TEXT:  
   
   
   
   
  
   
  2
  In the Hideout… 
         --Scott Casper— 
   
       The theme of this issue 
  is class.  Some games got 
  it, some don’t!  No, I kid.  I 
  mean, of course, 
  character classes.  And 
  what better news to start 
  with than the fact that, at 
  last, the Aviator class is 
  complete?!  As you may 
  or may not know, the 
  Aviator class’ stunt 
  descriptions were lost 
  when I only thought I’d 
  saved them.  And maybe 
  it was for the best after all, for with the extra months to 
  think about it, I think the stunts are only better now.   
       I’ve been a little surprised, actually, at the interest I’ve 
  heard from H&H fans in the Aviator.  Could there be a 
  market out there for a return of the aviator comic book 
  genre?  The return of Skyman?  A new beginning for Air 
  Boy?  Stranger things have happened.   
       Speaking of strange, it seems strange to me now that 
  I thought the Scientist class was ready to go when I 
  published SUPPLEMENT III.  The improved inventing 
  things skill was a start, but it alone was not enough to 
  build a class around.  So, as an extra feature this issue, 
  you also get the completed Scientist class!  I think you'll 
  find him much more playable now.  In fact, if you’re 
  interested, I can always take on more players in one of 
  the online H&H campaigns… 
       But wait, there’s more!  Because, while play-testing a 
  high-level Mysteryman in the online JSA campaign and 
  working on Mysteryman write-ups for SUPPLEMENT IV, 
  I’ve come to realize that the Mysteryman needs a little 
  boosting too.  So, in this issue, you will also see the 
  complete Mysteryman class for the first time! 
       As I look back at where TSR (and D&D) was at this 
  time in its early history, its first newsletter was just 
  ending with the seventh issue, to be replaced by the 
  bigger, more polished magazine THE DRAGON.  Of 
  course, I’m a little saddened that Great Scott! Games is 
  not at the point where it is ready to launch such a 
  periodical, but it was neither a likely nor even 
  necessarily a preferable goal.  The “grand experiment” 
  with the Old School Renaissance and retroclone games 
  is, in part, to see what TSR would have looked like had it 
  stayed a small operation; what D&D would have looked 
  like had it stayed a hobby and not an industry.  So we’re 
  going to stay small and stick with the quarterly 
  newsletter format – at least until such time as we are 
  swamped by both demand and article submissions.   
       We're almost two years into TROPHY CASE 
  newsletters.  This is year four for HIDEOUTS & 
  HOODLUMS as a whole.  In terms of moving through 
  the Golden Age of comics chronologically, we are  
  wrapping up covering 1941.  That’s a lot of 
  accomplishments, but what’s in store for you next?   
       SUPPLEMENT IV: CAPTAINS, MAGICIANS, and 
  INCREDIBLE MEN is underway and we are currently 
  expecting it to be done by September.  You’ll read more 
  about that in this very issue.  Before September, you will 
  likely see the very first stand-alone H&H adventure 
  module, already written and being playtested by Fan 
  Supreme Steve Lopez.  And you’ll get to read more 
  about that later too.   
       Exciting things ahead! 
  Editor:  Scott T. Casper 
  Art:  Lou Fine, Walter Frehm, George Tuska 
   
   
  PUBLISHER'S STATEMENT 
       THE TROPHY CASE is published quarterly 
  by Great Scott! Games, 6300 Church Road, Apt. 
  112C, Hanover Park, IL. 60133.  Paper copy 
  distribution is available by subscription at the 
  rate of $5.00 per four issues.  Electronic copy of 
  every issue, however, will be available for free 
  online.  At least initially, mailed paper copy will 
  only be available in the U.S. and payments must 
  be made by check.  Publisher must be informed 
  of change of address at least two weeks in 
  advance of the first day of January, April, July, 
  October, as applicable.   
       All material posted herein becomes the 
  exclusive property of the publisher unless 
  arrangements to the contrary are made.  
  Unsolicited material cannot be returned unless 
  accompanied by a stamped return envelope or 
  sent by e-mail, and no responsibility for such 
  material can be assumed by the publisher in any 
  event. AlI rights on the entire contents of this 
  publication are reserved, and nothing may be 
  reprinted in whole or in part without written 
  permission of the publisher.  
  Copyright 2012 by Games by Scott Casper 
   
   
  SPECIAL FEATURE:   
  THE (Rest of the) AVIATOR,  
  
   
  3
  A NEW CLASS FOR H&H 
  Aviator Stunt Descriptions: 
  Analyze Piloting 
  Stunt Level: 
  1 
  Range:  
  1 mile   
  Duration:   
  2 turns/level 
  By examining, for at least 1 minute, how well a 
  pilot handles his plane, the Aviator can tell what 
  level in the Aviator class the observed pilot is.   
  Bomb I 
  Stunt Level: 
  1 
  Range:    
  40 ft. + 30 ft./level 
  Duration:   
  1 minute 
  The Aviator can improvise a bomb by dropping an 
  ordinary object of at least 1 lb. weight (like a big 
  wrench) from above his target.  If dropped on a 
  flying vehicle, the pilot of the targeted vehicle 
  must save against plot or his plane will lose half 
  its Movement rate, be unable to perform stunts, 
  and leave a trail of smoke behind it (that can 
  serve no purpose other than to be traceable) for 
  1d6 turns.  If dropped on a living target, the bomb 
  is +1 to hit and does 1-10 damage. 
  Bomb II 
  Stunt Level: 
  3 
  Range:  
  100 ft. + 60 ft./level 
  Duration: 
  1 minute 
  The Aviator finds a real bomb or other explosive 
  device in his plane to drop, even if the type of 
  plane he’s flying isn’t a bomber.  The Aviator can 
  target another vehicle, at which point the pilot of 
  the targeted vehicle must save against plot or 
  everyone onboard will take 6d6 damage and the 
  vehicle will become inoperable (leading to a 
  crash for 7d6 damage if airborne).  Saves against 
  science for half-damage apply.   
  Optionally, the Aviator can drop the bomb on the 
  ground, doing 6d6 damage to all within a 20 ft. 
  radius (same save applies).  
  Boyish Charm 
  Stunt Level: 
  1 
  Range:  
  20 ft./level 
  Duration: 
  1 turn/level 
  For the duration, the Aviator gains a +3 bonus to 
  Supporting Cast Member rolls affecting the 
  opposite gender.  After the duration expires, 
  those affected will have a hostile reaction to the 
  Aviator for 1d4 turns.   
  Optionally, an Aviator can use Boyish Charm to 
  force a commanding officer to save against plot 
  before being able to discipline the Aviator until 
  the duration expires. 
  Coast on Fumes 
  Stunt Level: 
  2 
  Range:  
  2 miles+1 mile/level 
  Duration: 
  Special 
  Even if the fuel gauge is on empty, the Aviator 
  can still fly a plane the range of this stunt before 
  needing to deadstick land (see the stunt) or 
  crash.  The duration depends on how long it 
  takes the Aviator to cross that distance.   
  Optionally, this stunt could also apply to the 
  Aviator himself, particularly if flying by other 
  means than a plane.  This stunt would then allow 
  a fatigued pilot to continue piloting safely (a 
  fatigued pilot has a 1 in 6 chance per turn of 
  crashing. 
  Luckily, a crashing plane causes less damage to 
  its inhabitants if it’s out of gas – only 5d6 damage, 
  with a save against science for half-damage.  
  Conjure Last Parachute 
  Stunt Level: 
  2 
  Range:  
  Touch 
  Duration: 
  Instantaneous 
  The Aviator, if onboard a plane, will be able to 
  find the last parachute, even if a careful inventory 
  of the plane had previously revealed that there 
  were additional parachutes.  This stunt does not 
  negate the finding of any parachutes that has 
  already happened, but no one else can find a 
  parachute after the Aviator.  
  Conjure Parachute 
  Stunt Level: 
  1 
  Range:  
  Touch 
  Duration: 
  Instantaneous 
  The Aviator, if onboard a plane, will be able to 
  find a parachute within arm’s reach even if no one 
  knew there was a parachute on the plane before. 
  Deadstick  
  Stunt Level: 
  1 
  Range:  
  Touch 
  Duration:  
  1 turn 
  Referring to when a pilot has to glide in for a safe 
  landing with no engine power, an Aviator can 
  safely deadstick land with a successful save 
  against plot.  Without this skill, a pilot would have 
  only a 2 in 6 chance of landing safely without 
  crashing.  
  Detect Enemy Planes 
  Stunt Level: 
  1 
  Range:  
  1,000 ft./level 
  Duration:   
  1 turn/level 
  Even when visibility is low due to clouds, fog, or 
  darkness, an Aviator can intuit when enemy 
  planes are within range.  This only counters 
  natural cover; magical invisible planes, for 
  example, would still be undetectable. 
  
