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  JULY 2005
  In this issue: 
  • Normals 
  • Stuff 
  • Fighters 
  • Thinkers 
  • Leaders 
  • Superheroes 
  • Legends 
  • Gods 
  
   
  the secret special page 
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  1 
  Table of Contents 
   
  HHEERROO  HHIIGGHHWWAAYY  
  WHEN LAST WE LEFT OUR HEROES… 
   
   
  Keep up with the news from Hero Games. 
  This issue –  gear up with The HERO System 
  Equipment Guide. 
  2 
  HEROGLYPHS 
   
   
  See how Steve Long himself answers 
  rules questions. This issue – paying for all of 
  those “free powers.” 
  3 
  YOU GOTTA HAVE CHARACTER 
   
   
  Flavius Belisarius was perhaps the 
  world’s greatest military tactician. And loyal 
  to the end. 
  4 
  MMYYTTHHIICCAALL  MMAAYYHHEEMM  
  MYTHIC HERO 
   
   
  The legends of Achilles and Hercules 
  vary by the teller, so are presented here at 
  two power levels. 
  12 
  CCHHAAMMPPIIOONNSS  CCOORRNNEERR  
  EUROGUARD 
   
   
  Someone has to stop Eurostar! And 
  this team assembled for that task has a 
  mighty good chance. 
  20 
   
   
  DIGITAL HERO 
   
   
  Publisher 
  Hero Games 
  Editor 
  Dave Mattingly 
  Authors 
  John R. Ivicek Jr. 
  Bill Keyes 
  Steven S. Long 
  Denver Mason 
  Jason Walters 
  Artists 
  Bill Jackson 
  Photography 
  Bill Keyes 
  Cover Artist 
  Dwayne Butchino 
  Online 
  herogames.com 
  To Subscribe 
  herogames.com/ 
  digitalhero 
   
   
  CHAMPIONS 
  CROSSWORD 
   
   
  Here is the 
  solution for the 
  crossword puzzle 
  from Digital Hero 
  #30. 
   
  HERO System
  TM ® is DOJ, Inc.'s trademark for its roleplaying system. 
  HERO System Copyright © 1984, 1989, 2002 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved. 
  Champions Copyright © 1984, 1989, 2002 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved. 
  Justice Inc., Danger International, Dark Champions, Fantasy Hero, and Star Hero Copyright © 2002 by DOJ, 
  Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved. 
  No part of this electronic magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic 
  or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or computerization, or by any information storage and retrieval 
  system, without permission in writing from the Publisher:  DOJ, Inc., 1 Haight Street, Suite A, San Francisco, 
  California 94102. 
  Issue #31 (July 2005) 
  S L A P
  F C C
  H A R B
  T A X
  I
  I H A
  A Q U A
  I R O N C
  L A D
  L U B E
  R A N G E M O D
  I
  F
  I
  E R
  P E N
  D E
  F
  E Z Z O
  O P P O N E N T
  L O A N
  I
  R R
  D R N O
  K A N G A R O O
  U S D A
  E B B
  B A R
  M E G A S C A L
  E A R E A
  E A R L
  E
  T E R N A L S
  E V E
  L
  T O M
  C U B S
  K E Y S
  I N S
  E
  L A N
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  2 
  When Last We Left Our Heroes… 
  by Steven S. Long 
   
   
  This month, if all goes according to 
  schedule, we’re going to be reprinting a couple 
  of books (Sidekick and The UNTIL Superpowers 
  Database) and printing one new one (The HERO 
  System Equipment Guide). 
   
  The Sidekick reprint is just that – a reprint, 
  nothing new and no corrections (since making 
  corrections is tantamount to paying to print the 
  entire book all over again, thanks to the screwy 
  way the printing industry works). On the other 
  hand, the USPD has some changes. Since we’re 
  no longer doing business with the company that 
  first printed it, we had to move it to another 
  printer – and since that meant having to pay for it 
  all over again anyway, we took the opportunity 
  to update it. In addition to correcting typos and 
  errata and such, we’ve updated it for the Revised 
  version of the Fifth Edition rules. For those of 
  you who don’t want to buy the book all over 
  again just to get the “new” stuff, have no fear! 
  The forthcoming UNTIL Superpowers Database 
  II has an Appendix with all of the corrected/ 
  changed USPD powers. That way, when you buy 
  the USPD2, you’ll have the info you need to 
  update your USPD as well. 
   
  You can distinguish the USPD Revised 
  printing from the original printing by the cover. 
  We’ve changed the UNTIL logo to incorporate 
  the UNTIL “globe and laurel leaves” symbol, 
  changed the orientation and size of the title 
  words a little, and added the word “Revised” 
  prominently. 
   
  Our new release this month is the 
  Equipment Guide. Actually, I guess we should 
  call it “sort of new,” since it mostly consists of 
  weapons and personal gear reprinted from our 
  books like Dark Champions, The Ultimate 
  Martial Artist, Fantasy Hero, and Star Hero. 
  (Sorry, it doesn’t have any Pulp Hero material, 
  since it was prepared a couple months before I 
  got to work on PH.) However, it’s not entirely 
  reprinted stuff. It has a new section on weapons 
  of mass destruction – a nuclear bomb, 
  biological weapons, and chemical weapons – 
  and a section on poisons. So, if you’ve ever 
  wanted to know the HERO System effects of 
  strychnine or mustard gas, this is definitely the 
  book for you. ☺ 
  — Steven S. Long 
  HERO System Line Developer 
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  3 
  HEROglyphs by Steven S. Long 
   
  Zero to 210 in Sixty Seconds 
  BUILDING CHARACTERS FROM THE 
  GROUND UP 
   
   
   
  The way the HERO System works, 
  characters are assumed to start the game with 
  certain things “for free” – they get 
  Characteristics, Senses, movement, and the like 
  without having to pay points for them. 
   
  Just as an experiment, suppose that wasn’t 
  the case? What if characters start with nothing 
  for free, and have to buy whatever they want? 
  That would definitely change how many 
  Character Points you’d need to build a character! 
  Here’s how many: 
  Cost Ability   
   10 10 STR 
   30 10 DEX 
   20 10 CON 
   20 10 BODY 
   10 10 INT 
   20 10 EGO 
   10 10 PRE 
   
  5 10 COM 
   
  6 Arms and Legs:  Extra Limbs (well, not 
  really “Extra,” but bear with me), Inherent 
  (+¼) 
   12 Running 6” 
   
  2 Swimming 2” 
   25 Sight Sense Group 
   20 Hearing Sense Group 
   
  5 Smell/Taste Sense Group 
   15 Touch Sense Group 
  Total Cost:  210 
   
  Assuming you want to keep things more or 
  less equal in terms of character power and 
  competence, this means you’ll need to add about 
  200 Base Points to every character. Thus, a 
  Standard Superheroic character would be built 
  on 400 + 150 = 550 Character Points, and a 
  Standard Heroic character 275 + 75 = 350 
  Character Points. In both cases it’s assumed the 
  person designing the character will spend 
  roughly 200 of those Character Points buying the 
  abilities outlined above; if he doesn’t want 
  something, he just doesn’t buy it instead of 
  taking a Physical Limitation or selling it back. 
   
  CHANGING LIFTING CAPACITY 
   
   
   
  If you use a system like this, you might want 
  to consider how to adjust STR. In the HERO 
  System, STR is unusual in that it retains a 
  positive attribute – lifting capacity – even at 
  extremely low levels (as low as -50, if you’re 
  using the Expanded Strength Table from The 
  Ultimate Brick). (Comeliness has some effects 
  when it’s negative, but characters have to pay 
  Character Points for negative COM, whereas 
  they gain points by reducing STR into the 
  negatives.) It might instead make more sense to 
  assume that STR 0 is as low as a character’s STR 
  can go, and adjust lifting capacity to suit. 
   
  For strict consistency, technically you’d 
  need to start with STR 1 as lifting some tiny 
  amount (such as 0.025 kg), double that amount at 
  5 STR, and keep doubling every 5 STR 
  thereafter. But that would cause difficulties in 
  many games, since it would really diminish 
  characters’ lifting capacity (though the damage 
  they do with STR, how far they can leap, and so 
  forth would remain the same). A character would 
  need STR 23 just to lift a single kilogram! That’s 
  far more granularity than most games need. 
   
  To get around the problem, you can alter the 
  lifting capacity rules slightly at the lowest levels. 
  STR 0 indicates no lifting capacity – the 
  character cannot lift even the smallest mass. STR 
  1 allows a character to lift 1 kg or less 
  (individual characters, such as birds and small 
  animals, could define their lifting limit as less 
  than 1 kg for purposes of accurate simulation). 
  STR 2 can lift 2 kg; STR 3 can lift 4 kg; STR 4 
  can lift 8 kg; STR 5 can lift 25 kg. Thereafter 
  lifting capacity doubles for every 5 points of 
  STR. This results in characters having half the 
  lifting capacity that they would using the 
  standard rules (and is probably more “realistic,” 
  in light of human weightlifting records, if 
  realism’s what you’re after). If you prefer, define 
  5 STR as lifting 50 kg; everything remains the 
  same as the regular rules from there. 
   
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  4 
  You Gotta Have Character by Jason Walters 
   
  “Any fool can make history, but it takes 
  a genius to write it.” — Oscar Wilde 
   
   
  The general peered over the 
  battlements, calmly appraising the army 
  spread out before him like a well heeled 
  epicure pondering an Easter feast laid 
  out on his mother’s country table. As 
  was usual under such circumstances his 
  features were bland, almost dull, 
  revealing none of the boiling intellect 
  beneath his brow or the furious 
  calculations that were undoubtedly 
  fermenting therein. To his left, 
  Procopius, the scholar-soldier, stirred 
  uneasily as he tried to memorize the 
  minute details of the Ostrogoth army for 
  posterity. To his right, Bloody John, his 
  assistant commander, simply stared out 
  at them with undisguised malice. 
   
  Of course, he stared at almost 
  everyone that way. 
   
  Down below them 50,000 
  enormous Ostrogoth warriors were 
  marching grimly forward, singing their 
  pagan death songs like a chorus of 
  demons straight from the book of 
  Revelations. In their wake, hundreds of 
  oxen pulled siege towers through the 
  mud on giant wooden wheels 
  constructed from tree trunks. Taller than 
  the greatest Roman wall, these grim war 
  machines were designed to protect 
  crews armed with battering rams from 
  potential missile fire.  
   
  “Looks like they believe their own 
  hype about Rome not being able to 
  withstand a siege,” offered Procopius, 
  “Their commander is throwing all of his 
  men into a full assault, Flavius.” 
   
  The bigger man grunted, then 
  scratched his beard. 
   
  “They’ve never faced men of the 
  Eastern Empire! The Goths are going to 
  hit us there, there,” the general hesitated 
  for a moment as he pointed to the final 
  location, “and there. Vittigis isn’t 
  stupid. He’s going to wheel those siege 
  towers to where he knows the weakest 
  spots on the wall are. Procopius?” 
   
  The scholar raised an eyebrow at 
  his commander. 
   
  “Scrape up as many light cavalry as 
  you can find and head over to the tomb 
  of Emperor Hadrian. I think that they 
  will hit over there where the walls are 
  crumbling, but I’m pretty sure that 
  Valentineus and his men can hold it. 
   
  When I give the signal I want you to 
  charge out and hit them from behind 
  their lines. When they turn to face you, 
  run like hell back to Rome. 
  Sanguinarius?” 
   
  Bloody John stopped trimming his 
  nails with a dagger. 
   
  “John, I want you to get about two 
  thousand of our cataphracts armored up 
  and ready to ride. When those blond 
  idiots turn to meet our Huns, I want you 
  to take them out of those two gates over 
  there. Hit them with everything you’ve 
  got; I want as much death and confusion 
  as you can possibly create.”  
   
  Sanguinarius smiled evilly at his 
  general, then nodded.  
   
  All along the walls the sounds of 
  alarm were beginning to become 
  audible. The Ostrogoths, who 
  outnumbered Rome’s defenders almost 
  ten to one, were beginning to cause a 
  panic amongst her defenders. Flavius 
  smiled, shook his head sadly, and drew 
  the mighty composite bone and yew 
  wood bow he carried from his back. 
  Nocking an arrow, he took careful aim 
  over the battlements then let the arrow 
  fly out over the heads of the city’s 
  would-be conquerors. It sailed faithfully 
  through the air for hundreds of yards 
  before burying itself in the breast of a 
  man speaking to the Ostrogoth king 
  Vittigis. 
   
  “An excellent shot, my lord!” cried 
  Procopius as cheers erupted from the 
  walls around them. The general simply 
  sent a second arrow after the first, 
  knocking another one of the Gothic 
  commander’s advisors from his saddle 
  to lay lifeless in the mud. The first shot 
  had been no fluke; he was one of the 
  finest archers in his own army. The 
  cheers around them grew ten times 
  greater than hey had been before.  
   
  “Belisarius! Belisarius! Belisarius!” 
  The Romans cried his name boldly at 
  their attackers, as if it were some sort of 
  magic talisman that could protect them 
  from the fury of the vast German host 
  beneath them. Then, with their cries of 
  defiance answered by an incredible roar 
  of anger like waves of violence beating 
  against the shores of war, the battle 
  began in earnest. 
                                                             
  artwork by Bill Jackson 
  BYZANTINE 
  SOLDIERS OF 
  THE SIXTH 
  CENTURY  
   
   
   “[Our] archers are 
  mounted on horses, 
  which they manage 
  with admirable skill; 
  their head and 
  shoulders are 
  protected by a casque 
  or buckler; they wear 
  greaves of iron on 
  their legs and their 
  bodies are guarded by 
  a coat of mail. On 
  their right side hangs 
  a quiver, a sword on 
  their left, and their 
  hand is accustomed to 
  wield a lance or 
  javelin in closer 
  combat. Their bows 
  are strong and 
  weighty; they shoot in 
  every possible 
  direction, advancing, 
  retreating, to the 
  front, to the rear, or to 
  either flank; and as 
  they are taught to 
  draw the bowstring 
  not to the breast, but 
  to the right ear, firm 
  indeed must be the 
  armor that can resist 
  the rapid violence of 
  their shaft.” 
  — Procopius of
  Caesarea, History of
  the Wars
   
   “The Byzantine 
  cataphract (or knight) 
  were armed with bow, 
  lance, sword, and 
  dagger. He wore a 
  shirt of mail or scale 
  armor, an iron helm, 
  and carried a small 
  round ironbound 
  shield of wood that 
  could be strapped to 
  the forearm or slung 
  from the waist. The 
  foreheads and breaks 
  of officer’s horses and 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  5 
  Flavius Belisarius 
    
   
  those of men in the 
  front rank were 
  protected with 
  frontlets and pointrels 
  of iron. The militia 
  cataphracts were 
  backed by units of 
  similarly armed 
  regulars and 
  mercenary regiments 
  of Teutonic heavy 
  shock cavalry of the 
  Imperial Guard. 
  Although mercenary 
  horse archers from the 
  steppe continued to be 
  used as light cavalry, 
  the Byzantine 
  cataphract were by far 
  the deadliest fighting 
  men of their era.” 
  — David Nicholle,
  Arms & Armour of the
  Crusading Era
  BACK TO THE 
  FUTURE 
   
   
   “Whoever wishes to 
  foresee the future 
  must consult the past; 
  for human events ever 
  resemble those of 
  preceding times. This 
  arises from the fact 
  that they are produced 
  by men who ever 
  have been, and ever 
  shall be, animated by 
  the same passions, 
  and thus they 
  necessarily have the 
  same results.” 
  — Nicolo Machiavelli
  The Prince
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  6 
  Flavius Belisarius  
   Val Char Cost Roll Notes 
   18 STR 
  8 13- 300 kg; 3½d6 HTH [2] 
   17 DEX 
  21 12- OCV:  6/DCV:  6/7 
   18 CON 
  16 13-  
   17 BODY 
  14 12-  
   19 INT 
  9 13- PER Roll:  13- 
   20 EGO 
  20 13- ECV:  7 
   20 PRE 
  10 13- PRE Attack:  4d6 
   14 COM 
  2 12-  
   
   
  9 PD 
  5 
   Total:  27 PD (18 rPD)* 
   
  9 ED 
  5 
   Total:  27 ED (18 rED)* 
   
  4 SPD 
  13 
   Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12 
   10 REC 
  4 
   
   36 END 
  0 
   * Armor, Shield, and  
   40 STUN 
  5 
    Combat Luck added in 
  Total Characteristic Cost:  138 
  Movement: Running: 
  8”/16” 
   
   
  Leaping: 
  3½”/7” 
   
   
  Swimming: 4”/8” 
  Cost  Talents 
   
  8 Combat Archery 
   18 Combat Luck (x3) 
   16 Crippling Blow 
   18 Evasive 
   14 Fearless 
   10 Fascination 
   11 Inspire 
   
  3 Lightning Reflexes: +2 DEX to act first 
  with All Actions 
   
  4 Mounted Warrior (HTH Combat) 
   
  4 Mounted Warrior (Ranged Combat) 
   
   Perks 
   
  7 Contact:  Emperor Justinian I (Extremely 
  Useful, Institutions, Significant Contacts, 
  Limited by Identity) 12- 
   10 Fringe Benefits:  General, Low Justice, 
  Member of the Lower Nobility 
   10 Money:  Wealthy 
   
  9 Reputation: Greatest General in Known 
  World 14- (Large Group), +3/+3d6 
   
   Skills 
   16 +2 with All Combat 
   
  9 +3 vs. Range Modifier with All Attacks 
   
   
  2 AK: Constantinople 11- 
   
  2 AK: Italy 11- 
   
  2 AK: North Africa 11- 
   
  2 AK: Persia 11- 
   
  5 Animal Handler (Bovines, Camels, 
  Canines, Equines) 13- 
   
  3 Bureaucratics 13- 
   
  3 Climbing 12- 
   
  3 Conversation 13- 
   
  3 High Society 13- 
   
  3 Interrogation 13- 
   
  5 KS: Military History 15- 
   
  3 KS: Military Weaponry 13-  
   
  3 Oratory 13- 
   
  3 Persuasion 13- 
   
  4 PS: Soldier/General 14- 
   
  3 Riding 12- 
   
  3 Seduction 13- 
   
  3 Streetwise 13- 
   10 Survival (Marine, Temperate/Subtropical, 
  Desert, Mountain, Urban) 13- 
   13 Tactics 18- 
   
  3 Teamwork 12- 
   
  7 TF: Riding Animals, Carts & Carriages, 
  Chariots, Large Rowed Boats, Large 
  Wind-Powered Boats, Small Military 
  Ships 
   
  4 WF: Common Melee Weapons, Common 
  Missile Weapons 
   
   
  3 Linguist 
   
  0 1) Language:  Slavic (Dialects) 
   
  1 2) Language:  Gothic (Conversation) 
   
  4 3) Language:  Greek (Idiomatic, Literate) 
   
  3 4) Language:  Latin (Fluent, Literate) 
   
  2 5) Language:  Persian (Fluent, Literate) 
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  272 
  Total Cost:  410 
   200+ Disadvantages 
   25 DNPC:  Wife and Children 11- 
  (Incompetent, 2x DNPCs) 
   25 Hunted:  Emperor 14- (Mo Pow, NCI, 
  Public ID, Watching) 
   25 Psychological Limitation:  Code of Honor 
  (Very Common, Total) 
   20 Reputation:  Greatest General in Known 
  World 14- (Extreme) 
   15 Rivalry:  Procopius of Caesarea 
  (Professional: Angry Former Secretary 
  Turned Historian), Significantly More 
  Powerful, Seek to Outdo, Rival Aware 
   100 Experience Points 
  Total Disadvantage Points:  410 
   
    
  Weapon 
  Damage STR Min Shots
  Composite Bow 
  1½d6 
  9 
  10r
  Sarrisa 
  2d6+1 
  15 
  Spatha  
  1d6+1 
  12 
  Armor 
  DCV 
  BODY 
  DEF
  Shield   
  +1 
  3 
  3  
  Chainmail/Greaves +0 
  6 
  6  
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  7 
  Flavius Belisarius  
   
  On December 7th of 536 AD, the Byzantine 
  General Flavius Belisarius triumphantly entered 
  Rome through the Asminarian Gate at the head 
  of 5,000 troops as, simultaneously, 4,000 
  Ostrogoths disgracefully retreated through the 
  Flaminian Gate on the other side of the city. For 
  the first time since 476 AD, when the Germanic 
  king Odoacer had deposed the last Western 
  Roman Emperor Romulus Augustolus before 
  crowning himself “King of the Romans,” the 
  former capital was once again a part of the 
  Roman Empire, although admittedly one ruled 
  by the Greek-speaking Justinian I from his 
  capital city of Constantinople. 
   
  Thus for a brief period of time in the 6th 
  Century, the Eastern Roman Empire of 
  Byzantium was reunited with portions of the 
  defunct Western Roman Empire due largely to 
  the bravado and strong leadership of Belisarius, 
  the greatest military leader in the thousand year 
  history of the Byzantine Empire. A man of 
  humble origins, Belisarius rose through the ranks 
  of the Eastern Empire’s military under two 
  emperors using a combination of astute tactics, 
  personal bravery, and total loyalty to his men as 
  well as his lords. He fought the mighty Persian 
  Empire to a standstill in the East, put down a 
  dangerous coup by chariot racing fans in 
  Constantinople, and restored North Africa, Italy, 
  Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, and southern Spain to 
  the Roman Empire. The last general to receive a 
  Roman Triumph, in the twilight of his years he 
  returned from retirement to defeat an attack upon 
  Constantinople by a Bulgur army. Although 
  often subjected to persecution and attacks by 
  jealous rivals during his lifetime, Belisarius is 
  now revered by military historians as one of the 
  greatest tacticians the Western world has ever 
  produced.  
   
  Background/History:  Flavius Belisarius was 
  born in Thrace, an ancient nation now largely 
  encompassed by Bulgaria, in 505 AD. An 
  Eastern Roman of Slavic ancestry (his name 
  means “white prince” or “Beli Tsar” in 
  Thracian), he was the son of a minor nobleman 
  who joined the Byzantine army at a very young 
  age. Such a career choice would be logical for a 
  younger son of a provincial lord, as he would be 
  unlikely to inherit the family estate upon his 
  father’s death. Moving quickly upward through 
  the ranks, Belisarius served as a trusted 
  bodyguard to the Emperor Justin I.  
   
  Upon the Emperor’s death in 527 his 
  nephew and successor Justinian I appointed the 
  22 year old Belisarius to command the Byzantine 
  army in the east, where he quickly found himself 
  in a dangerous confrontation with the much 
  larger Persian army. The Byzantines were at war 
  with the Sassanid Dynasty over its attempts to 
  force the Christian Iberians to convert to 
  Zoroastrianism, the state religion of the Persians 
  (in his the defense, the Persian Emperor Kavadh 
  I had attempted to make peace with the 
  Byzantines, but Justinian firmly rebuked his 
  offers). The first clash went poorly for 
  Belisarius’ army, who were forced to pull back. 
  Emboldened, Kavadh sent an army of 30,000 
  men to capture the critical frontier fortress of 
  Dara at the head of the Bouron River. The 
  Persian Emperor was taking no chances. When 
  Belisarius returned with a smaller army of 
  25,000 to defend it, he dispatched general Firouz 
  with an additional 10,000 troops as 
  reinforcements. 
   
  Although outnumbered Belisarius knew his 
  troops to be for the most part superior to those of 
  his opponents. They were better armed, better 
  trained, and had superior esprit-de-corps. Using 
  a series of cleverly constructed ditches and 
  blinds, Belisarius managed to funnel the bulk of 
  the Persian forces into a series of traps that 
  allowed him to constantly flank their army with 
  unseen units of cavalry comprised of heavily 
  armored heruli and fast moving Hun horsemen. 
  In the end Belisarius split their army in two 
  using a feint, sending the first half off on a wild 
  goose chase while he trapped and slaughtered the 
  second half. After killing their commander along 
  with 5,000 of his men, Belisarius was politically 
  astute enough to allow the remainder to escape 
  (he wanted to cow the Persians, not infuriate 
  them).  
   
  Shortly thereafter the Persians and 
  Byzantines once again skirmished at Callinicum, 
  a location in what is now Northern Iraq. Using 
  what one Persian observer described as “odd 
  formations,” Belisarius managed to basically 
  confuse his more conventional opponents into a 
  stalemate along the Euphrates River with very 
  little loss of life on either side. The exhausted 
  Persian forces chose to sue for peace and 
  withdrew rather than continue the fight, which 
  was fortunate for the Eastern Romans as they 
  were preparing to do exactly the same thing. 
  Callinicum brought Belisarius’ eastern 
  campaigns to a successful conclusion. It also 
  resulted in the two empires signing a treaty 
  known as the Perpetual Peace (it lasted eight 
  years) that, among other things, returned to 
  Roman rule all lands lost to Persia during 
  Justinian’s reign.  
   
  By 532 Justinian had made Belisarius the 
  ranking military commander in Constantinople, 
  the Byzantine capital, where chariot racing was 
  an incredibly popular sport. There were four 
  major factions of racing fans – the Blues, the 
  Reds, the Greens, and the Whites – each of 
  which was named after the color of the uniform 
  of its favorite team (sound familiar?). These fan 
  factions incorporated certain aspects of street 
  FLAVIUS 
  BELISARIUS 
  PLOT SEEDS 
   
   
   Lest Darkness Fall 
  Again (Champions): 
  Captain Chronos is 
  certain that he has at 
  last figured out how, 
  where, and when the 
  earth’s time stream 
  will be wrecked. He’s 
  also discovered that a 
  vast, superhuman 
  army lead by Dr. 
  Destroyer will be the 
  cause of it. Desperate 
  to prevent the 
  catastrophe that will 
  lead to the creation of 
  his own time line, he 
  travels into the distant 
  past to retrieve the 
  greatest “squad 
  tactics” thinker in 
  human history: 
  Flavius Belisarius. 
  Together they 
  approach the PCs 
  with a plan to unite 
  the Earth’s greatest 
  heroes into a single 
  force capable of 
  defeating Destroyer 
  and preventing a 
  worldwide holocaust.
   The Lesser of Two 
  Evils (Dark 
  Champions): One by 
  one Hudson City’s 
  gangs have been 
  shattered, then 
  absorbed into a new 
  organization known 
  as the Riverside 
  Romans that are 
  based in the 
  neighborhood of the 
  same name. The 
  crimelords 
  Charlemagne and 
  Diomedes have been 
  taken down and the 
  Nubians and Warriors 
  are finished. None of 
  the city’s vigilantes 
  are certain what the  
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  8 
  gangs and political parties into their 
  composition. The makeup of their membership 
  generally centered on social class, place of birth, 
  and religion. Byzantine Emperors were expected 
  to favor one faction over the others. Justinian I, 
  for example, was a Blue team supporter. 
   
  But in 531 several members of the Blues and 
  Greens had been arrested for murder. Justinian 
  commuted their death sentences to 
  imprisonment, but both factions demanded that 
  their members be entirely pardoned. Justinian 
  refused, so on January 11th of 532 the two 
  factions broke into the city’s prison, freed their 
  fellows, and began burning the city down amid 
  cries of nika or “victory,” their racing cheer. 
  Several rebellious senators saw this “Nika Riot” 
  as opportunity to overthrow Justinian, who had 
  imposed new taxes and legal restrictions on the 
  Empire’s upper classes (the Emperor had been 
  born a peasant). They armed and led the rioters, 
  who began demanding that Hypatius, the nephew 
  of the former emperor Anastasius I and a 
  nobleman, be crowned in Justinian’s place. 
  Although the Emperor briefly considered fleeing, 
  Belisarius and the Empress Theodora convinced 
  him to stay. With the support of Mundus, the 
  head of the militia, Belisarius suppressed the 
  revolution on January 18th by trapping some 
  20,000 racing fans in the Hippodrome where he 
  slaughtered them to the man. He then executed 
  the would-be emperor Hypatius before exiling 
  the rebellious Senators. 
   
  As a reward for his efforts, Belisarius was 
  given command of an unprecedented land and 
  sea expedition against the North African 
  kingdom of the Vandals in 533. Justinian’s 
  reasons for this campaign were political as well 
  as strategic. The pro-Byzantine Vandal King 
  Hilderic had been usurped and murdered by a 
  political opponent named Gelimer, giving the 
  Emperor casus belli for expanding his domain. 
  Control of the Vandal’s territory would also 
  guarantee Byzantine access to the Western 
  Mediterranean. Late in the summer Belisarius 
  landed near the city of Lepcis Magna. He 
  marched along the costal highway toward 
  Carthage, the Vandal’s capital. On September 
  13th, a mere ten miles from the city’s walls, 
  Gelimer’s army ambushed the East Roman 
  forces from a series of well-placed positions. 
  Things looked grim for Belisarius and his men 
  until Gelimer, upon hearing of his nephew’s 
  death in battle, became distraught, giving the 
  Roman general a chance to regroup his men. He 
  marched on to conquer Carthage. A second 
  victory at Ticameron on December 15th resulted 
  in Gelimer’s surrender at Mt. Papua in early 534. 
  The lost Roman provinces of North Africa had 
  been returned to her after 105 years of absence. 
  For this great accomplishment, Flavius 
  Belisarius was given a Triumph upon his return 
  to Constantinople, the last ever to be gifted to a 
  Roman commander.  
   
  With this phenomenal success under his 
  belt, Justinian laid out plans that were even more 
  ambitious. After the Empire’s successes in Persia 
  and North Africa he had begun to see himself, 
  rightly or wrongly, as a grand conqueror on the 
  scale of Julius Caesar, Augustus, and 
  Constantine. He would settle for nothing less 
  than the restoration of the entire old Western 
  Empire, with Belisarius serving as the architect 
  of this reconquista. He also expected the general 
  to carry out this invasion with an almost 
  ridiculously small force of some 5,000 men, 
  including Hunnish and Moorish light cavalry. 
  Obedient as always, Belisarius set out with his 
  army in the spring of 536. He quickly captured 
  Sicily from its Ostrogoth defenders and began 
  conquering his way north, laying siege to the city 
  of Naples in the summer of the same year. Its 
  inhabitants stubbornly defended the city, 
  especially the large Jewish population who 
  expected to be persecuted by the Byzantines. He 
  began to despair of taking the city until an 
  inquisitive infantryman discovered a partially 
  collapsed aqueduct that could be used to bypass 
  Naples’ walls. Once the Byzantine soldiers were 
  inside the city, her fate was all but sealed; yet her 
  citizens continued to fight fiercely on, resulting 
  in a bloodbath as Belisarius’ men gradually lost 
  their tempers and martial discipline broke down. 
  While the general was genuinely horrified by the 
  massacre, it did help to avoid bloodshed for 
  some time as word of the slaughter spread. 
  Several other Italian towns simply opened their 
  gates to the small army, and Pope Silverius sent 
  word that they would be welcome in Rome.  
   
  The Ostrogoths, a Germanic people whose 
  kingdom stretched from southern Italy to 
  southern Germany, greeted all of this with 
  undisguised horror. They quickly executed the 
  decadent, Romanized King Theodatus and 
  elected a hard-line warrior known as Vittigis as 
  their new leader. Vittigis fully understood the 
  Byzantine threat but was forced by circumstance 
  to turn his attentions northward to where a 
  border dispute with the Franks threatened his 
  kingdom. Left to their own devices, Rome’s 
  garrison opted to leave rather than face 
  Belisarius, retreating northward to the Ostrogoth 
  capital of Ravenna. Only their commander, 
  Leuderis, felt honor-bound not to abandon his 
  post. Upon taking the city without a fight, 
  Belisarius and his opposite number enjoyed a 
  quiet dinner before he sent him back to a gleeful 
  Justinian in Constantinople with the keys to the 
  city’s gates. 
   
  Then, much to the horror of her citizens, the 
  Byzantines settled down to withstand the siege 
  of Rome they knew would inevitably come. For 
  hundreds of years the city had been considered 
  Romans real goals 
  are, only that they are 
  led by a man who 
  claims to be the 
  reincarnation of an 
  ancient general said to 
  be dead for 1500 
  years…. 
   The Last General 
  (Alien Wars): With 
  the cannibalistic 
  Xenovores pressing 
  ever further into 
  human space and the 
  navy of United Earth 
  turned against them, 
  the wealthy but 
  desperate Spinward 
  Union has decided to 
  gamble on the power 
  of a legend. Using all 
  of the vast scientific 
  knowledge at their 
  disposal, they have 
  created an 
  unstoppable cyborg 
  general to command 
  their meager forces 
  against the 
  encroaching alien 
  threat while 
  simultaneously 
  waging their civil war 
  against the earth. That 
  cyborg is known as 
  Belisarius 2336.  
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  9 
  completely indefensible by attackers and 
  inhabitants alike. Twelve miles of uneven walls 
  surrounded it; an expanse considered too vast to 
  properly defend without a hundred thousand 
  men. Indeed, Vittigis had faced down the 
  criticism of his generals by pointing out that the 
  city had never withstood a siege. Why lose 
  valuable men pointlessly defending a city that 
  they would shortly retake? But Belisarius 
  intended to hold the city that had given his 
  empire its name and birthed its culture. Sensing 
  somewhat tepid support from Rome’s citizens, 
  he sent a request to Justinian for reinforcements. 
  He then walled up several of the gates lest they 
  chose to open them to the Ostrogoths as they had 
  done for him. He also fortified the Mulvian 
  Bridge with a tower, knowing that a small force 
  there could hold an enemy indefinitely. 
   
  On March 2nd, 537 Vittigis arrived at Rome 
  with a force of 50,000 men, outnumbering 
  Belisarius’ men 10 to 1. Unable to encircle the 
  city he established a series of six encampments 
  near several of the city’s main entrances. After a 
  series of chaotic (if heroic) cavalry attacks and 
  retreats in and out of Rome’s gates by Belisarius 
  himself, it took the Ostrogoths some 18 days to 
  prepare their attack during which time Flavius 
  prepared the city by installing catapults on her 
  walls, digging a fosse (or defensive ditch) 
  beneath them, and recruited a surprising number 
  of local men into Rome’s defense. Vittigis’ men 
  constructed four siege towers containing 
  battering rams, built fascines (or large ramps) to 
  allow the oxen-pulled towers to cross the fosse, 
  and constructed ladders with which to scale her 
  walls. 
   
