Once upon a time, I owned issue 42 of Marvel’s Master of Kung Fu. Via my Marvel on-line subscription, I’ve read or re-read about half of these remarkable Shang-Chi stories from the 70s. Doug Moench wrote the best of these stories with the help of Paul Gulacy’s astonishing pencils. The cover art shown in this post is by the legendary Gil Kane and Al Milgrom.
Not long after our gaming group got its hands on TSR’s Marvel Super Heroes Roleplaying Game, I created the villainous Volt, who was patterned heavily after Shockwave. I’ve written about Volt here. Here’s Volt designed for Villains and Vigilantes from Monkey House Games. (N.B. That last link is an affiliate link.)
Some games I at least think I’d enjoy playing more than I’d enjoy GMing. One of these games is Green Ronin Publishing’s Mutants & Masterminds (M&M). It has all the makings of a great game: a relatively simple system, a unified dice mechanic, point-based character creation, and (if you’re into that kind of thing) an everything-and-the-kitchen-sink core setting that clearly respects the genre. I love M&M more in theory than in practice, however.
Hero creation is M&M is a bit laborious (although pales in comparison to Champions and GURPS Supers). If one plays with folks that are either a bit spotty on their basic math skills and/or think superhero games are about building the do-it-all but never-gets-hurt character, then M&M can be frustrating. The frustration appears with players who don’t respect (or know) the genre and/or the parameters of the GM’s campaign. I’ve run into the latter more than once.
Years and years ago with people whom I no longer game with, I tried running an urban, four-color hero game. The hero’s were expected to be heroic. I thought I’d made this clear, but that didn’t stop one player from showing up with a murderous speedster who acquired and maintained his powers by stealing crack cocaine from the drug dealers that he killed. Another player showed with a teen-angst loner that frequently insisted on being a team of one.
Ug.
M&M’s first edition was a bit wonky, and much of this wonkiness was fixed with the second edition. M&M’s third edition, however, is even better. It retains the vestiges of its d20 System roots, even going so far as to change the standard six ability scores (STR, INT, WIS, DEX, CON, and CHA) to eight ability scores (Strength, Agility, Fighting, Awareness, Stamina, Dexterity, Intellect, and Presence). Green Ronin also tips their hat to TSR’s iconic Marvel Super Heroes (MSH) with color-coded Damage Resistance Matrix that evokes nicely MSH’s Universal Table.
Since it’s been a while since I made up a M&M villain, here’s a new one inspired by Boris Karloff. I used the Crime Lord from the M&M Gamemaster’s Guide as the base for the Monster.
Francis Stein, also known as the Monster, claims to have been created by the Doctor Victor Von Frankenstein in Ingolstadt, Bavaria. Abused and neglected for years, Stein escaped his evil creator and lived as a fugitive either in the wilderness or on the outskirts of society. Over the decades, Stein accumulated a remarkable education and impressive skills. Stein leveraged his education and skills, along with his superhuman physical abilities, into a career as a mob enforcer, rising through the ranks by a combination of cunning, violence, and longevity. Today, Stein dominates a criminal empire involved in extortion, gambling, and smuggling.
Francis Nathan Stein aka The Monster Power Level 8
Introducing Amok for The Four Color Hack. Amok is one of the Sinisters, a villain group I originally called the Sinister Six. Back then, Amok was known as Ogre.
Amok Level 6 Villain
Quote: “Amok smash!” Real Name: Ian Caldwell Identity: Public Place of Birth: Los Alamos, New Mexico Height: 7 ft. Weight: 650 lb. Eyes: Glowing yellow Hair: None
Hit Points: 38 (6 Vigor) Base Damage: 2d8 Powers: Atomic-Powered Body d10 (6 protection), Devotion to Volt d10, Super-Strength d12
Young Ian Caldwell, up-and-coming high-school football player, always seemed to have more muscle than brains, but he had a good heart. His father, Sean, had been a constable until his death in the line of duty, and Regina, Ian’s widowed mother, did her best for her son. Ian understood loyalty, whether to his mother, to his team, to his friends. After his junior year at Los Alamos High School, Ian got a summer job driving a truck for Clean Sands, a company that handled waste transport and disposal. The money was good, and Ian was so proud to be able to help his mother.
Unfortunately, Clean Sands fell short of the up-and-up. A blown tire put Ian’s truck in a ditch, and drums full of illegal toxic waste ruptured. Ian crawled through this waste, dragging his co-driver away from the wreck. Both men suffered terrible chemical burns atop the injuries suffered in the crash. Worst of all, the toxic waste interacted with latent, mutated genes in Ian’s DNA.
Ian Caldwell, loving and loyal, transformed into a hulking brute driven by fear and rage. He tore his way free from the military hospital into which he been admitted after his body had started to change. During his rampage across the military base, the military police vehicle transporting Regina to Ian’s location in the hope that Ian’s mother could calm him down got too close. Without realizing Regina was in the vehicle, Ian lashed out. The vehicle was destroyed, and all of its occupants died. Ian escaped into the New Mexico wilderness.
Volt, leader of the Sinisters, found Amok some time later. The tortured youth responded to Volt’s calm, subtle manipulation. Now known as Amok, Ian serves Volt and the Sinisters with the same devotion he once served his family and football team.
Amok possesses immense strength. He can lift 25 tons, and his physical attacks are devastating (2d8+1d12). His Atomic-Powered Body is highly resistant to injury, and Amok never seems to get tired. He also recovers from injury at an accelerated rate. Amok has a child-like intelligence, but his intense Devotion to Volt makes him difficult to manipulate.
