Major Tom 2009

Re: Kara Loft: Lost In The Sands Of Egypt Definitely an interesting writeup here, but there is one thing that seems off to me, and that's her choice of hardware. Lara Croft-type characters strike me as being more inclined to use handguns rather than full-bore submachine guns; in this day and age, making use of such a weapon -- when most people don't really have the need to -- runs the risk of its owner being tagged as a potential terrorist. On top of that, there's the fact that the Uzi itself is a fairly hefty piece of metal, weighing in at just over 8 pounds (about the same weight as a high-school shotput ball); that's an awful lot of weight to be lugging around for any length of time, much less two of them. If you want to have Kara use a pair of Uzis, then might I suggest that you switch out the full-bore Uzis for a pair of Micro-Uzis instead? Not only do they do the same amount of damage, but at 4.28 pounds each, the two SMGs together only weigh a little bit more than their parent design. Going with the smaller size SMGs would also let her carry some extra magazines (a good idea in any event, since the Micro-Uzi only has a 15-round capacity). If you were to have her use handguns like Lara Croft, however, you could always have her use paired Desert Eagle autopistols in either .357 Magnum caliber (3.9 lbs., 9-round magazine, and 1 1/2d6 dam- age per shot), or .44 Magnum caliber (4.28 lbs., 8-round magazine, and 2d6 damage per shot); these weapons are pretty much what the picture you included with the writeup shows the heroine using. These are just suggestions, though; I just wanted to toss in my slightly more than 2 cents into this discussion. Major Tom 2009

Re: Mister Wicked, 6ed Version. No, he wouldn't be a henchman...but he could concievably wind up being the fall guy if someone gets too close to finding out about Mister Wicked's operation. Villains tend to get their jollies by fingering some poor, unsuspecting dupe for their crimes -- and the more innocent said dupe is, the better. That, if nothing else, would make him valuable to Mister Wicked (not to mention his legal counsel). Major Tom 2009

Re: Kara Loft: Lost In The Sands Of Egypt Yeah, you could collect your reward, all right -- Ti Kwan Leep style. Major Tom 2009

Re: There shall soar... the surfer girl! Uh-oh...it looks like someone's about to go Cosmic Vitus on you, Enforcer84. Major Tom 2009

Re: Mister Wicked, 6ed Version. The Safari Master uses the following, ARGENT-designed equipment and weaponry: Gauss Sniper Rifle: This weapon, which uses electromagnetic force to fire a projectile instead of gunpowder, allows the Safari Master to strike his prey from beyond the range of his or her senses, and fires a special round -- a casing that, after it's entered its target, dissolves harm- lessly inside of him or her, allowing its contents (a powerful and fast-acting knockout drug) to enter the target's bloodstream. What makes the round truly special, though, is the tech- nology which is also housed within it: a micro-miniaturized "phasing field" generator (1 centi- meter long by 3 millimeters wide) which, at the instant of activation, renders the round intan- gible, enabling it to bypass any defenses (man-made or natural) that the target may have. Once inside the target's body, the field deactivates and allows the round to become solid again, at which time it goes to work. After the drug has had time to circulate through the target's body, and he or she becomes unconscious (provided, of course, that he or she doesn't have an accelerated metabolism or an inconvenient "healing factor" which could rapidly neutralize the drug's effects), the generator re-activates and gradually phases out of the target's body. Super-alloy Restraints: These restraints, which look like handcuffs, were created using a com- bination of gravitic, force field, and molecular manipulation technology. Unlike the chain links of standard handcuffs, the super-alloy of which the restraints' chains are made were shaped into perfectly solid links, without the unavoidable gap which exists in the links of standard handcuff chains; this ensures that the target can't break the chains of the restraints by pull- ing the links apart. Safari Master carries three pairs of these restraints on his person during a hunt; once the knockout drug has had time to work, he uses the restaints to secure the target for transport. He usually does this by chaining the target's ankles and wrists together and con- necting them to a belt which he fastens around his or her waist, then he uses the third pair to fasten the target's arms together above the elbows; combined with the inhibitor collar, this ensures that, even if the target regains consciousness, he or she will be unable to get free from the restraints. Inhibitor Collar: This device, which fastens around a victim's neck, prevents the use of super- human abilities and powers that its wearer may possess; it accomplishes this by disrupting the neural pathways that control the use of said powers and abilities. The instant that the sensors inside the collar detect an attempt to use superpowers of any kind, it sends an energy charge directly into the portion of the victim's brain that controls the use of those powers; the charge's effect is not too dissimilar to that of a TASER, in that the victim experiences a sudden case of convulsions along with mental disorientation. Kukri Knife: Identical to the blades carried by the members of the Gurkha Rifle regiments, the blade carried by the Safari Master differs from them in that it's made from the same super-alloy as the restraints; this gives it the potential to inflict injury even on those possessed of super- human resistance to physical damage. From time to time, the Safari Master also carries conventional equipment and weaponry, for those occasions where he's comfortable relying upon his own skills to capture a target with- out the need for any high-tech gizmos. Major Tom 2009