  On March 20th, the Ostrogoths attacked in 
  mass while East and West Roman alike watched 
  in alarm. Belisarius, however, remained calm. 
  Carefully taking up his bow he killed an enemy 
  officer at a nearly impossible distance. When a 
  cheer rang up from the walls he repeated the feat, 
  killing a second enemy officer. He then 
  commanded his men to shoot their bows at once, 
  not at the enemy but at their oxen. As the siege 
  towers ground to a halt, Hun and Moorish light 
  cavalry charged out of the gate of Rome’s 
  vivarium to attack the Ostrogoth army from the 
  rear. As Vittigis’ men turned to face the new 
  threat heavily armed Greek knights, or heruli, 
  sallied out from various gates to attack them on 
  three more sides. The Goth army retreated in 
  total disarray with its siege towers burned and 
  some 30,000 men killed or wounded.  
   
  It was an incredible victory for the 
  Byzantine Empire’s greatest general, but his men 
  were nonetheless outnumbered 4 to 1. Still 
  holding all the proverbial cards, the Ostrogoths 
  settled down for a long siege while they looked 
  for a lucky break such as the one that had 
  allowed the Byzantine army into Naples. 
  Periodic raids staged by heruli knights, whose 
  skill with the bow and lance the Goths could not 
  match, interrupted this long wait with episodes 
  of violent horror. Eventually reinforcements 
  arrived in the form of some 3,000 Isaurian 
  infantry and 800 Thracian cavalry. With fresh 
  men at his disposal, Belisarius quietly dispatched 
  one of his lieutenants Sanguinarius (or “bloody”) 
  John north with 2,000 light horsemen to embark 
  on a campaign of guerilla warfare. Bloody John 
  hit Ostrogoth garrisons, homesteads, and patrols 
  up and down the Italian peninsula, spreading 
  terror wherever he went before moving 
  eventually on the Ostrogoth capital of Ravenna.  
   
  When word reached Vittigis that his capital 
  was under attack he decided to make one final 
  effort to retake Rome. It failed miserably with 
  maximum casualties. On March 12th of 538 he 
  withdrew his dispirited and starving men 
  northward, where they drove Bloody John’s tiny 
  army away from Ravenna. Unfortunately for 
  Vittigis, Belisarius also took the remainder of his 
  force northward, where they met up not only 
  with Bloody John’s men but with a second 
  Byzantine army under the command of the 
  eunuch general Narses. Unable to stand against 
  such superior numbers the Ostrogoths offered to 
  make Belisarius Emperor of a restored Western 
  Roman Empire, a position he pretended to accept 
  until Ravenna surrendered. He then sent Vittigis 
  back to the Emperor in chains. Unfortunately, 
  this incident caused the already paranoid 
  Justinian to doubt Flavius Belisarius’ personal 
  loyalty, so he was recalled to Constantinople in 
  541. 
   
  With the great general gone, the Ostrogoths 
  rallied once more, managing to retake their 
  kingdom under the leadership of Vittigis’ 
  nephew Totila. So in 544 Justinian sent 
  Belisarius back to Italy with an even smaller 
  army of 4,000 men with orders to retake the 
  recently reacquired imperial territory. This he 
  managed, even holding Rome against a second 
  Ostrogoth siege in 546, but his success only 
  made an increasingly unstable Justinian jealous 
  once again. He was recalled and replaced with 
  Narses, who to his credit was able to bring this 
  second campaign to a successful conclusion. 
  Belisarius was forcibly retired to his homeland 
  of Thrace with an Imperial pension. 
   
  Yet in 559 a strong army of Slavs and 
  Bulgars crossed the Danube River, invading East 
  Roman territory and pushing toward their 
  eventual goal of Constantinople itself. A 
  panicked Justinian recalled Belisarius to Imperial 
  service, where he successfully defeated the 
  numerically superior combined army and drove 
  them back across the river. Temporarily a hero 
  once more, he was nevertheless accused of 
  corruption on trumped-up charges in 562. 
  Convicted by his old friend Procopius of 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  10 
  Caesarea of embezzling the Empire’s funds, he 
  was found guilty and imprisoned. However not 
  long after this conviction Justinian pardoned 
  him, ordered his release, and made him his 
  personal advisor at court. Fittingly, these two 
  headstrong men, whose often-strained 
  partnership had doubled the size of the East 
  Roman Empire, died within weeks of one 
  another in 565. 
   
  Personality/Motivation:  Integrity, bravery, 
  loyalty, and cunning – these are the foursquare 
  corners of the personality of Baron Flavious 
  Belisarius. As a man blessed (as well as cursed) 
  with that sort of effortless charisma and ability 
  that mark them as natural leaders, Belisarius 
  provokes considerable envy from other able, yet 
  inevitably lesser, men. The Emperor Justinian, 
  not exactly a man of meager talents himself, has 
  been known to explode into periodic fits of 
  paranoia and jealously toward his most 
  accomplished commander. Other capable 
  leaders, such as the Armenian eunuch-general 
  Narses, are understandably resentful of their 
  colleague. Eventually even his close friend and 
  advisor Procopius of Caesarea, the historian who 
  immortalized Belisarius as the hero of his 
  History of the Wars, will be transformed into a 
  bitter enemy by the perverse imp of resentment.  
   
  Yet Belisarius seems oddly to be personally 
  unaffected by the frail egos and vacillating 
  temperaments of his fellow Byzantines. He never 
  seems to grow bitter or angry in the face of 
  adversity, simply soldiering on with whatever 
  meager forces fate (and a fickle Justinian) 
  provide him with to alternately expand or defend 
  the Empire’s borders as circumstances dictate. 
  Possessed of an extremely flexible and devious 
  intellect, as well as no small portion of martial 
  skill, he is often able to snatch victory from the 
  jaws of defeat through acts of remarkable 
  personal bravery. One of his favorite tactics is to 
  personally lead a surprise cavalry charge into the 
  face of an enemy certain of their own 
  “inevitable” triumph. 
   
  A loving husband and father, Belisarius is 
  capable of considerable compassion toward 
  conquered foes. He prefers to spare captured 
  enemy leaders, such as the Vandal usurper 
  Gelimer, whenever possible and to work with 
  conquered populations rather than exploit them. 
  He was horrified by his men’s massacre of 
  Naples’ resisting civilians, though he was 
  powerless to stop it once it started. Although 
  personally ambitious within certain limitations, 
  Flavius neither desires to replace his Emperor 
  (even though he is more popular with the 
  Byzantine populace) or take undue financial 
  advantage of his position (even though everyone 
  else in The Empire is swimming in graft). Many 
  rightly see Belisarius, a singularly honorable 
  man in a corrupt world, as an example of the 
  finest qualities embodied by the Eastern Roman 
  Empire. 
   
  Which, of course, makes the Emperor even 
  more suspicious of him! 
   
  Quote: “You! Take twenty men over there and 
  defend that wall. You! Get together as many of 
  those Berber cavalrymen as we have handy then 
  charge the Goths through that gate over there. 
  Don’t get carried away though; come back as 
  soon as you reach the ditch. You! I need fifty 
  archers, a sixty-gallon pot of boiling tar, and a 
  dozen pigeons. Now!” 
   
  Powers/Tactics:  First and foremost a tactician, 
  Flavius Belisarius’ greatest strength lies in his 
  ability to effectively lead small, disciplined units 
  of soldiers against much larger opponents who 
  often have the additional advantage of fighting 
  on their own ground. Flavius compensates for 
  this in several ways. Firstly, as a career soldier 
  and military commander (PS: Soldier/ General 
  14-), he is always mindful of his army’s “tail” as 
  well as its “tooth.” Belisarius spends an 
  inordinate amount of time planning out the 
  delivery of supplies into territory he has 
  captured, consulting with quartermasters about 
  its distribution, and making sure that any 
  captured “booty” is quickly and fairly distributed 
  among his men. He actually has a portable mint 
  that travels with his army, allowing captured 
  gold, silver, and copper to be turned directly into 
  Byzantine coin. Warriors who serve under him 
  can look forward to being fed well and paid 
  promptly.  
   
  Secondly, he is sparing of his men’s lives. 
  At all times and in all situations he looks for 
  military solutions that will put his own soldiers 
  at as little risk as possible. He always attempts to 
  learn as much about the topography, geography, 
  and previous battles fought in an area before he 
  commits his forces to combat (Tactics 18- 
  complemented by KS: Military History and an 
  appropriate Area Knowledge). Like all great 
  leaders he is capable of making rousing speeches 
  before a battle, inspiring leadership during it by 
  leading from the front, and congratulating his 
  men en mass afterwards for a job well done 
  (Oratory 13-, Persuasion 13- and Talents 
  Fearless, Fascination, and Inspire). He also has 
  a name (Reputation: Greatest General in Known 
  World (Large Group) 14-, +3/+3d6) that can 
  make opponents retreat before the battle has even 
  begun! 
   
  On a personal level, Flavius Belisarius is as 
  formidable a warrior as can be found anywhere 
  in the world. Especially adept with the composite 
  bow (Combat Archery), he has been known to 
  kill enemy officers at distances thought to 
  generally be impossible (Penalty Skill Levels: +3 
  vs. Range Modifier with All Attacks). Wickedly 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  11
  competent with his spatha (Crippling Blow), a 
  type of double-bladed medium-sized sword, he 
  also carries a lance known as a sarrisa when in 
  the saddle. He is as deadly in the saddle as on the 
  ground (Mounted Warrior Talents), as 
  comfortable fighting from the front line as 
  leading from the rear, and is exceptionally 
  competent with any almost weapon that he finds 
  himself armed with (+2 with All Combat and 
  WF: Common Melee and Missile Weapons). 
   
  Campaign Use:  As one of history’s most 
  fascinating yet neglected figures, Flavious 
  Belisarius has been the subject of a variety of 
  works of literature, poetry, and art of the last 
  seventeen hundred years. In his own time he was 
  the hero of Procopius’ History of the Wars and 
  Procopius, Belisarius, and Narses. In the 17th 
  Century he was the subject of an epic poem by 
  Friedrich de la Motte Fouque as well as the 
  dramatic play Belian by John Oldmixon. He later 
  became the protagonist of the 18th Century play 
  Belasarius (1724) by William Philips, the novel 
  Belisarius (1742) by John Dowman, the novel 
  Belisaire (1767) by Marmontel, and the 19th 
  Century opera Belisario by Donizetti.  
   
  In modern times the eminent British 
  historian and author Robert Graves made 
  Belisarius the subject of his novel Count 
  Belisarius (1938), which not only recounts the 
  exploits of the great man but also details many of 
  the colorful characters and startling events of his 
  day. The early influential science fiction writer 
  L. Sprague de Camp included him as the 
  Byzantine foe (and later ally) of the time traveler 
  Martin Padway in Lest Darkness Fall (1939), 
  one of the first “alternate history” novels ever 
  penned. In recent years popular sci-fi writers 
  Eric Flint and David Drake have made him the 
  protagonist of an ongoing series of novels 
  exploring what might have happened had the 
  Byzantine Empire and its foes been granted 
  knowledge of future events and technologies. 
   
  With all of this said, it’s not hard to imagine 
  how Flavius Belisarius might be made useful in 
  many a campaign. In a historical campaign set in 
  the 6th Century the PCs could be trusted 
  members of his colorful household retinue 
  (which included heavily-armored Greek 
  catalarii, fearsome Gothic swordsmen, bold Hun 
  cavalrymen, and cunning Arab scouts), 
  dispatched out on secret, dangerous missions so 
  that the great general can focus on more pressing 
  military matters. Or, somehow thrown through 
  the gates of time into the 21st Century, he could 
  be used as an NPC hero in a Champions 
  campaign: an ancient, honorable soldier 
  determined to wage war on urban crime as he 
  once fought foes on the battlefields of a world 
  long dead (use blunt weapons and Super-Bow 
  and Arrows II from page 42 of Gadgets and 
  Gear). Belisarius could easily be transported into 
  a Fantasy Hero campaign as a virtuous enemy 
  general determined to bring the PCs’ 
  freewheeling, chaotic homeland under Imperial 
  control (for its own good, of course), thereby 
  forcing them to take up arms against an enemy 
  whom they essentially respect. 
   
  Appearance:  Flavius Belisarius is a large, 
  heavily muscled man with a closely cropped 
  beard, straight black hair, and blunt (though not 
  unattractive) Slavic features. He wears a 
  practical looking helmet, iron greaves on his 
  legs, and a long sleeve chainmail shirt. Belisarius 
  possesses a distinct air of command that seems to 
  radiate about him in a distinct aura, attracting 
  some while disturbing others.  
  BIBLIOGRAPHY  
   
   
  Books 
  De Camp, L. Sprague, Lest Darkness Fall, Baen 
  Books, 1996 
  Flint, Eric & Drake, David, An Oblique 
  Approach, Baen Books, 2000  
  Graves, Robert, Count Belisarius, Carcanet 
  Press, 2004 
  Hastings, Max, The Oxford Book of Military 
  Anecdotes, Oxford University Press, 1985 
  Procopius, Procopius, Belisarius, and Narses, 
  Academic Fellowship, 1964 
  Magazines 
  Hildinger, Erik, Military History Magazine, 
  October 1999 
  Websites 
  www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/2/9/1/12916/12916-
  8.txt 
  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belisarius 
    
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  12 
  Mythic Hero by John R. Ivicek Jr. 
   
  Achilles 
   
  As we all know, if you ask 15 people how to 
  write something up in HERO, you’ll probably 
  get 15 different answers. That’s a strength of the 
  system, but it can get a little frustrating for new 
  GMs and players. This becomes even more 
  prominent when you ask someone how to write 
  up a character from some other media. Since no 
  two campaigns are alike, this column offers a 
  “high end” and a “low end” version of characters 
  to provide (for example) an Achilles capable of 
  duking it out with Eurostar and also one more 
  suited to being the best warrior archetype in your 
  Fantasy Hero campaigns. 
   
  First up is Achilles, the greatest warrior of 
  his day. In one of the more popular tales, 
  Achilles is dipped in the River Styx by his 
  mother Thetis and thus gains invulnerability 
  everywhere the water flowed across his skin, 
  except at his heel where he was held. In an 
  interesting variant, the earlier version of Thetis’ 
  efforts goes like this: Thetis anointed the infant 
  with ambrosia and then placed him upon a fire to 
  burn away his mortal portions; she was 
  interrupted by Peleus, whereupon she abandoned 
  both father and son in a rage. 
   
  When Achilles was a boy, the seer Calchas 
  prophesied that the city of Troy could not be 
  taken without his help. Thetis knew that if her 
  son went to Troy, he would die an early death, so 
  she sent him to the court of Lycomedes, in 
  Scyros; there he was hidden, disguised as a 
  young girl. During his stay he had an affair with 
  Lycomedes’ daughter, Deidameia, and she had a 
  son, Pyrrhus (or Neoptolemus), by him. 
  Achilles’ disguise was finally penetrated by 
  Odysseus, who placed arms and armor amidst a 
  display of women’s finery and seized upon 
  Achilles when he was the only “maiden” to be 
  fascinated by the swords and shields. Achilles 
  then went willingly with Odysseus to Troy, 
  leading a host of his father’s Myrmidons and 
  accompanied by his tutor Phoenix and his close 
  friend Patroclus.  
   
  At Troy, Achilles distinguished himself as 
  an invincible warrior. Among his exploits, he 
  captured twenty-three towns in Trojan territory, 
  including the town of Lyrnessos, where he took 
  the woman Briseis as a war-prize. Later on 
  Agamemnon, the leader of the Greeks, was 
  forced by an oracle of Apollo to give up his own 
  war-prize, the woman Chryseis, and took Briseis 
  away from Achilles as compensation for his loss. 
  This action sparked the central plot of the Iliad, 
  for Achilles became enraged and refused to fight 
  for the Greeks any more. The war went badly, 
  and the Greeks offered handsome reparations to 
  their greatest warrior, but Achilles still refused to 
  fight in person. However he agreed to allow his 
  friend Patroclus to fight in his place, wearing his 
  armor. The next day Patroclus was killed and 
  stripped of the armor by the Trojan hero Hector, 
  who mistook him for Achilles.  
   
  Achilles was overwhelmed with grief for his 
  friend and rage at Hector. His mother obtained 
  magnificent new armor for him from 
  Hephaestus, and he returned to the fighting and 
  killed Hector. He desecrated the body, dragging 
  it behind his chariot before the walls of Troy, 
  and refused to allow it funeral rites. When Priam, 
  the king of Troy and Hector’s father, came 
  secretly into the Greek camp to plead for the 
  body, Achilles finally relented; in one of the 
  most moving scenes of the Iliad, he received 
  Priam graciously and allowed him to take the 
  body away.  
   
  After the death of Hector, Achilles’ days 
  were numbered. He continued fighting 
  heroically, killing many of the Trojans and their 
  allies, including Memnon and the Amazon 
  warrior Penthesilia. Finally Priam’s son Paris (or 
  Alexander), aided by Apollo, wounded Achilles 
  in the heel with an arrow; Achilles died of the 
  wound. 
   
  So that’s the tale of the greatest of Greek 
  warriors. But we have been presented with two 
  differing views of supernatural abilities. In the 
  Iliad, when Achilles learns abut the death of 
  Patroclus, he is so overwhelmed with rage and 
  grief that he almost stalks out to slaughter Hector 
  right then and there, even without his armor. 
  Thetis manages to calm her furious son long 
  enough to get armor and a new shield from 
  Hephaestus. But if he is invulnerable everywhere 
  except his ankle, why doesn’t he just need a leg 
  guard and maybe a shield? This is touched upon 
  in the movie “Troy” when a young boy says that 
  he has heard that Achilles is invulnerable. 
  Achilles replies “Well, I wouldn’t be bothering 
  with the shield then, would I?” 
   
  So that’s our goal, two versions of Achilles. 
  One is the greatest warrior of his day, perhaps of 
  all time. The other is a demigod born of the 
  nymph Thetis and the mortal king Peleus, 
  invulnerable and nigh invincible unless the gods 
  get involved. Now the main differences are 
  going to be in his stats and powers, so the terms 
  “High-End” and “Low-End” might be a bit 
  misleading. Both versions should be fully 
  capable of trouncing most opposition; they’ll just 
  do it in differing fashions. It should also be noted 
  that in a standard heroic level campaign where 
  the characters do not pay for equipment, Low 
  end Achilles would save another 49 points.  
                                                             
  artwork by Bill Jackson 
  BIBLIOGRAPHY 
   
   
  Bulfinch’s Mythology 
  (Laurel Classic), 
  Thomas 
  Bulfinch, 
  Publisher: Laurel; 
  Reissue Edition 
  (May 15, 1959) 
  The Iliad, Homer, 
  Publisher: 
  Penguin Classics; 
  Reissue Edition 
  (November 1, 
  1998) 
  The Ultimate 
  Encyclopedia of 
  Mythology, 
  Arthur Cotterell 
  & Rachel Storm, 
  Publisher: 
  Hermes House 
  (2002 Edition) 
  Who’s Who in 
  Mythology, 
  Alexander S. 
  Murray, 
  Publisher: 
  Bonanza Books; 
  Reissue Edition 
  (1989 Edition) 
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  13
  Achilles (High End) 
   Val Char Cost Roll Notes 
   25 STR 
  15 14- Lift 800 kg; 5d6 HTH [1] 
   23 DEX 
  39 14- OCV:  8/DCV:  8 
   25 CON 
  30 14-  
   20 BODY 
  20 13-  
   13 INT 
  3 12- PER Roll:  12- 
   20 EGO 
  20 13- ECV:  7 
   25 PRE 
  15 14- PRE Attack:  5d6 
   18 COM 
  4 13-  
   
   
  5 PD 
  0 
   Total: 40 PD (35 rPD) 
   10 ED 
  5 
   Total: 29 ED (19 rED) 
   
  6 SPD 
  27 
   Phases: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 
   10 REC 
  0 
    
   50 END 
  0 
    
   46 STUN 
  0 
    
  Total Characteristic Cost:  178 
  Movement: Running: 
  9”/18” 
   
   
  Leaping: 
  5”/10” 
   
   
  Swimming: 2”/4” 
  Cost  Powers 
  END 
   54 Dipped in the River Styx:  Armor (20 
  PD/10 ED), 2x Hardened (+½); No 
  Coverage at Location 17 (-¼) 
  0 
   30 Dipped in the River Styx:  Energy 
  Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50%, 
  Hardened (+¼); No Coverage at 
  Location 17 (-¼) 
  0 
   72 Dipped in the River Styx:  Physical 
  Damage Reduction, Resistant, 75%, 2x 
  Hardened (+½); No Coverage at 
  Location 17 (-¼) 
  0 
   10 Frailty is for Mortals:  Power Defense 
  (10 points) 
  0 
   10 Stubborn Beyond the Will of Gods:  
  Mental Defense (14 points Total) 
  0 
   
  6 Well Conditioned:  Reduced Endurance 
  (½ END, +¼) on 25 STR 
  1 
   
  9 None Escape Achilles:  Running +3” 
  (9” Total), Reduced Endurance (0 END, 
  +½) 
  0 
   
    Equipment 
   
  9 Thracian Armor:  Armor (7 PD/7 ED); 
  OIF (-½), Activation Roll 14- (-½), 
  Real Armor (-¼) 
  0 
   
  7 The Five Layered Shield:  Multipower, 
  15-point Reserve; OAF (-1), Real 
  Armor (-¼) 
  0 
   1u 1)  Missile Deflection (Arrows, Slings, 
  etc.); OAF (-1), Real Armor (-¼) 
  0 
   1u 2)  Armor (8 PD/2 ED); OAF (-1), Real 
  Armor (-¼) 
  0 
   13 Sword:  HKA 1d6+1 (2½d6 with STR), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END, +½); OAF 
  (-1), Real Weapon (-¼) 
  0 
   18 Spear:  HKA 1½d6 (3d6+1 with STR), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END, +½); 
  OAF (-1), Real Weapon (-¼) plus 
  Stretching 1”, Reduced Endurance (0 
  END, +½); OAF (-1), Only to Cause 
  Damage (-½), Always Direct (-¼), No 
  Noncombat Stretching (-¼), No 
  Velocity Damage (-¼) 
  0 
   
   Perks 
   12 Reputation:  Greatest Warrior of All Time 
  14- (Medium-Sized Group), +6/+6d6 
   
  5 Military Rank:  General of the Greek 
  Armies 
   
   Talents 
   16 Combat Sense 13- 
   20 Deadly Blow:  +2d6 (Any Circumstances, 
  Any HTH Weapon) 
   10 Follow-Through Attack 
   
  8 Lightning Reflexes +5 DEX with All 
  Actions 
   
  5 Rapid Healing 
   
   Skills 
   80 +10 with All Combat 
   
   
    Martial Arts: Master of All Combat 
   
   Maneuver OCV DCV Notes 
   
  4 Bind 
  +1 
  +0 45 STR Bind 
   
  4 Block 
  +2 
  +2 Block, Abort 
   
  4 Choke 
  -2 
  +0 1 Limb; 3d6 NND 
   
  4 Counter 
  +2 
  +2 +4 DC, Follows 
  Block 
   
  4 Disarm 
  -1 
  +1 45 STR Disarm 
   
  4 Escape 
  +0 
  +0 50 STR Escape 
   
  3 Grab 
  -1 
  -1 2 Limbs, 45 STR 
   
  5 Grappling 
  +1 
  +1 Block, Grab 1  
   
      Block  
   
   
  Limb 
   
  5 Passing 
  +1 
  +0 +2 DC +v/5,  
   
      Strike  
   
   
  FMove 
   
  4 Reversal 
  -1 
  -2 50 STR Escape, 
  Grab 2 Limbs 
   
  4 Strike 
  +0 
  +2 +4 DC  
   
  3 Takedown 
  +1 
  +1 +2 DC Strike, 
  Target Falls 
   
  8 +2 Damage Classes (added in) 
   
   
  9 Analyze Combat Technique 15- 
   
  4 Animal Handler (Equines) 15- 
   
  3 Breakfall 14- 
   
  3 Climbing 14- 
   
  5 Combat Driving 15- 
   10 Defense Maneuver IV  
   
  3 Fast Draw 14- 
   
  4 KS: Greek Mythology 13- 
   
  7 KS: Military History 16- 
   
  8 KS: Small Unit Tactics 17- 
   
  3 Language: Macedonian (Fluent, Greek is 
  Native) 
   
  3 Oratory 14- 
   
  5 PS: Soldier 14- 
   
  5 Rapid Attack (HTH)  
   
  5 Riding 15- 
   
  3 Stealth 14- 
   11 Tactics 16- 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  14 
   
  3 Teamwork 14- 
   
  7 TF: Carts & Carriages, Chariots, Large 
  Rowed Boats, Large Wind-Powered 
  Boats, Riding Animals, Small Rowed 
  Boats, Small Wind-Powered Boats 
   10 WF: Common Melee Weapons, Common 
  Missile Weapons, Nets, Off Hand, Siege 
  Engines, Staffs, Thrown Sword 
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  563 
  Total Cost:  741 
   200+ Disadvantages 
   15 Enraged:  Friends Injured/Killed 
  (Uncommon, Go 11-, Rec 11-) 
   15 Hunted:  The Greek Gods 8- (Mo Pow, 
  NCI, Very Easy to Find, Watching) 
   20 Hunted:  The Trojan Army 8- (As Pow, 
  NCI, Very Easy to Find, Harshly Punish) 
   15 Psychological Limitation:  
  Overconfidence (Common, Strong) 
   10 Psychological Limitation:  Short 
  Tempered (Common, Moderate) 
   15 Psychological Limitation: Vengeful 
  (Common, Strong) 
   20 Reputation:  He’s Got an Achilles Heel… 
  Literally, 14- (Extreme) 
   
  5 Rivalry:  Other Warriors (Professional, As 
  Pow, Seek to Outdo, Rival Aware) 
   426 Experience Points 
  Total Disadvantage Points:  741 
  Achilles (Low End) 
   Val Char Cost Roll Notes 
   20 STR 
  10 13- Lift 400 kg; 4d6 HTH [1] 
   21 DEX 
  33 13- OCV:  7/DCV:  7 
   20 CON 
  20 13-  
   16 BODY 
  12 12-  
   13 INT 
  3 12- PER Roll:  12- 
   18 EGO 
  16 13- ECV:  6 
   23 PRE 
  13 14- PRE Attack:  4½d6 
   16 COM 
  3 13-  
   
    
   
   
   25 PD 
  6 
   Total: 25 PD (15 rPD) 
   15 ED 
  2 
   Total: 15 ED (9 rED) 
   
  5 SPD 
  19 
   Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 
   
  8 REC 
  0 
    
   40 END 
  0 
    
   36 STUN 
  0 
   
  Total Characteristic Cost:  137 
  Movement: Running: 
  8”/16” 
   
   
  Leaping: 
  4”/8” 
   
   
  Swimming: 2”/4” 
  Cost  Powers 
  END 
   
  5 Stubborn Beyond the Will of Gods:  
  Mental Defense (9 points Total) 
  0 
   
  5 Well Conditioned:  Reduced Endurance 
  (½ END, +¼) on 20 STR 
  0 
   
  6 None Escape Achilles:  Running +2” 
  (8” Total), Reduced Endurance (0 END, 
  +½) 
  0 
   
    Equipment 
   
  9 Thracian Armor:  Armor (7 PD/7 ED); 
  OIF (-½), Activation Roll 14- (-½), 
  Real Armor (-¼) 
  0 
   
  7 The Five Layered Shield:  Multipower, 
  15-point Reserve; OAF (-1), Real 
  Armor (-¼) 
  0 
   1u 1)  Missile Deflection (Arrows, Slings, 
  etc.); OAF (-1), Real Armor (-¼) 
  0 
   1u 2)  Armor (8 PD/2 ED); OAF (-1), Real 
  Armor (-¼) 
  0 
   13 Sword:  HKA 1d6+1 (2½d6 with STR), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END, +½); OAF 
  (-1), Real Weapon (-¼) 
  0 
   18 Spear:  HKA 1½d6 (3d6 with STR), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END, +½); 
  OAF (-1), Real Weapon (-¼) plus 
  Stretching 1”, Reduced Endurance (0 
  END, +½); OAF (-1), Only to Cause 
  Damage (-½), Always Direct (-¼), No 
  Noncombat Stretching (-¼), No 
  Velocity Damage (-¼) 
  0 
   
   Perks 
   12 Reputation:  Greatest Warrior of All Time 
  14- (Medium-Sized Group), +6/+6d6 
   
  5 Military Rank:  General of the Greek 
  Armies 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  15
   
   Talents 
   12 Combat Luck (x2) 
   16 Combat Sense 13- 
   20 Deadly Blow:  +2d6 (Any Circumstances, 
  Any HTH Weapon) 
   10 Follow-Through Attack 
   
  8 Lightning Reflexes: +5 DEX to act 
  first with All Actions 
   
   
  Skills 
   80 +10 with All Combat 
   
   
    Martial Arts: Master of All Combat 
   
   Maneuver OCV DCV Notes 
   
  4 Bind 
  +1 
  +0 40 STR Bind 
   
  4 Block 
  +2 
  +2 Block, Abort 
   
  4 Choke 
  -2 
  +0 1 Limb; 3d6 NND 
   
  4 Counter 
  +2 
  +2 +4 DC, Follows 
  Block 
   
  4 Disarm 
  -1 
  +1 40 STR Disarm 
   
  4 Escape 
  +0 
  +0 45 STR Escape 
   
  3 Grab 
  -1 
  -1 2 Limbs, 40 STR 
   
  5 Grappling 
  +1 
  +1 Block, Grab 1  
   
      Block  
   
   
  Limb 
   
  5 Passing 
  +1 
  +0 +2 DC +v/5,  
   
      Strike  
   
   
  FMove 
   
  4 Reversal 
  -1 
  -2 45 STR Escape, 
  Grab 2 Limbs 
   
  4 Strike 
  +0 
  +2 +4 DC  
   
  3 Takedown 
  +1 
  +1 +2 DC Strike, 
  Target Falls 
   
  8 +2 Damage Classes (added in) 
   
   
  9 Analyze Combat Technique 15- 
   
  4 Animal Handler (Equines) 15- 
   
  3 Breakfall 13- 
   
  3 Climbing 13- 
   
  5 Combat Driving 14- 
   10 Defense Maneuver IV  
   
  3 Fast Draw 13- 
   
  4 KS: Greek Mythology 13- 
   
  7 KS: Military History 16- 
   
  8 KS: Small Unit Tactics 17- 
   
  3 Language: Macedonian (Fluent, Greek is 
  Native) 
   
  3 Oratory 14- 
   
  5 PS: Soldier 14- 
   
  5 Rapid Attack (HTH)  
   
  5 Riding 14- 
   
  3 Stealth 13- 
   11 Tactics 16- 
   
  3 Teamwork 13- 
   
  7 TF: Riding Animals, Carts & Carriages, 
  Chariots, Large Rowed Boats, Large 
  Wind-Powered Boats, Small Rowed 
  Boats, Small Wind-Powered Boats 
   10 WF: Common Melee Weapons, Common 
  Missile Weapons, Siege Engines, Nets, 
  Off Hand, Staffs, Thrown Sword 
  Total Powers & Skill Cost: 395 
  Total Cost: 532 
   200+ Disadvantages 
   15 Enraged:  Friends Injured/Killed 
  (Uncommon, Go 11-, Rec 11-) 
   20 Hunted:  The Trojan Army 8- (As Pow, 
  NCI, Very Easy to Find, Harshly Punish) 
   15 Psychological Limitation:  
  Overconfidence (Common, Strong) 
   10 Psychological Limitation:  Short 
  Tempered (Common, Moderate) 
   15 Psychological Limitation: Vengeful 
  (Common, Strong) 
   
  5 Rivalry:  Other Warriors (Professional, As 
  Pow, Seek to Outdo, Rival Aware) 
   252 Experience Points 
  Total Disadvantage Points: 532 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  16 
  Hercules 
   
  Hercules (the Latin spelling of 
  Herakles/Heracles) is the greatest hero of Greek 
  myth. Gifted with strength on a par with the 
  gods, he was a protector of man and at the same 
  time, a tragically flawed being. 
   
  Herakles was the son of Zeus and Alcmene. 
  His jealous stepmother, Hera, tried to murder the 
  infant Herakles by putting two serpents in his 
  cradle. Luckily for Herakles, he was born with 
  great strength and killed them both. When his 
  mother came to check on him, she found him 
  happily napping with a dead snake strangled in 
  either hand. As he grew older, Hera’s resentment 
  of Herakles grew. She could not abide the living, 
  breathing reminder of her husband’s infidelity 
  and she drove Herakles insane. During this time, 
  he killed his wife, Megara, and their three 
  children. Herakles exiled himself in shame when 
  he recovered his sanity.  
   
  Herakles decided to ask the Delphic Oracle 
  what he should do to regain his honor. The 
  Oracle told Herakles to go to Eurystheus, king of 
  Mycenae, and serve him for twelve years. King 
  Eurystheus couldn’t think of any tasks that might 
  prove difficult for the mighty son of Zeus, so 
  Hera came down from her palace on Olympus to 
  “help him.” Together, the twosome came up with 
  twelve tasks for Hera’s mortal stepson to 
  complete.  
   
  These tasks are now known as the twelve 
  labors of Herakles.  
   
  Herakles’ first labor was to kill the 
  menacing Nemean Lion. No blade could harm 
  the creature, so Herakles strangled the creature 
  and carried it back to Mycenae where he took its’ 
  hide as a vestment.  
   
  The second task was to overcome the nine-
  headed snake known as the Hydra. Herakles’ 
  cousin Ioloas helped him out by burning the neck 
  stumps after Herakles cut off the heads. Since the 
  ninth head was immortal, Herakles rolled a rock 
  over it.  
   
  The third task was to find the golden-horned 
  stag and bring it back alive. Herakles followed 
  the stag around for one full year before he finally 
  captured the stag and took it back alive.  
   
  The fourth labor was to capture a wild boar 
  that terrorized Mycenae’s people. Herakles 
  chased the boar up a mountain where the boar 
  fell in to a snow drift. While it was partially 
  immobilized, Herakles subdued it.  
   
  The fifth task of Herakles was to clean the 
  Augean stables, where thousands of cattle were 
  housed, in a single day. Herakles proved he had 
  some brains to match his brawn as he diverted 
  two rivers so that they would flow into the 
  Augean stables and clean them in a day. 
   
  The sixth labor was to destroy the man-
  eating Stymphalian birds. Herakles drove them 
  out of their hiding places with a rattle and shot 
  them with poison-tipped arrows.  
   
  The sixth task was for Herakles to capture a 
  Cretean savage bull. Herakles wrestled it to the 
  ground and took it back to King Eurystheus.  
   
