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Champions Universe: Unique Character Origins (Revised)

bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
Editor's Note: The following is a revised update to a thread I first posted to this forum years ago. Since that time I've identified several other setting-based character origins meeting the criteria I set out below. However, the limit to the number of letters/characters I can put in one post here, left me unable to simply add them to my main list. Therefore the simplest course seemed to be starting from scratch with a new thread.


The Champions Universe, being inspired by the major mainstream comics companies, embraces the full range of classic super character origins you see in those comics: mutagenic accidents, genetic mutation, radical scientific inventions, mystic martial arts, aliens, spellcasting sorcery, gods and supernatural creatures, cosmic entities, etc. However, there are a number of origin concepts, described in the Champions Pen and Paper books, that IMHO are pretty original and distinctive to the setting, but don't require characters to have unusual backgrounds to fit them. I thought it might be helpful to the community if I outlined a few of my favorite unique origins here, which someone might find useful for their own Player Characters.

Feel free to post inquiries about any of these, or suggestions for additional origins.



Alien Gene-Tampering: Superhuman powers resulting from aliens mucking with Human DNA is a well-established comic-book trope. On Champions Earth the Qularr are one likely candidate. The main reason the Qularr invaded Earth in the first place was so they could study the Human genome on a large scale, to understand why and how Humans manifest superpowers with greater frequency and average power than nearly any other species, including the Qularr. They hope to engineer that capacity in themselves. At least one experiment along those lines has yielded a super-powered hybrid, although by accident. It's highly likely other similar experiments are being conducted by Qularr currently on Earth, or perhaps on Humans kidnapped and brought back to Qularr space.

What virtually no one knows is that one reason Humans do manifest powers more often, is because that genetic potential was placed in them by incredibly ancient and advanced aliens called the Progenitors. Two million years ago the Progenitors advanced the evolution of Humanity's ancestor species to the next stage of sapience. Half a million years ago they experimented on Homo erectus, creating the first of the ageless superhuman Empyrean race. Champions Universe suggests they might also be responsible for the creation of the Birdpeople of Thaar twelve thousand years ago.

In any case, the Progenitors still exist, continuing their experiments and periodically monitoring the progress of past ones. It's not unreasonable to assume that they would do some "followup" work on Human DNA.

You can read much more about the Qularr and Progenitors in Champions Beyond.


Coruscations of Power: In the worldwide accidental cataclysm which devastated the alien planet Ashraal centuries ago, and gave birth to the awesome cosmic villain Xarriel, discreet bursts of energy from the main explosion were cast across space and time, emerging in random locations in the space-time continuum. To date at least five of these "coruscations of power" have appeared on or near the Earth in recent years, and affected humans in their vicinity, creating the supervillains Photon, Stareye, Sunspot, and Vector, and the superhero Victory.

The coruscations can manifest as bursts of light from space, but in the past have been mistaken for solar flares or lightning storms. Powers induced by them can, but not must, include various forms of energy projection, flight (usually very fast), mind-affecting abilities, enhanced physical strength, speed, and durability, and the ability to survive in hostile environments (even space).

Xarriel is fully detailed in Champions Beyond, while the other villains mentioned are in Champions Villains Volume Three, except for Stareye in Vol. 2; while Victory is in Champions Universe.


DEMONic Experiments: One of the classic superhero origins is the person unwillingly subjected to villainous scientific experiments who uses their newly-gained powers to escape. In the CU quite a few official supers came about that way, particularly due to actions by VIPER and ARGENT. But DEMON, the worldwide supernatural villain org, often conduct their own magical analogues to scientific research, which have spawned magical superhumans.

One official villain, named Riptide, was a young runaway girl before a member of DEMON found her and turned her over to his Morbane. The Morbane attempted a magic experiment to bind the girl to a water elemental, hoping to create a strong but mentally pliable minion. But Riptide's crazed fear at what was done to her was now backed with elemental powers, enabling her to force her way to freedom. The supervillain now called Morningstar was the result of a tactic that DEMON often uses since it became estranged from the rulers of Hell: forcing a summoned demon to temporarily occupy the human body of a DEMON Brother, giving the Brother a measure of demonic power but with the human personality in control. For unknown reasons, Morningstar's possession proved permanent. He fought DEMON's enemies for some time, under enchantment to ensure his loyalty, until a battle with magical heroes severed the control spell and returned his free will. Morningstar left DEMON to become an independent supervillain. (Both characters are detailed in Champions Villains Vol. 3.)

Another villain in the service of DEMON, Professor Samedi, was a minor DEMON member, and lackluster musician, before his Morbane had him try to play an enchanted fiddle the Morbane had acquired. Samedi found he could cast several potent spells with the fiddle's music, but it changed him physically, making him look almost skeletally gaunt; and changed his personality, to more actively, confidently malevolent. So there's precedent for a Morbane to have one of his disposable minions "test drive" a magic item. Perhaps a given item would change the wielder's personality in a more positive way. (Prof. Samedi is detailed in DEMON: Servants Of Darkness.)


Department 17: Since World War II, the United States government has researched ways to safely and reliably create superhumans, as well as to more effectively control them, with few successes. Their efforts have often resulted in severe, even fatal physical and mental side effects to their subjects, and produced as many supervillains as superheroes. During WW II the US military set up the Haynesville Project for this purpose, at Fort McLaughlin (now McLaughlin Air Force Base) near the small town of Haynesville, Kansas. After the war the Project was declassified and officially shut down, and McLaughlin AFB appears nearly abandoned today.