Re: Mister Wicked, 6ed Version. The last of those who work for Mister Wicked* -- in any capacity -- is a supervillain known only as the Safari Master: [ATTACH=CONFIG]43994[/ATTACH] The Safari Master -- who possesses superhuman strength, speed, reflexes, and heightened senses -- is actually Nigel Forsythe, the grandson of disgraced WWI traitor Bruce Forsythe, a British soldier who served the Germans as a spy during that war, and who was ultimately exposed as a traitor by Randall Irons, the fut- ure leader of the group of adventurers known as Randall's Raiders (as described in Pulp Hero and in Masterminds and Madmen). As the grandson of a traitor, he had a difficult childhood, and was subjected to insults and taunts for all of his life; upon reaching legal age in the United Kingdom, he joined the army in the hope of being able to redeem the family name. While his service in the British army was exemplary, there was always an underlying feeling of distrust for Forsythe -- many of his fellow servicemen subscribed to the dictum that "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree"; in other words, they figured that it was only a matter of time until he went bad as well. After serving his time in the uniform of Her Majesty's Armed Forces, Forsythe left England for France, where he made his way to the headquarters of the Foreign Legion and enlisted in that service. After basic training, he was sent to Africa for his first five-year service hitch, and it was there that he first gained the powers that made him the Safari Master. A rebel group in the war- torn nation in which he'd been stationed had somehow gotten their hands on a prototype chemical weapon, and Forsythe's unit was assigned to get it back by any means necessary. During the fight which resulted, the canister con- taining the chemical agent was ruptured, exposing several of the soldiers -- including Forsythe -- to its effects. The soldiers who'd been exposed to the weapon were immediately quarantined in a military hospital, where, one by one, they all died -- with one exception. Nigel Forsythe, instead of getting worse, actually became healthier and stronger than he'd been before his exposure to the chemical agent. The doctors in charge of his case speculated that Forsythe's survival was due to a latent mutation which was triggered by the chemical agent, which was indeed the case. But what they didn't know was that there was also a psychological side-effect as well, in that the dark side of his personality became more domin- ant, turning him evil. Listening to his doctors via his heightened hearing, Forsythe realized that his new abilities represented an opportunity to avenge his grand- father's disgrace at the hands of a meddling American, and so he made his plans accordingly. A few days later, he escaped from the hospital after killing everyone who knew about his superhuman abilities and powers, and destroying all of the case records of his transformation. Not long afterward, the supervillain known now as the Safari Master appeared in the U.S., where he hired himself out as a bounty hunter to several criminal organ- izations, tracking down and capturing superheroes who were proving rather both- ersome to their operations. His success in these "big game hunts", as he referred to them as, eventually brought him to the notice of Mister Wicked, who offered him a very generous sum to come work for him as his personal huntsman -- as well as the opportunity to hunt down and capture some of the most powerful superheroines in the country. Given his desire not only for wealth, but a challenge worthy of his power and skill as well, it's not too surprising that the Safari Master jumped at the opportunity. He's worked for Mister Wicked ever since. *At least, the last for now...unless someone else has some ideas (). Major Tom 2009

