycat has found 
  his own identity? And 
  would that qualify as 
  progress or sinking 
  deeper into insanity? 
  Or is it a new villain? 
  Or is it an existing vil-
  lain copying Copycat, 
  maybe getting some 
  payback for Copycat 
  imitating him?
  
  47 
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Two
  versed on any topic that’s pertinent, but he imme-
  diately forgets this knowledge when he assumes a 
  new identity. Not only does he not have his own 
  personality, he has forgotten (or maybe repressed, 
  if one can believe his ﬁ le from Toddberry Asylum) 
  most of the details of his past, including his name.
  Quote:  “Anagram... word puzzles, crosswords... 
  Copycat is Pot Ya... no.. it’s Toy Ca... no... Copycat is 
  Coy Pact... hmmm, I must practice this.”
  Powers/Tactics:  Copycat is a master of disguise 
  — and the costumes villains wear only help him 
  with his disguise when he assumes their appear-
  ance. He can appear as a man or woman, if neces-
  sary making slight alterations to the costume to 
  perfect his appearance (i.e., giving a villainess’s 
  costume a high neck to hide his adam’s apple, and a 
  padded corset to give himself breasts and a waist). 
  He goes to great extremes to perfect his disguise, 
  adding and dropping weight as necessary, changing 
  his hair, using contacts to change his eye color, and 
  placing lift s in his boots to increase his height. Only 
  intimates of the villain might recognize the diﬀ er-
  ence with a casual glance — and no one else notices 
  without careful scrutiny.
  The only place his disguise breaks down 
  is with specialized equipment and physical tal-
  ents like Martial Arts. For equipment, he makes 
  do with mundane substitutes, only using what 
  seems appropriate for the villain. If anyone 
  points out the difference, he reacts the way the 
  villain he’s imitating would (often he claims he 
  just got out of jail and hasn’t had time to get 
  specialized equipment). Though he’s schooled 
  in basic karate, he’s not so skilled he can imitate 
  distinctive styles, and a successful Analyze Style 
  roll reveals the difference if the character has 
  encountered the bona fide villain previously.
  In game terms, Copycat uses his Skill Pool 
  VPP to gain the knowledge and abilities he needs 
  to pass himself off as a villain — think of it as an 
  ultra-advanced form of Cramming. One of the 
  Skills he always buys is a KS of the villain whose 
  identity he adopts; it’s based on his research into 
  the subject and won’t cover anything he couldn’t 
  reasonably find out using publicly-available 
  sources of information.
  When Copycat commits crimes as another 
  villain, two things give him away — he always 
  includes them, almost as if it were a subcon-
  scious cry for help. First, there’s always some sort 
  of vague reference to cats at the first crime scene. 
  Examples include planning a crime to take place 
  down the street from a restaurant named Taste of 
  Siam (Siamese cats), having a pack of cats might 
  be present on the scene, or leaving a sprinkle of 
  catnip nearby. It’s usually a subtle clue, but it’s 
  always there. Second, all of the crimes establish a 
  pattern, or he leaves behind clues, that point to a 
  final crime — and then without warning, Copy-
  cat commits some other crime that’s somehow 
  related to cats, but totally unrelated to the previ-
  ous crimes. Maybe he steals a traveling display of 
  cat’s eye gemstones or kidnaps a show cat valued 
  at over a hundred thousand dollars. Whatever the 
  final crime, it doesn’t fit the pattern — it centers 
  on the theme of cats, and the clue left at the first 
  crime in the spree points to the nature of the 
  final crime Copycat plans to commit.
  Campaign Use:  You can use Copycat to spice up 
  your campaign if the players become bored with 
  following a themed crime spree to its natural con-
  clusion. He adds a subtle twist to the concept, thus 
  keeping the PCs on their toes.
  To make Copycat more powerful, give him a 
  second VPP that allows him to mimic the Char-
  acteristics of his subject — in other words, allows 
  him to raise his STR, DEX, and so on by minor 
  amounts. To make him less powerful, lower his Dis-
  guise, Acting, and Mimicry.
  Copycat would only Hunt PCs the villain he’s 
  currently imitating Hunts, and he would act the 
  same as that villain.
  Th e HCPD wants Copycat for a string of rob-
  beries, though it’s likely he’s committed even more 
  robberies that the police attribute to whomever he 
  was copying at the time. Th ere is no existing com-
  puter record anywhere in the world of Copycat’s 
  life before he became a criminal.
  Appearance:  Copycat looks like whatever villain 
  he’s imitating. Outside of his costume, he’s a  truly 
  plain-looking man, standing about 5’8” with dirty 
  blond hair, brown eyes, and a hang-dog face.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  48 ■ Hudson City Knights
  DOCTOR ENIGMA
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   18 STR 
  8 
  13- 
  Lift  300 kg; 3½d6 [4]
   20 DEX 
  30 
  13- 
  OCV:  7/DCV:  7
   15 CON 
  10 
  12-
   15 BODY 10 
  12-
   18 INT 
  8 
  13- 
  PER Roll 13-
   18 EGO 
  16 
  13- 
  ECV:  6
   20 PRE 
  10 
  13- 
  PRE Attack:  4d6
   6 COM 
  -2 
  10-
   6 PD 
  2 
   
  Total:  9 PD (3 rPD)
   6 ED 
  3 
   
  Total:  9 ED (3 rED)
   4 SPD 
  10 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   8 REC 
  2
   40 END 
  5
   40 STUN 
  8 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  120
  Movement: 
  Running:  8”/16”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  19 
  Th e Unanswerable Question:  Entangle 
  4d6, 4 DEF, BOECV (regular defense 
  applies; +1), Works Against EGO, Not STR 
  (+¼), Takes No Damage From Physical 
  Attacks (+¼); OAF (secretion glove; -1), 
  Skin Contact Required (-1), Incantation 
  (must ask target question; -¼), Cannot 
  Form Barriers (-¼), Vulnerable (Entangle 
  disappears completely if target succeeds 
  with an INT Roll at -4; -1), 6 Charges (-¾) [6]
  10 
  Good Right Hook:  HA +3d6; 
  Hand-To-Hand Attack (-½) 
  1
  16 
  Allevium Pills:  Physical and Energy 
  Damage Reduction, 50%; OAF (-1), 
  4 Continuing Charges lasting 1 Turn 
  each (-½) 
  [4cc]
  11 
  Epinephrine Dose:  Aid STR and CON 
  2d6, two Characteristics simultaneously 
  (+½), Delayed Return Rate (points fade at 
  the rate of 5 per 5 Minutes; +½); OAF 
  (drug-ﬁ lled syringe; -1), Extra Time 
  (Full Phase; -½), Gestures (must give 
  injection; -¼), 4 Charges (-1) 
  [4]
  5 
  Twisted Psyche:  Mental Defense 
  (9 points total) 
  0
  32 
  Creepy Presence:  Change Environment 
  8” radius, -4 PRE for purposes of resist-
  ing character’s Presence Attacks, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½), Persistent (+½), 
  Personal Immunity (-¼); No Range (-½), 
  Always On (-½) 
  0
  4 
  Fast On His Feet:  Running +2” (8” total) 
  1
   
  Talents
  6 
  Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED)
   
  Skills
  9 
  +3 with Th e Unanswerable Question, Good 
  Right Hook, and Dodge
  3 
  Inventor 13-
  3 
  KS: Philosophy 13-
  3 
  Paramedics 13-
  3 
  PS: Chemist 13-
  4 
  WF: Common Melee Weapons, Small Arms
  3 
  Scientist
  2 
  1)  SS: Biology 13-
  4 
  2)  SS: Chemistry 15-
  2 
  3)  SS: Human Anatomy 13-
  2 
  4)  SS: Medicine 13-
  2 
  5)  SS: Ontology 13-
  4 
  6)  SS: Pharmacology/Toxicology 15-
   
  Resource Points
  0 
  Equipment Points:  60
  10 
  Vehicle/Base Points:  30
  15 
  Follower/Contact Points:  35
  0 
  Miscellaneous Points:  0
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  172
  Total Cost:  292
  100+ Disadvantages
  15 
  Distinctive Features:  Featureless Face 
  (Concealable With Eﬀ ort, Causes Major 
  Reaction [disgust])
  15 
  Hunted:  Sharon Ridder 14- (Less Pow, 
  Capture)
  25 
  Hunted:  Hudson City Police Department 
  8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
  25 
  Psychological Limitation:  Obsessed With 
  Nature Of Reality (Very Common, Total)
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Public Identity (Doctor 
  Jackson “Jack” Ridder) (Frequently, Major)
  97 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  292
  Background/History:  Doctor Jackson Ridder 
  lost his face in a lab explosion. The plastic sur-
  geons put a new face on him, but it wasn’t his. 
  It was nobody’s face at all — the hairless oblong 
  head, the skin that was brown mottled with grey 
  blotches, the nose that was barely two slits, the 
  eyes that were only two pinpricks of black, the 
  lipless mouth, the perfectly round ears. Nobody 
  had ever worn such a featureless face.
  His therapist told him it was better than the 
  mass of scar tissue he would have had ﬁ ve years 
  ago, but not in Jack’s mind. Scars would have meant 
  something. Th ey would have proven he had some 
  character and a history — whose was this expres-
  sionless, featureless face that stared back at him 
  from the mirror? What type of person had such a 
  face? Th e person with such a face was an enigma.
  Jack kept his thoughts to himself. He told 
  the therapist the answers he wanted to hear. Not 
  truthful answers to important questions — not 
  the solution to the enigma of who wore such a 
  face. When he signed his release papers, it was 
  the last time he used the name Jack Ridder — 
  from the minute he stepped outside the hospital’s 
  doors, he was Dr. Enigma.
  Doctor Enigma packed up his lab and quit 
  his job at I. B. Fardin Chemicals. He had more 
  important things to do than research new truth 
  serums for the government — he had to discover 
  the real truth and let people know that every-
  thing they believed about themselves was false. 
  He theorized that the problem with man was that 
  he had come too far from the wild. Does a dog 
  question his identity? Of course not... and nei-
  ther should a human.
  DOCTOR ENIGMA 
  PLOT SEEDS
  How does one prove 
  that thought goes on? 
  Doctor Enigma has 
  decided he knows how. 
  If EEG machines can 
  read electrical impulses 
  from the brain, surely 
  the “polarity” can be 
  reversed and a modiﬁ ed 
  EEG machine can cause 
  a person to have speciﬁ c 
  thought. One night he 
  tinkers with all the pay-
  phones in the city. When 
  the receiver is held to 
  the ear, it delivers a 
  precise series of elec-
  tric shocks that ﬁ ll the 
  victim with an insane 
  rage and send him on a 
  rampage. Can the PCs 
  ﬁ nd Dr. Enigma before 
  he starts his next experi-
  ment — delivering those 
  same shocks across the 
  city’s phone lines?
  A rash of mysterious 
  theft s from pharma-
  cies comes to the PCs’ 
  attention. Will they 
  realize the chemicals 
  stolen correspond to Dr. 
  Enigma’s Unanswerable 
  Question drug... and 
  ﬁ gure out how he plans 
  to expose the city’s pop-
  ulation to the drug?
  Th ere’s a new game 
  show on television 
  called “Is Th at True?” 
  Th e host tells three 
  contestants a statement, 
  and the contestants have 
  to buzz in and state 
  whether it’s true or false. 
  Doctor Enigma has 
  some statements he’d 
  like to know the truth 
  of and hijacks the show, 
  holding the audience 
  hostage and subjecting 
  the contestants to the 
  Unanswerable Question. 
  He’s becoming more 
  and more enraged, and 
  it’s only a matter of time 
  before he hurts someone 
  — can the PCs stop him 
  before he does?
  
  49 
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Two
  His ﬁ rst experiment concerned light. People 
  had changed their environment too much — espe-
  cially with regards to light. Th e nights were 
  too bright and man was a diurnal creature, not 
  intended to be up and active at all hours both 
  day and night. Dr. Enigma orchestrated a massive 
  blackout, sabotaging power plant aft er power plant. 
  Th e blackouts led to riots and looting, and ﬁ nally 
  the Answer, whom Dr. Enigma’s wife had asked to 
  help ﬁ nd her husband, brought the villain’s crime 
  spree to an end. But despite his encounter with the 
  Answer, Dr. Enigma still has questions....
  Personality/Motivation:  Doctor Enigma is less a 
  criminal and more a rogue element in society. His 
  goal is not to gather wealth or to inﬂ ict harm on 
  people; it’s to cause people — innocent, blind, naive 
  men and women — to question the nature of their 
  existence. Dr. Enigma doesn’t know who he is, 
  and he wants everyone to feel the same existential 
  despair he does. He thinks everyone’s been lied to 
  their whole life, and it’s his duty to make them see 
  through the lies... but he doesn’t know the exact 
  nature of the lie, nor what the truth is, and this is 
  what drives him.
  Doctor Enigma obsesses over questions of 
  identity and meaning, and wonders constantly 
  about the nature of reality:  is it merely a contrived, 
  consensual reality, or is there some deeper under-
  pinning that’s authentic and true? None of his 
  thoughts on these matters make any sense — it all 
  comes out as philosophical babble — and the more 
  he thinks about these ques-
  tions, the deeper into demen-
  tia he falls.
  Because his motivation 
  is so irrational and his actions 
  so insane, Dr. Enigma has a 
  creepy presence. Just hear-
  ing his voice — high pitched 
  and screeching because 
  of the damage done to his 
  vocal cords — is enough to 
  send shivers down a person’s 
  spine and let him know Dr. 
  Enigma is totally insane. 
  Doctor Enigma is com-
  pletely divorced from reality, 
  although how this estrange-
  ment exhibits itself changes 
  from day to day and week to 
  week. One time he might be 
  convinced people aren’t real 
  (maybe they’re only robots 
  programmed to go through 
  the motions or hallucinations 
  in own mind), and on this 
  occasion, he has a total dis-
  regard for human life. Other 
  times he might think he’s the 
  savior of humanity — that 
  he must lead people out of 
  ignorance to a new under-
  standing of reality — and he 
  holds all life sacred. Th e only 
  constant in his life is that he’s 
  obsessed with the Answer because of the crime-
  ﬁ ghter’s name. Sometimes Dr. Enigma ﬂ ies into a 
  rage because of the Answer’s presumption to have 
  the answers and wants him dead; sometimes he 
  becomes convinced the Answer really does have the 
  answer to the nature of reality and wants to force 
  the answer from him.
  Psychiatrists who have treated Doctor Enigma 
  have suggested the nature of his work for the gov-
  ernment is the root cause of his insanity. Th e explo-
  sion exposed him to a strange mix of toxins and 
  mind-altering substances, and this might have led 
  to his inexplicable condition. Since the names and 
  natures of those chemicals remain classiﬁ ed, his 
  doctors’ studies have gone no further. Th e condi-
  tion of his face only acerbates his dementia.
  Quote:  “Cogito ergo sum, Descartes declared... but 
  how did he know he thought at all?”
  Powers/Tactics:  Before leaving I. B. Fardin, Dr. 
  Enigma was lead researcher on a new truth 
  serum codenamed Speak. He’d made consider-
  able progress on the serum when the lab explo-
  sion happened — far more progress than any of 
  his supervisors knew. In his villainous identity 
  of Dr. Enigma, he makes use of a variation on 
  Speak. His left glove secretes the serum, which 
  takes effect upon contact with flesh. The victim 
  must consider carefully and provide a true 
  answer for the next question he hears. In Dr. 
  Enigma’s hands this has become a nefarious tool. 
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  50 ■ Hudson City Knights
  He first touches the victim, then asks a question 
  like “Must two plus two equal five?” or “Prove 
  to me you exist” or “Why does man walk on 
  two legs and not three?”. The victim must stop 
  everything to consider this question, no matter 
  how senseless it is. In rules terms, this is a Mental 
  Paralysis, but a character can automatically break 
  free by succeeding with an INT Roll at -4 (or, at 
  the GM’s option, if the player comes up with a 
  clever answer).
  Speak isn’t the only chemical Doctor Enigma’s 
  concocted. His Allevium Pills deaden his nerves so 
  he doesn’t feel pain. He usually uses his Epinephrine 
  Doses on his goons, rather than himself. Jack Ridder 
  was a physically ﬁ t man before the accident, and 
  Doctor Enigma’s insanity has only made stronger and 
  faster, his body fueled by an irrational fervor.
  Campaign Use:  One part of Dr. Enigma’s old life 
  as a scientist remains, and that is his dedication 
  to experimenting. Whenever he has some sudden 
  “insight” into the nature of existence, he decides to 
  conduct experiments — ontological experiments he 
  calls them. While other villains go on crime sprees, 
  Dr. Enigma formulates a hypothesis and begins a 
  series of tests. At the ﬁ rst crime, he always leaves a 
  typed statement. Th e document is formatted like 
  a research proposal and clearly states his current 
  hypothesis, contains clues to forthcoming crimes in 
  the form of “future avenues of study,” and is signed 
  with a question mark.
  Th e crimes Dr. Enigma commits are both sur-
  real and disruptive. He might change all the street 
  lights in a neighborhood so they shine purple, pink, 
  and orange, replace all the doors from an oﬃ  ce 
  building with brick walls, or replace all the money 
  in a neighborhood’s ATMs with pink counterfeit 
  bills. But they aren’t all harmless; some can become 
  quite deadly. He might decide people don’t pay 
  enough attention to their surroundings and remove 
  all the ﬂ oors from all the elevators in an oﬃ  ce 
  building to prove it; decide people move too slow 
  and tinker with subway engines so they continue 
  to accelerate and can’t be stopped; or attempt to 
  drug the city’s water supply with his formula for the 
  Unanswerable Question.
  Th e goons Dr. Enigma employs — he calls 
  them research assistants — all wear lab coats with 
  question marks scribbled on them in red and black 
  permanent markers, plus domino masks shaped 
  like stylized question marks laid on their side, the 
  “hook” over one eye and the dot over the other.
  To make Dr. Enigma more powerful, give him 
  more drugs — Aids to END and STUN, Drains of 
  opponents’ Characteristics, and so forth. To make 
  him less of a threat, remove his Allevium Pills and 
  Epinephrine Dose.
  As a Hunter, Dr. Enigma is tenacious, but not 
  necessarily deadly. What he attempts to do is make 
  the person he Hunts question his existence. He tries 
  to identify the cornerstones of his prey’s existence 
  — a job, a loved one, a hobby, and so on — and 
  then he tries to take that it away.
  Dr. Enigma has an extensive criminal record 
  for robbery and various forms of criminal mischief.
  Appearance:  Doctor Enigma was once a good-
  looking black man standing 6’3” and well-muscled, 
  but none of those handsome features remain. He 
  wears no mask — his featureless face is all the mask 
  he needs. He typically wears a white lab coat over 
  a suit, and he wears gloves on both hands (the left  
  of which is altered to secrete the formula for the 
  Unanswerable Question).
  
  51 
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Two
  FACET
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   15 STR 
  5 
  12- 
  Lift  200 kg; 3d6 [3]
   23 DEX 
  48 
  14- 
  OCV:  8/DCV:  8
   14 CON 
  8 
  12-
   12 BODY 4 
  11-
   15 INT 
  5 
  12- 
  PER Roll 12-
   12 EGO 
  4 
  11- 
  ECV:  4
   15 PRE 
  5 
  12- 
  PRE Attack:  3d6
   14 COM 
  2 
  12-
   6 PD 
  3 
   
  Total:  10 PD (4 rPD)
   6 ED 
  3 
   
  Total:  10 ED (4 rED)
   4 SPD 
  7 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   6 REC 
  0
   30 END 
  1
   35 STUN 
  8 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  103
  Movement: 
  Running:  9”/18”
   
  Leaping:  6”/12”
   
  Swinging:  15”/30”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  16 
  Sparkle Gun:  Energy Blast 8d6; OAF 
  (-1), Beam (-¼), 12 Charges (-¼) 
  [12]
  20 
  Utility Belt:  Multipower, 30-point reserve; 
  OIF (Utility Belt, -½)
  1u 
  1)  Gem Cutters:  HKA ½d6 (1d6+1 w/ 
  STR), Range Based On STR (+¼); OAF 
  (-1), 6 Recoverable Charges (-¼) (-¼) [6rc]  
  1u 
  2)  Freeze Gas Sapphires:  Minor 
  Transform 3d6 (normal object to frozen 
  stiﬀ  object, “heals” by thawing out at 
  normal rate); OAF (-1), 4 Charges (-1), 
  Limited Target (nonliving objects with 
  moving parts; -½), Range Based On 
  STR (-¼) 
  [4]
  1u 
  3)  Sleeping Gas Opals:  Energy Blast 3d6, 
  NND (defense is LS: Self-Contained 
  Breathing; +1)); OAF (-1), Range Based 
  On STR (-¼), 6 Charges (-¾) 
  [6]
  1u 
  4)  Smoke Chalcedonies:  Darkness to 
  Sight Group 3” radius; OAF (-1), Range 
  Based On STR (-¼), 8 Continuing 
  Charges lasting 1 Turn each (removed 
  by high winds or rain; -0)  [8cc]
  1u 
  5)  Flash Diamonds:  Sight Group Flash 6d6; 
  OAF (-1), Range Based On STR (-¼), 
  6 Charges (-¾)  [6]
  1u 
  6)  Th ermite Rubies:  RKA 1d6, Armor 
  Piercing (+½), Area Of Eﬀ ect (One Hex; 
  +½); OAF (-1), Range Based On STR (-¼), 
  6 Charges (-¾) [6]
  1u 
  7)  Monocular:  +6 vs. Range for Sight 
  Group; OAF (-1) 
  0
  1u 
  8)  Swingline:  Swinging 15”; OAF (-1) 
  1
  1u 
  9)  Miniature Flashlight:  Sight Group 
  Images 1” radius, +4 to PER Rolls; OAF 
  (-1), Only To Create Light (-1), Limited 
  Range (10”; -¼), 1 Continuing Fuel 
  Charge (refueled by recharging, easy to 
  obtain; 1 Hour; -1) 
  [1cc]
  1u 
  10)  Laser Torch:  1 point, Penetrating (x2; 
  +1), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); 
  OAF (-1), No Range (-½) 
  0
  8 
  Armored Costume:  Armor (4 PD/4 ED); 
  OIF (-½) 
  0
  3 
  Facet Goggles:  Sight Group Flash Defense 
  (6 points); OAF (-1) 
  0
  3 
  Facet Goggles:  Nightvision; OAF (-1) 
  0
  3 
  Good Leaper:  Leaping +3” (6” forward, 
  3” upward) 
  1
  3 
  Fast Runner:  Running +3” (9” total) 
  1
   
  Perks
  10 
  Money:  Wealthy
   
  Skills
  6 
  +3 OCV with Sparkle Gun
  10 
  +2 DCV
  10 
  +2 with Agility Skills
  3 
  Acrobatics 14-
  3 
  Breakfall 14-
  3 
  Climbing 14-
  3 
  Concealment 12-
  3 
  Contortionist 14-
  3 
  Deduction 12-
  3 
  Electronics 12-
  7 
  KS: Gemstones 16-
  3 
  Lockpicking 14-
  2 
  PS: Cat Burglar 11-
  2 
  PS: Lapidary 11-
  7 
  Security Systems 14-
  3 
  Shadowing 12-
  3 
  Sleight Of Hand 14-
  3 
  Stealth 14-
  2 
  Chameleo-Coated Costume:  +3 to Stealth; 
  OIF (-½) 
  0
  3 
  Streetwise 12-
   
  Resource Points
  8 
  Equipment Points:  100
  0 
  Vehicle/Base Points:  10
  10 
  Follower/Contact Points:  25
  0 
  Miscellaneous Points:  0
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  167
  Total Cost:  279
  100+ Disadvantages
  10 
  DNPC:  Ronald “Rhinestone Ronnie” Luca 
  (spendthrift  brother) 8- (Normal)
  20 
  Hunted:  Hudson City Police Department 
  8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation: Greedy For Gem-
  stones (Uncommon, Total)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Code Versus Kill-
  ing (Common, Total)
  15 
  Reputation:  world-famous cat burglar, 11-
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (Ruby 
  Luca) (Frequently, Major)
  79 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  279
  FACET PLOT SEEDS
  Th e PCs are confronted 
  with a theft  they simply 
  can’t solve — documents 
  from a locked safe, trea-
  sury bonds from a safety 
  deposit box, anything 
  that isn’t a gemstone. 
  Th e only person they 
  know that can help 
  reconstruct and solve 
  the crime is Facet — but 
  do they dare trust her?
  A PC has a new girl-
  friend — very attractive, 
  but she sure does wear a 
  lot of jewelry. How long 
  will it be before he real-
  izes his new girlfriend is 
  the infamous cat burglar, 
  Facet... and she realizes 
  her new boyfriend is a 
  costumed crimeﬁ ghter?
  Good old Rhinestone 
  Ronnie is in trouble 
  again... Turns out he 
  owes Card Shark over 
  a hundred grand. He 
  promised the crimelord 
  he could get in touch 
  with Facet. Now Card 
  Shark wants to use her 
  skills to steal something 
  more valuable than 
  paltry gemstones — the 
  plans to Stewartsburg 
  Penitentiary, so he can 
  orchestrate a jailbreak. 
  What will Facet do?
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  52 ■ Hudson City Knights
  Background/History:  Ruby Luca experienced her 
  ﬁ rst heartbreak at an early age. When she was six 
  years old, she showed her mother the bracelet she 
  wore on her wrist and said, “Look at how pretty 
  the diamonds are!” Her mom laughed and told her, 
  “Hon, those aren’t diamonds — those are rhine-
  stones. We’re too poor for diamonds.”
  Crying, Ruby ran to her room and slammed 
  the door behind her. Later that night, still sobbing, 
  she swore that when she grew up she would have 
  diamonds, real diamonds — and rubies and sap-
  phires and emeralds.
  She knew she needed money, so she tried to 
  do well in school. She studied hard and got good 
  grades, but before long she realized that even if she 
  got into a good college and got a good job, it wasn’t 
  likely she’d be fabulously wealthy — maybe well 
  oﬀ , but not rich enough for what she wanted. She 
  considered her options and tried to come up with 
  a new plan. She was excellent in sports, but female 
  athletes didn’t make the millions of dollars their 
  male counterparts earned. Th ough she was attrac-
  tive, she wasn’t pretty enough to act in Hollywood. 
  She tried to ﬁ nd a wealthy guy to marry — but she 
  loathed each one aft er a few dates.
  She ﬁ nally stopped ﬁ ghting the inevitable 
  and took the only choice she had left . She decided 
  to become a cat burglar and steal the gemstones 
  she wanted so badly. She trained hard — studying 
  security systems, learning to climb walls, mastering 
  the tools of the trade. Her ﬁ rst caper was to break 
  into a small jewelry shop and steal a diamond 
  bracelet, one that very closely resembled the rhine-
  stone bracelet her mother had laughed at. Th e theft  
  went well, and others soon followed. She started 
  to develop an identity for herself — a costumed 
  identity named Facet. She left  behind calling cards 
  — replicas of whatever she stole that crumbled to 
  dust aft er a few days, the dust spelling out her name 
  written in a cursive script.
  Facet has become the terror of jewelry owners, 
  gemcutters, and museums around the world — one 
  or two insurance companies have even blamed her 
  for raising their rates. She’s never been arrested and 
  has no intention of ever being caught — but she 
  has yet to come into conﬂ ict with costumed crime-
  ﬁ ghters. Proud of her skills, she’s tempted to pit her 
  wits and abilities against heroes like DarkAngel; it’s 
  only a matter of time before she dares some crime-
  ﬁ ghter to try and catch her.
  Personality/Motivation:  Ruby Luca is vivacious, 
  humorous, and very likeable — and she pos-
  sesses all of these qualities in her Facet identity 
  as well. In fact, she would be a lovely person if it 
  wasn’t for her bottomless appetite for gemstones 
  and jewelry, and her willingness to break the law 
  to get them. She jokes and makes quips during 
  encounters with security personnel, policemen, 
  and even costumed crimefighters. Her jokes 
  aren’t mean-spirited or belittling — if she mocks 
  the hero, it’s always more good-natured ribbing 
  (or perhaps a touch of flirting) than anything 
  else. Of course, none of this means she isn’t the 
  consummate professional when she’s going about 
  a theft — no matter how friendly she gets with a 
  crimefighter, she doesn’t let it stand in the way of 
  the job, nor does she pulls any punches.
  Quote:  “Diamonds are forever — but these dia-
  monds won’t be yours forever.”
  Powers/Tactics:  Facet derives her abilities from her 
  high DEX and gadgets. Many of the objects on her 
  Utility Belt have a gemstone motif, and those that 
  don’t are studded and decorated with gemstones. 
  Th e Gem Cutters are ﬂ at panes of faceted plastic 
  — either translucent red, blue, or green — hexago-
  nal in shape and edged with sharp steel. Her vari-
  ous pellets and capsules look like gemstones, either 
  smooth or faceted. Her Sparkle Gun has a pistol 
  grip and thick barrel, both studded with rhine-
  stones, and a cylindrical clip that ﬁ ts in the back of 
  the barrel. It ﬁ res ﬁ st-sized “gemstones” that pack a 
  wallop.
  Facet isn’t a ﬁ ghter, and won’t stand and slug 
  it out with crimeﬁ ghters. She either tries to quickly 
  incapacitate whoever stands in her way, or she ﬂ ees. 
  Th anks to her speed and agility, she’s diﬃ  cult to 
  chase down.
  Campaign Use:  Facet’s crimes center around gem-
  stones and jewelry. She’ll steal them from museums, 
  jewelry stores, private safes, or anywhere else. She 
  makes a nice break from the vengeful and strangely 
  twisted villains normal to a DC:TAS game. She’s as 
  much a friendly rival for the PCs as she is nemesis, 
  and she’s never deadly (just the opposite — she 
  might even jeopardize a successful theft  to save a 
  
  53 
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Two
  life). She might even make a good romantic interest 
  for a male PC.
  Any crime spree Facet goes on is definitely a 
  game of wits with the crimefighters. As a Hunter, 
  she only seeks to prove she’s better than her prey. 
  She never wants to hurt or kill the Hunted, and 
  doesn’t even want to humiliate or embarrass 
  him so much as prove she’s better. She’s never 
  employed goons before (they’d only get in the 
  way of her work), but might hire some to provide 
  a distraction, but they wouldn’t wear themed cos-
  tumes or have codenames.
  Ruby Luca lives in a nice (but not too nice) 
  apartment in downtown Hudson City. Her 
  brother, Rhinestone Ronnie Luca, is her some-
  time roommate, drifting in and out her life as 
  his fortunes rise and fall. A spendthrift and com-
  pulsive gambler, Ronnie is often in trouble; only 
  Ruby is willing to help him out anymore. Ronnie 
  knows about Ruby’s double life, but he loves 
  his sister and wouldn’t sell her out — but that 
  doesn’t mean he wouldn’t try to use his connec-
  tion to Facet to make a buck or two, or that he 
  would withstand torture to keep the secret.
  To make Facet more powerful, increase her 
  SPD to 5 and give her Martial Arts. To make her 
  less powerful, lower her DEX to 20 and remove 
  her Skill Levels. She’s wanted by the police on 
  lots of burglary charges, but they don’t know her 
  true identity.
  Appearance:  Ruby Luca is a 5’10” white woman of 
  Italian extraction with short black hair and blue 
  eyes. She’s lean and muscular, and holds herself 
  with an obvious grace. Th ough she dresses taste-
  fully, usually wearing black slacks and a turtleneck, 
  she wears a gaudy amount of jewelry — earrings 
  with large diamonds, multiple necklaces and brace-
  lets, and rings set with gemstones on every ﬁ nger. 
  As Facet, her costume is a full black bodysuit. 
  Coated with a special substance called Chaeme-
  leo-coating, it blends with her environment if the 
  location is dimly lit, but in bright light the costume 
  becomes opalescent, the silvery fabric ﬂ ashing with 
  a rainbow of colors. Th e lenses of her goggles look 
  like faceted stones, and each pouch of her utility 
  belt also resembles a gemstone.
  THE HUMAN CAPITALIST
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   10 STR 
  0 
  11- 
  Lift  100 kg; 2d6 [2]
   10 DEX 
  0 
  11- 
  OCV:  3/DCV:  3
   10 CON 
  0 
  11-
   10 BODY 0 
  11-
   18 INT 
  8 
  13- 
  PER Roll 13-
   15 EGO 
  10 
  12- 
  ECV:  5
   10 PRE 
  0 
  11- 
  PRE Attack:  2d6
   10 COM 
  0 
  11-
   2 PD 
  0 
   
  Total:  2 PD (0 rPD)
   2 ED 
  0 
   
  Total:  2 ED (0 rED)
   2 SPD 
  0 
   
  Phases:  6, 12
   4 REC 
  0
   20 END 
  0
   20 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  18
  Movement: 
  Running:  6”/12”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  6 
  Observant:  +3 with PER Rolls
   
  Perks
  10 
  Money:  Wealthy
  15 
  Followers:  Two Bodyguards (50+50 
  characters)
   
  Skills
  20 
  +4 with Interaction Skills
  7 
  Analyze Combat Technique 15-
  7 
  Analyze Interaction Skills 15-
  7 
  Analyze Intellect Skills 15-
  3 
  Bribery 11-
  3 
  Bureaucratics 11-
  3 
  CK: Hudson City 13-
  3 
  Conversation 11-
  3 
  High Society 11-
  3 
  Interrogation 11-
  5 
  KS: Hudson City Underworld 15-
  3 
  KS: Th e Military/Mercenary/Terrorist 
  World 13-
  3 
  Persuasion 11-
  5 
  PS: Businessman 15-
  1 
  Streetwise 8-
  3 
  Trading 11-
   
  Resource Points
  0 
  Equipment Points:  60
  0 
  Vehicle/Base Points:  10
  62 
  Follower/Contact Points:  129
  0 
  Miscellaneous Points:  0
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  172
  Total Cost:  190
  100+ Disadvantages
  10 
  Age:  60+
  10 
  Dependence:  must smoke tobacco once 
  per 1 Hour or suﬀ er Incompetence (Very 
  Common, Addiction)
  20 
  Hunted:  Th e Answer 11- (Mo Pow, 
  Imprison)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation: Greedy (Common, 
  Strong)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Arrogant 
  (Common, Strong)
  10 
  Reputation:  shady businessman 11-
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (Lawrence 
  HUMAN CAPITALIST 
  PLOT SEEDS
  A desperate scientist 
  approaches the Human 
  Capitalist and sells 
  him the secret to a 
  mind control drug. Th e 
  Human Capitalist knows 
  he can make a killing 
  selling mind-controlled 
  operatives to criminals 
  — the PCs, themselves, 
  would make especially 
  good goons....
  A world-renowned 
  scientist is giving a 
  lecture at Hudson City 
  State University, and the 
  Human Capitalist wants 
  to kidnap the man. Will 
  the PCs ﬁ nd him before 
  the Human Capitalist 
  sells the scientist to the 
  highest bidder, who will 
  force the researcher to 
  put his work to nefari-
  ous use?
  A captured goon, des-
  perate to not go to jail 
  again, tells the PCs 
  where they can ﬁ nd the 
  Human Capitalist — but 
  is it a trap?
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  54 ■ Hudson City Knights
  Bourn) (Frequently, Major)
  5 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  200
  Background/History:  “I’m ﬁ red? What do you mean, 
  I’m ﬁ red?!! I’m a vice president at this ﬁ rm. I’m in 
  charge of Human Resources. I do the ﬁ ring around 
  here — been doing it for twenty years this Sep-
  tember. Who are you? You’re nobody. I ﬁ re people 
  — not you!”
  But it didn’t matter what he said or how 
  loud he yelled, Lawrence Bourn still lost his job. 
  Cutbacks, they told him:  the company needed to 
  become lean and mean. Bourn knew that was a lie 
  — he’d told people that same lie more times than he 
  could count.
  Bourn packed up his office and went home. 
  He called a few contacts and left a few messages, 
  letting people know he was available. The next 
  morning he made a few more calls. And a few 
  more the day after that. But no one got back in 
  touch with him. On Sunday he broke down and 
  went through the want ads. He knew this wasn’t 
  how a person got a good job — especially not the 
  high-level positions he was qualified for. Getting 
  a job involved networking.
  Th at Monday he made follow-up calls and 
  ﬁ nally he got through to someone, a real voice 
  instead of a machine. Th at’s when he learned that 
  everyone knew he’d accepted bribes from candi-
  dates for positions at his old ﬁ rm. In return for a 
  promise the candidate would get the job, Bourn 
  had taken “gift s” of a hundred, ﬁ ve hundred, and 
  even a thousand dollars. But no matter how much 
  he was paid, he had never kept his promise.
  Bourn sighed. Th at was bad news — Bourn 
  had hoped the ﬁ rm would keep that quiet. Keeping 
  it quiet was the sensible thing to do. By admitting 
  what he’d done, the ﬁ rm had left  itself open for a 
  lawsuit. He thought to himself, Th is is what happens 
  when a ﬁ rm lets go of good employees like me.
  Bourn ﬂ ipped on the television and considered 
  his future. Th e news showed Beatlemania and his 
  goons. Th ey were robbing an auction house where 
  one of the cut-outs from the cover of Sgt. Pepper’s 
  was up for sale. Bourn watched as DarkAngel 
  swooped down and quickly dispatched the goons. 
  Th e goons were some of the most incompetent 
  people Bourn had ever seen. He wondered where 
  Beatlemania had dug them up.
  Th en he had a brilliant idea.
  There was no one better at identifying talent 
  in a prospective employee than him, and no 
  one better at matching that talent to a position. 
  Lawrence Bourn wondered how much a villain 
  would pay for good help — and thus the Human 
  Capitalist was born.
  Personality/Motivation:  To the Human Capital-
  ist, people are just one more commodity to be 
  bought and sold. He he maintains an extensive list 
  of people willing to work for villains. Villains and 
  criminals come to him, tell him what they need, 
  and for a fee, the Human 
  Capitalist puts the “client” in 
  touch with good prospec-
  tive employees. Most of the 
  Human Capitalist’s trade is in 
  goons — thugs, legbreakers, 
  and other low-lifes — but he 
  also provides hitmen, scien-
  tists, cat burglars, and other 
  specialized personnel. Proﬁ t 
  is only motivation and his 
  only consideration, though 
  he does appreciate it when 
  people know of his reputation 
  for providing quality service. 
  In conversation he’s polite, but 
  smug. He makes lots of jokes 
  and laughs frequently, but 
  none of it disguises his arro-
  gance. When he’s negotiating, 
  he drops in as many business 
  buzzwords and as much oﬃ  ce 
  lingo as possible — despite 
  the illicit nature of his deal-
  ings, the Human Capitalist 
  still thinks of himself as a 
  businessman.
  Quote:  “Th ree fast goons, two 
  strong ones, and you need 
  them by tomorrow night. Got 
  it. What’s that? A smart goon? 
  Th at will cost extra.”
  
