test content
What is the Arc Client?
Install Arc

Champions Universe: Unique Character Origins

bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
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 with unusual backgrounds. 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.


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 necessarily 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 the Champions Villains trilogy, and Victory in Champions Universe.


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.


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 other villains mentioned are in the Champions Villains trilogy, except Oculon who's written up 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, Dr. Destroyer's servant Meteor (all in the CV trilogy), 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.


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.


Project Sunburst: In 1994 a group of American "rogue generals" assigned 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. They were placed into a secret holding facility, codenamed "The Crypt."

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, such as 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.

All of these villains are fully written up in the Champions Villains trilogy.


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 someone 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. Those controls can be so subtle that a person isn't consciously aware of them. Although the lore doesn't specify it, it would be reasonable to assume Teleios does this to humans he augments.

Teleios, the Perfect Man, 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 Zodiac Working: In 1979 the late master villain Archimago, greatest sorceror of the Twentieth Century, attempted this great 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 demonic 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 Unknown User on

Comments

  • jonsillsjonsills Posts: 6,315 Arc User
    edited October 2013
    Interesting. So the mysterious light from the sky that gave Hypernova his powers (superstrength, durability, and flight), which he has been assuming was the last flare of a dying star, may well have been one of these Coruscations of Power....

    Thank you. It's always more fun to tie a character's origin in with the existing IP.
    "Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"

    - David Brin, "Those Eyes"
    Get the Forums Enhancement Extension!
  • iamruneiamrune Posts: 965 Arc User
    edited October 2013
    jonsills wrote: »
    Thank you. It's always more fun to tie a character's origin in with the existing IP.

    Absolutely.

    In a similar vein, my own character, the young "mutant" Ankh may one day discover his true origin as an intended Avatar for a Major Demon Lord.

    Much like Frag, he also gains greater demonic features when he really lets loose with his power, although he doesn't have any rage issues really. If anything, he's pretty rational and logical, and has a deep-seated decency strangely rooted in his rebellion to the abusive single-parent white-trash upbringing he endured, followed by two years of homelessness after he ran away from home.
  • chaelkchaelk Posts: 7,732 Arc User
    edited October 2013
    we had a character in a group, who was literally an avatar of the SUN, not sun god. The standard joke was if he got acne, would it mean extra sun spots
    Stuffing up Freeform builds since Mid 2011
    4e1f62c7-8ea7-4996-8f22-bae41fea063b_zpsu7p3urv1.jpg

    Get the Forums Enhancement Extension!
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited October 2013
    chaelk wrote: »
    we had a character in a group, who was literally an avatar of the SUN, not sun god. The standard joke was if he got acne, would it mean extra sun spots

    In the Champions Universe, not every star is created out of condensation of nebular gas. On rare occasions the universe gives birth to a starling, a being who resembles one of the sapient species inhabiting it, but who will eventually metamorphose into a star. (This "starling theory" is known only to the Mandaarians, and many of them don't actually accept it.) A starling looks like an organic being, but is physically superhuman and wields formidable stellar energy powers, which grow as the starling matures. The type of life a starling leads affects what kind of worlds and lifeforms will arise from it after it becomes a star. A starling raised in a gentle, loving environment would nurture life and promote peace, while one who suffered pain might give rise to hostile worlds and warlike species.

    One starling appeared on Earth some years ago, in the form of an adolescent girl, with no knowledge of her past. Dubbed Gloriana, she studied briefly at Ravenswood Academy (the setting's school for superhuman youth) before an accident drove her insane. She's caused considerable random trouble since then, but her current whereabouts are unknown. Gloriana is written up in Teen Champions.
  • shadowzero66shadowzero66 Posts: 331 Arc User
    edited October 2013
    bulgarex wrote: »
    One starling appeared on Earth some years ago, in the form of an adolescent girl, with no knowledge of her past. Dubbed Gloriana, she studied briefly at Ravenswood Academy (the setting's school for superhuman youth) before an accident drove her insane. She's caused considerable random trouble since then, but her current whereabouts are unknown. Gloriana is written up in Teen Champions.