This was a ruse. The Haynesville Project was never shut down. Still secretly based at McLaughlin, what is now titled Department 17 is the Defense Department's hub for research into superpower generation and superhuman control. Under its current director, General Clarence Smith, it conducts a wide variety of research involving drugs and chemicals, radiation treatments, genetic engineering, and other exotic methods. Much of the Department's current research focuses on refining the Cyberline procedure used for PRIMUS's Avenger program. The Department's scientists are also very interested in investigating any reports of new manifestations of superpowers.

General Smith might go to great lengths to keep 17's existence and activities secret. He's also used some "creative" accounting to keep his department funded. Department 17 is described on Champions Universe p. 138.


"Divine" Intervention: In the Champions Universe, all the gods and demons of myth and religion that humans still remember actually exist. Although very powerful in their home astral dimensions, a metaphysical barrier called the Ban prevents them from manifesting on Earth with their full power. But there are a few ways divine beings can create lesser-powered Earthly agents to champion their causes.

One of these ways is to infuse some of their power, and sometimes personality, into a deserving human host, creating a superhuman reflecting the qualities of his or her patron deity. Quite a few official Champions heroes and villains have been empowered in this way. In keeping with comic-book origin conventions, their empowerment typically comes under unusual and dramatic circumstances, often at a key turning point in the life of the hero. For example, the first Johnny Hercules was given an amulet by an "apparition" of Zeus when the circus he worked for toured Greece, containing the "Hercules Force," the power of Hercules as a demigod which he abandoned when he became fully a god. The Nigerian hero Ogun gained power over metal after being beaten near to death by criminal thugs, when he received a vision of the Yoruba god of the forge of the same name.

Ogun is thoroughly detailed in Champions Worldwide, while the current Johnny Hercules is featured in the PDF book The Hercules Force, available from the Hero Games website store. Much more on CU gods and the Ban can be found in The Mystic World.


Empyrean Heritage: For hundreds of thousands of years, the immortal superhuman offshoot of humanity called Empyreans have existed alongside their human cousins. While they maintain their own city of Arcadia in Antarctica, hidden from human discovery by advanced devices, the majority of Empyreans choose to live incognito among humanity. The general population is ignorant of their existence; only a few superheroes have been trusted with the secret, although the Lemurians know of Arcadia and have been enemies of the Empyreans for many millennia. A few Empyreans have acted as superheroes or villains in the modern era.

Empyreans sometimes have children by humans, who are always either normal humans or full Empyreans. These children may grow up unaware of their true heritage; but the Empyreans' leaders scan the world for any new Empyrean offspring, and when they discover one induct him or her into their society. But individual Empyreans can follow whatever activities they like, provided they don't reveal their race's existence to mankind.

All Empyreans are ageless, physically superhuman to a greater or lesser extent, and can fly. They can manifest a wide range of mental or energy powers, although the type and degree varies based on innate ability and the interest a given Empyrean has in developing specific powers, usually related to their preferred pastimes. The Empyreans and Arcadia are extensively described in Hidden Lands.


Golden Age Legacies: In the real world the earliest comic-book superheroes appeared starting in 1938, and continued to be created over the course of World War II. Champions Earth's first actual superhumans also began to appear during this period. Most of those heroes eventually retired, to be replaced by newer generations; but often those newer heroes were inspired by their predecessors, in many cases even to the point of adopting their code names as an homage. Most such "legacy heroes" were either the relatives or proteges of the originals, or sought their blessing to carry on their names. However, certain lineages originating in the Golden Age have been particularly fertile in continuing to produce new heroes to uphold the family tradition.

In the winter of 1939 Kiril Lenskii was a young officer in the Soviet army serving in his country's war against Finland. Badly wounded in an attack that wiped out the rest of his unit, and overcome by the severe winter cold, Lenskii collapsed unconscious over underground caverns which released strange gasses. As they entered his lungs his body began to change. He awoke to discover that not only was his body healed and stronger than before, but he was now immune to the cold, and could even create intense cold, snow, and ice over limited areas. Given the code name, General Zima ("winter"), over the course of World War II Kiril Lenskii became the Soviet military's leading superhero, and remained so for many years.

The three sons of fisherman and former naval sailor Morimoto Takashi (by a mysterious woman who may have been a supernatural spirit) were each born with extraordinary abilities: enormous strength and durability (Ichiro); incredible speed (Jiro); and probability manipulation (Saburo) manifesting as phenomenal luck for himself, and phenomenal misfortune for his opponents. The three young men were recruited by the Japanese government to fight their country's foes, first China in the 1930s, and later the Americans and their allies during WW II. They were among Japan's most prominent superhuman champions during and after the war.

Each of the three Morimoto brothers had more than one superhuman offspring, while all seven of General Zima's children developed super powers. Today there are over two dozen "super" members of the extended Morimoto family, and descendants of General Zima, active in their respective homelands. It would be reasonable to expect a few of their relatives to have emigrated to other countries at some point.

Although the histories of these characters don't explicitly state it one way or the other, there's no reason to assume superhumans from their lineages necessarily manifest the same types of powers as their ancestors. The mutations of all three original Morimoto brothers were radically different from each other; while General Zima's origin implies his abilities resulted from his body adapting to a specific environment.

The full write-ups for General Zima and the Morimoto brothers appear in the latest edition of Golden Age Champions (for Hero System Sixth Edition).