  55 
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Two
  Powers/Tactics:  Th e Human Capitalist doesn’t dirty 
  his hands with ﬁ ghting — that’s what goons are for. 
  But he functions eﬀ ectively as a “support person” 
  in combat because of his high levels of Analyze. He 
  uses his Skills to assess the opponents and provide 
  advice to his allies. But he’s more likely to order 
  his bodyguards — two of the best goons money 
  can buy — to ﬁ ght while he runs away. Th e one 
  thing that makes the Human Capitalist a physical 
  threat is the army of Followers he can call upon. If 
  he learns the PCs are searching for him, he calls in 
  every marker and favor he can to assemble a horde 
  of thugs, toughs, and legbreakers to protect him.
  In noncombat situations and any encounter 
  that allows him to use his Interaction Skills, the 
  Human Capitalist can ferret out any hidden intent 
  the other person might have — no one should ever 
  leave a conversation or bargaining session with him 
  feeling like they won. Th ey should always feel like 
  they’ve just been taken to the cleaners, out-negoti-
  ated, out-hustled, out-maneuvered, and otherwise 
  feel like they got the short end of the bargain.
  Campaign Use:  For the most part, the Human 
  Capitalist serves as a middle-man and back-
  ground figure, but there are several ways you can 
  bring him front and center in your campaign. He 
  might decide to kidnap someone like an Nobel 
  prize winning scientist — but he won’t hold the 
  victim for ransom. Instead, he sells the victim 
  to the highest bidder. A villain might hire the 
  Human Capitalist to perform a “performance 
  evaluation” on a crimefighter (the only time the 
  Capitalist does anything like Hunting a hero). 
  In that situation, the Human Capitalist hires a 
  variety of goons to attack the crimefighter, all the 
  while observing the fight via hidden cameras and 
  using his Analyze Skills to assess the crimefight-
  er’s abilities. Lastly, if the PCs learn of his exis-
  tence, they might realize he would make a good 
  mole in the looseknit society of costumed crimi-
  nals... if they can “persuade” him to go along.
  To make the Human Capitalist more powerful, 
  give him more Followers. To weaken him, lower his 
  Analyze rolls.
  Appearance:  Th e Human Capitalist is an elderly 
  man in his late sixties. His skin is pale and marked 
  by liver spots; his hair is silver; his eyes are watery 
  blue. He has a slender build and wears impeccable 
  three-piece blue suits — unless a person knows 
  better, the Human Capitalist looks more like a 
  banker than a villain. He’s always smoking a cigar, 
  preferably a Cuban.
  LAST CALL
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   15 STR 
  5 
  12- 
  Lift  200 kg; 3d6 [3]
   15 DEX 
  15 
  12- 
  OCV:  5/DCV:  5
   15 CON 
  10 
  12-
   12 BODY 4 
  11-
   12 INT 
  2 
  11- 
  PER Roll 11-
   10 EGO 
  0 
  11- 
  ECV:  3
   15 PRE 
  5 
  12- 
  PRE Attack:  3d6
   10 COM 
  0 
  11-
   7 PD 
  4 
   
  Total:  10 PD (3 rPD)
   7 ED 
  4 
   
  Total:  10 ED (3 rED)
   3 SPD 
  5 
   
  Phases:  4, 8, 12
   6 REC 
  0
   40 END 
  5
   40 STUN 12 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  71
  Movement: 
  Running:  6”/12”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  19 
  Tommy Gun:  RKA 2d6, Autofire 
  (5 shots; +½), 2 clips of 50 Charges 
  each (+¾); OAF (-1), STR Minimum 
  (13; STR Doesn’t Add Damage; -1), 
  Beam (-¼), Real Weapon (-¼) 
  [50]
  10 
  Heckuva A Right Hook:  HA +3d6; 
  Hand-To-Hand Attack (-½) 
  1
  8 
  Covering Fire:  +5 OCV; Only With 
  Autoﬁ re (-1), Only To Counteract 
  Suppression Fire OCV Penalties (-1) 
  0
  7 
  Drawing A Bead:  +3 OCV; Only To 
  Counteract Dodge DCV Bonuses (-½), 
  Requires A Shooting Tricks Roll (-½) 
  0
  10 
  Machine Gunner From Hell:  +4 OCV 
  with Autoﬁ re Firearms; Only When 
  Character Uses Autoﬁ re Against A 
  Single Target (-¼), Must Use Maximum 
  Number Of Autoﬁ re Shots (-¼), Not 
  While Targeting (-½) 
  0
  15 
  Tough Guy:    Physical Damage 
  Reduction, Resistant, 50%; Requires A 
  CON Roll (assumes CON Roll of 12- 
  or 13-; -¾), Character Must Be Aware Of 
  Attack (-¼)
   
  Perks
  13 
  Vehicle:  Duesenberg SJ (Hero System 
  Vehicle Sourcebook, page 7)
  20 
  Base:  Th e Speakeasy (hidden bar in Hudson 
  City)
   
  Talents
  6 
  Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED)
   
  Skills
  4 
  +2 OCV with Tommy Guns
  5 
  +1 DCV
  5 
  Accurate Sprayﬁ re
  3 
  Bribery 12-
  3 
  Concealment 11-
  5 
  Concentrated Sprayﬁ re
  5 
  Fast Draw (Small Arms) 13-
  2 
  Gambling (Dice Games) 11-
  3 
  Interrogation 12-
  3 
  CK: Hudson City 11-
  5 
  KS: Cagney Movies 13-
  2 
  KS: Th e Hudson City Underworld 11-
  LAST CALL 
  PLOT SEEDS
  Last Call goes on a 
  crime spree, robbing 
  banks across the city. 
  Will the PCs realize all 
  the banks he’s robbing 
  were open in the 1920s, 
  and that he’s looking for 
  something more than 
  just money?
  Last Call remembers he 
  used to own the Speak-
  easy bar and declares 
  war on the Marcelli 
  family. Can the PCs stop 
  the gang war?
  Th e city’s dilettantes 
  gather to celebrate 
  the anniversary of the 
  repeal of Prohibition 
  with a Roaring Twenties 
  style masque — but no 
  one invited Last Call. 
  Th ose dirty rats.... 
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  56 ■ Hudson City Knights
  2 
  KS: Th e Vice World 11-
  5 
  Rapid Attack (Ranged)
  5 
  Rapid Autoﬁ re
  5 
  Shooting Tricks 13-
  5 
  Skipover Sprayﬁ re
  3 
  Streetwise 12-
  3 
  Trading 12-
  2 
  WF: Small Arms
   
  Resource Points
  8 
  Equipment Points:  100
  20 
  Vehicle/Base Points:  50
  25 
  Follower/Contact Points:  55
  0 
  Miscellaneous Points:  0
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  236
  Total Cost:  307
  100+ Disadvantages
  20 
  Hunted:  Hudson City Police Dept. 8- 
  (MoPow, NCI, Capture)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation: Talks And Acts 
  Like A Gangster In A Cagney Movie (Very 
  Common, Strong)
  10 
  Reputation:  “bootlegger” with a heart of 
  gold 11-
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (Michael 
  O’Hallahan) legbreaker
  147 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  307
  Background/History:  Th e O’Hallahans had owned 
  the Speakeasy, a bar in Bayside, since the 1920s 
  when it really was a speakeasy with a hidden ﬂ oor 
  below the ground one, a hidden entrance, and a 
  Judas hole set in a portrait of Woodrow Wilson. 
  His father having passed away, Michael O’Hallahan 
  inherited the small place, and he had every inten-
  tion of keeping it exactly as it was:  the same way it 
  had been 1933 when the Volstead Act was repealed. 
  Michael loved the bar, and the era it derived from, 
  and planned to spend his life serving drinks to the 
  regulars and wiping down the mahogany bar with 
  a rag just like his father, grandfather, and great-
  grandfather had done.
  But the Marcelli family had other plans for 
  the Speakeasy. Th ey wanted to turn the hidden 
  ﬂ oor into a gambling joint, and they made Michael 
  an oﬀ er. Th e oﬀ er was fair. Th e Speakeasy wasn’t 
  worth much to begin with, and the O’Hallahan 
  and Marcelli families went back decades, although 
  the O’Hallahans hadn’t been involved in criminal 
  dealings since Prohibition ended. On account of 
  that history, the Marcellis tried to be reasonable, 
  but no amount of money was enough to replace 
  Michael’s dreams. He refused the initial oﬀ er, 
  refused it again when the family sent some muscle 
  to intimidate him, and refused it a ﬁ nal time when 
  Mario Maneti sent his own son to make the oﬀ er. 
  When that didn’t work, the musclemen cam back. 
  But even aft er he got out of the hospital, Michael 
  still wouldn’t sell.
  So the Marcellis had him removed. Maﬁ a sol-
  diers stormed into the place with baseball bats. Th ey 
  tore it up, shattering the glasses hung above the bar 
  and the green lampshades over the light ﬁ xtures. Th ey 
  broke the bottles set against the mirror behind the bar, 
  then smashed the mirror. Th ey beat Michael to a pulp 
  and dragged him down to the harbor.
  When he came to, he was chained at the 
  wrists and ankles. He looked up at the goons and 
  he said, “The cement overshoes for me, eh boys? 
  You dirty rats.”
  Th e “boys” laughed, and with a heave and a ho, 
  they threw him in the water. He hit with a splash 
  and sank like a stone. But those goons weren’t too 
  bright — they threw him into the shallows, a place 
  where the water was only twenty feet deep and rose 
  rapidly to the shore. Michael struggled along the 
  bottom of the harbor, pulling himself forward with 
  his chained wrists, inching along like a worm. He 
  could feel his air running out; his vision became 
  blurry, then he went completely blind. But he kept 
  crawling toward the shore. Th en he blacked out.
  When he came to, he was lying half in the 
  water, but Michael O’Hallahan hadn’t made it to the 
  shore. He had forgotten about his old name, and the 
  bar he’d lost. Now he was the bootlegger and gang-
  ster, Last Call.
  Personality/Motivation:  Last Call acts like a gangster 
  in a Cagney movie, right down to using phrases like 
  “dirty rats,” “coppers,” and “dames.” He’s a tough guy 
  and hard as nails. He doesn’t take any grief from 
  anyone, no matter how important the person is, 
  and he’s quick with his ﬁ sts. Michael O’Hallahan 
  
  57 
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Two
  — a friendly man who never had a harsh word 
  for anyone — is long gone. Last Call has never 
  exhibited any desire to get revenge on the Marcelli 
  family, nor ever tried to get his old bar back.
  Th e majority of Last Call’s crimes involve 
  what he calls “bootlegging.” Th ese days, that means 
  hijacking trucks carrying beer, cigarettes, and simi-
  lar goods, stealing their loads, and selling the loot at 
  cut-rate prices.
  Last Call has a well-deserved reputation for 
  having a heart of gold — he helps children and 
  women in need and never turns away a friend. 
  Sometimes this gets him in trouble.
  Quote:  “Get the giggle juice in the truck, boys 
  — let’s scram before the coppers get here.”
  Powers/Tactics:  Last Call is one heck of a shot with 
  his Tommy Gun and that’s what he relies on in 
  combat. Generally, his tactics are no more involved 
  than opening ﬁ re on whatever crimeﬁ ghter stands 
  in his way. He drives a Duesenberg SJ and has a 
  secret hideout he calls the Speakeasy. Th is hideout 
  is not the bar O’Hallahan once owned, but is oft en 
  located in the cellar of some other bar. He decorates 
  the Speakeasy in a style appropriate to the 1920s 
  and serves alcohol; the place serves as a hang-out 
  for him and his goons.
  Campaign Use:  Last Call’s crimes involve hijacking 
  and stick-ups. Stick-ups are usually at banks, but 
  he’s been known to rob events where the wealthy 
  are gathered and the like. During a stick-up, he 
  leads his gang into the place, aims his gun at the 
  people, and announces, “Grab some air — this is a 
  stick-up.” Adventures involving Last Call should be 
  like taking a trip into the past — the Prohibition 
  Era, to be precise.
  Last Call’s goons wear pin-striped suits and 
  fedoras, and carry Tommy Guns. Th ey try to use 
  the same gangster lingo their boss uses, although 
  they sometimes slip up (much to Last Call’s ire). 
  Th ere’s always one platinum blonde in his gang, 
  usually named Dora or Deb, who’s Last Call’s moll.
  Last Call only Hunts someone “who’s done 
  him wrong” — and usually he just wants to get into 
  a brawl. It would take repeated defeats or humilia-
  tions before he literally went gunning for a PC.
  To further increase Last Call’s abilities, give 
  him Corridor Of Death (Dark Champions, page 
  108) and Mowing ‘Em Down (Dark Champions, 
  page 117). To make him less of a threat, remove 
  Covering Fire, Drawing A Bead, and Machine 
  Gunner From Hell; you could also replace his regu-
  lar bullets with rubber ones.
  Th e HCPD wants Last Call for a long list of 
  robberies, hijackings, assaults, and similar crimes.
  Appearance:  Last Call is a large man — 6’2”, 210 
  pounds — with curly red hair and blue eyes. His 
  skin is pale and freckled with a large nose and 
  large ears. He dresses like he stepped straight 
  out of an old gangster movie:  three-piece pin-
  striped suits and a fedora, and he carries a 
  Thompson submachine gun. When he’s bored, he 
  flips a silver dollar across his knuckles or twirls a 
  pair of dice in his hand.
  MIDAS
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   10 STR 
  0 
  11- 
  Lift  100 kg; 2d6 [2]
   14 DEX 
  12 
  12- 
  OCV:  5/DCV:  5
   13 CON 
  6 
  12-
   10 BODY 0 
  11-
   15 INT 
  5 
  12- 
  PER Roll 12-
   15 EGO 
  10 
  12- 
  ECV:  3
   15 PRE 
  5 
  12- 
  PRE Attack:  3d6
   14 COM 
  2 
  12-
   4 PD 
   2 
   
  Total:  4 PD (0 rPD)
   3 ED 
   0 
   
  Total:  3 ED (0 rED)
   3 SPD 
   6 
   
  Phases:  4, 8, 12
   5 REC 
   0
   26 END 
   0
   25 STUN  3 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  51
  Movement: 
  Running:  6”/12”
  Cost Perks  
  END
  15 
  Money:  Filthy Rich
  5 
  Reputation:  Rich And Powerful Man 
  (in Hudson City) 14-, +4/+4d6
   
  Skills
  7 
  Bureaucratics 14-
  3 
  Conversation 12-
  7 
  High Society 14-
  3 
  KS: Finance 12-
  3 
  KS: Commodities Trading 12-
  7 
  KS: Gold 14-
  2 
  KS: Alchemy 11-
  3 
  Persuasion 12-
   
  Resource Points
  28 
  Equipment Points:  200
  36 
  Vehicle/Base Points:  82
  30 
  Follower/Contact Points:  65
  0 
  Miscellaneous Points:  0
  Total Powers & Skill Cost:  149
  Total Cost:  200
  100+ Disadvantages
  5 
  Age:  40+ (real age 45)
  20 
  DNPC:  Flora Goldman (alcoholic mother) 
  11- (Incompetent; Unaware of character’s 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity)
  20 
  Hunted:  Hudson City Police Department 
  8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
  25 
  Psychological Limitation:  Greedy For Gold 
  (Common, Total)
  15 
  Reputation:  greedy criminal mastermind, 11-
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (Aurelius 
  Goldman) (Frequently, Major)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  200
  MIDAS PLOT SEEDS
  A rare alchemical text is 
  stolen from a university 
  library, and the PCs are 
  asked to help recover it. 
  Th e next day a strange 
  series of robberies 
  occurs — will the PCs 
  ﬁ gure out that Midas is 
  stealing the ingredients 
  he needs to create a 
  Philosopher’s Stone?
  Midas’s mother passes 
  away, and he goes mad 
  with grief. A conman 
  approaches him and 
  sells him a formula that 
  will turn people to gold 
  — or so the conman 
  claims. Midas buys it 
  hook, line, and sinker, 
  and plans to poison 
  the water supply. While 
  the formula won’t turn 
  people to gold, it is a 
  deadly poison....
  Having had too many 
  dealing with crime-
  ﬁ ghters go sour, Midas 
  decides he needs a 
  strong right hand — one 
  who can toe-to-toe 
  with crimeﬁ ghters but 
  is totally loyal to Midas. 
  He gathers a group of 
  goons and gives them 
  a task — “Bring me the 
  cowl of one of the PCs 
  and I’ll make you rich 
  beyond your wildest 
  dreams!” Now an army 
  of goons is gunning for 
  the PC... will he keep 
  his cowl or will he be 
  unmasked?
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  58 ■ Hudson City Knights
  Background/History:  Aurelius Goldman was born 
  into an immensely wealthy family. His father, 
  Marcus, was a well-known ﬁ nancier who made a 
  vast fortune in securities and commodities trading. 
  For most of his early life, Aurelius wanted for noth-
  ing — the least little thing he desired, his parents 
  would buy for him.
  All of that changed when Aurelius was eleven. 
  His father had invested heavily in silver, and when 
  the bottom fell out of the market, a substantial por-
  tion of the Goldman fortune went with it. It turned 
  out that a lot of Marcus Goldman’s ﬁ nancial suc-
  cess was due to some highly leveraged transactions, 
  and when the silver deal went sour, so did a lot of 
  other deals. Suddenly Aurelius found that his par-
  ents didn’t have much time to spend with him. His 
  father was too busy trying to salvage his ﬁ nancial 
  empire, and his mother was spending more and 
  more time trying to drink her worries away.
  A month later the Goldmans lost their beauti-
  ful mansion. Th is was the ﬁ nal blow for Marcus; 
  rather than face further humiliation (and possibly a 
  grand jury), he committed suicide. Flora Goldman, 
  devastated and despairing, crawled inside a bottle 
  of scotch and stayed there pretty much all the time. 
  Aurelius was left  to fend for himself and to try to 
  care for his alcoholic mother.
  A few months later, Aurelius and his mother 
  were living in a run-down hotel. Th e only asset they 
  had left  from Marcus’s estate was a few hundred 
  dollars in gold futures, and Aurelius was, for some 
  reason, stubbornly determined to hold onto them. 
  As he sat there one day going 
  through his father’s papers, 
  trying to ﬁ gure out what had 
  gone wrong, it hit him:  his 
  father’s problems were two-
  fold. First, and most impor-
  tantly, he’d invested too heav-
  ily in silver, when he should 
  have invested in gold. Silver 
  wasn’t much more than a base 
  metal, was it, when compared 
  to a noble metal like gold? 
  Th e bottom hadn’t fallen 
  out of the gold market, aft er 
  all. Second, his father hadn’t 
  covered all of his tracks well 
  enough — if he was going to 
  cross the line and get involved 
  in shady dealings, he ought to 
  have protected himself, and he 
  ought to have gone all the way 
  and really made some money.
  Determined not to repeat 
  his father’s mistakes, Aurelius 
  used the gold futures as collat-
  eral for a bank loan. He took 
  the loan and invested in more 
  gold futures, and when he got 
  good returns, he reinvested 
  his money. Inside of a year, 
  his combined love for gold, 
  innate business sense, and 
  ruthlessly competitive nature 
  had earned him a substantial 
  sum of wealth — enough to move himself and his 
  mother into a beautiful condominium and to hire a 
  squad of “bodyguards.”
  Over the succeeding years, Aurelius’s wealth 
  and his fascination with gold continued to increase. 
  He owned tremendous amounts of gold and was 
  always greedy for more. He didn’t care how he got 
  it — whether he traded for it on the market or 
  had his hired goons steal it right out of the jewelry 
  stores — but he had to have it. It wasn’t long before 
  his subordinates (both legitimate and criminal) 
  began calling him “Midas.” He considered the name 
  a badge of honor and informally adopted it.
  At present Aurelius Goldman maintains a dual 
  identity. Most of the time he’s himself, an extremely 
  wealthy but somewhat eccentric ﬁ nancier with a 
  love of gold. But when his criminal operations take 
  precedence, he styles himself Midas, and schemes 
  to own all the gold in the world.
  Personality/Motivations:  Midas is a man 
  obsessed with obtaining the “security” of vast 
  wealth, and his particular obsession takes the 
  form of a lust for gold. He is determined to corner 
  the world gold market and take personal posses-
  sion of most or all of the world’s gold, no matter 
  what he has to do to achieve this goal. By day, he 
  works towards his goal semi-legitimately, as a com-
  modities trader (although one with a lot of shady 
  deals in the works, deals he has carefully insulated 
  himself from). Th e rest of the time he spends as 
  Midas, concocting one illegal scheme aft er another 
  
  59 
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Two
  to obtain gold. He has even developed an interest 
  in the pseudoscience of alchemy, in the hopes that 
  there is some grain of truth to the stories of medi-
  eval alchemists being able to transform base metals 
  into gold.
  Th e only thing that Midas really cares about 
  besides gold is his mother, who is in poor health 
  due to years of heavy drinking. For whatever 
  reason, he feels responsible for her and sees that she 
  gets the best care possible. She lives in a splendid 
  home attended by many highly-paid nurses and 
  servants, and Midas tries to visit her every day. 
  Quote:  “Exquisite!” [Midas’s typical exclamation 
  upon viewing anything beautiful.]
  Powers/Tactics:  Midas does not ﬁ ght — he hires 
  men to do his ﬁ ghting for him. He’s in good shape, 
  but he has no combat skills whatsoever. At best, 
  he might sneak up behind a PC and hit him in the 
  head with something heavy while the PC is dis-
  tracted. If attacked, he does his utmost to escape.
  Campaign Use:  Potential crimes for Midas include 
  anything having to do with gold. Usually this means 
  stealing it, but he might, for example, use some 
  property of gold to develop a super-weapon with 
  which to threaten the world into giving him more 
  gold. As his grandest scheme, he might try to rob 
  Fort Knox. Midas can also provide ﬁ nancial back-
  ing for some other criminal — but only a criminal 
  whose crime involves obtaining gold.
  As a Hunter, Midas doesn’t confront his prey 
  physically. Instead he tries to destroy his life — 
  taking away his job, his money, and whatever other 
  assets he has. In the case of a costumed crime-
  ﬁ ghter, Midas hires someone to capture his prey.
  To make Midas more powerful, give him some 
  permanent Followers. To weaken him, reduce his 
  Money and some of his Skill Rolls slightly.
  Th e police want Midas for questioning regard-
  ing a number of property crimes, but they have no 
  idea he’s Aurelius Goldman.
  Appearance:  Aurelius Goldman is 5’9” tall with 
  a trim build, short, dark hair, and a small black 
  goatee-like beard. As Goldman, he wears ﬁ nely-
  tailored suits with solid gold accessories (rings, 
  cuﬄ  inks, tie tack, watch, glasses, and so forth). 
  As Midas, he usually wears a gold-colored Greek 
  tunic-like costume and a golden headband.
  THE MISSING LINK
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   25 STR 
  20 
  14- 
  Lift  800 kg; 5d6 [5]
   18 DEX 
  24 
  13- 
  OCV:  6/DCV:  6
   20 CON 
  20 
  13-
   20 BODY 20 
  13-
   10 INT 
  0 
  11- 
  PER Roll 11-
   10 EGO 
  0 
  11- 
  ECV:  3
   20 PRE 
  10 
  13- 
  PRE Attack:  4d6
   8 COM 
  -1 
  11-
   12 PD 
  11 
   
  Total:  12 PD (2 rPD)
   8 ED 
  4 
   
  Total:  8 ED (2 rED)
   4 SPD 
  12 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   10 REC 
  2
   40 END 
  0
   51 STUN 
  8 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  130
  Movement: 
  Running:  10”/20”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  8 
  Club:  HA +4d6; OAF (-1), 
  Hand-To-Hand Attack (-½) 
  2
  2 
  Th ick Pelt:  Damage Resistance 
  (2 PD/2 ED) 
  0
  10 
  Friend To Gorillas:  +20 PRE; Only With 
  Primates (-1) 
  0
  8 
  Fast Runner:  Running +4” (10” total) 
  1
   
  Perks
  25 
  Followers:  four 78-point Gorillas (use the 
  character sheet on page 165 of the HERO 
  System Bestiary)
   
  Skills
  6 
  +2 with Grab, Club, and Haymaker
  6 
  Animal Handler (Primates) 15-
  3 
  Climbing 13-
  2 
  PS: Carny 11-
  Resource Points
  0 
  Equipment Points:  60
  0 
  Vehicle/Base Points:  10
  0 
  Follower/Contact Points:  5
  0 
  Miscellaneous Points:  0
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  70
  Total Cost:  200
  100+ Disadvantages
  20 
  Distinctive Features:  Covered With Long 
  Hair (Conceable With Eﬀ ort [shaving it oﬀ ]; 
  Causes Extreme Reaction [fear])
  15 
  Enraged:  Berserk when caged (Uncommon), 
  go 8-, recover 8-
  25 
  Hunted:  Trickshot (his brother) 14- (As Pow, 
  Capture)
  25 
  Hunted:  HCPD 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Hates Humanity 
  And Considers Himself A Diﬀ erent Species 
  (Common, Total)
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Public Identity (Abe 
  Harrow) (Frequently, Major)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  220
  THE MISSING LINK 
  PLOT SEEDS
  Th e Missing Link is rob-
  bing diners at the Beast 
  Planet chain of restau-
  rants. Can the PCs stop 
  him before someone 
  gets hurt?
  Th e Missing Link is on 
  the loose, and then the 
  PCs read in the paper 
  that the zoo is receiv-
  ing a new shipment of 
  gorillas. It sounds like 
  a tempting target for 
  the Missing Link. Will 
  the PCs be able to stop 
  him from adding more 
  gorilla companions to 
  his gang?
  Th e PCs see on the 
  televison news that the 
  vigilante group LIBRA 
  has the Missing Link 
  cornered atop Stailey 
  Towers in Bankhurst. 
  Th e audience can hear 
  the Missing Link swear 
  they won’t take him 
  alive — and they can 
  also hear the heartless 
  vigilantes shrug and say, 
  “Lock and load.” Can 
  the PCs arrive in time to 
  avert this real life per-
  formance of King Kong?
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  60 ■ Hudson City Knights
  Background/History:  Abe Harrow stepped oﬀ  the 
  bus, having just arrived in Hudson City. All through 
  the bus ride he’d heard people whispering and seen 
  them pointing at him, but he paid it no mind. He’d 
  ﬁ nally left  the freak show at Mummers and Sons 
  Circus behind, and although he missed his parents 
  and his brother, no amount of whispering and 
  pointing was worse than being on stage while an 
  audience gasped and jeered. Abe suﬀ ered from an 
  extreme case of hypertrichosis — his whole body 
  was covered by thick black hair. Th e freakshow had 
  billed him as “the Missing Link.”
  Despite those whispers on the bus, and the 
  ones he heard as he walked the streets of Hudson 
  City looking for a place to stay, Abe was happy. He 
  knew that maybe it was because he was seven feet 
  tall and weighed four hundred pounds, so no one 
  ridiculed him to his face. He was perfectly aware of 
  the whispers fact — but they seemed so slight com-
  pared to what he’d heard growing up every time the 
  circus pulled into a new town.
  Abe only had a little money, so he rented a 
  room at the cheapest boarding house he could ﬁ nd. 
  Th e room was small — it didn’t have a kitchen, and 
  the bathroom was down the hall. Th e second day in 
  the boarding house, Abe locked himself out of his 
  room. He had just gotten out of the shower and he 
  only wore a threadbare towel. Th e neighbor down 
  the hall was coming home drunk aft er drinking 
  all night, and when he saw Abe, he screamed, “It’s 
  an ape, dear lord! My God! A gorilla’s gotten loose 
  from the zoo!”
  Abe tried to calm the 
  man, but he ran away before 
  Abe could get a word out. He 
  went back to staring at his 
  door, wondering if he should 
  just break it down, but before 
  he could make decision, the 
  neighbor was back. Th is time 
  he had friends, and all of 
  them held two-by-fours and 
  baseball bats. Abe didn’t take 
  long to make a decision — he 
  ran for dear life — and as he 
  rushed down the stairs, he 
  dropped the towel.
  He burst onto street and 
  people screamed and cried. 
  He heard the men behind him 
  and he kept on running. He 
  tried to talk to people but they 
  would only run away in fear; 
  some even fainted. Th en came 
  the cop cars, sirens wailing, 
  and a single white van with 
  Hudson City Zoo stenciled on 
  the side. One of the bystand-
  ers had called the police, 
  and the police had called the 
  zoo, assuming a gorilla had 
  escaped from somewhere.
  Abe held his hands up 
  and tried to explain, but he 
  was out of breath. Before 
  he could get any words out, 
  he heard a phﬀ p, felt a sting in the shoulder, and 
  slumped to the ground unconscious. He came to 
  in a cage at the zoo; gathered around him were 
  gorillas. At ﬁ rst he was scared out of his wits, but 
  then one gorilla reached over and pulled a piece of 
  trash from Abe’s hair. It was at that moment that 
  Abe Harrow disavowed his humanity. A gorilla had 
  shown him with a single gesture more kindness 
  than any human ever had. Why should Abe con-
  sider himself human?
  When the zookeeper came to feed the animals 
  the next morning, Abe spoke up. Th e zookeeper 
  just about had a heart attack when one of the goril-
  las started talking to him, but soon realized the 
  mistake the police had made the day before. Apolo-
  gizing profusely, he let Abe out of the cage — and 
  Abe brained the man and set his gorilla friends free.
  Personality/Motivation:  The Missing Link is 
  feral and wild. When other people are around, 
  he growls and roars, beats his chest and slams 
  his huge fists into walls — in other words, he 
  puts on the same show he used to put on at the 
  Mummers and Sons Circus. Despite this only 
  being a show, he really has disavowed human-
  ity — he hates men and women with a passion 
  and couldn’t care less whether they live or die. In 
  fact, he usually thinks the world would be much 
  better off without humanity running around 
  — although he hasn’t taken this thought to its 
  logical conclusion yet. He still has some linger-
  ing feelings for his family — when his brother, 
  
  61 
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Two
  Aaron, comes to visit him during his frequent 
  stays at Toddberry Asylum, he tries to be civil 
  — but even those feelings for his family are 
  quickly fading.
  Quote:  “Rarrrrr!!!”
  Powers/Tactics:  Th e Missing Link is incredibly 
  strong — even stronger than his gorilla compan-
  ions — and wields a large club. He communicates 
  with his gorilla friends via Animal Handling. 
  Although his skill with the gorillas seems preter-
  natural, the only thing unusual about it is how the 
  gorillas treat him as one of their own — any zoolo-
  gist knows the gorillas don’t do anything they aren’t 
  theoretically capable of learning to do.
  In combat, the Missing Link and his gorillas 
  bash on whatever stands in their way — they’re 
  quite a handful for most costumed crimefighters. 
  The Missing Link has not named his gorilla com-
  panions (that would be like a human naming a 
  pet, and the gorillas are his friends, not his pets), 
  but refers to them by a specific sequence of gut-
  tural growls the gorillas have come to recognize 
  as their names.
  Campaign Use:  Th e Missing Link is a straight-for-
  ward criminal. He busts out of Toddberry Asylum, 
  frees his gorillas from the zoo, and starts robbing 
  banks. Th ough he’s of average intelligence, his 
  crime sprees don’t go much beyond that. To make 
  his crimes more complicated, have him team up 
  with another villain. In this role, the Missing Link 
  and his gorillas serve as high-powered goons. 
  Also, there’s no reason why he can’t slip further in 
  dementia, beginning to believe he must extermi-
  nate humanity, free all captive animals, or similar 
  genocidal crimes. Any adventure involving the 
  Missing Link likely involves his brother Trickshot 
  too, and Trickshot’s intervention can provide a 
  good dramatic twist.
  To make the Missing Link more powerful, add 
  more Combat Skill Levels with his club, give him 
  Wrestling, and/or give him more gorilla companions. 
  To make him less powerful, lower his STR to 20.
  As a Hunter, the Missing Link’s tactics are 
  straightforward:  draw the person out from wher-
  ever he’s hiding and then bash him over the head. 
  But he’s not likely to Hunt anyone unless he comes 
  to believe the person is particularly despicable 
  because of his treatment of gorillas (or even ani-
  mals in general).
  Th e Missing Link has a criminal record for 
  robbery, assault, vandalism, and theft  of gorillas.
  Appearance:  At seven feet tall and four hundred 
  pounds of muscle, the Missing Link is huge — a 
  bigger person than most people have ever seen. His 
  body is covered with a pelt of thick black hair. Once 
  he used to trim his facial hair to make himself more 
  presentable, but he has stopped doing that. He goes 
  naked — wearing the same clothes his gorilla com-
  panions do, which is none at all.
  PENNY DREADFUL
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   10 STR 
  0 
  11- 
  Lift  100 kg; 2d6 [2]
   18 DEX 
  24 
  13- 
  OCV:  6/DCV:  6
   15 CON 
  10 
  12-
   10 BODY 0 
  11-
   20 INT 
  10 
  13- 
  PER Roll 13-
   18 EGO 
  16 
  13- 
  ECV:  6
   15 PRE 
  5 
  12- 
  PRE Attack:  3d6
   16 COM 
  3 
  12-
   5 PD 
  3 
   
  Total:  8 PD (3 rPD)
   5 ED 
  2 
   
  Total:  8 ED (3 rED)
   4 SPD 
  12 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   7 REC 
  4
   30 END 
  0
   30 STUN 
  7 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  96
  Movement: 
  Running:  6”/12”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  20 
  Taser Wand:  Multipower, 40-point 
  reserve, 32 Charges for entire reserve 
  (+¼); all OAF (-1), No Range (-½) 
  [32]
  2u 
  1)  Stunning Touch:  Energy Blast 4d6, 
  NND (defense is insulated rED covering 
  entire body; +1); OAF (-1), No Range (-½)
  1u 
  2)  Painful Touch:  Energy Blast 8d6; 
  OAF (-1), No Range (-½), Requires 2 
  Charges Per Use (-¾)
  1u 
  3)  Deadly Touch:  RKA 2½d6; OAF (-1), 
  No Range (-½), Requires 3 Charges Per 
  Use (-1)
  7 
  Armored Costume:  Armor (3 PD/3 ED); 
  IIF (-¼) 
  0
  25 
  Dramatic License:  Luck 5d6 
  0
   
  Perks
  10 
  Contact:  Daedalus 14- (extremely useful 
  Skills or resources, good relationship with 
  Contact)
   
  Talents
  3 
  Lightning Reﬂ exes:  +3 DEX to act ﬁ rst 
  with Taser Wand
   
  Skills
  3 
  Acting 12-
  1 
  Combat Driving 8-
  1 
  Computer Programming 8-
  3 
  Conversation 12-
  3 
  Deduction 13-
  3 
  Disguise 13-
  3 
  Fast Draw (Taser Wand) 13-
  3 
  High Society 12-
  6 
  KS: World Literature 16-
  3 
  Language:  French (completely ﬂ uent; 
  English is Native)
  3 
  Mimicry 13-
  3 
  Persuasion 12-
  4 
  PS: Book Collector 14-
  2 
  PS: Librarian 11-
  2 
  PS: Play Piano 11-
  3 
  Seduction 12-
  3 
  Stealth 13-
   
  Resource Points
  28 
  Equipment Points:  200
  15 
  Vehicle/Base Points:  40
  PENNY DREADFUL 
  PLOT SEEDS
  Th e Alchemy Of Love:  
  Penny Dreadful kidnaps 
  renowned “weird novel” 
  author Shane Velloric 
  and begins a crime 
  spree patterned aft er his 
  books while he’s forced 
  to write a new one for 
  her. But what happens 
  when the PCs ﬁ nd him, 
  only to discover the two 
  of them have fallen in 
  love and he doesn’t want 
  to be rescued?
  Bored Of Th e Rings:  
  Recognizing Peter Jack-
  son’s Lord Of Th e Rings 
  movies for the utter crap 
  and complete betrayal 
  of Tolkien’s novels that 
  they are, Penny sets out 
  to teach Hollywood a 
  lesson by stealing and 
  destroying every copy of 
  them she can ﬁ nd. And 
  then she ﬁ nds out that 
  HCSU is hosting a sym-
  posium about them....
  Th e Play’s Th e Th ing:  
  Penny takes everyone 
  in the New Globe Th e-
  ater hostage during a 
  Hudson City Shake-
  speare Company per-
  formance of Hamlet. 
  While her thugs loot 
  the box oﬃ  ce and force 
  the audience members 
  to cough up their wal-
  lets and jewelry, Penny 
  makes the actors per-
  form scenes from her 
  favorite Shakespeare 
  plays... and zaps them 
  with her Taser Wand if 
  they can’t do the scenes 
  perfectly on her com-
  mand, without prepara-
  tion or rehearsal. Th e 
  PCs have to inﬁ ltrate the 
  New Globe Th eater and 
  stop her before she gets 
  annoyed enough with 
  their “incompetence” to 
  start shooting people.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  62 ■ Hudson City Knights
  10 
  Follower/Contact Points:  15
  0 
  Miscellaneous Points:  0
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  171
  Total Cost:  267
  100+ Disadvantages
  20 
  Enraged:  if frustrated or thwarted 
  (Common), go 11-, recover 11-
  25 
  Hunted:  HCPD 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Loves Literature 
  and Must Show Oﬀ  How Much She Knows 
  About It (Common, Strong)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Amoral 
  (Common, Strong)
  10 
  Reputation:  ﬂ amboyant, deranged criminal 
  with a literary theme, 11-
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Public Identity (Penelope 
  Bookman) (Frequently, Major)
  67 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  267
  Background/History:  “Ms. Bookman!”
  Penelope Bookman jumped, startled out of 
  Heathcliﬀ ’s arms by her boss’s voice. “Yes, sir?” she 
  squeaked, as she dropped the copy of Wuthering 
  Heights she was reading.
  “How many times have I told you not to 
  read on the job? Look at all those students wait-
  ing to check out books! You’re here to help them 
  read, not do your own reading. Get out there and 
  do your job!”
  “Yes, sir!” Penelope said smartly, wishing Mr. 
  Fisher would drop dead. Aft er she helped everyone 
  who was waiting at the counter, she went back into 
  the oﬃ  ce and picked her book up oﬀ  the ﬂ oor. 
  Th en she snuck over to the back corner of the 
  oﬃ  ce, where she could sit and read without being 
  seen by her boss. She sat right next to the radiator, 
  too, so she’d stay nice and warm. Almost as warm 
  as if she were sitting in that Spanish sunshine 
  Hemingway wrote about in Th e Sun Also Rises.... 
  And that was how Penny Bookman spent 
  most of the rest of the winter, hiding from Fisher 
  in the back of the oﬃ  ce near the radiator... the one 
  near the ventilating system... which ran through 
  the Physics Department next door to the library... 
  where they were performing some unusual radia-
  tion experiments....
  Aft er a few months of sitting there, Penny 
  slowly began to wonder why she always let Fisher 
  push her around so much. Aft er all, what did he 
  know, the microcephalic buﬀ oon? Why, he didn’t 
  love the books in the library the way she did — in 
  fact, he was just a bureaucrat, a university pencil-
  pusher! He didn’t care anything at all about litera-
  ture and books and things like that. How come he 
  was in charge, and not her?
  She got right up from her chair and marched 
  straight into his oﬃ  ce. “Fisher!” she said, in the 
  most commanding tone she could muster.
  Jeremiah Fisher looked up from the paper-
  work he was doing. “Ms. Bookman, what do you 
  want?” he asked indignantly. “How dare you take 
  that tone with me?”
  “Listen, Fisher, you 
  pusillanimous ignoramus, 
  there’s a lot more where that 
  come from, and you’ve had it 
  coming for a long time. You 
  don’t know anything about 
  running this library. I bet you 
  don’t even know who wrote 
  Crime and Punishment!”
  “Th at does it, Ms. Book-
  man. I’ve had more than 
  enough of your gooﬁ ng oﬀ  
  and your smirking, and now 
  your insubordination. You’re 
  ﬁ red! Get out of here!”
  Th at was all Penny could 
  stand. How dare this stupid 
  bag of wind ﬁ re her? With 
  a shrill scream of rage she 
  picked up the telephone on 
  Fisher’s desk and threw it 
  at him as hard as she could. 
  Stunned, he tried to back 
  away from his desk and stand 
  up, but his chair snagged on 
  the carpet and tipped over 
  so he landed ﬂ at on his back. 
  Penny kept grabbing anything 
  she could — paperweights, 
  pens, anything except one of 
  her precious books — and 
  throwing it at him. A minute 
  later, when she calmed down 
  
  63 
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Two
  because there was nothing left  to throw, Fisher lay 
  dazed on the ﬂ oor, surrounded by oﬃ  ce bric-a-brac 
  and scattered papers. Penelope Bookman smiled 
  wickedly, spit on her former boss, and walked out 
  of the library.
  Th at was the last time anyone ever saw 
  Penelope Bookman. Th e next time she showed 
  up at work, she was wearing a men’s pinstripe 
  suit and calling herself “Penny Dreadful.” Many 
  of her former co-workers barely recognized their 
  once-mousy colleague in the ﬂ amboyant, vicious, 
  vivacious Penny. Flanking her were a dozen tough-
  looking punks. She ﬁ red the pistol she was carrying 
  into the ceiling and told everyone to lie ﬂ at on the 
  ground. When Fisher tried to stop her, she pulled 
  a metal wand out of her sleeve. When she touched 
  him with it, he fell to the ground like a pole-axed 
  steer. A burst of bullets from her pistol reduced 
  him to a bloody smear on the library ﬂ oor. Aft er 
  that, everybody remained face down on the ground 
  like they were told while Penny’s men took most 
  of the books from the ﬁ ction section of the library, 
  including every single book in the rare book room.
  Since then, Penny Dreadful has made a name 
  for herself stealing rare works of literature, kidnap-
  ping authors and forcing them to write stories for 
  her, and raiding libraries to “relieve” them of the 
  books she knows they couldn’t possibly appreciate 
  as much as she does. Costumed crimeﬁ ghters have 
  clashed with her several times, but she has so far 
  outwitted them and escaped every time. Whether 
  her lucky streak will continue remains to be seen.
  Personality/Motivation:  Penelope Bookman’s 
  formerly meek and unassertive personality was 
  warped by months of exposure to radiation that 
  leaked out of the Physics Department and into the 
  ventilation system she sat next to. Th e radiation has 
  aﬀ ected her mind, stimulating the aggressiveness 
  centers in her brain and turning her from a gentle 
  librarian into an amoral criminal. Although Penny 
  is not a “casual killer,” she has no moral sense left  — 
  aft er all, plenty of great literary ﬁ gures were violent 
  people! — and has no compunctions about steal-
  ing... or shooting people who bother her. Her lack 
  of morality and sympathy has made her incredibly 
  short-tempered and spiteful; anyone who frustrates 
  her, insults her, or annoys her becomes a target of 
  her wrath, starting with vicious taunts and ending 
  with outright attacks.   
  Penny Dreadful’s love of literature motivates 
  her to steal. She believes no one loves (or knows 
  as much about) literature and books as she does, 
  so she has every right to “liberate” books from the 
  dullards who currently own them so she can keep 
  them safe in her own library. Her goal is to have 
  the greatest library in the history of the world, full 
  of rare and important volumes. On rare occasions 
  she “branches out” to related arts (such as stealing 
  original sheet music).
  Penny can’t resist showing oﬀ  her knowledge 
  of literature during her crimes. She constantly 
  quotes diﬀ erent writers, and sometimes acts out 
  scenes from Shakespeare or other playwrights 
  while her gang grabs the books she wants. Her 
  favorite authors are Jane Austen, Shakespeare, the 
  various Brontë sisters, Yeats, Tony Morrison, Dick-
  ens, Tennyson, and Joyce, not necessarily in that 
  order. Penny Dreadful is an intellectual snob to the 
  core, disdainful of those who know less than she 
  does. She reserves particular scorn for men, whom 
  she feels have looked down on her and treated her 
  badly all her life.
  Quote:  ““To be, or not to be — that is the question.” 
  Now, my good man, open that safe immediately, or 
  the answer in your case will deﬁ nitely be the latter.”
  Powers/Tactics:  Penny Dreadful would be the ﬁ rst 
  to acknowledge that she’s no combatant — she is a 
  (relative) weakling and also something of a coward, 
  and she knows it. Th at’s why she’s always careful to 
  surround herself with a gang of big, strong thugs 
  to do her dirty work for her. Sometimes she dresses 
  them in distinctive garb, but she always gives them 
  literary codenames (names of authors, or of char-
  acters from a particular book). She remains on the 
  sidelines shouting orders, only getting involved in 
  the fray if someone speciﬁ cally attacks her, or if an 
  opportunity for an easy shot to an enemy’s back 
  presents itself.
  Penny carries two main weapons. Th e ﬁ rst is 
  a Taser Wand — a slim metal stick able to deliver 
  electrical shocks of varying intensity when touched 
  to a target. Th e underworld armorer Daedalus 
  made it for her, and she usually carries it hidden 
  up her left  sleeve. Th e other is a Glock 17L that’s 
  been heavily modiﬁ ed (barrel coating, ﬁ ne tuning, 
  improved range, weight reduction) that she typi-
  cally loads with spent uranium rounds (also manu-
  factured for her by Daedalus, who seems to have a 
  sort of soft  spot for her for reasons unknown).
  Campaign Use:  Penny Dreadful’s crimes all revolve 
  around some literary object or theme. For example, 
  she steals rare books, kidnaps authors and forces 
  them to write love sonnets to her, and stages 
  elaborate crime sprees based upon a favorite book 
  (such as Lewis Carroll’s Alice In Wonderland). If 
  appropriate, she may outﬁ t herself with some sort 
  of literature-based weapon or gadget, whether it’s 
  SUGGESTED EQUIPMENT
  Weapon 
  OCV 
  RMod 
  Dam 
  STUN 
  Shots STR Min Notes
  Glock 17L 
  +2 
  +2 
  1d6+2 
  1d6 
  19 
  9 
  AP
  Armor
  Armored costume (see character sheet)
  Gear:  Varies, depending on the focus of her current crime spree — she oft en has 
  weapons or gadgets derived from a particular literary subject or theme
  Clothing:  See Appearance.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  64 ■ Hudson City Knights
  something as simple as a sword (used for fencing 
  while quoting Hamlet) or as elaborate as a “book” 
  that ﬁ res razor-sharp “pages.” If she gets captures a 
  hero, her sense of “drama” means she’s likely to to 
  put him in a “literary deathtrap,” such as a tank of 
  water with a shark painted white (in imitation of 
  Moby Dick).
  To make Penny tougher, beef up her Charac-
  teristics a bit and give her more standard gadgets 
  (possibly including some special vehicles). To 
  weaken her, get rid of her Taser Wand.
  Penny doesn’t usually Hunt heroes; she’s 
  focused on literature, not revenge. But she might 
  take it into her head to dispose of a PC who’s fre-
  quently frustrated her (particularly if he’s activated 
  her Enraged several times in the process), or a PC 
  who accidentally or deliberately destroys or dis-
  mantles her library. (She has a hard time ﬁ nding 
  good places for use as secret headquarters, since she 
  has to cart around a lot of rare books and preserve 
  them from harmful environmental conditions and 
  other threats; this sometimes makes it easy to track 
  her down.) But woe to a PC upon whom she does 
  ﬁ xate; she’ll conﬂ ate the relationship into a grand, 
  dramatic rivalry that can only end in death (or, per-
  haps worse, love...).
  Penny Dreadful is wanted for one count of 
  murder (of Jeremiah Fisher), seven counts of 
  attempted murder, numerous acts of assault, and 
  approximately two dozen counts of burglary, rob-
  bery, and related property crimes.
  Appearance:  Penny Dreadful is an attractive young 
  woman who stands 5’8” tall, with strawberry 
  blonde hair and blue eyes. Her most common “cos-
  tume” is a pinstripe men’s suit (with a rose in the 
  buttonhole) and a dark fedora — since she thinks 
  of herself as a “hardened criminal,” she ﬁ gures 
  she ought to look like a gangster-movie crook. At 
  other times, she dresses to ﬁ t a particular crime. 
  For example, during an Alice In Wonderland-based 
  crime spree, she might wear a costume patterned 
  aft er the Queen of Hearts or Alice (as illustrated by 
  Tenniel, you dolt, not those stupid Disney movies!); 
  when stealing a collection of James Bond novels 
  autographed by Ian Fleming, she might dress like 
  one of Bond’s femme fatales. 
  RAPTOR
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   20 STR 
  10 
  13- 
  Lift  400 kg; 4d6 [4]
   20 DEX 
  30 
  13- 
  OCV:  7/DCV:  7
   18 CON 
  16 
  13-
   13 BODY  6 
  12-
   15 INT 
   5 
  12- 
  PER Roll 13-
   12 EGO 
   4 
  11- 
  ECV:  4
   15 PRE 
   5 
  12- 
  PRE Attack:  3d6
   14 COM 
   2 
  12-
   8 PD 
   4 
   
  Total:  11 PD (3 rPD)
   6 ED 
   3 
   
  Total:  6 PD (3 rED)
   5 SPD 
  30 
   
  Phases:  3, 5, 8, 10, 12
   8 REC 
   0 
   40 END 
   2
   40 STUN  8 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  125
  Movement: 
  Running:  8”/16”
   
  Gliding:  10”/20”
   
