Here's a potential concept for Silver Tip from a little further afield. The following is taken from the Champions PnP sourcebook, The Mystic World p. 50 sidebar:
The Chunhu: The "Tiger Lords" began during the Boxer Rebellion, when a Chinese rebel leader became a weretiger. After the rebellion failed, the rebel became a warlord, and his children ruled part of southern China until the Cultural Revolution. Since then, the Chunhu have sought to bring other Eastern shape-shifters into their small but growing family. Few family members practice sorcery, but the therianthropic dynasty holds an influential position in the eastern Mystic World. Hong Kong's hero Tiger-Man comes from the Chunhu family.
China and Russia share a long border, and have both cooperated and conflicted in numerous ways for generations. There could certainly have been opportunities for a Chunhu to have a child with a Russian, and pass on the family legacy. You'd also have the ready-made background for a nemesis, if Silver Tip doesn't want to join the Chunhu -- someone sent by the dynasty to "bring him home," by force if necessary.
first off, i must apologize if my grammar is not up to standards you are used to, when i was growing up my "Education" did not really pan out and as such this is the best i've got.
i see the last post in this particular thread is from months ago so i dont know if anyone is monitoring this but i figured i'd at least give it a shot.
im thinking of getting into a supergroup and trying to find some roleplay around these parts as a way of getting more enjoyment out of the game (as a bonus if i have more people i hang out with regular it becomes much easier to find dudes to quest with), to that ends ill need to come up with a proper background for my character.
the thing is i know VERY little about the world in which champions takes place, i had always assumed that the whole thing was made up on the spot specifically for the MMO and i only found out recently it was an actual "Thing" beforehand, even then i dont really know any more about the lore beyond the core basics and "they bad, we gud, you smash", while i HAVE been roleplaying for years most of my experience is from a smattering of relatively different places such as D&D, other tabletop and other MMO's.
ill briefly go over the concept i had in mind and if anyone is listening perhaps you can give me pointers as to what i should change to make the character better suited for champions, more interesting in general or to better fit the established lore.
in general what i had in mind was that my character would have been a soldier for either a world government, or if there no longer ARE world governments (and ergo, no longer armies) then i could have been working for UNTIL as some form of peacekeeper or armed response unit, i want my character to be a relatively "Normal" person in that he is, or used to be a normal soldier, his experiences, training or perhaps other factors could potentially have led to him becoming an exceptional individual, perhaps even a super soldier of some kind but otherwise he would still be a regular human being, all of his "Powers" coming from equipment he carries and utilizes.
initially i'd had the idea of starting off as an ordinary person who simply started by signing up for otherwise mundane reasons (for example, alot of militaries have tuition assistance and college aid programs for signing up) which would make sense for a normal person to sign up at the onset, you spend awhile being a hero (a conceptual one such as a person who does good as opposed to an actual, superpowers hero), see the world, do some good, get a paycheck, leave with an awesome resume and experience to back it up and get free college in return for it.
however i have been toying with an idea that might be fun if i could pull it off, perhaps instead of being a "Normal" person the character could have been a bio-engineered individual, he could been born from a test tube as an attempt to create an exceptional soldier that could be mass produced, my character would represent a prototype and essentially his "Life" wouldnt have begun until he was inducted into the regular military, as part of the testing he would be forced to go through various branches and perform a wide variety of services to see how he can perform those duties as well as how well he can interact with "Regular" humans or if anyone would notice he was "Different" in any way, if i went with this i could use my initial idea and just say they were fake, implanted memories so that the character THINKS he is normal, but discovers otherwise over time (it could potentially ruin the experiment if the subject was ever AWARE he was not a normal, baseline human so they had to give him a fake life to make him think he was one)
ANYWAYS, either way i figured from here it would make sense if while in the military (or similar organization) he was kept REALLY busy, fighting various insurgents, terrorists and so on, engaging in combat throughout the globe and doing a whole lot of stuff, maybe it could turn out the character just wasnt a very good soldier, perhaps he might be above average (at best) but he was supposed to be incredible (and he isnt), he's too "Chummy" with the other soldiers, he gets distracted or he's just not fast enough, maybe he just lacked the experience, either way he's just not good enough or not "all that he can be".
i had figured from there i could take the backstory into explaining why he has his current equipment, rather then just have him underperform someone decides to use him as a test subject for another program, what i had in mind was he could end up transferred to a research division that was developing new weapons and body armor in the hopes of enabling "Normal" people to fight back against supers (reducing the dependency on "Good" supers to save you or protect you from "Bad" ones by enabling normal military and law enforcement to protect themselves and the general public instead of cowering behind cop cars or tanks while the heroes go in and do things for them), essentially he is now doing similar work but he is given shiney new toys, shiney new enemies and a bunch of friends who are in similar situations who have their own toys to deal with.
so from here i have to come up with an explanation for how the character goes from serving in the military, to becoming a freelancer and working with (or against) other superheroes.
here is the idea i had come up with.
so he spends awhile in this new unit and they see ALOT of strange things, alot of mysterious situations and circumstances that cannot always be fully explained, since they're fighting alot of supervillains they may be seeing the absolute worst that a sentient mind can offer.
this "Changes" most of them over time, they begin to question what they are fighting for, since the purpose of what they are doing is largely experimental the people in charge decide to "See what Happens" instead of trying to get them help, to better help OTHERS in the future, perhaps over time they begin to start doing small things, becoming abit more sadistic while they hunt their enemies, maybe they dont properly inventory everything they find in a supervillains lair, keeping choice goods for themselves, just a few small things here and there, maybe they decide their paychecks are a little light so they begin to sell a piece here and there to criminals and drug lords, which lead to larger things, and larger things.
which leads to them deciding to turn their guns on the people who made them and become villains themselves.
