CO Lore Primer July 2013

CHAMPIONSLore Primer

A guide to the

setting and role-playing in it.

“We must shut down ALL the beacons” — Defender

CO Lore Primer: • Table of Contents • �

TABLE OF CONTENTS

One: Introduction 5 Official Sources 5Two: Champions Universe Timeline 8Three: The Superhuman World 16 Current Events 16 Law and Government 16 PRIMUS and UNTIL 17 PRIMUS 17 UNTIL 17 UNITY 18 Superhuman Media 18 Hot Spots 19 Club Caprice 19 Grand Cienelago Island 19 Sports 19 Corporations 20 Security Agencies 22 Scientific Agencies 2� Mystical Agencies 24Four: Who’s Who 25 Major Setting NPC Heroes 25 Major Setting Villains 27 Major Setting Villainous Organizations 29 Significant Canon Characters From Around the World �0 Heroes and Villains Through the Ages ��Five: What’s What �6 Materials �6 Mutagens �6 Super Soldier Projects �6Six: Where’s Where �7 Arcadia �7 Atlantis �7 Beast Mountain �7 Force Station Steelhead and the Lynx’s Fold �8 Hudson City �8 Lemuria �9 Millennium City 40 Monster Island 41 Niikwan 41 Shambalah/Agharti 41 Sunday Pond, Maine 41 Thaar 41

CO Lore Primer: • Table of Contents • 4

Vibora Bay 42 Yeng-Tao Temple 42Seven: Aliens 4� Dendrians 4� Elder Worms 4� Ergons/Thorgons 4� Fassai 44 Gadroon 4� Hzeel 44 Malvans 44 Mandaarians 45 Mon’dabi 45 Perseids 46 Qularr 46 Roin’esh 46 Selenites 46 Siriians 47 Vayathurians 47 The Star*Guard 48 The Galaxars 48 Chrono 48 The Progenitors 48Eight: Other Dimensions 49 The Assaiah 49 Yetzirah 49 Briah 49 Atziluth 50 Qliphoth 50 The ban 50Nine: The Mullet’s Guide to RP 52Index 62

CO Lore Primer: • Introduction • 5

ThisisaquickintroductiontotheChampionsOnlineuniverse.It’sexcerptsonissuesofimportancetoChampionsOnlinerole-playersandpeoplewhowanttoworkwiththebackgroundofthisuniversetobuildcharacters.Ifyouneed,say,acorporatesponsororanalienraceaspartofyourbackground,thisbookwillsuggestonesthatexistincanonthatyoucanuse. ThisisbasedonexistingworksintheChampionspaperandpencilgameline.Itonlyscratchestheeagerestsurfaceofthesetting,soit’sstronglyrecom-mendedthatyoupickupthesebooks--andtheyarecommercialworksandnotfreeware--togetthefullstory.Butthisexcerptwillgiveyouataste,anideaforacooloriginandmightevensettleanargumentortwo. Inafewcases,I’maddingmyinterpretationorRPadvice;I’llnotetheplaceswherethisoccurs:they’llbemarkedasOpinionCorner.Feelfreetoignoreit. ThisdocumentisnotmeanttoshovecanondownthethroatsofunwillingRPersandIhopeitdoesn’tgetusedforthat.However,peoplewhoareinterestedinthesettingcanuseitasanintroductionandawayofgettingtoknowtheworld. ItshouldgowithoutsayingthatthisdocumentcontainsSPOILERS.I’msayingithereanyways.Ifyoudon’twanttoknow,thennofurthergo!

AND NOW HERE’S SOMETHING WE HOPE YOU’LL REALLY LIKE.... ChampionsisbasedonanintellectualpropertycreatedfortheHEROSystem,apaperandpencilrole-playinggamethatwasfirstpublishedin1981byHeroGames.MuchoftheuniversewasbuiltontheworkcreatedprimarilybyGeorgeMacDonald,butalsobyBruceHarlick,StevePeterson,andGlennThain. In1996,HerojoinedforceswithR.TalosorianGamesandcreatedChampions:TheNewMillennium,witharevampofthesettingbyEricBurnham.MostofEric’ssettingworkwasexcellent,unfortunatelythesystemwasnotverywell-received.

WhenSteveLongandDOJ,Inc.tookoverCham-pionsin2002,Steveconsolidatedalotofworkdonebyfreelancersovertheyears,threwmuchofitout(goodbyeCLOWN),andaddedmuchofhisown(mostlyexcellent)material.WhenCrypticboughttheIPin2008,theyaddedtheirownsignificantcontribu-tions. WARNING:ChampionsPnPsupplementsuseamuchdifferentsystemthanChampionsOnline,sodon’texpecttoseecharacterswrittenupasChampi-onsOnlinebuildsorwiththeirpowersasdirectcor-relationsofCOpowers.However,theyareaninvalu-ablesourceoflore.Ifyouareinterestedinthesetting,pleasesupportHeroGames.Yes,RPGsupplementsarepricy,whichisunderstandablegiventhesmallprofitmarginsoftheindustry.However,theHerofolksdoaterrificjob.Ifyoucanaffordit,pleasemakeaninvestmentinsomeofthelorebooks.AndifyoufindanythingthatI’vegottenwronginthisdocument,letmeknow!Thanks!

OFFICIAL SOURCES Recommendedcommercialproducts,withlinksforPDFtothesitewheretheycanbepurchased, IfyouhavetogetONEbook,getChampions Universe (6thedition).Infact,thisprimerisonlyatasteofthatbook.Ifyouenjoythisprimerandfindituseful,pleasepickupacopyofthisbook. Ifyoucanaffordthreebooks,get Champions Uni-verse,Champions Beyond(6thedition),andtheMystic World(5thedition).Thisgivesyouacomprehensiveoverviewofmajorpartsofthesetting. Ifyoucanaffordmorethanthreebooks,getthosethreeandthenlookoverthislistandfindabookonwhateversubjectmostinterestsyou.

I: Introduction

(by Steven Long) Thelife(andtoycatalog)ofAlbertZerstoiten,thedeadliestmaninthehistoryofthehumanrace,betterknownasDr.Destroyer.AndsomejackasscallinghimselfShadowDestroyertoo.

https://www.herogames.com/viewItem.htm?itemID=232563

BOOK OF THE EMPRESS (by Steven Long) AbookonIstvathaV’Han,EmpressofaBillionDimensions,alsofeaturingadditionalmaterialonChampionscosmologyfromanon-mysticalperspec-tive.

CHAMPIONS BEYOND (by Steve Long) Thehighlyanticipated,definitivesourcebookonaliensinthesetting.CurrentlyavailableinPDF.

CHAMPIONS UNIVERSE (by Steven Long and Dar-ren Watts) Anoverviewoftheuniverse.Thisisthemostcom-pleteoverviewoftheChampionsOnlineworld,asithasbeenapprovedbyCrypticStudiosandisthemostrecentlywrittenworkonthesetting.Becauseitisthelatestwork,thisdocumentconsidersthisbooktobedefinitivewhencontradictionsexistwithpreviousworks.Highlyrecommended.

CHAMPIONS VILLAINS Vol 1, 2, �. (by Steven Long) ThemostcurrentuptodatesourceonmajorChampionsvillains.

https://www.herogames.com/viewItem.htm?itemID=250189https://www.herogames.com/viewItem.htm?itemID=252375https://www.herogames.com/viewItem.htm?itemID=251488

CHAMPIONS OF THE NORTH (by Scott Bennie) TheCanadasourcebook,withbackgroundonmanyofthecharactersfoundaroundForceStationSteel-head.

DEMON: SERVANTS OF DARKNESS (by Allen Thomas) AnexcellentguidetothevillainsofthesecondAdventurePack.

HIDDEN LANDS (by Darren Watts and Allen Thomas) AbookcoveringplaceslikeAtlantis,Lemuria,Arcadia,andmuchmore.

MILLENNIUM CITY (by Darren Watts) TheguidetothemostimportantcityintheCham-pionsUniverse.

MONSTER ISLAND (by Steve Long) AsourcebookdedicatedtothemostmonstrousplaceonEarth(insertDisneylandjokehere).

THE MYSTIC WORLD (by Dean Shomshak) ThedefinitivesourceonthemysticalcosmologyoftheChampionsOnlineuniverse.

UNTIL: DEFENDERS OF FREEDOM (by Darren Watts and Steve Long) Thesearethegoodguys,theirhistory,theirpeople,theirtoys.Abitdated.

VIBORA BAY (by Darren Watts, Derek Hiemforth, Jason Walters, and Steve Long) Florida’sfavoritesupernaturalmetropolis.PredatesCObyaconsiderablemargin,andthushasgaps,butitstillhasvalueasasourcebook.

VIPER: COILS OF THE SERPENT (by Steve Long and Scott Bennie) They’remeanandgreenandtheirgoalsareobscene.MeetVIPER,aruthlessterroristorganizationdedicatedtorulingtheworld.

BEAHERO!SupportHEROGames!

AllartinthisdocumentcomesfromtheChampi-onsOnlinewebsiteauthoringkit,providedbyCrypticStudios.

CO Lore Primer: • Timeline • 8

II: Timeline

ThisisaChampionsUniversetimelinethat’sbasedontheoneinChampions Universe (6th edition)buthewingalittleclosertotheChampionsOnlinetime-line,withreferencestomostcharacterswhoaren’tinthegameomitted.Formoredetail,consultChampions Universe.

c. 2,000,000 BC TheProgenitorsseedtheancestorsofthehumanraceandjumpstartitsevolution.

c. 500,000 BCTheProgenitors’experimentsresultinthecreationoftheEmpyreans,asuperhumanrace.

267,584 BCBattle of the Coreward FieldsturnstheMalvan-ElderWormwarinthefavoroftheMalvans.SomeElderWormsmaketheirwaytoEarth.

c. 70,000 BCBirth of Evil.Kul-Tarak,wholaterbecomesTako-fanes,isborn.

�7,52� BCLemuriafoundedbyascientist-sorcerer.

�6,964 BCTheLemuriansattacktheEmpyreanswiththeMan-dragalore,apowerfulmagicalweapon.ItbackfiresandLemuriasinks.

c. �5,000 BC Thesnake-godNamaisborninWestAfrica. RiseofAtlantis.

c. �0,598 BC Sharna-GoraktheDestroyercausesthedestructionofAtlantis.

c17,698 BC LemuriansorcererscreatetheBronzeKingtoturnthetideinaLemuriancivilwar.

c12,000 BC IntheLynx’sFoldofwhat’snowNorthernCanada,thespiritoftheLand,aidedbyhumanshamans,defeatsthespiritoftheIce.TheIceAgeends,bringinginthestartofthemodernage.TheInuitgodKigatilik,whosidedwithIceoverLand,iscastoutofthatpantheon.HebecomesanagentoftheIce,seekingvengeanceontheshamanswhoopposedthem.

c. 520 AD SirGilesdeMorphant,ablackknightinthedaysofKingArthur,isslainbyLancelot.HeislaterrevivedasthesupervillainBlackPaladin.

c. 1000 AD ViperiaisborninAfrica.Atthebehestoflocaltribes,Namaplacesherinsuspendedanimationtoavoidthedestructionofthecontinent.

c. �0 AD The Ban is Set.ThedeathoftheprophetYeshuasealstheBanondivineanddemonicsupernaturalintervention.

1459 AD VladTepesistransformedbymagicintoDracula.

1772 ADThefirstBlackMaskappears.Heisthefirstcostumedheroinrecordedhistory.

178� AD TheCircleoftheScarletMoonisfoundedbydecadentFrenchnobles.

1800 AD TheEmpyreanArvadleadsarebellionagainstKingHazor,butisdefeatedandexiled.

c. 1800 ADTheTrismegistusCouncilisfoundedtoserveasguard-iansofwhitemagic.

18�8 ADAnAmericansecretsociety,thePatriotLodges,whohavevowedtooverthrowBritishinfluenceinNorthAmerica,launchaninvasioninCanada.They’redefeated,butnotbeforeswearingamysticaloaththattheirdescendentswouldnotabandonthecauseofrepublicanism.

1864 ADArvaduseshismentalpowerstoseizecontrolofLemuria.

1865 ADTheUnholyOrderoftheGrandReptile,thepredeces-sorofVIPER,isfoundedinLondon.

1908 AD TheCircleoftheScarletMoonkillsearth’sArchmage.Theearthgoeswithoutamajorprotectoragainstoccultthreatsforoveracentury.

1917 AD BirthofAlbertZerstoiten,thefutureDoctorDestroyer.

1925 AD DEMONisfounded,committingthe“DogDayMur-ders”inNewYorkCity.

19�7 AD Afterthemurderofherfather,PrincessMarabecomesrightfulqueenofAtlantis.Unabletogetherthrone,sheestablishesherselfasthemysterywomanSeaHawk.

19�8 AD May1.Birth of Modern Superhumans.ANaziritualattemptstoendowaGermancultwithmysticalpowers.Instead,itunlockstheambientmagicalpow-ersofearth,greatlyincreasingtheinfluenceofmagic,increasinglinkstotheimaginalrealmsthatessentiallyallowsforasecond,contradictorylawofphysicstoco-existwiththelawsofthephysicalworld--thelawsofmetahuman--makingsuperpowerspossible.Thefirstsuperhumansappear:DerSturmvogelinGermany,CaptainPatriotinAmerica.

TheSirians,analienrace,invadesNewJersey.Foursuperhumansrespond.Aftertheirvictoryoverthealiens,theheroesfoundtheDefendersofJustice,theworld’sfirstsuperteam.

1940 AD Pulpadventurerandscoundrel,EdgarLancelynEssecfallsunderthespellofNamawhileexploringacaveinWestAfrica.

1941 AD InthewakeofthePearlHarborattack,Americansu-perhumansvolunteerforwar,TheDefendersofJusticeareamongthefirstvolunteers.TheUSArmysetsupasecretsupersoldierprojectinHaynesvilleKansas,whereCaptainPatriotwascreated.

1942 AD LemuriajoinstheAxissideinthewar.TheyattempttoinvadeCalifornia,butarerepulsedbyanewteamofheroeswhocallthemselvestheJusticeSquadron.

194� ADTheDefendersofJusticehelpMararecapturethethroneofAtlantis.

1944 ADAlbertZerstoitenbetraystheNazisandfleestoSouth

CO Lore Primer: •Timeline • 10

America.

1945 ADSturmvogeliskilledinthedyingdaysofthewar.

1948 ADTheHaynesvilleProjectisclosed.TheDefendersofJusticedisband.

1954 AD BroughttogetherbyNama,thirtymenandwomen,survivorsandsympathizersoftheAxiscauseandtheUnholyOrderoftheGrandReptile,foundVIPER(Ven-omousImperialPartyoftheEternalReptile),swearinganoathontheSerpentLantern.

1959 AD FirstappearanceofVanguard,theworld’smostpow-erfulsuperhero.

1962 AD August22. “Green Monday”.VIPERmakesitsfirstpublicappearance,performingnumeroustargetedas-sassinationsaroundtheglobe.TheUnitedNationssetsupatribunaloninternationallawasaresponse.

1964 AD *ThesupervillainRevengerconquerstheSelenites,theMoonpeople,andusesthemastoolsinhisplantoconquerhumanity.

Kigatilik,imprisonedcenturiesagobytheInuitgods,isfreed.TheLandempowersfourpeople,theMightyCanadians,inresponse(Celestar,Kivioq,Timberline,andBonneVivian).

1965 AD ThefirstQularrinvasionnearlydestroysTokyo.

UNTILisfounded.TheUSrefusestorecognizethemorletthemoperateonAmericansoil.

1966 ADAnotherLemurianinvasionofthesurfaceworldisfoiled.

1967 ADAsecondSirianinvasionisthwartedbysuperheroes.

*ChinafoundstheTigerSquadasitsofficialheroteam.

1968 AD VIPER’ssecondmajorschemeofconquest,OperationCoil,isthwarted.

DEMONmakesitsfirstmodernappearance,steal-ingtheBasiliskOrbandperformingaritualontheCarolinaIslands.TheyarestoppedbyUNTIL.

*TheStar*Guard,agroupofgalacticpolice,buildabaseonEuropaandsendarepresentativetoEarth.

*TheSovietUnionfoundsthePeople’sLegionasitssuperheroteam.Theyremainactiveuntil1989.

Mega-TerakleavesMonsterIslandandrampagesthroughTokyoforthefirsttime.

1969 AD FirstappearanceoftheAll-American,asuper-soldiercreatedbythePerseusProject,anoffshootoftheresearchdonebytheHaynesvilleProjectinWW2.

1970 ADSuperheroesdefeattheRevengerandfreestheSel-enitesfromhiscontrol.Revengerdiesinacave-in.

1971 AD LewisFrey,akaMasqueradeI,iscapturedbyBlackMask.Hespendsthenextfourteenyearsinprison.

197� AD FirstvisitoftheMandaarians,seeminglybenignaliens,toearth.

1975 AD Destroyer Walks the Earth.FirstappearanceofDr.Destroyer,ashisattemptedconquestofCaliforniaisbarelydefeated.

TheMightyCanadians’finalbattle.TheysealKigatilik

intheFrostTomb,butalloftheirmembersexceptCelestararesealedwiththem.

1977 ADBattle for the Planet.ThefirstGadrooninvasionescalatesintotheworstconflictbetweenhumansandextraterrestrialsinthisplanet’shistory.Afteroveramonthoffightingaroundtheglobeandinorbit,withmanymajocitiesbadlydamaged,theinterventionofDoctorDestroyerturnsthetide.DestroyerruthlesslyannihilatestheGadroonfleet,andadvocatespursuingthefleetandutterlydestroyingthem.Tohisdisgust,theJusticeSquadronandVanguardnixhissuggestion.

1978 AD StrongholdisbuiltintheAmericansouthwest.

Ooops.Anaccidentinvolvinga“deltabomb”trans-formsWhiteSandsNewMexicointoBurningSands.

FirstappearanceofDarkSeraph.1979 ADDr.DestroyerallieswithVIPER,butit’sarusetoallowDestroyertogetcontroloftheSerpentLantern.Intheend,bothsideslosetheLantern.

FirstappearanceoftheSlug.

1980 AD ARGENTisfounded.PromptedbythedeprivationsofDoctorDestroyer,theUnitedStatespassesthefirstsuperhumanregistrationact.

1982 AD DeathofCaptainPatriot.

*TheInstituteforHumanAdvancement(IHA),ananti-mutantorganizationisfounded.

198� AD ARGENTisexposedasacriminalorganization.Theirlawyerskeeptheminbusiness,buttheirleadersfleethecountry,eventuallyrelocatinginthemiddle

easternnationofAwad.

*DisaffectedDanishpoliticianDanarNicolequitstheEuropeanparliament,eventuallyfoundingthevillainteamEurostar.

1984 AD March30-June24:Reign of the Destroyer.Usingmindcontrolsatellites,Doctor.Destroyerseizescontroloftheglobe.HeisdefeatedbyVanguardandhisislandbase,DestrugaI,isdestroyed.

PerhapsinspiredbyDestroyer,SebastianPoefoundsPSI.AsecondGadrooninvasionisdefeated.

1985 ADThe Machine Starts.FirstappearanceofMechanon.

Dr.SilverbackisrescuedfromtheclutchesofMoreau.

Mega-TerakattacksOsaka.

1986 ADPRIMUSisfounded,withGoldenAvengerRobertKauffmanasitsfirstleader.Strongholdinstitutes“hotsleep”.

AlabaccidentinadvertentlycreatesGrond.

The Demonflame Incident.LutherBlackraisesatowerinBostoninanattempttosummonandabsorbthepowerofSharna-GoraktheDestroyer.Heisdefeatedbysuperheroes,andbyVIPER,whoareinstructedbyNamatodefendhumanityagainstSharna-Gorak.

TheFrenchgovernmentpassesalawrequiringtheregistrationofsuperhumans.

*ThomasCassidyfoundsSNN,theSuperNewsNetwork.

TheUnitedStatescreatestheDepartmentofSuperhu-

manandParanormalAffairs(DOSPA),acabinetlevelagencytoregulatesupers.

1987Dr.SilverbackwinsBritishcitizenshiprights,becom-ingthefirstknownnon-humancitizenofaterrestrialcountry.

FirstmodernappearanceofTakofanesinOklahoma.Heraisesanundeadarmyandmarchesfortheeastcoast,butisstoppedbysuperheroesinKentucky.Severalheroesarekilledintheprocess.

Day of the Destroyer. DoctorDestroyerthreatenstoeliminate90%ofhumanitywithdeath-raysatellites,butiseventuallydefeatedbyanallianceofsuperheroteams.

UNTILfoundsitsownofficialsuperteam,UNITY.

*Eurostarfirstappears,releasingitsEurostarMani-festoasastatementofintent.Eurostar,Europe’smostpowerfulvillainteam,isborn.

1989BinderandBlackstarformtheUltimates,another

powerfulvillainteam(who’veyettoappearinCham-pions).

*FirstappearanceofthesupervillainknownastheMonster.

JackTiptreebecomesthelatestAll-American.

1990First Human Star*Guard.Star*GuardBrinReiTarnisslainbyMordace.HeisreplacedbythefirsthumanStar*Guard,AndreAlmena.

WilliamCarlEckhardtsucceedsJuanMartinezasSecretary-MarshallofUNTIL.

1991Dr.Destroyerraiseshissecondislandbase,DestrugaII,andattemptstogainstatehood.Heisrebuffed,andDestrugaisdestroyedbysuperheroes.

1992July 2� The “Battle of Detroit”: Dr.DestroyeriskilledbattlingEarth’ssuperheroes,butactivatesadevicethatdestroysmostofDetroit.Vanguardis

CO Lore Primer: • Timeline • 1�

killeddefendingtheearthfromDestroyer’sasteroidweapon.Fourteenothersuperheroesarekilled,fightingvariousmonsterssummonedbyDestroyerorDestroyerhimself.

TheAmericangovernment,severalmajorcorporations(includingACIandHarmonEnterprises),andnumer-ouscharitablefoundationsformtheMillenniumProjecttorebuildthecity.

SeeingthatVIPERneedsguidance,NamawakesEdgarLancelynEssecfromslumberandchristenshimasVIPER’sSupremeSerpent.

199�TheUnitedStatessignstheTribunaltreaty,allowingUNTILtooperateonAmericansoil.

EurostarhiresTeleiostoclonethemanarmy,whichtheyuseinanunsuccessfulinvasionofPoland.Teleiosbecomesknowntothegeneralpublic.*FirstmodernappearanceofBlackPaladin.

”My Name is Foxbat and this is my Master Plan!”FirstappearanceofFoxbat,whotriestostealtheEmpireStatebuilding.

*TheWarlordappearsandtriestoconquerVietnam.

JTF-2isfoundedinCanada.JTF-X(Excalibur)isaddedasitssuperhumanbranch.1994TheGadrooninvadenorthernCanada.ForceknightIIIfoundsthethirdNorthernGuardtostopthem.He’ssoonjoinedbyJusticiar,who’srescuedfromcryosleepinthelabofacyberneticvillain.

ProjectSunbursttakesplace.

FirstappearanceofBlackMaskX.

1995LewisFrey,theretired(andallegedlyreformed)villainMasqueradeI,opensClubCapriceinMillenniumCity.

1996UNTILcompletesconstructionofitsGatewayspacestation.

VIPERgoestowarwithEurostartocontrolEurope’scriminalnetworks(andconquerthecontinentingeneral).

1997RobertJohnsonsucceedsRobertKauffmanasGoldenAvengerofPRIMUS.Kauffmandoesn’tretire,andeventuallytakesapositiontocleanupthemessatProjectGreenskin.

1998TheNorthernGuarddisbands.MarkDerringer,former-lyAvengerofSUNDER,becomesleaderoftheRCMP’ssuperhumanresponsedivision,theSteelheads.ForceStationSteelheadisconstructedtokeepaneyeontheLynx’sFold.

IstvathaV’Han,so-calledEmpressofaBillionDimen-sions,launchesherfirstinvasionofEarth.

Inherfirstmodernappearance,VIPERunleashesVi-periaagainstEurostar,forcingthatgrouptowithdrawandendingtheVIPER-Eurostarwar.

1999ConstructiononMillenniumCityiscompleted.GrandCienelagoIsland,asecretresortforsuperhe-roes,opensintheCaribbean.

2000*RusskiyeZashchitniki(“TheRussianDefenders”),aninformalsuperheroteam,formsinMoscow.

*FirstappearanceofthesupervillainessGravitar,fightingMechanon.

UNTILcompletesMoonbaseSerenity.

CelestarandForceknightIIIfoundStarForce,Toronto’sofficialsuperheroteam.

2001 DefenderfoundstheChampions,accordingtosome“theworld’smostpowerfulsuperteam”.TheoriginalteamisDefender,Nighthawk,andSapphire;Ironclad(whoarrivesonearthearlyintheyear)andWitchcraftjoinsoonafterwards.

Firewingcomestoearth,challenginganyworthysuperhumantotrialbycombat.

2002*FirstappearanceofthetimetravellingvillainCaptainChromos.

FirstappearanceofShadowDestroyer,widelybelievedtobeAlbertZerstoitenreturnedfromthegrave.(Heisn’t.)

*SoftwarebillionaireHoratioGoodmanfoundstheGoodmanInstitute,aprivately-fundedorganizationthatprovidesscientificassistancetosuperheroes.

200�JusticiarbecomesleaderofStarForce,joinedbyDustDevil,Argosy,andPrismGirl.

AfactionofLemuriansrejectArvad’sauthorityandrevivethecultoftheBleakOnes.TheyuseamagicritualtotransformtheirshapeintosomethingthatcansurviveonthesurfaceandseizecontroloftheancientLemuriantempleofAndrithonMonsterIsland.Arvad,who’sbeenabrutaltyrantandavillainformostofhislife,experiencesachangeofheartatseeinghispeopleindanger.Heattemptstoreconcilewiththeheroesofthesurfaceworld,notaneasypro-cessafterdecadesofbeing“themenacefrombeneaththewaters”.

2004 DescendentsoftheHunter-Patriots,performamagicritualtogainpowersandbecomeactiveinthemod-ernworld.

2006NighthawkleavestheChampions,replacedbyKinetik.

2007 TheConstablejoinsStarForce.

2008TheGadrooninvadeCanadaandcreateabeachheadnotfarfromForceStationSteelhead.

2009August28:Crisis in Millennium City! (startofCO).TheQularrinvadeEarth.ApluckyherohelpstheChampionsshutdownallofthebeaconstopreventShadowDestroyer’ssignalfromdrivingtheQularrcrazy.IroncladlauncheshimselfattheQularrmother-ship,sinkingitintheDetroitRiver.

TakofanescausestheBloodmoontoriseoverMillen-niumCity,andbrings13ofthe15heroeswhodiedintheBattleofDetroittoamockeryoflife.Localheroeseventuallylaythemtorest.

Stronghold Breakout. Mentonescapesfromhotsleep,triggeringabreakoutinStronghold.

MordaceattacksCONTROL,nearlycripplingtheStar*Guard.

Canadian Crisis! AtthebehestofShadowDestroyer,RakshasafreesKigatilikfromtheFrostTomb.