Re: Mister Wicked, 6ed Version. Among those who work for Mister Wicked -- however indirectly it may be -- is a young woman who is Nicholas Midian's personal secretary, and who is known only as Miriam DeWinters: [ATTACH=CONFIG]43993[/ATTACH] Miriam is the kind of secretary that most lawyers would kill for, to be able to have her working for them. She has, in the past, demonstrated an uncanny ability to ferret out any information that her employer might need to win a case -- an ability that some have said borders on witchcraft of some sort. However it is that she does that part of her job, she has never failed to find out the things that she wants to find -- even if she has to seduce the information out of its source. The character pic of Miriam DeWinters was created by The Arc, but her background story is mine. Major Tom 2009

Re: Mister Wicked, 6ed Version. As steriaca pointed out a few posts back, Victorian-age clothing isn't exactly the sort of attire which is mass-produced; fortunately for Mister Wicked, he can call upon the services of his very own specialty clothier -- Phillipe Bouchard: [ATTACH=CONFIG]43992[/ATTACH] A naturalized American citizen of French descent, Bouchard is the owner and head designer of a costume production company that specializes in the creation of period costumes for both theatrical stage productions and the television and motion picture industry. Although he has produced costumes for every film and stage genre from the Elizabethan age to science-fiction epics, his true passion lies with the clothing of the Victorian age. When Mister Wicked learned of this, he immediately sent out feelers to Bouchard's company, asking him if he'd consider producing Victorian-age garb -- both in male and female styles -- for the use of the attendees of his period costume balls that he held to raise money for various charities. Delighted to find a fellow devotee of the Victorian age, Bouchard readily agreed to produce Victorian-style clothing for the purpose that Wicked had told him it would be put to -- and much of what has been produced so far has indeed been used for that purpose. A considerable portion of Bouchard's product, however -- mostly women's clothing -- has been sent to Mister Wicked's dungeon and auction facility, where it's used to garb those captives who have been selected for the auction block...as well as those who Mister Wicked has decided to dispose of in true film meloldramatic, villainous style. Bouchard is the only employee of Mister Wicked's who is truly unaware of what his employer actually does for a living (as well as for entertainment purposes); Wicked had, at one point in time, considered bringing him in on the secret, but was advised against doing so by Nicholas Midian, who had correctly identified Bouchard as being a law-abiding citizen. Phillipe Bouchard is therefore the only truly innocent employee in Mister Wicked's service. Major Tom 2009

Re: Mister Wicked, 6ed Version. Another of Mister Wicked's employees is his personal chef, Edgar Thibideaux: [ATTACH=CONFIG]43987[/ATTACH] An African-American who was originally from New Orleans, Thibideaux has been the Wicked family's cook for several years now, dating back to the time that Mis- ter Wicked's father was running the business, and just before the birth of Mister Wicked himself. His job is an extensive one indeed: not only is he responsible for preparing the meals for the Wicked family, he also -- with the help of a small group of sous-chefs -- prepares the meals for all those in residence at the secret dungeon and auction facility being run by Mister Wicked. As there can be as many as 20 to 50 captives being held at the facility at any given moment, and that there are at least that many guards in attendance as well (not counting Mister Wicked's primary henchmen), this can be a huge job indeed. On occasion, Thibideaux has been called upon to prepare a business dinner not only for Mister Wicked, but for some of his clients as well. In addition to the traditional American dishes that he normally prepares, Thibideaux is also a master of Chinese, French, Itaian, Mexican, and Thai cuisine. Major Tom 2009

