The Golden Age Secret Files

By Darren Watts

Publisher’s Introduction: You have in your hands forty pages of characters, setting information,
notes, and adventures that didn’t make it into the pages of Darren Watts’s Golden Age Champions.
Darren has been taking copious notes over twenty years of running Golden Age Champions campaigns
with dozens of players, and on opposite ends of the country (San Francisco and New York,
respectively). These additional notes were simply too large to fit into a single volume, with GAC itself
coming in at over 300 pages!
Thus we present you with a variety of material dépareillés we would have liked to have
completed and included, but could not. Together it forms an excellent snapshot of a Golden Age
Champions campaign as a work-in-progress. In some cases, such as the description of the demonic
villain Mardoom-Thah or the Music of the 1940’s, there are merely notes or incomplete sketches; but
it’s still a wealth of valuable and interesting information! The contents breaks down into three sections:
The Justice Squadron, 1940’s American Society and Culture, and Mini Campaign. For the latter section
(a two-part mini campaign) At the Top of the World is nearly complete, while Attack of the Aesir
remains a brief (but useful) outline.
Enjoy! And remember: they weren’t called the greatest generation for ‘nuthin!

- Jason S. Walters, Publisher

I. The Justice Squadron

The History of the Justice Squadron

The Justice Squadron’s roots begin in the fall of 1938, when Drifter first encountered the
masked mystery man known as Brawler during a case involving art thieves, a magical painting and a
horrible extradimensional monster. The two became good friends and worked together again several
times, with Brawler’s quick right hook frequently finishing off menaces revealed by Drifter’s visions.
Drifter later learned that Saxon Heyward, the young man chosen to be the latest wielder of the
Dawn Fire Tomahawk, had been targeted by the villainous Mr. Brimstone in an effort to steal the
powers of the Timasjomi spirits, so the two journeyed to Wisconsin to assist the young man. Brawler
took Tomahawk under his wing and brought him back to Los Angeles for some training in November
of 1941, helping him develop his costumed identity.
On December 7th, Drifter’s clairvoyant abilities warned him of the plans afoot by both the
Japanese Navy and the sorcerous Iron Dragon. He assembled an ad hoc team of west coast superheroes,
adding Skygirl and Vita-Man to his existing friendship with Brawler and Tomahawk. The team was
unable to prevent the attack on Pearl Harbor, but were able to defeat the follow-up invasion of San
Francisco by magical dragons.
For the rest of the war, the team (who were all draft-ineligible anyway) took up the mantle of
defending the west coast of the homefront while the more famous Defenders got most of the headlines.
Many of the threats they battled were mystical and occasionally completely unrelated to the war effort,
as when they stopped multiple invasions from Lemuria, encountered a crashed Xenovore ship hundreds
of years before Earth would even be aware of their existence, and stopped the destruction of the world
by Mardoom-Thah in his Antarctic tomb in 1944.
 After the war ended, Brawler, Skygirl and Vita-Man all retired to start families, while Drifter
and Tomahawk continued to battle supernatural evil far from the headlines. The team would reform in
1962 around Drifter and Vanguard, calling upon a second generation of heroes to join their battles, and
the Squadron itself has continued this tradition even to the modern day (with Drifter still a key member
of the team and Brawler’s grandson the actual leader.)
The Justice Squadron has no formal headquarters, nor does it have any official relationship with
the military or law enforcement. If a team meeting is required, Brawler has a garage shed behind his
house; usually, though, Drifter will collect the team by teleportation when they’re needed. Fletcher
Bowron, the mayor of Los Angeles, does have a phone number for Brawler in case of emergency, as
does the city’s Chief of Police.

BRAWLER I
Val Char Cost Roll Notes
20 STR 10 13- Lift 400 kg; 4d6 HTH damage [2]
18 DEX 16 13-
20 CON 10 13-
16 INT 6 12- PER Roll 14-
15 EGO 5 12-
20 PRE 10 13- PRE Attack: 4d6

8 OCV 25
8 DCV 25
3 OMCV 0
4 DMCV 3
5 SPD 30 Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12

11 PD 9 Total: 17 PD (6 rPD)
8 ED 6 Total: 14 ED (6 rED)
10 REC 6
50 END 6
14 BODY 4
40 STUN 10 Total Characteristics Cost: 181

Movement: Running: 16m/32m

Cost Powers END

6 Padded Costume: Resistant Protection (3 PD/ 3 ED); OIF (-1/2)
12 Meaty Fists: Hand Attack +3d6; Hand Attack (-1/4) [1]
4 Light On His Feet: Running +4m [1]
7 Coming Through: Area of Effect (16m Line) on 20 STR+ 2d6 HA (+1/4) [3]
6 Pays Attention: +2 PER with all Sense Groups

Perks
6 Contact: Los Angeles Police Department (Access to major institutions, useful Skills and
resources, limited by identity; Organization Contact) 8-

Talents
6 Combat Luck (3 PD/ 3 ED)
 Skills
24 +3 With All HTH Combat
3 Acting 13-
3 Breakfall 13-
5 Climbing 14-
3 Combat Driving 13-
3 Gambling (Sports, Craps) 12-
3 Knowledge (City): Los Angeles 12-
2 Knowledge: Los Angeles Underworld 11-
2 Knowledge: The Sports World 11-
3 Languages: French (Basic), German (Basic), Spanish (Basic)
3 Mechanics 12-
3 Paramedics 12-
3 Stealth 13-
3 Streetwise 13-
1 Tactics 8-
3 TF: Common Motorized Ground Vehicles, Two-Wheeled Motorized Ground Vehicles, Wheeled
Military Vehicles
2 WF: Small Arms

Martial Art: Brawling

Maneuver OCV DCV Damage/Effect
4 Chin Block +2 +2 Block/Abort
4 Punch +0 +2 9d6 Strike
3 Tackle +2 +1 8-1/2d6 Strike, You Fall, Target Falls
5 Saturday Night Special -2 +1 11d6 Strike
4 Windpipe Crush -2 +0 Grab One Limb (Head), 2d6 NND
3 Wrestle -1 -1 Grab Two Limbs, 30 STR Grab

Total Powers & Skills Cost: 139

Total Cost: 320

300 Matching Complications (60)

10 Hunted: The Los Angeles Mobs (Less Pow, NCI)
10 Physical Complication: Losing His Hearing (Infrequent, Slight)
20 Psychological Complication: Defends The Poor and Helpless (VC, Strong)
10 Psychological Complication: Hides His Intelligence And Acts Tough (Com, Mod)
10 Social Complication: Secret ID (Walter Ashmore, Infrequent, Major)

Total Complications Points: 60

Experience Points: 20

Background/History: Walter Ashmore was born in 1903 in a small oil town near Los Angeles.
Escaping the boring life of farming, he did odd jobs in Los Angeles, where a strong back guaranteed
steady if not lucrative employment. Several of his childhood friends fell in among the mob, and a few
tried very hard to recruit “Big Wally” to their various criminal organizations. But he had seen how poor
workers and shopkeepers had struggled to make their protection payments. He had seen families suffer
when their fathers turned to booze or gambling. The mob didn’t need any more enforcers. The poor
needed an enforcer of their own, something to make the people a little less scared.
 Inspired by the legends of the Black Mask and other costumed vigilantes of the “pulp era,”
Wally put on a simple wrestling-style hood and began battling gangsters. A crime reporter for the Times
gave him his sobriquet in an article in 1923, describing the exploits of a “Masked Brawler” who
delivered some beaten thugs to the local precinct house, and the name stuck, though the “Masked”
portion was dropped over the next couple of years to make for easier fit in headlines.
From 1923 until 1938, Brawler kept the streets of Los Angeles safe. In October of 1938, his life
changed again when he encountered a strange Edomic monster in Exposition Park, which he was able
to defeat with the aid of the mysterious Drifter. The Drifter, impressed by Brawler’s strength of
character, would call on him for aid several more times over the succeeding years, and a strange sort of
friendship developed between the two. In 1940 the pair rescued the Chippewa teen who would be
known as Tomahawk from the nefarious criminal gang run by Mr. Brimstone, and Brawler agreed to
train the boy (the first of several costumed heroes he would mentor.) During that same year, he finally
settled down and married his long-time girlfriend, actress Lily Durham, and the two had a son named
Ronald in early 1941.
After Pearl Harbor the Drifter assembled several draft-ineligible superheroes to protect the West
Coast from assaults, first by the Japanese sorcerer known only as the Iron Dragon, and then against
invasion by opportunistic Lemurians. This team became known as the Justice Squadron, and Brawler
reluctantly became their leader by dint of his experience despite feeling “out of his depth” against
superhumans. Though never as famous as the Defenders of Justice, the Squadron bravely defended the
American homefront throughout the war.

Personality/Motivation: “Big Wally” fights crime and injustice for the very simple reason that it’s the
right thing to do. He can’t abide bullies or anyone who’d force their will on others simply by being
more powerful. Though he always concentrates first on the welfare of “the little guy,” he’s perfectly
aware that little guys also can suffer at the hands of monsters, demons and armies, and if that’s where
he’s needed most that’s where he’ll be. He’s darkly amused by the idea that younger heroes turn to him
as the voice of experience; as he puts it, “with problems like these, nobody’s got experience. Do the
best you can!”

Quote: “Listen, dopes, I ain’t here for exercise! What goes?”

Powers/Tactics: Brawler is a straightforward bruiser. He’s surprisingly crafty when he needs to be, but
he’s not long on sneakiness- when in doubt, he prefers to settle things with his fists. He’s notable even
among superheroes for his never-say-die courage and determination. He’s fond of using the
environment to his advantage, such as knocking over large objects like shelves to take out several thugs
at once. He’s also very fond of the “Coming Through” maneuver, where he smashes into an entire line
of thugs and scatters them like tenpins.

After The War: Brawler retired from active heroing shortly after the war, settling down with his wife
and son. When Vanguard reorganized the Justice Squadron with Drifter in 1962, Ronald joined as the
new Brawler, and Walter served as a sort of “senior adviser” to the team until his death in 1972 from a
heart attack.

Appearance: Brawler wears a wrestler-style cowl that’s black with red highlights around the eyes and
jaw, a black bodysuit with a deep “v” cut to show off his impressive chest, and a red cape with
matching gloves and boots.

TOMAHAWK I
Val Char Cost Roll Notes
35 STR 25 16- Lift 3200 kg; 7d6 HTH damage [3]
20 DEX 20 13-
23 CON 13 14-
13 INT 3 12- PER Roll 12-
15 EGO 5 12-
15 PRE 5 12- PRE Attack: 3d6

7 OCV 20
7 DCV 20
3 OMCV 0
5 DMCV 6
5 SPD 30 Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12

10 PD 8 Total: 18 PD (8 rPD)
7 ED 5 Total: 15 ED (8 rED)
12 REC 8
55 END 7
14 BODY 4
50 STUN 15 Total Characteristics Cost: 194

Movement: Running: 20m/40m

Leaping: 10m/20m
Swimming: 8m/16m

Cost Powers END

12 Tough Body: Resistant Protection (4 PD/ 4 ED)
8 Padded Costume: Resistant Protection (4 PD/ 4 ED); OIF (-1/2)
8 Runs Like The Wind: Running +8m (20m total) 1
2 Swims Like A Fish: Swimming +4m (8m total) 1
3 Leaps Like A Bobcat: Leaping +6m (10m total) 1
5 Eyes Like An Owl: Nightvision
3 Ears Like A Hound: Ultrasonic Perception (Hearing Group)
6 Sees Like A Hawk: +4 versus Range Modifier for Sight Group
4 Superhuman Conditioning: Life Support (Character only has to eat once per week; Safe in
Intense Cold; Character only has to sleep 8 hours per week)
14 Swift Healing: Regeneration (1 BODY per Minute) 2
23 Dawn Fire Tomahawk: Multipower, 45-point reserve; all slots OAF (-1)
1f 1) Striking A Blow: Hand-To-Hand Attack +4d6; OAF (-1), Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/4)2
2f 2) Thrown Tomahawk: Blast 9d6; OAF (-1), Range Based On Strength (-1/4) 4

Perks
6 Contact: The Timasjomi Tribe (Group), 11-
3 Contact: Uncle Two Hawks (Timasjomi Shaman, very useful) 11-

Talents
3 Lightsleep

Skills
20 +2 with All Combat
6 +2 vs. Range Penalties w/All Attacks
3 Acrobatics 13-
4 Animal Handler (Bovines, Canines, Equines) 12-
3 Breakfall 13-
3 Climbing 13-
2 AK: Wisconsin 11-
3 Language: Ojibwe (completely fluent)
3 Stealth 13-
4 Survival (Temperate/Subtropical, Arctic/Subarctic) 12-
2 WF: Common Missile Weapons

Total Powers & Skills Cost: 156

Total Cost: 350

300 Matching Complications (60)

5 Distinctive Features: Chippewa Indian in 1940s (Concealable; Always Noticed; Detectable By
Commonly-Used Senses; Not Distinctive In Some Cultures)
10 Hunted: Baykok (Mo Pow, Limited Geographically, Infrequent, Harshly Punish)
15 Psychological Complication: Not Sure He Believes In The Gods Who Gave Him Powers
(Common, Strong)
15 Psychological Complication: Wants To Be A Great Warrior And Do Great Deeds (Common,
Strong)
10 Psychological Complication: Uncomfortable Around Pretty Women (Common, Moderate)
5 Social Complication: Minor