all except for my own character, who decides against this, perhaps he is considered to be too inept a soldier, too weak and useless and he is abandoned, left in a confused state to wander and find his own path whereupon he is motivated purely by a need for revenge and he only becomes a "Hero" by chance while on his personal vendetta (making him more of an anti-hero at best), or perhaps he IS given the offer to join his former comrades and he stands against it, his own personal experiences with other people having shaped him into a better person, perhaps they lead to him TRULY believing in the causes and organizations he was fighting for before and he decides to try and stop his former comrades in arms.
from here he is forced to fight them on his own and leave the regular military, perhaps they believe HE is likewise rogue and they are hunting him down, making him equally as wanted as any other supervillain (a concept which was popular in the 80's to my knowledge), perhaps given the experimental nature of the programs he was involved in (and likewise perhaps his own origins) there is no record of him ever existing in the military or the units he was apart of, and thus he is just abandoned and forced to try to do his best on his own, perhaps however he simply had an issue with authority.
and thats all i've got for now idea wise.
so, can anyone give me advice here? have i got a fairly solid idea or is it cliche garbage? is it the MAKINGS of a really good concept which just needs a few tweaks and additions to make it amazing? i really like the idea so far and i think it has some room for roleplay stuff but im willing to listen to what anyone has to say and im willing to consider making changes.
once i've got a backstory concept down to what would be considered "Good" or "Appropriate" ill begin to refine it into specifics and then see if i can find some people to roleplay with, perhaps ill even find a super group that can work something in to what they are already doing.
Welcome, Feodrich! I hope you find your experiences with Champions Online, and with the roleplaying community here, interesting and enjoyable. You have no reason to be concerned over your grammar. Your writing is eminently understandable, which is what matters. Frankly, compared to some people who post here you're frickin' Shakespeare.
To bring you up to speed on the setting, I strongly suggest you check out this excellent Champions Online condensed lore primer, created by a very qualified individual, a veteran of Champions Online and one of the major creative writers for the tabletop RPG that CO is derived from, Scott "Thundrax" Bennie: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzHmfdC4jXPpWk1TWE9zb1VyNTA/edit?pli=1 . There is vastly more lore available, but this is a great introduction to the parameters of the setting.
At this moment I would just like to point out a couple of core issues. One, Champions Earth is mostly the same as real-world Earth, just with superhumans added. All the known nations and locations, major organizations and institutions, and significant historical events and personages, exist or have very close analogues. The presence of supers, aliens, mythic gods, other dimensions, etc. have had an impact on the world, but not to the point of making it unrecognizable. In that regard it's very similar to the major supers comics universes of Marvel and DC.
Second, everything you describe as potential background for your character is doable in the setting. There are several possible routes to getting to your final concept, depending on your preferences. I and other lore-hounds around here could address those now if you'd like (and please feel free to request that), but it would probably be helpful to you to go through the lore primer first, so you would have context for our answers.
Any other questions or requests you may have, don't hesitate to post followups.
i am currently reading over the lore primer you provided (which is pretty extensive, it will take me some time to go through) but you have already answered a few questions as it is, i had some suspicion that it might be the case of being a merely altered universe as opposed to an all new one but i wanted to be sure, assumptions can often lead to some awkward situations afterall.
i would definitely appreciate the input of a lore hound like yourself so feel free to address those issues and preferences now, that said however i was also asking for your (and by extension, everyone else who responds) opinion on the concepts as a whole as to whether or not the ideas thus far are any good, i want to be interesting without being some mary sue or some nutjob or other so im trying to avoid straying into territory that would be considered inappropriate for a good roleplayer
regardless, i'd already had some ideas as to how this could be refined into more specific details (as opposed to just a random listing off of concept ideas) but i await your input, in the meantime i will continue reading over this lore primer you linked me.
My first observation would be a general one: How your character comes to decide what to do with his life seems a little vague, gradual, and undramatic for a superhero origin, particularly in relation to a change in attitude from "good" to "bad," or the reverse. Heroing, especially solo, is a pretty extreme choice of career, and in comics is usually the result of a pivotal event which forces the hero to re-evaluate what his purpose in life should be. To take some famous examples from comics, think of Batman or Spider-Man and the murder of their loved ones; or Tony Stark's kidnapping in Afghanistan in the first Iron Man movie. Defining moments like these bring a character into sharp focus, for the person writing/playing him and for people interacting with him.
Your character could certainly have a military or paramilitary background, for a national government (more than just the United States) or international organizations. UNTIL recruits field agents for many specialized positions, always from the best available candidates. OTOH criminal/mercenary groups like VIPER and the Warlord's Shadow Army also recruit and train soldiers, although their standards are less stringent, particularly the moral ones. UNTIL and its American counterpart, PRIMUS, as well as VIPER and the Shadow Army, are among the better candidates from which your character could acquire "super-tech" weaponry. A number of official heroes and villains obtained cutting-edge equipment from these groups, usually prototypes which they liberated from its owners.
Another possibility would be discovering a downed alien spacecraft. Several alien species have visited Champions Earth over the past eighty years or so, some openly, others covertly. Some official supers owe their origins to salvaging items from crashed vessels.
As far as genetically-modified soldiers go, growing one from scratch, complete with implanted false memories, is beyond the capabilities of most scientists on Earth. But it is the specialty of the villainous master geneticist called Teleios, "The Perfect Man." Among the various biological services Teleios provides in exchange for pay or favors, the mass-production of cloned soldiers is one of his most profitable. He's considered a criminal and a threat to world security, so his customers are normally criminal organizations or master-level supervillains. However, it's conceivable that an unscrupulous government, or "rogue" faction of same, might secretly contract his services.
