An Eye For

An Eye
by Steven S. Long
™

HERO PLUS ™
 An Eye For
An Eye ™

Version 1.0
by Steven S. Long
Developed for Hero Plus™ by: Bruce Harlick

Published by:

Hero Plus™
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q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 1

AN EYE ™

FOR AN EYE
Author: Steven S. Long

Additional Material: George MacDonald Project Specific Contributions —

Pagemaking: Suzanne Young;
Editor/Developer: Bruce Harlick
Paste-Up: Gera Miles, Mike Reynolds;
Cover Art: Storn Cook Cover Graphics: Terry K. Amthor;
Art Direction: Jessica Ney-Grimm;
Interior Illustrations: Fredd Gorham, Storn Cook
Production Direction: John W. Curtis III;
Series Editor: Bruce Harlick
Editorial Contributions: Steve Peterson, Ray Greer,
George MacDonald, Coleman Charlton,
Maggi Perkins

ICE Staff — Sales Manager: Deane Begiebing;

Managing Editor: Coleman Charlton;
President: Peter Fenlon; CEO: Bruce Neidlinger;
Editing, Development & Production Staff: Monte Cook,
John Curtis, Bruce Harlick, Jessica Ney-Grimm;
Sales, Customer Service & Operations Staff:
Heike Kubasch, Dave Platnick;
Shipping Staff: Dave Morris, Daniel Williams.

Special Thanks To: Scott Sigler, Sean Fannon, and Cliff

Christiansen, Amy G. Crittenden, all of the commentators
from the Red Octover BBS and the Omaha Playtesters
Association for their excellent suggestions about the vehicle
combat rules and other matters.

Dedication: To all the people who make writing for Hero Games
such a fun and rewarding experience: in no particular order,
Bruce Harlick, George MacDonald, Steve Peterson, Ray
Greer, Greg Smith and all the other Hero authors, artists and
fanatics I've had so much fun talking with.

Additional Contributions: I would like to thank the following

people for allowing me to use their ideas in this supplement:
Tim Binford, Brannon Boren, Chris Caldwell, Cliff
Christiansen, Sean Fannon, Tom Foster, Will Geiger, Eric
Livengood, John Losey, Andy Mathews, Gary Mitchel, Scott
Sigler, and Greg Smith.

An Eye For An Eye™ is Hero Games’ trademark for its superhero roleplaying game using the Hero System.
Champions® and Champions, The Super Roleplaying Game ™ are Hero Games’ trademarks for its superhero roleplaying game using the Hero System.
Hero System ™ is Hero Games’ trademark for its roleplaying system. An Eye For An Eye™ Copyright © 1994 Hero Games. All rights Reserved.
Champions Copyright © 1981, 1984, 1989 Hero Games. All rights reserved. Hero System Copyright © 1984, 1984 Hero Games. All rights Reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying (except Character
Sheets for personal use only), recording, or computerization, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
Publisher: Iron Crown Enterprises, Inc., P.O. Box 1605, Charlottesville, VA 22902.
Printed in the U.S.A, First Printing 1994 Stock #: 432
Produced and Distributed by Iron Crown Enterprises, Inc., the exclusive manufacturer of Hero Games. ISBN 1-55806-204-1
 2 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction. ................................................................... 3 CHAPTER THREE: Combat
How To Use This Book ................................................ 3
Combat Maneuvers. ..................................................... 48
Dive For Cover ........................................................... 48
CHAPTER ONE: Character Creation Options For Autofire ................................................... 50
Skills, Perks, Talents And Powers. ............................... 5 Improved Autofire ...................................................... 50
Skills ............................................................................ 5 Equipment. .................................................................... 51
Perks ............................................................................ 6 Equipment Allowance ................................................ 51
Talents ......................................................................... 7 Concealment .............................................................. 52
Powers ......................................................................... 8 Special Ammunition ................................................... 53
Power Frameworks ...................................................... 8 Buying Special Ammunition ....................................... 55
Limitations .................................................................... 8 Upgrading Firearms ................................................... 55
Disadvantages ............................................................. 8
Vehicle Combat. ........................................................... 61
Package Deals. ............................................................... 9 Vehicle Movement ..................................................... 61
Military Training Package Deals .................................. 9 Combat Driving Modifiers .......................................... 62
Law Enforcement Package Deals .............................. 12 The Random Road Generator ................................... 64
Espionage Training Package Deal — Spy ................. 16 Stunts And Maneuvers .............................................. 68
Miscellaneous Package Deals ................................... 19 Vehicular Combat ...................................................... 69
Losing Control: The Consequences
CHAPTER TWO: Of Failed Combat Driving Rolls ............................. 72
Campaign Creation & Gamemastering Sample Car Chase .................................................... 73
Types Of Street-Level Teams. ..................................... 21 Streamlining The System ........................................... 74
Conclusion ................................................................. 74
Criminal Psychology. ................................................... 24
An Overview Of Abnormal Psychology ...................... 24 CHAPTER FOUR: Sourcebook
The Neuroses And Emotional Disorders ................... 24
Personality Disorders And Social Problems .............. 26 Weapons. ...................................................................... 76
Schizophrenias And Paranoias .................................. 27 Guns And Related Weapons ..................................... 76
Disorders Not Classified Elsewhere .......................... 28 Weapons Other Than Guns ....................................... 79
Conclusion ................................................................. 28 Heavy Weapons ........................................................ 82
Advanced Forensics. ................................................... 29 Chemical And Biological Warfare. .............................. 85
Asphyxiation .............................................................. 29 Explosives And Incendiaries ...................................... 87
Blunt Trauma ............................................................. 29 Poisons ...................................................................... 90
Burns ......................................................................... 30 Equipment And Gadgets. ............................................ 94
Drowning .................................................................... 30 Computer Gadgets .................................................... 94
Electrocution .............................................................. 31 Defensive Gadgets .................................................... 94
Fingernail Scrapings .................................................. 31 Movement Gadgets: Man-Powered Vehicles ............ 96
Forensic Anthropology ............................................... 31 Reconnaissance Gadgets .......................................... 96
Sharp Trauma ............................................................ 31 Miscellaneous Gadgets ............................................. 97
Ultraviolet Vision And Forensic Science .................... 32
Superpowers And Forensic Science .......................... 32 Vehicles. ........................................................................ 98
Comic-Book Vehicles ............................................... 101
Illegal Drugs. ................................................................. 33
Amphetamines ........................................................... 33 Raven. ......................................................................... 103
Barbiturates ............................................................... 34 The History Of Raven .............................................. 104
Cocaine ...................................................................... 34 Organization And Structure Of Raven ..................... 105
Heroin ........................................................................ 37 Operations, Activities, And Tactics .......................... 108
LSD And Other Hallucinogens ................................... 39 Personnel ................................................................. 110
Marijuana And Other Cannabinoids ........................... 40 The Grand Imperator ......................................... 110
PCP (“Angel Dust”) .................................................... 41 Dominus Sextimus ............................................ 111
Designer Drugs .......................................................... 41 Dominus Secundus ........................................... 112
Drug Addiction In The Hero System .......................... 45 Spadarius .......................................................... 114
The High Epopt ................................................. 115
Raven Equipment .................................................... 117
Raven’s Enemies ..................................................... 119
The Raven ......................................................... 120
The Velvet Phantom .......................................... 123
Cagliostro .......................................................... 124
Campaigning With Raven ........................................ 124
Scenario: Silver Dollar Blackmail ............................. 125
Bibliography And Filmography. ................................ 128
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 3

s Eh INTRODUCTION
Bob Live U KAN S
UPERBODZOoSrk C ootsauce
YO h R

B
IF
ME rustn
um pio AID L i c k m
ER

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Disco Su TCH ever V en ns
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OBSERVATION: 3/15/93, 11:12 PM The real question, of course, is what is in this book for you
to use. Within the pages of An Eye For An Eye, you’ll find:
En route to execution of — More information on subjects covered in DC:HOV. This
Rocco “the Tower” Mezzaferra includes further discussion of forensic science and crimi-
My war to destroy crime continues. My successes in this nal psychology; more information on organized crime
war have been many, and in some places the innocent live (including new organized crime groups and Dark Cham-
safely once more. But across the city and this nation, the tide pions Universe material for previously-discussed groups);
of crime continues to rise. Seven years ago I began this and more guns, ammunition, and weapons for characters
crusade, and seven years from now I shall fight in it still, and to use.
perhaps seven years from then, or even seventy times seven
if I must find a way to do it. When the last criminal lies dead, — Information on subjects not covered in DC:HOV, including
then I shall rest, and only then. a discussion of illegal drugs and how they work and are
I do not delude myself that the war will be easy, or that sold; data on the military; and a whole section on vehicle
victory is inevitable because my cause is just. I have said it combat.
before: Justice shall wither and perish in the face of mankind’s Hopefully all Champions players will find something in An
self-centered evil unless good men act to uphold it. There are Eye For An Eye which they can use.
many good men working for this cause, each in his own
way—the enigmatic Sandman; Jack O’Lantern, with his
whimsical weapons and misplaced ideals; the heroine Dark
Angel—but there are many more evil men out there than
there are good. It is up to the good men to correct this
situation. I go now to take the next step on my long path to
the goal of Justice.
— Excerpt from the journals of the
Harbinger of Justice
Since Dark Champions: Heroes of Vengeance and the
other books in the Dark Champions line have been so well-
received, it seemed only natural to publish another book of
source material for street-level Champions characters and
campaigns. Between the material that had to be left out of
Dark Champions (referred to hereafter as “DC:HOV”), all the
new material that has been created or thought up since then,
and all of the suggestions and requests received from
Champions players everywhere, there were plenty of things
to put in this book. Hopefully you’ll enjoy it and use it as much
as you do Dark Champions!

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

How to use this book shouldn’t be any great mystery, since
the reader will probably already have a copy of DC:HOV.
Depending on the type of Champions campaign you’re
involved with, it can be used as background material for an
entire street-level campaign, or simply as source material
and ideas for street-level characters in standard campaigns.
 4 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q

CHAPTER ONE:
CHARACTER CREATION
This chapter will cover a few matters that were not dis- characters can take. The Package Deals are accompanied
cussed in the DC:HOV chapter on character creation. First, by descriptions of particular law enforcement agencies,
there are a few notes on genre-specific uses for Skills, Perks, military forces and intelligence agencies and also include
Talents and Disadvantages. Second, there is a section sample characters.
which describes several Package Deals that street-level
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 5

SKILLS, PERKS,
s Eh
Bob Live
UPERBOZOS
YOU KAN S TALENTS,
D ork C
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oo sauc t e

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Disco Su H ever V io ns D
sle engence
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SKIPOVER SPRAYFIRE — NEW SKILL

SKILLS A character with this Skill has been trained to fire Autofire
attacks in small bursts at nonadjacent hexes so that he does
not waste bullets firing into empty hexes when shooting at
DEMOLITIONS multiple targets. Standard Autofire rules require that a shot
In some circumstances, a character who makes his Demo- be fired into each hex in the line of hexes counted between
litions roll might be able to improve the performance of the targets, even if there is no target in that hex. A character with
explosives he is using. For example, in some cases the GM Skipover Sprayfire avoids this; he only has to fire into those
might rule that for every point the character makes the roll by, hexes that he wants to fire into (i.e., those with targets in
he can add 1 Damage Class to the force of the explosion. If them). However, as with standard Autofire rules, he suffers
the character makes a particularly good roll, say by 5 or a -1 OCV penalty for each hex he tracks his attack across
more, the bomb might become Armor Piercing. Whether or (even if he does not fire a bullet into that hex), and can only
not to allow these bonuses is entirely up to the GM. track his attack across a number of hexes no greater than the
number of Autofire shots he could fire. Skipover Sprayfire
TRACKING requires a full Phase to use, and the attacker is at -1 OCV (in
Characters with the Tracking Skill may use it as a comple- addition to Autofire penalties) and x DCV.
mentary skill roll when trying to analyze certain types of print
• Skipover Sprayfire Cost: 5 Character Points
and impression evidence (refer to page 55 of DC:HOV for
general information on this subject). If the prints in question RAPID AUTOFIRE — NEW SKILL
are ground prints, such as from shoes or tires, Tracking With this maneuver, a character may Rapid-fire an Autofire
applies as a complementary skill. Tracking cannot help a attack; this allows the character to fire 5 shots every seg-
character analyze tool marks or similar impressions. ment. E.g., if a SPD 3 character declares Rapid Autofire on
his action phase in segment 4, he would autofire 5 shots in
ACCURATE SPRAYFIRE — NEW SKILL segment 4, 5 shots in segment 5, 5 shots in segment 6, and
A character with this Skill has been trained to spray
5 shots in segment 7. Rapid Autofire costs 5 Character
Autofire attacks against multiple targets with greater accu-
Points. Each Autofire attack may not be spread and must be
racy. When using Autofire attacks against multiple targets,
aimed at only one target. The character takes a -2 OCV
the characters takes only a -1 OCV penalty for using an
penalty for every shot after the first and is x DCV. END or
Autofire attack against multiple targets (instead of the stan-
Charges must be expended individually for each attack.
dard penalty of -1 OCV per hex fired into). Standard Authofire
rules otherwise apply. Accurate Sprayfire requires a full Note: If a character used Rapid Autofire to fire 5 shots each
Phase, and the attacker is x DCV. segment (two times a phase at Speed 6 or three times a
phase at Speed 4, etc.) the weapon would be firing at about
• Accurate Sprayfire Cost: 5 Character Points
300 rounds per minute. This is at or above the continuous
CONCENTRATED SPRAYFIRE — NEW SKILL rate of fire for most hand held autofire weapons.
A character with this Skill has been taught how to concen- • Rapid Autofire Cost: 5 Character Points
trate his fire when using Autofire against multiple targets.
Standard Autofire rules only allow each target to be hit one time TWO WEAPON FIGHTING — NEW SKILL
when the attacker fires at multiple targets. However, when The character has learned how to fight with two weapons.
using Concentrated Sprayfire, the character may declare that Two Weapon Fighting costs 5 Character Points. With this
multiple attacks are targeted at a particular target. Other rules maneuver a character ignores the first -2 OCV modifier when
for Autofire are unaffected. Concentrated Sprayfire requires a Rapid Firing with two weapons or ranged attacks. The
full Phase to use, and the attacker is at -1 OCV (in addition to character using the Rapid Fire maneuver can fire twice with
Autofire penalties) and x DCV. It can be used with other no OCV penalty, three times at a -2 OCV, four times at a -4
Autofire Skills such as Accurate Sprayfire. OCV, etc. When using two weapons, each must be usable in
Example: Renegade (CV 7) wants to use his H&K MP5 submachine one hand. Attacks from a character’s off hand take the -3
gun (5-shot Autofire) to attack three thugs. The thugs have obligingly OCV penalty (in addition to any Rapid Fire modifiers) unless
stood in adjacent hexes. Using normal Autofire, he could only hit each the character is Ambidextrous. This skill also allows the
thug one time. However, using his Concentrated Sprayfire Skill, he character to use two weapons with any of the Sprayfire
chooses to fire all 5 shots and hit Thug #1 twice, Thug #2 twice, and maneuvers or with Rapid Autofire.
Thug #3 once. He is firing into 3 hexes, so he has a -3 OCV penalty for
using Autofire, plus another -1 OCV for using Concentrated Sprayfire,
Note: This maneuver is effectively 2 Combat Skill Levels
making his OCV a 3. He’d better pray that he hits them, since using with a Ranged Combat (5 points each) that only counteracts
Concentrated Sprayfire will cut his DCV in half to 4. the OCV minus for the second shot (a -1 limitation.)
• Concentrated Sprayfire Cost: 5 Character Points • Two Weapon Fighting Cost: 5 Character Points
 6 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
COMPUTER LINKS
PERKS Although many computer databases are open to the
public, some of the ones that street-level characters would
There are several creative uses for Perks which are like access to, such as police and FBI computers, are heavily
applicable to Dark Champions campaigns. A Perk, of course, restricted. A character can buy Perk: Computer Link to
indicates that a character has access to some restricted reflect the fact that he has permanent access to such
resource, whether that resource is a vehicle, money, a databases. Perk: Computer Link should cost from 1-4 points,
contact or some special privilege (a Fringe Benefit). If you depending upon how useful the information is. For example,
consider Perks from this perspective, all sorts of possibilities a Link to the local police database might be one or two points,
are opened up for characters who want to have special re- a Link to the FBI’s NCIC crime computer or the DEA’s
sources or privileges to draw on. Examples are listed below. NADDIS system might be two or three points, and a Link into
the National Security Administration’s most sensitive sys-
tems would be four points.
ANONYMITY
For many street-level characters, a high degree of ano-
nymity would be a valuable asset indeed, because what the COMPUTER SECURITY
authorities don’t know about a vigilante, they can’t use to Similarly, characters could buy their computer security as
catch him. Naturally, most characters are unknowns until a Perk. This indicates that the character has access to (or the
they being their crime fighting careers, but after they begin ability to create) especially secure computer databases,
“adventuring,” the police may gather enough information on ones that other people will have difficulty breaking into.
them to make them uncomfortable. If the GM allows, the Simple having this Perk at its base level requires that any
character can pay points for the privilege of having that illicit intruder make a Computer Programming Roll, at -2 per
information destroyed or removed from police databases, 1 point of Perk: Computer Security. For example, for one
thereby re-establishing his anonymity (at least partially). The point, the computer system is so secure that Computer
cost of the Perk will vary depending upon how much informa- Programming rolls to break into or illicitly retrieve information
tion the police have on the character (and how damaging it from it are made at -2 for 2 points, at -4; 3 points, at -6; 4
is), but should be at least 3 points. Of course, the GM should points, at -8; and so forth. This Perk must be bought for each
not allow a PC to buy this Perk without running an appropri- individual computer system the character owns.
ate adventure to explain its effects, such as a scenario in
which the PC has to infiltrate Police Headquarters and insert INCREASED EQUIPMENT
a virus into their computers to remove all data about him. And
don’t forget, the police can always reacquire the data later…
ALLOWANCE
Characters in campaigns who use equipment allowances
(see DC:HOV, page 100) might be allowed to purchase an
increased allowance as a Perk. For every point a character
put into this Perk, he could have an extra 5 Real Points worth
of gadgets in his equipment allowance at each level. In most
cases the GM should not allow a character to increase the
amount of Active Points he can have in any one equipment
allowance gadget, because this could seriously affect cam-
paign balance.
Equipment Allowances are also discussed in Section Two
of this book.

IMPROVED EQUIPMENT
AVAILABILITY
If the Game Master can use the following Perks if he wants
characters to pay for improved access to equipment from
their equipment allowance.
3 points: Character has access to Street Level Equipment
from his Equipment Allowance.
5 Points: Character has access to High Tech Equipment
from his Equipment Allowance.
10 Points: Character has access to Military Equipment
from his Equipment Allowance.
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 7

SECRET PASSAGES
Some comic-book characters have access to heavily
secured areas or buildings as a result of secret entrances or
passages that they know of or built. For example, if a
character suspects that one day he may need to gain secret
access to parts of a prison, he can bribe the builder to
construct a secret passage that only the character knows
about. Perk: Secret Passage costs from 1-4 points, depend-
ing upon how useful the secret passage is likely to be.
Generally, Secret Passages are completely undetectable; if
a character is actively looking for a suspected Secret Pas-
sage, and is looking in the right area, he can have a Skill
versus Skill contest with the owner using their respective
Concealment Skills. Characters can pay more points to
make their Secret Passage less detectable (-1 to Conceal-
ment rolls per point above starting cost).

TALENTS

LIGHTNING REFLEXES ¿ STOP

Fast Draw is as useful in street-level campaigns as it is in

any other relatively low-powered, low-point campaign. How-
ever, its usefulness is often limited, because it doesn’t apply
to situations where two characters already have their weap-
ons drawn, but don’t have the same DEX. In those cases, the
character with the highest DEX always goes first. As an
optional rule, GMs can allow Dark Champions PCs to pur-
chase Lightning Reflexes allows a character to act before
other characters with higher DEXs.
A character with Lightning Reflexes has an increased Example: Quick Shot has a Dexterity of 23 and +4
effective Dexterity only for the purposes of acting earlier in a Lightning Reflexes he can only use with his Rocket
phase. Each +2 Lightning Reflexes for all actions costs 3 Pistol. On a normal phase he can make a half move and
points. Each +1 Lightning Reflexes for a single action or then fire the Rocket Pistol. If Quick Shot decides to use
attack costs 1 point. his Lightning Reflexes to act at an effective Dexterity of
A character with a base Dexterity of 18 and +4 Lightning 27, he may only fire the Rocket Pistol, he may not move
Reflexes (Total effective Dexterity 18 + 4 = 22), would act or take other actions.
before a character with a base dexterity of 20. Lightning
* Lightning Reflexes Cost: 3 points for +2 Lightning Re-
Reflexes does not effect combat value, figured characteris-
flexes for all actions. 1 Point for +1 Lightning Reflexes for
tics, skill rolls, or characteristic rolls. It does not change the
a single action or maneuver.
rate at which a character recovers from Dexterity Drains and
Transfers. Note: The cost of Lightning Reflexes was based on the idea
If the cost of a character’s Dexterity would be effected by that the limitation “Dexterity only to go first” was worth about
Normal Characteristic Maxima, then the cost of Lightning a +1 Limitation, and “Only effects a single maneuver” was
Reflexes would be effected as well. Double the cost for each worth about another +1 Limitation. Lightning Reflexes exist
point of Lightning Reflexes that brings a character’s effective because Dexterity determines when a character goes in the
Dexterity over his Characteristic Maxima. A character with combat order, combat value, figured characteristics, skill
Normal Characteristic Maxima and a base Dexterity of 18, rolls, and characteristic rolls. All of these effects, except
would pay 3 + (2 x 3) = 9 points for +4 Lighting Reflexes. when the character goes in the combat order, could be
Characters can have Lightning Reflexes that only effect a bought up separately. With the addition of Lightning Re-
single action or maneuver. This action can include a specific flexes, all of these effects can now be bought separately. See
weapon attack, maneuver, form of movement, power, or the section on Optional Changing The Order Of Combat
other capability. When such a character uses Lightning section for more information.
Reflexes to increase his effective Dexterity, he may only Lightning Reflexes that works with only one maneuver or
execute that specific action or maneuver and none other in action allows a character to have some interesting special-
that phase. So, if a character has +4 Lightning Reflexes that ties. A sprinter might combine Fast Draw that worked with his
only work with his Defensive Strike, then he may only Running to get a jump out the gate with Lightning Reflexes
execute the Defensive Strike (no movement, acrobatics, that worked with Running so that he goes earlier in the
etc.) in a phase where he uses the +4 effective Dexterity. Dexterity order and can cross the finish line first.
 8 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
The Game Master should be careful not to let Lightning One solution to this problem, which was used to build
Reflexes get out of hand. Normally, the campaign limits on many of the characters in Dark Champions, is to allow
the total of a character’s Dexterity plus Lightning Reflexes characters to buy multiple guns in a single Multipower, even
should be similar to the campaign limits on Dexterity alone. though they do not have a single common Focus. The GM
Most often, this talent is used by specialized characters who may allow the character to apply the “common” Limitation,
are enhancing a specific ability. If a Game Master allows OAF, to the Multipower pool (or may only allow it if the
Lightning Reflexes to become too common, every character weapons are linked on a “weapons belt” or some other
will feel the need to have it, and then it is no longer any sort device). These Multipower slots can be taken from the
of specialty. character at the rate of one slot per Phase if he is knocked
unconscious. However, if one is destroyed, the character
should still be allowed to use the other slots. In most cases
the GM should not allow the character to “hand out” guns
POWERS from his Multipower to other characters unless the guns are
Independent or the gun is Usable By Others at Range (and
in any event, a smart character should be very reluctant to
DESOLIDIFICATION give away his weapons). This sort of Multipower will help
Desolidification can be used to simulate a master keep street-level superheroes on a par with other charac-
contortionist’s ability to get out of any type of binding, bonds, ters, and allow them to spend more of their points on the
or Entangle. This ability will take at least one extra Phase for Skills and abilities which are their trademarks.
the character to use, and may take more, depending upon
the nature of the binding. The GM may still rule that some
types of Entangles (such as a block of ice which traps the
character) cannot be escaped from using this Power. LIMITATIONS
Example: Desolidification (40 Active Points); Only Works
To Escape From Bonds, Entangles, Etc. (-2), Requires A
Contortionist Roll (-Â), Extra Time (at least one extra REQUIRES A SKILL ROLL
Phase, -Â): 10 points. Many of the non-powered Powers and “super-Skills” de-
scribed in DC:HOV and this book require the character to
make a related Skill Roll in order to use the Power (for
EXTRA LIMBS example, to use “super-Stealth” Invisibility, the character
Contortionists can also simulate their skill by buying two has to make a Stealth Roll). It may strike some players and
Extra Limbs—their legs. This means that they can use their GMs as illogical to buy a Skill, then buy a Power just to make
feet as well as they can use their hands: to untie knots, grab that Skill superfluous. If the GM prefers, the player can
things, or even drive a car. The GM may require the charac- substitute an appropriate Characteristic Roll (usually a DEX
ter to make a DEX Roll or Contortionist roll to use his feet like Roll) in the place of the listed Skill.
this in certain situations, or may rule that the use of feet as
hands is impossible.
DISADVANTAGES
POWER FRAMEWORKS
NORMAL CHARACTERISTIC MAXIMA
A lot of Skill-based Champions characters, including
MULTIPLE-GUN MULTIPOWERS superheroic Dark Champions characters, take this Disad-
Gun-toting superheroic street-level characters are some- vantage, since it reflects a certain “realism” that non-
times at a disadvantage when buying offensive powers, superpowered characters are supposed to have. However,
which are often placed in Multipowers by superpowered the single option available—take a 20-point Disadvantage,
characters. If you follow the rules strictly, gun-based charac- for which none of the character’s Characteristics can exceed
ters have to buy every gun or weapon that they carry 20 unless he pays double —can be frustrating for many
separately, since different Foci are not normally supposed to players, since it doesn’t allow the player to build an otherwise
be part of the same Multipower. A powered character, on the normal character who has one or two exceptional Character-
other hand, can often put his attacks in a Multipower without istics without spending a large number of points (often more
any problem, thereby conserving points for other things. This than the 20 points the character gets for the Disadvantage).
means that street-level superheroes end up spending an Therefore, the following optional forms of Normal Character-
inordinate amount of points to purchase even a small collec- istic Maxima may be used in superheroic Dark Champions
tion of weapons. Consider that a single tear gas grenade can campaigns:
cost 23 points (or more) in the HERO System, and an Uzi 15 points: The character may buy any one Characteristic
submachine gun 20 points (or more). That’s 43 points, about above Max at normal cost. However, the cost of that
one-third to one-fifth of the character’s starting points, for two Primary Characteristic doubles at 30, instead of 20.
relatively minor weapons that are extremely common in the
real world. A lot of the points a street-level character is 10 points: The character may buy any two Primary
Characteristics above Max at normal cost. Primary
supposed to be devoting to Skills and abilities thus end up
Characteristics above 30 cost as above.
being spent on weapons that can be taken away from him in
a single Phase.
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 9

s Eh PACKAGE DEALS
Bob Live U KAN S
UPERBODZOoSrk C ootsauce
YO h R

B
IF
ME rustn
um pio AID L i c k m
ER

y
Disco Su TCH ever V en ns
c KA sle gence is Ours D rool POW
uke eps ER
Mechap
ks

This section provides several Package Deals for Dark Cham- members of the same force (for example, the U.S. Army)
pions characters. Most of them are intended to reflect a character’s should all have the same basic skills and abilities, as de-
background in the military or law enforcement, since many street- scribed below. However, the military is certainly willing to let
level characters received some of their training there (for ex- its members learn as many skills as they want, so a moti-
ample, the Scarecrow [DC:HOV , pages 47-48] originally learned vated character could have picked up a wide variety of
some of his Skills while a member of the police department). So knowledge and skills while serving his “hitch.”
that characters can use these Package Deals as their “Secret Suggested Disadvantages: Psychological Limitations re-
Identities,” Disadvantages like Distinctive Features (uniforms) flecting their goals and motivations (for example, “Patriotic”);
and Psychological Limitation: Subject To Chain Of Command are Age (for older officers and NCOs); DNPCs (family and
included with the Packages; if the character has left the organi- friends); Physical Limitations or Vulnerabilities (caused by
zation, obviously these Disadvantages should not be taken. old injuries); Hunted or Watched by enemies of the United
States; Rivalry with other branches of the military.
Roleplaying Tips: Soldiers come from all walks of life —
MILITARY TRAINING play them in a way you feel is appropriate for the scenario.

PACKAGE DEALS
This selection of Package Deals is for characters whose SOLDIER
background or origin includes service in the United States
military, whether regular forces or an elite force of some sort. Skills Cost

BASIC MILITARY TRAINING WF: Small Arms, Knives 3

From a character creation perspective, all military forces KS: The Military/Mercenary/Terrorist World 11- 2
are more or less identical: the character first undergoes KS: [Military Force] History and Customs 11- 2
“basic training,” which is intended to instill discipline, make
him physically fit (i.e., brings his Primary Characteristics up PS: [member of military; e.g., “Sailor”] 11- 2
to at least 10, if not higher) and teach him basic military skills Choose any two of the following Skills: 6
such as tactics, the use of firearms, and so forth. Thereafter, Bureaucracy; Climbing; Combat Driving;
the character will be sent to advanced training in his chosen Combat Piloting; +1 with three related weapons;
field of specialty, such as computer science, aircraft me- Computer Programming; 3 Contacts, each on
chanics, the medical corps and the like. Characters who an 8 or less; Cryptography; Demolitions;
show special aptitude may be able to undertake even more Electronics; Mechanics; Navigation; Paramedics;
advanced training as members of a “special force” (which an appropriate Science or Knowledge Skill (INT)
are described below). (for example, Engineering, Intelligence Data
Since each branch of the military offers the opportunity to Analysis, Electronic Engineering, Chemistry);
learn approximately the same skills, this Package Deal is Stealth; Systems Operation; Tactics;
“generic,” intended for all four branches of the American Weaponsmith (Slugthrowers)
military. Players need only tailor the options to conform to the
training they feel their character would have received in the Disadvantages
branch he joined.
Package Bonus -3
Typical Goals and Motivations: The goals and motivations
of the average soldier are usually not too different from those Watched by own organization, 8- -10
of the average civilian. However, there are several “stock”
Package cost 2
goals frequently seen in military characters in comic books.
For example, some military personnel are extremely patriotic,
willing to do anything for the good of the United States. Others Unfortunately, there isn’t enough space to provide de-
are lazy, wanting only to serve their term and get out, and are tailed descriptions of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Ma-
constantly looking out to make sure that their commanding rines, but most players should already be familiar with what
officer(s) don’t catch them goofing off. A few soldiers have an these forces do and how they are organized. Players desir-
almost sociopathic love of violence, destruction, and danger ing more in-depth information about a particular force’s
(these soldiers usually end up as villains, though). organization and training program should consult the sources
Typical Abilities: Because military training is standardized, listed in the Bibliography at the end of this book.
 10 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
SPECIAL FORCES PACKAGE DEALS movies some special forces soldiers are depicted as “mav-
A few talented soldiers get to join the elite units of the ericks”—tough, overconfident men who prefer their own
military, the so-called “special forces.” These highly trained method of doing things to their commanding officer’s orders
and extremely skilled fighters are recruited to perform some (and they’re usually right).
of the most dangerous and dirty missions the military has: Typical Abilities: The members of all special forces have
unconventional warfare; anti-terrorist activities; strategic certain abilities in common. For one, they are in extremely
reconnaissance; strategic strikes and “infiltrate and rescue” good physical condition (STR and CON of at least 13-20;
missions; paramilitary operations; and counterinsurgency END of 40 or more). For another, they are quick-witted,
training, just to name a few. strong-willed, and fearless (INT and EGO of at least 10, and
Each branch of the military has its own special force or often higher; PRE of 15 or more). Beyond that, since special
forces, described below. Membership in a special force is not forces members are able to study in many different “special-
considered to be a separate Package Deal; instead, the ized” courses after they complete their training, they can buy
Skills and abilities gained in special forces training add to the just about any Skill a player wants.
Basic Military Training Package Deal. Suggested Disadvantages: Reputation; Hunted or Watched
Typical Goals and Motivations: Because candidates for by enemies of the United States; Watched by superior
the special forces undergo psychological testing to prove officers; Rivalry with other special forces; DNPCs (a family,
that they are fit for the job, they tend to have certain for example).
psychological characteristics in common. They tend to be Roleplaying Tips: Like common soldiers, elite forces sol-
very patriotic, disciplined, loyal and adaptable. They are diers come from all walks of life, and run the gamut from
extremely devoted to the completion of their mission and to sensitive and studious to ruthless and cold.
the protection of American civilians. However, in comics and

RECONNAISSANCE UNITS SEALS

Although the Marines as a whole are sometimes consid- The SEALs (SEa-Air-Land forces) are the Navy’s special
ered to be a special force, the Corps has its own elite force, force. The requirements for admission to SEAL training are
its Reconnaissance Units or “Force Recon.” The physical similar to those for the Green Berets (q.v.), but with more
standards for Force Recon are as demanding as those for emphasis on underwater skills. Most SEALs are recruited
the Green Berets (q.v.). from the Navy’s Underwater Demolitions Teams (UDTs).

FORCE RECON SEAL

Skills Cost Skills Cost

Commando Training 12 +2" Swimming 4

Climbing 3 Commando Training 12
Demolitions 3 Demolitions 3
Navigation 3 Navigation 3
Stealth 3 Stealth 3
Survival 3 Survival 3
TF: Parachuting, Scuba, Boats 3 TF: Parachuting, Scuba, Boats 3
WF: Grenade Launchers, Heavy Machine Guns 2 WF: Grenade Launchers, Heavy Machine Guns 2
+1 with three related weapons 3 +1 with three related weapons 3
Choose one of the following: 3 Choose one of the following: 3
Breakfall, +1 with three related weapons; Breakfall; Climbing; +1 with three related
Interrogation; +1 PER;1-3 Languages (3 points weapons; +1 PER; Interrogation;
total); Paramedics;1-3 Science or Knowledge 1-3 Languages (3 points total); Paramedics;
Skills (3 points worth); Security Systems; Resistance (3 pt.); Security Systems;
Shadowing; Systems Operations (Military Shadowing; Systems Operations
Electronics); Swimming (1”); Tracking (Military Electronics);1-3 Science or
Knowledge Skills (3 points worth)
Additional Cost: 38
Additional Cost: 39
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 11
THE RANGERS
The Rangers are one of the special forces of the United SPECIAL FORCES (THE GREEN BERETS)
States Army. Volunteers have all received infantryman train- The Special Forces, or, as they are better known, the
ing. The Rangers’ trademark is a black beret. Green Berets, are an elite Army unit. Green Beret candi-
dates have already had Airborne or Ranger training, so this
“Package Deal” is an addition to the Ranger Package Deal.
The Special Forces’s other admission and “basic training”
RANGER requirements are among the toughest in the world. After
receiving their basic training, Green Berets go on to specialty
Skills Cost
training in a chosen field: communications, demolitions,
Commando Training 12 intelligence medical, or weapons. Many train in more than
one specialty; furthermore, like all special forces soldiers,
Climbing 3 they continue to train throughout their careers, studying
Stealth 3 special survival skills, languages, advanced combat and
Survival 3 stealth techniques and other important subjects. The Green
Berets’ trademark is, of course, a green beret.
TF: Parachuting 1
WF: Grenade Launchers, Heavy Machine Guns 2
+1 with three related weapons 3 GREEN BERET
Choose one of the following: 3 Skills Cost
Breakfall, +1 with three related weapons;
Demolitions; Interrogation; Navigation; Demolitions 3
+1 PER;1-3 Languages (3 points total);
Paramedics; Security Systems;1-3 Science Paramedics 3
or Knowledge Skills (3 points worth); Shadowing 3
Systems Operation; Tracking PS: Instructor, 11- 2
Additional Cost 30 +3 with one Package Deal Skill 6
+1 with another Package Skill 2
Choose one of the following: 3
Breakfall, Cryptography; +1 with three
related weapons; +1 PER;1-3 Languages
(3 points total); Lockpicking;1-3 Science or
Knowledge Skills (3 points worth)
Additional Cost: 22

SPECIAL FORCES OF OTHER NATIONS

The United States is not the only nation with elite military
forces. Examples of other nations’ forces include the British
SAS and SBS, the Sayeret Matkal of Israel and the former
USSR’s Spetznaz. For character design purposes, these
forces’ training can be considered to be the same as that of
their American counterparts. GMs can research these groups
if they want to create specific Package Deals for them.
 12 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
ANTI-TERRORIST UNITS FICTIONAL SPECIAL FORCES
Most major nations in the modern world have a special Of course, since Champions is a game about a fictional
squad of soldiers specifically trained to deal with terrorists world, GMs are free to make up their own special forces
and hostage situations. For example, the United States has units. These units can be based in the military, the police, a
the First Special Forces Operational Detachment Delta private organization, or could even be funded by a single
(“Delta Force”), a branch of the Green Berets; Germany has wealthy individual. An example of a fictional special force is
GSG-9; and Spain has its Unidad Especial de Intervencion, given below:
just to name a few.
The Package Deal given below is for members of Delta LOS LOBOS NEGROS (“The Black Wolves”)
Force, and is intended to be in addition to their basic Green Los Lobos Negros is a small elite unit of the United States
Beret skills. GMs can use these Packages as the basis for Army whose existence is secret to even most top Army
other anti-terrorist teams, or can design their own. leaders. The purpose of Los Lobos Negros is to attack and
eradicate the drug trade, both abroad and in the United
States. Since combat operations by the American military on
DELTA FORCE United States soil are illegal, the officers commanding Los
Lobos Negros try to be as secretive as possible.
Skills Cost Members of Los Lobos Negros undergo Green Beret
training, and then have their own special training program,
+2 to KS: The Military/Mercenary/Terrorist World 2 which has two main branches. The first is special survival
Acting 3 training, with an emphasis on mountain and jungle terrain;
the second is in-depth knowledge of Spanish and of the
Combat Driving 3
regions and cities the unit most frequently operates in. The
SS: Terrorist-Hostage Psychology, 11- 2 commanders are considering developing other units which
+1 with firearm of choice (usually sniper rifle or will specialize in attacking the heroin trade, but are waiting to
submachine gun) 3 see how successful Los Lobos Negros is.
The Los Lobos Negros Package Deal adds to the Green
+2 versus Range, all firearms 4 Beret Package Deal given above.
Additional Cost: 17

EL LOBO NEGRO
Skills Cost

Criminology 3
Deduction 3
Lockpicking 3
Streetwise 3
Spanish (dialectical) 5
Traveler 3
AKs (11- each): South America,
Central America and the Caribbean 3
Additional Cost: 23

LAW ENFORCEMENT
PACKAGE DEALS
This selection of Package Deals is for characters with a
background in law enforcement, whether at the local, state,
or federal level.
Typical Goals and Motivations: The attitudes and goals of
law enforcement personnel can vary greatly from officer to
officer. Many are intent on doing the best job they can, while
others are corrupt and only interested in getting rich by
exploiting their position. Some are caring and compassion-
ate individuals who genuinely want to help people, but a few
are macho swaggerers who get a big kick out of wearing a
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 13
gun and pushing people around. However, one motivation
that almost all officers tend to have in common is that they are Suggested Disadvantages: Watched by the media or the
always cautious, suspicious, “paranoid” and on the lookout Internal Affairs Department; DNPCs (such as their family);
for danger. Because their lives are always on the line, and Psychological Limitations such as “Always Cautious And
everything they do is subject to scrutiny by a hostile media Suspicious,” “Corrupt Cop,” “Protective Of Innocents,” or
and other special interests, this “circling of the wagons” “Trigger-happy;” Reputation; Age; Hunted by a criminal they
attitude is often understandable. once put in jail.
Typical Abilities: Policemen are generally fit and physically Roleplaying Tips: The nature of law enforcement work
capable individuals. Many of them have some form of martial demands that officers and agents be assertive, self-confi-
arts training (for example, Commando Training in the form of dent individuals, and this should be reflected when they are
basic self-defense techniques). They are perceptive and role-played. Most of them are also willing to tell “war stories”
have good memories, because their job requires those sorts if prompted.
of mental skills. Lastly, because they have seen so many
terrible things, many of them are very hard to impress (high
PRE).

POLICE OFFICER THE BUREAU OF ALCOHOL,

This Package Deal is for local and state police officers, TOBACCO, AND FIREARMS
whether a city cop on the beat, a homicide detective, a The BATF is a federal law enforcement agency under the
county sheriff’s deputy or a State Highway Patrolman. Police Department of the Treasury. Its focus is on violators of (you
training varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, so GMs who guessed it) federal alcohol, tobacco and firearms laws. The
are willing to do a little extra research may be able to BATF is headed by a Director, who is appointed by the
“customize” this Package to fit particular cities or locales. President. The agency has five regional offices, with resident
offices in every state and all major cities, and two criminalistics
laboratories. Its duties range from the mundane (checking
POLICE OFFICER firearm serial numbers, ensuring firearms industry compli-
ance with federal regulations) to the dangerous (seizing
Skills Cost guns and explosives from criminals).
Perk: Fringe Benefit: Local Police Powers 2
Perk: Fringe Benefit: Weapon Permit 2 BATF AGENT
Bureaucratics 3
Skills Cost
Criminology, 8- 1
Streetwise, 8- 1 Criminology 3
WF: Small Arms 2 Deduction 3
WF: Nightstick/Tonfa 1 Streetwise 3
KS: Criminal Law and Procedure, 11- 2 Weaponsmith 11- (Slugthrowers) 3
PS: Police Officer, 11- 2 WF: Small Arms 2
Choose two of the following: 6 Perk: Fringe Benefit: Federal Police Powers 3
Acting; Animal Handling (for police dogs); Perk: Fringe Benefit: Concealed Weapon Permit 2
Combat Driving; Concealment; Criminology
(to full roll); +1 with Pistols or Shotguns; KS: Federal Criminal Law And Procedure 11- 2
Deduction; Demolitions; Disguise; +1 PER; PS: Federal Law Enforcement Agent 11- 2
Fast Draw; Interrogation; Paramedic; Choose any one of the following: 3
Shadowing; Stealth; Streetwise (to full roll); Bureaucratics; Combat Driving; +1 with
Tactics; one relevant KS, PS, three related weapons; Concealment;
or SC (such as PS: Accountant or Demolitions; Paramedics; Stealth; Tactics
SC: Forensic Pathology; 3 points)
Disadvantages
Disadvantages
Package Bonus -3
Package Bonus -3
Watched by the BATF, 8- -10
Watched by own Police Department, 8- -10
Total Cost: 13
Total Cost: 9
 14 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
THE DRUG ENFORCEMENT THE FEDERAL BUREAU
ADMINISTRATION OF INVESTIGATION
The DEA, an agency of the Department of Justice, is the The FBI, the premier federal law enforcement agency, is
federal government agency with primary responsibility for a part of the Department of Justice. Its mission is to enforce
enforcing federal drug trafficking laws. Its mission includes federal law and investigate alleged federal crimes that are
the interdiction of drug shipments, prevention of drug sales, not the province of some other agency (these include, but are
drug awareness education and the monitoring of legal trans- not limited to, drug trafficking [the FBI and DEA share
actions in dangerous drugs. jurisdiction over these crimes], bank robbery, auto theft and
The DEA began as the Bureau of Narcotics under the car-jacking, racketeering, terrorism, espionage and treason
Treasury in 1930. In 1968 the Bureau was transferred to against the United States and mail and wire fraud [which are
Justice and merged with the Bureau of Drug Abuse Control a part of most white-collar crimes]).
to form the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. In The FBI began in 1908 as the Bureau of Investigation,
1973, it was renamed the DEA. which was known as an inefficient and often corrupt organi-
The DEA is run by an Administrator, who is appointed by zation. This changed with the appointment of J. Edgar
the president and who reports to the Director of the FBI. It has Hoover as Director in 1924. Hoover established rigorous
nineteen divisional field offices and three foreign offices, and requirements and standards for his men (for example, spe-
frequently works with state and local police officers in anti- cial agents had to have a college degree, and all appoint-
drug “task forces.” Its field personnel are known as “special ments were on the basis of merit). In succeeding years his
agents.” standards gave the Bureau (which was renamed the FBI in
The DEA maintains several databases and intelligence 1935) a reputation for excellence. Hoover led the FBI until his
programs which contain information on and monitor the drug death in 1972.
trafficking trade. The most important of these are NADDIS The FBI, which is headquartered in Washington, D.C., is
(the Narcotics And Dangerous Drugs Information System); headed by a Director who is appointed by the President for
STRIDE (System To Retrieve Information from Drug Evi- a term not to exceed ten years. It has ten divisions and 59
dence); and EPIC (the El Paso Intelligence Center, which field offices. Its functions are split among three “branches.”
collects information about drug traffickers and trafficking The first is Law Enforcement Services, which itself is divided
from all over the world and disseminates it to federal and into three subsections: Identification (which maintains the
state agencies). world’s largest fingerprint library, with more than 200 million
prints); Training (which runs the FBI National Training Acad-
emy at Quantico, Virginia, and also gives seminars and
DEA AGENT conferences for state and local law enforcement officers);
and Laboratory (which runs the world’s largest and most
Skills Cost advanced criminalistics laboratory; it is divided into “units”
such as Serology Unit, Firearms Toolmark Unit, Explosives
Concealment 3 Unit, and so forth).
Streetwise 3 The second “branch” is Administration. The third is Inves-
tigations, which is composed of the Domestic Intelligence
Stealth 3 Division, the General Investigative Division, and the Special
WF: Small Arms 2 Investigative Division.
Within the FBI there are specialists in all law enforcement
Perk: Fringe Benefit: Federal Police Powers 3
fields. For example, part of the FBI National Training Acad-
Perk: Fringe Benefit: Concealed Weapon Permit 2 emy is the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime
KS: Federal Criminal Law And Procedure 11- 2 (NCAVC), which runs the Violent Criminal Apprehension
Program (VICAP) and the Behavioral Sciences Unit. The
KS: Drug Trafficking 11- 2 special agents in this department are experts in the field of
PS: Federal Law Enforcement Agent 11- 2 criminal psychology, criminal profiling, and violent crime
Contact, 11- 2 (including serial killers and rapists), and their assistance in
often invaluable in apprehending such criminals. Other spe-
Choose one of the following: 3 cial “departments” of the FBI deal with organized crime,
Acting; Animal Handler (for drug-detecting terrorism, spying, and similar crimes. The FBI even has its
dogs); Bureaucratics; Combat Driving; own anti-terrorist squad, the Hostage Rescue Team.
Combat Piloting; +1 with Pistols or Rifles; One of the FBI’s most important functions is to maintain
Deduction; Disguise; Interrogation; databases on crime and criminals and to assist state and
Shadowing; Survival; Systems Operation; local police forces when necessary. The best example of this
Spanish (completely fluent) is the FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC), a
Disadvantages nationwide computer database containing information on
criminals and their records, stolen firearms, vehicles, and
Package Bonus -3 other items, and wanted persons.
FBI agents are referred to as “special agents.” Many of
Watched by the DEA, 11- -13
them bring skills in law, accounting, languages, or other
Total Cost: 11 fields to their job.
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 15

FBI AGENT
Skills Cost

Deduction 3
Streetwise 3
Stealth 3
WF: Small Arms 2
Perk: Fringe Benefit: Federal Police Powers 3
Perk: Fringe Benefit: Concealed Weapon Permit 2
KS: Federal Criminal Law And Procedure 11- 2
One KS or Science appropriate to the special
agent’s concentration (e.g., Psychology/
Criminal Psychology for a member of the
Behavioral Sciences Unit),11- 2
PS: Federal Law Enforcement Agent 11- 2
Contact, 11- 2
Choose one of the following: 3
Acting; Bureaucratics; Combat Driving;
+1 with Pistols; Computer Programming;
Concealment; Criminology; Disguise;
Forensic Medicine; Gambling; Interrogation;
Paramedics; Shadowing; Survival; Systems
Operation; one Language (completely fluent)
Disadvantages
Package Bonus -3
Watched by the FBI, 8- -10
Total Cost: 14

THE SECRET SERVICE SECRET SERVICE AGENT

The United States Secret Service is an agency of the Skills Cost
Department of the Treasury. It is composed of two “branches.”
The first, the uniformed branch, protects the White House Forgery 3
and some other federal buildings, such as embassies. The
Streetwise 3
second consists of special agents who are bodyguards for
the president, vice-president, past presidents, major presi- WF: Small Arms 2
dential candidates, all of these persons’ families and certain Perk: Fringe Benefit: Federal Police Powers 3
other individuals. More importantly for character creation
purposes, the second branch of the Secret Service also has Perk: Fringe Benefit: Concealed Weapon Permit 2
jurisdiction over counterfeiting, forging, and financial crimes. KS: Federal Criminal Law And Procedure 11- 2
The USSS is headquartered in Washington, D.C., is KS: Financial Crimes And Frauds 11- 2
headed by a Director, and has three major offices and five
departments (such as the Office of Protective Research and PS: Federal Law Enforcement Agent 11- 2
the Office of Investigations). PS: Bodyguard 11- 2
Players who are willing to inject a little comedy into their Choose one of the following: 3
characters might add this Disadvantage to the Package Acting; Bureaucratics; +1 with Pistols,
Deal: Distinctive Features: Serious-Looking Person In A Rifles or SMGs; Criminology; Deduction;
Nice Suit And Sunglasses With A Radio Wire In His Ear Disguise; Interrogation; Survival; Tactics
Who’s Standing Off To The Side Trying To Look Inconspicu-
ous (easily concealed): 5 points. Disadvantages
Package Bonus -3
Watched by the Secret Service, 8- -10
Total Cost: 11
 16 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
INTERPOL
Interpol, the International Criminal Police Association, is ESPIONAGE TRAINING
not an actual law enforcement agency per se. Rather, it is a
world association of national police forces who work together PACKAGE DEAL
to exchange information about crime and criminals for their
mutual benefit. Thus, Interpol has no agents or officers; This rather broad Package Deal is for characters whose
cannot investigate crimes, make arrests, or seize evidence; background is in espionage and intelligence organizations.
and must act within the bounds of each member nation’s It is followed by a list of some of the world’s major intelligence
laws when in that nation. organizations. However, the Package Deal is “generic;” in
Interpol was founded in 1923 by the Second International other words, it is not tailored to any particular nation’s
Police Congress. It is headquartered in France, and is not espionage program, since that subject is beyond the scope
affiliated with the United Nations or based on any treaty; it of this book.
has its own constitution and operates on the cooperation of Typical Goals and Motivations: Spies generally fall into
its member states. It is led by a General Assembly, a one of two classes: those who spy out of loyalty to their
governing body which makes all major policy decisions. country (or some political cause); and those who spy for
These decisions are implemented by the Executive Commit- money or other considerations. However, all spies share two
tee, a body of thirteen members whose seats are divided motivations in common: they want to complete their mission;
among the different continents in a roughly equal fashion. and they want to avoid being captured.
The current membership is more than 130 nations around Typical Abilities: Many of the classic “spy skills” are re-
the world. flected in the Package Deal. Other Skills may derive from the
Day-to-day decisions and administrative concerns are character’s background before becoming a spy (the military,
handled by the General Secretariat, which is split up into the diplomatic corps, and so forth), or may depend upon a
divisions (such as Police Division, which is in charge of the spy’s particular specialty (for example, an assassin will have
databases about criminals). Other divisions are legal and a lot of combat-related skills and weapons, a master of
technical reference services, financial services, and so forth. disguise might have the Shape Shift Disguise non-powered
Interpol’s primary function is to collect and disseminate Power). Spies often have a lot of Perks, too, such as
data about crime and criminals, and to arrange for the law International Driver’s License or License To Kill.
enforcement officers of one member nation to conduct
investigations in other member nations. This is done through
a system of National Central Bureaus (NCBs) which are
linked by the International Police Telecommunications Net-
SPY
work (IPTN). In the United States, the USNCB is part of the
Skills Cost
Department of Justice; it spreads information to federal and
state law enforcement agencies via NLETS, the National Stealth 3
Law Enforcement Telecommunications System. Interpol
also transmits notices of wanted criminals and certain stolen Streetwise 3
items, holds seminars and conferences, and conducts re- WF: Small Arms 2
search on criminological subjects. However, in the interest of KS: The Espionage World 11- 2
being fair to all member nations, Interpol will not work on any
crime which involves political, military, religious, or racial PS: Spy 11- 2
concerns. Any two Contacts, 11- each 4
Because Interpol has no “agents,” just researchers and
Choose two of the following: 6
administrators, no Package Deal is given for it. Characters
Acting; Bribery; Bugging; Bureaucratics;
who are Hunted by Interpol are actually the subject of intense
Combat Driving; Combat Piloting;
investigation by Interpol, which passes information on to
+1 with Pistols; Computer Programming;
local law enforcement agencies wherever the character is.
Conversation; Cryptography; Deduction;
Demolitions; Disguise; Electronics; Forgery;
Gambling; High Society; Interrogation;
Jack Of All Trades;1-3 Languages
(3 points worth); Lockpicking; Mimicry;
Persuasion; Scholar; Scientist;
Security Systems; Seduction; Shadowing;
Sleight Of Hand; Systems Operation;
Tactics;1-3 TFs (3 points’ worth); Traveler
Disadvantages
Package Bonus -3
Watched by own Agency, 8- -10
Total Cost: 9
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 17
Suggested Disadvantages: Most spies are Hunted by the GERMANY
enemy and Watched by their own side. Other possible The primary German intelligence agency is known as BND
Disadvantages include Psychological Limitations like “Para- (Bundesnachrichtendienst, or Federal Intelligence Service).
noid,” “Thrill seeker,” or “Loves A Good Challenge;” a Repu- It has three divisions: the First Division engages in covert
tation as a master spy; Age; Rivalry with other spies; and operations and subversion missions; the Second Division is
DNPCs (latest girlfriend, family, or similar choices). for counterintelligence; and the Third Division gathers intel-
Roleplaying Tips: Male spies are usually portrayed as ligence from foreign countries (note that the BND does not
handsome, dashing men of great confidence and ability, have a division for analyzing and evaluating the intelligence
whether they are infiltrating an enemy base, gambling the it collects; it leaves this to the German government). The
night away, or seducing information out of a female enemy BND is a large, powerful organization with a reputation for
agent. Female spies are usually mysterious and seductive, efficiency and skill.
but this outward demeanor may mask a woman of iron will Before East and West Germany merged, the East had its
and vicious intent. own intelligence agencies. Chief among these was Stasi, the
dreaded East German secret police. Stasi reportedly at-
MAJOR INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES tempted to keep a file on every East German, and its
intelligence network is said to have included as many as half
OF THE WORLD of the citizens. Since reunification, Stasi has been abolished,
This section briefly describes some of the world’s major but presumably many of its former agents are still working
intelligence agencies. It is organized by nation. This list is far somewhere, whether for other nations or for themselves.
from comprehensive; GMs who are willing to do a little
research can come up with many more agencies. ISRAEL
As a small state surrounded by many enemies, Israel
BULGARIA places great value on intelligence-gathering. It has several
Bulgaria’s espionage and secret police service is known intelligence agencies, chief of which is the Mossad (Office of
as the DS (Durzhavana Sigurnost). Many of its operations Intelligence and Special Missions), a small agency which is
have been on behalf of the KGB, which prefers to distance nonetheless regarded as efficient and sometimes cruel. It is
itself from certain missions (such as some assassinations) said to be able to call on a worldwide network of Jews for
that DS is willing to carry out. Its other activities include assistance in its foreign intelligence operations. An interest-
gathering military and strategic intelligence and domestic ing account allegedly describing its training and missions
counterintelligence operations. procedures can be found in By Way of Deception, by Victor
Ostrovsky and Claire Hoy. Other Israeli espionage agencies
CHINA include Modi’in (Army Intelligence) and SHABAK (an inter-
China’s espionage agency is called Central Control of nal security agency).
Information. Like other Communist spy agencies, its roles
include monitoring the loyalty of the people to the govern- JAPAN
ment and spying upon other governmental agencies. How- Japan’s Koan Choa Cho (Public Security Investigation
ever, it also engages in standard espionage activities, both Agency) is responsible for collecting political and economic
in China and abroad. Some experts estimate that with its intelligence. The Japanese also have a small and somewhat
informers included, Central Control of Intelligence has ap- ineffectual military intelligence agency which gets a lot of
proximately ten million agents. non-classified data from the United States.

CUBA RUSSIA
Cuba’s espionage agency is the DGI (Direccion Generale Even though the USSR has collapsed and become many
de Inteligencia), which is based at Camp Matanzas outside different nations, it is worth knowing something about the
of Havana. Once a close ally of the KGB, it now finds itself as USSR’s intelligence agencies, since they still wield some
one of the few remaining “true” Communist intelligence influence and power in Russia (and may in the future regain
agencies. It is especially active in Miami and around their old power). The best-known Soviet agency is the
Guantanamo Bay, the United States naval base in Cuba. In infamous KGB (Komitet Gosudarstvennoi Bezopasnosti,
addition to its general intelligence-gathering role, the DGI Committee for State Security). Besides its world-wide func-
also trains revolutionaries and guerrilla warriors in other tions as an espionage agency, the KGB is in charge of Soviet
Third World countries. internal security and acts as a feared secret police.
The KGB’s fearsome reputation has been due in part to its
FRANCE extreme caution and willingness to play for long-term goals.
France has several espionage agencies of note. The first Its operations include not only standard intelligence-gather-
is the Deuxième Bureau (“Second Bureau”) which analyzes ing and analysis, but the sponsorship of terrorism, subver-
military intelligence. Next is the Direction Générale de la sion of enemies of the Soviet state, and outright assassina-
Sécurité Extérieure (DGSE), which collects intelligence data tion of enemies (often with the help of the DS, GRU, or
and conducts counterintelligence and covert operations. It SMERSH). It employed about half a million people through-
also has some role in combating drug trafficking. Last is the out the world. Its present role in post-collapse Russia is
Direction de la Sécurité du Territoire (DST), which is respon- approximately the same as its role in the Soviet state, except
sible for counterintelligence and the internal security of that it is no longer as large or powerful as it once was.
France.
 18 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
Another important Soviet agency is the Glavnoye UNITED STATES
Razvedyvatelnoye Upravlenie (Chief Intelligence Director- The American government has several intelligence agen-
ate of the Soviet General Staff), or GRU. Agents of the GRU, cies of note. The main one is the Central Intelligence Agency
who are fierce rivals of the KGB, are considered to be (CIA), which is headquartered at Langley, Virginia. It is an
vicious, brutal men who prefer direct action over the KGB’s executive branch agency with approximately 25,000 em-
stealth and maneuvering. GRU activities include industrial ployees (of which about one-fifth to one-third are agents),
espionage and aiding guerrilla warfare in enemy countries, making it the largest intelligence agency in the world at the
but its primary focus is gathering military intelligence. present time. It is responsible for gathering all sorts of foreign
Last but not least, SMERSH, Smert Shpionen (“Death to intelligence and information and for domestic counterespio-
Spies”), is the Soviet agency in charge of assassination, nage (the latter responsibility is shared with the FBI). It has
kidnapping and similar activities. Its agents were considered four Directorates: Administration, Intelligence, Operations,
cold, cruel professionals; they used many exotic devices. In and Science and Technology. The Directorates are further
the 1980s it was merged with the KGB, becoming that divided by the geographic region they are responsible for.
agency’s Third Directorate. United States law forbids it to commit assassinations or
engage in domestic spying.
UNITED KINGDOM The DIA, Defense Intelligence Agency, is the United
The primary British intelligence agencies, MI-5 and MI-6 States’s main military intelligence agency. It has subordinate
(Military Intelligence 5 and 6; actually now officially known branches in each of the American military services, and also
DI-5 and DI-6 for “Defense Intelligence”), are well-known to assigns military attaches to American embassies.
fans of the “James Bond” movie series. MI-5, Security The National Security Agency (NSA), headquartered at
Service, is responsible for counterespionage and national Fort Meade, Maryland, is probably the United States’s most
security, and divides its duties between six branches desig- secret intelligence agency. Its primary responsibilities are to
nated A through F. MI-6, Secret Intelligence Service, is in gather and analyze electronic intelligence and communica-
charge of foreign espionage operations. It is an extremely tions, analyze intelligence data, make and break codes, and
secretive agency thought to have about 3,000 agents. These help other agencies plan missions. Its computer resources,
agencies have a long tradition of excellent service and were information network and technical capabilities are among
the models for the intelligence agencies of many other the best in the world.
nations.
FICTIONAL ESPIONAGE AGENCIES
In the world of Dark Champions, the GM need not limit
himself to real-life intelligence agencies—he is perfectly free
to make up his own. Here are two examples of fictional
espionage organizations:

THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY

FOR THE UNITY OF NATIONS
ISUN was founded in 1951 by William Cooper, a wealthy
Englishman who believed that the United Nations was not
living up to its stated goals. Cooper thought that all nations
of the world should be merged into one, with a single
government and language (he assumed that the govern-
ment would be a parliamentary democracy or republic,
similar to England, and that the language would be English
or Esperanto). Accordingly, he used his wealth to establish
an organization which would, as he put it, “truly work towards
the goal of a unified world.”
On the surface, ISUN appears to be little more than a
lobbying and research organization devoted to the cause of
world unity. In fact, it maintains an extensive network of spies
and hidden operatives who work in secret to unite the planet
under a single government. These spies collect data and
conduct paramilitary operations intended to bring about the
merger of governments (primarily by causing weak countries
to collapse so that other nations absorb them). ISUN’s elite
spies are referred to by their nationality (i.e., the Welshman,
the Frenchman, the Afghan) to illustrate symbolically that
men from all over the world can and should work together for
the cause of world unity.
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 19
ISUN has suffered many setbacks in recent years, as the Typical Abilities: Private eyes are usually an intriguing mix
large nations of Eastern Europe have fragmented into many of smarts and physical prowess. Their ability to figure out
smaller countries, but it still works doggedly towards its goal. mysteries is often astonishing, and they are otherwise quick-
Depending on how the GM wishes to portray it, it can be a witted, clever, and perceptive. They are also good in a fight
nobly-minded organization with a vigilante-like outlook, or it and are accurate shots. They may also have Knowledge
can be a vicious, anarchistic group of government-topplers. Skills and Contacts from earlier careers (such as the military
ISUN’s symbol is, appropriately enough, an eye set inside or an intelligence agency).
a stylized sunburst. Suggested Disadvantages: Hunted by various crooks;
Watched by the police; DNPC (latest client or girlfriend);
THE WORLD SECURITY BUREAU Reputation; Psychological Limitations like “Sucker For A
The World Security Agency (WSB) is an extremely secre- Pretty Face,” “Greedy” or “Can’t Resist A Mystery.”
tive organization that is thought to have had shadowy asso-
Roleplaying Tips: Private eyes often seem to come in two
ciations with NATO and many Western nations during the
varieties: the good-looking man-of-danger type, like TV’s
Cold War. Its origins, structure, and leaders are generally
Magnum, P.I.; and the scruffy, down-on-his-luck street in-
unknown. Since the end of the Cold War the WSB has been
vestigator. Other traits or interests can be added as desired
reworking its priorities to concentrate on preventing Third
to create a fairly well-rounded character with a surprise here
World instability and terrorism, and has also begun focusing
and there.
heavily on Communist China. Agents of the WSB are re-
puted to have advanced ninjutsu training.
Skills Cost
Criminology 3
MISCELLANEOUS Deduction 3
PACKAGE DEALS Shadowing 3
Streetwise 3
Perk: Fringe Benefit: PI’s License 2
PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR Perk: Fringe Benefit: Weapon Permit 1
Even though most of a private investigator’s jobs are
KS: [Campaign city] Underworld 11- 2
relatively dull and mundane work, the PI will be forever
enshrined in American thought as an adventuresome rogue Well-Connected 3
who’s constantly getting himself into trouble and has to get Any three Contacts, 11- 3
himself out again using his deductive skills, wits, and ability
to shoot quickly and accurately. PIs may be portrayed as Choose any one of the following: 3
grim or unlucky, but never as truly bad figures; they are Acting; Bribery; Bugging; Combat Driving;
always capable of self-redemption and heroism if the cause Computer Programming; Conversation;
is true (and the money is good). Disguise; High Society; Interrogation;
Typical Goals and Motivations: PIs from the 1930s on- Lockpicking; Security Systems; Stealth
ward have tended to have the same motivations and out-
Disadvantages
looks on life. They of course want to solve mysteries and
ensure that murderers and crooks get their just desserts Package Bonus -3
(and that their client goes free). There is usually a woman
whose heart they are trying to win. And last but not least, Total Cost: 23
they’re always in need of money and looking for honest ways
to get more. In other words: get the bad guy, get the girl, and
get the money.
 20 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q

CHAPTER TWO:
CAMPAIGN CREATION
AND GAMEMASTERING
This chapter contains information to assist the GM in
running his campaign. In addition to a general discussion of
group play in the street-level genre, there is extensive
information on criminal psychology, advanced forensics and
drug trafficking.
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 21

TEAM PLAY IN THE

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One difficulty that many GMs encounter when they first sit mercs take him up on his offer, investigate and finally track
down to plan a Dark Champions campaign is solving one of the kids to an abandoned factory in the next county—drug
the fundamental problems of the genre (from a roleplaying dealers have kidnapped them to use as slave labor and
perspective): street-level heroes are usually portrayed as guinea pigs in a designer drugs experiment! The mercenar-
solo heroes, but gaming is primarily a group-oriented activ- ies get in a few fights with the drug dealers, and eventually
ity. It’s often hard to get a group of vigilante PCs to work as they rescue the kids, mop up the operation and kill or capture
a team without making the game seem too much like a the traffickers. The grateful sheriff offers them the money,
standard superhero team comic book. but they turn him down, not only out of the goodness of their
However, it’s not impossible to come up with group or hearts but because they recovered enough cash from the
“team” campaigns which work properly in the street-level drug factory to cover their expenses. Plenty of similar sce-
genre, if the GM is willing to “tailor” his campaign a little. The narios can be found in television shows like The A-Team and
first thing to do is inform the players before they start to (in a less team-oriented format) The Equalizer.
design characters that all PCs are expected to work reason-
ably well in a group. Conflicting opinions, viewpoints and THE SEVEN SAMURAI SYSTEM
“working styles” are all right—in fact, from a roleplaying This group concept uses the victim to bring a group of
perspective, they’re usually preferable, provided they don’t otherwise solo characters together. As a plot device it
put too much of a strain on the game—but there shouldn’t be doesn’t work well for a continuing campaign (too many
any “Loners” in the group or any other PC types which are coincidences spoil the game, so to speak), but it’s great for
likely to completely ignore (or even harm) the “group atmo- one-shot adventures or as a way to encourage PCs to form
sphere” of the campaign. a team on their own.
The second and equally important thing for the GM to do
is figure out in advance what type of team he wants for the
campaign. The type of team the GM chooses will be a major
influence on the campaign and the way it is conducted. For
example, a Vigilante Squad is going to remain primarily in
one city, and its adventures will be more the standard
“vigilantes versus the underworld” style, but a Special Mis-
sions team is probably going to be traveling all over the world
and getting involved with espionage-oriented adventures.
Several different types of teams are described below.

