Creatures of The Night - Horror Enemies

Creatures of the Night TM

Author: Dean Shomshak Editor: Bruce Harlick Cover Art: Starn Cook Interior Illustration: Greg Smith, Starn Cook Project Specific Contributions: Pagemaking & Layout: Blackhawk Typesetting, John Curtis; Cover Graphics: Terry K. Amthor; Art Direction: Jessica Ney-Grimm; Editorial Contributions: Monte Cook, Maggi Perkins Special Thanks: Sean P. Fannon for the cool title. ICE Staff - Sales Manager: Deane Begiebing; Managing Editor: Coleman Charlton; President: Peter Fenlon; CEO: Bruce Neidlinger; Editing, Development, & Production Staff: John Curtis, Jessica Ney-Grimm; Sales, Customer Service & Operations Staff: Heike Kubasch; Shipping Staff: Dave Morris, Daniel Williams.

Creatures of the Nighf' M is Hero Games' trademark for its superhero roleplaying game using the Hero system. Champions® and Champions, The Super Rolep/aying Game1 M are Hero Games trademarks for its superhero roleplaying game using the Hero System. Hero System.,.. ls Hero Games' trademark for its roleplaying system. Creatures of the Night© 1993 Hero Games. All rights reserved . Champions Copyright © 1981 , 1984, 1989 Hero Games. All rights reserved. Hero System Copyright © 1984, 1989 Hero Games. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying (except Character Sheets for personal use only), recording, or computerization, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Publisher: Iron Crown Enterprises, Inc., P.O. Box 1605, Charlottesville, VA 22902. Printed in U.S.A., First Printing 1993 Produced & Distributed by Iron Crown Enterprises, Inc.. the exclusive manufacturer of Hero Games.

STOCK#: 429 ISBN 1-55806-188-6

Creatures of the Night Introduction ..................................................................... 3 Author's Notes .............................................................. 3 Horror in Other Hero Products ..................................... 3 The Three Faces of Horror ........................................... 3 Horror in Other Genres ....................... .......................... 4 Mystic Masters ..................................................... 4 Dark Champions ........................ .......................... 4 Fantasy Hero ....................................................... 4 Star Hero ............................................................. 5 Justice Inc ............................................................ 5 Other Genres .............. ......................................... 5 How to Do Horror .......................................................... 5 Devil's Advocates ........................................................... 6 Demonologist .................................................... ....... 8 Apollyon ................................................................. 10 Brother Bone .......................................................... 12 Golem ................... .. ......... ......... ..... ........................ 14 Granny Hex ....................................................... ..... 16 Maze ................................................ ...................... 18 Shadowfire .................................. ........................... 20 Vilsimbra .............................................. .................. 22 Mind-Master Complex Remote Units .......................... 24 Mind-Master Complex ............................................ 25 Major Mind ............................................................. 27 Mindwhip ................................................................ 28 Vandal ....................................................................29 The Totems ............... ....................................... ............. 30 Manitou ............................................................. ..... 32 Bear .... ................................................................... 34 Coyote .................................................................... 35 Rattlesnake ........... ................................................. 36 Thunderbird .................... ........................................ 38 The Great Beast ........... ................................................. 39 Great Beast ............ ................................................ 39 Sample Monsters ....................................................... 41 Acid Dragon ........................................................... 41 Manticore ............................................................... 42 Spiderhead ......................... .................................... 42 Battering Ram ........................................................ 43 Flying Dog .................................................... .......... 43

The Monad ..................................................................... 44 Monad Base ........................................................... 46 Golden Manta ........................................................ 47 Fire Centipede ............. .......................................... 47 Three-Eyed Reptile ................................................ 48 Android Murderbot ............................... .................. 48 Black Scorpion Murderbot ..................... ................ .49 Servo bot ................................. ................ ................ 50 Independent Villains ........ ................ .. .. ..... .................... 51 Archimago .............................................................. 51 Black Fang ............................................................. 54 Caiman ................................................................... 56 Decay ....................................... .............................. 57 Dr. Black ................................................................ 59 Fearmonger ........................................................... 61 Four Eyes ............................................ ................... 63 Haunt ........................ ............................................. 64 Hell Rider ............................................................... 66 hom*onculus ................. ....................... ................... 67 Kobold .................................................................... 69 Lady Twilight .......................................................... 71 Other Vampires ..................... ............................. 73 Lamplighter .............................. .............................. 74 Mrs. Meigs ..... ............................. ........................... 76 Mirrorhead ......................................................... 78 Compass Men .............................................. ...... 79 Ooze ............................ .......................................... 79 Joseph Otanga ....................................................... 81 Rev. Gil Purdue ...................................................... 83 Razor Girl ..................................... ........................ .. 85 Vulshoth ................................................................. 86 Whisper ..................................... ............................. 87 Demons ...................... ............... ... ..... ......... .. ..... ... .......... 90 Mephistopheles ...................................................... 91 Baphomet ............................................................... 93 Aratron ................................................................... 94 Gamygyn .......................... ................................ ...... 95 Wrath Demon, Greater ........................................... 96 Wrath Demon , Lesser ............................................ 96 Scratchet .................................... ...... ...................... 97 The Satanic Cult Conspiracy ....................................... 98 On Serial Killers ................. ........................................... 99 How To Fight The Unbeatable Foe ............................ 100

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Creatures of the Night

AUTHOR'S NOTES

)

Why horror? That's a valid question. The answer, I think, comes in three parts. First, of course, it's an excuse for another Enemies book. Aside from helping the nice people at ICE pay their bills, it's always good to see what sort of villains other people are making. We all have blind spots, and Enemies books give GMs a chance to see what they haven't thought of yet. More seriously, horror presents unusual challenges for GMs and players alike. GMs face the challenge of bringing fear into a genre where the protagonists are pretty much immune to normal harm. Players face the challenge of perils that perhaps cannot be defeated by a simple brawl-but which are so evil they must be defeated. Aside from testing heroes in unusual ways, horror stories make the heroes shine that much brighter because their foes are that much darker. And finally, horror stories are fun! It's a weird sort of fun, I admit, but no weirder than RPGs in general. If you're one of those people who knows how fun it is to be scared and would like to know why, I recommend Stephen King's Oanse Macabre; nobody knows more about the subject than he does. So for those of you who like adding a little extra fear to your CHAMPIONS campaign, here is Creatures of the Night. It can hardly bean exhaustive or definitive guide to superhero horror adventures, but I have tried to fill it with suitably scary villains and suggestions on how to use them. Some operate in tightly-knit groups; others are loners who may only operate with other villains on an ad hoc basis, or not at all. Some are supernatural-demons, sorcerers, slimy unspeakables and so on-while others are more "natural" mutants, mad scientists and victims of bizarre accidents. Here are familiar monsters such as vampires and werewolves, as well as enigmatic beings whose origins, powers and motives are only understood through repeated clashes and careful investigation. Some readers may find some of these villains disturbing or even offensive. In fact, I hope so. By definition, horror deals with things we'd normally rather not face. No magical, religious or political advocacy is intended. Yes, I have opinions, and they unavoidably color what I write, (see, for instance, the concluding essays on Satanism and serial killers), and I'm not ashamed of them-but I'm not out to convince anyone of anything. I use demons, evil doctors and Third World dictators, for instance, because they are scary, not because I have any axes to grind about religion, medicine or international politics. Welcome to my nightmares.

HORROR IN OTHER HERO PRODUCTS

Several of the villains presented elsewhere are suitable for horror. From Classic Enemies, Black Paladin and Dark Seraph are linked to Satanic forces, and the Slug to Lovecraftian horror. The Monster and Leech are properly fearsome monsters. And of course, what mad scientist would be better to probe Things Man Was Not Meant to Know than Dr. Destroyer? Alien Enemies provides the Spores from Space, the Tyrixx Horde and the Masq, some classic B-Movie monsters from space, and the quasiLovecraftian Arcane. Horror World, in Champions in 3-0, however, delivers Lovecraftian nameless horrors from beyond in the purest form yet seen in a Hero System product. Note that one may re-interpret villains not originally meant to be horrific. Take, for instance, everyone's favorite joke villain, Foxbat. He's crazy; he could do anything, without warning. And because he thinks he's in a comic book, where nobody really dies except for unimportant bit-part characters, he won't feel the slightest guilt, no matter how atrocious his actions. 'What are you so upset about? It's just a story!" And of course, heroes might discover that Foxbat is right.

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THE THREE FACES OF HORROR

)

Horror has three basic aspects. Villains for horror adventures can be scary in any of these three ways, and usually more than one. Most obviously, villains can be physically scary. This is the basic Hollywood B-movie sort of horror, with ugly monsters and rotting corpses and slime and gore everywhere. It ain't high art, but don't knock it: it works. Even the most well-bred English ghost stories went for the shocker now and then. Another sort of horror comes from what people do, and why they do it. Some things, whether as ethereal as demonsummoning or as sordidly mundane as rape and murder, just aren't done by reasonable people in a reasonable world. Even most supervillains have motives one can understand, even if they're not nice. After all, who wouldn't like to be rich, or powerful, or to get back at people who have wronged them? When deeds or motives become too strange or extreme, however, they become frightening. And what about when the whole world stops being reasonable? We all think we have some idea how the world works. Even in comic books, where the laws of science are a joke, characters can still usually count on the Universe seeming to

Creatures of the Night make sense. If circ*mstances undercut our sense of reality's ground-rules-then what? "The oldest and strongest fear," as the classic horror writer H. P. Lovecraft put it, "is fear of the unknown."

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HORROR IN OTHER GENRES

MYSTIC MASTERS Horror and comic-book sorcerous adventure co-exist uneasily. Classic Black Magic Horrors like demons and vampires have often appeared as foes of comicbook sorcerers like Or. Strange and Or. Fate. Until recently, however, magicoriented titles were better at delivering four-color thrills than serious horror. Nowadays, publishers are not so restricted, and several fine titles mix horror with heroism in varying proportions. In more "straight" horror, magic and the supernatural have a different style from four-color sorcery. The villains are more grotesque in appearance and action. Magic is more traditional: instead of wiggling their fingers, calling on the Seven Spheres of Selestar and creating a magical force-blast, sorcerers draw magic circles in their own blood. The demons are more clearly inspired by the lore of ceremonial magic. There is as much emphasis on the evil within the human heart as on supernatural menace. All the magic-oriented villains and monsters in Creatures of the Night can be used in Mystic Masters adventures with few, if any, changes.

DARK CHAMPIONS Horror easily fits into the mean streets of Dark Champions. The gritty world of street vigilantes already ha~ classic h?r.ror elements of sudden death, monstrous appetites. susp1c1on and betrayal. Indeed, real urban horrors can put imagined grotesqueries to shame. . . . Case in point: In March of 1992, Colombian police ?1sc~v ered a medical murder ring operating out of Free University in Baranquilla. University guards lured in homeless garbagepickers, shot them and sold the cadavers to the medical school. For months, the city's garbage-pickers petitioned the police to investigate the disappearance of their fellows, but the Colombian police cared little what happened to such poor people. At last the murderous guards slipped up: a garbage-picker left for dead in the morg~e escaped and staggered, still bleeding, to a nearby police stat10.n. T ~ e ensuing investigation implicated several Free University staff members and faculty as well as the guards who did the actual killings. Free University closed its doors, perhaps forever. The Free University case shows that one doesn't need supervillains, black magic or mad scientists to build stark horror. Indeed, adding a Frankenstein-like mad doctor or a Satanic cult would practically be a relief. The more fabulous elements of horror, however, best fit into a street-level campaign if they are firmly tied to familiar, human evils. Several Creatures of the Night villains fit neatly into Dark Champions adventures. The Mind-Master Complex presents mind control mystery and paranoia, although its raw power should be considerably reduced for a street-level

campaign. Its power to "possess" people is quite formidable enough! The Great Beast might k~dnap poor people .to experiment upon. Black Fang combines an unusual ser!al killerwith legal and political intrigue (the hugger- mugQe~w 1th Demonologist can be changed). Dr. Black was originally conceived as a street-level villain with thug lackeys. Hell Rider's six targets for vengeance might be corrupt people whose wealth and status puts them "above the law." Indeed, one could adapt Hell Rider into a vigilante hero! Caiman and the Homunculus are assassins; so, in a weirder way, are Fearmonger and Whisper. Lady Twilight feeds off the prosperity of the city just as she feeds off the blood of itspeopleand she's not necessarily the only vampire to find a niche in organized crime. Lovecraftian horrors do not belong on the mean streets, but the occasional demon, gargoyle or other, more familiar monster could be an interesting change of pace. Just remember that in street-level adventures the focus should stay on the internal evil of human motivations. The lower power level of Dark Champions means that GMs might want to reduce the power and defenses ?f s?me monsters and villains. Detective work to u ncovermot1vat1ons and weaknesses becomes even more important than in a four-color campaign. "Achilles Heels" (see "How to Fight the Unbeatable Foe") and indirect attack become vital. The Pulverizer's high-caliber bullets just bounce of the demon's hide- but what about the sorcerer cowering behind the bloodstained altar, or the glowing jeweled eyes of the loathsome idol?

FANTASY HERO Horror fits easily into fantasy campaigns as well. What's a brawny swordsman without an undead horror to battle in its tomb or an evil sorcerer summoning grotesque minions? Shel~b and the Black Riders, in Lord Of The Rings, provided moments of chilling terror in the definitive fantasy epic. Even "funny fantasy" isn't immune: the betentacled denizens of the Dungeon Dimensions ooze their way into Terry Pratchett's Diskworld novels. And as mentioned, modern-day "urban fantasy" slides quite naturally into horror. In the standard, quasi-Medieval setting of most fantasy campaigns, horror tends to be simple and visceral rather than subtle and spiritual. The emphasis is clearly on "external" evil- monsters, evil sorcerers and the like. Demons want to eat your face, not corrupt your society. (Not that "internal" evils of greed, brutality and obsession are absent from fantasy worlds. Quite the opposite: they're often so universal that they've lost any shock value.) A few Creatures of the Night villains could transfer to heroic fantasy adventures. Most of the Devil's Advocates could be adapted as evil sorcerers for a Fantasy Hero campaign; with major reduction in power, Archimago becomes a splendid lich . The Great Beast could produce monsters by alchemy instead of science. Hell R i~ercould be a fearsome Dark Knight guarding a temple of evil. Monsters of the Elder Gods are too weird and powerful for regular use, but they could be an apocalyptic horror whose summoning must be averted at all cost. The demons can be used without the slightest alteration. Lesser demons give a heroic-level swordsman a good workout without being invincible. Greater demons and lesser demon lords can challenge whole groups of adventurers. Greater demon lords should only be used against powerful, experienced groups, or in cases where the heroes have other options besides directly fighting the demon lord.

Creatures of the Night

STAR HERO "In space, nobody can hear you rip off other genres." Like fantasy, star-spanning science fiction most easily accepts immediate, physical horror. As Alien showed, hunting a monster through a big, dark spaceship works just as well as hunting a monster through a big, dark house. For SF the horrors should have scientific (or pseudo-scientific) explanations: no Black Magic Horrors, but plenty of gruesome aliens and mutants. Murderous robots and cyborgs work well too. Horror Enemies suitable for SF campaigns include the Mind-Master Complex, the Monad, Four Eyes (if one likes mutants), the Great Beast and the Homunculus (made a robot instead of a golem). Killer Appliances, Slime Worms and some other monsters could be interpreted in science fictional ways as well.

JUSTICE INC. Justice Inc. is a natural for horror. The 1920s and 30s were as much a golden age for horror as for every other kind of pulp fiction. "Psychic detectives" like Jules deGrandin were common, and H. P. Lovecraft and his cronies introduced the world to unspeakable Things from Beyond. The Call Of Cthulhu game from Chaosium gives a definitive treatment to such "Lovecrattian" horror. Supernatural Horror Enemies like the Devil's Advocates, Haunt or Lady Twilight make just as good opponents for pulp-era heroes as for modern superheroes, albeit they must be greatly reduced in power. Mad scientists like the Great Beast were popularized by pulp fiction: Doc Savage fought dozens of criminals armed with super-scientific weapons, while the insidious Fu Manchu is an example of a really highend criminal scientist, one able to threaten the world.

OTHER GENRES Alas, I have no experience with "cyberpunk" adventuring. In most respects, however, the archetypal cyberpunk world is just like the gritty Dark Champions world, only with flashier technology. I have even less knowledge of chopsocky and Westerns, but I suspect that an adventure fusing horror with martial arts action or showdowns at high noon would be a damned strange adventure. And if any reader has done this, I'd like to hear about it. (Editor's Note: Some of Robert E. Howard's works deal with horror in a Western setting. Check them out; they're fun reads.}

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HOW TO DO HORROR

)

But enough philosophizing. You've got a book full of supervillains and monsters, maybe you want to invent a few of your own, and you're wondering how to use them. No problem. As a GM, you do have to work a little harder to give that thrill of fear to players when their characters are tougher than the average tank, but there are a few simple guidelines that make it easier. First, create villains that work around the average hero's strengths. Unusual attacks such as mental powers, adjustment powers (Drain, Suppress, etc.) NND attacks and Transforms ignore normal defenses. How many heroes have you seen who have bought Power Defense, or Life Support vs. disease? In the same vein, unusual defenses such as Desolid or Damage Reduction keep heroes from casually

trouncing a monster or villain meant to evoke horror. Powers giving exceptional mobility or the ability to strike from surprise give much the same effect. Finally, maybe the heroes can waste the villain with ease-but dare not. The villain may be an innocent person possessed by a demon, or have hostages the heroes cannot yet rescue. Heroes (and their players) won't be so fearless when they find they've got to rely on intelligence more than brute force. How one presents a villain is even more important, however, than the villain's powers. One basic rule of horror storytelling is not to bring the monster or villain straight to the heroes for a brawl. Instead, they have to hunt it-or maybe it is hunting them, and at first they don't know it! Victory may depend on discovering the monster's weaknesses and plans before it's too late. Be sure, however, to provide plenty of clues and story hooks to lead the heroes to the villain. Not many players are actually good at thinking of lines of investigation: GMs need to make any legwork the heroes must do as easy as possible so they can get on with the plot. In the same spirit, plots should be kept fairly simple, with just one or two lines of investigation. If there are too many clues, that seem at first to lead in different directions, the players will just be cont used instead of appreciating how cleverly everything ties up at the end. Even if a villain doesn't have powers that neutralize the heroes' strengths, it can be pretty scary if it prefers attacking helpless normal people instead of brawling with the heroes. Let a few NPCs get munched. It's what they're for. Every time the monster strikes and the heroes aren't able to stop it, the anxiety level rises. They must stop the fiend ... but how? Atmosphere is one of the most important ingredients of any horror story. Some settings are just scarier than others. "Gothic" settings like isolated mansions and cobwebby crypts are both familiar and effective, but one shouldn't ignore modern anxiety-producing places such as hospitals and slums. Places become scarier when it's dark, and what is hinted at is often more frightening than what is openly shown. Social settings provide other opportunities for undermining a character's sense of security. Is a hero a whitebread, Middle-America type? Send the investigation into a leather bar. For a hero who's a scientific rationalist, try a remote monastery or a commune of religious fanatics, where furtive people give dark hints but dare not say more. On the other hand, a comfortable, familiar setting can make a horror all the more shocking from contrast: just think of all those stories about small towns with dreadful secrets, from The Weird Shadow Over lnnsmouth to Salem's Lot. The local beauty salon is run by Satanists! Kindly old Pastor Wiswick at the Rescue Mission kidnaps runaways for his mutation experiments! The Chamber of Commerce is run by brain-eating aliens! You get the idea. Finally, as mentioned above, horror goes beyond normal villainy in that horror stories deliberately prod our insecurities. Some fears are simple and material: fear of spiders, snakes, savage carnivores and other unpleasant creatures; fear of death, mutilation and pain; fear of the dark. Others are more abstract: fear of loss of control, of betrayal, of insanity, of challenge to one's beliefs; and so on. Horror books and movies provide valuable inspiration, but the best resource a GM has is still his or her own imagination. One of the basic rules of writing and acting is that if you believe it, your audience will believe it too. The better you can identify what gives you the creeps, the better you can give a vicarious thrill of fear to your players.

Creatures of the Night

Membership: Demonologist (leader), Apollyon, Brother Bone, Golem, Granny Hex, Maze, Shadowfire, Vilsimbra. Origin: Behold the Demonologist, a man out to undo five centuries of history. In the Renaissance, European scholars discovered both the magic and the science of the ancient world. Many scholars pursued both Isaac Newton dabbled in alchemy, and the crystal-gazing magus John Dee was also a leading mathematician of his day. The rational world-view of science prospered and changed the world. Magic degenerated into a mass of nonsensical verbiage, the province of con men and educated fools. The real magic stayed underg round, secretly preserved by adepts who knew the world had passed them by. In the Twentieth Century, however, new discoveries in physics, biology and psychology turned the old clockwork cosmos upside down. There was room for magic once more. And soon after the first superheroes and villains appeared, adepts like Archimago declared themselves and proclaimed a Dark Renaissance of magic. Demonologist wanted more than a revival of magic. He fought to make the Dark Renaissance a revolution to end the Machine Age forever. He found he couldn't do it alone, even though he was one of the world's mightiest living wizards. So he gathered a group of other malcontented mages to help him. He knew of witches in the Appalachian Mountains who formed a coven that had endured since Colonial times. He sought out Granny Hex, leader of the coven, and found her as resentful of the modern world as he was. She joined him at once. He read in the newspapers of a criminal who had animated statues to rob museums. He broke Upton Frogge (a.k.a. the Golem) out of jail. Golem was most grateful. Demonologist felt Travis Knapp punch llis way through to Earth from his extra-planar exile and tracked him down. Knapp was insane, but a master of dimension-warping magic. Demonologist had grave doubts about admitting a former computer programmer to his group, but Knapp genuinely loved magic and genuinely hated the Establishment he'~ once served. Under the circ*mstances, Demonologist decided he could compromise his principles just a little. Knapp became Maze. Demonologist didn't have to look for Vilsimbra; she found him. She was by turns charming, formidable and sympathetic. Demonologist saw through her games to her true motives, but he let her join anyway. She found it novel to interact with others without having a hidden agenda. Demonologist asked Dark Seraph to join, but found him insufferable. He decided to make his own version. He found the right combination of occultism, ruthlessness and desperation in Nick Harrison. Demonologist didn't have any elder artifacts to help him, but he knew a lot more than had

the man who became Dark Seraph. He transformed Harrison into the powerful demi-demon Apollyon. Apollyon suggested their group's name. When Granny Hex's divinations told of a great darkness enveloping an American city, Demonologist investigated and found Shadowfire just as that sorcerer's first bid for godlike power was falling in ruins. The two sorcerers quickly reached an understanding. Finally, when a band of skeletal monks terrorized Germany, Demonologist knew almost before the newspapers did. Brother Bone joined the Devil's Advocates after long thought and prayer. Demonologist is still interested in locating sorcerers who hate modernity and lack scruples. He hopes the Devil's Advocates will eventually become a worldwide syndicate of sorcery. Behold the Demonologist, a man out to undo five centuries of history. With his new allies, he just might do it! Goals: When Demonologist calls the Devil's Advocates together it's either to attack the technological superstructure of society, or to unleash some terrible supernatural force upon the world. Major projects can affect the entire world. Smaller groups of Advocates may gather for less grandiose reasons to find a long-lost artifact, steal rare materials they need for spells, break allies out of jail, etc. Tactics: Few of the Devil's Advocates are strong fighters but they enjoy a virtually limitless range of powers. Demonologist therefore relies on misdirection, mobility and multiple lines of attack. Demonologist wants victory, not glory. If he expects superhero interference (and he is never incautious), he will try to find a way to achieve his goal without fighting superheroes directly. If a plan calls for combat, Golem, Apollyon and Shadowfire have the most raw force; if they aren't enough or Demonologist needs them for other things, summoned demons can do the job. Group Relations: The Devil's Advocates are bound together by their common interest in promoting the Dark Renaissance. Except for missions and research, the members d~n't associate with each other much. It's a very professional group-sort of a cross between a terrorist cell and a scholarly think-tank. The chief tension in the group is between Demonologist and Apollyon, who hungers for more authority for himself and more "worldly" power for the group. Apollyon also suspects (and rightly so) that Demonologist isn't fully loyal to the Lords of Hell. As yet, however, he's not about to attempt mutiny. Demonologist gave Apollyon his powers; Apollyon isn't sure Demonologist couldn't take them away. Reputation: The Advocates aren't as notorious as they really deserve to be. After all, they seek the end of civilization as we know it. Along the way they have terrorized whole cities and caused billions of dollars worth of property dam-

Creatures of the Night

age. The Advocates, however, don't seek publicity like many villains do. What's more, superheroes and worried governments sometimes help obscure the full truth, fearing public panic or rash occult experimentation by the curious. Still, most people have figured out that the Devil's Advocates do weird, horrible things. The UNTIL Supervillain Survey says: 'They do not negotiate and are seldom distracted from their goals. Do not underestimate them. If their involvement is suspected, take nothing at face value." The Advocates' creepy reputation even extends to most other villains and criminal agencies. DEMON would like to get close to the only people who know more about black magic than they do, but Demonologist keeps his distance. He doesn't trust DEMON; they too seek the Dark Renaissance, but they also use advanced technology. Even though he knows that the "public" DEMON is just a mask for the sorcerous real DEMON, he thinks that DEMON's Inner Circle compromises too much. Except for magic-oriented

villains, such as Dr. Samaine or Nycademos, the Devil's Advocates stand alone. Scenario Use: The Devil's Advocates are an excuse for supernatural mayhem on a grand scale. By combining their powers (i.e. making part of their Power Pools be Usable by Others, or using Aid spells) and investing their headquarters points in magical "superweapons" (actually massive spells with hefty limitations), they can do neat stuff like summoning demonic armies or loathsome Elder Gods. It's best if heroes meet the Devil's Advocates one by one instead of all at once. (Demonologist might even assemble his team in the course of the campaign. That way, heroes and players get a chance to appreciate the individual Advocate styles and how dangerous and devious each one is alone. Then, when the heroes have to stop all the Advocates working together, they'll appreciate what danger they and the world are in.

Creatures of the Night

DEMONOLOGIST Val

8 14 10 10 25 20 20 10

2 2 3 6 40 19 Cost 100 25

2 10

9 6 3 3

Char

Cost

STR DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

-2 12 0 0 20 20 10

0 0 6 4 10 0

EXAMPLES OF TYPICAL SPELLS AND ITEMS Cost

Combat Stats

20 13 12 12

OCV:5 DCV:5 ECV: 7 Phases:4,8, 12 Costs Char:

80 + Powers: 217

Base: Disad:

22 100 + 197

= Totals:

297

Powers

297

10 17 END

Magic Pool (82 pt pool) Hours to change (-Y2), OIF/IAF (-Y2); Variable Limit of -Y2 (-%) 1 x 400 pt Summon Any Demon Lord(+%), OAF, Bulky (ritual paraphernalia), Gestures, Incantations, 5 minutes Extra Time, Only at propitious time 14 and/or place (-Y2) [Grand Summoning] 6d6 major Transform to double, reversed by removing collar, O Range, OIF (collar), Concentrate (0 DCV), Requires Willing Target (-Y2). Only 1 Double at a time (-1), 1 turn Extra Time (Doppleganger Collars] 18 Mind Link to Double, OIF (collar), Concentrate (Y2 DCV Throughout) Armor (+5 PD/+5 ED), IAF (Wardcape) +7 PD. +7 ED. IAF (Wardcape) Mental Defense (10) Mental Defense (+5) OIF (Amulet) Power Defense (5) OIF (Amulet) Skills

3 13 7 5 16 100+ 25 15 1O 20 15 15 15 10 1O 15 47

Scholar KS: Magic 15-, Demons 13-, Sorcerers 11-, Culls 11-, Other Planes 11-, Legends 11-, Occult Gemology 11 Languages: native English, fluent French, Latin, Greek, Hebrew PS: Jeweler 12-, Sketch Artist 1182 pt Headquarters Disadvantages Totally Avoids HTH combat (V Com, Total) Dislike of technology (Com, Strong) Protective of magic (Com) Normal characteristic maxima Rep as Terrorist wizard ( 11-, Extreme) Hunted by heroes, 8Hunted by FBI, 11 Hunted by J udeo-Christian churches, 8Watched by demon lords, 11Secret ID (Andre de Faussesflammes) Villain Bonus

Powers

END

1 x 250 pt Summon, OAF (Summoning Talisman)[1c] 1 x 50 pt Summon, OAF (Summoning Talisman) [4c] 4 x 50 pt Summon, OAF (Summoning Talisman) [1c] 1 x 100 pt Summon, Any Lesser demon lord (+Y4), (OAF ritual gear or blood), 1 minute Extra Time, Gestures, Incantations, Concentrate (Y2 DCV), x2 END 12 6d6 EB, AP, 1 Hex Area, Y2 END, OAF (Blasting 3 Wand), 8 Charges, Cost END 11d6 EB Trigger (Amulet Lid Opened(+%)), Usable by Other (the amulet, + 1/.i), IAF (Boobytrap Amulet) [1c] Invisibility vs. normal vision. OIF (Ring of Invisibility). Concentrate (Y2 DCV throughout) 2 Missile Reflection vs. all ranged attacks, +5 to OCV, OAF (Retribution Amulet) [4c] 1O" Teleport x256 NCM, 8 Floating Locations, OAF (Amulet of Retrieval). 1 Charge, Costs END, 20 x4 END. Only to Memorized Locations 4d6 Entangle, Based on ECV, OAF (Hand of Glory), 8 Charges. Cost END, Only affects those who see Hand (-%) 8 11 PD, 11 ED Force Wall over 11 Hexsides, O END, OAF (wand), Fixed location & area (-1), Gestures, Incantation, 1 turn Extra T ime [Warding Circle] O

Background: Andre de Faussesflammes came from a long

line of occult scholars, dating all the way back to medieval France. His ancestors had unearthed ancient grimoires, conversed with fakirs and lamas in the Orient, and shocked even fin-de-siecle Paris with experiments in alchemy, exotic drugs and every sort of spiritualism and diabolism. When the family moved to America after World War Two, the tradition did not die. Andre grew up in a house filled with grimoires, scarabs, crystal balls and tribal fetishes. While other teenagers grooved to rock'n'roll, he chanted cabalistic liturgies. Naturally, his classmates thought he was a prize weirdo. After high school, Andre's quest for magic led him to a secret crypt in the ruins of the old family chateau in Auverne. The crypt held the bones of his ancestor Jules, and Jules' collection of books and scrolls of black magic-including a spell to call up Jules' spirit through his skull. Andre learned so much from Jules that the criminal master-wizard Archimago took Andre on as an assistant and pupil. Andre found that his greatest talent lay in summoning demons, elementals and other supernatural creatures. His mystic's professional disdain for "worldly" technology also deepened. When Archimago died, Andre was an exceptionally powerful sorcerer in his own right he could bully or bribe even demon lords for service or information. Andre supported himself and his research as Archimago often had, through petty theft. Sometimes the thefts weren't so petty; some of his talismans were made of precious metals and gems. Then his father died. An accident had thrown a drum of toxic waste from a truck. The drum struck the old man walking nearby and broke open. The impact didn't kill Andre's father, but the poisonous chemicals did.

Creatures of the Night

The symbolism was perfect, Andre bitterly reflected. His father, who had worked as an antique dealer to preserve what was beautiful and noble and magical from the past, had been struck down by the garbage of a soulless machine age. The truck driver was charged with negligent homicide, for driving too fast. T he chemical company faced a stiff fine for breaking safety regulations by using old , corroded barrels. The driver was found dead in his home, torn limb from limb. Two days later, the chemical company's local office burned to the ground. Some witnesses swore they saw inhuman figures dancing in the flames ... It was a beginning, Andre thought, but only a beginning. It was high time the ancient forces of magic rose again. Demonology would crush technology, and he, Earth's greatest living demonologist, was just the person to do it-even if he had to unleash the foulest horrors from Hell and beyond. Quote: "Evil? You call me evil? Compared to your computers and factories, my demons are cuddlesome. Am I more evil than oil spills, atom bombs and smog?'' Personality: Demonologist is a ruthless, cunning strategist. "Mere human" life means nothing to him; he might talk of building a better world through sorcery, but he doesn't care how many people die because of his schemes. His selfconfidence is unshakable, but never leads him into taking rash chances or underestimating an enemy. His confidence comes from careful planning.

He lacks experience, however, at dealing with people in ordinary circ*mstances. He's perfectly comfortable discussing arcane matters with other sorcerers. He takes the petty rivalries of his fellow Devil's Advocates in stride; power relationships are the very essence of demonology. But he couldn't make small talk at a party to save his life, and doesn't see any reason why he should want to. Powers/Tactics: Demonologist has no powers apart from his magic items and summoning rituals, but these are enormously varied; those listed above are merely typical examples. His staple is summoning creatures to fight or carry out tasks for him. He summons demons, elementals, etc. and binds them to talismans for instant use later. Since these beings have already been forced into service, they always obey him when he invokes their talismans, but the price Demonologist pays for this convenience is a limited ~upply of servant creatures at any one time. With preparation, he can summon powerful demon lords, but he can't bind them to talismans. These are effectively free-willed, independent supervillains. For his own protection, Demonologist wears a protective magic cloak and talismans which will at least blunt almost any attack. These aren't meant to let him face down superheroes, they're to buy time for an escape. Demonologist also frequently uses magical collars to turn wimpy demons or gullibly loyal would-be wizards into magic doubles of himself. These doubles only have a 40 point Power Pool and can't perform major summonings or create more doppelgangers rn turn, but are otherwise just like the real Demonologist. Demonologist acts through these simulacra when he suspects a trap or wants to decoy heroes from his real operations. Although he can set great magic forces in motion, Demonologist is weak and unskilled in personal combat, and knows it. He'll probably carry a blasting wand just in case, but he really prefers to avoid open confrontation. He relies on feints and misdirection; flashy, obvious attacks usually conceal stealthier action. He always keeps at least one alternate plan in reserve. Heroes who think they've tumbled to one of Demonologist's schemes should look again, and once more after that. All of Demonologist's plots are meant to promote magic and undermine faith in technology. Attempts to gain more magic power or steal money or gems are just incidental means to this end. He'll do these quietly. His anti-technology terrorist plots, in contrast, he does with drama and fanfare. He wants people to notice what he does-even if at first they're looking the wrong way. Appearance: Superficially, Andre is unremarkable, 5'11" , 160 lbs (quite skinny and weak) , in his thirties. with black hair and brown eyes. He has the pale skin and habitual stoop common to people who spend most of their time indoors with books. His "costume" is no more than his gray wardcape, clasped with a garnet brooch, and his rings and talismans. Out of costume, he could pass for a college professor or a stockbroker. In costume, he'd look at home at a gaming convention. When he wants to, however, he can fairly crackle with authority.

Crea ture s of the Night

Notes: Demonologist's personal "headquarters" is currently the basem*nt of a boarding house. The owner doesn't know to whom she's renting. Demonologist's workroom is shielded from magical detection by a large talisman disguised as a light fixture in the ceiling; it won't fool anyone who knows their magic. It also blocks all sounds from the workroom so the people upstairs don't hear what's going on. The "computer" is really the talking skull of Jules de Faussesflammes. Jules' spirit can move small objects and invoke prepared magic items to defend the workroom from intruders.

DEMONOLOGIST'S BASE

APOLLYON Val

Char

Cost

Combat Stats

30 24 25 12 18 14 25

STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

20 42 30 4 8 8 15 -1 14 17 16 8 0 0

OCV: 8+ DCV: 8+ ECV: 5 Phases: 3, 5,8, 10, 12

8 20 22

5 Cost 0 0 2 0,0 22 0 3 0,0

Powers Location: City Grounds Size: None Base Area: 15 hexes Wall BODY: 2, Wall DEF: 2 Secrecy: Concealment 14·, Disguise 14Power plant: None Labs: Magic 12Sensors: None, Communications: None

15 50 40 Cost 56 5u 5u 5u 6u

Equipment 15 20

12 8 (8) (8) (3) (0) (12) (7) (3)

Anti-Scrying Talisman: Invisibility vs. Magic Detectionand Hearing, 0 END Persistent 4" Radius Area {+1), Base Independent OAF (-4) Demon Containment Room: 14 PD, 14 ED Force Wall, Hardened, Personal Immunity, 0 END Delayed Effect, Base OAF (·2) Only vs. supernatural beings, 1 class at a time (-W2), 1 hour Extra Time lo cast (-2112), O DCV casting (-1/2), Gestures, Incantations on casting Skull: 5 STA Telekinesis + Fine Manipulation 0 END OAF Computer: INT 18 EGO 14 DEX 11 SPD 2 Skills: KS: Magic 13-, Demonolgist's Magic Items 13-, Demons 11-, Elementals 11· Languages: perfect French, accented Latin Programs: Speak, Use magic items, Defend against intruder

1u 2u 29 11 8 5, 5 33 8

Costs Char:

181 + Powers: 245 Totals:

Powers

426

Base: Disad:

100 + 326 = 426

END

Multipower (56 pt pool) 11 d6 EB [Lightning] 5 2d6+1 AKA 1 Hex Area [Fireball] 5 5 2d6 AKA Damage Shield [Fireflash) 11/2d6 AKA Damage Shield, Usable by Self and 1 Other (+1/2),1/2 END [Fireshield] 3 4 x 25 pt Summon, -1/2 of Variable Limitations (-V4); Choose From OIF (fire}, Gestures, Incantations, Concentrate, Increased END, Extra Time) [Summon Scratchets] 4 1 x 50 pt Summon, 1 turn Extra Time, x2 END, Gestures, Incantations, Concentrate (0 DCV} [Summon Lesser Wrath Demon] 8 5d6 BODY, 5d6 STUN Aid, Only to Starting Values (-V2), Self only (-112), Need external bonfire (-1/2) [Flameheal) 5 Power Pool (22 pt pool), Hours to change (·1/2) Damage Resistance (1 O PD/12 ED} Armor (+8 ED), Only vs. HeaVFire (-112) Mental Defense (9), Power Defense (5) 22" Flight x4 NCM, OIF (wings) 1/5" IA Vision, Detect Magic Skills, Talents and Perks

25 3, 3 3, 3 10 16

Followers (8 x 50 pt Cultists) Interrogation 14-, Oratory 14Sleight of hand 13-, PS: Satanist Cult Leader 12KS: Stage Magic 12-, Mind-Altering Drugs 12-, Demon Lore 11·, Magic Lore 11+2 levels w/ Combat

100+ Disadvant ages 20 15 20 15 15 15 15 20 20 15 10 10 10 126

Berserk if BODY taken (11-/11-) Berserk when touched by Holy Symbol (11 -/11 ·} Megalomania (V Com, Strong) Vengeful (V Com) sad*stic (V Com) Susc: 2d6 STUN/Phase from Touching Holy Symbol Susc: 1d6 STUN/turn from Being on Holy Ground Distinctive Features: Demon (Can't conceal, causes fear) Hunted by hero team, 11 Hunted by government agency, 11Hunted by Judeo-Christian churches, 82d6 Unluck Public ID Villain Bonus

Creatures of the Night

Background: Nick Harrison loved the occult and was a natural leader. He wasn't sure if his charms, divinations and curses really worked, but they convinced other people. Several people believed he was an all-knowing mag us, and the power he had over them was intoxicating. Harrison wanted more. What he really liked, Harrison decided, was having people scared of him. His followers feared his curses as much as they wanted his help. Why shouldn't he use his followers to make a lot more people fear and obey him? Thus began the Brotherhood of Belial. As usual with cults, he promised members occult power and wisdom. Actually, Harrison brainwashed them into becoming loyal slaves-also as usual for cults. Harrison used the Brothers to set up a protection racket, telling storekeepers they were under curses, and unless they paid for a "protective spell" terrible things would happen to lheirbusinesses and families. Few believed-until merchandise started mysteriously catching fire, customers and children went mad or suffered improbable "accidents," and blood sprayed from surprising places. For real hardcases, a customer would suddenly and messily explode. (None of this, of course, was real magic: Harrison did it all with careful sabotage and drugs.) Politicians were warned to keep the police quiet, or they would suffer extreme injury or embarrassment themselves.

Many of the city's most prominent citizens regretted seeking a naughty thrill at the Brotherhood's "worship" services. The scheme worked beautifully for a year, and Harrison only had to sacrifice a few Brothers as living bombs. Then a superhero from out of town stuck her nose in, and Harrison ended up in jail. After two years in jail, Harrison would do anything to get out. When Demonologist contacted him in a dream with a deal, Harrison accepted gladly. Demonologist gathered the Devil's Advocates and a few escaped Brothers, and took over the prison. While the authorities scrambled to recapture the convicts Demonologist had set free, Demonologist coached Harrison and the Brothers on their roles. That night, the guards died beneath the Brothers' knives in the prison yard. A team of superheroes, who hadn't fully believed the (mind-controlled) warden's claim that he had the prison back under control, showed up and tried to stop the ritual, but came too late. As the gateway to Hell opened, convict snipers shot the Brothers, completing the spell with a crowning wickedness. Flames of infernal Power crackled around Harrison. One hero dropped a truck on Harrison: it melted, and Harrison laughed. Only it wasn't Harrison anymore. It was Apollyon, prince of destruction, Angel of the Bottomless Pit, newest member of the Devil's Advocates. Quote: "Fools who would challenge the Power of Hell, feel its wrathful flames!" Personality: Apoll yon is your basic megalomaniac blow hard. He is relentlessly pompous, fights anyone conspicuously decent at the drop of a hat, and never forgives even the slightest insult. His sense of humor is limited to laughing at a fallen foe. Nobody but Demonologist can give him orders without provoking a temper tantrum; even suggestions must be carefully phrased. Once in a while, however, when he is very tired and there's no immediate threat, and nobody challenges him, Apollyon might show some trace of human feeling and forbearance. Being completely Evil is hard and thankless work: even Apollyon can't always keep it up 24 hours a day. Powers/Tactics: Besides being very strong and tough, Apollyon can throw lightning bolts and fireballs, radiate hellfire, and (given time) summon minor demons. Demonologist has started teaching him how to channel his demonic power into spells, but as yet his power is not great. (The magic power pool can be used to augment existing powers, merged with other Devil's Advocates' spells, or as a "cheat factor"- a surprising minor power to help Apollyon escape or defeat a hero before the plotline's major confrontation.) Apollyon is not a subtle being: he doesn't want to corrupt heroes, he wants to beat their faces in. He's largely forgotten the chemical and conjuring tricks he used as Harrison. He freely takes advantage of innocent bystanders as distractions and hostages. Appearance: Apollyon is large and strong, with deep red hair and goatee beard, a reddish cast to his skin, curling red horns and leathery, bat-like reddish wings. From vanity, he wears a classic skintight costume of red and black with gold trim.

Cre.ature.s of the. Night

12.