    I take it that's the Gloriana of "Blessing of Gloriana". Damn, I miss the old items.
    Grind for the Grind God! Tokens for the Token Throne!
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited October 2013
    gradii wrote: »
    the fabulous five. lol. :biggrin:

    Yup. They're more or less who and what you think they are.

    But their story does tie in to the theme of this thread. The origin of the Fabulous Five involved launching their prototype spacecraft to intercept a comet threatening to collide with Earth, only to discover the comet was actually a ship of the alien Kuzane, who were planning the conquest of Earth. The Five destroyed the Kuzane ship, and the energy from its explosion mutated them into superhumans.

    But that blast also hurled at least one artifact of Kuzane technology to Earth -- not just through space, but through time as well. It landed in the Himalayas centuries before the Kuzane arrival, where a group of monks found it and guarded it as a sacred item: the Bell of the Chosen. It was this Bell that changed Jeffrey Sinclair into the world's mightiest superhero, Vanguard.

    To anyone's knowledge, no other Kuzane artifact has been found. But given the circumstances, another one might turn up anywhere on Earth, and anywhen.

    (More about the Kuzane, the Fab Five, and Vanguard can be found in Champions Beyond.)
  • kallethenkallethen Posts: 1,576 Arc User
    edited October 2013
    bulgarex wrote: »
    To anyone's knowledge, no other Kuzane artifact has been found. But given the circumstances, another one might turn up anywhere on Earth, and anywhen.

    Talk about your epoch artifacts.
    100% of the world is crazy, 95% are in denial.

    Get the Forums Enhancement Extension!
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited March 2014
    I was recently reminded of another potential CU character origin of general utility, which I've also added to the list on the first post on this thread.

    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 someone 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.
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited March 2014
    I've also added to the main list on the first post, an entry for Department 17, the United States Defense Department's project to create, and control, superhumans.
  • baroness1980baroness1980 Posts: 268 Arc User
    edited March 2014
    I love these threads and origins.


    I may have a heroine hailing from Project Sunburst (Still deciding on her back story, etc).

    Coruscation of power explains "Aguila Sideral" energy manipulation and durability.

    Another char is the result of a very old (12th century) demonic pact by someone of her family. The Zodiac Working may explain why after so many years these far more powerful demonic powers are manifesting in her and not on the other members of her lineage.

    Empyrians are always a great source, but I went with an Atlantean from one of the colonies ( Stablished near Antartica to make sure Lemurians don't slip through)


    It is great that you are posting these ideas here. Keep the good work.
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited March 2014
    Empyrians are always a great source, but I went with an Atlantean from one of the colonies ( Stablished near Antartica to make sure Lemurians don't slip through)

    Since you mention Atlantis, it's worth noting that there are "barbarians" of the Atlantean race beyond the city-state itself. Over a dozen tribes are scattered across the Atlantic Ocean, with those close to Atlantis maintaining diplomatic relations with it. Smaller groups have settled in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and one band of hunters roves under the North Polar ice cap.

    It is great that you are posting these ideas here. Keep the good work.

    Thank you. :smile:
  • natestone1natestone1 Posts: 10 Arc User
    edited March 2014
    So much rich lore just waiting to be infused into the game...*sigh*

    Very cool info.
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited March 2014
    No superhero setting this side of Marvel or DC has as much breadth or depth as the Champions Universe. What we've seen in Champions Online only scratches the surface. The tabletop game setting has evolved over more than thirty years, and the current official universe is detailed in literally dozens of books.
  • zedbrightlander1zedbrightlander1 Posts: 3,797 Arc User
    edited March 2014
    Hey, bulgarex,

    This looks really useful for players who love creating detailed bios for their heroes. :smile: Especially if your going to be adding to it from time to time.