TYPES OF
STREET-LEVEL TEAMS

FREELANCE MERCENARIES FOR

TRUTH, JUSTICE AND THE AMERI-
CAN WAY
This team consists of two or more characters who perform
good deeds for money. Usually the characters have a
common background or “origin” (for example, they all served
in the same military unit or worked for the same espionage
agency). Now they make their living traveling around the
country, hiring themselves out to anyone with a problem that
needs solving—provided that the cause is true and just. For
example, a small-town sheriff who is concerned about the
disappearances of some local kids but can’t find them or get
any “official” help might get in touch with a group like this and
offer to use his life savings to hire them to find the kids. The
 22 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
SPONSORED TEAMS
The concept of the “sponsored” team is probably the most
common team idea in the street-level genre. It involves a
powerful group (usually a government) or person who is
willing to get the characters together and give them a reason
to work as a team.
Within this rather loose framework the GM should be able
to construct just about any sort of campaign he wants. Some
of the more common examples include:

THE ANTI-TERRORISM SQUAD

This team was discussed in DC:HOV on page 19. Briefly,
it is an elite force of soldiers who are sent around the world
to defuse hostage situations, retaliate against terrorists, and
conduct similar anti-terrorism operations. The sponsor is
almost always a government of some sort.

THE MYSTERIOUS PATRON

This team’s origin centers around a single individual,
usually mysterious and always quite wealthy, who brings the
PCs together to crusade for some noble goal of the patron’s
(such as destroying the Mafia, cleaning up the streets, and
so forth). The Patron does not adventure with the PCs, but
merely funds them, encourages them and passes them
information.
For example, take Irene Smallwood Dubois. Now an aging
and wealthy widow, back in the 1930s she fought crime as
the Velvet Phantom, partner and wife of the enigmatic crime
fighter known only as the Raven. The Raven also had a wide
circle of contacts and aides, a group he called the Midnight
Brigade. After World War II, the Champions of Justice
disbanded, and she and the Raven were content to return to
What basically takes place is this. One or more crime a normal life. However, a few years ago the Raven was shot
victims, in need of assistance, goes on a recruiting mission, to death by a gang member when he tried to prevent a
and manages to convince the PCs to help him. Part of this convenience store robbery. Irene has decided to do some-
scenario may involve intensive roleplaying as the characters thing with the money her husband left her to safeguard the
get to know each other and adjust to each other’s quirks. innocents of the city from criminals like the one who mur-
As an example, suppose that residents of a particular dered him. After following reports of the individual PCs for
neighborhood are concerned about the presence of drug several months, she decides to re-form the Midnight Brigade
dealing on their streets. The dealers are so slick that the cops as a modern squad of crime fighters. She sends a mysterious
can’t seem to catch them or put them away for good. note to each PC, summoning him to a meeting “to discuss a
Following a heated Neighborhood Association meeting about proposal of mutual interest”…and thus a campaign begins.
the matter, each of five residents takes it upon himself to go Sound a lot like a superhero team comic book? There are
out and find someone to solve the neighborhood’s problem. similarities, but if the GM carefully avoids the more outland-
Each neighbor is successful, recruiting one of the PCs. At the ish comic-book “bits,” it works as a street-level concept. For
next Neighborhood Association meeting, each brings his example, the GM should be sure not to have any of the
savior forth, only to discover that four of his friends have had superheroic clichés, like big fancy hidden bases full of robots
the same idea. Either out of pity or idealism, the PCs will now and mystic talismans—instead, he should give the charac-
be motivated to work together to clear the drug dealers out ters a small but efficient headquarters which is sort of like a
of the neighborhood. cross between a police records room and a war planning
room, perhaps with a few high-tech touches. Old ware-
houses and similar locations are good places to hide this
base.

THE SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS TEAM

This group is based in some law enforcement agency,
such as the local Police Department or the FBI. The PCs are
the officers who make up this “task force;” their job is to
investigate and solve crimes which baffle other units or
which call for city-wide (or nation-wide) jurisdiction. The
group can range from an entirely detective-based investiga-
tive unit to a team of field agents engaged in undercover work
to a SWAT team of some sort.
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 23
THE SPECIAL MISSIONS TEAM Unlike the Underlings campaign, the vigilante should be a
This espionage-oriented team is given the assignments player character, and should have more points (at least a
no one else can handle, whether they be assassination, few) than the other PCs. However, each scenario should be
infiltration or elaborate con games designed to change a structured so that at least one assistant is as important and
politician’s opinions about something. The group is usually useful in that scenario as the vigilante—otherwise, why
sponsored by a particular government, but may be part of the would he need them?
United Nations or a fictional agency created by the GM. The Example: Bruce decides to run a team-based “Dark
various Mission: Impossible television shows best epitomize Champions” campaign, and settles on this background
this type of team. An interesting variation on the concept was story: after years of working as a public defender, Lance
featured in the movie Sneakers, where a highly-skilled tech- Barron finally became fed up when a “client” he’d gotten
team was tricked into working for a sponsor and had to figure released on a technicality raped and killed his wife.
a safe (and profitable) way out of the situation. Barron decided to become a vigilante, making up for all
the legal tricks he’d pulled in the courtroom. He chris-
THE TEAM-UP SYNDROME tened himself “The Verdict” and used his contacts to
This method works best for unstable gaming groups recruit a group of like-minded assistants: Jack Gideon, a
where the GM can never be absolutely sure which players computer expert and ex-football player; Stefan Petra,
will show up from week to week. All it involves is arranging smooth-talking con man and karate expert; and Kelly
for the different PCs to meet during the course of the Taylor, beautiful former spy and Barron’s current roman-
adventure and getting them to agree to work together. tic interest. Bruce decides that Barron, as the main
Sometimes certain street-level characters are so frequently character, will be built on 150 points, and that the other
seen working together that they are almost a team, and this three will be 100-point characters. This gives The Verdict
method simply exploits this storytelling device for the GM’s an edge over his assistants, but not enough of one that
benefit. However, it works poorly if used for long periods of he doesn’t need them to pull his fat out of the fire on
time, since the characters might as well form a team if they occasion.
are going to work together so often.

UNDERLINGS
This sort of team is similar to the “Mysterious Patron”
discussed above, with one important difference: the patron
is an active crime fighter himself, someone who gets out in
the field and gives orders to his “men.” The archetypical
examples from literature are The Shadow and his team of
agents and Doc Savage and his men, but the concept works
very nicely in the modern day. The GM needs to decide in
advance whether the “boss” will be one of the PCs (which
means giving one player a character who is more powerful
than the other PCs) or an NPC. For this campaign type, the
latter is usually the better route to take, since it keeps things
equal between the players.

THE VIGILANTE SQUAD

The Vigilante Squad is similar in some ways to the “Under-
lings” concept, but with important differences. There is a
central character, the vigilante, but instead of “agents” he
has a small group of assistants who help him in his war on
crime. The assistants generally conform to a few stereo-
types: the gadgeteer and technical wizard (usually a black or
other minority member); the pilot (may also be the gadge-
teer); the female character (usually in charge of communica-
tions or disguise/undercover work, and probably in love with
and/or “involved with” the vigilante); the con man and sneaky
tricks expert (may also be talented at disguise and acting);
and the martial artist (may be combined with another char-
acter type). Examples of this sort of group can be found on
the television show Dark Justice.
 24 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q

CRIMINAL
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The field of criminal psychology is concerned with the
psychological roots and causes of criminal behavior. This THE NEUROSES AND
information is used not only to try to cure criminals of their
illegal tendencies but to “profile” criminal types in an attempt EMOTIONAL DISORDERS
to help law enforcement predict their actions and catch them.
Psychological profiling has scored its most dramatic suc- As briefly described above, the neuroses involve disor-
cesses with violent offenders such as serial killers and ders of emotion and reactions to stress. Those who suffer
rapists, but it is useful with other types of criminals as well. from neuroses are often anxious, unhappy, guilt-ridden or
In order to provide a proper perspective on the subject, this even panicky, but they do not suffer from extreme personal-
chapter will discuss not only “pure” criminal psychology, but ity disorganization or distortions of reality. They are not
also the broader field of abnormal psychology (with, of especially likely to become violent. Many neuroses are mild
course, an emphasis on those aspects which are useful for enough that characters should either take only a few points
gaming purposes). The discussion of the different types of for them as Psychological Limitations, or should simply use
psychological deviancy includes Psychological Limitation them as roleplaying tools for which they receive no points.
values for many of these problems. The neuroses are divided into four subcategories: anxiety
Two aspects of the field of abnormal psychology are not disorders, somatoform and dissociative disorders, psycho-
going to be discussed in this section at all, because they are physiological disorders and affective disorders.
beyond the scope of this book and are usually unimportant
for gaming purposes. The first is different schools of psycho-
logical theory, such as Freudianism, behaviorism and hu- ANXIETY DISORDERS
manism. The second is methods of therapy and cure. Anxiety disorders are emotional disorders which involve
This section is based primarily on the organizational excessive levels of anxiety or fear. They include phobic
scheme of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental disorders, anxiety states and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Disorders, III (DSM-III), the standard medical reference on
the subject. Further information on abnormal psychology PHOBIC DISORDER
can be found in the textbooks listed in the Bibliography. This disorder, commonly known as phobia, involves a life-
disturbing fear of some phenomenon. The fear is so strong
that it drives the sufferer to avoid the cause of it as much as
possible; in severe cases, victims may collapse or become
AN OVERVIEW OF totally incapacitated by their fear. Examples include: acro-
phobia (heights); agoraphobia (open spaces, an especially
ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY common phobia); astraphobia (storms, thunder, and light-
ning); claustrophobia (enclosed places); hematophobia
Briefly, abnormal psychology can be divided into three (blood); mysophobia (contamination and germs); nyctophobia
broad fields. The first is neuroses and emotional disorders. (darkness); pathophobia (disease); pyrophobia (fire); and
Neuroses are disorders of mood and emotion. They do not zoophobia (animals or a specific type of animal).
involve extreme distortions of perception or serious mental Phobias are very common as Psychological Limitations
disturbances (as do the psychoses). Examples of neuroses (for example, Bulldozer’s “Fear of Spiders” [arachnaphobia],
include phobias, anxiety states, obsessive/compulsive dis- Freon’s pyrophobia, and Sniper’s agoraphobia). The point
order, somatoform disorders (complaints of pain or other value depends on how common the feared phenomenon is
symptoms with no organic basis) and affective disorders and how strong the character’s fear reaction is; usually the
such as depression and manic-depressiveness. total will be 10 or 15 points. Higher point totals usually
The second major field is known as social and personality indicate a very common phenomenon or a severe reaction,
problems. It includes a variety of personality disorders (such and may incapacitate the character so frequently that they
as antisocial personality disorder, the cause of much crimi- are not worth taking.
nal behavior), substance abuse disorders and psychosexual
disorders. ANXIETY STATES
The last field is the schizophrenias and paranoias, often Anxiety states include panic disorder (sudden, inexpli-
referred to as psychoses. Unlike neuroses, psychoses in- cable “panic attacks,” with accompanying physical symp-
volve extreme disruptions of thought, perception, behavior toms such as labored breathing), generalized anxiety disor-
and emotion. der (“free-floating panic,” a chronic state of unfocused anxi-
ety), and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Only the last of
these is likely to be important in a Champions game.
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 25
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a rare psychological Psychogenic amnesia occurs when a person becomes
disorder. The sufferer experiences persistent, irrational ob- unable to recall certain information, such as who he is, who
sessions and/or compulsions which are so strong that they his friends are, where he lives, what he does for a living, and
interfere with daily life. In general, they are thought to be so forth. Basic skills (such as how to eat or how to drive) are
caused by a rigid or overactive conscience or by feeling of usually not forgotten. Amnesia often covers everything that
inadequacy and vulnerability (the obsessive/compulsive “rou- happened during a limited period of time, and occurs right
tine” shields the sufferer from these fears by making life after a particularly stressful event. However, it may include
predictable and “safe”). certain types of events over a longer period of time, or even
Obsessions are strong, recurring thoughts about some- cover the sufferer’s entire life. Usually the amnesia eventu-
thing. They generally seem irrational to the sufferer, but that ally goes away, but this may take weeks, months, or even
does not prevent them from occurring. Examples include years. As a Psychological Limitation, psychogenic amnesia
obsessive doubts or fears (“Did I lock the door? I bet I is usually worth 15-25 points, depending upon how much is
forgot”); endless, obsessive chains of thought; obsessive forgotten over how long a period of time. Sooner or later the
impulses to perform certain acts (often immoral or illegal character should buy the Limitation off, signifying that he has
acts, such as murder or vandalism); and obsessive images been “cured.”
(recurring images of a seen or imagined event, such as a car A person suffering from psychogenic fugue not only has
accident). amnesia, but he moves away from his home and job and
In real life, obsessive people do not often act on their establishes a completely new identity somewhere else.
obsessions, but this is not the case with comic-book charac- Psychogenic fugue is usually brief, but may be a long-term
ters. Some characters’ origins and activities center around problem in which the sufferer rationalizes away the “gaps” in
their obsessions. Many vigilantes, such as the Harbinger of his memory. Psychogenic fugue might make a good “origin
Justice, are obsessed with fighting crime. Some characters, story” for a Champions character: the stress of the event that
such as Black Mamba, are obsessed with destroying a gave the character his powers (and/or his desire to fight
particular person or organization. As a Psychological Limita- crime) also causes him to suffer from fugue. As the character
tion, obsessions often have high point totals (as high as 20 gradually comes to question the blank spots in his memory,
or 25 points), because they are a central element of the a mystery and a roleplaying opportunity will present itself for
character’s conception. The exact total depends on just how the GM to exploit. The character Sniper (Champions Uni-
driven a character is to perform the act(s) in question. verse, pages 117-18) has an origin something like this.
Compulsions are just that—a compelling impulse to do Multiple personality is the existence of two or more distinct
something (often an act with ritualistic qualities). The sufferer personalities in one person. Multiple personality is a frequent
usually recognizes that the act is absurd or irrational, but still subject of comics, television, and movies, where it is often
cannot prevent himself from doing it. A famous example from mislabeled “schizophrenia.” Normally each personality is
literature is Lady Macbeth’s compulsive hand-washing, different from the others (maybe radically so) and has its own
caused by her complicity in King Duncan’s murder. Other well-developed emotions and thought processes. The per-
examples include checking a door again and again to make sonalities may or may not be aware of one another (usually
sure it’s been locked, examining one’s pockets over and over if they are, the awareness is subconscious or indirect), and
for spare change, or a compulsion to repeat certain acts over may or may not like each other. The personalities are
and over again to “magically ward off danger.” generally aware of the “lost time” between their states of
In Champions terms, compulsions are usually represented awareness. The change from personality to personality may
as a roleplaying mechanic, not as a Psychological Limitation. occur abruptly, over a few minutes (which is the usual way),
For example, if a character is compelled to dust himself off or may take place subtly over weeks or months. Multiple
every five minutes, the player should get up and mimic personality is a very rare psychological problem, and may be
dusting himself off that way. Only if the compulsion seriously caused by a deep inner conflict between a person’s beliefs
interferes with a character’s lifestyle or capability to fight and desires.
crime should the character receive Disadvantage points for In Champions terms, there are two ways to handle multiple
it. personalities. First, it can be taken as a Psychological
Limitation (usually 15-20 points) if the change does not
SOMATOFORM AND substantially affect a character’s powers or game activities.
If the change is that extreme, for example where one
DISSOCIATIVE DISORDERS personality is a peace-loving, nonviolent hero and the other
Somatoform disorders are physical or health-related com- is a ruthless vigilante, a better way to handle the problem is
plaints for which no physiological cause is evident. They with a Multiform, as described in DC:HOV, page 35.
include hypochondriasis (a preoccupation with disease,
usually accompanied by many illogical and baseless health
complaints), conversion disorder (various forms of sudden
AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
paralysis, thought to be caused when the patient “converts” The last category of neuroses are the affective disorders,
anxiety and psychological problems into a physical prob- major depression and manic-depressiveness (or bipolar
lem), and somatization disorder (recurring complaints of disorder). Major depression is a deep, prolonged sadness
pain or other symptoms which have no discernible physical which usually disturbs the sufferer’s sleep, eating and activ-
basis). Somatoform disorders are not common to comic- ity patterns. It is a frequent psychological problem and is
book heroes. more common in women. Depression is rarely taken as a
Dissociative disorders, on the other hand, are sometimes Psychological Limitation for Champions characters.
seen in comics and movies. They include psychogenic
amnesia, psychogenic fugue and multiple personality.
 26 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
Manic-depressiveness is a psychological condition char- Narcissistic Personality Disorder:
acterized by alternating periods of depression and mania. An individual who has an inflated view of his own unique-
Mania usually takes one of two forms: acute (in which the ness, importance, and capacities. Narcissists tend to be
sufferer becomes bossy, violent and restless, and suffers extremely vain and exploitative. Some “master villain” types
from decreased morals, flight of ideas, possible hallucina- may suffer from this disorder, rather than from more extreme
tions and impaired judgment and insight); and delirious (in forms of schizophrenia (see below).
which the sufferer becomes confused, excited, hyperactive,
talkative, restless, disoriented, completely shameless and Paranoid Personality Disorder:
possibly violent, and may also experience vivid hallucina- An individual who is excessively suspicious, argumenta-
tions). Most sufferers have a one to ten day period of relative tive, and sensitive, and is easily offended—”paranoid” in the
normality between the “poles” of the manic-depressive cycle, lay sense of the word.
but the schedule may be shorter or irregular. As a Psycho-
Schizoid Personality Disorder:
logical Limitation, manic-depressiveness should be handled
Persons who have trouble forming social relationships,
like multiple personality, and the player should devise a
whether friendships or romances. They have few (if any
method of acting out the extremes of behavior (for example,
friends), and often seem to be stand-offish or “aloof,” without
he might tap his fingers constantly whenever his character is
compassion for other people.
in a “manic” phase, or be completely quiet when depressed).
ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITY DISORDER
In the field of criminal psychology, the most important
PERSONALITY DISORDERS personality disorder is antisocial personality disorder, more
commonly known as sociopathy or psychopathy. Sociopa-
AND SOCIAL PROBLEMS thy has been described as the “prime criminogenic person-
ality trait;” 3% of American men and 1% of American women
This is the second major category of abnormal psychol- are thought to have sociopathic personalities.
ogy, and the one with the most relevance to the subject of Sociopaths are characterized by the following traits:
criminal psychology. 1) They have an average or even above-average intelli-
gence. Furthermore, they do not usually suffer from
PERSONALITY DISORDERS delusions or similar irrational thought patterns.
Personality disorders are a group of personality traits that
are so inflexible or ingrained that they impair an individual’s
social functioning. They usually begin in adolescence and
last throughout life. In some cases, they are “less intense”
versions of other psychological problems. In Champions
terms, they should usually be taken as 5-10 point Psycho-
logical Limitations; extreme forms may be worth 15 points.
For example, some swashbuckler characters might have
histrionic personality disorder (5-10 points), and some vil-
lains are narcissistic, paranoid or schizoid (5-15 points,
depending upon severity).
Some examples of personality disorders include:
Compulsive Personality Disorder:
These people are nit-picking perfectionists, intensely con-
cerned with rules, schedules, and details. Their insistence
that everything be done their way puts a great strain on those
around them.
Dependent Personality Disorder:
Individuals who lack confidence and reliance in them-
selves, structure their lives around their relationships with
others, and expect others to make decisions for them.
Histrionic Personality Disorder:
Sufferers are extremely dramatic and emotional, and
express their feelings very easily. They frequently try to
attract attention to themselves, and are often skilled manipu-
lators who constantly demand things. They tend to bore
easily and react angrily to petty problems, and are vain and
shallow.
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 27
2) Sociopaths exhibit a great deal of superficial charm and OTHER SOCIAL PROBLEMS
friendliness, and often use this charm to get close to their There are two other social problems, but they occur
victims and lull their suspicions. However, this outward relatively infrequently in gaming contexts. One is substance
affability masks several undesirable traits: a complete abuse disorders: addiction to drugs or alcohol, pathological
lack of deep and lasting emotion, including gratitude, gambling, and so forth. These disorders can be taken as
sympathy and compassion for others; manipulativeness; Psychological Limitations, Physical Limitations, or Depen-
untruthfulness and insincerity; and a “pathological ego- dencies (see “Drug Addiction in the HERO System, later in
centricity” and completely self-centered viewpoint which this chapter). The other is psychosexual disorders, which
prevents them from seeing themselves as others see include paraphilias (unnatural sexual attractions, including
them. transvestism, pedophilia and rape), gender identity disor-
3) Sociopaths suffer from a deficient sense of emotions and ders (such as transsexualism) and psychosexual dysfunc-
arousal. In short, they feel much less, emotionally, than tions.
normal people do. They have a “hunger” for stimuli which
often leads them to be thrill seekers, to become frustrated
or bored easily, and to do extreme things to achieve
emotional arousal (for example, to kill for pleasure). SCHIZOPHRENIAS AND
4) An important corollary of (3) is that sociopaths feel no guilt
or remorse for their deeds, nor any sense of shame. This
PARANOIAS
prevents them from having any real conception of moral
The last major grouping of abnormal psychology problems
values or ethics. Even if the do pursue what would be
is the schizophrenias and paranoias, often referred to as
considered a “responsible” goal, they do so unethically.
“psychoses.” Psychotic behavior is marked by a much more
They also feel little anxiety, and are able to act coolly and
extreme disturbance of thought and perception than neurotic
calmly in situations where others would panic (i.e., they
behavior. Psychosis is the ultimate psychological break-
have a higher than average PRE and/or EGO).
down, a complete divorce from reality.
5) Sociopaths also suffer from an inability to be conditioned
or to appreciate the long-term consequences of their
actions. They live entirely for the moment and the stimulus
SCHIZOPHRENIA: SYMPTOMS
it brings them, and are particularly prone to discount future Schizophrenia is most common from ages fifteen to 45,
events which may be bad or threatening. Thus, it is almost and is equally as common in men as in women. Symptoms
impossible to deter them from crime with the threat of may develop slowly from childhood, or may be caused by
punishment, and even if they are punished, they won’t stress later in life. Schizophrenic episodes may recur through-
learn anything from it or cease their behavior afterwards. out the sufferer’s life or be chronic.
Sociopaths reject authority and seem not to realize that Schizophrenia is characterized by several different types
rules apply to them. They also cannot take on responsibili- of symptoms. The first type is called “disorders of thought.”
ties or exercise good judgment. This may mean disorders of thought form, such as incoher-
ent speech, unconnected and nonsensical thoughts and
These traits combine to make sociopaths extremely prone statements, repetition of concepts or phrases, lack of speech
to criminal behavior. Some become actively hostile and or “blocking” (interruption of the train of thought by silence,
vicious, acting out their fantasies and impulses with sense- then an inability to remember what was said before the
less violence and depravity. Many serial killers, for example, interruption). Alternately, it may mean disorders of thought
are textbook examples of sociopathy. content, such as delusions. These delusions may be of
Experts have long speculated on the causes of sociopa- persecution; of imposed sensations, thoughts, feelings,
thy. Some causal factors may be biological, such as a emotions or acts (“Martians are sending messages to my
“malfunction” of parts of the central nervous system which brain to make me do these things, Doctor”); or of stolen
might otherwise inhibit their behavior. Others relate to family thoughts and emotions. Alternately, a normal perception
life—situations where a child suffers from emotional depriva- may take on special significance for the schizophrenic.
tion, parental rejection, or inconsistent punishment may Sometimes an elaborate delusional scheme develops, and
contribute to the development of antisocial personalities. everything the schizophrenic perceives becomes a part of it.
Sociocultural values also seem to play a part (sociopathy is Second, schizophrenics suffer from disorders of percep-
more common in lower socioeconomic groups, for example, tion and attention, which primarily means that they halluci-
and in areas where society’s values have broken down). nate. Schizophrenics’ hallucinations are normally auditory:
It is important to note that sociopaths are usually not they may “hear” their thoughts, or “voices” may speak to
legally insane. They understand what they are doing, and them or give them orders. They may also feel that they are
realize that it may have bad consequences—they just don’t unable to screen out certain perceptions.
care. They value their own actions more than they fear Third, schizophrenics may have unusual motor symp-
punishment, and in many ways might simply be described as toms, such as odd facial expressions, repetition of gestures,
“evil.” manic/hyperactive levels of activity or catatonic immobility.
Sociopathy is of course an extremely common Psycho- Fourth, schizophrenics have affective symptoms, such as
logical Limitation for Champions villains. Many villains, both emotional “flatness” (which occurs in about two-thirds of
in the Dark Champions books and in other books, are schizophrenics) or inappropriate responses (laughing at bad
sociopaths, even though they may express it in other terms news, rapid emotional shifts, and so forth).
(“Casual Killer,” “Loves To Kill,” and so forth). Antisocial In short, schizophrenics are often what is snidely referred
personality disorder is worth 20-25 points as a Disadvan- to as “raving mad.” Their disorder inhibits their social func-
tage. tioning, and they are prone to other psychological disorders.
 28 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
SCHIZOPHRENIA: TYPES recognized as superior, or their delusions are otherwise
There are four basic types of schizophrenia. The first is “thwarted,” they may take matters into their own hands and
called undifferentiated schizophrenia, meaning that it is a become violent. This form of psychosis may work better for
catchall category for schizophrenics who do not fit into one many “master villains” than true paranoid schizophrenia,
of the other three categories. since it is less disabling. It is worth 10-20 points as a
The second is disorganized (or hebephrenic) schizophre- Psychological Limitation.
nia. Sufferers are subjected to numerous poorly-organized The second form of paranoia is acute paranoid disorder,
delusions and hallucinations, experience shifts in emotion which causes the sufferer to experience a series of ever-
and have incoherent speech. Eventually, the sufferer tends changing delusions with no logical relation or pattern to one
to become reclusive and infantile. another. This disorder is usually temporary, and is worth 10-
Catatonic schizophrenia is the third type. It is character- 20 points as a Psychological Limitation.
ized by extreme motor disturbances. “Withdrawn” catatonic
schizophrenics tend to become motionless, often in odd,
rigid positions, or they may mimic others. “Excited” sufferers
tend to be manic, and may become violent. Catatonic schizo-
DISORDERS NOT
phrenia can often be effectively treated with drugs. CLASSIFIED ELSEWHERE
Lastly, and most importantly from a gaming perspective,
there is paranoid schizophrenia. This types of schizophrenia This broad DSM-III category includes two disorders which
is marked by delusions. The most prominent are delusions may be of interest to Champions players. The first is klepto-
of persecution, hence the lay use of the term “paranoid.” mania, or pathological theft behavior. The sufferer experi-
However, delusions of grandeur are also frequent: the suf- ences an irresistible desire to steal things, regardless of their
ferer may think that he is a great genius, all-powerful, a value, usefulness or the risk involved. They do not plan their
religious or media figure and/or destined to rule the world thefts or work with others to commit them. Kleptomania is
(also known as megalomania). Often a complex delusional usually worth 15-20 points as a Psychological Limitation.
framework is created, and seemingly insignificant events are The second is pyromania, an irresistible impulse to set fires
included in it (for example, when the man at the next table and a general fascination with fire. The pyromaniac simply
asks to borrow the salt, a schizophrenic might assume that enjoys seeing fires, he does not set them for gain or for
the man was actually spying on him). Paranoid schizophrenics ideological reasons. Many fire-based villains, such as Fire-
may be prone to anger or violence, and may even experience bug and Blowtorch, suffer from pyromania, which is a 15-25
hallucinations, but generally they are less withdrawn from point Psychological Limitation.
reality than other schizophrenics.
Most forms of schizophrenia are not especially useful as
Psychological Limitations for Champions characters be-
cause they are so extreme. A few completely deranged CONCLUSION
villains might be schizophrenics (a 20-25 point Psychologi-
cal Limitation). Some characters could suffer from mild In conclusion, here are two criminal psychology questions
schizophrenia in the form of delusions (such as Foxbat’s which Champions players can debate among themselves.
belief that he is actually in a comic-book world) or hallucina- First, are certain master villains actually paranoid or para-
tions which are not too handicapping (a 10-20 point Psycho- noid schizophrenics? The answer to this question may seem
logical Limitation). obvious but take a villain like Dr. Destroyer. Destroyer
The one exception to this general rule is paranoid schizo- unquestionably possesses power, resources and intelli-
phrenia, which is frequently seen in master villains and gence far in excess of most men. He is fully capable of taking
would-be world conquerors (it may be called “Megaloma- over and ruling the world (in fact, he’s come all too close too
nia,” for example). It is worth 15-25 points, depending upon many times). Given this, is it insane for him to want to rule the
how strong the feelings of superiority are. (Another possibil- world, or to try to take it over? Is he a paranoid, or is he
ity is one of the paranoias, described below). intelligently, rationally and correctly evaluating the situation?
Second, are vigilantes like the Harbinger of Justice, the
PARANOIAS Scarecrow and Sniper sociopaths? While they might be said
Paranoia is a form of psychosis marked by delusions and to exhibit some symptoms—such as the ability to kill without
an impaired contact with reality which is not severe enough remorse—they do not have many of the symptoms. For
to be true schizophrenia, but is more severe than paranoid example, they do feel guilt (at least when they make a
personality disorder. Paranoid delusions usually have a mistake, but not when they kill criminals), are extremely
“theme” of some sort, such as money, the sufferer’s job or an moralistic (at least from some perspectives), are willing to
invention supposedly created by the sufferer. Paranoids are take on responsibility (the responsibility of fighting crime),
“impervious to reason,” unwilling or unable to accept logical are capable of feeling a full range of emotions and returning
and rational explanations for their delusions. emotion, often have good judgment and can plan for the
There are two types of paranoia. In the first, confusingly future and properly judge the consequences of their actions.
called paranoia, the sufferer has delusions of persecution or Perhaps they are in a different category unique to fiction—
of grandeur, but his personality and contact with reality are ”vigilante personality disorder,” a form of “focused sociopa-
not otherwise impaired. Those suffering from delusions of thy” in which the “sufferer” feels no remorse for taking actions
grandeur may see themselves as superior or unique beings, (even extremely violent or brutal ones) against criminals or
may think they have been given a “special mission” to others who do not live up to his moral code.
perform, and so forth. If they feel that they are not being
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 29

s Eh ADVANCED FORENSICS
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This section provides more information on forensic sci- Hanging is rarely used as a form of homicide because it is
ence and criminalistics for Champions players. It is intended difficult to hang someone who is resisting. Homicidal hang-
to supplement the material in DC:HOV, pages 53-59. The ing victims usually display signs of having been beaten,
same warnings given in that section apply here as well: subdued, or drugged.
players should get the GM’s permission before reading this It is possible to hang a corpse and create the same ligature
section, in case the GM wishes to keep some facts secret for marks that would have been created if the victim were still
use in “murder mystery” scenarios and similar adventures. alive, if the hanging takes place within two hours of death.

LIGATURE AND MANUAL STRANGULATION

Ligature strangulation is a form of strangulation involving
ASPHYXIATION the tightening of some sort of band by a force other than body
weight. The classic example is a garrote. Ligature strangu-
Asphyxiation is death due to the body’s failure to receive lations are almost always murders, and the victims are
oxygen. It can occur because of suffocation/smothering, the usually female. Unconsciousness generally occurs within
breathing of certain gases that block the utilization of oxygen ten to fifteen seconds.
by the body (chemical asphyxiation) or strangulation. Since The appearance of a victim of ligature strangulation differs
smothering was covered in sufficient detail in DC:HOV, and somewhat from that of a hanging victim. First, the face is
poisonous gases are covered in the “Poisons” section of the usually congested, not pale. Second, the appearance of the
Sourcebook, this subsection will concentrate on the three ligature will differ—not only will it be a horizontal mark, but
different types of strangulation: hanging, ligature strangula- the mark’s appearance will vary depending upon the type of
tion and manual strangulation. instrument used (the thinner it is, the more prominent the
A human being can be strangled relatively easily: it re- mark), the amount of force used by the strangler, and how
quires only 11 pounds of pressure to cut off the carotid much the victim resists. Ligature strangulation marks are
arteries, causing unconsciousness in approximately ten usually well-preserved, even during decomposition. There
seconds (2D6 NND per phase for a SPD 3 attacker, in may also be scratch marks on the victim’s neck where he
Champions terms), and 66 pounds of pressure to cut off the tried to undo the band. Victims often have hair clutched in
vertebral arteries. their hands as well, but this is almost always their own, not
their killer’s.
HANGING Manual strangulation is strangulation by the hands or
Hanging is a form of strangulation frequently used to arms of another. It is invariably a form of murder, not suicide
commit suicide. It is rarely seen as a form of murder, and or an accident. Manual strangulation often leaves abrasions,
despite still being “on the books” as a law in some states, is contusions, or scratches on the neck (which may indicate
no longer used as a form of legal execution. Judicial hang- how the attacker placed his hands). It also causes internal
ings, which break the neck and cause instant unconscious- bleeding into the neck muscles, and pinpoint hemorrhages
ness and a rapid death after a period of convulsions, are not (petechiae) in the eyeballs.
really a form of strangulation. One last form of asphyxiation which should be briefly
Hanging involves placing a ligature of some sort (such as noted is crucifixion, which causes death due to shock,
a rope or electrical cord) in a noose around the neck, so that dehydration and asphyxia when the body’s weight cuts off
the body’s weight supplies the pressure needed to cut off the ability to breathe. Although this form of murder is ex-
blood flow to the brain. Because so little pressure is required tremely rare in real life, Dark Champions characters may
to do this, it is possible for someone to hang himself while encounter it when they are dealing with evil religious cults or
sitting, kneeling, or lying down (for example, from a doorknob particularly vicious organized crime groups.
or bedpost). The noose will leave a slanted ligature mark
around the neck, and the shape and size of the mark usually
indicate what type of material was used. If the ligature
material is soft (such as a towel) or a pad is placed between BLUNT TRAUMA
the noose and the neck, the ligature mark may be less
distinct or nonexistent. The ligature mark is usually at an Blunt trauma means injuries caused by impact—beatings,
angle. Generally, the face of a hanging victim will be pale, collisions and similar incidents. The nature of the injury
and the tongue protruding and black (from drying). There usually depends on the amount of force used, the area(s) of
may be scratch marks around the neck where the victim has the body struck and the amount of body surface covered and
tried to undo the noose. Blood pools in the victim’s lower the type of weapon used. There are 4 types of blunt trauma:
extremities, such as arms, hands, and legs. abrasions, contusions, lacerations and skeletal fractures.
 30 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
ABRASIONS
An abrasion is a skin injury where the skin is scraped away BURNS
by friction. It is caused by scraping (such as being dragged
by a car) or by some kinds of impact or pressure. The shape Burns are generally caused by three phenomena: fire (the
or outline of the striking object may be reflected in the most common cause), chemicals and electricity (discussed
abrasion (for example, a person who is thrown off of a below).
building and lands on a sewer grating may have the pattern Burns from fire or heat may be caused by direct contact
of the grating impressed onto his body). Abrasions may also with flame, contact with a hot object, heat radiating from a hot
indicate that there is internal injury. The age of an abrasion object or scalding. They are ranked by degrees: first (super-
can usually be estimated based on how much it has healed. ficial, no blisters); second (burns of part of the thickness of
the skin, usually with a red, moist and blistered outer appear-
CONTUSIONS ance); third (burns of the full thickness of the skin, with a
A contusion, better known as a bruise, is a result of the leathery white outer appearance and no blisters), and fourth
rupture of blood vessels under the skin in response to blunt (incinerating burns extending beneath the skin). For the
trauma. Contusions are not caused by all blunt trauma; it is most part, pre-death and after-death burns are indistinguish-
possible to hit someone without bruising them (for example, able, and blistering can occur after death.
the abdomen rarely bruises). Contusions most often form in It is extremely difficult to burn an entire body—even if the
fatty areas or areas of thin skin; the victim’s age, gender or outside is charred, the inner organs will usually be fine.
health may also influence whether a bruise is created. The Severely burned bodies may have split skin (exposing the
bruise may reflect the pattern or shape of the object used to muscle beneath). Bones exposed to extreme heat display
strike the victim, but can be differently shaped as well. distinctive fractures which show by their pattern whether the
Bruises often change color, but cannot be accurately dated skin had flesh on it or not when it was burned. Teeth are
by this or any other manner. Corpses can be bruised, if the highly resistant to heat, and are often used to identify burned
beating is severe and takes place within a few hours after bodies (accurate identification can be made with as little as
death, and these contusions cannot be distinguished from one tooth).
those made while the victim was alive. Bruises blend indis- Victims who die in fires often die not of burns, but of carbon
tinguishably with livor mortis (see DC:HOV, page 57). monoxide inhalation. If the victim has no carbon monoxide in
his blood, then he was probably killed before the fire (which
LACERATIONS AND may have been set in a futile attempt to destroy the body).
OTHER BLUNT TRAUMA Carbon monoxide poisoning turns the skin bright red.
Lacerations are tears in the tissue caused by the crushing Burns caused by chemicals vary depending upon the type
force of a blow. A long, narrow object will usually create a and strength of chemical (such as acid), the amount used
linear laceration, while a flat object will usually create an and the duration of contact between the chemicals and the
irregular or Y-shaped laceration. Lacerations are most com- skin. They tend to be second or third degree burns, and the
mon in bony areas of the body, where the skin splits relatively color of the scab that forms over the burn indicates what kind
easily. Lacerations frequently resemble incisions (a type of of acid was used: yellow for nitric acid; black or brown for
sharp trauma, see below). However, lacerations display a sulfuric acid; white or gray for hydrochloric acid; and light
phenomenon known as “bridging,” where tiny fibers of tissue gray or light brown for phenol.
“bridge” the wound at its bottom, and incisions do not have
bridging. Based on the way the force of the blow has moved
or abraded the skin at the edges of the laceration, the
forensic pathologist may be able to determine the direction DROWNING
and angle of the blow (the GM can impose a -1 to -3 penalty
to a character’s Forensic Medicine roll in appropriate circum- Drowning is death caused by a submersion in liquid,
stances). The age of lacerations cannot be determined. which, of course, prevents breathing. It can occur in as little
Skeletal fractures are injuries to the bones themselves. as six inches of water. If the victim is alive when placed in the
The type and direction of impact, the amount of force, and the liquid, he will inhale it and it will be found in his lungs.
place hit all influence whether a fracture occurs and how it Drowned bodies float face down, and may suffer post-
will look. The nature of an injury to bone may also provide the mortem scrape and scratch injuries from brushing against
examiner with other information (for example, whether the things as they float. Within three to four hours after immer-
damage to the bone took place while the person was alive, sion, the liquid also tends to wash blood out of other injuries,
or whether it is post-mortem damage to old, dry bones). making them appear to be after-death injuries when in fact
Some instruments will leave distinctive shapes in bone; they occurred before death.
however, some be misleading—for example, a bullet may Corpses sink relatively soon after drowning. They remain
shatter bone in such a way that the injury looks like a fracture submerged until decomposition-created gases make them
caused by blunt trauma (an appropriate penalty to the float to the surface (the colder the water, the longer the
Forensic Medicine roll will allow the character to discover the decomposition takes). During the body’s time in the water, it
proper source of damage to a bone; see also “Forensic may be damaged by marine animals or other natural phe-
Anthropology,” below). nomena.
Beating victims will sometimes display blunt trauma “de- There are no special forensic tests which indicate that a
fense wounds” on the arms and hands, indicating that they victim has been killed by drowning. The diagnosis results
were trying to fend off the blows and protect themselves. from the circumstances of the killing (i.e., the fact that the
body was found in or near water) and the exclusion of other
potential causes of death (such as drugs or stabbing).
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 31

ELECTROCUTION
Electrocution deaths are usually accidental. Humans are
most sensitive to AC current (the most common type). Thirty-
nine to 150 cycles per second is the range of greatest
lethality. Important factors include amperage (how much
electricity enters the body against the resistance of human
skin) and the voltage (electromagnetic force). Low voltage
(i.e., household current) only kills or injures if it comes into
direct contact with the body; it causes death in seconds or
tenths of a second due to ventricular fibrillation. High voltage
(such as that from high tension electric lines) can kill if it
comes within centimeters of someone because an arc of
electricity will leap from the source to the victim. It causes
almost instantaneous death by burning and cardiac and
respiratory arrest.
High voltage electricity will always cause burns, and low
voltage will cause them about half of them time. The burns
are at the point where the current enters and exits the body;
the hand is the most common entry point and the foot is a
frequent exit point. Electrical burns are distinctive from other
types of burns. High voltage may also cause massive inter-
nal damage, destroying tissue and organs.
Homicide by electrocution is rare, but does occur. The
most common method is to drop a plugged-in appliance into
someone’s bath. This does not cause burns, and if the
appliance is removed from the water, the death appears to
be natural.

FINGERNAIL SCRAPINGS Forensic anthropologists can also reconstruct a person’s

facial features from his skull, providing a picture of a name-
Fingernail scrapings or cuttings are commonly referred to less victim which can be used to identify him. If a character
in comic books, detective fiction and “cop movies” as a wishes to be able to do this, he must know both Forensic
source of evidence, particularly after some kinds of rape and Medicine and SC: Forensic Anthropology, and must also
murder cases where a female victim is thought to have have PS: Sculptor. Depending upon the condition of the
scratched her assailant. The theory is that sample’s of the skull, the Forensic Medicine roll will be at -1 to -4. For every
criminal’s skin and/or flesh will be found underneath the point the character misses the roll by, PER Rolls made by
victim’s fingernails. However, unlike fiction, in real life finger- others to identify the victim will be at -1.
nail scrapings rarely provide useful evidence. Depending
upon how realistic the GM wants to be, he could impose
penalties of -3 or more to the character’s Criminology roll, or
could require the character to make a Luck roll to determine SHARP TRAUMA
if any evidence is present at all.
Sharp trauma is injuries caused by sharp or pointed
objects, such as knives or icepicks. There are three basic
FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY categories of sharp trauma: stab wounds, incised wounds,
and chop wounds.

Forensic anthropology (also known as physical anthropol- STAB WOUNDS

ogy) is the branch of criminalistics which is concerned with Stab wounds are sharp trauma where the depth of the
the shape and structure of the human skeleton. Depending wound is greater than the length of the wound. The edges of
upon what bones are available and what condition they are the wound are usually distinct, without abrasions or contu-
in, a victim’s skeleton can be used to determine his height, sions, although this may vary depending upon how sharp the
age, gender, and race, and may also provide evidence of the stabbing object is (but not upon whether the blade’s edge
cause of death (such as cuts in the bone from knives). was serrated or jagged—usually this is not apparent from the
Anomalies in the skeleton can also be used to prove an wound).
unidentified murder victim’s identity, if x-rays of the victim The shape and size of a stab wound depends upon six
exist for comparison. Depending upon the condition of the factors: the shape of the weapon; the direction of thrust and
skeleton, a Forensic Medicine roll at -2 to withdrawal; movement of the blade; movement of the victim;
-4 is necessary to make these determinations. Science: the relaxation or tension of the skin; and Langer’s lines
Forensic Anthropology acts as a complementary skill.
 32 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
(fibrous threads of tissue in the skin that can distort the shape
of the wound if the cut goes against their “grain”). The shape
of the cut may indicate the type of blade used and how the
SUPERPOWERS AND
knife was twisted in the attack, but this is not always FORENSIC SCIENCE
reliable.Multiple icepick wounds may resemble wounds from
small shotgun pellets (-1 to -2 to the Forensic Medicine roll In games involving superpowered characters, GMs should
to distinguish). Odd-shaped weapons, such as screwdrivers be aware that the use of superpowers can leave distinctive
or scissors, often create wounds with identifiable shapes. forensic traces. Sometimes these traces are obvious, such
If there are several deep stab wounds, the forensic pa- as the claw marks that would be left by villains like Pantera
thologist is usually able to determine the length of the blade or Carnivore, which would look bestial but probably would
used. The fewer wounds there are, the less likely it is that an have been made in a pattern suggesting a bipedal attacker.
accurate determination can be made. The GM can impose a But in some cases superpowers’ trace evidence is faint or
Forensic Medicine roll penalty of -1 to -3 in appropriate difficult to discover. For example, many types of energy
circumstances. The amount of force used to stab someone powers might leave identifiable “energy patterns,” but the
also can be determined (in a very vague sense) if the average police department may not have the sophisticated
character makes a Forensic Medicine roll. equipment needed to detect them. Superpowered heroes,
The amount of bleeding caused by stab wounds depends on the other hand, would likely be prepared for this sort of
primarily on where the victim is stabbed and what is pierced. thing, giving the police and the heroes a good reason to work
For example, if an artery is punctured there will be a large together.
amount of bleeding and a fairly quick death. It is possible for Here are a few examples of forensic traces left by super-
post-mortem wounds to leak substantial quantities of blood, powers:
depending upon how the body lies and where it is stabbed.
Victims of stabbings (and other sharp trauma) may have
The use of ice- or cold-based powers would probably
“defense wounds” on their hands and arms if they were able
generate a lot of excess water from condensation or
to fight back or defend themselves.
melting. Whether the water causes a flooding effect or
simply soaks into the grounds and disappears depends
INCISED AND CHOP WOUNDS on the locale. Other types of energy attacks may have
their own “side effects” (flame blasts char and melt
Incised wounds are cuts and slices from sharp objects. things, radiation blasts irradiate the area, sonic or vibra-
The majority of them are not fatal. The length and depth of the tory blasts may leave tiny cracks in solid objects in the
wound will not normally tell the pathologist anything about vicinity, and so forth).
the blade used to inflict it, but a dull or nicked knife may not
cut as cleanly. Incisions can be distinguished from lacera- The use of super-strength can often be detected by
tions (see above) by the absence of “bridging” in the depths running pressure and stress tests on the affected mate-
of the wound. rial. The amount of pressure generated by a “brick”
Chop wounds are caused by heavy cutting tools, such as character’s fingertips when he’s ripping the door off of a
machetes, axes, etc. They usually consist of an incision-like vault, picking up a car to smash someone with, and so
wound and a broken or grooved bone beneath. If the weapon forth, is enormous —so enormous that it is usually a dead
is dull, the wound may also have laceration-like characteris- giveaway. Patterns of tearing or ripping may also indi-
tics. The weapon may leave chips of metal in the bone. cate the use of super-strength. Science: Material Sci-
ence or similar Skills would be complementary to Crimi-
nology in this case.
ULTRAVIOLET VISION AND Some types of comic-book weapons might be so well-
made or efficient that they would leave very few traces,
FORENSIC SCIENCE which in itself might be a clue. For example, if a character
with an adamantium (Questionite, ultranium, imaginite,
Besides helping characters see at night, Ultraviolet Vision whatever) blade used it to murder someone, the super-
can also help them in their investigative work. There are hard metal not only would be unlikely to leave chips of
many types of trace evidence which are visible under UV metal in bones that it contacts, it might even cut clean
light even when they are not visible to the naked eye. For through the bones! Since most knives do leave chips of
example, UV Vision can detect tiny metal filings, places metal when they solidly contact bone, the lack of trace
where blood was spilled but then cleaned up, fingerprints, evidence is important.
old injuries, footprints and other tracks and many other types Magic in its various forms would probably leave an
of evidence. In some cases additional chemicals are needed “energy signature” markedly different from scientific en-
(for example, trying to detect cleaned-up blood, which re- ergies—one so different that maybe magical spells would
quires a substance called luminol), but characters with be required to detect it. Some types of attack spells would
Criminology or Forensic Medicine will have access to them. leave forensic traces resembling the spell’s nearest
Infrared Vision and Microscopic Vision can also be very scientific equivalent (i.e., a mystically-created lightning
helpful when examining crime scenes. Remember, how- bolt would have the same effect on a person as a large
ever, that a character still has to know Criminology and/or blast of electricity generated by a high-voltage line).
Forensic Medicine to interpret what he sees correctly.
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 33

s Eh ILLEGAL DRUGS
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Illegal drugs, from cocaine to heroin to laboratory-made Amphetamines have a relatively simple chemical struc-
“designer drugs,” are a frequently-encountered element in ture and can be made with fairly basic chemistry equipment.
Champions scenarios, both street-level and four-color. While In about four hours, a person with no chemistry training can
most GMs and players are aware of the general effects of turn approximately $500 worth of chemicals into a pound of
most drugs, including their destructive effect on users and on amphetamines worth $35,000 on the street. While some
society, the specifics of illegal drug creation and trafficking amphetamines (about 20%) sold on the street are stolen
are usually less well-known to them. Since these specifics from legal sources, about 80% are manufactured in illegal
can have important implications for scenarios and scenario labs (both in this country and in Mexico). Outlaw motorcycle
design, this section of An Eye For An Eye describes the gangs and the yakuza tend to control the trade in many
major illegal drugs being sold in the United States today, areas, but because the drug is so easy to make there are a
including how they are created, smuggled into the country, lot of “independent” producers as well.
and sold. HERO System effects of the drugs are listed in
parentheses where appropriate. METHAMPHETAMINE
GMs should be aware that much of the information in this Methamphetamine (“meth,” “crank,” “crystal meth” or
section about prices, availability and methods of sale is “speed”) is a refined form of amphetamine. The final product
subject to frequent change. The market price and method of is a white, crystalline powder. Methamphetamine is not
packaging of various drugs can vary incredibly from one city legally produced, it is always illegal. Again, outlaw motor-
to another and sometimes from dealer to dealer within a city. cycle gangs and the yakuza generally control the trade, with
This is a good excuse for the GM to get “creative” once in a the motorcycle gangs (such as the Hell’s Angels on the West
while if necessary for purposes of the game. Coast, and the Pagans in the East) accounting for approxi-
mately 75% of production and sales at present.
Methamphetamine is injected or smoked by the user. It
AMPHETAMINES stimulates the central nervous system, creating an intense,
immediate “rush” or “flash,” similar to an orgasm. Its effects
Amphetamines, known on the street as “speed,” “crank” or are more or less similar to those of amphetamines; extended
“uppers,” are a class of chemicals which stimulate the central use or an overdose can cause confusion, hallucinations,
nervous system, much like cocaine. They were once used in paranoid psychosis, convulsions, coma and death from
“pep pills” and appetite suppressants, but doctors today cardiac arrhythmia.
rarely prescribe them because of the potential for abuse. ICE — Ice is a crystal methamphetamine—the smokable
Amphetamines are usually sold in tablets or capsules; the “rock” form of methamphetamine. It is also called “glass” or
most popular legally-created ones are Benzedrine (“bennies”), “crystal.” It is odorless and colorless and resembles rock
Dexedrine (“dex”), Biphetamine (“whites”) and Methedrine candy or rock salt, so it is easily hidden.
(“meth”). Many users simply swallow the pills, but some Ice is extremely potent and powerful. After smoking it,
dissolve the chemical in water and inject it to cause a quicker, users remain high for eight to 24 hours (as compared with no
stronger “rush.” The price of the pills varies from city to city, more than twenty minutes for a “hit” of crack cocaine).
but a pound of illegally-created amphetamines can sell for Reports of highs lasting up to a week from a single hit have
around $35,000 on the street. also been reported. Users call getting high from smoking ice
Amphetamines have several effects upon the human “amping,” because it is an “amplified” form of the euphoric
body. They create feelings of euphoria, alertness and in- feeling that amphetamines and methamphetamines cause.
creased confidence and concentration (Âd6 PRE Aid). They Users become extremely reckless and violent; they may pick
also increase the heartbeat, rate of breathing, and blood fights, drive erratically and recklessly and possibly even kill
pressure, but decrease the appetite. Users become talk- themselves. Prolonged use causes convulsions and fatal
ative, restless and irritable. At higher doses, amphetamines lung and kidney problems in addition to hallucinations and
cause pallor, rapid or irregular heartbeat, tremors, loss of psychological damage.
coordination (Âd6 DEX Drain), collapse and ultimately death Ice first appeared in America in the state of Hawaii, but
as a result of high fever, heart failure and/or cerebral hemor- quickly spread to the mainland (especially California; in fact,
rhage. Overdoses, though rare, kill in the same fashion. some sources refer to San Diego as the “ice capital” of the
Addicted users (“speed freaks,” in street slang) often go on mainland). Ice is distributed not only by native producers, but
“runs”—3-5 day binges of massive amphetamine use which by the yakuza and by Korean gangs (who call it hirropon). It
can cause frightening hallucinations, paranoia, psychosis, sells for $700 an ounce or less “wholesale.” The most
and violent behavior. Long-term users may also suffer from common method of street sale is a “paper,” a penny-sized
memory loss, decreased concentration (Âd6 INT Drain), cellophane or plastic bag holding one hit, about a tenth of a
and permanent paranoia. gram. Each paper costs about $50.
 34 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
METHCATHINONE Seconal (secobarbitol), and Tuinal (a combination of
Another form of amphetamine which has recently ap- amobarbitol and secobarbitol). Illegal barbiturates are gen-
peared is methcathinone, known on the street as “cat.” It was erally “diverted” from legal sources.
first created in Michigan, and is similar to methamphetamine. Short-acting barbiturates have an onset time and an effect
All that is needed to make cat is a large jar, some common similar to alcohol—they produce euphoria, increased self-
chemicals that are available in hardware stores, and certain esteem and lowered inhibitions (+Âd6 PRE), and eventually
over-the-counter cold medicines. $500 worth of ingredients intoxication (Âd6 or more DEX and INT Drain). Overuse can
yields a kilogram of cakey, whitish-colored powder worth lead to coma and death from respiratory failure.
$15,000 on the street. Currently no group controls the Barbiturates are known generically in street slang as
market, but it is thought that motorcycle gangs may try to “barbs,” “downers” or “goofballs.” The most popular varieties
move in and dominate the cat trade in the near future. have their own slang names, which are based on the color of
Like other amphetamine-class drugs, cat makes the user the pill: blue devils (Amytal), red birds or red devils (Seconal),
feel restless and manic, and creates a long-lasting feeling of yellowjackets (Nembutal), rainbows or Christmas trees
euphoria that can lead to reckless and dangerous behavior. (Tuinal) and so forth.
It also causes paranoia and weight loss, and habitual users
may begin to smell like the drug (a Distinctive Feature).
COCAINE
BARBITURATES Cocaine, a central nervous system stimulant, is one of the
most widely abused drugs in America, and in fact is one of the
Barbiturates are a class of drugs which act as depres- most physically and psychologically addictive substances
sants, sedating the central nervous system into a sleep-like known to man. An estimated five to six million Americans are
state. They decrease the activity of the nerves, heart, lungs regular users (at least half of these are addicted to the drug),
and some other body functions. and more people try it every day. The cocaine trade gener-
Barbiturates were first synthesized in the mid-nineteenth ates an annual income which has been estimated at $5-12
century and used as sleeping aids. Today there are thou- billion dollars or more per year for the groups that control the
sands of different varieties, many of which are still prescribed trade, the Colombian drug cartels. Approximately three-
as “sleeping pills” and medicines. Depending on what variety quarters of this money is pure profit.
is used, the onset of the effect may take hours or may occur Cocaine is derived from the coca plant, Erythroxylon coca,
almost at once. Addicts favor the shorter-acting types, in- which grows in certain areas of South America, primarily
cluding Amytal (amobarbitol), Nembutal (pentobarbitol), Bolivia, Colombia and Peru (small amounts are grown in
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 35
Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador and Panama). The plant itself is There are also many legitimate producers of and uses for
sturdy and can grow in a wide variety of soils and climates, those chemicals in the United States (acetone, for example,
yet in the modern day is not cultivated outside of South and is used to make paints, cosmetics, lubricants, agricultural
Central America. Peruvian and Bolivian coca leaves are the products and many legitimate drugs). For this reason, the
highest in quality; both are superior to Colombian coca. third stage of processing is increasingly being done in
America. One way or another, the final cost to the cartel to
THE CREATION OF COCAINE produce a kilogram of cocaine is roughly $3,000. Total
Cocaine begins its long journey to the streets of America annual cocaine production is estimated to be about 1,100
in the hinterlands of South America, where cocaleros (coca tons.
farmers) grow coca leaves for profit. A coca plant begins The Medellín and Cali cartels (actually coalitions of about
producing marketable leaves 18 months after it is planted, five family-based “cartels” each), which at their top tiers are
and will thereafter supply three to six harvests a year for 20- led by only about a hundred men, control an estimated 70-
40 years. It is more profitable than any other local cash crop 80% of Colombian cocaine refining and exports, and sell 60-
(its harvest is worth approximately four times that of oranges 70% of the cocaine sold in the United States (the structure
or avocados, ten times cacao and ninety-one times rice). and nature of the individual cartels is described in DC:HOV,
Coca also thrives in harsher conditions than other cash page 134). The Bolivian cocaine trade is dominated by
crops. However, it depletes the soil of valuable nutrients, approximately twelve to 25 “families,” many of whom merely
making it practically impossible for a coca farmer to switch to supply the Colombians; the Peruvian market is fragmented
another crop even if he wanted to. and is dominated by the Colombians. There have been (and
A hectare of coca plants will produce about 2,400 kilo- still are) bad feelings between the Medellín and Cali cartels,
grams of leaves, worth about $5,000-6,000 dollars to the mainly resulting from “turf wars” in New York City, but in
farmer and capable of creating a quantity of cocaine worth many cases they are now working together. Different cartel
$600,000-800,000 on the streets of America. It takes 300- family leaders are even “insuring” each other’s shipments of
500 kilograms of leaves (fewer of Bolivian or Peruvian cocaine in exchange for a percentage of the profits.
leaves, more of Colombian leaves) to make a single kilogram The cocaine industry in Colombia and other parts of South
of cocaine powder. America employs hundreds of thousands of people, who
The cocaine trafficking families pick up the leaves at the frequently “lobby” on behalf of cocaine production and against
farm. Laborers carry the leaves down hidden trails to a extradition treaties. The cartels also terrorize the Colombian
processing lab, usually in either Bolivia or Colombia. At the government, offering officials a choice of “plomo y plata”
lab, the transformation from coca leaves to cocaine powder (“lead or silver”)—a bribe to ignore the cartels, or a bullet in
is a three-step process. In the first step, the dried leaves are the brain if they try to stop cocaine production.
mixed with an alkaline solution (such as lime water, sodium
carbonate, or potassium carbonate). Then the moistened SMUGGLING AND SALE OF COCAINE
leaves must be mashed in a solution of kerosene, to precipi- The cocaine now must be transported to the United
tate out the alkaloid. This work is done by pisadores (“tram- States. The processed coke is put in plastic bags which are
plers”), who walk around in a vat of leaves, mashing them labeled by destination. The bags are stored in “stash houses,”
with their feet before the kerosene is added. This work is usually in the northern areas of Colombia, until they are flown
normally done at night, in a dance-like “celebration.” Aque- or shipped to America. Approximately 62% of the cocaine is
ous sulfuric acid is used to extract the kerosene, and is then smuggled in by air, and 38% by sea. At one time about 90%
neutralized with lime. At the end of this process, the trafficker of the cocaine entered the United States through Florida, but
has coca paste, about 40% pure cocaine. due to crackdowns in that area a lot of it is now transported
For the next two steps, the coca paste is usually trans- (at greater expense, of course) all up and down the Gulf and
ferred to more sophisticated labs nearer the cities. Most of East Coasts; some is flown to the West Coast via Mexico.
these refining laboratories (about 75% of them) are in Air smuggling is done with planes of every size, from small
Colombia (hence the Colombian cartels’ extensive control of turbo-prop planes to C-130 cargo transports; the most popular
and profit from cocaine trafficking—they control the upper include the light twin engine planes such as the Piper Aztec
end of the trafficking chain, which is the most profitable part). and Cessna 400 series, which can carry a ton of cocaine about
The coca paste is dissolved in sulfuric acid. Then potassium 1,800 miles and stay aloft for about twelve hours. The smaller
permanganate is added, and the mixture is filtered to remove planes refuel at transshipment points in the Bahamas, Central
impurities. Ammonium hydroxide is added to the filtrate, and America, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. In
the resulting precipitate forms “washed paste,” or cocaine some cases the planes are equipped with auxiliary fuel sys-
base, which is about 90-92% pure cocaine. tems, include collapsible “fuel bladders” which are easily
In the third and last stage, the washed paste is dissolved hidden or discarded after use.
with ethyl ether and/or acetone, two highly explosive chemi- The favored Caribbean air smuggling routes include the
cals. This removes the impurities in the washed paste. After Windward Passage (between Cuba and Haiti), the Yucatan
filtering, acetone (and/or ethenol) and hydrochloric acid are Channel (between Cuba and Mexico) and the Mona Pas-
added, creating cocaine hydrochloride (CHCL), a white sage (between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico).
crystalline powder. Cocaine powder is even purer than Once the smugglers near the States, they have two options.
washed base; the ratio of washed paste to cocaine powder First, they can land and unload on one of the various island
is about 1:1. By the time it is sold on the street, it has usually nations, and the cocaine will be taken the rest of the way by
been “cut” to 55-65% purity. Acetone and ether are con- ship or small planes. Second, they may fly all the way into
trolled by the Colombian government, thus inflating their America and unload there. When the cocaine is shipped via
price: a 55-gallon drum of ether, worth about $500-600 in the Mexico, it will usually be carried overland from the landing
United States, costs approximately $7,000 in Colombia. point in trucks and other vehicles, or by air in small planes.
 36 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
Maritime smugglers favor basically the same routes as the per kilogram, and often more. Sometimes the user can buy
air smugglers. Many varieties of ships are used, from large eighth of a gram (or an ounce) quantities known as “eight
commercial ships to small cigarette boats. Both commercial balls.” If the cocaine is sold through a drughouse, the dealer
and private vessels are used, some with specially-built may use “steerers” on the street to advertise his business
hidden compartments for smuggling. and send customers his way.
With so much money at stake, the Colombians go to great Some of the street names for cocaine are “coke,” “snow,”
expense to avoid being detected and captured. They use “blow,” “C,” “charlie,” “nose candy” and “white lady.”
sophisticated electronic devices, including state-of-the-art
radios, scramblers (which attach to a regular radio and USE AND EFFECTS OF COCAINE
scramble the signal, so that another scrambler with a match- Once the user has his cocaine, he can take it in one of
ing code is required to understand the transmission), digital three ways. The most common way is to snort it through a
encryption devices (which send a message in a code which tube, usually a rolled-up dollar bill. The snorted cocaine is
can only be deciphered by another encryptor with a matching absorbed through the mucous membranes inside the nose.
security code; the speed of transmission prevents if from Second, some users will inject the cocaine; often these
being tracked by triangulation), radio altimeters, beacon- addicts buy “speedballs,” a heroin-cocaine mixture, for this
interrogating digital radar, position trackers, long-range navi- purpose. Occasionally cocaine is smoked in combination
gational equipment and night vision goggles. with heroin, a mixture known as “tar” or “moonrock.”
Sometimes individual carriers (“mules”) are used to Cocaine is one of the most potent central nervous system
smuggle cocaine through commercial airlines. One way that stimulants known. When injected, the “high” occurs fairly
mules try to hide the cocaine is by wrapping small amounts quickly; when snorted, the high occurs after a minute or two.
of it in condoms or balloons and swallowing them. After they The high lasts only 15 minutes to an hour, so repeated doses
pass through the body, they are recovered and the cocaine are required if the user wants to stay high for extended
is unwrapped. If the balloons or condoms burst, the mule periods. The high produces euphoria; increased alertness
dies painfully of an overdose. (+1 Sight PER), heartbeat, blood pressure and respiration;
Pilots and ship captains are paid about $3,000 per kilo- insomnia; and decreased appetite. Repeated or long-term
gram to transport the cocaine to the United States, where it use can cause chronic fatigue (1-2d6 END Drain), depres-
is delivered to a wholesaler working for the cartel. Thus, the sion, irritability and anxiety, headaches, decreased sexual
total costs to the cartel at this point are about $5,000-6,000 drive, memory problems (Âd6 INT Drain), increased body
per kilogram. In some cases, the cocaine will be sold to a temperature, nasal bleeding (and eventually a total break-
non-cartel “wholesaler” for about $5,000-8,000 per kilogram, down of the wall between the nasal passages), aggression
a small profit margin for the cartel, and one which usually and violence, psychosis, hallucinations (particularly tactile
indicates a special relationship or an attempt to cement ones, such as of bugs crawling underneath one’s skin),
business relations. convulsions, seizures, and death from respiratory failure,
If the cocaine needs to be transported further once it cerebral hemorrhage and/or cardiac arrest (usually due to
reaches America, this will usually be done in cars or trucks. the rapid change in blood pressure that cocaine causes).
Dealers will often try to disguise the scent of the cocaine with The size of a dose of coke capable of killing the user varies
some strong-smelling item (such as coffee or fabric softener from day to day, not only because of the fluctuating levels of
sheets) to prevent detection by drug-sniffing dogs. Cocaine- purity in street cocaine, but simply because of the drug’s
smuggling rings will use many other “scams” to avoid detec- unusual effects on the body. A hit of cocaine that an addict
tion, such as elaborate networks of “blind” telephone num- can tolerate one day may be enough to kill him the next day
bers that are difficult for the police to trace because they are (a phenomenon known as “kindling”).
in out-of-the-way places and were installed in another person’s
name. CRACK COCAINE
Several cities in America are known as “source cities” for
An especially potent variety of cocaine that became popu-
cocaine, because most coke is sold through people in those
lar in America in the late 1980s is “crack,” also known as
cities. Miami, New York City and Los Angeles are all source
“rock,” “base,” “freebase,” “Conan,” “toke,” “crank,” “Roxanne,”
cities (as is Hudson City if the GM is using it; see Justice, Not
“baseball,” “white tornado” or “gravel.” Crack is a smokable
Law). Most of the shipping and sales preparations take place
form of crystallized cocaine; the name “crack” comes from
near the end of the month, so that the dealers will be ready
the crackling sound it makes when smoked (and/or from a
in the first part of the next month when welfare checks are
slang term from the tiny vials it is sold in).
sent out.
Crack is a form of cocaine base, the end result of the
The wholesaler will break the load of cocaine into smaller
second step in the cocaine manufacturing process. Because
bundles (from one to ten kilograms each) and sell them to a
a fourth step is needed to make it, crack is purer than street
middleman known as a distributor for about $23,000-28,000
cocaine—about 75-90% pure. Crack is easily made and is
per kilo (the exact price depends upon the area of the
produced in units called “cookies” or “pancakes.” The cookie
country, the strength of the relationship, the amount pur-
is broken up into one-tenth gram “rocks” and sold on the
chased and so forth). Most of this enormous profit is returned
street in tiny plastic vials (normally used for eyeglass or
to the cartels, but the wholesaler receives a commission.
watch parts) or small plastic bags for $5-10 dollars per rock
The distributor then “cuts” or dilutes the cocaine by about a
(sometimes more). Some dealers will even cook a user’s
fifth and sells each ounce for around $1,500 to dealers. The
powdered cocaine for him on the spot if he buys the powder
dealer cuts it again, by about a quarter, so that it is now only
from them. Crack is sold primarily by street gangs and
about 55-65% pure, and sells it on the street to users for
Jamaican posses, as described in DC:HOV, pages 134-138.
about $100 a gram (but sometimes as little as $40 per gram).
These gangs often use crackhouses and “steerers,” as
Thus, the “street price” to the consumer is about $100,000
described above.
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 37
The user crushes the crack rock into tinier bits (“pebbles”)
and places them in a plastic pipe known as a “shooter.” If a
shooter is not available, a pipe can be improvised from a beer
can or many other objects. After the smoke is inhaled, the
“high” hits in less than ten seconds (compared with one to
two minutes for snorted cocaine), and lasts about two to 20
minutes. This intense, rapid high is followed by a similarly
rapid “crash.” Thus, crack is not only extremely cheap, but
extremely addictive (in fact, some experts believe it is
instantly addictive). Some users mix crack with PCP (see
below) before smoking; this mixture is called “Space Base,”
“bazooka” or “ghostbusters.”
The effects of using crack are like those from using
cocaine, including the tendency towards violent behavior,
but are more intense. Chronic smoking may cause hoarse-
ness and bronchitis. Death can result from convulsions,
cerebral hemorrhage and/or a heart attack.

