Long, long ago, back in the halycon days of 1983, there was a Hero Games adventure module called Deathstroke. As usual, what actually happened was that I pulled a few general ideas from it, warped them to suit, rewrote the characters, and threw them into my own setting. It really wasn’t any use to me otherwise: its plot relied on a threat to induce mass meltdowns of nuclear reactors – and in my setting – nuclear reactors had been replaced wholesale by Eguin Corporations fusion reactors in 1974. Worse, the design of their reactor cores was safer and more stable than any earthly scientist would understand for centuries to come. Even if fusion reactors COULD melt down (they can’t), those were not going to.
Deathstroke became Dagger. The original characters were Arrowhead (an ex-mobster with super-strength and energy projection), Deathsinger (a Banshee knockoff with basic sonic blast powers), Frost (an iceman knockoff with basic ice powers), Stinger (A guy with entangling webbing, minor super-strength, limited flight, and an insect theme), and Death Commando (a quite forgettable guy with a generic armored suit, various weapons, and a bad attitude). Those got changed to Ballista (a super-strong guy with a multipower revolving around throwing things), Requiem (a fellow with some much more subtle vibratory powers to work with), Whisper (a low-grade telepathic ninja type), Vortex (with much more versatile and powerful ice powers based on misunderstood probability manipulation), Stinger (the insane insect king), and Deathurge (a deceased nazi death-camp commander who liked to possess people, boost them, stock up with weapons, and go cause destruction and misery). The goal changed from “blackmail the world into submission” to “steal inventions, developments, and artifacts to seek wealth and power”.
Unfortunately for them, Dagger got trashed whenever they showed up and Deathurge soon got permanently exorcised. A few characters took Dagger as a hunted, then – because they always showed up anyway – almost everyone did, with the explanation that Dagger’s habit of swearing vengeance on anyone who defeated them was getting worse and worse.
All too soon Ballista and Whisper recognized that Dagger had become a laughingstock, and set out on their own.
Currently Requiem and Vortex have gone back to their original gang handles of Deathsinger and Frost, are switching group names back to Deathstroke, are looking for new members, and are trying to start over. Their latest escape attempt may have been foiled, but no prison can hold Dagger – er, Deathstroke! – for long!
Daniel Perona was steered wrong from a very early age. A violent, dominating, stepfather, unhelpful adult authorities, an autistic younger brother to care for, an interest in music (which his father tried to beat out of him as “unmanly”), and a battered mother who was unwilling to walk out left Daniel convinced very early on that the “authorities” were totally useless and untrustworthy. Only HE was fit to be in charge of anything.
Obviously enough, that meant that he should be in charge of EVERYTHING.
Daniel developed his powers before Jeremy – but he was quite capable of hiding them, at least at first.
Jeremy could not – but by then Daniel, even if his powers were not yet fully developed, was more than powerful enough to defend his brother against a normal human. A shout left his father reeling, and the voice of command sent him away.
Boian Gabor, however, was not about to put up with some unnatural, unmanly, mutant, freak of nature tossing him out of his own house! He’d protested the insane tolerance the world was showing for freaks before – and he knew who to call in. They’d even pay him for the chance to eliminate two little freaks early on, before they’d become a menace to real, red-blooded, human beings!
Genocide didn’t have a lot of forces to spare, and didn’t put that much credence in Gabor’s report anyway; it was perfectly possible that the kids had just pulled a weapon on him. Even if the kids WERE mutants… it wasn’t likely that they had very much power. Most didn’t as adults, much less as kids.
The pickup team was small, and under-equipped – and when there was an auto accident, and things went wrong, and the two brats wound up escaping, they didn’t get a high priority.
Two youngsters didn’t find it easy to get along on the streets – but even their adolescent abilities were quite valuable to the gangs, which gave Daniel and his brother a free pass into the criminal underworld – and a fine apprenticeship in villainy for Daniel anyway, even if it did just leave his brother confused. At least that didn’t matter much as long as Jeremy followed his lead.
Deathsinger
Value
Characteristic
Points
13/19
STR
3
18/20
DEX
24
23/33
CON
26
10/13
BODY
0
12/18
INT
2
11/14
EGO
2
19/25
PRE
9
8/20
COM
-1
7/10
PD
3
7/10
ED
1
5
SPD
22
10/13
REC
0
60/72
END
0
28/48
STUN
-7
Total
84
Points
Powers
END
33
Multipower (75-pt reserve); Generic Limitation (Sonic Powers Only): -1; Variable Limitations: -½, -¼
u-3
12d6 Focused Shout / Sonic Energy Blast; Range: 375; Versus: ED; Reduced END: Half, +¼
3
u-3
4d6 Breaking Word / Killing Attack (RKA); Range: 375; Reduced END: Half, +¼
3
u-3
4d6 Hypnotic Whisper / Energy Blast; Range: 325; Versus: ED; No Normal Defense (Versus hard ear coverings, deafness, hard of hearing, or silence effect): +1; Area Effect (Radius): 5″ radius, +1; Reduced END: Half, +¼
3
u-3
2d6 Neural Shockwave / Flash (Hearing, Sight); Range: 375; Area Effect (Radius): 5″ radius, +1; Personal Immunity: +¼; Reduced END: Half, +¼
3
u-2
+50 Voice Of Command / PRE
9
Elemental Control: Sonic Powers (15-pt reserve); Generic Limitation (Sonic Powers Only): -½; Visible (Very Noisy): -¼
a-11
Desolidification; Extra Time: 1 turn, -1; Extra Time Required: Only At Startup, ½
4
b-9
12″ Flight (NC: 24″); Non-Combat Multiplier: ×2, +0; Non-Combat (MPH): 45; Reduced END: Half, +¼
1
c-13
Force Field (15 PD/15 ED); Reduced END: Half, +¼
1
d-12
Sonar Sense
(9)
Active Sonar
(6)
360-Degree Sensing (Hearing)
(6)
Enhanced Perception (Sonar, +5 to PER)
6
+6 CP to All Attributes Blessing; Modifications to Primary Attributes do not affect secondary attributes. Aid to Defenses has half effect per standard rules.
