Here is a side character, more of a support guy who isn't really an MC.
Real name: Quintin Casso Codename: Quantum Computer
Species and appearance: Human
Age: 65
Occupation: Retired Hero/ Garment Technologist Backstory: A member of the Old Guard, specifically of a hero group named 'Paragons'. He was an inventor and genius, helping the heroes during The Final War. Quantum established a company named Quantum Electronics, then after a while sold it for a great amount of money and retired from the hero business. However, he still helps. Now, Quantum helps develop costumes for heroes, and if they need any specific gadgets made, he is always ready to lend a hand.
Powers: Genius Intellect
Personality traits and interests: Quantum is interested in how this 'New Guard' is fairing, and likes to give it a hand. Thoughtful and clever.
Real name: Iason "Jay" Zarilis Codename: Emerald Enforcer, Rigel-1, the Rigellian Species and appearance: Human-Rigellian symbiotic unity.
Age:
Human component - 25 years old (born 17 June 1998).
Rigellian component - Approx. ~8000 years old. Alignment: Heroic / Lawful Neutral Costume/clothing:
Occupation:
Civilian - Cafe clerk ("Yeah, that's right. I'm not even a barista…").
Superhuman - BSA Task Force Field Agent, Designation Heavy.
Backstory:
Nearly twelve thousand years ago, by sheer chance, a being from the young star system Rigel collided with earth, in ancient Anatolia. Surprised by the promise of this new species, and seeking to give them something that could protect them, the being returned to their home star, and sent out one of their own: a fist-sized green gemstone, at nearly the speed of light. The humans had promised to make a great temple to welcome their arrival, and they had—but the humans were nowhere to be found, and the Rigellian was buried in the dust sitting right atop their stone landing platform, carved with the memory of their home constellation…
Fast forward to 1998 CE. Iason Zarilis was born to a family of Greek doctors living in Istanbul, during the opening years of the Final War. The brutal, bloody phase of the conflict that tore through the Middle East had left a lot of orphans—the military found it easier to protect schools than to protect office buildings and factories, so a lot of safe kids began to lose their parents. Witnessing the treatment of those who didn't have anyone to protect them, out of necessity his mother and father began to adopt orphans that wound up in their care when he was about five—his extended family is currently about twenty members strong. As the oldest, Iason grew up with an enormous protective burden, one which he has made part of his identity: as his parents worked hard to save lives and make enough money for them to live, Iason was left to do the cooking, laundry, anti-bully action, mild illness care, school transport, and other things usually done by parents.
When he was a young teenager, he and some friends made a day trip to Gobekli Tepi, the oldest known settlement or temple on Earth, along with their local school. While he was there, the site was attacked by a particularly ruthless supervillain. In the ensuing crossfire—between soldiers, villains, heroes—many of his friends were killed, and a stray bullet had ricocheted off a megalith and punched through Iason's heart, seemingly fatally injuring him. However, the destruction all around him had uncovered an ancient visitor: the gemlike alien from the Rigel star cluster. A strange being of energy and mineral strength, it had languished buried beneath the earth around the Gobekli Tepe for thousands of years, awaiting a living host. Warm blood coursed from Iason's wounds and the alien rolled itself towards the source of the energy and into Iason's (literally and figuratively) open heart. Communicating subconsciously with his brain and nervous system, the Rigellian then made itself into what Iason wanted the most: a heroic suit of armor. A vicious fight ensued, which ended with the supervillain plastered across the nearby mountains by the screaming, angry, new superhero, dubbed the Emerald Enforcer.
Later uncovering the hidden star maps and piecing together the history of the gem now lodged firmly in his chest, it was decided that the family should emigrate to America: it was safer for the family there, there were better economic opportunities, and Iason could work for the newly-forming New Guard. They moved to New York City, where the government paid for a nice brownstone apartment for them to all move into, and where Iason joined the Bureau of Superhuman Affairs with the callsign Rigel-1. He acted as a Heavy, taking on hard-hitting supervillains and strength-testing threats as the Emerald Enforcer.
A year or so ago, Jay mother was diagnosed with cancer, and his father died in a car crash after he heard the news. To take care of his family, Jay quit the BSA and went full into civilian life, even taking college courses. But money problems and the increasing threat of new villains has caused him to rejoin, much to the chagrin of those he cares about…
Powers:
Emerald Enforcer can summon his own personal suit of armor, which grows from his limbs and grants him the following:
+Durability: capable of withstanding intense pressure and extreme impacts without harm.