    Maybe somebody should ask Mr. Smackwell to sticky it.
    ZedBlock-200.jpg
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited March 2014
    I'm glad you feel that way, Zed. I was hoping people would find the thread useful. I would of course accept an official decision as to whether or not it should be Stickied.

    That said, I'm not sure how much more I would add to that list. As I wrote in my first post, the CU embraces the full range of classic comic-book origins; but the ones I listed are more distinctive to the setting, while also being broadly applicable to a range of heroic or villainous types. At this moment I can't think of others from the setting that fulfill both criteria -- they're either very typical for the genre, very specific to a certain character type or background, or come with a lot of strings attached.

    For things like that I find it more fruitful to offer suggestions on a case-by-case basis. Like when I happened to know a piece of lore that I thought our colleague Stjobe might like for his character, Wrathchild.

    Still, I wouldn't be surprised if one or two other appropriate ones come to mind. I'll give notice if they do. :smile:
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited March 2014
    After a lot of deliberation, I've decided I should include the following entry (which has also been added to the list in my first post), because the precedents say his potential use is much broader than most people think.


    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, as he did 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 whatever abilities he desires. He's been known to also do this for pay, 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 so 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. Teleios does this with 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. Those controls can be so subtle that a person isn't consciously aware of them. Although the lore doesn't specify it, it would be reasonable to assume Teleios does this to humans he augments.

    Teleios, the Perfect Man, is fully written up in Champions Villains Vol. 1: Master Villains.
  • c3rvand0c3rvand0 Posts: 403 Arc User
    edited April 2014
    Excellent thread, I hope more players read this and fit their toons into the Champs universe. Now we need a reason for all the furries, galaxy eating Gods and why so many choose to wear red and black :tongue:
    _______________________________________________________________________[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited April 2014
    I'm sure Professor Paradigm is working on figuring that out. :wink:

    And thank you for your compliment. :smile:
  • ashensnowashensnow Posts: 2,048 Arc User
    edited April 2014
    c3rvand0 wrote: »
    Excellent thread, I hope more players read this and fit their toons into the Champs universe. Now we need a reason for all the furries, galaxy eating Gods and why so many choose to wear red and black :tongue:

    Its really quite simple.

    They are not really furries, galaxy eating gods, etc.

    They are all individuals affected by a PSI plot to release certain psychoreactive chemicals into the population in an attempt to produce a surge in the psionic metahuman population. Gargath the Terrible may think that he is a galaxy eating god, but in reality he is just George Sellers, accountant under the influence of PSI's chemical agent, "Q."

    As to the preference for Red/Black ? Unfortunate fashion side effect of the drug. Pity them for they know not what they do.

    'Caine, miss you bud. Fly high.
  • c3rvand0c3rvand0 Posts: 403 Arc User
    edited April 2014
    ashensnow wrote: »
    Its really quite simple.

    They are not really furries, galaxy eating gods, etc.

    They are all individuals affected by a PSI plot to release certain psychoreactive chemicals into the population in an attempt to produce a surge in the psionic metahuman population. Gargath the Terrible may think that he is a galaxy eating god, but in reality he is just George Sellers, accountant under the influence of PSI's chemical agent, "Q."

    As to the preference for Red/Black ? Unfortunate fashion side effect of the drug. Pity them for they know not what they do.

    So basically they are all drug addled wannabees? That actually makes a lot of sense.
    _______________________________________________________________________[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited July 2014
    Glad you found it thought-provoking, Bluegrassbeast. I hoped this thread would be helpful. But all I can do is post 'em -- I can't make people read 'em. :tongue:

    The official Champions Universe is jam-packed with "bits" of cool lore like that, distinctive to this setting; but the majority of them, like this one, involve rare phenomena, a very specific history, and/or come with significant strings attached. The ones I listed in my initial post have broad applicability and don't require an exotic background. Not every PC can be one of the incarnated elemental gods who fled the dimension of Thulkos to escape being absorbed by Tyrannon the Conqueror; but any human can stumble across a crashed Hzeel scout ship and touch the wrong piece of bio-tech.
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited August 2014
    A discussion on another forum persuaded me to add another category to this thread, and to my first post at the top of it, for an origin that's relatively common in the Champions Universe, but which many players may not think to explore.

