Ayre (Icons Writeup)

Posted on by Barry Reese

Ayre
aka Baron Cotter

Prowess 4
Coordination 4
Strength 5
Intellect 3
Awareness 4
Willpower 3

Stamina 8

Powers
Ayre can transform himself into an alemental body. In his normal form, reduce all attributes to 3 and Stamina to 6.

*Detection (Pollution) 7
*Element Control (Air) 7 (Extras: Blast, Flight)

Specialties
Aerial Combat, Science

Qualities
*Champion of Mother Nature
*Egotistical
*Ladies Man

Background

The Urth 4 series featured the adventures of a team of elementals created when Ms. Mystic was injured and called upon the Earth to help her. In response, the Earth gives Dwight Good, Kelly Kane, Baron Cotter, and Dennis Swan the powers of the four elements. At first calling themselves the Elementalists, they later choose the name Urth 4. The members of Urth 4 are Fyre, Watr, Ayre, and Urth. Urth 4 are charged by the Earth to protect the environment from those who would harm it. The stories in their four issue series had Urth 4 facing off against strip mining companies, a garbage monster, and pollution from an automobile plant.

Ayre is possibly the most unlikeable member of the team – he’s arrogant, makes inappropriate jokes, and considers himself to be a ladies’ man. Baron is the first to call out Urth when he feel that Dwight is taking himself too seriously.

Urth (Icons Writeup)

Posted on by Barry Reese

Urth
aka Dwight Godd

Prowess 5
Coordination 3
Strength 8
Intellect 3
Awareness 5
Willpower 4

Stamina 12

Powers
Urth can transform himself into an alemental body. In his normal form, reduce all attributes to 3 and Stamina to 6.

*Detection (Pollution) 7
*Element Control (Earth) 8 (Extras: Damage Resistance, Blast, Flight, Burrowing)

Specialties
Leadership, Science

Qualities
*Champion of Mother Nature
*Slowly losing his humanity
*Devoted husband and father

Background

The Urth 4 series featured the adventures of a team of elementals created when Ms. Mystic was injured and called upon the Earth to help her. In response, the Earth gives Dwight Good, Kelly Kane, Baron Cotter, and Dennis Swan the powers of the four elements. At first calling themselves the Elementalists, they later choose the name Urth 4. The members of Urth 4 are Fyre, Watr, Ayre, and Urth. Urth 4 are charged by the Earth to protect the environment from those who would harm it. The stories in their four issue series had Urth 4 facing off against strip mining companies, a garbage monster, and pollution from an automobile plant.

Urth has a different personality when in his superhero form – he speaks in old-fashioned language (“‘Tis a tragedy that befalls us!”) and seems to be losing his humanity as time passes. He is said to be the most powerful member of the team and often takes the lead in the field.

Dark Angel (Icons Writeup)

Posted on by Barry Reese

Dark Angel
aka Shevaun Haldane

Prowess 4
Coordination 4
Strength 3
Intellect 6
Awareness 4
Willpower 7

Stamina 10

Powers
1. Shevaun’s costume is actually part of the Fabric of the Universe. It is bonded to her on a molecular level and may not be removed, however she is able to store it in a pocket dimension and call it to her when needed. The costume has become a part of her and grants her the following powers:
*Flight 8
*Phasing 7
*Telepathy 7 (Extra: Mental Blast)
*Mystic Blasts 8 (Extra: These bolts ignore body armor but not force fields)
*Force Field 7
*Cosmic Awareness 10
*Dimensional Travel 8 (Extra: Thanks to her experience in doing so, she may access the Realm of Dead Superheroes automatically)
*Time Control – Travel 10 (Limit: Tiring)
*Absorption – Magical Energy 7 (Limit: Energy absorbed in this fashion is actually sent through the void which is her costume and arrives in a sub-dimension contained therein. She tries to avoid doing this too often as it can cause harm to the sentient races that live in the sub-dimension)

2. Armor – Comprised of a number of metallic devices which are attached to the Fabric that she wears, the armor provides no additional defensive bonuses. It does, however, help regulate her power flow and prevents her from accidentally using too much energy. Towards the end of the series, Shevaun dispensed with wearing the armor at all, preferring to trust her own instincts when using her powers. Without the armor, all powers gain the Limit: Burnout.