OTOH the United State government has a decades-long history of programs intended to safely and reliably create superhuman soldiers, as well as to more effectively control them. In all cases they achieved only rare successes, often with severe physical and mental side effects, and produced as many villains as heroes. The secret research operation called Department 17 is currently the hub of the U.S. Defense Department's efforts along these lines, experimenting with drugs and chemicals, radiation, and gene splicing. Super-soldiers created by the government have served both openly, and in covert operations. Similar projects were conducted by the Soviet Union, UNTIL, and VIPER, among others, also with mixed results.
Ask away if you'd like more info about any of the above, or if there are other avenues you're interested in.
i must apologize for my significantly delayed reply, at the time i was still waking up but more then that, i had a game of tabletop which i needed to attend to at that specific hour (star wars saga edition to be specific), the game was a good four hours long and i ended up spending another (apparently 6 hours) working on something related to that as well (a GREAT deal more time then i had intended to spend on the task, but life is what it is)
now then.
i specifically kept given elements of the backstory vague while bringing up ideas as i wanted to get an idea as to whether or not the core concepts would be fine enough, now knowing that they are i can attend to the smaller details and specifics immediately, i was afraid of delving too deeply into cliche territory in regards to explaining his origin story (oh look, ANOTHER dude whose parents were killed in front of him, that makes like 10 thousand this week alone, that kind of thing) but i suppose that there needs to be more to that story, ill look into that now, im thinking of exploring themes of betrayal and the like to give him a strong revenge motivation but im currently struggling with how to connect some of the ideas in my head (if i want X to occurr then A B and C need to happen, if A B and C happen why is Y necessary, etc)
just from what you've told me though its already given me some ideas to work with.
i feel im currently too tired to get much done in this regard so im hoping to come at this fresh later, when i have a rough draft i would like to send it to you and see where i could or should go from there if that would be fine with you
im currently working on the backstory now (i think what i've come up with has some real potential) and i was about to take it in a given direction when i hit a snag in terms of the research and i decided to ask a question here.
in particular i wanted to know about the Draysha Mutagen and the Cyberline Drug which as i understand it are supposed to enhance their users (with some degree of side effects and effectiveness, more for draysha then for cyberline)
i know that both are supposed to be chems which improve their users but thats about all i know, do you only take them once and never need to bother again? similar to the polio vaccine (usually you only have to take it a few times during childhood and never bother again) or is it something you have to take once every day or what? are we talking the difference between being steve from accounting or the incredible hulk or is it more or less just a fancy name for steroids?
and what would happen if you COMBINED them? (if we think of it mathematically, if draysha is like getting a +3 to all stats, and cyberline is like getting a +2, then taking BOTH is like getting a +5) but is that how it would work? would there be side effects or what? if you are already super do you become even MORE super or does it just not do anything?
also
i do know that taking draysha can give you a number of harmful side effects (the most common of which being leukemia), is this a unique variant to draysha users or this just garden variety? is that the only thing? is there a specific cure for the side effects you can get and if not would it be chill to make up a drug you have to take regularly, etc
"Draysha" has evolved somewhat since Cryptic Studios bought the Champions IP from Hero Games. As described in the PnP source book, VIPER: Coils Of The Serpent, a Draysha (named for a breed of Egyptian cobra) was a VIPER agent with the necessary genetic compatibility to receive snake gene-splicing, so that when they ingest king cobra venom they temporarily (a matter of minutes) gain low superhuman physical abilities, and a more snake-like appearance. Cryptic appears to have changed draysha to being the name of a mutagen their agents use, perhaps so they could justify the "draysha gas" VIPER employs on Monster Island. If that's the case I'm not sure how it works now, and what if any preparations are needed before someone can benefit from it.
Although the general public believes Cyberline is a drug/biofeedback treatment to create the Silver Avengers of PRIMUS, it's actually a gene therapy. Genetic material from several superhuman donors is introduced into a genetically-compatible recipient (a small fraction of the population) via an RNA retrovirus. The treatment does have a couple of relatively minor side effects. Silver Avengers also need a daily booster treatment to "update" the genetic modifications.
AFAIK neither treatment's side effects are curable. (Leukemia for Draysha isn't automatic, but the risk of contracting it goes up with every use.) What would happen if you mixed them? I have no idea -- it's never been recorded as happening. But I have visions of Emil Blonsky in the movie The Incredible Hulk, with both super-soldier serum and gamma-mutated blood in his body. "The mixture could be... an abomination!" :biggrin:
EDIT: One other note about Cyberline -- one candidate for the Silver Avenger program in the late 1980s unexpectedly gained stronger, and apparently permanent, superpowers from Cyberline treatment. He became a government superhero code named Liberty Guard. The Soviet Union stole data on Cyberline and Liberty Guard, and found a compatible volunteer who also gained such powers and became the Soviet Guard. The Soviets tried the process on two others, who were enhanced but not to truly superhuman levels (lacking the genetic factors).
I'm also going to take this opportunity to refer you to one other thread which may or may not benefit you, but hopefully will at least interest you: Champions Universe: Unique Character Origins.
Is it as old as the RPG, or just an invention so that our heroes could have a few more missions on MI?
Well, the video on YouTube dates from 2011, so R.O.D. is at least that old. But I'm not aware of background given for it in Champions Online, and it doesn't appear at all in any PnP materials. I suspect your second explanation is the most likely.
I got one for ya, here's what I have. A sheriff originating from the North-East during around the time of the end of the American Civil War, who's a sheriff of a small town who has the misfortune to become a vampire. Through this he's gained mystical powers, point of view depending, like myself see it as psychic energy rather than the hocus pocus. He's lived near straight through all decades between now and then. He's not some bitter whiny woeful vampire, just sees as he's alive still and has a duty no matter what to uphold the law as it is with some of the old brand of justice. He doesn't fly, least not for a long time to come so he as in White Wolf RPG terms, "ghosts" (teleports) and now has one of them handy dandy hover cars that they just passed out over the weekend. So that's what I have, what do I need to fill in. What themes are unavoidable and what totally should be avoided.
