NUELOW Heroes and Villains: Black Wing

Black Wing was inspired by the illo below and a basic concept that was released into the public domain by artist Carter-Ethan Rankin (you can see his original idea here). Everything else in this post is presented under the Open Gaming Licence. Copyright 2013 Steve Miller. (Rules for characters with wings and flying can be found in ROLF!: Angels, Demons & Death, and elsewhere).

Black Wing (aka Helena Winger)

Black Wing (Female)

(aka Helena Winger)

Brawn 20, Body 14, Brains 9

   Traits: Mutant (Claws, Fangs, Wings; only present when she is transformed at night or underground), Stone Cold Killer, Super Power (Natural: Super Strength, Flight,. Limitation: Superpower only active at night or underground), Too Sexy for My Shirt, Unstoppable.

   Combat Maneuvers: Basic Attack, Battle Rage, Castrate, Dodge, Double Strike, Human Cannonball, Murderous Mitts, Signature Move

   Important Stuff Worn/Wielded: Natural Weapon (Small Claws, deals 2 points of melee damage) Natural Weapon (Small Fangs, deals 2 points of melee danage that ignore armor).

Origin Story

Helena Hunter was an admirer of Guardian City's shadowy masked crime-fighter and super-detective Black Bat since she was a little girl. As she entered her teens, she dedicated herself to discovering his secret identity, so she could present herself as a worthy sidekick for him.

   Helena was successful; she managed to do what no one has done before, and deduced that Black Bat is actually millionaire Wayne Grayson. To her disappointment, however, Black Bat cooly rejected her offer to become has sidekick, stating that he always works alone and has never wanted to operate a daycare center.

   Devastated, Helena posted about her achievement and rejection to her Facebook page (without mentioning which hero she had tracked down and been rejected by). One of her online Friends, however, was secretly Black Bat's long-time foe Brick Bat, and he read between the lines to grasp her achievement. He reached out to Helena, offering her superpowers in exchange for Black Bat's secret identity. Helena jumped at the chance.

   Brick Bat brought the girl to one of the many mad scientists he works with where she was subjected to a treatment that was to give her powers to rival Black Bat. Helena promised to reveal the hero's name when she had her powers, but once the treatment was over, she betrayed Brick Bat and turned on him and the scientist. The scientist died beneath her newly acquired claws and fangs while Brick Bat barely escaped with his life.

Powers

During the night hours, after the sun has completely set or before it starts to rise, when she is underground or otherwise in a place where not even reflective sun-rays can reach her, Helena transforms into a monstrous bat-woman. with wings and vicious claws and fangs. She loses her normal vision when transformed, but instead moves about as a bat would, using a sonar-like ability to avoid hitting objects as she flies. This ability also lets her hone in on people through the sounds of their hearts beating. When transformed, Helena also has super-strength and the ability to fly.

Enemies and Allies
Helena's only enemy so far is Brick Bat, who wants revenge for her betrayal. Although she is still seething with anger and resentment against Black Bat, she has not turned her powers against him, but is instead still trying to gain his approval and respect. To that end, she has taken to brutally murdering random muggers and criminals--as well as some of Guardian City's top gang-bosses. Btween the mounting sense in the criminal underworld that something will have to be done to stop her, she is soon in for some real trouble. And that's not even taking Black Bat--who frowns on muderers of any sttrip--into account.

NUELOW Heroes and Villains: Captain Bananahammock

Here's another character for use in your ROLF! games. This one might be a useful foil if you want to create further adventures for Jane Bond. Maybe he could be her Honey Ryder? Or perhaps Captain Bananahammock can fall through a temporal/spacial vortex and become a frienemy of Amelia Earheart as she battles evil in the 57th Dimension (that idea was suggested by L.L. Hundal).