3. Graviton Phase Blaster – Blast 9, Time Control 8 (Can speed up time for a target or slow it down)

4. Gadgets 5

Specialties
Mental Resistance (+1 bonus), Occult – Hi-Tech Mysticism (Expert +2 bonus), Science (+1 bonus), Technology (Expert +2 bonus), Weapons – Guns (+1 bonus)

Qualities
Hunted by Mys-Tech
Earth’s Mistress of Hi-Tech Mysticism
Can call upon the Realm of Dead Superheroes for help

Background

Daughter of Mys-Tech board member Ranulph Haldane, Shevaun found herself orphaned after her father was killed by the demon Mephisto, who had granted Ranulph and the other Mys-Tech board members immortality in exchange for meeting certain quotas with regards to souls sent to Hell. When Ranulph attempted to circumvent this agreement, Mephisto slew the man while Shevaun watched from afar.

As the Chief Researcher for Mys-Tech, and the most accomplished Techno-Wizard on the board, Ranulph made sure that his daughter’s education in the art of Hi-Tech Mysticism was second to none. Though he kept secret from her the details of Mys-Tech’s connections to Shevaun, she felt responsible for the evil her father and his friends committed and swore that she would see Mys-Tech destroyed.

This vow was made possible by the intervention of a being known as Dark Angel, the Angel of Death. This being appeared before Shevaun and donated a fragment of the Fabric of the Universe, which attached itself to her flesh and became her costume. Contact with such a powerful element of the universe opened her mind to new possibilities and granted her enormous cosmic powers. As Hell’s Angel, Shevaun battled the forces of Mys-Tech for many months, gaining tutelage under Prof. Xavier’s X-Men and forming a close friendship with Betsy Braddock. She frequently adventured alongside a Guide from the spirit realm at this time and spent a good deal going to and from the Realm of Dead Superheroes where she sometimes gained aid.

Eventually, Shevaun came to the conclusion that Dark Angel had manipulated her and not told her certain details of her powers intentionally. As a result, she abandoned the name he had given her (Hell’s Angel) and chose Dark Angel instead. Why she’d choose the Angel of Death’s name as her own when she was, in fact, angry at the being is open to debate – the real life explanation, however is a bit easier to understand: Marvel Comics was threatened with a lawsuit from the Hell’s Angels motorcycle organization and they elected to simply rename Shevaun.

Regardless, Shevaun aided several other heroes in defeating Mys-Tech during the so-called Mys-Tech Wars and then proceeded to aid Death’s Head II in repelling the destruction of Earth. She still lives in her father’s castle in Darkmoor, England and continues to protect the Earth from threats both magical and technological.

Blackwing (Icons Writeup)

Posted on by Barry Reese

Blackwing
aka Charley Bullock

Prowess 5
Coordination 4
Strength 4
Intellect 5
Awareness 4
Willpower 4

Stamina 8

Powers
*Costume – Damage Resistance 2, Gliding 4
*Utility Belt – Gadgets 3

Specialties
Aerial Combat (+1 bonus), Athletics (+1 bonus), Investigation (+1 bonus), Law (Expert +2 bonus), Martial Arts (Expert +2 bonus), Stealth (+1 bonus), Technology (+1 bonus)

Qualities
*Wants to inspire others
*Trained by Wildcat

Background

This DC Comics character appeared in 1981, and was seen but briefly. He existed on Earth-Two.This means that in his world, Batman had been a Golden Age  hero who had since grown old and retired. His daughter the Huntress (Helena Wayne) had succeeded Bruce as a vigilante.

This continuity ceased to exist with the Crisis on Infinite Earths but it could be intriguing to have another version of Blackwing exist somewhere in the multiverse.

Charley Bullock grew up as a kid on the streets of Gotham City. He was searching for a direction in life in a city where the Batman was seemingly everywhere. During his teenage years, he met Ted “Wildcat” Grant, and the two subdued some local troublemakers.