Total Complications Points: 60

Experience Points: 50

Background/History: Saxon Heyward was born to the Timasjomi branch of the Wisconsin Chippewa
tribe in 1926. His parents died when he was very young, and he was raised in an orphanage on the
tribe’s reservation. In 1941, while he was working in the orphanage’s garden one evening, he was
suddenly attacked by a terrible, slavering monster shaped like a wolf, and was only saved by the
sudden arrival of the tribe’s shaman, Uncle Two Hawks, who drove the beast away. Two Hawks
explained to Saxon that he had been chosen out of the tribe to attempt the Dawn Fire Ritual, a
hazardous mystical ceremony that members of the Timasjomi had used for centuries to battle a number
of mystical beasts that preyed on their people. Saxon was hesitant, as he had little faith in the tribe’s old
ways; however, Two Hawks pointed out that the beasts themselves seemed to think he was capable of
succeeding, which is why they attacked him and would no doubt try again. Saxon agreed to try.
The ceremony itself was dull, with much chanting and pouring of herbs into a sacred fire, and
soon Saxon fell asleep. In his dreams, he encountered the terrible creature called the Baykok (see
Champions Villains III), who tried first to tempt him into giving up his birthright of power, and then to
destroy him utterly. Saxon narrowly passed both tests, and when he awoke he discovered his body had
changed, giving him tremendous strength, speed and durability. Uncle Two Hawks helped him craft a
magical weapon, which was called the Dawn Fire Tomahawk, and trained him in using it.
However, the Baykok was not the only evil mystic out there who was aware of Saxon’s
newfound power. Mr. Brimstone, an occult villain from California, tried that very week to kidnap
Saxon and usurp his role as tribal protector, and only the intervention of two other heroes, the Drifter
and Brawler, saved Saxon’s hide. Drifter told Brawler that Saxon would need training in order to
protect both his tribe and the world from coming threats, and Brawler agreed to take the teen on as a
“sidekick” (a term Saxon resents and would never use.) Brawler gave Saxon a mask and the new name
“Tomahawk,” and the two set out to fight crime in Los Angeles and the occasional monster in the
Midwest.
In 1942, Tomahawk and Brawler became the first two of Drifter’s recruits into the Justice
Squadron after Pearl Harbor. Tomahawk served that team well throughout the war, fighting mystical
menaces on the homefront as well as Japanese invaders.

Personality/Motivation: Sax has a great deal of confidence that belies his young age. He’s won
several difficult battles already, and is full of vinegar to take on the next one. He’s completely
abandoned his mundane previous life, and has no interest in what he considers ‘childish pursuits.” He
respects both Brawler and Drifter, and will take any opportunity to have them teach him something
new; any other authority figures will first have to prove themselves worthy before Tomahawk
acknowledges them. Of the Justice Squadron he’s the least traditionally patriotic- while he believes in
freedom and justice, he’s not above the occasional sour joke about how the American government has
treated his own people.

Quote: “Will you please stop wasting time? There are dark menaces out there awaiting us, and none of
this is helping us prepare for the coming battle!”

Powers/Tactics: Tomahawk has superhuman strength and speed, animal-like senses, sleeps only an
hour a night and heals from injuries much faster than a normal human. His greatest weapon, of course,
is the Dawn Fire Tomahawk he wields; its blade is coated in a mystical flame when he chooses, and it
always returns to his hand after he throws it.
Saxon himself is studying the art of battle and tactics, and while he’s a quick learner he’s still
overly aggressive. His plans tend to center around himself being the quarterback on every play.

After The War: After the war Saxon returned to Wisconsin and continued his battles with the
Baykok’s evil spawn. When Drifter and Vanguard reformed the team in 1962, Tomahawk rejoined his
companions and continued to work with them until 1978, when he finally retired and passed the
tomahawk and his powers on to Thomas Massaway, the second Tomahawk. He died in 2008 from
cancer.

Appearance: Tomahawk is a large Chippewa teen male, about 6 feet tall when the war starts but with
several inches growing yet to do. He has long black hair kept in a pony-tail he ties with a leather thong.
He wears a dark green suit top and work pants with heavy boots, and a domino mask despite making no
effort to conceal his identity.

SKYGIRL I
Val Char Cost Roll Notes
9 STR -1 11- Lift 87.5 kg; 2d6 HTH damage [1]
17 DEX 14 12-
13 CON 3 12-
18 INT 8 13- PER Roll 13-
10 EGO 0 11-
15 PRE 5 12- PRE Attack: 3d6

6 OCV 15
6 DCV 15
3 OMCV 0
3 DMCV 0
4 SPD 20 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12

5 PD 3 Total: 11/26 PD (6/21 rPD)

5 ED 3 Total: 11/18 ED (6/13 rED)
6 REC 2
40 END 4
10 BODY 0
26 STUN 3 Total Characteristics Cost: 94

Movement: Running: 12m/24m

Flight: 30m/120m

Cost Powers END

35 Soaring: Flight 30m, x4 Noncombat, Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4); Unified Power (-
1/4) 1
28 Gravity Rays: Telekinesis (35 STR), Fine Manipulation; Only To Increase or Decrease Weight
Of An Object (-1), Unified Power (-1/4) 6
35 Heavy Drag: Suppress Movement Powers 4d6, Variable Effect (Any Movement Power, +1/2);
Costs END (to maintain, -1/2), Unified Power (-1/4) 4
29 Gravity Field: Resistant Protection (15 PD/7 ED) (Protect Carried Items); Costs END (Only to
Activate, -1/4); Unified Power (-1/4)4
17 Gravity Ray Point Defense: Deflection; No Range Modifier (+1/2); Only Works Against
Physical Attacks (-1/2); Unified Power (-1/4) 3
18 Heavy Punch: Hand-To-Hand Attack +6d6; Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2), Unified Power (-1/4)
1
6 Padded Costume: Armor (3 PD/3 ED); OIF (-1/2)

Perks
10 Wealthy ($500,000/year)
6 Contact: Friends of the Dowling family (Good Relation, Limited By Identity) 8-

Talents
6 Combat Luck (3 PD/ 3 ED)
3 Lightning Calculator
4 Stylish: Striking Appearance (+2/+2d6)

Skills
10 +2 Combat Levels with All Gravity Powers
4 +2 OCV with Heavy Punch
3 Breakfall 12-
3 High Society 12-
2 AK: San Francisco 11-
3 Language: French (fluent), German (basic)
4 Power: Gravity Manipulation, 13-
2 PS: Lab Worker 11-
2 SS: Physics 11-
3 SS: Math 13-
3 Stealth 12-
Total Powers & Skills Cost: 236
Total Cost: 330

300 Matching Complications (60)

20 Dependent NPC: Dad (Incompetent; Useful Noncombat Position or Skills; Unaware of
character's adventuring career/Secret ID, Frequent)
15 Psychological Complication: Code Vs. Killing (Common, Strong)
10 Psychological Complication: Vivacious, Extroverted Risk-Taker In Costume (Common,
Moderate)
10 Social Complication: Secret Identity: Mary Dowling (Frequently, Minor)
5 Social Complication: Woman in 1940s

Total Complications Points: 60

Experience Points: 30

Background/History: Mary Dowling was born in San Francisco in 1922. Her father, Henry, was a
brilliant and successful physicist working at Saint Ignatius College (later, the University of San
Francisco) trying to understand the quantum nature of gravity. From a young age, Mary was trained to
work as her father’s lab assistant, maintaining the equipment and keeping meticulous records. One
night in 1941 she was working there after hours documenting some readings from her father’s heavily-
modified cyclotron when a power surge caused the device’s shields to temporarily lower, bathing her in
a stream of unusual particle beams.
Rather than harming her, the strange radiation instead seemed to activate previously unheard-of
powers in Mary. She quickly discovered she could manipulate the pull of gravity, increasing or
decreasing it on herself or other objects at will. A strong-willed and adventurous girl, she was delighted
to find herself joining the ranks of America’s superhumans and quickly set about designing herself a
costume, especially since she knew her straight-laced and overprotective father would never let her use
these powers for anything fun, like fighting crime and having adventures! Soon, San Francisco’s
newspapers were full of the exploits of the mysterious but lovely Skygirl, who flew through the city’s
skies and kept its citizenry safe!
After Pearl Harbor, Mary very much wanted to help the country’s cause in some way, and was
intending to sign up as a volunteer somewhere when the Drifter contacted her with a different offer-
join his new team of superhumans and protect the entire West Coast from the Lemurian invasion he
predicted. Mary signed up without hesitation, and she’s never looked back!

Personality/Motivation: Mary is a girl ahead of her time. She’s a risk-taker, a brave fighter, and a
bundle of energy that can’t be contained or suppressed. It never occurs to her that society’s treatment of
women is in any way unfair or should be changed- the period’s sexism is as natural to her as the air she
breathes, but she still constantly finds ways to work around it or manipulate it to her own benefit with
the skill of a master. She’s fundamentally a good person- she’d never abandon a friend, or allow
injustices to happen around her. She loves puppies and ice cream sodas and Frank Sinatra. She works
very hard to maintain her secret identity, though – her father would worry so, and it wouldn’t exactly be
great for the Dowling family reputation.

Quote: (As she floats some gangsters to the ceiling): “So, your boss sent you to ‘handle’ me, huh?
Well, how are you liking the job so far?”
Powers/Tactics: Skygirl can control the pull of gravity on objects, changing their apparent weight by
as much as 1600 kg in either direction. She can make very heavy objects weightless, pin opponents to
the ground under their own massive weight, or even give objects “negative” weight, causing them to
float up into the air. She can also control gravity’s effect on her own body, allowing her to fly with ease
or to increase the weight of her fists in order to deal out impressive punches.

After The War: Skygirl’s powers started to fade in 1946, as the radiation effect wore off, and within a
year or so she no longer had super powers. Though this was a disappointment to her, she handled it
with aplomb, and eventually married a nice history professor and settled down to a home in the Marin
suburbs. She gave her blessing when Vita-Man’s niece Dorothy asked to use her name for her own
costumed identity in 1962. Mary is still alive today, a great-grandmother six times over and living in a
residential assistance home in Sacramento.

Appearance: Skygirl wears a modest blue and white top with short sleeves, and a short white skirt
with bright blue boots. Her mask and gloves are also dark blue, and her hair is shoulder-length and
blonde.

THE DRIFTER
Val Char Cost Roll Notes
10 STR 0 11- Lift 100 kg; 2d6 HTH damage [1]
14 DEX 8 12-
12 CON 2 11-
15 INT 5 12- PER Roll 12-
20 EGO 10 13-
23 PRE 13 14- PRE Attack: 4-1/2d6

3 OCV 0
5 DCV 10
7 OMCV 12
7 DMCV 12
4 SPD 20 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12

3 PD 1 Total: 11 PD (8 rPD)
2 ED 0 Total: 10 ED (8 rED)
5 REC 1
35 END 3
10 BODY 0
26 STUN 3 Total Characteristics Cost: 100

Movement: Running: 12m/24m

Teleport: Special

Cost Powers END

28 Undead Vitality: Life Support (Immunity: All terrestrial diseases and poisons; Immortal; Self-
Contained Breathing; Character does not sleep)
10 Undead Vitality: Regeneration (1 BODY per 5 minutes); Unified Power (-1/4)
12 Visions From Beyond: Precognitive Clairsentience (Hearing And Sight Groups); No Conscious
Control (-2), Precognition Only (-1), Unified Power (-1/4) 5
7 Protective Trenchcoat: Resistant Protection (5 PD/5 ED); Requires A Roll 13- (-1/2), OIF (-1/2)
24 Fading From View: Invisibility to Sight Group, No Fringe; Unified power (-1/4) 3
14 Doorway To Limbo: Extra-Dimensional Movement (Any Location, Single Dimension), x4
Increased Mass; Extra Time (1 Turn (Post-Segment 12), -1 1/4), Unified Power (-1/4) 3
6 Walk Anywhere In A Night: Teleportation 10m, MegaScale (1m = 1,000 km; +1-3/4), Can Be
Scaled Down 1m = 1km (+1/4); Extra Time (6 Hours, -3 1/2); Unified Power (-1/4)
3
32 Ghostly Form: Desolidification; Unified Power (-1/4)
24 Inflict Sleep: Mental Blast 3d6; Unified Power (-1/4) 3
23 Mesmerize: Mind Control 8d6; Gestures (-1/4), Incantations (-1/4), Unified Power (-1/4)
4

Perks
5 Contact: The Guardian Of Limbo (Contact has extremely useful Skills or resources) 11-
3 Reputation: A Mystical Force For Good (A small to medium sized group) 11-, +3/+3d6

Talents
32 Danger Sense (immediate vicinity, any danger, Function as a Sense) 12-
6 Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED)

Skills
3 Acting 14-
3 Concealment 12-
3 Conversation 14-
3 AK: Earth 12-
2 AK: Limbo 11-
2 KS: The Mystic World 11-
2 KS: The Superhuman World 11-
3 Shadowing 12-
3 Stealth 12-

Total Powers & Skills Cost: 250

Total Cost: 350

300 Matching Complications (60)

10 Distinctive Features: Shabbily Dressed and Unkempt, Always Wearing Same Outfit (With
Bloodstains) (Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses)
15 Hunted: Circle Of The Scarlet Moon (As Pow, NCI, Infrequent, Harshly Punish)
5 Money: Poor
20 Psychological Complication: Tries To Prevent Disasters And Evil He Foresees (Common, Total)
10 Psychological Complication: Manipulative- Not Above Playing On Other's Weaknesses For The
Greater Good (Common, Moderate)