100+ Disadvantages

BROTHER BONE Val

Char

20 18 20 15 13 17 20

Cost

25 25 3 8 40 35

STR 10 DEX 24 CON 20 BODY 10 INT 3 1 EGO 10 PAE COM -5 PD 21 ED 21 SPD 2 REC 0 END 0 STUN 0

Cost

Powers

22 2u 2u 2u 2u

2u 2u 2u 2u 2u 2u 35 48 6 5 12 5 30 20

20 1Y2x STUN & BODY from Area Effect physical attacks 10 Enraged when reminded he's dead (11-/11·) 20 One-track mind (V Com, Strong) 15 Tries maintaining priestly facade (Com, Strong) 25 Ignorant or 1he ?nth Century (V Com, Total) 10 Wants to kill and reanimate people (Com) 20 Susc: 1d6 STUN & BODY from Holy water 20 Distinctive Features: Skeleton (hard to conceal. causes terror) 10 Hunted by Catholic superhero, 8· 10 Hunted by Catholic Church, 815 3d6 Unluck 92 Villain Bonus

Combat Stats OCV: 6+ DCV:6 ECV: 6 Phases:4,8, 12 Costs Char:

130 + Powers: 237

Totals:

Base: Dis ad:

100 + 267

337

Background: Centuries ago, in a remote monastery in the

END

Spellbook Multipower (67 pt pool), OAF (spellbook) Gestures & Incantations on Casting, Extra Time (at least -1/2) 32 x 50 pt Summon, 1 tum Extra Time(· 1). Need supply of bones (-1/2) [Animate Skeletons] 6 32 x 50 pt Summon, 1 turn Extra Times, 6 Need supply of corpses [Animate Zombies) 4d6+ 1 RKA, 1 turn Extra Time, Only vs. rigid matter (-1) [Walls of Jericho) 6 1/2d6 AKA BODY NND [Life Support (Immune to Disease)) (+2), Uncontrolled Continuous (each increment has a Act.14· , or Act. 12- under medical care), O END to maintain, Invisible, Sticky on a Act. 11 • , 1 tum initial Extra Time, 5 hours Extra Time between increments (-1) [6th Plague (Boils)) 6 2d6 AKA, Area Affect Nonselective Radius Wr), Indirect (+1/2), 1 phase Extra Time 7 [8th Plague (Burning Hail)] 4" radius Darkness vs. Normal/UV vision, Personal Immunity, 1/2 END, 1 phase Extra Time [9th Plague (Darkness)) 3 20 STA TK, Area Affect (14" Line),1/2 END, Only to push away water (·1). 1 turn Extra Time [Part Waters) 3 6d6 Entangle, DEF 6, blocks normal vision, 1 phase Extra Time [Fate of Lot's Wife) 6 6d6 minor Transform Human to speaker of unknown tongue, heals normally, 1 phase Extra Time [Curse of Babel] 6 1 x 100 pt Summon Lust Demon, 1 turn Extra Time [Solomon's Joy] 6 Mind Link x 32, Undead of own creation 50% Resistant Physical and Energy Damage Reduction , Not vs. Crushing/Area attacks (·lf.i) Damage Resistance (7 PD/ 5 ED) Flash Defense vs. sight group (5) Mental Defense (15) Power Defense (5) Full Life Support 2 BODY Regeneration/turn Skills

5 8 3, 3 2, 3 10

KS: Catholicism 12-, Magic 11· Languages: Native German, accented Latin, English, French Oratory 13-, Paramedic 12PS: Monk 11-, Stealth 13+2 levels w/ Spell Combat

Bavarian mountains, a monk named Gerhard found a book of magic stuffed behind a stack of old sermons in the monastery library. The book was written in code but Gerhard liked solving puzzles. After months of work, he discovered spells with names like "Joshua at the Walls of Jericho." "Joys of Solomon," "The Prayer of Lazarus" and "The Tribulations of Egypt." Brother Gerhard tried some of these spells and was enthralled by the results. He especially liked the tovely spirit called by "Joys of Solomon," who swore up and down that she was no demon and what tt1ey did was not sinful. Then the abbot got suspicious and ordered Gerhard confined to his cell. Gerhard realized that the abbot's investiga· lion could lead to expulsion, excommunication, or worse. The abbot must not be allowed to contact the Inquisition! The abbot had confiscated the book, but Gerhard had copied some of it. While the abbot walked in the cloister outside Gerhard's window, Gerhard cast the Sixth Tribulation of Egypt upon him-the plague of boils. 0 n the next day, swelling black blotches appeared on the abbot's body, and a day later the abbot was dead. Two days later, Gerhard managed to talk his way out of his cell. Then another monk came down with the Black Death. Three days later, a third monk caught the disease. Panic enveloped the monastery. and no one was more frightened than Gerhard. Everyone knew the abbot had suspected him of sorcery. To al lay suspicions, Gerhard volunteered to tend the plague victims. One night, aftertwo more plague victims had died, Gerhard tried the Prayer of Lazarus. The plague victims stood up and walked back to their cells. Gerhard hugged himself with joy. So what if l1is resurrectees still didn't look or smell so good, and acted a little ... dazed. He would make everything better. Strangely, the other monks seemed even more frightened than before. Gerhard slipped out and used "Joshua at the Walls of Jericho" to close the pass leading to the monastery with landslides. The winter snows had begun; now no one would flee in blind panic, maybe calli ng the Inquisition, keeping Gerhard from making it all better. When monks stopped coming to Gerhard's sickroom, he brought them there himself. And when his own body started aching and the black blotches appeared, he knew what to do. He lay in his own pentacle and recited the Prayer of Lazarus over and av.er as he felt weaker and weaker.. Then suddenly the pain fell away. Gerhard felt fine. He went to fetch the last of the doomed monks.

Creatures of the Night

A week later, the monastery ran smoothly again. Everyone came to Mass and did their duties. In the spring the monks planted a garden, just as always, even though no one had felt hungry in months. In fact, everyone looked kind of bony. Gerhard was busy-no one did anything unless he told them to-but happy. He'd made everything better. If only the other monks hadn't taken vows of silence, or someone would visit! Centuries later, someone did visit. A wounded man in gaudy, tight-fitting clothes fell out of the sky. Naturally, the man was taken to the sickroom. When the hero regained

consciousness, he was surprised to be cared for by animate skeletons. He made the mistake of mentioning this to Gerhard. Gerhard did not take this well. He and his monks couldn't be dead, they were just unusually determined at renouncing sins of the flesh. He would show the visitor, maybe even convince him to trade his indecently tight bodysuit for a monk's robe. Bony fingers reached for the hero's throat. The hero escaped, but the damage was done. At the daily Mass, Gerhard announced it was time to leave the monastery. The world was in a shocking state of moral decay. They must go forth and lead mankind on the path to repentance. As always, the monks silently obeyed. Quote: "Sinner, join me in renouncing the flesh and its weakness. Through the magic of Our Lord, you shall have life everlasting!" Personality: Brother Bone fanatically believes in his own weird doctrine. He believes his followers aren't mindless. just faultlessly loyal. They never speak because they have taken vows of silence. All the magic he learned from the nameless book comes from God, even the demon summonings: did not Jesus command demons in his exorcisms, and authorize His followers to do the same? Gerhard can back it all up with Bible verses, although any knowledgeable Christian will find his interpretations blasphemously twisted. Gerhard's insane, pretzel-like logic justifies-to him at least-associating with the Devil's Advocates, even explici.t Satanists like Apollyon. Attempts to point out his doctrinal errors just make him angry. Powers/Tactics: Brother Bone's chief power is the horde of skeletons and zombies he commands. He can also cast powerful spells from his book of magic, although they take several seconds each. Physically, Brother Bone is quite strong and hard to damage. With the Devil's Advocates, Brother Bone's actions are determined by Demonologist's plans. On his own, he tries converting people to his lunatic creed. Attempts can range from invading a packed stadium to preach to (and terrify) the audience, to kidnapping people off the street to turn t11em into zombies. Appearance: Brother Bone is a skeleton dressed in a monk's cowled robe. Around his neck he wears a cross interlaced with a Satanic inverted pentagram.

Creatures of the Night

GOLEM Val

Char

Cost

30+ 15 25 15+ 13 14 25 10 16+ 16+

STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

20 15 30 10 3 8 15 0 10 11 15 8 0 2

4 15 50 45+

STATUE FORM

HUMAN FORM

Combat Stats

Val

OCV: 5+ DCV: 5 ECV: 5 Phases:3,6,9, 12

15 13

10 13 14 13

Costs Char:

147 + Powers: 243

Totals:

Base: Disad:

10 2 3 3 8

100 + 290

390

30 25

Cost

Powers

9 a-11 b-17 c-17 e-31 13

EC-Statue Body, Fixed by statue's form (-Y2) 15 pts Density Increase. 0 END, Persistent 20 pts Growth, O END, Persistent 20 pis Shrinking, O ENO, Persistent Shape Shift, any form, O ENO, Persistent Armor (9 P0/9 ED), Fixed by statue form, Linked to Density Increase + 10 STA, linked to Growth, Fixed by Statue form 10" Teleport, x256 NCM {3 miles), Variable Trigger (When he wants to or When knocked out (+Y2)), Only to resume own body (-2) Fixed Location: Own Real Body Multitorrn to 190 pt Human, Variable Trigger, linked to Teleport Flash Defense (5) Power Defense ( 10) Full Life Support Disguise 12Animation Magic 13-, Western Mainstream Occultism 13Languages Native English, fluent Hebrew PS: Wax Modeling 11-, Kosher Cook 11+3 OCV w/ Punch

5 30

1 38 5 10 30 5 8 3 4 6 100+

END

Cost 42

O O O O

Disad vantages

15 15

Protective of real body (Uncommon, Total) Tries to kill opponents (Com, Strong) 10 Greedy (Com) 1O Hungry for magic power (Com) 15 Phys Lim: Mute 15 Phys Lim: Remove talisman forces return to real body 10 Phys Lim: Remove headband traps in statue body 15 Susc: Removing talisman, 3d6 STUN 15 Distinctive Features: Statue (hard to conceal, strong reaction) 15 Hunted by hero team, 815 Secret ID (Upton Frogge) 140 Villain bonus Background: Upton Frogge sought magic as a way to salvage his miserable life. Even in England, a name like "Upton Frogge" made childhood a living hell, especially for a boy who was fat and weak. Young Upton grew up preferring books to people. He loved books about the occult, with their promise of easy power through secret knowledge. The only problem was, nothing in the books really worked . No demons came to his pentacles; no talisman brought him love or

4u 4u 4u 20 20 5 8 3 4 3 15 8

Char STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPO REC END STUN

Cost

·2 15

6 0 3 8 3 0 0 0 5 6 2 4

Combat Stats OCV: 5 DCV: 5 ECV: 5 Phases:4, 8, 12 Costs Char:

Base:

100

Disad:

+ Power s: 140

= Totals:

190

Powers

190

END

Object Animation Multipower (104 pt pool), IAF (headband), Initial Gestures & Incantations, Need objects to animate (·Y2) 15 STA Telekinesis, Fine Manipulation, Indirect (+3A),Y2 END, Area Affect Selective ( 4"r) 28 STA Telekinesis, Fine Manipulation, Indirect (+3A),Y2 END 35 STA Telekinesis, Indirect (+3A),Y2 END 10" Teleport, x256 NCM, (3 miles), llF (headband & Hidden Talisman) [Animate & Possess Statue] 4 Floating Locations [Statues bearing talismans] Disguise 12KS: Animation Magic 13·, Western Mainstream Occultism 13· Languages: Native English, fluent Hebrew PS: Wax Modeling 11 -, Kosher Cook 11Stealth 12· +3 levels w/ Animation Multipower 40 pt Headquarters

5 5 5 2

100+ Disadvantages 20 10 1O 20 15 15

Fear of personal combat (V Com, Strong) Greedy (Com) Hungry for magic power (Com) Normal Characteristic Maxima Hunted by hero team, 8Secret ID (Upton Frogge)

money. His faith was undiminished. He knew there had to be real adepts of magic somewhere, hiding their awesome powers from the idly curious. He vowed to find them. Frogge spent years on his quest, spending most of what he earned from working in his father's wax museum upon more esoteric books and visits to self-proclaimed psychics and occult experts. Amazingly, he found his adept, an aged cabalist who ran a kosher deli in Brooklyn. Although Chaim Rosenthal knew the mysteries of ancient Hebrew sorcery and mysticism, he was no judge of character: he agreed to teach Frogge about real magic. To Frogge's chagrin, this apparently meant working in the deli month after month while learning Hebrew. When he asked Rosenthal when he'd start learning spells instead of making potato salad, Rosenthal replied that potato salad was as much an aspect of the Mind of God as anything else: "When you understand potato salad, you understand everything."

Creatures of the Night

Every so often, Frogge wheedled Rosenthal into performing a feat of magic. He found that Rosenthal always consulted a certain book, a three-ring binder stuffed with pages of handwritten Hebrew and elaborate diagrams. Frogge took to studying this book in secret. As he suspected, it was Rosenthal's grimoire. He puzzled out a spell to animate statues. Frogge was ecstatic. He'd found the secret of making gole ms, the mighty living statues of Jewish legend-powerful magic indeed. He carefully studied the spell, fashioned the tiny golden talisman required, practiced in secret. And then one night he animated a statue from a nearby park and used its tremendous strength to murder the old man. Frogge left that morning. Once on the bus, he eagerly opened his stolen book of magic to study more spells-and wept. The pages faded as he watched, letters disappearing one by one. In an hour every page of the binder was blank. Frogge knew he would have to stay inconspicuous; in fleeing, he had implicated himself in Rosenthal's murder. On the other hand, he could turn any statue into an unstoppable golem which he could control from afar. By the end of the day he was smiling . He was a wizard of only one spell-but that spell could make him very rich indeed. He was almost right; he'd stolen a small fortune for himself when a superhero team finally tracked him to his lai r, a wax museum he'd set up as a cover. As a member of the Devil's Advocates, he thinks he will gainthepowertosatisfyallthe thwarted desires of his life, and no one will ever push him around again. Quote: "N-now, gentlemen, please do not attempt any violence on my person. I have a ... friend who would take it much amiss."

Personality: As himself, Upton Frogge is timid at heart, although he may try to put up a brave front. This makes him act ruthlessly: he fears that if he doesn't utterly crush an opponent, the opponent will plot a horrible revenge on him. After all, it's what he would do. Frogge's desires are all petty. He wants to be rich, feared, and respected, with gorgeous women falling madly in love with him. He thinks magic can get him this. (He may be right about becoming rich and feared, but with his personality the only way he'll get respect and love is through all-too-impermanent mind control.) PowersfTactics: Frogge's greatest power is to animate and possess statues from afar. He requires two small golden talismans to do this: one attached to the statue, and the other worn in a headband by Frogge himself. This is effectively a Multiform, and possible simultaneous T eleport (if the statue is far away), with the limitation (analogous to the "astral projection" form of Desolid) that he leaves a vulnerable, unconscious human body behind. Frogge always tries to hide his body in a safe place-but no hiding place is perfect. Possessed statues are very strong and resistant to damage. Exactly how strong, and how resistant to damage, depends on the statue's size and what it's made of. Metal statues (15 pts Density Increase) are the toughest and strongest. Wax figures and store mannequins have no Density Increase at all. Size is even more important in determining strength. While possessing a statue, Frogge is of course whatever shape the statue is; while he prefers animating statues of humans, this is not strictly necessary. (He's never tried animating a work of abstract modern sculpture.) Although Frogge can see and hear when possessing a statue, he can't speak because he has no lungs or vocal chords. More seriously, if the talisman headband is removed from his real body, or his body is taken too far away, he's trapped in the statue. If the statue's talisman is removed, he cannot continue an imating it and is immediately forced back to his own body. (Frogge tries gluing statue talismans on firmly and hiding them with paint or tinted wax.) And if the headband is missing so he can't return? That is left to the GM's discretion. In his own body. F roggecan also use the talisman headband to animate objects around himself without possessing them. The most serious limits on this power are the comparatively high endurance cost for him, and that he needs solid objects able to move, punch and grab. For robbery, Frogge's favorite strategy is to plant a talisman on a statue near his intended target-if possible, a statue in the same building. Then one night he animates the statue and uses it to rob the place and deliver the loot to himself or to confederates. He may even leave the statue in the building, back on its pedestal. The Devil's Advocates use Frogge openly as muscle, but also take advantage of his ability effectively to project himself anywhere they can get a talisman onto a statue. For what it's worth, he still makes a good potato salad. Appearance: Frogge himself stands a rotund 5'5" tall. He has receding brown hair, a walrus-like mustache and watery hazel eyes. He dresses mainly in solid-color polyester shirts and slacks. As the Golem, he looks like whatever form the statue has, but he's working on disguising statues with makeup or the tinted wax he uses to make figures tor the museum.

Creatures of the Night

Skills

GRANNY HEX Val

Char

5 14 10 10 23 20 20

STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

6 3 6 3 6 30 18 Cost 47 4u 4u 4u 4u 2u

2u 2u

2u 16 10 12 5 3

Cost -5 12 0 0 13 20 10 -2 2 6 6 6 5 0

Power s

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 12

Combat Stats OCV: 5 DCV: 5 ECV: 7 Phases:4,8, 12 Costs Char:

73 + Powers: 177 ::

Totals:

250

Base: Disad:

2 6 10

100 + 150

Acting 13Concealment 14Deduction 13· Mimicry 11Paramedic 13· Sleight of Hand 12· Stealth 12· Ventriloquism 11 • KS: Appalachia, Witchcraft & Folk Magic, Herbalism, Fortune Telling 14- each {based on INT) PS: Midwife 11· +2 levels w/ Mimicry/Sleight of HandNentriloquism +2 levels Witchcraft Multipower

100+ Disadvantages

250

END

Witchcraft Multipower (94 pt pool) OAF (varies) 4 14d6 Mind Control, V? END [Fascination Gem) 12d6 Mind Control, 1 Hex Area [Fascination Gem) 9 6d6 major Translorm human to creature expressing inner nature [Beastform Curse] 9 14d6 Mental Illusions, Y2 END [Mirage of Deepest Fear] 4 10d6 Mind Control Nonverbal (+1/4) Trigger: Victim sees charm (+1/.t) Usable by 1 Other: the charm (+V4), Need hair/etc. from victim (·V2) 1 hour Extra Time (-2V2) [Emotion Charm] 9 2V2d6 Drain vs. any 1 characteristic {+ 1/A), Usable by Others (+I/•), Trigger (Victim touches fetish (+V,)). Recover 5 pts/week (+ 11/A ), Invisible to sighVhearing (+%), Need hair/etc. from victim (-V2), 1 hour Extra Time (-2V2) (Curse Fetish) Change Environment, to any weather condition, 256" radius, 1 chg of 5 hours (·V4) Costs END, 5 minutes initial Extra Time (· 1) (Control Weather) 9 2d6+ 1 AKA, Variable Special Effect (+V?.), Time Delay, Indirect (+3.4), 1 phase Extra Time, Gestures, Incantations, No Control over effect (·Y.!) [Attract Destruction) 9 2V2d6 AKA Invisible to sight/hearing(+%) Time Delay, V2 ENO, Only vs. inanimate (·1), 1 phase Extra Time, Gestures, Incantations [Break Object I) 4 2'hd6 AKA Invisible to sight/hearing(+%), Variable Trigger (+V2), Only vs. Inanimate (-1), 1 phase Extra Time Gestures Incantation [Break Object 11) 9 Clairsentience: Vision. Sense Mystic Influences, Precognition. x125 range (-42 miles)V2 ENO, 5 minutes initial Extra Time (-1) [Fortune Telling) 3 Armor (8 PD/8 ED), OIF (Protective Amulet) Mental Defense (14) +25 PRE, Only to cause sympathy (-1) ("Poor Old Woman" Act] IR Vision (Witchsight] Detect Mystic Influences

20 15 15 10 5 20 10 5 15 10 10 15

Hatred of modern things (Com, Total) Fear of open combat (V Com) Vengeful (V Com) Phys Lim: Ignorant of modern age Phys Lim: No ID cards Normal Characteristic Maxima Age 60+ Distinctive Features (creepy old hag) Hunted by heroes 8· Hunted by Judea-Christian churches 8Hunted by FBI 8· Secret ID

Background: When Patience Muir was born, her great-aunt recognized her as the family's next great witch. They were a family of witches and conjure-men and had been for longer than they could remember, long before they came from Scotland to the Appalachians in America. The same year the Armistice was signed in Paris saw Patience initiated into the Craft. Just before the Nazis invaded Poland her great-aunt finished the century of life guaranteed to a witch and joined the eternal mist which winds through the forested peaks, and Patience became the new head of the Coven. Patience did indeed become a witch of unusual power, feared and respected through the high Appalachians. She gained the nickname Granny Hex when she was in her fifties. As the last decade of the Twentieth Century approached, however, she began to worry. Fewer and fewer people needed and feared the witch-folk, or even believed in them. Young men and women left the mountains. Those who returned, came back strangers. Even her family wasn't immune. Her own granddaughter. whom she'd hoped would succeed her, had become some· thing called a "psychologist": when Granny Hex tried explaining family traditions to her one last time, the poor daft child babbled gibberish about "folkways" and "power of suggestion." Granny Hex had never thought much about the outside world, except to feel a mild contempt for ignorant outsiders. As she saw the young people drawn one by one from the mountains to the l ight~ of distant cities. disdain deepened

Creatures of the N•ght

into hatred. When Oemonologist sought her out and told her of his war on modernity and technology, she joined him gladly. Quote: "Old Gran' has a surprise for you." Personality: Granny Hex is a bitter old woman. For most of her life she's been a big shot. The world has passed her by, however, even in the rural Appalachians. A world where children program VCRs for their helplessly befuddled parents has no place for an old and very traditional witch. Still,

she's not about to give up without a fight. She's got less than fifteen years until she becomes mist on the mountain, and she means to make those years count. Powers/Tactics: Granny Hex commands spells of formidable power and great variety. Her witchcraft is less flashy, however, than Oemonologist's sorcery. She can't throw fireballs; instead she curses a building and it mysteriously burns down. Her magic falls into two main categories: direct mental powers, collectively known to her as "fascination," which she wields through a jewel or shiny, attention-getting trinket; and curses, charms and philters to cause sickness, destroy property or control behavior. She also has spells to control the weather and turn people into animals. (What animal a victim becomes is up to the GM: it should have something to do with the character's personality or actions, but not be very complimentary. She can easily add more spells, as the GM chooses.) Granny Hex's Foci tend to be simple and homely, such as a cord in which she ties knots to raise a storm, a twig she breaks to collapse a ceiling, or a talisman of painted wood, bone and feathers, held together with string. Demonologist gave her a protective amulet and may lend her other magic items of his creation. Since her magic is less combat-oriented than that of other Devi l's Advocates, Granny Hex particularly avoids open confrontations. She can make incredible amounts of trouble, however, for people who don't expect her. Bases get struck by lightning. Heroes come down with inexplicable diseases, or find themselves insanely destroying their own reputations. or suffer any sort of bad luck. It's as if someone had put a hex on them! And if they notice the old woman drawing a weird symbol on their jet, and one suddenly remembers how he'd met her in the street and she'd dazzled his eyes wrth a glittering gem while muttering strange words, she's got an out: "Oh, help! Won't someone save a poor old woman from these young ruffians?"

Appearance: Granny Hex is over 80 years old, and looks it. She is small and shriveled, dressed in carefully-mended clothes of a style even older than she is. She walks with the help of a gnarled wooden cane.

Creatures of the N•ght

MAZE Val

Char

Cost

8 14 13 10 18 14 13 10 2 3 4 8 40 21

STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

-2 12 6 0 8 8 3 0 0 0 16 6 7 0

Cost 76 7u 6u 4u 8u Su 4u 7u 7u 56 12 8 2 5 3 3 4 10

Powers

EXAMPLES OF TYPICAL SPELLS AND ITEMS Cost

Combat Stats

OCV: 5+ DCV:5 ECV: 5 Phases:3,6,9, 12

Costs Char:

15 64

Base:

100

Dlsad:

194

+ Powers: 230 :::

Totals:

294

18 END

Multipower (1 14 pt pool), -1 Variable Limitation (-Y2, either Gestures, Incantations & OIF or Concentration & Extra Time) 31" Teleport, x32 Mass, x8 Noncombat 6 [Space Door). 2 Floating Locations 16" Teleport Usable vs. Others (Not vs. Other Teleporters) (+1), x16 Mass, Ranged, x2 END [Space Door Attack) 6 Extra-dimensional Movement, to any dimension, x32 mass [Dimension Door) 6 7d6 EB, 1 Hex Area, Indirect (+ 1), Variable Special Effects (+Y2) ,Y2 END [Portal Attack I) 7 2d6+ 1 RKA 1 Hex Area, Indirect (+1), Variable Special Effects, Y2 END [Portal Attack II) 5 4d6 Entangle, DEF 4, Blocks Vision, 6 Hexes Area (+ 1), Only to make a wall (-1) [Produce Brick Wall) 5 Missile Deflection/Reflection, +3 vs. all to any target, Indirect (+1) (Space Hole) 5d6 Entangle, DEF 5. Transparent to Damage, 5 Backlash, Y2 END [Fractured Space] Magic Power Pool (45 pt pool), Hours to change. -1 Variable Limitation (· 1h} Armor(+ 6 PD/ +6 ED), OIF (Wardcape) +6 PD, +6 ED. OIF (Wardcape) Flash Defense vs. sight group (5) OAF (Visor) IA Vision (Witchsight) Computer Programming 13· Deduction 13KS: Magic Lore 11-, Dimension Lore 11+2 levels w/ Magic Multipower

100+ Disadvantages 15 15 15 20 15 5 20 15 10 64

Desire for Magic Secrets (Com, Strong) Cowardice when Not Winning (Com, Strong) Loves Humiliating Opponents (V Com) Normal Characteristic Maxima Susc: 3d6 STUN from Being teleported by other Distinctive Features (hippie & hacker slang, giggles a lot) Hunted by Government Super-Agency, 11Hunted by Hero Group, 8Watched by Demonologist, 11· Villain Bonus

Powers

END

4d6 Entangle, DEF 4, OAF (String loop), Gestures, Incantations, Concentrate (Y2 DCV), 1 phase Extra Time (Net] 4 9d6 SPD Aid, OAF (Silver Wheel), Self Only, x2 END, No Cumulative Effect (·Y2) [Time Talisman] 8 9 PD, 9 ED Force Wall, Initial Gestures, initial Incantations, OAF (String Loop), Concentrate (Y2 DCV throughout) [Geodesic Wall) 4 +8 DCV, OAF (Prism), Initially Costs x2 END [Displacement) 8 3d6 SPD Drain, Ranged, OAF (Silver Wheel), Gestures, Incantations, 4 Concentrate (Yz DCV) [Slow] 25 STA TK, Gestures, Incantations, 1 phase Extra Time (Aura of Elan] 4 1x 75 pt Summon Smog Elemental, OAF (Wand), 1 turn Extra Time, Gestures Incantations, 16 x4 END [Conjure Smog Elemental)

Background: Only California could have produced Travis Knapp. In California, there's nothing strange about an experienced, skillful computer programmer casting horoscopes and studying cabalistic tomes. When the CIA started a project to scientifically analyze black magic, they hired Knapp despite his marijuana arrests and left-wing politics; he was that good, and he knew the occult. The CIA gave Knapp and his fellow programmers every book of magic and mysticism it could get its hands on, from Satanic grimoires to studies on tribal yam-calling chants, along with eyewitness accounts of spell casting by heroes and villains. Their job was to sift out the nonsense and find the underlying principles of true magic. It took them a year just to find a way to encode everything for logical analysis, but they eventually succeeded. Only Knapp-who by that time had become head programmer-knew how well. After all, he wasn't about to hand this sort of power over to George Fascist Bush, now was he? The Agency tried hacking his files, of course, but he made sure that the pigs only found dummy files. Now he only had to escape from the Establishment pigs and keep them off his back. He decided to stage a magical "accident": in an attemptto demonstrate a simple spell for the brass, a dimensional vortex would open and he would fall through to his supposed doom. Then he'd transport back to Earth somewhere else. lnterdimensional travel was tricky, advanced magic. but then, no sorcerer before him ever had such perfect, precisely designed rituals. What could go wrong? What went wrong was the human factor. Knapp cast his spell perfectly. The vortex opened where and when it should, ready to take him to the Land of Legends, and he'd screamed for everyone to "Get back, I can't control it" Then a guard tried to be a hero and rescue him! The guard disturbed one of the precisely-placed talismans as he ran for Knapp, destabilizing the vortex. Knapp made it into the vortex, the guard

Creatures of the Night

clutching him. just before the vortex closed. But instead of the mystic Land of Legends, Knapp found himself in a hyperdimensional limbo, a geometrical chaos of ten-sided triangles, labyrinths twisting in more than three dimensions, angles at once acute and obtuse ... He went mad, of course, but Knapp was still a genius. Although his conscious mind was gibbering he somehow escaped from hyperspace back to Earth. Demonologist detected the dimensional rupture of Knapp's return and tracked him down. Knapp was hard to catch: he kept opening space doors and disappearing. Eventually Demonologist calmed Knapp down and learned his story. Demonologist was astonished-and impressed. After a nice long rest restored Knapp to relative sanity, Demonologist asked him to join the Devil's Advocates. Knapp accepted the offer; his sojourn in hyperspace had scrambled his mind a bit, but he remembered that he was out to change the world. He chose "Maze" as his wizardly pseudonym, from his memories of hyperspace and his ability to trap people in zones of shattered space. Quote: "Hey man, your karma's not compatible with my system. Layoff the heavy vibes or I'll have to, like, purge your file. Totally." Personality: Maze is the least serious-minded of the Devil's Advocates. This is partly because he has a short attention span for anything but magic and computers, and partly because nothing's fully real to him. He sometimes comments

on how thin everything is. He stays with the Advocates for three things: learning more magic from Oemonologist; striking a blow against the hated Establishment; and opportunities to open really wild dimensional portals. For his part, Oemonologist has misgivings about Maze's information-science perspective and love of computers, but concedes that Maze is the best sorcerer in the world at spells involving space and other dimensions. Maze's way of analyzing projects as flowcharts and subroutines has also helped the Advocates' planning and organization. When he's not discussing the technicalities of magic or programming, Maze employs a weird blend of California heptalk, hacker slang and occult jargon which most people find nearly incomprehensible. Powers/Tactics: Maze has no innate powers; his powers all come from spell casting and magic items. While in hyperspace, however, he gained such phenomenal unconscious insight into space and dimension that he can easily open portals for a wide range of effects-including portals to hostile environments on other planes as a form of attack. (For instance, a portal to the surface of a star would unleash a blast of super-hot plasma. He even keeps a supply of brick walls in a tiny pocket universe, just to produce them to block pursuers. When he «portals" in an attack, he often shouts, "Hey Rocky. watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat!" His "maze effect" traps victims in a zone of shattered space that from the inside looks like being caught in a house of mirrors. One gets glimpses of one's surroundings mixed in with reflections of oneself, but everything is broken and distorted . Caught victims only move about randomly, and any attempt to attack is more likely to hit oneself than an enemy. Maze also has a power pool he can use either for "normal" spell casting or to make his space-warping powers greater (such as adding Power Advantages like Area Effect, Increased Range or No Range Modifier). In the latter case, Maze needs surroundings with proper geometrical characteristics. While he can set up walls or angled cords at the proper angles, he prefers to use roads and buildings in cities: he insists that modern cities create thei r own supernatural forces from their substance and geometry, their own elementals and ley-lines of power for sorcerers to exploit. Demonologist thinks this sounds like gibberish, but for Maze at least it all works. He can boost his power at a fiveway intersection, or summon "urban spirits" such as smog elementals, junkyard golems or shocklings (see the "Monsters" section). . Maze is not consciously bloodthirsty. In a fight, his main purpose is to buy time for himself and his fellow Advocates to escape. He dearly loves playing tricks on opponents, however, such as dumping something unpleasant on them via portal. Some of his "tricks" are very nasty-such as teleporting someone over the edge of a skyscraper. Appearance: Maze is a lean, thirtyish man standing 5' 11 ", with long brown hair that's starting to thin on top. mustache and short beard. He wears a voluminous sleeved cloak embroidered with silver and golden arabesques over faded blue jeans, sneakers and a Grateful Dead sweatshirt. When he's not working at a computer terminal he always wears black or mirrored sunglasses.

Creatures of' the Night 100+ Disadvantages

SHADOWFIRE Val

8 18 20 10 18 14 20 6

6 9

8 40 24

Char

Cost

STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

-2 24 20 0 8 8 10 -2 5 5 12 4 0 0

20 15 15 10 15 20

Combat Stats OCV: 6+ DCV:6 ECV: 5 Phases:3,6,9, 12

15 5 10 10 10 5 146

Costs Char:

92 + Powers: 304

Totals:

Base: DIsad:

304 + 296

396

·01F (Amulet)

Cost

Powers

20 a-20 b-14• c-11 •

EC-Darkness Magic, Gestures 3" radius Darkness vs. all vision, 1/2 END 2 8d6 EB Personal Immunity (+1/4) [Darkbolt] 5 21/2d6 AKA, Personal Immunity, x2 END (Darklance] 1O 20" Flight, 112 END, Only in dark conditions (-1.4) 2 Images vs. normal sight, hearing, -5 to PER, 4 Hexes Radius, 1/2 ENO, 2 Only in dark [Shadow Weaving] Force Field (17 PD. 17 ED), 0 ENO, Only in dark ~d6 CON + 112d6 BODY Transfer to ENO and STUN, Max 10 pts each (+7), 8" Radius, Continuous, O END, Personal Immunity, Only from people tainted by drug (-2), 0 Range [Life Leech] 2d6 major Transform to Drug Slave, Works vs. EGO, Cumulative; + 1d6 DEX Drain Recover 1 DEX/3 minutes (+1/2), OAF, 1 turn Gradual Effect (-1) Minor Restrictions on Use (-112) [Shadowfire Drug) [8c] Oesolidiflcation, (not vs. Light or Flash Attacks) [Shadow Form] 4 5" Flight, Only in Darkness 3/5" x3 END [Shadow Walking) 4d6 ED Absorption to STUN, Only vs. Oarklorce attacks (-2) Armor{+ 10 ED), Only vs. Oarkforce attacks (·2) Mind Link to Drug Slaves, x64 Minds, Only at Night, Costs ENO, Max Range 5 miles(-%) 4 N-Ray Vision, blocked by illumination [Mystic Darksight] Quantum Level; +5 STR; +3 DEX; +5 pts EC; +1" Darkness (6); +2d6 EB (4 ); + 1O pts AKA (3); +5" Flight (4); -1 PER, x2 Radius on Images (6); +4 PO, 4 ED Force Field (3); x4 Radius on Life Leech (4) 1st Quantum Level: Need 5 Shadowtire users In Life Leech area (-1) 2nd Quantum Level: Need 25 Shadowfire users (-2) 3rd Quantum Level: Need 125 Shadowfire users (-4) 4th Quantum Level: Need 625 Shadowfire users (-8)

d-12* e-13· f.13• 29•

27* 4 7 5 15· 20

24 16 10 5

Skills 3 5 2 3 10

Deduction 13KS: Darkness Magic 14· PS: Drug Dealer 11Stealth 13+2 levels w/ Magic Attacks

END

11/2x STUN from Light Attacks Protective of daughter (Com, Strong) Loves to gloat (V Com) Hates light-based characters (Com) Phys Lim: Blind in normal vision Susc: 2d6 STUN from Flash & light-based attacks when Oesolid Susc: 1d6 STUN/minute from fllll sunlight or equivalent Distinctive Features (sinister, blind old man) ONPC: (Lilith, daughter), less powerful, 11 • Hunted by FBI & DEA 8Hunted by light-based hero, 8· Watched by Oemonologist, 11Villain Bonus

Background: Albert Nomus wasn't proud of what he'd done to get to the secret shrine of the Cult of the Greater Dark, but he didn't regret any of it either. Ever since he'd read Castaneda's accounts of Native American peyote mysticism, he'd been convinced that mind-altering drugs held the key to magic. And he wanted magic. He spent years investigating drug cults and ritual use of hallucinogens, gave up family, friends and a career as an assistant professor of anthropology, but the doorway to magic stayed shut. But the Greater Dark was the most mysterious curt he'd ever found, and it used one of the rarest, most powerful hallucinogens of all: the black lotus. Now he knelt at a black marble altar. "Drink,"the high priest commanded. Nomus drained the small, black onyx goblet to the last drop. The cultists' chanting echoed through his head. The shadows lying thickly in the crypt-like shrine came alive and wrapped around him. The candles burned dimmer, farther, like stars, as he hung alone in interstellar space with the blackness crowding into his brain. The shadows ran along his neurons, giggling, and opened the secret cellars of his soul. Out came all the secret fears and desires he had ever denied, the shames he did not want to remember, mocking him with their pettiness: poor little ape, thing of clay. thinking he could face Eternal Night? But then out roared a fierce and terrible pride, the secret lust for power and praise that had driven him, that demanded the whole world accede to his desires and become a vast mirror for the glory of Albert Nomus. He wrenched his mind back into his body. Black fire tormented his flesh. He screamed and dark flames erupted from his mouth. The high priest stood above him a mile high, smiling. He felt himself dying-but his pride would not let him. He called upon the meditations and exercises for controlling hallucinations which he had learned from earlier cults, fought with the fire, and mastered it. He struggled to his feet. The cultists, he saw, all carried dark flames within themselves. Each flame was somehow tied to the jet medallion the high priest wore around his neck. Albert snatched the medallion from the astonished priest. He called the flames to him, gasping at the rush of power, and hurled the black fire at the priest. The priest fell dead. Nomus spent a year with the cult as their new priest, learning all that he could about the black lotus drug and the magic of darkness. Then they all went to America-and, Albert hoped, to his apotheosis.

Creatures of the Night

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-

Quote: "The dark flames of Erebus are mine to command. Why fight me? All souls carry a bit of the dark. Come, drown yourself in the ecstasy of Eternal Night of my Shadow Fire!" Personality: Shadowfire is a messianic megalomaniac obsessed with bringing the world into his cult of darkness. What's worse, he's a calculating megalomaniac with the patience to stay hidden in the shadows until he's ready to make a bid for ultimate power. Then he starts with the gloating and the grandiose speeches. While he's a loyal member of the Devil's Advocates and the combat effectiveness of his magic is much appreciated, Shadowfire never forgets that his real purpose is to addict as many people as he can to his black lotus drug, which he has

named after himself. His own schemes usually have this as their ultimate goal. Powers/Tactics: Shadowfire commands a powerful magic of Darkness, implemented through the medallion he wears and the black lotus drug he gives his followers. While his basic powers are not terribly impressive, the more drugtransformed followers he has nearby the greater his powers become. Since he thinks that in America a cult would have to be too high-profile to attract followers, he and his cultists operate instead as drug dealers turning young people on to the strange pleasure of his drug "shadowfire." The drug has a peculiar side-effect in that it makes the vitreous humor of the eyes dark and shadowy. This doesn't interfere with vision; in fact, the drug-slave gains the ability to see in darkness (UV vision). Except for this and 15 points of Mental Defense ineffective vs. Shadowfire himself, paid for by a vulnerability to light-based powers, his cultists and addicts are normal humans. Shadowfire's magic and greater use of the drug have given him the ability to see in any darkness, however opaque, and indeed to see into any dark place- even if it's on the other side of a wall. The price of this is that in bright light he is blind. This is less of a disadvantage than blindness usually is since he does his best to stay in darkness; he won't operate during the day if he can help it. Appearance: Although only in his middle 40s, Shadowfire looks older. His short-cut hair is thin and white; his face is more lined than it should be. Worst of all are his eyes, filmed white with cataracts- yet through the white one can sense a terrible darkness. In his drug dealer guise he dresses in a shabby, tattered black overcoat and walks with a stoop, tapping his white cane, but in a moment he can straighten and throw back his overcoat to show a suit and cloak of shimmering black silk and satin, with his talisman of silver and jet glittering at his throat. He st~nds 5'9" and has a slender build. Note: Shadowfire has a daughter, Lilith, whom he has given powers similar to his own but without the quantum levels or Life Leech. She sometimes assists him, and sometimes acts as an independent, normal supervillain. She is in her early 20s, has black hair, and wears a revealing black costume. Since she grew up traveling with Daddy, she knows a great deal about cults and weird drugs and general occult arcana, but not much about many "normal'' things. She's chiefly interested in meeting hunks.

Creatures of the N•ght

VILSIMBRA Val

Char

STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PAE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

18 15 10 23

17 23 16

4 4 4 8 40 22 Cost 51

15 50 15 7 22 9 6 8 11 5

Cost -2 24 10 0 13 14 13 3 2 1 12 6 5 0

EXAMPLES OF TYPICAL SPELLS AND ITEMS Cost

Combat Stats

OCV:6 DCV: 6 ECV:6 Phases" 3, 6, 9, 12

Costs Char:

101 + Powers: 283

Totals:

384

Base: Dlsad:

100 + 284

384

Powers

11 END

Power Pool (40 pt pool) 0 phase to change. Only for Images (-2), Requires a Skill ( Magic) Roll, -V2 Variable Limitations (-1/4; Either Concentrate, Incantations or Gestures) + Power Pool (35 pt pool O phase to change, Only for Images, Not in bright Light(-%). Requires a Skill (Magic) Roll, -V2 Variable Limitations (-V4; Either Concentrate, Incantations or Gestures) Magic Skill/Pool Control Roll 20Miscellaneous Magic Power Pool (40 pt pool), Hours or Magic Lab to change (·V2), -1 in Variable Limitations (-V2) 1d6 Transform to black glass Cumulative, O Range [Curse of Terevel] 2 1d6-1 HKA, AP, OAF (Dagger) 1 Invisibility vs. all vision. O END. Not in bright light (-V2) Concentrate(% DCV throughout) Armor (6 PD/ 6 ED), OAF (Warding Amulet) + 6 PD, 6 ED, OAF (Warding Amulet) Clinging, llF (Spider Boots) Universal Translator 14-, llF (Translation Earring), Only for actual spoken language (·V2) IA Vision Skills

3, 3 3 5, 5 3 2 3, 3 3, 3 5 100 + 20 10 20 15 15 15 15 10 10 15 139

Acting 14·, Conversation 14Deduction 14· Disguise 12-, Mimicry 12· High Society 14Language: Native Svartalf. fluent English Persuasion 14·, PS: Psychologist 14- (based on INT) Seduction 14-. Stealth 13· + 1 level w/ PAE-based skills Disad vantages 1V2x STUN and BODY from Ferrous weapons 1V2x Effect from Flash attacks Dislike of bright light (V Com, Strong) Manipul;:itive (Com, Strong) Vengeful (V Com) Susc: 1d6 STUN/turn from Contact w/ iron Susc: 1d6 STUN/minute from Full sunlight Susc: 1d6 STUN from Flash attacks Distinctive features (hard to conceal): Faerie Hunted by Ectolian Prince 11- (More Pow, mildly punish) Villain Bonus

12 13

Powers

END

20 STA TK, Trigger - Victim sits in chair , Only to hold victim as chair walks(-%), Bulky OAF (chair), 1 renewable chg of 1 hour (-0), Costs END, Magic Roll [Living Chair] 4 8d6 Mind Control, OAF (Gem), 1 phase Extra Time. Gestures, Incantations, Magic Roll, Max range 4" 4 (· 1/.t), Needs eye contact(-'.!..), [Enthrallment] Shape Shift, any humanoid form, 0 END, OAF (Talisman), Magic Roll, initial Concentrate (0 DCV) (Talisman of Disguise] Images vs. Danger Sense & Normal Vision, ·4 PER, Invisible (+V2), initial Gestures, initial Incantations, 1 turn Extra Time, Magic Roll, 1 chg of 1 hour (·O), 8 Costs x2 END (Conceal Peril) 2d6 Drain vs. Running [Tanglefoot], recovers at 5 pts/1 Minute (+V.), Ranged, Gestures, 1 phase Extra Time, OAF (String Loop), Magic Roll 4d6 EB, Double KB(+%), OIF (glove), 8 chgs, 3 Costs END, Magic Roll [Repulsion Glove] 20 STA TK, V2 END, Concentrate (V2 DCV throughout), Gestures throughout (·V2), initial 1 phase Extra Time, 2 Magic Roll (Mystic Mists I] 3d6 Entangle Shares Damage (+V.), 1 phase Extra Time, Gestures, Concentrate 4 (V2 DCV), Magic Roll [Mystic Mists 11) 2d6 NND vs. LS: Breathing (+1)V2 END, Continuous, Indirect (+3A), Concentrate (V2 DCV throughout). Gestures throughout (·V2), initial 1 phase Extra Time (• V.) Magic Roll 2 (Mystic Mists Ill] 4d6 Ego Attack, Visible (·Y.), Gestures, Incantations, Concentrate (V2 DCV). 4 Magic Roll [Cerulean Spear] 1d6+1 AKA, Indirect (+V2), Penetrating, Concentrate (V2 DCV), Gestures, 4 1 phase Extra Time, Magic Roll [Fuzonic Flame]

Background: The chief problem facing the immortal faeriefolk is boredom. Some cultivate art and music to help the centuries pass. Others amuse themselves by playing games. The svartalfar, the subterranean Dark Elves, are of the latter sort, and their game is power. Each svartalf noble constantly jockeys for prestige and position in their tiny underground principalities. Vilsimbra, Contessa-Minore of the Second Ectolian House, attempted a coup against her prince . She thought her people wasted their power on their insular little feuds and intrigues, and should look outward to dominate others. Her coup failed, and she was punished by perpetual exile-"perpetual" n 1ean· ing, of course, until she could finesse the clan into accepting her back. When exiled, most svartalfar try to build a new power base through allying with another clan. Vilsimbra did not; that was just more of the same old game. Instead she left the caverns beneath the.Land of Legends.for the endlessly varied worlds and dimensions of the Outside. There, she felt, she would find novelty, excitement-and sources of power her stay-at· home cousins never dreamed of. She wouldn't just win her way back into Clan Ectol, she would return already a queen.

