SSgt Baloo

Re: Future Tech Links Neat! When I was a child, we owned two of these, but mom only used them to vacuum the floors. Electrolux Deathray

Re: A DC Animated-style HeroMachine

More Bad Girls: Dame Rose, Fauna, Petra, and Poison Oak.

Tricksters! Loki and Coyote:

More heroes: Golden-Age Hawkman, Bananaman, Crimson Crash, Don Coyote, and Mouse-man.

Re: A Thread for Random Videos I wish I'da stumbled across this in late January/early February.

Re: A DC Animated-style HeroMachine I'm out of rep for now, but here's a png version of the affected file. Somebody smack this guy with the rep stick for me, K?

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... Got 'em for ya!

Re: Lame Superhero Rollcall What about his friend, Scortch? Or Captain Whammo's sidekick Private Zammo?

Re: A DC Animated-style HeroMachine Yeah, because all the best samurai were born and raised in Amsterdam. Those Japanese guys are just posers.

Re: A DC Animated-style HeroMachine Rotcod Dam, The Terror, and Valkyrie.

Re: A DC Animated-style HeroMachine Nazi Thor and Agent Moto (both versions).

Re: A DC Animated-style HeroMachine Flying Squirrel, Martian Mastermind, and his assistant, Marvin.

Re: A DC Animated-style HeroMachine It looks like my site is getting overloaded by picture requests, so I'm uploading them as attachments here. Baron Blood, Blackout, and Chairman Miao:

Re: Defending the Earth: Giant Asteroid I'm sure Giant-Asteroid-Man would have a difficult time maintaining a secret identity. "Disguised as a mild-mannered mountain range, Giant-Asteroid-Man fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice, and the American landscape."

Re: Kung Fu Animals In case you missed it, here's a link to the Anthropomorphic/Furry Hero Resources thread.

