Champions of the North Outtakes

CHAMPIONS NORTH UNOFFICIAL ADDENDUM

Author: Scott Bennie Original Editing and Development: Steve Long Layout: Scott Bennie Special Thanks: Storn Cook and BCHolmes for inspiration on the Red Ensign. There are two things that we never have enough of in this universe: space and time. When I wrote the 5th Edition version of Champions of the North, I knew Steve Long wasn’t working with an infinite amount of space, and as it turned out, we ran out of it. Steve handed back some parts of the book that I’d written to be used as Digital Hero outtakes, unfortunately, Digital Hero died shortly after Champions of the North was published. Big sigh. However, where there’s a will, there’s a way, and thanks to the wonders of technology, I was able to assembles those outtakes into a more polished form and Steve graciously agreed to host them on the web site. So here are those pieces, presented in PDF for your Champions entertainment. Although these are presented as outtakes from the book, the IP was bought by Cryptic soon after Champions of the North appeared. Therefore, Cryptic may (and probably will) be adding loads of their own material to the setting, and ignoring some of what’s appeared in print before. (It’s funny what ownership allows you to do.) For this reason, the material in these outtakes should not be considered canon. All art is in the public domain; Dedicated to the memory of Andy Matthews.

Hero System™ ® is DOJ, Inc’s trademark for its roleplaying system. Hero System © 1984, 1989, 2002 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved. Champions © 1984, 1989, 2002 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved. Dark Champions © 2004 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved. Pulp Hero © 2005 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved. Champions of the North © 2007 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved. Star Hero, Justice Inc., Danger International, Dark Champions, Western Hero © 2002 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved.

 ■ Table of Contents

Hero System 5th Edition Revised

Table of Contents New Characters Red Ensign III Thundrax COMET COMET Suit COMET Gold COMET Black COMET Blue COMET Red COMET Green Les Esprits Guardiens Le Fort Chatelaine Surcheval Voyageur Odds and Ends Hockey Canada in a Non-Champions World Folk Hero Western Hero Pulp Hero Modern Hero/Dark Champions Comic Books



2 3 3 6 8 9 10 10 11 11 12 13 14 16 17 19 21 21 22 22 22 25 27 27

Champions of the North Unofficial Addendum



RED ENSIGN III PLOT SEEDS

Red Ensign III Val 20 23 23 18 18 18 24 20 10 10 5 9 46 40

Char STR DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

Cost 10 39 26 16 8 16 14 5 6 5 17 0 0 0

Movement:

Roll Notes 13- Lift 400kg; 4d6 HTH damage 14- OCV: 8/DCV: 8 141313- PER Roll 1313- ECV: 6 14- PRE Attack: 4 1/2d6 13Total: 10/24 PD (0/14 rPD) Total: 10/24 ED (0/14 rED) Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 Total Characteristics Cost: 162 Run: 11”/22 NCM Swim: 6”/12” NCM

Cost 3

Powers END Martial Arts: Self-Defense Training Maneuver OCV DCV Notes Akido Throw +0 +1 4d6 +v/5, Target Falls 4 Choke -2 +0 Grab One Limb; 2d6 NND 4 Escape +0 +0 35 STR vs. Grabs 4 Hold -1 -1 Grab Three Limbs, 10 STR for holding on 4 Judo Disarm -1 +1 Disarm; 30 STR to Disarm roll 4 Karate “Chop” -2 +0 HKA 1d6 +1 4 Kung Fu Block +2 +2 Block, Abort 4 Boxing Cross +0 +2 6d6 Strike 47 1u 3u 1u 2u

Canada Staff: Multipower, 70-point reserve (70 Active Points); all slots Restrainable (-1/2) 1) Booster Jet: Leaping +20” (24” forward, [6c] 12” upward) (20 Active Points); 6 Charges (-3/4), Restrainable (-1/2) 2) Energy Globe: Entangle 5d6, 8 DEF (65 6 Active Points); No Range (-1/2), Restrainable (-1/2) 3) Missile Deflection (Any Ranged Attack) 0 (20 Active Points); Restrainable (-1/2) 4) Electro-Staff: Hand-To-Hand Attack +8d6 4 (40 Active Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack

4u 3u 24 5 8 10 4

(-1/2), Restrainable (-1/2) 5) Tractor Field: Telekinesis (45 STR) (68 7 Active Points); Restrainable (-1/2) 6) Sight Group Images 1” radius, +/-10 to 4 PER Rolls (40 Active Points); Restrainable (-1/2) Armored Suit: Armor (14 PD/14 ED) (42 Active Points); OIF (-1/2), Activation Roll 15- (-1/4) Rebreather: Life Support (Self-Contained Breathing) (10 Active Points); OAF (-1) Mental Defense (12 points total) 0 Super Athlete: Running +5” (11” total) 1 Super Athlete: Swimming +4” (6” total) 1

9

Perks Reputation (A large group (Canadians)) 14-, +3/+3d6

24 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 5 1 3 3 2 3 3 5 3 5 3 3 3 3 3 3

Skills +3 with All Combat Acrobatics 14Animal Handler 14Breakfall 14Bugging 13Bureaucratics 14Climbing 14Combat Driving 14Computer Programming 13Concealment 13Criminology 13Demolitions 13Electronics 13Interrogation 14Language: French (imitate dialects) Language: Hebrew (basic conversation) Lockpicking 14Mechanics 13Navigation (Land) 13Oratory 14Paramedics 13PS: Architect 14Security Systems 13SS: Architecture 14Shadowing 13Sleight Of Hand 14Stealth 14Streetwise 14Survival 13Systems Operation 13-

They Found Red Ensign’s Body…. …unfortunately, it appears that he’s been turned into one of Necrull’s necrullitic zombies. Put it out of its misery, then figure out what’s going on. To add insult to injury, Baron Nihil is dressing the Knights of Sanguanay in the costume of the Red Ensign as he launches attacks on your city! He hopes to drive a wedge between Canada and your country by having its national hero attack you. Stop this sacrilege. The Canada Staff is mysteriously appearing in your bedroom/ quarters. Every time you try to get rid of it, it returns. You’re not even Canadian. You can’t seem to make anything work, except to make it eject a Canadian flag and cause it to play O Canada. What does a dead superhero’s stick want with you?

 ■ New Heroes

Hero System 5th Edition Revised 3 3

Tactics 13Teamwork 14-

Total Powers & Skills Cost: 275 Total Cost: 436 200+ Disadvantages 10 Dependent NPC: Son 8- (Normal) 5 Enraged: Bullying (Uncommon), go 8-, recover 1410 Hunted: Black Banner 8- (As Pow, Harshly Punish) 15 Hunted: Baron Nihil 8- (Mo Pow, Harshly Punish) 15 Psychological Limitation: Protects the Innocent (Common, Strong) 10 Psychological Limitation: Outspoken Social Conscience (Common, Moderate) 5 Rivalry: Professional (The Memory of Past Red Ensigns; Rival is More Powerful; Seek to Outdo, Embarrass, or Humiliate Rival; Rival Unaware of Rivalry) Total Disadvantage Points: 436 Background: The first Red Ensign was Tommy Brock, a descendent of the great Canadian general of the War of 1812. A steadfast pacifist, he volunteered to fight in the Second World War after his best friend, who’d gone to England as a naval cadet, was badly burned in a U-boat attack. When the hospitalized Billings told Brock of the horrors he knew were being committed by Nazi Germany, Brock repudiated his former pacifist ideals and took on the mantle of the Red Ensign, a symbol of Canadian patriotism. He chose to become a superhero rather than a soldier because only such a brazen symbol (and obvious target) could atone for his stubborn blindness to evil in the years preceding the war. The Red Ensign fought the Nazis for three years. He once even had Hitler in a choke hold (though a Nazi drug caused him to pass out before he could finish off the Fuehrer for good). Escaping from the Nazi firing squad, the Ensign’s deeds promptly Hitler to commission a Nazi scientist named Ernst Von Niehl to destroy him. Eventually, Von Niehl lured the Ensign into a prearranged death trap in Holland and killed him, though at the cost of being trapped for decades in “the annihilation dimension” (from which he emerged as Baron Nihil). The Red Ensign’s legacy haunted the Brock family, and in 1964, that legacy led to a dramatic development for Brock’s nephew Jim, an NHL star turned Toronto policeman. One of Jim’s cases involved an eccentric scientist Dr. Matthew MacNeil, who had been the Golden Age superhero Dr. Cerebro, MacNeil mistook Jim for his uncle, whom he’d known in the Second World War. Futzing through his closet, MacNeil presented the bewildered policeman with a long white-metal rod. “I made it from the metals of King Vultok’s

realm,” the scientist explained. “It’s virtually indestructible and it can return to your hand with a gesture. If you learn to use it properly, you’ll be a match for any of these new-fangled supervillains who are starting to show their faces again. I call it… the Canada Staff.” When Jim held the Canada Staff, he knew that his life would be changed. He knew that Canada was under threat from a new wave of costumed villains, and someone needed to take a stand, as his uncle had. After two years of intense training, Jim felt ready to take up the mantle of the Red Ensign. It was 1964. Jim Brock was 29 years old. Years of crimefighting, brawls against superhumans and battles against the elements followed. He had a long, storied career. Jim’s charisma and humility provided a good counterpoint to the flamboyant politicians of the Trudeau era, and he worked well with the authorities. Jim’s early career linked him forever with Canada’s flag debate (see History) and led many to call him “the Lester Pearson of superheroes” (after the Prime Minister who oversaw the start of his career). He was loved and respected by nearly everyone. Although rival heroes like the Mighty Canadians were vastly more powerful, the Red Ensign had the love of the people. However, superhero work is not a game long played by those whose bodies wear out, and by 1976, Jim’s was spent. Broken bones, muscle tears, and numerous concussions had taken a grave toll on him, and even an exo-skeleton couldn’t keep the years and kilometers from showing in his performance. Many politicians, fellow heroes, and folks in the media begged him to retire. Even a few of his old foes tried to persuade him to step aside. Stubbornly Jim refused to quit, though he did found the first incarnation of the Northern Guard in 1978 to provide him with backup. However, a support team couldn’t forestall the inevitable. A head injury he suffered at the hands of Fantastic Bill (a minor otherwise forgettable villain) took away his ability to focus, and finally forced him to step down in 1980. Jim remained as the titular head of the Canadian Guard, but the disabling injuries he suffered made even that work difficult. In 1985, the Canadian government’s attempt to regulate superheroes led to a schism between Brock and the rest of the team. Jim, his teammates said, had always been too close to the government to see what a threat they could be. His life in tatters, the ailing Brock retired to a small town in northern Manitoba, where he died in 1997. The legacy of the Red Ensign hung over the Brock family well after his retirement. Jim’s son Hugh, embittered by his absentee dad and never-ending media scrutiny, took the Canada Staff as his own — but he chose to become a supervillain, and he christened himself the Black Banner. Not particularly successful, Hugh Brock’s stint at villainy embarrassed the family and the nation. In 1999, the Black Banner broke out of prison and bitterly tried to end “the family curse” by killing every male descendent of the Brock family (the idea of

Champions of the North Unofficial Addendum a female Red Ensign didn’t seem to occur to him). His first target was his cousin David, Tommy Brock’s sole living grandson. David had been haunted by the specter of the Red Ensign since childhood, but didn’t resent the legacy. David fought back against his cousin, knocking him unconscious and taking the Canada Staff away just as a crew of photographers arrived. “I guess that makes me the new Red Ensign,” David shrugged. A naturally gifted athlete, David Brock had pursued a career in architecture, but he was a bit of a thrillseeker at heart and had a strong social conscience. He grew up in downtown Toronto, and shared the liberal political leanings of many in the urban core. David’s career was controversial, however he performed as admirably as his famous predecessors. Though his attempts to form a new Northern Guard met with failure, he quickly rose to become Canada’s most respected hero and its face to the superhuman community abroad. David discovered, however, that the Canada Staff brought its share of problems, especially enemies. In 2007, during a hostage crisis at the Governor-General’s mansion, Baron Nihil shot him with a variation on the same “annihilation” ray that had struck down his grandfather. The Red Ensign was vaporized in a split second, leaving only the Canada Staff, which clattered on the hardwood floor of Rideau Hall. However, Nihil was unable to break the staff (as he had hoped) and the arrival of COMET forced him to withdraw. The Canada Staff was given to David’s widow, Mary Brock. As the entire nation mourned, the press openly spoke about “the Brock Curse” and the world wondered if anyone would ever take up the Canada Staff again. Personality: Each Red Ensign has been perceived as dull and steady, and in each case, that’s not true. In particular, David Brock was an often prickly, excitable young man with a strong social conscience and a boundless determination to correct injustice, particularly toward minorities, women, and the poor. When a crisis happened, he was as calm as any superhero you’d ever meet. David was an idealist; he believed in the larger global community, supers and non-supers, and in cooperation and friendship. He believed that the only way to stop supervillains was to create a better world and to encourage higher standards of behavior. He was aware, however, that someone who often gets into fights may not be the best messenger, but handled the dichotomy with effortless aplomb. Quote: “Let’s see… Button #12, makes a Canadian flag

 pop out of the flag. Okay, it’s corny but it works.” Powers/Tactics: Each Red Ensign has been a human in peak physical condition that’s trained to be able to compete against superhumans. The Canada Staff and the Canada Suit are the sole superhuman items in his arsenal; the Canada Suit was invented by Golden Age scientist Dr. Cerebro; it’s an armored cloth with a fluid metal sub-layer; while the suit is heavy, the metal flows to mimic the wearer’s movements, so it doesn’t restrict his agility. The Canada Staff is made from the metal of the alien artifact that was King Vultok’s crown; no known force, including being heated to millions of degrees Kelvin or attempts to disassemble it at the molecular level, have been able to make a dent in it. The Staff is not an OAF; it will teleport back into the Ensign’s hand as a zero phase action if he’s ever disarmed. The Red Ensign’s tactics are standard for a martial arts oriented character. He does pay more attention to strategic objectives than many heroes; if he foils the villain’s plan and forces the villain to retreat, he’s usually as satisfied as he would be if he’s knocked out the bad guy. Campaign Use: Okay, if this guy’s dead, why is he here? First, no one ever found a body. In comic book terms, this is shorthand for “he’s not really dead,” so you can bring him back at the most dramatic time. Secondly, it gives the players a chance to run a legacy character. They can take the opening and run Red Ensign IV, either as a member of the Brock family, a family friend, or the Brock family can hold tryouts to see who best deserves to hold the Canada Staff. To increase the Ensign’s power level, add the Steelsman exo-skeleton from the RCMP Package. To decrease his power level, reduce his SPD to 4 and reduce the hand to hand attack and telekinesis to levels appropriate for the campaign. Red Ensign III didn’t actively watch or hunt people, but he always kept an eye out for threats to Canada: ranging from gunrunners to genetic mutation. You might take him as a hunted by defining it as “being unlucky enough to always cross paths with him.” For Hunteds, all Red Ensigns had NCI. Appearance: Red Ensign III was in his late 20s, 6’2” (188 cm) tall and a lean 180 pounds (82 kg). He had dark brown hair, worn short, and a lean, attractive, clean-shaven face. The Red Ensign suit was a red bodysuit, with a tan longcoat and fatigues and army boots. A maple leaf flag design is incorporated into the center of his chest, and a red ensign and fleur-de-lis are emblazoned on his shoulders. He donned a military helmet, with a red facemask worn underneath. The Canada Staff was a white gold rod, 180 cm. in length.