  The eighth labor was to capture the four 
  man-eating mares of Thrace. Herakles threw the 
  master of the mares to them. After a quick snack, 
  the horses became very tame, so Herakles safely 
  led them back to Mycenae.  
   
  Herakles’ ninth labor was to obtain the 
  girdle of the fierce Amazon warrior queen, 
  Hippolyta. Hippolyta willingly gave her girdle to 
  Herakles, but Hera convinced the Amazons that 
  Herakles was trying to take Hippolyta from 
  them, so Herakles fought them off and returned 
  to his master with the girdle.  
   
  The tenth labor was to capture the cattle of 
  the monster, Geryon. Herakles killed Geryon, 
  claimed the cattle, and took them back to the 
  king.  
   
  The eleventh task was to get the golden-
  apples of the Hesperides. Herakles told Atlas that 
  if he would get the apples for him, he (Herakles) 
  would hold the heavens for him. When Atlas 
  returned from his task, Herakles again proved he 
  was more than just muscles when he tricked 
  Atlas into taking back the heavens.  
   
  The final labor of Herakles was to bring the 
  three-headed watchdog of the underworld, 
  Cerberus, to the surface without using any 
  weapons. Herakles seized two of Cerberus’ 
  heads and the dog gave in. Herakles took the dog 
  to his master, who ordered him to take it back.  
   
  Finally, after twelve years and twelve tasks, 
  Herakles was a free man.  
   
  Herakles went to the town of Thebes and 
  married Deianira. She bore him many children. 
  Herakles continued as a hero, joining Jason and 
  the Argonauts on their epic quest for the Golden 
  Fleece. Some time later, the male centaur, 
  Nessus, abducted Deianira. Herakles came to her 
  rescue and shot Nessus with a poison tipped 
  arrow. The dying Nessus told Deianira to keep a 
  portion of his blood to use as a love potion on 
  Herakles if she felt that she was losing him to 
  another woman. A couple of a months later, 
  Deianira thought that another woman was 
  coming between her and her husband, so 
  Deianira washed one of Herakles’ shirts in 
  Nessus’ blood and gave it to him to wear. 
  However Nessus had lied to her, for the blood 
  really acted as a poison and killed Herakles. On 
  his funeral pyre, the dying Herakles ascended to 
  Olympus, where he was granted immortality and 
  lived among the gods. Hera was none too 
  pleased, but by then, her husband Zeus had told 
  her to accept it or she’d be facing his wrath. 
   
  So there’s our next hero. Again, we have 
  him in two versions, one to play tag with the 
  Superhumans, and one to be the epitome of an 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  17
  ideal in a Heroic setting. It should be noted that 
  in the second version, Herakles is interpreted as a 
  man who has become legend and most of the 
  more fantastic aspects have been removed. Both  
  Hercules 
  present Herakles as mortal. To make him a true 
  immortal, add the Full Life Support package at 
  50 points and Universal Translator 20- for 28 
  points. 
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  18 
  Hercules (High End) 
   Val Char Cost Roll Notes 
   75 STR 
  65 24- 800 tons; 15d6 HTH 
   20 DEX 
  30 13- OCV:  7/DCV:  7 
   30 CON 
  40 15-  
   25 BODY 
  30 14-  
   15 INT 
  5 12- PER Roll:  12- 
   13 EGO 
  6 12- ECV:  4 
   25 PRE 
  15 14- PRE Attack:  5d6 
   18 COM 
  4 13-  
   
   25 PD 
  10 
   Total:  25 PD (22 rPD) 
   20 ED 
  14 
   Total:  20 ED (18 rED) 
   
  5 SPD 
  20 
   Phases:  3, 5, 8, 10, 12 
   21 REC 
  0 
    
   60 END 
  0 
    
   78 STUN 
  0 
   
  Total Characteristic Cost:  239 
  Movement: Running: 
  6”/12” 
   
   
  Leaping: 
  15”/30” 
   
   
  Swimming: 2”/4” 
  Cost  Powers 
  END 
   36 Nemean Lion Skin:  Physical Damage 
  Reduction, Resistant, 75%, Hardened 
  (x2; +½) (90 Active Points); Activation 
  Roll 14- (-½), OIF (-½), Only Works 
  Against Limited Type of Attack 
  (Blades/Cutting/Piercing; -½) 
   20 Heroic Durability:  Damage Resistance 
  (22 PD/18 ED) 
  0 
   15 Heroic Durability:  Physical Damage 
  Reduction, Resistant, 25% 
  0 
   15 Heroic Durability:  Energy Damage 
  Reduction, Resistant, 25% 
  0 
   37 Vigor of a Demigod:  Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½) on 75 STR 
  0 
   10 Hero’s Luck: Luck 2d6 
   
   71 Massive Bow with Poison Arrows: RKA 
  2½d6, Increased Maximum Range 
  (1000”, +¼); OAF (-1), Real Weapon  
   
   (-¼), 12 Charges (-¼) plus RKA 3d6, 
  No Normal Defense (Immunity to 
  Poison or Arrow Fails to Do BODY 
  Damage, +1); No Range (-½), 12 
  Charges (-¼) 
  0 
   12 Big Club:  HA +4d6 (19d6 with STR), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END, +½); OAF 
  (-1), HA Lim (-½) 
  0 
   10 Cunning:  +2 to INT and PRE Rolls; 
  When He’s Being Tricky (-1) 
   
   Perks 
   18 Reputation:  Hero and Protector 14- 
  (Large Group), +6/+6d6 
   
   Talents 
   
  8 Combat Archery 
   
  4 Rapid Archery 
   
  5 Rapid Healing 
   
   Skills 
   
   Martial Arts: Greco-Roman Wrestling 
   
   Maneuver OCV DCV Notes 
   
  4 Choke 
  -2 
  +0 Grab 1 Limb, 3d6 
  NND 
   
  4 Escape 
  +0 
  +0 100 STR Escape 
   
  3 Grab 
  -1 
  -1 Grab 2 Limbs, 95 
  STR 
   
  4 Reversal 
  -1 
  -2 100 STR Escape, 
  Grab 2 Limbs 
   
  3 Slam 
  +0 
  +1 17d6+v/5, Target 
  Falls 
   
  3 Takedown 
  +1 
  +1 17d6, Target Falls 
   
  8 +2 Damage Classes (added in) 
   
   16 +2 with All Combat 
   10 +2 with Hand-to-Hand Combat 
   
  6 +2 with Wrestling 
   
  2 +1 with Bow 
   
  4 Animal Handler (Bovines, Canines, 
  Equines) 14- 
   
  3 Breakfall 13- 
   
  7 Climbing 15- 
   
  3 Conversation 14- 
   13 Hoist 17- 
   
  4 KS: Greek Mythology 13- 
   
  5 KS: Monsters of Greek Mythology 14- 
   
  3 Language: Macedonian (Fluent, Greek is 
  Native) 
   
  2 Navigation (Land) 12- 
   
  3 Persuasion 14- 
   
  4 PS: Hero 15- (PRE-Based) 
   
  3 Riding 13- 
   
  3 Seduction 14- 
   
  4 Survival (Mountain, Temperate) 12- 
   
  3 Tactics 12- 
   
  3 Teamwork 13- 
   
  4 TF: Carts & Carriages, Chariots, Riding 
  Animals 
   
  5 Tracking 13- 
   
  4 WF: Common Melee Weapons, Common 
  Missile Weapons 
  Total Powers & Skill Cost:  404 
  Total Cost:  643 
   200+ Disadvantages 
   15 Enraged:  Hera Inteferes in His Life 
  (Common, Go 8-, Rec 11-) 
   30 Hunted:  Hera 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, Easy to 
  Find) 
   10 Psychological Limitation:  Brash 
  (Common, Moderate) 
   10 Psychological Limitation:  
  Overconfidence (Common, Moderate) 
   15 Psychological Limitation:  Skirtchaser 
  (Common, Strong) 
   10 Social Limitation:  Famous (Frequently, 
  Minor) 
   353 Experience Points 
  Total Disadvantage Points:  643 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  19
  Hercules (Low End) 
   Val Char Cost Roll Notes 
   35 STR 
  25 16- 3200 kg; 7d6 HTH [2] 
   18 DEX 
  24 13- OCV:  6/DCV:  6 
   28 CON 
  36 15-  
   20 BODY 
  20 13-  
   15 INT 
  5 12- PER Roll:  12- 
   13 EGO 
  6 12- ECV:  4 
   25 PRE 
  15 14- PRE Attack:  5d6 
   16 COM 
  3 12-  
   
   19 PD 
  5 
   Total:  19 PD (7 rPD) 
   15 ED 
  4 
   Total:  15 ED (5 rED) 
   
  4 SPD 
  12 
   Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12 
   13 REC 
  0 
    
   56 END 
  0 
    
   52 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristic Cost:  155 
  Movement: Running: 
  6”/12” 
   
   
  Leaping: 
  7”/14” 
   
   
  Swimming: 2”/4” 
  Cost  Powers 
  END 
   10 Heroic Durability:  Physical Damage 
  Reduction, Resistant, 25%; STUN Only 
  (-½) 
  0 
   
  9 Vigor of a Hero:  Reduced Endurance 
  (½ END, +¼) on 35 STR 
  0 
   10 Hero’s Luck:  Luck 2d6 
  0 
   15 Massive Bow:  RKA 2d6, Increased 
  Maximum Range (750”, +¼); OAF (-1), 
  Real Weapon (-¼), 12 Charges (-¼) 
  0 
   
  8 Nemean Lion Hide (Cuir Boilli Armor):  
  Armor (7 PD/5 ED); OIF (-½), Real 
  Armor (-¼), Activation Roll 14- (-½) 
  0 
   12 Big Club:  HA +4d6 (11d6 with STR), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END, +½); OAF 
  (-1), HA Lim (-½) 
  0 
   10 Cunning:  +2 to INT and PRE Rolls; 
  When He’s Being Tricky (-1) 
   
   
  Perks 
   18 Reputation:  Hero and Protector 14- 
  (Large Group), +6/+6d6 
   
   Talents 
   
  8 Combat Archery 
   12 Combat Luck (x2) 
   
  4 Rapid Archery 
   
  5 Rapid Healing 
   
   Skills 
   
   Martial Arts: Greco-Roman Wrestling 
   
   Maneuver OCV DCV Notes 
   
  4 Choke 
  -2 
  +0 Grab 1 Limb, 3d6 
  NND 
   
  4 Escape 
  +0 
  +0 100 STR Escape 
   
  3 Grab 
  -1 
  -1 Grab 2 Limbs, 95 
  STR 
   
  4 Reversal 
  -1 
  -2 100 STR Escape, 
  Grab 2 Limbs 
   
  3 Slam 
  +0 
  +1 17d6+v/5, Target 
  Falls 
   
  3 Takedown 
  +1 
  +1 17d6, Target Falls 
   
  8 +2 Damage Classes (added in) 
   16 +2 with All Combat 
   10 +2 with Hand-to-Hand Combat 
   
  6 +2 with Wrestling 
   
  2 +1 with Bow 
   
  3 Animal Handler (Bovines, Canines, 
  Equines) 8- 
   
  3 Breakfall 13- 
   
  5 Climbing 14- 
   
  3 Conversation 14- 
   
  9 Hoist 15- 
   
  4 KS: Greek Mythology 13- 
   
  3 Language: Macedonian (Fluent, Greek is 
  Native) 
   
  2 Navigation (Land) 12- 
   
  3 Persuasion 14- 
   
  4 PS: Hero 15- Note: Works off of PRE 
   
  3 Riding 13- 
   
  3 Seduction 14- 
   
  4 Survival (Temperate/Subtropical, 
  Mountain) 12- 
   
  3 Tactics 12- 
   
  3 Teamwork 13- 
   
  4 TF: Carts & Carriages, Chariots, Riding 
  Animals 
   
  5 Tracking 13- 
   
  5 Tracking 13- 
   
  4 WF: Common Melee Weapons, Common 
  Missile Weapons 
  Total Powers & Skill Cost: 252 
  Total Cost: 407 
   200+ Disadvantages 
   10 Psychological Limitation:  Brash 
  (Common, Moderate) 
   10 Psychological Limitation:  
  Overconfidence (Common, Moderate) 
   15 Psychological Limitation:  Skirtchaser 
  (Common, Strong) 
   10 Social Limitation:  Famous (Frequently, 
  Minor) 
   162 Experience Points 
  Total Disadvantage Points: 407 
   
    
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  20 
  EuroGuard by Bill Keyes and Denver Mason 
   
  EuroGuard 
  Membership:  Watchman, AngelFire, Bielo, 
  Passion, Purple Juggler, Speed, Tick Tock 
   
  Background/History:  While only officially 
  “ready to go” a little over a year ago (and taking 
  into account years of building, recruiting, and 
  preparing), EuroGuard has existed in one sense 
  since 1988. It was born in the mind of Monsieur 
  Mathieu Lefèvre, when he and the rest of the 
  world were introduced to the horror of Eurostar. 
  He was not alone. As the depredations of Fiacho 
  and his group increased, an increasing demand 
  for an organized defense against their attacks 
  began to rise. Established superhero teams of 
  various nations acquitted themselves well 
  enough, but their own countries were, of course, 
  their first priority. UNTIL had limited resources, 
  with which they had to police the whole world. 
   
  Finally, those pushing for an EU-sponsored 
  superteam won the day. Mathieu Lefèvre was put 
  in charge of the project as official liaison and 
  unofficial recruiter. His first candidate was 
  Bielo, “The White.” When the barbaric deity was 
  caught on television stopping a natural disaster 
  and saving dozens of lives, Lefèvre realized he 
  had found a fellow with a similar vision of 
  Europe, and a cornerstone upon which build the 
  rest of the team. 
   
  One of the last superheroes one would have 
  expected soon stepped forward after that. The 
  Watchman was well known as a nationalist who 
  had serious misgivings about the EU. The Pole 
  felt it his duty to volunteer for service, and in 
  doing so remind everyone that each member 
  state was its own nation first and a part of the 
  Union second. Despite this differing point of 
  view, his technological expertise proved to be 
  absolutely essential for many of the future team’s 
  resources. 
   
  Soon, others joined the ranks. The popular 
  Spanish AngelFire, and Speed (the embittered 
  hero from Malta) brought a better public image 
  and hard-won experience against Eurostar, 
  respectively. Tick Tock, by its own request, was 
  released into EuroGuard’s custody after a brief 
  sojourn as a villain in the United Kingdom. Der 
  Purpurjongleur was hardly the most prominent or 
  respected German hero around, but he was the 
  first to try and meet the training requirements. A 
  mentalist was badly needed, and Passion of 
  France was accepted – despite her grating 
  attitude. 
   
  Some nations treated the EuroGuard project 
  as a dumping ground for their less desirable 
  heroes, wanting to keep the crème de la crème 
  for their own national teams. Others strove to 
  send their best, and many countries let the heroes 
  decide for themselves if they wanted to try. The 
  team might look very rag-tag indeed if it weren’t 
  for a mandatory and intense six-month training 
  course and evaluation for each applicant. And 
  still the trainees come.  
   
  Applications also meant rejections. Some 
  personalities were too volatile, too unwilling to 
  work in a team environment. Politics and 
  bureaucracy reared its ugly head in the selection 
  process. There was tremendous pressure from 
  within the EU to push certain candidates 
  through, while rejecting others. The media 
  played its part as well, and at times it seemed the 
  public was ready to demand reality TV-style 
  call-ins to see who would be admitted. 
  Fortunately, somewhere in this mix, some good 
  men worked with the heroes to establish 
  standards and stick to them. 
   
  Bastion-1 was built in the North Sea, and at 
  last the EuroGuard had a home. Of course, 
  someone pointed out that half the team had no 
  way to get there; the request for a team vehicle 
  had never gotten EU approval. A plan in which 
  the latest in European transport vehicles would 
  be showcased was set into motion. Everything 
  from combat-ready mega-copters to swift 
  hydrofoil yachts has been used by the team.  
   
  It was a sleek jet by UK-based Corporation 
  Sky-Buss that brought EuroGuard into their first 
  encounter with Eurostar. Fiacho had ordered the 
  destruction of the American Embassy in 
  Brussels. No super-powered American forces 
  were present (or could be called in time), so a 
  request for assistance was sent out. This incident, 
  later known as “the Brussels Situation,” turned 
  out to be the defining moment for EuroGuard. 
  With the element of surprise on their side, and 
  knowing their foes better than their foes knew 
  them, EuroGuard not only saved the embassy, 
  but they managed to capture an enraged Durak! 
  Of course, at least one EuroGuardsman would 
  have died if not for Bielo’s healing that day… 
  but that was neither here nor there – the mission 
  was considered a roaring success. 
   
  This victory was fleeting, for the rest of the 
  villains escaped and Durak would later be freed 
  from an UNTIL installation by his teammates – 
  but it had proven a point. EuroGuard could hold 
  its own against Eurostar. Europeans everywhere 
  hailed it as a triumph. Members of the EU 
  congratulated themselves on their foresight, and 
  the plans for further development were suddenly 
  a bandwagon everyone wanted to jump onto. By 
  2010, the team is expected to triple in size, and 
  to have at least one other base completed. 
                                                             
  photography by Bill Keyes 
  AUTHORS’ NOTE 
   
   
   The authors would 
  like to thank Steve 
  Long and Hero 
  Games for permission 
  to use Eurostar and 
  Fiacho. Text from the 
  background of 
  Monsieur Lefèvre was
  taken from Fiacho, 
  featured in 
  Conquerors, Killers, 
  and Crooks. 
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  21
   
  For now though, the relatively new team of 
  heroes patrols Europe and responds to any call it 
  can. They face not just Eurostar, but the likes of 
  Gravitar, ARGENT, and more. They often put on 
  public appearances, and have increasingly been 
  seen as Europe’s ambassadors to the superheroic 
  world. They are often sent to greet superheroes 
  who visit from other nations. They combat 
  disasters, natural and otherwise. While they often 
  seem tied by procedure and paperwork, the 
  greatest bonds upon them are self-imposed 
  shackles of honor and a love for their nations – 
  and Europe as a whole. 
   
  Group Relations:  The members of EuroGuard 
  get along with one another quite well, with a few 
  notable exceptions. For the most part, they all 
  realize that they are a part of something larger 
  than themselves, and work to fulfill their mission 
  with a professionalism worthy of the cause.
   
  EuroGuard maintains cordial relations with 
  UNTIL and, of course, the member nations of 
  the European Union. They often count on 
  UNTIL’s European branch for support in high-
  profile missions. Their relations with the United 
  States (particularly PRIMUS) are a little more 
  tenuous – though this is seen as more of a 
  friendly rivalry than overt hostility. They 
  consider the superteams of the US (at least, those 
  who obey international law) to be allies. They 
  have contacts among several other national 
  teams and solo heroes in Europe, such as the 
  New Knights of the Round Table, the London 
  Watch, and Vanguard. 
   
  At any given time, at least half of 
  EuroGuard is “on duty” at their North Sea base. 
  They hold meetings at least once a week, which 
  all members are required to attend (unless an 
  emergency calls one of them away). All the 
  members of EuroGuard are expected to be “on 
  call” 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They also 
  have regular training sessions, sponsored by the 
  nations of the EU, which are usually held at a 
  military base somewhere on European soil. 
   
  Campaign Use: EuroGuard is meant to be the 
  answer both to Eurostar and to the often 
  bewildering lack of non-American super teams 
  in a very big world. Its open-ended recruitment 
  means a GM can bring in an entire group of new 
  characters (PC or NPC) pretty much any time he 
  likes, to either work with the characters 
  described here or to replace them. Naturally, 
  while all power levels aren’t equal, players could 
  take the various EuroGuard mentioned here as 
  their own, and alter to taste.  
   
  This is not to say that superhero games 
  based in America won’t gain anything from this 
  group. With a bit of tweaking, EuroGuard could 
  make fine allies, contacts, rivals, or even 
  opponents (due to misunderstanding or 
  manipulation) for a group of American 
  superheroes visiting Europe. For that matter, 
  EuroGuard could head to the US for some public 
  relations. One could even play on the old “Hero 
  Exchange Program” for good comedic (or 
  serious) effect. 
   
  A glance at the individual write-ups will 
  show that each member shares certain skills, 
  gear, and of course, disadvantages with the 
  others. This is meant to reflect the common 
  training required by Project: EuroGuard. The EU 
  and the team are both in total agreement that one 
  should not go up against the likes of Eurostar 
  unprepared, and insist on it. Trainees are not ever 
  going to be sent out on official missions 
  unsupervised, and solo heroes who are not 
  government-sponsored may find EuroGuard 
  pulling rank. Each member of EuroGuard has 
  international police powers, and they make sure 
  the laws and citizens of Europe’s nations are 
  treated with respect. 
   
  EuroGuard should technically hunt anyone 
  the European Union tells them to hunt. However, 
  they are still superheroes, and even the most 
  organized and duty-bound superheroes have a bit 
  of maverick in them. No one on the team would 
  hunt apparently innocent people without further 
  explanation; at the very least, their hunt would be 
  lackluster at best. However, anyone suspected of 
  super-terrorism or murderous activity in general 
  would find many members of EuroGuard coming 
  after them with great efficiency. They would 
  gather as much information on their target as 
  they could, then devise the best way to take their 
  foe down before doing so with great vigor. Read 
  individual entries to determine how each would 
  likely hunt, and the best way to increase or 
  decrease their power levels. 
   
  GMs may notice that not everything seems 
  “paid” for – the team has multiple bases, 
  followers, and vehicles. This indicates that 
  EuroGuard is not autonomous from the European 
  Union, which sponsors and provides for them. If 
  they should ever cross a line, they will surely 
  find many of their benefits (listed and otherwise) 
  revoked – or at least temporarily suspended. Just 
  what that “line” might be depends on which age 
  (Golden, Silver, Bronze, or Iron) the GM wants 
  to play it.  
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  22 
  Tactics:  EuroGuard has trained and worked 
  together extensively, and they have their tactics 
  honed to a fine edge (this is particularly 
  important when dealing with professional super-
  powered terrorists like Eurostar). Watchman is 
  indisputably their battlefield chief – his 
  experience coupled with his keen mind and 
  forceful personality make him a natural leader, 
  and they have all grown to trust his judgment. 
  Bielo is the team’s leader when Watchman is not 
  available. Though he does not have the Pole’s 
  tactical mind, his presence and power make him 
  the one the others look to in times of trouble.  
   
  Generally speaking, Speed is assigned to act 
  as the team’s scout. He will race into an area, 
  take a quick look to assess the situation, then 
  report back. If possible, he will remove civilians 
  from the area to keep them from getting caught 
  in the battle. Speed is smart enough not to try to 
  take out supervillains on his own. 
   
  Bielo, AngelFire, and the Purple Juggler are 
  the team’s main line. Bielo will cheerfully wade 
  into any fight, and is usually assigned to take out 
  the biggest, baddest threat. AngelFire provides 
  air support while Der Purpurjongleur moves 
  quickly around the battlefield, harassing their 
  foes. Passion stays toward the back of the fight, 
  remaining unseen if possible, defending her team 
  against hostile mentalists and otherwise 
  manipulating the enemy with her powers. She 
  knows she’s not the most durable of the team, 
  and her powers work better when she’s not in the 
  thick of things. Tick Tock fades out of visibility 
  and uses its time manipulation powers to erode 
  the enemy’s ability to fight. Watchman, the 
  team’s tactician and leader, will hold his actions 
  while he analyzes the situation and directs his 
  team. When he is ready to finally strike, he 
  strikes hard and fast. 
   
  Despite the “standard operating procedure” 
  which they favor and have trained in, EuroGuard 
  is not adverse to improvising when the situation 
  calls for it. Also note that their main raison d’être 
  is to protect the people of Europe; therefore 
  rescuing civilians is their primary goal on any 
  mission. 
   
  EuroGuard has practiced a series of 
  battlefield code phrases in order to communicate 
  the plan to the team without alerting their 
  enemies. Though none of them speak Latin, they 
  have memorized a handful of words to use in 
  emergency situations. A few examples: 
   
  Contego (“Defense”): The entire team 
  drops what they are doing to protect civilians in 
  the area. 
   
  Chelonii (“Turtle”): EuroGuard forms a 
  defensive barrier around a fallen team member, 
  captured enemy, helpless civilian, or important 
  object. 
   
  Iaculum (“Wedge”): Bielo attacks the 
  strongest foe with everything he has; the others 
  in the team keep all other opposition away from 
  him. 
   
  Aranea (“Spider’s Web”): Everyone who 
  has an Entangle attack uses it on their opponent. 
   
  Ioco/Aeturnus (“Joke/Time”): Der 
  Purpurjongleur attempts to enrage and distract a 
  particular opponent, drawing him off from his 
  objective and the enemy team; while that foe is 
  distracted, Tick Tock drains away his DEX and 
  END. 
   
  Caecus/Oppugno (“Blind/Assault”): 
  AngelFire uses her Flash attack to blind the 
  opposition, then Speed attacks the helpless foe 
  with Rapid-Fire punches. 
   
  Metus/Curis (“Fear/Spear”): Passion hits 
  a foe with Paralyzing Fear, then Watchman hits 
  the foe in the weakest spot with his most 
  effective attack. 
  EUROGUARD PLOT SEEDS 
   
   
   
  BetaGuard: As either a fun one-shot, or the 
  start of a new campaign, all of EuroGuard end up 
  missing – and at the worst possible moment, too! 
  When news gets out of this absence, Europe 
  becomes swamped with villains feeling 
  unrestrained. UNITY is busy saving Bogotá 
  from giant radioactive salamanders. So, with 
  reluctance, the EU activates the trainees months 
  before they are considered ready. Their mission? 
  Find the real EuroGuard, keep the chaos to a 
  minimum… oh, and good luck. 
   
  Yankee Go Home: It is no secret that 
  Americans are the favored target of Eurostar. 
  Their disdain for the “last remaining 
  superpower” is clear. As the years have gone by, 
  more and more Americans have lost loved ones 
  to the super-terrorists. Finally, one American 
  superhero has had enough. Not willing to wait 
  for EuroGuard to get the job done, he assembles 
  a new team – which has decided to hunt down 
  and destroy Eurostar one by one, whatever it 
  takes. While individual members of EuroGuard 
  may have some sympathy, the fact remains they 
  can not allow any group of unsanctioned 
  individuals to go wholesale vigilante across 
  Europe. The Yanks must either be talked out of 
  it, or if they cannot be, defeated by force. 
  EuroGuard is ordered to see to it. 
   
  Into the Hole: After Eurostar seizes several 
  prominent world leaders (a black eye on 
  EuroGuard, to be sure) our heroes receive a 
  mysterious transmission identifying exactly 
  where Eurostar’s secret base is located – in 
  Switzerland. This leads to several problems; for 
  one thing, Switzerland is not part of the 
  European Union. Besides, who is the source of 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  23
  the information? Dare they trust it? Even if they 
  survive the deadly labyrinth that is the Eurostar 
  base, what if they are merely being used to 
  soften up Eurostar so VIPER, Mechanon, or Dr. 
  Destroyer can come in and finish the job? 
  EUROGUARD TRAINEES 
   
   
   
  As of this writing, there are 25 nations in the 
  European Union, with several more in the 
  process of joining. The member states are 
  Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, 
  Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, 
  Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, 
  Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, 
  Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Slovakia, 
  Sweden, and the United Kingdom.  
   
  Many nations (notably the smaller ones) 
  have not yet sent a candidate to EuroGuard for 
  training. Other nations (particularly the larger 
  ones) have sent more than one. Almost every 
  nation in the EU plans to have a presence in 
  EuroGuard – though how they will coordinate so 
  large a team is not yet known. Here is a list of 
  those members who have been accepted into 
  EuroGuard, but are still in the training process: 
   
  Doc Giant – Dwarfism in a land known for 
  “wee folk” can be living hell. Doctor Ray 
  Garvey became one of Ireland’s leading 
  biochemists until the accident that granted him 
  the ability to solve his problem… sort of. Still 
  short normally, he can nevertheless grow to 
  tremendous sizes. 
   
  Dragonwing – A citizen of the UK, Lian 
  Wei was born in Hong Kong and relocated with 
  her parents to London when she was a child. 
  Dragonwing can fly and shoot fiery blasts from 
  her hands. She is unsure of her power as of yet, 
  and still sometimes suffers from crises of 
  confidence – which her EuroGuard trainers hope 
  she gets over before she is officially inducted 
  onto the team. 
   
  Fortunata (Lucky) – Donna Artalé is an 
  Italian heroine with the ability to alter probability 
  in her favor. Cocky and confident, she is as 
  quick with her wit as she is on her feet. 
   
  Okeanoz (Ocean) – Epifanio Wendgrovius 
  is a Greek hero with the ability to manipulate 
  liquids. Though he is quite potent when near 
  large bodies of water, his abilities suffer when he 
  is in a dry environment. The son of a sailor, he 
  loves the ocean and dislikes being away from it 
  for very long.  
   
  Schaduwster (Shadowstar) – Jan 
  Vanderveer is a citizen of the Netherlands. His 
  powers over shadows and darkness are as of yet 
  relatively weak, but growing. Schaduwster is 
  also an avid student (though no master) of Tae 
  Kwon Do. Given AngelFire’s fear of darkness, 
  there are some who think he should be held back 
  until Bastion-2 is ready. 
   
  Volva – Cecilia Jenson of Sweden is a 
  mystic specializing in the area of divinations. 
  Her only offensive power thus far is the ability to 
  show someone their “fate,” which often leaves 
  them stunned and gibbering, but is very draining 
  for her. 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  24 
  The Watchman (Strażnik) 
  Background/History:  Vojciech Lesefski 
  glanced down at his son Oles as they walked 
  through the streets of Krakow. The boy was so 
  young. Would he understand?  
   
  The Henyel played, as it always did, ending 
  in an abrupt note eternally unfinished.  
   
  Oles seemed intrigued by what his father 
  had said, “So the watchman gave his life so the 
  tartars couldn’t invade the city? But… couldn’t 
  he have just called down?” 
   
  “His voice would not have carried,” 
  Vojciech shook his head, “So he played the horn, 
  over and over again… until an arrow pierced his 
  throat. It was how he was found, and that is why 
  the song now ends where it does.” 
   
  “But that’s not fair!” Oles lamented the no 
  win scenario, “The horn made him a target, but it 
  was his only way to warn the city!” 
   
  This, thought the boy’s father, was it, the 
  point he had to drive home in case… well, just in 
  case. The man set the boy up on the fountain 
  edge so they could lock eyes, “Sometimes, Oles, 
  the only way to stop evil is to call attention to it 
  so the people may act. Sometimes, a man who 
  loves his land has to put himself up high, make 
  himself a target. He can’t pretend that he doesn’t 
  see the evil. Life is not fair and it is not just; until 
  good men strive to make it so.” And sometimes 
  not even then, his thoughts amended. 
   
  The boy sniffed, and nodded, saying, “And 
  that’s why you have to go to the solidarity 
  meeting…” 
   
  Vojciech answered, “Yes, my son. I must 
  sound my trumpet, and warn others. Come what 
  may.” 
   
  “I love you, papa,” Oles said, and hugged 
  his father fiercely. Vojciech was not a man given 
  to great displays of affection. In these times, it 
  often felt as if he had to be hard or he’d break, 
  but he hugged his son back anyway. Oles had 
  understood him, and the man had never been 
  prouder. 
   
  Years passed, and many good men were 
  taken into custody for daring to stand up to the 
  Soviets. Some, it is said, suffered worse than 
  that, they and their families.  
   
  Where some saw a clash of forces, others 
  saw a demand which could be used to profit in 
  ways that still foiled the Soviets. One of these 
  was Oles’ Uncle, Lechoslaw. A proud black 
  marketer, he was the one who “found” all that 
  military gear… including some state-of-the-art 
  infrared binoculars. Oles was a bright lad. A very 
  bright lad.  
   
  First, the Poles would have a lookout 
  extraordinaire. As Oles adapted more and more 
  gear, they would have a superhero (though the 
  Soviets would call him a villain instead). Oles 
  jury-rigged a crude sonic weapon, thinking to 
  call himself “Trumpeter,” but he soon was using 
  other devices and new armaments beyond that. 
  Eventually he incorporated them into body armor 
  (broken ribs made him appreciate the protection), 
  and the people of Krakow took to calling him 
  something else:  Strażnik – the Watchman. 
   
  But of course, by the time his superhero 
  career had really taken off, Poland was free 
  again. The people were able to shape their own 
  destiny, make their own choices, and face 
  dangers alone. Watchman and other supers of 
  Poland were kept very busy, even going as far as 
  to join together to push back an invasion by 
  Eurostar in ’93.  
   
  When Poland voted to join the EU, Oles was 
  stunned. It wasn’t so long ago that Poland had 
  escaped the Soviet Union’s influence, and now 
  they were trying to place themselves under the 
  sway of a new European empire? It seemed a 
  good way to better the nation, but something 
  about it rankled. What would guarantee that this 
  grand palace the pan-Europeans were building 
  wasn’t going to rot into something horrid? Just 
  how much would each nation be expected to give 
  up, “for the greater good?” Was anyone 
  watching out for this (to his mind) very real 
  danger? 
   
  In the end, Oles decided that yes, he was, 
  and other nationalists who loved their 
  homelands. So when the EU called for 
  superheroes to step forward, he did just that. Due 
  to his experience, technical expertise, and 
  support from both his government and 
  countrymen, he was a shoo-in. He’s been the 
  voice of patriotic dissent of the group ever since. 
   
  Personality/Motivation:  Oles Lesefski is a 
  patriot in the best sense of the word. He loves his 
  country, yet does not for one minute think less of 
  people who love their own as much. He has 
  taken his father’s lessons of self-sacrifice 
  without giving up ideals to heart, and would 
  gladly give his life to protect his nation and his 
  countrymen. He is determined to shield 
  innocents from the atrocities of would-be tyrants, 
  and their protection, even at cost of his own life, 
  is his first priority. Poland has been the target of 
  Eurostar more than once, and despite his 
  grievances with the EU itself; Watchman is 
  totally committed to helping EuroGuard stop the 
  terrorist supervillains.  
   