Ted, as is usual for him, invited Charley to join him at his new gym, and became his unofficial mentor. This, along with growing up watching the exploits of Gotham’s premier crime fighter in his early years, greatly impressed young Charley.

These influences gave Charley’s life a purpose : helping the less fortunate. The clincher came when Charley defended a local store owner from some extorting thugs. When the owner asked Charley what could be done, particularly without Batman, it all clicked for the young man.

Attending law school, he was soon accepted as a junior partner (and top-notch researcher) to the law firm of Cranston, Grayson and Wayne. Here, he met Helena Wayne and, soon, would come into contact with the Huntress.

When the criminal named Karnage broke into the office, looking for Charley’s boss Arthur Cranston, this motivated him to pursue even loftier goals. When a shopkeeper that Charley knew was attacked by gang members of the crime boss named the Boa, Charley proceeded to make a costume and a whole new life as the costumed crusader known as Blackwing.

Unfortunately, his first (and only recorded) case proved unsuccessful. One thug ripped his glider harness with his belt and Bullock was taken captive by the Boa’s gang. However, he later freed the Huntress from the deadly embrace of one of Boa’s snakes, and had the presence of mind to record evidence that could be used against the Boa and his men.

Motormouth (Icons Writeup)

Posted on by Barry Reese

MOTORMOUTH
AKA Harley Davis

Prowess 3
Coordination 4
Strength 3
Intellect 3
Awareness 4
Willpower 4

Stamina 7

Powers
*MOPED technology: Dimensional Travel 8, Energy Detection 4, Danger Sense 4
*Sonic Scream – Blast 7 (Extra: By humming at a low pitch, Motormouth can use ultrasound to see through solid objects)

Specialties
Athletics (+1 bonus), Sleight of Hand (+1 bonus), Stealth (+1 bonus)

Qualities
*”#$&* you!”
*Best friends with Killpower
*Mys-Tech Sucks!

Background

Harley was orphaned at age 11 and grew up as part of a gang that lived in the East End of London. They lived by foraging and stealing what they needed to survive. Her incredibly foul language earned her the nick-name Motormouth. When she was seventeen Harley was discovered by Laarson, an agent of Mys-Tech, the shadowy organisation. Harley was a candidate for his M.O.P.E.D (Mind Operated PErsonal Dematerialization) technology. This allowed people to jump between alternate realities. The MOPED unit was disguised as the pair of training shoes, which Harley found and tried on.

At the same time, Laarson was being executed by Mys-Tech’s Techno-Wizards and agents were sent to find the MOPED units. In order to save her and the units, Laarson’s subordinates activated the technology and sent her to another universe.

While still on the run from Mys-Tech, Harley was sent to a future where the world was covered in shopping malls. It was here she purchased a Soni-Muta 500 Unit, a microchip that allowed her to mentally tune into any radio station she wanted. This would later give her her sonic scream. Harley returned to her own universe and was capture and put to work by Mys-Tech. She escaped after a mission to Tokyo, Japan. She had to make a random jump and ended up on a planet named Tekron. Killpower, an agent of Mys-Tech was sent to find her.

Unable to escape him, Harley reasoned with the agent instead. Mentally little more than a small child, Killpower was intrigued by Harley and has since been her partner. Harley was then badly injured on Tekron when a stray bullet hit her in the throat, Killpower used her Soni-Muta 500 and the MOPED technology to cure her. This not only gave her the aforementioned sonic scream, she could now travel between universes without the aid of technology. Killpower joined her in fleeing from Mys-Tech.

Death’s Head was hired by Mys-Tech to retrieve Killpower; while the two fought, Motormouth and Tuck, Death’s Head partner, went on a shopping spree on an alien planet. Motormouth and Killpower later planned an attack on Tyburn, a powerful Mys-Tech agent. Harley was able to steal their MOPED unit and nuetralize the tracking devices Mys-Tech had implanted in the duo. Tyburn survived the attack.