Re: A DC Animated-style HeroMachine Nazi Thor: Helmut Dunkelbraun had feared that his crippled leg would keep him from joining the Vril society, but his knowledge and scholarship of the Norse mythos were considered crucial to the task of amassing as much mystical might for the fatherland as possible before war was finally allowed to break out. Blond, blue-eyed, and tall, Helmut had already been rejected by the SS because he needed a cane. Bah! He'd show them all that he was as worthy as the rest to be called an Übermann. Late in the spring of 1941, Helmut was on an expedition to the “repatriated” section of Poland. His research indicated there was a site sacred to the Norse god of thunder buried beneath a small hill in a remote stretch of countryside. At the days passed and the laborers carefully excavated the layers of dirt and debris above the site, Helmut began having strange dreams. In them, he was being offered a huge metal hammer. If he could grasp it, he would be made whole. Every night he reached for the hammer, only to awaken just as it was within his grasp. Finally, on the first day of June, the laborers began recovering artifacts. When they started to uncover what appeared to be a hammer, Helmut surprised them all by dropping his cane and scrambling to grasp the hammer's handle. There was a brilliant flash of light, and where a tall, frail, cripple had just been was now a tall, heavily muscled Aryan ideal dressed as a viking. He looked around at the underlings around him and announced: “Of all the folk who could have liberated my spirit, it was a lowly cripple who stepped forward and shamed you all. Helmut Dunklebraun is no more. Before you stands the mighty Thor! Thor is one of the mightiest men on Earth. Since he merged with Helmut Dunkelbraun, he has adopted his idealistic adherence to Nazism. Der Fuhrer was delighted to learn that this powerful avatar of the Aryan ideal was a loyal Nazi, and was eager to see him demolish the enemies of the Reich. Unfortunately, it seems that due to the understanding Helmut had of the Norse mythos, Thor's power is severely limited when he ventures to lands that the German Reich does not exercise control. Agent Moto:: Mr. I.A. Moto had been developing a good working relationship with western secret services when Japan signed the Tripartite Pact, allying Japan with Italy and Germany. He was recalled to Japan, given a cover as a newspaper reporter in San Diego, and given the assignment of reporting anything of military interest occurring in the western United States. If war with the US came, Agent Moto was expected to use his disguise skills to blend into the local population, a feat few Japanese agents could be expected to emulate. He would be expected to perform sabotage, spy on the enemy, report troop movements, or any other activity which could advance the cause of the Emperor. Agent Moto is a super-spy, able to disguise himself as a westerner, imitate dialects, and speaks at least seven languages. He is a master of martial arts, but also the hidden teachings of ninjutsu, able to hide in plain sight, walk on sand without leaving a mark, move silently, etc. The two images of Agent Moto show how a silver-age or later comic might have portrayed him. The jaundiced fellow wearing glasses and with pointed ears is how he might have appeared in a golden-age comic. Rotcod Dam: Rotcod Dam is “Mad Doctor” spelled backwards. He is one of America's greatest scientists gone bad. His incredible genius has been squandered on attempts to extort money from the government, hold cities hostage, acquire temporal power, etc. Fortunately, the US and it's neighbors have heroes up to the task of thwarting Rotcod Dam's plans. Thus far, he has used giant robots to menace Washington D.C., a Death Ray to extort money from New York City, constructed an “indestructible” bullet-car for his henchmen to loot the Denver Mint, and half a dozen lesser schemes. Many of Rotcod Dam's engines of destruction have been dismantled and examined by “top men”, but most of the results of such research is highly classified. Rotcod Dam is currently serving seven consecutive life sentences in a secret, ultra-secure prison constructed especially to handle super-menaces such as himself. The Terror: The first supervillain to ever appear (in 1898), the Terror, now thought to be in his sixties, is still going strong. A mad genius with superb organizational skills, the Terror has actually succeeded in taking over his own country, Graffenstein, located in the Tyrolean alps. Nestled between Italy, Switzerland and France, Graffenstein has been ruled with an iron hand since 1918. When not running Graffenstein, the Terror rides his mechanical crab-mobile around the world, seeking to strike terror into the hearts of men and, to quote the man himself: “Just for laughs!” The Terror once held the League of Nations hostage for 35 days, extorting some $2 million from the member nations. The league issued a severe reprimand to the government of Graffenstein, where it was used to help start a wood stove in the Presidential Palace. The Valkyrie: Janet Nordstrom was attending Bryn Mawr when she came into an inheritance from her distant maiden aunt from Germany. In addition to a rather large sum in a Swiss bank account, she also received a large steamer trunk filled with out-of-fashion clothing. One Halloween, she was rummaging through the trunk, looking for something to wear as a costume, when a secret compartment opened in the back of the trunk. Within was hidden a costume and what appeared to be a farmer's scythe. She donned the outfit and, hefting the scythe, went out to make the rounds at a few parties. On her way, she was accosted by a drunken lout who began chasing her across the campus. The drunk soon cornered her and just as he made his final lunge for her, the scythe moved of its own accord, cutting a “hole” in the air, which the drunk fell through. Astonished, she dropped the scythe and ran back to her dormitory. When she arrived at her room, the scythe was back in the secret compartment of the trunk, as if nothing had happened. That night she dreamed strange dreams of terror, vengeance and retribution. Her life began to change from that night on. By day, she was a débutante attending an exclusive college. By night, she began roaming the streets as the Valkyrie. Soon she was joined by a ghostly horse which transported her far and wide. The Valkyrie is whispered about across North America, and it's still unclear if she's a hero or a villain, but certain elements of society begin to disappear when the Valkyrie rides.