2010Vibora Bay Apocalypse! Inaconfusingepisodeinvolvingtimetravel,thefallenangelTherakielat-temptstoconquerheavenandhell,butisthwartedbyJuryrig,RobertCaliburn,andagroupofsuperheroes.CaliburnbecomesthenewArchmageofEarth.

The Serpent Lantern.TheSupremeSerpentattemptstousetheSerpentLanterntounitequar-rellingfactionsinVIPER,butUNTIL,aidedbyapluckysuperhero,destroystheLanternbeforehecandoso.

The Fall of Black.LutherBlackimprisonsfiveoftheKingsofEdominanattempttoelevatehimselftogodhood.HeisfoiledbyWitchcraft,ProjectHermes,andabravesuperhero,whoenterstheQlipthotictofreetheKings.

2011TakofanesperfectstheBloodmoonritual,makingitappearfrequentlyoverMillenniumCity.

FoxbatdefacessignsaroundMillenniumCityonAprilFool’sDay.Resistance.HeroesdefeatShadowDestroyerinMul-tifaria,thoughthey’reforcedtofreethelongmissingAlbertZerstoitentodoso.

Aftermath.UNTILforcesmysteriouslyvanishnearCampLanterninAfrica,eventuallyleadingtoashow-downwithweakenedavatarsoftheKingsofEdom.

Whiteout. Workingforamysteriouspatron,aRoin’eshshìpisshotdownbytheStar*GuardandcrashesinCanada.TheRoin’eshattempttostealanartifactsecuredinForceStationSteelhead,butarefoiled.

2012 RedWintertakesoverAmerica’snucleararsenal,butarefoiledbyacollectionofsupeheroesinabigbrawlthattakesplaceinthesouthwestdesert.

Questionitelacedmeteorsfalltoearth.Numerousheroesandvillainsattempttocollectthem,withARGENTbeingespeciallyaggressiveintheirpursuitoftheraremineral.

GravitarwrecksasectionofMillenniumCity.

Nighthawkappearstobecomeavillain,attackingtheStoneLabssubsidiaryofACI.Eventually,theformerChampionisexnerated,andFranklinStoneisindicted.

HiPan’sattempttogaintheblessingofacelestialdragongoesawry.

DoctorDestroyerreturnsandlayssiegetoChampionsHQwithanew,advancedgenerationofMega-De-stroyers.

201�Le,murianinvadersfloodpartsofMillenniumCityandsummontheGreatLeviathantocementtheirconquest.Theyaredrivenbackbyanarmyofheroes.

ThepresenceofaMalvangladiatorialarenaonthemoonisrevealedtoearth’sheroes,andateampartici-patesinthegames.TheymanagetowithstandFirew-inglongenoughthatthegreatgladiatotretreats,impressingtheMalvans.

*Thisentryindicatesateam,individual,ororganiza-tionthatpresentlyexistsintheChampionsUniverse,buthasyettoappearinChampionsOnline(thoughtheymaydosoinfuture.)

CO Lore Primer: • The Superhuman World • 16

Current Events OneoftherulesoftheChampionsUniverseis...it’sexactlylikeourworld.exceptwhentheexcep-tionsarenoted.Therewasa9/11,thereisawarinAfghanistan,thereisaneconomicdownturnwhentheeconomygoesbad,etc.Thismaybealittlehardtoswallow,butitgivespeoplecommonreferencepointswithwhichtowork.

Do You Believe In Magic?Despiteobviousevidencetothecontrary,such

astheBloodmoon,vampiresupervillains,etc.mostpeopleintheChampionsUniversedoNOTbelieveinmagic,explainingitawaywithscientificexplanationssuchasoddmutationsandsuperhumansadoptingsupernaturalmotifsinordertofrightenpeople.Itisthenatureofmagicthatordinarypeoplewillrejectituntiltheyhavenootherchoicebuttoaccept.Peopleinplaceswheremagicisfrequentlyencountered,likeViboraBay(andtoalesserextentMillenniumCity)areprobablyfarlessskeptical,andthegovern-menthasmadelawsaboutsomeaspectsofit,suchasundeadrights(whichskepticsmayfindhighlyconfusing).

(Infact,it’sadvisedthatifanRPgroupignoresthisprohibition,youshouldplayalongwithit.)

LAW AND GOVERNMENT

Superhuman RegistrationMostwesterncountries,includingtheUnited

States,requireregistrationwithagovernmentauthority.Thesedatabases,builtwiththehelpofsuperhumangeniuses,aresomeofthemostsecurecomputernetworkseverassembled.WhethertheycancontinuetoholdupagainstcybervillainslikeInterface--orMechanon--remainstobeseen,andtheirsecurityisacontinuingconcerntomanysuper-humanswhorefusetoregisterwiththem.

III: Current Events

America’sversion,theAmericanSuperhumanandParanormalRegistrationAct(ASPRA)waspassedin1980.ThislawrequiressuperhumanstoregistertheirabilitieswiththeBureauofAlcohol,Tobacco,andFirearms.Thesuperhumanregistrationlawsarenotheavilyenforced.

DOSPAIntheUnitedStates,thereisacabinetlevelagency

thatoverseessuperhumanaffairs,DOSPA(theDepart-mentofSuperhumanAffairs).ItisledbyAndrewRochester,formerlyaMajorwithDesertStorm.Rochesterisviewedassympathetictomostsuperhu-manissues,andfriendtomanyofthemostprominentsuperheroesinthecountry,includingtheChampions.

Secret Identities Secretidentitiesarenotprotectedunderthelaw.

Opinion Corner: Undead rights: 5e vs.

Thisiscontroversial,as Champions Universe6theditionrepeatsmuchofthe5theditiontext,contradictingother

5theditionwritingwhichstatesthatundeadanddemonshavenorightsandcanbekilledwithimmunitytothe

law.As6theditionworkssupersedepreviouscanon,thereversionbackto“Congresshaspassedlimitedrightstoall

sapients”isconsideredtheguidingprinciple.

Ifyou’replayingwithaheavilyhorrorcenteredgroupandyou’reusingtheVanHelsingActandotherearliermaterialascanon,justbeawarethateveryonemaynotbeplaying

onthesamepageasyou,lorewise.Ontheotherhand,thatmaterialismuchmoredetailedthancurrentcanon

andmaybeseenaspreferableforthatreason.Restraint and negotiation in the event of lore disputes is

highly recommended. Don’t use lore as a club or be a “lore Nazi”. Knowing more lore does not make you

a better RPer.

Non-Human Rights Theissueofnon-humanrightsisanongoingone,particularlywhenplayerstaketherolesofvampires,demons,extradimensionals,clones,extraterrestrialsandrobots. Atpresent,the14thAmendment’sguaranteesofdueprocessandequalprotectionapplytohumansandindividualswhosegeneticmaterial(clones,mutatesandmutants)arederivedfromhumans.Theydonotapplytoextradimensionals,extraterrestrials,constructs,andcreatureswhohavebeenpronouncedaslegallydead(i.e.undead).AccordingtoChampionsUniverse(6e):“Congresshas,however,passedlawsgrantingatleastlimitedrightstoall“independent,free-willed,sentiententities”inAmericanterritory”Presumably,thisincludesthebasicrighttonotbekilledonsight,andprobablytherighttoholdprop-ertyandseeklegitimateemployment,butnottherighttovote.

Stronghold Theworld’smostsecureprisonsystemisStrong-hold.Usingadvancedtechnology,thisprisonisbuiltwithcustomizableforcefieldenclosuresdesignedtokeepthemostpowerfulsupervillainsfromescaping.ThefirstandbestknownStrongholdisinNewMexico,notfarfromBurningSands.ItisnotatrivialprocesstogetacriminaltransferredtoStronghold;youneedtobeabletodemonstrateincourtthatnoothertypeofincarcerationwillsafelyholdtheprisoner. Formajorthreats,themostextrememethodofcontainmentisHotSleep.Thisisaninducedcomadesignedtokeepthemostdangerousprisonersunconsciouspermanently.

PRIMUS and UNTIL PRIMUS(ParanormalResearchandInvestiga-tionMissionoftheUnitedStates)isanUNTIL-likeagencythatworksasabranchoftheUSDepartmentofJustice.They’retheresponseoftheUnitedStatesgovernmenttosuperhumancrime,oftenassumingaparamilitaryrole.Theirfieldagentsareenhancedbyanexperimentalsupersoldierserum(effectiveinonlyasmallnumberoftestsubjectsbuteffectivewithonlymildaddictivesideeffects);localleadersarecalledSilverAvengers,whilethetopagentisknownasthe

GoldenAvenger. PRIMUSdealswiththreatsthatnormalpolicecan’t

handle.They’realsoresponsibleformaintainingandprotectingtheASPRAdatabase,andassistingthefederalBureauofPrisonsbytransportingsuperhumanprisonersforincarceration.PRIMUS’scurrentGoldenAvengeisDaniel(“DJ”)Johnson.

Note:PRIMUShashadseveralsourcebooks,butallareatthispointobsolete.APDFbookwrittenbyShelleyMcTyreinthelate1990sisthemostcurrent,buteventhatcontainsinformationthat’sgreatlyatvariancewithChampionsOnlinecanon(suchasformerGoldenAvengerKauffmanbeingdeceased).

UNTIL UNTIL(UnitedNationsTribunalonInternationalLaw)

isaUnitedNationsorganizationdedicatedtoprotectinghumanityfromsuperhuman,global-scalethreats,orasapoliceforceinareaswithnonationaljurisdictionlikeMonsterIsland.Theyoperateinmostnationsaroundtheworld,exceptforroguestateslikeAwad,ChiquadorandLugendu.TheyhaveonlyoperatedintheUnitedStatessince1993,andittooktheDetroittragedytofinallyforcetheUStoallowthementry.

TheSecretary-MarshallisWilliamEckhardt,whotookoverfortheoriginalUNTILcommander,JuanMartinez.ThechieffieldcommanderisFieldMar-

MMOS, Repeating Events, and RP.

BecauseeveryonegoesthroughtheStrongholdscenarioatsomepoint,there’sastrongtendencyonthepartofsomerole-playerstoseeStrongholdasasieveanduse

thatasajustificationforruthlessvigilantism.Incanon,however,therehaveonlybeentwobreakouts,onein

1990and2009.Thesecurityoftheinstitutionshouldberespected,andthecontinuousstreamofplayermissions

toStrongholdshouldbehandwaved.

Infact,there’sageneralruleaboutMMOeventsandRP:ignoretherepetition.Don’tworrythatyournemesisis

buildingadeathrayforthethousandthtime.Changeittoamindcontrolray,orignorethatpartoftheplotentirelyandstateyournemesisisdoingsomethingelse.Running

SerpentLanternagain?Itcanbesetinanyjungle-tornpartoftheworldandinvolveacompletelydifferent

McGuffin.Thegameislimitedinitsscenarios,butyoudon’thavetobe.Becreative.

shallDavidBen-Israel.Theyhaveanumberofspecialprojects:ProjectSnakecharmeristheiranti-VIPERtaskforce,ProjectHermesistheirmysticismdivision(largelydedicatedtofightingDEMON),andProjectShivaistheirlong-standinganti-Dr.Destroyertaskforce.

UNTILgenerallyconfinesitsoperationstoglobalorinternationalthreats,buthasbeenknowntointerfereinlocaljurisdictionsfromtimetotime.Naturally,conflictsoccur.

UNITY UNITYisthesuperheroteamthat’sattached

toUNTIL.ItisledbyQuasar,anenergybeingwhowasatechnicianwhoonceservedDr.Destroyer.OthermembersincludeMyrmidon,Dr.WhiteandDr.Black,Psiclops,andElPicaro.Mentiacisaformermemberandfrequentadvi-sor.InChampionsOnline,theyhaveasponsor-shipprogramforextremelycapablesuperhu-mans,sendingthemouttoglobalhotspotstocombatnumerousthreatslikeVIPERandtheQularr.

SUPERHUMAN MEDIA EntertainmentintheChampionsOnlineuniverseismuchthesameasours.Superheroesareacelebrityclassandreceivealotofmediaattention.

Television SNN,theSuperNewsNetwork,istheprinciplesourceofsuperheronews.Showssuchas Behind the Mask(in-depthinterviewswithsuperhumanswhoseidentitiesarepubliclyknown),Super History(ahistoricalanalysisofsuperhumanevents)andGadgets!(ashowonsuperhumantech)areparticularlypopular. SuperheroesmakeappearancesonregularTVshowsandonepopularsoapopera, To Save Tomorrow,focusesonthestrugglesofthefictitiousJusticeForceOmegateam,wherebattleswithsuperhumansareoftensidelinedforpaternitytests,eviltwins,andamnesia,andnooneisachildsuperheroforverylong.

Opinion Corner: They’re the good guys, folks!

PRIMUSandUNTILarebothmeanttobe“goodguy”organizations.Theydooperateinapoliticalworld,anddon’talwaysmakethemostmorallycorrectchoice,however,theydotrytoplaythingsethically,arehonestwithpeople,

supportsuperhumansingoodfaith,playbytherulesandoperateintheopen.Theyhaveintelligencedivisions(soanUNTILspyisanappropriate

characterconcept)butarenotlikelytohavesecretassassinationsquadsoruseblackopsteamsforanythingexceptintelligencegathering.If“realpolitik”

tacticsareemployed,itwouldbeonacasebycasebasis.

Nowtheyaren’ttheboyscouts.Theyareparamilitaryorganizations,andmissionsareoftenspecify“captureifyoucan,killifyoumust”orders.

Theydoemploylethalforcewhenappropriate--buttheydosoopenly,likethecopsorthearmy,notinsecret.

There’sstillplentyofroomforconflict.Bothagenciescanbeoverbear-ingandabusiveoftheirauthority.Sometimescorruptelementswill

infiltratethemandcauseproblems.Ingeneral,however,theheroescancountonthemforsupport.(Iftheycouldn’t,alotofthemissionchains

andadventurepackswouldn’tmakemuchsense.)

If you wish to fun a storyline involving The “Evil government black ops conspiracy”,which is astapleofsomecharacterback-

grounds,youcanstilldoit.Justdon’tturnthemainUNTILfolksintoIronAgeheartofstonebadasses,orborderlinebadguys:theconspiracycanoriginatefromotherareasofgovernment(especiallytheeverpopular“blackboxproject”).OrUNTILandPRIMUShave“rogueelements”that

canbeidentified,opposedandeliminated.

That’s Not American!ThequestionoftenarisesonwhyUNTILisallowedtooperateonAmeri-

cansoilandwhattheyareallowedtodohere.

UNTILisessentiallySHIELDmeetsTHUNDER.Itreflectsamuchmorepositive,SilverAgeviewoftheUnitedNations,wheretheyarecompetent,capable,andreasonable.Theirexistenceiseasiertojustifyinaworldwhich

hasexperiencedsixsignificantalieninvasions,andsortiesfrominterna-tionalconquerorsandvillainslikeDestroyerortheWarlordwhohavethe

militarymightofaroguestate.Mankindfacesmanymoreexternalthreatsthanitdoesonourworld,promptingamoreunifieddefense.Evenwith

this,theUnitedStatesisareluctantparticipant

Thesignatorytreaty,asratifiedbyallparticipatingcountries(includingtheUS)definesUNTIL’sjurisdictionasthefollowing:crimescommittedby

superhumans,crimesinvolvingsuperhumantechnology,crimescommittedbyaliensandextradimensionals,crimescommittedbynon-humanterrestrial

species,andcrimescommittedininternationalwatersorterritories.

ThefirsttwocategoriesoftenleadstoconflictwithPEIMUSandtheFBI.Inpractise,UNTILdeferstolocalauthoritiesandcoordinatestheiraction

andinvestigationswiththelocals,includingPRIMUS.Thisdoesnotpreventthemfrombuttingheadsorbeingfriendlyrivals.

Print Media Super-World Magazineisthemostprominentprintmagazinededicatedtosupers.Runningsince1972,italsoperiodicallypublishesUncaped,whichfeaturesnakedorhalf-nakedsuperheroinesposingPlayboystyle. Behindthecelebrity,however.isfear.Manysu-perheroesaretargetedbythemedia(inmanycases,justlyso)fortheirexcesses.Tabloidstoriesarefilledwithwildallegations;inthemainstreammedia,theAdairPublishinggroup(whichownstheMillenniumCityFreePress)goesoutofitswaytocriticizetheChampionsandothersuperhumans.Adaircolumnistandnewspersonality(whohostsashowonMillenni-umCity’srightwingTVstationWTFL)CurtCurruthershasaparticularlystronghatredfortheChampions(especiallyWitchcraft,whomhebelievesiscorruptingchildrenbypresentingtheoccultinapositivelight).

It’sknownthatVIPERhasanongoingcampaigntoinfiltratethemediaandsmearsuperheroes.

Comic Books ComicbooksarepopularintheChampionsUniverse.Themarketisdividedinto:(a)fictional(andembellishednon-fiction)titlesaboutreallifesuperhe-roes;(b)fictionaltitlesaboutfictionalsuperheroes;and(c)titlesaboutnon-superheroes.(Superherocomicsarelesspredominantthaninourworld,butstillhaveaheavypresenceinthecampaignworld.)

HOT SPOTS

Club Caprice ThepremieresocialhotspotinthesuperhumanworldisMillenniumCity’sClubCaprice.Foundedin1995byretired(andnowreformed)supervillainLewis(MasqueradeI)Frey,whowasasuperhumanthiefactiveinthe50sand60s,thisclubhasseveralfloorsdesignated“forsuperhumansonly”. Despiteaslightlysleazy,“anythinggoes”reputa-tion,theclubisextremelywell-protected;thebounc-ersaremostlysuperhumananditssecuritysystemwasdesignedbyDr.Silverbackhimself.Criminalshaveinfiltratedtheclubonoccasion,andthoughFreyenjoysthenotoriety,hedoesn’tlikeitwhenthepoliceandvigilanteslikeNighthawkputpressureonhim.

Grand Cienelago Island VictorPutnam,theretired60ssuperheroSilverShield,builtasecretCaribbeanresortforsuperhe-roestorelax.Itstruenatureconcealedbyadvancedtechnology,onlyprovensuperheroesareinvitedtovacationhere. ThisdoesnotyetexistinChampionsOnline,thoughpartsofMonsterIslandmightsubstituteforit.

SPORTS Peoplewithsuperhumanabilitiesarebarredfrom

mostsports.Thoughnaturallygiftedathleteshavebecomesuperheroes,it’sconsideredunethicalforpeoplewithpowerstoexploitthemovernormals.Superhumans,ofcourse,engageinfriendlycompeti-tionwitheachother,and(ofcourse)therearecharityboxingandwrestlingmatches.

The Arena Oneareathatflourishesisfighting.There’sanundergroundfightingcircuitcalledtheArenathatoperatesinmanymajorAmericancities;duelstothedeatharerare,butnotunknown.(TheArenaisnotmentionedbyname(yet)inChampionsOnline,how-evertheyaretheonesbehindtheFightClubscenarioinMillenniumCity:BlackMaceisawell-knownArenacombatant.

The Hero Games InMillennium,City,thetamer(butstillbrutal)HeroGamesallowssuperhumanstosafelycompetewitheachotherinvarioussimulatedarenas. NotethattheHeroGamesdoesnotexistinPnPcanonandmightnotberecognizedasanactualin-gameorganizationbysomeRPers.

The Tournament of the Dragon Forthoseseekingtheultimatesuperhumansport-ingprize,there’stheTournamentoftheDragon.ThisisamartialartstournamentheldeverysixtyyearstodecidewhichsuperhumanfighterwillprotecttheworldfromtheeviloftheDeathDragon.Thisdoesnotyetexistingame.

CORPORATIONSOneareawhereChampionsOnlinedeviatesheavily

fromtherealworldisinitscorporateenvironment.RealworldcompanieslikeMicrosoftandGoogleexistalongsidecompanieslike:

ACI. (AdvancedConceptsIndustries):Foundedin1973bytheextremelyformidableFranklinStone,thisindustrialconglomerateownseverythingfromoilfirmstoNarcColaandAceBurgers.Stoneisproudofhis“takenoprisoners”attitudeanddismissalofbusinessethics.Whilehe’softenbeensuspectedofcriminalwrongdoing,noonehasevermanagedtomakeachargestickagainstStone,thoughNighthawkrecentlyuncoveredenoughevidencethatchargeswerelaidagainsthim.

ACIaremajorrivalsofARGENT,butwhiletheirmethodsaresimilar,ACIiscapableofextraordinarysubtletyandknowswhennottopushitsluck--andhasitscriminalinterestshiddenbehindseverallayersofdummycorporations.

ARGENT (AdvancedResearchGroupENTerprises)isacor-

poration/criminalgroup.Foundedin1980,theywereexposedin1983forsellingmilitarysecretstotheSoviets,Chinese,VIPERandDr.Destroyer.TheirboardofdirectorsfledthecountryandsettledinAwad,howevergoodlawyerskeptthecompanyinbusiness.In2003,theChampionscapturedthesupervillainInterface,whoimplicatedARGENTinnumerouscrimes.Again,goodlawyerskeptthemfrombeingshutdown,andonlynowhasARGENTrecoveredfromcommerciallossescausedbythescandal.

ARGENTisknownfortheirbrutallyeffectiveagents,andtheirutterdisdainforlocallawsandtheenvironment.

ARGENTisalsoexpandingintospace.They’rebehindRogerCorwin’sSkyProspectprojecttominetheasteroidbelt.

Binary Corporation: Aconglomeratewhoseprimaryinterestsarein

computersandbiotechnology,geneticengineering,andplasmaweaponsystems.In2001,itwasrocked

byscandalwhentheChampionsrevealedoneofitstopexecutiveswasaDEMONMorbane.Theboardofdirectorswaseventuallyclearedofsuspicion--thecorporationislegitimate.

BinaryCorporationfieldsanofficialsuperhero,BinaryMan.HehasnotyetappearedinChampionsOnline.

Cambridge Biotechnical Aleadingbiochemicalresearchfirm,and(more

famously)thecompanythatemploysDoctorSilver-back.

Drake-Victoria Drake-Victoriaisadefensecontractingfirmre-

sponsibleformanyofthesystemsusedinStronghold.ArthurDrakeIVistheCEO.BasedinAmes-Iowa,itssecondlargestofficeisinMillenniumCity.Drake-Vic-toriahasnotyetappearedinChampionsOnline.

Opinion Corner: Argent

ChampionsOnlineandtheChampionsPnPhavesomewhatdifferentviewsonARGENT.Inthepenandpaper,they’remoresubtle(theydon’tpatrolbuildingswithgunsand

shootpeopleonsightoutintheopen)andyetmorediscredited(theytendtohidebehinddummycorporationsratherthanoperatingopenly).IntheMMO,however,they

havetheirownbuildings,armedguardsopenlypatrolsidewalkswithheavyarmament,andtheyevenoperategasstations,butcanbeblatantabouttheircrimes.Some

playersliketreatingthemasVIPERgoonswithanothersetoflongjohns,whileotherswantthemtobeseenasalegitimatebusinessandbeinganARGENTsuperheroisa

perfectlyreasonablecareerchoice.

Thisisprobablygoingtobealong-termconflictwithnorealsolution.Mysuggestionisthat:(a)ARGENTisnot

perceivedpublicallyasa“morecorporateorientedversionofVIPER”,(b)thattheirpublicreputationissuspect,par-

ticularlytothosewhoarehostiletolargecorporations,butthey’renotseenascriminal(andthey’reoftendefendedasgoodcaoitalists),and(c)veteranheroescanknowthey’re

rottentothecore,butARGENTlawyerswillcomedownonthemiftheyspeakoutpublicly,somostmajorsuperheroesarecircumspectenoughtokeeptheiranti-ARGENTstate-

mentstendtoremainbehindcloseddoors.

Duchess Industries ThispowerfulGermancorporationisheadedby

thebeautiful,charming(andpossiblyimmortal)DuchessHenriettaVanDrotte.Seeminglyanoldmoneycorporationinvolvedmostlyinheavyindustryandmanufacturing,whatthegeneralpublicdon’trealizeisthatDuchessIndustriesistheindustrialarmofVIPER,andtheDuchessisamemberoftheCouncilofThirty,perhapsthememberwho’smostloyaltotheSupremeSerpent.TheyhavenotappearedinChampi-onsOnline.

Dynamic Technologies Research Group Thiscorporationisactuallyafrontcompanyfor

ARGENTinMillenniumCity.ItisrunbyDr.VictorHopewell,withtheassistanceofhisgiftedadminis-trator,LucindaSadler.

FutureScope Acomputercompanyresponsibleforthecreation

ofSOCRATES.

Harmon Industries HarmonIndustriesisadefenseandaerospace

companywithaheavypresenceinMillenniumCity.It’swell-knownforitsphilanthropyandtheplayboywaysofitsne’erdowellCEO,JamesHarmonIV.(Harmonis,ofcourse,secretlyDefenderoftheChampions).

Ironwood Industrial Technologies ArivalofHarmonIndustries,thisaerospacefirm

builtUNTIL’sGatewayspacestationandhelpeddesigntheV-Jet.ItsCEO,JamesJ.Roswell,isarivalofHarmon’sforthetitleofMillenniumCity’smosteligiblebachelor.ThishasyettoappearinChampionsOnline.

Pharos Industries PharosranksbehindACIasoneoftheworld’s

greatcorporations,thoughinfrastructureandmedicalcyberneticsareitstwobigareasofexpertise.ItsCEOistheveryoutgoingphilanthropist,LindaMcCormack.Thishasnotyetappearedingame.

SECURITY AGENCIESThereareanumberofprivatesecurityfirmsthatcan

formpartofthebackgroundofcharacters(orserveaspart-timeorfull-timeemployers).Thetwomostfamousonesare:

Bastion Alpha AfreelancesecurityfirmfoundedbytheretiredsuperheroAnderson“Titan”Powell,BastionAlphamutatesitsemployeesintolowlevelsuperhumansviathehighlysecret“Bastionprocess”.Therehavebeennumerous(unproven)allegationsthatthefirmhiresitsemployeesouttoworkasthugsforsupervillains,andseveralemployeeshavemysteriouslyvanishedinthelastfewyears,leadingtosomedarkspeculationsaboutthesafetyoftheBastionprocess.Thisagencyhasbeenmentionedingame,buthasnotmadeanappearance.

Executive Control Sanctions Foundedin1993bythreeex-UNTILagents,thissecurityagencyiswellknownforitsbountyhunterteams,whousestateoftheartgeartopursuesuper-humans.Thisagencyhasnotappearedingame.

SCIENTIFIC AGENCIES

Angelstone Laboratories Foundedin1938atthestartofthesuperhumanage,thiscompanyspecializesinthestudyofsuperhu-mansandsuperhumantechnologies.Ithas(argu-ably)themostextensivedatabaseofsuperhumansintheworld.They’reextremelyhelpful,buttheyarea“forprofit”organizationandtheirservicescanbeexpensive.Theyhavenotappeared(yet)inChampionsOnline.

The Goodman Institute Doyouneedateamofscientiststoaccompanyyouonamission?Doyouneedtosendamysteriousartifactsomewhereforanalysis?Thesearetheguysyouwant.FoundedbyHoratioGoodmanandledbyretiredheroPeter(AmazingManII)Renton,thisagencyactivelyseekstoassistsuperheroes.Itdoesnotchargeforservices,however,ifthere’smoneytobemadefromsomethingfoundonamission,theIn-stitutetakestheprofits(andconvertsitintooperatingcapital).