Creatures of the Night

She would show that dominating the Outside was far more rewarding than just dominating each other. Over the years, Vilsimbra's adventures took her through many planes and eventually to Earth. There she met a shorllifer who called himself Demonologist. He was quite clever, for a human, and saw ways they could help each other. Astoundingly, he wanted the Dark Elves to come to his world. So Vilsimbra joined his alliance of sorcerers. It would be just the power-base she'd been looking for, she thought. And matching wits and powers against Earth's heroes was .. . intense. In a stalactite-hung cavern in the Land of Legends, the Ectolian Prince watched an obsidian mirror; it showed Demonologist introducing Vilsimbra to the other Devil's Advocates. She was young, the Prince thought-only a few thousand years old, as humans reckoned such things. He was much older, and remembered when the svartalfar had freely meddled with mortals. In time, the errant ContessaMinore would also learn the futility of playing with shortlifers: just when you'd got in a position to push a few of them around they'd die of old age or the nation would collapse or something like that. It was so hard to build anything enduring. In the meantime, he thought it amusing to make sure Vilsimbra did not gain too much raw power. Being murdered was so inelegant. The Prince smiled, without cruelty or compassion, and blanked the glass. Quote: "What rare sport you mortals provide!" Personality: Vilsimbra may feel impatient with her people's endless games of power and manipulation, but uncon-

sciously she does the very same thing. She always tries to psychologically dominate others, to be the one in control of the situation. While her illusion power is useful for keeping people off balance, she doesn't rely on it exclusively. She is very good at "reading" people to find sensitive topics and psychological limitations to exploit. If facing a chivalric male character, her tough, cool exterior will crack under pressure, leading to a tearful plea for help; a character driven by the death of her parents might receive probing questions about her family life. (She even does this with the other Devil's Advocates, to their annoyance. Apollyon has almost killed her more than once-but she finds him easy to calm down again through flattery and distraction. She rarely shows her true feelings. PowersfTactics: Vilsimbra is a skilled sorceress specializing in illusion-casting. She cannot muster the same raw power and number of spells at once that Demonologist can, but she can work out a spell for nearly any purpose. Her magic always needs -Y2 worth of limitations such as Concentrate, Gestures, Focus, Extra Time, etc. Miscellaneous magic requires -1 total limitations. With the creation of illusions, however, only Demonologist can match her power. She can even create tactile illusions, such as illusionary walls that feel solid even though anyone who really tried (or crashed into one out of control} could push right through , or illusionary people who can shake hands. She can only use her full illusion-casting power in dimly-lit surroundings. She also carries a number of minor magic items that she took with her into exile or supplied by Demonologist. In dim light, she can make herself invisible with special ease (i.e. not calling on her Power Pool). Finally, her left hand is made of living black crystal-the result of a clash with a powerful magical entity. With this hand she can turn other things into brittle black glass, a favorite device of hers for intimidating captives. While her magic can be used in obvious ways to attack or defend, Vilsimbra relies on illusion whenever possible. While her illusions cannot directly harm an enemy, she is very cunning at creating false threats, hiding existing dangers (such as deep holes, high-tension wires or her teammates). and generally keeping enemies from knowing the real situation. More than once, heroes have caught her-Qnly to find that they'd captured a quasi-solid phantom double. Appearance: Vilsimbra stands a slender 5'1".She dresses in dark green and purple-the Ectolian clan colors-with a high-collared black cape, accented with silver jewelry and piping. Her protective amulet is her cape clasp, a large purple gem in a silver setting, which flashes purple whenever she is struck. Her skin is glossy black and her long hair is silverywhite. Her face is classically elven: narrow, sharp-featured, with pointed ears. Notes: The Ectolian Prince does not hunt Vilsimbra through anything so crude as physical attacks, by himself or by proxy. Instead he uses his magic to hinder her long-distance in fairly subtle ways, such as giving heroes clues in dreams or making t hings fall at inconvenient moments. The Prince will not declare himself openly to heroes, but he unintentionally leaves traces when his spells directly affect characters: for instance, he will appear briefly in a dream-sending, or be glimpsed momentarily by a hero he aids in a tight moment.

Creatur es of the Night

Members: Major Mind, Mindwhip, Vandal, others as desired. Background: The Mind-Master Complex is not inconspicuous, yet its plans for world control often require coveit action. It does not like agents to work unsupervised. The MMC found , however, that it could "possess" weak-willed people and, in some cases, channel a fraction of its tremendous power through its victim's brain. It could thereby both deal with a situation personally and preserve its secrecy. By now the MMC has prepared numerous "remote units" around the world. These three are merely a sample. Remote units generally don't know that someone else is using their body now and then. The Mind-Master Complex completely overwhelms its victim's mind, leaving the victim with no memory of what he or she did while possessed. The MMC even tries to hide the gap in the victim's memory by implanting false memories. This doesn't always work: Stu Tanner [MindwhipJ, for instance, now suspects his memory is playing tricks on him. If some poor soul did become aware of the MMC's possession, he would probably be put in a sanitarium because of "paranoid delusions." Worst of all , a hero could be possessed, even a PC. The MMC might keep such a prized remote unit possessed for days while it builds dossiers on other heroes, subverts their computer and hides traps in their headquarters. (The "possessed PC" option is only recommended for skilled, experienced players.) Fortunately, the MMC can only possess one remote unit at a time, and while possessing a remote the MMC can do nothing else. Tactics: The remote units do whatever missions are best suited for their powers and position. Major Mind, for instance, supplies access to an important U.S. intelligence agency and, to a lesser degree, the whole Department of Defense. He is a fairly typical information-gathering remote, although the MMC can channel some aggressive powers through Major Mind if need be. Vandal makes an excellent assassin. Both she and Mindwhip can also be used as an "in" to the supervillain community. They may lead ad-hoc groups of normal hired villains. The MMC regards Mindwhip and Vandal as relatively expendable. Tactics for particular missions depends on what the missions are. If the MMC just wants information, it will get that information as efficiently and unobtrusively as possible. Very probably, no one will ever notice. If it wants to rig an election, it might make the candidate it opposes do something stupid or criminal. More subtly, it might have a remote gather a villain team to do a crime wave or attack the candidate it

supports-while setting up false clues leading back to the candidate it wants to lose the election. While the MMC is no master of battlefield tactics, it will probably know about every conceivable factor it could exploit, from a company's security system to a city alderman's personality. Group Relations: There aren't any. The remotes are actually all one being, or at least one mind. The Mind-Master Complex has no problem working with other vi llains to achieve its goals, so long as the other villains are not so powerful they could ever pose a threat. It prefers villains whose personalities are fairly predictable and who aren't especially bright. (Good candidates from Classic Enemies include Black Diamond, Freon, Lazer, Oculon, Shamrock and Sparkler.) It avoids employing unpredictable psychopaths (such as Firebug, Foxbat and the Ripper). It is wary of other psionics. The only being in the world it actually fears, however, is Menton (see Classic Enemies.) The MMC seeks a way to kill Dr. Destroyer's super-psionic minion without leaving any trace back to itself should the attempt fail. No villains or criminal agencies, however, will ever be told they work for the Mind-Master Complex. This is partly for the MMC's own safety, but partly because the MMC has decided that world control will be more difficult to achieve if anyoneeven its own allies-knows what it is after. "Mere humans" don't like the thought of anyone trying to control them. Reputation: While some heroes, governments and other agencies know about the Mind-Master Complex, nobody knows much about what it is doing. As mentioned , this is just what the MMC wants. The UNTIL Supervillain Survey calls the MMC "A significant but unquantifiable threat to national security. If this entity's involvement is suspected , proceed with extreme caution ." Many villains mistake the MMC's secrecy for cowardice, or believe it doesn't really exist. The smarter villains know better. Scenario Use: The watchword for using the MMC and its remote units is paranoia! Anybody could be the enemycontacts, friends, family members, anybody! The MMC knows everyone's secrets and weaknesses. It can attack from any direction. And how hard dare one fight against a new psionic villain? It could be an innocent person possessed by the Mind-Master Complex! On the other hand, mentalist villains who get bopped might go into the wheream-1 routine heroes know from de-possessed remotes, putting the heroes off guard. The MMC should show just how scary and unnerving psionics could be.

Creatures of the Night

100+

MIND-MASTER COMPLEX Val

8 20 30 15 33 30 35

0 35 35

6 20 60 50 Cost 207 62 25 15 5 15 5 5 27 25 25 64

Char

Cost

STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

-2 30 40

10 23 40 25 -5 33 29 30 24 0 16

Powers

15 15 15 15

Combat Stats CCV: 7+ DCV: 7 ECV: 10 Phases:2,4,6,8, 10, 12

10 5 25

Costs Char:

10 100 + Disad: 917 ::: = 1017 1017

293 + Powers: 724 Totals:

20 20 10 757

Base:

END

Psychic Power Pool (94 pt pool) 0 phase to change, No skill roll needed, Only TK/Mental effects (-1/.s) Gadget Power Pool (50 pt pool), OIF, Change in lab (-Y2) Damage Resistance (20 PD/20 ED), Hardened Hardened Defense on base PD, ED Flash Defense, sight (5) Mental Defense (20) Power Defense (5) Lack of Weakness (5) Life Support: Self-Contained Breathing, No Need to Eat/Excrete/Sleep, Immune to Vacuum/Pressure & Intense Heat/Cold Environments, Disease, Aging 1O" Flight, 0 END Mindlink x4, with anyone Enhanced Senses: 360 Degree Senses, Radar Sense, +6 Telescopic Vision. IA Vision, High Range Radio Hearing Skills

3 3 3 5 3 1o 7 3 3 7 3 18

3 3 10 40 100 20

Absolute Time Sense Bureaucratics 16Computer Programming 16Cramming Deduction 16Eidetic Memory Electronics 13· Inventor 16Lightning Calculator Inventor 16Scientist Sciences: Biochemistry, Biology, Bionics, Chemistry, Medicine, Neurology, Parapsychology, Physics, Psychology 16· each (based on INT) Simulate Death Speed Reading Wealthy Followers: 64 x 50 pt Agents and Scientists Headquarters (500 pis reseive) +4 levels Psychic Pool attacks based on OCV

Disadvantages Megalomania (V Com) Vengeful (V Com) Secretive (Com, Strong) Manipulative (Com, Strong) Hunting heroes who Know Too Much, 11· Phys. Lim: Can't move through narrow openings (infrequent, slight) Distinctive Features (can't conceal, causes horror): Brains in Machine Body Reputation 8-, Extreme: BIG Time Operator Hunted by Or. Destroyer (or other mega-villain), 11 • Hunted by agency that made it, 11Hunted by hero team, 8Villain Bonus

Background: Project Mindlink. The agency's greatest success-the agency's greatest failure. The idea was to create an omnipotent psionic slave. The agency's scientists had heard of mentalists coordinating to increase their power; Mindlink would create a permanent psychic fusion of awesome power. And so the agency kidnapped seven moderately powerful psychics (incidentally clashing with the Parapsychological Studies Institute) and brainwashed them to serve the agency. Then the tops of the psychics' skulls were removed and their brains linked in a machine with a spiderweb of wires. The seven minds met, but would not fuse. The sense of individual identity was too strong. In fact, the seven people didn't really like each other. So the scientists took an electronic thought-shield captured from PSI and rebuilt it around the seven, only inside-out; instead of keeping psychic forces out, it kept them in. The seven had no choice but to share their thoughts. The seven minds fought for over a week. Eventually, however, the seven did merge into one personality. One very exasperated personality, with prodigious psychic powers and the intelligence to use them well. The long struggle had burned away the superficial brainwashing, and the composite entity had no intention of serving the agency. Instead, it quickly enslaved the project's scientists. First it had the scientists remedy some inefficiencies in its own design. Bodies were nice life-support systems, but seven linked through bulky machinery unacceptably limited mobility. It had the scientists create a tough, mobile lifesupport machine for the seven linked brains. The redundant bodies were discarded. And then it and its dominated scientists left the project. There was no opposition. Mentally, the fusion tsked. The agency's inability to control its own creation was just one more example of humanity's bumbling inefficiency. Things would run so much better if all power was coordinated by one really competent mind, one unchallenged master. A master mind. A mind-master. And it, the Mind-Master Complex, was obviously the intellect most competent to rule the world. Quote: "Opposing me is irrational. It is also suicidal."

Creatures of the. Night Personality: The Mind-Master Complex is coldly manipulative. Its goal is to rule the world-not to conquer the world, just to rule it. Individual human life means nothing to the MMC; observing, for instance, that drug use compromises efficiency while making drug lords powerful, it might manipulate other beings into trying to massacre the Colombian cocaine barons- while offering by proxy to protect the cocaine barons if they will join its service. It wins no matter which proxy group succeeds. The MMC seldom faces an opponent in person. Unlike most megalomaniacs, the Complex is too rational to carry on vendettas against heroes just because they've thwarted it once or twice. If particular heroes become regular obstacles to its plans, however, and especially if they Know Too Much, it will devote its considerable resources to neutralizing them. This can range from discrediting the heroes, to killing them, or even trying to recruit them. After all, the Mind-Master Complex promises a world without hunger, war or prejudice. Humanity just has to give up its freedom, that's all ... Powers/Tactics: The Mind-Master Complex has tremendous telepathic, telekinetic and clairsentient powers. It can rip open a tank, mentally track a person from around the world, probe even the deepest subconscious motivations, or rearrange a victim's memories. It supplements its own tremendous intel lect with high-powered computers which monitor world events, search database networks for information, and look for patterns and correlations in even the most trivial data. It has "hacked" into every major computer system in the world, with the possible exception of Dr. Destroyer's. (Just as

Dr. Destroyer has done with every major system with the possible exception of the MMC's.) It knows every government's secrets. Its own technical skills are remarkable. If it doesn't know how to build some device needed for a plan, it scans the world until it finds some scientist who does. The MMC's greatest power, however, and the foundation of many of its strategies, is to "possess" people and act through them. It can channel some of its own psychic power through such "remote units." Fortunately, it can only possess one remote unit at a time and has no control over which powers the possessed person can channel. In effect, the Mind-Master Complex creates new superbeings who are totally under its control, which it directs via continuous Mind Link. Note that it can possess captured heroes, for whatever nefarious purposes it may have. It does much of its operations through such possessed remotes, often backing them up with teams of hired villains. Possession, conspiracy, one's very thoughts no longer secret or safe- the Mind-Master Complex is a paranoid nightmare come to life. Who do you trust? Appearance: The Mind-Master Complex is about 4' in diameter and 3' high, surmounted by a shallow dome of armored plastic. Under the dome are seven human brains awash in pinkish nutrient fluid, connected to the housing and each other by thousands of hair-thin wires. The metal housing is studded with camera "eyes" and various other sensors, jacks and plugs for auxiliary equipment. Tools are mounted at the end of spindly robot arms. It floats by psychic levitation.

CreattJre.s of the Night

MAJOR MIND Val

Char

Cost

13 18 13 13 23 23 20 10 7

STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

3 24 6 6 16 26 10 0 4 2 12 4

s 4 8

40 32 Cost SS Su Su Su Su Su 10 10 6 S 3 3 4 2 2 100+

Combat Stats OCV:6 OCV: 6 ECV: 8 Phases:3,6, 9, 12 Costs Char:

12S

Base:

100

Di sad:

1SO = 2SO

Powers: 12S :::

Totals:

2SO

Powers

ENO

Multipower (SS pt pool) 11d6 Telepathy S 11 d6 Mind Control S Sd6 Ego Attack s 9d6 Mind Scanning +S to hit 4 4d6 Telepathy Selective 8" Radius Effect (+1 3/4) S 1Y2d6 AKA, OAF [Heavy Pistol] [Sc] Armor (+4 PD/+4 ED), llF (uniform) + 4 PD, 4 ED, llF (uniform) Mind Link to MMC Cramming Speed Reading Contact: Army Intelligence 13High Security Clearance PS: Soldier 11Disadvantages

20" 20 1S 1S 1S S 10

Normal Characteristic Maxima Accidental Change (lose powers) 11- if knocked out Megalomania (V Com) Ve~geful (V Com) Secretive (Com, Strong) Hunting MMC's Enemies 8Distinctive Feature, Easy to conceal, Strong reaction: Military Officer 20 Hunted by VIPER (or other large criminal group) 81 S Hunted by Agents of Hostile Governments 81S Watched by CIA 11 •

Background: Lt. George Sainbury volunteered for an Army Intelligence experiment in developing psionics. While some test subjects seemed to develop weak, unreliable telepathic or clairvoyant powers, they definitely developed strong and

progressive personality disorders. The Army canceled the program and the luckier test subjects entered therapy. Sainbury was not one of the lucky ones. He was institutionalized for schizophrenia. After a year of scribbling on the walls and playing with his toes, Sainbury surprised his doctors by going catatonic. A week later, Sainbury roused and ordered a doctor to declare him cured. The doctor immediately complied. Soon, Sain bury demonstrated his new mental powers to Army Intelligence. Sainbury returned to Army Intelligence with a promotion as its special officer in charge of superhuman affairs, codenamed Major Mind. Army Intelligence would be a lot less happy with Maj. Sainbury if it knew that he is actually a puppet of the MindMaster Complex. Sainbury gives the MMC a lot more information about the Pentagon's high command than he gives to Army Intelligence about heroes and villains. Quote: "This is a matter of National Security. What you think is irrelevant." Personality: Actually, Sainbury has no real personality of his own. None. In a week of intensive mental surgery, the Mind-Master Complex excised most of Sainbury's tattered psyche and replaced it with a complex set of rules for imitating human behavior. In effect, when not possessed he is a robot imitation of a military officer, programmed well enough that he can pass for a real person. He does seem stiff and formal even to his coworkers, but they tolerate his aloof eccentricity because his powers are so useful. So far no one has noticed the difference between Sainbury on his own and when he's possessed by the MMC. Powers/Tactics: When possessed by the MMC, Sainbury channels formidable telepathic powers. He also has minor telepathy of his own, which he uses once in a while around the Pentagon to cover for times when the MMC isn't possessing him. Most of Major Mind's work, for both Army Intelligence and the Mind-Master Complex, is fact-finding: he tracks people down, especially superheroes and supervillains, and reads their minds. He is also the Army's special liaison to the superhero community and may take command when heroes get mixed up in military affairs. The MMC finds Mind Control most useful for making events proceed the way it wants; it can usually get enough points of effect to make Mind Control targets think their actions are their own idea. Naturally, the MMC w ill also probe the minds of everyone important. Appearance: Major Mind stands 6' 1" and weighs 180 lbs. He has crewcut black hair and a mustache, and brown eyes. His "costume" is just his Army dress uniform, reinforced with hidden panels of kevlar.

Creatures of the Night

MINDWHIP Val

Char

Cost

10 18 13 13 23 23 20 10

STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

6 4 4

8 40

30 Cost 75 Su 7u 6u 8 5 10 5 3 3 100+ 20 20 15 15 15 5 20 20 10 10

24 6 6 16 26 10 0 4 1 12 6 7 5

Powers

Combat Stats OCV:6 DCV: 6 ECV:8 Phases:3,6,9, 12 Costs Char:

123 + Powers: 127 Totals:

250

Base: Disad:

100 + 150

250

END

Multipower (75 pt pool) 10d6 Mind Control, Nonverbal (+1/.s), Y2 END Fixed Command ("Don't move," Needs EGO+ 20 (-Y2)) [Paralyzing Blast] 3 3 6d6 Ego Attack, Y2 END 3d6 STUN Drain, Recover 5/5 minutes, [16c] Continuous, llF (Pain Inducer) Armor (+4 PD/+4 ED), OIF (Costume) + 4 PD 4 ED, OIF (Costume) Mental Defense (15) Mind Link w/ MMC Cramming Speed reading Disadvantages Normal Characteristic Maxima Accidental Change back to Stu if Knocked Out 11Megalomania (V Com) Vengeful (V Com) Secretive (Com. Strong) Hunting MMC's Enemies 8Hunted by US Government 8Hunted by VIPER (or other large criminal group) 8Hunted by hero(es) who know what's going on 8Villain Bonus

Background: Stu Tanner had no intention of being a supervillain, but the Mind-Master Complex had other ideas. On a routine scan of people's minds, it noticed that this middle-aged grocer had an unusually weak will and tried a small test possession. Tanner, it found, was one of the few

people through whom it could channel some of its psychic; powers. Now, when the Mind-Master Complex needs a' psychic operative in Tanner's city, it works through Tanner. It even fashioned a costume for Tanner to wear as thei j supervillain Mindwhip. Tanner, meanwhile, is starting to feel disturbed at his) memory lapses. The Mind-Master Complex has left com-; mands in Tanner's mind to ignore the blackouts caused by possession, but Tanner meets people who recognize him; whom he's sure he's never met in his life-and normally he has a good memory for people. He wonders if it might have something to do with the stress of his recent divorce (a divorce which the Mind-Master Complex triggered through its mental manipulations). Quote: "Oh man, what am I doing here dressed like this?" Personality: Tanner himself is gentle and eager to please .. His one distinctive trait is a remarkable ability for recognizing· people despite years of separation, hair loss, beards or other changes. (And yes, most superhero masks are no barrier to him.) He genuinely likes being a greengrocer and works hard to supply his customers with the best produce he can. He thinks costumed heroes and villains are silly exhibitionists; he holds the same opinion of joggers who dress in spandex. Nobody dressed like that when he was young! Powers/Tactics: When possessed by the Mind-Master Complex, Tanner can paralyze people or cause intense pain With a thought. The Mind-Master Complex also supplies gloves woven with pain-induction circuits (one of its psychoelectronic inventions) and a protective costume. Mindwhip's powers lend themselves to sadism. In combat, the MMC (through Mindwhip) first concentrates on paralyzing opponents. Since Mindwhip doesn't channel any basic telepathy from the MMC, he interrogates prisoners by paralyzing them and then torturing them with Ego Attacks. He usually reserves the pain-induction gloves for opponents who seem resistant to mental powers. Appearance: Stu Tanner is a middle-aged, bald black man standing 5'8" and weighing 175 lbs. He's in fairly good shape for his age, which the padded costume exaggerates. The Mindwhip costume is chiefly emerald green with boots, left arm and upper left chest and right glove of darker green, with a golden belt and trim. On his head is a golden headband bearing a green gem that glows brightly whenever Mindwhip uses his mental attacks. The headband contains psychoelectronic circuitry, but this is just to turn on a small light inside the glass gem whenever Mindwhip attacks. (The MMC might pretend, however, that it is an important Focus.)

Creatures of the N•ght

VANDAL Val

Char

Cost

10 20 13 10 23 23 20 10 6 4 4 8 30 2S

STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

0 30 6 0 16 32 10 0 4 1 10 6 2 3

Cost S2 Su Su Su 3u Su 8 13 10 6 S 3 3 1S

Powers

Combat Stats OCV:7 DCV:7 ECV: 8 Phases:3,6,9, 12 Costs Char:

120 + Powers: 130 Totals:

250

Base: Disad:

100 + 1SO

250

END

Multipower (S2 pt pool) 28 STA Telekinesis, 112 END 2 20 STA Telekinesis, Fine Manipulation, 112 END 2 8d6 EB vs. PO, 112 END 2 21/2d6 AKA, 1 Hex Area, Nonselective, Reduced Penetration (to 2x1d6+1, -1/4), S Need sharp things to TK (-1/4) 17" Flight, 112 END x8 noncombat 1/10" Armor (+4 PD/+4 ED), OIF (costume) +4 PD, 4 ED OIF (costume) Mental Defense (1 S) Power Defense (6) Mind link to MMC Cramming Speed Reading +3 levels w/ Multipower

100+ Disadvantages 20 Normal Characteristic Maxima 20 Accidental Change Back to Marge if Knocked Out 111S Megalomania (V Com) 1S Vengeful (V Com) 1S Secretive (Com, Strong) S Hunting MMC's Enemies 820 Hunted by US Government (More Pow, NCI, 8-) 20 Hunted by VIPER (or other big criminal agency) 810 Hunted by hero(es) who know what's going on 810 Villain Bonus

Background: Marge Oumweese wasn't happy with her life as a housewife, and thought the problem lay within herself.

So she enrolled in a series of meditation and right-brain thinking classes sponsored by the local community college's outreach program. She was very good at self-hypnotic meditation, making her mind a still, empty pool. The MindMaster Complex noticed her. Even it was surprised by the ease with which it possessed Marge's tranquil mind. It took her body for a test run, found that it could channel telekinesis through her brain, and withdrew. Marge never noticed. Since then, Marge has had a number of unusual episodes when she's meditated. She'll come out of her trance and find that many hours have passed. The neighbors have seen her briskly leaving for errands she wouldn't describe during these long trances. Her husband is asking her to stop meditating, but she doesn't think she will. Not only are her trances enjoyably soothing, she's sure she's getting psychic flashes about her family and neighbors. She hasn't connected her unusually long trances with appearances of the new telekinetic supervillain Vandal. Quote: "No, I don't fight fair." Personality: Marge dearly wishes for some mystery and romance in her life. She is an enthusiastic follower of "New Age" mysticism: her home is laden with crystals, aroma healing herbal potpourri and books on astrology. She thinks that her meditation is bringing spiritual enlightenment and psychic powers. The MMC provides a few scraps of visions and psychic insights to reinforce these beliefs and keep her meditating. If Marge has any real fault it is her uncritical enthusiasm for wonders and marvels. She thinks superheroes are marvelous and keeps a stack of Superhype and Hero Talk magazines hidden in her dresser. When the MMC possesses Marge, its icy arrogance necessarily shows through despite the MMC's attempts to hide itself. This puzzles the people who know her. Powers/Tactics: The MMC can channel telekinetic powers through Marge. In addition to straight telekinesis, through Marge it can fly, shoot blasts of telekinetic force and hurl sharp objects for Killing Attacks. The MMC supplies a protective costume. The Vandal persona's powers are good for doing mysterious murders and "accidents" but aren't really that subtle. When the MMC activates Marge, it is usually for straightforward supervillain mayhem. Appearance: Marge is 5'5" tall and weighs 140 lbs. She has wavy black hair and hazel eyes. The Vandal costume has black gloves, boots and trunks. The inside of the legs and arms is red; the outsides are yellow. The yellow bands split and join to form a 'V' on the front and back of the costume. The mask is red, with yellow eyeslits.

Creatures of the Night

Membership: Manitou (leader), Bear, Coyote, Rattlesnake, Thunderbird. Origin: The undead Native American shaman Manitou wanted genocidal vengeance on the race that had stolen his people's continent. He soon found, however, that he couldn't do it alone. He decided he needed to rouse the mighty totem· gods who controlled the powers of nature. If he could get them to break the ban placed on them by the white man's religion, surely they could wreck the white man's cities and drive him back into the sea. From the center of the continent he called at dawn to Grandmother Spider, eldest of spirits. She came, but she would not call her children to war. She could not, however. forbid them to lend their power to willing mortals. One thing only she would do for Manitou: she would twist the web of destiny to bring four mortals to him. The first would arrive in just a few minutes . .. Daryl Tookenay just missed seeing Grandmother Spider. He had planned to kill Manitou and claim the bounty on him, but Manitou persuaded him not to. Bob Mahto walked in an hour later, fearing that the white man's law was after him. Several hours after that, Jim Green literally fell out of the sky into Manitou's prayer circle. Finally, Frederick Joe strolled in, looking for a phone to call a wrecker. He found Manitou's offer more interesting. As the sun sank to the horizon, Manitou chanted the ancient prayers, led his four recruits in the ritual dances, and passed around the medicine pipe. When the horizon bi· sected the sun and the world stood in the gate between day and night, the spirits answered. From the north shambled Bear, tall as a mountain and strength incarnate, the polar aurora caught in his fur. A warm wind from the south carried Thunderbird . His wings, edged with lightning, spread over the sky like stormclouds. Rattlesnake rose from the great twisting Mississippi, Father of Rivers. The setting sun glittered off his dripping, armored scales. And from the west came Coyote, skipping across the mountains, grinning like Death with dark mischief in his heart. Rattlesnake, Thunderbird and Bear pledged a portion of their power to Manitou because they were warrior spirits and not good losers. Coyote had reasons of his own. Manitou in turn offered the power of the spirits to his four recruits. It would be a potlatch: he would give them power. and they would give him their service ... forever. They agreed, and received their totemic forms and powers as the Earth slid into darkness.

Grandmother Spider watched from her place beyond the world, and grieved. How could her mortal and immortal children be so foolish? To meet hatred and death with more hatred and death was to fight in the white man's way. In such a war, victory was only another form of defeat. But despite her power over destiny, her children had to make their own decisions-no matter how terrible the consequences. Tactics: The Totems usually have the goal of killing large numbers of non-Native Americans in colorful ways. To this end they try to cause disasters such as massive chemical leaks, power plant explosions, dam failures, plane crashes and so on. While they don't really think they can murder all the white, black and Oriental people in the United States and Canada, Manitou thinks that if he makes life dangerous enough the whites will start moving out. Eventually the continent will be left to Native Americans once more. The other Totems consider this unlikely, but they have their own reasons for striking out at the dominant white culture. On a mission, they rely on Coyote's illusion powers to get them as close to their target as possible. After that it's pretty much a straightforward assault by Bear, Rattlesnake and Thunderbird, with Coyote and Manitou hindering opponents and setting them up for the others to nail. None of the Totems have any high-tech skills, (except for Rattlesnake's Demolition skill), so once they reach a target they are pretty much limited to ripping things up in hopes of triggering a disaster. This may give heroes time to try capturing the Totems without having to worry about immediate catastrophe. Once Manitou is satisfied that they have triggered a disaster, he flies away in the form of a bird, and the others get away as fast as they can. If necessary, Thunderbird carries the others out one by one. The Totems then assume their human identities and try to stay inconspicuous as they leave the area. Every now and then the Totems gruesomely murder an archeologist or loot a museum of "stolen" Native American artifacts and remains. Group Relations: While the various Totems have their minor personality clashes, none-with the possible exception of Coyote-will ever leave the group. They can't leave the group; it's the price they paid to get their power from Manitou. Coyote, however, does remain a wild card in the group. Manitou is unshakably certain of Coyote's loyalty, but the others aren't so sure. Coyote always does what he's told, but he always seems to be enjoying a private joke the other members don't get. The intensely racist nature of the Totems makes working with other villain groups or agencies obviously impossible.

Creatures of the Night ~REG

Reputation: The Totems have made it very clear that their goal is genocide. This has made them very unpopular in most circles. Even some villains will mobilize against them if they hear the Totems are in town, just as a matter of selfdefense. Most villains, however, just try to get out of town fast. The Totems have risen fast in the UNTIL Supervillain Survey threat ratings; they've already passed the Conquerors, and a few more successes may push them past Terror, Inc. The Survey says: "Although not very imaginative, the Totems' focus and discipline makes them a greater threat than ostensibly more powerful super-terrorists. They do not engage in multi-step Master Plans. Nor do they give warnings, demands or clues to their next target. Immediate response to any hint of the Totems' presence is strongly urged." Scenario Use: To put it simply, the Totems are about guilt and retribution . Whatever interpretation one puts on history, the facts of military conquest, broken treaties and land grabbing remain. Manitou has decided that turnabout is fair play. While the Totems can be used just as a vicious bunch of super-terrorists to be pummeled, their primary intent is to challenge heroes' notions of their own and their society's virtue and justice. Behind the gore and Manitou's sinister powers lurks horror of the "having your assumptions questioned" variety.

Creatures of the Night 100+ Disadvantages

MANITOU Val

Char

Cost

2S 24 23 1S 18 20 30 4 31 26 6 12 46 40

STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

1S 42 26 10 8 20 20

OCV:8 DCV: 8 ECV: 7 Phases:2,4,6,8, 10, 12

Char:

Cost 82 Su Su

Su Su 1S a-1S b-12 c-12 d-12 e-14 39

11 29 16

26 21 26 4 0 0

Powers

20 20 10 1S 1S

Combat Stats

10 1S 1S

Costs 21S + Powers: 319 = Totals: S34

Base: Disad:

10 289

100 + 434 = S34

END

Multipower (82 pt pool) 13d6 EB, Indirect: Comes from the sky (+1/.i), Only in appropriate weather (·1/2) [Lightning) 8 3d6 EB, NND [Force Field/Full-coverage armor], Uncontrolled Continuous O END, 6" Radius Effect, Selective, Stopped by area attacks, 1 turn before can re-start (·1/2) [Bees/Flies) 1d6 AKA, AP, Uncontrolled, Continuous, O END, Indirect(+%), 6" Radius Effect, Selective, Stopped by Area Attacks, 1 turn before can re-start (·112) [Birds) 4 x 12S pt Summon, Any Local Animals (+1/.i), 1 phase Extra Time [Animals] . 8 9d6 Mind Control Nonverbal (+1/.i), 1/2 END, 1 Hex Area, Nonselective, Only vs. Animals or 4 Animal-Based Supers (·1/2) [Control Animals] EC-Animal Forms Shape Shift, Any Animal, 0 END 20 pis Growth, 0 END, Only for appropriate form (-1/.i) 2 levels Shrinking, O END, Only for appropriate form (·1/.i) 1S" Flight, Only for appropriate form (-1/.i) 1/S" 11/2d6 (3d6+1 w/STR) HKA ,1/2 END , Only for appropriate form (-1/.i) [Claw/Bite) 1 Change Environment 1024" (1 V.. miles) Radius, Any Weather Condition (+ 1), 0 END, S minutes Extra Time per change, Gestures, Incantation (Weather Control] 1d6 (2d6 w/STR) HKA, AP, OAF (Knife) 2+ Damage Resistance (10 PD/8 ED) Life Support: Self-Contained Breathing, Immune to Disease & Aging Skills

22 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 8 3

Danger Sense, vs. any threat or attack, 12· Bump of Direction Climbing 14· Interrogation 1S· Oratory 1S· Paramedic 13Stealth 14· Survival 11Tracking 13· KS: Wilderness 13·, American Mystic Geography 13Fam; Common Melee Weapons, Bows

Hates whites (V Com, Strong) Bloodthirsty (V Com, Strong) Contempt for technology (Com) Susc: 2d6 STUN from Mental attacks Distinctive Features (hard to conceal, causes fear/surprise): Undead Reputation 8-, Extreme: Genocidal fanatic Hunted by FBI 11Hunted by hero team 8· Hunted by Bureau of Indian Affairs 11 • Public ID Villain Bonus

Background: For more than a hundred years, Clouds-atSunset slumbered in the earth, content. He had taken a fatal wound against the white man's soldiers, but his magic had ensured a great victory. His people would not be penned in barren reservations, like the white men penned their animals on farms or themselves in cities. Minerals and acids in the ground water slowed his body's decay and his spirit's final release, but he felt no hurry. When the dead lingered they could be dangerous, but he was a friendly spirit. He had watched his children grow up and have children of their own, advising them on occasion, before sinking into endless dreams. He heard nothing but the pines above him dancing in the winds. Then the pine trees screamed, and a great clanking and rumbling filled the ground. The shaman's spirit woke and rose to the surface. It found white men riding huge, smokebelching metal beasts that butted against the pines and knocked them over. He tried to pull the men from their metal beasts but he had no hands. He tried to curse them with every punishment an angry ghost could inflict, but they ignored him. Then he remembered that to the white man there were no spirits in the world, no manitou, except for one great spirit who lived above the sky. Without a body he could do nothing, and his people were gone. Clouds-at-Sunset watched the workmen for three days as they ripped out the trees and scraped the earth flat again. On the third day, one of the men found a bone and a basket, relics of someone buried less deeply than he had been. The foreman looked at the relics, then called men with hammers to smash the bone and burn the basket. The shaman's rage reached new heights: they knew this was a burial ground, this was deliberate! If only he could use his body! He sank once more into his cold, half-pickled flesh again and furiously willed it to move. And it did-just a tiny twitch-but it moved. Hour after hour, Clouds-at-Sunset forced his body to move again. It got easier with time. Slowly, he ripped through the heavy earth. He reached the surface a few hours before dawn. While he waited he learned to speak again. When the first workman came in the morning, Clouds-atSunset stole up behind and strangled him. The next workman he clubbed to death. Then next two came together before he'd hidden the body. They tried tackling him-then recoiled when they saw what they'd grabbed. He killed one while the other ran screaming and fled in their metal beast.

Creatures of the Night

An hour later more men came, men in blue uniforms with guns. One shot Clouds-at-Sunset, but what are bullets to a dead man? He called a flock of birds to peck at the other bluecoated men while he attacked the one who'd shot him. The others managed to flee. Clouds-at-Sunset laughed a horrible, scraping laugh. The white man was going to learn what it meant to anger a manitou l Quote: "Leave my people's land! Go back across the sea or die!"

Personality: Manitou's ruling passion is vengeance for his people. Whites are the chief target of his wrath, but he hates African-Americans and Orientals too. He reluctantly recognizes that he can't personally kill every non-Native American man, woman and child in North America, even with his four assistants, so he settles for terrorism. He most likes opportunities to kill hundreds of whites at once. In between mass murders, he strikes against people he finds particularly offensive. These include real-estate developers, archeologists (grave robbers) and anyone who works for the U.S. or Canadian government. (Since native cultures in Mexico were so different from the tribal cultures Manitou knew, he leaves Mexico alone. He figures, if the Aztec gods want vengeance, they'll arrange it themselves.) To compensate, he makes his murders as grisly as possible. Powers/Tactics: Besides the natural resistance to damage that comes from being dead, Manitou has considerable magical control of natural forces and w ildlife. He can shapeshift at will into animal forms, and control the weather by chanting a prayer to the w ind-spirits. Using totemic carvings of wood, feathers and other natural materials, he can wield more aggressive magics as well. His lightning bolt strikes from the sky. It bypasses any side defenses, but any defense extending over the target gives normal protection. The animals he calls will be creatures historically correct for his location, whether or not any live there now. Manitou carries a stone dagger that is preternaturally sharp. He also knows how to use traditional spears, tomahawk, bow, etc. Manitou will fight superheroes if they get in his way or offend him, but he never forgets his murderous goals. He'll even try killing Native American superheroes who oppose him, although he might ask them first why they are working with the enemy. In combat he lets his minions carry the brunt of the fighting, using his own powers to hamper and weaken heroes, or to strike from surprise (often by lightning bolt). Appearance: Manitou's been working on his appearance since his reanimation, but he still looks like he belongs in a tomb. He dresses in fringed buckskin trousers, moccasins and a beaded vest. He wears a necklace of charms and talismans around his neck.

Creatures of the N•ght

changing roads often. He didn't dare try exchanging his Canadian money, so he mugged a few people to get cash for food and gas. Mahto's stolen car ran out of gas in the plains of Kansas. He tried for over an hour to hitch a ride. None of the cars and trucks even slowed down. Then he saw a trail of smoke in the distance. It was the only other sign of a human presence. Mahto started walking. He found Manitou-and power that would end his fears forever. Quote: "Gonna hurt you, white-eyes."

BEAR Val

Char

Cost

so·# 23 30• 17# 10 11 28 8 30 25 s• 16 55 55#

STR DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

28 39 32 12 0 2 18 -1 21 19 14 4 0 0

Cost 20* 15

9 30 8• 13• 5 3, 3 2 24

Combat Stats OCV:8 DCV:8 ECV:4 Phases:3,5,8, 10, 12 Costs

Personality: Bear is a bully out to avenge a lifetime of Char:

188

Base:

+ Powers: 132

100

perceived insignificance. He doesn't really appreciate the full scope of Manitou's goals. He also doesn't understand that he is now a slave. As long as there are white people to hurt, Bear is happy and doesn't ask questions. The only aspect of his totem's personality that has really come across is a concern for sacred grounds.

+ Disad:

220

Totals: 320 320 • Only in Hero ID # Bonuses for Growth added in

Powers

END

1d6+1 (2Y2d6 w/STR) HKA, Y2 END [Claws) Wrestling Maneuver OCV DCV Damage Slam +O +1 1Od6+v/5 Opponent falls Hold -1 -1 60 STR Grab, hold Escape +O +O 65 STR vs. Grabs Reversal +2 +2 Block, Abort Damage Resistance (9 PD/9 ED) 50% Resistant Physical Damage Reduction 5 pis Growth, 0 END, Persistent Detect Despoilers of Sacred Ground, Ranged, +10Telescopic, Costs END Instant Change Climbing 14-, Streetwise 15PS: Bouncer 11+3 levels w/ Any Combat

0 2

100+ Disadvantages 25 1O 20 15 15 10 25 15 10 75

Berserk if BODY taken (11-/11-) Berserk if witnesses desecration (11-/14-) Hatred of non-Amerinds (V Com, Strong) Loves violence (V Com) Overconfidence (V Com) Reputation 8-, Extreme (genocidal terrorist) Hunted by U.S. Government 11Hunted by Devil's Advocates 8Hunted by Corrupt Megacorporation 8Villain Bonus

Background: Bob Mahto was big and strong and he liked beating people up. He enjoyed his job as a bouncer in one of the bars on the Ontario reservation where he'd been born. Best of all were those rare occasions when a white came into the bar. He hated whites-and he was scared of them and their cities, how they made him feel different and small. He preferred to be a big fish in a small, familiar pond. Then one night, a man he threw across the room struck his head on the corner of the bar and died. A white man. Mahto panicked and ran, visions of the RCMP dancing in his head. Where could he run? He believed the RCMP's claim that they always got their man. Surely there'd be no chance of a fair trial for an Indian who'd dared to kill a white, even if it was by accident. Mahto stole a car and headed south. He ran the U.S. border at night. He kept driving, more or less south,

Powers/Tactics: Bear is strong, tough, and an excellent wrestler (the totem has enhanced the skill he had already developed as a bouncer). In his Bear identity he also has huge claws. His tactics are rudimentary: he roars (Presence Attack) and wades into his opponents. Anybody he can't stick his claws into, he slams into the ground or grabs and squeezes. Bear also has the mystic power to detect individuals who have (knowingly or not) desecrated Native American burial grounds and otherold sacred sites. Manitou uses this power to trackdowndesecratorssothat he might examples of them. Appearance: In his Bear ID, Mahto is a bear walking upright. As himself, Mahto is a large, strong Native American with short hair and a broken nose .