   
  4
  Drop-Off 
  Stunt Level: 
  1 
  Range:  
  1,000 ft./level 
  Duration: 
  1 turn 
  The Aviator can drop a nonviolent payload, such 
  as paper leaflets, a single letter for your 
  adversary, or a rose for a pretty girl, with pinpoint 
  precision from above. 
  Endure Elements 
  See any d20 SRD document. 
  Evasive Maneuvers 
  Stunt Level: 
  2 
  Range:  
  Touch 
  Duration: 
  1 turn +1 turn/level 
  Through a combination of hard banks and barrel 
  rolls, the Aviator is able to dodge attacks, 
  penalizing his attackers with a -4 to hit penalty for 
  the duration.  There is a 2 in 6 chance per turn of 
  this stunt shaking another Aviator who has 
  already used Find Blind Spot.  The Aviator cannot 
  attack and take evasive maneuvers in the same 
  turn, but the Aviator can alternate between the 
  two without penalty for the duration of the stunt. 
  Feather Landing 
  See the Superhero power from Book I. 
  Find Blind Spot 
  Stunt Level: 
  2 
  Range:  
  100 ft. + 50 ft./level 
  Duration: 
  1 turn +1 turn/level 
  The Aviator is able to get into position behind 
  another flyer and stay behind him.  For the 
  duration, or until shaken off by a stunt (Evasive 
  Maneuvers, Obscurement, Power Dive, etc.) or a 
  save against plot, the Aviator enjoys a +2 bonus 
  to hit and cannot be counterattacked by the flyer 
  he is following. 
  Fly III-V  
  See the previous issue of The Trophy Case. 
  Gust of Wind 
  See the Superhero power from Book I.  It is 
  assumed here that the gust of wind is kicked up 
  by a flying device, though, as opposed to 
  something like super-breath. Range is doubled 
  from the power. 
  Improved Take-Off/Landing 
  Stunt Level: 
  2 
  Range:  
  Touch 
  Duration: 
  1 take-off or landing 
  The take-off or landing done by a 1st-level Aviator 
  requires 3,000 ft. of clearance.  At each 
  subsequent level, this requirement is halved. 
  Increase Speed 
  Stunt Level: 
  1 
  Range:  
  Touch 
  Duration: 
  1 turn/level 
  The Aviator can squeeze more speed out of his 
  plane, increasing its Movement rate by 10 per 
  level. 
  Jump from Plane to Plane 
  Stunt Level: 
  1 
  Range:  
  5 ft. +2 ft./level 
  Duration: 
  1 minute +1 minute/2 levels 
  The Aviator can leap between vehicles in motion 
  without applying penalties to hit due to speed 
  (see vehicle combat rules in Book III). 
  Levitate 
  As per the Superhero power from Book I.  An 
  Aviator of this level may be allowed to levitate 
  even without a flying device, at the Editor’s 
  discretion. 
  Locate Airbase 
  Stunt Level: 
  3 
  Range:  
  3 miles/level 
  Duration: 
  1d6 hours – 10 minutes/level 
  The Aviator just senses where the nearest 
  friendly airbase is automatically.  If searching for 
  an enemy airbase, or a concealed airbase, the 
  duration actually determines the length of time it 
  takes to find it, provided one actually exists in the 
  above range.   
  Obscurement 
  Stunt Level: 
  2 
  Range:  
  30 ft. +5 ft./level 
  Duration: 
  2 turns + 2 turns/level    
  The Aviator can hide himself and an entire plane 
  from sight, either with a smokescreen or, if 
  available, cover from natural surroundings.  Treat 
  range as radius affected.  An Aviator looking to 
  break off from an engagement has a 4 in 6 
  chance of escaping without being seen from an 
  area of obscurement.     
  Out of the Sun 
  Stunt Level: 
  1 
  Range:  
  200 ft./level 
  Duration: 
  1 turn 
  If the Aviator already has surprise against an 
  opponent, this stunt gives the Aviator total 
  surprise.  Coming from out of the sun, the Aviator 
  gets a free surprise attack at +2 to hit and, on the 
  first regular turn of combat, also wins initiative.  
  This stunt is only good during the daytime. 
  Power Dive 
  Stunt Level: 
  2 
  Range:  
  500 ft. + 100 ft./level 
  
   
  5
  Duration: 
  3 turns +1 turn/level 
  The Aviator’s power dive packs a bit more wallop 
  to his attacks, to the tune of 1d6 extra damage 
  +1d6 additional points of damage for every 
  second level (multiples of two).  However, the 
  Aviator has to save against science after each 
  power dive to pull out of the dive or crash (7d6 
  damage to all occupants, with a save against 
  science for half-damage).  The Aviator can 
  attempt a power dive every other turn, but on the 
  in-between turns must also save against science 
  to climb back up for another pass or require two 
  turns instead of one before the Aviator can power 
  dive again.        
  Predict Weather 
  Stunt Level: 
  1 
  Range:  
  1 mile/level 
  Duration: 
  1 hour/level 
  The Aviator will have an accurate sense of the 
  coming weather conditions.  Granted, not as 
  useful for fighter pilots to burn one of their stunt 
  slots on, but something that old, crusty aviator 
  SCMs just hanging around airfields are likely to 
  use. 
  Repair Plane Damage 
  Stunt Level: 
  2 
  Range:  
  Touch 
   
  Duration: 
  1d6+6 hours – 20 minutes/level 
  The Aviator can repair damage to a plane or 
  other form of flying transport.  The duration is for 
  fixing a crashed plane so it can fly again.  Lighter 
  damage (like from Bomb I) can be repaired in half 
  this time.  A fixed plane is flyable, but still not in 
  good shape (and is treated as if suffering from the 
  Bomb I stunt), unless twice as much time is spent 
  on it. 
  Shoot Gas Tank 
  Stunt Level: 
  2 
  Range:  
  200 ft./+100 ft./level 
  Duration: 
  1 hour -5 minutes/level 
  Unless the pilot of the targeted flying vehicle 
  makes a successful save against plot with a -1 
  penalty, the shooter hits his gas tank.  The gas 
  will leak slowly so that, by the end of the duration, 
  the plane will crash (unless a stunt like Coast on 
  Fumes stunt is used). 
  Shoot Gas Tank II 
  Stunt Level: 
  3 
  Range:  
  400 ft. + 200 ft./level 
  Duration: 
  Instantaneous 
  Unless the pilot of the targeted flying vehicle (this 
  always works on blimps too) makes a successful 
  save against plot with a -2 penalty, the shooter 
  hits the gas tank and makes the flying device 
  explode.  Everyone inside takes 8d6 damage 
  (save for half) and, if the vehicle is in the air, will 
  then crash unless they immediately parachute out 
  (not even Deadstick will foil the crash), and then 
  everyone takes another 7d6 damage from the 
  crash (again save for half).  This stunt will not 
  work against a flying vehicle already coasting on 
  fumes or deadstick landing.   
  Speak with Birds 
  Stunt Level: 
  3 
  Range:  
  Self 
  Duration: 
  1 turn/level 
  Yeah, that’s right.  Because birds talk, and you’d 
  know this if you spent more time flying around 
  with them. 
  Tight Circle 
  Stunt Level: 
  3 
  Range:  
  Self 
  Duration: 
  1 minute 
  By pulling back all the way on the stick, the 
  Aviator can perform a fast 360-degree circle that 
  would put him behind anyone who was previously 
  following him.  The G-force is terrific; anyone 
  attempting this stunt must save against science 
  or black out long enough to spoil the stunt.  If 
  successful, the stunt foils Find Blind Spot.  
  Further, if used to circle behind an opponent, the 
  Aviator automatically gets the Find Blind Spot 
  stunt as a bonus. 
  Wing Walking 
  Stunt Level: 
  1 
  Range:  
  Self 
  Duration: 
  1 minute/level 
  The Aviator can safely walk out onto the wing of a 
  plane or other fast-moving transportation.  
  Anyone else trying this will have to make a save 
  against science each minute or be swept off. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  Great Scott! Games News   
  Interview with Steve Lopez 
       As we draw slowly closer to the release of the 
  very first H&H adventure module, we offer here a 
  chance to get to know its author, the famous 
  author and chess whiz, Steve Lopez. 
  Q: Why don't you start out by telling us what this 
  first adventure module is called? 
  A: The working title is Sons of the Feathered 
  Serpent. The first time I mentioned the title to my 
  son Sam, he laughed and said, “I know where 
  you got that!” The title is my tribute to the great 
  Lester Dent, who wrote most of the Doc Savage 
  series in the 1930's and 1940's. The villain in the 
  very first Doc novel (The Man of Bronze) is called 
  “Son of the Feathered Serpent”, so I thought it 
  would be cool to riff on it to show how much I 
  appreciate Lester Dent's work and the hours of 
  enjoyment his novels have given me over the 
  years. My intention is for Sons of the Feathered 
  Serpent to be the first of a trio of interconnected 
  modules, but with each also standing on its own, 
  playable as an individual adventure. SotFS is 
  also aimed at new players, an introductory 
  module for characters of Levels 1 through 3. 
  