L’Institut Thoth AEuropeanbasedoffshootofUNTIL,whoresentedbeingusedby“rightwingmilitarists”,thisresearchlabspecializesinthestudyofsuperhumans,inhelpingsupersunderstandthenatureoftheirsuperpowers,andprovidingmedicaltreatmentwhentheybecomedangerousorgetoutofcontrol.Theywillworkwithvillains--healingpeopleandhelpingfolksmasterdangeroussuperpowersishumanitarianwork--butnotactivelyhelpthemcommitcrimes.Theyalsotakeinalimitednumberofstudentstoteachthemthescienceof“paraphysics”,astheyrefertoit.

SPACE Earth’sspaceprogramsarefarmoreadvancedintheChampionsUniverse,thankstoidealisticsuper-science,superhumanscapableoftravellinginspaceandcontactwithalienspecies.Mankindhasmadeanumberofremarkableadvances,including:

GATEWAY. UNTIL’sspacestationisthenervecenterof

mankind’spresenceinspace.Establishedin1996andcommandedbyCommanderRodneyCurrieofCanada,over200peoplemanthemostimpressiveofEarth’sorbitalstructures.GATEWAYistheheartofEarth’searlywarningsystemagainstpotentialalienattackandthevanguardofitsspacedefense.

Moonbase Serenity ConstructedbyUNTILin2000,thislunarfacilityisman’sfootholdonearth’ssatellite.Overfortyscien-tistsandmilitarypersonnelarestationedhere.

The VSO TheVenusScientificOutpost.Launchedin2004,

theVSOisaneightmanpermanentspacestationinorbitaroundVenus,whosemissionisprimarilyscien-tificexaminationofEarth’shothousesisterplanet.ItiscommandedbyLt.ColonelAaronVee.

Marsbase. Establishedin2008,humanityestablishedthefirstmansettlementonMars,AresI.CommandedbyColo-nelJohnSchad,adozenscientistsliveatpermanentdomesstationedonUtopiaPlanitia.Theresearch

performedbythescientistshasuncoveredremnantsofacivilizationthatoncelivedontheplanetoverabillionyearsago.ThereisalsoanabandonedSirianbaseonMars,but(promptedbythewarningsofvarioussuperheroesandCaptainChronos)itremainsuntouchedbyanysystematicexamination.

Man’smostconcertedeffortsstopatMars(fornow).Therearesomecompanies,includingGerma-ny’sSkyProspect(anARGENTfront)makingthefirsttentativestepsatsurveyingandminingtheasteroidbelt,andDr.Destroyerhasabaseononeoftheaster-oids(Zertorenstern).

NASAhasonesuperheroonitspayroll--Victory.ThisairforceofficerperformsmanydutiesfortheUSairforce(mostrecentlyinAfghanistan),butprefersherNASAduties.She’sexploredmostoftheworldsoftheoutersolarsystem,beingthefirsthumantostepfootonmanyofthemoonsofSaturn,Uranus,andNeptune.

MYSTICAL AGENCIESThereareseveralplayer-friendlymagicalagencies

intheChampionsUniverse.

Trismegistus CouncilHeadquarteredinScotland’sMackenzieHouse,the

CouncilisthepreeminentknownorderofwhitemagiconEarth,thiswasfoundedintheearly19thcenturytocountertheCircleoftheScarletMoon.GenerallyknownonlytothosewhodealwiththemysticsideofChampions.Mostlyworkinginasupportroleforad-venturers,thegroup’sprimarygoalsaretoencouragemagestoresponsiblyusemagicandsafeguardtheworldfromthreatsfromotherdimensions.TheyareenemiesofDEMONandtheCircleoftheScarletMoon.

The ArchmageThepreeminentmagicalprotectorofEarthisthe

Archmage.ThecurrentArchmageisRobertCaliburn,whoascendedtothatroleinthebattleagainstTher-akielafteracenturyofvacancy.

CO Lore Primer: • The Superhuman World • 2�

CO Lore Primer: • Who’s Who • 24

IV: Who’s Who

TherearealotofnamesinChampionsOnline,mostofwhichareexplained(atbest)inpassing.Here’saquickoverviewofsomeoftheheroesandvillainsinthegame.MoreinformationofsomeofthesemaybefoundatCO-Wiki.

MAJOR SETTING NPC HEROES

Amphibian GeoffLambwasamutantwhowastakenunderthewingofthesuperheroSeaKing.Forwhile,heservedasthehero’ssidekick,buteventuallybecamedissatisfiedwiththatlifestyle;believingtheseasneededmoreaggressiveprotection,hejoinedvariousenvironmentalgroups,graduallydriftingtowardecoterrorism.Whenhisactivitiesledtotheexposureofhis(andSeaKing’s)identity,itledtoaboutofalcoholism,Heeventuallybrokeoutoftheaddiction,onlytosuffertwoblows:thedeathofhismentor,andbetrayalbythewomanheloved,theAtlanteanprincessStingray.

Arvad Longoneofearth’smosthatedsupervillains,thisrogueEmpyreanseizedcontrolofLemuriatwohundredyearsagoanduseditasawarmachineinnumerousattemptstoconquerthesurfaceworld.Inrecentyears,therebellionoftheBleakOnespriest-hoodhasledtotwostartlingconclusions:first,thatheloveshispeopleandwantstodorightbythem,andsecond,thatheneededthesurfaceworld’shelpifhewastoprotectthem.

Inrecentyears,he’swonacceptanceasachangedman,thoughnoteveryonebelievesthathe’ssincereinhisdesireforredemption.

Black Mask TenthinthelineofcrimefightersdatingbacktotheAmericanRevolution,JenniferWardistheprotectorixofViboraBay.Capablewithagunand

agoodmartialartist,BlackMaskhasspentfifteenyearsintheroleofheiresstotheworld’slongestlivedcrimefightingfamily.

Celestar LonnieLawrencewasgivenvastcosmicpowersbythegreatLandSpiritofNorthAmerica,whichheusedasamemberoftheMightyCanadianssuperheroteam.In1975,allbutCelestarweretrappedintheFrostTombwhileengagedinafinalbattlewithKigati-lik.Lonnietriedrepeatedlytofreethem,butfailed.Heabandonedearthforseveralyears,andonhisreturn,triedtofightcrimeintheWindsor/Detroitcrimeregion,butwasdeniedbyAmericanofficialsafterascandal.Becauseofthis,hewasnotabletointerveneintheBattleofDetroit,afailurewhichresultedinacompletenervousbreakdown.Lonnieeventuallyover-camehispsychologicalconditionsandco-foundedStarForce,alongwithForceknightIII.HavinghandedtheteamovertoJusticiar,hespendshistimeassistinginForceStationSteelhead.

DefenderLeaderoftheChampions,JamesHarmonisconsid-

eredane’erdowellplayboy,buthecomesfromalonglineofheroesandthedestructionofDetroitin1992steeledhisresolvetomakeadifferenceintheworld.Cladinsturdypowerarmor,DefenderleadstheCham-pions,consideredbysometobethemostpowerfulsuperheroteamintheworld.

Doctor KaAmysticalherowhosefamilywaschosenbythe

EgyptiangodOsiristoopposehisenemySet,Dr.Kabecameasuperheroafterstudyingatthefeetofhisfamousuncle,Dr.Scarab.ThedeathofDr.ScarabledKatorepudiatehisservicetoOsiris,andnowopposesthemeddlingofanydeitywhocircumventstheBantobringmiserytohumanity.

Doctor Silverback AMillenniumCitybasedheroandsuperscientist.

OriginallyanordinaryRwandanmountaingorilla,SilverbackwascapturedbyMoreauandbroughttohisUkrainianbase,BeastMountain,wherehewasmutatedintoasuperintelligentcreature.EscapingMoreau’sclutches,heeventuallyemigratedtoBritainandthentoAmerica,whereheservesasadvisorandreservememberoftheChampions.

Gadget Boy SasukiKatsoruisachildprodigywhofirstcametoprominencewhenhehelpedJapan’sgreatestsuperhero,Tetsuronin,defeatthegiantmonsterDraja.NowstationedonMonsterIsland,youngSasukiassistsUNTILindealingwithassortedthreats,fromMega-TeraktotheQularr.

Ironclad Aliengladiator,bornonDorvala,andkidnappedtofightinthearenasofthedecadentplanetMalva.Fol-lowedtheexampleoftheMalvanchampionFirewingandcametoearth,butsoughtcomradeshipinsteadofbattle.MemberoftheChampions.

Juryrig DamonArmstrong,akaJuryrig,isabrilliantifhighlyeccentricengineerfromViboraBay.Hedevel-opedhiscostumedpersonatocombatVIPER,whosetheftsofhisinventionsdeeplyirritatedhim.BasedfromanunassuminggarageindowntownViboraBay,Juryriglendshisexpertisetoanyherostalwartenoughtocombattheoccultthreatsofthatcity.

Justiciar DavidBurrellistheCEOofBurrellIndustries,who

wasbadlyinjuredthirtyyearsagoinamountaineer-ingaccident.Againsthiswishes,hewaskeptaliveandgivencyberneticlimbsbythesupervillainCyberlord.BurrellwasplacedinsuspendedanimationtoserveasCyberlord’spuppet,butwasfreedbytheNorthernGuard,aCanadiansuperheroteam.DubbinghimselfJusticiar,BurrelljoinedtheGuardandservedwithdistinction;he’scurrentlyleaderofCanada’smostprominentsuperheroteam,StarForce.Justiciarisalsooneofthefewknowngaysuperheroes,thoughhetendstokeepthisprivate.

Kinetik Superherospeedsterwhoobtainedhispowersinalabaccident.MemberoftheChampions,whojoined

Opinion Corner: Defender

AlotoffolksinterpretDefenderasajerk.He’snot,butthememe’sbecomeprettyentrenched--alsobecausethe

game’sAIislacking,Defenderhasareputationamongtheplayerbaseforincompetence.It’sfairerandmorerespectful

tothecharactertoignoreit,butgamersarenotalwaysfair,especiallytoauthorityfiguresor“devpetNPCs”.(ThereseemtobealotfewerdevpetsinChampionsOnlinethaninCity of HeroesorWorld of Warcraft,fromwhichmuchof

theanimosityoriginated).

Also,don’tpretendit’scommonknowledge---wink,wink--thatJamesHarmonandDefenderareoneandthesame,

whenhegoestothesomelengthstoprotecthissecretID.That’sanothersymptomofplayergodmodingtolaud

themselvesoverprominentNPCstomakethemselveslookgood.

theteamafterthedepartureofNighthawk.

Kodiak JohnCowens,Minnesota-bornmutantFBIagentassignedtofightthegangsonthewestsideofMillen-niumCity.AllyoftheChampions.

Mark Derringer HeadoftheRCMPSteelheaddivision,acenturyoldmutantwhowasactiveasapulpadventurerinthe1920sand1930s,andwasamemberofVancouver’sSUNDERteaminthe1980s.Markcomesacrossasano-nonsensearmycommandertype.

Nighthawk AvigilantenamedMarkWhittaker,whosedisfig-urementbyVIPERservedasawakeupcall.AnearlymemberoftheChampions,NighthawkcametoblowswithDefenderovertheuseofforceagainstcriminalsandlefttheteam.HeservesasapatrontovigilantesactiveintheWestSideofMillenniumCityandoc-casionallyaidstheChampionsininvestigations.Hehasnopowers,butisclosetomaximumhumanlevelsinstrength,toughnessandagility,andisbolsteredbynumerousgadgets;healsofliestheHawkwing,anadvancedjet.

Ravenspeaker BillyEdenshaw,descendentofHaidaspiriteldersandanAnglicanmissionarywhowasdeterminedtosavetheHaidafromthedeprivationsofEuropeanset-tlers,wasaresidentoftheHaidavillageofNiikwan,whichhadbeenhiddencenturiesagobyRaven.Edenshawbrokeavillagetaboowhenheaccidentallykilledawhiteraven,andwaspunished--orrewarded-bytheHaidagodbybeinggiventhetongueandeyesofRaven.HebecameinvolvedinthebattletoprotectNiikwanfromRaven’sarchenemy,theHaidadeathgodTax’et.Afterdefeatingthedeathgod,Ravenspeaker,asBillywasnowdubbed,becamethemysticprotectorofCanadaandatruesuperhero.

Robert Caliburn Theso-called“MagnumMage”(forhishabitofmixingpistolswithsorcery),recentlyrevealedasthenewArchmageofEarth,RobertCaliburnwasoriginal-

lyRobertCole,anAmericansoldierinVietnam.Stum-blingintoanancientVietnamesetemple,hecameintopossessionoftheFlameGem,whichgrantedhimgreatmagicalpower--andwhichwasdestinedtobeusedinthefinalbattleagainstTherakiel.

Sapphire MutantpopsensationwhousesherenergycontrolpowersasamemberoftheChampions.

Witchcraft BethanyDusquenewasayoungsorceresswhorejectedtheevilwaysofherparents,whobelongedtotheCircleoftheScarletMoon.Unlikehertwinsister,Talisman,Bethanychosetouseherknowledgetoprotectpeople.BethanyisthegirlfriendofJamesHar-mon,currentmemberoftheChampionsandallyoftheTrismegistusCouncil.WitchcraftwasoncebelievedtobeaprimecandidateforArchmage.

MAJOR SETTING VILLAINS

Black Harlequin Psychoticwhohideshisloveofkillingbycallingthem“escapades”andusingmurderousattacktoystocarryouthiswishes.

Crowns of Krim Agroupofvillainswhowearmysticcrownsofpowercraftedtensofmillenniaagobythedemon-godKrim.Activesince1993,thisteamisledbyDark Seraph,aboredEnglisharistocratwhowastransformedintoamockeryofangelsandwhoseIronCrown,inadditiontoacommandofvastmysticpower,guaranteestheteam’sloyaltytohim.Othermembersinclude:Bloodstone(whowearstheBloodCrown),Eclipse (whowearstheShadowCrown),Force(whowearstheGoldenCrown), Phoenix(whowearstheShiningCrown),andTemblor(whowearstheEarthCrown).ThecrownsaresubordinatetothedragoncrownofTakofanes,thoughthearchlichistheirdeadlyenemy.TheyarealliesofBlackPaladin,andDarkSeraphwasamentorofTalisman.

The Death Dragon Anevilentity,possiblytheembodimentofall

humanevil(oroneofitsprimeservants)whoescapesfromimprisonmentonceeverysixtyyears,requiringahumanchampion(winneroftheTournamentoftheDragon)tobeathimback.TheCultoftheRedBanner,activeinChinaandinChinatownsthroughoutNorthAmerica,arehisservants.

Doctor Destroyer BornAlbertZerstoiten,sonofadollmaker,AlbertwasarenegadeNaziweaponsengineerwhoalsoaidedinexperimentsonsuperheroes.HeescapedthefalloftheNazisand,inspiredbythesuperheroesandvillainsofthe1960s,becameamastervillaininMarch1975,makingamajorimpactinanattemptedconquestofCaliforniathatwasbarelystoppedbyacoalitionofheroes.

Hebecametheworld’spreeminentsupervillainforthenextseventeenyears:hisfoiledplotsinclude:usingMentonandMentallatomindcontrolanarmyofvillainsinanattempttoconquerWashingtonDCin1980;attemptingtofreezetheplanetin1981,conqueringtheworldwithamindcontrolsatellitetoconquertheworldforthreemonthsin1984;nearlywipingoutnine-tenthsoftheworld’spopulationin1988,andfinally,in1992,destroyingDetroitafterstudentsfromtheRavenswoodAcademydiscoveredhisDetroitbase.

DestroyeralsoaidedtheearthagainsttheGadroonin1977andwasresponsibleforVIPERlosingtheSerpentLanternin1979.

Zerstoitenwantstoelevatehumanitytoautopianstate,withhimselfasitsruler.“Destroyer”isapunonhislastname(“Zerstoiten”comesfromthesameGermanrootworldas“destruction”),andhedoesseehimselfasa“destroyer”inthesensethatdestructionmustbeaprecursorofrenewal.Hisresourcesarevastandspreadacrosstheplanetandthesolarsystem,andhisscientificexpertiseismatchedonlybyafewspecialistintheirfields,andnooneisevenclosetohisleagueasageneralist.Overtheyears,he’sdevelopedafanaticaldistrustofmagicandsorcery,whichsetshimatoddswithmanyofearth’sheroesandvillains.Hisservants,theDestroyers,includethevillainsGigaton, Rakshasa,andBlack Talon,andDestroyer’sengineeringgeniushasproducedfleetsofDestroidandMega-Destroidrobots.

Eurostar Widelyconsideredtobethemostpowerfulsupervillaingroupintheworld,EurostardesirestouniteallofEuropeunderitsironfistandbringittoworldprominence,doingthingsthatthepoliticalcompromisesoftheEUcannotachieve.Theteamwasfoundedin1988andhaswagednumerousactsofterrorandassassination.TheyalsowagedawellpublicizedwaragainstVIPERinthe1990s,

ItsmembersareFiacho,Durak,Feuermacher,Mentalla(thesisterofMenton), Pantera,Scorpia,Ul-trasonique,andder Westgote.IthasnotyetappearedinChampionsOnline.

Firewing BornAriaxThone,thisMalvansupergladiatorwithimmensefirecontrolabilitiesarrivedonEarthin2001toseekbattleagainstEarth’sgreatestheroes.mostfamouslyina2002battleagainsttheBritishheroHy-perionthatdevastatedmuchofLondon.Firewinglivesforbattle,stylinghimselfasanhonorablecombatant,butcapableofgreatpettiness.

Foxbat Insanebutcraftyvillainwhousesgadgets,martialartsanda“pingpongball”gun,FoxbatissecretlyFrederickFoswell,playboyfromaonceprominentfamilywhouseditsfortunetoamasshimselfresourc-esforaseriesof“masterplans”.Foxbatfirstappearedin1993,whenheattemptedtostealtheEmpireStateBuilding,andhisplanshaveonlygottensilliersincethen.

Gravitar EnormouslypowerfulFrenchvillainesswhowishestobeacknowledged“mistressofearth”.Whilesheshowedsignsoftacticalinexperienceandpetulanceearlyinhercareer,morerecentbattleshaveshownamuchmorepoisedandintelligentcombatant.Rarelyemploysminionsorallies(thoughshe’sworkedwithtwoothermastervillainsagainsttheIHA).

Istvatha V’Han “Empressofabilliondimensions”,thisinterdimen-sionalconquerorrulesanunimaginablyvastempireandhashersightssetonthisone.She’sattackedearth

severaltimes,usingherD-soldiers,butherschemeshavealwaysbeenthwartedbyearth’ssuperheroes.Mostrecently,sheappearedtotheGadroonfleetandofferedanultimatum:becomehersubjects,orfacegenocide.Choosingtomakehertheirsovereign,theGadroonarenowhervanguardintheconquestofthisdimension,thoughsheemployssubtlermethodsaswell,willingtoofferthecarrotaswellasthestick,andshelikestostyleherselfasabenevolentdespot.Comparedtosomeofherdimensionalrivals,suchasTyrannon,thisdescriptionisnotinaccurate. Sheismentioned,buthasyettoappearingame.

Kigatilik “Theslayerofshamans”,anoutcastmemberoftheInuitpantheonwho’sanenemyofallofthenortherngods(TheNorseknowhimasAeskaldr,the“ColdLord”,thegodtowhomnooneprayed)andthosewhoservethem.Imprisonedlongagoinabasaltprison,Kigatilikwasreleasedin1964,promptingthepowersofthenorthtocreatetheMightyCanadiansin1964tobattlehim.SealedintheFrostTombin1975,KigatilikwasreleasedbyRakshasain2009atShadowDestroyer’sbehest.HenowplotsagainstalltheheroesofCanada,especiallyRavenspeakerandCelestar.

Mechanon Roboticentityfromthedistantfuturewhowassentbackintimetosavehumanity,butwhoseprogrammingwentawry.MechanonnowseekstheexterminationofalllifeonEarth.Hehasmanybases,includingfactorieswhichreproduceanew,upgradedMechanonmodelaftereverydefeat.Hehasyettoappearingame,butisrumoredtobemakinganap-pearanceatsomepointinthenearfuture.

Menton BornAlejandroMedina,thisSpanishtelepathwasraisedtoserveDr.DestroyeralongsidehissisterIsa-bella,firstaidingDestroyerin1980when,aged10,hetookmentalcontrolofanarmyofsupervillains.AfterDestroyer’sseemingdeathin1992,Medina,callinghimselfMenton,becameamastervillaininhisownrightandsoonestablishedhimselfastheworld’smostdangeroustelepath.CapturedandplacedinStrong-hold,hewasresponsiblefortheStrongholdbreakout

of2009(that’sthebasisfortheStrongholdscenarioingame).

Necrull AcenturiesoldEgyptianscientistwhosegrislyex-perimentshaveturnedhimintoaquasi-undeadstate,Necrullusesscienceasabizarreformofnecromancyasheseeksthesecretofeternallife--inaparasiticformthatfewwouldwant.NecrullisresponsibleforthedeathsofmanyCanadiansuperheroes.

Shadow Destroyer JamesHarmonIVfromthedimensionofMultifar-ia,whocombinedscienceandsorcerytogainpower,onlytofallpreytoQlipothicinfluences.Inspiredbyourworld’sDr.Destroyer,hecrossedintoourworldandclaimedtobeDestroyer-rebornafterhisdeath.Possessingvastpowersofmagicandscience,in2011,ShadowDestroyerwascastintotheQlipothicrealmbyDr.Destroyerandsomeuneasyallies,theheroesofourearth,intheResistanceadventurepack.

Stingray PrincessThalassaofAtlantis,whowasoftenne-glectedbyherparentsinfavorofherbrother,PrinceMarus.Turningtothestudyofforbiddenmagickstooccupyhertime,heractivitieswerediscoveredbyacourtadvisor,whomshemurderedtoprotecther

secret.Thisactseemedtobreakhersanity,andshefledAtlantisandquicklyestablishedherselfasoneoftheaquaticworld’smostdangerousvillains.

Takofanes KnownastheUndying,TakofaneswasoriginallyaTurakiannecromancernamedKul-Turakwhoruledmuchoftheworldseventythousandyearsago.Afterhisdeath,hereturnedasalich,andtheworldjoinedforcestosealhiminatomb,hopefullyforeternity.OildrillingreleasedhimfromslumberinOklahomain1987;hisattemptedadvancetothepopulatedcentersoftheeasternUnitedStateswashalted,butsixsuperheroeswerekilledintheprocess.In2009,TakofanescausedaBloodmoontoriseoverMillen-niumCity,summoningtheghostsofthirteenofthefifteenheroeswhodiedfightingDr.Destroyerin1992.TheBloodmoonhasreappearedwithgreaterfrequency,becomingamajorthorninthesidesofthecities’heroes.Takofanes’smasterofsorceryisincred-ible,aidedbytwoartifacts:theDragonCrownofKrim,andtheSceptreoftheUndying.

Teleios BornJakobStroessen,thismasterscientististheworld’sforemostcriminalgeneticist.Aconsummateplanner,he’salwaysbeenonestepofhisenemies,whichincludesmostofthegreatestsuperheroesontheplanet.Obsessedwithhisbeliefthathe’stheembodimentofperfectioninhumanform,Stroessenhastakenthename“Teleios”(GreekforPerfection).Amonghiscrediblefeatsofsciencearetherecreationofdinosaurs,whichhe’snamed“teliosaurs”andthecreationofanarmyofclones.

Therakiel ViboraBay-basedvillain,leaderoftheHighApos-tolicChurch.AfallenangelwhowasalsobarredfromHell,Therakielplanstousehumanityasanapocalyp-ticarmytowagewaronbothofhismysticenemies.

MAJOR SETTING VILLAIN-OUS ORGANIZATIONS

DEMONAmysticalbrotherhooddesignedtogiveitsfounder,

LutherBlack,thepoweroftheKingsofEdom,powerfulQliphothicentities.Foundedinthe1920s,DEMONusessummonedcreaturesandsorcererscalledMorbanesinanattempttoenforceBlack’swill.

In2010,BlackcreatedtheGatewayBetweenWorlds,ahabitablezoneintheQliphothic,andmanagedtosurprisetheKingsofEdomandtakethemprisoner.HisattempttowresttheirpowerwasthwartedbyUNTI’sOperationHermes,Witchcraft,andanalliedsuperhero.TheKingsimprisonedBlack,butlaterDemoiselleNocturnedestroyedBlack’sbodytofreehimfromthatprison,placinghismindwithinhernightmares.

DEMON’scurrentstatusisunknown.

The Hunter-Patriots AWesternCanadianseparatistgroup,descendedfromAmericanPatriotlodgememberswhoseinvasionofCanadawasdefeatedin1838.MembersofthissecretsocietysworeasacredoathtocontinuetheirstruggleuntilalltracesoftheBritishcrownwerethrownoutofNorthAmerica.Toensuretheiroathwouldnotfalter,theyperformedamagicalritualtobindthem--andtheirdescendents--tokeeptotheirpurposeuntilitwasachieved.

Inthe1980s,descendentsoftheoriginalHunter-PatriotsfoundedanorganizationthatfosteredWesternCanadianseparatisminthe1980s,butwasdefeatedbythesuperheroteamSUNDER.SUNDERdidn’tcompletelydestroytheorganization;traces--includingtheFrontiersmansupersoldierproject--layhiddeninvariousenclavesacrossCanada.

Intheearly2000s,anunknownindividualreacti-vatedtheancientmysticpactofthe1838Hunter-Pa-triots,bindingthedescendentsoftheoriginalH-PstotheCause.Theyusedacombinationofexperimentaltechnology(someofwhichwasdevelopedbytheir1980spredecessors),stolenUNTILtech,FrontiersmanProjectmutants,andatelepathiclinktriggeredbythepact,toadvancetheiragenda,pushingfortheoverthrowoftheCanadiangovernment.

TheHunter-Patriot’sleaderisClydeVonSchoutz.

The Institute for Human Advancement (IHA) Anti-paranormalgroup,focusingonmutants,withalegitimatepoliticalarm(SenatorPhillipGlassman

CO Lore Primer: • Who’s Who • �0

ofWyomingistheirmosthighly-placedmouthpiece)andaterroristwing.SomeIHAmembersaredecentfolkswithlegitimateconcernsaboutsuperhumans:manyhowever,arenot.ThemostextremeelementsoftheIHAwouldliketoeitherexterminatemutantsorconsignthemtoworkcamps;they’reconsideredafringemovement,buttheygainsupportaftermajorparanormal-causeddisasters.

VIPERAmodernterroristgroupdedicatedtoworld

domination.ItsrootsaredescendedfromtheamoralAfricansnakegodNamaandthepulperasecretsociety“TheUnholyOrderoftheGrandReptile”,AfterWW2,agroupof30industrialistsandpoliticiansmettodevelopaplanforpost-warworlddomination,developinganarmytoseizecontroloftheworld.ChristeningthemselvesVIPER(“VenomousImperialPartyoftheEternalReptile”:mostmodernnestspreferthelessanachronistic“VictoryInPerpetuitythroughEternalResolve”),theystrucksuddenlyin1962withaconcertedcampaignofworldconquestthatalmostsucceeded.