Total Complications Points: 60

Experience Points: 50

Background/History: Jonathan Keyes was born in 1906 in New York City. By 1938, he was an up-
and-coming prosecutor in the District Attorney’s office with a bright future ahead. He was working day
and night amassing evidence for his biggest case ever, in which he planned to finally bring down
notorious Buoniconte Mob boss Matteo Camorra. But Camorra learned what Keyes was doing and
decided to make an example of him. He framed the young lawyer for various crimes, including
suborning false testimony and embezzling government funds, and he did such a good job of it Keyes
was found guilty and disbarred. His friends turned their backs on him in disgust, and Keyes, who’d
always drank a little too much anyway, slipped into chronic alcoholism and depression. He soon lost
his fancy apartment and wound up living in a rat-infested flophouse in the Bowery.
One night Keyes was sleeping off a bender in an alleyway near the docks when the sounds of a
fight awakened him. He saw a mugging taking place- two young toughs were beating an old fisherman
and taking his meager earnings for the night. Keyes tried to intervene and protect the old man, but the
thugs overpowered him as well and one of them stabbed him in the heart with a knife. As Keyes fell to
the ground in a pool of his own blood, the crooks ran off.
Keyes awoke to find himself in a misty landscape, a dark wood obscured by fog. Standing next
to him was a being, who alternately seemed to look like an old bearded man in a robe, a beautiful
young woman, or an enormous owl each time the dim moonlight caught him. His mysterious
companion spoke to him, retelling his life story and commiserating over the misfortunes that had
befallen him. “You lost your faith in the world, Jonathan, your faith in justice, law and fairness. Would
you like an opportunity to set it all right, to restore the balance?”
Keyes, thinking this was some sort of dying hallucination, laughed a little and said, “More than
anything.”
“Done, then,” answered the being, who raised his/her hands/wings and disappeared into a
choking mist that made Keyes cough. “You will return to the world, changed forever and yet
unchanging, for as long as you have the will to fight for what is right.”
When the mist cleared, Keyes was back in the alley behind the fishery. He felt somehow
stronger, more alive than he’d ever felt before. His mind was filled with knowledge and wisdom, his
body with mystic power. Eerie visions passed before his eyes, and secrets he was barely conscious of
until he concentrated on them flitted through his brain. He struck the alley wall experimentally, and was
strangely reassured by the pain.
He returned to his room and tried to change out of his ratty overcoat and bloodstained shirt…
but no matter what other clothes he put on, they transformed before his eyes into what he’d been
wearing when he died. The wound on his chest remained too, no longer bleeding but still there as a
reminder of his strange encounter.
Keyes used his remarkable new abilities over the next several weeks, first to bring to justice the
two thugs that had “killed” him and then to dismantle the Camorra organization piece by piece, until
finally he confronted Camorra himself in his penthouse apartment. He narrowly avoided the mobster’s
mad rush with a knife, causing him to plunge over the railing to his death. But Keyes realized there was
more to his abilities than simply fighting crooks on the street. He was somehow attuned to the world,
particularly its mystic side, and could sense where he was needed. He began appearing mysteriously to
those in peril, helping them and thwarting the evil that attacked them. More than one would-be victim
later told reporters about “that drifter who saved me”… and thus the Drifter got a name.
When World War II broke out, Drifter was visited by terrible visions of death and destruction,
and attacks on America’s own shores. In order to keep these visions from occurring, he recruited
several other costumed heroes into a small fighting force known only as the Justice Squadron, with his
friend Brawler as the team’s leader. Despite preferring to work solo much of the time, Drifter regularly
joined his friends in protecting America’s homefront.

Personality/Motivation: Though nowhere near as powerful as he will eventually become, the Drifter
is already a noteworthy mystical force for good in the world. Even now he feels a bit “distant” from the
rest of humanity, and affects an attitude of enigmatic detachment and general “spookiness” around
people he doesn’t know well (though Brawler, who Drifter genuinely considers a personal friend, is a
notable exception to that rule.) He’s early in his career and not nearly as well-educated in the mystic
arts as he one day will be, and takes every opportunity he can to learn more about magic and the spirit
worlds. He hopes to eventually learn precisely who it was that returned him from beyond death and
gave him his powers.

Quote: “I dreamed last night of fire and darkness. You’re going to have to come with me.”

Powers/Tactics: At this point in his career, the Drifter knows little of formal magic and thaumaturgy,
and most of his powers are useful primarily for sneaking around spying on situations so he can best
give directions to his teammates. He is learning the talent of “walking through realities,” which enables
him to travel to extradimensional worlds as well as to pretty much any point on Earth within a single
night. In combat he generally relies on stealth and his ability to become immaterial, though he can
influence the minds of the weak-willed or cause them to become sleepy.

After The War: The Drifter continued to grow in power and influence after the war, becoming one of
Earth’s most powerful mystic defenders. In 1959 he formed a partnership with Vanguard, Earth’s
“mightiest mortal”, and the two became the foundation for a second Justice Squadron that became one
the world’s most successful super-teams. Though his friend died battling Dr. Destroyer in 1992, Drifter
continues to act as adviser and mentor to the current version of the team, while also protecting the
Earth from various cosmic menaces most humans thankfully have never heard of.

Appearance: The Drifter is a plain-looking white man, apparently in his mid-thirties, with close-
cropped brown hair and piercing blue eyes. He’s 5’10” tall, with a slender but not athletic build. He
wears a slightly threadbare and dusty brown overcoat over a white button-down shirt and pants, and
scuffed black walking shoes. The shirt has a bloodstain over the heart- it’s small enough to cover up
with the coat, but noticeable if he’s not trying to hide it. He has a remarkable facility for blending in
crowds.

WW2 Fun Fact! Vita-Man was my other Golden Age Champions playtest character (besides
Bulletproof). - Jason Walters, Publisher

VITA-MAN
Val Char Cost Roll Notes
8/23 STR -2 11-/14-Lift 75/600 kg; 1-1/2d6/6-1/2d6 HTH damage [1]
11/21 DEX 2 11-/13-
8/23 CON -2 11-/14-
18 INT 8 13- PER Roll 13-
14 EGO 4 12-
10/20 PRE 0 11-/13-PRE Attack: 2d6/4d6

6 OCV 15
7 DCV 20
3 OMCV 0
3 DMCV 0
3/4 SPD 10 Phases: 4, 8, 12/ 3, 6, 9, 12

3 PD 1 Total: 6/15 PD (3/12 rPD)

3 ED 1 Total: 6/15 ED (3/12 rED)
4 REC 0
25/45 END 1
9/14 BODY -1
22/42 STUN 1 Total Characteristics Cost: 58

Movement: Running: 12m/24m

Flight: 30m/60m

Cost Powers END

11 Vita-Man Enhanced Strength: +15 STR, 4 Continuing Charges lasting 1 Hour each (+1/2); IAF
(V-Pills; -1/2), Costs Endurance (-1/2) 2
20 Vita-Man Enhanced DEX: +10 DEX, 4 Continuing Charges lasting 1 Hour each (+1/2); IAF (V-
Pills; -1/2)
15 Vita-Man Enhanced CON: +15 CON, 4 Continuing Charges lasting 1 Hour each (+1/2); IAF (V-
Pills; -1/2)
5 Vita-Man Enhanced BODY: +5 BODY, 4 Continuing Charges lasting 1 Hour each (+1/2); IAF
(V-Pills; -1/2)
10 Vita-Man Enhanced STUN: +20 STUN, 4 Continuing Charges lasting 1 Hour each (+1/2); IAF
(V-Pills; -1/2)
10 Vita-Man Enhanced Presence: +10 PRE, 4 Continuing Charges lasting 1 Hour each (+1/2); IAF
(V-Pills; -1/2)
5 Vita-Man Enhanced Endurance: +20 END, 4 Continuing Charges lasting 1 Hour each (+1/2);
IAF (V-Pills; -1/2)
5 Vita-Man Enhanced Recovery: +5 REC, 4 Continuing Charges lasting 1 Hour each (+1/2); IAF
(V-Pills; -1/2)
27 Vita-Man Toughness: Resistant Protection (9 PD/9 ED), 4 Continuing Charges lasting 1 Hour
each (+1/2); IAF (V-Pills; -1/2)
5 Vita-Man Fighting Skill: Hand-To-Hand Attack +2d6; Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2), IAF (V-
Pills; -1/2)
17 Vitamin F For Flight: Flight 30m; IAF (F-Pills; -1/2), 4 Continuing Charges lasting 1 Minute
Each (-1/4)
22 Vitamin G For Growth: Growth (+30 STR, +10 CON, +10 PRE, +6 PD, +6 ED, +6 BOD, +12
STUN, +3m Reach, +24m Run, -12m KB, 6400 kg, -+4 OCV to hit and +4 PER Rolls to
perceive character, 8m tall, 4m wide); (IAF (G-Pills; -1/2), 4 Continuing Charges lasting 1
Minute each (-1/4)
7 Vitamin H For Health: Healing BODY 2d6; 4 Charges (-1), Self Only (-1/2), IAF (H-Pills; -1/2)
11 Vitamin I For Invisibility: Invisibility to Sight Group; IAF (I-Pills; -1/2), 4 Continuing Charges
lasting 1 Minute each (-1/4)
2 Vitamin N For Nightvision: Nightvision; IAF (N-Pills; -1/2), 4 Continuing Charges lasting 1
Minute each (-1/4)
11 Vitamin Q For Quickness: +2 SPD; IAF (Q-Pills; -1/2), 4 Continuing Charges lasting 1 Minute
each (-1/4)
14 Vitamin S For Shrinking: Shrinking (0.125 m tall, 0.025 kg mass, -8 PER Rolls to perceive
character, +8 DCV, takes +24m KB); IAF (S-Pills; -1/2), 4 Continuing Charges lasting 1 Minute
each (-1/4)
6 Vitamin X For X-Ray Vision: Penetrative on Normal Sight; IAF (X-Pills; -1/2), 4 Continuing
Charges lasting 1 Minute each (-1/4)1

Talents
6 Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED)
3 Lightning Calculator

Skills
8 +1 with HTH Combat
3 Bureaucratics 11- (13-)
7 Disguise 15-
3 Inventor 13-
3 CK: Los Angeles 13-
1 Language: German (basic conversation)
2 Language: Latin (fluent conversation)
3 Oratory 11- (13-)
3 Paramedics 13-
2 PS: Chef 11-
5 PS: Pharmacist 14-
3 Shadowing 13-
3 Stealth 11- (13-)
3 Scientist
2 1) SS: Biochemistry 13- (3 Active Points)
1 2) SS: Botany 11- (2 Active Points)
2 3) SS: Chemistry 13- (3 Active Points)
7 4) SS: Nutrition 18- (8 Active Points)

Total Powers & Skills Cost: 267

Total Cost: 325

300 Matching Complications (60)

10 Physical Complication: Generally Sickly, Prone To Illnesses (Frequently, Slightly Impairing)
10 Physical Complication: Bad Back (Infrequently, Greatly Impairing)
15 Psychological Complication: Overconfident as Vita-Man, Underconfident as Percy (Common,
Strong)
15 Psychological Complication: Patriot (Common, Strong)
10 Social Complication: Secret Identity (Percy Yates) (Infrequently, Major)

Total Complications Points: 60

Experience Points: 25

Background/History: Percy Yates was born in Los Angeles in 1910. A sickly child, Percy spent most
of his childhood indoors reading, and became very interested in science, particularly chemistry and
nutrition because of his own health issues. He entered the Southern Branch of the University of
California at the tender age of fifteen, and earned several degrees there. Though he was recruited by
several pharmaceutical firms upon graduation, he decided instead to go into business for himself,
starting a small firm in Westwood where he manufactured dietary supplements and vitamins.
While health products for his customers paid the bills, Percy’s real obsession was his own
health, and how to improve it. He studied his own physiology thoroughly, and in the summer of 1939
developed a series of experimental drugs that not only improved his general health, but in some cases
made him downright remarkable for brief periods! Certain combinations of vitamins and other
chemicals made him as strong as an ox for about an hour, while others sharpened his reflexes or
increased his endurance. He was unable to make the changes permanent, though, nor was he yet able to
get these chemicals to work on anybody else. Feeling his discoveries should be used to help others but
not yet able to make them available for sale, he decided to join in the wave of costumed superhuman
crimefighters that was sweeping the nation to test the limits of his creations. He designed a crude
costume and went out into the streets of Los Angeles to fight crime as Vita-Man!
At first he only had his improved physique to use to battle criminals, but his lab work continued
at a frantic pace by day, and he began to develop other pills that transformed his body in miraculous
ways. Certain combinations of pills, he discovered, could make him grow to 25 feet tall, while others
made him shrink to the size of a mouse. Yet others allowed him to see through walls, or turn invisible,
or fly through the air like a bird! None of the effects would last for very long (most for about a minute),
but he quickly learned to use them to the best advantage to battle an array of garishly-costumed
criminals or rescue people from disasters.
After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, the Drifter appeared to Vita-Man in order to recruit
him for his new team, the Justice Squadron. Since Percy himself was 4-F due to his health issues, he
knew there was no chance for him to join the military without giving away his secret identity, and so he
agreed in order to best help his country.