   
  7
  Q: As a veteran gamer, I'm sure you've got a lot 
  of favorite adventure modules.  Could you name 
  a few and say why you think they were good 
  adventures? 
  A: I think the answer might surprise you. I used to 
  buy piles of modules just to read through them 
  (and maybe crib an idea here and there), but I 
  didn't play them as printed very often. I just read 
  them like they were adventure stories, the way 
  people would read a novel or an old pulp 
  magazine. Consequently, I was never big on the 
  old AD&D modules; they usually just weren't very 
  interesting and seemed sort of random or “thrown 
  together”.  
       That said, as far as “old school” goes, I always 
  enjoyed the modules for 1st Edition Gamma 
  World and Top Secret (the original Rasmussen 
  game, not that dreadful remake TSR published a 
  few years later), as well as the modules 
  Chaosium published for 1st Edition Call of 
  Cthulhu back in the mid-1980's. They were fun, 
  entertaining reads, and a goldmine of ideas for 
  my own adventures. My top all-time very favorite 
  modules, though, were the ones published by 
  GDW for Frank Chadwick's Space:1889 game in 
  the late 1980's – a game which, for my money, 
  had the best accessible background for any RPG 
  ever (the Tekumel games had a great 
  background, but who's going to remember all of 
  that tangled Byzantine esoterica and have a 
  prayer of running a successful game using it?). 
  Everything published for Space:1889 was an 
  absolute joy; the modules were great fun to read 
  and very well-crafted, much like a good 
  adventure novel. And Conklin's Atlas of the 
  Worlds, with its detailed maps of Mars and 
  Venus, was a total treasure – the best RPG “world 
  book” I ever saw. 
       My criteria for what makes a good module 
  were (and are) as follows: a) Does it give me 
  good ideas to crib for my own games if I decide 
  not to run it as written? b) Does it contain extra 
  characters, creatures, treasures, or rules that 
  don't appear in the core rules (and which I can 
  use for my own game)? and/or c) Is it at least an 
  entertaining read? And, if a game takes place in a 
  specific setting, I'd add: d) Does the game 
  contain maps and useful information which 
  expand on the game setting? Most of those 
  Space:1889 modules hit it cleanly out of the park 
  on all four counts. 
  Q: Unlike most superhero RPGs out there, H&H 
  is about simulating a very specific window of the 
  history of comic books, with a dash of pulp novels 
  thrown in.  What do you like to read, and how did 
  it influence your module design? 
  A: Wow...that's a really interesting question. 
  Tough to answer, too. I've been a huge fan of 
  retro adventures in that 1930 to 1945/46 window 
  for literally decades now and it's hard to narrow it 
  down to just a few influences – it's all been pretty 
  influential. I collect film serials from that era; I'm a 
  big fan of the Buster Crabbe Flash Gordon stuff 
  and a wonderfully goofy Gene Autry sci-fi/western 
  serial called The Phantom Empire. As far as the 
  pulps go, I love the Doc Savage books and, to a 
  lesser extent, The Spider (which is sometimes 
  horrifyingly violent, even by today's jaded 
  standards). The Avenger, Richard Benson, is 
  another really cool pulp character (though most of 
  the paperback “reprints” of his adventures were 
  actually written in the 1970's by Ron Goulart). 
  The greatest of the pulp writers, Robert E. 
  Howard, was absolutely the biggest single 
  influence on me as a writer (from the first time I 
  read  Tigers of the Sea in the Zebra paperback 
  edition back in the Seventies all I've ever wanted 
  to be is a writer), and REH's El Borak desert 
  adventures are great source material for H&H. 
       Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon newspaper 
  strip from the 1930's is one of the best examples 
  of graphic storytelling I've ever seen, plus it's just 
  a whole lot of fun to read. Back in the 1980's I 
  was an avid fan of Roy Thomas' great retro All-
  Star Squadron comic series for DC, which I think 
  is the best superhero comic book ever published; 
  Roy set it during WWII on an alternate Earth, and 
  DC let him use pretty near every character they'd 
  published during the Forties.  
       More recently I've been a follower of Marvel's 
  Mystery Men miniseries (which I highly 
  recommend, as it expands the Marvel Universe 
  back into the 1930's and does the pulp genre 
  right) and Dynamite's Project: Superpowers 
  (which has, unfortunately, been on hiatus for 
  nearly two years now). Speaking of Dynamite, 
  their current series Flash Gordon: Zeitgeist is 
  positively amazing. Oh! And I can't leave out The 
  Shadow and The Green Hornet radio shows! 
       As far as other “retro” stuff goes, I have to 
  mention Tales of the Gold Monkey, Raiders of the 
  Lost Ark, and the coolest, most thrilling 1930's 
  adventure movie most readers will have never 
  heard of – a great Korean film called The Good, 
  The Bad, The Weird, which I highly recommend, 
  especially for folks who are sick of the current 
  crop of endless Hollywood retreads. Somewhere 
  on down the road, I want to write an H&H module 
  in the vein of The Good, The Bad, The Weird, 
  and try to make it a really swell rip-roarin' cracker 
  of an adventure, just like the movie -- I might do 
  that Mount Rushmore laser cannon thing I wrote 
  about in another issue of The Trophy Case, with 
  a battle on a moving train as a major scene in the 
  adventure.  
       But, honestly, I think the most influential 
  source material (aside from the adventure pulps) 
  are the Golden Age comics on which H&H is 
  based, many of which are in the public domain 
  and can easily (and legally!) be found on the 
  Internet. Blackhawk, who was a monster seller 
  
