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Famous Archers

Who are some well known Archer heroes in the Champions Universe that have no superpowers, they're just normal people who are really good at archery?

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  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited January 2021
    Most of the Champions "supers" who use the archery motif fall into that category, the Green Arrow/Hawkeye archetype of high skill set with bow and arrows that have been technologically "gimmicked."

    Among the ranks of super-archers, the name, Scarlet Archer has the most storied history. Three heroes have used the identity since the Golden Age, each having received the blessing and mentorship of their predecessor. The first Scarlet Archer was Peter Tanfield, a minor British peer with athletic prowess and a passion for archery. Peter's father was killed by criminals, and he adopted a masked identity and used his bow skills to hunt them down. Tanfield was recruited to join the King's Men, Britain's official superhero team during World War Two. Scarlet Archer is fully written up in Golden Age Champions.

    Scarlet Archer II was Bradley Winston, an American whose history and hero origin are eerily similar to Tanfield's. He sought out the retired Tanfield for training and the right to use his code-name. SA II served for nearly two decades with the famous Sentinels superhero team starting in 1964. His history and character sheet are in issue #17 of Hero Games' electronic magazine, Digital Hero.

    Scarlet Archer III is also the first woman to use the identity. Sarah Grainger was a great fan of the Sentinels growing up, particularly Scarlet Archer. She trained herself in archery and other physical skills, then asked Bradley Winston to help prepare her to take up his old identity, which she did in 2003. After a few years of solo heroing Nighthawk recruited her for his anti-VIPER team, Project Mongoose.There's been no mention since then of Sarah's activities or whether she has remained with Project Mongoose. SA III, Nighthawk and the rest of Project Mongoose are treated in Champions Universe: News Of The World.

    Der Bogenschütze ("the Archer") is a prominent crime-fighter in Germany, who was inspired both by personal tragedy and stories of the first Scarlet Archer. In skill, resources, and attitude Ivo Baldner is reminiscent of the television version of Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow; except he's more of a gadgeteer, designing his own trick arrows. Der Bogenschütze is fully detailed in Champions Worldwide.

    Two other heroic archers are mentioned in Champions Universe: Straight Arrow, a woman who patrols the streets of Baltimore; and Yeoman, a member of the prominent British superhero team, the London Watch. CU contains no more info about either, although Yeoman is almost certainly based on the same character of that name who appeared in a source book for a previous version of the Champions Universe, called Kingdom of Champions.

    Among villainous archers, Warpath may be the most notable. A full-blooded Native American (rather cliche, I have to admit), she sought to escape poverty on her reservation through competitive archery, but was falsely accused of cheating. That pushed her into a life of crime which led to her arrest, but she was broken out by the Warlord and offered a place in his War Machine team. Warlord and the War Machine are fully detailed in Champions Villains Volume One: Master Villains.

    The Cahokian is also Native American, but at least he has the saving grace of not originating on Champions Earth. He comes from an alternate Earth in which the United States of America never formed, and Native Americans are a far larger and more prominent element of the populace. On that world the Empire of Cahokia dominates the American Midwest, and the Cahokian was that nation's analogue to Captain America, a soldier of extraordinary skill and a patriotic symbol to his people. Aside from using a crossbow he conforms to the same super-archer archetype as the examples above. During a super-battle with a rival nation's heroes the Cahokian was caught in a magic spell which cast him into Champions Earth. Confined by authorities, he was freed by the nascent mercenary superteam, Merc-Force 1, and agreed to work with them; but most hopes to find a way to return home. All of Merc-Force 1 are written up in the second volume of the Champions Villains trilogy, Villain Teams.

    My next selection is a bit of a cheat in regards to your request. ;) Jared Williams is technically a superhuman mutant. He was a gifted athlete with uncanny accuracy with thrown objects. He looked to have a great career ahead in professional sports, when testing revealed his accuracy was the result of a minor super mutation granting him extraordinary eye-hand coordination. That effectively banned him from competition. Out of bitterness Williams parlayed his mutant gimmick into the identity of Arrowhead, super-archer for hire. You'll find Arrowhead's write-up in CV Vol. 3, Solo Villains.
    Post edited by bulgarex on
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited January 2021
    Just as a point of contrast, the Indian sorcerer named Rashindar (Champions Worldwide) is one of the world's most powerful superheroes. Although exceptionally accomplished as a spell caster, Rashindar has also received gifts of power and weapons from the Hindu gods. One of those weapons is a bow which can fire arrows "made from the rays of the sun."