Re: A DC Animated-style HeroMachine Baron Blood: Baron Blood was a German scientist attempting to create a super-soldier formula based on vampire blood. Realizing how powerful his test subjects might become, the Baron tried the formula on himself, to ensure he would be at least as powerful as those he experimented on. The formula was successful and the Baron was transformed into a living vampire! When he realized how powerful he had become, he decided to destroy the formula to prevent this power from benefiting anyone but himself. When the Third Reich invaded Poland, Baron Blood offered his services to der Fuhrer, who assigned him to America to sabotage any attempt to supply England with necessary war matériel. As a living vampire, Baron Blood has many of the traditional powers of a vampire, and some of the disadvantages. For instance, he may turn into a mist, allowing him to enter a door through the keyhole, but he is vulnerable to sunlight (it burns him like fire). Blackout: Rose Hayrick was an up-and-coming starlet contracted to a major studio. When another actress beat her out for a prized part in a new motion picture, Rose was disappointed and somewhat angry. The director had promised that part to her. Then, when she discovered that the same actress had slept with the producer to cheat her out of yet another part, something snapped. Rose planned her revenge carefully. The other actress would be killed when she went to switch the radio on in her dressing room. Rose had run a hot wire to the knob of the radio. Rose was hidden nearby so she could watch her revenge unfold. The actress turned the knob and... nothing happened! When the actress left the room, Rose checked to see what had gone wrong and accidentally touched the hot wire. The lights dimmed, then went out, but instead of being electrocuted, Rose found herself feeling exhilarated. The more electricity she absorbed, the better she felt. Just then a stage-hand entered the room, startling Rose. She turned, and with a gesture, an arc of high voltage leapt from her fingertips to the stagehand, killing him instantly. Rose was appalled, but before she could call for help, she realized she now had the power to exact her revenge and finally get everything she deserved. She patiently waited for the actress' return and killed her just as easily as she had the stagehand. She then set fire to the dressing room and made her escape. Blackout is able to absorb electricity from nearby power lines. This can cause temporary power outages. Rose is somehow able to store this electricity and discharge it as a deadly electrical blast. She has also learned how to create an electromagnetic shield about herself that can protect her from physical and energy damage. Rose Hayrick is no more. With her newfound powers, Blackout plans to get the better things in life, and she doesn't care who gets hurt along the way. Chairman Miao: Chairman Miao is a Chinese refugee allied with the Communist faction in China. He has been sent to America by Comrade Mao to show the Americans that Chiang Kai Shek isn't the only force in China opposed to Japanese Imperialism. While Chairman Miao is ostensibly an ally to the American Heroes, he also has the secondary duty of observing the American Supers and reporting their weaknesses and vulnerabilities back to the communists. His primary loyalty is to China first, then Communism in General. Chairman Miao has had extensive training in Kung-Fu and is a world-class practitioner capable of going toe-to-toe with opponents far more powerful than normal humans. The holster on his belt does not hold a pistol, but a special device for throwing and securing a climbing or swing line. Flying Squirrel: Brian Pennington Throckmorton IV was just a member of the idle rich until the war in Europe started in 1939. In 1940, reports of Axis spy rings operating in the U.S. galvanized James to "do something patriotic". Using his vast fortune and access to cutting-edge technology, he decided to fight crime as a superhero. Unfortunately it was at this point that things began to go pear-shaped. Gazing out an open window, James failed to see the flying squirrel headed his way until it landed on his face. Squealing like a schoolgirl, James batted forcefully but ineffectively at the squirrel on his head. The squirrel was, by this time, also panicked. Although the squirrel was able to keep dodging the blows aimed at it, James had no such advantage, and consequently gave himself the worst beating he's ever had. James finally knocked himself out when he tripped over an ottoman and fell against a table. The squirrel, wisely, left via the same window it had entered. Hours later, James awoke. He had a splitting headache and was just about to ring for the butler, when he had an epiphany: "Criminals are a superstitious lot of cowards! Why, I'll just bet their afraid of mice and rats and... and... squirrels! Yes! Flying squirrels from out of the night's darkness, relentlessly gnawing at their evil victims! That's IT! I'll call myself the Flying Squirrel!" True to his vow, the Flying Squirrel has been using his training and equipment to wage a one-man war on crime. That is, when he isn't distracted by good-looking women, bright lights, music, or anything shiny. Actually, Flying Squirrel is as effective a crime fighter as a prize-winning plot of begonias. He's more than just a loose cannon, since he not only fails to consider evidence that may be present, but frequently follows up leads he makes up on the spot. Despite this handicap, he is either fiendishly clever or incredibly lucky, as he has actually thwarted several criminals since he's begun operating in Campaign city. Martian Mastermind: The Martian Mastermind is one of the few Martians to escape the debacle at Grover's Mill, New Jersey. He now secretly plots to destroy Earth's superheroes so a subsequent invasion has a chance to succeed. He is aided in this endeavor by his diminutive assistant, Marvin. Martian Mastermind possesses a genius-level intellect and is quite capable of creating advanced technology even with the resources available to him on “this backwards planet”. Although, like all Martians, the Mastermind is psychic, mentally controlling humans is something of a strain. He prefers to simply kidnap or kill the humans he wants replaced and substitutes an organic robot constructed to closely resemble the victim. The Martian Mastermind's assistant Marvin is primarily a scientist and a scout. He is an expert at concealment and stealth, and wears a belt containing, among other things, a device for scanning and analyzing alien (earthly) life forms and a pistol-type device for stunning uncooperative earth creatures.