VIPERwasoriginallyledbytheshadowyCouncilofThirty.Intheearly1990s,afterastringofdefeats,NamaappointedthemysteriousSupremeSerpenttoleadthegroup.TheSupremeSerpentisactuallypulperaBritishadventurerEdgarLancelynEssec,who’sbeendescribed(ratheraptly),as“CecilRhodesassupervillain”.VIPERcontinuouslydevelopsnewstrategiesandplans.Fieldinganarmyofwelltrainedagentswithadvancedweapons,VIPERisactiveovermostoftheplanet.Theyalsohavenumeroussupervil-lainsintheiremploy(“DragonBranch”).

WithinDragonBranch,VIPER’sprimaryopera-tiveingameisVIPER-X,afallenSilverAvengerwho’sregardedasanagent’sagent;he’salsooneofthefewVIPERoperativeswhoposessesamodicumofhonorandwillactuallynegotiatewithheroes.OtherVIPERsofnoteingameincludethefrozenscientistFreon,theschemingnestleadersDraconis,Redstone,andMecha-niste,andthemadscientistDr. Demogaard.MoreimpressivearethemonstrousRipper,abrickwhorivalsGrondinstrength,andViperia,ademi-goddesswho’sNama’sobscenelypowerfulpsychoticoffspringthat’softendeployedasaVIPERWMD.

VIPERisprimarilyatechnology-basedorganiza-tion,howeverwillemploywhatevermethodsgainsthempower;inAfricaandpartsofAsia,VIPERdeploysSerpent-Magestoassisttheircause,howevertheyarerarely(ifever)seenStateside.

VIPEr’sgoalsareamixofthenobleandthebase.MostVIPERagentsjustwantwealthandpower,afewhowever,viewthoseasthemeanstoanend,thataworldbuiltonVIPERphilosophywillultimatelybeabetterplace.Theirphilosophyisnotespeciallycondu-sivetomostsuperheroes:theyhavea“survivalofthefittest”ethos.Intheirliterature,theydescribethem-selvesas“predators”whocombatthescavengersofthehumanracethatwoulddragitdowntomediocrity.

TheSerpentLanternisanartifactcreatedbyNama,containingtheessenceofoneofhischildren,theSerpentoftheLantern.TheLanternwasusedtoenforceapactbetweentheFounders:theywouldreceiveimmortality,buttheholderoftheLanternwouldhavethepoweroflifeanddeathovertheindi-vidualwhosworetheoath.Becauseitcouldbestowimmortality,itwascovetedbyDr.Destroyer,whotriedtoseizecontrolofit.Intheensuingbattle,theLanternwaslost.Itresurfacedin2010,whenEssecattempted

toseizeitanduseitquellconflictswithintheCouncilofThirty,howeverasuperheroseeminglykilledtheSerpentintheLantern,negatingitspower.

Namais notVIPER’sleaderandplaysnorolesinitsday-to-dayaffairsorstrategicplans;he’smerelythepatronofthegroup.NamahasintervenedononlyfouroccasionssincethefoundingofVIPER,andtwoofthoseinterventionsweretouseVIPERtohelpman-kindagainstDEMON(firstlyinthe1986Demonflameincident,andsecondlyintheAftershockcomicseries,whereheprovidedprotectionforEssecandtheSer-pentMagesagainsttheKingsofEdominanattempttodenythemaccesstonewavatars).TheSerpent’sidentityisunknown,eventoNestLeaders.VIPER’smainbaseishiddendeepwithinMbangMountaininCameroon,this(ofcourse)isacarefullyguardedse-cret(thatNOplayercharacter,evenex-VIPERs,shouldknowabout).

SIGNIFICANT CANON CHARACTERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Sometimesit’susefultoknowthenamesofmajorheroeswhoresideoutsideMillenniumCity,ifonlyasreferencesforcharacterswhocomefromthoseplaces.

The United States InChampionsOnline,DefenderreferstotheCham-pionsasthe“world’smostpowerfulsuperteam.”PnPlore,however,begstodisagree.EvenintheUnitedStates,theJusticeSquadronandSentinelsareolderandprobablymorepowerfulthantheChampions,andthereareplentyofotherswhotakearunatthetitle.MajorAmericanheroesinclude:

AtlantaTeam:None.SoloHeroes:Surge.

BaltimoreTeam:None.SoloHeroes:Straight Arrow.

BostonTeam:TheNewPaladins(Dr. Eclipse, Bodyguard, Lux,

Python, Tandem).

SoloHeroes:None.

ChicagoTeam:ThePeacekeepers(Dwarfstar, Arc, Inframan,

Jack Flash, Zenith).SoloHeroes:None.

CincinnatiTeam:None.SoloHeroes:Thunderhead.

DenverTeam:TheAlliance(Captain Glory, Contact, Crossbow,

Impetus, Mandala, Silver Scorpion),SoloHeroes:None.

HoustonTeam:TheHeroCorps(La Bruma, Green Knight,

Paradox, Sparrowhawk, White Lynx).SoloHeroes:The Messenger.

Kansas CityTeam:None.SoloHeroes:Roundhouse

Los Angeles/Southern CaliforniaTeam:TheCaliforniaPatrol(Downshift, Firewall,

Faultline, MeteorMan III, Sequoia, the Silicon Kid, and the Zodiac Man.)

SoloHeroes:WhiteShroud(SanDiego)

MiamiTeam:TheWatch(Arsenic, Corsair, Jetstream, Mage,

Voltage).SoloHeroes:None.

New York CityTeam:TheJusticeSquadron(Brawler, Blink, Drift,

Flashover, Superstar, Tomahawk),theSentinels(Black Rose, Diamond, Bravo, Diadem, Dr. Vox, Proteus),Nova(Decibelle, Arcane).

SoloHeroes:Electrotitan, the Brooklyn Avenger, Shadowman, Magneton.

New OrleansTeam:None.

SoloHeroes:VoodooDoll.

PhiladelphiaTeam:TheLibertyLeague(The Mechanic, Atlas, Blue

Flame, Oak, Streamline, Vortex).SoloHeroes:None.

PhoenixTeam:None.SoloHeroes:Fallout

San FranciscoTeam:BayGuardians(Eldritch, Blacklight, Druid,

Hannibal Grey, Stigma, Totem);theFreedomPatrol(Condor, Windshear, Retrograde).

SoloHeroes:None.

SeattleTeam:Sea-TacSentinels.SoloHeroes:Cascade.

Washington DCTeam:CapitalPatrol(American Avenger, FalconMan,

Pentagram, Monument, the Insider).SoloHeroes:TheAll-American.

THE WORLD

Australia MajorSoloHeroes:Walkabout,Harrier,Brigade.MajorHeroTeams:NoneAgencies:None.Villains:Taipan.

CanadaMajorSoloHeroes:Ravenspeaker,Celestar,Forcek-

night.MajorHeroTeams:Starforce(Toronto-basedteam

foundedin2000byCelestarandForceknight:thecur-rentteamis:Justiciar (leader), The Constable, Argosy, Prism Girl, Dust Devil);L’espritsGuardiens(Montreal-basedteam.it’sledbyLe Fort,othermembersinclude:Surcheval, Voyageur, La Chatelaine);COMET.

Agencies:RCMPSteelheadDivision.Villains:Borealis,Augury,theLandsman,Teleios,

BaronNihil,Necrull,Kigatilik,Tilingkoot,Mechaniste,

ChainGang.

ChinaMajorSoloHeroes:Jín Lóng Quán(“GoldenDragon

Fist”),Bai Hou(“WhiteMonkey”), Dīshēng Long (“WhisperingDragon”).

MajorHeroTeams:TheTigerSquad(Boxer, Daughter of the Moon, Dragonfly, Earthquake Fist, Eight-Ways Lightning, Gossamer Storm, GraniteMan, Heart of the People, Immensely Strong One, Immortal Philosopher, Iron Horse, Lady of a Thousand Fires, Leafmaster, Mighty Hammer, Peach Blossom Spirit, Phantom Soldier, Phoenix, Quicksilver, Red Bullet, Shaolin Five, Shining Dawn, Soothing Touch, Steel-Shattering Fist, Summer Cloud, Swarmlord, Technocrat, Winter Dragon.)

Agencies:NoneVillains:Dr,YinWu,LiChuntheDestroyer,LamKuei

(“Blue-FacedDemon”),Ying,theOverlord.

EgyptMajorSoloHeroes:Maat,Pharos.MajorHeroTeams:None.Agencies:NoneVillains:Anubis,TheLivingSphinx.

England/WalesMajorSoloHeroes:Hyperion,Albion,MajorHeroTeams:NewKnightsoftheRoundTable,

TheLondonWatch(Blazon, Yeoman, Swift Swallow, Repulse),theNightWatch(Shade, Drune, Rhiannon, Talisen).

Agencies:MinistryofSuperhumanAffairs(between1953and1966itwas“BureauS”).

Villains:Crusher,theCat,Samhain,Thrash,Clock-work.

FranceMajorSoloHeroes:Seine,Autour,Bastille.MajorHeroTeams:TheSixteenthBureau(Tricolor,

Volt, the Musketeer, Valere Noyer, Siffleur)Agencies:None.Villains:VeninVert,Obeliske,Bonc.

GermanyMajorSoloHeroes:Mondfeuer,Geschwindigkeit,der

Bogenschutze,Zeitgeist.

CO Lore Primer: • Who’s Who • ��

MajorHeroTeams:Nomajorteams.Agencies:None.Villains:Panzer,Der Scwarz Tode,Neutron.

IndiaMajorSoloHeroes:TheMongoose,Pantheon,Spark.MajorHeroTeams:TheSuperheroDivision(military

teamof18heroes,includingRashindar,Ushas,Teja Vayu(“SwiftWind”),Chakram,Suryabala(“Sun-child”),Daktara Upaya(“Dr.Gadget”),Lohe Sainika(“IronWarrior”),Saba Devatao,(“Anvil”);Mumbai Santari(“theMumbaiSentinels”,whichincludes:Chamakana Dhala(“ShiningShield”),Bhutatodana(“Demonbreaker,”),Tapalahara(“Heatwave”),Surkha Khamba(“theRubyMonolith”),Badhana(“Stretch”).

Agencies:MinistryofSuperhumanAffairs.Villains:Dr.Destroyer,BlackTiger,Monsoon,theLord

ofRats,Survalesh.

IranMajorSoloHeroes:TheFistofAllah.MajorHeroTeams:None.Agencies:None.Villains:None.

IrelandMajorSoloHeroes:Cuchullain,Dweomer.MajorHeroTeams:None.Agencies:None.Villains:Redcap.

IsraelMajorSoloHeroes:TheLiberator(Palestinian)MajorHeroTeams:Sayeret-19(Ballistic,theAdept,

Ha’Pele(“theWonder”),Ambush).Agencies:None.Villains:None.

JapanMajorSoloHeroes: Tetsuronin,Akumashibaru,Charm

Girl,Shōnen no Kufū(GadgetBoy).MajorHeroTeams:TokyoSuperSquad(Tō(“Tower,”),

Kiku(“Chrysanthemum,”),Fidobakku(“Feedback”),Kōdōtai (“Zodiac”).

Agencies:None.Villains:Kagamishoki,Kazeronin,Kazan(“Volcano”),

Teikei (“Trapezoid”),Tetsuryu (“IronDragon”).

RussiaMajorSoloHeroes:Vulnapyezdka(“Waverider”),

Gyeroy Vedun(“HeroWizard”)MajorHeroTeams:Russkiye Zashchitniki(“The

RussianDefenders”):Stalnoy Volk(“SteelWolf”),Zem-pletpyasenee(“Quake”),Syeryebro(“Silver”),Mamont (“Mammoth”),Kapitan Ukrayina(“CaptainUkraine”),

Agencies:None.Villains:Slun (“theBishop”),Molnya(“Lightning”),

Technyik(“theTechnician”),Beek(“theOx”).

Saudi ArabiaMajorSoloHeroes:Caracal(“DesertCat”),A’asifa

Rumlia(“theSandstorm”).MajorHeroTeams:None.Agencies:None.Villains:TheIfrit.

ScandinaviaMajorSoloHeroes:Potenstorm(Sweden),Beowulf

(Denmark),MajorHeroTeams:None.Agencies:None.Villains:None.

South AfricaMajorSoloHeroes:TheBoer(retired),Blaze,the

Gazelle.MajorHeroTeams:None,Agencies:None.Villains:Ironhorn.

TurkeyMajorSoloHeroes:None.

“Get off Our Lawn, ur... Axis!”

ThankstothesorceryofTotenkopfandIronFather,AlliedsuperhumansintheGoldenAgecouldnotenterAxisterri-torywithoutlosingtheirpowersandeventuallyfallingpreytoawastingsickness.Costumednormalswereunaffected.

MajorHeroTeams:TheChildrenofAtaturk(Gune-talev(“Sunfire”),Cekic(“Hammer”),Gizli (“Occult”),Yorunge(“Orbit”)

Agencies:None.Villains:None.

HEROS AND VILLAINS THROUGH THE AGES

Golden Age Heroes: (US):CaptainPatriot,TheDefendersofJustice(Opti-

mus, Dr. Twilight, Sea Hawk, Cowboy;theyweresoonjoinedbyMeteorMan and Captain Patriot,andlatermorphedintotwoteams:

(Defenders[Homeguard]):MeteorMan, Dr. Twilight, Streak, American Eagle, Sergeant Battle);LadyMystery.

(FreedomBattalion[Europe]):Optimus, Scarlet Archer, Nightengale, Bulletproof, Liberator(originallyCowboy).

(Canada):PrincessAureole,RedEnsignI,RexSterling(HoundofTomorrow),TheHumanPistol,DeuceLaRoche,TommyCanada,AceHellion,AceHelenaandtheHellcatSquadron,Dr.Cerebro.

(UK):LadyLightning.ScarletArcherI.(Russia):GeneralWinter.

Golden Age Villains(US):TheLiquidator,Sub-Zero,TheMink,theBlack

Legion(fifthcolumnistspiesandsaboteurs).TheSocietyofEvil(villainteam).

(Canada):KingVultok.(Germany)DerTotenkopf,Sturmvogel,Arlequin,

Loge,Moorbrand,andNordwind.(Japan):IronFather.(Attlantis)Dargon,SteelShark.(Lemuria)Arvad.

Silver Age Heroes (1950s-70s)US:Vanguard,Hornet,Dr.Scarab,Mountain,

Dreamsinger,BlackPower,BlackMaskIX,ScarletArcherII,SeaKing,MasqueradeII.

TheFabulousFive(Amazing Man, Siren, Streak II, Diamond, and Kid Chameleon)

TheJusticeSquadron:(Vanguard, Ocelot, Drifter, Skygirl, Brawler II, Tomahawk, Rowan, Starburst.)

TheSentinels(MeteorMan, Rocketman, Microman, Dr. Phantom, and Beowulf)

Mexico:ElSpectroCanada:RedEnsignII,ForceknightI,LeFort.TheMightyCanadians(Celestar, Timberline, Bonne

Vivian, and Kivioq).

Silver Age VillainsUS:(50s):TheGargoyle,Dr.Macabre,Rockslide,

Bookworm,Humbug,andCyraxtheConqueror.(60s):Revenger,Ultivac,VIPER-X(original),Mas-

queradeI,Fatalla,Serpentine,theGuru,PlagueI,TheMocker,JackFlash,Typhoon.

(70s):ProfessorMorlak.Canada:Kigatilik,Atomica,ClaireDeLune,Cana-

doom(group).

Bronze Age (mid 70s to late 80s) HeroesUS(later70s):Draco,Dart,StreakII,Diamond.Canada:LoupeGarou,CanadianGhost,Laurentian,

Beacon,andMariner.

Bronze Age VillainsUS(later70s):Archimago,Leviathan,theSlug,

Buzzsaw,Rictus,Scirocco,andtheGriffin.

In Memorium (Prominent Superhero Deaths)

KilledbyDr.Destroyer(1975):KidChameleon,Ocelot.

KilledbyTakofanes(1987):Archangel,Hardball,Delphi,theHyperkineticMan,Tightwire,FlechetteI,andGoldfire.

KilledbyBorealis(1991):ForceknightII.KilledintheBattleofDetroit(1992):Vanguard,

AmazingGrace,Crusher,Eclipse,Firefight,FlechetteII,Goblin,Icestar,JohnnyHercules,Nimbus,Radion,Shadowboxer,SwashbucklerII,Tiger,Vigil.

KilledbyDarkSeraph(2000)inParis:Skydragon.KilledbyBaronNihil(2007):RedEnsignIII.KilledbyNecrull(2007):Vanguard(Vancouverbased

team),ForceknightIV.

CO Lore Primer: • What’s What • �5

SUPER-MATERIALSSomeofthemostuniquematerialsintheChampi-

onsUniverseare:

Destreum ApowerfulmetalcreatedbyDr.Destroyerand

usedintheconstructionofhisdestroidsandhisincrediblebattlearmor.

Fordite Averypowerfulconcentratedexplosive.

Kendrium AformofsteelinventedbyProfessorKendrick,

substantiallystrongerthansteel,andnotmuchheavier.

Neutronium Thestrongestknownmetal,allegedlythe

remnantsofaneutronstar(thoughsomescientistsdisputethis).Extremelyheavy.

Orichalcum Mysticalmetal,originallyfromAtlantis,thismetal

holdsmagicalchargesextremelywellandisusedbyAtlanteansintheirtechnology.Orichalcumisbrown-orangeincolorandcloselyresemblescopper.

Questionite Amazinglydurable(andrare)metalknownforbe-

ingabletokeepanextremelysharpedgeindefinitely.Notcommonlyfound(despiteitbeingacurrencyin-game.)

Cyberline MutagendevelopedbyPRIMUS.AllSilverAvengers

aswellastheGoldenAvengerexperiencethistreat-ment.Cyberlineaugmentshumanstrength,resil-iency,anddexteritytonearhumanlevelswithoutsideeffects,howeveritonlyworksonasmallpercentage

ofthepopulation.

Draysha MutagendevelopedbyVIPER.TheDrayshaprocess

greatlyaugmentsthephysicalcharacteristicsoftheagent,makingthemconsiderablystronger,quicker,andmoreresilientthananormalhuman,andtheprocessisonlyfatalin7%ofitscases!However,evensuccessfulcandidateshaveagoodchanceofdevelop-ingterminalleukemiawithinayearandeveninabestcasescenario,areunlikelytosurvivemorethanfiveyears.Italsocausestheusertoshedallofhis/herbodyhair.

SUPER SOLDIER PROJECTS

Soyou’replayingasuper-soldier?Andyou’rewonderingwhatsuper-soldierprojectsareincanon,ratherthanreinventingthewheelforthethousandthtime?Well,therehavebeenmanysuper-soldierpro-gramsovertheyears,mostofwhichwerespectacularfailures(suitableforPCbackgrounds).

World War 2 The Haynesville Project:Anexaminationofsuper-humansintheirAmericanbirthplace,HaynesvilleKansas,Itsdatawasacornerstoneofmanylaterprojects.

Project Achilles:Producedtwosuccessfulsuperhu-mans,AchillesandtheComet.

Project Ascension:Consideredafailure.

TherewerenumerousAxisprojects,someofwhichinvolvedDr.AlbertZerstoiten.

The 1960s Project Perseus,ProducedtheoriginalAll-Ameri-canin1969.

The 1970s Project Yeoman.ProducedtheoriginalAmeriforce

V: What’s What

CO Lore Primer: • What’s What • �6

superteam.(Lowlevelsuperstrength,toughness,andspeed). Several Unnamed Projects.It’smentionedthatProjectPerseushadotheroffshoots,names,subjects,andsuccessesunknown.

The 1990s Project Sunburst. ThemostinfamoussuperhumansoldierprojectsawtheUSarmyexpose200soldierstoaradioactiveburstinanattempttoseewhatsuper-powersemerged.Mostdied,andthefewwhodidn’t:Sunburst,Gigaton,andArmadillo.

SeveraloftheindividualsresponsibleforSunburstremainintheUSmilitary.

Project Onslaught. Thislate90sgeneticmodifica-tionprojectproducedthemilitarysuperheroJanissaryandthesupervillainOnslaught.

CO Lore Primer: • Where’s Where • �7

VI: Where’s Where

Arcadia (Notyetingame);AlsoknownastheCityofGold,hometotheEmpyreans,thishiddenlandislocatedinahiddenAntarcticvalley,concealedbyadvancedtechnologyfromtheworld.TheEmpyreansweretheworld’sfirstsuperhumans,thedescendentsofthetwelveEmpyreanswhoweremutatedbytheProgeni-tors500,000yearsago.

Withintheclimatecontrolledcomfortoftheirhiddenvalley,theEmpyreansliveinseclusion,interruptedonlybyperiodicwarswithLemuria(theLemuriansbuilttheMandragaloreasaweaponagainsttheEmpyreans)andtheoccasionalevilrebelleaderlikeOgurn,Whenhumanityascendedtomoderncivilization,someEmpyreansdecidedtoleaveArcadiaandinteractwiththesenew,interestingcreatures.Theirking,KingHazor,hasgiventhemleavetodoso,providedtheykepttheirpowersasecret,andneverrevealArcadia’sexistencetotheoutsideworld.ArcadiawasdiscoveredbytheFabulousFivein1966,andwhiletheEmpyreanshavemanagedtokeepalidontheirsecret,Hazorknowsit’sonlyamatteroftimebeforeitbecomesknowntotherestoftheworld.

ArcadiaissustainedbyProgenitorsuper-technol-ogyaswellasthepsionicpowersoftheinhabitants.

Atlantis Agreatunderseakingdom,Atlantiswasa

continentthatsunkinacataclysm32,000yearsago,when,duringaterriblecivilwar,amagesacrificedhissoultotheKingsofEdomtobecomeSharna-GoraktheDestroyer.ThegodPoseidonpreservedafewoftheAtlanteans,andgavethemtheabilitytobreathewater.Overthecourseofmillennia,theyrebuilttheircivilizationbeneaththewaves.

In1937,avillainusurpedcontrolofthekingdomandtherightfulruler,QueenMara,fledtothesurfaceworld.ShemadefriendsamongtheDefendersofJusticesuperheroteam,andhelpedfightHitlerinWorldWar2.In1943,withthehelpoftheDOJ,sheregainedcontrolofthethroneandhasruledAtlantiseversince(withtheexceptionofabriefperiodin1968when

thesupervillainSteelSharkusurpedthethrone.Maraisveryfriendlytothesurfaceworld:hersonMarusattendedRavenswoodAcademyandservesasaparttimememberoftheNewYork-basedSentinelsteamaswellasAtlantis’sunofficialrepresentativeattheUnitedNations,HerdaughterThalassa,however,hasembarkedonadarkerpath—she’sthesupervillainessStingray.

Atlantisisawalledcityontheoceanfloor(atadepthofabout800feet)locatedabouteighthundredmileswestofCapeVerde,100milesnorthoftheEquator,inthemiddleoftheAtlantic.Thecityitselfisaringofconcentricwalls,thelargestofwhichisthreemilesinradius.Thecityhasapopulationofover100,000.Therearealsoseveraloutlyingbarbar-iantribes,mostofwhomarefriendlytoQueenMara(withthenotableexceptionoftheKrosk,abarbar-iantribelocatedseveralhundredmilesnortheastofAtlantis,ruledbythefiercechieftainGundhar.

Atlanteansaregreenskinnedhumanoidswithfinsonthewrists,elbows,anklesandupperbackandwebbedfingersandtoes.Theyhavealifespanofabouttwohundredyears.

Atlanteancivilizationgenerallyusesmagicinsteadoftechnologyandalchemyinplaceofindustry.Thekeytotheircivilizationisthered-orangemetalOrichalcum,whichtheAtlanteansjealouslyguard;becauseofitsabilitytostoremagicalcharges.Atlan-teansveneratethegodPoseidon,andaGreco-themeisfoundinalotoftheirbuildingsandart.Atlanteanslovetheirqueen,butarelesswelcomingto“Landers”thantheirsovereign.

Beast MountainPriortohismovetoMonsterIsland,Dr.Phillipe

Moreau’sbasewashere,amountainstrongholdintheUkraine.ItwasherethatDr.Silverbackwascreatedin1984,alongwithmanyothermanimals.MoreauwasdrivenoutofBeastMountainbyateamofBritishsuperheroesandthemanimalshavelivedapeacefulexistencethereeversince(thoughtheirleader,FatherElk,lefttohelpthemanimalsofMonsterIslandin2008.

Force Station Steelhead and the Lynx’s Fold

InNorthAmerica,fourgreatspiritsoncedomi-natedtheworld,fourgreatspiritswhoabide(withoneexception)inextra-dimensionalrealms:theLand,spiritoftheearthandthenaturalworld,intheHappyHuntingGrounds;theSea,spiritofthevastoceans,intheGreatWater;theIce,spiritofthepitilessnorthernwinter,intheFrostTomb,andtheSky,whichdwellsinourrealm.Inancienttimes,attheendoftheIceAge,mankindgaveitsallegiancetotheLandinsteadoftheIce,andthatwasthetippingpoint.TheGreatWinterended,andtheIcelostitsdominantgripovertheworld.Inthisstruggle,therewasaplacewheretheSpiritsmetwithMan.Thatplace,inNorthernCanada,cametobeknownastheLynx’sFold,orCat’sCradle.

There’snocanoninformationonwhenorwhyForceStationSteelheadwasconstructed.ItwasprobablybuiltafterthedissolutionofthesecondNorthernGuardin1998,whentheRCMPandMarkDerringerbecameawareofthestrategicimportanceoftheareainthefightagainstsuperhumans,andthediscoveryofquestionitedepositsintheregiondrewalotofattentionthere:Argent,theHunter-Patriots,andVIPERwouldprobablynotbeintheareawithoutthepresenceofQuestionite.Itdoesseemthatforavarietyofreasons,alotofindividualgroups(fromsasquatch

tribestoGadroontoNecrull)haveconvergedonthearea,makingitoneofthemoststrategicallyimpor-tantcontrolpointsinNorthAmerica.

Hudson City Alarge,grittycityinNewJersey,notedforcor-

ruption,vigilantism,andahostileattitudetowardtraditionalcostumedsuperheroes.

Hudson City, the Urban AbyssisthesettingfortheDarkChampionsRPGofvigilantejustice.Itishowever,partoftheChampionsIPandCrypticdoeshavetherighttouseitinChampionsOnlineiftheysochoose.

Opinion Corner: Brrrr!

Canadaisnotpermanentlycold,noteveninthenorthern-mostparts.Itfrequentlygetsupto70degreesF/21degrees

CattheNorthPoleinJulyandAugust.

MyexplanationforthecoldaroundForceStationSteelheadisthetearthatletKigatilikintoourworldalsocreateda

slightdimensionaltearthatletsinacontinuoussupplyofsupernaturalcoldfromtheFrostTomb.Thisisn’tcanon,

however,andyou’rewelcometouseitorignoreitasyouseefit.