  Unfortunately, the flip side of Oles’ idealism 
  is a sort of stubbornness that drives friends and 
  foes alike insane. He doesn’t make his mind up 
  quickly, but once he does he clings to his view 
  with great tenacity and refuses to change his 
  mind. He calls this “standing by his beliefs,” 
  friends confess he is “a determined fellow,” and 
  foes (and sometimes those who work with him) 
  complain that he is simply a royal pain in the… 
  well, you know. Still, given his intellect, his 
  WATCHMAN 
  PLOT SEEDS 
   
   
   Who Watches the 
  Watchman?:  After a 
  long mission, 
  Watchman returns to 
  Poland to discover he 
  is under arrest for a 
  chaotic crime spree. 
  Few doubt that it was 
  a frame-up, but the 
  Watchman is 
  determined to prove 
  he is not above the 
  law, so he turns 
  himself in. The real 
  culprit needs to be 
  brought in before the 
  case goes to trial and 
  the Watchman’s 
  identity becomes 
  public knowledge 
  (and who knows what 
  Eurostar will do 
  then?). Perhaps 
  Fiacho is the one at 
  the bottom of this? 
  Whoever or whatever 
  is behind this faux 
  Watchman, Oles is 
  understandably 
  concerned that 
  someone may have 
  stolen his technology. 
  While he waits in jail, 
  he needs any help he 
  can get to find the 
  answers. 
   Job Security:  
  Deciding to borrow 
  an idea from Dr. 
  Destroyer and destroy 
  a city with a giant 
  laser, Fiacho orders 
  Eurostar to kidnap 
  leading scientists and 
  technicians. Irony of 
  ironies, Oles Lesefski 
  is on the list and is 
  captured without a 
  chance to get near his 
  suit. Eurostar has 
  Watchman prisoner 
  and doesn’t even 
  know it! Oles 
  manages to devise a  
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  25
  courage, and his good nature, he brings more 
  pluses than minuses to the team.  
   
  Beyond stopping Eurostar once and for all, 
  his goals are simple and honest. He wants each 
  and every free nation of Europe to have a chance 
  to partake of the European Union’s benefits 
  without having to give up what makes each 
  unique. He wants to make sure national 
  sovereignty and identity is maintained and 
  respected whenever possible. He would love to 
  see Poland’s fortunes rise, and sees no shame in 
  that – as long as it is by honest effort rather than 
  deceptive politics. 
   
  Quote:  “Each nation, each person, is a precious 
  gem. We should protect such treasures, but never 
  grind them so fine ‘for the greater good’ that 
  they become lusterless powder. Each must be 
  allowed to shine in its own way.” 
   
  Powers/Tactics:  Watchman started out as a 
  Gadgeteer, and then ended up putting all his gear 
  into his armor. One too many broken bones and 
  one too many times having a weapon knocked 
  out of his hand taught him the value of that. He 
  still can whip something up in the lab if need be 
  (and often does) but if he has time, he’ll just 
  incorporate it into his armor. In fact, his weapons 
  array is very versatile, and given time and 
  foreknowledge, he can prepare for almost any 
  foe. On one occasion, he set up a hydro-blast 
  option and wiped the floor with Feurmacher. Of 
  course, some things science can not emulate, but 
  not much. While the practical effects of his 
  weapons remain the same, he has gotten into the 
  habit of changing them around even when he 
  doesn’t know what he will be facing, just so any 
  foes hoping to anticipate him will have a harder 
  time of it. 
   
  While the armor is protected and shielded 
  very well, its visual sensory capabilities are truly 
  amazing. Over time, the very lenses and 
  surveillance gear Oles developed were refined 
  more and more into the helmet. Now, Watchman 
  can see in the dark, track footprints by the heat 
  they make, act as a human microscope or 
  telescope, and even see through walls. The 
  ultimate expression of this, however, is his 
  spectral analyzer which bathes a target in 
  multiple waves of energy and seeks out any 
  structural weak points. Unfortunately, because 
  the scan is full spectrum, the target will be aware 
  that something is going on as a harmless but 
  visible grid pattern light washes over them. 
   
  Watchman’s tactics rely on versatility. His 
  flight, his weaponry, and any “extra surprises” he 
  may have, he tries to tailor to both the situation 
  and the opponent he will be facing. Due to this, 
  he prefers to have as much information on hand 
  as possible about a foe. He has a fine tactical 
  mind, and although he is one of the more 
  powerful members of EuroGuard, he has no 
  problem playing support or backup if someone 
  else’s powers are more suited to a task. He 
  firmly believes in the right tools for the right job. 
  While he dislikes sneak attacks, he realizes 
  sometimes they’re needed. If a body of water is 
  about, he may switch his Variable Advantage 
  Flight to use underwater, and hide there until the 
  moment is right to rise out and strike. 
   
  Campaign Use:  Watchman is an old hand at the 
  superhero biz. Perhaps those outside of Poland 
  won’t know him well, but anyone expecting a 
  rookie is in for a world of hurt. While one could 
  portray him as a “flagsuit” with outdated ideas, 
  or for that matter, the only one trying to hold 
  back the dangers of globalization, it’s not quite 
  that simple. He is meant to be a positive symbol 
  of Nationalism without necessarily being the 
  enemy of European unity. If a GM wants to run a 
  campaign where issues like these are explored, 
  Watchman makes an excellent spokesman for 
  one side of the sometimes complicated issue.  
   
  Not to be overlooked are his technical skills 
  and scientific expertise. While Watchman is 
  often busy with EuroGuard, any superhero who 
  had proven himself to him (Poles would either 
  have an easier time, or have higher standards to 
  live up to; GM’s pick) would find a possible ally 
  and mentor who would be happy to help with 
  high-tech needs. Indeed, this array of knowledge 
  is one of the reasons his “differences of opinion” 
  are overlooked by EU officials who would 
  otherwise agitate for his dismissal from the team. 
   
  Watchman is already powerful, but against 
  the likes of Eurostar it may not be enough. 
  Perhaps the most logical way to increase his 
  power would be to give him tech designed 
  specifically against Eurostar’s unique (and 
  deadly) attacks. Increase his gadget pool, and 
  perhaps raise his SPD.  
   
  If a GM wants to reduce Watchman’s power 
  level, removing his Find Weakness is an 
  excellent way to start. It takes away a major 
  advantage without sacrificing the scientific 
  versatility of the character. If that’s not enough, 
  reduce the Gadget Pool or lower his defenses. 
   
  Watchman does not have a public identity; 
  he sees no reason to endanger his family and 
  friends. Some officials and other heroes know 
  his real name, but they are the exception to the 
  rule. This doesn’t mean he’s aloof – he is happy 
  to answer questions and acts as a good role 
  model. He tries to get along with the team, but 
  like any group there are points of contention. 
  Mostly however, he strives to be on good terms 
  with them even when they disagree. 
   
  AngelFire is something of a paradox to him. 
  While also a Catholic, he is not as devout as she, 
  but admires how she does not hide her beliefs. 
  However, sometimes her love of the limelight 
  and vanity make him wonder if she has not 
  crude communicator, 
  just hoping it can 
  reach EuroGuard. The 
  PCs receive a 
  message in Polish that 
  switches to English 
  just long enough to 
  give a general 
  location and a plea for 
  help before the signal 
  gives out. Can the 
  PCs save Oles and the 
  other scientists? And 
  more importantly, can 
  they prevent Fiacho 
  from using the 
  ultimate magnifying 
  glass on some of 
  those “red and black 
  ants” he’s always 
  ranting about? 
   Poland: Empire!:  
  In order to better help 
  Tick Tock should he 
  be injured (and to sate 
  his own scientific 
  curiosity), Watchman 
  decides to study 
  temporal technology. 
  He is swallowed by 
  the time stream into 
  ancient history. 
  Meanwhile, the PCs 
  find modern Europe 
  shifting to a 
  technological utopia 
  gone horribly wrong. 
  A Europe has formed 
  where technology 
  outpaced social 
  reform by so much 
  that the Empire of 
  Poland sees non- 
  Slavs as little more 
  than second-class 
  citizens. It would 
  break Oles’ heart to 
  see his people fall to 
  power like this. A 
  quick glance at 
  history shows that a 
  young Slavic Prince 
  was saved from death 
  by a mysterious “Iron 
  Angel,” thus showing 
  his great destiny to  
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  26 
  missed a few virtues – like humility. He finds her 
  powers fascinating, but doubts very much they 
  were given directly by God. He’s also annoyed 
  with himself whenever she is around – her 
  beauty is distracting. 
   
  Bielo is another matter entirely. Watchman 
  finds he both respects and disagrees with him 
  more than many of the others. In Oles’ opinion, 
  while the land of Europe may indeed be one (as 
  the Slovak claims), the peoples are another 
  matter entirely, and the mythological being is a 
  bit clueless in that regard. On the other hand, 
  there’s no denying The White is a truly noble 
  being, and Watchman is honored to fight beside 
  him. 
   
  Passion annoys him greatly. He can take the 
  insults to himself, but her slurs against Poland 
  cross a line as far as he’s concerned. If she 
  weren’t a woman, he’d probably invite her to 
  “step outside.” When his temper cools, he admits 
  to himself that her powers are invaluable to the 
  team and she puts her life on the line just like the 
  rest of them. He still considers her bad for 
  morale though. 
   
  Der Purpurjongleur’s jokes amuse more than 
  irritate, and while there are times the Watchman 
  wishes he’d shush up and focus on the mission at 
  hand, for the most part he thinks the kid (and that 
  is how the Polish hero sees his Deutsch 
  compatriot sometimes) is good for the team. He 
  sees great potential in the German, but is 
  sometimes frustrated by Stefan’s apparent 
  disregard for that potential. He still hopes to 
  bring the fellow around to his own view, but he 
  knows the young man considers him outdated. 
   
  Watchman finds Speed to be their most 
  resolute member in the war against Eurostar. He 
  worries the young man’s hatred for those 
  terrorists might overcome his need to shelter the 
  innocent when the battle starts, but so far it has 
  not. He hopes to convert Speed’s desire for 
  revenge into something grander, but fears he’s 
  not up to the task. Speed is very hard to reach. 
   
  Tick Tock both delights and worries the 
  Watchman. Oles is not as insatiably curious as 
  some other scientists (nor, indeed, as curious as 
  Tick Tock itself), but he still finds the robot 
  fascinating. Not only is it sentient, but it deals 
  with an area of science that for many is purely 
  hypothetical:  Temporal Physics! Alas, 
  Watchman fears his explanations of why each 
  nation is special fall on deaf receptors. What’s 
  more, the ethical ramifications of a being that 
  can be “reprogrammed” against its will bother 
  Oles. Tactically, he realizes Tick Tock may one 
  day be used against them; ethically, he wonders 
  if EuroGuard isn’t taking advantage of the robot, 
  request to join or no. For now, he seeks to learn 
  as much as he can about Tick Tock. If it is a 
  person, he’ll be damned if he’s going to treat it 
  like a toaster. 
   
  Mathieu Lefèvre and Watchman are in a 
  perpetual state of opposing orbits. Oles sees the 
  Frenchman as a “congenial and well-intentioned 
  man who may yet send us all to hell.” To say 
  they do not agree on which way Europe should 
  go is putting it mildly. Still, both are gentlemen 
  and have settled comfortably into the roles of 
  each other’s “worthy adversary.” While it seems 
  like they are always busy arguing or avoiding 
  each other; they are united in the opposition to 
  Eurostar and their love of Europe. 
   
  Appearance:  Strażnik’s armor is bulkier than 
  that of many western powered-armor heroes, but 
  the appearance in no way hinders the 
  performance – and some find it more imposing 
  for all that. The helmet has an owl-like look to it, 
  which isn’t surprising considering the incredible 
  array of lenses, sensors, and such. The wrist 
  guards are thick and often change from mission 
  to mission depending on the alterations Oles has 
  made to it. The armor’s coloration is designed to 
  mimic the Polish flag. The helmet is a deep 
  crimson while the torso and arms are non-
  reflective white. The legs are the same crimson 
  as the helmet. The back of the armor has three 
  main thrusters, and the boots have less obvious 
  mechanisms for flight to add extra control. 
   
  Out of the armor, Oles is naturally much 
  shorter, standing just above 1.7 meters. He has 
  short dark hair and a mustache he keeps well 
  groomed. His eyes are a deep and very 
  inquisitive blue. 
    
   
  all. Can the PCs go 
  back in time and 
  convince Watchman 
  that whatever 
  happens, he must not 
  save an eight-year-old 
  boy? 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  27
  The Watchman (Strażnik) 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  28 
  The Watchman (Strażnik) 
   
  Val Char Cost Roll Notes 
   15+20 STR 
  15# 12/16- 3200 kg; 7d6 HTH [4] 
   18+6 DEX 33# 13/14- OCV:  6(8)/DCV:  6(8) 
   18+10 CON 26# 13/15-  
   
  13 BODY 6 
  12- 
   
   
  23 INT 
  16 
  14- 
  PER Roll:  14-/19- 
   
  12 EGO 
  4 
  12- 
  ECV:  4 
   
  20 PRE 
  10 
  13- 
  PRE Attack:  4d6 
   
  14 COM 
  2 
  12- 
   
   
   
  5 PD 
  2 
   
  Total:  25 PD (20 rPD) 
   
  5 ED 
  1 
   
  Total:  25 ED (20 rED) 
   
  4+1 SPD 
  19* 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12  
   
  8 REC 
  2 
   
   
  (3, 5, 8, 10, 12) 
   
  36 END 
  0 
   
  * OIF (-½) 
   
  30 STUN 3 
   
  # OIF (-½), No Figured (-½) 
   
  Total Characteristic Cost:  139 
  Movement: Running: 
  6”/12” 
   
   
  Leaping: 
  7”/14” 
   
   
  Swimming: 2”/4” 
   
   
  Flight: 
  20”/40” 
  Cost Powers 
  END 
   20 Power Supply:  Endurance Reserve 
  (150 END, 15 REC); OIF (-½) 
  0 
   35 Armor Arsenal “Trumpet”: 
  Multipower, 53-point Powers; OIF 
  (Power Armor, -½)  
   4u 1)  Primary Setting:  EB 10d6 
  5 
   4u 2)  Explosive Setting:  EB 7d6, 
  Explosion (+½) 
  5 
   4u 3)  Power Conservation Setting:  EB 
  7d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END, +½) 0 
   4u 4)  Entrapper Mode:  Entangle 5d6 
  5 
   4u 5)  Kinetic Manipulation:  Telekinesis 
  (35 STR) 
  5 
   4u 6)  Counter Tech:  Dispel 14d6, Any 
  Technology-Based Power, One at a 
  Time (+¼) 
  5 
   14 While I Was at the Lab I:  Variable 
  Special Effects on Any Power Up to 
  53 Active Points (Any, +½); OIF (-½), 
  SFX Can Only be Changed in Lab or 
  Other Properly Equipped Area (-½), 
  GM May Insist Appropriate Skills be 
  Possessed to Construct Certain FX (-0) 0 
   56 While I Was at the Lab II:  Variable 
  Power Pool, 45-point Reserve, Control 
  Cost; Focus (-½), Can Only be 
  Changed in Lab or Other Properly 
  Equipped Area (-½) 
  0 
   50 Battle Armor:  Armor (20 PD/20 ED), 
  Hardened (+¼); OIF (-½) 
  0 
   
  5 Air Supply:  Life Support (Self 
  Contained Breathing); Costs 
  Endurance (-½), OIF (-½) 
  1 
   
  7 Shielded Circuitry:  Power Defense 
  (10 points), OIF (-½) 
  0 
   20 Vari-Mode Flight:  Flight 20” (40” 
  Noncombat), Variable Advantage (+¼ 
  Advantage, +½), OIF (-½) 
  4 
   23 Combat Spectral Analyzer:  Find 
  Weakness with All Attacks 13-; OIF 
  (Helmet, -½), Visible (-¼)  
  0 
   10 Microscopic Lenses:  Microscopic 
  (x1000) for Sight Group; OIF (Helmet, 
  -½) 
  0 
   
  3 Nocturnal Scopes:  Nightvision; OIF 
  (Helmet, -½) 
  0 
   
  9 Protective Lenses:  Sight Group Flash 
  Defense (10 Points), Hardened (+¼); 
  OIF (Helmet, -½) 
   
  7 Telescopic Lenses:  +10 versus Range 
  for Sight Sense Group; OIF (Helmet, 
  -½) 
  0 
   
  7 Thermal Register and Tracking:  
  Infrared Perception (Sight Group); 
  OIF (Helmet, -½) plus Tracking for IR 
  Perception; OIF (Helmet, -½) 
  0 
   
  3 UV Lenses:  Ultraviolet Perception 
  (Sight Group); OIF (Helmet, -½) 
  0 
   
  7 Visual Enhancers:  +5 PER with Sight 
  Group; OIF (Helmet, -½) 
  0 
   
  7 X-Ray Sight:  N-Ray Perception (Sight 
  Group, Blocked by Lead, Gold, or 
  Force Fields); OIF (Helmet, -½) 
  0 
   
  6 EuroGuard Radio:  High-Range Radio 
  Perception; OIF (Radio, -½), Affected 
  as Sight, Hearing, and Radio Sense 
  Groups (-½) 
  0 
   
   Perks 
   
  5 Base Contribution 
   
  1 International Driver’s License 
   
  5 International Police Powers 
   
  1 Passport 
   
  3 Reputation:  Protector of Poland (In 
  Poland) +2/+2d6 
   
   Talents 
   
  8 Handy Helmet Indeed:  Absolute Range 
  Sense, Absolute Time Sense, Bump of 
  Direction, and Lightning Calculator; OIF 
  (-½) 
   
   Skills 
   
  6 +2 with Multipower 
   
   
  3 AK: Poland 14- 
   
  3 Breakfall 13- 
   
  3 Computer Programming 14- 
   
  3 Electronics 14- 
   
  3 Inventor 14- 
   
  2 KS: EuroGuard 11- 
   
  2 KS: Polish History 11- 
   
  2 KS: The Superhuman World 11- 
   
  2 KS: Supervillains 11- 
   
  2 Language: English (Fluent, Polish is 
  native) 
   
  1 Language: French (Fluent) 
   
  1 Language: German (Fluent) 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  29
   
  2 Language: Russian (Fluent) 
   
  3 Mechanics 14- 
   15 Gadgeteering (Power Skill) 20- 
   
  2 Security Systems 11- 
   
  2 Systems Operations 11- 
   
  1 Streetwise 8- 
   
  3 Tactics 14- 
   
  3 Teamwork 13- 
   
  2 Weaponsmith (Energy Weapons) 14- 
   
  3 Scientist 
   
  3 1)  SS: Alternative Energies 15- 
   
  3 2)  SS: Chemistry 15- 
   
  3 3)  SS: Mathematics 15- 
   
  3 4)  SS: Mechanical Engineering 15- 
   
  3 5)  SS: Metallurgy 15- 
   
  3 6)  SS: Optical Technology 15- 
   
  3 7)  SS: Physics 15- 
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  426 
  Total Cost:  565 
   400+ Disadvantages 
   
  5 DNPC:  Lechoslaw Lesefski (Uncle) 8- 
  (Normal, Useful Skills) 
   15 Hunted:  Eurostar 8- (Mo Pow, Kill) 
   10 Hunted:  Former Soviet Partisans 11- 
  (Less Pow, Kill) 
   10 Hunted:  Lord Tech 8- (As Pow, Kill) 
   20 Hunted:  Project EuroGuard 14- (Mo Pow, 
  NCI, Watching) 
   20 Normal Characteristic Maxima  
   15 Psychological Limitation:  Loves Poland, 
  Believes in National Sovereignty 
  (Common, Strong) 
   20 Psychological Limitation:  Protective of 
  Innocents (Very Common, Strong) 
   10 Psychological Limitation:  Stubborn Once 
  Mind is Made Up (Common, Moderate) 
   10 Reputation:  Nationalist Super among 
  Pan-Europeans 11- 
   20 Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (Oles 
  Lesefski) 
   10 Experience Points 
   
  Total Disadvantage Points:  565 
  EXAMPLE POWERS FOR WHILE I WAS 
  AT THE LAB POWER POOL 
   
   
  Counter Wave Cascade:  Too often, some 
  supervillain sits smugly behind a force field and 
  gloats about his “invincibility.” By sending a 
  counter-wave set to the field’s frequency, 
  Watchman diminishes his opponent’s protection. 
  Suppress Force Field 9d6 (45 Active 
  Points); OIF (Armor, -½). Total Cost:  
  30 points. 
  G-Force Compensators:  This option was not 
  developed to increase the odds against Eurostar, 
  but instead help Watchman against Gravitar. 
  While she still wiped the floor with him, 
  Watchman did survive – so by that measure it 
  was a success. 
  Life Support (Safe Environment: Low 
  Pressure/Vacuum and High Pressure) 
  (3 Active Points); OIF (Armor, -½) plus 
  Physical Damage Reduction, Resistant, 
  50% (30 Active Points); Only Works 
  Against Gravity Effects (-1), OIF 
  (Armor, -½). Total Cost:  14 points. 
  Hush Field:  While preparing for battle against 
  Ultrasonique, Watchman devised this optional 
  addition to his armor in order to render the odds 
  more in his favor. It worked very well indeed, as 
  it essentially renders sonar (and other sound-
  based senses) useless. It’s handy on stealth 
  missions as well, but it is a pain for team 
  communication. 
  Darkness to Hearing Group 3” Radius 
  (15 Active Points); No Range (-½), OIF 
  (Armor, -½). Total Cost:  8 points. 
  Psychic Dampener:  Watchman lacks true 
  understanding of psychic energy, but as he has 
  learned, the usefulness of this device against 
  Mentalla and other enemy mentalists can’t be 
  overlooked. 
  Mental Defense (10 points) (10 Active 
  Points); Activation Roll 14- (-½), OIF 
  (Helmet or Helmet Attachment, -½). 
  Total Cost:  5 points 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  30 
  Angelfire (Fuego del Angela) 
  Background/History:  Monique Bonita Anna 
  Maria Velesquez always knew she was 
  something special. She had beauty, talent, and 
  brains. What’s more, she was the daughter of 
  General Juan Batiste Velesquez, one of the 
  highest-ranking officials in the Spanish armed 
  forces. She grew up in the best part of Madrid, 
  attended the best schools, and grew up 
  surrounded by the most well-heeled of Spanish 
  society. 
   
  When her powers manifested themselves 
  during her late teens, she took them as a blessing 
  from God and decided to use them to help those 
  who weren’t as fortunate as she had been. She 
  took the name Fuego del Angela (AngelFire) and 
  it wasn’t long before she was recognized as one 
  of Spain’s foremost heroes. She was both 
  powerful and charismatic, and the people, the 
  media, the government, and even the church 
  loved her. The fact that she didn’t bother to hide 
  her identity only made her more popular. 
   
  So when the nations of the European Union 
  decided to create their own superteam, it was 
  only natural that Spain would send AngelFire as 
  its representative. She is proud to serve her 
  nation, yet deep down she knows that EuroGuard 
  is only the means to an end; it is merely a 
  stepping-stone in her career. 
   
  AngelFire has not yet attracted the attention 
  of the likes of DEMON and Black Paladin yet – 
  but with her very public statements of faith, it is 
  probably only a matter of time before they notice 
  her. 
   
  She has a very large extended family, which 
  because of her public activities (and her father’s 
  high position in the government) sometimes 
  attracts unwanted attention from her fans, the 
  media, and occasionally even her enemies. Apart 
  from her father, she also has a mother (Maria 
  Adonia), a grandmother (Alegria Felicia), two 
  older brothers (Gabriel and Joachim, both 
  officers in the Spanish army), two younger 
  sisters (Evita Inez and Margarita Josephina), and 
  an uncle (Marquez Enrique, a minor government 
  official). 
   
  Personality/Motivation:  AngelFire is one of 
  the most beautiful women in the western 
  hemisphere, and (unfortunately) she knows it. 
  Though a devout Catholic, she frequently stops 
  to preen and pose for her army of admirers. Her 
  membership in EuroGuard is certain to make her 
  even more famous! Many people – including 
  many in her own faith – think she is a cynical 
  huckster trading lip-service about her faith for 
  time in the spotlight. Others think she is one of 
  the true faithful, using the powers granted to her 
  by God to make the world a better place. As is 
  usually the case, the truth lies somewhere 
  between these two extremes. 
   
  Because of her faith, she will not suffer to 
  let innocents be harmed, and would never 
  jeopardize her own soul by killing another 
  human being. Even though darkness does not 
  harm her in any way, she remains deathly afraid 
  of the dark – a holdover from her superstitious 
  childhood. 
   
  Quote:  “I am the answer to your prayers.” 
   
  Powers/Tactics:  AngelFire controls light. 
  Whether her powers are heaven-sent or simply 
  the result of her mutant genetics is not fully 
  known. For all her vanity, in a fight AngelFire is 
  strictly business. She has learned that the media 
  is not kind to superheroes who lose fights, so she 
  always sets out to win, no matter what. She 
  works well with the rest of EuroGuard and 
  follows Watchman’s orders without hesitation. 
  Her role on the team is air support; she flies 
  above the battlefield and tries to catch as many 
  foes as possible with Heaven’s Blinding Light. 
  She then uses Heaven’s Flame to take down the 
  enemy. If faced with a foe who uses light as a 
  special effect, she gleefully attempts to redirect 
  his energy back at him. 
   
  Campaign Use:  Fuego del Angela is one of the 
  members of the EuroGuard who isn’t interested 
  in politics whatsoever. A united Europe or 
  untrammeled national sovereignty, these issues 
  don’t concern her. What concerns her is looking 
  good on camera and perhaps eventually segueing 
  this gig into a career in show business. 
   
  There is quite a bit of controversy 
  surrounding her membership in EuroGuard. A 
  large number of secular Europeans are cautious 
  about her public statements of faith and her 
  devotion to her church. This has not harmed her 
  career in any way, but there have been a lot of 
  column-inches in the papers devoted to concerns 
  about where her true loyalties lie – to the church 
  or to the EU. Of course, these questioners have it 
  all wrong – while she is does have faith in her 
  religion, and while she does not have strong 
  feelings for the EU, she’s mainly in this for 
  herself. 
   
  Apart from her huge fan club in Spain (and 
  burgeoning ones elsewhere in Europe), quite a 
  few members of EuroGuard and its support staff 
  have crushes on her. Der Purpurjongleur in 
  particular has been quite forward in pursuing her. 
  Unfortunately for them, she is not particularly 
  interested at this time in any of them. 
   
  Her insistence that her powers came from 
  God tends to drive the more scientifically 
  minded members of the team (like Watchman) 
  crazy. She is quite clearly a mutant, though she 
  steadfastly refuses to accept this explanation. 
  The Catholic Church has not made any official 
  statements regarding AngelFire, but privately 
  many Spanish bishops believe that her powers 
  FUEGO DEL 
  ANGELA PLOT 
  SEEDS 
   
   
   True Love:  After a 
  battle with Eurostar, 
  AngelFire unwittingly 
  attracts the amorous 
  attentions of Durak. 
  Now she is forced to 
  fend off the clumsy 
  (and devastating) 
  advances of one of the
  strongest and most 
  reviled (not to 
  mention, ugliest) men 
  in all of Europe. She 
  is far too humiliated 
  by the whole thing to 
  ask EuroGuard for 
  help, so instead she 
  approaches the PCs. 
  Can they help her 
  “convince” Durak to 
  turn away his roving 
  eye? 
   The Angel and the 
  DEMON:  DEMON 
  decides to make an 
  example of 
  AngelFire, as a sign 
  of its power and its 
  disdain of the faiths of
  this world. They 
  kidnap her and begin 
  a sacrificial ritual, 
  broadcast across all of 
  Spain. Can the PCs 
  rescue her before the 
  Priests of Edom use 
  her powerful soul to 
  open a portal to the 
  pits of hell? 
   Scandal!:  
  AngelFire’s father 
  and uncle are 
  implicated in a 
  governmental scandal.
  Disgraced, she is 
  forced to quit 
  EuroGuard, and now 
  she is determined to 
  find out the truth – are 
  her father and uncle 
  really guilty, or is one 
  of her enemies 
  attempting to get to  
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  31
  are indeed a blessing from God. This is a 
  question that the GM may have to answer for 
  himself:  against villains like Black Paladin, do 
  her powers count as “Holy”?  
   
  AngelFire is unlikely to Hunt anyone unless 
  ordered to do so by EuroGuard, or unless they 
  harmed her family. In the latter case, she would 
  be a ruthless and determined hunter, stopping at 
  nothing (except murder) to revenge herself on 
  her malefactor.  
   
  To make AngelFire more powerful, increase 
  her Multipower and all corresponding powers, 
  and add a few more slots – different types of 
  Flash attacks would be appropriate, but given her 
  Code Against Killing, RKAs would not be. To 
  tone her down, decrease her Multipower and 
  remove her Redirect Light power. 
   
  AngelFire is not interested in they whys and 
  wherefores of the team, and she absolutely 
  despises politics, so she’s managed to avoid 
  getting between Bielo and Watchmen when they 
  argue. She doesn’t care to socialize with the 
  other members of EuroGuard – frankly, most of 
  them are not “her type” of person, and are not 
  interested in going to the types of places she 
  likes to go to; the feeling is mutual for the most 
  part. 
   
  AngelFire really wants to dislike Bielo – 
  he’s a large, uncouth, sweaty barbarian from the 
  hinterlands of some nation that no one has ever 
  heard of. Even worse, there are those who claim 
  that he is some sort of ancient pagan god come 
  back to life, and she considers this to be 
  sacrilege. But still, there’s something about him 
  that makes her smile. His zest, his verve, his joy 
  of life is contagious, and she can’t help but laugh 
  when he’s around. 
   
  She dislikes Passion immensely. She 
  believes the Frenchwoman is uncultured and 
  disrespectful. Her powers make her arrogant and 
  haughty (not at all like the humble and faithful 
  AngelFire!), and she has the gall – the gall! – to 
  berate AngelFire in public! AngelFire would like 
  nothing more than to see Passion leave the team, 
  but until that time comes she has agreed 
  (reluctantly) to work alongside her. 
   
  It is obvious that Der Purpurjongleur has a 
  crush on AngelFire. While she is flattered by the 
  attention, she is not interested in him. The way 
  he dotes on her, she finds it hard to not abuse his 
  feelings by asking him to do her “favors.” She 
  doesn’t want to encourage him, and she 
  definitely doesn’t want to toy with his emotions, 
  but he really sets himself up for it. Since they 
  have to work so closely together she’s not sure 
  how to let him down easily. He does make her 
  laugh, though, and he has one of the gentlest 
  souls that she’s ever known.  
   
  Speed is a mystery to her. She understands 
  neither his uncompromising drive for perfection, 
  nor his dark and brooding demeanor. She does 
  not think he is a good fit in the team, which is 
  supposed to highlight all that is great about 
  Europe. However, she cannot find fault in his 
  dedication to EuroGuard. 
   
  AngelFire is not certain what to think of 
  Tick Tock. It often teases her, but this is not 
  what disturbs her. Much more important than its 
  rudeness is the unanswered question:  is it 
  nothing more than a machine, or does it have a 
  soul? She frequently finds herself in prayer, 
  seeking an answer to this problem. She hopes it 
  does indeed have a spirit; it is a loyal teammate 
  and could someday be a good friend. 
   
  Although she thinks he takes himself and his 
  mission far too seriously, AngelFire thinks the 
  Watchman makes an excellent team leader. His 
  grasp of tactics is second to none and his 
  personal charisma makes him an easy man to 
  follow. She has caught him staring at her more 
  than once (which is only appropriate, after all), 
  and if there were a man among the EuroGuard 
  that she found attractive, he would be the one. 
  The fact that he is a Roman Catholic is a good 
  sign. It’s a pity he’s from the lower classes. 
   
  Mathieu Lefèvre is a true gentleman who 
  knows how to treat a lady. He is respectful of 
  AngelFire’s honor, and is grateful for her 
  presence on the team. How could she not like 
  him? 
   