When Death’s Head slew the Techno-Wizards, the entire world became threatened. Motormoth was one of the six surrogates who repaired the damage done and restored the wizards. The others who took part in this were mostly powerful mystics such as Doctor Strange; Harley was part of it ‘because they needed six’ and had little part in the actual events. Killpower had been an essential part in the fight against Mys-Tech but did not remember it due to the nature of the events.

Both Motormouth and Killpower were recruited by the Time Guardian to help stop a war on the planet Eopia. The war had been caused by Tyburn and Mys-Tech agents had infiltrated both sides of the war. Motormouth was instrumental in stopping a powerful Mys-Tech agent called Collapser who had captured Killpower, her extra-sensory vision allowed her to see microfractures in his torso which in turn allowed Death’s Head to smash him.

Motormouth and Killpower later met the Hulk. The Hulk literally fell onto their dinner table after a confrontation with the villain Madman. Killpower and Hulk briefly fought, Harley’s foul language was overwhelmed and Madman kidnapped Prince Charles and dropped him off the Big Ben tower.

In the ensuing battle, which involved saving Charles from harm, Harley accidentally knocked down London Bridge. Madman escaped.

Motormouth and Killpower came under the attention of Nigel Orpington-Smythe, leader of the R.C.X. Security footage stills of the two, plus other Marvel UK heroes were shown to Captain Britain as an example of the lawless vigilantism that Smythe sought to control. R.C.X was neutralized before they became a threat to Harley.

Motormouth, like all British super-heroes, was drafted into MI13 during the Skrull invasion of Britain. When Dracula launched an assault on England, Motormouth was injured trying to defend the father of Faiza Hussain.

Stilt-Man (Icons Writeup)

Posted on by Barry Reese

Stilt-Man
aka Wilbur Day

Prowess 4
Coordination 4
Strength 4
Intellect 5
Awareness 4
Willpower 3

Stamina 7

Powers
All of Stilt-Man’s powers come from his battlesuit and related weaponry. Without it, his Strength falls to 3 and his Stamina is reduced to 6. His suit provides the following abilities:

* Damage Resistance 6
* Life Support 1 (internal oxygen supply)
* Growth 5 (Limit: legs only; -1 to defense and tests to hide; +1 bonus to intimidation attempts against smaller opponents)
*Resistance – Binding 9 (Stilt-Man’s armor is protected by an industrial silicone covering with prevents Spider-Man’s webbing or any other adhesives from sticking to it)
*Stun Gas 6
*Kick Attack 7

Note: Stilt-Man’s greatest success came when he nearly defeated Thor using a suit of armor enhanced with secondary adamantium. That set of armor had all the same abilities as above but the Damage Resistance was 8 and Stilt-Man’s Kick Attack was an 8.

Specialties
Technology (Expert + 2 bonus), Aerial/High Elevation Combat (Expert +2 bonus)

Qualities
“I defeated Thor once! I’m serious!”
Considers himself one of DD’s arch-enemies
Would-be crimelord

Background
Most of this comes from Marvel.com:

Wilbur Day was a scientist at Kaxton Labs who stole designs for a hydraulic ramming device from his company out of frustration of his position in his job. He soon invented a battlesuit and tried his hand at petty villainy– looting stores and robbing pedestrians. Later on, he tried suing the company, with Matt Murdock as his attorney, claiming legal ownership of Kaxton’s original design and going so far as to accuse Kaxton of being the Stilt-Man. Eventually, Day was discovered to actually be Stilt-Man. Day, wearing the stilts but not the rest of his armored suit, used an experimental molecular condenser gun, based on another idea of Kaxton’s, to attempt to eliminate Daredevil. But in battling Daredevil, Day himself was struck by the molecular condenser’s ray and shrank seemingly into nothingness.

In fact, when the ray had condensed his matter to a certain point, Day was transported into a limbo-like “microverse”. Months later, Day and his stilts reappeared on Earth at their full size.