 ■ New Heroes

Hero System 5th Edition Revised

THUNDRAX PLOT SEEDS Thundrax has been ordered to surrender the power of Living Thunder within six months. Owing to past favors or to one of your members’ superpowers. Thundrax asks for your help in making his decision. Thundrax is found with a briefcase containing Canadian state secrets and the phone number of a known Teleios operative. Thundrax is one of the last people you’d suspect being a traitor. Clear his name. You have been invited to address the Canadian House of Commons when Thundrax accuses you of being a VIPER plant and uncharacteristically charges to attack you. What’s going on?

Thundrax Thundrax Val Char Cost Roll Notes 20/70 STR 10 23- Lift 400 tons; 14d6 HTH 23 DEX 39 14- OCV: 8/DCV: 8 18/38 CON 16 1720 BODY 20 1313 INT 3 12- PER Roll 1214 EGO 8 12- ECV: 5 25 PRE 15 14- PRE Attack: 5d6 16 COM 3 128/30 PD 4 Total: 30 PD (15 rPD) 8/30 ED 4 Total: 30 ED (15 rED) 4 SPD 7 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12 8/23 REC 0 36/66 END 0 39/64 STUN 0 Total Characteristics Cost: 129 Movement: Flight: 17”/34” NCM Run: 6”/ 12” NCM Swim: 2”/4” NCM Cost 12 143 15 12 8 5 12 27 17

Powers END Thunder Punch: Hearing Group Flash 3d6, 0 Personal Immunity (+1/4), Trigger (Activating the Trigger requires a Zero Phase Action, Trigger requires a Turn or more to reset; When Throws A Punch; +1/4), Area Of Effect (One Hex; +1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (22 Active Points); No Range (-1/2), OIHID (-1/4) 0 Heroic Form: (Total: 204 Active Cost, 143 5 Real Cost) +50 STR (50 Active Points); No Figured Characteristics (-1/2), OIHID (-1/4) (Real Cost: 28) plus +20 CON (40 Active Points); No Figured Characteristics (-1/2), OIHID (-1/4) (Real Cost: 23) plus +22 PD (22 Active Points); OIHID (-1/4) (Real Cost: 18) plus +22 ED (22 Active Points); OIHID (-1/4) (Real Cost: 18) plus +15 REC (30 Active Points); OIHID (-1/4) (Real Cost: 24) plus +30 END (15 Active Points); OIHID (-1/4) (Real Cost: 12) plus +25 STUN (25 Active Points); OIHID (-1/4) (Real Cost: 20) LS (Safe in High Pressure; Safe in High Radiation; Safe in Intense Cold; Safe in Intense Heat; Safe in Low Pressure/Vacuum; Self-Contained Breathing) (19 Active Points); OIHID (-1/4) Damage Resistance (15 PD/15 ED) (15 Active Points); OIHID (-1/4) Sight Group Flash Defense (10 points) (10 Active Points); OIHID (-1/4) Lack Of Weakness (-5) for Resistant Defenses Trained Will: Mental Defense (15 points total) Flight 17” (34 Active Points); OIHID (-1/4) 3 Naked Modifier on 70 STR: Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) for up to 70 Active Points (17 Active Points)

4 8 21 15

Perks Reputation: Trustworthy Canadian Superhero (A large group) 11-, +2/+2d6 Fringe Benefit: Member of Canadian Parliament Contact: UNTIL (Contact has access to major institutions, Contact has significant Contacts of his own, Very Good relationship with Contact), Organization Contact (x3) (21 Active Points) 12Wealth (Filthy Rich)

15 3 3 2 3 1 6 2 5

Skills +3 with HTH Combat Breakfall 14Bureaucratics 14Language: French (fluent conversation) Oratory 14PS: Civil Engineering 8KS: The Superhuman World 15PS: Plumbing 11Power 13-

Total Powers & Skills Cost: 339 Total Cost: 468 200+ Disadvantages 10 Accidental Change: When Hit By Drains Targeting Electrical Powers 11- (Uncommon) 10 Enraged: Innocents Threatened (Uncommon), go 8-, recover 1110 Hunted: VIPER 8- (As Pow, Harshly Punish) 10 Hunted: Hunter-Patriots 8- (As Pow, Harshly Punish) 15 Psychological Limitation: Will Never Abandon A Comrade (Common, Strong) 15 Psychological Limitation: Code Vs. Killing (Common, Strong) 10 Reputation: “Boy Scout” Superhero, 1115 Social Limitation: Public ID (Craig Carson) (Frequently, Major) 10 Vulnerability: 2x effect from Adjustment Powers (Common) Total Disadvantage Points: 468 Background: Not all teenagers are rebels. Craig Carson was a quiet, studious 14-year-old kid who was growing up in the east end of Vancouver, the tough working class side of town. Life wasn’t easy, and to make matters worse, his dad had disappeared when he was 5 and his mom had died when he was 12. He was being raised by his big brother, Jack, a local plumber who also worked as a small time boxer. They were extremelyclose and Craig was raised on the straight and narrow. One evening, walking home from a soccer game, Craig spotted a woman on the ledge of the building, looking like she was about to jump. A small crowd of teens had gathered at the bottom of the building, yelling at her to throw herself off. Craig sprang into action. He clammered up the fire escape, climbed to the roof, and began, in awkward words, to encourage the

Champions of the North Unofficial Addendum woman to hold onto her life. “You are worthy,” the woman said. “Worthy to become a vessel of Living Thunder...” Craig’s not sure what happened next. A bolt of lightning struck him from the blue, and Craig toppled five stories off the roof to the ground. It should have killed him. But he just dusted himself off and wandered home, deeply confused. The next day, Craig was jogging alone at school when he was caught by a sudden downpour. Craig took shelter under a canopy when he was again struck by lightning. This time, however, Craig was transformed. He added at least six inches and a hundred pounds of muscle to his teenage frame; his dark hair had become long and golden, and his clothing had been changed into a gold and blue body suit. Craig experimented with his new powers, discovering marvelous abilities. He was able to lift great weights and fly. He was a superhero! And he knew that his duty lay in protecting the innocent, so he joined the local UNTIL-backed team SUNDER (Superhuman United Nations Deployment Emergency Reserve). Craig had many adventures, though Jack, not knowing his brother’s secret, began to get very annoyed with the drop in his grades and frequent curfew violations. Alongside SUNDER, Craig fought people like VIPER, Teleios, the Hunter-Patriots, the Demon Lord Zorasto, Borealis, Black Spectre and the Brotherhood of Terror, the Colonel, Dark Prowler, PLUNDER, and many others. He and Black Paladin developed a particularly bitter rivalry. He also fought along a large gathering of heroes who foiled Doctor Destroyer’s plan to neutralize superhuman abilities in 1991, as well as an interdimensional gathering of dozens of heroes to stop Dark Seraph from recreating reality in his own image in 1993. Craig remained a SUNDER mainstay for years, and bounced around numerous other groups. One of the side benefits was joining in creating a foundation, funded by petroleum reserves discovered by his teammates, that eventually made him a billionaire. His brother developed superpowers too, became the UNTIL superhero Two-Fist and died in Detroit (though he was killed by superhuman looters after the Destroyer tragedy and is not counted among the famous Thirteen Fallen heroes.) Craig joined the Northern Guard for a few years, but eventually took Jack’s place in UNITY and served there with distinction (though he kept a reasonably low profile). A rather hard-nosed commander in UNITY, who didn’t believe in superheroes with secret identities, outted him. He complied with the request without showing resentment, but the decision gnawed at him. Craig eventually quit UNITY to help his old friend Forceknight, joining StarForce and training some of the new generation of Canadian superheroes. Eventually, however, he decided that his old friend Justiciar could handle the team without him. He had been a superhero for close to 20 years. He had never had a serious relationship, and had rarely social-

 ized at all outside of “the business”. He felt it was time to try Thus, after 20 years of heroing, Craig decided it was time for a break. He announced he would run for the Canadian parliament. He served for six years, occasionally clobbering a villain who threatened the House of Commons. Some complained that having a known superhero in the house only encouraged villains to attack. Craig was the target of mockery from some heroes for “selling out” —and he got plenty of “spandex” jokes when he tried to bring up issues in Question Period— but Thundrax kept a stiff upper lip. However, six years of being a prominent but largely ineffectual backbencher has disillusioned him, and he’s not going to run in the next election. Where Craig will end up, no one knows. Personality: Craig’s a genuine nice guy, highly principled, almost the archetypal boy scout hero. That said, he does have a thorough liberal streak that often puts him at odds with fellow heroes. He’d rather reform villains than beat them up. He really values life, and heroes who take a more cavalier attitude towards it (even the villains) will get an earful; he has similar attitude toward property damage, especially when it affects individuals. Craig is friendly but gets a little distant when someone tries to get too close to him; he hasn’t had a romantic relationship in over twenty years.

Quote; “What we do matters. So do it wisely.”

Powers/Tactics: No one is quite sure what the source of the “Living Thunder” of Craig’s powers are: some look at him and speculate he’s an aspect of the Norse god Thor. (the Hittite Sword god, who fought Thundrax when he was with Starforce, identified him as the Hittite Storm god Tarhunt), The Living Thunder becomes particularly noticeable when Thundrax uses his powers at full strength, when he generates a sonic boom. Craig has two forms: Thundrax and Craig. Both bodies share the same personality and memories. When Craig is in his Thundrax form, his Craig body goes into stasis, neither aging nor deteriorating (nor healing). Since his secret identity was outted, he’s only occasionally gone back to his Thundrax form. Thundrax’s tactics are pretty standard for someone who’s superhumanly strong. He prefers to avoid doing too much property damage, so he’s not given to throwing heavy objects collapsing buildings. When outnumbered go play hit-and-run game, trying to outmaneuver his opponents as opposed to overpowering them. Appearance: In his Thundrax form Craig is a huge man: 6’7” tall and 275 pounds. He has long golden hair, fair skin, and bright blue eyes. His uniform is a blue and gold skintight outfit that’s decorated with lightning insignia. In his Craig form, he’s 6 feet tall and 205 pounds with (balding) dark brown hair and brown eyes, appearing to be in his early 30s.

 ■ New Heroes

COMET PLOT SEEDS You do a favor for a stranded extraterrestrial, when he casually mentions that the COMET team raped and murdered its children! It claims that the creatures that bonded with COMET were meant to bond with a different species, but when COMET “forced” them to bond, they effectively killed them! Solve this crisis in extraterrestrial relations. While he’s visiting your city, Residual programming by Borealis kicks in, and COMET Black again becomes Dire! But how did Dire get an army of brainwashed citizens to serve at his side as they attack a local power plant? Is something bigger going on? You’ve been asked to guard foreign dignitaries at a summit of world leaders... and COMET is there to protect the Canadian Prime Minister. But every one at the conference seems to be acting strangely... and when the Canadian Prime Minister pulls a gun and shoots one of your country’s cabinet ministers... and your country’s Vice-President/Deputy Prime Minister starts firing back. What’s going on? And is it your imagination, or is COMET acting strangely too?