Lemuria Theolderofthetwounderseakingdoms,Lemuria

wasfoundedbyaraceofreptilemenabout40,000yearsago.TheyoriginallyworshippedQliphothicenti-tiescalledtheBleakOnes.Themagicofthesorcerer-kingFaltrahLemstrippedthemoftheirshape-chang-ingpowersandtransformedthemintoahuman-likeappearance.AwaragainsttheEmpyreansledtothecreationofagreatengineofdestruction,theMan-dragalore,butitbackfired,sinkingLemuriabeneaththewavesoftheIndianOcean.ThesurvivingLemuri-ansdweltinunderseacommunitiesandbecameruledbyaconstructcalledtheBronzeKing.

In1800,KingHazor’sbrotherArvadfledfromArcadiaafterattemptingtousurpthethroneandtookcontrolofLemuria.AfterconsolidatingcontroloverLemuria,hebegantoplottheconquestofthesurfaceworld.HewasakeyNazisubterraneanallyduringWorldWar2,andlaunchednumerousattacksduringsubsequentdecades.However,thedecadesworeawayatArvad’sdefianceandhefoundhimselfwith

unexpectedfeelingsforhissubjects.Arvad’svillainousnaturesoftenedenoughthatUNTILevensentadiplo-maticmissiontoLemuria:unfortunately,neithertheynorArvadcountedonthereturnoftheBleakOnes:rebelswhorevertedbacktotheLemurians’originalform.NowArvad,themanwhomadetheBronzeKingkneel,themanwhohasbeenthesurfaceworld’smostpersistentenemyforsevendecades,findshimselfincommoncausewiththesurface-dwellers.

Lemuriaitselfislocatedinfourdomes,locatedabouttwomilesbeneaththesurfaceaboutsevenhundredmilessouthoftheMaldives,Themaindomeisamilehighandtenmilesindiameter.

Lemuriansemploymagicandslave-powerinplaceoftechnologyandshunthemechanismsofthesurfaceworld,whichtheyviewascrudeandinferior.

LemuriansaredividedintonobleandMoleMen(slave)castes.Lemuriannoblestypicallybelongtooneoftwelvenoblehouse,andaresub-dividedintowarrior,sorcereranddecadentcastes.Theyhavedarkhairandextremelypaleskin,andhavealifespanof

CO Lore Primer: • Where’s Where • 40

aboutthreehundredyears.

Millennium City FormerlyDetroit,this“cityofthefuture”was

rebuiltafterDr.Destroyerdestroyeditin1992(seeSidebar).ThecitybecameahightechMecca:manycompaniesflockedhere,andmanyothershavemajorbranchofficeshere.Sincethe2009Qularrinvasion,manysuperheroeshavedescendedonthiscity,thegreatestofwhom(atleastaccordingtothemedia)aretheChampions.

MillenniumCitywasrebuilt(completedinlate1999)withadvancedtechnologysuchasmovingwalkwaysandafullyautomatedtransitsystem.InMillenniumCity,youdon’tdrivecars—carsdriveyou!

NorthofMillenniumCityisthecityofWindsor,inCanada.Althoughsparedmostofthedamage,thoserebuiltsectionsofthecityaredubbed“MemorialCity”.

Ravenswood Academy:LocatedinthesuburbofOrchardsville,thisprestigiousprivateschoolhasbeenthepremier(ifsecret)institutionsforyoungsuperssincetheearly1980s.RunbytheHeadmistressHeadmasterKristinaPelvanen(secretlytheretiredsuperheroineRowan),numerousyoungsuperheroeshavegraduatedfromitsranks.

The West Side Gangs: TherearefivegangsinWestsidethathaveperiodicallycausedtrouble.TheNewPurpleGangisaresurgenceofaninfamousProhibitionGangofthe1920s.TheCobraLordsareabikergangnotedforthedrugtradeandinvolvementinanundergroundmetahumanfightingcircuit,theArena,thathaschaptersacrosstheUnitedStates.TheManiacsisagangofanarchistswhoproudlydisplaysociopathictendencies,TheBlackAcesisagangwithaplayingcardmotif.ThesefourbattleforcontroloftheWestsidewiththeRedBanners.

Officials:MillenniumCity’smayorisCalvinBiselle,acharismaticAfrican-Americanwhorelisheshisceleb-ritystatus:itspolicechiefisJamesSurhoff.Biselle’sbiggestpoliticalrivalisLeonardBerman,aconserva-tiveThecity’schiefprosecutorisGeorgeKrugar.

(Biselle’smayoraltenureshouldhaveendedin2012,howeverCrypticignoredhistermlimit.Thiswasnotasurprise(alotofin-gameart,voiceworkandmissionswouldhaveneededtohavebeenredone.)Biselleis

The Battle of Detroit

OnJuly23,1992,Dr.Destroyer,angeredbyadefeatwhichhadcosthimhisislandbaseDestruga,putintomotiona

plantousetractorbeamstodrawasteroidstoearth,hop-ingtocauseacatastrophethatwoulddestroycivilization

andgivehimachancetorebuilditaccordingtohisdesigns.StudentsfromtheRavenswoodAcademyaccidentally

stumbledontohisbase,forcingZerstoitentosethisplansintomotion.RealizingwhatDestroyerwasabouttodo,asmallarmyofsuperheroesdividedintotwoteamstostophim:oneteamwouldgointospaceandstoptheasteroids

directly,thesecondwouldremaininDetroittoconfrontDestroyerdirectly.

ThefirstwaveofasteroidswasstoppedbyVanguard,whogavehimlifebyplowingfullspeedintothelargestplanetoid.TheheroineElectronmanagedtoreversethe

meteor-tractorbeamandrepelledtheasteroids,whiletheremainingheroesfoughtDestroyertothedeath.Zerstoitenkilledseveraloftheheroes,butonthevergeofdefeat,he

bowedandtriggeredanorbitalweaponsplatform.TheareaaroundDestroyerforseveralblockswasimmediatelydis-

integrated,andthebeamcutaswathofdestructionacrossthecity.Destroyerwasbelieveddead,buttheonlythingfoundwashiscrackedhelmet.Itturnedoutheactually

teleportedaway,Hewaslatercapturedbyhisimperson-ator,ShadowDestroyer,andimprisonedinMultifariauntil

hisescapein2011.

60,000peopleandfifteensuperheroeslosttheirlivesintheholocaust.

politicallyambitiousanddoeshaveplanstorunfotofficeatboththestate(probablyasgovernor)andfederallevel.Heisstronglypro-traditionalcostumedsuperhero,thoughlessthrilledbythoseofamorevigilantenature.Undercuttinghisreputationasanadroitpoliticalthinkerishislonglistofmalapropisms

Biselleishonest,butnoteveryoneatCityHallsharesthisquality.Onememberofthecitycouncil,PhillipMcCaullife,isaVIPERstoogewho’salsobeingworkedbyMedusa.Anothermember,VincentDooley,isfirmlyentrenchedinthepocketofFranklinStone.

The Media:MillenniumCity’smajornewspapersaretheAdairownedMillenniumCityFreePressandthemoreconservativeMillenniumCityNews.Thefor-mercarriesarelativelybalancedofviewsthatisoftenoffsetbyAdairSyndicateanti-metahumancolum-nists.Thelatterincludesasuperhumannews/gossipChristineHewitt,whocanoftenbeseenhobnobbing

wuithheroesinClubCaprice’sVIPlounge. Millennium’smajortelevisionstationsinclude

WCOC,homeofsomeofMillenniumCity’smostbe-lovedbroadcastteam.MorecontroversialistheAdair-ownedWTFL,whose“newspersonalities”includethepreviouslymentionedanti-metahumancolumnistCurtCurruthers.

Homestead and SOCRATES.OneofthemostprominentlandmarksinMillenniumCityisHome-stead,homebaseoftheChampions.Herethefamedsuperteamkeepswatchonthecity,assistedbyoneoftheworld’smostadvancedAIs,SOCRATES.Despitethemasculinename,SOCRATESprojectsafemininepersonaatherinfokiosks,whicharescatteredthroughoutMillenniumCity.

Monster IslandIn1965,theQularrlandedonalargevolcanic

islandlocatedonehundredmilesofftheeastcoastofJapananduseditasabreedinggroundforgiantmonsters.TheQularrweredefeated,butthegiantmonsterswerenotquiteaseasytobeat.andsoKaijuIsland(asit’sknowninJapan)isanaturalpreserveofthemostterrifyingcreaturesonEarth.

NiikwanNeartheturnofthe19thCentury,Europeanexplor-

ersmadecontactwiththelocalFirstNationstribeson

theCanadianWestCoast.ToprotecttheHaidapeople,thegodRavenremovedonevillagefromtheworld,perfectlypreserved,exceptforonesmallAnglicanchurch,builtbythemissionarywhowarnedNiikwanagainsttheravagesoftheEuropeansandwhocon-vincedthemtoacceptRaven’sofferofprotection.

Niikwanhasbeenvisitedoccasionallybyheroesandpulpadventurers.ItiscovetedbyTax’et,theGodofViolentDeathintheHaidapantheon,whowasdeniedthepleasureofravagingitwiththesmallpoxepidemicsofthe19thCentury.

Project GreenskinAhugearmybaseintheNewMexicodesert,built

nearthesiteoftheDeltaBombincidentwhichirradi-atedmuchoftheareain1978.Greenskinwasbuiltin1995asaforwardbasefortheUnitedStates’programtocontainGrond.ItisheadedbyGeneralRobertKauffman,theoriginalGoldenAvengerofPRIMUS.Itsmissionistostudytheeffectsofradiationontheareaanditspeoples(chieflytheIrradiatemutants)butit’sprimarymissionistohuntdownandcontainthesuper-humanlyradioactivemonsterGrondandkeephimfromdoingdamage.Thebase’sheadofresearch,Dr.NelsonDupree,wascrippledinGrond’sinitialattack,andhasdevelopedanobsessionabouthelpingthecreature,us-ingadvancedscienceandneurologytocalmhimdown.

Thepresenceofsomanymonstrositieshasat-

tractedanumberofinterestedpartiestothearea,particulartheQularrandVIPER.Itisalsouncomfort-ablyclosetothesiteofStronghold.

ThereisagiantstatueofGrondstationedatthebase;thisis(presumably)thesamestatuethatwas,originallybuiltbytheIrradiatessotheycouldwor-shiphim.Noone’squitesurewhythearmykeepsit,perhapsKauffmanneedsareminderofwhyGreenskinexistsinthefirstplace.Orperhapsdisposingofitwouldinvolvetoomuchpaperwork.

Shamballah/AghartiInacavernundertheHimalayas,notfarfrom

MountEverest,liesthehiddencityofShamballah.Ledbynineimmortalmonks,whitemagicmartialartstechniquesaretaughttothosewhomanagetonavigatetheshadowymazethatguardsthecityandprovethemselvesworthy.Everyfightingtechniqueontheplanetistaughthere:exceptforthoseexclusivetotheYengtaoTempleandAgharti.

Shamballah’seviloppositenumber,alsolocatedundertheHimalayas,isthecityoffAgharti.Thetwocitiesarelockedinacontinuouswar.

Sunday Pond, MaineLocatedinthewoodsofcentralMaineisthesleepy

townofSundayPond,centerofmuchstrangenessandoccultactivity.SundayPondisanexus,wheretheconnectionsbetweentheworldsisatitsweakest,andmonstersfromotherdimensionsenterourworld.Onemanstandsasavanguardagainstthesehorrors:theWitness,whohelpsunwarytravellersfindtheirwayhome,andwhoputsmonstersintheirplace(usuallytheground).

ThaarTwelvethousandyearsago,aliensmutateda

birds(probablyaspeciesoffalcons)intoaspeciesofwingedhumanoids,whosettledonamountainpeakinthesouthernIndianOcean.Thisisland,Thaar,becameasanctumforthebird-people.ItisruledbyQueenKea,andisanofficialprotectorateoftheUnitedNations.Fewbird-peoplehaveevervisitedtheoutsideworld,exceptforKlee(thecaptainoftheQueen’sGuard)andthenowdeceasedsupervillainGyrfalcon.

(Note:TherearehintsthatThaarwillbeusedinanupcomingmini-seriesinChampionsOnline,butmayhaveitslocationchangedtoamoreArcticlocation.We’llupdatethisdocumentattheappropriatetime.)

Vibora BayAcityintheFloridapanhandleknownasthe

QueenCity,ViboraBayisthecenterofthemysticworldinAmerica.ItisastrongholdformysticalheroeslikeDr.Ka,aswellasthemagnummageRobertCali-burnandalargechapteroftheTrismegistusCouncil.

Thecityiscurrentlyplaguedbyanumberofpredatoryoccult-orientedgangs:theDogz(agangofwerewolvesledbyBlackFang),theSovereignSons(avoodooorientedgang),theNewShadows(acovenofvampiresledbyVladicDracul,fatherofthelegendaryDracula;andtheTreyKings,agroupoftwistedabomi-nations.AnotherplagueonthecityisthegangsterGuySweetland,arivalofBlackFang.

ViboraBayisthecenteroftheHighApostolicChurch,areligionthatisafrontforthefallenangelTherakiel.11%ofthecity’sthreemillionresidentsaredevoteesofthisfaith,avoodooreligionwithChristiantrappings.

Themayorofthecityis:RichendaBarker.OutsideofthecityisSanSebastienswamp,home

ofthelegendarySkunk-Ape.Tosome,theSkunk-Apeisamyth,toothers,arampagingmonster,andtostillothers,theprotectoroftheswampanditsmysteries(theSkunk-ApehasyettomakeitintoChampionsOnline).

Yengtao TempleInahiddenvalleyinChinaliestheYengtaoTemple,

whereforgenerations,thosewhoachievedunityofmindandbodycouldstudytheexclusivemartialartsoftheTemple.Manyoftheworld’sgreatestfightersstudiedhere,howeververyrecently,itseemsthattheTemplewasdestroyed,probablybythesupervil-lainJadePhoenixatthebehestoftheDeathDragon,whosoughttopreventtheirtechniquesfrombeingdisseminatedtothosewhowouldfightintheTourna-mentoftheDragon.

CO Lore Primer: • Aliens • 4�

VIi: Aliens

MAJOR RACESTherearenumerousintelligentspeciesinthegalaxy,

aswellascosmicentitiesthatpredateeventhem.Theonesbestknowntoearthinclude:

DENDRIANSLocation:MilkyWayGalaxy,closetoearth.IntentionsTowardHumanity:Neutral.PropulsionTechLevel:SlightlyAdvanced(lowlevel

FTL)MilitaryTechLevel:SlightlyAdvancedMedicalTechLevel:AdvancedComputerTechLevel:AdvancedPhysicalDescription:Average(1.6-1.9meterstall)

purpleskinnedhumanoidswithbluetoblackhairandfivefingersandtoes.

Homeworld:DendrisGovernmentType:Planetarycongress.

Locatedamere58LightYearsfromEarth,Dendrisisapeacefulifconservativeplanetthatkeepstoitselfanddoesnotwagewaronitsneighborsnorseektobuildgalacticempires.Nonetheless,Dendriansarerenownedasengineers,andthosewhoseekadven-tureoraltruisticserviceoftenjointheStar*Guard.AndreAlmena’spredecessorintheStar*Guard,BrinReiTarn,wasaDendrian,asisAlmena’sassistantKalaTahBreval.

ELDER WORMSLocation:Extra-galactic.IntentionsTowardHumanity:Hostile.PropulsionTechLevel:Advanced.MilitaryTechLevel:AdvancedMedicalTechLevel:AdvancedComputerTechLevel:AdvancedPhysicalDescription:Average(1.6-1.9meterstall),

ochre-coloredannelidoidsHomeworld:Shug’hla-WthelgGovernmentType:SupremeMonarchy

Oncetheterrorofthegalaxy,theElderWorms

ruledhalfthegalaxyinthenameoftheirQlipothicgods,forwhomtheywerepreparedtosacrificethegalaxy.Ahalfmillionyearsago,theMalvansandtheStar*Guardwenttowaragainstthemandwon,destroyingtheirhomeworld.Formanymillennia,theElderWormswanderedtheuniverselookingforbasestorebuildtheirspecies--theyfoundoneonEarth.Now,aidedbytheirfoultelepathicpowers,theyseektocorruptandtransformhumanityintobecomingtheseedsofanewelderwormrace.

ERGONS/THORGONSLocation:Relativelyclosetoearth.IntentionsTowardHumanity:Neutral.PropulsionTechLevel:Advanced.MilitaryTechLevel:SlightlyAdvancedMedicalTechLevel:AdvancedComputerTechLevel:AdvancedPhysicalDescription:Short(probably1.2-1.5me-

terstall)humanoidswithpaleskin(withredstripes),andtranslucent,pupillessredeyes.Thorgonsaetaller(probably1.6-1.8m.tall)withdarkerskin.

Homeworld:ErgathGovernmentType:Unknown

CO Lore Primer: • Aliens • 44

OneofthemostcontentiousspeciesinknownspacearetheErgons,thebadtemperednativesofErgath,havecreatedclonescalledtheThorgonstodotheirdirtyworkforthem.Dirtyworkincludesspaceexploration,whichbringsthemincontactwithotherspecies.Bredtobecoldandpitilessbrutes,theThorgonsdonotusuallymakeagoodimpressiononthosetheyencounter.

FASSAILocation:MilkyWayGalaxy,othersideofthegalaxy

fromearthIntentionsTowardHumanity:Neutral.PropulsionTechLevel:SlightlyAdvanced(lowlevel

FTL)MilitaryTechLevel:SlightlyAdvanced(blaster

weapons)MedicalTechLevel:SlightlyAdvancedComputerTechLevel:SlightlyAdvancedPhysicalDescription:Average(1.6-1.9meterstall)

dark-skinned(greytoblack)humanoidswithridgesinsteadofhairandfivefingersandtoes.

Homeworld:KadrigarGovernmentType:Councilofrepresentatives.from

theHundredHouses,therulingfamiliesoftheplanet.

AmemberspeciesoftheVeldarianConfederacy,atradefederationfromtheothersideofthegalaxy,theFassaiwouldbecompletelyunknowntoEarthexceptforthepresenceofthesuperhumanHerculan.TheFassaiareanoddlyfeudalrace,dividedintoahundredmajorfamiliesthatcontrolmostoftheirplanet.TheyarecurrentlyembroiledinagreatcivilwaragainstotherstatesoftheConfederacy.

GADROONLocation:MilkyWayGalaxy,closetoearth.IntentionsTowardHumanity:HostilePropulsionTechLevel:Slightlyadvanced(lowlevel

FTL)MilitaryTechLevel:Advanced(graviticweaponsand

forcefields)MedicalTechLevel:SlightlyAdvancedComputerTechLevel:SlightlyAdvancedPhysicalDescription:Short(1.2-1.4meterstall

greenskinnedbrachiadhumanoidwithfourfingers

andtoes.Homeworld:None.GovernmentType:Absolutemonarchyintheservice

ofIstvathaV’Han.

PerhapsthegreatestcurrentextraterrestrialthreattoEartharetheGadroon,TheGadroonhavelaunchedthreemajorinvasionsofEarth,withtheultimategoaloftransformingitintoanewhomeworldfollow-ingthedestructionoftheirhomeworldGadro.TheGadroonareanomadicspecies,howeverrecentlytheextradimensionalconquerorIstvathaV’HanforcedtheGadroonfleettobowtoherrule,givingV’Hanafootholdinouruniverse.

TheGadroonarecurrentlyatwarwiththeQularr.Humanityhasnumeroussamplesoftheirtechnology,buttothisdayit’sdefiedanalysis,evenfromthemostbrillianthumanminds.

HZEELLocation:MilkyWayGalaxy,closetoearth.IntentionsTowardHumanity:HostilePropulsionTechLevel:Slightlyadvanced(lowlevel

FTL)MilitaryTechLevel:Advanced(beamweaponsand

forcefields)MedicalTechLevel:SlightlyAdvancedComputerTechLevel:SlightlyAdvancedPhysicalDescription:Short(1.2metertall)blue-grey

skinnedhumanoidwithredeyesandfourfingersandtoes.

Homeworld:Zeel.GovernmentType:Corruptplutocracy.

ThenearesthostileempiretoEarthistheHzeel(orBlueBoys).CurrentlyatwarwiththeDorvalans,they’relookingatacquiringearthasabeachheadtostageamajoroffensive,andarestudyingQularrandGadroonattemptstoconquertheplanet.TheHzeelarecleverandadaptable,buttheirunifiedgovernmentencourag-escorruptionanditsleaderswouldbeconsideredcrimebossesonEarth.(ThinkofthemasacrossbetweentheFerengiandClassicTrek’sIoatians(thegangsterplanet)andyou’dprobablynotbetoofaroff.)

MALVANSLocation:MilkyWayGalaxy,closetoearth.IntentionsTowardHumanity:Neutral,withsome

exceptions.PropulsionTechLevel:HighlyAdvanced(abletocross

theMilkyWayinaweek)MilitaryTechLevel:HighlyAdvanced(abletoshift

planetsoutoforbit)MedicalTechLevel:HighlyAdvanced(extended

lifespansintomillennia)ComputerTechLevel:HighlyAdvancedPhysicalDescription:Tall(1.9metertall)darkbronze

tolightgoldskinnedhumanoidwithlargeeyes,redorvioleteyes,andlargefeatheryeyebrows.

Homeworld:Malva.GovernmentType:Monarchy.

Themostadvancedcivilizationknowntoman,Malvaisinfamousfortworeasons:itsgladiatorialcircuitkidnapsterrestrialsuperhumansandforcesthemtocompeteintheirgames,andthesupervillainFirewing,oneofthemostbrutalandpowerfulvillainseverseen.Inreality,Malvaisagreatgalacticpower,whooncesavedtheuniversefromtheElderWorms,butwhohavenowdeclinedintodecadenceandindolence.Slavestoendlessfashionfads,theMalvanaristocracyhasoneconstant--theyenjoygladiatorialgames,andwhiletheyhavethetechnologytopro-ducesuperhumansondemand,theyprefernaturallybredandtrainedcompetitors.

Malvawasn’talwaysdecadent,andtherewasatimethattheirGoldenHuntersworkedhandinhand

withtheStar*Guardtoprotectthegalaxy,butthosedays,itseems,arelongpast.

MANDAARIANSLocation:MilkyWayGalaxy,locationunknown.IntentionsTowardHumanity:Friendly.PropulsionTechLevel:HighlyAdvanced(abletocross

theMilkyWayinaweek)MilitaryTechLevel:Unknown.MedicalTechLevel:HighlyAdvanced(extended

lifespansintomillennia)ComputerTechLevel:HighlyAdvancedPhysicalDescription:Average(1.6-1.9meters

tall)light-skinnedhumanoids(almostidenticaltoCaucasianhumanswithgoldandsilvercat-likeeyes,slightlypointedears,andfivefingersandtoes.

Homeworld:MandaarGovernmentType:Meritocracycouncilofthe144

finestintellects.

Perhapsthefriendliestspeciestoencounterhuman-ityaretheMandaarians,averyhuman-likeraceoftelepaths.Livinginanear-utopia,theMandaarianslivelivesofpeacetranquility,pursuingintellectualandaestheticpleasures.Theirsocialscientistshavevisitedearthseveraltimesandexpressedanapprecia-tionofhumancultureandhavesharedsomeoftheirart(thoughnoneoftheirtechnology)withhumanity.

MON’DABILocation:MilkyWayGalaxy,locationunknown.IntentionsTowardHumanity:Neutral.

PropulsionTechLevel:SlightlyAdvanced(FTLcapable).

MilitaryTechLevel:EqualtoEarthtechnology.MedicalTechLevel:Unknown,probablyequalto

earthtechnologyComputerTechLevel:Unknown,probablyequalto

earthtechnology.PhysicalDescription:Tall(1.9meterstall)reptilian

humanoidswithscalyskin,alongthicktail,afaceresemblingagilamonster,andfourfingersandtoes.

Homeworld:Mon’daGovernmentType:Unknown.

AraceofaggressivereptiloidmenwhosepathhasnotyetcrossedEarth.

PERSEIDSLocation:MilkyWayGalaxy,2300LYfromearth.IntentionsTowardHumanity:FriendlyPropulsionTechLevel:Slightlyadvanced(lowlevel

FTL)MilitaryTechLevel:SlightlyAdvanced(beamweap-

onsandforcefields)MedicalTechLevel:SlightlyAdvancedComputerTechLevel:SlightlyAdvancedPhysicalDescription:Tall(2metertall)blackskinned

humanoidwithbonyforeheadandshoulderridges.Homeworld:Dorvala.GovernmentType:Unified,typeunspecified.

Dorvalans,orPerseids,areIronclad’srace,atallrigidlystructuredsocietythatlivesonahostileplanet.It’sasocietywherethestrongareexpectedtodominatetheweak--theinfirmareroutinelyforcedtocommitritualsuicidebytheirteenyears

QULAARLocation:MilkyWayGalaxy,2300LYfromearth.IntentionsTowardHumanity:FriendlyPropulsionTechLevel:Slightlyadvanced(lowlevel

FTL)MilitaryTechLevel:SlightlyAdvanced(beamweap-

onsandlargescaleforcefields)MedicalTechLevel:SlightlyAdvancedComputerTechLevel:SlightlyAdvancedPhysicalDescription:Man-sized(1.8mtall)insect/

crustaceanhybridswithtwofingersandathumb.Homeworld:ReqaatGovernmentType:Caste-drivenoligarchicRepublic.

ThemostrecentsignificantalieninvasionwaslaunchedbytheQularr,aninsectoid-crustaceanspeciesthatoccupiesasmallempirebeyondPerseidspace.SeeingonearthnumerousspecimensofGiantMonstersandsuperhumans,theQularrinvadedtheplanethopingtounlockthesecretofparanormalabili-ties,andcollectgiantmonsterstofightagainsttheirenemies.Theirinitial1965invasionwascenteredonMonsterIslandandwasrebuffed,butthestingofthedefeatlingered,andwhenShadowDestroyertriggeredaspecialbeacon(anokaysignalfromtheirscoutstoinvade),theQularrlaunchedasecondinvasionworld-wide.Thisinvasionwasalsodefeated,howevertheQularrmaintainedapresenceonMonsterIsland.

TheQularrarecurrentlyatwarwiththeGadroon,whichhasacceleratedtheneedforbiologicalweap-ons(i.e.monsters)andtheirstudyofsuperhumans.

ROIN’ESHLocation:MilkyWayGalaxy,distantfromEarth.IntentionsTowardHumanity:Unknown.PropulsionTechLevel:Advanced(capableofinter-

stellartravel)MilitaryTechLevel:Unknown.MedicalTechLevel:Unknown.ComputerTechLevel:Unknown.PhysicalDescription:Averagesized(1.6metertall)

humanoidwithbrownish-greyskin,andverticalfur-rowsontheirforeheads--butarecapableofshape-changing.

Homeworld:Taroindar.GovernmentType:Unknown

TheRoin’eshareaslavespeciesoftheMalvans,whofindtheirshapechangingabilitiesamusing.TheRoin’eshchafeattheirbondage,andschemetobreakfreeoftheirmastersandbecomeagalacticpower.

SELENITESLocation:Selenus,Earth’sMoon.IntentionsTowardHumanity:Neutral,withhostile

factions.