Re: WWYC say after meeting YOU? R. Dunn, Super-agent: "Let me guess: I'm an idealized version of you? Well, I guess you did a good job. Thanks." Bob Tiger: "If you'd made me two feet shorter there are a lot of sports cars I would have liked to own.." The Cat Without a Name: "Meow."

But wait! There's MORE! Introducing Green Lama, Guardian, Lightning Girl, She-Devil and Spy Smasher! (Green Lama, Guardian and Spy Smasher were GA characters. She-devil was inspired by a GA hero called the Destroyer.)

More GA Goodness Black Cat, Black Marvel, Brown Recluse, Captain Midnight, and Gato Amarillo and his trusty companion, CommanDog! (Black Cat was inspired by another GA character by the same name, Captain midnight was a comic character, Black Marvel was a male hero in WWII, and the rest are inventions.)

In the U.S., we've got Captain America and Superman, champions of the people and (to some extent) upholders of the status quo (Superman more than Cap). What would a superhero that reflected the national character of your country be like? What might he be called? What do you think his powers would be? What would his costume look like? The only non-US characters of that sort who weren't invented by US-Americans are Captain Canuck and Captain Britain (that I am aware of). By the way, anyone familiar with these two is welcome to describe them for me. Seriously, what would Captain Scotland be all about or Captain France or... well, you get the idea and what would they likely be called besides "Captain-Somebody"? I eagerly await your unAmerican responses, and I mean that in the very best way possible.

Re: Game Mechanics I think this character could fairly easily be simulated with "functional invisibility". That is, when he doesn't want to be noticed, he's "invisible" to organic senses. This means that things like tripwires, door sensors, cameras, etc. might be able to "detect" him, depending on how you want it to work. The special effects aren't that he's invisible, but observers are forgetting every moment that they just saw the guy. This way no-one is forming memories that the guy was there in the first place, because they (mechanically) fail to perceive him. If he's blocking someone's view while he's "invisible", the person affected will (once again, special effects) simply think they're seeing what they expected to see. Ways to defeat this might be watching/listening to the character with electronic or magical senses, putting flypaper on the floor of a room so you can see if anyone's walked through lately, etc. If someone deduces the presence of someone they can't "see" (because they're forgetting from moment to moment that he's in the room) they still may decide there's someone invisible nearby.

Re: X-Men I'm actually surprised that no-one has done these two yet. Repped.

