David Johnston Posted May 11, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2006 Re: Namedropping "Babe" Zaharias/Didrickson Justification: Being the equal of a champion Olympic athlete in the comics is enough to beat up men with guns in the comics, and Babe was the greatest female athlete of her day. Motivation: Just to prove she can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Ops Posted May 11, 2006 Report Share Posted May 11, 2006 Re: Namedropping Audie Murphy highest decorated US-Soldier in WW2 (IIRC) and later Cowboy Actor (or was that before ?,not sure). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted May 12, 2006 Report Share Posted May 12, 2006 Re: Namedropping Audie Murphy highest decorated US-Soldier in WW2 (IIRC) and later Cowboy Actor (or was that before ?' date='not sure).[/quote'] After. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clockwork Posted May 12, 2006 Report Share Posted May 12, 2006 Re: Namedropping GURPS has done two wonderful suplements on this idea, Who's Who 1 and 2, but I'm at work right now so I'll check when I get home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexraccoon Posted May 12, 2006 Report Share Posted May 12, 2006 Re: Namedropping Herbert George Wells prolific writer on numerous topics and genres,socialist who believed in personal freedom provided it did not impact on the freedoms of others - Pulp hero and/or temporal adventurer visionary ahead of his time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Johnston Posted May 14, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2006 Re: Namedropping Timothy Roman: Justification: Subject from childhood of an experimental NIH treatment for dwarfism involving human growth hormone harvested from human corpses that probably damaged his brain. With such a mad scientist origin handy, that he was also into weightlifting and martial arts is almost gilding the lily. Motivation: Killed his pampering and posturing actress mother putting him on the wrong side of the law. Roy C. Sullivan: Justification: As the man who survived the most lightning strikes, something strange seemed to be going on with his body. Motivation: As a Park Ranger he had a sort of law enforcement job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haven Walkur Posted May 14, 2006 Report Share Posted May 14, 2006 Re: Namedropping Name: D.B.Cooper (possibly an alias) Justification: Infamous thief who, among his other (non-violent) crimes, hijacked a plane and held it for ransom, back in the 1970s (I think). He parachuted out with a case full of ransom money, never to be seen or heard from again. Motivation: Wealth...which he took from institutions, not individuals. Carried firearms to compell compliance, but was not known to be violent. A self-interested hero, or perhaps a not-terribly-villainous villain? D.B. Cooper might possess Invisibility or Shape Change powers that he used to escape pursuers, or he could have had Life Support and Suspended Animation...he just concealed himself and slept until his crime had receded into the past and the Statute of Limitations had run. Conversely, Cooper might just be an immensely skilled Normal, with lots of Disguise, Acting, Conversation, Bureaucracy and masses of Contacts and Favors. High PRE on this man and skills to take advantage of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st barbara Posted May 14, 2006 Report Share Posted May 14, 2006 Re: Namedropping Henry "Homicide Hank" Armstrong. The first man to hold world boxing titles in three different weight divisions at the same time ! Easy to see how a champion boxer might become a superhero. (See the origin of D C's "Wildcat" back in the 40's as an example) Hank may not have been a heavyweight, but he was certainly impressive ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st barbara Posted May 14, 2006 Report Share Posted May 14, 2006 Re: Namedropping Because you Yanks need an Aussie name to drop I would like to suggest Reginald "Snowy" Baker (1884-1953) Competed in 26 different sports. Olympic boxing silver medallist (and most Aussies reckon he was robbed ! The ref was the winners father in law !) 1908 (Middleweight) International Footballer, Swimmer, Diver,and Boxer Also Championship class as a Horseman, Wrestler, Polo Player,Water Polo,Track Athlete, Fencer and Gymnast. He was also a star of Australian silent film and (later) a Hollywood stuntman ! How would he become a hero ? With that background in a "Pulp" universe, how could he AVOID it ? All he had to do was act like one of his film characters ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weldun Posted May 14, 2006 Report Share Posted May 14, 2006 Re: Namedropping Henry "Homicide Hank" Armstrong. The first man to hold world boxing titles in three different weight divisions at the same time ! Easy to see how a champion boxer might become a superhero. (See the origin of D C's "Wildcat" back in the 40's as an example) Hank may not have been a heavyweight' date=' but he was certainly impressive ![/quote']Actually, an Olympic level heavyweight boxer would be pulling 3d6 with jab, 5d6 with cross and 7d8 with hook. That's assuming that they have the lifting strength of a top olympic weight lifter (Records: snatch=215kg; clean&jerk=266kg) and haven't pruchased any extra DCs. Add an extra dice if the subject can hit the top scores in powerlifting. Edit: Silly me, I was using STR 20 fo olympic level, not 15. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Johnston Posted May 14, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2006 Re: Namedropping Speaking of Australians: Ned Kelly Justification: Built home-made suits of bullet-resistant armour for an epic showdown with the cops (and actually robbed two banks to get enough money to do it like any good supervillain would.) If he'd been able to build a suit that gave as much protection for his legs, he would have been nigh-unstoppable. Motivation: Career criminal with a grudge against England, toyed with fantasies of an Australian uprising against English domination. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st barbara Posted May 15, 2006 Report Share Posted May 15, 2006 Re: Namedropping Speaking of Australians: Ned Kelly Justification: Built home-made suits of bullet-resistant armour for an epic showdown with the cops (and actually robbed two banks to get enough money to do it like any good supervillain would.) If he'd been able to build a suit that gave as much protection for his legs, he would have been nigh-unstoppable. Motivation: Career criminal with a grudge against England, toyed with fantasies of an Australian uprising against English domination. As an aside. Have you ever read the novel "Kelly Country" by A Bertram Chandler ? Takes exactly that scenario and builds it into an "Alternate History" story ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Johnston Posted May 15, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 15, 2006 Re: Namedropping No, but I read the Grimes novel that crosses over with that timeline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Johnston Posted May 21, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2006 Re: Namedropping Carrie (Carry) Nation Justification: Eyewitness accounts sometimes reported her demonstrating nigh-superhuman strength possibly due to adrenalin, and she was certainly a very large, very strong woman. Motivation: She actually comes pretty close to being a super-vigilante. Obviously inclined to specialise in operators of illegal saloons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karma Posted May 22, 2006 Report Share Posted May 22, 2006 Re: Namedropping Franz Anton Mesmer (after whom Mesmerism was named) discovered what he called 'animal magnetism' and which today is called hypnotic suggestion. Investigated spiritualists, many of whose 'abilities' he attributed to unconscious 'animal magetism' (ie. their hypnotic suggestion of their clients through their own unshaking beliefs) Justification: He invented hypnostism and was a master of using and recognising suggestability in his patients and others. And perhaps the team of scientists who disproved his creation of a 'magic fluid' might discover it is a real 'cure-all' in 'Super World'. Motivation: A true physician in real life he used his 'treatments' to aleviate various ailments. In 'Super World' he might decide to use his discoveries to aleviate societies ills, such as crime, mad science etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Johnston Posted May 24, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2006 Re: Namedropping Dr. Ewan Cameron: Justification: Attempted to develop a technique for erasing people's memories and replacing them with false ones as part of the CIA's MK Ultra program to develop mind control technologies. You know that movie "Conspiracy Theory"? Cameron was the guy who actually tried to develop the memory erasure process that was used on Mel Gibson's character. Motivation: Willing to kill or cripple unsuspecting victims in pursuit of his theory. The CIA farmed out experiments for him to perform in Canada that they considered too dangerous to perform on American citizens. Oh, and here's the ironic bit. He testified against Nazis at Nuremberg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Johnston Posted May 27, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2006 Re: Namedropping Marie Laveau: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Laveau Justification: Alleged voodoo practitioner reputed to have psychic powers in 19th century New Orleans Motivation: Magician for hire? Note that a Marie Laveau "Witch Queen of New Orleans" appeared in an issue of Doctor Strange. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fwcain Posted May 27, 2006 Report Share Posted May 27, 2006 Re: Namedropping Dr. Ewan Cameron . . . here's the ironic bit. He testified against Nazis at Nuremberg.He didn't want the competition! Franklin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Johnston Posted July 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2006 Re: Namedropping 3) The charismatic Swedish career criminal, Jan-Erik Olsson, 64 (whose 1973 bank robbery, and accompanying devotion by his hostages, originally inspired the term "Stockholm Syndrome"), tried to turn himself in to police in Helsenborg in May, but one officer apparently found him too likable and encouraged him to stay on the run. [New York Post, 5-11-06] [WKMG-TV (Orlando)-AP, 5-22-06] [TheLocal,se (Sweden), 5-5-06] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superskrull Posted July 28, 2006 Report Share Posted July 28, 2006 Re: Namedropping What about good ol' Uri Geller, spoon-bending 70's psychic star? As to Wild Cards, I thought they'd mentioned in the Aces abroad book that Churchill had a deuce letting him live past 114. I also thought Mick Jagger was mentioned as a the lycanthropic lead singer of Ferric Jagger. Wasn't that a riff on the book Iron Dreams by Norman Spinrad? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Frisbee Posted July 28, 2006 Report Share Posted July 28, 2006 Re: Namedropping How about Thor Heyerdahl? Thor Heyerdahl (October 6, 1914, in Larvik, Norway – April 18, 2002, in Colla Micheri, Italy) was a Norwegian ethnographer and adventurer with a scientific background in zoology and geography. Heyerdahl became famous for his Kon-Tiki Expedition in which he sailed by raft 4,300 miles from South America to the Tuamotu Islands. (From Wikipedia.org) Now here's a guy willing to go to extremes to learn something -- does that count for anything in the superhero realm? (Dr. Reed Richards, anyone?) And another personal favorite -- Neil Armstrong The man was an aviator, a combat pilot, astronaut (exposure to cosmic rays anybody?), walked on the moon, etc. Here's a guy who would be patriotic, brave, and yet humble as well. Although he retreated from the public eye, he still might have the chops to be considered for a possible cape. And a more modern suggestion -- Steve Fossett? Steve Fossett (born April 22, 1944, in Jackson, Tennessee) is a United States aviator and adventurer known for his appetite to set world records. Fossett, who made his fortune in American financial markets, is best known for his five world record non-stop circumnavigations of the Earth: as a long-distance solo balloonist, as a sailor, and as a solo airplane pilot. Fossett is among the world's greatest adventurers - and currently he holds official World Records in 5 sports. (from Wikipedia.org) On top of all that, the guy has a serious thrill-seeking streak. Matt "Just-making-suggestions" Frisbee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Johnston Posted July 31, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2006 Re: Namedropping Tom Boyle. He's made a good start by lifting a car off a trapped person http://www.azstarnet.com/dailystar/metro/139760 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted July 31, 2006 Report Share Posted July 31, 2006 Re: Namedropping Evel Knievel. The man was well-nigh rebuilt as a cyborg in real life, after all his stunt injuries. And being a travelling performer is a good cover for a special government operative. He certainly had a penchant for four-color costumes, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest daeudi_454 Posted July 31, 2006 Report Share Posted July 31, 2006 Re: Namedropping Can't believe all these athletes, and this guy got missed... Jim Thorpe a.k.a. Bright Path (Wa-Tho-Huk) baseball, running back, defensive back, place-kicker, and punter. Long jump, high jump, javelin, 200-meter dash, discus, and the 1500-meter run. Descendent of a great Sac warrior, Chief Black Hawk Horse riding, riflery. 59 movies. what Bruce Lee was to MA, Jim Thorpe was to sports. Motivation: Torment over his twin brother's death at age 8, fame, money, the love of the game. In fact, he loved the competition so much that it ruined 3 marriages in a row. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st barbara Posted July 31, 2006 Report Share Posted July 31, 2006 Re: Namedropping This thread has been running for a while so I can't remember if this guy has been mentioned. Brigadier General Smedley D Butler. Decorated Marine officer, winner of the Congressional Medal of Honour(twice !) In the 1930's he revealed a plot by Wall street financiers to sieze control of the U S government. Wrote the classic anti war tome "War Is A Racket" 1n 1935. The "plot against America" idea would be a great "hook" to get the P C's interacting with Butler (maybe the plotters wanted to eliminate him when they couldn't recruit him !) Motivation : Simply patriotism and the desire to "do the right thing by the men and women of his country". He was a supporter of the "Bonus March" which was oppossed by such contemporaries as Patton and MacArthur ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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