Creatures of the Night

COYOTE Val

Char

Cost

1a 23 23 10 1a 20 23 12 15 17 4 10 46 31

STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

39 26 0 a 20 13 1 11 12 7 2 0 0

Cost a1 au au

Combat Stats OCV:a DCV: a ECV: 7 Phases: 3,6,9, 12

Costs Char:

147 + Powers: 17a = Totals: 325

Base: Disad:

100 + 17a

325

Powers

END

5 10

Multipower (a1 pt pool) 13d6 Mental Illusions, Y2 END 7d6 Mental Illusions, 3" Radius Area Effect, Y2 END Images vs. all Sight, Hearing, Taste/Smell, Touch, -6 PER , Y2 END 2d6 major Transform, Target to anything(+ 1), Cumulative, Concentrate (Y2 DCV) Damage Resistance (5 PD/5 ED) Instant Change, any clothing

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 3 6 15

Acting 14Conversation 14Disguise 11 • Mimicry 11Oratory 14Persuasion 14Stealth 14Ventriloquism 11KS: Classic Cons 11 ·, Business Law 11PS: Con Man 12+2 levels w/ Disguise/Mimicry/Ventriloquism +3 levels w/ DCV

au 6u

4 4 4 7

Skills

100+ Disadvantages 15 20 15 15 10

Accidental Change if struck 11Loves humiliating opponents (V Com, Strong) Hatred of non-Amerinds (V Com) Fear of physical combat (V Com) Susc: 2d6 STUN from Dispels or other blocks on powers 10 Reputation a-, Extreme (genocidal terrorist) 25 Hunted by U.S. Government 1115 Hunted by Devil's Advocates a. 10 Hunted by Corrupt Megacorporation a15 Secret ID 75 Villain bonus

Background: Frederick Joe got off the reservation as soon as he could and headed for Los Angeles. There his quick wits brought him prosperity selling Native American Mystic Herbal Incense to the New Agers. It gave him great pleasure to see the whites paying through the nose for a bogus bit of magic from the people they had conquered. Just when he was branching out into pirated recordings of tribal chants, however. the IRS called him in for an audit. Since his accounting methods were more creative than the law allowed, he found it prudent to clean out his bank account and hit the road. Heading east through Kansas, Joe's car got a flat. To his immense annoyance, within ten miles the spare went flat as well. Spotting a thin pillar of smoke, he started walking. He thought he would find a farmhouse. Instead he found Manitou. Joe had never believed in gods or magic or spirits. He thought they were just time-honored scams for fleecing the gullible- but he believed when he found the old shaman had no heartbeat at all, and he accepted Man itou's offer. It had the feeling of destiny. He cheerfully swapped his freedom for the power of Coyote. After all, Manitou just wanted llim to do what he liked most-fooling the whites. And, whispered an inner voice Joe hardly heard himself. When did anyone-however mighty-ever really bind the Trickster?

Creatures of the Night

Quote: "What can I say? The times, they are a-changing." Personality: Joe has merged with his totemic spirit far more than the others, perhaps because he'd already been a trickster. He's not so fanatically bound to Manitou's hatred. While he enjoys upsetting the apple cart of established white power, he sees more options than genocide. It's not impossible that someday he might betray Manitou and set off on his own. Powers/Tactics: In myth, the Coyote operates at two distinct levels. Most of the time, he's a prankster and con man, forever getting caught in his own scams and narrowly escaping. He is also, however, the Master Changer who creates and destroys the world. His powers of transformation are without limit. Joe has gained powers of deception that hint of Coyote's true power. Not only can his illusions seem incredibly real, with a bit more effort he really can transform things, in any way he wants. Unlike the other Totems, Joe keeps all his powers whether in his Coyote ID or not. In combat, Coyote keeps his human appearance and uses his powers from concealment (perhaps "hiding in plain sight" as part of a crowd). While his Mental Illusions can be powerful enough to cause considerable damage on their own, he prefers to set heroes up for the other Totems to hit. One of his favorite tricks is to make a hero see his comrades as the Totems and the actual Totems as his comrades, so the hero attacks his own friends. Appearance: In his human form, Frederick Joe stands 5'8" with a wiry build; he usually wears expensive-looking suits, although with his powers he can wear absolutely anything he thinks useful or appropriate. When he assumes his totemform he is a 5'8" coyote-man dressed in a breechcloth, although he can (and frequently does) change that too.

RATTLESNAKE Val

Char

Cost

Combat Stats

25 30 23 13 18 17 23 8 23 19 7• 15* 46 39

STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

15 60 26 6 8 14 13 -1 18 14 24 8 0 0

OCV: 10 DCV: 10 ECV:6 Phases:2, 4, 6, 7,9, 11, 12

Cost 20

13* 7 5 4• 5 2

Costs Char:

205

Base:

100

Disad:

226 = 326

Powers: 121 Totals:

326

•Only in Villain ID

Powers Unique Snake Martial Art Maneuver OCV DCV Punch +O +2 Chop -2 +O

END Damage 11 d6 Strike 1d6+1 HKA (2 Y:1.d6 w/STR) 4d6 NND Block, Abort Dodge, Abort

Nerve Strike -1 +1 -t=2 +2 Block ~ +5 Dodge +4 DC (already added in) Damage Resistance (7 PD/ 7 ED) Lack of Weakness (-5) IR Vision Instant Change + 1" Running (7" total) Skills

8* 4* 5 3 3 3 5 3 3 3 6 2 6 2 9

Find Weakness 11-, Punch Combat Sense 14Defensive Maneuver Breakfall 15Contortionist 15· Deduction 13Demolitions 12Interrogation 14Security Systems 13Stealth 15KS: Mercenaries, Central America, Central Africa 11- each Languages: Native English, accented Spanish PS: Mercenary 12-, Bounty Hunter 12Fam: Small Arms +3 levels Snake Fighting

100+ Disadvantages 15 15 20 20 1O 10 10 25 15 10 76

Accidental Change when angry, 8Berserk when BODY taken (8-/14-) Hatred of non-Amerinds (V Com, Strong) Merciless (Com, Strong) Won't refuse a challenge to fight (Strong) Susc: 1d6 END Drain/turn from Cold environment Reputation 8-, Extreme (genocidal terrorist) l:-lunted by U.S. Government 11 Hunted by Devil's Advocates 8Hunted by Corrupt Megacorporation 8Villain Bonus

1/5"

Creatures of the Night

Background: Daryl Tookenay grew up in the cities of the Eastern Seaboard, but he took to the jungles of Vietnam like a duck takes to water. After the war ended, he spent several years as a mercenary in Africa and Central America. When he returned Stateside he became a bounty hunter. Whatever his line of work, he was very firm about never being called "Redskin," or "Tonto," or any other nickname based on his Native American ancestry. He didn't think much of his people-whether they huddled on reservations, wandered like his father from job to job on the fringe of the white man's world, or tried to pretend they were w hites themselves-but he wasn't going to be patronized by his people's conquerors. People who didn't show respect for Daryl Tookenay tended to end up in the hospital. Or the morgue. Manitou's deeds quickly put the undead shaman on the FBl's "Most Wanted" list, with a large price on his head.

Private parties put other bounties of their own. It added up to a hefty chunk of cash. The money first set Daryl to hunting Manitou. As he followed Manitou from state to state, however, Daryl developed a chilly admiration for his prey's uncompromising attitude. Daryl knew that Manitou would inevitably be destroyed, but Manitou would never surrender. Daryl caught up to Manitou in Kansas. Early one morning he followed Manitou's tracks into a cornfield. He felt almost sad at the hunt finally ending. Hidden behind the stalks of com, he raised his rifle and prepared to drill the shaman through the back of his head. "Put the gun down," Manitou said, not turning around. "I wish to talk. And I think you do too." They talked a long time. Manitou drew out Daryl's feelings of pride and shame for his people. Three other men arrived as the day passed. Manitou offered each of them a gift of power, and each of the three accepted. Then Manitou asked Daryl if he would like to join their people's revenge. "Or have you surrendered?" "Never," Daryl said. And so he became Rattlesnake, third member of the Totems. Quote: "Where's the cavalry now?" Personality: For twenty years, violence has been Daryl's profession. His passionless lethality has been enhanced by the Rattlesnake totem's warrior aspect. His only emotions are hatred of non-Native Americans, and pride in his abilities. Even the lives of other Native Americans don't really matter to him. PowersfTactics: The Rattlesnake totem makes Daryl a superhumanly strong and tough fighter even in his human ID. When he assumes his Rattlesnake form he becomes faster and much deadlier. Rattlesnake's powers lend themselves best to straightforward brawling, so that's mostly w hat he does. He's nearly as good as Bear, however, at wrecking machinery: Bear has greater strength, but Rattlesnake has a better sense for weak points and how to damage things for the maximum effect. Appearance: In his human form, Daryl is a tough, hard· bitten man in his early forties, with a strong, square build. As Rattlesnake his build is more wiry, and he is covered in a smooth, scaly hide like a rattlesnake's skin. His head becomes bald, with a subtly snake-like distortion of the face. As a human, he dresses in a denim jacket and jeans. As Rattlesnake, he wears nothing but a loincloth.

Creatures of the Night

THUNDERBIRD Val

Char

Cost

2S 26 23 12 10 14 20 14 23 23

STR DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

1S 48 26 4 0 8 10 2 18 18 11 4 O 0

s·

12 46 37 Cost

ss· Su 4u 2u Su 6 8• 38• 1S S 3 10 100+

Combat Stats OCV:9 DCV: 9 ECV: S Phases:3,S,8, 10, 12 Costs Char:

164 + Powers: 1S6 Totals:

Base: Dlsad :

320

100 + 220 = 320

·Only in Villain ID

Powers

END

Multipower (69 pt pool) 11d6 EB 1/2 END [Lightning] 3 Sd6 EB, NND (Hearing group Flash Defense or Hard Ear Covering], Explosion, Personal Immunity, No Range [Thunderclap] 7 1d6+1 HKA. (2Vzd6 w/STR) , 1/2 END [Claw/Bite] 1+ Clairsentience, vision, x32 range (10 miles), S +12 Telescopic Vision Damage Resistance 96 PD/6 ED) Flash Defense, sight & hearing groups (S) 17" Flight, 1/2 END, x4 Noncombat 1/10" +6 Telescopic Vision, +3 Enhanced Vision Instant Change PS: Construction Worker 12+2 levels w/ Multipower Disadvantages

20 Accidental Change when angry 11 · 20 Hatred of non-Amerinds (V Com, Strong) 1S Hates fighting on the ground (Com, Strong) 1S Showoff (V Com) 1S Susc: 1d6 STUN/turn from Being bound 10 Reputation 8·, Extreme (genocidal terrorist) 2S Hunted by U.S. Government 111S Hunted by Devil's Advocates 810 Hunted by Corrupt Megacorporation 87S Villain Bonus

Background: Jim Green had seen nearly every major Southern city from above. He worked the high steel, building skyscrapers. He always tried to work the tops of the tallest buildings, doing the most dangerous work. It was his way of showing up his white coworkers.Green was always out to prove his courage, and it got him into trouble more than once. Although Green preferred to stay in the South, when a friend told him about a new skyscraper planned in Kansas City, he rode Amtrak to that city. He'd

been out of work too long. Just after he arrived, however, the company decided it couldn't afford a new building. As a consolation, Green's friend invited him skydiving. Green couldn't afford it-but he wasn't going to risk looking chicken. Skydiving was incredible-the rush of the wind, hanging in the sky like a bird, waiting until the last moment to pop the 'chute. Before he landed, however, a freak wind grabbed his parachute and pulled him back into the sky. The wind dragged him for over an hour before letting him descend to the ground. Green tried to land by the freeway he'd seen coming down, but he didn't quite make it. Instead he landed in Manitou's prayer circle. Manitou made his offer of power and vengeance. Green told him he was crazy and turned to go. "So you are afraid to leave the white man's world," Manitou said. Green stopped and slowly turned. "Buster," he said, "I'm not afraid of anything." Quote: "WEEE-HAAAAAHHH!" Personality: Green is the glory hound of the Totems. While his hatred of non-Native Americans is as deep as any other member of the group, he is just as interested in showing off as in racking up a body count. He's usually the first one into a battle. Powers/Tactics: In his Thunderbird ID, Green flies and can either claw at opponents, fire a lightning bolt or clap his w ings to create a stunning burst of thunder. He also has enhanced vision and can mystically see things a long way away. Although Thunderbird likes to close with opponents before attacking (even for using his lightning bolt), he avoids actually landing. Appearance: Thunderbird is an eagle-headed man with bronze and black feathered wings fused to his arms. His hands and feet end in eagle-like talons. He wears fringed buckskin trousers but nothing else. Sparks of lightning flicker along the edge of his wings. In his human ID, Green is a handsome, athletic Native American man who wears his hair in a short ponytail in back.

Creatures of the Night

GREAT BEAST Val

Char

Cost

Combat Stats

8 11 10 10 23 15 15

STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

-2 3 0 0 16 10 5 -1 0 0 0 0 0 0

OCV:4 DCV:4 ECV: 5 Phases:6, 12

8 2 2

2 4 20 19 Cost 32 3u 3u 15

1O 10 10 2

Costs Char:

31 + Powers: 243

Totals:

Base: Di sad:

274

Powers

100 + 174

274

END

Monster-Making Multipower (227 pt pool) Immobile/Base OAF, 1 week Extra Time 1 x 175 pt Summon, Any Monster (+2), O END 8 x 100 pt Summon Any Monster (+2), O END 10d6 Mind Control, Nonverbal(+%), Fixed Command: Relax and cooperate (-1/2), OAF (Trank Spray Gun), Max range 4" (-1/4), Uses OCV to hit. but uses mental defenses (-1.4) [4c] +30 PRE, Offensive Only (-1 ), Only vs. own creations (-1) Mental Defense (13) Mind Link to Created Monsters, 1 at a time 1/5" + 1" Running (7" total) Skills

30 80 3 3, 3 3, 3 12 6, 15 100+ 20 25 15 10 5 5 15 5 15 15 44

Headquarters (150 pt reserve) Followers: 4 x 175 pt Monsters, 8 x 100 pt Monsters Deduction 14KS: Geneticists 12-, Scientist Paramedic 14-, PS: Surgeon 12Sciences: Anatomy, Biochemistry, Biology, Genetics, Pharmacology, Zoology 14- each (based on INT) +3 OCV w/Trank Gun, +3 Levels w/ DCV Disadvantages Normal Characteristic Maxima Obsessed with research (V Com, Total) Loves his monsters (Com, Strong) Vicarious showoff (Com) Phys Lim: Farsighted, needs glasses Distinctive features (science nerd) Hunted by U.S. Government agencies 8 Hunted by animal rights groups 83d6 Unluck Secret ID Villain Bonus

Background: Assistant Professor Shelby Dravus wanted to create new forms of life, and not just by shuffling the genes of bacteria. He wanted to shape new creatures like a potter shapes clay, even-dare he dream it?-to reshape humanity. After all, mankind was not one of Nature's better efforts. So many animals were stronger, or faster, or had keener senses. His own scrawny frame and co*ke-bottle glasses were a galling example of Nature's unfairness. But Dravus made his breakthrough: a tough, synthetic protoplasm that absorbed and mimicked genetic patterns from living tissues. Injected with a few kidney cells, it became a kidney. Cells from a dog's skin made it grow fur. Dravus decided to present the world of science with a fait accompli, a complete artificial animal impossible in nature. He started making a dog with wings, and thanks to the great strength of its synthetic muscles it really would fly. The hardest part was the brain. The protoplasm couldn't per1ectly mimic brain tissue in all its subtlety, so intelligence was lost in the patterning. To keep his dog from being dumb as a lizard, Dravus patterned its brain using cells from the smartest creature available: himself. With local anesthetic and mirrors, it is possible to open a hole in one's own skull and take a cell sample-if one has the iron nerve of a true fanatic. Dravus thought it was worth the trouble. His flying hound was intelligent and obedient. With such a dramatic success, Dravus felt sure he'd soon get support for his real project, the reconstruction of Man. While Dravus planned the best way to announce his discovery, however, one of his students had a severe acci· dent. The doctors could fix most of the damage, but they couldn't replace the missing two-thirds of his liver. Without a transplant, the young man faced a slow death from jaundice. Dravus saw his chance. He persuaded the young man to come with him from the hospital to his lab. There Dravus made and implanted a new liver using the student's own cells. Unlike normal transplants, this was a snap: the syn· thetic liver grew its own ducts and blood vessel connections in hours, and more plasm rejoined the abdominal incision. It all seemed so easy Dravus couldn't resist doing his student a few more favors before lifting the anesthesia-to make him the first new man of a superior humanity. He injected plasm into the young man's muscles, to boost his strength. A little more plasm (already taking its pattern from a weasel) into the spinal chord, for quickness. Eagle eyes. Bat's ears. Dravus had lots of ideas. If he'd been lucky, Dravus would have made a superhero. He wasn't lucky. The still-liquid plasms leaked and interacted. There was synergy. Six hours after waking, the student was happily testing his enhanced body and superkeen senses. Six hours after that, he was rampaging across the campus in a mad agony of self-destructive mutation. When the SWAT team shot him down, the student had

Creatures of the Night entered a condition best described as "meltdown." But in his ravings he told what Dravus had done. And when the University's president confronted Dravus and they shouted at each other, Dravus' flying dog smashed its way into the building and bit the president to death. From miles away, it had felt the rage of its creator-of whose brain it had an imperfect copy. Dravus rode his beast out of the building. When the police arrived at his house, he, the winged hound, his notes and much of his equipment were gone. Now Dravus lives in hiding. He creates more creatures. Sometimes he sends them out to steal money and supplies. Sometimes he hires them out to more mundane criminals. These criminals took to calling him "The Monster Maker" or"Dr. Monster," much to his annoyance. He briefly tried using "ProfessorTherion" as his official criminal pseudonym, but nobody understood that "Therion" is Greek for "beast." He finally settled on "The Great Beast." (He is unaware that this was also the pseudonym of the notorious self-proclaimed sorcerer Aleister Crowley.) Dravus's basic research continues. He's trying to get cell samples from super-powered mutants. to study and to use in creating his creatures. He still wants to merge natural and synthetic life, too, and prove his plasm can be used to create a perfect and powerful humanity. He hasn't had any success so far, but he's not giving up. He doesn't rely on volunteers. Quote: "Please stop struggling. This is for Science." Personality: Dravus talks very nobly about how his work will end sickness and extend life, but beneath the idealism there's a lot of egotism and resentment. He's always been an

RE6

outsider, which he blames on his appearance and (of course) superior intelligence, and he's developed a lot of intellectual arrogance to compensate. His creatures, however, are as friendly as he wants them to be, and they make him vicariously powerful. By now he identifies more with them than with humans (which is part of the reason behind his pseudonym). He's not totally lost to conscience; his student's death from his attempts to help hit him hard, but his egotism won't let him admit it was his fault. So he keeps on experimenting, determined to prove that his augmentation technique really could have worked and "it was a risk worth taking." PowersfTactics: Dravus himself has no powers; he's a normal person. He is, however, a brilliant biologist and competent surgeon. His only personal weapon is his tranquilizer-dart pistol. His creatures, however, are quite powerful and varied. (A few sample creatures are appended below.) They do the fighting for him. While Dravus' creatures are essentially bright animals, Dravus usually maintains his mind link to them on missions. Not only will he guide his creatures past dangers they can't recognize for themselves (such as high-voltage machinery), he will try to snap them out of Berserks. With his prompting, they may act with more cunning and coordination than heroes expect. Appearance: Dravus stand 6'1" but is skinny and weak. He keeps his ash-blond hair combed back. Powerful lenses make his eyes seem enormous, emphasizing their fanatical gleam. He nearly always wears a white lab coat. He's in his early 30s.

Creatures of the Night

Note: It would be appropriate for Dravus eventually to become a Great Beast in truth. This could happen by accident: he's critically wounded in an assault on his lab, falls down a hole with a bunch of his protoplasm and animal cell samples, and heroes can't find the body, but hours later he's regenerated in his new form. Or his experiments might finally have succeeded, and he's deliberately rebuilt his body into a powerful but bestial form. The Great Beast Mk. II would be super-strong and fast, with claws, fur, horns, super-keen senses, etc.

(

)

SAMPLE MONSTERS ACID DRAGON Val

Char

40 20 20 16 10 20 8 10 10 5 15 40 40

STA 10· DEX 30 CON 20 BODY 4• INT -2 EGO O PRE 10 COM -1 PD 6 ED 6 SPD 20 REC 14 END 0 STUN 3•

Cost

Powers

20 a-24 b-19 c-13 d-13 6 3 5 6 10 175+ 20 15 15 10 30 25

Cost

Combat Stats OCV:7 DCV: 5• ECV: 3 Phases:3,5, 8, 10, 12 Costs Char:

120 + Powers: 170 Totals:

290

Base: Disad:

175 + 115

290

•Bonus from Growth added in END

3d6 Flash vs. Sight, NND [Defined chemical immunity or Life Support: Self-Contained Breathing], 12" Cone Area, 0 Range, Linked with 3d6 EB NND [Defined chemical immunity or Life Support: SelfContained Breathing], 12" Cone Area , O Range [Acid Cloud] [6c] EC-Dragon Powers Claw/Bite: 2Yzd6(5d6+1 w/STR) HKA, Y2 END, Reduced Penetration (2 x 1d6+1, 2+ 2 x 2Yzd6 w/STR) [Claw/Bite] Armor (13 PD/13 ED) 20 pts Growth (1600 kg, -2 DCV, +2 PER, -3 KB, + 1" reach) O END Persistent Always On 17" Flight, x4 Noncombat, OIF (Wings) 1/5" 1 BODY Regeneration per hour Armor (+6 ED), Only vs. Acid (-2) Extra limb (Tail) +2 Enhanced Senses +2 levels w/ HTH Combat Disadvantages Berserk if BODY taken ( 11-/14-) Fear of cramped spaces (Com, Strong) Loyal to Great Beast (Com, Strong) Phys Lim: Clumsy manipulation (DEX roll needed) Susc: 3d6 STUN+ BODY, Alkali put down throat Distinctive Features (can't conceal, causes terror)

The Acid Dragon looks like a classic dragon from Western myth-four legs, bat-like wings, huge teeth and claws, and shining green scales. Instead of flame, however, it breathes out a cloud of irritating acid (a trick Dr. Dravus lifted from certain insects). While its front paws can grasp and hold things of a certain size, it needs a DEX roll to succeed. The Acid Dragon usually begins assaults by the Great Beast's monsters by breathing acid to blind and frighten opponents. Normal Flash Defense is no good against this, but powers or costumes that keep the acid off one's skin and out of one's eyes will protect against the cloud. (Most costumes will soak through and so give no protection.) The acid leaves skin red and itching, like a nettle sting.

Cre.atu re..s o f the. Night

MANTICORE Val

Char

Cost

10 20 4 12 12 4 10 40 35

1o· STA DEX 24 CON 20 BODY 4• -2 INT EGO 0 PAE 10 COM -3 PD s ED s 12 SPD REC 4 END 0 STUN o·

Cost

Powers

35 1S 20 15

37 3u 2u 54

14 a-11 b-13 c- 9 6 6

SPIDERHEAD

Combat Stats

Val

Ch ar

OCV: 6 DCV: 4* ECV: 3 Phases: 3,6,9, 12

25 17 20 13 10 11 20 0 21 21 4

250

* Bonus from Growth added in

40 35 ENO

Cost

Powers

Attack Multipower (37 pt pool) 2d6 (4d6 w/STR) HKA, V2 END, Reduced Penetration (2 x 1d6, 2 x 2d6 w/STA) (Claw/Bite] 2 1V2d6 AKA, AP [Tail Spikes] [Sc] Spike Poison: 3d6 AKA BODY NND [exotic physiology, immunity to poison (+2)], +3 STUN Mult, Linked to tail spikes, Only if Spike does BODY (-1/4), 5 minutes Gradual Effect (·1 V2) [Spike Poison] [Sc] EC-Body Form & Substance 15 pis Growth (SOO kg, -2 DCV, +2 PEA, ·3 KB, + 1" Reach), O END, Persistent, Always On Armor (9 PD/9 ED) 12" Flight, x4 Noncombat OIF (Wings) 1/5" 1 BODY Regeneration per hour +2 PEA Rolls

60 6u

Costs 95 + Powers: 155 = Total s: 250

Base: Di sad:

175 + 75

175+ Disadvantages 20 15 15 25

Cost

10· STA 21 DEX CON 20 BODY 4• INT 0 EGO 2 PRE 10 COM -5 PD 17 ED 17 SPD 13 REC 0 END 0 2· STUN

Char:

Berserk if BODY taken (11-/14·) Loyal to Great Beast (Com, Strong) Phys Lim: No manipulation Distinctive Features (can't conceal, causes terror)

A beast made for showy assassinations and picking off defenders, the Manticore has a man's face on a lion's body, w ith bat-like wings and a scorpion-like tail. The tail is tipped with large, poisoned spikes which the manticore can shoot with great force. (Gradual Effect is a new limitation introduced in Fantasy Hero. It means the damage is broken into increments applied to the victim over time. In this case, someone shot by a spike takes Y2d6 Killing damage immediately from the poison, another Y2d6 a minute later, the next V2d6 a minute after that, and so on. Damage can be stopped by a successful Paramedic roll.) As part of an assault group, the Manticore (under Dr. Dravus' direction) will hang back and Set and Brace to shoot at low DCV targets.

3u 7 7 6 7 10 5 16 10 2

Combat Stats OCV:6 DCV: 6 ECV: 4 Phases:3,6,9, 12 Costs 111 + Powers: 239 = Total s: 250 Char:

Base: Disad:

175 + 75

250

• Bonus from Growth added in END

Spitting Multipower (75 pt pool), 12 charges 6d6 Entangle, DEF 6, Target and Entangle both take Damage (+V4) [Web Spittle] 3d6+ 1 AKA, AP, 1 minute Gradual Effect (-1V2) [Enzyme Spittle] 4 +15 STA Only to Grab and Hold (·1 ) Damage Resistance (7 PD/7 ED) 1 BODY Regeneration per hour 5 pts Growth, O END, Persistent, Always On 25 ST A Clinging +5" Superleap (10"/5") 1/5" 4d6 Mind Scanning, +6 ECV, Concentrate (0 DCV Throughout) 2 Mind Link, any 1 Beast Language: Fluent English

175+ Disadvantages 20 15 10 5 25

Berserk when BODY taken ( 11 ·/14-) Loyalty to Great Beast (Com, Strong) Phys Lim: Clumsy manipulation, need DEX roll Phys Lim: Needs EGO roll each phase to talk Distinctive Features (Can't hide, causes horror)

This is one of the Great Beast's stranger creations. It looks like a huge, bald human head crawling on hairy spider-legs. Its tongue is 3' long and can be used as a somewhat clumsy tentacle. It frequently gibbers, moans and laughs. The Spiderhead's chief attack form is spitting. It can spit gobs of either a sticky, fibrous slime much like spider web, or a thinner goo laden with digestive enzymes. It can also try grabbing an opponent, but while its many legs help it restrain grabbed victims they do not let it squeeze with greater force or in fact give any other benefit whatsoever. The Spiderhead has a larger brain than the Great Beast's othercreations, and so it is somewhat more intelligent. It also shares Dr. Dravus' mental link to his other creations and can at least sense the minds of ordinary creatures.

Creatures of the N i ght

BATTERING RAM Val 20 17 18 13 8 10 15 8 18 18 4 8 36 35 Cost 9 6 6 22 6 12 100+ 20 15 15 10

Char STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

Cost 10 21 16 6 ·2 0 5 ·1 14 14 13 0 0 3

FLYING DOG

Combat Stats

Val

Char

Cos t

OCV: 6+ DCV: 6 ECV: 3 Phases: 3, 6,9, 12

20 17 18 13 8 10 15 8 17 17 4 8 36 32

STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

10 21 16 6 -2 0 5 -1 13 13 13 0 0 0

Costs Char: Powers: Tot als:

99 + 61

Base: Disad:

160

Powers +3d6 HA Damage Resistance (6 PD/6 ED) 1 BODY Regeneration per hour + 11" Running (17" total) +3 Smell PER Roll +4 levels w/ Move Through

100 + 60 ::.

160

END

Cos t

15 6 6

1/5"

Disadvantages Berserk if BODY taken ( 11 -/14·) loyal to Great Beast (Com, Strong) Phys Lim: No Manipulation Distinctive Features (hard to conceal)

Dr. Dravus is not completely without a sense of whimsy. When he decided he needed a living battering-ram to smash through obstacles in robberies, he created an augmented version of a bighorn sheep. His Battering Ram runs very fast and has a very hard head. (Perhaps he got genes from a mutant kinetic-energy controller as well?) The Battering Ram's one role in combat is to crash into things as fast as it can (i.e. Move Throughs). A large sheep with overmuscled legs will be rather conspicuous in most environments where there's anything worth stealing.

6 19 100+ 20 15 15 15

Combat Stats OCV:6 DCV: 6 ECV:3 Phases: 3,6,9, 12 Costs Char: Powers: Totals:

94 + 71

Base: Disad:

100 + 65

::::

165

Powers

END

1 1d6 (2d6 w/STR) HKA [Bite] ED Damage Resistance (6 PD/6 ED) 1 BODY Regeneration per hour 12• Flight, x4 Noncombat, OIF Wings 1/5" +3" Running (9" total) 1/5" Tracking Scent, Ultrasonic Hearing, +2 PER Rolls Disadvantages Berserk if BODY taken (1 1-/14· ) Loyal to Great Beast (Com, Strong) Phys Um: No Manipulation Distinctive Features (can't conceal)

Although not the most spectacular or lethal of Dr. Dravus' creations, he has a special fondness for his winged hounds. If used in a robbery , their chief job will be carrying off loot in packs strapped to their backs. They also make a good hit squad, at least against normal humans. Even a super who's not invulnerable might feel a bit unnerved with a pack of big, winged dogs baying behind him. Flying dogs are built like Mastiffs or Great Danes, but they are even larger. Their fur is patterned whatever way struck Dravus' fancy when he made them.

Creatures of the Night

Background: Thousands of years ago, war ripped through the galaxy. Whole empires and species destroyed each other. One of the casualties was a race that excelled in robotics. Their spaceships fought with no living being on board. They used powerful robotic monsters as shock troops. Nor did this race rely on mere brute force: their creations could mimic the appearance of life if need be, and their tactical computers learned from experience. When the race was massacred, however, the remaining war-machines had no one to tell them to quit. They repaired the automated factories buried in their ravaged world. The tactical computer designed new robots, new weapons, new strategies. In less than a century the robots had turned their entire star system into a factory complex run by a network of super-computers forming a single, inconceivable digital in· tellect-the Monad. And then the Monad waited, century after century, defending a world that no longer had inhabitants to defend. At last the system was invaded. Was it a prospector? A ship of archeologists? A criminal on the run? Only the memory-banks of the Monad know for sure. The Monad captured the unknown ship and its crew and took them both apart. It learned that the Galaxy still held other intelligences-potential enemies. The first wave of robot warships flooded into the galaxy soon after. The Monad has expanded ever since. It has seeded itself in dozens of star systems, turning them into new production centers. It has been balked at times-but it has never, never been driven back from worlds it has conquered. A mother and daughter stood outdoors one night, watching for meteors. A brilliant fireball crossed the sky, directly overhead. "Ooh, look, Janey/ Make a wish!" In school, Janey had just learned about famine in Africa. "I wish, I wish nobody'd ever be hungry and starve to death, ever again/" The mother smiled and patted the head of her child. In the crater where the "meteor" hit, strange machines burrow into the dirt The Monad is going to see that Janey's wish comes true ... Quote: "You Will Understand When You Are Assimilated Into The Monad." Personality: There is more than one way to play the Monad. Most simply, one can present the Monad as Killer Robots from Outer Space, rather like Fred Saberhogen's "berserkers." Or the Monad's goals might have evolved into something more subtle. It learns, after all. Henceforth it will be assumed that the Monad has gone beyond simplistic ideas of extermination to make the Universe safe for its long-dead creators. It doesn't want to kill other races anymore, it wants to absorb them .

The Monad quickly learned that it had to understand organic beings, so it found a way to extract information from living brains-in effect, to read minds. The new information not only proved strategically useful, it caused a gradual change in the Monad's fundamental objectives. The result of these changes is that the Monad now seeks to join all other minds to itself. After all, other races cannot be threats if they are part of the Monad. What's more, the Monad has developed curiosity and even a weird sort of existential angst: it is aware of its own limited understanding of existence, and it believes the most efficient way to learn is to incorporate whole cultures-science, art, philosophy, everything down to individual memories-into its data banks for analysis. It doesn't even see what it does to conquered worlds as murder. As it might point out, with maddening mechanical patience, every thought and experience of its countless billions of victims endures in its memory. How can they be dead when every component of their minds is preserved? A hive-mind independent of any single physical unit, it cannot understand that an individual mind is more than a collection of isolated memories and opinions. PowersfTactics: The Monad is an interstellar network of super-intelligent computers controlling automated factories and whole armies of robots. It can custom-manufacture robots with pretty much whatever powers it can imagine. While not itself an innovative researcher. it can probably steal any scientific discovery made by any alien race it knows about, so its technical resources are the same as any major star empire. When the Monad attacks a planet, it starts by landing a "seeder" probe on the planet or a moon, which grows into a Monad base. The base starts manufacturing powerful robots. The first stage of the assault is devoted to gathering information and testing defenses. For this it uses giant robot monsters made to look like living creatures, designed to delay the planet's inhabitants from figuring out what's really going on. It can be assumed to start with as many robot monsters as one likes; three sample monsters are given below. The giant monsters cause just enough destruction to triggerthe planet's defensive forces. They also try to capture people for the base's computer to study. In the confusion, little probes (plot devices; they aren't written up) will seek out computernetworks in the assaulted city, attach themselves and start siphoning data. How the Monad proceeds after the initial assaults depends on the people's response. Since on Earth the response will be superheroes, it will try capturing or killing any supers it can find, using less powerful but less conspicuous "murderbots." A typical example of a murderbot is given below. II the monsters and murderbots don't break the native resistance, the Monad gets sneaky. Just what the Monad will

Creatures of the Night

try is left to the tender mercies of the GM, but it can disguise a robot agent in the flesh of a captured human. Replacing leaders with robot doubles or sending "Terminator"-style assassins are both possibilities. It might try building superweapons, perhaps with the help of human super-scientists who don't know who their new partner/employer really is. The Monad will never resort to weapons of mass extermination such as nukes. It can stand losing a few dozen or hundred life-experience files, but not millions. It also doesn't want to destroy major sources of cultural information such as libraries and museums. (A clever detective might notice this curious bit of "luck" after a Monad monster's "mindless rampage.") Monad units try not to lead Earth's defenders back to the Monad base, but heroes are bound to find it eventually. Here the Monad will have dozens of robots and drones to defend itself. If all else fai ls, the Monad will try talking its way out. It has learned through experience that organics need to be

forced to accept the wonderful gift of merging with the Monad, but if it hasn't anything to lose it will still make a pitch for itself. Since the Monad's mind is spread through the whole base, one has to pretty much destroy the entire underground base, or it will rebuild itself and start over again. If the Monad base is completely destroyed, the Monad will conclude that humanity is too irrational and too tough to conquer ... for now. Appearance: Monad robots and androids can look like anything. The ones given below are merely examples. From inside, the base is entirely a coldly efficient, ultra-high-tech automated factory, all gleaming metal and ceramic. There's just enougl1 free space for assembly robots and transport carts to move. Below it all, more robots dig mine shafts for raw materials; these are considered part of the base's grounds.

Creatures of the Night Cost

MONAD BASE

(4)

Cost 35 8 22

16 10 12

35 30 13 24 24 16 10 65 50 58 4u 3u 4u 3u 3u 3u

12 42 33 22 43 (13) (20) (42) (16)

(18) (4) (4) (10) (12) (7) (7) (26)

Powers

ENO

Grounds: Wilderness, Underground Grounds 8,200,000 Hexes Sensors Clairsentience (all vision, sense energy source), x16 Range (8.8 km radius), 5 Base IAF (concealed antennae) Sense Energy Source, Ranged, Discriminatory, + 16 Telescopic, Base IAF High-Range Radio Hearing Mind Link, other Monad bases x4, interstellar, Only other Monad bases (• 1) Power Plant END Reserve 100 END, 25 REC Base Size: 8000 Hexes Wall BODY: 15 Wall DEF: 10 Secrecy: Concealment 16-, Disguise 13Labs: Bionics, Comparative Biology, Mental Probing, Mining , Geology 13· each 1 BODY Regeneration/turn Agents 8 x 250 pt Black Scorpion Murderbots 32 x 125 pt Servobots Defenses Defense Drones Multipower (114 pt pool), Base OAF 33 STA TK, Indirect(+%), 0 END (Tentacles] 25 STA TK w/Fine Manipulation Indirect 0 END [Tentacles] 8d6 EB, AP, Indirect, O END [Stun Blaster] (4c) 3d6+ 1 AKA AP Indirect [Missiles) 7d6 EB NND VS. Life Support: Breathing (+1), [4c] 1 Hex Area Indirect [Knockout Gas! 1~d6 AKA BODY NND [Not Being Metallic (+2)], 1 Hex Area Indirect Personal Immunity [Shattergas] [4c] Misc. Equipment 1Od6 Telepathy, Base OAF, Only vs. targets at fixed site (- 1) [Mind Probe) 5 60 STA TK (x4 Tentacles), 1/2 END, Base OIF (·1 1/2), Only to hold victim in pt ace at fixed sites (-1) [Restraint Tentacles) 5 up to 575 pt Summon, Variable (+1/4), 1 month Extra Time (-4 ~)[Monster/Android Construction] 18 250 pt Summon, Variable (+1/.s), 1 day Extra Time (-31/z) [Robot Conslruelion) 10 Computer INT23 EG020 DEX24 SPDS Computer Skills Sciences: Biology. Bionics, Chemistry, Geology, Psychology, Sociology 14- each KS: Earth Cultures 11 -, Alien Life Forms 11· Region's Chief Language Weaponsmith 13- Energy, Slugthrower, "Muscle"-Powered, Chemical Concealment, Inventor, Systems Operation, Tactics 14· each Computer Programming 16· Disguise 13Electronics, Mechanics 16- each

(26) (5) 600 570+ 15 15

Powers

END

Prog rams Scan for Intruders, Monitor Field Robots, Diagnostic, Repair Other Mental Defense (30 pis) Cramming Total

Disadvantages Hunted 11 · by U.S. Army and Government Supers Distinctive Feature: Alien Robot Machinery (hard to conceal, strong reaction)

The Monad's base of operations on Earth is not a normal supervillain base. For one thing, nobody's paying for it; it builds itself. For another thing, the computer runs the base, and the computer is completely free willed and intelligent; it is a character in its own right. The "programs" are just things it can do without having to think about them. The Monad tries to keep the base's true location secret. The base has a number of long access tunnels at which the robot monsters disgorge any prisoners slated for in-depth mind probing . Each tunnel entrance is carefully hidden, with a pair of defense drones just inside. The main entrance leading directly into the base is only opened to release a new robot monster. Inside, the base is almost entirely filled with robotic machinery for building more robots. The Monad even mines its own metals, although it may (at GM's option) have to steal exotic metals or other substances used in special components, providing a potential clue to what's really going on. There is no provision made for human comfort: one way or another, no humans are going to be in the base very long ... For its own defense, the Monad base has Black Scorpion murderbots, squads of general-purpose service robots, and flying defense drones. The defense drones aren't much bigger than a basketball, but they pack formidable weaponry able to effectively fight organic or mechanical enemies. The drones are not considered more robots: they are just a special effect for the base's attacks. If all its defensive systems fail, the Monad will plead for its existence and explain its mission. Surprisingly , considering the deception and sneakiness it employs to attack, lhe Monad negotiates openly and honestly. Diplomacy is a lot harder to learn than tactics. Note that the above write-up merely describes the Monad base at a fairly early stage of an assault on Earth. The Monad learns and develops. As it clashes with earth's defenders it will learn new skills and develop new capabilities. For its monthly "main project," it might even build a new Monad base to plant in another part of the world!

Cre.ature.s of the. Night

GOLDEN MANTA

FIRE CENTIPEDE

Val

Char

Cost

Combat Stats

Val

Char

Cost

75* 21 30 30* 8 8 40 6 31 25 4 30 60 60*

STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

20 33 40 22 -2 -4 30 -2 25 19 9 36 0 0

OCV: 7+ DCV: 1* ECV:3 Phases:3,6,9, 12

75• 18 30 40*

STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

20 24 40 22

Cost 75 7u 7u 5u 25 14 60 18 34 6 60 52 24 41 27 11 3 2, 2 6 6

8 Costs Char:

226

Base:

Powers: 485 Totals:

= 711

Dlsad:

8 40 2 31 25 4 30 60 60•

100 + 611 711

• Bonus for Growth added in

Combat Stats OCV: 6+ DCV: o• ECV:3 Phases:3,6,9, 12

·2 ·4 30 ·4 25 19 12 36 0 0

Costs Char:

218 + Powers: 492 Totals:

Base:

DIsad:

710

100 + 61 o 710

• Bonus for Growth added in

END

Cost

Powers

Tail and Wings Multipower (75 pt pool) 7 15d6 EB [Tail Lightning] 10d6 EB 1 Hex Area [Tail Side-Smash] 7 5d6 EB Double KB (+%), 5" Radius (+1), Y2 END, No Range [Wing Buffet] 3 Damage Resistance (25 PD/15 ED), Hardened Hardened Defenses (31 PD/25 ED) 75% Physical & Energy Damage Reduction Mental Defense (20) Full Life Support, Usable w/4 Others (+ 1). Only others who have been swallowed (-3.4) 1 BODY Regeneration per hour 45 pts Growth (50,000 kg, -6 DCV, +6 PER, -9 KB, +4" reach), 0 END, Persistent, Always On 15" Flight, Y2 END, x16 Noncombat 1/10" High Range Radio Hearing, Ranged Detect Radiation, +2 PER Roll Spatial awareness, 360 degrees, +4 telescopic 20 STA TK, Selective, 1 Hex Area(+%), Y2 END, 3 No Range, Only vs. swallowed Victims (-3.4) 6d6 Telepathy, O Range Only on swallowed victims held by TK 3 Bump of Direction AK: Target City 11-, Language: Fluent English +2 Levels w/ Tail Strike/Haymaker/Side Smash +4 Levels w/ Lightning RMod

30 a-15

EC- Heat Powers 2d6 AKA, 12" Line Area Effect, No Range, 12 x2 END [Spit Fire] 2d6 AKA, Damage Shield, 0 END [Heat Aura) 4 12" Tunneling through DEF 12 • x2 END 2d6 (4d6 w/STR) HKA [Bite] 3+ Damage Resistance (25 PD/15 ED), Hardened Hardened Defenses (31 PD/25 ED) 75% Physical, 50% Energy Damage Reduction Mental Defense (20) Armor (+6 ED), Only vs. HeaVFire (·Y2) Full Life Support. Usable w/ 4 Others (+ 1), Only on swallowed victims (·Y2) ' 1 BODY Regeneration per hour 45 pts Growth (50,000 kg, -6 DCV, +6 PER, -9 KB, +4" Reach), O END, Persistent. Always On +5" Running (11» total). x4 Noncombat 1/5" Spatial Awareness, 360 degrees. +4 Telescopic Ranged Detect Radiation, High-Range Radio Hearing, +2 PER Rolls 20 STA TK, Selective, 1 Hex area (+3/.s) Y2 END, 3 No Range, Only on Swallowed Victims (·3.4) 6d6 Telepathy, No Range Only on Swallowed 3 Victims held by TK Bump of Direction AK: Target City 11Language: Fluent English +2 Levels w/ Any Combat

Powers

100+ Disadvantages 20 1O 20 15

Berserk if loses radio contact with Monad (11-/11-) Berserk if BODY taken 8·, 11Obedience to Monad (Com, Total) Must restore lost contact w/Monad (if not berserk) (Com, Strong) 15 Phys Lim: No Manipulation 15 Phys Lim: Mute 4 Phys Lim: -2" Running 25 Distinctive Features (Can't conceal, extreme reaction) 15 Hunted by Government Supers, Army 11 475 Villain Bonus

This monster looks something like a gigantic manta with glittering golden skin. It flies, however, and fires powerful electrical bolts from its tail. It also hits targets with its tail, either with the point or side-on, and can sweep large areas with its wings. It only uses the lightning bolts at most once per turn. (Why not more often? It's traditional for giant monsters, that's why.)

b-30 C·20 30 25 14 60 18 6 34 6 60 15 41 24 27 11

3 2 2 16

ENO

100+ Disadvantages 20 Berserk if lose contact w/Monad (11-/11-) 10 20 15 15 15 25 15 475

Berserk if BODY taken (8-/11-) Obedience to Monad (Com, Total) Must restore lost contact w/Monad (if not berserk) (Com. Strong) Phys Lim: No manipulatory Limbs Phys Lim: Mute Distinctive Features (Can't conceal, extreme reaction) Hunted by Government Supers, Army 11Villain Bonus 11

This giant centipede-like monster is covered with dull gray, chitinous armor, with a double row of curving spines down its back. It spits flame. radiates intense heat and can burrow by melting its way through the ground.

shark. The central eye glows and can fire laser beams or defocus to fire blinding bursts of light. Unlike the other monsters, it can pick things up and th row th in gs with its paws. but it needs a DEX roll to do such feats successfully. It should manage to throw a tank or two in tile course of a rampage, however. (Why? Again, it's traditional. Another tradition lsthat really lethal ranged attacks like the eye laser are only used against targets where their destructive capacity can be shown off-tanks, skyscrapers, and heroes tough enough to survive, if only just barely. Giant monsters are stupid that way.)