HEROIN
Heroin (or, chemically, diacetylmorphine) is a powerful
narcotic derived from morphine, a painkilling drug which is
made from the sap of the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum).
It depresses the central nervous system and acts as a pain
reliever. It was first developed in 1898 by the Bayer Com-
pany in Germany. In its pure form, heroin is a white crystal-
line powder with a bitter taste (much of the heroin sold on the
street is not entirely pure, and may actually be colored brown
or black; this is often the case with Mexican heroin).

CREATION AND SMUGGLING OF HEROIN

Opium poppies are grown in three regions of the world: The Mexican Mafia families then simply have to transport
Mexico (the source of approximately 32% of the heroin in the heroin to the United States. This is done both by land and
America); Myanmar (formerly Burma), Thailand and Laos by air (using clandestine landing strips). Most Mexican
(the “Golden Triangle,” source of about 17% of American heroin goes to the West Coast or Chicago.
heroin); and Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan (the “Golden Smuggling From The Golden Triangle
Crescent,” source of about 51% of American heroin). In each About 90% of the heroin produced in the Golden Triangle
area the creation and processing of heroin is more or less the is grown in Myanmar. Around two-thirds of the total produc-
same. About twice a year, the seed pod of the opium poppy tion is controlled by two groups, the Burmese Communist
is incised (as many as five incisions can be made) and the Party and the Shan United Army, former insurgent groups
sap is allowed to ooze out. After it dries, it is scraped off and who are now primarily devoted to heroin trafficking (and who
collected. This is called opium gum or raw opium. About ten are constantly at war with each other). The raw opium is
to 12 kilograms of raw opium are then mixed with precipitat- taken by heavily-guarded horse and donkey caravans to
ing agents, pressure is applied and the end product is about processing labs on the Thailand-Myanmar or Thailand-
one kilogram of morphine base. This morphine base is Malaysia borders. It is then shipped to the United States via
treated with acetic anhydride, creating one kilogram of either Bangkok or various Indian cities such as Calcutta.
heroin. The process is easy to perform, and takes no more Although the Chinese Triads no longer control as much of
than three days. this trade as they once did, they are still a powerful force.
Smuggling From Mexico Thai, Chinese, or sometimes American couriers bring the
In Mexico, heroin is grown in the northern states. The heroin to the United States, and many of them are in the
opium gum is collected by peasants in two harvests, Sep- Triads’ employ. Commercial airlines are the most common
tember to November and March to April. The peasants sell form of transportation used.
it to village middlemen. The middlemen in turn sell to a drug Smuggling From The Golden Crescent
trafficking “boss” who works for one of the Mexican Mafia In the Golden Crescent, poppies are grown mainly in the
crime families (see DC:HOV, page 133, for more information wild mountainous regions. After the raw opium is harvested,
on the Mexican Mafia). The boss takes it to a lab and has it it is taken to crude processing labs on the Afghanistan-
processed. Most of the labs are in the northern states of Pakistan border (many are near the famous Khyber Pass).
Sinaloa, Jalisco, and Guerrero. As mentioned above, Mexi- The heroin is then shipped to the United States through
can heroin, which is often called “Mexican mud” or “Mexican India, Islamabad, Karachi, West Africa (especially Nigeria)
brown,” is usually black or brown because it is not well- or various Arabian nations. It is usually hidden inside legiti-
processed; however, there is a variety of Mexican heroin mate cargo shipments (both air and sea cargo are used; as
called “black tar” or “Mexican tar” which is really pure.
 38 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
is international mail—for example, up to a kilogram of heroin “black tar” is 10-12% pure). Cutting agents include quinine
can be concealed in a rolled-up newspaper). Ethnic dealers (commonly used on the East Coast), sugar, lactose, manni-
usually rely on networks of family and friends in the states to tol (a laxative), starch, powdered milk, household cleansers,
help them sell the heroin; at least one group, the Pakistanis, other drugs such as procaine or lidocaine, brick dust, strych-
are said to have links with the Mafia and black gangs. nine (a poison) or talcum powder (which can be deadly if
injected). A typical dose of heroin is about 100 mg.
Smuggling From Other Areas Heroin is sold in two types: #3 and #4. Number 3 is
Unfortunately, American law enforcement authorities have smokable heroin, preferred by most Asians and a few
noticed that other areas of the world are starting to cultivate Americans. Number 4, the type used by most American
opium poppies. The most disturbing developments are in addicts, is injectable. Using either type the wrong way (i.e.,
South America, where the cocaine cartels have begun to smoking #4 or injecting #3) is usually fatal.
“branch out” into heroin to counteract falling cocaine profits. The user buys heroin in “bags,” such as a “nickel bag” ($5
In Colombia alone an estimated 79,000 acres (32,000 hect- bag), “dime bag” ($10 bag) and so forth. He can also buy
ares) of poppies are under cultivation, and they are also eighth of a gram (or ounce) amounts (“eight balls”), or
grown in Guatemala, Ecuador, and Peru. South American injectable heroin mixed with cocaine or amphetamines
opium producers are thought to have links to Southeast (“speedballs”). Heroin is both physically and psychologically
Asian producers, who have supplied them with chemists and addictive, and an addict (or “junkie;” a non-addicted user is
valuable knowledge about heroin production. The cartels a “chipper”) can spend $10,000 or more per year on his habit.
smuggle heroin into the United States the same ways they This usually means stealing $50,000 or more worth of goods
smuggle cocaine (see above). There are also rumors about to fence. There are approximately 500,000 to 1.5 million
possible heroin production in the Commonwealth of Inde- users in the United States.
pendent States, either by the Organizatsiya (see Justice, Not Heroin can be injected, smoked, swallowed or placed
Law) or other groups. under the tongue and absorbed. Injecting is the most popular
method, because it gives the greatest “rush.” In either case,
SALE, USE, AND EFFECTS OF HEROIN the user first measures out his “dose,” a difficult and poten-
On the streets, heroin is known as “horse,” “H,” “Harry,” tially dangerous process, because he does not know how
“scag,” “junk,” “smack” and “joy powder.” Wholesale costs much it has been cut (or with what), and hence is risking an
depend upon location and purity, but usually range from overdose. If it is to be injected, the user dissolves the powder
about $200 per gram to as much as $2,000 or more per gram. in water, vinegar or lemon juice, heats it in a spoon or other
The dealer will then “cut” or dilute the heroin by up to 99%— “cooker,” and filters it through a piece of cotton. It can be
most heroin on the street is only about 1-2% pure (Mexican injected underneath the skin (“skin-popping”) or directly into
a vein (“mainlining” or “shooting up”). When mainlining, the
vein on the inside of the elbow is most commonly used.
Because the needles are often dirty and dull (due to repeated
use), users risk getting abscesses and the resulting “needle
tracks,” or raised scars along the arms. When a needle track
covers up a vein, another vein must be found, and the user
risks injecting directly into an artery, causing himself intense
pain (and possibly infections which can lead to the amputa-
tion of the limb). Previously-used needles can also spread
AIDS and other diseases.
When heroin is smoked (“chasing the dragon”), the pow-
der is placed on a piece of aluminum foil and heated, causing
it to vaporize so that it can be inhaled through a tube.
Smoking heroin is just as addictive as injecting it.
Heroin causes its users to feel euphoric, pleasant and
warm; the initial rush is sometimes almost orgasmic. The
high lasts about 4-5 hours. Heroin decreases aggression
and appetite, and repeated use may cause bronchitis be-
cause it suppresses the body’s cough reflex. Addicts neglect
their health and welfare, living only for the next dose. Heroin
use can also kill, either through toxic reaction to a cutting
agent, or because of an “overdose.” An overdose of only 10-
15 times the normal dose (either in terms of size or purity)
kills by suppressing the central nervous system (thus, the
heart stops beating and the lungs stop breathing).
Users who try to quit heroin have to go through “with-
drawal” (or “kicking the habit”), a painful seven to ten day
period characterized by weakness, shivering, violent yawn-
ing, sweating, diarrhea, vomiting, twitching, weight loss and
other symptoms. For further information on simulating drug
addiction and withdrawal in Champions, refer to the end of
this section.
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 39
adverse side effects—there have been no recorded cases of
LSD AND OTHER users “overdosing,” dying or suffering brain damage, but
pregnant female users sometimes suffer spontaneous abor-
HALLUCINOGENS tion. At present, LSD is not thought to be physically addictive,
but of course can be psychologically addictive.
A hallucinogen is a drug which causes the user to experi- One side effect that many users do suffer from is the
ence hallucinations and delusions. LSD (also called “acid,” “flashback,” when they re-experience the trip weeks or
“blue cheer” or “California sunshine”) is the most powerful months later. At least 15% of LSD users experience them.
known hallucinogen; others include mescaline (peyote), There is no conclusive explanation for flashbacks, but they
psilocybin (“magic mushrooms”) and DMT. may result from the accumulation of the drug in the body.
LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) is a semi-synthetic drug Champions characters who use LSD may take “Acid Flash-
derived either from the parasitic grain fungus ergot or from backs” as a 15-point Psychological Limitation.
lysergic acid amine (found in morning glory seeds). It is
prepared as a tartrate salt which is easily soluble in water or MESCALINE
as a liquid; in its pure form it is white, odorless and crystalline Another hallucinogen is mescaline, the chief alkaloid in the
(the liquid form is clear and odorless). It was first synthesized crown tops (or “buttons”) of the peyote cactus (Lophorphora
in 1938 and was used for psychiatric purposes through the williamsii). It was first isolated in 1896, though early Ameri-
1940s. In the 1960s, after the medical community stopped can civilizations often used it for religious purposes. It has
using it because of its harmful effects, it became a drug of about one-five thousandth the strength of LSD. It is usually
abuse. In the past five or six years, there has been a taken orally, but the user can also smoke ground peyote
frightening surge of LSD use, particularly among college buttons (3-4 buttons per “trip”) or inject it. The average dose
students. is 300-500 milligrams; unlike ingesting peyote buttons, the
LSD is easily made by “basement chemists” working in use of pure mescaline does not normally induce vomiting.
small clandestine laboratories. The main city for LSD pro- Mescaline causes the user to experience a euphoric, dream-
duction in the United States is San Francisco; the drug is like state in which his perception is increased and he may
often distributed from there via rock concerts and college see hallucinations. Mescaline also causes the pupils to
students (no organized crime group controls the trade). dilate, the body temperature to increase, and blood pres-
Commonly, a dose of LSD is placed on a piece of absorbent sure, heartbeat and respiration to decrease. A dose gener-
paper (“blotter paper,” usually with colorful pictures or de- ally takes effect in one to three hours, and the trip lasts four
signs on it), which is divided into one-centimeter squares. A to twelve hours.
square (a “tab” or “hit”) is placed on the tongue, and the drug
dissolves in the mouth’s moisture. LSD can also be sold as PSILOCYBIN
tablets or on sugarcubes or thin gelatin squares (“window Psilocybin is extracted from Psilocybe mexicana, a mush-
panes”). The pure liquid form can be used as eyedrops, room. (A related drug, psilocyn, is also used illegally.)
causing instant hallucinations but creating a risk of eye Varieties of this mushroom grow in the southwestern and
infections. Because LSD is so powerful, the typical dose is no northern parts of the United States, usually in animal dung;
more than 25-150 micrograms (mcg) (so a kilogram of LSD some users buy kits to “grow their own” at home. The best
contains millions of doses). It generally costs about $2-5 per mushrooms are said to be those with a bluish tint. People
dose. who try to collect their own often end up poisoning them-
LSD takes effect after no more than an hour. It causes the selves when they pick the wrong mushrooms.
user to experience a “trip” in which he experiences hallucina- In its pure form, psilocybin is a white crystalline material or
tions (random Mental Illusions Based On CON), visions, a clearish liquid. However, users generally just eat the
“revelations,” and so forth. The user’s senses may be dis- mushrooms rather than obtain the pure form (a quarter-gram
torted and “switched,” so that he smells colors, feels sounds, of mushrooms, enough for three or four doses, sells for about
and the like. Some trips are “bad trips” (or “freak-outs”) which $40-50). The mushrooms may also be powdered and smoked
cause the user to experience fear, panic or anxiety. A trip with cigarettes, injected or boiled as a tea; a typical dose is
lasts about six to twelve hours, and peaks from about the 4-60 milligrams. Its effects are similar to LSD but it is only
third to the fifth hour. Â00th as strong. It can cause extreme anxiety, paranoia and
LSD acts on the central nervous system, but is quickly psychotic reactions. A “magic mushroom” trip begins 10-15
metabolized—all traces are gone from the brain within minutes after ingestion and lasts about 5-6 hours, peaking
twenty minutes after the trip ends (but the drug can still be after 90 minutes or so.
detected in the user’s feces). It increases blood pressure,
heartbeat and body temperature, and may decrease motor DMT
skills (Âd6 DEX loss). This puts the user at some risk if he DMT (dimethyltryptamine) is an hallucinogen extracted
tries to drive or do anything else while he is tripping. Some from the cahobe bean of South America. It sells for about
users may experience psychotic episodes or try to perform $200 a gram in a white or orange crystalline powder form. A
“superhuman” feats (such as walking off of buildings) while DMT trip lasts about an hour, and can produce psychological
suffering from delusions that they can do so successfully. A dependence and psychotic reactions similar to those caused
few cases of self-mutilation also have been reported. How- by LSD.
ever, LSD has been shown to have few purely physical
 40 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
any one group. Generally, the Colombian trade is dominated
MARIJUANA AND OTHER by about 16 “families” with ties to the cocaine industry, and
the Mexican trade is dominated by the Mexican Mafia, but
CANNABINOIDS there are so many small “entrepreneurial” dealers that the
industry is essentially disorganized.
Cannabis sativa, the hemp plant, is the source of one of Marijuana is much bulkier than other drugs, so smuggling
the most abused drug in America—marijuana. About 20 methods differ slightly. Colombian marijuana is usually
million Americans use “pot” regularly, and millions more brought in on large “motherships” which carry tens of thou-
have tried it at least once; an estimated 4,300-14,000 metric sands of pounds of marijuana. The bales are brought out to
tons of marijuana are consumed in the United States each the ship at night in small boats and loaded on. The marijuana
year. Cannabis contains more than 400 unique chemicals, is hidden, often in fake or empty fuel tanks, so that the
known as cannabinoids, whose effects are so unusual that mothership doesn’t give itself away. The ships use basically
it has been variously classified as a stimulant, a depressant the same routes as cocaine-smuggling ships. Once the
and an hallucinogen. mothership gets near a transshipment point (such as the
Cannabinoids come in four basic forms, each of which has Bahamas) or the mainland, it is met by smaller boats, who off
as its primary intoxicating agent the chemical tetrahydrocan- load the bales of marijuana and smuggle it ashore at various
nabinol, or “THC.” The percentage of THC in marijuana places on the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of the United States.
varies from drug to drug and harvest to harvest, but has been Jamaican marijuana, on the other hand, is normally smuggled
increasing in recent years due to improved agricultural in by small planes (which carry about 1,500 pounds of
techniques. marijuana each). Mexican marijuana is smuggled in by plane
The first type of marijuana is “ordinary” marijuana. For this, or concealed in land vehicles. Marijuana is harvested about
the most common variety, the marijuana plant is allowed to twice a year, and the shipments of course are heaviest right
seed in the spring and is cut down and dried in the fall. The after a harvest.
largest stalks and stems are discarded, and the leaves, Once the marijuana gets to America, the receivers pay
flowers, seeds, and small stems are ground into a powder about $400-600 per pound for it and move it to “stash
which can be smoked in a cigarette (known as a “joint” or houses.” Then they break it down into user quantities and sell
“roach”). Ordinary marijuana is by far the most common it for about $50-75 an ounce on the street, where it is known
variety; it is about .5-4% THC. as “pot,” “grass,” “weed” or “herb.” Users can also buy
The second variety of marijuana is sinsemilla, which is smaller quantities (for example, “dime bags” for $10). Prices
made up only of unseeded floral clusters from female plants. for sinsemilla are of course higher, because of its purity.
THC is found most heavily in these “buds,” so the percentage Hashish costs about $1,000-2,000 per pound, and hash oil
of THC in a batch of sinsemilla tends to be high (as much as about $75 per gram or more. Prices change depending upon
14%). A variant on sinsemilla is the “Thai stick,” a bundle of demand, supply, location, and so forth, but because mari-
smaller buds wrapped around a sliver of bamboo. Sinsemilla juana is not “cut” like most other drugs, the profit margin on
is smoked. it is much smaller. There have also been attempts in recent
The third cannabinoid is hashish (“hash”), which is pro- years to sell synthetic THC, but the “THC” sold in the street
duced in Middle Eastern nations. To make hashish, the THC- is likely to actually be LSD or PCP.
rich resin is shaken or rubbed from the flowering plants and The effects of marijuana on the central nervous system
pressed into a lump or mass. Hashish is smoked or eaten; it have not been precisely determined. Users experience a
is about .5-10% THC. fairly rapid “high” which causes a sort of sedation and distorts
The fourth cannabinoid, hash oil, is made by extracting perception. They may suffer from “anti-motivational syn-
hashish with gasoline, leaving a thick, oily residue which is drome,” a laid-back, motivationless state, or, paradoxically,
about 20-70% pure THC. Hash oil is smoked by placing a they may become restless; in either case, extreme hunger
drop or two on an ordinary cigarette; these few drops are the (“the munchies”) usually occurs. Short-term memory and
equivalent of an entire ordinary marijuana joint. concentration may also be decreased (-Âd6 INT Drain). The
user’s perception may be altered or sharpened (+1 Sight
CULTIVATION AND PER). The larger the dose taken, the more extreme these
effects will be, and large doses may also cause hallucina-
SMUGGLING OF MARIJUANA tions or other problems. A marijuana “trip” or “high” starts
Marijuana is grown domestically in all fifty states, but the
within minutes, usually peaks in about 10-30 minutes, and
majority of America’s supply comes from abroad: Colombia,
lasts about two to three hours.
Jamaica, Mexico, many other Latin American countries,
Although many of the effects of marijuana use are unpre-
Thailand and other nations. The majority comes from Colom-
dictable, what is known for certain is that marijuana smoke
bia (approximately 35%), Jamaica (14%) and Mexico (20%).
is 50% more carcinogenic than tobacco smoke, and can
Marijuana is, of course, grown on farms. Although many of
cause bronchitis and infertility. Use of marijuana may also
these operations are small, some are quite large and sophis-
lead the user to experiment with other, more dangerous
ticated (for example, they may have remote-controlled irriga-
drugs.
tion systems so that the grower does not have to be near the
field very often). Almost all fields are hidden, and many are
protected by dangerous traps (such as pits filled with punji
sticks or fishhooks hung on strings at eye level).
Marijuana smuggling and distribution is not controlled by
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 41
The effects of PCP use are perhaps the most extreme of
PCP (“ANGEL DUST”) any illegal drug. The “good” effects include euphoria, relax-
ation, inebriation, elevated mood and increased sensitivity
and perception—but there are always bad effects accompa-
PCP, chemically referred to as phencyclidine hydrochlo- nying them. These effects include paranoia, anxiety, blocked
ride but known on the street as “angel dust,” “peace,” or nonsensical speech, agitation, suicidal tendencies, psy-
“superweed,” “embalming fluid” or “horse tranquilizer,” is a chosis resembling schizophrenia, violent and aggressive
synthetic chemical that was developed in 1959 as an anaes- behavior (in at least 75% of cases) and hallucinations.
thetic. It was soon restricted to only veterinary use (as the Furthermore, the user’s breathing, heartbeat, and blood
drug Sernylan) because of its bad effects on humans, and all pressure increase, he sweats profusely, he may suffer a loss
legal uses were finally discontinued in 1978. of coordination (Âd6-1d6 DEX loss), he experiences nau-
PCP is a white crystalline powder or a yellowish liquid, very sea (and vomiting), his eyes shift rapidly, he drools and he
soluble in water or alcohol; it has a distinctive “bitter” taste. gets dizzy and walks with an exaggerated gait. Worst of all,
On the street it may be tan or brown from impurities and/or someone high on angel dust feels invincible, experiences
in a gummy state. It is such an unusual drug that it defies increased strength (+5-10 STR) and is much less sensitive
classification; it has variously been labeled a sedative, to pain (25-75% Damage Reduction). Eventually, the user is
stimulant, anaesthetic or hallucinogen, and the separate likely to lose consciousness and enter a coma, but the
category “delusionogen” has been suggested. So far it does psychotic symptoms may persist for up to a month. Large
not seem to be physically addictive, but like any drug is doses can cause convulsions, coma, and death.
psychologically addictive. The result of PCP use is that the user frequently becomes
PCP is easily synthesized with simple equipment by violently psychotic and is almost impossible to stop with
amateur chemists. PCP is sold on the street in pill, powder, conventional force. There are recorded cases of persons
and liquid form. The pills are simply ingested, the powder is high on PCP dislocating their own shoulders or breaking
snorted, smoked, or eaten; the liquid may be used to dip their wrists trying to get out of handcuffs, walking in front of
cigarettes in, sprinkled on parsley or mint and eaten, or
moving cars or off of tall buildings because they “felt invin-
injected. In liquid form, PCP costs about $5-10 per dose cible,” being shot dozens of times before falling or withstand-
(which equals about $200-500 per fluid ounce); the average
ing savage beatings while attacking groups of police officers.
dose is about 5 milligrams. Liquid PCP may be sold in soft
drink bottles to disguise it. PCP is often used to “cut” LSD and
mescaline, and may be sold as LSD or as “THC,” synthetic
marijuana. DESIGNER DRUGS
The last major category of illegal drugs are the so-called
“designer drugs,” synthetic chemicals manufactured in labo-
ratories. Some are analogs of other drugs, and some are
completely new. Unfortunately, most of them are easily
created, requiring little or no knowledge of chemistry and
small amounts of money and equipment. Furthermore, be-
cause a drug must be specifically described to outlaw it,
designer drugs are not illegal (at least not at first). If distrib-
uting them can be punished at all, it will only be under
relatively lenient “umbrella” laws designed to cover all sorts
of drugs.
Designer drugs can be divided into four basic categories:
heroin analogs; amphetamine analogs; PCP analogs; and
fentanyl and meperidine analogs. Heroin analogs include
“China White,” which takes its name from Asian heroin in an
attempt to disguise itself; “Vitamin K,” a legal anaesthetic;
and about a dozen other varieties. Some of them are 1,000
to 6,000 times as strong as heroin itself, which increases the
chances of an overdose. The most common dose is a
quarter-gram which sells for about $25 and has only a few
grains of the drug itself. Some also cause acute paranoia and
accelerated aging. A chemist using $1,500 worth of easily-
obtained chemicals can produce a batch of synthetic heroin
worth $15 million on the street.
 42 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
Amphetamine analogs (which technically include meth- BLACK GLASS
amphetamine and methcathinone, described above) mimic Description and History: Black Glass is a product of the
the “upper” effect of that class of drugs. The most common fertile criminal mind of Madame Jeantelle Lareau (Normals
include Eu4ia (4-methylaminorex), which is produced from Unbound, pages 12-13). She combined certain mescaline
over-the-counter medicines, and MDMA (3,4- derivatives with a potent fentanyl analog to create an hallu-
methylenedioxymethamphetamine), called “Ecstasy” on the cinogen with some stimulant effects and almost no chance
street. Ecstasy is perhaps the most popular designer drug. of a “bad trip.” The drug was most effective as a black powder
It provides a mild euphoric/intoxicating effect and sharpens which could be set in a gelatin base, giving the finished
and improves the senses (+1 PER), and is also thought to be product the appearance of a square of darkest obsidian
an aphrodisiac. Some experts believe that using it could (hence its name). Unfortunately for the user, Black Glass is
cause brain damage. It sells for about $20 per dose. Distri- extremely addictive and slowly kills him by attacking the
bution of Ecstasy is now illegal under federal law. portions of the brain which regulate the respiratory system—
There are about 40 analogs of PCP, each of them as but of course this is of no concern to Madame Lareau.
dangerous as it is. They include pyrrolidine phencyclidine
(PHP), N-ethyl-1-phenylcyclohexylamine (PCE), 1-[1-(2- Effects: Black Glass is a powerful hallucinogen and stimu-
thienyl-cyclohexyl]-piperidine (TCP) and thiophene phen- lant. Undiluted, a milligram is enough to kill (essentially by
cyclidine (THP). paralyzing the lungs), so the drug sold on the street is heavily
Fentanyl analogs and meperidine analogs are among the diluted. Nonetheless, it accumulates in the body, and will
most common designer drugs. Fentanyl itself has many eventually kill the user (usually within five weeks of regular
legitimate uses —it is one of the most popular painkillers in use, but this depends upon the addict’s health, frequency of
America. It and its analogs are very similar to morphine or use, and so forth).
heroin, producing euphoria, muscle rigidity, and respiratory A “pane” of black glass costs about $80 or so, and provides
depression, but are much, much stronger. 3-methyl fentanyl, fantastic visions and euphoric effects for about six hours.
for example, is three thousand times as strong as morphine The effects begin to occur within fifteen minutes after the
and is lethal in even tiny doses (the amount that fits on a drug is ingested. A few users have tried to strain the drug out
pinhead could kill fifty people). These analogs are sold in of the gelatin and inject it directly into the bloodstream, but
microgram amounts. A kilogram of one of them can be this has only proved to be a quick and painless form of
manufactured for less than $2,000, but contains 50 million or suicide.
more doses which, at about $40 per dose, are worth more Campaign Use: Black Glass is a good way to introduce
than $ 1 billion on the street. San Francisco is one of the Madame Lareau and Ananias Topps (Normals Unbound,
country’s main centers of production. pages 13-14) into your campaign. After it begins to appear on
Meperidine is a synthetic narcotic, a painkiller marketed the street, the PCs may eventually be able to trace it back to
under the name “Demerol.” Two of its analogs are drugs of one or the both of them, but doing so will involve unraveling
abuse, and both are illegal under federal law. The first is a devious chain of dealers (who have no idea exactly who is
MPPP (1-methyl-4-phenyl-propionoxypiperidine); the sec- supplying them) and fighting a lot of Topps’ men.
ond is PEPAP (1-(2-phenylethyl)-4-phenyl-4-acetyloxypiperi-
dine). Both are easily made in clandestine labs, but MPPP is CRYSTAL DREAMS
similar to another chemical, MPTP, which is poisonous and Description and History: Crystal Dreams is made in cubes
attacks the user’s nervous system, causing Parkinson’s about one centimeter on a side. It is a sort of slick blue color,
disease-like effects. but shines iridescently if the light hits it just right. It is also
known as “CD,” “Blue Ice” and “Rainbow Ice.” It was devel-
FICTIONAL DESIGNER DRUGS oped in San Francisco in the early 1980s as an improved
In the world of Dark Champions , there is no reason why the form of LSD. It is still found primarily on the West Coast, but
GM has to restrict himself to “real-world” designer drugs. As can also be purchased in major East Coast and Midwestern
mankind’s knowledge of chemistry increases, so too does cities. Some Colombian drug cartels have also begun manu-
the chance of creating new drugs, and inevitably some of facturing CD in hidden labs. Each cube costs approximately
those drugs will be abused by irresponsible users looking for $ 50.
better, quicker, longer-lasting highs. In a comic-book world, Effects: Crystal Dreams is an hallucinogen which causes
the effects of these drugs could be potent and unpredictable. the user to experience bizarre, fantastic visions. It is used by
If the GM creates his own designer drugs, he may be able placing the cube on the tongue. As the drug becomes moist,
to tailor an entire scenario (or series of scenarios) around a it begins to take effect. After about thirty seconds of expo-
new “super-drug.” For example, one of the designer drugs sure, the user removes the cube, wraps it in plastic for
described below, SCUD, mutates some users. Thus, SCUD safekeeping, and then spends about thirty minutes on a
provides the GM with both a new drug and a source of new delirious mental voyage. Unfortunately, some users get
villains for the PCs to fight, giving the players a more caught up in their visions too quickly, and forget to take the
personal stake in the scenario. cube out of their mouths. This causes an overdose which
Several fictional designer drugs of the Dark Champions leads to permanent brain damage. CD overdose victims
Universe are described below. Be sure to make the drug’s require around-the-clock care for the rest of their lives, and
harmful effects clear to the players—if not right away, then at are becoming a major resource drain in some urban areas.
least by the end of the scenario. Comic books are always
careful to portray drugs as the evil they are, and Champions
GMs should take steps to paint the same picture for their
players.
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 43
amine.” It is an extremely potent amphetamine analog which
makes the user high in about a minute; the high lasts for
approximately one hour. Because of its unique and extreme
effects, it is very addictive. However, Fireball wreaks havoc
with the user’s metabolism, sending his pulse soaring and
making him move and talk in a rapid, jerky fashion which is
distinctive. In weaker users or those who overindulge, this
side effect often proves fatal; more than two dozen deaths
(due to heart attacks) have been attributed to Fireball.
Campaign Use: Because Fireball is cheap and provides a
quick, exciting high, it is likely to spread throughout the
campaign city rapidly once it is introduced. By the time the
PCs even become aware of Fireball, it will probably be widely
used by the drug culture—they will have a tough battle to
fight to eradicate this drug. Distribution of Fireball may also
lead to turf wars between Mexican Mafia gangs and other
drug dealers, giving the PCs a second good reason to try to
stop it. Lastly, Fireball may be attractive to truck drivers and
other people who need to stay awake for long periods of time,
creating a potential for disasters (which make good lead-ins
for adventures—”You’re driving down the freeway when
suddenly, this truck starts to swerve…”).

HEAVEN
Description and History: Heaven is a dark pink liquid which
is sometimes mistaken for SCUD (see below). In its original
form, it was created by a young chemist, Dr. Frederick
Umphries, working for Lareau Pharmaceuticals. He intended
to make a powerful anaesthetic for use by surgeons. When
he realized the potential side effects, he was going to scrap
the entire project, but the ever-watchful Madame Lareau
rescued it, claiming that she might be able to market it to
veterinarians. Instead, she developed it for street distribu-
Campaign Use: There are plenty of ways to use Crystal tion, where it now sells for about $50 per vial. Doctor
Dreams as a source of adventures for Dark Champions Umphries hasn’t realized yet that Heaven is his creation;
campaigns (besides the usual drug smuggling scenario, of Madame Lareau is keeping a close eye on him and will have
course). For example, suppose someone with latent mental Topps’s men “eliminate” him if he begins to suspect the truth.
powers began using it. His mental abilities might suddenly Effects: Heaven is a heroin analog which produces a
manifest and take on a pseudo-existence of their own. As he euphoria similar to heroin. However, “street wisdom” says
lay in his room, blissfully lost in his fantasy, the entire city that the “crash” at the end of the high (which lasts anywhere
would be subject to attack by his nightmarish visions come from three to twelve hours) is much less intense, and hence
to life. After several of these thirty-minute episodes, the PCs Heaven is “not addictive.” This is absolutely not true. Heaven
would finally realize what was going on; then they would is actually worse than heroin, because it is much more
have to track the user down and convince him to stop taking concentrated and powerful. It increases respiration, heart-
CD. Depending on how they handle the matter, he might beat and blood pressure, and has led to several deaths from
become a new hero, a new villain or simply an ordinary guy cerebral hemorrhage or cardiac arrest.
with mental powers.
Campaign Use: Sooner or later, Dr. Umphries will figure out
what has happened and threaten to go to the police. His
FIREBALL bloody, battered body will be found a few days later. The PCs
Description and History: Fireball is a tiny spherical pill, are left with the mystery of who killed Dr. Umphries and why.
usually colored bright orange (hence its name). It is sold on He is a bachelor with few outside interests and, as far as
the street in small plastic bags holding four pills (known as a anyone knows, no family.
“four on the floor”); each bag costs about $ 20. It was first
created in Mexico by unscrupulous pharmaceuticals manu-
facturers. Mexican drug dealing families (part of the Mexican
Mafia, see DC:HOV, page 133) found out about it and began
distributing it in the United States (mainly in the southwest
and Chicago). It has since spread to other regions and cities.
Effects: Fireball has been referred to as an “ultra-amphet-
 44 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
PIXIE Pixie is extremely addictive, both physically and psycho-
Description and History: The “origin” of Pixie is unknown logically. Addicts (“pixieheads”) may “sprinkle” up to three or
to all but two people—Jeantelle Lareau and her son Jean four doses a day, or before any intense activity (such as
Michael. One day while she was occupied on the phone with committing a crime). They have little self-restraint and don’t
some financial dealings, he got out of his playpen and seem to be embarrassed or intimidated by anything (+5-15
crawled into her private laboratory, where she had foolishly PRE, Only To Resist Presence Attacks Or Embarrassment).
left the door open. Before too long he managed to knock over A few of them have died because they weren’t “intimidated”
several beakers of chemicals she had been working with. by, for example, an on-coming train. Pixieheads usually
Fortunately, she rescued him before he was hurt, but she wear odd clothing (and often very little of it), and have short
then began working with the compound he had “created.” hair (or are even bald) because this makes it easier to use the
Discovering its potential, she improved it and began selling drug. They tend to congregate in groups, or “pixie-cliques,”
it to addicts on the street. because non-users are “such a drag.” Coming down off of
Pixie is marketed as a golden-yellow powder; each dose pixie can be traumatic and, for addicts, even deadly, but so
sells for about $10-15. It is usually sold in small plastic bags, far the ready availability of the drug has prevented too many
tiny plastic tubes, or, more recently, in waxed paper straws deaths.
folded shut at the ends (yes, it’s a sick sort of joke, but the Campaign Use: Refer to Black Glass, above. Also, because
streets are often a sick sort of world). pixie is cheap and initially seems “harmless,” it may achieve
Effects: Pixie is taken in an unusual fashion—it is absorbed great popularity among the drug culture before its side
through the skin. Most users rub or sprinkle the powder on effects become apparent. This may make it very hard for the
the scalp so that it will quickly enter the bloodstream and take PCs to stamp it out. If the PCs get too close to her, Madame
effect. A pixie “rush” occurs in about one to two minutes and Lareau might release the pixie formula to underground
can last up to eight hours. It causes increased alertness (+2 chemists, hiding her trail with a diversion.
PER), hyperactivity (+5-15 END), occasional hallucinations
and a lowering of inhibitions. The loss of inhibitions seems to SCREAM
have a slightly cumulative effect over time, so long-term pixie Description and History: Scream was invented by Doctor
users are likely to “try anything once” or “do anything on a Emil Krupewycsz, an underworld chemist. He combined
dare.” There are few recorded cases of pixie being used as heroin, certain cocaine derivatives and several other chemi-
a weapon—in order to escape the police, addicts have cals to create a clear liquid drug. Through contacts in street
thrown pixie in their faces, inflicting its effects on them gangs, he began to distribute it for free to all sorts of drug
involuntarily. users, even schoolchildren. After they were hooked, he
began charging high prices for every “hit.” Doctor Krupewycsz
was arrested and sent to prison in 1990, but other sources
have arisen since then.
Effects: Scream is an extremely potent narcotic which is
considered to be instantly addictive. It is injected, and
provides an almost instant high; this “rush” causes the user
to emit a sharp gasp or scream, which gives the drug its
name (because of its sickly bluish color, some users also call
it “Screaming Smurfs” or “Smurf Juice”). The high lasts about
half an hour to an hour. Overdoses, which are frequent,
virtually always result in a painful death. Because the drug is
extremely expensive ($ 100 or more per hit), Scream addicts
are often driven to commit dozens of petty crimes to pay for
their habit. Heavy users tend to become maniacal, almost
berserk, when under the influence of Scream. Some of them
go on rampages of destruction and assault; they are almost
impossible to stop because the drug keeps them from feeling
pain (50% Damage Reduction) and also seems to make
them stronger than normal (+5 STR).
Campaign Use: The PCs’ attention is best drawn to Scream
in one of two ways: either they see someone giving it away
for free (perhaps to a child); or they have to stop someone
who’s gone on a drug-induced crime spree. Then they have
to find the ultimate source of the drug and put an end to the
distribution. Because it is difficult to manufacture, Scream is
one narcotic the PCs have a real chance of totally removing
from the drug scene, if they act quickly enough.
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 45
SCUD The strength of a character’s addiction is reflected in the
Description and History: The precise origins of SCUD are number of points he gets for the Disadvantage(s):
unknown. It is a pinkish-colored fluid usually sold in tiny glass Physical Limitation: Physical drug addiction—must have
vials for about $25 per “hit.” It first appeared on the streets the drug at least once per day or begin to take damage from
right after the Persian Gulf War (hence its name); it is also withdrawal: occurs frequently, and is:
known as “Pink Lady” or “Pink Power.” Weak addiction: slightly impairing: 10 points
Effects: SCUD is a powerful euphoria-inducing narcotic Medium addiction: greatly impairing: 15 points
which is taken by injection or swallowed. Users tend to Strong addiction: fully impairing: 20 points
become addicted within a few weeks of regular use. While Psychological Limitation: Psychological drug addiction —
the needle-using practices of SCUD addicts have helped character feels an emotional need for the drug, regardless of
spread the AIDS virus, the drug has an even worse side its physically addictive properties, and will seek the drug out,
effect: it is a mutagen. Approximately one percent of users as follows:
have a body chemistry which is affected by SCUD this way. Weak addiction: the character will do unusual things to
About half of these “SCUD mutates” die painful deaths. In a obtain the drug (such as frequenting bad parts of town
campaign which features superpowers, the other half will looking for dealers or committing petty crimes to get the
gain superpowers of some sort, but these powers are De- necessary money); the longer the period since the charac-
pendent upon their continued use of the drug. (If the cam- ter last took the drug, the more desperate he becomes:
paign is totally non-superpowered, all of the one percent will common, moderate: 10 points.
simply die when they take SCUD.) Medium addiction: like a weak addiction, but stronger:
common, strong: 15 points.
Campaign Use: As mentioned above, SCUD is a good
source of new supervillains for the campaign—and this Strong addiction: the character will do anything, even
prostitute himself or commit serious crimes, to get the
makes the drug’s harmful effects known to the players in an
drug: common, total: 20 points.
especially effective way. Suppose, for example, that in the
past several weeks groups of entirely new supervillains have Every drug has an Addiction Factor (AdF) which indicates
attacked the PCs at their headquarters or at public appear- how addictive it is. Addiction Factors range from 0-3. An AdF
ances for no apparent reason. Upon investigating, the PCs of 0 reflects a drug which is only psychologically addictive,
find out that each group was seen emerging from a van which not physically addictive. And AdF of 3 reflects a drug (such
had stopped near the scene of the attack. If they can find the as crack cocaine) which is considered to be extremely
van and trace it back to its owners, the PCs may be able to addictive. The higher the AdF, the stronger a character’s
find out who created SCUD, or at least they may stop a major addiction is likely to be.
dealer. Whenever a non-addicted character takes a potentially
addictive drug, he must make an EGO Roll to avoid addic-
tion, with a negative modifier equal to the drug’s AdF. A
successful roll means that the character does not become
DRUG ADDICTION IN THE addicted (though he may continue to take the drug voluntar-
HERO SYSTEM ily). A failed roll indicates addiction and the acquisition of new
Disadvantages, as described above. Furthermore, addiction
is harder to avoid if a character is repeatedly exposed to a
GMs and players who are interested in simulating their drug. If it has been (30-CON or EGO, whichever is lower) or
characters’ drug addiction can use the following system, fewer days since the character last took the drug, the penalty
which is based upon a drug’s Addiction Factor (AdF). to his EGO Roll to avoid addiction is doubled; if it is longer
Drug addiction may be represented in HERO System than that period the penalty stays the same.
terms in three ways: as a Dependence, as a Physical
Example: Reg is a regular kid on the street who knows
Limitation and as a Psychological Limitation. Because the
some kids in a pixie-clique. They persuade him to try
Dependence Disadvantage is designed primarily for comic-
pixie one day. Since pixie has an AdF of 3, Reg must
book-style addictions to extremely rare substances, it does
make an EGO Roll at -3 to avoid becoming addicted. His
not work well for daily addictions to relatively common
EGO Roll is 11-, so he needs an 8-. Surprisingly, he
substances such as illegal drugs. Most addictions to illegal
makes it. He enjoys the rush, but these guys seem kind
drugs would be worth 0-5 points. Therefore, the system
of scary, so he doesn’t really want to try it again.
described here relies on Physical and Psychological Limita-
Later that week, Reg has a fight with his parents and
tions. GMs are free to rework the system to use Dependence
decides to go join the gang on impulse. They give him
if they wish.
another dose of pixie. Reg’s CON and EGO are both 10.
To be “addicted” to a drug means that the addict has a
Since the time elapsed is less than (30-10) days, the
compulsive need for it. An addiction can be physical, mean-
penalty to Reg’s EGO Roll is -6 (pixie’s AdF of 3, times
ing that the addict will suffer physically (pain, illness and even
2). Note that the roll to avoid addiction increased even
death) if he does not get the drug. An addiction can also be
though he made the roll the first time. Reg fails his roll
psychological, meaning that the addict is emotionally and
(after all, he needed a 5-) and is now addicted to pixie.
psychologically dependent upon the drug and must continue
to take it for peace of mind; psychological addiction can give
rise to somatic symptoms as well. Drugs which are physically
addictive are usually psychologically addictive as well (i.e.,
the character should take both Disadvantages).
 46 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
Once a character is addicted, he must make an EGO Roll ADDICTION FACTORS
at -(AdF) every day to avoid seeking out the drug. If the roll Here are the Addiction Factors for the drugs described in
is made, the character can hold out for another day. If it is this section:
failed, he breaks down and must go out looking for a “score.”
The sorts of things he will do to find and purchase the drug Name Addiction Factor
are indicated by the strength of his addiction, as described
above. If the character has help in resisting the drug (a drug Amphetamines 1.5
treatment center, Narcotics Anonymous, a supportive family Methamphetamine 2
and so forth), the GM may decrease the penalty to the EGO
Roll. Ice 2.5
Becoming unaddicted is no easy matter. The character Methcathinone (“cat”) 2
must go (30-CON or EGO, whichever is less) days without Barbiturates 1
the drug and then make a straight EGO Roll. If the roll
succeeds, the psychological grip of the drug is broken (if the Cocaine 2.5
character fails the roll, he can start the whole process over Crack 3
again the next day). If the drug is physically addictive, the
Heroin 2.5
character will also suffer withdrawal symptoms (which for
some drugs are described earlier in this section). If neces- LSD 0
sary, he may have to make a CON Roll at -(AdF) to survive Mescaline 0
withdrawal. If the CON Roll is made, the addict suffers 3xAdF
in DC of Killing Damage; if it is failed, he takes 5xAdF in Psilocybin 0
Killing DC (the GM can also simulate some withdrawal DMT 0
effects with Drains or other Powers). This damage should be Marijuana 1
spread out over the period of time it will take the character to
shake his addiction, so the GM needs to determine in Hashish/hash oil 1.5
advance whether or not the character makes his CON Roll. PCP 0
Example: Reg finds out that his mother has become very Designer drugs:
sick and decides to quit the pixie-clique and take care of
her. He has to make an EGO Roll at -3 every day to avoid Amphetamine analogs 1.5
caving in to his craving for pixie. If he can do without it for Fentanyl/meperidine analogs 2
20 days (30-his CON or EGO of 10), he will have broken
the drug’s grip on him, but because pixie is physically Heroin analogs 2.5
addictive, he will suffer damage from withdrawal. The PCP analogs 0
GM has him make his CON Roll in advance, to determine
Fictional drugs:
how injurious withdrawal will be. Reg fails the roll, so he
will take 15 DC (5 times pixie’s AdF of 3) of Killing Black Glass 3
Damage—5d6 KA! The GM rolls 20 BODY, which equates Crystal Dreams 1.5
to 1 BODY every day of the 20-day period that Reg has
to stay off of the drug. Fireball 2.5
By some miracle, and with the help of a local drug Heaven 2.5
treatment center, Reg is managing to make his daily Pixie 3
rolls. However, he is also taking 1 BODY every day, and
after ten days he reaches 0 BODY, goes into shock, and Scream 3
starts to die as per the rules. Paramedics or other SCUD 1
medical Skills can be used to stabilize him, but this has
to be done each day. He will need constant care to get
over his pixie addiction. If he reaches day 20 and is still
alive, all he needs to do is make a straight EGO Roll, and
he will finally be free of the drug.
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 47

CHAPTER THREE:
COMBAT
Chapter Three contains plenty of material to supplement types of ammunition, rules for upgrading firearms and exten-
the combat information found in DC:HOV, including new sive rules for vehicle combat and car chases. As always,
Combat Maneuvers, options and creative uses for the new these rules are entirely optional, and should only be used if
Autofire Skills, new rules for Equipment Allowances, new the GM approves.
 48 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q

COMBAT
ob Live
sMANEUVERS
Eh D ork C U KAN S
UPERBOZOS ootsauce
B h YO
RAI L

B
IF
ME rustn
um p
DERi c k m

y
Disco Su H ever V ion
sle engence
C
is Ours s D rool POW
c T
KA
uke eps ER
Mechap

ks NEW OPTIONAL COMBAT

DIVE FOR COVER MANEUVER: HURRY ¿ STOP

Any character may attempt this maneuver to raise their

When the grenades and bombs start to fly, this Combat effective Dexterity and try to act earlier within a phase. A
Maneuver always comes in handy. However, there are character aborts to “Hurry” his next action. The character
sometimes significant problems with it because of the way it then rolls 1d6 and adds the value to his effective DEX only
can be used almost like a form of Precognition or “retroactive for the purposes of acting earlier in a phase. While Hurrying,
dodge.” The usual exchange goes something like this: the character is -2 OCV, -2 DCV and -2 on all skill and
Player: I’ll fire my gun at Thug #1. I have a 7 OCV. characteristic rolls.
GM: All right, he’s going to Dodge, so he has DCV 9. A character with a base Dexterity of 18 who aborts to Hurry
and rolls 4 on his 1d6 roll (total effective Dexterity 18 + 4 =
Player: It’s a One Hex attack—explosive bullets. 22), would act before a character with a base dexterity of 20.
Dodging won’t do him any good. The Hurry maneuver does not effect combat value, figured
GM: Okay, then he’ll Dive For Cover. characteristics, skill rolls or characteristic rolls. It does not
What has just happened here is that Thug #1 has some- change the rate at which a character recovers from Dexterity
how been granted advance knowledge of the PC’s attack— Drains and Transfers.
he “knows” that the PC’s gun and ammunition, which are Generally, a character should try to execute relatively
indistinguishable from any other gun or ammo, are an Area simple actions while hurrying. Complex actions may be more
of Effect attack. This sort of retroactive change to a Dive For difficult than during a normal action. The Game Master can
Cover maneuver after an attacking character announces apply many other limitations to a Hurrying character attempt-
that his attack is an Area of Effect is not only extremely unfair, ing complicated actions. Many normally automatic actions
it flies in the face of reality. Thug #1 has no way of knowing may require skill or characteristic rolls while Hurrying: mak-
that the attack is One Hex, and therefore no reason to Dive ing many turns while running or gliding in high winds may
For Cover. Thug #1 (or a PC in a similar situation) therefore require Dexterity rolls or skill rolls to be successful; speaking
should not be allowed to Dive For Cover, he should take the clearly may require a Presence roll or a skill roll; holding a
damage (if Player hits the hex). slippery object may require a Strength roll. The Game
Of course, there are a number of situations where a Master is free to require whatever rolls are appropriate for a
character is perfectly justified in Diving For Cover: character to execute an action while Hurrying.
1) If the character announces before anyone attacks him that
OPTIONAL: CHANGING
THE ORDER OF COMBAT ¿
he will Dive For Cover this Phase no matter what hap- STOP

pens, then Diving For Cover is justified.

2) If the attack is obviously an Area of Effect attack—a Within a phase, all characters normally get a chance to act
grenade, a Molotov cocktail, a thrown table—then the in order of their Dexterity scores; the characters with the
character can see it coming, and Diving For Cover is highest Dexterity going first. Two options, the Lightning
justified. This applies to any other situation where the Reflexes talent and the Hurry maneuver, can alter this order
character can see from the nature of the attack that it is an by changing a character’s effective Dexterity for determining
Area of Effect (in the example given above, not only can the order within a phase. These changes can have a pro-
Thug #1 not see the bullet coming at him, even if he could found effect on the way combat runs, and the GM should
he wouldn’t necessarily know what type of bullet it was consider them carefully before deciding to use them.
unless he made a Weaponsmith roll). A character may have adjustments to his effective Dexter-
3) If the character has been attacked with that particular Area ity from both Hurrying and Lightning Reflexes. All modifiers
of Effect attack before (for example, if Player’s PC had are added together to find the characters final effective
previously fired his gun at Thug #1), then Diving For Cover Dexterity.
is justified.
Alternately, the GM could allow a character in this situation
to Dive For Cover, but at double the usual penalty to the
character’s DEX Roll.
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 49
LIGHTNING REFLEXES
Both Lightning Reflexes and Hurry add to a character’s
effective Dexterity for determining the order of combat.
Lightning Reflexes that effect everything a character does
only have a minimal effect on running combat. The GM and
the player need both remember that the character’s effective
Dexterity is higher than his base Dexterity. The adjustment
is only be made once and from then on the order within a
phase does not change.
Example: A character with a Base Dexterity of 21 has +2
Lightning Reflexes all the time. His Effective Dexterity is
21 + 2 = 23 for determining the order within a phase. This
character, and any other character with an effective
Dexterity of 23, may act when Dexterity count 23 comes
up within the phase. However, when the characters
make Dexterity Rolls to see who will act first, his charac-
teristic rolls are based on his base Dexterity Value, not
his effective Dexterity value.
A character with Lightning Reflexes that only works with
one maneuver can cause some confusion in the Dexterity
count. When does the character declare his action? If a
character’s Dexterity is 23, but it is effectively 25 using a
Defensive Strike, when does the GM call on him?
This is not much of a problem if the GM is simply calling out
the Dexterity count and waiting for characters to declare their
actions. Then it is up to the player to react when his effective
Dexterity is called if he wants to use his Lightning Reflexes
with his maneuver. This is similar to how a character with Ego
based powers needs to react when their Ego is called instead
of when their Dexterity is called.
If the GM is designating when each player can act in a
phase, the player needs to keep the GM informed of his
intended actions so that the combat order does not get Example: Within a phase, the Dexterity count stands at
confused. In general, it is simpler to put the responsibility on 23. A Dexterity 23 opponent is about to take an action. A
the player, not on the Game Master, to remember a character’s character with a Base Dexterity of 21 aborts to Hurry to
Lightning Reflexes. act before his opponent. He rolls 1d6 and generates a 3,
Example: The GM counts down the Dexterity count, “25, for an effective Dexterity of 21 + 3 = 24. Because the
24, 23, now your opponent goes. He fires at your charac- character’s effective Dexterity is equal to or greater than
ter and hits with an attack roll of 9. He does 8 BODY and the Dexterity count, he may attempt to act now. Because
24 STUN. Now, the Dexterity count is 23, 22, 21...” both characters are effectively acting at the same time in
“I go on 21,” the Dexterity 21 character says. “But, with the Dexterity count, both must make Dexterity Rolls to
my +4 Lightning Reflexes that works with my Rocket see who will act first.
Pistol, my effective Dexterity is 25. I want to use my Example: A Dexterity 21 character waits until the GM
Rocket Pistol to hit my opponent before he fires at me!” calls Dexterity count 23 to abort to Hurry. The character
“I’m sorry,” says the Game Master, “but your opponent will go after the characters that have already gone on
has already hit you. I had no way of knowing you wanted Dexterity count 24, even if he rolls a 6 and has an
to use your Rocket Pistol so I assumed you were going to effective Dexterity of 27.
act at your base Dexterity. Next time, remember your The whole concept of effective Dexterity adds another
Lightning Reflexes before your opponent rolls his attack.” layer of complexity onto an already complex sequence of
play. It will give the players additional options at the expense
HURRY of slightly slowing down combat. The GM and the players
A character can abort to use the Hurry maneuver to try to must decide if they want to have the additional options or a
move sooner within a phase. As opposed to other abort more streamlined combat sequence.
maneuvers, the character does not get to act immediately.
The character rolls 1d6 and adds the result to his effective
Dexterity. When the Dexterity count within a phase gets to
the character’s effective Dexterity, the character has a
chance to act. If the character aborts to Hurry during a phase,
and the Dexterity count has already passed his new effective
Dexterity, the character may try to act immediately. As in any
other abort situation, what has gone before does not change.
The best a character can do is Hurry and try to interrupt a
character’s action in progress.
 50 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
NEW OPTIONAL COMBAT
MANEUVER: RAPID FIRE ¿ OPTIONS FOR AUTOFIRE
STOP

A character may attack more than once a phase with a

ranged attack. These attacks may be against a single or The Autofire Advantage is frequently used to build
multiple targets. All targets must be within the characters submachine guns, assault rifles, and other high-powered
front 180 degree line of sight. Rapid Fire takes a full phase, firearms. However, the Autofire rules used for superheroic
and the attacker is x DCV and takes a -2 OCV penalty for games are not necessarily the sort of Autofire rules that work
every shot after the first against all targets. The attacker must best in street-level campaigns. Street-level comic book
expend END or Charges individually for each attack. A characters can often use Autofire attacks much more effec-
character may not Rapid Fire an Autofire attack unless he tively than the current rules allow for. Here are several
has the appropriate maneuver (see the section on New optional rules for “customizing” Autofire and for using it in
Skills, earlier in this book). creative ways.
Example: Ginger takes a full phase and rapid fires her
Llama Super Comanche .44 Magnum three times at the
charging enemy boss. The player rolls three separate
attacks. All three shots take a -4 OCV penalty.
IMPROVED AUTOFIRE
Note: The Game Master may wish to restrict an attacker to Here’s the Autofire rule from the Champions Fourth Edi-
a maximum of two or three shots per phase. This will still give tion Rulesbook, page 148, so you don’t have to keep looking
a character a reasonable increase in firepower at the ex- it up:
pense of being vulnerable to counter attack. A character may spray a [sic] Autofire attack at several
targets. When doing this, there is a -1 OCV penalty for
NEW OPTIONAL COMBAT each hex fired into. Each target can only get hit once. The
MANEUVER: BLAZING AWAY ¿ STOP attacker declares the targets and counts the number of
continuous target hexes. He must fire a minimum of one
A character may blaze away with ranged attacks, firing as shot into each hex, even if there is no target there (so a
often as he can. Blazing Away takes a half phase and each character with a 5 shot maximum could affect a maxi-
attack only hits if the attacker rolls a natural ‘3’ on his 3D6 mum of five hexes).
Attack Roll. The attacker must expend END or Charges
individually for each attack. A character may blaze away with This rule needs a simple wording change so that it may be
an Autofire attack just the same as he can with any other easily modified by new autofire maneuvers. The basic rule
attack. But, because the attacker must roll a 3 to get any hits still works the same as always, it is simply worded differently:
at all, each attack Autofire attack can only hit one time. An attacker may spray an Autofire attack at several
Example: After reloading, Ginger needs to scare a group targets. The attacker declares the targets and counts a
of thugs that are rushing up to see what happened to their line of continuous hexes that includes all the targets.
boss. She rushes forward with a half move and fires 5 There is a -1 OCV penalty for each hex. Each target can
shots over their heads. Ginger realizes she probably only get hit once. The attacker must fire a minimum of
won’t hit anything by blazing away, but the 5 shots count one shot into each hex, even if there is no target there (so
as a very violent action and she can use the extra dice on a character with a 5 shot maximum could affect a
her Presence attack. maximum of five hexes).
The new Autofire Maneuvers, listed in New Skills section
Note: Just in case someone thinks that running quickly and of this book, may all be “stacked together” so that a character
blazing away has any meaningful chance to hit, statistics could execute Rapid, Accurate, Concentrated, Skipover
show that ten attacks that need a natural 3 on 3D6 to hit has Sprayfire. When stacking these maneuvers, the attacker
about the same chance to hit a target as a single attack at 5 takes the total of all OCV penalties, the longest amount of
or less on 3D6. Blazing Away is really only useful as a violent time, and the worst DCV penalty of the maneuvers.
action to help punctuate a presence attack or to simulate the
more exotic maneuvers shown in the movies. The Game
Master may wish to restrict an attacker to a maximum of four COMBAT MANEUVERS CHART
or five shots per phase to reduce the amount of die rolling. Below is a chart listing all of the new combat maneuvers,
their costs (if any) and their effects. Descriptions of these
maneuvers can be found either in the section above, or in the
New Skills section in Chapter One of this book.
NEW COMBAT MANEUVERS
Maneuver Phase Cost OCV DCV Effects
Rapid Fire 1 - -2 x attack multiple targets in ranged combat
Blazing Away  - (3) +0 attack often, only hit on natural 3
Accurate Sprayfire 1 5 -1 x no per hex penalty for sprayfire
Concentrated Sprayfire 1 5 -1 x hit sprayfire targets multiple times
Skipover Sprayfire 1 5 -1 x avoid attacking selected targets
Rapid Autofire 1 5 -2 x attack multiple targets with autofire
Two Weapon Fighting 1 5 0 x No OCV penalty for 2nd Rapid Fire attack
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 51

s Eh EQUIPMENT
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Limited Equipment Availability gives access only to legal

EQUIPMENT ALLOWANCE hunting type weapons. It normally limits access to rifles and
pistols at 4-6 Damage Classes.
Street Level Equipment Availability gives access to mili-
This section supplements the section on Equipment Al-
tary small arms but little access to heavy weapons like
lowances in DC:HOV, page 100.
machine guns or anti-tank Rockets. It normally limits access
An Equipment Allowance is a pool of real points that a
to assault rifles and shotguns at 7 to 9 Damage Classes.
character can use to “buy” an arsenal of real life equipment.
High Tech Equipment Availability gives some access to
The capabilities of this equipment are limited to what a
heavy weapons like machine guns. It limits access to heavy
normal character could buy “off the shelf.” Exotic, modified,
weapons with 10-12 Damage Classes.
or unusual equipment may not be purchased through an
Military Equipment Availability gives access to military
Equipment Allowance, and must be purchased with charac-
weapons like anti-tank rockets. It limits access to heavy
ter points.
weapons with as many as 13-15 Damage Classes.
The number of real points in a character’s Equipment
It is important to distinguish between a character’s carried
Allowance depends on the type of character, and the Game
equipment and his armory. A character may own many more
Master. Generally, Heroic level characters with 75 base
pieces of equipment than he can legally carry; this is per-
points and up to 75 points of disadvantages get a free 100
fectly acceptable. Most Dark Champions PCs have a place
real point equipment allowance. Super heroic level charac-
where they can store their excess equipment; this is an
ters with 100 base points and up to 150 points of disadvan-
“armory.” Starting characters should only own enough equip-
tages do not get a free equipment allowance. Super heroic
ment to fill out their equipment allowance; new equipment
level characters are assume to equip themselves with cus-
can be acquired during play, or through role-playing efforts.
tom equipment that is not available “off the shelf.”
The GM should carefully monitor the Availability level of
A character may increase his Equipment Allowance by +5
characters’ starting equipment.
real points for every +1 character point spent. The Game
Master may limit the number of real points in a character’s
equipment allowance to fit a particular campaign. MAXIMUM POINTS AVAILABLE THROUGH
What kinds of equipment can a character buy with the AN EQUIPMENT ALLOWANCE:
points in an equipment allowance? The Game Master is the
final arbitrator over what may and may not be purchased Equipment Base Active
through an Equipment Allowance. The equipment can in- Availability Points Points
clude real weapons, radio gear, flashlights, etc. Generally, Limited 30 60
only equipment that the GM approves and that the player can Street Level or Pure 45 90
find in a real life catalog should be purchased from an High Tech 60 120
Equipment Allowance. The weapons and equipment listed in Military 75 150
the Hero System Rules, DC:HOV, and Eye For An Eye can
be available at the discretion of the Game Master. Remember that Base Points is the amount of points in the
Vehicles, bases, and followers should not be purchased base power that defines the equipment, before any advan-
through an equipment allowance. Characters should pur- tages or limitations. Active points is the amount of points in
chase them according to the normal rules. the equipment after applying all advantages.
The equipment a character can purchase through an Example: a character has a 100 Real Point Equipment
Equipment Allowance also depends on availability. Different Allowance and Street Level Equipment Availability. The
campaigns may have different equipment available. Differ- character could carry an Ingram MAC-10 (20 Base
ence characters within the same campaign may have differ- Points, 45 Active Points, 22 Real Points) and a FN-FAL
ent equipment available. Contacts, Skills, and Perks may all Assault Rifle (35 Base Points, 87 Active Points, 43 Real
help determine the type of equipment a character may have Points) but not a .50 Caliber M2 Heavy Barrel Machine
available. Gun (45 Base Points, 146 Active Points, 58 Real Points.)
The greater the character’s access, the more powerful the
equipment the character can purchase through an Equip- Real Points are not limited by availability. Real Points is
ment Allowance. Availability is divided into classes. Each the amount of points (Character Points or Equipment Allow-
class limits both the number of points that define the base ance) it costs to buy the equipment, after applying all
power of each piece of equipment and the total active points advantages and limitations.
of each piece of equipment. The Game Master may use
these categories or define his own limits.
 52 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
For a particular scenario, the GM may give characters Some objects are so large they can’t be hidden in an area.
special access to more powerful equipment than they nor- If a hiding place is 2 or more points smaller than the object
mally have available, but that equipment does not become a you’re trying to hide, the object is not considered hidden.
part of the character’s normal arsenal. Don’t even try hiding a +7 PER Mod machine gun under your
Example: if a character is helping a group of mercenar- hat.
ies in an assault, the Game Master may let him crew a .50 The following table lists the mast common concealment
Caliber M2 Heavy Barrel Machine Gun. After the sce- spots for guns and gadgets. The PER Mods of various guns
nario, the character returns the machine gun and must are listed on the gun lists.
use the equipment that is normally available to him.
CONCEALMENT TABLE
If game balance is a concern, the Game Master may wish
to limit super heroic characters to Limited Equipment Avail- Size of Clothing PER Mod Rating
ability. This will insure that a super heroic character’s main
combat capabilities are purchased with Character Points, Suit jacket ......................................................... +2
not with the Equipment Allowance. Jacket (windbreaker) ........................................ +3
Coat (heavy, long jacket) .................................. +4
Overcoat (trenchcoat) ....................................... +5
CONCEALMENT Shirt or Blouse .................................................. +1
In Boots ............................................................ +1
There are many things in Dark Champions that a character Under Skirt or Dress ......................................... +1
might want to conceal: guns, equipment, papers, microfilm. Under a Hat ...................................................... +1
Generally, hiding objects in a room is taken care of with the Inside Small Handbag ...................................... +1
Concealment Skill. However, there’s a special case of con- Inside Camera Case ......................................... +2
cealment which needs somewhat more attention: hiding
Inside Large Handbag ...................................... +3
objects on and about your body.
Each weapon listed has a PER Mod, and a person’s Inside Briefcase ................................................ +4
clothing will have a PER Mod rating as a hiding place. If the The PER Mod rating of the jackets and coats given above
weapon’s PER Mod is less than or equal to the PER Mod represents them buttoned up. If the jacket is left unbuttoned,
rating of the hiding place, then the weapon is hidden from the PER Mod rating of its hiding spaces will increase by 1. But
view. If weapon’s PER Mod is larger than the PER Mod rating when a character is moving with an open jacket, there is a
of the hiding place, then the weapon might be spotted. chance of 1 on 1D6 (1 or 2 If he’s running) for the jacket to
If the object is hidden, a viewer may still notice that open and reveal any objects hidden under it.
something’s hidden under the clothing if he’s looking hard. If If a character has clothing specifically tailored for one
a character asks specifically “Is he carrying something under piece of equipment or weapon, the PER Mod rating goes up
his jacket?” the character can make a Perception Roll to by 1. A suit jacket specifically designed to hold a Colt
check. The character will take a -1 to his Perception Roll for Anaconda (PER Mod +3) would have a PER Mod rating of 3
each +1 PER Mod the object is smaller than its hiding place. and just barely hide the gun.
Example: Bill Robinson is carrying an AMT Backup Note: anything that’s less than PER Mod +0 may be hidden
under his surf jacket. The AMT has a PER Mod of +1 and on your person with Concealment Skill. Such objects can’t
the suit has a PER Mod rating of 2. The gun will not be be found visually, but only with a Strip Search and a Conceal-
noticed by casual observers and anyone specifically ment versus Concealment Roll. Such items are considered
looking for it will take a -1 on his Perception Roll to find so small that they can fit behind belt buckles, in shoe heels
it. or inside specially created pockets.
If the object’s PER Mod is greater than the PER Mod rating
of the hiding place, the object can be noticed by anyone. SEARCHING A PERSON
That’s because the object causes an unsightly bulge In the Whenever a character gets captured, he’ll probably get
person’s clothing. Anyone the character Is dealing with will searched. There are three kinds of searches: a Fast Patdown,
notice the bulge with a Perception Roll. a Thorough Patdown and a Strip Search.
Example: Bill later decides to carry a Llama Super A Fast Patdown only takes 1 phase and will find most large
Comanche .44 magnum revolver (PER Mod +3) under items hidden on a character’s torso. The searcher rolls his
his jacket. Because the gun is bigger than the jacket’s Perception Roll, +1 per PER Mod of the object a character is
PER Mod rating, casual observers can notice it. People carrying on his torso. The searcher finds each item if he
are starting to talk about Bill. makes his Perception Roll for each one. The chance is pretty
Perception Rolls will tell a character that someone is good for him to find a gun, but there’s still a small chance to
carrying an object, but the Perception Roll won’t tell them miss one.
what the object is. So long as clothing still covers an object, A Thorough Patdown takes a full turn and will find most
the object’s exact identity will remain hidden. However, large items hidden all over a character’s body. The searcher
some information about the object should be available. If the still must make his Perception Roll, but he can now find
observer has noticed a bulge under the character’s left objects hidden anywhere on a character.
armpit, it’s probably a gun. But the exact type of gun or
whatever wouldn’t be known until the object comes out into
view.
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 53
A Strip Search is exactly what it sounds like. It takes at STARFIRE
least one minute and often five or ten minutes, or even The Starfire is another form of “improved hollow point”
longer. The searcher removes all of a character’s clothing, ammunition. It expands to almost twice its diameter when it
sometimes even systematically destroying the clothing to hits the target.
make sure everything is found. The searcher can then
search the character’s clothing at his leisure and will find
anything not hidden with Concealment Skill. Any concealed
FICTIONAL PISTOL &
items In a character’s clothing will be found with a Conceal- RIFLE AMMUNITION
ment Skill vs. Skill Roll. Of course, a long search would give Since Champions is intended to simulate comic books,
a bonus to the searcher. not real life, there’s no reason why Champions characters
can’t create their own types of ammunition. Of course, this
requires the Skill Weaponsmith (Slugthrowers). The follow-
ing are some examples of “comic-book” types of bullets.
SPECIAL AMMUNITION
ELECTROSHOCK
This section supplements the ammunition descriptions in This bullet is essentially an incredibly powerful battery
DC:HOV, pages 78-80. designed to discharge upon contact with the target. The
killing effect of the bullet comes not only from its impact but
PISTOL & RIFLE AMMUNITION from the massive electric shock it delivers (thus, it affects ED,
not PD).
BEEHIVE/CORE-SHOT
This type of bullet is similar to a Glaser round, but with STARFLASH
somewhat less penetrating capacity. This shell contains a magnesium flare charge in its core.
Upon impact it not only injures the target, but emits a bright
EQUALLOY flash of light which will blind him (if he’s still conscious and/
This bullet, which is manufactured in England, is made or alive) and anyone near him.
from an aluminum alloy with a nylon coating. This allows it to
achieve very high velocities, but when it hits it expands VELOCITY-CHARGED EXPLOSIVE
quickly and remains inside the target. The VCE bullet contains a special explosive charge which
is primed by the bullet’s acceleration. The necessary level of
GECO-BAT speed is achieved several feet beyond the muzzle of the gun,
This bullet is hollow with a plastic core. The core is so there is little danger of the bullet accidentally exploding
(theoretically) blown away upon firing, leaving the hollow close to the firer. This bullet is bought as three or four extra
bullet to chew large wound cavities through flesh. Damage Classes to the Killing Attack plus the “One Hex”
Advantage, with the Limitation “Must Hit Target, Not A Hex”
(-Ê).
IMPROVED GLASER
This is an advanced form of Glaser round which has the
ability to penetrate barriers before expanding. The “Magsafe” SHOTGUN AMMUNITION
round, a frangible copper-jacketed bullet with an epoxy core In recent years ammunition makers have exploited shot-
filled with birdshot pellets, is essentially an Improved Glaser gun shells’ capability to carry unusual or specialized loads.
bullet. As a result, the number of types of combat shotgun shells
available has expanded dramatically. Some of them include:
OMNI-SHOK
The Omni-Shok is a lead slug which has four “petals” cut AIR BOMB
into its nose and a screw-like piece placed between them. This shell explodes near the target in mid-air. It is designed
The screw is supposed to expand the petals upon contact, to stun, injure, and incapacitate the target.
producing a sort of “improved hollow point” effect.
ARMOR PIERCING
REVERSED OGIVE This is a special type of slug designed to penetrate armor.
Also known as THV ammunition, this bullet has a special
concave cutting edge which not only allows it to achieve BRI
tremendous velocities, but gives it some armor-piercing This specially-made slug is more of a bullet than a shotgun
capability and allows it to transfer a great deal of energy to shell. It is intended to increase the range and accuracy of a
the target upon impact. shotgun.