(6)
1d6 Aid (All attributes) (Fade/turn, Max. 6); Range: 0; Affects: All Powers of Special Effect, +2; Reduced END: Zero & Persistent, +1; Always On: -½; Personal Only: -1; Increases maximums only, does not speed healing: -1; Aid to Defenses is halved per the standard rules. Aid to primary attributes does not affect secondary ones.
0
6
1d6 30-Point Equipment Allowance Aid (Fade/month, Max. 30); Range: 0; Affects: Single Power of Special Effect, +¼; Extra Time: 1 hour, -2½; Only activates in armories, labs, or between outings: -1½; Personal Only: -1; Difficult to Dispel: ×4, +½; Increased END: ×10, -4; This allows a character to haul along 30 CP worth of customized gear.
20
30
Usual Equipment
(3)
Elemental Control: Belt of Battle (7-pt reserve); OIF (Belt): -½; Generic Limitation (Personal Magic Limitations): -½;
While he’s no mage, Deathsinger’s personal magical reserves are fairly high – and he sees no reason not to use them. Ergo, he makes various channeling devices, each time seeking the one that will – THIS time – allow him to master the world, as is his rightful due.
a-4
Armor (5 PD/5 ED)
b-3
+7 CON
c-3
+14 STUN
d-3
Mental Defense (17 pts)
e-10
+4 level w/With Multipower
(4)
Disguise Kit; OAF (Disguise Kit): -1
14-
113
Total Powers
Points
Skills, Talents, Perks
Roll
3
Opera Singer
16-
3
Acting
14-
10
Find Weakness with Energy Blast; Attack Type: One, +0
11-
10
+2 level w/with Multipower
0
English (Native Accent); Literacy: Standard, 0
2
Sign Language (Fluent Conv.); Literacy: Standard, 0
28
Total Skills, Talents, Perks
125+
Disadvantages
20
Vengeful (Very Common, Strong)
15
Megalomania (Common, Strong)
10
Public Identity
15
Hunted: Police (11-); Capabilities: Less Powerful, 5; Non-combat Influence: Extensive, +5; Geographical Area: Unlimited, -0; Actions: Hunting, ×1; Punishment: Harsh, 0
15
Hunted: Random Heroes (8-); Capabilities: More Powerful, 15; Non-combat Influence: None, +0; Geographical Area: Unlimited, -0; Actions: Hunting, ×1; Punishment: Harsh, 0
20
Hunted: Anti-Mutant Groups (8-); Capabilities: More Powerful, 15; Non-combat Influence: Extensive, +5; Geographical Area: Unlimited, -0; Actions: Hunting, ×1; Punishment: Harsh, 0
20
Reputation: Lunatic Villian (14-, Extreme)
115
Total Disadvantages
COSTS:
Char.
Powers
Total
Total
Disadv.
Base
84
+
141
=
225
240
=
115
+
125
OCV
DCV
ECV
Mental Def.
PD/rPD
ED/rED
Phases
7
7
5
17
30/20
30/20
3, 5, 8, 10, 12
Height: 172cm (5’8″), Weight: 68kg (150 lbs), Sex: Male, Age: 24, Race: Human
Appearance: As Deathsinger Daniel normally wears a blue-and-white matadors outfit with no tie, a shirt with a “V” down to his belly button, a small “domino” mask, and a strange square hat with musical notes on it.
Nobody knows why.
Out of costume, Daniel prefers fancy hispanic outfits matched to his swarthy skin, dark hair, and black eyes.
Deathsinger is – to his dismay if he would ever admit it – a relatively minor villain. His powers are useful and reasonably effective, but he hasn’t got the intellect, or the raw power, to dominate the world – and as a Tier-2 character he never will. Still, he’s perfectly functional as a part of a team and is willing to set heroes up for Frost to take care of.
If it matters any, the original statistics for Deathsinger were Str 20, Dex 20, Con 23, Body 15, Int 18, Ego 14, Pre 20, Com 14, PD 10, ED 11, Spd 5, Rec 14, End 66, Stun 48. Sonic EC: 8d6 sonic blast at 1/2 End, 3d6 sonic RKA at 1/2 End, +20 PD/20 ED Force Field at 1/2 End, Active Sonar Hearing, Disguise 14-, one level with Energy Blast, one level with Elemental Control, and Find Weakness for his Energy Blast 11-. Disadvantages included going berserk, some vulnerabilities (to physical killing attacks and force fields), megalomania, generic hunteds by a hero group and Until, and a secret identity, for a total of 317 points. I think there are two or three attributes left out of all that – and the Stun total is an accident. I did throw in the disguise kit though.
Tagged: Background, Champions, Characters, Role Playing Game, RPG, Super Villain Groups 
