Rich McGee

STUN is sufficient for this; we used hit locations for this campaign (from and gritty tone), and this was l, honestly, more a chance to add a bit of chance and play with the locarions chart a bit.  
 
There were no additional activation costs beyond using the spell, though Body magic in general was pre-loaded, so to speak: spell was cast in advance, END /Mana paid, etc, but it requires that blow to activate (we didn't havee "trigger" back in the day).
 
 

In the past a noble class claimed their status due to their heritage, either a "divine right" resulting from being  "chosen" to be born into a noble lineage, or due to "superior breeding" as a result of belonging to a distinct ethnic group or bloodline. In a future setting in which transhumanism is a reality, that distinction might be demonstrable. Genetic engineering or mutation might grant someone physical and/or mental superiority to most of their species, or some actual superhuman powers, which their descendants would inherit.

It's become a fairly common trope to have a "god-emperor" as the focal point of both religious and secular power.  Sometimes they're explicitly some kind of post/superhuman entity (eg Paul Atreides in the Dune series, the Emperor of Man in the Warhammer 40K IP), sometimes they're mere mortals playing a the role (often with the assistance of a behind-the-scenes AI or alien advisor) and sometimes they were never human at all and may not even pretend to be (ie the advisor steps out into the limelight).  In the latter case worship is even more likely to be propitiatory than devotional, but for the most part all of these types are someone/thing where it's best to avoid being noticed. 
 
The whole thing's pretty much the next logical step to (often militaristic) expansionist religions with a "space pope" in charge of things, which turn up pretty often too.  They stop claiming to be the word of god and just claim the ultimate throne for themselves, usually with a space armada to back them up.

Note that the "time in reverse" interpretation of Merlin came from T.H. White's Arthurian fantasy novel, The Once and Future King, perpetuated by the Disney animated film version of the novel, The Sword in the Stone, and the musical play/movie Camelot also inspired by it. That concept is not from the Arthurian folk tales and later romances derived from them, like Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, and Idylls of the King by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

I don't know of it helps,  but I have a fantasy campaign (on and off) in which many barbarian tribes use a type of magic referred to as "body magic."  One of the spells is Blood Sword" (or Blood Axe or Blood Spear).  Essentially it is HKA, physical manifestation, and requires a cutting arm wound dekivered by an opponent (all things to make it difficult to use, get the price down, and prevent someone from being unarmed while not relying on it as a primary weapon)  with the side effect that it costs 1 Body to,activate and reduces REC by 1 while it is active. 
 
Again- don't know if it helps, but the shoet version is the build doesnt have to be any more complicated than you want it to be.
 
 

Hall and Oates own a company that owns their music. A second company, Primary Wave, bought a majority of their catalogue and wants the rest. They in turn can take an old song sell it on an advertisement and make money, get money for covers, resell under another artist like Weird Al, pay Hall and Oates limited revenue. The lawsuit is Hall doesn't want Oates to sell his part of the company to Primary Wave. He wants to keep as much of the catalogue as he can. Oates (after consultation with his wife and manager) wants to sell to get the money.
 
If Oates sells his stake, Primary Wave can tell Hall what to do with his own music, pay him less of a revenue from greatest hits and streams, sell off Hall's music to a third party (or their however much they own).
 
This is kind of like a takeover by buying out a partner. At least it's not Hall accusing Oates of plagirizing himself like John Fogarty.
CES   
 
     

Clearly the sport of the future is super-boxing, directly inspired by John Byrne's (I'm blaming him because he's the biggest name involved) Super Boxers graphic novel. 
 
Gladiatorial fights passed off as public "destructive testing" for geneered bioweapons probably shows up a lot too.   Maybe with a crossover league for combat robot matches so we can see the arms race between hard and soft tech right there in the arena.  You'll pay for the whole seat, but you only need the edge!
 
Probably going to be some really strange "historical recreation" stuff as we move forward.  AIs dressed up in lifelike android bioshells (with realistic bleeding features!) and old-fashioned industrial robots teleoperated by actual meat humans refighting the early battles of the Pansapience Revolution, that sort of thing.

I would be very surprised if any comics creator follows fora for obscure roleplaying games. We may amuse ourselves, but I estimate the chance of affecting any existing title is approximately zero.
 
As for PCs having pets, in my Avant Guard campaign the hero Huntsman can summon a demon horse named Brimstone that carries him through the air. Written up as a Power, Huntsman is sure it's just a construct of magical energy... but wow, Brimstone, sure manages to look smug when women coo over him, pet him and try to feed him. Maybe Huntsman is projecting.
 
Dean Shomshak

Clearly the sport of the future is super-boxing, directly inspired by John Byrne's (I'm blaming him because he's the biggest name involved) Super Boxers graphic novel. 
 