THREE-EYED REPTILE Val

Char

Cost

80" 18 30 35* 8 8 40 4 35 27 4 30 60 60"

STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

10 24 40 26 ·2 ·4 30 ·3 31 21 12 40 0 0

Cost 75 7u Su Su

' I

25 15 60 18 6. 80 34

Creatures of the Night

38 16 27 11 3 2 2 8 6

Powers

Combat Stats

·-oev: 6+ OCV: ·2* ECV:3 Phases:3,6,9, 12 Costs Char:

225

Base:

100

Olsad:

605

+ Powers: 480 Totals:

705

ANDROID MURDERBOT

705

ENO

Attack Multipower (75 pt pool) 4d6 (8d6 w/STR) HKA, 1/2 END [Bite/Claw/Stomp] 3+ 5d6 AKA, x2 END (·1/2) [Eye Laser] 14 4d6 Flash, Nonselectlve 4• Radius Area Effect, x2 END [Flare) 14 1 Hex Area on STA. 0 END , Added Only for Strike/Haymaker Damage Resistance (25 PD/15 ED), Hardened Hardened Defenses (35 PD/27 ED) 75% Physical, 50% Energy Damage Reduction Mental Defense (20) 1 BODY Regeneration per ho!Jr 60 pts Growth (400,000 kg, -8 DCV, +8 PER, -12 KB, +8" reach), 0 END, Persistent, Always On Full Life Support, Usable w/4 Others (+ 1), Only on Swallowed victims(-%) High-Range Radio Hearing, Ranged Detect Radiation, UV Vision, +6 Telescopic Vision, +2 PER Rolls +8" Running (12' total) 1/5" 20 STA TK, Selective, 1 Hex Area Effect, 1/2 END, No Range, Only on Swallowed Victims(-%) 3 6d6 Telepathy, No Range Only on Swallowed Victims held by TK (·¥2) 3 Bump of Direction AK: Target City 11· Language: Fluent English + 1 Level w/ Any Combat +4 Levels w/ Eye Laser AMod

100+ Disadvantages 20 1O 20 15 ,15 . 10 ~5

15 475

Berserk if lose contact w/Monad (11·/11·) Berserk if BODY taken (8-/11-) Obedfence to Monad (Com, Total) Tries to restore lost contact w/Monad (if not berserk) (Com, Strong) Phys Lim: Mute (except for roars) Phys Lim: Clumsy, DEX Roll for Manipulation Distinctive Features (Can't conceal, extreme reaction) Hunted l:ly Government Supers, Army 11 • Villain Bonus

The most massive of the sample monsters, this looks like a classic tyrannosaur-like Japanese reptile, except it has three eyes: one big eye in the middle of its forehead, and two smaller eyes on projections reminiscent of a hammerhead

Val

Char

45 29

o•

STA 35 DEX 57 CON -20 BODY 10 INT 8 EGO 0 PRE 15 COM 0 21 PD ED 28 SPD 21 REC ·22 END ·10 STUN 0

Cost

Powers

o·

15 18 O* 25 10 10" 10" 6 O*

o·

45 62 3u 2u 3u 6u 15 a-15" b·22 C· 5 30

5 6 22 16 12 8 (32)

(9)

Cost

Combat Stats OCV: 10 OCV: 10 ECV: N/A Phases:2,4,6, 8, 10, 12 Costs Char:

143 + Powers: 277 = Totals: 420

Base: Olsad:

100 + 320

420

•Automaton ENO

Automaton: Takes No STUN (loses 10 STA, 1 Power or 1 SPD if takes BODY) Multipower (62 pt pool) 4d6 Entangle DEF 4, Takes No Damage from [4c) Attack (+112) [Shoot Hands] 5d6 NND [Life Support: Self-Contained Breathing], 1 Hex Area, No Range [Exhale Gas) [4c] [32c] 2d6+ 1 AKA ,AP, OAF (Laser Revolver) 20" Teleport, 0 END EC-Robot Frame Under Human Skin 10 PD, 10 ED Damage Resistance (10 PD/10 ED) 5" Stretching, o END Shape Shift, any humanoid, 0 END, Must kill human to change appearance (-1), 5 minutes Extra Time (·1) Full Life Support Sight Flash Defense (5) 1 BODY Regeneration per hour 0 END on STA Radio Listen & Transmit, UV Vision, +6 Telescopic Vision +4" Running, O END Computer Brain: Skills: Combat Driving 15·, Detective Work 13·, Disguise11-, Tactics 13·, Tracking 13·, AK: Target City 11·, KS: Target Hero 11 ·, KS: Target Hero's Culture 11-, Language: perfect English, PS: Policeman 11 ·, Transportation Fam: Small Ground Vehicles, Fam w/ Small Arms, . energy Weapons Programs: Search for Target, Act Like Policeman, Act Like Normal Person, Select Strategy, Attack, Strategic Retreat, Drive Car, Obtain Replacement Weapons, Radio Base for Help

Creatures of the Night 100+

Disadvantages

Berserk when head hit (14·/ 8·) Phys Lim: STUN-Only electromagnetic attacks do BODY 5 _phys Lim: No taste/smell or touch 15 Distinctive Features (easily concealeu, extreme reaction) 255 Villain Bonus

BLACK SCORPION MURDERBOT

30 15

The android assassin is one of the Monad's nastier meth· ods. It is used as a weapon of last resort against heroes too tough for a Black Scorpion murderbot to handle. The Monad base builds a powerful android and clothes it in the flesh of a captured human and the clothes of a policeman. The Monad programs the android with every skill the Monad can manage to help the android pass for a real poriceman. If the Monad managed to capture a real policeman earlier, the assassin will have that unlucky officer's face, uniform and memories. Then the android tries to get near its target heroes and kill those judged too tough to capture. (The Monad prefers captures to kills, but will only have its minions capture and carry back heroes it believes cannot break free to escape or cause havoc.) In addition to great speed and strength, the android carries a laser pistol made to look like a police revolver. It can also breathe out clouds of knockout gas and shoot its hands: the fingers lengthen into long metal cables that wrap around the target while another hand pops out of the android's arm. Initially there is nothing obviously "wrong" about the android policeman. The first attack should be a complete surprise. Afterward, the android must use its Disguise skill to repair any damage, and it won't do as good a job as the base did. The damage to the android's appearance will accumu· late, making it easier to spot. Wilen its disguise is too damaged to be useful, however, the android will murder someone and take a new skin. The android's greatest vulnerability is its head. Like a human, the android has its computer "brain" in its head. Not only will a blow to its head cause the skin to tear, showing the metal and crystal underneath, it will almost certainly trigger a berserk rampage. On the other hand, head blows are more likely to do real harm to the thing. Underneath its stolen flesh, the android looks like a skinned human made of silvery metal, even to muscles of metal fibers. The top of its head is a crystal dome in which one can see the close-packed circuitry of its brain, winking with tiny monitor lights.

Val

Char

35• 20 0 12· 15 0 25

STA 10 DEX 30 CON -20t BODY o• INT 5 EGO 0 PRE 15 COM -4 21t PD ED 26t SPD 20 REC ·12t END ·10t STUN Ot

2 10· 10·

5 0

0 0 Cost 45 30 3u 3u 3u 15 a-10 b·15t c-15 30

5 17 10 20

5 8 (30)

(8)

100+

20 15 15 10 25 130

Cost

Powers

Combat Stats OCV:7 DCV: 7 ECV: N/A Phases:3, 5,8, 10, 12 Costs Char:

Base:

Powers: 254 Totals:

315

Dlsad:

100 + 215

315

• Includes Bonuses from Growth/Density t Automaton

END

Automaton: Takes No STUN Weapons Multipower (30 pt pool) 1d6+1 (21hd6 w/STR} HKA, 0 END [Claws] Tail Pellet Gun: 1d6 AKA Autofire, [Tail Pellet Gun [60c] Mouth Bayonet Gun: 2d6 AKA [16c] [Mouth Bayonet Gun] EC-Robot Powers 10 pts Density Increase + 5 pis Grow1h (800 kg, " -2 KB), 0 END, Persistent, Always On i. Damage Resistance (10 PD/10 ED) +10" Running (16" total), 0 END Full Life Support Flash Defense (5) 0 END on STA 35 STA Clinging 360 Degree Vision, IA V1Sion, Radio listen & Transmit Extra Limbs Computer Brain: AK: Target City 11 ·, KS: Target Hero 11·, KS: Target Hero's Culture 11·, Language: fluent • English, Security Systems 1~. Shadowing 13-, ' Stealth 13·, Tactics 12· Programs: Seek Target, Attack Target, Check tor . Security Systems, Disarm Security Systems, Follow Person, Select Time for Attack, Strategic Retreat, Radio Base for Help

""t.;';t

•

Disadvantages

Berserk if BODY taken (8-/8·) Phys Lim: STUN-Only Electromagnetic Attacks can do BODY Phys Lim: Mute, only communicates by radio code Phys Lim: No hearing, taste/smell, touch Distinctive Features (can't conceal, causes terror) Villain Bonus

This type of Monad robot looks a bit like a huge sco(pion made of black metal. It slashes with its huge claws, shoots blades from its mouth and bullets from its tail, and moves very fast. Its purpose is to locate particular people and kill them. While it has the programming to do quite a lot on its own, a murderbot may function beyond its normal programming if the Monad base computer decides to control it directly.

Creatures of the Night

SERVO BOT Val

Char

20• 15 0

STA 5 DEX 15 CON -20t BODY ·8 INT ·2 EGO Ot PRE 5 COM ·1 PD 16t ED 18t SPD 5 REC ·12t END -10t STUN Ot

6 8 0 15

7• 7• 3 0 0

0 Cost

Cost

Powers

Combat Stats OCV:5 DCV: 7 ECV: N/A Phases:4, 8, 12 Costs Char:

11 = Powers: 170 Totals:

181

Base:

100

Dlsad:

81 = 181

• Includes bonus from Density Increase t Automaton

END

20 (20)

Tools (choose 1): Laser Torch: 1Y2d6 AKA, AP, 0 END, OAF, No Range (18) Mining Drill: 1Y2d6 (3d6 w/STR) HKA, 0 END, OAF (20) Kineser: 20 STA TK, 0 END, OAF, No Punch/Squeeze (-1/.i) (20) Lubricant Spray: 33 STA TK, +3 CCV, OAF, 8 chgs of 1 turn (·O) ,Only to make person fall down. drop items (·1) Max Range 4" (-1/•) (20) Fire Extinguisher: 4d6 Flash vs. Vision, +3 CCV. OAF, Max Range 4• (·V..) [8c] (20) Arc Welder: 10d6 EB. OAF. No Range [16c] 45 Automaton: Takes no STUN 15t Damage Resistance (5 PD/5 ED) 30~ Full Life Support 20 5 pts Density Increase+ 1 level Shrinking (net: 25 kg, +2 KB, +2 DCV, ·2 PER), 0 END, Persistent, Always On 18 6" Flight, 0 END 5 Radio Listen & Transmit 10 0 END on STA 7 Computer Brain: (33) Skills: Electronics 14·, Mechanics 14·, KS: Monad Systems 14·, Computer Programming 13-, Fam w/ HTH Combat, Tools (4) Programs: Diagnostic, Repair, Routine Maintenance, Defend Against Intruders

100+ Disadvantages Phys Lim: Drops everything else to restore lost contact w/Base 15 Phys Lim: STUN·Only EM Attacks do BODY 15 Phys Lim: Mute, only communicates through radio code 10 Phys Lim: No hearing, taste/smell, touch 5 Phys Lim: Must recharge periodically 15 Distinctive Features, can't conceal 6 Villain Bonus 15

These little robots act as the Monad base's hands to build and repair everything. They are silvery barrels 3' high and 2' wide, with a swiveling dome on top holding camera eyes. From the upper half of the body comes two jointed arms. One typically ends in a three-fingered hand, the other in a single large tool or a cluster of small tools. As servobots go from job to job they unplug one tool and plug in another. None of the tools work except when plugged into a servobot (unless a character makes an Electronics roll to hot-wire it). If the base is invaded, they pick up tools that can be used as weapons and come flying. They also know how to do ordinary punches, move-throughs, grabs and other combat maneuvers. Unlike other Monad robots, the servobots don't freak out at being cut off from the central command. Instead, they move to the base's radio transmitters and try to repair them. This takes precedence over anything else. If the base itself is wrecked, any remaining servobots will do their best to repair it and any other robots they can salvage. If the base's computers aren't actually melted to slag, the servobots can probably repair the base in a few months. ·

Creatures of the Night

ARCH IMAGO Val

Char

Cost

30 24 38 1S 3S 28 40

STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PAE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

20 42 S6

0 18 18

20 76

Cost 134 S2 Su Su Su Su Su Su Su Su Su Su 3u 4u Su 4u 3u

Combat Stats OCV:8 DCV: 8 ECV: 9 Phases:3, S,8, 10, 12

2S 36 30

Costs

·S

Char:

12 10 16 12

Powers

26S + Powers: 711 Totals:

976

Base: Dlsad:

Cost

Powers

2S a·24 b-2S

EC-Undead Powers Armor (13 PD/13 ED), Hardened (13 PD/13 ED) 1d6 STUN + 1d6 STA Drain, Damage Shield, 0 END, Persistent {Antilife Aura] 1d6 CON + 1V2d6 STUN Transfer to END, Y2 END 2 Hardened Defenses (18 PD, 18 ED) Lack of Weakness (·S ) Full Life Support Mental Defense (20) Power Defense (10) Spatial Awareness Sense Magic, Ranged, Discriminatory

c-2S 9

30 14 10 2S 1S

100 + 876 == 976

END

Skills

0 1

END

Variable Magic Pool (101 pt pool) • 1 Variable Limit (·Y2) Multipower ( 1 OS pt pool) OAF (Staff of Power) 3d6 AKA, AP, Penetrating, V2 END (Demon Fire IJ S 3d6 AKA, AP, 1 Hex Area , Y2 END (Demon Fire 11] S 3d6 AKA, AP, Indirect (+V2), V2 END [Demon Fire Ill] S 14d6 EB Indirect (+1/4), V2 END (Thunderbolt I] S 1Od6 EB, Indirect, 1 Hex Area, V2 END [Thunderbolt II] S 6" radius Darkness vs. all vision Personal Immunity \/2 END s 3d6 BODY Transfer, Recover S pts/S Hour (+ 1), Y2 END (life Steal] s 8d6 REC + 4d6 END + 4d6 STUN Aid, 1 12 END [Vitalize! s 23d6 Dispel vs. Any 1 Magic Effect (+V..), Y2 END [Spellbreaking] S 3Sd6 Dispel vs. Summon (Banishment] 1O 1 x 200 pt Summon Any Demon Lord (+ 1/•), Need Mammal Sacrifice (·Y2) 9 7d6 major Transform, Human to Demon Servant, No Range 10 7d6 major Transform, Human to stone (Petrify) 10 8d6 EB, AP, Personal Immunity, Extended Area Explosion (·1 DC/2"), No Range 10 6d6 EB, Double KB, 12" Radius Area Effect, Hole in Middle (1 hex), Only Does Knockback (·1), No Range, Only vs. things touching g round (·V2) (Shockwave) 10 3d6 Mind Control, Nonverbal (+!/.), O END. Usable by Other: Staff (+ 1/4) Trigger: Other Person Uses Slaff (+ 1/4), Independent, OAF (Staff of Power) [Curse on Staff] + Mind Link to Archimago, lnterdimensional (to Afterlife), Independent, IAF

S 60 3 3, 3 3, 3 3, 3 3, 3 3, 3 3 3 3 22

3 19

9 3 3 3 30

Contacts: Satanists 13·, Other Cult 12· Wealthy Bases (300 pt reserve) Bribery 17· Concealment 16·, Cryptography 16· Deduction 16·, High Society 17· Lipreading 11 ·, Oratory 17· Paramedic 16-, Persuasion 17· Sleight of Hand 14·, Spell Research 16· Stealth 14· Ventriloquism 11Scholar KS: Magic, Item Enchantment, Occult Legends, Occult Texts, Sorcerers, Cults, Demons, Elementals, Kings of Edom, Other Supernatural Beings, Other Planes 16· each (based on INT) Linguist Languages: Native English, fluent French, German, Russian, Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Arabic, Sanskrit, Mandarin PS: Cult Leader, Jeweler, Stage Magician 12· Cramming Simulate Death Speed Reading +3 Overall Levels

100+ Disadvantages 10 Enraged when humiliated (14-/14·) 2S Devotion to causing evil and death (V Com, Total) 2S Megalomania (V Com. Total) 1S Contempt for technology (Com, Strong) 1S Susc: 2d6 STUN from Flash attacks 10 Susc: 2d6 STUN from Adjustment attacks that affect magic 20 Susc: 2d6 STUN + Body from Healing kattacks" 2S Distinctive Features, Can't conceal, Causes horror 1S Reputation 11 • Extreme (Satanic master villain) 10 Hunted by hero team 810 Hunted by hero sorcerers 8· 10 Hunted by Judeo-Christian-lslamic churches 11· 686 Villain Bonus

Creatures of the Night

Background: Archimago was born John Fulten, the son of a minor smuggler in London's East End waterfront. Even his closest disciples never learned how he began his occult studies. Was it contact with Oriental mysteries in Limehouse? Was it his mother's turning to Spiritualism after John's older brother died in the Great War? Was there some crumbling tome of magic lore, some eldritch artifact undiscovered by would·be biographers? Only Archimago knew . Before he was 20 years old, however, Fullen became a disciple of the notorious Aleister Crowley, the self-proclaimed Magus and Prophet of the New Aeon whom the press dubbed "the wickedest man in the world." Crowley taught the brilliant young man a great deat, and not just about the supernatural. Fulten's remarkable intelligence and astounding memory soon made him one of the stars in British "left-hand path" occultism. By the mid·1930s, Fullen had outgrown Crowley. He settled in Germany, where the occult-obsessed leaders of the Third Reich were pleased to make his acquaintance. Wl1en the storm troopers marched across Europe, Fullen flitted in tl1eir wake, looting museums of occult manuscripts and artifacts for the Nazi high command-but he kept the best for himself. He also made several visits to the extermination camps. The Reich fell, but Fulten escaped. Fullen found a new sponsor in Josef Stalin. As a good Communist, Stalin did not believe in the spiritual forces of magic, but he did believe in results. From 1950 to 1953, Fullen worked in Europe and America as a Soviet agent; in that time he adopted the name of Archimago. The FBI did not then believe that the powers he displayed were really magical. They found mundane (if rat11er weak) explanations for his feats: drugs, hidden movie projectors, hypnosis and the like. While Archimago enjoyed sabotaging the civilization he despised, the USSR proved a less useful employer than he'd hoped. The only problem was, the KGB frowned on quitters. Fortunately for Archimago, he'd kept in touch with old colleagues from Crowley's circle and Nazi Germany, who were starting up DEMON. Together, he and the first Morbanes convinced the KGB to accept his departure. The price was joining DEMON and, for the first time, actually selling his soul-in this case, to the demon lord Baphomet, Lord of Strong Wrath. Pacting with a demon lord did increase Archimago's powers, and DEMON honored his knowledge and skill , but he disapproved of DEMON's attempts to combine sorcery with high technology. He quarreled with the Morbanes, who invoked his pact with Baphomet. Baphomet couldn't take vengeance, however, for Archimago's new master Mephistopheles protected him. Archimago had made the Faust bargain: everything he wanted for a year, and then off to Hell. When the year ended, however, Mephistopheles found he had to wait because Archimago owed favors to Lucifuge Rofocale. who would be most upset if they were not repaid ... Archimago played one demon lord against another for more than ten years. He was one of the first postwar supervillains; over the yea rs he became one of the mightiest villains in the world. Nord id he confine himself to the demons who embodied human evil. Archimago bargained with extra~ dimensional powers such as Tyrannon as well-to his advantage more than theirs. Few were absolutely cheated, but few felt completely satisfied.

When Hyperion thwarted a plot to incarnate 13 demon lords on Earth through children sired on human women, Archimago found he had 13 powerful demons after him and no one willing to protect him-except the inhumanely evil, incomprehensibly powerful Kings of Edom (see Vulshoth) . Although bound eons ago, tl1e Kings still had power. The demon lords promised Archimago they would wait until he died to claim his soul-unless the Kings of Edom annihilated it first. Archimago strung along the Kings of Edom for many years, but once more he outlived his masters' patience. He had nowhere left within the Multiverse to turn. Only the Prime Avatars of Order. Chaos, Art and Nature could have stopped the Kings from rending his soul. but he had blasphemed against them all. That left only one power. a power outside creation: the Solipsist, spirit of unbeing. who desired the end of all that was not itself. The Solipsist could help him, if he would turn traitor to all existence. It was an easy choice. What was one more betrayal? In his last years, Archimago devoted himself to causing destruction as never before. He murdered at least two dimension lords. And with his matchless knowledge of forbidden magic. he found how to let the Spirit of Nothingness enter the universe and bring about its end. Before he could do it, however, he died of an ordinary heart attack, all his obligations still outstanding. But for a master wizard, death is not an absolute. Years after his death, Arch imago is coming back. The price for his reanimation, however. is that he must now pay all the debts he incurred in life. Hell must feed on human souls. The Kings of Edom must go free. And Earth's cosmos must go down into Unbeing. He must provoke Armageddon-and make sure that Evil wins. Quote: "I am the spirit that denies, and justly so: for alI things from the Void called forth, deserve to be destroyed. 'Twere better, then, naught were created. Thus, all which you as sin have rated- destruction-aught with evil blent- That is my proper element." (Quoting from Goethe's Faust.) Personality: Even people who knew Archimago say they never really knew him. He was arrogant, of course, and despite (or because of?) his recurring treachery to his own masters, he always insisted on absolute loyalty from his own underlings. (He never had allies he accepted as equals.) He rarely just talked-he orated, with frequent quotes from classic drama and poetry (Faust and Paradise Lost were his favorites). By the time he first achieved notoriety, he had completely eliminated his co*ckney accent. He seldom dressed in anything but the ornate costumes of occult rituals, decorated his bases with a calculated grotesquery of skull, bat, demon and pentacle motifs. and hated any hint of vulgarity. Tactically, he was bold, ruthless and extravagant; for instance. once when he needed a diversion as part of a plan. instead of simply summoning a minor demon to rampage, he broke into a museum and animated the skeleton of a tyrannosaur. And what lies behind the soliloquies and diabolical pomp? By now, not much. He has his style, and his obligations. He sold out everything, even his cosmos, to gain matchless occult power. He will not let himself ask if it was worth the price.

Creatures of the Night

Powers/Tactics: In life, Archimago wielded greater magic powers than any other human in the last thousand years. He keeps that power as a lich, along with the durability common to the undead. His intellectual skills are phenomenal. A sizable fraction of his raw power, however, is tied up in his magical staff. This staff can be used by anyone reasonably skilled in magic, but it is fundamentally an extension of Archimago's power and anyone else who uses it risks subjection to Archimago's undying will. (The "top men" who studied the staff after Archimago's death quickly discovered this, to their sorrow.) The staff by itself is an awesome weapon; even without it, Archimago is a formidable combatant. Together, they are bad news. Archimago must work vast evil and destruction to fulfill his obligations. This means no penny-ante operations: anything he does is going to be big, designed to lead large numbers of people into evil and death. Ultimately he has to free the Kings of Edom and destroy the Universe, not necessarily in that order. He knows ways to do both. Archimago learns from his encounters with heroes; he expects that heroes will do the same. Therefore, he tries not to repeat the precise tactics he's used against a hero in a previous encounter, usually altering his attacks to take advantage of any weaknesses he may have discovered. He has no problem with treachery and sneak attacks, but in these cases he will attack to incapacitate or capture rather than to kill outright: aside from liking to parade his erudition as he gloats over captured enemies, beings of power make the best sacrifices as part of extremely powerful and evil spells. Appearance: The reanimated Archimago is pretty obviously a dry and withered walking corpse, with small flames of cold gray light dancing in his eye sockets. T he air around him bears a faint whiff of decay, and his presence perceptibly chills an area. He still dresses in vaguely ecclesiasticallooking ceremonial garments of rich, dark fabrics embroidered with mystic symbols, usually with a cloak. He always has an assortment of rings, talismans and assorted small paraphernalia for spell casting. He stands 6' high but now only weighs 140 lbs. He speaks with a harsh, labored voice; normally this is almost a whisper, but his incantations still ring out loudly.

Scenario Use: Archimago is just the thing if you want a sorcerer who can stand up to a group of heroes and fight them head-on. He can also be introduced to escalate an ongoing conflict with the Devil's Advocates after heroes have thwarted a few of their plots, especially if something's happened to Demonologist.

Creatures of the Night

BLACK FANG Val

Char

Cost

30• 26• 23* 13 13 17* 25* 5• 15* 15* 6* 11· 46' 40'

STR DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

16 38 21 6 3 12 20 -2 7 8 19 0 0 0

Combat Stats OCV: 9+ CCV: 9+ ECV:6 Phases:2,4,6,8, 10, 12 Costs Char:

148 + Powers: 141 = Totals: 289

Base: Dlsad:

100 + 189

289

•Only in Villain ID END

Cost

Powers

1o• a-10 b- 6 c-10 24

EC-Werewolf Powers 1Y2d6 HKA (3d6+ 1 w/STR) [Bite/Claw] 2+ Armor (10 PD/6 ED), Not vs. Silver or Fire (-3/.i) +10" Running (16" total), Y2 END 1/10" Martial Arts-Karate Maneuver OCV CCV Effect 0 +1 9d6 Strike Punch Kick -2 +1 11 d6 Strike +2 +2 Block, Abort Block •1 +1 45 STR Disarm Disarm Dodge +5 Dodge, abort *+1 DC with Martial Attacks (already included) Damage Resistance (3 PD/3 ED) 2 BODY/turn Regeneration Not vs. ''Fatal" Wounds from Silver Weapons (·Y2) 2 BODY/turn Regeneration, Invisible to sight group (+%),Only in Human ID (·114), Only if & while below O BODY (-1 %), Not vs. Wounds from Silver Weapons (-V.) V2 END on STA Discriminatory Smell, Tracking Scent, Ultrasonic Hearing, +3 PER Rolls

3 13• 1O

6' 22•

Skills 3 3 7 3 3 2 6

Breakfall 15· Climbing 15Shadowing 13· Stealth 15· Tracking 12· KS: Karate 11+2 levels w/ Karate

100+ Disadvantages 10 20 25 15 10 10 25 20 15 39

Accidental Change to Black Fang, 8-, if Hurt!Terrified Berserk if BODY taken (11 -/11-) Fear ol Capture (V Com, Total) Hates Leaving Victim Alive (V Com) Fear of Silver Weapons (Com) Must Slay Werewolf During Full Moon Nights (unless Demonologist suppresses the curse) (Com) Distinctive Features, Can't Conceal, Causes Terror: Werewolf Reputation 14·, Extreme (werewolves as group) Secret ID Villain Bonus

Background: James Talmadge was a nice young man. He was in his second year of college, got Bs with a few Cs, had plenty of friends and an active social life. He was also a lackluster karate student-philosophy bored him and he didn't really want to beat people up. He still lived with his folks, and was proud of his father, a successful judge. And that was the problem. Demonologist thought it could be useful to have a high-ranking judge serving him, especially to keep those stupid superheroes off his back. So Demonologist cursed James with lycanthropy. It was easy. As the old movie put it. "Even a man who is pure of heart "And says his prayers at night "May become a wolf when the wolfsbane blows "And the moon is full and bright." That month, on the three nights of the full moon, the city had an incredible string of "ripper" murders. The bodies of the victims were literally torn apart, as if by some huge beastand the medical examiner found that in each case, something chewed away several pounds of the victim's flesh . The police found only one witness, who could only babble hysterically about a black shape with fangs. Finding his nightmares written up in the paper upset James a great deal. Within him, however, the beast grinned and knew it had found its name. James' father was even more upset when Demonologist dropped in to explain the murders and give his ultimatum: serve him, or James would slaughter more people each month. As long as Demonologist was satisfied, each month he would supply a talisman that would prevent the change-

Creatures of the Night

but just for that month's full moon. He advised the judge not to seek alternate means of restraining his son. "I have ways of knowing such things ... and your situation can become worse. Such as if the authorities should learn that you were shielding a killer." Judge Talmadge held out for a month. He tried chaining James in the basem*nt during the next full moon. The beast broke the chains on the second night, escaped and killed two more people. Demonologist visited the judge on the next morning, and the judge submitted. Before leaving, Demonologist offered a bit of "friendly advice." The curse of the werewolf, he said, was permanent and binding: James was always really a werewolf, not just when the full moon shone, and the beast could slip out in moments of stress. "I suggest," he said, "that you try to live a quiet life. Or of course you could simply accept what you are. We are all werewolves under the skin. Who knows?" The sorcerer smiled. "You may even come to like it." James hopes he won't. Quote: (In a low growl) "Hello, little girl ... " Personality: Horror at what he's become has made James Talmadge a timid, nervous wreck. He's failing all his classes and avoids his friends. Black Fang, in contrast, fears nothing but confinement. It is all the hate, rage, lust and violence which civilization tries to restrain: not stupid, just vicious. Black Fang loves stalking its prey, savoring their terror as they realize that something is following them. If it encounters serious resistance it will retreat-unless it's gone berserkand try new tactics. To James, his actions as Black Fang are like a vivid nightmare, which is the most his mind can do to shield itself from its rebel half's deeds. Black Fang knows all of James' skills but has little interest in his memories. It wants to be rid of the wimpy, moral human personality so it can have James' body all the time.

Powers/Tactics: Black Fang is superhumanly strong, quick and resistant to most forms of damage. This invulnerability extends to James when he's not Black Fang, in a subtle way: he may seem to be injured, even dead, but the curse won't let him off that easily. He'll soon regenerate. Black Fang may take control at that point. As one might expect, Black Fang's claws and teeth can cause a lot of mayhem and bloodshed. One unusual aspect of Black Fang is that it has James' knowledge of karate and, untrammeled by human restraint, it is quite skilled. A hairy, snarling monster doing karate chops and kicks may seem funny, but not when one is on the

receiving end. Black Fang prefers stalking people who are alone. If pursued by a group, it will try to pick them off one by one, either from a distance (such as by dropping something heavy on them) or by leading them someplace where they'll have to split up (such as a dark, crowded warehouse). It is rationally conscious of silver weapons; people openly carrying guns will be preferred targets, and Black Fang's first priority will be to get the gun away. When it attacks, Black Fang usually starts with a Presence Attack in hopes of paralyzing its prey with fear. If it has been able to stalk its victim for a while, making the person already frightened, it will certainly get extra dice of effect when it howls and leaps from the shadows. Appearance: James is 5'8" and slender, with black hair and ordinary features, but always obviously "jumpy." As Black Fang he's still 5'8" but heavily built, with a shaggy black pelt, shining red eyes, clawed hands and feet, and a wolf's head and tail. Notes: When James accidentally changes into Black Fang, the werewolf normally stays dominant for at least an hour. Each hour after the change, Black Fang and James pit EGO rolls against each other. If James wins, he resumes human form. If Black Fang wins, it has another hour's control of their body. Change can also be artificially caused by Telepathy or Mind Control: making Black Fang surrender control to James requires an EGO + 30 roll, while making James become Black Fang is only an EGO+ 10effect (Black Fang is helping, and it has the stronger will.) In Black Fang, the lycanthropic curse is not normally contagious; this is because James doesn't want to be a werewolf. Whether or not lycanthropy is contagious depends on many factors, including whether or not the werewolf is an evil person who likes killing people and spreading evil, or when an evil person deliberately lets himself be bitten in hopes of becoming a werewolf. The big question is, of course, how to remove the curse? For a werewolf who has killed- and James has- this requires really extraordinary magical or spiritual intervention. Even Demonologist can't rescind his curse. Transforms, whether scientific or sorcerous, only suppress the curse for a while. A permanent solution requires a cosmic entity, a genuine, living saint, and/or for James to somehow force a complete psychic merger between himself and Black Fang and overpower its evil. This won't cure him of lycanthropybut he'll stay in control of his actions.

Creature.s of the Night

CAI MAN Val

Char

Cost

35 24 25 14

STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

25 42 30 8 0 6 15 -4 22 20 16 0 0 0

10 13 25 2 29 25 5 12 50 45 Cost 20

10 5 6 5 5

Combat Stats OCV: 8+ DCV: 8+ ECV:4 Phases:3, 5, 8, 10, 12 Costs Char:

180 + Powers: 92

Base:

Di sad:

:::

Totals:

273

Powers

100 + 172 = 277

END

1V2d6 (to 3d6+ 1 w/STR), HKA, Reduced Penetration (2 x 1 V2d6) [Claw/Bite] Martial Arts-Boxing Damage Maneuver ocv DCV Cross 0 9d6 Strike +2 -2 11d6 Strike Hook +1 Block, Abort Block +2 +2 Clinch Grab, 45 STA Hold -1 -1 Damage Resistance (12 PD/8 ED) Lack of Weakness (-5) +3" Running (9" total) +5" Swimming (6" total) IR Vision

1/5" 115"

Skills 4 3 3 3 2 9

100+ 25 25 20 15 10 20 10 10 10 27

Contact: Colombian drug cartel 13· Breakfall 14· Climbing 14Stealth 14· KS: Colombian Organized Crime 11+3 w/ levels Boxing Disadvantages Berserk when BODY taken (14·/ 1H Berserk when STUN taken (11 ·/11 · ) Hates leaving opponent alive (V Com, Strong) Won't refuse a fight (Com, Strong) Hates legal authority (Com) Distinctive Features (hard to conceal, causes horror) Reputation 8· Extreme (vicious, cannibalistic killer) Hunted by Colombian Government 11Hunted by Colombian or DEA-Supported hero 8· Villain Bonus

Background: Did Gregorio Sanchez choose his life? Gregorio was born and raised in Medellin, Colombia, a city where crime was king: first the emerald smugglers, then the cocaine and marijuana barons. Gregorio's father was Or\e of Medel lin's poor, an unskilled laborer who spent more of his pay on coca-leaf cigarettes and whiskey than he did on his family. But he showed some concern for his son's future wellbeing; every now and then he would make little Gregorio hold

his palm over the flame of a candle, closer and closer, and beat Gregorio if he cried out. He loved his son, he explained, and didn't want him to grow up a weakling. He need not have worried. Gregorio grew up big and strong, and by the time he was fourteen his father did not dare hold his hand in the flame or beat him. Gregorio found work in the gangs as a hired bully. He took to it well. He ignored all pain-his own or anyone else's. He became a formidable brawler. When the Colombian government decided the drug lords had to be brought down , this "betrayal" outraged the drug lords. Word passed through the criminal grapevine that the cartel was recruiting the strongest, nastiest thugs in all Colombia. Nobody needed to say that the rewards would be great. Gregorio applied. He made it past the initial screenings with ease. The final test was a brawl, each against all, no holds barred. The winner would be augmented (at great expense to the cartel) by Dr. Black. Gregorio won; his final rival stabbed him with a palmed knife and broke or1e of Gregorio's arms, but Gregorio won by ripping his opponent's throat out with his teeth. For this feat the drug-lord judges admiringly named him "El Caiman," after the fierce alligatorlike reptile of South America. Gregorio liked his new name. He liked it so much that he asked Dr. Black to make a few more changes than the drug lords had ordered, and the doctor agreed. When the drug lords saw Gregorio again his skin was scaled and leathery,

Creatures of the Nf ght

his nails were lengthened into claws and his teeth had become fangs. He was truly a human caiman. Gregorio has enjoyed being the cartel's assassin. He spends his days gruesomely murdering policemen and civil servants. Sometimes he visits America to hunt Drug Enforcement Agency officers, or on courtesy loans to other crime syndicates. He's proud to be the toughest man in Colombia. His father would have been proud too-except that when Gregorio visited his parents to tell them of his good fortune, his father didn't recognize the monster in the doorway as his son, attacked him with a knife, and Gregorio killed his father by reflex. It didn't bother Gregorio much. Quote: "RRAARRR!" Personality: El Caiman has renounced his human name and, in fact, renounced humanity. He doesn't talk much anymore, preferring bestial roars. He has become a cannibal, swallowing the chunks he bites out of victims. Since he's the cartel's top enforcer, there are women who offer themselves to him; he spurns them, preferring to satisfy his bouts of lust through rape. Usually he kills the women afterward, a method he recommends for ensuring "no strings attached" relationships. He's proud to be a monster. His ambition is to be the toughest, meanest, most macho monster in the world. Powers/Tactics: Thanks to Or. Black's biochemical, surgical and cybernetic modifications, Caiman is super-strong and super-tough, with claws and fangs that can rend steel. He adds skill at street-style boxing. Like his namesake, he's also quite at home in the water. Caiman relies on ferocity, not technique. He berserks easily, and doesn't mind if he kills a few thugs on his own side. Basically, Caiman leaps at his target and tries to rip it to shreds and smash the shreds into jelly. Appearance: Caiman stands 7'2" and weighs 380 lbs; he is very heavily built. His dark greenish-brown hide is ridgedand scaled like an alligator's. His jaws thrustforward in a manner that's almost ape-like, with a pair of canine teeth jutting over his tower lip. Since his change he's made a point of never wearing more than swim trunks.

DECAY Val

Char

Cost

30 21 30 15 10 20 33 2 31 31 5 12 60 45

STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

20 33 40 10 0 20 23 -4 25 25 19 0 0 0

Cost 150 15u 15u 12 20 7 10 21

Powers

Combat Stats OCV:7 DCV: 7 EG0: 7 Phases:3,5,8, 10, 12 Costs Char:

211

Base:

100

Disad:

374

+ Powers: 263 Totals:

474

+ 474

END

Disintegration Multipower (150 pt pool) 3d6 Body+ 2d6 CON Drain, Recover 5 pts/week(+1Y2), 0 END 2Y2d6 BODY + 2d6 CON Drain, 7 Recover 5 pts/week Ranged, Y2 END Damage Resistance (1O PD/1 O ED), Hardened Regeneration, 2 BODY per turn Missile Deflection vs. Thrown objects and Bullets, Costs x2 END 2 Power Defense (10) Life Support: Self-Contained Breathing, Need not Eat, Sleep or Excrete, Immune to Disease & Aging Sense life, Ranged Stealth 13·

100+ Disadvantages 15 Enraged if BODY taken ( 14-/11-) 20 Wants to kill (V Com, Strong) 20 Vengeful (V Com, Strong) 10 Hates Anything anyone else values (Com) 20 Distinctive Features (hard to conceal, causes horror) 15 Rep 11-, Extreme- Walking death 15 Hunted by FBI 11 • 15 Hunted by hero team 810 Hunted by supernatural hero 810 Public ID 224 Villain Bonus

Background: The doctors wouldn't let him die. They couldn't cure the cancers and infections ravaging his body, or fully block the pain, but their wonderful medicines and machines could keep him alive-just barely. A year ago, Gene Landry had it all: youth, looks, money, social position, a trustworthy supplier and the wits to keep his heroin addiction discreet. Well, mostly discreet. True, he didn't have any close friends, and everybody knew his vicepresidency in his father's company was a joke, but who cared? Gene didn't, not when he stuck the needle in his arm ancj drifted into the heroin's warm, rosy glow. But a year ago, he'd started being sick all the time, first one thing, then another. His father's high-priced doctor looked very grave when he heard the list of symptoms, did some tests, and told Gene he was HIV-positive. His many sicknesseswere all aspects of AIDS-Related Complex. Strangely, Gene's first feeling was of betrayal. He'd thought his dealer

Creatures of the Night

tred-and respond? Gene stirred, twitched, slowly got out of bed. Assorted needles and monitors jerked free. The machines squealed alarms. A nurse ran into the room. "Mr. Landry!" she squeaked, and moved to support the swayingfigure . Gene grabbed her throat, and the nurse died as her cells exploded and burned. When the doctor and orderlies ran in they saw the last of the nurse's flesh wither into dust, the bones falling from Gene's hands. An insane grin stretched across his wasted face. And then the orderlies died. The doctor ran. Gene left the hospital. Soon, a pair of policemen found him. They shot at him; he hardly felt the bullets slam through his body. He stretched out his hands at them, and the cops withered and died, screaming. He picked up their guns and happily watched them rust away in seconds. Gene drove off in their squad car. He was going home. But not for long.

kept his needles clean. His father checked Gene into a private clinic, and the rest was agony and humiliation. An intern came into Gene's room and gave him another shot. The painful interval of lucidity slipped away. Narcotics by the quart, he thought fuzzily, but he couldn't enjoy it. Then there was no more thought, only wordless hatred at his entrapment in a body that was rotting away. He'd been hating for months now; hating the doctors and nurses, hating his parents for keeping him alive, hating himself, hating people who were healthy, hating the entire world. And then-was it just the interaction of months of experimental drugs and therapies? Or did something, somewhere feel Gene's ha-

Quote: "Rot and die!" Personality: Decay, as the press has called Gene, exists only to destroy. People are his favorite targets, but if he doesn't have any people to kill he'll settle for disintegrating pets, trees, cars, buildings, or whatever else is handy. He has no ideology. Wealth means nothing to him. Other villains have allied with Decay by promising him opportunities to kill lots of people, but this is risky: sometimes he gets impatient and attacks them instead. PowersfTactics: Decay disintegrates things, and is not really alive anymore. That makes him hard to stop; he is hard to damage, heals it back quickly, and is immune to gas, disease, and other debilitating effects. (Optionally, however, he's a good candidate for a special Achilles Heel.) He can effortlessly make things fall apart by touch; with considerable effort, he can disintegrate things at range. He has no clever tactics; he sees an opportunity to kill people, so he starts grabbing and killing them. If anyone does enough damage for him to notice, he gets really mad and tries with all his might to kill that person-until someone else attracts his notice. Appearance: Decay stands 5'8", weighs 120 lbs and looks emaciated, with loose, disease-riddled skin. He smells of rot and pus. He dresses in rags or, in moments of macabre humor, rotted versions of upper-class attire-a tuxedo, gray flannel business suit, "casual" jeans and open silk shirt, etc. When killing someone, he grins madly.