Once again, the character concept, name, and displayed artwork were created by Carter-Ethan Rankin and released into the public domain. The section labeled ROLF! Game Stats is presented under the Open Gaming License and is Copyright 2013 by Steve Miller. Everything else in this post is considered product identity, as defined under the Open Gaming License and may not be reproduced without permission from the copyright holders. (But if you ask Steve, he will almost certainly say "yes.")

Captain Bananahammock (aka Eric Ellis)

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ROLF! GAME STATS
Captain Bananahammock
(aka Eric Ellis)
Brawn 29, Body 19, Brains 7
   Traits: Dumb, Egomaniac, Improv Master, Too Sexy for My Shirt
   Combat Maneuvers: Basic Attack, Dodge, Driver, Strategic Bleeding, Seduce, The Look, The Walk
   Important Stuff Worn/Wielded: Bright yellow shorts. Captain Bananahammock also owns a helicopter and a speedboat, both of which he has painted bright yellow.

The Banana Boat [Watercraft]
Body: 25; Speed: 16; Maneuverability 8
   Passengers: Driver + 4
Weapons: None, but passengers can shoot out the windows, dealing regular damage with ranged weapons

The Banana Smoothie [Aircraft]
Body: 24; Speed: 13; Maneuverability 5
   Passengers: Driver +3
   Weapons: None, but passengers can shoot out the windows, dealing regular damage with ranged weapons

(Rules for vehicles in ROLF! can be found in Amelia vs. the Queen of the 57th Dimension, but they will also be included in the projected ROLF! superhero game... when we get it done.)
--

Origin Story
Male supermodel Eric Ellis's greatest claim to fame was being the face (and sexy body) of Scorch Sports and Swimwear until the company was revealed to be a front for Pocket Rocket's latest scheme to dominate the world and driven into bankruptcy. The scandal ruined Eric's modeling career, but he didn't mind, because he had more money in the bank than he knew what do with. Further, his encounter with Texas Hellion and Hot Shot as they sent Pocket Rocket to the prison hospital for the umpteenth time got him thinking that he should go into the "mystery man" business. He was perfect for it, he thought--he's got a rockin' bod that he's not afraid to show off, and he's rich. (A couple of all-night private consulting sessions with Hot Shot further convinced him that the Hero Biz is where he would spend his retirement.)

Superpowers
Captain Bananahammock has no powers other than his self-described rockin' bod and tremendous ego. He adventures and fights crime primarily to be seen and admired-- ideally in as few clothes as possible while avoiding arrest for indecent exposure.

Enemies and Allies
No one really views Captain Bananahammock as a threat, although mad scientist Dr. Tooth will shoot him on sight for coming onto his wife, Dr. Floss, when they met in Sydney last year. Captain Banananhammock frequently works with agents of with Agents of P.R.I.G., and he has an on-again, off-again relationship with Hot Shot--basically whenever they're in the same hemisphere.

NUELOW Heroes & Villains: Punk Rock Girl

Here's another ROLF! super-character. Creator Carter-Ethan Rankin states: "She's Hallie Hiromatsu! She's a punk! She's got skin of stone! She considers herself the 4th member of Shonen Knife! She's: PUNK ROCK GIRL!"

Punk Rock Girl (aka Hallie Hiromatsu)

Enjoy!

ROLF! Game Stats
Punk Rock Girl (Female)
aka Hallie Hiromatsu
Brawn 20 (23 when transformed), Body 15, Brains 7
   Traits: Martial Artist, Unstoppable, Super Power (Item-based: Whenever she listens to a song by Shonen Knife, she can gains Super Strength, and cause her skin to turn to stone for up to one hour (all damage suffered is reduced by 3 points). Limitation: When she transforms, her skin turns gray and pitted--like a rock--her hair becomes a short purple mohawk and her left eye becomes a jagged pit. If she hears a Shonen Knife song and does not wish to transform, she must roll a successful Brains ATT check to resist.)
   Combat Maneuvers: Backflip, Dance Move, Double Strike, Disarm, Kung Fu Face, Murderous Mitts
   Important Items Worn/Wielded: Nunchuks (Medium Melee Weapon. Deals 3 points of damage). iPod loaded with all official Shonen Knife albums, as well as several dozen bootleg recordings),