Hero System 5th Edition Revised

COMET

Membership: Comet Gold (leader), Comet Black (second-in-command), Comet Red, Comet Green, and Comet Blue. Background: In 2001, while on a field trip in the Canadian Shield, five college students from Carleton University discovered an alien object buried in the frozen north. Before they could contact the authorities, the slumbering artifact came to life. Driven an unknown directive, it latched onto each of the five students and attempted to refuel itself from their life essences. Discovering they were incompatible, the artifact converted them into living solar batteries, but the effort expended in the conversion process killed the object before it could start the refueling cycle. Now empowered as living solar batteries, the five students did what any red-blooded Canadian man or woman would do —become superheroes. Returning to Ottawa, they revealed what had happened to the authorities. They arrived in Ottawa just in time to intercept an attack on the city by the villainous Baron Nihil, who was attempting to assassinate Canada’s top field general. Adam Elliot urged the team into battle, and proved to be a capable leader in his attack on the Nazi science horror. Impressed by their showing, the authorities asked them to put their powers to good use, so they spent several years training with the RCMP and the Canadian military (while continuing their studies at Carleton). They were inaugurated as Ottawa’s official superhero team in 2003 and dubbed COMET (City of Ottawa Metahuman Emergency Team). The team is led by Comet Gold, who’s assisted by his four teammates are Comet Red, Comet Green, Comet Blue, and Comet Black. The team is usually stationed near the House of Commons when it’s in session. Their most famous battle took place in 2006, when they repelled an attack by Borealis on the House of Commons. This was one of many battles they’ve had in the Ottawa region. COMET is known for versatility and teamwork rather than raw power. The origin of the alien species responsible for the COMET armor is a mystery: in the 1980s, astronaut Greg Jenkins was enhanced with similar powers after an encounter with aliens and became the (now-retired) superhero Solar Sentinel (though Sol had a 50 STR in addition to the suite of other abilities). It’s possible that COMET isn’t the only bio-solar superhumans around. Powers/Tactics: The COMET suit is a bioluminescent weave that’s a plant-based lifeform that’s integrated itself into the pilot’s body. It requires direct sunlight or an equivalent light source to trigger the COMET transformation; the process takes a full phase. The COMET armor can be stripped from a pilot, but it can regrow (this requires five minutes of direct exposure to sunlight). The Aid to the Endurance Reserve power serves

as an acceptable substitute for sunlight. When the suit’s active, the pilot becomes enveloped in a field of semisolid bioluminescence that he or she can manipulate at will. The COMET armor does not function for anyone except the members of the team who were converted by the alien. The one exception was Dr. Phillip Ross, who stole samples of the COMET to use in his biotech experiments, which resulted in the creation of the monstrous Numon (now destroyed). Given how Numon’s powers worked, the COMET suit may actually be a chrysalis stage of an extraterrestrial metamorphic cycle, and one day the COMET team may wake up to find themselves summoning a different armor with more powerful — and more alien — capabilities. Tactically, the COMET team keeps things simple. They maintain distance and air cover on their foe, assign one team member to protect innocents, and then attack at range, with everyone using a different attack power on a target, then teaming up with a combined blast if that doesn’t take them out of the fight. Each of them wears one of the alien COMET suits of powered armor, a bioluminescent weave that’s a plant-based lifeform which has integrated itself into the wearer’s body. Thus, the suits look far more “organic” than typical powered armor, though they have plenty of “technological” features as well. Each COMET member’s suit matches his color-code designation, with gold highlights and trim, except for Comet Gold whose suit is gold with black highlights and trim. Campaign Use: For the purposes of Hunteds, the COMET team, and Comet Gold should be considered to have NCI. No individual member except Gold has that designation.

Champions of the North Unofficial Addendum COMET SUIT Val Char Cost 20 STR 10 20 DEX 30 28 CON 36 14 BODY 8 18 INT 8 10 EGO 0 20 PRE 10 14 COM 2 10 PD 6 10 ED 4 6 SPD 30 10 REC 0 56 END 0 40 STUN 2 Movement: Cost 17 35 3u 3u 3u 3u 3u 1u 3u 3u 50 15 13

Roll Notes 13- Lift 400kg; 4d6 HTH damage 13- OCV: 7/DCV: 7 151213- PER Roll 1311- ECV: 3 13- PRE Attack: 4d6 12Total: 10/20 PD (0/10 rPD) Total: 10/20 ED (0/10 rED) Phases: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 Total Characteristics Cost: 146 Run: 6”/12” NCM Swim: 2”/4” NCM

Powers END Endurance Reserve (100 END, 15 REC) 0 Reserve: (25 Active Points); REC: (15 Active Points); Only Recovers In Direct Sunlight (-1/2), OIF (-1/2) Bioluminescent Powers: Multipower, 53-point reserve, (53 Active Points); all slots OIF (-1/2) 1) Light Blast: Energy Blast 10 1/2d6 5 (53 Active Points); OIF (-1/2) 2) Sight Group Flash 4 1/2d6, Area Of 5 Effect (6” Cone; +1), Selective (+1/4) (52 Active Points); No Range (-1/2), OIF (-1/2) 3) Solid Light Band: Entangle 5d6, 5 DEF 5 (50 Active Points); OIF (-1/2) 5 4) Solid Light Barrier: Force Wall (10 PD/11 5 ED) (53 Active Points); OIF (-1/2) 5) Bioluminescent Leech: Drain END 2 1/2d6, 5 Ranged (+1/2), Armor Piercing (+1/2) (50 Active Points); OIF (-1/2) 6) Invisibility to Radio Group and Normal 1 Sight (15 Active Points); OIF (-1/2) 7) Light Fingers: Telekinesis (28 STR), Fine 5 Manipulation (52 Active Points); OIF (-1/2) 8) Recharge Another Member’s END Reserve: Aid END Reserve 3 1/2d6, Ranged 0 (END Reserve; +1/2) (52 Active Points); OIF (-1/2) Flight 20”, x16 Noncombat, Reduced 0 Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Noncombat acceleration/deceleration (+1) (137 Active Points); Fuel Dependent (fuel is Very Common; must refuel Once per 6 Hours; -3/4), OIF (-1/2), Restrainable (-1/2) Armor (10 PD/10 ED) (30 Active Points); OIF (-1/2), Activation Roll 14- (-1/2) 0 Life Support (Safe in High Pressure; Safe in High Radiation; Safe in Intense Cold; Safe in Intense Heat; Safe in Low Pressure/Vacuum Self-Contained Breathing) (19 Active Points);

 OIF (-1/2) 10 Shape Shift (Mental Group), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (10 Active Points)

0

3

Perks Fringe Benefit: Federal/National Police Powers

6 8

Skills +2 w/ Multipower Penalty Skill Levels: +4 vs. Range Modifier with Multipower Penalty Skill Levels: +1 vs. maneuver modifiers with flight AK: Central Canada 11CK: Ottawa 11Language: French (fluent conversation) Navigation 13SS: Biotechnology 11Teamwork 13-

2 2 2 2 3 2 3

Total Powers & Skills Cost: 195 Total Cost: 341 200+ Disadvantages 5 Distinctive Features: (Easily Concealed; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By CommonlyUsed Senses) 15 Physical Limitation: Cannot Change Into Suit Except In Direct Sunlight (Frequently, Greatly Impairing) 10 Susceptibility: Herbicides, 2d6 damage Instant (Uncommon) 5 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x BODY Darkness Attacks (Uncommon) 5 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x STUN Darkness (Uncommon) 10 Hunted: 11- (As Pow, NCI, Watching) Total Disadvantage Points: 341

10 ■ New Heroes

Hero System 5th Edition Revised COMET GOLD

COMET BLACK

Adam Elliot, head of COMET, is a graduate student at Carleton who’s working on his doctoral thesis in biotechnology. Something of a science prodigy, as a teenager, he interned as a major Ontario biotech firm, only to discover it was being used as a front for Teleios. He exposed the connection to the general public, and earned the enmity of the Perfect Man. Adam and Ben (Comet Black) are both romantic rivals over Jocelyn’s (Comet Green) affections. So far, the more outgoing Comet Black is winning, however those who know them can tell that the true affection is between Adam and Jocelyn.

The son of James and Matelyn Pryce, who were engineers on assorted NASA projects in the 1990s (and who died testing an experimental rocket engine ten years ago), Ben Pryce is an electronics genius in addition to his other pastimes. Ben is handsome, charismatic, and an insufferable egotist. He believes that only the rational mind of a trained scientist is fit to rule the world, and anyone who disagrees with his view should shut up and get out of his way. He denies it, but Ben has one foot in the supervillain camp (though his love for Jocelyn Dumont and a noblesse oblige attitude toward innocents keeps him with the team. Lately, however, he’s been courted by both Teleios and Borealis. Ben repudiated them, however he’s becoming very resentful about Adam’s leadership role on the team and his relationship with Jocelyn. Teleios’s arguments seem especially persuasive, though he refuses to admit it. Under Borealis’s mental control he assumed the costumed identity of the villain Dire… and part of him enjoyed the walk on the dark side.

Powers 10 2d6 Luck 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Skills Acrobatics 13Breakfall 13Computer Programming 13Electronics 13Inventor 13KS: The Superhuman World 12Mechanics 13Scientist SS: Chemistry 13SS: Mathematics 13SS: Optics 13SS: Physics 13SS: Robotics 13-

Total Additional Powers/Skills: 49 Total Character Points: 380 Additional Disadvantages 5 Enraged if Innocents Hurt (8-, Recover 14-) 15 Hunted by Teleios (More Powerful, 8-) 15 Psychological Limitation: Code vs, Killing (Common, Strong) 15 Psychological Limitation: Intense Scientific Curiosity (Common, Strong) 10 Psychological Limitation: Overly Protective of COMET Green (Common, Moderate). 10 Rivalry (Professional, Romantic, w/Comet Black) 60 Experience Bonus 380 Total Points

10

Powers Analyzer: Analyze Circuitry (Detect, Sense, Range. Discriminate, Analyze, OAF)

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Skills Computer Programming 13Cryptography 13Deduction 13Electronics 13Inventor 13Mechanics 13Oratory 13Scientist SS: Dimensional Theory 13SS: Nuclear Physics 13SS: Physics 13SS: Robotics 13Systems Operations 13-

Total Additional Powers/Skills: 49 Total Character Points: 380 Additional Disadvantages 5 Enraged if Physically Struck (8-, Recover 14-) 10 Hunted by Borealis (More Pow, Watch, NCI, 8-) 5 Hunted by Teleios (More Pow, Watch, 8-) 10 Psychological Limitation: Shows Contempt Whenever Someone Displays or Admits Ignorance (Common, Moderate) 10 Psychological Limitation: Code vs, Killing (Common, Moderate) 10 Psychological Limitation: Overconfidence (Common, Moderate) 10 Rivalry (Professional, Romantic, w/Comet Gold) 60 Experience Bonus 380 Total Points

Champions of the North Unofficial Addendum

11

COMET BLUE Josh Jordan was always an adventurous kid, and though many people considered him a dumb jock, he had an interest in mysteries and conspiracies, the latter inspired by his dad, a famous literary critic. When his parents died in a tragic accident in his freshman year at Carleton, Josh took a year away from school and blew through his trust fund to finance a globe-hopping adventure spree. That year solidified his interest in archeology and mysticism. When he returned to Carleton, he wanted to maintain his interests, which led him to join the fateful expedition where COMET was created. A good friend and trusted teammate, Josh’s sense of humor and high-spirits make it natural for his friends to lean on his broad shoulders, even COMET Black. 13 5

Powers END Extra Strength: STR +30, No Figured 6 Characteristics (-1/2), Extra Time: One Phase to Activate, (-1/4), Increased END Cost (x2) (-1/2) 1d6 Luck

10 3 3 2 2 3 3

Skills +2 Levels w/HtH Acrobatics 13Breakfall 13KS: Canadian History 11KS: The Mystic World 11SS: Archeology 12Survival 13-

Total Additional Powers/Skills: 44 Additional Disadvantages 5 Enraged if Accused of Being Irresponsible (8-, Recover 14-) 5 Hunted by Teleios (More Powerful, Watching, 8-) 10 Psychological Limitation: Code Vs Killing (Common, Moderate) 10 Psychological Limitation: Easily Bored (Common, Moderate) 10 Psychological Limitation: Excessively Curious (Common, Moderate) 65 Experience Bonus 375 Total Points

COMET RED Benny Harris was a bright kid who came from shady stock; his dad, a native of Shelbourne Nova Scotia, was a smuggler as well as a fisherman. Benny received a bursary to Carleton and engaged in a bit of petty crime before he got his powers. When the COMET team was born, Benny suggested becoming supervillains, but the others stared him down. More or less forced to become a superhero, he’s managed to settle into the role, however he’s still the least heroic of the COMET crew and the greediest. Nonetheless, Benny really likes the adoration of the people and won’t screw that up — unless something very tempting comes his way. 10

Powers END Endurance Boost: 2d6 Absorption (physical, to END) 12 Size Boost: Growth (+20 STR, +4 BODY, 8 +4 STUN, -4” KB, 400 kg, +0 DCV, +0 PER Rolls to perceive character, 4 m tall, 2 m wide), Costs END Only To Activate (+1/4) (12 Active Points); Increased Endurance Cost (x4 END; -3/4), Extra Time (Full Phase, Only to Activate, -1/4) 2 +1” Running 10 3 2 2 3 3 3

Skills +2 Levels w/HtH Navigation (sea) 12PS: Fisherman 11PS: Writer 11Streetwise 13Survival (maritime) 13 TF: Small Motored Boats, Large Motored Boats, Small Sailboats

Total Additional Powers/Skills: 53 Additional Disadvantages 5 Enraged when insulted (8-, Recover 14-) 10 Psychological Limitation: Code Vs Killing (Common, Moderate) 10 Psychological Limitation: Harbors Grudges For No Good Reason (Common, Moderate) 10 Psychological Limitation: Greedy (Common, Moderate) 74 Experience Bonus 384 Total Points

12 ■ New Heroes

Hero System 5th Edition Revised COMET GREEN Jocelyn Paiemont was born in Laval, Quebec, Her father was not Nicholas Paiemont, the man who raised her, but rather, it was Henri Lalonde, the supervillain Punition! Jocelyn’s parents tried to hide the truth from her (and her twin sister Genevieve), Against the odds, Jocelyn has managed to live a very normal life until she received her powers. The recent revelation of her true parentage has deeply conflicted her — and has all but driven her sister into her natural father’s arms, just as Genevieve’s own powers start to emerge. Powers END 10 Strong Will: +5 EGO 10 Pheromones: +3 DCV, only against those attracted to women (-1/2) 20 Touch of Grace: Mental Illusions 10d6, 5 Limited Power: Pleasing Images Only, Can’t Do Damage (-1/2), No Range (-1/4), Extra Time: Full Phase (1/2). 3 3 3 3 3

Skills Animal Handler 13Combat Driving 13Conversation 13Persuasion 13SS: Biochemistry 12-

Total Additional Powers/Skills: 55 Additional Disadvantages 5 DNPC sister (slightly less competent. 11-) 5 Hunted by Teleios (More Powerful, Watching, 8-) 10 Hunted by Punition (As Powerful, Capture, 8-) 10 Psychological Limitation: Code Vs Killing (Common, Moderate) 10 Psychological Limitation: Nervous Around Guns (Common, Moderate) 10 Psychological Limitation: Reckless, Moderate) 66 Experience Bonus 386 Total Points