Constantly re-modifying and improving upon his original stilts and the rest of his battlesuit, the Stilt-Man has fought against the likes of Daredevil, Spider-Man, and Captain America. When given a special duplicate of his suit forged from secondary adamantium by Blastaar, the Stilt-Man even dared to challenge the thunder god Thor. After Thor defeated the Stilt-Man, Day’s Adamantium suit was confiscated and melted down. Day later recovered his own modified Stilt-Man battlesuit.

Subsequently, an incompetent small-time hood named Turk stole Day’s Stilt-Man suit. Turk began using the Stilt-Man suit himself, but Day told Daredevil how to defeat Turk by manipulating the gyroscopes that keep the battlesuit balanced. Turk proved inept at manipulating the stilts, bungled an attempt to kidnap Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Maxine Lavender, and was caught by Daredevil.

Day decided that after this humiliating episode, he had to do something dramatic to regain his reputation as a formidable criminal. Day broke into a Cordco factory and used its automated devices to construct an improved battlesuit within a remarkably short time. Spider-Man learned of the break-in and tackled the Stilt-Man. But when Spider-Man saw that a sonic disruptor Day had activated was about to blast Day himself, Spider-Man took the blast himself to save Day’s life. Moved by Spider-Man’s sacrifice for an enemy, the Stilt-Man gratefully took the unconscious crimefighter to safety, and then left the factory.

The Stilt-Man has often returned to crime, only to be defeated time and again. He once joined fellow villains Owl and Gladiator in an attempt to form a formidable team to take over the operations of the Kingpin, but were defeated by Spider-Man and Daredevil when they were betrayed by their teammate Copperhead to a demonic entity.

The Kingpin’s wife, Vanessa Fisk, offered Day a portion of the criminal empire once owned by the Kingpin, as the crime lord was believed to have died at the time. Day controlled the portion only briefly, as the Owl tried to capture the empire for his own and Day became convinced he should give up his costumed identity and life of crime. He hoped to confess to Matt Murdock, whose secret identity of Daredevil was leaked to the world, but Murdock denied any knowledge of who Day was, and Day left.

The Stilt-Man is one of my favorite “lame” villains – I actually think you could tell some good stories with him as one of the lead villains but from a roleplaying game standpoint, he’s a loser villain that can give lower-level heroes a surprisingly tough time!

The Torch (Icons Writeup)

Posted on by Barry Reese

The Torch
aka August Hauff

Prowess 2
Coordination 3
Strength 3
Intellect 6
Awareness 3
Willpower 3

Stamina 6

Powers
*Fire Control 7
*Protective Suit – Damage Resistance 3, Life Support (oxygen) 1, Blast (flame) 7 (Limit: Without the suit, the Torch’s body ignites with contact to the air)

Specialties
Science (Expert +2 bonus)

Qualities
*Nazi Super-Agent
*Touchy about his appearance
*Cruel

Background

August Hauff was a famous German scientist whose body chemistry was altered to the point that exposure to the air caused his body to burst into flame. He had to wear a protective suit that could also project fire – which he could then control via his mind. The Torch was sent after Mr. Death when Otto Luther went rogue and the two of them embarked on a scheme to capture the Eye of Cagliostro in Transylvania. He soon became a prisoner in Tartarus (“The Strands of Fate,” The Adventures of Lazarus Gray Volume Six). His exploits took place in 1938.

Fear Devil (Icons Writeup)

Posted on by Barry Reese

Fear Devil
aka Brandon Hill

Prowess 4
Coordination 4
Strength 4
Intellect 3
Awareness 4
Willpower 4

Stamina 8

Powers
*Boomerang 2
*Fear Control 6 (Extras: Detection, Emotion Control; Limits: May only sense and induce fear)

Specialties
Athletics, Martial Arts (Expert +2 bonus), Stealth, Weapons – Boomerang

Qualities
*Heroic Legacy
*Thrill of Adventure
*Bad Luck

Background

Brandon Hill is the great-grandson of Bart Hill, the original Daredevil. Brandon was obsessed with his great-grandfather’s career, mastering the boomerang and becoming a brown belt in karate. His life was rather mundane until the Chaos Wave unleashed by Thanatos awakened latent powers within him – he was now able to sense and track large levels of fear, as well as induce the same in others. After coming to the attention of the Dark Society, Fear Devil quickly became a member and helped them save the world from a demonic invasion. He now works as a full-time hero with the team, doing his best to live up to the legacy he’s inherited.