  Swinging:  12”/24”
  Cost Powers  
  END
  7 
  Talons:  HKA ½d6 (1d6+1 with STR); 
  OIF (-½) 
  1
  15 
  Cable-Claw:  Multipower, 30-point reserve, 
  all OAF (-1)
  1u 
  1)  Taser Claw:  Energy Blast 2d6, NND 
  (defense is insulated rED covering entire 
  body; +1), Continuous (+1); OAF (-1), 
  Lockout (-½), Limited Range (12”, -¼), 
  16 Charges (-0) 
  [16]
  1u 
  2)  Swingline:  Swinging 12”; OAF (-1) 
  1
  1u 
  3)  Grapple Claw:  Telekinesis (10 STR); 
  OAF (-1), Aﬀ ects Whole Object (-¼), 
  Only To Pull Objects Towards User (-½) 
  1
  7 
  Good Right Hook:  HA +2d6; 
  Hand-To-Hand Attack (-½) 
  1
  4 
  Quick On His Feet:  Running +2” (7” total) 1
  5 
  Glider Cape:  Gliding 10”; OAF (-1) 
  0
   
  Perks
  2 
  Contact:  environmental organization, 11-
  25 
  Followers:  four birds of prey (use the statis-
  tics for a Eagle/Hawk, HERO System Bestiary, 
  page 136)
  10 
  Money:  Wealthy
   
  Skills
  3 
  +1 with Cable-Claw
  3 
  Acrobatics 13-
  8 
  Animal Handler (Raptors) 15-
  3 
  Breakfall 13-
  3 
  Climbing 13-
  3 
  Demolitions 12-
  3 
  High Society 12-
  2 
  KS: Environmentalism 11-
  2 
  KS: Ecoterrorism 11-
  3 
  Oratory 12-
  2 
  PS: Ecoterrorist 11-
  3 
  PS: Falconry 12-
  2 
  SS: Biology 11-
  3 
  SS: Ecology 12-
  2 
  SS: Ornithology 11-
  3 
  Stealth 13-
  2 
  Survival (Temperate/Subtropical) 11-
  3 
  Tracking 12-
  
  65 
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Two
  2 
  WF: Small Arms
   
  Resource Points
  0 
  Equipment Points:  60
  0 
  Vehicle/Base Points:  10
  0 
  Follower/Contact Points:  5
  0 
  Miscellaneous Points:  0
  Total Powers & Skill Cost:  133
  Total Cost:  258
  100+ Disadvantages
  20 
  Hunted:  FBI 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
  20 
  Hunted:  HCPD 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Radical Environ-
  mentalist (Common, Total)
  10 
  Psychological Limitation:  Code Versus Kill-
  ing (Common, Moderate)
  10 
  Reputation:  costumed ecoterrorist, 8-
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (Arthur 
  Hawke, dilettante) (Frequently, Major)
  63 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  258
  Background/History:  Arthur Hawke is the son of 
  Robert Hawke, founder and CEO of Hawke Phar-
  maceuticals, a major drug manufacturer. Arthur 
  grew up rich and pampered, able to indulge any of 
  his whims. His favorite hobbies involved the out-
  doors:  rock-climbing, hiking, and especially fal-
  conry. He displayed an unusual empathy with birds 
  of prey, and spent long hours out in the woods 
  and ﬁ elds accompanied only by a bird or two. He 
  admired their strength, beauty, and speed, and mar-
  veled to watch them at work. Sometimes he wished 
  he could soar up into the sky with them and view 
  the Earth from their loft y perspective.
  One day, shortly aft er Arthur graduated from 
  college with a degree in biology, he was out with one 
  of his falcons in one of his favorite hunting areas. As 
  he climbed up over a steep hill, he was shocked when 
  he looked out over the valley and saw a brand-new 
  strip mining operation going on! Where a month ago 
  there was a beautiful little vale, ﬁ lled with birds and 
  animals and trees, now there was nothing but an ugly 
  earth-colored scar where large machines were tearing 
  up the ground, looking for coal. Looking closely at the 
  machines, Arthur discovered that they belonged to 
  Lockley International, a company in which his family 
  had invested substantially.
  Arthur was furious. He’d read about the envi-
  ronmentalism movement before, and had supported 
  it in a vague, rich white liberal kind of way, but now 
  man’s exploitation of the environment was really 
  brought home to him. He rushed home and sold all 
  of the shares of Lockley International he personally 
  owned, and began investigating the other companies 
  in his portfolio for “environmental crimes.” He found 
  out that a lot of them were guilty of raping the envi-
  ronment, so he liquidated his shares of them as well 
  and invested the proceeds in “pure” investments. He 
  presented his ﬁ ndings to his father and urged him 
  to change the entire family’s portfolio to invest only 
  in environmentally responsible ﬁ rms. His father, 
  annoyed by this outburst of “foolish youthful senti-
  ment,” refused. An infuriated Arthur took his belong-
  ings and stormed out of the house, never to return.
  Backed by his own investments, Arthur 
  threw himself into the study of environmental-
  ism. The more he learned, the more radical his 
  views became. He realized mankind was quickly 
  destroying the Earth, and that something had to 
  be done to save it. He soon joined various radical 
  environmentalist groups and entered the shad-
  owy world of ecoterrorism.
  After taking part in a few violent protests, 
  bombings, and similar events, Arthur realized the 
  radical environmentalism movement was lacking 
  something — a spokesman, someone glamorous 
  enough to bring positive attention to the move-
  ment and its goals. For too long he and his com-
  rades had been regarded as nothing more than a 
  bunch of long-haired, tree-hugging, rabble-rous-
  ers. It was time to change that image — and he 
  was the one to do it.
  Inspired by his love of birds of prey, Arthur 
  commissioned the underworld armorer Daedalus 
  to design him a glider cape and costume for the 
  costumed identity of Raptor, savior of the environ-
  ment. Daedalus also built him a set of gauntlets 
  with claws that popped out of the back of his hand, 
  and a “Cable-Claw” (a pistol-like device that ﬁ red a 
  cable with a claw on the end which could act like a 
  taser or a grappling hook). Ever since then, Arthur, 
  in the guise of Raptor, has worked to halt man’s 
  destruction of the environment and to show the 
  world that it’s time to put Earth ﬁ rst, and corporate 
  greed and material comfort second.
  Personality/Motivation:  Raptor is a radical environ-
  mentalist who’s willing to engage in criminal activi-
  ties to “save the Earth.” He has a deep and abiding 
  hatred of corporations who exploit the environ-
  ment, and a distrust of big business and govern-
  ment in general. He sees them, and indeed just 
  about everyone, as either for or against his cause... 
  and since they are not helping or supporting him, 
  they must be against him. Th is extremist attitude 
  has made him a rather lonely and embittered soul.
  Raptor’s respect for life extends to human 
  life... mostly. Unlike some of his ecoterrorist com-
  rades, he refuses to involve himself in activities that 
  might endanger people (in fact, he’s stopped other 
  ecoterrorists from engaging in such activities). He 
  believes, and rightly so, that activities beyond the 
  level of vandalism and consciousness-raising only 
  hurt the movement by showing its members for 
  the dangerous fanatics they are. Only in the most 
  extreme cases would he even be tempted to take 
  permanent measures to dispose of some exploiter 
  of the environment.
  In many ways, Raptor is a rather immature 
  person. Used to getting what he wants, he’s likely 
  to sulk or do something drastic if thwarted — wit-
  ness his behavior when his father didn’t accede 
  to his request to change the family’s investments. 
  Although he’s become a gift ed speaker, his speeches 
  sometimes seem a little petulant and whiny. He has 
  a diﬃ  cult time understanding why others can’t see 
  what’s happening to the Earth the way he can, and 
  is likely to become violent if someone refutes or 
  denies his arguments more than a couple of times.
  RAPTOR  
  PLOT SEEDS
  Th e Missing Link and 
  Raptor team up and 
  begin attacking corpora-
  tions threatening the 
  environment. Can the 
  PCs defeat this powerful 
  combo?
  Red-Eyes kidnaps 
  Arthur Hawke, plan-
  ning to hold the wealthy 
  young man hostage until 
  his ransom demand 
  is paid — but Hawke 
  has a better idea. He 
  oﬀ ers Red-Eyes twice 
  the ransom to attack 
  some eco-unfriendly 
  corporations. But when 
  Red-Eyes starts killing 
  people, will Raptor come 
  out to stop it? And will 
  the PCs let the known 
  criminal escape if he 
  does?
  Raptor comes to the PCs 
  for help. Th e police now 
  want him for murder, 
  claiming that he was 
  part of an ecoterrorist 
  attack on a cosmetics 
  testing laboratory that 
  left  two scientists dead. 
  He insists he’s innocent, 
  but he needs the PCs’ 
  assistance to prove it.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  66 ■ Hudson City Knights
  Quote:  “We’ve got to work together to save the 
  Earth from these corporate vultures. Can’t you 
  see that?”
  Powers/Tactics:  Raptor has received a moderate 
  level of combat training (but has not studied a 
  formal martial art suﬃ  ciently to purchase maneu-
  vers — his skill is reﬂ ected in his HA). If he has to 
  ﬁ ght, he prefers to ﬁ ght hand-to-hand, and tries to 
  use his Glider Cape to maneuver so that he gains 
  an advantage on his enemy (for this reason, he tries 
  to stage ﬁ ghts in open areas). He would never use 
  his Claws against a living target; they’re reserved for 
  cutting through doors, chains, and the like. If he has 
  to ﬁ ght at range, he uses his Cable-Claw, and/or his 
  trained birds.
  Raptor has trained four of his birds of prey to 
  ﬁ ght with him. Th ey distract his opponents, pick up 
  dropped Foci, and so forth. Some of their favorite 
  maneuvers include:  one bird claws at an oppo-
  nent’s eyes while another steals a Focus from the 
  distracted target; Move Bys in which they claw at 
  opponents (and/or at their costumes — Raptor has 
  taught them how to tear up other characters’ glider 
  capes); screeching loudly in an enemy’s ears to 
  deafen him while a human sneaks up behind him; 
  and carrying tear gas bombs (supplied by Raptor or 
  one of his allies) that they drop on opponents (they 
  ﬂ y away before the gas can aﬀ ect them). Th e birds 
  respond to simple commands in English.
  Campaign Use:  Possible 
  crimes for Raptor include any 
  sort of vandalism or other 
  crimes against corporations 
  which abuse the environment, 
  up to and including attacking 
  their corporate headquar-
  ters and holding hostages to 
  attract media attention to his 
  cause. He may also commit 
  more mundane crimes, 
  such as bank robberies, to 
  fund ecoterrorist activities. 
  In either event, his birds of 
  prey usually assist him with 
  his crimes. Other possible 
  crimes include “liberating” 
  raptors from the zoo; murder-
  ing hunters who kill birds of 
  prey (his Code Versus Killing 
  doesn’t extend that far); and 
  so forth.
  To make Raptor tougher, 
  give him Martial Arts, some 
  Combat Skill Levels, and/or 
  some more themed gadgets 
  (talon throwing blades, for 
  example). To weaken him, 
  remove his Talons.
  Raptor would only Hunt 
  a hero whom he regarded as 
  an environmental criminal. 
  First he’ll confront the hero 
  and try to change his mind 
  through persuasion and logic; when that doesn’t 
  work, he’ll get frustrated and use force to change 
  the hero’s mind.
  Th e police want Raptor for various crimes 
  related to his ecoterrorist activities:  breaking and 
  entering; vandalism; theft ; assault. Th ey’re unaware 
  that he’s really Arthur Hawke; the revelation of that 
  fact would scandalize his prominent family.
  Appearance:  Raptor’s costume is grey and brown:  
  his glider cape, which reaches to his waist and 
  attaches at his belt, is brown and designed with 
  a “feathered” motif; the headpiece attached to it, 
  which leaves most of his face open, is also brown 
  (the top and bottom of the headpiece terminate in 
  small points, creating a sort of “bird’s beak” look). 
  Th e headpiece/cape attaches to the bottoms of his 
  arms, and the “wings” extend slightly beyond his 
  hands; the entire piece comes to a point on his mid-
  chest. His belt and gloves are brown, and his boots 
  yellow (like an eagle’s claws). Th e rest of the suit 
  is grey with thin, black pointed ovals to simulate 
  a “feather” pattern. He carries his Cable-Claw in a 
  holster on his left  hip.
  
  67 
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Two
  REDEYES
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   20 STR 
  10 
  13- 
  Lift  400 kg; 4d6[4]
   12 DEX 
  6 
  11- 
  OCV:  4/DCV:  4
   20 CON 
  20 
  13-
   15 BODY 10 
  12-
   10 INT 
  0 
  11- 
  PER Roll 11-
   15 EGO 
  10 
  12- 
  ECV:  5
   20 PRE 
  10 
  13- 
  PRE Attack:  4d6
   10 COM 
  0 
  11-
   8 PD 
  4 
   
  Total:  11 PD (3 rPD)
   8 ED 
  4 
   
  Total:  11 ED (3 rED)
   4 SPD 
  18 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   10 REC 
  4
   50 END 
  5
   50 STUN 15 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  116
  Movement: 
  Running:  6”/12”
  Cost Powers 
  END
   
  Martial Arts:  Boxing
   
  Maneuver 
  OCV DCV 
  Notes
  4 
  Block 
  +2 
  +2 
  Block, Abort
  3 
  Clinch 
  -1 
  -1 
  Grab Two 
  Limbs, 40 STR
  4 
  Cross 
  +0 
  +2 
  8d6 Strike
  5 
  Hook 
  -2 
  +1 
  10d6 Strike
  8 
  +2 Damage Classes (already added in)
  15 
  Can Take A Punch:  Physical Damage 
  Reduction, Resistant, 50%; Requires A 
  CON Roll (-¾), Character Must Be Aware 
  Of Attack (-¼)
  33 
  A Love For Violence:  Aid STR and CON 
  2d6, two Characteristics simultaneously 
  (+½), Trigger (when he does BODY with 
  his ﬁ sts, activation takes no time, Trigger 
  immediately automatically resets; +1); 
  Self Only (-½) 
  0
  4 
  Good Eyes:  +2 with Sight Group PER Rolls 0
  5 
  Good Eyes:  Nightvision 
  0
   
  Talents
  6 
  Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED)
  6 
  Lightning Reﬂ exes:  +4 DEX to go ﬁ rst with 
  All Actions
   
  Skills
  12 
  +4 with Boxing
  10 
  +2 DCV
  3 
  Acrobatics 11-
  5 
  Breakfall 12-
  3 
  Climbing 11-
  5 
  Combat Driving 12-
  3 
  Criminology 11-
  5 
  Deduction 12-
  5 
  Interrogation 14-
  2 
  CK: Hudson City 11-
  5 
  KS: Hudson City Underworld 14-
  3 
  Lockpicking 11-
  2 
  PS: Accountant 11-
  2 
  SS: Accounting 11-
  3 
  Security Systems 11-
  3 
  Shadowing 11-
  3 
  Stealth 11-
  5 
  Streetwise 14-
  4 
  WF: Common Melee Weapons, Small Arms
   
  Resource Points
  0 
  Equipment Points:  60
  0 
  Vehicle/Base Points:  10
  15 
  Follower/Contact Points:  35
  0 
  Miscellaneous Points:  0
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  191
  Total Cost:  307
  100+ Disadvantages
  5 
  Dependence:  must take Tranquilium once 
  per day or suﬀ er Weakness (Diﬃ  cult To 
  Obtain, Addiction)
  10 
  Distinctive Features:  Red Eyes (Easily Con-
  cealed; Causes Major Reaction [fear])
  25 
  Hunted:  Hudson City Police Department 
  8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Addicted To 
  Violence, Particularly HTH Violence 
  (Common, Strong)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Casual Killer 
  (Common, Strong)
  15 
  Reputation:  criminal psychopath, 11-
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Public Identity (Tony 
  Kick) (Frequently, Major)
  107 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  307
  Background/History:  “Doc, I understand the ulcers, 
  the anxiety attacks, the high blood pressure... I get 
  all that. And I understand the sleepless nights and 
  the waking nightmares too. I know it’s like you told 
  me:  unresolved issues and suppressed negative 
  emotions. I mean, I get all that. But, Doc, I don’t get 
  why my eyes turned red — that’s not natural. Th at’s 
  not in any medical book I’ve ever seen. I mean my 
  eyes are red, blood red — you can’t even see the 
  pupils anymore — and reds eyes aren’t natural.”
  Th e psychologist assured Tony it was just an 
  “advanced case of bloodshot eyes” but Tony wasn’t 
  believing it — his eyes were two burning scarlet 
  orbs staring out from sunken sockets in his drawn 
  face. His doctor wrote him a new prescription for 
  a brand-new drug called Tranquilium that was 
  sure to alleviate his anxiety-related disorders. Tony 
  wasn’t believing that either, but he took the pre-
  scription anyway and had it ﬁ lled.
  Tony was wrong. The new drug did help 
  him, just not in the way the doctor thought it 
  would. Taking the drug was like having a veil 
  lifted from his eyes. All of sudden he knew 
  exactly what he had to do. That night took a ride 
  in his car. He went into Hudson City from his 
  home in the suburbs and found himself in Free-
  town. While stopped at a stop sign, he studied the 
  gang members passing a bottle in brown paper 
  bag out in front of corner liquor store. They were 
  eyeballing his new sports car and whispering 
  among themselves. Tony parked the car, got out, 
  and threw the keys on the hood. And he waited.
  Finally the gang members took his dare, and 
  Tony beat them to a bloody pulp, laughing all the 
  while, his red eyes seeming to glow even brighter 
  than the neon signs that lined the street. An inhu-
  man rage ﬁ lled him with strength that was more 
  than human... but the rage also made him euphoric. 
  RED-EYES 
  PLOT SEEDS
  Red-Eyes wants the 
  whole world to feel the 
  same joy in violence that 
  he does. He kidnaps a 
  scientist and forces him 
  to discover why Tran-
  quilium has a strange 
  eﬀ ect on him. Th en he 
  plans to synthesize a 
  drug that will cause the 
  same eﬀ ect in others 
  and drop it in the water 
  supply....
  Th e last time Red-
  Eyes went to court, the 
  court found him guilty 
  and sentenced him to 
  Stewartsburg Peniten-
  tiary — not Toddberry 
  Asylum. It might have 
  been the biggest mistake 
  in correctional history. 
  Now the Stew is boiling 
  over in a deadly riot, 
  with Red-Eyes at the 
  center of it all. Can the 
  PCs put down the riot in 
  time to save the guards?
  Red-Eyes has taken 
  over Freetown, declar-
  ing himself king despite 
  the fact that he’s white. 
  To the infuriation of 
  Shango, Strad, and 
  Buckshot, he’s united 
  the Nubians, Warriors, 
  and unallied gangs (and 
  stolen quite a few sets 
  from their own ranks) 
  and had them construct 
  barricades at the borders 
  of the neighborhood. 
  Can the PCs get inside 
  the most danger-
  ous neighborhood in 
  Hudson City and take 
  Red-Eyes down... per-
  haps with some help 
  from Freetown’s notori-
  ous crimelords?
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  68 ■ Hudson City Knights
  Tony was happy for the ﬁ rst time in months, maybe 
  even years. Aft er dealing with the street gang, Tony 
  mugged two people just for the sheer pleasure of 
  it — he was so happy, he even forgot to take their 
  wallets. Th en he went home and slept like a baby.
  Th e next day he quit his job at the accounting 
  ﬁ rm and started his new life as Red-Eyes.
  Personality/Motivation:  In 9,900 test subjects, 
  Tranquilium reduced the eﬀ ects of stress and anxi-
  ety-related illnesses and disorders. In the other 
  hundred, it caused diarrhea and vomiting. In Tony 
  Kick, however, it reduced his inhibitions and gave 
  him a taste for inﬂ icting pain.
  Red-Eyes is violence personiﬁ ed. He gets not 
  just an emotional jolt from violence, but a physi-
  cal one, too. It’s a bodily need, and he has diﬃ  culty 
  walking away from an opportunity to cause vio-
  lence. Red-Eyes is a villain because it’s a violent 
  profession — not for the wealth, not because of 
  some twisted rivalry with costumed crimeﬁ ghters, 
  but because it gives him plenty of opportunities to 
  inﬂ ict harm and cause pain. He oft en lets his love 
  for violence get in the way of his crimes — he lin-
  gers at his crime scenes to beat someone he thinks 
  disrespected him (or whom he just didn’t like the 
  looks of). If he were to get his bloodthirsty nature 
  under control, he’d be a far more lethal foe.
  In addition to his addiction to violence, Red-
  Eyes is also addicted to Tranquilium, a prescrip-
  tion drug (he just steals from pharmacies when he 
  needs more). If he goes a day without taking a pill, 
  he becomes irritable. Aft er that ﬁ rst day, he begins 
  slowly but surely changing back into meek and pas-
  sive Tony Kick, accountant and career man.
  Red-Eyes has several nervous habits, all of 
  which relate to violence. When he’s bored and 
  itching for a ﬁ ght, he slowly cracks his knuckles, 
  clenches and unclenches his hands, slams one ﬁ st 
  against his palm, or massages his swollen knuckles. 
  Despite his penchant for violence, Red-Eyes is no 
  dummy — the crimes he commits are well-planned 
  and well-executed.
  Quote:  “Th ere’s the do-gooder... ’bout time. I’ve 
  been itchin’ for a ﬁ ght all day.”
  Powers/Tactics:  Red-Eyes thrives on violence. 
  Watching the blood ﬂ y when he beats someone 
  with his ﬁ sts gets his blood pumping and adrena-
  line ﬂ owing. Every time he causes BODY with a 
  punch, roll the dice for his Aid and increase his 
  STR and CON, and continue doing so until he 
  reaches his maximum of STR 32 and CON 26. Red-
  Eyes usually carries a pistol, but far prefers to use 
  his ﬁ sts — even if it’s a poor idea, he usually throws 
  down his gun and enters hand-to-hand combat (if 
  necessary, he has to succeed with an EGO Roll to 
  use the gun).
  
  69 
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Two
  Campaign Use:  Red-Eyes plans his crimes for maxi-
  mum violence. He doesn’t open a door when he 
  can batter it oﬀ  his hinges. He doesn’t try to learn 
  the combination to a safe when he can blow it up. 
  He doesn’t shoot out the tires of a car when he can 
  cause the car to explode. And he doesn’t beat a 
  person up when he can kill him.
  When Red-Eyes goes on a crime spree, he 
  doesn’t sit around waiting to be caught. Instead, he 
  leaves clues at a crime scene pointing to a future 
  crime (using his Criminology Skill to make the 
  clue seems accidental). Th e future crime is really a 
  trap where he plans to kill whoever is chasing him. 
  Th e goons Red-Eyes employs are just as brutal and 
  bloodthirsty as he is; they wear regular clothes, plus 
  sunglasses with red lenses.
  Relative to many other villains in Dark Cham-
  pions:  Th e Animated Series, Red-Eyes is brutal and 
  murderous. Keep this in mind before unleashing 
  him on unsuspecting PCs — make sure the heroes 
  realize the villain they’re up against is not some 
  loon obsessed with crossword puzzles or a large 
  misunderstood man with a lot of body hair, but a 
  casual killer who’s unhinged because of a unique 
  interaction between his body’s metabolism and the 
  drug Tranquilium.
  As a Hunter Red-Eyes, unsurprisingly, is 
  deadly. He only Hunts to kill, and will Hunt a 
  person for any one of numerous reasons including 
  a past defeat, an insult, the belief the target can give 
  him a good ﬁ ght, or simply not liking how someone 
  looks.
  To make Red-Eyes more powerful, give him 
  Find Weakness with Boxing — this almost guaran-
  tees he causes BODY damage to a person he hits. 
  To make him less powerful, reduce his Aid to 1d6 
  and remove his Physical Damage Reduction.
  Red-Eyes has a lengthy record for aggravated 
  murder, manslaughter, assault and battery, robbery, 
  and a host of lesser crimes. He’s been judged insane 
  on numerous occasions, so he spends his prison 
  time at Toddberry Asylum.
  Appearance:  Red-Eyes is a heavily-muscled white 
  man who stands 6’2”. He shaves his head and his 
  features are stark — his face is almost like a skull, 
  with a sharp nose, sunken cheeks, and thin pink 
  lips. He usually goes shirtless and wears black jeans 
  and a black leather jacket. His eyes are blood red 
  and seem to glisten wetly in the light; the pupils are 
  only barely visible. He wears sunglasses to hide his 
  eyes, but always pulls the glasses oﬀ  when he gets 
  into a ﬁ ght.
  THREE OF A KIND
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   15 STR 
  5 
  12- 
  Lift  200 kg; 3d6 [3]
   18 DEX 
  24 
  13- 
  OCV:  6/DCV:  6
   15 CON 
  10 
  12-
   12 BODY 4 
  12-
   15 INT 
  5 
  12- 
  PER Roll 12-
   15 EGO 
  10 
  12- 
  ECV:  5
   15 PRE 
  5 
  12- 
  PRE Attack:  3d6
   10 COM 
  0 
  11-
   6 PD 
  3 
   
  Total:  9 PD (3 rPD)
   6 ED 
  3 
   
  Total:  9 ED (3 rED)
   3 SPD 
  2 
   
  Phases:  4, 8, 12
   6 REC 
  0
   30 END 
  0
   30 STUN 
  2 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  73
  Movement: 
  Running:  6”/12”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  40 
  Share Th e Pain:  Multipower, 40-point 
  reserve
  3u 
  1)  With All Th ree Standing:  Physical and 
  Energy Damage Reduction, 50%; When 
  Th ree Of Th ree Of A Kind Are Conscious 
  And In Same Location (-½) 
  0
  2u 
  2)  With Only Two Standing:  Physical 
  and Energy Damage Reduction, 25%; 
  When Two Of Th ree Of A Kind Are 
  Conscious And In Same Location (-¼) 
  0 
  15 
  Psychic Bond:  Mind Link (any three 
  minds belonging to Th ree Of A Kind, 
  three at a time), Psychic Bond; Only With 
  Others Who Have Mind Link (-1) 
  0
  12 
  Unimpressed:  +25 PRE; Only To Resist 
  Presence Attacks (-1) 
  0
   
  Talents
  6 
  Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED)
  18 
  Danger Sense (self only, out of combat, 
  sense) 12-, Only When Two Of Th ree Of A 
  Kind Are Conscious And At Location (-¼)
  3 
  +4 with Danger Sense; Only When Th ree 
  Of Th ree Of A Kind Are Conscious And At 
  Location (-½)
   
  Skills
  16 
  +2 with All Combat
  13 
  +2 with All Combat (+4 total); Only When 
  Two Of Th ree Of A Kind Are Conscious And 
  At Location (-¼)
  11 
  +2 with All Combat (+6 total); Only When 
  Th ree Of Th ree Of A Kind Are Conscious 
  And At Location (-½)
  3 
  Combat Driving 13-
  3 
  Interrogation 12-
  3 
  Security Systems 12-
  3 
  Tactics 12-
  11 
  Teamwork 16-
  4 
  WF: Common Melee Weapons, Small Arms
   
  Resource Points
  0 
  Equipment Points:  60
  0 
  Vehicle/Base Points:  10
  0 
  Follower/Contact Points:  5
  0 
  Miscellaneous Points:  0
  THREE OF A KIND 
  PLOT SEEDS
  On the third day of 
  March, Th ree Of A Kind 
  deliver a message to the 
  city that three bombs at 
  three separate locations 
  will detonate unless the 
  city pays them three 
  million dollars. Will the 
  PCs be able to ﬁ gure 
  out the bombs are in 
  buildings on 3rd Avenue, 
  placed on the third ﬂ oor 
  of the buildings at the 
  addresses 333, 336, and 
  339?
  Th ree Of A Kind starts 
  kidnapping men and 
  women who just turned 
  thirty-three. Will the 
  PCs ﬁ gure out that the 
  other connection is that 
  the people’s phone num-
  bers add up to three and 
  their listing is on every 
  third page of the phone 
  book?
  Th ree Of A Kind kidnap 
  a chemist who special-
  izes in women’s fertility 
  medicine. Th ey force 
  him to create a new 
  drug that guarantees a 
  woman will give birth 
  to triplets. Can the PCs 
  track them to their lair 
  before they drop the 
  drug in the city’s water 
  supply?
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  70 ■ Hudson City Knights
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  166
  Total Cost:  239
  100+ Disadvantages
  10 
  Distinctive Feature:  Th ree People Talking As 
  One (Concealable With Eﬀ ort; Noticed And 
  Recognizable)
  15 
  Enraged:  Enraged when separated from 
  siblings (Uncommon), go 11-, recover 11-
  25 
  Hunted:  Hudson City Police Department 
  8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
  25 
  Psychological Limitation: Amoral (Very 
  Common, Total)
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Public Identity 
  (Samuel, Sally, and Steven Tressini) 
  (Frequently, Major)
  49 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  239
  Background/History:  For the ﬁ rst few years, only the 
  mother of the triplets thought her three children, 
  two boys and a girl, were strange. She swore they 
  would start to cry, all three of them, at the same 
  exact moment — not one child starting to cry and 
  the rest picking up the chorus, but the three babies 
  opening their mouths at the same moment and 
  beginning to wail at the same moment. But no one 
  listened to her — mothers have strange thoughts 
  and weird feelings about their children all the time. 
  To make matters worse, the mother was single; her 
  boyfriend ran out on her just aft er the doctor told 
  her she was pregnant. Everyone ﬁ gured it was just 
  the stress of being a single mom without enough 
  money, especially for triplets. No one listened, that 
  is, until the children began to speak.
  Th e three children spoke one right aft er the 
  other, one child beginning the sentence, the next 
  continuing, and the last ﬁ nishing it. Every time 
  they said something, they spoke like that. Speech 
  therapists and child psychologists were baﬄ  ed. Th e 
  mother was creeped out by her own children, and 
  shortly aft er the children learned to talk, she aban-
  doned them.
  Inseparable, the three children grew up in 
  an orphanage. For obvious reasons, no one would 
  adopt them. Th ey never interacted with the other 
  children, except to get into ﬁ ghts. Th ey seemed to 
  live in their own world, rarely speaking but always 
  giving each other meaningful looks. Th e other chil-
  dren soon learned not to make fun of them or even 
  intrude on the three children’s private world — the 
  three would quietly and systematically, seeming not 
  to feel any emotion at all, beat the intruding child 
  to a pulp. Th e head of the orphanage eventually 
  gave the three children their own room, and there 
  they remained until they turned eighteen.
  Once out of the orphanage, they went on a 
  three-day crime spree. Th ey robbed three liquor 
  stores on the ﬁ rst day, three restaurants on the 
  second, and three convenience stores on the third. 
  Th e papers dubbed them Th ree Of A Kind. Th eir 
  crime spree ended in a police chase through down-
  town Hudson City, but they escaped. Th eir cur-
  rent whereabouts are unknown, but it’s been three 
  months since Th ree Of A Kind were last seen....
  Personality/Motivation:  Cold and emotionless, 
  Th ree Of A Kind seem barely human — and that’s 
  about the truth of it. Th ey never smile, laugh, 
  frown, or yell — they speak monotonously and 
  methodically, each sibling picking up a sentence 
  where the last left  oﬀ . Th ey live in their own world, 
  where only they three deserve humane treatment. 
  Everyone else is just a thing. Th eir motivation for 
  committing crimes is obscure, but in a nutshell they 
  don’t feel society’s laws are worthy of their respect, 
  and it’s easier to steal what they want than work for 
  it. Th e three only refer to themselves as One (male), 
  Two (female), and Th ree (male), and usually refer 
  to themselves simply as “we” rather than as indi-
  viduals. If one is separated from the others, he or 
  she ﬂ ies into a berserk rage, and the other two try 
  ceaselessly to rescue their kidnapped sibling.
  Quote:  “Every third person step forward...” “...and 
  take out your wallets...” “...and give us every bill in 
  your wallet with a 3 in the serial number.”
  Powers/Tactics:  The character sheet above repre-
  sents one member of Three Of A Kind, and there 
  are three in total (each with identical character 
  sheets). Three Of A Kind’s abilities stem from the 
  Psychic Bond they share. The Psychic Bond is 
  less like telepathy than it is like the three of them 
  sharing a single nervous system. The more of 
  them that are active in a combat, the tougher and 
  better they are:
  ■ When all three are present and active, each has 
  Resistant Physical and Energy Damage Reduction 
  50%, +6 with All Combat, and Danger Sense 16-.
  ■ When only two are present and active, each has 
  25% Physical and Energy Damage Reduction,+4 
  with All Combat, and Danger Sense 12-.
  ■ When only one is present and active, he or she 
  loses the Damage Reduction and Danger Sense 
  altogether, but still has +2 with All Combat.
  Th e Damage Reduction represents their ability 
  to share the pain among three people and thereby 
  defuse it; the other two abilities represent their 
  SUGGESTED EQUIPMENT
  Weapon 
  OCV 
  RMod 
  Dam 
  STUN 
  Shots STR Min Notes
  Glock 17L 
  +1 
  +1 
  1d6+2 
  1d6-1 
  19 
  9
  Tactical Baton 
  0 
  — 
  3d6 N 
  — 
  — 
  8
  Armor
  Ballistic cloth suit (DEF 4, Activation Roll 15-)
  Gear:  Th ree Of A Kind rarely carries other gear.
  Clothing:  See Appearance.
  
  71 
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Two
  superior perception of the ﬁ eld of battle, because 
  three sets of two eyes are better than only two.
  When faced with a single foe in combat, 
  Three Of A Kind always try to Coordinate 
  their Attacks. However many foes they face, 
  they always work in perfect unison — and in 
  perfect silence, never vocalizing their intent. 
  For weapons they use mundane equipment, 
  usually a semi-automatic pistol and a tactical 
  baton (see Suggested Equipment). Three Of A 
  Kind have absolutely no regard for human life, 
  and though they aren’t casual killers, they don’t 
  shoot to maim or otherwise attempt not to kill 
  people if need be.
  Campaign Use:  Three Of A Kind’s crimes always 
  involve threes. They might rob three different 
  banks in three hours; kidnap three lawyers, each 
  of whom lists his practice in the phone book 
  with all three of his names (i.e., John Robert 
  Smith, Esq.) and demand a 33,333 dollar ransom; 
  or rob three stores on 3rd Avenue. They stay at 
  three-star hotels, eat at three-star restaurants, 
  and drive Chrysler 300s or cars with 300 horse-
  power. Three Of A Kind don’t employ goons. 
  Other villains might hire them to commit crimes, 
  but whatever the crime, the number three needs 
  to figure prominently.
  To make Th ree Of A Kind more of a threat, give 
  them Martial Arts and Combat Skill Levels with the 
  Martial Arts. To make them less of one, reduce their 
  Primary Characteristics, especially DEX.
  Three Of A Kind don’t hunt Heroes. They 
  don’t care about anyone else that much. But the 
  one or two surviving would definitely make an 
  exception for a vigilante or cop who killed the 
  rest of his/their sibling(s) — that person he/they 
  would Hunt until he/they killed him, or died.
  Appearance:  The two men and one woman in 
  Three Of A Kind are each 5’10” with a similar 
  muscular build. The men wear their black hair 
  short and slicked back; the woman wears her 
  black hair in a bob with the bangs cut straight 
  across just above her eyes. They frequently wear 
  black sunglasses and black suits with scarlet ties. 
  Stitched on each tie in gold thread is a number, 
  one through three.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  72 ■ Hudson City Knights
  ADAPTING CHAMPIONS 
  UNIVERSE VILLAINS TO 
  HUDSON CITY KNIGHTS
  Th is chapter contains plenty of villains to get 
  your Hudson City Knights campaign going, but you 
  may eventually want more. One quick and easy way 
  to improve your rogues’ gallery is to adapt appro-
  priate villains from the Champions Universe to 
  your DC:TAS game. Here are a few suggestions for 
  using villains from Conquerors, Killers, And Crooks:
  Anubis:  Get rid of his mystic powers (or nearly all 
  of them, anyway) and convert his Ankh-Staﬀ  into a 
  technological weapon (similar to the Astrologer’s), 
  and Anubis makes a ﬁ ne Egyptian-themed villain.
  Blowtorch:  While he’s more ruthless than most 
  Knights villains, Blowtorch’s pyromania deﬁ nitely 
  ﬁ ts together with other villains’ insanities.
  Black Harlequin:  Ideal for DC:TAS just as he is 
  (though more lighter-hearted campaigns may want 
  to tone down his homicidal tendencies).
  Fenris:  Ideal for DC:TAS pretty much as-is, though 
  you may want to replace his Regeneration and 
  other powers with appropriate super-skills.
  Foxbat:  Ideal for DC:TAS just as he is.
  Scorpia:  Ideal for DC:TAS just as she is (though 
  more lighter-hearted campaigns may want to tone 
  down her homicidal tendencies — for example, 
  maybe her lethal poisons become knockout drugs).
  Utility:  Ideal for DC:TAS just as he is, provided you 
  don’t let his gadgets verge too much into the super-
  technological.
  Warpath:  Works well as a DC:TAS villain if you 
  tone down the power and outlandishness of some 
  of her arrows a bit.
  [[END BOX]]
  BLACK HARLEQUIN • CKC page 123
  FOXBAT • CKC page 150
  UTILITY • CKC page 211
  WARPATH • CKC page 47
  BLOWTORCH • CKC page 129
  
  chapter three:
  chapter three:
  chapter three:
  STREET-LEVEL SUPERHEROES
  HUDSON CITY POWERS
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  74 ■ Hudson City Powers
  H
  udson City Powers is a street-level 
  superheroes-style DC:TAS game that 
  takes place in a variant of the Hudson 
  City setting. Unlike the ones in Chap-
  ter Two, the characters in this chapter are not 
  a part of the official Dark Champions universe. 
  They have superpowers and/or super-technol-
  ogy abilities that stretch realism to the breaking 
  point, and which thus aren’t appropriate for the 
  “official” published setting. They can control 
  people’s minds with a violin, set things on fire 
  with the power of their mind, track a scent across 
  crowded city streets with their nose, and so on.
  Th e adversaries in a Hudson City Powers cam-
  paign, such as the ones in this chapter, are street-
  level supervillains. Th ey’re not megalomaniacal 
  supervillains who want to rule the world. Th ey use 
  their superpowers to commit crimes like robbery 
  and kidnapping. Th eir powers are low-key, oft en a 
  complement to their chosen criminal profession, 
  and never overshadow the crimes they commit. In 
  other words, the villains are deﬁ ned by their illicit 
  activities, not by the powers they possess.
  USING HUDSON CITY
  Th ough these characters are not a part of the 
  oﬃ  cial Dark Champions universe, the premise of 
  a Hudson City Powers campaign is that a GM has 
  decided to relax the restriction describe on page 
  6 of Hudson City:  Th e Urban Abyss — namely 
  that superhumans do come to Hudson City, and 
  some even stay in the Pearl City to help the police 
  attempt to clean up the streets. However, to main-
  tain the “feel” of the subgenre, the superhumans 
  who come to Hudson City are low-powered. Th ese 
  men and women can’t move planets with the power 
  of their mind — in many cases, they can’t even 
  ﬂ y for extended periods of time. Because of their 
  limited abilities, they have an accordingly limited 
  impact on the setting. Th eir deeds aﬀ ect individu-
  als; they don’t change the whole fabric of society. 
  Th ey save lives, not cities. And despite their pres-
  ence, crime still runs rampant in Hudson City.
  Like their counterparts in a Hudson City 
  Knights campaign, heroes here have strict Codes 
  Versus Killing, and all the considerations about 
  lethal vigilantes presented in Chapter Two apply 
  here. Additionally, you should consider a few 
  other things.
  THE POLICE FORCE
  Both Millennium City and Vibora Bay, as 
  presented in their respective sourcebooks, have 
  special squads dedicated to dealing with super-
  villains. These are called MARS (Metahuman 
  Activities Response Squad), and the members of 
  these squads carry super-technology that makes 
  them the equal of superpowered crooks. If you 
  want to add them to Hudson City, that’s fine, but 
  for the Hudson City Powers campaign as pre-
  sented here, they’re overkill. None of the villains 
  have powers that make them immune to plain 
  old bullets, and it’s very easy to explain away 
  the lack of a MARS unit. Hudson City is a gritty 
  setting where the police force is already under-
  funded and understaffed. What the HCPD needs 
  is more personnel — more officers to patrol the 
  streets in cruisers, more detectives to investigate 
  crimes — not existing personnel wearing high-
  tech gear. While the MARS officers in Millen-
  nium City and Vibora Bay may look very dashing 
  with their high-tech body armor and high-tech 
  rayguns, the Hudson City Police Department 
  doesn’t need Buck Rogers and Friends. It needs 
  more real cops to fight real crimes. If a budget 
  allocation were to come down the pipeline that 
  allowed the department to afford MARS equip-
  ment, a wise police commissioner would use the 
  money to hire more cops instead.
  PRIMUS AND UNTIL
  Both of these organizations are dedicated to 
  preventing superhuman crime and bringing super-
  human criminals to justice. Like with a MARS unit, 
  oﬃ  ces for both of these are not necessary. Even in 
  a Hudson City Powers game, Hudson City mainly 
  suﬀ ers from street-level crime. Doctor Destroyer 
  doesn’t come the Pearl City — New York City is 
  just up the road and makes a far more tempting 
  target for world conquerors. Why waste his time 
  with sordid Hudson City? Furthermore, the super-
  humans in Hudson City oft en work for organized 
  crime, and it’s not the individual criminal that’s a 
  threat, it’s the organization behind the criminal. Th e 
  FBI is better at cracking down on old-fashioned 
  organized crime like the Maﬁ a and yakuza than 
  PRIMUS — it has more manpower (not only in the 
  city, but across the country) and more experience. 
  Chances are the FBI oﬃ  ce in Hudson City has a 
  PRIMUS advisor or two on staﬀ  just in case and for 
  his knowledge of superhuman abilities, but that’s 
  the limit of PRIMUS’s presence in the city.
  HUDSON CITY 
  POWERS
  SUPER-HUDSON 
  CITY
  If there’s an unbreak-
  able rule in roleplaying 
  games, it’s this:  the GM 
  should create the sort 
  of campaign and set-
  ting he wants to run. If 
  you’d rather ignore the 
  advice in the main text 
  and break Hudson City 
  wide-open, with true 
  superhumans, UNTIL, 
  PRIMUS, VIPER, and 
  more, go for it! If you 
  prefer a take on the 
  Hudson City Powers 
  genre that’s a bit less 
  restricted, that’s the sort 
  of game you should run.
  