Origin Story
Teenager Hallie Hiromatsu is the youngest daughter of Hiro Hiromatsu, an American of Japanese descent who has returned with his Caucasian wife to Japan to run a language school. In truth, Hiro is the top operative of P.R.I.G. (Pacific Rim Intelligence Group) and his school serves as a front for the secretive, U.N.-sponsored spy ring.
   From literally the day she sat foot in Japan, Hallie has been a huge fan of the all-girl alternative rock band Shonen Knife. Although grounded on the night they were performing near her home, she stuck out to attend the concert with a girl friend. Before going to the concert, the two girls styled Hallie's hair in a purple mohawk, because she wanted to show her father that he may be some sort of super-spy, but he couldn't stop her from doing whatever she wanted to do.
   However, Hallie's movements had been tracked from the moment she snuck out of her house, not by her father but by the sinister North Korean super-agent Spirit of the People and her mad scientist sidekick Dr. Kim Chee ("Kim. It's just Dr. Kim!"). They in turn were being followed by Captain Freedom and his wild-child sidekick Jungle Girl. When Spirit of the People and Dr. Kim struck at the concert with the intent of kidnapping Hallie and her friend, the two heroes were ready to stop them. The Shonen Knife performance continued uninterrupted, as the band and crowd just thought it was an extra special, extra energetic night of moshing and thrashing.
   During the fight, Dr. Kim's latest death-ray gun malfunctioned  and exploded, almost killing him and overloading Shonen Knife's amplifiers and speakers. Hallie, bathed in both the weird radiation of the gun and the sonic waves of a distorted Shonen Knife tune,
underwent a strange transformation--her skin turned rock hard and she gained superpowers. While Captain Freedom evacuated Shonen Knife and the crowd from the collapsing concert venue, Hallie and Jungle Girl chased and defeated Spirit of the People.
   When Hallie reverted to her natural body soon afterwards, it became apparent that she had also been severely injured in the explosion and she almost died. Although Hallie made a full recovery, her left eye could not be saved. After recovering, her father saw that she was put through a crash-course martial arts training program, so she could defend herself and put her superpowers to use in the name of freedom and justice
 whenever she listens to a song by Japanese alternative rock band Shonen Knife.

Superpowers
Dr. Kim Chee's malfunctioning weapon activated dormant mutant traits in Hallie that now is triggered when she hears a song by Shonen Knife. When transformed, her Brawn ATT increases by +3 and all damage received). Hallie's transformation lasts for one hour, and she must get at least 6 hours of sleep between transformations to do them successfully. She can chose to not transform by making a successful Brains ATT check.
   Hallie's left eye is a highly advanced cybernetic prosthetic that allows her to record what she sees and transmit it to P.R.I.G. central command at will. It is non-functioning when she becomes Punk Rock Girl.

Enemies and Allies
Hallie is an Agent of P.R.I.G. and can call upon their resources. She will stop agents of P.O.T.S. whenever she can... and anyone who says a bad word about Shonen Knife had better ready for a beating.

FYI
Punk Rock Girl created by Carter-Ethan Rankin. Bikini Blur, Reiko Nakamura, and the displayed image have all been released into the public domain. Everything else (except for the names Captain Freedom, Dr. Kim Chee, Jungle Girl, and Spirit of the People, which are Product Identity) in this post is presented under the Open Gaming License, and may be reproduced accordingly, and is Copyright Steve Miller 2013. Shonen Knife is also not Open Gaming Content, and is a trademark used without permission. No challenges to ownership intended.