Champions of the North Unofficial Addendum

Les Esprits Guardiens

Membership: Le Fort, Voyageur, Surcheval, Chatelaine. Background: For years, people in Quebec complained they had no native superhero team. Les Esprits Guardiens was founded after the 1995 sovereignty referendum; one of the arguments that the victorious “non” side had made was that English-Canadian superheroes would (and had frequently) provided protection from invading supervillains, both foreign and domestic. The Chatelaine, a sorceress with heavy pro-sovereignty leanings, was outraged by the claim and decided the solution was put together a Quebec superhero team and show that Quebec didn’t need the Northern Guard to defend itself. Her first recruit was a “new” superhero named Le Fort (new only in the sense that he had recently started his heroic career; Le Fort had been born in the 17th Century and was the source of numerous legends and folk tales). The other veteran Quebecois superhero, Voyageur, had federalist leanings, however he saw the need for a local team and was willing to put aside his political trepidation. The team was officially formed in 1998, with sponsorship from the city of Montreal. The fourth founding member was Ti-Jean, but he died in a skiing accident unrelated to superheroing in 2006. His replacement, who joined in 2007, was Surcheval. The team has faced a number of villains like Punition, Roi D’Hiver and Tilingkoot, and acquitted itself well. StarForce has proposed uniting with them to form

13 Alliance Canada (which would eventually branch out with superhero teams in the North, the West Coast and the Maritimes and become the unofficial sentinels of all Canada.) Chatelaine has vetoed this every time, but Voyageur is pressing for the union, pointing out that even sovereigntist politicians join with English-Canadians when their interests are at stake. The Chatelaine has countered by proposing an alliance with COMET (which the Ottawa team has rejected). Tactics: Les Esprits keep their combat tactics simple: if Le Fort feels they can handle a situation (or have no choice but to intervene) Le Fort and Surcheval charge in, while the Chatelaine and Voyageur hold back and use their powers at range. If things go badly, the Chatelaine is ordered to work up a teleportation spell and retreat. Relations: Les Esprits Guardiens has a good relationship with the Quebec authorities, and with UNTIL. Their relations with the federal government and the RCMP are cordial but distant (Voyageur intervenes to handle them); they’ve occasionally worked with COMET (COMET Green has a standing invitation to join the team) and Voyageur has aided StarForce on occasion, as he and Justiciar are old teammates. Within the team, there are two factions: Le Fort and Chatelaine on one side, and Surcheval and Voyageur on the other. Voyageur and Chatelaine acknowledge their differences and maintain a cool, civil relationship; it’s obvious they’ll never be friends, but they’ve saved each other’s lives too often to be enemies.

L’ESPIRITS GUARDIENS PLOT SEEDS An emissary from the alternate dimension of Laurentia approaches the Chatelaine, suggesting that she secretly link the signal from Radio-Canada with its Laurentian equivalent, so Quebeckers can see first hand what life in a sovereign Quebec would be like. Of course it’s a trap, but when people in your country tune into a signal from an alternate dimension (out of sheer curiosity), what happens when the invading army using that signal gets the coordinates wrong and lands in your backyard? Le Fort is immortal, but what happens when PCs who are around Le Fort and Voyageur at a social gathering suddenly get drawn in a temporal nexus and go back in time to the 1820s, when men were men, and men were rowdy, and your superpowers are either useless (or scaled down to a heroic scale)... and one of you has to gather their teammates—who now believe they belong in the 1820s—and win a no holds barred fist fight against Le Fort in an Ottawa logging camp. You uncover evidence that Chatelaine has been using her magical powers to “prime” people for the idea of a sovereign Quebec. No, what she’s doing is more subtle than a mass suggestion to vote “oui” in the next referendum. She’s been performing ritual magick designed to increase Quebeckers self-assuredness and confidence in their nation’s self-worth, so they won’t feel a need to stay with Canada when the “non” side uses its “typical scare tactics.” You know that revealing this to the public would probably cause a lot of scandal and break the team apart along sovereigntist/federalist lines. Do you go public?

14 ■ New Heroes

Hero System 5th Edition Revised Le Fort Val Char Cost 40 STR 30 20 DEX 30 30 CON 40 18 BODY 16 13 INT 3 12 EGO 4 20 PRE 10 18 COM 4 26 PD 18 26 ED 20 5 SPD 20 14 REC 0 60 END 0 53 STUN 0 Movement: Cost 4 3

Roll Notes 17-- Lift 6400 kg; 8d6 HTH [4] 13- OCV: 7/DCV: 7 151312- PER Roll 1211- ECV: 4 13- PRE Attack: 4d6 13Total: 26 PD (20 rPD) Total: 26 ED (20 rED) Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 Total Characteristics Cost: 195 Running: 6”/12” NCM Leaping: 16”/32” NCM

4 5 3 2 12 20 14 4 5 11 8

Powers END Martial Arts: Self-Defense Training Maneuver OCV DCV Notes Block +2 +2 Block, Abort Clinch -1 -1 Grab Two Limbs, 50 STR / 65 STR for holding on Cross +0 +2 10d6 /13d6 Strike Hook -2 +1 12d6 /15d6 Strike Jab +2 +1 Strike Weapon Element: Clubs, Axes Growth (+15 STR, +3 BODY, +3 STUN, 1 -3” KB, 792 kg, -2 DCV, +2 PER Rolls to perceive character, 4 m tall, 2 m wide) (15 Active Points); Only When In Contact With The Ground (-1/4) Tough as the Land: Damage Resistance (20 PD/20 ED) 0 Immortal Body: Life Support (Longevity: Immortal; Safe in High Pressure; Safe in High Radiation; Safe in Intense Cold; Safe in Intense Heat; Safe in Low Pressure/Vacuum) Strength of the Land: Lack Of Weakness (-5) for Resistant Defenses (5 Active Points); Only When In Contact With The Ground (-1/4) Squint: Sight Group Flash Defense (5 points) Hardiness of the Land: Knockback Resistance -7” (14 Active Points); Only When In Contact With The Ground (-1/4) Super-Strong Legs: Leaping +8” (16”/19” forward, 8”/9 1/2” upward)

3 8

Perks Fringe Benefit: Federal/National Police Powers Contact: Justiciar (Contact has access to major institutions, Contact has significant Contacts of his own, Contact has useful Skills or resources, Very Good relationship with Contact) 12-



20 4 3 3 2 3 3 4 4 2 3 4 3 5 3 3 2

Skills +4 with HTH Combat AK: Quebec 13Climbing 13Conversation 13CK: Montreal 11Disguise 12Gambling 12KS: Quebec Folk Tales 13KS: The Superhuman World 13Language: English (Fluent Conversation) Navigation 12PS: Lumberjack 13Seduction 13Tactics 13Teamwork 13TF: Rafts, Sleds, Small Rowed Boats WF: Common Melee Weapons

Total Powers & Skills Cost: 177 Total Cost: 372 200+ Disadvantages 20 Hunted: Borealis 8- (Occasionally), More Powerful, PC has a Public ID or is otherwise very easy to find, Harshly Punish 25 Hunted: VIPER 8- (Occasionally), More Powerful, NCI, PC has a Public ID or is otherwise very easy to find, Capture 15 Hunted: Province of Quebec 14- (As Pow, NCI, Watching) 10 Physical Limitation: Always cheerful, Never Seems to Get Upset Frequently, Slightly Impairing 10 Psychological Limitation: Code Versus Killing Common, Moderate 5 Rivalry: Professional (all other bricks), Rival is As Powerful, Seek to Outdo, Embarrass, or Humiliate Rival, Rival Aware of Rivalry 20 Psychological Limitation: Sworn to Defend the Quebec People Very Common, Strong 15 Social Limitation: Public Identity Frequently (11-), Major 5 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x STUN Magic attacks Uncommon 5 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x BODY Magic attacks Uncommon 5 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x Effect Magic attacks Uncommon Total Disadvantage Points: 372 Background: As old as the hills, they say, but just how old are the hills? And what do they do when they smile on you? Gabriel LeFort was a fur trader, based in Montreal, who explored the wilderness as a fur trader. In 1641, the Land observed him, a big likable man with a deep booming (if off-key) singing voice and it gave him powers. He became superhumanly powerful and

Champions of the North Unofficial Addendum immortal. Gabriel enjoyed using his powers, though he eventually discovered they raised people’s suspicion, particularly from priests. He hid his powers from those who might persecute him, wandered the wilderness and created legends, In the 19th Century, he was Joseph Montferrand, champion boxer and lumberjack defender of the people. In the 20th Century, he was Matthieu Deglise, who traded the British Commonwealth boxing title with the Rocket Man, Billy Deighton, in a series of bouts across Canada that captured the national imagination in the mid-1930s. He enjoyed Montreal for its nightlife and drinking, but preferred the wilderness. During the Second World War, Gabriel avoided the European front —though he loved a good brawl, he hated war—but circumstances forced him into the fight on the domestic front, and he fought alongside Princess Aureole in her attack on Vultok’s ice realm. It was the first time his growth powers had manifested themselves: calling himself Le Fort Bûcheron (“the Mighty Lumberjack”), he helped save Canada from Vultok, but the sheer horror of what he saw forced him to retreat into the wilderness for over 40 years. Eventually he received another visit from the Land, which was getting irritated by human “degradation” and “ignorance.” Gabriel agreed to return to civilization and win the people’s trust and persuade them to take better care of the land. To win people to his side, he became the superhero LeFort. LeFort has established himself as the premier superhero of Quebec, and most of Canada holds him in high regard. Though he harbors strong nationalistic feelings —he remembers how English and Irish-Canadians treated Quebeckers back in the old days—his message has primarily been one of environmental stewardship. People nod their heads when they hear him speak, but they never seem to do something. It depresses him, but he’s found some good people, and he’s doing some good work, and he’s content. Personality: Le Fort is a happy individual whose learned to take life in stride. He’s found the balance between zeal and indolence, and so he’s managed to keep his psyche on an even keel. He is very good to talk with, very friendly when drunk; he has, however, absolutely no regard for people who bark orders at him or who don’t treat people with patience and respect. Le Fort loves to fight. He regrets that since the pulp era, the spike in magical forces that fueled the growth of his powers has made it impossible for him to return to the boxing ring, as that was where he felt most alive. He loves to pick fights with bricks when he first meets them. He expects the opponent to bond with him and figure out that it’s a gesture of masculine respect; unfortunately, not everyone does and many people come away from a first meeting with more than a few bruises. Quote: “Let’s you and I fight!” Powers/Tactics: Le Fort is a magically altered human. With gifts of immortality and superhuman

15 strength, he’s already one of Canada’s toughest superhumans, however his Growth power, the ultimate expression of that magic, puts him at a strength level equal to all but a handful of bricks on the planet. Le Fort’s clothing grows and shrinks with him when he changes his size. Le Fort’s tactics are stay at human size throughout as much of the fight as is feasible. He doesn’t use his growth power unless his opponent is tough enough to take it; he views the use of his full might as an “honor” that few are worthy of possessing. If an opponent has a weapon, he’s not above taking an axe-handle and swinging for the fences. Campaign Use: ]To reduce his power level for lowpowered campaigns, lower his STR to 30, his SPD to 4, and shave off some combat skill levels. To increase his power level for high-powered campaigns, boost his base defenses by 5, add two Overall skill levels, and add 3d6 Luck. Le Fort will watch people at the beckoning of the Land, but he’ll only hunt someone if they’ve sworn to destroy Quebec or its French-speaking majority. Since he helped bust an anti-Quebec organization called Canada First in the mid-1990s, no one’s filled that vacuum, though lately he’s casting a suspicious eye on the Hunter-Patriots., Despite the lack of specific contacts, LeFort’s reputation is good enough that he should be treated as having Non-Combat Influence. Appearance: Gabriel LeFort is a barrel-chested mountain of a man, 6’6” tall and 265 strapping pounds. kilos). His costume is a flannel lumberjack’s shirt (worn open to reveal a swath of chest hair), faded blue jeans, and bright red toque; he has brown hair, brown eyes, and a medium-length, well-groomed beard.

16 ■ New Heroes

Hero System 5th Edition Revised Chatelaine Val 15 23 28 10 13 18 25 14 15+ 15+ 5 10 56 32

Char STR DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN

Cost Roll Notes 5 12- Lift 200 kg; 3d6 HTH [1] 39 14- OCV: 8/DCV: 8 36 150 113 12- PER Roll 1216 13- ECV: 6 15 14- PRE Attack: 5d6 2 1212 Total: 15/25 PD (0/10 rPD) 9 Total: 15/25 ED (0/10 rED) 17 Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 2 0 0 Total Characteristics Cost: 156

Movement:

Running: 6”/12” NCM Leaping: 3”/6” NCM

Cost 105 13 16 11 8

Powers END Sorcery Variable Power Pool, 60 base + 45 control cost, all slots Powers Can Be Changed As A Half-Phase Action (+1/2) (105 Active Points) Force Field (10 PD/10 ED) (20 Active Points); 2 Conditional Power Cannot Add to Defenses Pulled From Magic Pool (-1/4), Limited Power Force Field Won’t Stop Attacks If Attacker Makes an EGO roll at a -3 penalty (-1/4) Missile Deflection (Any Ranged Attack) (20 Active Points); Limited Power Won’t Stop Attacks If Attacker Makes an EGO roll at a -3 penalty (-1/4) Mental Defense (15 points total) Sight Group Flash Defense (8 points)

2

Perks Fringe Benefit: Local Police Powers

5 4

Talents Eidetic Memory Speed Reading (x10)

3 3 3 4 4 1 3 3 2 17

Skills +1 with Magic High Society 14KS: Literary World 12KS: Superhero World 13KS: The Occult World 13Language: English (basic conversation) Oratory 14Persuasion 14PS: Bookseller 11Power: Magic Pool Control Skill 18-