Personality/Motivation: Percy’s transformations in his costumed identity are not merely physical.
Usually shy, mild-mannered and socially awkward when in his civilian identity (slightly less so when
he’s actually in his lab, a place he feels considerably more comfortable than out in public), as Vita-Man
Percy becomes confident, even cocksure in his powers and abilities. His whole manner changes, his
voice deepens, and he becomes every inch the hero he desperately wants to be. Indeed, he can even
come across as brash and a bit of a glory hound, as he loves to talk to the press (but occasionally must
abruptly dash away from the scene when his pills begin to wear off.) This is not to say he’s anything
less than a good guy- he’s brave, honest and fair, just a little overly impressed with himself.

Quote: “Don’t worry, little lady- I’ve got the situation well in hand!”

Powers/Tactics: Vita-Man has a wide collection of potential superpowers, with seemingly something
in his pill bottle for pretty much any situation. However, only the general “physique-improvement” of
the V-Pills lasts for more than a minute, so he usually waits until the last moment before adding
anything to them. He’s trying very hard to learn some tactical tricks from Brawler, but his
overconfidence has left him perilously exposed on more than one occasion.

After The War: Percy’s health continued to weaken over the course of the war, and by 1945 he
required a cane when not using his V-Pills. After the war, his condition soured even further, and he
eventually required a wheelchair to get around. Correspondingly, the V-Pills also became less effective,
and he retired from professional crimefighting once it became clear that even in his superheroic form
he was finding it hard to keep up. He hung up his costume in 1948 and returned to the lab, trying to
find ways to make his vitamins effective for other people. Although he didn’t succeed, he did learn that
several of his relatives shared the biological factors required for them to work, and his niece was the
first of several of his family to use them as a superheroine herself as the second Skygirl. Though Percy
himself died from his various ailments in 1964, there are now half a dozen of his descendants using
variations of his discoveries.

Appearance: Percy is a thin, frail man who appears older than he is even in his early thirties, with
stooped posture and a bit of a pot belly. As Vita-Man, he wears a gold and red suit cut to show off his
impressive physique with a bright yellow cape and hood that leaves his face bare, and a domino mask.

Other Heroes:
Fugasnaya (“Blockbuster”)
Val Char Cost Roll Notes
35 STR 25 16- Lift 3200 kg; 7d6 HTH damage [3]
15 DEX 10 12-
20 CON 10 13-
10 INT 0 11- PER Roll 11-
13 EGO 3 12-
15 PRE 5 12- PRE Attack: 3d6

6 OCV 15
5 DCV 10
3 OMCV 0
3 DMCV 0
4 SPD 20 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12

17 PD 15 Total: xx PD (xx rPD)

21 ED 19 Total: xx ED (xx rED)
12 REC 8
55 END 7
15 BODY 5
40 STUN 10 Total Characteristics Cost: 162

Movement: Running: 12m/24m

Leaping: 8m/16m

Cost Powers END

64 Explosive Punch: Blast 11d6, AoE (8m Explosion; +1/4), Personal Immunity (+1/4), Reduced
END (1/2 END, +1/4); No Range (-1/2) 9
10 Super-Tough: Resistant for 10 PD/ 10 ED
2 Muscular Legs: Leaping +4m 1
2 Immunity: Life Support (Safe Environment: Radiation)
6 Padded Uniform: Resistant Protection (3 PD/3 ED); OIF (-1/2)

Perks
7 Fringe Benefit: Kapitan
2 Reputation: National Military Hero of Soviet Union (A large group) 11-, +1/+1d6
5 Contact: Various In Soviet Military 11-

Skills
24 +3 HTH
2 Gambling (Card Games) 11-
3 Climbing 12-
3 Combat Driving 12-
2 AK: Russia 11-
2 KS: Soviet Military World 11-
2 KS: Soviet Superhumans 11-
1 Language: German (basic) (Russian native)
3 Mechanics 11-
3 Paramedics 11-
3 Power 11-
3 PS: Soldier 12-
3 PS: Farmer 12-
2 Survival (Arctic/Subarctic) 11-
3 Tactics 11-
3 TF: Common Motorized Ground Vehicles, Equines, Tracked Military Vehicles
3 WF: Small Arms, General Purpose/Heavy Machine Guns

Total Powers & Skills Cost: 163

Total Cost: 325

300 Matching Complications (60)

15 Hunted: Axis Military (Less Pow, Freq, Public ID)
15 Psychological Limitation: Soviet Patriot (Com, Str)
15 Psychological Limitation: Unimaginative (Com, Str)
15 Social Limitation: Subject To Orders (Freq, Maj)

Total Complications Points: 60

Experience Points: 25

Background/History: Oretz Kitzilov was born in the Ukraine in 1923. Drafted into the Red Army
from his family’s small farm in 1941, he served an unremarkable term as a driver and military
policeman for three years without seeing much in the way of actual combat. In January of 1945,
Kitzilov’s unit was a few miles behind the front, and followed the main forces into Warsaw as the
Germans fled. His unit was ordered to seize and dismantle a small Polish fortress in the hills outside the
city, which turned out to be have been a workshop for some RSvKg scientists during the war. Though
abandoned for months, the forbidding stone building was still full of strange “medical” devices,
horrible specimens, and toxic chemicals, all of which were ordered destroyed by Kitzilov’s superiors.
Unfortunately for Kitzilov, one of his fellow soldiers was careless, and a metal container of stinking,
bubbly green liquid toppled from a catwalk onto the unlucky man below. He screamed as every inch of
his body seemed to burn from the acidic substance, and collapsed.
Some days later, Kitzilov awoke in a field hospital, where several doctors were attending to
him. In the darkened room he could just make out a general he’d never seen before, watching quietly as
the doctors changed his dressing. Strangely, he no longer felt any pain- indeed, he couldn’t remember
ever feeling more awake and energetic. A doctor approached him with a needle, and he tensed, trying to
tell the man how much better he felt. When the needle touched his skin it exploded, the metal itself
bursting into flames as the doctor shouted and grabbed his injured hand. Stunned, Kitzilov tried to
apologize, but the general quieted him with a gesture and a tight smile, and then turned to another
officer. “It’s true. Tell them we’ve found another one.”
Kitzilov was taken to a secret camp outside Moscow, where he was poked and prodded by
dozens more doctors and scientists as his newfound abilities were studied and cataloged. With a bit of
work he gained some control over the reaction, so that the explosions only occurred when he struck
something with his now-mighty fists. The general, who never told Kitzilov his name, announced that
from now on he would be known as Fugasnaya, Russian for “demolition” and also the name of one of
the largest “blockbuster” bombs their planes dropped on enemy cities. With it came a promotion to
Kapitan and a transfer to a special division of the Army for superhuman operatives. Kitzilov was
delighted- wait until the family back home heard of his unlikely luck and success!
Kitzilov was sent to work directly for the legendary General Zima, and was at his side when the
army marched into Berlin. He battled several of Hitler’s last line of youthful superhumans there
singlehandedly, defeating every one. He received several medals for his successes and was treated to a
parade on his return home. After the celebrations, that same general arrived at his apartment. “The
Motherland has a new assignment for you, Kapitan.”
Kitzilov smiled. “Where to now, sir?”

Personality/Motivation: Fugasnaya is a simple man, with simple pleasures. He likes good plain
peasant’s food (in large quantities), strong drink, pretty girls, and a good fight where he gets to blow
things up by punching them. During and after the war, there is plenty of call for that sort of thing, and
he’s eager to please his superiors so that he can hang on to his elevated status. He’s much more famous
and successful than he ever thought he’d be, and deep down he fears that someday it might all be taken
away from him as easily as it came. He works very hard to make sure that never happens.
He’s quite loyal to the State and the Party, though he has thought little about politics or
philosophy. As far as he’s concerned, the system works, and he loves his country. He doesn’t
particularly care about ideological differences with other superhumans; he punches who he’s told to,
and takes very little personally.

Quote: “Stand back, everybody. This should be a nice big one!”

Powers/Tactics: Fugusnaya’s body courses with explosive energy. At his command, the energy gathers
in his fists, and is released explosively from the point of impact. He himself is immune to the blasts,
which are generally powerful enough to knock holes in brick walls. Incidentally, he is also
superhumanly strong and tough, and greatly enjoys engaging in brawls without using his explosive
punches at all if the opportunity arises. He has little tactical sense himself, though he follows orders
reasonably well – General Zima uses him to great effect on the battlefield if he’s close enough to hear
his directions.

After The War: Fugusnaya remained an effective weapon for the Soviets throughout the Cold War,
operating across Europe behind the Iron Curtain through the 1950s. He contracted cancer in 1959 and
died two years later in a Kiev hospital. Khruschev ordered a day of mourning across the Soviet Union
when his death was announced.

Appearance: Fugusnaya stands about 6 feet tall, with broad shoulders, closely-cropped brown hair,
and a bit of an overbite. He wears a Red Army Kaptain’s uniform with a ceremonial sash across the
chest and thick leather gloves that he ostentatiously removes before jumping into a fight; they have
nothing to do with his powers, but he likes the ritual of doing so.

Nordwind (“North Wind”)

Val Char Cost Roll Notes
10 STR 0 11- Lift 100 kg; 2d6 HTH damage [1]
23 DEX 26 14-
18 CON 8 13-
13 INT 3 12- PER Roll 12-
10 EGO 0 11-
15 PRE 5 12- PRE Attack: 3d6

7 OCV 20
7 DCV 20
3 OMCV 0
3 DMCV 0
6 SPD 40 Phases: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12

7 PD 5 Total: 20 PD (13 rPD)

9 ED 7 Total: 22 ED (13 rED)
10 REC 6
60 END 8
10 BODY 0
30 STUN 5 Total Characteristics Cost: 153

Movement: Running: 12m/24m

Flight: 50m/400m

Cost Powers END

60 Fly Like The Wind: Flight 50m, x8 NC 5
20 Faster Than The Eye Can See: Invisibility to Sight Group, 0 END (+1/2); Linked to Flight (-
1/2) 0
40 Speed Tricks: Multipower, 40-point Reserve
1f) Spinning Dodge: +6 DCV; Costs END (-1/2), Linked To Flight (-1/2) 3
3f) Moving Attack: HA +4d6, Area of Effect (Trail; +1); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/4)
4
3f) Rapid-Fire Punch: HA +6d6, Autofire (5 shots; +1/2); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/4), All Attacks
Must Be Directed At The Same Target (-1/4) 4
14 Speedster Toughness: Resistant Protection (6 PD/ 6 ED); Only When Moving (-1/4)
14 Fast Healing: Regeneration (1 BODY/Minute) 0
8 Padded Costume: Resistant Protection (4 PD/ 4 ED); OIF (-1/2)

Perks
9 Fringe Benefit: Kapitan
5 Well-Off

Talents
6 Combat Luck (3 PD/ 3 ED)
6 Rakish: Striking Appearance +2/+2d6

Skills
9 +3 Levels with Speed Tricks Multipower
3 Aerobatics 14-
2 AK: Germany 11-
3 Breakfall 14-
3 Charm 12-
3 CK: Berlin 12-
5 Defense Maneuver I-II
3 High Society 12-
3 KS: The Nazi Party 12-
2 Navigation (Air) 12-
5 Speed Tricks: Power 13-
3 Shadowing 12-
3 Stealth 14-
2 WF: Small Arms
 Martial Arts: Flying Martial Arts
Maneuver OCV DCV Notes
5 Flying Grab -2 -1 Grab 2 Limbs, 25 STR, FMove
4 Martial Dodge -- +5 Dodge
5 Passing Disarm -1 -1 Disarm, 25 STR, FMove
5 Passing Strike +1 0 2d6+ v/10, FMove

Total Powers & Skills Cost: 257

Total Cost: 410

400 Matching Complications (75)

15 Hunted: Allied Forces 11- (As Pow, Harshly Punish)
15 Psychological Complication: Nazi (Common, Str)
15 Psychological Complication: Overconfident (Common, Str)
10 Reputation: Dangerous Nazi Superhuman, 11-
20 Social Complication: Subject To Orders (Very Frequently, Major)

Total Complications Points: 75

Experience Points: 10

Background/History: Jurgen Schafer was born in a small town in Czechoslovakia in 1917, but he ran
away from home at a young age and spent several years on the streets of various German cities.
Eventually, as a handsome young man he fell in with the SA Brownshirts, who supported the Nazi
party. In 1934, Hitler turned on the Brownshirts and purged or killed many of their leaders in what was
called “The Night of the Long Knives.” Schafer, who was always good at seeing trouble before it
started, was one of the SA members who betrayed their fellows to the army, and wound up himself
being recruited into the Army while lying about where he was from.
Over the next few years, Schafer schemed and manipulated his way to the rank of Leutnant
while carefully avoiding any dangerous postings or onerous duties, all the while sleeping with the
wives and girlfriends of several of his “closest friends.” Eventually this behavior caught up with him,
and an infuriated superior officer arranged to have him transferred to Totenkopf’s personal unit as a
“volunteer” for his experimental super-soldier programs, which had already acquired a reputation as a
deathtrap posting. Schafer tried to run away rather than accept his new posting, but was captured and
delivered to Totenkopf’s castle headquarters in shackles.
For more than a month, Schafer and a dozen other men were exposed to strange radiation,
injected with various noxious-smelling chemicals and ritually scarred with strange tattoos. Most of his
group didn’t survive the process at all, falling ill with various diseases or suffering heart attacks and
strokes. Schafer, on the other hand, turned out to be one of the extremely rare “lucky ones.” Something
in his genetic makeup responded to something in the chemicals, and Schafer discovered one day that he
had gained the power to fly at unbelievable speeds, faster than any jet in the sky. Totenkopf christened
him “Nordwind,” promoted him to Kapitan and sent him off to the front, while he began working on
the next batch of “volunteers.”