Shonen Knife is actually a real-world Japanese rock band, who were a favorite of Kurt Cobain. Here's are a couple of samples of their music:

NUELOW Heroes & Villains: Bikini Blur

Bikini Blur (aka Reiko Nakamura)

ROLF! Game Stats
This (and all write-ups for this series) relies on the basic ROLF! game, but may also use rules found in ROLF!: Something About Superheroes, ROLF!: POTS vs. PANS, and ROLF!: Mad Scientists Gone Wild. (Note: Sharp-eyed gamers may note some minor irregularities in the way the Super Power trait functions in these write-ups. Those are due to anticipated revisions coming with the ROLF!-powered superhero game that is in the works.)

Bikini Blur (aka Reiko Nakamura)
Brawn 14, Body 15, Brains 6
   Traits: Irrepressible Optimist, Nimble, Super Power (Derived from Alien Bikini. Only gained when Item is Worn: Super Speed, Furious Fists combat maneuver, Armor that absorbs up to 5 points of damage from all sources, even those that usually ignore armor. Limitation: The Alien Bikini only operates when it is the only thing Reiko is wearing.).
   Combat Maneuvers: Basic Attack, Dodge, Run Away!, Walking Disaster Area.
   Important Stuff Worn/Wielded: Glittering Alien Bikini of Mysterious Origin (Clothes, barely covers nakedness). Taser (Small Melee Weapon, deals 2 points of damage that ignore armor; a gift from her dad).

Origin Story
The mystery woman known as Bikini Blur was just another high school girl from Osaka, fretting about her college exams when a chance encounter with a strange being from an alien planet altered her life forever.
   Reiko Nakamura was coming home from the library late one evening when she was blinded by a flash of light and knocked over by a powerful gust of wind. When her vision cleared, a green-skinned woman stood over her. Orange blood oozed from many deep wounds.
   "I have run as far as I could," the woman said--her voice reverberating in Reiko's very bones, "and I must pass the treasures of my kingdom onto you. Please guard them. Do not let them fall into the hands of the Dark Empress. The future of my race rests with you now."
   With that, light seemed to consume the woman's body, leaving behind only the glistening two-piece bathing suit she had worn. Wondering if she had cracked under the strain of too much studying, Reiko picked up the bikini, slipped it in her book-bag and continued on her way home and to bed.
   When Reiko woke up the next morning, she still thought of last night's events as proof her mind had snapped; but when she looked in her book-bag, the glistening, shimmering bikini was there. Whatever she had witnessed last night, it had really happened!
   Reiko decided to put the bikini on and found that it fit perfectly. As Reiko admired herself and the odd swimwear in the mirror, several hulking, armored men with green skin burst through the wall. "Surrender the treasure, alien female!" one of them bellowed, reaching for Reiko with his massive gauntled hand... but she wasn't there anymore. In fact, she was on a rooftop across the street, looking back at her shattered home in astonishment--she had merely wanted to back away from the horrible figure bearing down on on her, but in doing so somehow managed to leap clear across the street. The strange alien suit didn't exactly give her the ability to fly or teleport, but it let her move so fast that she might as well be able to--she had leapt out of the second floor of her house, run across the street and literally up the wall of the house there until, on the roof, where he thoughts finally caught up with her actions and she realized what was happening.
   Moments later, another group of aliens appeared in the street below. They shouted in a language she could not understand, some pointing at her, some pointing at her, some pointing at the armored beings peering through the hole in the wall to her bedroom. And then, the two groups starting fighting each other.
   Reiko thought it best if she fled the scene... and she's been running ever since. Later reuniting with her father, Chika, who narrowly escaped death as their house was destroyed, the pair now travel Japan and the East, seeking to unlock the secrets of Reiko's bikini, fending off their alien pursuers when they catch up to them and fighting crime and injustice when they encounter it.
   Meanwhile, journalist Taharo Akako is also on their tail. He's the one who named Reiko "Bikini Blur." Reiko wold love to meet him, but her father forbids it; he doesn't want a reporter broadcasting their location to the aliens (and he doesn't want a handsome man making time with his teenage daughter!)