Total Powers & Skills Cost: 207 Total Cost: 364

200+ Disadvantages 5 Distinctive Features: Glowing Silver Eyes (Easily Concealed; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly Used Senses) 10 Hunted: Black Paladin 8- (As Pow, Harshly Punish) 10 Hunted: Roi D’Hiver 8- (As Pow, Harshly Punish) 15 Hunted: VIPER 8- (As Pow, NCI, Harshly Punish) 10 Psychological Limitation: Addicted to Reading New Magic Tomes (Common, Moderate) 10 Psychological Limitation: Disdain for Canadian Government (Common, Moderate) 10 Psychological Limitation: Fear of Crows (Common, Moderate) 15 Social Limitation: Secret ID (Marie Dubois) (Frequently, Major) 5 Susceptibility: The Touch of Silver 1d6 damage Instant (Uncommon) 5 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x BODY from Holiness Powers (Uncommon) 5 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x STUN from Holiness Powers (Uncommon) Total Disadvantage Points: 364 Background: The evil of the Black Paladin is unfathomable; one of his uncountable misdeeds was to kidnap girls and prepare them for careers as his sorceress “chatelaines.” Marie Dubois was one of them. Snatched from her Quebec home at the age of five, Marie was forced into the life of a sorceress apprentice. A chatelaine-in-training, Sir Giles called her. Black magic became her meat and drink. She participated in unholy rites, so her essence became allergic to symbols of holiness (silver, consecrated ground, etc.) However, the Paladin has enemies, both human and superhuman. A courageous Jesuit priest discovered the Paladin’s activities, and gave his life to contact the Mighty Canadians. The superhero team defeated the archvillain. Marie was returned to her parents. All was set aright. The only problem was, it wasn’t. She had been in the Paladin’s dubious care for nine years; she no longer knew her parents. She had been exposed to dark rituals that haunted her dreams. She couldn’t be taken to confessional without screaming. Exorcisms followed, but she wasn’t possessed, just scarred. The one magical effect that consumed her was a geas; the Paladin had intended for her to become a living library of the occult, so she was ensorcelled to read as many occult tomes as possible and commit their contents to memory. Somehow, she graduated from high school, and enrolled in college. She turned to politics as a distraction. After her campus was bombed by a nutcase associated with the now defunct Canada First! Organization, Marie realized that Quebec needed more than the political will to stand on its own two feet; it needed protectors. She had done her best to shun magic since

Champions of the North Unofficial Addendum her rescue, only to discover that she was fighting against her own nature. She decided to stop fighting and embrace her gift. Calling herself the Chatelaine —turning the Paladin’s attempt to enslave her into a symbol of personal triumph—she trained herself to fight the enemies of Quebec and the darkness within herself. It took decades before she felt ready to assume the mantle of the Chatelaine, but in 1994, she became Quebec’s newest superheroine, and never looked back. Personality: Though admittedly brash, outspoken, and hard-driving, the Chatelaine has a reputation for moodiness that’s largely undeserved; by her own admission, she doesn’t handle the media well (particularly the English-language press, as her English isn’t very good) and her childhood wasn’t conducive to the development of casual social skills. She’s been a loner for most of her life, and her one romantic relationship turned out to be with a warlock who tried to get her back into the Black Paladin’s fold —she’s certainly not expecting to find a romantic relationship any time soon. Quote: I hold the key to the castle, and that castle is Quebec. And you are not welcome in the castle.” Powers/Tactics: The Chatelaine is a sorceress, pure and simple. Through magical training, she can perform fantastic spells with almost unlimited effects. Her favorites involve blinding via flashes, disabling through entangles, and (when her teammates are in trouble) ranged healing spells or a teleport to get them out of the way. Her defenses have an unusual limitation: a person can battle through them by making an appropriate EGO roll (at a -3 penalty). Every time someone successfully attacks, they get a chance to break through. The Chatelaine is still bound by the geas to become a mystical library and there are dark forces tugging at her life, threatening to send her into the abyss. She tries to get around the curse by reading texts that emphasize the positive uses of magic, and doing a lot of meditation to hold herself together. So far it’s worked, but it’s a battle. Campaign Uses: To adjust the Chatelaine for a low-powered campaign, reduce her Magic Pool to 50 points. To increase it for a high-powered campaign, raise it to 70 points, increase her Pool Control Skill to 21-, and raise her SPD to 6. The Chatelaine considers herself to be the guardian of Quebec’s mystic community, so if you’re a practicing mage in Quebec, she may be watching you. If you’re connected with the Black Paladin, or perceived as a threat to the sovereigntist movement in Quebec, she’s a natural Hunted. The Chatelaine has NCI, though against some threats (particularly the occult), she’s very reluctant to involve the authorities in any way. Appearance: The Chatelaine is a woman approaching middle age who remains reasonably attrac-

17 tive (magic is better and cheaper than a good plastic surgeon). When in heroic identity she has short silver hair and wears a black domino mask and a bright green dress (the same color has her eyes) with silver gloves and a silver sash around her waist. In civilian identity she has dark hair and allows her face to look older and more care-worn. She’s 5’5” tall and weighs 120 pounds. Surcheval Val Char Cost Roll Notes 35 STR 25 16- Lift 3200 kg; 7d6 HTH [3] 26 DEX 48 14- OCV: 9/DCV: 9 28 CON 36 1513 BODY 6 1218 INT 8 13- PER Roll 1310 EGO 0 11- ECV: 3 20 PRE 10 13- PRE Attack: 4d6 12 COM 1 1122 PD 15 Total: 22 PD (15 rPD) 22 ED 16 Total: 22 ED (15 rED) 5 SPD 14 Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 13 REC 0 56 END 0 45 STUN 0 Total Characteristics Cost: 179 Movement: Running: 14”/28” NCM Leaping: 7”/14” NCM Cost 15 60 6u 4u 4u 4u 2 12 16

Powers END Toughness: Damage Resistance (15 PD/15 ED) Teleportation Powers: Multipower, 60-point reserve 1) Incredible Speed: Teleportation 30” (60 6 Active Points) 2) Quick Change Other: Cosmetic Transform 4 8d6 (Quickly Dress or Change An Object’s Apparel) (40 Active Points) 3) Combat Teleport: RKA 2d6, Penetrating 6 (x2; +1) (60 Active Points); OIF (any small teleportable object) (-1/2) 4) Desolidification (40 Active Points) 4 Life Support (Safe in Low Pressure/Vacuum) Blink Teleport: +5 with DCV (25 Active 2 Points); Costs Endurance (-1/2), Conditional Power Must Follow Teleport or Full Move Running (-1/2) Running +8” (14” total) 2

2

Perks Fringe Benefit: Local Police Powers

16 3 2 3 3 3 3 3

Skills +2 with All Combat CK: Quebec City 13CK: Montreal 11Computer Programming 13Electronics 13Interrogation 13Language: English (completely fluent) PS: Instructor 13-

18 ■ New Heroes

Hero System 5th Edition Revised 5 3 1 1

SS: Physics 15Stealth 14Systems Operation 8Teamwork 8-

Total Powers & Skills Cost: 171 Total Cost: 350 200+ Disadvantages 20 Hunted: VIPER 8- (Occasionally), More Powerful, NCI, Harshly Punish 10 Hunted: Punition 8- (Occasionally) (As Pow, Harshly Punish) 15 Psychological Limitation: Loves to Mock People Common, Strong 10 Psychological Limitation: Scientific Curiosity Common, Moderate 10 Rivalry: Professional (Le Fort), Rival is More Powerful, Seek to Outdo, Embarrass, or Humiliate Rival, Rival Aware of Rivalry 15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity (Andre Chounard) Frequently (11-), Major 10 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x Effect from Drains (Common) 5 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x BODY from Sonic Attacks (Uncommon) 5 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x STUN from Sonic Attacks (Uncommon) Total Disadvantage Points: 350 Background: Andre Chounard is actually the second superhero by that name; the first was Phillip Chounard, his uncle, a superhero in the 1960s and 70s, a speedster herald of the Quiet Revolution. Andre’s grandfather was Pierre Rhiaume, better known as Maître Cerveau (Master Brain), a science hero of the pulp era. Andre developed a “human potential machine” designed to bring out people’s finest qualities; the machine was no quick fix (the process required months to unlock people’s potentials, and many had none worth unlocking, so there were few volunteers). However, Phillip gained the power of lightning speed, and when he retired, he uncovered the machine and asked his relatives to take the treatment. One of them, a young graduate student in physics, gained powers. Phillip trained his nephew to be a superhero, a career choice that Andre agreed with enthusiasm When Les Esprits Guardiens was formed, Andre was glad to join. It hasn’t been the most sterling superhero career so far. Andre’s “potential” includes a huge potential to get on people’s nerves with petty insults and quips, a quality that serves him well when he needs to goad a supervillain into doing something stupid, but which has given him a rather unpleasant reputation. In part, it’s because he feels he needs to play things straight in his secret identity (a freshman high school physics teacher), so Surcheval is an emotional release for him.

Personality: Andre has established himself as a bit

of a jerk; he makes snide remarks about his teammates behind their backs, and is sometimes very obnoxious to LeFort (who takes the remarks in stride, though at some point Chatelaine and Voyageur expect there’ll be a blow-up). He has one great passion in his life: physics. Nothing shuts him up more quickly than the opportunity to study odd physical phenomena or supervillain technology, and he’s beginning to compile a database of exotic technology that may one day form the basis of a first generation Surcheval powered armor suit which will augment his already prodigious abilities. No one’s quite sure why he’s such a jerk to LeFort. Most of the time, the rivalry expresses itself in practical jokes (with one nasty joke from LeFort in response to ten petty ones from Surcheval). Quote: Cease your babbling, you pig-faced lunatic. Supervillains are such a relic from the past. Surcheval is the future.” Powers/Tactics: Surcheval is a mutated human; the potential of his family line unleashed. Although he’s technically a speedster, Surcheval might be better characterized as a “burster.” He doesn’t have a high SPD and tends to accelerate and decelerate quickly and travel in short bursts, thus teleport is a better fit for most of his powers than running. Surcheval is a front line combatant for Les Esprits. He likes to annoy his opponents and serve as a distraction for LeFort, either by verbal quips, or with his Transform power (he’s fond of putting women’s clothing or insulting T-shirts on his opponents, then pulling out a camera and taking a picture). When he has to get serious, he’ll teleport behind someone and blind-side them with a move-through, or he’ll move his hand through an opponent (his double armor piercing killing attack). The latter is reserved only for psychopaths or threats that require immediate neutralization.

Campaign Use: Surcheval fits the “annoying jerk superhero” archetype. One should not go too overboard with this; PCs should receive a little more lenient treatment than villains (unless they’re being truly obnoxious). To raise Surcheval’s power level for a higherpowered game, increase his SPD to 6, give him a 3d6 Hand Attack, and add some Danger Sense. To lower his power level for a lower powered game, remove his Combat Levels and drop his defenses by 3-5 each. Surcheval does not watch or hunt people, unless they’ve humiliated him in the past. Appearance: Surcheval is a good looking young man in his twenties, with short brown hair, blue eyes, and a bit of a smirk on his face. He’s 5’11” and weighs 182 pounds. His costume is an orange and black bodysuit that more than one person refers to as the “ugliest superhero costume in Canada.”

Champions of the North Unofficial Addendum Voyageur Val Char Cost Roll Notes 15 STR 5 12- Lift 200 kg; 3d6 HTH [1] 20 DEX 30 13- OCV: 7/DCV: 7 23 CON 26 1410 BODY 0 1110 INT 0 11- PER Roll 1120 EGO 20 13- ECV: 7 15 PRE 5 12- PRE Attack: 3d6 14 COM 2 126+ PD 3 Total: 24 PD (18 rPD) 7+ ED 2 Total: 19 ED (12 rED) 5 SPD 20 Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 8 REC 0 62 END 8 30 STUN 0 Total Characteristics Cost: 121 Movement: Running: 6”/12” NCM Leaping: 3”/6” Cost Powers END 63 Telekinesis Powers: Multipower, 63-point reserve 6u 1) Telekinetic Blades: RKA 3d6+1, Reduced 2 Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) (62 Active Points) 6u 2) Mental Manipulation: Telekinesis (35 STR), 6 Fine Manipulation (63 Active Points) 6u 3) Wave of Permeable Telekinesis: Energy 6 Blast 6d6, No Normal Defense (>5 rPD Force Field or Telekinetic Armor]; +1) (60 Active Points) 35 Astral Form: Multipower, 70-point reserve, (70 Active Points); all slots Character Is Incapacitated And Helpless While Using Power (-1) 3u 1) Distant Remote Viewing: Clairsentience 7 (Sight And Hearing Groups), Megascale (1” = 1,000 km; +1), Can Be Scaled Down 1” = 1km (+1/4) (67 Active Points); Character Is Incapacitated And Helpless While Using Power (-1) 3u 2) Local Remote Viewing: Retrocognitive 6 Clairsentience (Sight And Hearing Groups), x8 Range (2,000”) (65 Active Points); Character Is Incapacitated And Helpless While Using Power (-1) 6 Mental Wards: Mental Defense (10 points total) 15 Telekinetic Powers: Elemental Control, 30-point powers 15 1) Telekinetic Shield: Force Field (18 PD/ 3 12 ED) (30 Active Points) 15 2) Telekinetic Flight: Flight 15” (30 Active 3 Points) 15 Telekinetic Probe: Spatial Awareness (no 2 Sense Group) (22 Active Points); Costs Endurance (-1/2) 2 2 7

Perks Fringe Benefit: Local Police Powers Contact: Friend in the Mayor of Montreal’s

19

Office (Contact has access to major institutions, Contact has significant Contacts of his own, Contact has useful Skills or resources) 13-

6 3 2 2 5 2 3 4 3 5 3 2

Skills +2 with Telekinesis Multipower Bureaucratics 12KS: Montreal 11KS: The Superhuman World 11KS: Canadian History 14Language: English (fluent conversation) Paramedics 11PS: History Teacher 13Stealth 13Survival 12Tracking 11TF: Rafts, Small Rowed Boats

Total Powers & Skills Cost: 237 Total Cost: 358 200+ Disadvantages 5 Distinctive Features: Voyageur’s Outfit (Concealable; Always Noticed and Causes Major Reaction; Detectable Only By Unusual Senses) 15 Hunted: VIPER 8- (Occasionally) (As Pow, NCI, Harshly Punish) 15 Hunted: Punition 8- (As Pow, NCI, Harshly Punish) 5 Physical Limitation: Perceives Past Elements Imposed on the Present 15 Psychological Limitation: Often Confused by Retrocogntive Visions Common, Strong 15 Psychological Limitation: Sworn to Protect the Innocent Common, Strong 15 Psychological Limitation: Overconfident Very Common, Moderate 15 Social Limitation: Public Identity Frequently (11-), Major 10 Unluck: +2d6 Total Disadvantage Points: 358 Background: Alain Pelletier traced his roots back to the days of the voyageurs. He was a proud Quebecker from a wealthy family; he never suspected that his father was actually a mutant psychic supervillain, at least not until he started having psychic flashes as a teenager. Alain was taken aback when he approached his father and discovered that dad wanted to use him as part of his schemes to increase family power and influence. He ran, only to discover it’s very hard to escape a trained psychic. He was forced to fight his father, and in the course of the battle, he accidentally killed him. His father’s dying curse was partial possession; to avoid hiding from the past, Alain would be forced to psychically feel the history of the area around him, especially when it involved his family.