SPARTAN CUBIC SHOT

Spartan bullets are made from a mixture of polymer and This shell has cubic shot instead of the normal round shot.
lead dust molded into the shape of a bullet. When they hit a The cubic shot is intended to maximize the spread of the
target, they immediately fragment, causing tremendous dam- pellets so that the target is hit.
age. They are bought like Glaser slugs.
 54 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
EXPLOSIVE LOCKBREAKER
This slug explodes upon impact with the target, causing Also known as a “lockbuster” or “Hatton” shell, this round
tremendous damage. A properly-placed Explosive Slug can is filled with lead or iron powder. When fired at a lock, it
take out everyone in a small room or a car in one shot. destroys the lock’s internal workings, allowing the door to be
quickly pulled or kicked open.
FIREBALL
This shotgun shell is filled with magnesium or some other ROPETHROWER
flammable material that bursts into flame when it contacts This isn’t actually a shell, it’s an attachment to the barrel of
the target area, immolating that area for several seconds. a shotgun that uses the force of a fired shell to shoot a rope
and grapnel. Shotgun-wielding characters can buy this at-
FLARE tachment as a Focus for Swinging.
Flare shells are like Fireball shells, but they are intended
to blind the target temporarily, not injure him. RUBBER SHOT
This shell was invented for anti-riot purposes and is
FLECHETTE designed to stun the target with several .30 caliber rubber
This shell is a shotgun version of a flechette bullet. It is pellets.
filled with tiny metal darts. The flechettes in this shell are
bigger and stronger than those in a bullet, and fly further than SILENCED
standard buckshot. This special shotgun shell is constructed so that the
expanding gases that propel the round (a large metal and
ICE plastic flechette) forward are trapped inside the shell, which
Ice shells are used by assassins who want to kill without acts as a sort of “ram” to shove the flechette out of the barrel
leaving traces. The impact of the ice-filled shell is still enough and towards the target. Because the gases cannot escape
to kill, but the ice soon melts, leaving the exact cause of the properly, the shotgun is silenced. A silenced round has to be
injuries a mystery. relatively low-powered, and therefore cannot be fired in
automatic shotguns because it cannot cycle the action.

SMOKE
This shell is a miniature smoke grenade.

TEAR GAS
A shotgun shell loaded with tear gas instead of shot.

FICTIONAL SHOTGUN ROUNDS

Here are some examples of fictional shotgun shells that
Dark Champions PCs can use.

ANTI-VEHICULAR EXPLOSIVE ARMOR

PIERCING
The AVEAP slug combines the effects of explosive and
armor piercing slugs to cause tremendous damage to the
target. When developed, it was intended primarily for use
against vehicles and other heavy targets, but it has been
effectively used against personnel as well.

CYANIDE GAS
A variant on the Tear Gas shell. Instead of tear gas, it
carries deadly cyanide gas.

HIGH EXPLOSIVE PANCAKE

This slug is made of lead and contains a mild explosive
charge. It is intended not to kill but to knock a target out.
When it hits, the lead flattens into a “pancake” and the
explosive charge is triggered, incapacitating the target and
knocking him off of his feet.

NET
This shell contains a tough plastic net instead of shot or a
slug. The net is intended to harmlessly incapacitate some-
one by tying them up so that they can be subdued without
injury.
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 55
Damage and/or STUN Multiple.
BUYING SPECIAL Some special shells trade off either penetration, damage,
or shock value for other special capabilities. These rounds
AMMUNITION can include incendiary rounds that have a chance to start
fires, low velocity rounds for silenced weapons, or even flare
The characteristics of the guns and shotguns are listed rounds that cause a flash attack.
assuming standard ammunition. These weapons can also The Advantages, Limitations and Damage Class Modifi-
fire special ammunition that modify the weapon’s armor ers have been selected to represent the rounds described
penetration, BODY damage done, STUN or shock and and to be relatively point balanced. A character building a
special effects. The characteristics of this special ammuni- gun from scratch can use the Advantages and Limitations
tion are listed in the Special Pistol & Rifle Ammunition and listed as an example of the effects of these various kinds of
Special Shotgun Ammunition tables. ammunition.
The tables on the next two pages list the name of the Example: The Black Magnum, the vigilante, wants to
ammunition, the Power Advantages and Limitations it gives build a heavy rifle that fires Armor Piercing Explosive
a weapon’s attack and the adjustment to the Damage Class ammunition, but that does more damage than any nor-
of the weapon. The Special Pistol & Rifle Ammunition table mal rifle. He builds the rifle with both the Armor Piercing
has two entries for Damage Class adjustment, one for guns and +1 STUN Modifier advantages to represent the
that normally have a standard STUN Multiplier, and one for weapon’s unique ammunition.
guns that normally have a +1 STUN Multiplier.
To use special ammunition, find the damage class of the
base damage of the weapon. See the Damage Class Table
(Hero System Rulesbook, page 158) for reference. Add the UPGRADING FIREARMS
Damage Class Adjustment to the Damage Class of the
weapon. Ignore the Advantages (like +1 STUN Multiplier) Sometimes characters who start out with ordinary weap-
and Limitations (like Reduced by Range and Reduced ons, i.e., those from the Guns & Similar Weapons chart in
Penetration) that normally effect the damage done by the DC:HOV, want to upgrade them by changing to an improved
weapon. Apply the Advantages and Limitations listed to the form of ammunition or adding a silencer or other accessory.
adjusted damage. This gives you the final capabilities of the This can be a problem in campaigns where PCs are allowed
attack. to take regular equipment for free—should the GM simply
Example: An FN-FAL normally does a 2d6+1 Killing allow them to have any sort of upgrade for free as well (which
Attack (7 DCs) with a +1 STUN Modifier. Duplex Ammu- can unbalance the campaign), should he make them pay
nition has a +2 DC adjustment and only the Reduced points for the entire weapon, or should he only make them
Penetration limitation. So, a FN-FAL firing Duplex Am- pay points for the improvement?
munition would do a 3d6 Killing Attack (9 DCs) with The solution is quite simple. For characters that have an
Reduced Penetration (but without the +1 STUN Modi- Equipment Allowance, allow them to purchase such im-
fier.) provements as sights, silencers, flash suppressors and
Using special ammunition generally puts additional stress additional rounds with their equipment allowance. If a char-
on a weapon. If the GM is using the optional Gun Malfunction acter wants a weapon that does more damage than it should
rules (Hero System Rulesbook, page 198), any gun firing normally do, he should pay the full cost with his Character
special ammunition should use the attack roll numbers in Points, not with his equipment allowance. The Equipment
parentheses to determine malfunctions. Allowance should only be used for “real world” items. For
Special ammunition is more difficult and expensive to buy characters that must pay Character Points for their equip-
then normal ammunition. This, combined with its other ment, simply have them pay the additional points.
limitations, often restricts its use to specific situations. If a The costs for adding a silencer, flash suppressor, or recoil
character knows that his opponents will be heavily armored, compensator are provided in DC:HOV, page 81. The charts
then some sort of Armor Piercing ammunition might be below provide the costs for increasing or decreasing the
useful. If a character knows that he must bring down an number of rounds of ammunition a gun carries, adding a
unarmed target in one shot, then increased damage ammu- scope or making the weapon more accurate.
nition might be the right choice. Each character must evalu- It is up to the GM whether the character has to pay his own
ate each situation to decide which kind of ammo to bring points for an upgrade or can take them out of his equipment
along. allowance (if he has one; see DC:HOV, page 100, for
Most Armor Piercing rounds concentrate their impact details). Since an upgrade is still a form of equipment,
energy over a small area in order to get through armor. allowing characters to take it out of their equipment allow-
Because they concentrate their energy, they do not transfer ances is encouraged, but GMs may wish to prevent an “arms
it efficiently to the target. Most of these rounds either trade off race” by charging PCs actual character points for them.
Damage and/or their STUN Multiple for being Armor Pierc-
ing.
Most increased damage rounds are designed to spread
their energy over a wider area in order to do more damage
and/or shock. Because they distribute their energy over a
wider area they transfer it very efficiently to the target. Most
of these rounds trade off Reduced Penetration for increased
56 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
SPECIAL PISTOL & RIFLE AMMUNITION TABLE
Damage Class Adjustment for
Damage Modifiers (replaces all advantages and Normal STUN +1 STUN
Shell Type limitations on the damage of the guns as listed.) Multiple Multiple

Armor Piercing, Teflon Coated Armor Piercing -1 0

Armor Piercing Explosive Armor Piercing, +1 STUN Multiple -2 -1
Armor Piercing Incendiary Armor Piercing, Increased chance to cause fire or -2 -1
Explosion (3)
Beehive/Core shot Reduced Penetration, +1 STUN Multiple 0 +1
Caseless Damage As Listed (4) 0 0
Discarding Sabot Armor Piercing -1 0
Duplex Reduced Penetration +1 +2
Electroshock Normal Attack vs. ED (1) 0 +1
Equalloy +1 STUN Multiple -1 0
Explosive Reduced Penetration, +1 STUN Multiple 0 +1
Fiberglass/Plastic Reduced Penetration, -3 Forensics to determine 0 +1
cause of death (2)
Flechette Armor Piercing -1 0
Geco-Bat Reduced Penetration +1 +2
Glaser Reduced Penetration, +1 STUN Multiple 0 +1
Gyrojet Damage As Listed, Adds +1 OCV, Subtracts -2 Range Mod 0 0
Hollow Point/Dum Dum Reduced Penetration, +1 STUN Multiple 0 +1
Imp. Glaser/Megasafe +1 STUN Multiple -1 0
Incendiary +1 STUN, Increased chance to cause fire or Explosion (3) -1 0
High Velocity Killing Attack (2) 0 +1
Magnum Damage As Listed 0 0
Omni-Shock Reduced Penetration, +1 STUN Multiple 0 +1
Penetrating Sabot Armor Piercing, +1 STUN Multiple -2 -1
Poison Damage As Listed, Extra Damage depends on poison (5) 0 0
Reversed Ogive/THV Armor Piercing, +1 STUN Multiple -2 -1
Rubber Normal Attack, Reduced Penetration (1) +1 +2
Semi-Armor Piercing Damage As Listed 0 0
Silenced -3 on Perception Roll to Hear -1 0
Spartan Reduced Penetration, +1 STUN Multiple 0 +1
Spent Uranium +1 STUN Multiple -1 0
Starfire Reduced Penetration, +1 STUN Multiple 0 +1
Starflash 2d6 Sight Flash, Explosion, only in a gun with 2d6 or - -
greater damage (5)
Thunderzap Reduced Penetration, +1 STUN Multiple 0 +1
Tracer Damage As Listed, + 2 OCV, for second and -1 -1
subsequent autofire shots at a target (6)
Tumbler Reduced Penetration, +1 STUN Multiple 0 +1
Velocity Charged Explosive +1 STUN Multiple -1 0
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 57

SPECIAL SHOTGUN AMMUNITION TABLE

Damage Modifiers (replaces all advantages and Damage Class
Shell Type limitations on the damage of the gun as listed.) Adjustment
Shotgun Air Bomb Normal Attack, Explosion (1) -1
Shotgun Anti-Vehicle Armor Piercing, Explosion -2
Shotgun Armor Piercing Armor Piercing -1
Shotgun BRI Killing Attack (2) +1
Shotgun Cube Shot Reduced By Range, Reduced Penetration +2
Shotgun Cyanide Gas 1d6 Killing Attack, Area Effect, 2" Radius, Lasts one Turn, —
requires 12 gauge or larger shotgun (7)
Shotgun Explosive Killing Attack, Explosion (2) -1
Shotgun Fireball Normal Attack, Explosion, Increased chance to cause fire/explosion (1,3) -2
Shotgun Flare 3d6 Sight Flash, Explosion, requires 12 gauge or larger shotgun —
Shotgun Flechette Armor Piercing -1
Shotgun HE Pancake Normal Attack (1) +1
Shotgun Ice +1 STUN, -3 Forensics to determine cause of death -2
Shotgun Lockbreaker No Range +2
Shotgun Net 4d6 DEF 4 Entangle, requires 12 gauge or larger shotgun —
Shotgun Ropethrower Will shoot a grapple and Rope 20" —
Shotgun Rubber Normal Attack, Reduced Penetration (1) +2
Shotgun Shells Damage As Listed 0
Shotgun Silenced +1 STUN Multiple, -3 on PER Roll to Hear, may not be used in -2
Auto Shotguns
Shotgun Slug +1 STUN Multiple -1
Shotgun Smoke Darkness to Sight, 2" Radius, Lasts one Turn, requires 12 gauge —
or larger shotgun (5)
Shotgun Tear Gas 1d6 Sight Flash, Area Effect, x2 Radius, 4" Radius, Lasts 1 Turn, —
requires 12 gauge or larger shotgun (7)

Notes:
1) Normal Attack: Weapon does a Normal Attack of 1d6 per adjusted Damage Class of the weapon. For example, if
a weapon had a base damage of 2d6+1 (7 DCs) and an adjustment of -1 (to 6 DCs) it would do a 6d6 Normal
Attack.
2) Killing Attack: Weapon does a Killing Attack with a normal STUN Multiple.
3) Incendiary bullets have an increased chance to cause a fire or explosion. Check for ignition if the attack does
BODY damage and the target is wearing flammable clothing, carrying flammable/explosive objects, or the attack
penetrates a vehicle that has flammable or explosive fuel or cargo. Roll the BODY Damage done to the target or
less on 3d6 to cause a fire or explosion.
4) Caseless ammunition leaves no empty cases when fired. This is not an Advantage, just a special effect.
5) Poisoned bullets can be assumed to be coated with a 2d6 RKA poison with a Trigger (bullet attack must do
BODY, +Ê).
6) Tracer ammunition adds +2 OCV on the second and subsequent consecutive autofire shots at a specific target. If
a target is hit while the attacker is using tracer ammunition, there is a 1 in 6 chance that the round was a tracer,
which only does x BODY damage.
7) All gas shells create a cloud of gas that lasts for one Turn. The attacks can be avoided by breathing apparatus or
life support. The flashes can be avoided by sealed goggles or flash defense.
 58 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
NUMBER OF SHOTS A player can modify the number of shots by more than one
One popular modification to many weapons is to change line on the table. Add the numbers between the lines,
the number of shots the weapon carries. The number of retaining fractions as you do. Round the total number to find
shots or “basic load” of the weapon is listed in the weapons the cost change.
charts. The following system gives an accurate approxima- Example: A character wants an M1911A to carry a 50
tion of the change in the Real Cost of a weapon that carries round “drum” magazine. Find the 33-64 shot line. The
a different number of shots than listed. If a Game Master or numbers between the 7-8 shot line and the 33-64 shot
player does not wish to use this approximation, simply build line are: 2.0, 2.5, 2.5, and 2.5. The total cost of an
the modified weapon from the normal Hero System Powers M1911A with a 50 round “drum” magazine is 12 + 2.0 +
and Modifiers to find an exact Real Point cost. 2.5 + 2.5 + 2.5 = 21.5, which rounds to 21 Real Points.
To find the Real Point cost change for changing the A player can also use these tables to calculate the cost of
number of shots a weapon has, find the vertical line under the a weapon with a reduced the number of shots. Subtract the
heading that indicates the weapon’s basic load. Then, find values between the lines from the base Real Cost to find the
the vertical line under the heading that indicates the weapon’s final Real Cost.
new number of shots. Find the row across that corresponds Example: A character wants an 1911A to carry a 4 round
to the damage and stun multiple of the weapon. Note that “short” magazine. The numbers between the 7-8 shot
Shotguns have their own table. Finally find the numbers line and the 4 shot line are: 1.6 and 1.4. The total cost of
listed between the vertical lines on the table. This is the a M1911A with a 4 round “short” magazine is 12 - 1.6 - 1.4
change in the Real Point cost of the weapon to move the = 9 Real Points.
number of shots to the adjacent line. The minimum cost
change is +/-1 point. Changing the number of Charges in a gun may also affect
the guns PER Mod—guns with more Charges than normal
Example: A .45 Caliber Colt M1911A is a 1d6+1 Attack are easier to detect when hidden, whereas guns with fewer
with a 1d6 STUNx, a base load of 7 shots and a cost of Charges can be easier to hide. For every two lines to the right
12 Real Points. A character wants a Colt M1911A to carry of the base load, add 1 to the gun’s PER Mod; for every two
a 12 round “long” magazine. Find the 7-8 shot line and lines to the left of the base load, subtract 1 from the PER Mod.
the 9-12 shot line. Find the 1d6+1 row on the 1d6 STUNx The Game Master may decide that some combinations of
portion of the table. The number between the 7-8 shot weapons and shots are not reasonable. Putting a 50 round
line and the 9-12 shot line is 2.0. The total cost of an “drum” magazine on a M1911A would make it clumsy to use
M1911A with a 12 round “long” magazine is 12 + 2.0 = 14 at best. The Game Master may apply negative modifiers to
Real Points. a particular combination (decreased OCV and RMod, In-
creased STR Min) or may disallow it all together.

CARRYING EXTRA CLIPS

The basic Real Cost of a weapon includes one clip of
ammunition (the one in the weapon.) Use these tables to
calculate the Real Cost of carrying additional clips of ammo.
Find the vertical line under the heading that indicates the
weapon’s load. Find the row across that corresponds to the
damage and stun multiple of the weapon.
For each one line shift to the right between the 1 shot line
and 13-16 shot line the character can carry two times the
base number of clips. For each one line shift to the right
between the 13-16 shot line and 126-250 shot line the
character can carry four times the number of clips. Total the
numbers between the original line and the final line. This is
the change in the Real Point cost of the weapon to move the
number of shots to the adjacent line.
Example: An M1911A is a 1d6+1 Attack with a 1d6
STUNx, a base load of 7 shots and a cost of 12 Real
Points. A character wants an M1911A and 4 clips of
ammunition. Find the 7-8 shot line and the 13-16 shot line
(2 lines to the right.) Find the 1d6+1 row on the 1d6
STUNx portion of the table. The number between the 7-
8 shot line and the 13-16 shot line are 2.0 and 2.5. The
total cost of a Colt M1911A with 4 clips of 7 shots is 12 +
2.0 + 2.5 = 16.5 rounds to 16 Real Points.
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 59

MODIFYING NUMBER OF SHOTS OR CLIPS: REAL COST CHANGE

For Pistols & Shotguns with a 1d6-1 STUN Mod:
DC Dice Number of Shots

1 2 3 4 5-6 7-8 9-12 13-16 17-32 33-64 65-125 126-250

Clips: x2 x2 x2 x2 x2 x2 x2 x4 x4 x4 x4
2 Âd6 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3
2 1d6-1 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.8 0.9 1.2 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5
3 1d6 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.5 1.9 1.9 1.9 1.9
4 1d6+1 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.1 1.3 1.6 1.9 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5
5 1 Âd6 0.8 1.0 1.1 1.3 1.6 1.9 2.4 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.1
5 2d6-1 0.9 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.7 2.1 2.6 3.4 3.4 3.4 3.4
6 2d6 1.0 1.2 1.3 1.6 1.9 2.3 2.9 3.8 3.8 3.8 3.8
7 2d6+1 1.2 1.3 1.6 1.9 2.2 2.7 3.4 4.4 4.4 4.4 4.4
8 2 Âd6 1.3 1.5 1.8 2.1 2.5 3.1 3.9 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0
8 3d6-1 1.4 1.6 1.9 2.2 2.7 3.3 4.1 5.3 5.3 5.3 5.3
9 3d6 1.5 1.7 2.0 2.4 2.9 3.5 4.4 5.6 5.6 5.6 5.6
10 3d6+1 1.7 1.9 2.2 2.7 3.2 3.9 4.9 6.3 6.3 6.3 6.3
11 3 Âd6 1.8 2.1 2.5 2.9 3.5 4.3 5.3 6.9 6.9 6.9 6.9

For Pistols & Shotguns with a 1d6 STUN Mod:

DC Dice Number of Shots

1 2 3 4 5-6 7-8 9-12 13-16 17-32 33-64 65-125 126-250

Clips: x2 x2 x2 x2 x2 x2 x2 x4 x4 x4 x4
2 Âd6 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 1.0 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3
2 1d6-1 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5
3 1d6 0.6 0.7 0.9 1.0 1.2 1.5 1.9 1.9 1.9 1.9 1.9
4 1d6+1 0.9 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6 2.0 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5
5 1 Âd6 1.1 1.2 1.4 1.7 2.0 2.5 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.1
5 2d6-1 1.2 1.3 1.6 1.8 2.2 2.7 3.4 3.4 3.4 3.4 3.4
6 2d6 1.3 1.5 1.7 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.8 3.8 3.8 3.8 3.8
7 2d6+1 1.5 1.7 2.0 2.4 2.9 3.5 4.4 4.4 4.4 4.4 4.4
8 2 Âd6 1.7 2.0 2.3 2.7 3.3 4.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0
8 3d6-1 1.8 2.1 2.4 2.9 3.4 4.2 5.3 5.3 5.3 5.3 5.3
9 3d6 1.9 2.2 2.6 3.1 3.7 4.5 5.6 5.6 5.6 5.6 5.6
10 3d6+1 2.1 2.5 2.9 3.4 4.1 5.0 6.3 6.3 6.3 6.3 6.3
11 3 Âd6 2.4 2.7 3.2 3.8 4.5 5.5 6.9 6.9 6.9 6.9 6.9

For Shotguns:
DC Dice Number of Shots

1 2 3 4 5-6 7-8 9-12 13-16 17-32 33-64 65-125 126-250

Clips: x2 x2 x2 x2 x2 x2 x2 x4 x4 x4 x4
2 Âd6 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
2 1d6-1 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2
3 1d6 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.7 0.9 1.0 1.2 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5
4 1d6+1 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0
5 1 Âd6 0.8 0.9 1.1 1.2 1.4 1.7 2.0 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5
5 2d6-1 0.9 1.0 1.2 1.3 1.6 1.8 2.2 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.7
6 2d6 1.0 1.1 1.3 1.5 1.7 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0
7 2d6+1 1.2 1.3 1.5 1.7 2.0 2.4 2.9 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5
8 2 Âd6 1.3 1.5 1.7 2.0 2.3 2.7 3.3 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0
8 3d6-1 1.4 1.6 1.8 2.1 2.4 2.9 3.4 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.2
9 3d6 1.5 1.7 1.9 2.2 2.6 3.1 3.7 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5
10 3d6+1 1.7 1.9 2.1 2.5 2.9 3.4 4.1 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0
11 3 Âd6 1.8 2.1 2.4 2.7 3.2 3.8 4.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5

DC = Damage Class of the weapon in question Dice = Damage Dice of the weapon in question
 60 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
SCOPES AND SIGHTS Example: Sean decides to start a Dark Champions
All guns are assumed to come with standard iron sights campaign. He makes it one of his “house rules” that PCs
(+0 OCV, +0 Range) for free. Additional aiming devices can do not have to pay Character Points for their ordinary
easily be added; the chart below gives costs and explains the weapons—their equipment and gadgets have to be
different types of sights and scopes available. With most bought out of an equipment allowance. Craig, one of the
sights and scopes, the firer must be Braced and spend at players, decides to take a Bren Ten 10mm (1 Âd6 RKA,
least one Phase sighting in on the target. standard Stun Modifier) as his main weapon. However,
he wants to improve the ammunition and add some
attachments. He decides to upgrade to AP ammunition
GENERAL MODIFICATIONS and add a silencer, recoil compensator, and laser sight.
This category of upgrades covers general “fine-tuning” of The total cost for these upgrades is:
a gun so that it works more smoothly, is more accurate, or is 6 AP ammunition
easier to conceal. 6 Silencer (DC:HOV, page 81)
2 Recoil Compensator (DC:HOV, page 81)
GENERAL MODIFICATIONS TABLE 3 Laser Sight
17 Total
Modification Real Cost
Craig’s character must pay for these upgrades out of
+1 Fast Draw (streamlined shape, a hair 1 his equipment allowance. If Sean wanted to restrict the
trigger, or any similar modification) PCs’ ability to upgrade their guns, he could have required
Magnetic Lock (changes gun from a 1 Craig’s character to spend Character Points for these
Universal to a Personal Focus; character improvements.
must wear a magnetic ring in order to fire gun)
+1 OCV 2
+2 OCV 5
-1 PER Mod 1
-2 PER Mod, -1 OCV 2
+1 Range Mod, +1 PER Mod 1
+2 Range Mod, +2 PER Mod 2
Watertight (can be fired underwater 1
without any problems)

SCOPES AND SIGHTS TABLE

Name OCV RNG Real Cost Notes
Micrometer +1 +0 2 OAF
Normal Scope +1 +1 4 OAF
High-Power Scope +1 +2 5 OAF
Laser Sight +1 +1 3 OAF, -Ê [Laser sights places a “dot” of laser light on the target,
making it easy for the firer to see where the shot will hit. The firer
does not need to Brace, but the laser only works out to 64" and is
often not usable against brightly-colored backgrounds, through fog
or smoke, and so forth.]
IR Laser Sight +1 +1 4 OAF; A laser sight that uses IR light. It does not require the firer to
Brace, and does not suffer from most of the limitations that a normal
laser sight does (except that it still only works out to 64"). The firer
must have IR vision to see the laser “dot,” but the same can be said
for the target.
IR Sight +0 +0 2 OAF, Provides Infrared Vision
UV Sight +0 +0 2 OAF, Provides Ultraviolet Vision
IR Spotlight +0 +0 15 OAF, Change Environment (flood area with IR light) 8" radius,
0 END
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 61

s Eh VEHICLE COMBAT
Bob Live U KAN S
UPERBODZOoSrk C ootsauce
YO h R

B
IF
ME rustn
um pio AID L i c k m
ER

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Disco Su TCH ever V en ns
c KA sle gence is Ours D rool POW
uke eps ER
Mechap
ks

This section of An Eye For An Eye presents an advanced The second important thing to remember is that the
system for car chases and ground vehicle combat, two Phases a vehicle moves on depend on the vehicle’s own
staples of many action comics and movies. This system is SPD, not that of its driver. If the vehicle’s SPD is less than that
based primarily on the movement and combat rules de- of its driver, the vehicle can only move on the Phases
scribed in the Champions Fourth Edition Rulesbook, pages dictated by its own SPD—in other words, the car just isn’t
142-144 and 192-93, but expands upon those rules to responsive enough for the driver. However, if the vehicle’s
describe car chases in a more in-depth fashion. SPD is greater than the driver’s, the driver has two choices.
Although this system can be used to run a vehicle combat One, he can drive the vehicle at his own SPD, making it
“on the fly” during a game, it is best used as a source of easier to control (i.e., it only moves when he moves). Two, if
inspiration which the GM can draw upon to plan a car chase he wishes to, the driver can drive the vehicle at its own,
in advance. Car chases are supposed to be fast-paced, higher SPD. However, this means that on the Phases in
exciting, and cinematic, and these effects are best achieved which only the vehicle can move, it cannot be steered: it can
by planning the car chase before it is actually run. If the GM only continue moving in whatever direction it was already
has to stop and roll the dice to find out “what happens next” facing, is considered to be moving at noncombat velocity
every Phase of the chase, much of the effect is lost. Instead, (i.e., at  DCV) regardless of its actual inches of movement
the GM should either plot out the car chase as much as that Phase, and cannot attack. Refer to page 192 of the
possible before the game starts, or he should use this system Champions Fourth Edition Rulesbook for an example of how
as a guide for “winging it” without too much dice-rolling. See this works.
“Streamlining the System,” below, for suggestions on run-
ning simplified car chases. ADDITIONAL NOTES ON
This system is broken down into six main sections: a
discussion of vehicle movement; general modifiers for the VEHICLE MOVEMENT
driver’s Combat Driving Roll; a Random Road Generator Drivers can Abort to decelerate or turn if they so choose.
(used to determine where vehicles can go and what they If necessary, they may also decelerate at faster than 5" per
encounter); stunts and maneuvers; and vehicular combat. If Phase. The driver must make a Combat Driving roll at -1 for
possible, the GM and players should be thoroughly familiar every 5" of deceleration added (this penalty does not apply
with these rules before running a car chase—that way, the to dropping from noncombat to combat velocities, which is a
whole episode will flow much more smoothly and quickly. quick, easy way to decrease a vehicle’s velocity without any
difficulty). If the roll is made, everything is fine; if it is failed,
the vehicle is likely to skid, flip, crash into whatever the driver
was trying to avoid, and/or be damaged. Lastly, drivers may
VEHICLE MOVEMENT try to decelerate even quicker by turning their vehicle so that
they are skidding towards whatever they are trying to avoid
For the most part, vehicles move just like characters do: hitting; the penalty for attempting this is -1 per 10" of
they have inches of movement which they can use on deceleration, but if the roll is failed the car automatically
Phases dictated by their SPD, and they can move faster looses control and does not decelerate the extra inches; it
(noncombat movement) if their driver is willing to accept the gets its base deceleration only, which may not be enough to
DCV and turning penalties involved. Vehicles accelerate at prevent a crash! Rapid deceleration can be used when
5" per hex, just like characters, and decelerate at the same Aborting to decelerate.
rate as well. However, there are two important differences to Vehicle movement cannot be Pushed; however, at the
note. GM’s option, a character might be able to squeeze a few
First, ground vehicles, unlike most characters, must use a extra inches of movement out of a vehicle for a couple of
Turn Mode to determine how often they can change their Phases if he makes a Combat Driving roll at -1 for every 2"
facing, as explained in the Champions Fourth Edition of extra movement desired.
Rulesbook, pp. 143-44. Briefly put, a vehicle can make one
turn of up to 60˚ (one hex side) away from the direction it was
originally facing every (total inches moved in Phase/5)
hexes. The first change of facing in a Phase is “free.” Thus,
a vehicle moving 20" in a Phase could make one 60˚ turn
every four hexes (20/5), if it has the room to do so, and it can
make its first facing change at any time. If a driver is willing
to risk a crash, he can try to turn more sharply than this; refer
to the “Combat Driving Modifiers” section, below, for details.
 62 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
These modifiers are cumulative, so drivers should be wary
COMBAT DRIVING of turning too sharply. Using this system, the driver cannot
decrease his Turn Mode by more than half unless he does a
MODIFIERS “bootlegger” (if subtracting one or two from the Turn Mode
would halve it, use those modifiers, not -3). If the driver has
Combat Driving is, of course, the Skill a character uses any 2-point Skill Levels with driving a particular vehicle, he
when he wants to perform a difficult driving maneuver safely. can apply them to decrease his Turn Mode as described for
There are several general modifiers which the GM should flying characters on page 143 of the Champions Fourth
apply to the Skill Roll, and these are detailed below. Other, Edition Rulesbook.
more specific modifiers, based on combat situations and When a character makes a 90˚ turn on a hex map, he will
various road hazards, will be described in later sections. usually end up driving at an odd angle to the normal hex
Generally, these penalties are all cumulative: if an injured pattern. The GM should be careful when counting hexes in
driver is attempting a sharp turn at 80 miles per hour on a such a situation—if necessary, use a ruler to make sure that
gravel road, all the separate modifiers are added together. all vehicles are moving the same amount of map space per
This should give characters plenty of incentive to buy up their game inch of movement.
Combat Driving rolls; high levels of skills are often necessary A one hex-line “drift” means that the character wants to
to keep from crashing. keep driving in the same direction but in the hex-line next to
the one he is in now—like changing lanes. In most conditions
DAMAGE TO DRIVER (even many combat situations) this is a -0 maneuver, but if
For every 2 BODY worth of injuries the driver has sus- the driver is moving to avoid an obstacle, the penalties for
tained, there is a -1 modifier to any Combat Driving rolls he that obstacle apply (see below). Drifting two or more hex-
has to make. If the driver is Stunned or Knocked out, he lines is as easy in most situations, but the GM may impose
cannot drive at all. A passenger who can reach the steering a -1 or -2 modifier in certain circumstances (such as combat).
wheel can attempt to steer the vehicle at -3 to all of his The bootlegger is a special case because it involves a
Combat Driving rolls, but cannot brake or accelerate unless complete reversal of the vehicle’s facing. This means that
he can reach the pedals. the Turn Mode must be eliminated entirely for that maneu-
ver. After a vehicle makes a bootlegger, it can use its
DAMAGE TO VEHICLE remaining inches of movement, but has to accelerate from
zero in the normal fashion, because making a bootlegger
For every 2 BODY of damage a vehicle has sustained, there
is a -1 modifier to any Combat Driving rolls the driver has to brings the vehicle to a stop. Any maneuvers made after the
make. (Note: this rule does not apply to rolls made to keep bootlegger use a normal Turn Mode.
control of a vehicle after it is Rammed or Forced; see below If a driver wants to make more than one sharp turn in a
for the specific modifiers for those situations. Of course, any Phase, the modifiers for degree of turn are cumulative
damage taken because of being Rammed or Forced will still (alternately, the GM could require two Combat Driving rolls,
affect all Combat Driving rolls made thereafter.) one per maneuver, each with its own modifier). For example,
two quick 90˚ turns impose a -2 penalty to the Combat
Driving roll (-1 for each turn). In some situations, such as
DEGREE OF TURN where the two sharp turns are separated by many interven-
As mentioned above, a driver can attempt to turn his
ing inches of movement, the GM should opt for the “two
vehicle more sharply than his current Turn Mode will safely
separate rolls” method. A cloverleaf or other section of
allow. There are many reasons why he might want to do this.
sharply curved roadway which requires a series of “turns” in
For example, there might not be room to turn the vehicle
immediate succession should be assessed a flat penalty of
normally, or the driver may want to save as many inches of
-3.
movement as possible to pursue someone.
Drivers may make a sharp turn on their initial “free” change
The penalty for making sharp turns depends upon two
of facing, but a roll is still required and the modifiers still apply.
factors—the degree of turn the driver wants to make, and
Lastly, all degree of turn and Turn Mode subtraction
how much he wants to decrease his current Turn Mode. The
modifiers are doubled for vehicles with the “Limited Maneu-
modifiers are as follows:
verability” Limitation.
Degree of Turn Modifier Example: The Harbinger is chasing Giulio “Gerry Speed”
01-60˚ (one hex side) ..................................................-0 Maddalena, a notorious member of the Mafia’s Killing
61-90˚ (up to 1 Â hex sides) ....................................... -1 Syndicate. However, the chase has attracted the atten-
91-12o˚ (up to two hex sides) ..................................... -2 tion of the police, and two squad cars are on Harbinger’s
tail. Maddalena is driving a sportscar with SPD 4 and 24"
121-180˚ (up to three hex sides, i.e., a of movement. Harbinger’s car is SPD 5 and 25" move-
complete turn-around or “bootlegger”) ................. -3 ment. He uses his superior SPD to pull up next to
One hex line “drift” ...................................................... -0 Maddalena and shoot him, causing the car to crash into
Decrease in Turn Mode Modifier a bridge abutment. To escape the cops, Harbinger
decides to risk a bootlegger. His Combat Driving roll is
-1 ................................................................................. -1 15-, and the total modifier is -7 (-3 for changing his facing
-2 ................................................................................. -2 and -4 for eliminating his Turn Mode), so he needs an 8-
 current Turn Mode ..................................................-3 to keep from crashing. He moves 2" forward (because his
“Bootlegger” (move one vehicle length ....................... -4 car is 2" long), rolls a 7, and successfully performs a
forward and reverse the vehicle’s facing, bootlegger. As the police cars screech past him, he starts
eliminating the Turn Mode for this maneuver) to accelerate in the other direction. He uses his remain-
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 63
ing 23" of movement to go back the way he came. DRIVING BACKWARDS
Meanwhile, the cops are trying to turn around and Driving backwards is a -2 modifier.
pursue Harbinger before he gets away. Their police cars
are SPD 3, 27" movement (giving them a regular Turn MATCHING MOVEMENT
Mode of 5"). They aren’t daring enough to try bootleg- In some situations one driver may wish to match another
gers, but they do want to turn more sharply than normal. vehicle’s movement precisely, to keep it from getting away or
Officer #1 opts to subtract two from his Turn Mode and attempting any fancy maneuvers. If the pursuing driver does
make two 90˚ turns. The total modifier to Officer #1’s not attack in a particular Phase, he can do this if he makes
Combat Driving Roll is -4 (-2 for the Turn Mode subtrac- a straight Combat Driving roll. If the vehicle he is chasing
tion plus -1 for each 90˚ turn). Officer #1 has a Combat attempts any maneuvers, he must make another Combat
Driving roll of 12-, rolls a 13-, and blows it. He skids Driving roll (with the appropriate modifiers for the maneuver)
behind another bridge abutment and effectively is out of to keep up with them. In cases where the pursuer is faster or
the chase. has a higher SPD than the target vehicle, the pursuer can
Officer #2 is more careful. He decides to make two 90˚ keep from outrunning it by reducing its movement, hesitating
turns as well, but keeps his Turn Mode of 5" (which before moving, and/or skipping some of its Phases.
means he will barely miss the bridge abutments). This
gives him a penalty of -2 to his Combat Driving roll of 11- TERRAIN
. He rolls a 9, making it exactly. He has 22" of movement The surface that a vehicle is being driven on may make
left with which to pursue Harbinger. Combat Driving rolls more difficult, as follows:

Type of
Terrain Modifier Notes
Bad road -1 This refers to paved roads in especially poor condition
Offroad -1 to -3 This modifier depends upon what sort of offroad terrain is being driven upon. A dirt road,
gravel road, or flat grassy area would be -1, hilly forest trails -2 or -3, and a rocky desert
-3, or example. If the vehicle being driven is especially equipped for offroad work (such as
a four-wheel drive truck), this penalty may be reduced or eliminated.

MILES PER HOUR TABLE

Inches SPD
per Phase 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
10" 4 7 11 15 19 22 26 30 34 37 41 45
13" 5 10 15 19 24 29 34 39 44 48 53 58
15" 6 11 17 22 28 34 39 45 50 56 62 67
18" 7 13 20 27 34 40 47 54 60 67 74 81
20" 7 15 22 30 37 45 52 60 67 75 82 89
23" 9 17 26 34 43 51 60 69 77 86 94 103
25" 9 19 28 37 47 56 65 75 84 93 103 112
28" 10 21 31 42 52 63 73 84 94 104 115 125
30" 11 22 34 45 56 67 78 89 101 112 123 134
33" 12 25 37 49 62 74 86 98 110 123 135 148
35" 13 26 39 52 65 78 91 104 117 130 144 157
38" 14 28 42 57 71 85 99 113 127 142 156 170
40" 15 30 45 60 75 89 104 119 134 149 164 179
43" 16 32 48 64 80 96 112 128 144 160 176 192
45" 17 34 50 67 84 101 117 134 150 168 185 201
48" 18 36 54 72 89 107 125 143 161 179 197 215
50" 19 37 56 75 93 112 130 149 168 186 205 224
55" 21 41 62 82 103 123 144 164 185 205 226 246
60" 22 45 67 89 112 134 157 179 201 224 246 268
65" 24 48 73 97 121 145 170 194 218 242 267 291
70" 26 52 78 104 130 157 183 209 235 261 287 313
75" 28 56 84 112 140 168 196 224 252 280 308 336
80" 30 60 89 119 149 179 209 239 268 298 328 358
85" 32 63 95 127 158 190 222 254 285 317 349 380
90" 34 67 101 134 168 201 235 268 302 335 369 403
95" 35 71 106 141 177 212 248 283 319 354 390 425
100" 37 75 112 149 186 224 261 298 335 373 411 447
Miles per hour = (Inches per Phase x SPD) x .3728
 64 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
VELOCITY The Random Road Generator assumes that the car chase
Maneuvers attempted at high velocity are more difficult is taking place in an urban area of some sort. For more rural
than those tried at slower speeds. The penalties are based areas, the open highway, or other places where the Genera-
on the vehicle’s speed in inches per turn (which is calculated tor would not work properly, the GM can either create his own
by multiplying the vehicle’s current velocity in Inches per Generator or can make the new roads up as he goes along.
Phase by the Vehicle’s SPD). The Miles Per Hour Table on The GM should roll on the Random Road Generator at the
the previous page calculates miles per hour based on the beginning of each Turn, so that he will know in advance what
amount of inches moved in a given Phase, for the aid of is coming up that Turn (as much as possible, anyway, given
figuring out just how fast the characters are going. players’ abilities to do the unexpected). Any visible changes
in the road and traffic or other hazards should be reported to
Velocity (MPH) Modifier
the players.
1-40”/Turn ................................................................... -0
41-80”/Turn ................................................................. -1 STEP ONE: STARTING THE CHASE
81-160”/Turn ............................................................... -2 Before the chase begins, the GM needs to determine what
161-320”/Turn ............................................................. -3 the road conditions are like. This is not really something that
321-640”/Turn ............................................................. -4 can be determined randomly; the GM needs to work it out on
641+”/Turn .................................................................. -5 his own. These factors need to be taken into account:
What type of street are the characters on? Is it urban, rural,
Example: Dark Angel is driving her Shelby AC Cobra an alley, a freeway? Is it a good or bad street? Does the
(DEX 30, SPD 4, movement 25"x4 noncombat). Dark weather or any other environmental factor make driving
Angel’s own SPD is also 4, so her vehicle moves in more difficult?
Phases 3, 6, 9, and 12. In combat, her normal velocity will How many lanes does the street have (in both directions)?
be 25” per Phase, or 100” per turn (37 MPH), so any Is it a one-way or a two-way street? a major or minor
Combat Driving rolls she has to make will be at a -2 thoroughfare?
because of her velocity. If she decides to slow down to Is the road curved or straight? If it is curved, how sharply?
10" in one Phase to be on the safe side, her velocity that How busy or occupied is the street, both in terms of traffic
Phase will be 40”/Turn (15 MPH), so she can make and in terms of pedestrians? What kinds of businesses,
Combat Driving rolls with no speed penalty. buildings, or other objects line the road?
How far ahead can the characters see?
WEATHER
Foul weather can make driving particularly hazardous STEP TWO: EVENTS AND ENCOUN-
unless a vehicle is equipped for it (i.e., snow tires for a car) TERS
or specifically designed for it (i.e., a snowmobile). In addition Each Turn the GM should make 1-3 rolls on the Events and
to being a hazard in itself, inclement weather may also affect Encounters Table on the next page to determine what events
a driver’s ability to see upcoming hazards. or encounters will come up in the Turn. Then he should
Type of Weather Modifier decide just where to place them and how to use them. He
Rain/water on road ...................................................... -1 should ignore or change any results which do not seem
appropriate or exciting. For example, in a city built on a
Snow ...........................................................................-2
gridwork pattern, like Manhattan or Phoenix, curved streets
Ice ...................................................................... -3 to -5 are (relatively) rare, and characters with City Knowledge will
be familiar with where stoplights are and which roads are
major thoroughfares. Therefore, the GM should ignore re-
sults which don’t reflect this “style” of city. Similarly, in a city
THE RANDOM ROAD like San Francisco, curved roads and hills are common, and
GENERATOR should be used frequently.

INTERSECTION TABLE
A GM may be uncertain of exactly where a car chase is The Intersection Table on the next page is used to deter-
going to go for any one (or all) of three main reasons: he mine what types of intersections the characters come across.
hasn’t planned it out in advance; the players drive some- The GM should assign each intersecting road an appropriate
where he hadn’t expected; or the car chase goes beyond the number of lanes. Turning onto an intersecting road may
boundaries of his mapped or planned-out area. The last involve a turning penalty (see above); crossing an intersect-
reason is particularly common, since vehicle combat usually ing road may involve a Stoplight/Stop Sign modifier (see the
involves so much space that it is impossible to completely Hazards and Obstacles Table, below).
map out the necessary area(s). Therefore, the GM has two
choices: he can either make up new roads and terrain off the HAZARDS AND OBSTACLES TABLE
top of his head, or he can use the Random Road Generator
The roads and sidewalks of the city are not waiting empty
provided below to randomly determine what roads are avail-
for the characters to conduct car chases—they are full of
able for the PCs and NPCs to use.
traffic and many other obstacles and hazards for the charac-
ters to encounter and try to avoid. The chart below lists some
of the common ones; the GM should add to this list as he
sees fit. If the GM does not want simply to choose an obstacle
or hazard, he can use the chart to pick one by rolling 3d6.
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 65

EVENTS AND ENCOUNTERS TABLE

Roll Event or Encounter Notes
3-7 Road changes angle (if straight, The GM should randomly determine how sharp any curves are and
it curves; if curved, it straightens) what direction they curve in
8 Hazard or Obstacle (one) Check Hazard and Obstacle Table
9 Add or lose a lane (GM’s choice) —
10-11 Intersection Check Intersection Table
12-14 Hazard or Obstacle (two or more) Check Hazard and Obstacle Table
15-18 Intersection Check Intersection Table

INTERSECTION TABLE
Roll Type of Intersection Notes
3 Traffic Circle -3 penalty to drive on (see “Degree of turn”)
4 Y Intersection, fork The road forks evenly. This result may also indicate a traffic island or any other
object which splits lanes of traffic.
5 Y Intersection, sharp To the right; some types of highway on- and off-ramps are Y Intersections (the
exact type depends upon what direction the driving character is approaching the
ramp from)
6 Y Intersection, sharp To the left
7 Y Intersection, wide To the right
8 Y Intersection, wide To the left
9 T Intersection, dead end The road the characters are on dead-ends into another road.
10 T Intersection To the right
11 T intersection To the left
12-17 Cross Intersection A four-way intersection where two roads cross one another; there will definitely
be a stoplight or a stop sign.
18 Unusual Intersection Whatever the GM can think up—an intersection of three or more roads, an
unusual kind of traffic island, and so forth.

Drivers have a choice when they encounter a hazard or an automatically becomes a Move Through. When a vehicular
obstacle: they can try to go around it, or they can go through Move Through is performed, the car and passengers both
it. Trying to swerve around it requires a Combat Driving roll take half or full damage, as usual for a Move Through; if the
with an appropriate modifier (modifiers are suggested in the passengers are tightly strapped into the vehicle or it has
chart). These modifiers are of course cumulative with other other anti-collision safety features, they will take only half of
modifiers (though in many cases the GM may not want to whatever damage is rolled. (Note: these rules do not apply
assess a separate penalty for degree of turn, because the to Move Throughs on vehicles and other moving targets; see
obstacle penalty effectively takes its place). (Note: in some “Vehicular Combat,” below, for rules covering such situa-
cases, such as where one vehicle is trying to Force another tions.)
off the road while avoiding a hazard at the same time, it may If more than one obstacle or hazard is encountered in a
be appropriate for the GM to assess the hazard’s modifier as particular Phase, there are two ways the GM can handle the
a penalty to the attacker’s “to hit” roll, rather than requiring a situation. Either he can add all applicable modifiers together
separate Combat Driving roll; refer to the sample car chase and have the driver make one Combat Driving roll (this is the
at the end of this section for an example of this.) preferred method); or he can have the driver make a sepa-
Some obstacles cannot be avoided, they simply have to rate roll for each obstacle, applying the corresponding modi-
be driven over or through. If the driver opts to try to crash fier to each roll.
through an obstacle, he has two choices. First, he can try to The obstacles and hazards listed on the table on t follow-
use his vehicle’s Casual Strength (half of its STR) to “push ing pages are the sort found in urban settings. Obstacles on
the obstacle aside” and continue unimpeded (i.e., with no highways or rural roads would be different, as would offroad
loss of movement or damage to the vehicle). Second, he can obstacles, sidewalk obstacles, and obstacles in plazas and
do a Move Through on the obstacle, using the vehicle’s STR buildings. If necessary, the GM can adapt the rules for Low,
and velocity to determine the damage. If the driver tries to Medium, and Large Obstacles to describe the hazards and
use his vehicle’s Casual Strength and fails, his maneuver obstacles encountered in those situations.
66 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
HAZARDS AND OBSTACLES TABLE
Roll Hazard/Obstacle Modifier Notes

3 Elevated Structure See Notes This hazard indicates that the characters are driving underneath an
elevated structure of some sort, such as a bridge or an elevated
railway. The columns or abutments supporting the structure may be a
hazard. Depending on the columns’ location, size, and spacing, driving
through or among one movement’s worth of them should be a -1 to -5
modifier to Combat Driving. If the columns are located to the side of the
road, they are not an immediate hazard, but characters should beware
of being rammed or forced into them (see “Vehicular Combat,” below).
4 Edge None This hazard means that the characters are driving next to a steep drop,
such as a cliff side, a bridge, a steep incline, a pier, an overpass, or the
edge of a lake. There is no modifier for this per se, but the characters
need to be aware of it when they maneuver their cars (especially with
regard to ramming or forcing other vehicles over the edge).
5 Dead End,
Major Barrier See Notes Like a Dead End, Minor Barrier, except that the barrier may have as
much DEF and BODY as the GM desires. Examples include a brick
wall, a tractor-trailer truck which completely blocks an alleyway, a
police-car barricade, and similar obstacles.
6 Dead End,
Minor Barrier See Notes This obstacle indicates that the road the character is on has come to a
dead end or is completely blocked by some minor barrier, such as a
chain-link fence. This barrier should not have more than DEF 3, BODY
3. The only way a driver can avoid this obstacle is to see it in time and
take an alternate route; if such a route is available, normal turning
modifiers should be used to determine how hard it is to take. Otherwise,
the only choices are to crash through the barrier or stop before hitting it.
7 Hill None Hills do not affect the driver’s Combat Driving roll, but they may affect
velocity. Depending upon how long and steep the Hill is, it may add 0-3"
of movement to a vehicle driving down it, or subtract the same amount
from vehicles traveling up it. The tops of steep Hills can also be used as
“ramps” for Jumping (see the “Stunts” section)
8 Obstacle, Low -0 to -1 This indicates some sort of obstacle which is low enough or small
enough for the character to drive over, but big enough to be a potential
problem. Examples include a curb, a large pothole, a cinder block, an
open manhole, or a speed bump. The GM should choose an obstacle
which is appropriate for the location and situation, but whatever it is,
swerving to avoid it should not be more than a -1 penalty (in fact, it may
not require a roll at all). If a car is out of control and hits a Low Ob-
stacle, it may flip if the driver fails a control roll at -1 (see “Vehicular
Combat,” below).
9 Obstacle, Medium -2 to -3 Like a Low Obstacle, but larger and more of a problem for the driver. A
Medium Obstacle may be large enough that it cannot be driven over,
but must be avoided or crashed through. If it can be avoided, apply the
listed penalty to the driver’s Combat Driving roll. Examples of Medium
Obstacles include a fence, some large traffic islands, a parked car, or a
minor accident which blocks traffic. In cases where no other obstacle is
appropriate, the GM may substitute Traffic or Pedestrians (see below).
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 67

Roll Hazard/Obstacle Modifier Notes

10 Obstacle, Large -3 to -4 Like a Medium Obstacle, but much larger and/or tougher. Large Ob-
stacles often cannot be driven around, they can only be crashed
through. Examples include the cement barriers often erected between
opposite freeway lanes, a major accident, or a large dumpster. In cases
where no other obstacle is appropriate, the GM may substitute Traffic or
Pedestrians (see below).
11 Pedestrians -1 to -3 Pedestrians are an obstacle which may be encountered on the street
itself, the sidewalk, when driving through a building, and so forth. If the
driver wants to avoid them, the penalty to his roll depends upon the
number of pedestrians. If the GM wants to make things especially
difficult for the driver, a pedestrian or two may panic or be unable to get
out of the way quickly, requiring the driver to make a separate roll to
avoid them. Hitting a pedestrian is equivalent to doing a Move Through
on a 2 DEF, 10 BODY object, so the vehicle may be damaged.
12 Stop Light/Stop Sign -0 to -3 This hazard indicates that the driver has reached an intersection where
he would normally have to stop. (Roll the intersection at random on the
Intersection Table.) Assuming that he decides to keep going, the
Combat Driving modifier depends upon how heavy the oncoming traffic
is and/or how many cars are stopped at the intersection. If the driver
wants to merge into the traffic instead of crossing through it, the modi-
fier for doing so safely is -1
13 Traffic, Light Traffic -0 to -1 Traffic is the most common obstacle and hazard of all. How easy it is to
avoid other vehicles (both in one’s own lane and, in some cases, the
opposite lane as well!) depends upon the heaviness of the traffic. Light
Traffic indicates that there are few other cars on the road, and driving
around them is fairly easy. If the GM wants to make things particularly
difficult on the driver, two or more vehicles may block off lanes entirely
by driving next to one another (forcing the driver to go around them by
using the opposite lane, the sidewalk, the shoulder, the median, and so
forth); or, individual vehicles (especially large ones, like tractor-trailers)
may be treated as Medium or Large Obstacles to be avoided with a
separate roll.
14-15 Traffic, Medium Traffic -2 to -3 Like Light Traffic, but slightly heavier. The chances of encoun-
tering situations which require the driver to take “unusual steps” to
avoid (such as having to drive on the sidewalk or through a building)
are proportionately higher.
16 Traffic, Heavy Traffic -3 to -4 Like Medium Traffic, but heavier. Most rush-hour traffic qualifies as
Heavy Traffic.
17 Traffic, Traffic Jam None This indicates traffic which has come to a complete standstill for some
reason (gridlock, a wreck which has cut off traffic, and so forth). A driver
cannot go through a Traffic Jam (unless they he is on a motorcycle), he
can only stop, crash into it, or drive around it.
18 Roadwork -1 to -4 This indicates that the road the character is driving on is being repaired
or worked on. Roadwork is essentially a form of Obstacle, and should
be dealt with as such. For example, repaving would probably only be
like a Low Obstacle, a ditch for laying cable or sewer pipe might be a
Medium Obstacle, and a major excavation would be a Large Obstacle.
Depending upon the nature of the Roadwork, driving into it may dam-
age or stop a vehicle. Some types of Roadwork may also having the
effect of cutting off one or more lanes of traffic, increasing the danger
to drivers. If there are workmen on the job site, treat them as Pedestri-
ans and add that modifier to this one.
 68 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
Sidewalks A similar stunt is driving on one wheel on a motorcycle (a
Sample obstacles and hazards for sidewalks include: fire “wheelie”). Getting a motorcycle up on one wheel is a straight
hydrants; lampposts; mailboxes; newsracks; newsstands; -1 penalty, whether or not there is a “ramp” to use. If the
parking meters; pedestrians/bicyclists; pushcarts/kiosks; motorcyclist wants to drive up behind another vehicle and
roadwork; signs; statues; telephone poles; trash cans. use the front wheel as a battering weapon, the damage done
is determined from the vehicle’s STR (1d6 per 5 points of
Offroad STR); in some cases, bonuses for velocity may be added too.
Sample obstacles and hazards for offroad areas (such as
parks) include: boulders; creeks/streams; lakes; large furry JUMPING
animals; picnickers/athletes; rough or uneven terrain; small Jumping over obstacles (chasms, other cars, and so forth)
furry animals; trees/woods. is one of the most commonly-seen car chase stunts. In the
HERO System, how far a vehicle can jump is a function of two
OPTIONS TABLE things: the vehicle’s velocity and its Size. The formula for
This table should be used by the GM when he wants to find calculating the maximum length a vehicle can jump is:
out where the characters could drive other than on the road (Velocity in Inches/Turn/25) - KB Modifier = Inches Jumped
itself. This table is most useful when the characters are In this formula, a vehicle’s velocity is determined in inches
confronted with an obstacle or hazard that they have to drive per turn (multiply the vehicle’s movement in the current
around, but the GM can also use it to generate “scenery” phase by its SPD). To simulate its Size, its Knockback
during the chase. At the beginning of each Turn, the GM Modifier (found in the table on page 185 of the Champions
should make one or two rolls on this chart and tell the Fourth Edition Rulesbook or in this book’s Sourcebook) is
characters what optional routes they can see ahead. used. Vehicles with Superleap may add their Superleap
inches to this figure. Thus, a SPD 4 motorcycle going 33" a
OPTIONS TABLE Phase (132”/Turn) can jump 4": 13/25 is 5, and the vehicle’s
Knockback Modifier is -1. If the motorcycle had been bought
Roll Option Examples with 5" of Superleap, it could leap 9" total. (Superleap may be
3-4 Nonroad Path Bike trail; driveway; golf cart bought with the -1 Limitation, “Only Adds To Jumping.” This
path; pier; railroad; tracks means that the Superleap cannot be used independently, it
can only add to Jumping stunts.)
5-7 Offroad Area Abandoned lot; beach; campus;
This formula assumes that the Jumping vehicle has some
dirt lot; lawn; open field; park
sort of “ramp” to assist its takeoff. Any reasonably steep
8-11 Sidewalk — object which is strong enough to support the vehicle will do;
12-14 Paved Area Outdoor mall; parking lot; examples include a steep hilltop, a ramp-shaped mound of
plaza/square dirt, or a half-opened drawbridge. If the vehicle has to Jump
15-18 Indoor Area Church; mall; school; from a flat surface, the total number of inches it can Jump is
small business; store halved (if the Jump is possible at all).
Jumping does not require a Combat Driving roll, but
landing safely does. If the driver makes a Combat Driving roll
at -1 for every 5" Jumped, the vehicle and its occupants land
STUNTS AND MANEUVERS safe and unharmed. If the roll is failed, the vehicle and its
passengers will take 1d6 damage for every 5" Jumped (the
One of the most exciting things about car chases are the damage should be applied to the vehicle’s tires, suspension,
stunts that drivers get to attempt. Of course, the downside to and/or chassis; refer to the Vehicle Hit Location Chart).
this is that if the driver fails (i.e., misses his Combat Driving At the GM’s option, characters with Combat Driving may
roll), there will usually be a collision and he will be badly be able to coax a few extra inches of jumping out of their
injured. vehicles when necessary. For every two points by which a
The following are some examples of stunts and daring character makes his Combat Driving roll he may add 1" to the
maneuvers that drivers can attempt. The GM should use distance his vehicle can leap. The driver cannot do anything
these examples as guidelines when a driver wants to try a else in the Phase in which he tries to do this (he cannot
stunt not listed here. attack, make other maneuvers requiring a Combat Driving
roll, and so forth).
DRIVING ON TWO WHEELS
This stunt allows the driver to drive a vehicle with three or SLIDING UNDERNEATH BARRIERS
more wheels on just two wheels on one side of the vehicle, Motorcyclists may be able to “lay the bike down” and slide
making it possible to slip through small alleys and similar underneath some kinds of obstacles rather than swerving
obstacles. Getting the car up on two wheels requires a around them or hitting them. Naturally, a motorcyclist can
Combat Driving roll. If the driver has a small object to use as only slide underneath barriers which are raised at least ” off
a “ramp” (such as a curb), then there is a -2 penalty to the roll; of the ground (the classic example is a tractor-trailer truck).
if he has no ramp, the penalty is -4. If the vehicle is larger than In order to do this unharmed, the driver must make a Combat
a station wagon, there is an additional -1 to -4 penalty. Driving roll at -1 per every 25” inches of Turn movement. If
Thereafter, the driver has to make a normal Combat Driving the roll is made, the driver and motorcycle have slid under the
roll each Phase to keep the vehicle on two wheels. While on obstacle safely; if it is failed, the driver and cycle take 1d6
two wheels, the vehicle can only move at Ê its normal damage for every 12” of Turn movement; damage to the
movement, cannot accelerate or use noncombat movement, drive should usually be rolled as a Low Shot if Hit Locations
and is  DCV. Returning the vehicle to all of its wheels takes are being used. In any event, it will require at least one Phase
a half Phase, but no roll is required. to right the motorcycle.
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 69

NON-RANGED VEHICLE COMBAT:

VEHICULAR COMBAT RAMMING AND FORCING
In combat, a vehicle can be used to hit something (Ram-
There are two ways to fight in vehicles: ramming (“hand- ming), or it can be used to knock another vehicle off the road
to-hand” combat) and ranged combat with weapons (whether (Forcing).
individual characters’ weapons or weapons attached to the
vehicle). RAMMING
Ramming involves hitting a vehicle, pedestrian, or other
DETERMINING THE VEHICLE’S object with the intent to damage or injure it. There are two
COMBAT VALUE forms of Ramming: Direct Ramming and Sideswiping.
The first thing to do is to calculate the vehicle’s CV. An Direct Ramming
attacking vehicle’s OCV is based on the driver’s DEX or the Direct Ramming involves running a vehicle directly into a
DEX of his vehicle, whichever is lower. If the driver has target. It is a form of Move Through, but the normal OCV and
Combat Driving, he gets the vehicle’s full OCV; if he does not DCV modifiers for Move Throughs do not apply—they make
have Combat Driving, the vehicle’s OCV is halved. it almost impossible for drivers to make high-speed Direct
As for DCV, the vehicle’s DEX again is either its own DEX Rams and they leave vehicles too vulnerable. Instead, use
or its driver’s DEX, whichever is lower. In situations where the penalties for a Move By: -2 OCV and DCV. The velocity
the vehicle is being driven at noncombat speeds, its DCV is to be used to calculate the damage depends on what type of
halved. Since vehicles are normally driven at noncombat collision has occurred:
speeds in everyday situations, at most times a vehicle’s DCV
is half of what it would be in combat. Thus, if a vehicle is Velocity for
attacked from surprise, its DCV will be half of whatever is Target’s Action Calculation
calculated from its DEX. Alternately, in noncombat situations
the GM can use the Optional Velocity DCV Table found on Target is standing still Attacking vehicle’s velocity
page 142 of the Champions Fourth Edition Rulesbook. Target and attacker are Add both vehicles’ velocity
In a combat situation, the vehicle’s DCV may be further moving in opposite together
modified by its driver’s skill (or lack thereof). If the driver does directions (i.e., a
not have Combat Driving, the vehicle’s DCV is halved. If the head-on collision)
driver has Combat Driving, the vehicle gets its full DCV.
Target and attacker are Subtract target’s velocity
Lastly, the vehicle’s Size Modifier for DCV needs to be
moving in the same attacker’s velocity from
taken into account (refer to the chart on page 185 of the
direction (i.e., a
Champions Fourth Edition Rulesbook). The Size Modifier is
front-to-rear collision)
applied after all other modifiers and halving.
Example: Dark Angel is driving her sportscar on patrol. Target and attacker are Attacking vehicle’s velocity
It is DEX 23, SPD 4, 30"x4 movement, and 2"x1" long; moving in different
she is DEX 25 and has Combat Driving 14-. While directions (e.g., attacker
patrolling, her vehicle’s regular DCV is 2 (DCV 8, based hits the target in the side)
on DEX 23, halved for noncombat movement, -2 for
Size). If the GM is using the Optional Velocity DCV Table, Of course, the attacking vehicle and its passengers take
her DCV would be 3 (base 5, -2 for Size; this assumes half damage, as usual for a Move Through. See “Collision
that she is not using the vehicle’s noncombat multiple). Damage To Driver And Passengers,” below, for details.
If she gets into a chase situation, its DCV will be 6 (base Sometimes there may be other results from the collision
8, -2 for Size). besides damage. First, there is Knockback. Second, both
drivers must make a Combat Driving roll, at -1 for every 2
Example: Leadfoot and Speedy decide to have a drag BODY taken by the vehicle, to keep their vehicles under
race. Leadfoot is DEX 21, Speedy is DEX 24, and neither control (if they are still drivable). If a driver fails, refer to
of them has Combat Driving; they both have motorcycles “Losing Control,” below, to determine what can happen to
(DEX 20, -0 DCV). They’re both going at noncombat him.
velocity. If for some reason a combat situation develops,
Leadfoot’s DCV is 2 (base of 7, from his 21 DEX, halved Sideswipes
for noncombat velocity, halved for not having Combat Sideswipes are indirect collisions, where the attacker
Driving), and so is Speedy’s. Let’s hope no one starts “swipes” the target with his vehicle. This is a form of Move By,
shooting at them. and the -2 OCV/DCV penalties for that maneuver apply. Just
Vehicles can “dodge” in a fashion. If the driver does like a Direct Ram, after a Sideswipe both drivers must make
nothing but drive in a Phase (i.e., does not attack and does a Combat Driving roll to keep their cars under control, but at
not have to make any Combat Driving rolls to avoid obstacles -1 per 3 BODY taken.
or maneuver), the driver may make a Combat Driving roll and Example: Dark Angel spots a car full of gangbangers
eliminate the Size penalty to his DCV. about to commit a drive-by shooting. Her only chance to
stop them is to hit them head-on. Their car is SPD 3, DEX
12, 20"x4 movement, DCV -2, and the driver has DEX 10
and Combat Driving 8-. She needs a 16- to hit them (11
+ her OCV 8 - 2 for a vehicular Move Through - DCV 1).
 70 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
Bracing herself, she floors it and slams into them at 30" RANGED COMBAT
after rolling a 10 to hit. Her Move Through damage is Ranged combat between vehicles involves gunfire (or
calculated with 20d6 (her car’s STR 15, +10d6 for her other ranged attacks) from one vehicle to another. If the
movement, +7d6 for their movement because it was a weapons being fired are a part of the vehicle, the attacker’s
head-on collision). She rolls 61 STUN and 15 BODY, so OCV is based on his DEX or the DEX of his vehicle,
their DEF 3, BODY 12 car takes 12 BODY, and her DEF whichever is lower. If the driver has Combat Driving, he gets
8, BODY 15 car takes 7 BODY (halved to 3 BODY). The the vehicle’s full OCV; if he does not have Combat Driving,
gangbanger’s car is totaled and takes 2" Knockback (roll the vehicle’s OCV is halved.
of 9, -4 Knockback Modifier). Dark Angel’s car is still in Attacks made by characters with their own weapons are
fairly good shape, and she has only taken one-quarter handled differently. Characters use their own OCVs, not the
damage (i.e., half of half damage) because of her safety vehicle’s, but their attacks suffer an OCV penalty because of
harness. She makes a Combat Driving roll at -3 (-Â the vehicle’s movement. The basic penalty is -2. If the vehicle
BODY taken) and keeps her sportscar under control. The has performed any maneuvers or stunts involving more than
other driver, who amazingly is still conscious, rolls a 10 a -1 penalty to the driver’s Combat Driving roll in that Phase,
and fails miserably, so his car skids to a dead halt against there is an additional -1 to an attacking character’s OCV.
a fire hydrant and is probably not road worthy anymore. Attacks made by the driver himself suffer an additional -1
Dark Angel jams on the parking brake and gets out to OCV penalty. Furthermore, the driver of a vehicle receives a
deal with him and any other gangsters that are still -2 OCV penalty for driving and shooting at the same time.
conscious.
Vehicles may be bought with Hand-To-Hand Attack dice to VEHICLE HIT LOCATIONS AND DAMAGE
add to their Ramming and Forcing damage. This can simu- This chart should be used to determine where a vehicle is
late a ram-bar built into the front of the car, a spiked body, or hit during ranged combat. It can be used for cars, trucks,
a specially-reinforced frame designed for collisions. These motorcycles, boats and airplanes.
extra HA dice should not be bought with a Focus Limitation The following notes explain the Vehicle Hit Location chart.
in most cases, since they are part of the overall vehicle. They are intended to replace the Damage To Vehicles chart
in the Champions Fourth Edition Rules book, page 192.
FORCING GMs who want to use an easier method of assessing the
Forcing means that the attacker is trying to “force” the affects of vehicle damage should use that chart.
target away from him (usually to knock it off the road, over a
cliff, or into some obstacle). In order to Force a target vehicle, Wheels
the attacking vehicle must be side-by-side with it and per- As an option, the Game Master may ignore the vehicles
form a Move By, with the damage based on the attacker’s normal defense and assume that Standard wheels and tires
velocity. Normal Move By OCV/DCV modifiers apply, as with are DEF 2, BODY 2. Better tires may be bought for the
Sideswiping. If no Knockback is done, the target has not vehicle as DEF and BODY with Partial Coverage with a -2
been Forced. If Knockback is done, the target driver must Limitation (they are also OIFs):
make a Combat Driving roll at -1 for every 2" of Knockback
to keep his vehicle under control and on the road. If he fails, Type of Tire DEF BODY Cost
or if he does not have Combat Driving, his vehicle takes the Heavy 3 3 1
Knockback (usually with disastrous consequences). Puncture-Resistant 4 4 2
Example: Suppose in the earlier example that Dark Reinforced 5 5 3
Angel approached the drive-by shooters from behind
Solid 6 6 4
and decided to force them off the road into a ditch. Before
they figure out what’s happening, she pulls up beside When tires are hit, the GM should also keep their nature in
them and tries to slam into them. Her OCV is 6 (base 8, mind. Attacks which are not sharp or especially powerful are
-2 for the Move By), and she rolls a 12 and hits. She rolls likely to simply bounce off of a tire, regardless of how much
9d6 (STR 15 plus 30"/5) for damage, and gets 30 STUN damage they do. Examples of this usually include rubber
and 11 BODY. The gangbangers’ car takes 8 BODY and bullets, thrown billy clubs, punches, and similar attacks.
4" Knockback (she rolled a 3 for Knockback, -4 for their Losing wheels affects a vehicle’s base movement. Sub-
Knockback Modifier). The driver must roll a 6- to maintain tract 1d6 from the vehicle’s base movement every time a hit
control, rolls a 10, and screams as he runs off the road penetrates the Defenses. At the GM’s option, the vehicle
and comes to a painful stop in the ditch. may first lose non combat velocity, and only begin to lose
combat velocity after half or more of its wheels have been
COLLISION DAMAGE TO DRIVER destroyed. Additionally, the GM may impose a penalty on a
AND PASSENGERS driver’s Combat Driving rolls after he has lost a substantial
When any type of collision occurs, the driver and passen- number of tires (this penalty is in addition to the normal
gers will be injured. They take the Move Through or Move By penalty for vehicle damage).
damage that the vehicle takes, minus the vehicle’s defenses The GM should discourage characters from targeting tires
and their personal defenses. If they are safely strapped in or too often during vehicular combat. Since they are relatively
have the benefit of anti-collision devices (such as airbags), the fragile, hitting them tends to bring car chases to a quick and
damage they take will be halved. The GM may rule in some unexciting end.
situations (such as head-on collisions at high velocities) that
even anti-collision devices will not halve the damage.
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 71