PropulsionTechLevel:NoneMilitaryTechLevel:SlightlyAdvanced(stolen

supervillaintech).MedicalTechLevel:Advanced,butlackingthetech-

nicalexpertisetofullyemployitComputerTechLevel:Advanced,butlackingthe

technicalexpertisetofullyemployitPhysicalDescription:Short(0.9metertall)insect-

likesiliconoidcreaturewithalongnarrowface,abeetle-likepurple-greyshell,andtenlimbs,twoforelimbsandeighthindlimbs.

Homeworld:Themoon(cityofSelenus)GovernmentType:Rulingcouncil.

Thenativesofthemoon,theSelenitesawokefrommillenniaofslumberin1938.TheywereusedasslavelaborbythesupervillainRevenger.Inthe1980s,thedictatorGrishlattemptedtousestockpilesofRevenger’sweaponstolaunchanattackontheearth,butwasfoiledbyMeteorMan.Sincethen,theSeleniteshavepursuedanisolationistpolicy,thoughsomefactionsstilldreamofattackingtheearthagain.

SIRIANSLocation:NeartoEarth.IntentionsTowardHumanity:Hostile.

PropulsionTechLevel:Unknown.MilitaryTechLevel:SlightlyAdvanced(stolen

supervillaintech).MedicalTechLevel:Unknown.ComputerTechLevel:Unknown.PhysicalDescription:Short(1.2to1.5metertall)

humanoidswithabroadupperskullandapointedchin.Grey-skinnedSiriansareshorterthanGreen-skinned.Theyhavealmondshapedeyes,thatarepitchblackincolor.

Homeworld:Siria.GovernmentType:Dictatorship.

Thefirstraceencounteredbymankind,theSirianinvasionofearthin1938werefoiledbythemilitaryandtheworld’sfirstsuperhumans.Desperatetosavetheirworldfromimminentdestruction,theSiriansrecklesslylaunchedanattackonMalvain1985.Theattackwaseffortlesslyrebuffedandtheircounterat-tacknearlycompletelydestroyedtheSirianspecies.TodayafewhundredSiriansurvivorsinasmallflotillaofshipsattempttokeeptheirracefromextinctionbyanymeanspossible.

VAYATHURANSLocation:3500LYfromEarth.IntentionsTowardHumanity:Neutral.PropulsionTechLevel:EquivalenttoEarth.MilitaryTechLevel:EquivalenttoEarth.MedicalTechLevel:EquivalenttoEarth.ComputerTechLevel:EquivalenttoEarth.PhysicalDescription:Average(1.6to1.6metertall)

humanoidswithgoldskinandlargeblueorgreeneyes.

Homeworld:ThemoonofMogar.GovernmentType:Clan/guildhybrid.

Becauseofthe1999arrivalofateleportingexplorer,Far-Strider,humanityknowsagreatdealabouttheVayathurancivilization,Locatedmanylightyearsaway,theVayathuransarealsobeginningtoemergeandexploreouterspace.Theyareahedonistic,poly-androusspecies,famedfortheirculture(Far-Striderbroughtwithhimhistories,novels,andotherculturalartifactstotradewithhumans),pleasuresandlackofclothing.

Opinion Corner: Do it yourself!

So,youdon’tseeanythinginthecanonracesthatfitsyourconcept?Fine!Createyourown.Spaceisbigandthealien

raceselectioninChampions Beyondwasnevermeanttobecomplete.

Please,however,avoidthe“biggestandbaddest”syndrome.Youralienracecanbeancient,butdon’tmakethem“themostancientracethateverwas”.Yourracecanruleabigchunkofthegalaxy,butdon’tmakethem“the

dominantraceinthegalaxy”.Youcanbelocatednearearth(relativelyspeaking),butyou’renottheclosestmajor

threat.That’stheHzeel.

Therearecanonracesandotherplayers’aliensinthesandbox.Don’tputthemdowntoliftyourraceup.Youcanstillcreateseriousthreatstotheplayerswthoutit.

Also,othergalaxies,withtheexceptionofAndromeda,arelargelyundocumented.Feelfreetogiveyourraceabigrole

inoneofthose.

THE STAR*GUARD AdiscussionoftheChampionsOnlinecosmoshas

toincludeitsgreatestforceforjustice.FoundedaboutamillionyearsagobyGlorantheGreatofOstrugar.BasedonOstrugar,governedbyCONTROL,themostpowerfulAIintheknownuniverse,theStar*Guard(alsoknowninChampionsOnlineas“StarGuard-ians”)serveasapoliceforceonlawlessplanetsanddiplomatswhohelpbringemergentcivilizationsintothegalacticcommunity.They’vehadtheireyeonearthfordecades,whichtheywatchonahiddenbaseonEuropa,Jupiter’smoon,TheStar*GuardassignedtoearthisAndreAlmena,aformerSpanishpolice-man.HisMarshals(assistants)areKalaTahBreyel,aDendrianwoman;PeteLangford,anexperthumanmechanic,andTor’Tagla,oneofthefewsurvivorsoftheAntharirace(whichwasdestroyedbyValak).

Star*GuardwieldStar*Staffs,aweaponwhosetelekineticfieldsgiveaStar*Guardmanyoptionsinafight.TheyrideinStarJets(aninterstellarvehiclecapableofseating11peopleandflyingat1LY/min-ute.TherearespecialtydivisionswithintheGuard:StarAvengers(theheavyweaponssquadoftheStar*Guard),StarKnights(whospecializeindefenseandprotection,especiallyofinnocentbystanders),StarScouts(formissionsthatrequirespeed,diploma-cy,andreconnaissance),andAnodynes(whoengageindisasterreliefandmedicalmissions),

TheStar*Guardhaveenemies,ofcourse.ChiefamongthemistherogueStar*Guard Mordace,amanwhowouldbecomeabrutalgalactictyrant.Mordace’s2009attackonCONTROL,employinganarmyofgalacticmercenaries,greatlyweakenedtheStar*Guard.Anothernoteworthytyrant,Valak,wasdefeatedonearthbyaplatoonofStar*GuardandNewYork’sSentinelssuper-teamin2006andimprisoned.Unfortunately, Valak escapedinMenton’s2009StrongholdbreakoutandhasvowedrevengeontheStar*Guard.PerhapsthemostthreateningofthemallistheinsanemutantscientistXarriel,“princeofthecosmicfires”whosepowertoreshaperealityrivalseventheGalaxarsthemselves.

The GalaxarsAmongthemostpowerfulbeingsintheknown

universearetheGalaxars,cosmicentitieswhohaveanobsessionwithaparticulartheme,whichthey

champion.Theytravelfromworldtoworld,insearchofthings--orevents,orindividuals--thatinterestthem,rarelyhesitatingtoimposetheirwillonthepeoplestheyencounter.

KnownGalaxarsinclude:theExaminer,theLawbringer,theShaper,Geon,theRecorderandtheWarmonger.

Chrono Inourdimension,theorderlyflowoftimeisgovernedbyoneincrediblypowerfulbeing:Chrono.Verylittleisknownabouthim,exceptthathe’sintervenedtwiceinknownhistory,onceduringtheSecretCrisisof1985(whichbroughttogethermostofthesuperheroeswhohaveeverhadoreverwilllive,thoughmosthaveforgottenit)andtheRealityStormof2004,whichinvolvedaversionofDr.Destroyerandasimilarconquerorfromanotherdimensionjoiningforces).Chronodoesnotintervenedirectlyinconflict,butsendshisservantLordEntropusasaproxy.

Chronodoesn’tseemtoguardagainstalterationsofthetimestream,onlythosethatwouldhaveadestructiveeffectontime.

The ProgenitorsPerhapsthemostimportantaliensofallarethe

Progenitors.They’recertainlythemostmysterious.Twomillionyearsago,theProgenitorsdiscoveredearthandbegantoplaywithhumanbiology,aidinginitsdevelopmentandgivingthespeciestheabilitytodevelopsuperhumantraits.500,000yearsagotheyreturned,andelevatedtwelvemembersofthehumanraceintotheEmpyreans,theworld’sfirstsuperhu-mans,whowentontofoundArcadia.

TheearthisnottheonlyworldwheretheProgeni-torsinteracted.TheinteractedonaworldknownasPhytia,anearth-likeplanetintheasteroidbeltthatwasthehomeofbotanicallife,butwhichdestroyeditselfwhenitdevelopedcivilizedlife.ThedestructionofPhytiahasseededProgenitortechnologyintheasteroidbeltforthosewhoarewillingtolook.

CO Lore Primer: • Other Dimensions • 49

VIII: Other Dimensions

TheChampionsUniverseusesaquasi-Kaballistichierarchytodescribeitscosmology.Theschemeisknowntomystics,butrelativelyunknowntomostsuperhumansandnotreallyknownoracceptedtothegeneralpublic.TheseareknowntomysticsastheFourWorlds.TheyarecommonlyenvisionedastiersorbranchesontheGreatTreeofLife,theSephirot.

ThoughtheChampionscosmologyisbasedontheSephirot,itisadvisablenottodrawtooheavilyfromtheKabballah,asChampionsdownplaysandomitsmanyofthespiritualelements(suchastheplacementofangelichierarchy).

Thecosmologyofthemysticworldisnotcommonknowledge.Mostoftheseelementsareunknowntoanyoneoutsidethemysticalcommunityandveteransuperheroes.

The Assiah TheMaterialPlane,theplaneofsubstances.This

includesouruniverse,anditsmanyparalleluniverse.NaturallawrulestheplanesoftheAssiah,thoughmagicalforcesfromthehigherworldsmayleakintosomeoftheseuniverses,allowingforsmallpocketswheremagicandnaturallawscoexist(suchasontheearthoftheChampionsUniverse).

Parallel WorldsTheAssiahishometoaninfinitenumberofparallel

universes.Notableonesinclude:

CabotiaAworldwhereBritainsuppressedtheAmerican

Revolution,andaunitedAmerica/CanadawentontoaggressivelyconquerNorthandCentralAmericaanddominatetheworld.

LaurentiaWorldwheretheworshipofCybelesuperseded

Christianity,andaQuebecCatholicnundiscoveredanalienartifactthatallowedFrenchCanadatoconverttheworldtotheirreligionanddominateitpolitically.

The Left Handed WorldA“mirror”universeworldwhere90%ofthepeople

onEarthareleft-handedandheroesonthatworldarevillains,andvillainsareheroes.SimilarinsomewaystohowthegameportraysMultifaria,whichisactuallyratherdifferentinthePnPincarnation(seebelow).

MultifariaAworldwheretimeandplacearemingled.which

givesusscenarioswhereWilliamShakespeareisnowopeninghisnewplayinLondon’stheaterdistrict,tobecritiquedbyChurchill,Boadicea,andCharlesIIintheroyalbox,whiletheBeatlesplayedforKingWilliamV.

The YetzirahAbovetheMaterialworldistheYetzirah,the

FormativeorAstralworlds.Theserealms,orParterres,areformedoutoftheAstralbyhumanbelief,legend,andsubconsciousexperiences.Heremagicallawsholdsway.Theyinclude“TheLandofLegends”(alsoknownasFaerie;thisincludesthevariousrealmsofmythiccreatures,suchas Avalon,thatdonotinvolveheavenorhell),Elysium,(thevariousmythologicalheavens), the Netherworld(variousmythologicalHells),and Babylon,theCityofMan,acitybuiltanddominatedbyman’sspiritofingenuityandgreedandwhereoutsideforces(suchasmagicandgods)playlittletonopart.TheserealmsareconnectedbytheAstralPlane.AbarriercalledtheVeilseparatestheYetzirahfromthehigherrealms.

OthernotableworldsintheYetzirahinclude: The Blood Tide:Theimaginalrealmofanimals,a

realmthat’salien--andhostile--tohumanthought. The Dream Time:Theastraldimensionof

dreams. The Frost Tomb:Arealmofelementalsupernat-

uralcoldruledbytheIce,oneoftheancientspiritsofNorthAmerica(wherethreeoftheMightyCanadiansareimprisoned).

The Even Wilder West:ThisistheOldWestofmovies,legends,andtallcampfirestories,wrapped

intoonepackage. Thereareothertypesofimaginaryrealms,listed

onesincludetheSpooky,EmptyHouse,theHighSchoolWhereYou’reNaked,andtheSkyWhereYouFly.Morespecificplaces,likeGothicMetroplexandWindyburg,resemblestylizedversionsofactualplacesonEarth.

The BriahTheBriah,theCreativeRealm,iswherealltraces

ofthematerialfade,andtherealmsarepurestatesofconsciousness.It’sthehomeofPrimeAvatars,whosecharacteristicsaredrawnonbythegodsoftheLandsofLegends.ItisalsothehomeofthefourZoas,elementalbeingswhoareprimearchetypes.

Urizen,PrinceofLightandPrimeAvatarofOrder.Luvah:AvatarofChaosandEmotion.Urthona,PrimeAvatarofArtandArtifice.Tharmas:PrimeAvatarofNature.

OtherplacesintheBriahincludetheGardenofEarthlyDelights(aplaceofsumptuouspleasuresandcomforts),thePlaneofNumbers(heavenforthemathematicallyinclined,hellforthosewhoarenot),andDeath’sDominion(whichappearsdifferenttoeachvisitor,dependingontheirideasaboutdeath).

It’seasytogetconfusedbetweenthesecondandthirdworlds.Ifaplaceorcreaturecomesdirectlyoutofmythology(suchasZeus,Thor,orOlympus),itbe-longstotheYetzirah.Ifit’saJungianconceptbegindmanymyths(suchastheTripleGoddess,Death,ortheTrickster)itbelongstotheBriah.Briahticconceptsarefarmorepowerfulthanmythologicaldeities,andmayevenusethegodsintheYetzirahinamannersimilartogodsusingavatarsinthephysicalworld;asvesselstoextendpowerandinfluenceintothelowerworlds.

The AtziluthThehighestrealm,theArchetypalrealm,isthe

Atziluth.It’salmostasdifficulttoreachasitistode-scribe;Hereeverythingbreaksdownintoabstractions.HerewehavefundamentalforcesofCreation,Form,andtheAbyss,arealmofirrevocabledestructionwhichistheendofallthings.It’sallbutunheardofforanyonetosuccessfullycrosstheAbyss.

TheapexoftherealmisKether,theCrown,wheretime,space,powerandrealitydissolveintoaunitythatis,forallintentsandpurposes,God.

Qliphoth Therealmofanti-life,anti-creation.Thisdimen-

sionistheshadowoftheSephirothicTreeofLife,i.e.Creation’sshadow.“TheShiningDarkness”isaplacethatabsolutelycorruptsalllivingthingsittouches.Manyofthemostvilemagesthroughouthumanhis-toryhavedrawnonitasapowersource,atgreatcosttotheworldandtothemselves.

ThetrueQliphothisbeyondtheabilityofanythingfromcreationtosurvive,howeversomecreatureswithinQlipthoth,suchastheKingsofEdom,haveattemptedtoextendtheirinfluenceintoourworld.RecentlyLutherBlack,afterdecadesofwork,createdarealmwithintheQliphothicwhereCreationand

Opinion Corner: Don’t Overuse

Qliphoth

Theoriginalconceptfor“theQ”isthatit’sprettymuchano-goforpeopleonthisplane:mageslikeKul-Turakcandrawonitspower,butcharacterscanenteritandsurviveinitonlyunderthemostspecialcircumstances.

DemonflameandAftershocktookplacein“theGatewayBetweenWorlds”.It’sstronglyimpliedthiswasasafezoneofcoexistencethattookLutherBlack,oneofthegreatestsorcerousmindsinhistory,decadestoconstruct,andatbest,borderedontheunfathomablerealm.

Cryptic,however,hashadotherideas,andmanymysticalplayercharactershavefollowedsuit,totheextentwheretherisksofQ-exposurehavebecometrivialized.Thegeniecan’tbeputbackintothebottle,howeverifyou’reconsideringapowersourceforyourcharacterandoriginsforyourvillains/occultanti-hero,pleaseconsideralternateplanarsourcestotheQ.There’ssourceslikethedarkerpartsofFaerie,theNetherworld,theBriah,andtheAtziluth.

If you want to run a mage character with the “one who heroically struggles against the corruption of dark magic that gives him power” theme,thenusethenetherworld,orblackmagicdimensionswithintheAstral,FaerieoreventheBriah.Youdon’tneedtheQtosuccessfullyemploythistheme.

anti-Creationcouldco-exist.TheGatewayBetweenWorldswasdestroyedwhenBlack’sbodywasab-sorbedintodreamsbyDemoiselleNocturne.

TherearecountlessdenizensoftheQliphoticandmanykingsofEdom,including Vulshoth,theEyeoftheVoid,who’sbeentrappedforbillionsofyearsinapocketdimensioncalledtheBlackMaze,andDeizzhorath the Dissolver,whosebodyhasbeendividedintocountlessfragmentsscatteredthroughtimeandspace.

THE BANSincethedevelopmentof“ethical”religions,suchas

BuddhismandChristianity,whichplacesasmuchofanimportanceofproperbehaviorasworship,accesstoearthhasbecomemoredifficultfordeitiesandmythicpowersofeverypantheon,includingdemonlords(sorryClubCapriceoccultRPgodmodders).

Theadventoftheageofsuperpowersin1938soft-eneditslightly,howeverdeitiesandpowerscannotenterourplaneatfullstrength.Theyneedtoemploythefollowingmethods

Avatars:Avatarsofadeityareweakenedversionsofthegod,capableofexistingforlongperiodsoftimeontheAssiah.Thesearegenerallycomparableinstrengthtosomeofthemostpowerfulterrestrialsuperhumans.

Demigods:Adeitycanimpregnateamortal(orbeimpregnatedbyamortal):theoffspringareanaturalpartofourworldandmaydwellherewithoutpenalty.Ofcourse,thesedemi-godsarealsocomparableinstrengthtosuperhumans.

Mystical Objects/Relics: SomemysticalartifactswerecraftedbeforetheBan,andremaininourworldasconduitsfordivinepoweratitsmostpuissant.

Nexus Points: Therearenaturalnexuspointsbe-tweenourplaneandtherealmsofgodsanddemons,Withinimmediateproximityofthesenexuspoints,deitiescanfunctionattheirfullpower.

Sacrificial Ceremonies: Magicalritualscan,forashorttime,allowaccessbyadeitytothisplaneathisfullpower.Thisrequiresthedestructionofpowerfulmagicalartifacts,thedeathsofmanyhumans,orasuperhuman.

Somegods,suchasNama,arenativetotheworldandexistherebecauseofthatreason.Ofcourse,anyonecancallthemselvesagod,butthatdoesn’tputthemonparwithactualdeitiesintheirhomedimension.

CO Lore Primer: •The Mullet’s Guide to RP • 52

Ix: The Mullet’s Guide to RP

What is RP?RPispretendingtobeacharacterandtakinghim(orher)throughanexperience.It’sessentiallyaversionof“Let’sPretend”or“CowboysandIndians”forolderpeople.Somealsocompareittoimprovisationaltheater. RPbeganasagameactivityviathetabletopgameDungeonsandDragons,whichwasinventedbyE.GaryGygaxandDaveArneson.In1981,GeorgeMacDonaldandStevePetersoninventedthetabletopversionofthisgame,Champions.ThelicenseforChampionswaspurchasedbyCrypticStudiosin2008andtheMMOwasreleasedinSeptember2009.

What’s the Appeal of RP in Champions?Forfansofcomicbooksandcomicbookmovies,Championsgivesyouachancetocreateacharacterinagenreyoulove,interactwithfriends,andfollowyourheroonadventures.It’screative,social,andcanbealotoffunwiththerightgroupofplayersandtherightmixofcharacters.Ontheotherhand,iftheideaofpretendingtobeacomicbookcharacterdoesn’tappealtoyou,chancesarethatyou’renotreallygoingtoenjoyRP.That’sokay--nosingleactivityappealstoeveryone.

What’s the Difference Between RP and Just Pretending While You’re Playing the Game?It’smuchthesameasthedifferencebetweensoloplayandteamplay.You’reinteractingwithotherpeople.

What Types of RP Are There?RPgroupsusuallydefinethemselvesinthreeways:Immersion,CharacterTheme,andEnvironment.Here’swherewestarttogetintothedetails.

Immersion isgenerallyjudgedbytwothings:(a)areyoupretendingtobethecharacterallofthetime,ordoyoutotakebreakstocrackjokesandact“outofcharacter”,and(b)doesthesessioninvolveheavy

dramaandconflict,orisitlessseriousandmoreinterestedinsocialinteractionthanstory? Dramatic,largely(ortotally)in-characterRPiscalled“heavyRP”.Social,frequentlyoutofcharacterRPiscalled“lightRP”.“MediumRP”fallssomewhereinthemiddleofthetwoextremes.

Character Themeissimplythetypeofcomicbookormoviethatyou’retryingtoemulate.ChampionsOnline’sRPcommunitiestendtoembraceawidevari-etyofthemes.Somewanttoplaytraditionalheroes;otherswanttoplayhardboiledmercs,otherswanttoplaymonstersorsupernaturalcreatures.

What are comic book “ages” that I keep hearing about? Golden Age, Silver Age, etc.?It’sacommoncategorizationscheme.Golden AgeismeanttoemulatethecomicsofWW2(mostlylow-power,rangingfromcamptogrittypulpintone).Silver Age isinspiredbythecomicsofthe50sand60s(widelyvaryingpowerlevels,oftenwithacamporfancifultone,mostlyaimedatkids),Bronze Agedrawsonthecomicsofthe70sand80s(amorerealisticandmoreadultfocusedversionofSilverAgecom-ics,unafraidtotacklesocialthemesshunnedbytheSilverAge,oftenwithmorecharacter-focusedserialstories).Iron Ageresemblesthecomicsofthe1990s(agrimmerandmorerealistictonethatstronglyreactedagainstSilverAgetropes).Modern Ageisltheageofcurrentcomics,somethingofaretreatbacktotheBronzeAge,butwithagreaterwillingnesstochangethestatusquo,andsomeIronAgeandSilverAgetropesmixedin.

And Environment?Environmentiswhetheryousticktoacentrallocation.SomeRPtendstocenteraroundateambase.oracommonareawhereRPerscanfrequent.Thelatteriscalled“tavern-based”RP,stemmingtoitsoriginsinfantasyMMOs.OtherRPlikestogooutintotheworldandusein-gamemissionsasabackdrop.You

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andanotherplayergothroughamissiontogetherandinteractasyourcharacterswould.Or,oneplayermightserveasaGamemaster(akaa“GM”)andcreateanevent,describingasituationandcallingonotherplayertopretendtobetheircharactersandresolveit.

Where Do I Find RP?RPcanbefoundinallcornersofthegameworld.Goingtocentralhubsisonewayoffindingit.InChampionsOnline,Club Caprice inMillenniumCity’sRenCenteristheprimaryspotforthat,withSherrera’sandCarl’s GyminWestside,City Hall,Champions HQ,andtheACI blimpinMillenniumCityand the MinefieldinViboraandvari-ousPowerhouseTheaters(usuallytheonesawayfromMillenniumCity)assecondaryhubs. LessprominentplacesincludeBelle Starr’s (asaloonintheravinejustnorthofthethemeparkentranceintheDesertzone,andtheSS Bayou Queen (thesteamboat)inVibora.PopularoutdoorspotsincludetheexteriorofMercy Hospital,theRenCenterfountain,Sakura Park,andDarren’s PizzainMillen-niumCity.Someplayerssavemissionlocalessuchasthe Dog Poundand the Crimson Lounge inViboraandthe ARGENT Hunting LodgeinMionsterIsland,thoughthosehavethehandicapofonlyallowingfiveplayers. MoreRPlocales,theinteriorofWCOC,theoldMu-nitionstrainerlocatedjustsouthofCarl’sGym,theoldArcanatrainer(nowlocatednearWitchcraftindown-townMillenniumCity)andtheoldInventionstrainerlocatedjustnortheastofDynamixTechnologies,wereaddedinarecentpatch.Hopefullythesewillnotbe

thelastsocialinstancesaddedtothegame.Hideouts,personalizedbasesthatcanholdamaximumof11players,aretheothermajorRPlocale. Alertswithfullteamsoffive,especiallyGrabalertswhereyouarenotpressedfortime,arealsogreatplacesforRP,butmuchhardertoaccessasalocaleatamoment’snotice.I Played Tabletop RP. Caprice doesn’t remind me of that at all!Tavern-styleRPowesmoretoLARP(LiveActionRP)thanitdoestotabletop. Ifyoucomefromatabletopbackground,youmightfindhub-basedRPdoesnotappealtoyou(moreonthatlater),butthere’salotmoretoRPthanCaprice.Additionally,youcanfindgroupsthatdon’tusetheselocations,butwhoadventurethroughoutthegameworld.OneoftheseisCORP(ChampionOnlineRole-Players),anallianceofrole-playersinthisgamewhohavebeenpresentsincelaunch.Ifthisdoesnotappealtoyou,youcanfindrole-playersontheSupergroupRecruitmentStationsectionoftheChampionsOnlineforums.RPGroupsthathavebeenaroundforalongtimeincludetheSilverAgeSenti-nels,theUltimateGuardians,theSilverGuard,theSentinelSquadron,andtheBlackwatchDefenders.Ortaketheinitiativeandstartupyourown!

How do I differentiate between OOC and IC com-ments?Thiscansometimesbedonebycontext,howeverthe

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mostcommon(andsensible)methodistomarkOOCcomments.Somegroupssurroundthemintwoclosedbrackets((likethis)),othersprecedetheircommentwiththedesignation[OOC].Usewhateveryoufeelcomfortablewith.

Some people use emoticons while RPing. LOL!ThegeneralconventionoftheRPcommunityistoavoidemoticonsandwriteinfullsentences.Asusual,though,abidebytheconventionsthatbestfitsyourgroup’scomfortzones.

What about grammar and spelling mistakes?Doyourbesttobegrammaticallycorrect.However,especiallywhenyou’rewritingonthefly,typosandothermistakesfrequentlyhappen.Trynottogettooupsetwhentheyoccur.Noone’spayingyoutobeanEnglishteacheroraneditorinthisgame.Ifyouseeaconsistenthabitinanotherperson’swritingthatbothersyou,quietlyandpolitelypointitoutafteranRPwhenyourcharactersarenotbusy.

I want people to know details about my charac-ter. How can I do that?Thereisspaceinthe Info tabtowriteabriefdescrip-tion.Byrightclickingonsomeone’scharacterportraitandscrollingdownto“Info”,youcanreadwhateverthey’vewrittenabouttheircharacter. Formoredetaileddescriptions,there’sthePrimusDatabase.http://primusdatabase.com/index.php?title=Main_Page

How can I insert paragraph breaks into my Info?InfousesalimitedamountofHTMLcode.Use</p>attheendofyourparagraphtoinsertaparagraphbreak.Clickonyourportraitandusethecommand/Target_infotoproofyourInfoasotherplayerswillseeit.