Spook (Icons Writeup)

Posted on by Barry Reese

Spook
aka Jenny Dove

Prowess 2
Coordination 3
Strength 3
Intellect 4
Awareness 4
Willpower 4

Stamina 7

Powers
*Interface 7
*Invisibility 9
*Life Support 10
*Phasing 9

Specialties
Investigation, Occult

Qualities
*Ghost in the Machine
*Support player
*Living Dead Girl

Background

Jenny Dove is a literal ghost, having died in 1979. For unknown reasons, her spirit remained on Earth and able to visually and verbally interact with others. Eventually discovered by agents in the British government, she was recruited for use as a spy. Codenamed Spook, her features were reminiscent of actress Mackenzie Phillips, most popularly known for her role on the American sitcom One Day at a Time. For over a decade, she was one of Britain’s most potent secret weapons, despite the fact that he could not become tangible. After a chance meeting with the American hero named Jupiter, she fell in love with him and the two of them began a long-term affair that was constantly challenged by their inability to physically interact. When the United Nations formed the International Hero Corps (IHC), she was Britain’s resident member.

After finally gaining the ability to become solid, Spook has ‘married’ Jupiter and now functions as the Dark Society’s ‘director,’ sending members out on assignments that fit their unique skill sets. She has exceeded the limitations of her original human body and is now able to meld directly with technology, effectively becoming a ‘ghost in the machine.’

Kang (Icons Writeup)

Posted on by Barry Reese

Kang the Conqueror
aka Nathaniel Richards, Rama-Tut, Scarlet Centurion, Immortus, Iron Lad, Victor Timely

Prowess 5
Coordination 5
Strength 7
Intellect 8
Awareness 5
Willpower 7

Stamina 14

Powers
Kang has no powers aside from his advanced weaponry and technology. Kang is however a genius, a brilliant military strategist and an expert in hand-to-hand combat. Without the armor, reduce his Strength to 5 and his Stamina to 12. His suit provides him with the following abilities:
*Immortality (Longevity) 1
*Blast 8
*Damage Resistance 6
*Force Field 8
*Gadgets 6
*Life Support 10
*Time Control (Time Travel) 9

Specialties
Leadership, Martial Arts, Mental Resistance, Pilot, Science (Expert +2 bonus), Technology (Expert +2 bonus), Weaponry

Qualities
*Complicated history
*Council of Kangs
*Adventure Seeker

Background

Nathaniel Richards was born in the calendar year 3000 of the alternate timeline Other Earth. Bullied as a youth, his throat was slit by a bully, Morgan, and he was hospitalized for a year. Recovering, he studied science and his ancestor’s history tapes of the heroic age of Earth-616, growing into a man of adventure in a time of complacency.


At age 25 he discovered his ancestor’s fortress and time machine. Following encounters with alternate Earth Fantastic Fours seeking to thwart his future self, which faded from his mind, Richards constructed an immense sphinx-shaped ship and travelled to Egypt circa 2950 BC. The ship crashed, blinding and stranding him there, but he subjugated the natives with his technology. He forced the natives to procure for him a radioactive herb which would restore his sight, then, as Pharaoh Rama-Tut, he ruled as a god for a decade. Eventually, a struggle with the Fantastic Four, forced Rama to flee that time period.


En route to the future, a “time storm” diverted Rama to the modern era and an encounter with a space-lost Dr. Doom. Inspired by Doom, he took the armoured identity of the Scarlet Centurion, travelled to another timeline (Earth-689) and duped its Avengers into neutralizing all their fellow heroes so he could rule; but he was defeated by the visiting Avengers of Earth-616 and cast outside time.


Following this defeat, he reinvented himself as Kang the Conqueror, and carved out a star-flung empire in his home universe. Kang then travelled to the 20th Century of Earth-616, seeking revenge upon the Avengers.