Superpowers
Reiko has no powers of her own. Her abilities all derive from the alien bikini, which remains almost as mysterious to her as when she first put it on. It allows her to move extremely fast, hit opponents harder, and to cause a blurry aura around her that protects her--but since she only recently discovered that function, she and Chika both believe the suit is capable of much more.
   Much to both their chagrin--Chika in particular--the bikini's powers only operate if it is the only thing Reiko is wearing.

Enemies and Allies
Bikini Blur is hunted by the minions of the Dark Empress, and by a faction of uncertain loyalties that is led by the handsome alien Prince Hiromasa. She has also angered the powerful Yakuza boss Raiden, who has placed a bounty on her.
   Bikini Blur has crossed paths with Punk Rock, another young Japanese superheroine, a couple of times. They have become friends and subscribe to each other's Twitter feeds. Her father remains her protector and firmest ally.

FYI
Bikini Blur created by Carter-Ethan Rankin. Bikini Blur, Reiko Nakamura, and the displayed image have all been released into the public domain. Everything else in this post is presented under the Open Gaming License, and may be reproduced accordingly, and is Copyright Steve Miller 2013.

2013 -- the Year of the NUELOW Superhero?

This month, we're launching our series of comics collections (each of which will have game material, unlike the Robert E. Howard series where it rarely happened), but Steve Miller (me... speaking of myself in third person again) will also be writing stats and backgrounds for a series of characters that are being created by artist Carter-Ethan Rankin.

Like so many of our other projects, this effort is grounded in material that is in the public domain. Unlike so many of our other projects, Rankin's characters are brand new. He's designing their look, naming them, giving them a basic back story, and releasing them into the public domain for everyone to use (or abuse) as they see fit.

One of Rankin's creations I find particularly striking.
But will anything I write resemble the back-story he created?

If you're familiar with NUELOW Games' output, or if you have spent any time whatsoever with me at a gaming table, you know that I have a habit of reinventing characters and places as I go--oftentimes because I know better than the original creators. (For an example of this, check out ROLF!: Bat vs. Cat, where the NUELOW Black Cat is actually quite distinctive in her background from the Harvey Comics character she is based on. And, in the forthcoming His Honor and... The Demon book, I am editing and re-writing some word balloons and captions so the Black Cat's origins are changing from the Harvey one to the NUELOW one. At least that's the plan. We'll see if I ultimately like the result and follow through.)

So... as this project goes forward, some of the characters will be close to Rankin's creations. Others will be further afield, as I just appropriate his art and yoke it to something entirely different -- like we did with all the heroes featured in ROLF!: POTS vs. PANS.

Captain Bananahammock... he'll stay pretty much as Rankin created him.

At the end of all of this, I'm hoping that L.L Hundal and I will have finished the ROLF! superhero game that she's been futzing around with for the past several months. She's not yet happy with the modifications she feels need to be done to the character generation rules. When she's ready. I'll be hitting up you Gentle Readers to see if any of you want to do a little play-testing.

In the meantime, the superheroes that will be appear here in blog posts will use the rules presented in ROLF!: Something About Superheroes (which you can download for free) and ROLF!: Mad Scientists Gone Wild!. I'm confident that whatever Hundal ultimately does with character generation in the supers game, it's not going to impact the utility and compatibility of the characters in this series (and the eventual product that will emerge from it).

(Captain Bananahammock, and both images used in this post, are available for use by anyone, with only one condition is available for use by anyone, with only one condition. This paragraph must be included in any publication involving them, in order that others may use this property as they wish. That said, any specific NUELOW Games text and creations surrounding the art are under copyright of NUELOW Games and myself; the character and idea are free for anyone and everyone to use. The displayed image has been declared public domain to give creators a starting point. To quote Carter-Ethan Rankin: "All rights reversed.")