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Three
  75 
  CAMPAIGN TYPES
  Here are some possible campaign frameworks 
  you can use for a Hudson City Powers campaign. 
  Th e campaign types described in Chapter Two 
  work just as well for Hudson City Powers games as 
  they do for Knights campaigns.
  HCPD SUPERCRIMES DIVISION
  In this campaign, the Hudson City Police 
  Department decides it needs experts in super-
  human crime. Rather than invest in expensive 
  high-tech equipment, the powers-that-be chose to 
  employ “human solutions for human problems.” 
  Th e PCs are low-powered superhumans assigned 
  to investigate and prevent crimes where the cul-
  prit likely possesses superpowers. Th ey must work 
  hand-in-hand with other departments (always 
  good for dramatic tension!) to bring the culprit to 
  justice, using their special abilities to neutralize the 
  criminal’s powers.
  First Day On The Beat:  It’s the ﬁ rst day of the PCs’ 
  job in the Supercrimes Division... and things have 
  not gone well. Th e other cops don’t trust them, the 
  press has been raking them over the coals, and it’s 
  time for them to prove their worth. But when they 
  get word that Charade’s in town and getting ready 
  to hit a target, can they stop the master of disguise 
  and prove their worth?
  In The Cards:  Th e heroes are being awarded a cita-
  tion for bravery, but the criminal mastermind Card 
  Shark, displeased with how eﬀ ective they’ve been, 
  decides the public spectacle is the perfect time for 
  a public humiliation. He dispatches his men to 
  prove how ineﬀ ective the PCs are by kidnapping an 
  important city oﬃ  cial right from the stage under 
  their very noses.
  Last Day On The Job:  Th e commissioner has dis-
  banded the Supercrimes Division — not enough 
  crimes to warrant the budget allotment, he claims. 
  Do the PCs go meekly back to their original post-
  ings, or do they don masks and become costumed 
  crimeﬁ ghters in earnest?
  ALL INTERESTED PARTIES PLEASE 
  APPLY TO...
  An ad runs in all the Hudson City newspapers 
  calling for brave men and women to stand up for 
  their city and do something about the crime that 
  rages out of control. A private party — maybe a 
  wealthy individual who lost his child to random 
  violence, maybe someone more mysterious — is 
  looking for volunteers for “human enhancement” 
  treatments. Th ose who successfully pass (survive?) 
  the rigorous tests — the PCs, of course — receive 
  superpowers they can use to ﬁ ght crime. Th e 
  patron also promises to fund the superteam. Aft er 
  a long and grueling process, the streets of Hudson 
  City have a new group of protectors....
  Cui Bono?:  Th e private backer for the experiments 
  has an ulterior motive — maybe his child has fallen 
  into a life of crime and he wants that child back. 
  Maybe he needs a bodyguard. Whatever it is, it 
  wasn’t part of the original agreement. Will the PCs 
  take this as a breach of good faith? Or will they 
  help a person in need, even if his method for get-
  ting help was less than straightforward?
  Eavesdropping:  When the PCs discover the head-
  quarters their mysterious benefactor provided 
  them is bugged, do they immediately assume he has 
  some ulterior motive? Or could this be a villain’s 
  plot to turn them against their patron?
  Temporary Gains:  Th e powers the PCs receive are 
  wearing oﬀ  — they’re becoming normal people 
  once more. Th e doctors warn that going through 
  the process a second time could kill them. Will they 
  continue to ﬁ ght crime with nothing more than 
  their guts and wits to rely on? Will they risk death 
  to hold onto to their superhuman abilities? Or will 
  they retire?
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  76 ■ Hudson City Powers
  CAPE AND COWL 
  INVESTIGATIONS
  Do you wonder if your spouse leads a double life? Do you 
  suspect your husband dons a mask and costume to rob 
  banks? Do you think a loved one has fallen under the sway 
  of a criminal mastermind? Stop asking questions and start 
  looking for answers.
  (The scene changes to show two men standing in front of 
  a blue background:  a short hispanic man who’s doing the 
  talking, and a large white man who has his arms crossed 
  over his thick chest. Both wear black domino masks.)
  Cape and Cowl Investigations is here to help.
  —From a television ad that failed to bring in more 
  business
  A prospective client can ﬁ nd Cape and Cowl 
  Investigations in a shabby oﬃ  ce on the third ﬂ oor 
  of a rundown brownstone in Eastwood. Stenciled 
  on the frosted glass set in the door is the ﬁ rm’s 
  name in black block letters above its logo, a domino 
  mask. Beyond the door is a small reception area 
  with a threadbare couch, a battered coﬀ ee table 
  with six-month-old magazines scattered across it, 
  and a desk. Sometimes there’s a Hispanic girl sitting 
  at the desk chomping on gum, twirling her black 
  hair around a ﬁ nger, and doing her homework. Six-
  teen years old with a smart mouth, Flora Mendez 
  works there full-time during the summer, but only 
  in the evenings during the school year.
  A single wooden door — usually closed when 
  Flora’s there, because the men get tired of listening 
  to her make fun of them, but open when she’s absent 
  — leads from the reception area to the oﬃ  ce. Inside 
  are two wooden desks that face each other, and motes 
  of dust drift  through the sunlight spilling in through 
  dirty windows. When not on a case, the two private 
  investigators — Humberto Mendez, a.k.a.  Hawkshaw, 
  and Jackie “Northside Max” Maxwell, a.k.a. Heavy-
  Hitter — are sitting at their respective desks. Mendez 
  is usually bent over the newspaper, ﬁ dgeting with a 
  cigarette he never lights; Maxwell sits with his legs up 
  on the desk and hands behind his head, listening to 
  sports-talk radio, only sitting up to move the antenna 
  in his never-ending search for better reception. 
  Mendez typically wears a rumpled brown suit with 
  the top buttons of his shirt unbuttoned (a knotted tie 
  lays on his desk); Maxwell favors a track suit and run-
  ning shoes. Hanging from hooks on the far wall are 
  two black domino masks.
  Th e two private investigators sell themselves 
  — their marketing niche, as Mendez likes to call 
  it — as crimeﬁ ghters for hire, two superpowered 
  men who take jobs for cash. But most of their busi-
  ness is pro bono — neither of them has the heart to 
  turn away a person in need, much to the disgust of 
  Flora, Humberto’s cousin. And neither of them is 
  willing to take jobs of a questionable nature either 
  — which Flora thinks is probably a good idea most 
  of the time, but once in a while, especially when 
  they’re late with her paycheck, she thinks maybe 
  they could be a little less picky about their cases.
  Background/History:  Cape and Cowl Investigations 
  formed two years ago when Humberto Mendez took 
  Jackie Maxwell on as a partner. Th e two met while 
  Mendez was working on a missing persons case. Th e 
  person in question was Simon Stillwell. His father had 
  just passed away, naming his only son the sole beneﬁ -
  ciary of his estate. Th e father’s lawyer hired Mendez 
  to ﬁ nd the boy, who’d fallen in with a gang named the 
  Blues. Mendez tracked Simon to a club in Eastwood, 
  delivered the message about his father’s will, and then, 
  rather than looking the other way about the boy’s 
  criminal lifestyle, tried to convince Simon to use the 
  money his father left  him to start a new life. One thing 
  quickly led to another — the gang members didn’t 
  appreciate being called lowlifes and pathetic thugs 
  — and Mendez found himself in the middle of a ﬁ ght 
  he couldn’t win.
  Maxwell, who was nearby, stepped in. Together 
  the two men dealt with the gang. Mendez oﬀ ered 
  to buy Maxwell a cup of coﬀ ee in thanks, and as 
  the two sat in the diner and talked, Mendez had 
  an idea. Mendez Investigations was just one more 
  detective agency in the phone book, and while 
  some people knew of Mendez’s enhanced sense of 
  smell, most didn’t. Despite his abilities being listed 
  in the small ad Mendez placed in the phone book 
  every year, either no one seemed impressed with 
  a enhanced sense of smell or no one believed it. 
  Maxwell, on the other hand, was huge, impressive 
  looking, and well known to the public because of 
  the doping scandal that went on between him, his 
  trainer, and the boxing association.
  Th e two of them, both with superpowers, 
  would sell themselves as crimeﬁ ghters for hire. 
  Unlike other crimeﬁ ghters, they’d be easy to ﬁ nd 
  and always available. A person in need wouldn’t 
  have to hope and pray some crimeﬁ ghter noticed 
  his plight; instead, he could look up crimeﬁ ghters 
  in the phone book. Th ey’d also change the name 
  so it’d attract more attention — Mendez was con-
  vinced part of the reason business was so slow was 
  that he was located smack-dab in the middle of the 
  listings. Having been permanently banned from 
  boxing, Maxwell said it sounded like a good idea. 
  Th ey made up names for themselves — Hawkshaw 
  HEROES
  
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Three
  77 
  and Heavy-Hitter — bought some domino masks, 
  and changed the name on the door of the oﬃ  ce.
  Th eir purpose was both to make some money 
  and do some good in the community of Eastwood. 
  While they’ve done a lot of good, they haven’t made 
  much money... yet.
  Group Relations:  Mendez and Maxwell complain, 
  grumble, and argue a lot — as Flora Mendez puts 
  it, they sound like an old married couple. Most of 
  Mendez’s complaints concern whatever cologne 
  Maxwell is wearing that day; Maxwell fusses about 
  most things, but especially Mendez’s constant ﬁ dg-
  eting with an unlit cigarette and the masks they 
  have to wear while on a case. Mendez never told 
  him about the mask thing when they ﬁ rst talked 
  about setting up the agency, and Maxwell holds 
  a grudge. Mendez maintains they can’t bill them-
  selves as costumed crimeﬁ ghters if they don’t wear 
  masks. Maxwell thinks the masks look ridiculous, 
  the spirit gum itches, and no one cares anyhow 
  — it’s the names that matter, not the masks.
  Th at said, both have a sense of responsibility 
  toward the community, and they never argue about 
  money (instead, they commiserate that they don’t 
  have any). If a person in need shows up in their 
  oﬃ  ce and says he can’t pay, they don’t even discuss 
  the matter. Both agree to do whatever they can to 
  help the person.
  Tactics:  Mendez and Maxwell make a good team. 
  Mendez’s powers and skills help them ﬁ gure out 
  what went on and track down whoever they’re 
  looking for. Maxwell does the questioning and pro-
  vides the muscle in case things get rough. In a ﬁ ght, 
  Mendez hangs back and tries to obtain the objec-
  tive — chase down whomever they’re pursuing, 
  locate the missing object, retrieve the ﬁ les, and so 
  on — while Maxwell does the punching.
  Campaign Use:  Cape and Cowl Investigations can 
  become involved with most crimes that also involve 
  the PCs, so long as there’s someone who would hire 
  them. Th e majority of their cases are bodyguard 
  work, missing persons, or recovering stolen prop-
  erty — they don’t take divorce cases or the other 
  tawdry work that serves as bread and butter for 
  most private eyes. If they take a case, it’s because 
  they believe their client is honest — Mendez’s abil-
  ity to smell pheromones goes a long way toward 
  making sure they aren’t deceived or tricked into 
  taking a case. Because of that, they stand by the 
  client regardless of what other crimeﬁ ghters say 
  — to get them to stand down, the PCs had better 
  present some evidence. If Cape and Cowl has an 
  established relationship with the PCs, it would likely 
  ask for their help if Mendez and Maxwell need 
  more muscle, since there are only two of them and 
  Mendez, while tough enough to take care of himself 
  in a ﬁ ght against normal people, isn’t a brawler. Both 
  of them maintain a public identity, and although 
  it has yet to aﬀ ect them, it’s only a matter of time 
  before some villain comes looking for revenge.
  To make Cape And Cowl more powerful, 
  increase the size of the staﬀ . With a few more low-
  level superhuman investigators, the company would 
  (hopefully) make more money and attract more 
  publicity. To reduce the company’s eﬀ ectiveness, get 
  rid of Heavy-Hitter and go back to having Mendez 
  try to earn a living on his own.
  Cape and Cowl doesn’t Hunt anyone on a 
  regular basis. It takes the cases it’s paid to take.
  HAWKSHAW
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   15 STR 
  5 
  12- 
  Lift  200 kg; 3d6 [3]
   18 DEX 
  24 
  13- 
  OCV:  6/DCV:  6
   14 CON 
  8 
  12-
   12 BODY 4 
  11-
   18 INT 
  8 
  13- 
  PER Roll 13-
   18 EGO 
  16 
  12- 
  ECV:  6
   10 PRE 
  0 
  11- 
  PRE Attack:  2d6
   10 COM 
  0 
  11-
   5 PD 
  2 
   
  Total:  8 PD (3 rPD)
   5 ED 
  2 
   
  Total:  8 ED (3 rED)
   4 SPD 
  12 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   6 REC 
  0
   28 END 
  0
   40 STUN 13 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  94
  Movement: 
  Running:  8”/16”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  10 
  Good Uppercut:  HA +3d6; Hand-To-Hand 
  Attack (-½) 
  1
  20 
  Read Pheromone Traces:  Clairsentience 
  (Smell/Taste Group), Retrocognition, 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); 
  Retrocognition Only (-1), No Range (-½), 
  Time Modiﬁ ers (-½) 
  0
  13 
  Smell Pheromones:  Detect Emotions 16- 
  (Smell/Taste Group), Discriminatory 
  0
  6 
  Enhanced Sense Of Smell:  +3 PER Rolls 
  with Smell/Taste Group 
  0
  10 
  Enhanced Sense Of Smell:  Discriminatory 
  for Smell/Taste Group 
  0
  10 
  Enhanced Sense Of Smell:  Tracking for 
  Smell/Taste Group 
  0
  9 
  Enhanced Sense Of Smell:  +6 versus 
  Range Modiﬁ er for Smell/Taste Group 
  0
  4 
  Good Runner:  Running +2” (8” total) 
  1
   
  Perks
  5 
  Contact:  Detective Sarah Taggart, HCPD 
  Vice 11- (very useful Skills and resources, 
  access to major institutions)
  2 
  Contact:  Stanley Hauptmann, reporter at 
  City News 11- (Contact has access to major 
  institutions)
  2 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Private Investigator License
   
  Talents
  6 
  Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED)
  25 
  Danger Sense (immediate vicinity, out of 
  combat) 13- 
   
  Skills
  3 
  Criminology 13-
  3 
  Deduction 13-
  3 
  CK: Hudson City 13-
  3 
  KS: Hudson City Underworld 13-
  3 
  Language:  Spanish (completely ﬂ uent; Eng-
  lish is Native)
  3 
  Lockpicking 13-
  1 
  PS: Accountant 8-
  CAPE AND COWL 
  INVESTIGATIONS 
  PLOT SEEDS
  A wife is desperate to 
  ﬁ nd her husband and 
  she contacts Cape and 
  Cowl. During the meet-
  ing she pulls out a mask 
  and reveals that her hus-
  band is... one of the PCs! 
  Hawkshaw perceives 
  that the woman is tell-
  ing the truth (or thinks 
  she is...), so they agree 
  to take the case. What 
  villain is trying to put 
  Hawkshaw and Heavy-
  Hitter at odds with the 
  PCs? And what’s his 
  ultimate goal?
  For the life of a child, 
  Heavy-Hitter has to get 
  back in the ring one 
  more time. But these 
  are illegal bloodsport 
  matches, and it’s up to 
  Hawkshaw and the PCs 
  to ﬁ nd the kid before 
  Heavy-Hitter has no 
  choice but to break the 
  law.
  Flora Mendez has a 
  crush, and it’s on one of 
  the PCs. How will her 
  cousin react when she 
  does her best to act the 
  part of damsel-in-dis-
  tress hoping to get the 
  PC’s attention?
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  78 ■ Hudson City Powers
  3 
  PS: Private Investigator 13-
  3 
  Security Systems 13-
  5 
  Shadowing 14-
  3 
  Stealth 13-
  1 
  Streetwise 8-
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  156
  Total Cost:  250
  150+ Disadvantages
  15 
  DNPC:  Flora Mendez (cousin) 11- (Normal)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Code Versus 
  Killing (Common, Total)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Soft -Touch For A 
  Sob Story (Common, Strong)
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Public Identity (Hum-
  berto Mendez) (Frequently, Major)
  10 
  Unluck 2d6
  10 
  Vulnerability:  2 x Eﬀ ect from Smell/Taste 
  Group Flash Attacks (Uncommon)
  15 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  250
  Background/History:  Humberto Mendez was born 
  with a good nose. He could close his eyes and 
  follow a scent right to the dinner table, and regard-
  less of how quiet a person was, Humberto could 
  tell if someone had entered the family’s home just 
  by the scent of perfume or cologne that hung in 
  the air. He used to show oﬀ  his ability for friends 
  and family — a person would hide something with 
  a strong smell like a ﬂ ower or perfume-drenched 
  handkerchief, and Humberto would track it down 
  based on its smell. Whenever he found the hidden 
  object, his mother would tap him on the nose and 
  say to him, “Th e nose knows.” But back then his 
  sense of smell was only impressive; it wasn’t more 
  than human.
  At twenty-two, Humberto got into a car acci-
  dent while stopped a stoplight. No one’s fault, really, 
  just icy roads and blowing snow, and the car behind 
  him couldn’t stop in time. Humberto was slammed 
  into the steering wheel, breaking his nose in three 
  places. An ambulance rushed him to the emergency 
  room, where the doctors put him under using a 
  new anaesthesia, just approved by the FDA. Th e gas 
  had a strange eﬀ ect on Humberto. It interacted with 
  his metabolism in an unprecedented way, and when 
  he awoke the antiseptic smell of the hospital and 
  all the people around him was more than he could 
  bear. He spent those early months in an insensible 
  daze, unable to communicate with the outside 
  world because of the sensory overload. Th e doctors 
  didn’t understand what was wrong and kept him 
  in the hospital — which despite the doctors’ good 
  intentions, only exacerbated the situation. Finally, 
  his sense of smell dulled, his brain became accus-
  tomed to the input, and he could speak again.
  For the next three years, Humberto underwent 
  test aft er test. Th e tests were all paid for by the 
  pharmaceutical company — the researchers wanted 
  to understand what had happened — but they 
  never could isolate whatever anomaly in Humber-
  to’s make-up led to his condition. In the end, Hum-
  berto refused to suﬀ er through any more tests. He 
  applied to the Hudson City 
  Police Department, explain-
  ing his special qualiﬁ cations, 
  but it wasn’t interested in a 
  twenty-ﬁ ve year old with an 
  Accounting degree from the 
  local community college and a 
  strange condition. So instead 
  Humberto decided to become 
  a private investigator.
  Personality/Motivation:  Hum-
  berto Mendez is a good-hearted 
  and tenacious man who has 
  tried to use his special abilities 
  to help others. Intelligent and 
  perceptive, Humberto would 
  have made a good investiga-
  tor even without his enhanced 
  sense of smell, and with his 
  abilities there are few who can 
  rival him. But despite being 
  dependable and having abili-
  ties that make him superior to 
  most detectives, Humberto 
  doesn’t make a lot of money at 
  as a P.I. because he doesn’t take 
  a cases unless he thinks the 
  person has a real need for his 
  help. He didn’t open a detec-
  tive agency to track down stray 
  spouses at the beck and call of 
  jealous husbands and wives, or 
  to serve subpoenas for a high-
  HAWKSHAW 
  PLOT SEEDS
  Heavy-Hitter mysteri-
  ously vanishes. Despite 
  his best eﬀ orts, Hawk-
  shaw can’t ﬁ nd so much 
  as his scent, so he turns 
  to the PCs for help.
  Hawkshaw’s cousin 
  Flora begins dating 
  this handsome-looking 
  white guy, but some-
  thing about him doesn’t 
  seem right to Humberto. 
  Th e guy doesn’t smell 
  right... though he doesn’t 
  exactly smell wrong, 
  either. Knowing how 
  mad Flora would get if 
  she caught him snoop-
  ing around, he asks the 
  PCs to do the snooping 
  for him.
  While working with the 
  PCs, Hawkshaw smells 
  that one of them’s been 
  poisoned recently. Th e 
  PCs have to ﬁ gure out 
  who did it and how to 
  cure their friend... and 
  Hawkshaw’s probably 
  the only one who can 
  help them track the per-
  petrator down.
  
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Three
  79 
  priced attorney. He started his business to help people 
  who were truly desperate for help — and these same 
  people oft en lack the money to pay, because if they 
  had money they wouldn’t be truly desperate for help.
  In his hours outside of work, Humberto vol-
  unteers at the local library helping immigrants 
  from Latin America learn to speak and read Eng-
  lish. Before his car accident, Mendez was a heavy 
  smoker. He has quit — he can’t stand the smell 
  — but he still ﬁ dgets with a cigarette when bored. 
  When overly stressed, he lights the cigarette, takes 
  a few puﬀ s, and then puts it out and throws it away 
  when he starts to get a headache.
  Quote:  “Th e guy doesn’t smoke, but all his clothes 
  smell like cigarettes, and he ::sniﬀ , sniﬀ :: drinks 
  maybe three beers a night — we’ll ﬁ nd him at the 
  corner bar once he gets oﬀ  work. Let’s go.”
  Powers/Tactics:  Hawkshaw’s superhuman powers 
  stem from his enhanced sense of smell. He can 
  smell the pheromones a person secretes, thus allow-
  ing him to gauge that person’s emotional state. By 
  sniﬃ  ng around an area, he can reconstruct what 
  happened in the recent past (the further back in 
  time he tries to perceive, the harder it is for him, 
  because smells fade), though he usually has to make 
  a Deduction roll to determine what the scents he 
  perceives signify. His Danger Sense represents his 
  ability to detect the tang of adrenaline in a person’s 
  sweat right before he attacks, the smell of the metal 
  in a weapon or trap, or thel like. Strong or pungent 
  smells may interfere with his abilities the same way 
  bright light makes it harder to see.
  Campaign Use:  Hawkshaw makes a good ally for 
  a team of PCs who are light on investigation skills 
  and high on ﬁ repower. He has plenty of abilities to 
  help with investigations, but he doesn’t have any 
  combat skills of note, so he hangs back and lets the 
  PCs to do the ﬁ ghting.
  In addition to working for a client, Hawkshaw 
  would Hunt anyone he thought was damaging 
  the community or hurting its residents. While his 
  partner is more prone to physical force, Hawkshaw 
  attempts to gather information on his Hunted, then 
  presents the information to the police if it’s of a 
  criminal nature, or to the Hunted himself if he 
  thinks it will get him to leave town.
  To make Hawkshaw more powerful, give him 
  Martial Arts — maybe Heavy-Hitter teaches him 
  how to box — and increase his defenses. To make 
  him less powerful, remove his Read Pheromone 
  Traces and Sense Pheromones and replace them 
  high levels of Deduction, Conversation, Interroga-
  tion, and other Interaction Skills (the special eﬀ ect 
  is the same, his abilities are now more mundane 
  than as presented here).
  Hawkshaw has no criminal record.
  Appearance:  At 5’6”, Humberto Mendez is a short 
  Hispanic man with a serious face and aquiline nose. 
  He has a lean, athletic frame oft en hidden by the ill-
  ﬁ tting, rumpled suits he wears. He keeps his wavy 
  black hair short and slicked back, and he wears a 
  goatee. As Hawkshaw he looks the same, but wears 
  a black domino mask.
  HEAVYHITTER
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   25 STR 
  15 
  14- 
  Lift  800 kg; 5d6 [5]
   18 DEX 
  24 
  13- 
  OCV:  6/DCV:  6
   20 CON 
  20 
  14-
   15 BODY 10 
  12-
   10 INT 
  0 
  11- 
  PER Roll 11-
   10 EGO 
  0 
  11- 
  ECV:  3
   15 PRE 
  5 
  12- 
  PRE Attack:  3d6
   10 COM 
  0 
  11-
   14 PD 
  9 
   
  Total:  14 PD (6 rPD)
   12 ED 
  8 
   
  Total:  12 ED (6 rED)
   5 SPD 
  22 
   
  Phases:  3, 5, 8, 10, 12
   10 REC 
  2
   40 END 
  0
   60 STUN 22 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  137
  Movement: 
  Running:  8”/16”
  Cost Powers 
  END
   
  Martial Arts:  Boxing
   
  Maneuver 
  OCV DCV 
  Notes
  4 
  Block 
  +2 
  +2 
  Block, Abort
  3 
  Clinch 
  -1 
  -1 
  Grab Two 
  Limbs, 45 STR
  4 
  Cross 
  +0 
  +2 
  9d6 Strike
  5 
  Hook 
  -2 
  +1 
  11d6 Strike
  8 
  +2 Damage Classes (already added in)
  6 
  Tough Skin:  Damage Resistance 
  (6 PD/6 ED) 
  0
  10 
  Tough Skin:  Physical Damage 
  Reduction, 25% 
  0
  4 
  Tough Skin:  Lack Of Weakness (-4) 
  for Resistant Defenses 
  0
  26 
  Second Wind:  Healing STUN 6d6, Trigger 
  (when reduced to 10 STUN or less, 
  activating Trigger takes no time; +½); 
  Self Only (-½), 1 Charge (-2) 
  [1]
   
  Perks
  2 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Private Investigator License
   
  Skills
  6 
  +2 with Boxing
  5 
  Analyze Combat Style 12-
  3 
  Breakfall 13-
  2 
  CK: Hudson City 11-
  5 
  Defense Maneuver I and II
  3 
  Interrogation 12-
  5 
  KS: Boxing 14-
  2 
  KS: Sports 11-
  3 
  Paramedics 11-
  2 
  PS: Professional Boxer 11-
  5 
  Streetwise 13-
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  113
  Total Cost:  250
  150+ Disadvantages
  15 
  DNPC:  Flora Mendez (receptionist) 11- 
  (Normal)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Code Versus Kill-
  ing (Common, Total)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Soft -Touch For A 
  Sob Story (Common, Strong)
  10 
  Reputation:  former contender who admitted 
  to using steroids 14- (Limited Group [only 
  among other boxers, sports aﬃ  cionados, and 
  HEAVY-HITTER 
  PLOT SEEDS
  Heavy-Hitter is con-
  tacted by a guy who 
  claims to represent 
  an underground pit-
  ﬁ ghting competition 
  involving superhuman 
  combatants. It’s a chance 
  to ﬁ ght again! — but 
  Jackie’s smart enough 
  not to trust the “agent.” 
  Not wanting to let 
  Hawkshaw know about 
  this just yet, he asks the 
  PCs to investigate this 
  pit-ﬁ ghting thing for 
  him.
  Several people come 
  forward and claim 
  Heavy-Hitter beat 
  them (either as part 
  of an investigation, or 
  to extort money from 
  them). While Hawkshaw 
  deals with the nega-
  tive P.R., Heavy-Hitter 
  asks the PCs to prove 
  his innocence — this 
  has got to be a set-up 
  by someone out to get 
  revenge on him, right?
  Heavy-Hitter’s strength 
  starts to fade to normal 
  human levels. He’s really 
  happy about it, since it 
  means he can get back 
  into boxing... but he also 
  realizes it doesn’t make 
  sense. He asks the PCs 
  to help him ﬁ nd out if 
  he’s being drugged or 
  something.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
   
  in Eastwood neighborhood])
  5 
  Social Limitation:  Banned From Profes-
  sional Boxing (Infrequently, Minor)
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Public Identity (Jackie 
  “Northside Max” Maxwell) (Frequently, 
  Major)
  10 
  Unluck 2d6
  10 
  Vulnerability:  1½ x STUN from Poisons and 
  Drugs (Common)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  250
  Background/History:  Jackie Maxwell grew up on 
  the streets of Eastwood. Unlike many of his friends, 
  he avoided the life of a gang member by taking 
  up boxing. He was too talented to let slip through 
  the cracks, and though he hated it at the time, his 
  trainer George Beckley wouldn’t let him out of the 
  gym until Jackie was too tired to do anything but 
  go home and go to bed. Beckley knew that most 
  of the kids who drift ed in and out of his gym only 
  stayed long enough to learn how to hurt someone 
  with a punch. He wasn’t about to let Jackie go that 
  route, so he worked the young man like a dog. 
  Jackie won ﬁ ght aft er ﬁ ght at the amateur level, 
  and it was during a city-wide competition that he 
  earned the nickname Northside Max, to diﬀ erenti-
  ate him from another boxer named Jack Maxwell.
  Despite helping Jackie stay oﬀ  the streets, 
  Beckley only had his own interests at heart. He 
  was tired of a life spent training two-bit losers and 
  wanted to ride Jackie’s coattails straight to the top. 
  When the young boxer dreamed about ﬁ ghting in 
  the Olympics one day, Beckley screamed at him, 
  “But what’s the purse?!?” In the end, Jackie went pro 
  before having his chance to ﬁ ght at the Olympics 
  — a fact he’s always regretted.
  Billed as Northside Max to please the home 
  crowd, and now ﬁ ghting in the heavyweight divi-
  sion, Jackie continued to win ﬁ ght aft er ﬁ ght — he 
  hadn’t lost since he was fourteen. As the months 
  and years went by, his strength was at ﬁ rst impres-
  sive, then amazing... and eventually he became so 
  strong he almost killed another boxer in the ring.
  At this point, Jackie knew something was 
  wrong. He had just about taken the other boxer’s 
  head oﬀ , and the punch he threw was only a hook, 
  not nearly hard enough to do that kind of damage. 
  During workouts, Beckley had told him it was 
  nothing to worry about. Jackie’d listened to his 
  trainer, but the near-death of his opponent brought 
  him to his senses. He knew his strength had 
  become inhuman.
  Because he was so worried about his own 
  strength, Jackie lost the next fight by decision, 
  and Beckley lost his temper — all that time 
  building up his record was flushed down the 
  toilet. Beckley ranted and raved, and somewhere 
  in all the yelling and screaming, he let slip the 
  truth:  he had been doping Jackie’s protein drinks 
  with a new kind of steroid.
  Jackie was devastated. It was his worst fears 
  confirmed, and after a sleepless weekend, he 
  turned himself in to the Athletic Control Board. 
  Because of his honesty, the Board went easy 
  on him. When it first discussed the situation, it 
  assured Jackie he’d receive a short-term suspen-
  sion and have his old record expunged... but after 
  that, he could return to the ring.
  But there was a problem. Even though he 
  wasn’t taking steroids anymore, his body didn’t 
  return to human levels of strength. Even after a 
  year of light exercise and dropping ten pounds, 
  Jackie was still stronger than any human had 
  a right to be. After a series of tests, the doctors 
  agreed his strength wouldn’t return to normal 
  levels until — maybe — he reached his fifties or 
  sixties.
  Th e Control Board couldn’t let him return to 
  the ring, and Jackie didn’t even ask. He understood 
  the situation and knew he was a danger to his 
  fellow boxers. Instead he drift ed around, working 
  odd jobs mostly in construction with his dad, until 
  he met Humberto Mendez and agreed to start Cape 
  and Cowl Investigations.
  80 ■ Hudson City Powers
  
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Three
  81 
  Personality/Motivation:  Jackie Maxwell is a prag-
  matic optimist who hasn’t let a bad experience 
  embitter him. He regrets losing his boxing career 
  and likes to reminisce about it (Mendez tries to 
  humor him, but aft er eight or ten hours of stories 
  day aft er day, he can only take so much)... but he 
  hasn’t let his regrets ruin his life.
  Jackie’s always been a soft  touch for a sob story, 
  but growing up, he didn’t think much about the 
  community around him. Spending so much time 
  with Mendez has changed that, and he’s become 
  just as concerned and proactive about his neigh-
  bors and the neighborhood in general as his part-
  ner. He spends his free time working with kids at 
  the local gym, making sure they stay oﬀ  the streets 
  and aren’t used and abused like he was (he’s already 
  run oﬀ  one trainer he thought didn’t have the kids’ 
  best interests at heart). Among Hudsonite ﬁ ght 
  fans he’s got something of a bad reputation because 
  of the steroids he took — everyone remembers 
  he took steroids, but few people remember he 
  was involuntarily doped and turned himself in. 
  He hates wearing a mask; when they’re standing 
  around and he thinks no one else is listening, he 
  complains about the mask to Mendez.
  Quote:  “Look, fella, I got nothing against you per-
  sonally, so why don’t you just go on home? Don’t 
  you make that face at me — you go on home, 
  before I send you home.”
  Powers/Tactics:  Jackie remains leery about using 
  his full strength — unless his opponent is obviously 
  as strong as he, he uses Analyze Combat Technique 
  before entering HTH Combat to try to ﬁ gure out 
  how much his opponent can take. In a ﬁ ght against 
  an opponent with normal strength, he tries to get 
  his opponent in a clinch and hold him still until he 
  stops struggling. Against other opponents, he sets 
  up his opponent using blocks, then once he has the 
  advantage he tries to knock the guy’s block oﬀ . But 
  he’d much rather intimidate his foe or talk to him 
  than get into a ﬁ ght.
  Campaign Use:  Like his partner, Heavy-Hitter 
  would Hunt any person he thought was harming 
  the community, although his methods would be 
  more rough. He starts by trying to convince the 
  person to stop doing whatever he’s doing that’s 
  harmful, and then he moves on to threats, and 
  ﬁ nally gets violent if need be.
  To make Heavy-Hitter more powerful, increase 
  his STR to 30 or 35. To further increase his power, 
  give him Find Weakness with Boxing. To decrease 
  his power, remove his Physical Damage Reduction 
  and/or his Second Wind.
  Heavy-Hitter has no criminal record, though 
  the steroid incident is a matter of public record 
  with the Athletics Control Board.
  Appearance:  Standing 6’3”, Jackie Maxwell is a large 
  man with a battered face. He keeps his blond hair 
  in a buzz cut and usually wears black track suits 
  with a white stripe down the legs and arms. Like his 
  partner, he wears a black domino mask.
  SCARLET
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   20 STR 
  10 
  13- 
  Lift  400 kg; 4d6 [4]
   20 DEX 
  30 
  13- 
  OCV:  7/DCV:  7
   20 CON 
  20 
  13-
   10 BODY 0 
  11-
   15 INT 
  5 
  12- 
  PER Roll 12-
   13 EGO 
  6 
  12- 
  ECV:  4
   20 PRE 
  10 
  13- 
  PRE Attack:  4d6
   24 COM 
  7 
  15-
   8 PD 
  4 
   
  Total:  12 PD (6 rPD)
   8 ED 
  4 
   
  Total:  12 ED (6 rED)
   4 SPD 
  10 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   8 REC 
  0
   40 END 
  0
   40 STUN 10 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  116
  Movement: 
  Running:  9”/18”
   
  Leaping:  8”/16”
   
  Swinging:  12”/24”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  Martial Arts: Kung Fu
   
  Maneuver 
  OCV DCV 
  Notes
  4 
  Block 
  +2 
  +2 
  Block, Abort
  4 
  Disarm 
  -1 
  +1 
  Disarm, 40 STR
  4 
  Dodge 
  +0 
  +5 
  Dodge all 
  attacks, Abort
  4 
  Escape 
  +0 
  +0 
  45 STR vs. 
  Grabs
  3 
  Joint Lock/Grab -1 
  -1 
  Grab, 40 STR
  5 
  Kick 
  -2 
  +1 
  10d6 Strike
  4 
  Knife Hand 
  -2 
  +0 
  HKA 1d6 (2d6 
  with STR)
  3 
  Legsweep 
  +2 
  -1 
  7d6 Strike, 
  Target Falls
  4 
  Punch 
  +0 
  +2 
  8d6 Strike
  3 
  Th row 
  +0 
  +1 
  6d6 +v/5 Strike, 
  Target Falls
  4 
  Tien-hsueh 
   
  Strike 
  -1 
  +1 
  3d6 NND (1)
  8 
  +2 Damage Classes (already added in)
  10 
  Demonic Anger/Enticement:  +15 PRE; 
  Only For Presence Attacks (-½) 
  0
  8 
  Armored Costume:  Armor (4 PD/4 ED); 
  OIF (-½) 
  0
  2 
  Tough:  Damage Resistance (2 PD/2 ED) 
  0
  8 
  Demonic Resilience:  Armor (8 PD); 
  Only Works Against Limited Type Of 
  Damage (ﬁ re; -½) 
  0
  6 
  Fast:  Running +3” (9” total) 
  1
  4 
  Strong Leaper:  Leaping +4” (8” forward, 
  4” upward) 
  1
  6 
  Swingline:  Swinging 12”; OAF (-1) 
  1
  5 
  Demonic Eyes:  Nightvision 
  0
  7 
  Mask Radio:  Radio Perception/
  Transmission (Radio Group); IIF (-¼), 
  Aﬀ ected As Hearing Group As Well As 
  Radio Group (-¼) 
  0
  11 
  Expert Wheelman:  Healing BODY 4d6, 
  Trigger (activating Trigger requires a 
  Zero Phase Action, Trigger requires a 
  Half Phase Action to reset; +¼); Only 
  Works On Ground Vehicles (-1), Requires 
  A Combat Driving Roll (-½), 2 Charges 
  (-1½), Costs Endurance (-½) 
  5
  SCARLET 
  PLOT SEEDS
  Scarlet’s motorcycle 
  Dragon is found aban-
  doned in LeMastre 
  Park. Knowing she’d 
  never voluntarily leave it 
  behind, the PCs have to 
  ﬁ nd out what happened 
  to her... and make sure 
  she gets it back!
  Scarlet ﬁ nds herself 
  becoming more and 
  more demonic... and one 
  morning she wakes up 
  to ﬁ nd little horns grow-
  ing from her forehead! 
  Terriﬁ ed, she appeals 
  to the PCs to help her 
  ﬁ gure out what’s going 
  on and stop it.
  Famed “occult detective” 
  Jonas Hexenhammer 
  approaches the PCs. He 
  claims that Scarlet is 
  really an evil demoness 
  and that he needs their 
  help to stop her ﬁ end-
  ish schemes. But the 
  PCs have worked with 
  Scarlet before, or at least 
  know her by reputation, 
  and she doesn’t strike 
  them as the demonic 
  type. Will they believe 
  him... and if so, what 
  will they do?
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  82 ■ Hudson City Powers
  11 
  Demonic Heritage:  Life Support (Immunity:  
  all terrestrial diseases and biological warfare 
  agents; Longevity:  ages at half normal rate) 0
   
  Perks
  17 
  Dragon:  Vehicle (see below)
   
  Talents
  32 
  Demonic Intuition:  Danger Sense (any 
  danger, immediate vicinity, sense) 13-
   
  Skills
  15 
  +3 HTH
  5 
  +1 with Interaction Skills
  3 
  Acrobatics 13-
  3 
  Breakfall 13-
  3 
  Climbing 13-
  7 
  Combat Driving 15-
  3 
  Conversation 13-
  3 
  Criminology 12-
  3 
  Deduction 12-
  3 
  Mechanics 12-
  3 
  Persuasion 13-
  2 
  PS: Reporter 11-
  7 
  Seduction 15-
  5 
  Stealth 14-
  3 
  Streetwise 13-
  4 
  TF: Common Motorized Ground Vehicles, 
  Basic Parachuting, Two-Wheeled Motorized 
  Ground Vehicles
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  249
  Total Cost:  365
  150+ Disadvantages
  10 
  Distinctive Features:  Mystic Aura tinged 
  with demonic soul (Not Concealable; Always 
  Noticed; Detectable Only With Unusual 
  Senses)
  10 
  Enraged:  in combat or similarly stressful 
  situations (Common), go 8-, recover 14-
  10 
  Enraged:  when takes BODY damage 
  (Common), go 8-, recover 14-
  20 
  Hunted:  HCPD 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
  10 
  Hunted:  Jonas Hexenhammer 8- (As Pow, 
  Capture/Kill)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Code Versus Kill-
  ing (Common, Total)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Must Help Inno-
  cents (Common, Strong)
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (Devon 
  Alexander) (Frequently, Major)
  105 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  365
  Background/History:  “Your momma died when you 
  were very little.” Th at’s what Devon’s dad always 
  told her.
  When she was a teenager, he told her what really 
  happened. It wasn’t that her mother had died — it was 
  that she wasn’t human. According to Michael Alex-
  ander, Devon’s mother was a succubus, a seductive 
  demoness who’d lured him into marriage. Her plan 
  had been to give birth to a half-demon child who’d 
  create all sorts of chaos and misery on Earth... and 
  aft er she’d achieved her purpose, she left .
  For the ﬁ rst decade of Devon’s life, it seemed the 
  succubus’s plan might have worked. As a child, Devon 
  was a true hellion, breaking rules, causing mischief, 
  and making other children cry whenever she could. 
  But her father remained both patient and stern, and as 
  she got older he began to bring her wicked behavior 
  under control (though he never could tone down her 
  thrillseeking ways). When he told her about her true 
  heritage, that broke her of her bad habits immediately. 
  Th ere was no way she was going to be a pawn in some 
  demon-bitch’s evil plan!
  Instead, she went in the complete opposite direc-
  tion. She began doing volunteer work and anything 
  else she could to help the community. But she found 
  her true calling one day when she 
  and a friend were walking down the 
  street and some punk snatched her 
  friend’s purse. Devon had always tried 
  to hide the fact that she was a lot faster 
  and stronger than most people, but 
  the snatching made her so made she 
  chased the punk down, beat the snot 
  out of him, and got back her friend’s 
  purse.
  Aft er that, it didn’t take much for 
  her to decide to become a costumed 
  crimeﬁ ghter. It was the perfect “career” 
  for her, since it combined her desire 
  to do good with her love of thrills and 
  danger. Since her favorite color was 
  red, she designed a red costume and 
  christened herself Scarlet. Using a 
  custom-designed motorcycle she built 
  herself, she’s been ﬁ ghting crime in 
  Hudson City ever since... and having a 
  ball doing it.
  Personality/Motivation:  For the 
  most part, Scarlet is a stereotypical 
  costumed crimefighter:  she wants 
  to help people and stop crime, but 
  
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Three
  83 
  she won’t kill or use excessive violence to do it. 
  But the truth is that she really gets a kick out 
  of crimefighting; if she weren’t doing that, she’d 
  probably be into extreme sports or the like.
  She’s got one other minor ulterior motive for 
  crimeﬁ ghting. Scarlet has something of a temper at 
  times — part of her demonic heritage, she ﬁ gures. 
  She’s found that if she does good deeds, that helps 
  her keep her temper under control. Still, when she’s 
  under stress (such as in combat) or gets hurt, she 
  sometimes “loses it.” It was during one such episode 
  that she roundhouse kicked an HCPD cop into a 
  two-week hospital stay, which is why the cops think 
  she’s a criminal and want to arrest her. (In game 
  terms, you might want to decrease her roll to go 
  Enraged, or increase her roll to recover from being 
  Enraged, if she’s done some notably selﬂ ess good 
  deed within the past 24 hours.)
  Aft er years of fruitless dating, Scarlet’s come to 
  the conclusion that men these days are all weakling 
  dunces. She’s pretty much stopped looking... but 
  maybe a handsome PC can change her mind.
  Quote:  “No way in Hell you can escape from me... 
  trust me.”
  Powers/Tactics:  In many ways, Scarlet looks like 
  any other costumed crimeﬁ ghter. She’s a skilled 
  hand-to-hand combatant, fast, smart, graceful, and 
  trained in a variety of skills. What sets her apart 
  are the abilities she gets from her demonic heri-
  tage. Having a succubus for a mother makes her 
  a lot stronger, quicker, and tougher than a normal 
  human being, and she uses these attributes to good 
  eﬀ ect in combat. Most noticeably, she’s absolutely 
  gorgeous — she could easily make millions as a 
  supermodel if she wanted to. If she wants to be, she 
  can be incredibly seductive, able to make just about 
  anyone (particularly men) do what she wants... or if 
  she prefers, she can show her demonic side a little 
  more overtly and intimidate just about anyone.
  Scarlet’s half-demonic nature shows up in her 
  aura — though of course few people can see auras. 
  One who can is noted occult detective and “ghost-
  chaser” Jonas Hexenhammer, who’s convinced she’s 
  some sort of demonic menace with a long-term plan 
  to harm mankind. He intends to capture her, use her 
  to prove that demons exist, and then destroy her.
  Unlike many crimeﬁ ghters, Scarlet doesn’t go 
  in for gadgets and weapons; she prefers to ﬁ nd a way 
  to get things done using her own abilities. Th e one 
  exception she makes is her custom-built motorcycle, 
  which she calls Dragon. She loves riding motorcycles 
  and is a very skilled driver in general, able to keep a 
  car or bike in one piece and functioning even aft er it’s 
  taken a real battering. When possible she prefers to 
  ﬁ ght from motorcycle-back, zipping past bad guys to 
  kick or punch them (a Move By using the motorcycle’s 
  Ground Movement).
  Campaign Use:  Scarlet makes a great ally for the 
  PCs, or perhaps even a romantic interest for a male 
  PC. She’s not obsessively driven to ﬁ ght crime, but 
  she’ll certainly help out with an adventure if asked. 
  Additionally, as a reporter she may be able to dig up 
  information the PCs can’t get on their own.
  To make Scarlet more powerful, boost her 
  Characteristics a bit, or give her more demonic 
  abilities — maybe the power to start ﬁ res with her 
  mind, project bolts of hellﬁ re, or control peoples’ 
  minds. To weaken her, reduce her Characteristics a 
  little, remove a few Martial Maneuvers, and get rid 
  of her Expert Wheelman ability.
  Scarlet doesn’t Hunt people — she’t not really 
  into vendettas. She ﬁ ghts crime in a more reactive way.
  Scarlet is wanted by the HCPD for numerous 
  acts of assault, breaking and entering, and the like. 
  Whether they could connect most of these acts to 
  her suﬃ  ciently to get a conviction is another matter 
  altogether, but they deﬁ nitely have a lot of ques-
  tions to ask her.
  Appearance:  Devon Alexander is a stunningly gor-
  geous white woman, 5’7” tall and about 115 pounds 
  with a perfectly-proportioned ﬁ gure and short hair 
  that’s a red-auburn shade most women can only get 
  from a bottle. As Scarlet she wears an all-red bodys-
  tocking with darker red boots, long gloves, and a 
  short cape; her half-face cowl matches the bodys-
  tocking and ties in the back with two dangling ties.
  DRAGON  SCARLET’S MOTORCYCLE
   Val Char 
  Cost Notes
   1 Size 
  5 
  1.25”x.64”; 200 kg; -1 KB; -0 DCV
   20 STR 
  5 
  Lift  400 kg; 4d6 HTH [0]
   20 DEX 
  30 OCV:  7/DCV:  7
   14 BODY 3
   6 DEF 
  8 
  Does Not Protect Occupant (-½)
   4 SPD 
  10 Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
    
   
   
  Total Characteristic Cost:  61
  Movement: 
  Ground:  35”/280”
   