+Strength of a Mountain: lifting capacity tops at 1,000,000 KG under ideal conditions
+Immovable Object: The symbiotic armor weighs more than a modern battle tank, making it very difficult to toss him around.
+Momentum: By putting his super strength into his strides while on full heavy armor, he is capable of building up a huge amount of inertia, to be either used to make long distance travel easy, or to turn himself into a running cruise missile.
+Reflection: Thanks to the crystalline armor, lasers and irradiation have little effect on EE except in high quantity, and can be redirected to a limited extent.
+Limited regeneration: Even when shattered, so long as the Rigellian lodged in Iason's chest is unharmed, the armor will grow back. It may take some time though, and if Jay's human body is injured or if the Rigellian alien is damaged…
Weaknesses (if any):
-Geologic Reaction Time: The Rigellian Armor's movements carry quite a bit of heft to them, making it difficult to quickly dodge or react to attacks.
-Heat & Cold Vulnerability: The suit is a poor insulator and does not have good venting, and the emerald armor itself is liable to crack if the heat or cold is intense enough.
-Cleaving & Weak Spots: Someone capable of hitting very small areas breaks in the armor with extremely intense force could shatter large chunks of the armor at a time, and if they're able to even poke the alien gem lodged in his chest, that can incapacitate Iason.
-His family: He can't protect them all. Some of them are intelligent and violent enough to stand on their own, but others, like his baby niece Rita and his emo little brother Basil, are vulnerable…
Personality traits and interests: Very few words, usually imperturbable to an almost comical degree, has a wry sense of humor, takes protecting his family extremely seriously. Loves working out, football ("soccer"), cooking (especially Greek food), and fashion (especially jewelry, surprise surprise). Very, almost neurotically tidy. Hates dust, hospitals, supervillains, guns. Has a very black/white worldview about justice. Suffers from PTSD. Is oddly good with money. Believes in "tough love"—never abuse or personal put downs, but if you are someone he cares about, you better get used to nagging and from anger born of worry. Can be kind of intense at times, in the same way a mountain face is intense. Very much enjoys trash talk—has an arrogant Omni-Man style persona with him when he does so. Sexuality: Closeted bisexual. Has dated women and is kinda curious about men, but is scared of being looked at differently if he "came out", and is uncertain about how to approach the whole thing. Horrifically touch-starved.
I think we've still got room for more people, and if it ever did feel like there were too many we could make a second thread. Call it New Guard: West Coast or something.
Here's the current roster, unless I've missed anyone:
I think that's enough characters to start, and there's no reason more can't be introduced later if required. So I'll look at whipping up an introductory post.
I hear you. Are you looking for more offensive firepower because I could add telekinesis to this as a side shoot of it kind of explaining how he heals but then being able to attack.
On the topic of a support type character, a good supers setting needs a Nick Fury analogue.
Real name: Joseph 'Joe' Shaw Codename: The Commander Species and appearance: Human (or what's left of him) Age: 102 Occupation: Director of the Bureau of Superhuman Affairs Backstory: Once an ordinary soldier who signed up fight in WW2, Joe Shaw was chosen for an early super soldier program that involved his body being enhanced to the peak of human fitness and his mind becoming into a lethal weapon, turning him into the ultimate soldier. After the war he led the Soldiers of Freedom against many threats and supervillains, aging slowly thanks to his enhancements. In the Final War he was fatally wounded, however he was deemed too valuable to loose so his brain was extracted and placed into the chest cavity of a prototype bionic body. People say he's become only more hard-hearted after that, with his holographic face almost always scowling whilst he barks out orders. With the effective dissolution of the Soldiers of Freedom he now leads the Bureau. Powers: Mechanical body grants him superhuman strength and speed and has built in countermeasures for any threat. Personality traits and interests: Paranoid and suspicious of everyone. Reserved and taciturn, with little patience for joking around. Usually has an ulterior motive.
Also, two more NPC villains I'll be adding to the pool:
Real name: Charlotte Silk Codename: Doc Arachnid Species: Human/Spider hybrid Age: 27 Alignment: Villainous Costume/clothing: Occupation: Criminal biologist Backstory: A mad scientist who accidentally injected herself with mutagenic particles of spider DNA. Now wishes to turn everyone into spider-people. Powers: Enhanced speed and reflexes, enhanced strength, can climb walls and inject venom with her spider legs. Her gauntlets can also shoot webbing. Weaknesses: Is not particularly durable.