Personality/Motivation: Nordwind is a pathological liar, a chiseler and a rogue, who only has his own
interests in mind. He has a complete lack of empathy and holds no strong feelings for anyone but
himself. Despite this, he’s quite charming, and regularly finds his way into the confidence of people
around him (including all too frequently their bedrooms.) He enjoys using his powers and is even prone
to overconfidence in his own abilities, though he’s perfectly willing to run away if things go badly. He
simply can’t resist pushing his luck.

Quote: “I assure you, they haven’t got anything that can catch up to me!”

Powers/Tactics: Nordwind is one of the fastest speedsters of the Golden Age, able to beat the top
speeds of pretty much any plane in the sky during the war. He travels so fast that at ground level he is
frequently mistaken for a strong gust of wind, and in hand-to-hand combat can unleash a flurry of
punches too fast to see.

After The War: Nordwind didn’t survive the war. He was killed in an airborne battle over London in
1943.

Appearance: Author’s Note: work with artist on this one!

Other Villains:

Termagant
Val Char Cost Roll Notes
50 STR 40 19- Lift 25 tons; 10d6 HTH damage [5]
18 DEX 16 13-
28 CON 18 15-
8 INT -2 11- PER Roll 11-
10 EGO 0 11-
20 PRE 10 13- PRE Attack: 4d6

5 OCV 10
5 DCV 10
3 OMCV 0
3 DMCV 0
4 SPD 20 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12

22 PD 20 Total: 22 PD (12 rPD)

18 ED 16 Total: 18 ED (12 rED)
16 REC 12
55 END 7
18 BODY 8
60 STUN 20 Total Characteristics Cost: 205

Movement: Running: 12m/24m

Leaping: 24m/48m

Cost Powers END

24 Tough Lady: Resistant (+1/2) for 12 PD/ 12 ED 0
13 Tough Lady: Life Support (Extended Breathing: 1 END/20 Mins, All Safe Environments)
0
10 Super Strong Legs: Leaping +20m 3
14 Quick Healer: Regeneration (1 BODY/Minute) 0
 Skills
24 +3 with Hand-to-Hand
3 Breakfall 13-
2 CK: New York City 11-
2 KS: The New York Mobs 11-
3 Streetwise 13-

Total Powers & Skills Cost: 95

Total Cost: 300

300 Matching Complications (60)

10 DNPC: Various Patrons of the Green Parrot Bar (Normal, Infreq, Group)
15 Distinctive Features: 6’8 Muscular Giant Woman (Conc, Major)
10 Negative Reputation: Brawling Nightlife Habitue (Freq)
20 Psychological Complication: Tougher Than Any Man (VC, Str)
5 Social Complication: Woman in the 1940s

Total Complications Points: 60

Experience Points: 0

Background/History: Mae Haas was always stronger than any boy she knew, even as a little girl. By
the time she left school for a real job at fourteen, she stood well over six feet tall and entertained her
friends by stealing cars (usually by just walking off with them.) Starting in the summer of 1938 (when
she was still only nineteen) she suddenly became even stronger, and nearly killed a man by accident in
a fight outside the Green Parrot, her favorite Brooklyn bar. Afraid that people would consider a freakish
monster, she fell in with a gang of bank robbers who traveled the Midwest. Her ability to smash open
safes and ignore bullets from policemen quickly made her the group’s leader. Deciding she needed a
nom du guerre like other supervillains were adopting, she took the name Termagant after one of her
more bookish henchmen used the term (which means a violent, bullying woman) in an argument with
her.
In 1940 her gang ran afoul of the Streak (in one of his first public appearances) at a bank
outside of St. Louis, and he was able to capture Termagant for the first time. She broke out of jail a few
weeks later, and returned to New York City where she took several jobs working with the Buoniconte
Mob during their efforts to do away with the Defenders of Justice. She faced Bulletproof on several
occasions, and the two developed a flirtatious relationship punctuated by frequent violence.
When World War II broke out, Termagant had a bit of a change of heart and gave up her life of
crime. Instead, she went to work at the Green Parrot as a bartender and bouncer, and in some ways took
over as the “neighborhood hero” for Bulletproof while he was behind enemy lines in France and the
rest of the Defenders had moved to Kansas.
When the war ended, Termagant and Bulletproof resumed their friendly rivalry. She was
blackmailed by Black Pharoah into joining the Alliance of Evil at one point in 1946 (Pharoah
threatened to turn a retired criminal she was fond of over to the police), but she managed to secretly
warn Bulletproof and the Defenders of the group’s plans. When Bulletproof disappeared, Termagant
lost interest in her costumed career and retired.

Personality/Motivation: Termagant is a bad girl, but she isn’t a bad girl, if you know what she means.
She grew up in a tough neighborhood, and always measured herself against the toughest of tough guys.
She has no patience and a short fuse on her temper, and genuinely enjoys brawling with anybody “man
enough” to stand up to her. She robs banks because “that’s where the money is,” and ignores any
attempts to convince her that’s a bad thing- after all, if you can’t keep your money safe, you don’t
really deserve it, do you? Life’s for the strong.
On the other hand, she’s not a killer as a general rule, and she won’t hurt kids or old people. She
usually won’t hurt noncombatants in general, though she’ll certainly mock any man she considers to be
cowardly. She’ll usually avoid hurting other women, unless they show themselves to be brave or
willing to fight- she likes it when other women “follow her example” by brawling with the big boys.
Over the course of the 1940s she matures quite a bit, and learns (mostly from Bulletproof) that
there’s a kind of satisfaction from using your strength to help people she can’t get any other way. Even
after her retirement from “the life,” she kept the kind of bar where you could always get in a brawl, if
you were in the mood, but she’d also always step in before things got out of hand and anyone got
seriously hurt.

Quote: “Aww, come on! You ain’t quitting on me so soon, are ya? The fun’s just getting started!”

Powers/Tactics: Termagant generally isn’t interested in tactics more complicated than “bash down the
door and punch anybody not on our team.” That said, she’s not stupid, and occasionally will surprise
opponents by taking advantage of the environment (knocking walls down on someone, or using
something large as a missile.) She’s also faster than she looks.

After The War: Mae eventually bought the Green Parrot outright, and maintained it as a
neighborhood bar well into the 1970s. Her powers slowly faded, and by her sixtieth birthday she was
no longer superhumanly strong. She sold the bar and retired in 1980, and died of lung cancer in 1991.

Appearance: Termagant stands 6’8” and weighs about 280 lbs, with the build of a weightlifter. She
has long black hair and brown eyes. She wears various different costumes over the years, most of
which are form-fitting bodysuits in various bright patterns.

Mardoom-Thah
Val Char Cost Roll Notes
85 STR 75 26- Lift 3.2 ktons; 17d6 HTH damage [8]
18 DEX 16 13-
35 CON 25 16-
20 INT 10 13- PER Roll 13-
28 EGO 18 15-
40 PRE 30 17- PRE Attack: 8d6

8 OCV 25
5 DCV 10
7 OMCV 12
9 DMCV 18
6 SPD 40 Phases: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12

30 PD 28 Total: 30 PD (25 rPD)

30 ED 28 Total: 30 ED (25 rED)
20 REC 16
120 END 20
25 BODY 15
80 STUN 30 Total Characteristics Cost: 416
Movement: Running: 42m/84m
Flight: 30m/240m

Cost Powers END

180 Demonic Magic: Variable Power Pool (Magic), 90 Pool and 90 Control Cost, Cosmic (+2);
Only “Demonic” Magic (-1/2)
135 Breath Of Fire: Blast 12d6, AoE Cone (100m, +1-1/4) 13
25 Clouds of Smoke: Change Environment (-3 to Sight Group PER, 128m Radius (+1-1/2),
Personal Immunity (+1/4) 2
37 Flaming Body: RKA 2d6, AoE Personal Surface (+1/4), Constant (+1/2), 0 END (+1/2),
Persistent (+1/4); Always On (-1/2), No Range (-1/2) 0
25 Demonic Toughness: Resistant on 25 PD/25 ED
31 Reach: +31m Reach (32m total)
30 Long, Ox-Like Legs: Running +30m
30 Heavy: Knockback Resistance -30m
32 Gargantuan Hands: Area of Effect (4m Radius, +1/4) on 85 Str, Reduced End +1/2)
40 Batlike Wings: Flight 30m, x8 N-C
20 Demonic Ego: Mental Defense (20 points)
10 Demonic Fortitude: Power Defense (10 points)
40 Demonic Nature: Full Life Support
10 Mystic Awareness: Detect Magic 13-, Discriminatory

Perks
15 FB: Demon Worshipped For Ancient Death and Fire Magic

Skills
3 AK: Demonic Realms 13-
3 Interrogation 17-
3 KS: Fire Magic 13-
3 KS: Outer Planes 13-
3 KS: The Ancient Atlantean Mages 13-
4 Navigation (Dimensional) 14-
3 Oratory 17-
9 Power: Demonic Magic 16-

Total Powers & Skills Cost: 691

Total Cost: 1,107

400 Matching Complications (75)

5 Hunted: Trismegistus Council (Inf, Less Pow)
25 Physical Complication: Gargantuan (60m Tall) (VF, Greatly)
25 Psychological Complication: Seeks Souls (VC, Tot)
10 Susceptibility: Being in Vacuum or Underwater, 1d6/Turn (Unc)
10 Vulnerability: x1-1/2 Stun and Body, Water Attacks (Unc)

Total Complications Points: 75

Experience Points: 707
Background/History: Author’s Notes: Demonic being summoned by Nazis. Ends up buried under the
ice in an Antarctic tomb. He makes an escape in 1944, but the Drifter gets a vision of it and brings the
Justice Squadron. They’re outmatched physically, but Tomahawk managed to get into his tomb and
recreate the wards (using their own individual identities as his new jailers), sucking him back inside.

Personality/Motivation: ###

Quote: “###

Powers/Tactics: ###

After The War: Bram McFarlan learned of the existence and imprisonment of Mardoom-Thah in
1962, and began working on spells to free the creature so that he could steal his powers. The Drifter
discovered this plan, but too late to defend himself from McFarlan’s surprise direct attack; Drifter
found himself banished to a distant Outer Plane even he could not easily escape. Instead, he sent an
astral message to Vanguard to reassemble the Justice Squadron, gathering the original Tomahawk along
with the new users of the names Brawler and Skygirl to defeat both McFarlan and the reawakened
Mardoom-Thah. He’s since been reawakened three more times over the last fifty years, and narrowly
defeated and re-imprisoned each time.

Appearance: ###

WW2 FACT! The Soviets lost more men and women defending Stalingrad than the United States did
in the entire war.

II. 1940’s American Society and Culture

Fashion

The Depression had made American fashion considerably more conservative and perhaps a bit
drab, with women’s skirts lengthening and waistlines rising. Gloves and small hats were de rigeur for
fashionable women both day and night.
The Golden Age saw the introduction of man-made fibers in clothing, particularly both
synthetic nylon for stockings and rayon for dresses and lingerie. Wartime shortages of first silk and
then nylon meant stockings were frequently unavailable and much sought-after. Similarly, since the
army was using pretty much all of the available brown and green dyes, those colors disappeared from
the palettes of clothes back home in favor of reds and blues. Factories and mass production allowed
zippers to become more common. As women took on more factory work to replace the men in the
military, their day clothes became more utilitarian, and trousers were commonly worn.
Since European designs and clothing were generally unavailable at any price for trend-
following women in America, they instead turned to Hollywood to find new icons, like Greta Garbo,
Betty Grable and Vivien Leigh. Kneelength skirts and shirtwaist dresses were popular for the “girl next
door” look.
Men’s clothing remained largely the same throughout the Golden Age as it had been during the
Depression. Suits had tapered legs and broad shoulders, and were softer and more flexible than before.
The “Victory Suit” during the war eschewed cuffs, pleats and most buttons and was made from
synthetic fibers to save money. The “Zoot Suit,” an exaggerated version featuring bright colors and
long coats, was popular among musicians and Hispanics on the West Coast, and outbreaks of violence
between wearers of these fashions and soldiers were unfortunately common. Hats were still required in
polite society, particularly Homburgs and fedoras.

Fads

People living in the Golden Age were not very different in their desires for entertainment and
recreation, either. Bars and nightclubs were full, and restaurants served many of the same popular
dishes (though perhaps there was less diversity of ethnic food in any given neighborhood.) Families
and friends would frequently gather to play games. Traditional card games like rummy, bridge and
spades were well-known, and poker was gaining in popularity (particularly in the military, where many
young men first learned to play.) Board games purchased in retail were a relatively new phenomenon;
Sorry was first published in 1934, followed by Monopoly in 1935 and Scrabble in 1938.

WW2 Fun Fact! Popular fads included goldfish swallowing, dance marathons, and stamp collecting
(which FDR did.)