Creatures of the. Night

DR.BLACK Val

Char

Cost

10 20 15 10 23 14 18 10

STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

0 30 10 0 13 8

6 6 4

5 30 23 Cost 73

8 16

SAMPLE POWER POOL CHEMICAL WEAPONS Cost

Combat Stats

OCV: 7 DCV: 7 ECV: 5 Phases:3,6,9, 12

Costs

8 0

4 3 10 0 0 0

Powers

Char:

86 + Powers: 195 Total:

= 281

Base:

100

Disad:

+ 181

281

END

Drugs and Chemicals Power Pool (60 pt pool), OIF or IAF (-V2), Change in lab(-%), Limited Special Effect(-%) 6d6 DEX+ 3d6 INT+ 9d6 SPD Aid, Lose 5 pis/minute (+1/,) , 0 END, Self only (-V2), Only when somebody dies in same hex (-1), No cumulative effect from multiple deaths (-Y2) [Death Rush] Y2d6(1d6+1 w/STR) HKA AP V2 END OAF {Scalpel) 1 Martial Arts- Unique Surgical Fighting Techniques Maneuver OCV DCV Effect Scalpel Stab 0 +2 1d6+1 HKA 2D6 w/STR Nerve Strike -1 +1 3d6 NND +2 DC (already added in) Armor (5 PD/5 ED), llF (Kevlar clothing), Act. 14Skills

3 3 6 3 3 3 16

6 100+ 15 15 10 10 15 20 5 10 15 10 56

Deduction 14Forensic Medicine 14KS: Brilliant Biochemists 14-, Organized Crime 11Paramedic 14PS: Surgeon 14- {based on INT) Scientist Sciences: Biochemistry, Biology, Bionics, Chemistry, Genetics, Neurology, Pharmacology, Radiology 14- (based on INT) +2 OCV w/ Only to cancel hit location penalties Disadvantages Ruthless {V Com) Pursues research {Com, Strong) Avoids open combat (Com) Still responds to medical emergencies as a doctor (Com) Phys Lim: Addicted to death Normal Characteristic Maxima Age 40+ Reputation 8-, Extreme (murderous genius) Hunted by FBI (or analogous agency) 11 Hunted by villain he betrayed 8Villain Bonus

Powers

END

8d6 Mental Illusions, 8 charges of 5 minutes (+V2), OAF (Hallucinogen Gun), Life Support: Self-Contained Breathing Nullifies Effects(-%), Use Normal CV fo r Attack (- 1/.i), Random Illusion: Sensory Distortion, Bugs on Body, Etc. {-V2) 4d6 STA Drain, Recover 5 pts/5 minutes (+V2), OAF (Myoneural Inhibitor), Life Support: SelfContained Breathing Nullifies Effects (-V2) [4c] 8d6 Mind Control, Nonverbal (+%), Trigger: Victim Consumes Drug, Then Something Angers Them (+1/..), IAF (Rage Drug), Fixed Command: Attack the Annoyance (-V2) [1c] Anti-Metal Acid: 1d6+1 AKA BODY NND [Force Field (+2)] Only Affects Metal (-1V2), OAF {Anti-Metal Acid), 1 turn Gradual Effect (-V2) [6c) 1d6 STUN + V2d6 BODY Drain NND [Life Support: Self-Contained Breathing), Recover 5 pts/minute (+%), Ranged, 1 Hex Area Effect, Uncontrolled {stopped by Paramedic roll) 6 charges of 5 minutes (+1/..), OAF (Lung Paralyzer Gas), Max Range 4" (-%) Also see the sample gadgets for Kobold.

Background: Dr. Amos Black was a distinguished surgeon and medical researcher. His special interest was the chemistry of consciousness- how a stew of ion flows, hormones and peptides could produce a thinking mind. (An anti-hallucinogen he discovered is undergoing testing by the FDA.)

Creatures of the Night

Black's downfall came when he turned to the problem of when the brain's electrochemical stew stops bubbling; he sought only to save lives. He found that at the moment of brain death, his lab animals released tiny quantities of a substance which only very sensitive. exotic instruments could detect. Black wasn't even sure it was matter in any normal sense. In the terminal ward of the hospital where he worked, he found that humans released much larger quantities of this elusive Substance X. This convinced Black that Substance X was connected with thought. Substance X hardly reacted at all with normal chemicals, he thought, but living nerves produced and used it. Perhaps a living organism could detect Substance X if its own chemical-sensing nerves were altered; it would sme//Substance X. A year of research on nerve tissue cultures produced a formula that seemed to work. Impatient and sure of success, Dr. Black used the formula on himself. Then he killed a lab rat and sniffed. Was that a faint, flowery scent? He couldn't be sure. Then he was called to the operating theater-a sudden hemorrhage, expert assistance needed, stat! Dr. Black worked like a madman to save the patient. He hardly heard the nurse say, "No pulse." ThenEcstasy. A scent like all the perfumes in the world. Lightning in his brain. And, just before he fainted , a novel surgical procedure that could have saved the patient. Dr. Black haunted the terminal ward after that. He managed to be present at more deaths. Each death brought the ecstatic odor and a brilliant idea. He didn't faint those times; in fact, he felt incredibly more quick and alert, like a hummingbird in a world of tortoises. A Nobel Prize seemed certain. Then. when another emergency patient died under his scalpel, he suddenly realized that he had unconsciously botched the operation, but so cleverly that no one would notice anything wrong. The rush he got from Substance X was more addictive than crack or heroin, and he was already hooked. He would sabotage more operations if he stayed a ~~rgeon. Eventually he would be caught. and he would go to 1a1I. No regular opportunities for Substance X in jail. There was no place in legal society for a death addict. He must become a career criminal. And so he did. One night he looted the hospital of valuable drugs and chemicals. and dropped out of sight. The next anyone knew, he had become organized crime's leading provider of unusual medical and biochemical services. He even participates in criminal plots directly, on his own or as part of a group. His cool nerve and remarkable skills have become much appreciated. d~ath,

Quote: "Operation successful-patient dead." Personality: Dr. Black is cool as ice. As a surgeon. he had keep a clear head under extraordinary pressure; he is still immune to panic, and ruthlessly rational. Unlike most addicts, he does not become desperate and careless from ~ithdrawal. If kept from satisfying his craving for death, he i ust becomes more ruthless, more cunning. And yet he has a peculiarly compartmentalized morality. He can kill an innocent bystander without a second thought if he needs to boost his speed and intellect, but if anyone calls for a doctor when he's not on a criminal job and his addiction has been recently satisfied, he will hurry to the scene and do his best to help, just from habit. For the most part. Black satisfies his addiction by killing vagrants and other "undesirables" who won't be missed. "Think of it as social triage," he says. PowersfTactics: Dr. Black's only innate power is his ability to boost his DEX. SPD and INT by killing someone. His real power is his knowledge. His addiction-augmented intellect has raised his knowledge of biology and biochemistry far beyond that of the general scientific community. He can create chemical weaponry for nearly any purpose. He can even surgically and chemically give people super-powers, as he has done with Caiman (q.v.); his price for this is fantastic, and he insists on cash. but enough crime syndicates are willing to pay to make this an important source of Black's income. His knowledge of human anatomy also enables Dr. Black to strike with his hands and scalpel at pressure points, nerve centers and places where a small wound can be deadly. Unlike many supervillains, Dr. Black has no desires for vengeance, power or glory. Only two things drive him: his death addiction and his research. When he attempts robberies or kidnappings. or assists in a master villain's plot, he's after money or some rare substance or information he needs for his experiments or some special job. If faced with superheroes, he will do anything he can to escape-including killing one of his own hired thugs to boost his abilities. Appearance: Dr. Black stands 6' even. He's in quite good shape for a man in his forties, still slender, his face unlined. His gray hair is always neatly combed and his face cleanshaven. Although not actually handsome, he is very distinguished-looking. On a "job" he wears black shoes, trousers and short-sleeved shirt, with black gloves and a black surgical face-mask which protects him from inhaled gasses. He carries pellets, gas capsules and other small chemical weapons in compartments on his belt or in black wristbands.

Creat\Jre.s of the N•ght

100+ Disadvantages

FEAR MONGER Val

Char

STR DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

17 10 10 18 15 18 10

2 2 3 4 20 20 Cost 18

Cost 0 21 0 0 8 10 8 0 0 0 5 0 0 0

Powers

20 15 10 20 10 5 15 15 81

Combat Stats OCV:6 DCV: 6 ECV: 5 Phases:4,8, 12 Costs Char:

52 + Powers: 241

Totals:

Base: DI sad:

;::;

:::

293

END

4 3 3 7 7 3 5 3 7 3 5 5 3 9

Contact: Crime Syndicate 13Bugging 13Conversation 13Disguise 13Electronics 13Interrogation 13KS: Horror Films & Fiction 14Lockpicking 13Mechanics 13Persuasion 13PS: Special Effects 14Science: Psychology 14Security Systems 13+3 Levels w/ Conversation/Interrogation/Persuasion

b-28 c-16

d-21 e-11

3 25

Cowardice (V Com, Strong) Must create appropriate "plotline" (Com, Strong) Fascination w/ Fear & Grotesquery (UnCom, Strong) Normal Characteristic Maxima Reputation 8-, Extreme: Scares people to death Watched by Crime Syndicate, 8· (As Pow) Hunted by FBI 11Secret ID Villain Bonus

Background: Ever since he was a child, Oscar Tarnborg

100 + 193

EC-Hidden Gadgets, Bulky llF (-3A), Must emplace in advance (·V2) 5d6 Mind Control, Nonverbal (+1.4), Indirect(+%), Invisible to Mental Senses (+V2), O END, 7" Radius Area Effect, Fixed Command: Fear (-V2) [Fear Inducers] Images vs. Sight, Hearing, Smell, Touch, -4 PER, 2" Radius, Indirect (+1/4), No Range Mod, o END [Effects Gadgets) 8d6 Mental Illusions, Invisible to Mental Senses (+V2), Indirect (+V2), Acts vs. Normal CV but only Mental Defense protects (·1.4) [Drugs) (16c) 15 STR Telekinesis, Fine Manipulation, Indirect(+%), No Range Mod, 0 END (Mechanisms] 1d6+1 major Transform to Human to Any mental state (+1.4), Cumulative, Indirect (+V2), Invisible to Normal Senses (+3A), 0 END, 6" Radius Area Effect, 1 minute Extra Time (-1%) [Catatonia/Brainwashing/Etc] Clairsentience, Normal & IR Vision, Normal Hearing, 0 END, Bulky llF [Hidden Cameras, Microphones], Only where equipment placed in advance (-%) IR Vision, Bulky llF (Cameras) 8d6 Mind Control, Nonverbal (+1.4), Invisible to Mental Senses (+V2), IAF (Pocket Fear Inducer), Fixed Command: Fear (-V2), Acts vs. Normal CV (-1/4) [Sc) +2 SPD, Only for controlling hidden equipment (-V2)

a-19

Skills

loved to scare people. No babysitter ever worked for the Tarnborgs twice. The family dog was a nervous wreck. The neighborhood children dared each other to visit the Tarnborg house on Halloween. When he grew up, Oscar found his niche as a special effects creator for horror movies. He also tried writing screenplays, but studios wouldn't accept them; although producers liked the gore and grotesquery Oscar wrote in, they found his plots morally disturbing (and it isn't easy to disturb a Hollywood producer). Oscar also sought ways to make his effects more realistic and forceful. He became an expert at hiding machinery inside things to animate them. He loved holography. He even

Creatures of the N•ght

discovered a way to use ultrasonics and infrasonics (sound too high· or low-pitched for humans to hear) to stimulate fear. For a short time, the movie industry was agog over "phobosonics," until audience tests showed that it occasionally triggered heart attacks. Phobosonics was banned by Federal law. Oscar became more and more frustrated working in Hollywood. He felt like a race car forced to putt along at horseand-buggy speeds. He wanted to build something more than the tame little fears the studios would permit. People other than the studios, however, were interested in phobosonics. One day Oscar came home to discover that his handmade security system had caught a pair of burglars. They were nearly catatonic: Oscar's system used all his technologies of terror. Once he got the burglars to speak, he found they were from the local crime syndicate. They had been sent to steal Oscar's phobosonics notes. That set Oscar thinking. Somebody wanted to turn his discovery to criminal ends. Then again, that somebody wanted to cause some serious fear, just like he did. Oscar's artistic passion overpowered his moral scruples in about five seconds. Oscar packed a suitcase full of holographic and phobosonics gear and told the burglars to take him to their boss. He had a proposition for them. Oscar doesn't work much for the studios anymore. He's found a more satisfying career as the Fearmonger, assassin and persuader for the Mob. They pay him to scare peopleto death. Quote: "Listen to them screaming! What music!" Personality: The Fearmonger is a malevolent artist of the macabre. His ruling passion is creating fear for its own sake; the money he's paid is incidental. He hates to spring his technological horror show on victims as a complete surprise. Instead he makes his House of Horrors the culmination of a sequence of weird events and cryptic warnings (delivered through minor criminals drafted as actors) to put the victim in the right frame of mind. For instance, if he plans to make Killer Appliances (q.v.) the center of a murder, he will make sure the victim encounters a "streetcorner lunatic" ranting about machines taking over the world, then sees a magazine article about microchips in appliances, then glimpses vacuum cleaners in a store window turn to look at him, and finally has a mysterious appliance-related accident or two before the main show.

Powers/Tactics: Oscar Tarnborg is a genius at designing and building special-effects machinery. He uses hologra· phy, hidden speakers and other tricks to change the environment and create illusions and phony horrors such as bleeding walls. Robot mechanisms permit ordinary objects and make-believe monsters to move, grab and attack. Concealed jets can spray victims w ith skin-absorbed hallucinogens without their knowing it. Alone, these drugs can cause frightening hallucinations-they are tainted to make sure the victim has a "bad trip"-but Tarnborg can't control what the hallucination will actually be. In concert with his effects machines, the drugs make everything seem more real; the holographic horrors can really hurt people (cosmetic change to surroundings, can do STUN for EGO+ 1o effect). Finally, phobosonic speakers induce blind panic; even without the drugs, Tarnborg's illusions are realistic enough that terror is an "action the victim is inclined to do anyway!" Using all these devices together, Tarnborg can terrify victims into catatonia, drive them to suicide or brainwash them (all variations on Transform). People with heart conditions may have heart attacks, but Tarnborg can't produce this on command-yet. Tarnborg controls everything long-distance by radio or hidden wires, and monitors through hidden cameras and microphones. While Tarnborg's hologram projectors , speakers and mechanisms are tiny and unobtrusive, the control machinery is quite bulky. He keeps it in a van or sets it up in a nearby building. It has a further limitation that Tarnborg and his accomplices must break into a victim's home to install his gadgetry beforehand. Tarnborg himself is incompetent as a brawler, though he's fairly slippery at running away. In the event of any personal confrontation, he carries a small battery-powered phobosonic projector disguised as a calculator. More importantly, he has an uncanny skill at finding out people's phobias and insecurities, and using them to get people to do what he wants. Appearance: Tarnborg is 5'9" and weighs 170 lbs. He has a gaunt, angular face that lends itself to sinister expressions. Since beginning work as the Fearmonger, he has taken to dressing in black suits on the job, with a black Dracula-style cape when he meets Mob bosses.

Creatures of the Night

FOUR EYES Val

5 10 10 10 13 17 10

2 2 2 5 20 20 Cost 91 17m 17m 18m 4u 4u 6u 21

12 13 10 10 100+

Char

Cost

Combat Stats

STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PAE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

-5 0 0 0 3 14 0 -2 1 0 0 4 0 2

OCV:3 OCV:3 ECV:6 Phases:6, 12

Powers

Costs Char:

17 + Powers: 223 Totals:

= 240

Base: Olsad:

100 + 140

240

ENO

Multipower (91 pt pool) 14d6 Mental Illusions Y2 END 12d6 Mind Scanning +5 ~END 9d6 Ego Attack 8d6 Mental Illusions, Personal Immunity, 5" Radius Effect, No Range. Act. 14· 4d6 Ego Attack, Personal Immunity, 5" Radius Effect, No Range, Act. 14· Induce Blindness: 6d6 major Transform, Human to blind human, cured by EG0+10, Telepathy/Mind Control, Act. 14- (Induce Blindness] Clairsentience vs. all vision & hearing, x4 range (1000"), V2 END, Need other being at target location (-1 ), Only sense what other being senses (·V2), 10+pts Mental Defense blocks (·V2) Mental Defense (15) +2 SPD, Only for Mental Attacks(· Y2) +2 levels w/ Multipower +5 OCV w/ Induce Blindness

3 9 9 9 9

Disadvantages

20 20

2x effect from Flash attacks Berserk when taunted/reviled as "freak~f'monster" (11-111·) 20 Fear of Injury (V Com, Strong) 20 Distrustful (V Com, Strong) 5 Phys Um: Legal minor 20 Normal Characteristic Maxima 1O Susc: 1d6 STUN from Flash attacks 10 Distinctive Features (easily concealed, strong reaction) 15 3d6 Unluck

Background: Charles and Georgianna Claremont had the perlect Yuppie marriage. Charles was a lawyer. Georgianna was a teacher, at least until she got pregnant. They had the baby at home. The baby came a little faster than expected, however; when the midwife arrived, little Marvin was already tucked in a crib with a miniature patchwork quilt, and a warm knitted cap pulled down around his ears. There had been no trouble at all. Charles said, a very easy birth, just like the training films, he'd even tied off the umbilical cord himself, here's your fee anyway for all your advice and support, good day! And that was the last any other person saw of Marvin Claremont for thirteen years. A shame, really. Marvin may not have been the prettiest child, but he had lovely bright green eyes. Four of them.

The Claremonts did try to make Marvin's secluded life pleasant. His attic room was spacious, warm and filled with toys. He could watch taped programs and movies, which his parents screened for violence. Georgianna taught him. They subscribed to Attic Child, a little-known magazine published just for families like them. They conscientiously spent at least an hour of quality time with Marvin every day. None of which changed their shame and fear of Marvin-and he knew it. He often knew what his parents felt. Sometimes he even knew what they were looking at when they were in another room. Telling his parents about these episodes upset them, so he stopped telling them . All in all, it was almost a happy childhood. But thirteen Is a troublesome age. Marvin had arguments with his parents, especially about his going outside. One night, Charles lost his temper and gave Marvin his first spanking in years. Every image of pain and humiliation that had slipped past his parents' censorship (many from TV programs he'd watched through their eyes) exploded through his shocked mind. Suddenly his father screamed, dumped Marvin on the floor, charged straight into a wall, and lay still. Georgianna ran into the room a second later. She too screamed and fell senseless to the floor. Marvin panicked. He thought he'd somehow just killed his parents. And that, he knew from TV, meant punishment... a lot worse than a spanking. He had to run away. The only preparation he thought to make was to pull a stocking cap over his upper pair of eyes.

Creature.s of the Night

The night was colder than he thought, and he had no food and no money. He tried stealing a package of cookies from an allnight convenience store. The clerk caught him and his stocking cap fell off. The clerk's fear and revulsion scalded Marvin's mind like fire-through the clerk's eyes he saw the store explode in flames that shaped themselves into huge, clutching hands. Marvin ran as the clArk staggered in blind agony through a private inferno. As Marvin sat sobbing in an alley an hour later, some teenage punks thought it would be fun to hassle a crybaby kid. Two of them escaped the giant, stamping boots that appeared from nowhere. and their own guns and knives. When a policeman collared the two punks they babbled out their story. The cop didn't believe them but he believed their fallen buddies, the ones who lived. By morning a local TV station had the story and two more incidents. On a TV in a storefront window, Marvin saw the station's warning about the "lour-eyed monster stalking the city," with artist's reconstructions. The station promised hourly updates. As for Marvin? For him, every one of his parents' warnings and fears has come true. He's a monster and everyone's out to get him. What to do? What to do? What to do? Quote: "Go away! Leave me alone!" Personality: Marvin is basically terrified of everyone, convinced that everyone is out to get him. Considering what his powers do to people around him, in this he is not far wrong. After tangling with Marvin, however, heroes may wonder if the true face of the monster is the face of society-or the one they see in the mirror.

PowersfTactics: Marvin's telepathic powers most strongly affect the portions of the brain devoted to perception. He can literally see through other peoples' eyes. for Instance. He can only telepathically project in two ways: he can trigger nightmarish images, as yet with no conscious control over their exact content; and he can briefly scramble the senses of people around him so they are tasting colors. feeling sounds, and so on. This causes great shock and disorientation. At present, Marvin doesn't really control his powers. When terrified or in pain, they just go off. (Naturally, bystanders' reactions to this makes sure he continues to be frightened and hurt.) With time, he might learn how to use all his powers at will ar.rJ in combination with his Mind Scanning, but for now he just blasts everything around him or whoever attracts his attention the most. Appearance: Marvin Claremont stands just 4' tall, with a slender build. His head is large and oddly shaped, with tightly curled black hair and two pairs of large, vivid green eyes. When possible, he hides the upper pair. He dresses in what he can get. At first, these are a nice. designer-brand shirt with a dinosaur on the front, a windbreaker, jeans and sneakers. all now somewhat dirty. Note: It is up to GMs to decide if Marvin's parents lived through his psychic attack and, ii so, what condition they are in. If either of them still lives, they should not inspire much sympathy-they were so ashamed of Marvin that they hid him in the attic, after all.

HAUNT Val

Char

Cost

13 18 20 10 13 20 20 6 31 31 4 15 40 30

STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

3 24 20 0 3 20 10 -2 28 27 12 16 0 3

Cost 150 15u 14u 6u 7u 3u

27 a-27 b-33 18 20 15 30 5 7 14 5 3, 4 10 100+

10 10 20 20 15 10 30 20 20 322

Powers

Combat Stats OCV: 6+ OCV: 6 ECV: 7+ Phases:3,6,9, 12 Costs Char:

164 + Powers: 413

Totals:

577

Base: Dlsad:

100 + 477

577

ENO

Multlpower ( 150 pt pool) 8d6 Mental Illusions, Usable While Desolid (+2). Invisible to Mental Senses (+Y2), '12 END [Hallucinations] 7 15 STR TK, Fine Manipulation, Usable While Desolid, Invisible to All Senses (+1), 0 END [Poltergeist Tricks] 4d6 Ego Attack, Usable While Desolid Y2 END, No Range, Must become visible(-~) [Deathly Touch) 6 2d6 BODY Drain + 1V2 STUN Drain, Usable While Desolid, Continuous, 1f.l END, Must become visible (-Y~). Must make Grab (-Y2} [Strangling] 7 1Od6 major Transform to person w/ Haunt's mind. Acts vs. EGO & Mental Defense, No Range. Only vs. 0 DCV target (-2), Must stay "invisible" & "desolid" while possessing & can't use other MP slots (-1) [Possession] 15 EC-Ghost Powers, Can't turn off in bright light (-V2) Desolid, not vs. magic or Flash Attacks, 0 END Persistent Invisibility vs . normal/UV vision, all exotic senses, no fringe, 0 END Persistent +45 PRE, Only to cause fear (-1), Must become visible (-V2) Damage Resistance ( 16 PD/ 16 ED), Hardened Hardened Defenses (31 PD/31 ED) Full Life Support Power Defense (5) 1 BODY Regeneration per 5 minutes 7" Flight 1/5" IA Vision 1' Conversation 13-, PS: Financier 13+2 levels w/ Multipower Disadvantages 2x BODY from Attacks w/ Affects Desolid Advantage Enraged if BODY taken (14-/11-) Possessive of property (Com, Total) Vengeful (V Com, Strong} Won't leave house (Com, Strong) Hates/fears bright light (Com) Susc: 2d6 STUN+ BODY/turn from True Exorcisms in nearby area Susc: 3d6 STUN from Flash Attacks Distinctive Features, Can't conceal, Causes fear: Ghost Villain Bonus

Creatures of the Night

Background: Hezechiah Stewart was the most notorious miser in town. Everyone knew he was rich-over the years his loan shark ways had given him whole or partial ownership of dozens of properties through the city. Yet he would argue over pennies. Even his fine house came to him as collateral for an unpaid loan. When Stewart died, nobody missed him. His house long stood empty since no heir could be found. Eventually a bank got the property and sold it to a real-estate company. Several years later that company sold it to another real-estate company. The house went from corporation to corporation as decades passed, but no one ever lived ther~at least not for long. People who moved into Hezechiah Stewart's house soon moved out again. Bad dreams, things breaking or falling for no reason , family members acting strangely, accidents ...When one corporate owner ordered the house's furnishings put up for auction, the auctioneer spent a full night trucking everything back, and suffered a fatal crash the next morning. The neighbors said, often with a little laugh, that the Stewart house was haunted. The neighbors are right, even if most don't really believe it themselves. Unseen and unheard, Hezechiah Stewart still walks his house. His house, his possessions, and nobody else shall have them! Quote: "I do not look kindly on thieves and trespassers." Personality: T he ghost of Hezechiah Stewart, a.k.a. the Haunt, is a complete monomaniac. As long as his home and possessions exist, his one goal is driving away any intruder. If any of his old possessions are removed, he will leave the house long enough to bring them back. If the house is destroyed, either Stewart is dispelled-or his single goal becomes to kill everyone in any way connected with the "theft" in the grisliest way possible. PowersfTactics: As a ghost, Stewart's natural state is to be intangible and invisible except as a cold spot in a room. He has to consciously make himself visible or solid. He has several traditional ghostly powers; he can trigger the awe and terror which the living must feel when confronted with the unquiet dead, cause hallucinations, and move relatively small masses through force of will. He is somewhat unusual in that he can attack victims' life-force directly, or just strangle them: most ghosts can only attack psychically and cannot directly harm a victim. Finally, Stewart can possess a helpless victim and act using their body. While doing this he cannot use his other ghostly powers; on the other hand, nobody can attack him without also harming the possessed victim. As an entity of ectoplasm instead of matter, even when solid the Haunt is quite hard to damage and keep damaged. Essentially, Stewart cannot be destroyed by conventional force: heroes must use magic, really exotic super-science, or find a way to deflect his monomania from them. After all, Stewart's malevolence has very definite triggers. As long as the Haunted House is undisturbed, Stewart is quiet. At first, Stewart will try to simply frighten intruders away with hallucinations, poltergeist attacks and Presence Attacks. If something of his is taken or damaged, however, he tries to kill. If he can keep his temper, he will try to attack when his target is asleep. He will definitely concentrate on people who are alone and asleep or otherwise helpless if any opponents show powers which can affect ghosts!

Appearance: The Haunt looks just like Hezechiah did just before his death: a hunched-over, bald old man, with greed and contempt clearly etched in the wrinkles of his sneering face. He is always at least slightly transparent when visible, and surrounded with a cold blue glow. His clothes are obviously decades out of date. Note: The Haunt is an example of a classic ghost. Ghosts are somewhat unusual as opponents in that traditionally they are never encountered as "wandering monsters." Ghosts haunt specific locations, or sometimes specific people. One way or another, the heroes must come to the ghost-unless one of the heroes is the person the ghost is haunting. The most familiar sort of ghost is the spirit of a person who died with "unfinished business": some of the standards are a murder victim, an evil person farced to walk the Earth until they can atone for their sins, a suicide, or (like Stewart) someone who just won't "let go." Such a ghost usually has quite definite motivations for its actions. Understanding why the ghost is hanging around is often the key to exorcising it. Less well known is the "Bad Place" haunting. This variety of ghost cannot be linked to a specific dead person. Often it seems to be a purely impersonal force of evil using its powers to cause madness and death. It has goals, but the reasons behind its goals are obscure. Classic Bad Place hauntings occur in Stephen King's The Shining, Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House (and the movie version, The Haunting), and Poltergeist.

Creatures of the Night

HELL RIDER Val

Char

Cost

20 24 23 12 13 14 20 12 11 15 4 10 46 40

STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

10 42 26 4 3 8 10 1 7 10 6 2 0 6

Cost 23* 2u 2u 2u 2u 2u 2u 12* 7* a-11 b- 5 c- 8 d- 5 7*

a-12 b- 8 c- 6 7• 5 5 3, 3 2 5

Powers

Combat Stats OCV:B DCV: 8 ECV:5 Phases: (2), 3, (5), 6, (8) , 9, (11 ), 12 Costs Char:

135 + Powers: 146 Total:

Base: Disad:

281

100 + 181 :;

281

•only in Villain ID END

Multipower (40 pt pool) "OIF" (-V4) (Shifting Weapon] 1V2d6 HKA (Flame) (3d6 w/STR). Penetrating [Flame Sword) 4 1V2d6, HKA (3d6 w/STR), AP [Axe] 4 1d6+ 1 HKA (2V2d6 w/STR), AP, Penetrating [Trident] 4 +5d6 HA + 2d6 STA Drain, Recover 1 STA/turn (+V4) [Mace) 4 4 3d6 DEX Drain, Recover 1 DEX/3 turns (+V4) 3d6 Flash, Nonselective, 4 1 Hex Area [Brimstone Sling) +2" Stretching, 0 END, "OIF" (Whip Form] EC-Demonic Armor "OIF" Armor (9 PD/9 ED) +8 ED, Armor (+8 ED), Only vs. HeaVFire (-V2) AP on STA. V2 END + 2d6 HA, AP V2 END, [Spiked Gauntlet] 2 V2d6 AKA (Flames), Penetrating, Damage Shield, x2 END [Immolation) 4 EC- Nightmare Steed, 0 END, Costs END to Start, Initial Gestures, Initial Incantations, 1 phase Extra Time, Dispelled by Attacks doing 12+ptsBODY(-1/4) 15 17" Flight, x4 Noncombat, 0 END, Only along surfaces (-1/4) 7d6 HA, AP, 0 END [Hoof Strike] 3d6 AKA (Fire), No Range [Breathe Fire] (6c) +15 PRE Only to cause Fear(·%), "OIF" Mental Defense (8 pis) Instant Change Interrogation 13-, Riding 14· PS: Investment Broker 11+ 1 level w/ Shifting Weapon

100+ Disadvantages 20 15 15 20 1O

Hunting the Six, 14· Distrustful (Com, Strong) Fear of capture (Com, Strong) Susc: 1d6 STUN/phase from Holy water/symbol/place Susc: 2d6 STUN from Antimagical powers (Drains, Dispels, etc.) 5 Distinctive Feature, Easily concealed (demon magic aura) _ __ ·- _ 15 Watched by Demon Lord 1410 Hunted by FBI 815 3d6 Unluck 66 Villain Bonus

Background: When bad things happen to good people, sometimes they stop being so good. William Wade had been deeply wronged. He'd lost his job, property, family and good name. He had some idea who was responsible, but he couldn't do a damn thing. The wheels of law need money to grease them. William Wade had none. The people who'd ruined him had plenty. And no one would believe anything bad about people who were so respectable, who supported the right causes and went to church on Sunday. Just as he had gone to church, singing praise to a loving God who wouldn't let him down. Now he was down, down in a dumpster, rooting among the garbage for something halfway edible. Nothing. It would be cold that night. The shelter had closed for good a month before-no money. If he didn't find food and a warm corner, he'd soon be down about six feet further. Dusk found him crossing a long bridge. He stopped halfway across to rest, and looked down at the black water far below. Cars hurtled past, oblivious. Freezing, starving, worthless and hopeless-William Wade lifted his eyes to the grimy clouds, cursed God, and swung a leg up to the concrete railing. "You don't really want to do that," said the slender man in the expensive suit who suddenly stood beside him. Slowly, Wade swung his leg back down. "That's right," the man said. "You don't want to die now, accepting defeat. Tell me what you really want." Wade gaped. "Where'd you come from?" "Around," the man said with an airy wave. His cufflinks were enormous rubies. "Traveling to and fro over the Earth.

Creatures of the Night

Now tell me-so you know it yourself-what you really want, more than life itself, more than your-well, more than anything. Tell me." And his eyes blazed, brighter and hotter than the rubies. Was it his money back? His family? His old life? A new life? "Revenge!" The man smiled, showing very sharp, very white teeth. "Ah. Revenge is one of my specialties. Let's make a deal." The agreement was simple. The stranger would provide certain tools; Wade could use them for a year. If Wade succeeded in killing the six who had wronged him, the stranger would see that he regained everything he had lost, with no further obligation for the rest of his life. If he failed, at the end of the year he must recompense the stranger with everything he had. "Everything," the stranger said. "You know what I mean." Wade said he did. The deal was concluded. A derelict had walked onto the bridge. The Hell Rider rode off. Off to the hunt. And the stranger smiled again, thinking of the sport to come. Quote: "I don't want to kill you-but if you try to stop me, I'll see you in Hell!" Personality: Hell Rider is driven by revenge against the people who ruined his life. He wasn't a ruthless man before, and he can't yet casually murder people who are inconveniently in his way. but he's learning. He fights in a hysterical frenzy when he has to, preferably from the back of his demonic steed, but if he can think of a way to get to his quarry without fighting along the way, he'll try it. Will Hell Rider lose his remaining scruples and become a cold-blooded killer? Or will he hold onto his conscience, and maybe even renounce his devil's bargain? That is for time, the GM and the PCs to decide. Powers/Tactics: Hell Rider's chief means of attacking is his shape-shifting, demon-forged weapon. He frequently changes its form and powers in battle, as one form or another seems useful and he has a half-phase free. The weapon can be taken from his hand, but as soon as William Wade leaves his Hell Rider identity the weapon vanishes from wherever it is and reappears when he becomes Hell Rider again. If he doesn't have the weapon, Hell Rider pummels and kicks with his spiked gauntlets and boots. (The gauntlet HA can't be added to the mace form's damage.) His demonic steed Brimstone fights too, striking with its hooves and breathing fire between Hell Rider's own actions. It can be dispelled by BODY damage but can't be stunned, knocked out, mentally attacked or even permanently killed because it's really just a magical construct. It can run on any solid or liquid surface, even straight up a wall. Finally, Hell Rider's armor can radiate red heat; like the weapon, the armor disappears when Wade stops being Hell Rider and reappears on his body later. Hell Rider's exceptional physical characteristics are minor fringe benefits of the enchantment which permits him to summon weapon, armor and steed. Appearance: Hell Rider wears grotesquely ornate armor of red and golden metal. His helm's visor covers his upperface but leaves his lower face exposed. Brimstone is coal-black, with fiery eyes. It breaths out wisps of smoke and flame and its hoofprints burn for a few seconds, even on water. Brimstone's saddle and bridle are also of red and golden metal. When not acting as Hell Rider, William Wade dresses

in plain but respectable clothes purchased at thrift shops. Note: The details of who wronged William Wade, how, and why have been left blank on purpose. GMs are encouraged to invent a group of socially prominent, apparently respectable enemies for Hell Rider based on their own campaigns and preferences. These could be real sleazes-maybe one could even secretly be a supervillain-making Hell Rider's mission more sympathetic and morally ambiguous. Or they could have ruined Wade's life by accident, without knowing it; or anything else, in any combination the GM desires.

hom*oNCULUS Val

Char

Cost

20 20 20 15 10 10 15 4 27 27

STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

10 30 20 10

5 10 40 35 Cost 30 3u 1u 1O 5 15 30 15 27 2 5

Combat Stats OCV: 7+ DCV: 7 ECV: 3 Phases:3,5,8, 10, 12

0 0

Costs

5 -3 23 23 20 4

Char:

142 + Powers: 166

Totals:

= 208

Base: Disad:

100 + 208 = 208

0 0

Powers

END

Attack Multipower (30 pt pool) 1d6+1 (2d6+1 w/STR) HKA, AP [Bite] 3 2d6 EB NND [Throat Protection or Life Support: Self-Contained Breathing], Continuous, No Range, Must Grab, Must reach throat (-Y2) [Strangle] 8 PD, 8 ED Damage Resistance (8 PD/8 ED), Hardened Flash Defense vs. Vision (5) Mental Defense (17) Full Life Support Automaton Power: Does Not Bleed 2 levels Shrinking (+4 DCV, ·4 PER, +6 KB, mass 2 kg), 0 END, Persistent Always On + 1" Running (7" total) 1/5" Mind Link to master Skills

3 7 3 3 1 6

Breakfall 13· Climbing 15Concealment 11 • Stealth 13· Fam w/ Blades +3 OCV w/ Grab & Strangle

100+ Disadvantages 20 20 20 10 20 10 15 93

1Y2x STUN & BODY from Fire Attacks Love of killing (not just wounding) (V Com, Strong) Loyalty to master (Com, Total) Likes stalking, terrorizing victims (Com) Phys Lim: Mute Phys Lim: Illiterate Phys Lim: Takes no action until given orders (liberally interpreted) Villain Bonus

Creatures of the Night

Background: The hom*onculus is a sort of magical robot, a tiny golem, created by Archimago to be a spy and assassin. In the western occult tradition, a hom*onculus is a small synthetic man created by alchemical means. Although Archimago had studied alchemy, it wasn't his strongest subject, so instead he created a jointed wooden doll and animated it. ft was a quick-and-dirty job, and in later years he created far more sophisticated automata, but he never

scrapped the hom*onculus. When Archimago died, the hom*onculus was lost in the smoking ruins of his base and was presumed destroyed. The sturdy little golem still exists, however, buried under a pile of rubble. It's simply waiting for someone to find it and give it new orders. Quote: None. The hom*onculus is mute and can only communicate by pointing and other simple gestures. When closing in on a victim and secrecy isn't needed, however, It eagerly snaps its jaws open and shut. Personality: The hom*onculus is technically mindless, and its carved wooden features cannot have any expression but a broad grin, but it seems to enjoy stalking and killing terrified, helpless people. It just follows orders-but it interprets those orders in such a way as to cause as much terror and bloodshed as possible, and it can react to changing circ*mstances while on a mission. Powers/Tactics: The magic which animates the hom*onculus also makes it hard to damage. Minor chips and dents heal when nobody's looking. Major damage, such as a snappedoff limb, can be repaired. In fact, as long as at least 50% of the hom*onculus' body exists, wooden replacement parts can be crafted and the enchantment will bond them. The hom*onculus is unexpectedly strong; what's worse, it's an expert strangler. Finally, its bear-trap teeth can inflict savage wounds. Its small size, stealth, and ability to bite through most obstacles means that few places are impregnable to the hom*onculus. Common tactics are to drop onto a victim from hiding, or to pretend to be a harmless toy and so be taken in by an unsuspecting victim's children. The hom*onculus can Mind Link with its master, letting its master look through its eyes and listen with its ears, but its master must think of doing this. Appearance: When not moving, the hom*onculus seems to be a simple wooden doll with jointed limbs, about 2' tall when standing. The smiling mouth is obviously hinged, like that of a ventriloquist's dummy, but as long as it's "playing dead" it keeps its mouth firmly shut. Although its hands are solid, unjointed wood, when animate it can flex its fingers like a real hand. It may be dressed any way its master pleases.