Real name: Adam Vine Codename: Deathlock Species: Undead lich Age: 56 Alignment: Villainous Costume/clothing: Occupation: Master of necromantic magic Backstory: Was once a doctor who wished to bring back the dead and resorted to using ancient necromantic rituals to bring the recently deceased back to life. His mind corrupted, he became a servant of evil forces who eventually was killed - but came back as a wraith, possessing dead bodies to grant him physical form. Powers: Can summon revenants and unleash spells of death magic. His body is fragile but if damaged he can just pull it back together. If it is totally destroyed or damaged beyond repair he simply finds a new corpse to inhabit. His claws can also sap the life-force from his opponents when he slashes them. Weaknesses: Cannot use his powers in daylight, and can also be banished for good via magic rituals..
I'll be throwing out some plot ideas, but this will be more of a sandbox. Every character can have their own plot they follow or interactions with other characters, or they can team up together.
I think we've still got room for more people, and if it ever did feel like there were too many we could make a second thread. Call it New Guard: West Coast or something.
Here's the current roster, unless I've missed anyone:
I think that's enough characters to start, and there's no reason more can't be introduced later if required. So I'll look at whipping up an introductory post.
You don't need to add more offensive abilities, just wondering if the character concept will give you plenty of material to work with plot wise.
Appearance: Derek is the spitting image of his late father, from whom he inherited the mantle of Telamon: Square jaw, chiseled features, a head of golden hair, and striking green eyes. Standing at 6'5" with a build like an Olympian, Derek is every bit the classic and imposing image of heroism that his father had been before him.
Age: 26
Alignment: Bureau of Superhuman Affairs
Costume/Clothing: White bodysuit with a large, red "T" that extends down to his waist and across his chest down either arm, as well as a red sash about the waist. The material is extremely durable and heat-resistant.
Occupation: As a regular civilian, Derek Douglas works an office job at the PR firm Marlon-Hale; though none of the other employees are really sure what his actual job is. As a hero, Derek works directly under the Bureau of Superhuman Affairs, going by the code name "Telamon."
Backstory: Derek is the son of the late hero Telamon. The official story is that Derek's powers surfaced shortly after Telamon's death in the Final War. Telamon was a part of the Soldiers of Freedom and, like many of their members, died fighting Exarch Xand and his legion of villains. After gaining his powers, Derek took up the mantle of Telamon and began working with the Bureau of Superhuman Affairs. Despite his spotless public image and apparently genuine heroic attitude, some other heroes associated with the Bureau remain suspicious of Derek's sudden appearance coupled with his unwavering loyalty to the Bureau that was not always shared by his predecessor. In fact, unbeknownst to himself and all but the highest-ranking members of the Bureau of Superhuman Affairs, Derek is not Telamon's son, but his clone. Derek's entire life leading up to his first appearance as Telamon is merely a collection of implanted memories and knowledge. While not yet as strong as the immensely powerful original Telamon, Derek is a valuable asset through which the Bureau can manage public opinion as well as keep a close eye on other metahumans.
Powers: Telamon can absorb and mimic the physical properties of metals and basic metal alloys. When a metal is absorbed, Telamon's body visibly takes on its color and texture as well as gaining increased strength relative to the strength and tolerances of the metal itself. When mimicking a metal, Telamon can also absorb and redirect heat in the form of pyrokinetic blasts; though, the amount of heat he can safely absorb is highly dependent on what metal he is mimicking. While the original Telamon could absorb even exotic alien metals, Derek is currently not able to absorb much beyond elemental metals.
Weaknesses: Serious deformation of his metal body can take a great deal of time to heal. While severed limbs could theoretically be regrown, it is likely such a thing would take a great deal of time and metal absorption to repair the damage. Telamon is also extremely vulnerable to damage when mimicking brittle or weak metals. Predictably, Telamon is also at a severe disadvantage when fighting opponents with magnetic powers as he becomes limited to non-magnetic metals. Telamon being unaware of his own origin also presents a possible psychological weakness.
Personality traits and interests: Derek is your typical do-gooder boy scout, both in and out of costume. He is, however, willing to deploy on covert missions for the US government that some members of the public might find distasteful. Otherwise, Derek thrives on physical activity, as well as being a trivia enthusiast.
Sexuality: Heterosexual
@OrganicIntelligence I put some worldbuild-y stuff in there but I'm more than happy to take it all out if it just doesn't fit with what you had in mind or wouldn't work for any other reason.
Appearance: Derek is the spitting image of his late father, from whom he inherited the mantle of Telamon: Square jaw, chiseled features, a head of golden hair, and striking green eyes. Standing at 6'5" with a build like an Olympian, Derek is every bit the classic and imposing image of heroism that his father had been before him.