Watch for the arrival of superheroes, right here at the NUELOW Games blog!

Available Now: "Film Fun Comics Vol. 1"!

Click here to see previews or to get a copy of Film Fun Comics Vol. 1: Stuntman!

We've enjoyed some success with our ROLF!-based superhero releases, and we were happy with the sales on our first excursion into comics with "ROLF!: Turkey Shoot." Plus, we here at NUELOW Games like both comic books and classic superhero adventures, so we're upping the ante with a new series of books -- Film Fun Comics!

Each entry in this new series (which is projected to run at least 4 pdf-format e-books) will collect some great Golden Age comics set against the backdrop of the Golden Age of Hollywood... with actors and actresses putting on fighting togs to take on the criminal underworld!

Here's the cover image for Film Fun Comics, Vol. 1: Stuntman. It will contain four of Stuntman's greatest cases and a ROLF! battle scenario, along with several pre-generated characters. The Stuntman comics were all written and drawn by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, and they were selected from the pages of vintage issues of All-New Comics, Black Cat, The Green Hornet Fights Crime, and Thrills of Tomorrow.

By way of further preview, here are the ROLF! game stats for Stuntman and his supporting cast. Other characters and an all-new Trait will also be featured in the book.

DON DARING (Male)

Brawn 15; Body 18; Brains 4
Traits: Irrepressible Optimist, So Very British
Combat Maneuvers: Basic Attack, Seduce, Strike Pose, Withering Insult
Important Stuff Wielded/Worn: Notebook (Melee OR One-shot Ranged Weapon. Deals 1 point of damage). Expensive Suit, Deer-stalker Hat.

SANDRA SYLVAN (Female)
Brawn: 14; Body 19; Brains 6
   Traits: Busty, Improv Master, Nimble
   Combat Maneuvers: Basic Attack, Disarm, Dodge, Seduce, Strike Pose, The Look
   Important Stuff Wielded/Worn: Fashionable Clothes.

STUNTMAN (aka Fred Drake, Male)
Brawn 28 (includes +1 Hat bonus), Body 18, Brains 8
   Traits: Honorable, Nimble
   Combat Maneuver: Backflip, Basic Attack, Dodge, Human Cannonball, Knock Out, Murderous Mitts, Signature Move
   Important Stuff Wielded/Worn: Superhero Outfit (Armor, absorbs up to 2 points of damage), Stuntman Mask (Hat, +1 to Brawn when worn).

To save the future, they must fight in the past....

NUELOW Games celebrates the 40th anniversary of Peter Fonda's landmark sci-fi film about time-traveling without wearing pants, Idaho Transfer, with the release of our own pants-less time-travel epic for ROLF! -- Rise of the Trouser Snakes 2: Whacking Weiner.

ROLF!: Rise of the Trouser Snakes 2 is a stand-alone sequel to our cyberpunk spoof that pitted rebels in a dark future against teh corrupt forces of the plutocratic One World Government. Now, the brave members of the Trouser Snakes must travel into the past to stop the Time Killer from assassinating US politician and creepy sexter Anthony Weiner and altering the course of history. Like the great Idaho Transfer, it's got intrepid young people with no pants traveling through time to secure a better tomorrow! We're sure Fonda would approve... if he knew we existed.

Rise of the Trouser Snakes 2; Whacking Weiner presents five pregenerated characters--including Anthony Weiner ala ROLF!--several Traits and Combat Maneuvers not found in the core rulebook, and two linked battle scenaros. Click here to see previews at RPGNow and to download your own copy.

If you missed the original Rise of the Trouser Snakes, click here to check it out. You might also be interested in Anthony Weiner's first ROLF! appearance, which saw him in pitched battle with a former president of the United States in Bill Clinton and the Secret City of Women.

Features the debut of the Trouser Snakes

Features Anthony Weiner's ROLF! debut.