Hzeel Biomatter: Champions Earth has experienced several alien invasions in the past, and of course is currently dealing with renewed intrusions by the Gadroon and Qularr. What no one on Earth knows yet, is that another aggressive species, the Hzeel, also have the Earth in their sights. These short, blue-skinned humanoids have scouted Earth for nearly two decades, wanting it as an advance staging area in their war against the Dorvalans (Ironclad's race).

At least two Hzeel scout craft have crashed on Earth and been discovered by humans. One of these was salvaged by Roger Warwell, aka the Warlord, and its technology became the basis for his own weapon designs. Hzeel technology is partly biological, and can have radical unpredictable effects when it comes in contact with human tissue. Two humans, the solo supervillain Howler, and the Warlord's minion Warcry, gained superhuman vocal powers when Hzeel communications devices were implanted in their throats (this happening spontaneously on contact in the case of Howler).

The effect also extends to tissues from Hzeel themselves; VIPER's staff supervillain Oculon gained his powerful eyebeams from eyes from an Hzeel corpse transplanted to his sockets. (Hzeel don't have eyebeams, they're the result of interaction between the two species' biologies.) Anyone using recognizable Hzeel materials would undoubtedly be of interest to both the Hzeel and the Warlord.

The Hzeel have a whole chapter in Champions Beyond. The Warlord and Warcry are written up in Champions Villains Vol. 1, Howler in Vol. 3, and Oculon in VIPER: Coils Of The Serpent.


Kelvarite: This mysterious, green-glowing extraterrestrial mineral has been found in meteorites from several falls. It's a powerful source of energy, but is extremely unstable and prone to explosion when disturbed. Some people who have been bombarded by radiation or fragments from exploding kelvarite have gained superhuman powers, typically (but not exclusively) superhuman strength and durability, and some type of enhanced movement capability, e.g. super-running or -leaping, flight, or teleportation. They also acquire a susceptibility to radiation from other samples of kelvarite. Known superhumans with this origin include the solo villains Tachyon and Thunderbolt II (Champions Villains Volume Three: Solo Villains), Dr. Destroyer's servant Meteor (CV Volume One: Master Villains), and the African superhero Gazelle (in Champions Worldwide).

Large organizations such as the US government and UNTIL have secured all the kelvarite they can find, but sometimes lend samples to research laboratories. Other kelvarite meteorites remain to be discovered. However, what no one is aware of is that what they call kelvarite is actually impure samples, which is why it's unstable. Pure kelvarite doesn't resemble the impure mineral, and is extremely rare on Earth. Its energies respond to the will of intelligent beings in physical contact with it, allowing them to wield formidable energy-projection powers. (It isn't obvious that the power comes from the kelvarite itself.) The only pure kelvarite discovered so far was made into rings worn by the three men who have used the superheroic identity, Meteor Man. (The first Meteor Man is fully written up in Golden Age Champions.)

The origin of kelvarite is laid out in Champions Beyond.


Post edited by bulgarex on

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  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited March 2021
    Martial-Arts Temples: For centuries, hidden enclaves have existed in the Far East where dedicated monks have practiced the most advanced physical and spiritual martial-arts techniques, including virtually superhuman abilities for those with the skill and determination to master them. The most legendary of these sites among knowledgeable martial artists are Yengtao Temple, somewhere in the mountains of China; and the city of Shamballah, in a cave beneath a mountain in the Himalayas. Both sites are hidden from the outside world both physically and magically, so that only those already highly disciplined in body and mind can find them. But those who do can study almost any martial art that has ever existed, and perhaps achieve abilities like the heroes of legend.

    Various students at Yengtao Temple have returned to the outside world to become heroes, or villains. In the present day the Millennium City superhero Nightwind, his bitter rival Jade Phoenix, and the Hong Kong hero Golden Dragon Fist, all learned their extraordinary skills and ch'i powers from Yengtao. Jade Phoenix was responsible for the destruction of Yengtao Temple and murder of the monks in 1996, but there may be other former students alive in the world. And Shamballah, second only to Yengtao as a repository of mystic martial-arts secrets, still stands.

    But Shamballah also guards a dark secret even further beneath the mountain: its evil twin city, Agharti, prison of the Dark Monks, also extraordinarily skilled but utterly corrupt. While the Shamballans prevent the Dark Monks from escaping, they don't forbid outsiders from visiting the city, or leaving afterwards.

    The story of Yengtao Temple, and description of some of its unique techniques, appear in Champions Universe. Shamballah and Agharti are described in considerable detail in Hidden Lands. Jade Phoenix is written up in Champions Villains Volume Three: Solo Villains, while Nightwind is in the {i]Millennium City[/i] source book.


    Mythic Forces: Under the entry for "Divine" Intervention, above, is the story of how circus strongman Johnny Hercules received the Hercules Force in an amulet bestowed by Zeus. Johnny died in the Battle of Detroit, and his amulet, apparently powerless, was buried with him. But the Hercules Force continued to exist, and over a decade later "chose" another human vessel for its power, a student of Classical culture, who became the second and current Johnny Hercules. One of his greatest foes is the monstrous Typhon, once a bitter, angry archaeologist who was the recipient of the Typhon Force, a sort of balance to the Hercules Force.

    The PDF book, The Hercules Force, which fully writes up both characters, suggests that other "forces" could exist based on other gods, demigod heroes, or divine-level monsters. The examples imply that these would be mythic figures who are either dead or imprisoned, e.g. Achilles, Python, Baldur, or Ymir. Powers granted would be consistent with the legendary abilities of those entities. The forces are most likely drawn to people with personalities similar to the original source being and/or familiarity and strong attachment to the culture it comes from. They would differ from empowerment directly by a mythic god in that there would be no potential meddling in the character's life by their patron divinity.