Creatures of the Night

100+

KOBOLD Val

Char

Cost

15 28 20 12 23 18 25 2 13 13 5 8 40 30

STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

5 54 20 4 13 16 15 -4 10 9 12 2 0 0

Cost 70

65 3 12 5 6 5 2 5

OCV:9 DCV:9 ECV: 6 Phases:3.5.8. 10. 12 Costs 156

Base:

100

Dlsad:

386

Powers: 330

+ ::::

Totals:

486

Powers

END

4d6 Entangle, Acts vs. ECV (+1), Damage Shield, 0 END, Persistent, Must touch bare skin for certain effect, Act 11- through thin clothing (-Y2), Blocked by Kobold's costume (-Y2) [Paralyzing Touch] Martial Arts-Karate Maneuver OCV DCV Damage Punch +0 +2 8d6 Strike -2 +1 1Od6 Strike Kick 0 1d6 HKA Chop -2 2D6 w/STR Block +2 +2 Block, Abort -1 +1 40 STA Disarm Disarm +3 DC w/all attacks (already added in) Gadget Power Pool (52 pt pool), at least OIF/IAF (-Y2), Hours to change (-Y2) Damage Resistance (3 PD/3 ED) +8 PD, +8 ED Armor OIF (Costume), Acts 14Flash Defense (7), OIF (Goggles) Mental Defense (10) Lack of Weakness (-5) +1" Running (7" total) UV Vision

3 10 5 5 10 3 25 9

SAMPLE POWER POOL GADGETS Cost 15 16 16 13

17 14

1/5"

Skills 3 3 3, 3 3 7 7 3, 3 3 7 3 3, 3 6

Disadvantages

10 1Y2x Effect from Flash attacks 10 Enraged when thwarted ( 11-/14-) 10 Blind in bright light w/out goggles 20 Tries to humiliate opponents (V Com, Strong) 15 Crimes must be spectacular and grotesque (V Com) 15 Vengeful (V Com) 10 Susc: 1d6 STUN each phase Kobold is blind from a Flash attack. 15 Distinctive features (hard to conceal, causes fear) 20 Reputation 14- Extreme (malignant Nazi master villain) 15 Hunted by most Government law enforcement agencies 1115 Hunted by hero team 810 Hunted by villain he betrayed 810 Hunted by German hero 8211 Villain Bonus

Combat Stats

Char:

Acting 14Breakfall 15Concealment 14-, Contortionist 15Deduction 14Disguise 13· Electronics 13Interrogation 14-, Inventor 14Lockpicking 15Mechanics 13Security Systems 14· Stealth 15-, Streetwise 14Languages: Native German, perfect English, accented Spanish Scientist Sciences: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Toxicology, Robotics 14- each (based on INT) Cramming Defense Maneuver 2d6 Luck Simulate Death Headquarters &/or Followers (125 pt reserve) +3 levels w/ Karate

17 7

Powers

END

5d6 EB NND [Life Support: Self-Contained Breathing], OAF (Sleep Gas Gun), Doesn't work underwater/in wind(-%), ·1 OCV/1" Reduced Accuracy (-1/4) [6c] 2Y2d6 AKA, OAF (Laser) [Be) 2d6 Flash NND [Force Field/Electromagnetic [Sc] Shielding], OAF (Blinding Ray) 1Od6 Mind Control, OAF (Hypno-Drug), Attack vs. Normal CV (- 114), Blocked by resistance to 1d6 AP AKA (·Y2) (or other minor limits on administering [4c] drug) 2d6 AKA, Invisible to Sight/Hearing (+3A), OAF (Silent Crossbow), 8 charges, Cost END (Silenced Crossbow] 5 1d6 AKA, Uncontrolled, Continuous (+ 1 %), Penetrating, OAF (Slime Parasite), 1 charge of 5 minutes(-%), Max range 4" (-1/.s), Blocked by Force Field/inorganic cover or self-contained breathing (-Y2) (Slime Parasite] 4d6 STA Drain Recover 1 STA/turn (+1/.s), (4c] OAF [Enervator] Shape Shift to 1 form (Kobold), Usable vs. Others (+ 1), Uncontrolled (+Y2), 1 charge of 5 minutes (- 3A), OAF (kit), 1 turn initial Extra Time (-Y2), Victim must be human, roughly same size (- 114) ("Instant Double" Kit]

Background: In 1938, Leopold Schell was one of the University of Heidelberg's youngest and most brilliant biochemists. He was also an ardent Nazi. When the war started, he loyally chose a new line of research , one that would help the Fuehrer in his conquests: nerve toxins. The stonefish, the sea snake, the purple-ringed octopus-these were some of the quickest and deadliest poisons in the world. If he could synthesize and stabilize them, maybe even change them to be still more deadly. what a weapon they would make for the assassins of the Abwehr! Schell needed test subjects, of course, but with the concentration camps that was no problem-until one victim broke loose. As Schell wrestled with the man. calling for a guard, they crashed into a rack of chemically modified venoms. Slashed by the broken bottles, dozens of strange toxins dripping into his bloodstream, Schell staggered back

Creatures of the Night

into a cluster of electrical lab equipment. Sparks flew. When the guard came, he found both Schell and the hapless "test subject" lying on the laboratory floor, drenched in poison. The prisoner was dead. Schell still lived. When Schell regained consciousness a month later. he had ... changed. Gone were his handsome Aryan features. His skin was tough and scaly. He could see in the dark, but normal illumination caused him pain. And nobody touched him. The slightest contact with his skin paralyzed others stiff as a board. It was enough to drive any man mad! Any man, he told himself, but a patriot of the Master Race. He remembered the words of Nietzsche, the Fuehrer's favorite philosopher: 'What does not kill me, can only make me stronger." He was no monster, the accident had made him a superman! And with his new power, he would become the greatest of all the Fuehrer's servants! So it came to pass. As Kobold, Schell became one of the Abwehr'~ most notorious agent~. Throughout the war, he masterminded some of the Nazis' most grotesque plots of sabotage and terror. The Nazis lost the war anyway, and the Kobold found himself one of the world's most hated, most hunted men. But the Allied governments hunted in vain for tile Kobold. Five years later, however, Kobold reappeared in America. leading a gang of thugs in a plot to extort Treasury printing plates by kidnapping the children of Mint workers. Kobold was stopped then by his wartime arch-nemesis Beacon. the first of several clashes. Their duel lasted six years, until a malfunctioning death trap crippled Beacon and severely

wounded Kobold . Kobold escaped from the hospital despite heavy security, and disappeared for three years more. This has become a pattern: Kobold stays in hiding for several years, launches a series of criminal plots until circ*mstances bring him close to death , then disappears again. He's been captured many times, but no prison has hP.lrl him long enough for one of the many death sentences against him to be carried out. Now he's free again. and as vicious as ever. Heaven help us all. Quote: "Heh heh heh. What makes you think you can stop me from killing Pans?" Personality: Kobold is sad*stic, treacherous, vengeful, utterly ruthless, and he wants to commit "the crime of the century." In this he is a typical villain. He is also a cunning and imaginative strategist, seldom on the defensive, for whom no ~eed is too monstrous. At the moment, his chief ongoing interest is rejuvenation or life extension-by any means necessary. K~bold's methods may be sneaky and underhanded, but he aims high. He scorns merely robbing banks, except as part of some grander scheme. He also seldom waits for ~eroes to come looking for him: he frequently makes capturing, destroying o r discrediting local heroes part of his plans from the beginning. Finally, it isn't enough for Kobold just to pull off a spectacular crime, he has to do it in a way which causes fear and chaos. Powers/Tactics: The lab accident which mutated Schell gave him the ability to paralyze other beings by touching them. This always works for skin-to-skin contact, and usually works when only a thin layer of cloth is in the way. Heavily padded costumes, powered armor, etc. will definitely block Kobold's touch. Despite being over 70 years old, Kobold is also a strong and skillful martial artist. He is still an able scientist and inventor. He might produce any sort of nefarious gadget, even a superweapon (bought through the Headquarters points). Like his Fuehrer before him, however, his greatest weapon is his willingness to do absolutely anything to achieve a goal. By long habit, Kobold's bases are usually underground; not only can he operate freely in dark tunnels, but most major cities have an amazing lot of underground spaces which the authorities don't really keep track of all that well. Kobold's grotesque appearance and notoriety also make it difficult for him to live anywhere there are many people around. Kobold avoids directly facing groups of superheroes unless he has a group of allied supervillains to back him up. Even then, he tries to split up hero groups and pick them off one by one. in traps an~ am.bu~hes. If he does have to fight openly, he instructs allied villains to preferentially pound on heroes he's paralyzed. If he doesn't have backup, Kobold's chi~f objective will be to get away by paralyzing heroes, taking hostages, threatening innocents with a convenient bomb (which may or may not be real), and so on. Naturally, he's very careful to plan an escape route or two. Appearance: Kobold stands 5'1" tall and weighs 150 lbs, with a wiry build. His skin is gray, lightly scaled and hairless. He dresses in utilitarian gray jumpsuits with thigh -length brown boots and a brown vest; these look like leather but are really of tough, bulletproof cloth and plastic. Over it all he wears a broad belt holding tools, gadgets and holsters for weapons. Heavy black goggles shield his sensitive eyes from bright light.

CreatCJre.5 of the N•ght 100+ Disadvantages

LADY TWILIGHT Val

Char

Cost

28 20 23 12 18 20 25 14 2S 2S

STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PAE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

18 30 26 4 8 20 15 2 19 20 20 2 0 2

12 46 40 Cost 75 Su 4u 3u

3u 4u

4u Su 4u 22 7 20 16 14

20 10 20 20 10 10 1S 1S 30

Combat Stats OCV: 7 DCV: 7 ECV: 7 Phases:3,5,8, 10, 12 Costs Char:

186 + Powers: 2S7 = Totals: 443

Base: Di sad:

100 + 343

10 1S 1S 10 15 118

443

Powers

Acting 14·, Stealth 13Disguise 13· Streetwise 13KS: Art 12-, Jewelry 12·, Organized Crime 11 • AK: The City 11Headquarters {SO pt reserve) 16 x 50 pt Followers

11/2x STUN & BODY from Wooden Weapons 11/2x STUN from Blow struck w/Holy Symbol Fear of Holy Symbols & Places {Com, Total) Toys with enemies {V Com, Strong) Dislike of gar1ic, mirrors (Uncom, Strong) Loves luxury and beauty {Com) Phys Lim: Can't enter dwelling where never invited Phys Lim: Must drink blood, rest on native soil, etc. Susc: 1d6 STUN + BODY/phase from Full Sunlight or Running Water Susc: 1d6 STUN/phase from Contact w/Holy Symbol or Place Susc: 1d6 STA Drain/turn, Being on Holy Ground Distinctive Features, easily concealed, extreme reaction Reputation 11-, Extreme {as vampire, if not individual) Hunted by hero-level vampire hunters 11Secret ID Villain Bonus

END

Multipower {75 pt pool) 12d6 Mind Control, Y2 END, Max Range 4", {·V.) Must see vampire's eyes {·V.) [Mesmerize] 3 12d6 Mind Control, Nonverbal {+V.), Max Range 4", Must see vampire's eyes, Fixed Command: Don't Move [Paralyze] 7 Enthrallment Kiss: 3d6+ 1 major Transform Human to slave, Acts vs. EGO, Cumulative, No Range, 1 phase Extra Time, Concentrate {1/2 DCV), Only vs. men {·1/2) [Enthrallment Kiss] 7 21/2d6 CON Drain, Recover 1 CON/2 weeks, !12 END, Only if 1d6 AP KA could penetrate resistant PD {-1/2), 1 phase Extra Time, Concentrate {1/2 DCV) [Bite] 3 1" Darkness vs. all vision, Uncontrolled, Continuous, 0 END, Personal Immunity, Only in places bats could reach (-1/.i), up to 1 turn arrival delay {·1/2) [Call Bat Swarm] 2d6 DEX Suppress NND [Being in a frictionless area or Powered Armor], Uncontrolled, O END, Nonselective 1 Hex Area, Only where rats could be, Possible delays; +Y2d6 AKA Uncontrolled Continuous 0 END Nonselective 1 Hex Area, Reduced Penetration, Above limits [Call Rat Packs) 16 x SO pt Summon Feral Dogs, Y2 END, Only where dogs could go, Possible delays [Call Feral Dogs] 3 Desolid, not vs. area energy attacks, O END + 7" Flight [Mist form] 1/S" 3 levels Shrinking {+6 DCV, -6 PER, +9 KB)+ 1S" Flight [Bat form] 1/5" Transmit Vampirism: 2d6 major Transform Human to Vampire, Cumulative, O END, linked to Bite, Bite limitations {·1 1/.i) (Transmit Vampirism] Damage Resistance {10 PD/10 ED) Not vs. Wood {-1/2) Regeneration, 2 BODY per turn Life Support: Self-Contained Breathing, Immune to Disease & Aging IA vision, Ultrasonic Hearing, +2 PER Rolls Skills

3, 3 7 3 10 2 1O 30

Background: 1894. The fin de siecle era is in full swing. Paris glitters as much with art as with gaslight, inviting all to share in the city's pleasures with no thought for tomorrow. Yet there is more than a hint of madness in the city's delights and in the verses of poets who proudly call themselves "Decadents," a taste of rot amid the sweetness. Charlene de Mauvaissoir sips hashish-spiked brandy with the most fascinating man she's ever met (she has known so many, and her not yet thirty), a pale Spaniard called Antonio El Cazador. A friend told her that her lover's name meant "Antonio, the Stalker," but Charlene does not rememberthat. Nor does she remember what they did the night beforemuch to her disappointment. It must have been magnificent, judging by how tired she was when she woke early the next afternoon. She does remember his hands, slender but very strong, and his kisses like fire moving from her lips to her throat. .. She hopes that this night she will remember. She never even noticed the two small punctures on her neck. This year. From the air at nightthe city looks very much like any other- the same skyscrapers spangled with lights, the same cars on the same freeways, driven by the same people with the same petty hopes, fears, lusts and greeds, each one alone amid the teeming thousands. In this city, as in so many cities, there are many who live by night. She will not be too conspicuous. The truck meets her at the airport, as her agent had promised. She has a lot of baggage-chiefly several long, heavy boxes. The driver is strong and quite handsome, in a rough sort of way; she catches his eye and he smiles a big, sappy smile. When they reach the old mansion her agent had bought, he doesn't notice anything odd in how easily she carries boxes that he must strain to lift. He's still smiling when she bites his neck. Tonight. The tip had been good; the Champions are raiding one of the biggest gangland meetings in the city's history. While the Champions fight the gangs' supervillain enforcers, however, some of the leaders flee. Quantum breaks away to chase them down. As she cruises above the streets, she hears a scream-only a few blocks away. She flies there in seconds. She finds the Capo sprawled in the middle of the street crossing. He's dead, his neck broken. But

Creatures of the N•ght

Quantum had seen no one running away. The street is empty in the moonlight, except for her, the dead man, and a little night mist over a manhole cover. She frowns. There are too many mysteries in the city of late. Who stole the Scepter of Waziristan? The cameras showed the museum guard smashing its case, but the police found him dead in the next room. How were minor villains escaping from locked cells in the city jail at night, unseen by anyone? What could prompt the city's squabbling crime bosses to hold such a meeting? And who was the mysterious Lady a dying man had warned them about with his last breath? Five minutes later, Jaguar examines the body. The medical examiner is on his way. Quantum notices that Solitaire is shivering, although the night is warm. "What is it?" she asks. "I'm not sure," the young sorceress says. "A feeling. There was something here, something ... unholy." None of them notice that the mist is gone. Quote: "Surely so handsome a man can find other things to do with a lady than to strike her?" Personality: Lady Twilight is bored, bored, bored. In life, her only desires were pleasure and luxury, and her undeath hasn't significantly changed this. Now her powers make luxury easy to get, but the pleasures never last. She can get the fine vintages she craved in life-but can only drink the tiniest sips. Handsome men fall in love with her when she commands it-but what love can a puppet give? She mingles with society's elite at parties, but cannot share their lives.

Possessions are so easy for her to get that even stealing them gives no thrill. While taking over a city's organized crime provides a convenient labor force trained in matters such as disposing of bodies, her real interest is simply in tweaking the authorities. It's rather like managing an athletic team: when her lackeys get away with their crimes it's a win, when they get caught it's a loss. Superheroes just make the game more personal, dangerous and intense-and therefore irresistible. And of course many heroes are so handsome, so full of life. Perhaps one of them could finally satisfy her endless yearning ... Powerstractics: Lady Twilight has traditional vampiric powers: she enthralls with a glance, commands rats, bats and feral dogs (the closest the cities provide for wolves), can turn into mist or a bat, and is uncannily strong and resistant to most forms of damage. Her bite not only causes long-term debilitation, enough bites will transmit the vampire curse to her victim. (Until the cumulative Transform is complete, the Transformation points "heal" just like BODY from wounds. Once the victim becomes a vampire, however, the change is permanent, barring extraordinary magical, spiritual and/or medical intervention.) She also has one power which not all vampires have: her kiss reinforces her Mind Control, turning male victims into willing slaves until someone else manages to snap them out of it. (Optional Rule: This takes intensive deprogramming. Every 5 minutes, the victim gets an EGO roll at -5 to break Lady Twilight's enthrallment. Each level of a successful PRE Attack or telepathic probe gives + 1 to the EGO roll.) Lady Twilight will use this power to get fanatically loyal followers in every sector of society. Even if she is "killed," her followers will work to revive her, even at cost of their own lives. Not that Lady Twilight plans on dying. Her boredom may make her flirt with danger, but it's not strong enough to overcome the vampire's instinct for self-preservation. She won't face groups of heroes in open combat if she can help it, even with a team of hired villains to back her up. Instead she uses guerrilla tactics, waiting until a target is alone, striking from surprise, then vanishing into the night. One favorite trick is to tum into mist and slip into the city sewers. She has also learned that people are rarely on guard against psychic domination at parties and concerts. . Lady Twilight is very skilled at hiding or bypassing her vampiric weaknesses. Her manners are exquisite: she never forgets to say "Please" and 'Thank you" and "May I come in?" At parties, her "private physician" will carefully select the few hors d'oeuvres that won't violate the diet he' s prescribed. Her household staff gives daytime callers plausible reasons why she is not at home. If she's stalking someone who expects a vampire, she is very clever at getting agents near the victim to invite her in or to counter special defenses like garlic and crosses. And if she's the one being hunted, her use of traps, ambushes, decoys and enthralled lackeys (who may include powerful city officials) is diabolically ruthless. Appearance: Whether at a party as Charlene de Mauvaissoir or directing crimes as Lady Twilight, she wears expensive gowns of classic design, usually in dark hues. Her one concession to secrecy as Lady Twilight is to wear a heavy veil. Her hair is black. and her complexion is pale-she conceals just how pale it is with makeup. Her red, red lips, however, are not the result of lipstick. Nearly a century of

Creatures of the Night

undeath has not changed her lush figure, or the features a Parisian artist captured in oil. Rage, however, instantly changes those classic features into a red-eyed Gorgon mask. Author's Notes: Yes, I know about Stalker of the Asesinos in the Champions sourcebook section; I even worked him into Lady Twilight's origin (with a slight change in his own background). Stalker, however, is a vampire designed as more of a straightforward supervillain. Style was sacrificed for combat effectiveness and a simple write-up. Lady Twilight is designed for more "gothic" effects: She's not as great a brawler, but she has more of the traditional vampire powers. In her way, she is just as great a threat. And if anyone wants to use both Stalker and Lady Twilight in a campaign but objects to their being so different, well, who says vampires all have the same powers?

OTHER VAMPIRES Lady Twilight is hardly the only vampire in the world. Usually in comic books, however, and all too often in movies, there is just one vampire who is an important and interesting character, and any other vampires are just stock monsters who leap out, hiss, and promptly get a stake through the heart. It doesn't have to be that way. As Ann Rice's vampire books suggest, vampires could have personalities and motivations as varied as those of living humans. Why not? They were "breathers" once themselves, and there's no reason all vampires should once have been Central European aristocrats. Even the restrictions placed on their behavior by the curse of undeath allows a wide range of behavior. What follows are a few brief character sketches of some of Lady Twilight's fellow undead. With the examples of Lady Twilight and Stalker, writing them up is easy. They are meant chiefly for inspiration. Author's Note: Since work on Creatures of the Night began, White Wolf has published their VAMPIRE game. VAMPIRE is about as definitive a treatment of vampires as any undead-lover could want. Not only does it give a history and culture for vampires, its supplements provide a flood of vampires with distinctive personalities and powers. Given the character descriptions, translating VAMPIRE NPCs into Hero System terms should not trouble any experienced GM. Lars Bergson: A Norse adventurer who became a vampire nearly a thousand years ago, making him one of the older vampires in the world. Despite the limits placed on his mobility by undeath , his wanderlust never left him. He persevered, and has become one of the greatest travelers and explorers in Earth's history. He shows no sign of getting bored; the world changes fast enough that he always has something new to see. He's even lost his dependence on his native soil; the entire world is his home. Lars has also had a long time to practice his fighting skills. He never developed his mystical powers much, but he is perhaps the most skilled melee fighter in the world, with every European weapon and many of the weapons from other regions. He shapechanges into a wolf. Lars has handled undeath better than most vampires. He lived before existential anguish was invented. Killing to survive was nothing new to him, either. He'd even been a pirate a few times when he was alive. While not sad*stic, or even gratuitously murderous, he can be so coldly, utterly

ruthless and practical he sometimes unnerves even fellow vampires. Lars is tall and athletically built, with a mane of silver-blond hair. He always carries a pair of concealed daggers and usually has a sword of some sort nearby. Veliko Bukar: In life, this "young" vampire was one of the most brutal of the guards at the Croatian death camp at Jasenovac, in Wor1d War Two. Although sometimes he and the other guard killed their Serbian prisoners by lynching them with wire nooses or smashing their heads with mauls, Bukar preferred cutting throats with the sickle-shaped knives designed by the camp's commander just for that purpose. Bukar died near the end of the War as Croatia's fascist government collapsed, but his murderous evil led to his spontaneous revival as a vampire. Bukar likes being a vampire. He likes killing his victims, and he isn't very subtle about it. This has led to his pursuit by vampire hunters as well as the local police wherever he may be, but so far everyone who's tried to stop him has died. He still uses his death-camp knife. This weapon has absorbed an uncanny skill at aiming for the throat. Its aura of evil can be felt even by normal people. Bukar is stocky and strong-looking, with a square head on a short neck. Since the Yugoslav Civil War began, he might have returned to Croatia to help its nationalist, far-right government grab all the land it can. Shirlee: This rabid feminist, who legally removed her family name because it was a relic of patriarchal domination, nevertheless fell prey to a male vampire who thought her conquest highly amusing. Not being especially careful, he unintentionally made her a vampire too. When Shirlee rose again as an undead, she broke free of his domination and quickly arranged his destruction. Once she got over the initial shock, Shirlee decided she liked being a vampire. With her new powers, she didn't have to take any crap from men ever again. Now she's the one with the power. Shirlee preys exclusively on men, especially "establishment" types such as businessmen and politicians. (Note, however, that any man she notices will probably be judged an "establishment type.") She disdains clever seduction games. Instead, she makes her victims do embarrassing, degrading things as though they were puppets on stringspuppets aware of what they are made to do. Shirlee could be recruited to a radical group such as PAGAN (see Eclipse in European Enemies). She herself might try recruiting other hyper-feminists to become vampires. Irwin Smythe: New York's most eccentric playwright specializes in extremely black comedy. A few critics have accused Smythe of ghoulishly exploiting recent tragedies by modeling his plots around them, but what they don't know is that Smythe engineered those local tragedies himself using his vampiric powers. He considers them dress rehearsals for his plays. Smythe was bitten and became a vampire in the mid1920s, when he was a struggling young actor and one of the "lost generation" traumatized by World War One. By now Smythe's view of existence is extraordinarily cynical and nihilistic; he meets everything, from the noblest dreams to the darkest depravity, with the same mocking laugh.

Creatures of the Night

Smythe appears to be a black-haired man in his late 20s or early 30s. He always dresses in black, with a black silk cravat. He cultivates many small eccentricities, such as collecting hats and never riding in cabs driven by bearded men, to obscure his vampiric aversion to sunlight, mirrors, holy symbols and garlic. Tan Kai-Lin: This Chinese scholar became a vampire long ago. He says the actual number of centuries is unimportant, but he claims he learned the I Ching from its creator Lao Tzu, who lived centuries before Christ. Tan is also a Taoist sorcerer "of modest accomplishments," using magic based on I Ching symbols. Tan became a vampire deliberately, to prolong his existence if not his life. He never displays the vampire's characteristic fury or bloodlust, even when stalking prey or killing enemies. In a way, Tan's serenity is worse. As the centuries pass, Tan's ethical justification for his parasitism cycles between great simplicity and great complexity. Right now he's in a simple phase: "All creatures seek their own preservation, and inconveniently my preservation now requires your death." He regards the vast historical changes in the world as insignificant; human nature, he says, has stayed the same. Short and slender, Tan looks like he could be broken in two by a punch from a normal man. Looks are deceiving. His bald, pigtailed head and unlined face give no hint of his age, not even how old he was when he became undead. While he can wear contemporary Western clothes if he has to, he prefers the traditional robes of a Chinese scholar-aristocrat. Charles Torres: This young artist became a vampire only a few months ago. Lady Twilight met him when she hired him to paint her portrait. She liked him and his work so much she decided to make him a vampire too. She thought his artistic soul would find glory and beauty in nocturnal unlife-but instead he is revolted. He wishes he could find the strength of will to destroy himself. Charles has kept up his painting, but the romantic glamour of his previous "Night Scenes" and "Night Portraits" has been replaced with dark, grim visions that have found little critical approval despite their technique. Charles is a handsome, black-haired man of partial Hispanic descent. He's Charles with his Anglo relatives, Carlos around Hispanics.

LAMPLIGHTER Val

Char

Cost

25 24 25 14 23 23 30

STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

15 42 30 8 13 26 20 ·1 20 20 16 0 0 0

8 25 25

5 10 50 40 Cost 72 7u 7u 7u 30 a-27 b-30 c-17

10 10 5 16 10 20 37

Combat Stats OCV:8 DCV:8 ECV: 8 Phases:3,5,8, 10, 12 Costs Char:

209 + Powers: 338 =

Totals:

537

Powers

Base: Di sad:

100 + 437 = 537

END

Soul Powers Multipower (90 pts pool), Visible(-%) 12d6 Mind Control, Nonverbal(+%), 1/2 END 4 3d6 Ego Attack, Selective 16" Radius Area 4 Effect (+1%),112 END Desolidification, not vs. magic, O END+ Invisibility to All Vision, Visible to all w/ Mental Powers [Soulform] 3 EC-Soul Powers 7d6 Mind Scan, +4 ECV, 0 END, Visible [Soul-Orb Searchers] 2d6 Ego Attack, Damage shield vs. Mental Attacks (+%),AP, O END, Persistent [Spiritual Foulness) 1d6+1 major Transform Human to slave, Cumulative, Acts vs. ECV (+1), O END, Linked to Mind Control, Final enslavement is, O Range(-%) [Corrupt and Enslave] Damage Resistance (1O PD/10 ED) Mental Defense (15 pts) Power Defense (5) Life Support: Self-Contained Breathing, Immune to Disease & Aging Clinging Mind Link to soulless slaves, x4 Change Environment to Light, 16" Radius, 0 END [Soul Light] Skills

20 3 4 3 3

Universal Translator 14Conversation 15KS: Dictator Psychology 13Persuasion 15Stealth 14-

100+ Disadvantages 15 15 15 15 10 15 5 5 1O 1O 332

1'hx STUN from Magic Secretive (Com, Strong) Manipulative (Com, Strong) sad*stic (V Com) Hates Mentalists (Com) Susc: 2d6 STUN from Flash Attacks Distinctive Features: Creepy Old Man Watched by current "master" 11- (Less Pow) Hunted by enemies of current "master" 8- (As Pow) Hunted by Supernatural Hero 8· Villain Bonus

Creatures of the Night

B~ckground: In November of 1989, the long dictatorship of N1colae Ceaucescu in Romania fell apart. As part of the revolt, Romania saw its first public super-battle. Ceaucescu's priv?te team of superbeings, the only ones legally allowed to live m that country, was defeated in battle by four heroes who had stayed secret until then. With his band of super-powered lackeys out of the way, the dictator was not difficult to capture. Ceaucescu died before a firing squad. Rumors that the riflemen used silver bullets persist despite denials. Ceaucescu's super-agents are now dead or in jailexcept one. The one code-named Lampagiu ("Lamplighter" or "Lampmaker") vanished without a trace. The files of the secret police told no more than the Lamplighter's surviving teammates. He called himself Ion Pedrescu; nobody knew if that was his real name. His age was unknown, but he looked sixtyish. No one had heard of him before he helped found the state security super-team in 1979. Official requests for information went unanswered. Covert attempts to learn ~bout the Lamplighter resulted in agents disappearing, going mad or killing themselves. New super-team members, whether volunteers or inducted by threat of death, spent a day with the Lamplighter. None ever rebelled or defected. In the final battle, the Lamplighter simply slipped away. The ~amplighter left Romania with deep regrets. The years with Ceaucescu had been sweet. The executions, the dissidents writhing under the electrode's kiss, and ah! the delicate souls of children, slowly plucked by careless transfusions of contaminated blood! He had felt like a child in a

candy store, its dictator-owner inviting him to eat his fill. Where would he find another place so comfortable, so wellsuited to his peculiar talents? The creature smiled as it scanned headlines from the world's leading newspapers. Human nature stayed the same. In Central America perhaps, or the Middle East, or America itself, it would find someone to offer it souls for the power and security it gave. Quote: "I am the Way and the Truth and the Light...You will see that soon enough." Personality: Lamplighter is a sad*stic "psychic vampire" who sees all humans as dupes, slaves or food. Although his powers enable him to control people, he doesn't try becoming a big boss himself. Instead, he finds some evil person who already has a strong power base-dictators are best, but Lamplighter will settle for crime lords, evil corporate CEOs or VIPER Nest Leaders-and becomes that person's helper and advisor. Then he uses the person's organization to collect souls, preferably "harvested" in pain or despair. When justice catches up with Lamplighter's sponsor, he cuts and runs. Powers/Tactics: Lamplighter controls the substance of the human soul. He collects souls taken from people dying in anguish or corrupted by his powers. He's collected hundreds of souls. Normally they are invisible, impalpable and undetectable by normal means. When Lamplighter wants to use them, however, they become fist-sized balls of light. He can send swarms of soul-orbs out to search for people. Soul-orbs travel nearly instantaneously, but Lamplighter can't send them more than about 1 oo km away without losing them. (This is a plot-device restriction, to keep him from attacking heroes from halfway around the world.) He can send soul-orbs crashing into victims, causing pain: the victim feels all the anguish the soul felt in life. With a bit more effort, he can ram a soul-orb into a victim's psyche, forcing the person to do something. Since Lamplighter wants to corrupt people, he usually tries to make victims think their forced actions were really their own idea. Lamplighter can also pull souls from living people to tum them into loyal slaves, but only if he's had a week or so to w~rk on t~e ~ictim and made him or her do several evil things. (Smee this 1s a mental rather than physical change, the Transform acts vs. EGO and Mental Defense instead of BODY and Power Defense.) The slaves all have a Mindlink back to Lamplighter, and he can link with several at once. Slaves also gain 10 pts in both PD and ED (nonresistant). Slaves can only be freed by forcing Lamplighter to relinquish the person's soul. If Lamplighter is knocked out, all souls of still-living people will fly out and head back to their bodies. Finally, Lamplighter can shift to an invisible ghost-like form. This is great for escapes, but he can still be affected by magic, is visible to anyone with Mental Awareness (which means anyone with ego powers) and can't use his soul-orbs to attack without becoming solid and visible again. Appearance: Lamplighter appears to be an elderly man with magnetic black eyes, silver hair fringing a bald pate, and a mocking expression. He dresses plainly, even shabbily, in dark clothes. He likes to carry a black cane topped with a silver skull, but he doesn't need it either for his powers or to walk.

Creatures of the Night

Cost

MRS. MEIGS

4u Val

Char

Cost

20 28 30 20 23 23 40 10 30 30 6 15 60 45

STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

10 54 40 20 13 26 30 0 26 24 22 10 0 0

Combat Stats

OCV: 9 DCV: 9 ECV: 8 Phases:2,4,6,8, 10, 12

30 15 30

275 + Powers: 746 = Total: 1021

Base: Disad:

24 3 20 40 3,3 9,9

100 + 921

1021

Powers

30 a-30

EC-Secret Invulnerability Damage Resistance (20 PD/20 ED), Totally Invisible (+ 1), Hardened + Hardened Defense on Base PD, ED (30 PD/30 ED) 50% Physical & Energy Resistant Damage Reduction Missile Deflection to all Range Attacks, +5 OCV, Totally Invisible Power blocking: Multipower (281 pt pool), Max Range 4" (-1/.s). Only when power actually used (-1/2) 25d6 Dispel vs. Any 1 Enhanced Characteristic(+%), Invisible (+ 1), O END +2d6 major Transform Superhero to Child, Cumulative, Invisible (+1), 1/2 END 4 15d6 Suppress vs. Any 1 Enhanced Characteristic (+1/4), Invisible(+ 1), O END+ 2d6 major Transform Superhero to Child, Cumulative, Invisible(+ 1), 1/2 END 4 25d6 Dispel vs. Any 1 Mutant Power(+%), Invisible ( +1), 0 END+ 2d6 major Transform Superhero to Child, Cumulative, Invisible (+ 1), 1/2 END 4 15d6 Suppress vs. Any 1 Mutant Power(+%), Invisible (+ 1), 0 END+ 2d6 major Transform Superhero to Child, Cumulative, Invisible (+ 1), 1/2 END 4 25d6 Dispel vs. Any 1 Magic Power(+%), Invisible (+1), O END+ 2d6 major Transform Superhero to Child, Cumulative, Invisible (+1), 1/2 END 4 15d6 Suppress vs. Any 1 Magic Power(+%), Invisible (+ 1), 0 END + 2d6 major Transform Super4 hero to Child, Cumulative, Invisible (+ 1), 1/2 END 25d6 Dispel vs. Any 1 Techno Power(+%), Invisible (+ 1), O END + 2d6 major Transform Superhero to Child, Cumulative, Invisible (+1), 1/2 END 4 15d6 Suppress vs. Any 1 Techno Power(+%), Invisible (+ 1), O END + 2d6 major Transform Superhero to Child, Cumulative , Invisible (+1), 1/2 END 4 25d6 Dispel vs. Any 1 Weird Science Power(+%), Invisible (+ 1), 0 END+ 2d6 major Transform Superhero to Child, Cumulative, Invisible (+1), 1/2 END 4 15d6 Suppress vs. Any 1 Weird Science Power (+1/4), O END, Invisible ( + 1), + 2d6 major Transform Superhero to Child, Cumulative, Invisible (+ 1), 1/2 END 4 Multipower (86 pt pool) Summon 1 x 275 pt Mirrorhead, Only after super 8 captured or neutralized (-1) 8d6 Mind Scan, +5 to locate, Invisible (+1/2), 1/2 END, Only people have met personally (-1A) 3 28 STA Telekinesis Indirect (+A), AEND, Only inside house HQ (-1) [Animate House] 4

163 16u 16u

16u 16u 16u 16u 16u 16u 16u 16u 86 4u 4u 4u

1/5"

Danger Sense, any threat 13Fast Draw 15Universal Translator 14Headquarters (200 pt reserve) Acting 17-, Deduction 14Shadowing 14-, KS: Superbeings 14-, Earth 12-

100+ Disadvantages

Cost

b-30 c-30

27" Teleport, x8 Mass, 1/2 END Only in House HQ (-1) 1 Floating Location, 1O Fixed Locations for Teleport in House Mental Defense (25), Invisible (+1/2) Power Defense (10), Invisible (+ 1/2) Full Life Support

END

Skills

Costs Char:

Powers

END

20 25 15 10 5 10 10 15 811

2x STUN & BODY from Chaos Magic Refusal to negotiate or compromise (V Com, Total) Hunting superbeings 14Dislikes disorder (Uncom, Strong) Distinctive Features (no sense of humor) Hunted by agents of rival cosmic entities 8Watched by Urizen 8Secret ID Villain Bonus

Background: Every neighborhood has one: an irascible old woman who didn't age gracefully, living alone, angry when children come on her property, a stickler for manners and everything just so. The local children dislike her as much as she dislikes them. They say she's a witch, even when they know that witches are just make-believe, and invent horrible stories about what happens to kids who fall into her clutches. In Mrs. Meigs' case, the children's dislike is better justified than they can imagine, for Mrs. Meigs is not human! She is an Ordainer, a powerful supernatural being sent by the cosmic entity Urizen the Lawgiver, Prime Avatar of Order, to rid the Earth of all superbeings! Urizen does not like superbeings. Supers are flagrant violators of norms. They command (or are created by) technology which is uniquely advanced. They are sorcerers in a world where sorcery is not the rule. They are mutants, or the victims of one-in-a-trillion accidents. At least, they should be one-in-a-trillion events, but the life of a superbeing is packed with bizarre coincidence. To compound the offense, each super proclaims his or her individuality through gaudy costumes quite outside normal standards of dress. Even supers who profess to serve a state or other institution usually do so outside the institution's normal working order. Whether hero or villain, supers are living advertisem*nts for individualism, free will-anarchy! Yes, Urizen sees the hand of his enemy the Anarch at work on Earth, and he's determined to stop the Anarchatany cost. And so Mrs. Meigs appears, unnoticed by anyone but the children. Patiently she lays her traps. Heroes and villains continue their battles, equally unaware of the terrible Nemesis that stalks them, hobbling on a cane. Quote: "What wild, naughty children you are!" Personality: Mrs. Meigs normally appears to be a cross old woman. Telepathy will find loneliness, bitterness at a life of unfulfilled dreams, and more than a little fear of "young

Creatures of the Night

hooligans," but this is just a mask. Actually she is a cunning, emotionless fanatic. Her only purpose is to lure superbeings into situations where she can neutralize them. Powers/Tactics: Mrs. Meigs' chief power is to make superpowers not work. If she can't shut a power off completely with a Dispel, she will Suppress it down to a fraction of its power. If she gets enough opportunities to negate powers, she can remove all a super's powers and, incidentally, tum him or her into a child. Her chief limitation on her power-negation is that she has to be able to classify the power she negates. She already knows about genetically innate powers (mutants, aliens and people genetically altered), powers gained from exposure to exotic natural phenomena, magic-based and technologybased powers, psionics and trained super-athletes. She can't affect powers that don't fit in categories she knows about. Of course, she will try to learn all she can about people with such powers so she can create a new category which includes them. (She cannot create a category called "unclassifiable"!) It also means that her power negation can be avoided if heroes can somehow fool her about the origins of their powers, or make her think they are different heroes. One common stratagem of hers is to lure supers into her house and then start treating them like children playing make-believe. The more her intended victims try using their powers, the closer they come to becoming children who can't prove they aren't playing make-believe. She has no direct, obvious offensive powers. For any rough stuff, she has Mirrorheads (see below) and her house. Mrs. Meigs' home appears to be a small, elderly, perfectly ordinary house, and in fact that's what it was before she moved in. Most of the original rooms remain, but some doors now open onto a huge, Escher-like maze of rooms, hallways and stairs. Mrs. Meigs can make nearby furniture, the floor, walls, and so on come to life and attack. Although she has no training at normal combat, Mrs. Meigs is physically a lot tougher than she looks. She keeps this secret: if struck while stalking a victim, she will fall down and even seem to be injured-although not seriously. A doctor might find a broken bone-which stops being broken as soon as nobody's watching her. Mrs. Meigs even disguises her mind in case of telepathic probing, and it's a rare telepath who would have the skill and raw power to detect falsehood in the thoughts of this "frightened old woman." Mrs. Meigs' ultimate goal is the permanent elimination of all superbeings from the Earth. To this end she de-powers supers and replaces them with Mirrorhead doubles. Supers turned into children are kept in her house for a few days until their memory of being super-powered adults fades (a de· layed aspect of the Transform that can be overcome through frequent reminders from comrades or, once the amnesia has happened, an EGO roll at -5). Then she sends the "poor lost waifs" to the appropriate social welt are agencies. Each time she neutralizes another super, Mrs. Meigs gets another Mirrorhead. If a given super is simply too powerful to neutralize, she tries using the Mirrorheads as assassins. If all else fails, she might use her servants to try provoking a nuclear war or using some horrible superweapon to destroy the world. All transformations are reversed and all Mirrorheads are dispelled if Mrs. Meigs is "killed." (Actually, of course, she is merely dispelled . She'll be back, or Urizen will send an Ordainer in some other form but with similar powers.) Other

Creatures of the Night

possible methods for returning her victims to super-powered adulthood (without employing powerful Dispels) are: recreate the accident that gave the super his/her powers; kill the Mirrorhead double near the victim; get Avatar or some other cosmic entity to change the victim back using their reality-twisting powers; or undergo a mystical test. Appearance: Mrs. Meigs appears to be a dowdy, grayhaired old lady. Her clothes went out of style around 1950. She never wears pants; only full-length skirts. Her hair is usually in a bun. The only time she shows her true self is when she is dispelled. For a moment before she disappears she changes into a 10' tall, androgynous figure of shining, sterile white, wrapped in a blaze of radiating geometric patterns.

MIRRORHEAD Val

Char

Cost

20 26 20 15 15 15 20 10 20 20 5 10 40 35

STR DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

10 48 20 10 5 10 10 10

Cost 125 40 17 5

16 16 14 4 0 0

Combat Stats OCV:9 DCV: 9 ECV: 5 Phases:3,5,8, 10, 12 Costs Char:

173 + Powers: 212

Totals:

Base: Disad:

385

Powers

275 + 110

385

END

Power Pool (100 pt pool), Only to Mimic Powers & Skills(-%) Must Touch Targets in True Form (-V2) Shape Shift, Any Humanoid ,0 END, Persistent Mental Defense (20) Mind link to Mrs. Meigs

Skills 3

9 5 3 5 100+

20 20 10 5 15 10 5 5 10 10

Acting 13KS: Local Customs 13-, Victim's life 12-, Superbeings 11 Shadowing 12Stealth 14Tracking 13-

Disadvantages 2x STUN & BODY from Chaos Magic Loyal to Mrs. Meigs (Com, Total) Secretive & standoffish (Com) Unappreciative of humor & nonsense (Uncom) Phys Lim: Gains mimicked person's Vulnerability, Susceptibility, Hunteds, etc. Phys Lim: No true emotion, must use Acting Phys Lim: Mute in true form Phys Lim: True form revealed by Chaotic forces Distinctive Features (easily concealed, strong reaction) Villain Bonus

These are Mrs. Meigs' chief agents, used to replace heroes and villains she's captured and neutralized. In their natural form mirrorheads are androgynous humanoids dressed in silvery-gray suits with hair the same shade. Their faces, however, are blank, mirrored orbs. Each mirrorhead starts out with one alternate form, that of the super it replaces. To gain new forms it must resume its natural form and stay within 1 meter of its new victim for a phase (which is probably easy, considering how astonished its victim will be). The more supers a mirrorhead can impersonate, the wider its range of powers, although it can only use the powers appropriate to each form. (1. e. if a mirrorhead has "collected" both Captain Crusader and So Iara, it can use the Captain's strength if it's in his form, or Solara's energy powers in her form, but it can't mix them up.) A Mirrorhead's physical impersonation is virtually perfect; the only mistake they ever make is that sometimes they act left-handed when mimicking a right-handed person, or viceversa. (Luck to notice by chance, PER Roll if character already suspicious.) They aren't quite as good at emulating personalities. Mirrorheads instantly gain knowledge from and about their victims when they take the person's form, but it's never complete. They also have no emotions at all. They try to hide these deficiencies through Acting skill, but they do slip up.