  Appearance:  Tall, sleek, and brunette, with 
  dark eyes and smooth, creamy skin; AngelFire’s 
  beauty is extraordinarily noteworthy, and even 
  those who don’t care for “her type” often 
  develop strong feelings, based simply on her 
  appearance. She has been described as angelic, 
  an appellation which she wears with pride. When 
  she manifests her powers, a glowing aura floats 
  about her as if she had wings and a halo made of 
  golden light. In her heroic identity, AngelFire 
  wears a skin-tight pearlescent body suit; as a 
  civilian, she wears expensive, fashionable 
  clothing and jewelry. She doesn’t bother to 
  conceal her identity behind a mask; her lovely 
  face is known across Spain and much of Europe. 
   
   
  her through her 
  family? With nowhere
  else to turn (and 
  precious few skills in 
  investigation), 
  AngelFire asks the 
  PCs for their aid. Can 
  they clear her name 
  without getting caught
  up in the middle of an 
  international 
  brouhaha? 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  32 
  Angelfire (Fuego del Angela) 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  33
  Angelfire (Fuego del Angela) 
   Val Char Cost Roll Notes 
   10 STR 
  0 11- Lift 100 kg; 2d6 HTH [1] 
   24 DEX 
  42 14- OCV:  8/DCV:  8 
   23 CON 
  26 13-  
   10 BODY 
  0 11-  
   10 INT 
  0 11- PER Roll:  11- 
   10 EGO 
  0 11- ECV:  3 
   25 PRE 
  15 14- PRE Attack:  5d6 
   26 COM 
  8 13-  
   
   10 PD 
  8 
    Total:  26 PD (16 rPD) 
   10 ED 
  5 
    Total:  26 ED (16 rED) 
   
  5 SPD 
  16 
    Phases:  3, 5, 8, 10, 12 
   10 REC 
  6 
    
   60 END 
  7 
    
   26 STUN 
  0 
   
   
  Total Characteristic Cost:  133 
  Movement: Running: 
  6”/12” 
   
   
  Leaping: 
  2”/4” 
   
   
  Swimming: 2”/4” 
   
   
  Flight: 
  16”/32” 
  Cost Powers 
  END 
   60 Heavenly Light:  Multipower, 60-point 
  Powers 
   6u 1)  Heaven’s Flame:  EB 12d6 
  6 
   6u 2)  Heaven’s Fire:  EB 9d6; Reduced 
  Endurance (½ END, +¼) 
  3 
   4u 3)  Heaven’s Blinding Light:  Sight 
  Group Flash 6d6; Area Of Effect (7” 
  Cone, +1); No Range (-½) 
  6 
   4u 4)  Heaven’s Penetrating Light:  Sight 
  Group Flash 12d6 
  6 
   20 Angelic Powers:  Elemental Control, 
  40-point Powers 
   20 1)  Heaven’s Blessings: Force Field 
  (16 PD/16 ED); Reduced Endurance 
  (½ END, +¼) 
  1 
   20 2)  Wings of Light:  Flight 16”; 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END, +¼) 
  1 
   10 3)  Angelic Glow:  Sight Group 
  Images, 16” Radius (+1), Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END, +½), Persistent 
  (+½); Only to Create Light (-1) 
  0 
   
  8 4)  Redirect Light:  Missile Reflection 
  (All Ranged Attacks, Back at 
  Attacker); Only versus Light-Based 
  Attacks (-1), Costs Endurance (-½) 
  4 
   19 Part of Heaven’s Radiance:  Sight 
  Group Flash Defense (15 Points), 
  Hardened (+¼) 
  0 
   
   
  6 EuroGuard Radio:  High-Range Radio 
  Perception; OIF (Radio, -½), Affected 
  as Sight, Hearing, and Radio Sense 
  Groups (-½) 
  0 
   
   
   Perks 
   
  5 Base Contribution 
   
  1 Money: Well-Off 
   
  1 International Driver’s License 
   
  5 International Police Powers 
   
  1 Passport 
   
  3 Reputation:  Spain’s Favorite Hero (in 
  Spain); +2/+2d6 
   
   Skills 
   
  3 +1 with Multipower 
   
   
  3 Acrobatics 14- 
   
  1 Acting 8- 
   
  2 AK: Europe 11- 
   
  5 Angelic Blessings (Power Skill) 15- 
   
  3 High Society 14- 
   
  2 KS: The Superhuman World 11- 
   
  2 KS: EU 11- 
   
  2 KS: EuroGuard 11- 
   
  2 Language: English (Fluent, Spanish is 
  Native) 
   
  2 Language: French (Fluent) 
   
  3 Oratory 14- 
   
  3 Teamwork 14- 
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  232 
  Total Cost:  365 
   200+ Disadvantages 
   10 Distinctive Features:  Angelic Beauty 
  (Easily Concealable, Major) 
   10 Distinctive Features:  Mutant (Not 
  Concealable, Unusual Senses) 
   25 DNPC:  Large Extended Family 11- 
  (Normal, Useful Noncombat Skills, 8 
  Members) 
   15 Hunted:  Eurostar 8- (Mo Pow, Kill) 
   20 Hunted:  Project EuroGuard 14- (Mo Pow, 
  NCI, Watching) 
   10 Psychological Limitation:  Afraid of the 
  Dark (Uncommon, Strong) 
   20 Psychological Limitation:  Code Against 
  Killing (Common, Total) 
   10 Psychological Limitation:  Devout 
  Catholic, Believes Her Powers Come 
  From God (Common, Moderate) 
   10 Psychological Limitation:  Vain 
  (Common, Moderate) 
   20 Social Limitation:  Public Identity 
  (Monique Velesquez) 
   15 Experience Points 
   
  Total Disadvantage Points:  365 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  34 
  Bielo (The White) 
  Background/History:  Once, the universe was 
  empty but for a great egg. The egg sat alone in 
  the cold silence for too long to tell, but then a 
  crack appeared. The crack split, and widened, 
  and opened, and from the egg was born the first 
  god, who was known as Bielobog, the White 
  God. The fragments of the egg splintered across 
  the universe, forming the stars, the sun, the 
  moon, and the earth, and thus did creation come 
  into being. The newborn world was nothing but a 
  howling wilderness of jagged rock and blistering 
  wind. Bielobog flew like a bird over the face of 
  the earth and was lonely. Longing for someone 
  to keep him company, he noticed his shadow 
  flitting across the rocks below him. He named 
  his shadow Chernobog, the Black God, and 
  rejoiced – he now had a brother. 
   
  “Let us remake the world,” Bielobog said, 
  and Chernobog agreed. “But how will we tame 
  the wind?” Chernobog asked. Bielobog raised 
  his hands and said, “By Chernobog’s power and 
  mine, let the wind be tamed.” At that moment, 
  the wind ceased its incessant blowing. 
   
  Chernobog then asked, “How will we 
  smooth out all these jagged rocks?” Bielobog 
  raised his hands and said, “By Chernobog’s 
  power and mine, let the rocks all be piled up in 
  one place.” All the rocks obediently moved and 
  piled themselves up in one place, forming the 
  mountains. 
   
  Chernobog then asked, “Where will we find 
  water?” But this time, Bielobog did not have an 
  answer, so Chernobog spat upon the ground. 
  Where he spat, the oceans began to form, 
  growing and covering the whole of the earth. 
   
  Bielobog worried that the ocean would grow 
  too great, so he asked Chernobog to stop it, but 
  Chernobog was jealous that Bielobog had tamed 
  both earth and sky, and so refused. Bielobog was 
  greatly concerned that soon the ocean would 
  cover the entire world, so he disguised himself 
  and went to Chernobog, bringing along with him 
  a jug of beer. The two sat together and drank, 
  and soon Chernobog was drunk. Bielobog, in 
  disguise, asked what Chernobog thought of his 
  brother. “My brother is stupid,” Chernobog said. 
  “He doesn’t even know that all he has to do is 
  take a stick, make a cross to the four directions 
  and say, ‘That is enough water.’ Instead he 
  wonders what to do.” 
   
  Bielobog immediately grabbed a stick and 
  did as his brother said, and sure enough the 
  oceans stopped growing. This greatly angered 
  Chernobog, who stood and said, “Everything that 
  you have done, all that you created, will 
  someday come to ruin. The wind will break from 
  its chains and once again come roaring across the 
  world. The rocks you so neatly piled up will spill 
  forth across the land in a great avalanche, and the 
  oceans will freeze solid forever. This I swear.” 
   
  Bielobog could not stand to hear such a 
  thing, even from his own brother, so he jumped 
  to his feet and grabbed Chernobog. The two of 
  them wrestled and fought across the length and 
  breadth of the earth. Sometimes one of them 
  would gain the upper hand, and sometimes the 
  other, and thus has the war between light and 
  darkness, warmth and winter, good and evil gone 
  on forever. 
   
  Bielobog and Chernobog were worshipped 
  extensively throughout Eastern Europe for many 
  centuries, even after Christianity fully penetrated 
  the deep mountains where their followers had 
  built their strongholds. In the highest mountains 
  and the deepest valleys, the twin gods lived on in 
  the hearts of their most devout worshipers, and 
  the old prayers were never completely forgotten. 
   
  During the last century, these mountainous 
  lands have seen horrors too numerous to count – 
  invasions, wars, dictators, racial pogroms, and 
  genocide. It seemed as if a permanent winter had 
  settled over the hearts and minds of the people 
  and had locked their souls in a thick layer of the 
  darkest ice. There were rumors during this time, 
  terrible rumors of an incredibly powerful, 
  viciously evil man – a man who roamed the hills 
  in the darkest parts of the night, inciting wars 
  and hatred wherever he went. They said he was 
  the leader of the secret police, who could make 
  people simply disappear without a trace. They 
  said he was the chief torturer of whichever 
  dictator ruled the lands. Some even said that he 
  was the dictator himself, who ruled these once-
  pleasant mountains from his secret palace with 
  an iron fist and an ice-cold heart. Those who 
  dared speak his name aloud called him 
  Chernobog, and all feared him. 
   
  But winter, no matter how long and dark, 
  eventually turns to spring – and so it was in the 
  mountains of Eastern Europe. The people rose up 
  to depose of their cruel leaders and tasted, for the 
  first time in generations, the fresh air of freedom. 
  Chernobog – if indeed he ever truly existed – 
  was no more. In his place was a hero, a hero of 
  the people, a hero who valued peace and 
  prosperity and despised war and hatred. He was a 
  man who stood strong for all the people of his 
  mountainous homelands – who stood strong for 
  all the peoples of Europe. He called himself 
  Bielo (“The White”). Since he came on the 
  scene, he has worked without letup to prevent 
  wars, stop crime, and put an end to corruption all 
  across his lands. Now, with the coming of 
  EuroGuard, he is extending his message of 
  brotherhood all across Europe. 
   
  The long winter is over, and springtime has 
  finally arrived. 
   
  BIELO PLOT 
  SEEDS 
   
   
   After Summer, 
  Winter Comes:  A 
  sudden, unexpected 
  coup puts Bielo’s 
  homelands in the 
  hands of an evil 
  dictator. He begins to 
  feel the darkness in 
  his soul growing 
  strong again. His 
  personality begins to 
  change – at first in 
  barely perceptible 
  ways, but soon he 
  grows haughty, 
  arrogant, and cruel. 
  Can the PCs help 
  restore his 
  homeland’s legitimate 
  government before 
  this mighty hero once 
  more becomes 
  Chernobog the Black? 
   You’ve Got to Have 
  Faith:  A new 
  religious movement 
  springs up, 
  proclaiming Bielo’s 
  divinity and attracting 
  followers from all 
  across the globe. A 
  major cult temple 
  opens up in the PCs’ 
  home city, and 
  recruitment is high – 
  especially among the 
  young, the poor, and 
  the disaffected. Is this 
  merely a collection of 
  sincere believers 
  searching for 
  meaning, or do the 
  leaders of this modern 
  cult have an ulterior 
  motive? 
   Hammer Will Fall:  
  Bielo’s hammer is 
  somehow taken from 
  him. Though 
  ostensibly not a 
  magical artifact in and 
  of itself, it may still 
  retain a spark of his 
  divinity. An evil cult  
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  35
  Personality/Motivation:  Bielo is a cheerful and 
  boisterous man with a love of life as great as the 
  mountains of his homeland. He has a rough and 
  sometimes crude sense of humor, but the twinkle 
  in his eyes lets all who see him know he means 
  no offense. He is constantly on the move, never 
  resting for long, and his energy, like his humor, 
  is infectious. 
   
  Bielo is a tireless advocate for European 
  unity. He knows that the people of Europe are 
  stronger when they work together, and he 
  believes that stark national division only drives 
  them apart and causes suspicion and hatred to 
  fester. He believes that the Europeans, despite 
  their diversity, are one people, and this makes 
  them great. His advocacy of EuroGuard is one of 
  the things that helped get the team off the 
  ground. Many people consider him the backbone 
  of the team – not just because he is one of its 
  most powerful members, but also because he is 
  one of its most enthusiastic advocates. His 
  debates on the subject with Watchman are very 
  nearly the thing of legend among members of the 
  EuroGuard. 
   
  Bielo knows about the darkness in his own 
  past, but it is not in his nature to dwell on it. 
  Summer must follow winter and winter comes 
  hard upon summer again, as it has always been 
  and always will be. He is a man who is slow to 
  anger and quick to forgive, and he always grants 
  those who have done wrong a second chance to 
  make it right. 
   
  It is said that wherever Bielo strides, the air 
  becomes crisper, the sun brighter, the flowers 
  more colorful, crops healthier, and babies are 
  born stronger. There are many who truly believe 
  that Bielo is the earthly incarnation of one of the 
  ancient gods, though Bielo himself will neither 
  confirm nor deny this. This has caused no small 
  amount of friction between Bielo (and his 
  sponsors in EuroGuard) and several churches 
  across Europe, who keep a careful eye on his 
  activities. Thus far, they have found nothing to 
  fault him with, but they are certain it’s only a 
  matter of time before this would-be “god” slips 
  up. 
   
  Quote:  “We are all children of Europe; sadly, 
  some children behave poorly and must be 
  disciplined.” 
   
  Powers/Tactics:  Bielo is one of the strongest 
  supers in Europe – indeed, he is among the 
  strongest beings in the whole world! He is 
  completely confident in his strength and his 
  abilities, and tends to approach combat as 
  something akin to a game. He rarely uses his full 
  strength unless his foe has proven himself to be 
  either strong enough to take it, or evil enough to 
  warrant it. Against particularly recalcitrant 
  enemies Bielo will unleash the power of his great 
  war-hammer, which is strong enough to shatter 
  mountains, but for the most part he prefers to use 
  the power of his weapon to heal rather than to 
  destroy. 
   
  Note: Because Bielo and his hammer are 
  mystical in nature, it is extraordinarily difficult 
  to take it away from him, hence it is bought as an 
  Inaccessible Focus. He can hurl the hammer at 
  his enemies with great strength, giving it Range. 
  The hammer is a personal focus – in anyone 
  else’s hands, it is merely a huge hunk of metal – 
  and it is not a unique artifact. If Bielo were 
  somehow to lose it or have it taken from him, he 
  could forge a new one. There are many who 
  believe, after all, that he was once worshipped as 
  the patron of blacksmiths. 
   
  Bielo is a front-line fighter, always willing 
  to get into the thick of things and mix it up with 
  the enemy. However, he also has a gentle soul, 
  and will happily risk his own life to help others 
  (particularly the small, weak, and helpless). 
  Bielo is extremely fond of children, the elderly, 
  and expectant mothers. 
   
  Campaign Use:  Bielo is one of the most 
  outspoken pan-Europeans of EuroGuard. 
  However, he is not one to trample on the 
  individual rights of the people or the nations of 
  Europe. He, like his opposite number Watchman, 
  is meant to be a positive symbol of the benefits 
  of unity while not ignoring the importance of 
  cultural and national differences. If a GM wants 
  to run a campaign which explores these 
  complicated issues, Bielo makes an excellent 
  spokesman for one side of this topic.  
   
  Bielo’s role as the (supposed) avatar of an 
  ancient pagan deity can also make for some 
  interesting roleplaying opportunities, especially 
  in campaigns which feature magic as a 
  centerpiece. Is he truly the reincarnation of an 
  ancient god? If so, what ramifications does that 
  have for the faithful in this world? Will there be 
  a resurgence of people who follow the old faiths, 
  and will they look to Bielo to be their savior? 
  And what will the established religions of the 
  world think about all of this? Finally, the White 
  can make an excellent contact or ally for mystic 
  heroes, particularly those who travel to (or are 
  based in) Europe. 
   
  Something for the GM to keep in mind is 
  that many people believe Chernobog and Bielo 
  are (or were) different facets of the same person. 
  Just as winter and summer are merely different 
  aspects of the year, so too are Chernobog and 
  Bielo – one representing the depth to which the 
  human soul can plummet, the other indicating 
  the heights to which it can climb. This can have 
  interesting roleplaying implications. Is Bielo 
  responsible for the crimes which Chernobog 
  once committed? What happens if the dual 
  nature of this hero becomes widely known? And 
  what if evil were once again to assume control of 
  (like DEMON) or 
  individual (like Black 
  Paladin) may have 
  plans to use this 
  energy to wreak 
  havoc on the mortal 
  world, and the PCs 
  are the only ones in 
  any position to do 
  anything about it! 
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  36 
  his homeland – would he too turn back to his 
  wicked ways? 
   
  Bielo would make a dangerous and 
  determined Hunter. If someone were guilty of a 
  crime that he could not countenance, he would 
  go to the lengths of the Earth to track them down 
  and make them pay for their transgression. 
  However, the criminal would have to be 
  particularly sadistic, murderous, and remorseless 
  to arouse this level of anger in Bielo. Fiacho or 
  Scorpia might very well fit the bill. 
   
  Bielo is already among the most powerful 
  heroes in Europe, but to make him stronger, 
  increase his physical Stats until they are more 
  than a match for Ripper or Grond. You may also 
  consider giving him Extra-Dimensional 
  Movement so that he might travel effortlessly 
  between the world of mortals and the realm of 
  the gods. The easiest way to decrease his power 
  would be to eliminate his God of the Springtide 
  Elemental Control. An alternate way to lessen 
  his power is to assume his strength is tied to the 
  lands of Europe itself. If Bielo were, for 
  example, to travel to America or Africa, the GM 
  could reduce his stats as a way of showing that 
  he no longer has a “home turf” advantage. 
   
  Bielo loves being part of EuroGuard, and is 
  its most enthusiastic supporter. While his 
  personality may sometimes clash with the other 
  members of the team, he loves all of them and 
  views them as a family. When not at Bastion-1, 
  he is roaming the lands of Europe, righting 
  wrongs and demonstrating the good that comes 
  of working together.  
   
  Bielo wants EuroGuard to be strong, and 
  AngelFire’s attitude does not help this goal. 
  Bielo is not happy with the fact that she sees 
  EuroGuard as a stepping stone for her own 
  career, rather than as a movement towards 
  European unity. While she is a charming woman, 
  and full of verve, Bielo feels she needs to grow 
  up before she can become more than the team’s 
  window-dressing. 
   
  Passion may have the rest of the team 
  fooled, but not Bielo. He sees beyond her cynical 
  and sarcastic exterior to the heart within, and 
  knows her to be a truly caring woman. He also 
  sees she is hiding some sinister secret, and this is 
  tearing her up inside, but he recognizes her 
  strength and heroism and knows someday she 
  will be strong enough to come clean. Until that 
  time, he intends to keep a fatherly eye on her so 
  when the day comes, he will be there for her. 
   
  Bielo looks at Der Purpurjongleur as a father 
  might look upon one of his sons:  with pride and 
  a high hope for the boy’s future. The Juggler has 
  the potential to be a great hero – perhaps the 
  greatest of heroes – if only he could get past his 
  own insecurities and doubts. He sees the Juggler 
  as a good addition to the team, with a variety of 
  powers and a zest for life that can be contagious. 
  The two of them have also connected on a 
  personal level, sharing a love of good times (and 
  strong drink!). 
   
  Bielo is greatly concerned with Speed – the 
  youngster has so much power and potential, but 
  it is trapped inside an ice-cold shell. Bielo feels it 
  is his duty to help Speed break out of that shell, 
  that springtime might once more enter his soul, 
  and so The White has taken this young man 
  under his wing. He knows only too well what 
  might happen if Speed allows the darkness to 
  settle in and take root, and Bielo wants to head 
  off the problem before it gets worse. 
   
  Tick Tock drives Bielo mad. It is obvious 
  that he – it – is a sentient being, but there is 
  something about it that defies explanation. A 
  living machine? Impossible! And yet, there it is 
  for the world to see. Bielo has a very hard time 
  dealing with the creature. He wants very much to 
  like it – it has proven itself to be a loyal, capable 
  teammate on many missions, and it has a sharp 
  intellect and a great sense of humor. But the 
  strangeness of the situation still frustrates the 
  mighty Slovak to no end. 
   
  Bielo likes Watchman. He finds the man to 
  be intelligent, articulate, and dedicated to the 
  principles of freedom and justice. Although the 
  two of them argue constantly about the 
  desirability of European unity, Bielo does not 
  begrudge Watchman his opinions. In fact, he 
  relishes the fact that Watchman is so stalwart an 
  advocate for nationalism. His individualism 
  serves to make the whole stronger. Many people 
  wonder, which of them is the team’s leader? 
  Bielo does not wonder – he looks to Watchman 
  for battlefield direction and tactical advice, 
  recognizing the young man’s experience and 
  talent. 
   
  Monsieur Lefèvre and Bielo get along quite 
  well. They both share the dream of a unified 
  Europe, and Bielo was the first hero to join the 
  newly-formed team. However, Bielo sometimes 
  thinks the man is too indebted to the political 
  movers and shakers of Europe. Bielo does not 
  care for affairs of state, nor for the silly social 
  games that too often come with them. 
   
  Appearance:  Bielo is a huge, bear-like man 
  with a bald head, a thick blonde beard, and a 
  long moustache. He stands well over 7’ tall, with 
  a barrel-chest and arms as thick as posts. He 
  dresses in leather and steel armor and carries a 
  massive war-hammer which he wields 
  effortlessly in one hand. He smells faintly of 
  springtime flowers and fresh mountain air. Bielo 
  is quite friendly and is always smiling and 
  laughing, with a joke or a friendly word for 
  everyone – unless he is faced with senseless 
  bloodshed and mindless violence, which brings 
  his slow wrath to a boil. His anger is fearsome to 
  behold! 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  37
  Bielo (The White) 
   Val Char Cost Roll Notes 
   70 STR 
  60 23- 400 tons; 14d6 HTH [3] 
   21 DEX 
  33 13- OCV:  8/DCV:  8 
   40 CON 
  60 16-  
   20 BODY 
  20 13-  
   13 INT 
  3 12- PER Roll:  13- 
   11 EGO 
  2 11- ECV:  4 
   28 PRE 
  18 15- PRE Attack:  5½d6 
   14 COM 
  2 12-  
   
   15 PD 
  1 
    Total:  35 PD (20 rPD) 
   15 ED 
  7 
    Total:  35 ED (20 rED) 
   
  5 SPD 
  19 
    Phases:  3, 5, 8, 10, 12 
   22 REC 
  0 
    
   80 END 
  0 
    
   75 STUN 
  0 
   
   
  Total Characteristic Cost:  220 
  Movement: Running: 
  6”/12” 
   
   
  Leaping: 
  14”/28” 
   
   
  Swimming: 2”/4” 
   
   
  Flight: 
  20”/40” 
  Cost Powers 
  END 
   13 God of the Springtide:  Elemental Control, 
  40-point Powers; OIF (Hammer, -½) 
   12 1)  Mighty Blow:  HA +6d6 (20d6 with 
  STR), Ranged (+½); HA Lim (-½), 
  OIF (-½) 
  4 
   13 2)  Touch of Rejuvenation:  Healing 
  4d6; OIF (-½) 
  4 
   37 3)  Dismiss Winter:  Dispel 20d6 (Any 
  Cold Special Effect, One at a Time, 
  +¼); OIF (-½) 
  7 
   13 4)  Summon Spring:  Change 
  Environment, ±5 Temperature Levels, 
  8” Radius, Long-Lasting (1 hour); OIF 
  (-½) 
  4 
   10 5)  Fly Like the Birds:  Flight 20”; 
  OIF (-½), Increased Endurance (2x 
  END, -½) 
  8 
   50 Armor of the Mountains:  Armor (20 
  PD/20 ED), Hardened (+¼); OIF 
  (Armor, -½) 
  0 
   10 Godlike Physique:  Lack of Weakness 
  -5 (Normal and Resistant Defenses) 
  0 
   20 Godlike Posture:  Knockback 
  Resistance -10” 
  0 
   14 Godlike Immunities:  Life Support (Safe 
  in Heat, Cold, Vacuum, Pressure, and 
  Radiation; Does Not Age) 
  0 
   17 Godlike Endurance:  Reduced 
  Endurance (½ END, +¼) on 70 STR 
  0 
   10 Luck of the People:  Luck 2d6 
  0 
   
  3 Observant:  +1 PER with All Senses 
  0 
   
  6 EuroGuard Radio:  High-Range Radio 
  Perception; OIF (Radio, -½), Affected 
  as Sight, Hearing, and Radio Sense 
  Groups (-½) 
  0 
   
   Talents 
   50 At One with the Land and Its People:  
  Danger Sense 11- (Mystic, in All Europe) 
   
   Perks 
   
   
  1 International Driver’s License 
   
  5 International Police Powers 
   
  1 Passport 
   
  3 Reputation:  Pagan God (Among Pagans); 
  +2/+2d6 
   
  3 Reputation:  Great Slovak Hero (Among 
  Slovaks); +2/+2d6 
   
   Skills 
   
   15 +3 with Hand-to-Hand Combat 
   
   
  2 AK: Europe 11- 
   
  3 Breakfall 13- 
   
  7 Brick Tricks (Power Skill) 14- 
   
  3 Conversation 15- 
   
  2 KS: The Mystic World 11- 
   
  2 KS: The Superhuman World 11- 
   
  2 KS: EU 11- 
   
  2 KS: EuroGuard 11- 
   
  3 KS: Slovak History 12- 
   
  2 Language: English (Fluent, Slovak Native) 
   
  2 Language: French (Fluent) 
   
  2 Language: German (Fluent) 
   
  2 Language: Greek (Fluent) 
   
  2 Language: Italian (Fluent) 
   
  2 Language: Russian (Fluent) 
   
  1 Language: Spanish (Conversation) 
   
  3 Oratory 15- 
   
  2 PS: Blacksmith 11- 
   
  3 Teamwork 13- 
   
  2 Weaponsmith: Muscle-Powered Melee 
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  355 
  Total Cost:  575 
   400+ Disadvantages 
   15 Distinctive Features:  Godlike Aura (Not 
  Concealable, Extreme, Unusual Senses) 
   10 Distinctive Features:  Huge and Powerful 
  Man (Concealable) 
   15 Enraged:  Senseless Violence and 
  Bloodshed (Uncommon, Go 11-, Rec 11-) 
   15 Hunted:  Eurostar 8- (Mo Pow, Kill) 
   20 Hunted:  Project EuroGuard 14- (Mo Pow, 
  NCI, Watching) 
   
  5 Hunted:  Religious Authorities 11- (Less 
  Pow, NCI, Watching) 
   15 Psychological Limitation:  Overconfident 
  (Common, Strong) 
   10 Psychological Limitation:  Personal Code 
  Against Killing (Common, Moderate) 
   20 Psychological Limitation:  Strongly 
  Protective of People (Common, Total) 
   10 Reputation:  Barbarian from a Backwards 
  Country, 11- 
   20 Social Limitation:  Public Identity (Bielo) 
   20 Social Limitation:  Terrible Secret (was 
  once Chernobog) (Frequently, Severe) 
  Total Disadvantage Points:  575 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  38 
  Bielo (The White) 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  39
  Passion 
  Background/History:  Beatrice Boulanger was 
  never a spy… but she worked for a few 
  indirectly. It was not as glamorous as the movies 
  portrayed; after all (more polite titles aside) a 
  secretary is a secretary, whether she is working 
  for a corporation or the government. If there was 
  anything of true value in the papers that passed 
  through her hands, Beatrice didn’t notice. She 
  dutifully handled them in the way that was 
  proscribed by the book, and dealt with the 
  drudgery that the routine brought. Beatrice, like 
  many French, was proud of her nation, and being 
  a part of serving it, even in such a small capacity, 
  made the tedium feel worthwhile. This job might 
  have gone on for many years without change if it 
  weren’t for the man with the piercing eyes. 
   
  To this day, she still does not know what 
  happened. She is unsure if she was seduced into 
  a whirlwind romance where she dropped 
  everything, or mentally overwhelmed, altered, 
  and taken against her will. The answer to that is 
  something she is not sure she wants to know. 
  Whatever happened, it had three consequences. 
  One, Beatrice vanished for two weeks, and was 
  fired when she repeatedly failed to show up for 
  her job. Two, when she awoke, she began to 
  realize she could sense the emotional states of 
  those around her; she had gained powers that 
  would grow as time went on. Thirdly, and most 
  shocking, she was pregnant. Though torn for a 
  time, she decided to keep the child. 
   
  André Boulanger would soon enter the 
  world. A healthy and bouncing baby boy, André 
  was the apple of his mother’s eye, and the gem 
  of his grandparents’ – unknown father or no. 
  Beatrice moved back with her mother and father 
  as she tried to get a new life in order. It wasn’t 
  easy. With Beatrice unable to explain just what 
  had happened, her parents assumed their 
  grandson was the result of some sort of one-night 
  stand gone awry, an opinion that embarrassed 
  (and hurt) Beatrice deeply. Furthermore, her 
  surfacing powers kept acting up at the oddest 
  times. She couldn’t pretend to be indifferent to 
  the suffering she could feel, or the power she 
  now wielded. When a few crimes racked the city 
  of Orleans, she slipped on a costume and put her 
  abilities to good use. She still loved France after 
  all, and what excuse did she have not to help? 
  The media quickly dubbed her “Passion,” though 
  she found herself rolling eyes at the name.  
   
  It was then that the DGSE – or at least men 
  claiming to work for the DGSE – would return 
  into her life. Her country had need of her. A 
  superhero team was forming, one untried, 
  untrained, and rather ignorant of how the real 
  world operated. If left unchecked and 
  unsupervised, these yokels could cause a lot of 
  headaches for Europe, and most especially for 
  France. The men were very convincing, and 
  when assurances of a better life for her and (most 
  importantly) her son were thrown in, she 
  accepted. 
   
  So now Beatrice Boulanger is a spy as well 
  as a superhero. She has to keep secrets from 
  super geniuses and gods, fight side-by-side with 
  speed demons and angels, and hope she lives 
  long enough to watch her son grow up healthy in 
  a secure and strong France. Well, no one can say 
  this job is boring.  
   
   
  Personality/Motivation:  Passion sometimes 
  resents her media-dubbed superheroine name. 
  French women often are stereotyped (especially 
  abroad) as seductive sirens of great appetite. It 
  gets old, especially to those French women 
  themselves. Beatrice is one of these. She’d rather 
  people realize she’s efficient, practical, and 
  dedicated. She is far more at home sorting files 
  and organizing data on a screen than she ever 
  would be under Parisian moonlight with the 
  latest wannabe stud du jour. Her newfound 
  empathy has only reinforced her view that people 
  are messy things, and at her heart Beatrice 
  prefers a little order in her life. 
   
  Of course, that’s seldom an option for a 
  superhero. It is doubly hard for a superhero who 
  is spying on other superheroes. Beatrice believes 
  her nation is the “First Among Equals” in 
  Europe, and trusts her government to do its best 
  to guide the EU. If it needs her to spy on 
  EuroGuard to make sure all is going smoothly, 
  well then, it must have good reasons…. Or so 
  she keeps telling herself. Truthfully, she’s 
  beginning to have doubts. EuroGuard seems to 
  be full of good people, and she finds herself 
  caring for them against her better judgment. 
   
  This news would surprise her teammates. 
  Passion does her best to keep them at a distance, 
  even resorting to rudeness and a cool demeanor 
  in order to drive them away. The less attached 
  they are to her, the less guilt she feels for spying 
  on them, so despite the fact it is “bad spying,” 
  she does her level best to make sure they never 
  get too chummy with her. In the end, she’s only 
  fooling herself. While her son and country come 
  first, there isn’t a teammate Beatrice wouldn’t 
  risk her life for. 
   
  Quote:  “Why darling, I’m French and I control 
  hearts… Naturally everyone hates me.” (Usually 
  followed by a roll of eyes) 
   
  Powers/Tactics:  There is a pragmatic, even 
  ruthless quality to Passion’s tactics. She tries to 
  use her powers efficiently and to best advantage. 
  She plans to live long enough to see her son fully 
  grown, and is not above “playing dirty” if need 
  be to ensure that. She has no problem with 
  gripping one foe in paralyzing fear, then turning 
  about and having another foe strike out with 
  PLOT SEEDS FOR 
  PASSION 
   
   
   Old Flame 
  forgotten? A male PC 
  mentalist (or NPC 
  mentalist if no PCs 
  are available) 
  encounters Passion on 
  a mission, and when 
  he tries to set up 
  telepathic contact 
  with her, suddenly it 
  is as if floodgates 
  have opened. 
  Memories rush in of a 
  love affair with 
  Beatrice years ago, 
  but are they real? Is 
  this a trick of 
  Mentalla, or her 
  brother Menton, or 
  even some 
  subconscious 
  manipulation by 
  Passion herself, who 
  has grown lonely in 
  her life of lies and 
  wants a father for her 
  son? What if André 
  really is the 
  mentalist’s son? 
   Overwhelmed: 
  After a particularly 
  intense battle, Passion 
  finds her powers 
  growing to a 
  magnitude she can’t 
  control. Both slave 
  and enslaver against 
  her will, she can’t 
  help but succumb to 
  the emotions of those 
  around her, and 
  project those (and her 
  own) onto hapless 
  individuals nearby. 
  The PCs must try to 
  figure out if there is a 
  way to return her to 
  normal, and solve the 
  mystery of whether 
  this sudden power 
  boost is natural or not. 
  But for now, they 
  have to stop her 
  before she causes a  
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  40 
  newly generated hatred against his now helpless 
  ally. If she is told (or finds on her own) a 
  weakness of some villain, she will exploit it. 
  Anyone who thinks all Empaths are sympathetic 
  – even to foes – will find Passion destroying 
  their illusions. She realizes she is not the leader 
  of EuroGuard, and heeds those more experienced 
  in tactics than she is. 
   
  The powers at her disposal are limited to 
  emotional manipulation and detection chiefly, 
  but are quite formidable for all that. She can, of 
  course, evoke a new emotion in a target until it 
  overwhelms him, or alter an existing emotion as 
  she chooses. Passion can literally paralyze an 
  opponent with fear, or lash out with such a 
  jumble of emotional turmoil that a target will be 
  overwhelmed and pass out. She can even fortify 
  the emotional (and indirectly, mental) self-
  discipline everyone has by granting a burst of 
  confidence to her teammates, one and all. She 
  can even single out a foe to vex, making her that 
  much harder to hit as her enemy is overcome 
  with frustration. Passion is skilled at detecting 
  the emotions of those around her, and can even 
  search a mind for images and thoughts related to 
  a specific emotion. A search for love might get a 
  flash of someone’s DNPC, for example. Many of 
  her powers are taxing however, and cutting loose 
  with all her powers wears her out quickly. 
   
  She’s not averse to being properly equipped. 
  Passion has been blinded too many times, so 
  insisted on a set of polarized lenses to help 
  prevent that. Also, the term “protective costume” 
  speaks for itself. 
   
  Campaign Use:  Passion is the “spy among us” 
  for EuroGuard, but for all her deception she’s no 
  less willing to put her life on the line and be a 
  hero. A GM can make her as sympathetic and as 
  deep as he likes, and pretty much take her in any 
  direction. She can come clean with the team and 
  cause a major stir, try to quit when she feels she 
  can no longer keep doing this, or events may 
  unfold that convince her EuroGuard needs to be 
  watched even more tightly. Her bosses could ask 
  her to take her work another step. They might 
  ask her to act friendlier still, or even manipulate 
  the emotions of one of the men on the team to 
  make him love her… just to get secrets. That 
  would not be an order that Beatrice would care 
  for, but would she do it? 
   
  And just who are these bosses anyways? It is 
  entirely possible that Passion is having the wool 
  pulled over her eyes, and the gentlemen who 
  visit her have nothing at all to do with the French 
  government, or may even be working against it – 
  and against Europe. If that is the case, Passion is 
  an unwitting traitor and a pawn in a greater game 
  than she realizes. If she found out, well, she’d 
  move heaven and earth to bring them down. 
   
  Passion’s other open-ended situation is her 
  beloved son, André. All signs point to Beatrice 
  having been mind-controlled for sex, then her 
  memory of those two weeks wiped clean. Could 
  André’s father be a villain such as Menton? How 
  would “Auntie Mentalla” react to that? What if it 
  is quite the reverse? Perhaps, the normally-
  practical Beatrice fell in love with a mentalist 
  superhero and tried to help him out on his 
  missions, only to get way over her head. Perhaps 
  the father really does love her, but is unaware 
  that his tampering with her memories to “keep 
  her safe” has released her own latent powers, and 
  that he has a son! Or maybe this mysterious 
  figure is dead, a hero now forgotten even by the 
  woman who loved him; a cruel joke by Mentalla 
  or other villainous mentalist. Eventually it seems 
  likely that Passion will remember, and the truth 
  will come out. The GM just needs to decide what 
  that truth will be beforehand. 
   