   
  8
  back in the 1940's -- he moved an insane number 
  of books, (I think) second only to Captain Marvel -
  - is my favorite aviator, followed closely by Steve 
  Canyon (though he's actually a post-war 
  character, his adventures still have that Golden 
  Age feel). Somebody recently turned me on to 
  The Grim Reaper and I was amazed at how well-
  crafted some of those adventures are – I wrote a 
  long blog post dissecting one to demonstrate its 
  nuanced construction, and received a really nice 
  compliment about that piece from one of the 2000 
  A.D. comic book writers. My favorite public 
  domain superhero/mystery man characters are 
  mostly from the Lev Gleason comics (Silver 
  Streak, the original Daredevil, 13, Bronze Terror, 
  The Claw, and the lovely Pat Patriot) – I really 
  love the legendary Daredevil Battles Hitler comic, 
  and a couple of parts of it definitely influenced 
  Sons of the Feathered Serpent. If I had to pick 
  the single biggest influence on this particular 
  module (as well as on my personal H&H 
  campaign) though, it would have to be Will 
  Eisner's The Spirit, which combines the very best 
  of both worlds: the pulps and Golden Age 
  superhero comic books; The Spirit's been a direct 
  influence on everything I've done with H&H so 
  far. 
       But, you know, if you ask me again tomorrow, I 
  could probably point to twenty or thirty other 
  influences. I've been immersing myself in the 
  pulps and Golden Age comics for a really 
  loooooooong time. [laughs] 
  Q: I understand your boys are your playtesters.  
  Are they good H&H players?  What type of 
  players would do well at this adventure? 
  A: Oh, sure, get me in trouble with my sons! 
  They're good H&H players, especially when you 
  consider that the other “supers” RPGs we've 
  played encourage a different dynamic than the 
  “feel” H&H presents. Sam's a big fan of The 
  Justice Society of America and Project: 
  Superpowers comics and Cody really loves 
  movies like The Shadow, The Phantom, and 
  Raiders, so the boys have a pretty good grasp of 
  the period's “groove”, especially for never having 
  read any 1940's comics themselves. My biggest 
  challenge as their Editor is to paint a decent word 
  picture of their surroundings to tip them not to 
  mess with a certain hoodlum, creature, or 
  situation, without my actually just coming out and 
  saying it, because their first impulse as players is 
  usually to say “Let's go get 'em!” and then charge 
  in like the Golden Age Atom, fists flying. 
       I think any player with just a moderate amount 
  of RPG experience (especially with old school 
  dungeon crawls) would do well tackling this 
  module, as long as they go in with their eyes and 
  ears open, and exercise a reasonable amount of 
  prudence. Just do the common sense things: 
  listen at doors, look for traps, seek cover if 
  somebody's brandishing a huge glowing raygun 
  or if you encounter any creature big enough to 
  eat your head, skirt around dangers whenever 
  possible instead of hitting every single one of 
  them head-on. Indiana Jones didn't try to fight 
  every last German soldier at Tanis; even Doc 
  Savage does more sneaking around than fighting 
  when the odds are against him. I know that 
  beating creatures and hoodlums racks up 
  experience points, but you'll need to pick your 
  battles. Use your head and you should be OK. 
  Q: How deadly is this adventure?  In a worst-case 
  scenario, how quickly can the Heroes be pushing 
  daisies? 
  A: One of the things I really hated about some of 
  those old TSR modules was the “Whoops, you're 
  dead!” effect which was the trademark of a lot of 
  them; conversely, old school fantasy modules by 
  “third party” publishers could be real “Monty Haul” 
  affairs. The biggest challenge a gamemaster 
  (DM, Editor, Grand Poobah of the Spaceways, 
  whatever term a game uses for the person 
  running it) faces is to properly balance risk and 
  reward; that was always the toughest part of 
  designing adventures when I was running weekly 
  games (sometimes two of them) back in the day.  
       Sons of the Feathered Serpent is no 
  exception, and the toughest part of designing it is 
  trying to combine a plot (without which the 
  adventure would be just a bunch of randomly 
  thrown-together encounters) with thematic 
  opponents (some of which are brand new to 
  Hideouts & Hoodlums), while making the 
  challenges interesting but not “insta-lethal”. It's 
  intended as in introductory adventure but, let's 
  face it, new characters can always be killed pretty 
  quickly in RPGs. I remember playing “off the cuff” 
  AD&D games using the random tables in the 
  back of the 1e Dungeonmaster Guide years ago, 
  and four fire beetles (which aren't that tough) 
  could easily cripple or destroy a six player party 
  of Level 1 characters if the dice went wrong. 
  That's why we “house rule” a few things in our 
  Hideouts & Hoodlums games: we use the “0 H.P. 
  = unconscious; -10 H.P. = dead” variant, we allow 
  all characters to have max H.P. for the first three 
  levels (instead of rolling randomly for hit points), 
  all weapons do either 1d4 or 1d6 damage, and 
  we use the liberal “first aid kit” house rules I 
  suggested in a previous issue of The Trophy 
  Case. It's dangerous in a hideout because your 
  characters are very outnumbered – there's a lot of 
  crazy stuff down there, and danged little of it is 
  friendly! I'm always one to err on the side of 
  preserving the player characters, because you 
  have to bear in mind that even just a gaggle of 
  half-pints with slingshots can be a handful for 
  Level One player characters. 
       My guess is that an Editor's personal gaming 
  style will make all the difference. Sons of the 
  Feathered Serpent could turn out to be really 
  easy, well balanced, or a complete bloodbath 
  
   
  9
  depending on the generosity (or bloodthirstiness) 
  of the group's Editor. I don't want to reveal too 
  much, but I'll tell you that Sons of the Feathered 
  Serpent involves multiple Villains, a deathtrap or 
  three, some very strange creatures, and at least 
  one menace on the first level that will very likely 
  croak first-level player characters deader than 
  Julius Caesar if the players decide to go toe-to-
  toe with it instead of retreating and waiting until 
  they gain some more experience points (and 
  maybe find a few of the goodies which are 
  stashed around the hideout). That was a 
  deliberate choice on my part; I didn't want it to be 
  a “Oh, we're still on Level One, so this thing'll be 
  cake to beat!” kind of module. 
       There is a storyline to SotFS; it's not at all 
  random (except for one specific encounter which 
  makes no sense whatsoever, but which I tossed it 
  anyway because the idea cracked me up). 
  Characters won't be required to tackle the hideout 
  immediately; there are some chances to pick up 
  contacts and supporting characters first if the 
  players initially go that route. But unless the 
  players are very clever, they'll never figure out the 
  underlying plot without going into the hideout 
  (probably repeatedly) until they ferret out the 
  clues (and this may well require a “villain 
  monologue” even after the hard evidence is 
  found, because the evil scheme is pretty twisted). 
       And the sequel to Sons of the Feathered 
  Serpent will be even more demented; Charles 
  Biro would love it. 
  Q: Okay, so someone buys this module (which 
  will be available for sale at DriveThruRPG as 
  soon as it's ready), reads it, and goes, "Wow, this 
  guy is great!  I need to find more of his stuff!"  
  What would you hope he goes out and buys next 
  of yours? 
  A: I hope that Sons of the Feathered Serpent will 
  be a lot of fun to read and play, and that H&H 
  players will want to see (and come back for!) the 
  next two adventures in the trilogy. I also have a 
  couple of other standalone adventures kicking 
  around in my head (one of which is very “magic 
  oriented” and is based on local folklore from the 
  area where I grew up). We've also discussed the 
  possibility of some novels based on H&H, and I'd 
  love to write some fiction which explores the time 
  period from about 1936 through around 1940 
  when the “old school” pulp-style men of mystery 
  were being gradually displaced by the new 
  generation of “longjohn heroes”. Although the war 
  era is what most people think of when someone 
  mentions “Golden Age comics”, I think the 
  interaction of the old “hat and cloak” guys with the 
  colorful caped newcomers would make for some 
  compelling adventures, and I hope to be able to 
  spin some of those yarns for H&H players, as well 
  as for pulp and comics fans in general. 
       Thanks for giving me the chance to yammer, 
  Scott! I hope I didn't chew your ear off too much! 
   