He's basically a weird west character, which is what I'm going for. Don't want to put too much real world history into him but would like to show he's been around for that long to witness some pretty major events our country has gone through in the real world and fictional.
It sounds like you're creating a vampire vigilante. Would that be an accurate characterization?
The first question that comes to my mind is, what are his feeding practices? Does he require blood like a classic vampire? Does he feed on humans, or can he make do with animal blood? If the former, if he still tries to "uphold the law" perhaps he confines his meals to criminals he stops, lethally or non (although the lethal option poses problems -- see below).
In the world of Champions Online ethically-neutral and even heroic vampires do exist, but they're a small minority. Some of the public believe vampires are real, many more don't; but the government and some superheroes are aware of them. Vampires generally keep a low profile. Sometimes several will form a gang under a charismatic leader, but more often they act alone to keep from preying too intensively and drawing attention. Like all of the "undead," vampires in the United States don't have the same legal rights and protections as the living, so have to watch what situations they get into.
For the most part the history of Champions Earth follows the precedents of the real world. The springboard for most modern differences is that in 1938 superhumans started to appear. A major event (which the general public isn't aware of) changed the nature of the world, ushering in an era of mutants, mutates, supergenius inventors, mystic martial artists, supernatural creatures and gods, aliens, sorcerors, and all the other comic-book weirdness. Despite their presence and power, supervillains have tended to be countered by superheroes, so the contemporary world still looks a lot like the real one.
You might find it interesting that in the official Champions timeline, around the time your sheriff was active, vampires were plaguing the American West. A vamp named Carraway created a gang of vampire followers, until they were destroyed by the hero Black Mask, ancestor of the Black Mask currently active in the city of Vibora Bay in-setting. Carraway could have "turned" your character. One of his gang, Billy Hearn, did escape Black Mask, and continues to hunt today under the name, Stalker. (Stalker is written up in the Champions tabletop game book, Champions Villains Vol. 3: Solo Villains.)
It sounds like you're creating a vampire vigilante. Would that be an accurate characterization?
The first question that comes to my mind is, what are his feeding practices? Does he require blood like a classic vampire? Does he feed on humans, or can he make do with animal blood? If the former, if he still tries to "uphold the law" perhaps he confines his meals to criminals he stops, lethally or non (although the lethal option poses problems -- see below).
In the world of Champions Online ethically-neutral and even heroic vampires do exist, but they're a small minority. Some of the public believe vampires are real, many more don't; but the government and some superheroes are aware of them. Vampires generally keep a low profile. Sometimes several will form a gang under a charismatic leader, but more often they act alone to keep from preying too intensively and drawing attention. Like all of the "undead," vampires in the United States don't have the same legal rights and protections as the living, so have to watch what situations they get into.
For the most part the history of Champions Earth follows the precedents of the real world. The springboard for most modern differences is that in 1938 superhumans started to appear. A major event (which the general public isn't aware of) changed the nature of the world, ushering in an era of mutants, mutates, supergenius inventors, mystic martial artists, supernatural creatures and gods, aliens, sorcerors, and all the other comic-book weirdness. Despite their presence and power, supervillains have tended to be countered by superheroes, so the contemporary world still looks a lot like the real one.
You might find it interesting that in the official Champions timeline, around the time your sheriff was active, vampires were plaguing the American West. A vamp named Carraway created a gang of vampire followers, until they were destroyed by the hero Black Mask, ancestor of the Black Mask currently active in the city of Vibora Bay in-setting. Carraway could have "turned" your character. One of his gang, Billy Hearn, did escape Black Mask, and continues to hunt today under the name, Stalker. (Stalker is written up in the Champions tabletop game book, Champions Villains Vol. 3: Solo Villains.)
You nailed a few things already I forgot to mention. The blood he takes what he needs from the perps he brings down, if he needs it at the time. Stuff like the blue stuff Blade takes, would be nothing but filler. Walking out during the daytime has some setback but he doesn't suddenly burst into flames. Dracula walked outdoors during the day without turning into flame broil. His eyes on the other hand, natural light virtually burns the sight out of his head, leaving him blind for several days at a time. Crosses, nothing but decoration to him. They don't make him any more uncomfortable than looking a piece of fine art in a museum. Silver, it certainly is an irritant the hurts more than anything else does. Holy water, as is I'd say its about as effective as the cross. If holy water could be redefined then sure. He doesn't fly, least not yet. Working my way up to the Bat flight as his second travel ability is going to take a very long time. (partly because I don't know the best way to get the type of credits required) He "ghosts" by way of teleporting. Animals, least of all horses, don't stir just because he's nearby. I think I attribute a lot to that, in story due to the time period he came from.
He isn't nosferatu, so walking among the crowd isn't any open issue.
I created a version of him in Sims 3 which helps greatly inspire for detailed personal life, surrounded by a cast of characters. in the version he mingles much with other supernatural creatures. I also created a small branch of the Purple Gang, real small, in the same town where inevitably he is to cross their paths there. The intention is to have them cross paths at some point, even if that game is lighter tone. Something discovered there draws him out of New England to Millenium City, hoping answers to a small mystery would turn up where the Purple Gang centralizes. He remains in the city long enough to be there with the Qularr invade and from there on he's caught up the hero/villain drama for the many years following.