Movies

Going to the movies was an ever-increasingly-popular pastime throughout the 1930s. Theaters
were generally much fancier than those of modern days, with full curtains and likely a small stage for
the screen. They would frequently have ushers to guide you to your seats, and girls in frilly outfits
selling cigarettes and candy. At the same time, as more and more people across the country became
interested and technology improved, new features like outdoor drive-in theaters were introduced. An
evening at the movie theater would typically cost a quarter, for which you’d get to see two features,
plus several newsreels, cartoons and “shorts.”
In 1938, the most popular movie by ticket sales was Alexander’s Ragtime Band, starring Tyrone
Power. Other major releases that year included the Adventures of Robin Hood, Boys Town, You Can’t
Take it With You, and Angels With Dirty Faces. Buster Crabbe made his first appearance as Flash
Gordon in an early serial that year as well.

Radio

Radio was the primary medium for both news and entertainment in the Golden Age.
Broadcasting on the AM band, stations across the country provided news, sports, concerts, dramas,
comedies, and game shows. President Roosevelt regularly appeared on the radio with his Fireside
Chats, each on a specific topic of national interest. CBS World News Roundup provided the first ever
live international news reports, from Edward R. Murrow during the Anschluss in Austria.

WW2 Fun Fact! The Mercury Theater On The Air, most famous for Orson Welles’ radio play of War
of the Worlds, debut in July 1938. The first secret decoder ring was offered on the Little Orphan Annie
radio show sponsored by Ovaltine in 1934, with Captain Midnight and others following shortly.

Television

First easily available commercial television sets in the United States were released in May 1936,
retailing for $140-165 for 3-inch tube (w/sound; not all do!) or $210-260 for 5-inch. The war will bring
a halt to planned production of cheaper and more widely-available models until 1946.

Music
 Swing, jazz, and blues were all popular. The 1940s also saw the popularization of the jukebox,
which had been invented in 1928 and became ubiquitous in both soda fountains and nightclubs (though
usually featuring very different albums for those crowds!) They contained automatic play counters that
recorded which of their 78 rpm records were most popular, allowing owners to switch out tunes that
didn’t catch on. Until the war, Wurlitzer and other manufacturers made beautiful creations out of
chrome and plastic with interior lighting, but once the war rationing began they returned to being made
mostly of wood for the duration.

Sports

Of course, Americans were just as mad about sports in 1938 as they are today. Baseball was the
most popular, and the New York Yankees (featuring Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio) were the
champions of the world, defeating the Chicago Cubs in four straight in the World Series in October.
Black players were still forbidden to play in the major leagues, but there were various Negro Leagues
across the country that also drew impressive crowds.
New York also won the National Football League championship that year, with the Giants
defeating the Green Bay Packers. The Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs to win
hockey’s Stanley Cup. The National Basketball League, predecessor to the modern NBA, was in only
its second season and Akron took the title.
Joe Louis remained the world heavyweight boxing champion, defending his title three times
during the year including avenging his only previous defeat against the German Max Schmeling in
June at Yankee Stadium. In tennis Don Budge became the first player to win the Grand Slam of all four
major championships. And the two greatest racehorses of the day, Seabiscuit and War Admiral, met in a
special event at Pimlico on November 1st, where Seabiscuit won by four lengths.

III. Mini Campaign

This chapter includes two extended multi-session adventures that together form a mini-
campaign, though the individual stories take place more than three years apart. It contains a few more
adventures and adventure seeds that can be easily expanded for your players, and perhaps a few of
them might be run between the two book-ending full adventures to create a complete campaign lasting
months! Part Two, “Attack of the Aesir,” was inspired by David Brin’s 1986 short story “Thor Meets
Captain America,” which itself was expanded into the novel The Life Eaters in 2003. Shamballah and
Agharti first were described in Hidden Lands, but the relevant details have been included here in case
you don’t own that fine tome.

Adventure Summary

Part One of this mini-campaign takes place in Tibet, a source of fascination for many
anthropologists and pseudo-historians within the Nazi party who consider it a key part of their search
for the historic roots of the Aryan civilization. Heinrich Himmler and the Ahnenerbe sponsored several
expeditions to the area, most notably the famous ones by Ernst Schafer between 1930 and 1938 whose
ostensible purpose was natural studies, including the potential for new crops that could be grown in the
mountainous areas of Germany’s new conquests in Ukraine and the Crimea. Some believe the
expeditions were simply cover for explorations of the occult heritage of the area; Schafer did meet with
the exiled Panchen Lama in China on one of these trips, but rumors swirled that he had met other, more
mysterious figures in Tibet as well.
 This latest expedition is in fact simply a cover- Der Totenkopf has discovered previously-lost
mystical tomes that suggest the legendary cities of Shamballah and Agharti hold the secrets to creating
tulpas, objects or creatures created out of thought as part of the mystical traditions of Indian and
Tibetan Buddhism. (This is of course a gross oversimplification of the concept, but hey, superhero
story.) He intends to travel there and make a trade with the evil inhabitants of Agharti, giving them a
magical key to their prison in exchange for the knowledge of how to create tulpas of incredible power
to serve him. He has disguised himself as an anthropologist named Eddard Landig, and his team is
already underway when the PCs learn about the expedition and are asked to investigate themselves.
Though the heroes should be able to prevent the escape of the Aghartians, they will most likely not be
able to capture Totenkopf himself or prevent his acquisition of this formidable spell.
Part Two of this adventure takes place several years later, as World War II is going poorly for
the Germans in the weeks and months after D-Day. It’s taken Totenkopf this long to master the
techniques of making tulpas, but he finally has it. When all looks bleakest for the Germans, he casts a
mighty spell that creates tulpas representing the entire pantheon of the Norse/Germanic gods- Odin,
Thor, Balder and the rest, and sends them out as an army of warriors more than a match for even the
mightiest of superheroes. The tide of war swiftly turns against the Allies, as the heroes discover they
cannot defeat the Asgardians in direct combat. Fortunately for them, there are two distinct flaws in
Totenkopf’s plan. First, he was unable to prevent the creation of the complete pantheon, which means
that he has also created Loki, whose sole purpose is confounding the plans of his fellow gods and
therefore switches sides to assist the Allies. Secondly, tulpas themselves have a secret weakness; if they
ever come to truly understand their own nature as unliving creations of thought, they cease to exist.
They don’t come to this understanding easily- they genuinely believe they are the gods in question, and
simply telling them they aren’t real without clear and convincing evidence will do nothing. However,
there are gaps in their knowledge, and if Odin himself can be convinced he’s not the real article the rest
of his conquering army will also lose their faith (and their mortal forms.)

At The Top Of The World

This adventure takes place in the spring of 1941, probably most usefully in April or May before
Operation Barbarossa kicks off the conflagration between Germany and the Soviet Union. The US
hasn’t entered the war yet, but presumably by now your PCs have had direct contact with Axis
opposition and perhaps battled Nazi superhumans. As part of a long-term campaign, word of the
existence of Der Totenkopf and the horrible interest of Himmler, the Ahnenerbe and the RSvKg should
have reached the ears of the players by now; if this is the beginning point of your campaign, any PCs of
a mystical bent should probably start knowing about the Nazis’ desire to collect powerful magical
artifacts, perhaps because they have the Trismegistus Council itself as a contact. If none of that works
for your players, then let this meeting be their first contact with the Council and Abercrombie fill in any
necessary details.

Summoned By Top Men

If the PCs have a formal relationship with the US Government, then their primary contact
organizes a meeting. If not, Harry Hopkins reaches out to them by whatever means he can figure out to
invite them to Washington DC and a top-secret meeting at the brand-new War Department building a
few blocks from the White House. There, they meet Hopkins, several business-suited analysts from
various branches of the War and State Departments, and a middle-aged man with a thick Scottish
accent named Aloysius Abercrombie.

Aloysius Abercrombie
 Characters with a connection to the Trismegistus Council or who succeed in a KS: Occultism
(or Magical World or something similar) roll will know Abercrombie as one of their most active
members of the period, a scholarly occultist from Scotland whose primary concern these days is the
remarkable increase in the power of magic in the last few years. He does not know at this point about
the Walpurgisnacht Working, though he is very aware of the existence of Totenkopf, the RSvKg and the
Ahnenerbe and would not be particularly surprised to learn they had something to do with it. Hopkins
will introduce him simply as “an advisor to the State Department” and won’t mention the Council, and
Abercrombie himself won’t bring it up unless a PC does first. He’s not intended for combat, and has
little in the way of useful magical abilities, but has a large spread of Skills and Contacts related to the
current state of magic in the world.
If any of the PCs have a magical background or origin, Abercrombie will take this opportunity
to open up contact on behalf of the Council for future cooperation. He’ll reveal that the Council’s been
keeping an eye on the PC’s career to this point, and if appropriate he may offer some small assistance
with any current problem they might have. The extent and value of that help is of course up to the GM
to figure out, but the Council should be maintained as a useful contact and source of future adventures.

The Meeting

Hopkins introduces Abercrombie, while one of the analysts pins a map of the Himalayas up on
the wall behind him. Abercrombie begins by formally thanking Vice-President Henry Wallace for
approving this mission, and his more “open mind” on occult topics. "He's a student of Nicholas Roerich
and the Theosophists, you know. Completely barmy on a few subjects, but good people. You should see
Roerich's paintings." Hopkins visibly winces, and when Abercrombie notices this he moves on
hurriedly. (Wallace’s connections to Roerich, a Communist and probably a Russian spy as well as an
expert on Tibetan mysticism, were an embarrassment to the Roosevelt Administration, who cut a deal
with the Republicans before the 1940 election not to release that information in exchange for the
Democrats not releasing information about an extramarital affair by the Republican candidate Wendell
Wilkie. This won’t be revealed to the general public until 1947, however.)
Anyway, Abercrombie has recently learned from certain “assets” he has within Germany about
the 1938-39 visit to Lhasa by explorer and ornithologist Ernst Schafer, and “racial anthropologist”
Bruno Beger. Sent by Himmler and the SS, that team made contact with several Tibetan lamas,
collected a number of "potentially interesting" books, and was tasked with studying the Tibetan people
to see if they might be a link between the original Aryans and modern Germans dating back to the
former's flight from ancient Atlantis.
Abercrombie’s sources say that Beger (but not Schafer) is now leading yet another SS-
sponsored mission to Tibet, this one better informed and directly searching for the entrance to the
"mythical" city of Shamballah, which they report to have pinpointed as being beneath Mt. Everest and
guarded by "the Society of Green Men." Abercrombie says that "one or more" superhuman agents are
traveling with the team, the mysterious Nazi figure called Totenkopf is supposed to have personally
involved himself in planning the expedition, and it might be "frightfully important" to stop them.
Abercrombie is somewhat hesitant to get into specifics about the threat presented by
Shamballah, but when pressed he will refer to beliefs held by various mystics that the monks and
priests who live there are the keepers of both arcane lore and dangerous weapons, both of which would
be disastrous for the free world if they fell into the hands of the Axis. “Perhaps worse, if certain stories
about Shamballah are true, then the greatest threat comes not from the city itself but a second city
beneath it, called Agartha or Agharti, which is either the home of horrible demons and mages or a
prison for them.” He will answer any other questions the PC has, but has little more information and
will not reveal the names of his sources. He finishes by wishing he was physically able to accompany
the heroes to Tibet, but his physical infirmities would only slow them down and “time may be of the
essence.”
If for some reason the PCs are still not certain about taking the mission, Hopkins can interject
on behalf of President Roosevelt. “We may not understand too much about this magic business, but it
seems pretty clear that Totenkopf wants to make contact with these monks, and if Totenkopf wants
something it’s probably in the world’s best interests he doesn’t get it.” If that doesn’t work, well, it’s
probably time to pause the game for a moment and make sure your players actually want to be playing
Golden Age superheroes.

