Win a Copy of the Hero System Basic Rulebook!
I happen to have an extra copy of the Hero System 6th Edition Basic Rulebook here, and as part of Robot Viking’s 1st birthday celebration, I’m going to give it away. How can you win it? You just have to be creative.
Hero System is all about versatility. You can create any character concept in any genre with this robust rule set. Now let’s see how adaptable it really is.
To enter the contest, use the comment thread below to submit a character concept. It should be an original character idea, but you’re not restricted in any way by genre. Villain or hero, the choice is yours. Make sure to include your character’s name, secret identity, and a few sentences about background and personality (don’t go overboard, a paragraph or so is fine). Then describe your character’s powers. You could mention how he got them, how the powers are used, or what effects they have. You don’t have to be too detailed — something like: “A long-range plasma bolt that does a lot of damage,” or, “Mental powers that make the victims see their greatest fear” is sufficient. You can mention what the character looks like, too, if it’s relevant.
I’ll pick the three best character concepts and create them using the Hery System 6th Edition Character Creation Book, then post them on Robot Viking. Then I’ll post a poll so the readers can vote on the character they like best. The winner gets the Hero System Basic Rulebook.
Entries close at 11 p.m. (eastern time) on Wednesday, Feb. 3. Let’s see what the Vikings can come up with!
(I should add that Robot Viking will NOT own the rights to any character ideas submitted. Entrants get to keep all their intellectual property).
January 26th, 2010 6:11 PM
Kingbeast – Superhero
Three high school kids encounter an alien spacecraft while walking home late one night from a party. The craft leaves them a strange super suit and a cryptic message about the planet being under “test”. Their use of the suit determines if the aliens return visit will be hostile or not. After some experimentation the trio figure out that it allows the user to take on qualities of Earth animals. For examine, it can give the user the strength of a rhino and the speed of a cheetah. The high school kids decide to let the jock wear the suit while the socialite and geek stay in contact over a Radio Shack headset.
January 26th, 2010 8:48 PM
Doctor Apocalypse. Super genius. Ruler of the world for about six hours. He’s rewriteen his own DNA so many times he’s truly beyond human. Despite the best work of the heroes, he’s never been held for longer than a few days.
Until one of his genetic modifications removes the neourlogical anomaly behind his world-dominating tendencies. He turned himself in after setting up a foundation to recompense the victims of his crimes. The trial was watched by the world, and he was acquitted. Many people still don’t trust him, but he seems dedicated to being as heroic as he was villanous.
January 26th, 2010 10:58 PM
Three Wolf Moon t-shirt Guy.
Imagine Reggie Riley’s surprise when he stumbled upon the sweet three wolf moon t-shirt at his local second hand store. Upon donning the legendary vestments, he found himself able to access great powers of compulsion. The meanest bullies cowered from his presence. The most desirable women desired him!
For many months, Reggie wielded the power of the three wolf moon t-shirt for his own benefit, sleeping with the most beautiful women, bending everyone he met to his selfish will. However, before long, he realized the power of the shirt was waning. It was around the first punch from the jealous boyfriend of his latest conquest that he realized such selfish ambitions was not in the spirit of the three wolf moon. From that point on, he began using his powers of compulsion to aid the weak.
January 27th, 2010 4:32 AM
A Martial Arts Master who though years upon years of training developed his prowess to the point where kicks things so hard they explode. Due to his increased Chi he can create a field of electricity that can deter any who hits from attacking again. He came to America by swimming from Korea after the Reunification War left most of it a smoldering waste, and all of it communist. He was lucky to escape with his eye.
January 27th, 2010 8:45 AM
Technorati
Mike Wilson was a kid with a strange gift; he understood computers. Not your normal, “Hey look I can program scripts and download torrents” understanding, mind you. He could communicate with them without the need for the mouse and keyboard. He could manipulate electronics on a quantum level. While working with Dr. Singleton to refine his powers he stumbled into a portal at the Defense Research Institute. It sent him back in time with only his laptop and the gear in his backpack. Now, in the old west, Mike uses his abilities to maintain his gear, create new equipment, and works to find a way home. Using his ability to manipulate electronics on the quantum level, Mike has found a way to communicate with Dr. Singleton in the future. With his help and his abilities, Mike has created the persona of Technorati to help him in procuring the things he needs to find a way back home.
Cowboys, deserts, and cybernetics? Sounds like fun. Who knows what or who Technorati will help on his way home. He may even be responsible for inventions we attribute to other people in history…
January 27th, 2010 9:18 AM
Captain Jonathan Starling
In 1892, retired British navy captain Jonathan Starling was pressed into service one last time to thwart a fantastic criminal scheme to corrupt the Empire, but the fiendish Dr Magnus Carter had his revenge. He overloaded his “kronoscope”, the device with which he had been transporting prehistoric monsters to London’s sewers, and though Starling managed to push his companions clear he was caught in its last explosion.