I'm going to reference to a character I don't expect many here at the forums to know, and that is the Saint of Killers. (Just not as cold hearted) I'm not trying to make this vampire just like him but when he shows up on the scene the bad guys are going to be full of regret if they did VERY bad things. For those who don't know, The Saint of Killers is a late Confederate who's soul went to hell. He wanted to return to life to take revenge on a bunch of men who'd helped be the cause of him not getting back home in time to save his wife and daughter from an illness. So he makes a deal with the Angel of Death who has the Devil forge Death's sword into a pair of two Colt 45s that would never miss their mark. My vampire doesn't use guns anymore because of his "magic" from the grimiore class. Also passed being a vampire, nothing else has been so tragic in his life and he seeks justice, not revenge.
Well, it sounds like you have a good grasp of your character, and a reasonable-enough rationale for him being in MC. Not all vampires in Champions have all the classic vampire powers or weaknesses, so I don't see a problem with your specifics. For role-playing purposes, you might keep in mind that as in the real world, the authorities won't accept a serial killer, even a vigilante who only kills "bad" people. OTOH there are many players in CO who routinely ignore that logic and kill any toons they feel like, so no-one will actually come after you if you do the same.
Actually there is. Not so much origin stories but the chronology. In the chronology there is mention of a tripod landing in the United States but never makes it clear if it is just that one or a full martian invasion. Obviously the tripod is War of The Worlds. As a huge fan of that novel, I'd love to know the lore on that. I've tried to find out myself but kerp coming up nil.
That's actually a fairly significant event in Champions Universe history, and it and its aftermath are described in detail in Champions Beyond. The alien attack of what was believed to be Martians occurred in 1938, near Grover's Mill, New Jersey, in the United States. Five alien vehicles landed, converting themselves into tripod-walking war machines armed with "heat rays" and poison gas, which caused much destruction as they advanced toward New York City. Several NY costumed heroes joined forces to destroy them; as a result they formed the world's first formal superhero team, the Defenders of Justice.
Apparently this attack was only a scouting mission or trial run, because in 1967 the "Martians" returned with an entire invasion fleet, deploying both tripods and air vehicles to New York, probably to establish a beach head. New York's large superhero community struck back decisively at both the planetary forces and the fleet, causing them to retreat to Mars. Some supeheroes followed the aliens back to Mars, where they discovered they weren't actually Martians, but from a planet around the star Sirius, who had built a staging base for their invasion on Mars. The heroes attacked the base and defeated the Sirians, forcing them to flee the Solar System.
So from what I've learned, Empyreans are immortal. Has there been any who have been killed, either by villains or natural causes? It's for a character bio I'm writing up, and I want to make it authentic!
Empyreans aren't "immortal" in the literal, classic theological sense of not being subject to death at all. Empyreans don't age, are immune to all terrestrial diseases, are superhumanly resistant to damage, and can withstand environmental extremes that would kill a normal human; but they can be killed by sufficient force, and many of them have been over the millennia, by one agency or another. The Lemurians in particular have been mortal enemies to the Empyreans for tens of thousands of years. Many Empyreans have died due to that conflict. Dozens of others were slain by Takofanes in the distant past when they tried to storm his stronghold.
Well, the video on YouTube dates from 2011, so R.O.D. is at least that old. But I'm not aware of background given for it in Champions Online, and it doesn't appear at all in any PnP materials. I suspect your second explanation is the most likely.
An addendum to the above: R.O.D. is definitely a Cryptic Studios creation for the Monster Island zone, subsequently to their buying the Champions IP from Hero Games. It's implicitly "reprogrammed" as a companion from one of the robots which Department 17 (the Japanese agency which administers Monster Island) uses for supplementary security and combat. The PnP Monster Island source book, which incorporates and adapts much of the preliminary development Cryptic did for the zone, describes several models of these robots, which it calls "Battledroids" rather than "Drones" (which is why I didn't twig to the connection earlier). One model is named an "Onslaught Battledroid," and resembles the "Reprogrammed Onslaught Drone."
No such thing was described in the PnP game books before Monster Island was published.
Comments
The Chunhu: The "Tiger Lords" began during the Boxer Rebellion, when a Chinese rebel leader became a weretiger. After the rebellion failed, the rebel became a warlord, and his children ruled part of southern China until the Cultural Revolution. Since then, the Chunhu have sought to bring other Eastern shape-shifters into their small but growing family. Few family members practice sorcery, but the therianthropic dynasty holds an influential position in the eastern Mystic World. Hong Kong's hero Tiger-Man comes from the Chunhu family.
China and Russia share a long border, and have both cooperated and conflicted in numerous ways for generations. There could certainly have been opportunities for a Chunhu to have a child with a Russian, and pass on the family legacy. You'd also have the ready-made background for a nemesis, if Silver Tip doesn't want to join the Chunhu -- someone sent by the dynasty to "bring him home," by force if necessary.
i see the last post in this particular thread is from months ago so i dont know if anyone is monitoring this but i figured i'd at least give it a shot.
im thinking of getting into a supergroup and trying to find some roleplay around these parts as a way of getting more enjoyment out of the game (as a bonus if i have more people i hang out with regular it becomes much easier to find dudes to quest with), to that ends ill need to come up with a proper background for my character.
the thing is i know VERY little about the world in which champions takes place, i had always assumed that the whole thing was made up on the spot specifically for the MMO and i only found out recently it was an actual "Thing" beforehand, even then i dont really know any more about the lore beyond the core basics and "they bad, we gud, you smash", while i HAVE been roleplaying for years most of my experience is from a smattering of relatively different places such as D&D, other tabletop and other MMO's.
ill briefly go over the concept i had in mind and if anyone is listening perhaps you can give me pointers as to what i should change to make the character better suited for champions, more interesting in general or to better fit the established lore.