The Road To Nepal

Presumably the PCs accept the mission, and get ready to head off to Tibet and Mount Everest.
At this point in history, no-one has reached the summit of the mountain, but there have been various
well-known expeditions by climbers and explorers.
If the team has its own means of global-scale transportation, they can work out their own plans
with the GM. If the US government is providing the trip, they can cram into a B-24 and make their way
via Scotland and then on to British India, finally arriving in Darjeeling. There, they can make contact
with a Council agent named Petersen, who can fill them in on the news of the Beger expedition (which
left Darjeeling a couple of days ago) and provide a name of a contact at the Rongbuk Monastery,
Pasang Gyaltshen. Pasang is a Sherpa who works for foreign mountain climbers throughout the
Himalayas, and according to Petersen claims to know where the lamasery that guards the secret
entrance to Shamballah actually is.
At the village and monastery of Rongbuk, Beger’s team has left behind four SS soldiers for
security, and after two days boredom has already set in. The Nazis are unpleasantly bullying everyone
in the village, particularly the only innkeeper, Lobsang- his small inn (which has crossed tiger bones
mounted over the door for “good joss”) is completely unsatisfactory to them and they are laughingly
shoving him around the place. This should be a feel-good opportunity for the heroes to get out some
anti-Nazi aggression (as well as making friends in the town) by teaching these thugs some manners.
Lobsang will be very appreciative of a rescue, and insist the heroes partake in his specialty, a dish of
mountain pheasant with fired cucumbers and coagulated chicken blood.
Pasang, who is at the monastery itself, will be sent for and join them at Lobsang’s. Beger and
his team left the village two days ago on foot, and by now have probably made it to the lamasery or
will be very close. Their party consisted of Beger himself, two local guides, another anthropologist
named Eddard Landig, an SS Sturmbannfuhrer (equivalent to a Major in the US) by the name of
Krause, two other SS men, and a mysterious figure wearing black clothing and dark goggles who Beger
referred to as “Kobold.” It’s highly unlikely any of the PCs will have heard of any of them besides
Beger.
If nobody among the PCs can fly or teleport, they’ve got a long climb ahead of them. The
weather is extremely cold, and the thin air at these altitudes is brutal if you’re unaccustomed to it.
Every 20 minutes of exposure costs PCs without appropriate Life Support or specialized gear 2 REC
and 2 END. If they didn’t bring any gear, the locals can provide furs and similar low-tech solutions that
cut those losses to 1 per 20 minutes. Pasang has the Survival (Mountains) skill at 14-, so even if
nobody among the PCs has it he can probably keep them alive during the climb if they listen to him
carefully and follow his every instruction. He’ll bring along a couple of packs filled with food, mostly
corn meal, pork and rock salt, as well as tea because unboiled water in this area is asking for trouble for
stomachs unused to the local climes. Furthermore, the trail is steep and interrupted several times by icy
crevasses and vast snowfields. Depending on your team, this will probably call for several Climbing
and Survival rolls and some quick narration of a couple of days of brutal travel. They’ll encounter the
two guides walking back to the village partway through the trip, and they will report they safely
delivered the Nazi team to the front door of the lamasery and were summarily dismissed.
Assuming at least one of the PCs can provide some superhuman transport, the trip will go much
more easily, though Pasang will still have to come along- the lamasery they’re headed to is very well
hidden, and it’s unlikely passing flyers will be able to find it without his assistance. Anyone attempting
to use magic or other superhuman senses to find it will have to roll at a -4 PER because of the magical
camouflage around the lamasery.
Mount Everest itself is over 8850 meters high, and the lamasery itself is about 5600 meters up
the south side of the mountain. Pasang will lead PCs (whether walking, flying, or however) up to a
small icy plateau, and after a bit of searching he will find the lamasery. It’s built into the side of the
rock wall, and blends in to the dark background so well that it’s possible to pass within fifty feet of the
entrance without noticing it. It’s nearly 10 meters high, and not much wider or deeper before it
penetrates the side of the mountain. There is a single door nearly four meters high, with a massive
black stone knocker, and a single window set into the front wall above the door.

The Lamasery

Using the knocker creates a deep, reverberating gong sound on the door. A monk appears at the
window, sees the PCs, and leaves silently. Pasang will tell the PCs that they’ll simply have to
demonstrate patience and their peaceful intentions. Six hours later, he will let them in; if the PCs do
anything to try to get in sooner, they will be ignored even if they succeed (presumably by using
superpowers.) Pasang will scold anyone who tries, reminding them that they aren’t in America any
more and need to behave like guests if they want to accomplish anything here. If absolutely necessary,
he’ll point out that the Nazis clearly were able to manage this display of basic manners, as they’ve
already been let inside.
Eventually, the PCs will be welcomed inside silently by the monks, who wear brightly colorful
robes and green gloves. They'll serve a light meal and invite them to a brief religious service where the
monks will spin cylindrical prayer wheels mounted on spindles on the walls and covered in written
mantras- only after all that will the monks speak or answer any questions. If the PCs are quiet and
respectful to this point, the monks will be very open and pleasant, and sit with the PCs on benches in a
central hall in front of a massive statue of the Maitreya Buddha (seated, because he has not yet
ascended) and surrounded by smaller statues of the Four Heavenly Kings, one for each direction.
The monks will inform the PCs that yes, they can enter the mountain and visit the city of
Shamballah from here. The city is ruled by the Nine Immortal Monks, and the monks here on the
surface are their willing servants. Below Shamballah there is a second city called Agharti, which is
indeed a prison for some of the most evil beings who ever lived. It will be up to the Immortals whether
visitors will be allowed to see Agharti. The Immortals and the other inhabitants of Shamballah are
masters and students of many disciplines, including but not limited to martial arts (remember, in 1940
little is known in the West about Eastern martial arts or magical traditions.) The journey down to
Shamballah passes through the heart of the mountain itself, and there are many perils along the way.
Beyond these basic facts, the monks here will likely be maddeningly vague. Most of their
answers can be boiled down to, “Well, you’ll have to see for yourself.” They will confirm that they sent
Beger’s team ahead of them less than a day ago. Once the PCs are either satisfied or convinced the
monks are no further help, the monks will take them to yet another chamber, which contains another
single massive door made of dark wood and green jade. One of the monks will ask the PCs to carry
several small scrolls and a bottle of wine to the Nine Immortals, as part of their regular devotions.
Pasang will wish them good luck, but will not accompany them any further.

Beyond The Door

 The doorway leads to a set of carved stone stairs that wind down into a complex of caves, a
maze that leads into the heart of Mount Everest itself. (The monks provide torches if the PCs didn’t
think to bring a light source along.) As they pass downward, the PCs periodically find traps- crossbow
bolts fire from the walls when a stone is stepped on, a guillotine blade whizzes by, another stair is
hollow and shatters, plunging someone into a pit lined with spikes. One false stone caused a spear to
launch down from the ceiling, as the PCs can tell from the dead SS Mann on the floor. These shouldn’t
provide too much difficulty for superheroes, but should keep them on their toes and lend a general air
of danger; perhaps play one or two out, with the traps attacking at CVs 1 or 2 less than the heroes and
doing enough damage to concern but not likely to kill them, and then narrate them passing carefully by
the rest.
At the last, the PCs must pass through the Caves of Deceit, the last group of caverns before the
entrance to Shamballah and the most dangerous of its traps. The Caves conjure up fearsome shades of
the mind, pitting the heroes against whatever they fear most. (In game terms, treat this as Mental
Illusions, Only To Force Targets To Experience Their Greatest Fear, with enough dice to achieve effects
of at least EGO +40 on the typical character, so the Illusion can completely alter the setting if necessary
and do Stun and Body damage.)
Assuming the heroes make it past this final obstacle, the passage opens into a grand chasm
whose icy ceiling is hundreds of feet overhead. Shamballah sits in a chamber underneath a massive
icefall near the Khumbu Pass – the “ceiling” isn’t stone at all, but an enormous slab of permanently-
frozen snow that has sealed over a crevasse. A small amount of sunlight penetrates the snow, bathing
the chamber in a soft, dim, bluish-white light during the day. The cave is surprisingly warm thanks to
extensive lava flows not far beneath the cave floor, with temperatures typically in the 5-10 degrees
Celsius range (mid-40s Fahrenheit.) On the far wall of the cavern a small, icy cold mountain stream
flows down into a pool no more than fifty feet across. A dirt path leads down a gentle hill into the city
itself.

Shamballah

The actual city of Shamballah is not particularly large – only a few blocks on a side, with
maybe thirty buildings. Between the buildings are open spaces, gardens and courtyards. Most of the
buildings are made of wood with lattices, terraces and tiled roofs. Scattered among the low, flat houses
and temples are large columns of ice extending all the way to the “ceiling.” The ice in these enormous
towers remains frozen despite the positively balmy (by Nepalese standards) temperatures thanks to a
coating of dust and oils created by the monks. The brightly-colored powders catch and reflect what
little light shines down on the village, making the columns glow in beautiful but muted hues. Between
these columns the Shamballans have erected ropes and wooden bridges; it’s possible to climb all the
way to the “roof” by maneuvering from one column to another.
Shamballah is laid out in a harmonious pattern. The streets divide the city into eighths, with
curving and narrowing paths that cause the city, when seen from above, to resemble a giant lotus
blossom. In the center is a massive palace, decorated with gold, diamonds, jade and coral. There are
about two hundred inhabitants, including students who have made their way here from across the world
and a few places even farther away.
The PCs will quickly discover that everyone in the city speaks their own native language, and
yet everyone else hears what’s said in their own tongue. This mystical “field of understanding” extends
precisely as far as the city limits; when someone walks up the hill back to the caves, the understanding
fades. They may discover that the city also creates a “zone of immortality” with the same boundaries as
the translation effect. While time passes in Shamballah at the same rate as the outside world, no one
ages, gets sick, or dies even of the most serious wounds while physically within the exact bounds of the
city. (Apparently lethal wounds are still painful, of course, but heal with remarkable speed – say, a
characters REC in BODY per day.)
The city’s plazas and gardens throng with combatants practicing their skills on each other in a
dozen different martial arts; musicians playing countless different musical instruments; and monks
engaged in earnest and lively philosophical debates. There are multiple libraries and temples containing
thousands of scrolls, tomes and librams describing lore, history and techniques. If a PC has any sort of
quest or mystery in their background, or are themselves scholars of some sort, give them at least a brief
opportunity to get something personal out of this visit (without slowing down the story unnecessarily,
of course.)

The Nine Immortal Monks

When the PCs enter the city, they will soon be greeted by a pair of young monks who welcome
them warmly and offer them hospitality, including food and drink if they want. They will bring them to
the jeweled palace in the center of the city, where the Nine Immortals are already greeting the Nazi
team (who arrived only a few hours ago themselves.) They will be strictly warned- though they are
aware that the two groups are enemies in the outside world, within Shamballah they are both honored
guests, and so violence (outside of consensual and structured sparring, should they decide to indulge
themselves) is strictly forbidden and will be considered a terrible insult.
They’re brought before the monks, and a full round of formal introductions begins. The Nine
Monks themselves are:

Lu Tung-Pin, a Chinese man who wears red robes and carries a set of scales. He trains the
youngest and newest students, and is a master of swords.

Ts’ao Kuo-Chin, a Caucasian man who wears yellow robes and a gold chain around his neck,
and carries a jade tablet. He is the master of courtliness and tradition, and is a master of outwardly-
directed martial arts styles.

Chang Kuo-lao, a short and chubby Asian man with laughter-lines around his eyes. He wears
orange and carries a tubular bamboo drum and iron sticks. He is master of movement, and instructs his
students in the skills of running, leaping, swimming and even flying.

Li T’ieh-kuai, a short black man who walks with an iron crutch. He is the patron of overcoming
obstacles and handicaps, and wears deep blue robes.

Lan T’sai-ho, a young Chinese man. He wears green robes, and various flowers on his person or
in a basket. He is the master of the natural world, and his skill is what keeps the gardens of Shamballah
flourishing deep inside the mountain.

He Hsien-ku, an older woman of uncertain ethnicity, perhaps Indian or Afghani. She wears
purple robes and a lotus blossom. She is a master of Aikijutsu, and the patroness of the female students
of Shamballah (who are a minority.)

Chungli Chu’an, a large and heavily-muscled Chinese man. He wears black, and carries a black
fan. He is the patron of military skills, and teaches tactics and strategy.
 Han Chi’huang, a tall and foreboding-looking Indian man. He wears brown and carries a flute.
He is the master of law and serves as Shamballah’s judge, but also of students who seek to redeem
some evil part of themselves.

Lao Tzu, an older Chinese man. Whether he is in fact the same man who founded Taoism (and
according to some legends, the city of Shamballah itself) is unknown. He wears white, and carries a jug
of wine. He is the patron of guests to the city, and therefore will do most of the talking to the PCs and
their Nazi rivals. He is the only Immortal who is well-informed about the world outside, as he is in
regular contact with the monks on the surface.

Each of the Nine is a master of various forms of martial arts, but if the PCs find themselves in
any sort of conflict with them the story has probably gone horribly awry, so statting them out is left as
an exercise for the poor GM in that situation. (They should probably be built on at least 1000 points
each!)
The monks also introduce the five members of the Nazi party; Beger, Landig, Krause, Hoffman
the SS-Mann and Kobold. Beger claims they have only come to learn from the Nine, and make a
formal overture of peace, goodwill and possible alliance with the Axis powers.
Lao Tzu will answer any basic questions the PCs have (including about Agharti if asked
directly, which the Nazis will not do- see below), and then will insist that the hour is late, whatever
time it might be outside. The two groups are told to take up lodging on opposite sides of the city (which
is probably only 500 meters apart anyways.) He sets up formal meetings with both groups tomorrow
morning, to consider anything they have to say about whether Shamballah should formally begin any
sort of relationship with either side.