Gladiatorial fights passed off as public "destructive testing" for geneered bioweapons probably shows up a lot too.   Maybe with a crossover league for combat robot matches so we can see the arms race between hard and soft tech right there in the arena.  You'll pay for the whole seat, but you only need the edge!
 
Probably going to be some really strange "historical recreation" stuff as we move forward.  AIs dressed up in lifelike android bioshells (with realistic bleeding features!) and old-fashioned industrial robots teleoperated by actual meat humans refighting the early battles of the Pansapience Revolution, that sort of thing.

Let's get ready to rumble!
 
 
 
 
 
This is the working class villain. He'll want to make money easily. He doesn't mind a dust up, but won't go out of his way to get back at someone.

To power up - I'd create a grenade VPP. Flash bangs, sonic grenades, gas grenades. But upgrading his mace will also work, or make him more Martial Artist with a point of SPD and some Dex ( +6 to dex and +1 to Spd would be dangerous)

The bodiless head of "Tommy, Dennis' patient and friend" is going to haunt my nightmares.  And is that a bow tie directly attached to his horribly fleshy stump of a torso?  <Shudder> 
 
What is this horror you have wrought upon the world, Dennis? 

There is a Deryni RPG that uses the Fudge system. It's been around for quite some time... over a decade at least.  

This is a cute game.  I refuse to do the obvious, and that snout's more gator than croc anyway, so:
 
Florida Man - The product of a botched supersoldier program using retroviral treatments to empower "volunteers" with animalistic capabilities, Florida Man is largely amnesiac about his previous life (much like fellow test subject the Mighty Bullfrog).  He's acted a shades-of-gray hero or antihero (and occasionally a villainous dupe) over the last few years as he seeks to learn more about himself and the scientists who transformed him.  As you might expect, he has superhuman strength and durability, his jaws that can bite through a steel I-beam, and can hold his breath for absurd periods of time, see in the dark, and manage some remarkable short-term bursts of speed for a brick archetype.  His blood also contains powerful antiviral and antibiotic properties and for unknown reasons doesn't trigger immune responses in most humans, making transfusions a viable cure for many infections as well as promoting regenerative healing - with only the smallest risk of passing along his "condition" and creating a new gator-human hybrid with scrambled memories.  Honest, it's probably perfectly safe.  Don't ask about She-Gator.
 
Florida Man is quick to take offense when mistaken for anything even vaguely Egyptian, and insists he's a US citizen who was born in Tampa (he thinks...) despite lack of proper ID.  Other things that annoy him are luggage jokes, asking him if he eats his meat raw ("Gross, I don't even like sushi."), and people assuming he's an idiot.  His altered physique still hasn't managed to completely obliterate that Floridian accent, although he hisses more than he used to.  He does not, in fact, like biting people at all ("You all taste terrible.  What, do you think I don't have taste buds?") and usually sticks to chomping inanimate objects as a show of force.  Cold temperatures (below freezing) make him increasingly torpid, and he'll eventually lapse into complete inactivity if exposed for long enough.  He also doesn't like salt water much, although he's not as sensitive to it as actual alligators are.
 
Those are loose swimming trunks he's wearing, not some weird foreign skirt, and lots of supers wear utility belts.  How else is he supposed to keep his phone dry?  The boots are custom jobs designed to handle his mass and amphibian lifestyle, and the weighted wristbands add a little something extra to his punches.  He might bundle up in the largest trenchcoat he can find if trying to go incognito or if it's cold out, which works about as badly as you'd expect.  If he's working with technically-minded allies they'll usually try to find him a holo-projector disguise gadget and/or some kind of personal heating field as needed, but he tends to break such things pretty quickly during brawls.

I myself didn’t run Champions, but I played with a consistent group for about 4 years. We were all avid comic buyers, so a lot of inspiration came from Teen Titans (George Perez and Marv Wolfman), The X-Men (Chris Clairemont and John Byrne), and a scattering of John Byrne era Fantastic Four. There was a bit of influences from early 80s anime as well, however since all of us came out of the highschool wargaming club, the Comics Code was a loose suggestion.
 
I ran Fantasy Hero, and my influences were the Deryeni books, and other politics and violence heavy fantasy trilogies of the time. I bounced off of Tolkien, so his influence was minimal. 

A lot of cops have said that Barney Miller is the most realistic cop show they have ever seen, for what that's worth.

So first up the new Lord Mocker
 
 
 
Hope you like it so far!

To power down - Really? When I just pumped him up? OK get rid of the flight. This keeps him ground bound.

To power up - Hearing Flash, AE cone, Force Wall. Basically anything that will add to his attacks. Also an active sonar system would be logical!
 
 
 
 

I may speak softly, but I carry a big FIST!
 
 
Mocker has no idea that this is a weak link in his team, but it will take a lot of role play and investigation to get FIST on their side. This could lead to a full on redemption arc!

Forget powering down, this whole experiment is to power up. But if what I did is not enough...