Age: 26
Alignment: Bureau of Superhuman Affairs
Costume/Clothing: White bodysuit with a large, red "T" that extends down to his waist and across his chest down either arm, as well as a red sash about the waist. The material is extremely durable and heat-resistant.
Occupation: As a regular civilian, Derek Douglas works an office job at the PR firm Marlon-Hale; though none of the other employees are really sure what his actual job is. As a hero, Derek works directly under the Bureau of Superhuman Affairs, going by the code name "Telamon."
Backstory: Derek is the son of the late hero Telamon. The official story is that Derek's powers surfaced shortly after Telamon's death in the Final War. Telamon was a part of the Soldiers of Freedom and, like many of their members, died fighting Exarch Xand and his legion of villains. After gaining his powers, Derek took up the mantle of Telamon and joined the Soldiers of Freedom on the recommendation of the Bureau of Superhuman Affairs. Despite his spotless public image and apparently genuine heroic attitude, some members of the Soldiers of Freedom remain suspicious of Derek's sudden appearance, having been unaware of Telamon fathering any children. There are even whispers that his induction was an order from the Bureau, not a suggestion; such conspiracies are fueled by the close relationship Derek has with the Bureau. In fact, unbeknownst to himself and all but the highest-ranking members of the Bureau of Superhuman Affairs, Derek is not Telamon's son, but his clone. Derek's entire life leading up to his first appearance as Telamon is merely a collection of implanted memories and knowledge. While not yet as strong as the immensely powerful original Telamon, Derek is a valuable asset through which the Bureau can manage public opinion as well as keep a close eye on other metahumans.
Powers: Telamon can absorb and mimic the physical properties of metals and basic metal alloys. When a metal is absorbed, Telamon's body visibly takes on its color and texture as well as gaining increased strength relative to the strength and tolerances of the metal itself. When mimicking a metal, Telamon can also absorb and redirect heat in the form of pyrokinetic blasts; though, the amount of heat he can safely absorb is highly dependent on what metal he is mimicking. While the original Telamon could absorb even exotic alien metals, Derek is currently not able to absorb much beyond elemental metals.
Weaknesses: Serious deformation of his metal body can take a great deal of time to heal. While severed limbs could theoretically be regrown, it is likely such a thing would take a great deal of time and metal absorption to repair the damage. Telamon is also extremely vulnerable to damage when mimicking brittle or weak metals. Predictably, Telamon is also at a severe disadvantage when fighting opponents with magnetic powers as he becomes limited to non-magnetic metals. Telamon being unaware of his own origin also presents a possible psychological weakness.
Personality traits and interests: Derek is your typical do-gooder boy scout, both in and out of costume. He is, however, willing to deploy on covert missions for the US government that some members of the public might find distasteful. Otherwise, Derek thrives on physical activity, as well as being a trivia enthusiast.
Sexuality: Heterosexual
@OrganicIntelligence I put some worldbuild-y stuff in there but I'm more than happy to take it all out if it just doesn't fit with what you had in mind or wouldn't work for any other reason.
Seems good, the only thing would be that my intention was that after the war the Soldiers of Freedom were effectively defunct. So he probably would be facing suspicion more directly from within the Bureau.
Appearance: Derek is the spitting image of his late father, from whom he inherited the mantle of Telamon: Square jaw, chiseled features, a head of golden hair, and striking green eyes. Standing at 6'5" with a build like an Olympian, Derek is every bit the classic and imposing image of heroism that his father had been before him.
Age: 26
Alignment: Bureau of Superhuman Affairs
Costume/Clothing: White bodysuit with a large, red "T" that extends down to his waist and across his chest down either arm, as well as a red sash about the waist. The material is extremely durable and heat-resistant.
Occupation: As a regular civilian, Derek Douglas works an office job at the PR firm Marlon-Hale; though none of the other employees are really sure what his actual job is. As a hero, Derek works directly under the Bureau of Superhuman Affairs, going by the code name "Telamon."