VEHICLE HIT LOCATIONS AND DAMAGE TABLE

Roll Ground Vehicles Aircraft Boats BODYx OCV
3-6 Front Wheels Flaps Bow x1 -7
7 Front Suspension Control Systems Control Systems x1 -8
8 Engine Engine Engine x1 -8
9 Chassis Fuselage Hull x2 -7
10 Passengers Passengers Passengers x0 -6
11 Equipment Equipment Equipment x2 -6
12 Cargo Cargo Cargo x0 -7
13 Drive Train Engine Drive Train x1 -7
14 Rear Suspension Control Systems Rudder x1 -8
15-18 Rear Wheels Tail Propeller x1 -7
Attack from the side: Roll 3d6
Attack from the front: Roll 2d6+1
Attack from the rear: Roll 2d6+6

Suspension Passengers
The suspension system supports the vehicle on its axles. This result means that an attack has penetrated the
When a vehicle suffers Suspension damage, it will lose 1d6 vehicle to hit the driver or one of the passengers (determined
of Dexterity. at random; attempts to target a specific passenger are at an
Engine additional -1 or more). Normally, the vehicle itself is not
When a vehicle suffers Engine damage, it loses 1 Speed damaged. A “Passengers” roll usually means the attack
Point. If its Speed drops to zero, the vehicle stops moving. came through a window, so unless the vehicle’s windows are
When the Engine or Drive Train are hit, there may be a armored, the passenger will take full damage from the
catastrophic effect. If the roll of 3d6 is less than or equal to attack. If the vehicle is not carrying passengers or this result
the amount of BODY damage that penetrated the vehicle’s would be illogical, substitute “Equipment/Cargo” or another
Defenses, there is a catastrophic effect. The most common appropriate roll.
catastrophic effect is a fuel tank explosion. The explosion Cargo
does 3d6 of normal energy d6 within the vehicle. The vehicle This result indicates that something the vehicle is carrying
and the passengers both take the damage without benefit of has been damaged. The GM should determine at random
the vehicles Defense. This could kill all of the passengers in what exactly was damaged. If the vehicle is one whose main
the vehicle, but some of them might be able to get away by purpose is to carry cargo, the GM may want to count
Diving For Cover at the last second or because of Luck. Equipment hits as Cargo hits. Depending upon what kinds of
If the GM is merciful or the characters have Luck, the cargo the vehicle is carrying (for example, oil or dynamite)
vehicle might just catch on fire (meaning an explosion is the Game Master may roll for explosion as per an Engine or
imminent in a Segment or two) or leak fuel (resulting in loss Drive Train hit. If the vehicle is not carrying substantial
of all of the vehicle’s movement in one Turn). A Fuel Tank amounts of cargo, or this result would be illogical, substitute
should never explode immediately if a more dramatic option “Passengers” or another appropriate roll.
is available (in particular, a vehicle with a PC in it should
usually catch on fire so the PC can escape the imminent Equipment
explosion, drive the burning vehicle to a safe location, or do This result indicates an important system or piece of
something else suitably heroic). equipment has been hit. At the discretion of the Game
Master, the Equipment hit can be varied depending on the
Chassis type of vehicle. For passenger vehicles that have no major
The Chassis is the frame and body of the vehicle. When a equipment it can be an additional Passenger hit. For cargo
vehicle suffers Chassis damage, it loses 5 points of Strength. vehicles it can be an additional Cargo hit or the Kingpin that
If the vehicle’s Strength drops below what is necessary to connects a truck and trailer. For a military vehicles it can be
carry its passengers and cargo, it looses the ability to use the vehicle’s weapons. For a motorcycle and side car it could
non-combat movement. If the vehicle’s Strength drops to 0, be the side car. In a sealed vehicle it could be the life support
then it stops moving. system. The Game Master should use this hit to cause
interesting and colorful effects.
 72 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
The kingpin links the two parts of a tractor-trailer (if the Characters also have to make a DEX Roll when they are
vehicle being fired at is not a tractor-trailer, treat this result as hit, at -1 for every 2 BODY taken, or they will fall down. All
“Passengers” or “Equipment/Cargo,” as appropriate). A characters are at -2 OCV and DCV while fighting on a
typical kingpin has 4 Defense and 2 BODY; if it is destroyed, vehicle, and any Knockback may be fatal. If a character falls
the two parts of the vehicle will separate. The kingpin can off the vehicle, roll the damage as if the vehicle had per-
only be hit or targeted from the side. formed a Move By on him. Lastly, all movement on top of a
moving vehicle is halved; if a character wants to move at full
Drive Train speed, add a -1 to his DEX Rolls to keep his balance.
The Drive Train transfers the engine’s power and makes Characters may also try to leap from moving vehicle to
the vehicle move. It also includes part of the fuel system. moving vehicle as they fight. To jump safely between ve-
When the Drive Train is hit, the vehicle’s non-combat mul- hicles, a character has to roll to hit the vehicle. If he hits, he
tiple is halved. If the non-combat multiple drops below 1, the has landed safely. If he misses by 1, he has managed to
vehicle may not move. When the Drive Train is hit, there may catch onto the edge of the vehicle, and is holding on for dear
be a catastrophic effect. See the section under Engine for life. If he misses by 2 or more, he falls. The driver of the target
details. vehicle may realize what the character is trying to do and
deliberately try to maneuver out of his way by performing a
FIGHTING ON TOP OF VEHICLES “vehicular dodge” or a sharp turn, as described above; this
One unusual type of vehicle-based combat is a fight may add to the vehicle’s DCV or make the character’s leap
between two or more characters which takes place atop a fail outright.
moving vehicle. In such a situation, each character must
make a DEX Roll every Phase to keep his balance, or else
he falls. If he falls, he may make a DEX Roll to grab the edge
of the vehicle and hang on for dear life; while hanging, the
LOSING CONTROL: THE
character is at half DCV and can only perform limited types
of actions (i.e., he could not shoot at someone, but he could
CONSEQUENCES OF FAILED
try to climb back up, grab someone’s ankle and try to throw COMBAT DRIVING ROLLS
them off the vehicle and so forth). If a character wants to pull
himself back on top of the vehicle he must take a Phase and When characters fail their Combat Driving rolls, several
make a STR Roll; if the roll is failed, the character falls off the things can happen.
vehicle. The basic result of a failed Combat Driving roll is that the
vehicle skids in the appropriate direction. The length of the
skid is 1" for every point the driver missed his roll by.
Example: Dark Angel is trying to make a sharp right turn
onto a side street and misses her roll by 3. She skids 3"
to her left (she “fishtails,” as her vehicle is unable to hold
the turn and shifts to the left because of inertia).
Example: The Sandman is chasing after a van full of
terrorists in his “Sandmobile.” They are driving wildly
through Medium Traffic, and he is trying his best to follow
them closely. However, while dodging through the traffic,
he misses a Combat Driving roll by 1. Since he was
swerving to the right to get around a Hyundai Excel, he
skids 1" to his right, and may hit another car.
Skidding has several consequences. First, if the skid is a
long one (4" or more), or if it takes place on an especially
rough surface, it will act as a Âd6 KA to the vehicle’s tires.
Second, when a vehicle skids, it may lose from one-fourth
to half of its inches of movement for that Phase or the next
Phase (depending on when and how the skid occurs). This
is entirely up to the GM, who should make his decision based
not only on what would realistically happen, but what would
be most dramatic and exciting for the scenario.
Third, the vehicle may skid into something and have a
collision. If the vehicle’s skid brings it into contact with
something, a collision has occurred, the effects of which
depend upon what has been hit. If the object struck by the
vehicle is a Large or Medium Obstacle, Pedestrians, or
Traffic, the vehicle performs a Move Through on the target
and all damage is calculated as normal (see “Ramming,”
above, for details). In some cases, the collision may be more
of a Sideswipe, and should be handled as a Move By instead.
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 73
If the object struck by the vehicle is a Low Obstacle, the modifier for degree of turn, because in this situation the
vehicle may flip and roll. The driver has to make another change in vehicle facing and position needed to swerve
Combat Driving roll using the penalties for velocity described around the roadwork is simulated by the -2 modifier for
above. If he makes it, the vehicle does not flip, but suffers the Roadwork). This gives Harbinger a roll of 10-. He rolls a 11,
usual Move Through damage for a collision. If he fails, the missing by one. The GM rules that he skids slightly to the
vehicle flips and rolls. Exactly how far it rolls and what side right, smashing against one of the buildings but missing the
of the vehicle ends up on the ground is up to the GM. pedestrians, who dive wildly for safety. The GM rules that this
Characters in a car that flips and rolls take Move Through is like a sideswipe and rolls Move By damage of 7d6
damage, which will not be reduced even if they are strapped (vehicle’s 25 STR/2 plus 25"/5), getting 25 STUN and 6
in or have other safety devices. (At the GM’s option, any BODY, not enough to damage the building or vehicle, and
particularly bad skid or failed Combat Driving roll may cause Harbinger takes no STUN because of his and the vehicle’s
a car to flip over, especially when the vehicle is a large one.) defenses. The GM rules that Harbinger makes it safely back
onto the street at the end of the Phase, but his right side
mirror has been scraped away by the impact and he has lost
6" of velocity this Phase.
SAMPLE CAR CHASE Meanwhile, the sedans have moved around the Road-
work in the left lane with no difficulty, and are now 3" ahead
Several of Giulio Maddalena’s friends hear about his of Harbinger; the motorcycles are bringing up the rear. In
untimely demise and come after the Harbinger of Justice. Phase 5, Harbinger asks the GM what is on the other side of
There are six of them, two each in two cars (souped-up the road. The GM rolls twice on the Options Table, an 11 and
sedans, DEX 15, SPD 4, 24"x4 movement, DEF 3), followed a 12, and tells Harbinger that there is a T intersection to the
by two more, each on a motorcycle (DEX 20, SPD 4, 33"x4 left (rolled at the beginning of the Turn). At the nearest corner
movement, DEF 3). They find Harbinger on a straight four- of the intersection there is a sidewalk with some telephone
lane city street (two lanes in either direction); he is in the poles, and beyond it a parking lot and a store; on the far
same car he used before (DEX 30, SPD 5, 25"x4 movement, corner there is a brick building. Harbinger decides to Force
DEF 8). Since the chase is about to begin, the GM rolls the lead sedan, Sedan #1, across the left side of the street
several times on the Events and Encounters Table to find out and into a telephone pole in front of the store. He then hopes
what lies ahead. He rolls a 6, a 13, and a 10, indicating a to continue through the parking lot and into the T Intersection
curve, two or more hazards or obstacles, and an intersec- street. He moves his first 3" of movement and rolls to hit.
tion. The GM decides that the curve in the road prevents the Because he has Combat Driving, his vehicle’s OCV is base
characters from seeing what lies ahead, so he doesn’t tell 10, -2 for the Move By, for a total of 8. The GM imposes an
them that he has rolled an 11 for the intersection (a T additional penalty of -2 on account of the Medium Traffic (i.e.,
Intersection, to the left) and that the hazards will be Medium if Harbinger hits, he will be able to Force the other car without
Traffic (GM’s choice) and an 18, Roadwork. hitting any of the oncoming vehicles). The sedan’s driver has
Harbinger is in the far right lane as the two sedans Combat Driving, so his vehicle gets its full DCV of 5, -2 for
approach him with obvious hostile intent, followed by the Size, for a total of 3, giving Harbinger a 14- to hit.
motorcycles a little farther back. Harbinger’s vehicle has the Harbinger rolls a 12, and rolls 7d6 for damage, getting 33
highest DEX, so he moves first. He drops out of noncombat STUN, 10 BODY, and 6" of Knockback! The occupants of the
velocity and moves his vehicle 25" around the curve, hoping sedan, who did not have their seatbelts on, take 30 STUN
to outrun them until he can get to a less crowded area. The and 7 BODY (before their defenses) and are Stunned, while
curve is fairly wide, so no Combat Driving roll is required to their vehicle takes 7 BODY. The driver of Sedan #1 cannot
negotiate it safely. The sedans move next (the motorcycles make Combat Driving roll (because he is Stunned), and
are hanging back, hoping the sedans will handle the rough therefore cannot avoid having his car Forced. Harbinger
work—they’re “backup”). When they finish their movement, Forces Sedan #1 across the street as traffic swerves to avoid
they too are around the curve and are only 2" behind him; the GM rules that he will have to make a Combat Driving
Harbinger. So ends Phase 12. roll to make Sedan #1 hit the telephone pole and then
All vehicles move in Phase 3. They can all see the obstacle continue his own journey safely through the parking lot into
now: in the far right lane, several workmen are using a the next street. The GM imposes penalties of -1 for the
backhoe to dig a short but deep ditch so they can repair some Forcing, -1 for the curb (a Low Obstacle), and -1 to get
sewer pipe. Since the sedans are on his tail and can ram him through the parking lot safely, so Harbinger has to roll a 12-
if he moves to the left lane, Harbinger asks the GM what there . He rolls an 11 and Sedan #1 hits the telephone pole for
is on the right. The GM turns to the Options Table and rolls Move Through damage, 13d6 (25 STR plus 24"/3) (the pole
a 9, Sidewalk. Hoping for something exciting, he tells Harbin- has DEF 5, BODY 8). The GM rolls 57 STUN, 13 BODY, so
ger that there are only about half a dozen pedestrians on the the vehicle takes 10 more BODY and is effectively de-
sidewalk, and they seem to be watching the chase. On the stroyed; the occupants take 54 STUN and 10 BODY (before
other side of the sidewalk are some small brick buildings and their defenses) and are Knocked Out and badly injured (if not
stores. Harbinger decides to take a chance and use the dead). Harbinger makes it through the parking lot and into
sidewalk. This requires a Combat Driving roll. The penalties the two-lane side street beyond without mishap.
to the roll are as follows: -2 for velocity of 125” per Turn (25"
per Phase at 5 SPD), -2 for the Roadwork, and an additional
-1 to avoid the pedestrians on the sidewalk (there is no
 74 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
In Phase 6, Sedan #2 decides that it has to catch up with roll of 12-. He rolls an 8, fails, and crashes into Harbinger’s
Harbinger, who is now many inches away and on another car. This is a 14d6 Move Through (STR 15 plus 33"/3), and
street (the motorcycles are still hanging back). It decides to the driver is not protected by his vehicle’s defenses (because
shift to noncombat movement and move 48" this Phase. The it is a motorcycle). The GM rolls 68 STUN and 15 BODY,
GM rules that because of the angle of the intersecting side enough to smash in the back of Harbinger’s car, shake him
street, it will have to make a 90˚ turn after moving a few up badly, and kill the motorcyclist, who goes flying over
inches. The driver of Sedan #2 has Combat Driving 11-, so Harbinger’s car and lands in a bloody heap in the middle of
he needs to roll 8- (-1 for the 90˚ turn, -2 for velocity of 120” the street outside the alley.
per Turn and a normal Turn Mode) to make the turn success- Cycle #2, which was several inches behind, tries some-
fully. He rolls a 13, and the GM rules that he skids 5" to his thing different. The driver sees a couple of boards leaning
right while in mid-turn. This brings him into contact with the against a pile of bricks in the alley and decides to Jump
brick building on the other side of the side street, so a Harbinger’s car. He switches to noncombat movement (66"
collision has occurred (a Move Through). The GM rolls 21d6 or 264” per Turn). This will allow him to Jump 10" (264”/25 -
(25 STR plus 48"/3), gets 81 STUN and 24 BODY, and rules Knockback Modifier of 0), more than enough to clear
that the sedan is totaled and both passengers in the car were Harbinger’s car. To land safely will require a Combat Driving
killed by the impact. Qué lÁstima. roll of -2 (-1/5" Jumped), and the GM adds another -1 to
The motorcycles make up for lost time and move 48" this simulate the traffic in the street which the driver wants to
Phase, going through the parking lot to avoid the sharp turn avoid. The driver rolls a 6 and makes it.
that eliminated Sedan #2 (the GM has them make Combat Harbinger now takes his Phase 12. Since only one oppo-
Driving rolls at -2 to do this safely, and they succeed). The nent is left, and a further car chase would be unsafe and
lead motorcycle, Cycle #1, is now 5" behind Harbinger, and impractical, he opens his car door, steps out, and shoots the
Cycle #2 is 10" behind. Because the combat has turned onto driver of Cycle #2 three times, killing him and causing his
a different road, the GM rolls again on the Events and motorcycle to tip over and crash.
Encounters Table and gets an 8 and an 11, one hazard or
obstacle and an intersection. A roll on the Intersection Table,
a 10, leads the GM to tell Harbinger that there is a long,
narrow alley to the right, a 90˚ turn. The GM decides that if STREAMLINING THE
Harbinger takes the alley, the Hazard will be a Dead End,
Minor Barrier, and if not, it will be a Pedestrian (a child playing
SYSTEM
in the street ahead).
Harbinger decides to try to lose the motorcycles and turns GMs who don’t want to worry about all of the details
into the alley on Phase 8. This requires a Combat Driving roll involved in this vehicle combat system can easily streamline
at -3 (-1 for degree of turn [with a regular Turn Mode] plus - it to make it quicker to use. The best way to do this is simply
2 for velocity of 125” per Turn), which Harbinger easily to ask the drivers what they want to do each Phase, then
makes. He gets several inches into the gloomy alley and is assess one overall Combat Driving modifier for all maneu-
confronted by a dumpster so large that it blocks off the left vers and conditions, then have the driver roll. For example,
half of the alley, meaning that he can’t drive his car through! in Phase 5 of the example given above, the GM could just
In Phase 9, the motorcycles make Half Moves, round the have imposed a -5 penalty to Harbinger’s Combat Driving roll
corner by making Combat Driving rolls at -3 (-1 for degree of to simulate everything that he wanted to do in that Phase.
turn plus -2 for velocity of 140” per Turn), and fire submachine Although this system runs more quickly and easily, the
guns at Harbinger’s vehicle. Their OCV based on DEX is 6; disadvantages to it are that it is more imprecise and forces
they must subtract -3 (-2 plus -1 for performing a maneuver the GM to make a lot of rulings which may leave players
with a -2 penalty earlier in the Phase), for a final OCV of 3. dissatisfied. For example, if Harbinger were to miss that roll,
Harbinger’s vehicle’s DCV is base 10 (because he has what does that mean? Did he fail to Force Sedan #1 across
Combat Driving), -2 for Size, for a total of 8. The motorcy- the road? hit an oncoming car along the way? miss the
clists roll a 12 and a 14, missing miserably. telephone pole? get stuck in the parking lot? Each GM
In Phase 10, Harbinger decides that his best chance is to should experiment with this system and try to reach a
take his vehicle up on two wheels and drive around the balance of playability and realism that suits himself and his
dumpster. He moves forward three inches, uses a cinder players.
block for a “ramp,” and rolls a 10 and performs the stunt
successfully. He now has only one-fourth of his remaining
movement, 5", to move in Phase 10. This is enough to get
him around the dumpster and out the other end of the alley.
CONCLUSION: SOURCES
He brings his car back down on four wheels and stops right OF INSPIRATION
at the mouth of the alley, then revs his engine to make the
motorcyclists continue the chase. The best sources of inspiration for car chases are action
In Phase 12, Harbinger hesitates. The motorcyclists come movies and television shows. Some of the best and/or most
roaring around the dumpster at 33", since they can fit through interesting that the author has seen can be found in these
the alley without any problem. Cycle #1, in the lead, sees that movies: Beverly Hills Cop, The Blues Brothers, almost any
Harbinger’s car is blocking the end of the alley, screams, and James Bond film, The Hidden, Lethal Weapon 2 and 3,
tries to brake quick enough to keep from hitting it. He needs Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Robocop.
to add 27" deceleration, which is a -5 to his Combat Driving
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 75

CHAPTER FOUR:
SOURCEBOOK
This chapter provides information on guns, other weap-
ons, vehicles, gadgets and similar subjects. A detailed
description of the criminal organization Raven is also in-
cluded. It supplements the Sourcebook in DC:HOV.
 76 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q

WEAPONS
s Eh
Bob Live U KAN S
UPERBODZOoSrk C ootsauce
YO h R

B
IF
ME rustn
um pio AID L i c k m
ER

y
Disco Su TCH ever V en ns
c KA sle gence is Ours D rool POW
uke eps ER
Mechap

ks
This section provides descriptions and HERO System CROWNSTONE ARMS DUAL GUN
statistics for more guns, artillery, missiles, knives, land This gun is essentially two guns, an assault rifle-like
mines, and other implements of destruction. weapon with a smaller, submachine gun-like weapon at-
tached. The smaller weapon is mounted to the lower left, with
counterweights on the right side to keep the weapon bal-
GUNS AND RELATED anced. When the trigger is pulled, both weapons are fired,
creating a deadly stream of “linked fire,” as the company calls
WEAPONS it. The user commonly loads each gun with a different kind of
ammunition. The second gun can only be fired if the first is,
but the first gun may be fired on its own if preferred.
REAL GUNS CrownStone Dual Gun
This section provides several new weapons to add to the 62 2d6 RKA with a +Â Advantage (character’s choice of
list in DC:HOV. The statistics and abbreviations are the ammo when weapon is purchased, +Â), Autofire (2
same; refer to DC:HOV, pages 84-94, if you have any shots, +Â), 64 Charges (+Â) (75 Active Points),
OAF (Dual Gun, -1) (37 points total) plus 1Âd6 RKA
questions.
with a +Â Advantage (character’s choice of ammo
when weapon is purchased, +Â), Autofire (2 shots,
FICTIONAL GUNS +Â), 64 Charges (+Â) (62 Active Points),
In the comics, a lot of gun-wielding characters tote around OAF (Dual Gun, -1), Linked (-Â) (25 points total)
guns that bear a slight resemblance to real-world firearms—
they are larger, more powerful and have more attachments
than existing weapons. Some of them are so high-tech that
they verge on science fiction. Dark Champions characters in
campaigns which are not closely tied to reality (i.e., which
allow minor superpowers, comic-book-tech devices and the
like) can certainly build such guns if they want to. A few
examples are given here and in the one-weapon Multipowers
section below. Players should feel free to add sights, silenc-
ers or just about any other attachment they feel like—the
bigger and more impressive-looking these guns are, the
better.

ASSAULT PISTOL
This weapon is an extremely large handgun built to fire
military-caliber ammunition (5.56mm, for example). Because
the entire strength of the hand is needed to hold it and control
it, the “trigger” guard actually protects and supports the
entire hand, and there are other bracing attachments along
the bottom of the grip which rest against the firer’s wrist.
Assault Pistol Mk. I
35 2d6+1 RKA, +1 Increased STUN (+Â), Penetrating
(+Â) (70 Active Points), OAF (Assault Pistol, -1),
16 Charges (-0)

Assault Pistol Mk II
33 2d6 RKA, Autofire (5 shots, +Â), +1 Increased STUN
(+Â), 32 Charges (+Ê) (67 Active Points),
OAF (Assault Pistol, -1)
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 77

WEAPONS TABLE
STR PER
Name Cal OCV RMod Dam STUNx Shots Min Mod A/RCost Notes
AUTOMATIC PISTOLS
AA Arms AP9 9mm +0 +0 1d6+1 1d6-1 20 10 +2 25/12
AMT .40 .40 +1 +1 1d6+1 1d6-1 13 10 +2 25/12
Beretta Model 89 .22 +1 +1 1d6-1 1d6-1 8 10 +1 12/5
Grendel P-12 .380 +0 +0 1d6 1d6-1 11 10 +1 15/7
Grendel P-31 .22 +0 +0 1d6-1 1d6-1 30 10 +1 15/7
H&K P-11 Fle +0 +0 1d6 1d6-1 5 8 +2 15/5 1
Riot Control Pistol N/A +0 +0 See Notes 1 8 +4 See Notes 2
S&W 1076NS 10mm +1 +0 1 Âd6 1d6-1 9 10 +3 25/11
S&W Model 4006/4046 .40 +1 +0 1d6+1 1d6-1 11 10 +3 20/9
SUBMACHINE GUNS
AKR 5.56mm +0 +0 2d6 1d6-1 30 13 +5 52/26 AF5
H&K MP5K-PDW 9mm +1 +0 1d6+1 1d6-1 15 12 +4 35/17 AF5
Ilarco SR/SB 180 .22 M +1 +2 1d6 1d6-1 165 12 +6 4Â0 AF10
Jovina Delta 786 9mm +1 +0 1d6+1 1d6-1 32 12 +5 40/20 AF5, FS
XC-450 .45 +1 +1 1d6+1 1d6-1 32 12 +5 35/17 AF5
RIFLES
AIM Model PM 7.62mm +1 +2 2d6+1 1d6 10 10 +5 6Â7 FS
Arrow Gun N/A +1 +1 2d6 1d6-1 1 10 +4 30/7 3
D Max Carbine 10mm +1 +0 1 Âd6 1d6-1 30 10 +4 31/15
G3SG/1 7.62mm +1 +1 2d6+1 1d6 20 10 +5 70/35 FS
McMillan M-89 .308 +2 +2 2d6 1d6 20 13 +6 67/33 Sil
ASSAULT RIFLES
Beretta AR 70/223 5.56mm +0 +0 2d6 1d6-1 30 13 +5 60/30 AF5, FS
Colt Commando 5.56mm +1 +1 2d6 1d6-1 30 13 +6 60/30 AF5, FS
IMI Negev 5.56mm +1 +1 2d6 1d6-1 100 14 +5 75/37 AF5, FS
M62 7.62mm +1 +1 2d6+1 1d6 30 13 +6 87/43 AF5, FS
Nighthawk 9mm +1 +1 1d6+1 1d6-1 25 12 +6 35/17 AF5
SR88 5.56mm +1 +1 2d6 1d6-1 30 13 +5 60/30 AF5, FS
MACHINE GUNS
L7A2 7.62mm +1 +2 2d6+1 1d6 50 15 +6 96/48 AF10, LMG
M249 SAW 5.56mm +1 +1 2d6 1d6-1 200 14 +7 82/41 AF10, LMG
SHOTGUNS
Franchi PA3/215 12 +1 +1 2 Âd6 1d6 3 10 +3 60/18 RR/RP
Maverick Model 88 12 +1 +1 2 Âd6 1d6 6 10 +4 60/18 RR/RP
PM2 12 +0 +0 2 Âd6 1d6 6 10 +4 60/18 RR/RP

NOTES
1) The H&K P-11 is a five-shot pistol designed specifically for underwater firing. Its round is a flechette-like dart.
2) The Riot Control Pistol is actually an attachment which fits on the front of a pistol. The attachment holds various anti-riot loads,
such as plastic baton (EB, same DC as gun’s Killing Attack), dye marker, tear gas and smoke. The attachment allows the firer to
project the load by firing a blank (similar to the way some rifle grenades work). All of its attacks should have the same number of
Active Points as the gun’s Killing Attack; this gun could also be bought as a one-weapon Multipower.
3) An Arrow Gun is a rifle that uses compressed air to fire arrows.

JF/1 DOUBLE-BARRELED JF/1 Double-Barreled SMG

SUBMACHINE GUN 55 3d6 RKA, Autofire (10 shots, +Á), 250 Charges (+1)
(124 Active Points), OAF (JF/1 SMG, -1), Reduced
Several companies make versions of this popular double- Penetration (1Âd6 x2, -Ê)
barreled SMG. The two-barrel configuration allows the gun
to fire twice as many bullets as standard SMGs, but of course
the gun is proportionately heavier and more difficult to
control.
 78 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
JPG MAN-PORTABLE MINIGUN Rotating Grenade Launcher
This humongous weapon is a minigun cut down to a size This grenade launcher has a rotating twelve-chamber
that allows one man (a strong one) to carry and use it. The cylinder which holds the grenades. Attached to it is a small
ammunition is kept in a backpack-like carrier. electric motor (controlled by a thumb switch) which allows
the user to select whichever chamber he wants, thus giving
JPG Man-Portable Minigun, Mk. I him control over which grenade he fires in a particular Phase.
54 2d6+1 RKA, +1 Increased STUN (+Â), Autofire (10 The user must choose his grenade loads in advance. (Note:
shots, +Á), 500 Charges (+1Ê) (122 Active Points), if the user wishes to limit himself to only EB or RKA grenades,
OAF (JPG MP Minigun, -1), Cannot Move In Phase then the weapon need not be bought as a Multipower, just as
When Gun Is Used (-Ê)
an EB or RKA with Variable Advantage.)
JPG Man-Portable Minigun, Mk. II Cost Powers END
70 2d6+1 RKA, +1 Increased STUN (+Â), Area of Effect
(48" Line, +1Â), Continuous (+1), 50 Charges (+Â) 47 Multipower [105 pt pool], all OAF (Rotating GL),
(157 Active Points), OAF (JPG MP Minigun, -1), 12 Charges for entire Multipower [12c]
Cannot Move In Phase When Gun Is Used (-Ê) 4u 2d6+1 RKA, Explosion, +Â Variable
Advantage (+1Â); OAF (Rotating GL),
User Is Limited To Pre-Selected Grenades (-Â)
ONE-WEAPON MULTIPOWERS 4u 7d6 EB, Explosion, +Â Variable Advantage (+1Â);
Here are a few more one-weapon Multipowers. All of them OAF (Rotating GL), User Is Limited To
are fictional, so the GM should examine them carefully to Pre-Selected Grenades (-Â)
figure out which ones are suitable for the “realism” level of his
campaign. Woodrow Arms VA Combat Shotgun
EMLite All-Purpose Combat Rifle This gun’s “VA” designation stands for “variable ammuni-
This gun was created by former Special Forces soldier E. tion.” It looks something like a cross between a combat
M. Levingood to give the soldier in the field an appropriate shotgun and a man-portable minigun—surrounding the 10-
weapon for any given situation. The basic weapon comes gauge barrel is a rotating cylinder holding six different
with a lightweight set of different barrels and attachments. “tubes” of ammunition, each filled with a different kind of
Each barrel unit is designed for a particular function: shotgun shell. The firer uses a switch to select which type of
submachine gun, assault rifle, or sniper rifle. shell to fire.

Cost Powers END

41 Multipower [81 pt pool], OAF (All-Purpose
Combat Rifle), 32 Charges for entire Multipower,
Takes One Phase To Switch Slots (-Â) [32c]
3u 2d6 RKA, Autofire (5 shots, +Â),
+1 Increased STUN (+Â), Invisible To
Normal Sight (+Ê), OAF (APCR SMG Unit)
3u 2d6 RKA, Autofire (10 shots, +Á), Invisible To
Normal Sight (+Ê), OAF (APCR Assault Rifle Unit)
4u 2d6 RKA, Increased Maximum Range (750", +Ê),
Invisible To Sight And Hearing Groups (+1), No
Range Penalty (+Â), OAF (APCR Sniper Rifle Unit)

One-Man Squad Weapon (OMSW)

The OMSW is intended to allow one strong man to carry
all of the weapons an entire infantry squad might need in one
enormous “gun.” The weapon has four aligned triggers, one
for each weapon; to fire, say, Weapon #4, the user squeezes
the first four triggers. The centerpiece of the weapon is a very
light machine gun (VLMG). Underneath it is a small
flamethrower, and on the sides are two grenade launchers,
each with a different type of grenade. The different weapons
cannot be fired in tandem, they can only be used separately.

Cost Powers END

43 Multipower [87 pt pool], all OAF (OMSW)
4u 2d6+1 RKA, Autofire (5 shots), +1 Increased
STUN, 64 Charges; OAF (OMSW VLMG) [64c]
3u 2) 1Âd6 RKA, Area of Effect (16" Line, +1Â),
Armor Piercing (+Â), OAF (OMSW
Flamethrower), 8 Charges (-Â) [8c]
2u 7d6 EB, Explosion (loses 1 DC every 2"), OAF
(OMSW GL1), 4 Charges [4c]
3u 3d6 RKA, Explosion (loses 1 DC every 2", +Á),
OAF (OMSW GL2), 4 Charges [4c]
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 79
Some disguised guns are simply carried inside larger
Cost Powers END
objects (such as books or briefcases) but can be fired without
33 Multipower [67 pt pool], all OAF (Rotating Shotgun) “opening” the concealing object. Such items can often hold
1u 3d6 RKA, OAF (Rotating Shotgun, Standard Shot), large guns, including submachine guns. There is a -1 OCV
Reduced By Range, Reduced Penetration penalty for firing this sort of disguised gun, because they are
(1Âd6 x2), 5 Charges (-Á) [5c] slightly more difficult to aim than an ordinary gun.
2u 3d6 RKA, OAF (Rotating Shotgun,
Slugs) 5 Charges [5c] The following chart lists some objects which could conceal
2u 3d6 RKA, Armor Piercing, OAF a gun and one or more bullets, including the possible calibers
(Rotating Shotgun, AP Slugs), 5 Charges [5c] involved and the number of bullets the object can hold.
2u 3d6 RKA, Explosion (-1 DC/1"), OAF (Rotating
Shotgun, Explosive Slugs), 5 Charges [5c] Object Bullets Caliber
2u 3 Âd6 Flash, Area Effect, One Hex, OAF
(Rotating Shotgun, Flare Shells), 5 Charges [5c] Belt Buckle 1 .22, .38, 9mm
2u 3" radius Darkness to Sight Group; OAF Beverage Can 3-8 Any
(Rotating Shotgun, Smoke Shells),
5 Charges lasting 1 Turn each (-Ê), Book 6+ Any
Does Not Work In Winds Or Rain (-Ê) [5cc] Briefcase 6+ Any
Calculator 2-3 .22, .38, 9mm,
Flechette
TRANQUILIZER GUNS Camera/Videorecorder 3+ Any
Tranquilizer guns fire darts loaded with chemicals which
are intended to knock out or incapacitate the target. This Cane/Crutch/Umbrella 10 Any
allows a target to be taken alive for interrogation, ransoming, Cast (for broken arm) 8 Any
or other purposes. There are two types of Tranquilizer Gun: Cigarette 1 Flechette
Basic and Advanced.
Cigarette case 2-6 .22, .38, Flechette
Basic Tranquilizer Gun Flashlight 10 Any
30 4d6 Drain, Ranged, recover once per hour (+Á) (90
Active Points), OAF (Tranq Gun), 4 Charges Gloves 1 .22, .38, 9mm
Possible types of darts for the Tranquilizer Gun include: Knife Handle 1-3 .38, 9mm, .45
Weakness Darts: STR Drain Lighter 1-2 .22, .38
Vertigo Darts: DEX Drain Lipstick 1 Any
Nausea Darts: CON Drain Pen 1 .22
Psychogenic Darts INT Drain
Fatigue Darts: END Drain
Knockout Darts: STUN Drain
If a character wants to carry more than one type of dart, the
WEAPONS OTHER
Tranquilizer Gun can be bought as Multipower with the
Limitation “Takes One Phase To Switch Slots” (-Â) on the
THAN GUNS
base cost of the pool.
Advanced Tranquilizer Gun DISGUISED WEAPONS
25 6d6 EB, AVLD (Power Defense) (75 Active Points); Guns aren’t the only weapons that people try to conceal—
OAF (Tranq Gun), 4 Charges knives, explosives and the like are also hidden in many
different kinds of objects. Like concealed guns, they are
DISGUISED GUNS IAFs. Some possible hiding places include:
Ever since guns were invented, mankind has been trying
Explosives
to think up clever ways to hide them so that they can be used
Books; Briefcases; Radios and other electronic equip-
for surprise attacks. In HERO System terms, a disguised
ment; Radio-controlled car; Soda cans and other food pack-
gun is an Inobvious Accessible Focus. Of course, the nature
ages
of the device will often be apparent as soon as it is used, but
up until that time (and perhaps thereafter) its nature will not Garrotes
be known to casual observers. This is why the Focus is Belt; Clothing (woven into it); Necklaces; Shoelaces;
Inobvious. Watchbands
Players should note that there is a difference between a
disguised weapon, which is intentionally built to look like Knives (and other blades)
something else, and a hidden weapon, which is an obvious Belt buckles; Canes; Pens; Staff/Nightstick; Umbrellas.
weapon hidden in or behind something. A stiletto worn in an
arm-sheath to hide it underneath the sleeve of a shirt is still
an OAF, even though you can’t see it most of the time. A
casual search will uncover hidden or concealed OAF weap-
ons, but may miss IAF disguised weapons. See the section
on Concealment, earlier in this book.
 80 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
KNIVES CURVED KNIVES
The variety of bladed weapons available to Dark Champi- This category includes any bent or curved knife, such as
ons character is almost endless. This section describes a the Ghurka Kukri knife, the Arabic jambiya and the khanjar
few different types. All are OAFs and have the “Blade and khanjarli of India. Knifefighters who are familiar with
Weapon” Limitation (-Ê) described in DC:HOV, page 82; curved knives (a function of the character’s experience and
refer to that page for more information on building knives in training, not a separate Weapon Familiarity) should get +1
the HERO System. As with most of the weapons in this OCV when using them against opponents accustomed only
Sourcebook, the “No Knockback” Limitation is not taken to straight knives.
because it is assumed that it will be in place as a “house rule”
Small Curved Knife
for most weapons; if this is not the case, players should 4 Âd6 HKA (up to 1d6+1 with STR) (10 Active Points),
recalculate the cost of the weapon. Common Limitations

BAYONET Large Curved Knife

A bayonet, for example the United States’s M-7 or M-9, is 7 1d6 HKA (up to 2d6 with STR) (15 Active Points),
a blade designed to be fixed on the end of a rifle. Of course, Common Limitations
it can be used separately as well.
FIBERGLASS KNIFE
Bayonet This small blade is made out of fiberglass, so that it can be
7 1d6 HKA (up to 2d6 with STR) (15 Active Points),
Common Limitations
snuck through metal detectors unnoticed.
Fiberglass Knife
COMBAT KNIFE 5 Âd6 HKA (up to 1d6+1 with STR), Invisible to metal
This “generic” type of knife includes many different knives detectors (+Ê) (12 Active Points), Common Limita-
from around the world: the K-Bar of the U.S. Marines, the tions
Sykes-Fairbairn commando dagger, the Scottish skean dhu,
the Japanese tanto and related knives and the Bowie knife. MACHETE
A machete is a long, narrow blade, almost more of a short
Small Combat Knife sword, which is used mainly for clearing brush out of the way
7 Âd6 HKA (up to 1d6+1 with STR), Armor Piercing
(+Â) (15 Active Points), Common Limitations of wilderness travelers and the like. However, because they
Large Combat Knife are available in many hardware and military surplus stores,
10 1d6 HKA (up to 2d6 with STR), Armor Piercing (+Â) Dark Champions character may encounter them on the
(22 Active Points), Common Limitations streets of the city. The statistics for the machete can also be
used for hatchets if the “Ranged” Advantage is added so that
it can be thrown.
Machete
7 1d6 HKA (up to 2d6 with STR) (15 Active Points),
Common Limitations

PUNCH DAGGER/T-KNIFE
Descended from the Indian katar, this knife is held in a
closed fist, with the blade pointing out (usually between the
middle and ring fingers). This gives the blade relatively little
reach, but great armor-penetrating power, and its weight
adds to the wielder’s punch as well.
Punch Dagger/T-Knife
11 1d6 HKA (up to 2d6 with STR), Penetrating (+Â) (22
Active Points); Common Limitations plus +1d6 HA (3
Active Points); OAF (Punch Dagger), Linked

STILETTO
This long, narrow, unbladed dagger is essentially a “mili-
tary spike” designed to punch through armor and inflict deep,
deadly wounds. It is a favorite of assassins and spies. The
statistics for a regular stiletto can also be used for icepicks.
Regular Stiletto
7 Âd6 HKA (up to 1d6+1 with STR), Armor Piercing (15
Active Points), Common Limitations

Large Stiletto
10 1d6 HKA (up to 2d6 with STR), Armor Piercing (+Â)
(22 Active Points), Common Limitations
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 81
SURVIVAL KNIFE FLARE MINE
This knife has a hollow hilt which carries a variety of small This mine is as much a warning device as it is a weapon.
items to help the user survive in the wilderness: fishing hooks When triggered, it releases a bright flash of light which not
and line, a wire saw, water purification tablets, a small only blinds the victim, but alerts his enemies that he is
compass, firestarting equipment, and so forth. nearby.
Cost Powers END Flare Mine
35 3d6 Sight Group Flash, Explosion, Trigger (pressure
7 Multipower [15 pt pool], all OAF
generated by the weight of a human, +Ê) (70 Active
1u 1d6 HKA (up to 2d6 with STR); Common Limitations
Points); IAF (Mine), No Range
1+
1u +1 to Survival Skill; OAF (Mini-Survival Kit)
1u +1 to Navigation Skill; OAF (Mini-Compass) M18A1 CLAYMORE
This American mine can be triggered manually or by hand.
It sprays “shrapnel” in the form of 700 steel balls in a sixty-
SWITCHBLADE degree arc for over 800 feet (about 125"). On battlefields
A switchblade is the standard street-fighting knife. Anyone they are usually laid in triangular patterns of six mines each.
with WF: Knives or WF: Street Weapons knows how to use
one (and its close cousin, the straight razor). The advantage M18A1 Claymore
to a switchblade is that it is easy to hide and draw and can be 57 2d6+1 RKA, Area Effect Cone (125" Cone, +2),
opened with one hand. Trigger (pressure generated by the weight of a
human, +Ê) (114 Active Points); IAF (Mine), No
Switchblade
Range
4 Âd6 HKA (up to 1d6+1 with STR) (10 Active Points),
Common Limitations
MISSILE MINE
TRENCHKNIFE This mine doesn’t explode, but instead it triggers a missile
This knife has a set of “knuckledusters” (brass knuckles) which has been hidden nearby. The missile is aimed to land
built into the hilt, making it a punching weapon as well as a where the mine was placed, in the hope that the person who
stabbing one. This is the sort of knife that the Harbinger of triggered the mine and anybody with him will be killed by the
Justice is wielding on the cover of Shadows of the City. explosion.

Cost Powers END Missile Mine

52 4d6 RKA, Explosion, Trigger (pressure generated by
7 Multipower [15 pt base], all OAF the weight of a human [or vehicle], +Ê) (105 Active
1u 1d6 HKA (up to 2d6 with STR), Points); IAF (Mine), No Range
Common Limitations 1+
1u +2d6 HA; OAF (Trenchknife) 1+ TIRE MINE
This “mine” consists of a metal spike with a wire handle.
The handle is pushed into the ground, leaving the spike to
stick up to puncture tires and feet.
LAND MINES
Land mines are emplaced weapons that are triggered by Tire Mine
pressure. They explode upward, killing people and damag- 8 Âd6 RKA, Armor Piercing, Trigger (pressure gener-
ing vehicles with explosive force and shrapnel. Some are ated by the weight of a human, +Ê) (17 Active
triggered by the weight of a human being (anti-personnel Points); IAF (Mine), No Range
mines), but some require the greater weight of a vehicle to
trigger them (anti-vehicular mines). Mines can be laid by
hand, ground vehicle, some types of aircraft or cluster PRISON WEAPONS
bombs. Despite the fact that they are supposed to be under
Characters who are approaching a buried mine can make constant watch, prison inmates are often able to construct
a PER Roll at -3 to detect that something is amiss (but they homemade weapons for use against each other and, occa-
won’t necessarily know what’s wrong). A character with sionally, their guards. Weapons made by prison inmates
Demolitions can disarm an unexploded mine by making a roll come in four basic varieties: clubs and club-like weapons;
at -0 to -2 (depending upon the device’s complexity). sharp and bladed weapons; homemade guns and bombs;
The Hit Location for the damage from a land mine should and miscellaneous weapons.
always be rolled as a Low Shot (2D6+7).
CLUBS AND CLUB-LIKE WEAPONS
BASIC MINE Just about any large object (a chair leg, a garden tool, a
39 3d6 RKA, Area Effect One Hex, Trigger (pressure brick, a baseball bat, a law library book, a rock) can become a
generated by the weight of a human [or vehicle], +Ê)
club-like weapon in the right situation. This sort of improvised
(79 Active Points); IAF (Mine), No Range
weapon adds from 1-3d6 HA to the attacker’s STR. A similar
type of weapon is a crude blackjack made from a sock loaded
with batteries, bars of soap, or other small, hard objects; it adds
1-2d6 HA. Fist-loads or brass knuckle-type weapons can be
made out of many different objects (e.g., a tightly rolled up and
folded newspaper), and usually add 1d6 HA.
 82 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
SHARP AND BLADED WEAPONS MACE/PEPPER SPRAY
A sharpened piece of metal is known in prison as a “shank” Mace and Pepper Spray are chemical agents designed to
(or, more rarely, a “shiv”). It is one of the most common prison blind an attacker. They come in small spray canisters, and
weapons. It can be made from a kitchen utensil, the leg of a are often carried by women and corrections officers.
metal bed frame, parts of a light fixture and many other
objects. The shank may have an unsharpened area for Mace/Pepper Spray
grasping, or may have a separate handle of some sort 29 3d6 Sight Group Flash, NND (defense is solid eye
covering or Life Support: Need not breathe) (80 Active
attached. A small shank will do 1 pip to Âd6 HKA, larger ones Points); OAF (Mace Sprayer), No Range, 12 Charges
will do Â-1d6 HKA.
Weapons made from razor blades are also common. PEPPERFOGGER
Typically the blades are attached to or embedded in a
This weapon is designed to quickly fill a large area with
handle, such as a toothbrush or stick, and used as a crude
smoke or tear gas. It is often used by SWAT teams, anti-
slashing knife (1 pip to Âd6 HKA, depending on the number
terrorism units, and the like. The user wears a gas mask to
of razor blades in the weapon). If the prisoners have access
keep from being affected by his own weapon.
to a source of heat (such as in a prison machine shop), the
blades may be partially melted or welded to the handle. Pepperfogger (Tear Gas)
Broken glass bottles or items with broken glass embedded 34 3d6 Sight Group Flash, Area of Effect (32" radius, +1
in them are used in a similar fashion. Á) (110 Active Points); OAF Bulky (Pepperfogger, -
Some sharp weapons consist of a sharpened pointed 1Â), No Range, Does Not Work In Winds Or Rain (-
object which is used icepick fashion to do Âd6 HKA damage. Ê), 8 Charges lasting 1 Turn each (-0)
A sharpened piece of stiff wire affixed to a handle, forks and
sharpened spoons all fit in this category. Pencils and pens Pepperfogger (Smoke)
40 12" radius Darkness to Sight Group (130 Active
can also be used this way. Points); OAF Bulky (Pepperfogger, -1Â), No Range,
In prisons with a low custody level, where the prisoners Does Not Work In Winds Or Rain (-Ê), 8 Charges
have access to gardening tools, kitchens or workshops, they lasting 1 Turn each (-0)
might convert tools or utensils into edged weapons.
PNUEGUN
HOMEMADE GUNS AND BOMBS The PnueGun is a small tube which uses compressed
This category includes “zip guns” and improvised explo- carbon dioxide to fire a small, hard beanbag up to 150 feet.
sives and incendiaries. These weapons are extremely rare The force of the impact is enough to stun a man and knock
in a prison setting. A prisoner must know KS: Homemade him down.
Weapons to build these weapons. Of course, he also needs
access to the necessary parts and/or ingredients (for ex- PnueGun
ample, he might get the necessary ingredients for a bomb 7 6d6 EB (30 Active Points); OAF (PnueGun), 1 Charge
from the kitchen, the laundry, the machine shop and a
photocopier in the prison law library). Generally these weap- POWER-STAF KA-1
ons will only do Âd6 or 1d6 RKA, sometimes with a “One This hand-held weapon consists of a special piston linked
Hex” or “Explosion” Advantage. to an impact rod and driven by a high-pressure compressed
air system. When the trigger is pressed, the piston extends
MISCELLANEOUS and retracts, inflicting multiple blows upon the target with the
This category includes improvised garrotes (such as impact rod.
twisted-up towels or sheets); acidic chemicals (such as
cleaning fluids) which can be thrown; nicotine distilled from Power-Staf KA-1
14 4d6 EB, Autofire (5 shots), 32 Charges (35 Active
a pack of cigarettes and used as a poison; and so forth. The Points); OAF (Power-Staf), No Range
GM should determine the effects of such weapons by com-
paring them to an “outside world” equivalent and then
assessing a penalty for the crudity of the weapon.
HEAVY WEAPONS
MISCELLANEOUS WEAPONS This section provides descriptions and statistics for sev-
eral different types of heavy weapons, from flamethrowers to
SHOCKBATON artillery. These weapons are generally owned and used
This riot control baton contains a small battery capable of solely by the military, so a player should not be allowed to buy
providing a localized 6,000-7,000 volt shock. It also emits a them for his character or claim that his character has them
loud crackling noise to frighten off rioters. without a good explanation.

Shockbaton FLAMETHROWERS
16 +2d6 HA (6 Active Points); OAF (Shockbaton),Linked
to NND plus 3d6 NND (defense is insulated ED) (30 Flamethrowers are devices for projecting flame. They
Active Points); OAF (Shockbaton), No Range, 12 consist of a bulky, heavy backpack which holds the fuel
Charges plus +10 PRE (10 Active Points), OAF (either ordinary liquid fuel, thickened fuel, or various incen-
(Shockbaton), Only For Offensive Presence Attacks (- diary chemicals). Thickened fuels (such as napalm) tend to
1), 12 Charges burn the best and have the greatest range.
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 83
In HERO System terms, flamethrowers are bought as Each shell also takes the Common Limitations “OAF” (-1),
Multipowers. Each slot is a Killing Attack. The first slot is a “Requires Bulky Launching System Or Vehicle” (-Â) and
Line Area of Effect, and the second is a Cone Area of Effect. “User Must Have WF: Artillery” (-Â) (total -2). No “Charges”
Both of these slots have the Continuous Advantage, since Limitation or Advantage is taken, since different weapon
the user can simply hold the trigger down and keep spraying systems will carry different numbers; the GM should re-
flame without making further attack rolls (unless he switches calculate the cost as necessary.
targets, in which case a new “to hit” roll is required). Both
slots also have a -Ê “Side Effect” Limitation: if the flamethrower APDS
is fired at a target which is too close (closer than 5") or is fired (ARMOR PIERCING DISCARDING SABOT)
into the wind, there is an 11- chance that fuel will splash on This shell is fired with a sabot which peels away during
the firer, inflicting 1Âd6 Killing damage. flight, leaving a small, heavy penetrating round to smash into
Some flamethrowers have a third slot, which is an Area of the target. This type of shell may only be fired by a direct-fire
Effect (Any Shape) that simulates the flamethrower’s capac- weapon so the Indirect Advantage is not taken.
ity to make “cold shots”—shots where unlit fuel is projected,
allowing it to be sprayed onto a target and soak into it before Small APDS Shell
being lit. 40 4d6 RKA, Armor Piercing x2 (+1), Common Limita-
A flamethrower has an overall number of Charges indicat- tions (-2); (120 Active Points)
ing how many seconds worth of fuel it has (this is a Limitation
Medium APDS Shell
on the base cost of the Multipower). However, the fires set by 50 5D6 RKA, Armor Piercing x2 (+1), Common Limita-
the flamethrower may continue to burn long after the user is tions (-2); (150 Active Points);
out of fuel.
Large APDS Shell
Cost Powers END 60 6D6 RKA, Armor Piercing x2 (+1), Common Limita-
57 Multipower [157 pt pool], all OAF, Bulky (-1Â); tions (-2); (180 Active Points);
10 Charges for entire Multipower [10c]
6u 3d6 RKA, Area Effect Line (18" Line), Armor BEEHIVE
Piercing, Continuous, OAF (Flamethrower, Bulky), A Beehive shell is full of thousands of flechette darts which
Side Effect (described above, -Ê) scatter when the shell impacts its target. It is an anti-
6u 3d6 RKA, Area Effect Cone (10" Cone), Armor
personnel shell, since the flechettes are not capable of
Piercing, Continuous, OAF (Flamethrower, Bulky),
Side Effect (described above, -Ê) penetrating tank armor Beehive rounds are available for
5u 3d6 RKA, Variable Area Effect (any 5"), Armor direct-fire weapons only.
Piercing, Continuous, OAF (Flamethrower, Bulky),
Extra Time (minimum of one extra Phase between Small Beehive Round
25 2d6 RKA, Armor Piercing, Explosion (loses 1 DC
soaking area with unlit fuel and lighting it, -Â)
every 3", +1), Common Limitations (-2); (75 Active
Points)
Some sample flamethrowers include: the M2A1 and M9A1-
7, American models with ten seconds’ worth of fuel; the LPO- Medium Beehive Round
50, a Soviet flamethrower with nine seconds’ worth of fuel; 27 2d6 RKA, Armor Piercing, Explosion (loses 1 DC
and the HAFLA-35L, a one-shot German flamethrower “pis- every 4", +1Ê), Common Limitations (-2); (82 Active
tol” with enough fuel to ignite an 8"x2" area. Points)

HAFLA-35L Large Beehive Round

75 3D6 RKA, Area Affect (2” wide by 8” long, +1Â), 30 2d6 RKA, Armor Piercing (+Â), Explosion (loses 1 DC
Armor Piercing, Continuous, Uncontrolled, Sticky, every 5", +1Â), Common Limitations (-2); (90 Active
OAF, 1 Charge lasts 1 minute (-1) (225 Active Points) Points)

ARTILLERY CHEMICAL
This shell carries a chemical or biological warfare weapon
Artillery encompasses mortars, breech-loading field artil-
of some sort. Refer to “Chemical and Biological Warfare,”
lery (such as shells launched from tanks and howitzers), and
below, for the effects of such attacks. The larger the shell, the
similar weapons which do not contain their own propulsion
larger the area affected when it explodes.
units like missiles do (see below). Dark Champions PCs are
most likely to get their hands on this kind of weaponry while
breaking into a military base, fighting drug-dealing foreign
CONTACT
dictators, and so forth. If the campaign is limited strictly to the A shell which simply explodes upon impact with the target.
streets of the city, these weapons will probably never be Small Contact Fused Shell
seen. 35 4d6 RKA, Area Affect One Hex, Indirect (+Ê),
This section simply describes the different types of avail- Common Limitations (-2); (105 Active Points)
able shells in general terms and offers damage ranges for
small (up to 99mm), medium (100-149mm), and large Medium Contact Fused Shell
(150mm+) versions. Because most shells can be fired over 44 5d6 RKA, Area Affect One Hex, Indirect (+Ê),
hills and other obstacles, some are bought with the Advan- Common Limitations (-2); (131 Active Points)
tage “Indirect” (+Ê). Artillery shells have a range of up to 20 Large Contact Fused Shell
miles, but this depends on the firing system, so no “Increased 35 6d6 RKA, Area Affect One Hex, Indirect (+Ê),
Maximum Range” Advantage is taken for them; instead, the Common Limitations (-2); (157 Active Points)
launching vehicle should have points set aside for that.
 84 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
HE (HIGH EXPLOSIVE) Small Starshell
The standard exploding shell. 12 Change Environment 32" radius (create light), Indirect
(+Ê), Common Limitations (-2), Continuing Charges
Small HE Shell (each charge lasts for 10 minutes, -5 levels on
45 4d6 RKA, Explosion (loses 1 DC every 3", +1), Charges table); (37 Active Points)
Indirect (+Ê), Common Limitations (-2); (135 Active
Points) NUCLEAR
This shell carries a small nuclear warhead. The smallest
Small HE Shell in the American arsenal is the W48 warhead, with a 0.1
56 5d6 RKA, Explosion (loses 1 DC every 3", +1),
Indirect (+Ê), Common Limitations (-2); (169 Active
kiloton yield (equivalent to 100 tons of TNT). Even the
Points) smallest nuclear warhead has effects that go far beyond
mere game terms.
Small HE Shell
67 6d6 RKA, Explosion (loses 1 DC every 3", +1), PROXIMITY
Indirect (+Ê), Common Limitations (-2); (202 Active This shell is equipped with a radar system which allows the
Points) firer to program it to explode when it is near the target. This
increases the effectiveness of some shells, such as HE or
HEAT (HIGH EXPLOSIVE ANTI-TANK) Smoke. A HE shell equipped with a Proximity system would
An exploding shell specifically designed to pierce tank have these statistics:
armor. Upon impact, a charge in the base of the shell
detonates, liquefying the metal in front of it and forcing it Small Proximity Shell
through the target’s armor. Since HEAT shells require a 75 4d6 RKA, Explosion (loses 1 DC every 3", +1),
direct hit on their target they are only employed by direct-fire Indirect (+Ê), Penetrating x2 (+1), Trigger (when
weapons. reaches set distance from target, +Â), Common
Limitations (-2); (225 Active Points)
Small HEAT Shell
60 4d6 RKA, Armor Piercing x2 (+1), Explosion (loses 1 Medium Proximity Shell
DC every 3", +1), Common Limitations (-2); (180 94 5d6 RKA, Explosion (loses 1 DC every 3", +1),
Active Points) Indirect (+Ê), Penetrating x2 (+1), Trigger (when
reaches set distance from target, +Â), Common
Medium HEAT Shell Limitations (-2); (281 Active Points)
75 5d6 RKA, Armor Piercing x2 (+1), Explosion (loses 1
DC every 3", +1), Common Limitations (-2); (225 Small Proximity Shell
Active Points) 112 6d6 RKA, Explosion (loses 1 DC every 3", +1),
Indirect (+Ê), Penetrating x2 (+1), Trigger (when
Large HEAT Shell reaches set distance from target, +Â), Common
90 4d6 RKA, Armor Piercing x2 (+1), Explosion (loses 1 Limitations (-2); (337 Active Points)
DC every 3", +1), Common Limitations (-2); (270
Active Points) SMOKE
This shell generates a cloud of smoke which lasts for up to
HESH (HIGH EXPLOSIVE SQUASH HEAD) twenty minutes.
This is another anti-tank round. Upon impact, it flattens
(“squashes”) itself against the armor and then a charge in its Small Smoke Shell
27 Darkness to Sight Group, 6" radius, Indirect (+Ê),
base explodes, causing shock waves which are intended Common Limitations (-2), Continuing Charges lasting
literally to vibrate the target’s armor apart from the inside. In up to 20 minutes each (-5 levels on Charges chart),
HERO System terms, its effects are basically the same as Does Not Work In Winds Or Rain (-Ê); (87 Active
those of the HEAT shell (however, the GM may substitute Points)
“Penetrating” for the HEAT’s “Armor Piercing” Advantage if
he prefers). Medium Smoke Shell
35 Darkness to Sight Group, 8" radius, Indirect (+Ê),
ILLUMINATION (“STARSHELL”) Common Limitations (-2), Continuing Charges lasting
up to 20 minutes each (-5 levels on Charges chart),
This shell is a gigantic flare with a parachute attached to Does Not Work In Winds Or Rain (-Ê); (112 Active
make it fall slowly. It provides light in the target area for up to Points)
ten minutes.
Large Smoke Shell
Small Starshell 42 Darkness to Sight Group, 6" radius, Indirect (+Ê),
8 Change Environment 8" radius (create light), Indirect Common Limitations (-2), Continuing Charges lasting
(+Ê), Common Limitations (-2), Continuing Charges up to 20 minutes each (-5 levels on Charges chart),
(each charge lasts for 10 minutes, -5 levels on Does Not Work In Winds Or Rain (-Ê); (137 Active
Charges table); (25 Active Points) Points)
Small Starshell
10 Change Environment 16" radius (create light), Indirect VT (VARIABLE TIME)
(+Ê), Common Limitations (-2), Continuing Charges This shell has a timer on it and explodes only at the preset
(each charge lasts for 10 minutes, -5 levels on time the firer designates (for example, 5 seconds after being
Charges table); (31 Active Points) fired). VT shells have the same statistics as Proximity shells,
but the Trigger is “at preset time.”
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 85