Re: Mister Wicked, 6ed Version. Now for some more of Mister Wicked's employees, starting with the engineer of his secret subway train -- Casey Smith: [ATTACH=CONFIG]43986[/ATTACH] Smith had been one of the best and most-respected train engineers in the U.S., until a train that he was the chief engineer aboard struck and completely des- troyed a school bus which had been stranded on a railway crossing. Although he hadn't been at the controls when the wreck happened -- his assistant engin- eer, who was slightly intoxicated at the time, was at the controls and didn't see the bus in time -- Smith found himself being made the scapegoat for the affair, and the prosecution at the resultant trial attempted to fix the blame for the 17 deaths -- the driver and 16 children -- that had resulted from it entirely upon him. Fortunately, Smith had a very good lawyer defending him -- Nicholas Midian, who had heard of the case and decided to defend the engineer pro bono. Ultimately, Smith was found not guilty and set free; however, the company for which he had worked all of his professional career decided to end his employment with it on the grounds of avoiding the appearance of incompetents and "drunken murderers" (as one of the newspapers that had been covering the case put it) being in charge of their trains. Nicholas Midian came to his client's rescue once again, telling him of another of his clients who owned a private subway train, and who was looking for a good train engineer to run it. He ended his story with a question: was he interested in a new job? Needless to say, Smith jumped at the offer. And so it was that Casey Smith came to work for Mister Wicked as the chief engineer of his employer's secret subway train -- a job which pays even better than his old one, and which has some interesting "fringe benefits" attached to it as well. Major Tom 2009

Re: Mister Wicked, 6ed Version. Well, it's not all that hard to think of a lawyer being a real low-life, especially given the story that's told of Ulysses S. Grant, and the remark which is attributed to him in that story. In case no one knows the story to which I'm referring is, it's this one: Not long after the Civil War, Ulysses S. Grant was riding alone on horseback out some- where in the countryside at night, when it started to rain heavily. Continuing to ride on in spite of getting soaked, he eventually came upon a roadside inn, and stopped there to take refuge from the storm. Once inside, Grant found that there was a group of people already there -- a group of young lawyers who were gathered around the fire- place, one of whom noticed his arrival and said to the others "Here's a gentleman who looks as though he's been through Hell itself." Grant's reply was "I have indeed." One of the other lawyers, thinking to have some fun at the new arrival's expense, asked him "And what was it like?" Grant looked up at his questioner and said, "Same there as here -- lawyers nearest the fire." Major Tom 2009

Re: Mister Wicked, 6ed Version. Here are the Professor's assistants: [ATTACH=CONFIG]43979[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]43980[/ATTACH] Wagner is the one with the gray hair with white streaks at the temples, while O'Malley is the big Irishman with the red hair. Major Tom 2009

Re: Mister Wicked, 6ed Version. Another of Mister Wicked's henchmen is a dwarf and genius inventor who goes by the name of Professor Peril: [ATTACH=CONFIG]43972[/ATTACH] Professor Peril's specialty is the creation of deathtraps; specifically, deathtraps which are designed to look like those used in the black-and-white films set in the 19th Century. However, he has added 21st Century touches to some of these infernal devices, making them dangerous even to those possessing superhuman abilities. At some point in time during the early part of his career, a malfunction in one of his deathtraps caused the loss of his right arm, necessitating its re- placement with a "clockwork"-style robotic prosthesis. As for his original arm, he has had it bronzed, and keeps it in a place of honor on the desk of his work- shop. Not only does it serve as a memento, but it can also serve as a surprise weapon as well, especially if he can get the drop on an unsuspecting hero or heroine. Because of his small stature, Professor Peril is aided in his work by two very cap- able assistants -- a German scientist named Erich Wagner, and a fugitive IRA strongman and terrorist named Seamus O'Malley. Wagner does any final checks or fine-tuning that may need to be done to the deathtraps, while O'Malley does the heavy lifting or other grunt work that building the deathtraps may require; his expertise with explosives sometimes comes in handy for some of these. Both men are completely loyal to the Professor and to Mister Wicked (in that order). (The pictures of both men will be in the next post after this one.) Professor Peril has a nickname which is used by those employees of Mister Wicked's other than his primary henchmen -- "Professor Littledoom" -- but never within his hearing. Not only are they afraid of what the Professor might come up with for re- venge against the offending party, they also know with absolute certainty what O'Malley will do to them if he catches them saying it. Major Tom 2009