    "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.
  • xenosinfinityxxenosinfinityx Posts: 42 Arc User
    edited September 2014
    I have to thank you for the information on Empyreans. That makes my life considerably easier, since one of my characters is one and I'd been under the impression Arcadia was some sort of parallel dimension rather than a hidden site on Earth.

    Edit: And the Coruscations, actually. Suddenly I have a scientific explanation for Aurum.
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited September 2014
    You're welcome, I'm glad to hear it. I aimed to please. :smile:
  • chaelkchaelk Posts: 7,732 Arc User
    edited September 2014
    Felicity in PnP, was a clone from a DARPA project, copying a person with unstable DNA.
    The clones were given basic school knowledge , a job and left to see how they developed.

    She had, what was first thought to be luck but turned out to be "survival".
    Her body adjusted to things which might kill her.(assuming I had the points in the adjustment pool.)
    She ended up with;
    no need to breath,
    no need to eat,
    immunity to toxins 10 pts,
    longevity 1600 years,

    the downside being, that she was stuck unable to do anything while it was happening and then needed a medical check afterwards to see what had happened and stuffing herself to restock.
    The program was
    Stuffing up Freeform builds since Mid 2011
    4e1f62c7-8ea7-4996-8f22-bae41fea063b_zpsu7p3urv1.jpg

    Get the Forums Enhancement Extension!
  • jonsillsjonsills Posts: 6,315 Arc User
    edited September 2014
    I'm not sure how far back into history the books go...

    Sixty-five million years ago, would there have been room for two small interstellar governments (one aggressively expansionistic, one much quieter) within, say, a couple hundred lightyears of Earth? Or was this part of the galaxy under someone's firm control back then? Or do we even know?

    (I'm asking because I want the background of my new toon, the Lawgiver, to be at least mildly compatible with the Champions universe...)
    "Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"

    - David Brin, "Those Eyes"
    Get the Forums Enhancement Extension!
  • solardynamosolardynamo Posts: 139 Arc User
    edited September 2014
    Just had to bookmark this thread and say thanks for some great info and inspiration. I mean I have 45+ toons and very little knowledge of Champions Lore.

    Thanks much!
    inS6EEjxY0bBVXuqyVWD1NidpgxpduJXW5_YMzhL0zc?size=1280x960&size_mode=2
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited September 2014
    jonsills wrote: »
    I'm not sure how far back into history the books go...

    Sixty-five million years ago, would there have been room for two small interstellar governments (one aggressively expansionistic, one much quieter) within, say, a couple hundred lightyears of Earth? Or was this part of the galaxy under someone's firm control back then? Or do we even know?

    (I'm asking because I want the background of my new toon, the Lawgiver, to be at least mildly compatible with the Champions universe...)

    I would say you have plenty of room for your two governments.

    According to Champions Beyond, the current era of widespread interstellar civilization in the Milky Way Galaxy began roughly a million years ago, with the Odrugarans, patrons of the Star*Guard. The previous era ran from about 5 million to 3.5 million years ago, and included the Kelvarans, ancestors of the immortal Progenitors. The next oldest race for whom we're given definite dates are the Martians in our own solar system, who flourished around 1.5 billion years in the past. So there's an enormous time gap into which you can insert whatever history works for you.
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited September 2014
    Just had to bookmark this thread and say thanks for some great info and inspiration. I mean I have 45+ toons and very little knowledge of Champions Lore.

    Thanks much!