    Professional Armorers: One of the staples of the superhero genre is the gadget-using super, with no actual super-powers but employing equipment made of special materials and/or incorporating advanced technology. Most comic-book heroes build their own gadgets, or have them designed for them by benevolent patron inventors or agencies. Some heroes acquire prototype devices by accident, including "liberating" them from their villainous makers (often earning them pursuit by the vengeful villain). But it's not unheard-of in comics for a scientist -- usually one of criminal bent -- to sell his technological services to whoever will pay.

    In the official Champions Universe there are several possible sources of scientific expertise for hire to aspiring supers. Most of these are considered criminals by most world law-enforcement, so don't typically contract with anyone of obvious heroic bent who might cause them trouble. But for another criminal, or a mercenary or vigilante of grey morality, they're often the route to quick super status.

    Millennium City is the home base of Wayland Talos, a brilliant inventor with a pathological hatred of superheroes. To strike back at them he supplies villains with everything from questionite hand weapons, to energy blasters or jet packs, to full suits of powered armor. He's considered one of the underworld's premier armorers, with few individual competitors. One of those competitors is known as Brainchild, a telepathic gadgeteer who primarily supplies tactical and technical support to other criminals, rather than take the risk of committing his own crimes.

    On the international front, the Warlord is a powered-armor villain and would-be conqueror who's also a major dealer in high-tech armaments, and who has created super-class weaponry and armor for individuals for the right price. The unscrupulous corporation called ARGENT does a thriving business in service to criminals; not just supplying gadgetry, but even physically augmenting a person through bionic implants or experimental biochemical treatments. The independent city-state of Larisagrad was once a center for the USSR's classified scientific research, including advanced weaponry, and experiments to create true superhumans. After the collapse of the Soviet Union and thus their funding, the scientists of Larisagrad chose to freelance to the highest bidder.

    The only truly benign inventor engaged in remotely similar activity is named Ralph Polarewski. Formerly the full-time technical supervisor to the famous Sentinels superhero team, Ralph left them after a bitter argument with the team's leader. He's become a well-known freelance contractor to members of the superhero community who use gadgets but have no technical skills of their own. As written he primarily works for people already established as heroes (and would never sell his services to someone of questionable morality), but would be well able to supply an equipment-based origin to someone who could convince him of their sincerity and dedication.

    ARGENT and Larisagrad are described in Champions Universe. The Warlord and his organization are fully written up in Volume One of the Champions Villains trilogy, while Brainchild and Wayland Talos get the same treatment in Volume Three. Ralph Polarewski is detailed in the book, Everyman.


    Project Sunburst: In 1994 a group of American "rogue generals" assigned over 200 volunteer soldiers to what they were told was a war game. In fact the generals were experimenting to try to create superpowered soldiers resistant to radiation, by detonating a nuclear device near them while they wore protective suits. Most of the volunteers soon died of radiation poisoning, while a handful slipped into comas. Most of the comatose were placed into a secret holding facility, codenamed "The Crypt," while a few were stored at other sites.

    In the intervening years, several of these survivors have developed superhuman physical and energy powers. A few, such as the master villain Sunburst and his follower Radium, awakened spontaneously. Others, like Dr. Destroyer's security chief, Gigaton, were aroused with help from other villains. Some escaped the Crypt on their own, while others were "liberated." All the active survivors except Gigaton and the powered-armor villain, Armadillo, have joined Sunburst. However, the remaining comatose subjects are still being kept in secret in the Crypt, not just from the public but from the generals' own superiors.

    Most of these villains are fully written up in Champions Villains Vol. 1: Master Villains, although Armadillo is in Vol. 3.


    Radium-X: This radioactive element has been known to science on Champions Earth since at least the 1930s. It's well known for its radiation's mutagenic properties, able to induce radical, even super-empowering mutations in living organisms under certain conditions. For example, it's a critical component of Dr. Phillippe Moreau's process for creating Manimals. The late superhero Tiger, a leader of the famous Sentinels superhero team, was a former UNTIL agent who became a man-tiger hybrid through accidental exposure to radium-X and some of Moreau's chemicals during a raid on the Doctor's lab. In 1940 a Bulgarian laboratory researcher gained formidable magnetic powers after the failure of an experimental magnetron being powered by radium-X flooded her lab with radiation. She took the code-name Leitstern ("lodestar") and was drafted to fight with Germany during WW II.

    The preceding examples suggest that the specific mutations caused by radium-X are thematically linked to the environmental conditions applying at the time. The origin of Leitstern also highlights another major use for radium-X, as a concentrated high-energy power source for various devices. The Golden Age villain Liquifier needed that element to power his Matter-Liquifier Ray, which could change any inanimate solid matter to a liquid state. It's possible that other radical technology can only be powered by radium-X's unique radiation.

    Radium-X can be purchased legally. Various research laboratories are noted as studying or using it. However, the clear implication of references to it is that it's rare and expensive, leading to attempts to steal it by people with less than upright intentions for it.

    Dr. Phillippe Moreau and his followers are fully written up in Champions Villains Volume One: Master Villains, while both Leitstern and Liquifier are detailed in Golden Age Champions. Tiger has never been given a full background story or Hero System character sheet, but is mentioned and briefly described in CV Vol. 1, Champions Universe, and Book Of The Destroyer.