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CHEMICAL AND
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Second only to nuclear weapons in their capacity for killing (GM’s notes: The “Gradual Effect” Limitation is explained
large numbers of people, chemical and biological weapons in the HERO Bestiary, page 13, and Fantasy Hero, page 128.
are cheap and relatively easy to make. They are increasingly It reflects the time that a biological weapon, poison, or similar
used in warfare, especially by Third World nations like Iraq attack takes to affect the victim after it gets into the body.
that are prevented from making nuclear weapons (or can’t Because an attack such as this is bought with Extra Time and
afford to do so). Because of the intrigue that surrounds them Gradual Effect to simulate the length of time it remains in an
and the vast numbers of deaths they can cause, chemical area, it is effectively a “Continuous” attack, and so the
and biological weapons are likely to be the subject of Dark “Uncontrolled” Advantage may be purchased for it without an
Champions or regular four-color Champions scenarios, so additional “Continuous” Advantage. When Persistent is
this section will briefly discuss the major types and provide added, the effect of this attack is that it lingers in the area for
HERO System statistics for some of them. as long as the GM realistically thinks it should—which, in the
case of biological infestations, radiation and similar phenom-
BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS ena, usually means years or decades.)
Immunity to biological warfare weapons may be bought for
Biological weapons come in four basic types: bacterial
2 points per category (such as fungal infections or viral
infections (causing plague, anthrax, brucellosis and typhoid
infections). Immunity to a specific weapon (such as an
fever); fungal infections (causing desert fever); rickets infec-
anthrax weapon) costs 1 point.
tions (causing typhus, purple fever and Queensland fever);
and viral infections (causing smallpox, yellow fever and
some of the deadlier kinds of flu). CHEMICAL WEAPONS
Because of space considerations, it is not possible to Chemical weapons are any sort of gas, lethal or otherwise,
provide specific examples of each type of biological weapon. that is used as a weapon (some are also used in liquid form).
Fortunately, part of the work has already been done—in the They range from simple irritating and incapacitating gases to
HERO Bestiary, by Doug Tabb, there is a discussion of gases so lethal that the merest whiff of them causes almost
animal-transmitted diseases on pages 15-18. Three of the instant unconsciousness and death. They are grouped into
disease mentioned—anthrax, brucellosis and plague—are two different categories, incapacitating and lethal, based on
frequently used as biological weapons. Anthrax in particular their effect.
is deadly, and can contaminate an area for decades, making
it totally unfit for human habitation. Anthrax acts by contact, INCAPACITATING AGENTS
inhalation or ingestion. Here is an example of an anthrax- Incapacitating agents are designed to render an enemy
causing biological weapon: soldier incapable of fighting without killing him. There are two
Bacterial Biological Weapon (Inhalable Anthrax): 4d6 kinds: physical and psychological. Physical incapacitators
RKA, NND (defense is appropriate Immunity or being in work by affecting the soldier’s health and physical ability to
a completely sealed-off environment, +2), Area of Effect fight. For example, ES gas makes people extremely nau-
(750" radius [about 1 mile], +2 Á), Increased Maximum seous and diarrhetic (a combination STR, CON and END
Range (a function of the launching system), Uncon- Drain that lasts for a day or so). Adamite, or vomiting gas, is
trolled (+Â), Persistent (+Â) (405 Active Points); OAF a retching agent which also has effects similar to some forms
Bulky (Biological Weapon Missile, -1Â), 1 Charge (-2), of tear gas. It can be bought as an Entangle or as a Mental
Requires Appropriate WF (-Â), Extra Time (1 week delay Power Based On CON.
before onset of symptoms, -4), Gradual Time (1 day, -3): CN and CS are lachrymatory gases (tear gases) that
costs 34 points; plus cause uncontrollable weeping and coughing. Their effects
1d6 CON Drain, recover 5 points per week (+1Â), are described elsewhere as Flash Attacks, but the stronger
NND (defense is appropriate Immunity or being in a tear gases used by the military may also have an NND effect
completely sealed-off environment, +2), Area of Effect as well. CS smells like apple blossoms, CN like pepper.
(750" radius [about 1 mile], +2 Á), Increased Maximum Characters should not buy Immunity to tear gas; instead,
Range (a function of the launching system), Uncon- they should buy Flash Defense and also Life Support (Self-
trolled (+Â), Persistent (+Â), Ranged (+Â) (525 Active Contained Breathing) (and maybe some Power Defense)
Points); OAF Bulky (Biological Weapon Missile, -1Â), 1 with the -1Â Limitation, “Only Protects Against Tear Gas.”
Charge (-2), Requires Appropriate WF (-Â), Extra Time Psychological incapacitators weaken the victim’s mental
(1 day delay before onset of symptoms, -3 Â), Gradual acumen and often cause hallucinations and psychotic be-
Time (1 week, -3 Â): costs 27 points. havior. LSD has been used as a psychological incapacitator;
Total cost: 61 points another type is BZ, whose effects are similar to LSD (INT
Drain, Linked with Mental Illusions Based On CON).
 86 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
The problem with these agents is that the victim’s actions are 70 2d6 DEX, CON, BODY and COM Drain, Ranged
not controllable: for example, if a soldier has access to (+Â), recover 5 points every 3 months (+2), NND
tactical nuclear weaponry, the last thing that the enemy (defense is appropriate Immunity or not letting the gas
wants to do is make him hallucinate or become psychotic. touch you, +2), Area of Effect (as above, +3), Invisible
To Sight Group (+Â), Increased Maximum Range
Therefore, use of these agents is infrequent at best. Instead (based on launching system; see “Artillery”), Limita-
of buying Immunity to psychological incapacitators, charac- tions the same as First Effect (except for No KB), plus
ters should buy Mental Defense with the -2 Limitation, “Only Extra Time (up to 5 hours before onset of symptoms,
Protects Against Psychoactive Drugs.” -3); (720 Active Points)
Total Cost: 1,694 Active Points; costs 202 points.
LETHAL AGENTS Similar to mustard gas is Lewisite, which has similar
Lethal agents come in five types: asphyxiants; blistering effects but is stronger (6d6 RKA).
agents; haemotoxins; nerve gases; and toxins. Immunity to blistering agents costs 3 points.
Asphyxiant gases kill by disrupting the body’ ability to
breath and attacking the respiratory tract. The two most Haemotoxins attack the blood and the circulatory system.
important ones are chlorine and phosgene. Phosgene, for They tend to cause instant unconsciousness, followed by
example, is a colorless gas with the odor of new-mown hay. death within seconds from respiratory failure. Cyanide acid
It causes the victim to cough, choke, and drown in his own and cyanogen gas are the two most common forms; for more
mucus and bodily fluids. information, refer to the Poisons section later on in this book.
Nerve gases are among the most feared chemical warfare
Phosgene Gas Shell agents. These colorless and odorless gases attack the
83 6d6 RKA, NND (defense is appropriate Immunity or
LS: Self-Contained Breathing, +2), Area of Effect central nervous system, disrupting nerve transmissions
(1,125" radius [about 1.3 miles], +2 Á), Invisible To throughout the body. A single drop of the liquid form or a whiff
Sight Group (+Â), Increased Maximum Range (based of the gaseous form can be fatal within five to ten minutes.
on launching system; see “Artillery”), OAF Bulky The effects of these gases are well known: the victim’s nose
(Chemical Shell, -1Â), Requires Appropriate WF (-Â), becomes runny, his vision blurs, he has difficulty breathing
1 Charge which lasts for 1 Turn and Never Recovers and he soon begins to vomit and/or defecate. Mental distur-
(-3 Ê), No KB (-Ê), Does Not Work In Winds Or Rain bances come next, followed by coma, spasms, paralysis and
(-Ê); (562 Active Points) death from respiratory failure. Atropine (a poisonous sub-
Immunity to asphyxiants costs 3 points. stance) and oxime are antidotes, but will still leave the victim
Blistering agents (also called vesicants) cause horrible incapacitated for days.
burns and blisters to any exposed skin they touch. If they Nerve gases come in two basic types: the “G” and “V”
contact the eyes, the victim will be permanently blinded. If series. The “G” series includes Tabun (GA), Sarin (GB) and
they are directly inhaled, they kill. They can also be indirectly Soman (GD). The faster-acting “V” series includes VE, VM
fatal if the sores they cause become infected or if the and VX.
suffering victim commits suicide (a not uncommon result).
Victims who survive the initial attack of a blistering agent will Nerve Gas Shell
85 8d6 RKA, NND (defense is appropriate Immunity or
take months to heal, as the ulcerating sores caused by the not letting the gas touch you, +2), Area of Effect
gas scab over, and then the scabs fall off and the sores (1,125" radius [about 1.3 miles], +2 Á), Fully Invisible
ulcerate once more. In addition to the horrible sores, a (+1), Increased Maximum Range (based on launching
surviving victim may suffer from bronchopneumonia. system; see “Artillery”), OAF Bulky (Chemical Shell,
Blistering agents may come in two forms: gas (the most -1Â), Requires Appropriate Weapons Familiarity To
common) or liquid. The best known blistering agent is Use (-Â), 1 Charge which Never Recovers (-4), Extra
mustard gas (also known as HD), including distilled mustard Time (up to ten minutes for onset of symptoms, -2),
(which is colorless and smells like garlic) and nitrogen No KB (-Ê), Does Not Work In Winds Or Rain (-Ê);
mustard (which is colorless and smells like fish or soap). (810 Active Points)
Here is an example of a shell of mustard gas: Immunity to nerve gases costs 3 points.
Toxins include phytotoxins (poisons derived from plants),
Mustard Gas Shell zootoxins (poisons derived from animals) and microbe tox-
65 5d6 RKA, NND (defense is the appropriate Immunity
or not inhaling the gas, +2), Area of Effect (1,000"
ins. Phytotoxins and zootoxins are dealt with in the Poisons
radius [1.25 miles], +3), Invisible To Sight Group section. Microbe toxins are poisons created by microscopic
(+Â), Increased Maximum Range (based on launch- organisms. They include B (an enterotoxin), and TZ (a
ing system; see “Artillery”), OAF Bulky (Chemical saxitoxin, frequently found in spoiled mollusks or shellfish;
Shell, -1Â), Requires Appropriate Weapons Familiar- .05 of a gram can kill a human being).
ity To Use (-Â), 1 Charge which Never Recovers (-4), The best-known microbe toxin is botulin, also known as X
No KB (-Ê), Does Not Work In Winds Or Rain (-Ê); or A, which causes botulism (a lethal form of food poisoning).
(487 Active Points) plus From .00007-.00015 of a gram of botulin is enough to kill,
67 5d6 Major Transform (sighted person blind person), depending upon whether it is ingested or enters the body via
NND (defense is the appropriate Immunity or not a wound or injection. About 1-2 hours after being infected
letting the gas touch your eyes, +2), other Advantages
and Limitations the same as First Effect (except for
(i.e., after eating food contaminated by the microbes), the
No KB); [469 Active Points] plus victim begins to suffer from gastrointestinal cramps, vomit-
ing, abdominal pain, dryness of the mouth and motor and
visual disturbances. Death follows from paralysis of the
respiratory system.
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 87
Botulin Gas Shell LOW EXPLOSIVES
35 4d6 RKA, NND (defense is appropriate Immunity or Low explosives, also known as deflagrating explosives,
not letting the gas touch you, +2), Area of Effect (750" do not really explode, they actually burn very, very quickly.
radius [about 1 mile], +2 Á), Fully Invisible (+1),
Increased Maximum Range (based on launching
The effect that they produce is less one of shattering (or
system; see “Artillery”), OAF Bulky (Chemical Shell, “brisance”), and more one of “heaving.” The pressure they
-1Â), Requires Appropriate Weapons Familiarity To produce is relatively low. However, if sufficient quantities of
Use (-Â), 1 Charge which Never Recovers (-4), Extra low explosives are used, they create a detonating effect
Time (1-2 hours after eating before onset of symp- similar to high explosives (see below).
toms, -2), Gradual Effect (1 hour for full effect, The main low explosive in use today is black powder (and
-2), No KB (-Ê), Does Not Work In Winds Or Rain its modern improvement, smokeless powder). Black powder
(-Ê); (405 Active Points) is is basically insensitive to impact and friction, requiring a
Immunity to botulin costs 1 point. Immunity to other mi- flame and/or heat to initiate the explosion. When it is used in
crobe toxins or other toxins must be bought separately, at 1 bullets, an impact-sensitive explosive charge is used to
point apiece; refer to the Poisons section for details. ignite the powder. Working with black powder is so easy that
the GM should add +1 to +3 to the character’s Demolitions
NEUTRALIZING AGENTS roll in appropriate circumstances.
Neutralizing agents are very similar to incapacitating
agents, but tend to disable the victim only for short periods HIGH EXPLOSIVES
of time. Mild tear gases, sneezing or itching powders, retch- High, or detonating, explosives have such a rapid chemi-
ing agents and the like can be neutralizing agents. Refer to cal reaction when activated that they produce immense
the section on incapacitating agents, above, for general pressure and shattering force (brisance). Detonation waves
information. from high explosives often exceed 20,000 feet per second.
High explosives can be further divided into two types. The
Sneezing Powder first is primary or initiating explosives. These substances can
5 3d6 Entangle, OAF (powder, fragile, -1Ê), Entangle
With No Defense (-1Â), Range Based On STR (-Ê), be readily detonated by fire/heat, impact, or friction. Because
Does Not Work In Winds Or Rain (-Ê), 1 Charge; of this sensitivity, they are rarely used for actual demolitions,
(30 Active Points) but instead are used primarily in initiating devices (such as
Immunity to neutralizing agents costs 2 points. blasting caps) to set off safer explosives. Primary explosives
include diazodinitrophenol (DDNP), fulminate-chlorate mix-
PHYTOTOXIC AGENTS tures, lead azide, lead styphnate, mercury fulminate, silver
Phytotoxic agents are poisonous substances designed to azide, and silver fulminate.
affect not humans, but plants, thus clearing away vegetation The second type of high explosive is the secondary (or
and allowing soldiers to see the enemy. The best-known noninitiating) explosive. These are mixed together to pro-
phytotoxic agent is Agent Orange, which was used in Viet- duce the right combination of sensitivity, brisance, and
nam and has been alleged to be carcinogenic. stability for particular jobs. The most important secondary
explosives include ammonium picrate, cyclonite (RDX and
HMX), dynamite and TNT.

EXPLOSIVES AND Ammonium Picrate

Ammonium picrate (or explosive D) is made of picric acid and
INCENDIARIES ammonium. It is used in situations calling for an explosive that
is particularly resistant to impact. For example, ammonium
Whether it’s a gang of criminals blowing the door off of a picrate is sometimes used in anti-tank shells, because of its
safe or a vigilante putting a carbomb in a druglord’s car, Dark ability to pierce armor without exploding: tests have shown that
Champions characters often use explosive and incendiary it can be fired through twelve inches of armor and detonate on
devices. In order to give Dark Champions players a better the other side! Picric acid itself is explosive, but is no longer
idea of how explosives and incendiaries work and what types used militarily due to its sensitivity. There is no modifier to
are available, this section will describe some of the major Demolitions for working with ammonium picrate.
types of explosives in use today. Explosives which are used
only as propellants (for rockets, bullets and so forth) will not Dynamite
be discussed. Invented by Alfred Noble in 1867, dynamite is a combina-
tion of nitroglycerin and various substances which absorb
large amounts of the nitroglycerin, thereby making it rela-
EXPLOSIVES tively safe to handle (it is still sensitive to extreme impact, and
An explosive is a substance which rapidly creates tremen- if it gets wet tends to break down and becomes as volatile as
dous heat and pressure when properly activated. Explosives nitroglycerine). Antacids and other stabilizers are used to
are generally divided into “low” and “high” types, as ex- make dynamite even safer to handle. Today, various mix-
plained below. In the HERO System, working with explo- tures of explosives and bases are used to achieve different
sives is a function of the Skill Demolitions. A table of results. For example, there is gelatin dynamite, which has
suggested damage ranges for explosives is provided at the great water resistance, has more blasting power than com-
end of this section. However, because determining how parable dynamites, and can be molded into crude shapes.
powerful a particular bomb is depends upon how it is con- Low-freezing dynamite can be used in extremely cold condi-
structed and other variables, it is not possible to provide tions. Using dynamite should add +1 or +2 to a character’s
definite damage figures for many of the explosives. Demolition roll in appropriate circumstances.
 88 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
Dynamite has many commercial uses (such as the con- Lead Azide (Pb(N3 )2)
struction industry). It is generally sold in sticks. The amount Lead azide is a primary explosive used in a variety of
of damage a single stick does depends upon the exact type military explosives and in initiators. It tends to be more stable
and mixture of dynamite, but for gaming purposes the than many other primary explosives, particularly at higher
following formula should be used: one stick of dynamite will temperatures, so a cover charge of lead styphnate or some
do a base of 5d6 EB Explosion. Every additional stick beyond other more sensitive explosive is often added to ensure
that adds 1d6. So, three sticks would be a 7d6 EB Explosion, detonation. A related chemical, silver azide, is more powerful
and 20 sticks a 24d6 Explosion. Obviously the GM should not and is used similarly, but is more sensitive to heat. There is
let the PCs get their hands on large amounts of dynamite! no modifier to Demolitions for working with lead azide.
Initiators Mercury Fulminate (Mercuric Cyanate, HgC2N2 O2)
Initiators are explosive devices used to start larger explo- Mercury fulminate is a grey-white powder which explodes
sions. They include blasting caps and detonating cord. at 160˚ C. It is both a primary and a secondary explosive, and
Blasting caps, both basic and electric, are not explosives is sensitive to electricity, fire/heat, impact and friction (-2 to
per se, but instead are small cylindrical devices used to Demolitions rolls in appropriate circumstances). It was dis-
initiate explosions. They consist of a base charge (usually covered in the late 1600s, and was used for many years in
RDX or PETN), a priming charge (usually lead azide or silver initiators and commercial explosives. Because cheaper and
azide), and a flash charge (usually lead styphnate), all better replacements were found, it fell out of use in the
contained in an aluminum or copper shell. Mercury fulminate 1970s, but Dark Champions characters may still chance
used to be an important blasting cap ingredient, but is no across some here and there, or even discover an illegal lab
longer commonly used. A basic blasting cap is set off by a manufacturing it for terrorists.
fuse, whereas an electrical blasting cap has two wires
running through it that are used to detonate it with electricity Nitroglycerin
(allowing for precise timing of an explosion). This explosive oil or liquid was discovered by Ascanio
Detonating cord is a cord made with a core of sensitive Sobrero in 1846. It is one of the principal ingredients in
explosive (such as PETN or RDX) surrounded by a plastic or dynamite. By itself, nitroglycerin is extremely sensitive and
cloth covering. It is usually used together with blasting caps, very dangerous to handle (-3 or more to Demolitions rolls),
and enables the demolitions expert to time explosions pre- so it is rarely used without stabilizers.
cisely. PETN
PETN (pentaerythritol tetranitrate) was invented in 1891.
It is cheaply and easily produced, and is as strong as
nitroglycerin but much safer to handle. There is no modifier
to Demolitions for working with PETN.
RDX and HMX
RDX (cyclonite) is one of the most common military
explosives in use today. HMX is similar, but denser and with
a higher melting point and explosion temperature. Both are
white crystalline solids that are extremely stable. They are
usually mixed with TNT to desensitize them. RDX is as
powerful as nitroglycerin, HMX is slightly more powerful.
RDX is the explosive usually used to produce plastique, or
plastic explosive (PE), of which Semtex is one variety. PEs
are about 80% RDX and 20% oils, waxes and plastics. They
are very stable (a blasting cap or electricity is needed to
activate them, and they are not sensitive to impact or heat),
and can be safely molded into an infinite number of forms.
They are also extremely powerful—a single block of plastique
about the size of a videotape produces a 15-20d6 EB
Explosion, enough to knock down some small buildings. For
these reasons, PEs are a favorite of the military and terrorists
both. The American military uses four types designated C1
through C4, each of which is useful in a different temperature
range. C4, for example, remains plastic down to -70˚ F, and
does not leak up to 170˚ F. Working with plastique or RDX/
HMX adds +1 to +2 to Demolitions rolls in appropriate
circumstances.
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 89
Shaped charge Magnesium
A shaped charge uses a cone of metal or glass which is The metallic element magnesium is an incendiary sub-
surrounded by a high-strength explosive (such as TNT or stance which burns at very high temperatures and is easily
RDX). The detonation vaporizes the cone and projects it in manufactured and handled. It can get hot enough to melt
the desired direction as an immensely hot and powerful “jet” mild steels, and often scatters molten bits of metal about,
of particles. This jet strikes the target and literally forces it to increasing the chances of setting secondary fires. Even
“flow” away from the point of impact. However, a shaped worse, if a magnesium fire is attacked with water, an explo-
charge only uses a small percentage of the force of the sive mix of hydrogen and some other gases can be created.
explosion (about 15%), so the explosion is not totally con-
tained or channelled. Setting up a shaped charge requires a Napalm
Demolitions roll at -0 to -3, depending upon the circum- Modern napalm is made of gasoline, benzene, and poly-
stances and the materials available. If the character makes styrene thickener. Earlier forms of napalm were advanced
the roll by 3 or more, he may be able to increase the forms of gelled gasoline, but modern napalm is a liquid. It is
percentage of explosive force that the shaped charge uses. used by military for many different kinds of weapons; by
varying the amount of thickener and the additives, different
TNT (trinitrotoluene) properties can be imparted to it (such as increased burning
TNT (which is different from dynamite) is one of the time, increased fluidity and so forth). Among its properties is
principal military explosives. It is made from toluene and the fact that it sticks to target surfaces (even vertical ones),
nitric acid. It is stable and insensitive to impact, friction, and meaning that the victim cannot simply wipe it off. Napalm is
electricity (+1 to +2 to Demolitions rolls). It does not readily not self-igniting; it requires some sort of initiating heat (such
absorb water, and may be stored indefinitely in temperate as from an electric spark or another incendiary substance).
areas.
TNT is usually melted and used to fill bombs, either by Paraffin-Sawdust
itself or in combination with other substances (binary explo- This incendiary is a simple mix of paraffin wax or beeswax
sives): ammonium nitrate (amatol); ammonium picrate and sawdust. It burns slowly and is used to set fire to
(picratol); HMX (octol); PETN (pentolite); RDX (cyclotol); flammable objects and buildings. It can be carried and stored
RDX and ammonium (torpex), and so forth. TNT binary safely.
explosives can be very powerful—for example, cyclotol and
Thermite
pentolite have detonation pressures as high as 4,000,000
Thermite is made of powdered ferric oxide and powdered
pounds per square inch.
or granular aluminum. When lit it creates molten iron alumi-
num oxide, and can produce temperatures as high as 2,400˚
INCENDIARIES C under proper conditions. It has many commercial uses,
Incendiaries are chemicals designed to start fires and/or such as welding, in addition to its military applications. It
burn people. They are usually used in firebombs and requires strong heat to ignite it (more than a match), so
flamethrowers, but Dark Champions characters may also igniter materials (such as magnesium, white phosphorus or
want to build incendiary grenades, pellets and other weap- depleted uranium flakes) are added when it is used for
ons. Working with incendiaries is a function of the Demoli- military purposes. However, its stability also means that it
tions Skill. can be safely carried and stored, and that it burns strongly
Fire Bottle once lit. It is easy to use in cold and windy situations, and can
A fire bottle is a primitive incendiary grenade. It is a bottle burn through metal containers to ignite any flammable ob-
filled with gasoline and sulfuric acid, then wrapped in a rag jects they hold. Thermite can also be mixed with pyrotechnic
or piece of paper. Just prior to use, the wrapper is soaked agents to form a more volatile compound called thermate.
with a sugar-potassium chlorate mixture (which is very Thermite and thermate cannot be doused with water.
sensitive). Upon impact, the chemicals mix and the reaction White Phosphorus
ignites the gasoline. The Molotov cocktail, a bottle filled with White phosphorus (WP) is most often used to ignite other
some flammable liquid and with a rag stuffed in the top and incendiaries, but can be used on its own. It is pyrophoric, i.e.,
lit, can be considered a crude fire bottle. self-igniting—it burns on contact with air. A WP incendiary
Gelled Gasoline consists of white phosphorus dissolved in carbon disulfide
Gelled gasoline is ordinary gasoline which has been (or some other solvent to keep it away from air). It is always
gelled by the use of chemicals or improvised substances stored under water. It is used by pouring it on the item to be
(such as soap powder, lye, wax or animal blood). Charcoal burned. Once the solvent evaporates, the WP bursts into
may be added to increase the mixture’s flammability. Essen- flame, creating large clouds of dense white smoke. For
tially, gelled gasoline is a primitive form of napalm (see military purposes, sometimes plastic white phosphorus (PWP)
below), and like napalm it sticks to surfaces. is used; this is simply a rubbery solution which binds the WP
together so that it cannot disperse freely. WP cannot be
Incendiary Brick doused with water.
This object looks like an ordinary brick, but is made of
potassium chlorate, sulfur, sugar, iron filings, and wax. It
burns relatively slowly and is normally used to set fire to
buildings and other flammable objects.
90 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
SUGGESTED DAMAGES FOR
EXPLOSIVES AND INCENDIARIES
POISONS
Name Suggested Damage Poisons have been used by assassins and murders for
centuries. Poisoning has become less common as a form of
Ammonium Picrate (1 liter) 8d6-10d6 EB Explosion killing in the modern world because of the ready availability
Black powder (1 pound) 2d6 EB Explosion of guns and knives, but Dark Champions characters will still
Dynamite 5d6 EB Explosion for find lots of assassins and killers out there using poisons. In
first stick, +1d6 for each many cases, poisons are the weapon of choice because they
additional stick are virtually undetectable, or because their delayed effect
allows the assassin to get far away from his victim and/or to
Initiators: Blasting cap 1 pip RKA strike days before the victim develops symptoms and dies.
Detonating cord Âd6 RKA per foot This section will concentrate primarily on poisons that
assassins and murderers might use. Animal poisons have
Lead azide (1 pound) 10d6-12d6 EB Explosion been covered at some length in Fantasy Hero and the HERO
Mercury fulminate (1 pound) 8d6-9d6 EB Explosion Bestiary, so they will not be discussed at length here. The
GM should simply remember that an assassin can use
Nitroglycerin (1 liter) 12d6 EB Explosion
animal venom if he wishes (or even put the live animal itself
PETN (1 liter) 12d6-14d6 EB Explosion somewhere where the victim will come into contact with it).
RDX and HMX (1 pound) 12d6-16d6 EB Explosion The poisons below are built as RKA NND attacks (+2
Plastique (1 block) 15d6-20d6 EB Explosion Advantage), the defense being the appropriate Immunity.
Poisons may also be bought as Drains, but the “Ranged”
TNT (1 pound) 12d6-14d6 EB Explosion Advantage (+Â) will need to be added for attacks such as
Amatol 10d6-12d6 EB Explosion poisoned blowgun darts or thrown knives. Common Limita-
Cyclotol 14d6-18d6 EB Explosion tions for most of the poisons below include OAF (fragile
poison and possibly some means of projecting it, injecting it,
Pentolite 14d6-18d6 EB Explosion or having it ingested, -1Ê), No KB (-Ê), No Range, and 1
Torpex 9d6-10d6 EB Explosion Charge (-2) (total -4); many also have Gradual Effect. A
character can buy more Charges if he wishes.
Fire bottle/Molotov cocktail 1-2d6 RKA, 1 Hex, Most of these poisons have antidotes; if the antidote is
1 Turn/Charge administered the poison will cause no further damage, but
Gelled gasoline (1 liter) 3d6 RKA, Explosion, damage already taken is not healed. The cost for an Immu-
Sticky, 1 Turn/Charge nity to a specific poison is listed after the poison write-up; an
Immunity to a class of poison (e.g., phytotoxins) costs 3 pts.
Incendiary brick 1d6 RKA, 1 Turn/
Charge, Invisibility ABRIN
(can be made to look Abrin is a phytotoxin (poison derived from plants) found in
like an ordinary brick) the seeds of a tropical plant variously known as jequirity
Magnesium 2d6 RKA, 1 Turn/Charge bean, precatory bean, paternoster pea, or rosary pea (Abrus
Napalm: Bomb amount 6d6 RKA Explosion, precatorius). The onset of its effects usually occurs within
Sticky, 1 Turn/Charge two days, but may take only a few hours; they include
vomiting, diarrhea, gastrointestinal problems, convulsions,
Grenade amount 3d6 RKA Explosion, coma and death from cardiac failure. Abrin may also cause
Sticky, 1 Turn/Charge ulcers in the mouth. Even a single bean from this plant can
Paraffin-Sawdust 1Âd6 RKA, be fatal to a child or a weak adult.
1 Turn/Charge Abrin
Thermite: Thermite pellet 1d6 RKA, 24 4d6 RKA, NND (defense is appropriate Immunity, +2),
Armor Piercing, Common Limitations (-4), Gradual Effect (up to one
1 Hex,1 Turn/Charge day, -3), Extra Time (up to two days onset time, -3)
(costs 16 points) plus 2d6 CON Drain, same Advan-
Thermite grenade/charge 4d6 RKA, Explosion, tages as above, plus recover 5 points per day (+1Ê),
Armor Piercing, same Limitations as above except for No KB and No
1 Turn/Charge Range, plus Linked (-Â); (265 Active Points)
Thermate Add 1-2 DC to thermite Immunity to abrin costs 1 point.

White Phosphorus 3d6 RKA, ACONITE

Armor Piercing; This phytotoxin comes from the roots of the aconite plant
Trigger (on contact with (Aconitum napellus), also known as monk’s-hood or wolfs-
air),1 Turn/Charge; bane. It is also found in the leaves and roots of larkspur. In
plus 2" radius Darkness its pure form, aconitine, it is a white crystalline alkaloid. It is
to Sight Group (smoke an extremely virulent and fast-acting poison—death can be
cloud), 1 Turn/Charge almost instantaneous following ingestion. Aconitine can also
be absorbed through the skin. Symptoms in longer-lasting
cases (which usually last no more than an hour or two)
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 91
include tingly skin (an important “giveaway” symptom in Arsenic is easily detected if simple tests are performed at
many cases), numbness or burning of the mouth and throat, the autopsy. The victim’s stomach will occasionally be crim-
stomach pain, vomiting, loss of coordination, feeling “cold,” son-colored and/or have small arsenic particles in it. Arsenic
diarrhea, convulsions and death from cardiac and respira- is also readily detectable in urine, hair and other bodily
tory failure. Aconite is not detectable by an autopsy unless substances.
special tests are run.
Aconite Arsenic (Concentrated Dose)
62 5d6 RKA, NND (defense is appropriate Immunity, +2), 12 3d6 RKA, NND (defense is appropriate Immunity, +2),
Invisible (hide cause of death, +Ê), Common Limita- Common Limitations (-4), Extra Time (up to a few
tions (-4) (costs 49 points) plus 2d6 CON Drain, same days before onset, -3 Â), Gradual Effect (up to 12
Advantages as above, plus recover 5 points per day hours, -2Â); (135 Active Points)
(+1Ê), same Limitations as above except for No KB
and No Range, plus Linked (-Â) and Gradual Effect Arsenic (Long-Term Dose)
(10 minutes to 2 hours, -2); (334 Active Points) 25 3d6 RKA, NND (defense is appropriate Immunity, +2),
Common Limitations (-4), Gradual Effect (small doses
Immunity to aconite costs 2 points. given over the course of 1 month, -4) (costs 15 points)
plus 2d6 CON Drain, same Advantages as above,
ANTIMONY plus recover 5 points per day (+1Ê), same Limitations
Antimony is a silvery-white metallic element which can kill as above except for No KB and No Range, plus
if ingested. It will not dissolve in water. It is available in many Linked (-Â); (220 Active Points)
common items (for example, certain kinds of batteries, glass, Immunity to arsenic costs 3 points.
enamels and matches). It can be used as an immediate
poison or as a chronic (long-term) poison in small doses ATROPINE
(such as in someone’s food). With a large dose, the onset of Atropine is an alkaloid derived from the belladonna plant
the symptoms is immediate; they include depression, violent (Atropa belladonna). It is a neurotoxin (a poison which
vomiting, severe diarrhea, gastrointestinal pain, unconscious- attacks the central nervous system and its functions). It kills
ness and spasms. Death follows in 30 minutes to several within 24 hours after ingestion (sometimes longer) by inter-
hours from circulatory and respiratory failure. When used in fering with the respiratory system. Its initial symptoms ap-
small doses over a long period, antimony causes extreme pear within three hours, and include a dry mouth, dilated
depression, nausea and loss of appetite; it eventually kills pupils, staggering and loss of coordination, a flushed face
through exhaustion. In this case the victim probably won’t and dry skin, increased heartbeat and respiration and rest-
realize that he is being poisoned. Antimony tends to pre- lessness and manic activity (symptoms similar to drunken-
serve the body and inhibits decomposition. ness). Later, the victim goes into depression and stupor, his
face becomes bluish from lack of oxygen, his heartbeat
Antimony (Chronic Poisoning) slows and he dies from asphyxia.
26 3d6+1 RKA, NND (defense is appropriate Immunity,
+2), Common Limitations (-4), Gradual Effect (small
doses given over the course of 1 month, -4) (costs 17 ATROPINE
points) plus 2d6 CON Drain, same Advantages as 22 4d6 RKA, NND (defense is appropriate Immunity, +2),
above plus recover 5 points per day (+1Ê), same Common Limitations (-4), Gradual Effect (symptoms
Limitations as above except for No KB and No Range, appear within 3 hours, death within 1 day, -3); (180
plus Linked (-Â); (235 Active Points) Active Points)
Immunity to antimony costs 2 points. Immunity to atropine costs 1 point.

ARSENIC BINARY POISONS

Arsenic, an element, is one of the poisons most often used This is a variety of poison which is administered in two or
by killers in murder mysteries, because it is so readily more parts. None of the parts is lethal on its own—they can
available (it has many uses in industry, gardening, and so only kill when brought together. For example, an assassin
forth). In its pure form it is a lustrous, brittle, grey-colored might feed his victim the first part with dinner, then coat the
metal with a smell like garlic but no particular taste. In other victim’s after-dinner cigar with the other part. Binary poisons
forms, it may be yellow, white, or red; and a powder (usually are bought with a +Ê “Trigger” Advantage, “Poison Takes
odorless), a gas or a liquid. A concentrated dose can kill Effect When All Parts Have Been Successfully Administered.”
within hours once it takes effect, but may not begin taking
effect for up to a few days. The symptoms include severe CROTIN
stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, thirst, cold and clammy Crotin (or croton) is a phytotoxin derived from the seeds of
skin, leg cramps, depression, collapse, delirium, convul- certain shrubs in the southwest United States, Asia, Africa
sions, coma and death from dehydration and heart failure in and some Pacific islands (for example, Croton tiglium, the
6-12 hours. If the victim survives the attack, he will experi- purging croton). It causes burning pains in the mouth and
ence stomach pain, decreased reflexes and a burning sen- stomach, vomiting, bloody diarrhea, collapse and death
sation on the soles of his feet. within 10-15 minutes to a few hours.
However, arsenic is most often administered in small
Crotin
doses over a long period of time, just like antimony. Long- 18 3d6 RKA, NND (defense is appropriate Immunity, +2),
term effects include loss of appetite and weight, irritability Common Limitations (-4), Gradual Effect (up to 5
and depression, nausea, numbness and/or itchiness of the hours, -2Â); (180 Active Points)
skin, mottled pigmentation on the hands and feet, jaundiced Immunity to crotin costs 1 point.
skin and a thickening of the nails. Death eventually occurs
from dehydration and heart failure.
 92 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
CURARE DMSO (DIMETHYL SULFOXIDE)
Curare, one of the most infamous of poisons, is derived DMSO is not a poison, it is a method of poison delivery. It
from a variety of South American plants. It must be injected allows poisons which would ordinarily have to be injected or
into the body (it is harmless if swallowed), and so is fre- ingested to be transmitted through the skin. This is usually
quently used to coat darts, blades and other weapons. It kills part of a particular poison’s special effect, but in some
almost immediately by paralyzing the nervous system. Two situations may require a character to pay for a “Trigger”
drugs, Pavulon and succinylcholine, which are used as Advantage.
anaesthetics, have similar effects.
HEMLOCK
Curare (Blade Poison) This plant comes in two varieties: poison hemlock and
39 4d6 RKA, NND (defense is appropriate Immunity, +2),
Trigger (base blade attack must do BODY, +Ê),
water hemlock. Poison hemlock is found in the temperate
Common Limitations (-4); (180 Active Points) parts of North and South America, Europe, Asia, and north-
Immunity to curare costs 3 points. ern Africa. It is most toxic when flowering. It is an ingested
neurotoxin which causes gradual paralysis and weakness,
CYANIDE ending in death from respiratory failure. Water hemlock, one
of the most toxic plants on Earth, grows in temperate regions
Hydrogen cyanide, another common poison, may be used
and is also an ingested neurotoxin; its symptoms include
in liquid, powder or gaseous form. It is a salt of prussic acid,
stomach pains, nausea, vomiting, excessive salivation, diar-
and is widely used in industrial processes such as photogra-
rhea, convulsions and death.
phy, engraving, gold mining, steel hardening and electro-
plating. It is available naturally in the seeds or pits of Poison Hemlock
peaches, apricots, apples and wild cherries. Its various salts 35 3 Âd6 RKA, NND (defense is appropriate Immunity,
include potassium cyanide, mercuric cyanide and sodium +2), Common Limitations (-4), Gradual Effect (1 hour
cyanide. The salts are all whitish, crystalline powders, and to a few hours, -2) plus 2d6 CON Drain, same
are not lethal until they are dissolved in acid, producing Advantages as above, plus recover 5 points per day
hydrogen cyanide gas. Exposure to cyanide gas (the most (+1Ê), same Limitations as above except for No KB
common form) causes almost instantaneous death due to and No Range, plus Linked (-Â); (250 Active Points);
paralysis of the nervous system and attacks on the circula- Water Hemlock
tory system; the gas is colorless. Liquid cyanide is used in 44 5d6 RKA, NND (defense is appropriate Immunity, +2),
“suicide capsules” hidden in fictional spies’ teeth; the pow- Common Limitations (-4), Gradual Effect (1 hour, -2)
dered and liquid forms have been used to poison foods and plus 2d6 CON Drain, same Advantages as above,
over-the-counter medicines (50-200 mg are enough to kill an plus recover 5 points per day (+1Ê), same Limitations
adult in 15 minutes or less). as above except for No KB and No Range, plus
Cyanide smells like almonds to approximately 40% of the Linked (-Â); (310 Active Points)
population (the ability to smell it is genetic). Its use is easily Immunity to hemlock (both varieties) costs 1 point.
detected by autopsy, because it turns the skin and blood a
bright red or pinkish color, and it may corrode the stomach if Insulin
ingested. However, these effects dissipate with time as the Insulin is a drug used to treat diabetes. In excessive
cyanide in the blood decomposes. quantities, it causes hypoglycemia, fatigue, irreversible brain
damage and death. It cannot be detected after death without
Cyanide Gas the use of sophisticated radioimmunoassay tests (-1 to
63 5d6 RKA, Area of Effect (7" radius, +1), NND (de- Forensic Medicine rolls to ascertain cause of death).
fense is appropriate Immunity, +2), Common Limita-
tions except for No Range (-3 Â), Does Not Work In Insulin
Winds Or Rain (-Ê); (300 Active Points) 21 3d6 RKA, NND (defense is appropriate Immunity, +2),
Immunity to cyanide (in all of its forms) costs 3 points. Invisible (hide cause of death, +Ê), Common Limita-
tions (-4), Gradual Effect (1 hour to several days, -2);
DIGITOXIN (146 Active Points)
Immunity to insulin costs 1 point.
Also known as digoxin, this poison is used in some forms
as digitalis, a heart medicine. It is derived from the plant
foxglove. Digitoxin is extremely lethal; its symptoms include MUSHROOMS
loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, decreased The Amanita genus of mushrooms is deadly poisonous to
pulse and heartbeat, fatigue, convulsions and death from humans. Unfortunately, these mushrooms closely resemble
respiratory failure. Death may occur almost immediately or several edible species. If ingested, they cause abdominal
take up to about one hour. pain and cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and possibly
liver damage or jaundice. The victim will seem to improve for
Digitoxin about two days, but then ongoing damage to his nervous
38 4d6 RKA, NND (defense is appropriate Immunity, +2), system will finally kill him; there may be weakness or hallu-
Common Limitations (-4), Gradual Effect (up to 1 cinations prior to death. Death is not automatic; depending
hour, -2) (costs 26 points) plus 2d6 CON Drain, same upon the species of mushroom the fatality rate ranges from
Advantages as above, plus recover 5 points per day 15-90%.
(+1Ê) (85 Active Points); same Limitations as above
except for No KB and No Range, plus Linked (-Â)
(costs 12 points); (180 Active Points)
Immunity to digitoxin costs 1 point.
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 93
Poisonous Mushroom five to 15 minutes. At first, the victim will experience muscle
26 2Âd6 RKA, NND (defense is appropriate Immunity, twitches and difficulty breathing, but will then be overtaken
+2), Common Limitations (-4), Gradual Effect (up to 4 by extremely violent convulsions in which all the body’s
days, -3) plus 2d6 CON Drain, same Advantages as muscles contract at once. Convulsive fits last 1-2 minutes,
above, plus recover 5 points per day (+1Ê), same and usually after about three or four of them the victim dies
Limitations as above except for No KB and No Range,
plus Linked (-Â); (205 Active Points);
from respiratory and cardiac distress. Any sound or light can
trigger another convulsion. The victim is alert between
Immunity to poisonous mushrooms costs 2 points.
attacks. After death the facial muscles are contorted so that
the victim has a risus sardonicus, or sardonic rictus grin. The
NICOTINE grin soon fades, and thereafter special blood tests are
Nicotine, one of the principal substances in cigarettes, is required to detect the use of strychnine.
extremely toxic. It can work if inhaled or ingested; it can also
be absorbed through the skin. An assassin can obtain Strychnine
nicotine by straining it from tobacco. A few drops of pure 35 5d6 RKA, NND (defense is appropriate Immunity, +2),
nicotine can kill an adult human within an hour by causing Invisible (hide cause of death after rictus grin fades,
respiratory failure; symptoms include nausea, vomiting, di- +Ê), Common Limitations (-4), Gradual Effect
arrhea, confusion, dizziness and difficulty breathing. (symptoms begin from immediately to fifteen minutes
after injection/ingestion, death occurs from two
Nicotine minutes to two hours after injection/ingestion, -2);
41 4 Âd6 RKA, NND (defense is appropriate Immunity, (244 Active Points)
+2), Common Limitations (-4), Gradual Effect (1 hour, Immunity to strychnine costs 3 points.
-2) plus 2d6 CON Drain, same Advantages as above,
plus recover 5 points per day (+1Ê) same Limitations TETRODOTOXIN
as above except for No KB and No Range, plus Tetrodotoxin (or tetraodontoxin) is an extremely potent
Linked (-Â); (295 Active Points)
zootoxin derived from the fugu, or puffer fish. (Puffer fish is
Immunity to nicotine costs 2 points. a delicacy in Japan, but if improperly prepared is deadly
poisonous. The dangers of tetrodotoxin are also known in
RICIN Haiti, where it is one of the ingredients in the potions used to
Ricin is a phytotoxin derived from the seeds of the castor oil turn people into “zombies.”) It is a neurotoxin. Even tiny
plant (Ricinus communis), which is found in the United States doses (.01 mg) can kill in mere minutes if injected or
and the tropics. Even tiny amounts of pure ricin can be fatal. ingested; however, for unknown reasons it is only lethal
When used as a poison, it acts slowly, over the course of about 60% of the time (pure tetrodotoxin, such as an assas-
several days, but its symptoms are indistinguishable from sin might use, might be 100% fatal). The victim experiences
many illnesses. They include: burning of the mouth, throat and tingling sensations, loss of coordination, excessive saliva-
stomach; abdominal pain and vomiting; diarrhea; convulsions; tion, weakness, nausea, vomiting, convulsions and death
paralysis; and death from respiratory failure. from respiratory paralysis. There is no known antidote.
Ricin Tetrodotoxin (Ingested)
30 5d6 RKA, NND (defense is appropriate Immunity, +2), 39 3d6 RKA, NND (defense is appropriate Immunity, +2),
Common Limitations (-4), Extra Time (onset time of 2 Common Limitations (-4), Gradual Effect (5 minutes to
hours to 2 days, -3 Â) Gradual Effect (several days, a few hours, -1Â) plus 2d6 DEX Drain and 1d6 CON
-3) plus 2d6 CON Drain, same Advantages as above, Drain, same Advantages as above, plus recover 5
plus recover 5 points per day (+1Ê), same Limitations points per hour, +Á), same Limitations as above
as above except for No KB and No Range, plus except for No KB and No Range, plus Linked (-Â);
Linked (-Â); (310 Active Points) (247 Active Points)
Immunity to ricin costs 1 point. Immunity to tetrodotoxin costs 1 point.
ROBIN THALLIUM
Robin is a phytotoxin derived from the bark of the North Thallium is a poisonous metal. It is most often used after
American locust tree (Robinia pseudacacia). It is effective being irradiated—radiation breaks it down into a microscopic
when ingested, and kills within days dues to paralysis of the powder which cannot be removed from the body once it is
central nervous system. ingested. The victim slowly dies of radiation poisoning.
Robin Thallium
17 3d6 RKA, NND (defense is appropriate Immunity, +2), 49 4d6 CON and BODY Drain, recover 5 points per
Common Limitations (-4), Gradual Effect (several month (+1 Á), NND (defense is appropriate Immunity,
days, -3); (135 Active Points) +2), OAF (fragile powder and some means of injecting
Immunity to robin costs 1 point. it or having it ingested, -1Ê), 1 Charge (-2), Gradual
Effect (1 week, -3 Â); (380 Active Points)
STRYCHNINE Immunity to thallium costs 1 point.
Strychnine is an alkaloid phytotoxin derived from the
seeds of the nuxvomica tree (Strychnos nux-vomica) of India TIME-RELEASE METHODS
and Hawaii. Fifty to 100 milligrams is enough to kill a human It is possible to coat an ingested poison with other chemi-
being (usually by injection or ingestion [it has a bitter taste]). cals or place it inside tiny beads. This delays the onset of the
Death can occur in a minute or two, but may take up to two poison by as much as two days (depending upon the poison
hours. Strychnine attacks the central nervous system, in- and the time-release mechanism used). Characters may
creasing its sensitivity. Symptoms generally appear within buy this as a “Time Delay” Advantage (+Ê) for the poison.
 94 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q

EQUIPMENT
ob Live
s E h AND GADGETS
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COMPUTER GADGETS 1 Operate Sensors
1 Pilot Aircraft From A To B
1 Attack And Destroy Target
MARCO 1 Send/Receive Data
MARCO (Military Action-Reconnaissance COmputer) is a 1 Search Reference Material for information on a topic
computer system designed to assist elite military units in the
performance of their duties. It is capable of, among other 0+ Disadvantages
things, piloting air vehicles, providing strategic and tactical 20 2x BODY from Electricity
analyses of combat situations, raiding enemy computers for 15 Distinctive Features (sophisticated military computer,
information, and using its sophisticated internal sensors to not concealable)
detect enemy action. It is also an excellent way for soldiers
in the field to carry data and missions specifications with Cost: 152 pts. Limitation: OAF Total Cost: 76 pts.
them.
Amazingly, MARCO is small enough for a single soldier to
carry—it folds up into a watertight briefcase-sized object. It TEMPEST EQUIPMENT
is also waterproof and bulletproof. It is locked with an infrared Computers emit ambient radio waves whenever they are
imaging fingerprint-scanner which requires that a living, on. Someone nearby with the proper equipment, known as
authorized user place his thumb against it and recite a code- TEMPEST equipment, can pick up these radio waves and
word. If the lock is opened improperly or the wrong code- find out what is on the computer’s screen (but not in its
word is given, the unit self-destructs (disarming this security memory). Reading the emissions of one computer out of
device requires a Security Systems roll at -5). many (in an office or agency, for example) requires a
Systems Operation roll at -1 for every 3 computers other than
MARCO the target computer. TEMPEST gear is about the size of a
briefcase, but a skilled Champions gadgeteer might be able
Val Char Cost to make it even smaller.
23 INT 13
20 DEX 30 TEMPEST Equipment
3 SPD 0 6 Detect Computer Radio Emissions 14-, Range, OAF
(TEMPEST Equipment, -1), Requires A Systems
Cost Powers Operation Roll (-Â), Blocked By Power Defense (-Â);
(18 Active Points)
5 Infrared Vision
10 High Range Radio Hearing
31 Radar, 360-Degrees, +4 vs. Range
15
18
Active Sonar
Armor (6 PD/ED)
DEFENSIVE GADGETS
15 Power Defense (15 points)

Skills
BODY ARMOR
Modern science is able to offer soldiers and law enforce-
3 Combat Piloting 13- ment officers high-tech body armor which is as effective as
3 Computer Programming 14- any suit of metal armor worn by the knights of old. The chart
3 Navigation 11-
3 Systems Operation 14-
on the next page provides some sample armors for charac-
3 Tactics 14- ters to use.
2 TF: All Air Vehicles The armor in this chart is bought as PD and ED Armor with
2 WF: Vehicle Weapons the following Common Limitations: OIF (Body Armor, -Â),
3 Scholar Activation Roll 14- (-Â), and Half Mass (-Â) (total -1Â).
3 Scientist Kevlar armors also include the Limitation “No Effect Against
20 Twenty Knowledge Skills or Sciences, 11- each, as Knives Or Falling Damage” (-Â). Characters who want to
appropriate for mission (may be left free for down- buy off this Limitation or make their armor IIF (so that it can
loading data) be worn undetected under clothes) are free to do so; how-
ever, armor with ceramic or metal inserts must always be
bought as an OIF. Characters may decrease the Activation
Roll to create a smaller suit of body armor (e.g., “flak jacket”).
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 95

ARMOR CHART
Type of Armor Defense Cost Notes

Light Soft Kevlar 3 3

Medium Soft Kevlar 5 5
Heavy Soft Kevlar 6 6
Light Hard Kevlar 4 4
Medium Hard Kevlar 6 6
Heavy Hard Kevlar 9 9
Ceramic inserts +2 2 Adds to a suit of armor; does not work by itself. A ceramic insert is effec-
tive against knives
Metal inserts +3 4 Similar to ceramic inserts. Note that inserts could be a way to Harden
existing armor instead of adding Armor.
Spectra +2 2 Spectra is an advanced form of protective material. A suit of Spectra is +2
more points of Armor than a comparative Kevlar suit. Spectra is also easier
to weave into bulletproof clothing and other “disguised” armor
Ballistic Tee-shirt 2 3 A ballistic tee-shirt is a bulletproof shirt that can be worn underneath
regular clothes (i.e., it is an IIF; it has an Activation Roll of 11-)
Chemical Toughening +1 1 Chemical treatments which toughen Kevlar (Limitations are OIF and
Activation Roll 14-)
Chemical Protection See Notes Chemical protection treatments make body armor proof against some
chemical weapons (5 points of Power Defense) and napalm (+4 ED Armor)
(costs 5 points; Limitations are OIF and Activation Roll 14-)
IR Dampening See Notes 10 This type of body armor has been chemically treated to reduce the
wearer’s IR signature: Invisibility to IR Vision, 0 END (+Â) (30 Active
Points); OIF, Activation Roll 14-, Half Mass, Only Creates -4 PER To See
Wearer With IR Vision, Not True Invisibility (-Â)
Nomex 4-8 ED 3-6 Nomex is a fire-resistant cloth which provides ED Armor. It is OIF and Half
Mass (total -1). Nomex could also be bought as Energy Damage Reduc-
tion that “Only Works Against Fire” (-1).
Knifeproof Vest 6 PD 3 OIF, Half Mass, Activation Roll 11- (total -2)

In realistic games, the GM might consider converting all of HELMETS

this armor to “Full Mass” (-1) and/or using the “Real Armor”
(-Ê) Limitation described in the Champions Fourth Edition Basic Helmet
Rulesbook. That is not done here because in street-level 3 Armor (+3 PD/ED), OIF (Helmet, -Â), Only Protects
comic-books and movies characters usually are not affected Hit Locations 3-5 (-1Â); (9 Active Points)
by their armor this way—they may complain about how Advanced Helmet
uncomfortable it is, but they do not seem encumbered by it. 8 Armor (+5 PD/ED), OIF (Helmet, -Â), Only Protects
Characters are also free to create their own, fictional types Hit Locations 3-5 (-1Â) plus Sight Flash Defense (5),
of body armor. Many comic-book characters wear bullet- OIF (Helmet, -Â); (20 Active Points);
proof costumes that are no more restrictive or bulky than
Spandex, and Champions characters can do the same if High-Tech Helmet
they wish. 16 Armor (+6 PD/ED), OIF (Helmet, -Â), Only Protects
Hit Locations 3-5 (-1Â) plus Sight and Hearing Flash
Defense (5), OIF (Helmet, -Â) plus Radio Listen And
OTHER DEFENSIVE GADGETS Transmit, OIF (Helmet, -Â); (33 Active Points)

GAS MASK RIOT SHIELD

A gas mask covers the entire head and either screens out Riot shields are large shields made of clear, shatterproof
harmful gases or gives the wearer his own self-contained air and bulletproof materials. They are used by police to protect
supply for a short time. This protection extends to tear gas. themselves from rioters and similar opponents, and by anti-
terrorist squads to protect hostages during an assault.
Gas Mask
6 Life Support: Self-Contained Breathing, OIF (Gas Riot Shield
Mask, -Â), 1 Charge lasting 1 hour (-Á) plus Sight 9 Armor (+6 PD/ED), OIF (Riot Shield, -Â), Activation
Flash Defense (6), OIF (Gas Mask, -Â), Only Protects Roll 14- (-Â); (18 Active Points)
Against Tear Gas-Type Flashes (-1); (16 Active Pts)
 96 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
NUCLEAR-CHEMICAL-BIOLOGICAL SATELLITE LINK
WARFARE SUIT This gadget uses the world-spanning satellite network to
This special full-body suit is designed to protect a wearer give the user a view of anything seen by satellite! The
from the effects of most chemical and biological weapons, character uses the link to tap into the network and obtain a
and from the radiation caused by a nuclear attack. The suit “feed” from it showing whatever can be seen in the target
is specially sealed and has its own air supply for a limited area at that time. There may not always be a satellite
period. available that is watching what a character wants to see—if
the Activation Roll is missed, the character’s objective is in
NBC Suit a “blind zone” (either because no satellite are available or
11 Life Support: Self-Contained Breathing (10 Active because their view is blocked by weather).
Points); OIF (NBC Suit, -Â), Normal Mass (-1), 1 However, if there is a satellite watching, the character can
Charge lasting for one hour (-Á) plus Power Defense see a lot—given the powerful IR/UV capabilities of many
(15), Hardened (+Ê), OIF (NBC Suit, -Â), Normal
Mass (-1); (29 Active Points)
satellites, this link can be almost as good as N-Ray Vision.
For example, a satellite might be able to read the heat
patterns of a building to determine its layout, how many
people are in it and where they are, and so forth.
MOVEMENT GADGETS: The Satellite Link comes in two forms: a large system of
computer banks and monitors that must be kept in a head-
MAN-POWERED VEHICLES quarters or base; and a high-tech computer link that fits into
a bracer and can be carried by the character anywhere he
“Man-powered vehicles” means any sort of vehicle pow- goes. Note that the “bracer link” can be a very powerful
ered primarily by a person’s own musclepower: bicycles, gadget for player characters to have, because it gives them
unicycles, rollerblades, ice skates, skis, skateboards and so access to information that the GM might not want them to
forth. They have two general effects: first, they can add to the have (such as the number of enemy agents in a building).
user’s ground movement, but can do no more than double it; Therefore, the GM should be careful about letting characters
second, they double the user’s noncombat movement. Us- buy this gadget.
ers who have extensive training with a particular man-
powered vehicle (for example, competition skiers, Olympic Satellite Link (Computer System)
bicycle racers, and so forth) may buy extra inches of Running 26 Infrared and Ultraviolet Vision, OAF Immobile
(Satellite Link System, -2), Activation Roll 11- (can
with the Limitation “Only Adds To Running When Bicycling
only see target area if satellites are available, -1),
[Skiing, Skateboarding, etc.]” (-1). Linked to Clairvoyance (see below, -Â), Requires A
Man-powered vehicles are built as OAFs; many also have Systems Operation Roll (-Â) plus Clairvoyance,
the Limitation, “Half Effect On Inappropriate Surfaces” (-Â) normal sight, IR, and UV Vision, 9,830,400" range
(or no effect, -1). This reflects the fact that, for example, (more than the diameter of the Earth), OAF Immobile
skateboards work very poorly on unpaved surfaces, and ice (Satellite Link System, -2), Activation Roll 11- (can
skates and skis don’t work at all without snow and ice. only see target area if satellites are available, -1),
Requires A System Operations Roll (-Â), Limited
Vision (can only see what a satellite could see, -Â);
(130 Active Points);
RECONNAISSANCE Satellite Link (Bracer Computer System)
GADGETS 37 Same as above, but is an OIF (-Â)

SURVEILLANCE SCOPES
DRUG DETECTORS These are special fiber-optic viewing devices. One kind is
This device detects the chemical vapors given off by illegal designed to be inserted under a door, giving the user a view
drugs. It can usually “sniff out” even drugs which are hidden of who’s in the room and what they’re doing. Another kind,
inside objects, or whose smell is “masked” by other items. It the borescope, can actually be drilled through a wall or door
does not indicate which drugs are present, and must be to look beyond it (it can also be used to look inside looked
reasonably close to the drugs to detect them. briefcases and other closed objects without having to open
them). The user can make a Stealth roll to keep the people
Drug Detector under surveillance from detecting the scope’s presence.
5 Detect Illegal Drugs 13-, OAF (Drug Detector, -1); (11 Surveillance scopes can be hooked up to televisions or used
Active Points) with the naked eye.
These scopes are bought as N-Ray Vision. The “No
Range” Limitation is used to simulate the fact that the user
has to get right next to what he wants to see through to use
the scope. The “Limited Perspective” Limitation simulates
the limited range of vision offered by such scopes.
Surveillance Scopes
7 N-Ray Vision (cannot see through anything too thick
to be bored through or inserted under), OAF (Surveil-
lance Scope, -1), No Range, Limited Perspective (-
Â); (20 Active Points)
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 97
SWAT VEST
MISCELLANEOUS This vest, similar to the Combat Vest, allows SWAT
officers (or PCs) to carry a selection of equipment useful for
GADGETS hostage rescue missions and similar operations.
SWAT Vest
MORE UTILITY BELT GADGETS Cost Powers
Here are some more gadgets for characters to carry in
their Utility Belts (see DC:HOV, page 100, for the entire Utility 40 Multipower (60 pt pool), all OIF (SWAT Vest)
Belt write-up and explanation). 3m 2d6 RKA; OAF (Handgun), 4 clips of 8 Charges each
1m +1 OCV and +2 vs. Range, OAF (Universal Firearm
Cost Power Scope)
2u 2d6 Sight Group Flash, Area Effect 3" Radius, OAF
15 Multipower [30 pt pool), all OAF (Utility Belt) (Tear Gas Grenade), 4 Charges
1u Laser Torch: 1 pip RKA, Penetrating x2 (+1), 0 END 1u Infrared Vision and +6 vs. Range for Sight Group,
(+Â); OAF (-1), No Range (-Â) (7/3) OAF (IR Binoculars), Concentrate (Â DCV)
1u Freeze Gas: 3d6 Minor Transform (normal object to 1u Radio Listen and Transmit; OAF (Walkie-Talkie)
frozen stiff object, “heal” by thawing out at normal 1u +2 to Paramedics roll; OAF (First Aid Kit)
rate); OAF (-1), 4 Charges (-1) (30/10) (Note: this
item is intended for use against the working parts of
an alarm, a bomb, and so forth, not against living POLICEMAN’S BELT
creatures) This gadget is a slight variation on the traditional “Sam
1u Boomerang: 4d6 EB, 0 END (+Â); OAF (-1) (30/15)
Browne” belt worn by police officers. Characters can design
1u Mini-bolos: 3d6 Entangle; OAF (-1), 3 Charges (-1Ê)
(30/9) their own belts with individualized selections of equipment.
1u Miniature Climbing Rig: +2 to Climbing; OAF (-1) (4/2) Policeman’s Belt
1u Fake Bomb: 1" Images to normal Sight and Hearing,
-5 to PER Rolls; OAF (-1), 1 Charge (-2), Set Effect Cost Powers
(fake bomb detonation, -1) (30/6)
1u Paint Tag Bomb: 6d6 Cosmetic Transform (normal 40 Multipower (60 pt pool), all OIF (Policeman’s Belt)
person to person painted bright red, “heal” by washing 1u 1d6+1 RKA, OAF (Handgun), 4 clips of 8 Charges
with vinegar); OAF (-1), 4 Charges (-1) (30/10) each
1u 6d6 Entangle, OAF (Handcuffs), 1 Recoverable
Charge (-1Ê), Set Effect (only ties up hands or feet,
COMBAT WEAR -1), Does Not Prevent Use Of Accessible Foci (-1)
1u +4d6 HA, 0 END (+Â), OAF (Tonfa)
1u Change Environment 1" radius (create light), 0 END,
CAMOUFLAGE CLOTHING OAF (Flashlight)
The military has camouflage uniforms for all sorts of 1u Radio Listen and Transmit, OAF (Walkie-Talkie)
environments (for example, arctic, desert, forest/jungle, 2u 2d6 Sight Group Flash, NND (defense is solid eye
mountains and urban), and Dark Champions characters can covering), OAF (Mace Sprayer), No Range, 12
certainly use this sort of clothing. Charges

Camouflage Clothing
1 +1 to Stealth, OIF (Camo Outfit, -Â), Only Works In HOLSTERS
Appropriate Settings (-1); (2 Active Points) Sometimes the way a character carries a gun can help him
when he actually has to use it. Here are three types of special
COMBAT VEST holsters that characters can buy: Fast Draw (makes it easier
This vest is intended both as a protective “flak jacket” and to draw a gun quickly); Concealment (makes it easier to hide
as a way to carry several weapons or gadgets. a gun); and Special Operations (carries extra clips and a
grenade). These holsters can only be used with handguns,
Combat Vest not with larger firearms.
Cost Power Fast Draw Holster
5 Armor (+4 PD/ED), OIF (Combat Vest), Act. 11- 1 +1 to Fast Draw roll, OIF (Fast-Draw Holster); (2
20 Multipower (30 pt pool), OIF (Combat Vest) Active Points)
1u 1Âd6 RKA, OAF (Handgun), 2 clips of 12 Charges
1u 1d6 HKA (up to 2d6 with STR), OAF (Combat Knife), Concealment Holster
Blade Limitations (-Ê) 1 +1 to Concealment roll, OIF (Concealment Holster),
1u 3" Darkness to Normal Sight, OAF (Smoke Gre- Only Works For Hiding Handguns (-1); (2 Active Pts)
nades), 4 Charges Lasting 1 Turn each (-Â)
Special Operations Holster
1u Change Environment 1" radius (create light), 0 END,
OAF (Flashlight) Cost Powers
20 Multipower (30 pt pool), all OIF (Holster)
1u 2d6 RKA; OAF (Handgun), 4 clips of 8 Charges each
1u 2d6+1 RKA, Explosion (loses 1 DC every 1"); OAF
(Fragmentation Grenade), 1 Charge
 98 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q

VEHICLES
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For the Dark Champions character who needs to get to Name: Some types of vehicles (such as “Midsize,” “Subcom-
where the action is, a vehicle is usually one of the best pact,” or “Full-size”) are listed generically, because there is
choices. Here is a list of vehicles which characters can use. little difference in game terms between one brand or model
This list includes the vehicles from the list in the Champions and another. Examples of each generic type are given in the
Fourth Edition Rulesbook, page 195, for ease of reference; notes following the chart.
in some cases minor changes have been made. Of course, Size: In many cases, the Size figure provided is imprecise,
it would be almost impossible to list every vehicle available, because the Size is based as much on the vehicle’s Mass as
so players who do not see a listing for the exact vehicle they it is on its actual length and width (otherwise, you’d get
want should extrapolate the statistics for the desired vehicle incongruities such as tanks with the right length and width but
from those for similar vehicles. only a fraction of their true weight). GMs and players who
The abbreviations in the chart are the standard ones used prefer a more realistic size are encouraged to adjust the Size
in the chart in the Champions Fourth Edition Rulesbook, of the vehicle without changing the other Characteristics.
page 195. There are two additional ones. The first is “Cost,”
which provides the cost in this format: XXX/YY/ZZ, where Mass: The abbreviations “kg” and “t” stand for “kilogram”
XXX is the total cost of the vehicle (including any equipment and “ton,” respectively.
listed in the notes), YY is the cost (minus Disadvantages) DEF: The vehicle’s defense. If the defense is listed as two
divided by 5, and ZZ is the cost divided by 10. The second is numbers separate by a slash, the first number is the defense
“Notes,” which will refer to a note following the chart or will from the front, while the second number is the defense from
provide other information, e.g., average price (in dollars) of other angles (the extra defense from the front is bought with
the vehicle, vehicle’s Stall Velocity (SV), or the fact that the a -1 “Partial Coverage” Limitation). If the numbers are in
vehicle has Limited Maneuverability (LM, a -Ê Limitation). brackets, the Defense is Hardened (+Ê).
MAX: To determine a vehicle’s speed in miles per hour, use
this formula: (MAX x 300)/805.