Re: Mister Wicked, 6ed Version. Well, since there haven't been any takers from the peanut gallery, I'll go ahead and post my contributions to Mister Wicked's employee pool. One of the most important henchmen that a villain worthy of the title should have is a good lawyer ("good" in this case meaning that, if things go South in a major way, that he can keep his client out of prison while making sure that someone else takes the fall); for Mister Wicked, that position is filled by a gentleman who goes by the name of Nicholas Midian: [ATTACH=CONFIG]43971[/ATTACH] An exceptionally competent and skilled lawyer, Nicholas Midian shares Mister Wicked's taste in clothing, and routinely wears 19th-Century garb both in private and in public; he even wears it for court appearances. However, Midian shares far more than just a taste for old-fashioned clothing with his client -- he also shares many of the same pro- cilvities as well, except that, unlike his client, he doesn't hate women. He's fully aware of what it is that Mister Wicked actually does for a living, and has actually served as an intermediary for some of the organization's "transactions". Midian has also, from time to time, partaken of the "pleasures" available at Mister Wicked's hidden dungeon and slave auction facility. He is also fully aware of Mister Wicked's plans for Milinda, although how he knows of those plans is, as yet, unknown...but he's looking forward to that day with no small amount of anticipation. Major Tom 2009

Re: A DC Animated-style HeroMachine The leader of the Deathwing Agents is a young woman who is known only as Lady Deathwing: [ATTACH=CONFIG]43965[/ATTACH] Above and beyond the goals of the Shadow Emperor and the Dark Queen -- who happen to be her parents -- Lady Deathwing has but two ambitions of her own: first, to seduce Golden Eagle to her side, and second, to wipe the floor with Pere- grine, who she percieves as her rival for Golden Eagle's attentions. Major Tom 2009

Re: A DC Animated-style HeroMachine Normally, the Shadow Emperor and the Dark Queen use expendable assets -- i.e., human mercenaries -- to carry out their operations, but when superpowered interlopers like Raptor Force show up to interfere with them, the Shadow Emperor sends his elite force to deal with them: his Deathwing Agents: [ATTACH=CONFIG]43964[/ATTACH] These operatives -- who, with the exception of their leader, are all male -- have powers and abilities similar to those of Raptor Force's members, but aren't as individually powerful. As a result, they tend to gang up on the members of Raptor Force, usually on a five-to-one basis. Major Tom 2009

Re: A DC Animated-style HeroMachine The consort of the Shadow Emperor, the Dark Queen: [ATTACH=CONFIG]43962[/ATTACH] She's the one who usually handles whatever needs to be done on Earth where the Shadow Emperor's plans are concerned -- provided, of course, that she's not other- wise occupied elsewhere (for example, having to deal with the Regulators' inter- ference with their plans back in their native dimension). Major Tom 2009

Re: A DC Animated-style HeroMachine I just got some of my newest pics back from The Arc (thanks again), this time of the enemies of Raptor Force. First in line is the Shadow Emperor: [ATTACH=CONFIG]43961[/ATTACH] Major Tom 2009