in general what i had in mind was that my character would have been a soldier for either a world government, or if there no longer ARE world governments (and ergo, no longer armies) then i could have been working for UNTIL as some form of peacekeeper or armed response unit, i want my character to be a relatively "Normal" person in that he is, or used to be a normal soldier, his experiences, training or perhaps other factors could potentially have led to him becoming an exceptional individual, perhaps even a super soldier of some kind but otherwise he would still be a regular human being, all of his "Powers" coming from equipment he carries and utilizes.
initially i'd had the idea of starting off as an ordinary person who simply started by signing up for otherwise mundane reasons (for example, alot of militaries have tuition assistance and college aid programs for signing up) which would make sense for a normal person to sign up at the onset, you spend awhile being a hero (a conceptual one such as a person who does good as opposed to an actual, superpowers hero), see the world, do some good, get a paycheck, leave with an awesome resume and experience to back it up and get free college in return for it.
however i have been toying with an idea that might be fun if i could pull it off, perhaps instead of being a "Normal" person the character could have been a bio-engineered individual, he could been born from a test tube as an attempt to create an exceptional soldier that could be mass produced, my character would represent a prototype and essentially his "Life" wouldnt have begun until he was inducted into the regular military, as part of the testing he would be forced to go through various branches and perform a wide variety of services to see how he can perform those duties as well as how well he can interact with "Regular" humans or if anyone would notice he was "Different" in any way, if i went with this i could use my initial idea and just say they were fake, implanted memories so that the character THINKS he is normal, but discovers otherwise over time (it could potentially ruin the experiment if the subject was ever AWARE he was not a normal, baseline human so they had to give him a fake life to make him think he was one)
ANYWAYS, either way i figured from here it would make sense if while in the military (or similar organization) he was kept REALLY busy, fighting various insurgents, terrorists and so on, engaging in combat throughout the globe and doing a whole lot of stuff, maybe it could turn out the character just wasnt a very good soldier, perhaps he might be above average (at best) but he was supposed to be incredible (and he isnt), he's too "Chummy" with the other soldiers, he gets distracted or he's just not fast enough, maybe he just lacked the experience, either way he's just not good enough or not "all that he can be".
i had figured from there i could take the backstory into explaining why he has his current equipment, rather then just have him underperform someone decides to use him as a test subject for another program, what i had in mind was he could end up transferred to a research division that was developing new weapons and body armor in the hopes of enabling "Normal" people to fight back against supers (reducing the dependency on "Good" supers to save you or protect you from "Bad" ones by enabling normal military and law enforcement to protect themselves and the general public instead of cowering behind cop cars or tanks while the heroes go in and do things for them), essentially he is now doing similar work but he is given shiney new toys, shiney new enemies and a bunch of friends who are in similar situations who have their own toys to deal with.
so from here i have to come up with an explanation for how the character goes from serving in the military, to becoming a freelancer and working with (or against) other superheroes.
here is the idea i had come up with.
so he spends awhile in this new unit and they see ALOT of strange things, alot of mysterious situations and circumstances that cannot always be fully explained, since they're fighting alot of supervillains they may be seeing the absolute worst that a sentient mind can offer.
this "Changes" most of them over time, they begin to question what they are fighting for, since the purpose of what they are doing is largely experimental the people in charge decide to "See what Happens" instead of trying to get them help, to better help OTHERS in the future, perhaps over time they begin to start doing small things, becoming abit more sadistic while they hunt their enemies, maybe they dont properly inventory everything they find in a supervillains lair, keeping choice goods for themselves, just a few small things here and there, maybe they decide their paychecks are a little light so they begin to sell a piece here and there to criminals and drug lords, which lead to larger things, and larger things.
which leads to them deciding to turn their guns on the people who made them and become villains themselves.
all except for my own character, who decides against this, perhaps he is considered to be too inept a soldier, too weak and useless and he is abandoned, left in a confused state to wander and find his own path whereupon he is motivated purely by a need for revenge and he only becomes a "Hero" by chance while on his personal vendetta (making him more of an anti-hero at best), or perhaps he IS given the offer to join his former comrades and he stands against it, his own personal experiences with other people having shaped him into a better person, perhaps they lead to him TRULY believing in the causes and organizations he was fighting for before and he decides to try and stop his former comrades in arms.
from here he is forced to fight them on his own and leave the regular military, perhaps they believe HE is likewise rogue and they are hunting him down, making him equally as wanted as any other supervillain (a concept which was popular in the 80's to my knowledge), perhaps given the experimental nature of the programs he was involved in (and likewise perhaps his own origins) there is no record of him ever existing in the military or the units he was apart of, and thus he is just abandoned and forced to try to do his best on his own, perhaps however he simply had an issue with authority.
and thats all i've got for now idea wise.
so, can anyone give me advice here? have i got a fairly solid idea or is it cliche garbage? is it the MAKINGS of a really good concept which just needs a few tweaks and additions to make it amazing? i really like the idea so far and i think it has some room for roleplay stuff but im willing to listen to what anyone has to say and im willing to consider making changes.
once i've got a backstory concept down to what would be considered "Good" or "Appropriate" ill begin to refine it into specifics and then see if i can find some people to roleplay with, perhaps ill even find a super group that can work something in to what they are already doing.
To bring you up to speed on the setting, I strongly suggest you check out this excellent Champions Online condensed lore primer, created by a very qualified individual, a veteran of Champions Online and one of the major creative writers for the tabletop RPG that CO is derived from, Scott "Thundrax" Bennie: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzHmfdC4jXPpWk1TWE9zb1VyNTA/edit?pli=1 . There is vastly more lore available, but this is a great introduction to the parameters of the setting.
At this moment I would just like to point out a couple of core issues. One, Champions Earth is mostly the same as real-world Earth, just with superhumans added. All the known nations and locations, major organizations and institutions, and significant historical events and personages, exist or have very close analogues. The presence of supers, aliens, mythic gods, other dimensions, etc. have had an impact on the world, but not to the point of making it unrecognizable. In that regard it's very similar to the major supers comics universes of Marvel and DC.