In The Dark Of The Night

It’s almost inconceivable at this point that the PCs won’t want to either confront the German
party directly, or more likely spy on them with whatever powers or skills they have for doing so. Either
way, the Germans have set up in a small garden on the opposite side of the village, with several young
monks assigned to them both to provide for any needs but also to make sure no unscheduled violence
breaks out. By the time the heroes get past this little obstacle, they find that Beger and Krause have
requested a second audience with the Nine which has been refused, and are loudly complaining to the
younger monks. If sneaky heroes don’t interfere, eventually Lao Tzu will in fact arrive to address their
complaints.
Beger’s tantrum is of course a distraction, which the heroes may be able to see for themselves.
(If they don’t, a young monk comes on the run to Lao Tzu to tell him.) Landig, Hoffman and Kobold
have slipped past their watchers and headed to the far side of the massive cavern, where they have
somehow discovered the entrance to the lower caves below Shamballah.
This news certainly disconcerts the younger monks, but Lao Tzu simply gives a grim nod.
What’s done is done, he’ll say, and the consequences of their actions remain to be seen. If asked
directly what’s below, he will only respond cryptically that even an exalted place like Shamballah must
cast a shadow as all things do, and Agharti is that shadow. If the heroes ask permission to follow
Landig’s team, Lao Tzu will say that the decision must be up to them, but he will caution them to be
certain that they enter Agharti for the right reasons, as the wrong ones will turn against them like
vipers. Asking which reasons are right or wrong will only elicit a small smile. Even if they don’t ask
permission, the monks will allow them to follow the Nazis anyways.
If somehow the heroes are not watching the other party, Lao Tzu will visit their encampment
and tell them that some of the Germans have left their hospitality.
The City of Shadows

The doorway leads to a staircase several hundred feet long descending into the darkness, turning
back and forth. At the base of the staircase is a small, bitterly cold underground river that winds slowly
down through a maze of tiny, dark passages until it emerges a hundred meters up the side of a massive
cave wall. There, the river turns into a waterfall that plunges precipitously down the wall of the cave
into a vast, black lake of icy water, which glows ever so slightly from the natural lights of small cave
fish and other creatures swimming in its depths and creates long, vague flickering shadows on the
rocky walls.
In the center of this dark lake stands an island, and on that island is the city of Agharti. Agharti
consists of no more than fifty small buildings, mostly thatch and paper with enough wood to stand.
Most of the buildings are maintained poorly, stand crookedly or show signs of damage from the fights
that break out there regularly and are repaired haphazardly. There are small lanterns and an occasional
bonfire, but these are the only sources of light on the island.
Agharti itself is home to some fifty of the worst, vilest, most evil masters of both martial and
occult arts the world has ever known, trapped there by bonds and spells laid down by the Shamballan
monks countless centuries ago. The Dark Monks, as they are sometimes are known, are as immortal as
the Nine Above, thanks to their mastery of magic, and they spend most of their time plotting to escape
their prison city. Fortunately for the rest of the world, the Aghartians are so twisted and irredeemable
that they’re almost completely incapable of trusting each other or working together for any appreciable
length of time. Every effort to combine their forces to overcome the spells that keep them from passing
the boundaries of this cave collapses due to infighting and betrayal. Of course, should they ever
succeed, the only way out of the cave complex itself is through Shamballah, and there they would have
to battle other monks with powers as great as their own.
Ordinarily, the waterfall is guarded by a dragon called Gulong, who serves as both guardian and
jailer of the citizens of Agharti. He once was a good creature, but centuries serving as the jailer in this
cave of evil have made him cruel and cynical. When the heroes arrive, he has already been convinced
by Landig and the others to take them to the island himself, so when they emerge they can see him on
the shore of Agharti where Landig and his team are already in discussion with the evil monks.

Breakout!

On the beach, Landig hands one of the monks a key, which appears to be carved in ivory and
covered in gold filigree. According to Landig, it was “forged from the tusk of Gullinbursti (a wild boar
and companion to the Norse god Frey)” and has the power to allow its holder to pass through any
barrier, no matter how strong. He exchanges it for a set of scrolls, and as soon as the transaction is
complete, a burst of flame envelops him, throwing off his illusion and revealing him as Der Totenkopf
in magical disguise. This may be the heroes’ first direct encounter with him, but they certainly should
have heard of him by now. He plans to leave immediately with his men, but if the heroes look like an
interesting challenge, he may stick around for a Turn or so to take their measure. If they put up too
good of a fight, of course, he’ll flee immediately through one of his teleport gates, if necessary
abandoning Kobold and Hoffman.
At the same time, of course, the monks of Agharti immediately turn on each other and begin to
fight over the key, and the heroes will likely be swept up into that brawl as well. The monks are trapped
behind the barrier and cannot leave the island without the key in hand; the heroes, Nazis, and Gulong
are under no such limitation. The monks will attack the heroes wildly and without strategy, but only
incidentally as they struggle to get control of the key; you can control the pace and length of this final
conflict by having the monks take each other out without regard to the heroes. Gulong will stay out of
the fight unless provoked, as he still retains some sense of duty (and genuinely dislikes the evil monks
and wants to see them stay imprisoned)- on the other hand, he enjoys a good fight and thwarting the
forces of light, so play him as a wild card as you are inspired.
The monks themselves should be built to be even matches with the heroes, featuring wild wuxia
style martial arts and dark magics. Kobold will fight to protect Totenkopf and to escape until and unless
the evil Nazi abandons him, at which point he’ll concentrate on escape and then surrender to whichever
hero seems least likely to actually hurt him physically. Once abandoned, Kobold will feel no particular
sense of loyalty to Totenkopf and tell the heroes what he knows, which isn’t much; Totenkopf was after
some mystical knowledge, a spell or something, that only the Aghartians know. The evil monks won’t
tell the heroes anything unless they get something out of the bargain; if the heroes are clever and
manage to give one of them an advantage over the others, he’ll tell the heroes that they traded the
secrets of making tulpas and nothing more. Back in Shamballah, the Nine Monks (and Beger and
Krause, if they’ve also been abandoned) can give the heroes the basic information about tulpas; if they
learn it from the Nine, it will come with an imprecation that the secrets of tulpa making are extremely
dangerous and pose a terrible threat to the world. Since they already know that about Totenkopf, the
heroes will probably simply be resigned and on their guard for the future.

KOBOLD
Val Char Cost Roll Notes
13 STR 3 12- Lift 150 kg; 2-1/2d6 HTH damage [1]
25 DEX 30 14-
18 CON 8 13-
20 INT 10 13- PER Roll 13-
15 EGO 5 12-
23 PRE 13 14- PRE Attack: 4-1/2d6

8 OCV 25
8 DCV 25
3 OMCV 0
3 DMCV 0
5 SPD 30 Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12

11 PD 9 Total: 20 PD (9 rPD)
11 ED 9 Total: 20 ED (9 rED)
8 REC 4
40 END 4
10 BODY 0
30 STUN 5 Total Characteristics Cost: 180

Movement: Running: 14m/28m

Cost Powers END

41 Paralytic Touch: Entangle 3d6, Damage Shield (+1/4), Takes No Damage From Physical
Attacks (+3/4), Works Against EGO, Not STR (+1/4), 0 END (+1/2); No Range (-1/2), Not Vs.
Sealed Armor (-1/4), Not vs. Inhuman Physiologies (-1/4) 0
5 Dark-Adapted Eyes: Nightvision
2 Quick: +2m Running
22 Knockout Gas Pistol: Blast 5d6, NND (Self-Contained Breathing or Does Not Sleep, +1), AoE
1m Radius (+1/4); OAF (-1), Limited Range (20m, -1/4), 10 Charges (-1/4)
20 Kar98K Rifle: 2-1/2d6 RKA, +1 RMod, +1 Stun Mod (+1/4); 2x Clips of 5 shots (-1/2), OAF (-
1)
8 Combat Knife: 1d6 RKA; OAF (-1)
12 Padded Costume: Resistant Protection (6 PD/ 6 ED), OIF (-1/2)
5 Goggles: 10 pts. Flash Defense vs. Sight Group, OAF (-1)

Perks
3 Contact: The RSvKg
7 Rank: Hauptmann

Talents
6 Combat Luck (3 PD/ 3 ED)

Skills
4 +2 OCV w/ Paralytic Touch
8 +1 with all Ranged Combat
3 Acrobatics 14-
3 Breakfall 14-
3 Climbing 14-
2 KS: German Military 11-
2 KS: German Special Operations 11-
3 KS: Spelunking 13-
4 L: English (Fluent), French (Fluent)
3 Paramedics 13-
4 SS: Biochemistry 14-
5 SS: Biology 15-
3 Shadowing 13-
3 Stealth 14-

Martial Arts: Commando Training

Maneuver OCV DCV Notes
4 Choke -2 +0 Grab One Limb, 2-1/2d6 NND
4 Cross +0 +2 5-1/2d6 Strike
4 Disarm -1 +1 28 STR to Disarm
4 Escape +0 +0 33 STR vs. Grabs
3 Throw +0 +1 3-1/2d6 +v/10, Target Falls

Total Powers & Skills Cost: 195

Total Cost: 375

350 Matching Complications (60)

15 Distinctive Features: Pale Skin, Black Eyes and Pointy Ears (Concealable, Maj)
15 Psychological Complication: Loyal To But Afraid Of Totenkopf (Com, Str)
10 Psychological Complication: Nazi (Com, Mod)
20 Social Complication: RSvKg Specialist (VF, Major)

Total Complications Points: 60

Experience Points: 25
Background/History: Franz Eder was born in Austria in 1910. As a young man he was always
fascinated by caves and life underground, choosing at university to specialize in the biology and
ecology of subterranean flora and fauna and spending days at a time exploring the chasms beneath the
Eastern Alps. In 1933 he was credited with the discovery of a new species of small newt, which
produced a mild paralyzing toxin as a defense mechanism against predators. Eder entered a program at
Leipzig University where he worked extensively on this toxin as well as similar ones produced by other
amphibians, snakes and fish.
One night in the fall of 1938, Eder’s lab caught fire while he was working there. The fire in his
lab created powerfully toxic fumes which killed three people and hospitalized a dozen more. Eder was
not only unharmed, but soon found that his extended exposure to the fumes worked a mutagenic
change on his body. His skin was nearly bleached, and the pupils of his eyes turned black. More
unusually, his skin began to constantly produce a paralytic nerve agent similar to that of the toxins he
studied; any living creature who came in accidental contact with his bare skin would find itself
temporarily losing control of their own muscles, their limbs “locking” in place for up to several
minutes.
Word of Eder’s transformation soon reached Totenkopf, who had made identifying superhumans
in Axis countries a priority, and he summoned Eder to come work for the RSvKg so he could study the
man’s new powers. Eder, named “Der Kobold” after a mythical sprite living in caves and mines, turned
out to be modestly useful both as a scientist working for the Army and an occasional superhuman
operative.

Personality/Motivation: Der Kobold is somewhat miscast as a superhuman operative, when what

he’d really prefer is to be left alone in a lab or even better exploring a dark cave full of weird little
creatures. The physical transformation he’s undergone only exacerbates his antisocial tendencies, as
most people find him off-putting and abrasive. That said, he’s good at his job and prone to following
orders, so he winds up working well with both the military and the more unusual members of the
RSvKg. He’s not much of a German patriot, but the Nazi doctrines of rule of the strong and social order
suit Kobold personally just fine.

Quote: “Don’t you like it here, in the dark and quiet? I do. You never know what might be hiding in
the shadows…”

Powers/Tactics: The strange chemicals Kobold was exposed to worked several physiological changes
on him. Besides the strange appearance, he naturally produces a secretion from his skin chemically
similar to tetradoxin, which temporarily paralyzes the muscles and scrambles the nervous systems of
anyone exposed to his touch for up to several minutes. He wears heavy gloves to keep from
accidentally exposing anyone important (like his superiors), but he’s not particularly careful around
anyone he doesn’t care about (which is most people.)
His natural agility and reflexes have also been enhanced to superhuman levels, making him a
fairly formidable hand-to-hand combatant and a skilled sniper with his rifle. Combined with his affinity
for dark places, he frequently manages to get surprise attacks in on his opponents.

After The War: Kobold was captured by Allied troops in February of 1945 and put in prison. He
agreed to be a witness against members of the RSvKg at Nuremberg after the war and was granted
clemency, serving only fifteen months in prison. He suffered from a number of health issues that
doctors believed were related to his powers, and died in 1953 from pancreatic cancer.

Appearance: Kobold stands about 5’4” and weighs about 140 lbs. His skin is deathly pale, and the
pupils of his eyes are jet black. His ears are oversized and pointy, giving him an otherworldly
appearance. He generally wears dark work clothes, including gray sweaters and brown work pants and
boots, and a flat leather cap and oversized goggles to protect his eyes in the daylight.

Author’s Note: Notes here for stats for monks and Gulong if necessary.

Attack Of The Aesir

Part Two of this adventure takes place three or more years later, after D-Day and with the
liberation of Europe well underway. Are your PCs are involved in the military advance through France?

I. Attack by Aesir against Allied forces somewhere- Aachen?

II. The PCs meet the Aesir, likely take a severe beating.

III. Loki first contacts the heroes, gets them to learn or remind themselves about tulpas. The secret of
defeating them is convincing them they aren’t in fact real.

IV. The Aesir drive Allied forces back, engage the Soviets and their supers.

V. Loki inspires them to get the story of Balder’s death. At his funeral, Odin carried his body to the
pyre, and whispered something in his ear. In the Vafprudnismal (third poem of the Poetic Edda), Odin
wins a game of riddles against the giant Vafprudnir by asking him what he (Odin) said then. Since the
rules of the game require the asker to know the answer of the question, this proves Odin’s identity to
the giant, who surrenders the game (and his life.)

“You alone know that, what long ago

You said in the ears of your son.
I doomed myself when I dared to tell
What fate will befall the gods,
And staked my wit against the wit of Odin,
Ever the wisest of all. “

VI. Therefore, all the heroes have to do is get to Odin and ask him what in fact he said to Balder as he
carried his body to the pyre. If Odin were in fact the All-Father, he’d know. Since he doesn’t, he’ll
realize the heroes are telling the truth, and the tulpas will simply fade away, Loki dramatically last.

VII. The Nazi superhuman effort will be utterly demoralized by the defeat of their champions, and the
plan to escape the Earth will become their top priority, as they jostle for seats on the Antarctic
spaceship out.