  The Scientist Class 
  Getting the Formula Right 
  By Scott Casper 
       As you may have already picked up from the 
  opening column, the Scientist debuted in 
  SUPPLEMENT III.  A fully playable Scientist 
  class, though, will need more than just enhanced 
  inventing skills.  Which is where the following 
  recommended additions come in. 
  Find/remove traps:  The Scientist is particularly 
  adept at recognizing any mechanical or electrical 
  trap and figuring out how to disable it.  Some 
  obvious requirements are that the Scientist have 
  light to see and be able to physically touch at 
  least part of the trap.  Depending on the nature of 
  the trap, the Scientist may or may not require 
  tools to remove/disable it, at the Editor’s 
  discretion.  This skill will take 1d10+10 minutes – 
  1 minute/level of the Scientist.   
       Optionally, a Scientist can use the same 
  mechanic to set up an electrical or mechanical 
  trap, though it will require twice as much time 
  and, obviously, will require all the physical 
  materials required for the given trap.  As a rule of 
  thumb, expect the cost of materials to equal $100 
  + an additional $100 per 1d6 of damage the trap 
  does.   
  Level 
  Find/Remove Traps 
  1 
  1 in 10 
  2 
  3 in 20 
  3 
  2 in 10 
  4 
  3 in 10 
  5 
  7 in 20 
  6 
  4 in 10 
  7 
  2 in 4 
  8 
  6 in 10 
  9 
  7 in 10 
  10 
  8 in 10  
  11 
  9 in 10 
  12 
  19 in 20 
  13+ 
  Automatic 
  Powers:  To a lesser extent than Superheroes, 
  Scientists have access to the same powers.  
  Some powers can be explained away by scientific 
  induction (like Detect Evil) or a combination of 
  skill and experience (Change Self), but anything 
  else is the result of a one-shot invention the 
  Scientist just happens to have on him.   
  Level 
  Power Level 
   
  1 
  2 
  3 
  4 
  1-2 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  3-4 
  1 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  5-6 
  1 
  1 
  - 
  - 
  7 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  - 
  
   
  10 
  8 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  9 
  2 
  2 
  2 
  1 
  10 
  3  
  2 
  2 
  2 
  11 
  3 
  3 
  3 
  2 
  12+ 
  3  
  3 
  3 
  3 
  The Supplement IV Primaries: 
  Who Are These Characters  
  Ahead in the Polls? 
       If you’re a member of the H&H Fan Club on 
  Yahoo!Groups (and if you’re reading this, then 
  why wouldn’t you be?), then you probably already 
  know that I have been letting a series of polls 
  help decide which characters will be statted in the 
  upcoming SUPPLEMENT IV.  Perhaps you’ve 
  already seen the polls.  Perhaps you’ve already 
  asked yourself, “Who??” about some of 
  admittedly obscure characters I’ve asked you to 
  choose between.  Below, then, is a brief 
  introduction to each of the characters that has 
  already received at least one vote. 
  Amazing-Man/Green Mist.  A boy is raised by 
  lamas in Tibet to be a perfect physical and mental 
  specimen so he can go out in the world and right 
  wrongs.  Called him John Aman, the lamas seem 
  to have succeeded beyond their expectations, as 
  Amazing-Man’s strength soon turns out to be 
  superhuman.   
       One lama who was also a scientist gave John 
  a chemical that allows him to turn invisible, but 
  releases a cloud of green mist.  Hence, Amazing-
  Man is sometimes known as The Green Mist. 
  Arrow.  Ralph Payne works for U.S. military 
  intelligence, but that’s only his day job.  His 
  nighttime hobby is to dress all in red, carry a bow 
  and arrow, and dispense vigilante justice on 
  criminals.   
       The Arrow was the first archer in comics. 
  Batman.  Bruce Wayne’s parents are killed in 
  front of him as a boy.  He vows to spend his life 
  fighting crime, hones himself to perfection, and 
  then is inspired to terrify criminals with a bat-
  themed costume by a bat flying through his open 
  window.  Soon, he is joined by his sidekick, Robin 
  the Boy Wonder. 
       Batman, is one of only three superhero 
  characters to have an unbroken publication 
  history from the Golden Age to the present.  
  Though wildly popular today on television, 
  movies, and merchandizing, Batman’s popularity 
  has waxed and waned over the decades, to the 
  point where it was nearly cancelled in the mid-
  60s. 
  “Biff” Bannon of the United States Marines.  Biff is 
  a tough-as-nails – and not overly smart -- marine 
  stationed in China.  When his orders include 
  death-defying odds, he just smiles because he 
  knows he’s gonna get to start punching people 
  soon. 
  Tom Beatty, the Ace of the Service.  Tom is a 
  cop, working closely with the D.A., in an ongoing 
  investigation of a masked criminal called The 
  Gorgon. 
  Black Owl/K the Unknown.  Doug Danville is a 
  bored playboy who decides to fight crime under 
  the code name of K the Unknown, but then starts 
  wearing an owl mask with a tuxedo and calling 
  himself Black Owl.  
  Black X/Black Ace.  Richard Spenser is a suave, 
  debonair super-spy who faked his own death to 
  work for U.S. military intelligence and now circles 
  the globe on various missions, usually aided by 
  his Indian fakir manservant, Batu. 
  Blue Beetle.  Rookie beat cop Dan Garret fought 
  crime on the side as the Blue Beetle.  His 
  costume went through many changes, soon 
  settling on a bulletproof suit of chainmail.  After 
  fighting crime for a year with just his protective 
  suit and a wireless phone, his chemist friend Dr. 
  Franz starts whipping him up a vitamin formula 
  called 2-X that grants him super-strength. 
  Blue Streak.  A mystery man with great strength 
  and intelligence, foe of dictators and defender of 
  science and, specifically, inventors who he 
  squirrels away in his mountain stronghold for their 
  own protection.  He has an Asian chauffeur 
  named Tago. 
  “Slam” Bradley.  A tough-as-nails private 
  investigator, originally from Cleveland, who likes 
  to work for dames but prefers the company of his 
  sidekick “Shorty” Morgan. 
  King Carter.  Explorer, adventurer, and 
  mercenary, Carter is aided by his pilot friend Red 
  Rogers. 
  Captain Cook of Scotland Yard.  A gentleman 
  detective, but a scrapper when the need arises, 
  Cook is a master mystery-solver. 
  Clock.  Brian O’Brien, a wealthy playboy and 
  former district attorney, decided to take more 
  