  Swimming:  0”/0”
  Abilities & Equipment
  Cost Power 
  END
  25 
  Motorized Two-Wheeled Vehicle: Ground 
  Movement +29” (35” total), x8 NMC; 
  OAF (tires; -1½), Only On Appropriate 
  Terrain (-¼), 1 Continuing Fuel Charge 
  (easily-obtained fuel; 1 Day; -0) 
  [1cc]
  6 
  Super-Reinforced Tires (see Th e Ultimate 
  Vehicle, page 41) 
  0
  -2 
  Ground Vehicle:    Swimming -2” (0” total)
   
  Skills
  8 
  Superb Handling:  +4 with Ground Movement
  Total Abilities & Equipment Cost:  37
  Total Vehicle Cost:  98
  Value Disadvantages 
  10 
  Distinctive Features:  Demonic-Styled 
  Motorcycle (Concealable With Diﬃ  culty; 
  Noticed And Recognizable)
  5 
  Physical Limitation:  Two-Wheeled (Infre-
  quently, Slightly Impairing)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  15
  Total Cost:  83/5 = 17
  Description:  Dragon is Scarlet’s custom-built 
  motorcylcle. Able to achieve speeds of over 400 
  miles an hour, it’s the perfect vehicle for her adven-
  turing needs. She plans to add a remote control 
  system, and maybe some weapons or other gad-
  getry, someday.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  84 ■ Hudson City Powers
  BURNING BETTY
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   18 STR 
  16 
  13- 
  Lift  300 kg; 3½d6 [4]
   24 DEX 
  42 
  14- 
  OCV:  8/DCV:  8
   15 CON 
  10 
  12-
   12 BODY 4 
  11-
   10 INT 
  0 
  11- 
  PER Roll 11-
   10 EGO 
  0 
  11- 
  ECV:  3
   10 PRE 
  0 
  12- 
  PRE Attack:  3d6
   10 COM 
  0 
  11-
   6 PD 
  2 
   
  Total:  9 PD (3 rPD)
   8 ED 
  5 
   
  Total:  11 ED (3 rED)
   4 SPD 
  6 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   8 REC 
  2
   40 END 
  5
   40 STUN 11 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  103
  Movement: 
  Running:  6”/12”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  21 
  Pyrokinesis:  Elemental Control, 42-point 
  powers
  23 
  1)  Set On Fire I:  RKA 1½d6, Indirect 
  (always originates from Betty, but can 
  strike from any direction; +½), Fully 
  Invisible (source only; +½); No 
  Knockback (-¼) 
  4
  26 
  2)  Set On Fire II:  RKA ½d6, Area Of 
  Eﬀ ect (8”; +1¼), Selective (+¼), 
  Continuous (+1), Indirect (always 
  originates from Betty, but can strike 
  from any direction; +½), Sticky (only 
  aﬀ ects ﬂ ammables; +¼), Uncontrolled (+½) 5
  12 
  3)  Control Fire:  Telekinesis (30 STR); 
  Only Works On Fire (-1) 
  4
  14 
  4)  Radiate Heat:  Change Environment 
  16” radius, +4 Temperature Levels, 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼); 
  No Range (-½) 
  2
  2 
  Immune To Heat:  Life Support (Safe 
  Environment:  Intense Heat) 
  0
   
  Talents
  6 
  Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED)
   
  Skills
  5 
  CK: Hudson City 13-
  2 
  KS: Hudson City Underworld 11-
  3 
  Sleight Of Hand 14-
  5 
  Streetwise 12-
  4 
  Survival (Urban) 12-
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  123
  Total Cost:  226
  150+ Disadvantages
  10 
  Distinctive Features:  Homeless Person 
  (Easily Concealed, Causes Major Reaction 
  [disgust])
  10 
  Hunted:  the Maﬁ a 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Watch-
  ing)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Cruel And Mali-
  cious (Common, Total)
  20 
  Social Limitation:  Homeless (Frequently, 
  Severe)
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (Betty Fry) 
  (Frequently, Major)
  5 
  Vulnerability:  1½ x STUN from Cold-based 
  attacks (Uncommon)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  230
  Background/History:  While other children were 
  setting ants on fire with a magnifying glass, Betty 
  Fry was setting them on fire with her mind. The 
  pranks she could play with her pyrokinesis were 
  endless — lighting a boy’s pants on fire (whether 
  he was a liar or not); igniting a bag full of fire-
  crackers while an unsuspecting man held them 
  in his hand; setting abandoned buildings on fire 
  and watching the squatters run out — not to 
  mention how useful it was for keeping warm in 
  winter when she slept in doorways.
  Betty grew up in an orphanage where the 
  other kids ostracized her... mainly because they 
  were scared of her and had good reason to be. 
  She was a mean girl who played cruel pranks 
  (even when not using her powers, which she kept 
  secret)... and if any child tried to retaliate, he soon 
  found himself in the nurse’s oﬃ  ce being treated for 
  burns that mysteriously appeared on his body when 
  he was asleep.
  At twelve, Betty ran away — she failed to see 
  the point of living in the orphanage any longer 
  — and took to the streets of Hudson City. For 
  most girls her age, being homeless meant being 
  raped, abused, and turned out to walk the streets 
  by some pimp, but Betty’s powers kept away 
  anyone who tried to take advantage of her. After 
  a while no one messed with her — word got 
  around that she could light people up, and even 
  the sickest sex freaks on the street are afraid of 
  fire. Her powers eventually brought her to the 
  attention of the Mafia.
  The scam was simple:  the Mafia had some 
  property it wanted to collect insurance on, and 
  Betty could set the buildings on fire without 
  an investigator ever figuring out what had hap-
  pened. It was perfect arson, and though Betty 
  only collected a small portion of the profits, she 
  made more money than she did panhandling. 
  Pretty soon she was well-off (for a homeless 
  VILLAINS
  BURNING BETTY 
  PLOT SEEDS
  Burning Betty has 
  decided to take over her 
  kingdom. She chooses a 
  part of Freetown, burns 
  down all the build-
  ings, and has her army 
  of homeless followers 
  blockade the streets. Th e 
  police and Fire Depart-
  ment can’t get in — can 
  the PCs make it past 
  the homeless to ﬁ nd out 
  what’s going on? And 
  if so, can they capture 
  Betty?
  Th e maﬁ osi who worked 
  with Burning Betty 
  have decided she has a 
  screw loose and knows 
  too much about what 
  they’ve done over the 
  years. Th ey decide to 
  take her out, but their 
  hitman fails and now it’s 
  a gang war. Can the PCs 
  bring peace to Hudson 
  City’s streets before 
  Betty burns down Little 
  Italy?
  Burning Betty’s mother 
  shows up in Hudson 
  City looking for her 
  daughter. She gets in 
  touch with the PCs and 
  asks for their help to 
  ﬁ nd the girl.
  
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Three
  85 
  person at least), with bundles of cash stuffed into 
  the plastic bags she carried around in a shop-
  ping cart. Because of her money, and her ability 
  to provide heat when it was cold, she gathered 
  around her a group of other homeless men and 
  women. It wasn’t long before Burning Betty was 
  a crime figure of a sort, her army of homeless 
  some of the best informants a person could find 
  in Hudson City.
  Trailing a disorganized mob of followers, 
  Burning Betty wanders the streets of Freetown 
  at all hours. Neither she nor those with her have 
  to worry about gangs harassing them — the gang 
  members have learned better, and nowadays 
  most think she’s some kind of witch. She still 
  takes jobs for the mob, although she does less 
  and less work. She’s started to develop her own 
  ambitions and dislikes working for other people.
  Personality/Motivation:  Burning Betty is a cruel 
  woman with a wicked inclination for setting people 
  on ﬁ re. She doesn’t usually kill them (unless they 
  attack her ﬁ rst), but she’s been known to set people 
  alight for the slightest reason. Barely twenty, she’s 
  mature for her age but still has the mean streak of a 
  malicious child.
  Unlike many of her homeless followers, Betty’s 
  in full possession of her mental faculties. She wasn’t 
  forced onto the street because of mental illness or 
  some addiction — she chose to be there — and the 
  money she’s made working for the Italians keeps 
  her from suﬀ ering the worst eﬀ ects of deprivation. 
  Over the last few years, she’s come to style herself as 
  a queen of the homeless — a criminal ﬁ gure in her 
  own right, one to rival Card Shark or a Maﬁ a family 
  — although the truth of the matter is less certain, 
  since she has yet to put her army of homeless into 
  action. In Hudson City, the homeless number in the 
  tens of thousands, and as far as Betty’s concerned, 
  they’re all potential followers.
  When speaking, Burning Betty refers to herself 
  in the third person. Despite her young years, she 
  speaks with a grizzled, throaty voice.
  Quote:  “Oh yes. Burning Betty’s got a light. Yes, she 
  does, indeed, she does.”
  Powers/Tactics:  Burning Betty’s powers stem 
  from pyrokinesis, the ability to ignite and con-
  trol fires with the power of her mind. She can 
  set an individual person or object alight. This 
  power is Indirect (meaning she can immolate 
  things regardless of intervening barriers), and 
  the source (Burning Betty) is invisible even 
  though the flames are not. With greater effort, 
  she can ignite all the inflammable objects she 
  wants within an 8” radius:  the power is Sticky 
  (so anything flammable that contacts with one of 
  the burning objects also catches fire) and Con-
  tinuous (the fires only go out when there’s no 
  more fuel, the oxygen is depleted, or something 
  smothers the flames — such as a burning charac-
  ter taking a Full Phase Action to stop, drop, and 
  roll). She can also control the fire she creates, 
  causing them to leap and strike at her whim. Her 
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  86 ■ Hudson City Powers
  final ability — the power to heat her surround-
  ing area — has no practical combat use, but is 
  invaluable in her day-to-day life during cold 
  weather.
  Burning Betty avoids face-to-face combat, 
  preferring to ambush her target with Set Alight I 
  from hiding. If cornered, however, she doesn’t go 
  peacefully — she ignites everything in the area 
  with Set Alight II, then uses Pyrokinesis to take 
  control of the flames and cause them to “attack” 
  her opponents.
  Campaign Use:  Any encounter involving the 
  homeless in Hudson City might lead to an 
  encounter with Burning Betty. Also any enemies 
  the PCs have made might hire her to burn down 
  their homes or businesses. Eventually Betty will 
  more fully develop her ambitions — possible 
  plans are orchestrating crime sprees or kidnap-
  pings, and taking over a few abandoned city 
  blocks for her “kingdom.” Betty might Hunt any 
  character that rubs her the wrong way — for 
  being condescending to homeless people, for 
  trying to tell her how to live her life, and so on.
  To make Burning Betty more powerful, give 
  her Defense Powers that make her effectively 
  immune to fire damage (e.g., lots of Armor and/
  or Damage Reduction with Limitations so that it 
  only applies to fire). To make her less powerful, 
  lower her Elemental Control to 30 points and 
  reduce the slots accordingly.
  As a Hunter, Burning Betty tries to burn 
  down everything the Hunted owns. If truly feel-
  ing malicious, she might try to make it look like 
  arson — maybe causing the furnace or an oven 
  to explode — so the Hunted has to deal with 
  investigators and the police. Although far from 
  squeamish, she isn’t likely to try to kill a Hunted 
  unless the person did her harm first.
  Burning Betty has no criminal record. The 
  HCFD’s never connected her to any of the arson 
  jobs she’s pulled — since she leaves no traces of 
  accelerants or the like, they don’t even know the 
  fires were deliberately set.
  Appearance:  Burning Betty is 5’4” skinny young 
  white woman, but it’s hard to tell with all the 
  coats she wears. She typically has on three 
  quilted coats, one over the other. Over her long 
  ratty brown hair she wears a broad-brimmed sun 
  hat with a wilted red carnation stuck in the band. 
  Her face is covered with grime, but under all the 
  dirt is plain-looking girl with pale white skin and 
  hazel eyes. Because she’s only twenty, she has yet 
  to lose her teeth or suffer any other disfigure-
  ments from her harsh life.
  CARNIVORE
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   40 STR 
  30 
  17- 
  Lift  6,400 kg; 8d6 [8]
   28 DEX 
  54 
  15- 
  OCV:  9/DCV:  9
   30 CON 
  40 
  15-
   20 BODY 20 
  13-
   4 INT 
  -6 
  10- 
  PER Roll 10-
   10 EGO 
  0 
  11- 
  ECV:  3
   25 PRE 
  15 
  14- 
  PRE Attack:  5d6
   4 COM 
  -3 
  10-
   20 PD 
  12 
   
  Total:  20 PD (1 rPD)
   18 ED 
  12 
   
  Total:  18 ED (1 rED)
   6 SPD 
  22 
   
  Phases:  2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12
   16 REC 
  4
   60 END 
  0
   60 STUN 
  5 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  205
  Movement: 
  Running:  11”/22”
   
  Leaping:  15”/30”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  25 
  Claws:  HKA 2d6 (4d6 with STR), Reduced 
  Endurance (½ END; +¼); Reduced 
  Penetration (-¼), No Knockback (-¼) 
  3
  1 
  Tough Skin:  Damage Resistance (1 PD/1 ED) 0
  10 
  Animalistic Mind:  Mental Defense 
  (13 points total) 
  0
  12 
  Heightened Senses:  +4 to PER Rolls with 
  all Sense Groups 
  0
  5 
  Enhanced Vision:  Infrared Perception 
  (Sight Group) 
  0
  10 
  Enhanced Olfactory Senses:  Tracking 
  with Smell/Taste Group 
  0
  10 
  Fast Runner:  Running +5” (11” total) 
  2
  7 
  Strong Legs:  Leaping +7” (15” forward, 
  8” upward) 
  2
   
  Skills
  4 
  +2 OCV with Claws
  10 
  +2 DCV
  3 
  Acrobatics 15-
  3 
  Breakfall 15-
  7 
  Shadowing 13-
  3 
  Stealth 15-
  Total Powers & Skill Cost:  110
  Total Cost:  315
  150+ Disadvantages
  20 
  Distinctive Features:  Man-Beast (Not 
  Concealable; Causes Extreme Reaction 
  [abject fear])
  30 
  Enraged:  Berserk in combat (Very 
  Common), go 11-, recover 8-
  20 
  Hunted:  HCPD 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
  25 
  Psychological Limitation:  Bestial Nature 
  And Mentality (Very Common, Total)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Must Obey 
  Whoever Uses Dr. Spregen’s Whistle 
  (Uncommon, Total)
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (Jim 
  Perkins) (Frequently, Major)
  15 
  Vulnerability:  1½ x Eﬀ ect from Flashes 
  (Very Common)
  10 
  Vulnerability:  1½ x STUN from Poisons and 
  Drugs (Common)
  15 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  315
  
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Three
  87 
  Background/History:  Jim Perkins was human once. 
  Or so he thought — given his membership in 
  the New Republic Party, an ultra-right wing Nazi 
  organization with terroristic inclinations, there are 
  many who would be inclined to dispute his claim to 
  humanity. Perkins was the perfect Nazi:  tall, strong, 
  and brutal, with blue eyes and blonde hair cut mili-
  tary style. Perkins’s attributes drew the notice of 
  Doctor Gerhardt Spregen, the “Iron Wolf” of Buch-
  enwald who was the real power behind the New 
  Republic Party (see Predators). Spregen suspected 
  Perkins was a “double-Y chromosome” male, and 
  thus perfect for an experiment he had in mind. 
  Building on work he’d done decades ago in 
  Nazi Germany, Dr. Spregen wanted to bring out 
  the “bestial qualities” in men to create superb 
  shock troops — soldiers who wouldn’t question 
  orders, who were strong enough to ﬂ ip over cars, 
  who could attack with their own natural weapons 
  in addition to guns. Double-Y genes, which some 
  experts suspect tend to make a man more brutal 
  and vicious, were one of the genetic markers Spre-
  gen believed indicated that someone would be 
  responsive to the gene-splicing and chemical treat-
  ments he’d devised.
  When Spregen was ready, he had his aides 
  summon his unwitting guinea pig. Perkins, like any 
  good Nazi, obeyed his orders unquestioningly. He 
  was soon strapped onto a gurney and wheeled into 
  Spregen’s laboratory.
  Weeks and weeks of painful treatments and 
  surgery followed as Spregen’s 
  treatments worked their 
  dark magic on Perkins’s 
  body. Gradually Perkins 
  became less and less human, 
  and more and more bestial. 
  His eyes turned into pupil-
  less orbs colored a vile shade 
  of yellow. His hair length-
  ened and thickened, becom-
  ing a sort of mane. His 
  fingernails grew into vicious 
  claws. To make sure he could 
  control his creation, Spregen 
  instilled in Perkins, whom 
  he now referred to as Car-
  nivore, a Pavlovian compul-
  sion to obey him whenever 
  he blew upon a small ultra-
  sonic whistle.
  Carnivore is now Spre-
  gen’s best assassin, and a faith-
  ful bodyguard as well. Spregen 
  treats him much as he would 
  a well-trained Rottweiler. 
  Occasionally he lets Carnivore 
  loose to roam the streets of 
  the city, to spread terror as he 
  sates his awful bloodlust.
  Personality/Motivation:  Jim Perkins’s once fervently 
  Nazistic mind is now little more than the mind of 
  a vicious predatory animal. He thinks only of his 
  next opportunity to rend and kill and satisfy his 
  hunger for human ﬂ esh. Although he’s intelligent 
  enough to follow simple orders from Spregen — for 
  example, he can stalk and kill a designated target 
  — his thoughts are so savage and bestial that even 
  someone with psionic powers has a hard time com-
  prehending them.
  Carnivore’s bloodlust can overwhelm him 
  almost instantly whenever he’s ﬁ ghting, about to 
  attack, or perceives a threat to himself or to Spre-
  gen. Once his feral nature takes over, it’s diﬃ  cult to 
  save a victim from his claws, much less calm him 
  down. Th e only thing that always brings him to heel 
  is Spregen’s special ultrasonic whistle. Spregen car-
  ries this unique item with him at all times, in case 
  he needs to summon or control Carnivore. Anyone 
  who uses the whistle can blow it to calm Carnivore 
  down, but could not use it to summon Carnivore 
  the way Spregen can. (At the GM’s option, some 
  powers or devices, such as Active Sonar, might 
  interfere with or override the whistle.)
  Quote:  None — Carnivore is no longer able to 
  speak coherently.
  Powers/Tactics:  By means of scientiﬁ c processes 
  later proven not to work on other men (even other 
  double-YY ones), Carnivore has been altered from 
  a human male into a man-beast. In place of human 
  intellect and reason, he now has heightened senses, 
  CARNIVORE 
  PLOT SEEDS
  Th e typical Carnivore 
  adventure:  the mon-
  ster’s on a rampage, and 
  the PCs must ﬁ nd him, 
  then stop him from kill-
  ing anymore innocents.
  Th e PCs have Carnivore 
  trapped — ﬁ nally they’ll 
  be able to stop the killer 
  — but then they hear a 
  roar from behind them, 
  then another from a 
  nearby ﬁ re escape. It 
  seems Spregen has 
  reproduced the process 
  that resulted in Carni-
  vore....
  Carnivore’s on the 
  loose, but he’s not kill-
  ing people — instead he 
  grabs fearful bystanders 
  by the lapels and begs 
  them to help him. Has 
  Perkins’s personality 
  has resurfaced, allowing 
  him to escape (perhaps 
  temporarily...) from 
  Spregen’s control? Or is 
  it a trap?
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  88 ■ Hudson City Powers
  claws and fangs, immensely strong muscles, and an 
  unquenchable desire to kill. On the downside, Car-
  nivore’s augmented senses make it diﬃ  cult for him 
  to resist strong sensory input (i.e., Flashes), and the 
  treatments he underwent have made him more sus-
  ceptible to the eﬀ ects of drugs and poisons. Doctor 
  Spregen is trying to ﬁ nd ways to correct these 
  “defects” in his creation.
  Like the beast he resembles, Carnivore’s tactics 
  are simple — leap upon his prey and rend it with 
  his claws until it’s dead.
  Campaign Use:  Carnivore is wanted for more 
  than a dozen conﬁ rmed murders. He is a suspect 
  in many more killings, but the authorities either 
  cannot ﬁ nd the bodies, or there wasn’t enough left  
  of the body to allow for a positive identiﬁ cation of 
  the killer.
  Carnivore only Hunts at the bidding of his 
  master, Spregen — although if he catches a scent 
  one night while roaming the streets, he hunts his 
  prey. Spregen typically lures the Hunted PC into a 
  trap — maybe calling on his neo-Nazi followers to 
  stage some crime to draw the PC out into the open 
  — and then dispatches Carnivore to kill him.
  Carnivore should already be powerful enough 
  to pose a threat to most DC:TAS hero teams (which 
  he has to, since he generally can’t work with other 
  villains). If he’s not there yet, increase his Charac-
  teristics and give him some Damage Reduction (or 
  Regeneration) until he is. To decrease his power, 
  lower his DEX to 20-24 and reduce his claws to 
  HKA 1½d6.
  Appearance:  On those rare occasions when he 
  stands fully erect, Carnivore is 6’8” tall. He weighs 
  325 pounds, most of it muscle, yet moves with a 
  cat-like grace. His eyes are solid yellow, his mane-
  like head of hair is sandy blondish, and he has claws 
  and fangs in the place of nails and teeth. Spregen 
  usually dresses Carnivore in a tan-colored bodysuit 
  (to reinforce the leonine imagery even more).
  CHARADE
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   10 STR 
  0 
  12- 
  Lift  100 kg; 2d6 [2]
   20 DEX 
  30 
  13- 
  OCV:  7/DCV:  7
   15 CON 
  10 
  12-
   10 BODY  0 
  11-
   20 INT 
  10 
  13- 
  PER Roll 13-
   18 EGO 
  16 
  13- 
  ECV:  6
   15 PRE 
  5 
  12- 
  PRE Attack:  3d6
   20 COM 
  5 
  13-
   5 PD 
  3 
   
  Total:  5 PD (0 rPD)
   5 ED 
  2 
   
  Total:  5 ED (0 rED)
   4 SPD 
  10 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   6 REC 
  2
   30 END 
  0
   30 STUN 
  7 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  100
  Movement: 
  Running:  6”/12”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  100 
  Th e Right Tools For Th e Job:  Variable 
  Power Pool (Gadget Pool), 60 base + 
  30 control cost; No Skill Roll Required 
  (+1); Can Only Be Changed At  Base/
  Arsenal (-½) 
  var
  5 
  Holdout Derringer:  RKA 1d6, Armor 
  Piercing (+½); IAF (-½), No Knockback 
  (-¼), Real Weapon (-¼), Strength 
  Minimum (6; Does Not Add To 
  Damage; -1), 2 Charges (-1½) 
  [2]
  13 
  Poisoned Knife:  HKA ½d6 (1d6 with 
  STR), Armor Piercing (+½); IAF (-½), 
  Real Weapon (-¼), Strength Minimum 
  (6; Does Not Add To Damage; -1), No 
  Knockback (-¼) plus RKA 2d6; IAF 
  Fragile (poison, -¾), No Knockback (-¼), 
  Linked (-¼), HKA Must Do BODY (-½), 
  1 Charge (-2) 
  1
   
  Martial Arts:  Jujutsu
   
  Maneuver 
  OCV DCV 
  Notes
  4 
  Atemi Strike 
  -1 
  +1 
  3d6 NND(1)
  5 
  Breaking Th row -2 
  -2 
  Grab One Limb; 
  HKA 1d6 (1½d6 
  with STR), Dis-
  able; Target Falls
  3 
  Legsweep 
  +2 
  -1 
  5d6 Strike, 
  Target Falls
  4 
  Disarm 
  -1 
  +1 
  Disarm, 30 STR
  4 
  Escape 
  +0 
  +0 
  35 STR Escape
  3 
  Joint Lock 
  +0 
  -1 
  Grab One Limb, 
  30 to STR for 
  holding on
  4 
  Joint Lock/
   
  Th row 
  +1 
  +0 
  Grab One Limb; 
  2d6 NND(7); 
  Target Falls
  5 
  Shime 
  -2 
  +0 
  Grab One Limb, 
  3d6 NND (2)
  8 
  +2 Damage Classes (already added in)
  5 
  Unimpressed:  +10 PRE; Only Protects 
  Against Presence Attacks (-1) 
  0
  12 
  Super-Disguise:  Shape Shift  (Sight Group 
  and Touch Group; any humanoid form), 
  Imitation, Reduced Endurance (0 END; 
  +½), Persistent (disguise remains in place 
  even if she’s Knocked Out, though it can 
  
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Three
  89 
  still be wiped away, smeared oﬀ , or the 
  like; +½); OIF (makeup and disguise 
  supplies of opportunity; -½), Extra Time 
  (minimum of 1 hour needed to prepare 
  disguise, -3), Requires A Disguise Roll (-½) 0
   
  Perks
  4 
  2 Deep Covers
   
  Skills
  12 
  Captivating Scent:  +5 with Interaction Skills; 
  IIF (perfume; -¼), Only Works On Persons 
  Who Could Be Physically Attracted To Cha-
  rade (-½), 1 Continuing Charge lasting 1 
  Hour (removed by washing it oﬀ , dunking 
  Charade in water, applying something else 
  that smells strongly, or the like; -¼)
  11 
  Acting 16-
  3 
  Bribery 12-
  3 
  Combat Driving 13-
  1 
  Computer Programming 8-
  9 
  Conversation 15-
  3 
  Cryptography 13-
  9 
  Disguise 16-
  2 
  Forgery (Documents) 12-
  2 
  Gambling (Card Games) 12-
  5 
  High Society 13-
  2 
  Language:  Arabic (ﬂ uent conversation; Eng-
  lish is Native)
  2 
  Language:  French (ﬂ uent conversation)
  2 
  Language:  Japanese (ﬂ uent conversation)
  3 
  Lockpicking 13-
  7 
  Mimicry 15-
  9 
  Persuasion 15-
  1 
  Riding 8-
  5 
  SS:  Pharmacology/Toxicology 15-
  3 
  Security Systems 13-
  13 
  Seduction 17-
  3 
  Shadowing 12-
  3 
  Sleight of Hand 13-
  3 
  Stealth 13-
  4 
  WF:  Common Melee Weapons, Small Arms
  Total Powers & Skill Cost:  299
  Total Cost:  399
  150+ Disadvantages
  15 
  Distinctive Features:  Extremely Beautiful 
  Woman (Concealable With Eﬀ ort; Noticed 
  And Recognizable)
  20 
  Hunted:  Th e Yakuza 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Cap-
  ture)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Sultry Seductress; 
  Th inks Of Men As Manipulable Toys (Very 
  Common, Strong)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Vain; Must Protect 
  Her Looks (Common, Strong)
  10 
  Reputation:  skilled female assassin 11- (Lim-
  ited Group [the underworld and espionage 
  groups])
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (Eileen 
  Rose) (Frequently, Major)
  154 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  399
  Background/History:  Some little girls quickly learn 
  there are other ways to get by in a man’s world 
  than trying to equal or excel men in their chosen 
  endeavors. Some take the easier route of seduction, 
  manipulation, and outright extortion. Eileen Rose 
  is one such woman. A natural beauty, Eileen real-
  ized at an early age she could make men do what 
  she wanted by appealing to their male pride and 
  ﬂ irting with them. As she got older, she found even 
  more interesting ways to deal with them. She got a 
  lot of good grades in high school by seducing her 
  male teachers and then blackmailing them. Th at 
  was fun, but not as much fun as manipulating foot-
  ball players into ﬁ ghting each other over her. She 
  could date the winner for a while (the more money 
  he had, the longer she’d stay with him), then dump 
  him and make him miserable.
  As soon as she graduated, Eileen ran away 
  to Hollywood, sure that her makeup skills would 
  land her a job somewhere until she was noticed 
  and became a big star — she knew she was more 
  gorgeous than most of the actresses she saw in the 
  movies, so she had no doubt of her ultimate success 
  in Tinseltown. Reality hit her hard — not only was 
  she not discovered, she couldn’t get a job anywhere.
  But boys with Ferraris like girls with hot 
  bodies, and once she gave up on her dreams of 
  stardom it didn’t take Eileen long to hook up with a 
  string of rich boyfriends who gave her pretty much 
  anything she wanted... provided she’d do the same 
  for them. But she wasn’t content with that; she felt 
  it was a waste. She could be doing so much more, 
  but she wasn’t sure what, and the thought of that 
  left  her angry and bitter. One of her boyfriends, a 
  minor yakuza oyabun, discerned her feelings (and 
  the despite she actually felt for people, particularly 
  men). He made her an oﬀ er:  if she’d work for him, 
  he’d provide her with the training she needed to act 
  on her true desires.
  Shocked that someone could read her so easily, 
  Eileen jumped at the oﬀ er — it was her ticket to 
  the money and “fame” she craved. So began several 
  years of study of the arts of death. Knowing right 
  away that she was not a ﬁ ghter, she studied the 
  skills that ﬁ t her natural talents and inclinations:  
  how to “become” someone else, both in look and 
  manner; poisons and how to use them; how to fake 
  a fatal accident; and similar subjects. She discov-
  ered something she’d never suspected — she liked 
  to kill. Indeed, it was one of the few situations out-
  side of the boudoir where she felt any real excite-
  ment or interest in what she was doing.
  At the end of her training period, she went to 
  work for the oyabun as one of his assassins. Since 
  many Japanese gangsters like to “spend time” with 
  Western women, she had no diﬃ  culty getting close 
  to and eliminating many of her benefactor’s rivals. 
  But in time she tired of his domineering ways, so 
  she murdered him as casually as she had his yakuza 
  brethren, then left  to become a freelance assassin. 
  Today she’s known to the underworld and the Espi-
  onage World as one of the most devious and skilled 
  female assassins available.
  CHARADE 
  PLOT SEEDS
  Charade has heard one 
  too many times how 
  beautiful a female PC 
  (or DNPC) is and has 
  decided it can’t go on 
  any longer. Her goal isn’t 
  to kill the PC — that 
  would be too easy — but 
  to maim her. Can the 
  heroes ﬁ gure out what’s 
  going on in time to stop 
  her?
  Th ere’s a new star of 
  the Hudson City stage 
  — an beautiful woman 
  with red hair. Could this 
  be Charade? And is she 
  really trying to ﬁ nd a 
  new career, stepping out 
  of the shadows and into 
  the limelight?
  Charade wants to be 
  able to change shape at 
  will and has found the 
  scientist to give her that 
  ability. Th e PCs get word 
  she plans to kidnap the 
  scientist. Can they stop 
  an already deadly foe 
  from becoming more 
  deadly?
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  90 ■ Hudson City Powers
  Personality/Motivation:  Charade is in many ways 
  a classic sociopath. Although intelligent and out-
  wardly charming, she doesn’t relate to other people 
  in a normal way. Her emotions are stunted; she 
  feels no sympathy for others and only derives emo-
  tional stimulation and satisfaction from intense 
  situations... such as killing. She feels no guilt over 
  her lethal activities, merely regret that a job couldn’t 
  have lasted longer.
  Charade uses her extremely seductive nature 
  to her advantage as an assassin. Few men can resist 
  her “charms” once she goes to work on them, and 
  this puts them in such a vulnerable position that 
  she has little trouble ﬁ nishing them oﬀ . Her pro-
  miscuity masks a deep and abiding hatred of men, 
  whom she considers to be weak, manipulable little 
  toys. Every one she seduces, every one she kills, is 
  merely proof that she’s their superior. If she met a 
  man who could resist her, it would deﬁ nitely throw 
  her for a loop.
  Because her looks have always been the key 
  to her success, Charade is extremely vain. She’s 
  very careful to do nothing to mar her elegant 
  features, and is liable to “crack” if threatened with 
  mutilation or scarring. She’s jealous of any other 
  good-looking woman around her, and will do 
  anything to humiliate or disgrace them (or even 
  kill them in some particularly horrid fashion, if 
  they make her angry enough).
  Quote:  “Hold still, love, this 
  won’t hurt... much.”
  Powers/Tactics:  Despite her 
  martial arts and weapons 
  training, Charade is no com-
  batant, and she knows it. Her 
  style is much more subtle and 
  eﬀ ective than brawling in the 
  streets. To begin with, Cha-
  rade, as her name implies, is 
  a master of the art of disguise 
  and mimicry. Her appearance 
  changes with every job, and 
  she has assassinated more 
  than one man by ﬂ awlessly 
  impersonating his girlfriend, 
  wife, or mistress until she 
  could get close enough to 
  “eliminate” him. She prefers to 
  disguise herself as a glamor-
  ous redhead (her natural hair 
  color), but is careful not to 
  “typecast” herself too much, 
  lest she develop distinguishing 
  traits or features that would 
  give her away.
  Charade’s Captivating 
  Scent pheromone-based 
  perfume makes her more 
  appealing to members of the 
  opposite sex. It has almost 
  a hypnotic effect and turns 
  men to putty in Charade’s 
  capable hands.
  Charade’s favored methods of killing are poi-
  sons and fatal “accidents.” Many of the poisons she 
  uses are her own concoctions; her favorite is one 
  that induces heart attacks (as she tearfully explains 
  to the police later:  “We w-were in b-b-bed together 
  and h-he just, just gasped and s-sort of collapsed. 
  Oh, God... <SOB!>”). When appropriate, she carries 
  a poisoned knife and a derringer with her.
  If necessary, use her Gadget Pool to buy what-
  ever poisons or devices she needs to accomplish a 
  particular mission. For example, she might arrange 
  to meet her latest victim in his jacuzzi, and bring 
  along a radio/CD player. Hidden in the radio is a 
  taser-like device. She gets out of the water to get 
  another glass of champagne and “accidentally” 
  knocks the radio into the water, electrocuting 
  her erstwhile companion. Before the ambulance 
  arrives, she removes the “taser” and shreds it in the 
  disposal. Between her good looks and “bereaved 
  companion” act, no one has ever caught on to her 
  before she was hundreds of miles and three other 
  identities away. 
  Campaign Use:  Charade works primarily in the 
  United States, but is no stranger to Europe or the 
  Mediterranean. She’s a frequent visitor in Las Vegas, 
  Monaco, the various Clubs Med — and, of course, 
  Hudson City.
  
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Three
  91 
  Adventures involving Charade should start 
  with the PCs learning that someone wants a target 
  assassinated and has brought an expert assassin 
  into the city. From there, they need to track down 
  Charade and then capture her before she can fulﬁ ll 
  her contract. Alternately, you can arrange a long-
  term subplot so that a PC gets involved in a roman-
  tic relationship with Charade before he knows who 
  she really is, or have Charade become a female PC’s 
  rival for some man’s aﬀ ections.
  To increase Charade’s power, make her a more 
  eﬀ ective hand-to-hand combatant:  increase her 
  DEX as appropriate, improve her defenses (perhaps 
  with a little Combat Luck), and give her some more 
  Extra DCs with Jujutsu. To make her less eﬀ ective, 
  remove her Shape Shift  and make her rely on Dis-
  guise to hide her identity.
  Charade generally doesn’t Hunt people; she’s 
  an assassin, not a bounty hunter. As a Hunted, 
  Charade seeks to insinuate herself into the 
  Hunted’s life — likely either as a girlfriend or a 
  friend’s girlfriend. Once she has the trust of her 
  target, she kills him.
  Charade has an extensive record for murder 
  and theft. The police have her fingerprints and 
  DNA on file, but don’t know her real name or 
  background.
  Appearance:  Although Charade can look like 
  just about any female, her true appearance is an 
  extremely beautiful woman with shoulder-length 
  red hair. She is 5’9” tall, trim, well-built, and has the 
  muscle tone of someone who works out regularly. 
  She favors glamorous clothing that shows her ﬁ gure 
  to best advantage (strapless evening gowns, sheer 
  dresses, swimwear, and so on).
  FLEUR DE LISA
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   15 STR 
  5 
  12- 
  Lift  200 kg; 3d6 [3]
   18 DEX 
  24 
  13- 
  OCV:  6/DCV:  6
   15 CON 
  10 
  12-
   12 BODY 4 
  11-
   12 INT 
  2 
  11- 
  PER Roll 11-
   18 EGO 
  16 
  13- 
  ECV:  6
   15 PRE 
  5 
  12- 
  PRE Attack:  3d6
   14 COM 
  2 
  12-
   6 PD 
  3 
   
  Total:  10 PD (4 rPD)
   6 ED 
  3 
   
  Total:  10 ED (4 rED)
   4 SPD 
  12 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   8 REC 
  4
   40 END 
  5
   40 STUN 12 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  107
  Movement: 
  Running:  6”/12”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  75 
  Scent Powers:  Multipower, 75-point reserve
  3u 
  1)  Mind Controlling Scents I:  Mind 
  Control 10d6, NND (defense is Life 
  Support [Self-Contained Breathing or 
  appropriate Immunity]; +½); Based On 
  CON (-1), Only To Control/Inﬂ ict 
  Emotions (-½), Reduced By Range (-¼) 
  7
  3u 
  2)  Mind Controlling Scents II:  Mind 
  Control 6d6, NND (defense is Life 
  Support [Self-Contained Breathing or 
  appropriate Immunity]; +½), Area Of 
  Eﬀ ect (5” Radius; +1); Based On CON 
  (-1), Only To Control/Inﬂ ict Emotions 
  (-½), Reduced By Range (-¼) 
  4
  4u 
  3)  Allergic Reaction:  Sight and Smell/
  Taste Group Flash 5d6, NND (defense is 
  Life Support [Self-Contained Breathing 
  or appropriate Immunity]; +½) 
  4
  5u 
  4)  Toxic Pollen:  Drain CON 3d6, NND 
  (defense is Life Support [Self-Contained 
  Breathing or appropriate Immunity]; +½), 
  Limited Range (12”; +¼) 
  5
  2u 
  5)  Fill Th e Air With Pollens:  Change 
  Environment 4” radius, -3 Sight Group 
  PER Rolls; Limited Range (12”; -¼) 
  2
  8 
  Armored Costume:  Armor (4 PD/4 ED); 
  OIF (-½) 
  0
  5 
  Poison Immunity:  Life Support ( Immunity:  
  phytotoxins) 
  0
   
  Skills
  9 
  +3 with Scent Powers
  10 
  +2 DCV
  20 
  Captivating Scent:  +4 with Interaction Skills
  3 
  Conversation 12-
  3 
  Interrogation 12-
  2 
  CK: Hudson City 11-
  2 
  KS: Perfumes 11-
  3 
  KS: Plants And Flowers 11-
  3 
  Persuasion 12-
  2 
  PS: Sales Clerk 11-
  3 
  Seduction 12-
  5 
  SS: Botany 13-
  3 
  Trading 12-
  FLEUR DE LISA 
  PLOT SEEDS
  Th e pollens Fleur de 
  Lisa’s body secretes were 
  only the beginning:  
  over time, she becomes 
  more and more plant-
  like. As her body trans-
  forms, she also becomes 
  less and less human. 
  Her greed is replaced 
  by a desire to tear down 
  the city and let plants 
  rule once again, and 
  she embarks on a kill-
  ing spree to achieve 
  this goal. Can the PCs 
  stop this new and more 
  deadly Fleur de Lisa?
  Fleur de Lisa might not 
  have grandiose ambi-
  tions, but not every 
  criminal is willing to 
  settle for larceny. Guil-
  lotine and his terrorist 
  organization devise a 
  way to disseminate Lisa’s 
  pollen across the city 
  and plan to invoke rage 
  in the citizenry. Can the 
  PCs stop them before 
  Hudson City boils over 
  in riots?
  Fleur de Lisa turns over 
  a new leaf and asks to 
  join the PCs’ team to 
  prove her good inten-
  tions. Can they trust the 
  former villain? Might 
  she have a romantic 
  interest in one of the 
  PCs? Or do the PCs 
  have something she 
  wants to steal?
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  92 ■ Hudson City Powers
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  173
  Total Cost:  280
  150+ Disadvantages
  15 
  Distinctive Feature:  Always Smells Of Th e 
  Best Perfume Ever Created (Not Conceal-
  able; Noticed and Recognizable)
  20 
  Hunted:  Hudson City Police Department 
  8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Greedy (Common, 
  Strong)
  10 
  Reputation:  criminal with emotion control-
  ling powers, 11-
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (Lisa 
  Bloom) (Frequently, Major)
  10 
  Vulnerability:  2 x Eﬀ ect from Transforms 
  (Uncommon)
  45 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  280
  Background/History:  “Please stop,” Lisa Bloom said, 
  trying to keep the aggravation out of her voice. 
  She was at work, manning the perfume counter at 
  a department store in the Gadsen Consumerplex. 
  Several children, ages four to eight, were grabbing 
  the perfume bottles Lisa had taken out for their 
  mother to sample — the same mother who now 
  stood ﬁ ft een feet away ignoring her children — and 
  they were using them as squirt guns. Th ey were 
  having a good time; Lisa was not.
  “Please stop,” Lisa said again, her voice notice-
  ably nasal and a little bit hoarse. Th e commingling 
  scents were clogging her sinuses, and she could 
  feel a headache coming on. Th e children kept on 
  screaming and squirting clouds of perfume at 
  each other. Lisa called, “Ma’am? Ma’am... your chil-
  dren....” But the mother ignored her, just like she 
  ignored her children.
  Suddenly, Lisa began to sway on her feet. 
  Her skin felt moist, as if it dripped with the cloy-
  ing smells ﬁ lling the air. She could feel the blood 
  pounding in her veins. Her ears ﬁ lled with a rush-
  ing sound, and her vision blurred at the edges, 
  beginning to narrow. Th en she blacked out.
  When she came to, she was still on her feet. 
  It must’ve only been seconds later, because the 
  children were still screaming and squirting each 
  other. Her voice tired but calm, Lisa said again, 
  “Please stop.”
  And the children froze, gazing up at Lisa 
  with puppy-like devotion. Lisa stared down at 
  the children in surprise. She adjusted her blouse, 
  then her jacket. She said, “Please put the perfume 
  bottles back on the counter.”
  Again the children did as she asked, each hur-
  rying to return the bottle to the counter, but their 
  eyes never left  Lisa. Even as their negligent mother 
  dragged them away, the four children continued to 
  stare back over their shoulders at Lisa.
  Lisa smiled at them and waved. You just need 
  to be forceful, she told herself.  Forceful, but calm 
  and never forget polite — I wonder how long it’ll take 
  for the smell to go away....
  Th e smell still hadn’t gone away by the time 
  Lisa got oﬀ  work. Her clothes reeked of it, and she 
  was embarrassed. She felt gauche, like one of those 
  women who wore too much perfume and were 
  always buying more, trying out every scent she 
  had to oﬀ er. Judging by the men and women who 
  stared aft er her as she walked through the mall on 
  her way to the bank, other people thought the same 
  thing. But she didn’t have time to go home, shower, 
  and change — the bank would close soon and she’d 
  received notice she was overdrawn on her account.
  She knew it was just a stupid error — some 
  clerk had misapplied someone else’s check — but 
  she needed to take care of it. She had bills to pay 
  and working at the perfume counter in a depart-
  ment store didn’t pay her well enough to have 
  any money saved up. Besides, Lisa liked to spend 
  money. It was one of her few pleasures in life.
  In the bank, the teller told her she was right 
  — the bank had cashed someone else’s check 
  through her account — and Lisa breathed a sigh 
  of relief. But then the teller told her it would take 
  three to ﬁ ve business days to adjust the error.
  “But I need that money now,” Lisa protested, 
  her voice high-pitched and angry. She had known 
  the bank would make her life diﬃ  cult — they 
  always did, even when it was their mistake. Right 
  before her eyes, she saw what looked to be bluish-
  green dust drift  slowly from her palm, snake in 
  a slender stream through the air, and engulf the 
  teller’s head.
  Th e teller cocked his head and stared at Lisa. 
  “Okay, anything for you,” he said, his voice worship-
  ful. “How much do you need?”
  Lisa leaned back in surprise. That wasn’t at 
  all what she was expecting. The teller was being 
  far too reasonable for a bank employee. She per-
  formed a little experiment. She said, “I need five 
  thousand dollars” — much more than she had in 
  her bank account.
  The teller gulped, turned nervously around 
  to see where his supervisor was, and then turned 
  back to Lisa. He stared at her with devoted eyes, 
  nodded his head, and began to count out five 
  thousand dollars.
  Lisa shoved the wad of bills in her purse. With 
  a wave over her shoulder, she walked out of the 
  bank and into a life of crime as Fleur de Lisa.
  Personality/Motivation:  Fleur de Lisa’s power 
  has gone straight to her head. Before that day in 
  the mall, she hadn’t committed any crimes, but 
  not because she was particularly law-abiding 
  or even a good person. She just hadn’t had the 
  opportunity to commit crime, and growing up in 
  the Hudson City suburbs she wasn’t exposed to 
  the criminal world. She never thought she could 
  get away with committing crimes and so didn’t... 
  but as Fleur de Lisa, that’s changed. Now she can 
  walk into a bank, ask for money, and get it. It’s 
  the easiest thing in the world.
  Fleur de Lisa is simply greedy. She wants 
  money — and, more importantly, the stuﬀ  money 
  can buy. Th e easiest way to get money is to steal 
  it. She’s not a killer, nor would she ever consider 
  kidnapping someone and holding him hostage. She 
  robs banks, banquets, gallery openings — in short, 
  any place where there’s money and people she can 
  control with her powers.
  