Backstory: Derek is the son of the late hero Telamon. The official story is that Derek's powers surfaced shortly after Telamon's death in the Final War. Telamon was a part of the Soldiers of Freedom and, like many of their members, died fighting Exarch Xand and his legion of villains. After gaining his powers, Derek took up the mantle of Telamon and joined the Soldiers of Freedom on the recommendation of the Bureau of Superhuman Affairs. Despite his spotless public image and apparently genuine heroic attitude, some members of the Soldiers of Freedom remain suspicious of Derek's sudden appearance, having been unaware of Telamon fathering any children. There are even whispers that his induction was an order from the Bureau, not a suggestion; such conspiracies are fueled by the close relationship Derek has with the Bureau. In fact, unbeknownst to himself and all but the highest-ranking members of the Bureau of Superhuman Affairs, Derek is not Telamon's son, but his clone. Derek's entire life leading up to his first appearance as Telamon is merely a collection of implanted memories and knowledge. While not yet as strong as the immensely powerful original Telamon, Derek is a valuable asset through which the Bureau can manage public opinion as well as keep a close eye on other metahumans.
Powers: Telamon can absorb and mimic the physical properties of metals and basic metal alloys. When a metal is absorbed, Telamon's body visibly takes on its color and texture as well as gaining increased strength relative to the strength and tolerances of the metal itself. When mimicking a metal, Telamon can also absorb and redirect heat in the form of pyrokinetic blasts; though, the amount of heat he can safely absorb is highly dependent on what metal he is mimicking. While the original Telamon could absorb even exotic alien metals, Derek is currently not able to absorb much beyond elemental metals.
Weaknesses: Serious deformation of his metal body can take a great deal of time to heal. While severed limbs could theoretically be regrown, it is likely such a thing would take a great deal of time and metal absorption to repair the damage. Telamon is also extremely vulnerable to damage when mimicking brittle or weak metals. Predictably, Telamon is also at a severe disadvantage when fighting opponents with magnetic powers as he becomes limited to non-magnetic metals. Telamon being unaware of his own origin also presents a possible psychological weakness.
Personality traits and interests: Derek is your typical do-gooder boy scout, both in and out of costume. He is, however, willing to deploy on covert missions for the US government that some members of the public might find distasteful. Otherwise, Derek thrives on physical activity, as well as being a trivia enthusiast.
Sexuality: Heterosexual
@OrganicIntelligence I put some worldbuild-y stuff in there but I'm more than happy to take it all out if it just doesn't fit with what you had in mind or wouldn't work for any other reason.
Why do I feel like Tabitha and Dispatch are going to have a ball tormenting Telamon (Tabitha for one os 100% going to belive his squeaky clean reputation and assume she's safe from him hutting her, forgetting he could punt her into the sun if she pushes too many buttons)
And tbh Dispatch just FEELS from his character sheet that he might thrive on chaos, lmk if I'm on the right track with that assumption @dispatch99 XD
Lady in Black very much enjoy working with other villains, usually. She thinks they are quite interesting, and as long as they don't act like idiots (or act like idiots in a very amusing way), she very much enjoys having fun with them.
Crosshairs, while he is more of a loner, actually works pretty well with other heroes. He's a little envious of the heroes that are able to fight for the people, and are heroes out of the good of their hearts, and deep down wishes he could be a hero like that...
Does The Captain and The Commander know each other? Like from WWII?
How large of a superhero group was the Soldiers of Freedom?
Why do I feel like Tabitha and Dispatch are going to have a ball tormenting Telamon (Tabitha for one os 100% going to belive his squeaky clean reputation and assume she's safe from him hutting her, forgetting he could punt her into the sun if she pushes too many buttons)
And tbh Dispatch just FEELS from his character sheet that he might thrive on chaos, lmk if I'm on the right track with that assumption @dispatch99 XD
Seems good, the only thing would be that my intention was that after the war the Soldiers of Freedom were effectively defunct. So he probably would be facing suspicion more directly from within the Bureau.
Gave it a little tweak. Hopefully, it works a bit better now. I just changed it so that some other heroes and groups that work with the Bureau find him answering directly to the Bureau a little bit weird, especially because the original Telamon often didn't see eye to eye with them.
Lady in Black very much enjoy working with other villains, usually. She thinks they are quite interesting, and as long as they don't act like idiots (or act like idiots in a very amusing way), she very much enjoys having fun with them.
Crosshairs, while he is more of a loner, actually works pretty well with other heroes. He's a little envious of the heroes that are able to fight for the people, and are heroes out of the good of their hearts, and deep down wishes he could be a hero like that...
Does The Captain and The Commander know each other? Like from WWII?
How large of a superhero group was the Soldiers of Freedom?
I imagine the Captain and the Commander knew each other, although the Comamnder was likely from a later generation of the super-soldier program given there were no uh, unintentional effects.
The SOliders would have started off as a smaller group of 7 or so individuals, then ballooned out over time to several dozen, their numbers growing and shrinking over time until most of them were killed during the final battle with Exarch Xand.