   
  11 
  drastic measures against crime as a masked 
  vigilante.   
       The Clock is recognized as a transition figure 
  between the pulp heroes and the superhero 
  genre. 
  “Congo” Bill.  A jungle explorer in Africa and, 
  perhaps, most obvious of the Jungle Jim clones.   
  Crimson Avenger.  Wealthy playboy Lee Travis 
  moonlights as a masked vigilante in a red coat 
  and matching Fedora and mask, alongside his 
  Asian sidekick and chaffeur, “Wing”.   
  D-13, Secret Agent.  Captain Richard Anthony, 
  with the spy name D-13, is adept at blending in 
  wherever he goes and is not afraid to strip down 
  to his skivvies in order to swim out to enemy 
  ships.    
  Daredevil.  Bart Hill was rendered mute by the 
  trauma of his father’s murder as a child.  He grew 
  up, mastered the boomerang, and vows to use it 
  as a weapon against criminals. The month after 
  his debut, his voice comes back.  He is best 
  known for his enemies, the Claw and Hitler 
  himself.    
  Rex Darrell, the Flying Fox.  “Air adventurer and 
  sky sleuth”, the Flying Fox wears WWI-era flying 
  gear and pilots the Dawn Streak with his co-pilot, 
  “Buzz” Blair. 
  Tom Dawson, the Seascout.  A rugged explorer.   
  Dean Denton, the Scientific Detective.  An ex-
  radio ventriloquist and now scientific advisor to 
  the FBI, Dean thwarts master criminals with the 
  help of his friend Carol Kane and his Negro 
  manservant, Absalom. 
  Dollman.  Chemist Darrel Dane invented a 
  formula that would allow him to shrink to six 
  inches tall and back.  Regardless of size, he was 
  soon fighting bad guys. 
  Face.  Radio announcer Tony Trent is too well-
  known to fight crime as himself, so he wears a 
  hideous mask instead. 
  Dr. Fate.  Kent Nelson, the son of an 
  archaeologist, found the mystical Helm of Nabu 
  while exploring a wizard’s tomb – in the 17th 
  century.  Dr. Fate spent the next 300 years 
  studying magic until ready to fight evil in the world 
  as a powerful wizard. 
       Dr. Fate was a founding member of the Justice 
  Society of America. 
  “Daredevil” Barry Finn.  This global explorer and 
  his young friend Tommy Grey foil the schemes of 
  a mad scientist, his daughter, and the Axis forces 
  with the help of a good scientist and his pretty 
  daughter, as well as the mad scientist’s rogue 
  android merman, Frogga. 
  Flame.  Gary Preston was an orphan raised by 
  lamas in Tibet who taught him how to control fire 
  and teleport through fire.  Coming to the U.S. as 
  the Flame, he used his powers to fight crime 
  alongside his girlfriend sidekick, Linda. 
  Jerry Frost the Seascout.  A young sailor who 
  learns about life as a mariner while solving a 
  mystery about his uncle. 
  Green Mask.  Private detective Michael Shelby 
  decides to fight crime on the side while wearing a 
  green mask and cape.  He has a boy sidekick 
  named Domino.  He gains superpowers after 
  being exposed to a vita-ray. 
  Hooded Justice/Invisible Justice/Invisible Hood.  
  Known by a variety of names, but seldom seen, 
  Hooded Justice is Kent Thurston, a man with a 
  chemically treated cloak that makes him unseen 
  when he wears it. 
  Hugh Hazard and his Iron Man, Bozo the Robot.  
  Hugh is probably one of the smartest guys in 
  comic books.  When a mad scientist invents a 
  deadly (but funny-looking) robot, Hugh – instead 
  of destroying it -- defeats the scientist and keeps 
  the robot for himself. 
  Human Torch.  Professor Horton builds the first 
  synthetic human.  But his prototype has a flaw – 
  air makes it combust into flames.  The Human 
  Torch learns to control his flame just in time to 
  learn about criminals and – what he considers 
  equally bad – Horton wishing to exploit him for 
  money.  The Torch decides to live on his own like 
  a real human and use his powers for good. 
  Ibis the Invincible.  Prince Amentep of Egypt was 
  overthrown by the Black Pharaoh, who served the 
  evil god Set.  The god Thoth appeared to 
  Amentep and gave him the Ibistick, a vastly 
  powerful wand, as a sort of consolation prize.  But 
  when the Black Pharoah had Amentep’s 
  princess, Taia, poisoned, Ibis placed both himself 
  and her in suspended animation for 4,000 years 
  until Taia healed.  Reviving in 1940 and now 
  calling himself only Ibis – the name his thought-to-
  be mummified remains were known as – Ibis 
  learns to fight modern-day crime.    
  Ka-Zar.  Three-year old David Rand and his 
  father John were the sole survivors of a plane 
  crash in the Congo that unhinged John’s mind.  
  Raised as much by lions as by his father, David 
  would grow up to fight killers, poachers, and 
  Nazis. 
  Ka-Zar’s comic book origin was adapted directly 
  from his pulp novel origins. 
  John Law the Scientective.  Lawyer, scientist, 
  criminologist, and consulting detective, John Law 
  wages a running battle against the criminal 
  mastermind, the Avenger, after taking on his first 
  client, June Carter. 
  
   
  12 
  Madame Fatal.  Richard Stanton is a playboy 
  who, instead of dressing up in a scary costume to 
  fight crime, disguises himself as an old lady.   
  Masked Marvel.  The costumed mysteryman, 
  along with three operatives known only as ZL, 
  ZR, and ZY, use advanced science and the near-
  limitless resources to have a domed mountaintop 
  lair to wage their war on crime. 
  Masked Pilot.  Actually a famous but never- 
  named aviator, he is a master of disguise and 
  always conceals his identity, except maybe from 
  his sidekick, Tom. 
  Bob Merritt.  Gentleman adventurer, aviator, and 
  inventor. 
  Miniature Man.  Also known as Super-Midget and 
  Mini-Midget, this never-named man and his 
  girlfriend “Ritty” are both permanently shrank 
  down to 6” in height by a mad scientist and, for 
  lack of other gainful employment at that height, 
  become adventurers. 
  Moth.  A true mystery; all we ever learned about 
  the man called the Moth is that big orange moth 
  wings can unfold from his back and he can fly. 
  Dr. Mystic/Occult.  Whether he’s going by Mystic 
  or Occult, both are probably pseudonyms 
  masking his true name. Regardless, he is a 
  powerful sorcerer able to perceive the 
  supernatural all around us and combat it, whether 
  it takes the form of cultists, werewolves, or 
  vampires. 
  Nadir, Master of Magic.  An Indian prince 
  dedicated to fighting crime because of the death 
  of his parents (assumedly at the hands of 
  criminals).  Nadir is aided by his magic ring, 
  crystal ball, and his manservant, Arcot, but is just 
  as comfortable solving his problems without his 
  unreliable magic. 
  Samson.  Sam is a young man, just recently in 
  college, and direct descendent of the Biblical 
  Samson.  The Biblical Samson’s superhuman 
  strength is inheritable, yet apparently a 
  submissive trait skipped in every generation until 
  Sam.  Sam has a kid sidekick named David. 
  Sandman.  Wesley Dodds is a scientist and 
  business, living comfortably off his chemical 
  patents, who decides to wear a weird mask and a 
  green suit and cape and fight crime while 
  wielding a sleeping gas gun and, later, a grapple 
  line-firing gun. 
       Sandman was a founding member of the 
  Justice Society of America. 
  Sandra of the Secret Service.  An unusually 
  tough (for these times) female agent who can 
  fight, disguise herself, and outsmart criminal 
  masterminds. 
  “Speed” Saunders.  Cyril “Speed” Saunders is a 
  special operative of the FBI, River Patrol Division.  
  Though a gentleman, “Speed” can blend in well 
  with tough mariners. 
  Doc Savage.  Dr. Clark Savage, Jr. was raised to 
  be a perfect physical specimen in a remote 
  environment.  Upon coming to the U.S. as an 
  adult, he teamed up with various experts in their 
  fields with an adventurous bent of mind and went 
  into business with them – publicly as a trading 
  company (not that he needs the money; he’s a 
  fabulous inventor and has been bequeathed all 
  the resources of a tiny jungle kingdom), but also 
  as adventurers for hire.   
       Doc, also known as the “Man of Bronze”, has 
  been a successful pulp novel character since 
  1933.  He transferred to the comic books in 1940 
  with less success, even though he gained a 
  mystical gem in Tibet that gave him superpowers.   
  Sheena, Queen of the Jungle.  While still the 
  young daughter of famous explorer Cardwell 
  Rivington, Sheena was on safari when a witch 
  doctor named Koba accidentally killed her father.  
  Koba then raised Sheena as his own daughter, 
  teaching her great empathy with animals, as well 
  as mastery of primitive weapons.  
  Skyman.  Allen Turner is a scientist, athlete, and 
  master aviator who used a fortune inherited from 
  his uncle to build machines like his giant, 
  magnetically-powered plane, from which he 
  descends to right wrongs. 
  Spectre.  Jim Corrigan is killed by mobsters.  
  Instead of being the end of the story, he is 
  brought back by a disembodied voice that 
  endows him with seemingly limitless magical 
  power. 
       The Spectre was a founding member of the 
  Justice Society of America. 
  Sub-Mariner.  The Antarctic kingdom of Aquaria 
  was almost destroyed when human ships 
  unknowingly used depth charges on the icebergs 
  in which they made their homes.  Though the 
  mermen of Aquaria look like green catfish-people, 
  the mermaids look like elfin women.  Sent to spy 
  on the humans, Princess Fen fell in love with a 
  ship captain and Namor, the Sub-Mariner, was 
  the product of their love.   
       Twenty years later, a young Namor 
  encounters humans for the first time and 
  accidentally murders them.  Namor’s moods are 
  mercurial and he alternates between trying to 
  befriend humans and help them and getting mad 
  at them for not understanding him and trying to 
  destroy them all.   
       The Sub-Mariner was the first merman 
  character, the first mutant character, and the first 
  anti-hero in comic books. 
  