    You are most welcome. It does my heart good to hear it. :biggrin:
  • zedbrightlander1zedbrightlander1 Posts: 3,797 Arc User
    edited September 2014
    Hey bulgarex,

    Surely you have an incite on a great name for a bar in a space over the world of the Champions. :biggrin:


    http://co-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?t=288341
    ZedBlock-200.jpg
  • zedbrightlander1zedbrightlander1 Posts: 3,797 Arc User
    edited September 2014
    A question...

    Is ADIS teleporter part of the games lore?

    Other wise, I would have name it the BMUS teleporter. :smile:
    ZedBlock-200.jpg
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited September 2014
    Yes, ADIS was first described in the UNTIL PnP source book in 2003, and the latest edition of Champions Universe (2010) also mentions it. Both books characterize it as still "experimental" technology, and very expensive to use, which is why UNTIL primarily utilizes a space shuttle, the Giml
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited September 2014
    BTW when dealing in future with lore questions or issues not directly related to origins, I would suggest creating threads for them rather than adding them to this one. This thread is more of a resource than a discussion, so topic drift probably would work against people's reasons for looking it up. :smile:
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited April 2015
    It's not my desire to necro any threads, but recent discussions have reminded me of another CU-based origin which fits the parameters of this thread -- unique to the Champions Universe but not requiring characters with unusual backgrounds. And since I created this thread as a general lore repository, it seemed the appropriate place to add this info, both here and to the list on the first post. :smile: So, without further ado:


    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.
  • amosov78amosov78 Posts: 98 Arc User
    edited May 2015
    jonsills wrote: »
    Interesting. So the mysterious light from the sky that gave Hypernova his powers (superstrength, durability, and flight), which he has been assuming was the last flare of a dying star, may well have been one of these Coruscations of Power....

    Thank you. It's always more fun to tie a character's origin in with the existing IP.

    It's great. I used the 'Coruscations of Power' origin for my hero Frontiersman, though he and the team he worked with don't know it; they believe his power comes from some accident that occurred during the experiment they were involved with.
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited June 2015
    Once again, discussions elsewhere regarding the CU have reminded me of another unique origin appropriate to add to this thread (and which I have already entered on the first post).


    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.
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    That concept has similarities to the official speedster villain Vector, who also gained power from a Coruscation. So you'd be well justified. :)
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited October 2015
    Yet again, discussions with a fellow forumite has reminded me of another potential CU-based character origin; but the new forum software won't allow me to add more text to my first post on this thread. So I'll have to just leave this info here until and unless that changes, or I figure a way around it.



    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 Human/Qularr 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.
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    I have two new entries which I would have liked to add to the list on the first post on this thread; but since it won't accept the length of the additional characters, I have to post them here. Sorry.


    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.


    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.
  • forces2013#8409 forces2013 Posts: 8 Arc User
    edited November 2016
    The Foxs of Elements

    Are a entity branch from a God who sleeps every million years for 10 decades, during the sleep of this God, the elemental Foxs are born, breaking up the entity of the God in less powerful pieces of itself, A theory suggests that all the Foxs are semi deities with limited power, and when all the Foxs die within 10 decades, The God has awakened, while awakened the universe seems to expand by a inch, so it is safe to conclude that this God can expand the universe by awakening.

    Red Foxs- Is the manipulator of rock and various debris made from soil and dirt and uses a pet.

    Elem Foxs-Is the manipulator of light magic and uses a pet.

    Bluish Foxs-Is the manipulator of Earth and various debris made from stone and crystal and uses a pet.

    Ghost Foxs- Is the manipulator that is the shell of the sleeping God and the dead Foxs which results in it's skill of mind over matter, a theory suggests that this Foxs is of greater strength than the remaining Foxs.

    These are the only Foxs known to mankind.

  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    I guess I need to clarify that "the Foxs of Elements" above are player-created, and appear nowhere in published official Champions lore.
  • darksoulsrisedarksoulsrise Posts: 1 New User
    nice
Sign In or Register to comment.