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Three
  93 
  Quote:  “No matter how captivating my scent, there’s 
  no better smell than the smell of money.”
  Powers/Tactics:  Something strange happened to 
  Lisa Bloom when the children squirted all those 
  diﬀ erent bottles of perfume and ﬁ lled the air with 
  a hundred diﬀ erent scents. Th e chemicals changed 
  Lisa, giving her the ability to make scents of her 
  own and release pollen into the air at will — pollen 
  that could invoke emotions in people, as well as 
  cause violent allergic reactions ranging from eyes 
  and nasal passages swelling shut to heart attacks. 
  She secretes these pollens from her pores; when she 
  uses her powers, they’re visible as bluish-green or 
  yellow dust billowing from her hands and drift ing 
  at her command. With the pollens, she can invoke 
  emotions in a target — “love me” and “fear me” are 
  her usual choices.
  Fleur de Lisa mainly uses her powers to “con-
  vince” people to give her money — in other words, 
  she charms her victims out of their cash. She’s not a 
  combatant and prefers to avoid a ﬁ ght when possi-
  ble. She’s also not a killer, and rarely uses her Toxic 
  Pollen. Th at said, she’s never been cornered before 
  and left  with no other choice....
  Fleur de Lisa always smells good — her body 
  gives oﬀ  a scent appealing to both men and women, 
  which provides her with a bonus to Interaction 
  Skills. Nothing she’s tried can conceal this scent 
  (it overpowers any other perfume she wears), and 
  no matter who smells it, he (or she) thinks it is the 
  nicest scent he’s ever smelled.
  Campaign Use:  Fleur de Lisa robs people. She 
  employs goons — she calls them her Flower Chil-
  dren — to help her with her robberies, mainly to 
  make sure no one sounds an alarm or tries any 
  heroics (and to do the heavy lift ing). Aft er con-
  stant exposure to Fleur de Lisa’s pollens, her goons 
  eventually come to worship her and are steadfastly 
  faithful and devoted to her. Th ey wear costumes 
  similar to Fleur de Lisa’s own.
  Fleur de Lisa isn’t likely to Hunt a PC, If she 
  does, it is only to seduce him or embarrass him.
  To make Fleur de Lisa more powerful, increase 
  the points in her Scent Powers Multipower and then 
  increase the slots accordingly. You could also give 
  her the power to control plants (pages 254-259 of 
  Th e UNTIL Superpowers Database list a selection of 
  such powers), and perhaps some defensive abilities. 
  To reduce her power, reduce her Multipower to 60 
  Active Point slots.
  Fleur de Lisa has an extensive record for rob-
  bery, but the HCPD doesn’t know who she is.
  Appearance:  Lisa Bloom is a tall, thin woman 
  with short blonde hair and blue eyes. In her civil-
  ian identity she wears black slacks and silk shirts 
  (casual but stylish ones, usually in a pastel color). 
  Her costume is a sleeveless lime green bodysuit 
  with a full face mask. On the chest of the suit is a 
  golden ﬂ eur de lis, and she covers her face with a 
  green domino mask. She wraps her bare arms with 
  red roses, their thornless stems woven together and 
  winding up from her wrists to her shoulders.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  94 ■ Hudson City Powers
   GUILLOTINE
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   15 STR 
  5 
  12- 
  Lift  200 kg; 3d6 [3]
   25 DEX 
  45 
  14- 
  OCV:  8/DCV:  8
   23 CON 
  26 
  14-
   15 BODY 10 
  12-
   13 INT 
  3 
  12- 
  PER Roll 12-
   12 EGO 
  4 
  11- 
  ECV:  4
   13 PRE 
  3 
  12- 
  PRE Attack:  2½d6
   12 COM 
  1 
  11-
   6 PD 
  3 
   
  Total: 10 PD (4 rPD)
   6 ED 
  1 
   
  Total: 10 ED (4 rED)
   5 SPD 
  15 
   
  Phases:  3, 5, 8, 10, 12
   8 REC 
  0
   46 END 
  0
   35 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  116
  Movement:  Running:  xx”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  27 
  Right Guillotine Launcher:  RKA 2d6, +2 
  Increased STUN Multiplier (+½), Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½); OIF (-½), Extra 
  Time (takes two Segments for a blade to 
  return aft er it’s ﬁ red; -¼), No Knockback 
  (-¼), Will Not Work In A Strong Magnetic 
  Field (-¼)  
  0
  5 
  Left  Guillotine Launcher:  Another 
  Guillotine Launcher 
  0
   
  Martial Arts:  Dirty Inﬁ ghting
   
  Maneuver 
  OCV DCV 
  Notes
  4 
  Disarm 
  -1 
  +1 
  Disarm, 25 STR
  4 
  Kidney Blow 
  -2 
  +0 
  HKA ½d6 
  (1d6+1 w/STR)
  4 
  Low Blow 
  -1 
  +1 
  2d6 NND (1)
  4 
  Punch/
   
  Backhand 
  +0 
  +2 
  5d6 Strike
  5 
  Roundhouse 
  -2 
  +1 
  7d6 Strike
  3 
  Th row 
  +0 
  +1 
  3d6 + vel/5, 
  Target Falls
  9 
  Armored Costume:  Armor (4 PD/4 ED); 
  OIF (-½) 
  0
  13 
  Can Take A Punch:  Physical Damage 
  Reduction, Resistant, 50%;  Requires A 
  CON Roll (-½), STUN Only (-½), 
  Character Must Be Aware Of Attack (-¼) 0
   
  Perks
  5 
  Contact:  a prominent American 
  anarchist 14-
  6 
  Contact:  One Man, One Rule (French anar-
  chist organization) 11-
   
  Skills
  8 
  +4 OCV with Guillotine Launchers
  3 
  Bribery 12-
  1 
  Demolitions 8-
  1 
  Forgery (Documents) 8-
  1 
  Language:  French (basic conversation; Eng-
  lish is Native)
  3 
  Stealth 14-
  3 
  Streetwise 12-
  2 
  WF: Small Arms
  3 
  Scholar
  4 
  1)  KS: Anarchism/Nihilism 14-
  2 
  2)  KS: Th e Military/Mercenary/Terrorist 
  World 12-
  2 
  3)  KS: Political Philosophy 12-
  2 
  4)  KS: World Politics 12-
  3 
  Traveler
  2 
  1)  AK: Europe 12-
  1 
  2)  CK: Amsterdam 11-
  1 
  3)  CK: Berlin 11-
  1 
  4)  CK: Hudson City 11-
  2 
  5)  CK: Paris 12-
  Total Powers & Skill Cost:  134
  Total Cost:  250
  150+ Disadvantages
  5 
  Distinctive Features:  Prominent Scar On 
  Face (Easily Concealed; Noticed and Recog-
  nizable)
  5 
  DNPC:  Norma (fellow anarchist/terrorist, 
  girlfriend), 8- (Normal; Useful Skills)
  25 
  Hunted:  Th e CIA 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, 
  Capture/Kill)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Ardent Anarchist/
  Nihilist (Common, Total)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Sado-Masochist 
  (Common, Strong)
  15 
  Reputation:  anarchistic terrorist, 11- 
  (Extreme)
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (Richard 
  Talbot/Kerensky) (Frequently, Major)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  250
  Background/History:  Richard Talbot, son of United 
  States Representative Geoﬀ rey Talbot (R-VA, 
  1964-present), was a rebellious youth. As a teen-
  ager he rejected his parents’ Republican values and 
  turned to vandalism and petty crime. Because of 
  his father’s political connections, he stayed out of 
  juvenile detention — which only made him worse. 
  Regardless of the number of hours he spent in ther-
  apy, Richard’s crimes became more and more seri-
  ous until ﬁ nally his father, fearing a reporter would 
  eventually stumble upon Richard’s sordid past 
  during an election year, shipped him oﬀ  to Europe.
  In Europe, Richard fell oﬀ  the map. He never 
  arrived at the private boarding school that prom-
  ised his parents it would teach him how to be a 
  law-abiding citizen. Drift ing across the continent, 
  he changed his name to Kerensky and eventually 
  fell in with several anarchism-oriented organiza-
  tions including One Man, One Rule (OMOR), a 
  group based in Belgium which had a reputation for 
  doing little more than sitting around coﬀ ee shops 
  and talking about the overthrow of government. 
  In truth it was a violent, driven organization that 
  masked its intentions well.
  Th e appeal of anarchy for Richard was obvi-
  ous — as a political philosophy, it gave meaning to 
  Richard’s larcenous and violent tendencies, allow-
  ing him to justify whatever harm he did in the 
  name of “overthrowing tyranny” and “ushering in a 
  new age of individual freedom.” Richard became a 
  fervent believer in anarchy, and that, coupled with 
  his keen intellect, is why the leadership of OMOR 
  chose him to attend university in Paris. Th ere he 
  would act as a recruiter, directing fervent young 
  men and women into OMOR’s ranks.
  GUILLOTINE 
  PLOT SEEDS
  OMOR has decided 
  Guillotine is too blood-
  thirsty and sadistic even 
  for them. Th ey leak 
  information concern-
  ing his whereabouts to 
  the PCs. Will the PCs 
  realize they’re being 
  used as pawns? And will 
  they ﬁ nd the assassins 
  OMOR has dispatched 
  to kill Guillotine once 
  the PCs subdue him?
  Guillotine’s father, Rep-
  resentative Talbot, is in 
  town. Guillotine decides 
  he wants his father dead. 
  Can the PCs stop him 
  from committing pat-
  ricide?
  A series of bombings 
  rock Hudson City. Th e 
  PCs track down Guil-
  lotine and capture him. 
  But he claims he’s just 
  a patsy... that the real 
  bombers are agents for 
  the government. Could 
  this possibly be true... 
  and if so, how will the 
  PCs deal with the situ-
  ation?
  
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Three
  95 
  Richard soon became disgusted with academia 
  — its passiveness was contrary to everything he 
  believed — but he knew his task an important 
  one, so he kept at it. Aft er six years he received his 
  degree in Political Science, and then he petitioned 
  OMOR leadership to allow him to take a more 
  active role in the organization:  he wanted to be 
  in operations, not recruitment. Th ey granted his 
  request, reassigning him to Operation Guillotine.
  Tasked with creating a group of highly-skilled 
  assassins, Operation Guillotine involved both 
  rigorous physical augmentation and deadly train-
  ing with a weapons system that would not only be 
  eﬀ ective, but inspire terror. Richard was the only 
  survivor of Operation Guillotine — the rest either 
  died during either augmentation or their trial mis-
  sion. But Richard took to it like he was born to the 
  role of assassin. Since then he’s worked with or for 
  numerous terrorist groups all over the world, most 
  devoted to anarchist or nihilist causes.
  Personality/Motivation:  Guillotine is a fanatical 
  believer in the philosophies of anarchism and, to a 
  lesser extent, nihilism. Th e groups he works with and 
  crimes he commits likewise seem devoted to support-
  ing these causes, but Guillotine’s political philosophy 
  stems from a simple sadistic/sociopathic desire to hurt 
  others. In anarchy he ﬁ nds a justiﬁ cation for the pain 
  he inﬂ icts. Even if he stopped believing in anarchy, he 
  would continue to hurt others — but without any spe-
  cial justiﬁ cation. Th e root cause of sadism goes deeper 
  than simple rebellion against his parents — Guillotine 
  is simply insane.
  Quote:  “Oﬀ  with the exploiter’s head!”
  Powers/Tactics:  Guillotine’s namesake weapons, his 
  Guillotine Launchers, are two bracer-like instru-
  ments that cover most of his forearm, including a 
  steel “glove” for his each of his hands. Mounted on top 
  of each launcher is a heavy steel blade 20 cm wide, 
  1 cm thick, and extremely sharp. Th e Launchers ﬁ re 
  the blades by means of a “magnetic linkage” system 
  like a miniature rail gun. Aft er hitting or missing 
  their target, the blades use the magnetic linkage and 
  a computer guidance system to return to Guillotine 
  and aﬃ  x themselves to the Launchers; this retrieval 
  process takes about two seconds. Th e Launchers are 
  vulnerable to disruption by magnetic ﬁ elds or radio 
  waves, which prevent them from ﬁ ring or cause them 
  to drop to the ground if they’re in mid-ﬂ ight; addi-
  tionally, the blades can be attacked while in the air 
  (consider them to have DEF 12, DCV 10).
  Guillotine avoids open combat, preferring terror-
  ist actions such as hostage-taking, surprise attacks, and 
  assassination. On several past occasions he’s escaped 
  from police or crimeﬁ ghters by cutting through a wall 
  with his guillotine blades. He has no formal martial 
  arts training, but is a vicious street ﬁ ghter.
  Campaign Use:  Guillotine is an assassin... and 
  unlike Charade, his methods aren’t sneaky. He 
  might hire himself out to any criminal group as 
  long as they made a sizeable donation to One Man, 
  One Rule or another anarchist organization. Most 
  of his targets are political — high-ranking elected 
  ﬁ gures, typically, but any political ﬁ gure will do.
  To make Guillotine more of a threat, give him 
  Find Weakness with his Guillotine Launchers. To 
  make him less dangerous increase the time it takes 
  for the guillotines to return to his wrist bracers to 4 
  Segments, or even a full Turn.
  Guillotine isn’t likely to Hunt someone unless 
  that person publicly represents something he despises 
  (such as a hero with a national ﬂ ag on his costume, or 
  the like). As a Hunted, Guillotine gets in touch with a 
  local anarchist group and stages some terrorist action 
  — bombing a government building, taking hostages, 
  an assassination attempt, or the like. He lurks in wait, 
  and when his target appears, he strikes from ambush.
  Guillotine is responsible (and wanted for) for 
  the murders of Italian legislator Giovanni Buonacar-
  rolla; Iphigenie Turrandout, French Ambassador to 
  the United States; and American industrialist Gilbert 
  Billingsley. Various police agencies want him for ques-
  tioning regarding other murders as well.
  Appearance:  Guillotine stands 5’11” and has a 
  medium build. He has black hair and grey eyes with 
  a scar running over his left  eye from the center of 
  his forehead to his lower jaw. (He picked up the 
  scar during Operation Guillotine training, when 
  he failed to successfully retrieve his blade as it 
  returned.) His costume is a gold bodysuit, armored, 
  with a red anarchy symbol (an “A” within a circle) 
  spraypainted on its chest. He wears a red handker-
  chief mask tied over the lower half of face, stainless 
  steel Guillotine Launcher bracers on both forearms, 
  two red belts, and red boots. 
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  96 ■ Hudson City Powers
  HOT ROD
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   12 STR 
  2 
  11- 
  Lift  100 kg; 2d6 [1]
   23 DEX 
  39 
  14- 
  OCV:  8/DCV:  8
   12 CON 
  4 
  11-
   10 BODY 0 
  11-
   18 INT 
  8 
  13- 
  PER Roll 13-
   15 EGO 
  10 
  12- 
  ECV:  5
   20 PRE 
  10 
  13- 
  PRE Attack:  4d6
   16 COM 
  3 
  12-
   6 PD 
  4 
   
  Total:  9 PD (3 rPD)
   6 ED 
  4 
   
  Total:  9 ED (3 rED)
   5 SPD 
  17 
   
  Phases:  3, 5, 8, 10, 12
   6 REC 
  4
   24 END 
  0
   35 STUN 13 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  118
  Movement: 
  Running:  6”/12”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  25 
  Hell Of A Driver:  Aid Vehicle 
  Characteristic 3d6, any Vehicle 
  Characteristic one at a time (+¼); Requires 
  A Combat Driving Roll (-½) 
  0
  8 
  Hell Of A Driver:  Aid Running 2d6; 
  Only Works On Ground Vehicles (-1), 
  Requires A Combat Driving Roll (-½) 
  0
   
  Perks
  23 
  Vehicle:  ’32 Ford Sedan (see below)
   
  Talents
  6 
  Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED)
   
  Skills
  8 
  +4 with Ground Movement, Usable By 
  Other (x8 Mass [i.e., a Size 4 or smaller 
  vehicle]; +1); Only For Wheeled Ground 
  Vehicle Character Is Driving (-2)
  21 
  +4 with All Combat, Usable By Other 
  (x8 Mass [i.e., a Size 4 or smaller vehicle]; 
  +1); Only For Wheeled Ground Vehicle 
  Character Is Driving (-2)
  3 
  Analyze Driving Ability 13-
  5 
  Combat Driving 16-
  4 
  CK: Hudson City 14-
  4 
  KS: Automobiles 14-
  4 
  KS: Hudson City Underworld 14-
  3 
  Mechanics 13-
  3 
  Persuasion 13-
  3 
  Seduction 13-
  3 
  Stealth 14-
  3 
  Streetwise 13-
  3 
  TF: Common Motorized Ground Vehicles, 
  Two-Wheeled Motorized Ground Vehicles
  3 
  WF: Small Arms, Knives
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  132
  Total Cost:  250
  150+ Disadvantages
  10 
  Hunted:  Scarlet 8- (As Pow, Capture)
  20 
  Hunted:  Hudson City Police Department 
  8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Impulsive Hot-
  head (Very Common, Strong)
  10 
  Rivalry:  Professional (other drivers of vehi-
  cles; More Powerful [signiﬁ cant group])
  25 
  Social Limitation:  Subject To Orders (devil 
  that won his soul) (Very Frequently, Severe)
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (Roderick 
  Deuce) (Frequently, Major)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  250
  Background/History:  Th ere’s a story told in Finch 
  County about when the Devil came to race. Out 
  along Route 23, a lonely stretch of two-lane high-
  way that fell into disuse aft er the interstate went 
  through, there was a boarded-up drive-in called the 
  Red Top Diner. Just like they had for decades, the 
  young men of Finch County came in their hot rods 
  and gathered at the Red Top on Friday and Satur-
  day nights, their big block engines ﬁ lling the quiet 
  night with rumbles and roars. As the night wore on, 
  the drivers would race along a quarter-mile stretch 
  of Route 23. Mostly they only wagered pride, beer, 
  and money on the outcome, but sometimes the 
  races became more serious and pink slips changed 
  hands. One of these drivers was Roderick Deuce, 
  whose 1932 Ford Sedan had never lost — not until 
  the Devil came to the Red Top.
  For a native of Finch County, a rural place sev-
  eral counties over from the bright lights of Hudson 
  City, Rod had a lot of money. He worked as a courier 
  for the Hudson City crime lords, moving drugs and 
  other illicit goods from the city to the state line. Much 
  of his money went into his hot rod... and there wasn’t 
  a faster car in Finch County, maybe not even in the 
  state. Th at night a faster car pulled into the Red Top’s 
  gravel lot — a blood red Model A detailed with yellow 
  and orange ﬂ ames stretching from the front chrome 
  bumper to the raised-up read end — but that car 
  came from nowhere in this world.
  Th e Model A’s painted ﬂ ames seemed to ﬂ icker 
  and crackle in the headlights of the other cars. Blue 
  and black ﬁ res ﬂ ared from its dual exhaust pipes, 
  the chrome scorched burnt orange and black. Its 
  engine didn’t so much rumble and roar, as groan 
  and moan with anguish, and the supercharger 
  gasped like the last breath of a dying man. Th e man 
  who stepped out of the car was tall and thin with 
  wavy black hair and a goatee. He was wearing red 
  leathers and snakeskin cowboy boots. He told the 
  assembled hot rodders he was looking for a race, 
  and it was Rod Deuce that took up his challenge.
  “What are we racing for?” Rod asked.
  “Pink slips,” the man answered. “Th is car 
  against the pink slip for your soul.”
  Rod laughed, but his laughter caught in his 
  throat when he saw the man wasn’t laughing with 
  him — and when he saw the ﬂ ames dancing in the 
  man’s eyes, he knew this race was for real.
  Th e two hot rods were bumper to bumper oﬀ  the 
  line. Rod’s ’32 Ford roared; the man’s — the Devil’s, 
  Rod now knew — a Model A screamed. Out of the 
  HOT ROD 
  PLOT SEEDS
  A major Hudson City 
  car show starts soon, 
  and this year’s theme is 
  hot rods. Will the PCs 
  be able to stop Hot Rod 
  from making oﬀ  with 
  the cars being exhibited?
  In their quest to stop a 
  drug ring, the PCs track 
  the production of a new 
  methamphetamine to 
  Finch County — but 
  Hot Rod rules the rural 
  location with an iron 
  ﬁ st. Can they break his 
  hold on his territory and 
  stop the ﬂ ow of meth 
  into the city? And what 
  do the region’s biker 
  gangs think of the whole 
  situation?
  Th e devil who owns Hot 
  Rod’s soul ﬁ nally puts 
  his plan into motion. 
  Hot Rod and his goons 
  roar into Hudson City, 
  terrorizing other motor-
  ists and setting ﬁ re 
  to everything in their 
  path. Th ey’ve brought 
  Hell to the urban abyss 
  — and especially Scarlet, 
  who ﬁ nds herself at the 
  center of their attacks. 
  Can the PCs stop them 
  before Scarlet ﬁ nally 
  snaps and crossed the 
  line?
  
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Three
  97 
  corner of his eye, Rod saw the Devil look over at him. 
  He winked. He opened his mouth in a wolﬁ sh grin 
  and his forked tongue ﬂ ickered out, licking at his 
  sharp teeth. Th en the Devil left  Rod in the dust.
  When Rod ﬁ nished the quarter mile, the Devil 
  was already out of his car, leaning against his Model 
  A with his arms crossed over his chest.
  “Don’t worry,” the Devil told him. “You’re not 
  going to Hell yet. I’ve got a job for you. You’re going to 
  like it — give you a taste of some worldly power. First, 
  though, you’re going to need a faster hot rod....”
  Personality/Motivation:  Hot Rod was once a small-
  time criminal, but he’s become a pawn in a devil’s 
  scheme to turn Scarlet to evil. Whether this devil 
  works alone, or at the behest of some greater evil, is 
  unknown (and left  to the GM to decide). Th e devil 
  who claims Hot Rod’s soul has given his servant 
  driving skills beyond the ken of normal men, and 
  also souped up his rod so it would leave most mun-
  dane cars in the dust. Hot Rod was always impul-
  sive and reckless, but losing his soul and knowing 
  that some day he’ll ﬁ nd himself in Hell has only 
  made him more prone to take dangerous risks.
  For the time being, the devil has yet to com-
  mand Hot Rod to confront Scarlet directly. Instead, 
  he uses his pawn to investigate her and her activi-
  ties in an attempt to learn everything about her so 
  he can devise the perfect plan to drive her to cross 
  the line from good to evil. But it’s only a matter of 
  time before the devil, and thus Hot Rod, puts his 
  ﬁ nal machinations in motion.
  Quote:  “Th e Devil built my hot rod.”
  Powers/Tactics:  Hot Rod’s powers stem from his 
  supernatural driving ability and infernally built car. 
  He can improve the performance of any vehicle, 
  using Aid and Skill Levels to provide it with super-
  natural handling and speed, but he much prefers 
  to use his own car in his capers. In combat he 
  generally tries to use Move Th roughs and Move 
  Bys to cripple or kill his opponent. When ﬁ ghting 
  costumed crimeﬁ ghters, he never leaves his hot rod, 
  and if left  with no other choice, he retreats rather 
  than get out of his car. If somehow forced from his 
  hot rod, he attempts ﬁ rst and foremost to secure 
  another vehicle. In a car that’s not his own, he typi-
  cally uses his Aid to raise the vehicle’s SPD so it’s 
  closer to his own.
  Campaign Use:  By following his demonic patron’s 
  advice, Hot Rod has established himself as the 
  biggest man in the Finch County underworld, 
  although most of his criminal activity is still at the 
  behest of Hudson City crimelords (and his crimes 
  oft en take him into Hudson City proper). He only 
  acts as a courier for the most important assign-
  ments, trusting the other members of his gang, 
  all of whom have mundane hot rods, to carry out 
  more routine jobs.
  Hot Rod can become involved in any adventure 
  that features either (a) transporting illicit goods to or 
  from Hudson City, or (b) Scarlet. Th e greatest chal-
  lenge he presents is capturing him, since he moves 
  awfully fast behind the wheel and maneuvers like, 
  well, a speed demon. For goons he employs other hot 
  rod drivers, and they usually travel in packs. As his 
  personal entourage, he typically carries three passen-
  gers nicknamed Shotgun, Louie, and Roscoe. Called 
  collectively the Pit Crew, all three typically carry ﬁ re-
  arms, and ﬁ re on opponents, while Hot Rod maneu-
  vers the vehicle. Shotgun sits in the front passenger 
  seat; Louie sits in the back seat on the left ; and Roscoe 
  sits in the back seat on the right.
  To make Hot Rod more powerful, enhance his 
  car with gadgets. Th e Supercar described on page 
  46 of Th e Ultimate Vehicle has several write-ups of 
  appropriate gadgets. To make him less powerful, 
  reduce the dice in his Hell Of A Driver Aids, or get 
  rid of them entirely.
  Hot Rod could easily Hunt any PC with a fast 
  vehicle, and his goal is to beat the PC in a race — if the 
  PC happens to die in the process, so much the better, 
  but Hot Rod really just wants to humiliate him.
  Appearance:  Hot Rod is a white male in his twenties 
  who stands 6’1” and has an athletic build. He doesn’t 
  wear a costume per se, but he always wears blue jeans 
  ripped at the knees and stained with oil and a muscle 
  shirt depicting something automotive — usually 
  either an engine manufacturer or an airbrushed hot 
  rod. He wears a baseball cap, the brim bent at nearly 
  any angle, over blonde hair and carries a grease-
  stained handkerchief in his back pocket.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  98 ■ Hudson City Powers
  ’32 FORD SEDAN  BRIMSTONE HOT ROD
   Val Char 
  Cost Notes
   4 Size 
  20 2.5” x 1.5”; -4 KB; -2 DCV
   30 STR 
  0 
  Lift  1.6 tons; 6d6 HTH [0]
   20 DEX 
  30 OCV:  7/DCV:  7
   20 BODY 6
   8 DEF 
  18 
   5 SPD 
  20 Phases:  3, 5, 8, 10, 12
    
   
   
  Total Characteristic Cost:  94
  Movement: 
  Ground:  36”/144”
   
  Swimming:  0”/0”
  Abilities & Equipment
  Cost Power 
  END
  24 
  Motorized Two-Wheeled Vehicle:  Ground 
  Movement +30” (36” total), x4 NCM; 
  OAF (tires; -1½), Only On Appropriate 
  Terrain (-¼), 1 Continuing Fuel Charge 
  (easily-obtained fuel; 6 Hours; -0) 
  [1cc]
  6 
  Super-Reinforced Tires (see Th e Ultimate 
  Vehicle, page 41) 
  0
  -2 
  Ground Vehicle:    Swimming -2” (0” total)
   
  Skills
  4 
  Superb Handling:  +2 with Ground Move-
  ment
  Total Abilities & Equipment Cost:  32
  Total Vehicle Cost:  126
  Value Disadvantages 
  10 
  Distinctive Features:  Hot Rod (Concealable 
  With Diﬃ  culty; Noticed And Recognizable)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  10
  Total Cost:  116/5 = 23
  RHAPSODY
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   15 STR 
  5 
  12- 
  Lift  200 kg; 3d6 [3]
   20 DEX 
  30 
  13- 
  OCV:  7/DCV:  7
   12 CON 
  4 
  11-
   12 BODY 4 
  11-
   15 INT 
  5 
  12- 
  PER Roll 12-
   21 EGO 
  22 
  13- 
  ECV:  7
   15 PRE 
  5 
  12- 
  PRE Attack:  3d6
   14 COM 
  2 
  12-
   6 PD 
  3 
   
  Total:  9 PD (3 rPD)
   6 ED 
  4 
   
  Total:  9 ED (3 rED)
   4 SPD 
  10 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   7 REC 
  4
   34 END 
  5
   35 STUN 
  9 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  112
  Movement: 
  Running: 
  6”/12”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  31 
  Th e Power Of Music:  Multipower, 62-point 
  reserve; all slots OAF (high-tech violin; -1)
  3u 
  1)  Lullaby:  Ego Attack 5d6, Reduced 
  Endurance (½ END; +¼); OAF (-1), 
  Visible (Sight and Hearing Groups; -¼) 
  2
  2u 
  2)  Entrancing Melody:  Entangle 2d6, 
  2 DEF, BOECV (Mental Defense applies; 
  +1), Takes No Damage From Physical 
  Attacks (+¼), Works Against EGO, Not 
  STR (+¼), Reduced Endurance (½ END; 
  +¼); OAF (-1), Cannot Form Barriers (-¼) 2
  2u 
  3)  Play A Jig:  Mind Control 10d6, 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼); OAF 
  (-1), Set Eﬀ ect (only to make target dance; 
  -1), Visible (Sight and Hearing Groups; -¼) 2
  2u 
  4)  Out Of Tune:  Hearing Group Flash 
  6d6, Area Of Eﬀ ect (8” Radius; +1½), 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼); 
  OAF (-1), No Range (-½) 
  2
  2u 
  5)  Rock ’n’ Roll:  Drain BODY 3d6, Ranged 
  (+½), Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼); 
  OAF (-1), Inanimate Objects Only (-1) 
  2
  1u 
  6)  Th e Frustrated Musician:  HA +2d6; 
  OAF (-1), Hand-To-Hand Attack (-½) 
  1
   
  Martial Arts: Karate
   
  Maneuver 
  OCV DCV 
  Notes
  4 
  Block 
  +2 
  +2 
  Block, Abort
  4 
  Disarm 
  -1 
  +1 
  Disarm, 25 STR
  4 
  Dodge 
  +0 
  +5 
  Dodge all 
  attacks, Abort
  4 
  Knifehand Strike -2 
  +0 
  ½d6 HKA (1d6 
  with STR)
  4 
  Punch/
   
  Snap Kick 
  +0 
  +2 
  5d6 Strike
  5 
  Side/Spin Kick -2 
  +1 
  7d6 Strike
  8 
  Ear Plugs:  Hearing Group Flash Defense (12 
  points); OIF (-½)
   
  Perks
  3 
  Perfect Pitch
  10 
  Follower:  Professor Michael Uzark (adoring 
  fan and inventor of Rhapsody’s violin; built 
  on 50 Base Points)
   
  Talents
  6 
  Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED)
  
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Three
  99 
   
  Skills
  3 
  +1 with Th e Power Of Music Multipower
  6 
  +2 with Karate
  3 
  Acrobatics 13-
  3 
  Breakfall 13-
  2 
  CK: Hudson City 11-
  2 
  KS: Karate 11-
  6 
  KS: Music 15-
  6 
  PS: Violinist 15-
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  126
  Total Cost:  238
  150+ Disadvantages
  20 
  Hunted:  HCPD 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Insane Love Of 
  Music (Common, Total)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Code Versus 
  Killing (Common, Strong)
  10 
  Reputation:  criminal obsessed with music, 11-
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (Melody 
  Malone) (Frequently, Major)
  10 
  Vulnerability:  2 x Eﬀ ect from Music-based 
  powers (Uncommon)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  250
  Background/History:  Melody Malone was a karate 
  instructor, and Professor Michael Uzark was an 
  engineer who studied ways to mechanically and 
  electronically replicate the human ear. Th ey had 
  only two things in common:  they both loved 
  music, and they were both tone deaf.
  They met one night after attending the 
  symphony. They were standing outside the con-
  cert hall, waiting for their respective dates to 
  join them, both humming off-key. They looked 
  at each other, realized what they were doing 
  — mangling Beethoven’s Ninth — and shared a 
  sheepish smile. Each pointed to his or her ear at 
  the same moment, and said, “I’m tone deaf.”
  It was love at first sight. They ran into each 
  a few times more at the symphony, but within a 
  few months they were attending as a couple. To 
  their friends and family, they seemed a match 
  made in heaven.
  Th e deepest regret both of them held was 
  that they couldn’t play music. Each of them loved 
  listening to music so much; and each, as a child, 
  had gone through all the instruments trying to ﬁ nd 
  one they could play. Th eir parents had spent small 
  fortunes trying to ﬁ nd instructors who could teach 
  them, but both Melody and Uzark were among 
  those rare people who were simply tone deaf — no 
  amount of practice or instruction could help them.
  Aft er they dated for a few months and Uzark 
  came to trust Melody, he told her a secret. In his 
  oﬀ -hours and free time, he had been cobbling 
  together a secret project. Uzark was conﬁ dent tone 
  deafness was a neurological problem, and a cor-
  rectable one at that. He further believed he could 
  correct it by bombarding a tone deaf person with 
  a array of pitches, moving up and down the scale 
  and constantly changing the frequency. He likened 
  it to rewriting the brain, sort of like a audial version 
  of shock therapy, and he was sure it would cure his 
  tone deafness.
  Once Melody heard that, she wouldn’t leave 
  him alone. She begged him to test his process on 
  her. He refused until she asked him how he would 
  undergo the therapy while running the equipment. 
  It was a question that hadn’t occurred to him. His 
  ﬁ rst test had to be on a human subject, but the 
  university would demand tests on animals ﬁ rst, 
  and where was Uzark going to ﬁ nd a rat, or even a 
  monkey, that sang? Uzark had planned on testing 
  himself, but Melody was right. He couldn’t do both. 
  In the end he caved in.
  Several days later, Melody found herself in a 
  sound-proof room a pair of headphones on her 
  head. Diodes were attached to her temples to mea-
  sure brainwave activity; more diodes were attached 
  to her chest to monitor her heart rate. Uzark stood 
  at the door. For the third and ﬁ nal time, he asked 
  her if she was sure she wanted to go through with 
  this. She gave him a thumbs up.
  He smiled and closed the door behind him, 
  leaving Melody to try to decide what instrument 
  she would learn first. She had settled on either 
  the violin or the piano; she wasn’t sure which 
  yet. Then the earphones began to play notes, one 
  right after the other, altering the pitch and fre-
  quency each time.
  Outside the soundproof room, Uzark left 
  to go get some coffee. It was going to be a long 
  night, and surely nothing could go wrong this 
  early in the process.
  When he returned, everything had gone 
  wrong. Melody’s EEG and heart rate were oﬀ  the 
  map. When Uzark opened the door, she was belting 
  out snippets of songs — everything from folk to 
  disco. As Uzark hurried to pull the headphones oﬀ  
  her, he realized the pitch of everything Melody sang 
  was perfect, absolutely perfect.
  Uzark’s method had succeeded in correct-
  ing Melody’s tone deafness... but it also drove her 
  insane and created the criminal Rhapsody.
  Personality/Motivation:  Melody Malone was a quiet 
  and composed woman who loved music of all 
  sorts; Rhapsody is a woman possessed of maniacal 
  energy who has an insane love music of all sorts. 
  She loves music so much can’t help but steal it in all 
  its forms — instruments, members of a symphony, 
  original compositions by famous composers, and 
  so on — and she wants to share her love of music 
  with the whole world. Whatever happened in that 
  soundproof room drove Melody mad, and her 
  desire to have all the music in the world makes little 
  sense to the sane and rational.
  Uzark stands steadfastly beside Rhapsody and 
  has even created the gadget she uses in her crimes. 
  He tells himself it’s because this is all his fault and 
  he must remain at her side until he ﬁ nds a cure 
  for her dementia, but sometimes he can’t help but 
  wonder if Rhapsody’s madness isn’t contagious and 
  if he hasn’t been infected.
  Quote:  “A waltz or a jig — which would you rather 
  dance to, my dear crimeﬁ ghting confrere?”
  Powers/Tactics:  Soon aft er adopting her criminal 
  persona, Rhapsody had Uzark create gadgets to 
  help her with her crimes. Th e foremost of these 
  RHAPSODY 
  PLOT SEEDS
  Professor Urzak ﬁ gures 
  out a way to hijack 
  all the radio stations 
  in city and broadcast 
  Rhapsody’s music across 
  the airwaves. Rhapsody 
  plans to play a nice 
  catchy tune — one that 
  will make listeners get 
  up and dance, whether 
  they want to or not. As 
  she begins to play, cars 
  across the city start to 
  crash. Can the PCs pre-
  vent a wave of disasters, 
  then track Rhapsody to 
  her lair?
  It’s a bet — Rhapsody 
  and Beatlemania agree 
  to see who can steal 
  more Beatles-related 
  memorabilia in a single 
  aft ernoon. Can the PCs 
  stop their joint crime 
  spree?
  Professor Urzak’s his 
  envy of Rhapsody’s new-
  found musical ability 
  drives him over the deep 
  end. He subjects himself 
  to the same process that 
  turned Melody Malone 
  into Rhapsody. Now the 
  criminal duo, Rhapsody 
  and Rhythm, are ter-
  rorizing the city — and 
  Rhythm is even madder 
  than his partner....
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  100 ■ Hudson City Powers
  gadgets is her violin. Made of metal, it has wires 
  and circuits running across its surface that glow 
  with a soft  blue light when she uses one of its 
  powers. At the end of the violin’s neck is a small, 
  round speaker. Th is speaker ampliﬁ es the sound 
  waves produced by the violin and condenses them 
  into a narrow beam. When ﬁ red from the violin, 
  the beam appears as little more than an invisible 
  ripple of the air, similar to a heat mirage. Each of 
  the tunes Rhapsody has learned to play on the 
  violin has a diﬀ erent eﬀ ect, from putting a target 
  to sleep with a soft  lullaby, to shattering inanimate 
  objects with a fast-paced rock song when she holds 
  the violin at her hip and picks the strings with her 
  ﬁ ngers. Even when the violin’s powers fail to have 
  the intended eﬀ ect, the target ﬁ nds himself snap-
  ping his ﬁ ngers, tapping his foot, or humming 
  along — her playing is irresistible. In addition to 
  the songs she can play, she can also use the violin as 
  a club (which she typically does if someone tries to 
  interrupt her playing). Th ough she remains skilled 
  in karate, she usually leaves the hand-to-hand 
  ﬁ ghting to her goons. She dances at the edges of 
  combat, using her Lullaby or Entrancing Melody to 
  render opponents insensible and her Rock ’n’ Roll 
  to destroy Foci.
  Campaign Use:  Rhapsody’s crimes center around 
  or involve music. She might rob a bank and donate 
  the money to the local symphony or opera, steal 
  famous instruments or rare sheet music, or kidnap 
  unhappy people and force them to learn to play 
  an instrument to enrich their lives. If she orches-
  trates a crime spree, the common tie is the musical 
  period. She doesn’t discriminate when it comes to 
  music; she enjoys all kinds — so long as it’s played 
  well, or at least earnestly. If it’s not played well, she 
  might try to teach the performers how to play... and 
  her lessons aren’t exactly pleasant.
  Th e goons Rhapsody uses dress more like 
  members of a symphony than thugs and low-
  lifes. Th ey typically wear black tuxedos with tails, 
  although on occasion Rhapsody has gone on a rock 
  or country kick. Her goons don’t necessarily have to 
  appreciate music — but they do have to be willing 
  to tolerate it, because they’ll be subjected to recital 
  aft er recital.
  Rhapsody would only Hunt a person if she 
  either thought he was a disgrace to music or she 
  admired his musical talent. If she thinks he’s a dis-
  grace, she tries to correct his ways. If she admires 
  the person’s talent, she only wants to learn from 
  him. Both of these usually involve kidnapping.
  To make Rhapsody more powerful, add slots 
  that give existing Powers the Area Of Eﬀ ect Advan-
  tage, and/or increase the points in the Multipower’s 
  reserve (and the slots accordingly). To make Rhap-
  sody less of a threat, lower the points and slots in 
  her Multipower and lower her DEX to 18.
  Th e police have almost lost count of the 
  charges of robbery, burglary, kidnapping, and 
  assault against Rhapsody. Th ey do not know her 
  real name.
  Appearance:  Rhapsody is 5’2” with a trim body. She 
  keeps her brown hair short and brushes it forward, 
  and always seems to smile a wide, toothy grin. She 
  wears a domino mask (usually black) to disguise 
  her identity, and for a costume she wears an outﬁ t 
  appropriate to the sort of music her crime involves. 
  If stealing sheet music for a concerto Mozart com-
  posed, she wears a tux with tails. If stealing a guitar 
  Jimi Hendrix played, she dresses like a hippie. If 
  she’s aft er the last microphone the Big Bopper used, 
  she wears chantilly lace and a poodle skirt.
  