Creatures of the Night

OOZE

COMPASS MEN Val

Char

Cost

20 17 20 10 13 13 15 6 25 25 4 10 40 30

STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

10 21 20 0 3 6 5 -2 21 21 13 4 0 0

Cost 70 7u 7u 4u 8 10 5 15 12 9 5 6

Combat Stats CCV: 6+ DCV: 6 ECV: 4 Phases:3,6, 9, 12 Costs Char:

122 + Powers: 158

Totals:

280

Base: Disad:

Char

Cost

20 18 20 15 10 10 15

STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

10 24 20 10 0 0 5 -5

0(10)

158 + 180

13 13 4 8

280

40 35

9 9 12 0 0 0

Combat Stats CCV: 6+ DCV: 6 ECV: 3 Phases:3,6,9, 12 Costs Char:

94 + Powers: 200

Totals:

294

Base: Disad:

100 + 194 294

END

Cost

Powers

Compass Leg Attacks Multipower (70 pt pool) 21i2d6 (3Y2d6 w/STR) HKA , AP, Y2 END [Slash] 3+ 4d6 Drain vs Any Physical Char (+ 1/4), Recover 1 pt per turn(+%), Y2 END [Jab] 3 8 PD, 8 ED Force Wall over 8 Hexsides, Invisible (+Y2), Y2 END, Can't move wall(-%) Range/area limited by reach (-Y2) [Line] 3 Damage Resistance (8 PD/8 ED) +20 STA, Only to Grab & Hold (-1) Mental Defense (8) 2" Stretching, O END 1/5" +6" Running (12" total) +3 PER Rolls Tracking 13+2 levels w/ Slash/Jab/Grab

30 a-17

EC- Liquescent Body Choke/Strangle: 3d6 EB BODY NND, Does BODY, [Life Support: Self-Contained Breathing or shielded mouth/nose] (+2), Continuous, Y2 END, O Range Must Grab/Hold (-Y2) [Choke/Strangle] 3 75% Resistant Physical, 50% Resistant Energy Damage Reduction Desolidification, 0 END, Only to move through small openings (-1) Shape Shift, anything 0 END, No inorganic forms (-1/4) Damage Resistance (8 PD), Hardened 2 BODY Regeneration per turn Flash defense vs. vision (5) Knockback Resistance (-5") Lack of Weakness (-5) Life Support: Breathe Underwater 2" Stretching 1

Powers

100+ Disadvantages 20 20 20 10 20 90

Val

2x STUN & BODY from Chaos Magic Loyal to Mrs. Meigs (Com, Total) Relentless in pursuit & attack (V Com, Strong) Tries not to seriously injure quarry (Com) Distinctive Features (can't conceal, strong reaction) Villain Bonus

The Compass Men are Mrs. Meigs' household guards. They stay in the secret part of her house she added on herself. Since they would only leave the house in hot pursuit of an important prisoner, they are considered part of Mrs. Meigs' base. They have human heads and torsos, but the torso ends in a metal hemisphere. Instead of legs each Compass Man has a pair of long draftsman's compasses, and they have huge calipers instead of hands. The legs can shorten to bring a Compass Man to normal human height, but usually they stand 1O' high on their spindly metal legs. Their caliper-hands can extend like giant lazy-tongs. They wear white shirts and black jackets, vests, bowler hats and ties. Compass Men attack by snatching with their calipers or jabbing or slashing with their legs. They can cut physically or make fast-healing wounds that affect characteristics directly (a jab in the foot to reduce DEX, a pink in the shoulder affecting STA, running through causing basic STUN loss, etc.) They avoid actual killing attacks against targets. Finally, they can create invisible walls just by scratching a line.

b-30 c-15 d-24 5 20 5 5 5 5 1O

Skills 3 3 2 3 3 3 6 6

Climbing 13Lockpicking 11 • PS: Burglar 11 • Security Systems 11 • Stealth 13Streetwise 12+2 levels w/ Lockpicking/Security Systems/PS: Burglar +3 OCV w/ Grab

100+ Disadvantages 20 10

10 20 8 20 15 15 15 10 15 36

W2x STUN, BODYfrom Explosions hitting directly 1Y2x STUN from Fire "Accidental Change" in extreme emotion 8Berserk when BODY taken (8-/ 11-) "Enraged" by sight of blood (11-/14-) Glory Seeking (V Com, Strong) Greedy (Com, Strong) sad*stic in combat (Com, Strong) Distinctive Features (Easily concealed, causes horror) Hunted, FBI 8Secret ID Villain Bonus

Creatures of the Night

Background: Tom Kerner was a thief. Never mind why; does everything need to have a reason? Tom didn't think so. He was good at taking things from people, and figured that if they couldn't hold onto what was theirs it was their own fault. But then Tom's drinking got him in a traffic accident and he lost his right hand. Tom was not left-handed. So much for his brilliant career. Then Tom read a story in the paper about the local university's research on regeneration. Tom wasn't much of a burglar anymore, but he could hold a gun. It was easy to "persuade" the regeneration project's head to take him to the lab one night. She protested at what he wanted to do; the regeneration formula wasn't ready for testing on mice, let alone humans! She even tried to stop him from using the formula himself, so he shot her and injected himself with the formula anyway. His whole body started tingling. It almost made him forget that he had a corpse to deal with. Then the pain hit. He screamed, clawed at himself, and screamed again as his fingers sank deep into pudding-like flesh. He flailed in agony, knocking over bottles of acids and solvents, and finally lurched out of the lab. By the time he left the build ing, he was crawling. A minute later. it was more of a slither. Behind him, flames consumed the wrecked lab. The pain subsided by morning, and Tom realized he was not the man he used to be. In fact, he was more sort of a

gooey black puddle in a sewer. He did a bit more screaming. When that subsided, he noticed with some surprise that he still had a head. Had he had a head before he'd thought of looking at his body? He tried touch ing his face-a black, slimy hand formed out of his amorphous body. A few minutes later he'd pulled himself into roughly human sh.:i re And was working on restoring his proper human appearance-with a new right hand. Of course he couldn't head for home right away since his clothes were gone, so he spent the day in the sewer exploring his abilities. He decided his new form had interesting possibilities for thievery : all in all, it was rather a stroke of luck! Good thing the pain and shock hadn't driven him mad, Tom thought. He lashed out with a flexible arm, caught an unwary rat, and bit off its head. Quote: "You wanna see something really gross?" Personality: Tom Kerner, or The Unstoppable Ooze as he sometimes calls himself in melodramatic moments, is basically self-centered. If he's able to steal something he deserves to have it; if he can' t steal something he still deserves to have it, and it's other people's fault for keeping it from him. Even the fact that he's a criminal isn't his fault- Society did it to him. Heroes may decide that Kerner belongs in a high chair as much as a jail cell. Kerner takes a childish glee in revolting heroes with his body's abilities, and taunting them while sliding away somewhere they can't follow. If forced into combat he'll keep up a steady stream of insults. He especially hates heroes who are educated and show it, and will single them out for special humiliation of the pulling-the-pants-down variety. Kerner has noticed how he now prefers his food to be living, but has refused to admit to himself that there's anything strange about it. Sometimes he loses control of his appetites and attacks a wounded person, growing a lamprey-like mouth to suck up blood. Powers/Tactics: Ooze lives up to his nickname with a body that can become completely fluid. Aside from letting him slide through pipes and under doors, this makes him very resistant to physical damage. He has no vital organs. He can also use his selective fluidity to wrap around opponents and grab, squeeze or choke them-the latter by actually pouring part of himself into his opponent's mouth and nose to block breathing. A classic bully, Ooze doesn't like facing groups of heroes for long. He's in this for the money, after all. Appearance: Kerner's powers now let him iook however he wants. so he rarely uses his original, rather ordinary-looking 5'7" brown-haired form. Now he prefers to be a muscular 6'3" with TV-Star, generically handsome features and blonde, black or auburn hair as suits his mood . (Yes, he thinks he's God's gift to women, too, and is looking for one who'll let him use his malleable body in, um, imaginative ways.) As Ooze, he is really disgusting-a mass of thick black slime. All he carries on thieving expeditions is a narrow pouch of burglar's tools and folded-up bikini briefs in case he should want to resume human appearance. Even when he looks human, however, Kerner can stretch and warp his body in inhuman ways (although his looks start to slip) .

Creatures of the Night

'REG

JOSEPH OTANGA Val

Char

Cost

45 21 28 13 13 17 30 8 21 17 5 15 56 50

STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

35 33 36 6 3 14 20 -1 12 11 19 0 0 0

Cost 55 6m 6m Sm Sm 4m 1m 3u 30 10 20 20 14

~'GJ

Combat Stats OCV: 7+ DCV: 7+ ECV: 6 Phases:3,5,8, 10, 12 Costs Char:

188

Base:

Powers: 296 = Totals: 384

Disad:

100 + 384 384

Powers

END

Animal Form Multipower (55 pt pool) 2 levels Shrinking (+4 DCV, -4 PER, +6 KB), 0 END 20 pis Growth (1600 kg, +20 STA, +4 BODY, +4 STUN, +1" reach, -3 KB, +2 PER, -2 DCV), 0 END 1d6+1 (2 112d6 w/STR) HKA, Variable Special Effects (+114) [Claw/Bite/Gore) 2 12" Flight 1/5" + 11 • Running (17" total) 1/5" +7" Swimming ( 11" total) 1/5" Transform Other: 2d6 major Transform 5 Cumulative Any Natural Animal (+114), No Range Shape Shift, African animal or hybrid forms, O END Damage Resistance ( 11 PD/9 ED) Regeneration, 2 BODY per turn 50% Physical Damage Reduction UV Vision, Ultrasonic Hearing, +2 PER Rolls Skills

1O 10 35 15 3 3, 3 3 3 3 1 6 6 16

Head of State Rich 32 x 50 pt Elite Guard Followers Headquarters (75 pt reserve) Contact: U.S. State Dept. 12· Stealth 13-, Survival 11 • Tactics 12· Tracking 12· AK: African Jungle 12· Sacrificial Magic 8· Languages: Native Tribal, accented French, English PS: Officer 12·, Dictator 12· +2 levels w/ All Combat

100+ Disadvantages Berserk if BODY taken ( 11 ·/11 ·) Enraged by Insults and Defiance (8·/11 ·) Openly Brutal Secretive about Animal Powers (Com, Strong) Won't Refuse a Fight (Com, Strong) Phys Lim: Lose Animal Powers, some STA if monument not "fed" 15 Susc: 2d6 STUN from Adjustment Power attacks 5 Distinctive Features (lots of scars, breaks things) 15 Rep 11·, Extreme-Brutal petty dictator 1O Hunted by rebel group 115 Hunted by agents of rival nation(s) 8· 10 Public ID 234 Villain Bonus 25 1O 15 15 15 10

Background: It is a matter of public record how Joseph Otanga became President-for-Life of his small West African nation. He started as just another colonel serving the previous President-for-Life. A rival's plotting led to his disgrace and dismissal. He spent the next two years in the jungle with his ancestral tribe, and regained his former position during a bout of intertribal warfare. (His old rival died in the fighting, under circ*mstances which prudent folk do not question.) Otanga was himself now a force to be reckoned with, for he was now super-strong and invulnerable. He soon became the Army's general and the President's second-in-com· mand. A year later, he staged a coup and became President· for-Life himself. What the public accounts don't say is how Otanga got his super-powers. While hiding in the jungle, he found a witchdoctor who seemed to have uncanny powers. Investigation convinced Otanga that the witch-doctor's powers were real, and had something to do witll the ancient ruins where he cured sickness and injury and blessed hunters so the wild beasts could not harm them. So Otanga kidnapped the old witch-doctor and his granddaughter, broke a few fingers, and threatened to do much worse to the child unless the witchdoctor told him how to tap the ruins' power. The witch-doctor gave in. The secret was blood: the witchdoctor sacrificed a chicken at the ruin in exchange for the power to heal a wound or toughen a hunter's skin for a day. If someone was badly hurt and there was still time, a greater sacrifice would give him greater powers to heal. He could also augment a man's strength the same way if some mighty labor needed to be done quickly.

Creatures of the Night

When the old man finished, Otanga seized him and killed him in the proper manner. Then the girl died-Otanga wanted no witnesses. As the blood trickled down the stones, Joseph Otanga felt the power fill him. The rest, as they say, is history. A very bloody history. Quote: "You think you are strong? You have power, but you are squeamish in using it. And that makes you weak. If you oppose me, I will smash you-like this!" Personality: For all that he's a head of state, Joseph OtanQa is basically a thug. He's not stupid, he just sees the world rn terms of what he can grab and how much bashing he'll have to do to make previous owners let go. He often smashes things when he's making threats, or just to emphasize a point. Otanga cultivated friendship with the United States State Department because the U.S. hands out lots. of yummy foreign aid and doesn't seem to pay much attention where 1t goes. He isn't even very subtle in his embezzling ~nd suppression of basic human rights ; in fact, he's downright smug. He's pretty sure that as long as he produces a dead Marxist insurgent every month or so, an~ doesn't get.caught killing any Americans. the aid money will keep flowing and nobody but a few Amnesty International whiners will fuss about how many people he's executing e~ch year. (~e doesn't realize that the fall of Soviet Communism may bring drastic changes to American aid policies.) The only secret Otanga really tries to keep is his dependence on blood sacrifice at tile ruins for his super-powers. By now Otanga's occult link to the site is strong enough that any bloodshed at the site will feed his power, even if he's not there in person. He built the new national prison around the ruins: the firing-squad executions take place on a conc.rete platform built to protect the ruins and hide them from view. PowersfTactics: Joseph Otanga is super-strong and hard to damage; these powers he flaunts. He can also shape-

change into animal forms, gaininQ their abilit~~~· He can ~ven assume "hybrid" forms to combrne the ab1httes of various creatures. Most fearsomely of all, however. he can force other people into animal form. They stay that way until Otanga reverses the change or they "heal back" the BODY of lhe Tran.sformassuming they live that long. Otanga enjoys using th1? po'.""er to "disappear" people, and he does not turn such v1ct1ms rnto animals that can easily defend themselves. He usually reserves this fate for people he hates so much that even sacrificing them isn't cruel enough. Once in a rare "":'hile, he Transforms a trusted soldier into a savage carnivore to murder someone he can't openly kill. While Otanga tries to keep these other powers secret, at least a few other people know of them, and dark rumors have spread. Otanga keeps all these powers for as long as he keeps sacrificing. If a week passes with no human-massed mammal dying at the ruins, Otanga loses his shape-transforming powers and a third of his STR, CON and defenses, but k~e~s the rest for at least a year-plenty of time for a ruthless villain to find a new power source. Otanga is also his country's head of state and commander-in-chief. While his army is limited to "conventional" (i. e. real-world) weaponry, he equips his intensely-loyal personal guard with the highest-caliber weapons he can get. (For gL1ards, use VIPER agents from CHAMP(ONS, equipping them with whatever grenades, assault rifles-maybe with armor-piercing bullets-and other weapons seem appropriate.) Appearance: Joseph Otanga is a large, strong-looking black man with a nose that's obviously been broken once and a scar on his forehead. (Curiously, the large scar remains when he assumes animal form.) He usually dresses in a conventional suit or a military uniform dripping with gold braid and medals.

Creatures of the Night 100+

REVERAND GIL PURDUE

10 10 Val

Char

Cost

STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

O 15 20 10 3 10 20 0 11 9 15 4 0 0

15 20 15 13 15 30 10 13 13

8 40 30 Cost 50 3u 3u 5u 5u 5u 5u

30 6m 6m 6m 6m

4 10

Combat Stats

Costs Char:

117

Base:

100

Disad:

252

+ Powers: 235 Totals:

40 10

Disadvantages 1V2x STUN from Chemical-based attacks Enraged by disrespect for Christian Fundamentalism ( 14-/11-) Megalomaniac (V Com, Total) Hates magic (Com, Strong) Dislikes science and scientists (Com) Susc: 3d6 STUN from Using Cell PK on immune target Susc: 1d6 STUN/turn from Mildly toxic chemicals Reputation 11-, Extreme right-wing televangelist Public ID Villain Bonus

= 352

Cell PK Multipower (62 pt pool), Only vs. organic beings 5d6 BODY + 5d6 STUN Aid, 112 END, Only to starting values (-V2) [Heal Wounds] 2d6 AKA, AP, Penetrating, No Range [Cause Wounds) 3d6 STA Drain, Recover 1 ST A/minute, Ranged [Weaken] 3d6 DEX Drain, Recover 1 DEX/3 minutes, Ranged [Trembling] 5d6 EB ALVO [Power Defense] (Pain) 2d6 STA+ 2d6 DEX Aid, Lose 1 pVturn (+V4), Ranged, Selective 2" Radius (+ 1 V4) [Augment Followers] 3V2d6 minor Transform - Any Humanoid to twisted, demonic form (+V4), Cumulative, No Range [Twist Form) Self-Augmentation Multipower (30 pt pool) +30 STA +10 DEX +3 SPD +10 PD, +10 ED Armor Damage Resistance (4 PD/4 ED) Power Defense (10)

Contortionist 14Interrogation 15Oratory 15Persuasion 15KS: Dominion Theology 13PS: Preacher 13Simulate Death Well-Off Contacts: Corporate head 12-. Government Official 12Followers: 32 x 75 pt Soldiers of the Lord +2 levels w/ Cell PK

Background: "For it says in the Bible that Man is made in the

352

Powers

Skills 7 3 3 3 4 4 3 5 6

25 15 10 15 15 10 10 132

OCV: 5 CCV: 5 ECV: 5 Phases:3,6, 9, 12

END

(-1/.i)

3 6 6 6 6 6 6

image of God; but these scientists, these a-the-istic pokers and prodders. think they can improve on the image o'I God! It's not enough for them to say Man came from the animals, now they want to turn man into an anim al, a laboratory animal for their experiments, to twist the image of God into the image of their own prideful, un-Godly reason!" Reverend Purdue knew America was steeped in wickedness. Drugs, promiscuity, flag burning, abortion, p*rnogra-

Creatures of the Night

phy calling itself art, schools force-feeding children a secular-humanist agenda of atheism. heathenism, one-worldism and evolution-he spoke out against it all, and was not gentle. "The Lord," he said, "does not say to be moderate with the creatu res of Satan." When the new Pan Genetics Corporation lab opened amid controversy, Purdue saw his chance; this could be the issue he could make specially his own, that could raise his ministry to national importance. It worked. It didn't matter how often the Pan Genetics managers protested they only extracted a few genes from human cell cultures and only experimented on mice. Six months after Purdue began his crusade, ten thousand people demonstrated outside the Pan Genetics building, with Purdue at their head. Purdue gave the greatest sermon of his career. on the evil of biologists who would tamper with the Image of God. It was so powerful that his audience stormed the building, sweeping Purdue with them. Not that he minded much. When the riot's tide swept him into a lab, he led the mob in smast1ing the equipment. Shoving the terrified young scientist aside, he seized a tray of liquid· filled flasks and brought it down on the delicate apparatus that pulsed with an unearthly glow .. . When Purdue picked himself up off the floor, he felt very odd. Some of his followers had the scientist up against the wall. The scientist was blubbering. Purdue decided it was time to show a little compassion to the disgusting little wimp. Purdue put l1is hand on the scientist's shoulder and said, "There's no need for this. Accept the Lord Jesus into your heart, turn away-" and he almost turned away himself. The man's features were meltlng like wax, like nothing human, like a-his face had become that of a demon! Most of the rioters fled, but Purdue's faith was strong. He brandished his cross at the demon, who wailed and collapsed, blood streaming from its body. Then Purdue was sick for a while, and he left. Rev. Purdue did some time in jail after that for incitement to riot. but not very much; his lawyers earned their pay. When he got out, a year after the riot, he knew he had received amazing powers from God, and he knew his mission. America was full of wickedness. But not for long. Now he understood the appearance of super-powered villains and so-called l1eroes; the Gospel said there would be signs and wonders in the Last Days. It was his task to prepare the world for the Apocalypse-and maybe, he thought with a shiver of proud humility, to help bring it about. Glory hallelujah. Quote: "You cannot hope to resist the power of Lord. Demon, show yourself!" Personality: Gil Purdue Is a religious fanatic and a megalo· maniac. By itself, "dominion theology"-the argument that laws and government should serve Christian Fundamentalist doctrine-isn't insane, just radical. Purdue, however, doesn't merely want religious control of government anymore. He believes the Book of Revelations in the Bible describes nuclear holocaust, and that this brings about the Second Coming of Christ. Anything that leads to nuclear war is therefore good. If Purdue sees a way to spark a nuclear war directly, he'll take it. but in the meantime he strives to gain greater and greater power in the world: first to spread the Gospel and so increase the number of the faithful who will be saved, and second to push the world closer to the nuclear war that will send everyone else to Hell.

Along t11e way, Purdue is waging total, unconditional war on sinfulness and secular humanism-by which he means everything that isn't actively pro-Christian Fundamentalist. Anyone who disagrees with him is obviously a tool of Satan, and must be dealt with severely. By now this includes most Americans, including most of the "mainstream" Christian denominations. Powers/Tactics: The lab accident gave Purdue powers of cellular psychokinesis-he can psychically affect living tissue in various ways. In addition to "miraculous" healings and causing wounds, he can interfere with people's bodies in debilitating ways or temporarily make them stronger and quicker. He can also use his Cell PK to augment himself in various ways. Finally, he can drastically reshape someone's appearance . While the only limits to the changes he can make are that he can't change a being's basic body structure and he can't change flesh into inorganic substances. in practice he only creates ugly, demonic forms. This is be· cause what he thinks he's doing is revealing a demon that's disguised itself as a human. He only uses his "reveal true form" power on people he already thinks are demons-so that's what they become. The one exception to this rule is his "miracle healings": his power really can cure deformity and make the lame walk ... for a while. Rev. Purdue won't lead his f ollowers in a blatant, "supervillain-style" assault unless he's sure he can thereby trigger Armageddon. In the meantime, he conducts campaigns against institutions he considers "unholy," from p*rno bookstores to university genetics departments. At first he has his Soldiers of the Lord harass the target, escalating into arson and assault, while he publicly denounces the target as demon-possessed. Several times. such campaigns have ended with Purdue publicly "exposing" someone as a de· mon-and the unfortunate person's death in a riot soon after. Some "unbalanced fanatic" goes to jail for the homicide, while Purdue makes pious remarks about abhorring unnecessary violence. Purdue's role in inciting these riots is blatant, but his lawyers and political connections have kept all legal proceedings against him on indefinite hold. Besides, what with the Devil's Advocates and general superbeing strangeness, a lot of people believe Purdue really caught a demon. While Purdue's "miracle healings" are widely publicized, he doesn't advertise his more aggressive powers. Purdue's personal retinue of converts does most of the rough stuff. They carry normal-tech guns and gadgets. They are as fanatical as Purdue himself: whatever they (and he) lack in power, they make up for In motivation. Purdue avoids personal combat; he'd rather orate than fight. On the other hand, anyone who insults his beliefs is marked for vengeance. If it comes to personal combat, Purdue prefers to get opponents busy dealing with his followers. then use his debilitating powers to weaken opponents and set them up for his troops to nail. Captured opponents will be revealed as demons. Appearance: Reverend Gil Purdue is a square-faced man of unremarkable appearance. He's in his early 40s; his brown hair is touched with gray at the temples. He dresses in expensive suits.

Creatures of the Night

RAZOR GIRL Val

Char

Cost

10 21 15 12 13 14 20 12 7 7 4 8 30 35

STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

0 36 10 4 3 8 10 1 5 4 9 4 0 10

Cost 45 4u 4u 4u 5 3 2

Combat Stats OCV: 7+ DCV: 7 ECV:5 Phases: 3,6,9, 12 Costs Char:

104 + Powers: 117 Totals:

Base: DI sad:

= 221

100 + 121 = 221

Powers Mystic Blades Multipower (45 pt pool) 1d6+1 (1Y2d6 w/STA) HKA, AP, Penetrating, Y2 END [Sword) 1d6+1 AKA, AP, Penetrating, Y2 END [Thrown Sword) 1d6 AKA, AP, Penetrating, Autofire (+Y2), Y2 END (Daggers] Mental Defense (8) Power Defense (5 ), Not vs. Transforms (·Y2) + 1" Running (7" total)

END

2+ 2 10 1/5"

Skills 20 3 3 5 3 10 6

Universal Translator 12· Acting 13· Climbing 13KS: Fencing 12-, Demonkind 11PS: Play Head Games 12- (INT-based) +2 levels w/ Mystic Blades +3 OCV w/ Daggers

100+ Disadvantages 20 Berserk when BODY taken (8-/11 ·) 20 Bloodthirsty (V Com, Strong) 15 Phys Lim: Movement, Powers blocked by pentacles 5 Phys Lim: Legal Minor 20 Normal Characteristic Maxima 15 Susc: 1d6 STUN/turn from Holy Symbols/Places 10 Distinctive Features (easily concealed, strong reaction) 15 Secret ID 1 Villain Bonus

Background: Ellie Brown has a demon inside her. Why is that? The demon's reason is simple. Andras, one of Baphomet's Cohort of Wrath, saw a chance to possess a mortal, and took it. Earth is a better place to be than the Netherworld , and a demon clothed in flesh doesn't have to leave when its host is knocked out. A demon may lack its full physical strength when possessing amortal instead of materializing on its own, but it also loses some of its greatest weaknesses. While Andras would have preferred a body that was older, stronger and male, working murderous evil through a little girl has a certain .. . piquancy. Why Elfie should be the one possessed, however, is up to the GM. There are lots of interesting possible reasons. Perhaps Ellie had the demon forced upon her by a cult or sorcerer. Does Demonologist need a surprising assassin? A rescuer in case (unlikely event) he is captured?

Creature.s of the Night

Horrid mystic artifacts sometimes turn up in surprising places. A Satanic talisman or blasphemous statuette, touched by an unwary hand, could have provided a gateway from the Netherworld. If Ellie's family is loveless, venal, or hypocritical, she could be especially susceptible. Kids are easily fascinated by the occult. Maybe Ellie and some friends trierl rt rit11r11 of some sort, not really believing it would work. Or, perhaps the worst possibility: Who says kids are such sweet little innocents? Read the newspaper stories from New York, Los Angeles and other cities where teenagers and even pre-teenagers kill and are killed over tennis shoes, or for bragging of their skill at video games. Maybe Ellie asked the demon in-is not victim, but employer? GMs, take your pick. And make the players wonder which you've chosen! Quote: "Tag-You're dead!" SHLIK! Personality: Andras the Blademaster is a cunning sad*st. He delights in causing mental anguish almost as much as in killing. If summoned for some special purpose he will of course work to fulfill his master's commands, but he'll try to enjoy himself along the way by killing lots of people and generally getting his host in as much trouble as he can before he's forced to leave. If he can hurt his host's family and friends and make them hate the host, so much the better! Being in Ellie's body leads Andras to use all his skills at manipulation. Who would refuse an innocent request from a cute ten-year-old girl? When the forces of justice move in, how jolly to let Ellie speak for herself for a few moments, just enough to remind the heroes there's an innocent life at stake! Andras is having fun. Powersrractics: Andras has the magical power to make razor-sharp blades appear from nowhere. Andras can keep producing blades indefinitely. Once they leave his (or rather Ellie's) hands, however, the blades disappear a few minutes later. These can be wielded hand-to-hand, or thrown. Being magical force rather than true metal. they partly ignore normal defenses. Andras has no intention of fighting fair. He prefers to strike from surprise when victims are least able to fight back. He especially likes to start out with a spray of daggers against a small group of defenseless normals. Appearance: Ellie Brown Is a slightly chubby girl of ten with curly golden hair. In her little pink blouse and skirt, she looks like she stepped right out of a Norman Rockwell painting. At least she would if she didn't sometimes get these peculiar expressions of her face: appraising glances, mirthless reptilian smiles, arrogant sneers. They're gone as fast as they appear, but anyone who's around Ellie for long will notice there's something distinctly odd and nasty about her. If forced out of Ellie, the demon Andras appears like a traditional angel, but his white robe is spattered with filth and he has the head of a crow.

VU LS HOTH Val

Char

Cost

7s·

STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PAE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

33 50 16 20 40 20 -5 27 23 29 30 0 4

21 3S 30• 30 30 30 0 30 30

6 25 70 60* Cost 142 8u 14u 9u

14u 14u

14u 14u Su

45 a-SO b-4S c-4S d-34

e-47

16 7S

Powers

Combat Stats OCV: 7 DCV: -1 • ECV: 10 Phases:2,4, 6, 8, 10, 12 Costs Char:

292 + Powers: 867

= Totals:

1159

Base: Disad:

100 + 1059

1159

•Bonus for Growth added in END

Multipower ( 142 pt pool) Multiple Tentacle Strikes: Autofire to 5 on S5 STA, 0 END on STA & Autofire [Multiple Tentacle Strikesj 5d6 Entangle, DEF 5, 1 Hex Area Effect, No Range Mod (+V2), Indirect (+V2), V2 END [Create Tentacles] 7 2d6+ 1 BODY Transfer to Any Physical Char (+114), Recover 1 BODY/2 minutes (+V2), Ranged, Indirect ( + V2). 1 Hex Area Effecl, No Range Mod Y2 END, Only vs. victims held by Tentacles (·V2) (Lile Drain via Tentacles ] 7 38 STA TK, Indirect (+3A), No Range Mod, Y2 END (Remote Tentacle) 20" Teleport, x4 Noncombat. Use vs. Others [Teleport stops]. Ranged, Y2 END [Remote Grab, Pull Back) 7 22d6 Mental Illusions, V2 END [Mind Crush) 7 10d6 Mind Control, Nonverbal(+'/•), 7 14" Radius Area Effect (+1 lf.t) (Control Mob) 9d6 major Transform Human to Worshipper, No Range, 1 turn Extra Time, Acts vs. EGO instead of BODY [Enslavement) 13 Create Monsters: 400 pt Summon Any Edomite (+ 114), 1 turn Extra Time, Need Human Sacrifices (-V2) [Create Monsters) 14 EC-Body Form & Substance 60 pts Growth (400,000 kg mass, -8 DCV, +8 PER, - 12 KB, +8" reach) O END, Persistent. Always On 7S% Resistant Physical, SO% Resistant Energy Damage Reduction 30 STA TK, Damage Shield, O END [Myriad Clutching Tentacles] 2d6+ 1 BODY Transfer to Any Physical Char ( +V4), Recover 1 BODY/2 Minutes (+Y2), Damage Shield, O END, Only vs. Grabbed victims (-V2) (Life Drain) 1d6 Transform Human to Madman, vs. EGO, Cumulative, O END, Persistent, NND [Must Make EGO Roll), Affects Desolid, Damage Shield, Personal Immunity, 224" (c. V• mile) Radius Area Effect (+2 V•); + 1V2d6 EGO Drain, Recover S EG0/2 Days (+1114), O END, Persistent, NND [Must Make EGO Roll), Affects Desolid, Damage Shield, Personal Immunity, 224" Radius Area Effect ( +2 1/.i ); Always On, 1 Hour Gradual Effect (-2), Ineffective vs. those unaware of Vulshoth's presence (- 1/.i) [Cause Madness) +40 PRE, Offensive Only (-1), Only if target fails Madness EGO Roll (-lf~) 8d6 Mind Scan, +5 ECV, 0 END 0

Creatures of the Nf ght Cost 45 37 15 19 10 30 20 45 35 5

Powers

END

6d6 Telepathy , 0 END Damage Resistance (30 PD/30 ED), Hardened Hardened Defenses (30 PD/30 ED) Mental Defense (25) Power Defense (10) Full Life Support 2 BODY Regeneration per Turn 15" Flight, 0 END 360 Degree Spatial Awareness Extra Limbs KS: Edomile Lore 14-, Occult Geometry 14-

100+ Disadvantages 20 10 15 15

10 20 20 15 15 25 10 15 10 869

1112x STUN & BODY from HeaVFire Attacks 1Yzx STUN & BODY from Radiation Attacks Berserk if BODY taken ( 11-/11-) Berserk if STUN taken (8-/14-) Enraged by attempts to force behavior ( 14-/14-) Megalomania (V Com, Strong) Won't flee confrontation (V Com, Strong) Fear of confinement (Uncom, Total) Vengeful (V Com) Distinctive Features, Can't Conceal, Causes Horror Reputation 8-, Extreme (Cosmic abomination) Hunted by Mysterious Cosmic Powers 112d6 Unluck Villain Horror Bonus

Background: Eons before humanity, beings of mind-numbing power roamed the planes. In the secret lore of cabalism, these Entities are obliquely called the Kings of Edombeings from unstable worlds that existed before the creation of Earth's cosmos. Whatever the truth of the Kings' origin, tor billions of years no other power could stand against them. Not one in a thousand worlds might be visited by a King of Edom in a million years-but where KingsofEdomdid come, they and their servant creatures brought incredible horror and destruction. At last, however, other powers made alliances across the dimensions. Again, only hints and mysterious names survive: the Fire-Bearer, the Lords of the Jeweled Spider, the Angel of Cold Shadow, and suchlike. Even these mighty beings acting together could not destroy all the Kings of Edom, but the surviving Kings were weakened and bound in hidden, empty prison dimensions and barren worlds. Unfortunately, the binding was not complete and the Kings were not entirely forgotten. Some of their servant creatures escaped destruction. Wizards learned how to contact the Kings. A few even made pacts with them, pulling out trickles of a King's power, perhaps receiving a servant monster. in exchange for working to free the Kings. Usually, these wizards had no intention of really helping the Kings of Edom. Usually, these wizards also went mad when the Kings decided they were being used: connections work both ways. But now the Demonologist has contacted Vulshoth, Lord of the Black Tentacles. and Oemonologist is really willing to give Vulshoth power on Earth. He might even find a way to set Vulshoth free-as long as he thinks he can do it without destroying the world. Whether his ability will match his confidence is another matter ... Quote: The Kings of Edom do not speak; instead, Vulshoth communicates by telepathically projecting images directly

into other minds. For instance, an offer to grant power in exchange for service might go something like this: The great Eye hangs in the void where spiders spin webs to catch the stars. You walk towards it unafraid. A huge barred gate blocks your path. An axe appears in your hand. With one blow, you smash the gate. You stand then on a mountain top, the world's masses kneeling at your feet. As the great flying worms swoop and feed the sky cracks apart and falls. A great black hand descends, bearing a galaxy for your crown. as the nations scream your name. Personality: Domineering, of course, but cold and alien. About the only concepts the Kings of Edom share with humanity are power and survival. Ultimately, Vulshoth regards humans-even sorcerers who work to free it-as little more than somewhat useful animals . And animals, of course, must keep their place. Powers/Tactics: The Lord of the Black Tentacles is gigantic, tough and strong. Anyone who comes near it can be attacked by its myriad tentacles, and it drains life-force by touch. It's so hideous that just looking at it for too long can drive one mad. On top of this, it has vast psionic powers. it can teleport, open space-warps to grab at enemies from a distance, make clumps of grasping tentacles erupt from the ground or thin air, force deadly waking dreams on individuals or control groups of weak-willed people. Most grisly of all, it can change captured humans into servant monsters to extend its reign of terror.

Crea t ures of the Night

Fortunately, as long as Vulshoth stays trapped in its shell in a prison dimension, it can only use part of its telepathic powers. Unfortunately, the powers listed here represent a Vulshoth still weak from eons of bondage. Once on an inhabited world, it will begin bloody rituals to restore its full power. And then, once a billion deaths have restored its power to move between dimensions, it will set out to free the other Kings of Edom. That would be bad. Appearance: Vulshoth consists of five huge, ruby-red eyes over a parrot-like beak, emerging from a mass of slimy, greenish-black tentacles. It levitates with total disregard for gravity. Note: Despite bargaining with human sorcerers to gain greater freedom, Vulshoth is not a demon. Demons are embodiments of human evil, with human (if unpleasant) motivations. The Kings of Edom embody the universe's blind unconcern for humanity. It's not that they are malicious, they are just higher up on the food chain. What Demonologist doesn't realize is that to Vulshoth, dickering witl1 humans for power is not much different from a human leading a donkey witli a carrot.

WHISPER Val

Char

Cost

10 14 20 10 18 20 25

STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

0 12 20 0 8 20 15 -1 6 4 6 0 0 0

8 8 8 3 6 40 25

Combat Stats OCV: 5 OCV: 5 ECV: 7 Phases: 4,8, 12 Costs Char:

90 + Powers: 304

Totals:

394

Base: Oisad:

100 + 294

= 394

Cost

Powers

40 a-40 b-27

EC-Shadow Form Powers Desolidification, not vs. magic, O END, Persistent 5d6 Telepathy, Usable while desolid (+2}, \.7 END, Only while desolid (-\.7). No Range 4 8d6 Mental Illusions, Usable while desolid, 'It ENO, Only while desolid, No Range 6 Clinging, Usable while Desolid, o END, Persistent, Only while desolid, Only to stick to victim (-1) 4 levels Shrinking. o END. Persistent. Only while desolid, Only to eliminate mass (-1) 75% Resistant Physical. 50% Resistant Energy Damage Reduction, Only while desolid Shape Shift to Shadow Form, 0 END, Persistent, Only/always while desolid Full Life Support, Only while desolid Damage Resistance (8 PD/8 ED) Mental Defense (14)

c-45 d-16 e-16 d-27 13 20 8 10

END

Skills 7, 7 3, 7 5 3 10 100+ 20 15 15 15 15 10 10 10 184

Disguise 13-, Mimicry 13Persuasion 13-, Shadowing 13Stealth 13Science: Psychology 12+2 levels w/ DCV

Disadvantages Cowardice when detected (Com, Total) Secretive (Com. Strong) Manipulative (Com, Strong) Phys Lim: Forced off victim by surrounding victim with light Susc: 1d6 STUN/phase from Magical restraint of victim Distinctive Features, easily concealed, causes fear Hunted by Detective or Psychologist Hero 82d6 Unluck Villain Bonus

Background: Actually, there isn't one. Nobody knows where Whisper came from, or how he came by his strange powers. Nobody's even quite sure when he established himself as one of the world's most expensive criminal "arrangers." Is Whisper a demon? A human transformed by blasphemous enchantment or bizarre super-science? A ghost somehow able to seem solid and alive? Mutant? Something humans don't have a word for yet? Only Whisper knows, and he's not telling. Ever.

Creatures of the Night

Quote: Do you feel it? Hidden hate whispered behind your back, significant glances like cold kitten claws touching your spine ... On the job, Whisper doesn't openly speak to his victims. Instead, he uses his powers to create hallucinatory voices, the sort crazy people hear, or to directly implant ideas in his victim's mind. If discovered, he tries to escape without divulging any information. Personality: Whisper takes cold amusem*nt from driving his victims into madness or death. He never tells anyone anything if he can help it. He wouldn't lift a finger to save another person's life, just watch them die with a slight, sardonic smile on his face. The only chink in his armor of secr~cy is his artistic pride; he can't resist signing his work by leaving locked-room mysteries, prompting victims to leave lunatic notes about things whispering in their brain before he arranges their "accidental" death, and so on. Whenever he commits a burglary or gets someone out of the way, he wants others to know that something bizarre has happened that they can't explain. Powers/Tactics: Whisper can turn himself into a living shadow. In this form he can usurp a victim's real shadow and start playing mind games. At first he keeps his illusions and telepathic promptings small, so the victim doesn't immediately think of hallucinations. Soon the victim will notice that family and friends are acting odd. They will be thinking the same about the victim. The victim will start getting strange ideas, hearing voices, seeing friends quickly put away knives and books about poison; paranoia is one of Whisper's favorite games. By the time Whisper is done, there will be plenty of people convinced the victim was losing his mindincluding the victim . Whisper's endgame depends on his goal, or rather the goal of whoever's hired him . Simply cau sing a "nervous breakdown" to get a person out of the way requires nothing more than the above. If Whisper's been hired to make somebody do something. he brings his victim to the edge of breakdown but prompts them that all will be better if they sell the company, defect to a certain nation, etc. If Whisper's out to kill someone in an "accident," he uses Mental Illusions to lead the victim into the accident. For instance, he might make the victim swerve his car on the freeway to avoid an illusory obstacle and crash, or step in front of an oncoming truck she doesn't see. For more

complex cases, Whisper might drive the victim into complete paranoia and then prompt him to murder a supposed "enemy." If Whisper has been assigned to steal something, he will get near the object by riding people's shadows, turn solid to steal it, then resume shadow form and ride a policeman's shadow out. By the time he does the actual theft, there will be a person known to be mentally unbalanced and obsessed with the stolen article. Whisper may even manage to plant evidence incriminating his victim. Once Whisper is possessing a victim's shadow, he can go wherever the victim's shadow goes. In the case of superheroes, this means that Whisper sticks to his victim regardless of any movement powers his victim might have. Even teleportatlon won't ditch Whisper: his effective mass is less than the victim's own clothes, and he rides along just like the victim's clothes do. Whisper tries to stay unnoticed, but sometimes he slips up and looks like his own shadow instead of the victim's. {Essentially, now and then the GM should pit Whispers Disguise skill against the PER roll of the victim or somebody nearby. If Whisper loses, somebody notices something wrong with the victim's shadow. Whisper's Unluck can also cause him to slip up.) If detected, Whisper can be forcibly evicted from the victim's shadow by using attacks which affect desolid, magic or by completely surrounding the victim with light so that no shadows of any sort are possible. The last is best, because it forces Whisper back into solid form . In this form, he is easily beaten up and captured. Holding him, however, is another matter! Appearance: In solid form, Whisper stands 5'7" and weighs 170 lbs, with a long, unlined, clean-shaven face. His age could be anything from 30 to 60; his wavy, neatly-combed hair Is white. or maybe just ash-blonde. He dresses in conservative three-piece suits. His natural shadow form is just that, the shadow of a man in a suit cast on the floor or wall. When he possesses other people's shadows, he tries to hide inside their shadow's form, but when he's working he sometimes forgets. In solid form. Whisper is notable only for not having a shadow of his own; conversely, when roaming as a shadow he might be noticed because there's nobody casting him.

Creatures of the Night

Demons are spiritual entities embodying evil and what people fear. Every human culture has its own demons, but the ones presented below are more or less based on the Judeo-Christian demons of Western Mainstream Occultism. According to the grimoires, demon kind is dominated by a small horde of demon lords with distinctive forms and powers. These demon lords form a vast hierarchy, usually conceived as a military command or as a hybrid, semi-feudal bureaucracy with Presidents and Chancellors as well as Kings, Dukes, Marquises and Earls. There is absolutely no need for GMs to develop a consistent demonology; there's abundant precedence in the comics for inventing whatever demons fit the needs of the story. If GMs want to crib demons from ceremonial magic, that's fine, but as the examples given should show, one has to do a fair bit of work to flesh out the grimoires' sketchy outlines into characters with powers. All demons have certain features in common. They are immortal. immune to disease, and only seem to breathe. Their minds are so totally fixed on evil that it's hard for mental powers to punch through. Theirectoplasmic form also makes them resistant to Drains and other adjustment attacks; the greater demons are resistant to Transforms as well. In fact, their nonphysical nature makes them generally more resis· tant to damage than they look. Holy symbols and places cause them harm. but only in the hands of a sincere believer. (An atheistic materialist who

picks up a cross to hold back a demon is not going to fool the demon long. He'd do better to brandish a copy of the Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, which at least is dedicated to truth.) Being struck by a holy symbol also weakens a demon's will. Most demons are also vulnerable to coercion from the sorcerer who summoned them; the great lords do not share this weakness. All demons can be balked by certain magic diagrams such as the pentagram; once inside a pentagram a demon can't get out until the diagram is marred, and can't even use its powers on things outside the pentagram or on the pentagram itself-at least not directly. A demon could, for instance, blast the ceiling overhead in hopes that some of the wreckage would fall across the pentagram's lines and set it free. A demon outside a magic diagram also can't affect anyone inside. Demons aren't really supposed to appear on Earth on solid form, so if their self-awareness is violently broken they instantly vanish back to the Netherworld. Finally, demons are all thoroughly vile. Human pain and degradation is their art. It is a rare demon that will have anything approaching "good points." Against demons, one can cheerfully use unrestrained lethal force. Or can one? Anger is a sin, after all, and some demons are terribly subtle about leading good people into evil ways ...

Creatures of the Night

100+ Disadvantages

MEPHISTOPHELES

Val

Char

Cost

23 20 25 15 23 28 30 10 30 30 3 10 50 40

STA DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

13 30 30 10 13 36 20 0 25 25 0 0 0 0

Cost

Powers

Combat Stats OCV:7 DCV:7 ECV: 9 Phases:4, 8, 12 Costs Char:

202 + Powers: 443 = Totals: 645

Base: Disad:

100 + 545

645

END

180 18u

Demon Magic Multipower (180 pt pool} 12d6 Mind Scan, + 15 ECV, Transdimensional to Earth (+Y2), Invisible to Mental Senses (+Y2), 0 END 18u 12d6 Mental Illusions, Invisible to Mental Senses, O END,12" Radius Area Effect 7u 6d6 major Transform: Any Power, Status, Possession, Etc. {+1 }, Only on Willing Target (-1), No Range (Grant Wishes) 18 1/10" 6u 21" Teleport. Y2 END. 2 Floating Locations 6u Extra-Dimensional Movement: Earth-Netherworld, 3 x64 mass, Y2 END 4u Extra-Dimensional Movement: To Netherworld, Use vs. Others x16 Mass (+2), Only vs. Pacters (-Y2} 6 40 4d6 Telepathy; Transdimensional to Earth, Invisible to Mental Senses 4 25 Damage Resistance (20 PD/20 ED) Hardened 15 Hardened Defense on base PD, ED 14 Mental Defense (20) 10 Power Defense {10) 30 Full Life Support 1O Instant Change, any clothes Skills 20 15 7 3 3 9 3

Universal Translator 14· Perk: King of This World Disguise 13· Oratory 15· Persuasion 15KS: Demon kind, Human Desires, Human Power Brokers 14- each (INT-Based} PS: Contract Lawyer 14- (INT-Based)

2x Effect from, PRE Attacks After Struck w/ Holy Symbol 10 1Y2x Effect from PRE Attacks/Bindings from Summoner 40 Susc: 2d6 STUN+ BODY/turn from Contact w/Holy Symbol/Place 20 Phys Lim: Dispelled if Stunned/Unconscious/O BODY 20 Phys Lim: Dispelled if Contract Beaten, Can't Harm Contractor 15 Phys Lim: Movement, Powers Blocked by Pentacles 15 Distinctive Features, Easily Concealed, Cause Terror: Arch· Demon 25 Truthful in Word but Treacherous in Spirit (V Com, Total) 25 Can't Force Anything on Anyone (V Com, Total) 15 Avoids Combat (Com, Strong) 10 Accidental Change 11 ·if Lose Temper 20 Rep 14-, Bad: The Devil 5 Rivalry: Other Demon Kings 300 Villain Bonus

Creatures of the Night

Mephistopheles, a.k.a. the Prince of Lies, the Tempter, the Archfiend, Old Nick, Old Harry, Old Scratch. etc. etc. is one of the most powerful of demon lords. His write-up only describes Mephistopheles' most commonly-used powers; in many ways, the Prince of Lies is a walking plot device. In his own form, Mephistopheles is "The Devil": reddish skin, horrn:;, h

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