More GA Heroes A few of these really were comic book characters, but most are my own inventions. The Justice Club of America Black Terror, Kid Terror, and Hypno-Girl: Black Terror invented the chemical mixture that gives Kid Terror and himself super abilities. Black Terror is a Scientist with keen observational and deductive skills. Kid terror is his sidekick. Black Terror and Kid Terror are founding members of the Justice Club of America. (These guys had their own Golden-Age comic.) Hypno-Girl has the power to magically hypnotize people and animals. This enables her to do anything from animal communication and control, send and receive thoughts, cause her victims to fall asleep or even experience physical harm if they are sufficiently within her power. Hypno-Girl is a founding member of the Justice Club of America. Supersnipe, Lady Leprechaun, and Futureboy. Seymour Snipes is an eight-year-old boy with the ability to transform himself into Supersnipe, whose near-indestructibility, superhuman strength and speed make him one of Earth's mightiest mortals. He is, to be honest, an eight-year-old kid in a man's body, and so looks to the rest of the Justice Club for guidance. Supersnipe is a founding member of the Justice Club of America. He has a crush on Lady Leprechaun. (Supersnipe was a comic character who daydreamed about being a superhero. I figured I'd go the Billy Batson route with this guy.) Lady Leprechaun is an incredible acrobat and martial artist. Despite being only three feet, four inches tall, she packs more punch than a prizefighter. In addition to her incredible skills and physical stamina, Lady Leprechaun's presence seems to alter the laws of probability in her immediate vicinity. Opponents seem unable to connect, or if they do, it often turns out to be a near-miss or glancing blow. Lady Leprechaun is a founding member of the Justice Club of America. Futureboy's powers come from the powerbands on his waist, wrists, and head. Futureboy can send and receive radio and telephone signals, teleport, fly, survive inhospitable environments and, upon occasion, is able to cross the dimensions. He claims to have come from "a future", but not ours. Contemporary society is something of a puzzle to Futureboy, but since he is unable to locate his home dimension, he remains here and now, subtly trying to influence society to better itself. [He's acutely aware that the world he now lives in is rife with sexism, racism, homophobia, and a whole lot of other isms, but he doesn't feel that it's right to conform to social norms that are unjust.] Lieutenant Glory, Sergeant Victory, and Ultimate Soldier. Lieutenant (Lt) Gloria Smith, US Navy and Sergeant (Sgt) Abner Victor, US Army, were assisting in the development of a super-soldier serum. Lt Smith was Professor Farnsworth's* laboratory assistant and Sgt Victor was assigned as the professor's bodyguard. When Axis spies attacked the lab, attempting to steal the formula and kill the inventor, Sgt Victor interposed his own body in an effort to shield the Professor and the Lt. He was gunned down where he stood and left for dead, while Lt Smith hid the syringes in her lab coat. The axis spies caught up with them and gunned them both down. One of the shots broke one of the syringes and introduced the super-serum into the lieutenant's bloodstream. Lt Smith knew only that she'd been hit by a gunshot and collapsed to the floor. Strangely, the pain quickly subsided and she was filled with a strange vitality. She sprang to full consciousness just as the spies were forcing the Professor to open the safe containing his notes. Checking her wound, she was surprised to see that although there was blood where she had been hit, she couldn't locate the bullet hole. She also discovered that one of the syringes had been shattered by the bullet that struck her. Just then she heard a low moan from Sgt Victor. Turning, she saw he was quickly bleeding to death. Having made the connection between her rapid recovery and the serum, she snuck over to Sgt Victor and injected him with it. Sgt Victor's moans stopped almost at once. To Lt Smith's amazement, Sgt Victor's wounds were not only closing, but one wound actually seemed to spit out the bullet that had caused it. Sgt. Victor sat up, looked across the room at the axis agents and leapt across the room almost faster than the eye could follow. Lt Smith watched in amazement as the Axis agents seemed to move in slow motion. A gun discharged and Sgt Victor batted the bullet out of the way. Lieutenant Smith was amazed to discover she was able to follow the blur of action, and actually joined the fight herself. When the dust had settled, The Lieutenant and the Sergeant had been classified "Top Secret", along with anything related to the super serum. The Professor Formulated more of the serum but found that it seemed to have a different effect on evfery test subject, and the side effects were often crippling and in one case, fatal. The Super Soldier program began exploring different avenues of enhancing their soldiers. Lieutenant Smith and Sergeant Victor were encouraged to Join the Justice Club of America as representatives of their respective services. They were given costumes with a patriotic theme and were encouraged to use their newfound abilities to counter spies and superagents. Henceforth they would be known as Lieutenant Glory and Sergeant Victory. Lieutenant Glory and Sergeant Victory are both subordinate only to the War Department and are allowed as much lattitude as necessary to perform their duties. They are highly resistant to damage and heal incredibly fast even when they are wounded. They have enhanced reflexes, increased strength, and a rapid metabolism. Lt Glory is a Naval Lieutenant (equivalent to an Army or Marine captain) and is trained in advanced nursing skills and first aid. She acts as the group's medic when