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Three
  101 
  SCARAB
   Val Char Cost Roll 
  Notes
   10+30 STR 
  15# 11-/17- Lift  100/6,400 kg; 
  2d6/8d6 [2/8]
   10+5 DEX 
  7# 11-/13- OCV:  3/5/DCV:  3/5
   10+20 CON 20# 11-/15-
   10 
  BODY 0 
  11-
   18 
  INT 
  8 
  13- 
  PER Roll 13-
   10 
  EGO 
  0 
  11- 
  ECV:  3
   10+10 PRE 
  7* 11-/13- PRE Attack:  2d6/4d6
   
  8 
  COM -1 11-
   
  4 
  PD 
  2 
   
  Total:  14 PD (10 rPD)
   
  4 
  ED 
  2 
   
  Total:  14 ED (10 rED)
   2+2 SPD 
  13*  
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   
  4 
  REC 
  0
   30 
  END 
  5
   20/30 STUN 10 Total Characteristics Cost:  88
  *:  OIF (armor; -½)
  #:  OIF (armor; -½), No Figured Characteristics (-½)
  Movement: 
  Running:  6”/12”
   
  Leaping:  20”/40”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  13 
  Carapace Exo-Skeleton:  Reduced Endurance 
  (0 END; +½) for 40 STR; OIF (-½) 
  0
  27 
  Elytra-Mounted Weapons Array:  Multipower, 
  40-point reserve; all slots OIF (-½)
  1u 
  1)  Th e Deadly Poison Of Th e African 
  Bark Beetle:  RKA ½d6, Penetrating (+½), 
  Area Of Eﬀ ect (One Hex Accurate; +½); 
  OIF (-½), 4 Charges (-1) plus Drain 
  BODY 1d6, Ranged (+½), Area Of Eﬀ ect 
  (One Hex Accurate; +½); OIF (-½), 
  Linked (-½), RKA Must Do BODY (-½), 
  4 Charges (-1) 
  [4]
  2u 
  2)  Th e Sticky Secretions Of Th e Boll 
  Weevil:  Entangle 4d6, 4 DEF; OIF (-½), 
  4 Charges (-1) 
  [4]
  1u 
  3)  Th e Bewildering Song Of Th e Greek 
  Lyre Beetle:  Ego Blast 2d6, Area Of Eﬀ ect 
  (5” Cone; +1); OIF (-½), No Range (-½), 
  2 Continuing Charges lasting 1 Turn 
  each (-1) 
  [2cc]
  1u 
  4)  Insect Touch:  Clinging (70 STR); 
  OIF (-½) 
  0
  7 
  Big Chitinous Gauntlets:  HA +2d6; 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); OIF 
  (-½), Hand-To-Hand Attack (-½)
  20 
  Carapace:  Armor (10 PD/10 ED); OIF (-½) 0
  7 
  Air Supply:  Life Support (Self-Contained 
  Breathing); OIF (-½) 
  0
  13 
  Hindwing-Assisted Leaping:  Leaping +13” 
  (20” forward, 10” upward), Reduced Endur-
  ance (0 END; +½); OIF (carapace; -½) 
  0
   
  Skills
  4 
  +2 OCV with Big Chitinous Gauntlets
  3 
  Bureaucratics 11-/13-
  5 
  Electronics 14-
  7 
  Inventor 15-
  5 
  Paramedics 14-
  2 
  PS: Scientist 11-
  3 
  Security Systems 13-
  3 
  Stealth 11-/13-
  4 
  Survival (Tropical) 14-
  3 
  Scientist
  2 
  1)  SS: Bacteriology/Virology 13-
  2 
  2)  SS: Biochemistry 13-
  2 
  3)  SS: Biology 13-
  2 
  4)  SS: Botany 13-
  2 
  5)  SS: Chemistry 13-
  6 
  6)  SS: Entomology 17-
  3 
  7)  SS: Pharmacology/Toxicology 14-
  2 
  8)  SS: Zoology 13-
  3 
  Traveler
  1 
  1)  AK: Africa 11-
  1 
  2)  AK: Asia 11-
  1 
  3)  AK: Europe 11-
  1 
  4)  AK: North America 11-
  1 
  5)  AK: South America 11-
  2 
  6)  CK: Hudson City 13-
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  162
  Total Cost:  250
  150+ Disadvantages
  20 
  Hunted:  HCPD 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Obsession With 
  Insects (Common, Total)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Casual Killer 
  (Common, Strong)
  20 
  Reputation:  murderous criminal obsessed 
  with beetles and insects, 14- (Extreme)
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (Bill Bailey, 
  Ph.D) (Frequently, Major)
  10 
  Vulnerability:  1½ x BODY from Electrical 
  attacks (Common)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  250
  Background/History:  Th ere are 350,000 species of 
  beetle known to man. Entomologist Bill Bailey 
  found a new species while exploring the depths of 
  the Amazon Jungle. Despite the fact that ﬁ nding 
  a new sort of beetle was a common occurrence in 
  the world of entomology, Dr. Bailey was excited. He 
  loved studying the amazing creatures. He admired 
  their hard shells, their ability to ﬂ y, the unique 
  niches they occupied in biomes — the greatest of 
  the insect kingdom, he thought.
  Smiling fondly, Dr. Bailey studied the beetle 
  where it was hunched on a vine. It was almost as 
  large as a goliath beetle, and its shell was a bright, 
  bright red with yellow spots.
  Hard to believe a beetle this large with this 
  bright a carapace could go undiscovered for so long, 
  Dr. Bailey thought. He stooped over to pick up the 
  beetle, having forgotten one of the cardinal rules of 
  zoology — the brighter a creature’s colors, the more 
  likely it was to be venomous.
  When Bailey’s hand came near the beetle, 
  it plunged its jagged mandibles into his palm. It 
  pumped venom into Bailey’s veins, and despite 
  thrashing his hand, he couldn’t shake free of the 
  thing. Th en he collapsed.
  He had a vision. He was crawling along a fallen 
  tree trunk. All around him were beetles chittering 
  excitedly. Th ey bent their mandibles to the task of 
  eating the decaying wood, and Bailey joined them 
  in their meal. Th e vision ﬂ ashed. Now he was buzz-
  ing over cotton plants with a swarm of boll weevils. 
  Th ey descended on the plants and began to lay 
  SCARAB 
  PLOT SEEDS
  Scarab genetically engi-
  neer giant beetles and 
  unleashes them on the 
  unsuspecting city. (See 
  page 89 of Th e HERO 
  System Bestiary for 
  character sheets.) Can 
  the PCs stop the beetles 
  before someone gets 
  hurt?
  What cockroaches lurk 
  in the bowels of Hudson 
  City? Th e Scarab 
  knows... and he’s created 
  a device to call them out 
  of hiding. Th e ultrasonic 
  frequency generator 
  triggers a need for food 
  in the cockroaches, and 
  they eat unceasingly, 
  never satiated. Scarab 
  threatens to keep them 
  eating until people start 
  to starve to death... 
  unless the city pays a 
  ransom. Can the PCs 
  put an end to this evil 
  plot?
  LeMastre Park’s hold-
  ing a grand opening 
  ceremony to dedicate its 
  new Butterﬂ y Garden, 
  complete with dancers 
  dressed as butterﬂ ies 
  and other festivities. 
  Sounds like a perfect 
  target to the Scarab....
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  102 ■ Hudson City Powers
  their eggs. Th e vision ﬂ ashed again. He was in the 
  Egyptian desert. All across the blowing sands, dung 
  beetles rolled balls of manure with their back legs. 
  He stood on his hands and joined the dung beetles, 
  pushing a ball of manure with his feet. Again and 
  again, the vision changed, and each time Bailey 
  found himself joining the beetles as they went 
  about their lives.
  When he regained his senses — when he 
  returned to the humdrum world of mankind — he 
  was in a hospital in Rio de Janeiro. Th e nurse told 
  him that he had been in coma for three weeks. 
  Bailey knew that wasn’t true, but held his tongue. 
  He hadn’t been in a coma; he’d been permitted a 
  glimpse of a world beyond humanity’s. But who 
  would believe the beetles had made him one of 
  their own for those three weeks? Who would 
  believe he’d lived among the beetles as one of them?
  He never said a word about his visions. Once 
  the authorities released him from the hospital, he 
  ﬂ ew back to the United States and quit his job as a 
  professor at Hudson City State University. He didn’t 
  give a reason for quitting — they would have never 
  have believed him. Th ey wouldn’t have understood 
  the metamorphosis he’d undergone in Brazil.
  For months he didn’t leave his basement, 
  where he labored on a secret project — a carapace 
  that would make him a close cousin to beetles, at 
  least in his own twisted mind. When he emerged 
  from his basement and leapt into the air, his shell 
  parting with the elytra spreading wide and the 
  buzzing hindwings emerging, he was no longer 
  Doctor Bill Bailey — he was 
  the Scarab.
  Personality/Motivation:  
  Scarab no longer sees him-
  self as a part of a mankind’s 
  world and no longer feels 
  a need to obey mankind’s 
  laws, but he isn’t so far gone 
  as to believe he’s a beetle 
  (yet). He’s been exposed to a 
  different sort of world, one 
  he considers superior, and 
  he believes this insight into 
  the natural world gives him 
  the prerogative to do what 
  he wants. Do beetles follow 
  laws? No, so why should he? 
  Besides, what’s a few dead 
  humans, more or less? It’s 
  not as if they’re as important 
  as beetles....
  In conversation, Scarab 
  mutters and mumbles — he 
  rarely speaks with others 
  and has forgotten how to. He 
  has several nervous habits, 
  all of which are off-putting. 
  He scratches himself con-
  stantly, cracks his knuckles, 
  and clicks his teeth as if 
  they were mandibles, almost 
  seeming to bite off his words 
  when he finishes a sentence. 
  His primary motive for com-
  mitting crimes is to obtain funding for his con-
  tinued research into the nature of beetles.
  Quote:  “Fool! What hope do your ﬁ sts have against 
  my carapace?”
  Powers/Tactics:  Scarab’s powers stem from his 
  carapace, a composite mesh of kevlar, ceramics, 
  and steel. The carapace has an exo-skeleton that 
  increases his strength and other physical attri-
  butes; while operating, it clicks and whirs like 
  the chittering of some immense beetle. The back 
  of the carapace — the elytra, or hardened fore-
  wings — spread to reveal the weapons mounted 
  on their inner surface. The carapace has three 
  weapons, each based on chemicals produced by 
  beetles. The RKA is a rapid volley of small darts 
  coated with poison. The Entangle is a flurry of 
  small pellets that explode on contact, coating 
  the target in a rapidly hardening secretion. The 
  Ego Attack is the recorded song of the Greek lyre 
  beetle, amplified a thousand times and modu-
  lated specially to produce nausea and headaches 
  in the target — the song plays from speakers 
  set in the elytra which have a short battery life. 
  Lastly, he can route his armor’s power to the 
  gauntlets and boots so that he can cling to sheer 
  walls with such force that it would take heavy 
  equipment to pull him free.
  Scarab cannot fly, but his hindwings allow 
  him to make long leaps. In combat, he takes the 
  high ground, leaping from place to place as nec-
  
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Three
  103 
  essary, and fires his Ranged attacks at opponents. 
  Once he’s exhausted all his Charges, he moves 
  into hand-to-hand or flees.
  Campaign Use:  Scarab can become involved in 
  most any crime. For the right amount of money, 
  he’s perfectly willing to accept jobs, and isn’t 
  picky about what jobs he’ll perform (the money’s 
  going to a good cause, after all). He may also 
  target insect-related objects, such as special 
  exhibits at the museum or a gem-encrusted 
  brooch shaped like a dragonfly.
  Scarab generally won’t Hunt heroes; he has 
  better things to do. But he will Hunt any person 
  he feels might be able to further his research.
  To make Scarab more powerful, increase is 
  DEX to 21, his SPD to 5, and give him Combat 
  Skill Levels with his Multipower. To make him 
  less powerful, remove his CSLs with Big Chitin-
  ous Gauntlets and reduce his STR to 30.
  Appearance:  Bill Bailey is an unattractive man 
  with a unibrow, greasy brown hair, and bad skin. 
  His carapace, however, is an impressive piece of 
  engineering; when wearing it he’s seven feet tall 
  and almost four feet wide. Resembling a stylized 
  beetle body, the carapace’s curving plates are 
  glossy black with white streaks, and his helmet’s 
  face mask is mirrored.
  SERPENTINE
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   20 STR 
  10 
  13- 
  Lift  400 kg; 4d6 [4]
   23 DEX 
  39 
  14- 
  OCV:  8/DCV:  8
   20 CON 
  20 
  13-
   13 BODY  6 
  12-
   18 INT 
   8 
  13- 
  PER Roll 13-
   14 EGO 
   8 
  12- 
  ECV:  3
   20 PRE 
  10 
  13- 
  PRE Attack: 4d6
   8 COM 
  -1 
  11-
   8 PD 
  4 
   
  Total:  14 PD (6 rPD)
   6 ED 
  2 
   
  Total:  12 ED (6 rED)
   5 SPD 
  17 
   
  Phases:  3, 5, 8, 10, 12
   10 REC 
   4
   40 END 
   0
   35 STUN  2 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  129
  Movement: 
  Running:  9”/18”
   
  Leaping:  12”/24”
  Cost Powers 
  END
   
  Martial Arts: Snake Kung Fu 
   
  Maneuver 
  OCV DCV 
  Notes
  4 
  Block 
  +2 
  +2 
  Block, Abort
  4 
  Disarm 
  -1 
  +1 
  Disarm, 40 STR
  4 
  Dodge 
  +0 
  +5 
  Dodge all 
  attacks, Abort
  4 
  Escape 
  +0 
  +0 
  45 STR Escape
  3 
  Grab 
  -1 
  -1 
  Grab, 40 STR for 
  holding on
  5 
  Kick 
  -2 
  +1 
  10d6 Strike
  4 
  Knifehand Strike -2 
  +0 
  HKA 1d6 (2d6 
  with STR)
  4 
  Punch 
  +0 
  +2 
  8d6 Strike
  3 
  Th row 
  +0 
  +1 
  6d6 +v/5; Target 
  Falls
  4 
  Tien-hsueh 
   
  Strike 
  -1 
  +1 
  3d6 NND (1)
  8 
  +2 Damage Classes (already added in)
  2 
  Use Art with Staﬀ , Th ree-Section Staﬀ 
  10 
  Expert Martial Artist:  Find Weakness 11- 
  with Knifehand Strike 
  0
  18 
  Serpent Staﬀ : Multipower, 37-point reserve, 
  all slots OAF (-1)
  1u 
  1)  Staﬀ :  HA +5d6; OAF (-1), 
  Hand-To-Hand Attack (-½) 
  1
  1u 
  2)  Th ree-Section Staﬀ :  HA +4d6; OAF 
  (-1), Hand-To-Hand Attack (-½) plus 
  +2 OCV; OAF (-1), Only With Block 
  And Disarm (-¼) plus +1” Stretching, 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); OAF 
  (-1), Always Direct (-¼), No Noncombat 
  Stretching (-¼), Only To Cause Damage 
  (-½), No Velocity Damage (-¼) 
  1
  12 
  Armored Bodysuit:  Armor (6 PD/6 ED); 
  OIF (-½) 
  0
  6 
  Fast:  Running +3” (9” total) 
  1
  8 
  Good Leaper:  Leaping +8” (12” forward, 
  6” upward) 
  1
  2 
  Heightened Sense Of Smell:  +2 PER with 
  Normal Smell 
  0
  5 
  Snake Eyes:  Infrared Perception 
  (Sight Group) 
  0
  3 
  Snake Metabolism:  Life Support 
  (Immunity to Ophidotoxins) 
  0
  SERPENTINE 
  PLOT SEEDS
  Cleopatra really has 
  clutched an asp to her 
  breast this time when 
  Serpentine begins to 
  muscle in on her terri-
  tory. She tries to trick 
  the PCs into eliminat-
  ing her rival — will the 
  heroes ﬁ gure out they 
  are pawns between the 
  two villains? And if so, 
  does it matter? Can they 
  aﬀ ord to have Serpen-
  tine controlling a part 
  of the Hudson City vice 
  world?
  A local zoologist has 
  created an device that 
  allows the wearer to 
  communicate with ser-
  pents and force them to 
  obey his will. Serpentine 
  steals the device. Now, 
  with a pack of pythons 
  and cobras at his beck 
  and call, goes on a crime 
  spree. Can the PCs stop 
  him?
  When Serpentine’s 
  arms fall oﬀ , he begins 
  to worry. When his legs 
  grow together into one 
  long tail, he knows he’s 
  in trouble — but it’s 
  too late. Not only has 
  his body become more 
  snakelike, so has his 
  mind. Th e PCs have to 
  capture the new, and 
  even more savage Ser-
  pentine.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  104 ■ Hudson City Powers
   
  Talents
  15 
  Combat Sense 13-
  3 
  Simulate Death
   
  Skills
  2 
  +1 OCV with Tien-Hsueh Strike
  6 
  +2 with Snake Kung Fu
  3 
  Acrobatics 14-
  4 
  Animal Handler (Reptiles)14-
  3 
  Breakfall 14-
  3 
  Combat Driving 14-
  1 
  Computer Programming 8-
  3 
  High Society 13-
  3 
  Interrogation 13-
  2 
  KS: Th e Espionage World 11-
  2 
  KS: Th e Military/Mercenary/Terrorist 
  World 11-
  3 
  Lipreading 13-
  3 
  Lockpicking 14-
  3 
  SS: Herpetology 13-
  3 
  SS: Ophidiology 13-
  3 
  Security Systems 13-
  5 
  Stealth 15-
  3 
  Streetwise 14-
  3 
  Tactics 13-
  7 
  WF: Common Melee Weapons, Common 
  Martial Arts Weapons, Small Arms, Th ree-
  Section Staﬀ 
  Total Powers & Skill Cost:  198
  Total Cost:  327
  150+ Disadvantages
  10 
  Distinctive Features:  Hairless And Eyes With 
  Snakelike Pupils (Concealable, Noticed and 
  Recognizable)
  20 
  Hunted:  HCPD 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Coldblooded; 
  Ruthless (Common, Total)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Always Protects 
  Himself (Common, Total)
  15 
  Reputation:  ruthless mercenary criminal, 
  11- (Extreme)
  10 
  Susceptible:  to antivenin, takes 1d6 damage 
  per Minute
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (Karl Has-
  feld) (Frequently, Major)
  67 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  327
  Background/History:  Even when he was human, 
  Karl Hasfeld was known as a cold-blooded son of 
  a bitch. He was a mercenary, one of the best, with a 
  near-perfect record and a reputation for being will-
  ing to do anything... if the money was right.
  One day a consortium of illegal arms deal-
  ers hired him to “retrieve” some samples of a new 
  biological weapon being developed at a secret lab 
  in India. Karl wasn’t told who was running the lab, 
  and he didn’t care. Th e consortium’s money was 
  good, and there was a lot of it, so he took the job.
  Th e weapon was a deadly gas created from the 
  particularly lethal venom of some bioengineered 
  venomous serpents. Karl’s assignment was to enter 
  the lab, steal any useful samples, and then kill 
  everyone in the lab and torch the place.
  Th e job went like clockwork. Th e lab had 
  plenty of security, but none of the soldiers there 
  were as well-trained or as vicious as Karl, and cer-
  tainly none of the scientists were capable of putting 
  up a ﬁ ght — or so Karl thought. He’d disposed of all 
  of the personnel and gathered up the canisters of 
  the gas when one of the dying scientists shot at Karl 
  with a pistol. Th e shot hit the pressurized metal 
  cannister. Karl was bombarded with shrapnel and 
  the deadly bio-weapon; the force of the explosion 
  threw him backwards into a rack of chemicals.
  Two days later Karl woke up, amazed he was 
  even alive. Th e ﬁ rst thing that hit him was the smell 
  of the corpses around him. Th ey stank to high 
  heaven; even aft er two days, Karl thought, they 
  shouldn’t smell that bad. When he looked more 
  closely at them, he realized he wasn’t just thinking 
  of them as dead, but as “cold” — he was seeing the 
  absence of their body heat!
  Karl knew then that the gas had aﬀ ected him, 
  even if it wasn’t as its creators intended. He found 
  a mirror and took a look at himself. Th e changes 
  were obvious. His eyes had slit pupils like those 
  of a snake and were all yellow iris. He didn’t have 
  a single hair on him anywhere, from his head to 
  his once-hairy chest and legs. It could be worse, he 
  thought. At least I don’t have a forked tongue and 
  scaly skin.
  Karl torched the lab and left  India. He never 
  contacted the consortium, since he had nothing 
  to tell them. He returned to the States and began 
  exploring his new “condition.” He discovered he 
  was quicker and stronger than he’d ever been, 
  that his senses had been heightened and changed 
  — that he had, for all intents and purposes, become 
  a “human serpent.” He decided to get out of the 
  mercenary business; with his new abilities he could 
  do something even more lucrative... like become a 
  crimelord. A few days later Serpentine was born, 
  and Hudson City hasn’t been the same since.
  Personality/Motivation:  Serpentine is, like his name-
  sake, coldblooded, ruthless, and downright evil. He 
  thinks nothing of threatening and killing people, 
  even his own henchmen, to accomplish his objec-
  tives. Although he was like this before the accident, 
  since then he’s become even more vicious than ever 
  — the gas aﬀ ected his mind as well as his body.
  
  105 
  Serpentine has also become obsessed with 
  snakes. He has taught himself a great deal about 
  them, and is considering hiring scientists to try to 
  “duplicate” their abilities in himself. Many of his 
  crimes have some sort of “snake” theme.
  Quote:  “Th e python’s strength and the cobra’s 
  quickness are mine! My hands are deadlier than a 
  rattlesnake’s venom! You can never defeat me!”
  Powers/Tactics:  Serpentine’s powers all derive from 
  his exposure to the snake venom bioweapon he was 
  hired to steal. It’s made him preternaturally fast, 
  strong, and vicious, and has heightened his innate 
  senses (and given him a new one, the ability to see 
  in the infrared spectrum). On top of this, Karl has a 
  great deal of mercenary training. He can use most 
  ﬁ rearms, and is skilled in Snake Kung Fu. He oft en 
  ﬁ ghts with his Serpent Staﬀ , a snake-headed staﬀ  
  than can convert from a normal staﬀ  to a three-
  sectional staﬀ . Serpentine sometimes also employs 
  weapons derived from snake venoms, trained ser-
  pents, and other snake-related weapons.
  Serpentine ﬁ ghts as intel-
  ligently and tactically as you’d 
  expect from a trained, experi-
  enced mercenary. He’s always 
  on the lookout for an advan-
  tage; he has no desire to “ﬁ ght 
  fair” or behave honorably, he 
  wants to win! Ambushes, dirty 
  tricks, and low blows are his 
  specialties... but if it comes to 
  a stand-up ﬁ ght, he’s ready.
  Campaign Use:  Serpentine 
  commits any crime that will 
  turn a proﬁ t... but more and 
  more, his crimes begin to have 
  snake themes. Whether this 
  is because of some derange-
  ment from the explosion that 
  gave him his powers or some-
  thing else entirely, Serpentine 
  doesn’t know; to him it seems 
  perfectly natural. He might 
  use snake venom to poison 
  a target and then demand a 
  large sum of money in return 
  for the antivenin; steal snake-
  related artifacts from a local 
  museum to sell on the black 
  market; or kidnap a herpe-
  tologist for his own nefarious 
  purposes.
  To make Serpentine 
  more of a threat, increase his 
  DEX to 27 and SPD to 6, and/
  or increase his Find Weakness roll. To weaken him, 
  remove his Damage Classes with Martial Arts and 
  lower his STR to 15.
  As a Hunted, Serpentine prefers to meet his 
  prey in mano-a-mano combat, so he tries to sepa-
  rate him from friends and teammates, but he isn’t 
  stupid about it. If his prey is obviously more pow-
  erful than he, Serpentine uses every dirty trick he 
  knows — and as a Hunter, Serpentine wants to kill 
  whomever he’s Hunting.
  Appearance:  Serpentine looks like a normal, well-
  built, muscular 6’0” tall man without a single hair 
  on his body. His eyes have slit pupils and are all 
  yellow iris. He usually wears no costume other than 
  a red loincloth or kilt; sometimes he adds to this a 
  light green cape with an upturned collar reminis-
  cent of a cobra’s hood.
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Three
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  106 ■ Hudson City Powers
  TICKTOCK  THE CLOCKWORK MAN
   Val Char 
  Cost Notes
   1 Size 
  5 
  1.25” x .64”; -1 KB; -0 DCV
   40 STR 
  25 Lift  6,400 kg; 8d6 HTH [0]
   17 DEX 
  21 OCV:  6/DCV:  6
   20 BODY 9
   15 DEF 
  50 Hardened (+¼)
   3 SPD 
  5 
  Phases:  4, 8, 12
    
   
   
  Total Characteristics Cost:  115
  Movement: 
  Running:  8”/16”
   
  Swinging:  20”/40”
  Abilities & Equipment
  Cost Power 
  END
  22 
  Finger Saws (Right Hand):  HKA 2d6 
  (3½d6 with STR), Reduced Endurance 
  (0 END; +½); OIF Bulky (-1) 
  0
  30 
  Left  Hand Launcher:  Multipower, 60-point 
  reserve; all slots OIF Bulky (-1)
  1u 
  1)  Grapple:  Swinging 20”,  Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½); OIF Bulky (-1), 
  Lockout (can’t use other slots in any Phase 
  in which he Swings; -½) 
  0
  2u 
  2)  Packs A Punch:  Energy Blast 8d6; 
  OIF Bulky (-1), Limited Range (20”; -¼) 
  0
  2u 
  3)  Distance Grab:  Telekinesis (40 STR); 
  OIF Bulky (-1), Aﬀ ects Whole Object 
  (-¼), Only To Pull Objects To Him (-½), 
  Limited Range (20”; -¼), Lockout (can’t 
  use other slots in any Phase in which he 
  has something Grabbed; -½) 
  0
  12 
  Radar:  Radar (Radio Group), 
  Discriminatory, Increased Arc Of 
  Perception (360 Degrees); OIF Bulky (-1) 0
  6 
  Radio And Speaker:  HRRP (Radio Group); 
  OIF Bulky (-1), Aﬀ ected As Sight And 
  Hearing Group As Well As Radio Group (-½) 0
  5 
  Legs And Arms:  Extra Limbs 
  (4 — two arms, two legs) 
  0
  10 
  Air Supply:  Life Support (Self-Contained 
  Breathing); 1 Fuel Charge (easily obtained 
  fuel; 6 Hours; -0) 
  [1] 
  4 
  Strong Legs:  Running +2” (8” total) 
  0
  4 
  Heavy:  Knockback Resistance -2”
  6 
  Ejection Seat:  Telekinesis (26 STR); OIF 
  Bulky (-1), Aﬀ ects Whole Object (-¼), 
  No Range (-½), Only To Th row Target 
  Straight Up (-2), 1 Recoverable 
  Charge (-1¼) 
  [1rc]
   
  Skills
  16 
  Superior Design:  +2 with All Combat
  Total Abilities & Equipment Cost:  120
  Total Vehicle Cost:  235
  Value Disadvantage
  20 
  Distinctive Features:  Large Man-Shaped 
  Clockwork Machine (Concealable; Causes 
  Extreme Reaction)
  10 
  Physical Limitation:  Must Be Wound Every 
  6 Hours (Infrequently; Greatly Impairing)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  30
  Total Cost:  205/5 = 41
  POCKET WATCH
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   6 STR 
  -4 
  10- 
  Lift  50 kg; 1d6 HTH [1]
   12 DEX 
  6 
  11- 
  OCV:  4/DCV:  4
   8 CON 
  -4 
  11-
   8 BODY -4 
  11-
   24 INT 
  14 
  14- 
  PER Roll 14-
   15 EGO 
  10 
  12- 
  ECV:  5
   6 PRE 
  -4 
  10- 
  PRE Attack:  1d6
   10 COM 
  0 
  11-
   2 PD 
  1 
   
  Total:  2 PD (0 rPD)
   2 ED 
  0 
   
  Total:  2 ED (0 rED)
   3 SPD 
  8 
   
  Phases:  4, 8, 12
   2 REC 
  0
   20 END 
  2
   15 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  25
  Movement: 
  Running:  6”/12”
  Cost Perks 
  END
  41 
  Vehicle:  Tick-Tock, the Clockwork Man 
  (see above)
   
  Talents
  5 
  Eidetic Memory
  3 
  Lightning Calculator
  6 
  Speed Reading (100x)
   
  Skills
  7 
  Combat Driving 15-; Tick-Tock Man 
  Only (-½)
  3 
  Computer Programming 14-
  3 
  Electronics 14-
  5 
  Inventor 15-
  4 
  KS: Clocks And Time Pieces 15-
  4 
  Mimicry 14-
  5 
  Mechanics 15-
  5 
  PS: Clock Repair 16-
  3 
  Systems Operation 14-
  3 
  Scientist
  2 
  1)  SS: Computer Science 14-
  2 
  2)  SS: Mathematics 14-
  2 
  3)  SS: Metallurgy 14-
  2 
  4)  SS: Physics 14-
  2 
  5)  SS: Robotics 14-
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  107
  Total Cost:  132
  150+ Disadvantages
  15 
  Physical Limitation:  Short (1 m tall, 12.5 
  kg mass, +2 DCV, +3” Knockback) (All Th e 
  Time, Slightly Impairing)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Desperate For 
  Attention (Common, Strong)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Code Versus Kill-
  ing (Common, Strong)
  15 
  Social Limitation:  13 Years Old (Very Fre-
  quently; Minor)
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (Alfred 
  “Alﬁ e” Kloch) (Frequently, Major)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  225
  
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Three
  107 
  Background/History:  When Alﬁ e Kloch hung blan-
  kets up around his workbench in the garage so no 
  one could see what he was working on, his parents 
  didn’t think anything of it. Th e boy had just turned 
  thirteen, and he was at that age when teenagers 
  want their privacy.
  When grinding and pounding noises, the ﬂ are 
  of an acetylene torch, and the strange smells of 
  smelting metals ﬁ lled the garage, they didn’t think 
  anything of that either. Alﬁ e was a  genius and had 
  long ago moved beyond making clocks and small 
  watches, a hobby that had earned him the nick-
  name of Pocket Watch.
  But when they caught him coming in from 
  the garage early one morning at 3:00 AM, they 
  grounded him and barred him from the garage for 
  a week. 3:00 AM was well past his curfew, and even 
  geniuses needed their sleep. But by then Alﬁ e didn’t 
  care. He had completed his work and ﬁ nished his 
  greatest creation, Tick-Tock the Clockwork Man. 
  He was ready to start his criminal career.
  Alﬁ e was a lonely and bored child, and being 
  a genius didn’t help. Even though he attended 
  classes at Hudson City State University, he still had 
  to ﬁ nish his undergraduate degree and most of his 
  classes were dull. To make matters worse, a thir-
  teen-year-old doesn’t have much in common with 
  college-age kids (and vice versa), so he didn’t have 
  any friends at school. In fact, he didn’t have any 
  friends at all except for Eddie Gorsky, a kid Alﬁ e’s 
  age who also read comic books. With so much time 
  on his hands, Alﬁ e had nothing better to do than 
  make himself into a criminal.
  Th e next night, Alﬁ e snuck out of his bedroom 
  aft er his parents had gone to sleep. He wound 
  up the Clockwork Man, then climbed into the 
  cramped pilot compartment in the machine’s chest. 
  Working the levers, he departed his parent’s garage, 
  going up the street to a toy store. He used the Tick-
  Tock’s ﬁ nger saws to cut through the door. Inside, 
  he grabbed some board games and went home.
  Th at was pretty dull, he thought as he idly 
  ﬂ ipped through his stolen goods. I didn’t need a big 
  machine for that.
  Th en it hit him — costumed crimeﬁ ghters. 
  Th at’s what he needed to liven things up. Crime-
  ﬁ ghters meant more grandiose crimes with clues 
  the heroes could follow, so he started planning his 
  ﬁ rst crime....
  Personality/Motivation:  A teenaged genius, Pocket 
  Watch is a bored boy desperate for attention. 
  Th ough far from neglectful, his parents — Wil-
  liam and Peggy Kloch — both work as executives 
  in downtown Hudson City and have positions that 
  demand a lot of their time. Between their jobs and 
  the commute, only one of them is usually home in 
  the evenings (they hire a driver to take Alﬁ e back 
  and forth from college), and it’s extremely rare for 
  either of them to be home during the day. Further-
  more, his parents have attempted to give their son 
  both the space and materials he needs to develop 
  his genius, as well as the privacy most teenagers 
  want. Th ey’ve tried hard not to spoil him — they 
  enforce a curfew, make him do chores around the 
  house, and so on — but they know they can’t keep 
  up with Alﬁ e’s mind, so if their son says he needs 
  three rods, two square-tooth gears, ﬁ ve springs, and 
  a brass chassis to complete some project for school, 
  they believe him and buy what he wants.
  His parents’ attempts to nurture his genius 
  have led to Alﬁ e having considerable time and 
  materials on his hands — time enough, in fact, to 
  build a clockwork robot/vehicle that’s a match for 
  most crimeﬁ ghters. Successfully committing crimes 
  while piloting Tick-Tock is about the most chal-
  lenging thing in his life right now, so it consumes 
  most of his attention. In many ways it’s like a video 
  game Alﬁ e’s become addicted to:  he’s always trying 
  to improve his score, defeat the boss monster, or get 
  to the next level.
  While piloting Tick-Tock, Pocket Watch does 
  his best to act the part of a villain. He uses Mimicry 
  and the fuzzy speakers set in Tick-Tock’s mouth to 
  disguise his voice. He laughs maniacally, tells the 
  heroes they can’t possibly win, challenges them to 
  stop his next crime, and so on. Outside of Tick-
  Tock, Alﬁ e is a quiet boy who mutters inappropriate 
  sarcastic remarks at the wrong times, tries too hard 
  to act jaded, and only gets excited when talking 
  about technology, comic books, or video games 
  — all in all, a typical thirteen year old.
  Quote:  “Ha. Ha. Ha. bzzz...shrrrrk... You cannot stop 
  me. I am Tick-Tock the Clockwork Man. bzzz... 
  shhhhrek.”
  Powers/Tactics:  Alﬁ e Kloch’s only unusual ability 
  is his genius — the same genius that created the 
  hulking machine of brass and steel named Tick-
  Tock. While piloting Tick-Tock from the compart-
  ment inside its barrel chest, Pocket Watch has an 
  array of abilities he can use. He can keep an eye 
  on his surroundings via a radar unit, look out the 
  machine’s eyes with a periscope, and speak from 
  the robot’s mouth via audio and radio transmitters. 
  Driven by pistons and levers, the machine possesses 
  great strength, and this is primarily what Pocket 
  Watch relies on in combat. Tick-Tock’s ﬁ ngers on 
  its right hand have small chains of superhard steel 
  that run from the tips to the knuckles. When acti-
  vated these chains act like a chainsaw and can cut 
  through some of the hardest substances known to 
  man. Pocket Watch doesn’t use these on human 
  opponents — they’re for cutting through barred 
  windows and doors, thick walls, and the like. Tick-
  Tock’s left  ﬁ st can launch from the wrist. Attached 
  by a strong chain, the ﬁ st can grab distant objects, 
  deliver a bruising bunch, or act like a swingline.
  Tick-Tock is kept running by springs and gears... 
  and just like a watch, it must be wound to operate. 
  Winding the machine keeps it going for six hours, but 
  aft er then it stops dead until wound again.
  In combat, Pocket Watch relies on Tick-Tock’s 
  ﬁ sts and strength. If the PCs attempt to talk ﬁ rst, 
  Pocket Watch plays along. He claims he — Tick-Tock 
  the Clockwork Man, that is — is an artiﬁ cial intel-
  ligence enslaved to an evil scientist and forced to 
  perform these theft s. If the PCs buy this story, Pocket 
  Watch’s claims grow even more grandiose and outra-
  geous. Eventually, he has to succeed with EGO Rolls 
  TICK-TOCK 
  PLOT SEEDS
  Eddie Gorsky, Alﬁ e’s 
  only friend, discovers 
  Tick-Tock and demands 
  that Alﬁ e make him a 
  suit of his own. Calling 
  himself Click-Clock, he 
  and Alﬁ e start a crime 
  spree in Hudson City. 
  Can the PCs stop two 
  Clockwork Men?
  Card Shark kidnaps 
  Pocket Watch while he’s 
  out as Tick-Tock. Th e 
  criminal mastermind 
  wants to put Pocket 
  Watch’s genius to real 
  use committing real 
  crimes instead of play-
  ing games. Will Pocket 
  Watch become a true 
  villain under Card 
  Shark’s tutelage, or can 
  the PCs rescue him 
  before that comes to 
  pass?
  Th e front page of the 
  newspaper reads:  
  “Strange robot saves 
  lives.” Tick-Tock rescued 
  several people from a 
  burning building the 
  night before. Could the 
  strange and mysterious 
  Clockwork Man really 
  be a misunderstood 
  hero? And will the PCs 
  track him in down in an 
  attempt to ﬁ nd out?
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  108 ■ Hudson City Powers
  to keep from giving himself away by giggling. If a 
  ﬁ ght seems hopeless, Pocket Watch shuts down the 
  machine, letting it slump over seemingly lifeless. He 
  does this in the hope his opponents think it’s a robot 
  that they’ve deactivated so they won’t realize there’s 
  a boy hiding inside its chest. Once everyone leaves 
  the area, or at least turns their eyes from Tick-Tock, 
  Pocket Watch activates the ejection seat and then 
  starts running for dear life. When the ejection seat 
  activates, Tick-Tock’s head and shoulders explode 
  from the machine’s torso and the whole pilot com-
  partment blasts oﬀ .
  When he needs to, Pocket Watch disguises 
  Tick-Tock by pulling a rubber Halloween mask of 
  Ronald Reagan over the robot’s head and dress-
  ing it in large coats that reach to the machine’s 
  large ﬂ at feet. To complete the disguise he throws 
  a blanket over the machine’s head (so people think 
  it’s a homeless man... a seven-foot-tall homeless 
  man). Th ough Tick-Tock looks very odd and very 
  large in this disguise, there’s nothing about it that 
  makes an onlooker think it’s a machine — as long 
  as it’s not moving. When it moves, it emits a rhyth-
  mic thumping noise like a grandfather clock that’s 
  impossible to hide. When Tick-Tock moves slowly 
  the thumping isn’t suspicious so much as odd, but 
  as Tick-Tock picks up speed so does the thumping, 
  becoming more and more suspicious.
  Campaign Use:  When you use Tick-Tock during 
  an adventure, it should take a while for the PCs to 
  discover that the Clockwork Man is a vehicle rather 
  than a robot. Th e presence of Pocket Watch in the 
  machine’s chest should come as a surprise when 
  ﬁ nally revealed. Ultimately, though, Pocket Watch 
  isn’t malicious, cruel, or even all that criminal — he 
  just wants attention. If the PCs give it to him con-
  structively, he might devote his eﬀ orts to becoming 
  a crimeﬁ ghter like they are, or turn into a valuable 
  ally who can supply them with his engineering 
  acumen. If they give him the brush oﬀ , lecture him, 
  or insult him, he’ll devote his genius to ruining 
  them... and as time goes by his skills and inventions 
  will become even better.
  During a crime, Pocket Watch engages in a 
  bit of gamesmanship with the PCs — he’s more 
  interested in matching wits with them than making 
  money. His crimes always start out focused on 
  clocks, watches, automatons from the Enlighten-
  ment Era, old-fashioned arcade games, or other 
  machines involving gears and springs. But soon 
  they become increasingly related to things only 
  a child would care about. For instance, he might 
  steal a rare comic book or the beta version for the 
  sequel to a popular video game. He tries to keep 
  up the “clockwork” theme (though the ties oft en 
  become tenuous at best), but aft er a while deduc-
  tive PCs realize two things:  they aren’t dealing with 
  an obsessive-compulsive villain like Anagram or 
  Rhapsody, and only a juvenile mind cares about the 
  things Tick-Tock steals.
  Pocket Watch excels at “death”-traps — crazy 
  Rube Goldberg devices with arcane purposes and 
  mechanisms — but they’re never harmful. At most 
  they leave a PC embarrassed and with a few bruises.
  For goons, Pocket Watch creates robots to 
  accompany Tick-Tock on his crimes. Th ese robots are 
  weaker versions of Tick-Tock with STR 25, DEF 8, 
  SPD 2, and limited intelligence (INT 8 or so). Pocket 
  Watch controls the robots from Tick-Tock’s pilot 
  compartment. Th ey’re intelligent enough to carry out 
  simple commands on their own (i.e., “Keep punching 
  the crimeﬁ ghter”), but nothing more.
  To make Tick-Tock more powerful, raise his 
  SPD to 4, give him more Combat Skill Levels, and 
  him with inches of Leaping. To make him less pow-
  erful, lower his DEF to 10.
  Pocket Watch is unlikely to Hunt a character 
  — he doesn’t have a vengeful streak, and at thirteen 
  lacks the attention span for a vendetta. He might Hunt 
  a female PC he had a crush on, or a PC whose intellect 
  he admired and whom he wanted to impress.
  Appearance:  Standing only 4’8” tall, Alﬁ e is short for 
  his age. His thick brown hair is cut in a bowl cut, and 
  he has brown eyes. He wears tee-shirts, jeans, and 
  tennis shoes. Tick-Tock, on the other hand, stands 
  over seven feet tall. Its body is covered with curving 
  steel plates with the occasional gleaming brass peek-
  ing out from between them. Under the plates is a diz-
  zying array of gears, levers, and springs. Th e entry into 
  the pilot compartment is a hatch on Tick-Tock’s back. 
  Th e hatch is secured from the inside; unless a person 
  knows to look for it, it blends with the rest of Tick-
  Tock’s chassis. Tick-Tock’s face is made from brass 
  over steel. It has no nose, and its eyes are two bulbs 
  that glow dimly with an amber light. Its mouth is a 
  square gash; inside the gash are small speakers.
  