    The Swords of Nama: During the Dark Ages the serpent-god Nama, who is today the patron deity of VIPER, set out to become a great power among Men. He gathered six mighty warriors from across Eurasia to be his agents and generals, to conquer an empire in his name. For each warrior he forged a powerful enchanted sword. But before they could achieve any major successes the warriors quarreled, which ultimately led to all their deaths. The Swords of Nama were scattered. Over the intervening centuries some of these legendary swords reappeared, and a few were destroyed; but others remain to be discovered in ruins across Eastern Europe.

    The story of the six "vipers upon the land" appears as a small part of the history of Nama and VIPER, on p. 6 of the book, VIPER: Coils Of The Serpent. Aside from being called "serpent-blades" the Swords of Nama aren't described, nor are any of their qualities defined, which leaves a player free to imbue a particular sword with any powers desired. Note that Nama is neither good nor evil, and has helped heroes or villains as the mood struck him; so there's no inherent reason for his Swords to be one or the other.


    Teleios, the Perfect Man: Many people who have only encountered Teleios during play in Champions Online may think of him just as a cloner of people, and a creator of animalistic monsters. While he certainly does such things, the range of his genetic expertise goes far beyond that. More than half a dozen official supers, villainous and heroic, owe their powers or very existence to The Perfect Man.

    Teleios has the skill to induce almost any super power in any human, whether or not that person already has powers or the potential for them. Teleios will do this for pay, or in exchange for services or favors, as he did for the supervillain-turned-hero Flashover (Champions Universe: News Of The World), and her brother, the villain Hurricane (Champions Villains Vol. 3: Solo Villains). Teleios has been known to bestow powers on someone on a whim, whether or not they want them, like after a dalliance with the Indian woman now known as Monsoon (Champions Worldwide).

    The Perfect Man can grow completely original, humanoid or human-looking superhumans with any abilities he chooses. He sometimes sells his creations, as when he supplied VIPER with the powerful monster named Obelisque (Champions Worldwide). Sometimes Teleios turns a creation loose in the world uncontrolled (although not unmonitored), to see how it responds and develops. He did this with the beings labeled the Landsman, and the Lodge (both in Champions Of The North).

    The master geneticist can program his creations with whatever skills he or his employer desires. He can even implant elaborate false memories, to the point where the person has no idea he or she is artificial or has any connection to the Perfect Man. This is how Teleios programs the cloned soldiers he sells to other villains and groups. The superheroine called the Teen Dream (Teen Champions), whom Teleios designed as an experiment in social manipulation, is unaware of her real origin and considers herself a true hero. When he makes a creature Teleios implants controlling genes that make it psychologically impossible for that creature to harm him, or may even make it a loyal follower (although they have been known to fail on at least one occasion). Those controls can be so subtle that a person isn't consciously aware of them. It's possible Teleios could do this to humans he augments, but there are no examples; however, he does frequently build in exploitable weaknesses should they turn on him.

    Teleios is fully written up in Champions Villains Vol. 1: Master Villains.


    Vandaleur Bloodline: Founded a thousand years ago by their immortal progenitor, Adrian Vandaleur, this widespread clan of sorcerers is one of the premier occult dynasties in the Western world. Although the majority of Vandaleurs have no more talent for magic than most people, the gift for spell casting is far more common among them than in the general populace; and their ranks include some of the most powerful mages in the world.

    Members of the family are aware of each other, and sometimes cooperate, sometimes conflict. But Adrian Vandaleur, whose power dwarfs that of his kin, keeps any factionalism from descending into violence. Otherwise individual Vandaleurs are free to follow whatever activities they like. Their personalities and morality vary widely. Some are benevolent, even heroic; others are amoral and ruthless, up to megalomaniacal psychopaths. Most are simply concerned with their own interests.

    Any Vandaleur with magical ability and desire to develop it could find family members able and willing to train him. The Vandaleur family are described in detail in Champions Villains Vol. 2: Villain Teams.


    The Vita-Man Clan: Percy Yates was born in Los Angeles in 1910. Brilliant but sickly throughout his youth, he studied biology, chemistry, and nutrition to find ways to improve his own health. In 1939 he discovered a compound which when administered in a pill had a miraculous effect on him, transforming his body to one of perfect health and exceptional physical vigor. Further experimentation led to additional pills granting him true super-powers, including X-ray vision, invisibility, flight, growth to giant size and strength, or shrinking to the size of a mouse.

    Yates's discoveries had two major drawbacks. Their effects were only temporary -- his main vitalizing pill lasted about an hour per dose, while his additional abilities endured for only a minute. Yates was also unable to make them work for anyone else -- they interacted with his own unique physiology. Nonetheless he used his new abilities to fight crime under the costumed identity of Vita-Man. Vita-Man was recruited by the Drifter as one of the founding members of the Justice Squadron superhero team, protecting the west coast of the United States during WW II.

    Percy Yates's health continued to deteriorate over time, leading to his retirement as Vita-Man in 1948, and his death in 1964. But in the intervening years he learned that several of his family members shared the biological factors which would allow them to use his empowering treatments. Today half a dozen of his kin are using "variations of his discoveries" (wording suggesting that other powers are possible).