To power up - Power Blaster to 14d6. Add 15 to figured Str. To go a bit over the top, a 40 pt VPP representing modules he can add to the armor to customize it!
 
 
 
 

Oct 2021
 
Mocker approached what looked like an abandoned house in the countryside.  
 
Well if this was where Mace planted his workshop, he did a great job hiding it! Mocker thought!  Let’s see if Frank's info was any good! 
 
Mocker went behind the house into the garage and activated the hidden panel.  A palette on the floor moved aside to reveal a set of stairs going down.  
 
Mocker activated his Shield, just in case.  And started down the stairs.  Eventually he came to a metal door.  Trying the handle, he found it locked.  Oh well, so much for being quiet!
 
SCCCCRRRREEEE!  Scratch one lock.  Mocker kicked in the door and leapt into the darkened room.  And promptly got smacked by a mace at the end of a metal wire.  
 
THAT HURT!  
 
SCREEEEEE!  Mocker lashed out into the darkness, but if anything was there, it moved!  Another mace head came out of the darkness, but it narrowly missed.  Mocker moved into the darkness.  Now we’re even! He thought.
 
Another mace came out of the darkness and wrapped around his arm.  AAARRRGGG!  Electricity coursed through him.
 
If this isn’t mace, Mocker thought, then he is a clone!
 
SCREEEEE!  Thud!  Sounds like I connected!
 
Mocker found a light switch.  Flipping it he found his opponent pushing himself off the floor ready to go back at it.  Mocker hit him with the Stunning Scream and placed him out for the count.  
 
About a minute later the young man woke up.
 
“So WHO are you?!”  Mocker queried.
 
“My name is Max.”
 
“And how did you get in here?”
 
Silence!  
 
SCRRREEE!  Dented wall!  
 
“I’ll ask again.  How did you get in here?”  Mocker said coldly.
 
“It took me about three days to get past the entry codes, but eventually I made it in.  After looking around I realized whose place I was in.  Figured since he was dead, he wouldn’t mind.  I’ve been spending my time making stuff to sell on the black market using notes he left behind.”  Max intoned.
 
“But the other day on a delivery, some goons in high tech tried to rob me.  I barely fought them off, came back here, and was getting ready to rabbit out of here when you blasted in.”  Max said.
 
“Describe them,”  Mocker said.  After hearing the description “TRADE!”  
 
“TRADE?” Max asked.  “Trade what?”
 
“Not what, who.  Technological Research and Development Enterprises.  They want to own all high tech items and ideas.” Mocker sneered.  “Hey kid, join with me and my friend and we’ll keep them off your back.  At the same time we’ll bash some heads and make some cash, IF you don’t mind getting your hands a bit dirty?!”
 
Max grinned.  “I like the bashing part!”
 
“So what do I call you?” Mocker asked,  “Mace is dead, and I don’t want to be reminded of it.”
 
Max mused, picked up the mace off the floor,  “How about Morningstar?”

"Some of us are built more like an oak than a willow."
 
You are all literal stick figures.
 
I should really turn on notifications for OotS, it comes out so irregularly I forget it exists sometimes.  Not quite up there with PS238 (which I'm finally giving up hope for when it hits the one year hiatus mark this month) but it sure ain't fast.

As a mostly-lapsed (since COVID) mercenary minis painter my advice is that if someone is offering to pay you to paint, at least consider giving it a shot.  That's how I got into it, and it provided a very solid secondary income for over a decade.  You never know if it's going to be a thing you enjoy doing until you try, and if nothing else it's a chance to practice on figs you didn't have to pay for.  Pretty sure every minis painter that ever lived thinks their work is much worse than it actually is, and if the customer's happy with the outcome that's what really counts. 
 
Lot worse ways to get paid for a hobby.  

Have you read Terry Pratchett's Strata?  Less science and more fiction, but hardly a major reading time investment and even his early writing is generally enjoyable.
 
Shades of Tekumel, sans the convenient chlen-beast whose constantly-shedding skin can be chemically treated to produce swords and armor roughly as durable as fiberglass but somewhat lighter.
 
A pox on Barker and his feet of clay for tainting such a interesting world.

As a mostly-lapsed (since COVID) mercenary minis painter my advice is that if someone is offering to pay you to paint, at least consider giving it a shot.  That's how I got into it, and it provided a very solid secondary income for over a decade.  You never know if it's going to be a thing you enjoy doing until you try, and if nothing else it's a chance to practice on figs you didn't have to pay for.  Pretty sure every minis painter that ever lived thinks their work is much worse than it actually is, and if the customer's happy with the outcome that's what really counts. 
 
Lot worse ways to get paid for a hobby.  

There is definitely a level of player buy-in that needs to exist that no amount of challenge, setting, or ambience is going to overcome if it isn’t there. Excellent point! 

Storn Cook. I have a few commissions with him.
Like 150.....
 
I will wait up to another six days before announcing a winner as per usual.