   
  13 
  Superman.  Come from the doomed planet of 
  Krypton in a rocket as a baby, the boy who would 
  grow up to be Superman would also grow up 
  hiding his great powers by pretending to be a 
  mid-mannered reporter named Clark Kent in 
  Cleveland, Ohio, and then later “Metropolis”, 
  likely meant to be New York City.  The concept of 
  superhero as romantic rival for his own alter ego 
  was first introduced here, with reporter Lois Lane 
  completing the triangle.     
       Wildly successful in comic books, radio, 
  merchandizing, and later television and movies, 
  Superman was the first superhero of the 
  superhero genre (though there were superhero-
  like characters earlier) and one of three 
  superheroes to be published unbroken from the 
  Golden Age to the present. 
  Tex Thompson/Mr. America. Tex is a rich oil 
  baron who spent his money traveling the world 
  and having adventures beside his manservant 
  Gargantua Potts and his comical sidekick, Bob 
  Daley.  Only after being almost killed by Nazis at 
  sea does Tex decide to become a patriotic 
  mysteryman, dubbing himself Mr. America and 
  fighting with a whip. 
  Johnny Thunder.  By virtue of being the seventh 
  son of a seventh son, born at 7 a.m. on the 
  seventh day of the seventh month as it fell on the 
  seventh day of the week, Johnny was 
  bequeathed a Badhnesian Thunderbolt, a genie-
  like being from another dimension.  Being pretty 
  thick, it takes Johnny awhile to every realize his 
  wishes come true. 
       Johnny was a member of the Justice Society 
  of America. 
  Wiley of West Point.  Not a hero, per se, but a 
  light-hearted character in the boy cadet genre.   
       Wiley was a comic strip before being 
  repackaged as a comic book feature. 
  Woman in Red.  Policewoman Peggy Allen 
  decides to continue fighting crime in her spare 
  time, but dressed in a long red coat and matching 
  hood and mask. 
       The Woman in Red was the first female 
  costumed character in comic books.   
  Wonder Man.  Fred Carson was just touring Tibet 
  when a monk gave him a magic ring that 
  bestowed him with superpowers.  He returned 
  home to the U.S. to fight crime. 
       Wonder Man was the first character sued out 
  of existence for plagiarizing Superman. 
  Yarko the Great.  One of the great comic book 
  wizards, Yarko is a turbaned, tuxedoed 
  gentleman who matches wits, not with criminals, 
  but with the Devil and Death Personified.   
  Zanzibar the Magician.  As comfortable in a 
  tuxedo and fez as he is shirtless and in fisticuffs, 
  Zanzibar is, like Nadir, a cross-over character 
  who is both Fighter and Magic-User.    
  Zatara.  A tuxedoed stage magician, and perhaps 
  most obvious of the Mandrake the Magician 
  clones, who also works real magic by saying 
  words backwards.  Zatara is aided by an Indian 
  bodyguard named Tong.   
   
  Expanding the Mysteryman Class 
  Because Sneaky Doesn’t Always Work 
  By Scott Casper 
       The special abilities of the Mysteryman class, 
  while often indispensable at lower levels, tend to 
  be easily eclipsed by the special abilities of the 
  other classes at higher levels.  This has always 
  been a weakness of a similar class in a similar 
  game as well.  The solutions seem to be to 
  redesign the class so that special abilities become 
  more powerful at higher level, or assign the class 
  new special abilities at higher level. 
       A slight variation on that second option 
  presents itself in the pages of the comic books 
  themselves.  Mysterymen, often, start to cross-
  over into other genres.  The Clock starts to display 
  powers, like hypnosis.  The Batman becomes an 
  even better fighter.  The Shadow (on radio) gains 
  the magic-like ability to cloud men’s minds.   
       When a Mysteryman reaches 7th level, he can 
  choose another class path from Fighter, Magic-
  User, Superhero, or (if used) Aviator.  At that level, 
  he can gain one special ability from that class in 
  exchange for each Mysteryman special ability he 
  gives up – but can only utilize them as if a 1st level 
  Hero.  There are two exceptions, that the 
  Mysteryman can never trade for counterspell or 
  wreck things.   
       As the Mysteryman advances to 8th level and 
  each subsequent level, his second class abilities 
  advance to 2nd level and so on.  So, a 9th level 
  Mysteryman with a second class path in Fighter 
  would be a 3rd level combat machine.  A 10th level 
  
   
  14 
  Mysteryman with a second class path in 
  Superhero would have 2 1st level powers and 1 2nd 
  level power per day.      
       It is also recommended that the Mysteryman 
  class be given the disguise ability of the Villain 
  class, but as if two levels lower.    
       Hopefully this will make high-level Mysterymen 
  more fun at higher levels.  Give it a try and let me 
  know! 
        
  Reuter Mansion Part 3 
  A Fanfiction Continued 
  Continued from 
  http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4668538/1/Hideouts_Ho
  odlums_Reuter_Mansion: 
   
  The first expedition into the hideout under Reuter 
  Mansion had ended abruptly with the rescue of 
  two gangsters’ molls found chained up near the 
  entrance.  Two days had passed since then. 
   
  In his room at the seven-story Spaulding Hotel in 
  downtown Duluth, the man known as John Aman 
  straightened his tie.  He did not normally wear 
  suits, but was not opposed to doing so, especially 
  when he was expecting company. 
   
  The window opened and a blue-hooded face 
  peered inside.  “Amazing-Man,” was all the Arrow 
  said as he climbed in. 
   
  “Thank goodness I chose a room on the third floor 
  and not the top floor,” John Aman, the Amazing 
  Man joked, “given the predilection of my new 
  comrades-at-arms towards theatrics.” 
   
  “Theatrics?” Zanzibar the Magician asked, 
  appearing in the room by a doorway in a cloud of 
  smoke.  “You wound us, good sir.” 
   
  “Are we it?” the giant of a man known as the Arrow 
  asked as he rose to his full height in the room. 
   
  Amazing-Man nodded.  “The others are following 
  leads here in town that Imogene and Lizzie gave 
  them.  I believe they’re breaking up a gambling 
  den tonight in our ongoing campaign against the 
  Lars Erikson mob.” 
   
  “And we aren’t there because…?” Zanzibar asked. 
   
  “They don’t need us,” Amazing-Man answered.  
  “And I think the two of you share my curiosity 
  about the Reuter Mansion hideout.  You recall that 
  door we never checked at the rear of the cell 
  where we found those girls?  I’ve been wondering 
  about that.  Lizzie said they were warned never to 
  go through there.  Just the act of chaining people 
  there seems to have been intended as a deterrent.  
  The more I think about it, the more I want to see 
  what was behind that door.” 
   
  “Agreed,” the Arrow said. 
   
  “Well, gentlemen, I have no prior engagements for 
  this evening,” Zanzibar.  “Shall we make a road 
  trip out to Reuter Mansion?” 
   
  Zanzibar drove, with Amazing-Man riding shotgun 
  and the Arrow in the back seat.  The headlights of 
  the sleek roadster cut through the black night of 
  rural Minnesota, just as the road they used cut 
  through the thick coniferous forests that 
  surrounded Duluth.  The grounds of the mansion 
  appeared untouched since their last visit and even 
  the open gates over the driveway seemed to hang 
  ajar at just the same angles.  They drove straight 
  up to the main entrance and the car screeched to 
  a stop.   
   
  “John!” Zanzibar called over to Amazing-Man as 
  they emerged from the car and gathered between 
  it and the front door.  Zanzibar held two flashlights 
  and tossed one to Amazing-Man.  “What about 
  you, Arrow?  A light?” 
   
  The Arrow dismissed the offer with a wave of his 
  hand and strung his bow.   
   
  The way down through the concealed door in the 
  closet was unblocked.  The stairwell down into the 
  basement hideout was unguarded.  The entry 
  chamber was empty and silent. 
   
  “Do you suppose the mobsters have all fled?” 
  Zanzibar asked. 
   
  “Or hiding,” the Arrow suggested. 
   
  “Or just deeper in this maze than we've been,” 
  Amazing-Man chimed in.  “Come on.” 
   
  It was much quicker navigating the maze of 
  corridors this time.  Indeed, knowing where they 
  were going, they were able to eliminate many side 
  passages and just travel straight most of the way 
  to the room with the door where they had left off.   
   
  “It's locked,” Zanzibar said, trying the handle. 
   
  “One side,” Amazing-Man said.  He rammed the 
  door with his shoulder and the lock – and part of 
  the door – broke.   
   