    Vita-Man's full background and character sheet are included in the Golden Age Champions Secret Files, a PDF collecting outtakes from the manuscript for the latest edition of Golden Age Champions.
    Post edited by bulgarex on
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited March 2021

    The Zodiac Working: In 1979 the late master villain Archimago, greatest sorceror of the Twentieth Century, attempted this fearsome ritual, to impregnate twelve women by twelve powerful demons. The resulting hybrid children could be used by the demons as hosts to incarnate themselves on Earth with all their power. The ritual was interrupted and the women rescued by the superhero team, the Fabulous Five. The women seemed unharmed and weren't pregnant, so returned home.

    Two years later one of these women married and gave birth to a girl who later manifested powers of destructive energy, as well as a propensity for rage and vandalism. She grew up to become the supervillain Frag (fully written up in CV Vol. 3). She has no knowledge of her true origins, thinking herself a mutant. Although she usually appears human, when enraged her form becomes more demonic-looking.

    Another of these women gave birth to a son, who now acts as the superhero Pagan (described in the book The Ultimate Mystic). In his superhero identity (resembling a satyr) he's physically superhuman and can project powerful mystic light. Pagan discovered his true heritage when his demonic father Belial attempted to seduce him to his service. Although his diabolical inclinations are strong, Pagan's inherent decency has so far won out.

    To date nothing has been revealed about the other ten victims of the Zodiac Working.
    Post edited by bulgarex on
  • regarding department 17...didn't the USSR have its own version of that? directorate black twelve or something like that​​
    #LegalizeAwoo
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited May 2018
    regarding department 17...didn't the USSR have its own version of that? directorate black twelve or something like that​​

    Quite so. Directorate Black-12 was the hub for much classified, cutting-edge research through most of the Cold War era. Creation of superhuman government operatives was its most infamous activity, including several members of the now-mercenary Red Winter super team; although like the American programs it produced only a handful of successes amidst many failures, which sometimes resulted in new supervillains. DB-12 was actually based in the city of Larisagrad, mentioned on the list above under "Professional Armorers." When the Soviet Union collapsed the funding for Larisagrad's researchers dried up; so the majority of them decided to go independent, offering their services for hire, whether to other nations, private individuals, or even supervillains and terrorist groups (although Larisagrad's leaders deny that, and no law-enforcement body has firm proof).

    Something else law enforcement suspect but can't prove -- which happens to be correct -- is that Larisagrad was subverted by ARGENT. For over a decade the city has effectively been a "subsidiary" of that villainous corporation.

    The story of Directorate Black-12 and Larisagrad is laid out in Champions Universe. You could also read a summary of info about Larisagrad on this forum thread.
  • did they happen to create white wolf or does he have a different origin? i have one character i wanted to have created as a result of DB-12's experimentation, but as he's not exactly human, i wondered if they've ever experimented with human-animal DNA hybridization​​
    #LegalizeAwoo
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited May 2018
    White Wolf specifically was the recipient of a supernatural lycanthropic curse. There's no mention that any of the few superhumans successfully created by DB-12 were the product of human-animal hybridization. There's also no statement that this was never essayed, so for your purpose, of course it was. ;) Given the decades-long operation of the Directorate, it would be surprising if that hadn't at least been attempted at some point.

    The possibilities are especially intriguing in light of the history of real-world experiments by a prominent Russian scientist to hybridize humans with apes: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/primate-diaries/stalins-ape-man-superwarriors/ . Some of the more outlandish claims cited by that article, e.g. attempts by the Stalin regime to breed hybrid "superwarriors," might actually be true in the Champions Universe.
  • so, semi-off topic, but...how did white wolf get cursed anyway? did he get bitten, find a cursed talisman or piss off a deity like lycaon did with zeus?​​
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  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited May 2018
    I don't want to stray too far afield in this thread, so I'll keep this short. :) White Wolf's parents offended a local witch, who cursed their young son with lycanthropy. His parents tried every folk cure they could find, then in desperation turned to the Soviet government. Sensing a possible asset, the KGB took the boy from his parents, raised and trained him, and indoctrinated him to be a loyal Communist and servant of the State. (Summarized from Champions Villains Vol. 2: Villain Teams p. 170.)

    To anticipate your next question ;) , CU therianthropy can be achieved through different means. Some spells can inflict it as above. Some therianthropes are "contagious" by bite, others are not. Therianthropy can also be inherited through family lines. Some supernatural races, like the kitsune, can naturally change between human and animal form. And the possible alternate creature forms a Champions therianthrope could change into is far broader than just wolves or wolf-men.
  • shadowolf505shadowolf505 Posts: 697 Arc User
    Can you send me a link of Hidden Lands so I could learn a more indepth knowledge on Empyreans? :O​​
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  • omnilord#8416 omnilord Posts: 348 Arc User
    So is this going to be something the rest of the community can contribute to? I know I've actually read the bio of a few of the more notable figures in CO, and so I'm certain others have as well. Likely there's someone that managed to read every bio out in the game. XD

    Anyways, my suggestion is for people to look at Frostius' bio. In my opinion, it was pretty unique to me.
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    Can you send me a link of Hidden Lands so I could learn a more indepth knowledge on Empyreans? :O​​

    If you mean, where you can purchase a copy of Hidden Lands for yourself, please check your Private Messages. ;)
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    So is this going to be something the rest of the community can contribute to? I know I've actually read the bio of a few of the more notable figures in CO, and so I'm certain others have as well. Likely there's someone that managed to read every bio out in the game. XD

    Anyways, my suggestion is for people to look at Frostius' bio. In my opinion, it was pretty unique to me.