20 ■ New Heroes

Hero System 5th Edition Revised Alain spent the next five years in a mental institution. Eventually, he did recover, and he faced a critical choice. Either he could allow what had happened to scar his entire life, or he could move onto something better. He knew he had to make amends, but he decided to do so in a way that turned the curse into a blessing. He became a superhero. Alain’s perceptions often extended as far back in the pastas the time of the voyageurs and he came to identify with these hardy souls. He took their garb as his own and became Le Voyageur, the adventuring hero of New New Canada. That was 1969. For many years, Voyageur was one of Quebec’s greatest heroes (if also it’s most eccentric). He’s been a part of the Northern Guard in its second incarnation. His mutation has kept him in remarkable physical condition for years, though he’s starting to feel them wear at him over the last decade, and on the mornings after a fight, it’s been harder to get out of bed. He’s always taken a backseat to other heroes in the Quebec press (he’s too federalist for many people’s liking, and not modern enough: “Why?” One Montreal news commentator famously moaned. “Are so many of Les triomphateurs based on history and folk legends, and so few on the present day?” Even Voyageur had to admit he had a point. His best friend in the superhero world (now retired) was Hivernant, who also had the motif. Having never married, Voyageur is looking for some continuity, a successor to inherit his legacy. He is slowly coming to the realization that no one really wants to be part of one, a realization more terrifying than any supervillain he’s ever faced. Personality: Voyageur is an idealistic, happy-golucky soul; many view him as a “Quebec hippie.” He takes pride in being a raconteur, though his stories often take too long to get to the point. Voyageur believes that life is an adventure, that one should embrace the adventure and experience it with gusto. Perhaps in reaction to his stultifying family, Alain espouses the transformation of the world into a single large, open, welcoming community, urging people to embrace an ideal of human brotherhood that transcends language and ethnic lines. It’s an opinion that’s put him at odds with many in Quebec, including most of his current teammates. In recent years, Voyageur’s typical cheerfulness has been tinged with melancholy, as he realizes he’s well past his shelf life as a superhero and has no idea how to get out gracefully. It’s a conflict that’s going too get harder in the future. He’s spending more time in the astral plane these days, as he doesn’t feel his physical limitations there. Voyageur’s archenemy is Punition. They’ve battled numerous times, and there’s absolutely no bond of respect between them. Punition would love to be the man who ends Voyageur’s career, and if Voyageur dies, so much the better... Quote: “Life is a voyage that one must free to

enjoy to its forest. How unfortunate that your voyage will take you. Powers/Tactics: Voyageur is a “psychic voyageur.” He can use clairvoyance to travel in his astral form and wander around to gather information. The separation of mind and body has also led to the development of mind over matter techniques that express themselves as telekinesis. The most unusual of his telekinetic abilities is the “psychic force wave” (his NND) where he sends a ripple of telekinetic force through someone, making them queasy without actually damaging them. He has a side effect to his Clairsentience that’s written as a physical limitation: he sees time periods overlapping with the present and reacts to them (e.g. he’ll see a 1930s car parked in a parking space and drive around it). He has no control over his “lateral vision” and while he usually can separate past from present, sometimes he’ll forget and try to strike up a conversation, or rescue someone who doesn’t exist. (This is particularly problematic when he’s seeing only a few years into the past). Voyageur serves as a scout and a second rank combatant in Les Esprits Guardiens. He typically stays about twenty meters back from a fight and attacks at range, usually with his permeable telekinesis power, or his telekinetic blades against someone who’s particularly tough. Campaign Use: To adjust Voyageur’s powers for a lower powered game, reduce his defenses to 20, his SPD to 4,, his blades to a 3d6 RKA, his Telekinesis to 30 STR, and his NND to 5d6. To increase them for a higher point campaign (or to represent Voyageur in his prime, during the 1970s and early 1980s), increase his defenses to 28, raise his SPD to 6, and add some PSLs vs. ranged penalties (his vision has gotten worse over the years). Voyageur doesn’t hunt or watch people —he’s too busy wandering in the astral plane for that sort of thing— except as a favor to Le Fort. Appearance: Voyageur appears to be a scraggly man in his late 50s, wearing the fur costume of an eighteenth-century voyageur (explorer) from New France. He’s 5’11” tall with a scruffy grey beard, long, scraggly hair, and bright green eyes.

Champions of the North Unofficial Addendum

HOCKEY Hockey Package Deal Skills 3 Breakfall 112 PS: Hockey 11Martial Arts: Hockey Maneuver 4 Body Check 5 5 5 4 5 4 1 1

OCV DCV Notes +0 -2 4d6 +v/5 Strike, FMove Strip the Puck -1 -1 Disarm, 20 STR to Disarm; FMove Passing Strike +1 +0 2d6 +v/5; FMove Hip Check +0 +0 2d6 +v/5; Target Falls; FMove Shove +0 +0 25 STR to Shove Steal the Puck +0 +0 Grab Weapon, 20 STR to take weapon away Weapon Bind +1 +0 Bind, 20 STR Weapon Element: Polearms and Spears TF: Skates

Cost Powers END 6 Good Skating Legs: Running +3” 1 Total Powers & Skills Cost: 45 Total Cost: 45 Note: “Goons” should probably have some sort of brawling package (“Five for Fighting”). Elite players will have a higher PS, some levels with puck passing, DCV levels only usable on ice, an extra inch or two of running (Only while wearing skates on an ice surface), connections with agents, sports reporters and publicists, Reputation, and an extra level of Wealth.

Hockey and Superheroes

If you’re running a Champions game, there’s a number of ways you can integrate hockey into your superhero game; some as the scenarios that present themselves include:

21

Hockey Character Origins 1. He Shoots Up, He Scores! Your team’s trainer has hooked up with an evil organization (such as VIPER) to give your team an undetectable performance-enhancing drug. You’re members of a team that’s being mutated – and you don’t like some of the changes you’re seeing in your teammates, some of who are becoming quite psychotic. You need to use your own burgeoning powers to stop them. But once you’ve exposed the scandal, your playing days will be finished. What else will you do with your time? 2. Power Play You’re members of the Sudbury Meteors, a minor league hockey team on a losing streak, crowded into a rickety old van when a meteor lands nearby. Investigating, you’re engulfed in a strange radiation. You’re a hockey team who’s become superhuman! How do you handle your powers?

Hockey Related Champions Scenario Hooks 1. “Nyet, Nyet Soviet, Da Da, Canada!” Baron Nihil decides to get his revenge on Canada where it most hurts – by destroying its greatest moment. He goes back in time to the Summit Series, to make sure Canada loses the final game of the series and destroy the nation’s morale. You need to travel back in time to Russia on September 28, 1972, when Canada played Game 8, and keep people from interfering with the series. Unfortunately, not only do you need to deal with Baron Nihil, you also discover that Soviet superheroes have been ordered to engineer a USSR victory by any means necessary... 2. Try-Out: NHL players like to think of themselves as quiet and self-effacing, but not Julian Roentz, a mouthy star forward for the Calgary Flames whose known for his hard play and mouthy attitude. Now approaching the end of his playing days, Roentz has announced that he wants to change careers – other talented normals have become costumed vigilantes, so why not a prime athlete like him? This might be amusing, but he wants to audition for your team. Worse, the media is turning

22 ■ Odds and Ends

Hero System 5th Edition Revised

this already ludicrous incident into a real circus. Deal with it. Note: This might make a good origin for a PC, if a player wants to pursue such a concept. 3. The Good Ol’ Hockey Game Cosmos-Prime, a bored galactic entity, has decided to put humanity on trial! He claims that the species lacks the necessary spirit to survive as a member of the galactic brotherhood, and is giving one chance for you to prove yourselves! Kidnapping your team and transporting you to an interdimensional arena, where you have to play a game of hockey against a thuggish team of galactic superbeings. 4. Phantom of the Rink A great old hockey stadium in your town is being demolished to make room for a new, modern arena filled with luxury boxes and other modern sports amenities. Someone doesn’t like this, and mysterious accidents befall people who are involved in the deal. Some even say that the rink is haunted by the ghost of a hockey player who died in a tragic accident. Is it really a ghost? Or is it someone who wants revenge on the new owners? Or an old player who can’t stand losing the place that’s attached to so many of his memories? 5. The Hockey Murders There have been a spree of hockey related murders; one by one, players of a team that won the Cup fifteen years ago are being murdered one by one, and the authorities want a PC private detective to get to the

bottom of the case (particularly since there are since the killer was superhuman). Who did it? The coach’s insane ex-wife who blamed the team for covering up an affair? An insane fan or player from the team that lost the Cup? The benched player who was ostracized from the team and then suffered a career-ending injury in a Post-Cup celebratory prank?

CANADA IN A NON-CHAMPIONS WORLD Champions is a great game, but it’s not the only Hero System game in town. For those interested in playing pulp, western, and other historical games, here are suitable package deals.

FOLK HERO Folk Hero is an unofficial name for a superpowered game set in the early frontier era of North America where players run characters like Paul Bunyan. Canada had more than its share of folk tales especially in the province of Québec, who might be used as NPCs in a Folk Hero game or the basis for characters with a mythic background in a modern Champions game. Joseph Montferrand: The king of the Quebec loggers (1802-1864), Joseph spawned the even more fantastic legends of Big Joe Mufferaw, a Paul Bunyan-like figure. The historical Joe also has an exaggerated history, a strapping 6’4” giant as a teenager, he knocked out the Canadian heavyweight

Champions of the North Unofficial Addendum boxing champion with one blow when he was 16 and was acrobatic enough to put his heel marks in the ceiling while performing flips. He was a gentle giant, except when some haughty Englishman was foolish enough to insult Canadiens within earshot, or when the honor of French-Canadians (or Roman Catholics) needed to be defended in a boxing ring. He was strong enough to hold a plow with one arm outstretched, and tough enough to put 150 “shiners” (bullying Irish immigrants) to flight in a fight on the bridge between Bytown and Hull. In the Champions Universe, the legends of Jos. Montferrand were inspired by the immortal superhero LeFort. Alexis de Trotteur: Born Alex Lapointe (18601924), this man was a champion runner of the preOlympic era. An eccentric who thought he was a horse trapped in human form, he spent his boyhood years running across large pastures, whipping himself like a horse to make him go faster. He became famous by competing at fairground competitions against actual racehorses (and winning). When he was not racing, he made his living wandering Quebec and making clay ovens, mixing the clay and water by stamping them with his feet. He also entertained crowds by playing the harmonica and was renowned for a roguish wit (and an eye for beautiful girls). The most fantastic legends portray Alex racing against trains and early automobiles (winning, of course). His nicknames were Le Centaure (The Centaur) and le Surcheval (The Superhorse); the latter was later adopted by one of Quebec’s greatest superheroes. Louis Cyr: The semi-legendary Canadian strongman was a showman of the Victorian Age (18631912). Demonstrating his prowess as a teenager in American strongman contests, his documented feats of strength including restraining four horses (with two teams pulling in opposite directions), lifting 500 lbs. with one finger, and hoisting over 4,300 pounds on his back. He traveled with a strongman troupe in his native Quebec, but often gave exhibitions abroad.