  Passion’s pragmatic nature means she 
  doesn’t Hunt anyone unless told to, or it seems a 
  must. However, as mentioned above, certain 
  situations could certainly provoke her to go full 
  tilt on the prowl. Even then, Passion would first 
  put prudent paperwork searches into motion, and 
  verify what she could through research… then 
  she’d track the target down and make him pay. 
   
  If Passion isn’t powerful enough for a 
  campaign, the GM should feel no shame in 
  bumping her up. Giving her more END or an 
  Endurance Reserve for her mental powers would 
  be a great start, and a good way to overcome her 
  biggest limitation. More slots with more emotion 
  related effects (PRE Drains and so forth) would 
  also be an excellent idea. One could even 
  rationalize a sudden “radiation accident” in game 
  play, where not only does Passion suddenly get 
  those two weeks of memory back, she also taps 
  into even more power that was previously 
  blocked. 
   
  If she is, for some reason, too powerful, 
  bring her Multipower down to 60 Active Points, 
  or add some side effects so that she is vulnerable 
  to the emotions of those she is in touch with. If 
  you really plan to throw the poor gal at Eurostar 
  and the like, it’s not recommended you whittle 
  her down unless they are getting a similar 
  pruning. 
   
  As mentioned above, Passion cares for her 
  teammates more than she’d admit, even to 
  herself. Her treatment of them and her true 
  feelings for them are often worlds apart. 
   
  AngelFire is often on the receiving end of 
  subtle sarcasm from Passion. Passion often refers 
  to AngelFire as “The Paris Hilton of the Catholic 
  Superheroines,” and has berated her once or 
  twice for a lack of maturity given their missions. 
  Inwardly, it is not scorn that Passion feels for 
  her, but concern. Passion worries that  
  French city to fall 
  screaming into 
  madness. 
   Spying on Spies: A 
  stealthy PC ends up 
  stumbling onto a 
  meeting between 
  Passion and her 
  bosses. They have a 
  new mission, a 
  particularly 
  unpleasant one. She 
  balks and protests; 
  they remind her of her 
  duty, and of what 
  they’ve done for her, 
  and of her son. A 
  scowl on her face, she 
  walks off. What will 
  the PC do? 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  41
  AngelFire’s high profile is not an advantage at 
  all, and may end up endangering the Spaniard’s 
  family. She fears that a great tragedy awaits the 
  angel if she doesn’t grow up – and fast. For this 
  reason, Passion isn’t above looking out for 
  AngelFire when she’s sure no one is watching. 
  While she’d be aghast to admit it, Passion has 
  adopted something of a “big sister” role to 
  AngelFire, and acts accordingly.  
   
  Bielo disturbs Passion on many levels. His 
  emotions are so raw, so primal, and so …good, it 
  almost frightens her. She feels wonderful in his 
  presence, almost carefree, and she’s not sure how 
  to deal with that so she hides it as best she can. 
  Referring to him as “The Barbarian” and “The 
  Overgrown Lummox” when all is well, she’s 
  quick to rally to him when things get serious. 
  She recognizes the Watchman’s tactical acumen, 
  but, to her, Bielo is clearly the heart of the team 
  and she turns to him for true leadership, all the 
  while hoping he doesn’t notice. 
   
  Der Purpurjongleur’s constant quips and 
  patter really get on Passion’s nerves sometimes. 
  However, she knows him better than he thinks. 
  Being an empath means knowing what people 
  really feel, even when the way they act doesn’t 
  match. She’s learned to gauge his jests. When he 
  just won’t shut up is when she knows he’s 
  terrified. It is at times like this she makes herself 
  a target, becoming the butt of his jests, and 
  pretends to be outraged in order to take his mind 
  off whatever is worrying him. After all, he does 
  the same for her, which she appreciates (even if 
  she can’t show it). Really, the most annoying 
  thing to her about the quipster is his inability to 
  be more direct about his interest in AngelFire. 
  Passion is no romantic, but she thinks they’d be 
  good for each other. 
   
  Speed has her pity, an emotion that doesn’t 
  endear her to him, so she doesn’t bother to hide 
  it. There are some buttons that even she doesn’t 
  dare push, though, and she can’t imagine how 
  she’d react if similar had been done to her or her 
  loved ones. Passion sometimes wonders if her 
  powers could help him cope somehow, but is 
  sure he doesn’t want her help. Along with the 
  pity she feels, there’s admiration for the great 
  intensity of the wounded man. 
   
  Tick Tock is a robot, a type of being that 
  mentalists don’t usually fare too well against, so 
  Passion wasn’t thrilled when it joined the team. 
  To top if off, “The Robot” (also dubbed “Tin 
  Man” and “Overgrown Stopwatch”) doesn’t 
  seem fazed by her insults in the slightest. Passion 
  has no idea what to make of the darn thing, but 
  can’t deny its usefulness. More frightening than 
  Tick Tock’s robotic nature is its curiosity; 
  Passion realizes that if the overly curious 
  creation starts to pry into her affairs, the jig will 
  be up. 
   
  Watchman is someone she can admire for 
  his efficiency, and turn to for tactical genius. 
  Nevertheless, there are times she thinks he is the 
  reason a spy in the group wasn’t a bad idea. Such 
  people bear watching or they’ll turn into zealots. 
  Passion is pragmatic and often conflicted on her 
  duties to the team and her nation, whereas 
  Watchman is so damn certain of himself and so 
  idealistic it makes her just want to bounce a rock 
  off his helmet. His comments are often greeted 
  by her with a haughty and dry, “Poland speaks. 
  Huzzah,” but she also knows a lot of her distaste 
  is driven by envy. She wishes she could be as 
  certain of her place in the world.  
   
  Monsieur Lefèvre, while not a member of 
  the team technically, is not to be ignored or 
  discounted. Passion doesn’t spare him a bit of 
  sniping despite his power over the team, and has 
  referred to him as “the dreaming bureaucrat.” 
  She can sense his suspicion, but is unsure what 
  to do about it. She does find his promotion of 
  Europe as a whole even over his native country 
  naïve, and possibly even a betrayal. Then again, 
  she tells herself sardonically, who is she to 
  badmouth betrayal? 
   
  Appearance:  Passion’s costume is a dove gray 
  full body outfit with dark gray gloves, a half 
  mask and high boots. It has dark blue lining on 
  the edges, and fits to her form tightly, leaving 
  little for foes to snag or grab. Others have 
  suggested a more colorful (or even revealing) 
  costume, but Passion sees such as impractical. 
  Her dark brown hair is kept free or tied up in a 
  ponytail. Her polarized lenses make her hazel 
  eyes look brown, further protecting her identity. 
   
  Out of costume, she keeps her hair up and 
  out of the way. Her clothes vary to the situation 
  of the moment. Either way, she is an attractive 
  woman. 
   
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  42 
  Passion 
   Val Char Cost Roll Notes 
   15 STR 
  5 12- Lift 200 kg; 3d6 [1] 
   20 DEX 
  30 13- OCV:  7/DCV:  7 
   23 CON 
  26 14-  
   10 BODY 
  0 11-  
   18 INT 
  8 13- PER Roll:  13- 
   24 EGO 
  28 14- ECV:  8 
   15 PRE 
  5 13- PRE Attack:  3d6 
   16 COM 
  3 12-  
   
   
  5 PD 
  2 
   Total:  15 PD (10 rPD) 
   
  5 ED 
  0 
   Total:  15 ED (10 rED) 
   
  5 SPD 
  20 
   Phases:  3, 5, 8, 10, 12 
   
  8 REC 
  0 
   
   50 END 
  2 
   
   30 STUN 
  0 
   
   
  Total Characteristic Cost:  129 
  Movement: Running: 
  8”/16” 
   
   
  Leaping: 
  3”/6” 
   
   
  Swimming: 2”/4” 
  Cost Powers 
  END 
   75 Empathic Projection/Reception: 
  Multipower, 75-point Powers 
  – 
   7u 1)  Confusion:  Suppress 7d6 Any 
  Mental/Psychic Power, One at a Time 
  (+¼), BOECV (Target’s Choice of 
  Defense, +¾) 
  7 
   5u 2)  Empathic Manipulation I:  Mind 
  Control 12d6, Telepathic (+¼), Only 
  to Alter/Inflict Emotional States (-½) 
  7 
   5u 3)  Empathic Manipulation II:  Mind 
  Control 10d6, Reduced Endurance (½ 
  END, +¼), Telepathic (+¼), Only to 
  Alter/Inflict Emotional States (-½) 
  3 
   6u 4)  Emotional Turmoil:  Ego Attack 
  6d6, Reduced Endurance (½ END; 
  +¼) 
  3 
   8u 5)  Fortify:  Aid EGO 3d6, Area Of 
  Effect (3” Radius, +1), Selective (+¼), 
  Delayed Return Rate (5 per Minute, 
  +¼) 
  7 
   4u 6)  Paralyzing Fear:  Entangle 3d6 
  BODY, 3 DEF, BOECV (+1), Takes 
  No Damage from Physical Attacks 
  (+¼), Work Against EGO, not STR 
  (+¼); Mental Defense Adds to EGO 
  (-½), Cannot form Barriers (-¼) 
  7 
   4u 7)  Restoration:  Telepathy 15d6, Only 
  to Oppose Other Mentalist’s Power (-1) 7 
   5u 8)  Share Emotional State:  Telepathy 
  10d6; Reduced Endurance (0 END, 
  +½), Empathy (Any Emotion, -½) 
  0 
   10 Empathic Glance:  Detect Emotions 
  (Mental Group), Discriminatory 
  0 
   10 Mental Shields I:  Mental Defense (15 
  points Total) 
  0 
   
  7 Mental Shields II:  Power Defense (10 
  Points); Only versus Mental/Psychic 
  Powered Effects (-½) 
  0 
   
  7 Frustration:  +4 DCV; Costs END (-½), 
  Only versus Designated Person’s 
  Attacks (-1), Only versus Beings with 
  Minds and Emotions (-½) 
  2 
   20 Protective Costume:  Armor (10 PD/ 
  10 ED); OIF (-½) 
  0 
   
  8 Polarized Contacts:  Sight Group 
  Flash Defense (10 points); IIF 
  (Contacts, -¼) 
  0 
   
  4 Not Too Stupid to Run:  Running +2” 
  (8” Total) 
  1 
   6  EuroGuard Radio:  High-Range Radio 
  Perception; OIF (Radio, -½), Affected 
  as Sight, Hearing, and Radio Sense 
  Groups (-½) 
  0  
   
   Perks 
   
  5 Base Contribution 
   
  4 Contact:  Mysterious “Bosses” 8- (Very 
  Useful Resources, Significant Contacts) 
   
  1 International Driver’s License 
   
  5 International Police Powers 
   
  1 Passport 
   
   Skills 
   
  3 Acting 13- 
   
  2 AK: France 11- 
   
  3 Bureaucratics 13- 
   
  2 Computer Programming 11- 
   
  1 KS: The Espionage World 8- 
   
  2 KS: EuroGuard 11- 
   
  2 Language: English (Fluent, French is 
  Native) 
   
  2 Language: German (Fluent) 
   
  1 Language: Italian (Conversation) 
   
  2 PS: Personal Assistant/Secretary 11- 
   
  1 Tactics 8- 
   
  3 Teamwork 13- 
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  231 
  Total Cost:  360 
   200+ Disadvantages 
   20 DNPC:  Louis, Paulette, and André 
  Boulanger (Parents and Son) 8- (Group, 
  Normals, Unaware) 
   15 Hunted:  The DGSE 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, 
  Watching) 
   15 Hunted:  Eurostar 8- (Mo Pow, Kill) 
   15 Hunted:  Project EuroGuard 11- (Mo Pow, 
  NCI, Watching) 
   10 Mystery Disadvantage (GM’s Choice) 
   15 Psychological Limitation:  Believes She is 
  Obligated to Family and Country (and 
  Lastly Team) (Common, Strong) 
   15 Psychological Limitation:  Drives Others 
  Away if They Get Too Close (Very 
  Common, Moderate) 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  43
   10 Psychological Limitation:  Ruthless if 
  Friends/Family/Nation Endangered 
  (Uncommon, Strong) 
   15 Social Limitation:  Dangerous Secret (Spy 
  Among EuroGuard) (Frequently, Major) 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   20 Social Limitation:  Secret Identity  
  (Beatrice Boulanger) 
   10 Experience Points 
  Total Disadvantage Points:  360 
   
  Passion 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  44 
  The Purple Juggler (Der 
  Purpurjongleur) 
  Background/History:  Just a word of advice:  if 
  you can get your drunken father to laugh, 
  sometimes he forgets to hit you. Actually, even 
  better advice would be to get help for yourself, 
  and him. Still, Stefan was young and confused, 
  so instead he tried to make his father laugh. It 
  worked, sometimes. Even when it backfired and 
  Stefan’s smart mouth angered instead of 
  humoring, it at least kept the attention on him 
  rather than his sister, Annette. Father never hit 
  Annette. However, as she grew older and started 
  to become a woman, a new danger arose. Their 
  father began to see her in a new, unhealthy light. 
  When Stefan found his sister crying, clutching at 
  a torn blouse and discovered their father had 
  gotten so drunk that he’d tried to – well, Stefan 
  didn’t want to think of what the old man had 
  tried – he took her and ran. 
   
  They went to the circus, of course. Isn’t that 
  where any young person wants to run away to? It 
  was actually Annette’s idea. She had always 
  loved the circus. She dreamed of being a princess 
  of the sky, an acrobat. Stefan didn’t care as long 
  as it kept his sister safe. None of the big circuses 
  wanted them, but finally the Wilderstern Circus, 
  an organization long past its glory days, gave 
  them a chance – starting at the bottom. They 
  changed their last names to throw any search by 
  authorities off. They soon discovered that 
  somehow, the circus didn’t seem so glamorous 
  when you were working at the business end of an 
  elephant – a point Stefan often lamented.  
   
  Still, through hard work and a lot of luck, 
  they got their chance. To everyone’s surprise 
  (including Stefan’s) they were naturals. Each had 
  a natural agility and fitness that blossomed under 
  the tutelage of the more experienced entertainers. 
  Annette was soon literally above it all. Her 
  brother, while he learned some of the basics of 
  acrobatics, discovered his own interest:  
  juggling. It was fascinating, it mesmerized him, 
  it looked fun, it was more dangerous than people 
  knew (you try playing catch and toss with 
  pointed objects at high speeds!), and he was 
  good at it. Good? He was great! They both were. 
   
  With such rising stars (especially Annette), 
  the Wilderstern Circus began to reclaim some of 
  its past luster. They toured Europe, and Stefan 
  might have found happiness in his quest to 
  become the greatest juggler in the world. He got 
  to double as a knife thrower or a clown, 
  whatever was needed. Sure, acrobats got all the 
  attention, but he took pride in what he did. Then 
  Eurostar appeared. 
   
  That’s not a figure of speech. Eurostar 
  literally appeared in the middle of the big top, 
  and they looked as confused as everyone else. 
  Panic ensued. The super terrorists began to drive 
  the townies away from the tent like cattle, all the 
  while demanding to know who had done this to 
  them! Stefan found himself trying to bring order 
  to the chaos and get folks out of there safely. 
  Soon the entire crowd was gone, save one. 
   
  He was an odd man. If he hadn’t been sitting 
  alone, Stefan is sure he wouldn’t have noticed 
  him. Every time Stefan blinked, the man’s 
  appearance seemed to shift. One moment, he was 
  an old man in a rumpled suit. The next, he was a 
  small child. And every once in a while, he was a 
  purple-skinned being in elaborate robes! 
   
  “Ah… sir, unless you’re a hallucination, you 
  might want to get out of here,” Stefan suggested 
  (some folks needed common sense advice). 
   
  “Why should I leave?” the man asked. “The 
  experiment is not concluded.” 
   
  “Concluded?” Realization dawned in 
  Stefan’s mind. “You did this? Why?” 
   
  “I study, I probe. I examine. It is not merely 
  what I do, it is what I am. Now, I test these 
  ‘villains,’ bringing them to a place they did not 
  expect. We shall see if the forces of ‘good’ can 
  discover and stop them.” 
   
  “Ever consider a different hobby? Stamp 
  collecting is very soothing, I hear.” Stefan 
  watched in horror as the still-enraged 
  supervillains set another tent on fire. “You 
  bastard! No heroes will make it in time, and no 
  one has the power to stop them! What did you 
  think would happen?” 
   
  The being shrugged, uncaring, then arched a 
  brow at a thought. “Had you the power, would 
  you try to stop them?” 
   
  “Oh sure… give me a costume and super 
  juggling powers and I’ll kick their butts for you,” 
  Stefan retorted snidely. 
   
  “Victory is not required; I merely wish to 
  see if you’d even make the attempt,” the being 
  replied. “I accept your challenge.” 
   
  There was a dizzying sensation, and for a 
  moment Stefan’s world was full of stars and 
  threads and spirals. He inhaled nebula, and 
  exhaled galaxies. Then it was over, and he was 
  wearing a costume and standing before Eurostar. 
  What the heck? 
   
  “A superhero!” Fuermacher noticed the new 
  player on the field. A blast of fire streaked 
  towards the purple-clad figure.  
   
  Instinct and training are funny things. Do the 
  latter long enough, and it becomes the former. In 
  a panic, Stefan followed his instincts. He leapt to 
  the side and caught the flame! What should have 
  killed him was instead thrown back at the villain 
  group, hitting Fiacho square in the face. The fun 
  had begun. 
   
  In a desperate gambit of hit, taunt, and run, 
  Stefan somehow managed to stay alive long 
  enough to prevent any innocents from getting 
  hurt. To his amazement, he discovered he could 
  PLOT SEEDS FOR 
  DER 
  PURPURJONGLEUR 
   
   
   The Greatest Death 
  Trap on Earth!:  
  Stefan’s sister gives 
  him a call, mentioning
  that the circus has 
  been sold under 
  mysterious 
  circumstances. She’s 
  concerned, and 
  wonders if her big 
  brother superhero 
  could check things 
  out. Stefan can’t 
  move fast enough and 
  by the time any other 
  heroes realize it, he’s 
  already gone. What is 
  waiting for him? 
  Eurostar doesn’t 
  know his secret 
  identity, but they are 
  sure to remember this 
  was the circus where 
  that upstart juggler 
  first dared to tangle 
  with them. This has 
  ambush written all 
  over it and Stefan is 
  going to need help. 
   Sis has a hobby?:  
  A lovely new cat 
  burglar is dancing 
  over the rooftops of 
  Bonn and stealing a 
  fortune. Der 
  Purpurjongleur gets 
  on the case, only to 
  find when he catches 
  her that her moves are 
  exactly like his 
  sister’s! Could 
  Annette finally gotten 
  bored with the circus 
  and turned to crime? 
  Is someone forcing 
  her to steal? Or is it 
  even her at all? Until 
  Stefan is sure, he’ll 
  fight tooth and nail to 
  keep other heroes 
  from arresting her. 
   Juggling Power:  
  The Examiner appears
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  45
  now create juggling equipment out of thin air – 
  and he used it for all it was worth. 
   
  When finally Durak had this costumed 
  juggler by the neck and was about to snap it like 
  a twig, UNTIL and several superheroes arrived. 
  The Russian threw Stefen to the side and 
  Eurostar departed rather than risk being 
  overwhelmed. 
   
  Der Purpurjongleur! was born that day, and 
  Germany had a new hero. 
   
  Personality/Motivation:  Stefan only feels 
  really secure when he is either practicing his 
  craft, or joking around. Humor was (and is) his 
  shield against his fears, and his way of trying to 
  quiet the fears of others. The more nervous or 
  out of his depth he feels, the lighter he makes of 
  it. Folks who don’t know him often mistake this 
  for callous frivolity or even arrogance. Nothing 
  could be further from the truth. Der 
  Purpurjongleur is just laughing to prevent tears 
  and fears from overwhelming him. 
   
  Beneath the surface, Stefan has great 
  intensity. He is proud of his skills; he earned 
  them. He’s likely to get very competitive against 
  anyone who seems better at similar stunts. The 
  powers wig him out sometimes, but usually he 
  just shrugs this off – he thinks of his gifts as 
  being provided with some very useful juggling 
  equipment. Those who are abusive and cruel, 
  especially those who remind him of his father, 
  are likely to find themselves overwhelmed with 
  cutting taunts and beaten down by a good 
  thrashing. Nothing makes him angrier than 
  bullies.  
   
  It is for that reason he finds himself 
  continuing his adventures as a hero. The world is 
  full of costumed thugs and abusers who think the 
  masses owe them a living; the people need 
  protection from them. Besides, it’s not like his 
  sister needs him anymore. Annette’s gymnastic 
  skills are so good she could probably be a hero 
  herself, if she wanted.  
   
  Having traveled and performed for so many 
  people all over Europe, Stefan has come to the 
  conclusion that people are people, period. 
  Nationality isn’t really that important. When 
  EuroGuard called, he answered happily. Besides, 
  he’s had a crush on AngelFire since the day he 
  first saw her. The hopes of getting a girl to notice 
  you may not be the noblest reason for joining a 
  super team, but it is very human. 
   
  Quote:  “Skin grafts, implants, muscle boosters, 
  and world conquest? Someone around here is 
  over-compensating…” (to a soon-to-be enraged 
  Fiacho) 
   
  Powers/Tactics:  Even before being empowered 
  by the mysterious being, Stefan was no 
  pushover. Over a decade of training honed his 
  natural talent to an expertise seldom equaled. 
  Der Purpurjongleur can turn almost anything into 
  a thrown weapon, and his aim is uncanny. Trick 
  shots, unwieldy instruments, and so on; it’s all 
  the same to Stefan. He can lob things around 
  corners, bounce them off walls (as evidenced by 
  his Indirect Advantage), and he throws a mean 
  curve ball. Furthermore, he received a lot of 
  training as an acrobat and can tumble and dive 
  with the best of them. Couple that with an 
  extremely fit body, and you’re dealing with one 
  formidable young athlete. 
   
  The powers don’t hurt, either. Der 
  Purpurjongleur can create a multitude of objects 
  out of nowhere; link them with his amazing 
  accuracy and you get some incredible effects. He 
  can produce balls to throw with bone-crunching 
  force, knives far sharper than they should be, and 
  torches that burst on contact. He can club 
  someone in the head to subdue them, or toss 
  rings that drop around a foe and snare him. 
  Increasingly, his items are getting weirder and 
  weirder. For example, he has learned how to 
  cause one ball to start out at regular size, and 
  then grow at the last minute to hammer a foe by 
  surprise. The ability to catch anything – even 
  energy – and return it to its source has turned the 
  tide of more than one battle, and he uses it 
  liberally. 
   
  What Stefan doesn’t realize is that his 
  powers are far more extensive than he knows. He 
  is tied to the very power cosmic of the universe 
  itself, and has the potential to create any matter 
  or energy with a thought. In short, he is limited 
  only to juggling effects because he thinks he is 
  limited to juggling effects. Even if told 
  otherwise, his subconscious would probably shy 
  away from and reject that level of power. The 
  downside to this link with the fabric of reality is 
  manifold. He is very vulnerable to cosmic 
  energy, and those who can sense such energies 
  will realize instantly there is more to him that 
  meets the eye. This also explains, in part, the 
  weirdness that seems to come his way. On some 
  level, his powers alter probability patterns and 
  the unusual becomes likely. Aliens may land on 
  his roof seeking his protection, a wormhole may 
  form in his microwave; that sort of thing. 
   
  Still a bit of a rookie compared to other 
  heroes in the EuroGuard, Der Purpurjongleur’s 
  tactics are simple:  coordinate with others as best 
  he can (which he does well), taunt the foes 
  (which he does well, even when he shouldn’t), 
  and dazzle them into surrender with his amazing 
  array of juggling prowess (which needs work).  
   
  Campaign Use:  As stated above, Der 
  Purpurjongleur has no idea of the power he 
  really possesses. Couple this with the typical 
  joking superhero who some have trouble taking 
  seriously, and a GM has an interesting 
  dichotomy to play with. His “Weirdness 
  again, and this time 
  pushes Stefan in a 
  new direction of self-
  awareness. If Stefan 
  “passes,” he will 
  realize his potential 
  and become nigh-
  godlike in his power; 
  if he fails, his gift will 
  be stripped from him. 
  Both outcomes are 
  likely to shake the 
  young hero badly.  
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  46 
  Magnet” effect is a great way to rationalize many 
  screwy or surreal adventures that otherwise 
  would be extremely unlikely. Some results may 
  endanger his life, others just lead to odd 
  conversations (“Quickly human! Our ship is out 
  of Kryl Krystals – what you would call Coffee! 
  We need several hundred kilos or we will never 
  be able to return home!”) This is why the balance 
  of Mildly Punish as given as an average. 
   
  As for his niche in EuroGuard, Der 
  Purpurjongleur’s own politics are pretty simple. 
  He supports the European Union, and considers 
  himself progressive about it. He’s played to too 
  many crowds in too many places to really respect 
  geographical boundaries as anything but 
  artificial. He leaves the debate about it to others, 
  though. He knows he’s not always taken 
  seriously, so he figures being vocal about 
  supporting it might hurt more than help. 
   
  If a GM wants to reduce Der 
  Purpurjongleur’s power, a good start might be to 
  make his Missile Deflection/Reflection cost 
  END. Other options might be to get rid of his 
  Lightning Reflexes and lower his SPD by 1. That 
  slow-down should make him much less of a 
  combat threat. 
   
  If instead the GM wants to boost him, the 
  options are endless. One method might be to 
  grant a Find Weakness ability. Another would be 
  to add even more slots to his Multipower or to 
  make his Multipower Reserve higher. 
  Eventually, in the course of a campaign, a GM 
  has perfect rationale to drop the Multipower 
  altogether and give him one heck of a Variable 
  Power Pool. 
   
  For the most part, Stefan feels pretty 
  outclassed by his teammates. Powers or no, he 
  wonders if he can hang with the big dogs. This 
  insecurity only makes him all the more quick to 
  quip. He can be good for morale, as he reminds 
  the rest of the team of the fun of being a 
  superhero. 
   
  AngelFire is a special case. As silly as it 
  sounds, Stefan fell for her at first sight, and 
  nothing he’s seen or experienced since has 
  dissuaded him from his crush. She’s beautiful, 
  intelligent, and confident – three traits he 
  admires in a woman. Sometimes he thinks folks 
  are so caught up in what they see as her vanity 
  that they forget she’s also a generous soul with a 
  great capacity for kindness. He loves to make her 
  laugh most of all, and while Stefan would 
  secretly love to be her gallant knight riding to the 
  rescue, he resigns himself to being her court 
  jester. As long as he can bask in her glow, he’s 
  happy. 
   
  Bielo is one of those guys who makes Der 
  Purpurjongleur feel not quite up to the task. 
  “There I am; a hero. Enter Bielo, and bam! I’m 
  an instant sidekick…” is how he phrases it (with 
  a smile, for he doesn’t blame The White for his 
  own insecurities). Besides, Bielo is a great guy. 
  Stefan has often taken the big guy drinking, an 
  event that normally leads to some good times 
  and an unconscious juggler being carried back 
  home by the deity. 
   
  In Stefan’s opinion, Passion’s sour attitude 
  just begs for a little poking, so she ends up 
  playing his straight man sometimes – like it or 
  not. Her scathing remarks against him don’t 
  really faze him much; at least not that he lets 
  show. Instead he cheerfully fights fire with fire 
  and is happy to show her how it’s done, a smile 
  on his face all the while. Her slights to AngelFire 
  are another matter. He knows that AngelFire gets 
  angry with Passion, so he’s quick to interpose 
  himself and defend the bright lady when it gets 
  too heated. 
   
  Speed is the very definition of a “tough 
  crowd.” The juggler tries his best to cheer the 
  morose speedster up, to no avail. At least, to no 
  avail that Der Purpurjongleur notices. He’s tried 
  coaxing Speed out for some fun because he 
  doesn’t think all that brooding is healthy. It’s 
  been an uphill battle, but Stefan has vowed to 
  make the gent from Malta laugh. That aside, 
  Speed has, in Stefan’s opinion, the coolest power 
  there is.  
   
  At first Tick Tock freaked Der 
  Purpurjongleur out, but as he’s grown to know 
  the robot, they’ve become good friends. As far as 
  Stefan is now concerned, Tick Tock is just one 
  of the guys. Sure, there have been a few 
  misunderstandings (like the whole “room of 
  magnets” prank gone wrong), but for the most 
  part the robot is someone he relies on for 
  “normalcy” – which shows just how weird 
  Stefan’s life can get. 
   
  Der Purpurjongleur and the Watchman are 
  separated by a generation, nation, ideologies, and 
  life experiences. Perhaps due to his own poor 
  experience with his father, Stefan finds himself 
  acting even younger than his true age when he’s 
  around Watchman. A mix of defiance (good 
  natured though it is) and respect influence his 
  stance towards the Pole. The man’s intellect and 
  drive are amazing. However, Stefan sees it as his 
  personal duty to point out (loudly and 
  humorously) just when he thinks Watchman’s 
  stubborn nature has hit the level of absurdity. If 
  Watchman announces something akin to 
  “Never!” the juggler’s usual rejoinder is, “Until 
  the stars turn cold!” or some other hyperbolic 
  lampooning. 
   
  Lefèvre would probably be shocked if he 
  knew just how much Der Purpurjongleur 
  respected him. Stefan is astounded by the vision 
  and commitment the pan-European advocate has. 
  As is typical, Stefan hides his hero worship 
  behind jokes and jibes at the very man he 
  admires. 
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  47
  Appearance:  With platinum blonde hair, ice 
  blue eyes, and an incredibly fit body that would 
  do an Olympic gymnast proud, Stefan is definite 
  eye candy for the ladies – even more than he 
  realizes. His costume is a body stocking that 
  covers his legs and most of his torso (Though it 
  does show off his chest nicely) and came with 
  two snug gloves and a half mask that opens at 
  the top. The outfit is deep purple with a fire-blue 
  symbol over his heart that looks like three 
   
  The Purple Juggler (Der 
  Purpurjongleur) 
  spheres in orbit around a larger one…whatever 
  that means. Most folks just assume it’s a symbol 
  for juggling, though Stefan is quick to point out 
  any decent juggler can handle a lot more than 
  that! The gloves and mask share the fire-blue 
  color. 
   
  Out of costume, Stefan prefers to wear 
  whatever finds the balance between trendy, cool, 
  and comfortable. 
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  48 
  The Purple Juggler (Der 
  Purpurjongleur) 
   Val Char Cost Roll Notes 
   20 STR 
  10 13- Lift 200 kg; 4d6 [2] 
   24 DEX 
  42 14- OCV:  8/DCV:  9 
   20 CON 
  20 13-  
   10 BODY 
  0 11-  
   13 INT 
  3 12- PER Roll:  12- 
   11 EGO 
  2 11- ECV:  4 
   20 PRE 
  10 13- PRE Attack:  4d6 
   18 COM 
  4 13-  
   
   
  7 PD 
  3 
   Total:  19 PD (12 rPD) 
   
  7 ED 
  3 
   Total:  19 ED (12 rED) 
   
  6 SPD 
  26 
   Phases:  2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 
   
  8 REC 
  0 
   
   48 END 
  4 
   
   35 STUN 
  5 
   
   
  Total Characteristic Cost:  132 
  Movement: Running: 
  7”(11”)/14”(22”) 
   
   
  Leaping: 
  4”(10”)/8”(20”) 
   
   
  Swimming: 
  2”/4” 
  Cost Powers 
  END 
   48 Greatest Juggler in the Cosmos:  
  Multipower, 60-point reserve; Range 
  Based on STR (-¼) 
  – 
   5u 1)  Balls-a-Plenty:  EB 8d6 (vs PD), 
  Indirect (Originates from the Jugger 
  But Can Be Fired in Any Direction, 
  +½); Range Based on STR (-¼) 
  6 
   5u 2)  Biggest Balls of Them All:  EB (vs 
  PD) 6d6, Area Of Effect (One Hex, 
  +½), Indirect (+½); Range Based on 
  STR (-¼) 
  6 
   5u 3)  Too Many Balls for One Man:  EB 
  (vs PD) 6d6, Autofire (5 Shots, +½), 
  Indirect (+½); Range Based on STR 
  (-¼) 
  6 
   4u 4)  Let’s Go Clubbing:  EB 4d6; NND 
  (Defense is Lack of Weakness on 
  Defenses Covering the Head or Innate 
  rPD Protecting the Head, +1), Indirect 
  (+½); Range Based on STR (-¼) 
   4u 5)  Rings, sans Onion:  Entangle 4d6, 
  4 DEF, Indirect (+½); Range Based on 
  STR (-¼), Cannot Form Barriers (-¼) 
  6 
   4u 6)  Sharp Pointy Things:  HKA 1d6+1 
  (2½d6 with STR), Armor Piercing 
  (+½), +1 Increased STUN Multiplier 
  (+¼), Range Based on STR (+¼), 
  Indirect (+½) 
  4 
   5u 7)  Torches: EB 8d6 (vs ED), Indirect 
  (+½); Range Based on STR (-¼) 
  6 
   3u 8)  Toss What’s Handy I:  EB 6d6, 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END, +¼), 
  Indirect (+½); Range Based on STR 
  (-¼), OIF (Appropriate Objects of 
  Opportunity, -½) 
  3 
   3u 9)  Toss What’s Handy II:  RKA 2d6; 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END, +¼) 
  Indirect (+½); Range Based on STR 
  (-¼), OIF (Appropriate Objects of 
  Opportunity, -½) 
  3 
   60 I Can Juggle Anything You Throw at 
  Me!:  Missile Reflection (All Ranged 
  Attacks), +5 OCV 
  0 
   
  4 Circus Moves I:  Leaping +6” (10” 
  Total); Requires an Acrobatics Roll 
  (-½) 
  2 
   
  7 Circus Moves II:  Running +1” plus 
  Running +4” (11” Total); Requires an 
  Acrobatics Roll (-½) 
  2 
   25 Lucky Bastard!:  Luck 5d6 
  0 
   
  9 Nice Costume!:  Armor (6 PD/6 ED); 
  Activation 14- (-½), OIF (Costume, -½) 0 
   6  EuroGuard Radio:  High-Range Radio 
  Perception; OIF (Radio, -½), Affected 
  as Sight, Hearing, and Radio Sense 
  Groups (-½) 
  0  
   
   Perks 
   
  5 Base Contribution 
   
  1 International Driver’s License 
   
  5 International Police Powers 
   
  1 Passport 
   
   Talents 
   
  9 I Shall Fight Left-Handed!:  
  Ambidexterity (No Offhand Penalty) 
   12 Nimble, Aren’t I?:  Combat Luck 
   
  6 Fast Hands, Feet, and Mouth!:  Lightning 
  Reflexes: +4 DEX to Act First with All 
  Attacks 
   
   Skills 
   
  5 +1 DCV (Already Added in) 
   
  6 +2 OCV with Thrown Weapons 
   
  9 +3 versus Range Modifier for All Attacks 
   12 Targeting Skill Levels:  +4 versus Hit 
  Location Modifiers for All Attacks 
   
  8 Throwing Skill Levels:  +4 versus 
  Unbalanced/Non-Aerodynamic Penalties 
  for Throwing Attacks 
   
   
  3 Acrobatics 14- 
   
  2 AK: Europe 11- 
   
  3 Breakfall 14- 
   
  3 Climbing 14- 
   
  3 KS: Circus Culture 12- 
   
  2 KS: EuroGuard 11- 
   
  2 Language: English (Fluent, German is 
  Native) 
   
  2 Language: French (Fluent) 
   
  1 Language: Spanish (Conversation) 
   
  7 PS: Juggling 18- 
   
  3 Sleight of Hand 14- 
   
  3 Teamwork 14- 
   
  8 WF: Thrown Spears, Knives, Axes, Darts 
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  318 
  Total Cost:  450 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  49
   300+ Disadvantages 
   10 Distinctive Features:  Tied to the Primal 
  Forces of the Cosmos (Not Concealable, 
  Major, Unusual Senses) 
   10 DNPC:  Annette Herzog (Sister) 11- 
  (Normal, Slightly Less Powerful) 
   
  5 Hunted:  “Weirdness Magnet” Encounters 
  8- (Averages to As Pow, Mild) 
   15 Hunted:  Eurostar 8- (More Powerful, 
  Kill) 
   15 Hunted:  Project EuroGuard 11- (Mo Pow, 
  NCI, Watching) 
   15 Psychological Limitation:  Hates Bullies 
  and Abusive People (Common, Strong) 
   15 Psychological Limitation:  In Love with 
  AngelFire (Common, Strong) 
   20 Psychological Limitation:  Uses Humor 
  and Jokes to Cover Up Fear and 
  Insecurities (Very Common, Strong) 
   10 Reputation:  Jokester Juggler Hero 11- 
  (Not Always Taken Seriously) 
   
  5 Rivalry:  Professional (Other Costumed 
  Throwing Experts) 
   20 Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (Stefan 
  Herzog) 
   10 Vulnerability: 2x STUN from Cosmic 
  Attacks (Uncommon) 
  Total Disadvantage Points:  450 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  50 
  Speed (Spid) 
  Background/History:  Malta is a tiny island 
  nation south of Sicily, with a small population 
  and little in the way of international fame. It only 
  ever needed one hero – the courageous speedster 
  known simply as Speed. Dressed in a flashy 
  costume reminiscent of the Maltese flag (his 
  right side white and emblazoned with a red 
  George Cross, his left side red), he would appear 
  whenever trouble struck his beloved homeland, 
  and with a devil-may-care laugh he would 
  always put things right. 
   