    I very much appreciate your desire to contribute, but I would prefer to confine this thread to material that's "official" per Champions Online and Champions PnP. That's unquestionably part of the setting and available to everyone to use, whereas original PCs are ultimately the property of their players, and may not jibe with official lore.
  • jonsillsjonsills Posts: 6,315 Arc User
    Are there any "official" therianthropes whose original form was an animal, and whose skin-changing curse made them part-time humans? (I have one who was originally a wolf, bitten by a lycanthrope during a Wild Hunt event in Canada, and became a wolf-woman.)
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  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    None that I'm aware of. I think it's a clever idea (although not the first time I've heard the concept), but that kind of binary logic about the inflicted "curse" of skin-changing seems to be mostly a post-modern deconstruction of the myth which has little basis in folklore. Magical animals who can take human form are common in legend, but that's considered their nature. Raising true animals to humanoid form and intelligence has been largely the realm of modern science-fiction.

    However, as I pointed out above, therianthropy in the CU has variations (The Mystic World goes into this a little), so it's possible there could be "mutated" forms of the contagion. Especially with all the weird magic that's been thrown around Champions Earth since 1938. Like I always say, this is a comic-book world, so if it's logical, fits the genre, and sounds cool, it works. :)
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited May 2018
    As you all know, I love answering Champs lore questions =) , but I would just caution against getting too much into specific issues beyond the subject of this thread. That would dilute its usefulness to people drawn to the topic itself. You're more than welcome to post those questions elsewhere on the Champions PnP sub-forum.
  • tenebrisnoxtenebrisnox Posts: 43 Arc User
    edited May 2018
    Moved elsewhere.
    Post edited by tenebrisnox on
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    I'd be happy to offer feedback and suggestions, but I think this particular subject would indeed be better as a separate thread. :)
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited May 2018
    That is a worthy subject for discussion, 'Beast, thank you for raising it. (The Projekt she's referring to is briefly described in Teen Champions; helping track down rogue superhumans created by it, and helping the survivors integrate into society, was a major motivation for the superhero Rowan to found Ravenswood Academy.)

    I considered including PNJ on my list, but decided against it for several reasons. Nearly no details are given about what was actually done to its young subjects aside from it being horrific, or what powers any of them gained. (What you describe sounds likely given who was conducting the experiments, but isn't actually stated.) There are no other references to the Projekt anywhere else, no suggestion of its ongoing influence, or any example NPCs connected to it other than Rowan. And as you say, any survivors are likely to carry emotional if not physical scars, a background complication I wanted to avoid for these origins.

    That doesn't mean this lore bit isn't suitable for character backstory -- quite the opposite! Lots of role players like characters dealing with tragedy; and the very vagueness of it lends itself to interpretation of whatever character abilities a player would like. I just considered it providing too little of some things, and too much of others, for me to have confidently included it here for general use.
    Post edited by bulgarex on
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    You're right, I found that wording on closer inspection. I stand corrected. :3 It still doesn't say what if any successes the Projekt had, or what failures or drawbacks they experienced. Nonetheless I agree, it's definitely worth having on the record. But it would require more in-depth exploration to work out the ramifications for a character in the present day. Conversely, there's less lore to hang it on than for most of the origins I listed. I'm glad you brought it up, though.
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited April 2020
    On reviewing all the latest extant information on this next possibility, I decided there's enough clear potential use for it to be added to our list. I've copied the following to the second post on this thread.
    ______________________________________________

    Radium-X: This radioactive element has been known to science on Champions Earth since at least the 1930s. It's well known for its radiation's mutagenic properties, able to induce radical, even super-empowering mutations in living organisms under certain conditions. For example, it's a critical component of Dr. Phillippe Moreau's process for creating Manimals. The late superhero Tiger, a leader of the famous Sentinels superhero team, was a former UNTIL agent who became a man-tiger hybrid through accidental exposure to radium-X and some of Moreau's chemicals during a raid on the Doctor's lab. In 1940 a Bulgarian laboratory researcher gained formidable magnetic powers after the failure of an experimental magnetron being powered by radium-X flooded her lab with radiation. She took the code-name Leitstern ("lodestar") and was drafted to fight with Germany during WW II.

    The preceding examples suggest that the specific mutations caused by radium-X are thematically linked to the environmental conditions applying at the time. The origin of Leitstern also highlights another major use for radium-X, as a concentrated high-energy power source for various devices. The Golden Age villain Liquifier needed that element to power his Matter-Liquifier Ray, which could change any inanimate solid matter to a liquid state. It's possible that other radical technology can only be powered by radium-X's unique radiation.

    Radium-X can be purchased legally. Various research laboratories are noted as studying or using it. However, the clear implication of references to it is that it's rare and expensive, leading to attempts to steal it by people with less than upright intentions for it.

    Dr. Phillippe Moreau and his followers are fully written up in Champions Villains Volume One: Master Villains, while both Leitstern and Liquifier are detailed in Golden Age Champions. Tiger has never been given a full background story or Hero System character sheet, but is mentioned and briefly described in CV Vol. 1, Champions Universe, and Book Of The Destroyer.
    Post edited by bulgarex on
  • superalfgornsuperalfgorn Posts: 558 Arc User
    Great thread, deserves to stay on top!
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  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited March 2021
    This suggestion has been added to the main list above.