  “Why am I not surprised?” Zanzibar said 
  sarcastically as they found another corridor on the 
  other side. 
   
  “Wait,” Amazing-Man said.  He took one step 
  through the door.  “Smell the air.  It's different in 
  here.  Staler.  This door has not been opened in 
  
   
  15 
  quite awhile.” 
   
  “One step closer to finding the Treasure of Reuter 
  Mansion?” Zanzibar asked. 
   
  “Keep moving and we'll see,” the Arrow said as he 
  notched an arrow to his bow. 
   
  The new corridor was dusty.  It soon turned a 
  corner to the right and continued on past another 
  door on the right.  Amazing-Man stopped at the 
  door and listened to it.  Hearing nothing he tried 
  the handle and found it unlocked.  Glancing at the 
  others first to see if either of them disapproved, he 
  pushed it open. 
   
  Inside was a large room.  One of their flashlight 
  beams landed on a light fixture in the far wall.  
  When they lowered their flashlights, they fell on 
  four simple, wooden coffins lined up in the center 
  of the room.  It was otherwise empty. 
   
  Zanzibar felt for a light switch around the corner 
  and found one, bathing the room in more electric 
  glow.  Amazing-Man stepped inside for a closer 
  look at the coffins.  The Arrow stayed in the 
  hallway, listening for sounds. 
   
  “I thought this place reminded me of catacombs,” 
  Zanzibar said.  “And this is where the bodies are 
  kept.” 
   
  “But who's?” Amazing-Man asked.  “Some victims 
  of Lars Erikson's?  Or are these coffins older?  
  Perhaps some victims of Tyrone Reuter himself, 
  the original mobster who owned this place?  There 
  are no markings on the coffins.  What if they are 
  being used to store something else…?” 
   
  The Arrow walked into the room, straight up to one 
  of the coffins.  “Only one way to find out,” he said 
  as he grabbed the lid with one hand and pulled it 
  open.   
   
  The stench of decayed flesh assailed their nostrils 
  and all three heroes backed away.   
   
  “Ugh, so much for thinking there was anything else 
  in there,” Zanzibar said, pulling a handkerchief 
  from his pocket and putting it over his nose. 
   
  “I don’t know…” Amazing-Man said, shining his 
  flashlight by the foot of the coffin.  “I thought I 
  glimpsed something in there by his feet just now.” 
   
  Before Amazing-Man could step back up to the 
  coffin, they heard the sound of something shifting 
  and moving coming from inside the coffin.  Two 
  flashlight beams covered the open mouth of the 
  coffin as the dead man slowly sat up in his own 
  coffin. 
   
  Similar noises of sudden restlessness came from 
  the other three coffins. 
   
  “Zombies!” Zanzibar cried. 
   
  As if in response, an arrow flew past them from the 
  Arrow’s bow and landed in the skull of the rising 
  zombie.  “Zombies seem easy to hit,” the Arrow 
  said matter-of-factly. 
   
  “Stop them before they can rise!” Amazing-Man 
  called out as he sprang to a coffin where the lid 
  was being pushed open from the inside.  He 
  pressed his knee into the coffin lid and pulled up 
  on the corner of it until the wood splintered and 
  broke.  With the jagged broken edge facing down, 
  he thrust his improvised weapon through the 
  opening in the coffin and decapitated a second 
  zombie before it could sit up. 
   
  Zanzibar slashed at the now-standing zombie with 
  an arrow in its face with a silver dagger that 
  flashed in his hand.  “I hate that my spells don’t 
  work on zombies!” 
   
  “Arrows only seem to be slowing them down,” the 
  Arrow said.  He had already put two arrows into a 
  third zombie that sat up out of its coffin. 
   
  The zombie with the two arrows in it reached for 
  Amazing-Man. 
   
  “I’ve got it,” Amazing-Man said.  He grabbed the 
  zombie’s outstretched arm in one hand, placed his 
  other hand on the zombie’s shoulder, and pulled 
  the zombie’s arm off.  Then he clubbed the zombie 
  with its own arm and knocked it right out of the 
  coffin.  It sprawled out on the floor and did not 
  move again. 
   
  The first zombie staggered from Zanzibar’s 
  slashing dagger and fell back into its coffin.  The 
  fourth rising zombie, though, managed to grab 
  Amazing-Man by the arm and wrestled with him.  
  Amazing-Man quickly won the arm wrestling 
  match, breaking the zombie’s arm off at the elbow.  
  He then kicked the coffin out from under the 
  zombie and the zombie fell out of it, prone to the 
  floor.  The Arrow sank three shafts into its back in 
  quick succession and it never moved again. 
   
  “Well, I suppose that wasn’t so bad,” Zanzibar 
  said, sheathing his dagger under his jacket and 
  dusting off his jacket after.   
   
  “I thought I saw something in that first coffin,” 
  Amazing-Man said, “but there’s something in this 
  one too,” he added, flashing his light into the third 
  coffin.  He picked up something that looked like a 
  small rock, but held his flashlight up to it and 
  examined it. 
   
  “Turquoise,” the Arrow said, looking over his 
  shoulder. 
  
   
  16 
   
  “I’d agree,” Amazing-Man said. 
   
  “And there’s something in this one too,” Zanzibar 
  said, lifting out of the first coffin a burlap sack that 
  jingled with coins. 
   
  “Unusual burial practices,” Amazing-Man said. 
   
  “An unusual way to guard loot, perhaps,” Zanzibar 
  said as he sat the sack on the floor.  “Time to see 
  what all this loot is later.  We need to find whatever 
  villain can raise the dead.” 
   
  To be continued…? 
   
   
  COMIC BOOK WORLD 
  Good Recent Comics? 
       I don’t talk up a lot of modern comic books, but 
  something from two years back (and that’s really 
  modern for me!) that really won me over more recently 
  was the AVENGERS VS. ATLAS mini-series from 
  Marvel.  I love Silver Age Avengers and, obviously, Old 
  School.  Well, I could review it here, or just show you the 
  link to the preview online I found -- 
  https://marvel.com/digitalcomics/view.htm?iid=14135. 
       Steve Lopez recommends a slightly newer mini-
  series from Marvel (have you noticed how all their good 
  stuff is mini-series now?) which, ironically, takes place 
  even further back.  MYSTERY MEN is about a team of 
  pulp hero-like new characters who, supposedly, were 
  active in the Marvel Universe in the 1930s.  I haven’t 
  read it, but he likes it and that’s good enough to warrant 
  a preview link from me --  
  http://marvel.com/news/story/15883/sneak_peek_myster
  y_men_1.  
       From DC Comics, I had really hoped we could look 
  forward to EARTH 2.  Maybe this would be our last 
  chance to see an Old School comic book from DC?  
  Sadly, from what has been leaked in the last few 
  months, this will be nothing like DC comics’ Golden Age, 
  but yet another elseworld for dark, violent, modern 
  “heroes”.  You can follow the increasingly disappointing 
  news here -- 
  http://www.comicbookresources.com/tag/earth+2 
    
   
  GREAT SCOTT! GAMES  
  PRODUCT LIST 
       The following products are currently available 
  for sale on drivethrurpg.com (also see 
  sites.google.com/site/hideoutsandhoodlums/ for 
  free products): 
   
  Book I: Men and Supermen 
   
  Book II: Mobsters and Trophies 
   
  Book III:  Underworld and Metropolis 
  Adventures 
   
  Reference Sheets 
   
  Supplement I: National 
   
  Supplement II: All-American 
       
  Supplement III: Better Quality      
       The three core rule ebooks are $2 each, the 
  sheets are free, Supplement I is $2.50, 
  Supplement II is $3, Supplement III is $4 – a total 
  of well over 400 pages of material for just $15.50!   
       Later this year, Supplement IV: Captains, 
  Magicians, and Incredible Men will also be 
  available for sale.  This ebook will include stats 
  and detailed histories of dozens of Golden Age of 
  Comics characters.   
   
  Great Scott! Games 
  6300 Church Rd., Apt. 112C 
  Hanover Park, IL. 60133   
   
   
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