WESTERN HERO Traditional Inuit Package Deal

The nomadic hunting culture of the Inuit led a harsh life in some of the most formidable terrain on the planet. This is close to the package deal for a modern Inuit; because they’re more settled, they should have one less rank in Survival, and TF: Snowmobile. 2 3 2 2 0 2

Talents Environmental Movement (no penalties on) Skills Animal Handler 11KS: Inuit Lore 11KS: The Spirit World 11Language (idiomatic) (4 Active Points) PS: Inuit Warrior 11-

23 1 7 3 1 3

Navigation 8Survival 13Tracking 11WF: Polearms and Spears TF: Dog Sleds, Dogs, Sleds

Total Powers & Skills Cost: 26 Total Cost: 26 5

Disadvantages Social Limitation: Aboriginal (Occasionally, Minor)

Package Disadvantages: 21

Lumberjack Package Deal

The Lumberjack is one of the most enduring symbols of Canada, from the days of its first colonists to the modern day: the lumberjack has always been a symbol of Canadian manhood from Quebec to British Columbia. Cost 5

Powers END Perfect Chop: Find Weakness 11- w/axe and saws, Conditional Power: Only Against Trees (-2)

2

Talents Environmental Movement (no penalties on movement in dense forest)

3 9 3 4 3 3

Skills Log Rolling: Acrobatics 11Climbing 14Hoist 11PS: Lumberjack 13Survival 11Teamwork 11-

Total Powers & Skills Cost: 32 Total Cost: 32 Disadvantages 5 Distinctive Features: Lumberjack Clothing (Easily Concealed; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses) Total Disadvantage Points: 5 Total Package Cost: 29 Plains First Nations Package Deal Adventurers in the Wild West era would be most likely to encounter an “Indian brave” from a buffalo hunting tribe like the Cree, Blackfoot, Assiniboine or Blood nations; this is a package of likely skills possessed by a brave. 1 2

Skills Animal Handler 8KS: Band Lore 11-

24 ■ Odds and Ends

Hero System 5th Edition Revised 2 0 2 1 3 3 3 2

KS: The Spirit World 11Language (Siouan or Algonquian) (idiomatic) (4 Active Points) PS: Band Warrior 11Navigation 8Riding 11Survival 11Tracking 11WF: Common Melee Weapons

Total Powers & Skills Cost: 19 Total Cost: 19 Disadvantages 10 Social Limitation: Status Indian (Frequently, Minor) Total Package Cost: 9

Voyageur Package Deal

Voyageurs were the courageous backwoods traders who worked for the Hudson’s Nay or Northwest Company during the 18th and 19th century. Adept woodsmen who could endure many seasons in Canada’s most formidable wilderness, the voyageur traveled long distances in pursuit of his fortune. Voyageurs often worked closely with Indians, and would almost certainly be conversant in one of the major Indian languages. Hivernants, those who expect to live in remote forts during the coldest winter months, might have a better Survival skill. Those stationed in the far north might also have Animal Handler (canines), Survival (arctic), and TF: Sled. 2

Talents Environmental Movement (no penalties on)

2 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 3 3 3 6 3 3 3 0

Skills AK: Canadian Wilderness 11Bureaucratics 11Climbing 11Combat Driving 11Hoist 11KS: Native Culture 12KS: Trapping 12Language: one First Nations language (fluent conversation) Mechanics 11Navigation (land) 11PS: Fur Trader 12Survival (Temperate/Subtropical) 13Teamwork 11Tracking 11Trading 11TF: Small Rowed Boats

Total Powers & Skills Cost: 48 Total Cost: 48

5 10

Disadvantages Social Limitation: Prejudice: Rustic (Occasionally, Minor) Social Limitation: Subject to Orders from HBC or NWC (Occasionally, Major)

Total Disadvantage Points: 15 Total Package Cost: 33

Notable People of the Era JERRY POTTS

: In the early days of the NWMP, the force was greatly helped by Jerry Potts, the half-breed son of a Métis fur-trader and a woman from the Blood tribe. He was renowned as the best shot in the territory (and equally proficient with knives); he was fluent in seven languages (though literate in none and notoriously laconic) and described as “a short bow-legged man with piercing black eyes and a long straight nose”. Potts had declared war on whiskey runners and wolfers after his mother was murdered by a drunken Blood, and was more than happy to help the NWMP stop their trade. He developed a very strong friendship with the newcomers, and NWMP Commissioner George Arthur French hired him as a guide at the extraordinary rate of $90/month. The Canadians got their money’s worth. Working closely with assistant commissioner James Farquharson Macleod, Potts helped set up Fort Macleod in southwest Alberta and smoothed relations between the NWMP and the Blackfeet. Ironically Potts, the fearless whiskey hunter, developed a drinking problem in his later years and died of throat cancer at the age of 57. Some say that the Land “smiled” on Potts and his descendents. This would be a good origin for a First Nations superhero.

LOUIS RIEL

Louis Riel’s background is well-documented in Champions of the North. His game stats are: 13 STR 11 DEX 15 CON 14 BODY 18 NT 10 EGO 23 PRE 10 COM 5 PD 5 ED 3 SPD 6 REC 30 END 29 STUN Abilities: AK: Red River Territory 13-; CuK: Métis 14-; KS: Law 13-; KS: Philosophy 13-; KS: Theology 15-; Language: English (completely fluent); Language: Latin (completely fluent); Language: Siouan (fluent conversation); Oratory 14-; Persuasion 14-; Riding 11-; Survival 13-; SS: 19th Century General Science Knowledge 12-; Tactics 13-; Tracking 8-; Trading 8200+ Disadvantages: Psychological Limitation: Messianic Complex (Common, Strong); Psychological Limitation: Protective of his people (Common, Moderate); Reputation: Murderous Traitor or Savior of His People, 14- (Extreme); Social Limitation: Wanted Criminal

Champions of the North Unofficial Addendum

25

Agitator (Frequently, Major) Notes: The most controversial figure in Canadian history, Louis Riel is a brilliant but taciturn man who received extensive religious training in the general knowledge of the day and who worked as a law clerk for a Quebec firm (though he hated it).

SAM STEELE

The greatest Mountie of them all was not named Do-right, but Steele — Sam Steele (1849-1919). A handsome strapping man of boundless energy and resolve, Steele’s military training prepared him well for the ordeals of the NWMP. He was the third man inducted into the force and participated in the Long March west, establishing himself as one of the force’s mainstays. As with the other NWMP, he enjoyed good relations with the First Nations bands of his day. Steele fought in the Battle of Batoche and the subsequent battle at Loon Lake to put down Riel’s First Nations allies, and established Fort Steele in British Columbia’s Kootenay Valley to control the Kootenay Gold Rush. After spending a decade wandering the northwest to bring order to trouble spots (usually without drawing a gun even in the most dire situations), Steele was given the task of commanding the NWMP in the Yukon at the height of the gold rush. Steele’s term as superintendent was firm and fair (if not always legal). When he left in 1899 to join the Boer War, the residents of Dawson threw a parade to cheer him off, and gave him a bag of gold dust as a parting gift. Steele served in the Boer War and in the First World War, where he often clashed with commanding officers who wanted to relegate him to recruitment efforts. Steele died shortly after the war during the influenza outbreak at the age of 70. His son Harwood’s 1923 novel, Spirit-of-Iron drew heavily on his father’s adventures. 20 STR 15 DEX 18 CON 18 BODY 18 INT 18 EGO 23 PRE 12 COM 9 PD 8 ED 3 SPD 10 REC 36 END 40 STUN Abilities: Observant: +1 PER with Sight Group; Foot Pursuit: Running +1” (7” total); Intimidating Presence: +10 PRE (10 Active Points); Conditional Power Only For PRE Attacks, Requires Eye Contact (-1/2); Basic Fisticuffs: Martial Block; Martial Grab; Contacts (4 points’ worth); Fringe Benefit: Local Police Powers; Fringe Benefit: Police Officer; Fringe Benefit: Captain (British Artillery); Reputation: Tough but Fair Negotiator and Lawman (A medium-sized group) 14-, +3/+3d6; Environmental Movement (no penalties on Temperate Wilderness); +3 Overall; AK: The Yukon 13-; AK: Alberta/Eastern BC 11-; Bureaucratics 14-; Conversation 14-; Interrogation 14-; CK: Dawson City 11-; KS: Criminal Law And Procedure 11-; KS: The Law Enforcement World 11-; KS: RCMP 11-; Language: Siouan (fluent conversation); Language:

French (fluent conversation); PS: Police Officer (or the like) 11-; Navigation 13-; Oratory 14-; Persuasion 14-; Riding 12-; Survival 14-; Tactics 13-; Tracking 13-; Teamwork 12-; WF: Emplaced Weapons, Small Arms 200+ Disadvantages: Distinctive Features: Uniform and/or Badge (Easily Concealed; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses); Hunted: department he works for 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Watching); Psychological Limitation: Prejudiced Against Non-Anglo Saxons (Uncommon, Moderate); Psychological Limitation: Mild Bouts of Alcoholism (Common, Moderate); Psychological Limitation: Prefers to Solve Problems Without Guns (Common, Moderate); Psychological Limitation: Politically Ambitious (Uncommon, Moderate); Rivalry: Professional (Other RCMP officers seeking political favor), Rival is As Powerful, Seek to Outdo, Embarrass, or Humiliate Rival, Rival Aware of Rivalry; Reputation: Agent of the Canadian Government, 8-; Social Limitation: Subject To Orders (Very Frequently, Major)

PULP HERO Prohibition Rumrunner Package Deal

“Then drink to the Volstead, oh, long may it last, And drink to the small boats, oh, may they be fast, To outrun the Coast Guards and land the good liquor, At beaches where signal is just a lamp’s flicker. “For some there’s a fortune but others will die, Come load up the ship, boys, the Yankees are dry. -- Rumrunner Drinking Song

Not the most honorable or safest of professions,

26 ■ Odds and Ends

Hero System 5th Edition Revised nonetheless, the Rumrunner was an important figure (and common adventuring profession) in the 1920s and early 1930s. Many rumrunners were caught and imprisoned, but some survived to become quite wealthy. 2 2

Perks Contact: Criminal Underworld 11Contact: Other Rumrunners 11-

3 3 2 2 1 1 1 1

Skills Combat Driving 11Contortionist 11Navigation (Marine) 11PS: Rumrunner 11Language: Smuggler’s Codes (basic conversation) Mechanics 8Systems Operation 8TF: Small Motorized Boats

Total Powers & Skills Cost: 18 Total Cost: 18 5

Disadvantages Hunted: Revenue Agents 8- (Less Pow, NCI Limited Geographical Area, Harshly Punish)

Total Disadvantage Points: 5 Total Package Cost: 13

Notable People of the Era SIR FREDERICK BANTING

Nobel Prize winner for his discovery of Insulin in 1922, Banting also served in the Great War, where he won a Military Cross for his bravery. His interest in medical discoveries and their practical application in the military might make him a good Canadian NPC for a Pulp Hero game. 10 STR 11 DEX 13 CON 12 BODY 20 INT 13 EGO 18 PRE 10 COM 4 PD 4 ED 3 SPD 5 REC 26 END 24 STUN Abilities: Reputation: Medical celebrity (A large group) 14-, +3/+3d6; Animal Handler 13-; Bureaucratics 13-; Deduction 13-; Inventor 13-; KS: Painting 11-; KS: Theology 11-; Paramedics 13-; PS: Farmer 8-; PS: Researcher 14-; Scientist; 1) SS: Aeronautics 12-; 2) SS: Anatomy 13-; 3) SS: Medicine 17-; 4) Veterinary Medicine 13-; WF: Small Arms Disadvantages: Social Limitation: Celebrity (Occasionally, Major); Psychological Limitation: Obsessed with achieving new medical discoveries (Common, Moderate) NORMAN BETHUNE While some people might find it Canadian

communist be a very odd choice for a hero, Norman Bethune embodied many of the virtues of his time. Son of a Presbyterian pastor, Norman was one of the great medical innovators of this time. Galvanized by the poverty of the Great Depression, Norman fought in the Spanish Civil War on the communist side developing medical techniques like establishing field hospitals and new methods for conducting blood transfusions in the field. Following the Spanish Civil War Norman made his way to China where he fought on the Maoist side in the second Sino Japanese war, developing new medical instruments and organizing small armies of doctors. He became one of the most honored Westerners in modern Chinese history. Norman died in 1939 of blood poisoning caused by a cut he suffered while conducting surgery.

Ten Scenarios for Pulp Hero in Canada

Here are scenarios that can be run involving Canada (or set in Canada) to give Pulp Hero games a boost. 1. Bride of Kigatilik! The evil Eskimo (Inuit is recent usage) spirit Kigatilik seeks the perfect bride! He hopes to breed a demonic son that will hunt down and kill every angakok, and he wants a girlfriend of one of the PCs. (For a male alternative, Sedna is looking for the “most masculine and heroic male of humankind” to serve as his paramour to breed a new species of killer whale! If there ain’t a big two-fisted lug among your PCs who fits that description, you shouldn’t be playing pulp). Soon evil Eskimo cultists are hunting their quarry and

Champions of the North Unofficial Addendum it’s up to you to stop them! 2. Exorcism: He’s Prime Minister of Canada, and he’s also someone who holds seances to talk with his mom. What happens if William Lyon Mackenzie King starts using Canada’s influence to persuade foreign powers to loan valuable occult artifacts to Canada, allegedly for museum shows, but actually for a terrible occult ritual. How do you fight a demonically possessed Prime Minister? 3. Exclude This, You Little Weasel! Members of Vancouver’s Asian Exclusion League are joining forces with their American counterparts to plan a coordinated assault on Asian communities along the west coast, hoping to strike such a savage blow that they’ll be driven off the continent! Stop them. 4. Nose to Bluenose (Requires an American-based team with a sailing background). Seeing that a PCs has an interest in sailing, a wealthy American millionaire spends a great deal of money and hires the PC for a very special mission: defeat the legendary Nova Scotia fishing schooner Bluenose and win the Fisherman’s Cup at all costs. However, you get a very bad vibe from the eccentric millionaire, and you wonder if there isn’t a hidden agenda in play. Canadian version: You’re friends with the crew of the Bluenose, and they make you an honorary crew member. Then they fall sick to a virus on the eve of the Fisherman’s Cup, and you’re the only “crew member” who’s healthy enough to sail the ship. The judges will allow you to compete on their behalf if you can find a crew in fifteen minutes. But what other evil schemes will your opponents try to win the race? 5 Shame of the Yankees The first home run that Babe Ruth hit was when he played in Toronto, and allegedly landed in Lake Ontario. Now you’ve discovered word of a plot to use that baseball in a magic spell that will prevent the Babe from ever hitting another home run again. What kind of creep would do a thing like that, a Dodgers fan? Get the baseball before he does! 6. Death Ray of the North A mad scientist builds a laboratory atop the Magnetic North Pole (currently in territory claimed by Canada, on an ice sheet over the Arctic Ocean). When the aurora borealis reaches its peak, he’ll be able to harness the earth’s magnetic field and create a death ray to attack any target on earth! Someone needs to stop this madman, now! 7. Bolshevik Bombast vs. Yankee Fury A ring of Bolsheviks is spreading discontent in

27 the heartland of America’s cities, inciting discontent on the poor deluded people of the Great Depression. They’re the same mob who have been causing riots up in Canada. Someone needs to go up to their hidden base in the slums of Toronto to stop them, but they’re being protected by one of the rarest creatures on Earth -- a corrupt Mountie! 8. Rum Line or Bust When a friend/respected rival G-man is gunned down by a gunman sent by Canadian rumrunners, it’s up to you to even the score. However, the person responsible is holed up in a rumrunner’s smuggler’s den (Cowichan Bay in British Columbia, an island in Lake Ontario, Smuggler’s Cove (near Lunenberg Nova Scotia). Infiltrate it and bring that rat to justice! Canadian Version; He may have been a smuggler, but he wasn’t a bad guy! Now he’s been gunned down by a pack of mad dogs calling themselves Gmen. Your friend deserves better than that. He deserves justice… Canadian justice! And it’s up to you to give it to him. 9 The Mighty Canadian There’s a new heavyweight boxer in town, and he’s Canadian: Quebec’s Matthieu Deglise. However, he has a secret: he’s an immortal who maintains his immortality by defending the honor of French Canada in the boxing ring. When he wins a championship, his immortality is assured for another generation. However, should he loses a championship fight, he’ll die. Furthermore, his victories always have a price: every champion he’s beaten since 1620 has experienced a tragic, fatal accident shortly after their defeat. 10. Hope of the Future It’s 1924. There’s some ten-year-old kid named Joe who delivers papers for the Toronto Daily Star who likes to draw. A mystical villain predicts he’ll bring a vision of great hope to the world. The villain is a really evil sorcerer who wants to dash all hope for mankind, so he’s trying to kill the kid before he can achieve it. You need to find a way to protect him and defeat the villain. The kid’s last name is Shuster, and the hope he’ll bring is named Superman.