    Rashindar is more of a physical opponent than most sorcerers. He was given four additional arms by the gods, which allow him to wield multiple weapons simultaneously, and cast spells beyond the physical ability of most mystics. He was also taught how to grow to 200 feet tall, in which form he's one of the strongest beings on Earth. Using his full strength tires him quickly, though.
  • jaazaniah1jaazaniah1 Posts: 5,424 Arc User
    Since I had a gun mage I also had to have a bow mage: Sahir the Mad. Originally a Circassian Mamluk in the service of the 13th c. Egyptian Sultan Baybars, he was cursed by an evil sorcerer and fused with a Djinn to do that wizard's bidding. Eventually he and the Djinn decided to work together, instead of at cross purposes, and destroyed the sorcerer, but that did not end their conjoined existence. Because he often appears to be muttering and arguing with himself (strange patois of Arabic and whatever language is native to a Djinn) others think him mad.

    Sahir the Mad 5 - Freeform (Any / Multiple)
    v3.44:36

    Super Stats
    Level 6: Intelligence (Primary)
    Level 10: Presence (Secondary)
    Level 15: Dexterity (Secondary)

    Talents
    Level 1: The Hexslinger (Dex: 10, Int: 10, Ego: 10, Pre: 8)
    Level 6: Coordinated (Dex: 5, Int: 5)
    Level 9: Finesse (Dex: 5, Pre: 5)
    Level 12: Diplomatic (Int: 5, Pre: 5)
    Level 15: Shrug It Off (Con: 5, Pre: 5)
    Level 18: Showmanship (Ego: 5, Pre: 5)
    Level 21: Lasting Impression (Pre: 5, Rec: 5)

    Powers
    Level 1: Strafe
    Level 1: Sonic Arrow (Rank 2, Deadly Dissonance)
    Level 6: Concentration
    Level 8: Conviction (Rank 2, Reverence)
    Level 11: Aura of Primal Majesty (Rank 2, Rank 3)
    Level 14: Conjuring
    Level 17: Will-o'-the-Wisp (Guide, Ghost Fire)
    Level 20: Miniaturization Drive (Rank 2)
    Level 23: Storm of Arrows (Rank 2, Achilles' Heel)
    Level 26: Eldritch Shield (Rank 2, Rank 3)
    Level 29: Resurgence
    Level 32: Death's Embrace (Pact)
    Level 35: Fiery Embrace
    Level 38: Pillar of Poz (Rank 2, Rank 3)
    Adv. Points: 34/36

    Travel Powers
    Level 6: Scorching Athletics (Rank 2, Rank 3)
    Level 35: Arcane Flight

    Specializations
    Intelligence: Enlightened (3/3)
    Intelligence: Tactician (2/2)
    Intelligence: Detect Vulnerability (3/3)
    Intelligence: Expertise (2/2)
    Sentinel: Torment (2/2)
    Sentinel: Sentinel Aura (3/3)
    Sentinel: Moment of Need (3/3)
    Sentinel: Wither (2/2)
    Overseer: Ruthless (2/2)
    Overseer: Overseer Aura (1/3)
    Overseer: Impact (2/2)
    Overseer: Honor (2/2)
    Overseer: Trapped (3/3)
    Mastery: Sentinel Mastery (1/1)

    Devices
    Slot 1: Archer's Memory
    Slot 2: Psionic Accelerator
    Slot 3: Anagogic Aspect
    JwLmWoa.png
    Perseus, Captain Arcane, Tectonic Knight, Pankration, Siberiad, Sekhmet, Black Seraph, Clockwork
    Project Attalus: Saving the world so you don't have to!
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    During the prehistoric Turakian Age (Hero Games' "high fantasy" setting for their shared universe), priests who were also archers could cast a bit of the power of Hornbrek, the god of storms, into their loosed arrows, releasing a blast of lightning and deafening thunder on impact with their target. In the later Atlantean Age, some of the greatest heroes might possess a Helion Bow, imbued with the light of the sun god Helios, which they could fire as destructive rays in lieu of arrows. Along with the example of Rashindar above, there's more than enough precedent and sources for a magic-based super archer.
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