    Mythic Forces: Under the entry for "Divine" Intervention, above, is the story of how circus strongman Johnny Hercules received the Hercules Force in an amulet bestowed by Zeus. Johnny died in the Battle of Detroit, and his amulet, apparently powerless, was buried with him. But the Hercules Force continued to exist, and over a decade later "chose" another human vessel for its power, a student of Classical culture, who became the second and current Johnny Hercules. One of his greatest foes is the monstrous Typhon, once a bitter, angry archaeologist who was the recipient of the Typhon Force, a sort of balance to the Hercules Force.

    The PDF book, The Hercules Force, which fully writes up both characters, suggests that other "forces" could exist based on other gods, demigod heroes, or divine-level monsters. The examples imply that these would be mythic figures who are either dead or imprisoned, e.g. Achilles, Python, Baldur, or Ymir. Powers granted would be consistent with the legendary abilities of those entities. The forces are most likely drawn to people with personalities similar to the original source being and/or familiarity and strong attachment to the culture it comes from. They would differ from empowerment directly by a mythic god in that there would be no potential meddling in the character's life by their patron divinity.
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    Not to toot my own horn :3 , but if any thread started by me is to be made an Announcement, IMHO this one has the most general utility, more than The Alien Thread.
  • brfabeirasbrfabeiras Posts: 182 Arc User
    @bulgarex
    If I'm planning on making the latest Vita-Man, how many used the mantle before him? Just the original one?
    I ask just to make sure on how I should name him: Vita-Man II, Vita-Man III... =)
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited November 2021
    There's no mention of another Vita-Man, so II appears open. After all these decades, though, I don't think numbering is really required. It's more for supers nerds like us to keep track of them. ;)

    The first of Percy Yates's relatives to use his treatments to become a superhero, and the only one specifically mentioned, was his (unnamed) niece, who asked permission of the first Skygirl, one of Vita-Man's teammates in the Justice Squadron, to use her code-name. (Vita-Man, Skygirl I, and the rest of the original Justice Squadron are fully detailed in The Golden Age Secret Files.)
  • brfabeirasbrfabeiras Posts: 182 Arc User
    Hmm, I agree: I'll just use Vita-Man, it sounds easier.
    Any picture of him that I could see to base myself?
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited November 2021
    I'm afraid not. There's just a bare-bones verbal description to go with his write-up: "Percy is a thin, frail man who appears older than he is even in his early thirties, with stooped posture and a bit of a pot belly. As Vita-Man, he wears a gold and red suit cut to show off his impressive physique with a bright yellow cape and hood that leaves his face bare, and a domino mask." However, that description sounds reminiscent of one of the classic comic-book heroes that he's based on, DC's Hourman (Rex Tyler -- the others being Marvel's Steve Rogers and Hank Pym).

    c38ec52bceb6de6a7aecad7775173f0cde0b1543_hq.jpg

    Hourman-Cameron-Gellman-stargirl-cw-43355378-600-900.jpg

    EDIT: I'd be happy to pursue this subject further if you wish to, but I'd ask you start another thread rather than drift this one. :)
    Post edited by bulgarex on
  • jaazaniah1jaazaniah1 Posts: 5,424 Arc User
    edited November 2021
    Clearly we need an hourglass as a neck and/or emblem costume piece ;)
    JwLmWoa.png
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  • brfabeirasbrfabeiras Posts: 182 Arc User
    bulgarex wrote: »
    I'd be happy to pursue this subject further if you wish to, but I'd ask you start another thread rather than drift this one. :)

    That's more than enough to help me create Vita-Man, thanks for the help! =)
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    There is another origin concept which I derived from the history of the current Champions Universe, but didn't want to put it in the main list on this thread because it's never been officially published. But I do think it has intriguing potential, so is worth at least bringing up.

    In the mid-1980s Dr. Sebastian Poe, founder of the villain group PSI, inventor of the Psi Serum, and father of Kevin Poe of the New Purple Gang, began his criminal career using his Psi Serum to create superhumans serving organized crime, in exchange for funding for his research into psionic mutations. In 1995 Poe was betrayed to law enforcement by his underlings Psimon and Medusa, who took control of PSI; and was sentenced to twenty years in Stronghold. Sebastian Poe was officially not one of the prisoners who escaped Stronghold in the major breakout of 2009, and remained in prison. Obviously, though, his sentence was up in 2015, so barring other unrevealed circumstances he should have been released.

    A few years ago I asked former Hero Games Line Developer, Steve Long, what he would have done with Dr. Poe in that situation if he was still making those decisions for Champions. He suggested that Poe would return to his original line of creating superhumans for pay, becoming a sort of "psionic Power Broker" (to reference a character from Marvel Comics). Only this time he would use refinements to his treatments devised over his years in prison (and not disclosed to new clients) to enable him to take mental control of the supers he creates, and/or build in ways for him to negate their powers. His ultimate goal would be to build an "army" of supers with which to destroy Medusa and Psimon and regain control of PSI.

    For those unfamiliar with it, the Psi Serum amplifies even the smallest amount of latent psionic potential in a person, sometimes to a significant level of superhuman power. (The serum gives no benefit to the majority of human beings, who lack that potential.) The range of possible powers extends far beyond just some variation of telepathy. For example, Psimon can surround his body with powerful psychokinetic force in the shape of a translucent humanoid "giant." Current PSI member Soulfire has the power of "pyrokinesis," mentally exciting air molecules until they combust. He can also resist the effects of extreme heat and "see" gradations of heat. The possibilities are only limited by what someone can logically justify using "psionic energy" as its Special Effect.

    The history of PSI is most recently written up in Champions Villains Volume Two: Villain Teams.
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