  That is, until Eurostar decided to make an 
  example of this insignificant place. When they 
  attacked the Central Bank of Malta, Speed was 
  there to stop them as always. But he was no 
  match for these ruthless, experienced terrorists. 
  Durak broke his legs, laughing, “You don’t run 
  so fast now, do you?” Scorpia sliced his face 
  with her blades, “Such a shame. He was once 
  such a handsome boy, too.” Then the true torture 
  began, as Fiacho ordered every person on the 
  street killed to set an example:  If you stand 
  against Eurostar, you will pay the price. 
   
  Speed was a broken man – not just 
  physically, but spiritually. He was forced to 
  watch as Eurostar coldly murdered over a dozen 
  of his countrymen for the crime of simply being 
  in the wrong place at the wrong time. After that 
  horrible event, Speed disappeared. Some guessed 
  he was dead. Many others thought he hung up 
  his costume in shame and left his homeland 
  forever. 
   
  Those people were mistaken. One year after 
  he vanished, Speed returned to Malta – but he 
  was different. No longer the young, flashy, 
  happy-go-lucky hero, Speed had become dark, 
  humorless, and cold. He changed his costume – 
  it was no longer the proud red and white of his 
  nation. Now it was mourning black. His once-
  handsome face was now completely covered by a 
  black helmet.  
   
  He had grown stronger, too. In his time 
  away, he had not only been healing from his 
  injuries, he had been practicing – pushing his 
  powers to their limit and beyond. He tested 
  himself constantly, never accepting the slightest 
  hint of weakness. Despite his injuries, he became 
  one of Europe’s more powerful heroes. He went 
  about his business – protecting Malta – with a 
  dark efficiency, rarely speaking and never 
  accepting thanks. It was as though the old Speed 
  had been completely obliterated by the horror he 
  had witnessed, and the new Speed was doing 
  penance for the shame of his failure. 
   
  When the EU announced its EuroGuard 
  project, Speed was among the first European 
  metahumans to sign up. He was waiting for his 
  chance to face Eurostar again, and this would 
  afford him the perfect opportunity. This time, 
  things would be different. He would see to that. 
  There are many who wonder if Speed is a good 
  match for the team. His drive for vengeance may 
  someday distract him from EuroGuard’s mission. 
  However, thus far his membership has been 
  above reproach, and no one has found cause to 
  question his dedication to its success. 
   
  Personality/Motivation:  Speed used to be a 
  “typical” speedster – cheerful, confident, and 
  hyperactive. After his defeat by Fiacho’s team, 
  he has fallen into a deep depression from which 
  nothing can lift him. These days, he never laughs 
  and rarely smiles, and about the only thing that 
  makes him happy is the thought of Eurostar’s 
  eventual downfall. To that end, he has 
  extensively studied Eurostar’s members, their 
  powers, and their tactics. He has even gone so far 
  as to teach himself Esperanto, so he can 
  understand their battlefield commands. They will 
  not catch him by surprise a second time. 
   
  Speed is a perfectionist in the worst way. He 
  fears failure – having seen the direst 
  consequences of not being strong enough. He 
  pushes beyond his limits, and never accepts 
  weakness in himself. He knows innocent people 
  are depending on him, and he will not let them 
  down a second time. 
   
  Speed is generally unconcerned with the 
  stated mission of EuroGuard – a united, strong, 
  and free Europe. He is on the team for one 
  reason only – to see the end of terrorism in 
  general, super-powered terrorism in specific, and 
  Eurostar in particular. While he distantly 
  believes that the nations of Europe must retain 
  their independence, he does not let personal 
  opinion stand in the way of his life’s goal. 
   
  Quote:  “If you harm them in any way, I will 
  make it my duty to see you suffer.” 
   
  Powers/Tactics:  Speed is a very powerful 
  mutant with the ability to move at hypersonic 
  velocities. He has spent an enormous time 
  training himself to use these powers in combat. 
  He prefers to end a fight quickly, using his 
  mobility and suite of attacks to bring down his 
  foes swiftly and efficiently. He does not banter 
  or joke while in a fight, and rarely speaks. He is, 
  however, a good team player, and he will follow 
  Watchman’s tactical instructions without 
  complaint or question.  
   
  Because of his quickness, Speed is 
  EuroGuard’s scout, often sent ahead to assess the 
  enemy before the rest of the team engages. He is 
  alert and observant and very good at this job. A 
  little-known fact is that Speed can both run and 
  fly at super speeds. Speed does not often take 
  advantage of this, and EuroGuard has kept it 
  very close; it’s a secret weapon they only use 
  when the situation is desperate. Because of his 
  old injuries, Speed is particularly vulnerable to 
  Killing Attacks. 
  SPID PLOT SEEDS 
   
   
   Failure Is Not An 
  Option:  Speed does 
  the unthinkable – he 
  fails, and an innocent 
  suffers for it. In his 
  shame, he quits 
  EuroGuard, hangs up 
  his costume, and 
  seeks out the PCs (for 
  training, advice, 
  atonement, or 
  something else). Can 
  they convince him to 
  become the hero he 
  once was? 
   Speed Sink:  All 
  over the world, super 
  speedsters are finding 
  their powers failing. 
  At the same time, 
  Speed keeps getting 
  faster and faster, more 
  and more powerful. Is 
  he somehow tapping 
  into their power, 
  absorbing it to make 
  himself stronger? Is 
  he doing it 
  deliberately or 
  unconsciously? Can 
  his body keep up with 
  the influx of power, 
  or will it eventually 
  kill him? Whatever is 
  happening, can the 
  PCs stop it? Or, since 
  this means the 
  elimination of villains 
  such as Slick, 
  Thunderbolt II, and 
  Vibron, do they even 
  want to stop it? 
   Ghosts in the 
  Machine:  Eurostar 
  stages an assault on 
  the University of 
  Malta in an attempt to 
  force a group of 
  leading scientists to 
  build a mysterious 
  weapon. EuroGuard 
  stops them, but even 
  as Speed rushes in to 
  save the scientists, 
  bombs planted against 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  51
  Campaign Use:  Speed is the vengeance-minded 
  member of EuroGuard, the one who hates 
  terrorists with an unyeilding intensity. Though 
  he is smart and loyal to his team, this particular 
  flaw in his character can lend itself to many 
  interesting roleplaying opportunities. Though 
  dark in outlook, Speed is a hero in every sense. 
  He would give his own life to protect innocents 
  and put an end to injustice, and he is dedicated to 
  his comrades in EuroGuard. 
   
   
  Speed makes a determined and dangerous 
  Hunter. Though he reserves a special hatred for 
  Eurostar, anyone who engaged in terrorism 
  (especially super terrorism) in Europe may 
  quickly find themselves on his list. It is unlikely 
  Speed would make any special preparations; he 
  would simply wait until the target presented 
  itself and then attack with everything he had. 
   
  Speed is already pretty powerful, but to 
  make him stronger increase his Incredible 
  Quickness Multipower and give most of his 
  powers the Reduced Endurance Advantage. To 
  reduce his power, shrink the size of his 
  Incredible Agility Elemental Control, or 
  eliminate it entirely.  
   
  Speed does not feel close to any of his 
  teammates. He considers what they do to be a 
  duty or a calling, not a social gathering. He 
  expects everyone on the team to do their job, and 
  to do it well.  
   
  Perhaps, at another time, in another life, 
  Speed would see AngelFire as others do – a great 
  beauty and an object of desire. Once, he may 
  have even tried to court her. These days, such 
  things no longer concern him. He is blind to her 
  charms, her beauty, and even her vanity. He sees 
  AngelFire as an ally in the battle against 
  treachery and evil, and nothing else. 
   
  It seems these days, Bielo is the only one 
  who can make Speed smile. Speed can sense the 
  great man’s concern for him, but he does not 
  know how to reach out. If Speed had any friends 
  among Euroguard, Bielo would be it. 
   
  He can sense that Passion pities him, but he 
  doesn’t care. He no longer has time for pity. 
  However, whenever he feels her eyes upon him, 
  he pushes himself much harder. He does not 
  know why, but something about her drives him 
  to demand more from himself. Could she be 
  using her powers on him? He does not know, and 
  he suspects he wouldn’t care even if she were. 
   
  Der Purpurjongleur is a clown, pure and 
  simple. He has no business attempting to be a 
  serious superhero. People’s lives are at risk, and 
  the Juggler makes jokes, bounding around the 
  battlefield like a child who’s eaten too much 
  cotton candy. If his powers weren’t so useful, 
  Speed wouldn’t work alongside him. As it is, the 
  Maltese hero barely tolerates the Juggler. 
   
  Tick Tock is a machine. A tool can be useful 
  when it serves the greater good. Tick Tock 
  serves the forces of law and order, so Speed 
  accepts it as a member of the team. He does not 
  give the robot much thought beyond that. 
   
  Speed thinks of the Watchman as a 
  powerful, capable leader, and takes everything 
  he says seriously. Watchman is the tactical 
  leader of the team, and Speed respects his 
  intelligence and experience. Speed is on 
  Watchman’s side in that he agrees each nation in 
  the EU should maintain its sovereignty, its 
  character, and its independence – but until the 
  menace of super-powered terrorism is finally 
  wiped out, the countries of Europe must band 
  together to stop them. 
   
  Monsieur Lefèvre is a bureaucrat and a 
  politician who stays out of the team’s business as 
  much as he is able, and who prevents other 
  bureaucrats and politicians from getting in their 
  way. In these capacities he is capable and 
  efficient, traits which Speed admires.  
   
  Appearance:  Speed is a tall, lean, wiry, dark-
  skinned man who wears a skin-tight outfit that 
  looks like black leather. A black helmet (much 
  like a motorcycle racer’s helmet) covers his head 
  and face. He accents his uniform with a small 
  Maltese flag on the left side of his chest, just 
  over his heart. Outside of his costume he is a 
  young man who was once quite handsome, but 
  now his face is covered with horrendous scars. 
  He cuts his hair very short, and has a dark, 
  haunted look about his eyes. 
   
   
  the experimental 
  weapon go off, 
  destroying the 
  machines and 
  vaporizing the 
  innocents. The 
  speedster is clearly 
  distraught at his 
  failure – and with just 
  cause – but finds 
  himself unable to 
  articulate his 
  frustration in a way 
  that anyone can 
  understand. Soon, 
  Speed begins to rant 
  about “ghosts” 
  plaguing him. The 
  speedster begins to 
  steal various bits of 
  high technology from 
  all over Europe, 
  acting as the “ghosts” 
  bid him. Actually, the 
  “ghosts” are the 
  scientists; the 
  destruction of the 
  weapon shifted them 
  into a different 
  vibrational plane, one 
  that only Speed can 
  see. Can the PCs 
  figure this out, before 
  they agree to help the 
  authorities bring the 
  “madman” in? 
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  52 
  Speed (Spid) 
   Val Char Cost Roll Notes 
   13 STR 
  3 12- 150 kg; 2½d6 HTH [1] 
   33 DEX 
  69 16- OCV:  11/DCV:  11 
   28 CON 
  36 15-  
   10 BODY 
  0 11-  
   10 INT 
  0 11- PER Roll:  11- 
   10 EGO 
  0 11- ECV:  3 
   10 PRE 
  0 11- PRE Attack:  2d6 
   
  8 COM 
  -1 11-  
   
   
  6 PD 
  3 
    Total:  20 PD (14 rPD) 
   
  7 ED 
  1 
    Total:  20 ED (13 rED) 
   
  7 SPD 
  27 
    Phases:  2,4,6,7,9,11,12 
   20 REC 
  22 
    
   100 END 
  22 
   
   31 STUN 
  0 
   
   
  Total Characteristic Cost:  182 
  Movement: Running: 
  25”/100” 
   
   
  Leaping: 
  2½”/5” 
   
   
  Swimming: 2”/4” 
   
   
  Flight: 
  25”/100” 
   
   
  Teleport: 
  14”/28” 
  Cost Powers 
  END 
   50 Incredible Quickness:  Multipower, 
  50-point Powers 
  – 
   3u 1)  Velocity Punch:  HA +10d6 
  (12½d6 with STR); HA Lim (-½) 
  5 
   3u 2)  Rapid-Fire Punches:  HA +6½d6 
  (9d6 with STR), Autofire (5 Shots, 
  +½); HA Attack (-½) 
  5 
   3u 3)  Armor-Puncturing Punch:  HA 
  +6½d6 (9d6 with STR), Armor 
  Piercing (+½); HA Lim (-½) 
  5 
   3u 4)  Inertia Punch:  HA +5½d6 (8d6 
  with STR), Double Knockback (+¾); 
  HA Lim (-½) 
  5 
   2u 5)  Area Punches:  HA +5d6 (7½d6 
  with STR), Area Of Effect (6 Hexes, 
  +1); HA Lim (-½), Linked (to 
  Running, -½) 
  5 
   54 Incredible Speed: Multipower, 54-
  point Powers 
  – 
   5u 1)  Fastest Man in the Mediterranean:  
  Running +19” (25” Total), 4x 
  Noncombat, Usable as Flight (+¼) 
  4 
   5u 2)  Fastest Man in Europe:  Running 
  +18” (24” Total), MegaScale (1” = 1 
  km, +¼), Usable as Flight (+¼) 
  4 
   5u 3)  Didn’t See Him Move:  Teleport 
  14”, No Relative Velocity, Position 
  Shift, Safe Blind Teleport (+¼); Must 
  Pass through Intervening Space (-¼), 
  Restrainable (-½) 
  3 
   20 Incredible Agility: Elemental Control, 
  40-point Powers 
  – 
   20 1)  Artful Dodger:  Force Field (14 PD/ 
  13 ED), Reduced Endurance (0 END, 
  +½) 
  0 
   13 2)  Too Fast:  +8 DCV; Costs 
  Endurance (-½) 
  4 
   13 3)  Way Too Fast:  +4 SPD; Costs 
  Endurance (-½) 
  4 
   15 Incredible Control:  Variable 
  Advantage on 13 STR (+1 
  Advantages, Limited Number of 
  Advantages Based on Multipower; +1 
  ¾), Only Usable with Multipower (-½) 0 
   
  1 Ever Alert:  Life Support (Diminished 
  Sleep, 1 hour per day) 
  0 
   10 Hypersight:  Rapid Sight Group, x100 
  0 
   
  6 EuroGuard Radio:  High-Range Radio 
  Perception; OIF (Radio, -½), Affected 
  as Sight, Hearing, and Radio Sense 
  Groups (-½) 
  0 
   
   Perks 
   
   
  5 Base Contribution 
   
  1 International Driver’s License 
   
  5 International Police Powers 
   
  1 Passport 
   
  1 Reputation:  Malta’s National Hero (in 
  Malta); +1/+1d6 
   
   Skills 
   
   
  3 +1 with Multipower 
   
   
  2 AK: Europe 11- 
   
  2 KS: EU 11- 
   
  2 KS: EuroGuard 11- 
   
  2 KS: Eurostar 11- 
   
  2 KS: The Superhuman World 11- 
   
  2 Language: English (Fluent, Maltese is 
  Native) 
   
  2 Language: French (Fluent) 
   
  1 Language: Esperanto (Conversation) 
   
  3 Speed Tricks (Power Skill) 16- 
   
  3 Teamwork 16- 
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  268 
  Total Cost:  450 
   300+ Disadvantages 
   
  5 Distinctive Features:  Badly Scarred Face 
  (Easily Concealed) 
   10 Distinctive Features:  Mutant (Not 
  Concealable, Unusual Senses) 
   15 Hunted:  Eurostar 8- (Mo Pow, Kill) 
   20 Hunted:  Project EuroGuard 14- (Mo Pow, 
  NCI, Watching) 
   10 Psychological Limitation:  Depressive, 
  Emotionally Flat (Common, Moderate) 
   20 Psychological Limitation:  Fear of Failure, 
  Must Continually Prove Himself (Very 
  Common, Strong) 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  53
   10 Psychological Limitation:  Hatred of 
  Eurostar (Uncommon, Strong) 
   20 Psychological Limitation:  Protective of 
  Innocents (Common, Total) 
   
  5 Reputation:  Badly Beaten by Eurostar 
  and Looking for Payback, 8- 
   
  Speed (Spid) 
   20 Social Limitation:  Secret Identity 
  (Eduardo Gonzi) 
   15 Vulnerable:  1½x STUN from Killing 
  Attacks (Very Common) 
  Total Disadvantage Points:  450 
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  54 
  Tick Tock 
  Background/History:  Mechanon has more than 
  once attempted to wipe out the people of the 
  Scepter’d Isle, but has been foiled time and again 
  by those insufferable do-gooder organics known 
  as the New Knights of the Round Table. 
  Mechanon realized that those imbeciles must be 
  destroyed once and for all, and when they were 
  gone the British Islands would fall to his might 
  and quickly be purged of the organics which 
  infected it. To this end, Mechanon built a robot 
  servant which the New Knights could not 
  possibly defeat – a robot which moved 
  effortlessly through time and could kill without 
  its victim even being aware that he was under 
  attack! 
   
  However, this scheme failed (as all his 
  schemes seem destined to do) when the Knights 
  realized they were being attacked by an unseen 
  assailant. Using teamwork and experience, they 
  discovered the killer robot and disabled it by 
  removing its batteries (a design flaw that 
  Mechanon did not anticipate). The now 
  powerless robot was brought to the Knights’ labs 
  and, after months of research, was 
  reprogrammed. No longer was it a merciless 
  being whose only desire was to kill – now it was 
  a friendly, jovial, helpful robot that wished to put 
  its talents into the service of humankind. 
   
  The Knights removed the robot’s most lethal 
  armaments, then kept a careful eye on it for over 
  a year to make sure they had well and truly 
  purged Mechanon’s programming. Soon they 
  were satisfied that its actions and motivations 
  were that of a true hero, but they had no real 
  place for it on their own team. The robot, though 
  it had established close ties with the Knights, 
  wanted to see more of the world – to go 
  someplace where it could make a real difference. 
  With this in mind, they sponsored it as a 
  potential member for EuroGuard.  
   
  There was some hesitation in allowing an 
  artificial construct on the team, but with such 
  high-profile sponsors as the New Knights of the 
  Round Table, its membership on the team was 
  almost a certainty. The robot, now calling itself 
  Tick Tock, has since become a valued member 
  of the international team.  
   
  Personality/Motivation:  Though it is “only” a 
  robot, Tick Tock has most of the thoughts and 
  emotions that make up a human being. In 
  particular, it cares for the well-being of people, 
  and it is intensely curious about the world around 
  it. It hasn’t had the opportunity to experience 
  many of the world’s wonders, and it wants to 
  make up for lost time. 
   
  Tick Tock is not a stereotypical robot. In 
  addition to the basic suite of human emotions, it 
  has a droll and sarcastic sense of humor 
  (possibly picked up from its stay in England) and 
  often makes fun of itself and the impressions that 
  people have of it. Tick Tock is neither a “he” nor 
  a “she,” and it refers to itself as “it.” Several 
  members of the team (Bielo in particular) have a 
  hard time using the proper pronoun; Tick Tock 
  takes no small amount of glee in correcting them. 
   
  Tick Tock is an enthusiastic supporter of 
  EuroGuard’s agenda. It believes that a united 
  Europe would not only assure a better life for its 
  people, but it would also make a strong force for 
  good in the world. It understands Watchman’s 
  arguments about individual sovereignty, but does 
  not comprehend the emotional attachment that so 
  many people have for their own nations. It isn’t 
  that it can’t feel emotions, it’s just that since it 
  has never really had a “home,” it has not 
  experienced the type of national loyalty that 
  many have. 
   
  Quote:  “Query: What is this thing humans call 
  “Love”? …No, I’m kidding. What I’d really like 
  to know is where you got your costume? It looks 
  great on you. The colors really bring out the red 
  in your eyes.” (to a soon-to-be enraged Scorpia). 
   
  Powers/Tactics:  Tick Tock has the ability to 
  manipulate the very forces of time. It can shift 
  itself slightly out of synch with the rest of the 
  world, effectively becoming completely invisible 
  to nearly every sense (Mental senses can still 
  spot it, however, as they work on a different 
  frequency). When invisible, Tick Tock leaves a 
  faint “shadow,” a hazy afterimage of where it 
  was standing just one half of one second ago, 
  and observant foes may be able to target it from 
  this. 
   
  Tick Tock can also stop time for a few 
  seconds, move to another place, and restart time 
  again – to someone watching, it seems as if Tick 
  Tock simply vanished from one spot and then 
  reappeared in another! It can pull a person “out” 
  of time, freezing him completely, or it can slow 
  time around him, making him incredibly slow in 
  comparison with the rest of the world. Also, with 
  a gesture, Tick Tock can make him feel as if they 
  aged a year in just a few seconds, or it can drain 
  his energy and make him exhausted. 
   
  In battle, Tick Tock’s main strategy is to 
  become invisible and then move around the 
  battlefield at will, draining strength and energy 
  from its foes so that the rest of EuroGuard will 
  have an easier battle. It knows that it is not the 
  toughest or most powerful team member, so it 
  rarely if ever engages in a straight fight. It knows 
  that its strength is its stealth. 
   
  Tick Tock’s main weakness is its reliance on 
  two large battery packs it wears on its back. This 
  was a design flaw that Mechanon was too 
  impatient to fix before he set Tick Tock loose on 
  the New Knights. If those batteries are removed, 
  it can no longer use its powers, and it will barely 
  have enough energy to walk. This is how the 
  TICK TOCK PLOT 
  SEEDS 
   
   
   Little Lost Robot: 
  During a fight, Tick 
  Tock takes a bad blow
  to the head. His 
  circuits are 
  scrambled, and 
  suddenly its 
  personality reverts 
  back to its original 
  programming – to 
  destroy the New 
  Knights! The robot is 
  clever enough to 
  disguise its new goals 
  from EuroGuard, but 
  somehow the PCs 
  find out its plans. Can 
  Tick Tock be stopped 
  without causing 
  permanent damage, 
  and can its heroic 
  persona be restored? 
   Every Good Bot 
  Deserves Favour: 
  After a particularly 
  deadly Mechanon 
  attack, a rising wave 
  of anti-robot hysteria 
  grips Europe. Though 
  Tick Tock has proven 
  himself time and 
  again, many people 
  are calling for its 
  head. EuroGuard 
  closes ranks around 
  their teammate, which 
  causes them to lose 
  support. Several 
  governments threaten 
  to pull funding from 
  EuroGuard unless 
  they give up the 
  “rogue” robot. Can 
  EuroGuard continue 
  to support their friend,
  even if it means 
  losing all the good 
  things they’ve 
  accomplished? 
   Temporal 
  Mechanic: “Oh dear 
  oh dear! This 
  technology is 
  completely  
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  55
  New Knights of the Round Table managed to 
  defeat it the first time. Tick Tock’s ferrous body 
  is also susceptible to magnetism. 
   
  Though Tick Tock is a robot, it has a very 
  complicated electronic brain with the ability to 
  learn new information; therefore, it needs to shut 
  down for a few hours each night to process all 
  the data that it gathered that day. In other words, 
  Tick Tock “sleeps.” It is also not immune to the 
  effects of high doses of radiation, which can 
  scramble the delicate circuitry in its brain. 
  Similarly, it is not immune to mental powers, 
  though it is a machine and therefore only mental 
  powers which affect computers work against it. 
   
  Campaign Use:  If the GM wants to run a 
  campaign in which the limits of artificial 
  intelligence are explored, Tick Tock makes an 
  excellent foil. In a game where Mechanon is a 
  major threat and where robots in general are seen 
  as advanced tools (at best) or as mechanical 
  monstrosities (at worst), Tick Tock can challenge 
  the players’ expectations. Here is a robot every 
  bit as sympathetic as any living creature, with a 
  sense of humor and a heroic motivation that 
  drives him to risk his life to help those around it. 
   
  Tick Tock is not likely to Hunt anyone. If it 
  were to do so, it would likely be out of curiosity, 
  merely to watch and study the other person, to 
  learn everything it could about what makes him 
  special and unique. It would stalk its target from 
  a distance, taking in everything about him and 
  possibly learning his most closely-guarded 
  secrets. 
   
  To make Tick Tock more powerful, increase 
  its Time Control Multipower and add more slots. 
  Tick Tock had its most lethal weapons removed 
  or disabled, but there is no reason a GM couldn’t 
  change that fact. Look through the Until 
  Superpowers Database to find more time-
  manipulation powers (or even speed tricks) that 
  would be appropriate for the robot. 
    
  To take away some of Tick Tock’s power, 
  remove its Time Synchronization power. 
  Without the ability to Teleport and turn Invisible, 
  the robot is considerably less effective. 
   
  The robot is delighted to be counted among 
  the august personnel of EuroGuard, and greets 
  each new day as an opportunity to learn 
  something new. His enthusiasm and willingness 
  to work with the others make him an excellent 
  team-player. 
   
  Tick Tock is greatly amused by AngelFire. 
  In its mind, her vanity and her faith are 
  completely incompatible – and yet, both are 
  undeniably part of her! It sees great humor in her 
  everyday life, and it often wishes it could be 
  more like her – so utterly self confident and 
  assured.  
   
  Bielo is a constant source of humor. The big 
  man has no real idea of how to deal with a 
  sentient machine, and his frustration is often fun 
  to watch. It’s not often that anyone can put the 
  Slovak at a loss for words, but Tick Tock has 
  been known to lay him low with an off-hand 
  remark or cutting comment. 
   
  As a teammate, Tick Tock has no 
  complaints about Passion. She does her job and 
  she does it well. She, like it, is not a mainline 
  fighter, but still she manages to pull her weight 
  on the team. She has a caustic sense of humor 
  which it appreciates. It would like to get to know 
  her better as a friend, but she seems resistant to 
  letting it get close to her. 
   
  Tick Tock thinks Der Purpurjongleur is an 
  excellent companion with a great sense of humor 
  and more bravery than the young man realizes. 
  Sometimes the Juggler likes to play pranks on 
  the robot – which is just fine, because Tick Tock 
  can give as well as he gets. When in battle, the 
  two of them are the most likely to make jokes 
  and antagonize their opponents. 
   
  On the other hand, Tick Tock is the one who 
  is frustrated when it comes to Speed. The 
  Maltese speedster does not seem to recognize 
  Tick Tock as a sentient being, with thoughts, 
  emotions, and aspirations of its own. He seems 
  to think of the robot as little more than a tool to 
  be used in his never-ending quest for vengeance. 
  Tick Tock believes that the man is mentally 
  unstable, and although Speed has never given the 
  team cause to doubt his dedication, Tick Tock 
  still thinks he bears close watching. 
   
  Tick Tock stands in awe of the Watchman. 
  Though it does not comprehend the Pole’s 
  loyalty to his nation, it sees his dedication to 
  protecting people and is greatly impressed. Tick 
  Tock knows that Watchman is arguably the most 
  intelligent of the EuroGuard and is therefore the 
  one most likely to understand the robot’s inner 
  workings and programming. Watchman is a 
  logical thinker and the team’s best tactician as 
  well, and Tick Tock enjoys working alongside 
  him. 
   
  Monsieur Lefèvre is nearly as curious about 
  Tick Tock as Tick Tock is about the world 
  around it. The Frenchman keeps a close eye on 
  the robot, though Tick Tock has learned not to 
  take this personally. Tick Tock feels that Lefèvre 
  does not entirely trust it yet, but this only means 
  that Tick Tock must work harder in order to earn 
  the man’s confidence. 
   
  Appearance:  Mechanon was not thinking about 
  aesthetics when it built Tick Tock, so it is quite 
  ugly. It stands just over 6’ tall, a gunmetal gray, 
  man-shaped robot. Thick black cables are visible 
  under its joints. Though it looks clumsy and 
  unwieldy, Tick Tock actually has a cat-like grace 
  to its movements. Tick Tock’s head has two 
  large, round, green eyes and a small oval speaker 
  grill where a human’s mouth would be. There are 
  inappropriate! I’ll 
  have to do something 
  about that…” Captain 
  Chronos discovers 
  that Tick Tock has the 
  power to manipulate 
  time, and he doesn’t 
  like it one bit! He 
  attempts to take away 
  Tick Tock’s powers; 
  failing that, he 
  attempts to destroy 
  Tick Tock; failing 
  that, he attempts to 
  completely remove 
  Tick Tock (and 
  anyone who tries to 
  stop him) from 
  history! 
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  56 
  two large cylinders on its back, which function 
  as its batteries. It speaks in a low (and rather 
  pleasant) voice, not at all like the cold, harsh 
   
  Tick Tock 
  monotone of its creator. Since joining 
  EuroGuard, Tick Tock has painted a large clock 
  symbol on its chest plate. 
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  57
  Tick Tock 
   Val Char Cost Roll Notes 
   13 STR 
  3 12- 150 kg; 2½d6 HTH [1] 
   23 DEX 
  39 14- OCV:  8/DCV:  8 
   25 CON 
  30 14-  
   15 BODY 
  10 12-  
   18 INT 
  8 13- PER Roll:  13- 
   10 EGO 
  0 11- ECV:  3 
   10 PRE 
  0 11- PRE Attack:  2d6 
   
  6 COM 
  -2 10-  
   
   10 PD 
  7 
    Total:  20 PD (10 rPD) 
   10 ED 
  5 
    Total:  20 ED (10 rED) 
   
  5 SPD 
  17 
    Phases:  3, 5, 8, 10, 12 
   
  8 REC 
  0 
    
   
  2 END 
  -24 
   
   35 STUN 
  0 
   
   
  Total Characteristic Cost:  93 
  Movement: Running: 
  6”/12” 
   
   
  Leaping: 
  2½”/5” 
   
   
  Swimming: 2”/4” 
   
   
  Teleport: 
  14”/28” 
  Cost Powers 
  END 
   11 Battery Powered:  Endurance Reserve 
  (70 END, 10 REC); OIF (Battery 
  Packs, -½) 
  0 
   60 Time Control:  Multipower, 60-point 
  Powers 
  – 
   6u 1)  Slow Time:  Drain DEX 2d6, 
  Delayed Return Rate (5 per Minute, 
  +¼), Ranged (+½), Fully Invisible 
  (+1) 
  6 
   6u 2)  Make to Feel Ancient:  Drain 
  BODY 2d6, Delayed Return Rate (5 
  per Minute, +¼), Ranged (+½), Fully 
  Invisible (+1) 
  6 
   6u 3)  Tire Rapidly:  Drain END 2d6, 
  Delayed Return Rate (5 per Minute, 
  +¼), Ranged (+½), Fully Invisible 
  (+1) 
  6 
   4u 4)  Stop Time:  Entangle 2d6 BODY, 2 
  DEF, Takes No Damage From Attacks 
  (+½), Cannot Be Escaped with 
  Teleportation (+¼), Affects 
  Desolidified (Not against Time, 
  Dimension-Shift, or Astral Projection 
  Special Effects, +¼), Fully Invisible 
  (+1); Cannot Form Barriers (-¼), Can 
  Be Dispelled (-¼) 
  6 
   20 Time Synchronization:  Elemental 
  Control, 40-point Powers 
  – 
   17 1)  Move Through Time:  Teleportation 
  14”, Position Shift, Safe Blind 
  Teleport (+¼); Must Pass through 
  Intervening Space (-¼) 
  3 
   20 2)  De-Synchronization:  Invisibility to 
  Sight, Hearing, Radio, Touch, and 
  Smell/Taste Groups 
  4 
   30 Armor Plating:  Armor (10 PD/10 ED) 0 
   40 Robotic Body:  Life Support (No Need 
  to Breathe or Eat, Safe in Cold, Heat, 
  Pressure, and Vacuum, Immune to All 
  Terrestrial Diseases, Biowarfare 
  Agents, Poisons, and Chemical 
  Warfare Agents) 
  0 
   
  6 EuroGuard Radio:  High-Range Radio 
  Perception; OIF (Radio, -½), Affected 
  as Sight, Hearing, and Radio Sense 
  Groups (-½) 
  0 
   
   Perks 
   
   
  5 Base Contribution 
   
  1 International Driver’s License 
   
  5 International Police Powers 
   
  1 Passport 
   
   Talents 
   
  3 Built-in GPS:  Bump of Direction 
   
  3 Calculator:  Lightning Calculator 
   
  3 Internal Clock:  Absolute Time Sense 
   
  5 RAM Chip:  Eidetic Memory 
   
  4 Text Recognition:  Speed Reading 
   
   Skills 
   
   
  2 AK: Europe 11- 
   
  3 Electronics 13- 
   
  2 KS: EU 11- 
   
  2 KS: EuroGuard 11- 
   
  2 KS: The Superhuman World 11- 
   
  2 Language: French (Fluent) 
   
  3 Mechanics 13- 
   
  3 Time Manipulation (Power Skill) 13- 
   
  2 SS: Robotics 11- 
   
  2 SS: Temporal Physics 11- 
   
  3 Teamwork 14- 
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  282 
  Total Cost:  375 
   200+ Disadvantages 
   15 Distinctive Features:  Robot (Not 
  Concealable, Major Reaction) 
   15 Hunted:  Eurostar 8- (Mo Pow, Kill) 
   15 Hunted:  Mechanon 8- (Mo Pow, Kill) 
   20 Hunted:  Project EuroGuard 14- (Mo Pow, 
  NCI, Watching) 
   10 Physical Limitation:  Cannot Be Healed 
  By Normal Means, Must Be Repaired if 
  Damaged (Frequently, Slightly) 
   20 Psychological Limitation:  Code Against 
  Killing (Common, Total) 
   10 Psychological Limitation:  Intensely 
  Curious (Common, Moderate) 
   20 Psychological Limitation:  Protective of 
  Organic Life (Common, Total) 
   20 Social Limitation:  Robot (Very 
  Frequently, Major) 
   
  5 Vulnerability:  1½x STUN from Magnetic 
  Attacks (Uncommon) 
   25 Experience Points 
  Total Disadvantage Points:  375 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  58 
  Mathieu Lafèvre 
  Background/History:  “Danar, you can’t be 
  serious!” Mathieu was stunned. He knew Danar 
  Nicole had been under a tremendous amount of 
  pressure, but he’d never seen him like this 
  before.  
   