neccessary. Sgt Victory is a Sergeant in the U.S. Army with the unique rank of "Super Sergeant". Functionally, this just means that he is a Warrant Officer (WO-1) with a unique title. Sgt Victory is trained in both armed and unarmed combat, as well as demolitions and combat engineering. *Not his real name. Ultimate Soldier was an attempt to create a powered armor suit that would make each Marine infantryman the equivalent of a tank. A prototype was constructed, but when the Navy Department learned just how much each unit would cost, the project was halted and the Ultimate Soldier was put in storage until such time as it could be dismantled as scrap. Silas Jones had been classified 4-F by the draft board because of his limp. He had been stricken with polio as a child, but had suffered less than most because of his uncannily resistance to disease. When he was a child, he got just about anything that was going around, but recovered quickly -- usually in a day or less. The polio had been the worst, warping his leg before his body could reject the disease. Now Silas was only able to serve his country as a janitor at a remote Marine base in South Carolina. Then came the night that Nazi spies parachuted onto the base, apparently in search of some new weapon. Silas knew standing up to armed men with only with a wet mop for a weapon would be foolish, so he sought a place to hide. He hid in a hangar, then realized he was in trouble. The Nazi commandos were headed towards the hangar Silas was hiding in. Silas squeezed between the haphazardly stacked crates, looking for a place to hide. He came up against a metal pillar in the darkness. Next to the pillar was a ladder. Silas climbed. At the top of the ladder was a hatch. Silas fumbled with the hatch until, without knowing why, it opened. He scrambled inside and found himself sitting inside a very small room in a supportive chair. The Nazis were in the hangar now. Silas quietly reached up and pulled the hatch shut. The latches clanged home and the interior of the room lit up. He could hear the Nazis approaching but he could also see them on a small screen just in front of his eyes. He turned his head and there was a hissing and humming noise. The screen swiveled to stay in front of his eyes, and now harnesses extended from the chair, securing Silas in place and wrapping his arms and legs. Silas moved his arms and he saw an enourmous arm and hand pass through his field of vision. When he moved his legs, the room tipped over with a crash. Silas looked around and realized that he was inside a big robot, perhaps 14 feet high. Now that he understood what was going on, he went through the motions of standing back up and the robot precisely mimicked his motions, ending upright on its feet. Just then the Nazis opened fire on Silas. Their bullets clanged harmlessly from his armored shell. Silas hefted a large crate labeled "Brake Drums" and hurled it at the commandoes. They continued shooting, but now their aim was off because they were dodging behind cover and leaping out of the way of the large crates Silas was hurling at them. Seconds later, the commandoes broke and ran for the exits, Silas stomping right behind them. "Throw down your weapons!" Silas shouted, and a deep, booming voice emanated from the giant robot: "Throw down your weapons!" The Nazi commandoes were confronted by an apparently unstoppable metal golem and the base's security detail was bearing down on them as well. They surrendered. The base commander was just arriving with more soldiers when Silas, realizing it was now safe, opened the hatch and climbed down from the robot. The Commander stared at him in amazement. "Were you controlling that armor?" "Yes, sir." said Silas. "I saw the Nazis headed my way and it looked like a good place to hide." The General was still puzzled "But how did you get it to move?" "Well, I just climbed in and it started working. General, am I in trouble?" "No, son, but I'm just wondering how you got over two tons of machinery to move without a powerplant?" Silas' 4-F classification was upgraded to 1-B and he was allowed to continue using the Ultimate Soldier armor under Government Supervision. Since it is a one-of-a-kind vehicle, Ultimate Soldier remains in the lower 48 states, performing rescues and cooperating with the Justice Club of America as a Marine Liaison. Ultimate Soldier only functions when Silas Jones is inside. Why this is, has been credited to everything from telekinesis to magic. No rational explanation can even begin to explain why the armor has an affinity for Silas. Silas thinks that the machine "just likes me, I guess". Ultimate Soldier can lift and throw objects weighing more than a main battle tank, well beyond it's designed capacity. The armor has a self-contained life support system (that also shouldn't work, but does anyway) and a rocket motor that allows it to fly in hops of up to 1/4 mile. Ultimate Soldier's armor is impervious to small arms fire and has been safely tested with weapons as powerful as a 20mm cannon. The machine seems able to repair itself while Silas is inside (yes, no one can explain that either). Silas Jones is an African-American with a high-school education. He is well above average intelligence and is quite well-read, though he prefers not to let on, as some folks might think he was getting "uppitty". He is innately resistant to disease and toxins, and seems to recover from injury much more rapidly than normal. His left leg is slightly deformed due to his childhood bout with polio, and is unable to run or jump. He is well-muscled and schooled in boxing. Fortunately for him, the rest of the JCA is fairly progressive (especially Futureboy). Silas is friends with Supersnipe and Futureboy. The rest are genuinely trying to make Silas feel like part of the team, but are oblivious that they often come across as patronizing.