Re: Mister Wicked, 6ed Version. Given that Mister Wicked's stated goal is to capture a superheroine (or more than one -- if he's anything like his father, he's probably going to be a right greedy blackguard), he'll need some- one who's uniquely qualified to track down superhuman prey, study their habits, and come up with the appropriate means of capture. Said hunter should also have superhuman abilities and powers of his own, which should make the job even easier. As for the fashion designer that you mentioned in the above post, he'll most likely be either a member of the local theatrical production company who handled such things, or a Hollywood fashion designer who did the same thing for the major studios. Whichever he turns out to be, he'll have to have some reason to work for Mister Wicked in the first place. Major Tom 2009

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... And were you well and truly pummeled about the head and shoulders with the other players' 5th and 6th Ed. rulebooks after you made that remark? Major Tom 2009

Re: Mister Wicked, 6ed Version. Professor Peril's pic has just been sent to your regular email (along with one of an assistant). Major Tom 2009

Re: Mister Wicked, 6ed Version. Well, I won't make any promises, but I'll see what I can do about coming up with a midget retro-tech whack job for the part of your demented deathtrap designer. Major Tom 2009

Re: Mister Wicked, 6ed Version. Do you see him as looking like the wacko mad scientist from the opening of Robot Chicken, or do you have a different appearance in mind for him? Major Tom 2009

Re: Mister Wicked, 6ed Version. I wish that you could've posted that last night; I just got through with posting the latest set of pics that I did and sent out then (and which I got back today). I probably could've had an appropriate character pic for the "good" Professor. Speaking of a possibly better name for the cad, how about Professor Peril? After all, the deathtraps that old-style villains like to put their captive DiDs in are clearly designed to put them in precisely that state of being. Major Tom 2009

Re: A DC Animated-style HeroMachine The last two pics in this batch are of a pair of detectives who might be considered the Champions Universe's version of Holmes and Watson -- that is, if the bad guys or the general public aside from a small handful of law-enforcement personnel knew that that was what they were. Presented for your review -- Hieronymous Blackthorne and Joyce Watkins, M.D.: [ATTACH=CONFIG]43931[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]43932[/ATTACH] Hieronymous -- the older cousin of F.B.I. Special Agent Romulus "Wolf" Blackthorne -- is, like Sherlock Holmes, self-taught in numerous disciplines, and has the intellect to make full use of that knowledge. He can discuss the literary achievements of the past and pre- sent as equally well as he can the most recent technological advances -- or the most like- ly future developments of said technology. His true passion, however, lies in applying his intellect to the purpose of solving crimes that tend to baffle the authorities. Dr. Watkins, while she doesn't have the same level of intellect as Hieronymous, is nevertheless a high- ly intelligent woman in her own right (the medical establishment has never been in the habit of awarding licenses to practice medicine to complete and bumbling idiots). A general practicioner by profession, Dr. Watkins is also an expert in the fields of pharma- cology and toxicology, both of which have applications in the investigative field. Recently, at Hieronymus' suggestion, she has taken up the study of forensic science as it applies to the medical profession, as well as that of criminology. Even without a formal background in either of these fields, she has made discoveries in some of their past cases which con- tributed to their solution. Normally, Hieronymous works alone, hiring himself out as a consultant for non-criminal cases (and making a good deal of money in the process); it's only when the authorities -- Federal or local -- need his assistance that he enlists Dr. Watkins' aid. Their only require- ment during such cases is that their involvement be kept absolutely secret; Hieronymous' stated belief is that, if the perpetrators of a crime don't know that someone like him has been brought into a case to aid in their apprehension, then they can't take the necessary steps to thwart his efforts. For her part, Dr. Watkins has absolutely no problem with that condition, as she has no real desire to dodge bullets (or whatever the bad guys might decide to throw at them). Whenever such a case does come their way, they lend their assistance free of charge. Hieronymous does have one character trait that some consider slightly...eccentric: he tends to dress in fashions that can best be described as the 21st Century's version of Victorian-age mens' attire; he can often be found at re-enactments of 19th-Century events or at costume parties in period dress. Major Tom 2009