Second, everything you describe as potential background for your character is doable in the setting. There are several possible routes to getting to your final concept, depending on your preferences. I and other lore-hounds around here could address those now if you'd like (and please feel free to request that), but it would probably be helpful to you to go through the lore primer first, so you would have context for our answers.
Any other questions or requests you may have, don't hesitate to post followups.
i would definitely appreciate the input of a lore hound like yourself so feel free to address those issues and preferences now, that said however i was also asking for your (and by extension, everyone else who responds) opinion on the concepts as a whole as to whether or not the ideas thus far are any good, i want to be interesting without being some mary sue or some nutjob or other so im trying to avoid straying into territory that would be considered inappropriate for a good roleplayer
regardless, i'd already had some ideas as to how this could be refined into more specific details (as opposed to just a random listing off of concept ideas) but i await your input, in the meantime i will continue reading over this lore primer you linked me.
My first observation would be a general one: How your character comes to decide what to do with his life seems a little vague, gradual, and undramatic for a superhero origin, particularly in relation to a change in attitude from "good" to "bad," or the reverse. Heroing, especially solo, is a pretty extreme choice of career, and in comics is usually the result of a pivotal event which forces the hero to re-evaluate what his purpose in life should be. To take some famous examples from comics, think of Batman or Spider-Man and the murder of their loved ones; or Tony Stark's kidnapping in Afghanistan in the first Iron Man movie. Defining moments like these bring a character into sharp focus, for the person writing/playing him and for people interacting with him.
Your character could certainly have a military or paramilitary background, for a national government (more than just the United States) or international organizations. UNTIL recruits field agents for many specialized positions, always from the best available candidates. OTOH criminal/mercenary groups like VIPER and the Warlord's Shadow Army also recruit and train soldiers, although their standards are less stringent, particularly the moral ones. UNTIL and its American counterpart, PRIMUS, as well as VIPER and the Shadow Army, are among the better candidates from which your character could acquire "super-tech" weaponry. A number of official heroes and villains obtained cutting-edge equipment from these groups, usually prototypes which they liberated from its owners.
Another possibility would be discovering a downed alien spacecraft. Several alien species have visited Champions Earth over the past eighty years or so, some openly, others covertly. Some official supers owe their origins to salvaging items from crashed vessels.
As far as genetically-modified soldiers go, growing one from scratch, complete with implanted false memories, is beyond the capabilities of most scientists on Earth. But it is the specialty of the villainous master geneticist called Teleios, "The Perfect Man." Among the various biological services Teleios provides in exchange for pay or favors, the mass-production of cloned soldiers is one of his most profitable. He's considered a criminal and a threat to world security, so his customers are normally criminal organizations or master-level supervillains. However, it's conceivable that an unscrupulous government, or "rogue" faction of same, might secretly contract his services.
OTOH the United State government has a decades-long history of programs intended to safely and reliably create superhuman soldiers, as well as to more effectively control them. In all cases they achieved only rare successes, often with severe physical and mental side effects, and produced as many villains as heroes. The secret research operation called Department 17 is currently the hub of the U.S. Defense Department's efforts along these lines, experimenting with drugs and chemicals, radiation, and gene splicing. Super-soldiers created by the government have served both openly, and in covert operations. Similar projects were conducted by the Soviet Union, UNTIL, and VIPER, among others, also with mixed results.
Ask away if you'd like more info about any of the above, or if there are other avenues you're interested in.
now then.
i specifically kept given elements of the backstory vague while bringing up ideas as i wanted to get an idea as to whether or not the core concepts would be fine enough, now knowing that they are i can attend to the smaller details and specifics immediately, i was afraid of delving too deeply into cliche territory in regards to explaining his origin story (oh look, ANOTHER dude whose parents were killed in front of him, that makes like 10 thousand this week alone, that kind of thing) but i suppose that there needs to be more to that story, ill look into that now, im thinking of exploring themes of betrayal and the like to give him a strong revenge motivation but im currently struggling with how to connect some of the ideas in my head (if i want X to occurr then A B and C need to happen, if A B and C happen why is Y necessary, etc)
just from what you've told me though its already given me some ideas to work with.
i feel im currently too tired to get much done in this regard so im hoping to come at this fresh later, when i have a rough draft i would like to send it to you and see where i could or should go from there if that would be fine with you
in particular i wanted to know about the Draysha Mutagen and the Cyberline Drug which as i understand it are supposed to enhance their users (with some degree of side effects and effectiveness, more for draysha then for cyberline)
i know that both are supposed to be chems which improve their users but thats about all i know, do you only take them once and never need to bother again? similar to the polio vaccine (usually you only have to take it a few times during childhood and never bother again) or is it something you have to take once every day or what? are we talking the difference between being steve from accounting or the incredible hulk or is it more or less just a fancy name for steroids?
and what would happen if you COMBINED them? (if we think of it mathematically, if draysha is like getting a +3 to all stats, and cyberline is like getting a +2, then taking BOTH is like getting a +5) but is that how it would work? would there be side effects or what? if you are already super do you become even MORE super or does it just not do anything?
also
i do know that taking draysha can give you a number of harmful side effects (the most common of which being leukemia), is this a unique variant to draysha users or this just garden variety? is that the only thing? is there a specific cure for the side effects you can get and if not would it be chill to make up a drug you have to take regularly, etc
Although the general public believes Cyberline is a drug/biofeedback treatment to create the Silver Avengers of PRIMUS, it's actually a gene therapy. Genetic material from several superhuman donors is introduced into a genetically-compatible recipient (a small fraction of the population) via an RNA retrovirus. The treatment does have a couple of relatively minor side effects. Silver Avengers also need a daily booster treatment to "update" the genetic modifications.