  “I am very serious. You might even say, 
  deadly serious,” Danar replied. The man’s 
  handsome face was contorted with a new 
  passion, one replacing his love for Europe. In 
  Mathieu’s opinion, hatred did not look good on 
  Danar; not good at all. 
   
  The Frenchman pleaded in Danar’s native 
  tongue, “But… but, your career! You’ve spent 
  years becoming one of the best-known 
  politicians of Europe! You’re one of the leaders 
  of the European Parliament. There’s no stronger, 
  more eloquent voice for the cause of European 
  Unity than yours!” 
   
  Mathieu Lefèvre meant every word. Danar 
  Nicole was his role model and, he had thought, 
  his friend. They were allies in the struggle to 
  forge a new destiny for Europe full of hope and 
  opportunity for all. He reached out and clasped 
  Danar’s shoulder. 
   
  Danar smacked the hand away, “And has it 
  worked? Have the fools stopped squabbling, 
  stopped dredging up centuries’ worth of 
  supposed wrongs, started working together to 
  build a better future? Have they done anything to 
  put Europe in the position of world pre-eminence 
  that it deserves? No!” Danar spat. “They have 
  done nothing! All my words have been 
  meaningless, and my career has been wasted!”  
   
  “You can’t mean that,” Mathieu said, 
  disbelieving. Yet he did not reach for the man 
  again. The eyes of Danar Nicole, eyes that once 
  held a vision that glowed with the hope they 
  once shared, now instead burned with madness. 
  Mathieu imagined he could see all of Europe 
  burning in those insane eyes. 
   
  “I have never been more serious in my life. 
  After years of blinding myself to reality, I can 
  finally see clearly. The peoples of Europe will 
  only come together for their common good if 
  someone makes them. And I intend to do just 
  that!”  
   
  That was the last Mathieu Lefèvre saw of 
  Danar Nicole for quite a while. In some ways, it 
  was the last time anyone ever saw Danar. While 
  Danar began the process of transforming himself 
  into a super-terrorist, Mathieu and others like 
  him continued to hoist the banner of a united 
  Europe through peaceful means. Somewhere, a 
  bitter man with a snapped mind and hate-filled 
  heart lay on the operating table having 
  cybernetics implanted; elsewhere, one who still 
  believed planted seeds and built as many bridges 
  as he could. Alas, sometimes it felt like the seeds 
  were falling on barren ground. 
   
  When the Eurostar Manifesto was released 
  in 1988, Mathieu was as shocked as anyone. 
  When Eurostar’s atrocities began in earnest, 
  Mathieu played damage-control as the cause of a 
  united Europe was tarnished by Fiacho’s sins. 
  Fiacho – there was a name that took some 
  getting used to, but it became abundantly clear to 
  Mathieu that Fiacho was very real. Danar Nicole 
  was now the fantasy, and it was time for Mathieu 
  to accept that and step into the real world. 
   
  As the European Union – founded through 
  peaceful ambition – formed in earnest, Monsieur 
  Lefèvre began to take steps to ensure this infant 
  child would not be killed in its crib by the man 
  who’d once been its champion. Eurostar had to 
  be stopped, and it had to be Europe – not NATO, 
  not the United Nations, not anyone else – that 
  stopped them. There had to be a EuroGuard. 
   
  He played every political card he had. He 
  traded in every favor to get his ambition passed. 
  Lefèvre pointed out that if the European Union 
  didn’t support a team, eventually someone else 
  would – one either unsupervised, or supervised 
  by a foreign power. Every corpse Eurostar left 
  behind was another grisly stepping stone towards 
  convincing the EU he was right. He appealed to 
  regional pride – that a united Europe deserved a 
  superhero team of its own. All his work got him 
  to the edge of achieving his dream. 
   
  Then he made an offer that no one, even his 
  enemies and rivals – especially his enemies and 
  rivals – could refuse. He would act as liaison to 
  this team and make them his priority and 
  responsibility. He would abandon his more 
  influential posts.  
   
  As the vote was tallied and Project: 
  EuroGuard approved, Monsieur Mathieu Lefèvre 
  thought silently that they at last had a chance. 
  Congratulations, Danar. You have what you’ve 
  wanted; we seem to be united at last… against 
  you. 
   
  Personality/Motivation:  Monsieur Mathieu 
  Lefèvre is the lover of a dream, and in many 
  ways EuroGuard is their mutual child. He was 
  pan-European long before such ideals seemed 
  possible (or popular), and the fire certainly 
  hasn’t gone out of his romantic notions now that 
  Europe seems to be facing a new horizon. There 
  is little he would not give of himself for a united 
  Europe. He has already sacrificed a promising 
  career in exchange to see Europe granted the 
  team of protectors he feels it must have. Shoved 
  to the sidelines of power, he is content to see the 
  younger blood carry the day and have the 
  spotlight… as long as they get the job done.  
   
  The gentleman is an odd mix of pragmatist 
  and dreamer, willing to compromise to reach the 
  dream, but never willing to compromise the 
  ideals of the dream itself. Nor will he be so 
  consumed by ego to think the dream can only 
  PLOT SEEDS FOR 
  MATHIEU 
  LAFÈVRE 
   
   
   Old Friends Are 
  Not Forgotten:  When 
  EuroGuard succeeds 
  in thwarting Eurostar 
  once too often, Fiacho 
  does more serious 
  research into them. To
  his surprise he learns 
  that Mathieu Lefèvre 
  is not only the go-
  between for the team 
  and the EU, but that 
  EuroGuard was his 
  idea in the first place. 
  Enraged at this 
  “betrayal,” he 
  prepares for a very 
  public and deadly 
  execution. What’s 
  more, he lets 
  EuroGuard know 
  beforehand. When 
  EuroGuard fails to 
  stop Eurostar from 
  taking his former 
  friend’s life, the point 
  will have been made: 
  Mathieu put his faith 
  in the wrong vision of 
  a united Europe. 
   Rising Anew:  
  Monsieur Lefèvre has 
  seemed to be content 
  with his loss in 
  station, but suddenly, 
  he begins to 
  promoting himself 
  with a vengeance. 
  Any of EuroGuard’s 
  victories become his 
  victories, and he 
  exploits this 
  mercilessly. He calls 
  in favors and seems to 
  be setting himself up 
  as head of all 
  superhuman affairs in 
  Europe. What’s more, 
  even his old foes 
  seem to be 
  acquiescing, but why? 
  Has he too, gone mad, 
  or is he being  
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  59
  come about by his hand. He has seen one who 
  thought such, and that way lies madness. In his 
  heart, some part of him realizes that he is now 
  Fiacho’s greatest adversary, and he worries that 
  Fiacho may know it too. If so, then Mathieu 
  Lefèvre is a walking dead man. Ah well, if that is 
  to be his fate, “martyr” has a nice ring to it.  
   
  Quote:  “I do not care who says my dream is 
  impossible; my God, how can you know how far 
  your reach goes until you extend your hand?” 
   
  Powers/Tactics:  Mathieu has no superpowers, 
  and that may be a good thing, for he’s done more 
  good in this world speaking before assemblies 
  and making backroom deals than many heroes 
  ever will. He is eloquent, knowledgeable, and 
  determined. He tries to stay in good shape, 
  despite a damaged leg (ironically hurt in one of 
  Eurostar’s terrorist acts), but the strength of his 
  spirit is the only thing one could call 
  superhuman. He refuses to be in awe of 
  anything, and those seeking to intimidate him 
  will find they are facing a man who is so firmly 
  in the grasp of purpose that very little will shake 
  him from it. Some days it seems like destiny has 
  a special plan for him, for he has an odd 
  protection at the most opportune moments. 
   
  Not that he leaves everything up to fate. 
  With Watchman’s help, Monsieur Lefèvre has 
  had his walking cane altered so it carries a potent 
  electrical charge that should be enough to stun a 
  foe and buy him time to call for help. It also 
  makes a handy club. Hopefully, neither will ever 
  be needed. If battle comes, Mathieu’s first 
  priority is to stay calm, get EuroGuard on it, then 
  make sure he doesn’t get in their way or make 
  their job any harder. His part will come later, 
  when reports are needed or the media must be 
  handled. 
   
  Campaign Use:  Without Mathieu Lefèvre, 
  there would be no EuroGuard. He is not the glue 
  that holds the team together, but he is the one 
  who makes sure they are protected from the 
  corrosive effects of agendas, bureaucracies, and 
  political games. Any PC meeting him may 
  wonder what he’s up to, because… well, the man 
  is a politician. But they’ll find him of that rarest 
  breed – an honest but effective one.  
   
  He makes an excellent contact for any 
  European superhero; he would make an equally 
  good DNPC (there is no doubt he’s made his 
  share of enemies, and not all of them play fair). 
  No mention of his family is made in this write-
  up, but he could easily be a character’s father. 
  European PCs who are not in the EuroGuard 
  may find themselves facing a recruiting pitch. 
  Those in it will find themselves held to the 
  highest standards, even as they discover that the 
  fellow is in their corner. 
   
  With his many skills and his devices, 
  Mathieu ends up in the “hero” category, point-
  wise, but obviously he isn’t cut out for scenes 
  from an action movie. Still, if he seems too 
  powerful, a GM should feel free to remove the 
  cane’s combat potential entirely, or whittle down 
  some of his languages. 
   
  If you wish to make him more powerful, it 
  might be fun to saddle him up with more high-
  tech goodies. More realistically (and to Mathieu, 
  useful) would be to improve his Skills and Perks. 
  There is no doubt that he will spend much of his 
  time trying to gain favors and contacts to help 
  EuroGuard. 
   
  Mathieu Lefèvre helped recruit many of the 
  candidates for this project and was the main 
  force behind getting the EU to fund it, so while 
  not part of the team, he feels a personal 
  responsibility to and for every member of 
  EuroGuard.  
   
  Having AngelFire sign up was a windfall for 
  the project as far as Mathieu is concerned. While 
  he wishes she had joined more for the cause of a 
  united Europe and less for fame, Lefèvre can’t 
  deny that getting her on the team practically 
  guaranteed Spanish support – as well as the 
  support of the youth of many nations. True, her 
  faith has some worried, but in the end, as far as 
  Mathieu is concerned, she’s a charming woman 
  who enjoys being young and using her abilities 
  for a good cause. He is happy to treat her like the 
  lady she is, and grateful for her eager assistance 
  in presenting EuroGuard in the best light to the 
  public. 
   
  Bielo was the first hero he successfully 
  recruited. The being may claim to be a deity and 
  look like a barbarian, but his earnest vision of a 
  united Europe is a dream Mathieu has been 
  fighting for all his life. Lefèvre relies on “The 
  White” as a foundation, a cornerstone to build 
  the rest of the guard around. On a personal level, 
  he finds Bielo’s primitive ways both refreshing 
  and alarming. Drinking from fingerbowls is bad 
  enough, but the time the giant informed a group 
  of EU observers to “Stop whimpering like 
  children frightened of the dark and let us do our 
  jobs,” took weeks to manage – though Mathieu 
  has to admit they had it coming. Mathieu now 
  tries to keep Bielo away from social functions. 
   
  Speaking of embarrassing countrymen, 
  Lefèvre watches Passion very closely. If it 
  weren’t for the fact the team desperately needs a 
  mentalist to counter (or at least hold against) the 
  likes of Mentalla, it is very possible she wouldn’t 
  have gotten onto EuroGuard at all – shared 
  nation or no. She is rude, deliberately so, and 
  there is something about her Lefèvre does not 
  fully trust. Her efficiency aside, he has decided 
  to keep an eye on her. 
   
  manipulated?  
   Standing Alone?:  
  When one of 
  EuroGuard’s attempts 
  to stop Eurostar goes 
  completely wrong, 
  foes of the program 
  demand it disband. 
  Mathieu prepares to 
  fall on his sword 
  (career-wise) and 
  takes full 
  responsibility for the 
  failure – even though 
  this may lead to his 
  imprisonment. 
  Eagerly, his political 
  adversaries agree. The 
  PCs get a clue that 
  Eurostar had some 
  foreknowledge of the 
  situation that gave 
  them every 
  advantage. Could it be
  the EU has someone 
  working with 
  Eurostar, just to take 
  down Matheiu? 
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  60 
   
  Der Purpurjongleur is the joker of the group. 
  To Mathieu, this is a mixed blessing. It presents 
  a friendly face to the world, but the bald jokes 
  and constant bounding around can get tiring after 
  a bit. Some German officials think the Juggler 
  doesn’t reflect well on their country and have 
  come close to accusing Lefèvre of admitting the 
  hero as some sort of slight. Nothing could be 
  further from the truth; Mathieu has pointed out 
  that this “clown,” whatever others may think of 
  him, has fought Eurostar more than once, foiled 
  them, and lived – and that is the sort of record 
  that counts!  
    
  In Speed, Mathieu sees the face of a 
  terrorized Europe that refuses to stay a victim. 
  He is proud of this hero from Malta, but at the 
  same time worries how dangerous the obsession 
  may grow. Still, he finds it ironic that Fiacho has 
  a positive knack for planting the seeds of his 
  own downfall. Speed was once a minor 
  superhero, now he is top tier – a fact that is going 
  to cost Eurostar, dearly. 
   
  Tick Tock is a robot, and Lefèvre is unsure 
  exactly what that means. Is it a person, a fellow 
  European? Is it a machine meant to serve 
  Europe? Perhaps some are right and it is a 
  ticking time bomb that will one day go rogue and 
  endanger them all? The Frenchman has decided 
  to respond to the robot’s curiosity with curiosity 
  of his own. “Until I can figure you out, 
  Monsieur,” he often says to Tick Tock, “I think I 
  will be asking you many questions.” And he 
  does. He’s grown fond of the machine, but he’s 
  still no closer to answering his own questions 
  about it.  
   
  The Watchman is another headache for 
  Mathieu. Too old and too stubborn to be 
  “guided” by Mathieu (or anyone else), and 
  clinging to nationalistic notions that stand 
  against pan-Europeanism, the Pole is 
  nevertheless indispensable. Watchman’s 
  technological know-how has cut the budget 
  for the project in half, and his high-tech 
  skills are of great use on the field. While 
  there are days he almost enjoys his 
  arguments with Watchman, for the most part 
  Lefèvre is happy to fling hapless aides 
  between himself and Watchman every time 
  the armored hero decides he “must see 
  Monsieur Lefèvre right now about the latest 
  erosions of our national sovereignty!” 
  Mathieu considers it something of a baptism 
  by fire for them. 
   
  Appearance:  Neither handsome nor homely, 
  Mathieu is a bald man (a lifetime of trying to get 
  people to listen to you leads to hair loss) with a 
  distinguished and well-trimmed goatee and 
  silver-rimmed glasses covering his deep brown 
  eyes. He would be seen unremarkable by looks 
  alone, except for the inner fire that animates him 
  when he speaks. His voice is well trained for 
  oratory and a joy to hear. He wears the finest 
  suits and knows the difference between popular 
  fashion and quality. The silver-tipped cane that 
  supports his bum left leg appears to be crafted of 
  fine oak, but the inner core is steel. 
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  61
  Mathieu Lafèvre 
   Val Char Cost Roll Notes 
   10 STR 
  0 11- Lift 100 kg; 2d6 HTH [1] 
   10 DEX 
  0 11- OCV:  3/DCV:  3 
   12 CON 
  4 11-  
   12 BODY 
  4 11-  
   18 INT 
  8 13- PER Roll:  13- 
   20 EGO 
  20 13- ECV:  7 
   18 PRE 
  8 13- PRE Attack:  3½d6 
   10 COM 
  0 12-  
   
   
  4 PD 
  2 
   Total:  7 PD (3 rPD) 
   
  4 ED 
  2 
   Total:  7 ED (3 rED) 
   
  3 SPD 
  10 
   Phases:  4, 8, 12 
   
  6 REC 
  0 
   
   24 END 
  0 
   
   23 STUN 
  0 
   
   
  Total Characteristic Cost:  58 
  Movement: Running: 
  5”/10” 
   
   
  Leaping: 
  2”/4” 
   
   
  Swimming: 2”/4” 
  Cost Powers 
  END 
   
  6 Functional Cane:  HA +3d6 (5d6 with 
  STR); HA Lim (-½), OAF (Cane, -1) 
  1 
   13 More Functional Than It Looks:  EB 
  9d6, 1 Charge (-2), Stun Only (-0), 
  IAF (Cane, -½) 
  [1] 
   
  6 “Oui, Very Nice Monsieur; What is it 
  You Wanted?”:  PRE +12; Only for 
  Defense (-1) 
  0 
   6  EuroGuard Radio:  High-Range Radio 
  Perception; OIF (Radio, -½), Affected 
  as Sight, Hearing, and Radio Sense 
  Groups (-½) 
  0  
   -2 Limps: -1” Running 
  1 
   
   Perks 
   
  5 Base Contribution 
   25 Contacts:  Various throughout National 
  Governments and the EU; Increasingly 
  Among the Superhero World as Well 
   
  6 Fringe Benefit:  Liaison between EU and 
  EuroGuard 
   
  1 International Driver’s License 
   
  5 Money: Well Off 
   
  1 Passport 
   
  2 Reputation:  Honorable Politician and EU 
  Supporter (Among Europeans); +1/+1d6 
   
   Talents 
   
  6 Somebody Likes Dreamers:  Combat Luck 
   
   Skills 
   
  5 +1 with All Interaction Skills 
   
   
  3 Acting 13- 
   
  3 AK: Europe 13- 
   
  3 Bureaucratics 13- 
   
  3 Conversation 13- 
   
  3 High Society 13- 
   
  3 KS: EuroGuard 13- 
   
  3 KS: European History 13- 
   
  6 KS: European Politics 16- 
   
  3 KS: Eurostar 13- 
   
  2 KS: Superheroes 11- 
   
  2 KS: Super Villains 11- 
   
  3 Oratory 13- 
   
  7 Persuasion 15- 
   
  3 PS: Diplomat 13- 
   
  3 PS: Politician 13- 
   
   
  3 Linguist 
   
  1 1)  Language: English (Fluent, French is 
  Native) 
   
  1 2)  Language: Danish (Fluent) 
   
  1 3)  Language: Esperanto (Fluent) 
   
  1 4)  Language: German (Fluent) 
   
  1 5)  Language: Greek (Fluent) 
   
  1 6)  Language: Italian (Fluent) 
   
  1 7)  Language: Russian (Fluent) 
   
  1 8)  Language: Spanish (Fluent) 
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  142 
  Total Cost:  200 
   100+ Disadvantages 
   20 Hunted:  Project EuroGuard/EU 14- (Mo 
  Pow, NCI, Watching) 
   20 Normal Characteristic Maxima 
   10 Physical Limitation:  Limps (Frequently, 
  Slightly) 
   
  5 Physical Limitation:  Nearsighted; Needs 
  Corrective Lenses (Infrequently, Slightly) 
   15 Psychological Limitation:  Believes in a 
  United Europe and the Good It Can Do 
  (Common, Strong) 
   10 Psychological Limitation:  Feels 
  Committed to and Responsible for 
  EuroGuard and its Members (Common, 
  Moderate) 
   
  5 Reputation:  Former Rising Star, Now Just 
  a Go-Between 8- 
   15 Social Limitation:  Must Answer to 
  European Union (Frequently, Major) 
  Total Disadvantage Points:  200 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  62 
  Bastion-1 
  History/Background:  When it came to 
  EuroGuard’s HQ, the European Parliament 
  debated for weeks over where to build it, who 
  would design it, and what to name it. Eventually, 
  they settled on putting it far out at sea, away 
  from heavily populated areas, in the international 
  waters of the North Sea, about 90 km east of 
  England and 40 km north of Belgium.  
   
  They named it Bastion-1 (a name which not 
  all members of the EU are happy with, especially 
  since “Bastion” is not a word in many 
  languages). They intend to build Bastion-2 in the 
  near future, probably somewhere in the waters of 
  the Mediterranean.  
   
  The greatest architects and engineers from 
  across Europe submitted designs, and eventually 
  they settled on a classical, Romanesque design, 
  reminiscent of the great strength and history of 
  Europe. Construction was completed just last 
  year, and the base is now fully up and running. 
   
  Several member nations think Bastion-1 is a 
  huge boondoggle, especially since most of the 
  EuroGuard don’t live there full-time. However, it 
  has enough popular support that despite cost 
  overruns and setbacks almost too numerous to 
  count, it is still fully funded. Many Europeans 
  like to point proudly to it – “The Americans may 
  have their Millennium City, but we have 
  Bastion-1!” 
   
  Some people are unhappy with Bastion-1 for 
  a different reason. They say it is too far removed 
  from the lands and people of Europe, and its 
  ancient design is too reminiscent of the decadent 
  Roman Empire. “What if these heroes get it in 
  their heads to rule over us, as the Caesars did 
  with the Roman Republic?” they ask. So far, the 
  EU and EuroGuard have waved off these 
  complaints, but the voices of dissent may grow 
  yet louder as time passes…. 
   
  Appearance:  Bastion-1 is an aesthetically-
  pleasing mix of classical European architecture 
  and modern science. Though it appears to be 
  made of stone, every section is in fact reinforced 
  with Questonite, making it incredibly durable. It 
  was built to withstand storms as well as the 
  forces involved in a superhuman battle.  
   
  Bastion-1 is quite large and consists of 3 
  main sections:  the Fanum (which has facilities 
  for landing, parking, and refueling small planes 
  and helicopters, including EuroGuard’s planned 
  jet), the Templum (a command and control 
  facility for monitoring emergency situations all 
  over the continent which may call for 
  EuroGuard’s intervention), and the Castorum 
  (living areas for the staff, as well as quarters for 
  EuroGuard itself).  
   
  Though the basic concept behind Bastion-1 
  is an offshore derrick, there is little resemblance 
  between this conception and reality. Bastion-1 
  looks like nothing less than a great Roman 
  temple standing proudly over the deep blue 
  ocean. Soaring arches, towering columns, wide 
  steps, and bas-relief sculpture over nearly every 
  surface invoke a feeling of awe and humility in 
  the visitor. Flags of every nation in the EU flutter 
  proudly over the Castorum. The entrance to the 
  Templum is inscribed (in French, German, and 
  English) with the values of the European Union: 
  Dignity, Freedom, Democracy, Equality, The 
  Rule of Law, and Respect for Human Rights. 
   
  All EuroGuard members have living 
  quarters here and full access to the base. Trainees 
  have limited access. Monsieur Lefèvre keeps an 
  office and can be found there most of the time – 
  many members of EuroGuard joke that he’s a 
  workaholic, which isn’t too far from the truth. 
  The base has a full-time staff of 32 people, 
  twelve of which are guards, twelve of which are 
  command and control staff, and the rest are 
  support personnel. Personnel can be doubled at 
  any given time if there is an emergency. Half the 
  staff is rotated out of Bastion-1 every 14 days, 
  replaced by a fresh crew. 
   
  Bastion-1 is equipped with the latest high-
  tech monitoring and communications equipment, 
  much of it designed and built by Watchman 
  himself. It is armed with point-defense systems 
  and sophisticated alarms. However, it is not 
  intended to be a martial outpost so it is not as 
  heavily armed as it could be (many members of 
  the European Union were against “militarizing” 
  the base); for the most part it relies on 
  EuroGuard for protection. EuroGuard is in 
  negotiations with UNTIL to license their 
  teleportation technology, but UNTIL is 
  (understandably) hesitant about revealing its 
  secrets. 
   
  As more members join EuroGuard (and as 
  the team acquires more and better funding), 
  Bastion-1 will expand. More labs, faster 
  computers, better defense systems, and an 
  official team jet are all in the planning stages. 
  They are currently designing Bastion-2, a second 
  base to help defend the southern part of Europe. 
  Since there are currently no training facilities at 
  Bastion-1, preparations are also being made to 
  create a training center for new members – 
  probably hidden away in an undisclosed location 
  in one of the EU states – which will be known as 
  Bastion-3. 
   
  The Fanum:  The Fanum (“Temple Grounds”) 
  stands about 60 feet above the water, suspended 
  on eight huge pylons driven deep into the 
  bedrock below the ocean floor. It is a large, flat 
  deck with facilities for landing aircraft (small jets 
  and helicopters). On the north end of the deck 
  stands a hangar, large enough to fit two small 
  aircraft. This hangar doubles as a maintenance 
  bay, and has the facilities to repair minor damage 
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  63
  to EuroGuard’s air transports – though Bastion-1 
  does not have the capacity to perform major 
  repairs.  
   
  The team does not yet have their own 
  aircraft. Right now, they get by with borrowing 
  vehicles from their sponsor countries. Monsieur 
  Lefèvre is working very hard to rectify this 
  problem. 
   
  The hangar is the least obtrusive structure on 
  Bastion-1 (architecturally-speaking), though 
  even it is designed with aesthetics in mind. Its 
  high, arched roof is made of a clear but durable 
  material that admits sunlight. The huge hangar 
  doors are flanked by great Roman columns, and 
  above them is a quote from Aristotle, carved into 
  the faux-stone façade: "We are what we 
  repeatedly do. Excellence is not an act, but a 
  habit." 
   
  The Castorum:  On the west side of the Fanum 
  stands the Castorum (“Encampment”). This is by 
  far the largest building on Bastion-1, and perhaps 
  the most impressive. It is a large, semi-circular 
  structure, the front of which is decorated with a 
  large fountain, a great staircase, large Roman 
  columns, and a huge Questionite door. Despite 
  the imposing exterior, the inside of the Castorum 
  features all the comforts of home. All EuroGuard 
  staff and EuroGuard itself have rooms here.  
   
  Half of the first floor is the public area. 
  There is a large recreation room that features a 
  big-screen TV, a pool table, video games, pinball 
  machines, and other diversions. Huge windows 
  (made of a clear but nearly unbreakable 
  substance) provide a stunning view of the ocean. 
  A cafeteria provides 3 meals a day (Europeans 
  generally take their largest meal at mid-day, so 
  lunch is the “main event” here). The kitchen staff 
  is kept quite busy making sure EuroGuard’s 
  variety of nutritional needs are met. 
   
  The second half of the first floor has 
  barracks for EuroGuard’s staff. Personnel sleep 
  two to a room in small but comfortable dorms, 
  and share rest facilities (separated by gender). 
   
  The second and third floors are where the 
  members of EuroGuard stay, when they are on 
  base. Each member has his or her own private 
  room, which they decorate according to their 
  tastes. Since most EuroGuard members often 
  have business in their home countries, they 
  seldom sleep here except when on call or in 
  times of emergency. There are 15 rooms on each 
  of the third and forth floors; currently, only half 
  the rooms on the 3rd floor are occupied – but they 
  expect the rooms to fill up quickly as more 
  heroes join EuroGuard. 
   
  The Templum:  The Templum (“Temple”) is a 
  one-story building that sits on the southeast 
  corner of the Fanum. Though smaller than the 
  Castorum, it is no less impressive in its own 
  way. The Templum, appropriately enough, is 
  designed to look like an ancient temple from the 
  outside. A large, square building, it is flanked by 
  columns. On each corner is a statue of the four 
  cardinal virtues of humanity – Wisdom, Justice, 
  Courage, and Temperance. The main door is 
  much smaller than that of the Castorum, but is 
  also made of the nearly impregnable Questonite. 
  This building does not have any windows. 
   
  It is in the Templum that the main business 
  of Bastion-1 gets done. There is a large monitor 
  room known as the Lumen (“The Clear Eye”), 
  which keeps a watch over Europe (and the rest of 
  the world, if necessary), scanning radio and 
  television frequencies, the Internet, UNTIL 
  broadcasts, and any other information that comes 
  in. This room acts as the security station for the 
  facility, and can be locked down in the case of an 
  emergency. Anyone approaching Bastion-1 by 
  air or water will be hailed and warned to steer a 
  different course. They do not welcome visitors in 
  anything other than an official capacity. 
   
  Monsieur Lefèvre keeps his office in the 
  Templum near the Lumen. This building also 
  contains several labs, specifically designed by 
  the Watchman, where he can run his 
  experiments, and an advanced infirmary. 
   
  Above the Templum is the Propugnaculum 
  (“Tower”), a control tower which monitors 
  incoming air and sea traffic. The tower also 
  contains the Eye of the Sun, which on inspection 
  appears to be little more than a very large, very 
  heavy lump of iron, perhaps a meteorite of some 
  sort. Bielo, who gave it to the base, claims it is 
  an ancient and powerful artifact. While little else 
  is known about it, what is certain is that mental 
  senses become clouded when within about a 1-
  kilometer radius around the Eye. While Passion 
  finds this annoying, it has been deemed a good 
  defense mechanism against the likes of Menton 
  and Mentalla. 
   
  Beneath the Templum is Bastion-1’s 
  heavily-guarded experimental cold-fusion power 
  source, which supplies power to the entire base. 
  This also acts as a working lab for any visiting 
  scientists who wish to study the power source. 
   
  
  DIGITAL HERO #31 
   
  64 
  Bastion-1 
   Val Char Cost Notes 
   14 SIZE 
  20 40”x20” (800 Hexes) 
   22 BODY 
  20 
   12 DEF 
  30 
  Total Characteristics Points:  70 
  Cost Feature 
   15 Location:  At Sea 
   
  2 Grounds (Fanum):  160”x80” (12,800 
  Hexes) 
   45 Personnel:  64 Competent Normals  
   
   Power 
  END 
   16 Cold Fusion Power Plant:  Endurance 
  Reserve (200 END, 20 REC); OIF 
  (Immobile, -1½) 
  0 
   25 Blaster Point Defense:  RKA 3d6, 4 
  Blasters (One at Each Corner of the 
  Derrick), Autofire (5 shots, +½); 
  Limited Arc of Fire (180o, -¼), OAF 
  (Immobile, -2) 
  4 
   
  7 Eye of the Sun:  Darkness to Mental 
  Group 1” Radius, MegaScale (1 km, 
  +¼), Reduced Endurance (0 END, +½), 
  Persistent (+½); Always On (-½), OAF 
  (Bulky, -1½) 
  1 
   53 Long-Range Missiles:  RKA 5d6, 
  Penetrating (+½), Line of Sight (+½), 
  No Range Modifier (+½); 8 Charges 
  (-½), OAF (Immobile, -2) 
  [8] 
   10 Radio Communications Tower:  High-
  Range Radio Perception, Megascale 
  (10,000 km, Can Be Scaled Down to 1 
  km, +1½); OIF (Immobile, -1½), 
  Affected as Sight, Hearing, and Radio 
  Sense Groups (-½) 
  0 
   
  8 Long-Range Radar:  Radar, Megascale 
  (1 km, +¼); OIF (Immobile, -1½) 
  0 
   
  6 Short-Range Radar:  Radar; OIF 
  (Immobile, -1½) 
  0 
   
  5 Sonar:  Active Sonar; Only Usable 
  Underwater (-¼), OIF (Immobile, -1½) 0 
   
  5 IR Cameras:  Infrared Perception (Sight 
  Group); 360o Perception (Sight Group); 
  OIF (Immobile, -1½), Affected as Sight 
  and Radio Sense Groups (-½) 
  0 
   
   Skills 
   
  2 SS: Alternative Energies 11- 
   
  2 SS: Chemistry 11- 
   
  2 SS: Communications Technology 11- 
   
  2 SS: Mechanical Engineering 11- 
   
  2 SS: Mathematics 11- 
   
  2 SS: Optical Technology 11- 
   
  2 PS: Aircraft Repair 11- 
   
  3 Paramedic 11- 
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  212 
  Total Cost:  282 
   200+ Disadvantages 
   15 Distinctive Features:  Classical 
  Architecture on a Derrick (Not 
  Concealable) 
   20 Hunted:  Member States of the European 
  Union 14- (Mo Pow, NCI, Watching) 
   15 Hunted:  Eurostar 8- (Mo Pow, Destroy) 
   20 Social Limitation:  Public Identity 
  (Frequently, Severe) 
   
  5 Unluck:  1d6 
   
  7 European Union Donation 
   
  Total Disadvantage Points:  282 
   
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Hero System/DIGITAL_HERO/Hero System - Digital Hero 31.pdf