How do you resolve a conflict between players in an RP?Therearetwocommonmethods.Oneisusingtext-basedcombat,wheretwoplayerstypeouttheirordersandattempttocometoaconsensusabouthowthefightwouldturnout.TheotherisbyPVP.Neithermethodisoptimal:text-basedcombatrequirestrustonthebasisofallparticipants,andthat’snoteasyto

findifyougetinvolvedinRPingwithastranger.SomeRPersdon’ttakedefeatwell,haveinflatedviewsoftheircharacterandrefusetoloseatall,letalonegracefully. GoodRPcombatislikeprowrestling.Winningisn’ttheobject:the object is to work together to tell an entertaining story. PVPisafairermethod,howeveritdependsonthestrengthofthecharacterbuilds,notthestrengthoftheconcept.Inacomicbook,forexample,thePunisherwouldn’tbeabletobeatSupermanwithoutanedgelikekryptonitebullets.InChampionsOnline,however,therearefewertiesbetweenpowerlevelandtraditionalchar-acterthemes,soaPunisher-typecharactercouldeasilybeataSuperman,oraThor,oraHulk,withoutresortingtothetricksthatwouldmakesuchamismatchbeliev-ableinanarrative.Notethatitshouldbepossible:seemycommentsbelowoncoexisting.However,thegame’spowerssystemsdon’talwaysrespectthesamepriorityschemesasthemilieuit’stryingtoemulate,forreasonsthat(somewhat)makesensefromagamingperspective. Thereareothermethods.OnethatIlike(butwhichisseldomused)iswhatIcallnon-competitiveduel-ing.Thisiswhenpeopleworktogetherinaduel,butgivethemselvesbreakstomakequips,seteachotherupfordramaticlookingmoves,ortakeadvantageofsomeofthemoreinterestingthingsthatmighthappeninPVPcombat.Theoutcomemaybeprede-termined,orplayersmayjustgowiththeflow.It’safunwaytoenjoytheactionpartofthegamewhilestillRPing,butmostgamersdon’tusethismethod. Intheend,allMMOconflictresolutionboilsdowntotrust.Treatpeoplewithrespect,communicatecalmlyandclearly,andhavefun.

I’m a Level 40, and he’s a Level 10. I should win in an RP text fight, right, regardless of their concept?Notinallcircumstances.IfaGMneedsavillainforanevent,theyhavetohavethelibertytobeabletocomeupwithacharacteronthefly.Inthatcase,levelnevermatters.AneventvillainneedstobeaspowerfulastheGMwishesthemtobetoprovideachallengetothegroup. Againstanotherplayer,thereareanumberoffactorsthatinfluencesthecombat:thepowerleveloftheconcept,thepowerlevelofthecharacter,theplayer’sstandinginthelocalRPgrouporcom-

munity(walkingintoalong-establishedRPgroupandexpectingtobeataveteranplayerismuchlikeanewcharacterappearinginacomicbookfilledwuithveterancharacters;ifyoudon’tproperlyestablishthatthecharacterisalegitimatethreat,readerswillrebel.Theywon’tmarvelatthepowerofthenewcomer,they’llwonderwhyourheroesweresuchwimps.RPrequiresasimilarlayingofgroundwork.YouearnyourstripesthroughgoodRP,afriendlyattitude,andyournaturalcharisma,notbyflashinganumberatpeople. There’satendencyinsomequarterstodismisslow-levelcharactersinRPconflictsasgodmodderswhoarelazytoplaytheactualgame.Insomecases(particularlythestereotypicalL6ClubCaprice“god”),thisisareallyeasyattitudetoadopt.However,ulti-matelyRPcombatboilsdownnottonumbers,orevenconcept,thoughbothareimportantfactors:winningandlosingisamatterofcommunicationbetweenplayers,asenseofgoodstorytelling,andrespect.Everycomicbookconceptisnotcoveredbythegameengine;sometimesyouneedtoextrapolatebeyondthegame.Becareful,however,thatyourattempttomodelthecharacterconceptisn’tseenasapowergrab,oryouwilllosetherespectofthepeopleyouplaywith.

I have friends who believe it’s suboptimal or even downright impossible to RP in an MMO. I’vedonetabletopRPfor37years.IknowRPwhenIexperienceit.Therearedifferencesinthemediums,butthereisnothinginthecomputerMMOsthatinhibitsrewardingandsatisfyingRP.Alittlesuspen-sionofdisbeliefisrequired,butthat’spartofanyexperienceofthefantastic.IftabletopRPersdon’tbelievethis,IhavesometranscriptsofRPsessionsIcanshowthem.Idefythemtoarguethatwhatwedidwasn’tRP.

What are some of the pitfalls of RP?TherearesomedooziesthatcanmakeRPalessthanpleasantexperience.I’llmentionthefivebigonesthatcanreallyblowupinyourface. Godmodingisabigone.ThisisverycommontonewRPers,it’ssimplystatingthatsomethinghappenstoanotherplayerwithoutgivingthemachancetoreact,orignoringtheiractionsentirely.Itnegates

RPingasasocialactivitybymakingtheotherperson’sactionsuseless.Whenyoudescribeyouractiontrytoavoidusingphraseslike“IpunchXinthefacerepeat-edly.”Instead,usephraseslike“IattempttopunchXinthefacerepeatedly”,evenifit’sobviousthatXishelplessandcan’tdefendhimself.Givetheotherplayerthepowertoadvancehisstory. Personal dramaisthesecondbiggestpitfall.Dramaisawordthat’sbecomedebased:characterdramabetweentwomatureplayerswhoknowhowtoseparatein-characterandout-of-characterdramaisgreat!Thatisthestuffofgoodstorytelling.Personal,outofcharacterdramathatisoverblownegosandraginghormones,however,isn’tsogreat. RPingisadramaticactivitythatsometimesdrawsinthosewhoarenarcissisticandpronetooverblownreactions.Theywanttobethecenterofattention,butdon’treactwelltoadversity.TheywanttoturnallRPintoaspotlightonthem,andcanbeveryunpleasanttogamewith.Everyonegetsalittleself-centeredandlossperspectiveonceinawhile,sowhenconflictsarise,trytobeunderstanding.However,ifsomeoneismakingahabitofitandwillnotrespondfavorablytoyourattemptstocommunicatewiththem(dotrytocommunicatefirstandgetthemtorecognizetheirproblem),itisbesttoavoidthem,eitherbyremovingyourselffromthegroup,orbyremovingthemifyou’reinapositionofauthority. Metagamingisthethirdmajorareaofconflict.It’sanothermarkofaninexperiencedplayer(orinmycase,whenI’mreallytired):usinginformationthatyourcharactershouldn’tknowandbringingitintothestory.Ifyou’vemetapersonforthefirsttime,andthey’renotpubliclyknown,youdonotknowtheirnameorsupergroupaffiliationjustbecauseit’swrittenabovetheirhead!Thatinformationisn’tpresentinthegameworld!Similarly,acharactermayhaveinformationwrittenintheirbiothatclearlyisn’tmeanttobepublicknowledge. Metagamingcansometimeshappenbyaccident.Whenyoudoit,politelyapologize,andasktheotherplayersto“rewindthescene”and“retcon”.Whenotherplayersdoit,politelybringitup,andsuggestthattheydothingsover. Conversely,there’santi-Metagaming,whichisrefusingtoacceptelementsofacharacter’sback-

ground.Hassomeonedecidedheorsheisafamoussuperhero?Ignorethat,eventhoughtheirbiosaysthey’reahouseholdname!Youdon’tlikethatsome-oneisplayingaparticularrole?Refusetogivethemanyacknowledgementforit!Whilesomebiosaresouberorpoorlywrittenthattheyinvitethisreaction,ingeneral,thisisprettyrude.Respectpeople’sconceptsinthesamewayyouwantthemtorespectyours. Theme Conflictisthefourthmajorsourceofconflictbetweenplayers.There’salotofthemesincomicbooks,eachthemeappealstoadifferentfan-baseandnotallofthemarecompatible.Whenyour“codevs.killing”heromeetsupwith“BloodyMassacreMcGuns”,expecttheretobetrouble,bigtrouble.Youmayfinditdifficulttoco-exist.Lookforplayersandgroupswhocloselyalignwithyoursensibilities.IfyoujointheSilverAgeLegionnaires,andyou’replayinga90sstyleanti-herowhothinksthatwearingtightsaresexuallydubious,you’reinthewronggroup. BewareplayingcharacterswhoareInstantCon-flict Magnets.ThemostcommonoftheseincludetheJerkwhoTicksEveryoneOff,theGoody-Two-ShoesWho’sAlwaysWantingtoSmiteEvil,theGuyWho’sAlweaysGettingDemonicallyPossessed,andtheHomicidalMadDogWhoReallyNeedstobePutDownForEveryone’sSake.Similarly,pleaseavoidtheRobotWhoCallsAllOrganicsMeatbags,theGlibBadassWhoCan’tTakeAnythingSeriously(notethatoneortwoinagroupisfine,butapreponderanceoftheseinagroupgenerallykillsdrama),andtheImmortalWhoSneersat“PunyMortals”.It’sokaytoplaytoneddownversionsofthese--intercharacterdramaisagoodandnecessarythingthatkeepsagamefromgettingdull--butthemostextremeandoverblownofthesecom-moncharactertypesarejustaskingforOOCconflictthatcankillanRPgroup. Conflictshouldbesavedfordramaticmoments;itshouldn’tbethestatusquoforagroup. Also,betolerantofstylisticdifferencesandprefer-ences.YoumaythinkSuperman,Punisher,Wolverine,Lobo,etc.isabadcharacterordislikeaparticulareraofcomicsoraparticularcreatororstoryline.Thesemayseemlikeoutofgameissues,butthesefactorsextendtoourattitudetocharactertypesandstory-linesingame.Beawarethatthereareotherpeopleoftasteandintelligencewhohavedifferentopinions,

andareentitledtothem!Alotofusaregeeks,andgeekscanbeopinionated,anddiscussionscanbeinteresting.Butdon’tbeajerkaboutit,anddon’tdriveyouropinionsintotheground.ThereisnoOneTrueWayofanythingunderthesun. Rolemongeringisanothersourceofconflict.Thisisanotherhallmarkofyoungplayerswhowanttobeascoolaspossible,sotheirninjais“thegreat-estninjaintheworld”ortheirbrickhouseis“thestrongestdudeintheworld”.Moresubtly,therearepeoplewhotreatcharacterresources(beitbygivingthemselvesanextremelywealthycharacterorgreatmagicalpowersorbeingsosmartorexperiencedthattheyinstantlyhavethesolutiontoeverything)asaadevicetohandwaveconflictand/ormakethemselvesinvincible.Don’tplayinvulnerablecharacterswhocandoeverything:theytendtoannoypeople.Respectotherpeopleinthesameniche. Somepeoplewanttoplaythepoorstrugglinghero(alaPeterParkerintheAmazingSpider-Man).Don’thaveyourDaddyWarbucksguygouptohimandstriphimofhispreferredcharacterbackground--Iappreciatethatyouwanttoplayaphilanthropist,butgivethemawayout.Evenmoreobnoxiously,don’ttreatmagicorsuperintelligenceorhigh-powerlevelsasatrumpcard.Thisisacomicbookgenre,magesandmanysupersareverypowerful.However,noone’sinvulnerable,andnoonehasthesolutiontoeveryproblematthedropofahat.Uber-charactersareboring.It’sokaytoplayaheavyweight,butmakesurethatyourcharacterhassomewayofreasonablynotmoppingthefloorwitheveryone. Therearealsonoinherentlysuperiorpowers.Magicdoesnotautomaticallytrumpnon-magic,psionicsdoesnotautomaticallyturnanon-telepath’sbrainintotapioca,etc. WhileIdidn’tputitinthetopfive,IneedtoincludeLogisticsasanothermajorconcern.RPisacommitment,especiallynon-LightRP.YoucanjoinalargeRPgroupandfindit’sdraggingoryou’rejuststandingarounddoingnothing.Ifalongscenarioistemptingyoutoshiftyourattentionawayfromthegroup.trytokeepaneyeonthingseveryfewminutesandbereadywithyourordersasquicklyasyoucangivethem.Sometimes RP is an exercise in patience. Ifyou’reGMing...well,that’saseparatearticleon

itsown.First,runwithothergoodGMsasaplayer,andstealliberallyfromtheirmethodsofkeepingagamerunningsmoothly.Trytomakesurethere’sachallengeforeveryone,thateveryonewhowantsonegetsatleastOneMomentofCool.Don’tbeoverpro-tectiveofyourvillains--theyareNOTyourchildren--andbemindfulthatyourjobistochallengetheheroesandmakethemearnatriumphinafunway. Ifsomeonehastoleaveagameearly,don’tgetmad.Reallifehappens,andit’smoreimportantthanourRP.Trytoavoiddoinganythingwithotherpeople’scharacterswhilethey’reawayunlessthey’vegivenyoupermission--ifnecessary,handwavethemoutofthescenario.

I want to RP but I just can’t seem to connect with anyone! Why is RP so damn hard?Thisisabigproblemformany,includingmyself.Atitscore,RPissocialinteraction,andifyousuckatsocialinteraction,chancesare,youwon’tbeverygoodatRP,atleastatthestart. YoushouldviewRPasaskilltobedeveloped,notasanattributethatyounaturallypossessthatneverchanges.Socialskills,likeanyskill,takespractisetodevelop.ForthosewithpsychologicalconditionslikeAsperger’sorADHD,itisdoublyhardtodevelopthisskill,becauseyou’relackingtheemotionaltoolsetortheattentionspantomakegoodRPwork,andironically,RPoftenattractspeoplewiththosecondi-tions.Atitsworst,itcanleadtoconstantrejectionthatfeedfeelingsofself-loathingandcontributestodepression.Therearepeoplewhoshouldn’tRP,justasthereareout-of-shapepeoplewithherniasshouldn’tpractisetheshotput.They’rejustnotsociallyoremo-tionallycutoutforit.Ifyou’reconstantlymiserableorfrustratedwhenyouRP,considerdoingsomethingelsewithyourtime.There’snoshameinwalkingaway.However,ifyoudon’toccupythatextremeandyoustillhavetroubleconnecting,here’ssomebasicadvice. First,RPcharacterswhoareinteresting(boringisaturnoff)andsociable(don;tbesurprisedifnoonewantstobearoundyourpsychoticorincrediblyrudecharacter).Thiscanrequirealotofpractisetofindtherightbalance.Aperfectcharacterisdull;yourchar-acterneedstohaveflaws.Buttheflawscannotbeso

badthatthey’reaturnofftootherplayers,orbalancethemwithqualitiesthatwillmakeyourveryflawedcharacterinterestingtoothers. Second,becommunicative,especiallyoutofcharacter.Thisisveryhardforyouifyou’reahardcoreimmersionistandheavyRPer,becauseyoudon’tlikebreakingcharacter.Iunderstand.Butdoitanyways.Peopleneedtogettoknowyouandfeelcomfort-ablearoundyou.Theyalsoneedtodiscoverthatthepersonathatyouprojectisn’tnecessarilyyours.Youshouldalso,atcomfortablemoments,bewillingtocanvasspeopleaboutyourRP,particularlyifyouhaveafeelingyou’veunintentionallybotheredsomeone. Third,beproactive.FindacommunityofpeoplewithsimilarRPinterests.Don’texpectpeopletocatertoyourRPneeds.Areyoubored?TurnamissionoranAlertintoamini-event. Fourth,beattentive.KeepaneyeoutforpeoplewhoareofferingRPopportunities.Ifmostofthegoodstuffispostedaheadoftimesonforums,don’thuff“Ineverdogameforums”andgetpissedoffbecausethe“cliques”ortheSGIlluminatiareRPingwithoutyou.Instead,getonthoseforumsandpayattentiontoeventlistingsandthreads.Youdon’thavetopartici-pateintheforumculture. Fifth,bepatient.Youshouldbeproactive,butdorememberyou’redealingwithhumanbeingsandnotautomatons.Ifyouaskifanyone’sRPingandnooneanswers,chancesareit’snotaboutyou.Peopledon’thateyou,they’rebusywithotherthingsornotpayingattentiontowhateverchannelyou’reusing,oryou’vecaughtthematabadtime.Ifyou’veaskedtwiceandnoone’svolunteeredtorunalairwithyou,don’tragequit.Yes,you’retryingtobeproactive,andthat’sgreat!Butcutpeoplesomeslack,evenwhenitseemsobviousthey’rejerkingyouaround. Sixth,bepositive,especiallyoutofcharacter.Yes,therearethingsinthegamewhichsuck.TherearepeopleinthegamewhoarenotgoodRPers.Therearemanybadbiostomock.Therearelotsofthingsyoucouldcomplainaboutandbeabsolutelycorrectinev-erythingyousay...butconstantnegativityfrequentlyproducesatoxicsocialenvironmentandthat’sgoingtorepelpeople.Again,yoursocialskillscanmitigatethissomewhat,evenso,it’sbettertoappreciatethegoodthingsyouhavethantofocusonthebadstuff.

There’ssomereallygoodpeopleandRPinthisgame,andtheydeserveyourattentionaheckuvalotmorethansomeminorbitchofthemoment.Avoidtheimpulsetomockpeople(exceptwhenit’sgood-hu-moredandyouknowtheydon’tmind)orventaboutpeople,regardlessofhowgooditmaymakeyoufeelinthemoment.Argueonlywhennecessary,andpickyourbattlescarefully.Somethingscan’tbeunsaid,sodon’tsaythematall.

Do you have advice for writing my orders?Keepthingssimple.Ifyourdescriptionsfrequentlyrequiremorethantwoparagraphblocks,you’reprobablywritingtoomuch.Avoidthe“walloftext”syndrome.

How important is continuity to the Champions RP community?Itvariesfromgrouptogroup.Manydon’tknowthelorethatwell,andabidebytheirown.Thiscanmakeforsomeconflictsbetweengroups,butChampionsloreisveryflexible,andaccommodatingtoawideva-rietyofconcepts.Groupcontinuityismoreimportantthanuniversecontinuitythanworldcontinuity.TheloreinthisdocumentisanattempttohelppeopleinpartoftheRPcommunitygetonthesamepage,but(again)avoidloreargumentswhenyoucan.

What if I don’t like the lore?Mostpooplearecriticalofsomeaspectsoftheloreand/oritsinterpretationingame.Champions’originalPnPcreatorswereheavilyinfluencedbyBronzeAgeMarvelComicsandmadenoapologiesaboutcreatinghomages.BecauseIwasweanedonthosesamebooks,Ilikethat,butmanywithmoreIronAgesensibilitiesdonot.Additionally,muchofthegamewasoriginallywrittenwithalight/camptonethatisn’tappealingtoamoreseriousroleplayingperspec-tiveanditcangrate(thoughthegame’stonehasevolvedastimehasgoneby).Youshould,however,beabletofindsomeelementsoflorewithwhichyoucanconnectyourcharacter,oragroupthatexistsmostlyoutsidegameloreifyoustilldon’tlikeit.

Is it okay to play canon characters, or someone who’s related to a canon character?

Thegeneralconsensusisthatit’sproblematic,andmanyRPerscamefromWorld of Warcraft,wherechar-acterswhowerecloselyrelatedtocanoncharacterswerenotwellreceived,andleftabadtasteinmanyplayers’mouths.However,characterswithconnec-tionstocanonorganizationssuchasPRIMUSandUNTILarecommonandwidelyaccepted.

Is it okey to play characters from comic books, such as Conner Kent or Mark Grayson?Thegameprohibitsclones,directcopiesofcharactersfromcomicbooks.forlegalreasons.RPers,alongwitheveryoneelse,shouldabidebytherestrictionsofthegameandhonortheiragreementtoabidebytheTermsofService,whichwedidbeforewefirstranthegame.Additionally,manyRPerslookdownonclones,orpeoplewhochosetodirectlyimportelementsfromothermediaintoChampionsOnlineRP,suchasSaiyans,fortheirlackofcreativity.However,quiteafewgroupshave,particularlythosewhoplayurbanfantasy/occultgames,importedlargeamountsoftheoriginalWorld of Darkness settingfromWhiteWolfintothegame,andafewothershavebroughtthegrimdarknessofWarhammer 40KintoChampionsOn-line.Theconventionvariesfromgrouptogroup,mostpeoplepreferthatyoucreateanoriginalcharacter.

That sounds kind of elitest!RPershavecertainlybeenaccusedofthat,butelitismcanbefoundinanysegmentofagamepopulation.Snobberyandcliquishnessdohappen,anditcanbeunfortunate,howevermanyRPershaveatleastafewgoodreasonsfortheirstandards.It’sokaytohavestandards,butit’sbadtobesoexclusionistthatyouunnecessarilyshooawaygoodRPersfromyourgame.Aswithmanythingsinlife,worktowardfindingagoodbalance.

So how compatible is Champions Online to World of Darkness?Morethanyoumightexpect;DeanShomshak,whowrotemuchofthemysticloreforthesetting,alsowroteforWhiteWolf.However,playersdobringsomeproblemswiththem. Thereisn’tmuchvampireloreinChampions,justasthereisn’tmuchsuperheroloreinWorldofDark-

ness;thetwogamesarenottryingtodothesamething.ThefirstknownvampireinloreisVladTepes,howeverhe’snotstatedasthefirstofhiskind(infact,nooneis). IfyoubringWorldofDarknessloreintoChampionsOnline,pleaseabidebytworecommendedrestric-tions.First,keeptheeditionwarstoyourself.Idon’tcarehowmuchyoumaythinkNWoDsucked,espe-ciallyMage,justasyoudon’tneedtohearmearguewithaChampionsgrognardonwhetherornotthe4theditiongroupCLOWNdeservestobeinthesetting.Editionwarsaretedious.Secondly,pleasenotethatvampiresandWoDcharactersareonaneventfootingwitheveryoneotherplayercharacter.SomeWoDplay-ersliketoactasiftheircharactersareatthetopofthefoodchain.Thetruthis,inthisworld,you’renotmorespecialthantheothercharactersofthesetting.Actingasthoughyouaremerelygivesurbanfantasyplayersabadreputationinthegame.

Can I create my own supernatural race?InthewordsoftheapostlePaul,allthingsareper-missable,butallthingsarenotbeneficial.Championscan(andshould)rewardcreativity,however,becarefulnottogetsowrappedupinthecoolthingsyourracecandothatit’sseenasapowergrab.Thatsaid,asyousawfromthesectionondimensions,theuniverseisprettyopen.Playersshouldbeencouragedtobecreative.

What about my City of Heroes character? Can I bring her into Champions Online RP?ManypeoplechosetocontinuethestoryoftheircharactersfromCityofHeroes,andotherschosetomake“paralleluniverse”versionsfortheChampionsIP.Someplayersfrownontheformer,especiallyifthecharactersjumpbackandforthfreelybetweenthetwosettings(PleasenotethatIdon’thaveaproblemwiththisatall,butothersdo).However,therearemanygoodcharacterswhostartedinCityofHeroesandtheRPcommunitywouldbepoorerwithoutthem. WithCiityofHeroes’unfortunaterecentclosure,there’sbeenaverywelcomeinfluxofgoodRPersinroChampionsOnline.Thereis,however,nouniiversallyagreedonresolutionoftheeventsofCityOf...Some

peoplearetreatingtheendofthegameasacatastro-phefromwhichheroesandvillainsarefleeing.Othersareignoringtheendofthegame.Thisissomethingthatshouldbedecidedbyindividualgroupsandplay-ersshouldtrytorollwithdifferingexplanationsastheyencounterthem. ChampionsOnlineplayersshouldberespectfultoplayerswho’vecomefromParagon;similarly,City of Heroes playersshouldn’tcomeintothegameonlytoragontheloreandthegameplay.ChampionsOnlinewouldn’texistwithoutthetrailblazingeffortsofCityofHeroes;similarly,theoriginalCoHbackgroundwasdevelopedinaChampionsPnPRPG.Thetwogamesshareacommonlink.It’sokaytohavepreferences,buttrytobepositiveandrespectful.

I was in Caprice, and I saw a group calling them-selves Caprice Inc., and they didn’t know the lore! Should I go up to them and tell them that they’re doing it wrong?Um,onlyifyoucandoitreallydiplomaticallyandbewillingtoacceptthattheymaynotbeplayingalong.Noteveryoneknowstheloreofthisgame--muchofitisnotreadilyavailable--andsomepeoplejustwanttoplayarolelike“clubowner”withoutanyonespoilingtheirfun.Ifthey’regoodplayerswhoarefuntorole-playwith,it’sbettertoforgiveafewloreviolationsthanbecomeahardcaseandactlikeajerk. You are not the lore police.Iwroteabitofthelore,andI’mnotthelorepoliceeither!Trustme,youdon’twantthejob.

What’s up with Caprice anyway? It’s supposed to be a superhero club, yet all I saw were demon/vampire halfbreed lesbians and furry creatures! Capricedoesattractaparticularcrowdthatloudlyad-vertisesitsfetishes.You’rewelcometonotlikethemandignorethem.Pleasedon’tgointotheplacetotellthemhowmorallywrongtheyare.Oddsaretheywon’tlisten. Capricehasastigma,likemanyMMORPhubs,fortheextremepersonalitiesandcharactertypesitat-tracts.AsaRPlocus,italsoattractspeoplewhoarenewtoRPwhoarestillintheprocessoflearningit,sothereisalotofbadRPtofoundthere.Thiscancolorone’simpressionsofthisgame’sRPandevenRPingeneral. But.. TherearegoodRPerstobefoundtheretoo,even

amongsomeofthefolksplayingcharactersyoumightinitiallydismissas“ERPtoons”.Beopentolookingforthem.Don’tletafewbadexperiencescoloryourimpressionsofeverymemberofthatcommunityanddon’tsmearitasawhole,eitheronchannelsorprivately.

What’s ERP?Eroticrole-play.EssentiallyusingRPasacombinationofphonesexandpornwritingtoexperiencesexualactivitybetweenplayers. IfyouchosetoERP,pleaseabidebytworestrictions.First,keepitprivate.Youdon’tneedtobroadcastthevolumeofyoursuper-orgasmorthesizeofyoursupermanhoodforalltheworldtohear.Second,keepitlegalandconsensual.Ifyou’reanadultplayer,pleasedoyourbesttomakesurethatnoneoftheotherplayersinvolvedareminors.AvoidrapeRP,andavoidERPwithgrosslyunderagecharacters(andyes,the500yearoldvampirewholookslikeakidstillcounts).Onitsown,likeitornot,ERPalreadystigmatizestheRPcommunityofanyMMO.Howeveritsmoreextremeand“deviant”areasreallyhurtourreputation.PleaserespecttheothermembersoftheRPcommunitybyavoidingthem.

Ew!Inagamewithabroadcommunitythough,thingswillhappenthatyouorImaynotapproveof.Trytobereasonableandrespectfulofotherpeople’stastesandsensibilities.Thereareafewareas,suchastheaforementionedtypesofERP,whereIdrawtheline,howeverit’sgoodtodrawlinesonlywhennecessary.