AFAIK neither treatment's side effects are curable. (Leukemia for Draysha isn't automatic, but the risk of contracting it goes up with every use.) What would happen if you mixed them? I have no idea -- it's never been recorded as happening. But I have visions of Emil Blonsky in the movie The Incredible Hulk, with both super-soldier serum and gamma-mutated blood in his body. "The mixture could be... an abomination!" :biggrin:
EDIT: One other note about Cyberline -- one candidate for the Silver Avenger program in the late 1980s unexpectedly gained stronger, and apparently permanent, superpowers from Cyberline treatment. He became a government superhero code named Liberty Guard. The Soviet Union stole data on Cyberline and Liberty Guard, and found a compatible volunteer who also gained such powers and became the Soviet Guard. The Soviets tried the process on two others, who were enhanced but not to truly superhuman levels (lacking the genetic factors).
R.O.D.(Reprogrammed Onslaught Drone)
http://co-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?t=285301
Is it as old as the RPG, or just an invention so that our heroes could have a few more missions on MI?
Well, the video on YouTube dates from 2011, so R.O.D. is at least that old. But I'm not aware of background given for it in Champions Online, and it doesn't appear at all in any PnP materials. I suspect your second explanation is the most likely.
He's basically a weird west character, which is what I'm going for. Don't want to put too much real world history into him but would like to show he's been around for that long to witness some pretty major events our country has gone through in the real world and fictional.
The first question that comes to my mind is, what are his feeding practices? Does he require blood like a classic vampire? Does he feed on humans, or can he make do with animal blood? If the former, if he still tries to "uphold the law" perhaps he confines his meals to criminals he stops, lethally or non (although the lethal option poses problems -- see below).
In the world of Champions Online ethically-neutral and even heroic vampires do exist, but they're a small minority. Some of the public believe vampires are real, many more don't; but the government and some superheroes are aware of them. Vampires generally keep a low profile. Sometimes several will form a gang under a charismatic leader, but more often they act alone to keep from preying too intensively and drawing attention. Like all of the "undead," vampires in the United States don't have the same legal rights and protections as the living, so have to watch what situations they get into.
For the most part the history of Champions Earth follows the precedents of the real world. The springboard for most modern differences is that in 1938 superhumans started to appear. A major event (which the general public isn't aware of) changed the nature of the world, ushering in an era of mutants, mutates, supergenius inventors, mystic martial artists, supernatural creatures and gods, aliens, sorcerors, and all the other comic-book weirdness. Despite their presence and power, supervillains have tended to be countered by superheroes, so the contemporary world still looks a lot like the real one.
You might find it interesting that in the official Champions timeline, around the time your sheriff was active, vampires were plaguing the American West. A vamp named Carraway created a gang of vampire followers, until they were destroyed by the hero Black Mask, ancestor of the Black Mask currently active in the city of Vibora Bay in-setting. Carraway could have "turned" your character. One of his gang, Billy Hearn, did escape Black Mask, and continues to hunt today under the name, Stalker. (Stalker is written up in the Champions tabletop game book, Champions Villains Vol. 3: Solo Villains.)
You nailed a few things already I forgot to mention.
He isn't nosferatu, so walking among the crowd isn't any open issue.
I created a version of him in Sims 3 which helps greatly inspire for detailed personal life, surrounded by a cast of characters. in the version he mingles much with other supernatural creatures. I also created a small branch of the Purple Gang, real small, in the same town where inevitably he is to cross their paths there. The intention is to have them cross paths at some point, even if that game is lighter tone. Something discovered there draws him out of New England to Millenium City, hoping answers to a small mystery would turn up where the Purple Gang centralizes. He remains in the city long enough to be there with the Qularr invade and from there on he's caught up the hero/villain drama for the many years following.
I'm going to reference to a character I don't expect many here at the forums to know, and that is the Saint of Killers. (Just not as cold hearted) I'm not trying to make this vampire just like him but when he shows up on the scene the bad guys are going to be full of regret if they did VERY bad things. For those who don't know, The Saint of Killers is a late Confederate who's soul went to hell. He wanted to return to life to take revenge on a bunch of men who'd helped be the cause of him not getting back home in time to save his wife and daughter from an illness. So he makes a deal with the Angel of Death who has the Devil forge Death's sword into a pair of two Colt 45s that would never miss their mark. My vampire doesn't use guns anymore because of his "magic" from the grimiore class. Also passed being a vampire, nothing else has been so tragic in his life and he seeks justice, not revenge.
I'm curious to see what your response will be.
Is there any other help or info you'd like?
Apparently this attack was only a scouting mission or trial run, because in 1967 the "Martians" returned with an entire invasion fleet, deploying both tripods and air vehicles to New York, probably to establish a beach head. New York's large superhero community struck back decisively at both the planetary forces and the fleet, causing them to retreat to Mars. Some supeheroes followed the aliens back to Mars, where they discovered they weren't actually Martians, but from a planet around the star Sirius, who had built a staging base for their invasion on Mars. The heroes attacked the base and defeated the Sirians, forcing them to flee the Solar System.
An addendum to the above: R.O.D. is definitely a Cryptic Studios creation for the Monster Island zone, subsequently to their buying the Champions IP from Hero Games. It's implicitly "reprogrammed" as a companion from one of the robots which Department 17 (the Japanese agency which administers Monster Island) uses for supplementary security and combat. The PnP Monster Island source book, which incorporates and adapts much of the preliminary development Cryptic did for the zone, describes several models of these robots, which it calls "Battledroids" rather than "Drones" (which is why I didn't twig to the connection earlier). One model is named an "Onslaught Battledroid," and resembles the "Reprogrammed Onslaught Drone."
No such thing was described in the PnP game books before Monster Island was published.