NOTES TO VEHICLE CHART

1) Typical Subcompacts include the Dodge Colt, Eagle Summit,
Ford Festiva, Geo Metro and Storm, Hyundai Excel and Scoupe,
Mazda Miata, Mercury Capri, and Mitsubishi Mirage. Prices
range from as little as $6,000 to about $15,000.
2) Typical Compacts include the Dodge Daytona and Shadow, Ford
Mustang, Honda Civic and Prelude, Plymouth Laser and
Sundance, Toyota Celica and Corolla, and Volkswagen Jetta.
Prices range from about $8,000 to under $30,000.
3) Typical Midsize cars include the Acura Legend, BMW 5-Series,
Buick Regal, Cadillac Eldorado, Chevrolet Lumina, Chrysler
LeBaron, Dodge Intrepid, Ford Taurus and Thunderbird, Honda
Accord, Infiniti J30, Lexus LS400 and SC400, Mercedes-Benz
300 Series and SL, Oldsmobile Cutlass Sierra, Pontiac Grand
Prix, Saab 900, Subaru Legacy, Toyota Camry, and Volvo 240
and 900 Series. Prices range from about $15,000 to as high as
$80,000 or so. Most taxis are also Midsizes.
4) Typical Full-Size cars include the BMW 7-Series, Buick LeSabre
and Park Avenue, Cadillac Fleetwood, Chevrolet Caprice,
Chrysler New Yorker, Ford Crown Victoria, Infiniti Q45, Lincoln
Continental and Town Car, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Mercury
Grand Marquis, and Pontiac Bonneville. Prices range from
approximately $20,000 to about $130,000.
5) The “Limousine” class includes all sorts of large luxury vehicles,
from the Rolls Royce Silver Spirit to stretch limousines. Obvi-
ously, the smaller limos are quicker and handle better than the
larger ones; the GM should decrease the Movement of large
limousines and impose a “Limited Maneuverability” on them if
appropriate.
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 99

VEHICLE TABLE
Name Size DCV Mass (KB) STR DEF BODY DEX SPD Move MAX Cost Notes
Miscellaneous Cars
Subcompact 2"x1" -2 800kg (-3) 25 3 13 15 3 22"x4 264" 75/15/7 1
Compact 2.5"x1.25" -2 1.6t (-4) 30 3 14 15 3 24"x4 288" 84/17/8 2
Midsize 2.5"x1.25" -2 1.6t (-4) 30 3 14 15 3 25"x4 300" 86/17/9 3
Full-Size 3.2"x1.6" -3 3.2t (-5) 35 3 15 10 2 36"x4 288" 93/19/9 4
Station Wagon 2.5"x1.25" -2 1.6t (-4) 30 3 14 10 2 28"x4 224" 72/14/7
Limousine 3.2"x1.6" -3 3.2t (-5) 35 3 15 10 2 34"x4 272" 89/18/9 5
Pickup Truck 2.5"x1.25 -2 1.6t (-4) 40 3 16 15 3 25"x4 300" 98/20/10
Sports Wagon/4x4 2.5"x1.25" -2 1.6t (-4) 35 4 15 15 3 23"x4 276" 96/19/9 6
Mini-Van 2.5"x1.25" -2 1.6t (-4) 30 3 14 10 2 29"x4 232" 74/15/7 7
Van 3.2"x1.6" -3 3.2t (-5) 35 3 15 10 2 30"x4 240" 81/16/8
Small Truck 4"x2" -4 6.4t (-6) 40 4 16 10 2 15"x8 240" 58/12/6 LM
Semi (w/o trailer) 5"x2.5" -4 12.5t (-7) 45 4 17 10 2 14"x8 224" 62/13/6 LM
Tractor-Trailer 8"x4" -6 50t (-9) 55 4 18 10 2 15"x8 240" 73/15/7 LM
Armored Car 4"x2" -4 6.4t (-6) 45 8 18 10 2 14"x8 224" 76/15/8 LM
Police Car 2.5"x1.25" -2 1.6t (-4) 30 3 14 15 3 27"x4 324" 101/17/9 8
Sportscars 9
Acura NSX 2"x1" -2 800kg (-3) 25 3 13 20 4 29"x4 464" 113/20/10 $68,600
Alfa Romeo Spider 2"x1" -2 800kg (-3) 25 3 13 18 4 21"x4 336" 93/16/8 $25,000
Aston Martin DB5 2"x1" -2 800kg (-3) 25 3 13 20 4 27"x4 432" 109/19/9 $45,000
BMW 325iS Coupe 2"x1" -2 800kg (-3) 25 3 13 17 4 22"x4 352" 93/16/8 $34,000
Chevrolet Camaro Z28 2"x1" -2 800kg (-3) 25 3 13 20 4 27"x4 432" 109/19/9 $20,000
Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 2"x1" -2 800kg (-3) 25 3 13 20 4 31"x4 496" 117/20/10 $67,000
Dodge Viper RT/10 2"x1" -2 800kg (-3) 25 3 13 20 4 27"x4 432" 109/19/9 $52,000
Ferrari 512 TR 2"x1" -2 800kg (-3) 25 3 13 22 4 34"x4 544" 129/23/11 10
Ferrari Mondial 8 2"x1" -2 800kg (-3) 25 3 13 20 4 24"x4 384" 103/18/9 $40,000
Indy Car 2"x1" -2 800kg (-3) 25 2 13 25 5 40"x4 800" 152/27/14 cost varies
Jaguar XJS 2"x1" -2 800kg (-3) 25 3 13 22 4 24"x4 384" 107/18/9 $50,000
Lamborghini Countach 2"x1" -2 800kg (-3) 25 3 13 22 4 33"x4 528" 127/22/11 11
Lamborghini Diablo 2"x1" -2 800kg (-3) 25 3 13 24 4 35"x4 560" 135/24/12 11
Lotus Turbo Esprit 2"x1" -2 800kg (-3) 25 3 13 21 4 24"x4 384" 105/18/9 $30,000
Maserati Biturbo 2"x1" -2 800kg (-3) 25 3 13 20 4 27"x4 432" 109/19/9 $30,000
Mazda RX-7 R1 2"x1" -2 800kg (-3) 25 3 13 21 4 26"x4 416" 109/19/9 $33,500
Nissan 300ZX 2"x1" -2 800kg (-3) 25 3 13 20 4 22"x4 352" 99/17/8 $37,500
Pont. Firebird Trans Am 2"x1" -2 800kg (-3) 25 3 13 20 4 27"x4 432" 109/19/9 $22,000
Porsche 911 2"x1" -2 800kg (-3) 25 3 13 22 4 28"x4 448" 117/20/10 12
Porsche 928S 2"x1" -2 800kg (-3) 25 3 13 23 4 28"x4 448" 119/21/10 12
Porsche 968 Cabriolet 2"x1" -2 800kg (-3) 25 3 13 22 4 26"x4 416" 113/20/10 12
Toyota MR2 Turbo 2"x1" -2 800kg (-3) 25 3 13 20 4 25"x4 400" 105/18/9 $27,000
Motorcycles 13
BMW R1100RS Boxer 1.25"x.64" -0 200kg (-1) 15 3 11 18 4 22"x4 352" 86/17/9
Harley-Davidson 1.25"x.64" -0 200kg (-1) 15 4 13 18 4 27"x4 432" 100/20/10
Honda CBR600F2 1.25"x.64" -0 200kg (-1) 15 3 11 20 4 26"x4 416" 98/20/10
Kawasaki ZX-6 E Ninja 1.25"x.64" -0 200kg (-1) 15 3 11 20 4 26"x4 396" 98/20/10
Kawasaki ZX-11 C Ninja 1.25"x.64" -0 200kg (-1) 15 3 11 23 4 30"x4 480" 112/22/11
Suzuki GSXR600 1.25"x.64" -0 200kg (-1) 15 3 11 20 4 25"x4 400" 96/19/10
Yamaha FZR600 1.25"x.64" -0 200kg (-1) 15 3 11 20 4 24"x4 384" 94/19/9
Yamaha GTS1000 1.25"x.64" -0 200kg (-1) 15 3 11 22 4 26"x4 396" 102/20/10
Civilian Air Vehicles
Boeing 747 8"x4" -6 50t (-9) 55 3 19 15 3 50"x8 1200" 14Â8/14 SV 50"
Gen. Aviation Aircraft 2"x1" -2 800kg (-3) 25 3 13 15 3 34"x4 408" 87/17/9 14
Helicopter 2.5"x1.25" -2 1.6t (-4) 30 3 14 15 3 27"x4 324" 90/18/9 14
Learjet Century III 4"x2" -4 6.4t (-6) 40 3 16 20 4 48"x8 1536" 144/29/14 SV 40"
Ultralight 1.25"x.64" -0 200kg (-1) 15 2 11 15 3 20"x4 240" 61/12/6 SV 10"
Boats and Miscellaneous
Speedboat, small 2.5"x1.25" -2 1.6t (-4) 30 3 14 15 3 18"x2 108" 43/9/4 15
Speedboat, medium 3.2"x1.6" -3 3.2t (-5) 35 3 15 17 3 27"x2 162" 58/12/6 16
Speedboat, large 4"x2" -4 6.4t (-6) 40 3 16 20 3 16"x4 192" 65/13/6 17
Yacht, small 5"x2.5" -4 12.5t (-7) 45 3 17 13 3 20"x2 120" 55/11/5 18
Yacht, medium 6.4"x3.2" -5 25t (-8) 50 3 18 10 2 24"x2 96" 47/9/5 19
Yacht, large 8"x4" -6 50t (-9) 55 3 19 10 2 17"x2 68" 47/9/5 20
Underwater Sled 1"x.5" -0 100kg (-0) 10 3 10 12 3 5"x2 30" 10/2/1
Jet-Ski 1.25"x.64 -0 200kg (-1) 15 3 11 15 3 22"x2 132" 31/6/3
Snowmobile 1.6"x.8 -1 400kg (-2) 20 3 12 15 3 22"x2 132" 48/10/5 21
 100 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
11) Both the Lamborghini Countach and Diablo have 3 Levels with
Ground Movement (costs 6 points). The Countach costs about
$75,000 or more; the Diablo costs about $250,000.
12) The Porsche models all have 3 Levels with Ground Movement
(costs 6 points). The 911 RS America costs about $66,000, the
928S about $85,000, and the 968 Cabriolet about $55,000.
13) A Motorcycle’s DEF is bought with the Limitation, “Defense
Does Not Protect Rider” (-Â). Also, all Motorcycles have a
minimum of 3 Levels with their Ground Movement (costs 6
points) to reflect their excellent handling. Most motorcycles cost
between about $3,000 and about $10,000.
14) “Helicopter” represents all sorts of civilian helicopters, from
those used by radio stations to report on traffic and weather
conditions in the morning to fancy models used to shuttle
corporate executives around. Since helicopters have no ground
movement to speak of, the vehicle’s base 6" Ground Movement
are bought back (-12 points).
15) Small speedboats are up to 18 feet long, and can achieve
speeds of about 40 miles per hour in calm waters. Like all the
other kinds of boats listed here, they buy back their Ground
Movement (-12 points), and their Swimming is bought with the
Limitation, “Surface Movement Only” (-Â) (this Limitation does
not apply to the Underwater Sled).
16) Medium speedboats are from 19-35 feet long, and can reach
speeds of about 60 miles per hour. Examples include the Sonic
35, Wellcraft 31 Fittipaldi Scarab, and Excel 20SX I/O.
17) Large speedboats are 36 feet long or longer, and can reach
speeds of about 70 miles per hour. Examples include the
Wellcraft Scarab Thunder, the Fountain Lightning, and the
Sonic 45. Record-setting custom boats have achieved speeds
of 115-120 miles per hour.

6) The “Sport Wagon/4x4” category includes all sorts of sports utility

vehicles designed for rough offroad action and “four-wheeling.”
They have +2 to Combat Driving, Only To Counteract Terrain
Modifiers (-1) (costs 5 points). Examples include the Chevrolet
S-10 Blazer, Ford Explorer, Jeep Cherokee and Grand Chero-
kee, Mitsubishi Montero, and Oldsmobile Bravada. Prices range
from about $12,000 to about $30,000.
7) Typical Mini-Vans include the Dodge Grand Caravan, Mazda
MPV, Mercury Villager, Nissan Quest GXE, Pontiac Trans Sport
SE, and Volkswagen Eurovan. Prices range from about $14,000
to about $25,000.
8) The standard Police Car comes equipped with a radio (Radio
Listen And Transmit, OIF (Radio, -1), costs 2 points) and of
course a siren (Change Environment 3" radius [create distinc-
tive bright light and loud sound], OIF (Siren And Lights, -1), costs
7 points). It also has 1 Level with its Ground Movement (costs 2
points) to reflect its ability to turn quickly. Depending upon the
locale, a Police Car may carry various weapons in its trunk for
its driver to use (such as a shotgun or tear gas grenades), or may
have an on-board computer. Police Cars also have the Disad-
vantage “Distinctive Features” (police car; concealable with
difficulty, causes major reaction) (15 points).
9) All Sportscars have a minimum of 2 Levels with their Ground
Movement (4 points) to reflect their excellent handling (these
Levels do not apply on rough terrain). Some may have more than
2, and if so, this will be noted separately. All of them also have
the Disadvantage “Distinctive Features” (sportscar; conceal-
able with effort, causes envy, 15 points). If there are no Notes for
a particular Sportscar, the Notes column is used to provide an
approximate price for the car.
10) The Ferrari 512 TR has 3 Levels with Ground Movement (costs
6 points). It costs approximately $200,000.
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 101
18) Small yachts are from 25-35 feet long. They can attain speeds
of about 40-45 miles per hour in calm waters. They may be
GRASSHOPPER CAR
equipped with a radio or other electronic equipment if the owner This small and seemingly normal car actually contains a
wishes. hidden helicopter rotor assembly in back. To activate and
19) Medium yachts are from 36-50 feet long. They can attain
unfold the rotors requires 1 Turn. Although this version has
speeds of about 35 miles per hour in calm waters. They may be no weapons and is only lightly armored, “combat” Grasshop-
equipped with a radio or other electronic equipment if the owner pers have been reported, and there are also rumors of
wishes. models which can convert to flight mode much more quickly.
20) Large yachts are 51 or more feet long. They can attain speeds Val Char Cost Notes
of about 25 miles per hour in calm waters, and sometimes more
depending upon how large and powerful an engine has been 2.5"x1.25" Size 20
installed. They may be equipped with a radio or other electronic -2 DCV 0
equipment if the owner wishes, and are often quite luxurious. 1.6 tons (-4) Mass (KB) 0
21) Snowmobiles’ Ground Movement is bought with the -1 Limita- 30 STR 0
tion, “Only Works On Snow And Ice.” They have 3 Levels with 4 DEF 6
their Movement with the Limitation, “Only To Counteract Ice/ 14 BODY 0
Snow Weather Modifiers” (costs 7 points). 18 DEX 24
4 SPD 12
24"x4 Ground
Move 41
COMIC-BOOK VEHICLES 15"x4
384"/240"
Flight
MAX
17
0
1 Turn delay to start (-1)
140 MPH ground, 90 MPH air

This section provides several more comic-book style Cost Equipment

vehicles for Dark Champions characters to use. 5 High Range Radio Hearing, OIF (Radio)

SPORTSCAR II Cost: 125/25/12

Unlike the Sportscar in DC:HOV, which was built for
combat, this sophisticated machine is designed for only one
purpose: to get the owner wherever he has to be as quickly SUBMERSIBLE CAR
and safely as possible. It is equipped not only for extra This car can be converted within seconds into a small
speed, but for safe offroad driving. submarine. It comes equipped with four spearguns hidden
Val Char Cost Notes behind the front grill.
2"x1" Size 15 Val Char Cost Notes
-2 DCV 0
2.5"x1.25" Size 20
800 kg (-3) Mass (KB) 0
-2 DCV 0
25 STR 0
1.6 tons (-4) Mass (KB) 0
4 DEF 6
30 STR 0
13 BODY 0
6 DEF 12
25 DEX 45
14 BODY 0
5 SPD 15
15 DEX 15
31"x4 Move 55
4 SPD 15
620" MAX 0 230 MPH
25"x4 Ground
Cost Equipment Move 43
15"x2 Swimming 15
3 Reinforced Tires (5 DEF, 5 BODY) 400"/120" MAX 0 150 MPH ground,
8 4 Skills Levels with Ground Movement 45 MPH swimming
7 +3 Skill Levels with Ground Movement, Only To
Counteract Terrain Modifiers (-1) Cost Equipment
12 +5 Skill Levels with Ground Movement, Only To
5 High Range Radio Hearing, OIF (Radio)
Counteract Deceleration Modifiers (-1)
10 Life Support: Self-Contained Breathing
5 20" Superleap, Trigger (vocal command or button,
25 Active Sonar, 360 Degrees
character’s choice, +Ê), OIF (Ejection Seat), Only
11 Change Environment 4" radius (illuminate area),
Straight Up (-1), 1 Charge
0 END, OIF (Underwater Headlights)
8 +8 DEF; OIF (Passive Restraint System), Only
9 2d6 RKA, Armor Piercing, IAF (Hidden Spearguns),
Protects Driver From Crash Damage (-1)
Limited Arc Of Fire (60 degrees, same level, -Á),
5 High Range Radio Hearing, OIF (Radio)
1 Charge
15 Computer (as Sportscar in DC:HOV)
10 Total of four Hidden Spearguns
Cost: 199/40/20
Cost: 190/38/19
 102 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
VIGILANTE ASSAULT VEHICLE Cost Equipment
The VAV is a military APC or similar vehicle which has
37 3" radius Darkness to Sight Group, Area Effect 80"
been redesigned for inner-city crimefighting. It can be used Line, OIF (Smoke Generator), Limited Arc Of Fire
to smash into crackhouses, crash into a supercriminal’s (straight back, same level, -1), 8 Charges Lasting
secret headquarters and so forth. 1 Turn each (-0)
14 6d6 RKA, IIF (Self-Destruct Charge), No Range,
Val Char Cost Notes 1 Charge which Never Recovers (-4
5"x2.5" Size 35 15 Computer (as Sportscar in DC:HOV)
-4 DCV 0
12.5 tons(-7) Mass (KB) 0 325+ Disadvantages
45 STR 0 25 Distinctive Features (Vigilante Armored Vehicle, not
12 DEF 37 Hardened (+Ê) concealable, causes fear)
17 BODY 0
15 DEX 15 Cost: 350/65/32
3 SPD 5
20"x4 Move 33
240" MAX 0 90 MPH
VIGILANTE TRACTOR-TRAILER
Cost Equipment
For the street-level character who wants to be able to carry
5 High Range Radio Hearing, OIF (Radio) it all, from labs to weapons, a specially-modified tractor-
10 Life Support: Self-Contained Breathing trailer is perhaps the best option. Although it is not as fast or
4 Solid Tires (6 DEF, 6 BODY) as maneuverable as many vehicles, it has the space and
13 +3d6 HA (adds to Ramming and Forcing), 0 END strength to carry all sorts of equipment.
50 3d6 RKA, Autofire (5 shots), 125 Charges,
OIF (Turret Machine) Val Char Cost Notes
40 2Âd6 RKA, Explosion, +1 STUN Multiplier,
OIF (Turret Grenade Launcher), 16 Charges 8"x4" Size 45
12 2d6 RKA, Penetrating, OIF (Front-Mounted Rocket -6 DCV 0
Launcher), Limited Arc Of Fire (60 degrees, same 50 tons (-9) Mass (KB) 0
level, -Á), 4 Charges 60 STR 5
8 DEF 16
19 BODY 0
12 DEX 6
2 SPD 0
15"x4 Move 18 Limited Maneuverability (-Ê)
240" MAX 0 90 MPH

Cost Equipment
5 High Range Radio Hearing; OIF (Radio)
10 +6 vs. Range For Sight and Hearing Groups;
IIF (Sensors)
3 Infrared Vision, IIF (IR Sensors)
3 Ultraviolet Vision, IIF (UV Sensors)
2 Ultrasonic Hearing, IIF (Sonic Sensors)
5 Eidetic Memory, IIF (Recorders), Only Sounds And
Visual Images
18 Forensics Lab: Criminology 14-, Forensic Medicine
14-
20 Computer (as Investigator’s Van in DC:HOV)
45 3d6 RKA, Autofire (5 shots), 125 Charges,
OIF (Left Side Machine Gun), Limited Arc Of Fire
(180 degrees on left side, -Ê)
10 Total of 4 Machine Guns (one on each side of VTT)
40 2Âd6 RKA, Explosion, +1 STUN Multiplier,
OIF (Rear Turret Grenade Launcher), 16 Charges
23 2d6 RKA, +Â Variable Advantage (+1Â); OIF
(Front Turret Rocket Launcher), 4 Charges, Advan-
tages Can Only Be Switched At Armory (-Ê)
42 4" radius Darkness to Sight Group, Area Effect 60"
Line, OIF (Smoke Generator), Limited Arc Of Fire
(straight back, same level, -1), 8 Charges Lasting
1 Turn each (-0)
14 6d6 RKA, IIF (Self-Destruct Charge), No Range,
1 Charge which Never Recovers (-4)

Cost: 335/67/33
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 103

RAVEN
s Eh
Bob Live U KAN S
UPERBODZOoSrk C ootsauce
YO h R

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IF
ME rustn
um pio AID L i c k m
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Disco Su TCH ever V en ns
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uke eps ER
Mechap

ks
The first screen showed scenes of the Bosnian conflict. “Yes, sire.”
The second showed a speech by the President of Mexico. “Order Dominus Quintus to strengthen his efforts to desta-
The third showed archive footage of the riots caused by the bilize the Middle East peace process—all forms of conflict,
verdict in the Rodney King trial, the fourth a deodorant divisiveness, and spite are to be encouraged.” The Israeli-
commercial, the fifth scenes of earthquake damage in PLO peace initiative must not be allowed to succeed, for if it
India…and so on through thirty video monitors, each tuned did, Raven’s operations in that strategic region would be less
to a different channel or recorder. easy to conceal. Peace in the Middle East—what a fatuous
The man in the tailored suit continued watching them for concept! There had been no peace in the region for three
a few minutes more, then waved at them imperiously with a thousand years, and if Raven had anything to say about it
remote control. They all shut off at once, plunging the room there wouldn’t be any now.
into darkness and quiet. The man swivelled around in his “Yes, sire. All shall be as you command.”
chair to face a large desk. Illuminated only by the glow of his Hearing those words, his favorites by far in all the world,
computer’s screen, he sat in the stillness and contemplated the Grand Imperator smiled. As the Praetorian left the room,
what he had just been watching. Then he began to type, he turned back to his monitors and waved them to life.
slowly, softly, making very little noise to disrupt the silence.
After a few minutes of work he pressed a button on the desk Raven (the name is not usually written in all-capitals) is an
and a holographic depiction of the globe came into being aristocratic conspiratorial organization whose purpose is
several feet above the desk. Three locations—Hong Kong, nothing less than total control of the world. The founders and
Washington, D.C., the Middle East—were highlighted in red, leaders of Raven are elitists who conspire and scheme so
giving them the appearance of wounds. that they may one day assume the mantle of world leader-
He pressed another button. A few moments later a door ship and guide the world into a new, enlightened age—for,
opened in one of the room’s walls and a man entered, after all, how could the world not become enlightened when
accompanied by a blaze of light which seemed harsh against those who truly deserve to rule do so?
the gentle twilight of the room. As the man approached the This section of An Eye For An Eye describes Raven in
desk the door slowly swung shut, gradually reducing the detail, including not only its organizational structure and
glare to a tiny beam of light and revealing the second man’s leaders but its methods, goals, and operatives. Raven pro-
dove-gray military uniform. By the time he was close to the vides the GM with a world-spanning organizational enemy
desk the door was once again completely closed. for his Dark Champions PCs, allowing him to expand the
“Grand Imperator,” the man in gray stated. scope of his adventures beyond the streets of the city and
“Praetorian, observe the globe,” said the man behind the desk. onto the international stage. The GM can use Raven to bring
“Yes, sire,” the Praetorian replied, directing his attention a more fantastical or “four-color” feel to his Dark Champions
toward it. game without having to resort to using full-blown four-color
“You will note that three locations are marked on the globe. villain organizations like VIPER, DEMON, and the like.
I have three messages for you to send, one for each location. Despite its sometimes unusual methods and cutting-edge
Order Dominus Sextimus to destroy the dissident group in technology, Raven is grounded in the real world (at least
Hunan Province which is beginning to attract substantial compared to other criminal agencies in the Champions
attention in the West. The operation is to be quick, brutal, and Universe); the best comparison to Raven in the source
cruel.” This operation will be a two-fold asset for Raven, the material would probably be James Bond’s nemesis SPEC-
Grand Imperator thought to himself. The Occidental nations TRE.
will distance themselves further from the “repressive Chi-
nese government,” making it even more isolated than it is at THE GREAT SCHISM:
present. Similarly, the Chinese people will be angered and SPLITTING RAVEN OFF FROM VIPER
withdraw what little support they still offer their government.
The history of Raven given below substantially revises the
Two blows struck against the Middle Kingdom, and in its
information that has been provided about Raven in previous
most vital spot!
Hero Games products—indeed, the nature of the organiza-
“Yes, sire,” the Praetorian replied obediently.
tion has been greatly altered, since it has been converted
“Order Dominus Primus to have his puppets in the United
from a relatively straightforward Champions villain agency to
States government place their support behind President
a somewhat more realistic Dark Champions organization.
Clinton’s health reform plan.” A foolproof stratagem—if the
This revision should not be a particularly difficult one for
reform plan worked, America would be pushed further to-
wards socialism, a state of affairs which would work towards Champions campaigns that have not made significant use of
Raven or for Dark Champions campaigns that have never
Raven’s benefit; if it failed, the disappointment the American
used VIPER or Raven.
people felt at Clinton’s failure would give Raven a tool with
which to manipulate upcoming elections.
 104 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
However, some Champions campaigns have used Raven Thus Raven gained its independence and set itself back
extensively, and some Dark Champions campaigns include on track. Its new organizational plans were quickly imple-
a street-level version of VIPER (as described in VIPER, mented and it resumed its march towards world rulership.
pages 25-26). These campaigns must justify the “schism” Even though it is the object of VIPER’s intense hatred, its
between VIPER and Raven, and therefore, the following schemes continue and, if left unchecked, its goals may soon
information is provided to “supplement” the information be reached.
about Raven found in Champions Universe, page 35.
In 1990, a highly-placed Raven leader, Illuminado Cabalo-
Cortez, discovered the true nature of the relationship between
VIPER and Raven. A couple of random pieces of information THE HISTORY OF RAVEN
about Raven’s “Master Secret Plan Fund” that came to him
through his network of contacts sparked his curiosity about Raven began in 1947 as the peace treaties concluding
what the money was really being used for. Careful probing and World War II were being signed and the Cold War was
digging over the next few months eventually revealed to him getting started. Its genesis was, on the one hand, the
that Raven had become a pawn of VIPER. increasing move toward democracy and/or colonial inde-
Cabalo-Cortez was incensed—Raven, a group founded pendence taking place in most of the world; and, on the other
and led by an aristocratic elite and intended to further their hand, the rise of Communism. Certain aristocratic souls in
aims, had become nothing more than a servant to a group of Europe were deeply disturbed by these events, which they
common criminals! By no means could this situation be interpreted as giving power to the “peasantry” instead of
allowed to continue. However, Cabalo-Cortez realized that keeping it in the hands of those men intended to rule.
there were very few options open to him. Raven was not The man most offended by the weakening of the “nobility”
capable of fighting VIPER for its independence, nor was and the rise of the “common man” was British duke, James
VIPER likely to simply let Raven go its own way in peace. The Farwell, Lord Rutherford. Lord Rutherford looked around
only way to completely free Raven from the coils of VIPER him and saw what he could only describe as “a society being
would be to prevent them from being able to locate Raven destroyed by the demands of an aggressive mob and weak
and bring it back into the VIPER fold. If VIPER was continu- class of rulers; an ochlocratic catastrophe which will destroy
ally trying to track down Raven and attack it, Raven could our civilization if it is not stopped.” Being a man of action, Lord
accomplish nothing. Rutherford decided to do something about it himself. After
Cabalo-Cortez called a top-secret meeting of the “inner careful consideration, he contacted a dozen like-minded
council” of Raven—minus, of course, the Supreme Raven, friends and arranged a meeting with them at his villa in
who was in fact the Supreme Serpent of VIPER. At that Switzerland. Among the attendees at this meeting were
meeting he revealed to them not only what he had learned, Narciso Cabalo-Ordonez, a wealthy Spanish noble; Giscard
but his plans for creating Raven anew, outside of the shadow Auguste Duplessis, said to be descended from the Bourbon
of VIPER. After considerable discussion and bickering over kings of France; Alessandro Savarese, an Italian aristocrat;
details, the leaders of Raven agreed to Cabalo-Cortez’s Klaus von Dürren, a Prussian nobleman who had served in
plan, for domination by VIPER chafed at their elitist souls as Hitler’s SS but had escaped the Allied armies; and Sir
much as it did at his. Even more grudgingly, they agreed to Thomas Caine, a British industrialist.
make Cabalo-Cortez the commander of the new Raven. Over the course of a month, the founding fathers of Raven
After the meeting ended they began work on their project, discussed the disintegration of society and how they could
which they nicknamed “Operation: Great Schism.” In early correct it—by taking control of the world themselves, and
1994, over two and a half years later, they struck: Cabalo- placing the destiny of mankind in the hands of those most fit
Cortez inserted his carefully-crafted Schism Virus into VIPER’s to rule! Since their group of supporters would be small, they
Serpentine computer network. The virus’s primary purpose felt it best to work towards this goal from behind the scenes,
was simply to erase all references to or information about in a conspiratorial fashion reminiscent of Adam Weishaupt’s
Raven, its resources, its agents, and its bases. This part of the “Bavarian Illuminati” of years gone past. They decided to call
plan worked exactly as intended. The Schism Virus’s second- their group RAVEN because of the ominousness and sym-
ary purpose was to temporarily throw VIPER into disarray by bolism associated with that bird. Lord Rutherford was unani-
playing havoc with its recordkeeping and communications mously chosen as Supreme Raven, overall leader of the
systems, and in this it was partly successful. VIPER’s opera- organization, and the other eleven were assigned various
tions were disrupted for just under a day as the Supreme functions and spheres of power based on their areas of
Serpent struggled to contain the virus and the franchised expertise and influence.
Nests flailed about in disarray because they were not receiv- RAVEN’s goals were simple: promote world instability
ing consistent information from headquarters. with an eye toward taking over the world in piecemeal
Meanwhile, having received the signal from Cabalo-Cortez fashion, one lonely nation or people at a time. This would be
that the virus was in place, his fellow leaders of Raven were done by subtle behind-the-scenes manipulation of key indi-
conducting an all-out withdrawal from every known Raven viduals and elaborate psychological schemes. The Cold
base and facility, destroying them, and moving into new, top- War was the perfect environment for such a conspiratorial
secret bases whose construction had been carefully con- group to function, and so RAVEN thrived, playing one
cealed from VIPER and the world. To help cover their tracks, superpower off against another. Naturally, money was a key
they made pre-planned releases of information about VIPER ingredient in its schemes, so it also manipulated world
to superheroes and law enforcement agencies all over the financial markets to increase its own wealth.
world. VIPER was so busy dealing with this threat it has had
no time to spare to try to track down and recapture Raven—
as Raven intended.
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 105
RAVEN scored many early triumphs. To promote the Cold The turning point for RAVEN came in 1976, when the
War it nudged many East European nations towards Com- Supreme Raven, Lord Rutherford (the son of the Lord
munism, and hence towards Russia; it also played a part in Rutherford who founded RAVEN), was killed in a polo
the division of Berlin. To give Russia an ally it aided Mao accident. This sudden “decapitation” left RAVEN in disarray.
Zhedong’s forces in the Chinese civil war which culminated Soon, though, one man stepped forward and seized the
in a Communist triumph in 1949. It prompted North Korean reins of power: Illuminado Cabalo-Cortez, the son of Narciso
forces to invade South Korea, and later made sure that China Cabalo-Ordonez. He had long been concerned about the
would intervene on the side of the North Koreans, to test the decline of RAVEN and decided that some changes were
willingness of the superpowers to fight one another on the needed. He reorganized Raven (which he now referred to
field of battle. without the capitalization) into its present form, with an
At the end of the Korean War in 1953, RAVEN recognized emphasis on secrecy and aristocracy that could be used to
that the interests of the United States and the Communist attract new members, something Raven desperately needed.
powers not only would predominate over those of Europe in The RAVEN Council was abolished and a new system of
the coming decades, but that Southeast Asia would remain leadership was established. He expanded its emphasis to
a crucible of conflict in which to test both camps. RAVEN’s include not only political but economic and military power,
response was twofold. First, it increased its efforts to estab- reasoning that he who possessed one without the others
lish bases of operation in the United States, the Soviet Union, was not a true leader at all. Among other things, he helped
and China. In America its new members were from the found a small army that Raven could use as a “tool” when its
wealthy elite, since the United States had no noble class, and conspiratorial machinations did not work.
this brought a strong pro-wealth, anti-Communism influence Cabalo-Cortez’s changes revitalized Raven, renewed its
to bear on RAVEN’s schemes. In the Soviet Union it was able sense of purpose, and put it back on track. It once again
to recruit former aristocrats whose families had been de- began to play a powerful role directing the destiny of the
based or slain by the Communist government. However, world from behind the scenes. This has led to one of its
RAVEN had relatively little success in mainland China; the greatest triumphs to date, the end of the Cold War and the
most it could do there was gain the allegiance of several increasing Balkanization of the world. Raven recognized by
prosperous financiers in Hong Kong. the late Seventies that Communism was a moribund political
RAVEN’s second response was to help arrange for Viet- philosophy, and that Raven stood to gain more by eliminat-
namese Communists to oust the French from Vietnam, thereby ing it and then helping dozens of new countries spring up in
establishing Vietnam as the next area of superpower conflict. its wake. They directed their actions accordingly by working
At the same time it fanned the fires of anti-Communism in the to elect Ronald Reagan to the United States Presidency in
United States by having contacts in the Senate support Sen. 1980, putting a hardliner in place to bring pressure to bear on
Joseph McCarthy’s “witch-hunt” for Communists. When fer- the Soviet Union. Within a decade their efforts were re-
vor for McCarthy’s hearings died down, RAVEN turned to warded, and today they have many new countries to manipu-
another front: the nascent civil rights movement, which it late and, they hope, to take over entirely before the year
realized would create significant unrest in the States for 2000. With world-wide influence, an army of highly-trained,
decades to come, thus further destabilizing America. high-tech soldiers, and billions of dollars in its “war chest,”
Throughout the rest of the Fifties and the early Sixties, Raven is a great threat to world peace and stability—and an
RAVEN continued in this same fashion, working in the shad- excellent foe for Dark Champions characters to face.
ows to create conflict and chaos. Its agents often posed as
those of the United States or the Soviet Union, causing
confusion in the espionage community and heightening Cold
War tensions. It helped distribute nuclear weapon technology ORGANIZATION AND
to several nations, to increase the chance of a limited nuclear
war from which it could only profit (its own secret bases were
STRUCTURE OF RAVEN
thoroughly radiation-proof). It was involved to one extent or
Raven’s structure today is very different from what it was
another in Nasser’s seizure of the Suez Canal (1956); Castro’s
when it was founded. Originally it had one leader, the
successful revolution in Cuba (1958-59); Nixon’s defeat in the
Supreme Raven, who exercised loose control over nearly a
1960 presidential election; the failure of the Bay of Pigs
dozen “sub-leaders” who worked in their own particular
invasion (1961); the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962); the Chris-
areas of expertise. One might try to influence various military
tine Keeler scandal in the British government (1963); the
organizations, one was an expert on African affairs, one an
assassination of President Kennedy and the subsequent
insider in the American political scene, and so forth. This
“elimination” of its pawn, Lee Harvey Oswald, by another
form of organization quickly proved to be relatively ineffec-
pawn, Jack Ruby (1963); and, perhaps most importantly,
tive, but the entrenched power of the subleaders made it
United States involvement in the Vietnam War (1964).
virtually impossible to change.
However, by the early to mid-Seventies, RAVEN had
Illuminado Cabalo-Cortez had a chance to change this,
become somewhat decadent and ineffectual. Despite its
and he did. He instituted a parallel system of command by
immense network of contacts and agents, it seemed to have
establishing seven subleaders (whom he called “Domini,” or
lost its sense of purpose —its leaders still spoke of their goal
“lords”), one for each of seven geographical areas. Each
of aristocratic rule, but worked harder at accumulating wealth
leader was in total control of all operations within that area,
than at gaining actual power. The leaders seemed less and
so that there was no overlapping “jurisdiction,” though of
less like a governing council and more like a group of
course each leader could consult his own underlings or
squabbling children. Naturally, this began to diminish
experts for advice on a particular subject.
RAVEN’s effectiveness, and it seemed unable to exploit the
opportunities that came its way.
 106 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
Furthermore, in order to increase morale, Cabalo-Cortez unite all men in a common brotherhood of peace,” or some-
replaced the sterile titles used by the old RAVEN with titles thing similar. Only the most devoted recruits will be told that
of his own devising based on Roman and medieval titles. the purpose has to do with establishing a world government.
These unique titles enhanced the feelings of elitism held by Adherents of the Fourth Mystery are usually taught a
the membership and made it easy to establish recruiting series of passwords and “secret symbols” which they can
organizations similar to the Freemasons and other suppos- use to identify and communicate with each other. Some cells
edly conspiratorial groups. may have different passwords than others, but all passwords
Raven is currently organized into five levels, referred to as are known to the organization’s higher-ups and can be used
“mysteries” in the fashion of old religious cults. As a member to manipulate the Seigniors as required.
ascends in the ranks he is admitted to new mysteries and
hence learns more of Raven’s true purpose. Of course, only The Darke Brotherhood
recruits who are deemed suitable for these revelations are One “branch” of the Fourth Mystery deserves special
allowed to advance; others are kept ignorant or are shuffled mention. Raven quickly became aware that some people
off to various positions where they will be of help to Raven. would join fraternal-type organizations in search of the
“mystic knowledge” which they thought would be known to
such a group. These “mystics” are usually enticed into
THE FIVE LEVELS OF RAVEN joining a group that Raven calls the Darke Brotherhood.
Raven does not deny the powerful hold that the occult has on
ADHERENTS OF THE FIFTH MYSTERY certain people, nor does it deny that some mystic phenom-
The lowest-level members of Raven are referred to as ena may actually exist. The Brotherhood was established to
Adherents of the Fifth Mystery—a title they are not even exploit these superstitious tendencies and to investigate
aware of! They are recruited through a series of fraternal supernatural subjects. Raven’s theory is that if such things
organizations, business clubs, sports clubs, and the like. (As as telepathy, curses, and the undead exist, they would be
the previous sentence implies, the membership of Raven is useful tools in its campaign of conquest, so they are worth
primarily male; about 75% of Raven’s agents are men, and looking into.
women often fill what might be referred to as “traditional” The leader of the Darke Brotherhood, a man known simply
roles—secretaries to powerful men, seductresses trained at as the High Epopt, is thought to be a fallen bishop of the
compromising Raven’s enemies, and so forth.) After they are Roman Catholic Church. He is described in more detail
“recruited” (i.e., join a particular front organization) they are below. The typical Darke Brother is a 50-point Competent
subtly tested by higher-level Raven agents to determine Normal with most of the extra points going towards magical
which of them share Raven’s aristocratic views and a willing- skills and spells.
ness to participate in Raven’s activities. Persons deemed
GM’s Note: The Darke Brotherhood has been estab-
valuable but unsuitable for membership will be investigated lished so that GMs who wish to introduce mystic ele-
for the purpose of gathering compromising information to ments into their Dark Champions campaigns can use this
blackmail them with. In some cases, Raven will “manufac- group as an enemy of the PCs. If the GM prefers not to
ture” the evidence needed (for example, by sending a female have low-powered wizards in his campaign he can
agent to seduce a powerful businessman, then threatening simply regard the Darke Brotherhood as Raven’s way of
to reveal the affair to the man’s wife if he does not comply with weeding out crackpots.
Raven’s wishes).
In America, Raven has two principal recruiting organiza-
tions. One is a fraternal organization known as the Supreme ADHERENTS OF THE THIRD MYSTERY
Order of the Eagle (SOE). It purports to be a patriotic and This is the highest level which most members of Raven ever
charitable brotherhood of men who hold weekly meetings in reach, and only the most devoted members even get this far.
“Aeries,” as their clubs are called. The second organization Adherents of the Third Mystery, usually referred to as Balcanifer
is a businessmen’s club called The Silver Dollar Club, which (“standard-bearer”), are told that they work for Raven and what
attracts all sorts of businesspeople under the guise of Raven’s true purpose is. Those so inclined may go on to
providing business contacts and advice. In truth, both orga- become part of Raven’s corps of soldiers, the Legion, or its
nizations are used to seek out persons who are sympathetic scientific branch, the Raven Scientific Council (“risk”), but
to Raven’s philosophies and goals, who are eventually most of them simply work towards Raven’s goals in whatever
recruited into the next level of Raven. way they are best suited. Balcanifers often command groups
of Seigniors and use them in their various schemes. In addition
ADHERENTS OF THE FOURTH MYSTERY to knowing some or all of the passwords and symbols taught
At this level it is first revealed to members that they are part to Seigniors, Balcanifers have their own set of secret words;
of an organization which has goals beyond those they were they are also taught Latin. All Balcanifers are extremely
originally told about. Members are referred to as Seignior, devoted to Raven’s goals and work tirelessly to bring about its
and the leader of any particular cell is referred to as Grand plans for global domination; most of them believe that the
Seignior. While the exact nature of Raven’s existence is not world will be a much better place when it is run by those who
revealed to the Seigniors, they are made aware that their are “supposed to be in charge.”
organization has a broader purpose than whatever they While some Balcanifers receive advanced espionage train-
were originally told that it was. Different purposes may be ing and go out “into the field” as undercover agents acting on
revealed to different cells, depending upon their motivations Raven’s behalf, most of them are simply ordinary men with
and psychology. For example, they might be told that their firm convictions about Raven’s purpose. They work for it by
goal is “to put America back on the path to greatness,” “to pulling strings, making contacts, performing research, and
send all the niggers back to Africa where they belong,” “to doing impromptu spying when the opportunity arises. They
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 107
look completely normal—many of them have families that are Dominus Quartus
unaware of their allegiance to Raven, for example—and Dominus Quartus is in charge of Africa. He is an English-
except for their unusual political beliefs, they pretty much are man, Sir Tristan Edwards, who speaks a dozen languages
completely normal. If and when the PCs become aware of fluently and is a skilled orator. Formerly he was a highly-
Raven’s existence and nature, they may begin to wonder if placed official in the British government; in addition to his
anyone close to them is associated with the organization. agents throughout Africa he maintains contact with many
Encourage their paranoia… friends in Parliament.
Dominus Quartus’s main base of operations is in Nairobi,
ADHERENTS OF THE SECOND MYSTERY Kenya.
There are only seven members of this level of Raven—the
seven Domini (“lords”) who act as a “ruling council” under the Dominus Quintus
command of the Grand Imperator. Brief descriptions of each Dominus Quintus, Virgil Masters, is half-British, half-Ameri-
of them follow; several of them are described more exten- can. He controls Near Asia: everything from India westward
sively below. to the Mediterranean. His responsibilities include monitoring
(and manipulating) the Middle Eastern arms market, keep-
Dominus Primus ing Islamic fundamentalism at as high a pitch as possible,
Dominus Primus is in charge of all of North America, and encouraging ethnic unrest, and ensuring that Golden Cres-
is more or less the Grand Imperator’s second-in-command. cent heroin continues to be exported to the United States and
When he was reorganizing Raven, Illuminado Cabalo-Cortez Europe. In fact, his contacts with heroin smugglers have
recognized that America had become so important on the involved him in the schemes of the Master of Crime in the
world stage that Raven needed an especially strong pres- past, and the Master is considering making Dominus Quintus
ence there. Unfortunately for him, the man he recruited to fill an offer to join the Inner Circle of the Midnight Syndicate so
this position is a viper in Raven’s midst. He is Arthur Hobbes, that he (the Master) can keep a closer eye on him.
the Master of Crime, a conspirator so skilled and devious that Dominus Quintus’s main base of operations is in Beirut,
he has been able to infiltrate Raven, itself a group of Lebanon.
experienced schemers, without their discovering his true
background and goals. Hobbes discovered Raven through Dominus Sextimus
some of his criminal contacts and realized that it posed a Dominus Sextimus, an immensely wealthy Hong Kong
significant obstacle to his own goal of establishing a world- financier named Li Fat, is in charge of Far Asia: everything
wide empire of crime—if it ruled the world, it would be much west of India. His activities at this point mainly involve China
harder to keep his own activities secret. Accordingly, he and Japan. Among other things, he is trying to create such
infiltrated the organization himself and used his skills and resentment on the part of the Chinese against their govern-
contacts to work his way into its higher ranks. He is content ment that a bloody revolution will result; Raven hopes that in
to go along with Raven’s schemes for now, for its desire to the aftermath of such a revolution China would splinter into
destabilize the world serves his true aims well, to some several smaller ethnic states, much in the same way the
extent; but if Raven ever become a true hazard to him he will Soviet Union did.
betray it without a second thought (and without its ever Dominus Sextimus’s main base of operations is in Hong
knowing who double-crossed it). Kong; before the Communist takeover in 1997 it will probably
Dominus Primus’s main base of operations is located in be moved to Tokyo.
Washington, D.C. Dominus Septimus
Dominus Secundus Dominus Septimus, an Australian named Nigel Williams
Dominus Secundus is in charge of South and Central who claims to be descended from British royalty, is in charge
America. Raven has always been extremely active in this of Raven’s operations in Australia and Oceania. He is easily
region, since its seemingly inherent instability provides ex- the least powerful of the Domini, since relatively little of
cellent cover for Raven’s bases and operations. Thus, Domi- importance goes on within his sphere of influence. However,
nus Secundus, Artur Baltasar Morencelos, is a man with a lot that may change if Japan continues to become more promi-
of responsibility in the organization. The Grand Imperator nent in world affairs, a trend Raven is supporting because it
usually considers South America one of Raven’s first targets weakens the United States.
for actual conquest, so he relies on Dominus Secundus to
provide him the most accurate, up-to-date information pos- THE ADHERENT OF THE FIRST MYSTERY
sible about the continent. At this level, the highest in Raven, there is only one person:
Dominus Secundus’s primary base of operations is in Rio the Grand Imperator himself, Illuminado Cabalo-Cortez. He
de Janeiro, Brazil. is the current driving force behind Raven, and even though
several of the Domini would like to take his place, none of
Dominus Tertius them are really qualified to do so—without him the organiza-
Dominus Tertius, Nicodemo Maciarello, oversees Raven’s tion likely would degenerate back into the petty bickering that
European schemes. Since Raven’s roots lie primarily in characterized it in the early 1970s. The Grand Imperator is
Europe, he has one of the most extensive networks of described in further detail below. His primary bases of
contacts and agents of any of the Domini. In addition to his operation are in New York City and Istanbul, Turkey.
main base of operations in Zurich, Switzerland, Maciarello
also owns a villa on the Italian coast, a luxurious apartment
in Rome, and a house on the French Riviera.
 108 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
The Grand Imperator is served by a special squad of Raven uses more tools in its subtle campaign of conquest
bodyguards known as Praetorians. They are the best, most than just the obvious ones listed above. Some others it
highly trained members of the Legion (see below), and they makes use of include: forgery (an excellent way to destabi-
are sworn to serve the Grand Imperator to the utmost—even lize a country’s currency and throw an entire nation into a
if it means sacrificing their own lives. The Grand Imperator panic); controlled terrorism (which heightens peoples’ sense
has convinced the Domini that the Praetorians are their that the world is descending into anarchy and serves as a
bodyguards as well, and so has assigned a small group of way to eliminate certain enemies without creating suspi-
them to each one. In fact they still serve only the Grand cion); establishing political parties (which gives Raven a
Imperator—by acting as spies for him. “legitimate” toehold in a country’s political process and
provides it a way to make certain messages public); com-
puter “hacking;” and under-the-table funding of groups it
finds useful or manipulable.
OPERATIONS, ACTIVITIES, Here is a summary of Raven’s current long-range plans,
AND TACTICS by continent:

NORTH AMERICA
Obviously, Raven recognizes the importance of every-
GOALS AND PHILOSOPHY thing that goes on in America—American politics, culture,
Raven’s goal is relatively simple: world rulership. The and mores influence every other country in the world, and
ideology by which it justifies its actions is somewhat more hence it is vital to Raven that it be involved in as many
complex, however. The leaders of Raven, now as in the past, American decisionmaking processes as possible. Under the
are elitists who see themselves as the only men truly fit to leadership of Dominus Primus, it is expanding its operations
rule. They are disgusted by the what they see as the in the United States as fast as it safely can; it is particularly
increasingly “plebeian” character of the world’s govern- interested in gaining power in the computer, health care,
ments and wish to wipe them off the face of the Earth. This legal, and communications/media industries. At least one
arrogant and aristocratic attitude generally results from their major national news service is firmly under Raven’s con-
heritage (several of the Domini are the descendants of trol—though of course its employees and the public have no
nobility [or claim to be]) or native talents and accomplish- idea that this is so.
ments (all of the Domini, and many of the organization’s However, the United States is far too orderly and tranquil
lesser members, are extremely intelligent and clever indi- a place for Raven’s tastes. Raven would prefer to keep
viduals who are used to getting what they want, no matter America distracted with its own internal problems so that it
what they have to do to get it). They feel that people should will not be able to interfere in Raven’s plans elsewhere. Thus,
be divided into the rulers (themselves) and the ruled (every- Raven does everything it can to encourage all sorts of
body else), and that most of the problems in the world today divisiveness in American society—racial, ethnic, sexual,
(hunger, war, overpopulation, and so forth) are the result of political, and religious conflicts are all exacerbated as much
the fact that most nations are led by men who are not as possible.
qualified, either by training or by intellect, to lead. Raven regards Canada similarly. Among other activities,
A second but almost equally important motivation is profit. it is trying to assist the separatistes of Quebec in their attempt
Many members of Raven are quite rich and are extremely to secede from the rest of the nation, and those of the
concerned with ensuring that (1) they stay that way, and (2) western regions who desire to split Canada in two. Mexico,
they get even richer. Thus, they tend to oppose anything on the other hand, is already well-suited for Raven’s activi-
which would inhibit free trade and use their skills and ties, given the level of corruption that still exists in its basically
contacts to profit from all sorts of black market ventures, such one-party government.
as illegal arms trading and drug dealing. Naturally, they do
not think of themselves as “common criminals;” in their eyes SOUTH AND CENTRAL AMERICA
their criminal activities are intended to further their extremely South and Central America have always been strongholds
noble goal of helping humanity by taking control of it. for Raven. Their politics are marked by corruption and
revolution, two conditions that Raven can make good use of,
ACTIVITIES AND and much of the continent is wild, providing Raven plenty of
LONG-RANGE PLANS places to build secret bases and training camps. Raven’s
activities here include preventing any more stability than it
For the most part, Raven’s operations do not involve brute finds useful and priming the various nations for takeover—as
force. Instead, its actions are those of the classic conspira- mentioned above, South and Central America will probably
tor: blackmail, theft of secrets and technology, bribery, be the first area in which Raven actually takes total control of
behind-the-scenes manipulation, corruption, and espionage. countries (other nations won’t know that Raven is in control
However, Raven’s conspiratorial activities take place on a until it is too late for them to escape a similar fate, of course).
grand scale—instead of trying to take over a corporation, a
political party, or even a nation, Raven aims to conquer the
entire world. Thus, it doesn’t just try to alter the fortunes of,
for example, a particular company or industry, it manipulates
currencies and regional economies.
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 109
EUROPE AUSTRALIA AND OCEANIA
Europe has been the scene of Raven’s greatest triumph Raven regards this area as relatively unimportant, though
since its reorganization—the breakup of the Soviet Union it does have a few relatively important bases and supply
and the attendant creation of many small, weak, mostly depots stashed away on obscure islands (including one or
ethnic-based nations which will be ripe for the plucking when two atolls which are not on most charts). Its activities in this
the time comes. Raven would like to see even more minori- region are usually aimed at supporting its policies in Near
ties “secede” and start their own nations, so a lot of its agents and Far Asia.
are at work stirring up ethnic unrest from behind the scenes.
Raven has helped aggravate racial tensions in Germany and THE LEGION
the Balkans with this in mind. Unlike his predecessors, Illuminado Cabalo-Cortez real-
Raven is bitterly opposed to the concept of the “European ized that despite Raven’s inclination to operate as covertly
Community” which has received so much attention of late— as possible, on occasion its ends could only be accom-
it would rather not have another United States to deal with. plished through violence. With this in mind, he created a
Over the course of the last five years it has subverted many small army which Raven could use as shock troops, terror-
of the politicians close to the unification process, and it is now ists, and guards. In keeping with the general motif he
ordering them to slow down or stop the process as much as developed for the new Raven, he christened this army “the
they can. If necessary, Raven will resort to terrorism or Legion.”
similar drastic measures to prevent the EC from becoming a The Legion is “outside” of the normal Raven command
reality. structure; its leaders have relatively little input into Raven’s
decisionmaking process, and it is regarded primarily as a
AFRICA tool of the Domini and the Grand Imperator. It is relatively
Africa is nearly as perfect for Raven as South America is— small, so its organizational structure is not particularly com-
it is Balkanized, corrupt and full of ethnic turmoil. Raven does plex. Each individual soldier, or Spadarius (“sword-bearer”),
not even have to work very hard to keep it that way. At this belongs to a group of ten soldiers known as a Cohort. A
point Raven primarily uses Africa as a place to locate bases Cohort is normally assigned to a particular duty (guarding a
(including one of its powerful satellite taps [see below]) and base, infiltrating the mercenary underworld, acting as a
as a source of raw materials. roving “hit squad,” and so forth). Each Cohort has a leader
known as an Armiger. Ten Cohorts are commanded by a
NEAR ASIA Centurion. It has never been necessary for Raven to gather
Raven’s current priority in this area is to derail the Middle more than ten Cohorts for a single mission, so there is no real
East peace process. Conflict of any kind is what Raven command structure beyond that (each Domini controls the
wants in this region of the world, and Raven means to have Legion members on his continent and all of them are ulti-
it even if it has to commit terrorist acts itself and blame them mately loyal to the Grand Imperator). Presumably, if it were
on the Palestinians. Raven funds extremists on both sides of necessary to appoint a “field marshall” a title such as “High
this struggle and tries to inspire them to fight for their views. Centurion” would be chosen for him.
Outside of the Middle East proper Raven is working to Some members of the Legion receive specialized training
heighten religious and racial strife. Muslims of different as assassins, snipers, ninja-like spies, and the like. These
sects, Hindus and Muslims, and Hindus and Sikhs are all agents are normally given a very different set of equipment
maneuvered into fighting with one another so that they will from that carried by the standard Spadarius (see below);
eventually be too weak to resist Raven. refer to the “Raven Equipment” section, below, for some
examples. Sometimes certain devices (for example, radios)
FAR ASIA are actually implanted in their bodies or they are “enhanced”
Raven’s activities in Far Asia are nearly as extensive as through special surgery and drug treatments.
those in America or Europe. Raven recognizes the increasing An important thing to remember about the Legion is that
importance of the Pacific Rim in world affairs and is attempting even though it is small, it is so well-equipped and well-trained
to increase its presence there accordingly. Its goals include: that it is capable of effectively fighting foes who seem much
— toppling the current Chinese regime and replacing it with more powerful than itself. As the character sheet for the
a group of smaller states divided primarily along ethnic typical Spadarius (see below) shows, each Spadarius wears
lines; a sophisticated computer system which keeps him in con-
— supporting right-wing sentiments and militarism among stant contact with his fellow soldiers, allowing for an ex-
the Japanese; and tremely high level of battlefield coordination. The Legion’s
weapons and armor are similarly advanced.
— encouraging North Korea’s plans to become a nuclear The Legion’s battle tactics are based around their commu-
power. nications system. Their computer and radio links allow
Raven’s “ideal” scenario would be that a splintered China instantaneous transmission of orders and give the individual
would be too good a target for the Japanese to pass up, soldier a comprehensive view of the battlefield. Each Cohort
thereby prompting Japan to re-arm itself and once again try has its own favorite tactics and maneuvers, and so long as
to establish a “Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere” they stick to the general battleplan and follow any direct
(read: empire). Japan’s belligerence would eventually lead orders they are usually given permission to fight as they
to a regional war which would escalate to a limited nuclear choose. This “uncontrolled” approach to warfare is relatively
exchange that would leave all combatants weakened and uncharacteristic of Raven, but it is so unpredictable that it
ready for Raven to take over. confuses the enemy greatly and is often a key factor in
Raven’s military victories.
110 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
100+ Disadvantages
PERSONNEL 25 Psychological Limitation: Obsessed With Conquering
The World
15 Psychological Limitation: Arrogant Aristocrat; Must Be
The Leader
THE GRAND IMPERATOR 20 Normal Characteristic Maxima
5 Age: 40+
Val Char Cost Combat Stats 15 Secret Identity: Illuminado Cabalo-Cortez, billionaire
playboy
10 STR 0 OCV: 5 72 Villain Bonus
14 DEX 12 DCV: 5
13 CON 6 ECV: 7
10 BODY 0 Phases: 4, 8, 12 Background/History: Illuminado Cabalo-Cortez was prac-
20 INT 10 tically born into Raven. His father, Narciso Cabalo-Ordonez,
20 EGO 20 Costs was one of the original founding members of RAVEN, and
20 PRE 10
20 COM 5 Char: 77 Base: 100
Illuminado was bombarded with RAVEN’s aristocratic phi-
3 PD 1 + + losophy from the moment he was old enough to understand
3 ED 0 Powers: 177 Disad: 154 it. He was taught to believe that he was a superior man, a
3 SPD 6 = = leader among leaders, one destined to rule. Instead of
6 REC 2 Costs: 254 254 spending his time playing with the “common” children of the
30 END 2 merely wealthy families who lived near him, he studied world
25 STUN 3 history and politics, hoping to one day join his father’s
organization. Perhaps it was not the ideal childhood, but
Cost Skills and Perks END
Illuminado enjoyed it nonetheless.
17 Martial Arts: Fencing As he grew older, Illuminado’s understanding and appre-
Maneuver OCV DCV Notes ciation of RAVEN’s aims deepened. Although he found time
Defensive Strike+1 +3 Weapon damage to pose as an idle playboy—playing polo in England, racing
Martial Block +2 +2 Block, Abort cars, learning the rudiments of fencing—in truth he was
Martial Disarm -1 +1 Disarm, +10 STR anything but idle. Everywhere he went he was studying
Martial Strike +0 +2 +2 DC Strike those around him, analyzing their usefulness to RAVEN, and
3 Well-Connected treating them in accordance with his estimations. His eyes
50 50 Contacts (11- each), various political figures and ears were always open, gathering tidbits of information
around the world to feed into RAVEN’s enormous database.
1 Fringe Benefit: Passport After Cabalo-Cortez finished university he was formally
1 Fringe Benefit: International Driver’s License inducted into RAVEN—it was the proudest day of his life. He
15 Wealth quickly began his rise into RAVEN’s ranks of power. How-
3, 3 Bribery 13-; Bureaucratics 13- ever, as the years passed and he learned more about
3 Combat Driving 12- RAVEN, he saw that it had become moribund and stagnant.
9 Computer Programming 16- Its once fierce ambition had degenerated into little more than
3, 3 Conversation 13-; Deduction 13-
pure greed covered with a veneer of monarchic rhetoric. He
3 Gambling 11-
3 High Society 13- resolved to do something about this sorry state of affairs as
3 Oratory 13- soon as possible.
3 Persuasion 13- His opportunity arose a few years later, in 1976, when he
3, 3 Riding 12-; Seduction 13- found out that he would be attending a polo match in England
3 Weapon Familiarity: Small Arms, Swords in which the Supreme Raven, Lord Rutherford, would be
3 Scholar playing. Cabalo-Cortez arranged for an underling skilled in
2 KS: World Politics And Politicians 13- the use of the blowgun to hide in the crowd and prick Lord
2 KS: Conspiracy Theory 13- Rutherford’s horse’s leg at an opportune moment. The horse
2 KS: World History 13- reared up and then collapsed, trapping Lord Rutherford
2 KS: World Religions 13-
under its weight and crushing him. As Cabalo-Cortez in-
2 KS: The Military/Mercenary/Terrorist World 13-
2 KS: The Espionage World 13- tended, Lord Rutherford died from his injuries and RAVEN
3 Science: Psychology 13- was thrown into a state of disarray. Cabalo-Cortez quietly
3 Science: Sociology 13- murdered his hired killer a few weeks later.
3 Science: Anthropology 13- Cabalo-Cortez was quick to seize the reins of power when
3 Linguist (Spanish is native) the leaders of RAVEN met in a hidden villa in the Swiss Alps
2 English (completely fluent) to choose a new Supreme Raven. He presented his plan of
2 French (completely fluent) reorganization to the assembled leadership and they, ex-
2 German (completely fluent) tremely impressed, could not help but acquiesce to his
2 Dutch (completely fluent) desire to lead the organization as its Grand Imperator. Like
2 Russian (completely fluent)
an altogether different bird, the phoenix, RAVEN was re-
2 Turkish (completely fluent)
2 Arabic (completely fluent) born—as Raven, an organization dedicated anew to the
2 Latin (completely fluent) cause of world rulership by the elite.
2 Raven Symbols And Codes (completely fluent)
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 111
Now as then, Cabalo-Cortez is firmly in control of Raven
and is providing able leadership as its Grand Imperator. DOMINUS SEXTIMUS
Working from a position of secrecy, he manipulates the
leaders of the world like a puppeteer controls his puppets—
Val Char Cost Combat Stats
and one day soon, he will reach forth his hand and brush the
puppets aside, leaving only himself to occupy the stage. 20 STR 10 OCV: 7
20 DEX 20 DCV: 7
Personality/Motivation: Illuminado Cabalo-Cortez is the 18 CON 16 ECV: 5
very personification of monarchic arrogance and elitism. His 15 BODY 10 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12
aristocratic mind can barely conceive of the thought that he 15 INT 5
is not destined to rule the world. To him, all other men are 15 EGO 10 Costs
“lessers” and “inferiors,” subjects over whom he will one day 18 PRE 8
exercise a benevolent but firm rulership. He must be the one 14 COM 2 Char: 105 Base: 100
in control of any enterprise he is involved with; those who 8 PD 4 + +
challenge his God-given right to be the leader are certain to 6 ED 2 Powers: 179 Disad: 184
attract his wrath. 4 SPD 10 = =
8 REC 0 Costs: 284 284
Quote: “Of course, you think you can defeat me—thus you 40 END 2
reveal the limitations of your bourgeois mind.” 40 STUN 6
Powers/Tactics: Tactics? Don’t be absurd. The Grand Cost Skills, Talents, and Perks END
Imperator is no combatant and is fully aware of this. His
strength lies in secrecy and covert maneuvering, and he will 35 Martial Arts: Kung Fu
flee any possibility of violence. He has no compunctions Maneuver OCV DCV Notes
whatsoever against ordering his underlings to maim, kill, and Killing Strike -2 +0 1D6+1 HKA
destroy, but he has no desire to soil his own hands with such Legsweep +2 -1 5d6, Target Falls
plebeian work. Martial Block +2 +2 Block, Abort
Appearance: The Grand Imperator is a tall, handsome man Martial Disarm -1 +1 Disarm, 30 STR
with a dark Latin complexion and a thin moustache. He Martial Dodge +0 +5 Dodge, Abort
wears the finest, most expensive hand-tailored clothing Martial Strike +0 +2 6d6 Strike
available in the world, favoring suits in grey and black and Martial Throw +0 +1 4d6 + vel/5, Target Falls
patterned ties with colors such as red, silver, teal, and gold. Nerve Strike -1 +1 2d6 NND (1)
Offensive Strike-2 +1 8d6 Strike
Record: Illuminado Cabalo-Cortez has no criminal record. 3, 5 Combat Sense 12-; Defense Maneuver
10 Find Weakness 11- with Killing Strike
3 Resistance (3 points)
3 Simulate Death
3 Well-Connected
30 30 Contacts (11- each) in various political and
financial positions throughout the Far East
1 Fringe Benefit: Passport
1 Fringe Benefit: International Driver’s License
15, 3 Wealth; Acrobatics 13-
3, 3 Breakfall 13-; Bribery 13-
3, 3 Bureaucratics 13-; Deduction 13-
3, 3 High Society 13-; Interrogation 13-
10 Languages: Mandarin Chinese, English, Japanese,
Latin, Raven Symbols And Codes (all fluent conversa-
tion; Cantonese Chinese is native)
3, 3 Shadowing 11-; Stealth 13-
3, 3 Streetwise 13-; Tracking 13-
8 WF: Common Melee Weapons, Common Missile
Weapons, Common Martial Arts Weap., Small Arms
3 Scholar
2 KS: High Finance 12-
2 KS: World Politics And Politicians 12-
2 KS: The Martial World 12-
2 KS: Kung Fu 12-
2 KS: Japanese Culture And Society 12-
6 +2 Levels with Kung Fu

100+ Disadvantages
20 Psychological Limitation: Ruthless Manipulator
20 Psychological Limitation: Casual Killer
20 Normal Characteristic Maxima
10 Distinctive Features: Style Disadvantage
10 Reputation: cutthroat financier, 8-
15, 9 Secret Identity; Villain Bonus
 112 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
Fat was given the position of Dominus Sextimus. He has kept
that position to this day, for even though he is getting old, he’s
not slowing down—and he certainly hasn’t become any less
ruthless over time.
Personality/Motivations: Li Fat possesses a combination
of ruthlessness and charm which make him the ideal capital-
ist. In his youth he preferred to exercise his vicious tenden-
cies in physical ways, but as he has aged he has abandoned
such crude practices for the elegance of hostile takeovers,
greenmail, and corporate intrigue. His mercilessness ex-
tends even to murder and other crimes; he has no compunc-
tions against ordering a Spadarii to eliminate someone who
threatens his power or his wealth.
Quote: “What, did you think you stood a chance against me?
So sorry to have deceived you.”
Power/Tactics: Li Fat is the heart and soul of Oriental
subtlety and inscrutability. His favorite tactic is a cat-and-
mouse game where he allows his opponent to think that he
has the upper hand, when in reality Li Fat has been control-
ling him almost from the beginning. However, when circum-
stances or whim dictate he is still fully capable of defending
himself in hand-to-hand combat. When he knows he is going
into dangerous situations he will carry a Glock 20 semiauto-
matic pistol to augment his kung fu skills.
Appearance: Li Fat is a Chinese gentleman in his early
fifties. He is about 5’6" tall with pale yellow skin and a thin
moustache trimmed in the Chinese style. He wears expen-
sive men’s suits in public and elegant Chinese robes in
private.
Record: Li Fat has no criminal record.