Starling vanished, only to appear 19 years later exactly as he was on that day. He fades in and out of time, but always seems to appear when he is needed, using his new gifts of impossibly quick reflexes, perfect recall and an ability to read the past of anything he touches to protect Queen and Country. Armed with his trusty swordcane and revolver, he liaises with a special arm of His (or Her) Majesty’s Secret Service, who watch out for his appearances, knowing they will only come in a time of crisis.
January 27th, 2010 10:46 AM
Roach
There’s something to be said for truth in advertising.
Roach is… he’s a giant roach big enough to drive an SUV and make Kafka poop himself a little bit.
Roach is big, shiny, and disgusting. His metabolism is also a runaway train, and he’s constantly snacking on bags of pork rinds and sacks of dollar-menu burgers. He can eat twice his own body weight in meaty protein every day, and still feel hungry before midnight.
Nobody knows if Roach is some kind of freak human, somebody cursed, a shape changer, or a mutated roach grown to enormous size. Roach isn’t talking (usually because his mouth is full).
But other than eating, Roach also like the finer things in life – trash talking on XBox live, grotesquely large sport-utes, and leather sofas (which he can snack on if he’s bored). But he goes through XBox controllers and Sport-Utes, and Leather Sofas pretty fast. He tends to break the first with a rage-quit, rip a chunk out of the third, and then crash the middle one into a bridge embankment while screaming abuse at somebody on his cellphone. This isn’t that big a deal for Roach because he’s as hard to kill as you’d expect him to be, and he’s got a great source of income.
Roach makes things go away.
Specifically, he makes bodies go away.
More specifically, he makes bodies go away into his belly.
Roach can polish off three average mobsters in an afternoon. He’ll take a little longer to gnaw through superhuman flesh, but he can eventually eat anybody if he’s got enough time and barbecue sauce.
Roach doesn’t like to fight, preferring to scuttle away creepy-quick, but if forced to brawl he’s about the dirtiest fighter you’ve ever faced. Seriously, if you have balls, they’re going to get kicked. Watch out for the flesh-dissolving digestive slime too. hit him too hard in the abdomen, and he’ll puke on you.
Roach wears a giant-roach-sized tracksuit cut specially to allow for all his limbs. he’s also got lots of gold chains, and a better phone than yours. He’s always got a better phone than yours, and he can text while fighting (all those limbs are worth something), so when you tangle with him, expect to see tweets like:
dapimproach: totly pwning sum noob cayp bich!!!
He’s got the worst accent you’ve ever heard. Like Steve Buscemi trying to talk street. He makes up slang, when trying to be tough. You can’t really threaten the guy, because he’s a roach, and beyond stomping him, you can’t really make his life worse than that.
Mostly, everyone hates him, even the guys he does snack-jobs for.
-B
__________________
January 27th, 2010 2:56 PM
Archer is one of, if not the, top spy in the CIA special operations unit. After a group research scientists discover what appears to be an alien weapon cache hidden on earth. Archer and his “bad-cop” partner Shade are assigned to escort a group of scientists to examine the one item in particular, a glowing shard of crystal oozing power. Long story short the shard activates and explodes, shattering and driving itself into Archer and Shade, imbuing Archer with super strength and near superhuman reflexes. Shade gains the power to influence those around him with low-level telepathy and an appetite for power. Shade has joined a terrorist splinter cell and Archer must remain on the run through webs of intrigue because if he ever stops, Shade will catch up with him and cut the shard from his body to become the most powerful villain in the world.
So basically Nick Fury v evil (not as awesome) Nick Fury
January 28th, 2010 12:19 PM
I apologize for how long this is. Once I get going I can’t stop.
Name: Sean Bauer (Or some other common name) a.k.a “Slaver” (slavər – saliva running from the mouth. Still kind of trying to think of a better name, since Slaver could easily be interpreted as somebody who deals in slaves.)
Anti-hero
Secret Identity: N/A
Personality: Compulsive, violent, sporadic. Has given himself over to his id, and is more like an animal than a man.
He never makes dramatic speeches, or spouts one-liners, and finds great pleasure in taking a cheap shot at anybody who does.
Origin of Powers: Due to an unknown traumatic experience, he suffered a mental breakdown. In order to cope, his mind blocked off most of his humanity. He’s capable of complex thought, speech, and the like, but unable to control himself. He gives in to his emotions at the slightest provocation with devastating results.
Powers: Physical abilities match heroes like Captain America in that they’re the peak of human limitations. However, he gains an edge in strength, speed, endurance, and resilience due to his near constant “fight or flight” reaction. However, this can also be a weakness, because a clever adversary can control him to an extent by influencing his emotions. It is difficult to deter him once he is set on a course of action, though.
His attacks are all physical, focusing on going into a wild rage, and dealing as much damage as possible without regard to his own safety. He can shrug off a lot of pain, and keep fighting even with broken bones. Sometimes his attacks are so devastating they can stun the target, or knock them down. This leaves them open for Slaver’s preferred attack; mount and pummel.