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Three
  109 
  THE TWO JOHNNIES
  Go into any precinct house in Hudson City 
  and mention the Two Johnnies. Every cop inside 
  stops whatever he’s doing and either shakes his 
  head with disgust or groans in despair. Two-time 
  losers and two-bit thugs, the Two Johnnies ﬂ uked 
  into superpowers during a jail break, and since then 
  they’ve become a thorn in the side of the police 
  — not because they’re particularly deadly, or even 
  much of a threat to Hudson City, but because they 
  never shut up, have a thing for embarrassing police-
  men, and have proven impossible to catch.
  Background/History:  Johnny Franzetti and 
  Johnny Walsh met when they were assigned to 
  the same cell in Stewartsburg Penitentiary. Fran-
  zetti was doing time for holding up convenience 
  stores — three in a row and all on the same block 
  — and Walsh was serving fifteen years for rob-
  bing a bank. Both of them had prior convictions 
  dating back to their early teens, and neither had 
  much hope for parole.
  They made a good match. Both of them 
  had terrible senses of humor but never stopped 
  telling jokes, and both of them couldn’t shut up. 
  They spent their time playing cards and jabber-
  ing at each other, only stopping long enough 
  to laugh. It got to the point where no one paid 
  much attention to the Two Johnnies — even the 
  guards just kind of ignored them. That’s when 
  they began to plan their escape.
  Several weeks later the Johnnies hid them-
  selves in back of the delivery truck that brought 
  food to the prison. They spoke only whispers, 
  telling each other what they would do once they 
  were free. They could hear the thunder and 
  lightning crashing outside and the rain pattering 
  against the top of the truck. When they felt the 
  truck jerk forward, they giggled and snickered 
  and hushed each other. The truck came to a stop 
  at the gate, the back door clattered open, and the 
  guard shined his flashlight inside — but he didn’t 
  open the big box marked FRENCH FRIES where 
  the Johnnies were hidden, just like they knew he 
  wouldn’t. The guard on duty that night was lazy 
  and never bothered to check the boxes.
  When the truck pulled out of the prison, the 
  Johnnies gave each other high ﬁ ves, but they didn’t 
  hear the sharp crack when the truck popped a tire. 
  Th ey looked at each other anxiously when the truck 
  came to a stop on the side of the highway only ﬁ ve 
  minutes later. Th ey also didn’t hear the semi’s tires 
  screech on the pavement as the driver lost control 
  of his rig in the rain. It wasn’t until later they found 
  out the semi had been carrying hazardous materi-
  als from a nearby chemical company.
  Th e collision took the lives of both truck driv-
  ers, but somehow the Johnnies survived. Th ey came 
  to some hundred yards away from the accident in 
  the middle of a ﬁ eld. Th ey were covered in slime 
  and toxic muck, but they didn’t spend much time 
  examining the gunk that covered them.
  Th ey turned to start running before the cops 
  arrived — it was going to be a long walk to Hudson 
  City and they needed to get started — and then 
  Johnny Franzetti shot across the ﬁ eld, his limbs a 
  blur, leaving the other Johnny in the dust. But not 
  for long. Suddenly the other Johnny appeared right 
  next to his friend.
  “How’d you get here without me seeing you 
  move?” Johnny asked.
  “I’ve been here all along,” Johnny answered.
  “Oh,” Johnny said.
  Th e hazardous materials had somehow given 
  both Johnnies superpowers — Franzetti could 
  move at incredible speeds for a short period of 
  time, and Walsh could somehow back up time and 
  move where he wanted without anyone being any 
  wiser. When the two returned to Hudson City, they 
  dubbed themselves the Two Johnnies — Franzetti 
  became Johnny-On-Th e-Spot, and Walsh became 
  Johnny-Come-Lately — and it wasn’t long before 
  they were committing robberies across the city.
  Group Relations:  Two peas in a pod, the Two 
  Johnnies get along better than brothers. Th e only 
  thing holding them back is their lack of intelli-
  gence and self-restraint. Neither of them can resist 
  making trouble when the opportunity arises, and 
  they’ve been caught more than once because they 
  just had to play some prank on a police oﬃ  cer or 
  costumed crimeﬁ ghter rather than stay in hiding.
  Tactics:  The Two Johnnies don’t have much 
  in the way of teamwork or tactics. The closest 
  they come to coordinating their actions is that 
  Johnny-On-The-Spot tells the joke and Johnny-
  Come-Lately tells the punch line. Typically, they 
  both use their powers to flee confrontation with 
  crimefighters. For individual tactics, see their 
  character sheets below.
  Campaign Use:  On their own, the Two Johnnies 
  lack direction — they keep performing the same 
  snatch-and-grabs and armed robberies they did 
  before they gained superpowers. Th e challenge 
  they present for the PCs is to stop them from using 
  their powers to escape. If they have goons with 
  them, they’ve gathered them from among their old 
  friends, other career criminals that can’t see past 
  the next robbery. But it may not be long before 
  some criminal mastermind notices them and puts 
  their powers to far better use.
  Since the Two Johnnies’ schtick is being nigh 
  unto twins, don’t increase or decrease their power 
  by adding members to the “group” — do it by 
  reducing or augmenting their individual abilities 
  (see below).
  Th e Two Johnnies don’t Hunt heroes. Th ey 
  might pursue one for a while to play a prank on 
  him, but that’s as far as they’d take it — they’re too 
  laid-back for anything more.
  Both of the Johnnies have extensive criminal 
  records for robbery, burglary, and other property 
  crimes, and for assault.
  THE TWO JOHNNIES 
  PLOT SEEDS
  Th e police ask the PCs 
  to catch the Two John-
  nies, since their own 
  eﬀ orts have proven 
  useless. How will the 
  PCs bait the trap? And 
  how will they keep them 
  from escaping?
  Johnny-On-Th e-Spot is 
  running faster than ever 
  before. Johnny-Come-
  Lately is teleporting 
  farther than ever before. 
  And both have become 
  bloodthirsty killers. 
  Th e Two Johnnies have 
  come into possession 
  of a drug that increase 
  their powers consider-
  ably... but it’s also driven 
  them insane. Now it’s up 
  to the PCs to stop them, 
  but if they had trouble 
  holding the two before, 
  how will they hold them 
  now that they’re more 
  powerful? And just who 
  gave them that drug?
  Th e Two Johnnies make 
  a bet:  who can rob the 
  most QuickCorners in a 
  single evening? Th e PCs 
  set out to stop them, but 
  all of a sudden all of the 
  PCs’ Hunteds show up 
  — is there some deeper 
  plot at work?
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  110 ■ Hudson City Powers
  JOHNNYCOMELATELY
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   15 STR 
  5 
  12- 
  Lift  200 kg; 3d6 [3]
   24 DEX 
  42 
  14- 
  OCV:  8/DCV:  8
   15 CON 
  10 
  12-
   10 BODY 0 
  11-
   8 INT 
  -2 
  11- 
  PER Roll 11-
   8 EGO 
  -4 
  11- 
  ECV:  3
   10 PRE 
  0 
  11- 
  PRE Attack:  2d6
   10 COM 
  0 
  11-
   6 PD 
  3 
   
  Total:  9 PD (3 rPD)
   6 ED 
  3 
   
  Total:  9 ED (3 rED)
   4 SPD 
  6 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   8 REC 
  4
   30 END 
  0
   27 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  67
  Movement: 
  Running:  6”/12”
   
  Teleportation:  12”/24”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  15 
  Can’t Block Th is:  HA +3d6, Indirect 
  (always originates with Johnny, but can 
  strike target from any angle; +½); 
  Hand-To-Hand Attack (-½) 
  3
  55 
  Stop-Time Boxing:  Energy Blast 7d6, 
  Area Of Eﬀ ect (6” Radius; +1), Selective 
  (+¼), Indirect (always originates with 
  Johnny, but can strike target from any 
  angle; +½); Extra Time (Full Phase; -½), 
  Limited Range (center of Area must be 
  within Johnny’s Half Move using 
  Teleportation at Combat velocity; -¼) 
  9
  24 
  Step Th rough Time:  Teleportation 12”, 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼); Must 
  Pass Th rough Intervening Space (-¼) 
  1
  15 
  Time Out:  Healing STUN and END 2d6, 
  two Characteristics simultaneously (+½); 
  Self Only (-½), Extra Time (Full Phase; -½) 3
   
  Talents
  6 
  Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED)
  27 
  Premonitions:  Danger Sense (out of combat, 
  immediate vicinity)13-
   
  Skills
  21 
  Didn’t See Th at One Coming, I Bet:  +4 with 
  All Combat; Costs Endurance (-½) 
  3
  13 
  A Little To Th e Left :  +4 DCV; Costs Endur-
  ance (-½) 
  2
  2 
  CK: Hudson City 11-
  3 
  Streetwise 11-
  2 
  WF: Knives, Handguns
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  183
  Total Cost:  250
  150+ Disadvantages
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Must Tell Bad 
  Jokes And Can’t Shut Up (Common, Strong)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Greedy 
  (Common, Strong)
  10 
  Reputation:  two-bit loser with 
  superpowers, 11-
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Public Identity (Johnny 
  Walsh) (Frequently, Major)
  5 
  Unluck 1d6
  10 
  Vulnerability:  x2 STUN from Time-based 
  Attacks (Uncommon)
  30 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  250
  Background/History:  Johnny Walsh swears his 
  life would have been different if only the audi-
  ence had laughed. He took one shot at being a 
  stand-up comedian. It was at the corner bar on 
  a Thursday when they had open mike night. 
  Opening with a “Here’s Johnny!” — a good 
  impersonation of Ed McMahon if ever there was 
  one, as far as he was concerned — Johnny started 
  telling his jokes. At first the crowd ignored him, 
  then they stared at him. Johnny kept right on 
  telling jokes, repeating a couple he’d heard the 
  night before on late night talkshows mixed with 
  some of his own material. The audience began to 
  boo, then they started throwing peanuts at him. 
  After the first peanut hit him in the head, Johnny 
  stepped down from the stage.
  Later that night, he lurked in wait for the guy 
  who’d thrown the peanut that hit him. Beating up 
  that guy felt good — deﬁ nitely better than being 
  booed at — and stealing his wallet felt even better. 
  Johnny laughed all the way home and went back 
  to shoplift ing, holding up convenience stores, and 
  snatching old ladies’ purses. To heck with them 
  anyhow if they don’t got a sense of humor, he told 
  his friends.
  Eventually, Johnny Walsh tried to move up to 
  the big leagues — bank robbery, that was where 
  the money was at. He bought a ski mask and gun, 
  but he should’ve made sure his car had gas. He was 
  still trying to start it when the police arrived on the 
  scene. Sentenced to ﬁ ft een years, Walsh started his 
  sentence at Stewartsburg Penitentiary. On the same 
  day, Johnny Franzetti started his sentence. Th e two 
  became fast friends and the rest his history.
  Personality/Motivation:  Johnny-Come-Lately fan-
  cies himself as the brains behind the Two Johnnies. 
  Johnny-On-Th e-Spot is too ﬂ ighty for planning 
  with all his fast talk and speeding around. It’s 
  Johnny-Come-Lately who decides what place to 
  rob and how to rob it. Not that there’s much to the 
  decisionmaking process... usually it involves the 
  Two Johnnies coming home from some bar, pass-
  ing a convenience store, and Johnny-Come-Lately 
  saying, “Hey. Hold up. Let’s rob that place.”
  Johnny-Come-Lately thinks the world has 
  done him wrong. Th e only time the world did right 
  by him was when he got his superpowers, but he 
  isn’t grateful. Aft er all, he deserved some respect 
  because of what went wrong with his life. If he’d 
  been born rich or into a family with some Hol-
  
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Three
  111 
  lywood connections, he’d deﬁ nitely be a famous 
  comic by now. But he was born into a poor family, 
  his father in and out of jail, and even when he was 
  on parole, he was never around except when he 
  needed a place to stay or something to eat. Yeah, the 
  world deﬁ nitely owes him.
  Quote: “And the bartender says, “What is this? 
  Some kind of joke?” Man, that one cracks me up 
  every time....”
  Powers/Tactics:  Johnny-Come-Lately has a 
  limited ability to manipulate time. He can step 
  outside of time for a second or two, perform a 
  limited amount of actions, and then return to 
  normal time. Using this power, he can disappear 
  and reappear somewhere else within 12” of his 
  original starting position. Since he must walk to 
  the new location, even though no one sees him 
  walking, he must be able to walk to the spot — in 
  other words, he can’t pass through obstacles, 
  though he can walk around them.
  Johnny’s power also makes makes him a tough 
  HTH ﬁ ghter. He can stop time and hit an opponent 
  from any angle he wants (his HA, which can’t be 
  Blocked). He can even run around and hit anyone 
  he wants in a 6” radius area 
  (his EB), though this really 
  tires him out. He can step 
  slightly out of time — he’s 
  still visible, but slightly blurry 
  — and choose the best place 
  to stand to avoid an attack (+4 
  to DCV) or to hit his oppo-
  nent (+4 with All Combat). 
  And when he’s tired, he can 
  step outside of time to take a 
  breather (Healing). 
  In combat, Johnny-
  Come-Lately attempts to stay 
  6” from his opponent, then 
  Half Move Teleport and use 
  his HA or EB. If Grabbed or 
  Entangled, he teleports away; 
  if he can’t Teleport, he puts 
  all his Levels into DCV in an 
  attempt to avoid getting hit.
  Campaign Use:  Johnny-Come-
  Lately is a thug who can tele-
  port, and a cowardly one at that. 
  Th e crimes he commits tend 
  toward robbery — he walks 
  into a convenience store or 
  bank, demands the money, and 
  then teleports away. Defeating 
  him is only a matter of ﬁ guring 
  out how to stop him from Tele-
  porting to safety.
  To make Johnny-Come-
  Lately more powerful, give 
  him more time-related powers others — a Drain 
  SPD to represent slowing down time around 
  someone, a Drain END to represent making the 
  target feel like he’s been awake for days, and so 
  on. Furthermore, increase Johnny-Come-Lately’s 
  PD and ED so he can take more hits. To make 
  him less powerful, remove his Time Out and 
  decrease his CSLs.
  Johnny-Come-Lately would only Hunt some-
  one he thinks has done him wrong... and even then, 
  he wouldn’t be a persistent Hunter. Chances are, if 
  he’s Hunting a PC, someone hired him to.
  Appearance:  Johnny-Come-Lately is a plain look-
  ing man, 5’10” with a medium build. He has shaggy 
  black hair and dark eyes. His expression is usually 
  hang-dog, except when he’s telling a joke — then he 
  wears lop-sided grin and squints his mean, beady 
  eyes at whomever he’s talking to. His costume is a 
  black bodysuit with red boots, gloves, and belt. On 
  the bicep of each arm is a stylized “JJ” and he wears 
  a red domino mask.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  112 ■ Hudson City Powers
  JOHNNYONTHESPOT
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   15 STR 
  5 
  12- 
  Lift  200 kg; 3d6 [3]
   27 DEX 
  51 
  14- 
  OCV:  9/DCV:  9
   15 CON 
  10 
  12-
   10 BODY 0 
  11-
   8 INT 
  -2 
  11- 
  PER Roll 11-
   8 EGO 
  -4 
  11- 
  ECV:  3
   10 PRE 
  0 
  11- 
  PRE Attack:  2d6
   10 COM 
  0 
  11-
   6 PD 
  3 
   
  Total:  9 PD (3 rPD)
   6 ED 
  3 
   
  Total:  9 ED (3 rED)
   6 SPD 
  23 
   
  Phases:  2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12
   7 REC 
  2
   40 END 
  10
   34 STUN 
  8 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  109
  Movement: 
  Running:  16”/32” or 50”/100”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  20 
  Flurry Of Blows:  HA +3d6, Autoﬁ re 
  (5 shots; +½), Reduced Endurance 
  (½ END; +½); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-½) 1
  30 
  Cruising Speed:  Running +10” (16” total), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) 
  0
  68 
  Sprint:  Running +34” (50” total) 
  7
   
  Talents
  6 
  Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED)
   
  Skills
  10 
  +5 with Running
  2 
  CK: Hudson City 11-
  3 
  Streetwise 11-
  2 
  WF: Knives, Handguns
  Total Powers & Skills Cost: 141
  Total Cost:  250
  150+ Disadvantages
  25 
  Hunted:  Hudson City Police Department 
  8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Must Tell Bad 
  Jokes And Can’t Shut Up (Common, Strong)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Greedy 
  (Common, Strong)
  10 
  Reputation:  two-bit loser with superpow-
  ers, 11-
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Public Identity (Johnny 
  Franzetti) (Frequently, Major)
  10 
  Vulnerability:  1½ x Eﬀ ect from Drugs, Poi-
  sons, and Toxins (Common)
  10 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  250
  Background/History:  Johnny Franzetti was a bad 
  seed from a good family. No one could understand 
  how he could be so bad. His father was a hard-
  working man, his mother the sweetest woman on 
  the block, and both his older brothers kept out of 
  trouble. But not Johnny. He was caught shoplift ing 
  for the ﬁ rst time when he was twelve. He claimed 
  his friends had egged him on and that it would 
  never happen again. Over the next three years he 
  got caught ﬁ ve more times, and they ﬁ nally sent 
  him to juvie.
  Doing time in Juvenile Oﬀ enders Corrections 
  Hall (the Joke — a name Johnny always loved) only 
  made him worse. Six months aft er he was caught, 
  he was back on the street stealing televisions from 
  peoples’ houses and snatching purses. Soon aft er 
  that, his mother kicked him out of the house, his 
  father told him not to come back, and his two 
  brothers beat the pulp out of him. He hasn’t seen 
  his family since.
  Th e last time he got caught and sentenced 
  to prison, he was trying to rob three convenience 
  stores in a row. He was actually going for ﬁ ve — 
  he’d bet his buddies he could do it — but the police 
  caught up to him before he even got out the door 
  of the third one. Now, as Johnny-On-Th e-Spot, he’s 
  certain he could rob ﬁ ve convenience stores before 
  the police even got the call. He’s been dying to try 
  it, but Johnny-Come-Lately keeps convincing him 
  not to.
  Personality/Motivation:  Johnny-On-Th e-Spot is lazy, 
  shift less, and doesn’t care about the future. Th e best 
  thing that can be said about him is that he’s laid 
  back, but even that’s just a euphemism for saying 
  he’s lazy. He doesn’t have any regrets (because he 
  doesn’t think about the past) and he doesn’t have 
  any hopes (because he doesn’t think about the 
  future). He lives in the moment, and never looks 
  past that. He commits crimes simply because it’s 
  easier to take someone else’s money than to hold 
  down a job. He doesn’t worry about getting caught 
  because it never occurs to him that anyone might 
  catch him (despite his arrest record). Gaining 
  superpowers hasn’t changed Johnny in the least.
  Quote: “So have you heard this one? A polar bear, a 
  giraﬀ e, and a penguin walk into a bar....”
  Powers/Tactics:  Johnny-On-Th e-Spot is a low-
  powered speedster. He can run indeﬁ nitely at a 
  speed faster than any normal human can run; for 
  short periods of time he can sprint at incredible 
  speeds — easily fast enough to out run a car. In 
  combat he uses his high SPD to best advantage. He 
  spends most of his time outside the range of HTH 
  Combat, putting his Levels with Running into DCV 
  — then, when he thinks he has the advantage, he 
  speeds in and delivers a Flurry Of Blows. But most 
  of the time he avoids combat, and if the police or 
  crimeﬁ ghters show up on the scene he runs away.
  Campaign Use:  Like his partner in crime, Johnny-
  On-Th e-Spot is essentially a goon with superpow-
  ers. On his own, the crimes he commits are the 
  same as when he was a normal thug.
  To make Johnny-On-Th e-Spot more powerful, 
  
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Three
  113 
  increase the dice of damage in his HA and give him 
  Combat Skill Levels with it so he gets more hits 
  with the Autoﬁ re. You could also give him a higher 
  PD and ED so he can take more hits before going 
  down. To decrease his power, lower his top-end 
  speed to 40” total or even 30”.
  Johnny-On-Th e-Spot is too lazy to Hunt 
  anyone unless a third party paid him to.
  Appearance:  Johnny-On-Th e-Spot is a tall, thin 
  man with thinning blond hair and watery blue eyes. 
  His expression is usually vacant except when he’s 
  telling a joke; then, his eyes glow with a maniacal 
  light, and his grin is wide and toothy. His costume 
  is a red bodysuit with black boots, gloves, and belt. 
  Th ere’s a stylized “JJ” on the costume’s biceps, and 
  he wears a red domino mask.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  114 ■ Hudson City Powers
  THE WITCH OF RED HILL
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   25 STR 
  15 
  14- 
  Lift  800 kg; 5d6 [5]
   27 DEX 
  51 
  14- 
  OCV:  9/DCV:  9
   25 CON 
  30 
  14-
   15 BODY 10 
  12-
   20 INT 
  10 
  13- 
  PER Roll 13-
   15 EGO 
  10 
  12- 
  ECV:  5
   20 PRE 
  10 
  13- 
  PRE Attack:  4d6
   14 COM 
  2 
  12-
   12 PD 
  7 
   
  Total:  16 PD (4 rPD)
   12 ED 
  7 
   
  Total:  16 ED (4 rED)
   6 SPD 
  13 
   
  Phases:  2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12
   12 REC 
  4
   50 END 
  0
   50 STUN 
  9 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  178
  Movement: 
  Running:  10”/20”
   
  Leaping:  10”/20”
   
  Gliding:  10”/20”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  17 
  Steel-Tipped Gloves:  HKA 1½d6 
  (3d6+1 with STR); OIF (-½) 
  2
  25 
  Witchy Grenades:  Multipower, 50-point 
  reserve; all slots OAF (-1)
  2u 
  1)  Black Cat Grenades:  Darkness to Sight 
  Group 5” radius; OAF (-1), Range Based 
  On STR (-¼), 4 Continuing Charges 
  lasting 1 Turn each (-½) 
  [4cc]
  2u 
  2)  Demon Fire Grenades:  RKA 2d6, 
  Explosion (+½); OAF (-1), Range Based 
  On STR (-¼), 8 Charges (-½) 
  [8]
  2u 
  3)  Witch’s Screech Grenades:  Energy Blast 
  3d6, NND (defense is Hearing Group 
  Flash Defense; +1), Area Of Eﬀ ect (14” 
  Line; +1¼); OAF (-1), No Range (-½), 
  8 Charges (-½) 
  [8]
  8 
  Armored Costume:  Armor (4 PD/4 ED)
  5 
  Glider Cape:  Gliding 10”; OAF (-1) 
  0
  8 
  Fast Runner:  Runner +4” (10” total) 
  1
  5 
  Strong Leaper:  Leaping +5” (10” forward, 
  5” upward)
  6 
  Steel-Tipped Gloves:  Clinging (normal STR); 
  OIF (-½), Cannot Resist Knockback (-¼) 
  0
   
  Skills
  10 
  +2 with HTH Combat
  8 
  +1 with All Combat
  3 
  Acrobatics 14-
  3 
  Acting 13-
  3 
  Breakfall 14-
  3 
  Bureaucratics 13-
  3 
  Disguise 13-
  3 
  Interrogation 13-
  3 
  Inventor 13-
  2 
  AK: Red Hill 11-
  2 
  CK: Hudson City 11-
  3 
  KS: Hudson City Underworld 13-
  2 
  KS: Hudson City Folklore 11-
  3 
  Paramedics 13-
  2 
  PS: University Professor 11-
  3 
  Shadowing 13-
  3 
  Stealth 14-
  3 
  Scientist
  2 
  1)  SS: Bacteriology/Virology 13-
  2 
  2)  SS: Biochemistry 13-
  2 
  3)  SS: Biology 13-
  2 
  4)  SS: Botany 13-
  2 
  5)  SS: Chemistry 13-
  6 
  6)  SS: Genetics 17-
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  158
  Total Cost:  336
  150+ Disadvantages
  20 
  Hunted:  FBI 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Casual Killer 
  (Common, Strong)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Cold-Blooded; 
  Half-Believes She Really Is A Witch 
  (Common, Total)
  15 
  Reputation:  witch who kidnaps children and 
  eats them, 11- (Extreme)
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (Doctor 
  Sylvia Cronenﬁ eld) (Frequently, Major)
  10 
  Vulnerability:  1½ x Eﬀ ect from Drugs, Poi-
  sons, and Toxins (Common)
  91 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  336
  Background/History:  Th e old Germans in the Red 
  Hill neighborhood used to tell a story about a witch 
  who lived in an abandoned house on King Street. 
  Th e witch ate children, ate husbands, turned into a 
  black cat or a raven, ﬂ ew on the winds through the 
  night sky, cursed girls she thought were too pretty 
  and too proud, and performed all the nefarious acts 
  typical to the witches in fairy tales.
  Th e story of the Witch of Red Hill all but 
  died out with the passing of decades as new urban 
  legends more appropriate to modern-day America 
  replaced the old wives’ tales from the old country. 
  But in recent months some of Red Hill’s elderly 
  residents have remembered the stories their immi-
  grant mothers told them, and they’ve been telling 
  those same stories to their grandchildren. Th ese 
  old folk aren’t just recalling days gone by and 
  trying to pass on a piece of history to their children 
  — they’re trying to warn them, because the Witch 
  of Red Hill has returned.
  When they’ve been unable to sleep at night, 
  they’ve seen black wings spread out from behind a 
  slender woman dressed all in black as she descended 
  from rooft op to street, gliding through the air. 
  Th rough their open windows they’ve heard the witch 
  cackle as she haunted the shadowy alleyways and 
  heard the rattle of doors as she tested them to see if 
  they were locked. And in the morning they’ve read the 
  articles in the paper squeezed in the back of the local 
  section about missing children.
  Th e old folks are right to worry about their 
  grandchildren, because the Witch of Red Hill lives... in 
  the form of a woman who’s come to their neighbor-
  hood and taken up the role of bogeyman and terror of 
  little children.
  Doctor Sylvia Cronenﬁ eld was a researcher spe-
  cializing in genetics, but six months ago she lost her 
  post. Th e other faculty members discovered she was 
  performing extensive experiments on the eﬀ ects of 
  human growth hormone on the adult physiology. As if 
  her sloppy and risky methods alone weren’t enough to 
  THE WITCH OF RED 
  HILL PLOT SEEDS
  Th ere’s a new drug on 
  the street called Ghost 
  Kiss that kills one out 
  of every ﬁ ve users. Th e 
  PCs haveto discover 
  that the source of this 
  new drug is the Witch of 
  Red Hill... and stop her 
  bid to become one of 
  Hudson City’s new drug 
  lords?
  Th ere’s a genetics con-
  vention in town for the 
  weekend, and the Witch 
  of Red Hill has decided 
  it’s time her peers 
  acknowledge her genius. 
  She and her goons take 
  over the convention 
  center. Can the PCs stop 
  her before someone gets 
  killed?
  Th e Witch has kid-
  napped a child of some-
  one close to the PCs 
  — maybe even a PC’s 
  son or daughter — and 
  now the PCs must race 
  against time to ﬁ nd her 
  lair before she subject 
  the child to her hideous 
  experiments.
  
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series ■ Chapter Three
  115 
  ﬁ ll her peers with disgust — she’d not only lied to sub-
  jects about the procedures they underwent, but had 
  also experimented on herself —  they soon discovered 
  she’d been harvesting the raw hormones from living 
  children by posing as a doctor volunteering her time 
  at a local orphanage.
  Doctor Cronenﬁ eld didn’t wait for her self-
  righteous peers to make all these discoveries, 
  though. By the time the police knocked down the 
  door of her apartment, she was long gone.
  She arrived in Hudson City two months ago 
  and decided it hadn’t changed much since she used 
  to visit her grandparents in the summer as a child. 
  She set up shop in an abandoned warehouse in 
  Red Hill, where her grandparents had lived until 
  their death. She remembered the stories her grand-
  mother had told about the Witch of Red Hill and 
  took on that identity, fashioning a costume to ﬁ t the 
  role and tools to help her abduct the children she 
  needed for her experiments. She knew if anyone 
  told the authorities a witch was haunting the streets 
  of the neighborhood and abducting children, the 
  HCPD would never believe it.
  Since then she’s continued her experiments 
  and has made some amazing discoveries — mostly 
  by observing the results of the synthesized hor-
  mone on her own body. She’s also hired out her tal-
  ents as a geneticist and chemist to local crimelords 
  to raise money for equipment and supplies.
  Personality/Motivation: Doctor Cronenﬁ eld had 
  always been a driven and competitive woman, but 
  the hormones she’s taken 
  have made her obsessed with 
  her experiments — in short, 
  they’ve driven her mad. Th eir 
  eﬀ ects on her body are noth-
  ing short of amazing, but their 
  eﬀ ects on her mind are horri-
  fying. Where once she needed 
  to rationalize the harm she 
  caused others, telling herself 
  it was for the betterment of 
  the human race, she’s now lost 
  all respect for human life and 
  kills out of hand. She’s come 
  to identify too closely with the 
  role of the witch she’s taken 
  on. What was once merely 
  a cover for her activity has 
  now become a way of living 
  her life, and what used to be 
  research with a purpose has 
  turned into research for the 
  sake of seeing what she can do 
  to the human body.
  Quote:  “Hello, my pretties... 
  aren’t you out late tonight?”
  Powers/Tactics:  The Witch 
  of Red Hill’s body has been 
  artificially enhanced with 
  hormone treatments that 
  make her inhumanly fast, 
  strong, and durable. In 
  addition to these physical 
  enhancements, the Witch has assembled some 
  weapons to help her abduct children and go toe-
  to-toe with crimefighters, should she encounter 
  any. Some of these she made herself; some were 
  made for her in return for her work on projects 
  relating to chemistry or genetics.
  Her main weapons are her Witchy Grenades, 
  which she carries in a black satchel she wears slung 
  over her shoulder. Th e Black Cat grenades are 
  shaped like cat’s heads and covered with patchy 
  black fur. As one ﬂ ies through the air, smoke drift s 
  from the cat’s open mouth, and when it detonates, 
  it releases a large cloud of inky, black smoke. Th e 
  Demon Fire grenades are shaped like demonic 
  heads and covered by reptilian skin with dully glis-
  tening scales. As one ﬂ ies through the air, ﬂ ames 
  sputter from the demon’s eyes before it reaches 
  its target and denotes in an explosion of ﬁ re. Th e 
  Witch’s Screech grenades are shaped like a hag’s 
  head and covered with something that resembles 
  dried human ﬂ esh — they look a lot like shrunken 
  heads. Th e grenade produces a subsonic frequency 
  that causes humans excruciating pain. Th e eﬀ ect 
  covers a Line 14” long (roughly the distance which 
  the Witch can throw it), and anyone caught in the 
  Area Of Eﬀ ect suﬀ ers damage unless he has Hear-
  ing Group Flash Defense. 
  Sewn into the tips of the fingers of the 
  Witch’s long black satin gloves are razor-sharp 
  talons. She also wears a long black cloak that 
  allows her to Glide.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  116 ■ Hudson City Powers
  Campaign Use:  The Witch of Red Hill kidnaps 
  children for use in her experiments, but she 
  might become involved in any crime that could 
  turn a profit, since her experiments are costly. 
  She also has come to regard Red Hill as her ter-
  ritory, and might come into conflict with any 
  gangs or crime lords who don’t see things her 
  way. Adventures involving the Witch should 
  begin with spooky overtones — keep the PCs 
  unsure whether they face an actual witch or 
  a woman pretending to be one. If she has to 
  employ goons, the Witch makes them wear 
  outfits resembling skeleton costumes (black 
  bodysuits with white bones marked on them, and 
  a skull-like mask).
  To make her more powerful, add more types 
  of grenades to her Witchy Grenades Multipower:  
  an Entangle, a Drain CON or BODY to represent a 
  poison gas cloud, or a Flash are all appropriate. You 
  could also give her Find Weakness with her Steel-
  Tipped Gloves. To make her less of a threat, lower 
  her Defenses to 12 or even 10, lower her DEX to 
  20-24, and reduce her HKA to ½d6 or else give it 
  the Limitation Reduced Penetration (-¼).
  Th e Witch might Hunt a scientist she thinks 
  could help her with her research, or a person who’s 
  investigating the kidnappings in Red Hill. If she 
  does Hunt someone, she Hunts to kill and likely 
  attacks at night, preferably in Red Hill.
  Sylvia Cronenﬁ eld is wanted by the authori-
  ties for various crimes related to her illegal experi-
  ments. Th ey haven’t connected her to any of the 
  Witch’s activities... yet.
  Appearance:  Th e Witch of Red Hill is a tall woman, 
  slender but muscular. She has long blonde hair and 
  ice blue eyes. She’s attractive, with a long face, elﬁ n 
  chin, and narrow nose, but her expression is always 
  serious and there’s a certain craziness to her intense 
  eyes. When stalking the dark streets of Red Hill, she 
  wears a black hat with a broad brim and pointed 
  top, a black satin dress with a ragged hem, black 
  patent-leather boots with pointed toes and high 
  heels, long black satin gloves, and black silk scarves 
  with long, loose ends that ﬂ utter around her when 
  she moves. Over this she wears a black, voluminous 
  cloak that she usually keeps wrapped around her, 
  except when she’s leaping from a building top. Th en 
  she spreads the cloak with her arms so that it looks 
  like a pair of wings spreading from her back. She 
  wears a black satchel over her shoulder that holds 
  her Witchy Grenades.
  ADAPTING CHAMPIONS 
  UNIVERSE VILLAINS TO 
  HUDSON CITY POWERS
  In addition to the villains in this chapter and 
  the last chapter, you can adapt appropriate villains 
  from the Champions Universe to your Hudson City 
  Powers game. Besides the ones suggested on page 
  ???, here are a few more from Conquerors, Killers, 
  And Crooks and Millennium City:
  Bluejay:  Get rid of most (or all of her weapons) 
  — in this subgenre, just being able to ﬂ y is power-
  ful enough! — and Bluejay makes a good thief for 
  Powers campaigns.
  Cateran:  You may want to tone down Cateran’s 
  STR a bit, but otherwise she works fine for 
  Powers campaigns.
  Fiacho:  Most of the members of Eurostar are too 
  powerful to ﬁ t the Powers subgenre well, but Fiacho 
  would make a good solo villain (you may want to 
  decrease the eﬀ ectiveness of his gadgets a bit).
  Freakshow:  Who can resist the allure of a guy with 
  a Bag O’ Knives?
  Hazard:  Remove his jetpack, and perhaps his Find 
  Weakness — Hazard’s enormous level of Luck will 
  be more than enough to even the odds against 
  Powers PCs.
  Jade Phoenix:  A great Powers villain for games that 
  feature lots of martial arts, or have a martial artist PC.
  Lazer:  Lazer also needs to lose his jetpack, but oth-
  erwise works pretty well as a deadly assassin, pos-
  sibly one specializing in superhuman targets.
  Mechassassin:  If Lazer has any competition, it’s 
  Mechassassin.
  BLUEJAY • CKC page 82
  
  117 
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series
  Th is Index covers the subjects 
  discussed in this book. It does not 
  list the villains (who are covered 
  under the summary tables in this 
  section), but does list NPC heroes.
  Answer, the (NPC hero) ............24
  Answerman Team .......................27
  Archetypes ...................................10
  Campaigning .........................14-20
  Cape And Cowl Investigations 
  (NPC heroes) ............................76
  Champions Universe villains, 
  using .................................. 72, 116
  Character Creation .......................9
  Code Versus Killing 
  (Psychological Limitation) ......13
  Conception, character ..................9
  Crimeﬁ ghters ................................7
  Crimes, appropriate ....................16
  DarkAngel (NPC hero) ..............28
  DC:TAS ..........................................6
  Deathtraps ...................................19
  Deduction (Skill) ........................11
  Disadvantages .............................13
  Disﬁ guration of villains .............16
  Elements of the subgenre ........6-7
  Episodic campaigns ....................14
  Escapes for villains .....................18
  Follower (Perk) ...........................11
  Gamemastering ...........................14
  Getaways ......................................18
  Goons ...........................................17
  Guns in the subgenre .................12
  Happy endings ............................20
  Hawkshaw (NPC hero) ..............77
  Heavy-Hitter (NPC hero) ..........79
  Hudson City 
  Knights ...........6, 10, 12, 17, 21-72
  Hudson City 
  Powers ..........6, 10, 12, 17, 73-116
  Hudson City, using ...............22, 74
  Humor ..........................................15
  Introduction ..................................4
  MARS units .................................74
  Mendez, Flora ..............................76
  Millennium City .........................74
  Nemesis villains ..........................16
  Perks .............................................11
  Personalities ................................10
  Plausibility .....................................7
  Point totals ...................................10
  Police (in HCP games) ...............74
  Powers ..........................................12
  PRIMUS .......................................74
  Problem-solving .........................19
  Realism ..........................................7
  Reforming villains ......................15
  Resource Points ...........................12
  Roleplaying elements ...................7
  Running adventures ...................18
  Scarlet (NPC hero) .....................81
  Secret Identity 
  (Social Limitation) ...................13
  Serial campaigns .........................14
  Setting of the campaign .............15
  Sidekicks ......................................11
  Skills .............................................11
  Starting points .............................10
  Subgenre elements ........................6
  Subgenre, generally .......................6
  Superpowers ..................................7
  Talents ..........................................11
  Team-ups among villains ...........16
  Teams .............................................7
  Technology, super- .......................7
  Th emes for characters ..6, 9-10, 16
  Th ug Rule, the ...............................8
  Tone of the campaign .................15
  Trickshot (NPC hero) ................31
  UNTIL .........................................74
  Vibora Bay ...................................74
  Vigilantes .................................7, 22
  INDEX
  
  118 
  Hero System 5th Edition
   
   
   
   
  Master 
   
  Power-
   
  Goal 
  Greedy 
  Loner 
  Villain 
  Mercenary hungry Technology Theme 
  Thief 
  Violent 
  Weird 
  Points 
  Page
  Hudson City Knights
  Adonis 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  223 
  34
  Anagram 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  X 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  200 
  36
  The Astrologer 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  X 
  X 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  160 
  39
  Beatlemania 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  X 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  204 
  41
  Chitchat 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  X 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  200 
  43
  Copycat 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  X 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  190 
  46
  Doctor Enigma 
  X 
  - 
  X 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  299 
  48
  Facet 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  X 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  281 
  51
  The Human Capitalist 
  - 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  190 
  53
  Last Call 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  X 
  X 
  X 
  - 
  306 
  55
  Midas 
  X 
  X 
  - 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  X 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  200 
  57
  The Missing Link 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  X 
  - 
  X 
  200 
  59
  Penny Dreadful 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  X 
  X 
  X 
  - 
  267 
  61
  Raptor 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  264 
  64
  Red-Eyes 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  X 
  - 
  307 
  67
  Three Of A Kind 
  - 
  - 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  X 
  X 
  X 
  X 
  234 
  71
  Hudson City Powers
  Burning Betty 
  - 
  - 
  X 
  X 
  - 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  X 
  X 
  220 
  84
  Carnivore 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  X 
  X 
  315 
  86
  Charade 
  - 
  - 
  X 
  - 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  417 
  88
  Fleur De Lisa 
  - 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  X 
  X 
  - 
  X 
  278 
  91
  Guillotine 
  X 
  - 
  X 
  - 
  X 
  X 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  X 
  - 
  250 
  94
  Hot Rod 
  - 
  - 
  X 
  - 
  X 
  - 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  255 
  96
  Rhapsody 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  X 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  X 
  238 
  98
  Scarab 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  X 
  X 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  250 
  101
  Serpentine 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  X 
  X 
  X 
  X 
  327 
  103
  Tick-Tock 
  X 
  - 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  X 
  - 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  235 
  106
  Pocket Watch 
  X 
  - 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  X 
  - 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  130 
  106
  Johnny-Come-Lately 
  - 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  X 
  - 
  X 
  250 
  110
  Johnny-On-The-Spot 
  - 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  X 
  - 
  X 
  250 
  112
  The Witch Of Red Hill 
  X 
  - 
  X 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  X 
  X 
  - 
  X 
  X 
  346 
  114
  MASTER REFERENCE CHART OF VILLAINS
  Th is summary table provides a quick 
  reference for GMs looking for a particular 
  type of villain for use in a scenario. (Agents 
  and the like are not included.) Th e table 
  includes two categories of information. 
  Th e ﬁ rst is the archetype or archetypes 
  the character belongs to, using the ones 
  deﬁ ned on pages 69-80 of Champions (the 
  Patriot archetype is not included; none 
  of the villains in this book ﬁ t it, since it’s 
  mostly an archetype for heroes). 
  Th e second category includes other types 
  of useful information, as follows:
  Goal:  Th e character has a speciﬁ c goal, 
  other than those listed elsewhere; see his 
  writeup for information.
  Greedy:  Th e character is motivated by a 
  desire for wealth, luxuries, and the like.
  Loner:  Th e character does not get along 
  well with others, and rarely teams up 
  with other villains.
  Master Villain:  Th e character is power-
  ful enough to threaten entire cities or 
  nations in the right circumstances, or 
  oft en leads a gang or group of criminals.
  Mercenary:  Th e character is a villain-for-
  hire; he commits crimes for pay.
  Powerhungry:  Th e character lusts for 
  power and control over others.
  Technological:  Th e character uses, or has 
  powers related to, unusual technology.
  Theme:  Th e character has a “theme” that 
  inﬂ uences his crimes, his costume, his 
  gadgets, and/or his abilities.
  Thief:  Th e character’s primary form of 
  crime is stealing.
  Violent:  Th e character is prone to vio-
  lence, bloodshed, and/or destruction.
  Weird:  Th e character possesses unusual, 
  paranormal, or mystic abilities beyond 
  those of ordinary men.
  Points:  Th e total number of Character 
  Points the character is built with.
  
  119 
  Dark Champions: The Animated Series
  DARK CHAMPIONS: THE ANIMATED SERIES SUMMARY TABLE
  HUDSON CITY KNIGHTS
  Name 
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  BODY 
  PRE 
  PD/rPD 
  ED/rED 
  SPD 
  REC 
  STUN 
  OCV 
  DCV 
  MOVE 
  Attacks 
  Page
  Adonis 
  20 
  15 
  20 
  15 
  20 
  11/3 
  11/3 
  4 
  8 
  50 
  5 
  5 
  8” {6”} 
  8d6 (Wrestling) 
  34
  Anagram 
  10 
  19 
  15 
  10 
  15 
  11/3 
  9/3 
  4 
  7 
  30 
  6 
  6 
  6” 
  6d6 (Karate) 
  36
  The Astrologer 
  12 
  18 
  15 
  10 
  15 
  9/3 
  8/3 
  4 
  5 
  28 
  6 
  6 
  6” 
  7d6, 3d6 NND, Flash 7d6, (1d6) 
  39
  Beatlemania 
  12 
  15 
  12 
  10 
  10 
  11/4 
  9/4 
  3 
  4 
  30 
  5 
  5 
  6” 
  (1½d6), Flash 6d6 
  41
  Chitchat 
  12 
  15 
  12 
  12 
  12 
  8/3 
  8/3 
  3 
  4 
  24 
  5 
  5 
  6” 
  2d6 NND, Hearing Flash 4d6 
  43
  Copycat 
  15 
  15 
  15 
  12 
  10 
  10/3 
  10/3 
  4 
  6 
  31 
  5 
  5 
  6” 
  7d6 (Karate) 
  46
  Doctor Enigma 
  18 
  20 
  15 
  15 
  20 
  9/3 
  9/3 
  4 
  8 
  40 
  7 
  7 
  8” 
  Entangle 4d6 BOECV, 6½d6 
  48
  Facet 
  15 
  23 
  14 
  12 
  15 
  10/4 
  10/4 
  4 
  6 
  35 
  8 
  8 
  9”, {6”}, !15”! 
  8d6, (½d6)%, 3d6 NND 
  51
  Human Capitalist 
  10 
  10 
  10 
  10 
  10 
  2/0 
  2/0 
  2 
  4 
  20 
  3 
  3 
  6” 
  2d6 
  53
  Last Call 
  15 
  15 
  15 
  12 
  15 
  10/3 
  10/3 
  3 
  6 
  40 
  5 
  5 
  6” 
  (2d6) AF, 6d6 
  55
  Midas 
  10 
  14 
  13 
  10 
  15 
  4/0 
  3/0 
  3 
  5 
  25 
  5 
  5 
  6” 
  2d6 
  57
  The Missing Link 
  25 
  18 
  20 
  20 
  20 
  12/2 
  8/2 
  4 
  10 
  51 
  6 
  6 
  10” 
  9d6 
  59
  Penny Dreadful 
  10 
  18 
  15 
  10 
  15 
  8/3 
  8/3 
  4 
  7 
  30 
  6 
  6 
  6” 
  4d6 NND, 8d6, (2½d6) 
  61
  Raptor 
  20 
  20 
  18 
  13 
  15 
  11/3 
  10/3 
  5 
  8 
  40 
  7 
  7 
  8”, !12”1, !10”! 
  2d6 NND, 6d6 
  64
  Red-Eyes 
  20 
  12 
  20 
  15 
  20 
  11/3 
  11/3 
  4 
  10 
  50 
  4 
  4 
  6” 
  10d6 (Boxing)  
  67
  Three Of A Kind 
  15 
  18 
  15 
  12 
  15 
  9/3 
  9/3 
  3 
  6 
  30 
  6 
  6 
  6” 
  3d6 
  71
  HUDSON CITY POWERS
  Name 
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  BODY 
  PRE 
  PD/rPD 
  ED/rED 
  SPD 
  REC 
  STUN 
  OCV 
  DCV 
  MOVE 
  Attacks 
  Page
  Burning Betty 
  18 
  24 
  15 
  12 
  10 
  9/3 
  11/3 
  4 
  8 
  40 
  8 
  8 
  6” 
  (1½d6), (½d6) AE 
  84
  Carnivore 
  40 
  28 
  30 
  20 
  25 
  20/1 
  18/1 
  6 
  16 
  60 
  9 
  9 
  11”, {15”} 
  8d6, (2d6)% 
  86
  Charade 
  10 
  20 
  15 
  10 
  15 
  5/0 
  5/0 
  4 
  6 
  30 
  7 
  7 
  6” 
  5d6 (Jujutsu), weapons 
  88
  Fleur De Lisa 
  15 
  18 
  15 
  12 
  15 
  10/4 
  10/4 
  4 
  8 
  40 
  6 
  6 
  6” 
  MC 10d6, MC 6d6 AE          
  91
  Guillotine 
  15 
  25 
  23 
  15 
  13 
  10/4 
  10/4 
  5 
  8 
  35 
  8 
  8 
  6” 
  (2d6) +2 ISM, 7d6 (DInﬁ ghting) 
  94
  Hot Rod 
  12 
  23 
  12 
  10 
  20 
  9/3 
  9/3 
  5 
  6 
  35 
  8 
  8 
  6” 
  2d6 
  96
  Rhapsody 
  15 
  20 
  12 
  12 
  15 
  9/3 
  9/3 
  4 
  7 
  35 
  7 
  7 
  6” 
  Ego 5d6, Entangle 2d6, MC 10d6 98
  Scarab 
  40 
  15 
  30 
  10 
  20 
  14/10 
  14/10 
  4 
  4 
  30 
  5 
  5 
  6”, {21”} 
  8d6, (½d6) AE Pen, Entangle 4d6 101
  Serpentine 
  20 
  23 
  20 
  13 
  20 
  14/6 
  12/6 
  5 
  10 
  35 
  8 
  8 
  9”, {12”} 
  10d6, (1d6)% (Kung Fu) 
  103
  Tick-Tock 
  40 
  17 
  —  
  20 
  —  
  15/15 
  15/15 
  3 
  —  
  —  
  6 
  6 
  8”, !20”! 
  (2d6)%, 8d6 
  106
  Pocket Watch 
  6 
  12 
  8 
  8 
  6 
  2/0 
  2/0 
  3 
  3 
  15 
  4 
  4 
  6” 
  1d6 
  106
  Johnny-Come-Lately 15 
  24 
  15 
  10 
  10 
  9/3 
  9/3 
  4 
  8 
  26 
  8 
  8 
  6”, !12”! 
  6d6 Indirect, 7d6 AE 
  110
  Johnny-On-The-Spot 15 
  27 
  15 
  10 
  10 
  9/3 
  9/3 
  6 
  7 
  34 
  9 
  9 
  16”, 50” 
  6d6 AF 
  112
  Witch Of Red Hill 
  25 
  27 
  25 
  15 
  20 
  16/4 
  16/4 
  6 
  12 
  50 
  9 
  9 
  10”, {10”}, !10”! 
  (1½d6)%, (2d6) EX, 3d6 NND AE 
  114
  DARK CHAMPIONS: THE ANIMATED SERIES  SUMMARY TABLE
  Th e following table provides basic information about all the villains described in this book for easy reference. All characters are listed in alphabetical order, without regard for which 
  chapter they appear in. Th e “Attacks” column lists only the character’s most common or prominent attacks, since most villains have too many ways to attack to list them all. See the end of 
  the table for an explanation of the notation used.
  NOTES
  Attacks
  #:  A Normal Damage attack.
  (#):  A Killing Damage attack
  AE:  Area Of Effect
  AF:  Autoﬁ re
  Ego:  Ego Attack
  EX:  Explosion
  ISM:  Increased STUN Multiplier
  MC:  Mind Control
  NND:  No Normal Defense
  Pen:  Penetrating
  %:  Character can increase attack DMG with STR
  Movement
  #”:  Running (ground movement)
  (#”):  Swimming (listed if faster than 2”)
  [#”]:  Flight
  {#”}:  Leaping (listed if greater than normal )
  !#”!:  Special mode of movement (e.g., Swinging, 
  Tunneling, Teleportation)
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Hero System/Hero System Dark Champions The Animated Series.pdf