Someone told me Caprice was neutral ground, while another person said it was for villains! Lorewise,it’sneither.NoAmericanlawenforce-mentagencywouldallowsuchahighprofilelocationtobeahavenforwantedsupercriminals.MillenniumCityclearlystatesthat.althoughLewisFreylikesthehintofscandal,hehasstayedonthestraightandnarrowsince1985.Furhermore,theauthorities(andNighthawk)watchhimprettycarefully.It’snotavil-lainclub,norneutralground. However... Muchofthecommunitydoesn’tknowthislore,andwouldn’tcareeveniftheydid.Theydon’tcareif

theplacewouldn’tbeallowedtoexistoverthelongtermifmurdersweretakingplacedailythere.Theyaren’tinteresredinplayingclassicheroes:they’reheavilyinfluencedbytheurbanfantasyandIronagegenres,andtheywantan“anythinggoes”placeforRP,becausetothem,asocialinstancewithoutfrequentconflictisboring,andanybarrier(suchascontradict-inglore)thatgetsinthewayoftheirfunshouldbeignoredwithextremeprejudice. Inessence,CapriceistwoRPcommunitieescoexistingsidebyside.Onecommunityshunsconflict,williignoreitwhenithappens,andwillresistbeingdrawnintoit.Theotherthrivesonit,pullingoutweaponsandthreateningpeopleatthedropofahat. Sowho’sright? Lorewise,Isidewiththefirstgroup.Bouncersshouldbestoppingfights,thesecuritysystemshouldberecordingtroublemakerswhoshould,attheveryleast,bebarredfromtheclub.Peopleshouldrecog-nizeitasasuperheroclubandbecircumspectaboutstartingtrouble. ButRPisn’taboutlore,it’saboutcharacteradop-tionandhavingagoodtimeinteractingwithpeoplesocially.MuchoftheClubCapricecommunitylikestheclubasan“anythinggoes”zone,andit’snotreallymyplacetotellpeoplethey’redoingitwrong. Ifyouchoosetoshunconflict,anditbreaksoutaroundyou,trytoavoidsnarkycommentsandletthemhavetheirfun,evenifitseeemsridiculoustoyou.Ifyou’reinitiatingacombat,don’tdrawinunwill-ingpeopleanddon’tgetupsetifsomepeopleignoreyou.TheRPidealisthateveryonehasagoodtime,andoneperson’sideaofagoodtimeisn’tnecessarilyyours.Trytorespectthis,evenifyoudisagreewithit.

So, when I see an evil character in Caprice, my hero should arrest him?Inmyexperience,thisisarecipeforOOCtrouble.RPconflictrequirescooperationandtrust.andmostplayerswhoplay“evil”inCapricearen’twillingtogiveitunlessyou’veearneditthroughextensiveRPwiththeirgroup. Iknowit’shardtoplayaclassicherowhenfivefeetawayfromyou,agroupofdemonsiscommittinganunspeakableatrocity.However,you’renotcomingoutofthesituationasawinner,regardlessofwhatyoudo.

ifyou’rewellintegratedintotheCapriceRPsubcommunity,thenyoucanprobablybeinvolvedinconflictswithoutOOCdramaandenjoythem.How-ever,don’texpecttogetawaywiththisuntilyou’vebuiltuparapportwithyourfellowplayersanddon’timposeyourplaystyleonpeoplewhoaren’twillingtogoalongwithyou. Also,ifyouareRPingalawenforcementcharac-ter,pleaserememberthathearsayisnogroundsforarrest.ApersoninCapricecanboastaboutbeingaserialkilleranddoingthousandsofevilacts.Withoutevidence,it’sjustajerkmouthingoff,andwon’tholdupincourt.However,ifyou’replayingadetective,youmightusetheirremarksasastartingpointforaninvestigation(pendingcooperationfromtheotherplayer).

I saw a child character in Caprice. Are children really allowed in nightclubs?Intherealworld,thereareclubsinMichiganwhereminorsareallowed;somelimitittoearlyeveninghoursandrequireadultsupervisioninthebararea.ThereisnoloreonanyrestrictionsofthisnatureinCaprice,butit’sreasonabletoextrapolatethatsuchrestrictionswouldexist. Again,thisisoneofthosesituationswherearguingaboutitisn’tworththehassle.Attheveryleast,PMtheplayerfirstbeforeinitiatingaconflictovertheissue,bepolite.anddon’tbeoffendediftheygetdefensive.

I was in Caprice and there were people there who were clearly not role-playing. Should they have been there at all?Capriceisasocialinstance.It’sforeveryone,notjustRPers.Don’tassumeeveryonethereisanRPer.Wedon’towntheplace,weallneedtocoexist.

How should RPers interact With Non-RPers?Ascourteouslyandreasonablyaspossible.AvoidRPinverycrowdedareasofthegameworld,suchasthePow-erhouse.Don’tRPinZonechat.Don’tuseRPconventions(suchasdoublebracketingoutofcharacterremarks)whileteamingwithnon-RPers.Don’tactinanywaythatsuggestsyou’reevangelizingRPorforcingitdownthethroatsofnon-RPers.Asidefromthat,doitproudlyandenjoyit.MMOsareanoutgrowthofPnPRPGs.We’rethe

reasonthegenreexistsinthefirstplace.Wehavenoth-ingtobeashamedof,andanyonewhotriestomakeyoufeelashamedofbeinganRPerisanidiot.

What should I do if someone harasses me for RPing?Harassing,orGriefing,asit’ssometimescalled,isshal-lowandstupidandamarkofimmaturityonthepartofthebullywho’sdoingit.RPersareseenasexcessivelydramaticandthereforeattractsbulliesinthesamewaythatthesmallnerdykidontheplaygroundattractsthem.Sometimesyoucanshamethebulliesbygivingbackworsethanyouget,butI’vefoundthebestthingtodoistouseyourIgnoreListimmediately.They’reinterestedinprovokingaresponsefromyou,don’tgivethemone,andthey’llusuallymoveon.Ifit’sreallyegregious,reportthem,butleavethatasalastresort. Pleasenote,however,thatit’seasytomistakeasillycharacterwho’sbeingaminornuisanceintheirRPforagriefer.Iftheydon’tbreakdownthefourthwallorgoOOC,don’tputthemonIgnore.Trynottogetsodefensiveaboutgriefersthatyouloseyoursenseofhumor.

There’s a lot of negatives here. Are you sure RP is fun?Anyseriousanalysistendstofocusonnegatives,andhumanbeingsareoftenwiredsothatpainhasagreaterandmorelastingimpactthanpleasure.However,whenanRPgoeswell,andyoureallydofeellikeyou’vesteppedintoacomicbookoragreatadventuremovie,it’sanincrediblycoolexperience,andwellworthdealingwithalotofcraptoenjoy.Furthermore,thereareatonofgreatpeopleingame,andRPisawonderfulmediumtogettoknowthemandforgelong,lasting,andenjoyablefriendships.So,havefun,andgivetothecommunitywithgusto!Yougetoutofthishobbyonlywhatyouputintoit!

CO Lore Primer: • Index • 62

X: Index

AA’asifaRumlia33Abyss,the38,50AceBurgers20AceHelena34AceHellion34Achilles35ACI12,15,20,21,53AdairPublishinggroup19Adept,the33Aeskaldr28Afghanistan16,22Africa8,9,15,30,33Agharti42Akumashibaru33Albion32All-American10,12,32,35All-American,the10,12,32,35Alliance31Alliance,the31Almena,Andre12,43,48AmazingGrace34AmazingMan34AmazingManII22Ambush33AmericanAvenger32AmericanEagle34Amphibian24AngelstoneLaboratories21Anodynes48Anthari48Arc31Arcane31Archangel34Archimago34Archmage9,14,23,26Archmage,the9,14,23,26Ares22ARGENT11,15,20,21,22,53Argosy14,32AriaxThone(seeFirewing)Arlequin34Armadillo36Armstrong,Damon(seeJuryrig)Arsenic31Arvad9,14,24,34,39Assiah,the49,50AstralPlane,the49Atlanta31Atlantis6,8,9,28,29,35,37Atlas32

Atomica34Atziluth,the4,50Augury32Autour32Avalon49Awad11,17,20

BBabylon49Badhana33BaiHou32Baker,Richenda42Ballistic33Baltimore31Ban,the8,50BaronNihil32Bastille32BastionAlpha21BattleofDetroit12,14,24,34,40BayGuardians32Beacon34BeastMountain25,37Beatles,the49Beek33BehindtheMask18Bennie,Scott6,7Beowulf33Beowulf(silverage)34Berman,Leonard40Bhutatodana33Binder12Biselle,Calvin40Black,Luther11Black,Luther(seeLutherBlack)BlackAces,the40BlackFang42BlackHarlequin26BlackLegion,the34Blacklight32BlackMace19BlackMask9,10,13,24,34BlackMaskIX34BlackMaze,the50BlackPaladin8,13,26BlackPower34BlackRose31Blackstar12BlackTalon27BlackTiger33

Blaze33Blazon32BleakOnes14,24,39BleakOnes,the24Blink31Bloodmoon16Bloodstone26BloodTide,the49BlueBoys44BlueFlame32Bodyguard31Boer,the33Bogenschutze,der32Bonc32BonneVivian10,34BookoftheDestroyer6BookoftheEmpress6Bookworm34Boston11,31Boxer32Bravo31Brawler31,34BrawlerII34Briah,the4,50Brigade32BrinReiTarn12,43BronzeKing,the8,39BrooklynAvenger,the31Bulletproof34BureauS32Burnham,Eric5BurningSands11,17Burrell,David(seeJusticiar)Buzzsaw34

CCabotia49Caliburn,Robert14,23,26,42California9,10,27,31CaliforniaPatrol,the31Cameroon31CampLantern15Canada6,8,9,13,14,15,22,25,26,28,

29,32,34,38,40,49CanadianGhost34Canadoom34CapeVerde37CapitalPatrol32CaptainChronos22CaptainGlory31

CO Lore Primer: •Index • 6�

CaptainPatriot9,11,34Caracal33CarolinaIslands10Cascade32Cassidy,thomas11Cat’sCradle(seeLynx’Fold)Cekic34Celestar10,11,13,24,28,32,34Chakram33ChamakanaDhala33Champions3,5,6,7,8,13,14,15,16,17,

18,19,20,21,22,24,25,26,27,31,35,38,40,42,47,48,49,52,53,54,56,57,58

Champions,the5,6,7,8,13,14,15,16,18,19,20,21,22,24,25,26,31,35,38,40,48,49,53,56,58

Champions:TheNewMillennium5ChampionsBeyond5,47ChampionsoftheNorth6ChampionsOnline5,6,7,8,15,17,18,19,

20,21,24,25,27,31,38,42,48,52,53,54,57,58

ChampionsVillains6CharmGirl33Chatelaine,La32Chicago31ChildrenofAtaturk34ChildrenofAtaturk,the34China10,27,32,42Chiquador17Chrono48Cincinnati31CircleoftheScarletMoon9,22,26ClaireDeLune34Clockwork32CLOWN5ClubCaprice3,13,19,41,50,53CobraLords,the40COMET32Condor32Constable14,32Constable,the32Contact31CONTROL14,48Corsair31Cowboy34Crossbow31CrownsofKrim26Crusher(Britishvillain)32Crusher(hero)34Cryptic5,6,7,38,40,50,52Cuchullain33Currie,Rodney22Cybele49Cyberline35Cyberlord25CyraxtheConqueror34

DDaktaraUpaya33Dargon34DarkSeraph11,26,34Dart34DaughteroftheMoon32DeathDragon,the20,26,42Decibelle31Defender3,13,14,21,24,25,26,31,6,9,

10,18,20,22,29,31DefendersofJustice,the9,10,34,37DeizzhoraththeDissolver50DEMON(organization)6,9,10,18,20,22,

29,31DEMON:ServantsofDarkness6DemonflameIncident,the11Dendrians43Dendris43Denver31Derringer,Mark13,26,38DerScwarzTode33Destreum35Destroid27Destruga11,12,40Detroit12,14,17,24,27,34,40DeuceLaRoche34Diadem31Diamond31,34DīshēngLong32DoctorDestroyer9,12,27Dogz,the42Dooley,Vincent40Dorvala25,46Dorvalans44,46Dorvalans,the44,46DOSPA11,16Downshift31Dr.Black18Dr.Cerebro34Dr.Demogaard30Dr.Eclipse31Dr.Ka24,42Dr.Macabre34Dr.Phantom34Dr.Scarab24,34Dr.Silverback11,19,37Dr.Twilight34Dr.Vox31Dr.White18Draco34Draconis30Dracul,Vladic42Dracula(VladTepes)9,42DragonBranch30DragonCrownofKrim29Dragonfly32Draja25

Drake-Victoria21DrakeIV,Arthur21Draysha35Dreamsinger34DreamTime,the49Drift31Drifter34Druid32Drune32DuchessIndustries21Dupree,Dr.Nelson41Durak27Dusquene,Bethany(seeWitchcraft)DustDevil32Dwarfstar31Dweomer33DynamicTechnologies21

EEarthquakeFist32Eckhardt,WilliamCarl12Eclipse26,31,34Eclipse*hero)34Edenshaw,Billy(seeRavenspeaker)Egypt32Eight-WaysLightning32ElderWorm8ElderWorms,the43Eldritch32Electrotitan31ElPicaro18ElSpectro34Elysium49EmpireStateBuilding27Empyreans,the8,37,39,48England32Ergath43,44Ergons,the44Essec,EdgarLancelyn9,13,30Europa10,48Eurostar11,12,13,27EvenWilderWest,the49Examiner,the48ExecutiveControlSanctions21

FFabulousFive,the34,37Faerie49,50FalconMan32Fallout32FaltrahLem39Far-Strider47Fassai,the44Fatalla34FatherElk37Faultline31Feuermacher27

Fiacho27Fidobakku33Firefight34Firewall31Firewing14,25,27,45FistofAllah,the33FlameGem26Flashover31FlechetteI34FlechetteII34Force26ForceknightII34ForceknightIII13,24ForceknightIV34ForceStationSteelhead6,13,14,15,24,38Fordite35Foxbat13,15,27France32FreedomBattalion34FreedomPatrol32FreedomPatrol,the32Freon30Frey,Lewis10,13,19FrontiersmanProject29FrostTomb,the11,14,24,28,38,49FutureScope21

GGadgetBoy25,33Gadgets!18Gadro44Gadroon11,13,14,27,28,38,44,46Galaxars,the48Gargoyle,the34Gateway13,21,29,50Gateway(UNTILspacestation)21GatewayBetweenWorlds29,50GatewayBetweenWorlds,the29,50Gazelle,the33GeneralWinter34Geon48Germany32Geschwindigkeit32Gigaton27,36Gizli34Glassman,Phillip29Gloran48Goblin34GoldenAvenger11,13,17,35,41GoldenHunters45GoldenHunters,the45Goldfire34Goodman,Horatio14,22GossamerStorm32GothicMetroplex49GrandCienelagoIsland3,13,19GraniteMan32

Gravitar13,15,27GreenKnight31GreenMonday10Griffi,the34Grishl47Grond13,30,41Gundhar37Gunetalev34Guru,the34GuySweetland42GyeroyVedun33Gyrfalcon42

HHa’Pele33hampionsUniverse*book)5HannibalGrey32Hardball34Harlick,Bruce5Harmon,James21,24,25,26,28HarmonEnterprises12HarmonIndustries21Harrier32Haynesville9,10,35HaynesvilleProject10,35HaynesvilleProject,the10,35Hazor9,37,39HeartofthePeople32HellcatSquadron,the34Herculan44HeroCorps,the31HeroGames(company)5HeroGames,the(televisedcombat)19HEROSystem5Hewitt,Christine40HiddenLands(sourcebook)6Hiemforth,Derek7HighApostolicChurch29,42HighSchoolWhereYou’reNaked,the49Himalayas42Himalayas,the42HiPan15Hitler,Adolph37Hopewell,Dr.Victor21HotSleep17Houston31HudsonCity38HumanPistol,the34Humbug34Hunter-Patriots,the14,29,38Hyperion27,32HyperkineticMan,the34Hzeel,the44,47

IIce,the38Icestar34

Ifrit,the33IHA11,27,29,30ImmenselyStrongOne32ImmortalPhilosopher32Impetus31India33Inframan31Insider,the32Iowa21Ironclad14,25,46IronHorse32IronwoodIndustrialTechnologies21Irradiates,the41IstvathaV’Han6,13,27,44

JJackFlash31,34JadePhoenix42JakobStroessen,Jakob(seTeleios)29JamesJ.Roswell21Janissary36Japan25,33,34,41Jetstream31JínLóngQuán32JohnnyHercules34JohnSchad22Johnson,Robert13JTF-X13Juryrig14,25JusticeForceOmega18JusticeSquadron9,31,34Justiciar13,14,24,25,32

KKadrigar44Kagamishoki33KalaTahBreval43Kansas9,31,35KansasCity31KapitanUkrayina33Kauffman,Robert11,13,41Kazan33Kazeronin33Kea,Queen42Kendrium35Kentucky12KidChameleon34Kigatilik8,10,14,24,28,32,34,38Kiku33Kinetik14,25KingArthur8KingsofEdom14,15,29,31,37,50KingVultok34Kivioq10,34Klee42Kodiak26Kōdōtai33

CO Lore Primer: •Index • 65

Krim26,29Krosk,the37Krugar,George40Kul-Tarak(seeTakofanes)

LL’espritsGuardiens32L’InstitutThoth22LaBruma31LadyLightning34LadyMystery34LadyofaThousandFire32Lamb,Geoff(seeAmphibian)LamKuei32Lancelot8LandofLegends,the49Landsman,the32Langford,Pete48Laurentia49Laurentian34Lawbringer,the48Lawrence,Lonnie(seeCelestar)Leafmaster32LeFort32LeftHandedWorld,the49Lemuria6,8,9,24,34,37,39Leviathan34Liberator34Liberator,the33LibertyLeague,the32LiChuntheDestroyer32Liquidator,the34LivingSphinx,the32Loge34LoheSainika33LondonWatch,the32Long,Steve5,6,7LordofRats,the33LoupeGarou34Lt.ColonelAaronVee22Lugendu17LutherBlack11,14,29,50Luvah50Lux31Lynx’sFold8,13,38

MMaat32MacDonald,George5,52MackenzieHouse22Mage31Magneton31Maine42Malva45Mamont33Mandaar45Mandaarians10,45

Mandaarians,the10,45Mandala31Mandragalore,the8,37,39Maniacs,the40Mara9,37Mariner34Mars22Martinez,Juan12,17Marus28,37MasqueradeI(seeFrey,Lewis)MasqueradeII34MbangMountain31McCaullife,Phillip40McCormack,Linda21McTyre,Shelley17Mechanic,the32Mechaniste30,32Mechanon11,13,16,28Medina,Alejandro(seeMenton)Mega-Destroid27Mega-Terak10,11,25MemorialCity40Mentalla27Menton14,27,28,48Messenger,the31MeteorMan31,34,47MeteorManIII31Miami31Microman34MightyCanadians,the10,24,28,34,49MightyHammer32MillenniumCity13,14,15,16,19,21,24,

26,29,31,40,41,53MillenniumCity(sourcebook)6MillenniumCityFreePress19,40MillenniumCityNews40MillenniumProject,the13MinistryofSuperhumanAffairs32,33MinistryofSuperhumanAffairs(india)33Mink,the34Mocker,the34Mogar47MoleMen39Molnya33Mon’dabi45Mon’da46Mondfeuer32Mongoose,the33Monsoon33MonsterIsland(sourcebook)7Monument32MoonbaseSerenity13,22Moorbrand34Mordace12,14,48Moreau,Dr.Phillipe11,25,37Mountain34Multifaria15,28,40,49MumbaiSantari33

Musketeer,the32Myrmidon18MysticWorld,the5

NNama8,9,10,11,13,30,31,51NarcCola20NASA22Necrull28,32,34,38Netherworld,the49,50Neutron33Neutronium35NewKnightsoftheRoundTable32NewMexico11,17,41NewOrleans31NewPaladins,the31NewPurpleGang,the40NewShadows,the42NewYorkCity31Nightengale34Nighthawk14,15,19,20,26NightWatch,the32Niikwan26,41Nimbus34Nocturne29,50Nordwind34NorthernGuard,the13,25,38NorthPole38Nova31

OOak32Obeliske32Ocelot34Ogurn37Oklahoma12,29Onslaught36OperationCoil10OperationHermes29Optimus34Orchardsville40Orichalcum35,37Osaka11Osiris24Ostrugar48Overlord,the32

PPantera27Pantheon33Panzer33Paradox31Peacekeepers,the31PeachBlossomSpirit32Pentagram32People’sLegion10

Perseids46PerseusProject10Peterson,Steve5,52PhantomSoldier32Pharos(Egyptianhero)32PharosIndustries21Philadelphia32Phoenix26,32Phytia48PlagueI34Poe,Sebastian11Poseidon37Potenstorm33PRIMUS3,11,13,17,18,35,41,57PrincessAureole34PrismGirl32ProfessorMorlak34Progenitors,the8,37,48ProjectAchilles35ProjectAscension35ProjectGreenskin13,41ProjectOnslaught36ProjectPerseus35,36ProjectSunburst13,36ProjectYeoman35Proteus31PSI11Psiclops18Putnam,Victor19Pwell,Anderson(Titan)21

QQliphothic29,39,50Questionite15,35,38Quicksilver32Qularr10,14,18,25,40,41,44,46

RR.TalosorianGames5Radion34Rakshasa14,27,28Rashindar33Raven(Haidatrickstergod)26,41Ravenspeaker26,28,32RavenswoodAcademy27,37,40RealityStorm,the48Recorder,the48RedBanners,the40RedBullet32Redcap33RedEnsignI34RedEnsignIII34Redstone30RedWinter15Renton,Peter(seeAmazingManII)Repulse32Retrograde32

Revenger10,34,47RexSterling34Rhiannon32Rictus34Ripper30Rocketman34Rockslide34Roin’esh15,46Roswell,JamesJ.21Roundhouse31Rowan34RusskiyeZashchitniki13,33

SSabaDevatao33Sadler,Lucinda21Samhain32SanDiego31SanFrancisco32SanSebastien42Sapphire14,26sasquatch38SasukiKatsoru25SasukiKatsoru(seeGadgetBoy)Sayeret-1933ScarletArcher(goldenage)34ScarletArcherI34ScarletArcherII34SceptreoftheUndying29Schad,Col.John22Scirocco34Scorpia27Scotland22Sea,the38Sea-TacSentinels32SeaHawk9,34SeaKing24,34SecretCrisis,the48Seine32Selenites10,47Selenites,the10,47Selenus46,47Sentinels31,32,33,34,37,48,53Sentinels,the31Sephirot,the49Sequoia31SergeantBattle34Serpent-Mages30Serpentine34SerpentLantern10,11,14,17,27,30Shade32Shadowboxer34ShadowDestroyer6,14,15,28,40,46Shadowman31Shamballah42ShaolinFive32Shaper,the48

Sharna-Gorak(theDestroyer)8,11,37ShiningDarkness,the50ShiningDawn32Shomshak,Dean7Shug’hla-Wthelg43Siffleur32SiliconKid,the31SilverAvengers17,35SilverScorpion31SilverShield19Siren34Siria47Sirians,the9,47Skunk-Ape42Sky,the38Skydragon34Skygirl34SkyProspect20,22SkyWhereYouFly,the49Slug,the11,34Slun33SNN11,18SocietyofEvil,the34SOCRATES21SoothingTouch32SovereignSons,the42SovietUnion,the10Spark33Sparrowhawk31Spooky,EmptyHouse,the49StalnoyVolk33Star*Guard,the10,12,14,15,43,45,48Star*Staffs48StarAvengers48Starburst34StarForce13,14,24,25StarGuardians(seeStar*Guard)StarJets48StarKnights48Steel-ShatteringFist32Steelheads,the13SteelShark34Stigma32Stingray24,28,37Stone,Franklin20,40StoneLabs15StraightArrow31Streak34StreakII34Streamline32Stronghold11,14,17,21,28,41,48Sturmvogel9,10,34Sturmvogel,der9,10,34Sub-Zero34SummerCloud32Sunburst36SundayPond42SUNDER13,26,29

CO Lore Primer: •Index • 67

Super-WorldMagazine19SuperheroDivision,the33SuperHistory18Superstar31SupremeSerpent13,14,21,30Surcheval32Surge31Surhoff,James40SurkhaKhamba33Survalesh33Suryabala33Swarmlord32SwashbucklerII34SwiftSwallow32Syeryebro33

TTaipan32Takofanes8,12,14,26,29,34Talisen32Talisman26Tapalahara33Taroindar46Tax’et26,41Technocrat32Technyik33Teikei33TejaVayu33Teleios13,29,32Temblor26Tetsuronin25,33Tetsuryu33Thaar42Thain,Glenn5Thalassa28Tharmas50TheArena19theCat32TheGoodmanInstitute21Therakiel14,23,26,29,42TheSixteenthBureau32TheTournamentoftheDragon,the20Thomas,Allen6Thorgons,the43,44Thrash32Thunderhead31Tiger34TigerSquad,the10,32Tightwire34Tilingkoot32Timberline10,34Tō33Tokyo10,33TokyoSuperSquad33Tomahawk31,34TommyCanada34Tor’Tagla48ToSaveTomorrow18

Totem32Totenkopf,der34TreyKings,the42Tribunaltreaty,the13Tricolor32TrismegistusCouncil9,22,26,42TrismegistusCouncil,the9,22,26,42Typhoon34Tyrannon28

UUltimates,the12Ultivac34Ultrasonique27Uncaped19UnholyOrderoftheGrandReptile,the9,

10,30UnitedNations10,17,18,37,42UnitedStates,the11,13,16,17,18,29,

31,40,41UNITY3,12,18UNTIL:DefendersofFreedom7Urizen50Urthona50Ushas33

VValereNoyer32VanDrotte,Henrietta21Vanguard10,11,12,34,40Vanguard(Vancouverbasedteam)34VanHelsingAct,the16Vayathurans,the47Vee,Lt.ColonelAaron22Veil,the49VeldarianConfederacy44VeldarianConfederacy,the44VeninVert32VenusScientificOutpost22VenusScientificOutpost(VSO)22ViboraBay14,16,24,25,29,42ViboraBay(sourcebook)7Victory(superheroine)22Vigil34VIPER7,9,10,11,13,14,18,19,20,21,25,

26,27,30,31,34,35,38,40,41VIPER-EurostarWar,the13VIPER-X30,34VIPER-X(original)34VIPER:CoilsoftheSerpent(sourcebook)7Viperia8,13,30VladicDracul42Volt32Voltage31VonSchoutz,Clyde29VoodooDoll32Vortex32

Voyageur32Vulnapyezdka33Vulshoth50

WWaed,Jennifer(BlackMaskX)24Wales32Walkabout32Walters,Jason7Warlord,the13Warmonger,the48WashingtonDC27,32Watch,the31Watts,Darren6,7WCOC41,53Westgote,der27WhiteLynx31WhiteSands11WhiteShroud31Whittaker,Mark(seeNighthawk)Windshear32Windsor24,40Windyburg49WinterDragon32Witchcraft14,19,26,29Witness,the42WTFL19,41

XXarriel48

YYengtaoTemple42Yeoman32Yetzirah,the4,49Ying32YinWu,Dr.32Yorunge34

ZZeel44Zeitgeist32Zempletpyasenee33Zenith31Zerstoiten,Albert(seeDoctorDestroyer)Zertorenstern22Zoas,Four50ZodiacMan,the31

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