Background/History: Li Fat was nothing but a street urchin

in the city of Guangzhou (Canton) until the day that an old
man caught him stealing food from his grocery store. The old
man made him work off the debt by cleaning up around the
store. Li found out that he kind of liked working in the store,
so he stayed even after the old man told him he could leave.
The old man more or less adopted Li Fat, and began to
teach him kung fu to provide him with some discipline and
structure in his life. As he grew older, Li became not only a
skilled fighter but a shrewd businessman. Eventually the old
man died and left the shop to Li. Within a year Li expanded
his business “empire” to four stores by using unscrupulous
business methods and a gang of hired thugs to drive some
of his competitors out of business. The old man may have
taught Li discipline, but he was never able to take away Li’s
vicious, predatory nature.
Within a decade Li had moved to Hong Kong and become
one of the island’s most prominent financiers, but despite the
luxury of his surroundings his tactics were still those of a
street fighter. His rivals and competitors were subjected to
every sort of dirty, underhanded business trick he could
come up with, including vandalism and corporate espio-
nage, but he was so clever about it that he was never caught.
He began to think that he was destined for this sort of power,
that he had been favored by the gods with unique gifts of
leadership and strength.
It was at this moment that the Supreme Raven approached
Li Fat with a proposal to join RAVEN. Li accepted at once,
aware of the increased power that such a position would
bring him. Li served RAVEN long and well, and when
Illuminado Cabalo-Cortez transformed the organization Li
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 113
Morencelos’s intelligence and boldness caused him to
DOMINUS SECUNDUS advance quickly in the ranks of the military, though more than
one soldier wondered about the mysterious circumstances
under which a couple of Morencelos’s superior officers
Val Char Cost Combat Stats
“disappeared.” It was during this time that he joined RAVEN,
8 STR -2 OCV: 4 seeking more power than he could obtain legitimately. This
12 DEX 6 DCV: 4 only helped him advance further.
13 CON 6 ECV: 4 One of the friends Morencelos made in the army was
17 BODY 18 Phases: 4, 8, 12 Lorenco João Garrastazu e Silva. When General Garrastazu
20 INT 10
e Silva revolted against the Chiquadorean government in
13 EGO 6 Costs
15 PRE 5 1979, General Morencelos supported his bid for power, and
6 COM -2 Char: 60 Base: 100 after the coup’s success the new leader promoted his friend
4 PD 2 + + to Major-General and gave him substantial responsibilities.
4 ED 1 Powers: 90 Disad: 50 By this point Major-General Morencelos’s network of
3 SPD 8 = = contacts in South and Central American military and political
5 REC 0 Costs: 150 150 circles was second to none. Thus, when the original Domi-
26 END 0 nus Secundus died of a heart attack in 1980, the Grand
30 STUN 2 Imperator offered his position to Major-General Morencelos
Cost Powers END
(after, of course, an appropriate period of evaluation and
testing). Major-General Morencelos saw this as an opportu-
8 Knockback Resistance (-4") nity to increase his power still further and accepted the offer.
-6 -3" Running (3" total) 1/5” He faked a serious heart condition and plead this as an
6 Immunity: to curare and strychnine excuse to resign his military post. President for Life Garrastazu
3 Well-Connected
32 32 Contacts (11- each) in various South and Central
e Silva bid his friend a sad farewell and built a lavish
American military forces and political groups penthouse for him in São Bartolomeo.
1 Fringe Benefit: Passport Morencelos immediately turned his attention to his duties
1 Fringe Benefit: International Driver’s License for Raven. He covered up his frequent trips to Rio de Janeiro
7 Bribery 14- as “medical appointments,” and soon moved there “to be
7 Bureaucratics 14- closer to [his] doctor.” Since then he has sat in his base in Rio
3 Cryptography 13- like a big, fat spider at the center of a web of agents,
3 Deduction 13- schemes, and intrigue, acting only for the benefit of himself
3 Interrogation 12- and Raven.
12 Languages: Latin, Spanish (completely fluent);
English, French, Raven Symbols And Codes (fluent Personality/Motivation: Artur Morencelos is a cruel, sadis-
conversation) (Portuguese is native) tic person to whom personal power is the only thing worth
3 Tactics 13- having. Women, money, luxurious houses—these things
4 WF: Small Arms, Grenade Launchers, Heavy are useful, but in the end he who has power can obtain any
Machine Guns of them with little effort. Morencelos enjoys exercising his
3 KS: The Military/Mercenary/Terrorist World 13- power over others, even if they don’t know it; he has used
100+ Disadvantages Raven’s resources to ruin many of his enemies from his
military days, and delights in tormenting and destroying
20 Psychological Limitation: Powerhungry those who cross him or annoy him (such as his daughter’s
15 Psychological Limitation: Sadistic And Cruel first fiance, a ridiculous fop who wasn’t worthy to wash the
10 Physical Limitation: extremely obese (frequent, slightly feet of a daughter of a Domini of Raven). If he encounters any
impairing)
20 Normal Characteristic Maxima opportunity to increase his personal power, he will take it and
5 Age: 40+ damn the consequences.
10 Reputation: Chiquadorean military genius, 11- Quote: “It may be covered by a velvet glove, my pathetic little
15 Secret Identity friend, but I assure you that I possess an iron fist—one which
I will not hesitate to crush you with.”
Note: Dominus Secundus has 45 points unspent; the GM Powers/Tactics: In his day Morencelos was regarded as a
may use these for additional Contacts, Favors, and the like. military genius with a flare for innovative tactics. He still
Background/History: From the moment he realized just retains this skill today, though it has atrophied somewhat
how much his peasant parents were abused and degraded from disuse. Other than his leadership skills, he has no
by the social structure of his country, Artur Baltasar combat abilities, for he has gained so much weight since he
Morencelos resolved that he would attain such power that no left the army that he cannot fight or move quickly.
one could treat him that way. As soon as he was old enough Appearance: Dominus Secundus is a grossly overweight
he joined the military, for that was the quickest way to power individual who stands 5’8" tall but weighs nearly 400 pounds.
in a nation such as Chíquador. He typically wears a slightly altered black version of his
Chiquadorean major-general’s uniform, complete with his
many military ribbons and decorations.
Record: Artur Morencelos got in some trouble with the
authorities when he was an adolescent—vandalism and the
like—but otherwise has no criminal record.
 114 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
by) Raven and were recruited to its cause. Now, after
SPADARIUS undergoing rigorous training (and psychological “brainwash-
ing”), they serve Raven as its loyal warriors, the ones who get
called on when all other schemes have failed.
Val Char Cost Combat Stats
Personality/Motivation: While the members of the Legion
13 STR 3 OCV: 5 may differ on many things—religion, the proper use of deadly
14 DEX 12 DCV: 5
15 CON 10 ECV: 4
force, their lifestyles when “out of uniform”—they are in
12 BODY 4 Phases: 4, 8, 12 complete accord on one important point: they are totally loyal
13 INT 3 to Raven and its ideal of a monarchic elite ruling the world.
12 EGO 4 Costs They are willing to lay down their lives for Raven and its goals
15 PRE 5 without hesitation.
10 COM 0 Char: 59 Base: 75
Powers/Tactics: In addition to their training, members of the
6 PD 3 + +
5 ED 2 Powers: 125 Disad: 109 Legion are given three items of advanced military technology
3 SPD 6 = = to assist them. The first is a special set of body armor woven
8 REC 4 Costs: 184 184 from Spectra and interlaced with Nomex for fire-retardant
30 END 0 capabilities. Each suit is then chemically treated and has
30 STUN 3 ceramic plates attached to it to offer the maximum in battle-
field protection.
Cost Powers END The second is the R-100 assault rifle, a high-powered
12 +4d6 HA 1 firearm which uses 5.56mm caseless ammunition. Raven’s
27 R-100 Assault Rifle: 2d6 RKA, munitions developers are working on a caseless AP round
Autofire (5 shots, +Â), 2 clips of 32 Charges for the R-100.
each (+Â); OAF (-1), No KB (-Ê) [2x32c] Even more remarkable is the third item, the BELLUS unit
16 Body Armor: Armor (+8 PD/ED); OIF (-Â) worn by each Spadarius. The Battlefield ELectronic Logis-
BELLUS System: tics Unification System consists of a backpack computer
5 Infrared Vision, Difficult To Dispel (x4, +Â); OIF (-Â)
10 High Range Radio Hearing,
attached to a helmet which has a video monitor built into its
Difficult To Dispel (x4, +Â); OIF (-Â) bulletproof face screen. Each BELLUS unit is specially
6 Mind Link, related group of minds (other members of calibrated to its owner (i.e., it is a Personal Focus, not a
the Legion), Difficult To Dispel (x4, +Â); OIF (-Â), Can Universal Focus). The backpack computer contains IR sen-
Only Be Maintained With Other Persons Who Have sors and is linked to Raven’s main computers (and through
This Mind Link (-1), Affected As Radio Sense Group, them to Raven’s satellite taps). These computers scan the
Not Mental Sense Group (-0)
5 Detect Friendly Forces 12-, Sense,
Difficult To Dispel (x4, +Â); OIF (-Â)
5 Detect Enemy Forces 12-, Sense,
Difficult To Dispel (x4, +Â); OIF (-Â)
10 360 Degree Sensing for both Detects,
Difficult To Dispel (x4, +Â); OIF (-Â)
9 +6 vs. Range for both Detects,
Difficult To Dispel (x4, +Â); OIF (-Â)
10 Flash Defense, Sight and Hearing Groups (5 points
each), Difficult To Dispel (x4, +Â); OIF (-Â)

Skills
3 Choose one: Combat Driving, Combat Piloting,
Computer Programming, Demolitions, Interrogation,
Paramedic, Survival, additional Weap. Familiarities
2 Language: Legion Military Codes (fluent convers.)
3, 3 Stealth 12-; Systems Operation 12-
3, 3 Tactics 12-; WF: Small Arms, Knives
3 KS: The Military/Mercenary/Terrorist World 12-

75+ Disadvantages
20 Psychological Limitation: Loyal To Raven
20 Normal Characteristic Maxima
5 Distinctive Features: Legion Uniform (easily concealed)
15 Hunted: Raven, 14- (Mo Pow, NCI, Watching)
49 Villain Bonus

Background/History: The life histories of the various mem-

bers of Raven’s Legion differ from member to member. At
some point most of them were in the military or were
mercenaries. For one reason or another they became dis-
gusted with the society they saw around them and started
looking for a better way. Eventually they found (or were found
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 115
battlefield and feed each Spadarius a video map showing the
terrain and the location of each one of his comrades and
enemies. BELLUS is extremely hard to disrupt or “jam,” and
it allows instantaneous and nigh-untappable communica-
tions between Spadarii. BELLUS has revolutionized Raven’s
fighting capability and made the Legion nearly unbeatable in
many types of battles.
Appearance: The Spadarii of the Legion wear dark grey
uniforms consisting of a short tunic, pants, and boots. A black
belt and bandolier system is used to carry necessary equip-
ment and field provisions (if necessary). Their body armor
and BELLUS system equipment are also dark grey.

THE HIGH EPOPT

Val Char Cost Combat Stats
10 STR 0 OCV: 5
15 DEX 15 DCV: 5
18 CON 16 ECV: 6
10 BODY 10 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12
20 INT 10
18 EGO 16 Costs
20 PRE 10
12 COM 1 Char: 108 Base: 100
3 PD 1 + +
6 ED 2 Powers: 166 Disad: 174
4 SPD 15 = =
8 REC 4 Costs: 274 274
50 END 7
25 STUN 1

Cost Powers END

Spells (described below):
9 The Evil Eye 100+ Disadvantages
6 The Pool Of Perspective 20 Psychological Limitation: Devotee Of The Dark Powers
12 The Ritual Of The Great Beast 20 Psychological Limitation: Casual, Sadistic Killer
3 Rogof’s Spell Of Impish Conjuration 15 Physical Limitation: Has sold his soul to the devil (all
5 The Spell Of Silent Converse the time, slightly [at least for now…])
35 Additional spells created by the GM 20 Normal Characteristic Maxima
4 Athame: Âd6 HKA (1d6+1 with STR); OAF (-1), 5 Distinctive Features: lacks a soul (noticeable by a
No KB (-Ê), Blade Limitations (-Ê) limited group [mages and those who are psychically
Skills And Perks sensitive]; causes major reaction)
3 Well-Connected 15 Secret Identity
20 20 Contacts (11- each) among the world’s mages, 69 Villain Bonus
mystics, and religious figures
3 High Society 13-
27 Magic Skill 25- Background/History: Save perhaps for the Grand Imperator,
3 Oratory 13- no man knows the story of the High Epopt, leader of the
3 Persuasion 13- Darke Brotherhood. Rumors among the Dark Brethren say
3 Stealth 12- that he was once a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church.
3 Scholar
2 KS: Arcane & Occult Lore 13-
However, he was corrupted by his study of magical grimoires
2 KS: Demonology 13- preserved in secret libraries in the Vatican and sold his soul
2 KS: The Magical World 13- to an Infernal Power in exchange for vast magical knowl-
2 KS: Roman Catholic Doctrine 13- edge. Whether this be true, none can say, and certainly none
3 Linguist (English is native) dare ask the Epopt for his tale.
2 Arabic (completely fluent) (Note: in Dark Champions campaigns which do not use
2 Egyptian (completely fluent) actual magic, the High Epopt is simply a skilled conman
2 German (completely fluent) recruited by the Grand Imperator to run the Darke Brother-
2 Greek (completely fluent) hood as a recruiting tool for Raven. Replace his spells with
2 Hebrew (completely fluent) conman skills and useful gadgets, including a Walther PPK-
2 Latin (completely fluent)
2 Sanskrit (completely fluent)
S handgun.)
2 Raven Symbols And Codes (completely fluent)
 116 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
Personality/Motivation: The High Epopt is a classic evil THE POOL OF PERSPECTIVE
cult leader, a cruel and heartless mage bent on using the This extremely useful spell allows the Brotherhood to spy
powers of the infernal to increase his own power here on on its enemies from afar. Naturally, this is of great use to an
Earth. He thinks nothing of sacrificing human lives as a way organization such as Raven, which thrives on its ability to
to increase his own knowledge or perform the Grand gather and use secret information. The spell requires seven
Imperator’s will. Darke Brothers to stand around a specially-prepared scrying
Quote: “Belial! Heed the call of thy master! Come forth and pool and chant a long and difficult spell. Upon successful
destroy my enemies where they stand!” completion of the ritual, the desired sight will be revealed
upon the waters. Disturbing the waters will disrupt the spell.
Powers/Tactics: The High Epopt is the most puissant The Magic Roll required for this spell is made by the
wizard in the Darke Brotherhood. He traded his soul to the spellcaster who is leading the casting. Each of the six mages
Devil for magical power and learning; as a result, he pos- helping him (all of whom must have purchased the spell)
sesses the knowledge (and stamina) to cast many different must pay the END cost for the spell. Each helper can make
types of spells. In addition to his spells he carries an athame, his Magic Roll as a complementary skill roll to the master’s
a silver dagger used in various magical rituals (but perfectly roll, but this is rarely done, for if even one helper fails his roll,
capable of being used in a more traditional fashion). the entire spell is ruined and each helper suffers from the
The High Epopt is a creature of the shadows who prefers Side Effects (if any). (These requirements and restrictions
not to be drawn into direct conflict at all. His is the way of the are simulated with the Limitation, “Requires Extra
coward, the skulker in darkness, the backstabber. If con- Spellcasters,” with the following value: 2 spellcasters [the
fronted, he will flee at the first available opportunity, then master plus one extra mage] is a -Ê Limitation; 3-5, -Â; 6-10,
shower curses on his enemies at a later time. -Á; 11-20, -1; 21 or more, -1 Ê.)
Appearance: The High Epopt wears a dark scarlet hooded Power: Clairvoyance and Clairaudience, x32 range (4000")
robe with black flames embroidered on it at the hem and the
ends of the sleeves. The robe is tied with a golden cord. The Modifiers: Concentrate (0 DCV, -Â), Extra Time (5 minutes,
hood hides his face in shadows; no one in Raven but the -2), OIF (Scrying Pool, Immobile, fragile [water is easily
Grand Imperator knows what his true visage is. disturbed, ruining the spell], expendable [elaborate and
expensive preparations required for each casting], -2), Ges-
Record: Unknown. tures (-Ê), Incantations (-Ê), x3 END (-1), Requires A Magic
Roll (-Â), Requires 7 Spellcasters (-Á). Active Cost: 50
SPELLS OF THE points.
DARKE BROTHERHOOD END Cost: 15 Magic Roll: -5
GMs who want to use the Darke Brotherhood as an Casting Time: 5 minutes
organization which can actually cast magical spells can use Real Cost: 6
some of the sample spells provided below. As these spells
show, the Brotherhood’s magic is relatively weak and often THE RITUAL OF THE GREAT BEAST
requires elaborate rituals and the participation of more than This spell is the classic devil-summoning ritual, requiring
one spellcaster. It is nothing like the standard sort of comic human sacrifice and other horrible things. It is perhaps the
book magic described in Mystic Masters or the magic found most powerful spell in the Darke Brotherhood’s arsenal,
in most fantasy realms. though it is also extremely dangerous to the casters—if they
cast it incorrectly, the subject of their summoning will be able
THE EVIL EYE to escape and attack them, thus condemning them to death
This is one of the few spells which a Darke Brother can use and the corruption of their souls. Furthermore, the casters’
on his own. It is a curse which renders the victim unlucky for limited ability to control the summoned infernal being (and
a time. the GM’s willingness [or lack thereof] to use such an outland-
Power: 3d6 Minor Transform (inflict 1d6 Unluck upon target; ish creature in a Dark Champions campaign) means that
victim “heals” from the curse at his usual rate for recovering they cast the spell only in times of great need or desperation.
BODY). A final drawback to the spell is that it is extremely tiring for the
casters to perform.
Modifiers: Gestures (-Ê), x2 END (-Â), Requires A Magic
Roll (-Â), Side Effects (caster has 1d6 Unluck for a day, -1). Power: Summon one Prince of Hell, built with up to 700
Active Cost: 30 points. points (use one of the Princes described in Creatures Of The
Night: Horror Enemies or make up your own).
END Cost: 6 Magic Roll: -3
Casting Time: 1 Phase Modifiers: Concentrate (0 DCV, -Â), Extra Time (1 hr, -2Â),
Real Cost: 9 points. OIF (Inscribed Pentagram, Immobile, fragile [is easily bro-
ken, freeing the devil], expendable [elaborate and expensive
preparations required for each casting], -2), Gestures (-Ê),
Incantations (-Ê), x3 END (-1), Requires A Magic Roll (-Â),
Side Effects (if roll is failed, the conjured devil will be able to
escape the pentagram and turn on the spellcasters, -1),
Requires The Sacrifice Of A Virgin Human Female (-2),
Requires 13 Spellcasters (-1). Active Cost: 140 points.
END Cost: 42 Magic Roll: -14
Casting Time: 1 hour
Real Cost: 12
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 117
ROGOF’S SPELL OF IMPISH CONJURATION with multiple redundant backups; should the PCs ever dis-
This spell is used by the Dark Brethren to summon forth an cover an actual Raven base, breaking into it would be a very
imp to perform their bidding (provided that they give the imp difficult task (most Security Systems rolls should be have a
a suitable bribe). The most common uses for imps are spying modifier of at least -2). Three of Raven’s bases (in Africa,
on enemies, performing chores, and guarding valuables. north-central North America, and Central Asia) also have
Some of the Darke Brethren have developed advanced sophisticated “satellite tap” devices which enable Raven to
versions of this spell which give them greater control over link into the world satellite network and use its communica-
summoned imps or which summon many imps at once. tions and reconnaissance capabilities undetected.
Power: Summon one 129-point Imp (Hero Bestiary, pages COMMAND STRUCTURE OF A RAVEN BASE
75-76).
Who is in command of a Raven base depends on who is
Modifiers: Concentrate (0 DCV, -Â), Extra Time (5 minutes, located there. The Grand Imperator or a Domini have control
-2), OIF (Inscribed Pentagram, Immobile, fragile [is easily over all lesser figures, of course. Major bases that do not
broken, freeing the imp], expendable [elaborate and expen- serve as the headquarters for one of the Domini will usually
sive preparations required for each casting], -2), Gestures (- be commanded by a Consul appointed by the Domini of that
Ê), Incantations (-Ê), x3 END (-1), Requires A Magic Roll (- region or the Grand Imperator. Other bases are led by the
Â). Active Cost: 26 points. highest ranking Legion officer present.
END Cost: 9 Magic Roll: -3
Casting Time: 5 minutes
Real Cost: 3 RAVEN EQUIPMENT
Note: Optionally, this spell can be built using a Scratchet
(Creatures Of The Night: Horror Enemies, page 97) in place The following gadgets and devices are a sample of the sort
of an Imp; this raises the Active Cost to 39 and the Real Cost of technology frequently used by Raven. The GM is of course
to 5 points. free to alter the “technology level” of this equipment to suit his
campaign.
THE SPELL OF SILENT CONVERSE
This spell enables the Brethren to communicate with one
another using only the sheer power of their minds. This is a
WEAPONS
definite asset in situations where quick, quiet communica- Raven agents use many different sorts of weapons in
tions are essential (such as battles, espionage activities, and addition to the R-100 Assault Rifle given to the Spadarii of the
the like). Legion. The ones below are intended for covert use.
Power: Mind Link, any eight Darke Brotherhood minds EYEGLASSES FLECHETTE
Modifiers: Concentrate (Â CV, -Ê), Extra Time (1 Turn, -1), If a Raven agent’s disguise (or poor vision) requires him to
OAF (folded piece of paper with a rune written thereon; wear glasses, he will often carry this weapon—eyeglass
fragile, expendable but easily replaceable; -1 Ê), Gestures (- frames which conceal a spring-loaded flechette dart in each
Ê), Incantations (-Ê), Requires A Skill Roll (-Â). Active Cost: earpiece. Because the darts are small and the spring is not
25 points. especially strong, the user has to target bare skin in order to
END Cost: 2 Magic Roll: -2 affect the target. The flechettes are usually coated with
Casting Time: 1 Turn knockout poison, but fatal poisons are sometimes employed
Real Cost: 5 as well.
Eyeglasses Flechette
RAVEN’S BASES 18 4d6 STUN Drain, Ranged (+Â), IAF (-Â), Must Target
Although space considerations preclude a complete de- Non-Armored Hit Locations (-Ê), 2 Charges (-1 Â); (60
scription of even one of the many hidden bases Raven has Active Points)
throughout the world, a general description of them is pos-
sible. KNOCKOUT CIGARETTES
Raven’s bases have two characteristics in common. The These cigarettes contain tobacco which is coated with a
first is the type of places they are located in. Raven prefers knockout poison; agents who use them are immune to the
locations which are majestic, defensible, and well hidden. poison. They can be used in two ways. First, the agent can
Some examples include cavern complexes carved out of the smoke the cigarette himself and blow the poisoned smoke
insides of mountains, artificial islands, immense zeppelin- into his victim’s general vicinity until the victim collapses.
like aircraft, and the top floors of major office buildings (the Second, and more effectively, the agent can give the victim
“Purloined Letter” approach—Raven is right underneath the one of the cigarettes to smoke, thus tricking him into inhaling
very noses of the people who would most like to see it the poisoned smoke directly. Each pack comes with 16
stopped, but those people never think to look for it in the heart poisoned cigarettes and 4 normal cigarettes (in case the
of the city). Raven is also working on plans for an underwater agent meets someone he really does want to have a friendly
base and a satellite base, but so far it does not have the smoke with).
necessary technology or engineering capability to construct Knockout Cigarettes
these facilities. 30 3d6 STUN Drain, Area Effect One Hex (+Â), Personal
The second characteristic is that the bases use state-of- Immunity (+Ê), IAF (-Â), Does Not Work In Windy Or
the-art technology. Everything from the security to the daily Rainy Conditions (-Ê), 16 clips of 4 Charges each (-
work schedule is controlled by advanced computer systems 0); (52 Active Points);
 118 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
RAVENOM STILETTO Raven Field Watch:
This dagger is not a fighting knife but rather a hardened 1) Absolute Time Sense (3 Active Points); IAF (-Â). Total
fiberglass stiletto with a well of poison hidden inside the hilt. cost: 2 points.
The poison, a special toxin invented by a Raven scientist, is 2) Lightning Calculator (3 Active Points); IAF (-Â). Total cost:
jokingly referred to as “Ravenom” by Raven agents. 2 points.
(Note: GMs can find a large selection of real-world poisons
listed in the Sourcebook section of this book if they would 3) Radio Listen & Transmit (5 Active Points); IAF (-Â). Total
prefer not to use a fictional poison.) cost: 3 points. (Note: High Range Radio Hearing may be
substituted for 4 more points.)
Ravenom Stiletto 4) Bump Of Direction (3 Active Points); IAF (-Â). Total cost:
25 Âd6 HKA (up to 1d6+1 HKA with STR), Armor 2 points.
Piercing (+Â), Invisible To Metal Detectors (+Ê), OAF
(-1), No KB (-Ê), Blade Limitations (-Ê) plus 3d6 5) Cramming (5 Active Points); IAF (-Â). Total cost: 3 points.
BODY Drain, NND (defense is the appropriate Total cost: 12 points.
Immunity, +1), OAF (-1), Blade HKA Must Do BODY
(-Ê), 4 Charges (-1); (77 Active Points) COLLAR MICRORECORDER
This miniaturized recording device is designed to fit unde-
TASER RING tected underneath the collar of a man’s shirt, the lapels of a
This innocuous-looking ring actually contains a powerful jacket or blazer, or a shirtcuff. Since it does not transmit what
battery which can emit an electric charge powerful enough to it records, it is not detectable as a “bug” by many modern
stun or knock out a full-grown human. Because the battery security scanners, although it is obviously a form of recorder
is small it has to be recharged frequently. Raven scientists if you look at it with the naked eye.
have also developed a more powerful version built into a
wristwatch. Collar Microrecorder
5 Eidetic Memory, IAF (-Â), Remembers Sounds Only (-
Taser Ring Â); (10 Active Points)
12 4d6 EB, NND (defense is rED, +1), IIF (-Ê), No Range
(-Â), 2 Charges (-1 Â); (40 Active Points)
VEHICLES
For the most part Raven uses ordinary vehicles, although
COMMUNICATIONS these are sometimes bulletproofed, “souped up,” or custom-
The BELLUS combat computer and the satellite taps that ized. However, Raven does use a few vehicles of its own
were mentioned above are the pinnacle of Raven’s commu- design. These are usually built in Germany by auto manufac-
nications technology, but they are certainly not the only turers loyal to Raven.
examples of it, as the following devices illustrate.
DARKWING SPORTSCAR
FIELD WATCH This sportscar is used by many of the Domini, Balcanifers,
Many Raven agents wear these watches. They are not just and other important Raven members. It comes in a wide
timepieces—they contain sophisticated radios and mini- variety of colors and “models,” but is always stylish. Some
computers (which respond to verbal commands). The mini- members (including, it is rumored, the Grand Imperator)
computer contains a clock, calculator, compass system, and have models that are even more advanced, with trained
a small memory chip into which basic information about a drivers to drive them.
given subject can be downloaded at any Raven base.
The glass which covers the face of the watch is actually a Val Char Cost
high-resolution computer screen with the face of a watch
shown on it. When other functions are necessary the screen 2"x1" Size 15
can display up to four “windows,” with one function running -2 DCV 0
in each window. 800 kg (-3) Mass (KB) 0
25 STR 0
The watch vibrates slightly to let its owner know when a
6 DEF 12
call is coming in, instead of beeping or making other atten- 10 BODY 0
tion-attracting noises. 20 DEX 30
The Field Watch is large, sort of like a captain’s watch, but 4 SPD 10
is not so unusual that it attracts much attention from most 25"x4 Move 43
people. It comes in many different colors or designs so that 400" MAX 0
it is not a “giveaway” for the agents.
Cost Equipment
10 High Range Radio Hearing
3 Reinforced Tires (5 DEF, 5 BODY)
5 2 Skill Levels with Ground Movement, Only To
Counteract Turning Modifiers (-1)
8 Passive Restraint System: +8 DEF, OIF, Only
Protects Driver From Crash Damage (-1)

Cost: 136/27/14
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 119
CHARIOT VAN
Although this van looks like a large delivery vehicle, it is RAVEN’S ENEMIES
actually a heavily armored troop transport used by the
Legion. The Chariot is not commonly used, since Raven Although Raven remains completely unknown to the world
rarely gets in a situation where it has to use large numbers at large, a few people and organizations are at least aware
of troops (i.e., more than six), but it’s available if it’s needed. of its existence. The most important of these enemies are
The model described here is the “Basic” model; some described below.
advanced versions have sophisticated “autopilot” driving
computers so that the driver can fight. Raven is also working
on installing concealable vehicle-mounted weaponry in the
CONVENTIONAL ESPIONAGE AND
Chariot. LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES
Many of the larger intelligence and law enforcement
Val Char Cost Notes organizations in the world—for example, the FBI, the CIA,
Interpol, MI-5, and the BND—are dimly aware of Raven’s
4"x2" Size 30
existence. Most of them have a relatively small file detailing
-4 DCV 0
6.4 ton (-6) Mass (KB) 0 reports from an occasional Raven defector about the orga-
40 STR 0 nization or a memorandum speculating about some unusual
9 DEF 21 “coincidences” and the possibility that they are the result of
15 BODY 5 a conspiracy of some sort, but that’s about it. None of these
14 DEX 12 organizations has extensive or concrete information on
3 SPD 6 Raven, nor have they conducted any in-depth investigation
17"x4 Move 27 of the reports—which is due in part to Raven’s influence in
272" MAX 0 these groups. Raven’s contacts in these agencies manage
to sidetrack investigations and have reports of Raven’s
Cost Equipment
activities dismissed as the ravings of madmen and crack-
10 High Range Radio Hearing pots. It would take a truly dedicated and tenacious officer
60 BELLUS Unit: The van is equipped with a vehicle- (such as a PC, perhaps?) to work hard enough and dig deep
mounted equivalent of the BELLUS computers carried enough to uncover solid facts about Raven.
by the soldiers of the Legion; refer to the Spadarius
write-up, above, for a complete description of this
device.
3 Reinforced Tires (5 DEF, 5 BODY)
0 Gunports: there are two gunports in the left, right,
and rear sides of the van, so that passengers can fire
their guns at pursuers or drive-by targets.

Cost: 174/35/17
 120 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
THE RAVEN Skills, Perks and Talents
Ironically, the main enemy of Raven, a world-spanning
34 Danger Sense 13-, out of combat,
conspiracy involving thousands of people, is a single man any attack, citywide
with the same name as his enemy. James Dubois, known to 15 3d6 Luck
the world as the Raven, was the very first “costumed 10 Wealth: Well Off
crimefighter” ever to appear in Hudson City. As described 5 Follower: Cagliostro (“pet” raven; 25 point base)
briefly in Justice Not Law, the Raven began waging a war on 3 Acting 14-
the underworld in 1926. He also took a strong interest in 3 Contortionist 12-
incidents involving mystic or occult phenomena. Although he 3 Conversation 14-
was a determined foe of crime throughout the ’20s, ’30s, and 3 Criminology 14-
’40s, thereafter he more or less dropped out of sight. Al- 3 Deduction 14-
3 Electronics 11-
though many people assumed he was dead or had retired,
3 Gambling 11-
in truth he had simply found a new foe to fight. 3 High Society 14-
3 Lockpicking 12-
1 Mechanics 8-
THE RAVEN 3
3
Mimicry 11-
Riding 12-
3 Security Systems 14-
Val Char Cost Combat Stats 3 Sleight Of Hand 12-
3 Stealth 14-
10 STR 0 OCV: 5
3 Streetwise 14-
16 DEX 18 DCV: 5
4 TF: All Ground Vehicles, All Air Vehicles
12 CON 8 ECV: 8
4 WF: Small Arms, Common Melee Weapons
10 BODY 0 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12
2 CK: Hudson City 11-
23 INT 13
3 Scholar
23 EGO 26 Costs
2 KS: The Hudson City (Criminal) Underworld 14-
25 PRE 15
2 KS: Arcane & Occult Knowledge 14-
12 COM 1 Char: 110 Base: 100
2 KS: Spiritualism/The Spirit World 14-
4 PD 2 + +
2 KS: Occult Monsters 14-
6 ED 6 Powers: 282 Disad: 292
2 KS: Nazis and Nazism 14-
4 SPD 14 = =
1 KS: Astrology 11-
6 REC 4 Costs: 392 392
1 KS: Lost Civilizations 11-
24 END 0
1 KS: Alchemy 11-
24 STUN 3
1 KS: Celtic/Druidic Civilization and Magic 11-
Cost Powers END 1 KS: Rune Magic and Norse Civilization 11-
1 KS: Chinese Civilization and Magic 11-
18 Colt M1911A .45 with Improved Glaser Ammunition: 1 KS: Raven 11-
1d6+1 RKA, +2 STUN Modifier, OAF, No KB, 2 clips 3 Linguist (English is native)
of 7 Charges each (-Ê) plus +1 OCV; OAF [2x7c] 1 Ravenspeak (completely fluent)
8 High-Resolution Laser Scope: +2 OCV, 2 German (completely fluent)
+2 vs. Range with any firearm, OAF 2 Latin (completely fluent)
18 Another Colt .45 [2x7c] 2 Hebrew (completely fluent)
8 Another High-Resolution Laser Sight 1 Mandarin Chinese (fluent conversation)
7 Mists of Morpheus: 3d6 NND (defense is Life 1 Sanskrit (fluent conversation)
Support: Need Not Breathe), OAF fragile (-1 Ê), 1 Irish (fluent conversation)
No Range, 4 Charges lasting 2 Phases each (-Á), Will 20 +2 Overall Levels
Not Work In High Winds Or Underwater (-Â) 3 +1 Level with Fisticuffs
7 Vapors of Vulcan: 2d6 RKA, Limitations as 4 +2 OCV with Colt .45
Mists of Morpheus except that the Charges
only last 1 Phase each 100+ Disadvantages
8 Fog of Phobos: 3d6 Presence Drain, Limitations as
20 Psychological Limitation: Must Promote Justice
Mists of Morpheus except for “No Range.”
15 Psychological Limitation: Must Defeat Raven And Bring
6 The Raven’s Tarot: Precognitive Clairvoyance;
It To The World’s Attention
OAF, Precognition Only (-Â), Extra Time
20 Normal Characteristic Maxima
(5 minutes), Act 11- (and answers often “fuzzy”
10 Age: 60+
anyway)(-1 Â), Concentrate (0 DCV),
5 Distinctive Feature: eerie voice (easily concealed)
Gestures (laying out cards, -Ê) 4
15 Reputation: 1930’s crimefighter/adventurer 14-
5 Spirit Sense: Detect Spirits/The Supernatural,
25 Hunted: Raven, 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, Kill)
Discriminatory, 14-; Concentrate (0 DCV, -Â)
15 Secret Identity (James Dubois, aged wealthy dilettante)
17 Martial Arts—Fisticuffs
167 Experience
Maneuver OCV DCV Notes
Block +2 +2 Block, Abort
Punch +0 +2 5d6
Roundhouse -2 +1 7d6
+1 DC (already added in)
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 121
Background/History: James Dubois, like many idealistic created his own set of tarot cards, which he felt more
young American men in the early 20th Century, felt com- comfortable with than the regular tarot deck. He chose as his
pelled to volunteer for military service when the U.S. decided nom de guerre the Raven, from the bird that seemed to be
to enter the Great War. In basic training he proved to be accompanying him on his path of destiny.
strong, fast, smart, and a quick thinker. By the time his unit The Raven’s first appearance on the streets of Hudson
got to Europe, commanders could already see that Dubois City was January 12, 1926. His raven (which he had named
was just the sort of person they needed not for the front lines, Cagliostro) accompanied him, perched on his shoulder. He
but for sensitive espionage and sabotage operations. soon earned the enmity of the Mafia with his daring attacks
Dubois was retrained for espionage missions, given a on their outposts and operations. Using his Raven’s Tarot,
squad of men to lead, and sent into the field. Despite their he was often able to gain a glimpse into what the Mafia would
skills, he and his men had spent less than a year spying on be planning and react accordingly.
and ambushing enemy units when the Germans tracked Shortly after he began his crimefighting career, Dubois
them down and surrounded them. A grenade exploded near met a pretty young lady named Irene Smallwood at a party.
Dubois, and he collapsed, on the verge of death. The world The two of them began to see one another frequently—at
took on a hazy, unreal quality, as he lay in the netherworld least, as frequently as the Raven’s activities would allow. By
between the realms of life and death. Suddenly, through the September 1926, the problem of hiding his dual identity from
mist he saw the grim figure of Death walking towards him, Irene had reached the point where Dubois, although he
with its scythe in hand and a raven on its shoulder. As he got loved her, felt that he had to stop seeing her. But before he
up to join the Reaper, the robed figure spoke to him. “Stop,” could tell her, she suddenly revealed that she knew that he
it said in a sepulchral voice. “I have not come for you, but to was the Raven! Being an intelligent and quick-witted woman,
you. There is much more left for you to do in the world, and she had figured out months ago that the Raven only ap-
the powers that be have forbidden me to take you. They have peared on the nights when the two of them didn’t have a date.
instead bid me come here to tell you this. Awake to the living A little detective work was all she needed to confirm her
world now, and lead the life that destiny has decreed for you.” guess. Impressed, he asked her both to marry him and to
With that, Death faded away into the fog. become his partner in crimefighting. Naturally, she said yes
Dubois suddenly awoke in a small wooded copse. His men to both proposals, and Dubois and his Chinese manservant,
had grabbed him and managed to escaped the Germans for Li Sung Po, immediately began teaching her how to fight and
a little while, but would soon be found and forced to fight to investigate crime. She decided to call herself “the Velvet
the last man. Looking up and to the east, Dubois saw in the Phantom” after a line from a favorite poem. Their first
branches of a nearby tree a raven which looked suspiciously appearance as a crimefighting duo was on March 15, 1927,
like the one that had accompanied Death in his “dream.” He when they smashed a liquor-smuggling ring.
told his men to prepare for an attack from the east. Sure
enough, the Germans came from that direction; Dubois,
despite the pain of his wounds, was able to fight with his men.
With his help, the unit was able to drive off the Germans long
enough to make a permanent escape.
During the rest of the war, Dubois earned a reputation as a
man whose incredible “hunches” often proved true. Dubois
had no idea why he had these “hunches,” but assumed that
they had something to do with the “destiny” that Death had told
him about. He earned high honors during the war, and returned
to civilian life after it ended. Dubois’s “instincts” helped him
there, too, allowing him to amass an incredible fortune on the
Hudson City Stock Exchange. He soon became a part of the
Hudson City social scene, but throughout all of his deals and
parties and daily business, he continued to search for a clue as
to what his “destiny” was to be. He developed an interest in the
occult, particularly fortune-telling, and studied it intensely. He
was especially drawn to the tarot cards, which he used to assist
him in developing his “premonitions.” No one suspected that
the seemingly carefree businessman was secretly a troubled
expert on the occult, searching for the true path. And every-
where he went, the raven Death had “given” him would be
somewhere nearby.
The rise of the Mafia as a result of Prohibition finally
provided the answer Dubois was looking for. The first time he
read about gangster activities in the paper, he knew instantly
that his destiny was to oppose evil men such as this—to
thwart them at every turn, to make society safe from their
nefarious schemes! He immediately began training himself
to take on the underworld —both kinds of underworld, for he
had felt unusual mystic presences at work in the city. He
invented several chemical weapons for use in situations
where a gun would not be the appropriate response. He also
 122 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
The Velvet Phantom was not the only one assisting the The Grand Imperator was even more angered than his
Raven in his war on crime. During his crusade against crime predecessors were by the activities of the Raven and his
he recruited a group of loyal followers which he called the effect on and knowledge of the organization Raven. Even the
Midnight Brigade. There were two levels to the Brigade—the Raven’s name infuriated him; that name belonged to his
Inner Circle, whose members knew that they worked for the organization alone! He resolved to have James Dubois
Raven and wore a distinctive signet ring to indicate their eliminated once and for all. (Raven had long known the
allegiance to him; and the Outer Circle, whose members did Raven’s secret identity, though it had not helped them stop
not realize that the Raven gathered information from them him—he was so clever and precognitive that he avoided all
(usually in his Secret Identity). Members of the Outer Circle of Raven’s murderous schemes.) The Grand Imperator
included Arthur Vandenbrook, Commissioner of the Hudson made several attempts on Dubois’ life in the early 1980s, but
City Police Department; Gerald O’Connelly, Mayor of Hudson all of them failed. Finally, though, the Grand Imperator
City; and Artie, the shoeshine boy at the Plaza Hotel. In appeared to succeed—in 1987 three street thugs were
addition to the Midnight Brigade, the Raven and the Velvet manipulated into robbing a small grocery store while James
Phantom also worked with a group of crimefighters who and Irene were shopping there. Naturally, Dubois tried to
called themselves the Champions of Justice. stop the robbery, and in the process suffered a heart attack
This state of affairs continued until the beginning of World and died.
War II. After the war began the other members of the Or so the press reported. In truth, Dubois was very much
Champions of Justice and most of the members of the alive, though hurt. He realized that Raven was behind the
Midnight Brigade became involved in the war effort. The “robbery attempt” and that the time had come to change his
Raven and the Velvet Phantom continued to fight crime, tactics. Therefore, he faked his own death (with the help of
including the efforts of Nazi spies and various mystic threats Irene and his grandson Franklin) and went underground. He
connected to the war. When the war ended, the Midnight continues to combat Raven’s schemes, though his methods
Brigade did not re-form (one member wrote a book about his are different, and hopes to recruit a new Midnight Brigade to
activities on the Raven’s behalf many years later, which help him and Franklin. Irene plays the part of the grieving
provided the inspiration for the Master of Crime’s Midnight widow while acting as the Raven’s eyes and ears to the
Syndicate, with its own Inner and Outer Circles). The Velvet outside world.
Phantom temporarily retired to have and raise the couple’s (Notes:
son, Arthur. The Raven continued to fight crime as always. GMs who prefer not to have mystic/occult elements in their
The Raven’s first encounter with RAVEN occurred in the Dark Champions campaign can ignore those references in
late 1940s when the organization first began infiltrating the the Raven’s character sheet and history and simply make
United States. The Raven became aware of an occult him a straightforward “two-fisted crimefighter” type of char-
organization that was engaging in certain criminal activities acter.
(an early version of the group that Illuminado Cabalo-Cortez The Raven’s son, Arthur, was never particularly interest in
would reorganize into the Darke Brotherhood). In putting a his parents’ “hobby.” He is a businessman in new York; if the
stop to these crimes, he discovered that there was more to GM would like to add an element of tragic drama to a
this cult than met the eye. Further investigation uncovered campaign involving the Raven, Arthur Dubois may even be
the group’s ties to Europe and the extent of its operations a member or pawn of the organization Raven! However,
there. At this point he realized that he was dealing with an Arthur’s son Franklin has always been close to his grandfa-
organization that could be an even greater threat to the world ther and is helping him with his war against Raven. Franklin
than Nazi Germany had been, if it were allowed to grow Dubois is a genius at electronics and computer science who
unchecked. He resolved not to let that happen. is helping the Raven wage war against Raven on the
Although he continued to fight “everyday” crime, some- technological front.)
times with the assistance of the Velvet Phantom, most of his Personality/Motivation: In the 1930s, the Raven and the
efforts from the early 1950s onward were devoted solely to Velvet Phantom were pretty much your typical pulp
battling the ironically-named RAVEN, not only in the United crimefighters—a man and a woman with rock-solid convic-
States but in other parts of the world as well. He could never tions about right and wrong and “the American way” who had
get the authorities to act on the information he gave them the boldness and skill to stop criminals, spies, and evil men.
about RAVEN, in part because of RAVEN’s own corruption As he has gotten older, the Raven has maintained these
of those organizations, so he was forced to fight the battle by beliefs (as has the Velvet Phantom), though his singleminded
himself. He and RAVEN became the most bitter of enemies, devotion to thwarting Raven makes him seem like a cur-
each determined to destroy the other. mudgeonly fanatic at times. To this day, he often affects an
The Raven was one of the factors which caused the air of “mysterious superiority,” especially when dealing with
decline of RAVEN in the early 1970s; thanks to him, many of mystic threats (“There are many things that ordinary men are
its most efficient leaders were killed or disappeared, and the not meant to know. In time, perhaps, I will explain to you the
rest were more concerned with profit than power. However, forces at work here.”). The Phantom, a lady from a different
despite the fact that the presence of Cagliostro and the era than our own, most often plays the role of his “dutiful
Raven’s own mystic disciplines had acted to retard his aging assistant” and loving wife.
process greatly, he was getting older and slowing down, and
was not able to prevent the rise to power of the Grand
Imperator and the resurrection of RAVEN as Raven. He went
on fighting the conspirators of Raven, wondering who would
take up the sword against them when he no longer could.
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 123
Quote: The Raven: “More evil things than you stalk these
nighttime streets, Scarlotti, but fortunately I am prepared to THE VELVET PHANTOM
deal with them all.”
The Velvet Phantom: “You wouldn’t hit a lady, would you?
Val Char Cost Combat Stats
Oh, you would? Well, this lady hits back!”
Cagliostro: “Beware.” 10 STR 0 OCV: 4
11 DEX 3 DCV: 4
Powers/Tactics: The Raven of the 1930s was a fairly 10 CON 0 ECV: 4
stereotypical “mysterious pulp crimefighter.” However, in 10 BODY 0 Phases: 4, 8, 12
addition to his investigative skills, he also had an extensive 18 INT 8
knowledge of mysticism and occult threats, and he still has 12 EGO 4 Costs
that knowledge today, of course. He can sense the activity of 18 PRE 8
spirits and magical things, can “feel” danger approaching, 14 COM 2 Char: 42 Base: 100
and through the use of his Raven’s Tarot (see below) is 4 PD 2 + +
granted limited glimpses into the future. Today he is rather 4 ED 2 Powers: 98 Disad: 40
old and weak, and prefers not to get involved in fights if 3 SPD 9 = =
5 REC 2 Costs: 140 140
possible. He fights his battles in a sneakier, more deceptive
24 END 2
way, adopting some of the methods of his chosen foe. 20 STUN 0
Still, the Raven is quite capable of fighting if need be. His
punches aren’t as powerful as they once were, but he can still Cost Powers END
lay a normal thug out cold with one punch if he gets lucky. His
7 Walther PPK-S: 1d6 RKA, OAF, No KB,
Colt .45 semiautomatics have been specially machined to 8 Charges plus +1 OCV, OAF
make them extremely accurate, and the Raven adds a laser 34 Martial Arts—Shao-Lin Snake Kung Fu
sight to them to improve his aim even further. He also uses Maneuver OCV DCV Notes
three powder-based weapons he developed in the 1930s:
Martial Block +2 +2 Block, Abort
the Mists of Morpheus (a sedative powder which is so
Martial Disarm -1 +1 30 STR Disarm
effective that it inspired a similar weapon used by the
Martial Dodge +0 +5 Dodge, Abort
Headless Hangman); the Vapors of Vulcan (an incendiary
Martial Strike +0 +2 6d6
powder); and the Fog of Phobos (a fear-inducing powder).
Nerve Strike -1 +1 3d6 NND (1)
The Velvet Phantom acted as the Raven’s assistant and
Offensive Strike-2 +1 8d6
“sidekick,” and often took advantage of the fact that her
+2 DC (added in)
opponents thought that she was “just a woman.” She usually
Use Art with Staff
hung back as “reinforcements” or a lookout, allowing the
Raven and his allies to take the primary role in combat;
Skills and Talents
today, she almost never fights, though she still practices the
kung fu Li Sung Po taught her. 15 3d6 Luck
The Raven can talk to the Phantom and Cagliostro (and to 3 Acting 12-
the Inner Circle of the Midnight Brigade, when it existed) in 3 Conversation 12-
3 Deduction 12-
a secret language called Ravenspeak, which he invented.
3 High Society 12-
Appearance: The Raven wears a black formal men’s suit 2 Language: Ravenspeak (fluent)
with a black fedora, domino mask, and cape. His “pet” raven, 3 Paramedics 12-
Cagliostro, usually sits on his left shoulder or left arm. The 3 Persuasion 12-
Velvet Phantom used to wear a beautiful navy blue evening 3 Seduction 12-
dress and heels with a small domino mask; today, she wears 3 Stealth 12-
3 Streetwise 12-
tasteful and expensive women’s clothes appropriate to some-
2 KS: Kung Fu 11-
one of her age and social standing. Despite her advanced 4 TF: All Ground Vehicles, All Air Vehicles
years she is still quite pretty. 5 WF: Small Arms, Common Melee Weapons, Staff
2 CK: Hudson City 11-

100+ Disadvantages
20 Psychological Limitation: In Love With Husband
15 Psychological Limitation: Must Promote Justice
10 Reputation: The Raven’s “companion,” 11-
25 Hunted: Raven, 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, Kill)
15 Secret Identity: Irene Smallwood Dubois

Note: The Velvet Phantom has 45 points unspent which the

GM can use for Contacts, a vehicle, or anything else he feels
is appropriate.)
124 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
CAGLIOSTRO CAMPAIGNING WITH RAVEN
Val Char Cost Combat Stats
USING RAVEN IN REGULAR DARK
-10 STR -10 OCV: 5
14 DEX 12 DCV: 9 CHAMPIONS CAMPAIGNS
5 CON -10 ECV: 3 Raven is different from most of the organizations that
5 BODY -10 Phases: 4, 8, 12 Champions and Dark Champions players are used to. Unlike
12 INT 2 VIPER, DEMON, or street gangs, Raven is not likely to offer
10 EGO 0 Costs the PCs a direct target to fight. While Raven does maintain
10 PRE 0 a small fighting force and is willing to use it if need be, it
8 COM -1 Char: 8 Base: 25
2 PD 2 + +
strongly prefers deception and trickery to open confronta-
2 ED 1 Powers: 75 Disad: 58 tion. In most situations, player characters should only fight
3 SPD 6 = = Raven agents at the very end of a long and torturous
4 REC 6 Costs: 83 83 investigation. Of course, this is not to say that Raven will just
20 END 5 sit there and let them investigate—the PCs may have to
12 STUN 5 weather the occasional assassination attempt along the
way, or Raven may trick a group of thugs or mercenaries into
Cost Powers END attacking the PCs for “unrelated” reasons.
27 2 levels Shrinking, 0 END (+Â), Persistent (+Â); While the PCs are investigating Raven, the GM should
Always On (-Â): .5m long, mass 1.6 kg, -4 PER Rolls think of them as fish in a fishbowl: Raven will be watching
against, +4 DCV, +6 KB 0 them and investigating them, too, and it will be operating
25 10" Flight, Â END (+Ê) 1/10” from a much broader perspective than the PCs. The GM may
12 1d6 HKA; Reduced Penetration (Âd6 x 2) 1 be able to build some dramatic tension from this state of
6 +3 Sight PER
affairs—for example, the PCs finally manage to tap some
20 Extra-Dimensional Movement: to the Realm of the
Dead Raven computers, only to discover that “They’ve known
14 Detect Magic 14-, Ranged about us all along!” Now that the PCs know that Raven
3 Mental Awareness knows, they can plan their campaign against Raven accord-
10 Mental Defense (12) ingly.
15 Power Defense (10 ) The GM should introduce Raven into the campaign very
3 Life Support: Immortal slowly, one kernel of information at a time. For example, in
60 50% Resistant Physical & Energy Damage Reduction one scenario, the PCs may uncover evidence that the street
7 Regeneration, 1 BODY every 5 minutes (-Â) gang they just defeated was getting its orders from someone
2 Language: Ravenspeak (fluent) else—but the trail to that someone else simply dead-ends. A
5 Stealth 13-
game or two later they come upon similar evidence that
25+ Disadvantages provides a few clues about where to pick up the trail, and
maybe even hints at the general nature of the prey they’re
15 Psychological Limitation: Loyal To The Raven pursuing. The GM can drag this out for a while before hitting
25 Physical Limitation: No Manipulatory Limbs
the PCs with even a glimpse of the full scope of Raven. Then
10 Physical Limitation: Limited Voice
10 Distinctive Features: raven; concealable the PCs will be forced to fight Raven one base or scheme at
10 Distinctive Features: mystic creature (detectable by a time, rather than destroying the entire organization in one
small group, not concealable) fell swoop. If they work hard, the PCs should eventually have
25 Hunted: Raven, 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, Kill) the chance to do severe, lasting damage to Raven (most
30 Hunted: The Grim Reaper, 14- (Mo Pow, NCI, Watch- likely by exposing it to the world), but it should take them a
ing) long time to get to that point.

THE PCS VERSUS RAVEN CAMPAIGN

This sort of campaign features Raven as the principal (or
only) villain. It resembles a spy movie as much as a street-
level crimefighting comic book—the PCs act as a “strike
force” which is determined to stop Raven. Their skills will run
as much towards information-gathering and breaking and
entering as toward fighting. Some campaigns may stress the
high-tech nature of the fight, similar to the movie Sneakers.
More than likely, the PCs in this sort of campaign have a
patron assisting them. For example, they may be the Raven’s
all-new Midnight Brigade, or they could work for some top-
secret intelligence agency. The patron not only provides
them a source for basic information about Raven (i.e., he/it
alerts them to Raven’s existence, nature, and goals), but
also provides them with financing to travel all over the world,
the latest equipment and weapons, and a safe base of
operations.
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 125
Since this sort of campaign presumes that the PCs know tors will find the briefcase, which is not monogrammed or
about Raven and its nefarious aims, the GM doesn’t need to otherwise identifiable; all it contains is a yellow legal pad and
worry about hiding Raven’s existence from them. However, a few ballpoint pens. Trimble’s wallet, by which he can be
he will need to have his campaign’s version of Raven fairly identified, is on the credenza along with a set of keys, a
well detailed. Where are all of the principal Raven bases handkerchief, a pocket comb. The wallet contains $85 cash,
around the world? What are Raven’s internal politics like? his driver’s license, several major credit cards, membership
How do the PCs fit into Raven’s grand scheme of things (if cards for various clubs and organizations, and his MagnaCard
at all)? These are some of the questions the GM needs to security card from the bank. The keys fit a 1992 Chrysler
answer for himself before the campaign begins, so that he LeBaron with the license tag “BANKONIT” which is in the
will know what effect the character’s actions have on the hotel parking lot; a check of the license tag shows that it is
organization as a whole. registered to Gerald Trimble. Lastly, the room has a small
The PCs vs. Raven campaign can also be played with a wet bar; a bottle of scotch has been opened and a drink taken
slightly more humorous bent. A humor-based campaign from it recently (the glass is there and still wet).
stresses Raven’s conspiratorial nature to the point of absur- Gerald Trimble was Vice President of a branch office of
dity. Raven turns out to be behind everything, from the Cherokee Bank & Trust. He made $80,000 per year. He had
sinking of Atlantis to the murder and replacement of Presi- a wife, Miriam, and two grown children, Alexander and
dent Reagan (didn’t know about that one, did you? Shows Ashley. Miriam Trimble can identify the clothing and brief-
how good they are at it…), to the stories you read in tabloid case as his. His fingerprints are supposed to be on record
newspapers. The PCs, who are probably a rather motley and with the bank, but a check the next day will prove that they
humorous crew themselves, have to sort through a jumble of have somehow been lost.
bizarre conspiracy theories (not necessarily untrue, just
bizarre) to get to the bottom of everything and once again BEHIND THE SCENES
make the world safe for Truth, Justice, and the American By this point, suspicious players will probably have leapt
Way. to the conclusion that the body is not actually that of Gerald
Trimble. They are absolutely wrong. The body is Trimble’s,
though there is no way to prove it to a suspicious person’s
SCENARIO: SILVER satisfaction (sooner or later his failure ever to return home
should convince them, but that’s in the future).
DOLLAR BLACKMAIL About three years ago, Trimble joined one of Hudson
City’s branches of the Silver Dollar Club, which is actually a
This scenario can serve as the PCs’ introduction to the front for Raven. Raven’s agents began to subtly sound him
existence of Raven. It is intended for non-superpowered out on his beliefs and ideology, and eventually came to the
Dark Champions characters of any reasonable point level conclusion that he was totally unsuitable for advancement in
(the important thing, as always, is to make sure the players Raven. However, the agents in charge of this particular
and the PCs will be challenged by the scenario). The GM can Silver Dollar Club were unwilling to give up on him, since as
easily adapt it to other types of player characters. Vice President of a branch investment bank he could be a
The scenario begins when the PCs receive word of a valuable tool. They began to investigate him and have him
suspicious death. How they hear about it is up to the GM. If followed. They soon hit the jackpot: Trimble was a closet
they are police officers, they might be called in on the case; homosexual and pedophile who spent a night or two each
if not, they may know the deceased or hear about it through week at homosexual bars on “The Strip.”
Streetwise. If they are a group of private investigators or With this evidence in hand, Raven agents approached
“heroes for hire,” then the dead man’s widow or children may Trimble about working for the organization. He indignantly
hire them to investigate his death. refused, so they confronted him with the incriminating photos
The deceased is apparently Gerald Trimble, a white male, that had been taken of him. Trimble’s bravado collapsed like
5’10" tall, 168 pounds, age 48. The cause of death is severe the proverbial house of cards and he agreed to do whatever
trauma due to a fall from 27 stories. The body was found in Raven wanted. Initially all that he had to do was get a nice
the parking lot of the Regency Bankhurst Hotel (located on young lady named Kimberly Ferabee a job as a secretary in
the southern end of Hudson City’s commercial district). The the bank. But soon Raven began using him and his bank to
amount of blood indicates that Trimble was probably alive launder money and make illegal entries into various financial
when he suffered his injuries; he is far enough out from the accounts.
building that he probably jumped or was thrown out. The After more than a year of this, Trimble couldn’t take any
body suffered such damage that it cannot be identified from more. He was racked with guilt over the things his unknown
its features; the identification came from the wallet in the tormentors were making him do, but at the same time
room that Trimble checked into and, apparently, jumped terrified to escape their clutches by revealing his secret to his
from. wife and colleagues. Finally he became so desperate that he
The desk clerks can tell anyone investigating the death decided that there was only one way out. He checked into the
that Trimble had just checked in that evening. He was Regency Bankhurst, drank a big drink of scotch to steady his
wearing the clothes that the corpse has on. He did not seem nerves, and then threw himself out the window to his death.
upset, nor did he act oddly. He had one piece of luggage, a
large briefcase. He was given a room on the 27th floor. The
room is one of the Regency Bankhurst’s standard suites,
luxurious without being ostentatious. In the room investiga-
 126 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q
Raven’s psychologists had been monitoring Trimble’s One of the scraps of paper contains just a phone number,
loyalty through “Ms. Ferabee” and realized that he was but no name. This is the number of the Hudson City office of
starting to crack. At their instruction, Ms. Ferabee removed NAMBLA, the North American Man-Boy Love Association.
the card containing Trimble’s fingerprints from the bank’s NAMBLA is an organization devoted to promoting pedophilia
files (Raven’s detailed psychological profile of Trimble sug- under the First Amendment guise of advocating discussion
gested that suicide was a strong possibility, and that he about sexual activity and the loosening of laws related to
would most likely use a gun or jump to do it). Ferabee also sexual consent. Trimble’s main contact there was an em-
altered his computer records to disguise most of his illegal ployee of the Association named Robert Asquith, with whom
transactions. Now all that Raven has to do is quietly pull out he traded suggestions on how to seduce young boys. A PC
of Trimble’s branch bank and nothing will connect it to him. who makes his Streetwise roll by 6 or more will recognize the
number; Knowledge Skills relating to “The Strip” or Hudson
AVENUES OF INVESTIGATION City’s sexual underground need only be made by 3 to
Raven wasn’t counting on a group of investigators as uncover the same information. This information will definitely
dogged as the PCs, though. Here are some of the potential tip the PCs to Trimble’s double life.
clues they can investigate to uncover more about Trimble’s
death: THE HOTEL GUESTS
The PCs may surmise that Trimble went to the hotel to
HIS WALLET meet somebody. It will take a week to do thorough checks of
the hotel’s guests; none of them had any connection to
Trimble’s wallet contained the following items of interest:
Trimble. There was a guest, Jonathan Taggett, in one of the
— Credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, Discovery, American rooms next to Trimble’s, but he didn’t hear any noises at all
Express, several gasoline cards. coming from there.
— Membership cards: Silver Screen Videos, the Downtown
Racquet Club, The City Club (an expensive Hudson City THE BANK
lunch club), the Silver Dollar Club, Runaround Video, the At the bank the PCs will definitely discover that the card
National Association of Investment Bankers, Hudson City with Trimble’s fingerprints is missing. Careful questioning of
Public Library card. the bank’s staff will reveal that Kimberly Ferabee, whom
— An ATM card. Trimble got hired, has just quit (or, if the PCs show up there
the very next day after the suicide, has not shown up for
— His MagnaCard security card for the bank, allowing him
work).
access to various secured rooms there.
An in-depth examination of Trimble’s computer by some-
— Five blank checks. one with Computer Programming and Science: Accounting
— Several scraps of paper with names and/or telephone will show that he made several illegal transactions over the
numbers written on them. past year. Thanks to Ferabee’s tampering, it will take over an
— Pictures of his family and relatives. hour of work and a Computer Programming roll at -4 to get
to this information. Even then the PCs will not be able to tell
— Two condoms. what Trimble did with the money, only that he illegally
There are really only two clues among all of this, the Silver skimmed money out of several accounts and handled some
Dollar Club membership card and one of the scraps of paper. accounts that might be considered “questionable.”
The rest of it is completely legitimate—his credit cards are all
paid up, his video rentals completely innocuous, and his TRIMBLE’S HOME
MagnaCard has not been tampered with. (If the GM wants to
Trimble’s home, located in the suburb of Arcadia, is just
point the PCs in the right direction, they can discover that
what you would expect for someone of his age and income.
several months ago Trimble charged round-trip plane tickets
He has been very careful to keep his extramarital “hobby”
to Thailand and a hotel stay in Bangkok to his Visa card. This
totally separate from his home life, so there is no clue to it
trip was arranged through Trimble’s friend at NAMBLA [see
here. He did not keep a diary or journal, and his home
below] and was for the purpose of engaging in pedophilia;
computer has nothing of interest to the PCs in it.
Trimble told his wife it was a business trip.)
The Silver Dollar Club card is not especially noteworthy;
only determined and thorough PCs may follow up on it. If the
THE STREETS
GM prefers to nudge the players in the right direction, Asking contacts on the street about Trimble will get the
perhaps the membership card is especially worn, indicating PCs nowhere unless they show his picture around The Strip.
that he’s pulled it out and used it a lot. A few people on The Strip will recognize him as a “regular”
down there, and can tell the PCs that he usually frequented
a homosexual bar called The Unicorn down near the water-
front. Workers and patrons at The Unicorn will also recog-
nize his picture, and can tell the PCs that Trimble came there
looking for homosexual “dates.” Beyond that they know
nothing about him.
q AN EYE FOR AN EYE 127
THE SILVER DOLLAR CLUB WHERE THE INVESTIGATION
The Silver Dollar Club that Trimble belonged to is located GOES FROM HERE
on the eastern edge of Blackbridge, near the commercial
Sooner or later, the PCs will be left with only two basic
district and the Bankhurst neighborhood. It is a meeting
leads to follow—Julian and Danielson at the Silver Dollar
place and dinner club for Hudson City businessmen; there
Club, and Kimberly Ferabee.
are two other “branches” in the city, and a member of one is
welcome at the others. Trimble went there at least once a
week, and often more, with clients or fellow members. JULIAN AND DANIELSON
An initial investigation of the Club will prove that it is If the PCs investigate these two, they will discover that
legitimate. However, if the PCs log into the Club’s computer they live together. Their apartment contains plenty of social-
and make a Computer Programming roll, they will discover ist literature, including documents about the International
that someone at the Club has been using the computer to log Socialist Alliance and the “glorious revolution” it intends to
onto a lot of computer BBSs (bulletin board systems, i.e., bring about in world leadership. If the PCs try to find out more
electronic information exchange “boards”). There is no real about the ISA the trail will quickly peter away into nothing-
pattern to this, and several of the BBSs logged onto seem to ness—the whole organization is nothing but a couple of
have no connection to the Club (some of them are mainly for employees, a post office box, and a computer that generates
mathematicians, scientists, sports enthusiasts, the finance literature which is used to recruit people like Julian and
industry, and so forth). The two people who have made these Danielson.
calls have used the handles “Edgar” and “Isis” rather than Confronting the couple will bring better results. As men-
their real names. tioned before, they can identify on sight the four Club
In fact, all of the employees of the Club are just pawns of members to whom they passed any information they uncov-
Raven who have no idea who they’re really working for— ered. Of these four, one, William Morgan, is a Balcanifer of
except for two. Those two, Gary “Edgar” Julian and Rachel Raven who is aware of Raven’s purpose and what he is
“Isis” Danielson, are Seigniors, Adherents of the Fourth doing on its behalf. The other three are his employees—
Mystery of Raven. They are both leftist radicals who joined Morgan is a licensed private investigator and has duped his
Raven through a contact they made when they belonged to employees into doing Raven’s work. If and when the PCs
socialist organizations at college; they have been told that catch up with the employees, all they can tell him is that they
they are working for the International Socialist Alliance, an work for Morgan Investigations and gave the information to
organization whose goal is to establish a world socialist Mr. Morgan. Morgan himself will try to flee the PCs and,
government. Their specific tasks are to monitor the “deca- failing that, will commit suicide by means of a cyanide
dent capitalists” who belong to the Club and gather informa- capsule concealed in a false tooth. There is nothing in his
tion on them, and to use their computer skills to scan certain office or condominium that can lead the characters any
BBSs for potential recruits. They know on sight four different further.
Club members who are their “contacts” with the higher levels
of the organization. Neither of them has a criminal record, KIMBERLY FERABEE
though they are registered members of various American Ferabee is flying to California to undertake a new assign-
socialist parties and organizations. ment for her masters. The PCs should catch up with her at
Aberdeen International Airport just before her flight is about
KIMBERLY FERABEE’S APARTMENT to board. She, unlike Morgan, will try to fight before killing
The GM should arrange the sequence of the adventure so herself. She has a fiberglass knife and an H&K P7M13 pistol
that Ferabee appears to have vacated her apartment very (she got the gun from a Raven cache hidden in the terminal
recently. It is a sparsely-furnished apartment that she rented after the point where she had to walk through the metal
just under a year ago; her lease was due to expire next detector—Raven has many such emergency caches hidden
month. There is nothing here to connect her to Raven; in airports and other sensitive locations). The GM should do
however, PCs who carefully examine the notepad next to her his best to play out this fight so that it is a challenge to the
phone will note indentations from whatever was last written PCs—Ferabee will use innocent travellers as cover, take
on the pad. A Criminology roll at -1 will allow the characters hostages, and otherwise do her best to give the PCs a hard
to read what was written on the previous top sheet: flight time. If she can’t escape and the PCs’ attacks don’t kill her,
times and numbers for Aberdeen International Airport, but no she will commit suicide with her own cyanide tooth. Her
airline or destination. The flight leaves today—in fact, the fingerprints are not on record and her real identity is untrace-
PCs barely have time to get there before it takes off! able.

CONCLUSION
An unsatisfying and frustrating ending? Perhaps—but one
which showcases the nature of Raven perfectly, even though
the PCs might not know that yet. They are left with no real
leads to pursue and, more than likely, a body or two. By the
end of the adventure they know that they are dealing with a
devious and widespread organization, a real threat of some
sort—but as yet they are ignorant of its true nature and scope
and can only react to it. The GM should go on to provide
further clues about Raven in future scenarios, such as ones
which involve more investigation into the nature of the Silver
Dollar Club.
 128 AN EYE FOR AN EYE q

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND
b L i v
FILMOGRAPHY e s Eh D ork C U KAN S
UPERBOZOS ootsauce
B o hum YO
RAI

B
IF
u ME r stn
pio DERi c k m L

y
i o D sc Sue V H ver ns D
sle engence
C
is O urs POW
c T
KA rool
uk e eps ER
Mechap

ks Mawser, Stonehand. The Big Little Book of How to Blow Things Up.
BIBLIOGRAPHY O’Brian, Robert, et al. The Encyclopedia of Drug Abuse.
Office of Technical Assessment, United States Congress. The
In addition to all of the books listed in the Bibliography of Effects of Nuclear War.
DC:HOV, which were useful in researching this book as well, the O’Neill, Richard, ed. An Illustrated Guide to the Modern U.S. Army .
following books were used in creating An Eye For An Eye. Opposing Viewpoints Series. Opposing Viewpoints Sources:
American Psychiatric Association. Treatment of Psychiatric Disor- Nuclear Arms, vol. 1.
ders. Paradis, Adrian. Opportunities in Military Careers.
Arco Publishing, Inc. The Strategy of Combat. President’s Commission on Organized Crime. America’s Habit:
Bailey, William, ed. The Encyclopedia of Police Science. Drug Abuse, Drug Trafficking, and Organized Crime.
Bonds, Ray, ed. The Modern U.S. War Machine. Quarrie, Bruce. Special Forces.
Coleman, James C., and James Butcher and Robert Carson. Rose, Greg. GURPS Special Ops.
Abnormal Psychology and Modern Life, 6th ed. Seger, Karl. The Anti-Terrorism Handbook.
Combs, Roger. Holsters and Other Gun Leather. Smyth, Frank. Cause of Death.
Considine, Douglas, ed. Chemical and Process Technology Ency- Spitz, Werner, M.D., and Russell Fisher, M.D., eds. Medico-Legal
clopedia. Investigation of Death.
Davison, Gerald, and John Neale. Abnormal Psychology. Stevens, Serita Deborah, and Anne Klarner. Deadly Doses: A
Dennis, Jack, ed. The Nuclear Almanac. Writer’s Guide to Poisons.
Department of the Army. Unconventional Warfare Devices and Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Incendiary
Techniques: Incendiaries. Weapons.
The Diagram Group. Weapons: An International Encyclopedia Ubelaker, Douglas, and Henry Scammell. Bones: A Forensic
from 5000 B.C. to 2000 A.D. Detective’s Casebook.
Drug Enforcement Administration. Crack Cocaine: Overview 1989. Walmer, Max. An Illustrated Guide to Weapons of the Special
——- Drugs of Abuse. Forces.
Dymock, Eric. Classic Sports Cars. Warner, Roger. Invisible Hand: The Marijuana Business.
The Encyclopedia Britannica Macropedia. Wilson, James Q., and Richard Herrnstein. Crime and Human
Nature.
Ferguson, Tom. Modern Law Enforcement Weapons and Tactics,
2d ed. Wingate, Anne. Scene of the Crime: A Writer’s Guide to Crime-
Scene Investigations.
Fodor’s Central America and the Caribbean 1993.
Miscellaneous magazine and newspaper articles.
Fodor’s South America 1993.
Hearing Before the Committee on Governmental Affairs of the
United States Senate. “Crack” Cocaine.
Henderson, Donald Neville III. Supercriminal Psychology and FILMOGRAPHY
Hostage-Terrorist Negotiations.
Jane’s Infantry Weapons. Here are a few more movies and television shows that might
Kane, Thomas. GURPS Espionage. provide you with inspiration or ideas for your Dark Champions
campaigns or characters.
Kerr, Douglas, M.D. Forensic Medicine, 6th ed.
American Justice, Arts & Entertainment.
The Kirk-Othmer Concise Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology.
Dark Justice, CBS.
Kurian, George. The World Encyclopedia of Police Forces and
Penal Systems. The Hidden, starring Kyle MacLachlan.
Lambie, Jack. Ultralight Airmanship. La Femme Nikita, starring Anne Perillaud.
Landau, Elaine. Chemical and Biological Warfare. New Jack City, starring Wesley Snipes, Judd Nelson, and Ice-T.
Lee, Rensselaer III. The White Labyrinth: Cocaine and Political Patriot Games, starring Harrison Ford.
Power. The Punisher, starring Dolph Lundgren and Lou Gossett, Jr.
Loftin, Lawrence, Jr. Quest for Performance: The Evolution of Sneakers, starring Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier, et al.
Modern Aircraft. Spies, Arts & Entertainment.
MacDonald, Robert. Exploring Careers in the Military Services. The Star Chamber, starring Michael Douglas.
Marriner, Brian. On Death’s Bloody Trail. Under Seige, starring Steven Seagal.