MODERN HERO/DARK CHAMPIONS Quebec Cirque Performer Package Deal

Artist, clown, and dancer; the Quebec Cirque performer is one of the most impressive performer in the modern world. As the circus did in the 1930s, the Quebec Cirque lends itself well to a heroic or villainous origin in a modern pulp game. Cost Powers END 7 Surprising Bounce: Leaping +2” (4” forward, 1 2” upward) (Accurate)

28 ■ Odds and Ends

Hero System 5th Edition Revised 8 3 3 3 3 3 5 3 3

Skills +4 with grab-bys Acrobatics 11Acting 11Breakfall 11Contortionist 11Hoist 11PS: Circus Performer 14PS: Mime 12Teamwork 11-

Total Powers & Skills Cost: 41 Total Cost: 41 Disadvantages 5 Distinctive Features: Costume (Easily Concealed; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses) Total Disadvantage Points: 5 Total Package Cost: 13

Loupe Garou

A monster suited to play in Pulp, Western, Folk, and Modern Hero campaigns, the Loupe Garou is a variation on the traditional werewolf legend. The Loupe Garou transforms into a beast at night (usually into a wolf, however cows, horses, and other animals are not unknown). Many of the associations of the traditional curse do not apply: silver and the moon play no part in it. Instead; the curse of the Loupe-Garou lasts for 101 days; the victim will be sickly during the day and a ravenous predator at night, and passes on the curse to someone he knows, which comes into effect at the end of the 101 days. If someone recognizes him in were form and draws blood from him in monstrous form, then the curse will be lifted; they may not, however, speak of the incident until the 101 days are up, or both men will become accursed. 20 STR 20 DEX 18 CON 16 BODY 10 INT 10 EGO 20 PRE 10 COM 9 PD 6 ED 4 SPD 8 REC 36 END 35 STUN Abilities: Shapechanging: Multiform (change shape into 150-point human or animal; true form is half-animal form) (150 Character Points in the most expensive form) (x2 Number Of Forms) (35 Active Points); Extra Time (Extra Phase, -3/4); Fangs/Bite: HKA 1d6+1 (2 1/2d6 w/STR); Claws: HKA 1d6 (2d6 w/STR) (15 Active Points); Reduced Penetration (-1/4); Lycanthrope’s Bite: Major Transform 7d6 ((lasts for 101 days, recognizing someone, drawing blood, then not speaking of it)), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (210 Active Points); Conditional Power Only to one person (next person in the curse) (-1), Always On (-1/2), Limited Target humans (-1/2), All Or Nothing (-1/2); Lycanthropic Resilience: Damage Resistance (2 PD/2 ED); Lycanthropic Resilience: (Total: 30 Active Cost, 25 Real Cost) Physical Damage Reduction,

Resistant, 25% (Real Cost: 15) plus Energy Damage Reduction, Resistant, 25% (15 Active Points); Does Not Work Against Fire Attacks Limited Type of Attack (-1/2) (Real Cost: 10); Lycantrope’s Legs: Running +3” (9” total); Wolf’s Legs: Leaping +2” (6” forward, 3” upward); Lycanthropic Senses: +2 PER with All Sense Groups; Lycanthrope’s Eyes: Ultraviolet Perception (Sight Group) (Sight Group); Lycanthropic Nose: Discriminatory Sense with Normal Smell; Lycanthropic Nose: Tracking with Normal Smell; Red In Tooth And Claw (; Avoid Harm; Chomp/Claw Slash; Holding Bite; Knockover)+3 with HTH Combat; Animal Handler (Canines) 13-; Concealment 11-; PS: Human profession 12-; Shadowing 11-; Stealth 13-; Survival 11-; Tracking 11-; WF: Common Melee Weapons, Common Missile Weapons 75+ Disadvantages: Enraged: Berserk in combat or when injured Very Common, go 11-, recover 11-; Physical Limitation: Human size (up to about 3m tall and 650 kg); Physical Limitation: Human form is sickly during the curse (Frequently, Greatly Impairing); Physical Limitation: Cursed for 101 days (Frequently, Greatly Impairing); Psychological Limitation: Hungers for blood in were form (Common, Moderate)

COMIC BOOKS Canada has been well-represented in comics since the Golden Age. In 1938, a Canadian named Joe Shuster co-created Action Comics #1, featuring a character named Superman. Canadians have been involved with the American comic book industry ever since. The Golden Age Canada’s most vibrant period of comic books was the Golden Age. With American comic book shipments to Canada curtailed (along with all “non-essential goods”, it gave a chance for a Canadian comic book industry to blossom. These were the Canadian “whites”, which earned its name because they were in black and white (color dyes being too expensive for wartime entertainment). The big name in publishing was Cy Bell, a sign painter who saw an opportunity and founded the Wow comics group. The headline character of the era was Johnny Canuck, whose name was taken from a character used by old editorial cartoonists to symbolize Canada. The historic Johnny Canuck was a lumberjack, but fifteenyear-old creator Leo Bachle envisioned him as an ace pilot and freelance superhero in the tradition of Alex Raymond strips like Flash Gordon. Johnny’s powers were exceptional strength (bordering on the superhuman) and the ability to escape from even the most bizarre peril with a jaunty quip. He had no costume (and often no shirts), but usually wore aviator’s gear into action. Johnny’s first adventure featured him crash-landing into “the Lost Jungles of Libya”, where he was captured by an evil Aztec-like tribe. After killing the

Champions of the North Unofficial Addendum chief in a duel. Johnny took over as tribal king, and helped lead the tribe against Nazi invaders. In subsequent adventures, Johnny (apparently not taking that kingship role too seriously) left Libya to go into Nazi Germany, where he punched out Hitler, making the Führer so mad that he tried to guillotine our stalwart Canuck. Johnny survived to deliver several more beatings to Hitler before the war ended. Johnny Canuck was the most popular Canadian superhero, but he was far from the only one. While Johnny headlined Dime Comics. Triumph Comics was the home of Nelvana of the Northern Lights. This superheroine was inspired by Inuit legends; was suggested by Group of Seven artist Frank Johnston. Nelvana was drawn and written by Adrian Dingle. Arguably the best drawn book of the Golden Age, Nelvana fought the Nazis and went on numerous fantastic sci-fi adventures.. The third major Canadian comic book of the Golden Age was Canada Jack. Written by George Mendenez Rae, Canada Jack fought saboteurs on the home front, often with the help of kids who belonged to the Canada Jack Club. There were, of course, numerous other Canadian golden age heroes: (the original) Iron Man, Freelance, the Brain, Dixon of the Mounted, the Penguin, and many others. The most popular books of the era had sales of 100.000 copies. However, the end of the war allowed American four-colour comics to flood into Canada. Canadian comic book manufacturers switched to color to compete, only to discover that the newsprint they needed to compete with the Americans was still being rationed. By 1947, the Golden Age comic book companies were forced to fold up shop or turn to reprints to survive, and by 1948, the growing backlash against “crime comics” would kill what remained of that industry. Canada would never again enjoy such a healthy home-grown comics industry again.

29 Quebec La Belle Province has never really taken to traditional superhero comics. Quebec had an early tradition of newspaper satirical strips, but its comic books were controlled by religious institutions. Early Quebec comics like Sais-tu (“Do you know?”) was dedicated to the adventures of historical figures and religious figures like the saints. In the era of Frederick Wertham; American imports were viewed upon with grave distaste, and the Catholic church threw its weight behind gentler fare like Hérauts (“Heralds”). Quebec did have it stand-outs: comic artist Maurice Petitdidier drew charming strips like Fanchon et Jean-Lou. In the mid1960s, but a flood of well-produced European comics like Tintin and Asterix were imported into Quebec, and Quebec’s gentle, domestic fare couldn’t compete. By 1965, the major Quebec books were no more. Quebec’s satirical tradition came into play in its treatment of superheroes. Unable to play them straight, comics like Capitaine Kebec and Angloman used the superhero genre – in many cases, barely – as a vehicle for social satire. Quebec’s comic creators are probably best known for their work in underground comics. The most celebrated author is probably Julie Doucet, whose Dirty Plotte book garnered international attention. Influenced by French artists like Moebius, many Quebec artists have turned their attention to science fiction. Today, Quebec’s comic books are more influenced by European fantasy and American alternative culture than mainstream American books. The 1970s and 80s Canada’s comic book industry experienced a brief resurgence in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when a boom in black and white comics made it more economically feasible The two major comic book characters to emerge were Richard Comely’s Captain

RED ENSIGN II and the FLAG DEBATE In 1963, led by Lester Pearson, the Liberals returned to their accustomed role in power. Facing Canada’s upcoming centennial celebrations, Pearson pondered questions of nationalism. O Canada had begun to replace The Maple Leaf Forever (with its now politically incorrect lyrics lauding Wolfe’s victory at Quebec) as Canada’s de facto national anthem (it would become official in 1980). However, there was one other symbol that still had strong British connotations -- the Canadian flag, known as the Red Ensign, which included the Union Jack in its top left corner. To Quebeckers, this was an unacceptable symbol for their country. On the other hand, traditionalists saw it as the flag for which over one hundred thousand Canadians had fought and died in two World Wars. Pearson chose to side with inclusiveness over tradition (much to former Prime Minister John Diefenbaker’s fury). The country eventually came over to Pearson’s side and came to love the Maple Leaf. The superhero Red Ensign, whose costume prominently displayed the old flag, was caught in the center of the controversy. He wanted no part of politics, but when Diefenbaker tried to strong-arm his support, he balked. At the unofficial unveiling of Canada’s new flag, the Red Ensign was there to debut a new costume with a maple leaf on his chest and the old Red Ensign flag and Quebec’s fleur-de-lis flag worn on each shoulder. A few people referred to him “the Red Traitor”; eventually, however, his choice came to be viewed as courageous and—thoroughly Canadian—by the entire country.

30 ■ Odds and Ends

Hero System 5th Edition Revised Canuck, and Northguard, created by Mark Shainblum and Gabriel Morissette. Northguard’s Quebec ally, Fleur-de-lis, is arguably the most noteworthy Quebec superhero ever created. One other Canadian series deserves mention: Cerebus the Aardvark, created by Dave Sim, lasted 300 issues. Alpha Flight In the 1970s and 80s, Marvel Comics was noted for their innovation. One of the most popular characters was Wolverine, a short, hirsute, raging berserker with adamantium claws and regeneration. Created by Len Wein and Herb Trimpe, he debuted, wearing an ugly canary yellow costume, in Incredible Hulk #181. The character’s first appearance wasn’t particularly notable. However, once Wolverine joined the XMen as an anti-hero among the heroes, the character’s popularity soared. An ex-Canadian government agent with a mysterious past, Wolverine’s backstory demanded to be filled in. Under Chris Claremont and (then-) Canadian artist John Byrne, X-Men #109 featured the appearance of “Major Maple Leaf”. While (thankfully) the name would not stick, the character would return along with a whole team of Canadian superheroes: Alpha Flight. While the concepts of the original AF may have been on the cliché side (Sasquatch, Shaman, Snowbird), they had an exuberant charm that endeared them to many readers. Byrne agreed to write and pencil their own book, and Alpha Flight #1 was published in 1983. Alpha Flight, under Byrne, was an instant hit. Unfortunately after Byrne’s departure, other creative teams were not as successful and the title went into a long downhill skid. Despite the controversial outting of Northstar as a gay superhero in issue #106, the book ended two years later. Two subsequent attempts to revive the book, the first as a conspiracy theory mystery, the second as a superhero comedy, were both shortlived failures. Marvel blamed the failures on the fact that the Canadian comics market wasn’t strong enough

to support a mainstream book. Others pointed to the quality of the creative teams and the degree to which it had strayed from the original characters and concept. In 2006, Marvel’s creative staff wiped out all but a few members of Alpha Flight in an off-panel death scene, To old fans, it felt like a slap in the face. In 2007, Marvel feeling that the Alpha Flight name “left a bad taste in people’s mouths”, fielded an Omega Flight team that included only one Canadian. Aside from Wolverine and the pages of Alpha Flight, Marvel has no other Canadian superheroes. DC, despite many Canadian comic book creators and a sizable market, has only two Canadian superheroes: Flying Fox of the Young All-Stars, and Centrix, who appeared once in the Global Guardians in 1994. Editorial Cartoonists An area where Canada has always excelled is in the art of the editorial cartoon. Known for their noholds-barred approach, Canada’s editorial cartoonists have contributed to a half-century of cynicism toward Canadian politicians. Duncan MacPherson, Terry Mosher, Len Norris, Roy Peterson and Ben Wicks are probably the best known editorial cartoonists of the last two generations. Canadian Creators Canadians who have contributed to the American comic book industry include names like Hal Foster, Darwyn Cooke, Todd McFarlane, Gene Day, Tom Grummet, Cary Nord, Bernie Mireault, Stuart Immonen, Colin Upton, and many others. The strongest voice in Canadian comics is probably Drawn and Quarterly, a Montreal-based publisher of independent comics who published Doucet’s aforementioned Dirty Plotte. Another Drawn and Quarterly publication, Chester Brown’s graphic novel Riel, may be the definitive biography (in any media) of the Métis leader.